Four teams battling for a ticket to the biggest game of the summer. Four franchises hoping that this is their year. A past champion, itching for another ring. Two sets of division rivals meeting again in the postseason with everything on the line. A two time Summer Bowl loser wondering if this is their year. A Cinderella story, rising from the cellar and looking to end up in the penthouse, and a surprise powerhouse led by a coach with championship pedigree. That was the setting for this week’s title games in the east, with Denver @ Los Angeles and Birmingham @ Memphis. So who is moving on for a shot at the title and who came so close only to be sent home? Let’s find out.
We expected fireworks in Memphis when the Stallions and Showboats clashed for the Eastern Conference title, and we got them. How does 1021 combined yards and 75 combined points sound? Sounds like a rough day for the defenses and yet there were 8 sacks in the game. We also saw a 100-yard day from Memphis’s Garrison Hearst and 99 yards on the ground from a totally unexpected source, Birmingham’s Charlie Rogers. Stallion wideout Lawrence Dawsey gained 148 and on the other side of the formation Ernest Givens had 113, but the high total of the day went to Memphis’s Adrian Cooper, who finished the day with 161 receiving yards, including a monster of an 85-yard TD catch and run. Reggie White found the QB twice, and Mike Rucker found his once, but there were no picks in the game, no turnovers at all, in fact. It was a show, a major spectacle from beginning to end, and when it was all said and done the astonishing season of the Memphis Showboats continued, with Jim Mora and his squad heading to LA for the league title. Here is how it happened.
The game started as many do with both clubs probing and testing each defense out. We only saw 6 points scored in the first quarter, a pair of field goals from Birmingham’s Olindo Mare. But, this cautious approach would quickly give way in a 2nd quarte that saw 4 TDs scored. The first was a short rub route completion from Shuler to wideout Lawyer Tillman, the first of six, yes six, touchdowns on the day for Shuler. The score gave Memphis a short-lived 1-point lead. Short-lived because only 6 plays later Stephen Davis broke through the line and rumbled for 17 yards to put Birmingham back up 13-7.
Memphis would counterpunch the Stallion score, with Shuler finding FB Larry Centers open on a goalline swing pass as Memphis again went up by 1 point with the PAT. It appeared the scoring for the half had ended as the two clubs stepped up on defense over the final 6 minutes of the half, but, just as it looked like the Stallions would hand the ball to Alstott to end the half, Brett Favre saw something in the Memphis defense and went deep. He found Lawrence Dawsey in single coverage and exploited it with a perfectly thrown lob that led Dawsey down the left sideline and into the end zone, a 75 yard TD to close out the half with Birmngham up 20-14.
When they came out for the second half Memphis was fired up about the mistake that had let Birmingham take the halftime lead. They showed their displeasure by linking up on 3 consecutive first down pass plays, the final one being a nicely thrown Shuler to Joe Horn TD pass to once again regain the lead. After a sack of Favre forced a Birmingham punt, Memphis again pressed their advantage, this time Shuler hitting Tydus Wynans from 17 yards out to increase the lead to 28-20.
Birmingham could not let the game get out of hand, and their response was a quick drive of 7 plays, including a 37-yard run by backup Charlie Rogers, who got more carries in the half after Stephen Davis proved largely ineffective in the first half. Rogers would finish the day with 99 yards on only 8 carries, but this drive would stall at the Memphis 17, forcing Birmingham to add only 3 from the foot of Mare.
It was at this point of the game when Memphis found its own trick play, a flea-flicker that saw TE Adrian Cooper totally unguarded down the middle of the field. Shuler was almost clipped by Reggie White as he threw the ball, but it found Cooper and 85 yards later Cooper found the endzone, putting Memphis up 35-23, it’s largest lead of the day.
Once again Birmingham responded with a drive of their own. Aided by a costly offsides penalty on 3rd and 2, the drive ended with Favre finding Dawsey for a second time, cutting the lead to 5, 35-30. As the game entered the 4th quarter, Birmingham needed to find a way to stop the Showboats from building the lead back up. They switched to a nickel base to deal with Heath Shuler, but Jim Mora countered by using draw plays to Hearst and Centers to throw Birmingham off. Hearst gained 52 of his 107 yards on this one drive, carrying the ball 7 times in the process. Hearst would get the ball to the Stallion 8-yard line, and from there the playfake allowed TE O.J. Santiago to come off the line unguarded and Shuler hit him for a club record 6th TD pass on the day, all six to different receivers.
Back up by 12, the game was now one of frantic efforts by the Stallions and slow, plodding time management by the Showboats. Birmingham would add a field goal at the 5 minute mark, but that still kept it a 2-score game, and the Stallions would not get any closer. The game ended with Memphis up that same nine points. The crowd, a mix of Showboat and Stallion fans, had a few moments of tension but was largely celebratory after the game, the first sellout in Showboats history, a full 62,921 on hand, including at least 15,000 Stallion fans, maybe more. The crowd got what they wanted, an amazingly entertaining game, and for the home fans, a huge win that sends them to a title clash next week.
The crowd was not quite as large (around 41,000) at Farmers Insurance Field for the clash between the Express and the Denver Gold, but there was plenty of enthusiasm from the home fans and a contingent of 6,000-7,000 who wore Denver black and gold. The game, while not quite as high flying, had plenty of fireworks as well, and required an extra period to find a winner. It was a game that saw Denver use both their QB’s, with Lewis closing out the game after Brunell once again had to sit with an injury, this time his knee. For LA, the focus was the passing game, with Cade McNown finding 8 different receivers on the day. Antowain Smith as moderately successful against the Denver D, while Rashaan Salaam carried the ball 20 times for 96 yards, a very solid 4.8 YPC. It was a game where Denver made more mistakes but LA was unable to cash in on them, including a heart breaking final second field goal attempt that would have given the win to the home squad.
The game started off slowly, with 20 total points in the first half. Both LA and Denver seemed to want to get the run game going, and both ended up with more long third down attempts than they may have wanted. After a Rashaan salaam TD opened up the scoring, Galen Hall and the Express started to bring their Strong Safety down to the line, a strategy that proved effective for the rest of the half. On offense, LA managed two field goals from Doug Brien and added a Tory Holt TD catch in the second quarter to go into halftime up 13-7.
With visions of playing in a title game right in their own stadium LA was playing well, but with some nerves clearly on display. These nerves led to a significant error as the Express lined up for the 2nd half kickoff with only 10 men. That error helped Denver return the kick all the way back to the Express 47 yard line. From their it only took them 4 plays before they took their first lead since the opening score. Brunell hit Odessa Turner from 14 yards out and Denver was now up 1 at 14-13.
LA responded to the short Denver drive with one of their own as their returner Aaron Glenn returned the kickoff 39 yards up to the 49 yard line. McNown would find Mike Pritchard for a score 8 plays later and once again LA had the lead, though it was now 19-14 as the attempt to go up by 7 with a 2 point play failed.
After a Gold field goal closed the gap to 2 points, Denver got the ball back after a solid 3-play defensive stand. This was their chance to take the lead once again, and they started a drive that would lead them to that result. 7 plays in 3:33 led to a Salaam 1-yard plunge to put Denver up 24-19 as with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter. They would add to that score on the very next play. Kicking off, Denver’s Jeff Wilkens got the ball to the 10 yard line, where it took a high bounce that apparently confused LA returner Fred Lester. Lester caught the ball at the 1 just as defenders were closing in. Rather than fall down and give LA the ball on the 1 or 2, he tried to spin out of the initial tackle, a spin that took him into the endzone, where he was wrapped up. Initially placed at the 1, the play was challenged by Denver coach Dick Jauron. The call was overturned, with the result being a Denver safety and now a 7 point lead. That would prove pivotal as those 2 points saved Denver.
LA responded on their next drive, with McNown hitting Rob Carpenter for a score with just over 3:20 to play. The ensuing PAT tied the game up rather than putting LA ahead (due to the earlier safety). But neither team was looking forward to overtime. Denver came out aggressively, but on a 2nd and 7, Mark Brunell was hit by LA linebacker Barry Minter. He was injured on the play, but the ball also popped up into the air and right into the hands of SS Carnell Lake, who had also been blitzing on the play. Lake caught the ball just above the turf, falling to the ground, but it gave LA the ball at midfield with just under 1 minute to play.
The Express would move the ball to the Denver 30 before sending out Doug Brien to attempt a game winning 47-yarder. A hush fell over the largely vocal LA crowd as the ball was snapped and the kick left the tee. A collective grown went out when the ball sliced to the left and just missed on the outside of the goal posts. Denver was still alive, and overtime was now an inevitability.
As so often happens, the toss decided the fate of the two teams, with Denver choosing tails and getting the result they wanted. Jeff Lewis trotted out to lead the Gold for the extra period, a gimpy Mark Brunell trying to walk off his knee pain on the sideline. Lewis would do exactly what he did the week before, outperform expectations and lead Denver to a playoff win. He completed his first 3 passes, interrupted only by a single Salaam run. On 1st and 10 from the LA 31, a holding call put the drive in jeopardy and moved the Gold out of field goal range. Lewis, unflapped, completed a quick 5-yard out to Jacquez Green on 1st and 20, then a 9 yarder to Keith Jackson on 2nd and 15, leading to a third and 6 just outside of comfortable field goal range. The called play was a crossing pattern that should free up Green again, but the play quickly deteriorated as LA blitzed both LB George Koonce and safety Rich Coady, a strategy that had proven effective against Brunell all day. But Lewis is more mobile than Brunell, and he sprinted out to his left, eventually finding TE Marco Battaglia on what would end up as a 23 yard catch and run. One play later Lewis hit Keith Jackson for the game winner and the Denver fans in attendance erupted in joy.
LA would not host their own title game. The clock had struck midnight and the Cinderella Story of the 1999 Express was over. It was an amazing finish to an amazing year, but a Summer Bowl spot would elude the grasp of Angelino football fans again. Denver would be returning to LA in one week to face the Memphis Showboats. They would enter the game with a potential QB controversy, and with a penchant for pulling off surprises. Coach Jauron would praise Jeff Lewis, and the entire offense for how they played the overtime period. But deep down we have to wonder if he now has to consider benching Brunell in favor of the unheralded QB that has pulled their fat out of the fire twice this playoff season.
COACHING CAROUSEL SPINS INTO HIGH GEAR
Two more USFL coaching hires this week, both surprises as Portland and Atlanta make their selections. Portland went back to their first interview, announcing this week that Ray Rhodes, the Defensive Coordinator of the Texas Outlaws would be their next head coach, continuing a legacy of defensive-minded head coaches after the departure of Vince Tobin. Rhodes inherits a team with a rookie QB in Akili Smith and a defense that was 22nd of 24 teams in yardage allowed yet somehow was only 12th in the league in points allowed. Rhodes was also considered a frontrunner for the Oakland position, now the lone open position remaining in the league.
While Portland stayed within the USFL, Atlanta, after failing to develop a winning club under former NFL coaches Dan Reeves and Sherm Lewis, went a totally different way, announcing this week that young hotshot playcaller from the U. of Louisville, Bobby Petrino, would be the new head coach of the Fire. Petrino, who developed as a QB coach bothat Idaho and Arizona before taking on OC duties at Louisville, is considered a QB specialist, and now goes to a club that has to decide if they have their QB of the future in either Eric Zeier or 1999 rookie Aaron Brooks. He also takes over a club with a truly horrible defense, so he will need to bring in some defensive help this offseason, both on field and in the coaching rooms.
RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we expected, this week was a pretty big week for announcements of retirement from pro football. Across the league, players began filing officially and that brings leaks, which brings press conferences. No real surprises yet, and we are still waiting to hear from several big name players who have been rumored to be considering the option, but that does not mean that this week’s announcements will not influence teams as we head into the full offseason. Here is our list of the 8 biggest retirement announcements to date:
CB Robert Massey (OHI): Massey retires after 1 season in Ohio in which he played as both a kick returner (518 yards on 21 returns) and in the secondary (79 tackles, 5 picks). Massey came into the league in 1989 with Chicago, moved to Seattle in 1995 in the expansion draft and then opted into a 1-year deal in Ohio.
WR Anthony Miller (STL): While Anthony Miller never really caught on as a receiver in the league in his 12 seasons with Baltimore and St. Louis, he certainly made his mark as a return man. He retires with a grand total of 105 career receptions for 1,122 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns, but he also retires with 237 returned kicks for 5,873 yards, a 24.8 average and 1 TD along with 275 punt returns for 2,297 yards (8.4 YPR average) and 2 punt return touchdowns. St. Louis will certainly miss the field position advantage Miller provided.
DE Terry Crews (HOU): A bit player in several strong seasons for the Houston Gamblers, Crews became famous due to his addictive TV commercials in the Houston area. Always entertaining, Crews, who retires with only 27 career tackles and 8 sacks, is very likely to remain in media focus as both a local commercial actor and personality.
LB Michael Brooks (CHI): One of the oldest defenders still playing in the league, Brooks came into the USFL with New Orleans in 1987. He started 15 games his rookie season. Always injury plagued, Brooks played in 154 league games but started only 60. He retires with 370 tackles, 17 sacks, 5 picks, and 13 years of professional football under his cap.
LB Mike Junkin (JAX): Mike Junkin retires a Jacksonville Bull after 1 season there, one in Baltimore, 2 in Portland, but he will always be remembered for his early years in Memphis. The versatile LB retires with 677 tackles in 170 games. He forced 20 fumbles in his long career, accrued 47 sacks and 10 picks. He was named to All-USFL teams in 1988 and 1989, both with Memphis.
DE Anthony Pleasant (POR): The leader of Portland’s pass rush since coming to the team from Birmingham in 1994, the 10-year veteran retires with 60 career sacks. He played for the 1993 USFL Champion Stallions and started 143 games for Birmingham and Portland. The Thunder will now have to rely on younger edge players like Hugh Douglas, Jomo Cousins, Cyron Brown and possibly an early draft pick to enhance the pass rush wit Pleasant’s departure.
LB Andre Collins (PHI): Since starting 11 games for the Philadelphia Stars in 1990, Collins has been a mainstay of the Stars’ defense. In his 10 seasons with the club, Collins amassed 646 tackles, with his high point being an 88 tackle season in 1997. He also added 31 sacks and 9 picks in his career. His MLB position in the Stars 4-3 will likely be taken up by Robert Gooch or Mike Peterson, as this is a position the Stars are not likely to draft for, though a mid-range free agent is a possibility.
WR Cris Carter (PHI): Philadelphia loses another starter and this one will certainly hurt. Cris Carter came to the USFL after starting his career in the fall with the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter began in Portland, where he racked up over 100 receptions in each of his first three seasons, but grew disenchanted with the Portland coaching and gameplanning. In 1994 he jumped ship and through free agency found himself back in Philadelphia with the Stars. Once again his value was easy to recognize as Carter caught 100+ receptions 5 times in 6 years with the Stars, including a career high 125 receptions for 1,374 yards this season.
Known for his tightrope sideline catches and impeccable hands, Carter’s USFL totals include 1,019 receptions for 12,024 yards and 66 career touchdowns. A 4 time All USFL selection, Carter’s lone championship came with the Stars in his first season since moving over from Portland, a season in which he caught112 balls for 1,257 and 9 touchdowns. The Stars will be hard pressed to find a receiver either in free agency or the draft who can match the potential Hall of Fame career of Carter. On the roster right now they have Troy Brown, Kevin Dyson, Edward Stinnett, Alex Van Dyke, and Na Brown, so do not be surprised if they go for a wideout early in this year’s draft.
MEANWHILE IN NEW YORK
With the Summer Bowl scheduled for LA this week, the focus is certainly there, but we should remember that in the week following the title clash between Memphis and Denver, the 24 league owners will be meeting in NYC, and there are some big issues expected to be on the table. First up is the television deal with ABC/ESPN. We know already that both NBC and CBS are very interested in adding the USFL to their sports offering, but ABC/ESPN still have the inside track, and with Fox’s contract not due to expire for another 2 years, there may be little room for a third major partner, though certainly the league owners will consider what the other two large networks have to say.
The second item, and we cannot believe we are saying this, is that once again the owners seem to be considering a shift to a 14-game schedule and a new alignment of teams. The same concerns about overlap with the NFL, particularly for free agency, seems to be driving the discussion again. At least this time the owners have a sense of what happened the last time and will not assume an acquiescent union. If they want o move ahead with any change to the format of the season they will have to deal with the CBA and the expectations that contracts will retain their full value despite any adjustments to the season.
Finally, there is an item up for discussion that could profoundly impact both the TV discussions and any realignment or schedule adjustments, the topic of expansion. While there does not appear to be much energy behind another expansion, particularly with the difficulties we have seen among the 4 franchises from the 1995 addition. Only this year, and only LA have been able to crack .500 and make a playoff appearance, but perhaps the success of the Express might indicate that the league is finally seeing progress among the expansion class of 1995. Does that translate into a desire to add more teams? It seems unlikely but we know that outside of the league there is demand. There are well-funded groups in at least 5 cities that are hoping to see a new wave of expansion bidding come to the spring league.
We know of groups in Dallas, Boston, Miami, the Twin Cities, and Indianapolis that remain very interested, and with new stadia to finance in both Charlotte and Nashville, it seems those cities are also looking to see if they can double their pro-football dates by adding spring football to their NFL offerings. The concern for the USFL has to be if they do not look to expand some of these ownership groups may start wooing clubs in the league with a hope for relocation. We know that there are clubs unhappy either with their stadia or with the terms of their contracts in those cities, so it may just be possible to peel off a club like Portland, Atlanta, St. Louis, Columbus (Ohio Glory), or Oakland. With that possibility looming as a possible backup plan for these ownership bidding groups, the league has to tread lightly and provide at least a glimmer of hope for expansion or we may see a wave of relocation efforts which can only hurt current franchises trying to build a case for their product in cities across the country.
The injury spotlight for this week’s league title game will likely be on Mark Brunell. He is listed as probable, which is good, but the fact that he is listed at all is still a concern. Of course, the bigger issue is what the Gold decide to do with Jeff Lewis even if Brunell is 100%. Do they gameplan a series or two with Lewis in the game? After all, he has led them to two victories in the postseason and he does add a level of unpredictability that Brunell is unlikely to add. We know that Leslie O’Neill is not on the injury list, so other than Brunell, the only other concern is T Larry Odom (Out) and safety Myron Guyton who had been upgraded to probable.
For Memphis we know that Rob Johnson is out, which seems to be fine with everyone. The other two names on the injury list are WR Tydus Wynans and center Charles Wilson, both of whom are listed as questionable, but are likely to see some action. Memphis is in good shape on the injury front, as is Denver, which means a good game between two pretty healthy clubs.
So what do we make of this unexpected matchup in LA? The folks at the Las Vegas sports book seem to be pretty convinced that the money is leaning towards Memphis. The opening line was Memphis -6, but that has risen to -8 in the last 24 hours. That means that Vegas is trying to find takers for the Gold, and that means that the public is also skeptical of Denver’s ability to slow down Heath Shuler and the offense that just put away Brett Favre and the Stallions.
The two clubs did not meet this year, so we have no track record to go on. We know that Denver won 3 of their last 4 games to finish 10-6, and then won three playoff games to get here. Memphis got the bye before knocking off Pittsburgh and Birmingham to make their first Summer Bowl appearance since 1988, but they were also very hot at the end of the year, winning 6 of 7 to finish out the year. So, what do we think? Well, if we look position by position, we might get a better sense of where things lie.
Quarterback: Clear advantage to Memphis, who has the likely MVP as their QB. Heath Shuler broke out this year with a monster season, while Mark Brunell was his usual reliable self, but has been knocked out of games twice in the last month. This one goes heavily to Memphis.
Running Backs: Rashaan Salaam gives this one to the Gold. He will be the key to their offense. His 1,191 yards rushing clearly outshine Garrison Hearst’s 905, though that is actually a solid total for Hearst considering that Moe Williams was given 70 carries and gained over 250 yards as well. Hearst is a better receiver, but neither club uses that position too much for the passing game, Denver preferring to keep a back in for pass protection and Memphis more likely to throw the ball to FB Larry Centers than Hearst or Williams. We give a marginal edge here to Denver.
Receivers: Memphis’s offense relies heavily on a very aggressive passing game, and they have a diverse receiving corps to get it done. Their top 5 receivers include Joe Horn (WR), Adrian Cooper (TE), Lawyer Tillman (WR), Larry Centers (FB) and O.J. Santiago (TE). You rarely see them in 3-wide formations, preferring to work the pass and the run from either standard pro formations or a 1-back, 2 TE formation. Denver is far more likely to focus their passing attack on a wider range of outside threats. Keith Jackson at TE is their top receiver and tops in the league with 125 catches, but Odessa Turner leads the club in yardage with 1,192 and Dedric Smith, the former LA Express wideout, who leads in TDs with 11. Add in occasional tosses to TE Marco Battaglia and rookie receiver Peerless Price and Denver too can spread the ball around. The numbers favor Memphis in this matchup, and so do we.
O-Line: We are going to call this one a toss up because, quite frankly, how you measure the line is what makes one look better than the other. Denver clearly has the better run-blocking line, while Memphis’s hogs are used to providing Heath Shuler with time. So, it is a bit of a wash really.
D-Line: We have two great pass rushers in this matchup with Reggie White of Memphis and Leslie O’Neill of Denver. What gives Denver the slight edge here is that outside of White, Memphis does not have a lot to crow about. DE Tony Hill has 10 fewer sacks than White (16 to 6) and no DT scored a sack this season, while in Denver, Leslie O’Neill’s 24 sacks were followed by 10 more from DE Jon Carter, and 9 more from the rotation of Dan Saleaumua, Mark Bouette, and James Manley inside, each with 3 sacks on the year. That is a big factor in favor of Denver.
Linebackers: We like the veteran leadership of Kurt Gouveia and Tracy Rogers for Denver, but when it comes to pure athleticism and pursuit, Memphis’s Joe Mott, Jim Schwartz, and Al Wilson have an edge. Unlike Denver, who may be forced to play a nickel formation most of the game to slow down Heath Shuler, Memphis will be able to use their standard 3-4 all day, and that favors them against the run. We like Memphis here.
Secondary: Memphis will line up CBs Rodney Young and Fred Weary alongside safeties Tebucky Jones and Alvin Walton. This is not an intimidating group, but it is solid, with Jones leading the group with 6 picks this season. For Denver the picks were hard to come by, but they have solid hitters in the secondary with CBs Anthony Tuggle and Bruce Pickens, FS Myron Guyton (likely to play despite his injuries) and SS Corey Gaines. If Guyton cannot play, Jamel Williams will shift into his position. This one looks about even when we look at their impact, but we expect Denver’s group to be tested more than Memphis’s, so edge to Memphis.
Special Teams: Memphis’s Jeff Hall is somewhat less experienced than Denver’s Jeff Wilkens, but this year Hall led the league in PAT’s, hitting 63 of 65, and also connected on 79.3% of his field goal tries, while Wilkens landed at only 69%, with 9 missed field goals this year, though he was a perfect 44 of 44 on PATs. The returners, Peerless Price for Denver and Rodney Young of Memphis have been adequate, but neither is setting the league on fire. And, when it comes to coverage, Memphis has better numbers, but that may be due to the propensity for touchbacks on both the punt and kickoff teams.
Coaching: Honestly, this is where we see the biggest potential advantage, and it leans towards Memphis. This will be Jim Mora’s 4th Summer Bowl, though it is his first since departing the Stars. He has been here before and he knows how to get the most out of his team. This is Dick Jauron’s 2nd season with Denver, and while he got them to the playoffs in both seasons, the experience with championship football is just not there. We have to give the advantage to the Showboats here.
FINAL ANALYSIS: I think we will know early how competitive Denver can be. If they can run the ball early and slow down the game, and if they can avoid the big play from the Showboats’ offense, they have a chance to hang around and flip the scoreboard at the end. That is a bit of a tall order honestly, and we think the better odds are with Coach Mora and the Showboats. We are picking Memphis to win their first title, and Mora’s third, with a final score prediction of Memphis 28 Denver 20.
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