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Opening week, when all 20 teams are undefeated and the possibilities are endless. New coaches, new players, even a new team this year, all ready to make a good first impression. Oakland, beaming off of their first USFL title, Orlando itching to grab one of their own, Washington hoping to return to glory, and 17 other teams hoping that this offseason has brought them the right combination of players and strategies to make it all the way to the top of the mountain. It's football season again, so let's get right to the action. BAL 20 PHI 7 It took Coach Infante only 1 week to show that the culture in Baltimore was changing as the Blitz won their opening game, on the road, against a Philadelphia team that clearly has not found their identity yet. While Chris Miller and Jackie Flowers helped the Blitz win, it was the defense which showed surprising cohesion early in the season, limiting Kelvin Bryant to 21 yards rushing and harassing Browning Nagle all game long. WSH 21 NJ 34 The Generals got a big opening day win as they shell-shocked the Federals with 21 first quarter points and then kept the pressure up all day. Kirby Jackson returned a punt 78 yards and also led the team in tackles, while newly-arrived Irving Fryar caught 4 Flutie passes for 40 yards to do his part. BIR 17 MEM 20 OT The Showboats and Stallions went into overtime to settle this one as Mike Kelley hit Jo-Jo Townsell with a late TD pass to tie the game. In overtime it was newly-arrived kicker Kevin Shea, fresh off his Summer Bowl win with Oakland, who sealed the deal for the Showboats in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Coach Buddy Ryan had to be happy to see the Showboats land 6 sacks of B’Ham QB’s, including one that may lead to Cliff Stoudt missing up to 2 months of action with what looked at first to be a groin injury, but has been diagnosed as a hernia. Brett Favre saw his first real action in relief, going 11 for 21 and tossing 2 TDs for Birmingham. CHI 24 MGN 25 The Panthers stormed back from a 24-15 deficit in the final 10 minutes of the game to steal a win away from the Machine and thrill the home crowd. Jack Trudeau hit Johnny Holloway with a 35-yard TD pass to pull within 2 with 9 minutes left, and then, on the final drive of the day, Brad Daluiso kicked the Panthers to the win from 44 yards out. Daron Carter was the surprise star of the day, looking like Anthony Carter with 7 catches for 115 yards. TEX 24 HOU 16 Kelly Stouffer threw for 3 scores and Reggie Cobb rushed for 70 yards as Texas held the Gamblers at bay. 3rd year receiver Shawn Collins was the surprise performer of the day, catching 4 balls for 105 yards and 2 scores, including a 58-yarder that would prove to be the game winner in the 4th. Houston’s lone TD was a Kelly to Proehl toss in the first quarter, after which they were held to only 3 field goals. ARZ 14 OAK 17 A nip and tuck battle in Oakland as the Invaders held a furious 2nd half Arizona comeback just short to earn the win. The defending champs jumped out fast thanks to a TD run from Fred McAfee and a Gilbert to Wyatt Henderson TD, but Robbie Bosco found both Terry Orr and Trumaine Johnson for scores in the second half to draw close. Rookie Siran Stacy helped Oakland preserve the win by toting the rock 10 times in the final quarter, after having only 12 carries in the first three. DEN 17 STL 32 An enthusiastic crowd in St. Louis’s Busch Stadium for the team’s first game as the Knights was rewarded with an impressive outing from the new look roster. Dan McGwire tossed 2 touchdowns and the combo of Thompson and Jordan rushed for a combined 135 on the day for St. Louis. The defense also did their part as interceptions from Ron Pitts and Chip Banks made Denver QB Dave Krieg’s first USFL start one to forget. PIT 7 NOR 20 New Orleans’s defense does not seem to have taken a break from last season’s #1 ranking, as they hold Pittsburgh to only 7 points on an early Mike Rozier TD run. Marcus Dupree takes on the lead back roll with 14 carries for 74 yards, and TE Dan Ross has a career day against the Mauler secondary, catching 5 balls for 123 yards, including a 59 yard TD in the first quarter as New Orleans rolls at home. ORL 19 POR 14 Portland plays tough at home but 4 Orlando field goals, paired with a Collier to Jefferson TD pass are enough to win the game for the Renegades. Portland holds new Orlando HB Dalton Hilliard to only 30 yards on the day, but their own run game only manages 43 yards in total as neither team could break off the big gainer with the run game. TAMPA BAY BANDITS 35 JACKSONVILLE BULLS 34 Two teams that were hoping to see improvement in their defenses this year ended up in a high-scoring shootout, perhaps the first of many for both. Tampa QB Troy Aikman had a career day, throwing for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Bandits edged the Bulls by one. Jacksonville QB Tony Eason was not far behind, throwing for 278 and 2 scores, while James Wilder punched the ball in twice for the Bulls. The game seemed to be going Jacksonville’s way as they built up a 34-14 lead after 3 quarters. Touchdowns from Wilder (2), Lawyer Tillman and Jamie Morris seemed to have the Bulls in control, but a wild 4th quarter saw Aikman lead the Bandits on three scoring drives, the last one following a successful onside kick with only 1:40 left in the game, as the Bandits roared back and took the road win. It was rookie Robert Brooks who scored the final game-winning points, nabbing a short TD toss from Aikman with only 13 seconds left to play. It was only Brooks’s 2nd catch of the day, as Aikman relied heavily on Truvillion and TE Ben Coates most of the day. For both teams the defenses and the run game did not seem ready for prime time, but both starting QB’s seemed ready to roll the dice and play the shootout game. Aikman was particularly impressive in the second half, where he had a 12 pass streak without an incompletion and orchestrated the three drives that would bring the Bandits all the way back. Both Tampa and Jacksonville are going to hope to see defensive improvement over the next few weeks as both defenses allowed far too many yards and far too many 20+ yard plays to their opponents. We highlighted Troy Aikman’s 5 TD day above, so let’s give some praise to our other outstanding player of the week, New Jersey cornerback and kick returner Kirby Jackson. Not only did Jackson play a major role in defeating the Washington Federals on defense, tracking Joey Walters, making 12 tackles on the day, defending 3 balls and picking off one Don Majkowski pass, but he also contributed a punt return TD that brought the New Jersey crowd to its feet. The 79 yard punt return included a complete juke-out-of-his-shorts moment against the Washington gunner, but then a brilliantly timed cutback against a line of Federals that sprung him to the left sideline and up the field, making the rookie punter John Jett look foolish in his desperation tackle attempt before high stepping into the endzone. Jackson’s return was one of 3 NJ touchdowns in the first quarter that set the Generals up for a big win against last year’s division champion. Add in his outstanding day on defense and Kirby Jackson is this week’s POTW. The saga of the LA Express is not over now that the St. Louis Knights have officially become part of the USFL. While details on the announced 1995 expansion round remain sketchy, one element which is assured is that LA will be among the franchises added, and that they are almost guaranteed to be a renewal of the LA Express brand. The question of who will own the LA franchise may be settled well before other aspects of the ’95 expansion are known. The league is expected to get a formal proposal from William Tatham to allow him to sell of his controlling interest in the Texas Outlaws in order to put together a preliminary bid for the Express franchise in LA. If approved, the Fresno-based real estate mogul could get together an early bid and preempt any possible competition for the LA market from outside candidates. Many USFL owners like the prospect of securing an LA franchise with a known commodity in ownership, particularly one as well-received and respected as Tatham has become in his short stint as owner of the Outlaws. So, as St. Louis plays its first USFL games, and as fans in LA come to realize that this year there is no USFL in town, the prospect of having the LA Express set and ready to return, with a known ownership group in place, well before the end of this season is looking quite plausible. As for any other expansion news, we expect it will be at least until the summer meetings in August before we get any serious updates on the plan for 1995. Two injuries of note, both to quarterbacks ,which will impact the opening weeks of the season. The most serious is the hernia suffered by Birmingham’s Cliff Stoudt in their game against Memphis this week. Stoudt is expected to be out up to 2 months in recovery, leaving Birmingham to turn the ball over to 2nd year QB Brett Favre out of Southern Miss. The other QB going down was Chicago’s Chuck Long, who suffered a pinched nerve in his hip which may keep him out up to 2 weeks, depending on his rehab progress. In his absence, Chicago will turn to Scott Zolak, the 2nd year QB out of Maryland. Of course. there were also the wide range of bumps and bruises in this week’s first full speed games, leaving several players listed as doubtful or questionable for next week. Among those potentially missing out on next week’s action are Baltimore HB Barry Foster (knee), NJ linebacker John Offerdahl (turf toe), Houston LB Johnny Holland (concussion), Orlando TE Marv Cook (neck), and New Orleans DE Jerry Reese (hamstring). After beginning the season with divisional play, we head into inter-divisional matchups this week as the Southern and Atlantic teams square off, as do the Pacific and Central. Games to highlight on the schedule include Jacksonville at New Jersey, Tampa Bay at Washington, the Panthers hosting the Invaders, and the Thunder visiting New Orleans. Orlando is in Pittsburgh this week, and Arizona heads up to frigid Chicago. Also on the docket we have Baltimore’s home opener against the Cliff Stoudt-less Stallions, Philly trying to win its first against the Showboats, Denver traveling to Houston, and the St. Louis Knights taking on the Texas Outlaws in San Marcos.

To say it has been an interesting first season under the new NFL-USFL agreement is an understatement. While the agreement put strict limits on the timing of contact, negotiation, and signings, it certainly did not slow down inter-league transfers. In addition to several significant player signings, no fewer than 3 USFL coaching positions were filled by NFL staff (Erhardt in Birmingham, Infante in Baltimore, and Wyche in New Jersey), with a fourth (Buddy Ryan) only 1 year removed from his last NFL head coaching position. Among the players it is hard to say which league faired better. The USFL signed QB Dave Krieg away from Seattle, LB Pat Swilling from New Orleans, and wideout Irving Fryar away from the Patriots. The flip side of this saw the reining USFL Offensive Player of the Year, wideout Carlos Carson sign with the NFL Eagles, one of the league’s best corners, former Express defender Raphel Cherry, go to Detroit, and defensive End Reuben Davis leave the league runner-ups to play with the Arizona Cardinals. For the 20 USFL clubs, the 1992 draft was also a mixed bag, with few big-name quarterbacks, halfbacks or receivers in the mix, the draft was more of a mean and potatoes affair than most fans want, but that does not mean that several teams did not either improve in key areas or attempt to fill gaps left by free agency or retirements. Looking at the rookie class of 1992, there are some players who are expected to start right away, and some who could make a huge impact in their first year. Here is our ranking of the Top Ten Rookies Most Likely to Impact Their Teams: Philippi Sparks, CB-ARZ: While signing HB Tim Lester and WR Courtney Hawkins may have gotten more press, we think that this ASU product has a chance to be the best rookie of the Wranglers’ crop and can immediately help out a weak pass defense. Marc D’Onofrio, LB-PIT: Having lost both Dino Hackett and Manu Tuiasosopo in free agency, Pittsburgh needs to restock their linebacking group, and this Penn Stater should be primed to step in and contribute right away. Edgar Bennett, HB-JAX: He will begin the year as the #1 fullback for the Bulls, but we expect the FSU back to get his share of carries, particularly if James Wilder seems ineffective once again. Chester McGlockton, DT-TBY: Tampa needs to shore up the center of their D-line, and this Clemson product has the skills to add some dynamism to their pass rush while also helping to stuff the run game. Sam Gash, FB-WSH: The Feds are depending on the Penn State fullback to clear the path for Barry Word, who is giving up all FB duties. We fear for the linebacker who tries to take on Gash and then Foster on the same play. What does it feel like to get hit by two locomotives? Quentin Coryatt, LB-HOU: At Texas A&M Coryatt showed skill in both run coverage and pass rush. If he can play at the same level for the Gamblers, he will help the Houston D with his speed and range. Santana Dotson, DE-MEM: With Booker Reese gone, Dotson will step in as a Day 1 starter opposite Reggie White. He may not get the numbers himself, but if we see Reggie rebound from a disappointing 1991 campaign, it is a sign that Dotson’s presence is impactful. Rodney Culver, HB-MGN: The golden-domer may not be the Day 1 starter in Michigan, but Coach Stanley is going to give him his chances to show what he can do for the Panthers, and that could lead him to a starting roll by mid-year. Troy Vincent, CB-STL: Coach Elway may just go with two rookies at CB, with Vincent and Steve Israel. Of the two, we see Vincent as the most likely to grow into the role right away. Siran Stacy, HB-OAK: With Richard Williams gone, Stacy will be handed the starting job right away. It is up to him to hold that position, and to produce, for the league champions. Beyond the rookies, we saw significant roster turnover in the league this offseason. Retirements, both anticipated and unexpected, were a big part of the story. In addition to the surprise retirement of HB Richard Williams of Oakland, and the anticipated retirement of Chuck Fusina from Philly, the biggest loss this year is likely to be the recently announced retirement of quarterback Jeff Kemp. While Kemp only started a few games for the Oakland Invaders, any time a player feels the need to retire as the result of an on-field injury, such as Kemp’s spinal issues, it is sad for the league as well as for the player. We certainly wish Jeff well moving forward. We also saw significant movement in the Free Agency Pool. Teams used the market to try to offset retirements, improve roster groups, and upgrade key weak areas on their roster. In some cases we think teams ended up weaker than before, while in others there were definite upgrades to the roster. Looking at all the movement, both within the USFL, and between the USFL and NFL, here are our picks for the 10 Most Impactful Free Agent Movements: 10. Dan Saleamua (ARZ to PIT): An immediate upgrade on the D-line for the Maulers, and now a huge hole there for the Wranglers. 9. Bill Brooks (DEN to BAL): Brooks is about as reliable a receiver as you will find. Baltimore needs some of that reliability in order to build an offense. Pair Brooks with Jackie Flowers and you now have a solid combo to pressure defensive backfields. 8. Louis Lipps (ARZ to PIT): Lipps never had enormous numbers, but he is exactly the kind of field-stretching talent that Pittsburgh needs to open up that offense for Coach Marchibroda. 7. Pat Swilling (NFL-Saints to HOU): Between rookie Quentin Coryatt and NFL vet Pat Swilling, the Houston LB corps just got a whole lot faster. Expect a lot of blitzes out of Swilling and this group, and a lot of pursuit of the outside run. A very solid player who will make Houston’s D better. 6. Chris Miller (NJ to DEN to BAL): The Blitz benefit from Denver’s QB shuffle and New Jersey’s QB curfuffle. Miller is a quick upgrade from Eric Kramer and should win the starting position, and hopefully a more dynamic offense, within the season’s first month. 5. Dalton Hilliard (NOR to ORL): The one issue Orlando had last year was a weak running game with Curtis Bledsoe losing significant steam before his retirement. We all have seen what Hilliard can do in tandem as part of the Breakers’ HB duo. Now he gets the chance to be a true #1 back with the Renegades. 4. Raphel Cherry (LA/STL to NFL-Lions): Another huge NFL poach as one of the USFL’s best all-time corners jumps to the Lions rather than make the move from LA to St. Louis. The Knights now plan on starting rookies at CB, so a huge downgrade here. 3. Dave Krieg (NFL-Seattle to DEN): We love the move to pick up a savvy veteran playmaker from the NFL, and Krieg can play in a very similar style to Vince Evans, allowing Coach Walton to devise one offensive scheme regardless of who starts week one. 2. Irving Fryar (NFL-New England to NJ): Settling on Doug Flutie as QB, Coach Wyche immediately jumped into the deep end of the pool to bring in one of the NFL’s most underrated wideouts. Fryar is immediately the #1 receiver in New Jersey, and will free up Lam Jones to go deep more often. 1. Carlos Carson (TEX to NFL-Eagles): You cannot lose perhaps the best receiver in the league and hope to be the same offense. Carson going to the NFL was predictable but still devastating, and we just don’t see Quinn Early coming to Texas as an even swap. So we arrive at early March, when, in past years the USFL would already be playing, and we are still 2 weeks away from the season openers thanks to the modified league schedule. As we look at how each team weathered this tumultuous off-season, and look ahead to another season of spring football, we realize that unlike in the early years of the league, when Michigan and Philadelphia were almost a lock to compete for the title, the league has seen a lot of parity over the past 3 years, with 8 different teams appearing in the Summer Bowl since 1988 (Houston & Memphis in ’88, New Jersey and Denver in ’89, Washington and Arizona in ’90, and Oakland and Orlando last season). This bodes well for all those teams who have not quite gotten over the hump yet, as it seems that fortunes can change very quickly in the USFL. Let’s take a look at the league’s 20 franchises and see the key questions being asked of each as the season approaches. ORLANDO RENEGADES (13-3, 1st in Southern, Conference Champions) 1. Will the duo of Ray Childress and Chris Doleman equal the sack totals of the NFL-bound Reuben Davis? 2. Is Dalton Hilliard the answer to awaken a dormant run game? 3. With two rookies slated to start (DT Joel Steed, OT Leon Searcy), has Orlando done enough to bring youth to the team? WASHINGTON FEDERALS (10-6, 1st in Atlantic) 1. If the only rookies likely to start this year are a fullback (Sam Gash) and a punter (John Jett), are you drafting well enough to stay at the top? 2. Can Barry Word make the full shift to halfback or is Washington asking too much of him now that Kevin Harmon is gone? 3. Just how scary will the Feds’ D-line be if Brown, Manley, and Haley can all stay healthy? JACKSONVILLE BULLS (10-6, 2ND in South) 1. Does adding rookie HB/FB Edgar Bennett help the Bulls get more out of Wilder and Morris? 2. Is Tony Eason’s bubble going to burst, or is his ascension to MVP last year a permanent upgrade? 3. Is the signing of CB Domingo Bryant enough to move this defense out of the bottom 10? NEW JERSEY GENERALS (9-7, 2nd in Atlantic) 1. Will rookies Amp Lee, Mark Chmura, or QB Dave Brown ever get on the field, or is it all about building depth? 2. What does adding Bob Otto to the rotation mean for USFL Sack record holder Phil Hansen and veteran Gary Jeter? 3. With only Cody Carlson and rookie Dave Brown behind him, is Doug Flutie ready to put the drama behind him and show his full potential in a Sam Wyche offense? PITTSBURGH MAULERS (9-7, 3rd in Atlantic) 1. Is Alan Risher a playoff quality quarterback or are the Maulers still hamstrung at this key position? 2. Did acquiring Louis Lipps add enough to the offense to return them to the playoffs? 3. Is Dan Saleamua the answer at DT to help the Mauler run defense finally show up? BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (8-8, 3RD in South) 1. Does Cliff Stoudt have new head coach Ron Erhardt’s full confidence, or is 2nd year gunslinger Brett Favre going to challenge him for the starting nod? 2. The defense is overhauled, with Manu Tuiasosopo, Chris Dishman, and Vencie Glenn brought in to boost a bad squad. Is it enough? 3. Who will step up in the Stallions’ receiving corps? Givens? Knight? Dawsey? Or Shannon Sharpe? PHILADELPHIA STARS (8-8, 4TH in Atlantic) 1. Is Browning Nagle ready to assume the mantle of Chuck Fusina? If not, is Gagliano ready to step in? 2. Can an aging WR corps of Quick, Donovan, and Phelan still get the job done? 3. Is there enough talent left on this defense to carry the load if the offense falters? MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (7-9, 4th in South) 1. How much of an impact will rookie WR Carl Pickens make in his first year? 2. Is a backfield of Greg Boone, Tommy Agie, and Spencer Tillman on capable enough? 3. What will new coach Ron Erhardt emphasize in his new offense? TAMPA BAY BANDITS (6-10, 5th in South) 1. Can rookies Chester McGlockton and Brad Culpepper shore up the interior of the D-line? 2. Will Aikman get enough run support from a backfield combo of Eric Bienemy and Kevin Harmon? 3. Is rookie Robert Brooks ready to fill the shoes of Willie Gillespie in the slot? BALTIMORE BLITZ (0-16, 5th in Atlantic) 1. Will it be Kramer or Miller at QB? 2. Will Bill Brooks be enough to improve the passing offense for the Blitz? 3. With both John Randall and Joe Klecko healthy, can this D-line finally stop the run? OAKLAND INVADERS (10—6, 1ST in Pacific, League Champions) 1. Is Aeneas Williams ready to be the new face of the Oakland Defense after a Summer Bowl MVP performance? 2. Is Alabama’s Siran Stacy up to the challenge of replacing Richard Williams as the lead back? 3. Did a relatively stagnant front office do enough for Oakland to repeat? TEXAS OUTLAWS (12-4, 1st in Central) 1. Can Texas start a revamped O-line with rookies at both tackle positions (Troy Auzene and Eugene Chung) and really expect to keep Kelly Stouffer among the league’s elite passers? 2. How big is the loss of Carlos Carson and can Eric Metcalf and Quinn Early step up? 3. Can a D-line made up of Kevin Fagan, Lester Archambeau, Blaise Winter, and Mark Mraz play well enough to offset any offensive shortcomings this year? NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (11-5, 2nd in South) 1. Can either Ericc Pegram or an unretired Rueben Mayes step in to Dalton Hilliard’s shoes to keep New Orleans’s halfback rotation system afloat? 2. Is Matt Robinson’s leg fully healed and is his mind right to start another season? 3. The Breaker defense was #1 in the league last season, but can they keep up that intensity? PORTLAND THUNDER (10-6, 2nd in Pacific) 1. Now that the weight is fully on his shoulders, is Kerwin Bell ready to be the unquestioned starter for the Thunder? 2. Portland spent 5 draft picks on defense, but are any of them ready to contribute right away? (DE Frank Kmet, CB Dale Carter, CB Muhammad Oliver, LB Glenn Cadrez, FS Horace Smith) 3. Is the tackle combo of Bruce Armstrong and Siupele Malamala the most intimidating in the league? HOUSTON GAMBLERS (9-7, 3rd in Central) 1. Did they do enough (signing TE Ron Heller and QB David Klingler) to help the offense move out of mediocrity? 2. Will rookie Quentin Coryatt and NFL vet Pat Swilling make this LB corps the fastest in the league? 3. Is Ashley Ambrose ready to replace Domingo Bryant as the #1 CB on the team? MICHIGAN PANTHERS (7-9, 4th in Central) 1. Will rookie HB Rodney Culver unseat veteran Vince Workman as the bellcow back? 2. Is a receiving corps of Derek Holloway, Daron Carter and Johnny Holloway good enough? 3. How is Ronnie Paggett still playing DE at this level at his age? Will it all end quickly? DENVER GOLD (6-10, 3rd in Pacific) 1. Did Denver do the right thing in trading away Chris Miller to sign NFL vet Dave Krieg? 2. Can a backfield of Smith, Tate, and Mueller help the Gold control the clock? 3. Is Willie Gillespie really a #1 receiver, or will Mark Carrier step into that role? CHICAGO MACHINE (5-11, 5th in Central) 1. Does Marty Schottenheimer have enough in this roster to contend in the Central? 2. Is 2nd year back Ricky Watters ready to break out in his sophomore season? 3. Is the defensive backfield of Eric Thomas, Robert Massey, William Cesare and Mike Fox the league’s hardest hitting? ARIZONA WRANGLERS (5-11, 4TH in Pacific) 1. Just how will rookie HB Tim Lester impact the Clack-James rushing rotation? 2. Can rookie WR Courtney Hawkins work his way into the starting lineup this season? 3. Can the Wrangler defense improve enough to return Arizona to the playoffs? ST LOUIS KNIGHTS (4-12, 5th in Pacific as LA Express) 1. How long will Coach Elway wait before swapping David Archer for an ineffective Dan McGwire? 2. Will rookie CBs Troy Vincent and Steve Ismael both start in the Knights’ nickel package? 3. How can a team with Eric Martin, Rocket Ismael, and Todd Christiansen not be Top 10 in passing? A lot of questions as the season approaches, a lot of hopes as well as 20 USFL franchises set their eyes on the prize, Summer Bowl 1992 in RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.. We know you won’t let us off the hook without making predictions for the year, so here is our best guess as to who will be standing tall when August rolls around. SEASON PREDICTION ATLANTIC SOUTH CENTRAL PACIFIC WSH 11-5* ORL 10-6* HOU 11-5* POR 10-6* PIT 9-7* TBY 9-7* NOR 10-6* OAK 9-7* NJ 8-8 JAX 8-8* TEX 9-7* DEN 8-8 PHI 7-9 BIR 6-10 CHI 7-9 STL 6-10 BAL 4-12 MEM 5-11 MGN 6-10 ARZ 4-12 SUMMER BOWL 1992: Orlando 21 Houston 17 LEAGUE MVP: Troy Aikman, QB-TBY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Siran Stacy, HB-OAK COACH OF THE YEAR: Dennis Erickson, POR

Sporting News, February 2, 1992 With the USFL Draft coming up next week, minicamps already in session, and full training camp coming in just 2 weeks, things are moving at a crisp pace, and not without some surprises this offseason. Let’s try and see where the pieces have fallen and what this draft may do to help fill some existing gaps. QB CAROUSEL We expected some movement around the league as teams tried to sort out their QB situations, but what we got was wilder than we could have expected. It’s complicated, but we can get through it. Let’s try to do this as a cause & effect listing. 1. Sam Wyche and New Jersey resign Doug Flutie. With Irving Fryar in place at wideout, and with the full support of Sam Wyche behind him, Flutie eschews options elsewhere and reups with the Generals, secure in his position as starter. This immediately leads to the next move. 2. New Jersey trades Chris Miller to Denver. With only Vince Evans at QB, Joe Walton makes a move, and brings Miller to Denver. It’s an odd fit since Miller’s style is more rigid and pocket-based than Vince Evans. Flutie would have made a logical choice in Denver, so that both QB’s have a similar style. But, Miller (for now) is headed west. 3. New Jersey obtains Cody Carlson to back up Flutie. Carson, sent to NJ as part of the Chris Miller trade (along with some picks) is a more traditional clipboard-carrying backup. Able to come in when needed, but unlikely to force coaches to debate whether he should supplant the Heisman Winner. 4. Portland sends David Archer to St. Louis. This one makes sense. Having signed Oliver Luck as an obvious #2 QB, the Thunder do not want to maintain a QB controversy between Kerwin Bell and Archer, so they trade Archer away. St. Louis, which has only 2nd year QB Dan McGwire and a shaky Rodney Peete behind him, get a veteran presence, and a solid arm too in Archer. 5. Denver is not done yet. They hold onto Chris Miller for only 2 weeks before packaging a deal with Baltimore. Miller, who the Generals would not have traded within their division, now has a clear path to a starting job in Baltimore, with only Eric Kramer ahead of him on the depth chart. Denver gets picks they covet to replace those lost to New Jersey and add a little late round capital to pick up the lower cost players they tend to covet. But the question now is whether the Gold are happy to stick with Vince Evans and Billy Joe Tolliver. Are they eyeing someone in the draft, in what is generally considered a very QB-weak draft? 6. Question answered. Clearly something was in the works all along. No sooner had the NFL-USFL transfer window opened in January than Seattle Seahawk QB Dave Krieg was seen at Mile High speaking with Denver Gold front office folks. 4 days into the transfer window Krieg was signing on the dotted line (with an additional 20% of his salary headed to the Seahawks, as per the interleague agreement). Krieg and Vince Evans make an interesting combo, both capable of playing a more fluid game at QB, with more roll outs, bootlegs, and QB runs in the mix. Krieg does have a tendency to fumble, so we will have to watch this, but at least now the QB room in Denver makes sense. 7. So who still needs a QB? And where will they come from? Not many teams, though we expect several to look at a late round developmental QB from the draft, like a Brad Johnson from Florida State, Ty Detmer from BYU, Will Furrer from Va Tech, or Kent Graham from Ohio State. We are just not sure if there will be a lot of motivation for USFL teams only looking for backups to spend the money needed to sign higher profile players like Houston’s David Klingler, UCLA’s Tommy Maddox, or Duke’s Dave Brown. OK, so we have the QB situation. It got really crazy there for a while, and we expect that those two games this year when Chris Miller plays for Baltimore against the Generals should be quite entertaining. But QB was not the only position where we have seen some late roster movement, though there have not been many other trades, just a lot of free agent signings. Here is a breakdown of who has signed on since our earlier report. An interesting mix of movement, both within the USFL and movement with both the NFL and the CFL. In addition to Dave Krieg coming directly from an NFL season into USFL camps we had linebacker Pat Swilling joining the Gamblers and DE Chris Doleman joining the Renegades. Meanwhile the league loses a major defensive talent in CB Raphel Cherry, who will have an extended break before joining the NFL Lions for the Fall 1992 season, as will another strong defender, Orlando’s Reuben Davis, who will be in Arizona with the Cardinals next Fall. Walt Lewis will try his hand at CFL football after failing to get an offer from another USFL team. Tim Spencer, finding himself in the same boat, signed a minimum salary contract with the NFL’s Chargers to try and prove that he can still play the game. The most interesting intra-league moves were the signing of Domingo Bryant (a very good corner) by the Bulls, the signing of Quinn Early in Texas as a partial attempt to make up for the lost talents of Carlos Carson (NFL), and the bargain basement signings made by several teams the past two weeks, snapping up players looking to stay in the league like HB Lydell Carr (Maulers), LB Ed Brady (Wranglers), and CB Terry Kinard (Feds). Houston allowed Sean Salisbury to take an offer from Michigan to back up Jack Trudeau after years as Jim Kelly’s understudy. Why let him go when he has been so effective? Do they perhaps have David Klingler on their minds? As a U. of Houston player he is in their protected Territorial Draft ranks, and perhaps with so much critique coming from NFL scouts, Klingler might be ripe for a USFL signing. DRAFT PREVIEW Talking about Klingler makes us wonder just what is likely in this year’s draft. It is a pool a little light on “hands” players, but solid in linemen and defenders. That may bode well for the USFL, which tends to do well with players who are not looking at major contracts from the NFL and are open to signing with the spring league. As we look at the draft, we are going to focus on those positions of greatest need for each team, and where help may come. ARZ: The Wranglers need to replace Louis Lipps, so expect them to look for a rangy receiver with good hands. Not a lot of help there in the T-Draft, but they could lock up another need, CB, if they could sign Sun Devil Phillippi Sparks. BAL: So many needs. Guard, Tackle, Defensive End, a lot of needs, but, as we said, this is a deep draft for linemen and defenders, so Baltimore could fill some needs in almost any round. Their T-Draft pool is weak, though we do like guard Brian Bollinger from UNC. BIR: When you have Bama and Auburn as T-Draft contributors, you should get some talent there. Auburn has some talent this year, but we wonder if someone like HB Siran Stacy makes sense for the Stallions. Perhaps focus on need areas like defensive end, safety or linebacker to boost that D. CHI: The Machine could use a solid DE to build up a pass rush, and then maybe look at the O-line to help develop a better run scheme for Ricky Watters. Guard Mirko Jurkovic of Notre Dame seems a natural for the Machine in the T-Draft. Then go big and get a DE in the Open Draft. DEN: Signing Dave Krieg probably means they are not going after Ty Detmer in the T-Draft. They will likely focus on Nebraska players as they often do. Getting some help on both lines would also be a good idea. HOU: We already mentioned the possible push to sign QB David Klingler. Another talent they may try to sign is Texas A&M LB Quentin Coryatt. May be a tough sell, as he is expected to be a high pick in the NFL, but if he wants to come to a winning team, and not move far from home, the Gamblers could make him a deal. JAX: The Bulls have been pretty active in free agency, but they could certainly still use some help on the D-line, and getting some depth in the secondary would be wise as well. Looking at their T-Draft schools (FSU, Georgia, Wake Forest, App State), the best prospects to seek out might be CB Terrell Buckley, or multi-position player Gary Dandridge of Appalachian State. MEM: Will the Showboats try to upgrade the passing game by going after Tennessee wideout Carl Pickens? Almost certainly. Will they also have funds to replace Booker Reese with one of the two Tennessee DE’s coming out this year (Chris Mims & Chuck Smith), not sure. MGN: Michigan is down to only 1 HB on the roster, so expect them to go for two or more backs in the draft. But this is not a great year for top tier HB’s, with So. Miss’s Tony Smith and Indiana’s Vaughn Dunbar being the two highest rated prospects. Neither Michigan nor Michigan State have a candidate they can snap up in the T-Draft either. NJ: Being stuck with BC, Syracuse and Rutgers in the T-Draft each year is beginning to look like a real concern. Although, New Jersey might want to look at BC tight end Mark Chmura as an option. In the Open Draft they have to find a backup QB for Flutie. How soon they do that will be an interesting question on draft day. NOR: Depth is what the Breakers want, that and perhaps some playmaking ability. Their T-Draft will likely again focus on LSU players, although having Southern Miss this year might pay off, as both HB Tony Smith and Safety Tony Hoskins could give the Breakers good value. OAK: Halfback is a key need, and a backup for Gilbert makes sense as well. The easiest route would be to look at Cal QB Mike Pawlawski and then use their 1st Open Draft on the halfback they like best. Don’t be surprised as well if they draft a kicker early on. Losing Kevin Shea was a bigger blow than most folks think. ORL: Another team whose needs (D-line, O-line) match up well with the depth areas of this draft. Having “The U” as a territorial school also helps. Miami has some worthwhile prospects, including T Leon Searcy, QB Craig Erickson, and safety Daryl Wilkerson. PHI: Defensive backfield is the most glaring need, with a corner spot and the strong safety position needing enhancement. Penn State’s Darren Perry seems a natural fit at safety, and don’t be surprised if Philly takes a flyer on Tony Sacca as an eventual replacement for Chuck Fusina, if Browning Nagle has not won them over yet. PIT: One of the most active free agent signers, the Maulers don’t have a lot of starting positions left to fill, except at LB, where they have lost 3 starters. Expect a lot of picks at that position, starting with Pitt Panther Ricardo McDonald. POR: Portland’s #1 need is at Defensive End, with the departure of Bob Otto. They have never had a strong pass rush, so snagging an edge player who can pressure opposing QB’s is paramount. Expect them to look at a lot of Oregon and Washington players on both lines, but will they go after the obvious big fish, Washington Huskie Steve Emtman at DE? A very likely top NFL pick, he may not sign with the USFL and wait his chance with the NFL. STL: One bad aspect of moving from LA to St. Louis is that the club is forced to replace USC and UCLA with Missouri and Iowa as protected schools. That is not going to bode well for them in the long run. This year it means missing out on Tommy Maddox, LB Kurt Barber, or CB Dion Lambert. TBY: Tampa will almost certainly use the draft to find a slot receiver for Willie Gillespie’s spot. With the Gamecocks in their pool, look fort them to draft WR Robert Brooks. NC State’s Charles Davenport is another T-Draft option for them. TEX: With the only reasonable T-Draft option at wideout being Baylor’s Lee Miles, expect Texas to look for the best Carlos Carson replacement they can find in the open draft. In our POV, the top options for them are Michigan’s Desmond Howard (if the Panthers pass on him) or Jimmy Smith from unprotected Jackson State. WSH: If they are looking to add a young QB behind Majkowski, the Feds have two decent prospects in their T-Draft, Viriginia’s Matt Blundin and Va Tech’s Will Furrer. Both will be developmental, which is fine with Maj and Hohensee already on the roster. This year’s draft crop is not viewed as one of the richest, which may be one reason we saw such a high level of movement in free agency, but as we have seen year after year, there are always gems in any draft class. It is just a matter of finding them. Our final news for the week is that we finally have the new identity, logo, and colors for the relocated Express. Working with Russell Athletic and the USFL central offices, the identity took longer than expected, but is ready to be released ahead of the USFL Draft. St. Louis, your new USFL franchise is the The name is a reference to King Louis IX, also known as Saint Louis, the patron whose name is referenced in the name of the city. One of the most renown of Medieval kings and warriors. The logo chooses not to refence the famous statue of Louis (The Apotheosis of Saint Louis) which stands outside the St. Louis Art Museum and has been used in past city franchises such as the St. Louis Browns baseball club. Instead the image of the iconic Knight chesspiece will be the primary logo. The horse-head logo includes a star for an eye and a streak of light as well. The logo, and the team colors, will be a deep purple (distinct from the brighter version used in Pittsburgh), metallic gold, and metallic silver. The uniforms feature a silver helmet and pants with purple and gold stripes, a purple jersey with gold numbers, and a white jersey with purple numbers. The team will play its first two seasons in Busch Stadium, home of the MLB Cardinals and prior home to the NFL Cardinals, before an anticipated move-in date on the city’s new domed stadium in March of 1994. Here is the first look at the new St. Louis Knights.

Sporting News, Sept. 4, 1991 A lot to talk about as the NFL-USFL transfer window closes, with USFL free agency still in effect, and with the final coaching positions filled, player retirements announced, and signings to report. Let’s get right to it. COACHING POSITIONS After the early hirings of Coach Schottenheimer and Coach Infante by Chicago and Baltimore respectively, the floodgate opened and we saw all the remaining USFL teams fill their vacancies, including New Jersey, which started late after their management-coaching dispute led to Ray Perkings resigning to take the job at Alabama. So now we have all 5 positions filled and these five franchises begin a new direction. Here is where the coaches fell: Baltimore: Lindy Infante (previously with the Green Bay Packers) Birmingham: Ron Erhardt (previously the OC for the New York Giants) Chicago: Marty Schottenheimer (previously with the Baltimore Blitz) Memphis: Buddy Ryan (previously with the Philadelphia Eagles) New Jersey: Sam Wyche (previously with the Cincinnati Bengals) The Sam Wyche hiring was perhaps the most interesting, though we expect both Buddy Ryan and Marty Schottenheimer to provide us with lots of good quotes over the next year. Wyche was all set to sign on the dotted line with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when apparently the GM of the Generals was able to call the secretary in Tampa, they actually put Wyche on the phone and he was convinced not to sign until he heard the offer from New Jersey. Apparently the package put together by the Generals, combined with the ability to make a name for himself in the biggest media market in the country, was enough to convince Wyche to leave Tampa and fly to Newark for a press conference with the Generals. Much like the Schottenheimer hiring which caused major ripples between the NFL and USFL, this signing may also lead to some bad blood, but it was totally above board within the confines of the agreement within the two leagues, so there is little chance of anything more than bluster from Tampa about how it went down. As for the Generals, this hiring is very likely to lead to a major campaign to resign Doug Flutie. Wyche has already expressed quite publicly his belief that the diminutive QB is a special talent, and with Wyche’s reputation as an inventive offensive mind, it may now be an attractive spot for Flutie to stay, rather than accepting an offer from another club. We know that Flutie has spoken with both Denver and Memphis in the USFL, as well as both the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots in the NFL, so there are offers perhaps in the works, and New Jersey, if they are serious, will want to get in that conversation quickly. RETIREMENTS As anticipated, the biggest retirement announcement was that of long-time Philadelphia Stars QB Chuck Fusina. Fusina was the oldest player in the league after all, and with his past two seasons being marred by a high number of interceptions, as well as this year’s slide out of playoff contention, the writing was on the wall. Fusina leaves the league with a rich history of accolades and awards, as well as two championship rings. The Stars now look to move on with last year’s rookie pick, Browning Nagle likely to get his chance as the starter, though Philadelphia has signed a capable veteran as well (see below) just in case. The surprise retirement, the one that will likely impact the upcoming draft, is the announcement by 8 year veteran and recently dubbed USFL Champion, Oakland halfback Richard Williams. The Williams announcement comes as a surprise not only because of the team’s success, but because his nearly 1,400 yards rushing this year was a career best. It seems clear that Williams still has gas in the tank, and there are some who believe that his announced retirement may be a ploy to allow him to freely negotiate with NFL teams as a retired player, exempt from the transfer window system now in place. That is a possibility, but one that would certainly come with inter-league negotiations attached, as it appears to be a loophole not recognized when the two league’s agreed on a free agency system. You do not want players announcing retirement and then immediately coming out of retirement with a contract in the rival league. We shall see how this ends up. Other, almost certainly final, retirements in this offseason have included Baltimore TE Mark Keel, Michigan HB Stanford Jennings, New Jersey LB Stan Padilla, Orlando HB Curtis Bledsoe, Pittsburgh LB Greg Gerkin, Portland LB David Peace, and Texas CB Brent Woodson. PLAYER MOVEMENT We have had a pretty significant number of moves this offseason, particularly during the NFL-USFL tranfer window. Let’s look at all the names first, and then we can comment on some of the bigger moves and some players still in the market. We expect you have already spotted some of the big stories. For our money, the biggest is Texas losing the ALL-USFL 1991 Offensive Player of the Year, wideout Carlos Carson to the NFL. That one will certainly hurt the Outlaws. Certainly New Jersey losing J.J. Birden will also hurt, as will the departure of Kevin Harmon from Washington, or Blair Bush from Philly, or Dalton Hilliard from New Orleans. And let’s not underestimate what a big part of the Stars’ success punter Sean Landeta has been. Him departing for the NFL is sure to leave a gap for the Stars. On the positive side, we did see a lot of the brightest stars re-up with their teams, including Henry Ellard for the new league champion Invaders, Kevin Greene in Birmingham, and LB Hardy Nickerson in Michigan. Of the new signings, we absolutely understand the roll that Bob Gagliano will play in Philly, mentoring the young Browning Nagle, and we think Orlando did more than fill for the retirement of Curtis Bledsoe by signing former Breaker Dalton Hilliard. Louis Lipps in Pittsburgh, Bill Brooks in Baltimore, and even Willie Gillespie going to Denver all fill huge needs in each club’s receiving corps, whether it is for reliability, speed, or slot receiving skills. Not sure what Portland is going to do with Oliver Luck, though they may be open to trading David Archer and using Luck as a backup to Kerwin Bell. Booker Reese looks like he will step out of Reggie White’s shadow and get a chance to be the #1 guy on the new St. Louis defensive line, and Orlando, who wanted to upgrade their run offense, may have made the best move all offseason in snagging center Blair Bush from the Stars. He is an instant upgrade for their ability to run counters, pulling plays and sweeps. Still on the market we have several big names in the league. Some are likely to be snapped up quickly, others may struggle to find a landing spot. The names we are watching include QB’s Walter Lewis and Sean Salisbury; HBs Tim Spencer and Lydell Carr, WR Quinn Early, TE Clint Didier, DE Rueben Davis, DT Dan Saleamua, LB’s Ed Brady, Tommy Taylor and Manu Tuiasosopo, CB’s Raphel Cherry, Domingo Bryant and Issaic Holt, and Safety Vencie Glenn, and O-linemen David Houle, Randy Dixon, and Tom Newberry. And, of course, we are not forgetting Doug Flutie, who has been at the center of a drama-packed season and off-season. He has the chance to return to Boston if he chooses, with the New England Patriots of the NFL in serious conversations with him, but if he opts to return to the USFL, he will have no lack of teams reaching out. We know Denver is interested, as aging Vince Evans just does not have the dual threat ability which once made him an early league favorite. We also have heard that new Head Coach Buddy Ryan has an interest in Flutie in Memphis, and, as noted earlier, Coach Wyche of the Generals seems clearly in the Flutie camp, over Chris Miller. Can Wyche convince Flutie to stay a General, and if so, what does that mean for Chris Miller in New Jersey? Finally, let’s talk about the few NFL players who have signed on with the USFL for this year. Perhaps the biggest name is Irving Fryar, who left the Patriots to serve as the #1 receiver in New Jersey with the Gamblers. If that is not a huge carrot to hold in front of Doug Flutie, I don’t know what else would be. Another interesting signing is the Breakers bringing a New Orleans Saint to the team. Rueben Mayes retired after the 1990 NFL season but is apparently itching to get back on the field after nearly a year and a half off, and will join the Breakers, splitting time, we expect, with Marcus Dupree. Not a bad combo if you have to lose Dalton Hiliard, as the Breakers did. In Oakland they are hoping that Matt Bahr’s accuracy will help them deal with the loss of Kevin Shea’s monster leg, while in Tampa Bay, the task of backing up Troy Aikman moves from Oliver Luck to another former Saint, John Fourcade. We won’t see any more NFL signings until after the 1991 NFL fall season, but with the new tranfer window in January, it is possible that there will be some players taking a short break between the end of the NFL season and new USFL action in March. A lot of happenings already. We expect that as we build to the newly-scheduled February Collegiate Draft, along with the second NFL-USFL window in January & February, there will be plenty of roster shifts to announce. We leave you today with something far less dramatic, but also still interesting, two uniform and league design notes. The first is the celebration of 10 seasons of USFL Football. 1992 will mark the tenth season for the league, and to commemorate the occasion all teams will wear a special anniversary patch on their jerseys (even teams that came into the league in 1984, '87, '88, or this year, as St. Louis is. It is a celebration of a milestone for the league. The patch will appear on the right shoulder of each team's jersey, as pictured below on the new Pittsburgh home jerseys. The second is our presentation of the new uniform designs produced by Russell Athletic for the Houston Gamblers. The uniform itself is not that distinct from their former look, with the same helmet and basic striping patterns. Gone are the grey pants and in their place the Gamblers will have white and black options. The other new feature is a secondary logo, based on their primary “Texas G” logo, this one featuring only the state of Texas silhouette with the gold star. The new secondary logo will appear both as a sticker on the back of each helmet and as a patch on the left shoulder of each jersey. A pretty modest upgrade, but one which will maintain a pretty solid look for a team that has had a lot of success since coming into the league in 1984. Well, if the first NFL-USFL transfer window is any indication, the process is certainly smoother, but does not reduce the impact of player transfers from one league to another. We saw, both for coaches and players, a decent number of big-name signings, but we also should note that there were just as many big-name signings between NFL clubs and between USFL clubs, so perhaps what we are going to witness with the new mediated agreement between the new league is more akin to intra-league free agency than an inter-league war of attrition. That, very likely, will be good for both leagues in the long run.

Oakland Defeats Orlando to Bring USFL Title to California Turnovers equal points. It is one of the most reliable clichés in professional sports. Teams that force takeaways tend to win, teams that turn the ball over tend to lose. That old axiom was proven once again as the Oakland Invaders as they won their first USFL title by turning three Orlando Renegade turnovers into 21 points, on their way to a convincing 34-17 victory. For former Offensive Player of the Year Reggie Collier, quarterback of the Renegades, the realization that three errant passes led to those much-needed points for Orlando is going to be a tough reality to face. For Oakland rookie cornerback and Summer Bowl MVP Aeneas Williams, who snagged two of those errant passes, running one back for a score, the power of the takeaway is one which will make him a star in Oakland for years to come. The Summer Bowl matched two teams that had never reached these heights before. Coach Dick Vermeil and the Oakland Invaders had made the playoffs several times, but had never won a single playoff game until this year. Orlando had been in the postseason the past two years, had even made it as far as the Conference Title Game in 1989, but this would be their first USFL Summer Bowl. The nerves for both teams were on display early in the game, as both clubs opened the game with short drives, punctuated by errant passes or missed blocks, and so the game lurched to a start with three straight punts. On their second drive, Oakland started to pull it together, mixing Richard Williams runs and short passes from Gilbert to Duper, Ellard, and Bowers until they had reached the Orlando 7. Two short runs and a tipped ball, and it was 4th and goal at the 2, and Coach Vermeil opted to let Kevin Shea put some points on the board and calm his team down a bit. What would happen next would do just the opposite, it would turn nerves for Oakland into energetic focus. After a touchback on the kickoff, Orlando looked to shake off their own nerves with a quick play action pass from Collier to veteran wideout John Jefferson. The initial fake to Curtis Bledsoe may have drawn in the linebackers, but rookie Aeneas Williams was not fooled, sticking to Jefferson, stepping in front of the veteran, snagging the poorly placed ball and dashing down the sideline for the touchdown. The heavily partisan crowd at the LA Coliseum burst into cheers, the sideline erupted, and the Oakland Invaders, for perhaps the first time, felt like today might actually be their day to shine. Orlando would recover. On their next possession, one straddling the first and second quarters, they shook off the sudden change of fate and methodically drove the ball down the field. They were helped by an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty that gave them a 1st and goal, but they also saw Reggie Collier complete several passes along the way, 3 to Jefferson almost as a response to Williams’s early interception. Bledsoe would run the ball in from the 1 yard line on 2nd and goal and Oakland too had now lost its initial nerves, putting itself right back in the game. Oakland responded with a short drive and another Kevin Shea field goal to move the score to 13-7. The game was now well underway, and both teams were beginning to find their rhythms. Orlando responded to the field goal drive with a solid drive of their own. Collier hit Dante Whittaker, Nathan Bruce, and finally Alfred Jackson on three consecutive plays, the last being a 15 yard touchdown toss, and Collier’ costly interception seemed wiped away as the Renegades, a 5 point favorite in the game, took the lead at 14-13. Another drive and a late field goal from Fuad Reveiz would put Orlando up 17-14 and apparently set the scene for the game ahead, but the early interception would not be the last for Collier, and the impact of those missed throws would determine the outcome of the game in the second half. The first drive of the second half would be one of Oakland’s longest, moving from their own 23 all the way down the field and into the endzone with a Fred McAfee 1 yard plunge. On the drive, Williams would rush the ball 4 times for 14 yards, but the big plays would come from the passing game. Gilbert found Sam Bowers for 17 on a first down toss. He would then hit Bowers again for 12 on a 3rd and 1. He found Ellard for 11 on a first down, then went right back to him for 10 on the very next play. Little used Fred McAfee would sub for Williams at the 1 yard line, and would get his moment of glory plunging over the right guard for the score that once again put Oakland on top, 20-17. 4 straight failed drives followed this moment, with Oakland and Orlando failing to do much with the ball. It looked like a long war of attrition would be the story of the second half, but once again a mistake would shift the game towards the Invaders. Collier, again looking for Jefferson (who was targeted 14 times on the day, more than double any other receiver), was clipped by Oakland DT Greg Meisner, causing the ball to flutter, falling short of his target and into the arms of Robert Sparkman, who had been covering Alfred Jackson on an underneath route. Getting the ball at their own 47, Oakland took advantage, with Gale Gilbert completing 4 short passes and Williams converting a key 3rd and 1, Oakland took the ball deep into Orlando territory, and on a 1st and goal, Gilbert found his favorite receiver, Henry Ellard, streaking along the back line of the endzone. Tossing the ball high and in front of Ellard, the CB could not make a play on it and suddenly Oakland had a 10 point lead, 27-17. The sudden turn of events, and now down by 10, caused Orlando to shift to a quicker pace and try to force their way back into the game. That proved fatal as only 5 plays later, Collier, again trying to connect with Jefferson, would again put the ball into the hands of rookie Aeneas Williams. Again, Williams had open field in front of him, gaining 36 yards on the return before being pushed out of bounds at the Invader 49 yard line. Gilbert would come back onto the field, and in 3 plays put the game out of reach for the Renegades. He hit Ed McCaffrey for 7, followed by a 7 yard run for Richard Williams, and then, on a double move, Mark Duper got a step on the corner and Gilbert found him for the 36-yard touchdown that would put the game solidly into Oakland’s pocket. With only 6:44 left in the game, and now down by 17, Orlando pressed, and Oakland’s defense, knowing that it would be all passing from now on, pinned their ears back and came after Collier, forcing early throws, and keeping Orlando from using their full arsenal. When a 4th down pass from Collier to Jackson fell short, turning the ball over to Oakland with only 1 minute left, the game was won. Gale Gilbert, who started the season on the bench, demoted to the 2nd string, took the knee twice, and held the ball aloft in celebration as the Oakland Invaders stormed the field. Coach Vermeil would be hoisted up on the shoulders of several players, Aeneas Williams would become the first rookie ever to win the USFL Championship’s MVP award, and the Oakland Invaders would receive the USFL Trophy as the league champions. For Orlando it was another step, another achievement, but also another disappointment, to come this close, and to fall once again. For Oakland it was an unexpected moment of glory, a recognition that they were not perennial also-rans or just good enough to get into the playoffs. They were the USFL Champions. QB Jeff Kemp, who began the year as the starter, suffered a scary spinal injury, and was on the road to recovery, but perhaps never to play again, would be part of a championship team. His courage and his example were cited by Coach Vermeil in the post-game interviews. Gale Gilbert, who had long been criticized as being “not quite good enough’ would have his redemption, showered in champagne by his teammates. For Oakland, a city which had mourned the loss of their NFL franchise, and which has embraced these new “Invaders” as both a team that represented their return to football, but also a team which had taken a very different path than their darker, more rebellious predecessors, their faith had paid off. The Black and Silver was slowly being replaced by the more upbeat and California-cool colors of the Invaders sky blue and sun gold. Oakland had beaten the odds, had taken the final step, and now would be forever enshrined in USFL history as champions.

Championship football. The chance to be declared the Best of the West or the Beast of the East. Two teams’ tickets to the Summer Bowl and a piece of history, to raise aloft the USFL Championship trophy and celebrate being the best team in the league. Four teams enter this week with dreams of just that, and two move on with the chance to bring a championship home. After 16 weeks of competition, 2 weeks of playoff drama, it comes down to this for a chance to book passage to Los Angeles and the USFL Summer Bowl. Gamblers 14 Invaders 21 One play. Sometimes that is all it takes. One play to swing momentum. One play to clinch a victory or seal a defeat. One play to change the course of a game. One play to define a season. It only took one play for Houston’s entire gameplan to become moot, and one play for them to go from the top of the world to the pits of despair. That play came early on Sunday, when, on the 5th play from scrimmage, Thurman Thomas caught a swing pass, planted to cut, and felt his knee give out on him. The dual threat star of the Gamblers, the center point for their entire offense, was on the turf, holding his knee and waiting for training staff to race across the field to him. His day was done, his game over, and now the Gamblers would watch him hop to the sideline, held aloft by two linemen, and then carted out to the locker room. The Gamblers would never recover. Henry Ellard would score the first points for Oakland, but the game already felt lost for the Houston faithful. Even when Reggie Sutton returned a Gilbert pass for a touchdown to tie the score, the few Houston faithful in the Oakland-Alameda Stadium did not go wild. They cheered, but it was half-hearted. Oakland would finish the half with Gilbert connecting with rookie Ed McCaffrey to go up 14-7, but there was a sense that the game was over already. In the second half, Oakland would score again, Gilbert’s third TD pass, this time to Wyatt Henderson, and Jim Kelly would find Keith McKeller for a late score, but with the Gamblers only gaining 27 yards with Keith Woodside, and with the defense playing to contain the passing game, the Gamblers were a shadow of themselves. Oakland was heading to the Summer Bowl, in part due to their tenacity, in part due to Gale Gilbert’s poise facing the Houston defense, but just as much because of one play that changed everything. Federals 20 Renegades 27 It may be a year later, but the 1990 Offensive Player of the Year had his moment this week as the Renegades came back to first tie and then defeat the Washington Federals. Reggie Collier would have one of his best games of the year, completing 29 of 35 throws for over 300 yards and three scores, and the Orlando Renegades, who surprised the league by winning the Southern Division, would be moving on to the Summer Bowl. The game was a back and forth affair all evening. Orlando took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, with Collier finding Wamon Buggs for an early score and then leading the ‘Gades into field goal range for Fuad Reveiz. Washington would recover and score the next 13 points, retaking the lead when Ray Wersching knocked through his second field goal with only 6 seconds remaining in the half. In the second half, Reveiz would tie the score with a 38-yard kick, but Washington would take the lead 20-13 on a Barry Word 13-yard TD run. It would come down to the final quarter, and in that clutch final period, Collier would shine. He led the Renegades on two consecutive scoring drives, the first ending with a 2nd TD toss to Buggs, and, only 4 minutes later, hitting his top receiver, John Jefferson, with the game winner. Collier found 8 different receivers on the day, hitting Jefferson 8 times, Buggs and HB Bledsoe 4 each, and TE Dante Whittaker 5 times. Washington too relied on the passing game, getting only 87 yards combined from Word and Harmon on the ground. Don Majkowski played three good quarters, alternating between Joey Walters, Travis McNeal, and rookie Herman Moore, but in the fourth the passes simply did not connect, with Majkowski going 3 for 13 in the quarter. Orlando had shifted the momentum of the game, and held up by the cheers of the partisan Citrus Bowl crowd, the Renegades played shutout defense in the final quarter, helping the team reach a goal that seemed so distant only 4 months ago, the Summer Bowl. SUMMER BOWL PREVIEW So it will be the upstart against the also-ran, the up-and-comer against the perennial bridesmaid. Orlando vs. Oakland for the USFL title. This is not a matchup picked by anyone when the season began, but both clubs outperformed expectations all year long and both survived the pressure of the playoff battles to get here. Orlando knocked off the past two league champions to reach the Summer Bowl, while Oakland used home field advantage to take out both New Orleans and Houston, an advantage they may just maintain as a California-heavy crowd is expected in the LA Coliseum next Sunday when the Invaders take on the Renegades. Orlando has the clear advantage in the passing game, with 1990 Offensive Player of the Year, Reggie Collier at the helm. Oakland, behind the shifty moves of Richard Williams, is likely to win the ground battle. Both teams have proven that they have defenses capable of containing the opposition, and both have shown grit in overcoming obstacles to be here. The two met back in Week 3, an Orlando home loss as Oakland slowed down the Renegades and pulled out a 16-13 victory thanks to a swarming defense and the right foot of Kevin Shea, who kicked 3 field goals to give the W to the visiting Invaders. Jeff Kemp was still the QB for the Invaders at that point. His injury only a week later would prove a turning point for the team, creating a sense of purpose and a somber respect for the game and what it took to win it. The loss would also prove a spark-point for the Renegades, who would go on to win 8 of the next 9 games on their way to the Eastern Conference’s best record and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Orlando seems to have the advantage on paper, with their defense ranked 2nd in the league in points per game (Oakland’s is 8th) and with their offense averaging 5 points a game more than Oakland. But the stats don’t always tell the story. Oakland has been underestimated all year, as Pacific teams tend to be, but they have found ways to win the big games. They were underdogs despite being the home team against both the Breakers and Gamblers, but they fought their way through. It’s that disparity, between who expects to win and who wants to win, between the upstart and the also-ran that makes this an intriguing championship. One way or another we will see a new, first time, champion atop the USFL in one week’s time, and that alone is something to get excited about. Not all the news this week was about the Championships and the Summer Bowl matchup, though at times it can seem that way. We had big news in the coaching world across the league, and we have seen our first free agent news of the offseason (though technically, all contracts are in limbo until next Monday.) Memphis has made their choice for Head Coach and fans of hard-hitting, no mercy defense are likely going to be very happy. The mastermind of the 46 defense, former 1985 Bears Championship DC, and former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Buddy Ryan, will be taking the reins of the Showboats. That is likely very good news for the likes of Reggie White, DT Curtis Maxey, LBs, Mike Douglass, Mike Junkin and Eddie Simons, and safeties Bennie Blades and Bubba McDowell. Memphis is about to become a truly aggressive defensive team. It may not be as welcome in the QB room as Coach Ryan is not known for his offensive schemes or his love for QB’s. A good defense can be a great boon to an offense, and after the collapse from playoff contender to also-ran this year, perhaps a focus on one side of the ball is just what the Showboats need. Baltimore also found their next Head Coach, and in doing so they reached back into the USFL’s past, found a coach who once built an expansion club into a playoff team, and hired former Jacksonville Bulls HC Lindy Infante to reinvent the Blitz team. Infante spent 5 years in Jacksonville, building up the expansion Bulls from the ground up. He began with a 6-10 expansion roster and the very next year had them in the playoffs at 9-7, then a year later 11-5, before the team slipped again. He left Jacksonville with an overall record of 40-40-0 over 5 years, but it is likely his success in building from nothing that intrigued the Blitz the most. They are not an expansion club, but after going 0-16 this season it is clear that they need to start from the ground up. Infante has been signed to do just that, to build a roster, build a culture, and bring back winning football to the Blitz. The other coaching story this week, one we highlighted last week, has come to fruition. After a long meeting with the New Jersey Generals’ front office staff, including the GM and the President of Football Operations, Perkins announced his resignation from the club. Despite taking the Generals to the pinnacle of the USFL in 1989, winning the clubs only league title, and despite once again making the playoffs this year, with a 7-game win streak following a 2-6 start, Perkins and Generals brass simply could not make it work. Tension over the QB situation spilled into other aspects of the team, and at the end of the day, Perkins simply wanted more control than the Generals were willing to give him. He leaves behind a team that made it to the divisional playoffs, but one which will very quickly need to determine a path forward, for themselves and for QB Doug Flutie. Who the Generals hire to replace Perkins will very likely determine whether the former Heisman Winner is willing to listen to an offer from the Generals or if he will seek to ply his wares elsewhere. Finally, we have the first inkling of potential free agent signings as several teams seem to have verbal agreements in place with players on the market. According to inside sources you can expect to see the following movement next week: Philadelphia appears to have a deal ready to go for former Denver and (briefly) Baltimore QB Bob Gagliano. This may be an indication that they have heard from longtime QB Chuck Fusina about possible retirement. Gagliano would likely serve as a backup and mentor for 1991 rookie QB Browning Nagle. Portland has also hinted at QB news, with an expectation that on Monday they will announce the signing of former Tampa Bay backup Oliver Luck. Luck had some solid numbers in Tampa but was never able to gain the trust of the fans or Coach Spurrier. His arrival in Portland may very well indicate the Thunder’s willingness to trade away former starter David Archer after the comeback season Kerwin Bell had this year. Denver is rumored to have reached an agreement with former Tampa Bay wideout Willie Gillespie. With both Bill Brooks and Odessa Turner in the free agency pool, Denver may be anticipating one or both leaving the Rockies for greener pastures. Pittsburgh LB Dino Hackett has all but announced that he is signing with division rival New Jersey, while his teammate Manu Tuiasosopo has been linked to Birmingham. Other, perhaps more tenuous stories, have New Orleans HB Dalton Hilliard in serious conversations with both Baltimore and Jacksonville, while one of Washington’s 1-2 punch, Kevin Harmon has been in conversations with Tampa Bay. One of the biggest names in the free agency pool, Carlos Carson remains in conversations with the Outlaws, but has also made visits to both Houston and Arizona, while the top defensive star in the free agent pool, LA/STL CB Raphel Cherry has visited Birmingham, Washington, and Philadelphia in the past 2 weeks. We will, of course, know more next week, as Free Agency officially opens and teams can formally sign players both from the NFL and fellow USFL clubs. For now we sign off with the first of three anticipated uniform unveils this offseason. Russell Athletic has revealed the modified look for the Pittsburgh Maulers. The team will now have a choice between their grey pants and a purple set. You may also notice changes to the helmet stripe, the jersey sleeve stripes, and the addition of the team name to the jersey. Other than that, the Maulers pretty much look like the same team that we have seen on the field since 1984.

A slog in the heat, a defending champ asserting themselves, a Texas shootout, and a team on a mission, this week of USFL playoff football had it all. Eight teams entered the weekend hoping to step up and move on. Four teams survived and will face off next week in the Conference Championships. It was a great weekend for football fans. Bulls 7 Federals 30 Defense wins championships. That is the cliché, and this week at least it held. The Federals, with one of the league’s best defenses, held Jacksonville’s high-powered offense scoreless through three quarters, and built up a lead that the Bulls could not overcome in the 4th. And it is not that this was a game where turnovers decided the game. Jacksonville had none. They just could not pick up first downs when they needed them and simply did not move the ball well against the stingy Federals D. Don Majkowski, on the other hand, proved why the Federals are defending champs, and why, even though he was not among the league’s passing leaders, Majkowski is a dangerous QB. His 3 TD’s in the first half took Jacksonville by surprise, and forced them to play catchup against a defense designed to rush the passer. Tony Eason would be sacked 4 times, twice by Manley, and the Bulls just could not get the ball moving in time to mount a response to Washington’s early scoring success. Eason finished with 212 yards, but no scores, while the Bulls’ run game was limited to 59 total yards. Majkowski finished the game with only 190 yards passing, but 3 scores, and with both Harmon and Word each rushing for over 50 yards, the Federals topped 100 yet again. The defending champs won this one handily, and appear to be playing their best ball as they head into next week’s Conference Championships, with a chance to become the first back-to-back Summer Bowl/Championship team since the Houston Gamblers did it in ’87-’88. Gamblers 37 Outlaws 24 It was an old fashioned shootout at the Bobcat Corral as both the Outlaws and the Gamblers racked up over 425 yards of offense in their Saturday night spectacular. Houston would get the early lead and Texas would just keep clawing back, but in the end, the edge went to the Gamblers, and a late Thurman Thomas TD would put the Gamblers up for good. Thomas would finish with 85 yards rushing, as it was the Gambler passing game that proved decisive. Both Jim Kelly and Kelly Stouffer finished with over 300 yards passing, and both would toss 3 touchdowns, but Kelly’s INT sheet was clean, while Houston managed to pick off two Stouffer passes, and in a game where every possession counted, that hurt the Outlaws. Kelly found Ernie Jones, who was often matched up on either a nickel back or a safety, for two scores as he spread the ball around to 7 different receivers (including a highlight reel 33 yarder to FB Tim Manoa who simply flattened 2 different Outlaw players with a killer straight arm on the play.) And while Texas’s Carlos Carson again came up big, with 123 yards on 7 catches, Houston contained the damage, and limited the touches by Eric Metcalf (2 Rec.) and Theo Young (3) to limit Texas just enough. With the win the Gamblers are headed to the Conference Championship, hoping to once again pull off a road win and become the rarest of 5 seeds to reach a championship game. Generals 11 Renegades 14 The NFL had its “Ice Bowl” and now the USFL has had its “Sweat Bowl”. With temperatures on the field reaching 101 degrees and teams going through Gator Ade at unprecedented rates, this was a scorcher for all involved, and that kept it from being a scorcher on the field. Heat and humidity seemed to suck the life from both teams, as it was exhaustion, and not defensive acumen, that seemed to keep both teams from sustaining offense. New Jersey would be held to a field goal for 3 quarters as Orlando managed only two scoring drives. Reggie Collier started but was pulled when he reported significant discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Jimmie Jordan would go 15 of 21, finding both John Jefferson and Alfred Jackson for TD’s. For New Jersey, Chris Miller went 19 of 39, tossing a late TD to Scott Schwedes to bring the game to within 3, but also tossing 3 interceptions on the day, though, admittedly, one of them was off a receiver’s hands and into the air, so not really Miller’s fault. Herschel Walker rushed 18 times for only 64 yards and had to be pulled for either Heath Sherman or Bobby Morse during several drives. The same was true for Orlando’s Curtis Bledsoe, who was spelled by Todd Fowler on multiple occasions. Phil Hansen garnered 2 sacks of Jordan, but again needed frequent relief due to the heat and humidity. The game ended with a missed Roger Ruzek field goal, a desperate 61 yard attempt by the Generals which just sunk in the heavy air. With the win, Orlando guarantees that they will host the Federals next week, and we think it is safe to say that for everyone who was at this game, we all hope that the USFL learns its lesson and schedules this as a 7:00 or 8:00pm start. Breakers 10 Invaders 20 In a much more enjoyable 78 degree day in Oakland, the homestanding Invaders found holes in the vaunted Breaker defense, jumping out to a 20-0 lead, and hung on, thanks in part to a controversial call that cost the Breakers a chance to get in striking range. With the Breaker D focused on stopping Richard Williams (held to 57 yards rushing) it was up to Gale Gilbert to deliver, and he did, to the tune of 65.4% completion rate, 167 yards, and 2 scoring tosses. The Oakland defense also came up big, holding Matt Dunigan to 163 yards passing, and keeping the Dupree-Hilliard duo to a reasonable 92 combined yards. Oakland had a well-scripted first drive that ended with Gilbert finding Duper for the game’s first score. They would follow that with a Kevin Shea field goal and finish the first quarter up 10-0. The game would be 13-0 at half as New Orleans simply was not locked in on offense and made some self-defeating mistakes that cost them drives, the largest being a holding call on a successful 3rd and 7 play. In the third quarter Gilbert found the ageless TE Raymond Chester for his second TD toss of the day, putting Oakland up 20-0. New Orleans, having revamped their plans at the half, came out slinging the ball and Dunigan found Herman Fontenot for 6 on a beautiful 32-yard corner route. New Orleans would tack on a field goal to begin the 4th and there was audible concern from the Oakland crowd that the tide had turned. That sentiment would be very present when, on their next drive, it appeared that Dunigan had found rookie Michael Jackson, for a 51 yard TD score as Jackson outfought SS Marcus Quinn to bring in the TD toss, but a late flag showed up on the field. Jackson was called for a rare Offensive Pass Interference call on the play, apparently having pushed off Quinn before the ball arrived. The play was cancelled, and when Coach Arnsparger called for review of the play, the replay also came back in favor of Oakland. The turn of fate changed a 7-point play into a 4th and 8, ending the Breaker drive. New Orleans would never recover, and the Oakland Invaders would come away with the win and a chance to host Houston in the Western Conference Final. Coaching news was the story of mid-week in the USFL as two teams found their coaches and one may be on the way out. Chicago wasted no time in signing former Baltimore Blitz Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer as the new head man in the Windy City. Despite a rough run in Baltimore, one which included losing every game this year, Schottenheimer is still considered a top tier coach, and one whose brand of discipline and hard-nosed play seems a perfect fit for the underachieving Chicago Machine. Schottenheimer remains in the USFL with this hire, and gets a second shot to prove that he can build a winner in the spring league. His former DC and interim head coach of the Blitz, Bill Cowher, is also expected to join the Chicago coaching staff, likely in the same position as DC that he began 1991 with in Baltimore. Birmingham also made its coaching hire, going to the NFL and making the first cross-league hiring since the mediation agreement came into effect. On Thursday, Birmingham announced former Patriots Head Coach and NY Giants Offensive Coordinator Ron Erhardt as their third head coach. Erhardt. (Pictured while HC in New England) has served as the OC for the Giants since 1982, helping them to victory in Super Bowl XXI against Denver, and a near victory as the Giants fell 20-22 to the Buffalo Bills this past February in Super Bowl XXV. Many expected Erhardt to leave the Giants in search of a head coaching position this year, but he had agreed to a special “Assistant Head Coach” position with the Giants until Birmingham came calling. As per the agreement between the two leagues, the Stallions will pay an amount equivalent to 20% of Erhardt’s 1992 salary to the Giants this year, and if he remains coach in 1993, another 10% of that year’s salary. Erhardt, who is known for a “smashmouth” run game supported by a mid-range passing game seems a good fit for a team led by Joe Cribbs and Cliff Stoudt. With Birmingham having issues on defense, Coach Erhardt’s choice for who coordinates the D will likely be a key one. Finally, while no official announcement was made after their loss to the Renegades, it does seem that a change is coming for the New Jersey Generals. Ray Perkins has been in an open feud with Generals brass over his preference of Chris Miller over Doug Flutie. With Flutie due to join the free agent ranks starting on Saturday, there is a lot of pressure on Perkins to resolve his issues with the BC signal caller so that the Generals can retain one of their premier players. According to our sources within the Generals’ organization, Perkins is not taking that direction well and may just tender his resignation and search for other coaching options. The timing could not be better for Perkins as a choice job in the college world has opened up late in the hiring season. Alabama has forced the resignation of Bill Curry after the NCAA has initiated investigations into certain recruiting and potential tutor-related discrepancies within the Crimson Tide football program. With the option to join the Crimson Tide an apparent open invitation for Perkins, he may feel that now is the time to extricate himself from the situation in New Jersey. What this means for Flutie, who is still expected to test the market this year, is unknown. If Perkins does leave, it seems likely that New Jersey would try to lure Flutie back with their coaching hire. So, keep your eyes open for more news on this developing situation as things are getting messy in the Meadowlands. Looking ahead to the Conference Championships, there are a few injuries which may impact the two games. In Orlando, the Renegades are confident that Reggie Collier will be able to play on Sunday, after a failed attempt to start the game this week, leading to an early hook. They will be without halfback Todd Fowler however, as the dual threat back suffered a fracture in his hip after a bad fall on the sideline during this week’s game. This puts more pressure on Curtis Bledsoe to deliver for the Renegades run game. Their opponent, Washington, will have to scramble on defense, as both Brandon Zavala and Dante Jones may be out after suffering injuries this week. Two of three key linebackers in Washington’s 4-3 system being unable to go could be a huge blow for the Federals. In the Houston v. Oakland matchup, the biggest question for Oakland is CB Tory Nixon, who is listed as questionable, and could return in this game. His groin injury has been a day to day situation, but it does not seem to be improving at a pace the Invaders would want. For Houston the biggest concern is also in the secondary, where FS Donald Dykes is out with an ankle injury. Dykes has been a key member of the Gamblers’ pass defense, and while the Invaders are not the Outlaws when it comes to their passing attack, they still have a strong cohort of receivers to counteract. Four teams remain, including the defending champion, a returning past champion, and two teams, both hosting the games, who have never attained these heights before. Will we see experience win out, or is their magic in the runs being made by the Renegades and Invaders? It will all be played out on the field on Sunday, as these four teams try to punch their tickets to the USFL Championship in Summer Bowl 1992. In an unusual turn, it will be the West Coast game played first, as the USFL has heeded the lesson of this week’s Orlando game in sweltering heat. The Renegades will have the night game, while the Invaders will host the equivalent of a Noon start in the East Bay. 3pm ET, Sunday on ESPN Oakland-Alameda Stadium Oakland, CA The Invaders hope that the Houston invasion of Oakland-Alameda Stadium fails, as they are within eyeshot of playing their first ever championship game in front of what is likely to be a very friendly California crowd in Los Angeles’s Coliseum next week. Oakland enters the game as a 1 point underdog to the Gamblers, and that is certainly understandable when we see that over 28 players on the Gambler squad have already played in two USFL Championship games. This is a Gamblers squad used to playoff football and used to playing in these pressure cooker games. Oakland has only 3 players with prior championship experience, and the only starter who has seen a title game is former Memphis Showboat Richard Williams. Both teams won last week by coming out fast and forcing changes to their opponents’ offensive strategy. Expect both to do the same this week. Both have running games that can make life easier for their QB’s, but if we have to pick a winner, we are going to go with the team that has a savvy and pressure-proof QB, and that is Houston and Jim Kelly. 8pm ET, Sunday on ABC Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL Orlando has exceeded expectations all season. Picked to finish behind Tampa Bay and Birmingham in most preseason projections, and behind Memphis in several others, the Renegades have outperformed expectations all year, winning the division, earning the #1 seed and knocking off New Jersey to get to this point. Washington was expected to be here. The Defending league champions have a defense capable of upending even the best plans of the league’s offensive coordinators, but while the team’s dominant D-line is still intact, they have significant injuries in the linebacking corps which may impact their ability to shut teams down. It is an interesting matchup of an overachiever against a proven champion that is hurting a bit. Will the Federals rally or will the exuberance of the Renegades prove too much? If Orlando can get a full game from Reggie Collier, and if their defense can limit Washington’s two-headed rushing attack, the Renegades have a very good shot at making their first Summer Bowl, but if Washington gets some hero ball from Don Majkowski, or if their defense finds ways to compensate for the loss of Jones and Zavala, it may be a repeat appearance for the Federals in this year’s Summer Bowl. This one is tough, and arguments can make our pick lean either way, but in the end, we believe that defense does win titles, and even with their weakened LB Corps, we think Washington can pull it out and return to the Summer Bowl with a chance to repeat.

The first week of the USFL playoffs is something of an appetizer for the main course in the Divisional Round. The two bottom seeds fight for the right to play each conference’s top seed. This year the Wild Card round produced a blowout and a tight game that ended with the winning defense simply not allowing a comeback to come to fruition. And once again we saw the old adage about winning with the run game and defense proven true again as both winning teams had fewer passing yards than their opponents, but won the ground game to survive and advance. Houston Gamblers 34 Portland Thunder 17 The Houston Gamblers used their years of experience and an explosive offense, to get off to a jackrabbit start in their Wild Card matchup against Portland. By the time the Thunder got their feet under them, it was too late, and Houston rolled to a 17-point victory. Thurman Thomas had 65 yards and 3 TD’s in the first half, on his way to 108 for the day as Houston scored on its first drive and then on 4 straight possessions in the 2nd quarter before a last second field goal from Portland made it 31-3 at the half. The Thunder racked up a lot of passing yards in the second half as they tried to come back, but they were unable to turn yardage into points against a Houston defense that bent but would not break. LB Tom Howard had a big day with 9 tackles (2 for a loss), a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception on the day. Donald Dykes also intercepted Kerwin Bell, and Kiki DeAyala was again a stalwart leader for the defense. Portland was simply overwhelmed by the moment, and by the Houston Offense. Houston will now face the Texas Outlaws, the in-state rival who they swept this year, giving Texas 2 of its 4 losses on the year, including a 35-31 shootout win on the final week of the regular season. Houston will come into that game having won 4 of their last 5 and with both sides of the ball playing their best football of the year. Expect ticket prices for the game at Bobcat Stadium (24,000 capacity) to skyrocket as fans from Houston try to get tickets to the in-state rivalry game. Pittsburgh Maulers 17 New Jersey Generals 20 Another game where playoff experience played a part, as New Jersey held off a fierce Mauler comeback effort, and forced a scoreless 4th quarter to win by 3. Herschel Walker was, as expected, the game’s top performer, rushing for 156 yards on 26 carries, including both General TDs on the day. Both Chris Miller and Pittsburgh’s Jeff Hostetler seemed content to manage the game, taking care to avoid turnovers (0 picks between the two) so the difference was the ability of Walker to exploit the Mauler D, while Mike Rozier was bottled up by an effective run-blitz scheme from New Jersey, limited to only 32 yards on the day. Pittsburgh opened the scoring on their first drive, taking the ball to the New Jersey 29 yard line before stalling and calling on Rafael Septien to put them on the board with a 46-yard field goal. The next 20 points would be all New Jersey as a Ruzek field goal to equalize the scoreboard was followed by a 27-yard Herschel Walker run on a pitch left. The Generals repeated the sequence in the 2nd quarter with another field goal and another Walker TD run. Down 20-3 at the half, Pittsburgh changed gears in the second half, with fewer Rozier attempts and more shots to wideouts Mike Pritchard and Raynard Brown. The biggest play for Pittsburgh was actually a 65 yard TD toss to Matt Shaw as the third quarter began, a blown coverage that allowed Shaw clear sailing after the Free Safety blew the tackle. Pittsburgh would add another TD on a Ron Wolfley run from the 2 yard line as the 3rd quarter ended, but that would be the last score of the day. Both defenses played to prevent 1st downs, and both were very effective in the fourth quarter, leading to the final, 20-17 for the Generals. New Jersey will now face Orlando next week. The two clashed early in the season, a very entertaining 31-26 win for the Renegades in Week 4. That game was Collier vs. Flutie, this one could well be Jordan v. Miller as we know Flutie is out, but Collier may not be able to return after an injury in Week 15. Coach Schnellenberger has been tight-lipped about his QB situation, so it is hard to know if Collier is ready to return for the Renegades or if it will be Jimmie Jordan under center. Looking at non-playoff news, the main item of the week is the pool of free agents available this year. With the NFL-USFL transfer window opening next week, there has been no movement yet, and, of course, players on playoff teams cannot join the free agent pool as long as their team remains alive. But, even with those caveats, the pool already looks like one of the most intriguing ones in years. Here are some of the big names who remain unsigned by their current clubs (the 10 non-playoff clubs and the 2 recently eliminated teams) and are now looking at free agency in the next week: ARIZONA: WR Louis Lipps, C Ed Miller, DT Dan Saleamua BALTIMORE: QB Bob Gagliano, G Tom Newberry, LB Ed Brady, HB Rodney Carter, DT Gregg Bombkamp BIRMINGHHAM: LB Kevin Greene, FS Roman Lewis, CB Issaic Holt, TE Vincent Marchand CHICAGO: T Ken Lanier, HB Owen Gill, WR Mike Williams DENVER: WR Bill Brooks, FS Vencie Glenn, G Robert Schafer LA/ST. LOUIS: CB Raphel Cherry, DE Blaise Winter, LB Tommy Taylor, QB Frank Seurer MEMPHIS: HB Tim Spencer, DE Booker Reese, T Rick Boyd, CB Eric Moody MICHIGAN: DE Ronnie Paggett, WR Danny Knight, HB Lydel Carr PHILADELPHIA: C Blair Bush, SS Eric McMillian, WR Quinn Early, LB Eric Lindstrom PITTSBURGH: LB Manu Tuiasosopo, LB Dino Hacket, HB Willie Strange PORTLAND: TE Clint Didier, DE Bob Otto, WR Aubrey Matthews, QB Ed Luther TAMPA BAY: WR Willie Gillespie, DT Kevin Fagan, QB Oliver Luck, SS Victor Sprouse The fact that Raphel Cherry has not resigned with LA/STL is a bad sign for the former-Express. He is one of the top defenders in the league and there will surely be competition for his services. The same is likely true for other top defenders like Birmingham’s Kevin Greene, Memphis’s Booker Reese, Philly SS Eric McMillian, and Portland’s Bob Otto. On offense we are still waiting to see if Doug Flutie comes on the market, but there are some solid players in the pool already, including two from the big 4-way trade (Tim Spencer and Bob Gagliano). Wideout Louis Lipps is in his prime, Aubrey Matthews is mostly dangerous as a return specialist, Willie Gillespie is a valuable slot receiver, and Quinn Early is still on his upward trajectory. Of the backs, Tim Spencer is the biggest name, but has not been his earlier self the past 2 years, so teams may look for a cheaper option like an Owen Gill or Lydel Carr. Lots of solid linemen in this pack too, including top tier pass protectors like. Tom Newberry, Blair Bush, and Ken Lanier. On the NFL side, there are a few gems out there for the transfer window, but not as many as there will be during the January-February window, when the NFL season wraps up. A few key names that have not signed NFL contracts yet include QBs Dave Krieg and Chris Chandler, HBs Alonso Highsmith and Gerald Riggs, FB Ickey Woods, and wideout Sterling Sharpe. On defense, some potential free agents (in January more than now) are LB Seth Joyner, DE Greg Townsend, LB Pat Swilling and CB Martin Mayhew. In other news, the coaching searches are ongoing, with no one signed yet. Former Memphis Head Coach Vince Tobin has been interviewed for a possible DC position for the new St. Louis team, and is expected to speak with Coach Bicknell in Philly as well. Rumors have Chicago and Memphis both speaking with Marty Schottenheimer, while Baltimore and Birmingham have both spoken with former Jacksonville head coach Lindy Infante. Another name getting a lot of buzz is former Chicago Bears DC and Philadelphia Eagle head coach Buddy Ryan. Sources have indicated that Ryan’s people have been in communication with at least 3 USFL teams, though they would not specify which. Finally, the newly-relocated St. Louis franchise has announced that they will reveal their name and identity at a press event at Busch Stadium this upcoming Saturday, as part of the pre-game events on ABC Sports leading up to Saturday’s 3pm game between Jacksonville and Washington, the first of the weekend’s 4 Divisional Games. Rumors have been rampant that the team, required to rebrand by the sale agreement, but likely to have done that anyway since the Express logo was a stylized “LA”, are looking at purple as their primary color. We will know next week, and, of course, we will bring their new identity and look to you as soon as it is revealed. It’s the biggest football weekend of the summer, four games, eight teams, everyone battling to survive and move on to the next game. Here is our look at the four matchups, in order of the schedule this weekend. 3:00pm ET, Saturday RFK Stadium, Washington DC Two evenly matched 10-6 clubs as it is the #3 seed Bulls at the #2 seed Federals. The two played in Week 4, before Tony Eason took charge of the team, and it was a blowout in favor of the Federals. This time around we expect it to be a much closer battle. Jacksonville is all about the pass game led by Eason and featuring Brian Blades and Hassan Jones. For Washington, defense has gotten them here, a defense that allows fewer than 20 points per game. The Feds also boast a solid run game with Barry Word and Kevin Harmon sharing carries. If needed, Don Majkowski has also shown that he can gunsling his way to a win. Due to the more varied options in front of Washington, we are picking the Feds to win at home and return to the Eastern Conference Finals. 7:00pm ET, Saturday Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX Houston gave Texas two of their 4 losses this year, and they are hoping for a third. To pull off the upset in San Marcos they will need to find a way to either slow down Kelly Stouffer and the Outlaw offense, or crank up Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas to win a shootout. Planning to shut down the Texas offense seems a futile effort, so we think Coach Willsey and the Gamblers better loosen up Jim Kelly’s throwing arm and give Thurman Thomas extra time in the training room. This could be a major shootout as Texas’s defense has gotten so used to protecting leads that they have been a little lax on shutting teams down early, so Houston has a chance if they can get out to a quick start this week like they did against the Portland Thunder. With Carlos Carson back to full health, we think Texas wins a shootout, so we are going to pick the Outlaws to hold home court and return again next week with a trip to the Summer Bowl in LA on the line. 1:00pm ET, Sunday Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL The Generals head down to Florida for what might be the hottest, most humid, game of the year. Temperatures could be in the mid-90’s (Why was this not scheduled as the Saturday night game?) at gametime. Will Herschel Walker and the Generals’ offense melt in the heat, or will it be Orlando who crumbles under the pressure of their first home playoff game? New Jersey certainly has the experience factor, though we have to remember that this will be the first playoff game for Chris Miller, who languished on losing Jacksonville teams for years. Experience is important, but talent matters most, and we like the quality of players on both sides of the ball for Orlando. It may be their defense and not Reggie Collier and the passing game that step up this week, assuming everyone does not decide to just stay indoors in the AC instead. 5:00pm ET, Sunday Oakland-Alameda Stadium, Oakland, CA The Breakers have the better record, and have looked like a very solid playoff team once again, but don’t we say that every year, and every year they seem to fall short in the playoffs. Oakland is no pushover, gaining inspiration from Gale Gilbert’s plucky play since season starter Jeff Kemp went down. Their offense depends on the run game of Richard Williams to allow for play action, but in Duper and Ellard, with Chester and Bowers at TE, this is a team with receivers that can burn any defense. The key will be Williams, and the Invaders’ ability to rein in the RB duo of Dupree and Hilliard for New Orleans. If the Breakers can get the run game on track, they are hard to stop. We like Oakland’s grit, but New Orleans seems the safe pick here. They have the experience, the top defense in the league, and the ability to run to daylight. Take the Breakers by 3. (Make your predictions in the Comments section below. Thur = Divisionals, Fri = Conference title games, and Saturday is Summer Bowl 1991.)

After sixteen weeks of battles we start all over again. Twenty teams are now down to ten, and soon there will be two, fighting for a chance to be called “Champions”. Will it be a repeat performance for the Washington Federals, winners of the Atlantic Division? A return to glory for the Houston Gamblers or New Jersey Generals? Will the upstart Portland Thunder or Pittsburgh Maulers go all the way? Or will it be a perennial also-ran like Oakland or New Orleans? And what about our two surprise #1 seeds, Orlando and Texas? Are they ready for the bright lights and intense scrutiny of the USFL playoffs? We will find out soon as the playoffs begin this week. We will take a look at all 10 teams and then preview this week’s Wild Card matchups as we gear up for playoff football. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Every team, even the top seeds, come into the playoffs knowing that they have gaps in their roster, areas of concern, or potential weaknesses their opponents will try to exploit. They also know that they are here because they have talent and the will to win, so what are the options for each team. Let’s start by looking at the team rankings in seven key categories: Points Scored, Rushing ,Passing, Points Allowed, Pass Defense, Rush Defense, and Turnover Margin. What we see in our rankings is that we really have three types of teams in the playoffs this year. We have offensive Juggernauts like the league’s top offense, Texas, who rely on outscoring opponents to win games. This group also includes Jacksonville, with their potent passing attack. For these teams, defensive weaknesses are covered up by their high-powered attacks. On the other end of the spectrum we find teams that rely on their defenses to pull out games. Houston and Washington fall into this group. And then we have balanced teams, some who are at or near the top in both key offensive and defensive categories, such as New Orleans and Orlando, while others are balanced across the board but not particularly strong in any one area, such as Pittsburgh, Oakland, or New Jersey. Looking only at statistics, we would have to give good odds on both Orlando and New Orleans, who can win with either strong offensive or defensive performances. The stats also cast some doubts on both Portland and Pittsburgh, who have few Top 5 rankings to boast of. We also can see the keys to stopping some of the league’s top teams. To defeat Washington, you want to run the ball well and slow down the Federals’ run game. For Texas it is all about the passing game. If you can slow down Stouffer, Carson and Metcalf, you might just outpace the rest of the Texas offense. You want to force Jacksonville to run the ball, and you want to pound the ball against Portland’s poor rush defense. Against New Jersey and New Orleans you want to avoid the costly turnovers that they feed on, while against Oakland and Pittsburgh, you want to stress takeaways as a way to shut down their offenses. Statistics give us great insight into each team’s strengths and weaknesses, but it cannot show us everything. As we see every year, there are teams that are peaking at the right time, while others were at their best early in the year and have backed their way in based on that early season performance. Looking at recent weeks, we have to put New Jersey, Houston, Orlando, Pittsburgh and New Orleans in the first group, teams whose last 4-5 weeks have been very solid. And while we do not have any teams that have been in full backslide in the playoffs (Birmingham and Michigan both played themselves right out of postseason contention), we are concerned about recent losses by Texas (2 in division to end the year) as an indicator of their mindset. PLAYERS TO WATCH Every team has their superstars, but it is often lesser known players who will make the difference for each team. As we look at the ten teams competing in the USFL postseason, we look for those lesser-known diamonds in the rough who could come up big for each team. PITTSBURGH: John Bosa-DE. Very quietly Bosa had a very good year. He racked up 12 sacks and 2 forced fumbles as Pittsburgh’s best pass rusher. If he can get to opposing QB’s in the postseason, he can help a Pittsburgh D that at times struggles to contain their opponents. HOUSTON: With everyone looking at Thurman Thomas, don’t be surprised if change-of-pace back Keith Woodside has a shot to be a hero. He actually averages more per carry than Thomas, though certainly on fewer carries. His power rushes are a solid alternative if teams are too focused on the ALL-USFL Thomas. PORTLAND: The Thunder defense does not get a lot of positive press, and when you are ranked dead last against the run, it is understandable. But, despite those issues, LB Bobby Houston is a threat any time ball carriers or receivers head his way. He racked up 104 tackles this year, and can run sideline to sideline. NEW JERSEY: With all eyes on rookie sensation Phil Hansen and his league record 23 sacks, we should not forget that his fellow DE, Gary Jeter, snagged 12 sacks himself. If you overcompensate for Hansen, you are likely to find Jeter coming off the other edge. NEW ORLEANS: The Breakers defense is so good because it is not all about one star. They have no players whose numbers pop off the page, but if you look closely you will see that CB Terry Daniels has quietly been one of the most effective at separating a receiver from the ball. He has 26 pass defenses, and while only 2 of those turned into interceptions, there are plenty of ruined 3rd down attempts in that number. JACKSONVILLE: We all know how dangerous the combo of Brian Blades, Hassan Jones, and Weegie Thompson are when Tony Eason is on his game, but were you aware that behind Blades, the #2 touchdown scorer was actually third year TE Steve Johnson. With only 34 receptions he is not likely to make an All-USFL team, but his 9 TD’s this year were huge for the Bulls. OAKLAND: LB Ken Harvey got all the press out in Oakland with his Defensive POTY-worthy 116 tackles, but do not sleep on his squad-mate, Ron Rivera. Rivera had a solid 82 tackles, but also proved to be an effective blitzer, snagging 5 sacks on the season along with 16 tackles for loss. WASHINGTON: If I told you that Birmingham led all teams in rushing yards, you would believe it, what with Cribbs and Fullwood it makes sense. But when you see that it was Washington, not New Jersey or Pittsburgh, that had the second best rushing attack, you would be shocked. The balance between former FB Barry Word (226 carries for 900 yards) and Kevin Harmon (210 carries for 710 yards) meant that neither broke the 1,000 yard mark, but they combined for more than any other combo this year aside from Cribbs and Fullwood. TEXAS: Yes, Carlos Carson is likely to win Offensive POTY for his very close pursuit of 2,000 yards receiving, and Eric Metcalf was a monster with 1260 yards himself, but, as with Jacksonville, there is a sneaky TE in the mix. Theo Young had 57 catches on the year, and was a favorite of Kelly Stouffer in the red zone, catching 11 touchdowns. ORLANDO: Rueben Davis got most of the press as he chased Phil Hansen all year, ending with 18 sacks, but the true defensive MVP for the Renegades may be cornerback Melvin Jenkins. In addition to tying LB Winston Moss for the team lead in tackles with 94, Jenkins also snagged 5 interceptions and had a league-leading 34 pass defenses. That is a player to avoid this postseason. So what is in store this week? Let’s look at our two matchups. The Gamblers are the hotter team, and statistically they match up well against the Thunder. Portland’s rush defense is a definite weakness. When they met in Week 2 that defense gave up a stunning 260 yards rushing to Thurman Thomas, and yet, thanks to a 4 TD day from Kerwin Bell, they managed to pull out that game 37-34. That will be a tough feat to repeat. If they cannot contain Thomas, particularly with the way Kelly has been playing down the stretch, they will have a hard time getting the W. Portland needs to make Houston a passing team, focusing on compacting the line to shut down Thomas. They also need to get production from Robert Drummond and Terrance Flagler to take pressure off of Bell. Having just given up over 100 yards to Lars Tate of Denver, and 120 yards to Richard Williams of Oakland the week before, we are not sure Portland’s D has it in them to shut down Thurman Thomas, so we are picking Houston to get the road win and head to face their rivals, the Texas Outlaws, in the Divisional Round. Run game once again will be on display as the Maulers and Mike Rozier head to the Meadowlands to face New Jersey and Herschel Walker. With Hostetler and Miller at the helms, subbing for injured starters Alan Risher and Doug Flutie, the passing games have not exactly been explosive, so it is all about effective running, play action passing, and avoiding costly turnovers. New Jersey is the best in the league at taking the ball away, while Pittsburgh was one of the worst in the league in creating takeaways. That is definitely an advantage for the homestanding Generals. The Generals also have a Top 5 scoring defense, so Pittsburgh is going to have to hope for a low-scoring game and hope they can catch a break or two against the Generals D. We like New Jersey at home, though we recognize that this is very likely to be a close game and could come down to a last minute drive and the accuracy of either Roger Ruzek or Rafael Septien to decide it. Let’s get to it! Playoff football!!

BAL 0 WSH 26 The Federals did what they needed to do, moving to 10-6 with a shutout win over the now infamous 0-16 Baltimore Blitz. Joey Walters had 110 yards receiving and rookie Herman Moore caught an opening drive TD as the Feds shut down and shut out the Blitz. With the loss Baltimore completes one of the worst seasons ever by a non-expansion team (The 1976 0-14 Buccaneers had been the prior standard for futility but that was in their first season, not their 9th.) New COO John McVay has his work cut out for him. BIR 13 TBY 34 The Stallions needed a win to lock up a playoff berth, but it was Tampa that looked like the team fighting to make the postseason as Troy Aikman threw for 372 yards and 3 scores and Eric Truvillion gained a whopping 193 yards (with 2 scores) on 9 catches. Birmingham was playing catchup all day and simply did not have the firepower to keep pace with an angry, determined Tampa team. Now they have to wait the result of Pittsburgh-Oakland to see if they still had a postseason ahead of them. PIT 23 OAK 20 With knowledge of Birmingham’s loss before their late afternoon kickoff, and with Oakland resting several players, including Gale Gilbert and Richard Williams, the Maulers did what they had to do. Jeff Hostetler threw 2 TD passes and rookie Mike Pritchard caught 7 balls for 91 yards on the way to a 3-point victory and a surprising Wild Card spot. The Maulers, winners of three in a row, finish the year at 9-7 and lock up the fifth and final playoff spot in the East. JAX 24 MEM 26 Resting several starters, the Jacksonville Bulls still played a competitive game against the Memphis Showboats, but fell to a Memphis team that has been playing better football over the second half of the season. Rookie Shawn Moore got the start for the Showboats and threw for 321 yards against a vanilla Bulls defense. The combo of Boone & Spencer also combined for 96 yards and 2 scores in the win. CHI 10 MGN 13 Chicago got a look at what rookie Scott Zolak could do, giving him the start, but Michigan was adamant about breaking the losing streak that cost them a playoff shot, starting all of their regulars. Even so, it was a balanced, largely defensive game, between the two Central Division foes. The loss guaranteed Chicago yet another last place finish in the Central Division, with repercussions to come the next day (see below). HOU 35 TEX 31 With New Orleans playing at the same time, Texas had to start all their regulars to try to avoid a loss, in case the Breakers won and could steal the division title. Houston, with nothing to play for, already locked into the 5th Wild Card, played like it was already the playoffs and Jim Kelly had one of his best games of the year, throwing for 285 and 4 TD’s on the way to a road win in this in-state rivalry. ORL 31 NOR 19 New Orleans could jump over Texas with a win, but the Renegades were having none of it. With Reggie Collier still nursing an injury Jimmie Jordan and the defense led Orlando to an impressive showing. Matt Dunigan now has Breaker fans worried as he threw two interceptions in the first half, both returned for scores by the opportunistic Orlando defense. He was also sacked 4 times and completed only 47.5% of his passes. Not a great omen for the Breakers headed into a playoff matchup with Oakland. ARZ 20 LA 34 The Express said farewell to Southern California (or just about 3,540 representatives of SoCal) with their best game of the year. Facing the lackluster Wranglers, who gave rookie Scott Mitchell the start, the Express got 4 TD’s from their RB corps and easily dispatched of visiting Arizona. DEN 27 POR 32 The Gold jumped out to an early 24-0 lead but Portland got serious after that and swung the game around, scoring 25 unanswered over 2+ quarters on their way to the win. Terrance Flagler contributed 2 TD’s and Kerwin Bell threw for 316 and a score in the furious comeback. For Denver the star was Lars Tate, who had his first 100-yard game as a member of the Gold. NEW JERSEY GENERALS 18 PHILADELPHIA STARS 22 In a game that meant nothing for Philadelphia, nothing but a chance to stick it to a longtime rival, the Stars started several backups, including QB Browning Nagle, as they took on a New Jersey team on a 7 game win streak, and a team that needed a win to lock up the Atlantic Division title. What resulted was the pure definition of a “spoiler” as Philadelphia hung tough with the Generals and then pulled the game out in the 4th quarter to end the New Jersey win streak at 7 games and knock the Generals into 2nd in the division, costing New Jersey a bye in the process. New Jersey started off well enough, scoring on a Roger Ruzek field goal on their first drive and then getting the best of the rookie QB Nagle just 5 minutes later. On their second drive, Philadelphia muffed a punt and ended up with the ball on their own 3. The Generals’ pass rush immediately came after Nagle, and on 2nd and 11 they sacked him in the endzone for 2 points. But, despite good pressure all day, that was the last major flub for the young signal caller. On their next drive, Nagle and the run game led by Kelvin Bryant, moved the ball effectively and on a 2nd and 7 Nagle found Quinn Early for a go-ahead score. Just 6 minutes later Nagle would find Philadelphia’s other top wideout, Mike Quick for a 15-yard score to help the Stars take a surprising 14-8 lead into the half. After New Jersey opened the second half with a Herschel Walker TD run, Philly was back down by 1. Early in the 4th they responded, this time with a draw play to Vi Sikahema that caught the NJ pass rush too far into the backfield, opening up the middle of the field for the shifty back, who treated the play as a punt return, dodging and juking defenders on the way to a 17-yard TD run. The Stars went for 2 and Nagle hit Eric Green with the key conversion to go back up by 7. New Jersey would have to settle for a field goal on their next drive, and with time running out, Philly was effective both in killing time and in keeping Chris Miller from finding open receivers on 3rd downs. Miller, who only completed 9 of 25 pass attempts in the game was simply not able to rally the Generals when needed. Something that Flutie fans on sports radio would be sure to point out to the entire NY-Nj audience. For Philly it was something of a shallow victory, as they now wrap up the season while New Jersey will play next week, but at the very least they got to see what the rookie QB could do, and they got to spoil things for their rival up I-95, which is, for a lot of fans, almost as good as a playoff berth. With the season all but over for the Philadelphia Stars, they opted to sit longtime veteran Chuck Fusina and give rookie Browning Nagle his first significant action of the year. Not only did the rookie from Louisville play well, he led the Stars to an upset victory over New Jersey, knocking the Generals from atop the Atlantic Division and into the Wild Card slot. Nagle went 21 of 26 (81%) for 200 yards and 2 scores, despite being harassed by the Generals pass rush all day (Phil Hansen nabbed the 1 sack he needed to break Junior Ah You’s record of 22 for the year). He got an early confidence booster thanks to a nice grab by Quinn Early for a TD in the 1st quarter, and then kept his cool as he led the Stars to the go-ahead score in the 4th, a drive that ended with a Vi Sikahema TD run. Nagle showed poise in the pocket, despite pressure that produced 5 sacks for Philadelphia. For Stars fans the writing may be on the wall. After a season in which the Stars offense was often uncertain, and one in which he came 1 errant pass short of the league’s record for most interceptions in a year, Chuck Fusina may be coming to the end of his career. The oldest player in the league has simply not had the zip on the ball that we saw in past years, leading to throws coming in late or behind his receivers. Nagle was drafted and signed last year with very much this scenario in mind, a year to learn in the system, and the Stars prepared if Fusina opts to hang up the cleats. No announcement from Fusina yet, but clearly the performance this week has to help the Stars coaches feel better if he does decide it is time to leave the game. Leave it to week 16 to shake things up. Pittsburgh wins and Birmingham loses, so after standing below .500 for most of the season the late 3-game win streak jumps the Maulers into the playoffs and knocks the Stallions out. In the Central Division, it was all primed for New Orleans to overtake Texas and win the division, but the Breakers got manhandled by Orlando (and QB Matt Dunigan’s mistakes) and fell to the Renegades, and to the 3 seed. But the biggest story of the week was Philadelphia, starting a rookie at QB, knocking off the Generals and giving the Atlantic Title to the defending champion Washington Federals. So, with the regular season done, here is what we have going into next week’s Wild Card round: EAST: 1-Orlando 2-Washington 3-Jacksonville 4-New Jersey 5-Pittsburgh WEST: 1-Texas 2-Oakland 3-New Orleans 4-Portland 5-Houston It would not be week 16 without Black Monday, and this year is no exception. A late season swoon, losing 4 of the final 5 and the last 3 games of the season cost the Birmingham Stallions a chance at the playoffs, and on Monday cost Carl Reese his position. In three seasons with the Stallions, first as interim coach, and then with the passing of Rollie Dotsch, getting the official position, Reese went from a 12-4 “tribute” season for Coach Dotsch to 7-9 the next year and a very disappointing 8-8 this year. Reese always felt like a status quo selection, trying to hang on to the legacy of Coach Dotsch, but what the Stallions need now is a new direction, some innovation and motivation. Without winning a game in his short stint as Interim Head Coach, it is no surprise that Coach Bill Cowher was let go at the end of Baltimore’s disastrous 0-16 year. The new braintrust in Baltimore is going to have to look for a coach who can build from the ground up, someone who can quickly get this team back to respectability, because right now Baltimore is looking like a tough job to take on. Expect new COO and President of Football Operations John McKay to look for someone with a proven track record. There was thought around the league that a late-season surge to reach 7-9 might be enough to save Vince Tobin’s job in Memphis, what with 3 prior playoff years on the books for the former Stars defensive coordinator. But, with what appear to be decreasing returns since their high point in 1988 (reaching the USFL Championship), it is not entirely unexpected that the owners in Memphis want to look in another direction. Tobin will almost certainly catch on as a DC again in the league, perhaps even back in Philadelphia, where Coach Bicknell could certainly use his expertise. Finally, the Chicago Machine have announced the resignation (read: firing) of Coach Joe Bugel. Bugel came on with the expansion club in 1987, but has yet to produce a winning season or a playoff appearance in 6 years with the team. After an initial rise from 2 wins in 1987 to 5 in ’88 and then 7 in ’89, the Machine seem to have leveled off, going 7-9 again in 1990 and now 6 wins this season, taking a step back when many predicted them as a rising power in the Central Division. Chicago has talent, including a solid QB who just needs a system that fits his style, a good looking rookie halfback in Ricky Watters, and a defense that has some heavy hitters like LB Darryl Talley and Mark Mumford, DT Torey Epps, and veteran SS William Cesare. It should be an attractive position for a top tier pro coach. And one final word about coaching positions. Do not assume that every team in the playoffs is going to stand pat with their coaching staffs. Even with a late playoff surge there are voices in the Maulers organization who are not high on Ted Marchibroda’s management of the talent on his team. And, in New Jersey, the ongoing Flutie-Miller competition has split both the locker room and the front office, with Perkins clearly leaning towards Miller as his starter, but significant pressure coming from others in the organization to resign Doug Flutie, not only for his play on the field, but for his Q-factor as well, meaning he sells tickets, merchandise, and TV commercials. Even with playoff success, these two coaches could face criticism or simply find the situation untenable in their current posts. It would not be the first time a coach left even when his team does well. As we enter the postseason, injuries can play a major role in who advances and who goes home. With four teams playing this week in the Wild Card Round, let’s look at potential injury issues for New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Portland and Houston. NEW JERSEY: G J. Castaneda (Out), QB D. Flutie (Out), WR J.J. Birden (Out), WR O. Johnson (Questionable), DT C. Rhodes (Probable), LB C. Spielman (Probable), LB T. Bell (Probable) With Flutie known to be out for a couple of weeks now, the biggest setback is likely the loss of J.J. Birden for the Wild Card Game. This puts added pressure on Chris Miller to find alternative options if Lam Jones cannot get deep or Schwedes get swallowed up in zones. Expect both Spielman and Bell to play. PITTSBURGH: LB G. Miles (Out), SS J. Blount (Out), T. R. Dixon (Out), QB A. Risher (Out), G L. Goeas (Probable), DE S. Keller (Probable) The biggest loss for Pittsburgh is Godfrey Miles at LB, though having less depth at SS is also a concern, especially when facing Herschel Walker as a receiver. Getting Goeas back should put a smile on Mike Rozier’s face. PORTLAND: WR H. Dykes (Out), WR W. Slaughter (Doubtful), HB D. Loville (Doubtful), G E. Andolsek (Questionable) Portland would love to have Slaughter lined up opposite Chris Carter, but that does not seem likely this week. The loss of Loville is likely not a significant concern as Flagler has taken on the 3rd down back role most of the season. HOUSTON: DT M.D. Perry (Probable) Houston is by far the healthiest team in this round of the playoffs, and that may be a bad sign of what is to come in Portland. With Perry in the lineup the Houston D-line is a much better run-stopping group, and with a full compliment on offense, the Gamblers can be dangerous. Wild Card weekend will pit the Houston Gamblers against the first-time participant Portland Thunder and the New Jersey Generals hosting the Pittsburgh Maulers. Not the lineup of games we would have predicted before the season started, but a pair of games that could prove quite interesting. Houston and Portland played in Week 2 in a very entertaining 37-34 Portland victory. Kerwin Bell was just beginning to assert himself in that week, but now both Bell and Jim Kelly seem primed for even more fireworks. With receivers like Chris Carter, Brett Perriman, Clint Didier, Ricky Proehl and Webster Slaughter in this game, we expect a lot of aerial attack, but in the end it may come down to how the Thunder’s notoriously iffy run defense can handle Thurman Thomas. We like Houston because of Thomas to pull off the road win. Pittsburgh and New Jersey split their series this year, with the Maulers winning the season opener in Week 1 while the Generals, in the middle of a 7-game win streak, knocked off Pittsburgh in Week 13. This will be a showcase of two of the best running backs in USFL history as Herschel Walker faces off against Mike Rozier. New Jersey has the better defense, to be sure, and home field advantage, so this one should go to the Generals, but don’t count out the plucky Maulers, who had to win 3 straight just to get here.