The playoffs are here, time to survive and advance, leave it all on the field, a time when legends are made. This week we saw four clubs battle for the right to advance and face the best teams in each conference, and in both games we saw division foes facing off face off, battles between clubs that know each other well. It would all come down to gameplanning and execution. For two it would be one-and-done, for two more a chance to keep the dream alive.
Two rivals met for the third time this season when the Blitz took the short drive to RFK to face the Federals. It was a matchup of the #1 and #2 scoring defenses in the league, so no one was surprised that neither team could reach 20 points in this one. With a crowd of 43,000 that had a fair share of Baltimore supporters spread among the Washington faithful, the two clubs both had their cheering sections, and for most of the game those fans cheered on the defenses, and the kickers, as this game saw only one touchdown and 8 field goals. Washington would hold Baltimore to only 193 yards on offense, as the Blitz went 0 for 11 on third down. For their part, the Baltimore defense forced 2 turnovers, but just did not get the support they needed from the offense. It was a slugfest and a battle for field position all day long as Washington scored the game’s only touchdown early and then both teams simply did not allow the other to capitalize on any advantage they may have had.
For Washington the gameplan was simple, run the ball early and often and then mix in some play action. For Baltimore, the need to rely on backup QB Cody Carlson when Chris Miller was unable to go meant that they would need a huge game from Barry Foster to have a chance. That huge game did not materialize against Washington’s front seven, and that hurt the Blitz’s chances.
Washington got the game’s lone TD on a drive dominated by the run game. Barry Word, who would finish the game with 25 carries for 92 yards, gained 30 of them on this early drive. With the ball on the Baltimore 7 yard line, Don Majkowski would fake to Word’s running mate, Terry Kirby, drawing in the linebackers, and freeing up Andre Coleman on a slant which produced the first, and only, touchdown on the day. The Feds would add to that early lead one drive later, when Doug Pelfry hit from 51 yards out to give the Federals a 10-0 lead when the first quarter ended. Baltimore would spend the rest of the day trying to chip into that lead.
The two teams traded field goals most of the afternoon, with Baltimore’s defense trying desperately to keep Washington from adding another 7, while Washington just kept clamping down on the Blitz on 3rd down. Cody Carlson would be sacked 4 times, and would miss on several other key throws, completing only 9 passes on the day. By the half the Blitz had gained back only 3 points, now trailing 13-6.
The second half would not fare much better for the Blitz, or for both offenses really. Washington would see a tipped ball turn into a pick for Baltimore’s Barney Bussey and would wrangle a fumble from TE Mike Jones, but could not get more than 3 on either turnover. Washington would keep pace with their time-consuming run game,and bothclubs would put up 6 points in the second half, leading to a Federals lead of 19-12 with only 2 minutes left. A final drive by Baltimore could tie the game, if only the Blitz could muster a touchdown. They would get as far as the Washington 37, but could go no further as a 4th and 7 pass from Carlson to HB Travis Jervey was disrupted by LB Winston Moss, giving the win to Washington.
It is always interesting to see two clubs who battled for the right to make the playoffs in Week 16 end up facing each other the very next week. Portland upset Denver in Denver only a week earlier, and that win gave them the right to host the Gold in this week’s Wild Card game. The confidence gained by their road win spilled over into this week’s game and we saw a Portland squad that was ready to repeat their success. For Denver the issues that cost them the game at season’s end were not solved, and they simply did not have an answer for Portland’s star back Robert Drummond, and that inability to contain Drummond was a huge factor in this week’s result.
Drummond, the top rusher in the league, looked every bit the part as he carried the ball 23 times for 136 yards and 2 scores against a Gold defense that simply did not have an answer. That run game allowed Portland to control the clock to the tune of 39:34 minutes of possession. Add to Drummond’s success a solid 32 of 43 day for Jack Trudeau, one in which he did not turn the ball over, and what you get is a decisive win for the homestanding Portland Thunder.
After trading field goals early, Portland erased a 6-3 deficit with the first of Robert Drummond’s 2 touchdowns, a 9 yard run that saw him execute a perfect straight arm to avoid the tackle of Denver’s Anthony Tuggle. Only 4 minutes later, Drummond would cross the goal line again, this time on a dive off center from a yard out. Denver added 3 as the first half wound down, but found themselves in a 17-9 hole after 30 minutes.
The second half did not prove much better for the Gold as Portland added 7 on a Trudeau TD pass to Webster Slaughter. They would go on to add two more field goals to take a decisive 30-9 lead before Denver would get their first and only touchdown on the day. The Gold simply could not stop Portland on 3rd down, could not get the Thunder into 3rd and long, and could not generate big plays to help them come back. Mark Brunell, coming off his best season for the Gold, threw for 256, but never really threatened the Portland secondary, and with the Thunder holding a lead for most of the game, Denver could not take advantage of Portland’s usual weakness, run defense. Rashaan Salaam finished the game with only 8 carries.
So the Thunder now head off to Houston and the unenviable task of trying to replicate their success against one of the most complete and dominant teams in the league. No small challenge for Vince Tobin and his Thunder team.
1. BLACK MONDAY: The annual bloodletting at the Head Coach position once again claimed its victims, though there really were no surprises. As anticipated, the Generals and former Bengals coach Sam Wyche have parted ways. After a disastrous 4-win season that saw the Generals finish behind expansion Ohio in the division, no one was shocked to see Wyche let go.
The other switch was somewhat more unusual, but again hardly unexpected. Avoiding the Black Monday news cycle, the Oakland Invaders held a Tuesday press conference in which Coach Dick Vermeil announced that he would again be stepping away from football. This is essentially what he did with the Philadelphia Eagles, opting to take a break from the seemingly endless string of 80-100 hour weeks that being a pro head coach can require. Oakland announced immediately that they would be looking to sign a new head coach, one with experience and a winning philosophy, as soon as possible. They wished Vermeil well, recognized his past success with the Invaders, success that included a league championship in 1991, 8 playoff appearances, and 97 wins as Oakland head coach (a total record of 97-78). It is rumored that Vermeil will be joining the ABC broadcast team, working both USFL and NFL games over the course of the year.
2. UNIFORM REVEAL: Ahead of their road divisional game, the Chicago Machine added to the reveal of the new logos they would be using beginning this offseason by showing off the uniforms that the club would wear. There is a lot that is familiar in the new look, including the same maroon helmet and jersey, and the matching machine grey pants. So what is new? Well, sleeve stripes are replaced by a shoulder yoke, the pants now have a stripe pattern similar to the helmet, more complex than the single maroon stripe of past years, and a new set of pants, a maroon set, is added to the look. The club will wear their “ChiCago” wordmark on both jerseys as a small chest logo, and the new “Gear-C” will adorn both sleeves, contained within the shoulder and sleeve yoke.
The club released the look and provided both a standard uniform template and the league’s new “Player Model” which places the uniform on mannequins so that photos can reveal a more complete look for the club. Chicago becomes the first club to use this new option, but expect all clubs to do the same in future uniform reveals.
3. INJURY UPDATE: All things considered; this may be one of the healthiest series of playoff games we have seen in recent years. No clubs are missing major stars, at least not any who have been active in recent weeks. Washington probably has the biggest absence, with Joey Walters still unable to report for duty and DE Bobby Hamilton ruled out again. Their opponents, Pittsburgh had only a few “probables” on their injury report and look like they will have their full roster available.
In the other Eastern game, LB Ed Brady is doubtful for the game, as is Jacksonville tackle Antonio Davis. That is all that was reported, so again a game with two healthy clubs. Portland will face Houston without wideout Cornelius Reddick, but should be otherwise at full strength. Houston has a few players out, including LB Quentin Coryatt and TE Ron Heller.
The final match of the week has the longest injury list, with Chicago likely without LB Ron Hinkley, guard Jose Castaneda, tackle Marcus Spears, and CB Tony Collier. Arizona also has some injuries to contend with, though none are new to the club. SS Gary Richard will be out, as will CB Levon Bell. TE Terry Orr and T Kirk Lowdermilk have been out for a while now, so Arizona is not scrambling to train anyone up.
We love the divisional round. Eight teams and four games to enjoy over what is usually one of the most hotly contested weekends of football all season. This year should be no different as we have some really intriguing matchups on the docket.
Washington (4) @ Pittsburgh (1)
Saturday, July 8. 3pm ET @ Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh
The Federals, who began the year at 6-0, only to see their division lead slowly fade away, face the Maulers, who started the year 1-3 and then caught fire, winning their next 12 games and dominating the division. The Maulers have looked unstoppable along the way, but Washington did hit them hard early in the year, crushing Pittsburgh 42-3 in Week 3. Pittsburgh got a measure of revenge in Week13, winning 31-23, but they may be looking for more in this one. We have to give the advantage here to the Maulers as they have just looked so strong during one of the longest win streaks in USFL history.
Chicago (3) @ Arizona (2)
Saturday, July 8. 6:30pm ET @ Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ
This is one of those games where the home team is not the favorite because they barely won their division while the #3 seed Wild Card had a better record but could not overcome a top seeded division winner. The 12-4 Machine look a lot like the club that fought and scratched their way into the Summer Bowl last year. Once again they did it with a backup QB all year long, and they did it with a combination of ball control offense and stingy opportunistic defense. Defense is also the name of the game for the Wranglers, who have one of the worst offenses in the league, but won the Pacific due to their ability to stymie their opposition and win the field position battle. This one is not likely to be a shootout. We like Chicago because they have been winning these kinds of tight games all season long, while Arizona has been erratic, to put it mildly. The heat in Tempe might be an issue, but that may be the only advantage the Wranglers have in this one.
Philadelphia (3) @ Jacksonville (2)
Sunday, July 9. 1pm ET @ Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville
Here we see it again where the road team is the Las Vegas favorite (by 3) and comes in with the better record. A couple of late season losses dropped the Stars behind the Maulers and cost them a possible division title, but they have overall been a very solid and dependable club. Jacksonville led the Southern Division pretty much from the opening weekend. Their 4-0 start was followed by long spans of alternating wins and losses, including a 7 week span to end the year. Jacksonville did beat Philly in the Gator Bowl in Week 4, but that was a long time ago. On paper, Philadelphia looks the better team, ranked higher in both offensive and defensive categories, though the Bulls, at +22, are one of the best at turning turnovers into points, so protecting the ball will be at a premium. Turnovers can be the bugaboo of many a good club, and with the home crowd behind the Bulls, we are leaning towards an upset win for the home team in this one.
Portland (4) @ Houston (1)
Sunday, July 9. 4:30PM ET at The Astrodome in Houston, TX
How can you not pick the Gamblers in this game? They have been the class of the league all season, losing only 2 games all year. They defeated Portland in Portland in Week 10, though it was a close 24-20 victory, and they have won their last 6 since a surprise loss to Baltimore. Their offense is explosive, and their defense is also one of the toughest in the league. We like Portland’s pluck, as they fought through a rough year and had to win a road game to even make the playoffs, but pluck can only get you so far, and against Kelly, Thomas and this Houston squad, we just don’t see this as a game Portland is likely to win.