Midseason Update: ON THE FIELD
We are at the halfway point of the USFL’s inaugural season and a lot can be said about the league. It’s off-field successes and issues will be catalogued in our sister article, but here we are going to focus between the white lines. Football fans across the nation agree that the level of play has been far better than expected, with plenty of nailbiters, dramatic comebacks, and standout performances. The USFL has impressed fans with the high caliber of performance, and while there does seem to be some imbalance of talent across the league, at the halfway mark of the season all 12 teams have at least 2 wins and no fewer than 2 losses, so while it may not be the NFL’s standard of parity, there is a feeling that on any given week even the weakest teams can step up and play to the level of their opponents. Let’s take a team by team look at what we have seen through 8 weeks.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
PHILADELPHIA STARS (6-2)
Strengths: Balance. The Stars are a team that can beat you on the ground or in the air, or through defensive pressure. They rank middle of the pack in practically every offensives stat, which might not sound great, but what it has meant is that the Stars have not been overdependent on any one aspect of their offense. Chuck Fusina has been a steady hand at QB and has a real rapport with WR Scott Fitzkee, the league leader in receptions. On defense, the Stars have been able to keep opponents well below their own scoring pace of 26 PPG, primarily through a speedy and hard hitting LB corps.
Weaknesses: Takeaways. If there is one area where coach Jim Mora cannot be pleased so far this season it is in the lack of takeaways. Philadelphia has only 4 interceptions in 8 games and are middling in fumble recoveries. They are also one of only 4 teams not to score a defensive TD this year. If they want to take home the league’s first championship it may require them to become a bit more aggressive around the ball.
Breakout Star: Let’s highlight two players here. On Offense the play of rookie RB Kelvin Bryant has been outstanding, The UNC product has racked up 653 yards on 154 carries, placing him 4th in the league. On Defense the surprise standout has been MLB Sam Mills. The NFL castoff has been the field general of the D and is creeping up the league leaders chart with 59 tackles.
Prediction: We think Philly, now with a 2 game lead in the division, has the formula for success. We predict a 12-4 final record and a division title.
NEW JERSEY GENERALS (4-4)
Strengths: The Run Game. This was predictable as soon as the Generals announced the signing of Herschel Walker, but it is clear that the Generals offense is designed to highlight and complement the talents of the young Georgia product. Walker has led the league in rushing for the entire season, and we don’t anticipate that would change, but it might make sense for the Generals to find a decent backup to spell Walker from time to time. Backup HB Ralph Fuller has not shown much, but there are sparks from FB Maurice Carthon.
Weaknesses: Consistency. Bobby Scott has played well, but little has been asked of him. The defense too has had some strong games, but has also failed to show up in key moments. This is a team that has a lot of talent and should have a winning record, but failure to consistently play up to their capacity has led them to a .500 start.
Breakout Star: Sure, we are all watching Herschel every game, but as far as surprise players our vote goes to former Nittany Lion Tom McConnaughey. The lanky and somewhat slow receiver has proven to be a solid route runner who can win 50-50 balls. He isn’t going to outpace anyone to the endzone (as evidenced by only 1 TD on the year) but on a 3rd and medium, he will find a way to get open.
Prediction: With only 1 Wildcard available in the 4 team playoff, we just don’t see how NJ can catch up with the other contenders. Unless something happens to make Philly fall and the Central division collapse we think the focus for the Generals has to be getting and staying over .500 with hopes that some other teams slip.
BOSTON BREAKERS (4-4)
Strengths: Pluck. This is a team without any big name signings, playing in the smallest stadium in the league, and led by a 37 year old QB who was coaching HS last year. And yet, they have stunned the league with big wins over New Jersey, Philly and Oakland (back when we expected much of the Invaders). Trick plays, surprising defensive strength, and a decent balance of rush and pass has helped Boston outpace expectations.
Weaknesses: Killer instinct. For as much as we praise the Breakers for their pluck, they have also let a few games slip away from them. They seem to do well early in games and then fall away as more talented teams regroup at half. Coach Coury needs to find a way to finish games if the Breakers want to finish above .500 this year.
Breakout Star: While we are all rooting for the continued success of veteran journeyman QB Johnny Walton, I am giving this award to unheralded RB Richard Crump. Crump, out of little-known NE Oklahoma was the surprise pick to start, but his reliable 4.1 yards per carry has led him to over 600 yards for the year and 6th on the USFL rushing list.
Prediction: I love a good underdog story as much as the next guy, but I think an 8-8 season is a victory for this team. They need more depth on the lines and more firepower as well to compete week in and week out.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS (2-6)
Strengths: Had you asked us when they started 2-1 we might have a lot to say, but with 5 straight losses under their belts, it is hard to highlight much. We like what we see in backup RB (now splitting time) Curtis Bledsoe, and perhaps the 2-headed RB corps is what Craig James needs to succeed, just as he did with Eric Dickerson at SMU. Other than that, a team that ranks 12th in a 12 team league in offense, and 11th in total defense does not have much to highlight.
Weaknesses: Defense. As much as we can say that the Federals offense is plodding and predictable, the bigger issue is that the defense is just too generous. They have allowed the opposing team to score 30 or more points 5 times, including a couple of major blowouts. We don’t think they can fix that immediately, not with the roster they have, so this is a project for the offseason.
Breakout Star: In what has become a rough year, the play of wideout Joey Walters has stood out. Averaging 13.4 yards a catch and with 38 catches on the year, Walters has been reliable for the Federals in a season where reliable has been hard to find.
Prediction: As the season wears on wins may be harder to find. The Federals are not a team with a deep bench, so injuries and fatigue may make it difficult for them to play with other teams who are in playoff contention. Getting to 5 wins on the year feels like a ceiling for the Federals.
CENTRAL DIVISION
TAMPA BAY BANDITS (7-1)
Strength: Offensive firepower. This is a team molded in the freewheeling style of coach Steve Spurrier. They have been explosive, dynamic, and high energy all season. Other than the mysterious collapse against Birmingham, their only loss to date, the John Reaves-led offense has been the very definition of Bandit Ball, and the fans in Tampa Bay, whose NFL team lacks exactly this, have been loving it.
Weakness: Few, but if we have to name one it would be tackling on D. The defense has done fine in slowing down opposing offenses and have spent a lot of time playing with a lead, but we have noticed a penchant for missed tackles which could come into play in a close game.
Breakout Star: John Reaves, QB. Reaves is no spring chicken, but with what he has shown this year we are shocked that he was not on an NFL roster. Sure, his pass completion rate is below 50% but that has more to do with the “Chuck it Up” philosophy of the offense which likes to use a high risk, high reward vertical game. His longball game has kept him at or near the top of the yardage leaders all season and his 19 TD passes have led to wins.
Prediction: Tampa is a legit championship contender. As long as they can keep defenses from pressuring Reaves into mistakes (He has thrown 8 ints.) they will be able to outflank and outscore most opponents.
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (6-2)
Strengths: Explosiveness. Sure, we could have said balance as we did with Philly. After all, Birmingham is #3 in yards and in yards allowed, but the secret to the Stallions has been the ability to go on scoring runs that demoralize their opponents. Birmingham has used some breakout performances on offense to overtake Tampa Bay for the division lead (they are tied but B’Ham has the tiebreaker). Whether it is a sack-fumble or a 3rd and 3 that goes for 30, the Stallions have found a way to make big plays at big moments in games.
Weaknesses: The receiving corps. This may seem to contradict the “explosiveness” cited above, but while WR Jim Smith and Greg Anderson have done fine statistically, this is one area where a true superstar would be blowing the roof off of games. Birmingham seems content with a complementary passing game, one which becomes more active within the redzone, but if they want to win it all, they will need to add some big plays in the passing game.
Breakout Star: RB Cornelius Quarles has been a showstopper for the Stallions. No one expected much out of the young back out of HBCU Howard, but Quarles has been right on the heels of the highly touted Herschel Walker all season. With 688 yards rushing and a league leading 10 TD’s, this team revolves around their breakout star at RB.
Prediction: It will be a dog fight between Tampa Bay and the Stallions all season. Hard to say who will come out on top, but even if they fall behind Tampa, the Central Division seems assured to win the lone wild card playoff spot, and B’Ham would be a top contender for it even if they cannot win the title.
MICHIGAN PANTHERS (5-3)
Strengths: Dee-Fense!!! The Panthers D has been outstanding all year. They are first in the league against the rush and overall. That bodes well for them as the season progresses. Led by LB John Corker and DE Ronnie Paggett, Michigan is a hard-hitting, stingy D that can turn a game on its head with a big play.
Weaknesses: Rushing. The Panthers have talent at the RB position in John Williams and Ken Lacy, but more often than not they seem to abandon the run game and ride the hot hand of QB Bobby Hebert and wideouts Anthony Carter and Dereck Holloway. A more consistent and dedicated run game could be what the Panthers need to overtake Tampa and Birmingham in this cutthroat division.
Breakout Star: QB Bobby Hebert. It has been a long time since folks in Detroit have seen a QB with his bravado, style and arm strength. Hebert leads the league in several passing categories, including the all important TD to INT ration (19-5). His personality has also been infectious on the team and with the fans. Michigan has a star in the making in this young cajun cannon.
Prediction: Michigan has what it takes to win playoff football (defense and a fearless signal caller) but will they make the playoffs to show it off? They need to pull out enough wins, especially division wins, to overtake both Tampa and Birmingham. We are not ready to bet against them, but it is a lot to ask.
CHICAGO BLITZ (4-4)
Strengths: Veteran leadership. Look, it’s a George Allen team, and that means trust in veterans. The Blitz have experience at some key positions, particularly at QB (Greg Landry) and LB (Stan White). This is not a team that flounders for identity, so much as a team that needs to pair leadership with youthful energy.
Weaknesses: Lack of explosiveness. Going into the season the Blitz seemed to have it all, the veterans cited above for leadership, and young talent in rookie RB Tim Spencer and WR Trumaine Johnson. Neither has really shown what they need in order for Chicago to win regularly, and the Blitz have simply not been able to keep pace with some of the stronger sides in the league.
Breakout Star: DE Junior Ah You has been a revelation as a pass rusher. His 11 sacks lead the league and he has proven to be tough for most left tackles to handle. The former Sun Devil also has 31 tackels, proving he can play the run as well. The Blitz have a disruptor on D in Ah You.
Prediction: We will need to see a lot more from Chicago if we think they can make a run. They may well finish 8-8 this year and in last place in the Central. Don’t they wish they played in the Pacific, where 8-8 is likely to win the entire division.
PACIFIC DIVISION
DENVER GOLD (4-4)
Strengths: Is it surprising that it is hard to pinpoint a strength on a 4-4 team? Denver has been good but not great in several areas. So, perhaps we will pinpoint mental toughness for the Gold. They bounce back well from bad losses and have eked out some tough wins. This is a team without big stars but with a lot of heart.
Weaknesses: I just said it, no stars. Name a skills player who wows you on this team. Tough, right? There is consistent play from QB Ken Johnson, RB Harry Sydney and Wideout Vic James, but no one is gameplanning to stop them. On defense, the team is respectable but again no one strikes fear into opponents. Give this solid team 1 more season to draft and sign some gamechangers and they could prove to be something good.
Breakout Star: If we have to name someone, and that is tough on a no-name team, our candidate would be MLB Putt Choate. Just because his name is fun to say, but also because he is an all-around player. He has been a sideline to sideline player for the Gold, with 40 tackles and solid pass coverage. Not a glitzy pass rusher, Choate seems content to manage the field and hit the ballcarrier hard.
Prediction: Denver’s somewhat uninspiring but consistent play should be enough to win the Pacific Division, but how will they do in the playoffs against the likes of Philly, Michigan or Tampa Bay?
ARIZONA OUTLAWS (2-6)
Strengths: How is a 2-6 team that started the year 0-6 and has only beaten 1 team (LA twice) in 2nd place in the division? Do they have strengths? I guess we could say that they have a never-give-in spirit, because after 6 straight losses (some of them painful to watch) to start the year they have found strength in the last 2 weeks. We are not sure if that is good for them or just a sign that LA is even worse.
Weaknesses: Defense is clearly an issue. The Wranglers have some offensive playmakers, but on defense they are just brutal. They are 11th in scoring defense and 12th in yards allowed, and if there were a 13th position they would likely be there. It may be the scheme, it may be the roster, but you just cannot count on this defense to hold on a third and anything, or to keep teams out of the endzone.
Breakout Star: Wideout Jackie Flowers has been a bright spot on offense. His 622 yards far outpace anyone else on the team and he has shown that he will fight for contested catches.
Prediction: We just don’t see Arizona, with that defense, even hanging on to 2nd place (they are tied with 2 other teams right now) for the rest of the season. They are talent-poor and that tends to show up over the length of a full season. Expect 3-4 wins to be their cap.
LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (2-6)
Strengths: The ability to admit they were wrong. The Express started the season 0-3 behind the simply awful play of starting QB Mike Rae. Even 5 weeks after being relieved in favor of Tom Ramsey, Rae still ranks last in passing in the league. Ramsey garnered 2 wins for the Express before they stumbled twice against Arizona. The ability of coach Hugh Campbell to see the issue and replace Rae with Ramsey shows that all is not lost in LA. They have some talent, Campbell just has to put them in positions to win.
Weaknesses: The running game. As much as we want to blame Mike Rae for the early losses, it has to be said that he got no help from the running backs. Neither Tony Boddie nor LaRue Harrington have proven to be the answer. Far too often a lack of production on 1st and 2nd down puts LA in the position to throw long to get 3rd downs. If they can get more out of the RB spot, their QB’s may look a lot better.
Breakout Star: LB Danny Rich. For much of the season he was at or near the top of the tackles league leaders. Of course part of that was the inability of LA to generate offense and the disproportionate time opposing offenses were on the field, but even so, Rich has made the most of his chances and has shown tenacity as the team’s leader on D.
Prediction: We don’t see enough on the horizon to predict anything but continued struggles for LA. Not only on the field, but at the box office. Scenes of only 10-15k within the huge Coliseum are not inspiring confidence in the franchise and are an issue for the league.
OAKLAND INVADERS (2-6)
Strengths: Firepower. Oakland has one of the more exciting big play offenses in the USFL. With a gunslinger in Fred Besana leading the offense, and true playmakers in RB Arthur Whittington and Fred Banks, this is a team that defensive coordinators stay up late trying to solve.
Weaknesses: Consistency on offense. The Invaders have the talent to break open a game, but they seem to struggle to keep long drives going. They depend on the big play to score, and as teams gameplan against this, using zones and deep coverage to avoid big plays, the Invaders have yet to prove that they can march the ball down the field in small chunks until they score. That is a weakness that is keeping this team from reaching the heights many expected.
Breakout Star: RB Arthur Whittington is third in the league in yardage, despite only a 3.8 yard average. He has had games where he was simply able to bully the opposition and others where he struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage, but when he is on, he is fun to watch.
Prediction: If any team had a shot to leave a 2-6 start behind them and make it over .500 by season’s end, it is Oakland. Will they find more consistency and an ability to turn big play offense into steady offense? That is the question.