If you did not like the game between the Stallions and Federals this weekend at RFK, then you just don’t like football. Backup and longtime veteran Cliff Stoudt led the undefeated Stallions against the division-leading Washington Federals, and seemed to have a win wrapped up when the Feds rallied back late to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and send Birmingham into the L column for the first time all season.
From the first moments of the game it was clear that the Federals fully expected to win the game. They spent most of the first quarter trading jabs with the Stallions, getting on the board first with a 5-yard Majkowski to McNeal TD pass and then playing stalwart defense against a Stallion squad that was trying to get Brent Fullwood’s run game into form. Fullwood would start slow, but end the game with 77 yards on 15 carries. But it would be vet Cliff Stoudt, for the second week in a row who would carry the Stallions, maintaining a deep ball game that was designed for starter Brett Favre but which seemed to suit Stoudt as well.
The 2nd Quarter saw the jabs turn to haymakers. Washington started it off, doubling their lead to 14-0 on a Barry Word TD run. Word had a huge game, scoring twice and rushing for 113 yards, while backfield mate Terry Kirby added another 58 yards on only 10 carries to help boost the Feds. Just when you thought the game might turn fully for Washington, Cliff Stoudt unleashed a rainbow of a pass to Ernest Givens, who caught it in stride and just kept going, 77 yards to paydirt. Stoudt would find Michael Haddix for a 2nd TD only minutes later, after a Wersching FG had made the score 17-7. With Haddix’s rare reception for a score, it was now 17-14 with just over 2 minutes left in the half. That was more than enough time for Majkowski to position the Feds for another field goal, and when Wersching’s kick flew down the center of the goalposts, it was 20-14 in RFK and the Federal fans were pumped.
The 3rd quarter was not good for the Feds however as Birmingham scored the only points in the period, a Scott Norwood kick and a short TD pass from Stoudt to Shannon Sharpe. The Stallions were on top for the first time all game, leading 24-20 as the game entered the final quarter. And what a quarter it was. The two teams combined for 35 points in only 15 minutes of play as the score changed hands 3 times. It began with Washington rebounding from an unproductive 3rd as Majkowski found Joey Walters and put the Feds back on top 27-24. Birmingham needed almost no time to take the lead back, as Stoudt again unloaded a deep ball, this time to a wide open Shannon Sharpe on a misplayed seam route. The Stallions boosted their lead just 1 minute later when a Majkowski pass sailed over Duane Gunn’s arms and into the hands of rookie Blaine Bishop, who had a clear road to the endzone. The 39-yard interception return made the score Birmingham 38-27 and it looked like the undefeated Southern power would again win without Favre.
But Washington was not done just yet. They marched down the field after Bishop’s return TD and when Barry Word broke containment on the outside he found a clear path for an 11-yard TD run to bring the Feds back to within 3 at 38-35. Washington would need to go for the onside kick, and when Ray Wersching’s kick took a big 3rd bounce it deflected off a Birmingham blocker’s helmet and was eventually pounced on by rookie LB Michael Barrow for the Feds. With nearly 2:30 left in the game there was plenty of time for the Feds to tie the game, or go for the win. They did the latter, and with 49 seconds left it was always reliable Joey Walters who made the play, a leaping grab over the shoulder of the defender. Washington was up 4 and with less than a minute left, the Stallions had to go for the TD. It was too much to ask of Stoudt, and for the first time all season the Stallions tasted defeat. Washington was the giant killer and the win moved them solidly into playoff position atop the Atlantic Division. For Birmingham, their lead in the South was still solid, but the early dreams of an undefeated season were dashed. For the rest of us, it was just a great display of top level football and a thrilling finish between two real contenders.
JAX 10 BAL 18
The Bulls could have taken a share of 1st in the South thanks to Birmingham’s loss, but they faced a Blitz team that has been playing much better of late, especially on defense. The Blitz limited Jacksonville to only 282 total yards and kept Tony Eason from finding paydirt. In their best impersonation of the recent Pittsburgh Maulers, Baltimore scored all 18 points on 6 field goals from veteran kicker Luis Zendejas. Late in the game and down 18-3, the Bulls actually turned to Mike Shula, who got Jacksonville in the endzone with a pass to Brian Blades, but it was much too little and much too late.
TBY 21 PIT 24
Unlike Baltimore, Pittsburgh was able to score 7’s instead of 3’s, though the difference in this game would again be a Septien field goal. Mike Rozier had 105 yards and Alan Risher found both Mike Shaw and Louis Lipps for scores as the Maulers held off Troy Aikman and the Bandits. Aikman’s 305 yards and 2 scores were simply not enough this week as Tampa falls to a dismal 1-7.
MEM 30 NJ 17
The Generals fall for the 5th consecutive week as Memphis gets 113 yards and 2 scores from Greg Boone. The defense also helped as they sacked the elusive Doug Flutie 3 times and forced two poor passes which were picked off by Memphis defenders. Lam Jones did catch 9 passes for 124 yards to move into the leaders in receiving yards, but it was not nearly enough for the Generals.
ORL 28 PHI 14
The Renegades were on a mission this week, and ended up doubling up the homestanding Stars. Reggie Collier threw for 237 and 2 scores, but the biggest uptick in production was from much-maligned HB Dalton Hilliard, who had his first 100-yard game against Philly. A Ricky Reynolds interception return for TD helped Orlando pull past the Stars and lock up only their 2nd win of the season.
ARZ 7 TEX 20
We expected it to be Arizona’s D taking the day, but it was Texas who showed some defensive moxy against Robbie Bosco and the Wrangler offense. Bosco completed 32 of 52 for 305 yards but only threw one TD to two INTs and the vaunted 1-2 halfback punch of the Wranglers was just not there, gaining a combined 24 yards rushing on 18 carries. Texas got 68 yards from Cobb, and Kelly Stouffer found both Quinn Early and Eric Metcalf for scores as Texas moved back to .500 at 4-4.
DEN 13 CHI 24
In a battle of two surprise contenders, Chicago used home field advantage and 3 TD’s from the Watters-Bentley halfback combo to upend the Gold. Watters had a solid day, punching the ball in twice as Chicago slowed down the pace against the Gold. Denver’s run game was limited, with Natrone Means only rushing for 49 yards on 19 carries, but they too seemed content with the slower pace, though in the end it was their downfall as a late comeback was note enough to get back within the final minutes.
OAK 30 HOU 23
In what looks like a trap game for the Gamblers, Oakland surprised Houston in the Astrodome thanks to a good day from Bobby Hebert and a late TD from rookie HB Glyn Milburn. Hebert avoided the interceptions that have plagued him all year and threw for scores to both Ellard and McCaffrey as the Invaders built up a 30-16 lead and then held out as Houston tried for the laste comeback. Jim Kelly, playing catchup, threw for 400 yards, but his 2 TD’s were not enough to bring the Gamblers back from an initial 24-3 deficit.
POR 17 MGN 12
Panther fans are getting edgy about the lack of offensive production, and with good reason. Despite a combined 130 yards from Rodney Culver and Albert Jenkins, Michigan could only put 12 points on the board, all field goals from Brad Daluiso, as the Portland defense, not known as a strong squad, found ways to shut down the red-zone offense of the Panthers. Michigan falls to 2-6 in what was supposed to be a Swan Song Tour for coach Jim Staley.
STL 34 NOR 17
If Michigan fans are antsy, those in New Orleans are in outright rebellion. Boos rained down on the Breakers as they left the field after yet another poor showing. Completing only 42% of his passes and throwing a key interception did not make fans fall in love with Danny McManus, and getting only 19 yards from Marcus Dupree did not help either. Meanwhile David Archer connected for 3 TD passes and Darrell Thompson had one of his best games as a Knight, rushing for 138 yards on only 15 carries as the Knights pick up their 2nd win on the season.
We did not celebrate Birmingham backup, and longtime starter, Cliff Stoudt last week, when he went 21 of 33 for 347 yards and 5 TDs, but in his second straight relief appearance he added another 384 yards and 4 TD’s and we cannot ignore that. Yes, Birmingham lost, for the first time this season, despite Stoudt’s performance, but the fact that he has come in for Favre, thrown 9 TD’s and over 700 yards passing has been astounding. What is perhaps more astounding is that ever since Favre took over as the starter, Stoudt has been content to serve as the backup in Birmingham rather than making a stink and demanding a trade.
This is a QB who started for the Stallions for 8 years, led them to the playoffs, even to a league championship game, and is now able to step back, play the backup role, and then, when called on, come up huge with two tremendous games. Stoudt still has several good years ahead of him, and could push for a trade, but he knows this is a great chance to earn a ring, and, at least for now, he is willing to play backup to the ultra-talented Favre. He has one more season on his contract, and we expect that after the 1994 season he will likely get into the market, and, based on his performance the past two weeks, there are a lot of teams that could use his talents, his experience, and his down-to-earth approach to the game.
We will leave the midseason analysis for our annual midseason report edition, so for this week, let’s focus on the financial side of the USFL. The league released their 1992 financial statement this year and the news was overwhelming positive. Thanks in part to strong TV ratings, a wide range of sponsorships, and solid attendance across the league, the USFL showed a total profit of nearly $78 million for the year. Eighteen of the 20 franchises showed a profit with only Portland (still waiting for their stadium expansion to increase their revenue potential) and the 5-11-1 Chicago Machine showing a slight loss for the year, thanks largely to suppressed early season attendance due to a cold, snowy March, and late season attrition due to a pretty shoddy team. With Chicago looking much better this year, the league may be in even better position to make a profit in 1993.
Sponsorships are proving to be a major driver of revenue, as teams develop stronger local deals. No more used car lots and “official loose meat sandwich purveyors”, USFL teams are seeing major corporate deals, and the league has several lucrative national campaigns with sponsors such as Anheiser Busch, Toyota, United Airlines, Burger King, and Pepsi. It does not hurt as well that Nike has become an iconic brand over the past few years and they feature USFL stars heavily in their marketing thanks to Nike CEO Phil Knight being owner of the Thunder in Portland.
The next big thing may be to expand the TV contracts. Currently the USFL has 7 games weekly on ABC, with Saturday and Sunday afternoon coverage, two ESPN games (Sat & Sun Night Football) and the one game weekly with FOX on Friday nights. When the league expands in 1995, and with the return of the LA Express and that key market, expect the league to look to find a partner for the additional 2 games each week. ABC has also started talking about hosting a night game, switching ESPN to Saturday afternoons. They may need to outbid other offers, as it is well-known that Fox is hoping to broaden their coverage and even Turner is interested in potentially serving as a host. Add to this the increase in mid-week USFL-themed shows on ESPN and the league is building a strong presence across the dial.
Finally, we would be remiss if we did not mention the success the USFL has had at the box office. Not only have attendance numbers risen from the high-20’s to the low 40’s in most markets over the first 11 seasons of the league, but the league has been able to increase ticket prices by nearly 60% without causing major outrage among fans. Yes, the average USFL ticket is still significantly less than the NFL equivalent, but the gap is closing, and in some cities, like we have seen in Tampa, the NFL is beginning to look for ways to combine efforts with the USFL to market both leagues and both teams through combined ticket packages, marketing schemes, and local advertising. The hilarious TGI Friday’s ad playing in the New York market that has Giant Phil Simms, Jet Jeff Blake, and General Doug Flutie all fighting over the last chicken wing on the plate is a great example of this type of shared effort to align team interests when possible. After the deal set in LA, there has been talk in several other dual-league cities about stadium construction with shared costs between the city and the two leagues. This includes talk of a new downtown stadium in Detroit, a refurbishing of Soldier Field in Chicago, and possibly a new domed stadium in Houston as the Astrodome is beginning to show its years.
So, good news seems to be the news of the day from the league office. With expansion on the horizon, and the financials looking good, attention can be paid to what happens on the field, and any sports league loves to see that.
Two huge, potentially season-altering, quarterback injuries came out of this week’s play. In Memphis, the Showboats got the devastating news that Mike Kelley could miss the rest of the regular season (6-8 weeks0 with a torn ACL. Also in the Southern Division, the other 6-2 team, Jacksonville, will have to play without Tony Eason for at least the next 4 weeks as he suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Both of these injuries will test the Southern Division challengers just as Brett Favre returns from 2 weeks on the injury list himself. Other injuries of note this week include NJ safety Eric McMillian, who could miss a month of play with an MCL injury, Memphis tackle Bruce Wilkerson, expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a torn bicep, Birmingham tackle Emory Yates sprained his wrist and could miss 1-2 games, and Michigan safety Carnell Lake is doubtful with a broken foot.
The seaosn’s second half opens up with interdivisional play as the South and Pacific host the Atlantic and Central. In the East the two marquee matchups have 5-3 Pittsburgh @ 7-1 Birmingham, with Brett Favre expected to return under center, and the 5-3 Federals, fresh off their win against Birmingham, facing the equally tough 6-2 Jacksonville Bulls. In the West, the biggest games are 6-2 Houston at 4-4 Portland, 6-2 Chicago @ 3-5 Oakland, and a battle of 4-4 teams as Texas heads to Denver. In other matchups we have Arizona visiting the disappointing 2-6 New Orleans Breakers, Michigan traveling to St. Louis in a battle of 2-win teams, Philadelphia visiting 1-win Tampa Bay, New Jersey battling Orlando, and the Baltimore Blitz facing off against the 6-2 Memphis Showboats at the Liberty Bowl.