And then there were two. The Tampa Bay Bandits and the Pittsburgh Maulers both advance at home against tough opposition to return to the Summer Bowl for the first time since the late 1990's. It took the Bandits an extra period to get their as the plucky Philadelphia Stars, led by backup QB Matt Gutierrez simply would not go out easily. For the Maulers, it was the defense that led them, holding the explosive Texas Outlaws under 20 points and securing their first trip to the title game since 1995. We will have breakdowns of both games, a preview position-by-position of the 2011 Summer Bowl matchup, and all the latest league news, from a coaching hire in Portland to the All-USFL team and award winners for the 2011 season. It's all right here.
Say what you will about the Philadelphia Stars, they are not a team that is easily discouraged. A week after battling back in the final minutes to defeat Washington, the Stars were at it again, taking Tampa Bay into overtime despite playing without QB Kurt Warner. They may have eventually fallen to the homestanding Bandits, but they certainly impressed many who watched with their effort.
In a game that saw Tampa Bay lose one of its offensive stars, with Willis McGahee going out in the 1st quarter with what would be diagnosed later as a dislocated kneecap, Tampa Bay found itself in a similar position to the Stars, forced to reassess their offensive plan and the weapons at their disposal. The injury happened on Tampa Bay’s 2nd drive, already down 3 to the visiting Stars. Philadelphia had managed a field goal on their first possession, thanks in part to the first of 6 defensive penalties called against the Bandits on the night, a 15-yard roughing the passer call that turned a failed third down into a first down in Bandit territory for the Stars.
However, even with McGahee out, Tampa Bay was able to take the lead as the first quarter ended, backup Shane Vereen doing the honors with a 5-yard TD run on a perfect draw play. Tampa Bay would increase the lead to 7 with a Nate Kaeding field goal early in the 2nd quarter, but the plucky Philadelphia Stars would not go away. Philadelphia, which emphasized the run all game with 30 combined carries between Steve Slaton (19 for 81 yards) and Leon Washington (11 for 95 yards), saw Washington make the first of several big plays, a 19-yard scoring scamper that equalized the score before the half. The Stars were making life tough for Tampa Bay and were able to go into the half all even at 10 apiece.
The two teams continued to trade offensive drives, defensive stops and points throughout the second half as well. Tampa Bay retook the lead in the third on the period’s lone score, a 1-yard plunge from FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo. Philadelphia would equalize midway through the 4th as once again Leon Washington found paydirt, this time from much closer with a 2-yard dive. But only 3 plays later, Tampa Bay again took the lead. Daunte Culpepper found a mismatch in the defense and connected with veteran wideout Joey Galloway for a 58-yard TD strike to again take the lead.
With 3:20 left to play, Philadelphia found themselves down 7 points. Again, they would call on backup Matt Gutierrez to get them the points they needed to stay in the hunt, in this case to send the game to overtime. It would take the offense 3:19 of those 3:20 to get the job done, but on a 3rd and goal from the 3, with only 6 seconds on the clock when the play started, Philadelphia got it done. Gutierrez used a bootleg, with Steve Slaton trailing for a possible pitch, but instead of pitching, the QB found TE Brent Celek in the end zone and Philadelphia found the points they needed to send the game to overtime.
In the extra period, the Bandits were stymied on their first possession, but then returned the favor as they forced a 3-and-out from the Stars. On their second possession in the extra period, Tampa Bay found what they needed to get the ball in range for kicker Nate Kaeding. Another perfect pass to Galloway got them down to the Stars’ 20-yard line. Shane Vereen slammed the ball into the line on two consecutive plays, getting the ball to the 16 before Coach Shula sent out Kaeding to end the game with a 33-yard kick. Kaeding got It done and Tampa Bay punched their ticket to the Summer Bowl, dinged up, exhausted, and respectful of Philadelphia’s effort, but ultimately claiming the Eastern Title and the chance to seek a third title, potentially their first in over a decade.
The Maulers found their stride after struggling through the first quarter, scoring 23 consecutive points to overtake an early Texas lead and claim the Western Conference title in a battle of wills. Both QB’s were picked twice in the game, and Pittsburgh’s Cody Pickett suffered 6 sacks, but found his rhythm with 2 third quarter touchdown tosses as the Maulers return to the Summer Bowl for the first time since their 1995 title.
The star of the game for Pittsburgh was WR Vincent Jackson, who turned 12 targets into 10 receptions for 122 yards and the go-ahead TD in the 3rd quarter. Despite frequent double coverage, Jackson exploited Texas’s secondary on multiple occasions, using double moves and sharp cuts to create space and get open for Pickett. The Mauler QB, who spent a good part of the first half scrambling to avoid Texas’s pass rush, got help in the second half as TE Owen Daniels was kept into chip DE Reynaldo Wynn and provide his QB with more time.
After a battle of field goals led to a 3-3 score, Texas took their first lead thanks to a 12-play drive and a 5-yard T. J. Duckett scoring run. They would hold their lead through the half, though Pittsburgh did chip away at it with 2 field goals. Up 10-9 at the half, Texas had struggled to mount offense in the 2nd quarter and that would continue well into the second half. The third quarter was dominated by the Maulers. On their opening drive, Pickett connected with Vincent Jackson 3 times, the last one being the 18-yard TD pass that would put the Maulers on top, with a 2-point PAT added to give them the 17-10 lead. On their next drive, a defensive flub by Texas safety Terrance Holt allowed TE Jimmie Graham to turn a 9-yard route into a 62-yard catch and run. Pittsburgh was now up 14, and they would not look back.
The Maulers boosted their lead to 17 with a Succop field goal to open the 4th quarter, and the defense would hold that lead until the final moments, allowing only a garbage time touchdown to Brandon Marshall with only seconds remaining. The defense which had sustained the Maulers all season had shut out Texas after the first quarter, limiting T. J. Duckett to a paltry 24 yards on the ground and picking off Joe Flacco, the presumptive league MVP, twice. Pittsburgh would be returning to the Summer Bowl as Mauler fans started planning a bus convoy to Memphis as their beloved purple and orange would take on the Bandits.
Sam Shields Making His Case Before Free Agency
Strong safety Sam Shields of the Maulers is doing everything in his power to convince Pittsburgh to pay him a hefty sum in order to retain his services. After a regular season in which Shields made 45 tackles and added 5 takeaways (2 fumbles forced, 3 picks), Shields has emerged in the playoffs as a player who steps up in big moments. With a pick of Flacco and three key pass breakups, Shields helped keep the Texas offense in check and led a secondary that was the undoing of the Maulers. His squad mate, Dunta Robinson would be named Defensive Player of the Game, with both a pick and a forced fumble on the day, but Shields was clearly the leader of the position group. The 13-year vet, and former Outlaw himself, is in the final year of his contract with the Maulers, and he is making a strong case that he should end his career with Pittsburgh, but certainly not yet.
McGahee Injury Will Cause Him to Miss Summer Bowl 2011
It was confirmed on Monday that Willis McGahee’s knee injury was a dislocated patella, and that the injury would not permit McGahee to appear in the Summer Bowl. After a season that saw McGahee rush for 1,050 yards and 9 TDs, while also catching 22 passes for the Bandits, the 9-year veteran will be forced to watch the championship from the sideline.
Taking McGahee’s spot in the backfield will be rookie Shane Vereen. Vereen, who started 4 games this season as Mcgahee dealt with a midseason injury, has been a valuable player in reserve, but with only a 2.1 yards per carry average, he is neither as explosive nor as productive as McGahee. Just as we have been talking about how the Stars would need to alter their gameplan without QB Kurt Warner, the absence of McGahee will certainly force Tampa Bay to look at other options, whether that means letting Culpepper throw the ball 50 times or mixing in Vereen and 2nd year back John Ball remains to be seen. We fully expect to see a lot more emphasis on Daunte Culpepper and the passing game, whether through use of their 2-TE formation with Luke Stocker and Jared Cook or if the Bandits will have David Tyree on the field in more 3-WR sets, well that is the question.
Portland Gets Their Man
We had a feeling that it would not take Coach Marty Mornhinweg long to find a new gig after parting ways with the Chicago Machine. Afterall how many coaches can say that they took a club to the playoffs nine times in the past eleven years. That is not normally a resume that has you seeking employment. Well, he was not seeking it for long. On Tuesday the Portland Stags introduced the former Machine head coach as the new leader of the Stags.
Mornhinweg will take over a team that fell from back-to-back 8-win seasons to a 5-11 record in 2011, but it is a club that has some noteworthy talent. The Stags have key pieces in place with HB Jonathan Stewart, CB’s Marquand Manuel and Mike Rumph, and MLB Mark Simoneau. They seem to have settled on Ryan Fitzpatrick as their QB solution and the Harvard grad did have a solid season when healthy. They could upgrade on the D-line and in the receivers group, but this is a squad with several core positions well-established.
Mornhinweg will likely bring in several coaches from his Chicago squad but may want to find someone with specialization in D-line play, as that has been a particular weakness of the Stags over the past couple of years.
With Mornhinweg hired by the Stags and Lamar Lathon shifting from an interim to a permanent position with New Orleans, there remain only 2 open positions across the league, in Memphis and in Chicago. And with the Summer Bowl this weekend, there is a good chance that we will see movement on those two positions before too long, as many of the top coordinators are now sidelined and available to interview.
Nashville Open to Trading Cutler for the Right Price
The Nashville Knights and head coach Jim Johnson have responded to Jay Cutler’s demands to be traded, with both Johnson and GM Dave Caldwell stating on the record that Nashville is open to a trade offer but will not be actively engaging with teams. Essentially a “come and ask” attitude. Cutler may have mistimed his decision to demand a new home, as this offseason looks to be one of the most stable for the QB position in recent memory. As we look around the league, we are just not seeing a lot of teams who are going into the offseason with a mindset that they absolutely must obtain a new signal caller. Sure, there are always teams looking to upgrade, but is Cutler going to be considered a significant improvement over most USFL starters? Not necessarily.
Of the league’s 28 clubs, we count no fewer than 20 who are pretty well set up at the position, with topflight QB play, a veteran who is viewed as a solid option, or a younger player who is being developed. That leaves 7 potential landing spots. In our estimation the top options would be Boston, where Jake Locker has not impressed in his first year; Ohio, where Vince Young also struggled after coming over from the NFL; Portland, if Coach Mornhinweg is not a fan of Fitzpatrick; and Memphis, where Ryan Mallett is the current starter. But here is the tricky part, in 3 of those 4 cases you have either a young QB on an expensive rookie deal or an NFL veteran brought in, so trading for Cutler would create both a cap space issue and a perception of failure that few GM’s are willing to put out there.
The most likely scenario is that Cutler could potentially go to a team with a veteran QB who is nearing retirement, which would put him in a backup role, a step down from being a starter in Nashville. The Knights are certainly not going to void his contract so that he can jump to the NFL, so his options are limited. So as much as fans may criticize some of Cutler’s decisions on the field, this decision, to push for a trade this offseason, may well be the worst one he has made to date.
Is T. J. Duckett Retiring?
Call it frustration with a big loss or call it the end result of a long and tough season, but T. J. Duckett on Monday hinted that he may well be considering retirement. While it certainly would not be unusual for a running back to retire at age 30, especially one who has taken the kind of beatings and hits he has as a power runner, Duckett’s 2011 season still had him playing at a very high level. He rushed for 1,168 yards, putting him in the Top 10 in the league, had a 4.0 YPC average, and he remained a significant contributor to the offense with 294 carries. That is a high number for any back, though certainly well below the 340 he had in 2010 or the 350 in 2008. Duckett survived the season injury free, and, unlike in most past years, had a topflight passing game to take some of the pressure off. But only he knows the impact all those carries over 9 years have had on his body. Again, it may just be frustration after a pretty tough outing against Pittsburgh, or it may just be a sore and aching body speaking to him one day after his season ended, but if Duckett is serious and does call it a career, it certainly leaves a major hole in Texas’s roster and a major target point for their offseason.
Duckett was backed up this year by Aveion Carson and rookie Jay Finley, but combined, these two backs had a total of only 98 carries. Texas would almost certainly have to look seriously at a halfback in either free agency or the draft. The free agent pickings, as usual, do not contain any franchise backs, with Ladell Betts, Brandon Jacobs, Antonio Pittman and Rashad Jennings being the top-rated backs available. That leaves the draft, and while there are certainly some talented backs in this year’s draft pool, players like Alabama’s Trent Richardson, Boise State’s Doug Martin, or Virginia Tech’s David Wilson, there is not a top prospect from the Outlaw’s three territorial schools, which means they will need to invest heavily in either a 1st round pick or a trade to get access to a T-Draft blue chipper. The best option within the T-Draft for the Outlaws is Baylor’s Terrance Ganaway, who is considered marginal as a draftee at all, and certainly not a plug-and-play back.
So, Outlaw fans wait with anxiety to see if Duckett retracts his post-game statements, or if their club will need to invest in a back one way or the other. Their success in providing a high-level run game next year could well be the difference between returning for another deep playoff run or taking a step back in a pretty competitive division.
Looking at the Summer Bowl rosters, it seems the Maulers have a distinct advantage on the injury front. They had no new injuries in Sunday’s Conference Title game, with only guard Chester Adams still listed as Out. No players added to the list and no other injuries of note. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay lost two important players on Sunday, with Willis McGahee out after dislocating his knee and LB Zeke Moreno also listed as out after an ankle injury. Add those two names to LB Jeff Goff’s injury, one expected to keep him out as well, and immediately the issue becomes clear, the Bandits’ LB group is running on fumes. Tampa Bay will go with Jonathan Vilma and Monty Beisel in their usual positions but will likely rotate 12-year veteran Mike Peterson with youngsters Jesse Nading and Tyrone McKenzie into the two remaining spots. That is not ideal, and we could well see the Bandits opt to use nickel personnel as an option.
That reality has to be making HBs Ronnie Brown and Kenny Watson grin ear to ear. A weakened LB group or the use of nickel personnel likely means a big day for the Mauler running backs, and we know that Coach Rivera is absolutely fine with the idea of a run-first game plan. How Tampa handles what is likely to be a very large dose of the Pittsburgh HB duo could well become the story of the game.
All-USFL Team & Award Winners Named
The Week before the Summer Bowl means a lot of excitement for the game, but also the announcement of the annual awards and the All-USFL team. We got both last night in the league’s Honors Ceremony, held in Memphis, site of the Summer Bowl. Not a lot of surprises, but always still good water cooler conversation starters with this year’s winners and snubs. Here is our quick rundown of the award recipients for 2011.
MVP
No surprise here as QB Joe Flacco took the trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player. It was a breakout season for the Outlaw signal caller, leading the league with 4,129 yards passing, 34 touchdowns, and a 122.9 QB Rating. When a QB wins all three of those statistical races, there is almost no way he is not named MVP. When that QB’s team wins its first divisional title in its 25-year history, you had better give that QB the award.
OPOTY
While another Texas Outlaw, WR Marques Colston, did very well to finish second in the voting, ahead of QB Kurt Warner, the runaway winner was also not a surprise. Washington HB Deuce McCallister won the rushing title by 146 yards over Knowshon Moreno and also led the league with 13 rushing TDs and a 4.6 YPC average. He was an absolute beast this season, racking up seven 100-yard games and adding more of a role in the passing game as well. His 344 receiving yards and 3 receiving TDs were personal bests. Add to this the dominance of the Feds run game down the stretch and the clinching of the #1 seed in the East and McCallister was an easy choice.
DPOTY
Was their any doubt here? Calais Campbell did it again, topping 30 sacks for the second time in his career. His 34 sacks means he averaged over 2 per game for the Renegades. That is just a stunning number, especially considering how much of the opposing offensive strategy he sees each week is designed to slow him down. Teams are just not able to find a way to effectively keep Campbell off their QB, partially because of the presence of Albert Haynesworth in the middle, but clearly also because of the repertoire of devastating swim, power, speed, and lift moves that Campbell employs play after play. Another no-brainer come time to vote for the Defensive star of the year.
Rookie of the Year
This vote was closer, with some pulling for Nashville WR Denarius Moore or Baltimore DE Robert Quinn, but in the end the QB won out. Cam Newton started the year hot, cooled off a bit (as did the Stallions) in the second half of the long season, but still had strong numbers throughout. The one-year wonder from Auburn finished the year with 2,958 yards and 29 touchdowns, completing 57.6% of his passes and garnering an 84.3 QB Rating. He also rushed for over 200 yards and added 2 rushing touchdowns. It is an aspect of his game which Coach Shanahan admitted to trying to repress this year, to force Newton to spend more time working the progressions in the passing game, but a feature of his game which we may see more of in 2012. Newton helped revive a stagnant Stallion offense, along with NFL import Joseph Addai, and while Birmingham did fade down the stretch and failed to reach the postseason for the 8th consecutive year, their 7-9 record was a huge step up from the 2-14 season the Stallions had in 2010.
Coach of the Year
Votes for Coach of the Year went to Tampa Bay’s Mike Shula, Pittsburgh’s Ron Rivera, and Arizona’s Jim Tomsula, but the winner, and rightfully so, went to former USFL QB Greg Landry for his work with the Texas Outlaws. Landry, given credit for developing Joe Flacco into an MVP quarterback, helped build a club that went from 8-8 to 12-4, and from the bottom half of the league in both offensive production and total defense, to one that finished #2 in scoring, #2 in yards gained, #5 in points allowed and #8 in yards allowed. Texas was one of the stories of the year, and despite their loss in the Western Finals, the 2011 season will long be remembered in San Antonio as the year that the team finally broke through, winning the first division title in 25 seasons of USFL football.
Finally, we have the All-USFL Team. This is usually where we see the biggest complaints about snubs and favoritism, but there is no doubt that every player on this roster had an outstanding year, so, rather than focus on those who did not make the team, we celebrate those who are represented here.
QB: Joe Flacco (TEX), Kurt Warner (PHI), Cody Pickett (PIT)
HB: Deuce McCallister (WSH), Ron Dayne (BAL), LaDainian Tomlinson (ARZ)
FB: Rick Razzano (TEX)
TE: Jordan Cameron (POR), Jason Whitten (JAX)
WR: Marques Colston (TEX), Hines Ward (MGN), Joey Galloway (TBY), Vincent Jackson
(PIT), and Taylor Jacobs (STL)
OT: Jonathan Thomas (PHI), Matt Light (OAK), Brian Bulaga (STL)
OG: Eric Stienbach (BAL), Mike Holland (ARZ), Stee Sciulo (TBY)
C: Matt Birk (PHI), Aaron Graham (TEX)
DE: Calais Campbell (ORL), Jason Babin (BOS), Justin Smith (OAK)
DT: Brian Noble (SEA), Rene Jean-Francois (NOR), Marquez Pope (ARZ)
LB: Brian Urlacher (CHI), DeMeco Ryans (BIR), Mike Maslowski (OAK), Glenn Cadrez (OHI)
Jeff Goff (TBY), and Shawne Merriman (DEN)
CB: Brandon Flowers (WSH), Patrick Buchanon (TBY), Cortland Finnegan (ORL),
Marquand Manuel (ORL)
SS: Troy Polamalu (ARZ), Bob Sanders (NJ)
FS: Tebucky Jones (MEM), Scott Shields (PIT)
K: Mike Nugent (PHI)
P: Matt Turk (TBY)
The Tampa Bay Bandits (12-4), Champions of the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference, face off against the Pittsburgh Maulers (13-3), Champions of the Central Division and the Western Conference, in Summer Bowl 2011 in Memphis, Tennesee’s Liberty Bowl Stadium. It is a battle of battlers. The Bandits improved from 7-9 a year ago, building their success on a vertical offense and a ballhawking defense. The Maulers went from 9 wins in 2010 to a league best 13 in 2011, thanks to one of the league’s stingiest defenses and a running back duo that accounted for over 1,700 yards on the ground.
These two face off in a Summer Bowl most did not expect, and yet, watching both clubs down the stretch, there is no shock that they both arrived here. Pittsburgh won 12 of 13 before resting their starters in the season finale. Tampa Bay won 8 of their last 9, including 5 straight to lock up the #2 seed in the East. In the postseason, both easily dispatched their Divisional opponents and hosted their conference title games, edging their opponents to punch their ticket to Memphis and a shot at a title. It will be a chance for Tampa Bay to earn a third John Bassett trophy, and the first since 1998. For Pittsburgh it is their shot at a second title, along with their 1995 championship. But, who will come out on top? We break down this game position by position to see who we see holding the John Bassett Trophy aloft on Sunday.
QUARTERBACK: Both teams have solid QB play. You generally don’t get this far without it. On paper, Culpepper has the advantage in yards, completion percentage, and QB Rating. Pickett threw for 2 more TDs and 6 fewer picks, so this is pretty even, but when we look at the film it is clear that while Pickett tends to look to move the sticks and keep drives going, Culpepper is going to look for the big play, the gamebreaker. For that alone, we give the nod here to the Bandits.
RUNNING BACK: Were Willis McGahee able to go in this game, he would tilt the scales towards the Bandits. He reached 1,000 yards despite missing 4 regular season games, but he is out, and that means that Tampa Bay has to rely on rookie HB Shane Vereen, whose 2.1 yards per carry are not going to scare the Maulers. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has two solid options and likes to make use of both. NFL import Ronnie Brown led the club with 888 yards and 9 TDs, but right there with him is Kenny Watson with 786 yards and 4 TDs. The Maulers will pound Tampa Bay with Brown and then throw a curveball with Watson. The edge has to go to Pittsburgh on the ground.
RECEIVERS: Vincent Jackson had a stellar year for Pittsburgh with 104 catches for 1,343 yards, and the Maulers also got 1,000 yards out of second option Victor Cruz, a speedy and elusive receiver who finished the year with a team best 10 TDs. They have two tight ends who can also catch the ball in Jimmie Graham and Owen Daniels. And yet, despite this solid group, we give the edge to Tampa Bay. The ageless Joey Galloway came to the Bay this year and lit up the league for nearly 1,300 yards on 96 catches. He is joined by another veteran, undervalued WR Chris Doering, who just gets it done every year without accolades. Rookie TE Luke Stocker has been a solid target, and David Tyree as the slot receiver has been tough to defend. They do lose a quality receiver out of the backfield with McGahee out, but this group has been consistently playing at a high level all year.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Both lines are outstanding. Tampa Bay’s front 5 has given up only 17 sacks all year, while Pittsburgh’s is right there with them with only 19 sacks allowed. Both are athletic, can pull to assist the outside run, or just bowl over defensive linemen for the inside run game. We are going to call this one a push, since it is so hard to see how either line has a clear advantage.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Two very different schemes at work with these teams, but both very effective. Pittsburgh employs a 4-3 with Dan Klecko and Amobi Okoye occupying blockers in the middle to free up Jared Allen to rush the passer, which he did to the tune of 13 sacks this year. Linemate Jerome McDougle added another 9 as the Maulers finished the season with 53 sacks on record. Tampa Bay was not quite as dominant up front, with only 24 sacks in 16 games, but that is not their game. Their line of Jason Pierre-Paul, Marcellus Wiley, and Andre Nesbitt is designed to get pressure, but more importantly to occupy blockers so that the linebackers can roam freely to disrupt plays. However, even with two different schemes, we have to recognize the quality of the Mauler line. They take this one.
LINEBACKERS: Where Pittsburgh wins on the line, Tampa Bay has the more gifted linebacker group. They will be without Jonathan Goff for this game, which will impact them, but they still have veterans Jonathan Vilma and Zeke Moreno, runstuffer Monty Beisel, and will rotate between Jesse Nading and veteran Mike Peterson in the 4th position. For the Maulers, their 3-man group of Brian Cushing, Buster Davis, and Keith Bullock is often used in pass coverage and to squelch the outside run. Expect to see swing backer Barrett Green in on passing downs as one of the faster backers responsible for covering the tight end. We still give the edge to the Bandits here.
SECONDARY: The combo of Patrick Surtain, and Dunta Robinson outside, and Sean Taylor and Scott Shields inside makes the Mauler secondary the strongest part of their shut-down defense. Their catch to target ratio is one of the best in the league, and yet, they have not proven to be particularly effective at snagging interceptions. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, may give up more big plays but also was 2nd in the league behind only Atlanta, with 20 interceptions this season. Their quartet of Patrick Robinson, Philip Buchanon, Idrees Basheer, and Bryan Scott, often bolstered with Richard Colclough in the nickel, is not afraid to take a chance on a big play, go for the ball, and occasionally give up the big catch. While the Bandits’ aggressive play in the secondary could be a factor in this game, we have to go with the steady shut down ability of the Mauler DB’s to take this category.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Tampa Bay’s Matt Turk has a clear advantage over Pittsburgh’s Steve Kemp in punting average and accuracy, while Nate Kaeding and Ryan Succop are pretty evenly matched when it comes to range and accuracy for field goals. In the return game Richard Colclough and Victor Cruz are pretty evenly matched as return men, both capable of finding a crease and breaking a big gainer. With so much being even, this could come down to opportunity and just one or two missed blocks to see a difference here. So, we will call this a push.
COACHING: Pittsburgh’s Ron Rivera certainly wins on seniority, serving in his 6th season with the Maulers while Dave Shula has done amazing things in his first year at the helm in Tampa Bay. Rivera came out of the DC ranks, where he built a reputation for discipline, structure, and aggressive gameplans, but on offense he tends to play it conservatively, using short passes and the run game to keep the chains moving and shorten games. Shula is an offensive-minded coach, always looking for the mismatch and the chance to take the ball deep. His defense tends to be a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy, and he seems to have little concern for the clock, except to play at tempo when the club is behind. We are going to give the edge to Rivera here, but recognize that when it comes to championship football, both of these coaches are inexperienced and largely unknown to each other.
OUR PICK:
With all the factors in place, and in large part due to the absence of Willis McGahee and Jonathan Goff from the Bandit lineup, we are giving the edge to the Maulers. We love their defense scheme, their aggression against the QB, and their ability to power the ball with a 2-back system. While Tampa Bay could hit on some big plays, we don’t think they will be able to consistently break down the Mauler D, while Pittsburgh’s Cody Pickett should see good protection all day, and, with a focus on possession, should be able to limit Tampa Bay’s opportunities for the surprise gamebreaker. Our pick is Pittsburgh to win their 2nd title, Maulers 23-18.
The West champion is farther east than the East champion funny enough (Go Maulers)
Come on now with all that veteran experience and leadership the Bassett trophy going Back where it all started GO BANDITS!