Hey, True Believers. Before we get into the action this week, a quick note that I have added a new feature to the website. We have a new page where each week I will post a poll so that you can weigh in on questions related to this Alt History USFL, the real USFL, and the new USFL 2.0 expected to begin this April. I am going with the free poll app, which limits how many options I can provide, but you are always invited to use the comment section in our blogs entries to add your thoughts as well. We kick off with a question about the new USFL 2022 and your initial impression. Enjoy.
With all 24 USFL clubs playing division rivals this week, we knew it would be a wild one. We were not disappointed. Houston and New Orleans came down to a 2 point PAT to decide it, New Jersey and Washington redefined what an overtime game could look like. Oakland reminded everyone that they are not dead yet, and Baltimore gave us yet another reason to believe. Here it is Week 7 of the USFL 1996 season.
We knew this would be a great game. New Orleans is hungry and they see a chance to wrest the division title away from the Gamblers, while Houston is still a very dangerous club and clearly will be there the entire season. This one looked like a New Orleans win from the beginning, but all came down to one key play to tie at the end.
The Breakers got off to an amazing start as Jamie Martin hit Qadry Ismail twice for scores in the first half. Martin would finish the day with only 128 yards passing, but three scores, as the Breaker offense relied on a 3-headed run game to confound Houston’s D. Second year back Terrell Davis rushed 20 times for 88 yards, and got huge assists from fullback Greg Paterra (4 for 17 yards) and backup Erric Pegram (4 carries for 56 yards).
Down 14-0 early, Houston rallied with 2 field goals to go in down by 8 at the half. New Orleans boosted the lead to 15 in the 3rd thanks to a Martin to Fontenot TD toss, but Houston had a rally in them.
The Gamblers scored late in the 3rd, a Brett Perriman TD, which brought them again back to within 8 at 21-13. After a missed Kasay field goal on their next drive, Houston needed a 2-minute drill, complete with a 2-point conversion to get them to a tie as time wound down. Thurman Thomas took over in the final 2 minutes, touching the ball 6 times on a 9 play drive. He would finish the day as the leading rusher and leading receiver with 105 on the ground and another 82 yards in the air, including a brilliant 44 yard gain on the final drive on a simple screen pass.
Houston got the TD they needed when Jim Kelly found James Pruitt in the back of the endzone, but it would come down to a successful PAT to tie the game and send it to overtime in front of a feverish 57,200 in the AstroDome. Kelly faked a quick slant to Perriman and handed to Thomas on a draw, but when Lamar Lathon clipped Thomas’s ankles behind the line of scrimmage, the PAT failed and the Breakers only had to successfully receive the onside kick and take a knee to end the game.
The win is huge for Coach Ditka and the Breakers, as it moves New Orleans to 5-2, a half game ahead of the Gamblers and all alone atop the division. While a tiebreaker is unlikely to be needed due to Houston’s tie against St. Louis, the advantage of having beaten the Gamblers in Houston is huge for the Breakers.
WSH 20 NJ 23
We almost picked this one as game of the week, because how often do you see 3 scores in overtime. After playing to a 17-17 draw in regulation in Tommy Maddox’s first start replacing Rob Johnson, New Jersey took the lead in overtime on a 50 yard Vinatieri kick. On the next possession Washington equalized on an astounding 57-yard try by Doug Pelfry, meaning the game was tied again. New Jersey took the win with only 40 seconds left in the extra period, thanks to Vinatieri once again. All this despite Kordell Stewart throwing for 408 yards.
PHI 14 BAL 30
Eric Kramer, filling in for Chuck Long, was no match for the Baltimore defense, and with Barry Foster rushing for 101 yards for the Blitz, play action became a highly effective weapon as well. The Blitz scored 30 unanswered points to put the game out of reach before a late Cris Carter TD got the Stars within 2 scores. Blitz fans are over the moon with their 7-0 start, to be sure.
PIT 10 OHI 31
The Maulers, and particularly Shane Matthews, continue to struggle with Risher gone for the year. Pittsburgh converted only 3 of 15 third downs on a day when the Ohio Glory looked good on both sides of the ball. Both Eddie George and Ernest Byner scored for Ohio in one of their biggest wins in the 2 year history of the club.
BIR 35 ORL 28
Brett Favre went off for 397 yards and 4 TDs as the Stallions needed every bit of that to knock off the Renegades in Orlando. Favre hit Cedric Tillman with the winning score in the 4th, his 3rd receiving TD of the day as he took over for an injured Ernest Givens. Scott Mitchell threw for 349 and 3 scores in a losing cause, with all 3 TDs going to Bert Emmanuel.
MEM 31 TBY 38
Kerwin Bell, subbing for the injured Troy Aikman had one of those “Good Kerwin” games, throwing for 429 yards and 4 TDs. And just as in Orlando, it was needed, as Heath Shuler also had a strong outing for the Showboats, throwing for 4 scores as well. Neither defense seemed particularly problematic on the day as the two clubs combined for just under 900 yards of offense.
ATL 3 JAX 26
The Bulls got themselves above .500 with a solid game in all phases as they limited Atlanta to 199 total yards of offense while putting up 357 themselves. An impressive 10 of 17 third down conversions and a solid run game with Means and Morris gave the Bulls the convincing win.
STL 31 CHI 24
The Knights hit .500 at 3-3-1 with a big road win against the spiraling Machine. Chicago fell to 2-5 largely due to a lack of run game as St. Louis held Rickey Watters to only 33 yards on 13 attempts. The combination of Darrell Thompson (62 yards) and Alfred Jackson (22) was enough to power St. Louis to a solid divisional road win.
TEX 23 MGN 21
Texas built up a 23-7 third quarter lead before two late Michigan TDs made it close. As in Houston it came down to a final 2-point conversion to tie, and as in Houston the Panthers failed to convert, giving Texas the 2 point margin of victory. Tyrone Wheatley did well in a losing cause, rushing for 111, but 2 Flutie picks and 3 sacks were harmful for the Panthers. Texas got 90 yards form Reggie Cobb, but it was a Stouffer to Shawn Collins TD that gave Texas the points to put them over the top.
OAK 42 ARZ 20
The Invaders have won 3 in a row and looked ready to go for more as they obliterated the usually tough Arizona defense. Bobby Hebert threw for 3 scores and both Siran Stacy and Glyn Milburn rushed for scores as the floodgates opened in the desert. Trent Green continues to struggle, throwing 2 picks and only gaining 174 in the air for the besieged Wranglers.
SEA 20 DEN 38
Mark Brunell was the picture of consistency, going 23 of 27 and connecting on 4 scoring throws to power the Gold to a divisional win against the Dragons. Rashaan Salaam also had a big day, rushing for 115 on 20 carries. Rookie TE Marco Battaglia had himself a day as well, catching 4 balls for 20 yards and 2 TDs.
POR 34 LA 24
The Portland offense finally woke up after several bad weeks as they gained a total of 434, including 174 rushing. Robert Drummond found lots of holes on his way to 155 on 19 carries and Jack Trudeau became yet another USFL QB to throw 4 TDs on the week. Brent Pease was knocked out just after the half, which meant that largely untested Jeff Garcia came in to replace him. Garcia struggled, completing only 15 of 33 passes as the Express played catchup in the 2nd half.
Oakland Rising: I guess we lit a fire under the Oakland Invaders with our critiques a few weeks back. Either that or Coach Mora has made his adjustments and the team is responding. Oakland has rattled off 3 straight wins, and shown a lot of offensive firepower in doing so. Bobby Hebert has now surpassed Jim Kelly for the passing TD lead, having thrown 11 scoring tosses in just the past 3 weeks. In that time, Oakland has scored 48, 34 and 42 points, overwhelming their opponents and allowing their somewhat shaky defense some breathing room. But, before you bet the ranch on the Invaders, note that those three wins were home against Texas and away against the 1-6 Dragons and Wranglers. They face the 7-0 Blitz this week. If they can win this one at home, then I think we start taking this revival a lot more seriously.
Stars Falling: On the opposite side of the momentum swing we find Philadelphia. After a 4-0 start the Stars have lost 3 in a row. Unlike Pittsburgh (Losers of 3 of 4), they cannot point to a season ending injury to a key player as the reason. Yes, they have had to shuttle running backs in and out of the lineup over the past month due to injury, and they did lose Chuck Long this week, but the issues have been more complex than that. Their usually stout run defense is now ranked 18th in the league, and overall the defense has not been as reliable as we have gotten accustomed to. The offense has been uneven all year, and if the defense has lost its swagger it may be very tough for Philly to keep pace with Baltimore, which already has a 3-game lead on the division.
Parity Reins: The USFL has a well-deserved reputation for mobility among clubs (not relocation, mobility in the standings) and that is certainly the case again as we have 14 of 24 clubs within 1 game of .500 after seven weeks. While we have some clear success stories, Baltimore at 7-0, or the Breakers, Stallions, Bandits, and Gold at 5-2, and we have some teams looking lost, like Seattle and Arizona at 1-6 each, for the most part this is a 4-3 and 3-4 league. That is, of course, good for ticket sales, and good for playoff drives late in the year. There will be a lot of season-determining games in the final weeks if the season keeps up this model into June.
Award Watch: Over the first half of the season, some names have already been clearly placed into the races for MVP, Offensive and Defensive POTY, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. In the MVP race, as usual, it looks like a QB battle, with Kelly, Favre, and possibly Chris Miller surprisingly in the hunt, each with 16 TDs or more already this year. You can add Mike Rozier, Rashaan Salaam, Joey Galloway and Henry Ellard into the mix for OPOTY, while on the defensive side the frontrunners are New Jersey DE Phil Hanson, who already has 13 sacks on the season, on pace for a league record 27, and Michigan CB Chris Snyder, who leads the league with 6 picks for the Panthers.
Among rookies, it is still a bit more muddled, which is typical as these new players get more action as the season progresses. Terry Glenn’s 483 yards and 4 TDs place him among top contenders, but more Generals wins would help the cause. Moe Williams with 5 TDs to date and Mike Alstott with 4 could also be in the running, making Alstott the first fullback to get any serious consideration. On the defensive side we have contenders in Washington DE Tony Brackens, with 7 sacks to date, and Portland DB Je’Rod Cherry, with 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery so far this year.
Finally, the Coach of the Year looks like it could be a runaway for Baltimore’s Lindy Infante. This 7-0 start was not expected, even though the Blitz have seen steady improvement under Infante. Should the Blitz stumble, other coaches getting some props include Breakers’ head man Mike Ditka, Tampa’s Jerry Glanville, and Michigan’s Skip Holtz. But it will take a lot for Infante not to run away with this one.
Injury Report: A few potentially rough injuries impacted the league this week. Chief among them was the news that Birmingham would be without their All-USFL tackle Richmond Webb for the rest of the year with a broken leg. The fracture occurred due to an illegal chop block as Webb was leading a sweep for Stephen Davis, and sadly it could cost him the rest of the year. The Stallions got better news on wideout Ernest Givens, though missing their top receiver for a month is no great news, it was initially feared to be a much more serious injury.
Memphis is likely to be without CB Deon Figures for longer than originally estimated as an infection has complicated his healing process. It could be another month before the speedy DB can return to play.
New Jersey will be without QB Rob Johnson for at least 2 weks as he deals with a sprained wrist. However, if Tommy Maddox can show something, this could be a more permanent shift for Coach Knox, who has managed Johnson well, but still clearly has lingering doubts about the USC product.
Former Generals QB Doug Flutie will also be sidelined, though perhaps for only 1 week, due to an elbow injury in his non-throwing arm. Likewise, LA QB Brent Pease is listed as doubtful for this upcoming week after getting knocked out of the game against Ohio with a shoulder injury. Jeff Garcia will start in his place.
Washington DT is listed as questionable with a groin pull, as is Texas wideout Dokie Williams, Orlando tackle Matt Patchan, Chicago fullback Kimble Anders, and Philadelphia QB Chuck Long (after missing this week it is an upgrade to Questionable).
Troy Aikman may return as he was cited as a game-time decision this week, but with Kerwin Bell showing he still has some skill in his arm, the Bandits will not rush Aikman. Arizona is expected to get rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar back, and we also expect a return to action for Chicago T Romen Oben, Baltimore back Derrick Fenner, Bulls fullback Edgar Bennett and Outlaw CB Jerome Henderson.
Texas becomes the first club to reveal their proposed 1997 looks from Nike, which is not surprising considering that they are the only club of the 3 projects this year not to be looking at a full rebranding with new logos. The Outlaw logo remains the same, though the wordmark gets a bit of home town flair with the addition of an Alamo silhouette above the team name to drive home the permanent home of the club in San Antonio. The uniform remains largely the same with two major exceptions. First is the addition of the Alamo roofline as a piping element on the jerseys. The second is a new stripe pattern mean to resemble both rattlesnake skin and traditional Native American patterns of the region. The diamond pattern contained within solid stripes uses all 4 Outlaw colors (Kelly, Royal, Black and White) and can be seen on the helmet and the pants for the Outlaws. Here are mockups as well as the league’s new “Figure Display” version of the designs.
After a week in which all 24 clubs faced divisional games, we have one where none of the 24 clubs are in their division. The midway point of the season still has some interesting matchups, led by Pittsburgh, on the heels of a 3 game losing streak, heading to Denver to face a hot Gold club. Birmingham is in Houston in a very interesting matchup of potent offenses, while we also have some interesting games between foes sitting at 3-4 and hoping to even their records as Washington is in Portland, Memphis is in Texas, and Ohio heads out to LA in a battle of two clubs who are headed in the right direction.
Undefeated Baltimore will have a challenge as they head to Oakland to take on Bobby Hebert and an Invader squad that has won 3 in a row. Jacksonville is in Chicago hoping to continue Coach Schottenheimer’s woes this year, while the Breakers, hot off their big win in Houston, host the Atlanta Fire. New Jersey hopes to even their record at 4-4 when they play the 1-win Seattle Dragons at Husky Stadium, and Philadelphia hopes they can keep pace with the Blitz as they face a reeling Wranglers club in the desert. Orlando will head up to Michigan, and the St. Louis Knights hope they can continue their run of good play as they host the 5-2 Tampa Bay Bandits.