1996 USFL Divisional Playoff Weekend

While the divisional matchups did not produce any results which we would consider shockers, it certainly produced a lot of big plays. In three of four games the higher-ranked home teams held serve while out West a battle between two evenly-matched teams produced one of the closer games of the weekend. It was a week that got us a step closer to Summer Bowl 1996 and confirmed that the regular season had produced worthy contenders across the nation.

Pittsburgh had handled a road trip to Memphis, but Baltimore was a far tougher task for the Maulers. While Rozier and company used the ground game to eat away at the Showboats, the Blitz were ready and by limiting Pittsburgh to only 3 of 9 on third down the Baltimore defense maintained a healthy time of possession advantage. Combine that with 3 Pittsburgh turnovers and Baltimore got itself a pretty comfortable win.

Baltimore scored first on a Bill Brooks TD catch, and while Pittsburgh briefly had a lead after a Septien field goal and Rozier 10-yard run, by the half it was all Baltimore. The Blitz got scores form Kyle Brady, Alexander Wright and Barry Foster to take a commanding midpoint lead. Pittsburgh cut into it with a Freddie Scott score to start the second half, but it was too little as both Foster and Wright would score again to give Baltimore the 21-point win. Chris Miller threw for 292 and 4 TDs without a pick and Barry Foster’s 91 yards were enough to keep the ball away from Pittsburgh for considerable stretches. With the win the Blitz are into the Eastern Championship, a game they will host next week as the #1 seed.

The one “upset” of the week, though the line was only 2 by the start of the day as St. Louis took advantage of sloppy play from Denver to nab a win in Mile High. Denver committed 4 turnovers on the day, 2 on poor tosses from Brunell and 2 fumbles, one each from Salaam and Mark Carrier. For St. Louis the star was Amani Toomer, who caught 5 balls for 73 yards, though the Knights also made good use of Rocket Ismail, Alex Higdon and the running of Thompson and Jenkins.

Up 17-13 after three quarters, the Knights shut down Denver in the final quarter, forcing 2 three-and-outs and then a final turnover on downs on a 4th and 6 as the St. Louis defense proved it was the real reason the Knights were competing in the playoffs. Up next for this Cinderella story is the Western Conference Championship, but they would have to wait until Sunday to see if they would be hosting the Panthers or traveling to Houston.

We said Philly’s best chance was to slow the game down, play conservatively and stay close enough to possibly win it in the end, and that is exactly what they did. After Tampa Bay got on the board first with an Aikman to Shannon Baker 24-yard TD, Philadelphia’s shell defense kept Tampa out of the endzone for most of the game. In the meantime, conservative calls and short passing allowed them to crawl back to within 1 at 7-6. But, in the end the dam broke and Tampa Bay again found an opening and doubled up the score. It was Aikman to Baker for a second time, now from 14 yards out. Up by 8, and unwilling to risk Troy Aikman to the Philadelphia pass rush which had garnered 5 sacks on the day, the Bandits turned to the run, rushing Rhett 9 times in the final quarter.

Philadelphia never reached the endzone and when a Chip Lohmiller kick from 47 out went wide left, it dispirited the Stars, who never crossed midfield after that point. Tampa Bay would face Baltimore for the Eastern title, a matchup of the two top teams all season long in the up & down Eastern Conference.

We had a feeling that the Panthers-Gamblers clash might be the best game of the week, and we were not wrong. In a game not decided until the waning minutes of action, Michigan and Houston battled up and down the field for the full 60 minutes. Jim Kelly was held to only 248 yards passing and 2 scores, while Doug Flutie accounted for 299 and 2 scores as well. Tyrone Wheatley helped keep Michigan on the field with a game MVP-worthy 183 yards on 15 carries. He also accounted for 2 Panther scores on the day.

The teams traded scores all day, with Houston taking a 10-0 lead after a Thurman Thomas TD to end the first quarter. Michigan countered with Tyrone Wheatley’s first score of the game, but a Kelly to Perriman score as time ran down in the 2nd gave Houston a 17-7 halftime advantage. The 2nd half began with Michigan drawing closer on Wheatley’s 2nd scoring run. Not to be outdone, Houston again pressed their advantage, and again it was Kelly to Perriman. But, after a solid defensive stop by Michigan, the Panthers got a break as a busted coverage freed Jeff Campbell and turned a short pass play into a 42-yard score.

Now down only 3, Michigan hoped to pull ahead on their next drive, but a tipped ball at the line found the waiting hands of Houston’s Quentin Coryatt. With a short field, Kelly and the Gamblers took advantage and backup HB Keith Woodside punched it in from 2 yards out to boost the Gambler lead to 10. New Jersey would get back within 3 as Flutie hit Butch Rolle for a score with 3 minutes left to play, but after a Houston first down, New Jersey got the ball back with only 22 seconds left in the game, and it was just not enough time for them to get into field goal range. They opted instead for a Hail Mary with 2 seconds left, but the ball did not find a receiver, and so it will be Houston hosting St. Louis next week, with the winner headed to Summer Bowl 1996.

Down to 4 teams left, as #1 Seed Baltimore hosts #2 seed Tampa Bay in Memorial Stadium at 1pm on Sunday, while St. Louis at Houston matches the #3 and #1 seeds in the West. It will be a clash of top flight defenses against dynamic offenses in both matchups as the Blitz and Knights try to prove that defense wins championships while Houston and Tampa Bay lean on multifaceted and explosive offenses. Here are some things to consider this week:

• While we all expect defensive prowess from Baltimore (#1 in PPG allowed) and St. Louis (#3), we should not forget that Houston is also a solid defensive team, ranked 6th in the league in points allowed.

• It could be a tough day for Thurman Thomas on the ground as St. Louis allowed only 1,006 total rushing yards this year, but, Thomas is also a solid contributor in the passing game, which could be an issue for the St. Louis linebackers.

• Houston and Tampa Bay possess the top 2 passing attacks in the league, but St. Louis and Baltimore are in the top half of the league in rushing, so we could see a very contrasting style of offense from the teams facing each other this week.

• If it is turnovers that will decide the game, the edge definitely goes to Houston, who finished the season at +21 in the turnover/takeaway margin. The next closest was Tampa Bay at +16, while Baltimore was only +7 and St. Louis +6.

• Weather should not be a factor as Houston plays in a dome and the weather predicted for Baltimore is hot but not oppressive, with cooling winds coming in from the coast.

• Injuries also should not play a major factor, at least not injuries carried over from this week, as none of the four remaining clubs suffered any serious injury concerns in their divisional games.

So, are we changing any picks this week? Nope. We said Houston & Baltimore in Summer Bowl 1996 before the playoffs began and we are sticking with that pick. While both Tampa and St. Louis have had strong seasons, we think it will be these two who emerge victorious.

Wranglers Find their Man: The Arizona Wranglers wasted no time snagging a head coach, and they make history in doing so. With Emmitt Thomas not yet officially the head coach in Pittsburgh, the Wranglers sneak under the wire and now officially become the first USFL club with an African-American Head Coach by announcing the signing of former Oakland Raider player and LA Raider Head Coach Art Shell as the new leader of the Wrangler organization. Shell, who has served for the past year as the offensive line coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after being let go in LA, comes to the Wrangles with a reputation as a believer in hard-nosed football and a specialist in offensive line play. He is expected to bring several former Raider coaches with him, including receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff and possibly will go after former defensive line coach Gunther Cunningham, now with the Philadelphia Stars, as his new DC. Not known as a QB guru, Shell does have expertise in line play and does seem like a good fit for a potential gunslinger at QB like Jake Plummer, who is already rumored to be interested in being drafted by the Wranglers, though no one can say anything official until after the 1996 Fall NCAA season.

As for the other HC search, Atlanta is believed to be down to 2-3 finalists, including former Pittsburgh Head Coach Joe Pendry, current Green Bay Packer OC Sherm Lewis, and current Texas OC Mouse Davis. If they want to go with Pendry or Davis they could make a decision soon. A choice of Lewis could lead to a futures contract, but Lewis is locked into his job with the Packers for the 1996 season unless Green Bay opts to let him walk, which seems unlikely. With Art Shell and Emmitt Thomas already on board, would the signing of Lewis, creating a pool of 3 African-American head coaches, be the beginning of a sea change in USFL hires? There are many quality candidates out there, not the least of which is former Bulls and Oklahoma & Texas Outlaw QB Doug Williams, who has spent his post-retirement years as a coach in High School, at Navy, and with the NFL Buccaneers. He currently serves as a scout with the Buccaneers, but could be called back to coaching if the right USFL offer came in. With both the USFL and NFL looking at improving coaching ranks and the opportunities for minority coaches, the future certainly looks bright for both the leagues and former players looking to get into coaching, just as Art Shell has done.

End of an Era in DC: We said it was likely, and it came to pass. In a press conference at RFK Stadium this Wednesday, Washington Federals QB Don Majkowski made it official. He will be hanging up the cleats and the familiar green #7 Federals jersey. Majkowski played 10 seasons for the Feds, the final 8 as the undisputed starter for DC’s club. In that time he passed for 25,590 yards and 201 touchdowns. The “Majik Man” led Washington to the playoffs 5 times, including tow Atlantic Division titles and the Federals’ only league title in 1990. And while most QB’s often feel pushed out the door at the end of his career, Majkowski remained the clear starter in Washington despite the selection of Kordell Stewart in the 1995 draft. Stewart will now get his shot as the heir apparent in DC, but for fans in DC, those #7 jerseys will still be a big part of their Federal fanaticism.

Ted Hands Over the Reins: In a press conference on Tuesday, Ted Marchibroda made it official, handing over the keys to the Pittsburgh Maulers to Emmitt Thomas. Thomas joins Art Shell as the only 2 African-American coaches in the USFL, but inherits a team that has all the hallmarks of a potential playoff contender. The big issue which Thomas must immediately confront is what is in the cards for 32-year old HB Mike Rozier. Rozier, who again finished in the Top 5 of rushing leaders in the league, and who rushed for over 100 yards in both of Pittsburgh’s playoff games, hardly seems like an aging back past his prime, but 1997 would be his 14th season in the league, a mark unheard of for a back of his power and propensity to take on tacklers. With Bryant, Cribbs, and Walker all enjoying retirement, we have to wonder if Rozier still has the passion and the physical presence to come back for a 14th year. Thomas will certainly hope he does, even with Dorsey Levins looking like a solid option to replace Rozier.

FREE AGENT SURPRISES: No signings yet, as the playoffs continue, but a couple of “courtesy cuts” in the USFL as veteran players get a chance to move on. Arizona released veteran SS David Fulcher, who is hoping to sign with the NFL as they open camps. Birmingham tackle Emory Yates was considered a needed signing for the Stallions, but is now free to test the free agency waters. In Chicago, CB Derrick Burroughs at 32 was considered expendable, something he will likely contest with his play if he signs with another club. Expect Scott Zolak to also get some looks, though likely not as a fulltime starter after a pretty poor season in Chicago.

Jacksonville said goodbye to 33 year old wideout Dokie Williams and 34 year old former Gambler, CB Domingo Bryant, both seen as cap casualties for the rebuilding Bulls. New Jersey hopes to resign LB Chris Spielman, but Spielman has not taken to Knox’s style of coaching and could be looking for friendlier shores. New Jersey could also be seeing the loss of one of their top corners, as Kirby Jackson prepares to see what the market will bring for a 32 year old DB.

Oakland finds themselves in a bit of cap pressure as well, and the first major casualty is veteran LB Ron Rivera. Rivera is the third LB to be leaving Oakland after the retirements of Ken Harvey and Randy Kirk, so I guess we all know what position the Invaders and Jim Mora will be shopping for this offseason. Orlando has released one of their former NFL signings, LB Duane Bickett, who at 25, still has a lot to offer a team with a bit more cap space. Texas is hoping they can resign DE John Bosa, but to do so they have to make some moves, the first of which was to cut tackle Troy Auzene. Kelly Stouffer cannot be happy about that. QB Mike Shula is also going to be looking for another home after Texas becomes the 3rd USFL team to cut him loose. Finally, in Washington, SS Louis Oliver has refused the latest offer from ownership and could be headed elsewhere, while LB Donta Jones is also hoping for a major payday.