1987 Week 12 Recap: Big Wins for DC, B'Ham & NJ

SCORES

BLT 13 WSH 23

The Federals win a huge divisional game at home, as Neil Lomax throws for 323 and 2 scores to down the Blitz and push Washington to 7-5 and well in control of their playoff destiny. TE Mark Bavaro catches 6 for 79 yards to help open up the Blitz D for Walters, Holmes and Slaughter.

BIR 20 TBY 17

Birimingham makes its case for playoff contention, knocking off the division leading Bandits in Tampa. Cribbs rushes for 12, and little used FB Michael Haddix plunges in from 1 yard out to give the Stallions a huge win in the rivalry game. The Stallions D also came up big, holding Tampa Bay to only 36 yards rushing and forcing John Reaves into 2 interceptions.

JAX 17 MEM 31

Rookie QB Chris Miller looked a bit shellshocked as he faced off against Reggie White. Memphis would sack the young starter 5 times, with White recording 2 of them and forcing 2 fumbles as well. QB Mike Kelley won his third straight game as the Showboats signal caller despite a 3-interception day, as halfback Richard Williams bailed him out with 110 yards and 3 scores on the day.

CHI 6 MGN 20

The Panthers get a much-needed win as they host the moribund Chicago Machine. Former Mauler QB Todd Blackledge again passes for under 150 yards and the Machine only rush for 31 yards on the day against the Panther defense. While the Maulers did get to Jack Trudeau 5 times, he was still able to lead the Panthers to victory over a Chicago club that just has no offense to speak of.

HOU 48 SAN 6

For what seems the umpteenth time this season San Antonio is simply overwhelmed and loses in a blowout. Houston racked up 522 yards of total offense, with Jim Kelly throwing for 331 and 3 scores in only 2 quarters. Backup Sean Salisbury played the fourth and threw for another 99 despite playing clock killing football.

ARZ 31 LA 16

Arizona shocks the uneven and inconsistent Express in Angel Stadium with 339 yards and 3 scores from Robbie Bosco. Neither team even tried to run the ball (25 total yards for ARZ, 60 for LA), but two Steve Young interceptions helped the Wranglers build up a 31-9 lead after 3.

DEN 23 OKL 17

The Outlaws were game and Stump Mitchell had his best day in black and red, rushing for 120, but it was not enough. Denver’s Harry Sydney also had great success, rushing for 140 yards on the day, and Bob Gagliano found both Bill Brooks and Mark Carrier for scores as Denver eked out a 6-point win to secure their 8th win of the year and retain sole possession of 1st in the Pacific.

PIT 14 OAK 24

Oakland kept pace one game behind Denver with a needed home win over the Maulers. Arthur Whittington contributed as always, 112 yards and a score, and Brian Sipe found Henry Ellard and rookie back Paul Palmer for scores to lead the Invaders to the W.

ORL 17 NOR 37

Tony Eason had another of his good days, throwing for 277 and 4 scores against the depleted Renegade defense. Despite 104 yards from Curtis Bledsoe, the Renegades could not keep pace with Eason and the Breakers as TE Dan Ross caught 2 scores and Eason also found Noan Franz and Charlie Smith for scores.

GAME OF THE WEEK

New Jersey Generals 31 Philadelphia Stars 26

If I told you that the Generals would go into this game without Herschel Walker and that Doug Flutie would come out with an injury after only 1 quarter, you would not give New Jersey a chance in hell of beating the Stars at home. Well, you would be wrong. Coach Ray Perkins coached a masterful game, with two key decisions that helped New Jersey pull of the upset and win one of the most important games in team history.

The first shrewd decision was made early in the week, when Perkins opted not to go with Jaime Covington as the lead back but moved fullback Keith Byars into the lead back role. It was a move not advertised and Philadelphia was not prepared for Byars. The fullback turned halfback would rush for 127 yards on 17 carries and also catch 3 balls for 31 in a performance that is the highlight of his young career. He did not find the endzone, but his elusive, yet powerful, running was the spark that ignited the Generals’ offense.

The other decision was also key. When Doug Flutie went out near the end of the first quarter, and with the game tied at 7, Perkins turned to former LA Ram Vince Ferragamo, and rather than play it safe with a backup, he relied on Ferragamo’s gunslinging ways to go over the top on the Stars defense. Ferragamo replied with a “can’t lose” mentality. He found Lam Jones and TE Brent Jones deep on several well-designed play action 1st down plays, avoided 3rd and long, and did not throw a pick despite consistently looking deep first on passing downs.

The success of Byars and Ferragamo was both unexpected and off-putting for the Stars defense, which gave up 412 yards on the day to the Generals. Philly’s offense kept the game close throughout, and when Chuck Fusina hit Tom Donovan for a game tying score midway through the 4th, many in Veterans’ Stadium saw another Stars late-game victory in the offing. Philly had relied on Fusina finding Mike Quick (120 yds), Donovan and TE Steve Folsom all day, but now it would come down to the defense. That defense was unable to stop a game-winning drive by New Jersey, a drive that ended with a perfect seam route by Brent Jones and a 44 yard TD from Ferragamo.

For New Jersey, this victory represents the team’s apex, knocking off the perennial division champ in their own home, and proving that the team could win without Herschel Walker in the backfield. Walker is expected to return next week, but now, after seeing what Byars can do, Generals fans can feel confident that the team is not dependent on the former Georgia back to win games.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

We could easily give this week’s POTW to Keith Byars, or to Tony Eason for his solid day, but what we saw the Showboats D-line do to the Jacksonville Bulls deserves recognition. The lineup of DE’s Reggie White and Booker Reese, aided by DT’s Jose Lightner and James Wheeler, just shredded what is normally a solid Bulls protection scheme. The results against rookie QB Chris Miller were impressive. White recorded 2 sacks and would have had a third had Miller not attempted an ill-fated lateral to George Adams which resulted in a fumble. The Showboats recorded 5 total sacks, hit Miller another 9 times, caused early and poor throws from the rookie and just did not let up all game long. The effectiveness of the line mean that Memphis did not need to blitz, allowing for 7 players in coverage. The combination play, stunting and speed rush on display was a master class in how to disrupt blocking schemes. For those of us who love the strategy of line play, this was a symphony. For Chris Miller it was a nightmare.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

With four weeks left, things are beginning to get clearer, and we have our first confirmed playoff tickets booked. As expected, Houston has clinched the Central Division title, wresting it away from Michigan for the first time in the league’s history. Philadelphia has also clinched a playoff spot, despite the loss (thanks to the Blitz’s loss in DC) but is in a heated battle with New Jersey for the division title. Tampa is one win away from locking up a playoff spot, though the loss to Birmingham pulls the Stallions within 2 games of the Bandits. In the Pacific, Denver and Oakland are looking solid, but with 5 wins each, LA and Arizona are not entirely out of the hunt, particularly for the 3rd Wild Card.

It does appear that the biggest drama will be for that 5th Wild Card in each conference. In the East we have Philly, New Jersey, Tampa all but locked in, with Washington and Birmingham in solid position. Baltimore has the advantage for the 5th spot, but there is a clump of teams at 5-7, essentially the rest of the Southern Division, that will try to compete with Baltimore to get it. In the West, Houston, Denver, Michigan and Oakland look like good bets to be in the dance, with the Panthers and Invaders holding 2 games on any contenders. So, that 5th spot becomes vital. New Orleans, Arizona and LA, all at 5-7, will be competing for that final slot over the next four weeks. Only one of them can get it.

NEWS & NOTES

While we are talking playoffs on one side of the league, on the other side we are talking about the hot seat. Which coaches are under pressure to show progress, to start winning, or to do something to show that they deserve another year to build their teams? With expansion teams at the bottom of their divisions, it is unlikely we will see a massive wave of firings on Black Monday, because we all knew that these four would struggle, but that does not mean that there is not pressure elsewhere.

In New Orleans, Dick Coury has to show that he can do more with the Breakers than end up 8-8 and lose another first round playoff game. If the Breakers cannot win that final Wildcard spot, we expect the owners of the Breakers to give serious consideration to a change. This could mean trouble for both Dick Coury and QB Tony Eason, whose erratic play has been a thorn in the side of the franchise for 3 years now.

In Pittsburgh talk of a one-and-done for Roman Gabriel is getting heated. The Maulers hired Gabriel from within after 1 year as Offensive Coordinator, and he has shown no ability yet to actually create offense. The Maulers would be last in the league in offense if not for the expansion clubs in Chicago, San Antonio and Oklahoma, and their defense is also one of the league’s worst.

Memphis coach Vince Tobin was feeling the heat earlier this year, but a 3-game win streak and the apparent success of placing the offense in the hands of Mike Kelley likely has spared Tobin for another year. If Memphis can somehow catch Baltimore and snag a playoff spot, that would assure it. And after the show we saw from the Memphis D-line this week, Tobin can make a case that his defensive pedigree is beginning to take shape for the Showboats.

While it might seem that coaches who have had success such as Jacksonville’s Lindy Infante or Balitmore’s Marv Levy might not be feeling the heat, disappointing finishes this year might just cause ownership to question whether their teams are heading in the right direction. Baltimore has been horrible on the road (1-5 vs. 5-1 at home) and the Bulls have lost 4 in a row after a promising start to the year. Coaching in pro football is very much a “what have you done for me lately” profession, so do not be shocked if an 8-8 season or worse in either city leads to a pink slip.

INJURY REPORT

The biggest injury of the week is likely Doug Flutie’s concussion, but while he is listed as questionable, it may come down to how comfortable Vince Ferragamo seems in practice. Flutie likely could play but won’t if Ferragamo looks good. It’s a big game against the Feds in DC, so if Flutie can play, we expect he will. Washington will miss one of their defensive keys, as LB Curtis Taliferro is out for the rest of the year with a fractured fibia. In Arizona, Trumaine Johnson is listed as questionable after suffering a rib injury this week, while in Philly, a deep thigh bruise could keep D Jumpy Gaethers out. Michigan is listing John Corker as probable after he had to leave the game this week with migraines. Oakland is expecting Mark Duper to be OK after taking a finger to the eye this past week, and finally, Jacksonville hopes to welcome Hassan Jones back to the lineup after a case of turf toe.

LOOKING AHEAD

When you get to this point of the year, every game matters, but with so many divisional matchups, it is like early playoff season around the USFL. In the East the big game is Federals-Generals, as both want this win badly to keep pace with Philadelphia. Baltimore has what should be a solid opportunity to go above .500 as they host the 2-10 Maulers. In Birmingham, the Stallions are hoping to knock off Orlando and are hoping to get some help from the Bulls, who host Tampa. Denver will try to extend its lead over Oakland with a road game in Arizona. While the Invaders have a good shot to catch up to the Gold if they can beat the Outlaws in Oakland-Alameda Stadium. Houston and Chicago have a 10-game difference in the standings, so we expect something ugly in Soldier Field this week. San Antonio are in New Orleans, where the Breakers need the win to stay in contention for a Wild Card. In inter-division games, the Stars head to Hollywood (well, Anaheim really) to face the Express, while the Showboats have a tough matchup in Michigan.