The 2nd week of the USFL playoffs is often the most dramatic, with 8 clubs still alive, 4 games over 2 days, and with everything on the line. It is the first playoff action for 6 clubs, each coming off a bye where they could rest, plan, strategize, and prepare for action. Two Wild Card teams survived their play-in game, and now they must face each conference’s best club. It is the round when dreams of grandeur crash to Earth, and when Cinderellas can make their mark. The Divisional Round is intense, and for the 4 clubs that survive, it is on to the Championships, East and West.
The first game of the week produced the only upset of the bunch, though one many predicted as the pre-game line from Las Vegas was a mere 2 point advantage for the homestanding Invaders. Denver came in confident after knocking off Arizona the week before, while Oakland had lost their last 2 regular season matches before the bye week. Both clubs were tentative at first, testing out the opposition in a first quarter that produced only 1 field goal per club. The break in the stalemate came from the Denver defense, when Charles Mincy jumped an Hebert pass intended for Ed McCaffrey, 48 yards later he was dancing in the endzone and Denver had a 7-point lead.
Things got even worse for Hebert and the Invaders when, on a key 3rd and 9 play, Bobby Hebert was hit by Marvcus Patton just as he released the ball. Bruce Pickens of Denver caught the errant pass, but the bigger issue was Hebert, who remained down for several minutes. He would have to leave the game with an injury to his non-throwing arm, looking a lot like a shoulder separation. If Oakland were to come back it would be up to Cary Conklin to lead them.
At the half it was 10-3 Denver, but the Invaders were not through yet. After a 2nd Gold fieldgoal opened the scoring in the 3rd period, Oakland showed their determination, with Conklin leading the Invaders on a 57 yard drive, capped off by a short pass to 3rd down back Glyn Milburn for the score. That same energy began the 4th quarter, as once again Conklin led Oakland to points, and once again it was a back who capped off the drive, this time Fred McAfee, with another short pass from Conklin. Oakland was on top 17-13 with 10 minutes left to play.
Denver would retaliate, after a quarter and a half where their offense was unable to build on their lead, they now trailed, but with Natron Means leading the way, thanks to a 7.3 yard per carry average in the game, the Gold ate up 6 minutes of clock on their way to retaking the lead 20-17 on a short Mark Carrier pass from Brunell. After a 3-and-out brought on by a key 2nd down sack from Denver’s Leslie O’Neill, Denver put the game away, increasing the lead and running the clock down to just over 1 minute as Means broke off tackle from 10 yards out and gave Denver the final 27-17 margin.
The loss of Hebert clearly hindered the Invaders, but so too did their rush defense, which saw Means gain key yardage on 3rd down drive after drive. Even little-used backup Lamont Warren gained 35 yards in the game spelling Means. Denver was now 2 rounds into a postseason that was in doubt most of the year. It would be off to the Western Conference title game next.
When this game was lined up, pretty much everyone predicted it would be a low-scoring game, dominated by the running attack and likely to produce a lot of hard hits. They were right on all counts. In a game that saw no scoring after 1 quarter, and only a 7-3 Philly lead after 2, both clubs found moving the ball to be a major concern. Despite the game having two reliable backs from the early days of the league, neither Greg Boone for Memphis or Kelvin Bryant for Philadelphia could top 70 yards rushing on the day. It would be up to the QB’s to try to find opportunities to succeed. In that battle, Chuck Long won out, completing 25 of 33 passes, with Eric Green and Cris Carter both able to snag 6 balls each. Long hit slot receiver Ernie Jones for the first TD of the game, and Long would find Kelvin Bryant in the 3rd quarter for the games 2nd and final TD.
The rest of the scoring was limited to the kickers as both clubs made the red zone a rough place to be. The Stars would get 5 sacks on Mike Kelley, and while not as successful, the Showboats also got to Long 3 times. And while Philly converted only 5 of 11 third downs, it was enough to edge Memphis, who turned third down into first down only 4 times in 15 tries.
With the win the Stars guaranteed not only a ticket to the Conference Championships, but another home game for their loud and rambunctious fanbase. Not since Chuck Fusina led the Stars to 2 titles has the city seen the level of excitement we expect to be in store at Veterans Stadium next week.
The Stars will face the Birmingham Stallions in the matchup most of America has been waiting for, as Birmingham dispatched the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday, though not with any ease, to be sure. The Maulers proved that teams could go toe to toe with Brett Favre and the Stallion offense, but in the end there was 1 TD too many from Birmingham.
Pittsburgh had had the edge, thanks in large part to Mike Rozier’s 101 yards and 2 scores. The visiting Maulers took an early 14-7 lead in the 1st after a Rozier TD was followed up by a fake to Rozier and an Alan Risher bootleg to the corner of the endzone. And when Birmingham got a Reeves TD reception to equalize, it was Rozier who once again put the Maulers back on top, 21-14 at the half on the strength of an 18-yard TD run.
Again Birmingham answered, with Favre finding FB Michael Haddix for the QB’s 3rd TD of the day, but again Pittsburgh was setting the pace, with Risher finding Louis Lipps for the go-ahead score. They would add to this score on their next drive with a Septien FG. Down 31-21, things looked bleak for Birmingham as the 4th quarter began, but the fans remained behind their team as they had seen the Stallions explode to score in the final frame before.
And that is exactly what they did. After a slow start to the quarter with back-to-back-to-back punts by the 2 teams, Favre had success on the Stallions’ 2nd drive of the quarter and when Derrick Lassic dove in from 2 yards out to pull Birmingham back to 31-28, there was a sense in the stadium that momentum had shifted. That was confirmed when Chris Dishman tipped away a Risher pass on 3rd and 4, forcing Pittsburgh into an early punt and giving Birmingham a chance to tie or take the lead with 2:44 left to play.
The Stallions would not settle for a game-tying field goal on the drive. They took advantage of an overzealous Pittsburgh D, and on their own 35 yard line, caught Pittsburgh overplaying the run on a 2nd and 2, leaving Lawrence Dawsey in single coverage. Favre pulled the ball out of HB James Joseph’s gut, and rolled to his left, unleashing a deadly accurate deep ball to Dawsey, who took the ball in stride and raced down the sideline for what would prove to be the winning score.
Birmingham would hold Pittsburgh on the final drive of the game, and with the win they punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Championship against the Stars.
The final game of the week saw Michigan head into Soldier Field to play the Chicago Machine. It would be All-NFL and 4-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana against untested Chicago backup Scott Zolak. Or rather, it would be Montana against the Chicago Defense. That turned out to be the battle of the game, as Chicago focused their attention on Montana and the injury-riddled Panther WR corps. Without Halloway or Weegie Thompson, Michigan was forced to rely on Billy Joe Edmunds, Jeff Campbell and TE Butch Rolle.
For Chicago the emphasis would be getting the ball into the hands of HB Ricky Watters. Watters would finish the day with 63 yards rushing and 2 scores, but also caught 4 balls for 26 yards. Not huge numbers, but enough to place Michigan in a 14-6 hole in the 2nd quarter. At the end of 3 it would be 17-9, and Michigan would have to shoot for a vintage Montana 4th quarter comeback. That comeback came with 5 minutes left in the game as Montana moved the Panthers down the field, eventually hitting Campbell with a TD pass to pull to within 2. With time winding down, Coach Holtz did not believe the Panthers would get a second chance, perhaps to kick a game-winning field goal, so he went for 2 after the Campbell TD, but despite a good play call, an athletic play by FS George Teague prevented the Montana to Rolle pass form being completed, and prevented the tie.
Michigan would not get the ball back, as Chicago held onto it for the final 1:33, salting away the victory on a 3rd and 3, when they took the risk of passing on the down and Zolak hit TE Wesley Walls with the pass that would lock up a first down and the ability of Chicago to run out the clock.
So next week it will be the matchup we all wanted, Birmingham at Philadelphia, and the matchup no one expected, Denver at Chicago. Two of those clubs will find themselves with tickets to the Summer Bowl, and two will have come so close but not all the way.
EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (11-5) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (11-5)
3pm ET, Sunday, July 24 at Veterans Stadium
Sunday will kick off with a bang as one of the most most dominant defenses in the league faces perhaps the best offense in pro football. The Stars edged the Stallions on a tie breaker to get home field, and they will need every one of the 55,000 plus expected at Veterans Stadium if they want to hold off the defending champs and return to the Summer Bowl for the first time since 1987 (when it was not yet called the Summer Bowl).
For Birmingham, the gameplan is simple, contain Kelvin Bryant and simply outpace Philly’s ability to score. To do that they have to protect Brett Favre, and find ways to get the ball into the hands of Givens, Sharpe, and Dawsey. If they can do that, they have a strong chance of returning to the Biggest Game of the Summer. If not, they leave the window open for the Stars to return to glory.
For the Stars, it comes down to two keys. Can they mount a balanced ball-control attack against a pretty mediocre Stallions defense and can they fluster Favre into some turnovers. If Philadelphia can use short passes and their ground game of Bryant and Garner to eat up clock and limit the number of Stallion possessions, and, even better, if they can catch Favre playing hero ball, and snag a pick or two, they can reduce the game’s final score, and stay in this one.
The score will tell the story. If either team gets into the 30’s it is likely Birmingham and a Stallions win. If it stays in the 20’s or lower, then it could signal a Stars victory.
WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW
DENVER GOLD (9-7) @ CHICAGO MACHINE (9-6-1)
8pm ET, Sunday, July 24 at Soldier Field
The second championship game is tougher to suss out. Neither of these teams was supposed to be here, and both of them have clear issues, mostly on offense. This could be a question of who makes the fewest gaffs, who holds onto the ball, and who has the chance for a late kick to take the game.
Denver’s defense does not get the press attention that Philadelphia’s does, but they are the #1 scoring defense in the league and have forced an impressive 42 takeaways. If they can do that against Zolak and the Machine, then they can grind out a win. Mark Brunell has been up and down since replacing Dave Krieg at QB, but this is his chance to make a name for himself. Of course, if Coach Philips has his way, Brunell will spend most of the day feeding the ball to big Natron Means instead of tossing it.
Chicago is still something of an enigma. Not bad on defense, but not dominant. Not explosive on offense, but certainly capable. They are in the upper half of the league in many categories of both offense and defense, but rarely in the Top 5 in anything. So what does that mean? It may mean that they have several paths to victory, depending on who is hot and what works best against the Gold.
Before we pick a winner, can we just give some credit to Coach Schottenheimer. When he came to the USFL from the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, it was all praise and fanfare. He had a terrible run in Baltimore, and fans were beginning to give up on the hype about MartyBall. But, since coming to Chicago, he has built real grit into this squad. They made their first playoff appearance last year, and this year, with their star NFL import QB lost for the year, they rally to win the Central Division, snag home field for the playoffs, and now they are one home win away from the Summer Bowl. That is pretty impressive. While it seems a lock that Raymond Berry in Philadelphia will win Coach of the Year, we hope it is a close vote with Marty because his work with the Machine has been impressive.
OK, our pick, we think Marty will win out in this one. We like Denver’s D, but Chicago has proven all year that they can adapt and adjust to almost any style, so if Denver wants to slow it down and fight a war of attrition, we think Chicago can do that.
Before we go, a few tidbits about the offseason we have seen to date.
FREE AGENCY—We started to see this coming towards the end of the year, teams signing more players than usual to extended contracts, knowing that the expansion draft was coming and that the 4 new clubs might shy away from 3 or 4 year contracts. Well, the impact of this strategy has started to be felt. The Free Agent pool within the USFL is the smallest it has been in years, and we expect few starters to test the waters this year. It seems that both NFL and USFL expansion have led most teams to guard what they have, knowing that there will be fewer high quality players available to replace a star who heads to a new team. With plans in place to protect only 12 players (with more secured as others are lost) and 100 players to be signed away by Atlanta, Ohio, Seattle, and LA, it seems the USFL clubs are doing all they can to maintain rosters rather than build them up. The same seems largely true in the NFL as well, so this offseason could be one short of news until the expansion draft occurs.
JACKSONVILLE—The one exception to the statement above seems to be on the trade front. After Tampa Bay opened things up by sending DE Mark Mraz to Atlanta for picks, rumors of player for pick swaps with the new clubs have run rampant. It seems at least Florida teams are open to it as Jacksonville jumped in with both feet this week, sending two starters to expansion clubs for picks in the next two drafts. The first move was to send LB Mo Lewis, who has been pretty vocal about wanting a trade after several run-ins with Coach Hall, to the Atlanta Fire. The Fire, who acquired DE Mark Mraz from Tampa last week, seem intent on building a defense and Lewis, who has been unhappy in Jacksonville since being moved inside, will likely get the chance to return to his more comfortable outside. Lewis, a Georgia grad, may be the first of several former Bulldogs to join the Atlanta club, as his salary will be discounted against the cap due to the league’s new “Home Town Hero” program, replacing the former Terrirtorial Draft as a way to emphasize local college talent on a squad.
The second Bull traded away certainly speaks to the home town emphasis, as the Bulls sent former Buckeye Vince Workman to the Ohio Glory. Workman has played 6 seasons in the USFL, the first four in Michigan and the last two in Jacksonville. He has yet to crack 1,000 yards in a USFL season after coming out of Ohio State as a top prospect. In Jacksonville he gained only 675 his first year and even less, 480, this season after being forced to split time with Jamie Morris. Perhaps his name still carries some clout in Columbus, and his salary will have reduced cap impact for the Glory. The Bulls, by sending away these two players have gotten what they covet most, draft picks. Atlanta is sending the Bulls their 3rd this year and next, while Ohio offered up a 4th rounder this year and a conditional 2nd or 3rd rounder next year, dependent upon the # of carries Workman gets with the Glory.
Perhaps more intriguing is the possibility of QB’s being traded in this way. There are some serious QB battles on a few teams, and if a club can get trade value for a QB who is falling out of favor, that certainly beats having that player unprotected in the expansion draft and losing him with no compensation. An intriguing proposition for the next 2 months before the draft. Of course, these expansion clubs don’t want to trade their way entirely out of the rookie draft, but if they can get a potential starter at QB, it might make sense to spend a little draft capital to do so.
PORTLAND—The Thunder become the first team to sign their new leader this week, when, after three interviews with 3 defensive coaches in 4 days, the Thunder announced that they had come to an agreement with Vince Tobin to take the reins of the club. Tobin, who made his name as the DC of the Philly Stars during their early league title runs, coached the Memphis Showboats from 1986-1991, and got some solid results thanks to his defensive schemes and the promotion of Mike Kelley over Walter Lewis at QB. He takes over a Portland squad that can certainly score points, but whose run defense has been a huge issue for the club’s entire existence. Expect the club to sign a new OC soon, to keep that side of the ball happy, but expect Tobin to focus on defense when working the trade wire, free agency and the rookie draft.
Who’s next on the coaching hot stove? Rumors are that Texas is in full delay mode, likely to do as Tampa did last year, and wait until after the rookie draft (and the NFL regular season finale in December) before signing a guy from the rival league. The best prospect for a hire in the next few weeks will likely be Jacksonville, although St. Louis has been exploring possible candidates as well. Rumors in Duval County have the Bulls looking for a disciplinarian, but one with some inventiveness to him. St. Louis might be going down the Portland route, and may try to shore up a shaky defense with a top DC candidate. We may find out soon, as both clubs are working the wire right now, setting up interviews.
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