Week 13 Recap: A Tough Week On & Off the Field

PIT 20 NJ 42

New Jersey got 5 takeaways, including 4 interceptions of Jeff Hostetler, as they roll over the Maulers and put themselves squarely in the playoff hunt. But the victory came at a cost as a scrambling Doug Flutie was sandwiched between two defenders and left the game with what may be a season-ending injury. Chris Miller came in and threw 3 TD passes, and Herschel Walker rushed for 97 yards and a score, but all eyes are now on Flutie and whether or not he has played his last game as a General with this injury.

WSH 38 PHI 24

The Federals dominated early and then withstood a comeback attempt as Lester Lyles ran back two Chuck Fusina interceptions for scores on their way to a 38-14 lead after 3 quarters. Philly fans have to be frustrated as for the 2nd year in a row Fusina is leading the league in interceptions, now with 21 for the second straight year.

ORL 17 JAX 41

A powerful statement made by the Bulls as they dominate the division-leading Renegades at home. Tony Eason throws for 320 and 4 scores, keeping up his torrid pace, and the run game has success with the combo of Wilder and Jamie Morris combining for 94 yards. Brian Blades again stands out as he turned 5 catches into 160 yards and a score.

TBY 35 MEM 48

Concern about Tampa’s defense has now turned into full on panic. The Bandits were able to rationalize explosive offensive performances by Texas or Orlando, but the Showboats have not been that team and for them to score 48 on the Bandits is a sign of serious trouble as Tampa drops to 5-8 and likely out of all playoff contention. Mike Kelley had 4 TD passes and the running combo of Boone and Spencer gained a combined 169 yards on the day as Memphis shocked the Bandits and delivered a crushing blow to their playoff hopes.

NOR 41 CHI 17

We guess fans in the Big Easy can breathe easier after losing Matt Robinson for the year. Backup Matt Dunigan stepped in and looked just as dangerous, going 22 for 32 for 363 yards and 5 TDs. The Chicago defense, with little film of Dunigan in his 2 years in the league, were caught off guard and paid the price. Both Charlie Smith and TE Dan Ross went over 100 yards on the day as New Orleans rolled.

MGN 10 HOU 31

Jim Kelly went an astounding 21 of 23 passing and found Brett Perriman twice for scores as Houston leapfrogged Michigan in the playoff rankings. The Houston D was also on their game as they limited Vince Workman to only 29 yards rushing and limited Jack Trudeau to 17 of 31 for only 111 yards. LB Tom Howard was the defensive star as he forced two fumbles and recovered one.

OAK 31 ARZ 14

Oakland moved one step closer to a playoff return with a convincing win over the Wranglers. Gale Gilbert hit Mark Duper and Wyatt Henderson for scores, and Richard Williams added a third as the Invaders rushed out to a 31-7 lead before conceding a late Trumaine Johnson TD. Robbie Bosco was picked off 3 times in the game, including two by Robert Sparkman (one returned for 6 points) as Oakland moves to 8-5 and atop the Pacific Division.

LA 13 DEN 27

In a battle of teams with first year coaches trying to find positives in a bad season, Denver defended home turf, getting 107 yards from wideout Bill Brooks and two 3rd quarter touchdowns, one each from Odessa Turner and HB Timmy Smith, to knock off the Express.

POR 21 BIR 41

Portland, notorious for their poor rush defense, paid the price against the Stallions as Joe Cribbs rushed for 121 yards and 2 scores and backup Brent Fullwood added another 71 yards and a score to power Birmingham to the win. Add in a David Brandon pick-six and the game was quickly out of hand for the Thunder, who fell behind 41-14 and got a late score in garbage time to pull closer. With the win, Birmingham all but locked up a playoff berth, while Portland fell from first to second in their division.

Texas Outlaws 30 Baltimore Blitz 24 OT

They may not have found a way to get in the win column yet, but it seems clear that Coach Cowher has got the Blitz playing smarter and tougher over the past few weeks. They took the Outlaws down to the wire in this one with determination and grit before falling in overtime to the heavily favored squad from Texas.

Barry Foster rushed for two scores on the day and QB Eric Kramer threw for a third as the Blitz gave a scare to the overconfident Outlaws. Texas, for their part, played somewhat sloppily, committing 9 penalties for 99 yards and missing some opportunities that would have altered the game. Kelly Stouffer completed only 16 of his 32 pass attempts, and was pressured, with Baltimore landing 6 sacks on the day.

The two teams traded TD’s in both the first and second quarters with Barry Foster, Dokie Williams, Derrick Fenner, and Reggie Cobb all finding the endzone on their way to a 14-14 halftime tie. Texas looked to take the advantage in the 3rd when Brett Woodson picked off an errant Eric Kramer pass and ran it back 67 yards for a score, but on the ensuing drive, the Blitz controlled the ball for over 9 minutes and Barry Foster scored his second TD of the day to equalize the game again at 21.

In the 4th quarter both teams traded field goals to make the score 24 all, but Texas had a chance to take the win as Stouffer spotted a wide open Eric Metcalf down the sideline, but the throw was too long and Metcalf could not bring it in. One wonders how the game might have been different if Carlos Carson were available to the Outlaws, but the game headed into overtime tied at 24 and Baltimore had the first crack at the win.

Baltimore drove the ball well on their overtime possession, but stalled out at the Texas 34, asking Luis Zendejas to attempt a 51-yard field goal. The ball sailed to the left and fell short, giving Texas the ball at their own 41 yard line. They did not leave any doubt, driving the ball down the field and opting to go for 6 when they could have lined up for a Kauric chip shot. Reggie Cobb capped off the drive with the TD plunge and the Outlaws escaped with the win, but not without a lot of sweat. For Baltimore it was the closest they have come to playing a complete game all year, and a sign that this team has not given up on itself. Kudos to Coach Cowher for finding a way to keep the team together and keep them focused in a year when many would have given up hope.

This week’s POTW goes to former CFL quarterback and perhaps one of the best backups in the USFL, New Orleans’s Matt Dunigan. Dunigan came to the Breakers after the departure of Tony Eason, expecting to start, but early success from Matt Robinson forced the former La Tech signal caller to sit on the bench for the better part of two years. Other than the occasional mop up duty. Dunigan has largely been holding a clipboard for the Breakers, but with Robinson’s season-ending hamstring injury Dunigan has his shot to make a difference for New Orleans and if this game is any indication, the Breakers will be glad they signed him.

Dunigan hit 4 different receivers for scores as the Breakers defeated the Chicago Machine easily on Sunday. Both Charlie Smith and Dan Ross went over 100 yards receiving and rookie Michael Jackson continued to show great promise, catching 4 balls for 49 yards and a score as Dunigan fund 8 different receivers on the day. His 5TD-0Int day was about as good a debut as one could expect, and certainly caught the Machine by surprise. They anticipated a heavy dose of New Orleans’ run game, but after early success in the air, New Orleans opted to lean into Dunigan’s hot hand, running the ball only 17 times on the day, while throwing 32 times. It is unlikely that teams will make the same mistake in future games, but if this week’s performance is any indication the Breakers look like they have the perfect replacement for Robinson as they make a final push for the playoffs and the elusive title game appearance.

This week’s action shook up the standings just enough to alter the playoff scenarios. No one else has officially qualified, keeping Orlando and Texas as the lone locks, but several teams solidified their positions, as others dropped from realistic contention. Washington now has a 2 game lead on the division with 3 to play, and could lock up the title if all plays out in their favor this week. Orlando can also lock up the division crown with a win this week against the Showboats. Texas can do the same with a win this week, while a Breakers’ win should guarantee them at least a wild card. Oakland and Portland are locked up at 8-5 and will likely take the battle for the division title to the final week of the season.

Things are not looking so good in Tampa, where another loss puts them in last place in their division and almost certainly out of contention. Their 1-5 division record means they cannot even stay ahead of Memphis now that both are at 5 wins. Chicago too has to be considered a longshot, now 2 games out of a playoff spot, while Arizona may also be officially done. New Jersey’s win leaps them over Philadelphia as the Generals’ 5-game win streak has positioned them well for a possible push for the #3 seed, though they will have to hope for help as both Birmingham and Jacksonville still hold a 1-game edge over them. We should start to see teams locking up playoff berths soon, but it looks like positioning will take the whole season to sort out.

The USFL made it official this week. A deal was struck to allow the sale of the LA Express to the Orthwein Group and the relocation of the team to St. Louis for the 1992 season.

The league made several demands of the Orthwein group to allow the sale, and, after considerable back and forth, a deal was struck. The terms of the deal allow the Orthweins to purchase the controlling ownership of the team, although both Alan Harmon and Ted Field will retain roughly 20% total of the ownership, with a variety of other investors holding 10% and the Orthwein Group the remaining 70%. The team will relocate, with front office staff relocating to the St. Louis area immediately following the conclusion of the regular season and football operations relocating by early October. In order to seal the deal, the Orthwein Group agreed to the following stipulations;

• In addition to the roughly $98M to be paid to Harmon and Field for their controlling shares of the franchise the Orthwein group will provide an additional $17M to the USFL over the next 3 years in order to offset anticipated lost television revenue.

• For the next 3 seasons, or until such time as a new LA franchise is in operation (whichever is shorter) the new St. Louis franchise will also receive only an 80% share of leaguewide revenue sharing funds, as opposed to a full 100% distribution received by other franchises.

• The name, colors, and branding of the Los Angeles Express will remain the possession of the USFL, with full right to provide this identity to a replacement franchise. The relocated franchise will adopt a new name and branding to be approved by the USFL.

• Despite the relocation, the St. Louis franchise will continue to play in the Pacific Division until such time as a new Los Angeles franchise is established.

• The league will explore options for either relocation of an existing franchise or expansion to occur no later than the 1995 season.

It is already rumored that Fresno-based William Tatham is already working to find investors for his Texas Outlaws franchise, in hopes that he can sell his controlling interest in the team and use that sale to fund a bid to reestablish a team in Los Angeles. Tatham was originally approved for a San Diego franchise and was forced to first relocate his team to Tulsa when a stadium deal was impossible to consolidate. He later joined with Clint Manges in a reorganization that essentially merged the troubled Oklahoma and San Antonio franchises to create the Texas Outlaws. With Texas enjoying its best season to date, and with a lucrative deal already in place for the franchise to move into the soon-to-be-christened AlamoDome, it is unlikely that Tatham will have to wait long to find a buyer for the franchise, opening up the option of adding Los Angeles as an expansion club. It is generally believed that most in the league would prefer this option as there are already several owners who wanted to expand as early as 1990 as well as a general desire to avoid the type of franchise relocations and instability that we saw in the mid-1980’s when Chicago and Arizona swapped entire rosters, followed quickly by both the Chicago Blitz and Boston Breakers relocating.

So, after 9 seasons, the LA Express are no more, or soon will be no more, as the team still has 3 games to play, including scheduled home games in weeks 15 (Philadelphia) and 16 (Arizona). The league should anticipate very meager crowds at the game, possibly even outnumbered by protesters and angry fans outside the stadium. The league might be wise to consider playing these final two games at neutral sites such as Las Vegas or Dallas to avoid the potential ugliness of the final weeks before the team packs up and departs the City of Angels. The Express may return in the future, as it seems the league has opted to protect the brand, but it will certainly not be the same team, and we will have to wait and see just how even an entirely new team is welcomed to the city.

The big injury this week was Doug Flutie’s hip, which will sideline him for both the end of the regular season and any potential playoff run. With an ongoing feud with Coach Perkins over his role with the team, paired with several weeks for Chris Miller to make his case, this may not only be the end of Doug Flutie’s season, but his time in New Jersey as well. Flutie is a free agent after this year and could easily garner attention from both USFL and NFL teams, depending, in part, on the final diagnosis of his hip injury and the potential that it would impair his unique scrambling ability.

Other injuries this week include a sprained knee for Chicago wideout Reggie Langhorne, a hamstring concern for veteran Baltimore LB ed Brady, a broken nose for Oakland CB Aeneas Williams, and a shoulder concern for Texas left tackle Rene Dudley.

With 8 divisional games, there are sure to be some key playoff-impacting matchups this week, and so we have them with Birmingham in Jacksonville, both at 8-5, and with Michigan in New Orleans, hoping a win will vault them back into the mix. Pretty much every game this week has spoiler potential as well, with Baltimore headed to New Jersey, Pittsburgh hosting Philly, Memphis playing in Orlando, Chicago in Texas, and LA in Oakland. Portland is home to the Wranglers while Washington heads out to Denver to face the Gold. Finally a deflated Bandits team must head to Houston, where the Gamblers are hoping they can move solidly into the playoff mix with a win.