In a week that saw Denver’s Rashaan Salaam go off for 185 yards and 3 scores, that had Alex Van Pelt throw for 5 TDs and still lose, that returned Birmingham to .500 with a convincing win over Philly, and that got Ohio their first win of the year over a struggling Atlanta Fire, the big story remains the success of the St. Louis Knights, Pittsburgh Maulers, and the Tampa Bay Bandits, all three clubs far exceeding expectations this year. It is also a week that is leading some clubs to reconsider their current rosters and possibly look to make a deal moving forward.
A wild game between two clubs that were desperate to get a W on the board. With a win New Orleans could reach .500 and stay alive in a Central Division that already seems out of reach for anyone not called the Knights, while for Chicago, any chance of staying relevant would depend on a win in this one. The Machine got a stellar performance from Alex Van Pelt, but in unexpected form their defense simply let them down, making Van Pelt’s heroics all in vain.
New Orleans came out of the gate hot, with Jamie Martin throwing what would be his only TD pass of the game in the 1st quarter, a short fade to Fontenot. This was followed by a Lin Elliott field goal and after one quarter the visitors had a 10-point lead.
Chicago wouldfight back, with Van Pelt hitting TE Scott Eccles to get on the board, but New Orleans would get 3 rushing TDs on the day, and the first one, a Terrell Davis plunge from 1 yard out, kept the margin 10. Chicago, now in full pass-first mode, responded again with Van Pelt hitting Wendell Davis to pull back within 3. The second half ended with a good Chicago stand, holding the Breakers to only another field goal, and going into the break down only 20-14.
The second half started much as the first had. New Orleans rotated their backs all day, resting Davis, who was dealing with migraines, and that allowed Erric Pegram to get two scores on the day, the first of which put the Breakers up 34-21, their largest lead of the day. Chicago responded immediately, with Van Pelt, in full rhythm against a disappointing Breaker defense, finding Ricky Proehl, the Houston import, to close out the 3rd.
And yet again New Orleans pushed the lead back over 10 points ,with Pegram running in another TD as the Machine defense simply could not get New Orleans off the field on 3rd down. But, Van Pelt was not done yet, finding Kirby Dar Dar for his 4th TD of the day and once again pulling Chicago within 6. They would catch a break on the next series when Jamie Martin simply misfired on a 3rd and 5 pass, missing his target entirely and forcing a Breaker punt. Chicago responded quickly, and in 3 plays, they were deep in Breaker territory. Van Pelt again found the right receiver, hitting HB Duce Staley out of the backfield on a circle route that turned into a 26 yard TD toss. For the first time all day the Machine were on top, 35-34.
But, this has been a snakebitten Machine squad all year, and with 4:22 still on the clock, and their defense struggling all game, they were not celebrating yet. Jamie Martin continued to find holes in the Chicago zone, and with litte pass rush from the front 3, it was up to the LBs to blitz. Chicago sent Talley on one play, Brookings on another, but it did not rattle the Breakers, and over the course of the next 4 minutes they moved the ball methodically, matriculating down the field as Hank Stram would say. Dealing with a 3rd and 7 from the Chicago 11, they opted to just place the ball with a kneel down, run some clock, and trot out Lin Elliott. The New Orleans kicker did not miss the chipshot and the Breakers got the lead back for good.
With the loss, Chicago falls to a stunning 1-5 and is all but dead. There were rumors that Chicago might bench Van Pelt if he did not play well this game, giving former Blitz starter Chris Miller a shot to rally the Machine, but Van Pelt was clearly not the issue this week. He played very well, but the usually sound Chicago defense was anything but, an issue Coach Schottenheimer will have to address if his Machine squad has any hopes of a better second half to the season. For New Orleans, the win pulls them up to 3-3 and puts them in the thick of what is likely to be a crowded Wild Card grouping.
MEM 23 WSH 22
The other photo finish this week was a bit of a shocker as Memphis entered the game at RFK as a solid 8-point underdog. Barry Word leads the league in rushing, but Memphis was able to hold him to only 61 yards. They were also able to protect Heath Shuler, who was sacked only 2 times and was able to find Lawyer Tillman on a key TD to go into the half down only 1. In the second half it was the foot of Kevin Shea that did the damage, including a game winner in the final minute to give Memphis the upset win and equalize their record at 3-3.
STL 24 MGN 10
The big game in the Central pitted St. Louis against Michigan, and the Knights made a statement, limiting the Panthers to only 198 total yards from scrimmage. Tyrone Wheatley managed only 42 yards on the ground, while Doug Flutie threw for 141 and a pick. Todd Collins, conversely, had a big game, throwing for 288 and 3 scores, with Bert Emmanuel finding holes in the D to the tune of 9 receptions for 88 yards and a score in the Knights’ big road win.
TBY 31 NJ 21
Tampa was another big road winner as they got 17 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to pull away from the Generals. Both Troy Aikman and Spence Fischer had strong days, combining for 7 passing TDs, though Aikman’s 433 yards in the air certainly outpaced Fischer. Both Robert Brooks (6 for 121, 1 TD) and Randy Moss (5 for 131 and 2 TDs) found frequent mismatches against New Jersey’s man coverage scheme, and despite Phil Hansen sacking Aikman 3 times on the day, the Bandits prevailed and moved to 5-1 atop the South.
JAX 14 PIT 19
Pittsburgh continued their unlikely run this year, and once again they needed the defense to step up to get a big home win over the Bulls. Up only 17-14 in the 4th, a coffin-corner punt set up a safety as Chris Chandler was sacked in the endzone to put Pittsburgh up by 5 and force Jacksonville to go for a late TD. Chris Chandler was picked off for the 3rd time on the day as time wound down, and, combined with 7 sacks from the Mauler D, suffered a rough afternoon as Pittsburgh moved to 5-1.
POR 31 DEN 44
The Gold got a huge game from Rashaan Salaam as the big back rumbled for 185 yards and 3 scores on 25 carries. The Denver D also corralled Robert Drummond, who does seem a bit less shifty after ACL surgery in the offseason, limiting the former Rushing Leader to only 35 yards on 9 carries as Denver evened their record at 3-3.
SEA 17 OAK 24
Oakland continued to impress, moving to 5-1 with a hard-fought win over a solid Seattle Dragons squad. They did this despite a pretty mediocre day from rookie QB Ryan Leaf, sacked 4 times and picked off twice on the day. Solid performances from Siran Stacy and Troy Davis helped Oakland pull out the win despite a very strong Corey Dillon 110-yard day.
LA 25 ARZ 28
The Express kept this one close, but again failed to eke out a win as Arizona got a late TD from backup HB Vaughn dunbar to take the win. Jacke Plummer offset 2 picks with 3 TDs and Rocket Ismail had a strong 111 yard, 1 TD day to help pace Arizona to a home win and a 4-2 record, while LA fell to 0-6, leading many to expect some changes to the club this week.
TEX 10 HOU 24
In the battle of disappointing Texas clubs, the Gamblers prevailed as the Outlaw offense again proved toothless. Kelly Stouffer returned, but threw 3 picks, while Reggie Cobb got only 12 carries on the day. Houston was no juggernaut either, but with 2 scores from Mario Greer, they outpaced the punchless Outlaws to pick up their 2nd win of the year.
ATL 21 OHI 36
Timm Rosenbach struggled again, and with him the entire Fire offense, as the club desperately hopes Jeff George can return from injury soon, having dropped their last 3 after a 3-0 start to the year. For Ohio the key was 140 yards from Eddie George, his best game since his days at Ohio State. Add in 115 from Joey Galloway and a strong 19 of 29, 3 TD day from Kerry Collins and the Glory finally escape the realm of the winless with a home victory in front of only 15,677 in spacious Ohio Stadium.
BIR 28 PHI 20
The Stallions are again shaking off a poor start to the year, and now seem to have their offensive mojo flowing. Brett Favre threw for 2 scores, both to Lawrence Dawsey, the #1 for Birmingham now that Givens is out. For Philadelphia, 2 Hebert picks and a rough day for Charlie Garner proved fatal as they drop their 2nd in a row and now trail Pittsburgh in the division.
ORL 17 BAL 35
The Blitz looked like a contender in snagging their 4th win of the year at home against Orlando. Scott Zolak struggled against the Blitz defense, while Trent Green threw for 3 scores, all to Malcom Floyd, proving that the newcomers to the Baltimore roster are making the GM look good.
QB QUANDRY
Several teams are having significant QB concerns after 6 weeks of the season. Chicago seriously considered benching Alex Van Pelt this week against New Orleans, but his strong performance even in a loss seems to have delayed the possible shift to former Blitz starter Chris Miller, at least for the time being. The same is not true in Atlanta where, if Jeff George cannot return to start next week, we are likely to see Eric Zeier take over for the ineffective Timm Rosenbach. Rosenbach was at one point considered to be a possible starter for the Fire until George inked with the team, but after 3 weeks and 3 bad performances, it seems the former WSU Cougar is on the outs with Coach Lewis. If George is even at 80% he may get the start, but if he is out, expect it to be Zeier, the former star down the road in Athens, who gets a shot to lead the Fire.
In Houston Chuck Hartlieb has had a very up and down season. He looked solid against Texas, but has had some real issues with accuracy this season. If Houston continues to flounder, Coach Willsey may just turn to the younger, more athletic Chuck Clements. We don’t see either Hartlieb or Clements as a long term solution in Houston, and could easily imagine the Gamblers going after one of the draft’s top QB prospects.
The LA Express, having not made any upgrades this offseason, now find themselves where many feared they would be, with Jeff Garcia not getting the job done, and without much confidence that Brent Pease will fare much better. The Express are likely to go with Pease this week when they face Portland, but there does not seem to be a good option for an Express team that is having all kinds of issues. Could a trade be in the works? And with whom? Do they take a shot at Rosenbach from Atlanta now that he is no longer the #2 there, do they package some things to get a proven commodity or do they go for one of the younger QB’s who have flashed some talent but who are currently on the bench across the league? Names like Kerwin Bell in Tampa, Jeff Lewis in Michigan, Cary Conklin in Oakland, or Danny Wuerfel in Jacksonville have been suggested, but honestly, in our minds the best option may be to go for a rookie they had a shot at signing and passed on, Brian Griese from Seattle. Seattle seems confident in starter Jon Kitna, and with Brock Huard backing him up, they may be willing to let Griese go, especially if it means snagging what may be a high draft pick from an LA team likely to be close to the front of the draft order. Something for the Express front office to consider for certain.
DEFENSIVE CHANGE
In Chicago, despite talk of Alex Van Pelt being on thin ice with Coach Schottenheimer, his strong performance this week meant that the immediate concern was the defense. This week the Machine released DC Maxie Baughan from his duties. While Coach Schottenheimer will clearly have a heavier hand in defensive gameplanning, the club did promote LB coach Jim Schwantz up to the coordinator position. Expect Schottenheimer to emphasize rush defense, but also to seek out some free agent help for the secondary, which has been erratic all season.
DRUMMOND QUESTIONS
While everyone was certainly happy to see Robert Drummond respond well to his ACL surgery and return to action this Fall after what looked like a devastating injury in last year’s playoffs, it seems clear that he is not the same back as before the injury. He had a strong first game back, but since then his stats have been sliding, from 160 yards in game one, a triumphant return to action, to 60 in Week 2, 50 in Week 3, 76 in Week 3, etc. Drummond has yet to return to 100 yards all season, and maybe we should not expect him too.
By his own admission, Drummond is not yet 100% back to form, and as we have seen with ACL injuries, the repaired knee often feels somewhat loose and less stable, which inherently puts doubts in the back’s mind about making cuts or attempting jukes. Without those instincts being acted on Drummond is simply not as dangerous a back. He is less likely to make the first tackler miss, or to cut back against the blocking scheme, which means fewer 10-yard gains and more 2-yarders. Portland has to be concerned, as they built their offense around Drummond and the play action his carries allow Jack Trudeau. Right now, they might consider platooning him more often with backups Darius Turner and June Henley, if for no other reason than to keep him as fresh as possible in hopes that in the second half of the season he will regain some of the swagger that made him such a danger to defenses across the league.
ROOKIE RECEIVERS
Let’s finish our look across league play this week with a comment on the rookie receiver class of 1998. We are all aware of the immediate impact that Marshal’s Randy Moss has had in Tampa Bay. Whether it is outjumping CB’s to win the 50/50 balls or just flying past the coverage on deep routes, Moss has made Tampa Bay a very dangerous team, and that is showing in the gaudy numbers being put up by a very happy Troy Aikman. And if it were Moss alone we would just say that he may be a generational player, or a perfect fit situation, but what we are seeing across the league are rookie wideouts making contributions that you don’t normally see until a player’s 2nd or 3rd year.
In Denver, Kevin Dyson is second behind only All-USFL TE Keith Jackson in both receptions and yardage, and is leading the club in receiving TDs, despite the presence of long-time #1 receiver Odessa Turner. Arizona’s Hines Ward, out of Georgia, is also making major strides and could push J.J. Stokes for the 2nd receiver slot behind Rocket Ismail. In his limited roll in 3 or 4 receiver sets, Ward is showing great vision, route running, and even a penchant for mixing it up as a blocker on run plays from the 3 WR sets.
Baltimore’s Tim Dwight has not had a lot of playing time, but has been effective as a deep threat, averaging 13.8 yards per catch and finding the endzone twice so far this year. In New Orleans, slot receiver Az-Zahir Hakeem has been a good third down target for QB Jamie Martin, catching 14 balls and converting 9 of 11 third downs when he has been targeted. Expect the Breakers to find more ways to get him the ball, including on special teams.
One of the biggest surprises this year has been Philadelphia’s use of Germaine Crowell from UVA. The receiver was expected to be a depth signing, but has found significant playing time behind Cris Carter and Troy Brown. He already has 3 TDs and over 300 yards receiving despite limited playing time. Expect the Stars to use more 3-receiver sets if he continues to prove effective for Bobby Hebert.
Finally, we have not seen much yet, but with a significant injury (4-6 weeks out) to Eric Metcalf, now is the time for one of Seattle’s rookie wideouts to step up. Donald Hayes, the lanky Wisconsin product, and the speedier but more raw Corey Bradford from Jackson State, have a great opportunity in front of them to impress the Seattle brass as well as gain the trust of QB Jon Kitna. Will one of them step up and solidify their place in the receiving corps during the next month?
Bad news for the Seattle Dragons as their #1 receiver could miss the rest of the year. X-rays showed that an injury to Eric Metcalf’s right foot includes two broken bones, making a speedy recover extremely unlikely. Metcalf was in crutches by game’s end this week, and will likely be out of action for at least 2 months, but possibly the entire season.
In Memphis the issue is CB Derrick Cudrup, a key player in the Boats’ defense. After dislocating his shoulder on a hard tackle, Cudrup could be out up to a month as he recovers. In Orlando, things are not looking good for Scott Mitchell, who is likely out at least another 3 weeks, meaning Scott Zolak will be running the Renegades offense for the next month or more.
In Atlanta all eyes are on the return of Jeff George, listed as Questionable this week but expected to be out at least one more week, while in Denver, LB Trev Alberts culd be out a week or more with a hernia suffered while weight training. Others expected out this week include Generals’ TE Mark Chmura, Oakland CB Aeneas Williams, Arizona TE Terry Orr, Michigan FS Mike Prior and Texas LB Zach Thomas
Our big story this week is the renewed talks between the NFL and the USFL concerning their transfer window system. Both leagues are concerned about the way in which the current 2 month system with transfers permitted during January-February or July-August (a limit of 4 weeks for each period, spanning 2 months) impacts training camps and preseason for both leagues. The problem continues to be that there is no effective way to deal with the offset seasons of the two leagues without impacting some aspect of each league’s annual calendar. Move the dates earlier and you have signings occurring during the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. Delay the signing period and you have players unavailable to their new teams until midseason.
The solution may be an inversion of what is allowed. Rather than a period of transfer viability, creating a period when it is blocked, freeing up the rest of the year for signing of future contracts. There are concerns here, particularly what it might mean if a player signs with the other league midseason, then is being asked to play out the rest of the year with a club he knows he is leaving. What does that do to a player’s competitive fire if they begin to lose allegiance to their current club. The other option is to bite the bullet and recognize that inter-league transfers may require that players arrive with their new teams after the regular season has already begun, which has its own concerns. The USFLPA and NFLPA are also involved, as they are concerned that the back-to-back nature of completing one league’s season and then immediately joining a new league during camp or during the early weeks of a season puts a huge physical toll on players. It is not uncommon with transfer players to see a slow build up to effectiveness when they transfer leagues, and some statistics do seem to show a higher propensity for injury as a player reaches past 20-22 games over a 1 year period. But that seems a problem without a clear solution, as nobody wants to see a red shirt system, costing players money and teams talent.
With officials from both leagues and both unions expected to meet this week, it is unlikely we will have a quick solution to the concerns of all parties, but hopefully something can be worked out well before the next available transfer window in July.
So, what is ahead in Week 7? How about a full slate of 12 divisional games to shake things up a bit. We start in the Atlantic, where 1st place Pittsburgh hosts Ohio, fresh off their first win of the season. New Jersey is in Washington, where the loser falls below .500, and, in what should be a really interesting game, the 4-2 Stars host the 4-2 Blitz, with 2nd place, and a shot at first, on the line.
In the South the big game is Tampa Bay at a surprisingly solid Memphis Showboat club. Can the Boats muster a home field upset of the hottest offense in the league? Orlando needs to try to pull off the road win at Birmingham, but the Stallions look like a team that has found their identity, so a tough one for the Gades. Meanwhile, Eric Zeier will get the start as Jeff George is still out, with Atlanta hosting Jacksonville, and both clubs needing a win to stay in the hunt.
In the Central Division, New Orleans hosts Houston and Michigan hosts Texas, as both clubs hope to stay over .500 and within range of St. Louis. The Knights face a 1-5 Machine club that has had issues all year long. Unlikely we see the Knights lose this one, but Chicago is a cornered animal at this point.
Out in the Pacific, we are very intrigued by the matchup of two upstart teams who look much improved this year, when the 4-2 Wranglers head to the Bay to face the 5-1 Oakland Invaders. Denver is in Seattle, with both clubs at 3-3 and looking like possible playoff squads, while 0-6 LA could be in for a long day as they visit the Portland Thunder, who are none too happy about being only 3-3 right now.
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