2001 USFL Week 4 Recap: Divisional Drama

Divisional action across the league led to a lot of chippy, tension-filled games, and a few results that could impact things down the road. It also produced some memorable performances, including a 106-yard kickoff return that sparked a win for the Breakers and a breakout performance by two backup backs, Travis Prentice in Tampa Bay and rookie Dominic Rhodes in Arizona.

Perhaps not the highest profile game of the week, but the matchup of Central Division foes in San Antonio was a fun one. Texas did their best to upend the visiting Breakers, but in the end New Orleans did just enough to eke out a win on the road against a desperate Outlaws squad. The Breakers played sloppily, committing 13 penalties, but also played aggressively, forcing 4 Texas turnovers. Without those, they likely would not have pulled this one out.

Texas started off strong, scoring the game’s first 10 points. The opening drive for Texas was a good one, a 9-play 77-yard drive that concluded with Jeff Lewis hitting Eugene Baker for 6. They would hold that lead into the 2nd quarter and then expand it when kicker Tim Seder connected from 28 yards out.

New Orleans struggled without Trent Dilfer at the helm. Bobby Hoying would only complete 44% of his throws, but he got the Breakers on the board late in the half, positioning the team for a 39 yard Lin Elliott field goal. On the opening drive of the second half, Elliott would get a second chance and would again connect, pulling the Breakers to within 4 at 10-6.

Texas would score on their first drive of the half, a slow, methodical campaign that ended with a Reggie Cobb 2-yard plunge to expand the lead to 17-6, but then the wheels started falling of the Outlaw bus. They Outlaws kicked the ball deep into the endzone, but New Orleans’s Walt Harris saw something in the Outlaw kick coverage. He took the ball out from deep in the endzone, found a seam, and was off to the races. One hundred and 6 yards later he hit paydirt and the Breakers were right back in the game, down 17-14 after a successful 2-point play.

Texas would get the ball back and almost immediately cough it up. Jeff Lewis was hit as he attempted to throw to TE Frank Wainright and the ball would be snapped out of the air by Breaker CB Ahmad Plummer. That pick led to almost immediate points for New Orleans as Hoying found TE Steve Johnson on a scoring strike 2 plays later. Texas was now down 21-17.

The Outlaws again coughed it up on the next drive when HB Autrey Denson got the ball punched out of his hand, giving New Orleans the ball in Texas territory. The Breaker drive stalled, but it still allowed Lin Elliott to expand the lead with a 45-yard field goal.

Down 24-17, Texas needed a drive, and they got one as the 4th quarter began. Jeff Lewis connected on 4 consecutive pass plays against a soft Breaker zone, andon 1st and 10 from the 6 he then found WR Brian Alford for the score. Texas had evened up the score. And they would hold New Orleans on the next drive, stifling a 3rd and 3 run by Ricky Williams for a loss of 1 on the play. The Breakers would punt, but again, all did not go Texas’s way.

Following 2 short runs from Reggie Cobb, who would end the day limited to only 48 yards rushing, Jeff Lewis tried to fit a ball into the arms of Shawn Collins, but the Breakers had tight coverage and CB Latin Berry snatched the ball away before Collins could make the catch. Another turnover and another short field for the Breakers. To their credit, the Outlaw defense held, but again Lin Elliott was in range and his 44-yard attempt sailed true, giving the Breakers the 3-point lead.

There was time left for Texas to get into field goal range, if not to score 6 for the win. They moved the ball into Breaker territory, but on 3rd and 11 from the Breaker 40, they were still too far for Tim Seder, so they tried to gain the first down with a deeper throw. Once again, Lewis took a risk on double coverage and this time it was Ahmad Plummer for his second pick of the day. New Orleans would not relinquish the ball this time, milking the clock until it read double-zeroes.

HOU 17 STL 23

Houston came into St. Louis and put a bit of a scare into the Knights thanks to a rare 100-yard day for HB Kevin Faulk. The Knights’ defense has been gashed a few times this season, a concern for Coach Johnson, but in the end the steady offense of Ahman Green (140 yards rushing) and Todd Collins (22 of 33 passing) helped St. Louis pull this one out with three 4th quarter field goals from Ryan Longwell.

CHI 33 MGN 6

In a game that cost Doug Flutie his starting job, Michigan got thoroughly trounced by the Chicago Machine. Flutie was simply unable to find open receivers, and the Panthers struggled to put any kind of consistent offense on the field. With Chicago’s Deuce Staley outgaining the entire Michigan run game 138-75, the game quickly fell into Chicago’s hands. By Monday the die was cast and Coach Martz announced that Drew Brees, the Purdue rookie, would start in Week 5.

ARZ 28 SEA 21

A good matchup in the Pacific as Jake Plummer used his arm rather than his legs to upend the homestanding Dragons. Plummer went 20 of 25 for 298 yards, though he did run in a score on a short 2-yard TD. He got an assist from rookie Dominic Rhodes, filling in after Dorsey Levins had to be helped to the sidelines as the unheralded rookie rushed for 54 yards but also also caught 3 passes for 87 yards and a second TD on a nice debut for the rookie out of tiny Midwestern State University.

DEN 17 LA 45

The Gold looked absolutely flummoxed by the idea of running an offense without Rashaan Salaam as they were limited to only 68 yards rushing. LA dominated as the Gold simply could not flip the field or hold the ball. It was actually 17-17 at the half, but LA exploded in the second half with 4 straight TD drives, including 2 Antowain Smith scores and a 40-yard pick six from Ray Crockett.

OAK 15 POR 5

On a sloppy field in Portland two sloppy teams played an utterly sloppy game of football. Neither team could pass the ball effectively in the rain, and while a fluke play to Plaxico Burress provided the only offensive TD on the day, helping Oakland score their first win of the year, neither team can be very happy with the way the game played out.

ORL 26 ATL 13

Atlanta cannot seem to pick a QB. Going back to Mark Bulger after starting Aaron Brooks last week, the Fire offense continued to struggle, gaining only 234 total yards. Orlando pressured Bulger all game and used run blitzes to limit Tiki Barber as well. Meanwhile, Scott Mitchell went 26 of 32 for 306 yardsand 3 TDs as the Renegades won their fourth in a row.

MEM 38 BIR 24

Lawrence Dawsey had 2 scores and 105 yards, but it was not enough as Memphis outpaced the Stallions and took home the win in the South’s biggest pro football rivalry. Heath Shuler outshone Brett Favre with 5 TD passes and 303 yards through the air. Joe Horn was his big target, snagging 7 balls for 125 and a score.

TBY 45 JAX 20

Unheralded backup HB Travis Prentice had a monster game as the Bandits surprised the Bulls with a run-first attack. Prentice would have only 9 carries but averaged 13.1 yards per carry on his way to a 118-yard performance. Errict Rhett added 52 more yards as Tampa Bay tried to keep the pressure off Trent Green. The strategy worked and, with help from a Kevin Mitchell pick-six, the Bandits pulled away late in this Florida Derby.

PIT 17 BAL 28

The Blitz struggled to find a rhythm early, but once found was able to pull away from the Maulers to the delight of a big crowd in Baltimore. Jeff Garcia would throw for 242 and 4 scores on the day as the Maulers focused on limiting Ron Dayne’s effectiveness on the ground. Baltimore had more success locking up Pittsburgh’s Terrell Davis, limiting the big back to only 34 yards on 15 carries.

PHI 20 NJ 7

Well, you knew the party for Tom Brady would have to end sometime, and it is no surprise that it was arch rival Philadelphia who would squelch the enthusiasm of a big Meadowlands crowd. Brady was picked off twice, and Curtis Enis was limited to only 45 yards on the ground as the no-name Philly defense came up big. The Stars also kept pressure off of Bobby Hebert by effectively utilizing both Stephen Davis and Pat Chaffey in the run game, to the tune of 125 yards rushing. Rookie receiver Steve Smith also came up big, with the play of the game, a 72 yard TD in the 3rd that made any chance of a General comeback a lot harder.

WSH 31 OHI 14

Ohio limped into this game without Eddie George or Joey Galloway, and while rookie phenom Chad Johnson had his third consecutive 100-yard game, it was not enough as HB Lamont Warren could only muster 37 yards rushing and Kerry Collins was sacked a painful 9 times by a nasty Feds pass rush. DT Jerome Brown had a field day, scoring his first ever 3-sack performance as Washington rolled in this one.

LA BACK IN FORM

So, it appears to be safe to say after 4 weeks that the LA Express are back in form after a rough 2000 campaign. The 4-0 Express are currently ranked in the Top 5 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Their run game is #1 in the league with Antowain Smith and Michael Pittman combining for 573 yards, nearly 200 yards more than even the league leader Ahman Green.

Coach Hall has the defense flying high as well, with LB’s Barry Minter and Donta Jones looking 5 years younger as they go sideline to sideline. Rookie DE Justin Smith has also started the year off well, with 4 sacks in his first 4 games. Add to this a total of 7 picks already from the ballhawking secondary of Ray Crockett, Aeneas Williams, Wendell Davis and free safety Tavares Tillman and the LA defense is getting the job done, to the tune of only 14.2 points a game allowed. That will take you far, especially when the offense is averaging 31.5 ppg.

DENVER DESPERATE

Things are not looking so good in Denver, where the defending champs seem to be suffering from a post-title hangover. The offense, even in the games before the Salaam suspension, was not exactly humming. The Gold are currently 20th in the league in scoring despite doing much better in yards per game (6th with 366.8 per game). Even worse, the defense, often the centerpiece of Denver’s success, is ranked 23rd in points allowed and in passing yards allowed. That combo is not the best path to a title defense.

So who is to blame? Hard to say. Denver did not have a huge roster turnover as many title teams do. Leslie O’Neill is his usual scary self on the D-line, but the defense simply is not getting the stops it so often relies on. While losing Salaam has made things worse, it all cannot be his fault. True, Denver was able to better manipulate the clock with him in full form, giving up only 26 points to Birmingham in Week 1 and 21 to Houston in Week 2, while the past two weeks they gave up 49 and 45 to Arizona and LA respectively. Needless to say, Coach Jauron had better figure out a plan B, and quickly, as Denver is already 3 games out of first place and sitting in the basement of the division.

JEROME BROWN STILL DOMINANT

Can we just pause for a moment and admire the amazing career of Jerome Brown. The man is in his 15th season at one of the toughest, most body-destroying positions in football, and he just put together a 3-sack game against a division rival. He has not missed a start since 1995 and only 1 game since 1990. That is simply incredible for a DT. He is currently 1 sack short of 99 in his career, again, as a DEFENSIVE TACKLE, not an edge rusher. Only John Randle, with 83 sacks, is even close to that number. In what can be a thankless position, Brown has found a way to turn his blood & guts play into a marquee position. He is revered in DC, and for good reason. He has been and continues to be the best at his position in either pro league. And he seems to only be getting better, which is mind-blowing. So, congratulations to Jerome Brown for showing us what excellence in this game looks like.

QB CHANGE IN MICHIGAN

Excellence is not the word being thrown around in Michigan these days. An 0-4 start has fans openly booing the Panthers. We even saw a few paper bags on heads this week. Doug Flutie, once the most celebrated signing of the USFL, and a bit of a folk hero for anyone under 6’ tall, has not been playing well at all, and actually ranks as the 2nd worst starter in the league. His 66.9 QB Rating would be the worst if not for Ryan Leaf and his 7 picks sitting at 50.4.

So, it is no surprise that this week first-year head coach Mike Martz felt he had to make a change. Flutie will sit and first round rookie pick Drew Brees will get the start. But is QB really the issue? Sure, Flutie has not looked good this year, and he has been forced to try to make a lot of plays with his legs, which are not as nimble as they once were. But part of the reason for that is the play of a pretty average (or sub-average) Panther offensive line. This is a line that did not do Tyrone Wheatley any favors last year, perhaps the reason he opted to take the contract option, hit the free market, and eventually sign in the NFL. Siran Stacy has not had much better luck with the Panther line either, rushing for only 124 yards in 4 games. Flutie is actually the leading rusher for Michigan with 185 yards, and most of that is him running for his life.

Will Drew Brees find much better success? Hard to picture. The Panthers line is a problem, and, other than Muhsin Muhammad, there is not a lot of talent in the receiving pool. Panther fans love to point to Jeff Campbell’s reception totals, but he is not a deep threat at all, and not particularly hard to limit to short completions with little YAC impact. Laverneus Coles currently leads Michigan with 20 receptions, but he too is not finding ways to turn short receptions into big chunks of yardage.

We know that Martz wants to run a wide open, three or four receiver formation, offense, but does he have the dogs he needs to pull that sled? No run game to speak of, a porous line, and receivers who cannot turn short range passes into long range plays. Sounds like a tall order, so best of luck to Mr. Brees. The downside to being a very early round draft pick is that you often end up on a pretty bad team, and that certainly seems to be the case for the most highly touted QB from this year’s USFL draft.

A relatively clean week for the USFL, not without a few bumps & bruises, but without major crises or season-ending injuries. Perhaps the most significant injury of the week was Tampa guard Craig Novitsky, who could miss up to 2 months with a hip injury. Ohio also got a hit as DT La’Roi Glover could miss 2-4 weeks with a broken wrist. In Oakland, TE Christian Fauria is expected to be out 2-4 weeks with a torn MCL, while in Memphis DT Barron Tanner could need 2-4 weeks as well to deal with a ruptured disc. Memphis will also be without their All-USFL tight end, Adrian Cooper, who suffered a hairline fracture in his right arm. LA will be without Aeneas Williams due to back issues, and Arizona is likely to miss HB Dorsey Levins thanks to a case of turf toe. Dedric Smith could miss a game or two for Denver, another offensive weapon gone, while in Washington, DE Bobby Hamilton could be out this week (questionable) with a sprained ankle suffered in practice.

THUNDERSTRUCK

Funny how big stories can kind of sneak up on you. We have been paying so much attention to the ownership issues in St. Louis, that we all but overlooked the fact that the Portland Thunder were having their own internal issues. With NIKE CEO Phil Knight stepping away from the lead ownership position several years ago, Portland has been going through regular squabbles within its ownership group about leadership. Well, several bad seasons and a bad start to this one seem to have come to a head within the owners’ box, where the cabal of team investors simply has been unable to agree on anything, from stadium renovation to player acquisition. Having gone through 4 Presidents of Football Operation in 3 years, the club was known to be in some degree of disarray, but we did not expect what was announced this week.

Portland’s lead ownership group, which controls 64% of the club, is looking to sell to a single owner. We have seen our share of franchise ownership shifts over the past 19 seasons, but unlike most, which involve one owner stepping up from the group to buy out others, there seem to be enough issues and enough animosity that none of the current ownership leaders are likely to make this kind of play. This leaves Portland ripe for a potentially deep-pocketed outside group or individual to swoop in and buy up the Thunder lock, stock and barrel. And while there are certainly enough deep-pocketed mulitimillionaires in the Pacific Northwest who could make it happen, one of the biggest issues for Portland has always been the stadium itself, the smallest in the league, and one not likely to be replaced any time soon by a city that simply is not prioritizing big league sports. That means Portland could be the first city on the target list of out-of-town interests. We have all been concerned about St. Louis as a prime target for investors from Boston, Miami, Dallas, or Nashville, but perhaps Portland is the domino that kicks off a battle of cities, each trying to either obtain or retain a USFL franchise.

The league, looking at a realignment next year that would put Portland in a purely coastal division with rival Seattle and the two California clubs (Oakland and LA), would be in no mood to have to scuttle everything and deal with a potential cross-country relocation to the East or Gulf Coast. The approval of a sale of Portland to any investor who would take the team out of the Pacific Northwest would have to find a way to smooth over those concerns. That means having a lock-solid stadium deal in hand, a hefty relocation fee ready to be paid, and a plan to provide the league with a geographically sound 6-division format. The easiest option would be the Dallas group, since the Thunder could join Houston and Texas with Denver in the Southwestern Division, while Arizona would get bumped to the Pacific. A move to Boston, Nashville, or Miami would be a lot harder for the league to deal with, at least if their plan for geographically aligned divisions is a high priority. More to come for sure, but the announcement that the franchise is up for sale, and that this is a sale on an accelerated timeframe, is one that is sending immediate ripples through the league.

SHOWBOATS: SHOWPLACE OR NO PLACE?

Once again the Showboats have worked with city leaders to place a stadium initiative on the ballots this fall. The Showboats have a very loyal and quite large fanbase, but the Liberty Bowl Stadium is not in great shape, offers few modern amenities, and could certainly use a facelift. The problem is that the region served by the stadium and the fanbase of the Showboats is among the lowest income regions in the nation, comprised of western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas. Yes, there is corporate money in Memphis, mainly through Fed Ex’s presence in the city, but is there popular will for a tax hike, bond issuance, or other publicly funded scheme to raise the capital needed to bring the Liberty Bowl into the 21st Century? This could be a hard sell for the community, and if they vote this down (a 3rd major defeat for the Showboats at the ballot box), then ownership may be forced to look at alternatives. Yet another domino perhaps poised to fall.

SNUBBED STALLION

Don’t ask Bob Barber about the Hall of Fame. It will just make him angry, and you don’t want to get a former DE known for his power moves and the occasional cheap shot angry. Barber has once again failed to make the list of USFL Hall of Fame semi-finalists, and he is not shy about telling you it is a farce. The 10-year vet, who retired from the Stallions after the 1992 season feels he is being overshadowed as more and more players from more recent seasons are passing him by.

Barber retired with 104 career sacks, which, at the time, had him in the Top 4 in the league, but since then several players have leapt over that number, dropping Barber from the Top 10 and decreasing each year his odds of being nominated. Whatever you do, don’t bring up the fact that he recorded only 336 tackles in 10 years, a number far below most other 10-year vets who are even close to consideration for Hall of Fame nomination. And certainly don’t point out that his highest single season total, 15, while certainly a strong year, is nowhere near the regular 20-sack seasons we see from players like Chris Doleman, Phil Hansen, Michael Sinclair, Dexter Manley, or even 1985’s Junior Ah You, who set the bar at 22. Nope, for Barber the snub is personal and there is no convincing him otherwise.

The “pencil-necked cowards” he cites in USFL media simply don’t understand his impact on the game. Never mind that nearly 40% of HOF voters for the USFL are former players. And, of course, with each public protestation of his status, more and more voters and more of the populace grow tired of Barber and his griping. One reporter, a national broadcaster who wished to remain nameless, noted that “If the USFL formed a Hall of Pretty Darn Good” he would vote for Barber in a heartbeat, but the Hall of Fame seems an unlikely spot for the former Stallion DE. A bit harsh, but not entirely off the mark if you ask this pencil-necked coward.

USFL, Riddell, & BU to Study Brain Injuries

While the league may say that the planning to engage with academic partners to study brain injuries and concussions began long before the Troy Aikman situation this Spring, the timing could not be more poignant. New Jersey placed Aikman on IR this week, ending all possibility of a return to action this year, and potentially triggering a decision for retirement from the long-time Tampa Bay Bandit. The same week this happened, the USFL announced that it would be co-sponsoring a 3-year investigation into football-related brain injuries. The league along with helmet developer Riddell will fund the grant to the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (BU ADRC) to investigate the impact of concussions on players as well as methods to mitigate head injuries in the sport.

The BU ADRC, while primarily focused on Alzheimer’s, has become over the past 5 years one of the premier concussion and brain trauma research centers in the USA. That both the league and their primary helmet developer are investing in this study shows just how much both are worried about issues surrounding recurrent head impacts and post-retirement issues found in both NFL and USFL players. Short term what we may see from this is a move towards efforts to decrease head-to-head contact in the sport, while the longer term effect may be both innovations in football helmet design, which have remained almost stagnant since the late 1970’s, and the pro football rulebook, which, while reducing more violent actions, has still allowed significant head-to-head contact initiated by both ballcarriers and defenders.

A huge week in the Eastern Conference, where rivalry games are also key matchups atop the divisions. In the Atlantic we have a battle of 3-1 clubs as Baltimore heads just an hour down the road to Washington to face the Feds. Philly stays in state as they travel to Pittsburgh for a keystone clash with the Maulers, and the New Jersey Generals take their 3-1 start to Ohio, losers of 2 straight as injuries have been a tough mountain to climb in Columbus.

In the South the matchups are a bit more uneven, with 4-0 Orlando headed upstate to face 1-3 Jacksonville. Can the Bulls pull off the upset here and get back in the hunt in the division? Meanwhile, Memphis, sitting at 3-1, plays host to a pretty lackluster 0-4 Atlanta Fire club. Birmingham cannot afford to fall further behind. Sitting at 2-2 they are in Tampa Bay and hoping the Bandits have not found their rhythm after a solid Week 4 performance.

Out West we have the Pacific Clubs headed to the heartland as they face off against Central Division squads. The biggest game here, and it is big, has LA at 4-0 flying into St. Louis to take on the 3-1 Knights. Denver, a surprising 1-3 and still without suspended HB Rashaan Salaam, limps into New Orleans to face the 3-1 Breakers. Michigan is at home and hoping they can get their first win, and a career-starting win for QB Drew Brees, as they host the 2-2 Arizona Wranglers. Seattle has dropped to 2-2 and now hit the road with a big game in Houston. Chicago hopes to move to 4-1 if they can hold their home field advantage against the Portland Thunder. And, finally, a battle of clubs at 1-3 as the Oakland Invaders head to San Antonio to take on the Texas Outlaws.