1991 Week 16 Recap: Birmingham Blows It, Pittsburgh Picks Up the Pieces.

BAL 0 WSH 26

The Federals did what they needed to do, moving to 10-6 with a shutout win over the now infamous 0-16 Baltimore Blitz. Joey Walters had 110 yards receiving and rookie Herman Moore caught an opening drive TD as the Feds shut down and shut out the Blitz. With the loss Baltimore completes one of the worst seasons ever by a non-expansion team (The 1976 0-14 Buccaneers had been the prior standard for futility but that was in their first season, not their 9th.) New COO John McVay has his work cut out for him.

BIR 13 TBY 34

The Stallions needed a win to lock up a playoff berth, but it was Tampa that looked like the team fighting to make the postseason as Troy Aikman threw for 372 yards and 3 scores and Eric Truvillion gained a whopping 193 yards (with 2 scores) on 9 catches. Birmingham was playing catchup all day and simply did not have the firepower to keep pace with an angry, determined Tampa team. Now they have to wait the result of Pittsburgh-Oakland to see if they still had a postseason ahead of them.

PIT 23 OAK 20

With knowledge of Birmingham’s loss before their late afternoon kickoff, and with Oakland resting several players, including Gale Gilbert and Richard Williams, the Maulers did what they had to do. Jeff Hostetler threw 2 TD passes and rookie Mike Pritchard caught 7 balls for 91 yards on the way to a 3-point victory and a surprising Wild Card spot. The Maulers, winners of three in a row, finish the year at 9-7 and lock up the fifth and final playoff spot in the East.

JAX 24 MEM 26

Resting several starters, the Jacksonville Bulls still played a competitive game against the Memphis Showboats, but fell to a Memphis team that has been playing better football over the second half of the season. Rookie Shawn Moore got the start for the Showboats and threw for 321 yards against a vanilla Bulls defense. The combo of Boone & Spencer also combined for 96 yards and 2 scores in the win.

CHI 10 MGN 13

Chicago got a look at what rookie Scott Zolak could do, giving him the start, but Michigan was adamant about breaking the losing streak that cost them a playoff shot, starting all of their regulars. Even so, it was a balanced, largely defensive game, between the two Central Division foes. The loss guaranteed Chicago yet another last place finish in the Central Division, with repercussions to come the next day (see below).

HOU 35 TEX 31

With New Orleans playing at the same time, Texas had to start all their regulars to try to avoid a loss, in case the Breakers won and could steal the division title. Houston, with nothing to play for, already locked into the 5th Wild Card, played like it was already the playoffs and Jim Kelly had one of his best games of the year, throwing for 285 and 4 TD’s on the way to a road win in this in-state rivalry.

ORL 31 NOR 19

New Orleans could jump over Texas with a win, but the Renegades were having none of it. With Reggie Collier still nursing an injury Jimmie Jordan and the defense led Orlando to an impressive showing. Matt Dunigan now has Breaker fans worried as he threw two interceptions in the first half, both returned for scores by the opportunistic Orlando defense. He was also sacked 4 times and completed only 47.5% of his passes. Not a great omen for the Breakers headed into a playoff matchup with Oakland.

ARZ 20 LA 34

The Express said farewell to Southern California (or just about 3,540 representatives of SoCal) with their best game of the year. Facing the lackluster Wranglers, who gave rookie Scott Mitchell the start, the Express got 4 TD’s from their RB corps and easily dispatched of visiting Arizona.

DEN 27 POR 32

The Gold jumped out to an early 24-0 lead but Portland got serious after that and swung the game around, scoring 25 unanswered over 2+ quarters on their way to the win. Terrance Flagler contributed 2 TD’s and Kerwin Bell threw for 316 and a score in the furious comeback. For Denver the star was Lars Tate, who had his first 100-yard game as a member of the Gold.

NEW JERSEY GENERALS 18 PHILADELPHIA STARS 22

In a game that meant nothing for Philadelphia, nothing but a chance to stick it to a longtime rival, the Stars started several backups, including QB Browning Nagle, as they took on a New Jersey team on a 7 game win streak, and a team that needed a win to lock up the Atlantic Division title. What resulted was the pure definition of a “spoiler” as Philadelphia hung tough with the Generals and then pulled the game out in the 4th quarter to end the New Jersey win streak at 7 games and knock the Generals into 2nd in the division, costing New Jersey a bye in the process.

New Jersey started off well enough, scoring on a Roger Ruzek field goal on their first drive and then getting the best of the rookie QB Nagle just 5 minutes later. On their second drive, Philadelphia muffed a punt and ended up with the ball on their own 3. The Generals’ pass rush immediately came after Nagle, and on 2nd and 11 they sacked him in the endzone for 2 points. But, despite good pressure all day, that was the last major flub for the young signal caller.

On their next drive, Nagle and the run game led by Kelvin Bryant, moved the ball effectively and on a 2nd and 7 Nagle found Quinn Early for a go-ahead score. Just 6 minutes later Nagle would find Philadelphia’s other top wideout, Mike Quick for a 15-yard score to help the Stars take a surprising 14-8 lead into the half. After New Jersey opened the second half with a Herschel Walker TD run, Philly was back down by 1. Early in the 4th they responded, this time with a draw play to Vi Sikahema that caught the NJ pass rush too far into the backfield, opening up the middle of the field for the shifty back, who treated the play as a punt return, dodging and juking defenders on the way to a 17-yard TD run. The Stars went for 2 and Nagle hit Eric Green with the key conversion to go back up by 7.

New Jersey would have to settle for a field goal on their next drive, and with time running out, Philly was effective both in killing time and in keeping Chris Miller from finding open receivers on 3rd downs. Miller, who only completed 9 of 25 pass attempts in the game was simply not able to rally the Generals when needed. Something that Flutie fans on sports radio would be sure to point out to the entire NY-Nj audience. For Philly it was something of a shallow victory, as they now wrap up the season while New Jersey will play next week, but at the very least they got to see what the rookie QB could do, and they got to spoil things for their rival up I-95, which is, for a lot of fans, almost as good as a playoff berth.

With the season all but over for the Philadelphia Stars, they opted to sit longtime veteran Chuck Fusina and give rookie Browning Nagle his first significant action of the year. Not only did the rookie from Louisville play well, he led the Stars to an upset victory over New Jersey, knocking the Generals from atop the Atlantic Division and into the Wild Card slot. Nagle went 21 of 26 (81%) for 200 yards and 2 scores, despite being harassed by the Generals pass rush all day (Phil Hansen nabbed the 1 sack he needed to break Junior Ah You’s record of 22 for the year). He got an early confidence booster thanks to a nice grab by Quinn Early for a TD in the 1st quarter, and then kept his cool as he led the Stars to the go-ahead score in the 4th, a drive that ended with a Vi Sikahema TD run. Nagle showed poise in the pocket, despite pressure that produced 5 sacks for Philadelphia.

For Stars fans the writing may be on the wall. After a season in which the Stars offense was often uncertain, and one in which he came 1 errant pass short of the league’s record for most interceptions in a year, Chuck Fusina may be coming to the end of his career. The oldest player in the league has simply not had the zip on the ball that we saw in past years, leading to throws coming in late or behind his receivers. Nagle was drafted and signed last year with very much this scenario in mind, a year to learn in the system, and the Stars prepared if Fusina opts to hang up the cleats. No announcement from Fusina yet, but clearly the performance this week has to help the Stars coaches feel better if he does decide it is time to leave the game.

Leave it to week 16 to shake things up. Pittsburgh wins and Birmingham loses, so after standing below .500 for most of the season the late 3-game win streak jumps the Maulers into the playoffs and knocks the Stallions out. In the Central Division, it was all primed for New Orleans to overtake Texas and win the division, but the Breakers got manhandled by Orlando (and QB Matt Dunigan’s mistakes) and fell to the Renegades, and to the 3 seed. But the biggest story of the week was Philadelphia, starting a rookie at QB, knocking off the Generals and giving the Atlantic Title to the defending champion Washington Federals. So, with the regular season done, here is what we have going into next week’s Wild Card round:

EAST: 1-Orlando 2-Washington 3-Jacksonville 4-New Jersey 5-Pittsburgh

WEST: 1-Texas 2-Oakland 3-New Orleans 4-Portland 5-Houston

It would not be week 16 without Black Monday, and this year is no exception. A late season swoon, losing 4 of the final 5 and the last 3 games of the season cost the Birmingham Stallions a chance at the playoffs, and on Monday cost Carl Reese his position.

In three seasons with the Stallions, first as interim coach, and then with the passing of Rollie Dotsch, getting the official position, Reese went from a 12-4 “tribute” season for Coach Dotsch to 7-9 the next year and a very disappointing 8-8 this year. Reese always felt like a status quo selection, trying to hang on to the legacy of Coach Dotsch, but what the Stallions need now is a new direction, some innovation and motivation.

Without winning a game in his short stint as Interim Head Coach, it is no surprise that Coach Bill Cowher was let go at the end of Baltimore’s disastrous 0-16 year. The new braintrust in Baltimore is going to have to look for a coach who can build from the ground up, someone who can quickly get this team back to respectability, because right now Baltimore is looking like a tough job to take on. Expect new COO and President of Football Operations John McKay to look for someone with a proven track record.

There was thought around the league that a late-season surge to reach 7-9 might be enough to save Vince Tobin’s job in Memphis, what with 3 prior playoff years on the books for the former Stars defensive coordinator. But, with what appear to be decreasing returns since their high point in 1988 (reaching the USFL Championship), it is not entirely unexpected that the owners in Memphis want to look in another direction. Tobin will almost certainly catch on as a DC again in the league, perhaps even back in Philadelphia, where Coach Bicknell could certainly use his expertise.

Finally, the Chicago Machine have announced the resignation (read: firing) of Coach Joe Bugel. Bugel came on with the expansion club in 1987, but has yet to produce a winning season or a playoff appearance in 6 years with the team. After an initial rise from 2 wins in 1987 to 5 in ’88 and then 7 in ’89, the Machine seem to have leveled off, going 7-9 again in 1990 and now 6 wins this season, taking a step back when many predicted them as a rising power in the Central Division. Chicago has talent, including a solid QB who just needs a system that fits his style, a good looking rookie halfback in Ricky Watters, and a defense that has some heavy hitters like LB Darryl Talley and Mark Mumford, DT Torey Epps, and veteran SS William Cesare. It should be an attractive position for a top tier pro coach.

And one final word about coaching positions. Do not assume that every team in the playoffs is going to stand pat with their coaching staffs. Even with a late playoff surge there are voices in the Maulers organization who are not high on Ted Marchibroda’s management of the talent on his team. And, in New Jersey, the ongoing Flutie-Miller competition has split both the locker room and the front office, with Perkins clearly leaning towards Miller as his starter, but significant pressure coming from others in the organization to resign Doug Flutie, not only for his play on the field, but for his Q-factor as well, meaning he sells tickets, merchandise, and TV commercials. Even with playoff success, these two coaches could face criticism or simply find the situation untenable in their current posts. It would not be the first time a coach left even when his team does well.

As we enter the postseason, injuries can play a major role in who advances and who goes home. With four teams playing this week in the Wild Card Round, let’s look at potential injury issues for New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Portland and Houston.

NEW JERSEY: G J. Castaneda (Out), QB D. Flutie (Out), WR J.J. Birden (Out),

WR O. Johnson (Questionable), DT C. Rhodes (Probable),

LB C. Spielman (Probable), LB T. Bell (Probable)

With Flutie known to be out for a couple of weeks now, the biggest setback is likely the loss of J.J. Birden for the Wild Card Game. This puts added pressure on Chris Miller to find alternative options if Lam Jones cannot get deep or Schwedes get swallowed up in zones. Expect both Spielman and Bell to play.

PITTSBURGH: LB G. Miles (Out), SS J. Blount (Out), T. R. Dixon (Out),

QB A. Risher (Out), G L. Goeas (Probable), DE S. Keller (Probable)

The biggest loss for Pittsburgh is Godfrey Miles at LB, though having less depth at SS is also a concern, especially when facing Herschel Walker as a receiver. Getting Goeas back should put a smile on Mike Rozier’s face.

PORTLAND: WR H. Dykes (Out), WR W. Slaughter (Doubtful), HB D. Loville (Doubtful),

G E. Andolsek (Questionable)

Portland would love to have Slaughter lined up opposite Chris Carter, but that does not seem likely this week. The loss of Loville is likely not a significant concern as Flagler has taken on the 3rd down back role most of the season.

HOUSTON: DT M.D. Perry (Probable)

Houston is by far the healthiest team in this round of the playoffs, and that may be a bad sign of what is to come in Portland. With Perry in the lineup the Houston D-line is a much better run-stopping group, and with a full compliment on offense, the Gamblers can be dangerous.

Wild Card weekend will pit the Houston Gamblers against the first-time participant Portland Thunder and the New Jersey Generals hosting the Pittsburgh Maulers. Not the lineup of games we would have predicted before the season started, but a pair of games that could prove quite interesting.

Houston and Portland played in Week 2 in a very entertaining 37-34 Portland victory. Kerwin Bell was just beginning to assert himself in that week, but now both Bell and Jim Kelly seem primed for even more fireworks. With receivers like Chris Carter, Brett Perriman, Clint Didier, Ricky Proehl and Webster Slaughter in this game, we expect a lot of aerial attack, but in the end it may come down to how the Thunder’s notoriously iffy run defense can handle Thurman Thomas. We like Houston because of Thomas to pull off the road win.

Pittsburgh and New Jersey split their series this year, with the Maulers winning the season opener in Week 1 while the Generals, in the middle of a 7-game win streak, knocked off Pittsburgh in Week 13. This will be a showcase of two of the best running backs in USFL history as Herschel Walker faces off against Mike Rozier. New Jersey has the better defense, to be sure, and home field advantage, so this one should go to the Generals, but don’t count out the plucky Maulers, who had to win 3 straight just to get here.