MEM 16 TBY 27
The Bandits defense set the tone, returning a Mike Kelley interception for a TD on the Showboats’ first possession. Add in TD runs from Speedy Neal and Lars Tate and a defense which forced Memphis to go for 3 instead of 7 on 3 different occasions and you have the Tampa Bay Bandits locked in as the Southern Division Champion. With Troy Aikman expected to be cleared to practice and almost certainly start in 2 weeks, Tamps looks ready to roll.
HOU 15 MGN 7
The Gamblers did their part, mostly on defense, to edge into the playoffs. Five Dave Jacobs field goals were all the scoring they needed to defeat the Panthers, who they limited to 243 total yards of offense. Michigan is still locked into the 3rd seed and will get a bye next week, while Houston had to watch the scoreboard. A loss by Texas would leap the Gamblers over the Outlaws and give them a surprising playoff berth.
BAL 27 TEX 17
The Stouffer-less Outlaws were unable to muster what they needed to salvage a playoff berth, losing their 4th in a row and dropping below Houston in the standings, meaning they once again finish at 8-8 and once again miss the playoffs. Baltimore got a combined 120 yards from Tim Spencer and Derrick Fenner to upend the Outlaws, who played most of the game without Reggie Cobb (Migraines).
ARZ 24 OAK 30
With their #2 seed and bye assured, Arizona gave the start to rookie Scott Mitchell. In his first action Mitchell looked solid, throwing for 254 yards, 3 TD and 1 Int. Oakland got what they needed as well, with 123 yards from Richard Williams and a big TD catch from Mark Duper. The win lifts them to 8-8, where they defeat Texas on a tie-breaker, giving them the #4 seed in the West. They will host Houston next week for a chance to play in New Orleans the week following.
JAX 31 ORL 10
With their playoff position secured, Orlando rested several starters, including Reggie Collier and Curtis Bledsoe. Jacksonville, still seeking to regain fan support after a horrific 0-8 first half of the year, finished with a 6-2 second half as Chris Miller threw for 3 scores and both Hassan Jones and Brian Blades finished well over 100 yards receiving. Is this enough to save Galen Hall’s job?
NJ 41 PIT 31
The Generals gave Timm Rosenbach the start to end the year and he came through with 4 TD passes and 344 yards passing, once again putting Ray Perkins in a pickle for next season with a lot of fans praising Flutie’s playmaking but also impressed with Rosenbach’s potential. For Pittsburgh Alan Risher finished the year strong, with 339 yards passing and 3 TDs of his own.
CHI 16 NOR 13 OT
The Chicago Machine took advantage of New Orleans resting starters on both sides of the ball to win their 7th game of the year. Chuck Long added 258 yards to his league leading total, but threw 3 interceptions, keeping the Breakers B-team in the game throughout. Chicago would kick the winning FG in overtime as the Breakers had no real interest in forcing the game to go to a 2nd OT. They now get a bye and prepare to host the Wild Card winner (Houston or Oakland).
DEN 26 LA 23
Rodney Peete subbed for an injured Walter Lewis and played well, completing 74% of his passes and tossing 2 touchdowns, but it was not enough against a Gold team trying to put the sour taste of this season behind them. The star of the game was Denver HB Timmy Smith, who rushed for 51 yards and caught 7 balls for 38 yards to lead the Gold to the 3 point victory.
BIR 17 POR 21
The Thunder doubled their best prior win total, finishing with 6 wins in Dennis Erickson’s first season at the helm, by defeating a lackluster Stallions squad just playing out the string. Portland got 3 TD’s from David Archer on the day as the Thunder pleased the home crowd with a ticket giveaway to try to pack what otherwise would likely have been a pretty sparse end-of-year crowd.
Philadelphia Stars 20 Washington Federals 25
It took a last minute drive and a TD with only 26 seconds left in the game, but the Washington Federals seem to have shaken off their persona as chronic also-rans, knocking off the once-dominant Philadelphia Stars and claiming their first ever Atlantic Division title. Now, admittedly, with Chuck Fusina struggling with tightness in his throwing shoulder, and with a bye week assured regardless of the game result, Washington was facing a Stars team led by Anthony Dilweg, so take this close win with a grain of salt. But, that said, the full Philly defense was on the field and the Feds were able to do what they needed to for a late-game drive and a season-defining win.
Don Majkowski was hit or miss on the day. Yes, he found Joey Walters for two scores, and connected with Kerry Simien for a third, but he also threw 3 picks, including one by Robert Herron which the Stars ran back for a TD. Neither team was able to run the ball on the day, a testament to the run-stopping defenses of both teams, but Majkowski, despite his miscues, was clearly a better option than Dilweg. The hero of the day was clearly Washington wideout Joey Walters, who caught 6 balls for 142 yards, including the game winner. Washington also landed 5 sacks of Dilweg, adding to the impressive 1-2 total of Dexter Manley (15 sacks, 3rd in the USFL) and Charles Haley (14 sacks, 4th in USFL).
With the win, Washington earns the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, a bye, and a chance to play the winner of the Orlando-Memphis Wild Card Game. Philadelphia finishes the year as the #3 seed and will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits in two weeks. The decision to rest Fusina means that Philly will now have a much tougher path, even with the bye week, as they must travel to Tampa to face a Troy Aikman-led Bandits squad and possibly a rematch in DC if they succeed vs the Bandits.
While we appreciate the 4 TD day that Timm Rosenbach had for New Jersey, that was in a meaningless end of the season game when both teams were not fully committed. Looking only at games where meaningful playoff opportunities were on the line, we are going to give the award to the entire Tampa Bay Bandits defense. Tampa knew that they could not expect to win the game on Oliver Luck’s arm, not against one of the league’s best pass defenses in Memphis, so the defense would have to step up, and they did.
Yes, the Bandits allowed quite a few yards in the air, with Kelley throwing for 333 yards, but they also picked him off twice, and came up big on third down, limiting the Showboats to only 2 conversions on 14 attempts. In addition to this, the Bandit D kept the run game in check, holding the combo of Boone and Buford to only 38 total yards on the day, a tiny fraction of what they normally produce. Special kudos go out to CB Eric Allen, who broke up 3 passes, intercepted another and ran it back for 6 to give the Tampa crowd an early reason to get on their feet and stay loud all day. While Tampa has no huge names like Memphis’s Reggie White, they are playing solid complementary football, rushing to assist on tackles, keeping zones tight, and not allowing the big play. This formula will only benefit the Bandits as they head into the playoffs, and with Troy Aikman returning the defense may get the added advantage of playing with a lead.
With the end of the regular season comes the annual news of Black Monday. This year there were several coaches whose first half performances certainly put them on the hot seat. Both New Jersey (2-6 after 8 weeks) and Jacksonville (0-8) appeared ripe for a change, but strong second halves by both teams (both 6-2 in the second half of the season) has apparently done what was needed for Coach Perkins and Coach Hall to be retained. The same cannot be said for LA Head Coach John Hadl, whose 4 year record with the Express of 27-31-1 was simply not strong enough. After peaking with the team at 9-7 in 1988, LA slipped to 7-9 in 1989 and plummeted to 4-12 this year, when the Express rated as one of the worst franchises in league history, at least on offense, where their 14.2 points per game was among the worst in league history. Hadl was dismissed on Monday and the Express anticipate signing a coach within the next month.
The second coach to receive a pink slip on Black Monday was also not a surprise. Texas Outlaws head coach Woody Widenhofer looked to be on his way to a banner season, with the team at one point 8-4 and within range of the division title. The Outlaws finished the season at 8-8, and while many may point to the injury of Kelly Stouffer as the primary reason, it was well known that another 8-8 season, the team’s 3rd consecutive .500 finish, would not be looked upon kindly by the Outlaws. With the team expected to move into the new 64,000 seat Alamo Dome next season, there is a desire to demonstrate that the Outlaws are building something special, and that often is an impetus for change. So, Widenhofer is out and the Outlaws are expected to seek out a new head coach, one likely with some Texas connections, to try to build enthusiasm as they look to expand their fanbase, solidify their position in San Antonio, and augment their season ticket holder numbers in the new, far larger, stadium.
While not a firing, there is one more coaching change coming to the USFL. After 5 seasons at the helm of the Denver Gold, Coach Mouse Davis has stepped down. Davis led the Gold to three consecutive playoff appearances between 1987 and 1989, including two division titles and an appearance in last season’s USFL Championship, but it has been well-known that Davis has clashed frequently with ownership (just as Red Miller had before) about personnel decisions, budgets, and facilities. With close friend Jack Pardee the coach of the NFL’s Houston Oilers, it has been rumored that Pardee wanted to bring in Davis again as his Offensive Coordinator, and while a shift from Head Coach to OC is rare, it is not unheard of, especially when the Gold’s notorious tight purse strings are involved. It would not be a surprise at all to see Davis make more as an OC with the NFL Oilers than as the head man for the USFL’s Gold.
So, Denver, LA, and Texas will all be in the market for a head coach this offseason. With several NFL head coaches let go over their offseason, and with several college coaches potentially looking for an opportunity to move to pro ball, there will be no shortage of candidates, but timing is of the essence. Once the league hits August and NFL camps open, the number of unsigned or truly available coaches drops quickly.
We have already revealed the Wild Card and Divisional matchups which are known at this time. As we gear up for the Wild Card round, let’s take a look at the two matchups, and the potential scenarios for the Divisionals.
Saturday, June 30 @ 8pm ET
Astrodome, Houston, TX
These two teams come to this game with very different seasons behind them. Houston began the year 1-6 and there seemed little hope that they could return from such a start and qualify, but they proceeded to win 7 of their next 9 games, and enter the week having won their last 3, all in division. Oakland, on the other hand, started strong, winning 4 of their first 6 games, then went through a brutal 4 game losing streak before righting the ship and winning 4 of 6 again to end the year. So what do we make of this? Well, we have to say that Houston comes in as the hotter team, but will that be enough.
Oakland depends on defense. Without much fanfare they finished the season as the #2 defense against the run (66 yards per game) and that helped them also finish as #1 overall in yardage allowed. Their offense was in the lower half of the league, although with Richard Williams in the backfield they were a top 5 rushing team. So their plan will likely be to slow the pace, keep the game in the teens if possible, and rely on turnovers and field position to put themselves in a position to win late.
Houston is tougher to read. Their defense started the year as the league’s worst, but they have improved dramatically over the second half. They can play lights out when they are on their game, but the Gamblers also have the capacity to outscore opponents, especially if they can get Thurman Thomas engaged in both the run and passing game. Jim Kelly has dropped his interception numbers compared to last year, and that bodes well for Houston, but at the same time the offense is less dynamic than in the past, largely due to a less-experienced receiving corps. The Gamblers use 3 receivers almost interchangeably. Ernie Jones was the leader in yards for Houston, while rookie Ricky Proehl led the team in receptions, and slot back Clarence Verdin led them in receiving TD’s. Thurman Thomas has not been as adept at getting into the passing game, finishing the season with only 21 receptions, compared with 59 in 1989.
PREDICTION: We have two teams that each have issues (as most 8-8 teams do), but Houston is both hotter over the past few weeks and has home field advantage. We expect the Gamblers to find some holes in the Oakland D and to punch their ticket to New Orleans and matchup with a Breakers team that defeated them twice in the regular season.
Sunday, July 1 @ 3pm ET
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
The second game features two teams with similar styles. Both Orlando and Memphis are capable of putting up points in a hurry and both have defenses that can pressure the QB and take the ball away.
Orlando was the league’s passing leader with 4,522 yards through the air, led by Reggie Collier’s MVP-contending season in which he threw for over 3,900 yards and led the league with 34 touchdown passes. This allowed Orlando to finish 5th in the league in total yards and 4th in scoring. Memphis was not far behind themselves. Mike Kelley led the league in pass efficiency, completing nearly 70% of his throws for the season and tossing 23 touchdowns. The Showboats use a running back combo with Greg Boone and Buford Jordan. That combo gained 1,486 rushing yards, well ahead of Orlando’s 950 (3rd worst in the league). Using this balanced approach, Memphis finished 6th in the league in scoring, only 21 points beneath Orlando.
On defense, we have the Showboats, who finished as the #1 defense in points allowed (278 for the year) and the third best defense in yards allowed. Orlando, on the other hand, finished in the middle of the pack in nearly every category, with the sole exception being rushing yards, where the Renegades finished #6 in the league. If Memphis can use offensive balance against Orlando, they can score against them. For Orlando, the key will be the big play. Reggie Collier has more than enough weapons to overwhelm the Showboat defense if he can find time to throw, and if they can get Curtis Bledsoe to produce a run game that keeps the Showboat defenders honest.
PREDICTION: Once again we are going with the home team. Memphis has looked the better team all season, and while Orlando has more firepower on offense, particularly with the season John Jefferson has had, it is defense that tends to shine in playoff football, and there the Showboats have a clear advantage. The winner has a very good matchup in the 2nd round, facing a Washington Federal team that no one picked to be the #1 seed and which has almost no playoff experience to fall back on if things are tight.
Before we sign off, a reminder that in 2 weeks we will have the winners of these two Wild Card games facing off against the 1 Seeds, New Orleans and Washington. We will also have the matchup of #2 v. #3 with Philadelphia traveling to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits and Michigan facing the Arizona Wranglers at Sun Devil Stadium. It’s playoff football everyone, Let’s get this show started!!!