SCORES
With so many important games this week, let’s do a brief recap of each rather than focusing on one game of the week. We will go division by division for maximum impact.
ATLANTIC
BLT 7 PHI 37
As expected, the Blitz rested many of their starters while Philadelphia played theirs in hopes of locking up the #3 seed. The resulting lopsided win for the Stars places them as the #3 seed and now a trip to Jacksonville is in the works.
WSH 49 NJ 17
With Philly expected to beat a resting Blitz team, Washington’s playoff hopes depended on a win in New Jersey and a loss by Tampa Bay. Washington did their part, though New Jersey also helped by opting to rest Doug Flutie and give Vince Ferragamo his first start in the USFL. The resulting score reflects the effort differential between the two clubs as Washington dominated from the start. While their offense was only marginally successful without Craig James, the defense came up big against the Generals, scoring 20 points with two pick-sixes of Ferragamo, a safety and a fumble return by J.D. Fuller. Washington would then have to watch the scoreboard to see what happened withTampa.
SOUTHERN
BIR 27 JAX 28
The Bulls also rested several starters, including QB Doug Williams, WR Gary Clark and HB George Adams, but their backups were still able to eke out a win over the Birmingham Stallions, despite Joe Cribbs’ 170 yards rushing. The Bulls scored the go ahead score in the waning seconds as backup QB Ed Luther hit Perry Kemp for the winning score, sending Birmingham’s slim playoff hopes crashing down.
TBY 21 MEM 16
Tampa, playing without an injured John Reaves, was still not going to let their playoff hopes slip away. Backup Jimmie Jordan connected on all three Bandit scores and HB Gary Anderson had a solid game as the Bandits secured a wildcard by beating Memphis. The Showboats finish their injury-plagued year with their 3rd string QB, and a sad 2-14 which guarantees them the first pick in the draft.
HOU 37 PIT 28
In a game between two teams that were a combined 2-9 at one point, the Gamblers won their 5th straight to finish at 7-9 for a third consecutive season. Whether the late surge, and the sudden realization that a fast-pace offense turned Jim Kelly loose, is enough to save Jack Pardee’s job will have to be seen. He survived Black Monday, but may face tough questions later this offseason.
NOR 30 MGN 15
Michigan played their starters, minus an ailing John Williams, as they tried to get back in rhythm after 2 straight losses. In stead they again found their offense floundering as New Orleans locked up a 9-7 season with a 5 point win in the SilverDome. So, after starting the year 13-0, Michigan has lost three straight and has to figure out what is going wrong in time for a playoff game next week.
PACIFIC
ARZ 30 LA 10
The Wranglers needed to beat LA for a 3rd straight win and have Denver lose to edge their way into the playoffs on a tiebreaker at 8-8. They easily dispatched the unspirited Express as Rick Neuheisel found Trumaine Johnson for 117 yards and 2 scores. But, would they get the help they needed to wriggle their way into the playoffs?
OAK 17 DEN 12
Denver could not get it done against the Division Champ Invaders, and with a tiebreaker disadvantage to the Wranglers, find themselves out of the playoffs after being 8-3 at one point this season. The 5-game season ending losing streak was primarily an offensive productivity issue as Bob Gagliano and the Gold offense finished they year with 5 straight games scoring below 20 points.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We are going to give this one to perhaps the league’s best backup QB, Jimmie Jordan of the Tampa Bay Bandits. In a year when John Reaves was able to stay on the field up until the season’s final week, Jordan stepped up when called and provide Tampa with a win in a game they had to have. He accounted for all three Tampa Bay scores, finding Truvillion and Gillespie for TD’s and bouncing Tampa into the playoffs. He may have to repeat that performance next week if John Reaves, the league’s second rated passer, is unable to go next week.
NEWS & NOTES
Before we talk playoffs (below), we have to acknowledge that the offseason kicked off in earnest with another Black Monday Massacre. As is typical in football, the Monday after the final regular season games is a day when disappointing teams put the onus on their poor seasons on the coach, often either firing their head coach or removing the coordinators in hopes of reviving the team with new coaches. This year was no different as 3 Head Coaches were let go on Monday, along with some coordinators, as teams looked to move on. Here are the changes of note from the non-playoff teams this Black Monday
Los Angeles: After a strong start to the year, the Express lost 9 of 11 to finish in last in the division only one year after winning their 2nd Division Title. The collapse, in a year where injuries were not an issue, was too much for ownership, who released founding head coach Hugh Campbell from his duties on Black Monday. A coaching search will begin in earnest as this offseason is not a good one for an open position.
Pittsburgh: Not surprisingly, after a 3rd straight 10-loss season, the Maulers have parted ways with coach Joe Pendry. And after a year when the team finished last in points allowed and 2nd from last in points scored, don’t expect the new Head Coach to be an internal hire. Expect a major house cleaning.
Washington: The Federals, despite winning 4 of their last 5 to finish 8-8, finished their 4th straight year outside of the playoffs. But not all was bad news as the Federals finished the year with the #2 scoring offense in the league. That combination, combined with the fact that many in the organization felt that it was OC Sam Rutigliano, and not HC Lee Corso who was contributing the most to the team’s success, led to the predictable move of releasing Corso from his position and immediately promoting the former Cleveland Browns head man to the top spot as Head Coach.
Houston: Despite yet another 7-9 season, it appears that coach Jack Pardee will be sticking around for another year, perhaps saved by the 5-game win streak and newly revamped offense which seemed to change Houston’s fate at the end of the season. Many had Pardee heading out the door, but unless a late coaching change is made, it looks like he will get another year to get the Gamblers over the hump.
Birmingham: A late playoff run and an improvement over the disastrous 1985 campaign also seem to have saved Rollie Dotsch’s position for another year. Birmingham released their OC George Dyer on Monday but seem content with Dotsch. We will likely see some changes on offense as the success of Joe Cribbs has not been translating into success for the Stallions. Is QB Cliff Stoudt in danger here?
INJURIES
Looking ahead to the playoffs, here are the injuries which could impact matchups:
PHI @ JAX
Stars: C Blair Bush (out), WR Gerard Phelan (out), LB Sam Mills (Probable)
Bulls: WR Dennis Breach (Out), LB Vaughan Johnson (Out), SS Aaron Mitchell (Doubtful),
TBY @ BLT
Bandits: DE Theodore Brooks (out), QB John Reaves (Doubtful), LB Jeffery Noel (Doubtful)
Blitz: FS Tommy Wilcox (out), E Rulon Jones (out), CB Leslie Frazier (Questionable)
ARZ & MGN
Wranglers: C Morris Vaughan (out), WR Wamon Buggs (Probable), TE Rosendo Howe (Probable)
Panthers: T Arnoldo Gardner (out), C Hubert Hicks (out), G Ron Hallstrom (Doubtful)
NOR @ OAK
Breakers: G Harry Grimminger (out), T Brian Marvin (Probable)
Invaders: CB Tory Nixon (out), HB Albert Bentley (Questionable)
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Well, here we are. 17 weeks of USFL action completed and only 8 teams remain. As we noted above, it is the "usual suspects" back to battle again as this year's playoff teams feature frequent playoff participants in Michigan, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville. Baltimore and New Orleans are new cities, but the Blitz and Breakers have been here before. The only newcomers are the Oakland Invaders, who have steadily risen in the Pacific Division since hiring Dick Vermeil as their coach. Let's kick the postseason off as we look at the 4 games to determine who goes to the Conference Championships.
Stars (9-7) @ Bulls (11-5) Vegas: Bulls by 3
It’s a battle of tortoise and hare in this one. Philadelphia is known for a ball control offense and sturdy D, while Jacksonville likes to air it out and outpace their opponents. The advantage in experience definitely goes to the defending champions, who have been in the playoffs all 4 USFL seasons and who have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. Jacksonville will test the Philly defensive backfield with league reception leader Gary Clark, but they will need to get George Adams the ball also if they want to compete with the balanced Philly offense. Expect Philly to rely on Kelvin Bryant to draw a crowd, allowing Chuck Fusina to use play action for the occasional big hit. We like Philly in this one, despite the Vegas line, simply based on experience and calm under pressure.
Bandits (9-7) @ Blitz (12-4) Vegas: Blitz by 8
Baltimore has been atop the conference since the very beginning of the season, and we see them coming out on top on this one. No doubt that Tampa is a tough out. They have experienced leaders and some serious offensive firepower, but Baltimore can match scores with almost anyone and they have a clearly superior defense to Tampa. And, lest we forget, it is not the cool, calm John Reaves under center for the Bandits, but the more-freewheeling Jimmie Jordan. We expect Junior Ah You and the Baltimore D to take advantage of Jordan’s more erratic nature. We also expect the Baltimore offense, led by Vince Evans, to find a way to get the ball into the gamechanging hands of Jackie Flowers. We think the Blitz will cover the spread in front of a raucous Baltimore crowd.
Wranglers (8-8) @ Panthers (13-3) Vegas: Panthers by 7
The Wranglers barely squeeked into the playoffs with help from Oakland, and their reward is to face the Panthers. Now, the question is, will they face the Panthers who cruised to a 13-0 record, or the seemingly lost squad that finished the year 0-3. We are not sure what has happened to the Panthers’ confidence or swagger, but we see Arizona as a good team to rediscover it. Rick Neuheisel is dangerous, but across the board the Panthers are a better team. We expect the Panthers to win big.
Breakers (9-7) @ Invaders (10-6) Vegas: Invaders by 5
I like the Breakers. Solidly coached, low profile team that just seems to make the playoffs each year. But, that is where it always seems to end. The Breakers have yet to win a playoff game, and we don’t see Oakland as a team they are likely to break that dubious streak again. Brian Sipe has been playing lights out football all year, and the balance they show with the run game is tough to gameplan against. We are still not sold on QB Tony Eason for New Orleans, and while Marcus Dupree has had a great year since being traded from Memphis, he is still young and inexperienced compared to Arthur Whittington for Oakland. We like the Invaders to get the W and face Michigan next week.