Five weeks in, just around 1/3 of a season, and some patterns are emerging. Ohio and Memphis remain unbeaten, though it took the Showboats a frenzied final minute to get it done. Houston looks legit as they outmuscle the Knights in a good defensive game, and don’t count out Tampa Bay, New Jersey, or Denver just yet as all three looked like they may have found their groove on the way to wins this week. All this plus stadium news from around the league. It’s U.com’s weekly recap of all the news that you need.
A truly wild game and a see-it-to-believe-it finish in Seattle as Memphis gets a miracle to outlast the very game Seattle Dragons. In a game that saw the Showboats outgain the Dragons 501-214 it should not have come as close as it did, and yet it took final second heroics for the Showboats to pull this one out. Six field goals from Jeff Hall are testament to Memphis’s ability to move the ball but not to put it in the endzone, something they did only twice, while Seattle got 4 TDs, including 3 Brian Griese TD passes in what has to be a heartbreaking loss.
The game started slowly, with the only score in the first quarter being the first of what would be 6 Jeff Hall field goals. Seattle countered to open the 2nd, when Griese hit David Boston, for a quick score to go up 7-3. Memphis again moved the ball well and again stalled just outside the red zone. Another Hall kick was the result. Seattle then rode Corey Dillon’s run game down to the 5 before Griese found Boston again, and the lead is now 14-6 Dragons. Add yet one more Hall field goal and we go into the half at 14-9.
Seattle opened the second half by extending their lead. This time Dillon got the call and he plunged into the endzone from 1 yard out to extend the Dragon lead to 21-9. But, the score seemed to spark Memphis to action as they would get touchdowns on their next two possessions, first thanks to a nicely-thrown ball from Shuler to Joe Horn and then with a Tony Carter TD run. Memphis went for 2 after the Carter TD, and that gave them a 24-21 lead as the third quarter wound down.
In the fourth the Showboats reverted to their earlier form, moving the ball easily between the 20’s but bogging down when Seattle got their redzone defense out. Hall would hit from 42 and 45 to extend the Memphis lead to 30-21. Seattle now felt the pressure to act, and they did, with Griese leading a quick fire 8-play drive that ended with an O.J. McDuffie TD catch. 30-28 was the score and Seattle, with just over 1:30 left to play, would use the onside kick to try to get the ball back. It worked as CB Ray Mickens fell o the oddly-bouncing ball for the Dragons. 61 seconds later it was Jay Feely’s turn for a kick, his first field goal attempt of the day, and he drilled the 49-yarder to retake the lead for Seattle with only 29 seconds left to play. 30-31 Dragons.
And here is where the game went from exciting to just plain chaos. Memphis’s Tony Jones tried to return the ball out of the endzone, but only reached the 19 yard line before being corralled and bumped out of bounds. Memphis was at their own 19 with only 23 seconds left to play, but the Seattle defense had been ineffective against Shuler all game, as the QB had already thrown the ball for nearly 380 yards on the day. On their first play from scrimmage he would burn the Dragon secondary again, finding Tydus Wynans, the slot receiver, over the middle for 13 yards, but Seattle’s Chris Hayes whiffed on the tackle, and Wynans was off to the races. He would gain a total of 42 yards before John Lynch finally dragged him down by the ankle. Memphis tried to rush up to the line, but seconds were ticking away. With the ball at the 37 yard line, they wanted another play, but finally had to call their last timeout when the clock got to 4 seconds and they had not yet been able to spike the ball. There was clear frustration on the face of Coach Mora, who clearly was hoping to get the spike then connect on a quick pass on 2nd down to get the ball closer for Hall, but that was not an option any longer, so Hall lined up for what would be a 55-yard attempt. The man who had already connected 5 times made good on his 6th kick as well, sending the ball just above the crossbar and through to give Memphis a 33-31 victory as time clicked down. Fans in Seattle were stunned, while the bars in Memphis exploded with jubilation. The Showboats remain unbeaten after 5 weeks, but it does not get much closer than this one.
BAL 17 NJ 20
A huge game in the Northeast as the Generals contained Ron Dayne (31 yards rushing) and got contributions from Curtis Enis (76 yards), Olandis Gary (55) and newly acquired Amos Zeroue (23) to outlast the Blitz and move up to 2-3 on the year, good enough for a tie atop the division.
PHI 8 WSH 34
Washington also moved to 2-3 with a win at home against a listless Stars offense. Coach Jim Mora Jr. cannot be happy with his offense as Will Furrer was picked off 3 times and Stephen Davis had an embarrassingly bad 8 yards on 14 carries. The final insult was when Louis Oliver of the Feds picked off Furrer late in the 4th and ran it back for 6 to end the very one-sided Philly defeat.
ATL 14 JAX 30
Terrell Owens caught 6 balls for 117 and a score, while Kenny Bynum rushed for a respectable 85 yards on the day as Jacksonville took advantage of Atlanta’s misfortune. Bledsoe, the hero of Week 4, got clocked by a passing elbow on a near-sack and had to leave the game midway through the 2nd. Mark Bulger came in and looked ill-prepared to play, completing only 11 of 28 passes against the Bulls’ defense.
ORL 14 TBY 31
The Bandits look ready to make a run as they manhandled the Renegades in front of 49,000 at Tampa Stadium. Trent Green went 25 of 36 for 329 yards and 3 TDs as the Bandits’ vertical passing game was finding openings throughout the day. Yes, Orlando got pressure on Green (5 sacks) but he was still able to make big plays when needed. Meanwhile, Sedrick Irvin only touched the ball 7 times, which feels like a bad gameplan for Orlando.
CHI 17 MGN 7
Michigan continues to struggle on offense as T.J. Duckett can only gain 32 yards on 13 carries and Drew Brees suffers through 4 sacks and a pick against the tough Chicago defense. Jeff George had an easier day, sacked only once, and completing 66.7% of his passes on his way to a 2 TD game. Chicago got the ball in Duce Staley’s hands often, with 17 carries and 3 receptions for a combined 102 yards, while Curtis Conway made the most of his 2 receptions, with both going for scores.
OHI 42 PIT 28
It was close early, but Ohio slowly pulled away as the game wore on in this one. Kerry Collins would throw for 299 yards and 3 scores, while Eddie George added 2 touchdowns of his own to the mix. Joey Galloway was the player of the game with 176 yards receiving and 2 scores on only 7 receptions. For Pittsburgh, Charlie Batch had 3 TD passes, but also threw 3 to the other team, including a pick-six to Glory CB Mike Riley as the Glory stay unbeaten at 5-0.
LA 24 ARZ 28
A huge game from Jake Plummer helps Arizona fend off the LA Express and move to 3-2. Plummer would throw for 289 and run for another 101 as he did it all for Arizona. Add in 2 passing touchdowns and 2 more rushing scores and you can see how he won the Offensive Player of the Week. LA got 91 yards from Antowain Smith and Cade McNown had a solid 288 yards passing with 3 TDs but it was not enough to topple Arizona in Tempe.
OAK 21 DEN 28
Denver jumped out to a 14-0 lead early but the Invaders would not go away, keeping the pressure on Brunell and the Gold all game. Brunell would prove up to the challenged, throwing for 273 and 3 scores, but it was not the easy home win that the Gold were hoping to get from the 1-win Invaders.
NSH 21 HOU 24
Houston stays unbeaten at 4-0-1 thanks to a solid defensive game against Todd Collins and the Knights. It was the defense, particularly a pick-six from Houston’s Robert Lombard, that gave them the edge, as both QB’s had similar games and both run games struggled. The game was within 3 points when Houston got a huge 4th down stop to stymie the Knights’ late comeback attempt and secure the win.
NOR 34 TEX 21
The Outlaws could not keep pace with Houston, as they struggled against the 3-1 Breakers. New Orleans QB Trent Dilfer had a banner day, completing 21 of 27 passes for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns against a Texas defense that clearly did not have answers on this day. Add in 112 yards from Ricky Williams and you get a decisive win for the road team.
BIR 28 POR 7
A big win for the Stallions, a job-costing loss for Portland, as ownership simply lost faith in Ray Rhodes after another embarrassing loss, letting the 3rd year coach go on Monday. Portland had 5 turnovers in a sloppy game that saw Correll Buckhalter fumble twice and Akili Smith throw two bad picks. Rhodes was let go on Monday and DC Joe Vitt was appointed interim head coach for a franchise in search of any signs of life.
RHODES SHOWN THE DOOR
Being a coach on a losing team is never a good long term security plan, and when the team has recently changed ownership the plank you walk gets even shorter. That was the situation for Ray Rhodes in Portland. After a 1-15 opening season, Rhodes was given a chance to build up the Portland roster under their prior ownership. Portland improved to 7-9 thanks mostly to a late season run of luck, but now, with a new ownership group for the Thunder, Rhodes opens the year with a 5-game losing streak and that was apparently all the owners needed to see. He was relieved of duty after 5 games, and now Portland again is looking to rebuild. There are certainly lots of fingers to point in the Rose City.
Portland currently ranks 23rd of 24 clubs in both yards allowed and points allowed, and with Rhodes seen as a defensive coach, that is not a good place to be. The offense is no better, also ranked 23rd in scoring and in yards. Akili Smith seems to have regressed after a promising second half of 2001. The run game is two-headed but neither Kaufmann nor Buckhalter is putting up strong numbers consistently. The receiving corps, headed up by Matthew Hatchette and Patrick Rowe is simply not scaring anyone. Portland seems destined for a high draft pick. The question is whether they go after an offensive talent like USC QB Carson Palmer or Michigan State wideout Charles Rogers, or do they go for a big defensive force like Georgia DT Jonathan Sullivan or ASU edge rusher Terrell Suggs. Perhaps the best option for the Thunder at this point is to lay low, and wait for trade value to rise for what will certainly be a top pick in next year’s draft.
COACHES ON THE HOTSEAT
With Ray Rhodes now out in Portland the hot seat turns elsewhere. The two most prominent options for a potential coaching change are also in the suddenly problematic Pacific Division. Seattle sits atop the division at 2-3, but even with that Joe Tiller is certainly not safe. Plenty of folks blame him for blowing the lead against Memphis, and 2-3 is hardly a world-beating record. But, if there is one more seat that is feeling the heat this season it has to be the Oakland Invaders. Coach Gunther Cunningham was brought in to build a culture of defensive toughness, and the Invaders have just never shown any movement in that direction. They are in the bottom half of the league in pretty much every defensive category, and what is worse is that the offense seems to be equally as bad. Were it not for a truly shocking win against Jacksonville last week, we might also be talking about Coach Cunningham on the chopping block. Oakland plays Portland this week, and if Cunningham’s Invaders lose to the winless Thunder and their new interim head coach, you can bet the drumbeat of complaints and calls for Cunningham to be let go will get very loud in the East Bay.
EARLY AWARD TALK
Turning to more positive thoughts, we are at the 5th week of the year, about 1/3rd of the way through the 14-week season, and it seems a good time to look at the year’s big individual awards and who has made an early case for them.
MVP could be a race between QB’s this year with Jake Plummer, Heath Shuler, and Trent Dilfer all making strong early season cases, but we are going to go in another direction. Eddie George of Ohio is on an unbeaten team, is on pace for 1,400 yards or more, and is proving that the halfback position is still vital for a truly unstoppable offense. We like his chances to challenge the usual QB suspects for the potential MVP.
Among defenders looking at the Defensive POTY, there are three who stand out right now. The first is Houston’s Kavika Pitmann, who already has 7 sacks, but we should not only look at one category. Another strong contender is Denver’s Leslie O’Neill, who not only has a competitive 5 sacks, but has also recorded a safety, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Strong numbers, indeed. Finally, Mike Vrabel in Jacksonville is making a good case for himself, with 38 tackles, 2 sacks, and real ballhawking with 4 forced fumbles and 3 recoveries through 5 games.
For rookie of the year, all roads lead through Joey Harrington in Orlando. If the Renegades can reach .500 and stay in the playoff race, Harrington may be a shoe-in, but if not, the next best candidates appear to be New Jersey LB James Harrison and Washington WR Deion Branch, both of whom have put up strong numbers so far. A strong dark horse is New Orleans receiver Josh Reed, who is only 3 catches and 12 yards behind Branch right now among rookie receivers.
Coach of the Year is so hard to figure this early in a season. We still have 3 undefeated teams, but if we had to throw a name in, we think the bigger surprise of the 3 is Houston, and the success of Wade Phillips in his first year in Space City is not going to go unnoticed. He has the Houston defense playing top caliber ball and the fact that Matt Hasselbeck is maturing into a solid starter certainly is helping as well.
A much lighter week on the injury front, good news for all, but not a week without injuries. The biggest blow is to Washington and the depth on their D-line as rotational player Dan Footman is lost for the year with an ACL tear. It came on a play in which he was rolled up on by another lineman while trying to recover a fumble, and it will mean that the veteran lineman will likely not be available until training camp next January.
Others who will miss significant time include Tampa halfback Tony Vinson, Seattle corner Al Harris, and Pittsburgh safety Sam Shade, all of whom are looking at 4-6 weeks before they can return to action. LB Roosevelt Colvin in Okalnad could miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee, while Pittsburgh is still looking at up to a month before Andre Rison can return to action. The good news for Atlanta is that Drew Bledsoe avoided major injury this week and is listed only as questionable for week 6. Orlando QB Gus Frerotte was also upgraded from out to doubtful, which is a good sign. Potentially back on the field this week we have Ohio TE Stephen Alexander, Portland tackle Kenyatta Walker, LA corner Irv Smith, Denver guard Evan Pilgrim, and Michigan WR Laverneus Coles.
Lots of news this week on the stadium front. We start with a review of the new stadia in play this season.
NEW STADIUMS IMPRESS USFL FANS
The USFL has seen a flurry of stadium activity over the past few years, and the reviews are in on some of the new stadiums around the league. 2001 saw new homes for the Pittsburgh Maulers (Heinz Field) and Denver (New Mile High), while this season the Michigan Panthers, Houston Gamblers, and Seattle Dragons all moved to joint NFL/USFL stadiums this season. Pretty much in every case, fans are excited about the technology and sight lines in the new stadiums. Also important is that in all five cases the new stadia are located in the heart of the city, either downtown or near downtown, making for a truly energized experience. Parking has been cited as an issue in some locations, less of an issue in others, while fans still express some nostalgia and sense of loss with the destruction or decommission of such landmarks as Three Rivers, Mile High, and the AstroDome. Plans for the Silverdome are yet to be revealed, while Husky Stadium in Seattle now reverts back to being purely the home of UW football.
Some interesting quirks we have seen so far this year, the first open-air game in Houston in quite a while as the Gamblers played with the roof open at Reliant Stadium for their game against Texas in Week 3. They closed the roof due to rain in Week 4 but hope to have it open again for a sunny day game against the Wranglers in Week 9. Seattle has been able to add about 2,000 season tickets to their fanbase thanks to the capacity of the new stadium just south of downtown, but has also created a program with Soundtransit, the Seattle mass transit organization, to provide gameday shuttles from the campus area north of the city to the stadium for all the fans who were comfortable traveling to the UW campus but may not want to deal with downtown pre and post game traffic. Finally, the Panthers are still using the Silverdome, but only as a practice facility for simulating gameday scenarios, pumping in sound and music at loud volume to prepare for road games. It is an expensive perk of having the Silverdome available, so we are not sure if this can continue as the facilty will be seeking new tenants or uses. But, when it comes to the new facilities, the word right now is that fans are very happy with the new home of USFL football in their towns. Next up will be Philadelphia, who hope to move into a new shared facility with the Eagles in spring 2023.
PORTLAND STADIUM IN NEGOTIATIONS
With the sale of the Portland Thunder, one of the biggest draws for the current ownership over other groups was not only the option to keep the Thunder in Portland, but the plans to develop a stadium facilty on the eastern side of town. That work has begun with Thunder personnel, particularly minority owner and real estate developer Phil Ruffin, opening talks with the city and the county to determine a potential site as well as lock in both for their share of the cost for the new facility. Early word is that the ownership group headed by Worldcom CEO Bernard Ebbers is hoping for a stadium with a capacity between 45,000 and 50,000, with a partial roof (similar to those seen in many soccer stadia) that would allow fans to stay largely dry during Portland’s rainy season (most of the USFL season, honestly). Adding roofing could increase the cost, of course, but at this stage the main concern is locating a spot that does not require massive relocation of businesses or residents, and which has a minimal negative environmental impact, this is green Portland after all. The hope is to have a new stadium ready as soon as the 2006 season.
MEMPHIS TO TRY AGAIN FOR MAJOR LIBERTY BOWL RENOVATIONS
Memphis Showboats ownership have all but abandoned the hope of getting a new stadium for their franchise, but now are again working with local organizations, the University of Memphis, and the city government in hopes of acquiring a deal to renovate Liberty Bowl Stadium to expand capacity and increase the potential revenue from suites and luxury boxes. Prior efforts to get either major renovation funds or a new stadium have failed both within committees of the city government and as a ballot initiative, but one thing working in Memphis’s favor right now is the growing fear that the city could actually lose the Showboats if no movement is made. This is a fear that Showboat officials are, if not promoting, are at least acknowledging. The recent relocations of both St. Louis and Atlanta franchises prove that franchises can be lost, and the revenue of a team with them for cities and local businesses. With both St. Louis and Atlanta now feeling the sting of the loss, there is concern that both cities will move from “poachees” to “poachers” very quickly. Both cities have stadiums ready and waiting for a new team, and if ownership groups can be developed, a faster path to a franchise may well be to make inroads with teams like the Showboats, who are struggling to get stadium improvements in a tough market. It appears that the potential concern of a future move to St. Louis or Atlanta could be just the motivator for the city of Memphis to appreciate the Showboats in a new way, at least that is what the team’s ownership hopes to be the case.
OAKLAND’S STADIUM A CONCERN
Another franchise with significant stadium concerns is Oakland, where Oakland-Alameda Stadium has two primary issues that do not sit at all well with ownership. The first is the shared venue with Major League Baseball’s A’s, forcing the team to play most of the season with a dirt diamond on the field, and with limited scheduling options. The second is the state of the stadium in general. It is one of the fields within the league that has the most immediate repair and maintenance needs. On top of that, and particularly when compared with new facilities like those in Houston or Seattle, the amenities of the Invaders’ home field are woefully lacking. Yes, there is ample parking, always a big issue for fans, but once you are inside the stadium what you encounter is an older, more bare-bones, and less engaging gameday experience.
But, as we consider options Oakland may have, the question is asked, what options do the Invaders have? Any deal to renovate the stadium in Oakland will require cooperation with the Oakland A’s franchise, which means the issue of sharing the stadium with a baseball club, and the field alterations that requires, would not be going away. The two franchises have not exactly been collaborators in the past, so it also seems doubtful that they will form a strong united front when trying to pry resources out of a somewhat depleted city budget. The other option is to play the relocation card. We still have not heard from the Dallas-Ft. Worth group when it comes to relocation bids, which could be a card the Invaders might play. The other potential option is to reach out to the NFL 49ers, who also have made waves about the state of Candlestick Park (We know the official name is 3Com Park @ Candlestick Point, but no one calls it that.) If the Invaders and 49ers could work together, we may see Oakland become more of a Bay Area franchise, perhaps even changing their name depending on where they find themselves playing. We know that the new money in the region is south of both Oakland and San Francisco, in Silicon Valley, and that one or both of the region’s pro football teams could be swayed to make the move to the South Bay if a stadium is being offered. We have already seen the NHL move to the South Bay, with the San Jose Sharks doing quite well for themselves. Could one or both football clubs find happiness in Silicon Valley as well?
ST. LOUIS NOT SITTING STILL
Finally, we want to check back in with St. Louis. The Knights are now gone, playing to enthusiastic crowds in Nashville, but what about the city they used to call home? While the city government has been somewhat slow to react to the loss of a major sports franchise, doubling down on their support for the NFL Rams and MLB Cardinals, fans in the Gateway City have been more vocal, calling on the league, the city, the state, and the stadium authority to bring USFL football back to their city. It will take time to put together either a grassroots movement or a strong ownership coalition to truly enter the competition for USFL franchises, and with the sales of both Atlanta and Portland finalized, there is not a clear target franchise for a purchase-and-move bid on the market right now. We mentioned that Memphis might use St. Louis as a means to an end, but ownership in Memphis is both well-entrenched and local, so the realistic odds of the Showboats moving up river does not seem very promising. Other teams with stadium issues, like Oakland and Birmingham, also have longstanding local ownership that has expressed no interest in selling their franchises. So, even if St. Louis can build a viable ownership group that could contend with Dallas, Miami and Kansas City groups, their best option may be to lobby enough USFL owners towards a mid-decade expansion, in hopes that cities like theirs (and Atlanta) that have recently lost teams would have a viable shot at acquiring a new team. It seems a longshot, but crazier things have happened.
Week six has us looking at divisional play in the West and interdivisional matchups in the East. Houston will take their unbeaten record to a tough place, Mile High, to face the Gold on Sunday. On Saturday, Texas will be in Arizona in a battle of 3-win clubs hoping to catch the Gamblers. In the Pacific Division we have the already-highlighted matchup of teams in trouble as 0-5 Portland visits 1-4 Oakland. Seattle at 2-3 leads the division but heads to LA (1-4), who are hoping a win gets them right back into play for the division. In the Southern Division the 5-0 Memphis Showboats are at home for their first matchup against their new in-state rivals, Nashville. Expect bad blood and chippiness in this one, and that is just among the fans who attend. In the other game 4-1 New Orleans heads to 3-2 Birmingham in a game that could be vital within the division.
The best matchup among the Eastern Conference teams is likely one of the matchups of 2-3 teams, as all 4 teams in these 2 games are fighting to get back to .500. Washington is at Tampa Bay, who certainly showed some firepower this week, while New Jersey visits former divisional foe Pittsburgh. In other games, we have 2-3 Baltimore headed for a tough matchup at unbeaten Ohio. We also see the 2-3 Panthers hoping to steal a win and get to .500 in Jacksonville against the 4-1 Bulls. Chicago takes their 4-1 record to Atlanta, where Drew Bledsoe is expected back under center. In Orlando, the Renegades can get to .500 with a win against a Philadelphia team that looks like they have lost their edge.