Tampa Bay and Arizona continue to impress as the league’s only 4-0 teams, Philadelphia and Portland claw back to 2-2 with two consecutive wins, while St. Louis and Houston drop to 2-2 with their second straight loss. Meanwhile, with even bigger problems, we have New Jersey, Memphis, New Orleans, and Chicago, all of whom have dropped every game in the first month of action and now have to do some soul searching about their plans for the year. We saw the first trade of the regular season this week as backup QB appears to be a volatile position. We hear from the Hall of Fame with the list of this year’s semifinalists, and we ask the question on everyone’s mind, “ How are the Bandits and Wranglers doing it?”.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS 33 NEW JERSEY GENERALS 27 OVERTIME
Two teams going in very different directions met in Week 4. Both were expected to compete for the division, one has started the year looking very much like a contender and sitting atop the division standings, the other has yet to muster a win in 3 weeks and is looking altogether out of synch. That was the situation in the Meadowlands when the 2-1 Federals matched up with the 0-3 Generals.
New Jersey was expected to be a major factor in 2011 after a very solid 8-8 campaign the past year, but so far they had managed to lose all three games, playing well at times but never well enough to get a win. A loss to Washington would not only put them at 0-4, but would be their third divisional loss in 4 weeks. As for Washington, they had just come off their first defeat, a 6-point loss at home to the unbeaten Tampa Bay Bandits. They wanted a rebound game and they did not much care that defeating the Generals would be disastrous for New Jersey. That was not their concern.
New Jersey came out fired up, evident in Washington’s first possession, when the Generals pressured Davide Garrard with blitzers on all 3 pass plays, the third resulting in a poorly thrown ball that was easily grabbed by General DB Tony Driver, returned 65 yards for a score to not only rile up the Generals, but the 44,302 fans in attendance.
Washington would recover on the next drive, a 13-play slow march that ended with Garrard hitting rookie Dontrelle Inman with a scoring toss from the 6. This would be a theme for the day, New Jersey trying to hit big plays and Washington content to build drives piece by piece. New Jersey would take back the league on a Leigh Tiffin field goal, but Washington would again march down the field, and for the second time on the day it would be rookie WR Dontrelle Inman making a play, this time a 14-yard score on a perfectly executed fade route. The two teams would trade field goals and by the half they would hit the locker rooms with Washington holding a 17-13 advantage thanks to Inman’s 2nd score.
That lead would be bolstered to 20-13 after Shayne Graham opened the third quarter with a 42-yard kick. New Jersey would need to equalize or risk falling behind in yet another contest. Their first drive happened in fits and starts, but 3 Washington penalties, including a roughing the passer call that seemed iffy to any neutral observers, helped the Generals get into the red zone. They would get a 1-yard TD run from a rookie of their own, HB Delone Carter, and the score was knotted up after 3, 20-20.
The 4th quarter saw Washington once again put together a long drive, 81 yards on 13 plays, ending with Rod Smart taking a pitch and cutting back against the flow of the tacklers to reach the endzone. New Jersey was now down 7, but with nearly 9 minutes left to play. They would need to mount another drive to equalize the score.
Sam Bradford, who had played relatively well (completing 66% of his throws, would be called upon to lead the drive, but he would be smart about the ball, using draw plays to Jones-Drew to keep the Federal defense honest. MJD would finish the day with 92 yards, nowhere near the 134 Deuce McCallister provided Washington, but enough to force the Federal D to consider the run and not mount an all out pass rush in the final minutes of the game. That strategy worked, and with just under 2 minutes to play, New Jersey was getting close to scoring range. Washington assumed that they would continue to use short to medium passes to try to work their way into range for a short TD pass or run. But the Generals surprised them with a deep ball to Houshmandzadeh. The corner was a step behind, the safety too preoccupied with TE Anthony Becht, and too slow to switch his coverage, and Housh made the leaping catch to give New Jersey the score they needed.
The crowd chanted for Coach Edwards to go for 2 and take a 1-point lead, but Edwards is a conservative coach, and there was no way he was going to march all the way down the field only to blow the tie by going for 2. He sent out Tiffin and contentedly settled for overtime. Whether that was the right call or not will be debated, but what happened in overtime certainly gave voice to the fan’s frustration with Herm Edwards’ conservative approach.
The Feds won the coin toss and chose to take the ball first. New Jersey’s kick went out of the endzone, so no time ran off the clock. Fifteen minutes exactly on the clock for the Federals’ offense. They would need only 8 seconds of it. On 1st and 10 from their 25 yard line, David Garrard took the shotgun snap, looked right, pumping slightly to pull the safety towards slot receiver Inman, then shifted to the left, spotted TE Kellen Davis wide open down the left side, and tossed the ball towards the Generals’ side of the field. Davis caught the ball in stride, 3 yards ahead of the linebacker assigned to cover him. He stuck to the sideline as safety Bob Sanders tried to set the angle, but just as Sanders arrived, Davis took a slight step to his right, throwing off the tackle of Sanders and freeing the receiver to head to the endzone. One play, 75 yards, and the game was over. The stunned General fans paused for what felt like a solid 30 seconds and then rained boos down on the field. The Feds celebrated briefly then rushed off to the lockerroom, but it was not the visitors the NJ crowd was booing, it was clearly their own club.
The Generals now sit at 0-4, and 0-3 in division. It is not a good position to be in by any stretch, and, from the looks of it, the fans are turning on a team that had given them hope in the offseason, and on the coach who was being blamed for squandering a talented roster. Things will not get any easier for New Jersey, who face Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington again, and then Charlotte and Denver before their next match against a club with a losing record as of right now. It may very well be Week 10 against New Orleans before they get the W that all seem to want but no one knows how to acquire.
For Washington, they will head home to face an 0-4 Memphis squad, sitting at 3-1 atop the NE Division and with hopes that they can build a lead over the other contenders in the division.
LOS ANGELES 17 OAKLAND 13
The LA Express trailed nearly the entire way, having only scored 3 points on offense (with 7 more from a pick-6 of Joey Harrington in the 2nd quarter), but on a late drive, Kevin Kolb finally found a connection, tossing a 21-yard TD to rookie Ronald Johnson to give the Express a road win against in-state rival Oakland, sending the Invaders to 1-3. With Mark Sanchez expected to miss at least one more game, a win by Kolb has to be a welcome site for longsuffering Express fans.
BALTIMORE 36 MEMPHIS 10
Memphis rookie QB Ryan Mallett continues to struggle, completing only 13 of 31 passes as Memphis falls to 0-4 on the season. Baltimore raced out to a 26-7 lead, but then Big Ben got dinged and rookie Travis Taylor finished up the game, throwing for a score as the Blitz ran away with this one at the Liberty Bowl. Ron Dayne again went over 100 yards and Tory Holt joined him with 111 through the air.
ATLANTA 27 BOSTON 7
Atlanta’s offense was humming, including 177 yards rushing for the Fire as McFadden went for 116 and rookie Anthony Allen had 55 in relief duty. Jake Locker struggled again, throwing 3 picks and completing only 22 of 48 pass attempts as Boston drops to 1-3 on the season.
TEXAS 25 ARIZONA 27
A nip and tuck game between these two SW Division foes as Arizona gets the W thanks to LT’s 116 yards and 2 scoring runs. Texas got a late Brandon Marshall TD to pull within a point, but never got the ball back as Arizona used the run game to run out the clock.
DENVER 15 SEATTLE 10
Ugly wins seem to be the recipe for Denver this year, but they will take it as the win in the rain of Seattle got them to .500 after 4 weeks. It was a messy turf, but Ringer and Hicks managed to combine for 96 yards, while Best and Betts could only muster 66. Kicker Graham Gano proved to be the major weapon for Denver, hitting on 5 field goals, including a 56-yarder as the Gold escape with a win.
CHARLOTTE 20 JACKSONVILLE 14
The Up and Down Bulls drop a home game to a pretty feisty Monarchs squad. Jake Delhomme connected with Dereck Mason and Brandon Pettigrew for scores and Fred Jackson added 91 yards on the ground as the Monarchs ground out a win against the Bulls. C. J. Spiller had no room to run, rushing for only 31 yards on the day, and Tim Tebow actually ran for negative yards as the Monarchs’ Jerrod Mayo proved to be a very effective spy for the big QB.
ST. LOUIS 24 BIRMINGHAM 31
Two up & comers clashed in Legion Field and the 51,020 who came to cheer on Cam Newton and the Stallions left happy. Birmingham had a 14-6 lead at the half and never relinquished it as former NFL halfback Joseph Addai had another 100-yard game, racking up 103 on 24 carries. Cam Newton threw for 2 scores and finished 19 of 29, and that refurbished Stallion D held tough despite a pretty good game from Ricki Stanzi in relief of an injured Josh Freeman. Stanzi threw for 256 yards and rallied the Skyhawks in the 4th with two straight scoring drives, but it was still too little to recover and get the win.
NEW ORLEANS 13 TAMPA BAY 16 OVERTIME
The Breakers fought hard for Coach Nolan, but Tampa Bay got both the game tying score at the end of regulation and then the game winner in overtime to stay unbeaten. Drew Brees had his best game as a member of the Breakers, throwing for 341 yards, but attempted 58 passes as the Breaker run game again was a disappointment. For Tampa Bay, it was a tough slog, but they found the yards they needed to get Nate Kaeding into position at two key moments and he came through both times.
PHILADELPHIA 52 NASHVILLE 10
After getting their first win last week, many were saying that the Stars could upset the unbeaten Knights in Nashville, but no one saw this coming. It was a true Broad Street Beatdown as the Stars just overwhelmed a proud Knights defense. Kurt Warner threw for 366 yards and 4 touchdowns, and backup Matt Gutierrez even got a rare TD toss in as well. The star of the day was Stevie Johnson, whose monster game was a month in the making. He finished the day with 139 yards and 3 scores, including an acrobatic one-handed grab that even made the Nashville crowd ooh and ah during the replay. An ugly loss for the Knights but a statement game for Philadelphia as the get back to .500.
CHICAGO 9 OHIO 20
Chicago’s woes continue, as does Ohio’s strong 3-1 start. Derek Anderson kept Vince Young on the bench one more week by throwing for 2 scores and helping Ohio control the ball for nearly 35 minutes. Brady Quinn attempted 41 passes but could not put one in the endzone as Chicago was held to 3 field goals, not enough to get a road division win against a surprisingly solid Ohio squad.
ORLANDO 13 PORTLAND 17
The flight to Portland was a long one for Orlando, but the flight back will be even longer, especially for wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who was wide open late in the game but dropped a perfect pass that would have put Orlando up 20-17. It was one of several miscues for the Renegades, who also struggled to stop the run, with Portland’s Jonathan Stewart racking up 120 yards on only 20 carries.
LAS VEGAS 17 HOUSTON 13
Houston drops their 2nd in a row as both QBs spent much of the day on the run from two solid fronts. Jake Plummer found time to connect with both Kahlil Hill and Willie Ponder for scores, while Matt Hasselbeck seemed out of synch with Roy Williams and Ike Hilliard on the day, relying heavily on Vernon Davis as a dump off option. Not enough for the defending champs as they drop to 2-2, a full 2 games behind Arizona.
MICHIGAN 3 PITTSBURGH 10
Another early season bad weather game as Pittsburgh survived the winds and rain at Heinz Field to secure a hard-fought win. The only TD of the day was a very short 3-yarder to Victor Cruz as the wind made passing beyond 5 yards a real challenge. Both offenses also struggled to run the ball, with Pittsburgh’s Ronnie Brown leading all backs with only 38 yards. An ugly game in ugly weather but it got Pittsburgh to 3-1, which is fine with them.
Bandits & Wranglers: How Are They Doing It?
Two teams left at 4-0 and neither one is a club we had pegged as a preseason favorite to make the playoffs. So just how are Tampa Bay and Arizona doing it. As you might expect, there are some common denominators. They are not defeating themselves. Both have positive takeaway/turnover ratios, both are near the bottom in penalties, but so are several other teams that are not sitting so pretty at 4-0. So what else is going right for these two clubs? Let’s take a look at each.
Tampa Bay: The Bandits’ 4-0 start includes a division win over Charlotte (who they face again this week), and a top tier win over a 3-1 Washington Federals club. While Tampa Bay’s wins have been closer in most cases than those of Arizona, for both clubs the key seems to be a defense that is simply not allowing big plays and high scores. So far this season, only Washington has been able to score more than 20 points against the Bandits. That is a good start when your offense averages over 25 points per game. Willis McGahee has again started the season fast, much as he did last year, and it seems clear that Joey Galloway still has gas in the tank as he has started strong with his new team, with 29 receptions and 363 yards in only 4 games. Another key addition, TE Luke Stocker, is also starting well, with 14 receptions in his first 4 USFL games.
On defense, Jonathan Goff, acquired in free agency from Boston, has had a great start, leading the team with 33 tackles so far. Marcellus Wiley is not lighting up the league with 2 sacks, but is drawing a lot of attention, making it easier for Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Andre Neblitt to get one-on-one blocking. Finally, the LB group, which has been the strength of the Bandit D for a while, is looking even stronger. Alongside Goff, you have Jonathan Vilma and Zeke Moreno who are both playing some of their best ball right now.
Arizona: The Wranglers four win may be even more impressive, having knocked off potential playoff clubs in Michigan, Portland, and Texas in three of their 4 wins. What is more, only 1 of the games, this week’s 2-point win over the Outlaws, was by fewer than 12 points. They have been blowing past teams with wins by 14, 17, and 12 in their first 3 weeks. And that may be the key. The Arizona offense has been balanced, with Carr’s passing complementing a solid run game led by LaDainian Tomlinson, but the key has been a defense that is giving up only 62.2 yards per game rushing and only 17 points per game. They will be tested this week by Houston, but if they can maintain that formula, this is a team that could win a lot of games.
The key for Arizona’s defense seems to be the emergence of DE Adam Carriker as a legitimate threat on the edge. Carriker already has 5 sacks this year, more than his season total from 2010 or any other year since he came into the league in 2007. He is supported by Larry English on the other side, and Kimo Von Oelhoffen in the middle. The LB group, led by 2nd year MLB Pat Angerer, is playing above expectations, with Orlando Huff and Lance Briggs helping to make life tough for backs. Meanwhile, on offense, the presence of Rob Gronkowski as not only a possession guy but a deep ball threat in the middle, has opened up the passing game for the Wranglers. Larry Fitzgerald is seeing more single coverage and is supported by Mike Williams and Antonio Bryant. It is a formula that is working and producing good offensive numbers, enough for Arizona to be 2nd in the league in scoring behind only the Stars (after their 52 point outburst this week.)
So, two pretty similar formulas: defenses that stop the run, offenses that can beat you in multiple ways, and a core of veterans who provide leadership. For teams looking to improve their chances this year, with ¾ of the season left to play, that seems to be something to try to emulate.
Reche Caldwell’s Wild Month
Reche Caldwell is not exactly a new face in the USFL, playing in his 10th season in the league, but the former Glory receiver is off to a start that no one would have expected. Always considered a viable 2nd option, Caldwell had his best year in 2010 with Philly, catching 71 balls for 826 yards and 8 scores for the Eastern Conference Champions, but he was clearly also the 2nd option behind Steve Smith. But, this year, with Stevie Johnson still working to pick up the offense for his new club, Caldwell has turned into a big play dynamo the likes of which Philly has not seen in a long time. Yes, he has only 14 receptions over 4 games, 3 less than Johnson, but his 449 yards lead the league. He is averaging over 33 yards per reception. That is a number that seems absolutely unsustainable for a receiver whose career average hovers around 12 YPC. And yet, as huge as Caldwell has been this year, he has yet to bring in his first touchdown. That is surprising for a receiver with his yards per catch average. Compared with Stevie Johnson’s 5 TDs’ the question has to be what is holding Caldwell back?
A quick look at his 14 receptions shows us the answer. Other than 1-2 possession catches, every single big play for Caldwell has come on what many would consider a running down, a 2nd and 3 or 3rd and 2, and each has been the result of effective play action. Kurt Warner has always been a good play action QB, and this year, with teams focused on Johnson, it seems Caldwell has been able to make hay off of single coverage. But, with 4 games of gaudy numbers, expect defenses to start anticipating Caldwell’s deep routes on short yardage plays. They have to, or Caldwell will continue to burn them, and eventually find the endzone as well.
Anderson keeping Young On the Bench, But For How Long?
We are 4 weeks into the season, and the Ohio Glory have surprised many with their 3-1 record, with wins over Pittsburgh and Chicago in the division. What has been even more surprising is that they have done this with NFL import Vince Young still on the bench. All thoughts when Young was signed was that the former Texas Longhorn hero would be in the starting lineup as soon as he picked up even a fraction of the offense, perhaps as early as Week 2. But, the steady play of Dereck Anderson and the success of the Glory with Anderson at the helm has kept Young watching and waiting.
Look, Anderson is not exactly lighting up the league. He is currently outside the Top 20 in passing yards with only 587 yards in 4 games, not even 200 per game. And his 5:2 TD:INT ratio is fine, but hardly staggering. His rating is only 76, which puts him 20th of the league’s 28 starters. But he is winning, and that seems to be enough for Coach Andrus, whose focus all offseason was to put together a team that could win with defense, a solid run game, and a QB who managed the offense without self-inflicted wounds. Anderson is doing that, and he is getting help. The combination of rookie DeMarco Murray and veteran Kevin Smith has accounted for 302 yards rushing, with James Jackson adding another 75 on limited carries. He has gotten balanced help from Steve Smith, Aurelious Benn, and Javon Walker. Now, we do think eventually Steve Smith, who has quite a bit of “prima donna” in him, will start to ask for more than just 6 targets per game, and he certainly would love to take advantage of Young’s cannon arm over Anderson’s more dink & dunk sensibility, but for now the safe path of short routes has been working.
It has also helped that Andrus’s defense is keeping Ohio in every game. They have held all 4 foes to 19 points or fewer, keeping them pretty much in every game until the end. Can they keep this up? We are not sure. They have some tough matchups in the weeks ahead, starting with a road trip to Texas and early MVP candidate Joe Flacco. But until they start showing signs of fading, we may not get to see Vince Young doing much more than holding a clipboard and cheering on the offense each week.
Three Way Trade Moves 2 QBs
We knew that the trade wire would start to see some action around this time. It always takes 3-4 weeks for teams to assess where they stand and to make a decision to make some moves to fix issues. It seem that an 0-4 start for Memphis, and some offensive concerns for Okland have kickstarted that willingness to deal. Add in Pittsburgh’s 3-headed QB situation, with Cody Pickett the clear starter and rookie Andy Dalton impressing in camp. That made former 1st round pick Pat White a third wheel, and one the Maulers were hoping to move to acquire some depth in other areas. It seems the Maulers found their deal, bringing in both the Invaders and Showboats to cobble together a 3-team deal.
Here are the basics. Pat White leaves Pittsburgh for Oakland. The Maulers also part with FB John Kuhn, who goes to Memphis along with a 4th round pick in the 2012 draft. In return Pittsburgh gets Oakland DE Aaron Schobel, Memphis FB Patrick DeMarco and a 5th round pick from the Showboats. The Maulers would then add free agent QB Tee Martin, the former Seattle Dragon, to fill the emergency QB spot.
For Oakland, they get White, who is a QB in the mold of Joey Harrington and who would likely move right into the #2 spot. They also pick up a 3rd rounder from Memphis in the deal. To replace Schobel, Oakland also picks up free agent DE Jamaal Anderson.
Finally, Memphis comes away with former Oakland backup Bob Volek, Mauler FB John Kuhn, and Pittsburgh’s 4th rounder. Sitting with 4 QBs, the Showboats opt to cut veteran Kelly Holcomb.
So, who wins in this deal? Well, we like DeMarco as an upgrade for Pittsburgh’s run game. He is not much of a receiver out of the backfield, but he is outstanding at the point of attack, something the Mauler run game could use. Memphis gets a veteran backup who could help mentor young Ryan Mallett, and whose pocket passing style is a good model for Mallett. Oakland gets a QB to back up Harrington who also emulates the style of the former Oregon Duck. Pat White had the talent to be a legitimate #1 pick, but never was able to work past Cody Pickett in Pittsburgh. With Dennis Green and the Invaders, he is going to be able to show how his pass-run duality can help the team. He is unlikely to unseat Harrington as the starter this year, but could see some action as Harrington has had injury issues in recent seasons. So, can we really call this a win-win-win? Maybe, just maybe.
A big hit for the Thunder as #1 receiver Marty Booker is out for at least 6-8 weeks after breaking a bone in the ball of his right foot. The receiver made a catch and immediately fell to the ground, eventually hoping off the field without putting the foot down. X-rays confirmed that it was a clean break, but one that essentially forces Booker to spend at least a month without putting weight on the foot.
Michigan got mixed news, good that DE Jevon Kearse’s knee injury was not an ACL or MCL tear, but bad that it was significant enough for doctors to set a 4-6 week recovery period. Jacksonville is in a similar situation, with star LB Mike Vrabel expected to miss at least a month with a broken wrist suffered in their loss to Charlotte. Nashville is concerned about WR Robert Meachem, whose dislocated shoulder came out of joint again in practice this week, prompting doctors to recommend at least a 2-week hiatus.
Others who look to be out this week or are listed as Doubtful include Baltimore C Melvin Fowler, Atlanta CB Ricky Manning, NJ linebacker Donterrious Thomas, St. Louis safety Kendrick Lewis, and Ohio WR Steve Smith. QB Ben Roethlisberger is listed as Questionable after suffering a concussion, but he has stated to the media that he expects to play.
Class of 2011 Hall of Fame Nominees Named
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the semifinalists for the Class of 2011 Hall of Fame. Once again there will be as many as 6 entrants in this year’s class, with up to 5 selected from the current pool of 2001-2006 retirees, while the Legacy Committee will put forward one nominee from earlier periods of the USFL as their Legacy Hall of Famer. While we will not know who that legacy candidate will be until the announcement of the Class of 2011 in about 2 months, we do know the 10 candidates for the 5 open slots this year. As is pretty typical, the pool is split between 1st year nominees who retired in 2006 and those in their 2nd-5th year of eligibility.
So, who are the favorites this year? Well, we have a 3-time Champion head coach, a record-holding QB, and a controversial player still trying to get recognized in his third year of eligibility. Here, in the order of the chances we believe each candidate has, are the 10 Semifinalists
Head Coach Jim Mora Sr (PHI 83-89, OAK 96-97, MEM 98-06): We think the former leader of the Philadelphia Stars, Oakland Invaders, and Memphis Showboats is about as close to a shoe-in as any non-player can be. Mora is certainly on a par with current Hall of Famers Steve Spurrier, Jim Stanley, Dick Vermeil and Sam Rutigliano. With two titles in Philly and then another with the Showboats, there is no doubt that Mora has had a huge impact on the league and on the franchises he has led. In a career that spanned 18 seasons, Jim Mora Sr amassed 153 wins to go with his three rings. If that does not qualify him as a first ballot HOF Coach, we are not sure what does.
QB Heath Shuler (MEM 94-06): Twelve seasons with the Showboats included a title in 1999, a season that also won him the league MVP and the Playoff MVP for a very nice trifecta. But Shuler was not a one year wonder. Over his 13 seasons in the league, the former Tennessee Volunteer, playing in the state where he first attained fame, would throw for nearly 42,000 yards, and retired with a whopping 309 touchdowns to his name. He was an All-USFL selection 6 times and remains tied to the game as an announcer for ABC broadcasts, though there are rumors he is looking at a run for Congress as well.
LB Mo Lewis (JAX 91-94, ATL 95-01, LA 02-05): The first of the returning candidates and the one we think to be most deserving. Mo Lewis struggled to place in a field last year that included DeMetrius Dubose, Pat Swilling, and Lamar Lathon, but that does not mean that the 16-year veteran is not worthy of a place in the Hall. Lewis was a 5-time All-USFL selection, retiring with over 1,200 tackles in his long and illustrious career. The biggest knock on Lewis is that he played on some pretty bad teams, but, in his defense, he was often the one diamond found in the rough, especially in those brutal years of the first Atlanta Fire expansion franchise. We think that in this year’s less-LB heavy pool, Lewis will get the recognition he deserves.
QB Mark Brunell (DEN 95-05): We are still not sure how Brunell did not get in last year. Yes, an 11-year tenure is somewhat shorter than several other HOF QB’s but it is hardly a flash in the pan. He did, after all, bring Denver their first and only title to date after years of futility. Healso threw for nearly 38,000 yards and had 269 TDs while being one of the most accurate passers in the game year in and year out.
CB Philippi Sparks (ARZ 92-06): Another really good player who was often on really bad teams. Sparks’s 15 year career saw him make the All-USFL team twice, garner 32 career picks, and 5 defensive TDs. Known as a ballhawk who had great after-the-pick instincts, Sparks was also a very solid tackler, amassing 1,067 career tackles for the Wranglers. He may not be the first name you think of when you picture USFL corners in the 90’s and early 00’s, but he should be in the conversation.
LB Kevin Hardy (STL 96-04, ARZ 05): A 3-time All-USFL selection, we don’t see Hardy getting in over Mo Lewis, but we could imagine both getting the nod. Hardy played nearly his entire career for St. Louis, helping the Knights develop a repuation as one of the most consistent and aggressive defenses in the league. He retired in 2004 only to revoke the papers and play one more year in Arizona. When he retired after that extra season he had 823 tackles and 35 sacks to his name.
DE John Copeland (BIR 93-97, SEA 98, OHI 99-01, TBY 02-06): For a player with his talent, it is surprising how much Copeland moved around, playing with 4 different franchises over his 14 year career. He obtained a ring in his first year in the league, helping Birmingham win a title. He would never attain that level of success again, but his long career was not without its highlights. He retired with 102 career sacks, including 5 seasons with double digit sack totals. And check this out, he appeared in 208 USFL games, starting every single one. That is rare for an edge rusher, as they so often end up either starting or ending their careers in a platoon system.
WR Cedric Tillman (STL 92-94, BIR 95-98, MGN 99, OHI 00, JAX 01, HOU 02, WSH 03-05, NOR 06) If we thought John Copeland moved around, he has nothing on Cedric Tillman. The lanky deep route specialist played with 8 teams in 15 seasons, including a stretch from 1998-2003 when he played with a different team each year. Retiring with 632 catches and 9,742 yards in 2006, Tillman was an All-USFL selection in 2006, his final year in the league and his only year with New Orleans.
HB Rashaan Salaam (DEN 95-01, OAK 03-04): On pure talent alone, or on offensive production, Salaam should be a Hall of Famer. The numbers are there. 3-time All-USFL, 2000 Playoff MVP and Champion, five 1,000 yard seasons, 72 touchdowns and nearly 9,000 yards rushing. But, as we have seen the past 2 seasons, the voters are not yet over the issues that surrounded his post championship “celebration’ and the subsequent 1-year suspension. That lost year, and the utterly ridiculous actions that caused it are likely to still hang around him as voters take a third look at the halfback, because if they did not, he would be in the Hall already.
P Chris Mohr (JAX 89-03): If there were a punter Hall of Fame, Mohr would be in without question, and could even be on the punter Mt. Rushmore, but in a football Hall of Fame it is just so hard for any specialist, much less a punter, to get the attention his skills merit. Could Mohr become the first punter to make the Hall? We have to say that it seems unlikely. It is just such a hard position to rank over the other stars who come up each year as eligible.
So, form this pool we think Mora and Shuler are almost assured a spot, we would take Lewis, Brunell and Sparks next, but there may be some movement towards Hardy as well. Whether any of the others, including Salaam, can work their way into more votes, well, that remains to be seen.
LATE NFL SIGNEES SHOULD SEE ACTION IN WEEK 5
If news out of each team’s facilities are to be believed, then this may be the week that we see the last few NFL players make their USFL debuts. The later NFL-USFL Transfer Window signees have been with their teams 2-3 weeks now and we expect them to be activated from the practice squad, and very possibly moved into key rotational positions or even given the start. Of the 4 big-name players signed late, we do expect Philadelphia to work Drayton Florence in as the Nickel this week. Very much the same could happen with Danieal Manning in Chicago. We think Oakland will mix Roman Harper in at Free Safety, but he could have limited snaps in his first game with the club. The final member of the quartet is wideout Legedu Naanee, whose role with the Thunder could be expanded quickly due to the injury to Marty Booker, an injury which will cause Las Vegas to shift its receivers and their roles.
Finally, the one NFL import we are all still waiting for, QB Vince Young, has been active the past 2 weeks, but has not seen game action. It seems that Ohio is going to stick with Dereck Anderson, who has led them to a 3-1 start. What that means for Young as he awaits his shot is pretty clear, 2nd man up until and unless Anderson starts to falter or the team stops producing results.
Week five may well be a week of desperation for some clubs. New Jersey, Memphis, and New Orleans are all on the road and all trying to get their first win. At least Chicago is at home, where they face the division-leading Maulers in what will be a tough matchup. The week opens with Oakland and Atlanta facing off, both hoping a win gets them on track to make some noise.
Maybe the best matchup in the week is Tampa Bay visiting Charlotte. The Bandits knocked off 3-1 Charlotte earlier this year, so now the Monarchs are hoping to even the score at home and knock Tampa Bay from the list of unbeatens. The league’s other unbeaten, Arizona, is at home again, and this time they have the defending league champions, Houston on the docket. That will be a real test for the Wranglers, especially because Houston certainly does not want to drop below .500. One more game to catch is Seattle at LA. Both are sitting at 2-2 and both feel they can make a run at Las Vegas for the Pacific Division, so this game could help us decide which of the two to take seriously.
FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Oakland (1-3) @ Atlanta (2-2) NBC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET New Jersey (0-4) @ Baltimore (2-2) ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Memphis (0-4) @ Washington (3-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Birmingham (3-1) @ Orlando (2-2) FOX
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Jacksonville (2-2) @ Las Vegas (3-1) ABC
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Houston (2-2) @ Arizona (4-0) FOX
SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Tampa Bay (4-0) @ Charlotte (3-1) ESPN
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET New Orleans (0-4) @ Philadelphia (2-2) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Nashville (3-1) @ St Louis (2-2) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Portland (2-2) @ Michigan (1-3) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Seattle (2-2) @ Los Angeles (2-2) ABC
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Ohio (3-1) @ Texas (2-2) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Boston (1-3) @ Denver (2-2) FOX
SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Pittsburgh (3-1) @ Chicago (0-4) EFN