In a week filled with questions, the long shadow of the owners meeting created an eerie sense of discomfort across the league. The game still went on, but all anyone wanted to discuss was the off-field tension between ownership and the players. And yet, with this year’s contracts still intact, the games went on. The league lost all but one undefeated club, and are also down to just two clubs who have yet to taste victory. We have a Cinderella story brewing in New Jersey as unknown 2nd year QB has the Generals winning games, and we have the Texas Outlaws defying all the odds to start the season 5-0.
A back and forth fireworks show in the Vet as the Birmingham Stallions and Philadelphia Stars faced off on Sunday afternoon. In a game that seemed destined for a “last team with the ball wins” scenario, that is exactly what we got. While Philadelphia presented a balanced offense with Charlie Garner rushing for 96 yards, Birmingham abandoned the run pretty early in the face of a tough Stars line, and put the ball into the hands of Brett Favre, who reciprocated with a 4-TD, 439-yard performance.
The first three quarters saw only 1 TD each before a frantic 4th quarter took the game to new levels. Shannon Sharpe started the scoring off in the 1st with a 65-yard TD reception on a perfectly designed out & up. Philadelphia would get their own big play in the 2nd quarter when Chuck Long found wideout Troy Brown from 35 yards out on a corner route, dropping the ball in just over the outstretched arms of the Stallion corner.
After 3 quarters, the game was only a 16-10 affair, with Philadelphia holding the edge. But the quarter ended with the Stallions driving and on the first play of the final period they struck, with Favre hitting Cedric Tillman for a score that flipped the lead towards the visitors. Philly recovered the lead with a field goal on their next drive, but could not stop Tillman as he once again scored for the Stallions, putting them up 24-19 with 3:52 left in the game.
Troy Brown was the big target for Chuck Long as he came up big with 7 receptions for 160 yards and 2 scores, his second coming on a 46-yard sprint to the endzone. The Stars were back on top, 27-24 with only 1:46 left, but 1:46 in the hands of an offense like the Stallions’ and with Brett Favre at the helm is hardly secure.
Favre took over with the ball on the Stallion 31 after a good kick return. Within 5 plays he was closing in on the red zone. On a 2nd and 3 from the 26, the Stallions tried to pressure Favre, but that left Shannon Sharpe covered by a linebacker, which is never a good thing. Favre braced for the hit as he delivered the ball to his speedy tight end. Sharpe made the catch and shook off the safety on his way to the endzone. With only 33 seconds left, the Stallions retook the lead, 31-27.
Needing a touchdown, the Stars were forced to play against a shell defense, and when Chuck Long’s desperation heave on the final play of the game found only the turf, the Stallions celebrated on the sidelines. The undefeated Stars now tasted defeat, and the Stallions were back in the picture in a crowded Southern Division.
NOR 30 CHI 17
The Breakers got 2 TDs and 98 yards from Terrell Davis to upend the Machine in Soldier Field. QB Alex Van Pelt, again subbing for Dan McGwire struggled, throwing 2 picks to the Breaker D as Chicago was unable to come back from a 23-15 deficit.
TEX 20 HOU 13
The Outlaws remain unbeaten by holding off the Gamblers despite 177 combined yards from scrimmage from Thurman Thomas. Reggie Cobb rushed for 109 and 2 scores to help the visiting Outlaws outlast the homestanding Gamblers.
STL 13 MGN 16
The Knights defense returned to 1996 form, but the offense still struggled, with Todd Collins throwing 2 picks. Doug Flutie completed 69% of his passes, but also threw 4 picks against the Knights’ man coverage schemes. Were it not for a late Rodney Culver score, Michigan easily could have lost to the winless Knights.
SEA 10 OAK 30
The Invaders win their second in a row in convincing fashion, outgaining Seattle by 100 yards and holding the Dragons to 3 of 11 on third down. Troy Davis had a good game in relief, spelling Siran Stacy as Davis rushed for 68 yards to Stacy’s 69.
POR 36 DEN 14
The Gold were a bit overconfident in this home game, but 20 unanswered points from the Thunder put them in a hole they could not dig out of. Jack Trudeau went 28 of 33 for 340 yards in one of his better games in recent memory. Mark Brunell was knocked out of the game early and John Walsh struggled in relief.
LA 31 ARZ 17
In a battle of winless teams, LA jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back. Bernie Parmalee started in place of the injured Antowain Smith and racked up 91 yards and 2 scores for the Express.
ATL 34 OHI 17
The Fire moved to 3-2 with a road win in Columbus. Cliff Stoudt threw for 4 scores on a 22 of 32 passing day and the combo of Tiki Barber and Blair Thomas accounted for 135 yards rushing for Atlanta.
JAX 28 PIT 23
One of the better games of the week, Pittsburgh held a lead late but a Kenny Bynum TD catch with only 1:39 left to play gave the win to the visiting Bulls and sending the Maulers to their second straight defeat. Chris Chandler would finish with 323 yards passing and 3 scores.
TBY 23 NJ 29
What has gotten into the Generals and who the heck is Spence Fischer? The unknown QB went 41 of 59 for 396 yards and 3 TDs as the Generals shocked the Bandits in Tampa Stadium. New Jersey was aided by a big day for Phil Hansen and the D-Line, with Hansen accounting for 3 of the team’s 7 sacks of Troy Aikman.
ORL 24 BAL 17
Orlando fell behind 17-7, but fought back to edge the Blitz in Memorial Stadium. Two Chris Miller picks and a rough day for Barry Foster kept the Blitz from moving over .500 as the Renegades come away with a big road win.
MEM 3 WSH 32
It was all Federals in RFK on Sunday as Memphis was held to a humbling 9 yards rushing against the Washington D. line. Kordell Stewart left the game with a possible concussion, but not before he had built up a hefty 20-0 lead on Memphis. Eric Kramer wrapped up the game as two Federals backs went over 100 yards on the day, Word at 111 on 20 carries and Terrell Fletcher with 112 on only 13 carries, including a big 42 yard burst in the 4th.
Mystery Man: So, just who is Spence Fischer and how has the unknown 3rd stringer led New Jersey to two straight victories? Fischer is a 2nd year pro out of Duke, selected by the Generals in the 6th round of the 1996 USFL Collegiate Draft. At Duke, Fischer threw for 9,019 yards in 3 seasons, tossing 48 career touchdowns. He was viewed as too cerebral and not physical enough prior to the draft, but the Generals signed him in the hopes that he would essentially hold for kicks, something he had done as a Blue Devil, and stand alongside their QB coach as they tried to decide between Rob Johnson and Tommy Maddox as the starter.
Since coming in after injuries to both Maddox and Johnson, what has Fischer done? How about going 86 of 125 (a 68.8% clip), throwing for 840 yards, 6 TDs and no picks. He has propelled Terry Glenn to the top spot among league receivers in yards, and, even more surprisingly, has led the Generals to back-to-back wins over Birmingham and Tampa Bay, two clubs whose offenses should have destroyed New Jersey. All this after not appearing in a single game or completing a single pass in his first 18 games as a pro.
So, there is no way the Generals replace Fischer with Maddox, now that the former UCLA QB is off the injured list, right? We don’t think so, at least not until he loses a game or has a bad outing. They say that a player should never lose his job to injury, but with the offense humming under Fischer, how can you pull him out now. The Generals have to ride this kid’s arm as far as it can take them or until it falls off.
SECOND WIND: Robbie Bosco has found new life with the Pittsburgh Maulers. He currently leads the league with 1,547 yards passing after 5 games, and while his 7 interceptions are a concern for the Maulers, losers of 2 straight, his 12 TDs have been more than welcome. Bosco has never been a true gunslinger, always a bit on the conservative side, but with Raynard Brown, Louis Lipps, rookie Derrick Mason and veteran TE Mike Shaw, Bosco has the weapons to cut loose. The result is a more balanced offense, which, in turn, creates more holes for the ageless Mike Rozier. The Maulers have some issues on defense, the main reason they have lost these last 2 weeks, but with the #1 scoring offense and the 2nd rated passing game in the league, Pittsburgh is hoping that their trade for Bosco, a band-aid last year when Alan Risher went out, could be a solution for at least the next couple of years.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Remember last year when Ohio’s Joey Galloway was tearing up the stat book and led the league in receiving by what seemed like a country mile? Well this year he has gone MIA. Galloway does not even appear in the top 20 in receiving yards after 5 weeks with only 24 receptions, third on the team behind TE Chris Kelley (32) and flanker Robb Thomas (26). It does not help that QB Jeff Hostetler has been gimpy, essentially playing on one leg, or that he is leading the league in interceptions. And while Galloway has no drops on the year, something is keeping him from being the centerpiece of the Ohio offense. Seems odd to say, but by all accounts the Glory are trying to avoid throwing to Galloway, who is always matched up against the best shut down corner of the opposition, but if he has the talent we saw last year, the Glory have to find a way to get him the ball.
As the USFL and USFLPA begin negotiations behind closed doors on adjustments to the CBA after the league’s decision to move to a 14-game season, we turn our attention elsewhere, to more positive news. Another spring brings us another USFL season, but it also brings us voting season for the USFL wing within the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year will mark the third class into the Hall. The selection committee has nominated 9 candidates for up to 5 nominations to join the 9 players who already represent the USFL. There are several new candidates, eligible because their final season was in 1992, and several returning after missing out in 1996. Here are the nine nominees. Let us know in the comments section which of these nine (up to 5) you believe merit induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their performance within the USFL.
FIRST YEAR NOMINEES
HB Joe Cribbs (BIR): Played 9 seasons for the Stallions, rushing for a total of 12,557 yards (currently 4th all time), a lifetime average of 4.4 Yards per Carry. He scored 98 total touchdowns, 83 rushing and another 15 receptions (also 4th all time). He was named All-USFL 7 times in 9 seasons, was the 1984 Offensive Player of the Year, and was named a Player of the Game 51 times.
DE Bob Barber (WSH, BIR): Bob Barber played 10 seasons in the USFL, starting all 16 games for Washington in the league’s inaugural season before moving to Birmingham, where he spent 9 seasons and started 150 games at DE. He amassed 104 sacks over his 9 years, which is currently 9th in league history, and recorded 10 or more sacks 7 times, including a season high of 15 in 1985, his second year with the stallions. In addition to his sack total, he recorded 71 tackles for loss, forced 23 fumbles and recovered 7 in his long career.
WR Jackie Flowers (ARZ/CHI-BAL): Flowers began his career in Arizona, but moved to Chicago (and then to Baltimore when the Blitz moved), where he completed 10 seasons as a USFL wideout. He retired with 739 career receptions for 11,803 yards and 93 touchdowns. Known for his speed and his willingness to leap to catch balls that might seem out of reach, Flowers was named an ALL-USFL player 4 times in his 10 year career.
SS William Cesare (BIR, CHI): A 2 time All-USFL player at Strong Safety, Cesare retired after splitting his career between the Birmingham Stallions and Chicago Machine. He left the game with 82 passes defended, 13 interceptions, and 945 tackles (2nd among Safeties) to his name. Cesare was known as a violent hitter, and was unafraid to take on rushers out of the backfield. His best season was 1986 with Birmingham, when he recorded 104 tackles, including 14 in one game against Pittsburgh.
DT Eddie Weaver (LA, ARZ): Weaver is another 10-year veteran, working the trenches for the LA Express and Arizona Wranglers. He retired with 381 tackles, 47 tackles for a loss, and 33 sacks, all Top Ten among DTs in the USFL’s 14 seasons. He was named an ALL-USFL player 6 times.
C William Copley (BOS/NOR): A three-time All-USFL player at center, Copley holds an amazing distinction among offensive linemen, Despite playing in 154 games, starting 153 of them for the Breakers, Copley is cited as having allowed only 2 sacks in his entire career. Often regarded as one of the best pure pass blockers in the spring game, Copley also helped lead the way for the rushing of Breaker backs like Richard Crump and Marcus DuPree.
REPEAT NOMINEES
HB Craig James (WSH): James was a nominee last year, barely missing the 75% of votes needed to be inducted. He is one of three returning players in the 1997 pool. A 2 time All-USFL player at Halfback, James still holds the Federals’ records for rush attempts (2239), yards (8,908), and touchdowns (53). Both in rushing attempts and yards he remains in the Top Ten of USFL backs.
HB John Williams (MGN): A four time All-USFL selection and member of 2 USFL title teams with the Panthers, John Williams was known as a bruising runner. He retired with 7,311 yards rushing and 53 rushing touchdowns.
DT Jumpy Geathers (BOS, MGN, PHI): A six-time All-USFL selection and key defensive cog in the 1987 Michigan Panthers championship, Gaethers retired with 43 sacks (4th all time for a DT), 368 tackles, and 67 tackles for loss. Considered one of the first pass-rushing DTs, Gaether’s power rush was an early predecessor for later stars like Jerome Brown and Michael Dean Perry.
The highlight of Week 6 is divisional play in the Eastern Conference, with Baltimore-Washington and Philadelphia-Pittsburgh representing not only strong rivalry games, but also key playoff showdowns among clubs playing very good ball right now. Even New Jersey vs. Ohio has some cache after the sudden turnaround of the Generals. In the South the big game is 3-2 Birmingham at 4-1 Tampa Bay, but keep an eye on Jacksonville (4-1) at Orlando (3-2) as well, as these Florida rivalry games tend to be tight matchups. Atlanta is in Memphis, and the Fire, a surprise at 3-2, could get solidly over .500 with another win against a slumping Showboat squad.
In the Western Conference, we have inter-divisional games, with the best of the bunch being 4-1 Portland, hot off their win in Denver, visiting 3-2 Chicago. St. Louis will try to get their first win of the year as they host the LA Express, while 1-4 Seattle and 1-4 Houston face off in what can only be dubbed a Disappointment Bowl. Arizona is still winless, but heading to 4-1 Michigan hardly seems the way to get off that bad rut. Denver hopes to rebound as they head to 2-3 New Orleans, and the only undefeated team left, the Texas Outlaws, are back in the Alamo Dome to face off against the Oakland Invaders, winners of 2 in a row.