Four teams entered, two teams advance, it’s playoff time and that means it is all on the line. We will report on the two Wild Card clashes, on Black Monday, and on the announcement of the All-USFL Team for 1988 and, of course, preview next week’s 8 team Divisional Playoffs.
WILD CARD WEEKEND SCORES
TEXAS 14 LOS ANGELES 43
You can spend a week preparing for an opponent, but sometimes it is the on-the-fly halftime adjustments that make or break a game. That never appeared truer than when Texas and LA clashed in Angel Stadium this week. Texas and LA battled in a roughly even first half, with LA going into the half with a slight 20-14 edge, but the second half told a very different story as LA adjusted both their defensive and offenive game plan, shutting down Texas’s offense, forcing 3 turnovers in the half, all as the Express offense lit up the Outlaws for 23 unanswered points.
Midway through the 2nd, it looked like we would have a full fledged shootout on our hands. Both teams had moved the ball well, LA had scored on an Okoye run and a Townsell reception, Texas had responded with two Doug Williams TD tosses, and this game looked to be a back and forth affair. LA caught a late first half break as a Scott Olivera field goal was followed by an Outlaw fumble, allowing LA to kick a second field goal to end the first half. But, despite this turn, a 6 point lead hardly looked safe at the break.
The second half would be another story. Steve Young caught fire, tossing three more TD’s and spreading the ball among his receivers (Renfro, Martin and Townsell all scored), while Christina Okoye rumbled for 105 yards (71 in the half after a slow start). The defense picked off Doug Williams twice, triggered several false starts and a key holding call on a 3rd and 3 that shut down an early Outlaw drive, and shut out the Outlaws as LA built up a lead that soon put the game out of reach. LA Linebacker Bob Crable would win game MVP with a day that included 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles, and well deserved, but if it were up to us we would have awarded MVP to Coach Hadl and his staff for the masterful adjustments at the half that turned a close game into a runaway win for the Express.
PITTSBURGH 20 NEW JERSEY 30
We suspected that the Week 16 win by Pittsburgh in New Jersey did not show us the real capabilities of the Generals. A week 15 win against Arizona had all but guaranteed a playoff spot to the Generals, so they played with less determination and kept their strategies very vanilla in the loss to Pittsburgh that assured that the Maulers would be New Jersey’s foe this week. Once the stakes were raised this week, New Jersey raised their intensity and outlasted the Maulers in a game that was very close through three quarters.
Doug Flutie had one of his best games as the Pittsburgh D was forced to load the box after a strong first quarter by Herschel Walker. Walker rushed 10 times for 48 yards in the 1st quarter, forcing the Maulers to reinforce their line with additional defenders. That fed the play action and bootleg game where Doug Flutie excels. Flutie would finish the game 25 for 31 for 306 yards and all three New Jersey touchdowns.
Pittsburgh seemed equally dangerous through three quarters as well, taking an early lead on a Mike Shaw TD reception, then jumping up again 14-7 after a Walker TD with a quick strike from Alan Risher to Raynard Brown. They would go into the half leading 17-10 as both teams exchanged field goals in a contentious 2nd quarter.
Flutie rolled in the 3rd, finding Lam Jones on a perfect fly pattern for a 76 yard score only 34 seconds into the half, and then returning on the next possession to hit Brent Jones for another score, giving New Jersey a 24-17 lead. And while Pittsburgh would again shift their strategy and move to more zone coverage to defend Flutie, the trade off was that the New Jersey run game could slow down the game and milk the clock. Pair that with a largely ineffective Mauler offense in the second half and the Generals were able to hold on, trade some field goals with Pittsburgh, and walk out of the game with a 10-point win.
If this was a 2-game strategy for coach Ray Perkins, it worked just as planned, assuring that New Jersey would have back to back games vs. Pittsburgh rather than facing Baltimore or Orlando this week, and paving the way for the Generals to get a divisional matchup against their fiercest rivals, the Philadelphia Stars.
DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS
The Wild Card results set up our next round of games. We have divisional rivals going head to head, and upstarts trying to knock off returning playoff teams with experience. Four games this week in what is often the season’s wildest weekend. Here are the matchups to watch:
New Jersey (4) @ Philadelphia (1)
These two teams know each other so well, it is hard to imagine that there will be any surprises here. It is Philly’s top notch D against New Jersey’s mixed attack. The Stars swept the regular season series, but both games were close, 22-14 in Week 3 and an almost identical 23-14 in Week 12. We all know the axiom about beating the same team 3 times in a season, so the Stars had better be ready for a motivated Generals squad.
Birmingham (3) @ Memphis (2)
The Stallions are still fuming that they let the division title and a chance for a home game slip away in Week 16 with a bizarre loss to the Portland Thunder. Memphis is reveling in their first playoff game, and in hosting their closest rival. The stadium will be packed as both Showboat and Stallion fans will show up in force for this one. The key to the game? The run game. If Joe Cribbs goes off, it could be a long day for the Showboats, but Memphis has their own rushing studs as well in the combo of Greg Boone and Buford Jordan. The team that can run the ball effectively is most likely to also free up some passing through play action. With two of the league’s best pass rushers in Memphis’s Reggie White and Birmingham’s Bob Barber, the ability to fool the defense on early downs could be the difference, and that all comes from the ability to force defenses to commit to the run.
Los Angeles (4) @ New Orleans (1)
LA got a solid win at home against the Texas Outlaws, but now they have to travel to face the #1 offense in the league and a rowdy New Orleans Super Dome crowd. New Orleans can beat you on the ground with the duo of Dupree and Hilliard, but they have also proven that Matt Robinson can throw the rock and beat teams in the air. The Express have to try to slow the game down, use Okoye to stay on the field and keep the ball away from that potent Breakers offense. It is a tough task ahead of them, but LA does have a lot of veteran leadership with playoff experience, so the Breakers should not underestimate this Express squad.
Houston (3) @ Denver (2)
A rematch of last year’s Conference Championship, but this time Denver has the home field advantage. Most years that is a huge advantage as the altitude and the strong Denver fanbase usually provide a solid home field challenge for visiting teams, but this year the magic seems to have faded a bit. Denver lost three home games in the regular season, including upsets by Chicago and Oakland, so Houston may not be as intimidated as in past years at the prospect of playing at Mile High. The Gamblers defeated Denver in Week 1, but both teams have grown since then. That said, it still looks like a familiar story as Houston’s 2nd rated offense will face off against Denver’s 2nd rated defense. Can Kelly and Thomas overpower Kurt Gouveia and the Denver D? Or will Bob Gagliano find a way to outpace the Gamblers?
COACHING CHANGES
Black Monday came to the USFL again, following the conclusion of Week 16, and this year we have three teams making changes. Let’s look at each change and where we think teams will look for their next coach.
ARIZONA: After a solid 10-6 opening season in 1985, Frank Kush has led the Wranglers in the wrong direction, going 8-8 in ’86, 5-11 in ’87, and 7-9 this year. A lot was expected of the former Arizona State head man, and it just has not panned out. Kush was let go following back to back losses to end the season, but it is unclear if the Wranglers have a plan for where to look now. They could look to a coordinator from top defensive teams like Philly or Houston, or they could look to the college ranks again to find a coach with some innovative offensive ideas. The Wrangler job is an attractive one as the team has talent on both sides of the ball and a solid QB to build around in Robbie Bosco.
BALTIMORE: It is still unclear if Marv Levy was forced to resign or if this was his decision, but after early success with the Blitz, including a Championship Game appearance in their last year in Chicago, the team has slipped into mediocrity. 7-9 last year and 8-8 this year are not what fans in the Charm City expect, and it appears that it is not what Marv Levy expects either. He stepped down on Black Monday, and is expected to look to the NFL for a possible OC or Assistant Head Coach position. For the Blitz, they will almost certainly look to rebuild with youth as they have one of the older rosters in the league. A coach with a college pedigree may help them form a new younger core, but don’t be surprised if they look to the NFL to hire a coach with a philosophy of hard nosed football, something needed to win in the tough and balanced Atlantic Division.
JACKSONVILLE: Not a shock at all that Lindy Infante was a Black Monday casualty. The Bulls, after back to back playoff runs (well, one-and-done runs) in ’85 and ’86, have seen things get worse since Doug Williams left town. Infante, known as an offensive innovator, has not been able to build a consistent offense around 2nd year QB Chris Miller. An 8-8 campaign last season was followed by a slide to 6-10 this year. Rumors are already flying about possible coaching choices for the Bulls. They may look to “local” NFL clubs like Atlanta, Miami or Tampa to find a coach, but there are already rumors that they may “rescue” beleaguered U. of Florida head coach Galen Hall from the barrage of NCAA investigations and potential recruiting violations that are troubling his tenure as the Gators’ lead man. Don’t be surprised if the Bulls snatch Hall away from Gainesville. He is a popular coach with Gator fans, and that is a good group to get on your bandwagon when you play ball in Jacksonville.
ALL-USFL TEAM
There is no better evidence that the USFL is undergoing a regime change than this year’s ALL-USFL Team. No longer dominated by Panthers, Stars, and Bandits, this year’s roster of top performers is testament to the leveling of the league and the rise of new challengers to the established powerhouse franchisess. Here is your 1988 ALL-USFL TEAM:
QB: Matt Robinson (NOR), Alan Risher (PIT), Doug Williams (TEX)
HB: Herschel Walker (NJ), Joe Cribbs (BIR), Kelvin Bryant (PHI)
FB: Keith Byars (NJ)
TE: Todd Christiansen (LA), Mike Shaw (PIT)
WR: Carlos Carson (TEX), Trumaine Johnson (ARZ), Wamon Buggs (ORL),
Nolan Franz (NOR), Ricky Sanders (HOU)
G: Kevin Gogan (OAK), Kevin Carter (ARZ), John Rienstra (HOU)
C: Dermontti Dawson (MGN), Jeff Wilkins (ORL)
T: Bruce Armstrong (POR), William Israel (NJ), Bruce Wilkerson (MEM)
DT: Jumpy Gaethers (PHI), Roland Putzier (POR), William Perry (TBY)
DE: Reggie White (MEM), Larry White (DEN), Reuben Davis (ORL)
LB: Brian Bosworth (TEX), Kurt Gouveia (DEN), Brandon Zavala (WSH),
Brian Noble (ARZ), Marcus Marek (NOR)
CB: Najee Mustafaa (TEX), Derick Martin (DEN), Eric Allen (TBY)
FS: Elmo Gardiner (PHI), Frank Wilder (NO)
SS: William Cesare (CHI), Bill Bates (ORL)
K: Scott Norwood (BIR)
P: William Moss (MEM)
That’s all for this week. Join us next week when we recap the Divisional Round and take our first look at Free Agency.
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