2000 USFL Conference Championships Recap

Two games to decide who will play for the title. Four division champions, each with the credentials to be champions, but only two can emerge to battle for the league title. Would it be the defending champions returning for a potential repeat? The perennial bridesmaid hoping for another shot at glory? The past champion, back again and looking to restore past glory? Or the three time division champion but never league title holder, looking to take the next step? The Conference Championships can be bittersweet, a clear recognition that a club has what it takes to weather a long season and battle through the playoffs, but for two clubs a step too far to reach the title game. For Memphis, Denver, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, the battles of the long season have brought them here, and now two will advance and fight for the title, and two will go home, so close but still too far away to taste the sweet joy of a championship. Who will advance and who will return home disappointed. We find out in this week’s conference championships.

In a game that was even in so many ways, small errors and missed opportunities can make all the difference in the world. Memphis outgained Philadelphia 459-377, controlled the clock for 5 more minutes than the Stars, and converted more third downs, but they also committed 3 times as many penalties, failed on 2 fourth down attempts, and gave up two big plays that turned the tide of the game. And so it will be the Stars ascendent once again, who will represent the Eastern Conference in the USFL title game, while the 1999 champions fall one game short.

It was a game that Heath Shuler had to win for his club, and his 382 yards passing certainly kept the Showboats in the game throughout, but it was Bobby Hebert’s 3 TD passes, paired with a good game from Stephen Davis, that gave the victory to the homestanding Stars. Hebert would find 9 different receivers on the day, with none going over 55 yards receiving, while Memphis relied on Joe Horn, who finished the day with 138 yards but no touchdowns.

Shuler began the scoring in the game, finding Lawyer Tillman from 24-yards out on the ‘Boats’ second drive. Both clubs had felt each other out on their first drives, but both would score on their second. First it was Shuler to Tillman and then, 6 minutes later Stephen Davis ran off tackle for 12 yards to equalize the score.

Memphis tried to maintain balance, handing the ball to Aaron Stecker 17 times on the day, but Stecker was not Garrison Hearst and was only able to average 2.6 yards per carry, well short of Davis’s 4.4 or Pat Chaffey’s 4.7 for Philadelphia. Stecker would score Memphis’s second TD, a 3-yard run after a long Joe Horn reception had gotten Memphis to the 3 yard line. But as the second quarter marched on, it became clear that Philadelphia had a plan that was working. Davis’s success rushing would make it easier for Hebert to find open receivers on early downs. The Stars defense could key on Shuler with little threat coming from the Showboats’ rushing attack.

Philadelphia would score the final 10 points of the half, taking a 17-14 lead into halftime. They got a 32-yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger and then Hebert found Kevin Dyson, a new favorite target over the last few weeks of the season. Dyson would score twice on the day, and his first TD would give Philly the halftime lead.

Memphis opened the second half with a frustrating drive that ended in 3, when they had a shot for 7. One play before the kick Lawyer Tillman had gotten behind the coverage but the pass from Shuler was just inches too long for the receiver to snag. Philadelphia’s Courtney Hawkins would not suffer the same fate on the Stars’ next drive. Hebert found him on a quick out route from the 9-yard line, and Hawkins would catch the ball at the 3 and twist his way into the endzone to put Philly back up by 7 at 24-17.

The Stars would double that lead as the 4th quarter began as Kevin Dyson would score his second, a 21-yard corner route from Hebert that caused him to slide out of bounds just across the end line. 12:23 left in the game and the Stars held a 14-point lead. Memphis had struggled all day with key defensive penalties, and the drive that produced the Dyson TD included two that kept the Stars on offense. It would be an issue all day as the calls simply went Philadelphia’s way.

On their next offensive drive, an offensive penalty (illegal formation) forced Memphis to go for a 4th and 5. Shuler connected with TE Adrian Cooper and kept the drive alive. Eventually Aaron Stecker would plunge over the line from the 1-yard line and Memphis fans felt that the game was not lost. There were 6 minutes left and a defensive stop could get the Showboats the ball down only 7. But the defense could not hold up their end of the plan. Philadelphia slowly and methodically marched down the field, and when Pat Chaffey did his best Stecker imitation and dove over the line from the 1, the Philadelphia lead was back to 14 with only 2:28 left to play. The Stars had simply put too much distance between themselves and the Showboats.

When the game’s final whistle blew, father met son at the 50-yard line, and the two Moras congratulated each other. The bitterness of the loss for Jim Sr. clearly undercut by the pride he took in his son’s success. Jim Jr. had not only followed in his father’s footsteps, he had taken his old team back to the title game, continuing a legacy of success that had been started nearly 20 years earlier. Philadelphia would be returning to the Summer Bowl, a 3-time champion rising once again to the pinnacle of the sport.

Who would face the Stars in the Summer classic? Would it be the three-time runner up from Denver or the Knights, a team that had seen steady success over the past 4 years, but which had yet to win a title either in St. Louis or in their former lives as the first LA Express? The suspense about this question did not last long. Denver would come out of the gate with a plan that seemed to completely neutralize the St. Louis defensive strategy. They would score the first 28 points of the game, and all within the first 22minutes of play as they rocketed to a 28-0 lead, a lead that St. Louis would never challenge.

The key to their success was the focus the Knights had put on Salaam as the weapon of choice for Denver. The Gold used St. Louis’s over-exuberant pursuit of Salaam to deceiver and misdirect the defenders. Play action for Mark Brunell became little more than a simple game of catch. He would finish the game completing 15 of 21 throws, most in the first half, for 274 yards and 3 scores. In the first 2 quarters he hit Dedric Smith, Peerless Price and TE Marco Battaglia with scoring tosses.

The Salaam threat also seemed to help backup halfback Ricky Whittle, When Salaam was out of the game the Knights seemed to always guess pass, and the Gold seemed to always counter this with delayed draws, screens, and short passes. Whittle would end the game with 14 carries for 79 yards, just slightly behind Salaam’s 91 rushing yards, but with both of the game’s rushing touchdowns.

Down 28 so quickly, St. Louis’s plan to ride Ahman Green on offense had to be scrapped. The back would still get 18 carries, but his role would be greatly diminished as St. Louis had to pass to play catchup. Todd Collins would struggle, averaging only 4.9 yards per attempt, and failing to hit the big play. He would grow more desperate as the game progressed, forcing two picks and missing short routes in order to try to get the big play that never came.

Collins did help get St. Louis closer by the half, finding Amani Toomer for a short TD just before the half, and with a Ryan Longwell score it was 28-10 at the break, but things did not get any closer in the second half. A quick 3rd quarter TD score from Whittle put Denver back up by 25 points. St. Louis would only muster another field goal, and, when backup QB Eric Wilhelm finished off the Knights with his own TD pass in the fourth quarter garbage time, the Knights were truly sunk. Their vaunted defense simply underprepared for a Denver attack that preyed on their pursuit and confused them with calls against tendency that St. Louis could not adjust to quickly enough.

So for the second year in a row, and the 4th time in their history, the Denver Gold would be in the Summer Bowl. Would this year be different than their past forays into championship football? Or would Denver once again find themselves as runner-ups to a more dynamic, more energized club? We will have to wait a week to find out, but for fans in the Mile High City, a return trip to the title game is a sweet feeling they won’t soon forget.

Excellent news on the injury front as neither Denver nor Philadelphia suffered any new injuries in the game. Yes, there were some scrapes and bruises, but both teams enter the Summer Bowl in good health and with full rosters ready to play.

Michigan Finds Their Man

The Michigan Panthers wasted no time in signing a new head coach, reaching out to former St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. Martz, who came up through the college ranks with Pacific, Minnesota, and Arizona State, is seen as something of a QB Guru, having produced great success in the NFL with both Jim Everett of the Rams and former Breaker Jamie Martin with the Redskins. In Michigan he will have veteran Doug Flutie to work with, although there are rumors that the Panthers may also be in the market for a young QB after letting Elvis Grbac join the free agent market. Rumors have Michigan’s front office giving serious consideration to Purdue’s Drew Brees, a younger version of Flutie in many ways (including knocks against him for his lack of stature). Martz will join the Panthers in plenty of time to have an influence over free agency and the draft, and he inherits a club that was clearly middle of the pack in many ways, not only as a 7-9 club, but with a 15th ranked offense and 14th ranked defense.

Texas Goes With Plan B

Failing to land Wade Phillips, who signed on with in-state rival Houston, the Outlaws went with plan B, or in other words, if you cannot get an Oiler, go for a Cowboy. Texas announced this week that their next head coach would be Chan Gailey, who was unceremoniously relieved of duties as Head Coach in Dallas (NFL) despite his Dallas clubs making the playoffs both seasons he was leading the club. Gailey, who also worked with the Steelers and Broncos in the NFL and who had a short stint in the USFL with the Atlanta Fire, is viewed as an offensive innovator. His first big issue will be determining the status of longstanding Outlaw QB Kelly Stouffer. While nothing official has come out yet, there are all sorts of rumors that Stouffer will retire after yet another painful season in San Antonio. Stouffer came into the league in 1987 and has taken a beating in recent years as the Outlaws have simply not done a great job of protecting the 36-year-old QB.

If Stouffer does retire, the Outlaws will need to make a move at QB. Their backups, Tommy Maddox and Tony Graziani have not exactly filled Outlaw fans with anticipation for a QB change. The Outlaws have seen production decline each of the past 3 years and finished in the bottom 4 in the league in several key categories in their 5-11 season this year, finishing 22nd in points per game, 21st in yards per game, and 20th in yards allowed on defense. Not a strong base for Coach Gailey to inherit.

LEAGUE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

MVP: In one of the closest MVP votes in years three players split votes, with Heath Shuler, Chris Doleman, and Jake Plummer all getting nearly 1/3 of all votes. Plummer came out on top with 35% of the votes, and that seems fair. Plummer actually finished 9th in the league ratings as a pure passer, with 4,043 yards passing, 27 TD passes to 14 picks, and 63.3% completion rate. None of these numbers would have won him an MVP, but when we also look at his rushing statistics we can see why he was seen as the one player who his team could not live without. In 2000 Plummer rushed for 715 yards and 15 touchdowns, numbers that put him above several clubs' top running back, and far and away the most in either category from the QB position (Atlanta's Aaron Brooks was second with only 165 rushing yards and 2 TDs). When you add his 15 rushing TDs to his 27 passing scores, it is pretty clear that Arizona lived and died by Plummer's success, the true definition of an MVP.

Offensive Player of the Year: In something of an unprecedented move this year the 2nd place vote-getter in the MVP race did not win a POTY award. Heath Shuler, last year’s MVP, finished 3rd in the OPOTY voting despite finishing 2nd in the MVP vote. Ahead of him were the two leading rushers in the league, Corey Dillon of Seattle and the 2000 Offensive POTY, Ahman Green of the St. Louis Knights. Green finished the year atop the rushing leader board with 1,558 yards, only 31 yards ahead of Dillon, but on 2 fewer carries. He also equaled Dillon with 12 rushing touchdowns. Shuler, while a strong candidate, finished 4th in QB Rating and did not lead the league in any major category (though he was top 5 in several).

Defensive Player of the Year: Another controversy brewing as Chris Doleman beat out Kavika Pittman for Defensive POTY despite the fact that Pittman finished the year 2 sacks ahead of Doleman. The Orlando DE actually finished 3rd in sacks with 20, 1 behind PAtlahil Hansen of New Jersey and 2 behind Pittman. Voters clearly felt that Doleman’s overall game was stronger, and also considered the fact that his Orlando squad was atop the Southern Division standings for a good portion of the season before slipping to a Wild Card berth while Hansen and Pittman languished on basement-dwelling clubs.

Rookie Of the Year: Ron Dayne, the bulldozer of a halfback for the Baltimore Blitz was the only real runaway selection of the five major awards. Yes, Rueben Droughns in Washington came on late, and Plaxico Burress (OAK) or John Abraham (SEA) also had very strong freshman seasons, Dayne was a pretty clear choice. Dayne finished the year 8th on the rushing chart with 1,226 yards and also contributed 6 TDs for the Baltimore Blitz as they rode his bulky shoulders to a 10-6 record and a playoff appearance. Dayne is the latest in a long line of big, bulldozer backs in Baltimore, a list that has included some pretty heavy hitters over the years, but none who have won this award before. 2nd in voting was John Abraham, the Seattle DE who finished Top 5 in sacks, and 3rd went to Droughns, who, with the retirement of Barry Word, now looks to be the main back for the Federals entering the 2001 season.

Coach of the Year: Another close vote, this time between two first-year coaches who took their clubs from also ran to playoff contenders in their first season. Mike Nolan’s job in New Orleans was certainly stunning, taking the pieces left him by Mike Ditka and creating one of the best defenses in league history. New Orleans raced out to first place in the South but had some difficulties during a span of games when Trent Dilfer, their NFL import QB, was unavailable. That span cost them the division crown, and likely cost Nolan this award. The other candidate took a last place Stars squad and now has them in the Summer Bowl in his first season at the helm. It also does not hurt that he comes to the game with a championship pedigree. Jim Mora Jr. won 72% of the first-place votes for Coach of the Year, and his 13-3 Philadelphia Stars certainly deserve a lot of accolades. While voting took place before either New Orleans or Philly began their postseason games, the fact that the Breakers headed home in the Divisional Round game while the Stars are heading to Tampa Bay clearly seems to validate the selection of Mora as this year’s Coach of the Year.

SUMMER BOWL 2001 LOGO REVEALED

The USFL began its Summer Bowl preparations as it always does, with a media event to welcome fans to Tampa on Monday and with the reveal of the next year’s Summer Bowl logo. 2001 will see the 12th Summer Bowl (the first years of the league they called the game simply the USFL Championship) come to the Windy City as Chicago’s Soldier Field will be the venue for the sport. If that was not known by the casual fan, the game’s logo certainly will drive the message home.

The logo not only utilizes two of the Chicago Machine’s dominant team colors of burgundy and sky blue but features at its center a depiction of one of the city’s iconic buildings, the Sears Tower. The vertical thrust of the tower, practically reaching the golden sun at its peak, is paralleled by vertical text for “2001 Summer Bowl” which parallels the uneven sections of the tower itself. Unlike the 2000 logo which prominently features both a football and a goalpost, there is very little in the Chicago 2001 logo which indicates that this is in fact a football championship. It could very well be a design from the Board of Tourism to promote sunny Chicago summer days. But, as we have seen in the past, not all logos play up the football aspect, as Summer Fun is often a theme. LA’s 1999 design was all about sunsets and sunglasses, and it seems’ Chicago’s is about the beautiful downtown architecture and the inferred “reaching for the heights” implicit in the tower image.

An interesting matchup in Summer Bowl 2000 to be sure. Denver returns to the Summer Bowl for the fourth time, repeating their appearance from last year but hoping to not repeat their defeat from 1999’s game. Philadelphia is back in the title game only 1 year removed from a 5-11 collapse that helped push out Head Coach Raymond Berry and usher in Jim Mora Jr. These are two teams that did not get a lot of preseason hype, and for much of the year did not get the spotlight, but these are two very solid clubs. Let’s start our Summer Bowl analysis with a tale of the tape.

DENVER	CATEGORY	PHILADELPHIA
23.8 PPG (13)	SCORING	25.9 PPG (6)
340.2 YPG (17th)	YARDAGE	369.6 YPG (6th)
221.7 YPG (16th)	PASSING	265.9 YPG (5th)
118.6 YPG (5th)	RUSHING	103.7 YPG (17th)
17.9 PPGA (3rd)	SCORING D	22.4 PPGA (9th)
320.8 YPGA (4th)	YARDAGE D	365.7 YPGA (10th)
214.4 YPGA (6th)	PASS DEFENSE	249.6 YPGA (19th)
106.4 YPGA (10th)	RUN DEFENSE	116.1 YPGA (16th)
+10 (9th)	TURNOVER MARGIN	+5 (15th)

A pretty even matchup, with Denver certainly a slight favorite on defense while Phillly’s offensive numbers are ahead of the game. Denver will likely run the ball more with Salaam while Philadelphia relies a bit more on Bobby Hebert to get chunks of yards through the air. Both defenses are good in limiting scoring opportunities, though Denver has the edge there as well. The Gold are also a better club at taking the ball away. So, with Denver having the slight edge in many categories, and having the better defense, why is Philadelphia a 4-point favorite going into the game?

Call it pedigree, or call it a lack of faith in the Gold to finish off a good run. Whatever the reason the oddsmakers in Vegas have had to try to tempt bets to the Gold by raising the line from 2 points to 4. Folks just don’t believe Denver can turn the corner and win the big one. Remember, this is a Gold squad that has made three prior trips to the league title game and has come away empty all three times. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has participated in 4 prior title games and came away with three trophies, defeating Chicago in 1985, Houston in 1987, and a different Chicago club (Machine, not Blitz) in 1994. Their lone loss was an epic shootout with the Hebert-led Michigan Panthers in 1986. Hebert now leads the Stars, so do we also add his 2 titles to the mix in this one? There is a lot of playoff experience in his head, and with the Stars, despite the fact that Denver has more recent Summer Bowl experience.

So who are the players to watch in this one? Which battles will determine this game? Here are our top 5 battles to monitor that we think will determine the course of this game.

1. Stephen Davis vs. the Denver D-line. If Davis can find running room it opens up the entire offense for Philadelphia, making Bobby Hebert’s day much easier.

2. Philly’s LB corps vs. Rashaan Salaam. We know Salaam will have at least a handful of plays where he reaches the 2nd level of the defense. If they cannot wrap up or gang tackle the big back for Denver, he could take over the game.

3. DE Leslie O’Neil vs. LT Mark Van Der Poel. One of the best edge rushers in the league against a swing-tackle who is forced into action in the playoffs. Philadelphia needs to help Van Der Poel by leaving Eric Green or Marcus Pollard in to block, because in one-on-one with O’Neill the inexperienced tackle would likely not fare very well.

4. Dedric Smith/Peerless Price vs. Reggie Givens/Corey Fuller: The Denver receivers are not exactly known for taking the roof off the stadium, but they can be very effective in space and over the middle. How the Philly corners hold up on short and mid-length routes could determine if Denver can be effective in the air.

5. Regan Upshaw & Leon Lett v. Denver O-line: The Stars are not known as a heavy blitzing team, and their leading passrusher, Upshaw, had only 10 sacks this year. The Stars will need to put some pressure on Brunell because Denver can milk the clock with the short passing game and Salaam’s runs if they don’t.

OUR PICK: This is a tough one. Our head says Philadelphia is the better team, but our heart says it is time Denver got one. We can envision scenarios where either team could win, and the game could be about something as basic as penalties or third down conversions. Both clubs want to keep a slow pace, both want to play the field position game, and both have the capacity to grind down the clock, but what may be key is which club can make that one big play that the other cannot counter.

With all else more or less equal, we turn to an unlikely source for a decision, the kick and punt return team. Philly’s combo of Troy Brown and CB Robert Williams is more explosive and more consistent than Denver’s returners (Price and CB Deral Boykin). That could be enough to give Philadelphia shorter fields to work with. We think the game will be close, and these two teams tend not to produce any self-inflicted wounds, so we are going to say that field position is the key, and we are going to give a slight edge to the Stars. They may not cover the 4-point spread, but we pick Philadelphia to earn their 4th championship ring.

PHILADELPHIA 21 DENVER 20