1991 Week 8 Recap: Express Sale Raises Huge Questions

BAL 6 JAX 14

Baltimore’s defense managed to cool down the red hot Tony Eason (16/27 for 251 and 1 TD) but their offense continues to spin its wheels. Coach Schottenheimer tapped long-time Gold QB Bob Gagliano to start for the ineffective Eric Kramer, but Gagliano was also unable to find the endzone. He hit on 22 of 32 passing for 233 yards, but no scores on the day. Jacksonville was held in check for most of the game but a late Eason TD to Weegie Thompson gave the Bulls the score they needed to lock up a 5th win and send Baltimore to 0-8 on the year.

NJ 17 MEM 27

Memphis got a good game from backup Cary Conklin (270 yards and 75% completions) to outpace the Generals. Coach Ray Perkins stuck to his word and put Doug Flutie back under center. Flutie responded with 296 yards passing, but could not get the Generals into the end zone often enough to counter Memphis on this day, despite both J.J. Birden and Lam Jones going over 100 yards on the day.

PHI 31 ORL 28

A big hit from DT John Jurkovic sent Reggie Collier out of the game, but the Renegades still put up 28 points in the first three quarters to take a 28-10 lead into the 4th. There, the Stars lit up, with three scoring drives, including a Kelvin Bryant TD run and a Fusina pass to Eric Green, followed by a 2-point conversion to tie the game. They went into overtime and David Trout finished the game with a 35-yarder to give the visiting Stars the W.

PIT 17 TBY 34

Troy Aikman rediscovered his form, hitting on 21 of 26 passing for 424 yards and 3 scores as Tampa sent Pittsburgh to their 3rd straight defeat after a 4-1 start. Newly-arrived Eric Bienemy had his best game, rushing 23 times for 71 yards and a score, but also catching a couple of balls for big gains (54 yards). Aikman also found Truvillion, Coates and Kelly for scores as the Bandits equalized their record at 4-4.

CHI 16 DEN 23

Denver won its second in three weeks as Billie Joe Tolliver threw for 223 and 2 scores. Lars Tate and Timmy Smith combined for 127 rushing, and the Denver D snagged 2 Chuck Long passes to end potential Chicago comeback drives.

HOU 30 LA 17

An unsettled 18,000 were on hand to watch Houston control the game against LA. Thurman Thomas rushed for 96 and caught 2 balls for another 40, helping Jim Kelly throw for 321 on the day. LA made the game close (20-17) in the 4th, but two straight scoring drives from the Houston Offense helped the Gamblers pull away.

MGN 37 OAK 6

Things just keep getting darker after Oakland’s fast 3-0 start this season. First they lose Jeff Kemp for the year and now Gale Gilbert goes down, forcing recently signed vet Walter Lewis into the game. Lewis tossed 2 interceptions, one for a pick-6, and was sacked 5 times by a merciless Panther pass rush. Oakland has now gone 1-4 since starting the year with 3 wins. Michigan, at 5-3 is trying to keep pace in a very tough Central Division.

NOR 34 POR 21

New Orleans continued their blistering pace, taking a 27-13 lead at the half against Portland and holding on for a 13-point win. Marcus Dupree rushed for 104 and Matt Robinson threw 3 TD passes on the day, while for Portland, David Archer had to compensate for a run game that simply could not get to the second level (35 total yards on 15 carries). New Orleans ended up outgaining the Thunder 508-283.

TEX 23 ARZ 20

Glen Carano came in hot as he subbed for Stouffer, but it was the running of Reggie Cobb that set up the game-winning field goal for the Outlaws. Lionel James was the hero for Arizona, rushing for 100 yards and a score, while Darryl Clack added another 41 yards. Both Eric Metcalf and Carlos Carson had over 150 yards receiving, but it was Cobb who scored the only receiving TD on the day as Texas edged past the Wranglers in Tempe.

WASHINGTON FEDERALS 27

BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 29

The Stallions came all the way back to tie the game and then win it in overtime in one of the weirder finishes to a game we have seen. In this one the Federals built up a hefty 24-7 lead in the 3rd only to watch as Cliff Stoudt led the Stallions back to tie the game at 27 as time ran out. It was a game of streaks, and the Stallions finished stronger as time ran out.

Washington started off strong, with Majkowski hitting Walters for a 19 yard touchdown on their first drive. The UVa QB would then gift Birmingham, as an errant pass for rookie Herman Moore (back from injury) landed in the awaiting hands of Herb Spencer for Birmingham, who ran it back to even the score. Washington would then score 17 straight, as Travis McNeal caught a TD from Majkowski and Barry Word, still looking good as a halfback, scored from 6 yards out. Word would finish the game with 77 yards on 15 carries, though it would be his back-mate, Kevin Harmon who would be remembered when the game ended.

Down 24-10 at the half, Birmingham started pulling their way back, first with a Scott Norwood 35-yarder, and then with a long drive ending in a Joe Cribbs TD run. The game was even at 24 as Washington got the ball back with just over 4 minutes left. The Feds used the run to move down field, eventually kicking the go-ahead FG with only 59 seconds left. But it turned out that 59 seconds were too many. Birmingham got the kickoff and in only 5 plays and 33 seconds, they moved the ball from their own 32 to the Washington32, thanks in part to the Federals getting called for too many men on the field on two different plays as they tried to shuttle in DBs. Scott Norwood kicked true on the 49 yarder and the game was tied.

In overtime, Birmingham had the first drive, but it stalled out at their own 49. Forced to punt, they called on James Elmore to pin the Federals back. He did more than that as his high hanging kick bounced at the 7 and was caught by the Stallions’ gunner at the 1 yard line. Washington would have to be careful, backed up to their own 1-yard line. They played it conservatively, with a dive play called to Kevin Harmon, but the exchange was awkward and when Harmon hit the line, the ball popped back into the endzone. There was a mad scramble and Harmon ended up recovering the ball, but well within his endzone. Birmingham was awarded a safety, and that ended the game, with the Stallions winning 29-27.

The win evens the Stallions’ record at 4-4, tied for third with Tampa Bay, while Washington now falls a game back of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.

It took several weeks after returning from injury, but Tampa Bay Bandits QB Troy Aikman seems to have rediscovered his Rookie of the Year form. Against Pittsburgh this week Aikman took over the game, throwing for 424 yards on only 21 completions as the deep ball once again dominated the Bandits offensive scheme. Aikman threw to 7 different receivers, and hit on several deep balls to break open the Mauler secondary. He found Eric Truvillion 5 times for 115, including a 36 yarder, sent 5 balls to Chris Collinsworth, for 133 yards, including a 39 yarer, hit TE Ben Coates 5 times for 62 yards, completed a 49 yarder to their other receiving tight end, Chris Kelley, and, while not exactly bombs, used the screen effectively, with new halfback Eric Bienemy gaining 29 yards on one such play, and 25 on a second.

Aikman had struggled in his first weeks back, and fans were beginning to get nervous that there had been some lingering effects of the injury which had sidelined him, but he shook off those rumors this week with a classic dissection of the Mauler defense. It helped, of course, that rookie back Bienemy had greater success on the ground, rushing for 71 yards and a score, but even with the effective ground game, the Maulers were focused on the pass, sending blitzers often against Aikman. They were able to sack him 5 times but despite the pressure, Aikman completed 21 of 26 passes (an 81% clip) and consistently placed the ball in a position where his receivers could run through the catch and gain significant yardage after the catch. The timing of Aikman’s return could not be better as the Bandits face three straight games against teams whose secondaries have been erratic or just plain bad this season (Denver, Arizona, Texas) before a big showdown in Orlando with the Renegades. If Tampa can make a run now, they could find themselves in a position to snatch the division from the Renegades in a month’s time.

The news we all anticipated became official this week, when official papers were filed with the USFL main office in New York, announcing the intention of Alan Harmon and Ted Field to sell the controlling interest in the LA Express to what has been dubbed the Orthwein Group, a consortium of St. Louis-based investors led by James Orthwein, with the intention of having the team relocate to the Gateway City. While the terms of the sale were not revealed, we expect that the amount to be paid by Orthwein and his associates will dwarf the previous USFL franchise sales (Breakers and Blitz in 1986) due to the increased value and profitability of the league in general. LA has been a lagging franchise in both attendance and overall revenue, playing in an expensive market, sharing a stadium with a MLB club, and suffering from declining attendance, largely due to the loss of top players to the NFL and persistent rumors of this very sale suppressing fan interest.

The league now will have to contend with the sale in the context not only of losing the league’s 2nd largest market, but also one of the three franchise locations which could trigger significant reductions in TV revenue from the contracts with ABC and ESPN. A similar situation occurred when the Blitz left Chicago in 1986, and was remedied by guaranteeing an expansion franchise for the 1987 season. It is unlikely that the USFL will expand within a 1-year timeframe to replace an LA franchise, but almost certain that a plan will have to be put into place to restock the LA market if the sale is approved and the TV contracts enter a required recalibration.

It is almost certain that some owners, particularly those in Texas, Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Portland, who rely heavily on shared revenue, will look to block the sale, but it is also unlikely that the sale will be prohibited. Far more likely is that the USFL will look to structure the sale in such a way that it helps to offset any revenue dip from their television contracts. This, most likely, will require that the Orthwein group include additional funds in the sale agreement to offset reductions in TV revenue to the league. While Orthwein will almost certainly balk at covering the full cost of this lost revenue, some portion may be part of the negotiations. Expect also that the USFL will attempt to work with ABC/ESPN to minimize the damage by once again guaranteeing a return to the LA market as soon as is viable for the league.

We expect that the sale will be approved, and that the Express will be relocated to St. Louis for the 1992 season, but how soon and in what fashion the LA market will be restocked with a USFL franchise is likely to be the biggest question for the league. Do they commit to an expansion, perhaps in 1993 or 1994, or will there be another franchise that would uproot their team to fill the gap. We remember that Fresno-based Texas Outlaws owner Bill Tatham had originally been approved for a San Diego franchise, so there may be some interest in the Outlaws relocating, though, with a contract already in hand to relocate to the soon-to-be-completed AlamoDome, there may be incentives to stay in Texas. The Portland Thunder are the other franchise that could be looking to relocate as negotiations with the city on expansion of Civic Stadium from its current 24,120 seats to a more financially viable 35,000+ have been stymied on several occasions.

Expansion is, of course, an option, and with ownership groups representing cities as diverse as Atlanta, Columbus (OH), Kansas City, and Seattle already pushing for a new expansion round, the league could announce a new round of growth, and, as they did with Chicago, assure that LA would be guaranteed a franchise in that round. A lot of questions, and a lot of financial considerations as the league ponders the loss of its LA franchise, and for the fans in LA a lot of frustration, frustration which will likely be visible over the last half of this season for what appears to be a lame duck LA Express franchise.

A pair of defenders highlight the injury list this week. Portland CB Gill Byrd will be out at least 2 weeks with a strained wrist, while Chicago SS William Cesare could miss even longer with a stress fracture in his foot. Memphis will be without newly-acquired HB Tim Spencer at least 2 weeks after the former Buckeye hyper extended his right knee. They may also miss Mike Kelley for one more week as he recovers from his hamstring injury last week. In other QB news, Alan Risher’s injury was confirmed this week as season-ending, so it will be Jeff Hostetler guiding the Maulers through the rest of the season. Better news in Orlando, where Reggie Collier should be cleared to play next week. The same is true for Oakland’s Gale Gilbert. Both Doug Flutie and David Archer are day to day, but since both played this week, we expect them to get the start again in Week 9.

The second half of the season starts in earnest with 8 divisional games on the slate. Pittsburgh will try to end its 3-game slide as they travel to Philadelphia, while New Jersey hopes a trip to bungling Baltimore will help them start the season’s second half with a win. In the South, surprising Jacksonville will try to hold off the Birmingham Stallions, while Orlando is in Memphis to face the Showboats. Texas takes their high-flying offense to Chicago in the Central, where we also have a big game brewing at the Silver Dome, when Michigan hosts the New Orleans Breakers. In the Pacific it will be Oakland traveling down Hwy 1 to face the Express while Portland will be in the desert to face the Wranglers. Our two inter-divisional games are also looking interesting as we have a battle of 5-3 teams when Houston faces off against the Federals in RFK, and 2-6 Denver, hot off their home win vs. Chicago, will now travel to Tampa Bay to face Troy Aikman and the Bandits.