We look at why 1991 may be the year of the QB controversy. We wonder if Portland, Oakland, and Pittsburgh are for real, and just what is wrong in Memphis, Denver and Baltimore. It's week three of the season and some fanbases are already overreacting. We will try not to as we review the week that was in the USFL.
PHI 21 NJ 31
It is exactly what Doug Flutie did not want to see. Forced to leave the game with an injury, new backup Chris Miller comes in and plays exceptionally well (3 TD’s and 63% completion rate) to lead the Generals over their biggest rival. It helped that the defense picked off Chuck Fusina twice, but it was a late Miller to Lam Jones TD that sealed the deal for New Jersey, once again potentially placing Flutie in a QB battle.
TBY 6 BIR 17
Playing without Troy Aikman, the Bandits were ineffective against Birmingham’s defense, and the combo of Joe Cribbs and Brent Fullwood did just enough to give the Stallions a much-needed home victory. Cliff Stoudt was on target, hitting on 20 of 28 passes to lead Birmingham to the victory, while Oliver Luck was only able to hit on 48% of his attempts.
MEM 22 JAX 36
Something is wrong in Memphis and Coach Tobin had better soon figure it out. Jacksonville scored on 8 of 10 possessions in the game, and while 5 of those were field goals, it still was enough to outpace a sluggish Showboat offense. Mike Kelley was picked off twice, and Eric Bienemy only touched the ball 4 times as the Memphis offense was ineffective and inefficient against Jacksonville’s defense.
MGN 9 CHI 10
Michigan gained 405 yards on the day, but gave back 110 in penalties as the Machine held their division rival out of the endzone for most of the game. It would all come down to a final touchdown for Michigan, which thy got on a Trudeau to Smiley TD pass, but when Brad Daluiso missed the extra point, the game was lost. Chicago got the win largely on penalties and pressure on Trudeau, who was sacked 7 times, including 2 each from LB Gary Reasons and DE Ray Agnew.
TEX 21 HOU 27
Houston gets their first win of the year, defeating their in-state rival, thanks largely to 29 touches by Thurman Thomas (24 carries, 5 receptions) including 2 Thomas touchdowns. The Houston D focused on Reggie Cobb, holding him to under 1 yard per carry thanks to a combination of line stunts and run blitzes. That strategy paid off as the Outlaws were forced into a one-dimensional attack.
LA 10 ARZ 35
Arizona found holes in the LA defense, as Darryl Clack had a career best 135 yards rushing to power the Wrangler offense. Robbie Bosco also went 19 for 26 for 26 and three scores as the Wranglers earned their first win of the season against the visiting Express.
POR 24 DEN 13
Despite pressure to keep Kerwin Bell under center, Coach Erickson kept his word that David Archer was the starter. He played adequately (16 of 26 for 140 yards) but HB Robert Drummond was the surprise story, rushing for 156 yards on only 15 carries. Add in another 48 from backup Terrance Flagler and it was Portland’s biggest rushing day in their short history. Denver’s offense sputtered and the defense looked disorganized in the loss.
NOR 19 PIT 31
Pittsburgh’s oft-maligned defense came up big, corralling the Breaker run game and providing opportunities for short drives for QB Jeff Hostetler. Hostetler responded with a 3-touchdown day and Mike Rozier added 156 yards rushing and a score as the Maulers moved to a surprising 3-0 by downing the heavily favored Breakers.
OAK 16 ORL 13
Oakland too has surprised a lot of USFL fans by jumping out to a 3-0 start, and by winning a cross-country road game against a tough Orlando squad. The low-scoring affair was highlighted by two key takeaways for the Oakland D, which lost its best player, CB Tory Nixon to injury mid-way through the first half. LB Ken Harvey was the star, with 10 tackles and a timely interception in the red zone, preventing a game altering score.
Washington Federals 39
Baltimore Blitz 33
It took overtime, but the Washington Federals got the win over their rivals, thanks to a Majkowski to Mathis TD pass. Washington would finish with 444 yards of offense against the Baltimore defense, including a 335-yard day from Majkowski, but the Blitz stayed competitive throughout, getting a TD run from QB Vince Evans and two from Tim Spencer. They tied the game with only 27 seconds to play, sending the game into overtime, before bowing to the Federals in the extra period.
The experiment of using FB Barry Word as a workhorse runner appears to be working for the Federals, as the UVa grad had 22 carries for 79 yards. His inside run game has freed up Majkowski on play action, and the Majik Man threw 51 passes in the game, including 5 TD’s. Mathis caught two, and the venerable Joey Walters nabbed 9 balls for 109 yards and a score of his own.
For Baltimore, four field goals, along with the three rushing touchdowns, helped them keep pace with the Federals. Questions about the Blitz offense seem to have been answered as the team gained a respectable 329 yards against a tough Federals front, but now fans have to wonder what is wrong with their defense. With the loss, Baltimore drops to 0-3 and we expect to see some changes coming as Coach Schottenheimer, a controversial figure in league circles, is unlikely to survive another 10-loss season as head man for the Blitz.
In a week that saw three different rushers gain over 130 yards (Rozier, Drummond, Clack), and in which Don Majkowski threw for 5 scores, it seems a bit odd to give the POTW award to a defender, but we are going to do that. Portland’s quick 3-0 start has a lot to do with new offensive schemes, but the Thunder have always had issues on defense, issues which Coach Erickson seems to be addressing through a rotation scheme on both the D-line and within the LB group. One player who has not been rotated out in situational play is linebacker Billy Ray Smith, and this week we got to see why. Smith helped Portland shut down Bob Gagliano and the Denver offense with 11 tackles, a key interception, and a forced fumble. He seemed to always be in the backfield on run plays and always effective in coverage against the pass. If this is a sign of a new Portland Thunder defense, then fans in the Pacific Northwest might just be looking at a playoff season. Of course, we saw Portland have a fast start last year, and it all fizzled away, so despite the efforts of Billy Ray and others, we might hold off on anointing the Thunder this year, at least for a little while.
Is it us or is this potentially the year of the QB Controversy? We have Doug Flutie looking over his shoulder at Chris Miller in New Jersey. We have Kerwin Bell playing lights out football only to be replaced by David Archer in Portland. In Denver fans are beginning to call for Bob Gagliano to be pulled in favor of Billy Joe Tolliver, and in Baltimore, some are wondering if the ageless Vince Evans should give way to Eric Kramer. About the only place we don’t see controversy is in Tampa where once again an injury to Troy Aikman is demonstrating to everyone why Oliver Luck is not the answer.
Cliff Stoudt must also be feeling pressure as he knows that many in Birmingham are hoping to see what rookie Brett Favre can do, while in Pittsburgh, Jeff Hostetler, not Alan Risher, is getting praise for leading the Maulers to their current 3-0 record. In Oakland, the preseason decision by Coach Vermeil to swap Jeff Kemp for 3-year starter Gale Gilbert has been a success, but should things turn south, there will again be a chance for the debate to reheat.
We don’t expect entrenched starters like Jack Trudeau, Don Majkowski, Reggie Collier, or Troy Aikman to be going anywhere, but it seems that this year there is a lot of potential competition for starts among league QB’s and it will take a lot of intestinal fortitude for coaches to pick one man and stick with him, even if things head south. Life as a USFL QB is not without its dangers, and this year, one of those is the need to keep looking in the rear-view mirror to see who is on your tail.
We mentioned it earlier, but the last thing Doug Flutie needed was an injury to allow Chris Miller to shine. Flutie could be out as long as 4 weeks after a partial tear in the MCL of his left knee. And he is certainly not the only player to get bad news this week. Among the worst injuries we saw was a ruptured Achilles to Oakland CB Tory Nixon, one likely to keep him out the entire regular season. Baltimore DT Joe Klecko also suffered a likely season-ending injury as x-rays confirm that his hip injury is a fracture to the hip socket. Washington rookie wideout Herman Moore will miss at least 2-4 weeks with a broken bone in his left forearm, while Philly CB Lorenzo Lynch is expected to be out at least 2 weeks nursing a tear in his hamstring. Denver will be without HB Barry Foster for a week or two, along with injuries to DT Mike Taliferro and guard O’Neill Glenn as the Gold have one of the longest injury lists in the league. Coming back this week after a short absence or a game removal in Week 3 we find Troy Aikman, Jamie Morris, Robert Blackmon, Hassan Jones, Ben Apuna and Brian Blades. A lot of folks in Tampa will be happy to see Aikman back after a poor day from Oliver Luck led to the first Bandits loss.
Week Four is highlighted by a game between Philly and Tampa Bay, in Tampa. Another big game is Michigan heading to Portland to face the undefeated Thunder. New Orleans is in Arizona and Houston will test the Oakland Invaders out by the bay. The Surprising Pittsburgh Maulers head to Birmingham in the Battle of the Steel Cities, while Chicago is in LA, with both teams hoping to even their records. In other action, Baltimore is in Memphis, New Jersey, with Chris Miller at the helm, will be in Orlando, Washington is in Jacksonville, and Texas heads up to Mile High to face the Denver Gold.