The 17th season of the USFL has kicked off, and with the first week of the season there is always a lot of buzz, a lot of hope, and a lot of anticipation. We get our first true look at new faces in new places, at the rookies who have worked their way into the starting lineups, and the players who won the camp battles to earn starting roles. This season we had QB controversies in Seattle, Portland, and Chicago, we had rookies earning their first action in pro football, and we had the official start to Tampa Bay’s defense of the league title. It’s week one around the USFL and, as always, there was a lot to talk about.
The best game of the week was in Denver, where it all came down to a 2-point conversion with no time left to determine if Denver would win their opener or the game would go to overtime. In a game that was close throughout the day, both Mark Brunell and Scott Mitchell looked like they were at midseason form, and both defenses did a solid job against the run to produce a close game.
Denver got on the board first with Brunell finding his new target, former Express wideout Dedric Smith, for a 22-yard TD in the first. Orlando countered with Mitchell hitting Danta Whittaker from 23 yards out to even the score. An Orlando field goal gave them the 10-7 halftime advantage, but Denver opened the third with Brunell finding the always-reliable Keith Jackson for 6 to open the third.
Another Orlando field goal mean that we went into the 4th with Denver up 14-13. In the final period, the Gold once again went up as Brunell hit Kevin Dyson for a short TD to go up by 8. After Orlando and Denver traded field goals, it was 24-16 at the 2-minute warning. Orlando would need a score and a 2-point conversion to send the game to overtime. They would get the score on a well-designed circle route by HB Terry Kirby, but when Scott Mitchell missed Keenan McCardell in the endzone on the PAT, Denver held to their 2-point lead and sat on the ball until time ran out.
The stars of the game included Brunell, whose 26 of 34 day included 3 TDs and no picks, Jackson, who caught 7 balls for 63 yards and a score, and the game’s POTG, CB Bruce Pickens, whose day included a pick as well as 6 tackles and 3 passes defended. For Orlando, the big revelation was rookie wideout Donald Driver, who got the surprise start over Tamarick Vanover and finished the day with 7 receptions for 107 yards. Not a bad start for the late-round pick from Alcorn State.
WSH 16 STL 17
We start our round up of the first week of league action with an enticing matchup of two of the league’s best defenses from 1998, with both the Federals and the Knights proving that even with some offseason shuffling, they would still prove to be difficult clubs to score against. The game was 10-7 St. Louis at the half, and the Knights would hold Washington to only 3 field goals in the second half, to pull off the 1-point win. POTG: Our first Player of the Game for the season goes to St. Louis CB Troy Vincent, who finished the day with 8 tackles and 4 passes defended.
PHI 12 TEX 13
We had another 1-point game as the Outlaws managed to hold court in the AlamoDome and barely edge the visiting Stars. Reggie Cobb had 70 yards rushing and Kelly Stouffer hit his new NFL import TE Frank Wainright with the winning score with only 6 seconds to spare to thrill the Outlaw faithful in San Antonio. Philly struggled to run the ball, gaining only 40 yards on 16 rushes before putting the game in Bobby Hebert’s hands. Philly held a 12-0 lead at one point, but Kelly Stouffer cut the lead to 5 in the third and then thrilled the crowd with his last second TD toss. POTG: Despite the defensive nature of the game, we are going to give our game ball to Stouffer for his two late scores that won the game for the home team. Stouffer was sacked 6 times by the Stars but still completed 59% of his throws for 296 yards.
BAL 17 HOU 41
After an early Blitz score, Houston’s newfangled offense kicked it into overtime, outpacing the Blitz 41-10, though we have to credit the defense and our Defensive Player of the Week, Pat Swilling for 2 of the 5 Houston TDs. Swilling, also the obvious POTG, was Trent Green’s worst nightmare, picking off 3 errant Green passes and returning 2 of them for scores. He also added a sack and a forced fumble as the Baltimore offense suffered through 5 turnovers in a sloppy performance. Rookie HB Kevin Faulk had a solid debut, rushing for 32 yards on 9 carries and scoring his first USFL touchdown as Houston rolled.
PIT 19 MGN 24
A fun game in the SilverDome as Charlie Batch debuted as the Mauler QB, throwing for 205 yards and 2 scores as the Maulers made it a close one. New Mauler HB Terrell Davis rushed for 69 yards on 15 carries (a 4.6 YPC average) but in the end, the leadership of Doug Flutie helped Michigan pull out the W. Flutie threw for 334 on 34 of 48 passing, with Muhsin Muhammad his favorite target (10 receptions for 84 yards and a score). POTG: We give this one to LB Frank Stams of Michigan, who recorded 8 tackles and 2 sacks, including the game clinching sack on 4th and 7 as Pittsburgh attempted a last minute drive.
OHI 18 CHI 7
The battle of two clubs with new head coaches goes to Ohio’s Al Luginbill, who got a solid game from the reworked Glory defense and solid if not flashy performances from the offensive trio of Collins, George, and Galloway. Chicago opted for Jeff Garcia at QB after a drawn out battle with Alex Van Pelt in camp. Garcia completed only 21 of 48 passes in the defeat. Rookie Jim Kleinsasser proved to be his best option, catching 4 of 5 balls thrown his way. Floyd Turner, another Chicago addition, caught only 4 of the 12 balls thrown to him, a disappointing first game for the new starterat wideout. POTG: La’Roi Glover. The Ohio DT opened the game with a safety as he wrapped up Ricky Watters in the endzone, and also added a sack later in the game.
NJ 34 NOR 18
The Ricky Williams era in New Orleans began with an enthusiastic 42,505 in attendance in the Super Dome. They watched as Williams carried the ball 16 times, but only for 38 yards, though he did score on a nice 11-yard run. New Jersey had the better of the game, with Curtis Enis rushing for 68 yards and Lamont Warren adding another 24. Rookie Kevin Johnson led all General receivers with 5 catches for 56 yards. POTG: Brian Dawkins (NJ-FS). Dawkins put the game out of reach with a late pick 6 after New Orleans had closed to within 3, one of three picks the Generals produced against Jamie Martin.
TBY 42 POR 27
If there was any doubt if Tampa Bay could start the season as hot as they ended last year, those are gone. The Bandit Ball offense remained just as explosive, with Troy Aikman throwing for 404 yards and 5 touchdowns against Portland in Portland. The marquee Saturday Night game was close through three quarters, at 28-20, but late TDs to Ben Coates (2 of his 3 on the day) helped the Bandits pull away. Both Coates (132) and Robert Brooks (125) went over 100 yards as the Bandits proved that double covering last year’s rookie of the year, Randy Moss, just meant that others would kill you instead. POTG was Coates, who had 132 yards on 6 receptions, including 3 red zone touchdowns for the Bandits.
BIR 31 ARZ 24
A tough home opener for the Wranglers as Brett Favre and Jake Plummer both threw for 3 scores. Favre’s final toss, a 34-yarder to Lawrence Dawsey, proved to be the game winner as it put the Stallions up 31-17. Plummer found his new wideout, Carl Pickens for 2 scores on the day, but it was not enough as the visitors pulled off the win in Tempe. POTG goes to Dawsey, who, in addition to his game-winner, had a total of 155 yards receiving on 6 catches for the Stallions.
MEM 29 OAK 14
Memphis showed signs of both a run game and a pressure defense as they used 3 backs to rush for 3 TDs against Oakland, while the new Showboat defense sacked Ryan Leaf 7 times on the day. Reggie White and LB Joe Mott each had 2 sacks as Memphis effectively blitzed and pressured Leaf all game. Mott was named POTG for his 2 sacks, 1 safety, 1 fumble recovery and 5 tackles as the Showboats held Oakland to only 2 field goals until a late TD and 2 point PAT.
ATL 8 LA 33
New Express coach Galen Hall was all smiles after his club’s easy dispatching of the Fire in Farmers Insurance Field. While Cade McNown’s 14 of 34 day for 124 yards was hardly earth shaking, he protected the ball and Antowain Smith did the rest, rushing for 101 yards to lead the Express. The LA defense also had a very strong opening statement to the season, picking off Jeff George twice and holding the Atlanta offense to only 2 field goals (a late intentional safety was their only other score as LA used the unorthodox play to avoid a goalline punt). POTG: LA Linebacker Donta Jones was named POTG for his 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and a blocked field goal.
JAX 19 SEA 35
Coach Tiller stuck with Jon Kitna as his starter and it paid dividends, with Kitna completing an impressive 34 of 46 passes for 271 yards and 5 scores. The revelation of the day was just how good rookie WR David Boston could be as a redzone target. The speedster was expected to be a deep ball specialist, but Tiller used his size in the redzone, to the tune of 5 receptions, with 4 of them going for TDs. Boston only had 19 yards on the day, but scored on TDs of 1, 1, 5, 4, and 8 yards for the Dragons. Who needs to push Corey Dillon through the pile if you can just run a fade route to Boston? Boston was also named the POTG for his impressive debut.
ROOKIES GET THEIR SHOT
Let’s start by talking about the rookies who got a shot this week. With Portland’s Vince Tobin opting to start Bill Musgrave, it meant that only LA, with UCLA grad Cade McNown, started a rookie at QB. McNown had a solid “workmanlike” day (as outlined above) and got the W for the Express. Among the rushers, Ricky Williams did not light things up as the fans in New Orleans had hoped, finishing with only 38 yards, but that was still enough to top all rookie rushers, with Kevin Faulk the only other back with over 30 yards rushing on the day. It was at receiver where we saw some early signs of special play. Donald Driver of Orlando led all rookies with 102 yards, but he was not the only strong start among first year receivers. David Boston had that impressive 4-TD day, even if he only caught 5 for 18 yards. New Jersey’s Kevin Johnson caught 5 for 56, and STL Tight End Reggie Kelly helped his squad to a win with 5 catches for 54 yards.
On the defensive side, the best first game performance was clearly had by Birmingham’s new edge rusher, Mike Rucker, who nabbed 3 sacks in his first pro game to take the league lead on week 1. If he is anything like we saw this year, Birmingham’s foes may be in for trouble this year. Another rookie defender looking good this week was Panther’s LB Andy Katzenmoyer who played 58 snaps and earned 4 tackles and a sack. In the secondary it was a solid start for Oakland FS Anuan Eduards, who contributed 6 tackles for the Invaders. In Jacksonville, hopes that Jevon Kearse would start fast were squashed as he finished his first game with only 1 tackle and no sacks.
CHANGES IN LATITUDE, CHANGES IN ATTITUDE
For new faces in new places, some of our top stories from the offseason remain interesting topics after week one. Terrell Davis had a solid day for Pittsburgh, while the man he replaced, Dorsey Levins, finished as the 3rd rusher on his own team, with both Mario Greer and rookie Kevin Faulk outgaining him. His replacement in New Orleans, rookie Ricky Williams also finished well behind Levins in yards.
Arizona seems to have chosen wisely when they invested in former Texas wideout Carl Pickens. He finished Week 1 as the league’s leading receiver with 158 yards on the day. His replacement in Texas, Shawn Collins, fared pretty well also, catching 9 balls for 112 yards for the Outlaws. Jeff Query, the other Texas starter and the new acquisition from Tampa Bay, was also solid, catching 7 for 104.
New Jersey is certainly happy with the acquisition of LB Paul McGown, who led the club with 11 tackles this week. While Pittsburgh got 8 tackles from their newest CB, Patrick Surtain. Ray Agnew had a solid day in his first game back in Chicago after a 3 year stint in Atlanta. His return to the Machine included his first sack for the Machine since 1995.
And, of course, a new season also brings new kickers to clubs across the league. John Kasay earned a ring with Tampa after being picked up in the playoffs, but had to face his short-term former club as the new kicker of the Portland Thunder. The Thunder lost, but Kasay was solid, hitting on all 5 of his kicks. Rookie Kris Brown was also perfect (3 for 3) as he replaces longtime Bulls kicker Pete Stoyanovich. Finally, highly touted Baltimore rookie Martin Gramatica had some struggles, missing on 2 of his 3 field goal attempts, but connected on both PAT’s as the Blitz fell to Houston.
We are only in Week 1 and the USFL is already talking about 2000, at least when it comes to team products. As you may recall from last summer’s announcements, the contract for all 24 league team uniforms as well as a wide range of sideline and fan gear has not been renewed with Nike, but has instead been bid on and won by Reebok. For the British shoe designer this is something of a major coup, as the sporting gear giants have not had prior football contracts aside from a few European clubs they used as pilot projects. Reebok’s bid was a big one, bringing in nearly 50% more revenue to the USFL than the final year of the Nike deal, while also granting Reebok access to a sports market in the USA far larger than the niche market of joggers, soccer players, and “sneakerheads” that it had previously held.
We already know that Birmingham, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles will be the three clubs who were granted league approval for new designs, while the other 21 teams will receive their current logos and designs updated only in that they will use the new Reebok jersey and pant templates already approved by the league as part of the bidding process for the uniform contract. Astute fans may notice that jersey sleeves, at least for the authentic game jerseys, will be a bit tighter and shorter, with compression cuffs at the sleeve end, with exceptions for QB’s and kickers only. Other than that the uniforms will look very much like the Nike designs of recent years, with one exception.
That exception is a change in USFL branding announced just this week. In recent years, the USFL has included a special uniform logo on all helmets, jerseys and pants. This logo included the USFL’s star-spangled acronym within a red and blue helmet outline. That design will no longer grace USFL uniforms, beginning in 2000. In its place is a new monogram logo, a single “U” using a similar star and stripe pattern to the main USFL logo. The U. will be placed on helmets alongside a U.S. Flag and will appear on the left chest of all jerseys. Below you can see the comparison between the current uniform emblem/sticker and the newly-released “U” logo that will appear on all Reebok uniforms, Riddell helmets, and various league merchandise starting in September of this year.
As is typical, the USFL was fully interdivisional and interconference in Week 1, but with Week 2 we get our first divisional action as the clubs in the Eastern Conference stay in division. One of the most exciting matchups pits two dynamic offenses against each other as Birmingham hosts Tampa Bay in an early season rivalry game. Orlando is in Jacksonville in the first Florida Derby of the season and Memphis will be in Atlanta for the Fire’s home opener. In the Atlantic we have a couple of intriguing Week 2 matchups as Philadelphia heads to Baltimore, both hoping to avoid 0-2. Washington is in New Jersey after the Feds’ tough loss to St. Louis. Pittsburgh will test Ohio as the Glory open their home schedule under Coach Luginbill.
Out West it is interdivisional play, but we still have some intriguing pairings, the best of which seems to be Denver against St. Louis in the dome. The two division winners from last year did not get to play in the playoffs last season, so this is a chance for the Gold to see how they match up with the Conference Champions. We also have a matchup of the two worst clubs from last year as LA heads to Chicago to face the Machine. A win by the visiting Express would match their win total for all of last year in only 2 weeks. Arizona is in Houston in a game that should produce some fireworks, and Oakland will look to rebound from a poor week 1 performance as they head to the SilverDome to face the Panthers. Portland is also hoping to bounce back after their loss to Tampa Bay as they head to Texas to face the Outlaws. Seattle and New Orleans finish up the week as they face off in the Super Dome.