1993 Week 1 Recap: The Old New Kid in Town

Football is back. The USFL returns for season 11, and if this week is any indication, the league is wide open. Will Houston repeat? Will Pittsburgh take another step? Who will win the topsy-turvy Pacific, and just what will Bobby Hebert and Bernie Kosar do?

Bobby Hebert’s return to the USFL got off to a good start on Sunday as the Invaders held off the Renegades to win their home opener. Hebert was a little out of synch with his new teammates, completing only 57.6% of his passes, but he got help from Siran Stacy, whose 88 yards and 1 TD helped the Invaders start the season off with a 10-point win. The big hero of the day was not Hebert, but young CB Aeneas Williams, who followed up a solid rookie year with a great first day of season two. His late game interception return moved Oakland from a 17-14 precarious lead to a 10-point lead that would hold.

The Renegades came into the game expecting to use a well-practiced combo of Collier to Jefferson to overrun the Invaders. Jefferson had an impressive day, catching 10 balls, but was unable to get the deep ball as those 10 catches added up to only 99 yards. Collier threw 55 times on the day, finding 9 different receivers on the day, but they had trouble getting the ball over the endline and had to settle for 2 first half field goals as their only scoring until the 4th quarter.

Hebert, who went 19 of 33 had a strong first drive, one which ended with him finding ALL-USFL receiver Henry Ellard for a short TD score. His top receiver on the day would not be either Ellard or Duper, as he found a connection with 3rd wideout Ed McCaffrey to the tune of 6 receptions for 85 yards. Leading 14-6 at the half, Oakland escaped a scoreless 3rd quarter and added a field goal in the 4th to go up by 11. Orlando put a scare into the Invaders however when Reggie Collier led a 10-play drive that ended with John Jefferson scoring from only 3 yards out. Oakland converted the 2-point conversion and suddenly it was 17-14 with all to play for.

But, after a good Oakland punt put Orlando on their own 10 yard line with only 1:15 to go, a mistake by Collier turned the game from a nail biter to a comfortable win. Collier tried to hit Wamon Buggs in the flat, but the route was jumped by Aeneas Williams, who easily glided into the endzone for 6, and the Oakland win.

While hardly the high-flying offense of the early Michigan Panther years, Hebert’s performance was solid and the air of excitement in Oakland was palpable. The Invaders are hoping for a second ring and they see Hebert as the man who can lead them there.

NJ 23 CHI 34

The Bernie Kosar-Marty Schottenheimer combo got off to a fast start in Chicago as the veteran QB exploited the New Jersey defense for 339 yards and 4 TD’s. Kosar spread the ball to 9 receivers as Haynes, Walls, and Wendell Davis each had over 80 yards receiving. For New Jersey, Lam Jones topped 100 yards and Herschel Walker rushed for 82 as New Jersey tried to keep pace. A late Reggie Langhorne TD for Chicago put the game out of reach and the Machine start the season off looking like a contender.

PHI 17 HOU 20

New Head Coach Raymond Berry got a good performance from his new Stars, but in the end the defending champs had just enough to pull out a win at home. Houston held Kelvin Bryant in check and allowed new Stars QB Chuck Long only 181 yards on 28 completions, but the revamped Philly defense was also looking like they have hit midseason form, holding Thurman Thomas to 87 yards rushing and limiting Houston’s scoring, even if the Gamblers were able to muster 400 yards of offense on the day.

PIT 17 MGN 30

Just 3 days after head coach Jim Stanley announced that 1993 would be his last season as a pro football coach, his Panthers showed that they plan to make Stanley’s retirement tour one to remember. Michigan forced 4 takeaways, including 2 picks of Alan Risher. They also held Mike Rozier to a paltry 23 yards rushing as they dominated the Eastern Conference Champs. Jack Trudeau threw for 233 and 2 scores and Rodney Culver added another as Michigan pleased the home crowd on opening weekend.

WSH 25 NOR 34

Citing a greater familiarity with the offense, New Orleans Head Coach Bill Arnsparger chose Danny McManus to start week one, and McManus responded with a 4 TD 0 Int day against the usually tough Washington pass defense. He was aided by some huge plays from WR Qadry Ismail, who caught 3 balls, but in those 3 catches gained 134 yards and 2 scores. The Breakers were also aided by a pass rush that knocked Don Majkowski out in the 2nd quarter. The Breakers ended the game with 5 sacks, 2 of Majkowski and 3 of his understudy, Mike Hohensee.

BAL 24 TEX 31

Texas completed the Central Division’s sweep of the 5 Atlantic Division teams as the Outlaws got scores from 3 different rushers (Cobb, Undra Johnson, and rookie Roosevelt Potts) and withstood a late Baltimore rally to take the home win in their first game at the newly christened AlamoDome. Over 45,000 showed up to welcome the Outlaws to their new home, and they did not go home disappointed.

JAX 34 ARZ 24

The Bulls started off strong as they got two pick sixes of Robbie Bosco to overpower the Wranglers. Tony Eason had a rough day, throwing 2 picks of his own, but Bosco, who threw 3 TD’s saw both of his mistakes turn into instant points for Texas. Arizona’s modified West Coast Offense had its moments and Bruce Hill topped 100 yards receiving as Bosco adjusts to the new elements of the passing game.

MEM 20 DEN 13

New Denver Coach Wade Phillips had his defense ready to play, but there are still some kinks to work out for the Gold’s offense. Natrone Means had trouble finding holes in a top notch Memphis line, rushing for only 24 yards on 9 carries. Memphis fared better as Greg Boone rushed for 87 yards on the day. The difference in the game, one Denver led 13-12 after 3 quarters, was a late Carl Pickens TD grab followed by a successful 2-pointer as the Showboats escaped the showdown at Mile High.

TBY 3 POR 28

Tampa looked out of sorts from the start. Maybe it was the cross-country flight, or maybe it was Portland’s young defenders flying all over the field, but the Bandits simply did not put up much of a fight. Troy Aikman was sacked 5 times in the game and tossed a costly INT on their one deep drive into Portland territory. Meanwhile Cris Carter caught 3 TD’s in his 6 receptions to help Portland build up an insurmountable lead.

BIR 31 STL 17

Brett Favre threw three interceptions in his first action of the year, but he made up for it by tossing 4 TD’s, including an amazing 82-yarder to TE Shannon Sharpe, who ended the day with 136 yards and 6 receptions to lead the team. Lawrence Dawsey had a huge day as well, catching 6 balls for 127 and 2 scores. For St. Louis, both Rocket Ismail and Eric Martin had over 100 yards receiving, but the Knights could not turn yardage into points.

Yes, there were several QB’s who threw for 4 scores this week, including Brett Favre, Danny McManus, and Kerwin Bell, but we are going to give our accolades to the old man, Bernie Kosar, who has come into Chicago as part of Coach Schottenheimer’s reconfiguring of the underachieving Machine. Kosar, who became a hero to the city of Cleveland under Schottenheimer during his NFL days, was unceremoniously released by the Browns in the offseason and Schottenheimer jumped on him, trading away long-time Machine Starter Chuck Long to free up cap space. Kosar is seen as a short-term answer, but if the Machine can actually win more than 8 games and make the playoffs in the short term, then it is absolutely worth it. His game against New Jersey, 31 of 41 for 339 and the 4 scores, was a great start to what Chicago fans hope is an upward trajectory for their frustratingly underachieving USFL squad.

Special kudos as well to two rookies who have informed the league that they are ready for USFL football. WR Qadry Ismail was the master of the deep ball for the Breakers, catching only 3 balls, but racking up 134 yards and 2 scores in those three catches. On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the new centerfielder for the Oakland Invaders, Strong Safety John Lynch, who proved to be a big hitter this week with 11 tackles and a key fumble recovery.

MICHIGAN: As we mentioned earlier in the article, Michigan coach Jim Stanley has announced that he will retire from football after this season. Stanley, who has won 2 USFL titles with the Panthers, has been in coaching since 1958, serving as a Defensive Coordinator for several schools before getting his first head coaching job at Oklahoma State in 1973. He would later go on to work in the NFL with the Giants and Falcons before jumping to the USFL in its inaugural season. 1992 marks his 11th season as the leader of the Panthers, a mark matched only by Steve Spurrier in Tampa Bay. His Panthers were one of the powerhouse teams of the mid-80’s and while success has been harder to come by in recent years, the proud Stanley is still a very respected name around the league.

NEW ORLEANS: With the success he had this week, Danny McManus is beginning to sound like a starting QB in the Big Easy. In his post-game interview, McManus brushed off suggestions that he needs to watch his back for the expensive Timm Rosenbach, coming to New Orleans in a trade with Jacksonville. “I am the starter this week, and I expect to be the starter every week unless I screw up. I don’t plan to screw this up. So get used to interviewing me after we win.” That is the type of confidence we like to see in a QB. So now we watch Rosenbach and see how he handles yet another QB competition where he is not the week one starter.

LOS ANGELES: The William Tatham-led LA Expansion franchise, due to come into the USFL in 1995, is not wasting any time building up their plans for a return to USFL action. The Express opened a downtown LA office this week, and held a press conference to show off an updated team logo. The “New Express” will retain the navy and silver primary palette of the original club, along with the streaking “LA” logo, but have replaced burgundy red with a light blue, called “Steel” in the media release. According to Tatham, the double blue scheme will separate the team from other USFL squads, along with other unnamed teams (Cowboys?). The new logo will look familiar to fans of the original Express, but the sharp-eyed will notice the use of the new Steel Blue in the logo itself, adding depth to the streaking LA monogram. Uniform designs are not expected until the 1994 season, when the Express will host “scouting parties” around LA to watch other USFL games and get fans excited about the upcoming expansion draft. Still no word on which other cities will be in contention for USFL expansion, but news on that front is expected soon.

It’s not really football without hard hits and that also means injuries. A few big ones to report this week and a lot of players dinged up but likely to play next week. The big losses include Houston tackle Ken Reeves, who could miss as much as 3 months; Jacksonville guard Duval Love, expected to be out at least 2 months; St. Louis CB Troy Vincent, who has a partial ACL tear that could cost him 8 weeks; and Tampa legend Eric Truvillion, who could miss a month after a hairline fracture in his femur was detected.

Other players who are likely to miss a game or two include Philly WR Gerard Phelan (hip), Washington HB Barry Word (toe), Orlando CB Rickey Reynolds (wrist), Tampa LB Keith McCants (knee) and Chicago HB Ricky Watters (hand).

Week two is our first lineup of divisional games, so let the blood feuds be renewed! Philly is in Baltimore and New Jersey visits Washington as the entire Atlantic Division is seeking its first win. In the South, Memphis renews their rivalry with a trip to Birmingham, while it is a North Florida Derby between the Bulls and Bandits at Tampa Stadium. In the Central we have regional rivalries as Michigan visits Chicago and Houston is in San Antonio to face the Outlaws. Oakland will try to move to 2-0 as they visit the Arizona Wranglers, while St. Louis heads up to Mile High to face the Gold. In our two non-divisional games we see New Orleans headed to Pittsburgh and Portland on the long flight all the way to Orlando to face the Renegades.