A week that saw a lot of the defensive domination across the league, with 12 of 24 clubs failing to score 20 points or more. We had a bit of sloppiness, a bit of chippiness, but mostly we had defenses making life hard for offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. Las Vegas was particularly impressive, not only holdin the Express offense at bay, but scoring on defense as well. Seattle held Oakland’s offense down, as did Tampa Bay with Birmingham, and Atlanta with the Outlaws. Perhaps the most depressing offensive result was that of the Washington Federals, where Coach Kurt Schottenheimer is getting very little help from his offense as he tries to avoid being a one-and-done replacement for Paul Hackett. But, despite all the defensive football played this week, there were still several games that were exciting, close affairs, and we highlight one of these as old rivals Arizona and Denver faced off in the Mile High City.
ARIZONA 31 DENVER 24
Nothing like a rivalry game to up the ante and bring out the best of two teams. We got just that at Invesco Field when the Gold hosted the Wranglers. These two have been tussling for supremacy since 1983, and the fire still burns pretty darn bright when these two Mountain West clubs face off.
Matt Leinart may be new to the rivalry, but he understands what it means to Gold fans. “Take your time, grow as a player, but beat Arizona. That is the message I get from fans all the time” said Leinart in a mid-week interview. He did his best to do so, completing 27 of 32 passes, a very strong 84.4% on Sunday, but in the end it was not enough and the Denver faithful went home unhappy. It was simply Jake Plummer being his best self as he threw for 4 touchdowns to upend the Gold and put 2 games of difference between the 7-3 Wranglers and the 5-5 Gold (Houston is also in the mix at 7-3).
Plummer started early, hitting Larry Fitzgerald with a 28-yard TD on Arizona’s 2nd drive, but the Gold were eager to please, and they went on a 17-0 scoring run at the end of the first and into the second. New Gold HB Mewelde Moore got it started with a 9-yard scoring run, followed on their next drive by a Kassim Osgood TD reception as Denver jumped up 14-7. They added a Wilkens field goal midway through the 2nd and it looked good for the home team.
But, on Arizona’s next possession, Plummer found Fitzgerald again, on an almost identical play, this time from 27 yards out, and the Wranglers were right back in it. They would add an Owen Pochman field goal as time ran out and we went into the half all knotted up at 17. Denver would open the third with a long drive, powered by their run game, a run game that finished the day with 159 yards (101 from Benson and another 55 from Moore). Moore would again get the call in the red zone as he turned a counter play into an outside run with a nice juke move and scooted in for the score. Denver was back up by 7 at the end of the third.
But, Arizona still had some tricks in their arsenal. While the run game of Stacy and Pritchett had been largely ineffective, and despite 5 sacks by the Gold defense, Jake Plummer had been able to find receivers all game, hitting Fitzgerald for 85 yards, Santana Moss for 74, and TE Kevin Everett for 109, including the biggest play of the game, a 78-yard TD toss to open the final period. Everett had gotten behind the Denver safety and with a step on him, Plummer lofted a nice ball over the middle and Everett snagged it, shrugged off the arm tackle attempt and was off.
Everett and fellow TE Matt Cushing would also contribute on the Wranglers’ final drive, the game winner, as both caught passes in the 2-minute sprint to victory. In the end it was Santana Moss who snagged the 18-yard TD toss with just under 1 minute to play, but what we saw in this game was a patient Jake Plummer, willing to dump the ball down to his backs and tight ends, who combined for 8 receptions on the day.
With just under a minute to play, Leinart was called on to deliver a TD drive. He had relied on the run game and wideout Peerless Price all game, but on this drive the run game was a non factor and Price was double-covered by the Wranglers, forcing Leinart to look elsewhere. He connected with J.J. Stokes for an opening 9-yard gain, then with TE Gary Clark for the first down, but that is when things got tougher. He missed on a pass to Kassim Osgood, was forced out of the pocket on what ended as a 1-yard scramble, and then faced 3rd and 9. Looking for TE Tony Jackson, Leinart threw the ball a bit behind his target, and safety Mat Giordano was able to break up the play. 4th and 9 and Denver needed a big play. But, rather than play back in zone, Arizona blitzed. Lance Briggs penetrated between the right guard and tackle, and forced Leinart to make a quick throw. The throw was off target for Stokes, and Denver lost the ball on downs. That gave the win to the much-dreaded Wranglers, and pushed the Gold down to 5-5 and currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
LOS ANGELES 11 LAS VEGAS 18
Las Vegas’s defense came up with another huge game to keep the Thunder in the thick of an unlikely playoff run. Four sacks and two picks of McNown was enough to keep the Express from scoring a TD on a day when 3 field goals and a safety were all the Express scores. Oh, and we should mention that the game winning TD was a Kenny Wright pick-six by, you guessed it, that Las Vegas defense.
PHILADELPHIA 30 NEW JERSEY 12
Tom Brady was clearly not fully back in the game mentally as he struggled to lead the Generals against the Stars. On the other sideline, Kurt Warner completed 87% of his passes (26 of 30) in a dominant performance for Philadelphia. Touchdowns to Roddy White and Edward Stinnett helped build a comfortable Stars lead and the defense did the rest.
BALTIMORE 22 BOSTON 35
The Cannons never trailed in this one, building up a 14-3 halftime lead and coasting before a late Blitz TD made it look closer than it was. Drew Bledsoe went 14 of 24, with 5 of those 14 passes touchdowns, including 2 to TE James Whalen. Tiki Barber added 111 on the ground, while Ron Dayne, with 105 yards, was most of Baltimore’s offense.
SEATTLE 21 OAKLAND 10
A big win for the Dragons as they take over sole possession of first place in the Pacific. QB Cody Pickett, playing for a banged up Byron Leftwich, went 10 of 12 with 2 TDs and Seattle rushed the ball for 135 yards against the Invaders, who drop to 4-6 with another loss, their third in a row.
TAMPA BAY 37 BIRMINGHAM 10
The Bandits got early scores from Kevin Johnson and Willis McGahee, but it was a 3rd quarter Moss TD that put the game away. Tampa would outgain the Stallions 528-260 in a pretty one-sided affair. Tampa moves to 7-3 and stays even with the Bulls, while Birmingham drops to 5-5.
TEXAS 10 ATLANTA 24
The Fire make it back to .500 thanks to not one, but two halfbacks gaining 100 yards against the Outlaws. Rod Smart had 21 carries for 103 yards and a score, and Kevin Faulk on only 15 carries had another 126 and a TD as well. Atlanta continues to defy the odds as an expansion team, while Texas drops to 2-8.
WASHINGTON 3 MEMPHIS 13
Calls for the firing of 1st year Head Coach Kurt Schottenheimer are getting louder as the Federals cannot muster more than 3 points against a pretty mediocre Showboats defense. Deuce McCallister had 122 yards, but even with Deion Branch back in the lineup, the Federals’ offense was punchless. Meanwhile Jon Kitna was efficient and got a TD from Cadillac Williams early in the 4th to go up by 10 in this hard-to-watch game.
JACKSONVILLE 35 NEW ORLEANS 29
A really fun back-and-forth game up in Portland, but the Breakers could not overcome a 35-22 deficit in the 4th and fall to the Southeast Division leaders. Jacksonville got 4 TDs from Jake Delhomme and TD runs from Travis Minor and FB Michael Hayward to power them to the cross-country win.
ST. LOUIS 10 OHIO 35
Ohio did not look past another Central Division foe, turning it on in the 2nd half to move from 16-10 at the half to 35-10 by the game’s conclusion. John Carney was a force, setting a team record with 7 field goals on the day. Somewhere is a very happy fantasy owner with a kicker giving him a win for certain. Add in a Mike Doss pick-six, and yet another Joey Galloway TD and you have a comfortable Glory win.
NASHVILLE 24 ORLANDO 31
Another entertaining game, this time in Orlando, where the Renegades finally get some breaks. Sedrick Irvin goes for 159 yards on 19 carries, and Al Wilson snags a pick late in the game and runs it back for what would be the winning score for the homestanding Renegades. It was Todd Collins’s second pick of the day, and it was a bad one, almost aimed right at Wilson as Nashville tried to get into late field goal position.
CHICAGO 27 PITTSBURGH 14
The Maulers crash back to reality and Chicago improves to 4-6 thanks to two Michael Turner TDs and a George to Lloyd TD throw. Donald Driver had a big day with 6 catches for 112 yards as Chicago tries to claw its way back after a very rough start to the year.
HOUSTON 17 MICHIGAN 6
Houston struggles to move the ball, but Michigan has an even worse time in this defensive struggle. Drew Brees threw 3 picks against the Houston pass rush, and Matt Hasselbeck connected with HB Tatum Bell on two passing scores to help Houston move to 7-3 and keep pace with the Wranglers. Michigan drops to 5-5, 3 full games behind Ohio in the Central.
Drew Bledsoe Sees Window Closing
In a revealing interview this week on Showtime’s “This is the USFL”, Boston QB Drew Bledsoe hinted that he may be considering retirement, but when pressed, he bounced back with a desire to go out on top, so that means making a run for the league title. Asked whether Bledsoe had time to get that done, he replied that the goal is always to get the title this year, not build for later. Boston is in good position for a run, now alone in first place in their new division, but they have been good for a while now and it has just not happened for them. And here is the thing, while certainly all Cannon fans would be happy to snag a title, doing so with the potential that it would lead Bledsoe to retire is not exactly what fans hope for.
It is clear that the QB who came over from the New England Patriots after the 2001 NFL season is getting older, he is certainly less mobile, but he still throws the ball like few others and he has helped the once moribund Atlanta Fire ignite their offense after relocating to Boston. His 2005 numbers were his best yet, with 30 touchdowns and 4,444 yards passing. He is on pace for over 3,500 again, and with 22 touchdowns, Boston’s offense is humming, ranked #1 in both yards per game and scoring. So it seems odd that a player at the pinnacle of his game would mention retirement, but only Drew knows his own body well enough to determine when the right time is. Were the Cannons to win it all this year, and were Drew to step away from the game, it leaves Boston with an interesting quandry. Adrian McPherson and Jamie Martin back up Bledsoe, and while McPherson has had a couple of outings with the club, he has not had much chance to show anything. Martin, who came over from the NFL has had even less opportunity. Boston would likely have to consider a retooling, perhaps a rebuild, were Bledsoe to step away. These are the thoughts that concern Cannon fans on Boston sports radio, and while it feels like borrowing worries to think about this now, those worries are real for the Cannons and their fans.
Analysis of a Pick Six
We wanted to take a closer look at Al Wilson’s pick six in the Nashville-Orlando game, a play that snatched defeat form the jaws of victory for the Knights. It was a play that pretty much had all the hallmarks of a QB who is not as focused as fans or his team would like. Todd Collins had been having a relatively solid day. Yes, the club depends too much on 2nd year back Frank Gore (27 carries for 166 yards in this game), but Collins, the consummate “game manager” at QB, had been solid, 24 of 36 as the game was coming to a close. He had thrown a pick earlier, but also two touchdowns, and with Nashville knotted up with Orlando at 24, the game plan was to use a no huddle offense to get the Knights into field goal range and take the road win over the 2-6-1 Renegades.
So what happened? Orlando was in zone defense, as they had been the prior drive. They rushed 4, as they had been doing most of the day, DT Pat Williams was soaking up blockers, but neither DE was right in Collins’s face when he decided to throw the ball. It just appears that he threw the ball without even registering that Wilson was patrolling the middle of the field. Perhaps he thought the MLB would be trailing TE Justin Peele, but in this zone, Wilson let peele pass on to outside LB Dexter Coakley. Wilson was free and looking at the eyes of Collins. Collins never shook him off by glancing at another receiver, he simply stared down Bert Emmanuel on the in-cutting route and apparently did not notice that Wilson was headed that way. The big linebacker easily stepped in front of the pass, brought it in cleanly, and then had a clear path to the endzone for the winning score.
When fans of the Knights complain about Collins, and they do, it is usually about the lack of big play ability. He does not have a cannon for an arm, and he rarely takes shots deep, but he is counted on to make good decisions with the ball and to avoid turnovers, allowing the Knights’ defense and run game to wear down opponents. On this day he did neither, he made a bad decision, and produced a costly turnover, exactly what fans do not want to see from a QB who has made a career out of being a bit bland, a bit uninspiring, but usually very solid. While we hear calls for Nashville to go for more of a gunslinger every offseason, this game, and that throw, are absolutely going to make those calls louder. And, sitting at 4-6, two games behind New Orleans and a game behind Birmingham, the Knights might very well be open to listening to those voices.
Four weeks left and a lot on the line for teams up and down the playoff table. Clearly we have some teams who need to make a run, clubs like Michigan, Denver, Philadelphia, and Chicago cannot be happy about sitting outside of the 6 clubs in each conference that will earn a spot. Others, like surprising Atlanta and Las Vegas cannot assume that a 7 or 8 win season will guarantee them a spot. They need to focus on reaching 9 or 10 wins to likely wrap that up.
A the top of the standings we have teams that cannot rest if they want to both win their divisions and possibly land a #1 seed. Boston now has a 1-game lead on New Jersey. Jacksonville and Tampa Bay are tied at 7-3, while New Orleans, sitting at 6-4, has to be mindful of both the Stallions (5-5) and Knights (4-6) as a late slump could spell disaster for what must be a tired Breaker club. In the West, Ohio has a solid 3 game lead, and could clinch the division with the right results next week. They are, however, only 1 game ahead of Houston, Seattle, and Arizona, all at 7-3, so if they want that #1 seed and homefield advantage, they cannot rest once the division is theirs. The Gamblers and Wranglers appear to be locked in a tight race that could come down to a Week 13 showdown in the desert. Seattle has a 1 game lead on both the Express and Thunder, but faces both in the next 2 weeks, with the Thunder coming up to the Pacific Northwest next week and then Seattle headed to LA in Week 12. If they can win both games, the title almost certainly will be theirs and they can set their sights on a top seed in defense of their league title.
We should note that we have had our first official elimination this week, with the 1-9 Maulers too far behind 6th place Las Vegas to claim even the final Wild Card with a 4-game win streak. There are a lot of 2-win clubs (Texas, St. Louis, Washington) who could join them this next week, as distance between the top of the pool and the bottom starts to outweigh the number of games left to potentially catch up.
We should know better than to mention that a particular week has been light on the injury report, because that always seems to trigger a much worse week. Call it superstition, but we have seen it again this week. Three more starters added to IR and a flood of new shorter-term injuries. We start with the IR placements.
Tampa Bay will need to go to Plan B on special teams as rookie return specialist Devin Hester is out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL. This could be a tough injury to come back from in a position that requires so much lateral agility.
Michigan will be without tackle Sean Bubin due to a different knee issue, an MCL tear.
Texas's top CB, Nathan Vasher, is done for the year due to his own ACL injury as knees continue to be a major concern for all clubs.
Among those with less traumatic injuries we find another Panther, LB DeMarcus Ware, out 2-4 weeks (perhaps the entire regular season) with a torn quad. Texas too got hit a second time, as SS Lawyer Milloy could be out 1-2 weeks with a hernia, an injury that leaves the Outlaws very shaky in the defensive backfield. Seattle will miss TE Bradford Banta due to a groin pull, while Las Vegas is hoping that LB Mark Simoneau can shake off a foot injury in only 1 week.
Doubtful this week we have Mike Vrabel (JAX), tackle Kenyatta Jones (LA), tackle Flozell Adams (PHI), WR Javon Walker (JAX), and TE Jeremy Shockey (TBY).
Owners Straw Poll favors Carolinas over Virginia
The league website, U.com, completed a straw poll of the owners as they prepare for the vote to determine the 28th USFL franchise, and initial reports have the two Carolina teams well ahead of the Tidewater bid. It is early, and until the owners get into the room with each other to sort out their individual concerns and perhaps even do a bit of strongarming, there is nothing set in stone, but early word has Charlotte looking good, with the Carolina Surge bid not far behind and Tidewater in a distant third.
It appears that stadium concerns for the Tidewater bid are considerable, as is the much lower economic ranking of the metro area. While the appeal of breaking ground on a new and untapped market is a consideration, there is concern that the Hampton Roads/Tidewater market is not well-suited to support the USFL presence. No such concerns with the booming economies and population centers in North Carolina. The question here is whether or not it is preferable to go with a team sharing an NFL stadium, particularly when the NFL owner in question is somewhat hostile to the concept, or to rely on college facilities at either UNC or NC State, facilities the USFL team would have some difficulty modifying or enhancing without considerable input form the universities and the state government.
The poll has Charlotte currently with 9 backers among the 24 eligible voting owners, Carolina with 7, and Virginia with only 2. That still leaves 6 owners who were unwilling to commit one way or another, so we expect there will be some considerable debate during the owner’s meeting and some deals to be made. The unique thing about these three bids is that none of the three are seen as encroaching too much on another owner’s territory. Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington are the three closest franchises to either southeastern Virginia or North Carolina, and we have not heard any concerns from these three franchises about any of the three bids. Of course, Atlanta, as a recent expansion club themselves, cannot vote in this decision, but even they seem open to any of the three. Adding a regional rival for them in a division that is currently dominated by Florida franchises appears to be amenable to the Fire franchise regardless of the location chosen.
The owners will meet just after Week 12 concludes, and we expect this to be the one and only topic of discussion.
(A reminder that the poll on our website which asks you to vote as a USFL owner will remain open through the publication of Week 11’s report, and that the results will be published in the Week 13 recap.)
Why USFL GMs Are Getting Nervous
Sure, it is typical for GMs around the USFL to start getting a bit edgy during the final month of the season. As is expected, they are in the last month for many of their players’ contracts and decisions have to be made about who to prioritize, how much to spend, and who might have to be let go as the clubs prepare for the offseason free agent and draft processes. But this year is different. Why? Because for all intents and purposes the NFL has had enough and is going to start pushing back. The past few years have seen a pretty steady flow of high quality NFL players, particularly at the QB position, heading to the USFL, and that has the fall league concerned. It also has a lot of NFL owners and GMs itching to reverse the trend and start bidding wars for more and more USFL talent. That is to be expected, of course, but with new roster guidelines and a heightened salary cap, the NFL is in a position to simply outspend the USFL if they so choose. It appears most in the USFL expect the NFL to choose this path, particularly with the QB position. And that is a problem.
Why is it a problem? Well, just look at the USFL quarterbacks who are in the final season of their contracts and who have yet to sign extensions. It is a list the NFL would be more than happy to plunder. We have Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Todd Collins, Cade McNown, Trent Dilfer Jeff Lewis, and Jon Kitna. Beyond that, among backups there is also some quality with players like Rick Mirer, Tony Banks, Jim Sorgi, Eric Wilhelm and Damon Huard. If the NFL did go on a signing spree, a lot of USFL clubs could find themselves with a major QB issue. It is a position the league has coveted and been willing to spend money on, often money teams cannot afford, since the earliest days of the league when Jim Kelly and Steve Young were plucked out of college to start for Houston and LA. It is the position that has been in many ways the single greatest attribute of the league since those days, and if suddenly the NFL were to get the upper hand and start pulling not just top college prospects like Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith, but also veteran names like Brady or Brees, that would be a major issue for the USFL, one that could reduce its television pull as well as the quality of play on the field. This is a story we will continue to track, but for now the pressure is on USFL GM’s to make sure that none of their coveted QB talent is available come August when the transfer window opens. “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered” has to be the mantra right now, but we all know that for every player’s agent the mantra is “Don’t sign anything”, because if there is one thing a bidding war is good for, it is agent compensation. Expect a bumpy ride, folks.
New Jersey Reveals New Look for 2007
The first of the 2007 uniform updates is out and it is a return to a simpler time for the New Jersey Generals. In a look that recalls very much the early 1980’s look of the team, the Generals drop the side panel and pant striping which they have used since the mid-1990’s and bring back a simple, stripeless jersey with the team logo on each shoulder, and the wide stripe on the pants. The secondary logo of the “Jersey General” will no longer be worn as a patch on the chest, and is completely absent from the uniform. There is a new number font, featuring gold and blue outlines, and a new wordmark, featuring the team name in script in something of a John Hancock signature style. There is no mistaking the Generals’ look for anyone else, as it still maintains its iconic features, and still remains the only red helmet in the league.
Week 11, only 4 weeks left, and what do we have on tap? How about Las Vegas, hot off their win vs. LA, now on the road in Seattle. We have Jacksonville at Ohio in what could be a Conference Title preview. New Orleans travels to Nashville and could severely hamper the Knights playoff hopes. Tampa Bay is in Houston for a battle of 7-3 teams. Michigan is in Chicago for a rivalry game that means a lot to both clubs. New Jersey travels to Baltimore. Memphis is in LA, and the Skyhawks visit Philadelphia, who can return to .500 with a win. Denver flies to Orlando to face the Renegades. Oakland is in Texas, and Arizona is in Pittsburgh to face the Maulers. We have Boston in Birmingham and Washington in Atlanta, where the Fire could end up a shocking 6-5 with a home win. Not a week with a lot of divisional rivalries, but one that certainly will influence the playoff race as we get closer to the season’s conclusion.