A new millennium, a new season, a new hope for 24 franchises and 24 fan bases, each filled with optimism and nerves as the USFL kicks off its 18th season of spring football. Lots of excitement around the league as the season begins with a bang. From rookies trying to prove themselves to veterans on new teams, and some NFL imports expected to have a big impact on day 1, there is always a lot to celebrate on opening weekend in the USFL, despite often cold and rainy weather. We kick it all off with our Game of the Week, a shootout in rainy Jacksonville.
It had rained most of the day before, and it threatened to do so again on Sunday, but while the field was certainly saturated, the game was largely rain-free, with a couple of momentary showers here and there. The fear of lightning delays turned out to be unneeded and the game, despite some muddy conditions at the Gator Bowl, went off without delay. And what a game it was.
Jake Plummer put the Arizona Wranglers on his back, leading the club in both passing and rushing yards and earning Offensive POTW honors for his dual threat role. Chris Chandler kept Jacksonville engaged and had them with a late lead in a game played in front of nearly 51,000 fans, a lot of them buying up Arrington jerseys, available for the first time at the game.
The Bulls opened the scoring when Chris Chandler hit the new clear #1 receiver Terrell Owens with a 21-yard corner pattern midway through the first. Owens would relish his new role, catching 8 balls for 107 yards and all three Chandler TD passes on the day. Patrick Rowe and Dez White would account for 7 receptions combined as Chandler hit 9 different receivers on the day. After Arizona got on the board with a field goal, new Bulls starting HB Sedrick Irvin added to the Bulls’ lead with a 12-yard TD run that saw him absolutely lay out a CB with a straightarm.
Arizona’s first TD would come, fittingly enough, on a 26-yard Plummer scramble. With the Bulls playing tight man, once Plummer sprinted from the pocket, he had wide open space to make his dash to the endzone. He would do this repeatedly on the day, rushing for 60 yards 5 scrambles and scoring twice on the ground. That he was the leading rusher still has to be a concern for Arizona. Tim Lester had only 3 carries, while newly acquired HB Leeland MacElroy, the former NJ General, had 4 for only 13 yards.
Chandler responded to the Plummer TD by tossing another scoring throw to Owens, giving Jacksonville a 21-10 halftime lead, but one which at no point felt secure. They would expand the lead to 24-10 on a Kris Brown field goal to open the 2nd half, but then Arizona would start to battle back.
Plummer again scrambled for a score, this time 25 yards, on yet another 4-wide passing play that turned into a running play. This play would cause Jacksonville to have to keep a LB in as spy for the rest of the game, a move that limited Plummer but created better options for the passing game. Arizona followed up their TD with a field goal on the next drive, and then the one mistake Chandler made came up huge for the Wranglers. Trying to hit Dez White on a slant, Chandler’s pass was behind the receiver, landing not in his hands but in those of Wrangler CB Kevin Minnifield. Minnifield caught the ball at full speed and used that speed to race 31 yards to paydirt. What had been a 24-10 Jacksonville lead had turned on its head and was now a 27-24 deficit.
Chandler responded as a veteran of his caliber should, leading the Bulls down the field and scoring, yet again to Owens, with 2:35 left in the game. But 2:35 is an eternity in USFL football, and Coach Cunningham would regret sticking with the passing game and not burning up more time in the redzone as Plummer and the Wranglers marched down the field and put a winning score on the board with Plummer’s only passing TD of the day, a 12-yard rub route for Carl Pickens. Plummer, who had spent the entire day throwing as Arizona abandoned the run altogether in a Stallion-like strategy against the Bulls, would finish with 431 yards passing, a career high for the former Sun Devil. Pickens would finish with 103 yards and the key score, while Rocket Ismail would haul in 6 passes for 145 on the day. Arizona’s two new tight ends, O.J. Santiago and Mark Bruener, would combine for 11 receptions and 119 yards as well.
For Jacksonville it was a bitter loss, as they had a 14-point lead and could not hold it. Despite the negative outcome, they had to be happy with several aspects of their game, including Owens stepping up as the #1, Sedrick Irvin’s solid day, and the play of LaVar Arrington in his first pro game, with 7 tackles and a sack on the day. But the day ended with a W for the Wranglers and an L for the Bulls, something sure to damper the early season exuberance of the large Gator Bowl crowd more than the rain did.
LA 20 TBY 35
Rain also impacted the game in Tampa Bay, but not as much as the Bandits offense impacted Coach Hall’s return to Florida with the LA Express. It was the Errict Rhett show early as the elusive back scored the game’s first 3 touchdowns, giving Tampa a 21-0 lead that they would never relinquish. Rhett would finish the day with 98 combined yards from scrimmage and the 3 scores, with Troy Aikman adding another 375 yards passing and a TD toss to TE Troy Drayton. For LA, Mike Pritchard was the star with 178 yards as the Express threw on almost every play in their attempt to come back. It was not enough, and the Bandits start off the 2000 campaign with a quality win over a 1999 division winner.
SEA 27 ATL 23
It was a battle of QB’s trying to prove their coaches right for choosing them when Brian Griese led the Seattle Dragons into Atlanta to face Aaron Brooks and the Fire. In what turned out to be one of the more entertaining games of the weekend, both 1995 expansion clubs showed some good play, though also sloppy with 16 penalties between them. Griese would come out on top, on the scoreboard and the stat box as his 33 of 43, 343-yard day was a far better result than Brooks’s 14 of 38, 157-yard afternoon. Tiki Barber helped keep Atlanta in the game with 120 yards on the day, while Eric Metcalf was the favorite target of Griese, catching 11 balls for 106.
POR 27 MEM 33 OT
The defending Southern Division champions were tested by the Thunder but prevailed in large part due to another huge game from Heath Shuler (26 of 39 for 365 yards and 5 TD tosses). Adrian Cooper led all receivers with 6 catches, while Joe Horn hauled in 2 scores and 121 yards on the day. For Portland, Napoleon Kaufmann looked solid, but was only able to gain 46 yards on 13 carries, though a nice 29-yard juke and sprint run surely gave Thunder fans optimism about his future with the club. The game would go to overtime, thanks to 3 TD passes from Akili Smith in his best game to date, but in the extra period, a dump off pass from Shuler to FB Larry Centers turned into a clinic on how to avoid tackles as Centers wove his way to the game-winning score.
OAK 31 ORL 37 OT
The “New Look” Oakland Invaders gave Orlando all they could handle in another overtime thriller. Ryan Leaf threw for 3 scores and Troy Davis gained 119 yards on only 13 carries as the Invader’s new emphasis on zone blocking and slashing runs helped them stay with the Renegades all game. Terry Kirby was the weapon most feared by Oakland Coach Dom Capers, and rightly so. Kirby would rush for 100 yards and catch 4 balls for 28 more to help power Orlando to the overtime win. Ironically it was not Kirby who drove the dagger into the hearts of Invader fans, but newly acquired backup Moe Williams, the former Showboat, who dove in from the 1 to give Orlando the win in overtime.
DEN 30 BIR 42
In the Sunday Night game, wrapping up the Pacific v. South showdowns, Birmingham proved they were a solid preseason favorite, dispatching the defending Western Conference Champions thanks to a monster 6 TD performance from Brett Favre. Favre would throw scoring tosses to Dawsey (2), Givens, Reeves, Robinson, and their new starting HB, Rodney Thomas to power the Stallions to a commanding win. Denver looked good early, but when Mark Brunell had to leave the game with an injury, their production could not keep pace with the Stallions. New backup QB Bill Musgrave played well (25 of 33 for 237) but it was simply not enough to stay on pace with Favre’s blistering performance.
CHI 19 PHI 13
A cold 33-degree day, with wind and still some residue of snow on the field welcomed the Machine to Philadelphia on Saturday. It made life tough for both clubs as passing was no easy feat. Chicago, with a solid 2-headed running game, made the best of it, with the combo of Watters (64) and Staley (48) giving the Machine over 100 yards on the day. That, along with a nice game from Chicago safety Anthony Prior (8 tackles, 1 pick) helped Chicago hold off the Hebert-led Stars and claim a road win in tough conditions.
HOU 26 PIT 23
Pittsburgh was also no picnic weather-wise, but the wind was not quite as impactful, allowing Houston’s new starting QB, Matt Hasselbeck to claim his first victory for the Gamblers. The former BC signalcaller got the call over free agent Jim Miller and returning QB Chuck Hartlieb, and proved quite effective, going 26 of 49 for 354 yards, 2 TDs to 1 pick. Brett Perriman was his favorite receiver with 13 targets, hauling in 124 yards, including a back-breaking 51-TD strike on a 3rd and 13. Pittsburgh moved the ball well, but struggled in the redzone, forced to go for 3 on three occasions where they had been inside the 15.
MGN 28 BAL23
The Panthers showed their early season form, going into a tough road game at Baltimore and coming away with a 5-point victory. Natrone Means, in his first start for the Panthers after a late offseason deal with the Bulls, rushed the ball 20 times for 68 yards, and helped Doug Flutie set up play action, including a brilliant fake on a 2nd and 2 that produced the game winning toss to TE Roland Williams. For Baltimore, rookie Ron Dayne looked solid, carrying the ball 11 times for 74 yards, a 6.7 YPC average.
NOR 21 WSH 14
Maybe we were too fast to dump on NFL transfer QB Trent Dilfer, after he led the 10-point underdog New Orleans Breakers back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat the Federals. Dilfer certainly was not perfect, but his two TD passes, one each to Ricky Proehl and Az-Zahir Hakeem, as well as a key 27-yard toss to Raynard Brown on their final scoring drive (Ricky Williams 1-yard run) brought the Breakers an unexpected road win to open the season. But the biggest story out of this game will almost certainly be the season ending injury which took Washington QB Kordell Stewart out of action (more on that to come).
STL 17 OHI 24
Another huge opening day upset, though this one was at least a home game for the Ohio Glory. Kerry Collins helped Ohio build up a 17-0 lead and they never looked back as Todd Collins struggled through 3 picks for a Knights offense that was just not ready for prime time. Jason Webster, the unheralded 2nd CB of the Glory had a huge game, picking off 2 passes intended for Bert Emmanuel as Ohio switched up their coverage of Emmanuel and Toomer.
TEX 23 NJ 31
One final surprise win in the clash of Central and Atlantic squads as New Jersey built up a 31-9 lead and then withstood a furious comeback attempt by Kelly Stouffer to preserve a week one win. Curtis Enis and Lamont Warren combined for 128 yards rushing, and new starter Jeff Lewis went 23 of 35 for 247 and 3 TDs to help New Jersey shock the Outlaws.
LATE MOVES
So many stories each time a season starts, where do we begin. Let’s start by briefly recapping some of the last-minute transactions as clubs set their Week 1 rosters. Most won’t have a big immediate impact as they involve shuffling the bench a bit, but you never know.
Philadelphia made one last move to upgrade their defense, cutting Omar Brown, who had struggled at SS in camp, and signing one of the best remaining free agents, safety Corey Chavous. Expect to see Chavous starting within 1-2 weeks as Philly brings him up to speed on the new Jim Mora Jr. defensive schemes.
St. Louis added depth behind Ahman Green by signing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the roster. KAJ had his best year in 1997 when he rushed for 369 yards per game. He spent last season in Ohio, where he only got 28 carries all season. He is a decent receiver, which is something St. Louis needs from all its backs.
New Orleans swapped out fullbacks, bringing in Danny Greene who failed to make the roster in Orlando.
Michigan added tackle Jeffery Garcia for depth. Portland did much the same with their D-line, signing George Little, the 35-year-old veteran of 14 seasons with Philly and Birmingham. Little was played 1 year in Canada in 1999 but is now back in the USFL. Ohio and Birmingham added some late free agent quality to their secondaries with CB Mike Riley headed to Columbus and free safety Robert Sparkman now in Birmingham.
We had 2 meaningful trades as camps closed as well. In the first, New Jersey improved their DT position by getting Renaldo Wynn from Arizona while the Wranglers hoped to get an offensive spark from New Jersey in the form of HB Leeland McElroy. Two other bench players, including Olandis Gary also changed hands, with Gary taking up the 3rd HB slot for the Generals.
Houston sent veteran wideout Hart Lee Dykes to Atlanta, helping the Fire add some outside speed, while Atlanta parted with just about the only CB on their roster not named Tyrone, sending Ronde Barber to the Gamblers. Expect Barber to be a starter from week 1 as he helps Houston improve their secondary.
Finally three QB changes were made official with Week 1 starts. Seattle made their choice, starting Brian Griese over 1999’s starter, Jon Kitna. Kitna is not at all happy, and rumors have him asking to be traded rather than sit behind Griese and face a challenge from rookie Giovanni Carmazzi. Griese had a solid first outing, throwing for 343 yards and helping the Dragons get a road win in Atlanta.
New Jersey Coach Marty Schottenheimer said it would be an open battle in camp between returning starter Spence Fischer and free agent acquisition, former Panther and Gold QB Jeff Lewis. Marty opted for the more athletic Fischer to open the season and he got immediate results, an opening day victory over Texas and an efficient 23 of 35, 247 yard, 3 TD day from Lewis.
Finally, the three-way competition in Houston between returning starter Chuck Hartlieb, free agent acquisition Jim Miller, and rising backup Matt Hasselbeck was tight all the way through camp, but in a Friday walkthrough decision, Coach Willsey chose the least heralded of the three, former BC quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to be his starter. Again, this proved wise as Hasselbeck had a great first outing, throwing for 354 yards and 2 TDs to help Houston get a road win in Pittsburgh.
ROOKIE DEBUTS
Week 1 is also a time when top rookie signings get their first look at pro ball. While we had no rookie starters at QB this year, we did have quite a few who were given a starting role in their first game. Let’s take a look at how some of the bigger names in the 2000 Draft fared.
HB Ron Dayne took the mantle of the run game for the Baltimore Blitz and acquitted himself well, rushing for 75 yards on 11 carries, including a couple of train-hits-deer moments against cornerbacks that thrilled the home crowd at Aetna Stadium.
LB Brian Urlacher played his first game at MLB for the Machine and helped Chicago get the road win at Philly, securing 7 tackles, 1 for loss, and 1 pass defended.
In Jacksonville, the arrival of LaVar Arrington was much heralded, and the former Penn State star fared pretty well in his first game, 7 tackles, 1 for loss, and a sack was the final line for the rangy backer.
Oakland had a surprisingly strong offense on display against Orlando and while he did not have a starring role, Plaxico Burress did display his talent with 3 receptions for 54 yards.
Michigan’s rookie strong safety, Mike Brown, came out of the gate strong, winning the Rookie of the Week award with a 10 tackle, 1 sack performance as the Panthers upended the Blitz in Baltimore. Laverneous Coles had a quieter week, catching 1 pass in his pro debut.
Birmingham opted to go with Free Agent Rodney Thomas at HB for their game against Denver, limiting Sean Alexander to 1 carry in his pro debut.
Seattle rookie DE John Abraham had one tackle in the Dragons’ win, but it was his first pro sack, while St. Louis’s Na’il Diggs debuted with 7 tackles.
Finally, Washington had two rookies with solid debuts in their opening day loss. TE Bubba Franks was the second leading receiver for the Feds with 4 receptions for 41 yards, while HB Reuben Droughns played on third down and picked up 4 carries for 39 yards, with most of that coming on one exciting 19-yard rush.
BIG NAME FREE AGENTS
In addition to the rookies, some big-name NFL transfers also played their first spring game, though most were limited in action after the full NFL fall season.
Birmingham started Deion Sanders right out of the gate and the Gold opted to test him against the run. Sanders ended the game as the leading tackler for Birmingham, with 12 stops, despite having the ball tossed in his direction only 3 times all game.
In Atlanta, Bruce Smith was limited to playing only on 3rd and 5 or longer, but was solid in limited action, scoring 4 tackles and 2 sacks to share the lead after 1 week.
We mentioned that Rodney Thomas was made the starter in Birmingham, but he was not the only new HB to take that position, with Stephen Davis starting for the Stars and the recently signed Natrone Means getting the lion share of the carries for the Panthers. Of the three, Thomas had the best day, rushing for 75 yards in his debut. Means and Davis were not far behind, with Means rushing for 68 yards on 20 carries and Davis earning 68 as well, but on 15 carries. Both Means and Davis scored their first TDs for their new clubs as well.
Denver got hit early and often as both Mark Brunell and Eric Wilhelm were knocked out of their opening game. Brunell should be back next week, but Wilhelm is likely done for the year with a fully torn & rolled hamstring. Likewise, Kordell Stewart may be finished for the year as well for the Federals after he both broke his arm and dislocated the shoulder in a gruesome crash against the benches along the sideline on a scramble. It was his non-throwing arm, but it still means both traction and considerable time to heal and rehab might leave the Federals looking at Scott Zolak for the rest of the season.
Other considerable injuries on a rough opening week include LA wideout Rob Carpenter (8-10 weeks for a neck injury), Denver guard Tracy Boyd (2-4, PCL), Arizona SS Clifton Black (1-2, Hamstring), MGN CB Thomas Pittman (1-2, turf toe), Memphis FS Tebucky Jones (Doubtful, hip), Orlando RT Paul Gruber (Questionable, wrist), and Texas SS Mike Minter (Questionable, deep thigh bruise). Birmingham WR Tyree Davis was also listed as Questionable though he is essentially going home to deal with a family crisis, details unknown, rather than a physical injury.
Snow, rain, mud and wind welcomed the league’s opening weekend, as it almost always seems to do in one shape or another. For the owners who are pushing for a reconsideration of a 14-week season, the game-altering and attendance-dampening March starts are one of the issues they point to as a reason to delay the season start. The other, of course, is the overlap of both USFL playoffs and training camp with the NFL-USFL transfer window. Those in opposition continue to site that the NFL is not having these same types of discussions, so why should the USFL sacrifice 2 games (and the revenue generated) when the NFL is not willing to do the same to create greater gaps between the two leagues. The NFL has not even seemed open to doing away with the 2-week runup to the Super Bowl or its 4-game preseason as options to expand the gaps between the two league’s regular seasons.
Of course, even with NFL concessions the issue of early season weather would persist. Unlike the NFL which can use playoff drama to boost attendance in the latter part of the season, when the weather is at its worst, the USFL deals with early season issues around rain, snow, and wind in March and then must figure out how to get fans out to the ballpark on scorching July days late in the year. They have fared well with the latter weather issue, with domes in some of the hotter locations (Houston, San Antonio, St. Louis) and night games helping to deal with heat in places like Atlanta, Arizona, and Florida, but scheduling often does not allow for good options in mid-March, as this week’s rainy weather in Florida and cold, windy conditions in the Northeast proved. With domed stadiums falling out of favor among new stadium projects (Houston being the exception), the best option to maximize early season attendance may well be to delay the season start until April, something the USFL simply cannot do with a 16-game schedule, lest it risk shutting down any chance at a postseason transfer window.
And so, the debate continues. What we know this time around is that, unlike the last time this came to a head, there is no way the USFL will move ahead without a clear agreement in place with the players’ union. No more work stoppage or threats of CBA cancellation. The most likely scenario, were a proposal to be made, would be a cut of 2 regular season weeks, the addition of 1 pre-season game, and all players retaining their full salaries from the 16-week schedule to a 14-week schedule. But we are getting the cart before the horse. The Special Committee of the owners has yet to even reveal its report, and any change will likely also require negotiations with the NFL to try to get some concessions from the senior league, as well as with the TV providers, so we are a ways off even if the USFL owners want to make the change, and that is by no means guaranteed.
Week Two offers us our first slate of divisional games in the Eastern Conference, with the Pacific clubs visiting the Central squads out West. Washington will host Pittsburgh without Kordell Stewart at the helm, while Baltimore hopes to rebound as they visit New Jersey and Ohio goes for two in a row as they host Philadelphia. In the South, the best early season game may be the Tampa-Orlando match this week, while Memphis is at Jacksonville and Birmingham heads to their budding rivalry with Atlanta on Saturday.
Someone will come out at 2-0 when Arizona faces Chicago at Soldier Field. Mark Brunell is expected back under center when Denver travels to Houston on Sunday. LA has a tough second game at Michigan, while Oakland visits the surprisingly tough New Orleans Breakers. Portland and St. Louis will each be seeking their first win of the year when they clash in the Gateway City, while Seattle heads to San Antonio to face the Texas Outlaws.
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