An interesting Wild Card weekend that saw two upsets and really only one game that was close. The Bulls and Stars got into a shootout and took it to overtime before a late TD decided the winner. But in other action Oakland simply dominated on the road in Houston in another great game for Ricky Williams. Chicago was too much for LA as they shut down Seneca Wallace. Finally, Orlando took the wind out of a rusty Jay Cutler in his playoff debut, winning their 8th in a row as they now head off to Memphis for the divisional rounds. Three home favorites win, and the Bulls join them as the 6 seed that no one wants to face. Here is how it went down, and what we might expect this week in the Divisional Round.
JACKSONVILLE 40 PHILADELPHIA 34 OVERTIME
The first game of the weekend was also the best game of the weekend as the Bulls and Stars battled into extra time before a winner was decided. From the very start this was a game where the defenses were simply overmatched. Both lead rushers had nearly identical numbers with Antowain Smith going for 95 and 2 scores and Ahman Green rushing for 2 scores and 92 yards. The difference, and it was not a huge one, was in the passing game, where Jake Delhomme racked up 357 yards, including 127 to Rashaun Woods and 124 more to break out star Donald Hayes. Philadelphia could not match that production, with Kurt Warner throwing for 201 and 2 scores.
And yet, in a game that saw TDs from 4 different Stars and 3 different Bulls, the game was all knotted up after 60 minutes. Donald Hayes had put Jacksonville up 34-31 with only 56 seconds left, but the Stars found a way to get in range for Mike Nugent, and as time ran out the Stars’ kicker connected on a 52-yarder to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, Jacksonville would win the toss and take the ball, convinced that they needed to end the game without giving Philadelphia a shot. That meant scoring a TD on their first possession, and that is exactly what they did, moving the ball well, mixing up the run and the pass against a tired Stars defense.
With just under 5 minutes gone in overtime, Antowain Smith put the nail in Philadelphia’s coffin, taking a pitch off the right tackle, evading the first tackler and sprinting to the corner. He would cross the plane just before being knocked out of bounds by the safety. The referees conferred, then called a TD to end the game. It, of course, went to review, but after only 93 seconds, the video confirmed the call on the field and Jacksonville had emerged victorious.
OAKLAND 22 HOUSTON 3
Saturday afternoon’s matchup out west looked on paper like it might also be a close one, but the game played out with the Invaders dominating from the start. Ricky Williams and Jurious Norwood combined for 136 yards on the ground, and Joey Harrington avoided major mistakes as the Oakland Offense built up a 19-0 lead into the 4th quarter. Oakland’s defense was the surprise of the match as they landed 6 sacks of Matt Hasselbeck while the Houston combo of Pittman and Umenyiura failed to register even one takedown of Harrington. Houston managed only 222 total yards, largely due to the lack of consistent run game, and simply did not have the horses to come back from a 3-score deficit.
Williams, whose lone TD was on a pass play gladly handed over the Game MVP trophy to Justin Smith, the Oakland DE who racked up 2 of Oakland’s sacks, including the 3rd quarter safety that gave them their 18th and 19th points. Oakland, the 6 seed, now moves on, but will not face the #1 seed, Seattle, due to an odd quirk in the USFL rules about divisional matchups. Oakland will face Ohio, while the winner of Sunday’s LA-Chicago game would head to Seattle. Don’t ask us to explain it, makes no sense to us.
(IRL: Not sure why the computer program glitched on this, but for some reason it put #6 against #2 instead of #1, which is what we would have expected.)
LOS ANGELES 17 CHICAGO 31
The second Western Conference showdown would be the earlier game on Sunday, and it would be neck and neck through one half, with LA getting an early TD from Maurice Jones-Drew, but Chicago adding 2nd quarter touchdowns from both starter Michael Turner and backup Maurice Clarett. It would be 17-10 Chicago at the half, and both Brady Quinn and Seneca Wallace looked like players who could handle the pressure.
Quinn would get his first pro playoff TD in the 3rd quarter, connecting with Donald Driver to push the Chicago lead to 14 points at 24-10. He would add another with a second Driver connection early in the 4th to boost the lead to a deflating 31-10. LA was scrappy and Seneca Wallace got 7 back on a long 52-yard play to Tory Holt, the team’s designated speedster, but that is as close as it would get as Chicago simply clamped down on both ensuing LA possessions. The Machine take the 14-point win and move on to face their division rival, Ohio, in a rematch of many hard-fought games over the past 5 seasons.
NASHVILLE 12 ORLANDO 22
The fourth and final game of Wild Card weekend saw the Knights head into Orlando. Jay Cutler would return from injury to start for Nashville, while Drew Brees would lead the red hot Orlando Renegades, winners of 7 in a row, into their first home playoff game since their 2001 Summer Bowl run. For most of the game the two teams trades scores, but while Nashville was kicking field goals, Orlando was mixing in scores by Justin McCaerins and Michael Jenkins.
By the end of the third it was only 13-12, with Nashville scoring on 4 kicks while Orlando had 2 field goals and the McCaerins TD. Orlando was struggling with Frank Gore, who would finish the game with 129 yards rushing, but equally, Nashville was having trouble containing Sedrick Irvin, who would rush for 122. Orlando would get a huge break when Leon Johnson would take a Cutler swing pass at the 7, but before crossing the plane, he was hit by FS Kevin Williams and the ball squirted out, captured by cornerback Fernando Bryant. Instead of going up by 6, Nashville watched as Drew Brees took the newfound momentum and drove the Renegades 93 yards for a TD that pushed their lead to 8. They would add a safety 6 minutes later when a shotgun snap got away from Jay Cutler and the QB was forced to fall on the ball, touched down in the endzone by LB Al Wilson. Down by 10, Nashville simply had nothing left, and being forced to abandon the run played right into Orlando’s defensive scheme. Orlando would take the win and move on, winners now of 8 in a row.
Just How Good is Bulls’ Offense?
That is the question many are asking around the league after their 40-34 victory over Philadelphia. We are used to focusing on the offensive exploits of Ohio, Boston, maybe Seattle, but Jacksonville finished the year as the league’s top scoring offense as well as the #1 in yards and Top 10 in both passing and rushing. And that seems to be the key, balance. With Antowain Smith they have a 1,200 yard rusher so they can win in bad weather or in slow plodding games. But Jake Delhomme is also an efficient passer, the 5th rated passer in the league and capable of making defenses pay, as his 28 touchdowns (tied for 2nd with Brees, Favre and Leftwich) can attest.
And there is depth on this Bulls roster. Behind Smith you have Travis Minor, an excellent 3rd down back who can turn a short dump off pass into a 15-20 yard gain. The Bulls have found an excellent complement to Rashaun Woods with the emergence of Donald Hayes. The two formed the only duo to both surpass 1,000 yards this year, with Woods at 1,097 and Hayes only slightly behind at 1,059. Jason Whitten also contributed 784 yards and 61 receptions in a break out year, and while his Week 14 injury means he is not available for the postseason, it certainly did not seem to slow down the Bulls at all, as they plugged in veteran Jeb Putzier to act as a safety valve.
Is Jacksonville’s offense enough to take on and defeat the Boston Cannons, another offensive juggernaut? That is a question which will be answered next week, but with Tiki Barber unlikely to be able to play, it may be a much more one-sided Cannon offense trying to keep pace with Jacksonville’s balanced attack.
Year of the Halfback?
While no one has approached Herschel Walker’s USFL record of nearly 1,800 yards, this year’s crop of backs certainly made news across the league with their big numbers. In most seasons we have just a handful of 1,000 yard rushers, and certainly fewer than we see 1,000 yard receivers. And yet, in 2007 we have Williams sitting at 1,419 yards, and 11 players who surpassed 1,200 yards on the year. In total we saw 16 teams of the league’s 26 with 1,000 yard rushers, from veterans Terrell Davis and Eddie George to rookie Marshawn Lynch. Even Cedric Benson, who many are writing off as a draft bust, was able to tally 1,109 yards. Shaun Alexander, who always seems to fall short of the 1,000 yard mark, and who is now a free agent hoping to find a more amenable offense for his skills, also managed to top 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Just the simple fact that the league saw sixteen 1,000-yard rushers and only twelve 1,000-yard receivers is a shock to the system. When we consider that we had so many players over 1,200 yards in a 14-game season, then we really start to understand how much teams are looking to reestablish a solid run game as a feature of their offense. We are not sure what Mouse Davis thinks about this, but for fans of “good old fashioned football” this was a year to celebrate.
Top Free Agents from 16 Non-Playoff Teams
As we see each year, the end of the regular season means that any players in the final year of their contracts are now free agents, free to explore options when the Free Agency Period begins in 3 weeks and then to potentially negotiate with the NFL as well a week later, when the NFL-USFL Transfer Portal opens for one month. So, as we look at the 14 teams who did not qualify for this year’s postseason, we acknowledge that several key players may be on to greener pastures by October. Here is our list of the top free agents from each of the 14 non-playoff squads:
ARZ: DE Chike Okeafor is probably the biggest name on the Wranglers list, though C Alex Stepanovich and LB Anthony Jordan are also significant names. Backup QB Andrew Walter struggled both last year and this season when called on, so it is no surprise that Arizona did not resign him.
ATL: The 2006 expansion team has few contracts expiring this year, but one big one is SS Lance Schulters. The Fire had hoped to resign the centerfielder, but he is going to test the waters.
BAL: The Blitz have a pretty veteran team and that often means players coming up on their contract year. LB Mike Maslowski, WR Eddie Kennison, and TE Daniel Graham are among 11 free agents on the Blitz squad.
BIR: We already mentioned the big one, HB Shaun Alexander, who is hoping to parlay his first 1,000 yard season into a better deal with a team that simply utilizes him more fully. DT Ryan Sims and OT Nat Dorsey are two more veterans who will test the waters of free agency this year.
DEN: The Gold have several big name free agents this year, though most are in their 30’s and looking for just a couple more seasons. DE Marcellus Wiley is a bit of a surprise on the list, while TE Lonnie Johnson could be a big loss for the Gold. Expect OT Jason Odom and OG Floyd Womack to also get a lot of looks as teams hope to improve their O-lines.
LV: Halfback Chris Perry was highly touted coming out of Michigan, but he now finds himself without a contract and hoping to find a 3rd team. DT Nick Eason and kicker Mike Vanderjagt are two players Las Vegas hopes they can still sign, but both could also find lucrative deals elsewhere.
MGN: The Panthers continue to look for a solid run game and it looks like they are ready to let long-time Breaker Troy Davis go. Others who could find homes quickly include guard Chris Liwienski, FB Rick Razzano, and DT Grady Jackson. Finally, one time first rounder, WR Charles Rogers, has simply not produced in the pros and now is without a team.
NJ: The Generals are parting ways with longtie safety Brian Dawkins. Hoping to shed some cap space they have also let guard Chad Ward and CB Andre Woolfork hit free agency. They had hoped to resign HB James Jackson, but the elusive back has opted to try to find a home where he might be a featured back.
NOR: There is a lot of rebuilding to do in New Orleans, and a lot of cap space to clear, so the Breakers are allowing one-time team leader Az-Zahir Hakeem test the waters. Along with AZH we find LB Craig Powell, QB Todd Boumann, andDE Reggie Hayward.
PIT: Offensive line could be a concern for the Maulers if both tackle Korey Stringer and guard Chuck Johnson depart. Both are 35, so perhaps a youth movement is the idea for Coach Rivera. Also departing are DE Cedric Harden and FS Shaunard Harts.
STL: Our other 2006 expansion club also has only a short list of players with expired contracts, but among them is WR Drew Bennett, who has shown some flashes.
TBY: With more free agents than any other team (14), the Bandits could look a lot different next year. The big one, and we mean big, is Randy Moss, who has had his issues with the offense in Tampa since 2001. He is going to fetch a huge price if someone wants to pull him away from Tampa Bay, and you know many will try. Others on the Tampa Bay garage sale lot include HB Autrey Denson, WR Kevin Johnson, G Damion Cook, and QB Koy Detmer.
TEX: Among the Outlaws seeking a better situation we find center Shaun O’Hara, perhaps the best interior lineman available this year. We also see 35-year old CB Jimmy Hitchcock and 34-year old DE Bob Kuberski, both of whom may find it hard to get a team to bite. QB Jeff George is a bit of a surprise, but many saw the writing on the wall as he has had nothing but issues with coach Norv Turner.
WSH: Hard to believe, but Washington has allowed corner Charles Woodson join the free agency pool. Woodson is a top tier talent and could get signed even before the NFL gets a shot at him. Others who Washington has allowed to lapse into a contractless situation include WR Andre Davis, TE Bubba Franks, OT Stacy Andrews, punter Michael Barnes, and OT Melvin Tuten.
As we look ahead to the 4 divisional games, we have 4 more teams entering the playoff arena, and 4 teams hoping that injuries from the Wild Card round don’t put them at a disadvantage.
ORLANDO @ MEMPHIS
Both clubs are really quite healthy. The main issue for Memphis is wideout Lee Evans, who is listed as doubtful. For Orlando, they know Cortland Finnegan and Sedrick Clark are out, but expect the rest of the team to make the trip up to BBQ country.
JACKSONVILLE & BOSTON
The Bulls will be without center Mike Echols and that could be a meaningful loss, particularly for their run game. Boston, however, has perhaps the worst “missing” player of any team still alive. It was hoped that Tiki Barber would be back, ready to go this week after missing Week 14 and sitting out the bye week, but he is just not ready yet, and is listed as out. Also out for Boston is DT Casey Hampton, a departure that certainly weakens the Boston run defense.
OAKLAND @ OHIO
The Glory are in very good shape. The only name on their injury list was FS Mike Doss, and he was listed as probable, so the Invaders are going to face a fully-stocked Glory squad. For Oakland, the only new injury is guard Ruben Brown, listed questionable with an ankle injury. He gets added to WR Kevin Dyson (OUT), CB Brian Austin (OUT), and tackle Kwame Harris (Q).
CHICAGO @ SEATTLE
The Machine look ready. No new injuries this week and two players come off the injury report, leaving only LB Tommy Polley and guard Sean Locklear as non-participants. For Seattle, a bit messier, with Darren Sproles listed as questionable with a knee issue. SS John Keith and C Mike Flynn both appear on the injury list, but both are “Probable” this week. Finally, WR Darnerian McCants is out, which means even more pressure on David Boston to get open.
St. Louis To Interview Four Finalists
After firing Art Shell midseason, the St. Louis Skyhawks got a bit of a head start on the hunt for a new head coach. So it should be no surprise that while Birmingham is just getting started, the Skyhawks have already gotten their list down to four finalists, all of whom are scheduled to visit the facilities and meet with ownership over the next week. So, who are the four coaches hoping to revive football in the Gateway City? Well, three of the four will be familiar to USFL fans, and one would be coming over from the NFL.
Mike Martz served as the Head Coach in Michigan from 2001-2003 before being jettisoned for Dick LeBeau. Known as an offensive innovator who favors a wide open pass-happy style, Martz had some issues with Michigan’s more straight-laced ownership, and he just did not get the results fans wanted in his 3 years either. He did help usher Drew Brees into the league, but his flamboyant personality and wide open style also led to a lot of criticism. Is St. Louis a better fit for him and his spread offense?
Gunther Cunningham is also looking for his second USFL job, after having led the Bulls from 1999 through 2004. Cunningham had some success in Jacksonville, but could not get the Bulls over the hump and was replaced by Brad Childress after 5 seasons. More of a defensive-minded coach, Cunningham is not the guy you want if you are trying to develop a young QB. So, the question if you hire him is where do you find a veteran to lead the offense so GC can focus on the D?
The third candidate is not as well-known to USFL fans. He is former NFL tight end and current OC of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Mike Tice. Tice had served as head coach of the NFL Vikings from 2002-2005 after taking over as interim head coach midway through the 2001 season. He goth the Vikings to the playoffs in 2004 and had two 9-win seasons with them, but was let go after the 2005 season despite posting a 9-5 record. A “players coach”, Tice is more of a rah-rah guy than a play designer or scheme guy.
Finally, a blast from the past as former Jacksonville, Oklahoma, and Texas Outlaw QB Doug Williams has been invited to come to St. Louis to interview. Williams was, of course, an All-USFL quarterback in his time. He has since been coaching at the college level, most recently at his alma mater, Grambling, and working from time to time with his short-lived NFL team, the Washington Redskins. Hiring Williams likely means focusing a bit more on the QB position, which could mean looking for a rookie to come in and take over for Josh McCown. Certainly not the most experienced coach, Williams is, however, well-versed in USFL style and the subtle differences between the spring game and the NFL’s fall version of the sport.
Four intriguing options for the Skyhawks. Expect them to make an announcement sooner rather than later, since the Expansion Draft comes up quickly in October, and free agency even sooner. As for Birmingham, they may be willing to play this slow, working with their GM in charge and hoping to snag a new head coach when the NFL/USFL window opens in early 2008. Of course, we say that and next week they will sign someone. Who knows?
This should be a really good one. Two of the league’s most exciting quarterbacks go head to head, with Brees leading a red hot Orlando squad that has now won 8 in a row, while Memphis is led by former MVP and everyone’s favorite gunslinger, Brett Favre. You know the ball will be in the air a lot in this one, but the difference may be in which underrated back has the better day. Will it be Cadillac Williams for the Showboats or Sedrick Irvin for the Renegades. Getting a run game going means less pressure on the QB, which certainly could help either of these teams get the advantage.
OUR PICK: We are going to go with the hot hand. No one has been playing better all around team football the past several weeks than the Orlando Renegades. We are taking the upset in Memphis and picking the ‘Gades. Renegades 27 Showboats 24.
A bit of a contrast in styles here, though both teams would love to ride their lead back as much as possible. Michael Turner quietly had himself a 1,200 yard season, while Corey Dillon is just as dangerous as ever. Looking over the two teams, Chicago certainly has the defensive edge, and they can put pressure on the QB, which could make life tough for Byron Leftwich. But, then again, everyone has tried to put pressure on Leftwich and Seattle still won 13 of 14 games this year. The Dragons are rested, relatively healthy, and ready to go.
OUR PICK: You don’t get to 13-1 by accident. Seattle is a tough out from top to bottom, and we see their ceiling as being higher than that of the Machine, so we are going with the #1 seed to make it through to the Conference Title Game. Seattle 23 Chicago 20.
We would be all over Boston if Tiki Barber were going to play, but without him, they could be in a heap of trouble. Jacksonville has the #1 offense in the league and they can hurt you in about 7 different ways. They are not overreliant on any one player, so if you take away Woods, they turn to Antowain Smith. Contain Smith, and they look at Donald Hayes. Yes, Jason Whitten’s absence is a big one, but not as big as Barber’s absence from the Cannon roster.
OUR PICK: Without Barber to balance the offense, we just think Boston is susceptible here. We are picking another upset and saying Jacksonville 27 Boston 20.
We like what Dennis Green is doing in Oakland. The Invaders have changed their identity from a pass-happy squad to a smashmouth squad almost overnight. Ricky Williams is about as hot as any player in the league, with a huge 2nd half. But, we are not fools. Ohio, despite losing 3 games this year, is still the total package on offense. Collins may not be the MVP this year, a down year for him, but he can still light it up when needed. Same goes for Galloway and George. As long as that trio is intact, we think Ohio is just too much for a plucky Oakland squad.
OUR PICK: We are going with the favorite here, Ohio 31 Oakland 24