Fantastic Finishes by Alcoa must have sponsored this game because we had one heck of a final minute in Mile High as the Outlaws got the miracle win over the Gold. Two field goals in the final minute shifted the score twice and boosted the Outlaws above .500 In what was a slobberknocker of a defensive showdown all game, suddenly the final minutes became a sprint to victory in a game that had a bit of everything.
I guess we should amend that. The game had no turnovers as both teams played a conservative game, despite the fact that neither really had a strong run game operating all day. Denver gave up on their run game early, which is odd considering their main back, Natrone Means, tends to get stronger as the defense weakens. But, against Texas’s shaky pass defense, the Gold opted to rely on Dave Krieg, and he was effective, throwing for 306 yards. Texas held onto the run game longer, giving Reggie Cobb 21 carries, but the Gold defense was ready for him and those 21 totes only netted a total of 56 yards for the former Tennessee Volunteer. It was Stouffer’s 326 passing that made the difference for Texas.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first, Denver came out in the second and put together two solid scoring drives, the first a quick strike as Krieg found Odessa Turner on a 60 yard fly to take the lead. They doubled up with a Timmy Smith run six minutes later, and at the half it was the home team up 14-3. Texas responded in the 3rd as 3rd wideout Shawn Collins scored on a quick slant from 4 yards out for the Outlaws. After a failed 2-point attempt, Texas was down 14-9. They would not score again until the 11:24 mark of the 4th quarter, when Collins again was on the receiving end of a Stouffer TD strike, this time from 12 yards out. Collins’s 2nd touchdown marked a highpoint of his career with Texas, as he is typically well behind Metcalf, Dokie Williams, and Quinn Early on the depth chart. His 6 receptions and 2 scores helped Texas take the lead, 15-14.
After a couple of fruitless drives by both teams, Denver got what they thought was a game-winning field goal with exactly 1 minute left on the clock. Krieg had found Odessa Turner and Jay Novacek on successive plays to get into range, and Jason Elam’s 42 yarder put Denver up 17-15 with only seconds left on the clock. But, after Merton Hanks returned the ensuing kickoff to the Texas 34, it was clear Texas had a shot. That belief was proven valid after the first play from scrimmage, when Stouffer found Theo Young covered by a LB and exploited the mismatch for 37 yards. Now at the Denver 28, already within range for Nick Mike Meyer, Texas completed a quick out pass to Eric Metcalf to bring the ball even closer, and on 1st and 10 from the Denver 14 they trotted out Mike-Myer for the kick. Up and good and Texas now had an 18-17 lead with 26 seconds remaining.
Texas kicked off to Denver, and the Gold returned the ball to their own 30. On first down, Krieg found Novacek for 14, then spiked the clock. 21 seconds left and the Outlaws in a deep prevent as Denver had no time outs left. Krieg took advantage of the deep zone, finding Mark Carrier underneath. Carrier was able to race up the field before Texas defenders could bring him down, but the receiver did not escape to the sideline, and the clock kept ticking. Denver frantically tried to get the kick team on the field, but the harried scurrying was to no avail. With the ball on the Texas 9 yard line, the clock ticked down just as the holder got in position. Second shy from stealing a win, the Gold simply ran out of time in a furious 2 minutes of action. Texas kept their 1-point win and the fans in Mile High Stadium could exhale, or perhaps sigh, as the Gold fell to 4-5.
NOR 20 ARZ 27
From the statline it might appear that Timm Rosenbach got the start for an ineffective Danny McManus, but what actually happened in this game is that McManus got a finger to the eye on the 5th play of the game, and was unable to return. Rosenbach played erratically, completing only 46% of his passes and throwing a late pick to seal the game for Arizona. The Wranglers also suffered an injury to their QB, as Robbie Bosco went down with what may well be a season-ending injury to his leg. It was little-used Scott Mitchell who finished the game and helped Arizona score the win.
MGN 24 STL 34
Michigan falls again as Darrell Thompson and Buford Jordan both score and both gain over 40 yards apiece. Add in 2 good looking TD passes from David Archer and it is enough to send Michigan home again with their 7th loss on the year. The big issue on the day for Michigan was 3rd down efficiency, where they got past the sticks only 5 times in 15 attempts. For St. Louis the number was not much better, but they found big plays throughout the day to help them stay on top.
HOU 38 POR 24
The Thunder fell behind 38-14 before two garbage time scores helped make the game look closer. Jim Kelly went 22 for 29 for 434 yards as it was deep ball after deep ball for the Gamblers. Ernie Jones, who has been coming on of late, had 4 for 110 and a score, and Brett Perriman added 4 for 121 and a score as well. Add in 104 yards rushing and a 47-yard reception for Thurman Thomas and this game was solidly in Houston’s hands.
CHI 14 OAK 16
The Invaders are showing signs of life, and while the offense may not exactly be a juggernaut, they are finding a way. They actually played all 3 QB’s in this game as both Hebert and Conklin were injured. Mike Pawlawski saw rare action, but it was Siran Stacy’s 71 yards rushing that helped Oakland hold on and knock off the visiting Machine. Bernie Kosar had issues on a windy day in Oakland, throwing for only 182 yards and tossing 3 interceptions on the day.
WSH 46 JAX 14
This one leaned Washington’s way early and stayed that way all game. By the half it was 26-0 as Majkowski found Walters twice for scores and Kirby added another in the 2nd quarter. The Majik Man would find Herman Moore early in the 3rd, and once up 36-0, the Feds simply coasted the rest of the way home. Jacksonville’s 5 turnovers on the day, including 3 from QB Mike Shula, were all the advantage Washington needed. With Eason injured, the Bulls may well be in serious trouble.
PIT 24 BIR 42
The Maulers played well for 3 quarters, actually holding a 24-21 lead going into the final period, but Brett Favre would have none of it. Throwing 3 of his 5 TD’s in the 4th, the Stallions raced past the Maulers in the final period and put an exclamation point on the game with a final drive TD to Givens. Favre finished with 439 in the air, and both Givens and Dawsey went well over 100 yards each in Favre’s return to action after 2 weeks on the injured list.
PHI 31 TBY 21
A good 94-yard day from Kelvin Bryant, and 355 yards from Chuck Long were enough for Philadelphia to leave Tampa Stadium with a win. Tampa led at the half 14-10, but a Bryant TD to open the 3rd gave Philly the lead and they would not relinquish it for the remaining quarter and a half. Long threw the ball to only 5 receivers on the day, but three of them (Quick, Phelan and TE Eric Green) all finished with over 100 yards as Philly moved to 5-4 on the season and sent Tampa to a dismal 1-8.
NJ 29 ORL 26
In a battle of 1993 underachievers, New Jersey got the 3-point win thanks to a Kirby Jackson INT return and 2 Flutie TD passes in the final period. Trailing 19-7 after 3, the Generals came alive after Flutie hit Lam Jones for a long TD. Only 2 plays later, Jackson picked off Collier and ran it back 21 yards for a score, and suddenly the Generals were on top 22-19. Flutie hit TE Jeff Spek for another score, and now it was the Generals with a commanding lead with only 2:02 on the clock. Collier would find Carlos Etheridge for a late score, but a failed onside kick meant that the Generals got the win.
BAL 34 MEM 13
It is not so much that Baltimore found a way to defeat Memphis that surprised folks around the league, it was that they were able to do so in such a convincing way. Everyone anticipated that with Mike Kelley out and untested Shawn Moore at QB, Memphis might struggle to score points, but their top-ranked defense was expected to keep it close. That did not happen as Chris Miller threw 3 TD’s and completed 71% of his passes on the day. Add in short fields from three Moore interceptions and it became a big day for the Blitz.
It would be easy to focus on Brett Favre’s return today, but for us the bigger surprise was the day that Baltimore cornerback Donnell Woolford had for the Blitz. Playing against Shawn Moore, Woolford drew the assignment to cover the elusive Jo-Jo Townsell, and he covered him like a rug. Woolford finished the day with two picks, one run back for Baltimore’s first points on the day. He also had 2 more pass deflections, and added 6 tackles on the day to help the Blitz crush the favored Showboats in the Liberty Bowl.
Woolford, who has never had more than 3 interceptions in a season since coming into the league in 1989, is now at 6, atop the leader board, in what may be a breakout season not only for himself, but for the Blitz defense as a whole. Baltimore’s D is top 10 in both sacks and interceptions, 4th in the league in points allowed and 3rd in total yards allowed. Performances like this one from Woolford are becoming commonplace in Memorial Stadium, and that type of good old fashioned football is bringing Blitz fans out to the stadium to root for the home team.
Three big stories out of New York and the league headquarters for both the USFL and the NFL. We are talking expansion and we are talking the future of the USFL as a big part of the American sports landscape.
HALL OF FAME
We start with the announcement from the league offices, made on Tuesday, that the USFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio have agreed to open a USFL wing to the Hall. The wing will constitute an expansion to the existing building, expected to be completed in 1996. The first USFL Hall of Fame Class will be inducted in October of 1997, following the 15th season of the league. Players eligible must have retired from football no later than 1992, 5 years earlier. We expect a few USFL greats will make that first class, including former Birmingham Stallions Head Coach Rollie Dotsch, who is a sentimental pick for many around the league. Others with a good chance include former Tampa Bay QB John Reaves, Defensive end Junior Ah-You, and Birmingham HB Joe Cribbs.
NFL EXPANSION
This week the NFL made official their two new franchises for the 1995 fall season. From a final pool that included both former NFL cities such as Baltimore and St. Louis, and newcomers Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Nashville, the NFL has clearly opted to expand their base, selecting Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee as expansion clubs for the 1995 season. Charlotte has already announced that their franchise will be called the Carolina Panthers, a fact which we expect did not go over well with the USFL Michigan Panthers and their lawyers. Expect more on that for certain. Nashville has not yet chosen a name and will likely conduct a fan-based process. For the USFL, these selections come as good news, despite potential “panther” curfuffle, as all 3 current USFL cities in the finalist pool were turned away, leaving the Bulls, Blitz and Knights as the only pro game in town for the time being.
USFL EXPANSION
The USFL league offices have scheduled a press conference in New York for Monday. Rumors are swirling that at least 1 expansion club will be announced at that time. Inside sources seem to be indicating that a team will be named and that it is possible that the league will be committing to naming 2 more expansion clubs for Spring 1995 by the end of this year’s USFL season. Along with the already designated LA Express expansion club, it looks like we will be looking out for 3 more clubs from a pool of contenders that numbers 6 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Miami, and Seattle. Who will be named on Monday as the 22nd USFL club and just when we might find out the other two expansion clubs is still not known, but we expect a huge day on Monday and at least one very happy ownership group and city.
A bad week for the USFL, its quarterbacks, and especially the Arizona Wranglers. The 6-2 Wranglers learned late on Saturday that their starting QB, Robbie Bosco, would have to miss the remainder of the season with a fractured femur. The injury suffered during a dogpile following a sack-fumble, means that it will be either Scott Mitchell, the former Utah Ute, or Hoosier rookie Trent Green at the helm for the rest of the year. Mitchell subbed for the injured Bosco on Sunday, and we expect him to continue to get the call for the Wranglers.
News was significantly better for Oakland, as starter Bobby Hebert, who suffered a hyper-extended knee, is expected to be able to play this week, while backup Craig Erickson is listed as doubtful after a bad ankle sprain. In Chicago, Bernie Kosar is listed as questionable after he injured his ankle trying to scramble, not a Kosar forte. And in New Orleans, Timm Rosenbach will likely get the start as the finger to Danny McManus’s eye did produce a corneal scratch that could keep him out at least another week.
In other injury news, Chicago DE Eric Dorsey will be out for the year after fracturing his hip. St. Louis SS Al Burleson is also expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a neck injury, but fortunately doctors confirm that Burleson has both feeling and motion in all extremities after a scary scene on the field this week. Memphis will be without DT Curtish Maxey for 1-2 weeks with an abdominal strain, and Oakland LB Randy Kirk will also miss time due to a dislocated shoulder that caused some minor tendon damage.
Week 10 begins our playoff hunt coverage, and it begins with some great divisional games. Pittsburgh and Washington battle for first in the Atlantic as they face off in RFK. Philadelphia can get right in the mix if they can hold off New Jersey in the I-95 grudge match in Veteran’s Stadium. In Memphis it is a battle of 6-3 clubs both with backup QB’s at the helm as Mike Shula leads Jacksonville against Shawn Moore and the Showboats. In Tampa, the Bandits are hoping that they can earn some respect with a win over the 2-7 Orlando Renegades.
In the Central division Houston is in Michigan and Texas hosts New Orleans, while in the Pacific, Denver and Oakland, both 4-5, hope to reach .500 and playoff relevance with a win. St. Louis and Portland are not out of it, but both need a win this week to get into the hunt for a possible Wild Card. In inter-divisional play, Scott Mitchell gets his first start for the Wranglers as they travel to Baltimore to face that tough Blitz D. Chicago has a tough task as well, heading to Legion Field to take on the 8-1 Birmingham Stallions.
So is the Houston Oilers getting sold to Bob McNair.