It was bound to happen at some point, when you start a season in mid-March you are going to have to face inclement weather, and we saw several games this week impacted by storms, whether snow or rain, the weather impacted games and depressed attendance for the USFL’s 7th opening week. The result? In most cases bad weather meant bad offense, with defenses having an easier go in the slop. For several teams it means we really don’t know what they are capable of. For others, it’s just a W on the board and that is all that matters.
SCORES
WSH 17 BAL 20
A light snow did not seem to impact the game significantly in Baltimore and fans were able to watch the MD Parkway Battle between the Feds and Blitz go down to the wire. A 51 yarder by Luis Zendejas with ony 4 seconds left kept the game from going into overtime and gave Coach Schottenheimer his first USFL win.
PHI 6 NJ 16
Snow and slush helped Herschel Walker prove he was the best “mudder” on the field, as he racked up 130 yards to Kelvin Bryant’s 48. The Generals D also helped with that as 2nd year LB Chris Spielman racked up 9 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss against Bryant and backup Jamie Mueller.
TBY 23 BIR 13
A combination of rain, sad news for the Stallions (see below) and solid play by Tampa’s rookies, helped the Bandits start the season on the right foot with a 10-point win. QB Troy Aikman was solid, completing 73% of his passes and avoiding the Stallions rush, while fellow rookie, LB Keith DeLong notched two sacks and 8 tackles on the day.
MEM 6 JAX 3
In the game most impacted by weather, the Showboats and Bulls played through a monsoon and combined to go a miserable 2 for 27 on 3rd downs as neither team could do much on offense. Memphis was held in check most of the day, but managed to get two 4th quarter field goals to snatch a win away from the Bulls in a game that was more about the weather than the two teams.
MGN 23 CHI 12
Weather was not a factor in Chicago, where a reasonable 42 degree day did not impact the game. Both offenses still struggled, but three Chicago turnovers helped Michigan build up a lead and hold it. CB Keith Bostic’s 3rd quarter interception proved pivotal as gave Michigan a short field and an eventual score to build up a 23-5 lead.
TEX 25 HOU 42
Inside the Astrodome both Texas and Houston were able to get their offenses rolling as Doug Williams and Jim Kelly combined for 5 TD’s and over 600 combined passing yards. Thurman Thomas added 2 TD runs as the defending champions pulled ahead in the 2nd half for a comfortable win over their in-state rivals.
POR 3 DEN 20
Denver got exactly what it wanted from Mother Nature as wind and snow combined to halt the Portland offense. Kerwin Bell and former Gold QB Craig Penrose combined to complete only 10 of 34 attempts for a total of 89 yards passing for the day. Meanwhile Bob Gagliano was able to dink and dunk for 204 and 2 scores to lead Denver to a blustery opening day win.
NOR 31 PIT 20
A chilly 35 degrees at Three Rivers could not cool down the Breakers offense as Matt Robinson threw for 272 and 2 scores and the Dupree-Hilliard combo racked up 130 combined yards on the ground. Mike Rozier had a solid day with 112 yards on 20 carries, but it was not enough to overcome a mediocre passing game (Risher completed only 48% of his passes).
OAK 26 ORL 19
The Invaders flew across the continent and braved the rain in Orlando but on one of Gale Gilbert’s better games they outdueled the Renegades to take the win. Gilbert threw for 231 and 3 scores on the day, including 2 to wideout Henry Ellard to help pace the Invaders.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Los Angeles Express 21 Arizona Wranglers 24
Weather was no issue in sunny Tempe as the Express and Wranglers faced off. Both teams seamed ready for regular season action as the Wranglers built up a 17-0 lead and then held on against a blistering 2nd half LA comeback attempt.
Robbie Bosco looked primed for a good year as he completed 21 of 31 and found both Trumaine Johnson and Louis Lipps for scoring tosses. Bosco also ran a score in on a very rare scramble for the usually-pocketed QB. For LA Steve Young tried to match Bosco, running in a score and throwing for 2 more, but his 2 interceptions on the day helped Arizona quell the Express comeback.
Rookie Broderick Thomas made a big impression on his first day, picking off Young on an ill-advised crossing route and adding 4 tackles, but the biggest defensive star was fellow Wrangler Brian Noble, who racked up 13 tackles on the day as Arizona flexed a little defensive muscle.
The game was in doubt late as LA came back from a 24-7 deficit with two Young TD passes, one to rookie Robb Thomas and one to the always reliable Todd Christiansen. But, with time running down and LA needing to get into FG range to tie the game, Young tried to force a ball to Eric Martin and it was brought down by LA DB Everson Walls to all but end the game and preserve the 3-point lead for the Wranglers.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Since we don’t want to award a POTW to Mother Nature, we are going to give it to one of last year’s breakout stars, Breakers receiver Nolan Franz. Franz, who has been in the league since its inception, upped his game last year and with new QB Matt Robinson had his best season, tallying 1461 yards and a league leading 14 scores. He is back on his game this spring, notching 7 receptions, 109 yards and 2 scores in the season’s first week. New Orleans does not have one of the most intimidating WR corps in the league, not even making our preseason Top 10 Receiver Groups list, but Franz is showing that he is among the league’s best.
NEWS & NOTES
The league, and particularly the Birmingham Stallions, were saddened this week upon the news of the passing of Stallions coach Rollie Dotsch. Dotsch, who led Birmingham for 6 seasons, including three playoff trips, two division titles and a spot in the 1984 USFL Championship, had stepped down this past July in order to battle pancreatic cancer, the disease which would eventually take his life. Fans across the league participated in a moment of silence before this week’s games in honor of the former Stallions coach and Birmingham announced that they would be adding a patch to their uniforms for the rest of the season to commemorate their departed leader.
INJURY REPORT
With a new season comes the prospect of injuries. Several teams, including Texas and Portland, saw their starting quarterbacks leave the game, though it appears that in both of the notable cases (Doug Williams and Kerwin Bell) the injuries are not severe and each may be back either next week or in Week Three. Most injuries this week were minor, though they may cost some players a week or two of action. Of the more serious injuries are LA linebacker Chip Banks’s broken collarbone (expected to miss 4-6 weeks) and Chicago wideout Michael Haynes’s fractured arm (again 4-6 weeks expected). LA will also miss DE Tony Tolbert for 1-2 weeks with a torn meniscus, while Baltimore’s Dave Dumars is expected to be out for a couple of weeks after suffering a hernia (not in the game, but in Friday’s practice). Tampa wideout Eric Truvillion and Jacksonville’s Gary Clark could both miss a game or two after both suffered hard hits going over the middle. Finally, New Orleans CB Terry Daniels suffered a hamstring injury while running with Pittsburgh wideout Raynard Brown and is listed as questionable for Week 2.
LOOKING AHEAD
This year’s schedule has started off with a bang as Week 1 included 8 divisional games. Week 2 likewise has a heavy divisional lineup. New Jersey will be in Pittsburgh as Philly heads to Washington in the Atlantic. Jacksonville and Orlando will both look for their first win in the intra-state rivalry, while Memphis heads down to Tampa. In the Central Chicago will visit New Orleans while Houston is in Michigan. The Pacific Division tilts include Arizona at Oakland and Denver traveling to LA to take on the Express. In the two inter-division showdowns, Birmingham will be in San Marcos to take on the Texas Outlaws while Baltimore catches the long flight to Portland to face the Thunder.