USA Today, February 10, 1994
A lot to report as we prepare for the 1994 USFL Draft. We finally have news on a coach from Tampa Bay, several NFL player signings, a few more players changing jerseys, and a surprise release for the “New” New Orleans Breakers.
TAMPA FINDS THEIR COACH
We start in Tampa, where it was beginning to look like the Bandits would be retaining Ron Zook as their head coach. After falling short to the Breakers in the Mike Ditka bidding, Tampa interviewed several candidates, including LA Raiders DC Gunther Cunningham, NY Giants DC Mike Nolan, and the USFL Wranglers DC Dom Capers, but none seemed to match up with what Tampa was looking for. They seemed resigned to stick with Zook for the year, to see what he could do with the Bandits and their defense. But, just as the NFL-USFL window opened, the Atlanta Falcons released their flamboyant head coach, Jerry Glanville. Tampa jumped at the chance to sign the fiery coach.
Glanville, who made his name as a defensive coach at Georgia Tech, with the NFL Lions and the Falcons, before moving into his first head coaching position in Houston. He lasted 3 years there before moving back to Atlanta. His tenure with the Falcons was bumpy. He lasted 4 years, leading Atlanta to records of 5-11, 10-6, 6-10, and 6-10 again before being let go. Glanville’s teams were often more attitude than on-field success, but his defenses were a high-risk, high reward showcase of his teams, with defensive stars such as Deion Sanders and LB Jessie Tuggle. In Tampa his first order of business will be to align with his new GM as they look to the draft, and an attempt to build not only a solid defense, but also a running game for the Bandits.
USFL SIGNINGS
As expected, we saw even more signings both from one USFL team to another and back and forth with the NFL as we entered the January transfer window. Here is our assessment of the biggest signings during this second offseason window.
ARIZONA—Despite having one of the best defenses in the USFL last year, the Wranglers are not sitting on their laurels. In something of a controversial signing, the Wranglers have come to terms with LB Bill Romanowski, the former Romanowski was all but thrown out of San Francisco after several incidents, fines, and controversial statements. Seems a risky move by Arizona, but certainly the big LB also brings a lot of talent to the squad.
DENVER—The Gold further depleted the San Diego Charger defense, signing DE Leslie O’Neal to a 4 year deal. O’Neal, after 7 seasons in San Diego, is no spring chicken, but managed 17 sacks in 1992, and another 12 this past NFL season. He will certainly be seen as a huge get for Coach Wade Phillips and the Gold defense.
BALTIMORE—In something of an under the radar move, Baltimore may have helped to shore up their aging LB corps by signing former Bengal backer, Barney Bussey. Not a huge name nationally, but Bussey has been a steady part of the Bengals since 1986. He had his best season in 1990, when he had 54 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 interceptions. They also got a good deal and help for their interior D-line, signing former Bandits DT William Perry. Perry, who weighs in at 330 lbs remains a force particularly against the run.
NEW ORLEANS—Hoping to replace some of the catches lost when Michael Jackson headed to the NFL, the Breakers have signed a reliable possession receiver in Clarence Collins (BIR). They also helped add defensive depth, signing safety Mark Kelso from the Feds.
JACKSONVILLE—Still stinging from the loss of Hassan Jones, the Bulls picked up the best deep threat available in Texas’s wideout Dokie Williams. They also stayed in Texas to work on their defense, signing Houston Gambler LB Johnny Holland.
HOUSTON—The Gamblers also stayed active, replacing lost players as quickly as they could, signing Fred Strickland at LB, James Pruitt at wideout, and New Jersey’s Juan Castaneda at guard.
MICHIGAN—The Panthers continued to be aggressive in remaking their team, signing former Bulls DE Jim Reynosa to add some pass rush. Reynosa has had 12 sacks the past 2 seasons and stands at 74 for his career.
DRAFT PREVIEW
Even with a very active offseason, there are still holes on pretty much every roster, and in addition to these obvious choices, there are a lot of teams who are looking at older players and wondering if now is the time to sign a rookie to grow into the position before retirements lead to a crisis situation. Every draft room is different, but it seems clear that every team has goals and interests in this year’s draft. Some will be very active, having traded for extra picks, while others sold off several picks to snag that one key trade commodity. As we look at each team’s current needs, we will try to offer our thought on who their best option may be in the territorial draft and who they might shoot for in the open draft.
BALTIMORE: The Blitz need help at tackle and have an aging LB corps. Thre is not a lot of top talent in their T-draft schools, so Baltimore is going to have to be on their game in the Open Draft. We like them to use their 1st round pick on a top tackle.
NEW JERSEY: Another team with weaker T-Draft options, the Generals are likely going to be looking to find a future replacement for Herschel Walker, a big back who can take on the interior run game that Amp Lee does not excel at.
PHILADELPHIA: The Stars are another squad with an aging star HB, so don’t be surprised if they go with a halfback as well, but they could also look to sign depth for their depleted safety group.
PITTSBURGH: Rozier is the third older QB, but the Maulers have more areas of need, so we don’t see HB being the pick here. They need to strengthen that o-line first after losing several key players over the past 2 years.
WASHINGTON: Not a lot of gaping holes on this roster, but they could use a true receiving TE. There is some good safety talent coming out of UVa and Va Tech, so expect them to sign at least one of the big safeties there, and then look at TE in the Open Draft.
BIRMINGHAM: Defending champions rarely have big holes, and that is the case with Birmigham. They would love more explosiveness than Fullwood and Joseph provide at HB, so maybe Bostic out of Auburn, but expect most of their draft to focus on the trenches.
JACKSONVILLE: They still need more help at wideout, and the T-Draft gives them a good shot at signing one of the best TE prospects as well, Seminole Lonnie Johnson.
MEMPHIS: It is all about Heath Shuler, or it should be. They will certainly pick him in their T-Draft, but can they sign him? After that it is a bit of a minefield of positions of need.
ORLANDO: A weak year for U. of Miami talent means Orlando needs to do well in the Open Draft. They might take a shot at a QB, but this is not a good year for it, and they could also use help at LB and in the late rounds upgrades at K and P would not hurt.
TAMPA BAY: Even after some offseason signings, Tampa still has some major needs. They may be able to solve their HB issue if they can sign Florida’s Errict Rhett. Doing that would free them up to try to add strength to their o-line and add some defensive contributors.
CHICAGO: After getting 2 guards through free agency and trades, Chicago may now look at tackle as they try to revamp their O-line. They could also use some depth across the board.
HOUSTON: Linebacker is a good spot to look for depth and a possible starter. Allen Aldridge of the U. of Houston seems a likely candidate. After that, any position is open to them.
MICHIGAN: So much has changed for the Panthers, but what remains is a need for more energy and physicality on the D-line, with both DT and DE being a priority.
NEW ORLEANS: An interesting situation here, as the team clearly needs to address some offensive issues, but Coach Ditka will almost certainly push for a defense-heavy draft.
TEXAS: Guard is an immediate need, as is CB and kicker, all three could be addressed in the draft.
ARIZONA: With Bruce Hill gone in free agency and Trumaine Johnson not getting any younger, wideout is the immediate need.
DENVER: Signing O’Neal will help the D-line get pressure, so now the Gold need to add some athleticism at linebacker. No better option than signing Trev Alberts from Nebraska in the T-Draft.
OAKLAND: Tackle and Safety are the two biggest concerns, and both should be addressed in the draft. The good news for Oakland is that one of the best tackles coming out in this year’s pool is from Cal, Todd Steussie.
PORTLAND: Safety is an area of need, but also TE, where Portland has only Clint Didier on the roster. Expect them to start on defense and then draft for the TE in the mid-rounds.
ST. LOUIS: Does St. Louis go for a young QB now that Dan McGwire is gone, or are they comfortable with David Archer? And who looks like a solid QB prospect if Memphis does as expected and protects Heath Shuler through a T-Draft pick?
NEW ORLEANS HAS A NEW LOOK
Finally, in the “we didn’t see this coming” department, the Breakers revealed that they have worked with Nike to revise their color scheme for this year. No new logos, the uniforms are nearly identical (with some sleeve modification on the jerseys), but gone is the light royal or “ocean” blue, and in its place is a blue-green teal color that more closely mimics Gulf Coast waters. They also darkened and added a bit more of a greenish hue to their dark blue, now more of a navy, but retained the silver. So, we have a very similar look, just with new colors. New era means new look, it would seem.
Outstanding work on that redesign!!