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A quick editorial note before we get to the recap. I will be taking the weekend off from the blog, but expect to return with new posts on Tuesday. Thanks for following this alt history storyline. SCORES BAL 20 WSH 10 Baltimore doubles up Washington by containing the Federals’ run game and relying on their two big time receivers. Jackie Flowers catches 7 for 101 and Stanley Morgan scores the go-ahead touchdown as the Blitz come away from their game at RFK with their 7th win and a share of first place. NJ 14 PHI 23 Philadelphia pulls the Generals back to the pack by scoring the only points of the second half, 3 field goals, to down New Jersey. Both defenses played well, and both QB’s managed to throw two scores each, but Doug Flutie's 2 interceptions proved the difference as Philadelphis shuts out New Jersey in the second half. BIR 10 TBY 17 The Stallions got caught in a classic trap game as the Bandits eke out a win at home. Oliver Luck played it conservatively, which allowed him to complete 72% of his passes and avoid costly turnovers, while even a combined 151 yards from Cribbs and Fullwood was not enough for the Stallions. JAX 24 MEM 34 Mike Kelley had a 4 TD day and the combo of Boone and Jordan combined for 211 yards rushing to crush the Bulls. Despite a good day from Chris Miller (3 TD, 0 Int) the Bulls were outgained 470-234 and Memphis pulled away in the 4th to take the win and gain ground on Birmingham. CHI 16 MGN 13 Another major setback for the Panthers as they let this one slip away. Chicago scored twice in the 4th, including a last second John Carney field goal, to earn a rare road win. Jamie Morris was the catalyst as he gashed the Panther defense for 103 yards on 18 carries. ARZ 22 LA 36 In a key matchup of 6-5 teams, LA had a dominant 1st and 3rd quarter to hold off the visiting Wranglers. Steve Young threw 2 touchdowns each to Todd Christiansen and Eric Martin to pace the Express over the Kelly-Stouffer-led Wranglers. DEN 23 POR 10 A rare sunny day in Portland melted away Portland’s homefield advantage. That and two Kerwin Bell interceptions were the difference as Denver moves to 8-4 atop the Pacific Division. PIT 31 OAK 14 Pittsburgh reaches .500 after 12 games, a first for the franchise, as they overpower Oakland, building a 24-0 halftime lead and cruising to an easy win. Mike Rozier and Stanford Jennings combined for 122 yards on the ground, and Alan Risher had a strong day with 273 passing and 4 TD’s. ORL 7 NOR 27 New Orleans manhandles the Renegades to win their 9th in a row as Marcus Dupree rushes for 127 and a score. Four Renegade turnovers help the Breakers dominate early, before allowing a 4th quarter TD. GAME OF THE WEEK Houston Gamblers 14 Texas Outlaws 11 Going into the game the predictions ranged wildly, from a shootout in the 40’s to potential blowouts, to what we actually got, two defenses that knew how to control the other team’s offense. Despite the low score, the game was a big one for Houston’s Thurman Thomas, who rushed for 165 on only 19 carries. Thomas scored the first points of the game, taking a pitch at the 7 and outpacing the defenders to the corner of the endzone. Texas would get on the board early in the 2nd with a 31 yard Mike-Myer field goal, but they had hoped for more. On the play before Doug Williams had found Dokie Williams on a fade route, only for the ball to glance off his fingertips and harmlessly out of bounds. Houston added to their score on the next drive as Jim Kelly found Ricky Sanders on a very similar route, but in this case, Sanders was able to extend and bring the ball in before crashing to the ground for six. There would not be another scoring threat until midway through the third, when Texas mounted a solid 9-play drive which ended with a short swing pass from Williams to Christopher Justice. The Outlaws went for 2 to bring the game within a field goal, and Stump Mitchell delivered the needed points, plunging into the line and refusing to go down until he had crossed the plane. But that would be it for either offense. The 4th quarter saw futility on both sides, made even worse when Doug Williams caught a finger in his eye and had to be replaced by Blair Kiel for the final two drives. The game ended 14-11, and while not the most engaging game to watch when all was said and done, it was a key victory for the Gamblers, who create some distance with Texas and try to keep pace with the seemingly unstoppable New Orleans Breakers. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK Mike Kelley won the accolades this week, and deservedly so with his 4 TD performance against the Bulls, but let’s not forget how important balance was to the Memphis offense. Not only did Greg Boone’s 127 yards help keep the Bulls defense honest, but even when he was spelled by Buford Jordan the ball kept moving. Jordan would finish with 84 yards himself, much of it on a bruising 43 yard run in the 2nd. The combo of Jordan and Boone forced Jacksonville to put 8, and at times, 9 players in the box to try to slow down the rush attack, and Mike Kelley took advantage, finding Keith Jackson 8 times and Billy Joe Edmunds another 6. Both would score on Kelley passes, as would the venerable Mel Gray. Kelley was clearly at the top of his game, using play action to catch the Bulls defense unprepared, and making key audibles when Jacksonville overcommitted to the run. It was an outstanding overall offensive gameplan, admittedly against one of the worst defenses in the league, but still impressive as Kelley led the Showboats to a whopping 470 total yards. PLAYOFF PICTURE Something has to give, right? We are seeing tight race after tight race throughout the league, and while a few teams seem to be falling out of contention, many are right in the thick of it. In the Atlantic we have a 3 team race at 7-5 between the Stars, Generals and Blitz, but don’t sleep on Pittsburgh, who have won 3 in a row and are now a very respectable 6-6. In the Central, Orlando’s 3 game losing streak has cost them, while Memphis’s equal winning streak now finds them tied with Birmingham at 7-5. New Orleans just keeps winning, now 9 in a row, and their 10-2 record is the best in the league, but the Houston Gamblers are still right there, one game back at 9-3, leading up to what could be an epic Week 15 showdown. Texas, now 3 games back of the Breakers, is now solidly in the hunt for a Wild Card. And in the Pacific we have Denver with a 1 game lead over LA, with Arizona now 2 games back but still in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot. So in the East we can say that there are 7 teams essentially in the race for 5 spots (8 if we have not given up on Washington), and out West we have 6 teams in play for the 5 spots (It would be 7, but we have given up on Michigan.) NEWS & NOTES Is this the year when defense has finally caught up with the wide open USFL passing attacks. Well, yes and no. On the one hand we did see 3 different QB’s throw for 4 touchdowns this week, but when we look overall at where we are, the numbers seem to indicate that the defenses are making ground. Unlike in past years when a solid 4-5 USFL QB’s would have ratings well above 100, often in the 120’s, this season, only Matt Robinson remains above 100 among eligible players. The next four highest range in the 90’s, which is still solid, but hardly the offensive domination of past years. The other stat of note is that unlike the last few years, when at least one receiver toyed with a possible 2,000 yard season or a 150 catch season, this year, we have no receivers reaching those lofty numbers. All this is not to say that the season being put together by Texas’s Carlos Carson or Tampa’s Eric Truvillion are not impressive, but they are not challenging the record book. Add to this the rise in interceptions across the league, with some star QB’s such as Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie, Mike Kelley and Steve Young already well over 10 picks, and you have to say that the defenses are winning more battles than in the past. Part of this may be the decline of the “Go Deep” philosophy in Michigan (where Jack Trudeau is not as effective as Bobby Hebert) and Tampa (where Oliver Luck is struggling to fill John Reaves’s shoes) but another may be the ability of teams to sign defensive talent in the draft without as much salary cap damage as going after top QB or WR talent. The USFL failed to sign some recent QB prospects such as Vinny Testaverde or Troy Aikman, and missed out on some big name receivers as well, such as all 3 top prospects in this year’s draft (Michael Irvin, Sterling Sharpe, and Tim Brown). The combination of defensive talent and offenses shifting to a more balanced approach is impacting scoring, and changing the nature of the USFL game, but it may also be producing better games and more balance across the league. INJURY REPORT A few scary moments this week as we saw several players carted off the field, and a few others who potentially could be out for the rest of the year as well. Doug Williams took that nasty finger to the eye, which was scary to watch on replay and may cost him next week’s game, but should require nothing more than time to heal. The same is not true for Pittsburgh starting center Thomas Ponder, who had to be carted off the field after what appeared to be a bad knee injury. He is likely out for the remainder of the season. Arizona safety Martin Bayless could also be done after he broke his collarbone during a dogpile. Portland receiver Gerald McNeil will miss at least 3 weeks with a hyper-extended knee, while Gary Jeter hopes that his partially torn ACL will still allow him to be in action for the playoffs. On the positive side, Arizona CB Everson Walls looks to be returning from a left foot injury, while New Orleans is expecting to have Charlie Smith back at WR after his shoulder injury. In Michigan, Hardy Nickerson’s mid-game injury appears to have just been a minor stinger, and he is expected to suit up next week. LOOKING AHEAD Some good divisional battles again in Week 13 as we come down the home stretch towards the playoffs. Pittsburgh will try to gain even more ground with a big game in Baltimore, while New Jersey tries to end any hopes Washington has when they clash in the Meadowlands. Orlando has a huge game at Legion Field against the Stallions, while Tampa and Jacksonville try their best not to lose in a battle of 3-win teams. Denver is at Arizona with the Wranglers hoping to get back into playoff contention with a win. Portland visits Oakland in a game that honestly is not going to mean much. Houston is in Chicago this week while Texas takes a shot at the red hot Breakers in the Super Dome. Out of division we have a great looking game as Philadelphia heads out to LA to face the Express. And finally the Showboats hope they can remain hot as they face the stumbling Michigan Panthers in the Silverdome.

SCORES POR 10 WSH 23 In a pretty sloppy game, Washington gets a much-needed win despite two Lomax interceptions, 6 penalties, and only 92 yards rushing. It helped that Portland completed only 4 of 14 third downs and missed on 3 different 4th down attempts. OAK 13 BAL 20 Vince Evans rushed 8 times for 30 yards and a score as the Blitz keep pace in the Atlantic. Jeff Kemp, in his first start in 2 years in the USFL, looked rusty, completing only 56% of his passes and being sacked 4 times. Jackie Flowers was the star on the day, catching 6 for 130 and a key last second before the half score for the Blitz. LA 10 PIT 19 The cross-country flight and early start clearly affected the Express as Pittsburgh scored 10 in the final quarter to steal a win. Mike Rozier had one of his better games of the year, rushing for 118, and Alan Risher completed 30 of 43 with no picks to help Pittsburgh move to 5-6 and within range of a Wild Card berth. DEN 20 NJ 3 Denver, feeling disrespected and overlooked, made a statement by shutting down the usually potent New Jersey offense. The Gold defense held the Generals to only 6 yards rushing in the game, while the combo of Harry Sydney and Timmy Smith gained 96. Bob Gagliano returned, and while still a little rusty, avoided turnovers and completed 70% of his passes to lead the Gold to a defiant win. TEX 30 TBY 20 Texas outgained Tampa 417-248 and overcame 8 penalties to take a 10-point win from the Bandits in Tampa Stadium. The loss, Tampa’s 9th, now guarantees their first losing season in the 6 years of USFL play. Brian Bosworth’s 11 tackles led the Outlaws and Najee Mustafaa gained his league-leading 7th interception off of Oliver Luck as Texas scored 4 times in the 2nd half to overtake a Tampa 17-10 halftime lead. NOR 24 BIR 17 In front of a huge Legion Field crowd, with at least 20,000 Breaker fans in attendance, New Orleans edged the Stallions on the strength of a 21-point 2nd quarter that saw Hilliard, Dupree and Franz all score within the span of 9 minutes. The Stallions fought back, but it was too much to overcome without takeaways and New Orleans knew it. MGN 23 ORL 6 Michigan declares that their season is not over yet, knocking off the favored Renegades in the Citrus Bowl. In an even game (232 total yards to 227), neither team ran the ball effectively, putting the game on the shoulders of the two quarterbacks. Jack Trudeau only completed 12 of his 28 tosses, but it was enough to set up kicker Tony Franklin for 3 field goals and to get John Williams into striking distance for a game-ending touchdown late in the 4th. Orlando committed 6 turnovers on the day, including 4 interceptions of Reggie Collier by the Michigan D. CHI 3 MEM 26 Chicago gave Steve Beurlein the start, trying to shake things up, but Memphis dominated from kickoff to the final whistle. Mike Kelley found TE Keith Jackson and wideout Bobby Joe Edmunds for scores, and veteran Mel Gray returned to action to lead the team with 100 yards receiving on 7 grabs. HOU 23 JAX 16 Jacksonville entered the 4th with a 16-13 lead after frustrating Jim Kelly all day, but the final quarter belonged to Houston as Kelly found Jacobs for a lead-changing TD and then led Houston on a long, time consuming drive for 3 that put the game solidly in their hands. George Adams was a highlight for Jacksonville, as he returned from injury and gained 115 on the ground. GAME OF THE WEEK Arizona Wranglers 13 Philadelphia Stars 19 The Stars trailed most of the day, but never by more than 4, and wore down the Wrangler defense in time to steal a home win against a tough opponent. David Trout kicked 4 field goals as Philly’s redzone offense stalled consistently within yards of the endzone, but it was enough as the Stars’ defense held Arizona’s Kelly Stouffer to only 207 yards passing. Both Kelvin Bryant (124) and James Wilder (114) ran for over 100 yards as both teams were content to slow the game down and play for a close win. After a Stars field goal to open scoring, Stouffer had his best moment of the day, leading Arizona down the field and finding Steve Wilkes for a lead-changing TD. Philly and Arizona would trade field goals for the rest of the first half, as neither could find the right formula to get into the endzone. At the half the score was Wranglers 10, Stars 9. In the second half much the same situation emerged. The sole bright spot, and a big one, was a 28-yard TD toss from Fusina to Mike Quick which flipped the score from 13-9 to 13-16, a lead the Stars would never relinquish. In the 4th, both defenses kept things in the middle of the field, and Arizona never got the shot downfield they needed to take back the lead. It did not help that over the course of the second half the Wranglers committed 10 penalties, including 5 false starts due to the noise of the rambunctious Philadelphia crowd. In the end Philadelphia’s grit and the ability to grind out the clock with Kelvin Bryant runs won the day. The combo of their win and New Jerseys’s loss to Denver pulls the Stars back to within 1 game of the lead in the Atlantic, while Arizona, along with LA, fall 1 game behind Denver in the Pacific. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK This was a week without a lot of eye-popping offensive stats, so our attention focuses on defense this week. Najee Mustafaa’s 7th interception and its runback for 6 is certainly worthy of praise, but we are going to offer special attention to a player who rarely gets it, Michigan weakside linebacker Scott Stephen. When you line up alongside John Corker and Hardy Nickerson, you are likely not to get a lot of attention, but this week Stephen showed up big. Not only did he sack the elusive Reggie Collier twice, but he also picked him off, diving for a deflected ball, and forced two Curtis Bledsoe fumbles, one of which he also recovered. It was an all-around dominant performance by a player often overshadowed by his own teammates in the linebacker corps. PLAYOFF PICTURE While very few teams (Tampa, Portland) are mathematically out of playoff contention, it seems safe to say that we are beginning to see some separation between the top and the bottom of the league. New Orleans at 9-2 is looking good, though they still have Houston (8-3) and Texas (7-4) on their heels. Denver picked up a game against both LA and Arizona this week, while New Jersey slipped back to a 1 game lead over Baltimore and Philly. Orlando and Memphis are also only 1 game behind Birmingham. With key wins this week even seeming longshots such as Michigan, Pittsburgh and Washington seem to still have life. This year, unlike most, may actually come down to the final week of the season and the league office may actually have to break out some tiebreakers to figure this one out as we are seeing greater parity than ever before. NEWS & NOTES We don’t spend a lot of time talking about the league’s outfitters or design team here, but this week we got news from both. There is no league-wide contract for team uniforms, but this week we moved closer to one, as Russell Athletic signed up 3 more teams (Baltimore, Washington and Oakland), moving their share of the USFL to 11 teams, with Champion next at 6 and Wilson at 3. It is not complete dominance, but it certainly feels like Russell Athletic is looking to corner the market. Obviously, with a lot of money made on replica jerseys as well as team gear such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats out there, gaining the lion’s share of the market is good for RA. What may even be more lucrative is getting engaged in the design aspect, as both the Federals and Blitz announced this week that with their new Russell Athletic contract, both teams would be working with RA and the league office to redesign the team’s looks for the 1989 season. While this certainly means changes to the uniform, it is unclear at this time if this will be a deeper change, with new colors or team logos also part of the mix, but one must suspect that this is the case as a simple uniform change would not require league support and input. We also have to wonder whether the recent addition of Nike Sportswear CEO Phil Knight as a league owner (Portland) might eventually lead the league to consider the upstart company as a partner for design, outfitting, and merchandise. For now, all teams are under contract with a different outfitter, but we would not be surprised to see Mr. Knight push the league towards a contract with the shoe company, at least for cleats, and perhaps for more as the company continues to grow. INJURY REPORT A few injuries to mention this week, most notably long-time Denver TE Bob Niziolek left the game in New Jersey with what looks to be a bad hamstring injury. We are still awaiting details to determine how severe. Philadelphia Free Safety Elmo Gardiner may be out up to 2 months after suffering cracked ribs on a poorly timed tackle of James Wilder. Former General and current Stallion wideout Clarence Collins is expected to be out the rest of the year after fracturing both bones in his lower arm, while Oakland’s Mark Duper may miss 2-3 weeks with a dislocated knee, an ugly injury to observe, but luckily one without major ligament damage. LOOKING AHEAD Week 12 has some important divisional matchups as we look at playoff drives. Baltimore is in DC to renew their rivalry with the surging Federals, winners of 3 in a row. New Jersey has a huge game in Philadelphia to try to rebuild their lead in the division. Birmingham hopes to re-establish themselves by winning in Tampa, while Memphis hopes to keep pace with a game in Jacksonville. Texas faces Houston for the second time, this time in San Marcos, as both teams try to gain on division-leading New Orleans. Arizona and LA, both 6-5, know that they need a win to keep pace with Denver, who are favored to leave Portland this week with their 8th win of the year. Out of division we have Pittsburgh at Oakland and Orlando visiting the Breakers in the Super Dome.

SCORES NJ 39 BAL 28 An offensive explosion from both teams as the Generals take over sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic Division. After trailing 28-10 midway through the third, a Terry Daniels INT return for a score turns the momentum. New Jersey would score 28 unanswered points over the final 25 minutes of the game, stunning the Baltimore crowd and shocking even the New Jersey fans who made the trip. JAX 10 BIR 17 A tough “grind it out” win for the 7-3 Stallions as neither team could find success in the air. Tommy Agie got the start for an ailing George Adams and pounded out 95 yards, but Birmingham had the better rushing attack with Joe Cribbs gaining 91 and backups Brent Fullwood and Terrance Flagler adding another 34. ORL 17 MEM 34 Memphis evens their record at 5-5 with a key home victory against the Renegades. Mike Kelley looked sharp, throwing for 4 scores , including 2 to Edmunds as the Showboats did not appear to miss the ageless Mel Gray (Knee). Curtis Bledsoe had a good day for Orlando, but their defense simply did not have an answer for the Showboats. TEX 32 CHI 24 Texas gets back in the win column after a rough few weeks, as Doug Williams throws for three scores and Stump Mitchell rushes for 167 yards. Carlos Carson continues to shine, with another 100-yard day, and 2 scores against an overwhelmed Machine secondary. NOR 27 MGN 21 The Breakers get the statement win they were hoping for as Marcus Dupree rushes 22 times for 111 yards and a score against the Panthers. Jack Trudeau threw two costly interceptions and Matt Robinson found TE Dan Ross on a back-breaking 46-yard scoring toss to hold off Michigan. OAK 7 LA 24 Steve Young found Eric Martin twice for scores, and Christian Okoye looked fully back to health, rushing for only 68 yards, but breaking more tackles than Oakland coach Dick Vermeil could stand. The LA Defense also held tough, knocking Gale Gilbert out early and forcing Jeff Kemp into action he was not prepared for, leading to 2 interceptions from the one-time NFL starter. POR 13 ARZ 17 A late James Wilder TD run helps Arizona hold off the feisty Portland Thunder. Arizona’s offense did not click with Kelly Stouffer at QB, and Portland did just enough to build a 13-10 lead in the 4th, but a late drive, with timely catches from both Lipps and Johnson, was enough to get Arizona in range and James Wilder (21 carries for 88 yards) did the rest, pounding the ball in for the Arizona win. HOU 16 WSH 21 Washington’s defense was ready for Jim Kelly and the Gamblers. The Feds picked Kelly off twice and also managed to corral Thurman Thomas (76 yards), while Neil Lomax and Craig James looked good in the win. James rushed for 116 and a key 3rd quarter score, while Lomax tossed TD passes to Duane Gunn and Joey Walters to give Washington the upset at home. DEN 30 TBY 7 Without John Reaves the Tampa offense has been a shadow of itself, and this week that, combined with Tampa’s usual defensive woes, were a bad combo against a determined Gold squad. Denver HB Harry Sydney had a rare 100-yard game, rushing for 111 and a score, while J.T. Smith, in for the ailing Bill Brooks, helped Cody Carlson keep the chains moving. GAME OF THE WEEK Pittsburgh Maulers 18 Philadelphia Stars 15 The Battle of the Keystone State has been a bit one-sided since the Maulers entered the league in 1984, but on this day it was a surprisingly tough Mauler defense that won out. Philly came into the game a prohibitive favorite over their Steel City rivals, but something was off from the start and Philadelphia’s usually methodical offense seemed out of kilter. The entire first quarter was an exercise in futility for both offenses, as the defenses led to 5 punts in the quarter. In the second, Pittsburgh finally mounted a drive, aided by a key Stars defensive holding call against Scott Woerner. The Maulers drove into the red zone and capped off the drive with a Mike Rozier 4 yard scamper, untouched into the endzone. Philly responded with 2 late drives in the quarter, both ending short of the endzone, but providing 6 points through David Trout kicks. Pittsburgh’s much-maligned defense proved effective against Kelvin Bryant, holding him to only 22 yards in the first half, while also frustrating QB Chuck Fusina, who would end the day with only a 44% completion rate. In the second half, Philly had their best drive of the day, moving the ball 72 yards in only 7 plays and ending with Kelvin Bryant diving in for the score. But the attempt for 2 failed, and Philly’s lead was only 12-7. That lead would disappear on Pittsburgh’s next drive, when once again Mike Rozier found paydirt and the Maulers ended the 3rd up 15-12. Midway through the 4th, Philadelphia would again drive deep into Pittsburgh territory, only to be stopped on 3rd down, settling for a game-tying field goal. Two drives later, Pittsburgh’s Alan Risher would find Danny Buggs on a 36 yard corner pattern and the effort would net the game winning kick, a 35 yarder from Rafael Septien. Philadelphia had 1:52 to work with, but once again Pittsburgh’s defense rose to the challenge and when a Fusina fourth down pass to Gerald Phelan fell to the ground, the comeback was done and Pittsburgh could enjoy a very rare win over their in-state rivals. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK While several running backs had solid weeks in key games, including Stump Mitchell’s 167 against Chicago to take the AP Offensive Player of the Week for Texas, we are going to honor a player who has been grinding out yards, often for poor teams, since 1983. Washington’s Craig James does not have the moves of Joe Cribbs, the power of Herschel Walker, or the receiving skills of Gary Anderson, but what he does have is the ability to gain the tough yards. Over his 6-year career for the often-downtrodden Washington Federals, James has toted the rock over 1800 times, rushing for nearly 8,000 yards and scoring 41 touchdowns. He is consistent, if not always exciting, and he is more elusive than many give him credit for. In this week’s upset of Houston, James had only 1 carry over 7 yards (an 18-yard shocker on a draw play), but also rarely lost yards. His steady 3-4 yard gains were enough to sustain the Federals offense on a day when Neil Lomax only threw for 173, and his toughness came through on key 3rd down plays on all three scoring drives for the Feds. He may not be the brightest star or get the most highlight footage each week, but Craig James has been a constant presence and a constant contributor on the Federals for their entire existence. PLAYOFF PICTURE Ten weeks down, six to go. Nothing is set this early, but there are some signs of what may be to come. In the Western Conference we see two close races, as New Orleans and Houston seem destined to battle down to the wire for the Central Division crown and possibly the #1 seed. In the Pacific, we have three teams all even at 6-4. Arizona will need to outpace LA or Denver if they want the division title as their current 1-4 record in the division puts them at a severe disadvantage if tiebreakers are needed. With 3 teams at 6-4 in the Pacific, Texas, also at 6-4, will need to hope that someone starts fading if they want their shot at a Wild Card. In the East, the races are not quite as tight, though Orlando is still only 1 game behind Birmingham. The Southern Division looks like it could have 3 playoff teams if Memphis can also keep up and stay above .500. In the Atlantic, New Jersey has opened up a 2-game lead over Baltimore and Philly, but all 5 teams in the division still have playoff hopes, with the worst teams only at 4-6 and within range of a Wild Card slot. Birmingham and New Jersey look like the top contenders for a division title and home field, and since the two do not play each other this year, it could come down to lower-tier tiebreakers such as conference record or even point differential. Currently, at 6-2 Birmingham edges NJ (5-3) in conference, but there are a lot of games left to play. NEWS & NOTES We mentioned earlier this year that the USFL had put a 3-year moratorium on future expansion, hoping to shore up current teams and build the league’s financial coffers. This does not mean, however, that there are not suitors out there hoping for a team. With the recent announcement that the St. Louis Cardinals are packing up and heading out to Phoenix to share Sun Devil Stadium with both the Wranglers and Arizona State, there are voices in the Gateway to the West who are already looking at developing a new stadium to attract a team, and the USFL is mentioned prominently in those discussions. Meanwhile, emerging cities like Charlotte, Columbus (OH), and Sacramento (CA), are all making noise about wanting to develop a greater sports profile and the USFL is often cited as a means towards that end. With the USFL declaring that they have no interest in expansion, but with several franchises still waiting to see their ledgers turn from red to black, there is potential danger to current USFL cities that an NFL-style exodus as seen in Baltimore and St. Louis could happen in the USFL as well. While there are no obvious issues as we saw two years ago, prompting the Chicago Blitz and Boston Breakers to shift their operations to Baltimore and New Orleans, there are teams that could be potential targets for an ownership switch and a relocation. Fans in Memphis have already started pressuring ownership to invest locally, while even a better than usual season in Pittsburgh is not seen as a guarantee that one of the league’s least financially sound franchises will stay in the Steel City. Even the nation’s capital is not safe, though the improvement in Federals’ attendance this year is a sign that things might be getting better for the perennial also-rans in DC. While league officials remain adamant that their revenue sharing plan and improving overall attendance numbers bode well for league stability, as long as there are markets which see the USFL as a means to the goal of moving into “big league” sports, and as long as there are deep-pocketed ownership groups with similar interests, there is always potential for a team to be wooed away from their current home. It would certainly by ironic if the league’s attempt to push stability through an expansion moratorium actually led to greater instability as impatient bidders set their sights on current franchises rather than waiting for a chance to join the league through expansion. INJURY REPORT Quite a few players were temporarily out of games this week, but no major scares or season-ending injuries to report. This week’s injury list is more about who is not quite ready to return as several players who were looking at a Week 11 return may just have to wait. Arizona is likely going to have to rely on Kelly Stouffer for another week as Robbie Bosco is listed only as doubtful for week 11. The same is true for Washington’s Mark Bavaro, who is nursing a deep thigh bruise. Oakland’s Gale Gilbert was forced out of this week’s game with a hamstring injury and is now listed as doubtful as well. Denver was hoping to get Bob Gagliano back this upcoming week, and it may happen, but he is listed as questionable, as is New Orleans wideout Charlie Smith and Baltimore tackle Ronnie Delaney. Houston has Kiki DeAyala listed as probable, a good sign he will play this week. New Jersey also hopes to get Kit Lathrop back from his hip pointer, while Memphis’s Mel Gray should be ready to go after missing this week. LOOKING AHEAD We are going cross country in Week 11, with the Atlantic teams hosting the Pacific division and the Central division visiting the Southern Division. It’s a battle of division leaders when the Gold travel to New Jersey, and of hopefuls with Arizona in Philly and LA in Pittsburgh. Washington and Baltimore hope to get wins against weaker teams and pull back into the playoff hunt as they host Portland and Oakland respectively. Texas hopes to make it 2 in a row as they visit the spiraling Tampa Bay Bandits, while we have another division leader battle when New Orleans visits nearby Birmingham. Expect a lot of Breaker fans to make the trip to fill Legion Field. Michigan will head to Florida to face the Orlando Renegades, while Chicago will be in Memphis to face that tough Showboat D-line. Finally, the Gamblers are in Jacksonville, hoping they can make up a game against the Breakers by beating the Bulls.

SCORES ORL 17 BAL 10 In a battle of 5-3 teams, Orlando was one score better than Baltimore as Reggie Collier and Wamon Buggs were an unstoppable combo. Collier found Buggs 9 times for 158 yards as Orlando overcame a rough day for Curtis Bledsoe (20 carries for only 48 yards) and the Orlando D came up big when they had to. Vince Evans spent a good part of the day on the run, rushing for 33 yards on 12 carries in addition to throwing for 221, but it was just not enough as Orlando’s D made big plays to halt Blitz drives. TBY 17 NJ 27 Tampa’s woes on defense continued as New Jersey rushed for 177 against the overmatched Bandits. Herschel Walker garnered 117 on 25 carries and fullback Keith Byars added another 60 on 11 carries. That success allowed Doug Flutie to effectively use play action to keep up with the Joneses (Brent and Lam), each catching a TD from the former Heisman winner. BIR 27 PHI 14 Birmingham contained Philly’s Kelvin Bryant and picked off the usually accurate Chuck Fusina twice as they outmuscled the Stars in Veterans Stadium. Joe Cribbs was held under 100 yards (93 in total) but scored twice as Birmingham ground out a win, aided by 11 Stars penalties. JAX 31 PIT 23 Jacksonville won their second in a row as the Pittsburgh D once again failed them. The Bulls gained 344 total yards, including a solid 264 and 3 TD’s from QB Chris Miller. Pittsburgh tried to keep pace, and depended heavily on Mike Rozier, who gained a seasons’s best 165 against the Bulls, but the Mauler defense just could not get stops when they needed them. MEM 16 WSH 23 The Federals started the second half of the season off the right way, Edging the Showboats on a Lomax to Bavaro TD and a key Ray Wersching field goal in the 4th. The Federals D focused on HB Greg Boone and were able to contain him, holding Boone to only 48 yards rushing. Memphis also had 2 turnovers, including a Mike Kelley interception in the red zone which killed a promising late drive. OAK 27 CHI 24 Gale Gilbert hit Henry Ellard with a last second TD to overtake and knock off the Machine in Chicago. Trailing 24-20 with less than 2 minutes left, Gilbert executed a perfect 2-minute drill and found Ellard open on a blown coverage, hitting the speedy receiver on a fade route with only 23 seconds to play to take the win. POR 7 HOU 45 Houston had its best offensive performance of the season at home against the overmatched Thunder, gaining 494 total yards. Kelly, Thomas and Sanders all shone in the game, with Thomas gaining 119 on the ground and another 59 in the air. The lone bright spot for the Thunder was the play of rookie Flipper Anderson, who scored the lone TD for the Thunder and gained 88 yards on 6 catches. ARZ 17 MGN 14 The Wranglers scored 10 unanswered in the second half to edge the Panthers in the Silverdome, and they did it without Robbie Bosco at the helm. Bosco was knocked out early in the 3rd and backup Kelly Stouffer came in and rallied the Wranglers to the win. James Wilder was a big piece of the plan as he had his best game as a Wrangler, rushing for 112 and catching 5 balls for 24 yards. Jack Trudeau again struggled, throwing 3 picks. LA 20 TEX 17 In a game the Express nearly blew, they found a way to win. The Express built up a 17-0 halftime lead only to watch momentum switch in the second half. A Stump Mitchell run, followed by a Najee Mustafaa pick-6 of Steve Young helped Texas tie the game back up at 17. But a late pick by Doug Williams led to an Express field goal early in the 4th, and that score held until the final whistle. GAME OF THE WEEK Denver Gold 15 New Orleans Breakers 17 Just when we make a big deal about how the only way the Breakers win is by shootout, they go and play a hard-nosed defensive game and get a quality win against a tough Denver squad. New Orleans held Denver to only 73 yards rushing and held Denver QB Cody Carlson (in for the injured Gagliano) to only 49% completion rate on their way to a big win. Denver was equally tough, holding New Orlens to only 53 yards rushing, and led by back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week Kurt Gouveia. Denver came into the game with concerns that with Carlson replacing the injured Bob Gagliano they had to avoid getting into a shootout with the high-powered Breaker offense, and early on it looked like their worst-case scenario was happening. New Orleans scored early in the first on a Marcus Dupree run, and then doubled up their lead with a Dan Ross TD catch midway through the 2nd. A late field goal got Denver on the board but trailing 14-3 at the half did not look good for the Gold. But, the Gold defense, spurred on by Week 8 Defensive POTW Kurt Gouveia (see story below) shut down New Orleans repeatedly, containing the vaunted Breaker run game and harassing QB Matt Robinson. The Breakers would add a field goal to build a 17-3 lead, but Denver then was able to chip away at the lead throughout the second half. They finished the 3rd quarter with a field goal and added another early in the 4th to make it a one score game. They would need 8 to tie, but they also needed to keep New Orleans from responding. The Denver D was staunch in the 4th, limiting the Breakers to only 34 total yards in the quarter, and with just over 2 minutes left Denver had to score. They did not hesitate, and on a brilliant play got their points in rapid fashion. On 2nd and 3 from their own 20, Cody Carlson handed the ball to speedy Timmy Smith on what looked to be a sweep right. Smith headed for the sideline, but then turned and tossed the ball back across the field to Carlson. Carlson then heaved it deep to a speeding Bill Brooks, all alone down the left sideline. Brooks hauled in the pass, fell to the ground, but rolled and got back up before the defenders could reach him. He raced the remaining 20 yards in for the score. It was a brilliant quasi-flea flicker that caught New Orleans off guard and unprepared. But it was not enough. The Gold had to go for 2 to tie the game. The Gold lined up at the 2 for the two-point try. Carlson motioned TE Jay Novacek across the formation, then, at the snap, rolled left and tried to find Novacek in the back corner. But, pressured by Breaker LB Marcus Marek, Carlson was off target and despite a leap with outstretched hands, Novacek could not bring the ball in. Denver still trailed 17-15 with 2:17 left in the game. The Gold had 2 timeouts left, plus the two-minute warning, so it was imperative that the Breakers get a first down to control the clock and end the game. On first down they trusted the ball to their “pounder”, HB Dalton Hilliard, who gained only 2 on the run. On second down they tried the more elusive Marcus Dupree, but Dupree was stopped after a yard, leading to a 3rd and 7 with the clock stopped by Denver’s 2nd time out. Coach Arnsparger called over the offense, and when they came back out on the field, they moved Matt Robinson into the shotgun position, with Hilliard to his left and Dupree to his right. The ball was snapped, and Robinson feigned that it had flown over his head, drawing in the aggressive Denver D. It had actually been direct snapped to Hilliard, who blasted past the distracted blitzers and found space in the secondary for a 9-yard run before sliding down to the ground. It was a brilliant misdirection play, and it gave New Orleans the ability to draw out the clock and finish the game in the victory formation. A tough loss for Denver, a hard-nosed win by the Breakers, and a dynamite game for the fans. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK We have to talk more about the two-week run Kurt Gouveia has had for the Gold. It is rare that we honor a player on the losing side, and even more rare (a first?) that we honor the same player two weeks in a row, but after winning Defensive POTW last week, Gouveia came out even hungrier this week. The stat line is impressive, 9 tackles (2 for loss), two sacks, and a whopping 4 forced fumbles against the Breakers backs. But his presence was more than gaudy numbers, he was a force all day, rallying the defense, stuffing key 3rd downs, intimidating receivers, and threatening Matt Robinson almost endlessly. It was the type of performance we associate with the greats, a Dick Butkus redux. Yes, the Gold came up short in the game, but Gouveia did his part and more for the Gold. NEWS & NOTES Let’s talk attendance so far this year. The USFL is averaging just over 36k per game, which is solid, certainly above their target of 35k, but what may be more impressive is the way they are doing it. Unlike in past years where a few high-attendance teams would buoy the numbers for several low attendance team, there is more parity in the box office, just as there has been on the field, in 1988. With 9 games down, we see that only 3 teams are below the dreaded 25k revenue sharing number, and two of those (Portland and Texas) have no choice, as both play in stadiums with roughly a 24,000 capacity. The third, Chicago, was just horrible last year, and while they are not turning people away, their 22,392 average is better than one might expect. On the other side of the coin there are currently 10 of the 20 franchises averaging over 40,000 a game, with representation in all 4 divisions. It is no longer domination by the south with everyone else trailing. Birmingham currently leads the league with an average of 46.080, but not far behind are Baltimore (44,989), Philly (44,496), New Orleans (44,684), New Jersey (44,496), Orlando (43,957), and Denver (43,241). You know things are going well when even two of the most jaded fanbases, DC and LA, are showing up, with Washington averaging 38,506 and LA a very respectable 33,305. The league has to be pleased with the balance and with the overall numbers, as the overall attendance has now topped 3 million in only 9 weeks. With attendance holding above 35k per game and TV ratings also holding steady, the case can be made that the league’s early growing pains may now be leading into a stable and predictable level of support, one which makes the league even more attractive to partners, sponsors and networks. As the league continues to negotiate to develop expanded revenue opportunities, numbers like these will only help them make their case that the NFL is no longer the only game in town. INJURY REPORT This week saw some big hits taken by teams that cannot afford to lose quality players. Memphis got a Rookie of the Week performance from wideout Anthony Miller, only to see him go down late with what looked like a bad knee injury. Early reports seem to point to an ACL tear, which could keep Miller out for the rest of the year. Philly got bad news on their top rookie, TE Alex Higdon, whose wrist is worse than expected. Higdon could be out at least 2 months. Portland took another hit as wideout Flipper Anderson is expected to miss at least a month with a fracture in his left arm, just one week after losing HB Rodney Carter. Birmingham was also hit, as their top wideout, Ernest Givens, will miss at least 2-3 weeks with a rib injury, while in Arizona, there is concern that Robbie Bosco may be out at least 2 weeks after taking a bad hit to his left knee. Among those expected to return to action this week, we have Arizona HB Darryl Clack, Tampa DT William Perry, Arizona wideout Louis Lipps, and Jacksonville wideout Hassan Jones. LOOKING AHEAD We are back for 8 games of divisional play again in week 10, as the final stretch for the playoffs begins. New Jersey at Baltimore headlines the Saturday games. Pittsburgh travels to Philly for an in-state rivalry game. Jacksonville, winners of 2 straight, head to Birmingham, while Orlando hopes to steal a win from the Showboats at the Liberty Bowl. Texas will face another 1987 expansion team in Chicago, while New Orleans will try to make a statement in Michigan. It’s the Hwy 1 War as Oakland is in LA, while the Thunder stay on the road with a game in Tempe against the Wranglers. A couple of good inter-divisional games as well as Houston in in Washington and the Gold travel to Tampa to face the Bandits.

Sporting News, May 4, 1988 We are halfway through the USFL season and the key word this year seems to be “parity”. For the first time in a long time no team is moving into the season’s second half undefeated. No team has only 1 win, and nearly everyone has a legitimate path to a possible playoff berth. There are surprises at the top (New Orleans, Baltimore, Texas) and at the bottom (Tampa, Jacksonville, Washington) but what we have seen all year is that there is a lot of parity and a lot of potential all across the year. As we give our midyear grades to each team, let’s talk about what is working and what is not for each squad. WESTERN CONFERENCE New Orleans Breakers (6-2) OFFENSE: A The Breakers have been explosive in both the run and passing game. Matt Robinson has come out of nowhere to lead the league in QBR and TD’s, and the combination of Dupree and Hilliard is a powerful 1-2 punch. The Breakers lead the league at nearly 36 points per game, are rank second in both passing and rushing YPG. That is a deadly combo. DEFENSE: C- For all the accolades we give the New Orleans offense, we have to recognize that the defense is not helping them reach 6-2. They have given up 31 to Chicago, 40 to Texas, and 46 to Pittsburgh. The only game where they allowed fewer than 20 points was a blowout against Portland. That is not good. New Orleans needs to switch things up, perhaps play more zones to slow down offenses and allow their own offense to overpower their opponents, because this is not a team that will win a 17-14 game. TEACHER’S NOTES: If the offense can sustain them, we could see New Orleans keeping pace with Houston, but at some point they will have to play some D in order to win in the playoffs. Thay have a tough run against some good defenses (Denver, Michigan, Birmingham) to kick off the 2nd half, let’s see how that goes before we coronate the Breakers atop the Central. PROJECTION: 11-5, 2nd in Central. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (6-2) OFFENSE: B- We are still trying to figure out what is happening with Jim Kelly. Houston got him an outstanding dual threat weapon in Thurman Thomas and the receivers are the same, yet Kelly is having a down season even as the Gamblers keep winning. Yes, he has thrown for 2,026 yards and 15 TD’s, but he has also thrown 13 interceptions, often forcing the ball where he has no business throwing it. If Coach Pardee can calm Kelly down, keep him from making bad decisions with the ball, mix in more runs, the Gamblers can keep winning with defense and timely scores, but if the carelessness with the ball continues, they may stumble and fall. DEFENSE: A This defense remains the bread and butter of Houston’s success. They rank 4th in scoring at 18.1 PPG, but are 2nd in both total yards and passing yards allowed. That combo will win them a lot of games. Simon Fletcher has come on strong this year and already has 6 sacks, and if they can finally get Kiki DeAyala healthy, they will be well on their way to another deep playoff run. TEACHER’S NOTES: The Gamblers do not seem as strong as last year, not unless Kelly can regain his MVP form, but they are still the class of the West, at least on defense. That should be enough to help them garner a top seed, perhaps the top seed, in the Western Conference and home field will help them in the playoffs, to be sure. PROJECTION: 12-4, 1st in Central, likely #1 seed in West. DENVER GOLD (5-3) OFFENSE: C+ Denver has never been a flashy team, even with Mouse Davis bringing elements of his Run & Shoot to the Mile High City, but they are often effective in what they do. They are middle of the pack in scoring, but in the bottom third in every yardage category. They wil need to improve on that if they hope to challenge either Houston or New Orleans, because getting home field would be a huge advantage for the Gold. DEFENSE: A- The Gold are 5th in PPG allowed, but are #1 against the run. That is a good combo. Stopping the run can be a real benefit come playoff time, but if they want to win on defense, they will need to find a way to cause more turnovers. More turnovers will mean more short fields for their iffy offense, and that means more games that don’t come down to a key stop to determine the outcome. TEACHER’S NOTES: Denver is the Quaker Oats of football. They are never exciting, never flashy, but they are dependable and good for you. When they are hot, they are quite good, but when cold, like oatmeal, they can turn off fans quite quickly. If only they could find some tasty fruit to add to the mix and spice things up a bit. PROJECTION: 10-6, 1st in Pacific TEXAS OUTLAWS (5-3) OFFENSE: A- The Outlaws cherrypicked the best offensive players from the former Gunslingers and Oklahoma Outlaws, and that is helping them outpace expectations. Their early-season sprint through some of the other newer teams in the league helped them explode to a 4-0 start, but their offensive production has dipped since they started facing more stoic teams. They are still 2nd in scoring, and the combo of Doug Williams and Stump Mitchell gives them a solid 1-2 punch. NFL Transfer Carlos Carson is the 3rd Amigo in that trio, and his league leading 930 yards receiving is no mirage, but Texas needs to find a complement to Carson or teams will just focus on him and that could slow things down a lot. DEFENSE: C+ When they were scoring over 35 a game, this did not matter, but in the past few weeks, when they have gone 1-3, the defensive issues have become more noticeable. They are still strong against the run, allowing only 77 yards per game, and a lot of this falls on 2nd year study Brian Bosworth, but they are giving up nearl 250 yards a game passing, and in a pass-driven league like the USFL, that is not a good thing. TEACHER’S NOTES: Texas is the kid from the disadvantaged home who no one expects much of, but he ends up being a chess prodigy. Can the Outlaws remain prodigious for the next 8 weeks or is their recent slump a sign that they are this year’s Orlando Renegades? We think the former, because we like their stars on offense, and we think the defense can do just enough to keep Texas in games. PROJECTION: 9-7, 3rd in Central and a Wild Card berth. ARIZONA WRANGLERS (4-4) OFFENSE: B We like what we see each week from QB Robbie Bosco, and the Wranglers have some talented receivers. What we are still trying to figure out is why year in and year out their run game is sub par. They are only averaging 74 yards a game, a sad number and 17th in the league, despite having brought in a 1,000 yard NFL rusher in James Wilder. If they could ever find a run game, they would be a dangerous offense, but right now they feel like a team that can only win one way, in the air. DEFENSE: B Another B grade for another squad that is uneven and uninspiring. Arizona rarely gets blown out, but they also rarely crush anyone either. Dale Rogers has been a nice surprise at DE with 8 sacks, but that is about all the team has mustered. Bringing in Everson Walls (3 Interceptions) has helped, but they need to be more consistent all across the board. TEACHER’S NOTES: The Wranglers seem to be the definition of a mediocre club, one capable of putting together some solid wins, but also some headscratching losses. We are still not sure if this is a talent issue or an effort issue. Until we, and they, figure that out, we cannot see them going very far. PROJECTION: 8-8, 3rd in Pacific. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (4-4) OFFENSE: B+ We are being generous to the offense because we expect that Christian Okoye will return this week. With Okoye LA has the balance needed to keep defenses honest. Steve Young can manipulate teams with play action, finding Eric Martin or Jo-Jo Townsell open on man coverage because the only way to stop Okoye is to load the box with LB’s and safeties. We see LA moving up from their current 10th rank in scoring once Okoye is back in full force. DEFENSE: A- LA is not the most flashy, high-impact defense, but they get the job done. They are allowing only 86 yards a game rushing and only 19.5 points a game, both numbers low enough to equate to wins. They are getting pressure, but not sacks (their leader has only 4), but the pressure leads to mistakes and CB Raphel Cherry loves when QB’s make mistakes. LA won’t put their foot on your neck, but they will trip you up often enough to be a problem. TEACHER’S NOTES: Every year we think that Steve Young will bust out with huge numbers, and every year he does OK but not great. He has the weapons to be better than a 20 point a game team, but something about the Express just seems to lead to a lot of 20-17 games. Our guess, however, is that they will be the 20 point team more often than the 17 point team the rest of this year. PROJECTION: 9-7, 2nd in Pacific, Wild Card Berth. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (4-4) OFFENSE: B- Hard to grade Michigan’s offense since they have had to alternate between Jack Trudeau and Ed Luther so much this year. If Trudeau can finally shake the injury bug the team might be a bit more consistent, and they still have deep ball weapons in Holloway and Carter, but something seems off. John Williams is solid, but rarely draws an 8 or 9 man box defense, and Michigan’s low completion rate offense (deep balls) means a lot of 3 and outs. That is not working as well this year as in the past. DEFENSE: B+ Here is the issue. In the past, a B on offense was fine for Michigan because they always had an A on defense. This year the D is struggling to maintain their usual standards. They are 13th against the pass, and Ronnie Paggett is being double teamed on nearly every down. The result? Fewer sacks and fewer turnovers. TEACHER’S NOTES: Michigan looks like a team on the decline this year. Some of their stars are just not attaining their usual levels of excellence, and the depth does not appear to be there. Maybe we are looking too much at the Ed Luther games and now that Trudeau is back it will shift, but we just cannot shake the feeling that this may be the year Michigan finally misses out on the playoffs. PROJECTION: 8-8, 4th in Central OAKLAND INVADERS (3-5) OFFENSE: C- Oakland started the year in horrible offensive shape. They have improved and we could see this rating rise if they can keep Richard Williams running and if Gale Gilbert can cut down on missed throws. They currently rank 19th in points per game and only 17th in passing yards, but if they can keep the ball moving on the ground, and find a way to keep Gilbert from being hit, they can improve. DEFENSE: C+ The Invaders still excel at stopping the run (2nd in the league), and rookie Ken Harvey is a dynamic playmaker for the D, but too many lapses in concentration in the defensive backfield have led to too many passing yards and big plays. Oakland can win some games if they can simplify their schemes and give their safeties less to think about. TEACHER’S NOTES: Oakland has been coming on over the past few weeks, and we think they are not as bad as their early season games showed, but it may be too little too late for them to make a run at a playoff spot. They have some pieces as they retool from losing Sipe, Whittington, and Plummer, but they need time to gel and to add a few more. PROJECTION: 6-10, 4th in Pacific CHICAGO MACHINE (3-5) OFFENSE: C+ A far cry from the solid F they earned on offense last year. Chuck Long is improving as a signal caller, and the Machine hit the jackpot in the draft, signing three solid performers in key offensive positions. Michael Haynes has a shot for the Offensive Rookie of the Year with his 618 receiving yards after 8 games. HB Jamie Morris has been less consistent but has had some explosive games. This team will not win a lot of shootouts, but will edge some teams over the course of the second half of the season. DEFENSE: B- Coach Joe Bugel wants this team to be a defensive team. Heck, Chicago wants this team to be a defensive team, it is what the city is used to. Chicago’s offseason moves have begun to pay off as Dwayne Board has paid immediate dividends for his NFL transfer, with 6 sacks for the Machine, while former Stallion William Cesare has solidified the defensive backfield and snagged 4 interceptions for Chicago. TEACHER’S NOTES: We like the hard-nosed attitude of Coach Bugel and the Machine. They are not there yet, but they are clearly building towards an identity as a smashmouth club that no one will want to face the rest of the year. PROJECTION: 6-10, 5th in Central. PORTLAND THUNDER (2-6) OFFENSE: F When you are last in scoring and last in total yardage, an F seems the only option. That is not to say that it is all bad in Portland. They chose to start rookie Kerwin Bell at QB and he has had some moments. Receiver Flipper Anderson looks like a solid #1 receiver. They have not gotten what they need from the run game, and that may be in part due to a line that needs some more athleticism and power. The Thunder need time to build on a base of decent players, not unexpected in their first year. DEFENSE: C- There are some solid players here as well. We like CB Dwayne Galloway (4 Ints) and Putt Choate is molding the LB corps in his image. They need more dynamism on the D-line, which is last in the league in sacks, and they need to be tougher on 3rd down, but this D will keep Portland in some games that they should not really be competitive in. TEACHER’S NOTES: An expansion team looking a lot like an expansion team. Not much more to say. PROJECTION: 5-11, 5th in Pacific Division. EASTERN CONFERENCE PHILADELPHIA STARS (5-3) OFFENSE: B- The Stars are winning on defense this year, and while Chuck Fusina rarely makes poor decisions, the offense lacks the element of surprise. We like what we see from rookie Quinn Early, but Philly needs to find ways to push the ball and start gaining ground more than 4 yards at a time. DEFENSE: A+ This is the heart and soul of Stars football. They are #1 in both scoring and yards allowed and they hit you hard on every play. Sam Mills remains the leader of the D and his turbo engine does not look like it is going to quit. Signing Elmo Gardiner to play Free Safety has also worked out perfectly for the Stars as he leads the league in interceptions. If Philly goes back for a 3rd championship, it will be this D that makes it happen. TEACHER’S NOTES: A punishing defense and an offense that rarely makes big mistakes is a good formula to work with. Jim Mora has proven he knows what it takes to win in the postseason, so this Stars team is expected to be right in the thick of things come playoff time. PROJECTION: 11-5, First in Atlantic. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (5-3) OFFENSE: A Joe Cribbs is once again at or near the top of the rushing yardage list, and Cliff Stoudt is having one of his best seasons, leading Birmingham to a #3 ranking in PPG and placing them 2nd in the league in yards per game. That yardage number means that the Stallions can control the ball, the tempo, and the score in most games. That is a good sign that this Stallions team is ready to lead the Southern Division. DEFENSE: B- The Stallions are middle of the pack in most categories, despite the continued success of Bob Barker in pressuring quarterbacks. There are not a lot of playmakers in the defensive backfield now that Cesare is gone, but Birmingham can still ball-control teams to death. TEACHER’S NOTES: It is not the flash of the former Bandits, nor the intimidation of the Panthers, but the formula Birmingham is using is one which can win them a lot of games. We like them to stay on track to win the division. PROJECTION: 11-5, First in Southern Division NEW JERSEY GENERALS (5-3) OFFENSE: A- Herschel Walker still runs like a 22 year old, and that is helping New Jersey hold onto the #1 rushing attack in the league. That attack allows Doug Flutie to live on bootlegs and play action. While New Jersey’s passing attack still lacks consistency, it plays off Walker’s run game well and can, at times, impress. DEFENSE: A New Jersey invested heavily in defense in the offseason and it shows. They rank 2nd in the league, allowing a mere 16.5 points per game, and they are tough against the run and the pass equally. No one player is racking up sacks, but the entire D-line is forcing opposing quarterbacks to make quick decisions, and that always favors the defense. TEACHER’S NOTES: New Jersey still has a bit of an inferiority complex regarding Philly, but this team is capable of keeping pace in the Atlantic. In the end, they need to beat Philly to win the division, and we are not feeling that yet. PROJECTION: 10-6, 2nd in Atlantic ORLANDO RENEGADES (5-3) OFFENSE: C We are not sure how Orlando has won 5 games when they average only 16.8 points per game on offense. They are in the bottom half of the league in every major offensive category, and once again their fast start seems to be fading. DEFENSE: B+ The defense is likely the reason Orlando has had the success it has. They are stingy against the pass (only allowing 175 yards a game) but that is offset by a porous run defense, allowing 116 yards per game. Rueben Davis has been a strong addition, recording 9 sacks already this year, but his play against the run is suspect. TEACHER’S NOTES: Orlando, just like last year, looks a bit like a paper lion. They have come out of the gate strong, but teams are now realizing how to beat them (run the ball). That is not a good sign and we suspect that just like last year, these Renegades may fade down the stretch. PROJECTION: 7-9, 3rd in Southern Division BALTIMORE BLITZ (5-3) OFFENSE: B Baltimore is another tough team to figure out. They gain a lot of yards (319 per game) but they are 14th in scoring (19.4 ppg), so is it a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing? Their top stars are not getting any younger, and it does seem that Tim Spencer has lost a step. So, what happens when we get to the tough slog of late season hot summer days? DEFENSE: B When your sack leader is a linebacker (Ed Brady with 4) it means that you cannot consistently get pressure with your front 4, and that means that you have fewer defenders covering receivers. That is the story of the Blitz defense. They are solid but not spectacular in any aspect of the defense, and that screams “middle of the pack” to us. TEACHER’S NOTES: Marv Levy is getting the most out of this roster, but is it enough? Will they be able to match their success of the first 8 weeks now that playoff positioning turns up the heat? We like the effort, but we are not sure the Blitz have enough to take it through the entire season. PROJECTION: 8-8, Third in Atlantic MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (4-4) OFFENSE: A- After last year’s surprise debut, Mike Kelley has repeated his early success this year. Not always the prettiest game in the league, the Showboats offense is nevertheless very competitive. The biggest surprise has been the success of Tampa backup Greg Boone, who has flourished as the lead back in Memphis. His work, along with the ageless Mel Gray, has helped Memphis stay in the top 10 in all three yardage categories (run, pass and total). DEFENSE: B We are still waiting for someone other than Reggie White to take a leadership role on this defense. White seems to dominate the minds of offensive coordinators, but who can force them to gameplan for something other than doubling up on White? If Memphis can either clamp down just a bit more or produce more takeaways, they could be truly dangerous. TEACHER’S NOTES: We like the effort and the speed of Memphis’s team. They are not elite at anything, except maybe Reggie White’s devastating swim move, but they can impress when all phases are working together. PROJECTION: 9-7, Second in South PITTSBURGH MAULERS (3-5) OFFENSE: B+ The Maulers have found a solid formula on offense. They are leaning on Mike Rozier less, which is good because he is not seeming as explosive as in past years, and Alan Risher is finding success throwing to TE Mike Shaw as a lead weapon. Don’t expect more 6-TD games from Risher, that was a perfect storm, but the Maulers can confuse most defenses when they are on their game. DEFENSE: D This is the issue. The Maulers are 19th in the league in both yards per game and scoring defense. You cannot hope to outscore every team and win consistently. The Mauler rush defense is particularly horrible, allowing nearly 140 yards a game. In a division that has Walker, Bryant, James and Spencer, that is the kiss of death. TEACHER’S NOTES: Coach Marchibroda was brought in to create offense, and he has certainly done that. Now he may need to look for a D-Coordinator who can do the same. Expect another losing season in Pittsburgh, but if they focus on D in the offseason, they could come out strong in ’89. PROJECTION: 6-10, 4th in Atlantic WASHINGTON FEDERALS (2-6) OFFENSE: C We would give them a D, but the Federals are still top 10 in passing, thanks to Neil Lomax. That they only score 17 points a game, and that Craig James is well off his pace of past years are bad signs. The O-line has a lot to do with this, as they are simply not winning their battles often enough for Washington to sustain offense. DEFENSE: B- Defense keeps Washington in most games, but they still could do more. They are getting pressure (Charles Haley leads the team with 7 sacks) but are not causing turnovers. They need to find a way to turn pressure into mistakes in order to help the offense out. TEACHER’S NOTES: This is already a major disappointment for a Federals team that saw itself as ascending to the top of the Atlantic power ratings. To finish behind Pittsburgh will be a major letdown for fans in DC after last year’s playoff appearance. PROJECTION: 5-11, 5th in Atlantic TAMPA BAY BANDITS (2-6) OFFENSE: A- Tampa has always been an offensive highlight reel and a defensive also-ran. This year that feels doubly true. The O is ranked 5th in points per game at 23.3, but they allow 28 ppg, so that is not good. They have the #1 passing offense, thanks to John Reaves and Eric Truvillion, but that has not led to wins. Teams are containing the offense, and running all over the defense. DEFENSE: F 20th in scoring defense, allowing 28.8 points per game, and, oh by the way, also 20th in yardage, allowing nearly 375 yards a game. They cannot pressure the QB, stop the run, or force turnovers. As former Bucs Head Man John McCay once said “We cannot block, but we make up for it by not tackling.”. TEACHER’S NOTES: This is not the Tampa team we expected this year. It seems that focusing only on offense has begun to fail for Steve Spurrier. In what will almost certainly be Tampa’s first non-playoff season, there are already calls to replace the DC, and maybe Spurrier as well. 1983’s Championship feels like a long time ago. PROJECTION: 5-11, 4th in South JACKSONVILLE BULLS (2-6) OFFENSE: C- Chris Miller has flashes, but also makes some bonehead decisions. George Adams has good games and then disappears. Only Gary Clark is a consistent figure in Jacksonville, and that inconsistency across the offensive roster means that Jacksonville cannot expect to outscore many opponents. DEFENSE: C Can we just say “ditto” about the defense. The squad that shut out Orlando was the anomaly this year. While the Bulls D is more stalwart than the O is dynamic, it is still a step too slow and a second too late in too many key moments of games. TEACHER’S NOTES: If it were not for Portland being an expansion team, we would almost certainly be penciling in Jacksonville for the #1 draft pick this year. Lindy Infante was on the hotseat when the season began. That seat is now a flaming bonfire. We expect Infante will last the rest of the season, but he is a prime target for a Black Monday pinkslip. PROJECTION: 4-12, 5th in South. OUR REVISED SEASON PREDICTIONS PLAYOFFS: EAST 1-PHI 2-BIR 3-NJ 4-MEM 5-BAL Champion: Philadelphia WEST 1-HOU 2-DEN 3-NOR 4-LA 5-TEX Champion: New Orleans USFL CHAMPIONSHIP: We see a repeat for the Stars over a high-scoring but overmatched Breakers squad.

Mayhem seems the right term as 8 of 10 games went to the road team this week. We also saw a rare shutout in Orlando, a Chicago shootout in New Orleans and a game in Washington that felt more like 1940's football than the usually high flying USFL game of today. SCORES NJ 20 PIT 13 Herschel Walker dominates in a must-win game for the Generals. Walker’s 134 on the ground proved the difference in a hard-fought game at Three Rivers. In a game where neither team passed for over 180 yards, Walker shone while New Jersey contained Mike Rozier (who seems to be having a down year), helping the Generals move to 5-3 and a 3-way tie atop the Atlantic Division. PHI 10 WSH 3 Neither team could get much going on offense as the defenses held tough on a blustery afternoon in DC. Craig James outrushed Kelvin Bryant 94-55, but it was the ability of Chuck Fusina to connect with Mike Quick and rookie Quin Early that helped Philly score a late TD to take the win in a game that simply did not produce much excitement. JAX 27 ORL 0 A rare USFL shutout as the Bulls win their second game at the expense of an ill-prepared Renegades squad. Chris Miller had a solid day (playing only 3 quarters) and Tony Eason got his first playing time for the Bulls as Jacksonville simply handcuffed the Renegades, outgaining Orlando 306 to 188. It was 24-0 after 1, and the Bulls coasted the rest of the way for a rare win this year. MEM 27 TBY 17 A game-winning performance from the Memphis D as Eddie Simmons returned an early Oliver Luck interception all the way for 6, only to have his backer mate Mike Junkin do the same in the 2nd quarter. Those two scores, plus a solid “payback” game from Greg Boone against his former Tampa teammates (146 yards on 20 carries) was all Memphis needed to walk away with a 10-point win. CHI 31 NOR 41 Another shootout win for the Breakers, who have to be concerned after allowing Chicago rookie HB Jamie Morris romp for 115 yards and 3 scores. This was the best game by far for the Chicago offense against a Breakers D that just does not seem to be pulling their weight. Fortunately for New Orleans, Matt Robinson again had a banner day, throwing for 4 scores to lead the Breakers to another high-scoring win at home. HOU 24 MGN 10 Houston came to the Silverdome and took care of business against Jack Trudeau and the Panthers. A rushing score each from Thomas and Fowler, and a Jim Kelly toss to Greg Anderson were enough to keep Michigan at bay. The Panthers managed only 167 in the air as Trudeau struggled against a Houston pass rush that sacked him 5 times. With the win, Houston keeps pace with the Breakers at 6-2 while Michigan is an uncharacteristic 4th in their division. ARZ 14 OAK 24 Oakland contained the Arizona offense and got contributions from across the offensive squad to upend Arizona. Richard Williams teamed with Paul Palmer to provide 113 yards rushing (to Arizona’s paltry 52) and TE Raymond Chester gathered in 72 yards for Oakland. The win is Oakland’s 3rd and puts them right back in the moshpit that is the Pacific Division, only 2 games behind Denver. BAL 23 POR 20 The Thunder always seem to play tough in front of the home crowd, and they had Baltimore looking shaky for most of the game as Portland built a 17-3 halftime lead. But two hookups between Vince Evans and Jackie Flowers (38 and 32 yards) brought the Blitz back in the 3rd. A late Zendejas field goal tied the game and in overtime Baltimore got a chipshot kick for the win. BIR 34 TEX 24 Experience won out as the Stallions outlasted the Outlaws. Cliff Stoudt had a rare 4 TD day as he found Jim Smith three times on the day. Joe Cribbs was held to only 43 yards rushing but caught 5 for 24 yards as the screen game continued to work all day for Stoudt. Texas’s Dokie Williams caught 4 for 131, including a 64-yard score, but it was not enough as Birmingham came out on top. GAME OF THE WEEK Denver Gold 24 Los Angeles Express 21 A slobberknocker division game in Angel Stadium as the Gold ended a 3-game losing streak and pulled out a late victory against the Express. In a game that saw Bob Gagliano knocked out of the game early in the 3rd quarter, Cody Carlson came in and helped lead Denver to a key TD and a late FG to win the game. Steve Young had to shoulder the load as Christian Okoye was still not able to play. LA gained only 18 yards on the ground against the very aggressive Denver D. It was a game of momentum swings from the start. LA jumped out to a 10-0 lead after a Young strike to Mel Renfro, but in the 2nd quarter Gagliano found Mark Carrier for a score and the Gold went into the half down only 3. Denver opened the 3rd with a long 13-play drive that ended with a Harry Sydney bowling ball rumble into the endzone to give Denver a 14-10 lead. The drive was costly as QB Bob Gagliano, who has been something of an Iron Man since getting the starting gig several years back, will likely miss several weeks with what looked like a bad hamstring injury. LA came back on their next drive, as Steve Young found Eric Martin for a 28 yarder to get into field goal range. The drive stalled and LA had to settle for a Scott Olivera 26 yarder to pull within 14-13. On the next drive Denver caught LA napping. A well-timed play action pass call on 1st and 10 completely fooled the Express, who expected Carlson to hand off until he got a hang of the game. Instead, Carlson reared back and hit Mark Carrier for a 70-yard score, one play, 7 points on the board for Denver. The surprise deep ball hurt LA, and they went 3-and-out on their next drive. Denver’s O then shifted gears, using the clock and pounding the ball with Harry and Timmy Smith. Cody Carlson made a nice throw on a 3rd and 8 to keep the drive going, and eventually it ended with a Brian Speelman 44 yarder to build the lead to 24-13. LA would mount a drive, but Denver’s shell defense kept the ball in front of them and forced LA to use a lot of clock. The Express did score on a Young to Christiansen 2-yard pass, but with only a minute left in the game there simply was not enough time to do more. Denver took sole possession of first place at 5-3 while LA would drop back with Arizona a game behind at 4-4. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK It’s a pretty common trope in sports for a player who was let go by one team to return with another and seek some measure of revenge. For Greg Boone, it was more about showing what he was capable of than actually hurting the Bandits. After backing up Gary Anderson for several years in Tampa, Boone was left unsigned when his contract ran out, a victim of Tampa’s salary cap issues, and so he moved on and joined the Memphis Showboats. In Memphis he got a chance that he never truly had in Tampa to be the clear bellcow back for the Showboats. He has responded with 692 yards (currently 5th among league backs) for Memphis, and this week he returned to Tampa not with animosity, but with a “look what you could have had” attitude, rushing for 146 yards on 20 carries as Memphis outpaced the struggling Bandits to win their 4th game and even their record at 4-4. Boone says he bears no ill will towards Tampa, and he still has many friends among the Bandits roster, but he is also happy to be with a team that is giving him a chance to shine. NEWS & NOTES We are midway through the season and while our Midseason Report Card will look at the teams and their seasons so far, we wanted to take a look at individual achievements at the midpoint of the season. So, here are our wholly unofficial Midseason Award Winners. Most Valuable Player: Matt Robinson, QB-NOR: While the Breakers hoped Robinson would be able to hold off Matt Dunigan in a QB battle, no one expected what we have seen from the veteran this year. He leads the league with a 121.9 QB Rating, has thrown 26 touchdowns, on pace for a league record, and has led New Orleans to a league best 6-2 record. Not bad for a “journeyman”. Most Improved Player: Nolan Franz, WR-NOR: Another Breaker, and while Franz has been a solid starter in the league since its inception, he has never been viewed as an elite receiver. That may be changing this year as his chemistry with Robinson has him leading the league in TD receptions (11) and near the top 5 in both receptions and yards. Franz is benefitting from a solid offense around him, but he is also showing that with age comes wisdom and that wisdom is helping him find openings in opposing defensive zones. Coach of the Year: While it is tempting to reward Texas’s Woody Widenhofer for a great start with a newly formed team, or to give first year coach Bill Arnsparger credit for New Orleans’s outstanding offense, we want to reward a coach who started the year on the hotseat but is turning things around. Baltimore looked to be on the way down, with a lot of questions on defense and an offense that simply did not seem talented enough for the Atlantic Division, but the Blitz have been outperforming expectations, earning big wins and building enthusiasm in the Charm City. Marv Levy, who many thought was a likely candidate for the chopping block, may be doing his best work in motivating and focusing the Blitz roster into a team that is more than the sum of its parts. Comeback Player of the Year: LB Putt Choate from Portland. Choate suffered a rough year in 1987 playing for the San Antonio Gunslingers. His numbers declined precipitously from his time in Denver, and he simply could not mesh with the rest of the linebacking corps in San Antonio. In Portland he is a team captain, a leader on a defense that has had some good moments. He leads the team with 56 tackles and has forced 3 fumbles already this year. He is surrounded by some young talent in rookie Cedric Figaro and NFL signee Billy Ray Smith, and he is molding Portland’s LB corps into a solid squad. Rookie of the Year: This is currently a 2-player race, with Chicago receiver Michael Haynes (54 receptions, 618 yards, but only 1 score) trailing slightly behind Houston HB Thurman Thomas (700 yards and 6 TDs) who is also second in receptions for a running back, trailing only Joe Cribbs. Haynes may be hurt in voting by the fact that there are 3 standout rookies on Chicago’s Squad (fellow receiver Wendell Davis and HB Jamie Morris), but that does not take anything away from Thomas’s outstanding rookie year in Houston. Breakout Performer of the Year: Washington LB Brandon Zavala. Zavala has been a tireless effort guy in Washington for several years but has never been able to gain the stats and the praise that a top defender normally sees. This year, however, Zavala is on pace for a 130-tackle season and he is being recognized as a sideline-to-sideline threat. Washington needs to win some more games if Zavala wants to have any chance for Defensive Player of the Year when the season ends, but his performance this year is turning heads and gaining the cautious attention of offensive coordinators around the league. INJURY REPORT Bob Gagliano’s leg injury garnered a lot of attention this week, and while it is rare for Battlin’ Bob to miss any time, he is only expected to miss a week or two as he rehabs the hammy. The same cannot be said Portland’s lead back, Rodney Carter, who is out at least 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone. Philly rookie TE Alex Higdon may be out even longer after he broke his wrist this week during a scrum after a Stars fumble. Houston may be missing Kiki DeAyala again after a new injury, a broken finger, will force the team to devise a league-legal cast or splint. Michigan wideout Anthony Carter went out this week with a stress fracture in his right foot, and although he is upbeat and expecting to be back soon, we expect it will be at least 2-3 weeks before he returns to action. Finally, Memphis rookie TE Keith Jackson is listed as doubtful after he fractured his nose in a melee that broke out late in the Tampa-Memphis game. Video did not clearly show what happened, but it is possible that he caught an elbow from his own teammate who was grappling with a Tampa defender. LOOKING AHEAD We enter the second half of the season with the Southern Division visiting the Atlantic and the Pacific headed to face the Central Division squads. It will be a battle of 5-3 teams as Orlando head to Baltimore, and another as the Stallions face off against the Stars. Tampa has a tough draw at New Jersey, while 2-6 Jacksonville hopes to get to 3 wins against the 3-5 Pittsburgh Maulers. Washington, desperate to get back into 1987 form will face off against the 4-4 Memphis Showboats. In the Western Conference we are looking forward to a battle of styles as freewheeling Arizona heads to Michigan. Denver will try to keep pace with the explosive New Orleans Breakers in the Super Dome. Houston will prepare some home cooking for the Portland Thunder, while Texas hopes to get back to their winning ways as they host the LA Express. Finally, in a battle of 3-5 teams hoping to edge closer to .500, Oakland will be in Chicago to test the Machine.