The weekend got off to a bang on Saturday, where the theme of home dogs coming through was repeated several times. Atlanta upended Washington to move closer to a possible playoff spot. Orlando and Pittsburgh both got wins, but the biggest shocker was Texas's manhandling of the Oakland Invaders. Oakland was an 8 point road favorite, but the Outlaws took them to the woodshed in a game that fans in San Antonio will long remember in what otherwise has been a forgettable year. The upset theme did not carry over to Sunday's games, where most home favorites won, but don't tell that to the Boston Cannons, who were the victims of the only Sunday upset, and our Game of the Week.
BOSTON 15 BIRMINGHAM 18
Another tough choice for our Game of the Week. We could have easily gone for Philly’s narrow win over St. Louis or Seattle’s close call at home against division foe Las Vegas, but in grand scheme of things, both of those games ended as anticipated, whereas Birmingham’s win over Boston was a shocker to fans, and the Las Vegas sportsbooks, who had Boston as a 8-point road favorite.
The Stallions have been playing well of late, with this win their 3rd in their last 4 games. And they have done it in a variety of ways, a good defensive showing against Atlanta in a 17-10 win, then a shootout with Tampa Bay last week, a 49-35 victory for the Stallions. This week it was back to defense as the Stallions fared surprisingly well in containing Boston’s multifaceted offense. Birmingham was most effective on third down, refusing a single conversion for the Cannons (0 for 9). So, while the Cannons outgained Birmingham 391-290, they found drives coming up short throughout the game.
When you look at the statistics, there is a lot in Boston’s favor. Drew Bledsoe went 17 of 22, very good numbers, for 10.1 yards per attempt. Tiki Barber rushed for 106 yards on 19 carries, a 5.6 YPC average. Chad Ochocinco averaged 19.5 yards per reception for a total of 78 yards. And yet, this did not lead to points for the Cannons. Failed 3rd down plays, combined with 3 fumbles on the day, helped keep Boston under 20 points, and that gave Birmingham’s erratic offense enough opportunities to steal a win.
After a 6-0 Boston lead at the half, Birmingham started taking advantage of the Boston mistakes. A fumble by Tony Hunt on the 27 gave the Stallions a very short field, and they would take the lead only 1:23 later when Shaun Alexander plunged in from the 2-yardline. Birmingham would stuff Boston on their next drive and would then add 3 more points on a Kris Brown kick to take a 10-6 lead after 3 quarters.
Boston rallied in the 4th, getting a 39-yard Elam field goal when yet another 3rd down play failed, and then scoring after the lone Birmingham turnover, an ill-advised pass by Campbell than ended up in the hands of Cannon FS Jerome Woods. Four plays later Chad Ochocinco got inside position on the corner and Bledsoe hit him for a 20-yard touchdown. Boston was up 15-10 after failing on the 2-point conversion.
Birmingham would have 9 minutes, maybe 2 possessions if all went well, to get a winning score. On their first drive they reached midfield, but their offense stalled when Campbell could not connect with James Thrash on a 3rd and 11 throw. Boston got the ball back at their 19, but they too struggled. Two runs by Barber set up a 3rd and 4, but rather than go for the pass, they tried a draw and the Stallions sniffed it out. LB DeMeco Ryans penetrated the line and forced Barber to try to spin away from the tackle. He spun right into the arms of Mike Rucker and Boston was forced to punt with 4:07 left in the game.
Birmingham would have one more shot to pull out the win. The fans at Legion Field were in full voice, supporting their home squad as they attempted to secure the upset. On this final drive Jason Campbell was tuned in, completing 3 of 4 passes and scrambling once to gain a new set of downs on a 3rd and 5. With 1:33 left on the clock they had made their way to the 5-yard line. On first down they faked the ball to Alexander, the linebackers bit, and WR Ben Obomanu found space between the corner and the safety on the slant. Campbell’s throw was low, but not so low that Obomanu could not go down and snag it. He rolled twice before holding the ball up to show the catch had been made. It went to review and was confirmed, a TD to take a 16-15 lead. Birmingham would go for two to bring the lead to 3 points, and they converted on a Campbell bootleg run.
Boston, with 1:23 left to play, would have one last chance to tie or win the game, but once again trouble on 3rd down haunted the Cannons. They would go for a deep route on 3rd and 2 and Bledsoe simply overthrew Joe Jurevicious. So, on 4th and 2, they lined up in what appeared to be a run formation, with Tiki Barber the lone back and two tight ends. Bledsoe faked the ball to Barber, looked for his TE, James Whalen, and threw a rope to the receiver. But, once again, DeMeco Ryans was on top of the play, and just as Whalen was reaching for the ball, Ryans swept his arm across Whalen’s field of vision, clipping his right arm and causing the ball to bounce away. Boston players and Coach Fox pleaded for pass interference, but no flag was thrown. The play stood and Birmingham took over on downs.
It was a tough loss for the Cannons, who now face a must-win game against the Stars next week if they hope to take home the Northeast Division Title. The loss puts them only 1 game ahead of the surging Stars. For Birmingham, this win helps them move to within striking distance of a Wild Card at 5-6, tied with current 6th place Jacksonville. While fans may still question the Stallion offense and QB Jason Campbell, the team has rallied after a 4-game losing streak in weeks 4-7. The path, however, will not be an easy one, as Birmingham finishes with 3 straight road games, all against teams with winning records: Nashville, Memphis, and Orlando.
WASHINGTON 10 ATLANTA 26
Terrell Davis went off against the Feds and the Fire stepped closer to a possible playoff berth. Davis carried the ball a tiring 28 times, gaining 172 yards along the way (6.1 YPC), and scoring twice as he helped Atlanta dominate the Federals in the second half. Josh Scobee would do the rest, kicking 4 field goals to help Atlanta reach 5-6 and the fringe of Wild Card contention.
ST. LOUIS 23 PHILADELPHIA 24
St. Louis put up a good fight, but once again Matt Gutierrez and the Stars found a way to win. Kudos to Ahman Green, who has taken on a lot of the pressure of the Stars offense in Kurt Warner’s absence. His 123 yards were pivotal, but Gutierrez, despite 3 picks, came through when needed, tossing a 26-yard TD to Edward Stinnett, the winning score in the game.
DENVER 0 ORLANDO 16
You know things are bad for the Denver offense when Matt Leinart gets pulled in favor of Dereck Anderson, but that is what happened in this one. Leinart was sacked 5 times, and one of those did come with a blow to the head, so it may have been about protection as much as poor results. Orlando dominated the game from the start, and with 2 Najeh Davenport TD runs (he finished with 58 yards on only 4 carries), the Renegades had more than enough to take the W and move into first place in the Southeast.
ARIZONA 13 PITTSBURGH 21
Jake Plummer connected with Larry Fitzgerald for 174 yards and 2 scores, but it was not enough as Pittsburgh sacked the Wrangler QB 7 times and DeShaun Foster had his best game in a purple jersey, rushing for 135 on the day. Add in a 17 of 22 performance from Cody Pickett and the Maulers had enough to take the home win and place themselves in contention in the Central, at least for a Wild Card.
OAKLAND 23 TEXAS 38
This week’s shocker, as Texas brought the heat, sacking Joey Harrington 4 times in the first half and sending him out of the game midway through the third. Jeff George led the way on offense with 3 TD passes, but T. J. Duckett, as always, was right there, rushing for 101 and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries.
MEMPHIS 10 LOS ANGELES 30
Brett Favre threw 4 picks, and Seneca Wallace did not, and that won the game handily for the Showboats. Wallace hit Tory Holt for a 62-yard score and Dez White from 85 yards as the Memphis secondary looked flabbergasted all game. Meanwhile, Memphis simply could not keep the pressure off Favre. LA recorded 5 sacks along with the 4 Favre picks on a tough day for the former MVP.
MICHIGAN 17 CHICAGO 35
Brian Griese threw for 328 yards, but it was the run game of the Machine that took this game over. Michael Turner (59), Maurice Clarett (76), and Derrick Blaylock (34) combined for 172 yards and 2 scores in this one. Brady Quinn, largely off of play action, also threw for 3 scores, two to Donald Driver, as Chicago scored the final 21 points of the game.
NEW JERSEY 9 BALTIMORE 19
The Generals simply could not get anything going in this one, while Ron Dayne’s 113 yards on 23 carries, and Ben Roethlisberger’s efficient 15 of 21 throwing were enough for Baltimore to get the home win. New Jersey outgained the Blitz, 308 to 278, but 3 turnovers did them in.
JACKSONVILLE 16 OHIO 19
A white-knuckle ride in Columbus as the Bulls and Glory slugged it out in a game that saw Jacksonville go for 2 on both touchdowns, while Ohio just kept kicking field goals. In the end it was Kerry Collins’s lone TD toss to Joey Galloway that gave Ohio the win, but this one was anything but a cakewalk for the Glory, whose offense continues to underperform expectations.
TAMPA BAY 20 HOUSTON 24
With Daunte Culpepper sitting out again for some undisclosed medical reason, Tampa Bay’s offense struggled against the Houston D. Koy Detmer threw two picks and completed only 10 of 30 passes, while Matt Hasselbeck’s 25 of 40 day helped Houston pull out a needed home win to take over the Southwest Division. TDs to Ike Hilliard and Dave Campbell helped Houston edge the Bandits in this one.
LAS VEGAS 21 SEATTLE 23
Another tough divisional game for the Dragons, but they managed to pull this one out thanks to two late Dave Rayner field goals. Las Vegas was able to take advantage on the ground, with both Marshawn Lynch and Earnest Graham rushing for more than 70 yards, but in the end, it was the ability of Seattle to end drives with points that gave them the win. A Marcus Truffant pick-six of Steve McNair also proved pivotal in this close matchup of Pacific rivals.
NEW ORLEANS 20 NASHVILLE 26
Fred Jackson rushed for 104 yards on only 16 carries, and Kenny Irons added 79 more as Nashville’s run defense was tested early and often by the Breakers. But a 16-0 scoring run by Nashville in the final 2 quarters turned a 20-10 deficit into a 26-20 victory in overtime. Craig Whelihan, in for the injured Jay Cutler, broke the hearts of the few Breaker fans who made the trip, hitting Robert Meachem with an 11-yard TD in the final minute of play to give Nashville the win.
Birmingham, Chicago, and Orlando Surging
Good times in these three cities as their clubs have shaken off early season doldrums and are now making runs at playoff positions. Orlando has won 4 in a row and 6 of 7 since their early season stumbles. Those that were quick to call the Drew Brees signing a bust are now eating their words as Brees has turned around the Orlando offense and now ranks among the Top 5 QBs in the league.
In Chicago, a 3-game winning streak comes against 3 division foes, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Michigan. Having split their series with Ohio, Chicago is in a solid position if they can catch the Glory, who sit one game ahead in the standings. They also have a pretty amenable schedule ahead of them, with the two 1-win teams back to back, St. Louis this week and New Orleans the week after, before closing out the season with a home game against the LA Express.
Birmingham’s rise is perhaps the biggest surprise. After a Week 6 loss to winless New Orleans, it seemed all but certain that Dennis Franchione’s luck had run out and the Stallions would be making a change. The Stallions would earn a win against Atlanta, then lose to Michigan, but back to back wins against solid Tampa Bay and Boston squads have Stallion fans feeling better about their squad. That could change quickly however as the Stallions must now face a gauntlet of 6-4-1 Nashville, 8-3 Memphis, and 6-5 Orlando, all on the road. To make the playoffs, two, perhaps three road wins will be needed, a tall order to be sure.
Denver, Tampa Bay, and Michigan Fading
Things are not looking so bright in these three cities, as the Gold have lost 3 of 4 to drop out of first place; Tampa Bay have lost 5 of the last 6 and seem to have a mystery situation with their QB, and Michigan’s 4-game win streak has been followed by consecutive losses, dropping them to 3rd in the Central.
Denver’s woes are pretty clear. They are not scoring points. In the past 4 weeks, they have scored fewer than 7 points 3 times, with a lone field goal in games against Houston and Seattle, and a deeply troubling shutout this week against Orlando. Were it not for a lone anomaly game against Arizona, the Gold would likely be out of the playoff picture by now. The Gold now sit at 25th in scoring, not a place that a playoff contender usually lands. Matt Leinart has only 8 TD passes on the season, and Cedric Benson continues to underwhelm Gold fans with a 3.8 YPC average and only 2 touchdowns on the season. Coach Jauron has started to rotate in Mewelde Moore and Travis Prentice to try to add more explosiveness to the run game, but so far to no avail.
In Tampa Bay it feels like the wheels have fallen off the bus entirely. The defense is allowing nearly 28 points a game, the offense, which helped them be competitive most of the season has fizzled, and now we have seen Koy Detmer start the past two weeks after what appeared to be a minor concussion to Daunte Culpepper in a Week 9 game against Atlanta. Sitting at 4-7 it does not look promising for the Bandits, and Coach Spurrier has not been very forthcoming with how he plans to turn things around. We think he is still solidly in control of the locker room, but would not be surprised to see some major shifts this offseason on the roster.
Finally, Michigan, coming off a 4-game win streak, has now dropped consecutive games to Houston and Chicago. Now, those are both solid teams, and a 2-game dip is not usually a cause for panic, but there is not a lot of room in the standings for teams to drop to .500, and Michigan is getting very close. They have a winnable game at Pittsburgh this week, and finish the year with St. Louis, so 2 of 3 wins is very possible, and that might be enough to snag a Wild Card, but it seems clear the momentum they had midseason seems to have fizzled.
Offseason Moves: Pay Outs & Flops
The 2006-2007 Offseason was a busy one with several huge moves impacting USFL squads from coast to coast. As we reach the final weeks of the season it seems clear that some moves paid major dividends while others simply did not. Here is our assessment of the 5 biggest offseason moves and the 5 decisions that have not worked out.
Big Pay Out: Orlando signing Drew Brees.
As weird as it is to say it, this may actually be a move that helped two teams. Orlando, after a rough 0-4 start to the season, has figured out what the do well, and Drew Brees has been a big part of that. He now ranks 5th among passers in QB Rating and has thrown 16 touchdowns to only 2 picks since Week 4. Orlando has won 6 of 7 and the Renegade offense now boasts a Top 10 passing game. But, what is perhaps even weirder is that Michigan, in losing Brees, may have actually stumbled into a better situation for themselves as well.
Given the chance to be the #1 starter, Brian Griese has taken the bull by the horns and is putting up a career year for Coach LeBeau. Griese currently leads the league with 2,934 passing yards, and with 25 TDs is also in 1st. His QBR of 124.1 is third, behind only Drew Bledsoe and Byron Leftwich. By all accounts, Griese has blossomed in his 2nd chance to be a starter (after losing his starting gig in Philly and then spending 2 years behind Brees in Pontiac). This appears to be win-win, which is something we are used to saying about trades, not about a player going to a new team in free agency.
Big Flop: Jeff George to Texas
After years of midling QB play with Jeff Lewis and then Trent Dilfer, fans in the Lone Star State were hoping the arrival of Chicago starter Jeff George would see their pass offense flourish. If anything they have gotten worse. George has thrown 12 picks to go along with his 12 touchdowns, a balance no team wants to see. His completion rate of 51.6 is among the worst among starters in the league, and even the signing of Muhsin Muhammad from Las Vegas has not benefitted the Outlaws, who rank 25th out of 26 teams in passing. To say that Texas has not had a strong offseason is to put it mildly. Even top rated rookie DE Tim Crowder has not flashed this year, with no starts and no sacks this season. Expect some turnover in the front office after the year Texas has had. We expect Norv Turner will get more time, but we would not be shocked to see a different GM in place by August.
Big Pay Out: LA Standing Pat at QB
One of several teams to lose a starting QB and not pursue a new player to take over, Los Angeles may not be having the statistical success of Michigan and Brian Griese, but fans cannot be upset with the results they have gotten with Seneca Wallace at the helm. Wallace’s 2,212 yards may not be among the league leaders, but his 20 TD to 4 Int ratio has been impressive, as has LA’s 7-4 record after 11 weeks. Wallace is not built in the classic QB mold, but his leadership and improvisational ability have proven valuable to an Express team that is built for the run and the deep ball. With both Keyshawn Johnson and Tory Holt averaging over 25 yards per reception, this is an offense that lulls you to sleep with Maurice Jones-Drew toting the rock, and then takes the top off with their wideouts. It would appear that Hue Jackson knew what he had in Wallace when Cade McNown shipped off to the NFL, which explains why LA, unlike several other clubs, did not panic to try to find a replacement.
Big Flop: New Jersey Standing Pat at QB
Where LA found success with its “stand pat” strategy, New Jersey has not. The loss of Tom Brady has had a devastating impact on the 2006 league champions, one that many underplayed before the season began. But, after 11 weeks, the best team in the league has fallen off a cliff, sitting at 3-8 and sporting the 3rd worst passing game in the league. Kelly Holcombe has simply not lived up to expectations, throwing only 11 touchdowns in the season’s first 11 games. Do not be surprised if rookie Kevin Kolb finishes out the year if only to see if New Jersey has to be looking at the position again this offseason. Without a consistent passing game, Curtis Enis has had to carry the load, and, as his 3.6 YPC average will attest, it has not been easy. Terry Glenn also cannot be happy, as his numbers have also taken a major dip with the departure of Brady. Glenn had a chance to jump to the NFL as well, but resigned with New Jersey, banking on the team’s championship roster being able to withstand the loss of their QB, but this season is going to show just how important one player can be to a franchise.
Big Pay Out: Vegas Moving Up for Lynch
Perhaps the biggest move of the USFL Draft was the Las Vegas Thunder jumping from the 13th pick up to #4 to nab Marshawn Lynch. Lynch has been sensational for the Thunder, carrying the ball 255 times for 991 yards. His work load is one of the heaviest in the league, and while Las Vegas does not exactly have a league leading offense, the ability to shorten games, run down the clock, and provide rest for their top ranked defense has helped keep the Thunder in contention in nearly every game. The only negative on Lynch so far this year is that he has managed only 2 touchdowns and only 2 rushes of over 20 yards this year. A lot of that is on the O-line, but it is something that will have to improve in year 2.
Big Flop: St. Louis Moving Down in the Draft
While it may not be fair to look at a draft after only a portion of a season and say it has not worked out, the feeling in St. Louis is that their move, down from 4 to 13 has not worked out well for the 1-10 club. Yes, they got a pair of extra picks, but what we are seeing is a draft class that is not contributing much. William Gay, the cornerback picked with the #13 pick, has seen action in 6 games, and he does have 1 pick, but he has largely filled in at nickel, and now, with a fractured jaw, he likely will miss the rest of the season.
HB Michael Bush has averaged only 2.2 yards per carry in his rookie year, and TE Matt Spaeth has a total of 184 yards receiving and no touchdowns after 11 games. All in all it appears that the 2nd year team did not take great advantage of the haul of picks from their trade with Las Vegas. Now, it is early, and an expansion team is still an expansion team, but when you compare the 2007 Skyhawks with the Atlanta Fire, or even with the 2006 version of the same team, we are not seeing a comparison that favors St. Louis. Perhaps that is why Art Shell was let go so early. St. Louis is likely to have a very early pick again in 2008, and we would hope they might make some more impactful choices with it.
Big Pay Off: Brady Quinn to Chicago
Not exactly a shocker that a top-rated Notre Dame QB would have an impact in his first year, but Chicago fans, with the club sitting on a 7-4 record and within striking distance of Ohio, have to be pleased with the payback for the investment in the golden domer. Quinn may not be among the league leaders in yardage (his 2,012 yards actually places him 15th among 26 starters), but his 16-8 TD-INT ratio, and 67.2% completion rate are very strong for a first year player. Add to this the way in which Quinn’s game has allowed HB Michael Turner to find more space in the run game, and you have a pretty good return on investment. Now, if Chicago could catch Ohio and challenge for the division title you would have a rookie year any Windy City native would be pleased with.
Big Flop: Baltimore Underuses Ted Ginn Jr.
The Ohio State wideout was supposed to be a firebrand in the slot, a playmaker and gamechanger. So what has Baltimore gotten from Mr. Ginn? How about 6 receptions for 72 yards? Yup, that is all. Ron Dayne has more yards and more receptions than Ginn. Craphonso Thorpe has seen more snaps. Yes, Ginn has been solid as a punt and kick returner, with a very good 24.1 Yard per Return average on kicks, but you do not expect that to be the lone contribution of your top overall pick. Baltimore has a QB with a cannon for an arm in Ben Roethlisberger, but the receiving corps is among the league’s weakest, with Eddie Kennison leading all Blitz receivers with only 47 catches. So there was an opening here for Ginn to make an impact and he simply has not made it. Can he improve as a sophomore? Blitz fans sure hope so.
Big Pay Off: Favre in Memphis
This one is the no-brainer of the year. A year after finishing 3-11 the Memphis Showboats sit at 8-3 and are challenging for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The primary reason for this is the arrival of former league MVP Brett Favre. The former Stallion signed with that club’s arch rival and now Memphis is sitting pretty with the 4th best passing game in the league. Favre has connected with veteran wideout Robert Ferguson, youngster Lee Evans, and rookie Sydney Rice to the tune of 93 receptions and 13 touchdowns among the trio. TE David Martin, brought in from the NFL has also had a strong year with 31 receptions as Favre has distributed the ball well all season long. Yes, the gunslinger of all gunslingers still throws a few too many picks (12 so far), but when he also has 22 touchdowns and the team is winning, you can let that slide. Signing Favre after only 18 months in the NFL was a coup for Coach Haslett and the Showboats, a coup that could lead to a trophy before too long.
Big Flop: Andre Davis to the Feds
Davis was the best receiver to jump from the NFL to the USFL this offseason. A solid starter for the Buffalo Bills in 2006, but since his arrival in DC he has done a great impression of the Invisible Man. With 24 receptions for 240 yards (an easy to calculate 10 yards per catch) and no touchdowns, the big NFL signing has not been a big player for an offense that desperately needed one. If you recall, last year Washington was worst in the league with only 11 total touchdowns on offense. This year has been even worse, with Kordell Stewart and Henry Burris combining for only 5 passing TDs in 11 games. Yup, 5 TDs. That is it. Those are not numbers that are going to win you many games. But whereas Mike Williams and Deion Branch have put up respectable, if not winning numbers (60 and 54 catches respectively for a combined 1,300 yards), Davis has been MIA.
Philadelphia and Seattle join Boston and Memphis with clinched playoff spots this week. Seattle actually goes one better, locking up the division title in the Pacific thanks to a 4-1 division record. Los Angeles, the closest rival in the division, sits at 1-3 in divisional games, putting them at a distinct tiebreaker disadvantage.
Losses by both Boston and Memphis mean that they have not yet locked up their divisions, with Philadelphia only 1 game behind the Cannons and Nashville, 1.5 games back of the Showboats with 3 to play. Thanks to the Bulls’ loss, Orlando now leaps up to first place in the Southeast, having gone 6-1 after their miserable 0-4 start to the year.
Ohio holds a 1 game lead over a surging Chicago squad in the Central Division, while the Southwest seems like a division destined for an 8-8 champion. Houston sits atop the division at 6-5, with Denver 1 game back at 5-6. Tight races in several divisions, and a cluster of teams at 6-5 or 5-6 means that a lot of teams are still alive, including 3-win New Jersey. Eliminated as of this week are the two 1-10 squads (St. Louis and New Orleans), the 2-9 Wranglers and the 4-7 Texas Outlaws.
A rough week on the injury front, with several players getting hit with injuries that will linger well into the offseason to heal. Of course for some teams, particularly those in playoff hunts, any loss is a bad one, but even for the teams that are just playing out the string, you hate to see a player go down with a bad injury. Looking across the league, here are the injuries that have teams scrambling this week.
Oakland is looking at 1-2 weeks without Joey Harrington under center as their QB suffered a neck injury in this week’s defeat. The Invaders hope they can get by with Ray Lucas under center until Harrington is cleared to return to action. The invaders also lost WR Kevin Dyson for the season with torn bicep, quickly signing Oregon State product Mike Hass to keep their receiving corps at 6.
Denver has listed Matt Leinart as Doubtful for this week, which means we are likely to see Derreck Anderson get the start as the Gold face the Wranglers with their playoff hopes on the line.
Nashville keeps taking hits. This week it is wideout Derrick Mason, expected to be out 1-2 weeks with a hamstring injury. With Jay Cutler out at least another 1-2 weeks and Frank Gore listed as questionable with a stiff neck, this could be a rough week for the Knights.
Las Vegas loses a key weapon with TE Ben Hartsook out for the next 2 weeks with a shoulder injury. Add this to a receiving corps that is already shorthanded with Troy Williamson and Samie Parker both listed as Out for at least 1 week and the Thunder offense is looking even more dependent on Marshawn Lynch.
Tampa Bay: Daunte Culpepper is still listed as “Doubtful” but his injury is mysteriously cited as “undefined”, something that has both Bandit fans and Fantasy players freaking out. The Bandits did add safety Bryan Scott to the injury list as well, out with a broken collarbone.
St. Louis put TE Fred Baxter on the IR this week after he suffered a hip injury in this week’s game. As we mentioned above, CB William Gay is also out for at least 1-2 weeks with a fractured jaw (ouch!!)
Baltimore’s pass rush will have to get by without Chuckie Nwokorie for the final 3 weeks of the year as the DE suffered a hernia during the game this weekend.
Philadelphia has Kurt Warner listed as Questionable, a big upgrade for this week, though it is likely we will not see him until Week 13 at the earliest. And with Matt Gutierrez winning each week, the urgency is not there.
Ohio MLB Clint Kriewaldt suffered a concussion in last week’s win, but is still a potential start this week, listed as Questionable.
New Jersey lost FB Deon Dyer for the year and have signed Mike Karney to replace him, though we should expect a lot of 1-back formations and possibly the use of Brock Forsey in the fullback position as well.
Pittsburgh Gets New Look
We have known for a while now that in addition to the new Portland Stags and Charlotte Monarchs, Reebok was working on an updated look for the Pittsburgh Maulers. This week that look was revealed. At halftime of the Maulers’ home win against Arizona the new uniforms were available for viewing at Heinz Field and a special presentation of the new logos was shown on the big screen at the half. From the crowd reaction the new look for Pittsburgh’s USFL club will be a popular one with Mauler Nation.
The look begins with an updated logo. While the essential imagery of the logo remains the same, a sledge-wielding ironworker in silhouette, the new Mauler takes on a very different pose than his predecessor. A slimmer, more “active” Mauler swings his sledge in a more aggressive way. He is highlighted with a grey sledge, and grey highlights on his arm and helmet, both standing out from the purple silhouette figure. The shape of the logo is perhaps an even more radical departure from the past look. Replacing the simple rondel (circle) design is a new keystone shape, a shape acutely linked to the state of Penssylvania, the Keystone State. The new sledge-swinging Mauler and Keystone logo will be seen on the helmet, on the jersey sleeves, and in most marketing materials.
The team also unveiled a secondary logo, a sort of Jolly Roger, Pittsburgh style, with the skull and crossbones replaced with a construction helmet and a pair of crossed sledges. This new secondary will be featured on the uniforms at the base of the jersey collar, and could be seen throughout promotional materials.
The uniforms themselves are modified version of the most recent look, retaining the shoulder yokes, but now with tri-color collars and thin color block that eminate from the collar to the underarm. On the road white jersey the yoke is purple, with color blocks of orange and a collar point in grey. The purple home uniform has an orange yoke, grey color blocks and a white collar point. The jerseys also feature the new number font, a squared, block font with angular lines. The team’s new angular wordmark is also featured on the chest of both jerseys. The look comes with two pant options, a grey pant set with three wide purple and orange stripes, and a purple set with a single wide orange stripe.
As has become tradition in the USFL, Pittsburgh would don the new uniforms and logos should they make the playoffs this season, otherwise the look would first be seen in the preseason of 2008. Merchandise featuring the new logos is already available on TheU.com and MaulerFootball.com. The new jerseys are expected to be ready for sale to the public by the conclusion of the regular season in 3 weeks.
A Ring for Reggie: The 1999 Memphis Showboats
In this week’s look back at USFL history we focus on a season of destiny. The 1999 Memphis Showboats were a club with a singular mission, provide 15 year veteran and legendary Showboat Reggie White with a title in his final season. White, who had declared his intention to retire after the 1999 season, had been the face of the franchise since their inception in 1984, and the members of the 1999 squad wanted nothing more than to provide the Minister of Defense with a chance to go out a champion.
The 1999 Showboats were not an early favorite to make that title dream a reality. The 1998 squad had finished 8-8 and a distant 4th place and 5 games behind the dominant Tampa Bay Bandits of Troy Aikman. Memphis was expected to once again fall somewhere in the middle of the pack in Jim Mora Sr’s second season. The club, led on offense by QB Heath Shuler, HB Garrison Hearst, and WR Joe Horn had struggled to put up points in 1998, finishing with only 370 on the season, far behind the 566 put up by eventual champion Tampa Bay. The defense also had struggled, allowing 420 points. But, Memphis had finished the year strong, winning their final 3 games to reach .500. There was optimism that the club could compete for a Wild Card, but most assumed they would finish somewhere behind the Bandits in 1999. The thing was, no one told them that.
The 1999 Memphis Showboats were on a mission, and that mission showed quite clearly from the first weeks of the season. Whereas 1998 belonged to Troy Aikman, Heath Shuler would quickly assert himself in the 1999 season. Opening the year with a 29-14 victory over Oakland, Memphis would go on to a 4-1 start, holding teams under 20 points per game while scoring nearly 30 per game in the season’s opening month. By season’s end, Memphis would finish as the league’s scoring leader, racking up 526 points. The defense also played lights out football, allowing only 335 points. Heath Shuler would be named MVP after throwing for 4,937 yards and 41 touchdowns. Garrison Hearst would just miss out on 1,000 yards, and Joe Horn complete the season with 1,375 yards. Tight end Adrian Cooper would also be a unanimous All-USFL player after a 1,094 yard, 10 TD season for Memphis. The defense was impressive as well, with Reggie White racking up 16 sacks, his 15th season with double digit sacks. Free Safety Tebucky Jones, another All-USFL player on the squad, would tally 6 picks and 54 tackles and linebacker Joe Mott would finish the year with 75 tackles and 5 sacks.
The Showboats finished the regular season at 12-4, an four game improvement over 1998 and good enough to win the Southern Division by 1 game over Brett Favre and the Birmingham Stallions. In the playoffs they would first face the 10-6 Pittsburgh Maulers in the Divsional Round, a game they would win going away, 33-10. That set up a brilliant rivalry game against Birmingham in the Eastern Conference Finals. In a classic shootout Shuler and Favre dueled the entire game, but the Memphis defense managed to pick off Favre and help the Showboats hold a 42-33 victory to propel them into the Summer Bowl, their first since 1988.
Memphis had defied the odds and were one win away from realizing the dream of winning a title for one of the greatest defensive players in pro football history. Reggie White was about to retire with league record 259 sacks, but there was still unfinished business. Memphis faced the Denver Gold in the title game. Denver was a Wild Card team, coming into the playoffs at 10-6, but they had defeated Houston, St. Louis, and the Pacific Champion LA Express to reach the Summer Bowl. None of that mattered to the Showboats. They were on a mission and they were not going to relent now.
In a game that saw Heath Shuler throw for 4 touchdowns, including 3 to little-known wideout Tydus Wynans, Reggie White still stood out, sacking Denver QB Mark Brunell 3 times on the night and helping limit the Gold to only 7 points in the second half. Memphis would win the game by 14 points, taking the 38-24 victory, the franchise’s first title. Reggie White would get to hold aloft the John Bassett Trophy on the final night of his career, and the Memphis Showboats would provide a memory for both White and all Showboat fans.
Harry Sydney: A Leader On & Off The Field
This weeks Look Back Player is not an all time league leader, not a multiple Summer Bowl champion, and not a Hall of Faner, at least not in Canton. He is Harry Sydney, former halfback of the Denver Gold, and perhaps a more interesting man after the game than as a player.
Sydney came to the USFL as a rookie out of the University of Kansas, a low-cost option for a low-budget 1983 Gold squad. Like so many USFL players in the league’s inaugural season, the league was an option when no other seemed likely. Undrafted by the NFL, Sydney saw the USFL as an opportunity to continue to play the game he loved. A bulldozer of a back at 217 lbs, Sydney would start the season in rotation with Scott Stamper, but would soon begin to dominate carries for the surprisingly solid Gold squad. He would finish his rookie year with 1,226 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns, good enough to finish 6th among rushing leaders in the 12-team league. His efforts helped lead the Gold to the 1983 inaugural USFL Championship game, where they would fall to the Tampa Bay Bandits.
Sydney would spend seven years with the Gold, rushing for 7,068 yards and 40 touchdowns over his career, including 2 more 1,000 yard seasons in 1987 and 1989. He would be named to the All-USFL team only once and appear in a second USFL Championship in his final season, a second loss for the Gold. He retired after the 1989 season. After a year away from the game, he was brought in by the Gold to be their Running Backs Coach, helping to mentor young backs like Timmy Smith and Rashaan Salaam. Sydney would leave the Gold in 1997 to pursue an opportunity to be a head coach at Denver’s Northglenn High School.
It was at Northglenn that Sydney found a second calling. Seeing the issues that were impacting young men in the school, Sydney felt that more needed to be done to help guide men into productive lives, despite the obstacles in their way. He founded My Brother’s Keeper, a male mentoring business designed to help both teens and young adults who were struggling in their lives. This would be the work that would continue with Sydney through his post football live. He continued to coach and was a regular on the Denver Gold radio shows in the area, but it would be his work with young men, including a troubled Rashaan Salaam, suspended by the USFL in 2002 for drug and criminal activity, that would be his primary focus.
Salaam cites Sydney as one of the primary motivators for his recovery and return to the USFL. Sydney also worked closely with post-tragedy support for students at Columbine High School after the tragic 1999 mass shooting, a calling he has often referenced as the most difficult of his life. Sydney continues to be a presence in Denver and around the Gold organization as he helps to mentor young men and provide guidance to rookies throughout the USFL with his My Brothers Keeper organization partnered with the league to support young players who have had issues either with drugs, alcohol or the law prior to arriving in the league. While his on-field performances have helped make a name for him, it is his post-retirement life that has made him one of the most revered members of the Gold organization and community.
(IRL: Sydney would play all 3 seasons with the Gold in the real USFL, then go on to play 7 more seasons in the NFL with San Francisco and Green Bay. He would win Super Bowl rings with both clubs, as a player and coach. He would remain in Green Bay after retirement, first as a RB Coach and then coaching high school football and hosting a radio show. I did not change those facts, just the location. He is also the founder of the male mentoring business My Brother’s Keeper, which continues to do great work in the Green Bay area and beyond. Seemed like a player and a man worth highlighting.)
It is all about divisional play in Week 12, with 10 of 13 games featuring divisional matchups. NBC, after several mediocre matchups, gets the game of the week with 8-3 Philly headed to Boston to face the 9-2 Cannons. A Stars win and they would control their destiny for the division and a possible #1 seed. Other key divisional games include Pacific clashes between Seattle and LA (Saturday Night) and Oakland in Las Vegas (Sunday at 4pm). Michigan at Pittsburgh is a game that has more drama than many may have thought when the schedule came out, with both teams clinging to playoff hopes. Birmingham @ Nashville is another matchup that could have a huge impact on the playoff scenarios for both clubs. Some great games to catch this week, as every game starts to take on more and more urgency.
FRI @ 8PM Philadelphia (8-3) @ Boston (9-2) NBC
SAT @ 12PM Houston (6-5) @ New Jersey (3-8) ABC
SAT @ 12PM Michigan (6-5) @ Pittsburgh (5-6) FOX
SAT @ 12PM Baltimore (4-6-1) @ Washington (4-7) FOX
SAT @ 4PM Denver (5-6) @ Arizona (2-9) ABC
SAT @ 4PM Memphis (8-3) @ Texas (4-7) FOX
SAT @ 8PM Seattle (10-1) @ Los Angeles (7-4) ESPN
SUN @ 12PM Atlanta (5-6) @ Jacksonville (5-6) ABC
SUN @ 12PM Ohio (8-3) @ New Orleans (1-10) ABC
SUN @ 12PM Birmingham (5-6) @ Nashville (6-4-1) FOX
SUN @ 4PM Oakland (7-4) @ Las Vegas (6-5) ABC
SUN @ 4PM Chicago (7-4) @ St. Louis (1-10) FOX
SUN @ 8PM Orlando (6-5) @ Tampa Bay (4-7) ESPN