A quick technical note. We are about 1-1.5 days away from the Week 14 report. The games have been simulated and all that is left is to create the weekly report. That means that we are also about 1 day away from closing the poll on the Boston USFL club's identity. The poll will remain open until Midnight ET for any last minute scramble to support one identity over the other two. The story for Week 14 and the results of the poll will be revealed on Saturday. So, if you have been holding out your vote until the end or have friends who follow this site but have not voted, now is the time to get those votes in.
As we get to the final weeks of the year, it is harder and harder to highlight only 1 game as our Game of the Week. So many matchups have huge ramifications, so we thought we would do something different this week. We have chosen 4 games which have major playoff implications or simply were nailbiters between teams headed to the postseason. We will write more about these games and give abbreviated results of the other 8 games this week. So, a bit of a reshuffle as we head down to the wire.
Chicago had not yet clinched a playoff spot, Jacksonville had, and that may have been the difference in this game as the Machine were just a bit hungrier. Jeff George and Jake Delhomme traded touchdowns all game, with Delhomme connecting with Terrell Owens twice and Dez White for a third. George threw four touchdowns in the game, with 4 different receivers finding the endzone, including TE Jim Kliensasser and HB Deuce Staley. Add in 84 yards for Staley and the Machine had enough firepower to build up a 29-17 lead in the 4th. Jacksonville came back, but simply ran out of time before they could come all the way back. Chicago and Jacksonville leave the game with identical 8-5 records, but the Bulls still have a shot at a division title, something Chicago lost hope for weeks ago as Ohio just kept winning.
Despite the outcome of this game, other results helped both teams clinch playoff berths, but, of course, neither team knew that as they played. Washington built a 21-10 lead thanks to an Ed Reed pick-six and scores from both Deuce McCallister and Rueben Droghns, but slowly Jacksonville kept chipping away at it in the second half. First with a Keenan McCardell TD catch, then three straight drives that ended with Owen Pochman field goals, so the game went form 21-10, to 25-21 with only 2:20 left. Washington, which had struggled to sustain drives in the second half, had one last 2-minute drill left in them. A 17-yard scramble by Kordell Stewart and a 13-yard pass to Bubba Franks on 3rd and 11 kept the drive alive for the Feds. Stewart ended the drive with a 20-yard corner route for 6 points to J.J. Stokes. With only 31 seconds left on the clock, Washington took the lead and the win to move into a tie with New Jersey atop the Northeastern Division.
New Jersey became the latest team to find out just how tough Ohio is. They found out quickly as Ohio’s first four drives of the game were a Silvestri field goal, a 28-yard TD pass from Collins to George, a 7-yarder from Collins to Johnson, and an Eddie George TD run. 24-0 and we were still in the first half. New Jersey did not give up, as Tom Brady led them all the way back, with 2 TDs to tight end Anthony Becht, a Curtis Enis plunge, and an Olandis Gary TD on a swing pass, it was 28-27 New Jersey when the third quarter ended. But, Ohio would stifle the Generals in the final period, and with one successful drive, capped off by a Collins to Stephen Alexander TD pass, Ohio would win their 13th in a row and keep their perfect record intact. New Jersey drops to 7-6 and a tie with Washington for the Northeastern Title. They face Philly next week and a win will still grant them the division.
Both clubs were on the fringe for a playoff spot, but only 1 could punch their ticket this week. Thanks to a great gameplan that maximized the talents of backup HBs Troy Davis and Troy Hambrick in the absence of Ricky Williams, New Orleans outlasted the Knights and got that postseason bid. The two Troys combined for 124 yards rushing and provided Trent Dilfer with plenty of play action opportunities. He connected on 20 of 26 passes and found both Raynard Brown and Steve Johnson for scores. Nashville had a strong day from Ahman Green (124 on 24 carries) but it was not enough. Nashville can still get in with a win this weekend in the season finale, while New Orleans is now assured a Wild Card spot.
The Battle of Texas was a defensive slugfest this time around. The Outlaws only managed to convert 1 third down all game, but also managed to get into the endzone twice, while Houston kept kicking field goals. Neither Jeff Lewis or Matt Hasselbeck looked comfortable as both kept getting flushed from the pocket by the opposing defenses. Despite the struggles, Carl Pickens raked in 8 passes for 99 yards to lead all receivers and Erric Pegram topped all backs with 22 carries for 113 yards as Texas took over first place in the Southeast. It is not guaranteed however, as a loss next week could drop the Outlaws all the way to 3rd place in the division and possibly right out of the playoffs. Houston faces the Denver Gold next week, and a win at home will get them a playoff spot.
Denver needed to finish 2-0 to have a shot at they playoffs, and while their defense held their own against Jake Plummer, the offense failed to make an appearance in their final home game of the year. The Gold could only muster 268 total yards of offense as Rod Smart was held to only 22 yards rushing, a 1.2 YPC average. Arizona fared a bit better and got two rushing touchdowns from their mobile QB. The win puts them in range of the Division title. A win next week at Texas and a Houston loss to Denver and they jump up at the last moment to win the division. A win, regardless of the Houston-Denver result and the Wranglers are in the postseason once again.
A win this week would have clinched Oakland the Pacific Division, but the Express were in no mood to provide that to their arch rival. Amani Toomer broke free on a 60-yard TD late in the game to ruin Oakland’s plans in a game that had been leaning towards the Invaders most of the day. Jon Kitna avoided mistakes but the careful style also failed to produce a lot of scoring chances for the Invaders. They relied on their defense, and it held up well for most of the game, limiting the Express to only 14 points, but confusion on the key play allowed Toomer a free shot at the endzone and Quincy Carter, subbing for McNown once again, found him for the big score that threw Oakland’s playoff chances into the air. The Invaders can still win the division if they can knock off Portland in Portland next week.
Portland, much to the credit of their interim head coach, Joe Vitt, is still alive. They may have a losing record at 6-7, but they host Oakland next week and the winner of that game will qualify as the division champion at 7-7. To do this they needed a win this week against their biggest rival in a Cascade Clash. They got it, thanks in part to a really strong 18 of 23, 230 yard, 3 TD day from Akili Smith. The strong day in the air helped them overcome 125 yards from Corey Dillon to pull off the 4-point win at home. Portland will need to do it again, because if they can win at home next week against the Invaders they will snatch away a division title at 7-7 that no one thought possible earlier in the season.
MEM 38 BIR 20
Memphis kept their starters fresh in this game despite having nothing to play for except rivalry. Heath Shuler needed the tune-up and he got it against the Stallions’ D, throwing for 358 yards and 5 TDs in his best performance in over a month. Joe Horn caught two touchdowns and the best TE in the game, Adrian Cooper caught 5 balls for 153 yards, including a gamebreaking 65-yarder that settled this rivalry game early.
BAL 35 PIT 14
It seems like forever since Ron Dayne broke the 100-yard mark, but he got 105 with 2 touchdowns this week against a tired Pittsburgh defense. Pittsburgh also found room to run as Terrell Davis logged 103 yards and a score for the Maulers. In the end the Blitz found more points in their drives, scoring on all 3 fourth quarter drives to turn a 14-14 tie into a route as Pittsburgh simply wore down.
MGN 23 ATL 20
The Panthers slugged out a narrow win in Atlanta thanks to a late Shayne Graham field goal. Atlanta once again saw Drew Bledsoe get knocked out of the game, and Mark Bulger came in once more. Bledsoe’s injury appears to be minor but it was enough for Coach Fox to keep him sidelined. On the other sideline, Drew Brees hit Muhsin Muhammad twice for scores and ran an effective 2-minute drill to put Michigan in position to win.
PHI 24 TBY 38
David Garrard struggled, throwing 3 picks against the Bandits as Tampa Bay showed a little fight in this meaningless game for both teams. Travis Prentice, playing for a dinged-up Errict Rhett, rushed for 113 yards and Chris Doering did his best to sub for the injured Randy Moss as Tampa Bay amassed 332 yards against the Stars’ depleted defense.
ONE GAME FOR GLORY
The Ohio Glory sit at 13-0 and are one game away from doing something no USFL team has ever accomplished, completing the regular season with an unblemished, undefeated record. If there is pressure in the Ohio locker room it certainly did not show this week as the Glory confidently took every shot New Jersey could throw at them and found a way to win. There is a lot of confidence in this group as they prepare for their final game against the Michigan Panthers. QB Kerry Collins, speaking to media on Wednesday, reiterated that they are approaching this game as they do every game, understanding that at the end of the year, only a title really matters, and that 14-0 means nothing if they cannot run the table in the postseason. Halfback Eddie George said much the same, emphasizing that every week is a challenge and that their ultimate goal is to bring the John Bassett Trophy to Columbus, a city where he has been a star since his days at Ohio State. Both he and wideout Joey Galloway have been “native stars” for the Glory through some pretty rough years, so this season certainly feels special to them. “We have the talent on this team to win it all, and we have the right mindset too” said Galloway. It appears they do, as the Glory have faced some tough games and have each week found a way to win. One more game to make that happen. Michigan may not be a huge challenge on paper for a team that has not faltered all season, but the game will be as much about Ohio’s mental state as any opposition the Panthers can put together.
PICK YOUR CINDERELLA
The Pacific Division will be won by one of two teams no one saw in the race after the first month of the season. While the inexplicable collapse of both the Seattle Dragons and LA Express is an interesting story, don’t rain on the parade of Invader and Thunder fans, who did not see this coming and are now excited to face a Win-and-In scenario when the two clubs battle this upcoming Sunday. At one point in the season, Oakland was 1-5 and Coach Capers was a clear candidate for the hotseat. The Invaders rattled off five straight would go 5-1 in a midseason turnaround for the ages, reaching .500 in Week 12 and holding the top spot in a clearly problematic Pacific Division. Their loss this week is troubling, as was the loss of QB Marques Tuiasosopo, but they can still win the division if they can knock off Portland.
Portland was even deeper in the hole than the Invaders, starting the year 0-5 and firing their Head Coach, Ray Rhodes, as a result. In stepped defensive coordinator Joe Vitt, and what happened next was nothing short of a miraculous change of culture. Portland won their first game under Vitt, a road win against these same Invaders, but no one expected much. They then defeated a good New Orleans team. Wins against LA (twice), Chicago, and Seattle this past week, have the Thunder at 6-7 and a win at home this week will give them the division title. It is an astounding story for a club that at one point looked like a very good candidate to have the top overall draft pick as the league’s worst team.
But here is the thing. There can be only 1 Cinderella. One of these teams has to lose this week, one will win. Can Portland use home field to once again upend the Invaders or will Oakland muster one more win to take the crown and join the playoff field. It will be a rocking atmosphere in Portland to be sure, as fans have embraced the plucky attitude of their team and their defiant “interim” head coach. A play-in game is always a blast in a season’s final week, but when the two teams are such longshots the excitement is even greater.
SOUTHWEST SHOWDOWN
We cannot decide if everyone wants to win the Southwest Division or no one does. Going into the final week Houston, Texas, and Arizona all have pretty clear paths to a division title. Texas, currently in the lead in the division thanks to a tiebreaker with Houston has the most obvious path. Win and they are in as the Division champs. The weird thing is that if they lose to the Wranglers they might not qualify at all. If they lose and both Houston and Nashville pull out wins, then it is Texas sitting at home. Houston has their destiny in their hands, at least as far as getting into the playoffs goes. A win and they are guaranteed at least a Wild Card berth. Win and have Arizona defeat Texas and the division goes to the Gamblers. A loss, and just like Texas, they could be out. Finally, Arizona, who has not been in the lead in the division all season, can still take home the crown. Defeat the Outlaws and have Houston go down to Denver and it is the Wranglers who sneak in at the last minute and steal the crown.
With the big Wrangler-Outlaw game in San Antonio, oddsmakers are giving Texas the best chance to take home the Southwest Division title an a bye week as the #2 seed. But here is the thing, the Outlaws have a long history of late season chokes, and fans are definitely nervous that once again their club will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. Houston has to feel good that they face a Denver team that is dispirited and has been disappointing all season long. Meanwhile, Arizona has perhaps the least predictable path, and the most dynamic player in the division in QB Jake Plummer. As we have seen in past playoff runs, the Wranglers tend to get hot when the pressure of ending the season with a loss is on their minds. Can they do it this year? This weekend we will find out.
Only 1 week left to go and it is quite a mess still. The good news is that we know who the 6 Eastern Division playoff teams will be. Chicago, Washington and Orlando all qualified this week. We know that Chicago will be a Wild Card, while we will have to wait until after Week 16 to see if Jacksonville wins the Southeast or Orlando can catch them. The same is true in the Northeast, where New Jersey is tied with Washington, but holds the tiebreaker. If the Bulls win, they are guaranteed a bye as the 2nd seed, but if they lose, New Jersey or Washington could sneak up and snag the coveted bye.
EAST SCENARIOS
NJ: Win or Washington Loss = Division Title, Lose + Washington Win = Wild Card
WSH: Win + NJ Loss = Division Title. Lose or NJ Win = Wild Card
JAX: Win = Division Title, Lose = Wild Card
ORL: Win = Division Title, Lose = Wild Card
In the West it is still very shaky. Memphis and New Orleans have clinched spots, with Memphis the division winner and New Orleans a Wild Card. We know that only 1 team will emerge from the Pacific Division, but this week Portland leapfrogged over Oakland. Next Week the two face off in Portland and the winner gets the division title and will host a Wild Card game. The loser is out. In the Southwest, Denver has been eliminated, but all 3 of the remaining teams, Texas, Houston, and Arizona are still alive not only for a playoff spot, but for the division title and a bye week. Texas is the division champion with a win over Arizona at the AlamoDome. If they falter and Houston can beat Denver in Houston, then the Gamblers take the division. But if both Texas and Houston fall next week, Arizona will sneak up and claim the division crown. And, even more, there is a good chance that between Arizona, Texas, and Houston one or two of the three could lose and not only lose out on the division title, but a playoff spot altogether. Why? Because Nashville is lurking at 7-6, and if they can knock off Memphis at home in Nashville, then the Knights would get in ahead of a 6-loss Houston or Texas or a 7-loss Arizona.
NSH: Win = Wild Card, Lose = Out.
ARZ: Win = Wild Card, Win + Houston Loss = Division Title.
TEX: Win = Division title, Loss + Houston or Nashville loss = Wild Card. Loss + HOU/NSH
both win = Out.
HOU: Win + Texas Loss = Division title. Win + Texas Win = Wild Card. Loss + NSH/ARZ
Loss = Wild Card. Loss + Nashville and Arizona win = Out.
With playoff spots and seeds up for grab, here are the injuries that could impact some of our key games in Week 14:
Chicago has lost WR Johnnie Morton for the rest of the year with broken ribs. Oakland will be without RT John Michels due to a posterior cruciate injury. Portland needs a win to make the playoffs, but they will be without Correll Buckhalter at HB as he suffered a significant quad muscle injury that would also keep him out of at least 2 rounds of the playoffs if Portland qualifies. Memphis will miss backup HB Tony Carter, as his ribs are an issue this week and likely for any future games. New Jersey will miss guard Will Shields, as he has a torn MCL and will be placed on IR.
Bad news for Washington as well, with Jerome Brown’s knee injury now diagnosed as a partial ACL tear, which means that his season is done. Texas will not have WR Jeff Query this week, but the deep threat could be back for a possible Wild Card or Divisional game. The same is true for Ohio DE Vonnie Holiday, who is Doubtful this week. Houston’s Pat Swilling is also listed as Doubtful with a sprained knee. Finally, New Orleans remains without Ricky Williams and Oakland without Marques Tuiasosopo for yet another week. Both are listed as Doubtful for this week, but might be available as the playoffs start.
Nashville Knights have a new look.
The wait is over for Nashville Knights fans as the team unveiled their new logo and uniform this week. The Knights have been playing all season with the 2001 St. Louis Knights uniforms (without logos) and with a generic purple helmet with player numbers on each side. The promise was that they would reveal a new logo, one without the iconic St. Louis Gateway Arch, by season’s end, and with the club on the edge of a possible playoff appearance, which would allow them to wear their new look for the first time this season, the Knights revealed just what that look would be.
We start with the team logos. The primary logo combines the medieval with the local as the logo is composed of a broad sword, portrayed with extreme perspective so that it fits well on a team helmet, and a circular logo depicting three stars, an image taken directly from the state flag of Tennessee. This logo, done in silver, purple, and gold. The team also released a secondary mark which takes the rondel with 3 stars from the state flag and presents them in team colors of purple, silver, and gold. The secondary appears on the uniform at the collar and on each hip.
The Helmet remains purple with a purple facemask, the large logo on each side. The new feature is a single stripe which begins at the brow in gold, then, with a small purple notch (a recurring motif) shifts to silver. The uniforms also retain the basic color scheme we saw in St. Louis, with purple and white jerseys, silver pants, but also a purple pant set. But in the uniforms we also see a lot of difference with the St. Louis design, which used large arch shapes to create a “bib” effect on the jerseys. The Nashville Knights will go with a simpler look that uses the notch motif to transition colors. This can be seen on the single pant stripes, which, as with the helmet, have a notch to indicate the shift from one color to another. This is also visible on the sleeve stripes. On the white jersey there is a thick purple stripe and within it a gold stripe which shifts to silver. On the purple jersey only this center stripe is presented as the sleeves themselves are purple. The other interesting quirk about the new Knights uniform is that they opted to go with single color numbers, white on the home jersey and purple on the white away jersey. They are the only club in the league that has single color numbers, a bit of a throwback look though it is a custom font.
If the Knights qualify for the USFL playoffs by winning in Week 14, we will see these uniforms in action, but it will have to be the away look as Nashville is unable to get the #3 or #4 seed as the former is reserved for a division champion, and New Orleans or one of the Texas teams would be the only ones capable of obtaining the #4 seed.
It all comes down to this, one week to decide a lot of playoff scenarios. We know 8 of the 12 teams that will compete, so 4 spots still remain to be decided. Lots of scoreboard watching this week. Here are the games in order of both relevance and simplicity for the playoffs.
Oakland @ Portland: Winner is Pacific Champion at 7-7. Loser goes home.
Jacksonville @ Orlando: Winner is the Southeastern Champ, loser is a Wild Card.
Arizona @ Texas: Winner is guaranteed a playoff spot, loser has to hope that Nashville also loses. Either team, or neither could win the division title, depending on what happens in Houston.
Denver @ Houston: If Houston wins they are no worse than a Wild Card, lose and it could get messy. Denver likely will not rest starters as they want to reach 7-7 and avoid a losing record.
Memphis @ Nashville: Nashville needs the win to qualify for the playoffs. Memphis will rest some starters, so the Knights have as good a chance as ever to win this game.
Baltimore @ Washington: The Feds need a win and a New Jersey loss to take the division. If either they lose or New Jersey wins, they are a Wild Card.
New Jersey @ Philadelphia: The division is theirs for the taking if they can knock off their division rival.
Games with no playoff implications
Michigan @ Ohio: The only thing sitting between Ohio and 14-0 is a Panther squad playing out the string.
Chicago @ Pittsburgh: Nothing to lose or gain for Chicago. They might rest some starters here.
Birmingham @ New Orleans: The Stallions would like to finish 7-7 to at least save face. New Orleans wants the win to ensure a home playoff game.
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay: Expect a lot of backups in this one.
LA @ Seattle: Two teams very disappointed in their seasons, with coaches answering a lot of tough questions.
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