Three overtime games and a ton of upsets showcase just how close the margin of victory is in the USFL. The season is getting off to a wild start with week 1 winners getting shocked in week 2 and with games going to the limit and beyond. We have a surprise club at 2-0 in the Texas Outlaws and an equally surprising 0-2 team in the defending champion Boston. We have offensive outbursts in Atlanta from two unlikely clubs and a defensive showing from the Knights as they try to avenge last year’s playoff loss to division rival New Orleans. A lot to digest as we work our way through the 2nd week of the USFL season.
OAKLAND 33 LOS ANGELES 30 OVERTIME
The last few years the California Derby between the Express and Invaders have not exactly been a highlight of the season, but this game in sunny LA this Sunday was an exception to that trend and one of the best games between these two that we have seen in years. Oakland looked dominant in the first half, building up a 27-6 halftime lead, but Coach Williams must have found the right formula at the half because the Express came roaring back in the second half, sending this one into overtime before a winner was finally decided.
The first half of this game looked very much like the recent history of the matchup, a series where Oakland has won the past 4 meetings quite handily. Joey Harrington had the Oakland offense humming, scoring on the opening drive with a 9-yard TD toss to his top receiver, Greg Jennings. Oakland would score on their first three drives, adding a field goal and a Jerious Norwood TD catch as well, with only an LA field goal in the early going.
Down 17-3, the Express would get another field goal in the 2nd, but LA would counter with a quick-strike, 4-play drive that saw Harrington hit Pierre Garçon from 39-yards out for his 3rd TD on the day. Another Mike Hollis field goal just before the half and it looked very much like a cake walk for the Invaders. Oakland had put up nearly 300 yards of offense in just the first half, while Mark Sanchez had struggled, going 6 of 13 on the half and failing to convert on a single third down play, throwing two picks in the mix as well.
But momentum is a funny thing, and just one play can make all the difference. And that play came with the second half kickoff. Bernard Berrian fielded the kick for LA on his own 1-yard line, found a seam, escaped a tackle attempt at the 33 and was off to the races. Mike Hollis was no match for the speedy Berrian and LA got the shot in the arm they needed with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. The play lifted the spirits in the stadium and on the LA bench. They would hold Oakland to a field goal on their next drive, with a big Keneche Udeze sack of Harrington both ending Oakland’s drive and riling up the LA crowd once again. The Express, with newfound energy gotbac o the board again, this time with Sanchez connecting with Keyshawn Johnson on a slant & go route that fooled the corner. The 33-yard TD toss pulled LA within 10 at 30-20 and everyone I the stadium could feel the momentum had shifted.
LA started looking like the dominant team in the rivalry, picking off Harrington on the next series and kicking a field goal to pull within 7 just seconds into the final quarter of play. Oakland tried to slow play the quarter, relying on Ricky Williams and his 26 carries (for 101 yards) to keep possession and hold onto the lead. But, with 3:03 left to play, LA once again got the ball and, feeling that time was slipping away, went into 2-minute mode a minute early. The shift worked, as the no-huddle approach took advantage of a tired Oakland defense. It took the Express only 3 plays to work their way to midfield, and on a 2nd and 2 from their own 47 Sanchez again found success with a deep ball. He used play action to Maurice Jones Drew to freeze the safeties, then found Randy Moss in single coverage on the outside. Moss outlept the corner for the ball, kept his feet in bounds, spun back towards the center of the field and raced to the endzone. A 53-yard touchdown brought LA all the way back, tying the game at 30.
Oakland opted to kill the clock and go to overtime rather than risk a turnover with a desperate race to field goal range. In overtime both teams looked spent. LA had won the toss and received the ball but could do nothing on their first drive, missing on a 3rd and 7 throw. When Oakland got the ball it was much the same, with Jerious Norwood failing to reach the first down on a 3rd and 3 run. LA got the ball back with 7:07 left to play in the extra period, but on a 2nd and 7 attempt with Sanchez looking to connect with Keyshawn, the ball was tipped at the line and Oakland corner Eric Wright came up with the disrupted ball for the 3rd pick of Sanchez on the afternoon. The Invaders moved the ball into field goal range on 3 plays and trotted out Mike Hollis on a 3rd and 7 from the LA 20 to try to end the game. Hollis was iced by LA, but it did not phase him as the kick was right down the middle, giving Oakland its 5th win in a row in the series between the two California franchises, but by no means an easy win.
ORLANDO 20 TAMPA BAY 23 OVERTIME
Another overtime thriller as the Bandits rebound from an opening week loss to win their second overtime game in two weeks. The Renegades and Bandit fought their way to a 20-20 tie at the end of regulation and a Nate Kaeding field goal in overtime gave Tampa Bay the win. It could not have happened without a monster game from Willis McGahee. The Bandit vet rushed 21 times for 182 yards, a whopping 8.7 yards per carry. Jared Cook got his second TD of the season, and the Bandits held off the ‘Gades to even their record.
HOUSTON 21 BALTIMORE 27
No overtime in B’more, but a good, hard fought game between two solid clubs. Ron Dayne busted out for 123 yards and a TD, while Shaun Alexander had 106 and 2 scores as both teams used the run game to shorten the game and stay close to each other. In the end it was a Roethlisberger to Thorpe TD that was the game winner, his only TD toss of the day.
MICHIGAN 37 JACKSONVILLE 13
A Week one win in Boston had the Bulls faithful hoping for good things this week, but their home opener did not go as it was intended. Brian Griese shredded the Jacksonville defense for 358 yards and 3 TDs as Hines Ward went over 100 and Laverneus Coles nabbed 2 scoring tosses. Tim Tebow was cheered when he came on the field, and there were certainly a lot of #15 jerseys, but Tebow saw only a small package of designed QB run plays as Josh McCown remained the starter.
BOSTON 10 MEMPHIS 14
Boston struggles once again on offense with Adrian McPherson throwing for 219 and Rashard Mendenhall struggling to only 29 yards on 18 carries as Memphis’s rebuilt defense flexes its muscles. Jake Delhomme connected with Lee Evans on a TD and Cadillac Williams added another as Memphis got the game winner in the 4th to send the defending champs to an 0-2 start.
PITTSBURGH 9 CHICAGO 21
The Chicago defense picked off Cody Pickett 3 times and rookie QB Mike Kafka had a strong start in relief of Brady Quinn. The Northwestern product did his Wildcats proud, going 20 of 24 for 155 yards and 2 scores as Chicago shut down the Maulers and sent HB DeShaun Foster to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury. Pickett was sacked 5 times and picks by Urlacher, Marlin Jackson, and Beau Bell secured the win for the Machine.
NEW JERSEY 14 DENVER 17
New Jersey continued to play tough, but this time could not get the W as a late Leinart to Colbert TD gave Denver the comeback win. Leinart was 19 of 26 with 2 TDs and the combination of Javon Ringer and Maurice Hicks gained 174 yards rushing for Denver as they got their first win of the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled a bit in this game, throwing for 153 yards on a 16 of 27 day, but Sam Bradford stayed on the sideline once again.
PHILADELPHIA 20 WASHINGTON 26 OVERTIME
The third overtime game of the weekend saw Washington hold off the Philadelphia Stars thanks to a Rod Smart TD run in extra time. Joe Webb got the start and the win as David Garrard recovers from a Week 1 injury. The rookie went 25 of 38 for 257 yards as the Stars defense focused on shutting down Deuce McCallister. Kurt Warner threw for 2 scores but was also picked off twice by the Federals. Warner hit fullback Francis Sosa with the game tying score with 58 seconds left, but in overtime Washington never let Philly see the ball, scoring on their opening drive to end the game and claim the win.
CHARLOTTE 7 BIRMINGHAM 20
The Stallions showed some defensive fortitude as they shut down the Monarchs at Legion Field. Chris Weinke was picked twice and sacked 4 times as the Stallions pulled away for a 13-point win. Birmingham used 4 different rushers to rack up 123 yards on the ground, and Kyle Boller connected with Donte Do for a score as Birmingham moved their record to 1-1 and sent Charlotte to an 0-2 start.
ST. LOUIS 28 ATLANTA 35
A surprising shootout between two teams that no one associates with high scoring as Atlanta outlasted St. Louis to claim their first win of the season. Josh Freeman impressed with a 15/22, 292 yard, 4 TD day, but Kyle Orton matched him with 5 scoring tosses. With Darren McFadden adding 146 yards and a score on the ground and you have a Fire win at home. Josh Reed also had himself a game with 3 TDs from Orton.
ARIZONA 10 OHIO 19
Ohio and Chris Redman get their first win thanks to touchdown tosses to Stephen Alexander and Joey Galloway. Eddie George added 111 yards on the ground as Ohio relied on their veterans to get the job done. Larry Fitzgerald had 102 in the air and Tomlinson added 78 yards rushing, but it was not enough for the Wranglers, who fall to 1-1.
LAS VEGAS 17 PORTLAND 13
Portland struggled with Las Vegas’s pressure defense, as Jonathan Stewart was held to only 41 yards ruhshing. Meanwhile Jake Plummer connected with Kevin Everett and Marshawn Lynch added a score as the Thunder win on the road. The Run & Shoot was largely misfiring on the day, but the defense helped pull out the win for June Jones’s team.
SEATTLE 14 TEXAS 30
An impressive home win for the Texas Outlaws, who started the day a 7 point underdog at home to Seattle. Joe Flacco threw for 286 and 2 scores while the defense penned in the Dragons, limiting Byron Leftwich to only 21 of 44 on the day. Marques Colston caught both of Flacco’s scoring throws and T. J. Duckett added a touchdown to his 79-yard day as Texas is a surprising 2-0 to start the year.
NASHVILLE 27 NEW ORLEANS 6
The Nashville Knights got just a bit of revenge for being bumped from the playoffs last year by their division rivals. The Knights defense limited Matt Forte to 40 yards rushing while Frank Gore ran wild for 156. Rookie Montario Hardesty also broke out against the Breakers’ run D, rushing for 72 yards and his first pro score on only 7 carries. The win moves Nashville to 2-0 in the South, a game up on the rest of the division.
Coaches Stick With Vets Despite Pressure To Play Rookies
Two weeks in and other than a couple of designed QB runs we have not seen either Tim Tebow or Sam Bradford on the field. All part of the plan according to Coach Frazier in Jacksonville and Coach Edwards in New Jersey. Both former DB’s these two USFL coaches know the dangers of starting a rookie QB too soon, after all, they both got a fair share of their career interceptions from rookie QBs. It was always understood that the season would begin with both young signal callers learning the system, watching the veterans on the team, and getting used to the speed of the game. We saw both in the preseason, with Bradford going 17 for 33 for 180 yards in the tune up game against Birmingham, while Tebow was 18 of 24 for 228 yards in duty against a team of Nashville backups. But this is the regular season and it seems that both Herm Edwards and Leslie Frazier are happy to let their star QB’s wait and watch.
It helps that both teams got W’s in week one, but rougher outings in Week 2 may start the fan pressure to put the new stars on the field. Josh McCown has looked serviceable in the first two weeks, racking up 360 total yards with 2 TDs and 2 picks, while Ryan Fitzpatrick has done even better, completing 72% of his throws for 4 TDs, 2 picks and 427 yards. If he can keep up that pace, it may take quite a while before General fans see Bradford on the field, and they won’t complain if Fitz-Magic’s starts lead to more New Jesey wins.
Unlike Bradford, who is only likely to see action if Fitzpatrick either starts to stumble or suffers an injury, Jacksonville is already trying to find ways to put Tebow on the field. So far it has been a couple of short yardage runs, but we could also see him get a package or two mixed in with Josh McCown. When we see either get a start, that is the bigger mystery right now. Fans may push to see the two get some action, but right now both Coach Frazier and Coach Edwards are happy to have them as observers only.
Leftwich & Culpepper Surprisingly Slow Starts
While we are talking about QBs and their 2-game starts to the year, we should probably acknowledge that as wild as it may be to see Josh Freeman as the top-rated QB in the league this week with a 112.8 rating, it is even stranger to look at the bottom of the QB ratings and see Byron Leftwich and Daunte Culpepper occupying the two bottom slots. Leftwich has struggled, despite Seattle winning their opener. He has thrown 3 picks to only 1TD and has only 225 yards combined. He has also been knocked around quite a lot, leaving the Week 2 game very early and watching as Tee Martin also struggled.
For Culpepper, the issue has not been injury but inaccuracy. Only 2 weeks into the season and the Tampa Bay signal caller already has 6 picks to his name. He started the year with only 1 in the loss to New Jersey, but suffered 5 picks in the game this week against Orlando, yet somehow survived and won the game. He has completed barely 55% of his throws this year, and seems to be pressing the ball deep when his receivers are just not open.
Neither QB is in any danger of losing their starting jobs, but the slow starts have to be a concern for their coaches, who depend on the veteran QBs to put their offenses into motion and get results. So far, the results have been mixed at best.
NFL Imports Making Themselves Known
We did not see the number of NFL imports this year that we have seen in the past, but what the USFL has not been able to garner in quantity, it seems to be making up in quality. Looking across the league, we are already seeing the impact of the NFL imports, and with at least 3 more big-name signings this week, that is likely to become even more of a story when all the late additions make it onto the field. Here is our rundown of the early results from these league-switching new arrivals.
HB LaDainian Tomlinson (ARZ): Without a doubt the biggest name to move from fall to spring, LT has started off strong for the Wranglers. Sure, he has sold a ton of jerseys, but he is also providing exactly what Arizona wanted from him, a reliable run game. He opened they season with 79 yards on 18 carries and this week added another 78, and while Wrangler fans are hoping to see him hit triple digits soon, Coach Tomsula and new OC Norv Turner have nothing but praise for the former Charger after 2 weeks.
SS Darren Sharper (CHI): No picks yet for Chicago’s new centerfielder, but that does not mean he is not making an impact, just ask Pittsburgh HB Kenny Watson. After the loss of DeShaun Foster to injury, Watson took over at HB and on his first carry Sharper laid him out in a hit that will be making highlight reels for weeks. Fortunately for Chicago, Watson was ok and kept playing, but it is safe to say he is not looking forward to more encounters with Chicago’s new safety.
Denver’s new safety, Roy Williams, may not have had the tooth-rattling hit that Sharper put on, but he is making himself known in the Mile High City as well. Williams recorded his first sack in this week’s game, where he also had 6 tackles, frequently near the line of scrimmage as the Gold seem to want to creep him up to the line quite a bit. Expect teams to test Williams as a pass defender, which both he and Coach Jauron seem willing to take on.
In Michigan, fans are learning how to pronounce Adewale Ogunleye, and after a Week 1 performance that included a sack and a forced fumble, so too are Offensive Coordinators across the league. Michigan has Ogunleye on the right side, not the left, where he played in the NFL, but he is happy to be on the field and not eager to swap places with the other Panther DE, Jevon Kearse. Expect to see these two swapping things up from time to time, just to throw off the line assignments.
Memphis’s Keith Bullock has made himself right at home in the Showboat LB group. After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Bullock made it into the game against Boston and had two tackles in limited action. Expect his snap count to continue to increase as he becomes more familiar with Coach Haslett’s system.
Finally, Seattle snuck a late signing in with former Dolphin and Charger wideout Chris Chambers joining the team just as camp wrapped up. Coach Lewis put him right to work, with somewhat limited snaps in Week 1. He had 2 receptions on 3 targets in his first USFL action, then last week saw his numbers double. Targeted 6 times, he brought in 4 passes for 35 yards in Seattle’s blowout loss to Texas. Expect to see more of Chambers in weeks to come.
And in the next few weeks we should also expect some of the later signees (including this week’s 3 big names) to see the field, and we will see what kind of impact names like Jared Allen, Thomas Jones, Ben Watson, Jason Taylor, and Aaron Kampman can have in the spring.
We mentioned it briefly in our story about new NFL players, but it was not a hit by Darren Sharper, but a bad cut on a wet field in Chicago that sent Mauler HB DeShaun Foster to the injury list. Mauler fans are feeling relieved that it was not a knee as first expected. Foster’s ankle is the issue, and while it could keep him out 4-6 weeks, he will be back this season.
Others who could see several weeks of missed action include LA guard Michael Brooks (wrist), Texas guard Paul Grasmanis (knee), former Stars’ and current Breaker HB Michael Robinson (abdomen), Denver TE Daniel Graham (groin) and Houston DE Kavika Pittman (knee).
Washington has listed Deion Branch as questionable due to swelling in his knee which they are identifying as patella tendonitis. Other questionable status updates include Birmingham rookie back Ben Tate (collarbone), Seattle LB Carl Ihenacho (hip), Jacksonville DT Marcus Stroud (hip) and New Orleans’s rookie FS Earl Thomas (Hand)
NFL Transfer Window Closes with a Flurry of Action
An exciting week around front offices in the league as three major signings by USFL clubs shock the NFL and send ripples through the spring league as well. Michigan, unsatisfied with the early production of Mike Hart and 3rd down back Leon Washington, resolve the hole left by Justin Fargas’s earlier NFL jump by bringing in the best back available among NFL free agents this year, former Cardinal, Bearn and NY Jet Thomas Jones. Jones is expected to need a couple of weeks before he sees action, but after putting up 1,402 yards and 14 TDs for the Jets in 2009, Michigan is hoping to get similar results in their run game.
Arizona, apparently overjoyed with the response to signing LaDainian Tomlinson, went back to the well, freed up some cap room, and signed one of the best receviers in the transfer window, After several strong seasons with Dallas, Cleveland and a surprising 1,200 yards in 2008 with the Buccaneers, Antonio Bryant struggled a bit last year, appearing in 13 games and gaining 600 yards on 39 receptions. Arizona is hoping that Bryant proves the perfect option opposite Larry Fitzgerald, filling the Santana Moss role and drawing some coverage away from their young superstar.
For Baltimore, it is all about beefing up that pass rush. The Blitz already have 6 sacks in two games this year, with DE’s Tim Crowder and Chuckie Nwokorie with 2 each, but they want more, and they may have found it by signing former Miami Dolphin edge rusher Jason Taylor just before the close of the window. Taylor, who had a run of years with the Dolphins with double-digit sacks as a combination OLB and DE, will join the Blitz and likely take over the weakside LB duties currently manned by Angelo Crowell, at least on passing downs, though subbing for either DE is also not out of the question.
And in one last move, the Texas Outlaws, off to a surprising 2-0 start, decided their defense needed just a bit more “oomph”, and on the last day of the transfer window they found the man to give the defense an extra push, inking former Packer DE Aaron Kampman. Kampman, who had back to back seasons of 15.5 and 12 sacks in 2006 and 2007 saw his numbers dip in 2008 and then suffered an injury which held him out of 7 games in 2009. He comes to Texas hoping to reestablish himself as a pass rusher. Texas will likely ease him into a rotation with Chris Canty and Reynaldo Wynn as they try to put more pressure on opposing QBs.
NFL imports were not the only signees during the early season as Texas also landed a Texas icon, and another player hoping to reinvigorate his career. Former Longhorn halfback Cedric Benson signed a “come and prove it” contract with Texas and will back up T. J. Duckett in the Outlaws’ power run game. Benson, whose best year was a 1,109 yard season in 2007 with Denver, appeared in 14 games last year for Orlando but had only 45 carries for 134 yards, averaging only 2.0 yards per carry.
The final signing to report was a resigning, as Oakland safety Pearson Prioleau, disappointed to not find alternatives with either USFL or NFL options resigned with the Invaders, accepting basically the same contract they offered him at the tail end of the 2009 season. Oakland, who had started Keyon Nash at Strong Safety, is expected to welcome back Prioleau this week, though he almost certainly will not start in Week 3.
Some really juicy divisional matchups this week, starting with LA at Las Vegas on Friday Night. On Saturday we get Washington @ Boston, Michigan @ Chicago, and Memphis @ Nashville, and then, on Sunday it is New Jersey @ Baltimore, Atlanta @ Jacksonville, Portland @ Oakland. It all caps off on Sunday Night with Houston traveling to Denver to take on the Gold. A good week for rivalries and for teams at 1-1 fighting to start off in the right direction.
FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Los Angeles (0-2) @ Las Vegas (1-1) NBC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Charlotte (0-2) @ New Orleans (1-1) ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Washington (1-1) @ Boston (1-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Tampa Bay (1-1) @ Philadelphia (1-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Orlando (1-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-1) ABC
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Michigan (2-0) @ Chicago (1-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Memphis (1-1) @ Nashville (1-1) ESPN
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Seattle (1-1) @ Birmingham (1-1) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Atlanta (1-1) @ Jacksonville (1-1) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET New Jersey (1-1) @ Baltimore (2-0) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Portland (1-1) @ Oakland (1-1) ABC
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Texas (2-0) @ Ohio (1-1) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET St. Louis (0-2) @ Arizona (1-1) FOX
SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Houston (1-1) @ Denver (1-1) ESPN & EFN