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SCORES LA 20 NJ 33 Generals win a statement game as Walker combines for 181 yards. DEN 27 PHI 17 Denver D again proves decisive as they shock Philly in Philly. ARZ 30 WSH 10 A costly win for Arizona as Neuheisel goes down to injury. HOU 30 BRM 24 Stallions lose 3rd straight as Salisbury guides Gamblers to a win. MGN 19 MEM 13 Memphis again proves game but loses Lewis to a major injury. PIT 6 JAX 17 Tough defensive game, but Pittsburgh cannot find the endzone. NOR 21 TBY 26 Bandits edge Breakers with 10-point 4th quarter to win. GAME OF THE WEEK Oakland Invaders 21 Baltimore Blitz 24 The Invaders watch as Baltimore claws their way back from a 21-0 hole to win 24-21 at home. It was all working for the Invaders in the first half. Sipe hit Duper for a TD to start the scoring, then Whittington dove in for a 14-0 lead, and Sipe hit Ellard to put the Invaders up by 21 in what was beginning to look like a route. But these Blitz are a resilient bunch, and when a Whittington fumble led to an Evans to Flowers TD with just over 2 minutes left in the first half, the momentum swung in Baltimore’s favor. In the second half, the Baltimore D adjusted and the Invaders wilted. Baltimore would narrow the gap to 21-14 on a 2-yard Vince Evans bootleg in the 3rd, and when Tim Spencer made a rare play in the pass game, catching a swing route and carrying an Invader safety over the goal line, the game was tied with 2:28 left. The game was headed to overtime, the crowd of almost 49,000 was in full voice, and everyone could tell that this was now fully Baltimore’s game. The Invaders never saw the ball again as Baltimore won the toss, chose to receive, and efficiently moved the ball well inside Luis Zendejas’ range, and knocked in the winning field goal. Evans once again proved invaluable to the Blitz, as his 285 passing yards and 2 scores, were paired with another 5 yards rushing and the 2-yard scoring run. Jackie Flowers also had a banner day, snagging 7 for 157 yards and a score. On defense, it was Eddie Ray Walker, the diminutive CB who proved decisive, keeping the clamps on Mark Duper the entire game, and coming up in support of the run defense. What began as a potential crushing defeat may have ended up as a season defining win for the Blitz. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK There were several outstanding performances this week, all worthy of note. Vince Evans’ game, described above, was a huge part of the Blitz comeback. Hebert continued to shine with 346 yards against the Showboats, Herschel Walker was a force in the Generals win over LA, and Jackie Flowers had a season high game, but we are going to give recognition this week to an often-overlooked player who is consistently helping his team win, Arizona wideout Louis Lipps. In his third season with the Wranglers, Lipps does not often get the recognition he deserves, due in part to the numbers regularly put up by his teammate Trumaine Johnson. Even TE Terry Orr has received higher praise, but the speedster deserves some credit. His ability to break coverages and stretch the field make it possible for Orr, Buggs and Johnson to find openings underneath. This week Lipps had only 4 catches, but 3 of those were for scores, including a beautiful one-handed catch along the sidelines on a key 3rd and 13, and a gorgeous leaping catch for a 44 yard TD against double coverage. He may not outduel Trumaine Johnson for touches or team records, but Lipps is a gamebreaker for the Wranglers. NEWS & NOTES In all the euphoria over the NFL antitrust lawsuit, and the drama being played out around league expansion, it has largely slipped by that the upcoming 1986 offseason is likely to be the biggest yet for NFL raiding of USFL rosters. There was a good amount of “poaching” in both directions last year, but when you look at the names on USFL rosters whose contracts are due to expire, it is enough to send GM’s and owners across the USFL into nervous fits. Just look at the list of names who USFL teams will have to try to resign or risk losing to the NFL and you understand why front offices across the league are frantically trying to get names on contracts as soon as possible. This is a list that could decimate the USFL if they are not able to sign most to new contracts in a year when the NFL is almost certainly going to offer large numbers to USFL stars. ARIZONA: LB Stan White, G Kevin Carter, CB Frank Minnifield BALTIMORE: DE Junior Ah You, WR Jackie Flowers, TE Mark Keel, LB Ben Apuna BIRMINGHAM: WR Jim Smith, C Peter Stewart DENVER: LB Putt Choate, LB Greg Gerkin, DT Laval Short HOUSTON: DE Coy Bacon, WR Ricky Sanders, WR Clarence Verdin JACKSONVILLE: QB Doug Williams, WR Perry Kemp LOS ANGELES: HB Tony Boddie, HB Kevin Mack, WR Anthony Allen MEMPHIS: CB Jeff George, LB Eddie Simmons, WR Willie Gault MICHIGAN: QB Bobby Hebert, LB John Corker, DE Ronnie Paggett, WR Derek Holloway NEW JERSEY: HB Herschel Walker, SS Gary Barbaro, LB Jim LeClaire NEW ORLEANS: LB Marcus Marek, TE Dan Ross, FS Bobby Melendez, HB Richard Crump OAKLAND: TE Raymond Chester, DE Cedrick Hardman, SS Marcus Quinn PHILADELPHIA: LB Sam Mills, QB Chuck Fusina, SS Scott Woerner, TE Steve Folsom PITTSBURGH: HB Mike Rozier, SS Dave Duerson, WR Danny Buggs, TE Mike Shaw TAMPA BAY: WR Eric Truvillion, C Dwayne Goodrich, LB Paul Plurowski WASHINGTON: HB Craig James, DT Bennie Smith Of the top name players, perhaps the toughest situation is in Jacksonville, where Doug Williams has already been making it known that he wants Steve Young type money. The former NFL Buccaneer has been open about his view that the USFL has been a steppingstone for him to re-enter the NFL, and that the Bulls will need to sweeten the pot quite a bit if they do not want him to look for greener pastures in the fall league. But with some of the players who have come to define the USFL in the minds of fans also on the block –Walker, Hebert, Truvillion, Mills, Ah You, James, Rozier, etc—the pressure is on the entire league to make the big offer and retain their marquee players. Can you imagine the Generals without Walker, the Panthers without Hebert, or the Federals without Craig James? But, while the USFL has had an influx of revenue due to the anti-trust finding, the NFL, if they are willing, has the resources to outbid the USFL on all these players. We could see a mass exodus, and with only 4 cap-exempt slots per team it seems certain that some players are simply going to take the money and run. The 1987 USFL is very likely going to look very different if this plays out the way most expect. INJURIES Most weeks we see just a few injuries that will cost a team a key player for the season, but every once in a while, you can look at an injury list and know that it will define a season for a given team. That is the case for two teams this week. Memphis, already suffering through an 0-6 start to the year and desperate for good news got quite the opposite this week. Not only did their veteran receiver Mel Gray have a devastating leg injury which will put him on IR and out for the year, but star QB Walter Lewis is also likely done for the year as well. If the Showboats had any hope of turning the season around, these two losses will likely dampen that hope. A similar dark cloud has fallen over the Arizona Wranglers as their star QB is once again injured, this time likely for at least 2 months with a major groin injury, a likely tear that could reduce his mobility permanently. Rick Neuheisel was in visible agony on the field when the injury occurred, and now the Wrangler’s hopes for a playoff run will rest on the combination of 38-year-old Greg Landry and rookie Robbie Bosco. Others likely to lose multiple weeks are New Orleans LB Marcus Marek (hip), Philadelphia FB Eddie Colson (also hip), and LA guard John Connor (concussion and bone fracture in eye socket). LOOKING AHEAD IF there is any silver lining for the devastated Memphis Rebels, it is that the Southern Division has their bye week this week, giving backup Damon Allen 2 weeks to get up to speed. Of the 6 games being played this week perhaps the most intriguing is Arizona at Denver, with Coach Kush needing to decide if he will go with the sage veteran Landry or the more athletic Bosco at QB for the Wranglers. The Oakland-LA matchup is another good game, as both teams have been showing a lot of offensive firepower. The Atlantic Teams all travel to the Central squads, as Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh in a game they should dominate, New Jersey is in the Big Easy to take on the Breakers, Philly heads to Houston and the Panthers host the Federals.

SCORES PHI 14 BLT 19 Vince Evans and the Blitz hold off the Stars on a rainy gameday. NJ 19 WSH 17 James outgains Walker, but the Generals prevail in the rain. NOR 32 PIT 20 Dupree goes over 100 yards again and Eason looks solid in win. HOU 13 MGN 19 No one expected a defensive battle in this one, but they got one. MEM 7 ARZ 19 Memphis D looks good, but offense fizzles as they drop to 0-5. JAX 17 DEN 30 Gold overwhelm Bulls as Williams tosses 4 interceptions in loss. TBY 32 LA 37 Offensive fireworks from both clubs, but Young gets the win. GAME OF THE WEEK Birmingham Stallions 28 Oakland Invaders 31 The New Look Invaders gave their fans all they could handle with a true miracle comeback in the final minute of the game. It was a game that should not have been so close, but a 4th quarter explosion made this a nail biter. The game was 17-7 Oakland after three quarters, with the Invaders fueled by Arthur Whittington’s strong rushing day (84 yards) and the growing Sipe to Duper combo. When Oakland scored again on a Sipe to Henderson 9 yard toss and built the lead up to 24-7 with just over 14 minutes left, many fans felt the game was in hand. But, over the next 11 minutes, Birmingham roared back, thanks in part to 2 Oakland turnovers, as Cliff Stoudt hit rookie wideout Ernest Givens for 2 scores and shovel-passed a third to Lonnie Parker to take a shocking 28-24 lead with only 2:22 left to play. It was all set up for Brian Sipe, former head of the Cardiac Kids in Cleveland, to mount a dramatic game-winning drive. And that is exactly what Sipe did. Starting on his own 25, Sipe hit Chester for 9, Venable for 8, and Venable again. A 6-yard pass to Duper followed, and on top of that a Roughing the Passer call added 15 yards onto the play. Sipe again hit Venable, this time for 9 yards to bring the ball to the Birmingham 13. After spiking the ball, Sipe called a fade route to the wide side of the field, to the rookie Givens. Birmingham blitzed to pressure Sipe, but that left Givens with 1-on-1 coverage, and Sipe found him with a perfect looping ball to the back corner of the endzone. Givens kept his feet in bounds, and with only 19 seconds left in the game, the Invaders had taken the lead for good. It was a crowd-pleasing performance from a team that imagines itself a playoff contender. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK We could give the game ball to Sipe, this week’s AP Offensive Player of the week, but since we highlighted his heroics above, let’s give some praise to another big performer this week, Pittsburgh’s Mike Rozier. Yes, the Maulers lost again, their 5th straight to start the season, and yes, the offense again failed to score more than 20 points, the fifth such result this year, but amid all the chaos, the quarterback controversy, the defeats and the frustration, one thing provides hope in the Steel City, Mike Rozier. His performance this week, 185 yards on only 21 carries, with both Pittsburgh touchdowns, is a testament to his talent and his dedication. He is leading the USFL in rushing despite playing on a team with no passing game to speak of. Often facing 8 or 9-man fronts, Rozier still manages to find holes, avoid tackles and make tough yards. Were he on an LA, Philadelphia, or Tampa squad, where the passing game is a dangerous concern for defenses, he might have a shot at 2,000 yards. On Pittsburgh’s sad sack squad he will continue to struggle for recognition and for yards, and we wanted to appreciate him today after once again showing us his heart and his skill as a player. NEWS & NOTES Let’s keep the topic on Pittsburgh. With both the Maulers and the Showboats languishing at 0-5 it might be easy for both clubs to throw in the towel on another season. Neither has. Memphis has a new coach so some time will be needed to right the ship, and the trade of Dupree for Jordan and Gann, while not popular, is showing signs of effort for the Showboats. Fans in Pittsburgh were wondering if management would do the same to help coach Joe Pendry, or if this would be a lost season. It looks like the DeBartolo’s and the front office heard the plight of Mauler fans and are trying to improve the team in time to help them garner some wins this year. With Todd Blackledge continuing to struggle (2 more interceptions and no TD’s again this week), the Maulers made a move to challenge the former Penn State QB, signing former Arizona Wrangler QB Alan Risher. Risher, who left the USFL for the NFL’s Buccaneers, was let go after 2 unimpressive years sitting on the Tampa bench. The Maulers scooped him up, perhaps as a potential post-bye week starter, or at the very least as a challenger to Blackledge. The Maulers also strove to improve a struggling defense, making a trade with Denver to bring LB Manu Tuiasosopo to town. It cost them a 3rd round pick and backup LB Richard Brown, but Tuiasosopo immediately becomes the most senior, and perhaps the most talented member of the Maulers LB corps on day 1. Is this enough to help Pendry garner some wins? Will he still be looking at possible firing this season? Too soon to tell, but unless Pittsburgh can improve over the next month, the outlook does not look promising. INJURIES Three injuries of note, but fortunately all fall into the 1–3 week variety. Houston QB Jim Kelly continues to have trouble with injuries, which is not surprising considering his often-ineffective offensive line. This time it is a wrist injury, sustained when his hand bounced off a defender’s helmet. He is likely to miss at least 2 weeks. In Arizona, veteran LB Stan White is suffering from a pinched nerve in his right leg, limiting his ability to move laterally, and needing down time to recover. The Stars will be without LB John Bunting for a few weeks as he has a strained left knee. And in New Orleans, league interception leader (tied with 2 others) Bobby Melendez will miss some time with an injury to his right arm and shoulder. All four are expected to be back no later than Week 8 or 9. LOOKING AHEAD Week Six has the Pacific teams headed east to play the Atlantic, and the Central squads headed South. The best matchups of the week are Oakland visiting Baltimore, Denver at Philadelphia, and New Orleans at Tampa Bay. Memphis will try to get its first win, but is hosting 5-0 Michigan, while Pittsburgh is headed off to face 4-1 Jacksonville in the Gator Bowl. In other games, Washington hosts Arizona, LA travels to New Jersey, and Houston visits Birmingham.

Sporting News, April 6,1986 Today in their New York headquarters the USFL has reported on the eight final expansion which were put forward by its expansion committee. These eight finalists will be reviewed by all 16 current franchise representatives, and a vote on the four expansion franchises is expected to take place during the league’s spring meetings in Tampa Bay later this month. As anticipated, with Chicago already pre-approved for one of the 4 expansion clubs, a necessity if the league wishes to retain its current television contracts, there are two competing Chicago bids. The other six bids represent six cities hoping to obtain a USFL franchise for the first time: Atlanta (GA), Miami (FL), Portland (OR), San Antonio (TX), San Diego (CA) and Seattle (WA). While one might expect that cities such as Seattle, Portland, and Atlanta, which represent regions or states without current franchises, should have a leg up in this competition, but inside sources seem to indicate that the expansion committee minimized potential clashes between expansion locations and current franchise locations in their vetting process, favoring instead market demographics, ownership qualifications, stadium suitability, television market, and financial backing. With no inside sense of which factors will win out during discussion among the owners, we have to expect that some owners, such as Tampa Bay’s John Bassett, Houston’s Jerry Argovitz, or LA’s Alan Harmon may try to argue that having a franchise in Miami, San Antonio or San Diego will produce financial hardship for their franchises. How much this will overshadow other interests remains to be seen. While not a lot has been made public about the various bids, basic research on the different locations and ownership groups may help us predict which franchises may be joining the USFL in the spring of 1987. CHICAGO Bidding Group 1: Led by Eddie Einhorn, minority owner of the Chicago White Sox of MLB, the Einhorn bid seems to focus on the ability of the franchise to use the cozier confines of Comiskey Park over the larger, and often with the 3 years of the Chicago Blitz largely empty Soldier Field. There are questions about the financial structure of the proposal, and the liquidity of Mr. Einhorn’s holdings. Additionally, there are concerns that Major League Baseball may balk at the dual ownership aspect of this bid, as well as the potential for poor optics as the White Sox and USFL franchise share the baseball stadium from April through July. Bidding Group 2: This group, which includes a larger pool of investors, is headed by the principal owner of the Chicago Black Hawks NHL franchise, Bill Wirtz. Unlike the Einhorn group, Wirtz’s consortium plans to retain use of Soldier Field. While there remains some concern about dual ownership with this group, the concerns are certainly less formidable than with the White Sox, since the venue will be distinct and there is no conflict of interest regarding use and maintenance of the facility. ATLANTA Ted Turner, another MLB owner, has put in this proposal, and again the same potential concerns arise. Can the Braves and a USFL franchise effectively share Atlanta Fulton County Stadium? Will the USFL franchise be a secondary (or tertiary) franchise in its own stadium? Unlike Chicago, the Atlanta bid has some regional advantages. The South has proven to be an attendance leader in the USFL, and while some may voice concerns that an Atlanta franchise will draw away from the Jacksonville and Birmingham fan bases, there are others who believe that all 3 fan bases would be exclusive and that natural rivalries, split along the lines of already existing SEC fanaticism, will only fuel greater interest in the USFL rivals in the South. MIAMI Sherwood “Woody” Weiser, a Miami-based real estate developer, is the face of this proposal. Again we are looking at another southern team, and there has been concern expressed by Tampa Bay owner John Bassett about cannibalization of the fanbase of the Bandits should Miami be awarded a franchise. The team would seek to play in the Orange Bowl, and with no MLB in the Miami area, the market is clear, however, there have been concerns that the owners of the Miami Dolphins will try to assert pressure on the Orange Bowl with claims that between the Dolphins and U. of Miami Hurricanes, the field is already a concern, and that adding a spring team will not provide the field adequate time to revitalize and strengthen after the fall football season, leading to a gradual breakdown of field quality. Whether that argument will take shape or not is yet to be seen, but in several other aspects of importance to the USFL, Miami looks promising. PORTLAND Considered a definite black horse in this race, Portland, Oregon is looking at some potential negatives, particularly in comparison to its neighbor to the north, Seattle. The Portland Civic Stadium is small by comparison to most other cities under consideration (just over 30,000) and USFL officials may fear another situation akin to what led the Breakers to leave Boston. The market is considerably smaller than several others, including Seattle, and there is some uncertainty about the long term viability of an ownership group led by sneaker producer Phil Knight. While Portland can boast a growing, high income market, and no competition from MLB in the Spring, we have to view the Portland bid as perhaps the weakest at this time. SAN ANTONIO A second team in Texas seems a natural, but there are some concerns about the San Antonio bid. First off, the proposed AlamoDome is several years away from coming to fruition, and if it fails then the franchise would be resigned to a clearly past-its-prime Alamo Stadium for the foreseeable future. The market is a good one and is growing rapidly, the love of football in the region is undeniable, and the closest parallel, Houston, has done well financially despite struggling to put together a winning team. The ownership group, led by local businessman Clint Manges, has been under some scrutiny, and may be one of the proposals with lower capital investment capacity, but can the USFL pass up on creating a natural rival for the Gamblers and getting a stronger foothold in the gridiron-mad state of Texas? SAN DIEGO The bid put together by Fresno-based developer William Tatham has a lot going for it. The funding is there, the potential for another location with good early spring weather, a west coast addition to help balance the expansion across the league’s four divisions, but it also has one big issue: Los Angeles. Not only has the LA Express ownership expressed consistent resistance to the San Diego bid, the struggles of LA to garner considerable attention in Southern California, to attain solid attendance, and to develop a passionate fanbase is well-documented. Tatham will argue that San Diego is not LA, and that the two cities should not be seen as sharing the same fanbase. There will also be the need to obtain a solid lease on Jack Murphy Stadium, home to the NFL’s Chargers. Tatham is in negotiations, but the foundations of a deal are not yet in place, and that may concern USFL owners who are wary of potential NFL-USFL stadium complications. SEATTLE The Seattle bid is an interesting one in that the city boasts several attractive features, but the ownership group creates concern. Seattle is a high income, growth market, with a solid NFL fanbase. It boasts two suitable stadiums, the King Dome (home to the Seahawks) and Husky Stadium (home to the U. of Washington), and while the Mariners are potential competition for both attention and revenue, they have hardly been a major force in the city’s sports culture. The biggest concern is that the proposing ownership group seems to have identified these factors, rather than a local connection, as the reason for selecting Seattle for the proposal. The investment group, headed by Henry John Heinz (yes, of the ketchup Heinz) is based predominantly out of Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, not the Northwest. Other than a couple of 1-2% investors with Seattle ties, there is nothing which links the ownership to the city. Now, that can work, as was seen when the Buffalo Bills were created despite Ralph Wilson’s ties to Detroit, not Buffalo. So the question is whether or not a coveted market with a carpetbagging ownership group is a direction the league wants to go. Our prediction: We readily admit that we simply do not know what the 16 USFL owners will do, but we are going to take a shot in the dark and say that San Antonio, Miami and Seattle will win out as the three expansion franchises. There is still a good shot for San Diego, and the Chicago decision is too close to call.

SCORES WSH 24 BLT 38 Huge crowd for Blitz home opener goes home happy. NJ 17 PHI 40 Philadelphia dominates every phase of game vs. Generals. TBY 28 BIR 23 Bandits claw back to .500 with big win in rivalry game. MEM 21 JAX 27 Bulls eke past winless Showboats to remain undefeated. PIT 14 MGN 38 Williams returns with big game vs. winless Maulers. OAK 31 ARZ 38 Late Neuheisel to Johnson TD pulls Wranglers to 3-1. DEN 26 LA 20 Solid defensive game by Gold knocks off unbeaten Express. GAME OF THE WEEK Houston Gamblers 31 New Orleans Breakers 32 Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to find their groove. After a year and a half of struggles in Memphis, former OU one year wonder Marcus Dupree, playing before an enthusiastic New Orleans crowd, busted out for his first 100-yard day as a pro. Rather than shuttle DuPree in alongside Dalton Hilliard, as expected, coach Dick Coury gave the new arrival the ball early and often. Dupree responded with 109 yards on 22 carries. That, paired with another solid game from the split-personality QB of the Breakers, Tony Eason, was enough to hold off the Gamblers. Dupree did not find the endzone, but his dynamic runs, particularly off the right side, powered the Breakers offense and kept rookie Dalton Hilliard on the bench, with only 3 carries on the day. Eason would throw 3 touchdowns on the day, including 2 to star wideout Nolan Franz. Kelly would also throw two touchdowns, unfortunately one of them was a pick-six touchdown to the Breakers’ Bobby Melendez. This first quarter mistake loomed large ina back and forth game that saw Houston fall behind 10-0, fight back to tak a 21-20 lead in the 3rd, build it to 28-20 and then 31-26 before the final New Orleans drive of the game put the Breakers back on top to stay. Somehow, with only 1:35 left in the game, Houston opted to play man defense, and Breakers slot receiver Charlie Smith used his one-on-one coverage with a safety to burn the Gambler defense for a 50-yard score. Kelly got the ball back with time to move downfield and kick a winning field goal, but two offensive line penalties pushed the Gamblers out of field goal range with time running out and a Kelly Hail Mary was swatted down to preserve a home opener win in front of close to 50,000 new Breakers fans in the Big Easy. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK Normally we would give this award to a player on a winning team, and certainly there were some solid performances on both sides of the ball in this week’s games, but perhaps the best performance of the week was not on the field at all, but in the stands. For the first time since week 10 of the 1984 season, the attendance average for the week was over 40,000. This was due in large part to outstanding crowds in Baltimore (51,404) and New Orleans (48,224) for the home openers for both relocated squads. It is certain to say that at least from an attendance standpoint, relocating the struggling Chicago and Boston franchises looks like it will pay off. But kudos should also go out to the USFL’s marketing team, which has worked with local clubs to expand attendance across the league. Who would have thought just a few months ago that we would be seeing Los Angeles averaging over 30,000 a game after 3 homestands, or that Oakland would be close to 34,000 on average? Michigan opened its season this week with a solid 40,102, and both Southern Division teams with divisional rivalry games were strong, Jacksonville with 42,301 to see the Bulls take on a winless Showboats squad, and Birmingham, where 51,202 Stallions faithful came out to see their team take on the Bandits. Even the often cynical Philadelphia fans showed up big this week, with 39,242 on hand as the Stars beat the Generals handily. So, a game ball to the marketing and ticketing personnel of the USFL and to the league’s market support initiatives, which, after 4 weeks of the 1986 season, seem to be doing all they can to ensure the success of the league and build solid fanbases in its 16 markets. NEWS & NOTES Things are indeed getting tough in Pittsburgh and Memphis, where both the Maulers and Showboats are still looking for their first wins. First year Head Coach of the Showboats, Vince Tobin has not yet been able to get results from the squad, and the trade of fan favorite (though underachieving) HB Marcus Dupree has not been received well by the shrinking ranks of the Showboat faithful. While Tobin’s defensive acumen has apparently improved the Showboat defense, with all 4 opponents held to scores in the 20’s, the offense has not kept pace. And with the Showboats facing 3-1 Arizona and 4-0 Michigan before their Week 7 bye, Tobin could be facing a lot of pressure to make more changes or show some progress soon. Changing team culture is not a quick move, and despite some solid performers on the Showboats (Reggie White, Walter Lewis, Mel Gray) the team needs to find an identity or once again suffer a 10-loss season. In Pittsburgh third year coach Joe Pendry is firmly on the hotseat. In his first two seasons with the Maulers, Pendry has managed only 11 combined wins (6-10 in 1984, 5-11 in 1985) and most expected that the arrival of DC Ernie Stautner and new OC Roman Gabriel would mark a turning point for the team. But, after an 0-4 start, and with tough games against New Orleans, Jacksonville and Baltimore before their bye, the pressure is on for them to get a win soon. Most of the blame seems to be falling on QB Todd Blackledge. Once a hero at Penn State, Blackledge has simply not proven he can lead the team to victory as a pro. His 62.0 QBR is the worst in the league, and a 3:4 TD:INT ratio is also not winning over fans. But, with only former Cowboy castoff Glen Carano and journeyman Dan Manucci as the backups, what options does Pendry have. Talk around the Steel City is that Pendry needs to sign a new QB now, with the expectation that anyone brought in could start after the Maulers’ Week 8 bye. Rumors have been swirling that they are in talks with former Oakland Invader QB Fred Besana and former Federals QB Alan Risher (recently cut by the NFL’s Buccaneers). Others are pointing to a possible trade with the most likely targets being Washington’s Babe Laufenberg and Tampa’s Jimmie Jordan. But a third avenue exists, if Pendry and the DeBartolo’s want to spend a bit more. There are several NFL quarterbacks who are still in contract negotiations this offseason with their clubs and could be ripe for a late “poaching” by the Maulers. Would the usually conservative Maulers take a wild swing and try to land someone like Vikings QB Tommy Kramer, the Cardinals’ Neil Lomax, or the Colts Mike Pagel? A lot is on the line in Pittsburgh, and particularly for Pendry, as another 10-loss season is almost certainly going to lead to a change. INJURIES The bad news keeps coming for the Showboats as QB Walter Lewis is expected to miss at least a week, perhaps two, with an abdominal tear. This means untested 2nd year player Damon Allen will likely get the next start. Arizona will be without SS Vincent Edwards, who suffered a hip injury in this week’s win, as well as CB Frank Minnifield, still dealing with a shoulder issue. The remainder of the injuries we saw this week are to rotational or backup players, which could still impact teams, but should prove manageable for most squads to absorb. LOOKING AHEAD Week 5 features the Atlantic and Central in divisional play while the Southern Division heads out west to face the Pacific. A huge game in the east as Philadelphia (2-2) travels to Baltimore (3-1) for the first time. New Jersey and Washington will try to keep pace with a win in RFK. Facing the 2-2 Breakers at home may be the best chance for a Pittsburgh win before their bye, while Houston has the unenviable task of trying to steal a win in the SilverDome against the Panthers. Out West it will be Memphis @ Arizona, Birmingham @ Oakland, Jacksonville @ Denver, and Tampa Bay in LA. Both the altitude and the Gold’s defense could prove a tough challenge for the undefeated Bulls, while in LA, the matchup between two outstanding offenses should make for a fun game under the sun.

SCORES BLT 22 JAX 30 A 3-score day from HB George Adams highlights the Bulls home win. NJ 23 TBY 31 Gary Anderson outpaces a struggling Herschel Walker as Tampa wins. WSH 29 MEM 21 Duane Gunn steps up for the Feds as their top 2 receivers are out. NOR 27 LA 30 An overtime thriller ends with a Zendejas FG for the Express. PIT 3 OAK 47 Oakland demolishes the Maulers as Blackledge looks lost. MGN 27 ARZ 6 The Michigan D dominates as Panthers roll to 3-0. HOU 16 DEN 20 Gold D knocks Kelly out early, Salisbury keeps Houston close. GAME OF THE WEEK Philadelphia Stars 24 Birmingham Stallions 27 In uncharacteristic fashion the Stars run defense utterly failed as Joe Cribbs had a banner day with 171 yards and 2 scores to boost the Stallions over Philly. In front of a raucous crowd at Legion Field, the Stallions played some old-school ground & pound football, and Joe Cribbs showed off as Birmingham moved to 2-1 with their second impressive win of the year. Philadelphia was in trouble from the beginning, when, on his second carry of the day, Cribbs juked LB John Bunting and bounced outside for a 60 yard scoring scamper. The Philadelphia LB’s spent most of the day chasing, rather than containing, Cribbs. Birmingham’s D, on the other hand, was able to contain last year’s MVP, Kelvin Bryant, holding him to a respectable but not game-altering 60 yards on 14 carries. The Stars were forced to rely on Chuck Fusina, who was efficient, 31/37 for 330 and 3 scores, keeping the Stars close all the way through the game. Fusina was pressured by Birmingham OLB Kevin Greene, who scored 1 sack but had pressure on the Stars’ signalcaller all day. Cliff Stoudt had fewer yards, only 178, but was clutch on third down, including a 4th quarter TD pass to his favorite receiver, Jim Smith, late in the 4th to give the Stallions a lead they would not relinquish. The loss pushes Philly down to 1-2, looking up at 3-0 Baltimore, while Birmingham is looking like a contender again after a disastrous 4-win season in 1985. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK We are going to stay in the Steel City of the South for this award. While we could give it to Joe Cribbs for his performance, we feel it is appropriate to congratulate the Stallions’ front office for what appears to be a very shrewd offseason acquisition. Already possessing a top contender for the sack lead in Bob Barber, the Stallions decided to double down and bring in the dynamic DE Art Stills from the KC Chiefs. This week Stills made those personnel staff look like geniuses. Still had 3 sacks of Fusina, including a strip sack which he recovered to give the Stallions a perfect scoring chance late in the first half. He required Philly to keep a back or TE in on pass defense on every 3rd down, and between Stills and Barber, the Stars struggled all day to escape from 3rd and long situations. NEWS & NOTES With 3 weeks in the books, optimism is beginning to turn to concern or outright panic for those teams that are not where they hoped to be. Fans in Pittsburgh are openly calling for Joe Pendry to replace Todd Blackledge at QB after another poor performance for the 0-3 Maulers. There are even rumors that the Maulers have reached out to former Invader QB Fred Besana as a possible late signing. In Philadelphia, the championship hangover seems real, as the Stars have lost 2 straight to New Jersey and Birmingham. While in Memphis, the disappointing output from highly touted HB Marcus DuPree has led to a major mid-season trade. The Showboats shopped DuPree off to the New Orleans Breakers, getting former McNeese State star Buford Jordan and DE Mike Gann in trade for DuPree and a 4th round pick in next year’s draft. Memphis is expected to mix Jordan into the starting lineup, rotating with U. of Memphis product Richard Williams. In New Orleans, DuPree will likely rotate with rookie Dalton Hilliard, as Dick Coury is experimenting with putting team rushing leader Richard Crump in at FB in what would amount to a two-back offense. Denver (1-2), who have yet to score more than 20 points this season, have promoted rookie WR Bill Brooks to the starting lineup, moving NFL vet J.T. Smith to the slot, while the 1-2 Houston Gamblers are looking to beef up their pass rush by promoting dynamic rookie Simon Fletcher to starting RE, paired with Coy Bacon, who they acquired from Washington this off-season. Will these moves work, we shall see as these struggling teams have rematches in their divisions this week. INJURIES While the Jim Kelly injury was the headline on Sunday, he is expected to recover from his neck injury (strain) and is only listed as questionable for week 4. The same cannot be said for Memphis SS Frederick Wayne, who ruptured his achilles tendon and will be out for the year. Michigan got John Williams back this week but is losing FS Roy Gee for at least a week with a pinched nerve. Pittsburgh will likely be shorthanded at RB, with former Bengal Stanford Jennings out for theweek with a hamstring injury, and Washington is hoping that FS Mark Kelso can return to action this week after suffering a hand injury in Week 2. LOOKING AHEAD In a weird quirk of scheduling, Week 4 features rematches of the Week 2 divisional games. It’s a chance to even the score or to sweep a divisional foe. It is also the home openers for the league’s two newest cities. Baltimore, after knocking off the Feds in DC, will be home for the rematch and a huge crowd is expected. Philly will try to get revenge against the Generals for a poor week 2 showing. Tampa heads to B’Ham for a rematch of the season’s highest scoring game. Memphis is in Jacksonville. New Orleans opens the Super Dome for the first time to face the Gamblers. Pittsburgh has to travel to Michigan, Oakland will try to reach 500 in Tempe and the Gold visit LA.

SCORES BLT 38 WSH 17 Vince Evans put on a clinic, throwing for 5 scores in DC. PHI 9 NJ 20 New Jersey’s defense is beginning to get some respect after this win. JAX 28 MEM 20 Another close game but another loss for Memphis, who drop to 0-2. NOR 9 HOU 27 Eason looked ragged, while Kelly was efficient in Coslett’s new offense. MGN 28 PIT 13 4 TD’s from Hebert gives the Panthers all they need in this one. ARZ 27 OAK 21 140 from T. Johnson and 14 unanswered helps Arizona overtake Oakland. LA 20 DEN 17 Denver builds 14-7 lead at the half but cannot hold against the Express. GAME OF THE WEEK Birmingham Stallions 41 Tampa Bay Bandits 35 Four interceptions from a struggling John Reaves helped the Stallions get the win in Tampa. While Birmingham played error-free, Tampa coughed up the ball 5 times on the day, including a Bob Barber strip-sack, recovery and defensive TD along with the 4 Reaves interceptions. Both teams moved the ball well, with Tampa gaining 474 total yards, but with several drives ruined by turnovers. Cliff Stoudt was efficient if not exciting to watch, throwing for a 77% completion rate and three scores. Truvillion had 169 yards and Cris Collinsworth another 118, but it just was not enough to overcome the mistakes made by the Bandits. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK Vince Evans had one of those games where everything just goes right, and the Blitz defeated the Federals in the league’s closest rivalry. Evans was 26 of 36 for 363 yards and threw 5 scores with no interceptions. He found 7 different receivers on the day, and threw scoring tosses to Flowers, Keel (2), Balholm and Mel Gray. Much like Steve Young in week 1, Evans refrained from running for yardage, instead using his legs to keep plays alive and find open receivers. Last year, when he was on, it was a combination of scrambling and pocket passing. This week it was rolling left or right only to find a crossing receiver. The result was a resounding win for the Blitz, who stand atop the Atlantic Division at 2-0. NEWS & NOTES The league’s executive committee started reviewing bids this week for the 4 expansion franchises expected to begin play in March 1987. The committee is expected to review up to 15 different proposals before deciding upon a finalists list which includes 2 bids for the new Chicago franchise and 6 bids for the 3 remaining expansion cities. These 8 finalists will then be reviewed by the entire ownership group during their Spring meetings and we expect an announcement sometime mid-season as to the 4 newest expansion teams for the USFL. Early money is on Eddie Einhorn, co-owner of the Chicago White Sox, to get the nod for the Windy City, though don’t count out the proposal from Bill Wirtz, owner of the Black Hawks hockey club. Outside of Chicago it looks like there are solid bids from Miami (Sherwood “Woody” Weisner), San Diego (William Tatham) and Atlanta (Ted Turner), but there are so many bids in this stage of the review that any of the other cities in contention could come out of this as a finalist. The owners are going to be looking at financial viability, stadium options, market size and demographics, as well as the potential for ongoing fan support in each market. Hoping to avoid further relocation issues, the executive committee is very much looking at the long term viability of each city and each ownership group. INJURIES A few tough losses this week, but fortunately most are injuries that will have the players back within a few weeks. Washington was perhaps the hardest hit, losing 2 wideouts. Joey Walters will likely miss a month or more with a back injury, while rookie Webster Slaughter is expected to miss at least a week, perhaps more, with a shoulder injury. Washington also lost safety Mark Kelso to a hand injury, though he is likely only to miss a week. In LA, their new center Gerald Bradley will likely miss a couple of weeks with a groin pull, while in Michigan tackle Ryan Broderick is out with a hyper-extended knee. Arizona will be without CB Frank Minnifield for at least a week. Denver too will be missing a key defender as LB Manu Tuiasosopo deals with a lingering hamstring injury. Michigan, who were without the services of HB John Williams this week, expect him back from tendinitis next week. LOOKING AHEAD Week three has the entire league back to inter-divisional play, with some interesting matchups as several teams try to avoid starting the year 0-3. Tampa (0-2) will be at home against New Jersey, while Memphis (0-2) hosts Washington. Denver will try to get their first win at home against the Gamblers. In a battle of 0-2 squads, Pittsburgh travels out to Oakland-Alameda Stadium to face the Invaders. On the other end of the spectrum, we have two good matchups between 2-0 teams. Michigan heads out to the desert to play the Wranglers, while Baltimore will travel south to take on the Jacksonville Bulls. In other games Philly is in Birmingham while New Orleans stays on the road one more week, out in LA to face the Express.

SCORES BLT 31 TBY 20 The Blitz got 2 scores each from Flowers and HB Mel Gray in a big win. JAX 20 NJ 16 This nip and tuck battle was 13-14 at half, but defense reined in the end. PHI 28 MEM 20 TE Steve Folsom came up big with 106 yards on 5 catches to lead Philly. WSH 33 BIR 13 Collier’s 300-yard day included 112 to new rookie WR Slaughter. NOR 35 OAK 24 Both offenses were sharp, including a career day for Tony Eason. PIT 19 LA 31 Steve Young hit Jo-Jo Townsell for 2 scores as the Express pulled away. MGN 20 DEN 16 Another good defensive game, but Panthers hold on to win in Denver. GAME OF THE WEEK Houston Gamblers 30 Arizona Wranglers 36 You have heard of the shootout at the OK Corral? This game felt a lot like that as both QB’s came to play. Neuheisel came out on top as his 286 yards and 2 scores were enough to outpace the Gamblers. Jim Kelly, for his part, seemed comfortable in Bruce Coslett’s more balanced scheme, throwing for 238 yards and only getting sacked twice. Both Ricky Sanders for Houston and Trumaine Johnson for Arizona had strong games as well. After a Wamon Buggs score put Arizona up 30-20 to start the 4th quarter, Kelly led Houston on two scoring drives to even the game at 30 and send it to overtime. The first was a long 75-yard drive that ended after 11 plays when Lynn Caine dove over from the 1. The second a frantic last-minute drive into field goal range, where former NJ Generals kicker Dave Jacobs gave Houston the tie and sent the game to overtime in the waning seconds. In overtime, both teams had multiple possessions but could not get the ball into scoring range. Arizona, on their 2nd possession finally saw some movement, as a good punt return by wideout Aubrey Matthews set the Wranglers up on the fringe of Gamblers territory. After several Owen Gill rushes and a penalty on Houston got them close to FG range, Neuheisel surprised the Gambler defense with a 2nd and 7 play action pass. The defense jumped at Gill, but Neuheisel rolled left and found Trumaine Johnson practically uncovered. Johnson lunged into the endzone and the game ended on a Wrangler touchdown. Quite a show for the crowd at Sun Devil Stadium, and a great end to a solid week of USFL action to open the new year. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK The LA Express opened the season with a comfortable win in no small part due to the play of QB Steve Young. Young was 25 of 35 for 329 yards and three scores. He hit 8 different receivers, including two newcomes, TE’s Cap Boso and former Raider Todd Christiansen. His top targets were Christiansen (5 for 49), Townsell (8 for 106 and 2 scores) and Eric Martin (4 for 104 and a score), but it was Young’s ability to keep plays alive against a much-improved Mauler pass rush which helped the Express come out victorious. Despite regular pressure from Pittsburgh’s new acquisitions, rookies Bob Buczkowski at DE and Dino Hackett at MLB, Young remained calm, often finding secondary receivers like Boso, Kevin Mack or newly acquired Mel Renfro, when protection broke down. He ran 4 times, with little to show for it, but he was able to use his legs to keep plays alive and find receivers when coverage broke down. A good day for LA in front of one of their largest crowds in 4 seasons. NEWS AND NOTES Crowds were good around the league, due in part to renewed confidence in the spring league, but also in part to a smart decision to have all 8 games hosted in Pacific or Southern Division games. Weather was good across the league and fans came out to welcome back the USFL. The biggest crowd of the week, as usual, was in Jacksonville, where nearly 50,000 came out to watch their Bulls and regional hero Herschel Walker clash. Denver also had over 40,000 at their game, as Mouse Davis presented a new-look Gold offense. Even cities which have had issues in the past saw good walk-up gates, including 35,878 in Oakland, 32,442 in Los Angeles, and 31,226 in Memphis. Next week we will see if the excitement continues as Washington, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Houston have their home openers. It won’t be until Week 4 before the last of the home openers occurs, with both Baltimore and New Orleans christening their new stadiums and their new fanbases in the last of the 4 opening weeks. INJURIES A new season always means players knocking the rust off their bodies, and sadly, in some cases, this can come with some rude surprises. While no major stars saw significant injuries, a few key players may be missing a game or two at the start of the season. Michigan HB John Williams will likely miss a game or two with tendonitis in his right knee. Denver LB Manu Tuiasosopo could also miss time with a hamstring injury. LA’s Steve Young suffered a mild concussion late in their game against Pittsburgh but should be able to play next week against Denver. Another season, another set of bumps and bruises as football returns. LOOKING AHEAD Week Two brings us our first divisional matchups, as all 4 divisions kick things off. Baltimore will kickstart their local rivalry with the Washington Federals as they face off at RFK. Philly renews its lopsided rivalry by traveling up the Turnpike to the Meadowlands. Birmingham will face off against perennial foe Tampa Bay at the Big Sombrero, while Jacksonville heads to the Liberty Bowl to face off against the Showboats. We will see if Tony Eason’s good game is a repeatable effort as the Breakers take on the Gamblers in Houston, while Michigan will once again seek to assert dominance in the Central Division as they play the Maulers at Three Rivers. And out West, we find Oakland hosting the Wranglers and LA venturing up to 5,100 feet to face the Gold in Denver. A lot of rivalries, a lot of bragging rights and a lot of excitement as the USFL season kicks into gear.