1988 USA TODAY Eastern Conference Preview

We kick off our preview of the 1988 USFL Season with a look at the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has represented the conference in the last 3 Championship games, winning in 1985 and again last year. Do they have what it takes to return to a fourth consecutive Championship Game? Who is best poised to challenge them? Can Tampa or Birmingham return to true Championship calibre? Are New Jersey or Washington ready to storm Philly’s castle? Can Baltimore rebound after a rough year? And which lower tier team, if any, can surprise in the upcoming season? There are a lot of questions and we hope to be able to accurately survey the field in the East and provide you with the best likelihoods for the upcoming season. To do this we will rank the teams not by division, but by their overall strength in the conference, looking at who each team has lost, who they have added, and what their prospects are for the season ahead. To do so we will use these codes: (Re) Retired, (FA) Free Agency, (T) Trade, (D) Drafted, (NFL) NFL player signing

PHILADELPHIA STARS (13-3, Defending League Champions)

KEY DEPARTURES: TE Steve Folsom (Re), QB Jeff Hostetler (FA)

KEY ARRIVALS: HB Steve Howell (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: Philadelphia had a diverse draft and signing period, landing a tight end they hope can replace Steve Folsom in Ohio State’s Alex Higdon, a speedy wideout in Iowa’s Quinn Early, a hard hitting CB in Purdue’s Chris Dishman, and a backup for Chuck Fusina in San Jose State’s Mike Perez.

OUTLOOK: Philadelphia has appeared in three straight Championships, winning two, because they are deep, they are well-coached, and they do not defeat themselves. Their offense is not the flashiest, their defense not the most intimidating, but they are the most consistent team in the league, and that can get them very far.

PREDICTED FINISH: 12-4, 1st in Atlantic

TAMPA BAY BANDITS (10-6, 2nd in South)

KEY DEPARTURES: HB Greg Boone (FA), QB Mike Norseth (FA),

KEY ARRIVALS: FS Roy Gee (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: Tampa got some solid contributors through several rounds of the draft. We love the look of CB Eric Allen and guard Bob Sims. Former Hurricane wideout Brett Perriman should fit right in with the “go deep” philosophy of the Bandits, and we expect that Lars Tate (Georgia), while not as versatile as Boone, will be a solid backup to Gary Anderson.

OUTLOOK: Tampa led the Southern Division for most of the year before falling short in the season’s final week. We don’t expect them to fade down the stretch this year. There is still a lot of explosive talent on the Bandits’ roster. The defense is the big question mark as once again Tampa spent more draft capital on building up the offensive firepower. The division will be a tight one, with 4 solid teams in contention, but we think Tampa has the firepower to end up on top.

PREDICTED FINISH: 11-5, First in South

BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (10-6, First in South)

KEY DEPARTURES: SS W. Cesare (FA), WR J. Jones (FA), LB K. Teel (Re)

KEY ARRIVALS: WR Danny Knight (FA), C Chuck Pitcock (NFL)

DRAFT RECAP: Birmingham built on strengths, signing a solid backup HB in Bo Wright, adding defensive depth with CB Anthony Blaylock, and trying to solve their TE hole by signing both Donnie Dee (Tulsa) and Danta Whitaker (Miss. Valley State).

OUTLOOK: Birmingham has had a very solid core roster for a long time. But that has not prevented the Stallions from going up and down in the standings year to year. Again it will be Stoudt, Cribbs and Givens that define the offense, and again it will be a defense that depends on takeaways and 3rd down conversion rate to win games. After a rough start to 1987, Rollie Dotsch rallied the troops and they ended up winning the division. We think they are on to something, and we expect the momentum to carry over.

PREDICTED FINISH: 10-6, 2nd in South

MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (8-8, 3RD in South)

KEY DEPARTURES: HB Richard Williams (FA)

KEY ARRIVALS: HB Greg Boone (FA), LB Michael Douglass (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: Memphis had one of the most productive USFL drafts we have ever seen, signing some of the biggest names away from potential NFL signing. They wanted to get new QB Mike Kelley more weapons and they did that by signing both TE Keith Jackson and WR Anthony Miller. Then they go out and sign U. of Miami safety Bennie Blades as well. Add in Grambling DT Curtis Maxey and UCLA LB Ben Hummel, and this is an outstanding draft class.

OUTLOOK: After several years of erratic play from former Crimson Tide QB Walter Lewis, the Showboats opted to give Mike Kelley a shot, and he rose to the occasion in a big way. Memphis moved from an Also-Ran, to one of the most dangerous teams in the league with Kelley in charge. Now with the added talent in the draft and a more versatile HB in Greg Boone coming over from Tampa, Memphis may be ready to take the kind of leap we saw Houston take last year.

PREDICTED FINISH: 10-6, 3rd in South, Wild Card

NEW JERSEY GENERALS (12-4, 2nd in Atlantic)

KEY DEPARTURES: WR Danny Knight (FA), HB Rayford McGill

KEY ARRIVALS: DT Kit Lathrop (FA), DE James Lockette (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: After passing on Syracuse’s Bill Romanowski in the Territorial Draft, New Jersey struck gold by signing Ohio State MLB Chris Spielman. They added more depth on defense with Temple DE Ralph Jarvis, and may have gotten a steal in the 4th round, signing Oregon wideout J.J. Birden to help replace the departed Danny Knight.

OUTLOOK: Last year the Generals not only consistently won when Hershel Walker was on his game, but even found ways to win without Walker, using Keith Byars as a lead back. They have some weapons on offense, and with the addition of Spielman, Lathrop and Lockette, this defense may be the best in the conference. Can they put the pieces together again and make a run at Philly? It looks very doable for the Generals.

PREDICTED FINISH: 10-6, 2nd in Atlantic

WASHINGTON FEDERALS (9-7, 3rd in Atlantic)

KEY DEPARTURES: WR Herman Fontenot (FA), LB Brad Swearington (Re)

KEY ARRIVALS: T Ken McCray (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: Washington went for depth, signing 2 guards (OU’s Mark Hutson and Mich State’s David Houle) and two halfbacks to back up Craig James (Iowa’s Kevin Harmon and Northwestern State’s John Stephens), but the best signing may have been that of Oklahoma LB Dante Jones, who should step right into the spot opened by Bradley Swearingen’s retirement.

OUTLOOK: Amazing what having a true stud at QB can do. The arrival of Neil Lomax transformed the Federals. They still need to figure out how to play consistent defense, as they found themselves in way too many come-from-behind situations last year, but this is a team that now believes in themselves, even if their final 9-7 mark is not exactly fear-inducing.

PREDICTED FINISH: 10-6, 3rd in East.

BALTIMORE BLITZ (7-9, 4th in Atlantic)

KEY DEPARTURES: DT Mike Golic (FA)

KEY ARRIVALS: DT Joe Klecko (NFL)

DRAFT RECAP: We like James Hasty (Wash St) as a plug-and-play CB, and TE Ferrell Edmunds could see some action, but we are not sure that drafting Nate Hill (Auburn) or Mike Piel (Illinois) will be enough to help turn around a Blitz defense that clearly lost a lot when Junior Ah You went to the NFL.

OUTLOOK: Vince Evans is erratic, Eric Kramer is nipping at his heels, Tim Spencer is not getting any younger, and the defense seems to be stuck in neutral. Other than that, the Blitz are fine. This looks like it might be a long year for Baltimore unless Joe Klecko’s presence helps to revive a moribund pass rush. We like the Klecko signing, but it does not feel like enough at this point.

PREDICTED FINISH: 6-10, 4th in Atlantic

JACKSONVILLE BULLS (8-8, 4th in South)

KEY DEPARTURES: DE James Lockette (FA), T Ken McCray (FA), QB Ed Luther (FA)

KEY ARRIVALS: QB Tony Eason (FA), WR Joey Jones (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: Outside of signing Miami wideout Brian Blades, we are not sure what the Bulls’ draft strategy had done to help the team. Pitt DE Jon Carter might develop into a decent starter, but he needs time. Fellow DE George Hinkle from Arizona seems an even more unpolished player, and we are not sure why Jacksonville picked Wake Forest HB Darryl McGill when there were several highly touted backs still on the board.

OUTLOOK: While the departure of Ed Luther clearly gives the starting job to 2nd year QB Chris Miller, the signing of former Breaker QB Tony Eason seems to be begging for trouble. The Bulls don’t appear to be building towards a coherent goal this year. Perhaps they have a shift in philosophy in mind after dropping from the playoffs last year, but we have yet to be able to figure out what the new look will be.

PREDICTED FINISH: 6-10, 4th in South

ORLANDO RENEGADES (6-10, 5th in South)

KEY DEPARTURES: DT Kit Lathrop (FA), HB Rodney Carter (FA), LB Timothy Blanchette (Re)

KEY ARRIVALS: WR J. Jefferson (FA), FB T. Torosian (FA), C J. Wilkins (FA), QB Todd Blackledge (FA), K Fuad Reveiz (NFL), LB Tim Green (NFL)

DRAFT RECAP: Orlando fought hard to sign their draftees and ended with a solid haul. Having a lot of cap space gave them the ability to give out bigger contracts this year and that got them immediate starters. We love the pick of DE Reuben Davis from UNC, as well as HB Lydell Carr from Oklahoma. Indiana LB Van Waiters could see a lot of action this year. The only real headscratcher was the signing of Pitt FB Craig “Ironhead” Heyward when they signed one of the best fullbacks in the league in Ted Torosian earlier in the fall. Can they really run a 2-FB offense?

OUTLOOK: Orlando started like a comet, 4-0 out of the gate in their inaugural season, but then reality hit and they ended the year with only 2 wins in their final 12 games. They will be a better team this year, that is for sure, but can they make headway in perhaps the league’s toughest and most well-balanced division? We think they will be a better team on the field, more balanced, and more dangerous, but that may not translate into more wins.

PREDICTED FINISH: 6-10, 5th in South

PITTSBURGH MAULERS (4-12, 5TH in Atlantic)

KEY DEPARTURES: WR John Jefferson (FA), CB Ron Osborne (Re), TE Emory Moorhead (Re)

KEY ARRIVALS: WR Willie Collier (FA), LB Greg Gerkin (FA), QB Jeff Hostetler (FA)

DRAFT RECAP: CB Quintin Jones is a solid T-Draft signee, and the Maulers get a proven commodity in Ohio State LB Eric Kumerow. The question will be whether others such as Clemson DT Tony Stephens or Mizzou DE Jeff Cross can step up and get into the rotation to help build a semblance of defensive quality on a Maulers’ team that just could not stop teams when they needed to last year.

OUTLOOK: It seems tragic that we are 5 years into the Maulers franchise and once again they seem destined to finish last in their division and near the top of the draft order. And once again it will come down to the same thing, can they stop anyone on defense and can they find ways to gain chunks of yardage at once. If I were Mike Rozier, I would want to see more playmakers on this team. Losing John Jefferson and replacing him with Willie Collier is just not enough. Add to that the potential for Alan Risher to feel pressure from an untested Jeff Hostetler, and we see yet another year of frustration for the shrinking Mauler fanbase at Three Rivers.

PREDICTED FINISH: 5-11, 5th in Atlantic

PLAYOFF PICKS: 1-PHI, 2-TBY, 3-BIR, 4-MEM 5-NJ.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Philadelphia

CONFERENCE MVP: Joe Cribbs, RB, BIR

CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Keith Jackson, TE, MEM