All good things must come to an end, and that includes winning streaks. The Ohio Glory made history by winning 17 consecutive games to become the first franchise in USFL history to run the table on a complete season and win a league title with an unblemished record. That streak continued into the 2003 season, but came to an end this week when a road trip to rival Pittsburgh ended with defeat. Ohio's defeat at the hands of the Maulers is only one of several big stories coming out of the week, as we had a wild week of overtime games, nailbiters, upsets, and a Game of the Week that pitted two teams with 1 combined win against each other, but produced an exciting back and forth battle worthy of a heavyweight title fight. We start with that game as Oakland earned their first win of the season.
OAKLAND INVADERS 39 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 36
While most would agree that Pittsburgh’s upset of Ohio after 20 consecutive Glory wins was the story of the week, it was not, in technical terms, the best game of the week. That honor has to go to the shootout between the Invaders and the Wranglers in Tempe. We will certainly talk about just how Pittsburgh managed to get the better of Ohio, but let’s recognize just how good Oakland’s win in Arizona was. This is an Invader squad that had looked completely out of synch through three weeks, losing all three games and scoring only 30 points during the three week span. They more than doubled that total in just this one game as several players who were being criticized heavily in local media stepped up big time against the Wranglers, who, once again, look like a team that has talent but lacks consistency.
The first thing that has to be said is that the biggest names on the team came up big for the first time all season. Plaxico Burress had his first 100-yard game of the year. HB Justin Fargas averaged 4.4 YPC on his way to a 22 carry, 97 yard day. Marques Tuiasosopo did throw three picks, but made up for it with 3 TD passes, including the game-tying toss to Taylor Jacobs with only 14 seconds left to play in regulation, a play that shifted momentum back to Oakland, got them to overtime, and put them in position to steal this game away from the homestanding Wranglers. Add in a 2-pick day for FS Antuan Edwards, a forced fumble by SS Pearson Prioleau, and 8 more tackles for Roosevelt Colvin, among league leaders in tackles, and you have Oakland’s first W of the year, and the first for new head coach Dennis Green.
IT did not look good at first as Arizona raced out to a 10-0 lead in just the first 10 minutes of play. Jake Plummer found O.J. Santiago for a TD and things seemed to be going well for the Wranglers, but a costly mistake, Plummer’s first pick of the day, led to a quick score for Oakland, and they would follow it up only 2 minutes later with a second score as Mack Strong took the ball in to give Oakland a 14-10 lead at the end of a high energy first quarter.
In the second, Tuiasosopo found Plaxico Burress for a 22-yard TD, and the lead was up to 11, but Arizona would add 10 more points before th half, and be down only 1, 21-20 at the break. The Wranglers would then open the 2nd half with a long drive capped off by a Plummer to Moss fade route. When the 2-point conversion failed, it mean that Arizona had a 5-point lead at 26-21.
The lead would change hands once again as Oakland responded. Tuiasosopo hit on his 2nd of 3 TD passes, this time to Taylor Jacobs (1st of 2) and a successful 2-point play meant they took over the lead at 29-26. But, as we had seen all day, the lead would not hold. Jake Plummer was able to move the Wranglers right down the field, and called his own number on a TD run to once again put Arizona on top. On their next drive they would add a field goal as well, moving the lead to 36-29 with only 2:16 left on the clock.
It would be up to Marques Tuiasosopo to move the ball 78 yards for a tying score if Oakland wanted to come back once more. The young signal caller did just that, completing 4 of 6 pass attempts along the way, with the final throw a short completion to Jacobs once again, this one for his 2nd TD on the day. The PAT was good and the game went to overtime. Both teams got their possessions in overtime, and both teams failed to put points on the board. It was then that Antuan Edwards made the play of the day, tipping a pass intended for Santana Moss, and then picking it off on the rebound. The pick, his 2nd of the game, gave Oakland the ball on the Arizona 48. 4 plays later Joe Nedney was lining up for the game winning fieldgoal. Up and through and the Oakland Invaders had won their first of the year.
The win showed that the faith that team ownership and new head coach Dennis Green had placed in Tuiasosopo was not a mistake. Having failed to sign USC product Carson Palmer, there had been a lot of pressure on the club to try to sign or trade for a veteran QB. They resisted the urge, going into the regular season with Tuiasosopo and Jon Kitna on the roster. Tuiasosopo had a game that, while flawed, showed his potential. The other player who got a bit of redemption was rookie HB Justin Fargas, who had shown poorly in his first three games. With a lot of talk about Oakland making efforts to sign the recently reinstated Rashaan Salaam, the pressure was on and Fargas came through. Oakland may well still pursue Salaam, but Fargas is at least showing signs that he can be a weapon on offense for the Invaders.
For Arizona it was yet another in a long history of games that seemed won only to be lost in the final minutes. Arizona has developed a reputation for being consistently inconsistent. It is an issue that could eventually cost Art Still his job at the helm of the club, but as we have seen on several occasions, the Wranglers seem to do just enough to qualify for the playoffs and, once there, can get hot at just the right time.
OHI 17 PIT 34
We will do a full rundown on just how the Maulers upended the Ohio Glory this week in our feature article, but the short version is that they limited 3rd down success, stymied the run game, and held the ball with their own potent rushing attack. The star on offense was clearly Terrell Davis, who rumbled for 142 yards on 29 carries to lead the Maulers. On defense it was truly a team effort, but Demetrius Dubose, with 11 tackles was the key leader, always in the right place at the right time. And while Joey Galloway went over 100 yards receiving and Chad Johnson scored yet another TD, the combo did not overwhelm the Maulers, who steadily built up their lead over all 4 quarters, becoming the first team to knock off Ohio in over 14 months.
BAL 16 NJ 23
A big win for the Generals, who return to .500 with Tom Brady back at the helm. New Jersey managed only 80 yards on the ground, but Terry Glenn was able to break free on a couple of key deep balls to help the Generals outpace the Blitz. Two fumbles by Baltimore backs did not help as both Mike Rumph and James Harrison were able to punch out the ball from the backs’ hands and give New Jersey extra series on offense.
PHI 25 WSH 33
A tighter game than many expected between the Stars and the Federals. Stephen Davis had his best game of the year, with much of his success coming up the middle against Washington’s new DT combo. Davis would rush for 137 on 17 attempts, and backup Ladell Betts scored from 3 yards out, but it all fell just a bit short as Washington got a 60-yard TD run from QB Kordell Stewart to take a late lead and hold on for the 8-point win at home.
BOS 27 JAX 38
Jacksonville flipped the script on the Boston Cannons, limiting league leading rusher Tiki Barber to only 62 yards on 19 carries, while their own back, Kenny Bynum had a field day, rushing for 142. Rookie Fred Jackson was used effectively on 3rd down and scored 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. Another rookie, WR Anquon Boldin, also had a strong game, catching 8 balls for 96 yards as Terrell Owens missed this game with a stomach flu.
ORL 28 TBY 38
Orlando drops to 0-4 as Tampa Bay gets their first win of the season thanks to another rookie who found his stride. HB Willis McGahee got his first 100-yard performance this week, with 119 yards on 24 carries, including two touchdowns for the Bandits. Orlando was down 31-7 at one point, came roaring back, but, down 31-28, Joey Harrington made a huge mistake in the final minute of the game, tossing a poorly-aimed ball to his wideout, only to watch it picked cleanly and run back for 7 more Tampa points. It was Harrington’s 3rd pick of the game, three more than backup Kent Graham had for Tampa in his first start of the season.
CHI 34 MGN 9
Mike Martz is unlikely to make it through the season if he cannot figure out Michigan’s offensive woes and quickly. The Panthers managed only 3 field goals against Chicago as Drew Brees was pulled suffering an injury just before the half. While BreesP had Michigan in range at 13-6, backup Spence Fisher had major issues and Chicago simply built up a commanding lead in the 2nd half as Michigan could not move the ball at all.
LA 16 DEN 34
The Gold knock LA from the realm of the unbeaten thanks to a solid performance from wideout Peerless Price. Price scored twice and caught 7 for 16 as the Gold took a share of first place with the home victory over the Express. Denver’s defense also came up big, sacking Cade McNown 5 times, including a sack that sent him to the sideline for 2 series during the transition from the 3rd into the 4th quarter. By the time McNown was able to return, Denver had increased their lead from 7 to 17, on the way to an 18 point win.
NOR 47 HOU 28
In the battle of unbeatens, someone had to get their first loss, and that would be Houston as the Breakers found plenty of holes in the Gambler defense, with Trent Dilfer throwing for 3 scores and Troy Davis again finding success as a stand-in for Ricky Williams. The small scatback rushed for 160 yards against the Houston D, and that freed up some passing lanes, which led to TE Bubba Franks having a rare 100-yard day. Add in three picks of Matt Hasselbeck and you have a big win for New Orleans on the road.
NSH 24 TEX 19
Texas held a 19-17 lead with only 25 second left, but got complacent on the kickoff, leading to Darnay Scott taking the game-ending kick back 102 yards for the score. In a game where the Outlaws held Todd Collins to only 152 yards passing and kept Ahman Green under 80 yards on the ground, losing on a botched kick coverage is going to hurt.
MEM 23 POR 20
Memphis got 107 yards rushing from Dorsey Levins to pull off the road win in Portland. With Heath Shuler limited to only 196 yards passing, the Memphis run game proved pivotal as they held the ball for over 37 minutes against the Thunder. Portland, with Rick Mirer starting for the injured Akili Smith, had trouble getting going and found themselves down 20-6 after three quarters. Mirer connected with Matthew Hatchette and Muhsin Muhammad in the final period, but came up just short as they could not get one more score needed to come back.
BIR 17 SEA 34
Seattle got their first win as Byron Leftwich continued to impress, throwing for 310 yards and 2 scores and battling through 6 Birmingham sacks to do it. The Stallions toned down their spread passing game in the rain in Seattle, as Shaun Alexander ran the ball 15 times for 111 yards in an atypical Birmingham strategy. Brett Favre threw two awkward interceptions to help Seattle build up a lead that they would not relinquish.
HOW DID PITTSBURGH DO IT?
That is the question being asked all around the USFL, that and “Can it be repeated?”. Well, first off you need to acknowledge that just like any team, Ohio is going to have hot weeks and cold weeks. You likely are not going to be able to replicate what Pittsburgh did if Ohio is in the zone. Get that out of your mind right away. But, let’s assume it is not a week when they are hitting on all cylinders. What can teams take away from the Pittsburgh game?
The first thing is ball control. As with all great offensive teams, the first part of the strategy has to be to keep that offense on the sideline. Pittsburgh milked the clock from the first drive, running 36 run plays, but only 59 total plays. But those 59 plays took up over 37 minutes of action. So you run the clock down between plays, execute on third down to keep your drives alive, and do what you can to force third and long for the Glory. Ohio was only 3 of 12 on third down in large part because Pittsburgh put them in a lot of third and long situations. Slowing down Eddie George was a big part of the plan. And yes, it meant that occasionally a receiver was in single coverage, but by limiting the run game, the Maulers helped set up 3rd and 7 or longer 8 times, and Ohio only converted 2 of those.
The last piece of the puzzle is to avoid self-inflicted wounds. If you look at last year’s close games with Ohio, including all three matchups with Chicago, you can see where teams either committed unwarranted penalties at bad times or turned the ball over, providing Ohio with extra possessions. Pittsburgh did neither, committing only 3 penalties all game and producing no turnovers, whereas Ohio had two and 6 penalties. So, the formula is 1) Milk the clock, 2) stuff the run, 3) win on 3rd down and 4) no unforced errors. Easier said than done, to be sure, but the Maulers made it work.
GREAT WEEK FOR ROOKIES
One week after we critiqued some of the rookie performances, we got a lot of strong performances out of the Class of 2003. Yes, Byron Leftwich and Anquon Boldin had been impressive already, but this week we got a great game for the first time from both Willis McGahee in Tampa Bay and Justin Fargas in Oakland, and in both cases the 0-3 teams got their first wins of the year. Beyond the two running backs, other first-year players making some waves include L.J. Smith, the big TE out of Rutgers, who has 3 TDs already this season. Charles Rogers has been getting regular snaps in Michigan, but has yet to find the endzone or a Panther win. Kelley Washington started out hot, with 3 TDs in the first 2 weeks of the year, but has now slipped a bit, with only 1 catch in Week 3 and 2 in Week 4. Fred Jackson is seeing regular action in Jacksonville’s backfield, and Musa Smith is the solid backup to Eddie George in Ohio. Will we see more of these players as the season wears on? Almost certainly.
On defense the early breakouts from this year’s rookie crops are no surprise. Osi Umenyiura recorded his first sack this week, but already has 2 forced fumbles and 10 tackles at right end. LA is overjoyed with the maturity of rookie SS Troy Polamalu, who already has 22 tackles, a sack, and a pick. Seattle is equally happy with their choice of Marcus Truffant, who has 22 tackles and a pick in his first 4 games. Seattle is looking at potentially having a Rookie of the Year candidate on both sides of the ball. If Truffant and Leftwich keep up the pace this year, that could very much be true.
TAMPA REACHES OUT TO TEXAS ABOUT LEAF
Kent Graham may have shown a lot this week, but that has not stopped Tampa Bay from looking for help with Trent Green out for the year. Sources in Texas are reporting that Tampa Bay has made inquiries into the possibility of trading for disgruntled Outlaw QB Ryan Leaf. Leaf, who has been very vocal about his displeasure with sitting behind Jeff Lewis, would almost certainly be open to relocation if it meant a starting job. Texas might be open to the move if Lewis looks solidly like a starter and moving Leaf provides the Outlaws with something they need in return. The only hangup we see is the role Trent Green would play after 2003. He is done for the year, but he still has another year on his contract. If Tampa Bay were to bring in Leaf, it would be as a starter, assuming Graham starts to suffer some growing pains. If that is the case then Tampa Bay has an issue this offseason, with 2 players who see themselves as the starter. It is not a new issue, particularly for Leaf, who has lost the faith of coaches in Oakland and now is on thin ice in Texas. Would a move to a 3rd team, one which already has invested quite a bit in a veteran QB, really be the answer he is seeking? And is Tampa Bay ready to deal with all of Leaf’s antics in hopes of getting a strong arm at QB? With a win from backup Kent Graham this week, the immediate pressure may be off, but this is a situation to monitor for sure.
SALAAM FIELDING INQUIRIES BUT NO TAKER YET
With his reinstatement this past week, there was a lot of anticipation that Rashaan Salaam would quickly sign with a club looking to boost their run game. So far that has not been the case as it appears that teams are doing their due diligence before making a strong offer for the former Gold halfback. Sources within Salaam’s camp are saying that they have met with no fewer than 4 clubs so far, but that no contract has been offered to date.
We know that both Oakland and Michigan put out feelers, and we expect that Portland may be another club looking at the former Colorado halfback. Any one of those three would benefit from his skillset if they can be assured that his issues with drugs are behind him. We had thought Oakland to be the frontrunner, but with a 98-yard performance from Justin Fargas this week, the urgency may be a bit lower. Michigan still has major issues and at 0-4 they may be a prime candidate, particularly if Mike Martz is concerned that his job is on the line, which clearly seems to be the case. Portland is a bit of an odd choice since they have already traded for Reuben Droughns, drafted Onterrio Smith out of Oregon, and have Correll Buckhalter also in the rotation. Admitedly, Salaam, at his best, is clearly a step ahead of all three, but Portland has so much going on (both on and off the field) that it seems a particularly dangerous place for Salaam to end up. But, with Akili Smith currently their lead rusher, and the only Thunder back who is averaging more than 3.5 YPC, maybe it is not such a wild idea that they would sign the troubled Salaam.
Injuries are starting to be a real factor across the league as we see more players who are impacted and who miss games due to a wide variety of issues. LA saw two significant injuries this week, including their starting QB Cade McNown, who took a huge hit and now could be out several weeks with cracked ribs. In addition to McNown’s rib injuries, the Express are likely to be without DE Van Tuinei for 1-3 weeks due to a hamstring injury. In Michigan, the 0-4 Panthers cannot afford any more bad news, but it does look like QB Drew Brees will miss at least 1 week after injuring his foot on a late game scramble. Portland’s Akili Smith sat out this week, and is about 50/50 to play in Week 5 as he continues to recover from the hyperextended knee he suffered in Week 3.
In Boston, wideout Chris Calloway was placed on IR with a PCL tear that will require surgery. Arizona guard Chuck Johnson is expected to miss up to another 4-6 weeks with a fracture in his right arm, while Portland CB Will Allen, a key piece of their secondary, will be out at least 2 weeks after suffering a non-contact knee injury. Others who are likely to be out this week after bowing out in Week 4 include Orlando CB Ryan McNeill (hand), Tampa Bay TE Jeremy Shockey (back), and Jacksonville’s defensive captain, Mike Vrabel (knee).
Thunder & Showboats Close in on Pivotal Decisions
We have news on the futures of both Portland and Memphis franchises, and it does not look good for either city. Thunder owner Phil Ruffin has submitted a proposal to expand ownership to the league. As with the Atlanta/Boston proposal last year, this is a sealed document, reserved only for the league’s Finance Committee. The league has been seeking alternatives to expand ownership of the franchise ever since principal partner Bernard Ebbers was forced to divest himself of his majority share due to the freezing of his assets as part of the Worldcom fraud investigation. That investigation has turned up significant concerns, and Ebbers’s ownership has been dissolved, leaving the league temporarily supporting the franchise through the 2003 season. It is assumed that Ruffin, a Las Vegas casino owner and real estate developer, will be proposing an expanded ownership pool through the introduction of additional investors from the Las Vegas area, and that this may be coupled with a relocation from Portland to Las Vegas’s Sam Boyd Stadium.
Sources in the league office have been quiet about the nature of the documents provided by Mr. Ruffin, but there are rumors that the expanded ownership could include figures such as Kirk Kerkorkian, a former musician and major investor in the MGM Entertainment group that owns several Las Vegas casinos, as well as Jeff Foster, a commercial real estate developer and head of Prologis Development, which has operated in the city since 1994. If these rumors are true, it would certainly point towards a potential relocation to Las Vegas as the preferred option of Mr. Ruffin and the potential ownership group. While any relocation of a franchise is a serious concern for the league, Las Vegas, which has legalized gambling, including sports gambling, poses unique challenges to a professional sports organization, which is one reason why league such as the NBA have avoided the city as a potential home to a franchise in the past.
On the Showboats front, the city of Memphis has made efforts to move a bond issuance bill to a special ballot but, as is often the case, the bill has been mired in committee and may not come to fruition without significant compromise on the part of several important factions within city government. The cost of the proposed bond, and the renovations to Liberty Bowl Stadium that it proposes, are significant, and the risk of the Showboats opting for a lucrative deal in St. Louis are still very much on the table. For their part the city of St. Louis and the stadium authority that manages the Dome at America’s Center, has put together a proposal that would provide the Showboats with a more beneficial package than the former St. Louis Knights ever saw. The team would not be changing hands as ownership would remain, but could benefit from the advantages that the Dome provides. With local connections in Memphis, the ownership group of the Showboats has motivation to remain in the Mid-South, but unless the city can provide significant movement on the renovation initiative for the Liberty Bowl, the risk is still very real that the Showboats could leave behind one of the league’s most fervent fanbases.
Finally, with the Spring Ownership Meeting scheduled two weeks from now, a proposal on the topic of expansion is anticipated to be a top item on the agenda. The competition and finance committees have developed reports which will be shared with the 24 representative ownership groups. With cities such as Atlanta and St. Louis actively engage in trying to return USFL football, concerns about additional relocation efforts creating uncomfortable instabilities across the league, and with local investors in cities such as Dallas, Miami, Charlotte, Kansas City and Sacramento seeking opportunities to make their case, it seems the USFL is facing a potential “expand or risk mass exodus” scenario in which owners may opt to cash in on lucrative franchise sales that lead to significant upheavals across the league.
While many clubs are locked into long-term deals, often the result of new stadium construction in partnership with the NFL and local cities, there are several which could walk away from their current contracts should a better offer be available, and several potential ownership groups willing to pay the price to obtain a franchise in their city. With USFL clubs have tripled or more in value since the mid 1990’s it is a hot market, but a hot market, while lucrative for ownership open to a sale is a bad sign for local ownership and local fanbases who see their franchise as more than a commodity to be sold off and moved.
Expansion is seen as an alternative, one which could allow for several of the aggressive ownership bidders to obtain their piece of the USFL pie, while also reducing the pressure on current franchises to consider lucrative bids to pull up stakes and head to a new location. If, for example, the league were to add franchises in Dallas, Miami, St. Louis and Atlanta, the risk of a current franchise like the Showboats relocating are greatly reduced. Of course, such an expansion has its risks.
The USFL is no stranger to instability in ownership and franchise acquisition, having already dealt with shaky expansion bids or team buy-outs in San Diego (eventually Tulsa and then San Antonio), Atlanta, St. Louis, and now Portland, the league will have to do a better job of vetting ownership than we have seen in the past, and then the question of dilution of talent also becomes a major concern. With 32 NFL franchises already competing for talent with the current 24 USFL franchises, just how deep is the talent pool and can it support a 26 or 28 team USFL without a noticeable decline in on-field quality? There are those on both sides of this particular issue, making their cases that the talent pool is already diminished or that the talent pool exists and issues of player quality are a red herring used by owners to protect the exclusivity of their ownership from further expansion of the league.
As owners prepare to meet in New York, what is known is that the market is there for expansion, the footprint of the USFL is already being impacted by the presence of lucrative relocation deals, and the audience for USFL football, both in-stadium and through media, has never been greater. Contracts with both ABC/ESPN and FOX are due to expire in 2005, so the time to leverage a potentially larger USFL is now. And with several clubs currently unhappy with their local stadium deals, the risk of delaying or defeating expansion efforts is that more current franchises will jump at the chance for a quick and very profitable buy out and more of the league’s strong fanbases will find themselves without a club to root for. There is risk in that as well, but primarily at the league level, not the individual ownership level, and that is a dangerous distinction for the league as a whole.
OK, enough gloom and doom about the long term picture of the league and its stability. Back to the more immediate topic of the 2003 season already under way. What does Week 5 offer on the USFL schedule? How about 3-1 Houston facing 3-1 Denver at Mile High? Or 4-0 New Orleans traveling to a frustrated 1-3 Birmingham? We have LA, fresh off their first loss, hosting Seattle, after their first win. We have Portland at Oakland in divisional play, and Texas visiting Arizona, with both clubs hoping not to land at 1-4. We also have an interesting contrast of styles as Memphis hosts in-state rival Nashville, with both clubs perched at 2-2 and hoping to move up the division rankings.
Those are the 6 divisional games in the West this week. In the East it is inter-divisional play, with the best game looking like New Jersey visiting Ohio (and certainly hoping to repeat Pittsburgh’s success.) Pittsburgh, now 3-1, is home again, this time against Baltimore. A desperate 0-4 Orlando club now gets a tough matchup as they host the 4-0 Washington Federals. In Jacksonville we have a battle of 3-1 clubs as Chicago comes to visit the Bulls. Michigan sits at 0-4 and now goes on the road to Boston, where the Cannons sit at 2-2 and look like a more coherent squad than in past years, at least early on. Finally, we have 1-3 Philadelphia visiting 1-3 Tampa Bay. You know both teams will battle for that 2nd win in this one.