A week that saw quite a few upsets, and a few preseason contenders who are now on the ropes after two less-than-stellar performances. Fans in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Oakland have to be overjoyed by their clubs’ 2-0 starts, while folks in Texas, New Orleans, and Chicago have to be concerned that their clubs are starting the year off slowly. Let’s get right to the action with our game of the week, an overtime thriller that ended with a huge play to rile up the home fans.
We had our first overtime game this week as the Seattle Dragons came back on the Outlaws, scoring the game tying FG with only 20 seconds left, and then getting a quick strike TD in overtime to take the home win. Texas at one point had a 10 point lead, but just could not hold the Dragons as Kitna fell only 1 yard short of a 400-yard day.
Texas started well, with Kelly Stouffer hitting Shawn Collins for a game-opening TD, but when Collins was hurt later in the first half, the Texas offense started to sputter. Down 17-3, Seattle slowly fought back as Kitna found Donald Hayes for a TD, and then hit Metcalf for another in the 4th quarter to pull the game within 3. A final drive by Seattle ended with a 26 yard field goal and the game went to overtime.
Texas had the first crack at the win in overtime, but on a 3rd and 4, Reggie Cobb was tripped up in the backfield and Texas had to punt the ball away to Seattle. The Dragons took over on the 19, and on the first play from scrimmage, the called a play which had Metcalf and Hawkins both on the left side, and both ran inside moves to pull the defense inside, leaving TE Keith McKeller wide open to the outside. McKeller shook off the safety and got a great block from HB Derick Loville to break the sideline run down the field and all the way for an 81-yard game winner.
The second loss of the year brought out concerns that the stingy Texas D that had helped them win the Central last year was not the same animal this year, while fans in Seattle are hoping that Coach Tiller has found a system that maximizes the unique talents of QB Jon Kitna to both run and pass on the run.
NJ 16 BAL 20
A good battle between two Atlantic clubs trying to move their way into the top half of the division this year. New Jersey started off hot, opening up a 16-0 lead thanks to scores by Enis and Glenn, and a safety as Trent Green muffed a shotgun snap and had to fall on it in the endzone, but the Blitz recovered in the 2nd half, rattling off 20 unanswered points and taking the win with a late Green to Lamar Thomas TD.
WSH 13 PIT 20
A bit of a shocker at Three Rivers, where it was the Maulers who put on a defensive show. Pittsburgh held Washington scoreless in the second half, helped by 8 Federal penalties, mostly on offense, and Robbie Bosco connected with both Derrick Mason and Dorsey Levins for 4th quarter scores as the Maulers came back on Washington and got the W in a huge early divisional game.
OHI 17 PHI 41
Ohio struggled on defense as Charlie Garner went off for 172 yards and 2 scores for the Stars. Add in another strong day from newest Star Bobby Hebert (378 yards, 3 scores, 2 Ints) and you have the makings of a walk-away win for Philadelphia.
ATL 21 BIR 14
We are getting used to the Stallions starting the season slowly, but to lose at home, to Atlanta? Well, the Fire got what they needed from Jeff George (2 TDs but also 2 picks) and Tiki Barber found plenty of running room against a shaky Birmingham D-line. Barber would rush for 132 yards. Lake Dawson also played big, catching 8 balls for 126 yards and 2 scores as Atlanta takes the win.
ORL 17 TBY 24
Orlando found out that what we saw from Tampa Bay and Randy Moss last week was no fluke. Moss had 4 receptions, including a 74-yard TD strike that got the Tampa Stadium crowd to its feet. He finished the day with 130 yards on only 4 receptions as Troy Aikman kept looking deep. The Renegades kept it close thanks in part to a good day from Keenan McCardell (9 receptions for 92 yards and a score) but could not mount a game-tying final drive when needed.
JAX 14 MEM 30
Another upset in the South as Memphis used a pick-6 and 3 Kevin Shea field goals to pull away from the Bulls in the 2nd half. Chris Chandler struggled against the Showboat D, getting sacked 4 times and throwing 2 picks, including a nasty pick-6 to Otis Smith that was run back 79 yards for Memphis.
CHI 22 ARZ 30
Arizona got their first win of the season, building a 30-7 lead and then holding on as Alex Van Pelt tried to mount a furious comeback attempt. They built up their lead thanks to a huge day from oft-criticized HB Tim Lester. Lester was untackleable, grinding out 139 yards on 17 carries. Add in a solid 127 yards and a score from Rocket Ismael, and no picks from Jake Plummer and you have a winning formula for the Wranglers.
HOU 27 DEN 24
Denver’s inconsistency reared its ugly head again as the Gold let a winnable game slip away from them. Kudos to Chuck Hartlieb for enduring a 7-sack game and still finding Hart Lee Dykes late to put the Gamblers up for good. Houston still has not found a run game as neither Mario Greer nor rookie John Avery could get anything going, but Hartlieb and a pretty decent Houston D helped give the visitors a rare win in Mile High.
MGN 31 LA 13
The Express just cannot seem to put together an offense. They got 101 yards rushing from the combo of Smith and Pittman, but with 2 picks from Garcia and only 48.8% completions, they were not going to keep pace with a more dynamic Michigan offense. Doug Flutie looked strong, completing 70.8% of his passes on the way to a 358 yard, 4 TD day.
NOR 19 OAK 41
Coach Reeves and QB Ryan Leaf are getting some very positive initial results in the Bay Area as Oakland move to 2-0 with a comfortable win over the Breakers. Leaf threw 3 picks, which is an issue for the rookie but he also tossed 4 TDs, including a beautiful 43-yarder to Henry Ellard. For New Orleans nothing seemed to be working well as both Ellard and TE Christian Fauria found holes in the Breaker secondary, both going over 100 yards receiving. The Oakland D also played well, holding New Orleans under 300 yards of total offense on the day.
STL 31 POR 24
A big road win for the Knights as they put away the Portland Thunder in Portland with two late scoring tosses by Todd Collins. The game winner was a 28-yard toss from Collins to Harry that just deflated the energy of the Portland crowd. Ahman Green and Darrell Thompson split carries with each going over 50 yards rushing, while Bert Emmanuel continues to pay dividends on his offseason signing, catching 8 balls for 121 yards for the Knights.
GEORGE FINDS NEW LIFE
It must be nice to be able to completely change your fortunes without even having to change your zipcode. Jeff George, who was heavily criticized for his play in Atlanta with the NFL Falcons has started off his USFL career in the very same town to much better reviews. Perhaps it is the spring league's emphasis on wide open passing games, or perhaps there is still a little bit of a talent gap between the two leagues that allows a player like George to have success in one league while struggling in another. Maybe it is just that Atlanta's offense, designed by Head Coach Sherm Lewis, is a better fit for the pocket skills of Jeff George. Of course it could simply be a matter of unfamiliarity among USFL defenders, as the former Illini QB has only 2 USFL games under his belt. Regardless of the reason, the big-armed QB has certainly gotten the Fire off to a good start. The club is 2-0 for the first time in team history and George has nearly 700 yards and 5 scores after 2 weeks. A good start to a new life, even if he didn't even have to move homes to do it.
ANOTHER QUICK START
Another league newcomer off to a quick start is Oakland QB Ryan Leaf. The WSU product has been embraced by Bay Area fans and by Coach Reeves, who inists that the 2-0 start for the Invaders is in part due to Leaf picking up the offense very quickly. The Invaders made a huge move to get Leaf, trading away 2-time Championship QB Bobby Hebert and several picks to move up to the top draft position and then offering Leaf a Steve Young-esque contract that includes ongoing funding well beyond his playing years. Leaf has returned the trust shown in him by taking the reins of the Oakland offense from day 1. Oakland currently ranks 2nd in the league in total offense, trailing only the explosive Bandits, and are third in passing yards. There have been some growing pains, as after 2 weeks Ryan Leaf has 4 picks and 3 fumbles, but the overall results, a 2-0 start, are nothing to sneeze at.
NOT SO FAST
On the other side of the coin we find LA's Jeff Garcia, who continues to struggle with the Express. When he is not running for his life, Garcia is throwing the ball to the wrong team. He has 5 picks on the season so far, and only 1 TD. We are not completely willing to blame Garcia for all the Express's woes, because the club still has not found talent to surround Garcia. Yes, they have a decent 1-2 punch at HB with Antowain Smith and rookie Michael Pittman, and WR Mike Pritchard is a solid #1 receiver, but who else can Garcia throw to? The other receivers (Darnay Scott, Rob Carpenter, Dedrick Smith) are just not scaring any defenses, and TE Rickey Dudley is not exactly Keith Jackson out there. Add to this a reshuffled O-Line (again) and Jeff Garcia is not exactly put in a winning situation. The temptation is to look at this past year's draft and wonder why LA did not go after Leaf, Manning, or even Charlie Batch (now in Pittsburgh), or to look at next year's draft and wonder if LA will make a push for a talent like Tim Couch or Donovan McNabb. But, honestly, what will a rookie QB do if the Express don't provide him the tools needed to compete in the league?
We knew the good luck of Week 1 would not last, it was just a matter of who got struck by the injury stick. Atlanta got a big wakup call as it appears they have lost their star LT, Eugene Chung, for the season with a full break in his tibia. This forces Atlanta to shuffle their line in front of a not-particularly mobile Jeff George. Texas also saw a key figure go down, as WR Shawn Collins is out for at least 2 months after suffering a head and neck injury. There appears to be a free floating chip of bone at at the base of his skull which will have to be removed. Scary sounding to be sure. In New Orleans 2 starters are down, though both should be back within a month as LB Lamar Lathon is dealing with a wrist injury and RT Eduardo Vega is dealing with a fracture in his right leg, though fortunately not a full break.
Among those listed as doubtful and questionable for Week 3 we have Philly T Emory Yates, Portland DE Hugh Douglas, LA CB Ray Crockett, Houston WR Brett Perriman, and Arizona’s new LB, Barney Bussey. Also dinged up are Mauler tackle Zach Weigert, Tampa CB Eric Allen, Oakland’s Carlester Crumpler, Stars wideout Cris Carter, and Texas TE John Henry Mills.
The USFL revealed their leaguewide season ticket sales this week, and it is a story of mixed results. The obvious contenders, along with perennial attendance leaders like Jacksonville and Denver, are looking solid, all with 30,000 plus season ticket holders. The story is not so good when we look at some of the 1995 expansion clubs (who have failed to build winners in their short histories) as well as a few teams that simply don’t have the confidence of the fanbase. Before we talk about issues with some clubs, here are the top and bottom 5 clubs in reported season ticket sales for the 1998 season.
What is it about the Express? Both the current Express squad and the former Express (now the St. Louis Knights) are really struggling to get a solid fanbase. St. Louis had a strong first season in 1992, built mostly on anger over the departure of the NFL Cardinals, but a run of mediocre or worse seasons has made it tough for the Knights to build much fan loyalty, and now, with the Rams relocating to the Gateway City, competition for fan dollars is fierce. Add to that the absolute devotion of St. Louisians to the baseball Cardinals each spring and summer and it is no surprise that the Knights are struggling to fill seats. We honestly would not be surprised to see St. Louis lose the Knights eventually unless they are able to either build a winner that expands their bandwagon or find something to connect fans to the club.
In LA it is the same issue we saw with the original Express, spring and summer are tough times to pull fans into the stadium instead of at the beach. LA is a tough sports town, and with the Raiders also in the same stadium, though in a different part of the year, it is tough for the Express to gain traction. In the early years of the USFL they had some success by signing Steve Young, but, just as with St. Louis, the lack of a winning club, paired with a derth of star power talent, has made this second version of the Express a hard sell in Tinseltown. They started their existence with Marcus Allen on the squad, but the team was so bad that it even made Allen look pedestrian. Now their biggest stars are HB Antowain Smith and WR Mike Pritchard, not exactly leading men in the Q-factor area. Add to that some pretty bad overall performances and LA is again hemorrhaging money and fans. But, unlike St. Louis, the USFL is fully committed to keeping a club in the country’s largest city, so what is the solution? Perhaps a new GM, and a willingness from ownership to go for the big name and sign someone who draws in fans. QB’s Jeff Garcia and Brent Pease are not getting it done (on the field or in the marketplace) so does LA take a shot at a big name QB, seeking a trade for a Brett Favre, or waiting for an NFL star like a Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe, or Randall Cunningham? Could they go old school and try to get Steve Young away from the NFL 49ers to end his career back where it started? And would that be enough to turn the tide among a jaded and distracted LA fanbase?
Atlanta is another club that has lagged behind even other expansion cities like Seattle and Columbus in attracting fans. The addition of Jeff George is sure to help, as will starting the year 2-0. If the Fire can catch fire and string some W’s together, the fans might just find their way to Bobby Dodd. Atlanta is a football town, but one that has seen little success in the pros, so a winner is sure to help the Fire capture the city’s imagination.
While no one is concerned about Portland as a fanbase, the stadium, even now after the expansion to 34,000 is an issue. The Thunder feel they have maxed out their season ticket options in the smaller stadium, and they routinely fill Civic Stadium, but if the Thunder want to be competitive in the USFL, they may have to lobby the city for a new, bigger stadium, a possible hard sell after the recent renovation cost the city nearly $20M.
Finally we have Arizona. The Wranglers have always been a middle-of-the-league draw, good when the team succeeds, but on the lower end when they are bad, and they have been very bad of late. Signing Jake Plummer boosted their numbers, but now Plummer has to deliver if the fans are going to return to Sun Devil Stadium. The good news is that the arrival of the NFL Cardinals has not seemed to cut too deeply into the Wrangler fanbase. There is a sense in town that the Wranglers are the city’s true home town team, starting with Phoenix when the league began in ’83, while the Cardinals are the Johnny Come Latelies. If Arizona can turn things around on the field, we expect to see them right in that sweet spot of 25k that the league hopes for as a minimum for all clubs.
While it’s hard to say that any Week 3 games are “must wins”, there are some teams that need to right the ship quickly, and a few who are hoping to make believers out of their fan bases. In the latter group we have the Oakland Invaders, who sit at 2-0 under new coach Dan Reeves. They have a California Derby against 0-2 LA, one of the clubs that had better turn things around soon or lose their fans for the year. Another 2-0 v. 0-2 matchup pits the stingy D of the St. Louis Knights against the surprisingly winless Texas Outlaws. It’s a division clash, so that adds even more to the battle. One final 2-0 v. 0-2 game pits the surprising Maulers, hot off their win against Washington, against an Orlando Renegades of which much was expected this year.
Another 0-2 team hoping to turn things around quickly are the Chicago Machine. Coach Schottenheimer will have them ready to go as they head to Houston to take on the Gamblers in a key divisional game. New Orleans is also 0-2, and they have a tough task as they host the predicted division champs, the Michigan Panthers. In other divisional games out West we have Arizona and Denver, both 1-1, facing off at Mile High, and a Cascade Clash as Portland is in Seattle to take on the Dragons, with both clubs also at 1-1.
In the East we have our only battle of 2-0 clubs, both surprised to be there, and one likely headed to 3-0 to start the year. It is Baltimore, with new QB Trent Green, against Atlanta, and their NFL import, Jeff George, facing off in front of what is expected to be a big crowd in Bobby Dowd Stadium. Birmingham is again starting the year slow, as has been a trend the last few years, and now host the New Jersey Generals in a game that Coach Erhardt called “As big as a game this early can get”. Washington is in Tampa Bay, to face a Bandits team that has been explosive and dominant so far this year. Ohio heads to Jacksonville, hoping to get the first win of the season with Kerry Collins under center, and Philadelphia takes their 2-0 record to Memphis in hopes of moving to 3-0 against the Showboats.
This really isn't week 8... correct?