What UFL Should Do About Roughnecks Coach Curtis Johnson
Image via X @XFLRoughnecks
This past weekend was not a pleasant one for the Houston Roughnecks or their head coach, Curtis Johnson.
In the 2025 UFL opener on Friday night, Roughnecks fans were greeted to what can only be described as a disjointed mess on the field as the St. Louis Battlehawks handedly took care of Houston 31-6. It took almost 58 minutes for the Roughnecks to get points on the board to avoid the shutout, but at that point, it was too late. The damage was done.
To put into perspective how bad the Roughnecks were on the field, here are their final stats from the game:
Total Offense: 183 yards
Total First Downs: 11
Time of Possession: 24:27
Three and Outs: 3
Turnovers: 2
Viewers at home did not have to suffer as much, as they were in the comfort of their own homes, but they saw and heard much worse than the fans at the game did. There was a moment where run game coordinator Tom Cable was coaching Johnson on what to say to the players. Can’t recall any moment in watching sports where an assistant had to tell a head coach with over six years of head coaching experience how to motivate his team.
All through social media, UFL reporters and fans criticized Johnson’s coaching performance and how bad the Roughnecks looked. There were plenty of people calling for Johnson’s job as well, which leaves the question: What’s next?
Johnson’s Time as Houston Head Coach
Some background on Johnson: he took over the Houston Gamblers from the departing Kevin Sumlin back in February 2023, with just two months to go before the USFL season started. He performed well in his first season as head coach as the Gamblers went 5-5. One game in the 2023 season would change the rest of Johnson’s tenure in spring football.
In Week 7 of the 2023 USFL season, the Gamblers had a 4-2 record and looked poised to make the postseason. They faced the Memphis Showboats, which was a back-and-forth game where the Gamblers forced a Memphis fumble and scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, taking a 20-16 lead with about two minutes left in the game. Showboats quarterback Cole Kelley connected with Derrick Dillon on a 64-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive to take a 23-20 lead. Houston quarterback Kenji Bahar only picked up 19 yards on their final drive and threw an interception to close out the final 1:49 of the game to lose.
Why was that game so significant? Well, Houston would win their next game, but the Gamblers and Johnson never recovered as the team lost three of their last four games and missed the postseason. Last season, the Roughnecks won just one game, finishing 1-9 and with the UFL’s worst record.
Johnson has lost 13 of his previous 15 games as Houston’s head coach. You don’t need to be an expert on football or sports in general to know that isn’t good.
Next Move For UFL
The reality is that it’s doubtful that the UFL will fire Johnson midway through the season for performance. It would have to take something awful off the field for Johnson to lose his job, so fans are stuck with him throughout the season.
If the league wanted to make a move right away, they have Cable to take over the team, which would be an easy choice since he has been an NFL head coach in the past with the Raiders. Cable understands what it takes to be a competitive organization and can jump right in to improve the team's culture.
I never want to call for a person to be fired, but this season is a make-or-break year for the UFL, especially with the league struggling with ratings and attendance. Having a team perform as poorly as they did on Friday should only spark Johnson’s seat to be hot.
For now, the league will stay put and give Johnson a chance to redeem himself, which is the right move. However, I suggest giving him just two more games. If there isn’t improvement, the UFL has to take control of the situation and get this team right.
