1988 Week 7 Recap: Not Exactly Nail Biters.

SCORES

BAL 19 JAX 6

Nothing was working for the Bulls as they got shut down by a resurgent Blitz defense. Baltimore outgained Jacksonville 312-172 on the day as Chris Miller threw for only 172 and George Adams was completely shut down, rushing for only 9 yards on 12 attempts. For Baltimore, 4 Luis Zendejas field goals were more than enough after an early Stanley Morgan TD gave the Blitz a 7-0 lead that would never be challenged.

NJ 9 MEM 21

Touchdowns beats field goals every time. Both teams got 3 scores but Memphis was able to find the endzone while New Jersey was not. The Memphis D contained Herschel Walker (87 yards on 15 carries) and held New Jersey to only 1 successful third down on the day while Mike Kelley overcame two interceptions, with a lot of help from Greg Boone (42 yards) and Buford Jordan (53 yards) to take the win.

PHI 20 ORL 6

Another game where a usually potent offense got shut out. Philadelphia’s D, led by Sam Mills and safety Scott Woerner, held the Orlando offense in check and Philly won the takeaway battle 2-0 to help the Stars escape the Citrus Bowl with a key win. Neither offense looked great as Philly only garnered 198 total yards, but two early Fusina TD tosses would be more than enough.

PIT 14 TBY 25

After losing John Reaves for the year, Tampa traded to get Blitz backup Stan Gelbaugh for depth, but with a full week of practice to prepare, Oliver Luck looked solid, completing 20 of 35 for 248 and two scores. Eric Truvillion found gaps in the Pittsburgh D and ended the day with 118 yards and a score. Tampa’s D also contributed, holding Mike Rozier to only 52 yards rushing on the day.

CHI 29 DEN 14

Chicago came to Mile High undaunted by the altitude or the Denver D, and gave their most complete game of the year. Chuck Long completed 73% of his passes, with rookie Michael Haynes catching 8 for 106, as the Machine dismantled the Gold defense. Chicago also proved they could play D, picking off Bob Gagliano 4 times (though 2 of those were tip drills). The win moves Chicago to 3-4 and proves that this is not last year’s sadsack Machine.

HOU 24 LA 10

Jim Kelly had his best game of the year with 3 TD passes and no interceptions, as the Houston offense once again focused on a hurry-up format. Kelly found open receivers largely because LA had difficulty handling rookie HB Thurman Thomas. Thomas ended the day with 142 yards rushing and his ability to make men miss forced LA to clog the box, leaving Sanders, Verdin and others with man coverage.

MGN 33 OAK 13

Jack Trudeau returned to action for the Panthers and immediately improved their offense, throwing for 325 yards and 3 scores. The Michigan D also held Oakland’s Richard Williams to only 59 yards on the ground and limiting the Invaders to 187 total yards of offense in a lopsided victory.

NOR 51 POR 12

Sometimes it all goes wrong, and a game just gets away from you. That certainly was the case in Portland, where the Breakers built up a 20-3 halftime lead against the Thunder and then exploded in the second half, eventually taking a 51-3 lead before a softer defense and a lot of backups playing allowed for a Portland TD. New Orleans gained 555 yards on the day, including 373 for Matt Robinson, and a combined 116 for Dupree, Hilliard, and Williams.

TEX 7 ARZ 31

It was a reality check for the Outlaws as they ran into a buzzsaw in Tempe. While statistically the game was close, the result was not. Robbie Bosco uncharacteristically ran in two scores (4 and 1 yards) and then found Trumaine Johnson for a 3rd to lead the Wranglers. And while Williams and Mitchell had decent numbers, they just could not produce points for the Outlaws this week.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Washington Federals 16 Birmingham Stallions 19

In a week with a lot of blowouts, the Feds-Stallions game was the only one with any real drama. In what was largely a battle between kickers, Birmingham’s Scott Norwood kicked 4 to Washington vet Ray Wersching’s 3 to edge the Feds.

The star of the game was, as it often is, Birmingham’s Joe Cribbs, who averaged 7 yards a carry to gain 162 on the day. For Washington, Craig James was held to 63 total yards, and Neil Lomax, while efficient (73% competion rate) could not find the big play against a solid Stallion defense.

Birmingham started strong, building a 13-6 halftime lead, but Neil Lomax found Mike Holmes for 6 to start the 2nd half, evening the score at 13. The Feds would take the lead early in the 4th on a 41 yarder from Wersching, only to watch Scott Norwood hit from 21 and 19 after two Stallion drives stalled in the red zone.

It was not the type of game that the USFL will hype on their weekly recap show, but it was a solid win for the Stallions, who now move to 4-3 and edge closer to Orlando. For Washington, the loss drops them to a disappointing 2-5 as the season seems to be slipping away from a team that had high hopes after last year’s playoff appearance.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

We are going to give this one to Houston’s dynamic rookie back, Thurman Thomas. The Oklahoma State product used a 142 yard rushing day to move into the Top 5 in the league, but it is his versatility that has fans in Houston cheering. Thomas is an excellent receiver and seemsto have a natural instinct for the screen game, using blockers to turn short passes into long gains, as seen this week when he wove his way through the LA defense on a screen for 26 yards and a score. Thomas was not the most highly-rated HB to come out of the college ranks this year, but he is proving that Houston chose wisely in drafting him. With Jim Kelly struggling with interceptions this year, Houston would be wise to make full use of their young back and incorporate him more fully into the passing game.

NEWS & NOTES

When the season started there was a lot of talk about how much stronger the East was than the West, but as we approach the midpoint of the season it seems clear that the Central Division is pulling their weight. New Orleans and Houston top the power rankings this week, and Texas has been a surprise at 5-2. Michigan is also on the good side of .500, and even Chicago has proven a tough out, as their 3-4 record attests. Meanwhile the two Eastern conference divisions are largely hovering around .500. Perhaps they are stronger, but that balance of strength means that every week they are knocking each other off.

With Baltimore and Pittsburgh proving that they are not as far from Philly and New Jersey as we originally thought, the entire Atlantic Division could continue to knock each other down, avoiding a single team from jumping out to a 12 or 13 win season. The South is also tightening as Orlando has lost 2 of 3, Birmingham has won 2 straight to move to 4-3 and even Tampa seems to be trying to right the ship.

We said earlier this year that this may be the most parity-defined season in the USFL’s early history, and with 11 of the league’s 20 teams at either 4-3 or 3-4, that certainly seems the case. The key to the second half will be the ability of teams to piece together win streaks. Even a 3-game streak could help a team pull away from the rest and secure a coveted playoff spot.

INJURY REPORT

The grind of a long season is clearly beginning to have an effect as several more players may be lost for the rest of the year. In Baltimore, DE Charles Buchanon will miss at least 8 weeks with a torn quad, and may be placed on IR. Texas may have to do the same for starting left tackle Rene Dudley who suffered a core abdominal tear. In Tampa a groin injury could keep guard Jeff Zimmerman sidelined for over a month, while Washington CB Eric Thomas is likely out at least 2-3 weeks with a hamstring. Good news in Chicago where Steve Beurlein was able to begin practicing with the team, an din Arizona they expect DT Dan Saleamua to be back in action next week after leaving their win over Texas with a sprained wrist. Others who left the game last week but should be able to play this week include Houston’s Greg Anderson, Oakland CB Tory Nixon, Orlando LB Winston Moss, and Washington CB Lester Lyles.

LOOKING AHEAD

Week 8 marks the halfway point in the season and we are back with 8 divisional games to build up some drama. In the Atlantic it is New Jersey at upstart Pittsburgh, while Philly travels to RFK to take on the Federals. In the South, Jacksonville has a tough matchup at Orlando, while Tampa will try to win a 3rd against the Showboats. Chicago heads down to the red hot New Orleans Breakers, while Michigan hosts Houston. Arizona will take on Oakland in Oakland, while Denver travels to LA in a key matchup of 4-3 clubs. Out of division this week we have Baltimore flying coast to coast to take on Portland, while Birmingham visits San Marcos and the Texas Outlaws.