SCORES
NJ 31 BOS 32 Eason and Flutie provide a barnburner in a game with little to play for.
PHI 20 WSH 23 Stars back into playoff with a 3rd straight loss after clinching division.
MEM 31 BIR 17 Both teams play out the string, both finish with 4 wins.
PIT 13 CHI 30 Chicago takes care of business against Maulers in front of under 9,000.
MGN 6 HOU 24 Michigan loses third in a row, giving Chicago the division title.
DEN 17 ARZ 14 Wranglers look spent, losing final 2 games and division title to LA
LA 45 OAK 14 Express are dominant in division crown clinching win over Oakland.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Jacksonville Bulls 21 Tampa Bay Bandits 20
The Bulls break out to a 14-0 lead and never look back against a Tampa team that seemed to be playing things very close to the vest. With a guaranteed rematch next week in the Divisional Playoffs, it appeared that Tampa was holding back against Jacksonville, despite playing in front of their largest crowd of the season and vying for a home game next week. The Bulls came out of the gate looking the more intense team, scoring on a 48 yard TD pass on their first drive, and then on a George Adams run to start the 2nd quarter. It was a lead that Tampa would cut into thanks to a 25th TD on the season for Eric Truvillion. By halftime the score was a reasonable 14-10, but even so, it was clear that Tampa was rotating in more players, calling a more vanilla gameplan, and sizing up Jacksonville all day.
When the Bulls scored in the 3rd to pull the lead back up to 11 at 21-10, Tampa responded with a field goal, but it was not until late in the 4th that they scored again to provide what looked like a razor’s edge scoreline, but for those in attendance it seemed clear that Steve Spurrier was using this game like a scouting combine, less concerned about the win than the potential for a playoff rematch. That rematch will happen next week, in Jacksonville, as the Bulls take the Southern Division title. So, in 7 days we will see if Spurrier’s gambit, to give up home field for a chance at a playoff win, pays off.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We did not see a lot of stunning numbers this week, and in several cases teams used the final week of the season to either rest starters for the playoffs or to see what some young players could do. Our performance of the week is one of those young players who got a shot this week. With only 5 wins on the year and out of playoff contention, the Washington Federals decided to give their starting QB, Reggie Collier the final week off and take a look at former Indiana star Babe Laufenberg. The Hoosier product came through, leading the Federals with 309 passing on a 29 of 42 day, and tossing 2 TD to rookie wideout Herman Fontenot as Washington edged past a half-hearted Stars team 23-20. Despite being sacked 5 times by the always aggressive Philly front 4, Laufenberg maintained his poise and guided the Federals to a season-ending win. While he may not overtake Collier with this performance, Laufenberg proved his value to the Feds and likely assured that he would have his contract renewed to back up Collier in ’86.
NEWS & NOTES
With the final week of the year we have the final attendance numbers for the league, and at best we can say that they reached their stated goal of an average of 30,000 per game. The final tally was just barely over that goal at 30,736. The strongest markets remain in the South, where Jacksonville again led the league at 45,266. Tampa was also solid, but the weak seasons, paired with early season rain days, hurt attendance in Birmingham (33,636) and especially Memphis (23,418).
There were some strong signs of improvement, particularly in LA, where a better Express team, and more aggressive marketing, led to a respectable 31,587 average. 3 of 4 Western teams were above 30,000, with only Oakland, who needed time to build up support after an abysmal 1984 season, trailed at 25,715. The biggest issue, as one might expect, was in Boston, where the combination of a small, outdated stadium and a season of suspicion and eventual confirmation of relocation for the Breakers led to a season average of only 18,734, including a final home game with only 7,894 in attendance after the relocation was confirmed. Chicago, in large part due to their outstanding play, fared better, averaging just over 25k for the year, a number that would have been much higher had the relocation not been announced mid-year. Chicago’s last 2 home games before the announcement were 42,444 and 31,220, and their 2 games post-announcement were only 11,422 and 8,454.
League officials, with guarantees of anonymity, seemed to be pointing to an expectation that while these numbers are enough to sustain the league, the goal for 1986 would be higher, and the hope would be that the two relocated franchises, now to be in Baltimore and New Orleans, would provide much higher averages. To be honest, that seems very reasonable, as early indicators show that both cities are welcoming their new teams with enthusiasm.
INJURIES
Looking at the Divisional Playoff matches, there are some key contributors who will be out for nearly all teams.
Boston @ Philly: Boston will miss WR Nolan Franz, but DE Richard Byrd is expected back. The Stars will be without DT George Litte, but TE Steve Folsom and G Rory Culver are very likely to play.
Tampa @ Jacksonville: The Bulls will likely be without DE James Lockette and DT Donald Gagne. Tampa will miss G Jonathan Martel, CB Herb Welch, and T Matt Behning. They should get LB Paul Plurowski back.
Arizona @ Chicago: Wrangler RB Mike Pruitt is doubtful for the game, but DE Calvin Clark should be able to go. For Chicago the only player on the injury list is LB Ed Brady.
Michigan @ LA: The Panthers have several players listed as Doubtful or Questionable, including Anthony Carter, Ronnie Paggett, and Clarence Chapman, but the biggest issue remains John Corker’s absence, as he is certainly out this week. For LA, only 2 players on the injury report, and both could play. Most important is the likelihood that SS Al Burleson is back.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Boston @ Philadelphia (Stars by 6)
The Stars are expected to win this one going away, but, after 3 straight “tune up” games, all of which the Stars lost, there are questions as to whether they can turn it back on again. Perhaps their greatest advantage is at QB, where it is Chuck Fusina’s calm experience against Tony Eason’s erratic enthusiasm. Eason has been hit-or-miss all year, and the pressure of a road playoff game does not bode well. That, and a rested Kelvin Bryant, make us choose Philly. Prediction: Stars 27 Breakers 17
Tampa Bay @ Jacksonville (Bulls by 3)
This is a tough call as both teams are quite evenly matched. Both Doug Williams and John Reaves are
capable of breaking a game wide open and neither defense has been particularly solid all year. Looking at talent alone we like Tampa Bay, but there is a spark in the Bulls squad that indicates they may be the hungrier team. This one really is a toss-up, but we have to pick, so we go with the home team, expecting the league’s attendance leader to have a riled up crowd. Prediction: Jacksonville 23 Tampa Bay 21
Arizona @ Chicago (Blitz by 6)
Can you have home field advantage if no one shows up to watch? Chicago has been playing its best ball of late, but resentment about the relocation may lead to a very small home crowd. Both of these teams surprised the league with their sudden rise to playoff contention, but both have a lot of talent. We like both QB’s, Evans and Neuheisel. Chicago seems to have the more balanced offense, as the loss of Pruitt puts the burden on rookie Owen Gill for the Wrangler run game, and Chicago has the clearly superior defense, despite some good individual performers on the Wranglers, so we will go with the Blitz. Prediction: Chicago 21 Arizona 13
Michigan @ Los Angeles (LA by 3)
The oddsmakers are still leary of betting against the Panthers, who for 14 weeks looked like last year’s dynamo, but who finished the year on a very odd 0-3 slump. The loss of John Corker has clearly led to a defensive letdown, but this is a Panthers team that should be able to score against even LA’s stout defense. If we are going to pick an upset this week, this game seems a good option. Experience and firepower on offense favor the Panthers, even without Anthony Carter on the field. Prediction: Michigan 28 Los Angeles 24
Комментарии