Two weeks left in the regular season and things are heating up. Only 1 team, the Michigan Panthers, were able to add themselves to the playoff pool this week, and after this week we still have 7 teams battling for 3 playoff spots, including 5 teams in the East who could still nab a Wild Card. Tampa wins their 6th in a row, while Philly seems to be struggling down the stretch. Houston regains their hold on the top seed out west, while Denver stays in the hunt. Pittsburgh finds a way to win despite Bosco having to sit one out, and in Orlando the New Jersey Generals refuse to go gently into the night. Memphis upends Baltimore as the Blitz seem to be coasting perhaps a bit too much towards that #1 seed. It all happened in Week 15 of the USFL season, and here is how it went down.
It is hard to be at the top, a lesson St. Louis learned this week as they took up the mantle as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Their first task was to go to Pontiac to face the Michigan Panthers in the SilverDome, and predictably, Michigan was not ready to bow to the crown. The Panther, led by a plucky Doug Flutie, bedeviled the Knight defense, avoided turnovers, and converted on 3rd downs to not only hang with the Knights, but to knock them off their perch as the conference’s top seed.
Home Field advantage helped spur the Panthers to an early lead as the Michigan crowd was loud and engaged as the game began. Michigan shut down Todd Collins on the Knights’ first possession and then the Michigan O proceeded to “matriculate the ball down the field” in the famous words of Hank Stram. They held onto the ball for 10:22 and 16 plays on their way to a short TD catch from Weegie Thompson, who would finish the day with 110 yards and 9 receptions. On their next possession, after yet another St. Louis 3-and-out, the Panthers would add 3 more to go up 10-0 after 1 period.
St. Louis would turn the tide a bit in the second half as their offense finally got some positive plays. They opened with a field goal on a short drive following a shanked Michigan punt, and then, after nearly picking off Flutie on a 3rd and 7, they took the ball on their own 22 and drove down the field, mixing runs from Alfred Jenkins with passes by Collins to Alex Higdon and Greg Scales until they found themselves on the Panther 7 yard line. Giving the ball not to Jenkins, but to big Craig Hayward, who has been seeing more time at HB with the injury to Darrell Thopmson, Hayward, rumbled into the endzone for the tying score.
With time running down in the 2nd quarter, Michigan had an answer, moving the ball into range for Brad Daluiso, and the home team went into the locker room with a 3-point lead at the half. They would come out and again build the lead to 10 thanks to a beautiful catch by Muhsin Muhamad on a 3rd and 13 that kept the drive alive. Flutie would repay Muhammad 3 plays later, hitting him for the score on a corner route.
Down 20-10, St. Louis still struggled on offense, but their special teams and defense found ways to help the cause. After a beautifully played punt gave Michigan a 1st and 10 on their own 2 yard line, St. Louis used a run blitz on first down to stuff the Panthers on the 1, and then blitzed a second time, nearly nabbing Flutie in the end zone, but just as well, drawing a holding call which provided St. Louis with 2 points and the ball.
The Knights would garner another Cole Ford field goal at the end of their post-safety possession, and now trailed Michigan by 5. When Daluiso connected from 33 yards out on Michigan’s next possession, it was an 8-point lead for the home team, with about 6 minutes left to play. St. Louis would need a touchdown and the 2-point PAT to equalize. Collins moved the Knights down the field efficiently, despite a pair of penalties (2 of the 8 on the day for the Knights) which forced the Knights to overcome a 1st and 15 and a 2nd and 20 on the drive. They would eventually punch it in when Collins hit Hayward on a swing pass from 2 yards out to pull within 2. But, with Hayward limping off the field after the play, they could not count on a 2 yard plunge to tie the game. Instead Coach Johnson called on Collins to bootleg out to the right and try to find Alex Higdon crossing in the endzone. Higdon was in position, but a missed block by 2nd TE Scales gave Bryce Paup an angle on Collins, and just as Collins released the ball, he collided with Paup, sending the ball fluttering outside the grasp of Higdon.
The Knights fell in Michigan, and that loss dropped them all the way from 1st in the conference to 4th and a Wild Card with a play-in game, dropping below both Houston and Michigan in the division. Now the Knights need to win when they host Chicago this weekend, and they need help, from New Orleans (hosting Houston) and Texas (hosting Michigan) if they want to find themselves back atop the division and the conference. For the Panthers, the win assured them a playoff spot, and a win will get them a bye week as the #3 seed, but if they also get help from the Breakers, and a Houston loss, Michigan could claim first in the division and perhaps the entire conference. A good place to be for Flutie and the Panthers, who are playing some of their best ball right now.
NOR 17 CHI 22
The other real nail biter this week was in Chicago, where the Machine refuse to give up on a potential playoff run. Chicago has won 3 in a row since Coach Schottenheimer subbed McGwire for Scott Zolak, and in this week’s game McGwire did just enough to knock off the Breakers and tighten up the hunt for the final Wild Card in the West. Chicago limited Terrell Davis to 46 yards rushing and picked off Jamie Martin twice, putting the Breakers’ season on the edge and keeping the Machine alive into Week 16.
TEX 7 HOU 40
The Gamblers did not mess around and by the end of the day they once again were sitting pretty atop the conference. Jim Kelly surpassed 5,000 yards passing and threw 2 more touchdowns on his way to an easy victory. Thurman Thomas chipped in 74 yards on the ground, another 46 in the air, and 3 scores as Houston rolled over the “playing out the string” Outlaws.
POR 20 ARZ 30
What happened to the Thunder this year? They have just not been able to get a streak going, losing to Arizona in Tempe and giving Trent Green his best game to date. Green’s 323 yards and 3 TDs garnered him Offensive POTW honors and Courtney Hawkins had himself a game, scoring 3 times on 9 receptions. Robert Drummond was the lone bright spot for Portland, who fall out of playoff contention with the loss.
OAK 23 DEN 29 OT
Oakland took the Gold to overtime before a Rashaan Salaam TD run ended the game and moved Denver to 10-5 on the season. Bobby Hebert looked like his old self, going 30 of 41 or 252 and 2 scores on the day, and the Invaders actually showed some defensive grit as well, holding off the Gold to get the game into overtime, but in the end the better team got the W.
SEA 14 LA 21
Brent Pease returned and hit his favorite target Mike Pritchard for 3 TDs and 120 yards receiving as the Express outdueled the Dragons. Marcus Allen also looked good against the Dragon D, rushing for 71 yards on only 9 carries. The win assures that LA, along with Ohio and Seattle will have won more games in 1996 than 1995, a statement that shows that despite their difficulties, there can still be optimism in these expansion cities.
PHI 13 ATL 15
The Fire, not wanting to miss out on the optimism, pulled off a huge upset on Sunday by knocking off the Philadelphia Stars. A sparse crowd of just under 12,000 were on hand to watch the Fire play some pretty solid defense on a hot, muggy afternoon. The Stars were limited to only 270 total yards as Chuck Long threw two picks and Charlie Garner had to leave the game early with a hamstring injury. For Atlanta, this marks their 4th win of the year, which may not be enough to save Coach Reeves from Black Friday.
PIT 34 BIR 20
The Maulers continue to find ways to win despite having to resort to John Fourcade with Robbie Bosco unable to go. Fourcade responded with one of his best performances against an admittedly iffy Stallion defense. Fourcade went 29 of 38 for 295 yards and tossed 3 TDs on the day as Pittsburgh put themselves right in the thick of the playoff hunt and guaranteed the Stallions a losing season.
JAX 20 WSH 7
Jacksonville played spoilers, seriously hurting Washington’s hopes for a Wild Card spot with a convincing win. The Bulls picked off Don Majkowski 4 times and got enough offense from HBs Jamie Morris and Marquette Smith to keep the Feds at bay. Dokie Williams was another big part of the story as he caught 7 balls for 101 yards and both Bulls touchdowns.
BAL 13 MEM 16
Baltimore cannot be happy about the recent lack of energy from their squad, losing 2 in a row as the season winds down. Barry Foster was dinged up in the game and could miss the season finale, and Chris Miller made a few too many mistakes as Memphis, under interim coach Cam Cameron got a much needed win to stay alive in the playoff race. The Showboats still need help to lock up a Wild Card, but they are playing good ball right now.
NJ 24 ORL 17
Another shocker as lifeless New Jersey got the better of an Orlando squad that was fighting for a playoff spot. Tommy Maddox got some help as Bam Morris returned from injury and rushed for 42 yards on only 7 carries. The New Jersey defense did the rest, holding Orlando out of the endzone on 2 key drives late to secure a rare Generals win. With the loss, Orlando now falls out of the 4th position and finds itself in a 3 way tie for 2 spots, with Pittsburgh having the tiebreaker and Memphis showing a lot of fight as well.
OHI 3 TBY 42
The Bandits wrapped up the Southern Division Crown in style, crushing an impotent Ohio Glory squad, outgaining the Glory 527 to 152 on the day. With Rickey Foggie at QB the Glory simply had nothing going. Even Joey Galloway was hamstrung, gaining only 48 yards in the air and likely killing any hope that he would match Eric Truvillion’s league record for receiving yards. Seems only fitting that it would be Truvillion’s Bandits that would crush that dream. Troy Aikman passed for 3 scores and Errict Rhett had his best game of the year with 125 yards as the Bandits locked up a bye and a home game in the Divisionals.
COACHING CHANGE: Nope, not a late season firing, though there certainly are fan groups calling for a few of those. This is a transition, not a restart. Coach Ted Marchibroda confirmed rumors out of Pittsburgh that he will be stepping down at the end of this season. With Pittsburgh making a late surge and very likely to be a contender, Marchibroda confirmed that win or lose, the defending Summer Bowl Champs will have a new head coach in 1997. That coach has already been named as Pittsburgh, seeking continuity with the very successful current squad, has already revealed that for the 1997 season their defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas would be named the Head Coach. Thomas has helped Pittsburgh become a solid defensive squad, currently #6 against the run, but has also taken heat for some of the team’s woes against the pass. While an uncontroversial pick in many senses, the former KC Chief cornerback, will be one of the first African-American coaches in the USFL, and the first to coach in Pittsburgh.
ROZIER TO GO AS WELL?: Last season, after winning the title, many felt certain that Mike Rozier would call it a career while on top. He did not, returning this year. After suffering a few minor injuries this year, Rozier returned this week and a decent week helped him return to the Top 5 In rushing yards after slowly dropping on the list. He will likely finish Top 5 once again, and may help spur the Maulers on in the playoffs. But with his good friend and QB Alan Risher retiring, and now a new head coach on the horizon, will this be the tipping point that sends the 32 year old back into retirement. We could be looking at a very different Mauler squad next year without Marchibroda, Risher or Rozier.
PASSING FANCY: The USFL has been a passing league since its inception, but that seems never more true than this year. With 1 week left to play we already have 6 QB’s with over 4,000 yards passing, including Jim Kelly’s 5,068. Joining him on that list are Heath Shuler (4,630), Chris Chandler (4,460), Brett Favre (4,395), Bobby Hebert (4,220), and Troy Aikman (4,101). If they have even mediocre games next week we can expect Chris Miller (3,923) and Scott Mitchell (3,842) to join the club as well. That is a lot of yards on a lot of teams. Compare that to the HB position, in which we have only 6 backs over 1,000 yards, with a chance it will reach 8 if Errict Rhett and Ricky Watters have good weeks in Week 16, but only 1 back over even 1,200 (Drummond) and no chance anyone is going to be catching Herschel Walker’s 1983 record. It has become cliché that it is easier to catch balls for 1,000 yards than to tote them for the same distance. And yet, does all that passing equal wins? While Kelly and Aikman have used the passing game to lock up playoff spots, Heath Shuler has not yet gotten that far and Favre, Chandler and Hebert are already eliminated. Maybe try running the ball a bit more?
INJURY UPDATE: Focusing on teams that have to win this week, we see a few key injuries that could play a huge role in Week 16 action. Baltimore will be without Leslie Frazier, who could still be back in 2 weeks for the Divisional round after spraining an ankle in this week’s loss. Chicago will be in St. Louis this week with slim playoff hopes still alive, but with a banged up defense, as 3 starters are expected out: Darryl Talley, George Teague, and nickel back Tony Collier are all listed as doubtful or worse for this big game.
Houston will have some depth issues as 4 defenders, including starting D-linemen Michael Sinclair and Luther Ellis are expected to miss action this week. They both should be back in 2 weeks, as Houston is all but guaranteed a bye regardless of the events this weekend. Memphis listed Reggie White as Questionable for their big game this week, but you know we all expect the Minister of Defense to be there for this one. In Michigan it looks like LB Ted Johnson could be out, which will hurt the Panthers defense, while both center Frank Cornish and guard Rick Cunningham are expected to play despite nagging injuries.
New Orleans got good news as Lamar Lathon’s knee was deemed not to be a ligament or tendon issue, which puts him as probable for their final game as they hope to lock up a Wild Card. In Orlando, the concern is offensive line depth, as 3 different linemen are listed as questionable. And in Philadelphia the good news that Leon Lett should be good to go is balanced by bad news that wideout Stepfret Williams is likely out. For the Knights, the hope is that Darrell Thompson, listed as Probable, will be at least 80%, which should help their chances against Chicago’s tough run defense. Finally, Washington will go into the game with Bobby Hamilton and Tony Brackens both dinged up at DE, but both expected to play.
Here we are, only 1 week left, and so much left to be decided. Let’s start with what we know. Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Denver are division champs and will sit out the Wild Card round. Philadelphia, Houston, Michigan and St. Louis are also in the dance, though their exact positioning is uncertain. If the playoffs were to start today the final 3 teams to get in would be Pittsburgh, Orlando and New Orleans, but that is by no means guaranteed.
Who controls their own destiny going into Week 16. Well, here is what we see:
1. If the Breakers can win at home against Houston, they are in. But, the bad news is that Houston is motivated to win, because a win gets them the #1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs.
2. Pittsburgh and Orlando also have Win = In scenarios, with the Maulers hosting Ohio in what should be a relatively easy win (on paper) while Orlando has to travel to Memphis. Pittsburgh also has a bit of a leg up in that even with a loss they are likely in the dance. Only a loss plus a tie between Memphis and Orlando would remove them from contention.
3. If you read between the lines you know that this means the Renegades-Showboats game becomes a Winner Take All affair. It is possible for both to get in the playoffs, but only if they tie and somehow Ohio upends the Maulers, so we don’t see that happening.
4. Chicago needs all kinds of help to get in ahead of the Breakers. It does not look good for them on tiebreakers, but they still remain mathematically alive. Of course, having to get a win in St. Louis, with the Knights still hoping to snag the division title and a bye, is also not going to be an easy task.
5. If Houston does fall to the Breakers, the window of opportunity is there for both St. Louis and Michigan. If St. Louis wins in this scenario, they win the division. If the Knights falter the Panthers can win the division by beating Texas in San Antonio. And, if by some quirk of fate the Denver Gold lose at Seattle, then whoever wins the Central will be the conference’s #1 seed.
While most of the news this week is about on-field play and postseason scenarios, there was one announcement which makes things interesting on the business side. Portland principal owner Phil Knight, of Nike fame, has announced that he is looking to step back into a minority ownership role, and wants to sell of a significant stake in the Thunder. While it is expected that there will be several potential buyers who wish to join the Thunder ownership group, and there is no talk of relocation in this case, the reduced role for Knight is intriguing in its timing. Nike’s contract with the USFL to produce both on-field uniforms and off-field merch for the entire league is set to expire after the 1999 season.
The reduced role for Knight could open up greater competition from other firms to get in on the USFL contracts, something which could lead to reduced costs for the league, increased profits, or a combination of the two. With Champion, Starter and Adidas looking to expand their football presence, and with news that Reebok as well may take a stab at entering the team sport arena, there could be quite a bidding war for the USFL brand and the right to make a wide range of products bearing the logos and style of the league’s 24 franchises. We would not be surprised, of course, were Nike to hold onto a large portion of the market, but it also would not be a surprise with Knight no longer at the inner circle of the league, for a rival like Adidas to step up and undercut Nike’s bid when negotiations begin in late 1997. It is far too early to speculate, but this seemingly innocuous reshaping of ownership in Portland could have major ripples in league coffers in the near future.
We will all be watching the Orlando-Memphis game this week, the only true Play-In game for the postseason, but we should also be keeping our eyes on playoff positioning. Philadelphia hosts Baltimore and neither team really wants to fall yet again before the playoffs begin. Denver needs to win in Seattle to have any hope of home field advantage, and all 3 Central Division clashes, Chicago @ St. Louis, Houston @ New Orleans, and Michigan @ Texas, are huge when it comes to what the Western Conference playoffs are going to look like.
If you want cheap seats, there are also quite a few games this week that do not promise much excitement. Arizona @ Oakland is likely the last game for Ted Tollner, while LA @ Portland is hardly a high stakes matchup. In the South, Tampa will likely only play their starters for a half against Atlanta, while Jacksonville and Birmingham have only pride on the line. And in the Atlantic, Pittsburgh should have a pretty easy time of it against a demoralized and banged up Ohio Glory squad, while New Jersey will have to dig deep to face Washington in a game that no longer has any playoff significance.