It was a classic battle of wills in Memphis, where the Showboats took on the Washington Federals. Both clubs entered the week needing a win. With a victory Washington would reach .500 and stay in range of the 2nd and 3rd place Atlantic clubs, while still 3 games back of undefeated Baltimore. For Memphis, moving to 4-2 gave them a chance to earn a share of first place in the South. Two motivated teams, two defenses trying to prove they still had it, and two offenses still testing out their options. What we got was a low scoring game, but not a low action game. It would take overtime to settle the game’s final score, and along the way the two clubs accounted for 800 total yards of offense and 6 turnovers in a game that had a lot more than its 16-10 final score would indicate.
For one thing we got to watch two young QB’s strut their stuff. Memphis’s Heath Shuler had a strong day, despite two picks, by throwing for 311 yards and largely frustrating Dexter Manley and the Feds’ pass rush. On the other side Kordell Stewart had himself a game, throwing for an equal 311 yards but without a pick on his stat sheet. On the ground, Washington had the better day, with Terrell Fletcher hitting the home run ball, rushing for 49 yards on only 3 carries, while Barry Word did the dirty work, rushing for 55 yards and a 4.2 YPC average.
Both clubs also spread the ball around, with Shuler hitting 8 different receivers, led by Carl Pickens and Adrian Cooper. Washington got the ball to Herman Moore for 104 yards but Stewart found 9 different receivers on the day, including 62 yards in the air for Mike Williams and 6 receptions for TE Travis McNeal. And yet, with all this offense, the two respective defenses played to a 10-10 tie after 60 minutes. Herman Moore scored the only TD for Washington in regulation, while Jeff Query got the equalizer for Memphis in the 4th quarter to lock up the game and send it to extra time.
In overtime, both clubs traded short drives, but neither got their kickers in range. On their 3rd drive, and with time running out Washington got the break they needed. On a drive that started on their own 8 yard line, the Federals rushed on 5 consecutive plays, but found themselves with a 3rd and 5 on their own 47. Kordell Stewart was chased down on the play, and appeared to get called for grounding on a late throw to avoid a sack, but the Memphis joy turned to jeers when the ref instead called DT Tony Savage for Unnecessary Roughness for a blow to Stewart’s head on the sack attempt. Boos rained down from the Liberty Bowl crowd, but the damage was done. First down for Washington on the Memphis side of the field. 4 plays later Stewart found Moore for a second time and the Feds got a walk-off TD to end the game. A bad call? Possibly. Savage definitely clocked Stewart with a forearm to the back of the head, but it was largely because Stewart was headed to the ground already and slipped lower than Savage’s swing expected. At the same time it was clear that Stewart’s attempt to avoid the sack by throwing the ball away should have constituted illegal grounding, but the call did not go Memphis’s way. The Feds had their .500 record and now Memphis slipped to 3-3 as well.
CHI 14 NOR 24
The big clash in the Central was a shot for New Orleans to lay claim as a contender, and they did just that. Jamie Martin outplayed Scott Zolak and WR Qadry Ismail had a season-best 11 receptions and a score to help New Orleans get the home win. Ricky Watters managed 105 on the ground, but the offense for Chicago just could not convert yards into points as they fell to 2-4.
HOU 27 TEX 12
Even after Jim Kelly was sidelined with a concussion in the first quarter, Texas simply could not shut down the Gambler offense. Chuck Hartlieb threw for 3 scores and Thurman Thomas contributed 89 on the ground and another 59 in the air to help Houston keep their hold over the top spot in the division.
MGN 24 STL 21
Michigan made it a sweep by the Central Division road teams as they got a Snyder pick-6 and 2 Doug Flutie TD passes to spoil the weekend in St. Louis. In another game where the starter went out early, Frank Reich got into the game after Todd Collins went down, but looked quite rusty, going 11 for 28with 3 picks as Michigan held down the Knights despite a rough game for Tyrone Wheatley (only 27 yards rushing).
ARZ 16 LA 23
The Express evened their record at 3-3 at the expense of the spiraling Wranglers. The Wranglers struggled to run the ball against the Express and Marcus Allen had his best game of the year for LA, rushing for 92 yards and 2 scores to pace the Express to a comfortable home victory. Ted Tollner has to worry that his job may be on the line if this season keeps going south.
DEN 36 POR 17
The Gold put on a show of strength in Portland, with The combo of Rashaan Salaam and Ricky Whittle accounting for 94 yards rushing, while backup Billy Joe Tolliver threw for 262 and 2 TDs. Add in a busy day for Jeff Wilkens, who kicked 5 field goals and you get a decisive Gold victory on the road.
OAK 34 SEA 22
Seattle got a better showing out of their offense, but the Invaders were just too much for them as Bobby Hebert showed his best form of the season, throwing for 4 scores, including 2 to Henry Ellard. Tim Rosenbach played well, but with the run game of the Dragons only accounting for 24 yards all day it was a lost cause. Only Eric Metcalf (11 receptions for 134 yards) seemed up to the task on the day.
OHIO 10 ATL 13
Torrential rain made this one a tough slog for both offenses. Somehow the Fire managed not to get put out as a late Zeier to Wycheck TD saved the day for the home team. Ohio struggled all day, despite Jeff Hostetler completing 72% of his throws. Two picks and a lot of penalties (9 for 70 yards) hindered the Glory all game, and the Fire came away with their 2nd win of the season.
PHI 20 BIR 25
The rain that blanketed the South this weekend did not slow down the Stars and Stallions, who combined for over 800 yards of combined yardage. But, once again an injury impacted the game, as Chuck Long threw only 1 pass before succumbing. Eric Kramer would go 21 of 45 in the rain, but it was not enough as Brett Favre tossed 2 TD’s and the combo of Alstott and Stephen Davis rushed for 96 yards to pace the Stallion offense to the needed W. Both clubs now sit at 4-2 on the year.
PIT 10 JAX 23
The Bulls handed the Maulers another loss as their D pressured QB Shane Matthews into 2 picks and hurried him all game. Rozier still got his 100 yards (102 to be exact) but Chris Chandler’s 26 of 34 day came with 2 TD passes as the Bulls held off the Maulers to snag their 3rd win.
BAL 20 ORL 17
Orlando came close to ending Baltimore’s win streak at 5 games, but a last second Charlie Baumann FG to tie the game doinked off the right upright and sank the Renegades’ chances. Baltimore relied heavily on Barry Foster, who rushed the ball 18 times for 91 yards, while Orlando continued to split carries between Kirby and Barber as the two combined for 92 yards and a score.
NJ 26 TBY 31
Generals’ QB Rob Johnson had one of his best games, throwing for 3 scores, and Bam Morris averaged 4.9 yards against the Tampa defense, but it was not enough as Errict Rhett paced the Bandits. Tampa too saw their QB go down, though Aikman’s injury appears to be minor and may not cost him another game. Kerwin Bell came in and did enough to get the Bandits the home win over the Generals. Robert Brooks caught 2 Bell TDs and helped Tampa outpace New Jersey.
Who will lead us? A week that saw a lot of nervous fans as QB’s across the schedule were knocked out of games. The good news is that for most the blows were temporary and they will be back next week. Among the lucky were Houston’s Jim Kelly, and St. Louis’s Todd Collins, both of whom enter this weekend as probable starters. A little more unsure is Denver’s Mark Brunell, who joins Majkowski on the injury list as “Questionable” to play. But, that is better than what we saw in Tampa Bay and in Philly, where both Troy Aikman and Chuck Long are expected to miss at least 1 week, perhaps two, Aikman with a shoulder concern, and long with an abdominal strain that makes any pass attempt a painful experiment.
Who Saw This Coming? Baltimore’s 6-0 start is mystifying league pundits, who each week seem to revel in picking upsets against the Blitz. Baltimore is not 1st in the league in any major category, though their 2nd ranking in both total yards allowed and passing yards allowed is pretty darn close. Their rush attack has found new life with Barry Foster among the league leaders for the first time in his career. The Blitz are doing what needs to be done each week to keep the streak going. They will have a big test this week against the Stars, but caught some good fortune in that Philly will be without Chuck Long under center. Having already knocked off Pittsburgh and Washington, Baltimore can really solidify their position with a win over the Stars.
If you are looking for stars on this Blitz squad, there are a few, but not the names you might expect. First among them is Foster, who is only averaging 3.5 YPC, but who is bludgeoning defenses. Bill Brooks is having a really strong start to the year as well, catching 41 balls for 430 yards and 3 scores in the league’s first 6 weeks. Not a record-breaking pace by any stretch, but he is consistently open when Chris Miller needs a key third down. Second on the team in receptions is Kyle Brady, whose 9.9 yards per catch translates into a lot of key first downs.
The real story however is on defense, where the Blitz are getting contributions at every level. Donnell Woolford is doing a bit of everything, leadin the team in tackles with 37 (tied with LB Tracy Rogers), but also has 2 sacks and 2 picks. DE Mike Piel is having a solid season with 5 sacks, and even William “The Refrigerator” Perry is seeing some success, having lost about 30 pounds in the offseason and seems quicker in his 11th season than at any other point in his career. Finally, we have to recognize the leadership of LB Barney Bussey. His stats are not out of this world, but his leadership as the QB of the defense is obvious and he has the ears of his entire squad. When he adjusts a called defense, the Blitz defenders follow his directives to the letter.
So Long and Good Night: While not entirely unexpected, Pittsburgh QB Alan Risher’s announcement that he will not return to the USFL and the Maulers after recovering from a season-ending injury was still a shock to fans of the club. Risher, citing the wear and tear on his body over 13 seasons (11 in the Steel City), announced that he will make his retirement from pro football official at the end of the season, but that he wanted to give the club the best chance to strategize his replacement. The extra time this early announcement gives Pittsburgh opens up more options for the club to evaluate where they are with Steve Matthews and Pat O’Hara on the roster. Pittsburgh also has Doug Nussmeier under contract, but currently on the practice squad. Do they stand pat with these three options, or do they look elsewhere? Well, there are going to be options when the 1996-1997 offseason comes around. Looking around, this is what we see as options:
Rookies expected to come out this year: If Matthews plays adequately, the Maulers may feel they can use him as a transition QB and develop a young star. So who may be coming out this year that could make their way to Pittsburgh? The most highly-touted college QB is likely Arizona State’s Jake Plummer, who has the kind of run-pass combo of skills that Ted Marchibroda has used so well with Risher. Other potential senior QBs include Florida’s Danny Wuerffel, Cal’s Pat Barnes, and local hero, Penn State’s Wally Richardson. Of course, the real question is if Tennessee QB Peyton Manning will declare after his Jr year, making him the clear #1 QB prospect in this year’s draft. Inside sources say it is unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
What about possible USFL Free Agents?: While it is too early to know which QB’s may eschew contract renegotiation and opt to play the market, we can guess a few who may be available for Mauler management to recruit. Among QB’s with tenuous relationships with their current clubs, and in the final year of their contracts, we find Arizona’s Robbie Bosco, who is not happy about being benched by Coach Tollner. We could also imagine Scott Zolak being on the market, though his season has been rough this year, coming off a season-ending injury last year. Not a good combo for the Free Agent market. What about Houston backup Chuck Hartlieb? Both he and Kelly are at the end of their contracts, and we all know Houston will want to resign Kelly. In Tampa both Troy Aikman and Kent Graham are on 1 year deals, but we expect Tampa to work hard to resign both. That leaves Texas QB Kelly Stouffer as perhaps the best prospect in the Free Agency Pool, but only if the Outlaws see another option available. Not looking like a home run prospect here.
So, the last option, signing an NFL QB away to the Spring. Right now there are no really intriguing free agents out there, but if a player is willing to jump from NFL in January to USFL in March, there are some potentially interesting free agents expected after the 1996 NFL fall season. The most intriguing is Ram and Saint veteran Jim Everett. Everett has some talent and a few years left in his body, but his style is very different from the one we have seen Marchibroda develop in Risher. Does Marchibroda have it in him to retool to fit Everett? The same could be said for Cleveland/Baltimore QB Vinny Testaverde, who is more of a classic pocket passer and not exactly swift of foot. A possible longshot, but an intriguing one is Minnesota QB Warren Moon, another pure pocket passer, but one with HOF credentials.
So what are the Maulers to do? The decision may actually have to wait until Mike Rozier’s future is determined. If the veteran HB decides to retire also, then Pittsburgh may retool to a more conservative, ground & pound offense with Dorsey Levins, and having a veteran with a gun for an arm like Moon, Testaverde or even Everett may make sense. But if they want to maintain a faster, more diverse offense, the best option may be to muscle out the Wranglers to get a shot at Jake Plummer, the hotshot gunslinger for the Sun Devils.
INJURY REPORT: We focused on the QB position earlier in the report, but, as always, QB is not the only position of importance on the field, and certainly not the only one to see some losses this week. Among the big hits this week, the harshest of all is likely the loss of Texas WR Lawyer Tillman for the year. Tillman took a hard hit on the turf this week and then caught a knee to the head. The result was a fracture in his vertebrae within his neck. Doctors report that he has feeling in all extremities, but his recovery is likely to require a long rehabilitation period.
In Philadelphia, the hits just keep coming. This week it was FS Tim Hauck who is now expected to be out for the rest of the year with an MCL tear. In Orlando it is guard Joe Onosai, thanks to a ruptured Achilles. In Birmingham the bad news is that Ernest Givens could miss up to 2 months, though there is speculation that his abdominal injury could allow him to play by week 10 or 11. Houston will be without guard John Rienstra for 2-4 weeks with a torn meniscus and Ricky Proehl is still expected to be gone several more weeks as well.
Some players upgraded to “Probable” this week include Washington tackle Ken Lanier, Portland DE Hugh Douglas, Birmingham HB Stephen Davis, Ohio tackle Romen Oben, and Oakland CB Aeneas Williams.
Another year, another spring league meeting without a lot happening. Yes, several teams were approved to add minority owners, including the Steinbrenners in Orlando. And, yes, some minor rule changes were approved, including a new penalty for “Taunting” which will be treated as a 10-yard infraction for either offense or defense, but the big stories did not happen. A new nationwide radio deal was not approved, though it likely will come up again in the Fall, a proposal to change the Defensive Pass Interference rules failed to garner adequate votes, and a decision on the 1997 alignment and schedule was postponed.
The league is taking seriously a proposal to realign the league into 6 divisions of 4 teams rather than the current four 6-team divisions. This proposal comes with another, potentially deal-breaking, tenet, to shift from a 16-week season to a 14-week option. The goal of a shortened regular season is to free up some time pre and post season to allow for greater use of the NFL-USFL transfer window without forcing teams to restructure their rosters during camp or to have the playoffs overshadowed by player departures.
The shorter season, while certainly reducing the revenue generated and forcing yet another renegotiation of TV contracts, would allow the league to begin in the first week of April and end the season a week earlier in July or August, creating larger gaps between the USFL schedule and the NFL schedule. Of course the NFL is entertaining no such ideas, but the USFL, which has suffered in recent years from poor weather in its opening weeks and sweltering heat in August playoff games (especially in the Southeast and Arizona), could seriously opt to reduce their immediate revenue stream by reducing the season in hopes of creating a healthier ecosystem and maximizing attendance at both ends of the schedule. A select committee is exploring this, but a delay on a vote until Fall or even Winter almost certainly means that 1997 will move ahead without adjustments to either the divisional alignment or the 16-game schedule.
Week 7 brings us more divisional mayhem as all 24 clubs are facing off against rivals. With the Blitz threatening to run away with the Atlantic, Philadelphia has to win to reel them back in, but doing so at Memorial Stadium will be tough. In New Jersey the Generals are going to try to get into the hunt as they face the Federals, and in Columbus, the Maulers hope to derail the Glory and get back into the playoff mix themselves. Atlanta got their 2nd win last week, and now have to take the show on the road as they visit Jacksonville. Birmingham is in Central Florida to face the Renegades and Tampa Bay hosts the Memphis Showboats, hoping to hold onto their share of the division lead.
In the Central it’s a classic Heartland rivalry as St. Louis heads up to Chicago to face the Machine. A win would get St. Louis to .500 at 3-3-1 and would put Chicago’s season in jeopardy. In Houston the Gamblers hope to have Jim Kelly back as they face the hard-charging New Orleans Breakers. Texas is on the road to face Michigan in the Silverdome with both clubs hoping to get a key divisional win. On the West Coast Portland needs to find their offense if they are going to defeat the surprising LA Express in their new home. Seattle has a tough task as they head down to the division leaders, the Denver Gold, and in Arizona, this may be the last gasp for the 1-5 Wranglers. If Oakland can win their third in a row against Arizona, the season may be over before it really began.
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