Week 7 had a bit of everything. A shootout in the Steel City, the end of an undefeated season, a resurgent superstar, a huge Central Division showdown, and a stunner as St. Louis wins its second in a row. Sure there were some predictable outcomes, with all 4 expansion clubs losing again, but this is still one of the most unpredictable and volatile seasons we have seen in a long time. No one can figure out what is wrong in Birmingham, or how Chicago is scratching out wins each week, and yet, there it is. Welcome to the USFL where each week is an adventure.
Two top competitors for GOTW this week as both the Chicago-Michigan and Oakland-Pittsburgh games were epics. We opted for the Maulers’ comeback on Oakland as our winner, simply because of the sheer drama of a 4th quarter rally, but if you can catch the highlights of the Chicago-Michigan overtime game, it is well worth it as well.
Oakland and Pittsburgh was a shoot out from the beginning. Both clubs found holes in the opposing defenses, and both QB’s played some lights out football as Hebert and Risher battled for 60 minutes. It started out looking like the Maulers would take this one, as they had all the early momentum, building up a 16-7 lead after 1 quarter thanks to 2 TDs from Risher (1 to Rembert and 1 to TE Mike Shaw). Oakland threw in an Hebert to Milburn TD, but was behind the 8-ball when the second quarter began.
The Invaders responded, rattling off 21 unanswered points as Hebert found Mark Duper for 2 scores and, sandwiched between those two drives, Siran Stacy scored on a juke & spin 13-yard run. After trailing by 9 after 1 quarter, the Invaders led by 11 going into the half. Pittsburgh would start to rally in the 3rd quarter. It was slow going however, and the Maulers could only muster a field goal to pull within 8 at 27-19. When Oakland added one of their own to return the lead to 11, things got desperate for the Maulers.
Pittsburgh responded, and with 5 minutes left they again added 3 off the foot of Rafael Septien to pull back to within one score. After a solid 3rd down play by the Mauler defense forced Oakland to kick the ball away with just over 2 minutes left, the pressure was on Alan Risher to drive the Maulers down the field. Risher’s response was immediate, as he found Mike Shaw on a seam route that ended up going for 44 yards on the Maulers’ first play from scrimmage. They found themselves already deep in Oakland territory after that first play. Cap Boso then caught a ball for 8, Rozier ran for 3, Risher hit FB Ron Wolfley for 9 and then Boso again for 6, first and goal at the 9. 27 seconds left to play and first and goal. Risher went immediately to the fade route, and fond Raynard Brown in the corner of the endzone, Touchdown!! Pittsburgh was within 2 and on the PAT they went to their bread and butter, tossing the ball wide to Rozier, who finished the day with only 56 yards on the ground, but got the 2 he needed on this play to tie things up at 30. Into overtime for these two tired but determined clubs.
Oakland would get the ball first, but a huge sack from Harry Colon on 3rd down forced them to punt it right back to Pittsburgh. The Maulers had the momentum and they made use of it, driving the ball into field goal range, thanks in part to two big receptions by Louis Lipps. When a 3rd and 10 proved too much for the Maulers to convert, they trotted out Rafael Septien to attempt a 55 yarder for the win. The ball barely crossed over the bar, but it was good and a jubilant Steel City crowd erupted in cheers as the Maulers got the win, improved their record to 4-3 and found themselves right back in the thick of the playoff hunt, 2 games behind Washington. For Oakland it was a tough loss, one that saw Hebert throw for 352 and 3 scores, but in the end it was not enough. They return to Oakland also at 4-3 and now a game behind Portland in the tight Pacific division.
CHI 33 MGN 27 OT
In another overtime thriller, Chicago, led by backup Dan McGwire, got the win on an OT TD run by Ricky Watters after a late John Carney field goal had tied them up with the homestanding Panthers. McGwire finished the day with 368 yards and 3 scores, and Ricky Watters kept pace with potential Rookie of the Year Tyrone Wheatley 105 yards yards to Wheatley’s 108. A huge divisional win for the Machine as they keep pace with Houston at 6-1.
HOU 30 TEX 17
Houston arrived at 6-1 with a big road win in San Antonio against the rival Outlaws. Jim Kelly threw for 361 and 2 TD, including a beautiful out & up by Ricky Proehl for 30 yards to break open a 16-10 game. Texas got 103 yards from Reggie Cobb, but 7 penalties and a 4 for 14 conversion rate on 3rd down kept them from keeping pace with Houston.
NOR 14 STL 27
Where did these Knights come from? Not only did rookie Todd Collins complete 72% of his passes with the team’s short passing game, but HB Darrell Thompson had a solid 72 yards rushing as well as St. Louis shocked the Breakers, snapping their 4-game win streak. Despite 78 yards from Erric Pegram and a solid 28 of 36 day from Jamie Martin, the Brekers were stymied on several drives by a combination of penalties and missed 3rd down conversions as St. Louis wins its second in a row.
BIR 21 TBY 24
John Fourcade had his best outing as a Bandit and the Tampa defense did just enough to upend the Stallions despite 3 Brett Favre TD’s. With the Stallions D selling out to contain Errict Rhett (12 carries for 20 yards) it was all up to Fourcade. The veteran backup connected with Robert Brooks for 2 scores to pace the Bandits, the final toss, a 33-yard TD strike with 3:22 left in the game, was the game winner as Tampa Bay improves to 3-4 and sends Birmingham to yet another defeat.
MEM 17 ORL 45
Orlando may be on to something as they demolish the Showboats at home in the Citrus Bowl. With Scott Mitchell tending to a sore shoulder, Craig Erickson stepped in and threw 3 TDs to pace the Renegades. Orlando benefitted from 4 interceptions of Mike Kelley as the Memphis vet had his second bad game in a row, prompting some to look at Heath Shuler on the bench and wonder when his chance will come.
ATL 0 BAL 27
While many in Atlanta wanted to see Eric Zeier get the start, perhaps starting him off against Baltimore’s tough pass defense was not the way to go. Zeier completed only 17 of 41 pass attempts as Baltimore harassed and smothered the Atlanta offense all day. Chris Miller had a pedestrian 216 yard game, but it was enough as TD’s to Rob Moore and Oronde Gadsden more than covered what the Blitz needed for the win.
ARZ 10 NJ 26
Herschel Walker returned to form this week, rushing for 133 yards and helping the Generals upend the visiting Wranglers. The defense kept Robbie Bosco at bay with 4 sacks and the offense controlled the clock, with TE Jeff Spek leading all receivers in a slow, methodical and time-killing gameplan that relied heavily on Herschel Walker’s 24 carries.
LA 12 PHI 33
The Express found out just how tough Philadelphia’s front 7 can be, as Marcus Allen was limited to only 38 yards and Brent Pease was chased throughout the game. On offense, it was balance between the running of Charlie Garner (88 yds, 1 TD) and the short passing game of Chuck Long (25 of 35 with 2 scores) that did in the Express. Cris Carter does what he does best, scoring touchdowns, as he added 2 on the day to help pace the Stars to the win.
POR 34 WSH 19
It seems many folks saw this road win coming for the Thunder as action on Portland was heavy in Las Vegas before the game. Those bets paid off as a big day from Robert Drummond (121 yards and 2 scores) helped the Thunder upset the undefeated Federals in RFK. Portland’s upgraded defense kept the Word-Kirby combo in check (16 carries for 52 yards combined) and Portland used a ball control offense centered around Drummond to keep the Feds from the ball. It all worked out to give Washington their first loss of the year and propel Portland to first place atop the Pacific Division.
SEA 7 JAX 24
The other Northwestern club did not fare as well as the Dragons struggled on offense with David Klingler at the helm. The run game, with Roosevelt Potts sidelined, struggled to get anything going, and the defense had its own issues, allowing 131 yards rushing to the combo of Means and Morris, while Chris Chandler had a solid 272 yards and 2 TD’s on the day.
DEN 26 OHI 14
Things started off well for the Glory as they raced out to a 14-0 lead on Denver, thanks to an Ernest Byner TD run and a short scoring toss from Hostetler to Kelley, but then the wheels fell off the proverbial bus, as Denver scored the next 26 points. Mark Brunell cranked up the intensity, completed 28 of 32 passes and threw for 3 scores, all the while aided by Rashaan Salaam’s best game yet, 112 yards on 16 carries. Denver pulled away and shut down the Glory for the rest of the game to take the road win.
1. Down Goes Frazier! Washington’s first loss of the year is our top story. While no one expected the Feds to go undefeated, the way they lost to Portland may prove to be a blueprint for others. By running the ball effectively, Portland took the pressure off QB Jack Trudeau and limited the effectiveness of Washington’s front 4 to rush the passer. By controlling the clock, and focusing on limiting the run, they kept the Federals to a minimum of drives and proved effective in setting up long 3rd downs, putting pressure on Majkowski to make big plays. It is not a strategy that every team can employ, but when we look at divisional opponents like New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, all with strong run games, it could be a strategy that we see employed in key divisional games throughout the rest of the season.
2. We Traded for Who? Well, it was not the blockbuster that many in Dixie had hoped for, but Atlanta did swing a trade to acquire another running back. Just how excited Fire fans will be about NFL castoff Ricky Blake remains to be seen. The Fire sent CB Brian Mitchell to LA to acquire the little used bruiser from the Express. Blake, a small school product from Northwest Missouri, has seen action for Winnipeg in the CFL, and with both Dallas and Seattle in the NFL, but found himself without a job until signed by LA as a free agent. Blake is a big back, capable of breaking tackles, but he is hardly the big name that Atlanta fans were hoping to see. The Fire had made attempts at acquiring several backs, including Arizona’s Tim Lester, Jacksonville’s Owen Gill, and New Jersey’s Bam Morris, but were rebuffed. LA, which has focused its run game around Marcus Allen, has used Blake very little this season. He has only 14 attempts on the year to date, but may soon find himself in rotation with Bernie Parmalee and Fred McAfee as the Fire try to find some semblance of a run game to take pressure off of rookie Eric Zeier at QB.
3. Phil's Big Day: Can we just say that Phil Hansen had himself a day on Sunday. Not only did the big man garner 2 sacks to add him to the list of league leaders tied with 8 sacks on the season, but he also was in the right place at the right time when Albert Fontenot sacked Robbie Bosco, forcing the ball out and onto the ground. Hansen shook off his blocker, scooped up the ball, and rumbled 8 yards for the TD, his first career score. The North Dakota product finds himself among the leaders in the Defensive POTY chase after 7 weeks, with 8 sacks and solid play against the run. This TD might just be the highlight he needs as he finds himself in competition with Arizona’s Charles Haley, Oakland’s Ron Rivera and a pair of DB’s in Reggie Sutton (HOU) and Bruce Pickens (DEN). Of course, wins will matter quite a bit, and with so many players currently tied atop the sack leader list, if any were to break out, they might also be a frontrunner. But, that said, the former Defensive Rookie of the Year and still all-time single season sack record holder, Hansen, can point to this week and say on that day he was the best in the game.
4. Where's Marcus?: We know it is only Week 7, and we understand that the LA Express is an expansion team, but when your QB is also your leading rusher, you have a problem. And when you have a star of the quality of Marcus Allen in your backfield, and your leading rusher is still your QB, you have an issue. Brent Pease has been scrambling for his life in LA, and while he has had some success, including a 90-yard game this week, it is not what you want to build an offense around. Marcus Allen is the clear lead back, especially now that Ricky Blake has been traded, leaving only Lars Tate as an experienced backup, but his 3.6 yard average is not getting it done, and the fact that he is averaging fewer than 15 carries a game (He is around 11) is a sign that the playcalling by Head Coach Rick Neuheisel is simply not providing their star back the carries he needs to be successful. Allen has seen his numbers rise in the past 3 weeks, when he carried the ball 18 times against New Orleans and 11 against Arizona, but that is still clearly not enough. Of course, not all the blame can fall on playcalling. Penalties and lopsided scores have caused LA to have to pass more than even their former-QB-now-Head-Coach would like. A makeshift line also does not help, but until LA can find ways to get the ball into Allen’s hands, and provide him with holes to run through, the team will continue to struggle to win games.
5. Injury Update: Finally, a look at injuries this week which will impact games going forward, the good news is that this was a relatively clean week. That does not mean that all teams got off scott free, but there were no season-ending injuries and only a few that look to be costing players more than 1 game. Philadelphia will go into next week without TE Marcus Pollard, who suffered a concussion this week and is still having some side effects. Guard Joel Porter is likely out for Baltimore, as is DT John Randall, who is listed as “Doubtful” with a rib injury. Atlanta will miss one of their best players, as DE Dale Rogers is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, and Washington may keep QB Don Majkowksi out for safety’s sake after he suffered a hip pointer on an awkward slide in the loss to Portland. Potentially returning to action are St. Louis wideout Gary Clark, Portland DT Mike Golic, Birmingham WR Lawrence Dawsey, and Ohio HB Vince Workman, who jammed a toe this week, hard to do on natural turf, but that is the luck of the Glory so far this year.
Things are getting crowded in the new Carson, CA stadium of the LA Raiders and LA Express as the fledgling Major League Soccer has come to an agreement to place their LA franchise, the “Galaxy” in the stadium. In fact, there will be several USFL clubs sharing stadiums with soccer clubs once the new pro soccer league gets started. The Ohio Glory will share Ohio Stadium with a Columbus-based team. The “Metrostars” (what is it with soccer names?) will play in the Meadowlands, becoming that stadium’s 4th tenant. Tampa Bay will host a club, as will Denver’s Mile High Stadium, and Washington’s RFK Stadium. Oakland was also thought to be a potential home for an MLS club, but eventually the new league opted for San Jose. So, what does this mean for USFL clubs. Well, likely it means some scheduling difficulties as both sports tend to play on Saturdays and Sundays, and it could lead to some weird lines on the field, particularly if there are weeks when one game is played the day after another. In most cases the USFL would have precedence on dates, but the league will want to work with MLS to try to ensure that there are as few dual-sport weekends during the USFL season as possible.
Of course, new sports leagues are challenging, USFL fans know that. So while there are potential issues with shared stadia, more than likely, if MLS can survive its bumpy early seasons, having one more sports organization in a market may make it easier to get refurbishing or even new stadia approved as cities want to maximize profitability from any large project like a stadium build. As USFL and NFL clubs work to try to keep up with the Joneses on the stadium front, having one more ally could be a huge boost to their chances, especially if soccer can garner a different fanbase from American Football, thus expanding the pool of voices pushing cities to accommodate their professional sports clubs.
Week 8 is an almost entirely intra-divisional week, with 2 exceptions, both involving expansion clubs. Lot’s of key battles to be fought this week, starting in the East where we find Baltimore headed up I-95 to face the Philadelphia Stars. New Jersey travels to Pittsburgh to face the surging Maulers, and Washington is at home with Ohio visiting. In the South Orlando will try to even their record by beating the struggling Birmingham Stallions in the Citrus Bowl. Jacksonville and Tampa have a huge Florida Derby game to play in Tampa Stadium, and Memphis will host Pacific club, as the Seattle Dragons come to town.
Central Division battles are highlighted by Chicago at New Orleans. Michigan has a big game against fellow 4-3 club, Texas, and the Houston Gamblers try to avoid the upset when they travel to St. Louis. Out West it is division-leading Portland hosting the Denver Gold, while 4-3 Oakland hosts 4-3 Arizona in a big game for both clubs. And, for the first time this season we have 2 expansion clubs going at it as the Atlanta Fire try for their first win of the season against the visiting LA Express.