We have reached the halfway point of the season and we still have one undefeated team, a ton of tight divisions, and several teams who have coaches on the hot seat. The defending champion is struggling without their field marshal at QB, and one expansion club has managed to be at .500 after 8 games. A lot left to be decided, but what a season it has been so far.
This is going to be one that causes Coach Chuck Knox to go ballistic afterwards. The Generals struggle all day to put away the 1-win Seattle Dragons, and in the end that lack of killer instinct comes back to bite them as Seattle gets the score they need at the end to knock off the visiting Generals. On a windy Sunday with light rain and a slick field, Seattle frustrated the Generals all day, found a run threat and a pass rush, and the right foot of Mike Hollis gave the home squad their second win of the year.
Timm Rosenbach came out throwing darts against one of his three former clubs, finding O.J. McDuffie for the game’s opening score on a perfect corner route. He would come back on the Dragons’ next drive and find Eric Metcalf for a second score to shock the Generals and go up 14-0. New Jersey found their sea legs on the slick Seattle turf and when QB Tommy Maddox hit rookie Terry Glenn from 8 yards out, the game was back on. New Jersey would go on to score 12 of the next 15 points as both clubs settled for field goals. New Jersey took the lead 19-17 with only 3:33 left in the game, but they had difficulty containing Seattle all day, and the final drive of the game would be no different.
Seattle’s secret weapon on the slick field was scatback Derick Loville. Unlike the lumbering backs, like Bam Morris and Leland MacElroy, which New Jersey employed, Seattle did not feed the ball to Roosevelt Potts but instead played the outside game with Loville. The result? Loville glided, slid, and scooted fro 95 yards on 15 carries, while Potts, Morris, and MacElroy found themselves bogged down. On the final drive, Loville carried the ball 3 times to only 1 down for Potts. Seattle mixed in 3 passes from Rosenbach, and with 1:03 left on the clock they lined up for a 46-yard Hollis attempt to retake the lead. Hollis slipped a bit on the approach but righted himself and the ball went right through the uprights to give Seattle the 20-19 lead.
New Jersey cold not respond, and when Maddox tried in desperation to hit on a 4th and 7 throw to Jeff Spek, FS Terry Hoague stepped in front of it and batted it away from the slowfooted tight end. Seattle got their second win, and New Jersey got a long flight home to contemplate how they let this one slip away.
PHI 27 ARZ 14
Very different weather greeted the Stars when they touched down in Tempe. With a gametime temperature hovering around 100 degrees, the Stars kept cool with misting fans and twice the normal allotment of Gatorade. The strategy worked, and while the Stars were outgained by Arizona 357-317, they got the better of the Wranglers with 27 unanswered points to finish the game with the win after giving up the initial 14 to Trent Green and Arizona. Charlie Garner was hot in his return to full-time action, gaining 126 yards on 16 carries to take the Player of the Game honors.
PIT 14 DEN 37
The Gold stayed hot and Pittsburgh continued to struggle with Shane Matthews under center. Matthews completed only 12 of 32 passes (37.5%) against the Denver defense, turning the ball over 3 times as well. Meanwhile, Mark Brunell was the model of efficiency with the short passing game, completing 12 of 13 in the first half before a hard hit to the head sidelined him in favor of Billy Joe Tolliver. The two QB’s combined for 282 yards passing, finding Odessa Turner for 135 yards and Mark Carrier twice for scores in the big home win.
OHI 34 LA 19
The Glory won the matchup of ’95 expansion clubs, and in doing so evened their record at 4-4 at the season’s midpoint. It was a solid game for all aspects of the Ohio offense as Eddie George rushed for 98 yards, Ernest Byner scored twice from within the 5, and Jeff Hostetler threw for 322 yards against a depleted LA defense. Joey Galloway, who is on pace to set a league receiving yardage record, gained 179 on the day in only 6 catches as he remained the league’s most dynamic deep threat.
WSH 25 POR 38
The Federals and Thunder each wanted to get to .500 with a win, but in the end the home team was the one who got the breaks as won the takeaway battle 2-0 to overtake the Federals. Don Majkowski was back under center, and threw 3 TDs but it was not enough as Jack Trudeau and Robert Drummond found holes in the Federals defense and exploited them. Webster Slaughter finished the day with 100 yards receiving and TE Lonnie Johnson proved his worth in the red zone, scoring twice for the Thunder.
ATL 14 NOR 44
Atlanta was totally outmatched, falling behind 41-0 before the Breaker bench gave up some yards and 2 scores to the Fire. Jamie Martin played only 1 half, going 10 of 14 for 153 before giving way to his backup, rookie Bobby Hoying in the second half. Terrell Davis rushed for 83 yards and backup Erric Pegram added another 72 and 2 scores during the blowout win.
BIR 16 HOU 38
Jim Kelly got the clear W in the battle of two of the league’s best gunslingers. Kelly won OPOTW with a 403 yard, 5 TD day, while Brett Favre was limited to only 269 yards and 1 score with 2 picks on the day. Antonio Freeman took advantage of double coverage on Brett Perriman to catch 6 balls for 143 yards and score. Thurman Thomas rushed for 66 yards and caught 2 balls for 67 and 2 TDs, including the play of the game, a 64-yard catch and run as the Gamblers won handily.
JAX 24 CHI 27
Chicago’s offense finally found some rhythm under Scott Zolak as Mario Bates and Ricky Watters combined for 184 yards rushing, including a brilliant 43-yard romp from Bates in the 2nd quarter. Zolak threw for only 179 but the balance of the Chicago offense paid off as they kept Jacksonville off balance all day. Chris Chandler would throw for 295 and 3 scores but could not a score when it was needed most as a last second hail mary fell uncaught in the endzone.
MEM 27 TEX 21
Memphis got TD runs from Moe Williams and Tommy Agie to outpace the Texas Outlaws in the AlamoDome. The Showboat defense rediscovered its mojo as they sacked Kelly Stouffer 6 times on the day, including 2 from blitzing LB Eddie Simmons.
ORL 19 MGN 21
Michigan scored all 21 points in the first half and then held off the Renegades to preserve the win, moving to 5-3 at home. With Doug Flutie out, Sean Salisbury played well, throwing for 2 TDs and completing 74% of his throws, mostly short slants and hooks, to keep the ball moving. The Michigan defense got to Scott Mitchell 3 times and limited Terry Kirby to only 3.4 yards per carry to preserve the win.
BAL 38 OAK 17
Baltimore put an unceremonious end to Oakland’s 3 game win streak, preserving their own record at a perfect 8-0. They did it with a relentless pass rush that harassed and tormented Bobby Hebert all day, to the tune of 9 sacks, including 2 each for Mike Piel and Charles Buchanon. Barry Foster rushed for 2 scores and Lamar Thomas had a solid game with 2 scores, but it was Bill Brooks who kept Oakland guessing, catching 11 balls from 14 targets and keeping the Blitz offense on the field.
TBY 14 STL 32
Todd Collins had a brilliant game, throwing for 335 and managing the Tampa pass rush to help the Knights get over .500 after 8 games for the first time since relocating from LA. Troy Aikman struggled to keep the ball moving as the St. Louis defense sacked him 7 times on the day. DE Tony Tolbert for St. Louis was named Defensive POTW with his 2 sacks, one for a safety as the Knights staked a claim to possible playoff relevance for the first time in years.
RECORD PACE: Three players are on a pace to set league records, and while we know that the second half of a season can grind down these record-setting paces, it is exciting to see the potential for major records to be set. Jim Kelly has 2,732 yards passing, ahead of the pace Brett Favre had when he set the league passing yardage record in 1992, the only passer ever to surpass 5,000 yards in a season.
In New Jersey, DE Phil Hansen is on pace to break his own record of 23 sacks. With 8 games under his belt, his 14 sacks has him on pace for 28 on the year. He is well on his way to a 3rd 20-sack season since his rookie year in 1991, an amazing accomplishment even if he cannot reach 24 sacks over the second half of the season.
Finally, 2nd year receiver Joey Galloway has found chemistry with QB Jeff Hostetler. At the halfway point of the year he is already over 1,000 receiving at 1,010 yards. He is on pace to become the first receiver to ever reach 2,000 yards in a season. The current record is 1,959 from Eric Truvillion in 1986, and, we have to remind everyone, that after 8 games in ’86 Truvillion was at 1,072 yards, ahead of Galloway’s pace, but the heat of summer has a way of melting energy from offenses, so for Galloway to keep pace he will need both determination and a lot of luck.
COACHING CONCERNS: Things are looking bad for Ted Tollner in Arizona. Not only has his decision to bench QB Robbie Bosco not produced wins, he seems to be losing the locker room. The man who has coached the Wranglers since 1989 has received plenty of criticism from the press in Phoenix, but now he must deal with discord in his own locker room as this week we heard critiques of the team from within the locker room. Both veteran LB Bill Romanowski and HB Tim Lester have been less than complimentary.
And while we cannot place all the blame on Coach Tollner, after all the Wranglers have not found solid talent in the draft in several years, a lot of the issues seem to be on offense, which is meant to be Tollner’s strength. It was not explosive with Bosco under center, but it has been outright putrid under Trent Green. Arizona currently ranks 23rd in Points Per Game and 22nd in Yards Per Game, and that translates into 1 win in the season’s first 8 weeks. Tollner is likely safe to finish out the season, but any chance at finishing out his 3 year contract depends on if he can regain the faith of his players and get them to play for him.
STEEL CITY SLUMP: The Maulers have one of the deepest rosters in football, but when they lost Alan Risher it became clear that QB may not be a position of strength. Shane Matthews has been mediocre at best, throwing 6 picks along with 6 TDs and completing only 56% of his throws. What is worse, the Maulers have not taken advantage of the 8 and 9 men boxes they face each week to use play action effectively. Teams are ganging up on Mike Rozier, and Pittsburgh is not forcing them to stay honest with deep balls. Rumors have Coach Marchibroda possibly turning to journeyman John Fourcade if Matthews continues to struggle. Fourcade has only been with the club a few weeks, and did not fare particularly well in relief of Troy Aikman in his time in Tampa Bay, so it is a bit of a longshot, but the Maulers have to do something after 3 of the last 4. The defense has remained steady, but they cannot do it all alone, so Coach Marchibroda needs to find an answer at QB if the Maulers want any chance to defend their title in the playoffs.
INJURY REPORT: Washington got bad news on Monday when an MRI revealed ligament damage in CB Lester Lyles knee. He will miss the rest of the season and his rehab could require a significant portion of the offseason as well. Houston will also be without one of their key defenders as nickel back Mike Adams could miss the rest of the year with a hip fracture. In New Orleans the concern is for LB Jeff Herrod who suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and was unable to even hobble to the sideline. He may miss as much as 2-3 months if the muscle is as damaged as initial indications seem to highlight.
Oakland is likely without their flanker for up to 2 months as Ed McCaffrey suffered a broken wrist on an awkward landing on the hard pitcher’s mound area of the Oakland infield. In Seattle LB Tommy Thigpen suffered a sprained knee in the win over New Jersey and could miss as much as a month, while Michigan QB Doug Flutie is still expected to miss at least another week due to his wrist.
Likely returning this week are Jacksonville FB Edgar Bennett, Ohio T Romen Oben, Orlando LB Tim Green, Tampa HB Errict Rhett, and Memphis G Jamie Dukes.
The injury to Alan Risher and the QB crisis it created in Pittsburgh has highlighted for football fans everywhere the importance of a solid 2nd QB. Despite having a talent-laden defense and solid offensive stars like TE Mike Shaw, WR Louis Lipps, and HB Mike Rozier, the Maulers have been unable to win games without Risher. We have seen this before, and yet so often it seems near impossible for clubs to ensure that they have backups ready to go if called upon. Sure, we expect a backup QB to struggle when asked to come in mid-game, but even with a week or more of prep, so many backups seem to struggle. In this week's episode of Around the League, we rank the 24 current #2's, including those that have already been pressed into action this week. This is clearly subjective, as some of these players have never really had a chance to shine. We did not think much of Jamie Martin as the backup to Timm Rosenbach in New Orleans and now he is not only starting but has New Orleans poised as a potential top seed in the Western Conference. Only time will tell if we are right or wrong about this list, but let's try anyway.
FORMER STARTERS
ARIZONA: Robbie Bosco. A starter for nearly a decade, Bosco can be effective, but rarely makes the big play needed in tough situations. He can win you games if he has support, but he will not take the team on his shoulders.
ATLANTA: Cliff Stoudt. He is a backup only because Atlanta wants to see what Eric Zeier has to offer. Stoudt could start for 8-10 teams in this league, and is still a respected QB by anyone who watched him play in Birmingham.
MEMPHIS: Mike Kelley. Kelley was a quality starter for the Showboats for several years, and we are quite frankly shocked he has been willing to play second fiddle to Heath Shuler. We expected him to demand a trade, but so far he has kept his nose clean and towed the company line as Shuler's understudy.
ST. LOUIS: Frank Reich. True, he was never a USFL starter, nor really a Bills starter when he served as Boomer Esiason's backup on 2 championship Bills squads, but when called upon, he came through big time, like that epic comeback against the Houston Oilers. He is older now, and perhaps more of a "player-coach" for Todd Collins than a true starter-level player, but he brings a lot of leadership, which seems to be rubbing off on St. Louis's young and improving starter.
UP & COMERS
HOUSTON: Chuck Hartlieb-- Were Jim Kelly to retire, we fully expect Hartlieb to get a full season to prove himself. He is not a physical specimen, but when he has been called on he has been able to produce with the talent Houston has around him.
LOS ANGELES: Jeff Garcia: With Brent Pease's recent injury we are all getting a first look at the former San Jose State QB. It is way too early to tell if he can be a possible starter in this league, though we do love his mobility. He is raw, but he has some skills that could be of use to the Express.
WASHINGTON: Kordell Stewart-- The heir apparent for the Feds. He has had opportunities and we have been impressed. His 5 starts this year for Washington showcased his arm and his legs. His last game before Majkowski came back was a 408 yard monster of a game. We fully expect him to take over the reins for the Feds in the near future.
TOTAL UNKNOWNS
BIRMINGHAM: Jay Barker/Danny Kanell: A 2nd year player and a rookie, neither of whom we have a good sense for. Kanell showed some things at FSU and he is #2 on the depth chart, but right now we just cannot say how they would perform were Brett Favre to miss a few games.
NEW ORLEANS: Bobby Hoying: The rookie from Ohio State has talent, we saw that with the Buckeyes, but does his game translate to the pro game? Too early to tell and too few opportunities as Jamie Martin is clearly the starter for now and perhaps the future too.
PORTLAND: Bill Musgrave/Eric Wilhelm: These two seem interchangeable, and, in fact, both have been activated or deactivated in different weeks by the Thunder. At least with two interchangeable backups you don't get the fans calling for a replacement when the starter struggles, as we used to see when Kerwin Bell was on the bench.
TEXAS: Tony Sacca. The definition of "we have no idea". Sacca has been in the league for 2 full seasons and has not played 1 snap of football, not even in garbage time mop up duty. Can he play? We don't know. It is just that basic.
WILL DO IN A PINCH, BUT NOT A FUTURE STARTER
BALTIMORE: Cody Carlson. Has never really been given a chance to start but has several years behind him and has shown an ability to win games when called upon.
DENVER: Billy Joe Tolliver: BJ has already gotten some action this year and he has acquitted himself well. He has a lively arm but sometimes gets flustered under pressure and tries to play "hero ball" when he should just throw the ball away.
JACKSONVILLE: Browning Nagle: Had a shot as a starter in Philly and it did not go well, so being a backup seems just about right. If Chris Chandler went down for the year, we are not sure Nagle would be the long term solution.
MICHIGAN: Sean Salisbury. Had Michigan thought Sean was starting material they would not have gone after Joe Montana after trading away Trudeau, and they certainly would not have traded to get Doug Flutie. It seems clear that the Panthers view Salisbury as a consistent, but lackluster, option who hopefully only sees the field in garbage time.
OAKLAND: Cary Conklin. A vagabond backup if ever there was one. Conklin has spent 7 years in the league and has started 1 game in the last 4. Should anything happen to Bobby Hebert, we don't know if Conklin can do the job at all.
NOT WHAT ANYBODY WANTS
NEW JERSEY: Rob Johnson/Tommy Maddox: We are just not sure if Maddox is the new starter or if Johnson will reclaim the job when he is healthy. Regardless of which QB is the backup moving forward, we are not sure New Jersey really has a potential starter in either one.
OHIO: Dave Brown: A high draft pick by New Jersey in 1992, Brown is just not showing us anything. He was a stretch when the Generals signed him, proved that in limited action in New Jersey and was an easy guy to let slip away in the expansion draft. Ohio should be looking for a better option as Jeff Hostetler is not getting any younger.
PITTSBURGH: Steve Matthews: The whole reason we decided to write this article. Matthews has not been able to get it done for the Maulers this year. So much so that they have signed John Fourcade, hardly a top flight option, and Fourcade seems to be on target to start this week if rumors out of Mauler camp can be believed.
SEATTLE: David Klingler: We have seen enough of Klingler in past years, both in Seattle and Houston that we know that if he gets a start, Seattle will likely get a loss. There is an interesting dynamic behind him as both Damon Huard and Jon Kitna showed some skills in camp, but Huard is on the practice squad and Kitna sits as the emergency QB, so who knows?
SHOULD BE STARTING
CHICAGO: Dan McGwire: McGwire did an outstanding job leading the Machine when Scott Zolak went down last year, just as Zolak had done when Kosar went down and then retired. So, who should be the starter? Based on this year's Machine production, we think it is just a matter of time before McGwire gets the call again.
ORLANDO: Craig Erickson: All he does is win games. Erickson has gotten a solid number of starts over the past 3 years and while he does not look good doing it, he wins games. He is smart with the ball, and while he will not scare defenses with his arm talent, in the right system he would be a solid starter.
PHILADELPHIA: Eric Kramer: Another guy who will not wow you, but who will win games for you. Kramer is not pushing to start, not demanding a trade, but the potential is there if the right team comes calling. Philly would be wise to lock him up for a few more years.
TAMPA BAY: Kerwin Bell: We know, we know, when Bell started for Portland we used countless articles to say he should not be starting, but the truth is that he has the talent, if only he could be more consistent. He is not All-USFL quality, but he is a better option than several of the guys we see under center each week around the league.
We are back to a split schedule again, with the Atlantic and Southern divisions headed off to face rivals while the Pacific clubs visit their Central Division opponents. In the divisional games we find a really intriguing Keystone Clash between the struggling Stars and Maulers, while Baltimore is in DC to face their rivals, the Washington Federals. New Jersey is also in Columbus to face the surprising Ohio Glory.
In the South it is Birmingham hoping to rebound with a win in Atlanta against the struggling Fire. Jacksonville is in Memphs, both at 4-4 and both hoping for a better second half to the season, while Tampa Bay hosts their in-state rivals, the Orlando Renegades, hoping home cooking can take them to 6-3.
In the Western Conference, the best game may be 5-3 Michigan hosting 3-5 Oakland as the Invaders try to recoup after being dismantled by Baltimore. Denver travels to Chicago in a key game for both clubs. New Orleans hosts Portland and Houston hosts LA as both clubs hope to keep pace in the Central. St. Louis hopes to gain ground as they host the 2-win Dragons, and Texas hopes that a homestand against the sad sack Wranglers can help get them back on the right track.