Not a great weekend for the underdog as the Divisional Playoffs went to three Las Vegas Favorites (though one was the lower seed) and one home team who was a slight underdog in Vegas. The results set up a Conference Championship Weekend that pits the #1 and #2 seeds in the East and the top two regular season records in the West. Here is how it played out.
The battle between Atlantic Division foes was a war of attrition from start to end. Washington succeeded in shutting down Mike Rozier, limiting him to 2.5 YPC and only 43 yards on 17 carries, but a late 11-yard TD run was all Rozier needed to help Pittsburgh earn the win against the Feds. Pittsburgh, for their part, played a masterful defensive game, limiting Don Majkowski to 190 yards passing and shutting down the Federals’ offense in the second half Washington would finish with only 259 in total yards, and would convert only 2 third downs all day. And while Pittsburgh did not generate a tone of offense themselves, Alan Risher was able to secure a win thanks to Rozier’s score and a short TD pass to Mike Shaw. In the end it was sheer grit that pulled the game out for the Maulers as they shut down the Federals on three straight 2nd half drives to preserve the 10-point win.
Arizona got on the board first in Tempe, using a strong opening drive to secure a 7-0 lead on a Bosco to Boyer TD pass, but that would be the last they would see success. The Machine clamped down on the Wranglers, holding them without a 3rd down conversion the rest of the game and limiting Arizona to 224 total yards on the day. Meanwhile, Ricky Watters helped Chicago ground out yards, while Wendell Davis snagged two TD passes from McGwire as the Machine scored 20 unanswered points to take over the game. Led by Gary Reasons’ 9 tackles and 4 pass defenses by Eric Thomas, the Machine stifled all attempts by the Wranglers to reestablish offensive rhythm. It was not a dramatic game with a ton of turnovers or game-defining sacks, more an exercise in patient suppression that won Chicago the game and set up a third clash with their division rivals next week.
Las Vegas called this one as a close game, likely won by a field goal, and that is exactly what we all got on Sunday, ending with an overtime score to propel the Bulls to the Conference Championship. Philadelphia had a lot of success through the air, with Chuck Long completing 39 of 53 for 343 yards. Jacksonville, somewhat out of character, relied more on Natrone Means than Chris Chandler, as the big bruising back rushed the ball 22 times for 84 yards and a score. When the Bulls needed a big play, they got answers from Brian Blades and Dokie Williams. The game was thought lost as on the second possession of overtime, Philly lined up for a makeable 45 yard field goal, but the prevailing winds helped the Bulls and David Trout’s kick sailed to the left, giving the Bulls a chance. They secured the win with a short drive and a ‘down the pike” kick from Pete Stoyanovich.
In a game that got away from Portland quickly, Houston scored on their first 4 possessions, a Ricky Proehl TD catch, a Thomas TD run and two John Kasay field goals to put the Thunder in a hole and limit their ability to rely on Drummond to shorten the game. Drummond got his yards, 146 to be exact, and Portland pulled back to a respectable 10-point final deficit, but they never got closer as Jim Kelly milked the playclock for the entire 2nd half, and found backup TE Ken Dilger twice to extend the score. Jack Trudeau did what he could, hitting both Hart Lee Dykes and TE Lonnie Johnson with scoring tosses, but it was just not enough as the #1 seed did what #1 seeds are supposed to do, snagged the home win and advanced to the Conference Title Game.
Rutigliano Calls it a Career: The rumors had swirled all year long, and after a topsy-turvy season with the Federals, his 10th, Coach Sam Rutigliano announced his retirement on Wednesday. This was a rough year for Rutigliano, as not only was he laid up with a broken leg after getting bowled over by a wayward player early in the season, but his team’s fall from 6-0 to a 5-5 finish was seen as a lack of focus by many in the media. Rutigliano leaves the game with a good bit of success. After several solid seasons as the Head Man for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Rutigliano came to DC and turned around a team that had been one of the weaker clubs in the league during the USFL’s first three years. In his first season he helped the Federals reach 8-8, a standard they had never met before. The next season they qualified for their first postseason as a franchise, and 3 seasons later the club won it all, defeating the Arizona Wranglers in the 1990 Summer Bowl. The Championship would mark the high point of the Federals’ success, though they would make the playoffs the following 3 years. He leaves the game this year with a USFL record of 92 wins to 68 defeats and a playoff record of 6 wins to 5 losses.
Officials in Washington, many of whom knew of Coach Rutigliano’s intentions several weeks ago, have already made plans for succession, as they have two strong in-house candidates, either DC Rusty Tillman or OC Paul Hackett could be easy options for the Federals. While the club was not prepared to name either the new Head Coach, expect that news within the week as either coordinator could potentially be tapped to step up and maintain continuity in Washington.
General Mayhem: It has been a rough week for news out of New Jersey. Only 2 days after the departure of Sam Wyche, the Philadelphia Eagles accused the USFL club of tampering as they apparently reached out to Eagle Head Coach Ray Rhodes about their open position. This led to an immediate statement of disinterest from Rhodes. Within the next 3 days New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Parcells, and former NY Jets Head Coach Pete Carroll also made public statements denying interest in the position. The Carroll rejection was perhaps the most damning, as the former Jet coach is serving as a DC for the 49ers and appears to have turned down the chance to regain a head coaching position.
So, just who do the beleaguered Generals turn to now? Rumors have them looking at Buffalo Bills Assistant Head Coach Elijah Pitts, current Detroit Lions QB Coach (and former USFL QB) Greg Landry, and University of Virginia Head Coach Herb Welch, but honestly, we are not sure any of these candidates will end up roaming the sidelines in the Meadowlands next March. Seems like New Jersey needs a bigger name than any of these three can provide. Who that could be is anyone’s guess, but we can say that with a roster in need of a major overhaul, the Generals will likely have to spend big to get a coach with any national recognition.
Intriguing news out of St. Louis, as it appears that the city may, in fact, be getting the NFL club it has desired ever since the Cardinals packed up for Arizona in 1987. LA Rams owner Georgia Frontiere has been making a play to relocate her team to St. Louis for the 1995 season. That was initially stifled by an NFL owners vote which denied the petition, but after much wrangling, and threats of legal action by Frontiere, it appears that this season may be the last for the Rams in Angel Stadium, with the club beginning play in Busch Stadium in 1996. And while we have certainly seen cases where the presence of both NFL and USFL clubs in the same city has been a boon to both, as we see in LA where the Raiders/Express combo was able to get a new stadium constructed, and in Houston where the Oilers/Gamblers combo seems very close to their own shared stadium deal, the situation could be very different in St. Louis, where poor play and mismanagement have really hurt the Knights’ efforts to build a fanbase.
The St. Louis Knights were the lowest attendance club in the league this year, averaging just over 24,000 in Busch Stadium. After a stronger first year in the Gateway to the West, one in which the relocated LA Express won 7 games and averaged just over 41,000 fans per game, the club has seen 3 consecutive 10-loss seasons (going 5-11 this year) and with few big name players to speak of, have had declining attendance each season. There is concern that the presence of the NFL Rams, in addition to the huge following of the Cardinals baseball club in the summer, could spell real trouble for a franchise that has not seen much go right since relocating from Los Angeles. Many are predicting that it is St. Louis, and not Baltimore, which might be the next USFL franchise to seek greener pastures, making St. Louis the first 2-time relocation club in the league’s short history.
Now, it is certainly possible that the Rams coming to town could spark greater interest in football in general, but if that transitions over to the Knights is a huge question. And with a new stadium already in the works, the Knights are not in the same position as the Express, Gamblers or Bandits, who are using the NFL/USFL combo to sway local officials and voters into stadium construction. More than likely the excitement about bringing in an NFL club will dampen ticket sales for the 1996 Knights season. Unless the team can start to turn things around, or at least bring in a player or two that folks will pay to watch (a Barry Sanders, Brett Favre, or Deion Sanders, we have to expect that the Knights will continue to struggle to attract fans. That is not good news for the USFL or for St. Louis, though there are certainly some interested parties in places like Boston, Dallas, Miami, and Raleigh-Durham who would love to see a USFL franchise on the market.
As we look to the Conference Championships, the question is whether either Jacksonville or Chicago have what it takes to win a tough road game against the best team in either conference. Chicago has faced Houston twice this year, and each time the Gamblers came out on top, scoring 38 points in the first matchup and 41 in the second, two of the highest scores the Machine has given up all season. Chicago will have to hope for a better result in the third matchup. If their 5th ranked defense cannot slow down the Houston offense, it puts a lot of pressure on Dan McGwire to outperform expectations. McGwire has had a solid season, but he has been shielded by the Machine’s solid defense and the running of Ricky Watters. If the Machine need to win in a shootout, we just don’t see how McGwire can outduel Kelly.
Jacksonville did not face the Maulers this season, which means they are going to need to do some serious film work to prepare for them. What should concern Bulls fans is less than stellar record against the run this year. With Mike Rozier sure to be a featured part of the Mauler attack, having the 15th ranked rush defense does not seem like a matchup likely to produce success for the Bulls. If there is hope for Jacksonville it is that the return of Natrone Means may enable them to match Rozier’s production, or at least shorten the game by milking the clock themselves. If not, it will then be up to NFL castoff Chris Chandler to spark the Jacksonville aerial game. Chandler averaged 262 yards a game, enough to help Jacksonville to the 10th ranked offense, but with Pittsburgh ranked #2 in scoring, just behind Houston, it may not be enough.
Our picks, well that should be obvious. We are expecting that the Summer Bowl will feature two of the strongest squads we have seen in several years, the two #1 seeds, Houston and Pittsburgh. The Mauler’s last loss was in Week 4, back when there was still some frost on the ground in the Allegheny mountains. Houston has only 1 loss since Week 1, a fluke upset by the Baltimore Blitz. We just don’t see either stumbling against their opponents this week, setting up what could be one heck of a show in Denver when these two juggernauts would meet in Summer Bowl 1995.