Play until the final whistle. that is the message this week as once again late game comebacks shift the futures of several clubs. Two teams clinch their divisions and a playoff bye, and one club sees their playoff potential cut short with a late game collapse. All in the course of another intense week of USFL football.
Never let up on the gas, and never assume a game is over until the whistle blows. Those are the hard lessons the Philadelphia Stars learned this week. Leading 28-10 with 4:11 left in the game, they and most of the 38,204 at the Alamo Dome both seemed to believe that the game was all but over. Glen Carano and Quinn Early thought differently, and that combo combined for 2 scores in the final 2 minutes to delight the Texas faithful in the dome, and to shock the Stars and their fans back in Philadelphia.
The Game had been close throughout, with Texas taking a 14-7 lead into the half, thanks to Carano hitting Theo Young from 20 yards out and Eric Metcalf from 12 yards out. But Philadelphia roared back in the second half, getting 2 scores from Cris Carter and one from Ernie Jones to build up the seemingly game-winning 28 points as Texas had only gained 47 yards in the second half and only put up one long field goal. But, with 4:11 left in the game, Texas mounted a furious 2-minute drill (2 minutes earlier than usual) and with 1:41 on the clock they got what they needed, Carano to Early from 25 yards out to pull within 5 at 23-28. Their attempt for 2 failed, so they would need another touchdown.
Rookie Chris Boniol, who still remains a potential darkhorse for Rookie of the Year, got them the break they needed, creating a perfect onside kick, recovered by Cory Sawyer at the Texas 47 yard line. 1:28 left, 1 time out, a backup QB and a need for 6. It took Carano 9 plays, all passes, to get Texas in the endzone, finding Metcalf and Early each 3 times on the drive. After Metcalf went out of bounds on the 5 with 12 seconds left, it was 4th and goal for the Outlaws. One chance to steal a game and save a season for Texas. Carano dropped back, was pursued by the Philly defense, but heaved a ball towards the back corner of the endzone and Quinn Early was there, a step ahead of his defender, and brought down the pass.
It was done. Texas had won a game that few gave them a shot of winning. They had pulled out a frantic final 4 minutes and shocked themselves, the Stars, and everyone watching. Texas was now 7-7 and right back in the thick of the playoff hunt in the West. With losses by New Orleans and Michigan, they were now in playoff position, and could control their own destiny down the stretch. For Philadelphia, this was not a death blow. They still lead the Atlantic, but now find themselves tied with Pittsburgh. They too still control their own destiny, and perhaps this unexpected loss will drive home those all-important messages about playing until the game is truly over.
BAL 10 CHI 27
Two desperate teams, but only one could get the win. That almost always seems to be the case late in the season and it was once again at Solider Field. Chicago left no doubt about their position, scoring twice in the 4th quarter to turn a 13-10 lead into a solid 27-10 victory. Scott Zolak gave them the lead, but it was Blair Kiel who finished the game and put the final points on the board. Ricky Watters had his best game as a pro, rushing for 170 yards against a Blitz defense that simply did not have an answer.
PIT 36 HOU 28
Pittsburgh did what few have been able to do in recent years, earn a late season win in Houston. The Maulers relied on 130 yards and a score from Mike Rozier, but also got solid games from Louis Lipps and Mike Shaw as they scored the final 17 points of the game to shock the Houston crowd.
WSH 21 MGN 17
A big win for Mike Hohensee and the Federals, a tough loss for Joe Montana and the Panthers. Washington got TD’s from Moore and Gunn to propel them to the win. Their defense held Marcus Allen in check, limiting the former Raider to only 24 yards rushing and a paltry 1.2 yard average. The win puts the Feds at 8-6 and well in the playoff hunt. The loss drops Michigan to 6-8 and makes their playoff hopes slim.
NJ 27 NOR 17
New Jersey bested the New Orleans Breakers thanks to 2 Doug Flutie TD passes and a brilliant 23-yard Herschel Walker run. New Orleans fell behind 17-0 and never recovered as the Generals slowed down the pace of the game and kept the Breakers at arms length from a comeback. Now 6-8 the Breakers need a lot of help to make the post-season, while New Jersey’s 8-6 record means they can control their own playoff destiny, and with a bit of help could catch Philly and Pittsburgh.
BIR 34 ARZ 20
The battle of offense against defense went to the explosive Birmingham Stallions this time. Arizona played well and led at the half, but a second half that saw Brett Favre connect with both Shannon Sharpe and Danny Knight, and then a game-clinching 11 yard Derrick Lassic TD run was just too much for Robbie Bosco and the Wranglers to make up.
ORL 12 DEN 17
Denver needed a win to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff hunt, and Orlando was in no mood to gift it to them. Down 12-10 with 3 minutes left to play, it came down to one last drive, and 2nd year QB Mark Brunell got it done, finding Mark Carrier from 24 yards out to give Denver the win they needed.
TBY 21 OAK 24
Tampa Bay’s luck appears to be running out late in the season. Up 21-3 at the half, the Bandits could not continue to hold down Bobby Hebert and the Invaders. Hebert exploded for 206 yards in the second half, and Oakland got short TD runs from Fred McAfee and Glyn Milburn to pull within 3 points at 21-18. Matt Bahr did the rest, kicking from 40 and 37 yards out to give Oakland the comeback victory at home.
JAX 41 POR 38
Another wild shootout for the Thunder, and another tough loss as the Jacksonville Bulls got 167 yard rushing against the always compliant Thunder rush defense. Jamie Morris and Vince Workman pummeled the Portland D and added 3 scores to the 2 TD passes from Tony Eason. Eason’s final pass of the day, a 5 yarder to Joey Jones, flipped the score for the final time, giving Jacksonville the win, and officially eliminating Portland from playoff contention.
MEM 34 STL 12
After seeing other teams sell St. Louis short, the Showboats took them seriously and the result was a convincing road win. Buddy Ryan’s defense tormented backup Jim Miller, sacking the rookie 4 times and getting a pick-six from LB Eddie Simmons as well. Greg Boone had a solid game, gaining 117 and scoring twice, and the Showboats kept themselves in the Wild Card hunt, now at 8-6.
The AP gave this weeks award to Jack Trudeau for his 4 TD day, but the Thunder lost a close one. We think the better recipient is Glen Carano of the Texas Outlaws. Filling in again for an injured Kelly Stouffer, and facing that tough Philadelphia Stars defense, Carano pulled off a huge come-from-behind victory for the Outlaws, basically saving their playoff lives. Carano threw for 308 yards and 4 scores of his own, including the two late strikes to Quinn Early that crushed the Stars’ dreams of 10-4 and 1st place in the conference. Sure, Jack Trudeau had a great game, but Jacksonville’s defense is nothing like Philly’s and, unlike, Portland, the Outlaws actually won the game. Carano found 7 different receivers on the day, but when it came to crunch time it was a solid dose of both Metcalf (10 receptions for 111 yards) and Early (7 receptions for 76) that got the job done. With Stouffer likely out at least another week, Glen Carano can become a hero in Texas, and just might position himself as a veteran option for the 4 clubs scouting everyone ahead of the expansion draft.
Pieces are starting to fall into place. Thanks to tiebreaker advantages, both Oakland and Birmingham have now clinched their division titles, although there are still several teams in both the Atlantic and Pacific division still in play for Wild Card consideration. The big loser this week was Houston, who now find themselves tied with Chicago atop the Central, something almost unthinkable a month ago. Pittsburgh has to be happy to be tied with Philly with 2 games left, and if the Stars lose a game, Pittsburgh can overtake them. Right now the odd man out are the 8-6 Washington Federals, who need to win out and need either New Jersey or Memphis to falter. In the West it is Denver in the dreaded #6 position. They are looking to win out and get help against either Arizona or Texas. For the Gold it may come down to a Week 16 home game against the Wranglers for the final playoff spot. Wouldn’t that be fun? With two weeks of divisional games still on tap, there are so many clubs who can help themselves with a solid 2-game streak at this point, that doing the math is something we have to bring in someone from MIT to do. Let’s just say that every game is a playoff game at this point.
Two weeks to go and 17 of 20 teams still have playoff hopes, though some are on life support. What does this mean for USFL coaches on the hot seat? Well, we are feeling pretty confident in saying that 2 current USFL head coaches are on their way out. We have known that Jack Elway would be let go by St. Louis for a while now, and it seems clear after several comments this week by Phil Knight, that he is none too pleased with Dennis Erickson's lack of progress with the Portland Thunder, particularly their sub-par defense week in and week out. Erickson is finishing his 5th season in Portland, and despite a 10-6 record and a playoff spot in 1991, and a return to the playoffs at 8-8 in 1992, the Thunder have just not progressed. Even a stronger run game with Robert Drummond and swapping out Kerwin Bell for a proven QB in Jack Trudeau has not produced results, as Portland was again eliminated from playoff contention this week. We fully expect Erickson to be elsewhere next season.
Next up? Well, Orlando is not doing well at 3-11 right now, but George O'Leary is in his first year, so we don't see the Renegades giving him the one-and-done treatment. New Orleans is now 5-9, assured of a losing season, but again, Mike Ditka is a first year coach, and needs a draft of two to build something. He has the undermanned Breakers playing hard and he has been such an attraction in the Big Easy just due to his fiery personality that we simply do not see the ownership moving on so quickly. The next big domino to fall may well be Gene Stallings in Texas. Yes, they got a huge win this week, but they sit at 7-7 after 14 weeks. If they go 2-0 down the home stretch it likely means a playoff spot and saves Stallings, but this is a club famous for late season flops, and if they go 0-2, or if they miss the playoffs, it could well be the end for Stallings. After a strong 1st season (12-4 in his first outing) the Outlaws fell to 7=8-1 in his second year, 6-10 in year 3, and could finish at or below .500 again this year. We just don't see the folks in San Antonio sitting for that. So, for the Outlaws, it may be 2-0 or Stallings must go.
A good week as no new players were placed on IR this week. But with only 2 weeks left it does not take a season-ending injury to impact games and playoff runs. New Jersey will be without 1993 Defensive MVP Dino Hacket for at least a week as he is listed as doubtful after hyper-extending his knee. Pittsburgh DT Moe Gardner is Questionable with a hand injury and Houston tackle Howard Ballard is likely out for a 2nd straight week as well. Kelly Stouffer remains listed as questionable, but after the game Glen Carano just had, we expect Coach Stallings to give Stouffer another week before bringing him back for the season finale. Some players potentially returning to action, listed as “probable” include New Orleans HB Dalton Hilliard, Baltimore DE Charles Buchanon, Philly CB James Hasty, Denver LB John Roper, and Tampa Bay HB Eric Bienemy.
Man, oh man!! It does not get much better than this. Two weeks left and nearly every team in the league playing for their playoff lives. Even Oakland and Birmingham still want to play hard to earn home field advantage, so don’t expect any resting starters this week. Ok, what’s on tap? In the East we have Philly at New Jersey (no love lost there) and we have Washington at Pittsburgh. Memphis is in Jacksonville with both teams still alive for a Wild Card, and Tampa Bay will try to earn back some respect in Orlando. Chicago heads to New Orleans in a crucial game for both clubs, and Michigan is in Texas with both clubs fighting for their playoff lives. Portland is on the road at Arizona, and the Wranglers need this win. Meanwhile Oakland is in St. Louis trying to avoid a trap game. Out of division does not mean out of playoff potential. This week Houston travels to Baltimore, but has Chicago on a scoreboard watching alert. Denver has a tough task ahead of them, as they need to win in Legion Field against Brett Favre and the Stallions to set up a week 16 playoff matchup against Arizona. Tough one there.
댓글