SCORES
PIT 0 NJ 16
Keith Byars again subs for the injured Herschel Walker, and again gains 100 yards (113 to be exact). Vince Ferragamo got the start for New Jersey and, while not spectacular, did hit Lam Jones for 160 yards and a TD, including a 95 yard scoring throw that was actually a 22 yard pass and a long RAC.
WSH 38 PHI 20
The Federals needed this game to land their first winning season ever, while Philadelphia rested quite a few players, though Kelvin Bryant, in pursuit of the rushing title, did get the majority of Stars carries. Neil Lomax moved into #1 in the final QB Ratings of the year with his performance today.
ORL 14 JAX 31
Jacksonville truly wanted to avoid a losing season, and garnered their 8th win as Chris Miller threw for 310 and a score. George Adams added 3 touchdowns to his impressive year as well. Orlando still finishes as the best of the new expansion clubs with 6 wins, but after a 4-0 start, a 2-10 finish is disappointing.
TBY 10 MEM 34
Reaves gets the start, but plays only 1 quarter. Memphis uses the opportunity to reach a surprising 8-8 for the year after their 0-4 start, and, what is even better, QB Mike Kelley has developed into a solid starter, leading the league in completion percentage for the year. His 3 TD day today solidly places him as the expected 1988 starter for the Showboats.
NOR 9 CHI 23
The Breakers rested Marcus Dupree due to a hamstring issue, and generally looked lackluster with nothing to play for. Chicago gave rookie Steve Buerlein the start, and he responded with 222 yards and 2 scores. Not explosive, but very solid from the former Golden Domer. Chicago gets its 2nd win and ends up even with Oklahoma at the bottom of the standings. With Oklahoma merging with San Antonio (announced last week) Chicago is still guaranteed the #1 selection in the draft.
OAK 51 ARZ 7
The Invaders knew that a win plus a Michigan loss and they would be the #3 seed, which is worth a bye week, and they played like it was a do or die game. Brian Sipe threw for 2 scores and Whittington, spelled often by Paul Palmer, gained just enough to win the rushing crown this year. The biggest game was had by Invader safety Marcus Quinn who had two pick-six touchdowns, one an 84 yarder, on consecutive Arizona drives.
LA 6 DEN 37
A rowdy and large Denver home crowd cheered the Gold on to their best record in 5 years of USFL play. The thorough destruction of the Express got Denver to 12-4 on the year, only 1 game below Houston. Bob Gagliano looked sharp, throwing for 213 and 3 scores, while Harry Sydney led the team in both rushing yards and receptions.
SAN 13 BLT 27
Baltimore coach Marv Levy decided to start Eric Kramer over Vince Evans and Kramer delivered a 2 TD performance and a win for the slumping Blitz. 7-9 was not what Baltimore fans expected out of the year, and there was some speculation that Marv Levy might be out, but that seems not to be the case as ownership has expressed interest in returning to prominence in the East with Levy at the helm.
OKL 14 BIR 32
Birmingham left no doubt that they wanted the Southern Division crown, and with Memphis manhandling the Bandits, they got it. Their home win against the Outlaws propels the Stallions to the #2 seed in the east and gives them a bye week, while Tampa will have to face Washington next week. Bob Lane, in relief for the injured Cliff Stoudt, threw for 273 and Brent Fullwood made the most of his carries in place of a banged up Joe Cribbs.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Michigan Panthers 15 Houston Gamblers 18
This was not the showdown that most expected. It was a weird game played mostly by backups, but it was also a game Michigan should have been attempting to win at all costs. A #3 seed and a bye was on the line, while Houston had nothing to play for, and yet it was Houston that came out on top.
In a battle of backups, Houston’s Sean Salisbury outperformed Michigan’s Jeff Kemp, throwing for 256 and a score, while Kemp, completing 48% of his passes, threw for 134 a score and an INT. Bobby Morse of Michigan led the rushers with 57 yards, while the top receivers were Johnny Holloway for Michigan and Clarence Verdin for Houston.
Houston won the game thanks to a late field goal by Dave Jacobs, pushing Michigan down to the #4 seed and a showdown with New Orleans next week in the Silverdome. For Houston, the win pushes them to 13-3. They will have a bye and then face the winner of that Michigan-New Orleans showdown.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
In a week where so many stars were sidelined, we knew that it would be an unheralded player who would make news this week. That player was Oakland safety Marcus Quinn. In one of the most spectacular 5 minutes of play all season, Quinn intercepted Arizona rookie QB Kelly Stouffer not once but twice, and ran both interceptions back for scores. The first was a mistimed out route that Quinn undercut and then raced untouched down the sideline for 84 yards for the score. The second was a crossing route only 3 minutes later, a route where it was clear that Stouffer did not see Quinn coming across the field in the opposite direction. This time Quinn bobbled the ball for a second, finally gripping it solidly just in time to brush off a hit from the Arizona receiver, and then weaved through several half-hearted tackle attempts by Arizona offensive players before breaking free and returning the interception for his second score, 56 yards in total. It was a brief, but stunning display by the young safety. The game was already out of hand at 24-7 when the first pick-6 occurred, so it was not game-defining, but for Quinn it will likely be a memory he will cherish forever.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
As we said last week there was nothing left to do but determine playoff positions this week. And in both cases where there was a chance for positioning to change, it did. Tampa needed a win or a Birmingham loss to retain the division crown. They got neither, losing to Memphis and watching Birmingham just decimate the Oklahoma Outlaws. The swap means Birmingham will face New Jersey in Legion Field in 2 weeks while Tampa hosts the Washington Federals and top rated QB Neil Lomax next week.
In the West, Michigan could hold off Oakland for the 3 seed and a bye, but they had to do so in Houston. Despite the bye on the line, Michigan coach Jim Stanley opted not to play several starters, perhaps knowing that a possible matchup with Houston in the playoffs could be impacted by the game this week. Houston lost a close matchup of backups to the Gamblers, while Oakland prevailed quite handily over Arizona, giving Oakland the #3 seed and forcing Michigan to play next week at home against New Orleans. If Michigan prevails, they do face Houston again in 2 weeks. For Oakland, they know they will face their division rivals, the Denver Gold in the 2nd round of the playoffs. That should be a real slobberknocker between two foes who know each other well and don’t particularly like each other.
NEWS & NOTES
We will report on Black Monday next week, but it seems unlikely that this year we will see a large turnover of coaches. Sure, with the San Antonio-Oklahoma merger someone, likely Gunslingers’ coach Gil Steinke, will be out of a job, but other than that, the only real potential is for some 8-8 or 7-9 teams to let a coach with proven wins in prior years go. Will Baltimore really let Marv Levy walk for 1 bad year? What about Lindy Infante in Jacksonville? And would Pittsburgh consider a one-and-done situation for Roman Gabriel? It is always possible, but we don’t see it as likely. When the majority of teams at the bottom of the standings are either expansion clubs or teams that hired a new coach last year, the odds of a heavy turnover of coaches are pretty low.
As for the draft, the initial order of 10 teams is set. The question is what will the merger of Oklahoma and San Antonio do? Will the new team, which is sure to have more depth to its roster already, get Oklahoma’s #2 pick or San Antonio’s #4 pick? If the league brings in a 20th team, where will they pick? These are not known yet, but here is what we think will happen:
#1 Chicago, #2 Team 20, #3 Pittsburgh, #4 OKL-SAN Team, #5 Arizona, #6 Orlando, #7 Baltimore, #8 Los Angeles, #9 Jacksonville, #10 Memphis.
The rest of the list will depend on who wins and loses each playoff game.
INJURY REPORT
With many teams resting their starters, there are not a lot of new injuries of consequence. As reported last week, a lot of the playoff squads are going to try to get their stars back in time for the playoffs, but in some cases it simply may not be possible. Looking at the 4 wild card contenders (Michigan, New Orleans, Tampa and Washington) here is what we have to report:
Michigan is in pretty good shape, with only 1 player (T Arnoldo Gardner) listed as questionable and the other three listings, including LB John Corker as probable.
New Orleans has a bit more to worry about as Marcus Dupree is still listed as doubtful after a hamstring injury flare up. They will also be missing T Dan Slaughter and FB David Blanton.
Tampa will be missing LB Ron Moten with a knee ligament issue, but should otherwise have a full roster.
Washington is happy to have Craig James back, listed as probable, and other than the players already on IR also look strong for this week.
LOOKING AHEAD
It is Wild Card Weekend this week, so only two games on the schedule. Here is our breakdown
Washington (9-7) @ Tampa Bay (10-6)
Tampa has the experience, Washington has the exhuberance. Typically experience wins out but we are a bit concerned that Tampa did not fight harder to get the #2 seed and the bye. They have to be disheartened to be playing this week. Not only that but Washington QB Neil Lomax has been playing lights out football over the past month. There is a lot to fear about the Federals this year. They can run with James, pass with Lomax, and play defense with top rookie defender Jerome Brown. This is not the same old Federals from years past. That said, Tampa is an old hand at this playoff thing. John Reaves, Gary Anderson and Eric Truvillion are more than capable of shredding even a good defense.
Our Pick: A close one but still a Tampa win. Tampa 24 Washington 21.
New Orleans (8-8) @ Michigan (10-6)
This feels like a mismatch. New Orleans, especially with Dupree dinged up, muddled through the season, again inconsistent, again losing a lot of games they should not have lost. And while Michigan is not the juggernaut of past years, they still have a lot of firepower on offense and a lot of stopping power on defense. If John Corker is fully back to form, and if Jack Trudeau can avoid the turnovers this week, the Panthers could kick it into the top gear we have seen them show in the past. We are not sure New Orleans even has that gear. Last year the Breakers got their first playoff win in 3 tries, but we just don’t see that repeating again this year.
Our Pick: Michigan comes up big. Panthers 38 Breakers 21