In a week that saw two of the biggest upsets of the year, we had 2 clubs lock up playoff berths, and two division leads flip hands. Texas benefitted from a surprisingly good performance from the Seattle Dragons, while Philadelphia got help from the Ohio Glory to leapfrog the Washington Federals to take over first place. All this plus some potential Wild Card drama in the East is on the plate this week.
Despite there being several tight games, including an overtime affair between the Generals and Stars, we picked this one as the game of the week because no one saw this coming and against all odds the Dragons actually pulled it out. Seattle came in as an 11-point underdog, but they scrapped and fought Michigan all day, and in the end a huge 4th quarter comeback, including a game-winning score of the most dramatic kind, got the Dragons the win.
The Seattle defense picked off Doug Flutie 3 times in the game, and managed to nab him for 4 sacks, and while the Dragon offense was not exactly dynamic (218 yards passing and 76 yards rushing) it did enough to complement a pretty solid defensive gameplan against the Panthers. The Dragons held Tyrone Wheatley to 3.4 yards per carry and a total of only 58 yards. They also forced those 3 picks, which would be huge.
Seattle got on the board first with the only score of the 1st quarter, a Rosenbach toss to Bobby Olive. Michigan came back in the 2nd as Flutie hit Jeff Campbell, but Seattle would not go away. Derrick Loville ran a score in to give Seattle the lead again, and Flutie hit Weegie Thompson late in the half to salvage a tie at the break.
In the third quarter both defenses held tough and Michigan knew they were in a dogfight. They got their break about 6 minutes into the final quarter when a long drive, aided by 2 unfortunate Seattle penalties, ended with a Wheatley TD run. Up 7, the Panthers knew the game was not over. It took them 2 more possessions, but Seattle evened things back up with 2:09 left on the clock as Rosenbach hit Derrick Loville for a game-tying score.
With more than 2 minutes on the clock and 2 timeouts left, Michigan was poised to snatch the victory if they could move into field goal range. But, on a 3rd and 7, the Seattle defense pressured Doug Flutie, forcing him to roll to his left. He attempted to throw back to the right to hit TE Mark Chmura, but this very tough pass went all kinds of wrong. The ball glanced off of Chmura’s hands and into the waiting hands of LB Tommy Thigpen. Thigpen advanced the ball about 8-10 yards, but just as he was about to be hit, he tossed the ball back to fellow backer Jim Schwantz. The tackler took out Thigpen, but Schwantz had a clear line to the endzone. The Michigan crowd was stunned. With under a minute left to play, they now found themselves not lining up for a game-winning kick, but down 7 and a long way from a tying score.
Seattle held the despearate Panthers on the game’s final drive, and a 4th and 11 pass did not find its mark, ending all hopes for the Panthers. This was a costly game for them, as Texas now retakes the division title and can control their own destiny. But, hope is not lost as Michigan will face off against those Texas Outlaws in Week 15, in a game that could decide the division. Seattle gaines only their 3rd win of the year, but one they can proudly point to as a sign that this team is still playing hard for Coach Widenhofer. Is it enough? We shall see.
BAL 19 PIT 7
Pittsburgh’s first game without Robbie Bosco went about as badly as pessimists expected. The Blitz defense had a field day with the Maulers, holding them to only 208 total yards, including a pathetic 28 yards rushing. The only Pittsburgh score came on a Chris Miller interception (a problem he has not been able to shake all year) as Baltimore just dominated on defense to move to 6-6.
NJ 14 PHI 17 OT
New Jersey spotted the Stars a 17-3 halftime lead, but came back on Philly to make things tight. The Generals gained an impressive 428 of total offense, most of it from the arm of Spence Fischer, who went 40 of 57 as the Generals fought to come back. Philadelphia bent but did not break, but the game still went to overtime. There Philadelphia shut down New Jersey again, and with only 16 seconds left in the final period, they put their trust in kicker Chip Lohmiller, who came through with a game-winning 46-yarder.
OHI 38 WSH 16
What the heck happened in RFK this week? Jeff Hostetler played angry, and the Glory defense came through with 2 picks of Kordell Stewart as the Feds clearly fell into a trap game looking ahead to their showdown with Philly next week. Joey Galloway is finally back, with another big game (8 catches for 133 yards) but it was his double coverage that allowed Rob Thomas to catch 8 for 94 and 3 TDs from Hoss as the Glory got the huge upset.
MEM 21 ATL 17
Atlanta was playing the Showboats tight at home, but, down only 14-10, Cliff Stoudt was knocked out of the game on a play that led to a Memphis pick 6, a double insult. From then on the Showboats contained Eric Zeier, who went only 10 of 30, and a Jeff Query 99-yard kick return for 6 put the game into Memphis’s hands for good.
TBY 25 BIR 35
The Stallions were in no mood to let Tampa get back in playoff contention. They raced to a 28-9 halftime lead and kept the pressure on all day. Stephen Davis outgained Errict Rhett, and Birmingham got 4 sacks against Troy Aikman to keep Tampa down. Add in a monster day form Ernest Givens (135 yards on only 5 catches) and you have a comfortable win for the Stallions.
ORL 30 JAX 31
Another contender for Game of the Week, Jacksonville fought it out with Orlando all day, with 2 lead changes in the final 2 minutes to give the home squad the win. Orlando went up 30-25 thanks to a Mitchell-to-Shawn-Jefferson 21 yard toss with 1:26 left, but Jacksonville got their fantastic finish, thanks to Chris Chandler finding slot receiver Kez McCorvey with 29 seconds on the clock as the Bulls move to 8-4.
ARZ 17 NOR 27
The Breakers got 3 TDs from Jamie Martin, and 107 yards from Qadry Ismail as they outlasted the Wranglers at home. The Breakers outpaced the Wranglers 413 yards to 289, but the game was close well into the 3rd thanks to a poor 4 of 14 on third down by New Orleans.
DEN 21 STL 23
The Knights continue to be dangerous as they eke past the Gold thanks to two 4th quarter field goals. St. Louis won the turnover battle (2-1), the penalty battle (5-6) and the third down battle on their way to a tight win that keeps them in contention and may just squelch any hopes Denver had of winning the Pacific Division.
LA 20 TEX 23
The Outlaws are not finding wins easy to come by without Kelly Stouffer, but once again they get just enough to outlast their opponent. LA never led, but stayed close, thanks to 264 yards passing and 2 TDs from Jeff Garcia and a combined 110 yards from Antowain Smith and Bernie Parmalee. Texas relied on Reggie Cobb (17 for 74 yards) and a big day from Quinn Early (7 receptions for 111) to stay atop the Central.
OAK 7 CHI 37
Rumors of Jim Mora stepping down at year’s end only got louder after the Invaders, playing with Cary Conklin at QB, were just outclassed in all phases of the game by the Machine. Alex Van Pelt continued to look good and may get the nod down the stretch from Coach Schottenheimer. Add in 91 combined yards and 2 scores from Watters and Staley and the Machine roll.
POR 34 HOU 28
Houston is still a talented team, and Chuck Hartlieb is not giving any foes an easy win. Portland pulled it out thanks to a TD from rookie Matthew Hatchette and a late Del Greco field goal, but it was tight all day as the Gamblers outgained the Thunder 466-379.
Two teams locked up playoff berths this week, both in the Western Conference. Texas, with the win and losses by several 5-win teams, is now guaranteed a playoff spot at 10-2, but they still have that big showdown with the Panthers to determine the division title. Portland also punched their ticket at 9-2-1. That tie also should help them with the division as Denver is now 1.5 games behind instead of just 1. In the East, Philadelphia lept over Washington thanks to the surprise win by Ohio at RFK. The two are a half game apart, and will face off next week in a big game for both clubs. Birmingham has the tiebreaker edge on Jacksonville, with both sitting at 8-4, and they too have a big showdown in Week 15.
At the other end of the playoff list, those 5th slots are going to be interesting, at least in the East. Orlando holds the current tiebreakers at 6-6, but with Baltimore, Tampa and New Jersey also all at 6-6, there is a lot of insecurity about that spot. Even Memphis and Pittsburgh at 5-7 are not out of it yet. In the West, Denver at 7-5 has a 2 game lead over the 5-7 clubs (New Orleans, Houston, and St. Louis) but cannot afford to slip up over the final month of the season or one of these scrappy clubs could jump up and overtake them.
Another week and another few players are done for the year. This week the league lost the services of Memphis FS Bubba McDowell (broken leg), Pittsburgh corner Harry Colon (Biceps), Baltimore FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo (Ribs0 and Blitz LB Mike Junkin (leg). New Jersey may be without WR Terry Glenn at least one week with a dislocated knee, but no ligament damage was detected, which is good news. Atlanta believes Cliff Stoudt will be able to play next week after getting knocked out of the game against Memphis, but it is likely a game time decision. The same may be true for Jon Kitna in Seattle, though Timm Rosenbach’s upset win over Michigan has to make Dragon fans feel good regardless of who gets the start.
We are only 4 weeks from the end of the regular season and the unlocking of nearly 200 players as free agents, and yet we are getting no news from USFL-USFLPA negotiations. There were rumors of a possible compromise from owners, as it does appear that several of those who initially voted to rearrange the league format and schedule are now feeling heat to avoid a free agent disaster this offseason, but nothing has emerged. If the players believe they have the upper hand, with all the pressure on ownership, they may hold out and not accept a compromise position.
The only news this week seems rather inconsequential in the face of the labor issues the league faces. Nike has released their 1998 look for the Baltimore Blitz. The changes for next year are not wide sweeping, though the Blitz are adding a secondary logo and, apparently, trying to put a face on the franchise. In addition to the familiar “blitz” script logo, which remains the dominant image for the club, the team has introduced a new mascot, Billy Blitz, and a logo of Billy will also be used in promotions and on the jerseys. The new mascot/logo looks a bit like a mix between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Hulk. In the age of steroid concerns around pro sports, the image of what appears to be a “roid rage” mascot seems an odd choice, but it is what it is.
In addition to this new mascot, the Blitz are updating their striping on the helmet, jersey and pants while maintaining the same red, white, and silver color scheme they have held since their days in Chicago. The new twist, in addition to altering the order of the colors in the stripes, is a ”shock point” on the striping, particularly on the pant and helmet stripes, where the entire stripe seems to jump to the side, similar to a common depiction of electricity or lightning. It is not a huge feature, but one that stands out when incorporated into the player numbers on the jersey, a feature we are not sure we like. Decide for yourselves, as you can see the new look here, in these designs released by the club.
Week 13, only 4 left to play, and a lot on the line, especially along the edges of playoff qualification. A lot of games involve teams hovering around .500 and trying to make a surge to qualify for the postseason. You are likely to see some hard-hitting action if you tune in for one of these matchups. Baltimore is in Ohio to face the Glory and a win gets the Blitz to 7-6 and above .500 for the first time all year. Pittsburgh is in New Jersey with both clubs still clinging to hopes for a Wild Card. Orlando (6-6) is hoping that a home game against Atlanta will boost them into the Wild Card mix. Memphis is 5-7 and still alive, but they host a Birmingham squad that is thinking Division Title. Tampa Bay at 6-6 is also hoping for a late run, but it has to start with a win at home against a tough 8-4 Jacksonville squad. Oh, and did we fail to mention that 9-3 Philadelphia has a HUGE game at Washington this week. A win could all but lock up the Atlantic for the Stars, while a Feds win at home propels them back into the driver’s seat down the stretch.
In the Western Conference, there are also key battles for some clubs on the outside looking in, but in this case, most of them are 5-7 and face tougher opposition. The Gamblers are in Chicago, where Chicago could lock up a playoff berth with a win. New Orleans is on the road, hoping to get to 6=7 and stay alive, but they face a 9-3 Michigan Panthers team trying to catch the Outlaws. And those Outlaws are in St. Louis, where an upset could really boost the chances for the Knights to come all the way back from their horrendous start and make the postseason. In the Pacific, there is notably less drama, as 4 of 6 clubs are well outside contention. Denver is in Arizona, where the Wranglers are just hoping to get a 2nd win this season. Portland, the division leaders, are at home, hosting their rivals from Seattle, and in the game not many will tune in for, the 3-9 Express host their in-state rivals, the 3-9 Oakland Invaders.
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