Philadelphia and Michigan remain undefeated, while a scorching day from Craig James gives the Feds their first win.
SCORES
WSH 42 NJ 13 Washington blows out the Generals for their first win of the season.
CHI 26 PIT 16 Vince Evans throws for 338 as the Blitz move to 4-1.
HOU 20 MGN 23 Houston puts a scare into Michigan but come up just short.
MEM 21 ARZ 38 Neuheisel continues to impress with 366 yard day against Memphis.
BIR 10 OAK 27 Two teams who seem to have swapped fortunes as Invaders roll.
JAX 25 DEN 27 Williams’ 2 interceptions help Denver squeak out a win at home.
TBY 20 LA 24 LA proves they are legit as they outpace the Bandits for a home win.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Philadelphia Stars 16 Boston Breakers 13
In the ABC Game of the Week, a game Boston had to have, the Breakers cannot hold as Philly scores in the final 2 minutes to steal a win. In a game dominated by both defenses, with neither team gaining more than 250 total yards, it was a 4th quarter breakdown that cost Boston a much-needed win and gave Philadelphia a commanding 2 game lead in the division.
Defense dominated as both Boston and Philadelphia limited the opposition’s run game, and took the ball away to stunt drives. Boston’s pass rush was fierce, sacking Chuck Fusina 5 times and forcing an atypical errant throw for an interception. Philly was equally dominant on defense, holding Buford Jordan to 34 yards on the day and intercepting the unsteady Tony Eason 3 times. At the half the score was only 10-6 Boston. Boston had gotten the only TD of the half, a 32 yard Eason to Franz TD on a rare busted coverage. The two teams traded field goals in the 2nd half, and Boston fans had to feel good about their 13-9 edge as the Stars had not been able to generate much at all on offense. But, with only minutes left, the Boston D tired and the Stars took advantage.
Getting the ball back on their own 18 with 5:23 left in the game, the Stars, with a lot of help from a tired and careless Boston D, marched down the field, scoring the game winner with 1:50 left on the clock. The drive was assisted by 5 Boston penalties, including a series of 4 straight plays in which Boston was called for unnecessary roughness twice, roughing the passer, and unsportsmanlike conduct. It was a complete meltdown of discipline and focus, as these 4 penalties moved the ball from the 50 to the Boston 11 yard line. Fans may have been yelling for the ref’s head, but it was clear that the Boston defense was simply out of control and overwrought.
Getting the ball back with nearly 2 minutes to go, needing only a field goal to tie, the Breaker fans, a strong crowd of 29,300, pushed for a final drive, but QB Tony Eason, who had been harassed by the Stars all day, was not up to the task. After being sacked on 3rd and 8 on his own 26, Eason missed Charlie Smith on 4th down and the ball went back to the Stars for a series of victory formations to end the game. With the win, Philly moves to an impressive 5-0 start, while Boston, now having lost 2 straight, falls 2 games back with a tough matchup against a hot LA Express team on the West Coast next week.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
There were a lot of strong contenders this week, including defensive gems turned in by Oakland FS William Liles (2 Int, 1 a Pick-6), Arizona’s DE Calvin Clark (Safety and forced fumble) and a 4 tackle, 2 sack day from Chicago standout Junior Ah You, but in helping the Washington Federals finally get in the W column, halfback Craig James has to be the star of the week. He had his best game in 3 years on Sunday, scoring 3 times and combining for 245 scrimmage yards (163 on the ground, 82 more in the air). Washington rode the former SMU Pony Express star all day, and utterly dominated the New Jersey Generals for their first win, and a division win at that.
NEWS & NOTES
We are only 5 weeks into the season, but the heat is beginning to get turned on several coaches. Washington’s Lee Corso may have saved his job for now with an impressive win against the Generals, but the Feds’ 0-4 start was not what anyone expected. If they cannot string together some strong performances, Corso may be in trouble. Houston’s Jack Pardee, or at the very least OC Mouse Davis may be in trouble as well. The Gamblers did well last year to make 7-9, but a 1-4 start this year, combined with the regular beatings that QB Jim Kelly has taken in the no-TE offense often used by Houston, has fans antsy about their star. The fact that Oakland reject Fred Besana has had to come in to the game in 4 of Houston’s 5 games is not a good sign for Kelly’s long term health. Memphis and Birmingham are also 1-4, and while we expect that Rollie Dotsch is not going anywhere, Pepper Johnson may need to improve on last year’s 5-win season if he hopes to retain his position.
All this said, the coach who may be in the most danger for a mid-year removal is clearly New Jersey’s Walt Michaels. Not only is owner Donald Trump dissatisfied with the Generals’ 1-4 start, he is reportedly furious with the league vote to retain a spring season, and seems to blame Michaels for not forcefully pushing the issue while Trump was tied up in court. Doug Flutie, other than one breakout game, has looked uncomfortable in Michaels’s offense, and to make matters worse, even Herschel Walker has not looked as dominant as in past years. The Generals have failed to score more than 20 points in 4 of 5 games and are currently last in scoring in the league. Pair this with a defense that has given up nearly 30 points a game and things are looking mighty tough for Michaels. The Generals have their bye in Week Nine, but have 3 matchups against teams with winning records (OAK, CHI, ARZ) before that and we are not sure Michaels can last that long unless he can find a way to make Flutie reprise his performance against Memphis or adjust the offense to better use Walker. The seat is getting awfully hot in New Jersey.
INJURIES
That Philly-Boston game was not just a defensive battle, it was a battle of attrition, as both teams lost top defenders for at least a few weeks. Philly’s DE William Fuller broke a collarbone in the 3rd quarter, and Boston’s tackles leader, LB Ben Needham appears to have broken his wrist in the game. In Washington, league interception leader Mark Kelso suffered a mild concussion and may be kept out for a week to rest. While in Houston, post-game reports that Jim Kelly suffered a pinched nerve might impact his ability to play next week. Kelly has been running for his life in the spread style offense of the Gamblers, and this time his injuries may actually cost him a start.
LOOKING AHEAD
It’s East v. West in Week 6 as the Pacific and Atlantic teams face off while the Southern and Central teams also battle. LA heads to Boston where they hope the Breakers fall for a 3rd straight week, while Oakland gets to torture Walt Michaels and the floundering Generals. The best East-West matchup may be Arizona at Philadelphia, where the vaunted Stars defense has to contend with a red hot Rick Neuheisel. In the Central-South clashes, the best game would normally appear to be Michigan at Birmingham, but the Stallions have been a shell of themselves this year. We might have to tune in to see if Doug Williams and the Bulls can upend the surprising Chicago Blitz. In other games, Denver is at Washington, Pittsburgh has a tough game at Tampa Bay, and two 1-4 teams try to get on track as Houston travels to Memphis.