Two very different games this weekend as New Jersey and Memphis played in a defensive slugfest, while Michigan kicked it into high gear and ran away with a home victory against the Wranglers. Is the success of Montana and Marcus Allen in this game a sign that they may just have the playoff experience to make a run or is the slow steady defensive muscle of the Memphis Showboats more likely to be a challenge as they face the Stars next week. Wild Card football this weekend, divisional matchups to preview for next weekend. All here.
This one was all about the defenses as neither team was able to crack 300 yards of offense and both kept the other to only 3 converted third downs all day. New Jersey scored first as Doug Flutie, after two weeks recovering from injury, found Mark Chmura for a score on their 3rd possession of the first half. Memphis would connect on two 2nd quarter field goals and at the half it was a 7-6 Generals advantage but a game that was dominated by big defensive plays. The Memphis D had sacked Flutie 3 times in the first half, and this would continue into the second as Reggie White scored 3 sacks on the day and Santana Dotson two more. The Showboats would also force 2 interceptions and a fumble from New Jersey as the ball hawking and high pressure scheme of Buddy Ryan kept the New Jersey offense off balance all day.
For their part the Generals defense focused on containing Greg Boone, which they did quite well, limiting him to 3 yards per carry and no scores. But, in doing so they fell prey to a few well-timed play-action passes as Mike Kelley had a solid second half. He would connect with TE Tony McGee for one score, and after a failed 2-point PAT attempt, Memphis would take the lead early in the third 12-7. They boosted this advantage when Kelley found wily veteran Vic James for his second TD pass, this time just into the 4th quarter. With a 19-7 advantage, Memphis just had to slow things down, and while they did give up a TD late in the game to Herschel Walker, the lead held, and the Showboats set up a divisional matchup of two defenses who may just try to shut each other out as Memphis will head to Philadelphia next week to face the Stars.
Both the Wranglers and Panthers aimed to prove that despite 8-8 records, they deserved to be in the playoffs as the two faced off in the Silverdome. The Wranglers made the postseason despite having one of the league’s least effective offenses, relying on turnovers and defensive pressure to win games. Michigan had more offensive firepower but their defense suffered from lapses in concentration which often cost them games. Two imperfect teams trying to get it right this weekend, when only one could survive and advance.
The game was fairly even through the first quarter and a half, with Arizona building up a 10-7 lead thanks to a short Bosco to Kendal Smith TD toss and a Mick Luckhurst field goal. Michigan had countered as backup HB Rodney Culver dove in to the endzone from the 2 to keep the home team right in the mix. It was a game that looked to be close unless something big turned the tide one way or the other. Well, that something happened in dramatic fashion as a ball intended for Courtney Hawkins, got tipped high in the air before being snagged by LB Hardy Nickerson, surrounded by 3 Wrangler linemen, Nickerson appeared to be headed to the ground when he suddenly tossed the ball back to an approaching Carnell Lake. The pitch surprised the Wranglers, who were still stunned by the initial pick, and Lake had open ground to the endzone.
That play, dramatic and energizing for the crowd, turned the tide of the entire game. On their next possession the Panthers would increase the lead to 21-10 on a Marcus Allen 9-yard run. Then, after a Daluiso field goal to open the 3rd quarter, Michigan scored twice more against the now shellshocked Wranglers. Montana hit Jeff Campbell for a score to close out the 3rd, and then, only 4 minutes later, found Bobby Joe Edmunds for another. It was 38-10 and while the fat lady was not singing right away, she was certainly tuning up her vocal cords. Arizona finally responded with a late Terry Orr TD, but it was much too little and much too late as Michigan relished a home playoff victory and prepared for their next task, a short hop over to the Windy City to face their familiar rival, Chicago, the surprise #1 seed in the Western Conference at 9-6-1.
TEXAS—While the Outlaws are just now gearing up their search for a head coach, they have taken a big step towards redefining their team as the club has signed former Dallas Cowboy and Arizona Cardinal Player Personnel staffer Bob Ackles to be their new GM and Director of Player Personnel. It is expected that Ackles will be guiding Texas through the player retention, resigning, expansion draft and collegiate draft processes. Ackles is considered a strong up and coming roster-builder who will very likely be managing not only the player-focused tasks, but could take on a larger role, as GM, including being a key voice in the search for a head coach. Does this mean that Texas has a plan in mind, or are they looking at Ackles as a driving force to determine their direction going forward? That is the big question.
TAMPA BAY—One team not wasting any time are the Tampa Bay Bandits. As many teams have begun to do, Tampa has been actively resigning players in the last year of their contract, recognizing that creating long term deals not only helps solidify the roster in a year when most teams expect significant losses due to the expansion draft, but may also shelter some players from being selected in that draft due to the length and compensation levels of the new contract. The theory is that the 4 expansion clubs may move away from players who have 3-4 years on a new contract in favor of those with 1-2 years or a lower salary range, as they build an entire 53 man roster.
Not happy with just using contracts to solidify the roster, Tampa is now the first club to actively trade away a starting player for draft picks as a way to offset anticipated roster losses. This week they completed a trade to the expansion Atlanta Fire, sending DE Mike Mraz to the Fire and receiving Atlanta’s 4th round picks for the next two years. Mraz becomes the first official rostered player on any of the expansion clubs, though we anticipate that all 4 expansion clubs will be actively scouring NFL and CFL rosters and free agent pools for talent in the upcoming weeks. For Tampa, the addition of 2 draft picks for Mraz means that they will have greater opportunity to rebuild from the anticipated losses within the expansion draft. This strategy is one which we expect several clubs to look into, assuming that others, particularly the 4 expansion clubs, will value veterans in trades more than mid-round, or even early round draft picks in the collegiate draft.
PORTLAND—The Thunder are wasting no time in their coaching search. Just days after releasing Dennis Erickson from his position, the team has started bringing in candidate, and there is a definite flavor developing. Two potential hires, both known as defensive gurus, were in town this week. The first was former Memphis Showboats head coach and Philly Stars DC Vince Tobin on Thursday. Yesterday it was former Stallions DC and Head Coach Carl Reese. Expect the Thunder to stick with the defensive emphasis, as their failures as a franchise have always been on the defensive side of the ball, especially run defense. What this means for the offensive stars like Jack Trudeau and Robert Drummond remains to be seen, but clearly the club needs to do something about their inability to slow down their opposition and hiring a respected defensive mind to lead the club seems a good first step in that direction.
UNIFORM NEWS—We have the second wave, and we anticipate, the final 3, alternate uniforms revealed for the 1995 season. After Baltimore and Washington revealed retro looks and Tampa Bay introduced their “Black Rider” helmets and jerseys, we were told that these were not the final alt unis to be expected and this week the Arizona Wranglers, St. Louis Knights, and Pittsburgh Maulers all revealed an alt look for next year. Arizona joins the retro trend, going back to their first season, before they made red their dominant color and added flames to their pants. The 1983 look will feature a blue facemask, a white jersey with blue numbers and a wide blue sleeve stripe with thin red and yellow stripes beneath it, and instead of their flame-emblazoned copper pants, they will wear replicas of the yellow pants with single blue stripe from that inaugural season.
Pittsburgh and St. Louis went with a color swap theme, similar to Tampa’s. St. Louis, as with Tampa, revealed a black dominant look, complete with a black helmet, jersey, and pants. The shift of helmet color also meant a recoloring of the team’s logo, so now the knight chesspiece is white rather than black & purple, giving the outfit its “White Knight” moniker. Pittsburgh is opting to embrace the “Steel City” emphasis of the city by swapping out the purple helmet and jersey for steel gray versions of both. This will allow them to wear grey over grey with helmet, jersey and pants. Just pray they don’t wear this combo on a cold, grey, rainy day in March because the contrast with the white visitor’s uni may not play well on TV.
OK, back to playoff football. Four huge games this week as each Wildcard winner now gets to take a shot at the conference’s #1 seed and each #3 seed travels to the other division winner and #2 club. Some interesting intra-divisional matchups of clubs very familiar with each other highlight the Western Conference games, while in both Eastern Conference games it is Atlantic v. Southern clubs.
DENVER GOLD (9-7) @ OAKLAND INVADERS (9-7)
3:30pm ET, Saturday, July 16
Oakland-Alameda Stadium
Two balanced clubs, each able to knock off anyone on their best day and equally able to fall flat on their worst. The difference here may be all about the quarterbacks. While Denver wavered between veteran Dave Krieg and youngster Mark Brunell all season, Oakland saw the fruition of their signing of former Panther hero Bobby Hebert as the Cajun Cannon had a stellar year, competing with Brett Favre of Birmingham for possible MVP honors. Denver has the better defense, and they will need it on the road and facing Hebert, Stacy, and Ellard, so don’t expect a shootout, but we still think Oakland has the edge here because they too can play effective defense but have more options on offense.
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (9-7) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (11-5)
8:00pm ET, Saturday, July 16
Veterans Stadium
Will either of these teams score on Saturday? That is the big question. We have two clubs with outstanding defenses on display. This could be a 6-3 snoozefest for those who love offense, or a brutal war of attrition for those who love old school defensive domination. Two players will likely determine who comes out on top. For Memphis it is all about Greg Boone. If the veteran HB can find space and break off a few good early runs, it will open up the passing game and force Philadelphia to defend both options. For the Stars, it is Chuck Long. He has no playoff experience, and while his numbers this year were good, the pressure from Santana Dotson and league sack champion Reggie White will test his mettle. If he can remain cool under pressure, the Stars have some offensive weapons to use against Memphis’s secondary. Expect double coverage on Cris Carter, which means TE Eric Green and slot receiver Ernie Jones might find room in the middle of the field if Long can stay vertical. We like the #1 seed in this one. They have been playing excellent complementary football for weeks.
PITTSBURGH MAULERS (11-5) @ BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (11-5)
1pm ET, Sunday, July 17
Legion Field
Pittsburgh brings a good balance of O and D to this one, and has the potential to hang with Birmingham even if the game is a shootout. Mike Rozier will have a huge role, but we are looking at the combo of Louis Lipps and Raynard Brown as the key to the Mauler offense. If they can exploit the Stallion defense, the Maulers can surprise the Birmingham crowd. Of course, while we think about how Pittsburgh might win, we also recognize that Birmingham are heavy favorites. After a slow 0-2 start to the year, the Stallions have turned it on and Brett Favre had another superstar year. The Stallions will test the Mauler secondary early and often in this one, and we suspect that at the end of the day they will find a way to win the battle of steel cities.
MICHIGAN PANTHERS (8-8) @ CHICAGO MACHINE (9-6-1)
4:30pm ET, Sunday, July 17
Soldier Field
The fact that Vegas has this as only a 2-point advantage for Chicago can mean one of two things. Either there is a lot of faith that the showing the Panthers put on last week reveals a playoff ready club, or there is still a lot of skepticism about Chicago being the #1 seed. Probably a little of both are true, because no one expected the Machine to get to this point, especially not without Bernie Kosar, and many did expect a revival in Michigan when Montana and Marcus Allen were signed. In our bullpen, we like the grit and spirit that Marty Schottenheimer has developed with this Chicago club. We also think that he will have some surprises in place for the Panthers. We are leaning towards a Chicago win here.
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