Two weeks since the Summer Bowl saw Washington earn its second league title and the USFL has taken a somber tone. The league and union agreed on a recertification of their CBA, but with the league unable to resign veterans until just recently, the large pool of players has been easy picking for the NFL, and now, with the transfer window shut until mid-January there are a lot of clubs looking for answers. There remain many players unsigned by either league and now likely returning to spring ball, but perhaps not with their current clubs. The USFL clubs have begun signing and resigning talent, but there remains a lot out there. All this, plus some more retirement announcements have clubs scrambling to fill rosters. Let’s start with the retirements, and then talk about the NFL exodus and the first of the USFL resignings. We will finish up with a look at the QB situation for the 24 USFL clubs.
RETIREMENTS
The list of USFL vets who have decided to call it a career and move on continued after the playoff season concluded, with several playoff clubs (and a few others) losing key leadership. Perhaps the biggest name to announce this month was Birmingham LB Kevin Greene, who had his best year as a pro this season. Greene played his entire career in B’ham, but now moves on. Others who will leave significant gaps on their team rosters include TE Chris Kelley and HB Ernest Byner in Ohio, Michigan WR Weegie Thompson, ST. Louis HB Alfred Jenkins, Philly punter Rhon Stark, LA guard Dave Widdell, Portland LB Jimmie Kimmel, and Pittsburgh HB Jamie Mueller. With Mike Rozier retiring earlier this summer, Pittsburgh now has only Dorsey Levens on the roster (after resigning the free agent).
NFL SIGNINGS
Retirements are anticipated each year, and most teams have a plan in place for them, but no one had a plan for what happened this season with the NFL having free access to a huge pool of USFL Vets. With the league unable to resign its stars, the flow of players to the fall has been unprecedented, and while in the past 2 weeks the USFL has been able to lock up several key players, so many have left for the Fall that there are real concerns about how teams will rebuild and whether the quality of play in the league will become more uneven. Just in the past 2.5 weeks, these notable USFL players have jumped leagues:
Philadelphia QB Chuck Long leaves a starting job on a playoff club to sign for a considerable raise with the Detroit Lions.
Texas WR Quinn Early becomes the second big Outlaw receiver to leave the club in 2 years, after Eric Metcalf went to Seattle last year. Early will join the New Orleans Saints in the fall.
NJ halfback Bam Morris. Morris leaving for the Ravens is a huge blow to Coach Knox’s plans for a potent ground game as the core of his offensive philosophy.
St. Louis guard Gary Zimmerman. A tough run blocker and solid pass blocker, Zimmerman’s absence may hinder Darrell Thompson as he tries to repeat his 1,000 yard season.
Michigan LB Hardy Nickerson heads to Tampa Bay in the NFL, hurting the Panther pass rush as well as their aggressive LB corps in general.
Washington DE Dexter Manley. Manley considered retirement, so the Feds were anticipating he would be gone, but instead he signed a 1-year deal with the Washington Redskins.
Birmingham DT Kimo Von Oehlhoffen. A bit of an underperformer for Birmingham on the interior of their line, Kimo now heads to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Arizona DE Charles Haley: Headed to San Francisco, Haley was a huge part of several top level defenses in Arizona, though his play in recent seasons has followed the Wrangler’s overall drop in quality.
Portland LT Bruce Armstrong. Perhaps the biggest hit of all these signings is the loss of the anchor of Portland’s line. Armstrong was a consistent All-USFL player and helped Portland attain previously unseen heights this year, leading the way for HB Robert Drummond. His absences is a huge hit for the Thunder.
USFL SIGNINGS
OK, enough doom & gloom. Things are not great in USFL-land, but the past 2 weeks have seen the league turn the corner, with several teams resigning key players and even snagging some talent from other clubs. It is early in free agency, but at least with the NFL window now closed only USFL clubs will be options for player movement. Let’s first look at some key resignings and then look at players changing addresses for spring 1998
We start in Birmingham, where the Stallions have held onto two of its biggest stars, QB Brett Favre and WR Ernest Givens. Along with TE Derrick Walker and G Eric King, Favre and Givens reupped with the Southern Division Champions. Favre had a big offer from Green Bay in the NFL, but when Birmingham matched the $8M annual contract Favre jumped at the chance to stay in the South rather than brave the frozen tundra. His signing helped Birmingham also resign Givens.
Chicago also resigned 2 key players, both on defense as LB Darryl Talley and DE Alonzo Spellman rebuffed NFL offers to remain part of Coach Schottenheimer’s defense.
Baltimore had one of the longest free agent lists, and still have not resigned QB Chris Miller (will they?) but kept some key players as they inked DT Wililam Perry, CB Donnell Woolford, HB Derrick Fenner, and TE Ferrell Edmunds. Fenner’s signing is vital as the club lost Barry Foster to the NFL lure.
As expected, Kurt Gouveia reupped and will finish his career in Denver. The Gold also resigned LB mate Sam Cowart and CB Anthony Tuggle, so their D seems largely intact.
After some losses on offense (Thurman Thomas most notabley) Houston did not let their top defender leave. Michael Sinclair signed back with the Gamblers, as did CB Mike Adams and HB Mario Greer.
Jacksonville held onto kicker Pete Stoyanovich, and despite a bid from the Cleveland Browns, opted to match the offer for WR Brian Stablien, a 3rd down specialist.
Memphis is still sweating the contract negotiations with Reggie White, the face of their franchise, as both the Eagles and Packers are making efforts to sign the USFL’s all time sack leader. In the meantime they did resign FB Larry Centers, guard Jamie Dukes, and LB Sam Rogers.
Michigan absolutely needs to resign WR Jeff Campbell after the breakout season he had and with the retirement of Weegie Thompson, but Campbell is getting offers. They did, as expected extend Doug Flutie’s contract for another 3 years and were also able to sign tackle Jeff Wright, FS Mike Prior and TE Butch “TD” Rolle.
With Bam Morris signed to the NFL, New Jersey quickly resigned Lamont Warren. They also opted for UCLA QB Tommy Maddox over USC QB Rob Johnson, with both as free agents. Maddox will return to compete with Spence Fischer, while Johnson likely ends up elsewhere. The other big resign for New Jersey was former NFL CB/S Jason Sehorn.
New Orleans lost guard Jeff Zimmerman, but signed both of their tackles, including highly coveted Troy Auzene. Brian Brauninger also signed, as did backup QB Gus Frerotte.
Orlando signed both of their key free agent linebackers, with Greg Biekert helping the club reach out to Tracy Rocker. They also reupped guard Jeff Onosai and TE Dante Whittaker.
Philadelphia is still reeling from losing Chuck Long, but two other offensive weapons have remained with the stars, young WR Troy Brown should see a larger role next year, and always-reliable Eric Green will also be a target in the passing game, but a passing game to be led by whom?
Pittsburgh, in addition to holding on to Dorsey Levins, also helped their defense by resigning All-USFL MLB Demetrius DuBose and DT Moe Gardner. Punter Mark Royals also signed and is now the highest paid punter in the league.
Portland, hot off their Summer Bowl appearance, had little trouble resigning players for a 2nd run, though the loss of Bruce Armstrong will hurt. In 1 week they inked C Jeff Uhlenake, DE Anthony Pleasant, FS Vencie Glenn, and guard Ruben Brown.
Seattle went all in to resign DT Gilbert Brown, despite NFL interest. Brown now becomes the highest paid DT in the league, and will be joined by LB J.D. Fuller. On offense, Jon Kitna repaid the Dragons for his starting nod by reupping with the team instead of signing with the Dallas Cowboys, who made a solid offer but could not guarantee a starting spot. OT Terry Strouf reupped and will protect Kitna’s blind side.
Tampa Bay had a large pool of free agents, and with the firing of Jerry Glanville there were concerns that many would bolt, but it seems that the locker room sided with Troy Aikman in that feud and were willing to stick with the club. Tampa has resigned HB James Stewart, LB Keith McCants, DT Roland Putzier, DE Fred Stokes, and 3 other rotational players. A good crop of retained players for the Bandits.
Finally, while Washington was surprised to see Dexter Manley sign for 1 year with the NFL instead of retire, they did ensure defensive stability by resigning LB Michael Barrow. They also inked WR Andre Coleman.
SWITCHING JERSEYS
While these resignings have helped to calm the nerves of many USFL fans, the key to minimizing the impact of NFL poaching may lie in the ability of clubs to add to their rosters by signing away key contributors from other clubs in the spring league. So far that process has been slower than the resignings, but we are seeing the first pieces begin to move around the league’s chessboard. We have 6 key signings to announce this week, and expect more to be sure over the next month:
Seattle hopes to improve its passing game by adding another TE weapon and have signed long-time Gambler Ken Dilger to do just that.
Pittsburgh added a receiver as well, signing Tampa Bay’s Freddie Solomon.
Ohio wants to boost that defense, so signing LB Jeff Herrod away from the Breakers was a shrewd move.
New Jersey still hopes to build a power run game, despite the loss of Bam Morris, and signing RT Leon Searcy away from Orlando is a move in that direction.
Oakland needs to bring in defensive talent to compete in the Pacific. They improved their D and hurt a division rival by signing Portland DE Eric Curry this week.
Arizona Coach Art Shell was not happy about the decline of his defense this season, and with Charles Haley gone, he needed a DE to pressure the league’s QBs. He may have found one by signing Robert Porcher away from the Baltimore Blitz.
One last transaction to highlight before we move on, our first trade of the season, and it involves the QB position. Seattle has again given Jon Kitna a vote of confidence, trading his top competitor, Timm Rosenbach to the Atlanta Fire for some picks. Rosenbach now moves to his 4th USFL team and will likely serve as competition and mentor to Eric Zeier, who is projected to finally be the starter with Cliff Stoudt retiring. Of course, Rosenbach, who always seems to find himself in the middle of QB competitions, is unlikely to accept a backup role again. He may well push Zeier for starts as he has with other QB’s at every stop of his career.
COACH HIRES
In addition to player moves, there has been action on the coaching front, with 2 more head coaches put in place in the league. Both Denver and Seattle announced their new coaches this week, leaving only Tampa Bay still searching for their guy. Denver went defense with their pick, selecting former Jacksonville Jaguars DC Dick Jauron just before the NFL-USFL window closed. Jauron becomes one of very few employed NFL coaches to jump ship, though the chance to be the Head Coach for a pretty solid Denver club certainly had to help make the case to the defensive-minded coach.
In Seattle the pick was a bit less orthodox. The Dragons did not pick an NFL candidate or even a USFL coordinator, instead going to the college ranks to find an innovative offensive mind in Wyoming head coach Joe Tiller. Tiller, who has turned the mid-sized Cowboy program into a pretty solid offensive squad in the Mountain West, is certainly not the usual USFL hire, but the Dragons need to spark their offense, and Tiller’s style, somewhat reminiscent of the Jack Pardee/Mouse Davis offense in Texas, brings some new ideas to the table. How he will transition from a mid-major in the NCAA to a pro squad is the big question.
Tampa is, as we said, still in the hunt for a big name coach. After stints with Steve Spurrier and Jerry Glanville, it seems Bandit leadership is feeling the need to keep using their HC position to promote the club, which means the coach will need to be a name that draws attention. Who do we think that will be? Well, don’t be shocked if they turn to former Cowboy Head Coach Jimmy Johnson, now at the U. of Miami. If they cannot lure Johnson away, perhaps a member of the Bill Walsh coaching tree will help make QB Troy Aikman feel more at home.
QB SITUATION
Our final offseason item for this week is a quick look at the QB situation for each of the league’s 24 clubs. There is a wide range of security in this most important position, and in this year of so much change, those clubs who have their QB locked up are hoping they gain an advantage in 1998 as so many clubs are likely to be adding new talent and trying to build a coherent offense around them. Se see a solid 50% of the league having gaps, questions, or outright panic about the QB position right now. Here is how we see things right now, ahead of the draft and with a lot of free agency in front of us.
LOCKED IN AND FEELING PRETTY
BIR—Favre, backed up by Kanell and Barker looks really solid right now.
DEN—Brunell, with Tolliver and Jake Walsh is set.
HOU—Hartlieb did better than expected, so Houston is likely to bow out of the Manning/Leaf hunt.
JAX—Chris Chandler continues to be a solid starter, with young Danny Wuerffel the understudy.
MEM—Shuler is growing each year. Kelley is gone, but Gino Torretta is a solid #2.
MGN—Flutie is having a 2nd career for the Panthers, and Jeff Lewis showed he could win games when called upon.
NOR—Resigning Frerotte to back up Jamie Martin puts New Orleans in a good position.
OAK—Bobby Hebert can still sling it, and having Conklin & Pawlowski is solid too.
ORL—Backing up Scott Mitchell with Craig Erickson continues to work for the Renegades.
TBY—Aikman is the man for the Bandits, and Kerwin Bell is better as a part-timer called on only for short stints under center.
WSH—Kordell Stewart got it done this year, and Eric Kramer can still be an effective backup.
A BIT SHAKIER
With these clubs, some pieces are in place, but the confidence may not be their either with a mid-range starter or a shaky backup situation.
ARZ-Jake Plummer did well in his 1st year, but will he progress in his 2nd? The Wranglers have the #1 pick, but we expect them to trade down to take advantage of the QB mania for Manning or Leaf, garnering multiple picks in multiple years for that coveted slot.
ATL-Eric Zeier was unable to unseat Cliff Stoudt. Is he ready to take over now or will Rosenbach get yet another chance to be a starter?
CHI-We are still not sold on Alex Van Pelt as a starter, but with McGwire gone to the NFL, Chicago also has a big gap behind him.
NJ-We expect the Generals to go with Fischer as their starter and still have faith that Maddox can be a starter if needed. We don’t see either as a franchise QB.
PIT-Robbie Bosco is decent when healthy, but his age is showing and Mike Cherry does not seem solid enough to be an effective #2.
POR-How long will Jack Trudeau stand up and if he goes down is Bill Musgrave really the answer. Portland seems a team poised to take a mid-round QB in the draft.
STL-Is anyone really picturing Todd Collins as an All-USFL franchise QB? We didn’t think so. Frank Reich remains the #2 but rarely gets any touches.
SEA-The Dragons have committed to Jon Kitna, so I guess they see something we don’t, but by trading away Timm Rosenbach they put themselves in a position to seek a quality backup, one who could start if Kitna falters. Free agency is their likely route, and who is there? Chris Miller will want to start so look perhaps for someone like Browning Nagle, Craig Whelihan, or Eric Wilhelm. Not an impressive 1-2 punch if you ask us. Or do the Dragons go big and make a play for local hero Ryan Leaf with their #2 pick in the draft?
TEX-After season-ending injury to Stouffer, we saw how fragile Texas is. Stouffer should be back, but Sacca and Wilhelm may not be enough if he goes down again.
IN NEED OF A MAJOR OVERHAUL
These clubs simply don’t have an answer at QB. Expect them to be major players in free agency, in the draft, or when the NFL/USFL window reopens just before USFL camps in January. What they have now is not going to do it.
BAL-The Blitz do not seem keen on resigning long-time starter Chris Miller, and right now all they have signed is 3rd QB Wally Richardson. Expect Baltimore to make some moves to address this soon.
LA-They still have both Brett Pease and Jeff Garcia under contract, but if they have a shot at either Manning or Leaf, they have to go for the upgrade, right?
OHIO—With the NFL signing of Jeff Hostetler it feels like Ohio is back to square one. Hoss was the offense for the Glory, who cannot seem to get what they need from Eddie George. Without a big trade we don’t see Ohio getting up to #1-2 in the draft to sign one of the big 2 rookie QBs, so what is their solution? Maybe Chris Miller? Scott Zolak? Or wait for an NFL free agent to be available?
PHI-Losing Chuck Long to the Detroit Lions was a huge shocker for the Stars. He has been a rock for them for so long. So now they have to recalibrate. They have no shot at putting together a trade package for Manning or Leaf, but don’t be surprised, with their depth, if they don’t trade away some talent to acquire a solid starter from another USFL squad. We could easily see someone like Trent Green, Jeff Lewis or Eric Kramer coming to Philly for a chance to start if the Stars can pry them loose from their current clubs.