The new season begins much as last season ended, with Ohio looking dominant, Memphis also looking strong, and a lot of chaos everywhere else. It was a happy start to the new season for the newest club in the league, the Boston Cannons, as they earn a road win over a 2002 playoff team to kick things off. Not so great for New Jersey and QB Tom Brady, who took a finger to the eye and could miss up to 2-3 weeks right off the bat. We start our coverage with the game of the week, a nailbiter in N’awlins.
PORTLAND 17 NEW ORLEANS 22
It was a festive mood for the season opener in the Big Easy as it seems that last month’s Mardi Gras was still in effect in the Super Dome. The Breakers welcomed the “new look” Portland Thunder to town. Portland is feeling optimistic after they ended last season with a late run to a division title and a playoff win. The Thunder have a lot of new faces on the roster, following a pre-draft trade that brought HB Reuben Droughns over from DC, and a bright and shiny new #1 receiver in former Panther Muhsin Muhammad. The Breakers largely stood pat, but “pat” was good enough to get them into the playoffs last year, so they are hoping that with just few breaks they can go all the way.
Unlike some of the other games this first week of the year, the Super Dome assured that weather would not be a factor, but it could not do anything about injuries. On their 5th play of the game the Breakers saw their starting QB go down as Trent Dilfer got rolled up on his ankle. The good news is that it appears to only be a sprain, but Dilfer was done for the day. That made room for former Atlanta Fire QB Aaron Brooks to get some playing time. Brooks was rusty at first, completing only 3 of his first 9 passes, but he did get New Orleans an early field goal for the first points of the season.
The Breaker defense was also a little rusty, as they blew containment on a bootleg by Akili Smith and the agile dual threat QB made them pay, bursting down the sideline on Portland’s second drive for 65-yards and a TD. Smith would be the Thunder’s leading rusher as New Orleans was able to contain both Correll Buckhalter and Reuben Droughns. Smith, on the other hand, found success running the ball, and his legs would account for both Portland TDs on the day.
Down 7-3, New Orleans mounted a second field goal drive to pull within one, and Portland would add a 40 yard Carlos Huerta kick to make it a 10-6 halftime lead for the visiting Thunder. The second half saw a change of strategy as Coach Nolan adjusted his scheme to better utilize Brooks’ talents. Just 2 plays into the opening drive, he had Brooks fake to Williams, roll to his right and connect deep with Josh Reed. Reed slipped the tackle and the Breakers had their biggest play of the day, an 83-yard TD.
Portland would respond, mounting a long 12-play drive that ended when Akili Smith found the corner on an option run to put the Thunder back up 17-13. But this would be the last time Portland would find paydirt. The remaining 22 minutes of action saw the Breaker defense tighten up on Smith’s receivers and contain him in the pocket. At the same time, Aaron Brooks would find his groove, hitting on 7 of 9 passes and leading New Orleans no two 4th quarter scoring drives to earn the W. After a short FG by new kicker David Green, New Orleans forced a 3-and-out by Portland and got the ball back with 2:34 left to play. The Breakers were feeling a comeback on the way and though it took them 9 plays to make it reality, the Thunder were unable to keep them out of the endzone. Brooks hit Josh Reed for his second TD of the game and New Orleans had a 22-17 lead. They went for 2 and the ball simply clunked off the hands of TE Bubba Franks, a rare flub on a day when the new Breaker TE caught 5 of 7 passes.
Portland got the ball back with 1:22 left to play, but simply could not muster first downs needed to move down the field. The Breakers got the ball on downs after a failed 4th and 7 toss, and Aaron Brooks celebrated with the victory formation. A lot to like about the game from the Breaker standpoint and a few highlights Portland can take away as well.
It was a typical opening week in the USFL in that several games were impacted by weather. In the Northeast it was a freezing rain with wind gusts as high as 30mph that impacted play in both Philadelphia and Washington. In the Bay Area it was a damp fog that made visibility tricky for the Invaders and Gamblers alike. The rest of the games were played in pretty decent weather for late March and scores were higher as a result.
BAL 13 PHI 3
It was not a great day for a new QB to make a first impression. Brian Griese had played in some pretty wet games in Seattle, but this was a freezing rain and sleet mix with wind gusts as well. Both Griese and Jeff Garcia of Baltimore struggled to throw anything deeper than 10 yards, and it shows as both threw for no TDs and 2 picks apiece. We ended up with a sloppy field, a wet ball, and a low scoring affair that was won largely on Ron Dayne’s ability to slog through on a wet field. Dayne ran for 102 in the mire, and set up a 1-yard TD run by Travis Minor, a score that gave Baltimore a 10-3 lead they would not relinquish.
NJ 3 WSH 16
Freezing rain and cold winds also impacted the Generals-Federals game, but not nearly as much as the hit that put Tom Brady out of commission. Brady had been having a rough day (7 of 12 with 2 picks) when he caught a finger in the eye, but that was all she wrote for the former Wolverine. Brady was taken to the locker room, and fortunately there is no damage to the eye itself, but there was a fracture to the eye socket, and that will cost Brady at least 2-3 weeks. For Washington the plan was to run Deuce McCallister, and they did, to the tune of 21 carries for 85 yards. McCallister would also score the only TD of the game, a 4-yard reception on a flat pass that helped Washington start the year 1-0.
HOU 16 OAK 13 OVERTIME
In a game that reminded many of the Fog Bowl in the NFL back in the 80’s, Oakland and Houston struggled to see far enough downfield to play any kind of vertical game at all. The broadcasters also struggled to make sense of a game they could barely see. At least in this game both clubs managed to find the endzone at least once, Oakland on a 2-yard TD catch by Johnny McWilliams, and Houston on a 2-yard Kevin Faulk run. Oakland’s Joe Nedney somehow found the uprights with 17 seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 13, but in the extra period Oakland could not get points on the board, and on their first possession Houston set up Josh Brown for a 42-yarder and their new kicker earned his signing bonus, putting the ball through for a Houston win.
BOS 20 ORL 13
Weather was not an issue in Florida, but the play of 2nd year QB Joey Harrington was, as the sophomore was pulled in the third after earning Orlando only 3 first downs in his first 5 drives. Marc Bulger came in and did quite a bit better, but at that point, down 20-0, it was too little too late. Boston fed the ball to Tiki Barber, and the veteran back responded, rushing 27 times for 156 yards, a 5.8 YPC average. Drew Bledsoe connected with new receiver Robert Ferguson for a score and TE James Whalen for a second as the Cannons start their new life with a win.
JAX 21 TBY 10
The battle of Florida was solidly won by the Bulls as Jacksonville got 4 second half field goals from Kris Brown to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 21-10 win. Both teams struggled in the air as both Green and Delhomme each threw 2 picks, Zeke Moreno returning one of Delhomme’s poor throws for Tampa Bay’s only touchdown on the day. Rookie Anquon Boldin made a huge first impression for Jacksonville, leading all receivers with 8 catches for 102 yards and adding a TD to help the Bulls get the divisional win.
CHI 21 OHI 31
The battles between the Machine and the Glory continue, and Ohio continues to get the upper hand as the Glory outgain Chicago 367-294, thanks in large part to a combined 109 yards rushing from Eddie George (looking fully back from his 2002 playoff injury) and rookie Musa Smith. Joey Galloway and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson both scored as well as Ohio makes an early statement.
MGN 19 PIT 29
Patrick Surtain ran back a pick 33 yards for a score to help Pittsburgh build up a 23-7 lead and they would turn the ball over to Terrell Davis to close out the game. Davis would finish with 32 carries, a huge opening day tally. T.J. Duckett looked good for Michigan, but once they fell behind they had to pass the ball and abandon the run, and that simply did not work out for them despite Hines Ward’s 113 yard effort.
DEN 27 BIR 14
Concerns about Denver’s defense may have been overblown as the Gold looked very solid against the spread offense that Coach Dennis Franchione installed in the past month. Franchione was a late hire by the Stallions who went through most of the offseason without a head coach in play. He had 4 weeks to develop a playbook and train up the Stallions into a very different offense than they had played in recent years. The lack of familiarity hurt them as Brett Favre was not able to maximize the talents of his new WR, Joe Horn. Denver also ran the ball well, with Robert Holcombe scoring twice and sharing carries with Rod Smart.
ARZ 28 MEM 45
Memphis fans were very concerned about their roster after a flurry of big name departures this offseason, but if this game was any indication, they will be just fine. Heath Shuler had a monster game, throwing for 5 scores and 405 yards against the Wranglers. Adrian Cooper caught 6 for 186 and 3 scores for the Showboats and receiver Justin McCaerins stepped up as well, catching 6 for 125. Rooke Kelley Washington also made a great first impression, catching 4 for 50 and 2 TDs as the Showboats racked up points and yards in front of 54,000 at the Liberty Bowl.
TEX 19 LA 21
A fun game in Farmers Insurance Field as the Express duked it out with the Outlaws. Texas went with Jeff Lewis as their season-opening QB and Lewis found connections with both Carl Pickens (5 receptions for 106 yards and a score) and TE Matt Schobel, but in the end the Express just had a bit more. Tory Holt and rookie TE L. J. Smith both caught TD passes from Cade McNown, and the DeShaun Foster scored the go-ahead touchdown as the Express open the year 1-0.
SEA 23 NSH 33
USFL newcomers Marvin Lewis and Byron Leftwich had mixed results on opening week as the Dragons were competitive all game but eventually fell to the Nashville Knights. Leftwich would go 20 for 31 for 293 yards, 2 scores and a pick, not a bad day against the Nashville D. The Knights limited Corey Dillon to only 47 yards rushing and the Knights just kept plugging along as they scored 13 in the 4th quarter to take the win.
ROOKIES ON THE FIELD AND ON THE SIDELINE GET THEIR FIRST ACTION
We saw four new head coaches and a full slate of rookie players take the field this week. Who made a strong first impression and who has some growing to do? Here is our list of the stories that came out of new players and coaches in Week 1 of USFL Action
New Head Coaches go 0-4 on Opening Day
A rough opening for the league’s four new head coaches as all four fall to defeat this weekend. Joe Vitt got the full time job thanks to a strong performance as interim last year in Portland, but the Breakers had just a touch more to offer this week. Seattle’s Marvin Lewis is working with a rookie QB and a lot of new players on his roster, so time will be needed. For Oakland’s Dennis Green, the most experienced of the new coaching class, it was a rough game to gauge because the fog made any game plan immediately ineffective. And in Birmingham, Coach Dennis Franchione, who just 3 months ago was stepping down at Alabama, and only 29 days ago entered the Stallion coach’s room for the first time, it is clear that time will be needed to get his team on the same page.
Boldin Bursts Out of the Gate
Jacksonville’s rookie wideout Anquon Boldin wasted no time making a big impact. Not only did he break the 100-yard mark and score his first USFL touchdown, but he outgained Bulls’ veteran Terrell Owens to boot. Boldin looked polished, with crisp routes and good hands in his first game. That has to make Coach Cunningham feel good about the work of his GM this offseason.
Other Good First Games
Among the rookies who also had strong first games we count Seattle QB Byron Leftwich, who could not get the W, but had a solid first game with 293 yards passing (3rd in the league after 1 week). HB Musa Smith had only 8 carries for the Glory, but made the most of them, rushing for 31 yards and a score in his first pro action. Michigan TE Bennie Joppru rounds out our top offensive rookies for the week, catching 6 balls for 39 yards in the Panthers’ loss. On defense the rookies who impressed included Seattle CB Marcus Truffant (7 tackles), Houston LB Nick Barnett (6 Tackles), and Boston DE Ty Warren (4 Tck, 1 Sack).
Not So Fast
The game was a bit tougher for several other rookie players, with underwhelming first games. Among the bigger letdowns were Willis McGahee (13 carries for only 8 yards), Oakland HB Justin Fargas (12 carries for 17 yards), Michigan wideout Charles Rogers (1 catch for 3 yards) and Chicago wideout Brandon Lloyd (2 catches for 14 yards). It is way too early to gauge anything from this, but as first impressions go, they could have been a lot better.
TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED
It is a right of passage, each season in the days leading up to opening weekend, after the final cuts and practice squads are set for the week, the players gather and select their team captains. These are the players who will be expected to lead by example, to rally the troops when things are going wrong, and to keep everyone focused on the prize when they are going well. It is an honor that players take very seriously and one that indicates just who is viewed by each team as a leader and a guy to respect. Here are your USFL Team Captains for 2003, Offense, Defense, and Special Teams:
ARZ: QB Jake Plummer, LB Broderick Thomas, CB Fred Smoot
BAL: WR Rob Moore, DT John Randall, K Martin Grammatica
BIR: QB Brett Favre, CB Deion Sanders, SS Kwammie Lassiter
BOS: HB Tiki Barber, LB London Fletcher, CB Tyrone Poole
CHI: QB Jeff George, LB Brian Urlacher, FS George Teague
DEN: QB Mark Brunell, SS Sean Lumpkin, P Todd Sauerbrun
HOU: WR Antonio Freeman, CB Ronde Barber, SS Chris Carter
JAX: T Antone Davis, LB Mike Vrabel, P Chris Mohr
LA: T Jonathan Ogden, LB Mo Lewis, LB John Holecek
MEM: QB Heath Shuler, FS Tebucky Jones, K Jeff Hall
MGN: QB Drew Brees, LB Ted Johnson, CB Deltha O’Neal
NSH: HB Ahman Green, SS Rodney Harrison, K Ryan Longwell
NJ: QB Tom Brady, DE Phil Hansen, FS Brian Dawkins
NOR: QB Trent Dilfer, LB Lamar Lathon, HB Troy Davis
OAK: C Jeff Saturday, LB Kailee Wong, SS Torrian Gray
OHI: QB Kerry Collins, DT La’Roi Glover, CB Corey Raymond
ORL: WR Donald Driver, DT Pat Williams, CB Fernando Bryant
PHI: G Ruben Brown, DE Regan Upshaw, SS Je’Rod Cherry
PIT: HB Terrell Davis, LB DeMetrius DuBose, P Tom Rouen
POR: TE Lonnie Johnson, DE Hugh Douglas, CB Will Allen
SEA: T Lomas Brown, SS John Lynch, HB Brian Mitchell
TBY: G Steve Hutchinson, LB Kevin Mitchell, K Mike Vanderjagt
TEX: G Leonard Davis, LB Tedi Bruschi, CB Jimmy Hitchcock
WSH: QB Kordell Stewart, CB Charles Woodson, K Doug Pelfrey
Protect the QB
Week one saw three different QB’s taken out of games, and while Tom Brady appears to be the only one of the three who will miss next week’s game, it is a reminder how important it is to protect the franchise QB if you have one. Brady could miss 3 weeks with a fracture to his maxillary orbital bone in his right eye. In New Orleans there was a scary moment when it appeared Trent Dilfer had suffered a significant ankle injury, only to find out later that it was not a tear, only a strain, leaving Dilfer as “questionable” for Week 2. Joey Harrington also had to leave the game for Orlando with a hip pointer, but it could have been worse. The message to the league, yes, there are rules to protect the QB, but you better also prioritize your offensive line and develop a playbook that keeps QB safety in mind as well. You want a promising season to go south quickly, lose your starting QB and see what happens.
We have talked a bit about the Tom Brady injury, but have not discussed New Jersey’s plan. Right now the plan appears to be to start Todd Boumann, who came into the Washington game as Brady’s backup. Boumann has been in the league since 1997, but next week will be his first start as a pro. The 2nd QB will be 8-year backup John Walsh.
Outside of the QB position there were some injuries that deserve mention. Oakland lost a big piece of their offensive line as guard Brendan Stai could miss up to 3 months with a torn ACL. In Chicago there is concern for SS Anthony Prior, who suffered a back injury in the game at Ohio. Early indications is that there is not a fracture and that Prior could return within 4-6 weeks. Birmingham lost two starters at least for Week 2 as TE Walter Reeves (groin) and CB Torey James (wrist) are confirmed to be out this week. Seattle’s rookie LB Mike Maslowski left the game with a jammed toe, and is doubtful to play this week. Others listed as doubtful or questionable include Tampa OT Andre Johnson, Seattle captain and SS John Lynch, Maulers OT Korey Stringer, and Orlando’s Joey Harrington (as noted above).
BEST STADIUM EXPERIENCES UP FOR DEBATE
Every summer fans from across the country make pilgrimages to see USFL football. Whether it is reconnecting with your favorite team, hitting the road to experience a new stadium, or just being in the right spot in the summer to catch a game, there are always a lot of out-of-town fans who find their way to USFL games each spring and summer. So which stadiums are the ones to visit if you can? Which teams have as much excitement in the stands as on the field? We have put together our favorite USFL off-field experiences and stadium features, so that as you plan your vacation you might consider checking out not just a game but an experience in one of the USFL’s 24 stadia. Here are the top 10 USFL Stadium experiences as voted by our writers. Let’ the debates begin.
Singing “Hang on, Sloopy” in Ohio Stadium. It is not a new tradition, but one borrowed from Ohio State games, but that does not make it any less fun.
Join the Gambler faithful as they sing Kenny Roger’s classic song at the end of the 3rd quarter. You all know the words, and nothing says Gamblers like a rousing rendition of the classic country tune.
Come for the game, stay for the car show. Michigan Panther games at the SilverDome became an event for car enthusiasts as well, as every home game had as part of its pregame tailgate a classic car rally in the E-lots. That tradition has been carried over to Ford Field, so show up early and check out the style of classic muscle cars and hot rods outside the stadium.
If cocktails and BBQ are more your thing, then you absolutely want to catch a game at Legion Field, where the adult beverages are flowing, the music is rockin’, and the smokers are producing some of the best pregame fare in the league.
Rocky Mountain High in Denver. No, we are not talking about any controlled substances, we are talking about another classic singalong, this time during pregame and at the half, when the whole stadium joins together with John Denver’s classic love song to the state of Colorado “Rocky Mountain High”.
The Wave. Yes, there are folks in Seattle who say they invented it for their NFL club, but if you want to experience a truly powerful wave, get yourself to New Orleans for a Breakers game. Not only are the fans well-lubricated, and fully voiced, but they can legitimately claim that their team name gives them special enthusiasm for the wave as a gesture of their fandom.
Eat well, cheer well. Food is such a huge part of the experience of a football game and no venue does it better than the Alamo Dome. What do you want? Classic Texas brisket? The best stadium burritos in the country? Maybe even some Vietnamese Bahn Mi? The AlamoDome has got you covered.
Early season snowball fights. While not officially sanctioned by any team in the league, we have seen plenty of really festive snowball fights in March in places like Denver, Philly, Columbus, Chicago, or Pittsburgh. More often than not they are lighthearted and a ton of fun during pregame, but do be carefull in Philly where a bad Stars team and a late March blizzard can lead to some less-than-lighthearted shenanigans.
The Oakland Invader pre-game flyover. This is something you absolutely want to see as the Invaders go well beyond the 1-3 plane formations, we see at many sporting events in the USA. Whether it is stealth bombers, a fighter squadron, WW2 racing planes, or a formation of Apache Helicopters getting so close you wonder if they will blow the beer out of your hand. Oakland knows how to up the wow factor with their gametime flyovers.
The National Anthem in RFK. We know, we know, it’s just the anthem. Every team does it. But no one does it quite like the Federals. Full military band, fireworks, honor guard, troops in formation, and a huge U.S. Flag. And this is not just a post-9/11 thing started last year, the Feds have been doing this since the late 1980’s. It is like the best 4th of July tradition, but it is 7 or 8 times a year at every Federals home game.
One week down, 13 to go, and we go into Week 2 with a flip of the script from our opening week. The Eats will be in interdivisional play and the West will kick off their divisional rivalry games. We have two in-state battles and a few classic rivalry games to look forward to. It’s Texas at Houston in the first of two Lonestar Wars this season. In California, its NoCal visiting SoCal as the Invaders head down to LA to kick off division play. We also get a Cascade Clash in Week 2 as Seattle and Portland, both with new head coaches, battle it out at Civic Stadium. Denver is in Arizona in what has become a pretty heated rivalry between two teams with very different personalities. In the South we have Nashville hosting New Orleans, with only 1 team able to start off 2-0. And in Birmingham the Stallions host their nemesis, the Showboats. Expect a huge crowd at Legion Field for that one.
In the Eastern Conference we don’t have the drama of divisional play, but we have some intriguing matchups nonetheless. New Jersey is at Pittsburgh, hoping Todd Boumann can surprise the Maulers. Washington is in Tampa Bay where the Bandits need to find their offense. Chicago will be the first foe for the Cannons in their new Alumni Stadium home. The game has been sold out for months, so it should be a loud one. Philly will visit Orlando and Michigan visits Jacksonville as both northern clubs get some Florida sun early in the season. Baltimore, not so much sunny, as they have to head to Columbus to face the Glory, who have now won 18 straight. Week two, people. Get ready for it!