A huge weekend of football as four clubs fight for a ticket to Summer Bowl 2009. We had a classic #2 seed v. #1 seed matchup in the West, and a David v. Goliath matchup between the #7 seed Breakers and the #1 seed Boston Cannons in the East. The winners would head to Baltimore and the USFL's 27th league championship game. We will recap those games, update you on two coaching hires and the first trades of the offseason as we prepare for the "Biggest Game of the Summer" next week.
NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 24 BOSTON CANNONS 27 OVERTIME
Nothing like overtime playoff football, and that is just what we got on Sunday as the Breakers took the Cannons into extra time. Boston may have taken the 7th seed too lightly, as they needed a miraculous final drive just to avoid the loss. In a game with 5 lead changes and some big time plays, Boston found a way and punched their ticket to the Summer Bowl, but it was nip and tuck all the way.
The Cannons started well, getting the only score of the 1st quarter on a Rashard Mendenhall run. But the Cannons’ luck changed in the 2nd, when a spectacular tip & pick play from Randall Gay gave New Orleans the ball inside Boston territory and Eli Manning quickly took a shot, hitting Early Doucet for a 23-yard strike to even the score. As the quarter wound down, New Orleans took the league as they connected on a 40-yard field goal to go into the half with the lead and a somewhat discouraged Cannon club.
The third quarter swung back Boston’s way, as they had a 7-minute drive, ending in Mendenhall’s 2nd score of the day. Boston moved the ball well in the air, with both Johnson and Jurevicius finishing with over 100 yards receiving, but they just could not hold a lead. Up 14-10, they watched as the Breakers had their own long drive, a 77-yarder, and their own go-ahead score, a 3-yard Matt Forte run. The Forte score put them up 17-14 with 10 minutes left to play.
Boston equalized the score with a field goal at the 5:27 mark, but the fans’ spirits sunk when, after a 3-and-out, Boston punted to Jerome Pathon, and the Breaker return man found a crease, returning the kick 80 yards for the go-ahead score. Just 1:06 left to play and the #1 seeded Cannons were down 7. They would need to put the ball into the hands of Drew Bledsoe and hope for a score to head into overtime.
They got just that. Bledsoe was masterful, completing 4 of 5 passes, finding both Johnson and Jurevicius on deep balls even with the Breakers keeping 7 men in coverage. With only 7 seconds left to play, Bledsoe found Joe Jurevicius for the equalizer and Boston sent the game to overtime. In the extra period, Manning, who had completed 19 of 25 passing, missed on both of his throws and the Breakers were forced to punt the ball away. Boston would go back on offense, and they would only need 30 yards to get in range for Stephen Haushka. It took them only 4 plays, including a 20-yard strike to Percy Harvin and an 18-yarder to Jurevicius. Rather than take a shot on a 3rd and 7, they trotted out Haushka to win the game with a mid-range kick, and their All-USFL kicker put the ball right down the middle for the win. The Cannons were headed to the Summer Bowl, becoming the third of the four 1995 expansion teams to qualify for the league’s title game (Ohio in 2002 was the first, Seattle in 2006 was the second).
MICHIGAN PANTHERS 31 OAKLAND INVADERS 45
We did not get a second overtime game on Sunday, but we certainly got enough scoring to keep the fans entertained. The night game featured Brian Griese, the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, and an Oakland run game that produced 5 scores on the day. Defenses struggled all around, with Griese going for 371 despite being sacked 5 times, while DeSean Jackson lit it up for Oakland with 122 yards receiving. But it was the Invader run game that won the day. Three TDs from Ricky Williams and two more form Jerious Norwood put Michigan in a hole they could not dig out of.
The Panthers had a 14-7 lead in the 1st quarter, thanks to TD catches from Ward and Joppru, but from the moment Ricky Williams scored his 2nd of the day until the end of the game, they would never have the lead again. From 14-14 the game went to 14-21, 14-28, 14-35, and 14-42 as Oakland scored 28 unanswered points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Michigan got some scores in late, but by then it was too little too late. Griese finished the game with 371 yards passing, but Oakland had dominated when it counted, and where it counted, on the scoreboard, and that sent the Invaders to the Summer Bowl as the Western Conference Champion, their first trip to a USFL title game since their 1991 title. So we will have a club in their first title game ever facing off against one that has not seen a Summer Bowl since the George H. Bush administration, an 18-year absence.
Las Vegas is Split on Summer Bowl 2009
This may be a first for a major league championship, but there simply does not seem to be consensus in Las Vegas as to who the favorite is to win. With several casinos and sports books weighing in, what we are seeing is an astounding lack of consistency. Caesar’s has Boston as a 2-point favorite, but Bally’s has Oakland up by 1. Wynn and Westgate have the game even, which you almost never see, and Circa, the largest sports book in the city, has Boston up by only ½ point. This is just a clear sign that this game, between the two #1 seeds in the league, and two clubs who have not faced each other this year, is a hard game to judge, and that both fanbases are pretty much counting on their team to take the title, keeping the betting from swaying to once side.
Of course, with 4 days to go before the title game, there is still time for one incident, one developing story, or one offhand comment to push the line towards one or the other, but for now, what the oddsmakers are telling us is that this should be a very close title game, with two well-balanced teams, but maybe not the best opportunity to make it rich with a standard bet against the spread.
Bulls Turn the Page, Looking to Trade Delhomme
Jacksonville Bulls GM David Caldwell was not shy when asked what the Bulls are planning as they try to bounce back from a 2-12 season. He has made it apparent that the club is looking to make some significant changes, and that they are both open to, and inviting trade offers for 8-year starter Jake Delhomme. Delhomme, who has started 109 games for the Bulls, with several seasons over 100 in QB Rating and a Bulls’ career total of 159 TDs and 74 picks, has been one of the steadiest features of the franchise over the past decade, but has been unable to lead them to significant on-field success. As it appears, the Bulls are headed for a major overhaul of personnel, philosophy, and direction. While the search for a new head coach after the firing of Brad Childress has to be the top priority of the Bulls, it seems clear that they are looking at a full “cleaning house” movement within the organization, and that includes one of their best players.
There will be no shortage of suitors for a player of Delhomme’s caliber. We can think of at least 6 teams that should give Delhomme serious consideration, even if only as a short term “bridge” QB until a younger option can be developed. Delhomme is 33 years old, and has spent 13 years in the USFL already (He spent several years on the bench in Philadelphia before earning the starting job in Jacksonville.). Just from the retirement announcements we have already seen, we could see a good home for Delhomme in Memphis, Ohio, or Washington. Now, his style of play may not be perfect for all three coaches, but he is certainly a better option than the free agents currently available (a pretty poor group led by David Garrard and Kevin Kolb. We could also see interest from teams looking for an upgrade, which could include Arizona, Birmingham, or Charlotte, all of whom had QB concerns this year. Finally, we absolutely could see a club brining in Delhomme to help develop a younger QB, perhaps serving as a #2 with a lot of experience, though he would certainly be a pricy option for a backup.
So, why would Jacksonville jettison their starter? Three realities help us understand this decision. First, whether it is fair or not, fans link Delhomme with nearly a decade of futility, including several losing seasons, and, of course, this year’s 2-win debacle. Changing QB’s brings hope whereas sticking with your current roster likely does not impress fans or increase financial gain for the club. Second, Josh McCown has proven to be a reasonable option at QB, making Delhomme a bit expendable. The backup QB who comes in and plays well is always a popular guy with fans, and many would see a move to McCown as a possible upgrade, even if he has been unable to beat out Delhomme on the depth chart for several years. Third, and we think most important, there is an option coming out of the draft that the Bulls would be insane not to pursue. Heisman candidate and perhaps the most popular football player in the state, Gator QB Tim Tebow is expected to declare for the draft following the fall 2009 season for the Gators. Gainesville is within spitting distance to Jacksonville, and with the Bulls holding the territorial rights to Gator players, using a pick on Tebow and wooing the star QB hard would be a no-brainer for this franchise. Just having Tebow on the roster, even if he did not start in his first year, would be a huge ticket and merch benefit, and would build a lot of excitement among the fanbase. Tebow is incredibly popular in the region (and the state), and would provide instant star power. Yes, his game has been questioned as one that may not translate well to the pros, but the USFL, which has had no shortage of nontraditional QBs, may be a better home than the more conservative “pocket QB” model of the NFL.
So, with Tebow an option, McCown a bridge, and the club looking to reinvigorate fan energy, the trade of Delhomme seems a much more logical option, and one which could lead to a bidding war, though likely not quite to the same extent as Jake Plummer produced last year. Expect at least a few teams to come sniffing around now that the offer is out there. Something to monitor for certain once the offseason really kicks into gear in 10 days.
Skyhawks Acquire a Head Coach
With five vacancies across the league, you knew that there would be pressure to lock up a top candidate right away, and the St. Louis Skyhawks did just that, becoming the first of the five teams with a vacancy to sign a new club leader. Only 2 weeks after letting former USFL QB Doug Williams go, the SkyHawks have found their man, landing former Dragons and Stars OC Bruce Arians to be the new head man in the Gateway City. With a rookie QB in Josh Freeman showing some flashes even in a 1-13 season, Arians will be in charge of building up an offense that ranked in the Bottom 5 in scoring, yardage, and rushing in 2009. Of course, he will also need to figure out what to do about the club’s 27th ranked defense. A big task to be sure as St. Louis has not shown any of the signs of early development that we have seen from the other 2006 and 2008 expansion clubs, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Portland.
Arians has a varied coaching background, working with receivers and offensive gameplanning in college before making the leap to the pros with short stints as a position coach for both the Chiefs and Saints of the NFL. He started working with QBs in a short stint at Alabama before being brought to Seattle to help develop Byron Leftwich. It was that QB’s success that put Arians on the fast track to an OC position, first in Seattle, and then in Philadelphia. He leaves the Stars after helping them reach the playoffs in 3 of the past 4 seasons. He will have the top pick in this year’s draft at his disposal, along with 9 picks in the 7-round open draft. He will also have talent from Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas State available in the T-Draft. With nowhere to go but up, Arians inherits a club that has won only 10 games in its 4-year history.
Las Vegas Goes for Offensive Innovation
Just 2 days after St. Louis nabbed their head coach for 2010, Las Vegas announced that they too had found their man. With many criticizing the cursory focus former coach Jerry Glanville gave to the offense of the Thunder, even after landing Jake Plummer last year, it seems that ownership may be looking for a major correction. The Thunder have announced that former Hawaii and current SMU head coach June Jones will be their next team leader. Jones, who is a disciple of Mouse Davis and the run & shoot, earns his first USFL head coaching gig after several years bouncing between the USFL, NFL, and college ranks. Jones, who got his first coaching job as Mouse Davis’s WR coach, and followed him to Denver as OC, returns to the USFL as a head coach for the first time after a very successful run at Hawaii.
Jones is expected to design a spread-style offense for QB Jake Plummer, a style that will require that Las Vegas expand and upgrade their receiving corps. After several years of a run-first style that simply pounded Marshawn Lynch into the line, this will be a major shift of direction. Lynch could benefit, of course, as big backs tend to be the perfect offset for a spread offense, where defenses cannot crowd the line, but the big hope, of course, is that the offense can do for Plummer what Jones witnessed with Jim Kelly in Houston and with his Hawaii QB’s, who set conference and NCAA records with his wide open offense.
Arizona’s Tomsula Hires Norv Turner as OC
One more coaching note, this time involving former Texas head coach Norv Turner. It did not take long for Turner to find a new home as longtime friend and current Arizona head coach Jim Tomsula snatched Turner off the market in a matter of days, signing Turner to be the new OC for the Wranglers. It is certainly a position of need as Tomsula’s background is solidly defensive-minded, and since the 2009 Wranglers, with NFL import David Carr at the helm for most of the season, struggled to post the 21st scoring offense in the league, with only 16.2 points per game. The 5-9 Wranglers showed significant improvement on defense from 2008, but the offense still struggled, averaging fewer than 190 yards per game in the air. Turner, known throughout football as an innovative offensive coach, will be charged with bringing some life to the Wrangler attack.
Trading Block Opens with Three Moves Before Summer Bowl Even Played
Free Agency will not open up for 10 more days, but that has not stopped teams from making moves to improve their 2010 fortunes. One, in fact, made an immediate move almost as a welcoming present for their new head coach as Las Vegas, one day before landing June Jones as their new coach, found themselves a quality wide out to add to their receiving corps. Las Vegas made a deal with the Nashville Knights to bring Derrick Mason to the desert. Mason, a 13-year vet of the Knights, Gamblers, and Maulers, has more than 800 career catches for over 8,000 yards. His 2009 was not one of his stronger years, with Robert Meachem moving ahead of him as Jay Cutler’s favorite target, but Mason is a solid receiver and a strong route runner. He will join veteran Matthew Hatchette and young receivers Kalil Hill, Willie Ponder, and Sam Hurd in the Thunder receiving group. To land Mason, Las Vegas sent center Jake Grove to the Knights. A powerful run blocker, grove started 10 games for the Thunder this year. He will almost certainly take on the role of the starting center for the Knights as well. Las Vegas cycled Roberto Garza in at center quite a bit this year, so expect them to promote Garza to the starting job with Grove gone to Nashville.
The second trade of the week saw the LA Express and Charlotte Monarchs make a player for player deal to improve two weak areas in their games. The Express acquire a slot receiver in former Monarch Lance Moore, while Charlotte continues to focus on their defense, bringing in a quality linebacker in Adalius Thomas. Moore’s role in LA will be to take of a slot position that has not been well-staffed by Brandon Lloyd and Bernard Berrian. The two combined for 61 receptions this year, but produced only 3 TDs total. The hope is that Lance Moore’s game fits better in the slot, particularly with Lloyd’s height making him a stronger candidate as an outside receiver. For Charlotte, Thomas will line up alongside Jerod Mayo andRey Maulaga as the 3rd man in the 4-3 alignment for Coach Mora. Thomas did not get a single start for the Express this year, after starting 14 games in both 2006 and 2007. The arrival of USC standouts Keith Rivers and Clay Matthews essentially pushed Thomas into a swing role, but he is certainly a talented backer and will be a welcome addition in Charlotte.
Finally, our third very early offseason deal saw another swap of talent for talent as the Generals and Outlaws tried to reinforce one offensive position by reducing depth at another. For New Jersey, a four-man HB rotation just did not work this year, so veteran HB James Jackson became the odd man out. New Jersey Is trying to develop Ray Rice, the Rutgers product, into their starter, and with both R. J. Redmond and Kerry Joseph as backups, Jackson was expendable. But Jackson, a solid between-the-tackles runner, seemed like an ideal backup for T. J. Duckett in Texas’s eyes, so they made a deal, sending WR Michael Crabtree to New Jersey to add Jackson. Crabtree had a very productive rookie season and certainly there will be some Outlaw fans who will not be happy that he was sent off so quickly. Crabtree rotated with Brandon Marshall as the split end to Marques Colston’s flanker position and Danny Amendola in the slot. He had 50 catches and 2 TDs for a somewhat uneven Texas offense this year, and now will join a New Jersey team that was a bit too dependent on Michael Clayton and his league leading 147 targets and 98 catches. With T.J. Houshmandzadeh also in General red, the WR room is looking like an interesting mix of possession and deep ball options, with Crabtree joining Santonio Holmes in that role.
Just the beginning, folks, as we expect the trade action to only increase from here. With the new NFL-USFL transfer windows pushed later into the offseason (the 2nd window occurring after the USFL season begins in March), trade may well become a more valued option for teams looking to fill holes in the offeseason, so the deals we have seen so far are likely just the start of a busy trading block this fall.
If there is one development that should move the needle on the Las Vegas books, it may well be the situation of Oakland LB Roosevelt Colvin. The Invader LB is listed as questionable for the Summer Bowl in Baltimore, and his status could be a difference maker for the Invaders. If he can go, then Oakland has a known play-maker on the field, a player who has been excelptional at making big plays at the best times. If not, then Oakland will put Derrick Rodgers on the field in his place. Rodgers, who had only 2 tackles this year (and 9 in 2008) is simply not often seen on the field, and his presence in place of Colvin would be an impactful alteration to the Invader defense.
BOS: WR Paul Hubbard (OUT)
OAK: WR Plaxico Burress (IR), CB Deon Grant (OUT), LB Roosevelt Colvin (QUE), TE Joel Dreesen (PROB)
All USFL & Awards
As we prepare for Summer Bowl 2009, the USFL had its annual Media Day and Honors Ceremony, presenting the award winners from the season along with the All-USFL team for 2009. No big surprises, though certainly a few names that we are used to seeing on the All-USFL list did not appear this time around. Let’s walk through it and then get to the night’s big awards.
QUARTERBACK: Brian Griese (MGN), Drew Bledsoe (BOS), Byron Leftwich (SEA)
Griese and Bledsoe are great stories, but how about Leftwich? Not every day you see an All-USFL QB on a non-playoff team, but statistically Leftwich was on point this year.
RUNNING BACKS: Deuce McCallister (WSH), Frank Gore (NSH), Ron Dayne (BAL) and FB Heath Evans (DEN)
No surprises here. Three true workhorses that carry their teams at times and come up big when needed.
RECEIVERS: Chad Johnson (BOS), Steve Smith (PHI), Hines Ward (MGN), David Boston (SEA0, Randy Moss (OHI) and Tight Ends Bennie Joppru (MGN) and Greg Olson (ORL). A really nice group of top flight receivers. A bit surprising that Mark Clayton did not make it as the league’s reception leader, but it was easy to go unnoticed on the Generals this year.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Tackles Matt Light (OAK), Stockar McDougle (BOS), and Kenyatta Jones (SEA), Guards Rex Hadnot (ATL), Mike McGlynn (MGN0, and Ben Hamilton (DEN), and Centers Dominic Raiola (BOS) and Jeff Saturday (OAK). With two linemen apiece on the All-USFL list, it is no surprise that Oakland and Boston are facing off in the Summer Bowl. Games are won up front, and the Boston and Oakland lines were among the league’s best.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Edge rushers Calais Campbell (ORL), Julius Peppers (CHA), and Anthony Weaver (CHI), and defensive tackles Brian Noble (SEA), Richard Seymour (HOU), and Albert Haynesworth (ORL). Haynesworth makes it in his first year after leaving the NFL, and Seymour picked a great time to get the accolades, as he is a free agent, and will make out quite well this offseason to be sure.
LINEBACKERS: Brian Urlacher (CHI), A. J. Hawk (LV), Mike Vrabel (JAX), James Farrior (BAL), James Harrison (NJ), and Corey Miller (ATL). Miller is the big surprise here but he had a break out season for the Fire as they used defense to win 5 in a row down the stretch.
SECONDARY: Cornerbacks Quentin Jammer (PHI), Ronde Barber (HOU), Phillip Buchanon (TBY) and Dre Bly (PIT) join safeties Gibril Wilson (WSH), Chris Crocker (CHA), Corey Hall (CHI), and Dexter Jackson (DEN). The only real surprise here is that Charles Woodson did not make it despite a very strong year for the Fire.
SPECIALISTS: Punter Mitch Berger (ORL) and kicker Stephen Haushka (BOS) round out the roster.
The Awards also had few big surprises, with Calais Campbell getting a very well-deserved double double after setting a stunningly high sack record with 34 in 14 games. He walked away with both the MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year. His MVP win marks the first time a defensive player has won the award since 1990, when Reggie White took home the honor. It is also the first time since 1993 that the award did not go to a quarterback. The last to do that was Thurman Thomas of the Gamblers. But, with the kind of year Campbell put together, both awards seemed absolutely appropriate.
The Offensive Player of the Year, normally reserved for the best non-QB on offense, was now the QB award, and, to no one’s surprise, it went to Michigan’s Brian Griese. Griese, an in-state hero with the Wolverines now gets an honor that seemed unlikely only a few years ago, when he was let go by Seattle after serving as a backup for several years. He became a backup in Michigan to Drew Brees, but when Brees left for Orlando, Griese stormed his way into the starting role and has not looked back. He won a title as the Panther QB last year, but had a better statistical year this season and now walks away with an Offensive POTY award.
Rookie of the Year stayed on offense, despite a solid challenge from Ohio’s James Lauranaitis, it was Orlando HB Knowshon Moreno who takes the title. Moreno, who started slowly, but in Week 7 had his first of four 100-yard games. He finished the year with 903 yards rushing and seven total touchdowns. His second half surge was a big factor in Orlando’s hunt for the Southeastern Division title.
Finally, the Coach of the Year, an award that seemed to have a new favorite every week. With many teams that started hot fading down the stretch (including playoff race collapses from Charlotte and Pittsburgh) and other late surges not quite reaching the postseason (Seattle and Atlanta come to mind), this one was a tough category this year, but in the end the voters gave their recognition to Boston head coach John Fox. Boston surged late and in the final week of the season pulled from 3rd place in the NE Division all the way to the top, landing not only the division title, but the top seed in the playoffs as well. With the Cannons poised to take the field in Summer Bowl 2009 in just a couple of days, Fox is not done yet, hoping for just one more win this year.
League reveals 2010 Summer Bowl Logo
From the shores of the Chesapeake in 2009 to the bluffs along the Columbia River in 2010. The USFL this week revealed the new logo for Summer Bowl 2010 to be held in Columbia Sportswear Stadium in Portland. The logo immediately evokes the Pacific Northwest, both in its iconic depiction of water, fir trees, and mountains, but in the color scheme of Columbia Blue, Evergreen, Royal Purple, and, as usual, a gold and orange sun over the top. The colors and influence of the Portland Stags are a bit more subtle this year than in some recent Summer Bowls, but you will see the familiar orange, and buff in the wordmark, which is also depicted in the Stags’ script font. The team’s primary color of dark brown is not found in the logo, perhaps a bit too dark for the summery style of most Summer Bowl logos.
Portland hosts its first Summer Bowl with next year’s offering. It also has another first, as next year’s SB’10 logo is the first to prominently feature not only the stadium name, but due to the naming rights agreement, the corporate sponsor, Columbia Sportswear, as well. Still better than most college bowl games where the corporate sponsorship all but wipes out the historic name of the bowl game, but still a move that has some uneasy about the creeping in of corporate representation in the world of sports.
After the Pacific Northwest, the championship will move back to the hot and humid south for Summer Bowl 2011 in Memphis.
Summer Bowl 2009 Preview
Here we go, the top seed from the East vs. the top seed from the West. The Best vs. the Best. It does not happen often that both #1s reach the Summer Bowl, but both Oakland and Boston have been impressive down the stretch and both ran the gauntlet to get here. So, who has the edge and could be taking home the John Bassett Trophy? Las Vegas does not seem to know. So what do we see in the numbers? Here is our quick breakdown of both teams and we will see what we see.
CATEGORY | BOSTON | OAKLAND |
SCORING OFFENSE | 26.7 PPG | 25.3 PPG |
TOTAL YARDAGE | 392 YPG | 363 YPG |
PASSING | 314 YPG | 279 YPG |
RUSHING | 79 YPG | 85 YPG |
SCORING DEFENSE | 21.2 PPGA | 15.9 PPGA |
YARDS AGAINST | 355 YPGA | 295 YPGA |
PASSING DEFENSE | 283 YPGA | 219 YPGA |
RUSHING DEFENSE | 71.6 YPGA | 75.4 YPGA |
SACKS | 52 | 41 |
TAKEAWAYS | 21 | 21 |
TURNOVER MARGIN | +9 | +8 |
PENALTIES | 48 | 52 |
So, what stands out? Well, Oakland’s defense is considerably better than Boston’s, allowing only 16 points per game to Boston’s 21. Neither team has a particularly strong run game, and both defenses struggle against the pass. Now, part of this comes from a team having a lead, pushing their opponents to play catch up and pass the ball, but a good piece of the puzzle is just that teams feel they can pass against both of these clubs. That seems an advantage for Boston, whose passing game is one of the league’s best. If there is a weakness for Oakland, they will find it. The other thing we should recognize is that Boston is one of the league’s elite pass rushing team, though they often accomplish this through complex blitz schemes. That means Joey Harrington will be under pressure, but that there will be a lot of corners on an island with Oakland receivers. The Invaders rely more on their defensive front for pressure and prefer to keep more men back in coverage.
When Oakland has the ball, expect them to try to establish the run with Williams and Norwood, if only because Harrington does better in situations where the defense has to respect the run. He will still put it up, though nothing like the way we expect Bledsoe to chuck it around the house. When we look at turnovers and penalties, these two are so similar that it hardly seems a benefit to either team. That said, if one team does show more nerves or have more mistakes, that could very well be the difference in the game. And if you are wondering if the classic “West Coast teams traveling east struggle” cliché is a possible factor here, we just don’t think so, because instead of flying out on Friday as they would during the regular season, Oakland flew East on Monday and set up camp at the Federals’ facility in DC (Boston remained in Boston until Friday). Besides, the game is at 6pm ET, which is even later than most West Coast games start, so it is not like they are playing at 9am in their heads.
So, what factors do we see as contributing to a Boston win or an Oakland win? Here are our three keys to the game for each club.
BOSTON
Spread the ball around. Expect Chad Johnson to draw a lot of attention, so be ready to throw to Jurevicius, Harvin, Whalen, and Robert Royal. Force Oakland to spread their focus and you just might find Johnson open from time to time.
Keep Drew Bledsoe upright. Drew is a great QB, but he is not agile or fleet of foot, so building a solid pocket around him is key. Oakland does not blitz much, so it is 4 against 5 in most cases. If Boston can give Bledsoe time, he will find receivers.
Don’t sleep on DeSean Jackson. While Boston certainly has to be concerned about Jennings and Hank Basket outside, the player who poses the greatest big play threat is Jackson in the slot. He can turn an 8-yard slant into an 80-yard score. Boston needs to keep the safeties and nickel back alert to the quick strike inside or they could get burnt.
OAKLAND
Get Ricky Williams some touches. If Williams can have early success, it forces Boston to slow down on blitzes and draws in the safeties. That is a huge help for Harrington, who could find his receivers in man coverage. It also helps keep Boston’s offense off the field, another big plus.
Move Harrington around. He is a pretty decent passer on the move, so don’t be afraid to move the pocket, roll him out, and let him focus on half the field. Boston likes to blitz, so shifting their target disrupts that blitz plan and gives Harrington simpler reads.
Find a way to Bledsoe. That may mean a bit more blitzing than they usually like, but the best way Oakland can disrupt the Boston attack is to force Bledsoe to either get rid of the ball quickly or to move out of the pocket. He is a statue in the pocket, but on the move, he is far less effective.
OUR PICK: This is a very tough one, and we could envision either team getting the W if they are able to achieve their keys. So honestly, this one came down to who we think might be more motivated, as if both won’t be highly motivated. There is just something about Bledsoe coming back for one more season after last year’s injury, and the Cannons rallying behind their QB in the club’s first Summer Bowl appearance. We think that spirit, that drive, will be worth a point or two. We are picking Boston to win 24-21.