Jim Mora made a name for himself with the Philadelphia Stars, helping the USFL to become a major force in American sports and the Stars a major force in the USFL. His success eventually led to a call from the NFL, where he helped the New Orleans Saints reach their first postseason action in over 25 years of play, but when he returned to the USFL, success was not immediate. Mora had three utterly forgettable years in Oakland before being unceremoniously let go by the Invaders. He found himself quickly snatched up by William Dunavant, the flamboyant owner of the Memphis Showboats, and in only his second season in the Mid-South he once again had his squad playing championship football. For as much as this week’s Summer Bowl victory by the Showboats was the result of the play of Reggie White, Heath Shuler, Adrian Cooper, Al Wilson, and the unheralded Tydus Wynans, it was equally a testament to the genius of Jim Mora and his ability to see the game from every angle.
Denver had the Showboats caught in a slug fest for the first 30 minutes of the game, taking a 17-10 lead that nearly held until halftime before Mora noticed a pattern in the Denver defense and began to exploit it. Denver had limited Heath Shuler to only 89 yards passing in the first half, and while the Showboats had scored first, a Larry Centers 3-yard run on their first possession, Denver’s combination of slow, methodical offense focused on Rashaan Salaam and a low pressure, heavy zone defense had limited the opportunities and the success of Memphis. When Mark Brunell connected with TE Marco Battaglia to put the Gold up by 7 with time winding down in the 2nd quarter, it was clear the Showboats were off their game, and needed a spark. Jim Mora provided that spark.
It may sound odd to have a coach provide the spark, but as the Showboats received the kickoff at the 2-minute warning, Mora gathered the offense and laid out a gameplan that would lead the favorites to 4 consecutive scoring drives, turning a 7-point deficit into an insurmountable 21 point lead. The strategy was simple. He would line up Joe Horn in the slot, forcing the Gold to recenter their zone defense and play more to the center of the field, and with that he would place his faith, and that of his quarterback, in the unheralded slot receiver he would move outside to a more open sideline. Tydus Wynans would become the new focus of the offense, something that no one outside of Mora and his QB would believe.
The strategy paid immediate dividends as the Denver defense did exactly as Mora imagined, moving the safeties closer to the hashmarks to provide additional support against Joe Horn. In doing so, it put pressure on either the free safety or the nickel to cover the elusive Wynans. After only 4 plays, including two runs by Garrison Hearst, the gambit paid off as Heath Shuler faked an out pass and Wynans turned upfield gaining a solid 2-3 steps on the safety. Shuler, the recently named League MVP hit Wynans in stride, and the speedy, but not always surehanded, little man caught the ball in stride on his way to a 40-yard touchdown. Mora had found the formula. The game went to the half tied at 17, but with one team now looking ready to start again and the other looking blindsided.
When the second half opened, the Showboats struck again, this time on the first play from scrimmage. This time they lined Horn up on the same side of the field as both Bobby Olive and TE Adrian Cooper. When first Cooper and then Wynans shifted, suddenly the Showboats had 3 speed receivers on the left side of the line and only Cooper split to the right. When all 3 receivers crossed to the right on short routes, it created a wall of bodies that the Denver defenders could not avoid. The result was Cooper angling to the center of the field and finding himself wide open. Shuler again threw a perfect ball and with an open field in front of him, Cooper did the rest, racing 74 yards downfield to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Denver, now frazzled on defense, needed to respond, but when Salaam came up one yard short on a third and 4 in Denver territory, Coach Jauron played it safe and punted the ball away. Memphis, now fully feeling their momentum rising, responded with another scoring drive. This time it was short passes with Wynans on out patterns or criss-crossing with Horn on the right side of the field. Bobby Olive, alone on the left was more decoy than actual threat as he would not catch a ball all game while Wynans and Horn would combine for 8 receptions. But in this new strategy it was Horn who would take the short routes from the inside and Wynans who would head upfield. After 8 plays this Memphis drive also ended with a touchdown, Wynans’s second, a 13-yarder on an out patter where again the defender took an inside position and paid dearly for it.
Denver again struggled to move the ball, though on their next drive they did get the ball to midfield. Memphis was in full form by this point, and on their next drive, the last of the 3rd quarter, Shuler connected with Adrian Cooper three times, Horn once, OJ Santiago once, and then, in the red zone, again found Wynans for his 3rd TD of the game. Memphis was now in full command, up 38-17. Denver would have no choice but to abandon the methodical running game with Salaam. He would have only 2 carries in the final period as Denver had to play from behind and turn to the passing game.
This second shift, now from Denver, was also fully understood by Mora, who, no longer fearing the inside run game of Denver, spread his d-line, giving Reggie White a wider angle on his path to the QB. The result? White recorded all three of his sacks in the final period of the game. Two of those sacks essentially ended Denver drives (though on one occasion they would try and fail to complete a 4th and 8 pass.) While White and Memphis’s blitzing linebackers focused all their attention on pressuring Brunell, Memphis’s offense was content to use their 2 possessions in the 4th quarter to slow down their play, hand the ball to Hearst and Centers, take what the defense gave them, and watch time tick off the clock.
Denver would score once more, another Battaglia TD reception, but it was far too little and far too late (only 1:04 left to play). Memphis would take the 14 point victory and their first league title. Denver would fall for the third time in a league final. The MVP award went to Shuler, to go along with his league MVP crown, and Reggie White would be named the Defensive POTG for his fierce final quarter, but both were quick to give credit to their coach, for the insight provided in this game, the inspiration provided all season, and the freedom for each player to maximize his talents.
Memphis was picked to finish 4th or 5th in the South in most preseason polls. Their 1998 campaign had produced an 8-8 season, better than in the year before Mora’s arrival, but in no way an indication that this was a club that was headed to a #1 seed in the playoffs, especially not in a division that had the defending league champion in Tampa Bay, the always explosive Birmingham Stallions, and an up and coming Orlando Renegade squad. What Mora accomplished this year is to turn a largely underachieving squad into a juggernaut that ripped through the second half of the season and the playoffs to raise up the John Bassett Trophy and lay claim to the title of USFL Champions.
While the game represented Jim Mora’s fourth trip to the Summer Bowl, with 3 appearances and 2 titles in Philadelphia (1985-1987), this year’s title is made more incredible by the fact that so many had begun to doubt him. After failing to advance in the NFL playoffs with New Orleans, then his short-lived stint in Oakland, there were doubters. We suspect that they are eating some humble pie today as Jim Mora sits atop the Spring Football world with his third title in hand.
Congratulations to Coach Mora, and to the entire Memphis Showboats squad for bringing a title to the Mid-South.
FINAL STATISTICS
PASSING
Shuler (MEM) 18/30, 302 Yards, 4 TD, 0 Int, 2 Sacks, 133.6 Rating
Brunell (DEN) 27/34, 225 Yards, 2 TD, 0 Int, 4 Sacks, 113.8 Rating
RUSHING
Salaam (DEN) 15-98, 1 TD, 6,8 YPC
Hearst (MEM) 15-66, 0 TD, 4.4 YPC
Whittle (DEN) 2-12, 0 TD, 6.0 YPC
Centers (MEM) 4-10, 1 TD, 2.5 YPC
RECEIVING
Jackson (DEN) 8-55, 0 TD
Turner (DEN) 6-65, 0 TD
Wynans (MEM) 5-121, 3 TD
Battaglia (DEN) 5-25, 2 TD
Smith (DEN) 5-61, 0 TD
Cooper (MEM) 4-106, 1 TD
Horn (MEM) 3-39, 0 TD
Centers (MEM) 3-27, 0 TD
DEFENSE
Cowart (DEN) 9 Tackles, 1 FF
Walton (MEM) 7 Tackles, 1 Pass Def
White (MEM) 3 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 1 FF
O’Neill (DEN) 3 Tackles, 1 Sack
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