(Hi all, before we get started a quick update. I have worked up a new uniform presentation template based on uniforms being revealed on mannequins. I will eventually (hopefully over Thanksgiving) update the entire "Teams" page and add these there, but if you want to see them as I work on them, head over to Sportslogos.net, the best sports design website I know. In the Concepts forum you will see these posted in a "USFL Tweaks" thread.)
The Jacksonville Bulls have to be the most nervous 2-0 team in football history. Sure, they came away with another win this week, but for the second straight week they faced an expansion club and nearly lost. The Bulls defense seems to be having real issues and while Bulls fans have to be overjoyed by the play of new QB Chris Chandler, beating LA and Ohio by the slim margins they have been able to pull out cannot make them feel good.
Ohio came into this game with a desire to get their running game on track, and that is exactly what they did, with Vince Workman rushing for 120 yards and 3 scores against a Bulls defense that simply did not have an answer. Jeff Hostetler used the play action game to his advantage as well, at least until a late game injury took him out. And that may have been the only thing that saved Jacksonville. Dave Brown came on in relief and while he completed 5 of 8 pass attempts, he also threw a poor interception that helped Jacksonville come back.
For their part the Bulls relied almost entirely on Chandler, who threw the ball 42 times, completing 27 and gaining an even 400 yards in the air. Natrone Means found only modest success on the ground, rushing for 50 yards on 14 carries. The two outside receivers for the Bulls were key as both Blades and Dokie Williams went over 100 yards receiving. Even rookie Kez McCorvey got into the action, catching 4 balls for 57 yards.
And yet, despite their offensive success, once again it came down to a last minute play. After a late Brown to Byner TD pas gave Ohio a 34-33 lead with 1:37 left, Chandler once again had to try to pull a miracle out of his hat. Once again he did, though perhaps not as dramatic as last week’s 75 yd TD, Chandler guided the Bulls down the field and eventually found Dokie Williams for a score, adding on a 2pt PAT to win by 7.
So, the big question in Jacksonville is what happens next, as the Bulls start to face non-expansion teams? Will their offense continue to pull out games? Can their defense show some backbone? Is 2-0 a good thing even if the way you got there is a bit dubious? Sure, but week 3 may tell us a lot about the Bulls and their future this season.
SEA 0 BAL 26
The Blitz defense shuts down the Dragons, and 100 yards rushing from Derrick Fenner gives Baltimore the win.
BIR 29 NJ 37
Herschel Walker’s 102 yards and 3 TDs help New Jersey outpace the Stallions, sending Birmingham to 0-2.
MEM 23 PHI 26
Despite 3 TDs from Mike Kelley the Philadelphia Stars do just enough to eke out a home win against a fired up Memphis squad.
ORL 45 PIT 21
Orlando’s offense finds its rhythm as Scott Mitchell throws for 265 ad 2 scores, and the ‘Gades get a surprising 100 yard day from Todd Fowler.
TBY 20 WSH 29
Barry Word rushes for 123 and Don Majkowski hits on 2 TDs as the Federals move to 2-0 against Tampa.
CHI 3 HOU 38
Chicago comes out flat and Jim Kelly makes them pay. 3 TDs from Kelly and 120 on the ground from Thomas help Houston blow past their division rivals.
MGN 16 NOR 3
Michigan’s defense was ready for the Breakers, and rookie Tyrone Wheatley had a huge game, rushing for 147 against New Orleans.
STL 7 TEX 28
The Outlaws get the W at home thanks to 3 TDs form Kelly Stouffer, all 3 to their star receiver Eric Metcalf.
ARZ 16 DEN 7
A slugfest played in about 2” of snow, the Wranglers get just enough for Mick Luckhurst to find the goalposts 3 times and secure the road win.
LA 8 POR 16
The Express and Thunder did what no one expected, played a tough defensive match. The rain helped that cause, but so did aggressive blitzing by both clubs.
OAK 44 ATL 14
Oakland looked every bit a Summer Bowl favorite as the rolled over the expansion Atlanta Fire. Hebert found Duper twice for scores, 2 of his 3 on the day.
1. GROWING PAINS: Two weeks in and we are still waiting on our first expansion club win as all 4 fall once again. Ohio showed some spirit, putting up 34 on the Bulls, and LA came close in rainy Portland, but so far no luck for our four new franchises. The inability to run the ball seems a common thread for the 4 as only Ohio’s Vince Workman gained more than 30 yards on the ground for their club.
2. NEW QB'S: New QB’s seem all the rage right now, with Chris Chandler leading the league in passing yards, followed closely by Brent Pease. Scott Mitchell also jumped into the Top 5 in QBR with a very strong outing this week. Who is not looking good early on? Well Dave Krieg sits at only 63.3 in QBR, with Scott Zolak and Mark Brunell not doing much better. Among starters, Jim Kelly is trailing all others with only a 50% completion rate on the season. Cliff Stoudt has also struggled in Atlanta, but don’t expect to see the Fire trot out Eric Zeier, not until they figure out their front line protection.
3. ROOKIE HB'S SHINE: If anything is going to turn fans in Michigan around about the Marcus Allen trade, it might be the difference between his production and that of rookie Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley has 204 yards rushing and a 5.1 yard average, among the league leaders, while Allen, trying to find his footing with the expansion Express has only 27 yards on 7 carries after two weeks. Even if their line is still in flux, it is hard to understand the lack of carries for the former USC back. Another rookie back looking good early is Rashaan Salaam, who is averaging 4.1 yards per carry after 2 weeks, though he has yet to find paydirt with 0 TDs.
4. CAUSE FOR CONCERN?: It is way too early to panic, but sitting at 0-2 is not helping the nerves in New Orleans, Memphis or Birmingham. Of course the Stallions started off 0-2 last year and then won 12 of 14 games the rest of the way, so it is not yet time to scrap it all and play for next year. By the same token, Portland has to refrain from feeling too good about being 2-0, and the same for Jacksonville, who have played 2 expansion teams (and given up a lot of yards and points to both). We will see if the Bulls are actually any good as they face the Showboats in Memphis this weekend.
5. A TOUGH BREAK: A rough day for Coach Rutigliano in Washington despite the Feds big win over Tampa Bay. On a routine 2nd and 4 run, Tampa’s Kevin Mitchell undercut Washington HB Barry Word on the sideline, sending Word rolling right into the legs of the league’s oldest Head Coach. Rutigliano went down and had to be carted to the locker room. The diagnosis? A break in the tibia of his left leg. After a couple of days in the hospital, Rutigliano could be seen wheeling around the Federals offices, and expects to be present for the game on Sunday against the Maulers, but rather than prowling the sidelines, he will be in the booth and it will be defensive coordinator Rusty Tillman will be the main man on the sidelines.
Last week we reported about stadium deals in the works, or at least hopefully in the works. This week we look at endorsements. The USFL has steadily increased their corporate partnerships over the years, but this week they announced a big one. Domino’s Pizza has signed on the dotted line and will be a major sponsor for the league. That is great, certainly for the league, but it puts a couple of players in an awkward position. QB Jim Kelly has been a spokesman for Pizza Hut for the past 3 years. In LA Marcus Allen had just signed a deal with Godfather’s pizza this offseason. Both should still be able to continue pitching their pizza, but there won’t be any footage of league games or use of uniforms or logos to accompany their pitches as Domino’s will have the exclusive rights to use USFL clips, logos, and identities as part of their campaigns.
With Domino’s on board, we have nearly all the major categories of corporate partnership in place. Here’s the rundown:
Automobiles: GMC
Trucks: Dodge Ram
Soda: Pepsi-Cola
Fast Food: Burger King, Arby’s and, regionally, Bojangle’s Fried Chicken
Airlines: Delta
Beer: The Miller family
Insurance: State Farm
Retail: K-Mart
Foodstuffs: Nabisco, Frito-Lay (through Pepsico), and Dunkin’ Donuts
About all that is missing is the official feminine hygiene product and the official weedkiller of the USFL. Thus is the way of big time football these days.
Another week, another list of players taken down by injuries. Oakland was dealt a blow as backup QB Cary Conklin was injured on, of all things, a field goal try. Conklin was all but stampeded by an Atlanta defender trying to get a block. The result was a torn ACL, and a quick trip to the IR, taking him out for the season. With Mike Pawlawski as the next up, Oakland has opted to sign a veteran, longstanding USFL backu Glen Carano is back for one more try, now likely as the 3rd QB in Oakland.
Arizona also suffered a couple of hits as guard Todd Kalis and DT Sean Lee both are likely to be out for 1-2 months after sustaining injuries this week (leg and groin, respectively). LA will be without DE Antonio Edwards, thanks to a sprained knee, and veteran DT Mike Golic will be sidelined at least 1-2 weeks with a calf injury. Tampa will be without backup John Fourcade for about the same time after he suffered a deep thigh bruise in practice this week, and Ohio will likely not get Jeff Hostetler back this week and will have to go with Dave Brown for their game against Philadelphia
Week 3 has some intriguing inter-divisional matchups. Arizona travels to Chicago in what some local broadcasters are saying could be a snow game. Denver is in the dome in Houston, Oakland heads to the Big Easy to face the Breakers, Portland is in St. Louis, and Seattle has another tough road game, this time in Birmingham.
But, as usual it is the divisional matchups that have the prime time slots. The two big games this week are Baltimore at New Jersey on Saturday Night and Jacksonville at Memphis on Sunday Night Football. Other divisional games include Ohio visiting the league Champs in Philly, Pittsburgh headed to RFK to face the Federals and Orlando in a Florida Derby with the Bandits.
The final two games this eek involve expansion clubs trying to get their first wins on the road, with the Express in Michigan against that tough Panther D, and Atlanta headed to San Antonio to face the Outlaws.
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