A lot of clinching, and a few clubs giving their fans angina from the stress. With only 1 week left in the regular season, we are down to only 3 playoff spots left, but in both the East and West Conferences there is tension as several clubs are on the fringe. This week’s games gave division titles to LA, Memphis and Baltimore, but Texas’s loss (both on the scoreboard and the training room) means that they are still needing one more win to avoid being surpassed by last year’s conference champs from St. Louis. We also got one of the most unlikely upsets in recent years as a 1-win club not only knocked off the defending champs, but may have cost them a chance to repeat, potentially knocking them from playoff contention. That is a huge upset, and it leads off our recap of Week 15 in the USFL.
Is this the greatest football game ever played? No. Does it involve two title contenders? Also, no. But, when you get an upset of this nature, one which has the worst club in the league somehow upending the defending champion, and very likely costing them any chance at a playoff appearance, it must be highlighted. And so we are looking at Atlanta’s shocking upset of Tampa Bay as this week’s Game of the Week.
The Fire entered the game as home underdogs, 13 point underdogs to a Tampa Bay Bandit squad that was fighting for their playoff life. All indications were that Atlanta would be flat, playing out the string for a head coach, Sherm Lewis, who was likely about to lose his job. Tampa Bay was expected to roll over the Fire to get their record up to 8-7 and in the mix for a Wild Card and perhaps a solid playoff run. So what happened?
It appears that Tampa Bay believed the hype. They came out flat from the start, with no sense of urgency and no real fear of the Fire. Through three quarters, it seemed they were well in control of the game, leading 16-3 with only a quarter to play. They had not played well, but Atlanta did not seem to be posing much a a threat with rookie Aaron Brooks at the helm, so they did not need their best game. Sure, Tiki Barber was having a decent day (He would finish with 83 yards on 18 carries), but Tampa had gotten a TD from Randy Moss, and had tacked on 3 field goals for what felt like a pretty comfortable lead. Even when Atlanta had their first truly solid drive to start the 4th quarter, a drive ending with Blair Thomas plunging into the endzone to drop the lead to 6, there did not appear to be panic on the Tampa Bay sideline.
That lack of urgency proved to be fatal for Tampa Bay. After the Atlanta score, the Bandits seemed content to play the clock, run the ball, and walk away with a win. What happened instead was that they ended up punting after only 1 first down and giving a team with nothing to lose a shot at winning for only the 2nd time all season. With 2:51 left to play, Atlanta took over at their own 27 and, for whatever reason, decided that was the moment to make a stand and play like their season depended on it. It began with a simple 5-yard dumpoff from Brooks to Frank Wycheck, but a missed tackle turned the short pass into a 13-yard gain. Tiki Barber then went off-tackle for 5, followed by a quick completion to Reggie Barlow for 6, and another Atlanta first down. At this point things started getting serious on the Tampa Bay sideline, as a visibly troubled George Seifert started urgently communicating back and forth with his DC in the booth.
After a miss on a 1st down throw, Brooks again found a receiver open against the Tampa zones. Deems May for 7, followed by a draw play to Barber that netted 6 yards and another first down. Tampa tried a blitz on the next play, their first one of the series, but that left Frank Wycheck open for an 8 yard gainer. And then, on 2nd and 2, Atlanta made Tampa pay for their lackadaisical attitude. The Bandits played the run, expecting the ball to go to Barber. Brooks faked the handoff, pulled the ball back in and found Terrance Mathis in single coverage out to the left. He lofted the ball towards the endzone, Mathis ran under it, and rolled to the ground, touchdown in hand. The game was tied, the few Tampa Bay fans who made the trip were besides themselves, and the small crowd of Atlanta faithful finally had something to celebrate this season. When Jason Elam’s kick went through the uprights, the Fire were on top with only 17 seconds left to play. Tampa Bay had fallen from an almost assured playoff spot to 7-8 and very likely needing help in Week 16 to have a shot at defending their title. It was a brutal choke for the Bandits, and a moment that teaches all of us not to ever downplay an opponent or assume victory just for showing up.
ORL 26 BIR 14
While Orlando’s road win in Birmingham was nowhere near as shocking as Atlanta’s win, it still has major repercussions. Not only is Orlando now well in the mix for a Wild Card, but the loss means that the Stallions are out of the chase for the Division title, losing the tiebreaker with Memphis even if they finish with the same record. Orlando did it thanks to yet another huge day for Orlando’s defensive monster, Chris Doleman. The big and fast DE was a nightmare for Brett Favre all day, sacking the veteran 5 times, a day that moved Doleman into the league lead, and into the defensive POTY conversation. Add in 108 yards rushing and 2 TDs for Terry Kirby and the Renegades look like they are hitting their stride just in time to get into the postseason dance.
BAL 17 WSH 16
The Battle of I-95 came down to one play as neither defense gave an inch in this game. Washington outgained Baltimore 403 to 290 but was frustrated time and again in the red zone by the bend-but-don’t-break approach the Blitz took. Jeff Garcia was sacked 6 times by a tenacious Federals defense, but on one key play, he got the time he needed, finding Lamar Thomas for what would prove to be the winning TD. With the win Baltimore locked up their first division title since 1996 while Washington fell to 7-8 and potentially out of the playoffs unless they get some help next week.
TEX 7 MGN 27
Kelly Stouffer suffered another injury, this time on the 5th play of the game, and this time one which could cost him 1-2 weeks of action and his club a possible first place finish and a bye. With Tommy Maddox under center the Outlaws looked flustered and unable to move the ball, while Michigan took advantage of every mistake to put points on the board. Doug Flutie went 30 for 38 and threw 2 TDs to lead the Panthers to a big win and a playoff spot.
ARZ 27 LA 6
Another game impacted by a QB injury, though in this case Cade McNown’s concussion will likely not keep him out of any playoff games. Expect LA to rest him next week as the Express have clinched the division and a bye week, but his absence in this game meant that Arizona could keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Jake Plummer threw 7 balls for 104 yards to Carl Pickens, and found Rocket Ismail on another scoring throw that helped the Wranglers get a road win and stay alive.
HOU 3 CHI 16
Chicago continues to be a thorn in the side of potential playoff teams as their win at home this week kept Houston from locking up a spot. The defense played its best game of the year for the Machine, limiting Chuck Hartlieb to only 160 yards passing while also shutting down the two-headed rush attack of Levins and Faulk. Chicago continues to play hard for Coach Mornhinweg, and the defense is definitely proving to be a strength for this club. Houston can still get in with a win next week as they control their own destiny.
DEN 14 SEA 32
Seattle took advantage of Denver’s playoff clinch the week before, coming out firing on all cylinders as they scored 24 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Both Eric Metcalf and TE Ken Dilger went over 100 yards receiving as John Kitna topped 300 for only the 2nd time this season in the win. The defense also held Rashaan Salaam in check (41 yards) and picked off Mark Brunell twice as the Dragons remained in Wild Card contention. They need a Houston loss and some other results to even out the tiebreakers and get that last slot, but at least they are still alive.
PIT 31 NJ 6
The Maulers won their 5th in a row and locked up a Wild Card by shutting down the Generals in the Meadowlands. New Jersey could only muster 2 field goals against the Mauler D while Terrell Davis kept the rock moving, rushing for 122 yards and 2 scores to give Charlie Batch and the offense all the points they would need. Quintin Jones also had a big day with a forced fumble that he recovered and ran back for 6 to help the cause.
PHI 23 OHI 36
Ohio moved back over .500 and one win away from their first playoff trip with a convincing win at home. Eddie George (95) and Keith Woodside (38) combined to lead a rushing attack that produced 133 yards and 2 scores. Qadry Ismail, one of the best free agent signings this year, added 2 scores as well as the Glory knocked off a tired and disheartened Stars squad. News that their coach was retiring did not produce a wave of energy for the Stars, who will finish the year in last place in the division for the first time in a long time.
MEM 25 JAX 3
Memphis found an answer to the Jacksonville offense, something few have been able to do in recent weeks. The Showboats limited Jacksonville to a paltry 139 total yards and an 0-for-10 nightmare on third downs. Reggie White and company harassed Chris Chandler all game, and the offense got 2 TDs from FB Larry Centers as the Showboats locked up their first division title since 1992.
STL 21 NOR 3
The Knights pulled within 1 game of Texas thanks to a stifling defensive performance against the Breakers. Six sacks and three picks for the Knights’ defense made life miserable for the Breaker offense all day. The offense struggled a bit, but scored 21 points thanks to the powerful leg of Ryan Longwell, who set a league record with 7 field goals in the game.
POR 19 OAK 32
Apparently when your head coach resigns with 2 games left in the season, there is not a lot of desire to play hard for him on the way out. That is the lesson learned in Portland where the Thunder showed little spark and fell to the Oakland Invaders. Troy Davis had a strong day, catching 6 balls for 69 yards to go with his 45 yards rushing as Oakland won for the first time since Week 6.
CHRIS DOLEMAN GOES OFF
Just when we thought that the sack race would be between Phil Hansen and Michael Sinclair, last year’s sack champion makes a major statement. His 5-sack game against Birmingham ties Hansen’s league record with 5 sacks in one game. Doleman was all but unstoppable in this game, even when facing double teams from the rattled Birmingham line. He came close to setting a new record with a 6th sack on a couple of occasions, but in both Favre was able to get the ball away, though he did get called for intentional grounding on one of those throws. Doleman’s huge day also sets a new season record with 27 sacks in one year. He has a legitimate chance at getting to 30 sacks with the game next week, and, more importantly, the Renegades may just ride his QB-destroying run right into the playoffs. A win next week and they are in the Wild Card round, so QB’s beware.
DAVIS PULLING AWAY
For most of the season we have seen the league rushing lead shift hands (or is it feet?) with Robert Drummond, Ahman Green, Rashaan Salaam, and Terrell Davis all taking their turns atop the leaderboard, but with 1 game left it looks like Pittsburgh’s Davis is pulling away. He currently has a 85 yard lead on Rashaan Salaam in 2nd place, and with Salaam likely to get some rest in Week 16, it is Davis’s title for the taking. Not a bad way to get revenge on Coach Ditka and the Breakers who traded him in order to make room for Ricky Williams to take the spotlight in New Orleans. Now, Williams has proven to be a very good rookie, currently 5th in rushing with 1,022 yards in 15 games, but Davis is making a statement. If he can win the title, which now looks likely, and get his club into the playoffs, it will be a nicely chilled plate of revenge being served.
GOING DEEP
While Davis pulls away with the rushing title, and Shuler and Favre battle for the MVP, over at the league receiving title it is still anyone’s guess who will take it home. Yes, when we look at total receptions, Texas possession specialist Shawn Collins has a solid 10 catch lead on the competition (mostly Cris Carter in Philly and TE Keith Jackson in Denver), but when we look at yardage there are 3 guys all within range of each other for the title. Birmingham’s Lawrence Dawsey currently leads with 1,638 yards, but both he and Brett Favre may be rested next week, something unlikely to happen with Joey Galloway in Ohio, because the Glory need him and all their starters if they are going to squeak into the playoffs. Arizona’s Carl Pickens is currently third and would need a monster day to catch either Dawsey or Galloway, but with the Wranglers also desperate to get a W and a playoff spot, we would not be surprised to see Jake Plummer throw it to Pickens every chance he has. Should be an exciting game within the games next week.
THE BEST TE IN THE USFL IS?
We mentioned that Keith Jackson is currently among the leaders in receptions, which is itself an amazing thing for a TE, but it got us thinking about who is the best TE in the game today. Other than some delusional folks in Michigan who will say Butch Rolle, who basically only comes alive in the red zone to catch TD’s, everyone else looks at three contenders. You have Jackson, who is Mark Brunell’s safety valve and who can roll over smaller defenders. He leads all TE’s in receptions with more than 20 more than 2nd place Rolle. But when it comes to big plays, you have to look at Memphis TE Adrian Cooper, who is the only TE likely to go over 1,000 yards this season. He has fewer than 60 catches, but an amazing 17 yards per catch and 9 TDs already this season. Those are some monster stats. And yes, we can hear the cries from Tampa Bay, where Ben Coates was undeniably dominant last year, but this year his 70 catches and 850 yards are nice, but not enough to put him above Cooper or Jackson. You cannot go wrong with any of these three, but this year we might lean a bit towards Cooper as the big man having the biggest impact.
One week left, and while this week’s action cleared up a lot of questions, several more remain to be decided. Here is what we know. This week’s results lock up three division titles, with Memphis assured of the South, Baltimore the Atlantic, and Los Angeles the Pacific. LA also locks up the #1 overall seed in the West as they hold the tiebreaker over Texas, a stunning turnaround from having the #1 pick in the draft this past offseason.
Texas is in the playoffs in the Central, as are St. Louis and Michigan, both at 9-6. St. Louis actually could wrest the Central Division title away from the Outlaws with a win this week and an Outlaw loss in divisional play. With Texas likely playing with Tommy Maddox at QB due to this week’s injury to Stouffer, the Knights feel they have a fair shot of upending the Outlaws and snapping up that bye week.
Pittsburgh, perhaps the league’s hottest club, has also assured themselves of a Wild Card as they moved to 9-6 this week. Behind them, battling for 2 remaining slots, are Orlando and Ohio at 8-7, both able to control their own destiny, and Washington and Tampa Bay both now at 7-8 and needing help. The easiest scenarios for both are for them to win and their division rivals (Orlando for Tampa, and Ohio for Washington) to lose. They would then flip-flop with those rivals and take a spot in the playoffs at 8-8.
In the West Houston and Seattle are also both at 8-7, with Arizona trailing at 7-8. If Houston wins, they are in, regardless of the Seattle result, but if Houston loses it opens the door for either Seattle or even Arizona to sneak in as the #6 seed.
The Kelly Stouffer injury is clearly the story of the week on the injury front. His shoulder injury will absolutely keep him out of next week’s game, and unless Texas wins next week, they could end up losing the division title and its bye, which means their first playoff game would be in 2 weeks, which may also be too soon for Stouffer to return. The playoff hopes of the Outlaws could well depend on Tommy Maddox to fulfill, and that worries quite a few in San Antonio.
Birmingham will also be going into the playoffs shorthanded as they lose LB Lorenzo Styles to the IR with a significant hamstring tear. The Birmingham LB corps is not exactly world-beaters with Styles, but without him it will be a group that opponents will certainly try to expoit.
The LA Express got a scare this week as Cade McNown went down with a concussion early in their game with Arizona. The good news is that he should certainly be back and ready to play in 3 weeks when the Express will host their first playoff game since returning to the league in 1995. McNown was unlikely to play in the season finale next week before the big hit knocked him out of the game this week, but now for certain he will be sidelined as LA finishes the season in Oakland, a game that means nothing to the Express despite the in-state rivalry.
Finally, we are expecting Orlando to get another boost in their efforts to earn a Wild Card as they will be getting wideout Keenan McCardell back from injury in time for their season finale. That was in question for a while, but his rehab has gone well and he has been cleared to play. Without him in the lineup rookie Donald Driver has become a star, but now with McCardell back, he, Driver and Tamarick Vanover pose a threat to any defense. Add in the solid pass catching of HB Terry Kirby and the Renegades are a team to take very seriously.
A huge week 12 with playoff spots on the line, home games to be locked in, byes in the mix, and a lot more. Memphis is in Tampa Bay in the big Sunday Night game, and the Bandits need to win (and get some help) to get a Wild Card. Memphis has clinched the South thanks to the Stallion loss, so they could rest some starters. Birmingham is also likely to rest some starters this week as they host the Bulls, as they are guaranteed the #3 seed and a home Wild Card game. Orlando gets in with a win as they host the Fire.
In the East, Baltimore has the division locked up, so expect them to rest a lot of players at home vs. New Jersey. Pittsburgh is in good shape but want to finish strong so they are likely to put in a solid effort as they visit Philly. Washington at 7-8 and Ohio at 8-7 are both on the fringe, and we expect this one to be a battle to the final whistle with Wild Card spots on the line.
In the Central, Houston at St. Louis is the only game pitting two possible playoff teams. Neither wants to lose this week, with the chance for a home game in the Wild Card round on the table. Texas has the division lead, but they will face the Breakers without Kelly Stouffer, and a loss, coupled with a Knights’ win would drop them out of the division crown and into the Wild Card round. Chicago is in Michigan and the Panthers may rest several key starters as they are assured a playoff spot and have very long odds at getting a home game in the Wild Card round due to tiebreaker issues with both Denver and St. Louis.
Out West, Arizona still has slim hopes for a playoff spot but must travel to Denver, where the Gold are still hoping that a win gets them a game at Mile High next week. Seattle is in Portland and needs a win to make their first ever playoff appearance. Finally Oakland will probably be hosting LA’s B team as they play in a very anticlimactic California Derby to finish out the year.