1998 USFL Week 8 Recap: A Statement Win for the Bandits

Halfway home, and for some things are going far better than expected, while for others hope has been dashed and questions are being asked. This week we saw the last of the unbeatens fall in a battle royale with one of the league’s other frontrunners, we saw 9 teams reach 4-4, with 17 of the league’s 24 clubs now at or above .500, a trend that simply cannot hold. We have major disappointment in places like Texas, Chicago, Jacksonville and Birmingham, but surprise joy in Tampa Bay, Oakland, Arizona, and St. Louis. We have new offensive stars and new defensive gems, all pushing us towards what may well be one of the most engaging 8-week runs ever to end out the season. Who will rise late? Who will fade? Who is legit and who has faked us out? It’s midseason in the USFL and there is a lot of great football still ahead.

Yes, there were closer games this week, but no game had the attention of the American football public quite like the 6-1 Tampa Bay Bandits, with their aerial assault and the most exciting rookie receiver we have seen in years, going up against the undefeated 7-0 St. Louis Knights and their soul-crushing defense. We asked last week whether it would be the unmovable object or the irresistible force that would win out. Well, if a final score of 42-35 says anything it is that offense won the day, and that bode very well for the Bandits.

The two clubs both did well offensively, with Tampa outgaining St. Louis by only 37 yards, 472 to 435. And while the final score was a mere 7 points of difference, we have to say that Tampa Bay’s offense did a lot to make sure that the score did not reflect the reality. Tampa Bay was on fire from the opening kickoff, scoring the game’s first 21 points and putting St. Louis in a deep hole, but the Knights fought back, getting within 7 points at 21-14, then 28-21, and finally 42-35.

It began, as we thought it might, with Troy Aikman opening up the passing game. On their first drive, Tampa Bay used 5 passes and only 1 run to take a 7-0 lead, with the final play of the drive a strike from Aikman to Robert Brooks. After a decent drive by St. Louis came up empty, thanks to a missed Ryan Longwell field goal, Tampa doubled up their advantage when Aikman hit TE Ben Coates with the first of two consecutive scoring tosses. Coates would get his second endzone romp on the next drive, as the 2nd quarter began, this time a 44-yarder that split the middle of the field. Up 21-0 it seemed that Tampa Bay was on their way to a route.

But, before you turn that dial, the tenacious Knights got back in the game. Not as fast-strike as Tampa Bay, the Knights relied on a mix of the run and the pass to methodically move downfield, and as the first half ended Todd Collins found his favorite receiver, Amani Toomer for a score that gave the Knights hope. Receiving the ball first in the second half, and taking advantage of a quieter Tampa Stadium thanks to the late return of fans from the concession area at the half, St. Louis pulled back within 7 when Darrell Thompson took a pitch right, found the edge, and rambled 19 yards for the Knights’ second score.

It had taken St. Louis two long drives to get back in the game, but it took only 1 play for Tampa Bay to throw down the gauntlet again. On their first offensive play of the second half, Aikman again found Ben Coates. Again the big TE split the safeties and again it was a quick strike score, 65 yards in one play and Tampa Bay was back up by 14.

St. Louis again took the slow road, this time a 14-play drive, but the results were the same, Darrell Thompson in for his second score of the day, Tampa up 28-21. The game would get even tighter for the Bandits after a James Stewart fumble gave St. Louis a short field, and they equalized the score at 28 when Collins hit TE Alex Higdon from 4 yards out. What had been a 21-point lead was now a tie game.

Tampa reacted immediately, with Aikman finding a player who had been kept in check nearly the entire game. Randy Moss blew past the corner and Aikman hit him in stride for a 52 yard TD to open the final period of the game. Moss glided into the endzone a solid 7-8 yards ahead of the trailing corner. And when St. Louis failed to gain a first down on their next drive, Tampa had a chance to again build up a multiple score lead. Uncharacteristically they relied more on the run in this drive, with Errict Rhett gaining 33 of his 57 yards for the game on this one drive. Rhett would find paydirt at the end of the drive, and once again Tampa found themselves with a 14-point lead, and time running down.

St. Louis went into hurry up mode, but even doing so the clock kept ticking, and by the time Collins hit Toomer for his 2nd score of the day there were only 28 seconds left. Any chance St. Louis would have to remain undefeated would come down to an onside kick. When TE Troy Drayton fell on the onside kick, giving possession to the Bandits, the game was over and the 54,780 Bandit faithful in attendance roared with approval. Offense had won the day, with Aikman throwing for 381 yards and 5 scores. Ben Coates finished the game with only 4 receptions, but with 145 yards and 3 scores. Randy Moss had 5 catches for 118 and the key go-ahead score when things were tied up. St. Louis also proved they could hang with a top flight offense, with Todd Collins throwing for 363 and 3 scores. The combo of Thompson and Ahman Green combined for 107 yards rushing, and wideout Bert Emmanuel continued to have a strong year with 114 yards receiving, though it was Toomer who would find the endzone.

Both clubs get to the halfway point in excellent condition at 7-1, and for both clubs this represents a 3-game lead on their closest divisional rivals, with no one else in the Central or the Southern divisions above 4-4.

ARZ 23 PHI 17

The Atlantic is a tighter race, with a cluster of teams at 5 and 4 wins. Philadelphia could have moved to 6-2 but were ambushed by the visiting Arizona Wranglers. Arizona benefited from sloppy play from the Stars offense, and from a solid 2 TD-0 Int day from Jake Plummer. Rocket Ismail and TE Terry Orr both had 5 receptions to help the Wranglers pull off the road win.

DEN 35 PIT 10

The Maulers also had a shot at 6-2, but they too had difficulty with their visiting opponent from the Pacific, the Denver Gold. Denver, on the strength of 4 picks and 5 sacks of Robbie Bosco, dominated the game, giving the offense a short field to work with. That advantage in field position was huge as both defenses did their best to make long drives next to impossible. With Mark Brunell out with a sore shoulder, it was Eric Wilhelm who led the Gold, throwing 3 picks to pull out past the Maulers’ ability to catch up.

OAK 17 BAL 24

Not all Pacific clubs were greeted with generous opportunities by their Atlantic opponents. Baltimore forced several key errors from Oakland QB Ryan Leaf, leading to a comeback from 17-7 down and an eventual Blitz win. But it was a costly win as the Blitz may have lost QB Trent Green for the year. He went down near the end of the 2nd quarter, and while backup Wally Richardson had some success against the Invaders, the loss of Green could be a major issue for Baltimore in a very tight division.

POR 8 WSH 26

The Federals also ruined the trip for the visiting Portland Thunder, though the biggest blow came when QB Jack Trudeau was ruled out due to bursitis in his throwing shoulder. Bill Musgrave was simply not effective, and a one-dimensional Thunder offense was too easy for Washington’s outstanding defense to dominate. Add in over 112 yards between Barry Word and Terrell Fletcher and you have a comfortable win to move the Federals back to 5-3 and tied atop the Atlantic.

SEA 13 NJ 20

The Generals also improved their lot, moving to 4-4 after a solid 3-phases win over the Seattle Dragons. Seattle also suffered what could be a season-impacting loss when Jon Kitna went down after attempting only 4 passes. The Dragons called on rookie Brian Griese, but the young QB struggled with a simplified offense against the Generals’ complex defensive schemes, throwing 3 picks that helped New Jersey win the game in the end.

LA 37 OHI 17

The final game of the Atlantic-Pacific matchups was one few wanted to witness, the winless Express at the 2-win Glory. The good news is that the Express are no longer winless after getting 129 yards and 2 scores from the combination of Antowain Smith and Michael Pittman, but there was still a lot of sloppy play, miscues from both clubs, and far too many penalties to make this an enjoyable viewing experience.

NOR 24 ATL 13

In a game that left both clubs at 4-4 when it was done, New Orleans got a good game from HB Terrell Davis, but the big back still seemed really upset after the win, questioning the decision to limit his carries. Is there friction between Davis and Coach Ditka? It would seem that the back wants more touches, but Ditka seems to be favoring the passing game with Jamie Martin. In any case, the win puts New Orleans in the hunt for a Wild Card in a very competitive Western Conference.

MGN 24 ORL 25

Another good game as the Panthers built up a 24-12 lead only to watch Orlando race back, scoring 13 unanswered points in the final quarter to take the win at home. They scored on a Terry Kirby run to open the 4th, pulling within 24-19, then got a TD from Zolak to Abraham Davis 2 drives later, but missed on the 2-point PAT. Leading by only 1, the Renegades turned to their defense to hold the lead and when they were able to sack Doug Flutie on a 4th and 7, the game was theirs.

HOU 27 BIR 14

Houston fans are overjoyed to find the Gamblers at 4-4 at the midpoint of the year. Stallion fans are despondent about the club’s 3-5 start. With TDs to Freeman and Perriman, Houston outpaced a Stallion offense that never seemed to find their groove. The fact that little-used HB Kevin McCleod not only led the team in rushing, but got more carries than Alstott and Stephen Davis combined is just bizarre. That Brett Favre again suffered incredible pressure (8 sacks) just points directly to the club’s main issue, offensive line concerns.

CHI 17 JAX 33

The absolute horror show of Chicago’s season just continues. A 24-point run by the Bulls between the 2nd and 3rd quarters turned a close game into a route, and there seemed to be little answer from Machine Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer. The defense is just not good, and without that Alex Van Pelt cannot be counted on to win games.

TEX 30 MEM 13

The final game of the week saw a 1-win Texas squad shock what had seemed to be an up-and-coming Memphis Showboats club in the Liberty Bowl. Memphis converted only 1 of 13 third downs, and was held to 249 total yards by the Bulls, but also by their own errors, committing 8 penalties and losing 2 fumbles.

MIDSEASON AWARDS

Week 8 means its time to hand out our midseason awards. Lots of deserving candidates this year, and lots of surprises as well.

MVP: This has to be Troy Aikman, whose 29 TDs and 3,040 yards are both on league record pace. Aikman has found new life under Coach Seifert and seems both a better and happier QB than at any point during Jerry Glanville’s tenure in Tampa.

If Aikman is our MVP, then we will give our Offensive POTY to another veteran, Michigan’s Doug Flutie. Yes, Michigan is a distant second in their division, sitting at 4-4, but Doug Flutie has had himself a year, throwing for nearly 2,500 yards and with 22 touchdowns on the season at its halfway point.

Defensive MVP always seems to be Phil Hansen’s title to win or lose, but this year, with Orlando’s Chris Doleman matching him sack for sack, we may see an upset. Doleman could easily walk away with it, especially if Orlando’s second half is better than their 4-4 start. But let’s not forget others like Baltimore DT John Randall, who has 9 sacks to go along with a safety, 2 forced fumbles, and a defensive score. Another worthy candidate is Washington’s Michael Barrow, who sits at 8 sacks, but has 43 tackles and 2 safeties in 8 games.

This has been a stellar rookie class, so it is really tragic that only one candidate can win the Rookie of the Year. We think the favorite has to be Tampa Bay wideout Randy Moss, whose 954 yards and 10 TDs are just stunning for a rookie. Oakland QB Ryan Leaf has got the Invaders at 5-3 and his 2,847 yards and 22 TDs are also impressive. On the defensive side we have strong performers in Washington CB Charles Woodson (47 tackles, 1 pick, 2 forced fumbles), Seattle’s Takeo Spikes (46 tackles, 4 sacks), and Atlanta’s DE Greg Ellis (23 tackles, 7 sacks and a fumble recovery), but our money still goes to the offense and the dynamic Randy Moss.

Take your pick for Coach of the Year, but limit your options to Tampa Bay first year coach George Seifert, St. Louis’s Jim Johnson, or Oakland’s Dan Reeves. Seifert came to Tampa with quite a pedigree, having won a Super Bowl in the NFL, while Reeves was a bit of a washout with the Atlanta Fire. Honestly, with Johnson we think we have the perfect candidate, a guy who came in with a defensive pedigree and has built a truly scary defense.

TRADE WIRE

A handful of noteworthy trades and signings as we get closer to the Week 10 trade deadline.

Baltimore looking at the loss of Trent Green started added two players to their QB room, first signing former Denver Gold QB Billy Joe Tolliver, but they also went the trade route to get some help, acquiring season starting QB Jeff Garcia from the LA Express by sending Los Angeles veteran backup Sean Salisbury and a 5th round pick. The trade almost guarantees that Garcia will be under center right away in Baltimore, unless the Blitz are way more comfortable with Wally Richardson than we expect.

Birmingham tried to address their pass protection issues by bringing in a solid right tackle to line up opposite LT Richmond Webb. They send a 3rd round pick and backup guard Marcus Spriggs to Oakland for their swing tackle, Todd Steussie.

Texas addressed their backup QB issue by sending a 4th round pick to Ohio for former top draft pick of the New Jersey Generals, Duke QB Dave Brown. Brown now moves to his 3rd team since coming into the league in 1992. They then released Tony Sacca, who had fallen to third on the depth chart after starting several games last year while Kelly Stouffer was injured.

Seattle did not hit the trade wire to deal with the loss of Jon Kitna for the season. Instead they signed former Kansas State QB Chad May from free agency. May, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1995, spent one year on their bench, another with the Arizona Cardinals, but was cut in the offseason. The Dragons seem prepared to go with rookie Brian Griese as their starter and will now have May and former Husky Damon Huard backing him up.

Season ending QB injuries were the story this week as both Baltimore’s Trent Green and Seattle’s Jon Kitna were both felled in this week’s action. Kitna went down with a knee injury on a scramble that ended with an awkward out-of-bounds tumble over the bench. Green’s injury was non-contact, but also on a scramble. The big QB, not known for his running, pulled up lame and had to get help off the field after what was later diagnosed as a hamstring separation, a painful injury that can take several months to heal. We outlined how both clubs have handled the losses above, with Seattle opting to give rookie Brian Griese a shot while Baltimore got into the trading pool and snagged Jeff Garcia away from the Express, where his early-season issues had him falling out of favor.

QB’s were not the only players with significant injuries this week. As 15-year veteran Clarence Collins went down with a knee injury. The injury may sideline him for 4-6 weeks, but at 34 it may also spell the end of his USFL career, a career that started in New Jersey in 1984, before Collins moved to Birmingham and then New Orleans.

In Orlando there is concern for tackle Kyle Turley, who suffered a back injury on Sunday and is viewed as a potential 6-8 week loss. In Washington, strong safety Louis Oliver, one of the key pieces of the Federals’ defense, will likely be out for 2-3 weeks with a tear in his quad muscle, while in Tampa Bay, their safety, Chris Crooms, also went out, though he could return as soon as Week 10 after a fracture in his index finger can heal and be splinted.

New Jersey will likely play their game against Ohio without their starting QB, as Spence Fischer is doubtful after a blow this week caused a small fracture in his orbital socket of his right eye. He should be fine to play in 2 weeks, though he might return with a face shield in place just to avoid additional potential injury to the eye. Jack Trudeau is also listed on the injury list for Portland with bursitis in his shoulder. Spencer will be replaced by Tommy Maddox while Trudeau will likely be subbed by Bill Musgrave, the former Oregon Duck.

We are expecting news from both the Commissioner search as well as the uniform and merchandising contract over the next month or so, but for now all seems quiet on all fronts, so we thought we would take a moment to talk about stadium construction and planning. There has been a lot of news over the past year on these fronts, and we just have not had the space to discuss it with all of the emphasis on labor issues. Here are some of the highlights.

A nearly complete Raymond James Stadium

TAMPA BAY: The new stadium for the Tampa-St. Pete region is scheduled to open in time for the fall 1998 season of the NFL Buccaneers, but will then also be home for the Bandits in March of 1999. The new stadium seats just over 65,000 and has 175 luxury suites. The new field for both football clubs will be called Raymond James Stadium, named for the financial concern. Built in the parking lot next to old Tampa Stadium, the stadium will likely play host to the Super Bowl within the next few years, but word on a future Summer Bowl is unknown, with concerns always present that August in Florida is just not a great climate for a potential league championship.

Two other USFL cities have fast-tracked new stadia for their clubs, though in both cases we are talking about stadia which are used by both the NFL and USFL, providing a broader financial base and less demand on local taxpayers. Pittsburgh has approved designs by HOK Sport, one of the most prestigious stadium & arena architecture firms for a new football-only stadium along the Ohio River, just north of Point State Park and downtown. This stadium will replace beloved Three Rivers and is expected to be completed in time for the 2001 USFL season. In Denver the decision to replace Mile High Stadium, another revered home field, was a contentious one, but the city, state, and ownership from both the Broncos and the Gold have come to an agreement. Bids on the design are in process, and hopes are that the new stadium, which will be located to the West of downtown in a district known as Sun Valley, again very close to the location of the current Mile High.

Several other USFL clubs are hoping to work with local governments as well as the NFL club in their area (in cases where one exists) to try to develop plans for a new home. Among those most eagerly seeking an upgrade are the Generals, who are in alignment with both the NY Giants and Jets as the three tenants of Giants Stadium. This seems another very likely build, as once again the area surrounding the current stadium can absorb the footprint of a new stadium and still, with some parking issues, maintain use of the current stadium.

There are also talks in place in Philadelphia, where the worst turf in pro football may soon be a thing of the past. With Veterans Stadium clearly past its prime, and with Franklin Field as a possible temporary home for either pro football club, the incentive to build a new facility certainly is present in the City of Brotherly Love. Even Phoenix, which has a pretty solid facility in Sun Devil Stadium, and 3 inhabitants with ASU, the Wranglers and the Cardinals, is considering a new facility, likely a dome, to attract everything from Summer Bowls (impossible in August heat in Phoenix), Super Bowls and a more-profitable Fiesta Bowl.

Of course there are several clubs in the USFL that simply do not have the luxury of pairing with the NFL to sponsor and fund a public-private stadium development project. This includes teams playing in older municipal stadiums such as Oakland’s Alameda Stadium, Birmingham’s Legion Field, Memphis’s Liberty Bowl, or Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl. Add to this list Washington, where the Redskins have built their own home, but refused dual occupancy, which forces the Federals to try to persuade the resource-poor city to finance improvements to RFK Stadium, another venerable but perhaps past-its-prime stadium. And while the Portland Thunder were able to convince the city of Portland to help finance expansion of Civic Stadium, it still sits as the smallest stadium in the USFL, a situation which significantly hamstrings the Thunder in their ability to build a profit base.

Are any USFL clubs at risk of relocating? Well, that is always a concern and stadium issues can certainly accelerate this. Attendance issues, poor stadium contracts, and lower corporate support in the are can also create risks of a team departing. We know that there are ownership groups in several large cities such as Miami, Dallas, Boston, and the Twin Cities, that are still hoping to land a USFL franchise, and with the league seemingly unprepared for a new wave of expansion, these cities may try to lure a current club away with low tax rates, good stadium amenities, or a sweetheart rental agreement. Before we move on, let’s take a brief look at 5 clubs we see as prime targets for these types of lures.

1. St. Louis: The Knights have found success this year in St. Louis, but even with a very solid start to the year, revenue and attendance have lagged ever since the NFL Rams came to town. St. Louis’s Edward Jones Dome is a new facility, so the issue is not attendance, but the bleeding off of both corporate support and fan support by the NFL club’s presence, something we do not see in larger markets which can fully support 2 franchises.

2. Memphis: The Liberty Bowl is certainly showing its age. Built in 1965, and home only to the Showboats, Memphis State U. and occasional neutral site games in the SEC, the stadium is beginning to fall behind in amenities. Memphis is also not a high income community, and not one of the league’s larger cities, so there are demographic as well as financial limitations which the Showboats need to manage.

3. Jacksonville. One of the smallest cities with a top tier sports franchise, Jacksonville has embraced the Bulls, often leading the league in attendance. The Gator Bowl is in need of renovations, having been built in . The Bulls may simply have to spend more than other clubs to get renovations, though if the city is open to selling naming rights to the stadium, that could also benefit the Bulls. Rumors have at least 2-3 potential corporate sponsors interested in the north Florida stadium, so this could happen sooner rather than later.

4. Portland. As we mentioned above, the city of Portland is unlikely to fund a full build for the Thunder, and with the expansion from 18,000 to 35,000 only a few years old, even an additional expansion, with luxury box development, seems very unlikely. The University of Oregon has shown no interest in moving its games out of Eugene and into Portland, so the only potential partner for the Thunder seems to be Division 1-AA Portland State. This could be a long term concern for the Thunder.

5. Oakland. While the Invaders and Oakland A’s certainly have enough of a fanbase to merit a new stadium in the East Bay, and the Bay Area certainly has both a strong taxbase and a large corporate presence, it always seems that the Oakland clubs get overlooked in favor of the NFL 49ers or MLB Giants. After the financial impact of the 1989 earthquake in the Bay Area, and particularly with the Giants in the middle of a construction project for a new Stadium along the Bay south of the city, there are concerns that the public’s interest in building another new stadium for the A’s and Invaders is not going to emerge. The other interesting factor here is the rise of the South Bay and Silicon Valley as a market of its own. We could certainly envision a situation where San Jose and the surrounding communities could make a bid to woo one of the Bay Area’s premier franchises towards the south with a new stadium.

A lot to consider as the finances of stadium construction are always a contentious issue, and when there are large markets without spring football, the USFL may never be as solidified in its 24 markets as fans may like.

We open the second half of the year with the Eastern Conference in divisional play and some nice Central v. Pacific matchups out west. In the Atlantic we have two huge games, both pitting 5-3 clubs atop the division. We know we will get two 6-3 division leaders and two trailing teams out of these matchups, and they are both rivalry games as well, how amazing is that!?! Baltimore hosts the Washington Federals in the first big game of the weekend on Saturday, while the Sunday early game has Pittsburgh in Philadelphia to face the Stars. The third game gives New Jersey a chance to get right back in the hunt if they can beat the visiting Ohio Glory.

In the South everyone will be watching the Saturday Night clash between Tampa Bay and Orlando. If the Bandits can win here, their lead in the division will be almost unassailable. Atlanta hopes to get to 5-4 and stay in the hunt as they host the Birmingham Stallions, but if Brett Favre and the Stallions are going to have any chance at relevance, they will have to win this one. Finally, Memphis and Jacksonville meet in a battle of 3-5 teams that simply cannot afford another loss.

The best matchup in the Western Conference is between a better-than-their-record 4-4 Michigan Panther club, and the “we are still not sure about them” 6-2 Oakland Invaders. The game is in Oakland so we think the Invaders have a good chance to build some believers in the Bay Area. Another good one to catch would be Sunday’s clash between the New Orleans Breakers and the Portland Thunder, both at 4-4. We expected more from Portland, but New Orleans is never an easy out.

St. Louis, a week after their first loss of the season, might be catching a break as they will get Brian Griese in his first pro start for the Seattle Dragons. Denver is hoping that home cooking and a demoralized Chicago Machine club will mean a win to put them over .500. Houston hopes to move above .500 as well as they travel to LA to face the Express. Arizona is already there at 5-3, but a win at home against a 2-win Outlaws squad could help them stay on pace or even catch the Invaders.