The wait is over!!! Not just for Championship Football, but for a labor deal as well. This week the players overwhelmingly agreed to recertify the CBA between the USFL and USFLPA after the owner's blinked and pretty much rescinded their entire platform of realignment and reduction of the season from 16 to 14 games. The huge victory for the players union may mark a new relationship between the league and the union, and could also cause ripples in the NFL, where the NFLPA and NFL have been trying to hash out a new contract as well.
On the field it was Conference Championship Weekend and we now have our Summer Bowl lineup. It is not the one most of us expected, and not one most pundits predicted back in August, but it does look like a good one. On the one hand we will have one of the most dominating front sevens in pro football and on the other a bit of a cinderella story as a club tries to overcome a devastating loss and still win a title. Let's get to the action this week, then discuss the off-field stories and finish up with a preview of Summer Bowl 1997.
Great Defense can outlast great offense, that is the message this week, where the Stallions threw everything at the Washington Federals, and vice versa. Brett Favre was sacked a painful 11 times by the dominant Washington d-line, completed only 12 passes (but for 302 yards) but threw a costly pick that may have been the defining moment of the playoffs so far. For Washington’s part, Kordell Stewart struggled with 2 picks of his own, but threw 3 TDs and got a huge assist from Barry Word’s 122 yards rushing as the Federals held off Birmingham and snatched a road win and the Eastern Conference title.
Stewart connected on two first quarter TDs, one each to Herman Moore and Mike Williams, but Birmingham rallied with 3 field goals and a Lawrence Dawsey TD to go in only down by 1 at the half. Brett Favre was harassed all day by a Front 7 for Washington that did not respect the Stallion run game at all. Davis and Alstott finished with a combined 17 carries, not nearly enough to keep Manley, Barrow and company out of Favre’s face. Both Manley and Tony Brackens finished with 2 sacks apiece, and 7 other Federals also got to Favre over the course of a long and painful day for the Stallion signal caller.
Despite the issues with protection, Birmingham was ahead 22-20 after 3 quarters, but in the 4th Kordell Stewart hit on his third TD pass, a dink over the middle to Travis McNeal on a good play fake from the 1 yard line, and Washington went up 27-22. Birmingham would get a field goal on their next drive, and then got the ball back after a shanked Pelfrey FG attempt. With 1:43 left to play, Brett Favre had plenty of time and 1 time out left, to get Birmingham into position for a game-winning field goal. But, once again the pressure got to him and on a 3rd and 9 he was clipped by a blitzing Michael Barrow and the ball fluttered into the hands of SS Sam Garnes to lock up the Washington win. The Federals, and that soul-crushing defense, are headed to San Antonio and Summer Bowl 1997.
We went into this game wondering how the Thunder would fare without Robert Drummond to drive the offense. Michigan, as a road team, was still favored to win due to the injury to Portland’s bell cow back. But the Thunder put the ball into the hands of Jack Trudeau and the veteran responded by going 27 of 37 for 266 yards and 4 TD’s, including the game winner with 1:05 on the clock.
The game started with Trudeau finding Webster Slaughter for a TD only 3 minutes in, and from then it was a back and forth battle, with Flutie throwing for 348 as the Panthers found themselves in something of a shootout with a team that surprised them with 3 and 4 receiver sets. Portland HB Darius Turner had only 14 carries, with minimal success (45 yards) as the Thunder spread the ball out and forced the Michigan secondary to deal with a wide range of receiver formations. Vince Tobin and OC, former Breaker Head Coach Dick Coury, confused and overwhelmed the Panthers with shifts, stacked receivers, and unfamiliar formations. It was an amazing turnaround for a club built to run the ball.
And yet, midway through the 4th quarter a Tyrone Wheatley TD put Michigan up 28-24 and Panther fans felt the tide had finally turned in their favor. Portland mustered a field goal on their next drive, but it would come down to their defense to get them the ball back. A sack from Anthony Pleasant and a perfectly-timed deflection on a Flutie to Campbell pass by CB Dwayne Galloway got Portland the ball back, and Jack Trudeau led the Thunder down the field, connecting with TE Lonnie Johnson for the game winning score with 1:05 left to play. The Thunder added a 2-point conversion on a short pass to 2nd TE Jason Dunn and the Panthers were unable to get a tying score as time ran out. Without their biggest star and with a totally new offensive gameplan the Portland Thunder still showed that they were the #1 seed in the West for a reason, punching their ticket to the Summer Bowl and a showdown with the Washington Federals.
The only new injury this week, from the teams that are moving on, is to Washington strong safety Louis Oliver, who is now listed as doubtful for the game with an ankle injury suffered against Birmingham. Oliver is the only Washington player with any injury designation. For Portland the big injury is still Robert Drummond’s knee, which now is scheduled for surgery this week. They also have 3 more names on the injury list, with CB Ben Smith listed as doubtful, LB Todd Howard is questionable after breaking his nose in the Michigan game, and DE Anthony Pleasant is probably with a dislocated finger. We fully expect Pleasant to play, though perhaps with a splint to stabilize the finger, while Howard is likely a gametime decision.
Another week with a lot of off-the-field news as the labor situation appears to be resolved, with a clear victory for the Union. Let’s start there.
CBA APPROVED, FREE AGENCY REOPENED
The USFLPA polled their constituents this week and the result was overwhelming to recertify the current CBA, retain all contracts as valid through their full length, and, essentially to accept the owners’ retraction of the schedule and alignment vote. The only change we will see for 1998 is an expansion of the playoffs from 10 teams (5 per conference) to 12, a move that the union favored anyway as it expands playoff checks to 2 more rosters. The vote means that USFL teams may now enter the fray of free agency, work to resign their stars and sign both USFL and NFL free agents (at least for the next 2 weeks before the transfer window shuts). The biggest sigh of relief likely comes form Birmingham, where, even with the big loss this week, there is potential good news if the Stallions can match bids for Brett Favre coming from the NFL. Favre seems very happy with the Stallions and Coach Erhardt’s offense, so we would not be surprised if Birmingham even gets a bit of a hometown discount, especially if, as rumored, the main contender from the NFL was frigid Green Bay.
NFL SIGNINGS
That the league and union have at least temporarily reached a truce does not mean that the NFL poaching of USFL rosters has come to a halt. Once again we saw several big names headed to the fall in another week of largely uncontested NFL encroachment into the USFL Free Agency pool. Among those headed to the fall we find the captain of the Texas Outlaw’s #1 rated defense, multiple All-USFL LB Brian Bosworth. The Boz could not turn down $8M a year from the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the highest paid Seahawk, and one of the highest paid defenders in the NFL. Jacksonville suffered a big loss as once again the NFL targeted the Left Tackle position. John Thierry is headed to the Chicago Bears on a 4 year deal, forcing the Renegades to consider options to either move their RT over or to look into free agency now that the USFL can rejoin the market.
Chicago lost two solid, if not highly-touted, offensive players, with FB Kimble Anders signing with the Kansas City Chiefs despite a knee injury that cost him several games this year. TE Wessley Walls took the offer of the Carolina Panthers and will take his pass catching talents to Charlotte this fall. Baltimore, who has 2 QB’s in Free Agency, must be a bit surprised that it was Cody Carlson and not Chris Miller who was snapped up this week. Carlson becomes a member of the Tennessee Copperheads, where he is expected to back up young gun Steve McNair. Miller remains the Blitz QB for now, but there are voices in Baltimore that seem to be indicating that the Blitz may not offer Miller a new deal, but may be in the market for a new starting QB through either trade or Free Agency.
COACHING UPDATE
One more USFL coaching position was filled this week as clubs try to get their ducks in a row before the flurry to sign talent. Oakland did as expected, signing former Denver Bronco and Atlanta Fire head coach Dan Reeves to be the new leader of the Invaders. Reeves seemed unphased by questions about his less-than-exemplary years with Atlanta, talking at the press conference about the history of the Invaders and his excitement about being in the Bay Area with a club that is focused on bringing winning football back to Oakland.
While Oakland found their man, Tampa Bay cut loose theirs. It had been rumored for some time that Troy Aikman had been meeting with club officials about his souring relationship with Jerry Glanville, and it now seems clear that those complaints did not fall on deaf ears. The Bandits released Glanville from his contract and will now begin looking at coaching candidates, ones almost certainly aligned with Troy Aikman’s interest in an offensive philosophy. Just what Aikman and the Bandits hope to find remains a bit of a mystery, but clearly Glanville’s defensive mindset, which never really produced a top tier defense, as well as his seeming disregard for building a truly elite offense, or in gameplanning around the talent of Aikman, seems to have led to the dismissal. We have no doubt that “the man in black” will find another gig, but for now not even a Summer Bowl appearance could turn the tide in a battle between head coach and star quarterback.
SUMMER BOWL HYPE
As part of the build up to Summer Bowl ’97, the league this week announced the logo for Summer Bowl ’98, to be held in Columbus’s Ohio Stadium, and the next two venues for SB 1999 and 2000. The 1998 logo plays heavily into the Ohio Glory branding with the red, white, and blue colors replacing the usual bright summer pastels and sunset tones. The logo features a silhouette in red and blue of the state of Ohio, with two white helmets clashing with a single white star on the location of Columbus. Text including the event name, league logo, and location complete the simple logo.
In addition to the logo premier, the league also announced that Summer Bowl 1999 would be held at Los Angeles’s newly-constructed Farmers Insurance Stadium, home to the Express as well as the NFL’s Raiders. The new state-of-the-art stadium was promised a Summer Bowl as part of the deal between the NFL, USFL, and city of Los Angeles. It will host the 1999 Summer Bowl, and is likely the frontrunner for the 2000 Super Bowl of the NFL as well. For 2000 the USFL will return back east with Tampa Stadium as the host site for the title game. Tampa Stadium also hosted the 1994 title game (back before the Summer Bowl moniker was created) and will be the third stadium, after Denver’s Mile High and New Jersey’s Giants Stadium to host a second spring league title game.
RETIREMENTS
Finally, before we look at Summer Bowl ’97, we should highlight that several more players have announced that they will shut their lockers for the final time, turn in their stadium passes, and move into their post-football lives. Among the notable players announcing retirement this week we find:
Arizona TE Pete Metzelaars: A 2-time Super Bowl champion with the Buffalo Bills in the early 90’s, Metzelaars came to Arizona last year after being let go by the Bills. In his lone season in the desert he had 80 targets, catching 54 balls for 373 yards and no scores. The combination of hands and shiftiness he displayed in Buffalo were still there, but the chemistry with young Jake Plummer never seemed to fully develop for Metzelaars.
Chicago LB Gary Reasons: The former NY Giant has been a mainstay of the Machine LB corps since coming over to the league 10 seasons ago. Only able to start 5 games this year due to injuries, Reasons was likely going to have a reserve role moving forward. He retires with 1,003 tackles, 42 sacks and 6 picks in his career with the Machine.
Denver WR Willie Gillespie: We mentioned Gillespie’s retirement last week, but a player like Gillespie, who began with the Tampa Bay Bandits back when the league was born in 1983 deserves a bit more attention when he completes his career. In his 15 USFL seasons, 9 with Tampa Bay and 6 in Denver, Gillespie helped to define the slot receiver role in the league, catching 430 lifetime passes for 5,747 yards and 47 TDs while taking an endless series of hits from LBs and safeties. Known for elite quickness off the ball and good after the catch skills, Gillespie had his best year in his first year, catching 52 balls for 1,167 yards and 9 scores for the 1983 League Champion Bandits.
Philadelphia DE William Fuller: Another USFL long hauler, Fuller joined the Philadelphia Stars in 1984 and won three titles with them over his 14-season career. He leaves the stars as the team’s all-time sack leader with 94 QB wrangles. His 552 tackles, including 148 tackles for loss are also a big part of a Philadelphia defense that has built up a sterling reputation over its history. His best season was in 1993, when he logged 15 sacks to go along with 52 tackles.
As we wrap up this week’s USFL rundown, we look ahead to a very intriguing, somewhat surprising, matchup in Summer Bowl 1997. The Washington Federals, led by former offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, are a defensive dynamo, leading the league in sacks, fewest yards allowed, and rush yards allowed. The Portland Thunder were a club that revolved around their run game and All-USFL back Robert Drummond, but a season-ending injury to Drummond in the Wild Card game means they have to reinvent themselves as a passing team, something they did very well in the Western Conference Final to get to the title game.
Washington will likely use the same formula that worked on Brett Favre to harass and hit Jack Trudeau. They will pressure with 4, but also blitz from the LB position to keep Trudeau guessing. The Thunder are likely to counter this with a lot of 3 receiver sets and a lot of short passes. Pressure will be on Trudeau to find Slaughter, Dykes, and rookie Matthew Hatchette quickly, and for them to earn yards after the catch. The TE’s could also be huge for Portland with both Lonnie Johnson and Jason Dunn asked to bail out Trudeau.
When Washington has the ball, expect a mix of runs from Barry Word and Terrell Fletcher, with play action and roll outs from Kordell Stewart. Herman Moore is a major deep threat, but Portland cannot sleep on Mike Williams. Portland will likely key the run, trying to keep Word to short gains and force Washington to deal with long 3rd down yardage. The Thunder run defense is a solid 9th in the league, allowing just under 75 yards per game, a far cry from years past when teams barely had to throw on the Thunder because their run defense was a joke. Coach Tobin has built up the interior to beef up the run defense with players like LB Todd Howard, DT Mike Golic, and young team captain Mike Vrabel.
If Washington can run on Portland with any early success it will put pressure on the Thunder. They cannot fall behind and fully abandon the run and short pass game. It would just open up Trudeau for hits, pressures, and, very likely, turnovers. Portland won’t surprise Washington as they did Michigan with more spread out offensive sets. They will simply have to execute on a short passing game to keep the pressure off their veteran QB. Their defense is also going to have to get some takeaways to keep the score down and provide Trudeau with short fields to deal with. If they are successful this game could all come down to the kickers, and we like Al Del Greco in that situation, but if not, then Washington could find that their path to a title is clear and straight. We like Washington in this game if for no other reason than the entire game seems to hinge on Portland finding a way to protect Trudeau, and few teams have been successful in protecting their QB’s from the Federals this season.
OUR PICK: Washington 24 Portland 16.