Sporting News, March 3, 1995
A new year, four new teams, a wide open season with every franchise looking quite a bit different from a year ago. Last second signings, last minute hires, and a lot of roster shakeups highlight the last month of the USFL offseason. The teams are in camp, the season ready to begin, and what are we to make of it. In this USFL preview edition of Sporting News we will look at the eight new head coaches in the league, the lastest NFL and CFL signings, and the 10 high impact rookies everyone is watching, and, of course, our look at all 24 teams as we gear up for the season. We will do this in two parts, with our first story focused on the new faces around the league, and then a second article looking at each club’s potential, their strengths and concerns as the season starts. Let’s get to it!
NEW COACHES IN THE USFL
Eight men step into one of the toughest jobs in pro football, head coaching in the topsy turvey USFL. Three are here for a second go around, 5 are new to the position though not always new to the league. From expansion coaches who have been on the job for nearly 2 years, to Texas’s brand new hire, there is a wide range of experiences and expectations around the league with these leaders taking on the challenge of leading a USFL franchise.
ATLANTA: Coach Dan Reeves
Coach Reeves is stranger to pressure, having helped to lead the NFL’s Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls, only to face defeat each time. In Atlanta he has a new challenge, building a team from scratch. He immediately went out and got the best veteran QB he could find in former Stallion Cliff Stoudt, then doubled down on the position by signing Georgia rookie Eric Zeier. His challenge will be building a consistent offense around his QB. He will be looking to veteran USFL HB Bernie Parmalee and speedy wideouts in Ernie Jones and Terrance Mathis to help Stoudt or Zeier move the ball.
JACKSONVILLE: Coach Jim Fassel
The former Breakers OC, who has spent several years in the NFL with the Giants and Broncos, inherits a team that has been sliding further and further away from the leaders in the Southern Division. His first order of business was to find a QB to replace the retired Tony Eason. He first signed Browning Nagle, and many thought it would be Nagle v. Shula for the starting job, but his front office decided a late signing was needed, so the Bulls and Coach Fassel will be hurrying to get former Atlanta Falcon Chris Chandler up to speed for the opener. Fassel is known as a no-nonsense coach with a creative mind, so expect solid play from the Bulls and maybe a few gadget plays as well.
LOS ANGELES: Coach Rick Neuheisel
Neuheisel, the former UCLA and USFL QB stays close to home with the Express. Having retired from play as one of the most accurate QB’s in league history, despite an injury-plagued career, Neuheisel will have to bring attention to detail to his squad, as they do not appear to have the talent level of many other clubs in the Pacific Division. Oddly, for a former QB, Neuheisel did not jump on any of the bigger name USFL, NFL, or even CFL QB’s that were available, though somewhat briefly. He will go into the season with career backup Brent Pease as his starter, though the buzz in camp has been around 2nd year pro Jeff Garcia, who left the CFL for the Express after only one season up north.
OHIO: Coach Nick Saban
The former Cleveland Brown Defensive Coordinator will be building a new USFL franchise from the ground up, and one with a lot of Ohio in its blood. Not only did the front office bring in former Buckeyes Vince Workman and John Booty, but they drafted wideout Joey Galloway and then signed, just last week, Cleveland’s Ernest Byner. It will be a home-town team, to be sure, but can Saban build a defense around Booty, LB John Offerdahl, and two solid safeties in Kyle Kramer and Pat Terrell. The Glory will also need to work up an offense around Workman and Byner’s ground game (perhaps trying to recapture the glory of Byner and Mack?).
PORTLAND: Coach Vince Tobin
This is not Vince Tobin’s first rodeo. After making a name for himself by building the early defensive success of the Philadelphia Stars, Tobin served as the Head Coach in Memphis for 6 pretty solid seasons. He returns to the big chair with Portland, a team that has talent, especially on offense, but which seems allergic to playing smart defense. Tobin will try to fix that quickly, and he may have help from rookies like DE Hugh Douglas and CB Jimmy Hitchcock. Portland will go as far as the defense allows. If they can even be a middle-of-the-pack squad, the offensive talent around Jack Trudeau and 1994 breakout player Robert Drummond could spell quick success for Tobin.
ST. LOUIS: Coach Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson knows the USFL, having served on the defensive coaching staffs in both Oklahoma and Jacksonville, and he knows that St. Louis will need to overhaul a defense that has simply not been up to snuff the past few years. Even with talented players like LB Chip Banks, DT Jerry Ball, and CB Troy Vincent, the Knights have been anything but stalwart. And, to a large degree that is why Johnson was chosen. His defensive pedigree is solid, now he gets the chance to prove it with the Knights. Oh, and as if that is not enough, there is sure to be pressure to move past David Archer, the week 1 starter, and get Michigan product Todd Collins onto the field, ready or not.
SEATTLE: Coach Woody Widenhofer
Another 2nd time around, and for Widenhofer it is his second go with an expansion team. After leading the Oklahoma, then Texas, Outlaws through their initial growing pains, Widenhofer is back at it again in Seattle. Just like last time, he is building a team around a QB. With the Outlaws it was Doug Williams, and with Seattle it will be former Seahawk Dave Krieg. He helped build a solid offensive line in Seattle, with expansion picks like T Mark Shively and the addition of 49er Jesse Sapolo at guard. The hands players may not be household names, but a good line is not a bad place to start.
TEXAS: Coach Jack Pardee
Big Jackie P is back in the USFL. After building the Houston Gamblers into a powerhouse, then shuffling across town to the NFL Oilers, Pardee is back in the spring league, and he is bringing a familiar face with him. It will be Pardee and Mouse Davis on the sideline with the Outlaws, not far down the road from where they made their names in Houston. Texas delayed hiring a coach, and when Pardee was let go by the Oilers, the Outlaws pounced. Pardee and Davis will bring instant excitement to the San Antonio based squad, all of whom now expect Kelly Stouffer to start looking like Jim Kelly. That may be a tall order but with Eric Metcalf and Quinn Early out wide, there is space for a run & shoot to work, just as long as they don’t forget to feed their best player, Reggie Cobb, the ball too.
LATE NFL & CFL SIGNINGS
It has happened every year since the USFL and NFL developed the August and January transfer windows. Teams that seemed to have a weakness in one area suddenly find starting talent in a late signing. This year is no different as no fewer than 10 NFL starters jumped to the Spring league. When you add in the nearly 45 players who jumped from the CFL or from NFL practice squads to the USFL, there are a lot of players coming in with the skills and experience to make an immediate impact. Here are our picks for the 10 new arrivals most likely to shake things up in the USFL this spring.
10. WR Darren Flutie (NJ): We don’t expect the Flutie Brothers to light up the league, but it is fun to have Doug’s brother and former BC teammate on the squad in East Rutherford. Darren still has some quickness and can be effective in the slot, but mostly we think this is just one more way for the Generals to keep Doug Flutie happy.
9. DE Terry Crews (HOU): The former LB returns to the USFL after brief stints in the NFL with Green Bay and San Diego, and he returns as an edge rushing DE. The move of position may benefit Crews, who has added a lot of muscle, but seems to have retained speed as well. Crews starts the season as the swing DE, subbing for Michael Sinclair and Gerald Williams as needed, but expect him to see significant time on the field, especially on obvious passing downs.
8. QB Tommy Maddox (NJ): With Doug Flutie clearly the starter, and USC rookie Rob Johnson a developmental project for the future, the signing of Maddox by the Generals seems a bit of a head scratcher. Do not be surprised however if this is not just a tactic, with New Jersey waiting for another team to make an offer. With Maddox signed to a cap friendly contract, we could see him move to a team that suffers a big injury at the position.
7. HB Blair Thomas (OAK): The former top draft pick of the NY Jets has not had a stellar NFL career, and likely will serve as backup to Oakland’s Siran Stacy, but if he can show any of the talent that we saw in college, he could become a big piece of a balanced Oakland attack.
6. LB Marvin Pope (MEM): One of the better coverage backers in the CFL, Pope will add speed and a sense of the passing game to the Memphis linebacking corps. Not a huge player, but certainly one with range, expect Pope to help Memphis lock down the middle against slot receivers and tight ends.
5. FS Myron Guyton (ATL): Atlanta has been pushing for defensive talent since the free agent period began, dealing with Tampa for Mark Mraz, Jacksonville for Mo Lewis, and now signing Guyton away from the NY Giants of the NFL. Guyton is a smart player who can also lay a lick on receivers and backs. Add in a DT rotation of Chester McGlockton, Tony Siragusa, and Mike Ruth and Atlanta may be a solid defense from day one.
4. WR Rob Moore (BAL): Baltimore signed the former Jet to a 4 year deal, and immediately improved one of the weakest groups on their roster. Moore is a surehanded receiver and one of the best route runners in the game today. Paired up with Bill Brooks, Baltimore does not have Olympic speed outside, but they have two reliable guys who know how to get open against any defender.
3. G Jesse Sapolo (SEA): Any time you can get an experienced player on your O-line, that is a good thing, but when that player has had a major role in a multiple time Super Bowl champion, like Sapolo has with San Francisco, you have a coup on your hands. Sapolo, paired with former Mauler Mark Shively, will help Seattle’s backs (Potts, Loville, and Torey White) find space, and should also help Dave Krieg immensely.
2. HB Ernest Byner (OHIO): Apparently signing a lot of talent from local schools like Ohio State, Pitt, and West Virginia was not enough for the Glory, they went out this last week and gave the Glory a solid 1-2 punch at HB by adding former Brown Ernest Byner to a backfield that already had former Buckeye Vince Workman and former Pitt Panther Curvin Richards. This is a 1-2-3 punch of big men who will grind down opposing defenses, taking pressure off of former Mauler QB Jeff Hostetler.
1. QB Chris Chandler (JAX): Jacksonville is counting on Chandler to make an immediate impact. The former Falcon should be comfortable in the Jim Fassel offense, as both come in from the NFL and both seem to favor a run game which allows for deep balls on play action. Chandler has a strong arm and a good head for the game. He is injury prone, which has to concern Bulls fans, but for now they are looking at him as the next big thing in Duval County.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
What would a season be without impact rookies. This year we saw the USFL go aggressively after big name talent, and while many of the biggest names, players like Steve McNair, Warren Sapp, or WR Michael Westbrook opted for the NFL instead, plenty of the best of the NCAA signed on with the USFL. We wrap up our look at the new faces of the league with our predictions for the 1995 ALL-USFL-ROOKIE Team.
QB: Todd Collins, Penn State (St. Louis)--- Of the three big signees at QB, along with Kordell Stewart in DC and Eric Zeier in Atlanta, we see Collins as the one most likely to get a shot to start by midseason. Five years down the line it may be Stewart who grabs the headlines, but Collins is well positioned to play this year.
HB: This is between Michigan Wolverine-turned-Panther Tyrone Wheatley and Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam in Denver. Denver was so enamored of Salaam that they traded away a solid back in Natrone Means on the very day they picked Salaam. So the pressure is on. Same is true for Wheatley, who replaces Marcus Allen in the Panther backfield. No small task.
WR: The obvious choice here is Joey Galloway with the Ohio Glory, but expansion is not easy, and there are two other wideouts who have looked really good in camp. The first is former Hokie Antonio Freeman with the Gamblers, and the other is J.J. Stokes with the Wranglers. All three could get significant action this year.
TE: Kyle Brady is the consensus pick, as he is slated to start week 1 with the Blitz. He had quite a career at Penn State, and opted to join the Blitz over the sad sack NY Jets when they picked him 2 weeks after the USFL draft. The other name to watch is Christian Fauria with the Showboats. Since losing Keith Jackson to free agency, Memphis has been looking for a big man with good hands, and Fauria fits that bill.
OL: A lot of linemen picked in this year’s draft, but none will be a bigger immediate contributor than Philadelphia’s Ruben Brown. Brown comes to a team that won the USFL Championship and then lost both their starting guards in the expansion draft. So, Brown is on a good team, during a transition period, and will get the chance to show his stuff protecting Chuck Long.
DL: Warren Sapp opted to go to Tampa Bay in the NFL, but the USFL still snagged some real impact players on the D-line. We like the look of DT Luther Ellis in Houston, as well as Hugh Douglas in Portland, but don’t sleep on BC’s Mike Mamula, who is well situated in Coach Schottenheimer’s D in Chicago.
LB: It was not a great draft for impact linebackers, but that is not to say that the USFL came away with nothing. Expect to see Ted Johnson on the field in Michigan, Lorenzo Styles in Birmingham, and Damien Covington with Philadelphia.
CB: Tyrone Poole may end up as the #1 CB for expansion Atlanta. He has the stuff, at least from what we could see in camp. Clifton Abraham in Chicago may also see a lot of action with the Machine, and Bobby Taylor in Oakland is giving the veterans a run for their money as well.
S: New Orleans has been overjoyed from what they have seen from their top pick, FSU’s Devin Bush. He seemed pro ready from the first day of camp. Birmingham may have also found a diamond in 5th round pick Kwamie Lassiter.
K/P: A lot of special teams guys went undrafted, and were signed later, but Oakland spent a 5th round pick on K Joe Nedney from San Jose State, and he has earned their trust in camp, winning the kicker competition handily. Cole Ford likewise has won the job in St. Louis and rookie punter Todd Sauerbrun seems to have the job locked up in Washington as well.