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WSH 10 POR 13 Al Del Greco was the hero as Portland upset the Federals with a 49 yard kick in overtime. Portland built a 10-0 lead at halftime thanks to a Cris Carter TD catch and solid defensive play. Washington fought back and tied the game at 10 with a Majkowski pass to Andrew Seymour in the 4th, sending the game to overtime, where Del Greco gave Portland their first win in 6 weeks. BAL 19 OAK 38 Oakland got an offensive explosion against the Blitz as both Henry Ellard and Richard Williams scored twice for the Invaders. Williams finished the day with 105 yards on 23 carries, Ellard with 123 yards receiving. Oakland controlled the ball for nearly 39 minutes, holding the sputtering Blitz offense at bay and limiting Tim Spencer to only 50 yards rushing. PIT 31 LA 17 Alan Risher tossed 3 touchdowns and Mike Rozier added another on the ground as Pittsburgh had their best offensive performance in weeks. Los Angeles could not keep pace as Tony Richardson and Darrell Thompson combined for only 71 yards rushing and Rodney Peete was held to 157 through the air. PHI 17 ARZ 41 Arizona was shockingly effective against the Philadelphia defense, putting up 24 points in the first half and blowing past the Stars’ ability to catch up. Robbie Bosco went 22 for 32 for 259 and two scores, and the Wranglers got 2 touchdowns each from Lionel James and Darryl Clack as their halfback shuffle continues to prove effective. NJ 19 DEN 6 New Jersey wins their third in a row as once again Doug Flutie shoulders the burden with Herschel Walker unable to play. Flutie passed for 202 and scrambled his way to 99 yards and a score against the Gold as he single handedly led New Jersey to another win. Denver could do nothing all day and was limited to 200 total yards of offense. Cody Carlson was picked off twice and while Barry Foster averaged 7.4 yards per carry he was limited to only 8 carries on the day as Denver simply could not convert third downs. TBY 7 TEX 23 Texas shocked the Bandits with 3 early scores and limited opportunities for Troy Aikman all day. The Tampa run game was just awful, averaging less than 1.5 yards per carry on the day, while Kelly Stouffer threw the ball for 352 and 2 scores to lead the Outlaws. With the Texas win, both clubs now stand at 7-4. BIR 27 NOR 34 A very entertaining game in New Orleans as the Breakers hold off Birmingham for the win. Joe Cribbs was in fine form on the day as he rushed for 138 and a score. Dalton Hilliard carried the load for New Orleans with Dupree dinged up, but the real heavyweight was Matt Robinson who completed 26 of 28 passing for 373 yards and 2 scores in a game that will almost certainly send him soaring in the QB ratings. ORL 45 MGN 39 Two teams known for their shutdown defenses apparently forgot to pack their defensive fortitude as they combined for over 850 yards of offense and the highest scoring game of the year. Reggie Collier set a team record by throwing for 5 touchdowns on the day, including 3 to halfback Curtis Bledsoe, while Michigan got scores from Stanford Jennings, Vince Workman, Daron Carter and Danny Knight as they tried to keep pace. JAX 13 HOU 35 With Tony Eason injured midway thorugh the game, Jacksonville’s win streak ends at 2, while Houstons reaches 4 games with a convincing win at the Astro Dome. Jim Kelly went 15 for 22 on the day, throwing for 3 TD’s as Thurman Thomas added 75 yards and a score to his rushing totals for the year. Memphis Showboats 24 Chicago Machine 31 Chicago knocks off the Showboats thanks to a combination of power running and efficient passing as Chuck Long completes 76% of his throws and the Jaime Morris/Albert Bentley combo rushes for 132 yards and 2 scores. It was a good game for both offenses as Memphis put up 372 total yards and Chicago 396. Memphis struck first with a Kelley TD pass to TE Keith Jackson. Chicago responded with a Reggie Langhorne catch for 6, one of 4 scores in a back and forth second quarter. Memphis went back on top as Robb Thomas caught the second of Mike Kelley’s 3 touchdowns on the day. Chicago, answered right back with a long drive capped by an Albert Bentley TD run from the 3. After a rare 3-and-out by Memphis, Chicago got their first lead of the day on a Michael Haynes TD. Chicago would lead by 7 at the half. In the second half, Chicago built on that lead with a John Carney fieldgoal. Memphis closed the gap only minutes later as Mel Gray caught Mike Kelley’s third TD pass. They tied the game early in the 4th with a hooking FG that went from the right upright across to the left before barely grazing the inside and going through. But, with almost 7 minutes left on the clock, Chicago had time to break the tie. They failed on their first attempt, with their drive ending at the Memphis 48. But, Memphis too could not capitalize, and they were forced to punt to Chicago with 3 minutes left in the game. Chicago would use this last drive to give themselves the win. Moving the ball efficiently, aided by two of Memphis’s 9 penalties on the day, the Machine found themselves on the goal line with almost 2 minutes left to play. Jamie Morris took the 1st and goal handoff and dove over the right guard and in for the 31-24 lead, but with 1:44 left on the clock, Memphis would have one last attempt to even up the score. After a poor kick return gave Memphis the ball on their own 13, Mike Kelley tried to rally the troops. A Chicago facemask penalty gave them the ball on the 37. Kelley hit Gray for 9, then Thomas for 8. They were at the Chicago 44 but Kelley’s next 3 passes only gained 7 yards, leaving a 4th and 3. Kelly tried to hit Gray on 4th down, but he was double covered and the ball never reached his hands. Memphis turned the ball over on downs and Chicago happily finished out the clock in the victory formation. The win moves Chicago to 5-6 and very much in the Wild Card chase in the Western Conference. For Memphis, the loss, paired with the Tampa loss and Orlando win means that the Southern Division now has three co-leaders, each at 7-4. Last week we gave the POTW award to Orlando free safety Tim McDonald, and it appears that QB Reggie Collier got jealous because he put up a performance against Michigan this week that we could not ignore. Collier completed 20 of his 31 passes for 359 yards, but he also threw five touchdowns, a first for an Orlando QB (which has pretty much been him since 1987). With the performance he cracks the 3,000 yard mark after only 11 games. He also leads the league with 28 touchdowns on the season. Collier is now solidly the frontrunner for the MVP award with Texas’s Kelly Stouffer being his main competition as the two are 1-2 in nearly every passing category and both have led their clubs to 7-4 records and very good positioning for the playoffs. This is certainly not Collier’s first flirtation with top ratings, as he has thrown for over 3,000 yards every season since 1984 (as a Federal), but with 5 games still on the schedule, Collier could hit the elusive 4,000 yard mark and has already broken his personal best for touchdown passes, which had stood at 26 (1986). The Southern Mississippi product has been consistent throughout his career, but this year everything appears to be clicking and it appears that Collier is on a path to both major end of year awards and potentially a deep playoff run. Last week we gave the POTW award to Orlando free safety Tim McDonald, and it appears that QB Reggie Collier got jealous because he put up a performance against Michigan this week that we could not ignore. Collier completed 20 of his 31 passes for 359 yards, but he also threw five touchdowns, a first for an Orlando QB (which has pretty much been him since 1987). With the performance he cracks the 3,000 yard mark after only 11 games. He also leads the league with 28 touchdowns on the season. Collier is now solidly the frontrunner for the MVP award with Texas’s Kelly Stouffer being his main competition as the two are 1-2 in nearly every passing category and both have led their clubs to 7-4 records and very good positioning for the playoffs. This is certainly not Collier’s first flirtation with top ratings, as he has thrown for over 3,000 yards every season since 1984 (as a Federal), but with 5 games still on the schedule, Collier could hit the elusive 4,000 yard mark and has already broken his personal best for touchdown passes, which had stood at 26 (1986). The Southern Mississippi product has been consistent throughout his career, but this year everything appears to be clicking and it appears that Collier is on a path to both major end of year awards and potentially a deep playoff run. Wins by Orlando and Texas this week put them right in the thick of playoff and possibly division title hunts. Orlando now shares the top spot in the Southern Division with Memphis and Tampa Bay, but their 2-2 record in division keeps them as 3rd in that group. Texas is now even with Michigan for 2nd in the Central but trails New Orleans by 2 games with 5 to play. Arizona also looks to have established themselves in the Pacific, now with a 2 game lead over Oakland, while Washington is now a game up on Philadelphia and 2 ahead of both Pittsburgh and the hard-charging New Jersey Generals. Right now we would say that Jacksonville, LA, and Denver are out of any realistic hunt, that Portland and Baltimore need to get on a win streak to have any hope of sneaking into contention, and that the mass of 5-6 teams, including New Jersey (3 game streak) and Houston (4 game streak) need to keep stringing together wins if they want to jump above .500 and into the hunt. Jacksonville cannot catch a break. With Chris Miller still at least a week or two away from being able to play, the Bulls got word this week that the injury to Tony Eason is a bad one, a torn quad, and that he is lost for the remainder of the season. That leaves only journeyman Sam Garcia at QB for the Bulls. They rushed out and signed veterans Craig Penrose and Tim Koegel, but we don’t expect the already bad Bulls season to start looking any better with either of these recent signees under center. The other big injury this week was to Memphis HB Buford Jordan. Jordan is considered day to day with a nerve issue in his back that could prove problematic. He is listed as doubtful only because team doctors are simply unsure if this is a form of “stinger” that will dissipate in a few days with careful treatment or if this could indicate an issue that will require considerably more time to treat and heal. Week 12 includes several key divisional matchups as well as one really interesting inter-divisional game. We start with Arizona traveling to New Jersey for inter-divisional play. The Wranglers have a 2 game lead in the West, but the Generals have won 3 straight and can reach the once unimaginable .500 plateau with a 4th. Herschel Walker is expected to be back, so this could be a tight one. The other divisional game is 5-6 Chicago at 2-9 Jacksonville, who may start Craig Penrose at QB with only a few days to learn the playbook. In the Pacific both Portland and Oakland are hoping that they can stay in the playoff hunt as they travel to Denver and LA respectively. Two of the best matchups of the week are in the Central Division, where we have a battle for 2nd place between the 7-4 Panthers and 7-4 Outlaws, while New Orleans may get more than they can handle from a Houston Gambler squad that has won 4 straight. In the Southern Division it is the Battle of Florida with Tampa Bay at Orlando facing off in the Citrus Bowl. Memphis and Birmingham are also clashing in Legion Field with a lot on the line. In the east it is Washington at Pittsburgh and Philly at Baltimore in two games that could go a long way in determining if this is the Federals’ division to lose, or if Philadelphia will catch up to the Feds and make it a two horse race.

OAK 9 MEM 20 Memphis’s top ranked scoring defense lived up to their ranking, keeping Oakland out of the endzone and adding 7 points of their own on a Bubba McDowell interception return TD. Oakland outgained Memphis but could not turn yards into points as the Showboats wore them down over 4 quarters and ground out a big 7th win. LA 23 JAX 30 The Bulls win their second in a row as they edge LA. Once again their reconfigured offense shows signs of life as the combo of James Wilder and Jamie Covington combine for 115 yards rushing and 2 scores. Eason does not have another monster game, but contributes a key TD pass to Lawyer Tillman to help the Bulls eke by the Express. ARZ 14 TBY 21 A late Aikman to Truvillion TD helps Tampa hold onto their home advantage and squeak past the feisty Wranglers. Darryl Clack had 2 TD’s on the day for Arizona, but Truvillion matched that and his late game score was the decisive one in this game. DEN 10 BIR 37 Both sides of the ball continue to struggle for the Gold as they cannot muster enough offense to keep pace with Birmingham’s 408 yards, including a solid 95 yards rushing for Joe Cribbs. Between Cribbs and Brent Fullwood Birmingham got 4 TDs, 3 on the ground and 1 through the air. Denver’s Cody Carlson threw for 275 and a score, but the ground game just could not get traction and Denver only converted on 3 of 13 third down attempts against the Stallions’ D. POR 17 ORL 24 David Archer was back under center for Portland, and Reggie Collier was out for Orlando, but the Renegades still triumphed at home. Backup Jimmie Jordan did just enough to help Orlando win, but the real star was free safety Tim McDonald, who picked off two Archer passes and ran both back for scores. Archer played well in his first game back, but those two mistakes were backbreakers for the Thunder. MGN 10 NJ 16 A game time decision to pull Jack Trudeau due to concerns over his throwing shoulder led to a disjointed Panther offense. And while New Jersey lost Herschel Walker to a hip injury after only 2 carries, they found a new run game, as Doug Flutie used planned bootleg runs and sharp scrambling away from pass pressure to rush for 103 yards on the day, including a stunning 63-yard touchdown run in which no defender got within 5 yards of him. CHI 14 WSH 20 A big rebound win for the Federals at a raucous RFK. Majkowski hit Gunn and Harmon for scores and the defense made life tough for Chuck Long, sacking the Iowa grad 6 times on the day. Long found 10 different receivers in his 23 receptions, but none broke out for the big play the Machine needed on offense. Charles Hayley led the Feds with 2 sacks, but it was a team effort as they pressured Long throughout the game. HOU 20 BAL 0 Houston wins their third in a row as Eric Kramer fails to lead Baltimore into scoring range all day. Newly relocated wideout Ricky Proehl continues to flourish for the Gamblers, adding another 115 yards to his totals, while Thurman Thomas added 67 yards on the ground and 47 through the air to power the Gamblers’ retooled attack. TEX 28 PIT 20 Kelly Stouffer’s 4 TD passes accounted for all the Texas points, and just enough for them to steal a road win in Pittsburgh. Both Carson and Metcalf again topped 100 yards receiving and Cobb contributed 78 yards on the ground to overcome a game Maulers team. Mike Rozier did his part, rushing for 112 yards and a score, while Alan Risher struggled, throwing 2 picks to only 1 TD on the day. New Orleans Breakers 30 Philadelphia Stars 27 While the Stars scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes of the game to force overtime, including a stunning 59 yard field goal as the clock struck double-zeroes, in the extra period it was New Orleans who claimed the victory on a field goal from Tim Mazzetti. In a game where two Chuck Fusina mistakes were returned by the Breakers for scores, the Philadelphia signal caller persevered and forced the game into overtime with two late scores, only to watch from the sideline as Mazzetti hit the game winner. The first of Fusina’s two costly pick-6 plays came on the 2nd play of the game when he threw behind his receiver and Randall Berlin caught the ball in stride, returning it 26 yards to the house. The second came at the beginning of the 4th quarter as Frederick Wilder caught the pick on a tip from the CB and returned it 46 yards to put New Orleans up 24-17. After a Mazzetti field goal with 8:28 left made the score 27-17, it looked like the end for the Stars. Fusina was unphased by the second interception and led Philadelphia down the field, scoring with a short swing pass to Vai Sikahema just at the 2 minute warning to pull within 3. After a hard won 3-and-out on defense, the Stars got the ball back and marched downfield for a possible tying score. With only 1 second left, and the clock stopped as Mike Quick stepped out of bounds on the Breakers 42 yard line, David Trout lined up for a longshot fieldgoal, well beyond his past record of 53 yards. The snap was perfect, Trout’s foot hit solidly and the entire stadium watched as the ball just barely grazed the top of the crossbar and went in. It would be overtime. After their furious comeback, the Stars had momentum but were clearly spent. The defense, which had done so well to get the vital 3-and-out at the end of regulation, was unable to keep pace with the mix of Dupree runs and Robinson passes as the Breakers took the opening drive of overtime down to the Stars’ 19 yard line. Tim Mazzetti lined up for the eminently makeable 36 yarder and the ball sailed straight down the middle to give the homestanding Breakers the win. The emotional victory pushes New Orleans to 8-2 and the best record in the league. The heartbreaking loss slips Philadelphia to 6-4 and one game behind the surprising Washington Federals. While we were impressed by Doug Flutie’s combo of 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing, we have to honor FS Tim McDonald of Orlando this week. His two pick-6 interceptions were the difference for the Renegades on a day when they had to run their offense with backup Jimmie Jordan. McDonald snagged the first pick cleanly as he stepped in front of Portland receiver Hart Lee Dykes on a poorly designed in pattern. Avoiding an initial tackle attempt by Dykes, McDonald found a seam and scooted 22 yards for the score. His second interception of the day was far more complex, as the ball first hit the fingertips of linebacker Winston Moss, then deflected off of the shoulder of TE Clint Didier, turning into a classic tip drill. McDonald snagged the ball, but had to avoid a maze of offensive players turned defenders. He spun past Cris Carter and just barely made the endzone before being tripped by HB Terrance Flagler. In a game where the Orlando offense could only muster 10 points, these two dramatic interception returns helped the Renegades move their record to 6-4 and remain in range for a late division title run, just one game behind Memphis and Tampa Bay. We have reached Week 10 and once again we can begin our playoff countdown by saying that nothing is guaranteed at this early date. If the playoffs were to begin today Memphis, Washington, New Orleans and Arizona would be division winners and Tampa, Philly, Orlando, Michigan, Texas and Oakland would be wildcards, but it is not that simple. In the East both division leaders have tenuous holds on their positions. Washington leads Philadelphia by only 1 game, though the rest of the division seems to be fading, 3 games behind the Feds. In the South, Memphis leads Tampa Bay only by a tie breaker as both sit at 7-3, and Orlando is only a game behind that, with Birmingham now at 5-5 and only 2 games back. Even the three 4-6 teams in the East are still in play. In the West, New Orleans hold a 1-game lead over Michigan, but the Panthers, having beaten the Breakers this year, would hold the tiebreaker if they two were even. Texas is only 1 game behind Michigan and will likely be a factor as we finish out the Year. Arizona has the healthiest lead of any division leader, with a 2-game advantage over an Oakland team that has lost 4 in a row after starting the year at 4-2. With little threat expected from LA, Portland or Denver, the Wranglers just need to play .500 ball to wrap up a division title, a bye, and a home playoff game. But they may want to do better in hopes that New Orleans and Michigan duel it out and the Wranglers can sneak into the #1 seed with a schedule rich in weaker divisional games. Not directly USFL news but word out of St. Louis today that the city has approved construction of a new domed stadium and conference center downtown which will have a capacity of approximately 63,000 attendees for football. With no major college program in the city, the MLB Cardinals very content in Busch Stadium and with the NFL Cardinals having left for Phoenix in 1988, this is viewed as a clear move to attract a new professional football franchise. The NFL has been exploring possible expansion, and this would have to put St. Louis on the map for any expansion. The USFL has delayed any expansion talk until at least 1993, but again this might make St. Louis a contender in USFL expansion as well, but there is concern around the league that patience for an expansion franchise opportunity may not be there, since there have been groups vying for a USFL franchise since the 1987 expansion. With the spring league’s somewhat marginal profit balance the idea of selling a franchise for a one time windfall is not unappealing and there are several teams who might consider relocation if their current owners could come away from a deal with a significant profit after several years of slow growth. Of course, the other view is that the USFL finances continue to improve and the potential for greater profit may be with continued ownership moving forward, so it is more of a short-term vs. long-term debate at this point. The new St. Louis dome is expected to begin construction in late 1991 with a completion date set for 1995, so we may not see any immediate movement towards relocation or expansion (in the NFL or USFL) but, along with several other cities with vacant stadiums, the creation of a new dome in St. Louis certainly makes the prospect feel more urgent. Dings, bruises and soreness but no big injuries this week. After being forced to sit a week, both Reggie Collier and Jack Trudeau are expected back. David Archer will be expected to be in better form after a rough first week back, and Bob Gagliano is now listed as doubtful, which is an improvement over his status over the past 2 months. Herschel Walker may have to sit for a second week after a hip injury took him out of last week’s game, and Marcus Dupree may miss up to 2 weeks with a fracture suffered vs. Philadelphia. The only severe injuries which will cost players significant time this week were a shoulder injury to Texas left tackle Long Sessions (out for the remainder of the year) and a broken jaw for rookie TE Shannon Sharpe of the Stallions (another year-ender). Week 11 is a cross-country showdown as Atlantic faces Pacific and Central faces Southern across the board. Washington is in Portland to try to force the Thunder into a 7th straight loss, while Baltimore heads to Oakland with both teams stuck at 4-6 right now. Pittsburgh hopes to get a 5th win if they can get past the LA defense. New Jersey is in Denver where Bob Gagliano may be able to suit up for the first time in nearly 10 weeks. Finally, in the marquee East-West matchup, Philadelphia is in Tempe to face the Wranglers with both teams sitting at 6-4. In the South-Central matchups we find a possible shootout of desperadoes as the Bandits visit the Outlaws. Birmingham has a tough matchup in what may be a packed Super Dome as they face the Breakers. Orlando will be in Michigan and Memphis travels up the river to Chicago. In a battle of teams that have had rough years but find themselves on short win streaks the Bulls will try to win their 3rd in a row as they face a Gambler team trying to win their 4th straight.

By the midpoint of the season most observers feel they have a good sense of which teams are strong, which are weak, which are lucky and which are dangerous, but every once in a while the "any given Sunday" nature of football shows up to remind us that nothing is settled until it is settled on the field. With the Bulls earning their first win of they year, and in convincing fashion, while teams like New Jersey, LA, Pittsburgh and Houston show us that no game is a lock and no team is a sure winner or loser in the USFL. SCORES BAL 3 NJ 17 New Jersey’s defense had its best game of the year, holding the Blitz in check as backup Eric Kramer subbed for an ailing Vince Evans. Doug Flutie tossed two scores, one to Walker and one to TE Pat Kelly, as the Generals won their 3rd game of the year. Baltimore got a big day from DT Joe Klecko (4 TFL) but the offense simply was not able to get traction. PHI 14 PIT 22 Philly was forced to play without their top 2 quarterbacks as Chuck Fusina had an eye infection and Anthony Dilweg tweaked his throwing shoulder in practice just 3 days before the game. 3rd stringer Mike Perez did what he could (tossing 2 TD’s and throwing for 208 yards) but it was not enough against Alan Risher and the Maulers, who scored 10 in the final period to take the home win in the Keystone State Clash. BIR 18 JAX 31 Jacksonville did in week 9 what they could not in the first 8 weeks, win a game. It all went their way on the day as the defense held Birmingham to 290 total yards while the offense racked up 407, their best performance by far this season. Tony Eason had one of those rare games where he is hitting on all cylinders, throwing for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day. With Joe Cribbs back but clearly not yet in full form, the Stallions’ offense sputtered as they tried to play catchup against the inspired Bulls. MEM 21 ORL 24 A big divisional win for the Renegades as Reggie Collier led Orlando to a home win over the division-leading Showboats. Collier tossed 3 touchdowns, including a 75 yarder to Nathan Bruce in the 4th to give them the winning score. Memphis kept it close, thanks to Mike Kelley’s 315 yards passing, but could not overcome a 24-13 deficit with only minutes to play in the 4th. CHI 22 TEX 28 In a battle of 4-4 teams the advantage went to the homestanding Outlaws. Both QB’s had strong days, combining for over 550 yards on the day, but Texas got big plays from wideouts Carlos Carson and Eric Metcalf to take the win. MGN 16 NOR 11 In the Sunday night headline game, the Panthers edged the Breakers on the strength of their defense, a squad which held the Breakers’ potent offense to only 261 total yards. The Panther secondary got 3 picks of Matt Robinson, including 2 from CB John Bostic, the new interception leader in the league. John Williams contributed 103 yards and backup Stanford Jennings scored the key TD in the 3rd quarter to give Michigan the win. LA 19 OAK 10 The Express got their third win thanks to the right foot of kicker Scott Olivera, whose 4 field goals helped LA edge the Invaders. As usual it was the LA defense which had to take on the lion’s share of the work as QB Rodney Peete again struggled to find the endzone. The D came through, holding Richard Williams to only 71 yards rushing and picking off Gale Gilbert twice. ARZ 35 POR 19 Arizona QB Robbie Bosco had a career day, throwing for 339 yards and 5 TD’s to upend the Thunder in Civic Stadium. Bosco found #1 wideout Trumaine Johnson for 3 scores and the Wrangler D added two interceptions of Kerwin Bell to keep the game well in hand for Arizona. The running combo of Clack and James also added 139 yards rushing to help Arizona hold their lead. TBY 24 DEN 9 Tampa took advantage of Denver’s offensive woes and built a 21-6 lead that they would hold for the win. Neither team had strong offensive numbers, but Cody Carlson’s 33% completion rate meant a lot of failed 3rd downs for the Gold, and that tired the defense as well. Aikman was picked off 3 times but also threw 2 touchdowns to secure the win for the Bandits. GAME OF THE WEEK Washington Federals 27 Houston Gamblers 31 Houston’s offense finally found some continuity and the defense did just enough to help the Gamblers to their 3rd win of the year. The Gamblers shifted their receiving corps around, moving Ricky Proehl outside and putting Clarence Verdin in the slot, and this simple shift caught the Federals off-guard, mixing up their coverages. The result was Ricky Proehl having a season best 6 receptions for 117 yards. Jim Kelly also benefitted from the shift, completing nearly 80% of his throws for 350 yards and 4 scores. Washington had some offensive success as well, with Don Majkowski throwing for 302 and 3 scores. The game was back and forth throughout with Houston getting on the board first on a Kelly to Verdin toss. Washington then scored 13 points over 3 drives, but just before the halftime whistle Kelly hit Ernie Jones and Houston took a 14-13 lead into the half. The 3rd quarter saw little scoring as the only points put up were from Houston kicker Dave Jacobs, adding 3 to give Houston a 17-13 lead. That lead was wiped out early in the 4th when Majkowski hit rookie Kerry Simien on a short pass for 6. Up 20-17, Washington watched as Kelly found Keith McKeller for another score, and Houston was back on top 24-20. The Feds responded in the back and forth 4th quarter, with Majkowski finding little used TE Anthony Seymour for a two yard score on 2nd and goal. Not to be outdone, the Gamblers mounted a 3-minute final drive to retake the lead. When Kelly found backup wide receiver Reggie Thornton for the game’s final score, a sense of relief, rather than elation, took hold over the Houston crowd. At 3-6 Houston is not entirely out of a late playoff run, but they will need to string together more wins to have a shot at catching up to the competition in the tough Central Division. Washington, thanks to the Philly loss, retains a share of first place despite the loss. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK There were a lot of very strong QB performances this week, including a 5-TD day from Robbie Bosco and a 4-TD day for Jim Kelly, but we are going to highlight the first win of the year for the Jacksonville Bulls and give the award to QB Tony Eason. We know the script on this one. Eason, in several years starting for the Breakers, became famous for wild fluctuations between unstoppable play and unwatchable play. In Jacksonville he had accepted a backup role to Chris Miller, but when Miller went down earlier this season, it was a chance for Eason to show that he could be more consistent. In 5 starts this year he did not show much, tossing only 1 TD in his first 4 games before exploding this week vs. Birmingham. He had managed to avoid costly turnovers (Eason has only thrown 1 INT in the 5 games he started) but he had also not been able to move the Bulls into a position to win. That changed this week when Eason had his best game in several years. It may not be enough to hold onto the starting job once Chris Miller comes back (which could be as soon as next week) but it at least demonstrated that when he is on, Tony Eason can still play this game. NEWS & NOTES Both Russell Athletic and Champion Sports revealed this week which teams would be getting identity and uniform changes this offseason. RA will be updating the look of the Oakland Invaders, and while they are not expected to alter the very popular Air Force inspired logo, expect them to make some adjustments across the entire uniform. Champion will update two teams, the New Orleans Breakers and the Arizona Wranglers. We certainly hope that neither remodel includes changes to the helmets, which are both iconic for their uniqueness, whether it is the rolling waves across New Orleans’s helmets or the metallic copper sheen of the Wranglers. As each uniform provider tries to add interest by updating team looks the bigger picture still remains the potential for a league-wide uniform provider. Portland owner Phil Knight and his Nike brand have been making a push for such a deal, and of course with Nike expected to make a strong bid to be that provider. Until now the league has been happy to allow each franchise sign on with the uniform provider of their choice, there is some momentum for these kinds of decisions to be made at the league level, particularly due to the inclusion of non-stadium apparel and merchandise sales to the collective revenue sharing deal (in-stadium sales remain with each team). It would make sense for the USFL to seek a single supplier, thus making it possible to coordinate wholesale contracts with national chains such as Sears, Macy’s or K-Mart. Currently it is nearly impossible to acquire team gear outside of a team’s market. For fans of the Panthers who live in Texas or Stars faithful in Seattle, a national merchandise market combined with a single uniform and replica jersey provider may be just the ticket. INJURY REPORT A couple of tough season-ending injuries this week as Houston will miss FS Lawrence Brazil with a torn biceps and Arizona’s D-line will have to finish out the season a man short as DE Al Noga tore his posterior cruciate ligament. Some good news this week, however, as several key players are expected to return to action, including Portland’s David Archer, Philadelphia’s Jumpy Geathers, Houston LB Johnny Holland, LA wideout Emile Harry, and Texas CB Najee Mustafaa. LOOKING AHEAD A rare fully inter-conference week as the South hosts the Pacific and the East hosts the Central in Week 10. Of the matchups, our favorites pit the Wranglers and Bandits, both 6-3, and the Breakers against the Stars. The Chicago-Washington and Texas-Pittsburgh games should also be entertaining as all 4 teams want to string together some wins. Michigan has a good matchup in New Jersey, while Oakland hopes to rebound from a tough loss as they head to Memphis. Portland is at Orlando in the longest roadtrip of the week, while Denver and Birmingham face off in Legion Field, both desperate for a win if they want to return to relevance this season. Finally LA is in Jacksonville as the Bulls eye a possible 2nd win against the offensively challenged Express.

Sporting News, April 30, 1990 Upstarts gunning for playoff spots, quarterbacks falling like leaves, preseason favorites looking like also-rans, this season has had a bit of everything. The defending champions look like one of the league’s worst teams, the Washington Federals have a legitimate shot at winning their division, and several coaches are in danger of being ousted midseason. It has been a wild year so far and we are only 8 week in. But, let’s try to get a hold on what is happening here by looking at each division and reassessing what is possible for the second half of the year. Original projection: 1-New Jersey 2- Baltimore 3-Philadelphia 4-Pittsburgh 5-Washington Revised projection: 1-Philadelphia 2-Washington 3-Baltimore 4-Pittsburgh 5-New Jersey Projected playoff teams: Stars and Federals Breakout star of the first half: CB Lorenzo Lynch of the Stars. He has been all over the field making plays for Philly all season. Disappointment of the first half: New Jersey, collectively. We cannot point to any one reason why the Generals are languishing in last place, but they are. Don’t point fingers at Herschel Walker, who is the league’s rushing leader after 8 weeks, but something on this offense is wrong, and the defense has no answers either. How can a team that was so focused last July be so undisciplined in March and April? There is a lot of talent here, but there seems to be no sense of urgency or desire to go the extra mile. Opinion: Yup, we got this one wrong, but so did everyone else. New Jersey is the defending league champion but they are playing as if they have forgotten even the basics of the game, and at the same time the Washington Federals, who were supposed to be reeling after losing two offensive stalwarts to the NFL, have proven the naysayers wrong. We don’t think they can hold off the more talented Stars, but we do see playoffs in the offing for the Feds. Baltimore and Pittsburgh look like middle-of-the-pack teams and we expect both to be within a game of .500 by the end of the year. Original projection: 1-Tampa Bay 2-Memphis 3-Orlando 4-Birmingham 5-Jacksonville Revised projection: 1-Memphis 2-Tampa Bay 3-Orlando 4-Birmingham 5-Jacksonville Projected playoff teams: Memphis, Tampa Bay, Orlando Breakout star of the first half: WR John Jefferson of Orlando. Jefferson was a well-known player from his years in the NFL, but had not made much of an impact in the USFL. Not so much this year, where he is already over 1,000 yards receiving and has a legitimate shot at the elusive 2,000 yard mark. Disappointment of the first half: This division has things going more or less the way we expected. Yes, we are shocked that Jacksonville has not yet won a single game, but they are not as bad as 0-8 would seem to indicate. If we had to pick a disappointment it would be with the Bulls. Chris Miller has just not made the leaps one should expect from a young QB and the signing of James Wilder produced just what Arizona probably knew it would, a mediocre run game with more potential than production. Opinion: The Southern Division is holding to the projection, though we are flipping Memphis and Tampa in our revised projection. With Joe Cribbs finally coming back from injury Birmingham still has a shot to overtake Orlando, but we don’t see them catching either Tampa or Memphis. Jacksonville has been even worse than anticipated, although their tendency to lose close games gives them a shot to snag some wins if they can just catch some luck in the second half of the season. Memphis and Tampa will likely battle down to the final week of the season to see who gets the division title. Original projection: 1-New Orleans 2-Houston 3-Michigan 4-Chicago 5-Texas Revised projection: 1-New Orleans 2-Michigan 3-Chicago 4-Texas 5-Houston Projected playoff teams: New Orleans, Michigan, Chicago Breakout Star of the first half: QB Kelly Stouffer of Texas. While Reggie Cobb may win Rookie of the Year, it is the emergence of Stouffer as a legitimate superstar that has surprised us the most. He could not get past Robbie Bosco on the Arizona depth chart, but Coach Widenhofer has found a diamond in the rough in the young QB. Disappointment of the first half: We are not going to single out Jim Kelly, though his TD to INT rate is still nowhere near what a QB of his caliber should have. We are going to call out the Houston defense. It was that squad that helped the Gamblers to two straight championship games, and the roster has not turned over that much that they should be this unreliable now. The Gamblers D now ranks 20th in both points allowed and yardage allowed. How can that be? Coach Willsey has some answering for that as he brought in a new defensive coaching staff after Jack Pardee left for the NFL, and it is not working for Houston. Opinion: The big miss here was with Houston. Like the Generals, few saw the Gamblers falling apart. They clearly miss Ricky Sanders more than anticipated and the defense has been a major letdown. New Orleans looks like the team we expected, all offense, mediocre defense. Michigan is solid as long as Jack Trudeau is standing at QB as their depth in the WR corps has helped them overcome the loss of Anthony Carter. The real battle here is for a possible Wild Card spot between Texas and Chicago. Both teams are flawed, Texas on defense and Chicago on offense, but both are also capable of beating very good teams when they are on their game. We are picking Chicago in part due to our belief that defense is the way you win, but also just sentimentally we like to see new teams get into the postseason. For Houston, first year coach Ray Willsey may well be a one-and-done leader as he seems to be losing the faith of his players, several of whom have made some “off the record” comments that clearly point to dissent and distrust in the locker room. Original projection: 1-Denver 2-Oakland 3-Arizona 4- Los Angeles 5-Portland Revised projection: 1-Arizona 2-Oakland 3-Portland 4-Denver 5-Los Angeles Projected playoff teams: Arizona, Oakland Breakout star of the first half: HB Lionel James of the Arizona Wranglers. We all knew what James had done in the NFL, but he was seen as a past-his-prime signing by Arizona. He is now a huge part of the Wrangler offense, both in the run and pass game. James still has the quicks to make defenders miss, and the toughness to take the ball up the middle if called upon to do so. His combo with Darryl Clack has been the latest RB tandem to make waves in the league. Disappointment of the first half: We could easily cite the entire LA Express offense, but rather than put this one on the players we are going to point squarely at the Express front office. You had Steve Young and Christian Okoye. You manage to lose both of them. Now you bring in veteran Walter Lewis, who has not started in over 2 years, and you cannot sign a top HB either in free agency or the draft to replace Okoye. The result? 2 wins in 8 games and a fanbase that would rather be at the beach than sit through not only bad football but boring football. I feel for the defenders on this LA Express team, who are doing their part, but fighting an uphill battle when the offense cannot score. Opinion: This division has been as unpredictable as ever. Of course, the injury to Bob Gagliano severely hurt Denver’s title hopes, though clearly that is not the only issue for the Gold as their defense has struggled this year. Arizona and Oakland are about where we thought they would be, though the Invaders still are not consistent enough on offense to take over the division. LA is significantly worse than we expected, with their offense being a shadow of its former self, despite having a talented receiving group. They have started 3 different QB’s this year and have only really gotten 1 good performance in 8 games. Portland surprised us out of the gate, and have suffered lately with David Archer injured, but if Archer can return, Coach Erickson might be able to get the Thunder to 8-8 by season’s end, a huge step up for a team that had only 1 win last year. MIDSEASON AWARD WINNERS MVP: There is no frontrunner in the field for MVP this year. Several players are looking like potential candidates, on both sides of the ball. Brian Bosworth appears to be running away with the league title for most tackles, but that does not always signify good defense and the league is unlikely to reward a player for defensive play if the team defense is not solid. Orlando has two potential candidates as QB Reggie Collier and WR John Jefferson are both putting up gaudy numbers, but Orlando is only 4-4 and if stats don’t lead to wins, how do you award MVP. If you look at the top teams the best bets for MVP would be Memphis DE Reggie White, if he can hold off Michigan’s Ronnie Paggett for the sack title, and Tampa Bay quarterback (and last year’s Rookie of the Year) Troy Aikman. Our bet, if Orlando makes it above .500 and into the playoffs, and if he teases the 2,000 yard mark, as he appears to be doing, we would expect veteran John Jefferson to take the MVP, if neither of those happens, the league may just reward Reggie White for yet another outstanding season. COACH OF THE YEAR: My vote would go to Dennis Erickson just for getting the Thunder to 3 wins in the first half of the season, but unless they can reach or surpass .500 I don’t see it happening. My guess is that if Washington can reach 10 wins it will go to Sam Rutigliano, but if they falter over the second half, I would not be surprised to see Philadelphia’s Jack Bicknell get it for the rebound season the Stars are having. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Unlike MVP, wins are not as important here as stats, so I see Reggie Collier nabbing this award. He is having a breakout season, which is a weird thing to say for a guy who has been a starter for so long. He has 20 TD passes in 8 games and could toy with 5,000 yards passing for the season if his play holds up. Add in a likely playoff run and the Renegade QB should be a shoe-in for this award. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: If he does not get MVP this could go to Reggie White. If not, then we would have to go with Brian Bosworth, who is far ahead of any competition when it comes to accruing tackles. But again, if he has 150 tackles and the team’s defense is ranked 15th or lower, is that a good thing? A darkhorse here might be LA Express LB Chip Banks. The Express are bad, no doubt about it, but that mostly lies on their offense. The defense has done what it can to win games, and Banks, who has 63 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 safeties and 2 forced fumbles on the year is clearly the best player on the squad. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Right now it looks like Reggie Cobb is going to run away with the award this year. The Texas Outlaw RB has already gained 645 yards rushing, more than 300 ahead of Barry Foster of Denver. The next best option is likely on defense where Portland’s Bobby Houston has accrued 45 tackles and 3 sacks, but if Cobb reaches 1,000 yards, which looks eminently possible, then the award will be his.

We have reached the halfway point of the season and it seems safe to say that this is not the season that anyone expected. The defending champs find themselves in the basement of their division, the Stallions and Gamblers are also inexplicably in crisis. The Wranglers look like a solid playoff contender and the team leading the Atlantic is the… Washington Federals? Something odd is definitely happening this season. SCORES JAX 3 BAL 16 Baltimore becomes the latest team to feast on the Jacksonville Bulls winless season, pushing the Bulls to an ignominious 0-8. The Bulls actually outgained the Blitz, thank in large part to 114 yards receiving for Brian Blades, but they were unable to turn yards into points and Baltimore took an early 10-0 lead and held that advantage throughout. MEM 24 NJ 3 The Generals’ struggles continue as they too have no luck finding the endzone against a tough Memphis defense. Mike Kelley hit on 3 TD passes, including 2 in the first quarter to force New Jersey into an uncomfortable game of catch up, which they could not. Memphis wound down the game by using Boone and Jordan for a combined 152 yards rushing. TBY 17 PIT 15 The Maulers made the day an uncomfortable one for Troy Aikman and the Bandits, but when a 2 point conversion failed after Alan Risher’s late TD run, the game was Tampa’s to win. Aikman finished the day with 2 scores, including another TD to his new favorite target, Chris Collinsworth, while Risher relied on Danny Buggs and Mike Shaw to help him move the ball as Tampa targeted Mike Rozier, limiting him to 58 yards on 19 carries. BIR 27 WSH 13 The Stallions got the big road win to even their record at 4-4 and knock the Federals into a tie for first with Philadelphia after only their second loss. The offensive star for Birmingham was once again HB Brent Fullwood, who rushed 17 times for 100 yards and a score. Don Majkowski played for Washington, but his 3 interceptions proved deadly for Washington’s comeback hopes. DEN 3 CHI 23 Chicago also finds themselves at 4-4 after knocking off the Denver Gold at Soldier Field. Denver’s Cody Carlson had his worst game of the year, completing only 42% of his passes and missing on several key 3rd downs. Chicago got a strong game from veteran back Albert Bentley, who rushed for 91 yards on the day. Chuck Long also had good success finding his top receivers, Langhorne, Haynes and TE Wesley Walls, each of whom contributed to a 246-yard day for the former Iowa signal caller. LA 17 HOU 24 Houston got just their second win of the season as Sean Salisbury found both Ernie Jones and rookie WR Ricky Proehl for scores. The Express, who surprised many by starting former USC QB Rodney Peete in the game, stayed competitive throughout, despite 3 Peete interception tosses. Darrell Thompson had his biggest play of the season on a 38 yard rush, one of only 2 touches on the day. OAK 10 MGN 20 The Panthers double up the Invaders thanks to 2 Jack Trudeau touchdown passes. John Williams also contributed 83 yards on the ground, outpacing fellow “Williams Brother” Richard, who only gained 50 yards on 23 carries for Oakland. Ronnie Paggett got yet another sack, though he still trails Memphis’s Reggie White in that statistic. POR 7 NOR 17 After a scoreless first half, New Orleans ran off 17 consecutive points to fly past the Thunder. It all started with an errant Kerwin Bell throw which Gene Atkins returned 35 yards for a score. Fullback Greg Paterra added a late TD and it was all the Breakers needed to notch a seventh win on the year and continue to hold the best record in the league. ARZ 14 TEX 36 Texas charged out of the gate, putting up the first 17 points and never looked back as they continued to add points, avoiding a Wrangler comeback. Rookie Reggie Cobb had a huge game against the Wrangler D, rushing for 148 yards and a score. Eric Metcalf led all receivers with 99 yards on 4 receptions, including a 40 yarder early in the game that led to the Cobb touchdown. GAME OF THE WEEK Orlando Renegades 26 Philadelphia Stars 27 In one of the more bizarre finishes in recent memory, Philadelphia helped Orlando pull within 1 in the game’s final seconds by taking a deliberate safety in the waning moments of the game. The strategy worked as the ensuing kick left Orlando too far to realistically reach field goal range with only a few seconds left. Reggie Collier impressed despite the loss, adding 419 yards passing to his annual total, while Philadelphia’s Kelvin Bryant added another 2 touchdowns to his rushing total. The game seemed to be Philadelphia’s throughout, but the final minutes did make it interesting. Philadelphia scored on a Kelvin Bryant 18 yard run on the first possession of the game, and then added another 3 points with a Trout field goal only 4 minutes later. Orlando got on the board with a Fuad Reveiz kick to end the 1st quarter. In the 2nd Bryant again scored, this time from 1 yard out, but Orlando had their pass game working well and they responded with a John Jefferson TD catch on the very next drive. The two teams went into halftime at 17-10 Stars. Philadelphia would build their lead in the 3rd, as they got a lucky break on a tipped Collier pass, as it fell right into the waiting hands of CB Lorenzo Lynch, who scampered through flailing arms to reach the end zone and put Philly up 24-10. Another Trout field goal followed and it appeared that the Stars were set at 27-10. But, Orlando did not quit on the game. Collier found HB Todd Fowler for a score to close out the third quarter and then added another on a beautiful 40-yard fly pattern to Wamon Buggs in the 4th. After a failed Renegade drive, Orlando thought they had caught a break when they downed the ensuing punt on the Philadelphia 2 yard line, with just under a minute to go. Orlando still had time outs and used one as a Bryant run went nowhere on 1st down. They anticipated trying to do the same on 2nd down, but Coach Bicknell threw a wrinkle at them, telling Chuck Fusina to take a knee in the end zone and the safety. Doing this allowed Philadelphia to kick the ball from their 20, and when punter Sean Landeta unleashed a beautiful 65 yarder, Orlando was backed up, with only 1 time out and a long way to go to reach field goal range. The gambit had paid off and players enthusiastically celebrated the win with Bicknell on the sideline as the clock wound down. For a team that suffered through a miserable 1989 campaign only to see their beloved head coach leave for the NFL, this win clearly helped cement Jack Bicknell in their minds as a capable, daring leader. With Phillly now tied with Washington atop the Atlantic Division the Stars players and fans are beginning to believe that they are ready for resurgence and a return to their usual spot in the playoffs. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK This week’s POTW goes to a rookie, perhaps the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, Texas HB Reggie Cobb. The Tennessee product leads his fellow rookie Barry Foster by more than 300 yards for the best production at the position by a 1st year player. His only real competition may come from the defensive side where both Tampa Bay’s Keith McCants and Portland’s Bobby Houston are quickly becoming factors for their clubs’ defensive success. This week Cobb had his best game yet, rushing for 148 yards and a score against the Wranglers. This is his 3rd hundred-yard game of the year, and his 3rd TD for the Outlaws. Cobb almost immediately became the workhorse for the Outlaws, with his 156 carries easily dwarfing the 2nd place back, Lee Rouson, who has only toted the rock 34 times this year. The Texans have yet to truly utilize Cobb in the passing game (only 5 targets and 3 receptions in 8 games) as they tend to use either fullback Undra Johnson (18 targets) or backup Lee Rouson (10 targets) on obvious passing downs, but there is no denying that as a ballcarrier Cobb is making waves and taking command of the Outlaws’ run game. NEWS & NOTES Since we will be publishing a midseason report, we won’t emphasize the records or individual achievements of the half-season here, but we did want to highlight another number that we are sure the league offices in New York are viewing with great attention, attendance. With 8 weeks in the books, the league is seeing its best average attendance in its 8 seasons. The leaguewide average sits at 38,374 per game, well above the longstanding target of 35,000 and perhaps pushing the league to consider 40,000 per game its ultimate goal. Adding to this is the fact that of the 20 USFL franchise there are currently 11 with a season average over 40,000, including 4 of 5 Southern Division teams, 3 of 5 in the Atlantic and 3 of 5 in the Central. Only the West is trailing and ongoing success from Arizona and Oakland may make it possible to see that number increase. Even better for the league is the fact that there are no franchises lurking in the 25,000-35,000 range, and only 3 below a 25,000 average, with 2 of those 3 being the two franchises with stadium capacities of 24,000 (Portland and Texas). With this year being the last when the Outlaws will play in San Marcos, and with the Alamo Dome being an option next year, with as many as 64,000 seats available, the USFL has to be happy with where they stand. The same is almost certainly not true for the owners of the LA Express, whose 20,784 is the lowest attendance in the league, despite playing in a stadium that can easily hold twice that. LA has been suffering a slow bleed of fans since their rough offseason, and with only 2 wins so far this season, and an offense which has been more offensive than productive, the Express could see those numbers drop even further. LA is a tough market, even for successful teams with star power. This Express team appears to have neither success nor star power to fall back on. Owners Alan Harmon and Ted Field were simply not aggressive in retaining their top offensive stars, and are now paying the price at the box office. INJURY REPORT As we head into the home stretch of the season, we find that some teams are looking quite healthy, while other locker rooms look like a physical therapy center. Birmingham, LA, New Jersey and Orlando each have only 1 player on their injury list at present, while the Pittsburgh Maulers reported no injuries, a true oddity this late in the season. On the other side of the picture we find Oakland with 5 players expected to miss the Week 9 matchups, including DE Kim Bokamper and G Collin May. And, of course, we also have to take into account the duration of injuries, which is why we worry about New Orleans, particularly on their D-Line. They lost both starters for the year in the past 2 weeks, which inspired them to seek a trade to try to avoid using players off the street. They were able to find a willing trade partner in Jacksonville, who sent them DT Shawn Lee and a 5th round pick for guard Harry Grimminger and a Breakers 3rd rounder. The trade helps fill the gap for New Orleans by bringing a veteran presence to the depleted line. They also signed Thomas Houston off of the waiver wire for depth. With several players looking at possible 6-8 weeks of rehab, do not be surprised to see more trades as more players may end up on the IR before too long. LOOKING AHEAD We kick off the 2nd half of the season with more divisional matchups. Time for teams on the cusp to make a move and for those at the top to solidify their positions. We find the 4-4 Blitz facing the surprisingly ineffective Generals at Giants Stadium this week, while Philadelphia travels to the 3-5 Maulers, who must make a move soon if they hope to finish the year in playoff contention. In the south, Birmingham has a chance to get over .500 against the sad sack Bulls. Memphis can also build up its lead in the division if they can get past the Renegades in Orlando. In the Central an intriguing matchup of 4-4 clubs as Chicago faces the Outlaws in San Marcos. Michigan has a huge match Saturday night in New Orleans as a win would bring them even with the division leaders. Out West Arizona will try to maintain its division lead but have a tougher than usual Portland squad to face at Civic Stadium. LA and Oakland renew the NoCal-SoCal rivalry by the bay as well. In inter-divisional games Washington hopes to improve their record to 7-2 as they visit the Houston Gamblers, and the Tampa Bay Bandits hope to come out of their game in Denver with a 6th win.

Monster games are not just reserved for the big name stars. Sure, Hershel Walker gained a combined 175 yards with 2 scores, Reggie Collier threw for 356, and Don Majkowski tossed 3 scores in a huge Federals win, but unheralded journeyman backup Blair Kiel may have had the best week of anyone as he led the Wranglers over the Machine with an incredible stat line. If he keeps this up he may end up a fan favorite in the desert. SCORES BAL 9 BIR 20 Birmingham gets a great defensive performance and pairs that with solid days from both Cliff Stoudt and Brent Fullwood to snag a big win at home against the Blitz. Stoudt found 8 different receivers on the day, including a 2 TD performance from rookie TE Shannon Sharpe as they knocked off the Blitz. NJ 27 JAX 20 The Generals get the win they needed to end a 4-game losing streak, but in doing so they send Jacksonville to a horrific 0-7 start. Herschel Walker won AP Player of the Week for his 2 TD, 175 combined yards on the day, a day where he had 23 carries and 6 receptions for New Jersey. Tony Eason completed only 43% of his passes on the day as he once again struggled to move the Bulls. PHI 16 MEM 35 QB Mike Kelley returned to full health and shredded the Philly D for 315 yards passing and 3 TDs. The Memphis D did their part as well, sacking Chuck Fusina 3 times and picking him off 3 more to keep the Stars offense from posing a serious threat. CB Derrick Cudrup was the defensive star with 2 picks and 3 pass deflections, while Reggie White had some fun chasing Fusina and recording his league leading 8th and 9th sacks. PIT 13 ORL 26 The Maulers did not have an answer for Reggie Collier and his 356 yards passing. Once again Collier to Jefferson is just making DB’s look bad as he goes huge with the deep ball, snagging only 4 passes but for 141 yards on the day. For Pittsburgh, a rough day for Mike Rozier, who gains only 21 yards on the day as Orlando loaded the box and forced Alan Risher to play a one-dimensional game. WSH 28 TBY 21 Washington just keeps winning, this time getting a last second Majkowski to Gunn TD with only 10 seconds on the clock to pull past the Bandits. Aikman had 3 TD’s on the day, including 2 to Chris Collinsworth, but it would be the Majik Man’s third on the day which cemented the Federals win. Another star on the day for the Feds was little-heralded rookie wideout Kerry Simien, who stepped in at slot receiver and caught 5 passes and 2 TD’s for Washington in this big road win. CHI 23 ARZ 48 A huge game for journeyman Blair Kiel as he completes an incredible 25 of 28 against the Machine for 274 yards and 4 scores. Trumaine Johnson had to be happy with his day, catching 8 for 109 and 2 of Kiel’s 4 touchdowns. And the combo of Lionel James and Darryl Clack also racked up good yardage, a combined 153 on the day for the RB combo. HOU 14 DEN 33 Houston’s freefall continues as Sean Salisbury fails to provide the Gamblers with enough momentum to keep pace with Denver’s surprising offensive output. A good game for Cody Carlson as he tosses two scores to help lead Denver to a much-needed home win. With the loss Houston now stands at a miserable 1-6. Not the season fans expected out of the Gamblers to be sure. MGN 31 LA 3 If Gambler fans are distraught, imagine how LA Express fans must feel. After a solid game from Frank Seurer last week the LA offense again completely fails to show up as Michigan crushes the Express. Three different halfbacks scored on the day as Michigan ran in 4 TD’s. LA’s run game was as bad as any we have ever seen with a combined 6 yards rushing on the day. Yup, 6 yards rushing total. NOR 33 OAK 27 A nailbiter between two solid clubs as New Orleans shocks the Invaders. Tied at 27 with 1:47 left in the game, New Orleans gets a Tim Mazzetti field goal to take a late lead, and then a fumble on the kickoff gives them the ball right back, and with a 2nd Mazzetti field goal as time expired they locked up the win. The Invaders, playing without Richard Williams, got a solid day from Paul Palmer (73 yards rushing) but it was not enough in the end. GAME OF THE WEEK Texas Outlaws 30 Portland Thunder 27 Overtime A back and forth thriller between the Outlaws and the Thunder goes to overtime before the foot of Nick Mike-Myer gives Texas the win. Portland let this one slip away as they led at different times 14-3, 20-6, and 27-13 before Texas roared back. Kerwin Bell looked good early, tossing first half TD’s to Cris Carter and Clint Didier to help the Thunder build a 20-6 halftime lead. A missed Al Del Greco extra point would prove deadly at the end as that missing point allowed Texas to tie the game and head to overtime. While the first half belonged to Kerwin Bell, Kelly Stouffer and the Outlaws took over in the second half, with Stouffer finding Theo Young for the first Texas TD of the day. That score was soon followed by a Dokie Williams 58 yard bomb from Stouffer. Bell answered with a 80 yard score to Webster Slaughter as the safety and corner collided trying to tackle the elusive receiver. But with time expiring, Stouffer found another receiver, Eric Metcalf for the game tying score, sending the game to overtime. In the extra period a huge mistake by Kerwin Bell led to the winning score for Texas. Trying to hit Slaughter over the middle, Bell failed to see Brian Bosworth dropping into coverage. The Boz undercut the route, and snagged the interception, setting up Texas in Portland territory. 3 plays later it was up and through the uprights for a Texas win. The result leaves both teams at 3-4 and looking up at their divisions, not a horrible record for either team, but still plenty of room to grow. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK We have to give this week’s award to QB Blair Kiel. The Chicago defense has been solid, maybe not intimidating, but certainly adequate all year and what Kiel did to them this week was totally unexpected. Kiel, on his 4th team since coming into the league as a rookie with the Chicago Blitz, has bounced around, always finding work but never getting much chance to start. The Notre Dame product had his best year in 1984 when he subbed for an injured Vince Evans and threw for 2,104 yards. But in that year he also threw 10 interceptions to only 9 TD’s. He would start 2 more games for Baltimore in 1985, then 3 games in Portland in 87 and only 1 game in 2 years with the Outlaws. When he was traded to Arizona as part of the Kelly Stouffer deal, it looked like it would be more of the same, and it largely has been, with Robbie Bosco entrenched as the starter, Kiel once again would play second fiddle. But, with Bosco injured (as so often seems to happen to Robbie), Kiel got his shot to start again this week, and the numbers he put up were truly astounding. Four touchdowns is great, but to go 25 for 28 is simply incredible. Chicago got no pressure on him all game, with 0 sacks and only 1 hurry, and that showed as Kiel was able to find receivers all over the field. 8 passes to Johnson, 3 to Lipps, 3 to Orr, 2 each to his main backs, Clack and James. It was a balanced, multifaceted attack that simply overwhelmed the Chicago defense, and it was a day Blair Kiel will certainly cherish as one of his best over his 7 year career. NEWS & NOTES Huge developments out of New York as the USFL lawsuit against the NFL has taken a turn. With significant evidence being presented of tampering by several NFL clubs during the 1989 offseason, the USFL felt confident going into the trial that they would have what they needed to once again punish the NFL for its attempts to intimidate and weaken the spring league. What they likely did not expect, as we did not either, is for the NFL to agree to an arbitration hearing and ongoing negotiations to define relations between the two leagues. The lengthy process is expected to begin next month with everything on the table, from player and staff acquisition to each league’s draft and free agency format. There is even talk of the two leagues potentially developing a transfer system to minimize the poaching and early signing of players still under contract. The simple fact that the NFL proposed and the USFL accepted an arbitration process in lieu of a full blown lawsuit is amazing in itself, that it may actually produce a structured system of engagement between the two leagues is astonishing. The negotiations will certainly be tricky, and there are concerns that any agreement which would again limit player options could be seen as a violation of anti-trust and anti-monopoly statutes could limit the potential for a comprehensive plan, but fans of both leagues have to be excited by the prospect of a cooperative rather than competitive structure that would allow both leagues to sign and retain talent without the unruly back and forth raiding of players from one league to the other. It may be a long way off, but this type of conversation between the two pro football leagues is also long overdue. INJURY REPORT As we reach the midpoint of the season it should be expected that the injury list would start to grow, but this year, particularly with so many quarterbacks going down, has felt like a year when the teams that will win each week are those who have been able to keep their stars healthy. We saw a few more big names hit the injury list this week, though fortunately we have seen few major injuries in the report. Portland wideout Aubrey Matthews may miss the next game with some knee swelling due to tendinitis, while New Orleans is concerned about Dalton Hilliard’s hamstring. David Archer will likely miss another game for the Thunder and while Robbie Bosco is listed as probable for Week 8, don’t be surprised if Blair Kiel gets the start. Oakland’s Kim Bokamper will likely miss 2 weeks with a dislocated shoulder, while Texas CB Najee Mustafaa will be out as well with a broken bone in his right foot. Tampa CB Eric Allen strained his hamstring and may miss a week, and his counterpart on Philadelphia, Lorenzo Lynch will be dealing with the same condition. LOOKING AHEAD Week 8 marks the end of the first half of the season, and the league once again will have teams facing off against conference foes. The prime time games look like good ones with Philly hosting Orlando on Saturday night and Birmingham taking on the surprising Federals at RFK on Sunday night. Other intriguing matchups include Portland at New Orleans, Oakland at Michigan, Arizona at Texas and Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh. Also on tap this week we have the Bulls at the Blitz, the Showboats in New Jersey to face the Generals, Denver traveling to Chicago, and LA in Houston.