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PHI 22 NJ 17 It is always a battle when these two Atlantic Division rivals face off, and this game was no different. Browning Nagle put Philly on top 12-7 before being knocked from the game, but veteran Bob Gagliano came in and went 19/29 to help Philly preserve their lead. Once again Sam Wyche opted to focus on the pass, but despite 2 TD passes, Doug Flutie could not provide the win. JAX 17 MEM 29 Memphis gets a huge home win to go up a game in the Southern Division at 10-3. Four Kevin Shea field goals, and a late TD from Mike Kelley was enough to hold off the Bulls as the Showboats D collected 3 picks and 4 sacks on the day. Reggie White got two sacks to take over the league lead, while Greg Boone rushed for 118 and a score to help Memphis retake the top spot in the division. ORL 17 TBY 24 Tampa Bay’s resurgence continues with a big win in the Big sombrero. Kelly hit Chris Kelley for two scores and Eric Truvillion had a massive 178 yards receiving as the Bandits overwhelmed the Orlando pass defense. Aikman would finish the game with 3 scores and 312 yards passing. NOR 23 CHI 20 Coach Arnsparger’s gambit paid off as Danny McManus took the helm for the Breakers. His 275 yards passing and 53% completion rate was nothing to write home about, but he did not turn the ball over and provided good balance to the Breaker run game, which did just enough to knock off the Machine. Fans in Chicago started calling for Scott Zolak to play as Chuck Long was once again ineffective leading the offense. TEX 26 MGN 21 A nice division win for Texas as they go into the SilverDome and upend the Panthers. Reggie Cobb had 95 yards rushing and backup Mark Higgs added another 46 as Texas used the run game effectively to slow the pace of the game. Add in 236 yards and 2 TD’s from Kelly Stouffer and the Outlaws go home with a win and are now 2 games over .500. ARZ 21 POR 24 The Thunder got a much-needed divisional win, pulling their record to 7-6 and staying well in the hunt for a playoff spot. Kerwin Bell found Webster Slaughter and Adrian Cooper for scores and the Portland D held Clack and James to only 46 yards combined on the ground as the Thunder edge the Wranglers in rainy Portland. STL 7 OAK 41 Oakland made a statement against St. Louis. Moving into sole possession of first in the Pacific Division, the emphatic win reminded everyone that this is the defending league champion. Gale Gilbert threw 3 TD passes and Siran Stacy had his second consecutive 100-yard game, this time with 2 scores as well. LB Ron Rivera also had a strong game, garnering 4 tackles, a sack and the game’s lone interception. BAL 6 HOU 31 Houston too made a statement, though the Blitz are hardly a top-level opponent. Thurman Thomas had 103 yards rushing and added another 73 through the air, with 2 TDs on the day as Houston rolled over Baltimore. With Ricky Proehl hobbled by a nagging ankle issue, it was Thomas, TE Ron Heller and Brett Perriman who did most of the damage through the air. Eric Kramer, in his first start since Week 1, only completed 14 of 48 passes (29%) as the Houston D was simply all over his receivers all day. BIR 37 DEN 17 Despite the return of Joe Cribbs, the Stallions opted to take advantage of a banged up Denver secondary. The result? QB Brett Favre set the USFL league record with 522 yards passing. He completed 25 of 33 passes on the day and connected with Ernest Givens and Joe Cribbs twice each for scores as Birmingham rolled over the Gold. 3 Different receivers (Givens, Shannon Sharpe, and Lawrence Dawsey) topped 100 yards receiving as the Stallions simply shredded the undermanned Gold secondary. PITTSBURGH MAULERS 17 WASHINGTON FEDERALS 20 The two top teams in the Atlantic gave us a real slobberknocker in RFK as the Federals outlasted the Maulers and took over a share of first place in the division. The star of the game was Joey Walters, wo caught 12 balls from backup Mike Hohensee, gaining 118 yards and scoring an early TD to get Washington on the board. Both defenses focused on stopping the run, with Pittsburgh being slightly more successful. They held Barry Word to only 41 yards on 14 carries (2.9 average) while Mike Rozier struggled to gain 75 yards on 22 carries (3.4 average). The change of pace of bringing in Lydell Carr worked for the Maulers as he gained 34 yards on only 6 carries, but it would not be enough for the Maulers to pull out the win. After Washington went up 7-0 on the Walters TD in the first quarter, Pittsburgh got the equalizer 5 minutes later on a Carr run to paydirt. Washington would respond with a FG-producing drive, only to have Pittsburgh score again with 2:45 left in the half, a Raynard Brown 17-yarder from Risher. Washington had just enough time to get Ray Wersching in position again, and he knocked through a short FG to make the halftime score Pittsburgh 14, Washington 13. The tight game would continue in the second half. Both teams limited possessions and shut down big play opportunities, with Washington garnering 3 second half sacks of Alan Risher and Pittsburgh also getting to Mike Hohensee 3 times, leading to a lot of stalled drives. Though the game produced no takeaways, the two defensive teams made moving the ball hard for each offense. Pittsburgh would get a long Rafael Septien FG 12 minutes into the 3rd quarter to increase their lead to 17-13, but it would not hold. Washington had only one productive drive in the second half, but it would prove to be the game winner. Mike Hohensee led the Federals on a 71-yard drive late in the 3rd and entering the 4th quarter. The Federals benefitted from 2 Pittsburgh penalties on the drive, and on a 2nd and goal from the 8, Hohensee would find Travis McNeal in the endzone for the game-winning TD. The win levels Washington with Pittsburgh at 8-5, ensuring that the Atlantic Division would likely come down to the wire. Pittsburgh next faces two Central Division teams, with Texas in Week 14, then New Orleans, before traveling to Philadelphia to end the season. Washington may have an easier path with home games against New Jersey and Texas before a season finale at Chicago. Yes, Denver’s defense is a walking MASH unit, and yes, the secondary has not been good even when healthy, but we still have to celebrate the amazing numbers put up this week by Birmingham’s 2nd year QB Brett Favre. He went 25 of 33 (76%), threw 4 TD’s and an incredible 522 yards at Mile High. This included completions of 71 yards to Ernest Givens, 37 yards to Clarence Collins, 31 to Shannon Sharpe, 39 to Lawrence Dawsey, an d21 to Walter Reeves. On the day, Favre connected with 8 different receivers, even throwing 2 td’s to halfback Joe Cribbs. Favre is almost certainly locking up the Offensive Player of the Year award, if not the MVP (at 7-6 that might be a stretch) with his performances for the Stallions. Birmingham had a much-deserved reputation as a run-first, conservative offense, but with Favre at the helm, the Stallions are beginning to look like a more open, more dynamic, risk-taking offense. Some of the kudos go to Coach Ron Erhardt, who brought some NFL wrinkles to the Stallions’ offensive scheme, but it is hard to believe that had Favre not stepped in for an injured Cliff Stoudt we would be seeing these kinds of numbers. Stoudt has certainly lost his starting job to Favre at this point, though the veteran seems happy just to be on a team with another playoff run in them. For Favre, after a year sitting on the bench and itching to play, he has proven that he has the stuff to be an elite QB in the USFL. He currently stands behind only Jim Kelly of Houston in the QB Ratings and is yards (4,090) and touchdowns (36). The game against Denver is just one of many this year in which the young gunslinger has simply dazzled fans and overwhelmed defenders. Looks like Birmingham may just have a true superstar on their hands. In a normal year, having 3 games left to play we would start to see teams locking up playoff berths, and we would expect the number of contenders for the 10 playoff spots to be around 12-13. This year we have 16 teams in the thick of a playoff hunt (and both Philadelphia and New Jersey are still mathematically alive as well.) No division leader has more than a 1 game lead on their closest rival, and we have a cluster between 7-6 and 6-7 that is going to come down to the wire. With 3 games left, Memphis is one good week away from clinching a playoff spot, but their division title may not be settled until they face off against Orlando in Week 16. Jacksonville is right on their heels, but has tough games at Tampa Bay and home to Birmingham to contend with. Out West, Oakland is hoping that they can build on their lead this week. After Portland, they have to travel to Memphis and then Denver to end the year. Houston may be in the best position. They are the only division leader who will not have another team on their schedule with a winning record (as of today), facing off against Chicago before traveling to New Jersey and Michigan. With so many close divisions, we may not have any confirmed playoff teams until week 15 or 16, which is fine by the league, as they want as many teams to be playing meaningful football as possible over the next 3 weeks. Big news on the LA Express front as William Tatham and the new LA ownership group have scheduled a press conference for tomorrow in conjunction with Al Davis of the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders. It appears, from all accounts, that Davis, Tatham, and the city of Carson, just outside LA, have agreed in principle to a plan to develop a new football stadium within the city. This new stadium would be both the home to the Raiders and Express, and the first incident in the short history of the USFL that the spring league and the NFL have worked in a truly cooperative way. After years of uneasy co-tenancy of the Express in Angel Stadium, home of the MLB Angels, the Express left LA for St. Louis, but a new stadium would help to usher in a return to LA for the Express. The Raiders too have had several issues with their home, the LA Coliseum, and have made overtures to the city to build a new facility or perhaps lose the Raiders to another city. The combined financing of the USFL’s new LA franchise and the NFL’s Raiders may be enough to minimize the needed contribution of Carson and Los Angeles County to get approval for the stadium. Details remain sketchy, but the stadium would be expected to have a capacity of approximately 65,000, with the option to tarp off the upper deck for the often less-attended USFL games, creating a 40,000 seat space. If approved, construction could begin as early as mid-1993, with a target opening date of Fall 1995. This would not be in time for the return of the Express in March 1993, but would allow the USFL franchise to inaugurate the stadium for the 1996 season. More to come as details are released and we report on the press conference between Mr. Davis, Mr. Tatham and the Mayor of Carson. As teams battle for playoff position, injuries can have a huge impact on the success or failure of a team. Birmingham is certainly hoping they can overcome the loss of FS Vencie Glenn, who is out for the rest of the year after tearing his hamstring this week. Michigan’s playoff run may be hampered by the loss of rookie HB Rodney Culver to a torn MCL. Oakland is looking at patching up their O-line as both tackle Muhammad Elowinibi and guard Guy McIntyre will be out for the rest of the regular season. New Orleans may be without their lead back, Marcus Dupree, this week as he is dealing with the aftermath of a dislocated shoulder. In Philly, Browning Nagle will likely be replaced by Bob Gagliano, as his wrist remains swollen and movement limited after an awkward landing in the game this week. And finally, Jacksonville’s Timm Rosenbach may be back on the bench as Tony Eason is expected to return to action this week despite the success Rosenbach has had in his stead. Washington too expects to have their starter, Don Majkowski, back under center as they face the Generals. Week 14 looks like another big one in the division races. Birmingham will be hosting Memphis and hopes to be able to pull the upset and get back into the playoff picture at 8-6. Jacksonville has to try to rebound at Tampa Bay, who are on the rise the past month. New Orleans and Michigan are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive with a game in the Super Dome, as Houston faces Chicago at home with an eye on pulling ahead in the division. Oakland puts their division lead on the line as they head up to Oakland, while Arizona hosts Denver with hopes to get back to the top of the division. In the Atlantic, it’s the Generals heading to Washington and Philly traveling to Baltimore. Out of division play we have 2 games that still have playoff implications as Pittsburgh is in Texas and Orlando heads to St. Louis to face the Knights.

NJ 42 BIR 31 Herschel Walker had three first half touchdowns as the Generals built a 21-0 halftime lead over the slumping Stallions, but a fierce 2nd half revival for Birmingham forced New Jersey to keep up the pressure. An incredible 4th quarter saw 6 Td’s scored in 15 minutes as both teams furiously fought to get the win. It ended when Kirby Jackson picked off a Brett Favre pass and ran it back 79 yards for a score, turning a 35-31 lead into the final 42-31 victory. PHI 17 JAX 23 Timm Rosenbach’s 370 yards passing were barely enough to hold off the Philadelphia Stars as Jacksonville moved to 9-3 on the season. Browning Nagle found plenty of holes in the Bulls defense, completing 31 of 51 passes for 448 yards and 2 scores. He also got caught forcing the ball a few times, leading to three picks. WSH 14 ORL 24 It was the Orlando defense that came up big against Mike Hohensee and the Federals. Bend but do not break was the motto as Orlando gave up 435 yards and lost the time of possession battle, but also allowed Washington only 14 points on the day. Craig Erickson struggled a bit, and the run game only produced 55 yards on the ground, but Orlando had enough for a 10-point win at home. BAL 17 TBY 37 Don’t look now but the Bandits may be the hottest team in the league. Troy Aikman exploited the Blitz defense for 409 yards and three scores as both Eric Truvillion and TE Chris Kelley topped the 100 yard mark. The win moves Tampa to .500 and into the thick of the playoff hunt. HOU 17 ARZ 20 The Wrangler defense continues to impress as they hold Houston to only 17 points despite a huge day from Thurman Thomas (95 yds rushing and another 82 in the air). Robbie Bosco threw for 327 against Houston’s D, and found rookie Courtney Hawkins for a decisive late TD to pull out a home win and stay atop the Pacific Division. MGN 40 DEN 17 Jack Trudeau threw for 4 scores as Michigan simply demolished the unspirited Gold. Butch Rolle, who seems to only score TD’s, had two on the day and Derek Holloway added 122 yards receiving as the Panthers outgained Denver 409 to 282 despite making no attempt at all to balance out the pass with a rushing attack. Vince Workman had only 9 carries on the day as it was a full on aerial assault. NOR 22 OAK 24 The Breakers fall again as Oakland got 106 yards rushing and a TD from rookie Siran Stacy. Gale Gilbert added two TD passes to boost the Invaders. New Orleans scored 13 points in the 4th quarter to pull back into contention, but it was not enough as Oakland burned down the clock and took the W. TEX 37 POR 26 A big 4th quarter boosted Texas over Portland as Eric Metcalf caught a late TD to help Texas pull ahead of Portland with only 28 seconds left. The victory was ensured (much like in Birmingham) when a desperation pass from Kerwin Bell was picked off and run back for a score with no time left on the clock. CHI 14 STL 24 The first game of the Chicago-St. Louis “rivalry” goes to the Knights as their defense stifles Chuck Long, earning 5 sacks and a pick six in the game. Dan McGwire found Rocket Ismael for a score as well as the Knights move to .500 and knock Chicago into the basement of the Central Division once again. PITTSBURGH MAULERS 20 MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 21 It may not have had the last second drama of some of the week’s other games, but when two of the best teams in the league battle, the game takes on an intensity all its own. In a game that saw Mike Rozier hobbled by an ankle injury and Greg Boone contained to only 47 yards on 23 carries (a 2 yards per carry average) it all came down to the quarterbacks. Alan Risher completed a lot of passes, 20 of 25, but was also forced to scramble by the Memphis D-line. He was able to find both Raynard Brown and Mike Shaw for scores, but it was one fewer than he needed in this one. Meanwhile, Mike Kelley managed to avoid the Pittsburgh pass rush, completed 29 of 37 passes and threw for three scores, including a 4th quarter beauty to Robb Thomas to take the lead. It was Thomas’s second of the day as the defense was forced to attempt to double cover both Bobby Joe Edmunds (9 receptions) and TE Keith Jackson (5 receptions). Pittsburgh Free Safety Pat Terrell ended up leading the team with 11 tackles, which means that there were a lot of completed balls over the middle for him to contend with. For Memphis, both Reggie White and Santana Dotson scored sacks of Risher, making them the best duo in the league with a combined 26 sacks on the year. Memphis also limited the Maulers to only 34 yards rushing, mostly due to the sporadic exits and re-entries of Rozier, who simply could not get his ankle set up right to minimize pain. Team doctors feel he will be ok to play next week, but simply could not get the ankle to cooperate this week. Backup Lydell Carr fared little better, rushing for only a 2.4 yard average. The win lifts Memphis to 9-3 and puts them, along with Jacksonville, atop the conference and fighting for the #1 seed. Despite a second consecutive loss, Pittsburgh still holds a 1 game lead in the Atlantic and is still the favorite to win the division and get the much-coveted playoff bye. This week’s outstanding performance was put in by Michigan QB Jack Trudeau. Trudeau has had little fanfare this season, and with Michigan hovering around the .500 mark all year, that is understandable. Still, after all these years, having trouble getting out of the shadow of 2-time USFL Champion Bobby Hebert, Trudeau has not been among the league leaders in any passing category. He has also been hindered by a less-than-stellar run game from the combination of Vince Workman and rookie Rodney Culver. But, this week, the Panthers tried something different against the Denver Gold. They all but forgot that rushing the ball was an option and let Trudeau throw early and often. The result of the pass-first strategy was one of Truedeau’s best games, completing 22 of 35 passes, but averaging 11.3 yards per completion for a total of 397 yards on the day. He found 3 different receivers for 4 scores, including one to little-used wideout Jeff Campbell, one to Daron Carter and two to tight end Butch Rolle. Derek Holloway, Trudeau’s favorite target, caught 6 balls for a team-leading 122 yards, but did not find the endzone. His TD-scoring skills were not needed as the 4 Trudeau scores were more than enough to put away the Gold and help Michigan move back to .500 with 4 weeks left in the season. A final push by Trudeau and the Panthers could see them leapfrog others such as Houston or New Orleans as they seek a playoff berth. Only 4 weeks left and nothing looks secure. Birmingham’s 2 game losing streak has dropped them from 5th to 7th in the playoff picture, while Tampa and Orlando have been steadily climbing. It looks like the Bulls and Showboats will be battling down to the final week to see who takes the Southern Division crown, and Pittsburgh, despite losing 2 in a row still has an advantage over Washington in the Atlantic. In the Western Conference, it seems like no one really wants to pull away. We have 4 teams in the Pacific all within 1 game of each other, with Arizona currently the #1 seed at 7-5. In the Central it is much the same. Houston, at 7-5 is only ½ game ahead of Texas, with Michigan and a slumping New Orleans just 1 game back at 6-6. Any team (except Denver) in the conference can make noise if they can string together a 4-0 finish. Right now this conference, actually, the whole league, seems ripe for a logjam and some potential 8-8 teams making the playoffs. Expect some QB changes this week. Baltimore coach Lindy Infante has already said that he is planning to give Eric Kramer a start to see what he can do. Denver too may switch things up and put veteran Vince Evans under center to see if he can spark a pretty moribund Gold offense. Chicago seems to have fared better under Scott Zolak than they are with Chuck Long back under center, but we are not sure they are ready to pull the plug on Long just yet. In New Orleans, desperation may force Coach Arnsparger to bench Matt Dunigan in favor of an untested Danny McManus just to try to get back on track after 3 straight losses. While we have very few teams that are completely out of playoff contention (Denver and Baltimore being two of them), we do have some desperation from teams that are seeing their position trend downward and their prospects slim, and that is when you tend to see these kind of changes happen. Back to divisional play for Week 13, with a huge game in the Atlantic between Pittsburgh and Washington at RFK. A win by the Federals and they are back on top with Pittsburgh, looking at a possible division title. In the Southern Division the huge game is between the two 9-3 teams as Jacksonville heads to Memphis to face the Showboats. Don’t sleep on the other Southern showdown, though, as the Orlando @ Tampa game could also have huge playoff implications. In the Central, Chicago is home and sees New Orleans as ripe for defeat. A win would bring Chicago back up to .500 while another loss might be the end of the Breakers’ playoff hopes. Texas is facing Michigan in another game with a lot of playoff potential, with both teams trying to finish strong. In Portland, the Wranglers will try to solidify their hold on 1st place by knocking off the 6-6 Thunder, but Portland has a chance to get right into the division mix with a win. The same is true in Oakland, where the 7-5 Invaders host the 6-6 St. Louis Knights. In other games we have Philadelphia @ New Jersey in a rivalry game, Baltimore visits Houston, and Birmingham will try to get back in the win column against the Denver Gold at Mile High.

SCORES NJ 26 BAL 13 New Jersey doubles up Baltimore in the Flutie-Miller grudge match as Doug Flutie has his best game of the year. Flutie goes 23/40 for 307 yards and runs in 2 TDs as the Generals win despite yet another bad game for Herschel Walker. This marks the 4th straight week under 100 yards for the usually dependable back. PHI 24 PIT 21 A huge upset in the Keystone Clash as Browning Nagle throws 2 TDs, including the game winner to Tom Donovan with only 1:18 left to play to knock off the league-leading Maulers. Rozier still had a huge game, averaging 7.3 yards per carry on his way to 167 yards rushing, but Philly was able to hang close and get that one key drive at the end to upend Pittsburgh. JAX 31 BIR 30 Another great finish as Birmingham and Jacksonville dueled to the very end. Rosenbach had 413 yards passing, outdoing Favre’s 357. In the end it was Rosenbach to Wilder for 11 yards with 58 seconds in the game that gave the Bulls the win. Ernest Givens had 168 yards and 2 scores in the losing cause, while Brian Blades had 117. MEM 30 ORL 27 This great Southern clash went to overtime to find a winner as Craig Erickson had another strong game in relief of Reggie Collier, throwing for 287 yards and 3 scores. Memphis got the win thanks in part to a blocked punt in the 2nd quarter when Orlando had to punt from their endzone. The ball never made it off the foot of the punter and Mike Junkin landed on it for 6. HOU 24 CHI 21 Houston built up a 24-6 lead before Chicago came roaring back, but it was too little, too late for the Machine as the Gamblers held on to win. Chuck Long returned to action an dthew for 276, but it was Jim Kelly’s 3 TD passes and Thurman Thomas’s 190 combined yards from scrimmage that did in the Machine and gave Houston sole possession of first place in the Central. NOR 24 MGN 37 Michigan used their pass rush to disrupt and torment Matt Dunigan, causing 5 sacks and 2 interceptions on their way to a big divisional win over the Breakers. Jack Trudeau had one of his better games this year, throwing for 297 yards and 3 scores. LB Jim Schwantz had his highlight moment, snagging a tipped ball and running it back 43 yards for a TD to help the Panthers get back in the playoff hunt. ARZ 14 DEN 13 Denver played this one close, but two Dave Krieg interceptions and a 4 of 12 third down conversion rate gave Arizona just enough of an edge to pull out a needed win. Neither offense looked good in this one, but a Lionel James 1 yard plunge and a 4th quarter Bosco to Hawkins TD pass was enough to defeat the Gold. POR 17 OAK 18 Another nailbiter in a week of great battles and close games. In this one Portland built up a 17-3 lead at the half, thanks to a Drummond TD run and a Webster Slaughter 10-yard score. In the second half Oakland came alive, scoring 15 points on a FG, a Paul Palmer TD run and a Gilbert to Ellard game-winner with only 42 seconds left (missing the 2-point PAT on both scores). A heartbreaker for the Thunder, but a solid home win for the Invaders, who now join a 3-way tie atop the division. TBY 44 STL 17 Troy Aikman and Mike Rae split action as Aikman got poked in the eye and sat most of the second half. Both QB’s threw for 2 scores each as Tampa rolled over the Knights. Eric Truvillion was huge, catching 7 balls for 170 yards and a score. Collinsworth added 2 more scores and Kevin Harmon, despite being limited to only 10 carries and a 2.8 yard average, punched in a TD as the Bandits simply outclassed the Knights on the day. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 30 TEXAS OUTLAWS 27 In a week with so many last second game-flipping scores and so many close matchups it was hard to pick just one game of the week, but for sheer drama, the matchup between the Feds and Outlaws had it all. It was a battle of backups as Mike Hohensee and Glen Carano got the starts. Both would play well, and both would get help as the two teams battled back and forth all game long under the hot Texas sun. The scoring got underway after a bad punt gave Washington the ball on their own 47 yard line. They drove down the short field and Barry Word dove off tackle from the 1 to put them up 7-0. They added a field goal early in the 2nd before Texas got on the board with an Eric Metcalf 23-yard score. Each team then traded short drives and field goals as the game went to the half at 13-10 Federals. Texas would gain its first lead of the day on an errant Hohensee pass, that ended up in the hands of LB Garth Jax. Jax got a convoy of Outlaw defenders on his way 29 yards to the endzone and suddenly Texas was up 17-13. Washington responded with a Hohensee to Walters TD pass that regained the lead only 5 minutes later. Texas began the 4th quarter with a quick 5-play, 62 yard drive that was capped off by a Carano to Early 20-yard TD pass. They would get a Federals turnover on the next drive and add to their lead with a field goal. Texas up 27-20 with 8:12 left to play. But, as had happened all game, the Feds responded to the Texas lead with a good drive. It took them 6 minutes, but they tied the game on a 1-yard Jamie Covington plunge with 2:33 left to play. Kicking the ball deep, Washington held Texas to a 3-and-out, and took over the ball with just over 1 minute to play. They used short passes to the sidelines, and one really nice draw play to Word to move the ballot the Texas 35, and on 4th and 3 they opted to go for the long field goal. Ray Wersching connected on his longest kick of the year, a 52-yarder, and Washington got the road win. With Pittsburgh’s loss already in the books, the win pulled the Feds within 1 game of the Atlantic leaders, while the loss pushed Texas back to .500 at 5-5-1. This week’s performance of the week is going to Jacksonville QB Timm Rosenbach. The one-time General is making a case for a starting job, perhaps not with the Bulls, but somewhere. After serving as Doug Flutie’s backup, and making the BC star feel uncomfortable, Rosenbach was traded to Jacksonville, where he was presumed to be the starter. An injury gave Tony Eason a shot, and Eason had an MVP season to keep Rosenbach on the bench. Now the longsuffering QB has had his chance to turn the tables and show that he has what it takes to start in the USFL. Since Eason’s injury, Rosenbach has been lighting up the scoreboard and has helped to push the Bulls to 8-3 and a share of first in the division. This week that included a 413 yard game with 3 TD passes as the Bulls edged past the Birmingham Stallions, 31-30. If he continues to perform like this, he is going to have a lot of leverage against the Bulls to either promote him to the starting position or trade him somewhere that will give him the starting gig. There are quite a few teams that might be in the hunt for a QB this offseason, so don’t be surprised if continued strong outings from Rosenbach lead to Jacksonville asking top dollar for a trade and the QB finding his desired starting gig somewhere in this league. Once again we are in a situation where the standings are tightening up. Pittsburgh’s loss means that we have 3 teams tied atop the Eastern Conference playoff standings at 8-3, with Washington only a game back at 7-4. Birmingham currently holds the 5th spot, but Tampa and Orlando are both within range to jump up and steal that last playoff berth. In the West, we have Houston at 7-4 and then 5 teams all at 6-5 as no division is settled yet. Texas, Chicago , St. Louis and Michigan are all within 1 game of those four as well, so we are looking at 9 teams realistically battling for 5 spots. With divisional matchups highlighting the schedule in weeks 13-16, this is going to get scrappy all across the league. Thinking about Timm Rosenbach, and others who have stepped in and played well this season as backup QBs, we have to wonder just how much QB movement we will see this offseason. We only have a few starters who are free agents (Gale Gilbert being the most noteworthy), but we do have several teams who could use an upgrade at the position. Who is likely to move, and who is likely to be in the QB market. Let’s look at teams with potential flux at the position. JACKSONVILLE: They have to be looking to sell as Rosenbach is not happy as a backup and with his recent performance the market will be high and the Bulls can cash in for picks or players. Expect them to keep Eason and trade Rosenbach. BIRMINGHAM: Do they really keep Cliff Stoudt as a backup? Favre is clearly going to be the starter from now on, but will Stoudt be satisfied fading into the background after being the starter in the southern Steel City since 1984? I expect the Stallions would like to retain both, but that may be up to Stoudt. BALTIMORE: They have gone with Miller as their QB all season, over Eric Kramer, but neither looks like a guy you can count on to lead you out of the bottom half of the league. Do they start over and try to sign someone new, or do they give Miller another year, with more talent around him and see if our analysis is wrong. NEW JERSEY: Doug Flutie, for all his flash and highlight reel moments, is just not consistent enough or effective enough. It has been 2 years since he helped the Generals to a league title, but fans seem to be turning on him. Does New Jersey admit that trading Rosenbach was a mistake and go after a QB through trade, or do they stick to their guns and retain the Heisman winner as their QB? DENVER: First they tried Vince Evans, now Dave Krieg, and maybe the issue is that there is not enough talent around either of them, but it seems obvious that this offense is in trouble. Is a new QB the answer or does Denver need to invest in receivers, a true bellcow back, and some line improvements? PHILADELPHIA: Browning Nagle has had some moments, especially in the past 2 weeks of Philly wins, but he has also had some real stinkers. Coach Bicknell has hesitated to bring in Gagliano, and we are not even sure that Gagliano is the answer. Our expectation is that Nagle is likely to get a second year to show what he can do, but if the asking price for a Rosenbach, Stoudt, or even Craig Erickson is not too high, do they go hunting a new starter? NEW ORLEANS: If Matt Robinson decides that 2 straight years ended on the IR is enough for him, the Breakers have to get a more talented signal caller. Matt Dunigan is simply not good enough to consistently win in the USFL. This is a prime destination for Rosenbach, or Stoudt if New Orleans is not afraid of his age. They could also look for a high impact rookie, if they are willing to compete with the NFL to sign a rising star like Washington State’s Drew Bledsoe or Notre Dame’s Rick Mirer. That is an expensive route to go, and neither prospect has much of a fanbase in the south. We could see a trade for Stoudt as a 1-year solution as the Breakers wait for 1994 and a potential run at Tennessee’s Heath Shuler. ST. LOUIS: Dan McGwire has improved this year, enough at least to keep David Archer on the bench. We would have looked at the Knights as a prime player for a QB upgrade in the preseason, but with them playing better as a team and with McGwire improving, we think they are a longshot to try to upgrade. They are more likely to look to the run game and the defensive line as areas of improvement. Outside of a few scary injuries, such as Washington guard Mark Hutson’s season-ending broken leg, or Baltimore CB Torrin Dorn’s back injury, this week was relatively good around the league on the injury front. We did see Kelly Stouffer sit out a game due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder, but he is expected to get the start next week. Troy Aikman left the game after suffering a poke to the eye, but he will be fine for Week 12. Don Majkowski may miss another week before he can return. It also looks like at least 1 more week on the sideline for Joe Cribbs in Birmingham. Expected back this week are Wamon Buggs in Orlando, LB Bob Crable in St. Louis, tackle Eugene Chung for Texas, and LB Broderick Thomas in Arizona. We have 2 weeks of inter-divisional play and 3 weeks of division games left on the schedule, and this week marks our last Atlantic-South and Central-Pacific clashes of the year. With both divisions in each conference so tight and with so many playoff positions in dispute, this week could be a huge factor in determining who is in and who is out. Birmingham hopes to rebound with a home game against the Generals, while Jacksonville has to be wary of a feisty Philadelphia squad. Memphis has the toughest matchup as they face a Maulers team that is sure to be angry after their loss this week. Washington is hoping to pull closer to Pittsburgh if they can top the Renegades in Orlando, and Baltimore, still looking for a 3rd win, is in Tampa to face the Bandits. Out in the Western Conference, Houston and Arizona will tussle in Tempe, New Orleans has a tough game in Oakland, Texas will be in Portland, Chicago starts a new rivalry with St. Louis as the two face off in Busch Stadium, and the Michigan Panthers are hoping to reach .500 with a win in Denver.

NJ 25 PHI 27 It all came down to a 2-point conversion to tie the game with no time left on the clock. New Jersey had just scored on a Jeff Spek TD catch from Flutie, but the Generals needed 2 to send the game to overtime. Flutie got the ball to Walker, but the pass was low and Herschel could not scoop it up, leaving the Generals 2 points short and giving Philadelphia their 2nd win of the year. WSH 9 PIT 20 Pittsburgh’s D held the Feds to 3 field goals on the game, and Mike Rozier had another huge game with 143 yards rushing to help secure the Maulers a 2-game lead in the Atlantic Division. Washington went through three QB’s in the game as the Maulers knocked out Majkowski after only 2 pass attempts. Mike Hohensee played the rest of the 1st half before he too was forced out and Will Furrer played the entire second half. TBY 23 ORL 30 The Renegades continue their win streak with a huge home win against in-state rival Tampa Bay. Troy Aikman returned for Tampa and threw for 3 scores, but on a day when the Bandits D knocked Reggie Collier out of the game, the Renegades got 303 yards from rookie QB Craig Erickson to pull out the win. Dalton Hilliard contributed 60 yards rushing and a score, but the big star was TE Danta Whittaker who bailed Erickson out on multiple occasions and finished the game with 113 yards and score. MGN 21 HOU 41 Jim Kelly returned from injury and played angry, tossing 4 TD’s and throwing for 403 yards as the Gamblers punted only 3 times the entire game. Thurman Thomas contributed a combined 104 yards and 2 scores, and the combo of Proehl and Perriman combined for 199 yards receiving. The D also contributed, holding the Culver-Workman combo to only 33 combined yards. TEX 44 NOR 31 Texas asserted that they were right in the playoff mix with a big win against the Breakers. Kelly Stouffer threw for 3 scores and a late interception return by the Texas D put the game away for the Outlaws. Matt Dunigan threw for 306 yards and 3 scores, but his 3 picks were decisive in the outcome of the game. DEN 3 OAK 28 Things got ugly for Denver QB Dave Krieg, who threw 3 picks in this one as Oakland’s D dominated. Two early Gilbert TD passes were enough for the Invaders as they held Denver to only 247 total yards and forced 4 turnovers. Siran Stacy, despite being held to only 42 yards rushing, found the endzone twice in the Oakland win. POR 21 STL 6 Portland escapes St. Louis with a huge divisional road win as the D holds the Knights to only 76 yards rushing. Kerwin Bell returned to action for the Thunder and got help from the run game as both Dereck Loville and Terrance Flagler scored to boost Portland to a comfortable win. BAL 13 CHI 19 Chicago tops the .500 mark by beating the Blitz thanks to 4 John Carney field goals and a Ricky Watters TD run. Baltimore was held to only 252 total yards as the Chicago D limited Barry Foster to a 2.2 ypc average. Scott Zolak got the win, managing a game that was led by the Chicago defense. BIR 27 ARZ 7 The Stallions continue to roll, despite Arizona shutting down Joe Cribbs (35 yards on 13 carries) as Birmingham FS gets a huge pick-six of a Robbie Bosco pass. Brett Favre adds two more touchdowns and completed 62.1% of his passes, hitting both Shannon Sharpe and Ernest Givens for six. The win moves B’ham to 6-4 and knocks Arizona back down to 5-5. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 20 JACKSONVILLE BULLS 21 Another strong game from backup QB Timm Rosenbach helps the Bulls knock off the division-leading Memphis Showboats and earn a share of the Southern Division lead. Rosenbach accounted for all three Bulls scores, including two 4th quarter TD’s to Hassan Jones as the Bulls came back from a 20-7 deficit to take the win. Memphis relied on its high-pressure defense throughout the game, sacking Rosenbach 8 times, including 3 from perennial ALL-USFL DE Reggie White, but when the game was on the line Rosenbach was able to escape the pressure and find Jones for a 33-yard TD to pull within 20-14 and then hit Jones again at the end of a long final drive to secure the win. Memphis’s offense struggled to establish consistency, although both Greg Boone and Tommy Agie ended the game with solid numbers, combining for 102 yards and a score. Mike Kelly was hot early, hitting 10 of his first 12 passes, but then the Bulls started shifting their zones and Kelly went only 11 of 28 the rest of the way, including 2 picks that helped Jacksonville keep the score within range to eventually come back. James Wilder averaged a strong 6 yards per carry but was limited to only 11 touches as the Bulls played catchup in the second half and Rosenbach started hitting on passes to Blades, Jones and Weegie Thompson (10 receptions combined). The Bulls now share first place with the Showboats at 6-4 and with Tony Eason expected to return to action soon, could be positioned well for the final 6 weeks of the year. We said earlier that Jim Kelly played angry, and we meant it. From the opening kickoff it seemed like Kelly was making up for lost time, coming back from injury. He hit on 4 of 5 passes on the Gamblers’ opening drive, eventually catching the Michigan D snoozing and found Keith Woodside for a 30-yard TD toss to cap off the drive. He would add another TD pass to Ricky Proehl only 4 minutes later to give Houston a 14-0 lead. He would later add TD tosses to Thurman Thomas and Keith McKeller as Houston pulled away from the Panthers. He finished the day with 23 of 28 passing (82.1%) and 403 yards, including 100 to Perriman, 99 to Proehl, 89 for his TE McKellor and 68 yards to Thomas. Sacked only once and with no picks on the day, this was one of Kelly’s best games in his storied career. If he is able to stay angry, Houston has a very good chance of staying atop the Central Division and could have their eyes set on a return to the Summer Bowl. Week 10 and time for our first look at the playoff picture. There is quite a logjam out west as we have 8 teams within 1 game of the #1 seed. With both the Central and Pacific Divisions both having several contenders vying for the lead, this will likely come down to the wire. In the East Pittsburgh has opened up a 2 game lead over Washington, and it looks like the rest of the Atlantic Division are bowing out (all at 2-8 after 10 games), the real battles will be in the South, where Jacksonville and Memphis are tied atop the division at 7-3, with Birmingham and Orlando both coming on strong. Even Tampa, at 4-6, is still very much alive in a tight race. With a lot of divisional games left to play, we could see a lot of motion up and down the standings in both divisions. The Texas Outlaws are apparently ready to be sold as USFL executives met with current owner William Tatham and potential new majority owner Red McCombs this week. McCombs, who brought the San Antonio Spurs to the city in the ABA only to sell them once they were within the NBA, is once again looking at getting a foothold on the San Antonio sports community. With the Outlaws looking to relocate from San Marcos to the new AlamoDome in San Antonio, McCombs is poised to take over ownership of the franchise and reap the benefits of having a very popular team move into a much larger venue. For Tatham, the sale would provide the assets needed to begin work on returning the Express to Los Angeles. With solid financial backing, and support of the community in San Antonio, there are not expected to be many hurdles to the sale of the Outlaws, and the league is expected to announce the ownership shift within the next few weeks. In LA, discussions are underway between William Tatham and both Angels Stadium and Dodger Stadium as the soon-to-be Express owner hopes to secure a 3-year lease for a home for the franchise ahead of his formal pitch to the USFL. Recognizing that both the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena are much too large and cost prohibitive for the restarted Express, Tatham is exploring both local baseball stadiums, and is still floating the idea of an eventual stadium to be built in Carson, CA as a new home for the reincarnated Express franchise. Meanwhile, suitors for potential USFL expansion are beginning to line up. In addition to known entities in Seattle, Atlanta, and Kansas City, there are rumors of a group in the Twin Cities hoping to bring spring football to Minnesota, and even a group of investors trying to put together a pitch to add a second team to the New York-New Jersey market by placing a team in Shea Stadium in Queens. The official bid process is set to begin this offseason, and it may be a wild one as the league has yet to decide if they are going to add 2 teams (LA and one new location) in 1995, or boost the expansion up to 12 teams to create a 24-franchise league. Meanwhile, the NFL has announced that they will be adding 2 franchises in 1995 to move from 28 to 30 teams. We very likely will see some bidders hoping to hedge their bets by submitting to both leagues, though this will be limited to locations which have no current franchise in either league, cities such as Columbus (OH), Nashville, or Charlotte. We mentioned that the Federals lost their top 2 QB’s this week. Prognosis looks good for Mike Hohensee to return next week, which is good because Washington will likely be missing Don Majkowski for 1-2 weeks with a sprained wrist, the result of a post-release contact between Majkowski’s throwing hand and a Pittsburgh defender’s helmet. Memphis QB Mike Kelley came out of their big game with Jacksonville late, but he has been listed as probable for this week. Chuck Long is also listed as probable, and should resume starting duties from Scott Zolak. We also expect this to be the first week when Cliff Stoudt is on the sideline in uniform, but will be the backup to Favre for the Stallions. Among those not suiting up this week will be Chicago TE Wessley Walls (Out), Portland tackle Siupele Malamala (Out 4-6 weeks), Bulls LB Mo Lewis (Out 2-4 weeks), and Birmingham HB Joe Cribbs (likely to miss 1-2 weks with a deep thigh bruise). The other big loss this week is Orlando QB Reggie Collier, who may miss as much as 2 weeks after he too sprained his wrist. We stay in division for more playoff-impacting play as Pittsburgh hopes to build up its league as they host Philadelphia. Jacksonville will face a Birmingham team without Joe Cribbs, and Memphis takes on an Orlando squad without Reggie Collier. Houston will be in Chicago hoping to secure sole possession of first in the Central, while Matt Dunigan and New Orleans will be in Pontiac to face the Michigan Panthers. In the Pacific it will be Arizona at Denver and Portland at Oakland. Out of divisional play we find Washington with a tough road game in San Marcos against the Texas Outlaws and Tampa Bay hoping to get a road win in St. Louis against the Knights. The Generals and Blitz will also face off with draft day on both teams’ minds.

MEM 17 BAL 6 A defensive battle of attrition in Baltimore as both the Blitz and the Showboats struggled to move the ball. Memphis got two early Mike Kelley TD’s and then played the tempo game, slowing down the action and eating up clock. Baltimore, got 100 yards from Jackie Flowers, but otherwise their offense was largely unable to gain traction against a Memphis pass rush that sacked Chris Miller 6 times. ORL 27 NJ 13 The Generals drop their 7th in a row as Doug Flutie attempts 52 passes while Herschel Walker only gets 6 carries. That strategy does not pay off at all for the Generals as they lose another one. Collier connected with John Jefferson for 114 yards on 9 receptions and Dalton Hilliard added 85 yards and a score on the ground for the Renegades. TBY 24 PHI 16 Tampa gets 2 touchdowns from QB John Fourcade and Eric Bienemy adds 83 yards and a score to boost Tampa to a much-needed win. Philadelphia again struggles to score as Browning Nagle tosses two interceptions and the Bandits weak defense still holds Kelvin Bryant to only 69 yards rushing. BIR 30 PIT 21 In the battle of steel cities, the visiting Stallions come out on top, thanks in large pat to a Darryl Williams 100 yard interception return for a TD that caused a 14-point swing when it looked like Pittsburgh would go up. Louis Lipps had 118 yards and 2 scores for the Maulers, but 3 2nd half Scott Norwood field goals helped Birmingham pull away and secure the win. JAX 24 WSH 18 Jacksonville backup Timm Rosenbach threw for 3 scores and 327 yards to help the Bulls edge the Federals at RFK. Both Hassan Jones and Brian Blades went over 100 yards receiving and accounted for all 3 touchdowns on the day. Washington got 150 yards from Joey Walters, but it was not enough as they could not score the needed go ahead TD as time waned. OAK 13 CHI 16 The Machine get a quality win over the defending champs to move their record to .500 at 4-4-1. Scott Zolak, in what looks to be his final game subbing for an injured Chuck Long, throws for 309 and a score as Chicago gets 3 John Carney field goals to edge the Invaders. POR 18 HOU 16 The Houston D plays tough, but there was simply not enough from the David Klingler-led offense to get the W. Oliver Luck struggled, but found Hart Lee Dykes for a TD in the 3rd to help Portland notch their 5th win and move into playoff contention. Thurman Thomas had a combined 191 yards (74 rushing and 117 receiving) but Houston just could not capitalize. STL 20 MGN 17 The Knights edge the Panthers on a late Todd Christiansen TD catch to get a key road win. Dan McGwire and Jack Trudeau each toss two scores, and St. Louis wins by the margin of one Scott Olivera field goal. The star of the game for the Knights was Free Safety Roman Lewis, who had 5 tackles and 2 sacks of Trudeau as St. Louis used multiple blitzes to disrupt the Michigan passing game. DEN 17 TEX 23 Reggie Cobb’s 2 touchdowns and 92 yards rushing were the difference for the Outlaws as Dave Krieg and the Gold played them tough. A Gillespie TD catch late in the 3rd narrowed a Texas lead to 20-17 and both defenses dug in for the final quarter, but a Nick Mike-Mayer FG with 1:57 left helped Texas stave off a potential Gold comeback and earn the win. ARIZONA WRANGLERS 20 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 22 A battle of first place clubs came down to the wire as Tim Mazzetti kicked the last of his five field goals to put New Orleans up for good in the 4th quarter. Matt Dunigan struggled to get the team into the endzone, getting only 1 scoring toss to Michael Jackson in the game, but Mazzetti was automatic, hitting on kicks of 48, 50, 37, 29, and 33 to boost the Breakers to the win and helping them maintain the best record in the Western Conference. A lot of credit also has to go to the Breaker defense in this game, as they held Robbie Bosco to only 1 TD toss (a Courtney Hawkins 9 yarder). Arizona’s only other TD was a return of a poorly thrown Dunigan pass that David Fulcher returned 56 yards. The Breaker defense contained the Arizona rushing duo of Clack and James, limiting them to a combined 64 yards on the day. Even so, as the game entered the 4th quarter, Arizona was clinging to a 20-13 lead. Marcus Dupree helped keep New Orleans in the game, and Dunigan did just enough to get Mazzetti in range for 3 successful field goal tries in the final quarter as the Breakers slowly edged their way back, eventually taking the lead with just under 5 minutes to play. From there it was the defense that stymied the Wranglers and helped the Breakers earn their 6th win on the season. We are giving our POTW to Timm Rosenbach for his 3 TD performance against that tough Washington defense. Rosenbach has stepped up after Tony Eason went down and is helping Jacksonville stay near the top of the standings at 6-3. Having come to Jacksonville as the presumptive starter a year ago, and seeing himself lose the starting job to injury, there must be some ironic pleasure in regaining a chance to play through injury to Eason. It is unlikely that Rosenbach will unseat Eason permanently, but this game showed that he can be effective and can be a potential starter in this league. Rosenbach went only 14 of 27, but hit on big plays, allowing him to earn 327 yards passing on the day. Those numbers are slightly inflated thanks to a botched tackle in which a safety and corner collided, leaving Hasan Jones free to sprint to a 91 yard TD in the first quarter. But, they also include a 31 yarder to Brian Blades and completions of 23 yards to James Wilder, 28 yards to Steve Johnson, and 27 yards to Weegie Thompson as the Bulls continued to find players open deep. Rosenbach may have 1-2 weeks left before Eason returns, and needs to treat every game as a highlight tape in hopes of finding a starting position in the future. If this is his first audition tape, it is a good one. As the USFL starts to enter the home stretch it is not only a time for teams to find their stride and play their best ball, it is also a time for each team’s GM to put their noses to the grindstone and get players resigned before the clock runs out and free agency (both internal to the USFL and between the USFL and NFL) opens up. As per usual, each team is looking at several big name players yet to be signed and the question is whether these vital pieces of their teams’ futures will opt to stay where they are or ply the waters of the free agent-sea. Here is a look at some of the potential free agents on the horizon unless their team’s can ink them to a deal in the next 7 weeks: ARZ: DT Ed Weaver, G Tom Newberry, DE Jon Carter, CB Issaic Holt BAL: WR Bill Brooks, T Mark Shively, WR Derek Hill, HB Johnny Johnson BIR: TE Shannon Sharpe, FS Vencie Glenn, WR Danny Knight, QB Bob Lane CHI: SS William Cesare, CB Eric Thomas, TE Wessley Walls, C Doug Gamboa DEN: SS: Patrick Gannon, FS Charles Mincey HOU: T Howard Ballard, DT Michael Dean Perry, TE Ron Heller, WR Ricky Proehl JAX: WR Weegie Thompson, HB Owen Gill, CB Maurice Douglas, QB Jason Garrett MEM: HB Greg Boone, CB Derrick Burroughs, LB Eddie Simmons, QB Cary Conklin, WR Robb Thomas MGN: CB Garland Rivers, T Arnoldo Gardner, G Ron Hallstrom, HB Vince Workman, WR Daron Carter NJ: HB Herschel Walker, LB Chris Spielman, SS Gary Barbaro, LB Todd Bell, LB Jaime Kimmel NOR: DE Jerry Reese, WR Charlie Smith, T Ken Lanier, SS Matthew Fong OAK: LB Ken Harvey, SS Marcus Quinn, T Randy Dixon, QB Gale Gilbert, LB Randy Kirk, G Guy McIntyre ORL: T Matt Patchan, CB Melvin Jenkins, DE Ray Childress, WR Nathan Bruce, DE Kevin Brooks PHI: FB Eddie Colson, DT George Little, WR Gerard Phelan, TE Alex Higdon, HB Vi Sikahema, LB Niko Noga PIT: T Lance Smith, LB Erik Kumerow, T Doug Reisenberg, HB Lydell Carr, C Roman Fortin POR: HB Robert Drummond, SS Eric McMillian, CB Gill Byrd, QB Oliver Luck, LB Bobby Houston, HB Terrance Flagler, DT Esera Tuaolo STL: FB Nuu Faaola, HB Tim Richardson, DE Tony Tolbert, CB Ron Pitts, FS Roman Lewis, LB Joe Mott TBY: WR Eric Truvillion, G Bob Sims, HB Eric Bienemy, LB Ed Brady, C Ed Miller, G Dan Morgan TEX: DT Kevin Fagan, TE Theo Young, QB Kelly Stouffer, QB Mike Shula WSH: DE Charles Haley, DE Dexter Manley, T Jim Lachey, WR Herman Moore, HB Jamie Covington, HB Alfred Jenkins, LB Curtis Taliferro, QB Mike Hohensee Looking at the injury list, we are seeing a lot of short-term situations popping up this week. Michigan will be without WR Johnny Holloway for 1-2 weeks with a groin pull, while Pittsburgh TE Mike Shaw could miss up to 4 weeks with a knee injury. Philly will be without tackle Mark Van DerPoel with a torn abdominal, and Tampa is down to 1 active QB as Mike Rae went down with turf toe. Birmingham Guard John Bruhin is likely out for several weeks with a fracture in his right leg, while Oakland FS Robert Sparkman is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot that could cost him up to a month of action. Finally, Baltimore DE suffered a neck injury which might keep him out through week 15. Week 10 starts the 6 week playoff push, and it begins with a lot of important divisional games. Washington has their shot at Pittsburgh in Three Rivers this week, trailing the Maulers by a game. Memphis and Jacksonville will also vie for first place as they meet in the Gator Bowl. Michigan and Houston will tussle, both trying to attain Wild Card position if the Breakers do not crumble. For their part, New Orleans is at home again, this time against the Outlaws. In the Pacific, the big game is between two 5-4 teams as Portland travels to St. Louis to face the Knights. We also have a good inter-divisional game with Birmingham headed out west to face the Wranglers. Other games include Baltimore at Chicago, Denver at Oakland, Tampa at Orlando, and the Generals in Philadelphia to face the Stars.

We arrive at the midway point of the 1992 season and there are surprises almost everywhere. Injuries have led to backups getting a chance to show what they can do. Some teams are overachieving beyond what we could have imagined, others are not showing us the quality we expected to see. It is a topsy turvy season to be sure. Let’s look at our Top 10 biggest stories of the season to date and then we can look at each team and its prospects for a postseason appearance. 10. Success in St. Louis The immediate success, both on the field, but more importantly at the box office, has to have the new owners of the St. Louis Knights dancing in the streets. Yes, the Orthwein group had to pay the USFL additional funds to offset lost tv revenue due to the move from LA to the Gateway City, but within St. Louis they are being treated like heroes for returning pro football to the city. A 4-4 start, and much improved play from both QB Dan McGwire and the HB combo of Buford Jordan and Darrell Thompson has fans in St. Louis excited about their new team. Attendance has been much better than we saw in LA over the past two years, and there seems to be a real buzz about the Knights, which can only help the league. And now, with plans solidly in place to return USFL football to Los Angeles in 1995, the move may end up being a win-win for the city of St. Louis and the USFL as well. 9. Heart-Breaker in New Orleans The injury to Breakers’ QB Matt Robinson has the potential to be season-altering not only for New Orleans, but for the entire Central Division. Robinson has not had his best season, but it is clear that the Breakers will certainly struggle without him. Houston is licking their chops, and Texas, Michigan and Chicago all see hope for a run as well. The Breakers are still solid at 5-3, and they have a defense that will keep them in games, but they will need backup Matt Dunigan to show more than he did last season or this could be the first time since 1983 that the Breakers do not make a playoff appearance. 8. Renegade Wreck What is happening in Orlando? When you look at the bottom of the standings leaguewide, you see some teams we all expected to be there. Baltimore, Chicago, and Denver were all expected to have rough years or were viewed as rebuilding projects. But Orlando was in the Summer Bowl a year ago, and to see them with only 3 wins after 8 games is truly a shocker. Most are placing the blame on a defense that has talent but is simply not doing what they need to do. You have to look at it that way when you see that the Renegades are leading the league in yards per game on offense, but give up as many yards as they gain. Despite having a leading sack artist in newly-signed Chris Doleman, the Renegades are near the bottom in pass defense, and in this league that is a death sentence for a team. Orlando has to hope to see improvement in the defense if they want any chance to climb out of the hole they are in and compete in the Southern Division. They are already 3 games behind Memphis, but fortunately, the rest of the division is within reach, as is a Wild Card spot, if, and only if, they can start getting some consistency from the defensive side of the ball. 7. Rozier is Rolling!! We have to talk about the season that Mike Rozier is having. With 960 yards at the half-way point, Rozier is on pace to shatter the league record of 1767 yards held by Herschel Walker. He is on pace to reach 1,900 yards and has a serious shot at the elusive 2,000 yard mark. Rozier is a solid 200 yards ahead of his closest competitors (Greg Boone and Walker) for the rushing title and his team is reaping the benefits, sitting at 7-1. Rozier is quick to share the credit with his offensive line, and we recognize that the Mauler line has been outstanding this year in both run blocking and pass protection, but Rozier has been a superstar on a bad team for a long time, and this year the stars seem to be aligned for him to finally see what it is like to be a leader on a very good team. 6. Freshman Jitters The Rookie Class of 1992 is proving it hard to make an immediate impact in the league. Few players from this season’s draft have broken into the starting lineup so far this season, and fewer still are having a quick start. Yes, Oakland is starting HB Siran Stacy, and Michigan back Rodney Culver is also getting a lot of carries, but neither is busting through. Culver has a high 4.7 ypc average, but still gets fewer carries than teammate Vince Workman. Stacy is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry despite being the clear starter for the Invaders. Among receivers Memphis’s Carl Pickens is the top target, with 36 receptions for 411 yards. Next, and much farther down the receiving stat list, is TE Deems May of Baltimore, with 26 receptions. David Klingler is the only 1st year QB to see any playing time, and that is only due to a 2-3 week injury to Jim Kelly in Houston. There are some rookies starting on defenses around the league, such as DT Chester McGlockton in Tampa, CB’s Troy Vincent and Steve Israel in St. Louis, and LB Mark D’Onofrio in Pittsburgh, but overall the rookie class looks like one that will need time to make their mark in the USFL. 5. Wrangling up Wins Arizona’s rebound, 2 years after their run to the Summer Bowl, but one year after a disastrous 5-11 collapse, has caught many off guard. Coach Tollner has seemingly rediscovered the formula which helped propel Arizona to the 1990 Summer Bowl: Strong defense and a balanced offensive attack. Arizona trails only Memphis in points allowed at 16.6 per game, and has done it by simply shutting down the passing lanes. Corners Vince Buck and Leonard Bell have played well beyond expectations, and safeties Martin Bayless and David Fulcher have helped implement a multiple look zone that has quarterbacks delaying their throws, a delay that has allowed DE Al Noga time to reach them and earn 8 sacks on the season to date. Linebackers Brian Noble and Broderick Thomas have also been huge factors in the defensive resurgence for the Wranglers. Add in an offense which can mount long, time-killing drives, thanks to the rushing combo of Darryl Clack and Lionel James, and the Wranglers are finding ways to win ugly, but win often. 4. Coach Buddy Brings the Pain!! The job Buddy Ryan is doing in Memphis is bringing new life to the idea of defense first in the USFL and bringing a new energy to the Showboats. Memphis is ranked #1 in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 16.4 points per game. They also rank in the Top 5 in both total yards allowed and rushing yards allowed. Their pass defense is predicated on a brutal front 4 pass rush, while their rush defense uses multiple line stunts and blitz schemes to clog the middle and force teams outside. The result of this new scheme is a 6-2 record and one of the most intimidating defenses in football. Reggie White is now seeing fewer double teams thanks to the speedy Santana Dotson lining up at right DE, and the linebacking corps of Douglass, Junkin and Simmons is containing the run. Bennie Blades and Bubba McDowell at safety are also making life tough for both receivers and runners as they are not afraid to lay down the hard hits. It is a defense that is both game-altering and fun to watch, reminding many of the ’85 Bears, also led by Ryan. 3. General Mayhem. Not all change is good change. New Jersey started the year 2-0 and many felt that their offseason gambit to trade away Chris Miller and lock in Doug Flutie as their #1 QB was going to pay off with a division run. But, now, 6 weeks later, and with New Jersey stuck in a 6-game losing streak, fans are beginning to wonder if the Generals made any good calls this offseason. Sam Wyche’s new offense is not producing and Doug Flutie is the lowest ranked starting QB in the league. The Generals seem to lack direction and energy, and even their defense, which includes the league’s sack leader in Phil Hansen, cannot seem to get their act together. Wyche has 8 weeks to turn this thing around, and show that the choice of Flutie at QB was not a huge error, or both he and his quarterback may be on their way out. 2. Fah-vuh-ruh!!!! There are times when an unfortunate injury can change the destiny of two players, the injured and the backup who steps in. That certainly seems to be the case for Cliff Stoudt and Brett Favre in Birmingham. Stoudt went down with an abdomimal tear in Week 1 and Favre, a 2nd year “project” from Southern Mississippi was called to start. What has happened since has been the stuff dreams are made of. Favre leads the league with a 120.2 QB rating, has thrown for 22 touchdowns (on pace to tie John Reaves’s record of 44) and has tossed only 2 interceptions since taking over the starting job. Now Cliff Stoudt, an 8 year starter for Birmingham, may find himself holding the clipboard as Favre finishes out the season. And what of next year? Will Stoudt stay on in a backup role? Will he seek a trade? Will he retire? Favre is clearly now the man in B’ham. His face can be seen everywhere around town, and his #4 jerseys cannot stay on the shelves, so the Stallions have a new icon, and Cliff Stoudt now has to think about what is next for him. #1 Story of the Year: The Steel City is Celebrating! The #1 story of the year has to be the sudden rise of the Pittsburgh Maulers. The Maulers, with only a few roster changes, have moved from the team that has risen from a 7-win average over the past three years to a 1-loss team at the halfway point. There were signs that Pittsburgh was improving under Coach Marchibroda last year, as a late run set them up for a Wild Card 9-7 finish, but the 7-1 start they have gotten this year was not predicted. Alan Risher is playing some of his best ball, perhaps due to the arrival of Louis Lipps from Arizona, but the true revelation has been a defense that is allowing fewer than 20 points per game on average. DE John Bosa is among the sack leaders, FS Pat Terrell can say the same with 4 interceptions, and a linebacking corps that lost 3 starters from last year, has found success with Eric Kumerow, the lone holdover, leading the league in tackles, while newcomers Godrey Miles and Mark D’Onofrio are proving to be solid additions. This is a team that looks poised to make the city of Pittsburgh stand up and take notice. Looking at the second half of the season, it is hard to predict team fortunes suddenly changing, though certainly injuries, like the one to Breaker QB Matt Robinson, can lead to a tougher second half. But, we have seen teams race through a second half, even going 8-0 (as New Jersey did a couple of years back) to shoot up the standings and find a playoff spot waiting. We have also seen teams fall apart at the end of the year (as Birmingham did last year) to drop out of what seemed a sure playoff spot. With 14 of the league’s 20 teams sitting in a range from 5-3 to 3-5, there is so much that is unknown and so much to be discovered in the second half that we can hardly write anyone off or lock anyone in. So, with much guesswork, here is our prediction of the final standings for the USFL after 8 more weeks of play. EASTERN CONFERENCE We believe in Orlando’s ability to right the ship and regain playoff form. They have too much talent to stay below .500 all year. We also believe in Birmingham QB Brett Favre. Every week he seems more confident and the team gets better, so we see big things in the second half of the year. WESTERN CONFERENCE We are just not convinced that Matt Dunigan can lead New Orleans to a winning record, even with a solid defense, so the Breakers fall out of contention while Houston and Michigan edge their way in. The Pacific is anyone’s guess, but we like Oakland’s experience and Portland’s pluck over the potential of St. Louis or a rebuilding Denver squad. Our revised Summer Bowl '92 Prediction: Memphis vs. Houston Revised MVP Prediction: Mike Rozier, HB, Pittsburgh Revised Coach of the Year Prediction: Buddy Ryan, Memphis Revised Rookie of the Year Prediction: No idea. How about a lineman?

BAL 7 JAX 20 Tony Eason was knocked out of the game early but Timm Rosenbach was able to come in and toss two TD’s to spark the Bulls win against a feisty but inefficient Blitz team. Brian Blades was the star of the game with 149 yards receiving and a TD in the first quarter to start the scoring. Bill Brooks was the best player on the day for Baltimore, grabbing 8 balls for 96 yards. NJ 20 MEM 23 New Jersey played well against the tough Memphis defense, but Greg Boone ran wild against the Generals’ defense, rushing for 156 yards. Mike Kelley hit both Carl Pickens and Jo-Jo Townsell for scores. Doug Flutie had 327 yards passing and added another 43 yards rushing as Memphis focused their D on stopping Herschel Walker, holding the big back to only 47 yards on the ground. In then end it came down to who had the ball last, and that was Memphis and kicker Kevin Shea. PHI 16 ORL 28 Two interceptions from Browning Nagle and an inability to turn drives into touchdowns doomed the Stars against Orlando. Kelvin Bryant had a solid 125 rushing, but the Stars simply did not put points on the board while Orlando got 2 TD’s from HB Todd Fowler and another 2 from Collier to John Jefferson to earn the home win. PIT 38 TBY 17 Pittsburgh faced former LA Express QB Mike Rae for Tampa, and a shorthanded Bandits D and made short work of both. Mike Rozier rushed for 4 TD’s on the day to go with his 104 yards rushing. Mike Shaw added another TD as Pittsburgh rolled over a banged up Tampa squad. TEX 10 ARZ 24 The Wrangler D has been gaining respect this season, and they got Kelly Stouffer’s attention with 4 sacks and several big hits. They also held Reggie Cobb to only 31 yards on 17 carries, a 1.8 ypc average. Meanwhile, the combo of James and Clack gained 104 yards on the day. 3 Mick Luckhurst field goals and a Bosco to Trumaine Johnson TD (with 2-pt conversion) helped boost Arizona to a 14 point win and a 5-3 record. CHI 19 DEN 16 OT Chicago finally came out on top in a close game. Both teams struggled to find the endzone, with Chicago’s Wessley Walls catching Scott Zolak’s lone TD pass, while Willie Gillespie, moved into the slot for this game, caught the lone TD from Dave Krieg. The game ball went to Chicago kicker John Carney who booted the winner in overtime, his 4th on the day. HOU 17 OAK 34 David Klingler struggled to reach 50% completions against a swarming Oakland defense while Gale Gilbert had an easier day, throwing for 327 and 3 scores. His lone mistake was a 54-yard interception return from rookie CB Ashley Ambrose that helped Houston stay close in the first half. Siran Stacy’s best day, with 91 yards rushing, helped Oakland pull away in the second half. MGN 21 POR 22 The Thunder and Oliver Luck staged a game-winning drive in the final minutes as Luck found Adrian Cooper for 6 with only a minute left to play. Luck would have 2 TD’s on the day and the Portland pass defense picked Jack Trudeau off twice. They still struggle with the run, however as HB Vince Workman averaged 15.1 yards per carry on 9 rushes to gain 136 and 2 scores. NOR 28 STL 35 Matt Robinson had a huge 3 TD first quarter before suffering what appears to be a season-ending injury. The shock of the injury and an ill-prepared Matt Dunigan helped St. Louis mount a comeback from 21-3 down to win the game in the final minutes. Dan McGwire threw 3 TDs as well, and HB Darrell Thompson had 77 yards and 2 key scores to help the Knights get to 4-4, dropping New Orleans to 5-3 on the year. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 35 BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 31 There is not a lot of history between these two founding franchises, but perhaps they should play each other more often if this is the type of game we can expect. Brett Favre threw 4 TD’s as his impressive season continues, but the Feds matched Birmingham score for score throughout the game, turning Favre’s only interception into 6 on their way to a late win. Both quarterbacks put on a show in Legion Field, with Favre finishing the day 24 of 31 for 404 yards, while Majkowski went 30 of 48 for 322 and 2 scores. It was clear that both defenses were not going to let the other team’s big back do the damage, as they often eschewed nickel coverages for a base 4-3 lineup. Cribbs would finish the day with 70 yards, while Barry Word racked up 69. In the end, with Birmingham leading 31-28 it came down to a blown coverage. With just over 30 seconds left to play and Washington approaching field goal range with 1 time out left, the Feds used a triple wideout formation on the wide side of the field, with Moore and Walters flanking slot back Duane Gunn. The two flanking receivers headed towards the center of the field, and Gunn took a shallow corner route, but was left uncovered as the Birmingham safety bit on the deeper route run by Moore. Gunn was left all alone, and Majkowski found him for a 40-yard TD to take the game and move to 6-2 on the year. Birmingham fans were stunned, and now the Stallions sit at 4-4 and very much in middling territory, hoping to get hot in the season’s second half. A hundred yard rushing day is hardly an unexpected surprise from perennial All-USFL back Mike Rozier, but in his distinguished 9 season career, the game this week at Tampa marks the first time he has totaled 4 scores in a single game. And these were not all 1 or 2 yard dive plays. This week’s scoring includes a beautiful 22-yard play that saw Rozier pinball off of one defender and straight-arm another. Only 3 minutes later he would break off a 12-yard score on a perfectly-run sweep play, one which did not see him get touched by a Tampa defender until he was 2 yards from paydirt. With Pittsburgh now at 7-1 and looking like a team that finally has the pieces in place to make a serious playoff run, Mike Rozier may finally get some team glory to go with the individual accolades that have always been there. Much like Walter Payton in Chicago, who played on so many bad Bears teams before finding glory in 1985, Rozier has suffered in silence as bad Mauler team after bad Mauler team has wasted his talents and his effort. This year may be the culmination of a full career of sacrifice and individual excellence as the Maulers take a real shot at a title run for the first time in team history. Halfway through the season and the league's five new head coaches are seeing mixed results. While some are slowly building a new culture and evaluating the roster to see how personnel matches their preferred system, others have found immediate success with a team on the rebound. The best situation is clearly that of new Memphis Showboat head coach Buddy Ryan. Ryan, the former DC for the 1985 Bears and former head coach in Philadelphia, has found immediate success with the Showboas, leading them to a 6-2 start and early consideration for coach of the year. Ryan's 4-6 defense has been outstanding, leading the league in points per game allowed and terrifying opposing quarterbacks with a steady pass rush led by Reggie White. In Birmingham, former NY Giant OC Ron Erhardt has stumbled into a diamond in the rough in 2nd year QB Brett Favre. Favre is dominating, and helping Birmingham overcome its defensive shortcomings by simply going "bombs away" with the Stallion offense. The Stallions sit at 4-4, and it seems that veteran Cliff Stoudt may spend the rest of the year on the bench as Erhardt would be out of him mind to replace one of the league's shooting stars in Favre. Birmingham needs to shore up the D, but with their newfound offensive explosiveness, they could go on a run to challenge Memphis. Martyball has taken some time to take hold in Chicago, but at 3-4-1 the Machine are still in the hunt for a possible playoff spot. Injury to QB Chuck Long has not helped, forcing another 2nd year QB, Scott Zolak, into action. The Machine have had some tough breaks and still need to shift from wanting to win to expecting to win, but they seem to be picking up what Marty Schottenheimer is trying to teach them, and could be a factor in the second half of the season. In New Jersey, a bright 2-0 start had turned gloomy, as the Generals have now lost six in a row under new head coach Sam Wyche. Wyche gambled big on retaining QB Doug Flutie over Chris Miller, and Flutie has returned the favor by ending up as the league's worst rated QB after 8 weeks. His 68.3 QBR and 12 interceptions are the worst in the league, and even HB Herschel Walker has seen some bad games in the new offense. Wyche had better find a way to rein in Flutie's mistakes and refocus the offense or this could be a lost season for the Generals. Finally, Lindy Infante did on week one what Baltimore could not do all of 1991, win a game. The Blitz have not exactly taken the league by storm, winning only 2 of their first 8 games, but by all accounts they are a more focused, more dangerous team than last year. They have lost some close ones, and have shown tenacity on both sides of the ball. It may take a draft or two for Infante to have the roster he wants in Baltimore, but he is building a new culture for a team that had all but lost hope last season. The headline news this week was the injury to Matt Robinson, who appears to have a ruptured Achilles, which will certainly end his season, and could mark the end of his career with the Breakers. Robinson had hinted that this year might be his last in the league, and an injury like this, which requires extensive training just to get back to standard shape, much less football shape, could be the catalyst for a decision to retire. Tony Eason, Jacksonville’s star QB, also suffered a rough injury this week, though not one likely to cost him the season. Eason suffered a fracture in his right tibia, but it is one which will not require surgery, and he may be able to use a soft boot for several weeks to allow it to heal. There is a chance he could return as early as Week 12, but most are predicting a Week 15 or 16 return, and hopes that the Bulls can do enough to allow Eason to return for a playoff run. Jacksonville took another hit, however, when LB Charles Bratton went down with a groin injury which could keep him out 2-4 weeks. Orlando will be without WR Wamon Buggs for at least 2 weeks with a rib injury, and in Washington there is concern for CB Lester Lyles, who fractured an eye socket in a vicious midfield collision. On the positive front, Troy Aikman has been upgraded to Questionable this week, as has Jim Kelly of Houston. Players expected to return to action include Bulls HB James Wilder, St. Louis LB Chip Banks, Philly DE William Fuller, Breakers WR Charlie Smith, and Baltimore CB Leslie Frazier. The second half of the season opens with another Intra-conference slate. Jacksonville has a big test in Washington. Birmingham will try to get a win against the league-leading 7-1 Maulers in the battle of steel cities. Tampa will visit Philadelphia, who are hoping to get their 2nd win of the year. Orlando and New Jersey will clash in the Meadowlands, while Memphis is in Baltimore hoping to come away with a 7th win to stay atop the division. The Pacific clubs will be hosted by the 5 Central Division squads this week as well. Oakland and Chicago (4-4 and 3-4-1 respectively) are hoping a win this week gets them geared up for a solid second half. Portland is in Houston and likely glad they don’t have to face Jim Kelly. St. Louis and Michigan are both 4-4 and will clash in the SilverDome. Arizona and New Orleans, both 5-3 meet in the Super Dome, and Denver will face off against Texas in the annual game played outside of San Marcos, facing off on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton.