1995 USFL Conference Championships

The top two teams in each conference faced off this week for the right to advance to Summer Bowl 1995 in Denver. In the East it was the surprising Jacksonville Bulls, who raced out to an early division lead when the season started and endured to win 10 games and become the only Southern team to make the postseason. For Pittsburgh a 1-3 start turned into an amazing 12 game win streak, a dominance over their division that rivaled the best we have seen in the league’s 13 year history.

Out West we saw the resurgence of the Houston Gamblers, a club whose late season collapse in ’94 cost them a playoff shot, but who were focused on a return to glory this year. We also have the Chicago Machine, who surprised the league by making it to the Summer Bowl in ’94 with a backup QB, and now find themselves one game from doing it again, with yet another back up QB leading the charge. Four great stories, four really strong teams, but only 2 can advance, only 2 can reach the biggest game of the year.

They have been simply unstoppable for the past 4 months, and Pittsburgh was once again dominant as they shut down the Jacksonville Bulls and ground their way to a Summer Bowl invitation. It was a full team effort as the offense put up 434 combined yards and the defense held the visiting Bulls to only 69 yards rushing and only 1 offensive TD. Yes, Jacksonville shot themselves in the foot too many times, 9 penalties for 111 yards, many of them on the offensive side, but it was also just a matchup of two teams, one who hoped they would win, and one who knew they would.

Most of the scoring occurred in the first half as the Maulers built up a 20-7 lead. They did so largely on the running of Mike Rozier, no shock there, as the veteran back, in what might be his swan song season, carried the ball 11 times for 71 yards in the first half. He would add only 8 more carries and 29 more yards in the second, finishing with an even 100, as backup Dorsey Levins was used as the game-ending battering ram, getting 10 carries in the final 30 minutes to help spell Rozier. It was also Alan Risher, in his 13th season in the league, who proved tough to manage, playing off the run, but also extending plays with his scrambling ability. Risher would finish with 301 yards passing and a key 2nd quarter TD to Reggie Rembert that would end up being the margin of victory for the Maulers.

The Bulls offense suffered in part due to an early game injury to Natrone Means, who finished the day with only 1 carry. With a game plan based on using the power run to shorten the game and keep Jacksonville close, the loss of Means was huge. Jamie Morris and Owen Gill did what they could, but neither was able to match what Means can bring to a game. That put the pressure on Chris Chandler, and despite a solid first half, in which he threw for 165 yards, Chandler was unable to keep pace with the Maulers and the Bulls spent the entire second half essentially spinning their wheels. It got so bad at one point, with 4 consecutive 3-and-outs spanning the end of the 2nd and opening of the 3rd quarters, that Coach Fassel put Mike Shula into the game for a series, just to see if it might spark something. It did not. Yes, they got a first down, but on a careless Mauler penalty, so instead of a 3-and-out, it was a 5-and-out. Chandler returned the next series and at least got Jacksonville a field goal to pull to within 10 at 20-10.

The Bulls would get the only score of the 4th quarter, another Stoyanovich field goal, but pulling within 7 did nothing but inspire the Mauler defense. They would end Jacksonville’s next series with a Sean Smith sack of Chandler, and the final drive for the desperate Bulls ended on a 4th and 3 when Chandler’s pass to Anthony Jordan was just out of his reach.

The Maulers will now return to the Summer Bowl for their second attempt at a title. Three years ago, in Summer Bowl 1992, they faced the Houston Gamblers and fell in a really hard-fought 34-28 game. With Houston favored to return again to the title game, they may very well face the same cast of characters, Kelly, Thomas, DeAyala, and many others who were there in ’92 just as Rozier, Lipps, Risher, and Kumerow were there. They would need to wait and see. Would it be Houston again, or would Chicago return to the title game one year after falling just short against the Stars.

It would not take long for Pittsburgh to get their answer. The Houston Gamblers came out on a mission, and for the 3rd time this season they took it too their divisional rivals from the Windy City. By the end of the 1st quarte it was 13-0 Houston, and by the half a 20-7 lead. After 3 quarters, the lead had expanded to 30-7 and, other than a late Chicago TD that didn’t even help the bookies with the spread, Houston essentially coasted their way back into the Summer Bowl, their 5th appearance in 9 years.

Houston got the win, and put the game away early, despite a pretty pedestrian game from Jim Kelly. The multiple time All-USFL QB completed only 13 of 27 passes against a dedicated Chicago secondary, and finished the game with only 193 yards passing. Of course, within that 193 we find multiple converted 3rd downs and two TD passes to his favorite outlet, HB Thurman Thomas. Thomas would also run for 73 yards on 20 carries as Chicago seemed content to let the Gamblers run as long as they could not hit on a big play. Thomas’s longest run on the day was for 11 yards, but the consistent threat of the run game made it possible for Houston to keep converting on 3rd down with the short passing game. Add in several key Chicago mistakes, mostly penalties (there were no turnovers in the game) and it was enough to help Houston build their lead and hold it. John Kasay did his part as well, connecting on two long kicks, a 43 yarder and a 44 yarder, both in the 4th quarter, and then adding a key 3rd field goal in the 3rd to keep Chicago well into a range where they would need multiple scores to come back.

For Chicago, the issue was protection. Dan McGwire was roughed up all day long, and it is honestly surprising that he never tossed a pick or fumbled away a ball. He was sacked 7 times on the day, including a huge hit that must have rattled his cage by Fred Strickland early in the game. Chicago did have some success rushing the ball, as Ricky Watters averaged 5.6 yards per carry, but their issues on 3rd down, where they went only 2 for 12, and the pressure on McGwire simply held back the Chicago offense. Unable to turn it loose in the passing game, something the conservative Marty Schottenheimer rarely permits, and something the roster of mostly possession receivers is not suited for, meant that Houston’s lead was more than just an obstacle, it was a major obstruction.

No receiver for Chicago had more than 40 yards in the game, and the two top receivers were both tight ends as Houston blanketed both Wendell Davis and Reggie Langhorne, forcing McGwire to dump the ball down.

It was, much like the Pittsburgh game, a full team effort. The seven sacks of McGwire came from 7 different players. And other than Strickland’s 10 tackles, on other Gambler had more than 5. Brett Perriman did not even have a catch in the game, and Kelly used only 5 receivers, but what Houston did was effective, while what Chicago tried was not.

So it will be a rematch of Summer Bowl 1992 as the Maulers and Gamblers face off next week. Two teams that have felt like teams of destiny all season long. Two clubs that have rattled off win after win. The two top seeds and quite possibly the two most complete teams in the league this year. This one could be a real battle. This is a game that promises to offer something for everyone, good defense, better offense, and a constellation of stars to follow.

Two weeks into the offseason for most USFL clubs and we already have our first big stories. Fans in one city look to be overjoyed as they got their new coach, fans in another may well just throw their hands up in frustration, and a star player is traded even before free agency officially begins. It all happened this week.

1. OLD FACE IN A NEW PLACE: A legend of USFL coaching returns to the league, and, just as it was with returning hero Bobby Hebert two years ago, once again it is Oakland pulling the trigger on the big move. The Invaders, who announced the retirement of longstanding head man Dick Vermeil, yesterday announced the signing of one of the most revered names in USFL lore, former Stars Head Coach Jim Mora. Mora, who left the Stars to become the man in New Orleans in 1990 returns to the league that made him famous. After 4 seasons in New Orleans, seasons in which Mora gave the Saints their first playoff appearance in team history, Mora left the club as friction between him and owner Tom Benson soured the relationship, and back to back losing seasons (7-9 in 1993 and 1994) cut into his fan base in the Big Easy. He returns to the USFL with the Invaders and the fans in Oakland could not be happier. You replace a team-defining coach with a coach who helped build the entire league, that is a solid move. Kudos to the Invaders brass for making the bold choice and bringing immediate hope to the Invaders squad and fanbase.

2. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS? What would be the opposite of instilling immediate hope in a franchse? Fans of the New Jersey Generals think they have the answer to that question. After failing to connect with several top NFL coaches, the Generals seemed to just go the easy route, announcing the signing of former NY Jets and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Rich Kotite on Thursday. Kotite, who was practically run out of the Jets on a rail, is a bizarre choice. Yes, he had success with the Eagles, leading Philadelphia to 10 and 11 win seasons in back to back years, but after being named the Jet’s head coach midseason in 1993, he has shown no ability at all to lead a professional organization. The Jets in 1994 were a disaster in every sense of the word. Despite having solid talent at several key positions, the Jets floundered to a 3-13 record, 5 games worse than the year Kotite arrived. What is worse, an ongoing feud between Kotite and QB Boomer Esiason, became public, and the image for Kotite was not a good one.

How this controversial coach, who is already widely disliked by tri-state area fans, and whose biggest issue is that he handles QB’s badly, is supposed to turn around an already troubled New Jersey Generals squad, one with major QB issues on their plate, is a mystery to us. Kotite certainly will not get the same reception in the Meadowlands that we expect Jim Mora to get in Oakland. If he cannot solve the Johnson-Flutie situation at QB, and if the club gets off to a slow start next season, in a division that already has 4 playoff teams in it, things could get ugly very quickly.

3. SPEED DEMON OR SPEED DRAGON?: Finally, we have had our first big offseason trade, and it is a shocker. Eric Metcalf, one of the most explosive and versatile receivers in the game, will be a Seattle Dragon next year. The move makes perfect sense for Seattle, whose offense was simply atrocious this year. The move makes little sense for Texas, sending away a former Longhorn, a stud of a player, and a very popular person in the community. The move may well be a salary cap issue, as Metcalf’s cap hit was sizeable and Texas was already looking to be in the red for 1996. The Outlaws will get in return Seattle’s 3rd round picks this year and in 1997, and they pick up backup center Ian Sinclair, but the loss of Metcalf is sure to hurt the Outlaw offense. Targeted 171 times, Metcalf finished the year with 112 catches for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns. The next highest receiver for Texas, and one assumes their new #1 wideout, Quinn Early, had only 3 TD’s though he did have a strong year with 1,154 yards in the pass happy offense of Mouse Davis and Jack Pardee.

So Texas is saving cap room and picking up some 2nd day draft picks. Seattle gets a clear #1 receiver who could also help develop the talents of younger players like O.J. McDuffie and Robert Claiborne, but both clubs are still left with questions. Just who will get the ball to Metcalf? Dave Krieg is expected to be allowed to surf the free agency waters and David Klingler clearly showed he is not up to the task. Will Seattle again hit the trading block to find a signal caller? With the emergence of Jamie Martin in New Orleans, will Timm Rosenbach perhaps be headed back to the Pacific Northwest? Or is Seattle looking at a rookie in a year without a clear top round pick? There are a couple of local school signal callers getting some attention, Washington’s Brock Huard and Central Washington’s Jon Kitna, but neither is a plug-and-play guy. It remains a mystery, but after a 1-win season, Seattle needs to do something, and a big move like this could be just what they need to spark their moribund offense and get fans excited to sit in what is usually a rainy Husky Stadium.

OK, back to the game at hand. What do we expect from a Maulers-Gamblers Summer Bowl? Well, if 1992 is any indication, this could be a good one. That game was entertaining from start to finish as both the Gamblers and Ted Marchibroda’s Maulers were unafraid to bring out the trick plays, to air the ball out, and to spread the field to find room for their backs to run free. And while the 1995 editions of both clubs have a better balance of offensive firepower and defensive stopping power, we still think this could be a pretty high-scoring game.

Risher and Kelly finished 1-2 in the QB Ratings this year, and accounted for 64 passing TD’s between them (Kelly with 39 and Risher with 25). Rozier and Thomas both finished with over 1,100 yards on the season, with Rozier trailing only Robert Drummond with 1,475 and Thomas finishing 6th in the league at 1,123. Pittsburgh’s Louis Lipps finished 3rd among receivers with 110 receptions, while Houston’s combo of Perriman and Freeman had a combined 2,331 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns. Add in role players like Gambler slot receiver Ricky Proehl or Pittsburgh’s swiss army knife TE Mike Shaw, and you have a lot of offensive potential in this game.

The defenses are no slouches either. Pittsburgh and Houston finished within 2 places of each other, and both in the upper half of the league, in points allowed, and while Houston’s D fared better in yards allowed, the Maulers counter that with the best turnover margin in the entire league, a +26 score through the regular season, including a whopping 42 turnovers forced.

But, in the end, this is the #1 scoring offense in the league (Houston) going against the #2 (Pittsburgh), the 2nd and 3rd rated yardage leaders (both trailing Birmingham’s insane passing yards total) and the two best records in the league. This one, despite defensive stars for both clubs, should be a pretty entertaining and possibly high scoring game.

But who do we pick? Well, when in doubt we tend to believe history repeats itself. We have a lot of the same players from the 1992 championship, and much the same character to both clubs. We expect Pittsburgh to try to use Rozier to set up the deep ball to Louis Lipps and Raynard Brown. We expect Houston to focus on the pass, including getting the ball to Thomas in space, and we expect both coaches to throw in a few wrinkles, but at the end of the day, we think Houston has what it takes to stop Pittsburgh’s win streak at 14 games, and take the title for a 4th time, retaking a share of the Championship tally with their third title, one year after Philly became the first 3-time champion.

Our pick is: Houston 35 Pittsburgh 31