Twelve weeks down, four to go, the ¾ mark of the season, and as of yet we have no teams clinched for playoff spots, though there are a few on the cusp. Washington, St. Louis and Charlotte are all right there. And while the week did not lock in any playoff spots, we did see teams removed from the hunt with 3 Eastern Conference teams now mathematically eliminated, Memphis, Boston, and Orlando. It was also a week that saw a bad season take a turn for the weird as Jake Locker, already ruled out due to a groin pull, somehow convinced Coach Fox to let him practice, and made matters much worse, now landing on IR with a groin tear. There is a lesson in there somewhere. We kick off our coverage of Week 12 with our game of the week between the Houston Gamblers and the Washington Federals, but we will cover all the action and all the news of the past week, including the first coaching change announced.
HOUSTON GAMBLERS 24 WASHINGTON FEDERALS 29
The sign of a true contender is not that they always win easily, but that when their backs are up against the wall, they find a way to work their way out of trouble and get what they need to win. That was certainly the situation this week as Washington tussled with the Houston Gamblers and found themselves behind in the 4th. They overcame the deficit, made the plays they needed, and surged to victory in the final minute of action, and in doing so, all but guaranteed themselves a trip to the postseason.
Houston came into this game at 6-5, ready to put .500 behind them and make a late surge in the SW Division. Washington, winners of 6 in a row, were atop the NE and hoping to put more space between themselves and their division rivals. Both clubs were motivated and both felt a win this week was essential.
Houston won the toss and opted to take the ball first, hoping to set a tone on their opening drive. While not a smooth drive by any measure, it would prove to be a productive one, as Houston survived 2 separate false start penalties but managed to move the ball methodically down the field, capping the drive off with a Roy Williams TD catch on a beautiful back shoulder throw from Matt Hasselbeck.
Washington’s start was not as productive, a 3-and-out on their first drive, then a field goal to get on the board with their second. They would add a second field goal at the start of the 2nd quarter and cut the margin to 7-6 Houston. The Gamblers would also find more points through their kicker, Dan Carpenter, and would go up 10-6 at the midway point of the quarter.
The game would go into the half with Washington up 13-10 thanks to a 12-play drive that ended with Rod Smart going off-tackle from the 4 and finding paydirt. The Feds would then build that lead to 16-10 in the third thanks to a 3rd Shayne Graham field goal. But, back to back drives from Houston quickly rewrote the script.
The first of the drives took only 2:22 off the clock in the third, as Shaun Alexander busted out a 31-yard run to get the Gamblers into scoring position, and then Hasselbeck hit Ike Hilliard from 22 yards out to flip the game and put Houston up 17-16. They would expand on that lead early in the 4th, when, following a nice 4th down stop that saw Deuce McCallister stuffed in the backfield, Houston went on a second quick strike drive, ending with TE Vernon David bringing in Hasselbeck’s third TD pass of the game, another pinpoint throw, this time from 16 yards out. Washington was now down 8 with just over 10 minutes to play.
But, the Federals have been in their share of scraps in recent weeks, and they did not panic. It would take only 4:27 for Washington to get in a position to tie the game, driving down the field in 8 plays, and finishing off the 4th quarter drive with a Garrard TD toss to Darnerien McCants. Down 2, they went for the offensive play to tie the score, but Houston held and left Washington still trailing 24-22 with 6:57 left to play. They would need to count on their defense to get them the ball back with enough time to get into field goal range.
The Washington D stepped up, stuffing Alexander on first down, disrupting Matt Hasselbeck’s throwing motion with a glancing hit on 2nd, and then former Denver Gold CB Jimmy Williams breaking up a third down throw to Hilliard to force Houston to give the ball back with only 45 seconds off the clock. The Feds would take over after a solid punt, backed up to their own 11. They would rely on short passes from Garrard to move the ball, a swing route to McCallister, a curl to TE Kellen Davis, a slant to Bryant Johnson. With Deion Branch on the sideline nursing an earlier injury, they needed to be diverse in their approach, and be patient enough to take what Houston’s zone defense would give them.
With just over 1 minute to play, the Federals hit on a big play as a missed tackle allowed Bryant Johnson to slip away from the corner and gain an additional 12 yards. That play put the ball on the Houston 22, and with time to play with, the strategy turned from securing a winning field goal, to putting the ball in the endzone, but with as little time left on the clock as possible. Houston still had timeouts so the Feds could not kill the entire game, but they could slow play the final minute by hammering the ball with McCallister.
In two plays, Washington killed 28 seconds and forced Houston to use their 2nd timeout. They also got the ball to the 8, but faced a decision. Continue to pound the rock into the line and then send out Graham, or use the threat of the run to force Houston into single coverage. The Feds went for the more daring, but more advantageous play. In heavy formation they faked run, and Houston bit. That left TE Tony Jackson, a rarely used receiver, wide open in the endzone, and Garrard tossed him an easy lob that produced 6 points with only 22 seconds left on the clock. The Feds would go up 29-24 after the kick, and with only 1 time out left, Houston would be in desperation time.
The Gamblers would try a hook & ladder on their lone offensive play, but after a successful lateral from Hilliard to Kerley, the slot receiver tried to juke when he should have gone out of bounds and safety Ed Reed made him pay, locking him up around the knee and dragging him down in bounds. Houston had no options, and the clock ticked down to triple zeroes. The Feds had found their way to victory and with that became the first 10-win team in the league this season. Houston would be back at .500 once again, and would have to try again to get the upper hand next week in a key matchup against the rival Outlaws.
NEW JERSEY 23 PHILADELPHIA 20
New Jersey roared back after going down 20-7 at the half. They owned the second half with a 16-0 run that included a safety and the game winner with 31 seconds left as Bradford connected with TE John Carlson for a goal line score with no timeouts left. New Jersey pulls even with Philly for 2nd place with the win.
CHICAGO 11 BIRMINGHAM 28
Cam Newton throws for 2 scores and scores on a 67-yard run for a third as the Stallions stay alive with a big home victory. Michael Turner was held to only 39 yards rushing and Randy Moss caught 7 balls for 104 and a score as the Stallions rolled.
OAKLAND 20 OHIO 16
Ohio continues to play teams tough but again falls short as Oakland gets the only points of the 4th quarter with a Ryan Williams TD catch. Greg Jennings caught 8 passes for 100 yards and a score and the defense knocked Terrelle Pryor out of the game, forcing Ohio to go with 3rd string option Tony Pike.
PORTLAND 17 TEXAS 31
The Outlaws move to 9-3 with some home cooking as both Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston go over 100 yards receiving and each score. Luke McCown looked very comfortable, going 17 of 26 for 363 yards despite being sacked 4 times. Ryan Fitzpatrick also looked good, completing 22 of 28, but just could not get points on the board when needed.
LOS ANGELES 18 LAS VEGAS 9
A big upset in the Pacific and a game that the Express absolutely needed as they try to salvage their season. Jake Plummer got rattled by constant pressure and the Express put together a decent run game (112 yards between Rice and McClain) against the usually stingy Thunder defense. The only TD of the game was a Sanchez TD pass to newly acquired Jerrel Jerrigan (brought in with the Moss trade.)
TAMPA BAY 23 ATLANTA 30
The Bandits came close, but in the end, Atlanta pulled this one out, thanks in part to 3 Bandit turnovers. The Fire used three backs (McFadden, Betts, and Arrington) to rack up 120 yards rushing, and Tampa shot themselves in the foot with 2 picks, a fumble lost, and 10 penalties.
JACKSONVILLE 7 ORLANDO 13
The Renegades finally get back in the win column as they shut down a flat Bulls team. Knowshon Moreno led all rushers with 77 yards and TE Ben Watson caught the winning TD from Eli as Orlando snaps an 8-game losing streak in front of only 21,530 fans, many of whom with the telltale sign of an angry fanbase, the bag over the head look.
SEATTLE 7 CHARLOTTE 23
The Monarchs moved to 9-3 with a pretty routine win over a struggling Seattle team. Jake Delhomme threw for 2 scores and the defense held Seattle to only 57 yards rushing as Charlotte held onto sole possession of first place in the SE Division. Rookie Richard Sherman picked off Leftwich twice for his best week of the season.
MEMPHIS 10 NASHVILLE 13
A lackluster and sloppy rivalry game between these two Mid-South opponents, but in the end, Nashville got the win they needed to stay 1 game behind New Orleans in the South. Ryan Mallett completed only 14 of 40 throws, while Peyton Manning got his first win in the USFL with a 26 of 41 day that saw him connect with HB Montario Hardesty for the lone Knight TD of the game.
NEW ORLEANS 18 PITTSBURGH 14
A big confidence booster for the Breakers as they upended the Maulers in Pittsburgh, sending the home team to 6-6 after 12 weeks. Down 14-0 after one quarter, the Breakers shifted gears, shutting out Pittsburgh the rest of the way and then chipping away at the lead. Two Brandon LaFell TD catches helped New Orleans steal a road win and return to .500 atop the Southern Division.
BALTIMORE 27 BOSTON 13
An ugly scene in Boston as the small crowd of only 14,047 got rowdy and ugly as the Cannons lost to Baltimore. More than 30 arrests, and damage to sections of Alumni Stadium infuriate BC leaders, forcing a decision by the Cannons to relocate their final home game against Texas to avoid an even worse scene. On the field, Boston was just not competitive, giving up 27 straight points after an early 7-0 start.
MICHIGAN 10 DENVER 43
Denver makes a statement (and in a bad way so does Michigan), with their best offensive game of the year, pulling the Gold back to .500 and setting up a potential Wild Card run. Maurice Hicks rushed for 92 yards and 3 scores, and Peerless Price added another as the Gold roll over Michigan. Brian Griese was sacked 4 times, threw two picks, and suffered a safety in a bad day all around for the veteran QB.
ST. LOUIS 30 ARIZONA 27
A really fun game to end the week as St. Louis survives a scare in Glendale and edges the Wranglers. Josh Freeman throws for 307 and 2 scores while Antowain Smith grinds out 91 yards as the Skyhawks survive a late Wrangler rally and put up the winning score with only 15 seconds left in the game. St. Louis now enjoys a 3-game lead in the Central with only 4 left to play.
Locker Turns Minor to Major with Practice Injury
Boston QB Jake Locker turned a 1-week injury into an IR situation by refusing to miss practice and turning a groin pull into a tear. Clearly concerned that missing any games would jeopardize his tenuous hold over a starting job for the Cannons, Jake Locker made things much worse by insisting on practicing with the team on Thursday before the Cannon’s home game against Baltimore. Despite being visibly impacted by his groin injury, he was allowed to take part in 7-on-7 drills and went down to the ground in pain with what team physicians confirmed was a tear in the same groin muscle that had caused coaches to bench him for the Week 12 action. The club put him on IR a day later, ending his season, and perhaps his time with the club. Rumors have the new ownership looking to pivot and hoping to land a veteran QB to take over when the team begins play in Dallas next year.
Leftwich Lost for Final Month with MCL Injury
Seattle’s season has not gone as planned and now, with one month left and the team looking very much like a Top 5 drafting squad, news that Byron Leftwich’s injury in this week’s loss will keep him out for the rest of the regular season. Leftwich’s knee injury was determined to be an MCL injury. While doctors believe he could have returned for Week 16, the Dragons have opted to shutter his season, hoping that he will use the time to heal and to focus on 2012.
Seattle does not have a lot of options behind Leftwich, having traded Chris Weinke to Texas only a couple of weeks ago. Alex Brink will get the start in Week 13, and they have Dan Orlovsky, a sweetener in the Weinke trade, but neither has seen much action in regular season games. The Dragons have since signed veteran backup Seneca Wallace off of the free agent list, and honestly, we could see Wallace get a start by season’s end. Leftwich is expected to be back next year, of course. He is only 31 and has 2 more years on his contract, but some in Seattle are wondering if he might have been traded this offseason to go in a new direction, especially with the story about Marvin Lewis leaving the club coming out this week.
Orlando Snaps 8 Game Losing Streak, But…
Despite a victory over in-state rival Jacksonville this week, the story out of Orlando may be that it is much too little and far too late for Head Coach Emmitt Thomas. The former Mauler coach, now in his 8th season with the Renegades is rumored to be on the chopping block and could be dismissed even before ethe season ends.
Orlando was expected to compete for a division title in the very tough SE Division, but after wins over the Bulls and Bandits in the season’s first 3 weeks, the club then went on to lose for 8 straight weeks. This despite having no significant injuries for most of that span and despite having perhaps the most dominant defensive player in the league in Calais Campbell. Ownership seems particularly displeased with the way Coach Thomas has been utilizing, or not utilizing QB Eli Manning, who came over from New Orleans in trade 2 years ago and has simply been ineffective in Thomas’s system.
News could come at any time that Thomas has been let go, though certainly the win over Jacksonville this past week might buy him some time until Black Monday. The Renegades are home again next week with New Orleans in town and have a game against Memphis in two weeks that could be the decider. If Orlando loses to the 2-10 Showboats, that may trigger the hook with 2 weeks left in the season, otherwise, Thomas may last until the season ends in Tampa Bay before what seems an inevitable pink slip comes his way.
Federals Win 7th in a Row
Washington’s victory over Houston is their 7th in a row and puts them in the driver’s seat for the number 1 seed, controlling their own destiny the rest of the way. With the top-rated scoring defense, giving up barely 13 points a game, and an offense averaging 24 points per game, the Feds seem primed for a deep playoff run.
Over their 7-game win streak, Washington has been nearly unstoppable, winning most games pulling away. While the game against Houston was closer than most, the Feds again proved that they can win in a myriad of ways. They will need to mix it up down the stretch as they have some key games in their final month, starting with a road tilt in Tampa Bay this week, then a huge divisional game against the Stars, another tough road game in Texas, and finally a season finale against Charlotte that could determine who gets home field throughout the playoffs.
Marvin Lewis to Step Down
While not official just yet, we have confirmed information from within the Seattle Dragon organization that Marvin Lewis, head coach of the Dragons, will step down after this, his 10th season with the club. Lewis came to Seattle in 2003 and took them to the playoffs in his very first season. He would make regular trips there, making the postseason in each of his first 6 seasons and winning the Summer Bowl with a surprising playoff run in 2005. But, despite his initial success with the club, he has not been able to top 7 wins in each of the past 3 seasons and now is on pace for a potential 10-loss season this year.
Lewis could be a hot commodity for another team if he is interested, as his record as a motivator and his pretty solid 78-65 record with the Dragons will make him attractive to any number of teams. Whether he wants to jump right back into the fire with another team, or perhaps take a year or two to recalibrate as a TV analyst, that will be up to him, but by all accounts, the season finale at Chicago will be his final game with the Dragons.
Memphis Gives Vote of Confidence to 1st Year Coach Brad Childress
The Memphis Showboat ownership has assured local media that despite a pretty horrendous 2-10 season to date, they have no intention of making Brad Childress a one-and-done coach. In interviews with local press, team representatives have stated that Childress will be back for a second season, continuing his 3-year deal, and that the goal of the team is to provide their coach with the roster he needs to find success.
Childress took over a Memphis squad that that went 6-10 in 2011 and had a serious question at QB after the signing of rookie Ryan Mallett produced pretty subpar results. Mallett has had an even worse second season under offensive-minded Childress, as he has missed 2 games due to injury, but also seen his QB Rating, yards per game, and completion percentage all drop in his second year. He was not helped by the season-ending injury to lead back Cadillac Williams, but that excuse likely will not keep Memphis from looking for other options this offseason.
Just how long the Showboats (and their fans) will wait to see if Childress can turn the ship around is unknown, but after a season that could well land Memphis with the first overall pick in the Open Draft, there is going to be an expectation that 2013 will bring more success, and, perhaps, a better option at QB.
With four weeks to go, we have some cusp teams but no one has yet crossed the threshold into playoff territory. Washington sits at 10-2 with the best record in the league and a 2-game advantage over both the Stars and Generals, but with 4 games left even the division title is not secured. Texas is in the best position from that standpoint, sitting at 9-3 with the closest division rivals at 6-6. St.Louis also looks very solid with a 3 game lead over the 6-6 Maulers. The other races are closer, with Charlotte only up one game on Atlanta and facing a tough Week 13 matchup on the West Coast in Oakland. The Invaders are also up only 1 game over their closest division rival, Las Vegas, so a win against the Monarchs would be huge for them.
In the Wild Card race, Philly, Atlanta, and New Jersey are all in the mix at 8-4, but Balitmore is only a game back, and Tampa Bay still very much a factor at 6-6. In the West, Las Vegas sits at 7-5 and hopes to make a play on Oakland for the division. Behind the Thunder are 4 teams all at 6-6 and with only 2 more Wild Card berths out there, two of them are unlikely to get a shot. Right now Houston and Portland have the tie breakers, but with a lot of divisional and intra-conference games left on the schedule, that can change a lot, giving hope Denver and Pittsburgh. And, let’s not forget that at 5-7 Chicago, LA, and Arizona are only 1 game out, so they are not dead yet.
There are three clubs that are done, Memphis, Orlando, and Boston, as the math does not work out for them any longer. Seattle and the 4-8 Glory and Panthers are still mathematically alive, but the odds do not look good at this point. And so we head into Week 13, where we expect at least 1 club to finally lock up that sweet playoff energy.
In addition to the self-induced injury to QB Jake Locker, and Seattle shuttering Byron Leftwich’s season after his MCL injury, we did see more players join the IR this week. In fact, it was our largest IR addition list of the season. Though, we must admit, It does not take much when a 4-week injury all but ends a player’s season. Here is the new list, with a lot of familiar names on it.
INJURY RESERVE
Dre Moore DT BAL Quad
James Brewer OT BAL Achilles
Omar Bolden CB OHI Quad
Anthony Weaver DE CHI ACL
Jake Locker QB BOS Groin
Heath Miller TE WSH Quad
Sam Hurd WR HOU ACL
Byron Leftwich QB SEA MCL
OUT
Santana Moss WR NOR Abdomen 2-4 Weeks
Solomon Page G LA Back 2-4 Weeks
Cedrick Cobbs HB HOU Concussion 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
Chad Johnson WR LV Concussion
QUESTIONABLE
Antonio Smith DE MEM Toe
Deion Branch WR WSH Hamstring
Rey Maualaga LB CHA Pinched Nerve
Cannons to relocate Final “Home” Game After Ugly Events at Alumni Stadium
It was not a pretty scene this week as the Boston Cannons hosted their penultimate game at Alumni Stadium. Attendance was low, barely 14,000 showed up, but those that did made a spectacle of themselves. After several fights broke out, security was tightened, but with more than 40 arrests, and with significant damage to the facility (everything from tagging to ripping up seats) the Cannons had to face the reality that holding their final home game, and a game against a Texas team (the Outlaws) would be a security nightmare.
As per their contract, Boston College will be charging the Cannons for all damages to Alumni Stadium, and it was clear that officials from the Jesuit university were not at all pleased by what they saw on Sunday as drunken and belligerent Bostonians took their frustration about the teams’ sale and relocation to Dallas out on the stadium, their staff, and the team in general. At least 22 people required medical attention at the stadium, and there is an estimated $300,000 in damages, largely from the removal of seats and damage to fencing.
Boston has their final home game scheduled for Week 15, and they have already announced that they have opted to relocate the game to avoid potential violence. While they have not officially decided on a location yet, outreach has occurred to both fellow USFL clubs and to several universities, including Cincinnati, Louisville, and Akron. It appears that the Cannons are hoping to keep the game in the North to avoid a heavy Texas crowd but has abandoned New England altogether out of fear that fans will travel to any regional stadium to cause more trouble. This is, of course, exactly what the league did not want to see with the relocation of the Cannons to Dallas. It seems very likely that any future relocation votes the league may have will now be limited to the offseason to avoid this kind of localized backlash which gives the league a black eye.
SAN DIEGO & OKLAHOMA CITY INVESTORS APPROACH USFL ABOUT LAS VEGAS
We mention relocation because there are still several investment groups looking very seriously at trying to woo a current USFL club to their city. With the news about serious financial concerns surrounding the Las Vegas Thunder, as well as a perception that both Chicago and Nashville were open to negotiations with the Dallas group, there is very much a sense that the time is now for these potential expansion cities to consider purchase and relocation as a better option.
Two of the investment groups, one representing San Diego, and one affiliated with the new stadium being built in Oklahoma City, have reportedly approached the USFL to ask about the Las Vegas situation. Could they be willing to bail out the Thunder in exchange for a shift of venue? That would be a complex and seemingly unlikely scenario when one considers that the entire issue of Thunder financial capacity is tied to a new stadium already under construction in Sin City. The league is certainly not going to be open to the idea of building a Las Vegas domed stadium and then selling off the Las Vegas franchise.
An alternative is for an investment group to essentially bid funding to support the Las Vegas project as part of a package to obtain a club from another city, essentially a very costly “sweetener” to make the deal more palatable if a club like Chicago or Nashville were open to relocate. The league would avoid the added costs of covering a portion of Las Vegas’s commitment to the stadium, and in return the vote to relocate another franchise might be fast-tracked. This too feels like a far-fetched concept, as the purchase price for any USFL franchise is already going to be significant, without adding on additional millions to help prop up a Las Vegas franchise that is legally committed to funding a portion of the new stadium.
And yet, the reality is that there are cities and investors scrambling to join the USFL and there appear to be current owners willing to not only sell off their investment in a USFL franchise but risk the public backlash of having their team abandon a city and anger a fanbase. As the USFL investigates the finances within the Las Vegas Thunder investment group, and with more stadium costs on the horizon, the temptation to take another option, especially one that would bring revenue into the league, grows more and more feasible.
Looking ahead to Week 13 and the start of our 4-week sprint to playoff football, we kick off on Friday with a game that looked like a good one back in February but may be a potential mismatch as 1st place Las Vegas heads to last place Seattle in a Pacific Clash.
On Saturday, we have some teams trying to stay alive and some hoping to clinch. The most intense game of the day is likely to be Texas at Houston, but don’t count out Charlotte @ Oakland or Denver @ Portland, where 2 teams at 6-6 are both on the fringe of Wild Card elimination.
Sunday brings us a nice NE Division clash between the Blitz and the Stars, a battle that could end one team’s dream of a division title as neither 5-7 Nashville nor 5-7 Birmingham can afford to lose this one with both 1 game behind the Breakers and a Wild Card already pretty much out of the question. We also have a similar situation in the West, where two more 5-7 clubs, Arizona and LA, will clash in the desert. Loser is likely done. Finally, Pittsburgh, sitting at 6-6 and at risk of missing the playoffs entirely, must get a win at home against the hottest team in the division, the St. Louis Skyhawks.
FRIDAY @ 8PM ET LAS VEGAS (7-5) @ SEATTLE (3-9) NBC
SAT @ 12PM ET NEW ORLEANS (6-6) @ ORLANDO (3-9) ABC
SAT @ 12PM ET ATLANTA (8-4) @ JACKSONVILLE (5-7) ABC
SAT @ 12PM ET WASHINGTON (10-2) @ TAMPA BAY (6-6) FOX
SAT @ 4PM ET DENVER (6-6) @ PORTLAND (6-6) ABC
SAT @ 4PM ET CHARLOTTE (9-3) @ OAKLAND (8-4) FOX
SAT @ 8PM ET TEXAS (9-3) @ HOUSTON (6-6) ESPN/EFN
SUN @ 12PM ET BALTIMORE (7-5) @ PHILADELPHIA (8-4) ABC
SUN @ 12PM ET BOSTON (3-9) @ NEW JERSEY (8-4) FOX
SUN @ 12PM ET MEMPHIS (2-10) @ OHIO (4-8) FOX
SUN @ 4PM ET NASHVILLE (5-7) @ BIRMINGHAM (5-7) ABC
SUN @ 4PM ET CHICAGO (5-7) @ MICHIGAN (4-8) ABC
SUN @ 4PM ET LOS ANGELES (5-7) @ ARIZONA (5-7) FOX
SUN @ 8PM ET ST. LOUIS (9-3) @ PITTSBURGH (6-6) ESPN/EFN
Barely any USFL teams in northeast. No team in NYC. :(