Kickoff weekend gave us a lot to love about the USFL. High flying O, gritty D, stars shining and a ton of big plays. The expansion clubs struggled, as expected, but showed signs that they would not be easy wins each week. One superstar had a horrible season start, while others seemed to get right back to business. It’s spring football season once again, bigger and better than ever.
Our best game of the week came on a windy Sunday afternoon at the Gator Bowl. Rick Neuheisel and the LA Express gave the homestanding Jacksonville Bulls all they could handle but one huge error gave the Bulls the win in the end. In a game that saw two new starters at QB, both NFL import Chris Chandler and former Breakers backup Brent Pease have huge games. Chandler finished with 338 yards and 3 scores while Pease threw for 357 and ran for another 90, most of it on a 75 yard TD run that you had to see to believe.
It looked like Jackonville would have this one early as they built up a 13-0 lead over the first 20 minutes of play. Chandler hit Dokie Williams for a 64 yard TD on a busted coverage, a harbinger of an even bigger play to come. LA fought back and over the rest of the 2nd and 3rd quarters they went on a 20-0 run against the Bulls, including Brent Pease’s ridiculous 75-yard run.
But, down 7, Jacksonville woke up as Chandler hit Williams again to tie the score. They would go up 23-20 on a Stoyanovich field goal with 4:11 left, but LA was still game. They marched the ball down the field on an erratic, but eventually game-tying drive that ended with 26 seconds in the game and Doug Brien’s 56 yard field goal just edging over the cross bar. It looked like overtime was assured. But…
After a fair catch on the kickoff, Jacksonville began on their 25, and the youth and inexperience of LA’s new secondary produced one of the biggest plays of the week. Chandler started in the shotgun, looked at Williams, and drew the safety far too much to the right side of the field, leaving Steve Johnson in one-on-one coverage alone down the left sideline. Once he had a couple of steps on the corner, Chandler shifted his eyes, found Johnson, and threw a perfect deep ball. LA’s defense was out of position, their corner hung out to dry, and 75 yards later Jacksonville had a score in 1 play. It was a sign of just how tough it is to put together a new team as LA simply did not have their defense in synch, and for the Bulls it was a huge play on a big opening week in front of nearly 50,000 fans.
CHI 29 BAL 12
Ricky Watters rushed or 111 as the Machine opened on the road with a win.
HOU 13 NJ 20
Lam Jones and Herschel Walker helped New Jersey edge the Gamblers on a blustery, wet March day.
MGN 24 OHI 17
The Glory came prepared, but 10 points in the 4th for the erratic Panthers was enough to seal the win in front of 43,000 at Ohio Stadium.
NOR 15 PHI 23
The Philly D was on the Breakers all game and new starting HB Charlie Garner had a solid 88-yard day for the Stars.
STL 24 PIT 29
Despite 380 yards and 2 scores from David Archer, Pittsburgh got the win. Mike Rozier rushed for 109 and 2 TD’s to lead them.
TEX 10 WSH 24
The Federals D harassed Stouffer as the new Run & Shoot in Texas fell flat in RFK.
ARZ 33 SEA 17
Robbie Bosco threw for 3 scores and the Arizona D contained the Seattle ground game at a rain soaked Husky Stadium.
DEN 27 BIR 14
Denver had all the answers, picking off Brett Favre 4 times and getting a combined 135 from Smith and rookie Rashaan Salaam to knock off the Stallions.
OAK 30 MEM 17
The Invader line kept Reggie White off of Bobby Hebert’s back, and he threw for 4 scores against a Memphis secondary that was clearly overwhelmed.
POR 31 ORL 10
A rough start for Scott Mitchell and the Orlando offense as Portland rolls thanks to 115 yards and 2 scores from Robert Drummond.
ATL 10 TBY 20
Atlanta’s defense kept Tampa in check, but Cliff Stoudt looked rusty, throwing 2 picks as the Bandits held the Fire in check.
Five storylines we saw this week that merit attention:
5. Rookie watch: As with any new season, you want to see who came out of the gate fast. Rashaan Salaam started strong for Denver, rushing for 55 yards to help the Gold to a win. Wheatley had 57 for Michigan in a decent game as well. Kez McCorvey caught 4 for 68 yards for the Bulls, but the biggest rookie coming out party was for Atlanta CB Tyrone Poole, who tallied 8 tackles and a pick-six for Atlanta’s only TD on the day.
4. NFL Crossovers: Of the new arrivals from the NFL, the gold star has to go to Jacksonville’s Chris Chandler, who sliced and diced the LA defense for 338 yards and that last gasp TD heave. Earnest Byner only garnered 3 carries for Ohio, and Rob Moore caught 6 for 59 yards for the Blitz.
3. Hollywood Action: While the Run & Shoot did not fare well for the Outlaws, whatever LA Coach Rick Neuheisel is calling his spread formations, they seem to be working. Brent Pease had a monster day against Jacksonville, finding Mike Pritchard for 132 yards, Darnay Scott for 124, and rushing for 2 scores. So do we worry about the Bulls’ defense or do we get some popcorn and see if LA might just be on to something?
2. Injury Watch: Only Week 1 and we already have some potentially season-altering injuries. Washington LB Michael Barrow is out for the year after a pretty gruesome broken leg. Arizona wideout Kendal Smith also might be gone for the year after a major knee injury, but the biggest hit was in Birmingham, where All-League receiver Ernest Givens went out early with a neck injury which may require extensive recovery time, possibly as much as 3 months. He was able to move his extremities, which is a good sign, but was taken off the field on a back board. A rough turn for Givens and for the Stallions as a team.
1. Fire in the Belly: What is it about rookie QB’s that seems to make the veterans play so well. Last year it was Heath Shuler in Memphis that ignited strong performances from Mike Kelley, and this week it was David Archer (37/46 for 380 yards) who seemed inspired by the presence of Todd Collins on the sideline. Archer had one of his better games, despite the Knights losing to Pittsburgh, as he seems intent on holding off on what most believe is the inevitable hook in favor of the Knights’ #1 draft pick.
In off-the field news, the big hubbub this week is around stadiums. The city of Houston seems ready to negotiate with both Bud Adams (owner of the NFL Oilers) and the Gamblers on the prospect of creating a new mixed-use stadium to replace the aging Astro Dome. Plans for a retractable roof stadium, one which would allow open air football in Houston while also retaining the convention functions of the dome are under way, and with both the USFL and NFL behind the efforts, it very well could happen soon.
In LA, the structure of the new stadium to be shared by the Raiders and the Express seems to be coming together, with about 6 months before it is expected to be ready for the Raiders season. And in Tampa Bay, the Bandits and Buccaneers, who have not exactly been the closest of neighbors, seem ready to work together to bring a new stadium to the city. Our question is whether they will look to the Big Sombrero for inspiration, perhaps designing a stadium with actual fringe or a brim on it.
Finally, expect to hear soon from the city of Baltimore, which lost out on an expansion franchise for the NFL, as they debate whether a new stadium for the Blitz is an option. The city is not exactly flush with funds, and unless there is an NFL team looking to relocate, it is unlikely the Charm City will have a second tenant, so for now the Blitz continue to deal with an aging and under-monetized Memorial Stadium.
The league’s new mixed-format schedule, with divisional games being randomized a bit more, comes into effect this week as all 6 Central Division teams are in divisional matchups, as are 4 of the 6 Pacific teams. The best Week 2 mathcups come from these games as Houston hosts Chicago in a bellweather game for both clubs. Michigan is in New Orleans, and St. Louis begins its stint in the Central with a road trip to San Antonio to face the Outlaws. Arizona is in Denver in a key rivalry game, and the LA Express are again on the road, this time in Portland to face the Thunder.
In other matchups, Oakland heads to Dixie to inaugurate the Fire home season, while Ohio gets a second straight home game with the Bulls visiting. Seattle has to fly cross country to face the Blitz, while Birmingham will try to get in the game against New Jersey. It’s a defensive heavyweight fight as Memphis faces off against Philadelphia in Veterans Stadium, while Tampa heads to Washington and the Renegades are in Pittsburgh.