A huge week in the Eastern Conference, where 5 of 6 playoff spots were claimed. Philadelphia, Orlando, Memphis, Washington, and Baltimore all punched their tickets to the postseason this week, while Ohio hangs onto that last spot but is in precarious position. It's also a week that saw the departure of two head coaches, one resigning at the end of the year, one let go unceremoniously. Out West, the huge game was between the two division leaders, with a possible top seed tiebreakers at stake. The Gold seemed to have the game in hand, but let it slip away as St. Louis got the key road win that could mean homefield through the playoffs. Meanwhile New Orleans and Seattle are not ready to concede the divisions quite yet. It all could come down to a pivotal Week 16 as the USFL season races towards the postseason.
The Denver Gold let one slip out of their hands. That is the way locals are portraying the game, a game in which Denver held a 17-11 lead after 3 quarters and watched as St. Louis scored the final 13 points of the game to take a key conference win and knock Denver down a game in the standings, though still on top of the conference. Many had viewed the game as a potential championship preview, with both division winners facing off at Mile High, and if so, then St. Louis has to be feeling pretty good after a solid comeback to take the W.
The game started well for the Gold, with Mark Brunell connecting with Dedric Smith for one score and Rashaan Salaam, the league’s rushing leader, scoring on a 7-yard run, both in the first quarter as Denver took a 14-3 lead into the first break.
But, while Salaam would have a solid day (83 yards on 21 carries) he would be outshone by St. Louis’s dynamic back, Ahman Green. Green would rush 165 yards on the same number of carries, a 7.9 YPC average. And while Green would not score in the game, his dependable yardage made it possible for St. Louis to stay in the game and eventually wear out the Denver defense.
Down 14-3 after one quarter, St. Louis answered with a 12-play drive, ending when Todd Collins hit Kez McCorvey on a beautiful fade route for 6. The Knights went for 2 and on a bootleg, Collins faked a toss, freezing the linebacker, and ran the ball in himself to bring St. Louis within 3. Denver would finish the quarter with a field goal to punch the lead up to 6 at 11-17, but their offense was struggling against the Knights, and in the final period they would be held scoreless.
St. Louis would have better luck with their offensive game plan, as Green’s running made it possible for Collins to hit on play action passes to TE Reggie Kelly and wideouts Amani Toomer and Bert Emmanuel. St. Louis would have 3 scoring drives in the final 15 minutes of play, two field goals and drive that ended with Karim Abdul-Jabbar muscling the ball across the end line for 6. The result, a 7 point win, 24-17, for the Knights, and only the 3rd loss of the season for the Denver Gold. Both clubs still remain atop their divisions, and Denver has a 1-game lead over St. Louis for the Western Conference’s top seed, but if they slip, St. Louis now holds the coveted tie-breaker with this head-to-head victory.
NOR 28 ARZ 18
The Breakers celebrated the return of Trent Dilfer under center with a solid win over the Wranglers in Tempe. The Breaker defense held Arizona to only 60 yards rushing, including -10 yards for Plummer on scrambles and one ill-fated bootleg. Meanwhile Dilfer went 23 of 30 for 304 yards and 3 scores in his return to action for the Breakers, who remain tied with St. Louis but without the tiebreaker in hand.
MGN 13 SEA 20
With Denver’s loss, Seattle took advantage of a home game against Michigan to move into a tie for first in the Pacific. Corey Dillon accounted for 111 yards rushing and a key TD in the Seattle win, but the big play of the day was a 62-yard TD pass from Griese to David Boston, who got behind the Michigan defense on a botched coverage and turned the tide towards the Dragons.
CHI 26 OAK 10
Chicago got back to .500 and back in the Wild Card hunt thanks to a solid game from Duce Staley and an error free day for Jeff George. The Chicago D also helped, holding Oakland under 300 yards of total offense and sacking Ryan Leaf 3 times in the victory.
TEX 21 LA 17
An upset in LA as the Express fall further from playoff contention. Texas got 3 TD passes from Kelly Stouffer and the defense sacked Cade McNown 6 times to earn the W. Los Angeles converted only 1 third down play all game as the Outlaw defense came up big on drive after drive.
HOU 41 POR 7
Just days after Coach Ray Willsey announced his resignation at the end of the season, the Gamblers gave him a fitting tribute, a blowout win in Portland. The Thunder had nothing to offer as Rick Mirer was sacked 4 times and their defense allowed Matt Hasselbeck to have one of his better games, throwing 3 TDs. Houston even got the ground game going against the Thunder D, with Kantroy Barber rushing for 79 yards and 2 scores, while Mario Greer added 72 of his own, and Kevin Faulk another 44.
JAX 10 ORL 35
Orlando moved one step closer to winning their first division title since 1991 with a thorough drubbing of Jacksonville, whose early season success has practically faded from memory. Craig Ericson, playing for the injured Scott Mitchell, outperformed Chris Chandler on the day, throwing for 3 scores and no picks, to Chandler’s 1 TD and 2 picks. Add in a combined 105 yards between Terry Kirby and Moe Williams and the Renegades coasted to an easy win at home.
BIR 34 TBY 16
A game that in past years had far more prestige saw Birmingham, already eliminated from playoff contention, knock Tampa Bay practically out of contention as well. Tampa started with a 9-0 lead ona safety of Favre and an Errict Rhett TD run, but Birmingham would respond with 34 unanswered points over 3 quarters. Despite being sacked 9 times, Brett Favre managed to complete 15 of 27 passes for 287 yards and 2 scores. Troy Aikman also spent a lot of time in the grass, sacked 5 times himself as both defensive lines feasted on bad O-line play.
WSH 19 OHI 10
The Federals deal another blow to Ohio’s playoff hopes with another division loss for the Glory. Rookie Reuben Droughns, on a late season tear, added another 161 yards as he dominated carries over veteran Barry Word. Ohio responded with 112 yards from Eddie George, but with Kerry Collins removed from the game in the 1st quarter, Koy Detmer struggled against the tough Washington front 7, completing only 5 passes all game.
PHI 26 NJ 20
The Generals put up a good fight for interim head coach Mark Trestman, sending the game to overtime, but in the extra period a winded defense could not contain the Stars and a Pat Chaffey TD gave the win to the division-leading Stars. New Jersey outgained Philadelphia, had 8 more minutes of possession, but could not hold the lead late or score when given the ball in overtime, and that cost them their 11th loss of the season.
PIT 14 BAL 31
The Maulers also fell to 3-11 with their loss in Baltimore as the Blitz dominated on offense. The defense struggled, giving up 405 yards of offense to the Maulers, but held Pittsburgh at bay when it came to scoring, stopping the go-for-broke Maulers on two key 4th down plays deep in Blitz territory. QB Jeff Garcia continued to impress for the Blitz, throwing 4 TDs and going 24 of 29 for 374 yards and Offensive POTW honors.
A big loss for Michigan as they try to sneak their way into the Wild Card playoff. Wideout Jeff Campbell, the perennial leader in receptions in the league, will be out for the remainder of the season and any post season action with 3 broken ribs. Jacksonville will have to make its final push without DE Dan Brandenburg, who will miss the final two weeks of the season with an ankle injury. St. Louis also loses a DE for the remaining 2 games of the regular season as Chad Bradtske, the team’s sack leader, is expected to miss 2 weeks, though he could be back for a playoff run.
Others listed as either Doubtful or Questionable for Week 15 action include Arizona WR Hines Ward (finger), Jacksonville LB Jesse Armstead (hip), Seattle wideout Eric Metcalf (hip), Philadelphia WR Bobby Engram (groin), Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck (elbow), New Orleans tackle Troy Auzene (foot), and New Orleans guard Benji Olson (ab).
WILLSEY STEPS DOWN
It became official this week, that Houston Gambler Head Coach Ray Willsey will step down from a position he has held in Houston for 11 years. Willsey who helped bring two titles to the Space City, has struggled to find success in the post-Jim Kelly era. Quarterback play has been a big part of the issues these past few seasons, as first Chuck Hartlieb, and now Matt Hasselbeck, have struggled to support the type of pass-heavy offense the Gamblers used to such great effect during the Kelly-Thomas years. After so many great years, Willsey’s Gamblers have not finished above .500 since 1996 and this season looks like it could be considerably worse than the 7-9 seasons we have seen twice in the past 3 years.
Willsey will continue to coach for the final 3 weeks of the year, but a search for his replacement will begin in earnest once the season concludes. Among frontrunners are former Denver Gold head coach Wade Phillips, son of former Oilers head coach Bum Phillips, and current Gamblers DC Jim Washburn.
SCHOTTENHEIMER SHOWN THE DOOR
The patience of New Jersey ownership seems to have come to an end. This week, 3 days before the overtime loss to the Stars, New Jersey announced that Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer had been relieved of duties. OC Mark Trestman was given the interim position and will finish the year, though it is not expected that he will be a strong candidate for the position in 2001 due in large part to the offensive woes of the Generals under his leadership.
After a 6-10 season in 1999, his first with the club, Marty looks to be having an even worse result this season, with his club earning only 3 wins to date. This comes after a career that saw him spend seven up and down years in Chicago with the Machine. After taking the Machine to a Summer Bowl in 1994, Schottenheimer struggled with an 8-8 season in 1996 and a disastrous 3-13 season, his last in Chicago, in 1998. New Jersey signed him quickly after his release from Chicago, banking on his past success in the NFL to turn around a club that had not seen a winning record since 1994. But, with his 6-win 1999 campaign now turning to a likely 3-4 win 2nd season, it seems the owners in New Jersey want to go a new direction. But what will that direction be?
It has not taken long for the rumor mill in East Rutherford to start churning. The name on everyone’s lips is former NY Giants and NY Jets Head Coach Bill Parcells. Parcells currently serves as the GM for the Jets, but many expect that an offer that would give him both the GM and HC rolls might be enough to entice him to switch leagues while remaining in a market that clearly loves him. Parcells would be a major get for the USFL, and for the Generals, and he certainly has the coaching chops to build something in New Jersey, as he did with both NFL clubs in the market. Will we see this come to fruition or is this just wishful thinking from a Generals fanbase that is desperate to see their club do something big?
GARCIA MAKES GOOD
When Jeff Garcia came to the Baltimore Blitz, it was assumed that he would be little more than an insurance policy for Trent Green. His career to that point had not gone particularly well. In 3 years with LA he had started 18 games, but had a TD-INT ratio of 23-24 and a QB Rating under 80, neither of which pointed to success as a starter. In 1998 and 1999 he started another 18 games as Trent Green suffered significant injuries (a constant issue for the former Hoosier QB). Garcia saw improvement, throwing 18 TDs to 12 picks, but still had a QBR now hovering around 70, with a completion percentage under 50% over 2 seasons.
So what is happening this year? Again Garcia came in for an injured Trent Green, but this season things seem to be clicking. Garcia has now won the starting gig and in his 9 games (8 starts) has a QBR of 118.8, completing 71.6% of his throws. His accuracy and decision making has risen to All-USFL levels, with 17 touchdowns and only 1 pick on the season. Were he eligible for the QB Rating leaderboard, he would currently be in first place, a solid 6 points ahead of Brett Favre. More importantly, the Blitz have won 5 in a row and now are poised to make a late run for the division title, with a key game against the Philadelphia Stars in the season’s final week. A victory there could make Garcia one of the breakout stars of the season, something that simply did not seem possible in his first 5 years in the league.
A wave of playoff spots filled in the East this week, as Jacksonville’s loss means that not only Philadelphia, but Orlando, Baltimore, Memphis, and Washington have clinched spots. Ohio is 2 games back and can only garner the #6 seed, but they still have 2 games left and Jacksonville is still in a position to possibly catch them if they falter.
In the West, nothing really changed this week, except that the odds for Los Angeles and Michigan, both at 6-8, have gotten worse. Chicago is back in the mix at 7-7, as is Arizona. The top 4 spots are locked in, though Denver and Seattle in the Pacific, and St. Louis and New Orleans in the Central are still caught up in heated battles for the division title.
The Arizona Wranglers are the third of three clubs to reveal their new Reebok looks for 2001 and by far are creating the biggest stir. While the uniforms do not look radically different, using the same copper, red, gold, and royal blue combo (with slight darkening of the blue), flames on the pants, and red jerseys, the new logo is all the talk in Phoenix.
The Wrangler’s familiar flame spouting branding iron is updated in a big way with a new “W” replacing the encircled W logo the club has sported since the league began in 1983. The new W, now in red with a blue outline, still contains the cattle horn theme at each end, but now sports a central “loop” that ties the W together. No longer encircled and without the branding iron handle, the new W logo is not immediately recognizable as an iron at all. The new “brand” (pun intended) will be used in two formats, with a red and blue version wreathed in gold and white flames, and a simpler single-color blue version used as a secondary. The “Cool Brand” secondary is more akin to the actual branded flesh than the iron itself. The flaming brand will still adorn the copper helmets of the Wranglers, and is also found on both sleeves. The simpler “cool brand” logo is found on the collar of the jerseys and will be used throughout the stadium and promotional materials starting with the 2001 season ticket order forms released this week.
A new font is also in place, though primarily used in team name depictions, with the number font on the jersey remaining unchanged. The only real deviation from the team’s prior uniform look is the incorporation of the new logo and the introduction of a second pant set, a royal blue set which will be worn mostly with the white jersey a few times a year during road games (likely against teams like Oakland, Philly or Birmingham who also sport yellow or metallic gold pants)
Two weeks left, and a lot of divisional action to wrap up the year. This week it is the Western Conference who will battle in division before Week 16’s fully divisional schedule. In the divisional games this week we find St. Louis in Michigan, where a 9th loss will sink any hopes for the Panthers. Chciago is alive at 7-7, but they host the very tough New Orleans Breakers, with Trent Dilfer back under center. Houston and Texas, both 4-10, will battle in Houston, though the stakes are little more than pride at this point.
In the Pacific, we don’t have any match ups of clubs with winning records as Arizona (7-7) hosts the 1-win Thunder, Denver hosts the 4-win Invaders, and the Seattle Dragons travel to LA to face the 6-8 Express, who still have a mathematical chance to get in the playoffs but need losses from Chicago or Arizona to have a shot.
In the East it is the Atlantic clubs headed to the South, with the biggest game being the matchup of the Blitz and the Showboats, a game to watch for sure as the Liberty Bow will be rocking. Ohio can wrap up a playoff spot if they can get a W in Tampa Bay on Saturday. Jacksonville needs a win to stay alive, but they face a tough Washington club in the Gator Bowl. Orlando hosts New Jersey and hopes the games fall the right way for them to clinch the Southern title. Philly is in a similar situation, though they get a pretty good matchup as they head to Atlanta to face the Fire. Finally, Pittsburgh is in Birmingham in a game of two clubs likely looking at young talent over the season’s final two weeks.