We will have a first time USFL Champion. That is the result when you have two first time franchises battling it out in the Summer Bowl, and that is what we will have after the Baltimore Blitz and Texas Outlaws earned a chance to play for the title in this week’s Conference Title Games. While technically this will be the Blitz’s 2nd trip to the Summer Bowl, it will be the first for the city of Baltimore, as the Blitz appeared in a title game in 1986 when they represented Chicago. Either way, the league champion will be a new one as Texas has never appeared in a Summer Bowl game. The Outlaws got there by outpacing a very game Michigan squad, while Baltimore needed to turn to defense as the Atlanta Fire did as much as anyone has in recent weeks to slow down Ben Roethlisberger and the Blitz offense. We will recap how both teams got to Summer Bowl 2014, preview the Game of the Summer, and update you on all the league news, including a very difficult decision from one USFL star to call it a career. All right here, so don’t go anywhere.
ATLANTA FIRE 17 BALTIMORE BLITZ 20
The Blitz will be making their first Summer Bowl appearance since moving from Chicago to Baltimore in 1987 after knocking off the Atlanta Fire in front of a very excited 55,672 at M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday. In a tightly contested game between the 4 and 6 seeds, Baltimore built up a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter and survived a late surge from the Fire to lock up the Eastern Conference title, their first ever, and send themselves to Atlanta, home to Summer Bowl 2014.
The Fire were hoping to represent the East in their home stadium next week, but fell just short as Baltimore got two 4th quarter scores to break a 10-10 tie and win their first conference title. The Fire did all they could to disrupt the Blitz’s dynamic offense, succeeding in causing some errors as Ben Roethlisberger uncharacteristically threw 3 picks in the game, but in the end, they could not generate enough offense to overtake the Blitz.
The game began with both defenses proving tough to crack. After a scoreless first quarter that saw Roethlisberger throw his first pick in 3 weeks, Atlanta finally found their way onto the scoreboard, with Kyle Orton connecting with veteran Jake Reed for a 23-yard touchdown. Baltimore responded with a field goal drive, their first foray into Atlanta territory in the game, but as the 2nd quarter ran down, Atlanta boosted their lead with their own 3-pointer in the final seconds to take a 10-7 lead into the break and keep the Baltimore fans a bit nervous through the halftime festivities.
The Third quarter saw Baltimore equalize the scoreboard as a very patient 15-play drive led to a 1-yard Anthony Dixon run for the Blitz’s first touchdown of the day. The Blitz survived an earlier pick by Atlanta’s Luke Kuechley, who would finish the game with 2 takeaways in an impressive outing. Now the Blitz were tied, and as the quarter ended, they were driving again. With the teams switching sides as the 4th began, Baltimore had driven inside the Atlanta 30, and just 1 minute into the final period, Big Ben found his breakout star, Darrius Heyward-Bey on a 14-yard corner route to take their first lead of the game.
Atlanta could not immediately respond, and when Baltimore added a 32-yard Nick Folk field goal on the next drive, the fans at M&T Bank Stadium started to celebrate a 10-point lead and a possible trip to the Summer Bowl. Atlanta would not go away quietly, however, and on their next drive they found the endzone as Orton connected on a slant route to slot receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Down only 3, but with just 1:38 left to play, the Fire tried an onside kick. Baltimore recovered, but with Atlanta still holding all 3 time outs, they needed to secure a first down to ensure the win.
Failing to gain more than 4 total yards on the first two downs, Coach Caldwell took a chance on 3rd and 6 from his own 44. He called a pass play. It was a logical call to get that first down, but it was a risky one too, and the risk came to fruition as Luke Kuechley found himself in the path of a ball headed over the middle. He lept up, tipped the ball and caught it, falling to the ground at the 50 and giving Atlanta a chance to get a game-tying field goal. Well, that was the plan at least. The problem was that they were still a solid 15 yards away from John Bounds’s realistic range. They would need to gain those yards quickly, as there were only 37 seconds left to play.
Forced to go to the air, Orton missed on the first down throw, then made a bad throw on 2nd down, forcing the ball into double coverage in an attempt to find Josh Reed. Baltimore was ready for it as the team’s top ballhawk, CB Nnambi Asomugha had safety support and was able to undercut the pass, bringing down Orton’s only pick of the day and allowing Baltimore fans to celebrate at last. The Blitz had held on, they were going to the Summer Bowl, and Baltimore had a reason to party.
MICHIGAN PANTHERS 27 TEXAS OUTLAWS 38
The question of who would face the upstart Blitz in the Summer Bowl was answered somewhat emphatically in the other Conference Title Game as Texas built up a 31-7 lead over 3 quarters and then coasted home to finish with a comfortable 11-point win over the Michigan Panthers. It was the Joe Flacco show in San Antonio as the Texas QB completed 14 of 19 passing for 240 yards, not huge numbers, but when 4 of those completions net 6 points apiece, that is a good day. Flacco found Brandon Marshall twice for scores and added one each for Marques Colston (the game’s only 100-yard receiver) and TE Bo Scaife. It was too much for Michigan to defend as they simply could not get their feet under themselves until they were forced to chase a large Texas lead.
The game began with a 10-play Texas drive that concluded with Marques Colston hauling in an 11-yard toss in traffic to put Texas up 7-0. Michigan responded with a long drive of their own, 13 plays and a Mike Hart 4-yard TD run, but that is the last they would see the endzone until the 4th quarter. In the meantime, Texas continued to demonstrate their offensive diversity, using Chris Johnson runs and a mix of play action and 3-wide passing to disrupt the Panther zone schemes. In the 2nd quarter a field goal and a TD toss of 26 yards to Brandon Marshall gave the homestanding Outlaws a 17-7 halftime advantage.
That advantage burgeoned to 31-7 thanks to back-to-back TD tosses from Flacco to Scaife and Marshall. With 5 minutes left in the 3rd, Michigan found itself down 24 points, unable to utilize LeVeon Bell as a weapon and forced to throw, throw, throw. The Panthers would add a field goal to end the 3rd, and then another to open the 4th, but three-points each drive would not be enough. When Texas added a goalline QB sneak for Flacco’s 5th TD of the day, the lead was 25 and the fans in the Alamodome started to celebrate their team’s first ever trip to a Summer Bowl. Michigan would add two late touchdowns to make the score a bit more respectable, but Texas never lost composure. They had this game won and they knew it, forcing Michigan to use up the clock on every drive.
The Outlaws celebrated in the dome as green and blue confetti rained down on them. The Outlaws, after nearly 30 years, would be participating in their first Summer Bowl. It would be Flacco vs. Roethlisberger in Atlanta for the USFL title, a game that provides all sort of firsts and all kinds of energy as two long-suffering fanbases gear up for a party in the Georgia heat of August.
Big Ben Wins MVP and Wants More
Last Night at the USFL’s Award Gala, Ben Roethlisberger was named MVP for the USFL’s 2014 season, but does not seem satisfied with the individual accolades. Big Ben was unable to attend the event live as he and the Blitz prepare for the Summer Bowl, but when interviewed this morning, he thanked the reporters and coaches who voted, but wanted to focus on his team and their goal to be the league champion. The numbers for Roethlisberger were undeniable. First in the league in yards passing, passing TDs and QB Rating, his 36:9 TD:INT ratio was the best of his career, as was his 118.5 QB Rating. He was quick to thank his coaches and his teammates, but he remained focused on team success, not individual success, exactly what you would want from an MVP and from a QB prepping to take a team to their first Summer Bowl together.
Flacco Completes 14 Pass, but 4 are for Scores
That is the number that amazes us about this past week’s Western Conference Final. Kudos to the Michigan defense for limiting Texas to only 19 pass attempts, but when 4 of 14 completions are scores, there is a problem, and certainly the Panthers saw the problem clearly as they fell behind by 24 points and then 25 as Texas just kept putting points on the board. It may not have been the biggest day for Joe Flacco as a passer, since he has had more than his fair share of 300-yard, and even 400-yard games in his 7-year career in San Antonio, but it is certainly a game he will cherish as he led the Outlaws to the franchise’s first ever Summer Bowl appearance only a month after an injury threatened to end his season. So now he has a chance to do what no Texas Outlaw QB has ever done, raise high the John Bassett trophy. It will not be easy. Baltimore is a very dangerous foe and is actually favored in the title game despite being a 4-seed, but Joe Flacco is in the mix, in the game, and ready to take on the challenge.
Panthers & Fire Proud of Strong Seasons
Losing a playoff game is never easy, and losing in the Conference Championship, when you are so close to the title game is even tougher. It can be hard to look at the season positively when you find yourself on the losing end of the scoreboard, but in the case of both Atlanta and Michigan there is a lot to be proud of in the 2014 seaosn and a lot to look forward to in 2015.
Michigan came into the season after back-to-back 6-10 years with a lot to prove. They started the year at 1-4 and for many the expectation was that another 10-loss season was well on its way, but the young core of the Panther squad turned things around, winning 9 of their final 12 games to not only qualify for the playoffs but to win the Central Division. They finished the year with a Top 5 defense and an offense that could be dangerous when they were in synch. They have young players at both QB and HB and they have some developing stars on the defensive side, including NFL import Justin Tuck, 3rd year CB Dre Kirkpatrick, and 2nd year LB Sean Porter. This is a team that is on the front end of a playoff and championship window, not the tail end. Lots to be excited about here.
As for Atlanta, they qualified for the postseason as the 6 seed, their third consecutive trip to the postseason. It may not be the position they wanted, but they did the most with it, winning two tough road games against two division champions to reach the Eastern Finals. They finished the year in the Top 10 in scoring, scoring defense and yards allowed. That is a solid team. Kyle Orton, despite missing 4 games, still finished the year with a QB Rating of 88.4 and a 7:4 TD:Int Rating, one of the best years he has had. The run game also improved significantly, with Steven Jackson missing a 1,000 yard season by only 41 yards. Demaryius Thomas developed as a potential true number one receiver, taking over for Josh Reed with more receptions(93-86) and was complemented by Matt Jones and Ted Ginn in the slot. This is a team that could step up beyond a 6 seed in 2015.
So, chin up Fire and Panther fans. You are still on the upside, with potential to do more next year than the impressive steps you took this year. Not a lot of teams can say that.
Culpepper Makes Tough Announcement
Bandit fans feared this day, and the rest of us wondered if it would come now or not. But it is now official, after 15 years in the USFL, all of them in Tampa Bay, QB Daunte Culpepper has announced his retirement from the game. The injury this year to his MCL may have been the straw that broke the QB’s back, but it is a decision which Culpepper acknowledges that he began the season contemplating.
The former UCF star spent his entire career in central Florida, and will retire with over 36,900 yards passing, 259 touchdowns and a lifetime QB Rating of 93.1. For a team that has always prided itself on its QB play, from John Reaves through Troy Aikman and on to Culpepper, Daunte has been a stable force for the Bandits and a great member of the Tampa Bay community. He leaves the game with 1 title under his belt (the 2011 championship) and 4 All-USFL designations.
So now the question is how Tampa Bay will bounce back from Culpepper’s departure. Ryan Lindley played solidly to help the Bandits win in Week 16, but did not fare well in their lone playoff game. The obvious possibility is that the Bandits will go hard to sign FSU quarterback Jameis Winston, a draftee with a lot of similarity in style of play and physical attributes to Culpepper. Most in Tampa seem to believe this is the primary, if not the only, direction the Bandits should look. Others think that a deal could be made to bring a veteran QB to the team, with some looking at LA’s Mark Sanchez, or potential free agent Chris Weinke. There are options, but for the moment, the Bandits are a team without a clear number one in the most important position in the game.
Only one new injury to report as Texas will likely be without LB Jonathan Moulton after the backer suffered an ankle injury in the Western Final. That may be good news for Anthony Dixon in particular, as Moulton is most frequently used as a run-stuffer more than a blitzer or cover guy. Other than that injury, both teams are in pretty good shape, with Adam Archuleta again expected to play, despite appearing on the injury list.
BAL: G Andy Alleman (IR), QB Vince Young (IR), G Scott Tercero (Q), SS Adam Archuleta (P)
TEX: DE Reynaldo Wynn (D), G Kyle Long (D), LB Jonathan Moulton (Q)
Pep Hamilton a Hot Commodity in HC Circles
No surprise that the offensive coordinator of the best offense in the USFL is getting a lot of attention and a lot of buzz for a possible head coaching job. But while teams watch and wait, Pep Hamilton of the Baltimore Blitz is focused on preparing his club for the game of their lives in Summer Bowl 2014. Hamilton will have his time in the sun after the game, especially if the Blitz can outlast the Texas Outlaws and take home their first title as league champions.
Hamilton will certainly get calls from across the USFL. He likely will have his pick of positions, from rebuilding a down and out Jacksonville squad, to returning a once-proud franchise like Birmingham to glory. He could even get a shot at defining a team that has not really created an identity for itself, the Portland Stags. The choice likely will be his. For an offensive mind like Hamilton’s, the choice may well come down to QB options.
If Hamilton goes to Birmingham he has a locked in starter, and one with dual threat capacity, in Cam Newton. If he heads to Portland, the odds are that he will be dealing with a rookie as the Stags are full in on the quest to land Oregon senior Marcus Mariota. And in Jacksonville, well, we are not sure what awaits the new Bulls coach. Will 2014 starter Tim Tebow still be there? Will the new coach get a say in whether or not the Bulls try to jettison the erratic QB in favor of another option, and who would that option be. Hamilton, were he to go to the Bulls, perhaps Hamilton would get to pick his preferred option among those available. But perhaps there is just too much uncertainty for him in the Bulls’ organization.
For now the focus for Coach Hamilton and the Blitz is Summer Bowl 2014, but as soon as that whistle sounds, the phone will start ringing and this coach will have choices before him. That is guaranteed.
Baltimore Blitz Claim 3 of 5 League Awards
We mentioned Ben Roethlisberger’s honor as league MVP already, but that was just the tip of the iceberg for the Blitz, who also picked up two more major awards, Offensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, for their surprise run to 12-4 and now to a Summer Bowl appearance.
Roethlisberger was not a unanimous pick, with Daunte Culpepper and Jake Plummer also getting first-place votes, but he was a runaway winner with 40 of 45 potential first place votes cast his way. His teammate, wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey won his award, Offensive Player of the Year, by a tighter margin, with significant votes going to Houston rookie HB Carlos Hyde and to 100-reception, 15-TD receiver Early Doucet of the Breakers.
The third Baltimore award was a landslide, with Jim Caldwell, the first-year coach of the Blitz getting all 45 votes for the honor. We need to remember that Baltimore had finished 8-8 last two seasons, and had looked very much like a team that was headed the wrong way, particularly in the passing game as veteran Tory Holt retired last year and essentially was not replaced. The run game was also viewed with suspicion as Caldwell opted to stick with an undervalued Anthony Dixon as his lead back. Caldwell came in with an updated passing game and a new OC in Pep Hamilton, and trusted in the players he had on the squad. Baltimore added only backup and role players like slot receive Roscoe Parrish and backup QB Vince Young (who would be lost to the season to injury), and Caldwell rolled the dice with his roster. The result was the top ranked offense in yardage (406.6 yards per game) and the second highest in scoring at 28 points per game, just slightly behind 1st place Texas, the Blitz’s foe in this week’s Summer Bowl. That was a result that impressed the voters and gave Caldwell a trophy in his first year in Baltimore.
Baltimore’s award success left only 2 trophies left to award. The first, Rookie of the Year, was a pretty obvious choice. Houston HB Carlos Hyde led the league in rushing and came in second in the voting for OPOTY, so choosing him as the year’s best rookie was a bit of a slam dunk.
The award for Defensive Player of the Year is perhaps the one where we will see some controversy, especially for Orlando Renegade fans who cannot believe that a 33-sack season was not enough for Calais Campbell to win the award for a third time. The vote was close, but the voters looked at team record as well and could not give the award to Campbell’s 8-8 Orlando squad, despite his huge sack total. They voted instead (by a 24-21 margin) for a member of the 13-3 Philadelphia Stars. We say that like they could have picked anyone, but the season put up by Philly’s Terrell Suggs was a thing of pure beauty. Not only did he lead the Stars with 93 tackles, but he finished 2nd behind only DE Anthony Hargrove with 11 sacks, added in 2 picks, 3 forced fumbles, and 20 tackles for loss. He was an all-around terror on the field for the Stars, and a worthy DPOTY, despite the protestations of the Orlando faithful.
ALL-USFL Team Named
In addition to the season award winners, the USFL Award Gala also revealed the 2014 All-USFL Team. Baltimore again got a lot of love, placing 9 members of their squad on the honorary roster, a distant lead over the 4 players representing Summer Bowl opponent Texas and non-playoff club Las Vegas. Washington, Charlotte, and Tampa Bay each had 3 players selected, though many were surprised that Bandit QB Daunte Culpepper was not among them. In all 18 of 28 clubs were recognized with at least 1 All-USFL representative. Arizona, last year’s defending champion, managed to place only one player, CB Joe Haden on the squad just one year after having 6 players on the team to lead all clubs in 2013. Sure to cause controversy, here is your 2014 All-USFL Team
QB: Ben Roethlisberger (BAL), Joe Flacco (TEX), Jake Plummer (LV)
HB: Carlos Hyde (HOU), Deuce McCallister (WSH), Fred Jackson (CHA)
FB: Quentin Johnson (BAL)
TE: Antonio Gates (BAL), Kevin Everett (LV)
WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey (BAL), Vincent Jackson (TBY), Marques Colston (TEX),
Early Doucet (NOR), Deion Branch (WSH)
OT: Lomas Brown (TBY), Roger Saffold (TEX), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (BAL)
OG: Eddie Brown (TBY), Derrick Dockery (LV), Charles Pitts (TEX)
C: Steve Wisniewski (DEN), Austin King (BAL)
DE: Calais Campbell (ORL), Aaron Kampman (NJ), Justin Tuck (MGN)
DT: Albert Haynesworth (ORL), Sean Ellis (OAK), Ricky Jean-Francois (NOR)
LB: Terrell Suggs (PHI), Channing Crowder (POR), Jerod Mayo (CHA),
Clay Matthews (LA), Jason Taylor (BAL), Bobby Wagner (SEA)
CB: Antonio Cromartie (BIR), Asante Samuel (CHA), Joe Haden (BAL),
Nnambi Asomugha (BAL)
SS: Grover Quinn (WSH), Adam Archuleta (BAL)
FS: Willie Andrews (HOU), David Young (LA)
K: Mike Nugent (PHI)
P: Craig Jarrett (LV)
Here we are, Summer Bowl 2014 and we have two clubs very much new to the experience and very much unfamiliar with each other. What can we expect from these two? Well, considering that we have two of the very best quarterbacks, two All-USFL wideouts, and two innovative offensive head coaches, our guess is that this may be a shootout. At least we hope it is.
In these two teams we have the number one and two scoring offenses, with Texas at 29.9 points per game and Baltimore right there at 28 points per game. We have the number one and two passing attacks, with Baltimore at 319 yards per game, and Texas just a hair behind at 312. They are also 1 and 2 in total yards, with Baltimore averaging over 400 yards per game, while Texas is right there at 390. In other words, we have all the makings of a dynamic, offensively-charged highlight reel of a game.
So, is there an edge to one team. The books in Las Vegas give a 3-point advantage to the Baltimore Blitz. Why? Probably because in addition to their top ranked offense, the Blitz also boast the number one scoring defense, allowing only 17.1 points per game. Texas’s defense ranked 18th in that category, giving up 23.3 points per outing. That is significant because this is a game that could come down to one possession or one turnover. If that is the case, then we understand why the books would give a slight edge to Baltimore.
The other distinction may be the run game, where neither team is particularly strong, though we would argue that both Baltimore’s Anthony Dixon (969 Yds) and Texas’s Chris Johnson (735 Yds) are undervalued and often underutilized. Both clubs tend to use the run as a means of keeping safeties honest and not as a primary form of attack, but, should one team get a late lead, the ability to run down the clock and gain first downs could become vital in this matchup.
This will be a close one, and likely a very high scoring matchup. Just who will step up and become the hero? That is the question. There are just so many options, from the two quarterbacks, to the two All-USFL wideouts, how about TE Antonio Gates? Or Outlaw receiving TD leader Brandon Marshall? Or could it be a surprise? Could we have a defensive star stand out? What about edge rusher Reynaldo Wynn (15 sacks) for Texas? Or ballhawking cornerback Nnambi Asomugha for the Blitz? If this game does come down to one possession a well-timed sack or a single takeaway could be the difference between victory and defeat.
We can debate how this will go all day. The fact is that we have an intriguing matchup between two of the most exciting offenses in the league, with two outstanding quarterbacks, and we just need to sit back and enjoy this one, because at the end of the day we are going to have a new, and first time champion in the USFL on Sunday.
Really looking forward to this match up!!!
Hey what happened to the final list of rivals, I don't believe we ever saw number 1