1991 Week 6 Recap: A Scary Day in Denver and a Gamechanging Trade.

PHI 27 BAL 6

An overwhelming win for the Stars, and one which may have triggered Coach Schottenheimer to make this week’s stunning trade (see News & Notes). Philadelphia got a dynamic performance from Mike Quick (9 receptions for 152 yards and a TD) and the defense once again shut down the Baltimore Blitz offense in a game where Erik Kramer scrambled for more yards than Tim Spencer gained.

WSH 27 PIT 21

The Federals get a tough road win in Pittsburgh as Kevin Harmon and Barry Word combine for 109 yards. Alan Risher had to shoulder the offense as the Feds focused on limiting Mike Rozier, and they did, holding him to only 33 yards rushing on the day. Both teams relied heavily on their tight ends as Mike Shaw and Travis McNeal were the leading receivers for each team. The big play, however, was from a familiar duo, as Majkowski hit Walters on a 34 yard TD pass to give them the eventual game winner.

MEM 21 BIR 14

With Mike Kelley out (ribs), Greg Boone dominated with 105 yards and a TD as he kept pace with Joe Cribbs’s 109 yards and helped Memphis pick up their 2nd win. The big day from Boone certainly helped pave the way for Memphis to trade away rookie Eric Bienemy (see below). For Birmingham, Cribbs’s day did not make up for a shaky performance from Cliff Stoudt, who only completed 12 of 25 passing against the Memphis pass rush.

TBY 12 ORL 16

Troy Aikman was sacked 6 times by the Orlando D but still had Tampa up 12-9 in the 4th, but Reggie Collier led the Renegades on their only TD drive of the day in the final period, hitting Danta Whittaker for the game winner with 2:25 left to play. Aikman had time to move Tampa into range for a final play hail mary, but the pass failed to find a receiver’s hands and Orlando eked out a huge divisional win to move to a league best 5-1 on the season.

TEX 21 MGN 47

The Panthers came into this game angry after a tough loss last week, and they took that anger out on the Outlaws all day. Vince Workman had 95 yards rushing, and in his first major action for Michigan Lydel Carr added another 77, including a dynamic 22-yard TD run in a game that the Panthers dominated from start to finish. It helped that a late hit out of bounds on a scramble ended Kelly Stouffer’s day, leading to Glen Carano coming in. Carano played well (16 of 25 for 338 and 3 TD’s) but was also sacked 7 times by the ferocious Panther D.

OAK 19 DEN 27

In a game marred by a truly frightening injury (see below) the Denver D helped push the Gold to their first win of the year. Timmy Smith also took on the role of lead back and was able to score twice on 14 carries as Denver tried out some new offensive wrinkles. Twp rookie defenders came up huge as Bruce Pickens had a huge day with 12 tackles and CB William Booth stripped Mark Duper and recovered the fumble to kill a promising Oakland drive and turn the momentum towards the homestanding Gold.

POR 29 LA 15

Portland matched Orlando for the league’s best record with a flurry of 4th quarter points to outpace the Express. Portland scored 19 in the final period, including TD runs by Flagler and Drummond to pull away as the game wound down. A rowdy, and ill-tempered LA crowd was in no mood to celebrate as regular chants against ownership rang through the stadium. 5 LA turnovers did not help the mood as rookie QB Dan McGwire was picked 4 times, twice by LB Cedric Figaro.

CHI 31 NJ 30

A wild shootout that ended with 4 scores in the final 10 minutes, including the game winner, a Chuck Long toss to 2nd TE Cap Boso with 1:28 left that gave Chicago the narrow win. Both Miller and Long had huge days as the General went 23/37 for 452 yards and 3 scores while Long threw for 327 and 3 scores of his own. Chicago amazingly held Herschel Walker in check, limiting the back to ony 18 carries for 38 yards, while Albert Bentley and Ricky Watters combined for 93 yards on the day.

ARZ 29 JAX 34

The Eason-led Bulls looked like a solid team as they took out the defending Western Conference Champs. Eason threw for 5 scores to earn Offensive POTW honors as he led the Bulls to an impressive win over a pretty solid defense. Hassan Jones was at the top of his game, hauling in 154 yards and 3 TDs on the day. The win pushes Jacksonville to 3-3 and tied with Tampa for second in the division, while Arizona slides to 2-4.

New Orleans Breakers 23

Houston Gamblers 18

In a classic Central Division battle, New Orleans and Houston traded the lead all day, with the final possession for the Breakers proving to be the game winner. Houston’s huge disappointment was their red zone offense as all 18 points came from the foot of John Kasay. The Gamblers settled for field goals as they simply could not find paydirt despite moving the ball well between the 20’s.

New Orleans won the game the way they always seem to, relying on their HB duo to grind out yards and pick up short third downs, and then getting timely connections from Matt Robinson to Charlie Smith and newly-acquired Michael Jackson. The Breakers ran the ball 38 times, with Dupree getting most of the carries, rushing 20 times for 105. Dalton Hilliard got 14 carries and nearly reached the century mark as well, gaining 89 on the day. For Houston the run game was not clicking as Thurman Thomas was held to only 41 yards rushing, and while it was good to see Keith Woodside back on the field after a nagging ankle injury kept him out most of the early season, his 19 yards rushing did not help Houston find the endzone.

In the middle of the field the Gamblers played well, with Kelly tossing 252 yards on a 73% completion rate, but once they reached the red zone it was as if a different New Orleans defense showed up. Frederick Wilder started playing closer to the line, man to man was swapped for a tight zone, and Houston receivers just could not find holes. Second year LB Lamar Lathon had several big plays in scoring territory to help New Orleans force the Gamblers into field goal attempt after field goal attempt.

Meanwhile, two Dalton Hilliard TD runs and a late pass from Robinson to Smith were more than enough for the Breakers to end up on top. The win, paired with a Texas shellacking at the hands of the Panthers, helped move New Orleans into a tie with the Outlaws at 4-2, and the rest of the division, sitting at 3-3, is waiting in the wings in what may end up being a year-long rotation at the top.

For the second week in a row Tony Eason has been on fire, leading the Jacksonville Bulls to another win and a .500 record after 6 games. With Timm Rosenbach likely to be cleared to play next week, Coach Hall may have a situation on his hands. Does he go with the hot hand, but with a player known for erratic play, or does he stick with the player he invested in bringing to Duval County with designs as the starter?

Eason made it a tough call this week by proving that even when the other team expects him to start, he can be not only effective, but devastatingly good. Eason began the day by completing his first 10 passes, including early TD’s to both Hassan Jones and Brian Blades. He would finish the day with 14 completions on only 20 attempts, but with an astounding 15.2 yard average and 5 scoring tosses. Despite significant pressure from the Arizona defense (5 sacks), Eason was able to fid Jones 2 more times and toss a 5th TD to Weegie Thompson as the Bulls outlasted the Wranglers at home.

But this has always been the way with Eason. He has had these types of games before, in both Jacksonville and New Orleans, and he has often followed them up with real stinkers, where he seems unable to distinguish his receivers from defenders, completes under 40% and throws several picks. But, perhaps maturity and time to study the game has helped Eason overcome those issues. It will be up to Coach Hall to determine if he believes that is the case. The Bulls are set to play at New Jersey next week, and with Rosenbach expected to be off the injury report, Coach Hall has to set his lineup. Do you go with the Eason for a third week (at risk of snubbing the thin-skinned Rosenbach) or do you return to your week 1 starter to demonstrate that injuries do not cost starters their jobs? A tough call to be sure.

It may just be the biggest trade in USFL history, and it certainly is one of the most complicated. With Denver and Baltimore floundering at the bottom of their divisions, Memphis struggling to keep pace in the South, and Tampa Bay hoping to find a run game to compliment Troy Aikman, we ended up this week witnessing a monumental 4-way trade that saw starting players, two of whom could be considered institutions with their teams, being sent away midseason. It is clear that desperation for Baltimore’s Marty Schottenheimer made this possible, as the Blitz offense has been absent all year and Schottenheimer is feeling immediate heat to turn things around. The same could be said in Denver, though new coach Joe Walton is likely not on the hotseat yet, but a 1-5 start has clearly led to a desire to put his stamp on the roster. For Memphis, the rise of Greg Boone as the clear starter and the desire to find a 2nd back who can get the tough inside yards seems to be the main motivation, while for Tampa it is a desire to find a back who can replicate the early years of Gary Anderson. The combo of Tate, Bell and Neal has simply not proven effective enough to keep pressure off of Troy Aikman, so a change was due.

And what a change it is. Four running backs shifting teams, two perennial starters at quarterback now on new teams, and a flurry of draft picks to boot. With few direct swaps, the 4-team tangle is quite a mess, but here are the basics of who gets whom in the deal.

DENVER: Tampa Bay lead back Lars Tate and Baltimore QB Vince Evans will now be Gold players and likely starters within a week or two. Along with two potential starters, Denver also adds Memphis’s 3rd round pick in the 1991 draft.

BALTIMORE: The Blitz will acquire longtime Denver QB Bob Gagliano, who will likely sit for a while behind Eric Kramer before getting a shot with a new offense. Baltimore also gets Denver power back Barry Foster, who will almost certainly start off next week with at least shared carries in the Blitz run game. Baltimore also adds Tampa Bay’s 4th rounder in next year’s draft.

MEMPHIS: The Showboats get their power back in Baltimore’s Tim Spencer. He will share carries with Greg Boone in the Memphis power run game. Memphis also acquires Denver’s 3rd round pick in the 1991 draft.

TAMPA BAY: The Bandits acquire the type of dual-threat elusive back that their offense prefers in rookie Eric Bienemy. The former Colorado Buffalo did not gel with Memphis’s power attack, but should slot in well in the pass-happy Tampa Bay attack. Tampa also acquires Baltimore’s 3rd rounder after losing a 4th rounder in the deal.

While this next week may see only limited carries for some of these backs, and while Evans and Gagliano now have to learn new offenses, likely keeping them on the bench as Erik Kramer and Billy Joe Tolliver take over on offense in Baltimore and Denver, within the month we may see very different offensive plans in all 4 cities. We like the fit for Tampa, as Bienemy could prove to be a real dual threat in that offense, and we understand why Memphis would prefer a power back like Spencer to the diminutive Bienemy, but we are just not sure that swapping out your starting halfback and quarterback mid-season is the right move for either Baltimore or Denver. At least in B’more they know that Eric Kramer is capable, and may never relinquish the position to Gagliano, but in Denver, they are putting a lot of trust in Billy Joe Tolliver to come through, at least in the short term, as they get Vince Evans into the film room and familiar with Joe Walton’s offense. It is a risk for all parties, but it has added some excitement to the three clubs who were looking pretty dire, and it also gives Tampa another weapon to make a run at Orlando this year.

A scary injury shocked the league this week as Oakland QB Jeff Kemp had to be carted off the field in a back brace. A big hit from Denver LB Ron Rivera late in the game sent Kemp crumpling to the ground. The medical teams braced his back and took him immediately to the hospital with concern for his spine.

On Monday, the doctors reported that it was not a break but that Kemp has a significant contusion to his spinal cord, an injury which is causing ongoing concerns of paralysis and numbness in his lower extremities. Doctors feel confident that Kemp will, in time, see improvement in both sensation and movement in his legs, but warn that he is unlikely to return this year and would be at significant risk in the future should he opt to return to football beyond this year. The news, while optimistic that Kemp will regain full function, puts a shadow over his career in a year when he was just beginning to grow into his role as a starter, and a pall on the entire Oakland franchise. We wish him the best on his recovery and will await news on his decision about his football future.

While the news out of Oakland is sobering, the biggest surprise on the injury report this week was that of another quarterback, as Memphis signal caller Mike Kelley has been listed as “out”. Turns out that Kelley was not pulled from the Week 5 game vs. the Express due only to poor play, but had suffered a rib injury on a previous play, thought he could play through it, but was having some difficulty breathing. Mid-week Memphis reported that he had suffered 2 cracked ribs and would be out at least 2 weeks.

The other big hit was for Chicago, who see their promising young TE Wessley Walls likely to miss the rest of the regular season with a broken hip. Walls took a hit on the hip and landed awkwardly making a catch this week, and had to be carted off the field in visible pain. Isolating a hip is tricky, and the recover time can be slow, so we are not sure if Walls could return if Chicago were to make a playoff appearance.

Week seven once again matches the South against the Atlantic Division and the Central hosting the Pacific. The most intriguing game of the week is Orlando at Pittsburgh, with both hoping to hang onto first place in their respective divisions. The Tampa Bay-Washington clash is another one to watch in the early games. In late games the Invaders will be at New Orleans, with Gale Gilbert back under center. Texas hosts the 5-1 Thunder in a battle of upstart division leaders, and after this week’s major 4-team swap, we will be watching to see if Lars Tate plays for Denver in Houston, if Memphis gets carries from Tim Spencer at Philadelphia, if Baltimore HB Barry Foster gets the nod against Birmingham, and if Tampa throws Eric Bienemy into the mix as well. In other games it is Jacksonville (likely with Eason still at the helm) at New Jersey and Arizona heads to Chicago.