2000 USFL Divisional Playoff Recap

Another meaty weekend of football action as all 4 division winners get into the fray with the Wild Card survivors. We would see three really close games this weekend, but in the end the cream rose to the top, setting us up for the #1 vs. #2 seed in each conference meeting next week. It was a very good season for the 4 Wild Card clubs this season, in some cases far better than what was expected of them, but in Memphis, Philadelphia, Denver, and St. Louis we are left with the 4 clubs that have been the most consistent all season long. All this plus two big name coaches join the USFL coaching ranks. What a week!

It was always going to be a big hill to climb, to go into the Liberty Bowl and knock off the defending champions, but the loss of Eddie George made it a hill too far for the Ohio Glory. That said, the Glory availed themselves valiantly and took the game down to the last minute. Memphis was the better team, the healthier team (at least through 2 quarters—more on this coming) and had the boisterous support of more than 50,000 fans in their home stadium, and yet it all came down to an onside kick to keep the W.

Memphis looked the better team early, building up a 17-3 lead until their own injury bug struck. Following a 71-yard bomb from Shuler to Tillman that gave them the 14-point lead, Memphis looked like they had the game won. Shuler had hit TE Adrian Cooper earlier in the game and Ohio had struggled to establish a run game with Darrell Thompson. But after a quick 3-and-out, Memphis got hit as Garrison Hearst went down, grasping his leg in agony. He would be helped off the field and carted to the locker room, where doctors would determine that there was a possible break in his tibia. X-rays at a local hospital would later affirm this diagnosis.

For Memphis, this injury shiften their entire offensive philosophy. Aaron Stecker would get carries, as would fullback Larry Centers, but the team became far more one dimensional. At the same time, Ohio would start figuring out how to get the ball to Joey Galloway and that would, in turn, free up some lanes for Thompson to run through. The visiting Glory would get a TD right before the half, a Cedric Tillman 25-yard corner pattern that Collins hit in stride, and at the half Memphis was up only 7.

The Showboats would gain that TD back in the 3rd quarter on a Larry Centers TD reception, but Ohio would not go away. Collins led them on two scoring drives in the final period, hitting Robb Thomas for one TD and then, with only 1:13 left in the game, finding Galloway from 28 yards out. Only an earlier Jeff Hall field goal separated the two clubs and it would all come down to Ohio attempting an onside kick. They had no time outs left, but could get the ball back if they could recover the kick.

In an interesting move, the Glory had punter John Jett take the kick instead of placekicker Don Silvestri. Jett got the effect he wanted, a high third bounce that put the ball in the air. Unfortunately it found the waiting hands of Fred Weary, the league’s interception leader and infrequent hands-team member. Apparently, Coach Mora felt Weary’s good hands were needed on this most important kickoff, and he was right. With the ball in their control, Memphis kneeled twice to end the game and the defending champs punched their ticket to the USFL Eastern Conference Title Game.

Another hard fought game awaited USFL fans on Saturday night as the Arizona Wranglers, with dynamic QB Jake Plummer, headed to St. Louis to face the precision defense of Coach Joe Johnson’s Knights. On paper the game looks like it should have been far from a close affair, with St. Louis outgaining Arizona 453-295, but the Wranglers simply would not go away. They held the lead in the game until the final minute of play, but St. Louis found a way to pull it out in the end.

As expected,the key for St. Louis was containing Plummer. They spent most of the game seemingly content to slowly fold the pocket around him rather than go for an all out pass rush. This strategy seemed to work as Plummer was sacked 4 times and rushed 10 times for only 9 yards on the day. Staying in their lanes and eschewing the blitz, St. Louis kept the pocket around Plummer, and he found little room to run.

He did hurt St. Louis with the pass, throwinjg for 3 Tds on the day, two to Carl Pickens and 1 to Rocket Ismail, but the overall lack of a run game for Arizona meant that St. Louis could play something of a bend but don’t break philosophy, coming up big on third down when it mattered most.

The Knights offense also had its moments, with 120 yards from Ahman Green setting the tone. Todd Collins was not asked to do much, but his 2 TD passes helped keep the game in range for the Knights. In the 4th quarter and trailing 22-19, they got the break they needed. Arizona was backed up to their own 2 yard line after a bad kick return error forced the return man to try to escape the endzone. On a 1st and 10 from the 2, the Wranglers tried to run off tackle, but there was no room and Dorsey Levins was captured by LB Na’il Diggs in the endzone to pull the Knights to within 1 point.

On the ensuing drive, the Knights took the lead. Running a 2-minute drill, Todd Collins dinked and dunked, using the sideline and all 3 of his timeouts to get the ball into field goal range, but on a 2nd and 3, rather than run to set up a good angle for Ryan Longwell, the Knights called a play action pass. TE Carlos Etheridge got inside position on the linebacker and Collins hit him for a quick strike go-ahead TD. The Knights went for 2, but failed, giving them a tenuous 5-point lead.

St. Louis would turn to their defense to preserve the lead, and the defense that had held the Knights up all season came through again. On 2nd and 9 Vonnie Holiday would snag Plummer by the ankle and cause him to drop for a 6-yard loss. On 3rd and 15 Plummer’s pass to Ismail would be tipped away by Troy Vincent, and on the ensuing 4th and 15, Plummer would be rushed by inside pressure from Jerry Ball and his throw towards Mark Bruener would be completed but far shy of the needed line to gain. The Knights survived and advanced, a close one in the end, but a win for the home team. They move on to the Western Division Final, again at home in the comfy confines of the Transworld Dome next week.

Our third game, and the opener for Sunday’s action, was once again a clash of familiar foes, two Atlantic Division rivals as Baltimore traveled to Philadelphia. Expected to be a low scoring affair between two clubs with solid defenses, what we got was a game that stayed relatively close for 3 quarters only to be blown wide open in the final 15 minutes.

Philadelphia seemed to have all the cards early on, with Stephen Davis running well and Bobby Hebert hitting on his throws. They got two first quarter TDs (one each from Davis and TE Eric Green) and Baltimore could only muster one field goal. They would add another to start the 2nd, but Philadelphia again pulled out ahead at the end of the 2nd with backup HB Pat Chaffey scoring on a 14-yard run, his first of three scores on the day.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Baltimore still trailed 21-9, but got 7 back as the quarter began, with Garcia hitting Mike Cloud on a swing pass that went for 21 yards and a touchdown. Their momentum shift was short lived. Philadelphia would score on their next three possessions, following each one with a quick defensive stop. First it was Bobby Engram catching a 15-yard strike, then Hebert hit Chaffey on a perfect screen that went for 64 yards and boosted the Philly lead to 35-13. Baltimore was done, and after turning the ball over on downs, Philly put the cherry on the sundae with Pat Chaffey rushing the ball in from 3 yards out to give the Stars a commanding 42-13 smothering of the Blitz.

The Stars will host the Eastern Conference finals next week against the defending champion Showboats, and they look like a team that deserves to be there. Nothing of the 5-11 fiasco of 1999 seems to remain as Coach Jim Mora Jr has this club playing well in all phases of the game.

The final game of the weekend was another matchup of two very solid defenses, and once again it was a very close affair. Both clubs were able to use the run effectively, with Rashaan Salaam gaining 99 yards on 32 carries, while New Orleans got 69 yards from Ricky Williams and another 30 from Erric Pegram. But despite the ground games, this affair was all about turnovers and the results of them. Both Mark Brunell and Trent Dilfer would throw 2 picks, but Denver would gain 10 points from the two turnovers while New Orleans could only muster one score, and missed the 2-point conversion to boot.

The game opened with Brunell leading the Gold on a solid first drive, capping it off with a short TD pass to wideout Peerless Price. New Orleans responded 5 minutes later with Dilfer hitting Ricky Proehl with a score of his own. Denver would go on to score all the remaining points of the first half, 3 field goals from Jeff Wilkens, as they took a 16-7 lead into the half.

The second half saw Denver take advantage of the first Dilfer pick. Cornerback Bruce Pickens stepped in front of a Dilfer pass to Proehl, and took it down to the Breakers’ 10-yard line. 2 plays later Salaam busted through a tackle and into the endzone as Denver took a commanding 23-7 lead. New Orleans would get on the board as well in the 3rd, to pull back to a 10-point deficit, as Dilfer hit Raynard Brown with a TD pass. But, on their next possession, Dilfer would again toss the ball to the wrong team and Denver would get on the board again, another Wilkens kick to put them up 26-13.

With time running out, Denver controlled the ball, but rather than run on a 3rd and 2, they tried to get fancy and the ball ended up being tipped at the line and falling into the hands of FS Darren Woodson of New Orleans. The Breakers would score 4 plays later on a Dilfer to Deems May TD toss, but with only 2:02 left, they would need another score to steal the game. They would not get the chance. They kicked the ball away to Denver, hoping to get a quick 3-and-out to recover the ball. They saved their timeouts, and used them on 1st and 2nd down, but on a 3rd and 4 Rashaan Salaam found just enough room to edge past the first down marker, giving Denver 3 more plays and the ability to wind down the clock.

And so, the Denver Gold, who came so close in last year’s Summer Bowl, will play in St. Louis for a chance to head back to the title game. It will be another defensive slugfest to be sure as the Knights and Gold are two of the best at limiting their opponent’s scoring chances. For New Orleans, a 12-4 season and a trip to the divisional playoffs was not something anyone foresaw for them, so they should keep their heads high. They defied expectations and while they again fell short of the final goal for the season, they had an incredible run this year.

Four teams remain, and the good news is that for the most part each of the teams that is moving on avoided major injuries, with one glaring exception. Memphis halfback Garrison Hearst will miss the game in Philadelphia, having been diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his tibia after being taken out of the game this past week. Without Hearst, an 1,100 yard rusher this year, in the lineup Memphis will turn to two 2nd year backs, DeMond Parker and Aaron Stecker to provide a run game. In reality what it means is that the pressure will be on Heath Shuler to provide the offense for the Showboats.

Philadelphia also will be without one of its backs as Mark Montgomery is ruled “questionable” with a pinched nerve, but this is more likely to impact punt and kick coverage, where Montgomery gets most of his snaps. With Stephen Davis and Pat Chaffey ahead of him on the depth chart, his absence from the offense is likely to go unnoticed. The absence of tackle Mark Van Der Poel (Out-Deep Thigh Bruise) could be more impactful. Van Der Poel acts as the swing tackle, spelling either John Flannery at LT or Chris Thome at RT. With his injury, that role is likely to go to either Todd Wade or guard Roosevelt Patterson.

In the Western Conference Final Denver enters with no new injuries reported. Both Mark Bouette (DT) and Sean Lumpkin (SS) who were questionable last week but did see limited action, are now listed as probable and almost certainly will see the field. For St. Louis Chad Bradtske has also been upgraded to probable and should be part of the D-line rotation.

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

We have our first two coach signings of the offseason and in both cases the team’s got the man they were hoping for. In a press conference yesterday afternoon the New Jersey Generals announced Bill Parcells as their new Head Coach and General Manager. Meanwhile, on Monday, the Houston Gamblers apparently won the bidding war, announcing that Wade Phillips would return to the USFL as the next leader of the Gamblers.

The Parcells move is a fascinating one. New Jersey has had a history of trying to make a splash with its head coach signings, from bringing in Walt Michaels from the Jets in 1984, to signing legendary NFL coach Chuck Knox and then former Blitz and Machine head coach Marty Schottenheimer. But, even among this line of noteworthy coaches, the signing of Parcells feels bigger. The “Big Tuna” took the NY Giants to two Super Bowls, winning in 1987 and falling just short against the Buffalo Bills in an epic Super Bowl XXV in 1991. He then shifted over to the New York Jets, where he took them to the Super Bowl in his 2nd year on staff. And though his Vinny Testaverde-led squad fell short against the Minnesota Vikings, the turnaround was impressive. In 1999 Parcells somewhat reluctantly moved into the GM role, with Jets ownership not willing to grant him a dual role. He managed the Jets roster, while Al Groh took over as head coach. After a year at the helm but not at the rudder, it seems Parcells was ready to jump at a chance to take on both tasks.

We all know what to expect from a Parcells-led team. Smart, but not flashy QB play, a smashmouth run game, and a defense predicated on pressure. He has some of the pieces he needs to make this possible, with Curtis Enis as his bell cow back and Phil Hansen still very capable of providing pressure on opposing QBs, but he will have to decide where to expend draft capital and free agent dollars. Expect the secondary and LB corps to get a lot of attention, but we also have to wonder if Jeff Lewis is going to be a good fit at QB for a Parcells-led team. Lewis is athletic but also a risk taker. Parcells tends to prefer more cerebral and by-the-book guys like Phil Simms and Vinny Testaverde. Don’t be surprised if the new coach makes a move to bring in a guy who better fits his philosophy.

In Houston, Gambler fans are ecstatic to bring a Phillips back to the sideline. Sure, it isn’t Bum, his big cowboy hat, and the Love Ya, Blue, but Wade Phillips has proven himself over the years. His prior stint in the USFL with the Denver Gold was not exactly a dynasty, but the club was competitive and a solid squad for most of his tenure. Phillips had more success in the NFL, particularly as a defensive coordinator, where his years in Philly, Denver, and Buffalo were solid, producing some great defensive football schemes. Expect Houston to lean heavily into the talent they already have on the D-Line with the twin terrors, Pittman and Sinclair racking up QB sacks. They need to work on the secondary a bit, and just as with New Jersey, Phillips inherits a QB situation that needs his attention. Matt Hasselback had some moments, but struggled overall to a produce victories. He finished the year with 2,700 yards passing, 17 TDs to 10 Ints, not bad overall, but only a 50.7% completion rate and a rating of 71.1, putting him near the bottom for USFL starters. The club still has Chuck Hartlieb under contract, but Jim Miller will be a free agent this year and it is unlikely Houston, with many roster needs, will spring to pay for a 3rd QB after resigning Hasselbeck during the season.

RETIREMENTS CONTINUE

Not a huge week for retirements, but with 4 teams ending their season in the Wild Card round, we did see a few notable names calling it quits. The first and perhaps most prominent is Los Angeles free safety Martin Bayless. Bayless played the first 13 games of the year before an injury took him out of the final month. In that time he was among the league leaders with 5 interceptions. He retires with 50 total interceptions in his career.

Another safety, Terry Hoague in Seattle, also announced that he would be leaving the game. Hoague played one year in Tampa Bay before joining the Dragons through the expansion draft in 1995. He retires with 5 career picks to his name.

Finally, it is not official, but rumors out of Washington seem to confirm what most believe will be the announcement made next Monday during a planned press conference. It is anticipated that Barry Word will step away from the game after 15 seasons, all with the Federals. He began as a spot player, getting no more than 100 yards in a season through the 1989 campaign, but then emerged as a starter in 1991 with 900 yards in a breakthrough season. He would increase that total to 1,115 yards in his second year as the starter and would reach the 1,000 mark again in 1997 and 1998. His production has declined over the past 2 years, not atypical for a halfback well into his 30’s, and with the emergence of rookie Rueben Droughns this year, the writing was on the wall. Expect confirmation of this rumor next week as Word is almost certain to call it a career in front of adoring fans in DC. He will retire only 392 yards away from 10,000 for his USFL career, and with 73 career TDs, along with 2 USFL championship rings (1990 and 1997).

WANTING OUT

A weird demand out of LA, where TE Frank Wycheck has asked to be released by the Express. Wycheck played a prominent role in the Express offense this year, targeted 54 times and ending the season with 31 receptions, 3 TDs and 352 yards, all pretty solid numbers, but apparently he believes that his talents are being wasted by Coach Hall, who does have a penchant for preferring the outside receivers in his offense. Wycheck, who first played for St. Louis, then moved on to Atlanta in 1995, came to LA just this past year, but clearly is not happy with Coach Hall and the offense he has put into place. Were the Express to release him now, he would have optimal viability as he would be available not only to USFL squads but to NFL clubs as well when the transfer window opens in a couple of weeks. LA may very well opt to let Wycheck go, as they have both Rickey Dudley and Aaron Shea behind him on the depth chart, two players with a lot of potential. If he is released, the Express would almost certainly prefer that he sign with the NFL, so do not be surprised if they don’t delay any possible release until the transfer window opens so that no USFL club gets an early shot at him.

And then there were four. Four teams left. All four division winners, all four looking for that ticket to Tampa Bay and the 2000 Summer Bowl. We have the Defending Champions of both the Eastern and Western Conferences in Denver and Memphis. We have the upstart Philadelphia Stars, looking under Jim Mora Jr. a lot like the early powerhouses coached by his father, and we have the tried and true St. Louis Knights, a club that lacks flash but never heart. Two good games, two hard to predict games.

MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (12-4) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (13-3)

Sunday, July 24 @ Noon Eastern

Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

As tempting as it is to play up the Father v. Son aspect of Jim Mora Sr's Showboats taking on Jim Mora Jr's Stars, looking at this game it is hard to imagine that it will not be about the coaches but the quarterbacks. Memphis will be without Garrison Hearst in the backfield, so we know they are giving the ball to Heath Shuler and putting the game on his shoulders. For Philadelphia there can be a more balanced approach, but in the end it just feels like the former champion with the Panthers of the 80’s has a chance to be the hero once again. The two defenses are solid, the offensive lines are stout and athletic, the run games for both teams have had issues, and certainly will for Memphis in this one. So, yes, it could all be about the QB’s in this one.

OUR PICK: We have always liked Bobby Hebert as a playoff QB, but we have to lean a bit more towards Heath Shuler. He has been on a tear these past two seasons, winning a title and an MVP award last year. Philadelphia is living the dream, rebounding after a horrid 5-win season last year, but dreams won’t get it done against an opponent as good as Memphis is. We are going to go with the Showboats to make a repeat appearance in the Summer Bowl.

DENVER GOLD (12-4) @ ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS (12-4)

Sunday, July 24 @ 4pm Eastern

Transworld Dome, St. Louis

This one is likely to come down to who blinks first. One big play, one screw up could determine this game. We have two of the league’s elite backs in Salaam and Ahman Green. We have two quarterbacks who prefer to distribute the ball rather than take long shots downfield, and we have two defenses that can be nearly impossible to block on any given Sunday. Leslie O’Neal is a beast for the Gold, who also have heavy hitters in LB Marvcus Patton, Kurt Gouveia, and Chris Cowart. In St. Louis the defense begins with LB’s Kevin Hardy and Na’Il Diggs, but has strength in the secondary too with Troy Vincent and Rodney Harrison making life miserable for inaccurate passers. The Knights’ pass rush is not quite as dynamic as Denver’s duo of O’Neill and Marcellus Wiley, but the combo of Bradtske and Vonnie Holliday still combined for 25 sacks this season.

OUR PICK: Another tough one. IF this game were at Mile High we likely would favor the Gold to return for a 4th shot at a title (they are 0-3 all time in Summer Bowls) but this game will be played basically at sea level in St. Louis, so we give the edge to the home team. St. Louis could be headed back to the title game once again.