Four weeks away from the playoffs and we have our first clinched spots, with four teams punching their tickets this week. It was a week that saw quite a few upsets and two clashes of teams we expect to see in the postseason. We also saw some clubs falling further out of contention as good starts have turned to sour finishes. What was supposed to be an offensive showcase between Orlando and LA turned into a defensive slugfest. We also saw two teams that we had written off in Jacksonville and Texas rise up and pull off significant upsets. But, we start with another upset, our game of the week between the Houston Gamblers and the Philadelphia Stars.
Sometimes it just comes down to one final drive, one chance to pull a game out and get the win when the odds are against you. That is exactly what Houston did after watching Philadelphia cut into their 10-point lead and even the score with only 1:53 to play, but that was enough time for Houston to make its move and put the game into the hands, or rather the feet, of their kicker for a possible game-winning 60-yard field goal.
The game had been a bit back and forth all day. Philadelphia was the first to score, with Bobby Hebert hitting rookie Steve Smith for a 23-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. But Houston is more than capable of trading scores with teams, at least most weeks when their offense is in sync. This week they looked solid, and only 4 minutes after Philadelphia’s opening shot, Houston responded with a Kevin Faulk TD run to even the score. This back and forth continued into the 2nd quarter, with the Stars again taking the lead, this time on a Stephen Davis run. Houston drove again, but could not convert a 3rd and 13 after a somewhat shaky false start call. Chris Boniol came in and pulled them to within 4, 14-10.
After stopping the Stars on their own 3rd and long, Houston got the ball back, and used the clock well before Matt Hasselbeck found Derrick Mason for Houston’s first lead of the game, 17-14, and that is how it would go to the half. Neither team fared well with their first drives of the second half, but Houston found pay dirt again with their second drive, a 54-yard, 11-play drive that concluded with Kevin Faulk getting his second short yardage TD on the day. 24-14 Houston after three quarters.
Philadelphia was not going to go out without a fight in this one, and on their next drive, ending the 3rd and opening the 4th, the Stars held the ball for 12 plays but could not get in the end zone. They would eventually settle for 3 off the foot of Jeff Jaeger. Five minutes to play and the Stars needed a defensive stop. They would get it, with George Koonce making a big play on third down to deny Hasselbeck a pass to his tight end. Philly got the ball back and Bobby Hebert went to work, hitting Steve Smith, Marcus Pollard, and Troy Brown on a drive that got the stars into Houston territory, then, on 2nd and 2, the Stars faked a run by Davis and Hebert saw Troy Brown in single coverage, he connected with his slot receiver and 38 yards later, Philadelphia had a tie score with 1:53 left to play.
But, 1:53 and a tie score is no guarantee of overtime. That was ample time for the Gamblers to get into field goal range, and they did just that, but on a 3rd and 3, the shotgun snap went awry, and Matt Hasselbeck had to dive on the ball at the 43 yard line. With time ticking down, Coach Phillips would make the call, let Chris Boniol take a shot from 60 yards out. His longest of the year had been 52 and that was in the dome. This was a far less hospitable atmosphere at Veterans Stadium. Boniol lined up the kick and gave it everything he had. The ball sailed true, and just cleared the crossbar, to the cheers and celebrations of the Gamblers squad. The Stars returned to their locker room, losers of 3 in a row and now well back of Washington and fading behind New Jersey, Ohio and Baltimore at the worst time of the season to fall back. Houston moved to 5-8, and still have a slim chance at a playoff spot despite their losing record.
LA 16 ORL 13
While the Houston-Philadelphia game won our GOTW due to the play on the field, the most anticipated and most watched game was the matchup of the division leaders of the Pacific and Southern divisions as LA traveled cross country to face off against Orlando in the Citrus Bowl. Most pundits thought this one would go to the offenses, but both LA and Orlando put up very strong defensive game plans. LA saw their ground game limited to only 58 total yards, while Orlando had similar problems, with Terry Kirby only carrying the ball 9 times for 29 yards. Orlando held the lead until the 4th, when Cade McNown found R. Jay Soward open for a 73-yard bomb that stunned the Renegades and would end up the winning score for the road team from Los Angeles.
STL 20 NJ 10
Another big showdown of potential playoff teams saw St. Louis play one of their best defensive games of the year as they blitzed and befuddled Generals’ QB Tom Brady. They used the blitz well against the run also, stuffing Curtis Enis in the backfield more often than we have seen this season. Meanwhile Ahman Green was able to find gaps, rushing for 105 on a tiring 31 carries. With Steve Israel picking off Brady and returning it for 6, the game was locked up for the visiting Knights, who move to 8-5 and much better playoff standing with the win.
TEX 33 OHI 21
A stunner in Columbus as the Outlaws pick off Kerry Collins twice, with one going for a Texas TD, as the Outlaws pull off the 9-point upset. Reggie Cobb shared carries with Kevin Barlow, and Jeff Lewis was efficient on offense as the Outlaws got scores from Carl Pickens and Frank Wainright on their way to a surprise win against a stunned Glory squad.
NOR 21 BAL 34
The Breakers drop their 5th in a row and Baltimore wins its 4th straight as turnovers, penalties and a horrible 3rd down conversion rate doomed New Orleans. Jeff Garcia would throw for 264 and 3 scores on the day, while Trent Dilfer was picked twice. The Breakers would connect on only 1 third down play all day as the Blitz simply confused them with defensive shifts and delayed blitzes.
CHI 10 PIT 8
Ugly football in Pittsburgh as neither team was able to establish much on offense. Terrell Davis eventually got to 98 yards rushing, but still only averaged 3.8 yards a carry against Chicago’s 8-man front. For their part the Machine only managed 158 yards passing, and got their lone TD on a Jim Kliensasser catch off of a bounce off the hands of intended receiver Kirby Dar Dar. A fluke play for a fluke game as Chicago holds on to win after Pittsburgh got a late Andre Rison TD, but failed on the 2-point play to tie.
MGN 19 WSH 34
The Federals moved to a 2-game lead in the Atlantic by not looking past the plucky Michigan Panthers. The Feds’ run game was in top form as McCallister earned Rookie of the Week honors for his 99 yard day, while Rueben Droughns added another 83 for Washington. Kordell Stewart, making use of the play action game, connected for 3 TD passes on the day as Washington thrilled the home crowd with a big win.
POR 24 ATL 17
Don’t look now, but Portland is thinking playoffs. They move to 6-7 with a road win in Atlanta as Akili Smith continues to improve under center. It helped that they got solid games from both rushers, with Buckhalter and Kaufmann combining for 99 yards and 2 TDs on the day. The Thunder pass rush got to Mark Bulger 4 times and limited Tiki Barber to only 59 yards rushing to earn the W.
ARZ 18 BIR 34
The Wranglers fall again as Birmingham is finding their groove. Despite 139 yards from WR Hines Ward, the Wranglers could not keep pace with Brett Favre’s 286 yards and 3 touchdowns. Marcus Robinson was this week’s big target for Birmingham as the Wranglers kept double coverage on Lawrence Dawsey all day. Robinson would finish with 131 yards and a touchdown. The defense played its part, limiting Arizona to only 62 yards rushing and sacking Jake Plummer 4 times in the home win.
DEN 35 JAX 38 OVERTIME
In a game they could not afford to lose, the Gold still fell victim to a motivated Bulls team. Jacksonville got another big game from Chris Chandler, who threw for 395 yards and 3 scores. Brunell tried to play keep up, throwing for 450 and 3 scores of his own, but in a game that came down to who could get into field position in overtime, it was Jacksonville who got their on their second drive of extra time, allowing Kris Brown to drive home the winning kick.
SEA 27 MEM 34
Any playoff hope Seattle had may have been washed away by the Showboats on Saturday. Three TD passes from Heath Shuler, including a pair by rookie Justin McCaerins, were enough to hold the lead in Memphis. Both McCaerins and Joe Horn went over 100 yards in this one as Memphis improved to 7-6, but still are on the bubble for the playoffs. Seattle falls to 4-9 and look like a team that has some soul searching to do.
OAK 21 TBY 44
The Bandits also sit at 7-6 after a convincing home win against the visiting Oakland Invaders. Randy Moss gained 127 yards on only 4 catches, but Tampa got scores from unlikely sources to take the win. TE Branford Banta and HB Travis Prentice added two scores to Errict Rhett’s 2 TD day as the Bandits poured it on down the stretch. We did get to see our first Tuiasosopo sighting after Coach Capers pulled an ineffective Ryan Leaf as the 4th quarter began. The rookie would go 6 of 11 for 69 yards and a garbage time TD to Ed McCaffrey.
THOMAS STEPPING DOWN
News out of Pittsburgh as their official elimination from playoff contention has moved the Maulers towards a decision. The Maulers accepted Emmitt Thomas’s resignation effective after the conclusion of this season. This is almost certainly an agreed upon “resignation”, meaning that had Thomas not submitted his resignation, he could have been fired even before the season ends. So, Pittsburgh will be joining Atlanta on the coaching market. Not really a surprise when we see how last year’s 3-13 season is being followed up this year. Top candidates for the position? Well, look for the Maulers to look across the state at Jim Mora Jr’s staff in Philly, or possibly to try to snag an up and coming defensive coordinator as that aspect of their club has not been up to its usual standards these past couple of years. Who do we like? How about Orlando DC Marvin Lewis, who has done an outstanding job for the Renegades.
TUIASOSOPO OR TUI-NOT-SO-SOPO?
We saw Oakland put in rookie Marques Tuiasosopo this week when Ryan Leaf was ineffective. Does this mean that the youngster may get a start or two down the stretch? Maybe. Maybe not. Jon Kitna is expected back from injury this week, and he had been given the starting job over Ryan Leaf until his injury. Leaf could also be given a start, though he is dealing with a sore shoulder as well as being in Coach Cunningham’s dog house. It’s a tough call for Cunningham. If the Invaders want to move Leaf, it would be good to show him doing well to boost the market, but you also want to know if you have something in Tuiasosopo before you make decision on Leaf, as frustrating as he can be in the locker room. Kitna is the steady but unspectacular vet, so he is likely just going to sit by and let this happen, knowing that he will likely have a shot at the starting job next spring no matter what goes down.
MVP WIDE OPEN
We are at a loss to tell you who is leading the MVP race. We fully expect it will go to a QB, although an argument could be made for Phil Hansen in New Jersey to be sure. Of the QB’s the question is what statistics matter most? Collins leads in yardage and TD’s, but Shuler is right there as well and the Memphis QB has a better QB Rating. It does not help that both clubs have been a bit erratic, and neither is sitting up at 10-3 like Orlando, Washington, LA, and Chicago. But, statistically the QB’s of those 4 clubs are just not quite there. Yes, McNown looks good in yardage (3rd at 4,017) and his TDs (33) are in the general vicinity, but LA is also a run-first club, so is he really putting it all together?
I am going to throw a weird one out there. Terry Glenn, WR from New Jersey. If the Generals can finish strong, Glenn should get some looks. He leads the league with 1,501 yards receiving, is 5th with 89 catches, and 2nd with 3 TDs, trailing only Randy Moss. He has been at the top of the league even in years when his QB has been only so-so, but this year with the emergence of 2nd year QB Tom Brady, he is putting together a season that deserves recognition.
Week 13 brings us our first clinched spots for the year. No division titles yet, but we can say that 4 clubs are headed to the postseason. All 4 sit at 10-3 and all 4 are currently occupying the top 2 spots in each conference. Washington is in and sits as the top seed in the East right now, with Orlando also guaranteed a spot, but hoping to overtake the Feds and earn home field advantage. The same is the case in the West with Chicago atop the Central thanks to a 4-game win streak. LA has the same record but sits in the #2 seed due to a tiebreaker with the Machine.
The action now turns to the bubble teams. Right now 4 clubs, including 3 from the Atlantic, are tied at 8-5, with three more teams sitting at 7-6 and hoping to move up and into playoff positions. In the West, Denver and St. Louis look solid at 8-5, behind them sits Arizona, losers of 3 straight, at 7-6, and then Portland, the conference’s only 6-7 squad. New Orleans, who have lost 5 in a row, slip out of playoff position at 5-8, but could still catch Portland, as could Houston, also at 5-8. And Altanta gets company today as Michigan, Oakland and Pittsburgh are all officially out of playoff contention.
A bad blow for Birmingham in this week’s game as SS Darryl Williams ruptured his Achilles and could be out well into training camp for next season. Likewise for Texas LB Jerrol Williams, whose ruptured disk means no less than 3 months out of action. Orlando could be without CB Fernando Bryant for up to 2 months as he has opted to deal with a hernia through surgery. In New Orleans, Wendell Davis could be out the rest of the year due to a fracture in his upper arm, while in Chicago, CB Jimmy Hitchcock, the Machine’s #1 cover guy, could also miss the rest of the regular season due to a broken collarbone. They hope to have him back for the playoffs.
Philly could be without Bobby Engram this week as he deals with a sprained wrist, but should be back in 2 weeks. Reggie Cobb of Texas could also be out at least this week as he sprained his ankle in this week’s game. Expected back we have Chicago WR Johnnie Morton, Orlando FS Myron Guyton, Birmingham TE Walter Reeves, Fred Smoot will be on the field again after limited snaps this week, and LA HB Michael Pittman, who left the game this week with knee swelling, was able to practice and is expected to be in action as well.
The sale of the Portland Thunder is reaching a critical stage as bids for the USFL franchise have been received and are under advisement from both Portland’s current ownership group and USFL league officials. Any proposal will require both financial and legal review from the league office in New York, as well as a vote of approval by the league ownership, and it appears that the Thunder are moving into this review stage. From reporting done by The Oregonian (Portland’s primary newspaper), the Thunder are considering three potential bids, one of which would have them relocating, something that has the team’s organized fan groups already making noise.
As expected, the well-heeled Boston Colonials Football Group has put together a bid for the Thunder, with hopes of relocating the team to Boston. Not much is known about the details of the proposal, or a potential home for the franchise in Massachusetts, an issue that was at the core of why the Boston Breakers eventually relocated to New Orleans. We know that within the Boston financial group there are significant financial resources, as the group contains not only Jeremy Jacobs (owner of the Boston Bruins NHL club) and Edward Linde, Co-founder of the Boston Properties real estate conglomerate, but also has at least 4 other influential local investors, including at least one “football man”, former BC and Philadelphia Stars Head Coach Jack Bicknell. While not verified by league sources, the inclusion of Bicknell in the ownership group has led many to speculate that the former Boston College coach being within the bidding group may be an indication that a deal with Boston College for use of the campus’s 44,500 seat Alumni Stadium may be included in the bid. Alumni Stadium would be a significant improvement over both former USFL homes in Boston (Nickerson Field at BU and Harvard Stadium) as well as over the 34,000 seat Civic Stadium in Portland.
Despite the possibility of the much larger market in Boston being secured by the sale of the Thunder to the Boston Colonials Group, the bid is not without challenges. For one, the relocation would disrupt the balance of franchise between east and west and lead to a somewhat “on the fly” realignment of the planned 2002 6-division format, likely bumping either Baltimore or Washington out of the 4-team Northeastern Division, into the Southeast, leading to Atlanta moving, which then moves another club, and another until either Denver or Arizona is moved to the Pacific Division to replace the Thunder. That is very messy and includes the rupture of several regional and divisional rivalries, something which could be enough to cause league owners to cast a negative vote were the bid to move that far.
Additionally, we know already that there are concerns of a “ripple effect” with league stability being challenged by a flurry of sales and potential relocations, something we saw in the early years of the league as well as in the mid 1990’s in the NFL. Add to this the threats of legal action from Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL New England Patriots, should the franchise relocate and seek to trademark the Colonials name. Kraft has been an outspoken opponent to the “cozying up” of some NFL ownership groups to their USFL counterparts, steadfastly opposing the use of first Foxboro Stadium, and now the newly constructed Gilette Stadium for the league, and has been openly hostile to the USFL relocating to Boston. The use of a team name as similar to the Patriots in theme, even with a very different proposed logo and color scheme (Navy, Sky Blue and metallic Gold, as seen in the group’s current design) would almost certainly lead to trademark infringement cases being brought even before the club arrived in the area.
Were the Boston group the lone bid for the Thunder, we would expect that despite the potential legal issues with Kraft or the realignment concerns, the prospect of the large TV market and well-financed ownership group would move the league to approve the sale and relocation. But, two other bids have also been entered for the franchise, both of which would potentially keep the team in Portland. The first of these is a grassroots “public” option which seeks to treat the Thunder as a public good, sell shares in the club similar to what we see in Green Bay and in part in Birmingham with the Stallions. This bid is viewed as a longshot due to a lack of up front financial support and the somewhat circumspect attitude of league owners to the idea of a fully public ownership of a league franchise. While it would be a path to retaining a team in Portland, it would be a lengthy process, and one which would need a lot more clarity of direction than we have seen to date.
The second option, one which came at something of the last minute, is a private ownership group which has come forward with the intention of purchasing the Thunder, remaining in Portland but working to develop a domed stadium on the city’s east side. This group, known as the Portland Football Consortium, does not actually have significant local investment, but appears to be the brainchild of a small cohort of investors who see the potential for Portland if a stadium is on the table. At the lead of this group is Canadian-born CEO of World Com, the 2nd largest long distance carrier in the American market, Bernard Ebbers. Ebbers has brought together 4 primary investors to make this bid, with Las Vegas hotel-casino developer Phil Ruffin, and former MLB player and native Oregonian Dave Kingman among them.
The group, while perhaps not as well-financed as the Boston bid, has significant resources, and their plan to develop land in the city’s eastern riverfront could be seen as a potential boon for development in the region, which almost certainly would draw support from city officials, though likely some concerns from citizen groups in the city as well. Having out-of-region ownership is always a concern, but if the league is serious about retaining a presence in Portland, this bid provides them an option other than relocation and the logistical concerns it raises. Local officials will almost certainly fall in line behind the PFC bid, as the loss of the Thunder would be a major blow to the local economy, and we can expect several owners within the USFL to make the case as well, particularly those potentially impacted by realignment should the franchise relocate to Boston.
We are likely looking at 2-4 months of investigation, background review, financial modeling, and competing pressures as the team’s current ownership group as well as the league’s financial and competition committees review the bids. We expect that the USFL’s NY office will eventually provide recommendations to the Thunder ownership, including a potential designation of acceptance or rejection of any of the three bids, but that in the end what we expect to happen is for the ownership in Portland to bring a single bid up for vote at the league ownership meeting and that a campaign for approval will accompany the proposal, hoping to garner a secure voting block at or above the 16 votes needed for approval.
Week 14 could be one to start separating teams, especially in the Eastern Conference where all 12 clubs are in divisional play. In the logjams at 8-5 in the Atlantic and 7-6 in the South, there is room to gain a leg up with a win this week. Of the three 8-6 clubs, Ohio has the toughest path, as they head to RFK to face the 10-3 Federals, who see a win as a ticket to the division title and a bye. New Jersey has a big game in Philadelphia, where the Stars see a win as essential to getting back in the mix. Baltimore has the best path, though they are also on the road, facing the Maulers in Pittsburgh.
In the South, the game to watch will be 7-6 Tampa Bay visiting 8-5 Birmingham. A win here for the Bandits could be huge all across the conference. 7-6 Memphis is loving their chance to move up as they face the 1-12 Atlanta Fire, while Orlando, hoping to clinch the division with a win and a Stallion loss, are at Jacksonville, who have been a bit feisty these past couple of weeks.
Out West we don’t have divisional play, but that does not mean we don’t have big games. How about two 8-5 clubs matching up in St. Louis, where the Gold are hoping they can steal a win. Chicago is at home, hoping to lock up the division with a Knights loss and a win over visiting Oakland. LA is also hoping to get help from the Denver-St. Louis game, but they need to focus on winning in Texas first. Portland and Houston, two clubs right in the mix for the final playoff spot, face off in the AstroDome. If Houston can win this one it is a huge swing for them as they take Portland down and put themselves in position to snag that Wild Card. In other games, Arizona is hoping to get back on track as they head to New Orleans to play a dispirited Breaker squad. Finally, Seattle and Michigan square off in the Silverdome in a game between two teams that have underwhelmed their fans to be sure.