1987 USFL Divisional Playoffs

USA Today, July 14, 1987

If you ever doubted whether home field advantage really mattered in professional sports, this weekend’s USFL Divisional Playoffs should make the case for you. All four home squads won this week, some quite easily, others despite needing to overcome significant injuries or deficits. In other words, it was a great weekend to be a home fan at the stadium.

TAMPA BAY 16 PHILADELPHIA 21

The Philadelphia Stars have lived and acted like a blue-collar team all year, winning ugly, putting in the hard work, building from the line outwards, and filling in when one man goes down, bringing the next man up. That philosophy was on display in this week’s victory against the Tampa Bay Bandits. Short two receivers, with both wideout Gerald Phelan and regular All-USFL tight end Steve Folsom both out, the Stars asked their replacements to step up, and they did. Little used backup TE Abraham Davis replaced Folsom and led the Stars with 6 receptions on the day. Tom Donovan came up big on several key 3rd downs, and NFL signing Mike Quick scored the only receiving TD for the Stars. Add in 81 yards from Kelvin Bryant, who also ran for 2 scores, and a Stars defense that held John Reaves to 211 yards and the entire Bandits offense to only 9 points for the first 3 quarters, and you have a formula for a blue-collar win in Philly.

NEW JERSEY 24 BIRMINGHAM 40

In Birmingham’s Legion Field there was a very different dynamic in play. Perhaps if Herschel Walker had been cleared to play we would be talking about a duel of top halfbacks, but with Walker sidelined, we have to talk about the dominance of Joe Cribbs. With Bob Lane starting for the injured Cliff Stoudt, Cribbs new a large portion of the offense would run through him, and he showed he could pick the Stallions up and carry them. His 121 rushing yards were proof enough, but he also added 43 yards receiving and accounted for all three Birmingham offensive touchdowns. Four Scott Norwood field goals, and a game-altering 25 yard interception return for a score by FS William Simonson, and the Stallions were off and running, beating an overmatched New Jersey by 16. Birmingham, which began the season 0-4 has now won 11 of their last 13 games and is now only one game away from the USFL Championship Game.

MICHIGAN 20 HOUSTON 23

Many had Houston as a prohibitive favorite going into the game, but many also gave up on that image when they saw QB Joe Kelly go down on the third drive of the game, after a vicious hit from Michigan’s Hardy Nickerson sent Kelly to the sideline with possible rib injuries. At the time of the hit, Houston was down 17-7, and few expected that backup Sean Salisbury could lead the Gamblers back to victory, but the combination of Houston’s clampdown defense, which limited Michigan to one field goal for the entire second half, and an offense that simply kept giving Houston a chance to score, and you have a dramatic 3-point win. Salisbury was efficient, throwing short passes and play action, and Clarence Verdin helped him out with a beautiful one hand catch on a 17-yard TD catch, Salisbury’s only scoring throw. Houston would kick 2 field goals, collect a 2 point conversion and sack Michigan backup Jeff Kemp (who had to play 3 series in the 3rd due to a hit on Trudeau), just enough to edge Michigan by 3. But with Kelly uncertain for next week’s Conference Championships, Houston fans can celebrate today, but will likely start worrying tomorrow.

OAKLAND 7 DENVER 26

There are two big factors which every coach will tell you can sway a game, turnovers and penalties. Oakland may have outgained Denver by nearly 100 yards, held them to only 77 yards rushing, and only 2 of 11 on 3rd down, but when you commit 17 penalties for 160 yards in a game, and you lose the turnover battle (2 to 1), you can forget about yardage, you will likely not win. Denver was not dynamic on offense by any stretch of the imagination, but they did not shoot themselves in the foot. When they got close to scoring range, they scored (4 FG and 2 TD) and while Brian Sipe racked up 247 passing, he also was sacked 5 times for a loss of 40 yards, threw a costly interception in the 2nd quarter, and watched as his offense lost 4 different 3rd down conversions to penalties. Oakland played sloppily after their bye. Denver was patient and consistent, protecting the ball and forcing Invader errors, and this week that was enough.

LOOKING AHEAD

Next week we have all 4 division winners facing off. Birmingham, one of the league’s hottest teams, is likely to have QB Cliff Stoudt back under center, and are hoping that Joe Cribbs can once again be the best player on the field. The homestanding Stars are one of the healthiest clubs, though they may once again not have TE Steve Folsom available. They counter Cribbs with Kelvin Bryant. It will be a battle of two conservative quarterbacks who tend to protect the ball and take what defenses give them. We give Philly the slight advantage for two reasons, first that home field advantage is real, and second that they will have Mike Quick, their leading receiver in the game, while Birmingham is still playing without Ernest Givens.

In Houston, injuries are also a major factor. Gamblers QB Jim Kelly is expecting to start, but he is not 100% and if his rib protector cannot keep him from aggravating this week’s rib injury, his day could be a short one. It may be up to Salisbury to finish this game. The Gamblers will have Ricky Sanders back to 100% after minimal snaps against Michigan. For Denver, they simply will have to recreate the formula of stingy defense and ball control offense to take advantage of a possibly gimpy Kelly and keep the score low. If this game is played in the teens or twenties, Denver has a real shot, but if we start seeing scores in the 30’s it is Houston’s day.

Our Picks: We are going to take both home teams, despite the concerns over Jim Kelly’s health. Houston’s D is going to be a tough obstacle for a somewhat limited Denver offense, and we like the look of a healthy and hungry Philadelphia Stars team against the plucky Stallions.