You have to love divisional football. The rivalries, the high stakes, the animosity, and the history. It was 12 divisional games this week and what did we get? A lot of action, a lot of energy, and a lot of aggravation for half of the fans across the league. Philly got blasted by the Feds, Baltimore upended the Glory, Atlanta again played tough, and Birmingham came up with a big win when they needed it. We got Michigan making life hard for the Breakers, Denver making a case for the division, LA saying “not so fast” and Portland crushing Seattle’s chances to get back into the playoff mix. In other words, what we got was divisional football at its best.
The matchup of the Maulers and Generals is not one of the biggest rivalry games in the league. Both clubs hold a lot more animosity towards the Philadelphia Stars than with each other, but you would not have known it from the game. It did not help that Andre Rison came out on Friday with some not so respectful words for the Generals. That got put up on the bulletin board in New Jersey to be sure, and it fired up a game that may have gone very differently without that moment. The Generals came in angry and it showed early, the Maulers got fired up in response, and by the game’s conclusion it was all the refs could do to keep the players in line.
Despite the chippiness of the game (10 penalties on Pittsburgh as good evidence), it was a pretty well-played game between a playoff contender and a team that always seems to show up but rarely gets the results. Charlie Batch had his best game of the year, a 444-yard, 4 TD day that won him Offensive POTW, a rare feat for the QB of a losing team. New Jersey countered with an efficient offense that saw Tom Brady complete 20 of 25 passes for 334 yards and 2 scores.
The Generals started things off in the 1st with a 13-play drive that concluded with Curtis Enis breaking tackles on his way to a 6-yard TD. The Generals would add 3 more in the 2nd, and Pittsburgh would get on the board in the final seconds of the half with a 37-yarder from Bill Grammatica. 10-3 at the half, but things got hotter in the 2nd half to be sure.
New Jersey opened the 2nd half with a quick score from Terry Glenn, a 56-yard scoring play aided by two Mauler defenders essentially picking each other off trying to tackle the speedy General. Down 17-3, Pittsburgh shifted gears. After 15 carries for 70 yards in the first half, Terrell Davis would get only another 5 carries in the 2nd half as the Maulers put the ball in the hands of Charlie Batch. Batch responded, first hitting Andre Rison with a beautiful deep ball for a 69-yard TD. His touchdown dance, a clear taunt of the New Jersey bench, helped once again fuel the animosity between the two clubs, and cost Pittsburgh 15 yards on the kickoff due to unsportsmanlike conduct.
New Jersey would go 3-and-out, and with the ball back, the Maulers quickly moved the ball, a 6-play drive that ended with Jay Riemersma catching Batch’s 2nd TD. The Grammatica PAT evened the score at 17, which is how it went into the final period. New Jersey would pull ahead in the 4th, first on a Neil Rackers FG and then on a huge play from the defense, with Jason Sehorn breaking up a Charlie Batch 3rd down toss, then snagging the ball in the air, and racing 54 yards for a Generals TD 27-17 New Jersey.
Pittsburgh could have folded at this point, but they roared back. On their next possession Batch hit Eddie Kennison with a slant route that he took to the end zone. 5:30 left and Pittsburgh down by 3. They would get the ball back with 3:23 after New Jersey could not convert a 3rd and 8. Batch would again find an open receiver, this time Jake Reed, 27 yards out, and the Maulers had the lead, their first of the day, 31-27 with 1:22 left to play.
The Generals took over and young QB Tom Brady, already building a reputation for himself as a 4th quarter comeback kid, did just that. Brady guided the Generals towards midfield, and with time ticking down, he hit on a huge play, a seam route to Anthony Becht as the Maulers sent the house. Becht had to tap the ball with one hand and then scoop it in on the run, but he made the catch and rumbled his way to pay dirt. Touchdown New Jersey with only 27 seconds on the clock.
The fans in the Meadowlands were on their feet, screaming themselves hoarse, a kind of excitement we have not seen from Generals fans in a long time. If anyone doubted how the Generals could capture attention in the NY market, this game showed that with the combination of Coach Parcells on the sideline and a dynamic young QB with a knack for the dramatic, this club could become the darlings of Gotham.
BAL 27 OHI 26
Baltimore needed this win and they scrapped for it. Despite giving up 110 yards to Eddie George, and a stellar 7 catch, 177 yard, 2 TD day from Joey Galloway, the Blitz hung around all day, never down by more than 7. They relied on Ron Dayne, who would rush for 151 and a score on the day, and they would get contributions from Rob Moore and Cam Cleeland in the passing game to stick close. They took the lead finally in the 4th when Martin Grammatica nailed a 45-yarder to go up 27-24. Ohio had a chance to pull it out, but Joey Galloway, on the end of a 27-yarder that nearly scored, got the ball popped out on the 2 yard line. Baltimore recovered, and rather than risk it with almost no time left, Jeff Garcia took a safety, gave up 2 points and Baltimore kicked the ball away as the clock wound down to double zeroes, win in hand.
PHI 6 WSH 47
We are not sure if Washington is just that good or if something brought Philly in flat, because this one got ugly quickly. Washington scored on their first 4 possessions, leading to a 26-0 lead at the half Bobby Hebert would throw two picks and then get pulled for Will Furrer. Deuce McCallister scored 3 TDs, mostly in goal line situations, and add one more through the air to be the game MVP.
BIR 35 MEM 25
Lawrence Dawsey picked a good week to come back from injury. Fans clamored to Liberty Bowl Stadium for this battle of 6-5 clubs. Over 52,000 in attendance as red jerseys from both fanbases rocked the bowl stadium. Dawsey would have a huge return in this one, going for 188 yards and a score, though Marcus Robinson would also have a good day with 2 TD catches. Garrison Hearst also returned from injury for Memphis and his 88 yards and a score helped keep it close until the 4th, when Favre hit Robinson for TDs on two consecutive drives to pull ahead for the win.
ATL 19 ORL 24
This one was yet more evidence that the 1-10 Fire are playing hard despite their poor record. Down 21-9 at one point, the Fire came on late but just fell short against the 9-2 Renegades. Tiki Barber again looked good in Rick Neuheisel’s more run-dependent offense, rushing for 110 on 21 carries. Orlando got TD catches from Donald Driver and Terry Kirby on their way to a 10th win on the season.
JAX 36 TBY 13
All good things have to end, and Jacksonville ended Tampa’s win streak in a definitive way. Despite being sacked 5 times, Chris Chandler was on fire, completing 25 of 26 passes (a league record 96.2% completion rate). Add in 97 yards for Kenny Bynum, who seems to have surplanted Sedrick Irvin as the lead back for the Bulls, and you get an ugly loss for the Bandits. Both Terrell Owens and Cedrick Tillman were over 100 yards receiving as Jacksonville quieted down the Bandit crowd early in this one.
TEX 14 STL 30
The Knights got a much needed win after a rough couple of weeks. Ahman Green was at the center of an offense that gained 395. His 127 yards and 1 Td were key to the Knights win. It also helped that the Knights rediscovered run defense, holding Reggie Cobb to only 42 yards on 18 carries.
NOR 14 MGN 38
Drew Brees seems to be learning quickly as he again helped the Panthers offense score a solid win. Brees went 19 of 22 for 197 and 5, yup, 5 touchdowns in this one as the Breakers defense just had nothing on Michigan. Muhsin Muhammad was Brees’s big target in this one, hauling in 4 TDs for himself. Trent Dilfer for New Orleans just could not keep up, especially with Ricky Williams slogging through a 46-yard day.
HOU 3 CHI 27
A big day for the Chicago defense, which landed 5 sacks of Matt Hasselbeck, two by rookie Tommy Polley. Chicago also got 124 yards and a score from WR Curtis Conway and 107 yards and another score from Duce Staley to put away the Gamblers and hold court in the Central Division.
DEN 20 ARZ 16
A big win for the Gold on the road as they now sit at 8-4. Peerless Price caught 6 for 97 yards and Kurt Gouveia, the old man in the middle, ran back a tipped ball for a TD in this one. Jake Plummer did leave the game in the 3rd with a possible concussion, and that all but ended Arizona’s shot. Craig Whelihan could not generate the one good drive Arizona needed at the end.
OAK 17 LA 34
The Express won the California Derby and kept a game up on Denver with the win at home despite 115 yards from Oakland’s Rodney Thomas. Mike Pritchard nearly eclipsed 200 yards receiving, ending the day with 199 yards, including a 49-yarder that put fans on their feet. Tory Holt added another 104 in the air as LA kept the pressure on all day with big plays.
SEA 20 POR 34
For all the preseason hype, Seattle just has not produced. It did not help that Brian Griese was out with an injury, leaving Giovanni Carmazzi as the Dragon QB. He could not stay upright as Portland got 5 sacks and 9 knockdowns on the backup. On offense, Akili Smith was both the teams leading passer (288 yards, 2 TD) and rusher (66 yards and a score) as he seemed to be channeling some Jake Plummer action. The win helps Portland eye a possible playoff spot, the loss makes Seattle’s path very tough.
STATS YOU DON’T OFTEN SEE
Our stats page tends to give you the biggies, QBR, Yards rushing, receiving yards, sacks, interceptions, etc. but there are many many more stats that the USFL tracks that we don’t focus on. Here are just a few stat leaders you may not have known about.
RECEPTIONS: Terry Glenn is the yardage leader for receivers at 1,421, but he is only 5th in receptions. That title is currently in the hands of Seattle’s Eric Metcalf, whose 94 catches lead Andre Rison of Pittsburgh by 9.
RUSHING BY QB: You probably could guess that Jake Plummer’s 474 yards is tops among quarterbacks. But would you guess that even with his benching in favor of Drew Brees, Doug Flutie is still 2nd with 225. Expect both Kordell Stewart and Akili Smith to catch up and pass Flutie by season’s end.
HB RECEIVING: Who is the best receiving back this year? If you guessed Errict Rhett or Kevin Faulk you are wrong. It is a bit of a surprise, league leading rusher Terrell Davis with 37 receptions, 5 more than Corey Dillon in 2nd. Now, if we are looking at yardage, that goes to Eddie George in Ohio’s pass happy offense, with 466 yards on the season. Lamont Warren, also in Ohio, is second. How is that for utilizing your backs in the passing offense.
TE RECEIVING: It is rare that a TE is in the Top 5 of our receiving list, so we are just not used to seeing them. But if you are looking for a good receiving TE, there are none better than Steve Johnson of New Orleans (66 receptions for 789 yards), Marco Battaglia in Denver (65 for 651), or Jim Kleinsasser in Chicago (61 for 541). None of these are putting up Shannon Sharpe or Keith Jackson numbers, but they are reliable short yardage and red zone targets to be sure.
DEFENSE: If run stuffing is what you want, turn to Randall Godfrey in Atlanta. Yes, Atlanta!!. The Fire may be horrible in many ways but Godfrey is still leading the league with 24 tackles for loss, one ahead of Washington’s Al Wilson at 23.
PUNTING: Hard to get excited about punting, but if you want booming kicks, look to the 48-yard average of Birmingham’s James Elmore. If you prefer the coffin corner, the best in the game this year is Oakland’s Andy Watkins, with 33 punts inside the 20.
RETURNS: If we are going to cover punting, you know we have to give some love to the return men. Right now the best punt returner in the league is LA’s Barry Minter at 13 yards per return, though if you want scores, look no further than New Orleans CB/KR Walt Harris. He has a punt return and 2 kickoff returns for TDs this year, the only player with more than one return for a score this season.
LOOK TO THE DRAFT
Yes, we have only 1 club eliminated from the playoffs, but we feel pretty confident in saying that we see Michigan, Texas, and Oakland joining them at this point in the first 5 picks of the draft. Yes, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Houston, and Jacksonville could slip down a notch too, but let’s focus on the clubs with 3 wins or less. If you are them, who do you want to invest in for this year’s draft? A tough question for a team that has a lot of needs.
ATLANTA: The easy pick for the #1 Draft spot. So what does Atlanta do? Easy to say QB, but is there really a QB worth spending this pick on? The two best options are Fresno’s David Carr and Oregon’s Joey Harrington. Fresno State may remain unclaimed as a territorial school but we fully expect Oregon to be in Portland’s selections when the choice of T-Draft schools are picked. Would Atlanta trade to get a territorial pick from Portland to sign him? We doubt Portland will after seeing Akili Smith develop this year. Nope, a better option would be for Atlanta to go with a big defensive stud like UNC’s Julius Peppers or Ryan Sims, two players who could be T-Draft picks if Atlanta picks UNC as one of their 3 protected schools. They could then look at QB in free agency or take a shot at someone like David Garrard of ECU later in the draft.
MICHIGAN: They have their QB, but their run game is pathetic, so it has to be halfback with their first pick. They have an obvious choice in Michigan State’s T.J. Duckett, an almost guaranteed territorial pick. If they whiff on Duckett they could also go after someone like Ladell Betts of Iowa or Najeh Davenport of Miami if they want to stick with a power run game. Another position to look at would be wideout, and we could easily see an Andre Davis (Va Tech) or Reche Caldwell (Florida) being a good pick.
OAKLAND: We just don’t see Ryan Leaf sticking in Oakland, despite his pretty good play after returning from a benching. So, it may all depend on if Oakland likes what they see in last year’s pick, Marques Tuiasosopo. If not, they could make a play for Fresno State’s David Carr, a local kid who could be a good option for them. If they do, then they will almost certainly look to the defense. A big DT like Tennessee’s John Henderson or Wisconsin’s Wendell Bryant makes a lot of sense here.
TEXAS: The Outlaws may just stick with Jeff Lewis, despite some issues this year. They lack speed outside, so maybe a Donte Stallworth (Tennessee) or Javon Walker (Florida), but they also need to bulk up that line to keep the run game going, so don’t be surprised if they go big on the T-Draft to sign Texas tackle Mike Williams. They could also improve the D with another longhorn, CB Quentin Jammer.
Yup, believe it or not, if the playoffs started today Portland would be in and the South would be represented by only 1 team, the 10-2 Renegades. Birmingham at 7-5 would be out, as would 6-6 Tampa and Memphis. Still 4 weeks to go, so nothing is settled, but a win this week would clinch the South for Orlando, and Chicago can wrap up the Central with a win and a St. Louis loss in New Jersey. One more headscratcher, with only 4 weeks left only Atlanta is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Despite being 3-9, Texas, Michigan, and Oakland are only 2 games out of the 6th playoff spot in the West. Anyone have that in mind when Michigan was 1-9?
A week with no season-enders is a good week. We still have a lot of walking wounded, but at least that list did not get much longer this week. A few situations to watch for include WR Johnnie Morton of Chicago (Doubtful with hyperextended knee), Az-Zahir Hakeem in New Orleans (hamstring), tackle Zach Weigert in Pittsburgh (groin), HB Michael Pittman in LA (neck), QB Jake Plummer of Arizona (probable with a deep thigh bruise).
Brian Griese is expected to return to action this week for Seattle, as is Matt Light for New Jersey, Matt Stinchcomb in Arizona, John Thierry in Chicago, and Fred Smoot, the league’s interception leader, in Arizona.
The Atlanta Fire, needing anything they can get to restore fan enthusiasm in the middle of a very disappointing season, have become the third and final USFL club to reveal a new Reebok design for 2002. The Fire retained the essence of their primary look while still going full overhaul, developing with USFL league officials and Reebok designers a new primary logo, wordmark, and uniform.
The new logo reimagines the "flaming A" secondary and incorporates the flame into the letter as a not very subtle homage to another former pro team in the city, the NHL's Atlanta Flames. The flames, no longer orange trimmed in gold, but now stand alone gold and orange elements, emerge from the lower right leg of the A and "burn" up to the upper left. The wordmark also features a more subtle element of this, with a small golden flame within the R of "Fire". So, it would appear that a mere 6 years after the Atlanta Olympics, the symbolism of the Olympic torch is gone, and we see the Fire now use a more generic reference to flames in its logo.
While the stand alone logo will be the flaming A design, the helmet will retain its wraparound design of the flames alone. Here the flame pattern seen in the main logo is tilted so that the flames emerge from the front of the helmet and flare towards the back, similar to the original 1995 design but with a very different shape and, once again, without being piped in one color, with separate gold and orange elements.
The new uniforms jump on a couple of big trends we are seeing in pro sports branding these days, the removal of stripes and the use of transitional colors. The pants are stripeless, available in white, navy, or orange, and with the team's primary logo on each hip. The jerseys retain the familiar look of either orange or white bodies with navy blue sleeves, but now an ombre (color-shifting) effect is seen in both the collar and in the numbers. On the darker orange jerseys the numbers shift from white to gold (with navy outlines) while on the white jersey the shift is from the fire orange to gold (again with navy outline). The team logo is retained on each sleeve (using a gold outline to allow the navy "A" to be visible.
So, a new look for a new start in Atlanta. The club, in the middle of a brutal 1-11 season, and working with an interim coaching staff, is likely going to want to reinvent itself over the offseason, and now they have a look and a logo to use as a means of reimagining themselves after what has to be considered a very difficult startup. Seven years into the expansion club's existence and they are all but starting from scratch again.
We follow an all-divisional week with an all-interconference week as the Central clubs head to the Atlantic and the Pacific clubs head South. Which games should you tune in for, well, how about a battle of 7-5 clubs when Arizona goes on a rare trip to Birmingham? How about 7-5 St. Louis in New Jersey to face the 8-4 Generals? And, of course, there is a big one as two division leaders clash in the Citrus Bowl. 9-3 Los Angeles heads to Orlando to face the 10-2 Renegades.
Other games include New Orleans @ Baltimore, Texas visiting Ohio, Chicago in Pittsburgh, Houston traveling to Philadelphia, Michigan (winners of 2 straight) facing the Feds in RFK, Portland visiting Atlanta, Denver in Jacksonville, Seattle in Memphis, and the Tampa Bay Bandits hoping to start a new streak with a home game against Oakland.
I like the new Fire logo, hopefully it can inspire a winner (but probably not)