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It’s the week when playoff dreams are made, or crushed. In a game of playoff musical chairs, Michigan, Boston, and Philadelphia fight for 2 slots. Who’s in? Who’s out? Who can turn away from this type of drama? CHI 30 OAK 42—In a game with no drama behind it these two teams showed that they still play for pride. QB Fred Besana of Oakland had one of his best games of the year, throwing for 348 yards and a stunning 6 touchdowns to 6 different receivers. Greg Landry responded with 3 scoring throws of his own, but Chicago’s inability to establish Tim Spencer’s run game, a problem all year long, doomed the Blitz to another loss as both teams finish the week 5-11. WSH 34 NJ 24—Once a playoff favorite, the New Jersey Generals are clearly not taking their current status well. They largely failed to show up today against a 2-win Washington Federals team. Despite 139 yards and 2 TD’s from possible league MVP Hershel Walker, the Generals just did not show a lot of energy, allowing Washington’s Joe Gilliam to complete 65% of his passes and to hit both Joey Walters and Matt Holmes for scores. Paired with a 107 yard kickoff return and a Kevil Teel pick 6, the Federals’ offense was just strong enough to keep New Jersey down and give the beleaguered Feds their 3rd win of the year. TBY 23 DEN 15—In a game where both teams had already clinched their divisions and neither wanted to give too much away in case they met in the playoffs, Tampa let the Gold take a 13-0 lead before John Reaves hit Willie Gillespie for two scores as the Bandits came back to win by 8. If there is one concern for Tampa coming out of the game it is that Denver, without significant blitzing, was able to get John Reaves for 6 sacks. That may be an issue as the playoffs approach. The win is Tampa’s 13th on the year, while Denver at 8-7 is still hoping to win one more to end the year above .500. ARZ 34 BIR 55—The Birmingham Stallions, eliminated last week from playoff contention, took out their frustration on a staggering Arizona Wrangler squad. Quarterback Bob Lane carved up the Wrangler D like an Easter ham, throwing for 6 scores and a 78% completion rate. Arizona tried to keep pace, but despite good games from Alan Risher, wideout Jackie Flowers and HB Steve Howell, the Wranglers just could not replicate the scoring of Birmingham. The game saw the two teams combine for over 900 yards of offense, but Arizona’s 4 turnovers doomed them in a week where the Stallions just needed to vent a season’s worth of disappointment. LA 17 MGN 19—Best of times, worst of times. That is the feeling after this game for the Michigan Panthers. Yes, they won a tough fight against the LA Express and clinched the USFL’s lone Wild Card berth, but in the process they may have lost their leader, QB Bobby Hebert. Hebert went out of the game in the first quarter after a blow to the head. Originally thought to be a concussion, X-rays revealed a fracture to the young QB’s jaw. It is not known how long the injury will keep Hebert out, but we can expect he will not make an appearance in a meaningless Week 16 game. The question is if he will be back and effective when the Panthers face Denver in the playoffs. In this game, once Hebert was out, it was a struggle for the Panthers to move the ball, and they relied on the foot of Novo Bojovic for all the remaining scoring, 4 field goals, to hold off the 3-win Express. BOS 31 PHI 34—For casual football fans who tuned in on Sunday, this may be the game that entices them to follow the USFL. In a back and forth battle that saw the lead change repeatedly, which had both offensive and defensive big plays, and which meant everything to these two teams, the Stars took an early lead, relinquished it to Boston, and then dominated the 4th quarter to come back and win. And if you love TE play, this was a game for the ages as both Boston’s Mariano Alarcon and Philly’s Steve Folsom both scored twice and were regular contributors. Folsom ended the day with 9 receptions for 120 yards to lead the Stars. Both quarterbacks played well, with both throwing for more than 70% completion rates as both defenses loaded the box to slow down the potent run games of Richard Crump and Kelvin Bryant. In the end it was Philadelphia, gaining support from a record Stars crowd of 51,100 to drive them to victory with two scores in the 4th quarter. The win gives Philly the Atlantic Division crown, and the loss, paired with a Panthers win earlier in the day, shuts Boston out of the playoffs. Playoff Scenarios: With the tiebreakers all going to the current leaders, the 4 playoff spots are all locked in with 1 week left in the regular season. Tampa Bay will host Philadelphia and Denver will host Michigan in two weeks. So, expect some starters to rest next week as these 4 teams prepare for the playoffs and keep their stars healthy.

Week 14 saw two teams earn a ticket to the playoffs and two others position themselves for an all-or-nothing deathmatch next week. There are only 2 spots left, and 3 teams that want to get one. Someone is going to be outside looking in. PHI 34 CHI 28—The Chicago Blitz gave the Atlantic-leading Philly Stars all they could handle in a game that went into overtime tied at 28. Chicago’s CB Virgil Livers made a play for Defensive Player of the week with 2 Pick 6 interceptions of Stars QB Chuck Fusina. Fusina, undaunted, continued to throw the ball, completing 32 passes for 342 yards and 4 TD’s. In overtime it was a broken tackle by Stars RB Booker Russell that turned a 3 yard swing pass into the winning score, a 64 yard shocker that left the 21,200 fans in attendance in shock. BIR 6 BOS 20—In a must-win game for both teams, each at 9-4, it was Boston that proved the more capable team, holding the Stallions to 163 yards passing and only 203 in total offense. Cornelius Quarles had his worst outing of the day, rushing for only 24 yards on 18 carries, as Boston loaded the box and dared Bob Lane to beat them. The 14 point win keeps Boston on pace for the Atlantic title, while Birmingham is now in real risk of missing the playoffs. NJ 17 TBY 35—Tampa just kept rolling as John Reaves closed in on an MVP trophy with 282 yards and 3 more TD’s on the season. And while Hershel Walker had yet another 100-yard game (108 total), it was not enough as New Jersey fell to 6-8 for the year. Tampa’s win has clinched the Central Division title and the #1 seed in the playoffs. LA 19 DEN 39—The Denver Gold also punched their playoff ticket with a convincing win over the Express. The Gold held LA to only 252 total yards, while the three-headed RB committee of Harry Sydney, Scott Stamper and FB Larry Canada compiled 133 on the ground to put away the Express. MGN 18 WSH 16—In a game which Vegas had as a 10 point Michigan win, the Panthers struggled against a feisty Washington Federals squad. Using their 3rd QB of the year, longtime Steelers backup Joe Gilliam, the Federals hung tough in the game. Craig James battered the Panthers D-line for 95 yards and Gilliam hit Mike Holmes with a TD, but it was not enough. Despite having a sub-par day, Bobby Hebert was able to rally the troops and hit both Anthony Carter and Derek Holloway with scoring throws to eke out a narrow 2 point win and go a game up on Birmingham in the Central. ARZ 24 OAK 38—The Invaders notched their 4th win of the year, sending streaky Arizona down to their 3rd straight defeat. Despite the return of Alan Risher at QB, the Wranglers could not keep pace with an Invader offense that was clicking on all cylinders, Alfred Whittington racked up 118 yards and 2 scores, while streaky Invader QB Fred Besana completed 68% of his passes with 3 scoring throws and no picks. Both teams are out of playoff contention, but pride still matters in football and these teams continue to fight. PLAYOFF PICTURE Tampa Bay Bandits (12-2): Central Division Champions and #1 playoff seed Denver Gold (8-6): Pacific Division Champions, locked into #3 seed Boston Breakers (10-4): Currently tied with Phila. at the top of the Atlantic Division. Would win tiebreaker if season ended today. Boston plays Philly next week, with the winner almost assured the division title. Philadelphia Stars (10-4): Currently tied with Boston for Atlantic lead. Play Boston next week with winner almost assured of division title. Michigan Panthers (10-4): 2 games behind Tampa in Central, but would lose tiebreaker. Holds Tiebreaker against Birmingham (2-0 vs. the Stallions) and Boston (Defested in week 1). Have not played Philadelphia, but would beat them on better inter-division record. Our Look at the Remaining Two Spots: If Michigan can win two games where they are favored (vs. LA and Chicago), they would win the lone league Wild Card. That would mean only 1 team from the Atlantic would get into the playoffs and next week’s game between Boston and Philadelphia in Veteran’s Stadium holds the key.

USA Today, June 7, 1983 In the world of established major sports leagues you don’t tend to hear much about league or franchise maneuvers until the season has finished, but it appears that the USFL is not playing by those rules. Last night at their NYC offices, the USFL Commissioner, along with several of the upstart league’s owners, held a brief news conference to announce some significant preparations for the 1984 season. The first announcement was in regards to new stadium contracts. The USFL has had strong attendance in many cities, but has suffered in several markets to fill their stadiums. While for the most part the USFL franchises will retain their current homes, Commissioner Chet Simmons revealed that several teams have arranged 1984 contracts at new locations for the Boston Breakers and Los Angeles Express. In Boston, the Breakers , who are in the midst of a playoff hunt, have been a popular ticket, but are hindered by the tiny confines of Nickerson Field (Home to Boston U. football) which maxes out around 22,000 attendees. After working with several parties, including the NFL’s New England Patriots, Boston College, and Harvard University, it was announced that the Breakers will play their 1984 games at Harvard Stadium, which seats just over 30,000 seats. While it was not disclosed why this stadium was chosen over BC’s larger Alumni Stadium or Foxboro Stadium, it seems clear that the USFL, while trying to expand Boston’s seating capacity, was not able to arrange for either of the larger local stadiums. In LA, the problem has been much the opposite. The LA Express, struggling to win games, have been having an equally challenging season trying to fill seats in the enormous LA Coliseum. With no big names on the roster, and now competing for the worst record in the league, the Express have regularly seen attendance below 20,000. That is similar to Boston, but when you have over 90,000 seats to fill, rather than 22,000 it makes for poor optics. Commissioner Simmons announced that the Express will be leaving the Coliseum for the more intimate surroundings of the suburb of Anaheim, where they will be playing at Angel Stadium, also home to the California Angels of MLB and the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. Details were not released on how the stadium will play host to both the Express and the Angels for much of the USFL season, though one must anticipate that the Express will now be playing on a mixed field of grass and dirt as the Angels’ infield will remain intact for Express games. In addition to these two franchises finding new homes within their cities, the USFL announced that it has reviewed more than 20 bids for 1984 franchises and has produced a finalist list of 10 bids from which they will eventually choose their 1984 expansion franchises. It was not disclosed how many of the bids will be expected but the league has stated in the past that they will add an even number of franchises, and rumors have that number at either 4 or 6 franchises. The finalist list includes these 10 cities, most of which are current NFL hosts as well: Atlanta (GA), Houston and San Antonio (TX), Indianapolis (IN), Jacksonville and Miami (FL), Memphis (TN), New Orleans (LA), Pittsburgh (PA) and San Diego (CA). While Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Memphis, and San Antonio would be non-NFL cities, the remaining cities on the list are locations for NFL franchises. While it could not be confirmed by Commissioner Simmons, it appears that there are no current NFL owners among the bidders, as this would be a violation of NFL policies towards ownership of multiple sports franchises. With the current USFL made up of 12 franchises arranged in 3 divisions of 4 teams each, it is expected that any expansion would lead to a division of the league into 2 conferences, with 2 divisions each, although, an expansion by 6 teams could be accomplished within the 3 division format, assuming that each division were to expand by 2 teams. In speaking with several USFL representatives after the press conference, it was determined that the USFL plans to hold an expansion draft with players from the existing 12 teams allocated to any new franchises. This would be held prior to the USFL Collegiate Draft in December. An announcement of the final, approved, expansion franchises is expected in June, with allocation of recently signed 1983 NFL Draft picks such as quarterbacks Jim Kelly, Todd Blackledge, and Tony Eason expected in July. These players signed USFL contracts following the NFL draft and will be able to select from three different USFL team bids for their services, bids which are sure to include several of the expansion teams who will need to stock rosters quickly to compete with the 12 returning 1983 franchises. The final announcement of the day came when Chet Simmons invited Denver Gold owner Ron Blanding up to the podium. Blanding announced that Denver had been selected as the site for the first USFL Championship Game. The city, which has been at or near the top of USFL attendance despite having one of the most frugal rosters in the league, is viewed as a key market for the new league. The Gold are also the favorite to win the Pacific Division and could find themselves playing at home if they are able to win in the league’s semifinal playoff round. While the USFL still has a long way to go to become a stable part of the American sports scene, the announcements today paint a pretty positive picture about the future of the league, one in which franchises are supported in their host cities, and even when attendance is poor, alternatives are available without relocating or folding franchises, something the failed World Football League was unable to do.

A basement battle, some playoff manuevering, and the Central Division battles it out. OAK 20 PHI 26— In a game the Philadelphia Stars absolutely needed, they found a way to win. In front of 42,000 raucuous fans, the Philadelphia Stars slogged it out with the Oakland Invaders for 4 quarters before a Fusina to Folsom touchdown put them in front to stay. In a game in which neither team seemed to be able to get out of their own way, Philadelphia relied heavily on the foot of David Trout, who kicked 4 FG’s when the Stars could not punch the ball in for a score, but it was a 43 yard catch and run by TE Steve Folsom that allowed the Stars to salt away the win. After leading 16-6 at the end of 3, Philly’s defense uncharacteristically gave up two quick Oakland scoring drives (a Gordon Banks catch and an Aaron Smart 12 yard run) to find themselves down 20-16. But, with 1:45 on the clock Fusina hit Folsom on a seam route and Philly quickly found themselves up by 3. After Oakland failed on a 4th and 7 attempt from their own 23, the Stars took over, ran down the clock and added a late field goal for a 26-20 win. DEN 21 NJ 17—In a game between two teams whose recent struggles had put any playoff hopes in question, Denver got the much-needed win to bolster their hopes of retaining the Pacific Division title and the playoff spot that accompanies it. In what was a slow day for both offenses, Denver got just enough from HB Harry Sydney (2 TD’s on only 44 yards rushing) and Ken Johnson avoided costly turnovers to give Denver the narrow win. Herschel Walker would have been held under 100 yards if not for one dynamic 48 yard rush, on a drive that still ended only with a FG for the Generals. The win pushes Denver back over .500 while the loss all but mathematically eliminates New Jersey from any chance at the league’s lone wild card playoff spot. CHI 29 BIR 41—With the Central Division back to head-to-head matchups, Birmingham dispatched Chicago with a furious 2nd half in which they scored 5 times to pull ahead of the Blitz and put Chicago in the rear view mirror. It was a standard day for HB Cornelius Quarles, rushing for 117 yards and score, but it was elevated play by QB Bobby Lane, who has not always looked sharp this year, which gave the game to Birmingham. Lane threw for 3 scores on the day, despite fierce pressure from Chicago’s Junior Ah You. For Chicago, QB Greg Landry threw for 375 yards, but 3 interceptions proved costly, giving Birmingham short fields to play on. The loss drops Chicago to a disappointing 5-8, while Birmingham’s 9-4 record keeps them in the thick of the playoff hunt. TBY 10 MGN 20—Tampa learned first hand what much of the league already knew, the Michigan defense is fierce. Holding the much heralded Bandit Ball offense to a total of only 217 yards was enough to help the Panthers double the Bandits’s score 20-10. Two early Holloway TD catches put Tampa behind the 8-ball early, and only a late Truvillion pass from Reaves salvaged the scoreline for the Bandits. Reaves completed only 32% of his passes against the stingy Panther D, while being sacked a painful 8 times, including twice by league tackles leader John Corker. The win keeps Michigan even with Birmingham at 9-4, while dropping Tampa to 11-2. Two games back with 3 to play. Is it impossible for the Panthers to win the division, or is there just enough time to sneak up on the suddenly reeling Bandits? BOS 30 ARZ 16—The Breakers came to the desert with hopes of solidifying their bid for the Atlantic Division crown, and they showed they are deserving with a solid win over the Wranglers. Richard Crump had one of his best days against the Wrangler D, rushing for 110 yards and 2 scores, while the ageless Johnnie Walton went 20 for 33. The Wranglers, playing without injured QB Alan Risher, could only muster 121 yards passing from Dan Manucci. The depleted Wranglers would muster only 194 total yards of offense on the day, falling to 5-8 and all but giftwrapping the Pacific title to Denver. Boston remains very much a playoff contender with the win. WSH 24 LA 33—In a game between the undisputable two worst teams in the league, LA showed some sparks and provided the hapless Federals with their 10th straight defeat. The Federals relied heavily on RB Craig James (129 yards on 21 carries) because QB Kim McQuilken just could not get it done, averaging only 4.1 yards per completion. Meanwhile, Tom Ramsey had one of his best days against the Feds, throwing for 331 yards. Jo-Jo Townsell was the recipient of 6 Ramsey passes for 126 yards as well. In a game between two down and out teams, in front of the smallest crowd of the USFL’s inaugural season (8,435 in the Coliseum), someone had to win. LA found a way.

As we start the home stretch, the cream rises and the dregs sink. TBY 42 WSH 16—In a game that was really not a surprise for anyone, the 1-loss Tampa Bay Bandits absolutely dominated the 2-win Federals in front of only 13,450 mildly interested Federals fans. The Federals’ collapse from 2-1 now to 2-10 has been brutal, and this game may have been the most painful. Tampa gained over 440 yards of total offense, including 365 yards and 4 TD passes from MVP candidate John Reaves. Meanwhile, the Feds, who turned back to Kim McQuilken at QB, were stymied at every turn. Craig James averaging only 2.6 yards a carry was a big factor, and a 3-1 turnover deficit also did not help the Federal’s cause. Washington is clearly in need of an overhaul this offseason, and it is not entirely certain that coach Jauch will be here to oversee it. MGN 36 NJ 27—While New Jersey needed a win to try to catch up with Boston and Philly, the Panthers needed one just as badly to keep pace with Birmingham, and a win over NJ would also help with tiebreakers for a possible wild card berth. In the end, Michigan’s defense did just enough, and a surprise play from an unheralded player turned the tide. Gary Kay, a little used backup RB had only 2 carries on the day, but one of them was an 87 yard score that crushed the New Jersey gameplan. It was a simple 2nd and 3, but somehow the Generals called exactly the wrong defense and the little-used Kay found a hole, and then a lot of open space down the field. In a game with so many stars, Walker, Carter, McConnaughey, Holloway, Williams and Hebert, it was the guy no one expected who helped propel the Panthers to 8-4 and knock New Jersey back to 6-6. OAK 6 BIR 41—Call it a statement game. Birmingham just dominated the Oakland Invaders in every way possible on their way to a 35 point win. The Stallions rushed for over 200 yards, using 3 backs and led by Quarles, who is still trying to overtake Herschel Walker for the rushing title and who added 2 more scores to his league-leading total. The Stallion D was also dominant, holding Oakland’s vaunted passing game to only 204 yards and containing Alfred Whittington to a 2.6 yard average. It was an ugly win, but a much needed one for the Stalliions as they keep pace with Michigan for a possible wild card. ARZ 24 CHI 35—All good things must come to an end, and so was the Arizona Wrangler win streak. Having won 5 in a row after a miserable 0-6 start, the Wranglers ran into a 4-7 Blitz team that has never stopped playing hard for coach George Allen. The Blitz came out hot, scoring on 3 drives in the first quarter to roll up a 21-0 lead, and knocking Wrangler QB out of the game with a concussion on Arizona’s first series. The rest of the game was a battle of attrition, with Chicago playing more conservatively and Arizona’s Dan Manucci chucking the ball all over the field in an attempt to get back in it. The Wranglers outgained the Blitz by game’s end, but the all-important final tally was still a win for the homestanding Blitz. PHI 28 DEN 21—The Denver Gold put up a good fight, but were just not able to overtake the Philadelphia Stars in a game Philly had to have to keep pace in the Atlantic Division. Both teams were able to run the ball, with Sydney gaining 104 for Denver and Kelvin Bryant 117 for Philly. The difference in the game was on 3rd down, where Denver failed on 6 of 7 attempts to convert. This, along with an untimely fumble by Sydney, proved to be the difference in a close, hard fought game. With the loss, Denver falls to 6-6 but retains the lead in the Pacific Division, while Philly climbs to 8-4 with the win, keeping pace with Boston in the Atlantic. BOS 38 LA 10—Knowing that Philly had won in Denver earlier in the day was all the incentive the Breakers needed to take it to LA in front of a sparse crowd of less than 9,000 in the Coliseum. LA suffered their tenth defeat to only 2 wins as their 4 turnovers kept them from mounting a serious challenge to the Breakers. Boston, behind the wiles of veteran QB Johnnie Walton (303 yards and 3 scores) and a solid, if not spectacular game from Richard Crump, was able to buid a 28-3 lead by the early stages of the 3rd quarter, a lead that Tom Ramsey and the Express simply never challenged. With the win Boston keeps pace with Philly at 8-4 and LA joins Washington in the hunt for the first pick in next December’s Collegiate Draft.

In the season's 11th week, contenders start vying for possible playoff slots while the Wranglers win their 5th in a row and LA and Washington call it a year. CHI 18 BOS 22—Boston’s winning steak and Chicago’s losing streak met this week, and both just kept on rolling. The Breakers used timely defensive stops and just enough offense to overcome 4 turnovers and hold off the Blitz. In a game that saw Johnnie Walton throw 2 interceptions and lose a fumble, the Breakers were able to keep Chicago from capitalizing. Things got so frustrating for coach Allen of the Blitz that he removed Greg Landry from the game in the 4th quarter, but backup Tim Koegel could not fare any better. The loss dropped Chicago to 4-7 and quickly their playoff hopes are fading. For Boston, the win has the potential to move them into first, depending on what happened to Philly. BIR 34 PHI 31—In a game that had two playoff hopefuls trying to maintain their positions, it was the Stallions who found just enough to overtake the homestanding Stars. In a game in which Philly held a slight lead for most of the action, it was a Quarles TD run midway through the 4th quarter that would prove the difference. Quarles was the star of the day with 138 yards and 2 scores, allowing Bobby Lane to work play action passing for another 200 yards of offense. For Philly, Chuck Fusina had a couple of tough plays, including a deflected pass that was intercepted near the end of the game. The Stars’ loss drops them into a tie with the surging Breakers for first in the East, while Birmingham’s win could prove to be a valuable tie breaker as they seek the league’s one wildcard birth. LA 17 TBY 35—In a game that was over after 1 quarter, Tampa raced out to a 21-0 lead early on and then put it into cruise control against an overmatched LA Express. Three rapid-fire drives ended in 2 Gary Anderson TD runs and a Willie Gillespie 3 yard catch for a score and Tampa never looked back. Anderson would finish with 141 yards and 3 scores in a day which bolted him into the rushing leaders list. For reaves it was a pedestrian 165 yards on only 8 of 20 throwing, but it was enough. LA struggled despite Tom Ramsey going 30 of 40 throwing the ball. The loss assures that LA remains in last in the Pacific Division, while Tampa, with the win, keeps its 3 game lead over the Stallions and Panthers. DEN 9 MGN 35—Michigan kept pace with Birmingham for the wild card playoff spot with a dominant defensive performance against Pacific-leading Denver. Denver’s Ken Johnson was held to only 133 yards passing by a tenacious Panther D which also scored 5 sacks on the day. Led by John Corker’s 10 tackles and Ronnie Paggett’s 2 sacks, the Panthers simply did not give the Gold room to breathe. On offense, Bobby Hebert was pinpoint deadly with 5 TD passes, 1 TD for every 3 completions on the day. With Denver opting to blanket Anthony Carter, Derek Holloway had a big day with 92 yards receiving and 3 scores. Denver still holds the Pacific, but Arizona is charging hard, while Michigan keeps pace with Birmingham in the playoff race. WSH 20 ARZ 27—In a game the red hot Wranglers were actually favored to win, they did just that, holding off a tenacious Washington Federals team to take their 5th straight victory and move closer to Denver in the Pacific Division. In a pretty balanced game it was Alan Risher’s strong day which made the difference. Risher completed 90% of his passes, going 27 of 30 for 306 yards and 2 scores. On the Washington side, an ineffective Mike Hohensee was benched in favor of former starter Ken McQuilken, but it was the run game that kept the Feds in the game. Craig James had his best game in weeks, gaining 112 yards, while Curtis Bledsoe ran for another 42, including a 23 yard scamper for a score. Washington has now lost 9 in a row, with no clear sign of how to end the tailspin. NJ 36 OAK 28—Oakland was game, but in the end they just did not have enough to keep pace with the Generals. MVP candidate Hershel Walker had another big day, rushing for 130 yards and 2 scores, and the surging Maurice Carthon also contributed with 44 yards and a score. For Oakland, it was Whittington who carried the burden for the Invaders, rushing for 159 yards and a score. The win moved New Jersey over .500 while the loss dropped Oakland to 3-8 and out of the running for the division title.

Sporting News, May 22, 1983 If the NFL was not scared of the upstart USFL after their season kicked off 10 weeks ago, they sure are now. Only one month after the NFL held their Collegiate Draft the strategy of the USFL to offer their league as an alternative to the NFL Draft has paid off in full. Over the past weeks, the USFL has signed no fewer than 20 NFL draftees to league contracts, including six 1st round draft picks. After an NFL Draft which saw 6 teams pick potential franchise quarterbacks in the first round, the league must now face the realization that 3 of those 6 will be playing with the USFL next spring. The NFL is reeling, watching potential franchise players such as QB’s Jim Kelly, Todd Blackledge and Tony Eason defecting to the rival league. The USFL offered something the NFL would not, choice. While NFL teams drafted these collegiate stars to contracts with specific teams, the USFL, with expansion for 1984 still in the early stages, has signed all the players to league contracts, not team contracts. Players who signed were promised a choice from 3 competing bids from USFL teams, allowing players like Jim Kelly, who openly expressed disappointment when drafted by the Buffalo Bills, the option to sign with the coach and system they prefer, or the city they prefer. For now the players have signed contracts with the league, but it is expected that as soon as the 1984 expansion franchises for the USFL are finalized, teams will be able to make bids for each of the league signings, of course with the league salary cap and 3 exempt roster spots in mind. It is expected that early this summer these draft prospects will have the option to pick which of 3 USFL teams they wish to join almost certainly as a marquee player for that franchise. For Kelly, the prospect of being able to choose locations like Tampa, LA, or a potential expansion franchise in his hometown of Pittsburgh instead of being allocated to the Buffalo Bills and their Siberian winters, was the main reason he chose to sign with the USFL. For others, like wideout Willie Gault of Tennessee it was the option of choosing a USFL with an offensive coach instead of being sent to Chicago to work under Mike Ditka. Todd Blackledge could stay close to Happy Valley by signing with Philly, but may choose elsewhere so as to get a quicker path to the starting role. A defensive star like Arizona State’s Vernon Maxwell could even keep his current apartment in Tempe if he signs with the Arizona Wranglers. Not all the players who have made the jump are household names, but there is plenty of star power among these “defectors” to add more excitement about the future of the spring league and to put a good amount of fear into the hearts of NFL owners and GM’s. Included in the NFL Draft “defection” to the USFL are the following players (with their NFL round & team listed): QB Todd Blackledge, Penn State (1st round #7 KC) RB Michael Haddix, Mississippi State (1st round #8 PHI) WR Terry Kinard, Clemson (1st round #10 NYG) QB Jim Kelly, Miami (1st round #14 BUF) QB Tony Eason, Illinois (1st round #15 NE) WR Wilie Gault, Tennessee (1st round #18 CHI) LB Vernon Maxwell, Arizona St. (2nd round #29 BAL) WR Henry Ellard, Fresno St. (2nd round #32 LARm) DB Keith Bostic, Michigan (2nd round #42 HOU) RB Johnny Hector, Texas A&M (2nd round #51 NYJ) RB Richard Williams, Memphis (2nd round #46 WSH) DB Dave Duerson, Notre Dame (3rd round #64 CHI) TE Trey Junkin, La Tech (4th round #93 BUF) DE Greg Townsend, TCU (4h round #110 LARd) LB Kiki DeAyala, Texas (6th round, #152 CIN) QB Babe Laufenberg (6th round, #168 WSH)