SCORES
LA 20 NJ 33 Generals win a statement game as Walker combines for 181 yards.
DEN 27 PHI 17 Denver D again proves decisive as they shock Philly in Philly.
ARZ 30 WSH 10 A costly win for Arizona as Neuheisel goes down to injury.
HOU 30 BRM 24 Stallions lose 3rd straight as Salisbury guides Gamblers to a win.
MGN 19 MEM 13 Memphis again proves game but loses Lewis to a major injury.
PIT 6 JAX 17 Tough defensive game, but Pittsburgh cannot find the endzone.
NOR 21 TBY 26 Bandits edge Breakers with 10-point 4th quarter to win.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Oakland Invaders 21 Baltimore Blitz 24
The Invaders watch as Baltimore claws their way back from a 21-0 hole to win 24-21 at home. It was all working for the Invaders in the first half. Sipe hit Duper for a TD to start the scoring, then Whittington dove in for a 14-0 lead, and Sipe hit Ellard to put the Invaders up by 21 in what was beginning to look like a route. But these Blitz are a resilient bunch, and when a Whittington fumble led to an Evans to Flowers TD with just over 2 minutes left in the first half, the momentum swung in Baltimore’s favor.
In the second half, the Baltimore D adjusted and the Invaders wilted. Baltimore would narrow the gap to 21-14 on a 2-yard Vince Evans bootleg in the 3rd, and when Tim Spencer made a rare play in the pass game, catching a swing route and carrying an Invader safety over the goal line, the game was tied with 2:28 left. The game was headed to overtime, the crowd of almost 49,000 was in full voice, and everyone could tell that this was now fully Baltimore’s game. The Invaders never saw the ball again as Baltimore won the toss, chose to receive, and efficiently moved the ball well inside Luis Zendejas’ range, and knocked in the winning field goal. Evans once again proved invaluable to the Blitz, as his 285 passing yards and 2 scores, were paired with another 5 yards rushing and the 2-yard scoring run. Jackie Flowers also had a banner day, snagging 7 for 157 yards and a score. On defense, it was Eddie Ray Walker, the diminutive CB who proved decisive, keeping the clamps on Mark Duper the entire game, and coming up in support of the run defense. What began as a potential crushing defeat may have ended up as a season defining win for the Blitz.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
There were several outstanding performances this week, all worthy of note. Vince Evans’ game, described above, was a huge part of the Blitz comeback. Hebert continued to shine with 346 yards against the Showboats, Herschel Walker was a force in the Generals win over LA, and Jackie Flowers had a season high game, but we are going to give recognition this week to an often-overlooked player who is consistently helping his team win, Arizona wideout Louis Lipps. In his third season with the Wranglers, Lipps does not often get the recognition he deserves, due in part to the numbers regularly put up by his teammate Trumaine Johnson. Even TE Terry Orr has received higher praise, but the speedster deserves some credit. His ability to break coverages and stretch the field make it possible for Orr, Buggs and Johnson to find openings underneath. This week Lipps had only 4 catches, but 3 of those were for scores, including a beautiful one-handed catch along the sidelines on a key 3rd and 13, and a gorgeous leaping catch for a 44 yard TD against double coverage. He may not outduel Trumaine Johnson for touches or team records, but Lipps is a gamebreaker for the Wranglers.
NEWS & NOTES
In all the euphoria over the NFL antitrust lawsuit, and the drama being played out around league expansion, it has largely slipped by that the upcoming 1986 offseason is likely to be the biggest yet for NFL raiding of USFL rosters. There was a good amount of “poaching” in both directions last year, but when you look at the names on USFL rosters whose contracts are due to expire, it is enough to send GM’s and owners across the USFL into nervous fits. Just look at the list of names who USFL teams will have to try to resign or risk losing to the NFL and you understand why front offices across the league are frantically trying to get names on contracts as soon as possible. This is a list that could decimate the USFL if they are not able to sign most to new contracts in a year when the NFL is almost certainly going to offer large numbers to USFL stars.
ARIZONA: LB Stan White, G Kevin Carter, CB Frank Minnifield
BALTIMORE: DE Junior Ah You, WR Jackie Flowers, TE Mark Keel, LB Ben Apuna
BIRMINGHAM: WR Jim Smith, C Peter Stewart
DENVER: LB Putt Choate, LB Greg Gerkin, DT Laval Short
HOUSTON: DE Coy Bacon, WR Ricky Sanders, WR Clarence Verdin
JACKSONVILLE: QB Doug Williams, WR Perry Kemp
LOS ANGELES: HB Tony Boddie, HB Kevin Mack, WR Anthony Allen
MEMPHIS: CB Jeff George, LB Eddie Simmons, WR Willie Gault
MICHIGAN: QB Bobby Hebert, LB John Corker, DE Ronnie Paggett, WR Derek Holloway
NEW JERSEY: HB Herschel Walker, SS Gary Barbaro, LB Jim LeClaire
NEW ORLEANS: LB Marcus Marek, TE Dan Ross, FS Bobby Melendez, HB Richard Crump
OAKLAND: TE Raymond Chester, DE Cedrick Hardman, SS Marcus Quinn
PHILADELPHIA: LB Sam Mills, QB Chuck Fusina, SS Scott Woerner, TE Steve Folsom
PITTSBURGH: HB Mike Rozier, SS Dave Duerson, WR Danny Buggs, TE Mike Shaw
TAMPA BAY: WR Eric Truvillion, C Dwayne Goodrich, LB Paul Plurowski
WASHINGTON: HB Craig James, DT Bennie Smith
Of the top name players, perhaps the toughest situation is in Jacksonville, where Doug Williams has already been making it known that he wants Steve Young type money. The former NFL Buccaneer has been open about his view that the USFL has been a steppingstone for him to re-enter the NFL, and that the Bulls will need to sweeten the pot quite a bit if they do not want him to look for greener pastures in the fall league.
But with some of the players who have come to define the USFL in the minds of fans also on the block –Walker, Hebert, Truvillion, Mills, Ah You, James, Rozier, etc—the pressure is on the entire league to make the big offer and retain their marquee players. Can you imagine the Generals without Walker, the Panthers without Hebert, or the Federals without Craig James? But, while the USFL has had an influx of revenue due to the anti-trust finding, the NFL, if they are willing, has the resources to outbid the USFL on all these players. We could see a mass exodus, and with only 4 cap-exempt slots per team it seems certain that some players are simply going to take the money and run. The 1987 USFL is very likely going to look very different if this plays out the way most expect.
INJURIES
Most weeks we see just a few injuries that will cost a team a key player for the season, but every once in a while, you can look at an injury list and know that it will define a season for a given team. That is the case for two teams this week. Memphis, already suffering through an 0-6 start to the year and desperate for good news got quite the opposite this week. Not only did their veteran receiver Mel Gray have a devastating leg injury which will put him on IR and out for the year, but star QB Walter Lewis is also likely done for the year as well. If the Showboats had any hope of turning the season around, these two losses will likely dampen that hope.
A similar dark cloud has fallen over the Arizona Wranglers as their star QB is once again injured, this time likely for at least 2 months with a major groin injury, a likely tear that could reduce his mobility permanently. Rick Neuheisel was in visible agony on the field when the injury occurred, and now the Wrangler’s hopes for a playoff run will rest on the combination of 38-year-old Greg Landry and rookie Robbie Bosco.
Others likely to lose multiple weeks are New Orleans LB Marcus Marek (hip), Philadelphia FB Eddie Colson (also hip), and LA guard John Connor (concussion and bone fracture in eye socket).
LOOKING AHEAD
IF there is any silver lining for the devastated Memphis Rebels, it is that the Southern Division has their bye week this week, giving backup Damon Allen 2 weeks to get up to speed. Of the 6 games being played this week perhaps the most intriguing is Arizona at Denver, with Coach Kush needing to decide if he will go with the sage veteran Landry or the more athletic Bosco at QB for the Wranglers. The Oakland-LA matchup is another good game, as both teams have been showing a lot of offensive firepower. The Atlantic Teams all travel to the Central squads, as Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh in a game they should dominate, New Jersey is in the Big Easy to take on the Breakers, Philly heads to Houston and the Panthers host the Federals.
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