The Conference Championship Games have shown us once again that defense wins titles. Both Philadelphia and Chicago were able to eat clock, end drives, and frustrate their opposition on their way to victories this week and now a chance to win it all next Sunday at Summer Bowl ’94.
We came into the Western Conference Championships expecting both teams to emphasize defense and ball control. Many gave Denver the edge in that department with their #1 scoring defense and the ability to pound the ball with Natrone Means, but in the end it was Chicago’s underrated defense, and the combination of Ricky Watters and Mario Bates that won the day as the Machine dominated the first half and held off a comeback to win their first Western title, another feather in their cap after winning their first division title in the regular season.
Chicago built up a 20-6 halftime advantage thanks to efficient play from Scott Zolak (16 of 18 in the first half on his way to 25 of 30 for the game) and a good mix of Bates and Watters on the ground. Zolak found TE Scott Eccles for the first score of the game on the Machine’s second possession, got Chicago into range for two John Carney Field Goals, and then led the Machine on a half-ending TD drive to provide a 14-point cushion against a Denver squad that did not show much in the first half.
Chicago’s defense had held the Denver offense to only 115 yards of total offense in the half, and while the Gold would find more room in the second half, it would not prove enough. Denver pulled within 11 after a Jason Elam field goal to start off the 3rd quarter, but the Machine took advantage of 15 Chicago penalties on the day, and 3 on their next drive, as Ricky Watters again boosted the home team’s lead, 27-9. The closest Denver would get was 27-19 after a Natrone Means TD and another Elam field goal, but in the 4th Chicago kept the game at a slow pace, and when John Carney added his third field goal of the day, the lead was back at 11 and Denver was too far back to pose a threat. Chicago would represent the West for the first time since 1985, when the then Chicago Blitz faced off against the Philadelphia Stars. Would it be Chicago v. Philadelphia again 10 seasons later?
The Stars came into the season with hopes of a playoff appearance, but no one, including the team itself, could have anticipated the season that Philadelphia has had. Their defense gelled early and helped lead the team to a league best 11-5 record and home field advantage throughout the season. Birmingham was supposed to be here, the defending league champion and favorite for the first repeat in league history. They too finished the season at 11-5 and if they wanted a chance to play for the title in their home stadium, they would need to find answers against the Stars defense.
A slow first quarter yielded only 3 points as David Trout put Philadelphia out in front. But that lead was quickly erased as the 2nd quarter began, when Brett Favre had his best drive of the game, hitting on 4 of 5 passes on a 9 play drive that brought the Stars 7 points when Shannon Sharpe caught a ball at the 2 and bulled his way into the endzone.
Undaunted, Philadelphia tightened up against the Stars’ receivers, but could only muster another field goal in the half. When Birmingham went into a 2-minute drill to end the half, Favre again found success, and with 1:11 left in the half, Derric Lassic found daylight on his way to a 16-yard TD run. It was 14-6 at the half, and many were expecting Birmingham to pull away in the second half, but the opposite happened.
Philadelphia used the mid-game break to reassess their defensive gameplan and shift from a blitzing scheme to a 4-man front with 7 in pass coverage, almost daring Birmingham to run the ball. The strategy offset Brett Favre’s early success, but while Derric Lassic finished with a career high 102 yards rushing, the Stallions would muster only 3 more points on the day. Meanwhile Chuck Long and Kelvin Bryant started to find the weaknesses in the Stallion defense. Bryant would finish with 107 yards on 21 carries, and Long would hit TE Eric Green twice for scores in the second period, the first tying the score at 14 thanks to a 2-point conversion which Long ran in himself on a bootleg which totally fooled Birmingham. The second would be the only score of the 4th quarter, turning a 14-17 deficit to the winning score of 21-14. Philadelphia had come from behind, had shut down the vaunted Stallions defense, and was now on its way to the title game with hopes of being the first USFL club to win a third title. They would need to get past a team very much like themselves, plucky, determined, undervalued and largely anonymous to the casual fan. It would be Chicago and Philly for the USFL title.
SUMMER BOWL 1994 PREVIEW
The Chicago Machine and the Philadelphia Stars will vie for the USFL title next week in Birmingham. Two clubs very much cut of the same cloth. Solid defense, balanced offense, underrated QB play and defined by a blue-collar tenacity that has led them here. Coach Berry has the Stars playing some of the best defensive football in the league, but Chicago’s Marty Schottenheimer has built a never-say-die attitude in his Machine club which has helped them surprise the league and take the Western title. It is two unexpected conference top seeds, two champions that few bet on early in the year, and two clubs capable of grinding out a win in a hard fought game.
Most pundits are giving Philadelphia the edge, counting on the #2 scoring defense and #1 pass defense to limit Chicago’s options. It may depend on Ricky Watters and the Chicago run game, as Philadelphia’s run defense has been a middle-of-the-pack group statistically. For Chicago, their wins have tended to come late, with strong defensive performances in the second half and opportunistic offenses. For their defense, the key will be to avoid a run first, play action second strategy from Chuck Long and the Stars. Long, a former Machine starter, can punish his former club, as he has shown the ability to air it out, while his counterpart, Scott Zolak is more likely to rely on a short passing game to essentially boost the running game and control the clock.
This could be the last hurrah for multiple time All-USFL halfback Kelvin Bryant, so expect him to try to push for every yard. In what feels like a game that could turn on a single mistake, the key for both clubs will be protecting the ball, setting the tempo, and finding the will to make that one big play that undoes the other. We, like most, are leaning towards Philadelphia to be the team that does this and walks away with their 3rd league title, but it would not shock us at all to see Coach Schottenheimer lift high the USFL Trophy after the game on Saturday. This will not be a spectacle like last year’s Stallions-Gamblers game, but it should be a hard-fought, fundamentally sound, tight ball game.
AWARDS--Lots to report this week. Let’s start with the league’s announcement of the 1994 Award Winners and All-USFL Team. Presented at the USFL Summer Bowl Festival in Birmingham this week, the home crowd, disappointed at missing out on another Stallions championship, got to celebrate a good year as their star, QB Brett Favre was again named league MVP. Beating out Oakland’s Bobby Hebert, Favre won his second award thanks to 4,968 yards and 46 TDs. Hebert, as so typically happens, missed out on the MVP but was then named Offensive Player of the Year for his 39-TD season leading the Invaders to the Pacific Division title. The Defensive POTY was a bit of an upset, as Baltimore’s Leslie Frazier beat out Houston’s Ashley Ambrose. Frazier, who scored a record 4 TDs on defense this year, also had 7 interceptions and 87 tackles.
Rookie of the year was an easy call this season as Tampa Bay HB Errict Rhett easily took home the title for his strong first season, which included 956 yards rushing, another 266 as a receiver, and 10 total TDs. Finally, Coach of the Year, came down to the two Summer Bowl coaches, with Chicago’s Marty Schottenheimer just edged out in the voting by Philadelphia’s Raymond Berry. Both coaches took their clubs to unexpected heights and both were duly cited by fans, their peers, and the press, as deserving of the award.
The All-USFL team had few surprises as once again the AP looked at both statistical success and team success to name the squad. Here are your 1994 All-USFL players:
QB: B. Favre (BIR), B. Hebert (OAK), J. Kelly (HOU)
HB: R. Drummond (POR), T. Thomas (HOU), M. Rozier (PIT)
FB: R. Wolfley (PIT)
TE: C. Didier (POR), S. Sharpe (BIR)
WR: E. Metcalf (TEX), E. Givens (BIR), H. Ellard (OAK), Q. Ismail (NOR), C. Carter (PHI)
T: H. Ballard (HOU), K. Lowdermilk (ARZ), R. Curry (ORL)
G: J. Richards (OAK), J. Rienstra (HOU), W. Shields (TBY)
C: R. Fortin (OAK), C. Pitcock (BIR)
DT: D. Gagne (JAX), R. Putzier (TBY), K. Fagan (CHI)
DE: R. White (MEM), J. Reese (NOR), L. O’Neill (DEN)
LB: A. Collins (PHI), E. Simmons (MEM), K. Greene (BIR), K. Gouveia (DEN), C. Banks (STL), J. Williams (TEX)
CB: L. Frazier (BAL), K> Jackson (NJ), A. Ambrose (HOU), C. Pickens (DEN)
SS: D. Fulcher (ARZ), D. Dumars (BAL)
FS: B. McDowell (MEM), C. Mincy (DEN)
K: D. Trout (PHI)
P: T. Rouen (ARZ)
KR: C. Snyder (PHI)
COACHING—We have 2 more coaching slots filled. A week after former Memphis head man took the position in Portland, two more first-time head coaches found work in the USFL. Jacksonville has made their choice and announced this week that former Breakers and NY Giants OC Jim Fassel would be handed the reins. Fassel, who helped lead Phil Simms to a Super Bowl (The SB 25 defeat by the Buffalo Bills) will have a steady QB in Tony Eason to work with, but will be charged with creating a running game where one has simply not developed over the past half-decade.
In St. Louis, it is defense on the mind of ownership, and they brought in a defensive wunderkind in current Arizona Cardinal DC, and former defensive coach with both the Bulls and the Outlaws, Jim Johnson. Johnson has some pieces to work with on the Knights defense, but will need to add talent on both sides of the ball, particularly at QB and on the D-Line if he hopes to move the Knights out of the basement of their new division next year, as St. Louis relocates to the Central Division as part of the expansion realignment.
PLAYER MOVEMENT—Finally, we have more signs that teams are trying to position themselves for the expansion draft, and one club, dealing with a retirement, has found a possible answer.
OHIO—Recognizing that most USFL starting QB’s would be protected for the expansion draft, Ohio has made a move to secure what it believes is the best option of the bunch, trading away their 3rd round pick in the rookie draft to Pittsburgh to obtain veteran Jeff Hostetler from the Maulers. Hostetler, who regularly spells the oft-injured Alan Risher, has shown flashes of talent since coming to the USFL from West Virginia, and may bring some Mountaineer fans with him to Columbus.
ORLANDO—With the anticipated announcement from Reggie Collier that he has played his last game in the USFL, Orlando has acted quickly to try to shore up the QB position, making a deal with the Arizona Wranglers for their promising young backup, Scott Mitchell. Mitchell will get a chance to compete with Craig Erickson for the starting job in Orlando while Arizona will pick up a 3rd rounder in each of the next two college drafts, more compensation than they would get from losing Mitchell in the expansion draft, as they were expected to protect starter Robbie Bosco from potential expansion draft movement.
MICHIGAN—In what has to be a head scratcher for Panther fans, and one of the most unexpected moves ahead of the offseason, the Michigan Panthers have traded away one of their newest stars, HB Marcus Allen. Allen will return to his old stomping grounds as the first new member of the reborn LA Express. In Allen, Los Angeles gets an instant ticket-seller, as well as one of the best backs in the league to build their offense around. And what does Michigan get for handing over their star halfback? Plenty. LA sends the Panthers their 1st round and 3rd round pick this year as well as their 2nd rounder in the 1996 draft. With one of the top prospects in this year’s draft being a U. of Michigan HB, Tyrone Wheatley, you can expect the Panthers will try to calm the frazzled nerves of their fanbase by signing the Wolverine to their roster, and likely needed an early pick like LA’s #1 to do so. Still, it is a risky move, sending a known commodity like Allen to the expansion Express in return for picks.