Birmingham came into the season as a prohibitive favorite, but once again seem to be having difficulty finding their rhythm to start the year. After losing 2 straight to open the season a home game against a struggling expansion club seemed the perfect tonic for what ails the club, but despite getting the win in the end, this game did nothing to boost confidence in Birmingham. Seattle came close Saturday afternoon to becoming the first expansion club to win a game as they held a 21-12 advantage midway through the 4th quarter. It would take a 2-minute drill and a last second field goal to upend the Dragons as Birmingham shook off just enough rust to get the job done in the end.
Seattle seemed well on their way to a huge upset as the 14 point underdog went into the half with a 14-3 lead thanks to TD runs by Torey White and Roosevelt Potts. Potts would end up as the leading rusher with 51 yards, while Derrick Loville added 34 on 10 carries. Seattle played a time-consuming possession game, limiting Birmingham touches in the first half. Add two Stallion turnovers in the first half and the Dragons were looking good.
The 2nd half opened with a promising sign for the Stallions as Favre hit rookie HB Dino Philyaw for a quick score, but when the 2pt conversion failed, it remained 14-9. A field goal late in the quarter brought Birmingham to within 2 points at 14-12, but Seattle was not done yet. The Dragons took the ensuing kickoff and drove down to the Birmingham 12, thanks in part to two big penalties by Birmingham, an offsides on 3rd and 3, thanks to some Dave Krieg inflection at the line, and a roughing the passer 2 plays later. Seattle got what they wanted on 1st and 10 from the 12 as Roosevelt Potts took the toss wide right and just leveled a CB on his way to the endzone. Seattle was back up by 9 at 21-12.
Birmingham did not panic, we will grant them that, and with nearly a full quarter to go they had time to mount the comeback before a nervous 44,303 in Legion Field. With 8 minutes to play, Favre hit TE Walter Reeves with a 2 yard scoring strike, and it was again down to a 2 point game. Seattle struggled on their next drive, eventually failing on a 4th and 2 from the Birmingham 44 yard line. The Stallions also had a hard time moving the ball, needing 8 plays to get to the Seattle 27 yard line. With time running down they trotted on reliable vet Scott Norwood, and with 27 seconds on the clock, Norwood got the Stallions the win, but a win that is not going to instill much confidence in the Stallion faithful.
ARZ 10 CHI 19
Arizona struggled against a hard-hitting Chicago Defense on a cold, Saturday afternoon with sleet and icy rain. Chicago relied on Ricky Watters (89 yds) and short passes (TE Walls led the team with 88 yards) to earn a tough win on a tough day.
DEN 7 HOU 28
Houston’s offense got rolling early and Jim Kelly had a POTW game as the Gamblers looked solid on both sides of the ball. Thurman Thomas contributed 83 yards passing but was held to only 47 on the ground by the Denver D.
LA 24 MGN 21
The first expansion win of the season was an unexpected one as LA snuck up on the Panthers in the Silverdome. Brent Pease threw for 3 scores as the Express held their own in all three phases of the game.
OAK 21 NOR 31
Bobby Hebert was held to only 16 of 31 as the New Orleans defense mixed zones and man coverage effectively all game. The Breakers also got solid days from all 3 HB’s they used, Pegram, Mayes, and rookie Terrell Davis.
POR 24 STL 20
The Knights were game at home, but David Archer threw 4 interceptions that sunk their chances. Add in 146 yards from Robert Drummond and it was enough for Portland to move to 3-0 atop the Pacific.
ATL 10 TEX 30
Texas’s Run & Shoot ran over and shot up the Atlanta defense. The stars came out in Texas as Cobb rushed for 123 and a score and Metcalf caught 9 balls for an equal 123 and a TD of his own.
BAL 23 NJ 10
Baltimore showed that their defense could handle the Generals, especially after Herschel Walker left the game with what appears to be a broken jaw. Rookie Kyle Brady showed some moves for the Blitz as he caught 4 balls for 91 yards, including a 68-yarder to open the game up.
OHI 20 PHI 31
The Glory had some success against the vaunted Philly D, but in the end Philadelphia had more than enough to secure the win. Chuck Long threw 3 interceptions against the Ohio D, but also found his own receivers for 2 late scores to help secure the win for the home team.
PIT 3 WSH 42
Either the Federals are really good or Pittsburgh is having issue. Maybe a bit of both. Don Majkowski threw for 3 scores, and Herman Moore brought in 113 yards and score, but the story was Pittsburgh’s absolute inability to get any offense going. Mike Rozier had 15 carries but gained a stunning 8 yards on the day against the front 7 of the Federals.
JAX 20 MEM 17
After two straight wins against expansion clubs, Jacksonville got a bit more respect this week by knocking off the Showboats in Memphis. On a rainy afternoon, Natrone Means and his 98 yards rushing helped the Bulls edge Memphis.
ORL 10 TBY 34
Errict Rhett reminded everyone why he was USFL Rookie of the Year last year with a 105 yard, 2 TD day against the Renegades. Eric Truvillion also had a strong day with 5 catches for 93 yards and a score.
1. INJURY UPDATE: Injuries may be the top story of the week as several teams lost key players, though fortunately we are looking at 1-2 weeks out for most of the injured stars. New Jersey will be without Walker at HB for at least 2 weeks as he had to have his jaw wired shut after fracturing the bone early in the Baltimore game. Jacksonville and Baltimore may also be shorthanded in the backfield at least next week as Jamie Morris and Barry Foster are both likely out. New Orleans got the win but may have lost Timm Rosenbach for 1-2 weeks. Pittsburgh’s Alan Risher is also questionable after suffering a shoulder injury in the game this week. The more long lasting injury concerns were all for USFL defenses, with Chicago LB Mark Munford likely out for the year with a broken hip, Ohio DE Larry Roberts also dealing with a hip injury that could cost him up to 10 weeks, Arizona DT Sean lee expected to miss 2 months, and Generals CB Kirby Jackson out up to 3 weeks with a neck injury.
2. GROUND GAINS: Our second story of the week is the apparent early season rebound of the run game in the USFL offensive strategy. Big games from halfbacks have been important factors in the success of several clubs, not the least of which is Portland, relying on Robert Drummond to get the job done. In Michigan, rookie Tyrone Wheatley has over 250 yards in his first 3 games in the league. Others finding early season success include Philly’s Charlie Garner (2nd in the league with 274 yards), the heir apparent for Kelvin Bryant, Tampa’s Errict Rhett, and Texas’s Reggie Cobb. In Chicago, Ricky Watters, who struggled in his first 3 seasons, seems to be on an upward trajectory, gaining 1,042 yards last season and is on pace for more this year, with 227 yards after 3 games.
3. FEDERAL POWER: It seems the league needs to be concerned about the resurgence of the Washington Federals. After a rough 1994, Washington looks to be playing some excellent ball to start the year. They are currently 2nd in the league in scoring with 95 points in 3 games, and 2nd as well in points allowed, a paltry 33 in 3 games, that is an average score of 33-11, which has to scare the rest of the Eastern Conference. Another team to keep an eye out for are the 3-0 Portland Thunder. Yes, they are solid on offense, which we all expected, but after 3 weeks they are 3rd in scoring defense, which is the area the Thunder usually failed miserably at. Seems the hire of Vince Tobin as their new head coach has already begun to pay dividends for the Thunder D.
4. STALLION STUMBLES: If you want an answer for why Birmingham has started the year looking shaky, just take a gander at the turnover margin stat, where the Stallions are already at negative 6. Nine turnovers, including 7 interceptions from Brett Favre, are the main culprit, a pace of turnovers the defense cannot match with its takeaways. It also does not help that Birmingham just does not seem to have a reliable run game, forcing Favre to play “hero ball” to get wins. The Stallions have only 85 yards rushing after 3 games, which amazingly is not last in the league (Atlanta has been horrid, with only 70 yards in 3 games.) For the Stallions to turn the ship around, they will need to find a run game to complement Favre and Favre is going to have to make smarter decisions.
News from Baltimore as the city council has rejected the proposed public-private financing for a harborside stadium for the Blitz. While not entirely unexpected, the loss still hurts the Blitz’s long term future in Baltimore.
Memorial Stadium is desperately in need of updates if it is going to remain a viable option into the next century, and while fans love Camden Yard downtown, the cost of a new stadium for the Blitz seems more than the cash-strapped city can justify. Unlike cities such as LA, Houston, or Tampa, where the NFL and USFL have worked together to offer more municipal-friendly financing plans, Baltimore does not have an NFL partner to help spread the cost. The city, once a bastion of NFL support when the Colts were a dominant club in the Unitas years, now seems to have resigned itself to defeat in trying to attract a club. The expansion bid failed to garner much support with the fall league, as the NFL opted for growth markets in the South (Charlotte and Nashville).
So, what can the Blitz do? They can try to work with the city to get some much-needed updates to Memorial Stadium, or start looking for another local option, perhaps as far away as the U. of Maryland, which is actually closer to DC than Baltimore. And with several cities missing out on USFL expansion, you know the pressure will be on the Blitz to at least consider the option to relocate once again. It is a tough bind for a city that has seen a lot of hard times, and which simply does not have the will or the wallet to invest in a new stadium for their USFL franchise.
Let’s take a look at our 0-3 teams, desperate for a win this weekend. Seattle came close last week and now they head home to Husky Stadium where the Generals come in without Walker. Ohio is on the road again, and they will get their shot at the Stallions in Birmingham. Memphis could not handle Jacksonville last week, but they have a shaky Pittsburgh team coming to the Liberty Bowl this week. St. Louis has a much tougher task, heading up to rival Chicago to face the Machine. And finally, the hard luck Atlanta Fire have just had a tough start with a lot of quality foes to start the season. That continues as they head to Oakland to face the Invaders.
The best game of the week? That is a tough call but we are going with a battle of 3-0 clubs as Philly heads down to Jacksonville to face the Bulls. Baltimore @ Tampa Bay and 3-0 Portland in Arizona is also one to catch. Other games this week include LA @ Denver, Texas @ New Orleans, Michigan @ Houston, and the white hot Washington Federals in Orlando.