Failed 2 Pointer Gives New Jersey USFL Title
New Jersey Wins 2nd Title in Three Years with 31-29 Victory over LA
The New Jersey Generals won their third USFL title and the second in the past three years, but did so by the slimmest of margins, avoiding overtime thanks to a well-defended 2-point play. Bill Parcells wins his second title with the Generals, to go with 2 more as head coach of the NFL Giants, thanks in large part to his defense. New Jersey allowed only 54 yards rushing to Los Angeles, and, while they gave up 3 TDs to the Express, when LA got within 2 points of a tie in the final minute of the game, the New Jersey defense came up with the stop on the PAT attempt to retain the lead and end the game as victors.
It was a great scene in Philadelphia, where the USFL sold out Lincoln Financial Field, with over 67,000 fans, many adorned in Generals’ red, on hand to witness the 24th USFL league championship. The Generals, representing the Eastern Conference for the 2nd time in the past 3 seasons, wore the home red, while the LA Express, something of a surprise representative of the Western Conference, despite winning their division, wore their white jerseys and silver pants for the big game. Both teams came into the championship with a lot of enthusiasm, and a lot of pressure. For LA this was the first appearance for the franchise, and the city, in the 24 year history of the USFL, while for New Jersey, the pressure came from expectation, expectation that as the top seed in the East, and the team with the best record in the league at 11-3 (shared with Boston), the Generals were expected to win.
The game began with the usual fanfare, the singing of God Bless America (sung by the inimitable Patti LaBelle, a Philadelphia native), the honor guard, the flyover from nearby McGuire Air Force Base, and the National Anthem, performed by the U.S. Marine Corps Band. New Jersey would win the coin toss, and, as has become customary in pro football, they opted to defer until the 2nd half, giving LA the ball to open the game.
The Express took the opening kickoff and earned a first down on their very first play, a play action pass to L. J. Smith over the middle. It would be Smith’s only catch of the game, something of a surprise for one of Cade McNown’s favorite targets. LA would earn a second first down, taking them to the New Jersey 48, as a 3rd and 3 was picked up with a short pass to slot receiver Dez White. But the next three plays did not go as well for the Express, as a holding call put them at 1st and 20. They were unable to gain much traction on their next 3 plays and would punt the ball to the Generals.
New Jersey came out much as everyone anticipated, 2 tight ends, one back, and intent on establishing the run. Curtis Enis would gain only 1 yard on his first carry, but on 2nd and 9, he hit the left side for 7, making for a very obtainable 3rd and 1. With their first down, Tom Brady attempted his first pass, a short slant to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. “Housh” would have a better than average day against the LA defense, catching 5 balls for 83 yards on the day, but the big plays would be made by the usual suspects, Terry Glenn and TE Anthony Becht.
It would be Becht who would make the big play on the opening General drive, a 10-yard completion on a 3rd and 7 produced by a false start. That conversion would put New Jersey inside the 15-yard line, and 3 plays later, Curtis Enis would bull his way into the endzone for the first score of the game. Enis would finish the day with a workmanlike 56 yards on 20 carries, only 2.8 per carry, but enough, when combined with James Jackson’s 39 yards on 8 carries, to keep the run game going for the Generals.
LA is not known as a grind it down the field kind of team. Their forte is the big play, and they would have their first, and longest of the day, on their next drive. After moving the ball back into New Jersey territory on a series of plays that included passes to Manumaleuna, Keyshawn Johnson, and Arnaz Battle, as well as a nice 11-yard run by Maurice Jones-Drew, QB Cade McNown would connect with slot receiver Dez White on a 41-yard catch and run that would even the score. McNown used a pump fake as White made a double move on nickel back Tay Cody and White would see open field ahead of him. A kick from Steve Christie and the Express were all even.
New Jersey would get one more drive in the opening period, and again it would produce points as Brady connected early with Terry Glenn for a 23-yard toss, that put New Jersey into scoring position at the 7. Glenn would be the top receiver on the day, catching 7 balls for 88 yards and 2 scores. Unlike New Jersey, who used Deion Sanders to all but eliminate Tory Holt (1 catch) from the game, LA did not have a true shutdown corner and alternated coverage of Glenn between Renaldo Hill and Carlos Rogers. Glenn’s toss got the Generals in range, and when a 3rd and goal toss was dropped by Patrick Hape, the Generals settled for a Ryan Longwell field goal from PAT range. LA had avoided going down by 7, but ended the first quarter down 10-7.
The Express offense would find some success in the second quarter, despite not hitting on several long throws. In a game that saw both McNown and New Jersey’s Tom Brady both throw over 30 times, it would be LA’s inability to connect on deep throws that would lead them to struggle to put the ball in the endzone for the first 3 quarters of the game. The Express had two solid drives in the 2nd, both ending short of the goalline, and both finishing with Christie field goals, the first from 45 yards out, and the second from the 9 yard line. With these two drives, LA moved from a 10-7 deficit to a brief 13-10 lead.
The LA kick was at just before the 3-minute mark of the first half, and, as we so often see, leaving New Jersey QB Tom Brady that much time often leads to a late score. That is exactly what happened as Brady, who would finish the game 26 of 31 for 268 with 3 TDs, completed 5 of 7 passes on the hurry up drill. Brady had clearly put behind him the tipped ball that had become a pick when scooped out of the air by Troy Polamalu earlier in the quarter. He marched the Generals down the field, and found his favorite target, Glenn, for a 7-yard score with only seconds remaining in the half. New Jersey would go into halftime with a 17-13 lead and would get the ball first in the second half, a chance to double down on scoring and take control of the game.
It was a rowdy halftime show, as two local favorites were on hand. Jon Bon Jovi and his band started things off, and were later joined on stage by “West Philadelphia Born and Raised” rapper and actor Will Smith. It was an odd combo, but the trade off went over well with the fans, many of whom, like the USFL itself, grew up with the two icons of the region on their playlists.
The second half began with a kick that probably should not have been taken out of the end zone, but New Jersey returner Tay Cody opted to try his luck, and got stuffed at the 11. Tom Brady and the Generals offense would go to work from there. It would take 12 plays but the Generals would take command of the game at the end of this drive, with Brady hitting Anthony Becht on a seam route from the 8-yard line. Up 24-13, the 11-point lead put pressure on the Express and gave New Jersey exactly the scenario they wanted, a lead that would require two LA scores, and the ability for the Generals to slow down the game and eat the clock.
For the Express, the opposite feeling took hold, that this game could get away from them. They needed to bring it back to a 1-score game. The obvious preference would be for an Express touchdown, but a field goal would do, and that is what they would get out of their next drive. They did the unfamiliar, taking what New Jersey gave them and staying patient. The eventual result, with just 41 seconds left in the quarter, was Steve Christie’s 3rd field goal of the game. It was not ideal, but being down by 8 was much better than being down by 11. But now they would have to hold New Jersey and get the ball back.
LA tried changing up their coverages, playing more zone to try to force New Jersey to stay underneath, but in doing that they also forced their linebackers to focus on coverage, meaning that their reaction to the run would be just a step slower. Parcells figured this and started having his OC, Sean Payton, call more plays that looked like passes but turned into draws or screens. The strategy worked and New Jersey again patiently and methodically moved the ball into LA territory. By the time Hue Jackson’s squad readjusted to the General strategy it was too late. They sent a blitz on a 2nd and 5, and in the process gave up a 17 yard reception to T. J. Houshmandzadeh, placing the ball on the LA 12-yard line. From there Brady quickly found Terry Glenn in single coverage on the edge and floated a perfect fade pass to his top receiver. New Jersey was now up 15 with just over 10 minutes to go.
The Express had to have urgency and Coach Jackson had the squad move to a no huddle, 2-minute drill at the 10-minute mark. That too proved to be a solid move as LA was able to score on their next possession. They did not get in the end zone quite as quickly as they would have liked, but they did get the touchdown that was essential to their survival, Maurice Jones-Drew catching a swing pass from the 6-yard line to bring LA back into a one-score game, an 8 point deficit at 31-23.
The Express would opt to kick the ball deep. New Jersey was ready, having placed Deion Sanders back to receive the kick. The All-USFL corner did not disappoint, taking the ball from the endline back to the 31 yard line before being forced out of bounds. New Jersey could end the game with another score, even a field goal would do. But LA was much more aggressive on this drive, blitzing on first down to stuff Curtis Enis, then sending Troy Polamalu after Brady on 2nd down. Brady got the ball away, but it missed its target and left New Jersey with an uncomfortable 3rd and 10. Brady connected on his 3rd down pass to Anthony Becht, but the route took Becht only 8 of the 10 yards and he was quickly brought down, leaving New Jersey with a 3rd and 2 from their own 39. They would punt.
With 3:44 left to play, Tory Holt took the punt, but had to call a fair catch when the ball hung in the air and the coverage reached him. LA would have to go 75 yards, score a touchdown, and then convert a 2-point PAT just to tie the game and send it to overtime. The drive would not start well for the Express. On 1st and 10 from the 25, Tory Holt got called for a false start, shifting himself just before the snap. It would get worse on 1st and 15 as the LA play, a 9-yard pass to Holt, was nullified by a holding call. LA now faced a 1st and 25 from their own 15. McNown tried to get a chunk of it back on one play, but could not connect with Keyshawn Johnson down the right side. 2nd and 25.
McNown would be forced to dump down to Maurice Jones-Drew on 2nd down. The play would gain only 5 yards, making it 3rd and 20 from the 20. Again McNown looked downfield and again he had to drop the ball short, this time to J. T. Smith, a gain of only 3. It would be 4th and 17 from the 23.
The strongly partisan New Jersey crowd in Philly was getting loud. This play could all but end the game. The call came in, McNown in the shotgun, Foster, not Jones-Drew in at halfback, which usually meant he was there to protect McNown, who would for either Holt, Johnson, or Dez White on a deep route. But that was not the plan. Hue Jackson took a chance and called up a screen. As the New Jersey defenders, including LB James Harrison rushed past the linemen, DeShaun Foster bled out to the right side, and when the short pass from McNown reached him, he had both guards and the right tackle out in front of him. It was the perfect call against New Jersey’s defense. The linebackers were out of position, the corners and safeties had dropped deep to deal with LA’s speedy receivers, and by the time Foster was first touched by a General defender, he had made up 14 of the needed 17 yards. Foster would muscle his way for the rest, and by the time the play was over it was 1st and 10 at the 37.
That play seemed to dishearten the New Jersey faithful in the stands, and it did no good for the players on the field either. LA was pumped, they had converted an unlikely 4th and 17 and their hopes were still alive. With Deion Sanders blanketing Tory Holt, McNown would find Keyshawn Johnson in single coverage. 1st and 10 was a 28 yard gain on a deep out. Now at the New Jersey 34, McNown took a shot on Holt, but the ball sailed out of bounds. On 2nd and 10 he would connect with an unlikely target, 4th receiver Arnaz Battle. The little-used Battle would turn a 9-yard slant into another big gain, finally going down at the New Jersey 8-yard line. 1st and goal with 31 seconds left on the clock. McCown spiked the ball on 1st down to stop the clock. They would have 3 downs to get the score and then try to tie the game on the PAT.
It would not take 3 plays. On the very next play McCown again turned to the screen, rolling slightly to the right before tossing the ball back to DeShaun Foster. The bigger of LA’s two backs used his power to muscle past the initial tackle and into the endzone. New Jersey led 31-29, but their grip on the game seemed to be slipping away. All the Express would need to do to send the game to overtime, with momentum fully on their side, would be to connect on a 2-point PAT.
Coach Jackson used his last timeout to provide more time for a decision to be made. The Express came out in a 3-wide receiver set, Johnson and White on the left, Holt on the right, along with TE T.J. Smith, and Foster again in the backfield. From the shotgun McNown would take the snap. He briefly looked left towards Dez White, but then sent a laser towards T. J. Smith. But in doing so, he missed the movement of LB James Harrison, who had initially feigned a blitz, but now was backing out of it. Harrison stood between Smith and the ball, and while the ball came at him too fast for him to make the catch, the ball did not get past him, kareeming off of his hands, then his facemask, before falling to the ground. Los Angeles’s last minute drive had all been for naught. They still trailed by 2 points with only 12seconds left on the clock.
Of course the Express would try the onside kick, but the ball bounded past both hands teams and out of bounds. New Jersey would take over on the 40, and Tom Brady would take a knee to win the game. The Generals had won their 3rd league title, a second for Parcells and Brady, and once again the East was back on top in the USFL pecking order.
Brady would be named the MVP, as we so often see with winning QBs in championships. Coach Parcells would receive the John Bassett trophy and pass it along to the players. A phone call from President Gore would come to the New Jersey locker room, and a parade would be scheduled for Tuesday, not through Manhattan, as Governor Pataki would like, but through Newark, New Jersey, a coup for mayor Corey Booker, but appropriate for a team that has always called itself New Jersey’s team.
For Los Angeles, it was a bitter defeat, but this was still the furthest any Express team (original or the 1995 expansion club) had ever reached in the USFL playoffs. They put on a heck of a game, and came up just short against a team many had picked to win going away. For the USFL, they got a game that came down to the wire, a fantastic finish, two worthy competitors, and, once the numbers came in, the highest rated Summer Bowl since the 2002 undefeated season of the Ohio Glory. Not a bad way to transition into the celebration of the league’s 25th season in 2007, and not a bad way to end a very competitive, very engaging 2006 campaign.
(Yes, I realize that I did not update the LA helmet within the simulator. It should be the one seen in the images at the top of the screen.)
Congrats to my hometown NJ/NY Generals!!! Let’s go!!!!
Great, Now Brady is going to rule the USFL.
Wow, what a game! Definetly one of the best of all time, right up there with 1993, 1996, 2001 and 2005. Congrats to the Generals, is this a dynasty?