After a wild first week of playoff action, the Divisional Round was one for folks who believe in the value of the regular season, as all four top seeds got W’s and set up two Conference Title Games that will pit the #1 seed against the #2 seed. While this means the end of the various Cinderella storylines across the league, what it leaves us with are the 4 best teams left in action against each other. Whether it is the offensive explosiveness of Tampa Bay, the balance and tenacity of Seattle and New Jersey, or the newfound defensive prowess of the Arizona Wranglers, the Divisionals showed us the character of these four teams, and helped set up what should be an outstanding pair of Conference Title Games.
BOSTON CANNONS 35 TAMPA BAY BANDITS 48
The weekend kicked off with an offensive display from two teams who had battled at the top of the offensive rankings all season. Boston would finish the day with 435 yards of offense, including 205 on the ground, while Tampa Bay would do even better, racking up 495 total yards, 431 coming from the arm of NFL import Daunte Culpepper in a game that none will soon forget.
In a game that only saw 4 punts combined all game, the Cannons and Bandits traded blows all afternoon, beginning with the opening drive, which saw Tampa Bay take the ball, push it down the field and score on a Willis McGahee TD run. Only 5 minutes later, on their second drive, they would double their advantage, going up 14-0 on a Culpepper to Moss TD toss. But Boston was impressed. They finished out the first quarter with a drive of their own, ending with a Tiki Barber TD dive over center.
Barber would be huge for the Cannons in this game, rushing for 159 yards and forcing Tampa Bay to respect the run. On the other side, Willis McGahee would gain only 55 yards rushing, but Tampa did not seem to mind as they just kept connecting on deep balls against the Boston secondary. Just as we saw in the first quarter, Tampa Bay would score twice in the 2nd, only to have Boston pull one back before the half. Tampa got TD receptions from Randy Moss (his 2nd of the day) and Jeremy Shockey, only to watch Boston finish the half with a 53-yard TD from Bledsoe to James Whalen.
Down 28-14 at the half, Boston received the 2nd half kickoff needing to break the pattern of 2 Tampa scores for each Cannon score. They sliced up the Tampa Bay secondary to open the half, with Drew Bledsoe connecting with Joe Jurevicious to pull the game to within 7 at 28-21. Tampa seemed nonplussed by the Boston score, and quickly retaliated with a drive of their own, 67 yards in only 5 plays, ending with Culpepper hitting Karl Williams on a 22-yard TD strike. With only 1:50 left in the 3rd, it looked like the Bandits would take a 2-score lead into the final period. But Sam Madison had his own ideas. Taking the Tampa kickoff on the 4-yard line, Madison followed his wedge of blockers, shook off the first tackler, sidestepped a second and then was off to the races. 96 yards later he was in the endzone, and Boston was right back in this one, down 7 once more, 35-28.
It would come down to the 4th quarter. Tampa would open the final period with a solid drive, but one that ended with a field goal. Still, the 3 points put them up by 10, but that did not feel secure for long. Boston stormed right back, eating up yards in chunks of 11, 13, 9, and 14 on their way to a Robert Ferguson Td that pulled the visitors back to within 3 points at 38-35. With over 10 minutes left, it very much felt like this game could come down to who had the ball last. But that was just a feeling.
Tampa Bay once again pulled their lead out to 10 points on their next drive, as Culpepper connected on his 5th TD pass of the game, finding former General Kevin Johnson from 7 yards out to go up 45-35. But, the ball would go back to Boston with over 8 minutes left. It was then that a rookie would make the play of the game. Boston started moving the ball, first with a Tiki Barber 5-yard run, then a short pass to TE James Whalen, leaving the Cannons with what appeared to be a makeable 3rd and 2. Bledsoe took the ball from under center, faked it to Barber, and looked for WR Robert Ferguson crossing from right to left. He threw the ball ahead of Ferguson, but did not see rookie LB Jonathan Vilma crossing back into the middle zone. Vilma tipped the ball up in the air, and came down with it himself, the only turnover of the game. Four plays later Tampa Bay would get another 3 points from Nate Kaeding and the lead would be 13. Boston was unable to recover, and Tampa Bay finished off the game with a defensive stand and 3 kneel downs. The Bandits would be hosting the Conference title game only 1 year after a disastrous 4-10 season.
HOUSTON GAMBLERS 16 SEATTLE DRAGONS 20
The Gamblers were not supposed to be here. They had lost their starting QB in midseason, had struggled to a 5-7 record with 2 weeks left, put in a 40-year old retired QB, and somehow not only won the season-ending games they needed to reach 7-7, but also kept that momentum going in the Wild Card round, traveling to Nashville and knocking off the Knights. Could they take their unlikely run one game further in Seattle?
The Dragons said “Not here, not today” to that idea. They took the lead in the first quarter on a Corey Dillon TD reception, and never allowed Houston to pull ahead. Houston would score a field goal, Seattle would add one of their own. This happened twice, and by the half it was 13-6 Seattle in a game defined primarily by hard hits, QB’s on the run, and missed opportunities for both clubs. On several occasions there were open receivers simply missed by both quarterbacks, or run plays that were one slipped tackle away from breaking loose. Kevin Faulk would lead all rushers with 67 yards as Houston’s defense keyed on Corey Dillon all day. Byron Leftwich would have a modest 229 yards on a 17 of 27 day, while Doug Flutie would toss the ball up 37 times, completing 25 for 260 yards, but he would also take a few too many risks, throwing two picks that killed Houston drives.
Houston managed to tie the game in the 3rd quarter, thanks to a Bethel Johnson punt return for 53 yards that evened the score at 13, but Seattle squashed hopes of a comeback with a quick strike score, Leftwich hitting Dillon for a second time to give the Dragons a 20-13 lead. The needed magic from Doug Flutie would not appear in the final minutes of the game, as one drive was stopped on a 4th and 3 and another ended with Flutie’s 2nd pick of the game. Seattle would hold on and punch their ticket to the Conference Finals. A valiant effort from the Gamblers to be sure, but this was a Seattle team that had been prepping for this kind of game all season, and they did what needed to be done to survive and advance.
OHIO GLORY 10 NEW JERSEY GENERALS 29
If the rumors are true, and this season will be Phil Hansen’s last, he is certainly leaving us with a lasting memory. Hansen and the Generals showed Glory QB Chris Redman no mercy in this game, sacking him a painful 8 times, including 2 sacks by Hansen, one for a safety. The defensive line was simply dominant, with DT Tommy Harris also recording 2 sacks, and 4 other players getting into the act. The result was an Ohio offense that looked nothing like the point-a-minute Glory that had won the past two league titles.
New Jersey was opportunistic on offense, with TE Anthony Becht proving to be a reliable redzone target for QB Tom Brady, scoring twice in the first half to give New Jersey a dominant 17-3 halftime lead. They would get that Hansen safety to open the second half, and never look back. Curtis Enis and James Jackson would share 30 carries for 85 yards but would also eat up a lot of clock in the second half. Ohio managed their only TD of the day in the 4th quarter, but it was far too little and far too late as the injury-riddled Glory would bow out of the playoffs and lose out on the chance to make history by seeking a third consecutive USFL title. New Jersey would advance, setting up a matchup with the Tampa Bay Bandits next week.
NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 20 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 23 – OVERTIME
The week’s final game was perhaps the most dramatic, a hard-fought game that saw Eli Manning lead the Breakers back from a 14-point deficit in the final quarter only to lose the game in overtime. Arizona would look dominant early, but their vaunted defense would end up giving up 363 yards to rookie Eli Manning by game’s end as the Breakers mounted a furious comeback to tie the score in the final minutes.
The game began with New Orleans stymied in the red zone and forced to kick field goals in the first half. Arizona had no such issues and got TDs from HB Dominic Rhodes and TE Dustin Lyman to take a 14-6 lead into the halftime break. In the 3rd quarter the Wranglers would add two field goals of their own, building up what seemed to be a game-clinching 14-point lead at 20-6.
But New Orleans changed their plan in the final period, adopting a no-huddle, fast-paced offense, and the shift worked. They got a TD in only 5 plays on their first drive of the period, and then stuffed Arizona on a 3rd and 1 to get the ball back only 3 minutes later. On their next drive Manning would go 5 for 5 throwing the ball, and would connect with Josh Reed from 20 yards out to even the score, much to the dismay of the nearly 51,000 on hand as afternoon turned to evening in the desert.
Arizona got the ball back with 2:21 left to play, and they tried their best to avoid overtime, but Rob Bironas would not get a chance to steal the win as a sack of Jake Plummer on 3rd and 8 forced the ball out of even the strong-legged Bironas’s range and Arizona settled for an overtime conclusion to the game. New Orleans would win the toss, and take the ball first, but the magic had waned. Eli Manning missed wide on a sideline toss to Kevin Dyson and the Breakers were forced to punt.
Arizona was methodical in their approach in overtime. Stephen Davis gained 20 yards on the possession, carrying the ball 4 times in 8 plays. Plummer would connect with Larry Fitzgerald for 11 of his 92 yards on the day, a much-needed 3rd down catch, and he would find O.J. Santiago for 16 more as the Wranglers soon found themselves within Rob Bironas’s range. Two handoffs to Davis netted 8 more yards and positioned the ball for the Wrangler kicker. Bironas lined up the kick and the ball sailed right down the middle, giving the Wranglers a hard-earned win, and the chance to do something they had not done in well over a decade, to host a title match. The Wrangler would host the Seattle Dragons in next week’s Western Conference Final.
A Season for Second Time Around Coaches
While we would hardly call Steve Spurrier a retread, it is entirely appropriate to celebrate the immediate success both he and former Orlando Renegades Head Coach Jim Fassel have had in their second stint as USFL head coaches. Spurrier, of course, had great success the first time around, and was welcomed back to his old stomping grounds in Tampa with much fanfare.
The story was a bit different for Jim Fassel, who struggled through 4 seasons as the head man in Jacksonville, replaced by Gunther Cunningham in 1999. There were many in Arizona who felt that Fassel was not the man for the job, including many who wanted current OC Greg Landry to get the HC position instead of a coordinator slot. And yet, the combination of Fassel, focusing on defense and special teams, and Landry, providing Jake Plummer with a new offense, has worked out exceptionally well for the Wranglers. A
And now, these two coaches, both on their second assignment in the USFL, one a triumphant return to the home of his former glory and the other on a journey of redemption, are ready to play for a chance to represent their conferences in the Summer Bowl, to take a shot at a title in their first years with their new teams. Quite a story, quite an accomplishment.
Favre Announces Retirement
It has been speculation for the better part of a month, but at a podium in Birmingham this Tuesday, Brett Favre made it official. He would be retiring from the USFL and pro football after 13 seasons with the Birmingham Stallions. An emotional Favre praised the organization, the fans, and his coaches over the years. He expressed the joy and pain of leaving behind the game he loves and his teammates, but he would not answer any questions about what is next.
That last point is a bit pointed, because while there has been a lot of talk about Favre retiring, there has been just as much speculation that the retirement would be used as a means of getting out of a contract and out of a situation he did not care for in Birmingham. On a team that clearly needs to be retooled and dealing with the constant issue of inadequate pass protection, it was widely speculated that Favre was seeking a path out of town, and retirement would afford that. Favre did not speak to this question and refused to answer any questions related to the NFL, or even what might entice him to return to the game.
He retires as one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in the history of the USFL. A two-time league MVP (1994 and 1997), league champion in 1993, and a 9-time All-USFL selection, Favre holds several records for individual games, season stats, and career accomplishments. Among the highlights are his 4 seasons among the Top 10 passing yard seasons of all time (1992, 1994, 1998 and 1999), and his 5 appearances on the list of Top 10 passing touchdowns in a season, including his personal best 51TDs in 1998. He retires 2nd only to Doug Flutie in career pass attempts, first in passing yards all time with 58,663, and first in touchdowns, with a whopping 498, a stunning 86 more than 2nd place QB Jim Kelly. His career passer rating of 106.7 is 5th best among all USFL quarterbacks. He is a sure fire first ballot Hall of Famer for the USFL, but the question now is whether he is really done. Could he head to the NFL? Take a year off so that his contract with Birmingham expires and come back to the USFL on his terms? Or is he truly done with a game that has consumed his life since he was a boy. Only time, and Favre himself, will tell.
Retirement Roundup
While the Favre announcement certainly captured attention nationwide, he was certainly not the only player to announce retirement over the past 10 days. With 8 teams dropping from the playoff hunt over the past week and a half, there have been several more noteworthy retirement announcements to report on. Here are five situations we think could have an impact on these 2004 playoff teams:
Boston’s Richie Anderson was named All-USFL this week, but also announced that he was stepping away form the game at the age of of 32. Anderson played 11 years in Arizona before coming over to the Cannons as they relocated from Atlanta. This year marks his third time as the All-USFL fullback. We expect Tiki Barber is just a tad upset about this, but a fullback’s life is a tough one, and Anderson’s body certainly has taken a lot of hits over the years.
Chicago’s Jeff George may be another nervous player as his primary protector, Chicago tackle Marcus Spears has also announced that he will move on. Spears came to Chicago in 1994 and became the starter in 1995, where he has helped protect the Machine QB and lead the way for Machine HBs from Ricky Watters to Duce Staley and Michael Turner.
Nashville will miss two key defenders from their Knightmare defense. CB Otis Smith and LB Kevin Hardy were both important pieces of the Nashville D, and will force Jim Johnson to rework his offseason plans to improve the offense, as those are two positions that will require some attention.
The first of our teams suffering a mass-retirement in positions they can ill afford to lose, we have the Breakers. New Orleans’s defense took several huge hits following their loss this week in Arizona. Not only did regular All-USFL linebacker Lamar Lathon hang up his cleats, but so did two of the Breakers’ key rotation of defensive ends, Chidi Ahonotu and Clyde Simmons. That is a big shift in the Breakers’ defense, one that management is going to be hard pressed to address. While the retirements move New Orleans well under the cap, that kind of talent departure is almost certain to produce concerns about the club’s defense.
As rough as things look in New Orleans on defense, Denver has to be considered equally as impacted on offense. The Gold were one of the league’s older rosters, and with that veteran presence came the possibility of a wave of retirements, and that wave has hit hard this year. Within the span of 7 days Denver has announced the retirement of three key players, two from their offense. TE Marco Battaglia and HB Robert Holcombe have all announced their intention to retire, as has CB Clayton Holmes. Battaglia has been a key player in the Denver offense for several years, serving as one of Mark Brunell’s favorite targets, averaging 73 receptions a year for the past 5 seasons, and bringing in 30 touchdowns over that span.
Robert Holcombe came to Denver from the NFL in 2002, and has served as the short yardage and late game bruising back that Denver has loved ever since Harry Sydney once rumbled through lines in the early 80’s. In his 3 years with the Gold, Holcombe has averaged just under 700 yards per season, and has been a major goal line force, scoring 22 touchdowns over three seasons. The Gold now have only smaller backs Rod Smart and Kendrick Starling on the roster, so don’t be surprised if they go for a big back in this year’s draft. At TE they have two other players, both over 30 themselves, in David LaFleur and Greg Clark. Perhaps the time is right to draft a young athletic TE as well.
New Free Agents Join the Pool
With their losses this week, we also see new free agents join the market from Ohio, New Orleans, Boston and Houston. Perhaps the biggest name added to the player market this week is Houston DE Michael Sinclair. We figured that with the lower cap increase this year Houston would have difficulty holding onto the big edge rusher. It appears that the Gamblers have simply done the math and realized that they have other needs that make it impossible to hold onto Sinclair. The bookend to Kavika Pittman, Sinclair had some strong years in the late 90’s but has slipped down to an average of only 6.3 sacks per season over the past 3 years. At 34, he may still have some value for folks around the year, especially with edge rusher at such a premium in the USFL.
New Orleans, even with the departures of several key defensive stars, also has issues with free agents potentially leaving. Starting center Chukki Okobi is the biggest potential loss, but the Breakers have also allowed LB Derrick Rodgers go, which leaves them with two LB slots to fill this offseason. Feels a lot like a rebuilding year for the Breakers.
Ohio has had 5 players join the pool, including DE Cedric Harden, C Todd McClure, and WR Malcolm Floyd. Of the three McClure may be the priority in the offseason as the offensive line is key to Ohio’s success in so many ways. Floyd will be a hit to special teams more than to the offensive scheme as he only saw 11 targets this past season, and 13 the season before.
Boston takes the biggest hit as breakout star Robert Ferguson was not signed by the weekend, meaning the big target is free to seek what will almost certainly be a high value deal in the free agent market. Ferguson became a starter in Boston in 2003, leading the team with 75 receptions for 865 yards and 5 TDs. With the arrival of Chad Ochocinco, his catches went down (75 to 53) but both his yards (985) and TDs (from 5 to 8) went up as he saw far less double coverage. Ferguson may be best suited as a 2nd receiver, where he can flourish against single coverage, but there may be some teams who view his 2 year progression as a sign that he can take on the #1 role as well.
Looking ahead to the Conference Title Games, we are happy to report that we are looking at four pretty healthy teams as several players came off the injury report this week. Godfrey Miles is still out for Seattle, as is Matt Cusching for Arizona, but otherwise these two western clubs are looking fully stocked for the big game. In the East, New Jersey is the only team with a new potential injury concern, as Anthony Becht, after scoring twice in the Divisional Round, is questionable with a hamstring issue. He joins Donterrious Thomas on the injury report this week. For Tampa Bay, FS Byron Scott is the only name on the list, and he is out this week.
ALL USFL TEAM AND AWARD WINNERS
We mentioned the All-USFL list in referencing the retirement of FB Richie Anderson, so it is only fair that we reveal the full list, along with this year’s award winners. It is, as always, a star-studded roster of the league’s best.
QB: Two new names as Drew Bledsoe (BOS) and Daunte Culpepper (TBY) join Kerry Collins as all-league quarterbacks. This is the first time that no QB from the West has made the roster in over 5 seasons.
HB: New free agent Ahman Green tops the list, joined by Boston’s Tiki Barber and Ohio’s Eddie George. The big snub here is Terrell Davis of Pittsburgh, but with only 3 slots, one had to be left off.
FB: Richie Anderson gets the honor in what we now know to be his final season.
TE: Two players who serve not only as safety valves, but primary targets as Seattle’s Ken Dilger and Boston’s Stephen Alexander take the two slots.
WR: Always a tough competition, this year the five wideout spots go to Chad Ochocinco (BOS), Randy Moss (TBY), David Boston (SEA), Joe Horn (BIR), and Antonio Freeman (HOU). Joey Galloway almost certainly would have joined the group, but his midseason injury derailed his year.
OT: A well-known group of Jonathan Ogden (LA), Matt Light (NJ) and Jerry Wunsch (OHI), with Wunsch now a free agent sure to cash in on this honor in the marketplace.
OG: Another Express lineman makes the list as Alan Faneca represents LA. He is joined by Vince Manuwai of Seattle and Kendall Simmons of Ohio.
C: The pivots on this year’s team are George Teague of Tampa Bay and Houston’s Brad Meester, as the trend of playoff teams holding nearly all the All-USFL positions continues.
DE: No surprises here as Kavika Pittman (HOU), Phil Hansen (NJ), and Anthony Weaver (CHI) get the spots. On the outside looking in are Washington’s Tony Brackens (14 Sacks) and Las Vegas’s Hugh Douglas (14 sacks).
DT: The defensive interior spots go to Gilbert Brown (SEA), Russell Maryland (PIT), and Darwin Walker (CHI).
LB: Five linebacker spots, but always a tough competition. This year the honor goes to Jacksonville’s DPOTY Mike Vrabel, LA’s Mo Lewis, New Orleans’s DeWayne Dotson, and two Chicago backers, MLB Brian Urlacher and blitzing OLB Tommy Polley.
CB: Charles Woodson is becoming a regular on this list for the Federals. He is joined by Breaker Latin Berry, Dragon Al Harris, and pick champion Jimmy Williams of Arizona.
S: Our four safeties this year are LeRoy Butler and Je’Rod Cherry of Arizona at Strong Safety and New Jersey’s Brian Dawkins and another Wrangler, Tyrone Drakeford at Free Safety, meaning that three of Arizona’s four DB starters are All-USFL. No wonder they find themselves battling for a Summer Bowl appearance.
ST: Our special teamers this year are both from the New Jersey Generals as kicker Ryan Longwell and punter Josh Miller both get the honor for the Generals.
From this amazing pool of talent, we also have our award winners for 2004. No big surprises in this year’s winners, with several obvious picks this season.
MVP: After domination over several years by Kerry Collins of Ohio, the nod this year went to veteran QB Drew Bledsoe of the Boston Cannons, who matched Collins in every category and was at the head of the league’s most dynamic offense. Bledsoe finished 3rd in yardage with 3,693, but first with 32 TDs and only 5 picks. His QB Rating of 139.5 was just 2 points higher than Collins, but the voters gave him credit for the amazing season the Boston offense put in, surpassing Ohio as the most feared attack (in part due to injuries on the Glory roster.)
Offensive POTY: No shock that Chad Ochocinco took home this award. He was Bledsoe’s top competition for MVP and his numbers this year were astounding. Ochocinco, in his first year partnered with Bledsoe, put up a league best 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns while helping the Cannons turn from perennial also-ran to one of the league’s most dangerous teams.
Defensive POTY: A rare award win for a player on a non-playoff team, but the year Mike Vrabel had was undeniable. The MLB for the Bulls led the league with 132 tackles, but his most amazing stat was his 11 forced fumbles in 14 games. The next closest players were all at 5 for the year. Add in 4 sacks and you have a path of destruction for the best player on the Bulls’ defense.
Rookie of the Year: Baltimore hit on a winner when they traded up in the draft to take Miami of Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger with the first overall pick in the Open Draft. Big Ben was the starter within 3 weeks of the season beginning and led Baltimore with 2,321 yards passing and 19 TDs. Second in the voting was LB Jonathan Vilma of Tampa Bay, who finished the year with 74 tackles for a revitalized Bandits squad.
Coach of the Year: While the success of both Arizona’s Jim Fassel and Tampa Bay’s Steve Spurrier was undeniable, there was no way this award was not going to the Ol’ Ball Coach after his return to Tampa Bay led the club from a 4-win season to a #1 seed at 12-2. The turnaround of the Bandits was the story of the year. But don’t feel bad for Fassell, his club is still very much alive for a possible Summer Bowl berth, where he could very easily be facing Spurrier and the Bandits in Orlando.
Owners Approve Major Changes for 2006 Expansion Season
Big news out of the New York USFL offices as the owners have approved several significant items related to the 2006 and 2008 expansion processes. These changes impact scheduling, divisional alignment, and the draft process. Here are the basics:
ALIGNMENT
The league owners approved two alignments for 2006 and 2008. Each conference will have 13 teams beginning in 2006 with the addition of Atlanta and St. Louis. The vote this week clarifies how that will look. In 2006, Boston will be reassigned to the Northeast Division, which will be renamed the Atlantic Division. This will make the Atlantic Division the Eastern Conference’s 5-team division. The Atlanta expansion team will replace Boston in the Southeast Division.
The more dramatic shift occurs with St. Louis’s entry. There was much debate about putting St. Louis in the Southern Division (Western Conference) but both Chicago and Michigan ownership made strong cases for including the new team in the Central Division. In order to accommodate this, the Central Division will relocate to become one of the three Western Divisions, moving the Southern Division back to the Eastern Conference. St. Louis will join Chicago, Michigan, Ohio, and Pittsburgh in the new Central Division out West, while the 4 Southern Division clubs (Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans) will compete in the Eastern Conference.
This alignment places 1 division of 5 teams and 2 divisions of 4 teams in each conference. Despite the different alignments, each club in the league will still play only 6 division games. This means that teams in the Central and Northeast Divisions will play 2 teams twice, and the other 2 teams in their division only once. More complications for the scheduling team to work out.
When the league expands to 28 teams in 2008, the two new teams will be split between the Eastern and Western conferences, so that each adds a 14th team and each conference is aligned with two 5-team divisions and one 4-team division. This means that we should expect the expansion committee to essentially divide all 2008 aspirants into two camps, East and West. So, expect to see Portland, Dallas, and potentially Kansas City fighting over one spot, while Miami, Raleigh, Charlotte, and the Tidewater region to fight over the other.
SCHEDULE
The second major adjustment will be the schedule, which will move back to 16 games, beginning in 2006. This will create a 2-year period where teams will play only 6 division games, will play 6 inter-divisional games within their conference, and then 4 inter-conference games, essentially adding 2 interdivisional matchups per year. In 2008 this will change again as teams will then play 8 divisional games, with the teams in 5-team divisions playing their 4 divisional foes twice, while the 8 teams in 4-team divisions will play two teams in their division 3 times and a third team only twice. Again, messy, but necessitated by the odd combination of 4- and 5-team divisions.
The 16-game season was apparently a more lopsided vote than many expected, perhaps aided by the revenue issues which became apparent with this year’s unexpectedly small salary cap increase. Adding back the 2 games may well lead to renegotiation of the transfer window concept with the NFL, but will impact the TV contracts for the USFL to the benefit of all teams that share the television revenue.
TERRITORIAL DRAFT
The third alteration is that beginning in 2006 the Territorial Draft will have two major alterations. The first is a reduction from 3 schools to 2 per USFL club. All schools in the T-Draft will be Division 1 (BCS) universities. Teams can appeal the Competition Committee for a third eligible school only in situations where the assigned two protected schools produce fewer than 8 viable pro prospects in a given year. The second adjustment to the T-Draft is that as of 2006 it will no longer be possible for teams to trade away T-Draft selections. This popular practice has allowed teams to trade into another team’s T-Draft and obtain the rights to a player who otherwise would have been available in the open draft pool. Several owners argued that these swaps, often T-Draft picks for Open Draft picks defeat the purpose of the T-Draft to stock local players with nearby teams.
The argument is that if, for example, Los Angeles does not feel inclined to draft a USC or UCLA quarterback, they should not have the right to determine which other team in the league can draft that player by selectively trading away a T-Draft pick to a team it prefers. The new model would essentially limit T-Draft selections to the team with those protected schools, allowing that hypothetical USC quarterback to enter the Open Draft if the Express did not select him with one of their 3 protected picks. A pretty big shift in what the T-Draft can and cannot do for teams.
2008 EXPANSION TIMETABLE
In addition to these rule changes, the league approved a timeline for the 2008 expansion process. It will begin with expansion proposals accepted by the league in February of 2005, just before the season kickoff for the 2005 season. The league will then vote on proposals in their Spring meeting. A proposal must garner 2/3 of league votes to be approved. If only 1 proposal meets that standard then the remaining proposals will be permitted to resubmit with adjustments and updates to their proposal and a second vote will be conducted on the same timeline in 2006. The hope, of course, is that two proposals stand head and shoulders above the others in 2005 and both can be approved at that time, giving them nearly 30 months to set up operations. But, if not, there could be one, or even both positions, which will be delayed until 2006, shortening the timeline for franchise set up. At present, speculation is that between 5-9 proposals will be forthcoming for the two expansion clubs, so competition is likely to be fierce.
Back to the business of playoff football, we enter next week with 4 teams hoping to come out on top and earn their way into the 2005 Summer Bowl in Orlando. We have four division winners, the top two seeds in each conference, in this year’s title games, and none of these four teams have been in a Summer Bowl more recently than 1998, when Tampa Bay won their second title. Tampa earned their second title in that year, Troy Aikman’s last with the team. New Jersey is looking for their first title since 1989, while Arizona has appeared in one Summer Bowl (1990) and came away with a loss to the Federals. For Seattle, a 1995 expansion team, this is all new. We have two games to preview, and lots of intriguing considerations in both, so here is our tale of the tape and our best guess on each one:
Sunday, July 11 @ 3:00pm ET
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Anticipated weather at kickoff: 89 degrees, possible Thunderstorms in the Area. Hot and humid is not what most players want to see. Expect a sticky game, perhaps slowed by fatigue and cramping, and with a possibility of delays if localized storms produce lightning.
All-USFL Players: Both teams have 5 honored players apiece, with Tampa having QB Daunte Culpepper, WR Randy Moss, and C George Teague from their offense, and SS LeRoy Butler and LB Kevin Mitchell on defense. New Jersey has both the All-USFL kicker and punter in Longwell and Miller, but also has Phil Hansen and FS Brian Dawkins on defense, and LT Matt Light on offense.
Rankings: The Generals are strongest on defense, where they have the #1 scoring defense, giving up only 15.5 points per game, the second rated defense for yards allowed (293.1 per game) and the 2nd rated pass defense (only 196.8 yards per game. The offense is also Top 10, scoring 23.5 per game to rank 6th, and holding the #5 rushing attack at 113.7 yards per game.
Tampa Bay is almost the polar opposite. They live on offense, where they have the #2 scoring offense (29.7ppg), are 2nd in passing, and 4th in total offense. The Bandit defense is a bit more pedestrian, ranked 13th with 22.4 points per game allowed. Their yardage number is a bit worse than that, ranking 19th at 345.6 yards allowed per game. The General run game will be a concern for the 18th ranked run defense in the league.
Analysis: This is a great contrast of styles, with Tampa Bay always looking for the big play, the misdirection play or surprise home run shot, while New Jersey is content to chip their way down the field, avoid mistakes, and wear down an opponent. Both QB’s are well-suited the particular offense they run, with Tom Brady’s best attributes being accuracy and a sense of calm in the pocket, while Culpepper uses his big frame to extend plays and his even bigger arm to deliver deep balls. So it comes down to a battle of defenses in that New Jersey has to contain Tampa Bay and force them to be patient, while Tampa Bay’s defense has to force negative plays that put New Jersey in tough-to-convert third downs.
OUR PICK: Pretty much every team in the league has been trying to slow down Tampa Bay this season, and even when they are 95% contained, they still get off one or two big plays that often shift the momentum of the game. We think that is a winning formula, so we are picking the Bandits to take this one, 27-20.
Sunday, July 11 @ 9pm ET
Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Anticipated weather at kickoff: 103 degrees, no precipitation. There is no doubt that even with a 6pm start and temperatures cooling over the course of the game, keeping players cool and shaded is going to be key. Expect both sidelines to have canopies and misters to try to lower the sideline temperature, but there will be no respite in the field of play. The league is likely to increase the number of official timeouts, and to extend them to allow for water breaks even after the sun hits the horizon.
All-USFL Players: Arizona has 3 All-USFL selections, all in the defensive backfield with Williams, Cherry, and Drakeford all honored this year. Seattle has five selections, two on defense with CB Al Harris and DT Gilbert Brown, and three on offense with TE Ken Dilger, WR David Boston, and guard Vince Manuwai.
Rankings: Seattle comes into this game with the 3rd ranked offense in both scoring (29.6ppg) and yards per game (381). This is led by their 8th ranked passing offense, but also with balance as they have the 10th best run game as well. The defense is middle of the road, 15th in points per game allowed but 22nd in yards allowed, due mostly to their 22nd ranked pass defense, something Jake Plummer has to be happy about.
For Arizona, the emergence of their defense has been the story all season. They rank 3rd, allowing only 17.1 points per game, and are also third in the league in total yards allowed. In both the pass and rush they are balanced, finishing 6th in the league in each, allowing just 210 yards per game in the air and an average of only 83 yards per game on the ground. The offense remains a bit pass-happy, with the 10th ranked passing attack, but Stephen Davis has at least moved Arizona to a didling 18th in the league.
Analysis: Here is the thing with both of these teams, they beat up on weaker teams but not so much against the better ones. Of Arizona’s 10 wins, only 1 came against a team with a winning record (Denver). Seattle hasn’t even faced a team with a winning record since a Week 5 loss to Nashville, and played 5 consecutive games in the season’s 2nd half against teams that finished with 4 wins this year. Now, part of this is simply the reality of the league’s imbalance between the top-heavy East and the sub-par West, that does not help us pick this game, does it? What we can say is that Arizona’s defense is legit. They can pressure you in a lot of different ways. Seattle is a little harder to figure out. We love the spark that Byron Leftwich has provided in his 2 seasons, but is he really ready for the kind of pressure he will face in this game?
OUR PICK: We are going to go with Defense over Offense and the experience of Jake Plummer over the energy of Byron Leftwich. Arizona 24-18.