2003 USFL Week 9 Recap: South, Central & Southeast Divisions Up For Grabs

With 5 weeks left in the season we are looking at three divisions where one team has a commanding lead and three where we could go down to the wire. Results this week made it clear that Washington, Denver, and Los Angeles look very good for potential division title runs, while we have some neck and neck races in the other three divisions. Memphis's win this week locks them up with New Orleans in the South, with Birmingham only 1 game back. In the Southeast, Jacksonville and Boston are also locked up at 5-4 each, with Tampa only a game back. And, finally, in the Central, Ohio has a 1 game lead on Pittsburgh, with Chicago another game back. Let's look how we got here, starting with a huge road win for the Memphis Showboats.

MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 32 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 26 OVERTIME

The Showboats may be in a bit of turmoil off the field, but the players are working their way through it and came up big on Sunday to take a share of 1st place away from rival New Orleans. It took extra time to settle this one as both teams gave their all in a divisional clash. New Orleans got surprise help from 3rd HB Troy Hambrick, called into action when Ricky Williams, just back from suspension, came up lame in the 1st quarter. Hambrick would spell Troy Davis and rush for 63 yards and a score. For Memphis it was another huge game from TE Adrian Cooper, with help from Justin McCaerins and rookie Kelley Washington that helpled them keep pace until Dorsey Levins ended the game in overtime with a walk off touchdown.

It was a close game all day, with the two teams trading scores and big defensive plays throughout the day. Early on it was the defenses, particularly red zone defense, that won out, as both clubs had to settle for field goals on early drives, leading to a 6-6 score midway through the 2nd quarter. But, on back-to-back drives, both New Orleans and Memphis broke through with big pass plays. The Breakers were first when a play action pass from Trent Dilfer to Josh Reed went for 42 yards and a score to give New Orleans a short-lived lead. Memphis responded only 4 plays later when Heath Shuler found Cooper on a seam route and the All-USFL tight end went to the house to even the score at 13.

Following these two big plays, the defenses regrouped and again we saw both teams moving the ball between the 30’s but not getting the big plays needed to put up 7. Field goals from both teams made it a 19-16 Memphis lead after 3, but New Orleans would take back the lead early in the 4th. The Breakers finally made good on a red zone possession as Hambrick, subbing for Troy Davis, took a handoff from Dilfer, made one cut, and raced 9 yards to paydirt, his first TD of the season. The score put New Orleans back on top 23-19.

That score motivated Memphis, who followed it up with a long 13-play drive that saw Heath Shuler connect with Kelley Washington on a key 3rd and 15 play, with Washington reaching out to just barely get the ball past the first down line and keep the drive alive. The Showboats would score as HB Dorsey Levins, who finished the game with 17 carries for 76 yards, plunged into the endzone on 3rd and goal from the 2. Up 26-23, a field goal would tie it, and that is exactly what New Orleans got.

The Breakers had to settle for a 46-yard attempt because on 3rd and 7 Memphis CB Darrien Gordon managed to break up a pass to Kevin Dyson, pulling the ball out of his hands on what would have been a first down inside the red zone. The Breakers kicked the game-tying field goal and we went to overtime. Memphis won the toss and received the kick at their own 27. It took them 11 plays, but once again they found themselves within the 5 yard line. They turned to Dorsey Levins again and the former Wrangler made good, shrugging off a tackler to rumble into the endzone on a walk-off scoring play for the Showboats.

Heath Shuler finished the game with 366 yards to be the Player of the Game, but it truly was a team effort as the defense did their part, the offense racked up over 450 yards, and special teams contributed with several Jeff Hall field goals. The Showboats move to 6-3 and a share of first place with the Breakers, also now 6-3. The two will face off again in Week 14, in what very well could be a game that determines the division champion.

BIR 20 NSH 17

The other Southern Division game was also an entertaining and close battle as Birmingham needed a late Walter Reeves TD to take the win in Nashville. The Knights lost the turnover battle 3-0 and that was a big reason for their loss, particularly with Donta Jones’s pick-six sparking Birmingham after a lackluster first half. Todd Collins was responsible for all 3 turnovers as his accuracy was a bit shaky on the day. Birmingham continued to try to provide more touches to Shaun Alexander, with 17 carries for 66 yards on the day. The win moves the Stallions to 5-4 and right in the thick of playoff positioning, even perhaps a shot at the division.

ARZ 38 HOU 31

A really fun one in Houston as the Wranglers come from behind in the 4th quarter to take the game. Jake Plummer had another huge day both passing and rushing as he amassed 5 total TDs (2 on the ground), including the game winner with 10 minutes left to play. Houston got 2 scores each from TE Dan Campbell and HB Kevin Faulk, but could not mount a final drive, down 7 with 3 minutes left. The win moves Arizona to 4-5 and drops Houston to 3-6.

DEN 34 TEX 10

The Denver Gold tightened their grip on first place in the Southwest with a convincing win in San Antonio. Mark Brunell threw for 2 scores and HB Robert Holcombe rushed for 69 yards and a score to help propel the Gold to victory. New Texas HB T.J. Duckett got 14 carries on the day, rushing for 46 yards, but Texas simply could not maintain drives into the red zone. The loss drops Texas to 4-5 and gives Denver a 3 game lead in the division.

LA 41 POR 22

The Express also expand their lead in the division thanks to a convincing win in Portland. Jevon Kearse recorded his first sack as a member of the Express and Cade McNown threw 3 TD passes before being relieved by Quincy Carter in the 4th quarter. LA was helped by a hit that knocked Rick Mirer out of the game and forced rarely-used John Stark to finish the game. Stark would complete only 6 of 23 pass attempts as Portland floundered in the second half without Mirer.

SEA 47 OAK 13

The new look Invaders played a lot like the old look Invaders, getting blown out by a red hot Seattle Dragons club. Jon Kitna threw 3 picks and completed only 45% of his passes, while Rashaan Salaam, still on limited carries got his first TD late in the game. For Seattle it was a mix of contributors as the Dragons got a 99 yard Troy Walters kick return for a score, a pick six from Willie Middlebrooks, and a Joe Montgomery TD run (Montgomery is the 3rd HB and got only 2 touches on the day, but one was a 33 yard TD late in the game). Seattle is now 4-5 and in playoff contention in the West.

JAX 20 NJ 38

The Generals got 3 TDs from Tom Brady as Anthony Becht and David Tyree helped make up for Terry Glenn’s absence. The Generals also looked very solid on defense, building up a 31-10 lead thanks to two picks of Jake Delhomme and a fumble by Lovell Pinkney. New Bulls HB Antowain Smith rushed 13 times for a very solid 74 yards, but the big New Jersey lead meant the run game had to be set aside. The win moves New Jersey to 6-3 and drops Jacksonville to 5-4.

BOS 10 BAL 20

Baltimore got a big win to move to 4-5 and remain alive in playoff contention. The defense played well, sacking Drew Bledsoe 5 times to thwart Boston’s efforts. Jeff Garcia got the start as expected, but the team relied heavily on Ron Dayne, who rushed for 115 and both Blitz touchdowns. Despite the loss, Tiki Barber still had a solid game, rushing for 131 yards to retain his solid position atop the rushing leaderboard.

PIT 14 WSH 25

The Maulers had a 14-3 lead going into the 4th quarter in Washington, but TD passes from Stewart to FB Tommy Vardell and TE Cam Cleeland flipped the script, giving the Federals an 18-14 lead with 1:14 left to play. The win was sealed when Ed Reed picked off Charlie Batch and ran it back for 6 to close out the game. The Feds held Terrell Davis to only 34 yards rushing in a masterful defensive performance, and while Pittsburgh’s D was equally tough through three quarters, it finally tired and Washington took the W to move to 9-0 on the year.

OHI 31 PHI 21

Ohio continued to move up the standings with another win as Kerry Collins’s 4 TD day was enough to defeat the Stars. Joey Galloway had another 100-yard game, with 2 TDs as well, and Chad Johnson added 96 yards and a score as the Glory offense continued to impress. The defense was better today, holding Stephen Davis to only 36 yards rushing and picking off Brian Griese twice. With the loss, Philadelphia drops to 3-6 and will need a lot of help if they hope to get back into a playoff discussion.

TBY 23 MGN 6

The Panthers continued to struggle on offense, falling to 0-9 with another poor performance. For Tampa Bay, Willis McGahee rushed for 119 and Randy Moss caught 7 balls from Kent Graham, including a 39-yard touchdown as Tampa Bay moved to 4-5.

ORL 12 CHI 30

Orlando joined Michigan at 0-9 after a thorough dismantling by the Chicago Machine. Anthony Weaver nabbed Joey Harrington twice to move into 2nd on the league sack list and Jeff George threw TDs to former Renegade Donald Driver and to TE Fred Baxter in a comfortable win for the Machine, who move to 5-4 in the Central.

Trading Block Cools Off Ahead of Deadline

With the USFL trade deadline this Friday, we saw the trading block lose a lot of its energy after the Week 8 flurry of action. Only a couple of trades of note this week as teams got ready for the 5-game spring to the playoffs.

Birmingham upgraded at guard by making a deal with Denver for Tracy Boyd. The swing guard for Denver may well plug right in at LG for Birmingham. Denver, for their part gets a solid slot receiver in rookie Kassim Osgood as well as a late round draft pick for Boyd.

Jacksonville, having lost DT Renaldo Wynn in the same week they traded Jevon Kearse to LA, needed to add some muscle at DT and they found a willing trading partner in New Jersey. The Generals agreed to send Darwin Walker to the Bulls for two 5th round picks, Jacksonville’s and the pick the Bulls acquired from LA in the Jevon Kearse trade. Walker had been outplayed by John Parella this year and was acting as backup, but New Jersey has depth at the position, so Walker is off to Jacksonville.

Interestingly we did hear a lot of rumors that the Blitz were shopping their starting QB Jeff Garcia, which seems very premature since Ryan Leaf has not even started a game for Baltimore yet, and since Garcia got the Blitz a win this week, but those rumors were out there. No takers however, as most teams are somewhat set at QB, at least until the offseason.

New Faces in New Places

Speaking of Ryan Leaf, he did not see action this week, but is practicing with the Blitz and working on picking up Coach Infante’s playbook. Baltimore uses a very different system than Texas, and the vocabulary alone could be a challenge as Coach Infante is known for his complex playcalling system. But, while Ryan Leaf is just beginning his learning curve in Baltimore, other Week 8 trade journeymen did see action this week with less than 1 week of time with their new teams.

Jevon Kearse Makes LA Fans Happy from Day 1.

Of the players traded, we would have to say that DE Jevon Kearse had the best first week, scoring his first sack for his new club as well as 3 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. Not a bad first impression. Antowain Smith had a decent first outing for the Bulls, racking up 74 yards on 13 carries (a very nice 5.3 YPC average), though the Bulls lost and their late deficit mean that Smith did not see many carries in the final quarter. T.J. Duckett struggled a bit more in his first action in Texas, carrying the ball 14 times but for only 46 yards (3.3 YPC). Duckett split time with Brian Westbrook, and did have a nice 11-yard run early in the game, but was clearly limited and was taken out in most passing situations in favor of Westbrook.

Rookie Check In

We are 9 weeks in, and it seems a good time to assess our Rookie Class. Looking only at the rookie on each club that has contributed the most, here is our ranking of the top 10 to make a contribution this season.

10) Terrance McGee, CB, Denver: Of the three rookie defenders who have seen action this year for Denver, McGee has been the biggest breakout player. Playing predominantly the nickel, McGee has 2 picks and 7 tackles this year, which is not bad considering he has only been targeted 16 times.

9) Troy Polamalu, SS, Los Angeles: Polamalu has had an immediate impact for the Express. He is currently third on the team with 48 tackles, some of them poster-worthy, and has also added a sack and a pick in his first 9 games. Polamalu seems to cherish opportunities to come close to the line and take on running backs.

8) Charles Rogers, WR, Michigan: The season and the offense have not gone the way Coach Mike Martz would want, but Rogers has been a solid contributor. He is third on the team with 32 catches on 53 targets, has 318 yards and a touchdown. He has not been as explosive as perhaps the Panthers had hoped, but with their O-line we are not sure Drew Brees could go deep very often anyway.

7) Kelley Washington, WR, Memphis: Washington’s numbers are slightly better than those of Rogers (33 catches on 45 targets, 508 yards and 3 touchdowns) but what is more important is that Washington has helped to open up the offense, freeing up both Justin McCaerins and TE Adrian Cooper to have big seasons.

6) Mike Doss, FS, Ohio: Doss has been a solid defender for the Glory. He has 27 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 picks for the Glory defense, showing his versatility as both a coverage safety and an in-the-box presence.

5) Nick Barnett, LB, Houston: The Gamblers found themselves a thumper in Barnett. The rookie LB is third on the team with 48 tackles so far this season. He has yet to record a sack or a pick, but that is not surprising considering the role he has been given. He has 6 tackles for loss as the run game seems to be his strongsuit.

4) Marcus Truffant, CB, Seattle: The first of two Dragon rookies to make our list, Truffant has been stellar for a rookie CB. Yes, he has been faked out a couple of times, but his 3 picks leads the team and he has also contributed 49 tackles, including several really good run blitzes.

3) Anquon Boldin, WR, Jacksonville: Not the biggest name among wideouts coming out of the draft, but Boldin has made a name for himself this season with 57 receptions (5th in the league), 722 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He has been the perfect #2 receiver, freeing up Terrell Owens from the double teams that have impacted his entire career. Boldin provides both solid route running and good speed to the other WR spot, and that has not gone unnoticed.

2) Willis McGahee, HB, Tampa Bay: McGahee had a rough first couple of weeks as the starter in Tampa Bay, replacing the legendary Errict Rhett, but the former Miami Hurricane is making himself a popular player in Tampa Bay with an outstanding run of games. He currently sits 3rd in the rushing race with 782 yards, and his 7 touchdowns have been huge for the Bandits. He has lived up to the hype coming out of Miami to be sure.

1) Byron Leftwich, QB, Seattle: Was there really any doubt here. Leftwich has taken the league by storm. He is currently the only QB with more than 3,000 yards passing, has 27 TD passes and a QBR well over 100. That is an amazing feat for a rookie quarterback. Kudos to Seattle for having the foresight and the guts to trade away their starter in Brian Griese and make the big move to sign this very exciting young QB.

Our first playoff preview of the season and what we see is that there is, as usual, a cluster around the .500 mark with a few teams leaping out to significant division leads and a few others falling far back of the pack. No one is officially eliminated from playoff contention at this point, but we feel pretty safe keeping Michigan, Orlando, and Oakland off the chart this week.

Looking at division races we see that Denver and Los Angeles are feeling pretty good, both with a 3-game lead over the closest division rival. Things are a lot tighter in the South as Memphis and New Orleans could battle all the way to the end, with Birmingham only a game back. Right now all 4 Southern teams would qualify for the playoffs, but that is not likely to hold up once we get into heavy divisional play down the stretch.

In the East, Washington has a 3-game lead on New Jersey, while Ohio has just taken a 1-game lead on Pittsburgh and Jacksonville is tied with Boston at 5-4, but currently holds the tiebreaker edge. Across the entire league we see 4-5 being very much in the hunt, with even some 3-6 teams still in range. So we have a few divisional races to watch (South, Central, and Southeast being the closest) and a lot of positioning for Wild Cards still on the table.

More players headed to IR as nine weeks of hard hitting football takes its toll on team rosters. Oakland rookie DE Robert Mathis is out for the year after an injury to his ACL this week. He is joined on IR by New Jersey DT Jason Wilz, making the Generals D-line a bit thin after trading away DT Darwin Walker. Portland QB Rick Mirer is also lost for the year, just as Akili Smith is cleared to play. John Walsh will serve as backup but expect Portland to sign an emergency QB.

Tampa Bay will be losing the services of center Trey Teague, but likely only for a week or two. Similarly, Arizona CB Fred Smoot is out this week but may return in week 11 or 12. Ohio is also shorthanded in the secondary as Ty Howard will be out at least 1-2 weeks. Philadelphia LB Quinton Qaver sprained his wrist and is listed as doubtful for this week. Also doubtful is Nashville DT Don Sasa, Jacksonville tackle Luke Petigout, and LA tackle Jonathan Ogden. New Orleans is listing HB Troy Davis as questionable, but word we hear is that he is out this week. Rod Smart of Denver could also miss this week due to a hamstring issue.

Portlanders Bond Over Lost Thunder

The city of Portland has reacted quickly to the upcoming departure of the Thunder. Several protests over the past weeks have seen fans throwing away Thunder gear and demanding that Portland be included in any USFL expansion plans. City officials have responded with calls to develop the East Side stadium as originally planned, even without a club to support. The goal, one assumes, is to entice the league to return to the city (a city they technically have not even left yet) when and if the league votes to expand in 2006 and 2008. But while public sentiment is strongly behind working towards a potential expansion franchise for the city, one big piece of the puzzle is still missing.

Ever since the issues with ownership first arose around the Thunder in 2001 there has been a grassroots movement to develop a stronger link between the franchise and the city, and the eminent departure of the Thunder for Las Vegas, approved last month at the league owners’ meeting, has apparently intensified the movement. The problem, of course, is that a team needs an owner, and while Phil Ruffin was pulling in Las Vegas associates to form the coalition that would be granted the Thunder franchise, efforts in Portland to identify a majority owner who would keep the team in the city failed to identify a willing investor. While it makes some sense for Portland’s government officials to consider the original stadium proposal as a sine qua non for attracting a new franchise, the missing piece of the puzzle which must be addressed is the question of ownership. If an ownership group could be located that wanted to work towards a Portland franchise, and a stadium was under development for such a franchise, it seems very plausible that the league would move towards a Portland expansion franchise in 2008. For now, we are seeing primarily sour grapes, upset fans, and politicians trying to close the barn doors after the horses have all gotten out.

League Pushes for Memphis Commitment

In an interesting twist in the Showboat saga, league owners, in a conference call on Tuesday, voted to include an addendum to the expansion proposal put forth by the Finance and Competition Committees, an addendum that would meet Showboat ownership’s demands that St. Louis’s automatic expansion bid be contingent upon the Showboats declining the bid to relocate. What makes the conference call interesting is the demand made back to Showboat ownership, a counter to the team’s addendum. The countermeasure proposed in the call would demand that should the upcoming referendum on a bond issuance by the city of Memphis pass, paving the way for Liberty Bowl Stadium improvements, that the Showboats would commit to remaining in the city and St. Louis’s proposal would be taken up only for an expansion franchise. Essentially what has happened is the league has pushed back on the Showboats, requiring a commitment from them equal to the commitment the Showboats are asking of the league in regards to St. Louis.

So, what does this really mean for the fanbase of Memphis? It actually clarifies the situation quite a bit. If the referendum passes, the Showboats must commit to remaining in Memphis and the threat of relocation is over, but if it fails, the franchise is free to negotiate with St. Louis. For anxious USFL fans in St. Louis, the premise is also simplified. If Memphians vote to deny the bond issuance, as they have 3 times in the past when stadium refurbishment has been on the ballot, then St. Louis is very likely to become the new home of the Showboats. However, if the measure passes, Memphis will remain the home to the Showboats and St. Louis’s USFL future will come down to the vote 2 weeks later at the Owner’s meeting, a vote that could guarantee the city a franchise as soon as 2006. So, for St. Louis, things are looking promising that they will have USFL football back within 2-3 years, while for Memphis, the voters will essentially decide the future of the Showboats.

Are the Breakers Next Up?

That was the concern this week when majority owner of the Breakers, Jeff Canizaro, announced that he plans to divest himself of his majority share of the club. But before fans in New Orleans panic, it should be stated that Canizaro has stated unequivocally that he is patient with the plan and that his goal is to bring in local ownership to ensure that the club remains in New Orleans. Minority partner David Dixon also firmly stated that there are no plans for the Breakers to leave New Orleans for any reason and that the sale of the franchise will be a long term project to be conducted in an orderly fashion, unlike the rushed sales of the Thunder and Knights due to immediate financial and legal issues surrounding the owners.

The problem, of course, is that with St. Louis, Atlanta, and now Portland, recently losing their USFL franchises due to ownership changes, some forced, some voluntary, the belief among fans that unstable ownership situations can easily lead to franchise relocation is solidly founded. It is no surprise that any transition of ownership brings with it some uncertainty, but in the case of the Breakers, concerns that the team is in trouble, or that a sale could lead to upheaval or even relocation, seem largely unfounded. If Mr. Canizaro’s statement affirms anything it is that the Breakers are to be sold locally and that this sale will not impact the fan experience or the viability of the franchise in the Crescent City.

Reebok Unveils New Look for Texas Outlaws

The first of the three new looks for 2004 was revealed this week at an event along San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk as Reebok and the Outlaws unveiled their new look for 2004. The new branding includes the first major change to the team logo since their formation in 1988, when they merged imagery from the short-lived Oklahoma Outlaws with the color scheme and basic uniform design of the San Antonio Gunslingers. The new look retains the Kelly green, royal blue, and black color scheme, but introduces a very different version of the “Outlaw Jim” logo. Gone is the stoic headshot of the black-hatted outlaw and in its place is a new dynamic, perhaps a bit more cartoony, version of the Outlaw. The new Outlaw clutches a footall with two gloved hands, wears a black hat with blue highlights and a green kerchief.

The new logo will adorn the helmet, which loses its complex “snakeskin” pattern on the striping, returning to a simpler 5-stripe pattern of royal bordered in black and white. The shell remains Kelly green and the facemask is black. One interesting feature of the new helmet is that the base of the stripe containing the player number uses an Alamo silhouette in white to set it apart from the green helmet. This Alamo silhouette will be a prominent feature of the entire look.

Both on the jersey striping and the angled horizontal pant striping we find a 3 color stripe pattern, but in each case the top stripe is not a straight line but forms the same Alamo silhouette, highlighted by a single “Lonestar” at the center of the central arch of the Alamo rooftop. On the royal jerseys and pants the stripe pattern is green at the base, then black, then white for the Alamo stripe. On the white pants and jersey the colors shift to blue, then green, then black for the Alamo stripe. The jerseys retain a slightly Westernized block font with black piping and a drop shadow. On the blue jersey the numbers are white with a Kelly green drop shadow, while on the white jersey the numbers are blue with black piping and a royal blue drop shadow. The final piece of the new look is an updated wordmark, with a rougher “Western” font and a curved base. The primary wordmark will be royal blue, with TEXAS above it in Kelly and above that a thick black line outlining the familiar Alamo rooftop and a silver Lonestar.

All in all the look is clean and borrows heavily from both former Outlaw looks as well as traditional iconography of the city of San Antonio. The big question is how fans will react to the new “Outlaw Jim” logo, as this is the wildest departure from the logo which has been in use since 1988.

Week 10 brings us back to divisional play in the East, with some major playoff impact games on the schedule. Pittsburgh, just one week after facing the unbeaten Federals, now gets to go to Ohio in what could be the deciding game for the Central Division. It’s either a share of 1st place with a Mauler win or a 2-game gap with a loss. The Southeast offers another top-of-division clash as Jacksonville heads to Boston with the winner taking over sole possession of 1st place.

In the East, Baltimore heads to New Jersey with a win getting the Blitz up to .500 while New Jersey can all but lock up a Wild Card if they can move to 7-3. Washington survived the Maulers last week and now head to Philadelphia to face the Stars. Tampa Bay heads down to 0-9 Orlando with a win moving them back to .500 as well. Chicago can move to 6-4 if they can avoid a trap game at home against the winless Panthers.

Out West, our favorite matchup is between Memphis and the red hot Seattle Dragons. If Seattle can get the home win against the defending conference champ, they move to 5-5. LA is in Arizona in a game that could be a tough matchup for the Express. Nashville travels to Houston in a game that is vital to both club’s hopes for a playoff push. New Orleans comes off their divisional loss and must travel to face a tough Texas squad. The Outlaws can also reach .500 with a win. Birmigham is over the .500 line and hopes to stay there for good as they head to Portland to take on the Thunder. Denver wraps up the western slate by playing host to the 1-9 Oakland Invaders.