1994 USFL Playoff Preview

USA Today, July 8, 1994

It came down to the wire, but these ten franchises have made it to the second season, the USFL playoffs. Now it is survive and advance. Six teams will not advance past the divisional rounds, and only two will survive to play in the 1994 Summer Bowl. Will it be a repeat for the Birmingham Stallions, or will defense prevail with top defensive squads Arizona, Denver, Memphis and Philadelphia all in the field? Will Joe Montana’s playoff experience lead Michigan beyond its wildest hopes? Can Oakland get more magic from 2-time USFL Champion Bobby Hebert? So many possibilities. So many chances to make history. But only one club will raise high the USFL Championship Trophy when it is all said and done. Who will it be?

ARIZONA WRANGLERS (8-8) #5 in the West

STARS: LB Broderick Thomas, DE Charles Haley, WR Trumaine Johnson, LB Bill Romanowski

STRENGTHS: The strength of the Wranglers is their front 7, with Thomas, Romanowski, Noga, and Haley. The Wranglers were the #3 scoring defense in the league and can bring pressure on QBs from multiple directions.

WEAKNESSES: The entire offense. Arizona edged into the playoffs despite being the lowest scoring club in the league. The running duo of Lester and Lionel James can be effective when offset by an efficient passing game, but too often this year neither aspect of the offense has been in rhythm.

OUTLOOK: Arizona played .500 football all season, and they lost to the last 3 playoff teams they faced. A win on the road, even against another 8-8 club will be difficult, especially if Bosco & Co. cannot keep pace with a much more dynamic Michigan offense.

NEW JERSEY (9-7) #5 in the East

STARS: QB Doug Flutie, HB Herschel Walker, WR Lam Jones, DE Phil Hansen, FS John White

STRENGTHS: Despite having big names on offense, the Generals real strength is their D, which was 4th in the league in scoring defense and forced 43 turnovers, giving them a +17 TO margin, third best in the league. FS John White came into the forefront this year with 8 interceptions, but this is true team defense with solid players at every level.

WEAKNESSES: Consistency on offense. Sam Wyche’s pass-first offense has helped Doug Flutie reach career highs over the past 2 years, but it also tends to run hot and cold. If they are hot, the combo of Flutie and Walker can be devastating, but when they are cold, they put a lot of pressure on the D to survive.

OUTLOOK: In Memphis, New Jersey faces a club with an equally flawed offense and an equally tough D. This is a balanced game, so it all comes down to offensive execution. Doug Flutie’s mobility may just be the edge over a more traditional QB in Memphis’s Mike Kelley.

MICHIGAN (8-8) #4 in the West

STARS: QB Joe Montana, HB Marcus Allen, WR Weegie Thompson, DE Jim Reynosa, CB Keith Bostic

STRENGTHS: Experience. There are a lot of veterans on this team, one of the oldest in the league, and bringing in proven winners in NFL legends Joe Montana and Marcus Allen means that playoff jitters should simply not be a factor.

WEAKNESSES: Pass defense. Despite a solid season from both Reynosa, rushing the passer, and Bostic (6 Interceptions), the Michigan defense has struggled against more effective passing games. Fortunately the O has been 2nd only to Birmingham in scoring, so they have been able to outgun opponents, but 8-8 is a sign that the team is not consistent enough to make a deep run.

OUTLOOK: You know Joe Cool will not be overwhelmed by his first USFL playoff, and for a club whose biggest flaw is pass defense, going up against the weak pass offense of Arizona in the first round is certainly a gift. The surprise home field placement as the #4 seed for the Wild Card game certainly favors Michigan as well. Beyond that, heading to Chicago the following week could be a challenge, but the Panthers know the Machine well, so it may be another opportunity for Joe Montana to show his stuff.

MEMPHIS (9-7) #4 in the East

STARS: HB Greg Boone, WR Jo-Jo Townsell, DE Reggie White, CB Deon Figures, SS Bennie Blades

STRENGTHS: This defense can bring pressure and capitalize on it. With a solid secondary and the brutal combo of White and Dotson bringing heat, it is no surprise that Memphis is Top 5 in yards against, and a solid +8 in turnover margin.

WEAKNESSES: Scoring offense. Sounds weird to make that distinction, but Memphis is Top 5 in yards per game, but only 14th in scoring. For all the risks Coach Ryan takes on defense, he seems more than happy to live with fieldgoals instead of risking more to get that 4th down or even taking deep shots. Memphis wins when the defense holds teams below 20, because they rarely score over 24 points themselves.

OUTLOOK: Facing New Jersey in the Wild Card round, Memphis will have to contain Flutie and force him to face the pass rush and throw into that secondary. If they are successful at that, then they have to generate enough points to edge the Generals. They can do that, especially if Greg Boone can get some open lanes. We like Memphis to win and then head to Philly to face an even tougher defense than their own.

DENVER (9-7) #3 in the West

STARS: HB Natrone Means, HB Timmy Smith, DE Leslie O’Neill, LB Kurt Gouveia

STRENGTHS: Denver, as usual, is a team with few big name players, but what they lack in star quality they make up for in grit and solid team defense. Denver finished first in the league in scoring D and 2nd in yardage allowed. They are simply tough to score against, and that helps them grind out wins, especially at home. Starting the playoffs on the road at Birmingham will be a huge test though.

WEAKNESSES: Explosiveness. The Gold don’t have it. They rely on short fields and extended drives to put points on the board. That means the defense has to have answers for Bobby Hebert and the Invaders because if they cannot contain Oakland with the D, this offense will not be able to keep up.

OUTLOOK: Denver is fortunate to have a well-known foe in the first round. They split their series with the Invaders this year, but we bet they wish they were playing at Mile High, where they always seem to get results. In Oakland they will have to be at their best to get past an experienced Invader club.

PITTSBURGH (11-5) #3 in the East

STARS: QB Alan Risher, HB Mike Rozier, WR Louis Lipps, LB Erik Kumerow, LB Godfrey Miles, LB Demetrius DuBose

STRENGTHS: This is a very balanced team. They are 5th in both scoring and points allowed, which means they can play with you in a shootout or they can shut you down. Only a tie breaker kept them from being the #1 seed in the Conference, so this is a team with a lot of upside.

WEAKNESSES: What is the phrase? Jack of all trades, master of none. If the best of Pittsburgh’s O and D strengths show up, they can dominate, but all too often one phase has to carry the other. If the matchup is not right when that happens they can lose badly to a team who has a dominant squad on either offense or defense. They face off against Birmingham in the divisional round so they need both their D and their offense to show up big.

OUTLOOK: Had Philly, not Birmingham been the #2 seed, we would give the Maulers a much better shot at winning a close one. As good as their D has been all year, they will have to bring it up another notch to match the offensive firepower of Birmingham.

OAKLAND (9-7) #2 in the West

STARS: QB Bobby Hebert, HB Siran Stacy, WR Henry Ellard, CB Aeneas Williams, LB Ken Harvey

STRENGTHS: Oakland’s offense has really taken advantage of another year with Bobby Hebert. He has improved dramatically over 1993, and is a valid MVP candidate. Henry Ellard is torching defenses and with balance provided by Siran Stacy, the Invaders could challenge even the Stallions in scoring.

WEAKNESSES: While the defense has had its moments, it is not consistent enough, finishing 10th of 20 clubs in scoring defense. Aeneas Williams with 116 tackles and only 3 picks is making plays on receivers after they catch the ball, not plays on the ball before it is caught. The D-line is not getting enough pressure on QB’s either.

OUTLOOK: Oakland faces Denver, which means they don’t really have to worry about a shootout. What they need to worry about is getting stuck in a game in the teens, one settled by a field goal. If Hebert can find time to throw, Oakland could take this game easily, but he has to be able to find holes in the Wade Phillips defense.

BIRMINGHAM (11-5) #2 in the East

STARS: QB Brett Favre, WR Ernest Givens, TE Shannon Sharpe, WR Lawrence Dawsey

STRENGTHS: Do we have to say it? This team just scores points. We all expect Favre to light it up each week, and we tend to underestimate how effective the draws and inside runs of James Joseph and Brent Fullwood can be because neither back is an eye-popping speedster. But don’t doubt for a second that the Stallions will win with offense.

WEAKNESSES: The defense seems too content to just draw out drives and allow eventual scores, confident that the offense will outpace any opponent. 14th in yards allowed, Birmingham is susceptible to a club that can slow their offense down and which can turn long drives into 6 points instead of 3.

OUTLOOK: Pittsburgh is a tricky first opponent. Unless Birmingham can force the Maulers into field goals instead of TD’s , they could hang with the Stallions. And if Brett Favre feels pressured to play hero ball, we know he can get a bit careless with the ball. That would mean a quick exit. Do we expect that? No. is it inconceivable? Also no.

CHICAGO (9-6-1) #1 in the West

STARS: HB Ricky Watters, WR Reggie Langhorne, TE Wessley Walls, CB Eric Thomas, LB Darryl Talley

STRENGTHS: Cohesiveness. You see the list above. Not exactly a star-studded, big name club. Chicago surprised everyone by ending up the year not only as Central Division Champs but the #1 seed as well. They did it by playing with a team concept and believing in their talent. Coach Schottenheimer has groomed Scott Zolak into a quality starter in the absence of Bernie Kosar, and the club finds ways to win.

WEAKNESSES: Dominance is not a word you think of with the Chicago Machine. Whenever they win you often leave the game scratching your head. How did they pull that out? This is a club that does not excel in any one area, they just work hard and rarely hurt themselves. Is that enough in the postseason?

OUTLOOK: Everyone expected this to be Houston, not Chicago. But, playing at home for the entire postseason, and playing somewhat safe, and somewhat mistake-free has been a formula that can work for the Machine, especially in a Western Conference that simply does not have a dominant team this year. We would not be surprised to see Chicago win their 2 games and find themselves in Birmingham for Summer Bowl ’94, but we expect that if they do, people will wonder how that happened.

PHILADELPHIA (11-5) #1 in the East

STARS: HB Kelvin Bryant, WR Cris Carter, DE William Fuller,

STRENGTHS: Defense, Defense, Defense. Yes, the offense has been adequate (11th in scoring) but this Stars defense has been a revelation. No one expected them to be this good this fast after am 8-8 season a year ago. Coach Berry was thought to be an offensive-minded guy, and he is helping Chuck Long play his best ball, but it is the work of D-Coordinator Dick LeBeau that is turning heads, and winning games for the Stars.

WEAKNESSES: Philly has talent on offense but not the kind that will throw 35 points on the board in a half. Kelvin Bryant is still a solid back, but seems more defensible this season. Chuck Long has played well, but can still be forced into some bad decisions, and Cris Carter, for all his amazing sideline grabs, is not going to blow the top off a defense.

OUTLOOK: The Stars will go as far as their defense allows. That could be really far. We are all hoping for a Philly-Birmingham Conference Championship, because it is the perfect immovable object vs. unstoppable force game. If Philly can win that matchup, they can win it all.

OUR PREDICTION: We still like Birmingham to repeat. Who they will face is a tough call, and while we love the story of the Chicago Machine, we think we like the idea of Bobby Hebert vs. Brett Favre better. We are going to take Birmingham over Oakland 42-38 in a fireworks show of a game in Legion Field.