1988 Week 10 Recap: Tough Yards, Tough Wins.

SCORES

NJ 39 BAL 28

An offensive explosion from both teams as the Generals take over sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic Division. After trailing 28-10 midway through the third, a Terry Daniels INT return for a score turns the momentum. New Jersey would score 28 unanswered points over the final 25 minutes of the game, stunning the Baltimore crowd and shocking even the New Jersey fans who made the trip.

JAX 10 BIR 17

A tough “grind it out” win for the 7-3 Stallions as neither team could find success in the air. Tommy Agie got the start for an ailing George Adams and pounded out 95 yards, but Birmingham had the better rushing attack with Joe Cribbs gaining 91 and backups Brent Fullwood and Terrance Flagler adding another 34.

ORL 17 MEM 34

Memphis evens their record at 5-5 with a key home victory against the Renegades. Mike Kelley looked sharp, throwing for 4 scores , including 2 to Edmunds as the Showboats did not appear to miss the ageless Mel Gray (Knee). Curtis Bledsoe had a good day for Orlando, but their defense simply did not have an answer for the Showboats.

TEX 32 CHI 24

Texas gets back in the win column after a rough few weeks, as Doug Williams throws for three scores and Stump Mitchell rushes for 167 yards. Carlos Carson continues to shine, with another 100-yard day, and 2 scores against an overwhelmed Machine secondary.

NOR 27 MGN 21

The Breakers get the statement win they were hoping for as Marcus Dupree rushes 22 times for 111 yards and a score against the Panthers. Jack Trudeau threw two costly interceptions and Matt Robinson found TE Dan Ross on a back-breaking 46-yard scoring toss to hold off Michigan.

OAK 7 LA 24

Steve Young found Eric Martin twice for scores, and Christian Okoye looked fully back to health, rushing for only 68 yards, but breaking more tackles than Oakland coach Dick Vermeil could stand. The LA Defense also held tough, knocking Gale Gilbert out early and forcing Jeff Kemp into action he was not prepared for, leading to 2 interceptions from the one-time NFL starter.

POR 13 ARZ 17

A late James Wilder TD run helps Arizona hold off the feisty Portland Thunder. Arizona’s offense did not click with Kelly Stouffer at QB, and Portland did just enough to build a 13-10 lead in the 4th, but a late drive, with timely catches from both Lipps and Johnson, was enough to get Arizona in range and James Wilder (21 carries for 88 yards) did the rest, pounding the ball in for the Arizona win.

HOU 16 WSH 21

Washington’s defense was ready for Jim Kelly and the Gamblers. The Feds picked Kelly off twice and also managed to corral Thurman Thomas (76 yards), while Neil Lomax and Craig James looked good in the win. James rushed for 116 and a key 3rd quarter score, while Lomax tossed TD passes to Duane Gunn and Joey Walters to give Washington the upset at home.

DEN 30 TBY 7

Without John Reaves the Tampa offense has been a shadow of itself, and this week that, combined with Tampa’s usual defensive woes, were a bad combo against a determined Gold squad. Denver HB Harry Sydney had a rare 100-yard game, rushing for 111 and a score, while J.T. Smith, in for the ailing Bill Brooks, helped Cody Carlson keep the chains moving.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh Maulers 18 Philadelphia Stars 15

The Battle of the Keystone State has been a bit one-sided since the Maulers entered the league in 1984, but on this day it was a surprisingly tough Mauler defense that won out. Philly came into the game a prohibitive favorite over their Steel City rivals, but something was off from the start and Philadelphia’s usually methodical offense seemed out of kilter.

The entire first quarter was an exercise in futility for both offenses, as the defenses led to 5 punts in the quarter. In the second, Pittsburgh finally mounted a drive, aided by a key Stars defensive holding call against Scott Woerner. The Maulers drove into the red zone and capped off the drive with a Mike Rozier 4 yard scamper, untouched into the endzone.

Philly responded with 2 late drives in the quarter, both ending short of the endzone, but providing 6 points through David Trout kicks. Pittsburgh’s much-maligned defense proved effective against Kelvin Bryant, holding him to only 22 yards in the first half, while also frustrating QB Chuck Fusina, who would end the day with only a 44% completion rate.

In the second half, Philly had their best drive of the day, moving the ball 72 yards in only 7 plays and ending with Kelvin Bryant diving in for the score. But the attempt for 2 failed, and Philly’s lead was only 12-7. That lead would disappear on Pittsburgh’s next drive, when once again Mike Rozier found paydirt and the Maulers ended the 3rd up 15-12.

Midway through the 4th, Philadelphia would again drive deep into Pittsburgh territory, only to be stopped on 3rd down, settling for a game-tying field goal. Two drives later, Pittsburgh’s Alan Risher would find Danny Buggs on a 36 yard corner pattern and the effort would net the game winning kick, a 35 yarder from Rafael Septien. Philadelphia had 1:52 to work with, but once again Pittsburgh’s defense rose to the challenge and when a Fusina fourth down pass to Gerald Phelan fell to the ground, the comeback was done and Pittsburgh could enjoy a very rare win over their in-state rivals.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

While several running backs had solid weeks in key games, including Stump Mitchell’s 167 against Chicago to take the AP Offensive Player of the Week for Texas, we are going to honor a player who has been grinding out yards, often for poor teams, since 1983. Washington’s Craig James does not have the moves of Joe Cribbs, the power of Herschel Walker, or the receiving skills of Gary Anderson, but what he does have is the ability to gain the tough yards.

Over his 6-year career for the often-downtrodden Washington Federals, James has toted the rock over 1800 times, rushing for nearly 8,000 yards and scoring 41 touchdowns. He is consistent, if not always exciting, and he is more elusive than many give him credit for. In this week’s upset of Houston, James had only 1 carry over 7 yards (an 18-yard shocker on a draw play), but also rarely lost yards. His steady 3-4 yard gains were enough to sustain the Federals offense on a day when Neil Lomax only threw for 173, and his toughness came through on key 3rd down plays on all three scoring drives for the Feds. He may not be the brightest star or get the most highlight footage each week, but Craig James has been a constant presence and a constant contributor on the Federals for their entire existence.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Ten weeks down, six to go. Nothing is set this early, but there are some signs of what may be to come. In the Western Conference we see two close races, as New Orleans and Houston seem destined to battle down to the wire for the Central Division crown and possibly the #1 seed. In the Pacific, we have three teams all even at 6-4. Arizona will need to outpace LA or Denver if they want the division title as their current 1-4 record in the division puts them at a severe disadvantage if tiebreakers are needed. With 3 teams at 6-4 in the Pacific, Texas, also at 6-4, will need to hope that someone starts fading if they want their shot at a Wild Card.

In the East, the races are not quite as tight, though Orlando is still only 1 game behind Birmingham. The Southern Division looks like it could have 3 playoff teams if Memphis can also keep up and stay above .500. In the Atlantic, New Jersey has opened up a 2-game lead over Baltimore and Philly, but all 5 teams in the division still have playoff hopes, with the worst teams only at 4-6 and within range of a Wild Card slot. Birmingham and New Jersey look like the top contenders for a division title and home field, and since the two do not play each other this year, it could come down to lower-tier tiebreakers such as conference record or even point differential. Currently, at 6-2 Birmingham edges NJ (5-3) in conference, but there are a lot of games left to play.

NEWS & NOTES

We mentioned earlier this year that the USFL had put a 3-year moratorium on future expansion, hoping to shore up current teams and build the league’s financial coffers. This does not mean, however, that there are not suitors out there hoping for a team. With the recent announcement that the St. Louis Cardinals are packing up and heading out to Phoenix to share Sun Devil Stadium with both the Wranglers and Arizona State, there are voices in the Gateway to the West who are already looking at developing a new stadium to attract a team, and the USFL is mentioned prominently in those discussions. Meanwhile, emerging cities like Charlotte, Columbus (OH), and Sacramento (CA), are all making noise about wanting to develop a greater sports profile and the USFL is often cited as a means towards that end.

With the USFL declaring that they have no interest in expansion, but with several franchises still waiting to see their ledgers turn from red to black, there is potential danger to current USFL cities that an NFL-style exodus as seen in Baltimore and St. Louis could happen in the USFL as well. While there are no obvious issues as we saw two years ago, prompting the Chicago Blitz and Boston Breakers to shift their operations to Baltimore and New Orleans, there are teams that could be potential targets for an ownership switch and a relocation. Fans in Memphis have already started pressuring ownership to invest locally, while even a better than usual season in Pittsburgh is not seen as a guarantee that one of the league’s least financially sound franchises will stay in the Steel City. Even the nation’s capital is not safe, though the improvement in Federals’ attendance this year is a sign that things might be getting better for the perennial also-rans in DC.

While league officials remain adamant that their revenue sharing plan and improving overall attendance numbers bode well for league stability, as long as there are markets which see the USFL as a means to the goal of moving into “big league” sports, and as long as there are deep-pocketed ownership groups with similar interests, there is always potential for a team to be wooed away from their current home. It would certainly by ironic if the league’s attempt to push stability through an expansion moratorium actually led to greater instability as impatient bidders set their sights on current franchises rather than waiting for a chance to join the league through expansion.

INJURY REPORT

Quite a few players were temporarily out of games this week, but no major scares or season-ending injuries to report. This week’s injury list is more about who is not quite ready to return as several players who were looking at a Week 11 return may just have to wait. Arizona is likely going to have to rely on Kelly Stouffer for another week as Robbie Bosco is listed only as doubtful for week 11. The same is true for Washington’s Mark Bavaro, who is nursing a deep thigh bruise.

Oakland’s Gale Gilbert was forced out of this week’s game with a hamstring injury and is now listed as doubtful as well. Denver was hoping to get Bob Gagliano back this upcoming week, and it may happen, but he is listed as questionable, as is New Orleans wideout Charlie Smith and Baltimore tackle Ronnie Delaney. Houston has Kiki DeAyala listed as probable, a good sign he will play this week. New Jersey also hopes to get Kit Lathrop back from his hip pointer, while Memphis’s Mel Gray should be ready to go after missing this week.

LOOKING AHEAD

We are going cross country in Week 11, with the Atlantic teams hosting the Pacific division and the Central division visiting the Southern Division. It’s a battle of division leaders when the Gold travel to New Jersey, and of hopefuls with Arizona in Philly and LA in Pittsburgh. Washington and Baltimore hope to get wins against weaker teams and pull back into the playoff hunt as they host Portland and Oakland respectively. Texas hopes to make it 2 in a row as they visit the spiraling Tampa Bay Bandits, while we have another division leader battle when New Orleans visits nearby Birmingham. Expect a lot of Breaker fans to make the trip to fill Legion Field. Michigan will head to Florida to face the Orlando Renegades, while Chicago will be in Memphis to face that tough Showboat D-line. Finally, the Gamblers are in Jacksonville, hoping they can make up a game against the Breakers by beating the Bulls.