The surprising 2000 season continued with Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle, and Texas all providing surprising results, and while three of these clubs are more than happy to surprise the pundits and race out to a 3-0 start to the year, the Outlaws are reeling at 0-3 and will need to right the ship quickly. We saw Prime Time hit it big with a dramatic pick six, Ron Dayne come up big, Tim Lester silence his critics, Reuben Droughns flash starter potential, and Charlie Batch lead a huge comeback victory. We start there, with Pittsburgh’s comeback as this week’s game of the week.
It did not look good for the 0-2 Maulers at home as the Orlando Renegades used two third quarter scores to change a 10-10 tie into a 20-10 lead with three quarters down, but the Maulers dug deep and, with the full throated support of nearly 45,000 in Three Rivers Stadium, the home squad scored 14 unanswered to upend the Renegades and score their first win of the season.
While Batch is certainly not the only hero for the Maulers, he will get the accolades, because on a day when Orlando held last season’s leading rusher, Terrell Davis, to only 32 yards on 18 carries (a 1.8 YPC average), it was up to Batch to rally Pittsburgh back into the game. Orlando had taken what seemed to be a commanding lead thanks to 2 Moe Williams touchdown runs and a pair of Charlie Bauman field goals. Pittsburgh had gotten a 1 yard TD run from Davis, but had been able to do little else through three quarters. But in the 4th, Batch put the team on his shoulders and carried them to victory.
He had help in the effort, of course. Andre Rison caught 4 of his 6 receptions in the final period, including a 59-yarder that put Pittsburgh in position for its first of 2 TDs in the quarter. Rison would come up big on several occasions, ending the game with 145 yards on only 6 receptions. In the first drive of their rally, his long reception put the Maulers into the red zone, and led to a Batch to Terrell Davis TD pass on a play action fake. Davis faked receiving the handoff and swung out to the left, where Batch found him for the 1 yard scoring toss.
Only 2 minutes later, after a failed Orlando drive, Batch was back in business. Hitting Rison twice, Jake Reed once, another to Jay Riemersma, and then another short TD toss to Freddie Solomon with only 57 seconds left on the clock, the stadium erupted and Batch took a moment to soak it all in.
The Maulers would contain Keenan McCardell on Orlando’s desperation final drive, something they had failed to do all day. McCardell had caught 7 balls for 155 yards, but went catchless in 5 plays for Orlando in the game’s final minute. The game ended on a Hail Mary that could not find a receiver, and the Maulers had their first win, a dramatic come-from-behind classic led by a QB who appears to be growing into his role as a team leader.
MEM 16 PHI 17
Pittsburgh wasn’t the only winless Atlantic club to use home field to garner their first W. Philadelphia used a stout defense and a bit of luck to send Memphis to their second defeat. LB George Koonce was big, scoring 6 tackles and a pick for the Stars, while both Stephen Davis and Pat Chaffey scored on the ground for the home squad as they edged Memphis by 1.
JAX 32 OHI 10
The 2-0 Glory were not so fortunate at home as the Bulls won convincingly thanks to 2 TDs from Chris Chandler and a dynamic 47-yard run from backup HB Kenny Bynum. The Bulls outgained Ohio on the day 423-233 as the Ohio offense which had exploded in weeks 1 and 2 was a lot less potent in the season’s third week. Eddie George faced 8- and 9-man fronts all game, and despite this Kerry Colins could only complete 35% of his passes as Ohio went down to defeat at home.
TBY 0 WSH 19
Once again Bandit fans are stunned by the lack of offensive production as Tampa Bay is stunningly shut out by the Federals. Troy Aikman completed 24 of 38 passes but managed only 187 yards as the Federals made deep balls nearly impossible with a complex blitz scheme. They sacked the Tampa quarterback 4 times but pressured him on nearly every passing down. Add to this a surprising day for Reuben Droughns, whose 19 carries produced 101 yards. Washington would run the ball 39 times as they slowed things down for Scott Zolak and won their second in a row with the veteran backup at the helm.
ATL 7 BAL 20
The Blitz go ta big game from rookie Ron Dayne to shut down the Fire and earn a home win. Baltimore controlled the clock with Dayne and a very efficient game from Jeff Garcia as they ran off nearly 36 minutes of game time on offense. Dayne would rush for 123 yards and a score to help pace the Blitz on offense, while 3rd year LB Tarek Salah forced two fumbles, recovering one, to keep Atlanta from a comeback.
BIR 31 NJ 21
The Generals were solid for 3 quarters, building up a 21-14 lead, but could not contain the Stallions during the final period, when Brett Favre put them up top 24-21. New Jersey looked like they would tie the game, moving into scoring position, but on a truly bad decision, Jeff Lewis tried to force a ball to Terry Glenn and future NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders scored not only his first pick of the young season, but his first USFL pick six, racing the ball back the length of the field and giving Birmingham a commanding 10-point lead with only 1:15 left in the game.
NOR 21 MGN 14
In divisional play the New Orleans Breakers continued their unanticipated run of victories, moving to 3-0 with a solid game in Pontiac. Once again it was the defense leading the way as New Orleans held Michigan to only 5 of 15 conversions on third down. Ricky Williams rushed for 86 yards and a score and Trent Dilfer survived two early picks and finished with 2 touchdowns to help the Breakers score their 3rd win to open the season.
HOU 14 CHI 25
Chicago also moved to 3-0 to share first with the Breakers, and they too used defense to get the job done. Limiting Matt Hasselbeck to only 14 of 36 passing for a paltry 119 yards, Chicago also grabbed 3 picks to stymie the Gamblers. The Machine, like the Breakers, used the run to control the tempo of the game. They rushed the ball 41 times in the game, including 16 for 74 by Duce Staley and 14 for 97 from Ricky Watters.
TEX 6 STL 27
Finishing up the trio of defensive wins in the Central Division, St. Louis thoroughly dismantled the Texas attack, limiting Reggie Cobb to only 50 yards rushing and picking off Kelly Stouffer 3 times to move to 2-1 and try to keep pace with the two surprise teams in first place. Ahman Green added 108 yards rushing and Amani Toomer scored on a fingertip grab to help St. Louis outpace Texas in this key divisional game.
DEN 38 ARZ 30
Offense was the order of the day when the Gold visited the Wranglers. Mark Brunell and Jake Plummer both threw for 3 TDs, but the huge surprise was the rushing game of both teams. Denver had 2 100-yard rushers with Rashaan Salaam gaining a respectable 120 yards on 25 carries, while backup Ricky Whittle hit a couple of long TD runs helping him finish the game with 156 yards on only 8 touches. For Arizona Tim Lester had his biggest game in 2 years as he finished with 157 yards in a game that felt more like 1970’s NFL than 2000’s USFL action.
OAK 17 LA 31
In a game that was only 10-9 LA at the half, the second half belonged to the Express as Tory Holt scored twice and Mike Pritchard a third time to help LA pull away late. The defense also played a big part, keeping Oakland at bay most of the game, converting only 4 of 13 third downs.
SEA 24 POR 8
The battle of Cascadia went to the Dragons who got a very efficient 25 of 27 from Brian Griese and a solid defensive game to upend the homestanding Thunder. Napoleon Kaufmann, who had done so well in Week 2, was stymied, gaining only 29 yards on 16 carries against the rebuilt Dragon defense. The win moves Seattle to a surprising 3-0 atop the Pacific.
ROSTER MOVES
MGN: Placed K Brett Conway on IR. Signed K Shayne Graham
ARZ: Placed LB Winfred Tubbs on IR. Signed LB Anthony McGovern
BIR: Placed DT Mike Wells on IR. Signed DT Daryl Gardiner
OHI: Placed SS Harlon Barnett on IR. Signed SS Lloyd Lee.
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
Three weeks into the season and we have three undefeateds left, none of them playoff teams from 1999, so how is this happening. We already mentioned defense, and that is certainly a big part of what Seattle, Chicago, and New Orleans have accomplished. Over the first three games, these clubs, in order, have allowed 44, 44, and 31 points. They, along with 2-1 Washington, are the top 4 teams in points allowed with these totals under 20 points a game. What else do they have in common? The easy answer is that all three are slowing games down, controlling the tempo and forcing teams to play with fewer opportunities to touch the ball. Let’s take a quick look at how each is accomplishing this.
CHICAGO is using a 2-back rotation to keep their backs fresh and provide different styles for defenses to adjust to. Ricky Watters and Duce Staley are almost exactly even in carries, and while Staley has had the bigger gains, both have consistently been able to keep Chicago in short third down scenarios, which certainly makes life easier for Jeff George. George, for his part, has been efficient, not going for the home run ball, but dumping down more often, taking the first downs and sustaining drives. His yards per attempt is down to 7.1, well below past years, and his completion rate is 63.2, one of his better seasons in the USFL or NFL. Controlled, slow, long drives seem to be the key for the Machine.
NEW ORLEANS: A skewed run/pass balance seems to be the focus in New Orleans, where not only has Ricky Williams been fed the ball on a regular basis, but Eric Pegram has also been given a chance to make plays. The result is fewer passing plays, fewer clock stoppages, and a lot of time of possession. Trent Dilfer is 21st in the league in pass attempts, with most of the QBs behind him being ones who have simply not played as much because of injuries. When he is throwing, it is usually play action, which has allowed him to garner a 71.4% completion percentage, 2nd only to Jeff Garcia in Baltimore. That combination of high completion percentage and low attempt numbers means New Orleans’s defense is not being asked to play their best 60-70 plays per game, but only 45-55.
SEATTLE: Here the story is Corey Dillon. After three weeks he is second only to Ohio’s Eddie George, with 286 rushing yards, and he has 7 more carries, at 69, an average of 23 per game. That is by far the best start to a season in the back’s 4 seasons with Seattle. Coach Tiller is providing Dillon with more help up front, FB Stephen Dobbins has stepped in as the starter after 2 seasons mostly on the practice squad, and is opening holes, and the playcalling, now with Brian Griese as the starter, has certainly shifted. It also helps that teams are focused very much on the dangerous duo of Eric Metcalf and David Boston. With the deep ball ability of both receivers it is hard for defenses to stack the box without risking a play action fly pattern over the top. The threat there means Dillon is seeing more 7-man fronts, and he is taking advantage.
All three clubs essentially need to use this similar formula. George, Dlfer, and Griese are at their best when they are not under heavy pressure and when they can deal with 3rd and 3 or 4 instead of 3rd and 10 or more. While Seattle has good talent outside, Chicago and New Orleans rely on the run game to set up the pass, which can be effective, but also means that these teams are built on keeping games to low play counts and low scores. Fall behind too soon and the formula goes out the window. Can these three keep the field tilted their way for the full season? That is a big question, and one which fans in all 3 cities hope to see answered with a resounding “yes”.
STEPPING IT UP
Yes, it is only 3 weeks into the season, but one of the highlights of the early season this Spring has been the emergence of some players who have been good in the past, but not great. We already highlighted Corey Dillon’s strong start to the year. We should also acknowledge that Eddie George has taken a huge step up, currently leading the league with 322 yards rushing. Among receivers Rocket Ismail in Arizona has seemingly found another gear, leading the league with 369 yards receiving on only 15 receptions, while Rob Moore in Baltimore is among league leaders in both receptions and yards, rare air for this veteran slogger. The success of the run game in Ohio has also helped QB Kerry Collins get off to his best start in the USFL. Currently third in QBR at 112.8, Collins has thrown 6 TDs and no picks in three games and is now getting the ball to more receivers than ever, not focusing exclusively on Joey Galloway each play. Galloway is still getting his targets, but we are also seeing TE Stephen Alexander and former Breaker Qadry Ismail getting a lot of looks. Even Eddie George is getting involved in the passing game, though, admittedly this is mostly through screen plays on longer third down calls.
The other big news story is of course the immediate impact of some of the NFL transfers this offseason. Bruce Smith has proven he still has a lot of motor, taking an early lead in sacks and now right there with Phil Hansen. Deion Sanders has also demonstrated that he has not lost a step and can still make an entire side of the field a danger zone for quarterbacks. Trent Dilfer has certainly outperformed expectations in New Orleans, and Baltimore’s Marquez Pope has become an instant leader on the Blitz defense. In Portland, Napoleon Kaufmann has been the one bright spot in a rough 0-3 start for the Thunder, while in Philadelphia Bobby Engram is quickly becoming one of Bobby Hebert’s favorite targets. Despite the trend of the USFL of focusing their financial resources on the college draft and signing NFL players who are largely considered either disappointments or stars on the downward slope of their career, the influx of NFL talent has, at least so far, proven quite advantageous for the USFL clubs willing to make the investment.
Not a great week for the league when it comes to player safety as three players end up on IR after season-ending injuries and several others will miss multiple weeks. Concern particularly for Ohio safety Harlon Barnett, who had a helmet-to-helmet collision on the field, leaving him lying motionless for over a minute before staff were able to revive him. He was taken off the field on a back board for precautionary measures. Barnett was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined that he had suffered a significant spinal compression, leading to a ruptured disk. He is expected to have a full recovery, but the question remains as to whether he will be advised to return to the sport he loves or retire.
Arizona got their worst news of the season as starting LB Winfred Tubbs is lost for the year due to a severe tear of the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee. The rehab process can take a year or longer, so the Wranglers and Winfred will be looking very much at 2001 as the earliest possible return.
In Birmingham, DT Mike Wells also suffered a leg injury, this time a partial tear of his quad muscle in the thigh. This too could take several months to fully heal, and so the Stallions placed Wells on the IR for the remainder of the season. Not quite a severe, though certainly scary for Washington DE Bobby Hamilton, who suffered a neck injury in the game this week. He is expected to recover in time for potential late season action, as the team is estimating 6-8 weeks for full recovery. And finally, Texas lost a very promising rookie for the next 4-6 weeks as DT Chris Hovan suffered a broken collarbone. Fortunately the bone is not displaced, so the recovery will allow Hovan to return for the final month of the season.
Injuries are a major concern for any sports league, and this week the USFL announced a major initiative in hopes of reducing the injury rate of its players, particularly focusing on brain injuries. We all understand that football is a violent, collision sport, and that head-to-head contact, which is one of the leading causes of football brain injury, is a significant danger. To help curb the number of significant helmet-to-helmet contact plays and to minimize the impact of those that will occur, the USFL has partnered with Riddell on a three-part platform to protect their players.
The first piece of the puzzle will be some rule changes to be reviewed by the Competition Committee. Potential adjustments include a possible addition of an unsportsmanlike conduct foul for deliberate use of the crown of the helmet to lay hits on opposing players. Another could include adjustments to the legal alignments on kickoffs, to reduce the space between receiving and defending lines, thus reducing the speed of initial contact when the two meet. And finally, it is expected that a greater emphasis on late hits, diving tackles, and hits on players surrendering by sliding or stepping out of bounds will be a part of upcoming discussions. The goal in all these cases is to reduce the use of the helmet as a weapon, and to reduce the number of both intentional and unintentional helmet-to-helmet collisions.
The second element of this new safety guideline will be the introduction of a new helmet style into the USFL. Riddell has been developing a new helmet, one with a unique shock absorption pattern, longer side panels (ear and chin), and a more rigidly affixed facemask system. This new helmet, called the “Revolution” is expected to be approved by the USFL for immediate use in the league, and we can expect that by the Spring 2001 season it will be seen on the field. Several notable players have been involved in beta testing the helmet during offseason camps and Riddell-sponsored testing programs, including QB’s Ryan Leaf, Spence Fischer, Brian Griese, and Jim Miller. Halfback Eddie George, wideout Lawrence Dawsey, linebacker Mo Lewis, and a range of linemen have also taken part in the testing led by Riddell.
Finally, the USFL has aligned with Riddell and with the University of Pittsburgh, to engage in a 2-year study of football-related head injuries as well as the impact dynamics of various types of collision. This study is expected to inform both the USFL’s player safety protocols as well as rules adjustments and helmet design going into the future. It is a first step in what appears to be a very welcome movement within the USFL to value player safety as much as gameplay and profit are valued within the league. After this week’s injury to Harlon Barnett of the Glory, the timing could not be better.
Week Four is a full divisional weekend, with all four divisions going to war. In the Pacific that means Seattle putting their 3-0 record up against the homestanding Arizona Wranglers while two 2-1 clubs try to keep pace as Denver hosts LA. Oakland and Portland round out the weekend with both 0-3 clubs looking for their first wins of the season.
In the Central we have 2 undefeated teams with good chances to move to 4-0 as the Chicago Blitz host rival Michigan and the New Orleans Breakers host the winless Texas Outlaws. St. Louis is at Houston in another important early season clash.
In the South the big game is Birmingham at Memphis. The Showboats cannot afford to fall to 1-3 if they want to defend their title, while Birmingham is hoping to take over the division with a win. Jacksonville is at Tampa Bay with both clubs hoping to get something started while Atlanta visits Orlando with their eyes on a statement win on the road.
Finally, in the Atlantic, we have 2-1 Ohio headed for a big test at 2-1 Washington. Another key matchup has the Baltimore Blitz visiting the Pittsburgh Maulers, while in Veterans Stadium one of the league’s best rivalries is on tap when the Generals travel down the turnpike to face the Stars in Philly.