Search this site

An interesting Wild Card weekend that saw two upsets and really only one game that was close. The Bulls and Stars got into a shootout and took it to overtime before a late TD decided the winner. But in other action Oakland simply dominated on the road in Houston in another great game for Ricky Williams. Chicago was too much for LA as they shut down Seneca Wallace. Finally, Orlando took the wind out of a rusty Jay Cutler in his playoff debut, winning their 8th in a row as they now head off to Memphis for the divisional rounds. Three home favorites win, and the Bulls join them as the 6 seed that no one wants to face. Here is how it went down, and what we might expect this week in the Divisional Round. JACKSONVILLE 40 PHILADELPHIA 34 OVERTIME The first game of the weekend was also the best game of the weekend as the Bulls and Stars battled into extra time before a winner was decided. From the very start this was a game where the defenses were simply overmatched. Both lead rushers had nearly identical numbers with Antowain Smith going for 95 and 2 scores and Ahman Green rushing for 2 scores and 92 yards. The difference, and it was not a huge one, was in the passing game, where Jake Delhomme racked up 357 yards, including 127 to Rashaun Woods and 124 more to break out star Donald Hayes. Philadelphia could not match that production, with Kurt Warner throwing for 201 and 2 scores. And yet, in a game that saw TDs from 4 different Stars and 3 different Bulls, the game was all knotted up after 60 minutes. Donald Hayes had put Jacksonville up 34-31 with only 56 seconds left, but the Stars found a way to get in range for Mike Nugent, and as time ran out the Stars’ kicker connected on a 52-yarder to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, Jacksonville would win the toss and take the ball, convinced that they needed to end the game without giving Philadelphia a shot. That meant scoring a TD on their first possession, and that is exactly what they did, moving the ball well, mixing up the run and the pass against a tired Stars defense. With just under 5 minutes gone in overtime, Antowain Smith put the nail in Philadelphia’s coffin, taking a pitch off the right tackle, evading the first tackler and sprinting to the corner. He would cross the plane just before being knocked out of bounds by the safety. The referees conferred, then called a TD to end the game. It, of course, went to review, but after only 93 seconds, the video confirmed the call on the field and Jacksonville had emerged victorious. OAKLAND 22 HOUSTON 3 Saturday afternoon’s matchup out west looked on paper like it might also be a close one, but the game played out with the Invaders dominating from the start. Ricky Williams and Jurious Norwood combined for 136 yards on the ground, and Joey Harrington avoided major mistakes as the Oakland Offense built up a 19-0 lead into the 4th quarter. Oakland’s defense was the surprise of the match as they landed 6 sacks of Matt Hasselbeck while the Houston combo of Pittman and Umenyiura failed to register even one takedown of Harrington. Houston managed only 222 total yards, largely due to the lack of consistent run game, and simply did not have the horses to come back from a 3-score deficit. Williams, whose lone TD was on a pass play gladly handed over the Game MVP trophy to Justin Smith, the Oakland DE who racked up 2 of Oakland’s sacks, including the 3rd quarter safety that gave them their 18th and 19th points. Oakland, the 6 seed, now moves on, but will not face the #1 seed, Seattle, due to an odd quirk in the USFL rules about divisional matchups. Oakland will face Ohio, while the winner of Sunday’s LA-Chicago game would head to Seattle. Don’t ask us to explain it, makes no sense to us. (IRL: Not sure why the computer program glitched on this, but for some reason it put #6 against #2 instead of #1, which is what we would have expected.) LOS ANGELES 17 CHICAGO 31 The second Western Conference showdown would be the earlier game on Sunday, and it would be neck and neck through one half, with LA getting an early TD from Maurice Jones-Drew, but Chicago adding 2nd quarter touchdowns from both starter Michael Turner and backup Maurice Clarett. It would be 17-10 Chicago at the half, and both Brady Quinn and Seneca Wallace looked like players who could handle the pressure. Quinn would get his first pro playoff TD in the 3rd quarter, connecting with Donald Driver to push the Chicago lead to 14 points at 24-10. He would add another with a second Driver connection early in the 4th to boost the lead to a deflating 31-10. LA was scrappy and Seneca Wallace got 7 back on a long 52-yard play to Tory Holt, the team’s designated speedster, but that is as close as it would get as Chicago simply clamped down on both ensuing LA possessions. The Machine take the 14-point win and move on to face their division rival, Ohio, in a rematch of many hard-fought games over the past 5 seasons. NASHVILLE 12 ORLANDO 22 The fourth and final game of Wild Card weekend saw the Knights head into Orlando. Jay Cutler would return from injury to start for Nashville, while Drew Brees would lead the red hot Orlando Renegades, winners of 7 in a row, into their first home playoff game since their 2001 Summer Bowl run. For most of the game the two teams trades scores, but while Nashville was kicking field goals, Orlando was mixing in scores by Justin McCaerins and Michael Jenkins. By the end of the third it was only 13-12, with Nashville scoring on 4 kicks while Orlando had 2 field goals and the McCaerins TD. Orlando was struggling with Frank Gore, who would finish the game with 129 yards rushing, but equally, Nashville was having trouble containing Sedrick Irvin, who would rush for 122. Orlando would get a huge break when Leon Johnson would take a Cutler swing pass at the 7, but before crossing the plane, he was hit by FS Kevin Williams and the ball squirted out, captured by cornerback Fernando Bryant. Instead of going up by 6, Nashville watched as Drew Brees took the newfound momentum and drove the Renegades 93 yards for a TD that pushed their lead to 8. They would add a safety 6 minutes later when a shotgun snap got away from Jay Cutler and the QB was forced to fall on the ball, touched down in the endzone by LB Al Wilson. Down by 10, Nashville simply had nothing left, and being forced to abandon the run played right into Orlando’s defensive scheme. Orlando would take the win and move on, winners now of 8 in a row. Just How Good is Bulls’ Offense? That is the question many are asking around the league after their 40-34 victory over Philadelphia. We are used to focusing on the offensive exploits of Ohio, Boston, maybe Seattle, but Jacksonville finished the year as the league’s top scoring offense as well as the #1 in yards and Top 10 in both passing and rushing. And that seems to be the key, balance. With Antowain Smith they have a 1,200 yard rusher so they can win in bad weather or in slow plodding games. But Jake Delhomme is also an efficient passer, the 5th rated passer in the league and capable of making defenses pay, as his 28 touchdowns (tied for 2nd with Brees, Favre and Leftwich) can attest. And there is depth on this Bulls roster. Behind Smith you have Travis Minor, an excellent 3rd down back who can turn a short dump off pass into a 15-20 yard gain. The Bulls have found an excellent complement to Rashaun Woods with the emergence of Donald Hayes. The two formed the only duo to both surpass 1,000 yards this year, with Woods at 1,097 and Hayes only slightly behind at 1,059. Jason Whitten also contributed 784 yards and 61 receptions in a break out year, and while his Week 14 injury means he is not available for the postseason, it certainly did not seem to slow down the Bulls at all, as they plugged in veteran Jeb Putzier to act as a safety valve. Is Jacksonville’s offense enough to take on and defeat the Boston Cannons, another offensive juggernaut? That is a question which will be answered next week, but with Tiki Barber unlikely to be able to play, it may be a much more one-sided Cannon offense trying to keep pace with Jacksonville’s balanced attack. Year of the Halfback? While no one has approached Herschel Walker’s USFL record of nearly 1,800 yards, this year’s crop of backs certainly made news across the league with their big numbers. In most seasons we have just a handful of 1,000 yard rushers, and certainly fewer than we see 1,000 yard receivers. And yet, in 2007 we have Williams sitting at 1,419 yards, and 11 players who surpassed 1,200 yards on the year. In total we saw 16 teams of the league’s 26 with 1,000 yard rushers, from veterans Terrell Davis and Eddie George to rookie Marshawn Lynch. Even Cedric Benson, who many are writing off as a draft bust, was able to tally 1,109 yards. Shaun Alexander, who always seems to fall short of the 1,000 yard mark, and who is now a free agent hoping to find a more amenable offense for his skills, also managed to top 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Just the simple fact that the league saw sixteen 1,000-yard rushers and only twelve 1,000-yard receivers is a shock to the system. When we consider that we had so many players over 1,200 yards in a 14-game season, then we really start to understand how much teams are looking to reestablish a solid run game as a feature of their offense. We are not sure what Mouse Davis thinks about this, but for fans of “good old fashioned football” this was a year to celebrate. Top Free Agents from 16 Non-Playoff Teams As we see each year, the end of the regular season means that any players in the final year of their contracts are now free agents, free to explore options when the Free Agency Period begins in 3 weeks and then to potentially negotiate with the NFL as well a week later, when the NFL-USFL Transfer Portal opens for one month. So, as we look at the 14 teams who did not qualify for this year’s postseason, we acknowledge that several key players may be on to greener pastures by October. Here is our list of the top free agents from each of the 14 non-playoff squads: ARZ: DE Chike Okeafor is probably the biggest name on the Wranglers list, though C Alex Stepanovich and LB Anthony Jordan are also significant names. Backup QB Andrew Walter struggled both last year and this season when called on, so it is no surprise that Arizona did not resign him. ATL: The 2006 expansion team has few contracts expiring this year, but one big one is SS Lance Schulters. The Fire had hoped to resign the centerfielder, but he is going to test the waters. BAL: The Blitz have a pretty veteran team and that often means players coming up on their contract year. LB Mike Maslowski, WR Eddie Kennison, and TE Daniel Graham are among 11 free agents on the Blitz squad. BIR: We already mentioned the big one, HB Shaun Alexander, who is hoping to parlay his first 1,000 yard season into a better deal with a team that simply utilizes him more fully. DT Ryan Sims and OT Nat Dorsey are two more veterans who will test the waters of free agency this year. DEN: The Gold have several big name free agents this year, though most are in their 30’s and looking for just a couple more seasons. DE Marcellus Wiley is a bit of a surprise on the list, while TE Lonnie Johnson could be a big loss for the Gold. Expect OT Jason Odom and OG Floyd Womack to also get a lot of looks as teams hope to improve their O-lines. LV: Halfback Chris Perry was highly touted coming out of Michigan, but he now finds himself without a contract and hoping to find a 3rd team. DT Nick Eason and kicker Mike Vanderjagt are two players Las Vegas hopes they can still sign, but both could also find lucrative deals elsewhere. MGN: The Panthers continue to look for a solid run game and it looks like they are ready to let long-time Breaker Troy Davis go. Others who could find homes quickly include guard Chris Liwienski, FB Rick Razzano, and DT Grady Jackson. Finally, one time first rounder, WR Charles Rogers, has simply not produced in the pros and now is without a team. NJ: The Generals are parting ways with longtie safety Brian Dawkins. Hoping to shed some cap space they have also let guard Chad Ward and CB Andre Woolfork hit free agency. They had hoped to resign HB James Jackson, but the elusive back has opted to try to find a home where he might be a featured back. NOR: There is a lot of rebuilding to do in New Orleans, and a lot of cap space to clear, so the Breakers are allowing one-time team leader Az-Zahir Hakeem test the waters. Along with AZH we find LB Craig Powell, QB Todd Boumann, andDE Reggie Hayward. PIT: Offensive line could be a concern for the Maulers if both tackle Korey Stringer and guard Chuck Johnson depart. Both are 35, so perhaps a youth movement is the idea for Coach Rivera. Also departing are DE Cedric Harden and FS Shaunard Harts. STL: Our other 2006 expansion club also has only a short list of players with expired contracts, but among them is WR Drew Bennett, who has shown some flashes. TBY: With more free agents than any other team (14), the Bandits could look a lot different next year. The big one, and we mean big, is Randy Moss, who has had his issues with the offense in Tampa since 2001. He is going to fetch a huge price if someone wants to pull him away from Tampa Bay, and you know many will try. Others on the Tampa Bay garage sale lot include HB Autrey Denson, WR Kevin Johnson, G Damion Cook, and QB Koy Detmer. TEX: Among the Outlaws seeking a better situation we find center Shaun O’Hara, perhaps the best interior lineman available this year. We also see 35-year old CB Jimmy Hitchcock and 34-year old DE Bob Kuberski, both of whom may find it hard to get a team to bite. QB Jeff George is a bit of a surprise, but many saw the writing on the wall as he has had nothing but issues with coach Norv Turner. WSH: Hard to believe, but Washington has allowed corner Charles Woodson join the free agency pool. Woodson is a top tier talent and could get signed even before the NFL gets a shot at him. Others who Washington has allowed to lapse into a contractless situation include WR Andre Davis, TE Bubba Franks, OT Stacy Andrews, punter Michael Barnes, and OT Melvin Tuten. As we look ahead to the 4 divisional games, we have 4 more teams entering the playoff arena, and 4 teams hoping that injuries from the Wild Card round don’t put them at a disadvantage. ORLANDO @ MEMPHIS Both clubs are really quite healthy. The main issue for Memphis is wideout Lee Evans, who is listed as doubtful. For Orlando, they know Cortland Finnegan and Sedrick Clark are out, but expect the rest of the team to make the trip up to BBQ country. JACKSONVILLE & BOSTON The Bulls will be without center Mike Echols and that could be a meaningful loss, particularly for their run game. Boston, however, has perhaps the worst “missing” player of any team still alive. It was hoped that Tiki Barber would be back, ready to go this week after missing Week 14 and sitting out the bye week, but he is just not ready yet, and is listed as out. Also out for Boston is DT Casey Hampton, a departure that certainly weakens the Boston run defense. OAKLAND @ OHIO The Glory are in very good shape. The only name on their injury list was FS Mike Doss, and he was listed as probable, so the Invaders are going to face a fully-stocked Glory squad. For Oakland, the only new injury is guard Ruben Brown, listed questionable with an ankle injury. He gets added to WR Kevin Dyson (OUT), CB Brian Austin (OUT), and tackle Kwame Harris (Q). CHICAGO @ SEATTLE The Machine look ready. No new injuries this week and two players come off the injury report, leaving only LB Tommy Polley and guard Sean Locklear as non-participants. For Seattle, a bit messier, with Darren Sproles listed as questionable with a knee issue. SS John Keith and C Mike Flynn both appear on the injury list, but both are “Probable” this week. Finally, WR Darnerian McCants is out, which means even more pressure on David Boston to get open. St. Louis To Interview Four Finalists After firing Art Shell midseason, the St. Louis Skyhawks got a bit of a head start on the hunt for a new head coach. So it should be no surprise that while Birmingham is just getting started, the Skyhawks have already gotten their list down to four finalists, all of whom are scheduled to visit the facilities and meet with ownership over the next week. So, who are the four coaches hoping to revive football in the Gateway City? Well, three of the four will be familiar to USFL fans, and one would be coming over from the NFL. Mike Martz served as the Head Coach in Michigan from 2001-2003 before being jettisoned for Dick LeBeau. Known as an offensive innovator who favors a wide open pass-happy style, Martz had some issues with Michigan’s more straight-laced ownership, and he just did not get the results fans wanted in his 3 years either. He did help usher Drew Brees into the league, but his flamboyant personality and wide open style also led to a lot of criticism. Is St. Louis a better fit for him and his spread offense? Gunther Cunningham is also looking for his second USFL job, after having led the Bulls from 1999 through 2004. Cunningham had some success in Jacksonville, but could not get the Bulls over the hump and was replaced by Brad Childress after 5 seasons. More of a defensive-minded coach, Cunningham is not the guy you want if you are trying to develop a young QB. So, the question if you hire him is where do you find a veteran to lead the offense so GC can focus on the D? The third candidate is not as well-known to USFL fans. He is former NFL tight end and current OC of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Mike Tice. Tice had served as head coach of the NFL Vikings from 2002-2005 after taking over as interim head coach midway through the 2001 season. He goth the Vikings to the playoffs in 2004 and had two 9-win seasons with them, but was let go after the 2005 season despite posting a 9-5 record. A “players coach”, Tice is more of a rah-rah guy than a play designer or scheme guy. Finally, a blast from the past as former Jacksonville, Oklahoma, and Texas Outlaw QB Doug Williams has been invited to come to St. Louis to interview. Williams was, of course, an All-USFL quarterback in his time. He has since been coaching at the college level, most recently at his alma mater, Grambling, and working from time to time with his short-lived NFL team, the Washington Redskins. Hiring Williams likely means focusing a bit more on the QB position, which could mean looking for a rookie to come in and take over for Josh McCown. Certainly not the most experienced coach, Williams is, however, well-versed in USFL style and the subtle differences between the spring game and the NFL’s fall version of the sport. Four intriguing options for the Skyhawks. Expect them to make an announcement sooner rather than later, since the Expansion Draft comes up quickly in October, and free agency even sooner. As for Birmingham, they may be willing to play this slow, working with their GM in charge and hoping to snag a new head coach when the NFL/USFL window opens in early 2008. Of course, we say that and next week they will sign someone. Who knows? #3 Orlando (9-5) @ #2 Memphis (10-4) This should be a really good one. Two of the league’s most exciting quarterbacks go head to head, with Brees leading a red hot Orlando squad that has now won 8 in a row, while Memphis is led by former MVP and everyone’s favorite gunslinger, Brett Favre. You know the ball will be in the air a lot in this one, but the difference may be in which underrated back has the better day. Will it be Cadillac Williams for the Showboats or Sedrick Irvin for the Renegades. Getting a run game going means less pressure on the QB, which certainly could help either of these teams get the advantage. OUR PICK: We are going to go with the hot hand. No one has been playing better all around team football the past several weeks than the Orlando Renegades. We are taking the upset in Memphis and picking the ‘Gades. Renegades 27 Showboats 24. #4 Chicago (10-4) @ #1 Seattle (13-1) A bit of a contrast in styles here, though both teams would love to ride their lead back as much as possible. Michael Turner quietly had himself a 1,200 yard season, while Corey Dillon is just as dangerous as ever. Looking over the two teams, Chicago certainly has the defensive edge, and they can put pressure on the QB, which could make life tough for Byron Leftwich. But, then again, everyone has tried to put pressure on Leftwich and Seattle still won 13 of 14 games this year. The Dragons are rested, relatively healthy, and ready to go. OUR PICK: You don’t get to 13-1 by accident. Seattle is a tough out from top to bottom, and we see their ceiling as being higher than that of the Machine, so we are going with the #1 seed to make it through to the Conference Title Game. Seattle 23 Chicago 20. #6 Jacksonville (8-6) @ #1 Boston (11-3) We would be all over Boston if Tiki Barber were going to play, but without him, they could be in a heap of trouble. Jacksonville has the #1 offense in the league and they can hurt you in about 7 different ways. They are not overreliant on any one player, so if you take away Woods, they turn to Antowain Smith. Contain Smith, and they look at Donald Hayes. Yes, Jason Whitten’s absence is a big one, but not as big as Barber’s absence from the Cannon roster. OUR PICK: Without Barber to balance the offense, we just think Boston is susceptible here. We are picking another upset and saying Jacksonville 27 Boston 20. #6 Oakland (8-6) @ #2 Ohio (11-3) We like what Dennis Green is doing in Oakland. The Invaders have changed their identity from a pass-happy squad to a smashmouth squad almost overnight. Ricky Williams is about as hot as any player in the league, with a huge 2nd half. But, we are not fools. Ohio, despite losing 3 games this year, is still the total package on offense. Collins may not be the MVP this year, a down year for him, but he can still light it up when needed. Same goes for Galloway and George. As long as that trio is intact, we think Ohio is just too much for a plucky Oakland squad. OUR PICK: We are going with the favorite here, Ohio 31 Oakland 24

A wild week to be a fan in the USFL. From the drama of “Win & In” games to constant scoreboard watching, the 2007 season came down to a wild, action packed conclusion. Four playoff spots were on the line with simultaneous games impacting each other and teams’ fates rising and falling with practically every score of every game. Yes, there were some teams resting starters, and yes, some teams clearly were just trying to get to the offseason, but with so many clubs trying to determine either their playoff fate or their seeding, there was a lot happening this week. We start it off with what ended up being a very real pre-playoff playoff game as Oakland and Denver battled with only the winner likely to make the postseason. OAKLAND 17 DENVER 15 The scenario was pretty clear for the Denver Gold, win this game and you win the Southwest Division and set up a Wild Card playoff game at Invesco Field the following week. For Oakland, they would need a win to have any chance at a Wild Card, but would also need either LA or Las Vegas to lose to be ensured a spot. So, while Denver had to concentrate on the field Dennis Green had to remind his players to focus on the game and not the scoreboard, because if Oakland could not take care of business, the scores in other games did not matter. Oakland got off to a good start, dominating the opening quarter of the game. They started the game with a 5-minute drive, moving the ball in fits and starts, but still moving the ball. Helped by 2 Denver penalties, Oakland drove the ball into the red zone and Ricky Williams did the rest. On three straight carries he took the ball from the 17 to the 14, then to the 10, and then into the endzone on a bruising run that included a push in the back from his fullback to get him over the line and in for six. Oakland was on the board first. They would hold Denver on the Gold’s first possession, and 3 minutes later Joe Nedney would put the Invaders up by 10 with a 46-yarder that would have been good from 56. Denver rebounded in the second quarter, scoring on two consecutive drives, but both off the foot of Mason Crosby. Matt Leinart was struggling to find his outside receivers against Oakland’s zone coverages, forced to look inside or for short crossing patterns. Thanks to a couple of good runs form Curtis Benson, the Gold managed to get in field goal range on both occasions, and fortunately the defense started to find some solutions for Oakland’s attack, and that allowed Denver to go into the half down only 4, 10-6. The third quarter belonged to Ricky Williams. Oakland’s main man rushed the ball 12 times in the quarter, half of his 24 carries on the day, and gained 70 of his 127 yards in the quarter as well. Oakland seemed content to play a slow-paced game as long as they could keep getting first downs, and while they only scored on one drive, Williams from 5-yards out, they managed to possess the ball for 9 of the quarter’s 15 mnutes. A missed 48-yarder from Nedney could have given them a 14-point lead but coming out of the third up 11 was certainly not a bad position for the Invaders. Denver had 15 minutes to save their season, and they clearly knew it. On defense the Gold tightened their run defense up and prevented Williams from taking over the game down the stretch. On offense, they went for a change, a surprise move by Coach Jauron, as he benched Matt Leinart and put in Derreck Anderson. The results were immediate. Anderson got the Gold into field goal range by hitting Anquon Boldin and Peerless Price with back to back out routes that had eluded Leinart all game. Denver got back within 8 with the Crosby kick, his third of the game, but they would need a touchdown and a 2-point PAT to tie the game up. Oakland would help Denver’s cause. Following the Gold score the Invaders, feeling pressure to expand the lead once again, took a risk on a 1st and 10 and Joey Harrington paid the price. Faking the ball to Williams, he sent a deep ball out towards Plaxico Burress, but the route was undercut by CB Tory James, who barely got both feet in bounds to bring in the pick. It was just the break the Gold needed. Set up at the Oakland 47, they had only half a field to go to try to even up the game. Anderson would connect with Kassim Osgood on his next pass, gaining 16 on a simple slant route. Runs by Benson (who finished the game with 77 yards on 14 carries) got them closer, then a connection with Peerless price on a 3rd and 3 brought them to the 7-yard line. Anderson then connected with Anquon Boldin on what began as a slant, but was quickly turned back outside, leaving the Invader corner out of position. Boldin brought in the ball and Denver was down by only 2. As the 2-minute break hit, the Gold huddled along the sideline to hear the offensive call for the PAT. The Invaders did the same with Coach Green on their sideline. Anderson is not a very mobile QB, so the threat of the bootleg run-pass option was not really on the table. It would likely be a shotgun formation play with an attempt at a rub or pick on one of the outside receivers. That was the theory put forward by the Oakland coaches. They called it correctly, and reminded the DB’s of the importance of switching off on receivers if they saw that kind of movement. Denver called exactly what Oakland anticipated, and when the corner and safety swapped duties instead of running into each other, it spelled doom for the initial play call. Anderson tried to connect with Osgood on his outbreaking route, but corner Alphonso Hodge did not rub off when crossing with safety Pearson Prioleau, he switched to Osgood, and when the ball got to the diminutive receiver, Hodge was right there to knock it away. Down 2 after the failed PAT, Denver had no choice but to go with the onside kick. Recovered by Oakland’s Joel Dreesen, it would mean that the Gold, with exactly 2 minutes to play, would need to stop the Invaders and hope to get the ball back with enough time to maneuver into field goal range for Mason Crosby. They would not get that chance. Ricky Williams drove a dagger into the hearts of the nearly 55,000 Gold faithful at Invesco Field, when, on a 2nd and 8 he found a gap in the left side, broke a tackle and plunged ahead for 9 yards. It was enough to allow the Invaders to kneel down on their next 2 snaps and take home the win. But while Denver could look up at the scores shown on the Jumbotron and see that Houston was handily beating Texas, a result that killed all hopes of a Gold playoff spot, the Invaders looked up to the screen and could only see that Las Vegas and Tampa Bay were knotted up at 17 and headed to overtime. They would have to wait to see if they would be dancing next week. TEXAS 8 HOUSTON 41 Houston had indeed made short work of the Texas Outlaws, hopeful that Oakland could do their part to bump the Gamblers into the SW Division title. Leading 24-8 at the half, the Gambler players spent a good deal of the second half watching and commenting on the Oakland-Denver score. Matt Hasselbeck had thrown 2 touchdowns, and Kevin Faulk was on his way to a 97-yard, 2 score day as well as the Gamblers routed their in-state rivals, who, having started Dan Orlovsky in place of the injured Jeff George, had barely put up a fight. Houston’s ticket was punched when Denver failed on the 2-pointer and the onside kick. The Gamblers would be champions of the Southwest Division and would host a Wild Card game at NRG Stadium next week. LAS VEGAS 17 TAMPA BAY 20 Oakland’s chance to make the playoffs now hinged on Las Vegas. The Thunder began the day in the 6th position, and a win would lock up their Wild Card hopes. But Tampa Bay played them tough all day. Koy Detmer got the start as the team was still concerned about Culpepper’s health. Detmer hit Karl Williams for an early score and the Bandits got another score from Willis McGahee, and took a 17-3 lead into the half. Las Vegas rallied beind Marshawn Lynch’s 90 yards and got two touchdowns in the second half to even the score and send the game into overtime. But, in the final period, the Las Vegas offense could not get on the board, and when Dorsey hit Roscoe Parrish with a 25-yard strike, it placed the Bandits in range for kicker Nate Kaeding, and the Bandit kicker drove a stake into the heart of Thunder faithful, connecting on a 34-yard field goal to win the game and knock the Thunder out of the playoffs. Nate Kaeding became a hero to Invader fans as his kick propelled the Invaders to the playoffs for the 2nd time in 3 years. LOS ANGELES 13 CHICAGO 24 The final Wild Card spot in the West was LA’s to own. A win and they were unchallenged for the #5 seed, but a loss meant that they would need Las Vegas to lose as well. Holding tie breakers over all the other 7-6 clubs, they could lose and still get in as long as Las Vegas finished 7-7. As they played against the Chicago Machine, who still had hopes for the Central Division title, it became clear that Chicago would win the game. The Machine rattled off 21 quick points to take a commanding lead, led by rookie Brady Quinn’s 21 of 24 passing day. Los Angeles tried to rally, but never got within 1 score of the Machine, so their fate rested with the Thunder. They too became huge fans of Nate Kaeding, because Tampa’s overtime victory meant that LA were through as the 5 seed despite the loss in their finale. For Chicago, their hopes of stealing away the Central crown would depend on Ohio’s score. OHIO 30 ARIZONA 7 The Ohio Glory did not oblige Chicago. Facing a 2-11 Wrangler squad, the Glory took care of business early and coasted to a comfortable 23-point win and the Central Division title. A pick six of Plummer and touchdowns from Stephen Alexander and Eddie George were more than enough to give Ohio the title and the first round bye as the 2 seed in the West. Chicago would have to settle for the #4 seed and a home Wild Card game. PHILADELPHIA 10 BALTIMORE 33 Baltimore was another team that needed to watch the scoreboard, as they would need a win and a Jacksonville loss to make the postseason at 7-6-1. Playing a Philadelphia squad that kept Kurt Warner under center but rested league rushing leader Ahman Green and top wideout Steve Smith, they would get the W they needed. Ron Dayne would run for 111 and 2 scores and Chris Crocker would run back a Warner pick to help Baltimore do their part. But they too had to watch the scoreboard to see if Nashville would help them out by knocking out the Bulls. NASHVILLE 13 JACKSONVILLE 33 Baltimore’s hopes were quickly dashed as the Bulls took command at home of a Nashville squad that already had their Wild Card spot in hand. With Rick Mirer given the start instead of the still-recovering Jay Cutler, the Knights just did not have a lot of punch in them. The decision to rest Frank Gore made the result all but inevitable. Jacksonville rolled to a 20-point win behind 104 yards from Antowain Smith and 3 TD tosses from Jake Delhomme. The Bulls, and not the Blitz would be in the playoffs as Jacksonville jumped up to the 5 seed, sending Nashville to a Wild Card matchup with Orlando in Round 1. BIRMINGHAM 13 ORLANDO 37 Don’t look now, but the Orlando Renegades may just be the best team in the league. After losing their first 4 games, Orlando has gone 9-1 since, winning 7 in a row after knocking off the Birmingham Stallions by 24 points. Drew Brees threw for only 149 yards in this one before being pulled for Matt Cassel, but his 3 touchdowns made it clear that Orlando had the game won. Sedrick Irvin rushed for 118 and Justin McCaerins racked up 105 in the air as Birmingham, who started Anthony Wright at QB, were clearly overmatched. Orlando would now host the Knights in next week’s Wild Card round. ST. LOUIS 17 MICHIGAN 48 With the results coming in from other games, it became clear by the 4th quarter that Michigan’s slim chances for a Wild Card had been dashed already, but the Panthers played like their season was on the line. They absolutely mauled a Skyhawk squad that has not played a competitive game in weeks. Brian Griese threw for 4 scores and 356 yards against a spent Skyhawk D, but it was to no avail as the Panthers finish the year 8-6, but out of contention on tie breakers. BOSTON 9 NEW JERSEY 10 Boston rested Drew Bledsoe and Chad Ochocinco, and with Tiki Barber out with an injury, the Cannons simply were not themselves as they finished out the year with a lackluster performance against the Generals. Kevin Kolb, in his third start for New Jersey, logged his third win, but looked mediocre in doing so, tossing two picks and completing 14 of 23 on the day. A third quarter James Jackson run would be the game winner as both teams seemed to take it a bit easy in the 4th as the season wrapped up for the Generals and Boston tried to avoid any further injuries going into their bye week. NEW ORLEANS 0 ATLANTA 33 In a game that could only impact draft order, Atlanta had no issues with a Breaker team that has simply given up this year. Mike Nolan will have a chance to rebuild next year, but a lot is going to have to change for the Breakers to return to winning form. For Atlanta, a 6-8 finish is only 1 game off of last year’s amazing Wild Card run as an expansion club, so it is back to the drawing board for Coach Gruden and the Fire. WASHINGTON 14 PITTSBURGH 23 Finally, the Maulers take this matchup of underwhelming squads to finish the year with a win and a 6-8 record. Washington falls to 4-10, their second consecutive 4-10 season after a long run without a losing year. Deuce McCallister finished strong, with 113 yards and a TD as Washington’s lone bright spot, and Pittsburgh saw good things in mid-season acquisition DeShaun Foster, who finished with 92 yards and a score. Playoff Matchups Set We have our playoff matchups and seeds after fourteen long and arduous weeks of action. As we knew going into the week Boston, Memphis, and Seattle would get a bye and much-desired rest. Ohio, after their win this week, would join them as the #2 seed in the West. The third place division winners would be Orlando in the East and Houston in the West. They will both host the #6 seeds, Nashville and Oakland. The other Wild Card games will feature Jacksonville visiting the Philadelphia Stars and the LA Express headed to Chicago to face the Machine. We will preview the 4 Wild Card games a bit later on, but let’s take a quick look at all 12 playoff teams now, exploring their strengths and weaknesses. SEATTLE (13-1, West #1 Seed) To say that Seattle has been dominant this year seems obvious. You don’t come 1 game away from a perfect season without being solid in every phase. Sporting a balanced offense that finished the season as the #2 scoring offense and #2 yardage offense in the league certainly helps. Adding in at Top 10 rush defense and scoring defense means you are likely to win a lot of games. If Seattle has a weakness it may be that David Boston dominates as a receiver. Now, that does not sound weak, but the issue is that there is no solid #2 option for Byron Leftwich. Jeramy Stephens is the #2 target at TE. With Darnerien McCants out with injury, the #2 wideout is Reggie Brown, who had 10 receptions on the year. That could be an issue if Seattle faces a team that is capable of doubling up Boston and containing HB Corey Dillon. BOSTON (11-3, East #1 Seed) Boston would likely be a clear cut favorite to come out of the east, except for one problem, they are limping into the playoffs without the key to their offense, Tiki Barber, on the field. While there is some speculation that Barber could be back by the Divisional Playoff, when Boston hosts their first game, but even if he is, he is likely to be well under 100% that soon. So this Boston team needs a plan B if they want to look like the team that went 11-3 in the tough NE Division. With the 14th ranked defense, it may all fall on Drew Bledsoe and Chad Ochocinco to get them to the next round, when Barber could be more of a factor. OHIO (11-3, West #2 Seed) The Glory are again looking like a major contender. They have a Top 5 offense and a Top 10 defense, exactly the combo that helped them win back to back titles in 2002 and 2003. They are a bit older now, which means that neither Galloway or George are quite as explosive, but they are still a very dangerous team. If they have a weakness, it is their run defense, which has proven vulnerable to dynamic backs. That could be an issue if they find themselves facing Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew, or Ricky Williams, but those teams would have to deal with Ohio’s offense as well, so they still should be favored in any Divisional round matchup. MEMPHIS (10-4, East #2 Seed) The arrival of Brett Favre in Memphis has turned a mediocre squad into one of the most dangerous teams in the playoff picture. While statistically they rank between 10th and 15th in a lot of categories, thy do boast an explosive offense and a ball hawking defense. Their receiving corps is not well known, but it is effective, with Ferguson, Martin, and Lee Evans providing Favre with solid targets. Cadillac Williams is not an elite back, but used correctly he can be effective. The Defense is a bit more concerning, but if they can generate turnovers, which they did 23 times this year, they can be very dangerous indeed. ORLANDO (9-5, East #3 Seed) We said it earlier. Orlando, on a 9-1 tear, is playing like the best team in the league right now. Drew Brees has picked up Emmitt Thomas’s offense and is a master conductor of the symphony. The talent around him does not have a lot of star power, but they are getting the job done. Sedrick Irvin has quietly racked up 1,207 yards on the ground, Justin McCaerins finished the regular season with over 1,000 yards receiving and he is only the #2 receiver behind Michael Jenkins. The defense ranks 6th in yards allowed and is particularly tough against the run. Orlando could make a deep run. Their main weakness is on pass defense, where pressure is the key to their success. If they cannot get to the opposing QB, their secondary is vulnerable. HOUSTON (8-6, West #3 Seed) By the skin of their teeth. That is the only way to describe how the Gamblers won the Southwest Division. Basically a missed 2-point conversion by Denver got them in. So what do we say about Houston? Well, Matt Hasselbeck is dangerous at QB, and he has solid receivers in Ike Hilliard, Koren Robinson and the TE combo of Vernon Davis and Dan Campbell. The run game is still a bit of an albatross for them, and the defense, while ranked in the Top 10 is not dominant, but do not ignore league sack leader Kavika Pittman or you will be in a world of hurt. CHICAGO (10-4, West #4 Seed) The Machine look like another team that can compete with the big boys. Despite being led by a rookie at QB, Chicago boasted the 8th best scoring offense. Brady Quinn’s numbers were not “jump off the page” but they, along with Michael Turner at HB, did enough to build leads and then turn things over to the Machine’s nasty D. Brian Urlacher and Anthony Weaver lead a hard-hitting, in your face defense, but they are not alone. While Weaver finished with 15 sacks, his opposite, Israel Rayborn, had another 11, and there are plenty of hard hitters all across the starting 11. The weakness for the Machine seems to be pass coverage, as teams that can protect their QB’s can find success going against the 2-deep zones Chicago loves to employ. PHILADELPHIA (9-5, East #4 Seed) The Stars can look fabulous one week and mediocre the next. The key seems to be their 3rd rated run game. When Ahman Green is running downhill (which is most weeks), they are tough to beat. Kurt Warner is a master at play action and his accuracy, when given time, is the best in the league. But, if you can pressure Warner and limit Green, the Stars are vulnerable. Their defense is also solid, but has given up some big games to some of the league’s better backs. This is a team that could make a run all the way to the Summer Bowl, or fall in the Wild Card round. JACKSONVILLE (8-6, East #5 Seed) With a 1,200 yard rusher in Antowain Smith, and a 3,500 yard passer in Jake Delhomme, the Bulls finished the year as the #1 offense in yardage and the #3 offense in scoring. That should scare folks. With Donald Hayes coming on this year to be a true #2 to Rashaun Woods, the Bulls have the balance on offense that they have lacked in the past. Their biggest issue is on defense, where they rank 14th against the pass and 19th against the run. So, expect a shootout and hope you can get just enough stops or just enough turnovers and you can take out the Bulls. Fail to do that and they can run you out of town. LOS ANGELES (8-6, West #5 Seed) The Express are a very hard team to figure. They have the 23rd run game in the league (Why again did they trade away DeShaun Foster?) and Seneca Wallace is not going to light you up. Their defense is solid, but they will give up yards. If the game is in the teens or twenties, LA can be right there, but if you can get your offense going against their pass rush, you can outpace them and get the W. OAKLAND (8-6, West #6 Seed) It took some Week 14 drama to get Oakland into the postseason, but now that they are here, can they do some damage? Honestly, that all seems to depend on one man, Ricky Williams. The Invaders have the #1 rushing offense in the league, averaging 145 yards a game, and most of that is Williams, who rushed for 1,419 this season. If you can contain Williams you can beat Oakland, it just seems to be that simple. But who can contain Williams for 4 quarters? That is the hard part. NASHVILLE (7-6-1, East #6 Seed) The Knights sit between 10th and 20th in basically every category, very appropriate for a team that is 1 tie game away from a .500 record. What do they do well? They run the ball with Frank Gore. Plain and simple. Shorten the game. Keep pressure off of Jay Cutler (who is expected back from injury this week) and have their defense on the field as little as possible. The defense is not horrible, but they do have a propensity to give up big plays, and in the playoffs that is not a trait you want in a defense. Draft Order of First 16 Picks Set With the regular season over, we have our draft order set, at least through the first 16 picks. The league also announced today that Charlotte had won the coin toss and will have the #1 pick in the first round (and all odd rounds thereafter) while Portland would pick third (and then first in even rounds). So, as we look at the first round of the draft, who needs what and who is going to be looking for immediate improvement. 1. CHARLOTTE: At this point, with zero players on the roster, Charlotte needs everything. We won’t know what their draft looks like until after free agency and the Expansion Draft, but if they are going just on talent, the best prospect may be Michigan tackle Jake Long, assuming the Panthers don’t select him in the T-Draft. 2. NEW ORLEANS: Mike Nolan returns in 2008, but will Eli Manning? That is the $10,000,000 question. If Manning is given another year to develop, then the Breakers are likely to look for a HB here, but if not, they could take a shot on Delaware’s Joe Flacco here. 3. PORTLAND: Like Charlotte, we have no idea what the need will be by Draft Day because we have no idea what talent will be on the roster by then. Again looking at talent alone, we could see Portland go defense with DE Chris Long or Vernon Gholston here. 4. ST. LOUIS: The Skyhawks have not started well as an expansion club, 4-24 in two seasons. They are not set at QB or HB, but their defense also needs a lot of help. We could see them trade down to get more picks, as they did last year, but if they don’t, they could certainly go for some defensive muscle at #3. 5. ARIZONA: Just pick a back. Seriously. How long can one team go without realizing they need a dominant running back? If they can get Darren McFadden out of Arkansas, they absolutely should. 6. WASHINGTON: Losing Kordell Stewart for the year clearly had a negative impact on the Feds’ chances, but the defense also struggled, so adding an impact player, particularly on the D-Line could be paramount. How about DT Glenn Dorsey from LSU? 7. TEXAS: A lot will depend on if Jeff George is done, as many indicators seem to be signalling. IF that is the case then making a run at either Joe Flacco or BC’s Matt Ryan may be the order of the day. 8. TAMPA BAY: This is a team with a lot of talent but horrible results this year. If Daunte Culpepper is back in form next year, the #1 order of business will be protection, so a player like Jake Long or Boise State’s Ryan Clady may be the way to go. 9. BIRMINGHAM: It seems clear that whoever the new coach is, he will be under orders to find a better option at QB. Jason Campbell has just not shown enough and the Stallions cannot feel good about going into the year with Anthony Wright as the starter. Will Birmingham trade up to try to get Flacco or Ryan, or will they settle on a 3rd option like Brian Brohm of Louisville? 10. PITTSBURGH: The Maulers have some good pieces. QB and HB seem settled, and Coach Rivera has put a lot into the defense in the past 2 drafts, so what is needed? Either a gamebreaking receiver or some line help for the Maulers seems right. How about a tackle? 11. NEW JERSEY: Kevin Kolb did not look like the next Favre, but he did enough to win all three starts, so if that is enough to impress Coach Romell he can focus on improving the New Jersey defense. A quality speed linebacker would be a huge help. We like Jerod Mayo out of Tennessee if he is available. 12. ATLANTA: Terrell Davis seems ageless, but he clearly isn’t, so getting a handcuff back to help reduce his workload would be a good move here. How about a speedy back like Matt Forte out of Tulane to create a Thunder & Lightning combo? 13. DENVER: The Gold may not be ready for prime time, but they have a pretty solid roster top to bottom. Who they lose in the Expansion Draft may likely determine what they do here. 14. LAS VEGAS: Jerry Glanville needs to start paying attention to the offense. His D is solid, but the production of Steve “Air” McNair has been underwhelming. It seems clear that McNair has hit the wall and a new QB should be a top priority, even if it is one who sits to start the year. 15. BALTIMORE: QB is not the issue in Baltimore. They are solid there, but man, oh, man do they need to upgrade the receiving corps. When Eddie Kennison is your #1 you have issues. They drafted Ted Ginn Jr. last year, so maybe pair him with a tall, 50/50 ball type of receiver to diversify the offense. How about Michigan State’s Devin Thomas? 16. MICHIGAN: The Brian Griese Revival was a huge hit for the Panthers, but their run game is still pretty sad. They can solve that in this draft, which has several solid “big backs” to choose from: McFadden, Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall, or Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart could all play that role and take some pressure off the passing game. Looking at the upcoming Wild Card matchups, injuries could play a major factor for several teams. Whether some key players are ready to return or others are dealing with new issues, no team is without some injury news, but some are going to be cobbling together plans more than others. NASHVILLE v. ORLANDO Jay Cutler will be back, and that is great news for the Knights, but his main protector, Jason Fabini, is out, and that could negate the benefit of having QB1 back in action. For Orlando the only new issue is HB Najeh Davenport, who is questionable for this one. JACKSONVILLE @ PHILADELPHIA The Bulls are one of the healthiest teams in the postseason field, but their one definite “Out” is a big one, TE Jason Whitten. As for Philly, they will be without LB Quintin Caver, TE Roland Williams, and RT Todd Wade. So, what we have here is two teams without their #1 TE, so expect a lot of three receiver sets. OAKLAND @ HOUSTON The Gamblers wish that Roy Williams was available, but he is not. What may be more problematic when facing the Invaders is that CB Ronde Barber is likely a gametime decision. For Oakland, 3rd WR Kevin Dyson is out and LT Kwame Harris as well. Expect a lot of 2-back, 2 WR sets, maybe even some 2-TE sets to try to focus the offense on Ricky Williams and protect Joey Harrington. LOS ANGELES @ CHICAGO The issue for LA is at linebacker, where both Akin Ayodele and Lofa Tatupu will miss this one. That is tough when you are facing a team like Chicago that wants to pound Michael Turner in the middle. For Chicago, FB Alan Ricard will be a game time decision, so if he cannot go, expect them to use more 1-back than usual. BLACK MONDAY As Black Monday’s go, this one was surprisingly calm. Several coaches who we felt were very much on the precipice were spared while coordinators took the brunt of the damage. That is not to say that all 26 USFL coaches survived. We had lost Art Shell at midseason in St. Louis, and it was clear that Rob Ryan would not get the permanent position when he went winless on the year. So we knew that position would be open. Dennis Franchione was the other big story, as he had Birmingham competitive, despite poor QB play, until the final 3 weeks of the year. But, in Birmingham a late season fade is not the way to keep a job, and Franchione became the lone Black Monday fatality. Birmingham let the former Bama head man go on Monday and will now begin the search for another coach, one who is either a QB guru or is willing to cut bait and look for a new option. With Franchione being the only firing, that means that New Orleans was true to their word in retaining Mike Nolan, and, even more surprisingly, Arizona decided to give Jim Fassel one more year. Yes, Greg Landry was let go as the OC of the Wranglers, and after this season’s numbers, that seems entirely appropriate. They also cut loose their DC, so it will be a whole new coaching squad for the Wranglers, with the exception of the head man. Also safe this year were Baltimore’s Tom Coughlin, saved by a late 4-game win streak that took them to 7-6-1 on the year and left them one tiebreaker from the playoffs. Ron Rivera in Pittsburgh also did enough in a 6-8 year to give him one more year of good graces for the Maulers, but 2008 will likely be hugely important for both men. And that brings us to the idea of coaches going into 2008 who are already on the hotseat. If things do not turn around fast, it could be a bloodbath next year. We count no fewer than 9 USFL coaches who are likely in their last year of “wait and see” before a decision will be made. Some will certainly see improvement next year, maybe even playoff football, but some will certainly end up on the downside of the season and that will likely cost them their positions. Our list of 9 Hot Seat coaches begins with Jim Fassel. Another disaster like 2007 and there is no way Arizona keeps him on. He was saved by an earlier playoff year, but two straight bad seasons will not bode well. Mike Nolan is in a similar situation. 2006 was so unexpectedly good that the Breakers were unwilling to give up on Nolan after a bad 2007, but next year will be the tiebreaker to determine which year was the fluke and which was the true direction of the team. For others it is a matter of “too little happening”. They are not in freefall, but they are also not getting the results that ownership hopes for. We have 7 coaches in this boat. Tom Coughlin in Baltimore has got to get to the playoffs. 7-7 or 6-8 finishes are fine at first, but not long term. Jerry Glanville and Dick LeBeau have to also take a next step and show they can be true contenders in their divisions. Ron Rivera, Norv Turner, and Sean Payton also need to show that they are building towards something. You simply cannot have a 5 or 6 year plan in the USFL. Three may be the most to show that the team is headed in the right direction. So, this year’s coaching vacancies are limited to two--St. Louis and Birmingham—but don’t expect such a smooth ride in 2008 unless things change dramatically. LEAGUE LEADERS With the conclusion of the regular season, it is time to honor the various league statistical leaders, many of whom, as you would expect, will continue playing in the postseason. Here is a quick rundown of the season’s champs in each of the major statistical categories. Passing Yards: Brian Griese’s comeback year finishes with him over 200 yards ahead of Brett Favre with 3,782 yards, tops in the league. Passing TDs: Griese again takes the title with a surprising 34 TD passes. If Michigan were as good in other phases as they were in the passing game, they might be in the playoffs instead of watching from home. Passer Rating: The trifecta for Griese as his 131.2 rating just tops Byron Leftwich at 127.5. Rushing Yards: We thought all season that this was T.J. Duckett’s title run, but a huge second half catapulted Ricky Williams to the title with 1,419 yards. Duckett actually finishes third behind Williams and Washington’s Deuce McCallister. Receiving Yards: No shock here as David Boston’s 1,436 was 200 yards better than the next contender, St. Louis’s lone weapon, Taylor Jacobs. Boston has led this category most of the year for the 13-1 Dragons. Receptions: Matthew Hatchette (LV) and Taylor Jacobs (STL) tie at 89 receptions each. Both averaged fewer than 15 yards per reception, meaning that they were solid underneath but had trouble getting deep, a theory attested to by their lack of TD production as the two combined for only 7 TDs on the season. Points: Chicago’s Tim Seder led all kickers with 123 points, bolstered by a defense that gave the Machine a lot of short fields, and an offense that put up plenty of scores but also allowed Seder plenty of FG opportunities. Sacks: Houston’s Kavika Pittman spent most of the season 1-2 sacks ahead of Pittsburgh’s Kyle Vanden Bosch, and that is how it ended. Pittman finishes with 20 sacks while both Vanden Bosch and Birmingham’s Mike Rucker finish with 17. Tackles: Brian Urlacher of Chicago battled all comers for this title, racking up 133 tackles for Chicago’s powerful defense. His sack and interception numbers were down from past years, but his dominance in the run game was still as strong as ever. Interceptions: LA Express corner Renaldo Hill wins the title with 7 picks this season, just barely edging the 6 picks from Boston’s Tyrone Poole. LA hopes that Hill will make Brady Quinn his next victim in the Wild Card game. PERFECTION: The 2002 Ohio Glory We wrap up our look back at the first 25 years of USFL football with a celebration of one of the most amazing seasons in pro football history, the Ohio Glory’s 17-0 perfect season. In the first year of the USFL’s shift from 16 to 14 games, there was an expectation that the shorter season would produce earlier playoff fights and more parity, and overall it does seem to have had that effect, but that did not take into account the idea of a team running the table. Ohio had been a pretty good team for a few seasons prior to 2002, moving from 8-8 in 1999 to 10-6 in 2000 and 11-5 in 2001. They were clearly a team finding their way from good to great, but the jump they took in 2002 was absolutely unprecedented. And while we tend to focus on the offense led by Kerry Collins, with both Joey Galloway and Chad Ochocinco wide and Eddie George in the backfield, the biggest difference between the 2002 Glory and the 2001 squad that won 11 games was on defense. The Glory actually scored fewer points in 2002 than they did in either 2001 or 2003, but their defense went from an average of 29.1 points allowed per game down to a much more respectable 21.2. That difference, an 8-point dip, was enough to make the difference between a team that could win every week to one that did. And yet, as much as we can point to the defense as the key, we all remember that offense. Kerry Collins won the trifecta that year, leading the league in passing yards (4,361), touchdowns (39), and rating (136.6). Joey Galloway led the league with 1,393 receiving yards, and yet the team was not just a pass happy scheme. Eddie George would finish the season third in the league with 1,115 yards rushing. This was a team that could score from anywhere, as evidenced by the fact that George would rack up 11 touchdowns rushing and another 6 in the air. Galloway finished with 13 TDs and his opposite number, Chad Ochocinco would add another 10 and tight end Stephen Alexander would contribute 4 more. With an offense like this, allowing only 21 points per game meant that they won most games by 10 or more points all season long. They did have a few scares. In Week 14, on the road in Nashville, they had to eke out a 24-22 win in the game’s final minutes. In Week 8 against Houston the Gambler defense held Ohio to only 23 points, but they still pulled out a 3-point win. The following week, Washington’s always tough defense almost got the better of them, but Ohio prevailed 20-18. And, of course, there was the constant skirmishes with the Chicago Machine. Both regular season matches were decided by a field goal, with identical 27-24 results. When the two met in the divisional playoff, Chicago was again intent on playing spoiler, and for most of the game they did seem to have the upper hand. But, a late surge from the Glory helped them pull out a 30-28 victory and move on to the Eastern Conference Final. In the Conference Title Game, Ohio faced a foe they had met only 4 weeks earlier, the New Jersey Generals. The generals were a solid team, but they were no match for what Ohio was putting together. Ohio won pulling away, 28-17 and moved on to Summer Bowl 2002 with a 16-0 record. They would face incredible scrutiny that week, with every member of the press peppering the players and Coach Luginbill with questions about destiny. Members of the 1972 Dolphins were interviewed and attempted to brush aside the Glory by stating that the USFL was not the NFL. Every football and sports show in the country was obsessed with developing the perfect strategy the Memphis Showboats could use to knock off the unbeaten Glory. After all, the Miami Dolphins had managed to upend the seemingly unstoppable 1985 Bears. No other team had come as close to perfection since 1972, so surely something would trip up the Glory. No such luck for Memphis. Despite scoring first, by the half it was 21-14 Ohio, and the second half would entirely belong to the Glory as they scored all 17 points in the half to walk away with a 38-14 victory, the largest margin of victory in Summer Bowl history. Scores from Chad Ochocinco (Actually Johnson in 2002), Robert Ferguson, and Joey Galloway gave Kerry Collins, the game MVP, 5 touchdown passes to go with his 410 yards passing. The defense also played its part, with LB Glenn Cadrez both picking off Heath Shuler and forcing a key fumble. Ohio would outgain the Showboats 498 to 302 and would be crowned not only league champion, but the greatest team in USFL history. That honor was seconded when the Glory repeated as champion in 2003, the only team to do so, but eventually some of the pieces would move on. Ochocinco joined Boston, Ferguson would leave for Memphis, defenders would also find new homes or retire from the game. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. But, as of today, with Ohio sitting as the Central Division Champions once again, the core is still there. Al Luginbill at the helm. Kerry Collins behind the wheel. Eddie George and Joey Galloway providing the thrust, and, as the Glory hope, a defense that is good enough to allow Ohio to overpower their foes. 2007 has been a good year for the Glory, but no year can compare to the greatest season in USFL history, the 2002 Ohio Glory. Steve Young: What Could Have Been? We move from a story of football royalty, to a story of perseverance, the story of quarterback Steve Young. Most casual fans of the sport know Young from his time in San Francisco, where he replaced Joe Montana, eventually winning a Super Bowl. Some may be aware that he had a pretty long history in the USFL as well, signing out of BYU with the upstart league in time for the 1984 season, just as the league was debating a possible move to the fall. Young would sign with the LA Express, seen as a Hollywood-styled star in the making. The Golden Boy who would make LA a premier franchise just as Herschel Walker had done for the New Jersey Generals. The hope was for a can’t miss experience in the stadium, a draw that would make the fickle LA sportsfans flock to see the Express instead of focusing all their attention on the LA Raiders of the NFL. What LA got was a very solid player, but a player stuck on some pretty mediocre teams, often running for his life, not for glory. Steve Young was signed to be the next Montana or Marino, but became more of an Archie Manning figure, the best player on a team that was not as good as he was. He would play for the Express from 1984 through the 1989 season, 5 years of futility and frustration. The Express would be competitive in Young’s first two years, going 9-7 in 1984 and 11-5 in 1985, but they were never good enough to contend, losing to the much more talented Michigan Panthers in 1984 and to the Chicago Blitz in 1985. From there it just went south. The team dipped to 6-10 in 1986 and while they would slowly improve over the next 2 years, Young would get beaten up along the way. Young would have individual honors, named All-USFL three times, but it was the law of diminishing returns as the team floundered at the box office and on the field. In the offseason of 1989 Young would get his exit ramp from a bad situation. The NFL came calling and Young took the chance to jump to the fall and the 49ers. He would need to cancel significant portions of his personal services contract with the Express, giving up on more than 70% of the original $40 million contract, but he would have a new start in the NFL. That would work out for him, though it too would not be easy. He spent several years backing up the legendary Joe Montana before he would become the starter, but once there he thrived, setting a league record for QB Rating and helping San Francisco win Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. Young would play a total of 10 seasons in the NFL and earn significant accolades along the way. His USFL history would always be a part of his story, but he would enter the Hall of Fame not as a USFL player but as an NFL player. Steve Young’s story is, of course, not unique, and not entirely a negative for the USFL. Young had originally been drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL. Had the USFL not been there to help him escape one of the NFL’s worst franchises, his first 6 years of pro football could have been considerably worse. As with so many players, the USFL gave Steve Young leverage, the power to parlay his talents into a better situation for his pro career, and, certainly in Young’s case, the chance to greatly increase his personal finances. We all have seen the numbers. Player salaries have increased exponentially since the forming of the USFL, free agency has become a reality, and the power of players to determine their own future has never been stronger. The USFL cannot offer a fairy tale story for all its players, sometimes you just don’t get a chance to hold aloft the championship trophy, but what it has meant for all players is greater autonomy, greater options, and for many, greater opportunity. And that is a pretty good legacy after 25 years. Here we go, playoff football. Eight teams and four games on tap. Let’s take a look and our best guess for each. #5 Jacksonville Bulls (8-6) @ #4 Philadelphia Stars (9-5) Saturday, June 30 @ 3pm Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Philadelphia – 4 An interesting matchup between the #1 offense in the league in the Bulls (376.7 Yards Per Game) and one of the stingiest defenses in the Stars (293.1 YPG Allowed). Philadelphia will be tested by a Bulls offense that runs the ball well but can also beat you through the air. When Philadelphia has the ball, they bring the #3 rush offense in the league, averaging nearly 138 yards per game. Most of that is Ahman Green doing what has mad him a three-time league rushing leader. Kurt Warner has not been as prolific this year as in years past, throwing for 1,591 yards, but he did miss 5 games this year, so his per game average of 199 is actually stronger than his totals would indicate. OUR PICK: The Stars have been the better team all year long, but they could run into a very dangerous opponent in Jacksonville. That said, we still have to favor the home team, who have experience and veteran leadership, but it will be close. Stars 24 Bulls 22 #6 Oakland Invaders (8-6) @ #3 Houston Gamblers (8-6) Saturday, June 30 @ 7pm NRG Stadium, Houston Houston -1 This may be the toughest game of the four to pick. Both clubs have been up and down all year, but there is one factor we should take into account. Ricky Williams has had a monster second half. Since Week 8 he has averaged 135 yards per game, a dominant run of games that helped him come out of nowhere to win the league’s rushing title. Houston has won4 of the last 5 to take the SW Division title, but they have been inconsistent on offense. They have both the 9th ranked scoring offense and the 9th ranked scoring defense, so they can be good on either side of the ball, but can they put both halves together? OUR PICK: We are going to go with the upset here, the only one we are picking. We just think that a dominant run game will help Oakland keep Umenyiura and Pittman off of Joey Harrington, and that should help Oakland outpace the Gamblers. Invaders 23 Gamblers 18. #5 Los Angeles Express (8-6) @ #4 Chicago Machine (10-4) Sunday, July 1 @ 3pm Soldier Field, Chicago Chicago -6 Chicago is a pretty heavy favorite in this one. They sport a solid defense that allows only 16.9 points per game, and their offense has found a rhythm with Michael Turner as the centerpiece and rookie Brady Quinn distributing the ball in the passing game. But Quinn is where we wonder if Chicago could be hurt. LA’s defense is also solid, allowing only 17.7 points per game, and they can get to the QB, with the DE combo of Kearse and Udeze combining for 19 sacks this year. Missing two starting linebackers is, of course, a concern for LA, and it is not as if they have a savvy veteran at QB either, with Seneca Wallace in his first year as a starter. While Wallace has not lit the world on fire, he has done well protecting the ball. He has thrown 23 touchdowns this year with only 4 picks, a better ratio than Quinn’s 22-9. OUR PICK: We are trying to make a case for LA in our heads, but just based on what we have seen on the field each week, we have to lean towards the Machine. They are aggressive and relentless on defense, and that should produce problems for an LA offense that has sputtered at times. Our pick is Machine 20 Express 16. #6 Nashville Knights (7-6-1) @ #3 Orlando Renegades (9-5) Sunday, July 1 @ 7pm Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando Orlando -5 If there is one team no one wants to face this postseason, it is the Renegades. Orlando has rattled off 7 straight wins after a 2-5 first half to the season. In that streak they have a 28-21 win over the Knights, so we have some direct evidence of how they will play them. That was the game where Jay Cutler was knocked out, so perhaps there is a bit of a revenge factor for the Nashville QB as he returns to action this week in the same stadium and facing the same team. Perhaps a full game with Cutler at the helm will produce a different result, perhaps it will not. OUR PICK: We like Orlando to go far, possibly all the way to Arizona and Summer Bowl 2007, so we are going to pick them here over a Knights team that lost their final 2 games to end the year. ‘Gades 31 Knights 26.

Playoff Picture: Here are the seedings for the 2007 USFL Playoffs EAST: 1-BOS 2-MEM 3-ORL 4-PHI 5-JAX 6-NSH WEST: 1-SEA 2-OHI 3-HOU 4-CHI 5-LA 6-OAK

Playoff Picture: Both #1 seeds are now locked in, with Seattle in the West and Boston in the East. Memphis has also locked up the #2 seed in the East. Orlando, Philadelphia, Nashville, Ohio and Chicago have earned playoff spots, but seeding is yet to be determined. In the East the final spot will be decided between Jacksonville and Baltimore in Week 14. In the West, 6 teams remain alive for 3 spots. One spot is the SW Division title, which could go to either Denver or Houston, with the Gold holding the tie breaker. The other spots are Wild Card positions currently held by Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Those two teams control their own destiny. Houston, Oakland, and Michigan can jump into the Wild card with assistance. All would need either LA or Las Vegas (or both) to lose. Some, would also need losses from among the other 7-6 contenders. All other teams have been eliminated from contention.

We are coming down to the wire in the 2007 USFL season. After Week 13 action we have 4 playoff spots still undecided and a lot of seeding left to determine. Wins this week by Boston and Memphis locked up the #1 and #2 seeds in the East. Chicago and Orlando officially scored their spots in the postseason, but we are still unsure who wins the Southwest and who wraps up the final 3 Wild Card spots this year. A lot to watch as we prepare for the season’s final week, but first, we should take a look at the action from Week 13 that kept fans on the edges of their seats all across the league. BIRMINGHAM 19 MEMPHIS 22 Memphis had already clinched a playoff spot. Their archrival needed a win to stay alive in the Wild Card hunt. Brett Favre against his old team. And, yes, just one of the biggest rivalries in spring football. All this was on tap for 53,101 fans at the Liberty Bowl when the Stallions came calling. Birmingham was looking for revenge in this one. Brett Favre had humiliated his old club back at Legion Field in Week 7, throwing for 3 scores and nearly 400 yards as the Showboats won in Birmingham. This game would be different, and in the end, perhaps even worse for the Stallion faithful. With Cadillac Williams banged up, the Stallions would all but ignore the threat of the run and would focus on pass rush. Brett Favre would be sacked 8 times in an all out assault on the Memphis line. Blitzes and disguised coverages would make it tough for Memphis to do anything, and Birmingham would take advantage to the tune of a 19-0 advantage after three quarters. But then it all fell apart. Offensively, the Stallions seemed almost more intent on shortening the game than building up the score, and perhaps that was their downfall. They managed an early touchdown after a bad shank of a punt by Memphis gave them good field position inside Memphis territory. Shaun Alexander and Marion Barber got them down to the goal line and FB Paul Perez dove in from there to give the visitors the early lead. In the second they would add 10 more points, all the while harassing Favre and shutting down what little run game the Showboats could muster with Maurice Smith and Lionel Gates splitting carries. When Jason Campbell completed a TD throw to Joe Horn, Birmingham was up 17-0 and the game seemed all but won for the Stallions. Campbell would only throw for 105 yards on the day, but the short out route to Horn put them up by 3 scores as the first half ended and the Stallion fans who had driven up for the game were in full voice in the SW corner of the bowl stadium. The third quarter was equally frustrating for the Showboats. They had a couple of mid-length drives, but both were shut down before they could even get in range for Jeff Hall to put them on the board with a symbolic kick. Midway through the period, they were backed up and DE Grant Wistrom managed to draw a holding penalty in the endzone, giving Birmingham a safety and the Stallions a 19-0 lead. But, just as some were considering beating the rush home by leaving early, the Showboats came alive. In the final moments of the third quarter, Memphis got its first and perhaps most important big play of the game. Birmingham blitzed on a 3rd and 9 play, and this time TE David Martin had stayed in to block. He helped chip Mike Rucker, giving Favre time to spot Lee Evans in single coverage. Evans would catch the ball in stride and 32 yards later, Memphis was in scoring position for the first time all game. They would not miss the chance to get back in the game. Short passes to HB Maurice Smith and Martin got them close, and then Smith would take the ball on a pitch left and plunge for the pylon. Memphis was on the board, now down 19-7. That short drive, sparked by the Evans reception, turned the energy in the stadium. When Birmingham went 3-and-out, the Memphis fans were fully back into the game, hoping to see more energy from their offense. They got it. Favre connected on 4 of 5 passing in the Showboats’ next drive, including an improvised shovel pass to Gates that went for 30 yards, another big play. Two plays later it was Favre to Robert Ferguson for 6 and suddenly what had been a 3 score game was now down to only 5 points as Memphis pulled to 19-14 with 6:11 left to play. Birmingham could feel the shift in energy, but they could not stop it. They tried running with Alexander, who would finish the game with 79 yards, but when it came to third down Jason Campbell could not connect with James Thrash and the Stallions were again forced to punt. Memphis got the ball with nearly 5 minutes left to play, down only one score. Coach Haslett had come up with something. By keeping Martin in to block, and rotating players in and out of the interior of the O-line, Haslett had found a way to offset at least some of the pressure that had made life so hard for Favre all game. Birmingham had not recorded a sack since midway through the third quarter, and that had meant that Favre had time to find receivers locked up in one-on-one coverage. He would find his top receiver, Robert Ferguson, for 23 on a 2nd and 3, then HB Maurice Smith for 7, Evans again, this time for 8, then Ferguson for 7. He mixed in a draw to Smith that went for 9, and soon the Showboats were in the red zone, well, at the edge of the red zone on the 20, and the Showboat fans were about as loud as it can get in the Liberty Bowl. Momentum had clearly shifted, the Stallion faithful were visibly shaken, and the Memphis crowd was giving energy to their team. First and 10 from the 20 and Favre called for a screen pass. Birmingham had started blitzing from the outside in an effort to overwhelm the blocking on their edge rushers, and a screen would take advantage of that aggressiveness. The call was perfect for the situation. The weakside linebacker was indeed blitzing, and the screen to Maurice Smith caught him out of position. Smith caught the ball in stride, had two blockers in front of him and a relatively easy path to the end zone. Safety Marcus Wimberley got a shot at him, but not enough to keep him out of the end zone. Just 1:27 left to play and Memphis had come all the way back, up 20-19. They went for 2 and Favre connected with TE Wayne Gandy to convert. Memphis had come back from a 19-0 hole and was up 3 against a Birmingham offense that is not known for quick strike ability. Birmingham tried to move the ball with the time remaining, but Campbell struggled to find receivers. He took a sack on 2nd and 5 when Julius Peppers shook off the LT and, using a classic swim move, came back underneath to find Campbell. On third and 11 Campbell tried to find Joe Horn, but Horn was double covered and the ball never reached him. Fourth and the game on the line. Out of the shotgun, 4 receiver set, and Campbell was pressured almost immediately in what had to feel like a full reversal of fortune in this game. He was flushed to the right, where James Thrash and Stephen Alexander were trying to shake off their coverage. As he approached the sideline he threw a desperation ball towards Alexander, but it was too low. Alexander got low to try to catch it but it hit the turf before bouncing up into his arms. The refs called it incomplete. The challenge proved it to be off the turf, and Memphis took over to end the game. A devastating loss for the Stallions, a huge win for the Showboats. They had survived a serious test, taken out their rivals, and locked up the Southern Division at 10-3. In so doing they had also knocked their archrivals out of playoff contention, a sweet bonus to be sure. Memphis was guaranteed the #2 position in the East and could now go into the final week’s matchup with Seattle fully planning to rest some key players, and after the rough outing for Favre, that certainly would be appreciated. HOUSTON 37 ARIZONA 31 A surprising shootout in a game Houston had to have. Arizona came to play after being embarrassed by Denver. Jake Plummer threw for 3 TDs and ran for another, but in the end it was Matt Hasselbeck’s 30 of 46, 399 yard, 5 TD day that gave the needed win to the Gamblers. They still need help to make the postseason, but without this game it would have been over. NEW JERSEY 17 ST. LOUIS 13 Two rookies got a chance to shine in this one as New Jersey gave Kevin Kolb his second start and the Skyhawks gave Ohio State’s Troy Smith his first. Both threw for a score apiece, and both threw for fewer than 200 yards, but in the end, New Jersey got a lot of help from Curtis Enis’s 141 yards against the hapless rush defense of the Skyhawks, and got the W. ORLANDO 27 ATLANTA 19 Atlanta had slim playoff hopes, but Orlando was looking for the division, and played like it. Drew Brees threw for 298 and 3 scores despite being sacked 6 times by the Fire defense. Michael Jenkins had a strong game with 5 receptions for 127 yards and a score as Orlando moves closer to locking up the SE Division. LAS VEGAS 21 OHIO 33 A tough road draw for the Thunder as Ohio is still fighting to hold onto 1st place and a bye in the Central. Kerry Collins went 17 of 29 for 262 yards and 4 scores against the usually stalwart Thunder D. Marshawn Lynch did well against a depleted Ohio D-line, rushing for 127 but it was not enough as Ohio is victorious at home. SEATTLE 33 MICHIGAN 21 The Panthers’ playoff hopes are on life support after falling to the 1-loss Dragons. Brian Griese threw for 3 scores, despite completing only 6 passes on the day, but TDs from Dillon, Sproles, Boston, and Troy Walters helped Seattle get the W and lock up the best record in the league. Michigan was 0 for 6 on third down while Seattle went 6 of 12. BOSTON 45 WASHINGTON 20 The Cannons locked up the #1 seed in the East with a road win in DC. Deuce McCallister did what he could for the Feds, rushing for 148 yards and 2 scores, but Boston’s offense was just too much for Washington and a pick-six just helped the cause even more. PITTSBURGH 8 JACKSONVILLE 13 A tough defensive game in Duval as the Maulers played the Bulls very tough. The lone TD of the day was Delhomme to Donald Hayes as both teams struggled to find the endzone. With the win Jacksonville now controls their ability to reach the playoffs as a Wild Card even if they cannot catch Orlando next week. BALTIMORE 41 TAMPA BAY 21 The Blitz keep their playoff hopes alive by crushing the Bandits in Tampa Bay. Ron Dayne scores twice and rushes for 118 as Ben Roethlisberger has one of his best days, throwing for 293 and 4 scores on the day. Daunte Culpepper returned, and threw for all 3 Bandit scores, but in the end it was all Blitz. They need help, but a loss by the Bulls and a win next week and the Blitz are in the postseason. TEXAS 7 DENVER 24 Denver moved closer to a playoff spot by knocking off another division foe. They are in with a win next week after taking care of business at home. Matt Leinart returned to action and threw for 2 scores and 243 yards, but the surprise of the day was the 107-yard day for Cedric Benson. He outgained T.J. Duckett, the league leader by more than 40 yards. LOS ANGELES 10 OAKLAND 6 Joey Harrington returned to action for Oakland, but was very rusty, throwing 2 picks in a tough defensive game by the Bay. LA got the game’s lone TD, a fluke play that saw the ball tipped by the TE right into Tory Holt’s hands and it was off to the races. A bad break for Oakland who now need help to make the postseason, while LA, sitting a game up on both the Invaders and Thunder, control their own Wild Card destiny in Week 14. Playoff Scenarios We know what you want to hear, how do teams make the playoffs. We will focus here on the teams that are fighting for a spot, and below, in the Playoff Picture section, we will talk about those teams already in the postseason but fighting for position. So, as we look at teams that have not clinched yet, here is what we know: EAST Only 1 spot up for grabs in the East. Jacksonville and Baltimore are in the hunt for a Wild Card. If the Bulls win, the final playoff spot is theirs. If they lose to the Knights (who may rest some starters), then Baltimore could get in with a win at home against the Stars (who also may rest some starters). WEST The Southwest Division is where we should start. Denver has the tie-breaker with Houston, so if Denver beats Oakland next week, it will be the Gold claiming the division title. If Denver falls to an Oakland squad that needs to win to have any playoff hope, then Houston, with a win over arch rival Texas, would claim the crown. Both could theoretically be in the postseason depending on how the Wild Card contenders fare. Speaking of the Western Wild Card, there are essentially 2 spots up for grabs and 6 teams still alive for them. LA and Las Vegas control their own destiny. If they both win, they are are in and Oakland, Michigan and the loser of the SW division are out. But, if one or both of the Pacific clubs lose, then the others are still alive. All of the contenders need to win and need either LA or LV to lose, and perhaps both to lose. In some cases, like that of Michigan, they need pretty much everyone else to lose to be the only 8-6 team in the bunch (other than LA). The games that matter for these Western contenders are: Denver v. Oakland: Most folks (other than Oakland) would want Denver to win, taking the SW division and eliminating the Invaders. LA v. Chicago: The Machine would lose their home field playoff game to LA if they lose to the Express, so expect them to fight hard for this one. That makes most other teams happy, as an LA loss means several teams could be 8-6 and that just muddles the tiebreakers. Las Vegas @ Tampa Bay: So many teams are counting on the Bandits, which is not a great bet this year. If Las Vegas, who are likely to be favored, get the road win, then they punch their ticket to the postseason. If not, then they can easily be leapfrogged by other 7-6 clubs. Texas @ Houston: Texas is out of contention but could get a satisfying win by knocking Houston out of playoff contention with a win. That would make Denver and several Wild Card contenders very happy. St. Louis @ Michigan: The Panthers should get this win against the 1-win Skyhawks, but that won’t be enough. They lose a lot of tiebreakers, so they will need a perfect mix of results to get them into that final Wild Card slot. Coach Nolan Gets Vote of Confidence Is it security or the kiss of death. This week New Orleans Breakers’ leadership gave Coach Mike Nolan the dreaded “Vote of Confidence”. Often seen as an insincere statement of support for a coach, the vote can often precede a departure when a coach has a truly poor season, as is certainly the case for Nolan and the Breakers. After winning USFL Coach of the Year last year for the near miraculous 8-6 season the club had while playing all 7 home games away from New Orleans, the club has had a dismal 1-13 season to date, with only a meaningless game against Atlanta left on the schedule. Could Nolan actually be back after what could be a last place finish? Well, consider this. Since taking over the Breakers in 2000, Nolan has taken them to the postseason in 5 of 8 seasons, including the club’s first ever trip to the Summer Bowl, a 2003 appearance where they lost to the juggernaut Ohio Glory. He has had 5 playoff appearances and advanced at least 1 game in each, boasting a 7-5 overall playoff record in those 5 appearances. As bad as a 1-13 season might be, Nolan’s track record seems to indicate that he could bring the team back. So, what has to happen for Nolan to retain control and actually bring New Orleans back from the brink of a winless season? Ownership has to believe in him, and we actually think they do. One or both coordinators have to take the fall. That is how you recalibrate without firing the head coach. A serious discussion has to be had about Eli Manning as the future of the franchise. The run game must be addressed. It averaged a miserable 73 yards a game this year. The defense also needs a major overhaul. Not enough stops, not enough takeaways, not enough pressure, you name it, they failed to deliver this year. Potential Black Monday Departures So, if Mike Nolan is safe, who might just be on the block in one week’s time? Here is our list of the 5 most likely victims of Black Monday outside of Nolan and the St. Louis position, which is already in transition. Jim Fassel, Arizona: Another “Vote of Confidence” candidate. We could see the Wrangler stick with Fassel despite a 2-win season if they feel that sacking the coordinators is enough. Or, they could decide that a full clean out is once again needed. Tom Coughlin, Baltimore: It seems harsh to say with the Blitz still alive for a playoff spot and a winning record, but if they lose next week, there will be a discussion about wasted talent, mediocrity, and underwhelming results, and that could lead to a change at the top. Dennis Franchione, Birmingham: The Stallions were eliminated from contention, and a 9th loss could be exactly the nail in the coffin of Franchione’s rocky stint in Birmingham. If he goes, expect the team to also recalibrate at QB, where the Jason Campbell experiment has been a major misstep. Ron Rivera, Pittsburgh: The Maulers had some signs of life this year, but have faded down the stretch. It is only Rivera’s 2nd season at the helm, so we could see a 3rd year as a make or break year for him. But, if ownership is impatient, the justification is there to critique Rivera as well. Dennis Green: Oakland looked like they were ready to rebound and make the playoffs again before Joey Harrington went down. If the Invaders fall to 7-7 we could imagine ownership hoping for more, but of all the potential candidates, we think Green may be the most secure in his role. When you can blame a QB injury on a losing streak, it makes for a good justification when things go south. We talked about the contenders in the section above, so now let’s talk about positioning for the clubs already guaranteed a spot. Seattle and Boston have both locked up the #1 seeds and home field advantage in the Western and Eastern Conferences. Memphis has also locked up the #2 seed in the east, and will get a bye in the first round. Ohio has not, and could actually lose the division to Chicago if they fall in Arizona this week, which does not seem likely, but you never know. If Chicago can beat LA at home, and they get help from Arizona, they could take that #2 spot and force Ohio to play as the #4 seed in the Wild Card round. We know that the SW and SE Division winners will be the #3 seed and will play a home game in the Wild Card round. We just are not sure if that will be Denver or Houston, Orlando or Jacksonville. Philadelphia is locked into the #4 seed, so expect them to rest some starters before they host a Wild Card game. If LA beats Chicago, they could jump up to #4 and force Chicago to play on the road. If they lose, they could drop all the way out, but that would require a fatal series of other results. Nashville is in and will play on the road in the Wild Card round, but where they play and who they play will be determined by this week’s games. They could be the #5 or the #6 team. And just to verify, the following teams are officially eliminated: Birmingham, New Jersey, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Texas, Washington, Tampa Bay, Arizona, St. Louis and New Orleans. One week left and every player is needed, so losing a key piece of the puzzle now is devastating. As we enter the final week of the season, here are the 3 injuries of this week most likely to have an impact both for the season finale and into the first round of playoffs. Tiki Barber could miss not only the season finale, but the divisional round of the playoffs after a significant hip pointer took him out last week. With two weeks rest Boston is hoping he can be ready to go in the Divisional round, but if not, Boston’s offense could be significantly hampered. Could they be a #1 seed that cannot live up to the title? Jacksonville’s playoff chances take a huge hit as TE Jason Whitten is done for the year with a broken arm. Suffered in a pileup on a fumble recovery, Whitten could require several months to fully recover, meaning that even if the Bulls reach the postseason they will have to go into the playoffs without one of their emerging stars. LA will miss one of their best defenders this week, and the second linebacker to go out in the past 2 weeks. After losing Akin Ayodele for the rest of the season last week, tis week it was Lofa Tatupu who went down. Expected to miss up to two weeks, that could be the entire playoff run for LA, because a loss this week, even if they make it to the Wild Card round, means no Tatupu on defense in the Wild Card round. Finally, Nashville has opted not to play Jay Cutler in this week’s season finale. He is listed as questionable, and with the Knights locked into a Wild Card spot they just don’ t want to risk him, but expect the Vandy product to be under center in the Wild Card round, when the season is on the line. 2007 HOF CLASS The USFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week announced its 2007 Hall of Fame class from the spring league, a class dominated by the defense and the defensive line. Four of five inductees are former D-linemen, including two pass-rushing defensive ends and two massive defensive tackles. It is also the first time in either pro league that two brothers would be inducted in the same class, as both Michael Dean Perry and his older brother William Perry would both receive the news that they would be among the newest USFL Hall of Famers. The Perry brothers are joined by long time Denver Gold lineman Leslie O’Neill and sack guru Chris Doleman, the first member of the Renegades to make the Hall. Feeling a little out of place, but certainly grateful for the nomination, is former Federal and Thunder wideout Webster Slaughter, the lone inductee not formerly a D-lineman. Slaughter gets the votes in his 3rd year of eligibility. For William Perry it was his fourth and final year of regular eligibility. Doleman, O’Neill and Michael Dean were all first time nominees. The selection of these five outstanding USFL players is certainly deserved. Each had an outstanding career, and each was a leader on his club. For Michael Dean Perry, it was a long and winding journey, having played for 4 different teams in his 15 year career. For others, like O’Neill, success began in his rookie year and continued through a long stint with the same team. For all five, this is the culmination of their football lives. Induction into the Hall of Fame recognizes their accomplishments, talents, and contributions to the league and the game of football. Of course, with any selection of nominees there are others who are turned away. Many expected LB Pat Swilling of the Gamblers or DT Chester McGlockton, or cornerback Eric Allen to be among the named inductees this year, but they, and many others, will still be eligible for several years to come. For others, like QB Jack Trudeau or center Frank Winters, the 2007 HOF class will be a bitter one, as neither made the round of semifinalists and now see their eligibility for selection come to a close. But for those nominated, and now recognized as the best of the best in the USFL, the honor is one they will cherish forever. We will see these five players in Canton this October when they are officially recognized and honored. 4th Time's The Charm: The 2000 Denver Gold In 1999 if you asked USFL fans to name a team that was snakebit, many would say the Denver Gold. Denver had appeared in the first USFL title game in 1983, and again in 1989, and returned a third time in 1999, and in all three trips to the title they had come up empty. The Bandits had edged them by 4 points in the league’s inaugural title game, a game played in their home stadium of Mile High. In 1989, New Jersey and Herschel Walker had run over them 23-18 in another game where they came up against an unstoppable force. And just the past year in 1999 they had made it back to the title game again, this time facing the juggernaut Memphis Showboats, and Brett Favre had eaten them alive, an 18-point loss, the largest margin in any Summer Bowl to date. Denver was a very good team, despite their reputation as a tight-pocketed team that did not spend big to bring in name players. They developed talent over time, drafted well, and often made solid playoff runs, but could not finish the season with a W. Bridesmaids was the word you heard around the league when it came to the Gold. By the 2000 season, Denver had made an impressive 7 consecutive playoff appearances. In 1998 they had gone 12-4 but fell in their first playoff game. In 1999 they had made it all the way to the Summer Bowl only to be demolished by Favre and the Showboats. To say that few people wanted them back in 2000 was an understatement. But the 2000 Denver Gold were a determined bunch. In training camp they donned “Us against the World” t-shirts. The pundits, perhaps tired of their consistent also-ran status, had picked them to finish third in their division behind Los Angeles and a popular Summer Bowl pick, the Arizona Wranglers. The Gold were offended, and they played like it all season long. Led on offense by QB Mark Brunell and HB Rashaan Salaam, and on defense by DE Leslie O’Neill and LB Kurt Gouveia, the Gold blistered through the league on their way to a 12-4 record and the Pacific Division title, a title they did not lock up until the final week of the year, challenged all season long by the sudden rise of the Seattle Dragons, who also finished 12-4. Denver still got no respect. The favorites going into the playoffs were not the Pacific Champs, but the Central Division’s St. Louis Knights, another 12-4 team. In fact, Denver, despite playing at home in the divisional round, would be a 3-point underdog to the New Orleans Breakers. When Denver upset the Breakers, winning 26-20, the headlines across the country read “Not again!”. Folks tired of Denver falling short were hoping for a St. Louis win in the Conference Title Game, hoping for anything that would provide a more balanced Summer Bowl against the East’s powerhouse, the Philadelphia Stars. Denver again felt slighted, and came out angry in the Dome in St. Louis. They manhandled the Knights, winning 42-13 in an absolute route. Coach Jauron had riled up the troops with clippings from pundit after pundit saying that Denver’s 12-win season had been a fluke, that outside of Salaam they were an untalented group of muddlers who did not deserve to represent the West for a second straight year. The Gold took that fire and turned it into one of the most one-sided title games in league history, demolishing the favored Knights in every phase of the game. Denver was headed back to the Summer Bowl. In the Summer Bowl they would face yet another heavily favored foe, the 13-3 Philadelphia Stars. Philly had run roughshod over the East in their playoff run, knocking off Baltimore by 29 points (42-13) before crushing Brett Favre and the defending champion Showboats 38-24 in the Conference Title Game. Against Denver they would open as 9-point favorites, though the line would close to 6.5 by pregame on Sunday. Once again Coach Jauron had plenty of news clippings and quotes to use to show Denver just how disrespected they were. They did not need the proof. They had all heard the questions on Media Day, all seen the TV analysts making the case for a lopsided Philly win. They had heard it from their families, friends, and from fans across the nation who were not interested in the Gold’s chances, just in the ability to write them off as yet another Minnesota Vikings, a close-but-not-good-enough franchise. But, while the Vikings still struggle with that moniker, another team, the Denver Broncos, had found a way to break through after several Super Bowl losses. Denver would use them as motivation, another Denver team that had found a way to break through. The Gold would show the Stars and the world that they were good enough to be called champions. Denver came into Summer Bowl 2000 not only believing they could win, but that they would. Yes, the Bobby Hebert-led Stars were favored, and they certainly had talent on that 2000 squad, but Denver was on a mission. They came out of the gates aggressive, putting Philly on their heels. After 1 quarter it was 10-0 Gold, thanks in large part to the running of Rashaan Salaam and the play action that came off of the run. But Philadelphia was a solid club, and after Hebert hit Engram late in the first half the two teams went into the break with Denver clinging to a narrow 13-10 lead. Coach Jauron preached commitment at the half, commitment to the team, to each other, and to playing for a full 60 minutes. After Philadelphia scored on their opening drive of the half to take their first lead of the day, and then added to it with a Jeff Jaeger field goal that commitment would be needed. Down 20-13, this is where past Gold teams had faded, losing momentum and failing to rally. Not this squad. The Gold, trailing now by 7, built up the intensity on both sides of the ball. Philly would not score again in the game, while the Gold rattled off two solid drives, the first ending with Rashaan Salaam’s 2nd TD run of the day to tie the game at 20. The second, midway through the final period, when once again the Gold moved the ball methodically against Philadelphia’s defense, driving the ball all the way in for a score when backup HB Ricky Whittle ran off tackle for the final four yards. Denver was back on top by 7 and they would not back down. The Gold went on to win that game, and change the reputation from a team that could not win the big one to a team that never gave up. They would appear in the Summer Bowl in 2001 as well, losing there to the Orlando Renegades, forming a 3-year run that only the Philadelphia Stars of the early 2000’s could match, but this team, the one that won it all, would be the team that Gold fans would embrace as their best. Denver continues to put out solid teams year after year, only missing the playoffs one time between 1993 and 2005. They barely missed them last year at 7-7, and next week we will see if they can lock up a division title or once again fall to 7-7 and miss the postseason, but of all the Gold teams in all these years of quality play, no team will compare to the grit and determination of the 2000 Gold. Stepping Stone: Ricky Sanders So many stories in the USFL, of players rising from obscurity, of others extending their careers, of NFL stars finishing out their playing days, or of players making a name for themselves in the spring and then parlaying that into NFL stardom as well. The story of Ricky Sanders is a prime example of that last case. A smallish (5’11”) receiver out of a smallish college (Texas State), Sanders was simply not going to get a lot of attention in the NFL Draft. In fact, he went undrafted by the NFL in 1984. He was scouted by Jack Pardee and the Houston Gamblers, however, and signed a league minimum $70,000 salary in 1984 to join the expansion club in the USFL’s 2nd season. He would be one of the first of Mouse Davis’s “Mouseketeers”, smaller receivers who fit well into the wide open Run & Shoot offense. He would rejoice in the signing of Jim Kelly, a big name with a big arm out of Big Time U. of Miami. With Kelly leading the Mouse Davis offense, Sanders would get his shot to make a name for himself, and boy did he. His rookie season with the Gamblers, Sanders started 14 games, caught 75 balls, and raced for 999 yards, just missing that magic 1,000 mark by the slimmest of margins. In his sophomore season he would not miss it, catching 79 Kelly passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was becoming a star in a league where small school players and undervalued prospects could become household names. He would go on to gain over 1,000 yards in each season from 85 through 89, and along the way would win a league title with the Gamblers in 1988. Nominated All-USFL four times as the lead receiver in Houston’ multiple receiver setup, Sanders had taken the most of his opportunity, and the league that had all but ignored him in 1984 was now begging for his services. Sanders’s USFL contract with Houston expired in 1989, and a bidding war began in earnest. The Gamblers, were, of course, eager to retain the All-USFL receiver in his prime, but the NFL was also coming in strong. The Washington Redskins, led by Coach Joe Gibbs, was eager to build its own version of the “Mouseketeers”, and wanted to place Sanders alongside Art Monk and another former USFL star, Gary Clark. Clark had signed just a week earlier, and his presence in Washington helped convince Sanders to head to the Fall as well. Well, Clark’s presence as well as a hefty $2M a year, quite a price for a wideout in 1989. Sanders would play the rest of his career in the NFL, first with Washington, and then with Atlanta. He would win a Super Bowl with the Redskins, becoming one of a rare breed of players with both a USFL and NFL title to his name. And yet, despite his success in the more established fall league, Sanders would always cherish what the USFL provided him, a stage to show his skills, a spotlight where none had been before, and a chance to show that he could make it as a pro. He got more than that, of course, and is still a welcome sight at Gambler games, one of the revered members of the early Run & Shoot days as well as the 1988 title team, Houston’s first of 3 league titles in a 9-year span. Ricky Sanders is just one of hundreds of players who found themselves in the USFL. Some moved on, some played their entire careers with the spring league. All of them helped build what is now a 25-year legacy of success. (IRL: Yes, Sanders played for Houston in the USFL, only 2 years of course, then went on to the NFL, where he actually won 2 Super Bowls (87, 91), before short stints in Atlanta and Miami. He and former Bull Gary Clark did play together with the Skins, moving Sanders from the "Mouseketeers" to "The Posse". ) One week left, and flex scheduling to try to match up playoff games makes for a complex schedule, despite all games being played in only 2 timeslots. If you are a fan of a team on the cusp, we highly recommend you tune in to the ESPN Football Network’s “Around the League” broadcast to catch action from all the simultaneous games at once. Sunday @ 12pm ET Philadelphia (9-4) @ Baltimore (6-6-1) NBC National Expect Philly to rest several starters ahead of next week’s Wild Card game. That gives Baltimore a chance to steal a win and possibly earn a wild card to face Philly again a week later. Nashville (7-5-1) @ Jacksonville (7-6) ABC National The Knights are in, the Bulls need to win to get in also. For Nashville, it is a question of who they play. If they win, they likely head to Orlando to face the Renegades. Lose and it could be off to Philly. They may want to try to win this one. Boston (11-2) @ New Jersey (5-8) ABC NY/NE Only Nothing but pride on the line here. Expect the starters to get some action for Boston because John Fox does not want them to have 2 weeks without any game action ahead of the divisional round. New Jersey continues to test Kevin Kolb out to see if they feel good about him as the starter next year. New Orleans (1-12) @ Atlanta (5-8) ABC LA/AL/MS/GA only The Breakers cannot wait for this year to be over. In what is Nolan’s last game, will the club fight to show him some respect or dial it in against a Fire squad that also has no skin in this game? Washington (4-9) @ Pittsburgh (5-8) FOX MD/VA/West PA Only Two clubs that hoped to be playing meaningful football this week. Both coaches need to show that they have their clubs on the right path, but little on the line this week. Las Vegas (7-6) @ Tampa Bay (4-9) FOX National The Thunder need this one to have any shot at a playoff berth. Expect them to come out firing. Tampa Bay, worried about Daunte Culpepper’s health, may well start Koy Detmer just to be safe. Birmingham (5-8) @ Orlando (8-5) ESPN National Orlando could still lose the division to Jacksonville, so they need to take this one seriously. Expect them to rest players only if the game is well in hand. Sunday @ 4pm ET Oakland ( 7-6) @ Denver (7-6) ABC National Both teams need a win to get into the postseason. That makes this one of the more exciting matchups. Denver knows that a win equals a divisio title. Oakland could win and still be on the outside. Texas (4-9) @ Houston (7-6) ABC TX only Houston’s best shot at a playoff appearance is a win here and a Denver loss, giving them the SW Division. They have a shot at a Wild Card too, but again, only with a win. Ohio (10-3) @ Arizona (2-11) ABC OH/AZ only If you bought a ticket to this game hoping to see Kerry Collins and Eddie George take on a winning Wrangler squad, expect to be disappointed. No reason for Coach Luginbill to risk his starters in this one. St. Louis (1-12) @ Michigan (7-6) FOX MO/IL/MI only MIchigan needs the perfect combination of scores to get into the playoffs, but it all starts with them sending St. Louis down to 1-13. Memphis (10-3) @ Seattle (12-1) FOX National We really hoped this would be a matchup of two teams that had a lot to play for, but both have already locked in their playoff positions and their bye weeks, so expect them to go somewhat easy on each other and to play a vanilla gameplan just in case they meet again in the Summer Bowl. Los Angeles (8-5) @ Chicago (9-4) ESPN National Along with Oakland-Denver, this one could be big. LA knows that a win locks them into a playoff game, while Chicago still has hopes for a division title, if, and this is a big if, Arizona shocks the Glory. Expect a lot of scoreboard watching on the sidelines as both clubs could know their fates before this game ends.

The pressure is on, the season on the line, teams battling for their shot to make the postseason, and teams trying to win themselves a home game, or a week to rest. A lot on the line in almost every game, and yet we know that only 12 of the 26 USFL clubs will make it to the postseason, so there is a lot of disappointment to deal with as well. That is the way of the game, heartbreak, pain, and regret or victory, joy, and satisfaction. The fans feel it, the coaches feel it, the cities themselves can feel it. And you know the players feel it. It's late season football, and it is all right here in Week 12 of the 2007 USFL Season. SEATTLE 23 LOS ANGELES 19 OVERTIME There were several games we could have chosen as exciting matches, but none had the impact that this one would. An LA win and they would be right back in the thick of the playoff hunt, still alive even for the division title. But, with a Seattle victory the Pacific crown would be theirs and LA would drop back to the pack in the division and likely have to win out in Week 13 and 14 to make the playoffs. With the game set to take place in Los Angeles, with Oakland and Las Vegas facing off the following day, and with a big crowd anticipated to face the Dragons, this one had all the hallmarks of a late season classic. To be honest, the game started off incredibly slowly. The first touchdown would not arrive until the 4th quarter, but what a quarter that was, with back and forth scores leading to overtime, where we also saw two scores in a league rarity. Both teams began the game rather cautiously, trying to get the run game started. LA had found a legitimate lead back in Maurice Jones-Drew, and they intended to use him to keep the ball out of the hands of MVP candidate Byron Leftwich. Seattle, for their part, were also aiming to get the ground game revved up to keep Jevon Kearse and Keneche Udeze off of Leftwich. The two defenses were ready, and not a lot of action took place in the first quarter, which saw 4 punts and 1 field goal as most of the drives were quite short. Only a 34-yard punt return from Charles Rogers got LA close enough to attempt a field goal, and they put up the first points with a Steve Christie 45-yarder. In the second quarter the passing games started to open up a bit for both teams, with Leftwich targeting his favorite battery mates, David Boston and Jeramy Stephens, while Seneca Wallace spread the ball around, though certainly with more emphasis on the outside targets, Keyshawn Johnson and Tory Holt. And yet, despite a bit more offensive firepower, neither team could find the end zone. The Express would get two more Christie field goals while Seattle managed only one kick from Dave Rayner. It would be LA up by six (9-3) at the half. Definitely not the game that most fans at Farmers Insurance Field expected. If the first half was disappointing from an offensive standpoint, the third quarter was even more brutal. No points scored and only 2 first downs achieved in the period as both defenses were blowing up plays and frustrating the OCs at every turn. There were no turnovers in the game but 14 combined punts between the two teams is a good indication that the offenses were struggling. The 4th opened with a decent Seattle drive, punctuated by a wrecking ball 14-yard run by Corey Dillon, his longest of the day, and ending with a Rayner field goal to make it a 3-point game. But Seattle was not done. Finally, after nearly 80 minutes of play, the game saw its first touchdown as Byron Leftwich escaped a blitz and found TE Jeramy Stephens on a seam route. Stephens took the ball to the house for a 45-yard touchdown and suddenly Seattle was in the driver’s seat, leading 13-9. That shock seemed to awaken something in the LA offense, as Seneca Wallace and the Express got serious on the next drive and took the ball from their own 19 yard line all the way into the Dragon end zone. Of Jones-Drew’s 94 yards on the day, 32 came on this drive as he carried the ball 7 times. Wallace, who completed only 9 passes all game, completed two big ones on the drive, one to Keyshawn for 20 and then the lead-changer to TE L.J. Smith. Los Angeles was back on top by 3 points with just over 3 minutes to play. So it was back to Seattle to try to win the game or at least force overtime. Leftwich guided the patient Dragon offense down the field, and with just 7 ticks left on the clock, Dave Rayner kicked the tying field goal to send the game to extra time. Seattle had a chance to win in regulation, but on the 3rd down play just before the field goal, a TD was called back on a holding call, nullifying a Visante Shiancoe TD catch. So the game would go to an extra period. LA won the toss and immediately asked for the ball. They did not want to give Seattle a chance to build off their late game momentum. The Express managed to move the ball well initially, but when Wallace missed Tory Holt on a 3rd and 9 throw, they had to send out Dave Rayner. A kick would give LA the lead, but not end the game. Rayner connected and the LA defense would be called on to shut down Seattle and preserve the win on the next possession. But here is the thing. You don’t get to 10-1 without being a very good team, and very good teams don’t let pressure get to them. When they know the game is on the line, they find a way. That is what Seattle did in their sudden death possession. They started off slowly, running the ball, unconcerned about time, but very cognizant of the need to keep converting and earning first downs. They made it to the LA 49-yardline and then they got the play no one, even their own offensive players, could have expected. Leftwich called a short pass play, designed to bring David Boston over the middle, and leave Corey Dillon out wide on a swing if needed. It was needed as LA blanketed Boston, but completely missed Dillon going out to the flat. Leftwich swung the ball to the big back and he started rumbling downfield. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu was the first to engage Dillon, but he had a bad angle and all he could deliver was a glancing blow that caused a bit of a stutter, but did not send the Seattle back to the ground or out of bounds. Dillon then put a move on CB Charles Rogers, delivering a partial stiff arm while juking back inside of the corner. It was now a footrace, and while safety Darnell Bing is fast, his angle was not a good one and Dillon is no slowpoke either, so this race, and the game, was won by the Dragon halfback as he raced to the end zone for six. The Express had played a very good game but had come up short. The Pacific Division belonged to Seattle and LA would now have to scrap it out with the Thunder and the Invaders for a possible Wild Card. After falling to the Invaders, Seattle had reset themselves and gotten back to winning ways. They would finish the weekend not only with a division crown, but a guarantee of home field throughout the postseason. The playoffs in the West would be running through the Emerald City this year. PHILADELPHIA 10 BOSTON 17 A surprisingly defensive game at Alumni Stadium as neither team could really get their offenses in full gear. Chad Ochocinco’s 4th quarter TD proves to be the decider in a close game between two contenders. Both Ahman Green and Tiki Barber were held in check in this one as the defenses allowed a combined 5 of 27 on third down conversions. HOUSTON 20 NEW JERSEY 23 An upset in the Meadowlands sends Houston to .500 as New Jersey gets a pretty impressive first start from rookie QB Kevin Kolb. Kolb only threw for 172 yards against that tough Houston defense, but threw two TDs and no picks, which is pretty good for a rookie’s first game. Curtis Enis and James Jackson helped the cause with a combined 153 yards rushing split almost evenly between them. MICHIGAN 18 PITTSBURGH 15 Another game where the defenses came to play. Michigan trailed for most of the game, but a late Griese to Hines Ward TD put them on top with 1:36 left to play. Griese survived 6 Mauler sacks, including 2 from Dameaion Jeffries to help Michigan improve to 7-5. BALTIMORE 20 WASHINGTON 10 Baltimore avenges an early season loss to the Feds and remains very much in the Wild Card hunt by scoring 10 unanswered points in the 4th to break a 10-10 deadlock. The key play was a beautifully executed screen that saw Correll Buckhalter scamper for 19 yards to give the Blitz the lead. Ron Dayne also contributed 91 yards and a score in the Blitz’s rivalry win. DENVER 19 ARIZONA 0 An absolute debacle of a game for the Wranglers, putting Coach Fassel’s job very much at risk. Arizona had a grand total of 136 yards of offense and Jake Plummer completed only 8 passes as the Denver defense dominated. Plummer was sacked 7 times in this one and the Wranglers could only muster 48 yards rushing. Denver’s offense continued to struggle, now with backup Derreck Anderson starting under center, but the D certainly made their presence known in this one. MEMPHIS 22 TEXAS 17 The Showboats got 131 combined yards from Cadillac Williams and Maurice Smith to outlast the Outlaws. The Memphis D did what they all knew they had to, containing T. J. Duckett, who finished the game with only 48 yards rushing and a 1.8 YPC average. Brett Favre connected with Robert Ferguson and TE David Martin for scores as Memphis moves to 9-3. ATLANTA 31 JACKSONVILLE 38 Jacksonville holds home court and barely gets past a feisty fire team. Antowain Smith and Travis Minor combine for 141 yards and 3 scores, outdueling Atlanta’s Terrell Davis and Rod Smart, who also scored 3 times. A 21-0 run between the third and fourth quarter helped Jacksonville pull out to a 14 point lead that held up despite Atlanta’s late surge. OHIO 24 NEW ORLEANS 3 The Glory had no trouble with a clearly dispirited and unmotivated Breaker squad, outgaining the Breakers 386-188. Could this type of performance mean trouble for last year’s Coach of the Year, Mike Nolan? Eli Manning was again mediocre at best while Kerry Collins reconnected with his main target, Joey Galloway, connecting on 6 passes for 123 yards and a score as the Glory roll. BIRMINGHAM 14 NASHVILLE 30 Nashville continues to impress with its inventiveness as Jay Cutler remains out. Up 13-0 when Craig Whelihan torked an ankle, they don’t miss a beat with Rick Mirer coming off the bench. Mirer connects with Justin Peele for a score and Nashville receiver Ahmad Merrit catches 5 for 125 as the offense shortened the game and the D stifled Jason Campbell and the Stallions. OAKLAND 13 LAS VEGAS 16 The Invaders had high hopes for a road win here, but that Las Vegas defense proved too tough at home. Despite giving up 370 yards of offense, Las Vegas shut down several Invader drives with key stops and Mike Vanderjagt got the shot he needed at the end of the game to drive home the winning kick. Unheralded WR John Broussard caught 6 for 103 as Oakland simply did not have much tape on the young pass catcher. CHICAGO 47 ST. LOUIS 9 Any thoughts that Rob Ryan could turn his interim gig as Head Coach of the Skyhawks into a permanent position were certainly scuttled with the performance this week. Ryan’s defense allowed 433 yards of offense to the Machine as Michael Turner just had himself a field day, rushing for 186 yards. Brady Quinn threw for 3 scores and eventually gave way to backup Tony Banks in this complete blowout. ORLANDO 37 TAMPA BAY 24 The Sunday Nighter was not as close as this score seems to indicate. Orlando raced out to a 20-0 lead and was happy to trade scores late as they maintained a lead throughout. Drew Brees threw for 4 scores and Sedric Irvin rushed for 92 yards as Orlando had the Bandits’ number. Three Tampa turnovers certainly did not help, but it was clear that Koy Detmer was overwhelmed in this game as Orlando’s pass rush was relentless, scoring 6 sacks and forcing 2 picks. Breakout Stars Twelve weeks into the 14-week USFL season and while there are a lot of familiar names atop the league’s statistical rankings, we have seen some new faces among the stars this year. We have chosen five players who have stepped up this year to garner much deserved attention. These are our candidates for the break out players of 2007. WR Donald Hayes (JAX) We are highlighting 2 Bulls receivers as break out players, which may seem odd, but this year is one where we are seeing the team finally diversify the passing game beyond Rashaun Woods. Woods remains the #1 receiver with 110 targets, but right behind him is Donald Hayes, who has turned his 75 targets into 56 catches and 9 touchdowns. With teams double covering Woods, having a 2nd option is vital and Hayes is turning into that option. He is averagine 15.7 yards per catch, 3 more per catch than Woods, and he is very likely going to join Woods as a 1,000 yard receiver with 2 more solid weeks. TE Jason Whitten (JAX) Prior to coming to Jacksonville, Whitten’s best year with Pittsburgh was a 26 reception season in 2005. This year with the Bulls he already has 56 catches and has become one of Jake Delhomme’s favorite targets. More and more it is Whitten being targeted on that crucial 3rd down play, and more and more folks in Duval County are getting used to cheering when he converts the play. HB Rod Smart (ATL) We all remember Rod Smart from his years in Denver, where he once toyed with 1,000 yards for the Gold. In Atlanta his role has been to back up Terrell Davis, and he remains the #2 back, but with over 500 yards rushing and an impressive 8 rushing TDs Smart has taken on something of a reputation as a finisher for the Fire. More and more we are seeing Davis tote the rock between the 20’s and Smart brought in as a change of pace in the red zone. His passcatching abilities and his quick cuts make him dangerous as a red zone weapon, and that is helping Atlanta stay competitive in a very tight Southeast Division. DE Justin Smith (OAK) Oakland has seen their defense improve this year, and are among league leaders in QB pressure, and a big piece of that lies with 7 year vet Justin Smith. The former LA Express draftee has been pretty good for pretty long, but is on pace to set a personal mark for the season, with 11 sacks so far. Combined with linemate Israel Idonije, Smith has become a threat for opposing QB’s and has helped Oakland stay in contention for a Wild Card. LB DeMeco Ryans (BIR) The second year linebacker out of Alabama is having himself a year for the Stallion defense. He has 91 tackles after 12 games, including 21 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Yes, the Stallions currently rank dead last in Points Allowed and Yards, which would seem to indicate that they are pretty horrible, but do not put that on Ryans, who appears to be the only playmaker on that side of the ball. Defensive Rookies Making a Difference Last week we wrote about how Marshawn Lynch is running away (literally) with the Rookie of the Year award, and he is, but that is not to say that there are not other rookies making a splash. We could certainly highlight Brady Quinn’s success with the Chicago Machine, but quarterbacks already get too much attention. So, we thought we would highlight three rookies on the defensive side of the ball who are making an impact this year. Our first is one most folks thought would be an immediate impact player, Philadelphia MLB Paul Posluszny. The Penn Stater was a key target for the Stars in the T-Draft and he has proven to be all they could have hoped for. He leads the Stars’ defense with 67 tackles, and is proving to be a boon for Philadelphia’s Top 5 pass defense, swapping out blitzes for deep Cover 2 responsibilities each week. Not as flashy as The Boz, the Poz is building up his own following among Philly fans, who love his lunchpail attitude and no holds barred style. Another high draft choice is our second defensive rookie standout. When Nashville signed SS LaRon Landry out of LSU they found themselves a tackling machine and a player not afraid to mix it up. Landry is second only to Hunter Hillenmeyer with 87 tackles on the season. Often creeping up towards the line, the safety has been as important to the Knights’ run defense as their pass coverage. Along with Huntermeyer and DT Shaun Rogers, they form the spine of a very tough D, the 4th ranked in the league in points allowed. Finally, we want to point out the season that Memphis Showboat LB Patrick Willis is having. We are all so dazzled by the Showboat’s sudden rise, and focusing so much attention on Brett Favre’s return to the league that we may have missed the fact that the Showboat D is now a Top 10 unit, allowing only 18.2 points per game and keeping foes under 90 yards rushing per game. Willis is a huge part of that success. He is the speed merchant in one of the best LB corps in the league, lined up with Hannibal Navies and MLB Kirk Morison and his role is pursuit. With 71 tackles, 2 picks, 2 sacks, and 21 tackles for loss, it is almost as common to see the rookie out of TCU in the opposition’s backfield as anywhere. His outside pressure has been helping others, like veteran DE Julius Peppers get single blocking and get to the QB, but he is most adept at busting up outside run plays before the back can turn the corner. Three players worth watching as their careers mature and their teams rely on them more and more. Three outstanding rookies who we should keep an eye on in these final weeks as well. Only two weeks left and we have only 5 playoff spots locked up. This may end up being the tightest playoff hunt in a decade, so get those tiebreaker scenarios ready. Here is what we know as of today. Seattle has locked up the Pacific title and the #1 seed in the West with their 11-1 record. No shock there. Boston has won the Northeast thanks to their win this week over 2nd place Philly. Memphis and Philadelphia are guaranteed playoff spots, though the Showboats have not yet been able to shake the Nashville Knights and claim the Southern title. Nashville clinched themselves at least a Wild Card this week, but they still hope to catch the Showboats, though a 1.5 game deficit with 2 to play seems a tall task. Out West no other team has a guaranteed spot. Even 9-3 Ohio could still be bumped by one of several 7-5 clubs if they stumble these past two weeks. In the Southwest, we have Denver and Houston battling at 6-6 for the division title, secure in understanding that the 2nd place finisher will be sitting at home. Chicago at 8-4 controls their own destiny and has a shot to catch Ohio, while Las Vegas, Oakland, LA and Michigan, all at 7-5 are essentially fighting over 2 Wild Card spots. Eliminated this week were New Jersey and Tampa Bay, meaning that 6 teams are out (St. Louis, New Orleans, Arizona and Texas were already out of contention), leaving 20 teams fighting over 12 spots. That should make for some drama in weeks 13 and 14 to be sure. Two weeks left in the season and teams are going to be focusing on health as much as they can. Those out of playoff contention are likely to test out some of their younger talent, as we saw this week with Kevin Kolb getting the start for the Generals, while those locked into playoff positions might begin to rest starters. Even those in the hunt for a playoff spot may strategize to rest players more than in earlier weeks, as any injury now is almost certainly going to impact the playoff run or the playoffs themselves. With that said, here are the developments from Week 12 that could impact the final weeks of the season or the playoff fortunes of USFL Clubs. BIR: RT Jeff Backus is done for the year with a ruptured disc. Fortunately there does not appear to be any permanent nerve damage, but it was a scary injury to be sure. Charles Molina will take over at RT. BOS: A big blow for the Boston D as end Hugh Douglas is out for the rest of the year, including the playoffs, after tearing his hamstring. With Casey Hampton expected out for 1-2 weeks, this leaves the D-line of the Cannons in a tough patch. Expect Brent Hawkins to rotate with Andrew Windham at LE while Jason Babin takes on the main pass-rush duties. DEN: Good news for the Gold as Matt Leinart is expected to start this week and next. With the Gold needing 2 wins to take the SW Division, this is a key return for them. LA: Linebacker Akin Ayodele is out for the foreseeable future with a hip injury. Expect his spot in the LB corps to be replaced by Eric Hill, with Steven Tulloch brought up from the Practice Squad for depth. MEM: Cadillac Williams is doubtful this week with a broken thumb. He may well be rested until the playoffs, since the Showboats have their spot all but locked up. NSH: Jay Cutler is still at least a week away. That is what Nashville is saying. With the Knights already locked into a playoff spot, they may well wait until the playoffs to bring him back to action. Rumor is, however, that Rick Mirer, and not Craig Whelihan, may get the start this week. NJ: Tackle Leander Jordan is out for the year with a hip injury. He will be replaced by Marshal Yanda. OAK: Joey Harrington is expected back this week. Not a minute too soon for an Oakland club hoping to make a late run at a Wild Card. PHI: The Stars are also expecting their QB1 to be back, with Kurt Warner practicing in full with the starters this week. SEA: WR Darnerien McCants will likely miss the entire playoffs after suffering a collar bone break this past week. Expect Rashied Davis to move to the #2 position, keeping Troy Walters in the slot. STL: Luke McCown suffered a concussion in last week’s win, and this will likely lead to rookie Troy Smith from Ohio State getting the start for the final two weeks of a long and troubled Skyhawks season. TBY: SS Bryan Scott is expected to miss this week, and could be out next week as well. QB Daunte Culpepper has been cleared to return to play after a mysterious 2 week absence. TEX: Jeff George will not return to action this week after suffering a neck injury in Week 12’s game. This makes it easier, we assume for the team to test out other options, though they have not stated whether it will be Chris Simms or Dan Orlovsky under center in the next two weeks. League Mixes Up Expansion Draft System in Owners’ Vote With both 2008 expansion teams now filling in their coaching and management rooms with new hires, and the USFL offseason drawing closer and closer, the last piece of the puzzle was for both teams to know what the plan would be for them to stock their rosters. We already knew that both clubs would be permitted to participate in the full Free Agency period starting in just about 5 weeks, and that both would also be able to sign players during the NFL-USFL Transfer Window. We also knew that one club would be picking first in the USFL College Draft and the other 3rd, alternating each round, just as we saw in 2006, but the question of the leaguewide Expansion Draft was still up in the air. That question is now answered, as the league has announced the structure for this October’s Expansion Draft has been revealed. Having just passed through an expansion process in 2006, it seems that lessons from that year have been turned into changes to the system for this year’s process. The first change is that each of the current 26 USFL franchises will have a little more wiggle room than in 2006. Rather than protecting 12 players from potential “poaching” from the expansion club, each of the current teams will have 3 additional protected players, a total of 15 per team. Were that the only change then we still could expect several teams to still be picked more heavily than others. As we saw in 2006, there were teams who had no players chosen by Atlanta or St. Louis while others lost the maximum of 5 veterans from their rosters. The newly approved 2008 expansion process will ensure that this type of imbalance is impossible. In addition to the 3-player expansion of each team’s protected list, it was decided to seek an equitable balance of player departures by creating a system that ensured equal pain across the league. Rather than an open draft format, the Portland and Charlotte franchises will each be permitted to choose 1 player each from every USFL team, with only 4 final round picks adding a 2nd player from select teams. Essentially, the way it will work is that Charlotte will be allowed to have first choice of any unprotected player from 13 clubs, and Portland from the remaining 13 clubs. Each club will then have the 2nd choice of player from each team as well. This will set up the first 26 players on each roster, while each existing USFL team is guaranteed to lose only 2 players (and exactly 2, no team skipped over). The owners agreed to eliminate the process wherein a team could add a new player to their protected list when one is picked. Essentially, they can protect 15 players from the start, and are guaranteed to lose 2. The final 4 picks of the draft are more open, with 8 teams losing a 3rd player. Charlotte and Portland will alternate picks, but once one of the other 26 teams has lost a 3rd player, their entire roster is then protected and neither expansion club can choose another of their players. What this will mean is that both Portland’s and Charlotte’s rosters will have 1 player from each current USFL team, with 4 more players coming from the 4 remaining teams. Thirty spots filled, with the remaining 23 roster spots (and any camp bodies) coming from the College Draft, the USFL Free Agent list and any NFL or CFL transfers they can sign. For the existing clubs it means that the damage of the expansion draft will be maxed out at 3 roster spots, while for the expansion clubs, it means a new strategy must be developed to run their drafts. After all, the salary cap will be another factor, meaning that each team cannot simply pick the best player available from 13 clubs and the 2nd best from 13 clubs. Charlotte and Portland must look at position needs as well as cost. As we saw in 2006, expect a mix of perhaps a handful of veteran leaders and potential All-USFL players (though few are likely to be available) along with a smattering of young, developing talent and a solid pool of bench or depth players to round out the rosters and keep the salaries in line with the cap. One final note to the rules, these Expansion picks cannot be traded, nor can deals be made with the existing 26 teams to bypass any given unprotected player in exchange for other personnel or draft capital. The teams get 30 picks, they must pick players from each club plus 4 extra selections, and they may not trade these players away to another club at any point prior to the Collegiate Draft, limiting any backroom deals that could otherwise occur. We will, of course, report on the 60 picks of the Expansion Draft, as well as the impact on each club, the best prospects for the two new USFL franchises, and any developments related to free agency or the College Draft, as part of our offseason coverage. USFL’s Greatest Coaches As we take a look back over the 25-season history of the USFL it is undeniable that there are players who are deeply associated with the spring league that appeared in 1983 and has grown into one of the most popular sports in the USA. But the same is true for some of the USFL’s greatest head coaches. In this week’s look back over the USFL’s quarter century, we focus on those coaches. Deciding which coaches should be referenced for this article was no small task. We started by conducting a survey of the win-loss records of all USFL coaches who spent at least 5 seasons with one team. What did we find out? Well, we found out that some of the coaches with the best win percentages were not the coaches with the most wins, or even those with multiple titles. So, before we focus in on 4 highly-regarded coaches from the past of the USFL, a quick dive into the numbers. Most Wins in USFL History This category is largely about longevity, but, of course, longevity is profoundly tied to winning. A coach cannot last long if his teams don’t produce wins, so while it is not a perfect indicator of coaching greatness, a large win count certainly shows that owners were willing to trust a coach over time, sometimes multiple owners. Here is the current Top 5 Coaches with the most wins in USFL history (We exclude all 2007 results for active coaches). 5--Galen Hall (JAX 89-94, 99-05); 105-93-0, 0 Titles. Hall helped build Jacksonville into a contender, and after a 5-year hiatus, was asked to do the same for the expansion LA Express. 4--Jack Pardee (HOU 84-89, TEX 95-00): 106-85-1, 1 League Title Pardee created the Run & Shoot with Mouse Davis and built up what would become the Houston Gambler Dynasty of the late 80s and early 90s. Wooed away by the NFL, he would return to the USFL and the state of Texas with the Outlaws in 1995. 3—Steve Spurrier (TBY 83-93, 04-07): 130-89-0, 1 League Title Winner of the first league title, Spurrier is synonymous with the Bandit franchise. He guided the team for 11 seasons before moving to the U. of Florida, only to return recently for a second round with the team. 2—Lindy Infante (Jax 84-88, BAL 92-03): 134-128, 0 Titles Infante is an interesting case in that he coached in the USFL for 17 seasons, 12 with the Blitz, without ever winning, or even appearing in a Summer Bowl. He helped develop the Jacksonville expansion club, and was solid in Baltimore, but could never get over the hump and lead his club to the promised land. 1—Jim Mora Sr (PHI 83-89, OAK 96-97, MEM 98-06): 3 League Titles Perhaps the coach most associated with the USFL, and for good reason. His leadership brough two early league titles to the Stars, making them one of the league’s flagship franchises. After a 6 season stint in the NFL, he was lured back to the USFL by the Oakland Invaders, who apparently had no patience for him to create a winner. After back to back 5-11 seasons, they cut Mora go and Memphis jumped on the coach, signing him right away. He would reward their faith in him with the club’s first league title. Winning Percentage A very impressive group of coaches, including one in the USFL Hall of Fame. But, when we look at winning percentage, none of these 5 men appear on the list, which just seems odd. Here are the current Top 5 coaches (with at least 5 seasons with one team) to lead USFL teams. 5—Dick Jauron (DEN 98-Present): 86-48-0, .642 winning percentage. Denver’s main man, and the first to bring a title to the Mile High City may be criticized for a lack of exciting offense, but his style of ball control and solid D is certainly getting results. 4—John Fox (ATL/BOS 03-07): 37-19-0, .661 winning percentage One of the newer hires on the list, Fox has only been with the USFL since 2003, but when he took over the Atlanta Fire in their last year before relocating to Boston, no one could have imagined that he would help shape them into a perennial contender. 3—Bill Parcells (NJ 01-06): 57-29-0, .663 winning percentage No shock to find the Big Tuna on this list. He came to the USFL after winning two Super Bowls with the NY Giants and building a winner in New England. With New Jersey he produced two titles in 3 years before retiring this past offseason. 2—Bill Arnsbarger (NOR 88-93): 64-32-0, .667 winning percentage Still a figure who gets mixed reactions in the Big Easy. There is no denying that his teams were solid, making the playoffs every year except his last, but the problem is always the same, they would fold in the playoffs, losing in either the divisional or conference title round every year. 1—Al Luginbill (OHIO 99-07): 83-35-0, .703 winning percentage We should not be surprised that the one man to lead a team to a perfect season in the USFL would be among the league’s all time winning percentage leaders. Luginbill took the 1995 expansion Glory squad and turned them into one of the most dominant teams of the 2000’s, winning back to back titles in 2002-2003, and he may not be done yet. Our Picks For The Top 5 USFL Coaches OK, so there you have two ways to measure success, so how do we honor USFL Coaches of the past? We decided to mix these two criteria, toss in titles, and a bit of personality, to help us decide who our Top 5 Legendary Coaches of the USFL’s First 25 Seasons would be. Get ready to debate the results, we know we did. Our fifth head coach on our list is one who did not make either of the lists above, but one who created one of the league’s iconic teams during the 1990’s. We nominate Ron Erhardt as the fifth most important head coach of the USFL’s history. Erhardt led the Birmingham Stallions from 1992-2002, eleven seasons of up and down fortunes, but also eleven seasons of some of the most entertaining football the league has ever seen. His wide open offense, led by Brett Favre, came to define a decade of USFL football. Almost making the run game obsolete, Erhardt was willing to toss the ball early and often, and doing so helped him build up a record of 103-70-0 (.592 %) and win a title with the Stallions. Just missing the Top 5 for wins, but with a very solid winning percentage over more than 10 years, Erhardt makes our list not just because his teams won, but because he helped transition the league from old school football to the wide open game that we enjoy today. We cannot celebrate Ron Erhardt’s offensive innovativeness without then recognizing the Run & Shoot, which brings us to our #4 USFL Coaching Legend, Jack Pardee. What makes Pardee so interesting is that it was not just about the Run & Shoot, a style that clearly depended heavily on the slightly off-kilter mind of Mouse Davis, but that Pardee was also a defensive innovator. His defenses in Houston were equally as noteworthy as the offenses led by Kelly and Thomas. He did not have the same success developing either in his second stint with the Texas Outlaws, but he still managed to leave San Antonio with a winning record, which few can say. Third on our list, and another innovator. Steve Spurrier helped to define the style for the entire league when he and owner John Bassett tapped into a national desire for a higher risk, higher reward style of play with Bandit Ball. Characterized by fast pace and greater aggressiveness on both sides of the ball than fans were used to seeing from the stodgy NFL style, Bandit Ball helped define the novelty of the USFL and build its appeal to fans who were eager to see teams go for the long ball, the long odds, and the risky play. Along with Bassett, Spurrier has a bust in the USFL section on the Pro Hall of Fame, but he also came back to the Bandits in 2004, where he hopes to bring a 3rd title to the squad that he helped to create. In our #2 spot is a coach who has neither the highest winning percentage nor the most wins in league history, but whose 2 league titles and flair for aggressive defense made him a legend in a city desperate for a winner. Jim Stanley and his Michigan Panthers revived football in Detroit after decades of sub-par play by the NFL Lions. With players like David Greenwood, Ronnie Paggett and John Corker on defense, the Panthers were a nightmare to play each week. Add to that the explosiveness of the Bobby Hebert led offense, and you had an early dynasty in the league, with the Panthers winning 2 of the first 4 titles. Stanley would retire in 1993, after 11 seasons with the Panthers, 102 wins and two USFL Championship Trophies. He would be a first ballot USFL Hall of Famer as a coach. That only leaves one coach left, and can there really be any doubt? The only coach to win 3 titles, and to win titles with 2 different teams, Jim Mora Sr. is about as legendary as a USFL coach can be. Over the course of 24 seasons, he would be roaming the USFL sidelines for 18 of those years, working with 3 different clubs, and helping to define what would become the USFL. His Stars teams, along with Stanley’s Panthers, would dominate the early league. While others like Spurrier or Pardee would be known as innovators, Mora was the consummate strategist and motivator. His teams rarely had star-studded rosters or high-paid NFL signings, but were among the most disciplined teams each and every year. He was also willing to bend his style to his personnel. The ball-control, run-first style of the Fusina-Bryant years in Philadelphia, are a long cry from the deep ball, spread it out style of his Memphis Showboat teams. In both cases, the common denominator was that both clubs always showed up on game day focused, prepared, and willing to go the extra mile to get the win. Jim Mora, despite the countless meams of his famous “Playoffs?” postgame rant with Oakland, or his successful but troubled years in the NFL, will always be seen as the architect of winners in the USFL. We wish we had room to mention so many others, from Sam Rutigliano to Ted Marchibroda, Rollie Dotsch to Vince Tobin, the story of USFL coaching is as diverse and as debate-worthy as that of its players, but perhaps we will return to some of the other coaches deserving of mention in a later article some day. Jim Smith: A USFL Success Story So many players in the early USFL were either NFL castoffs, rookies, or college stars who never made it to the NFL. For many it was a chance to move from the bench to the starting lineup, form obscurity to the spotlight, and from financial insecurity to a significantly higher tax bracket. Wideout Jim Smith certainly falls into the latter category. Smith was a 3rd round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1977, and he spent 5 years with the Team of the 70’s, but largely sitting and watching Swann and Stallworth each week. In an era before 3-wideout sets were common, and with two future NFL Hall of Famers ahead of him on the depth chart, Smith had a few moments, but was largely unused by the Steelers. When the USFL came along, it offered the Michigan product a chance to regain the spotlight he had seen in Ann Arbor. Birmingham Head Coach Rollie Dotsch, himself coming over to the USFL from the Steelers, knew what Smith could offer, and convinced Stallion ownership to do something few expected. Smith was offered a contract for 3 years to join the Stallions in 1983, a contract that promised him a salary higher than any starting wideout in the NFL, including Swann and Stallworth. It was a crazy deal for a player that was talented, but hardly a Herschel Walker or Jim Kelly name. Smith jumped at the chance, not only to dramatically increase his savings account, but to also be a starter, a #1 target. He would jump into that roll with both feet. Smith would put together three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons for the Stallions, including a 10-touchdown year in 1985. He caught 108 passes in ’854, and 106 in ’85. Along with Cliff Stoudt and Joe Cribbs, Smith would become an icon in Alabama sports and a face for franchise. While not possessing the sheer speed of an Eric Truvillion, or the acrobatics of Jo-Jo Townsell, Smith was the consummate pro, running crisp routes, shaking off corners, and making the tough catch when it mattered most. He would never win All-USFL accolades or win a title with Birmingham, but between 1983 and his retirement in 1988, Smith would do what seemed so unlikely in his years in Pittsburgh. He would be a star, a face recognized around town and talked about at Monday morning water coolers. He would get the chance to move into the spotlight in a community that appreciated his effort and his skills. Not every player can be an All-league talent, but the USFL allowed more and more players to realize the potential they had, to make a name for themselves, and to play the game they loved for a lot more cash than they could have ever earned with a pre-Free Agency NFL as the only option. (IRL—Smith was a backup for the Steeler greats at wideout, with 113 total NFL receptions in 6 NFL season with the Steelers and 1 post-USFL season with the Raiders. His best years were the three in Birmingham, where he led the Stallions in receiving in all 3 years, leading the league with 1,481 yards in 1984. He finished his career with Birmingham in 1985 by catching 20 touchdowns that year. Smith did win 2 Super Bowls in Pittsburgh, and none with the Stallions, but he is remembered in Birmingham for his great career there. After football he got into the automobile industry, and in 2015 was inducted into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame, a graduate of Eisenhower HS.) Two weeks left, two chances to make a push, to have a shot at the postseason or to secure the best possible playoff spot. Yes, some teams will now start resting starters, others, however, will be putting in playoff effort performances trying to ensure they get where they want to be. Expect some blowouts, but expect some true classics these two weeks. Let’s see what Week 13 has in store for us. FRI @ 8PM Houston (6-6) @ Arizona (2-10) NBC SAT @ 12PM New Jersey (4-8) @ St. Louis (1-11) ABC SAT @ 12PM Birmingham (5-7) @ Memphis (9-3) ABC SAT @ 12PM Orlando (7-5) @ Atlanta (5-7) FOX SAT @ 4PM Las Vegas (7-5) @ Ohio (9-3) ABC SAT @ 4PM Seattle (11-1) @ Michigan (7-5) FOX SAT @ 8PM Boston (10-2) @ Washington (4-8) ESPN SUN @ 12PM Pittsburgh (5-7) @ Jacksonville (6-6) ABC SUN @ 12PM Baltimore (5-6-1) @ Tampa Bay (4-8) FOX SUN @ 12PM Philadelphia (9-4) @ Nashville (7-5-1) FOX SUN @ 4PM Texas (4-8) @ Denver (6-6) ABC SUN @ 4PM New Orleans (1-11) @ Chicago (8-4) FOX SUN @ 8PM Los Angeles (7-5) @ Oakland (7-5) ESPN

Playoff Picture: Seattle have clinched the Pacific Division title and the #1 Seed in the West. Boston has clinched the Northeast Division title. Memphis, Nashville, and Philadelphia have clinched playoff berths. St. Louis, New Orleans, Arizona, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and Texas are eliminated from playoff contention.

The weekend got off to a bang on Saturday, where the theme of home dogs coming through was repeated several times. Atlanta upended Washington to move closer to a possible playoff spot. Orlando and Pittsburgh both got wins, but the biggest shocker was Texas's manhandling of the Oakland Invaders. Oakland was an 8 point road favorite, but the Outlaws took them to the woodshed in a game that fans in San Antonio will long remember in what otherwise has been a forgettable year. The upset theme did not carry over to Sunday's games, where most home favorites won, but don't tell that to the Boston Cannons, who were the victims of the only Sunday upset, and our Game of the Week. BOSTON 15 BIRMINGHAM 18 Another tough choice for our Game of the Week. We could have easily gone for Philly’s narrow win over St. Louis or Seattle’s close call at home against division foe Las Vegas, but in grand scheme of things, both of those games ended as anticipated, whereas Birmingham’s win over Boston was a shocker to fans, and the Las Vegas sportsbooks, who had Boston as a 8-point road favorite. The Stallions have been playing well of late, with this win their 3rd in their last 4 games. And they have done it in a variety of ways, a good defensive showing against Atlanta in a 17-10 win, then a shootout with Tampa Bay last week, a 49-35 victory for the Stallions. This week it was back to defense as the Stallions fared surprisingly well in containing Boston’s multifaceted offense. Birmingham was most effective on third down, refusing a single conversion for the Cannons (0 for 9). So, while the Cannons outgained Birmingham 391-290, they found drives coming up short throughout the game. When you look at the statistics, there is a lot in Boston’s favor. Drew Bledsoe went 17 of 22, very good numbers, for 10.1 yards per attempt. Tiki Barber rushed for 106 yards on 19 carries, a 5.6 YPC average. Chad Ochocinco averaged 19.5 yards per reception for a total of 78 yards. And yet, this did not lead to points for the Cannons. Failed 3rd down plays, combined with 3 fumbles on the day, helped keep Boston under 20 points, and that gave Birmingham’s erratic offense enough opportunities to steal a win. After a 6-0 Boston lead at the half, Birmingham started taking advantage of the Boston mistakes. A fumble by Tony Hunt on the 27 gave the Stallions a very short field, and they would take the lead only 1:23 later when Shaun Alexander plunged in from the 2-yardline. Birmingham would stuff Boston on their next drive and would then add 3 more points on a Kris Brown kick to take a 10-6 lead after 3 quarters. Boston rallied in the 4th, getting a 39-yard Elam field goal when yet another 3rd down play failed, and then scoring after the lone Birmingham turnover, an ill-advised pass by Campbell than ended up in the hands of Cannon FS Jerome Woods. Four plays later Chad Ochocinco got inside position on the corner and Bledsoe hit him for a 20-yard touchdown. Boston was up 15-10 after failing on the 2-point conversion. Birmingham would have 9 minutes, maybe 2 possessions if all went well, to get a winning score. On their first drive they reached midfield, but their offense stalled when Campbell could not connect with James Thrash on a 3rd and 11 throw. Boston got the ball back at their 19, but they too struggled. Two runs by Barber set up a 3rd and 4, but rather than go for the pass, they tried a draw and the Stallions sniffed it out. LB DeMeco Ryans penetrated the line and forced Barber to try to spin away from the tackle. He spun right into the arms of Mike Rucker and Boston was forced to punt with 4:07 left in the game. Birmingham would have one more shot to pull out the win. The fans at Legion Field were in full voice, supporting their home squad as they attempted to secure the upset. On this final drive Jason Campbell was tuned in, completing 3 of 4 passes and scrambling once to gain a new set of downs on a 3rd and 5. With 1:33 left on the clock they had made their way to the 5-yard line. On first down they faked the ball to Alexander, the linebackers bit, and WR Ben Obomanu found space between the corner and the safety on the slant. Campbell’s throw was low, but not so low that Obomanu could not go down and snag it. He rolled twice before holding the ball up to show the catch had been made. It went to review and was confirmed, a TD to take a 16-15 lead. Birmingham would go for two to bring the lead to 3 points, and they converted on a Campbell bootleg run. Boston, with 1:23 left to play, would have one last chance to tie or win the game, but once again trouble on 3rd down haunted the Cannons. They would go for a deep route on 3rd and 2 and Bledsoe simply overthrew Joe Jurevicious. So, on 4th and 2, they lined up in what appeared to be a run formation, with Tiki Barber the lone back and two tight ends. Bledsoe faked the ball to Barber, looked for his TE, James Whalen, and threw a rope to the receiver. But, once again, DeMeco Ryans was on top of the play, and just as Whalen was reaching for the ball, Ryans swept his arm across Whalen’s field of vision, clipping his right arm and causing the ball to bounce away. Boston players and Coach Fox pleaded for pass interference, but no flag was thrown. The play stood and Birmingham took over on downs. It was a tough loss for the Cannons, who now face a must-win game against the Stars next week if they hope to take home the Northeast Division Title. The loss puts them only 1 game ahead of the surging Stars. For Birmingham, this win helps them move to within striking distance of a Wild Card at 5-6, tied with current 6th place Jacksonville. While fans may still question the Stallion offense and QB Jason Campbell, the team has rallied after a 4-game losing streak in weeks 4-7. The path, however, will not be an easy one, as Birmingham finishes with 3 straight road games, all against teams with winning records: Nashville, Memphis, and Orlando. WASHINGTON 10 ATLANTA 26 Terrell Davis went off against the Feds and the Fire stepped closer to a possible playoff berth. Davis carried the ball a tiring 28 times, gaining 172 yards along the way (6.1 YPC), and scoring twice as he helped Atlanta dominate the Federals in the second half. Josh Scobee would do the rest, kicking 4 field goals to help Atlanta reach 5-6 and the fringe of Wild Card contention. ST. LOUIS 23 PHILADELPHIA 24 St. Louis put up a good fight, but once again Matt Gutierrez and the Stars found a way to win. Kudos to Ahman Green, who has taken on a lot of the pressure of the Stars offense in Kurt Warner’s absence. His 123 yards were pivotal, but Gutierrez, despite 3 picks, came through when needed, tossing a 26-yard TD to Edward Stinnett, the winning score in the game. DENVER 0 ORLANDO 16 You know things are bad for the Denver offense when Matt Leinart gets pulled in favor of Dereck Anderson, but that is what happened in this one. Leinart was sacked 5 times, and one of those did come with a blow to the head, so it may have been about protection as much as poor results. Orlando dominated the game from the start, and with 2 Najeh Davenport TD runs (he finished with 58 yards on only 4 carries), the Renegades had more than enough to take the W and move into first place in the Southeast. ARIZONA 13 PITTSBURGH 21 Jake Plummer connected with Larry Fitzgerald for 174 yards and 2 scores, but it was not enough as Pittsburgh sacked the Wrangler QB 7 times and DeShaun Foster had his best game in a purple jersey, rushing for 135 on the day. Add in a 17 of 22 performance from Cody Pickett and the Maulers had enough to take the home win and place themselves in contention in the Central, at least for a Wild Card. OAKLAND 23 TEXAS 38 This week’s shocker, as Texas brought the heat, sacking Joey Harrington 4 times in the first half and sending him out of the game midway through the third. Jeff George led the way on offense with 3 TD passes, but T. J. Duckett, as always, was right there, rushing for 101 and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries. MEMPHIS 10 LOS ANGELES 30 Brett Favre threw 4 picks, and Seneca Wallace did not, and that won the game handily for the Showboats. Wallace hit Tory Holt for a 62-yard score and Dez White from 85 yards as the Memphis secondary looked flabbergasted all game. Meanwhile, Memphis simply could not keep the pressure off Favre. LA recorded 5 sacks along with the 4 Favre picks on a tough day for the former MVP. MICHIGAN 17 CHICAGO 35 Brian Griese threw for 328 yards, but it was the run game of the Machine that took this game over. Michael Turner (59), Maurice Clarett (76), and Derrick Blaylock (34) combined for 172 yards and 2 scores in this one. Brady Quinn, largely off of play action, also threw for 3 scores, two to Donald Driver, as Chicago scored the final 21 points of the game. NEW JERSEY 9 BALTIMORE 19 The Generals simply could not get anything going in this one, while Ron Dayne’s 113 yards on 23 carries, and Ben Roethlisberger’s efficient 15 of 21 throwing were enough for Baltimore to get the home win. New Jersey outgained the Blitz, 308 to 278, but 3 turnovers did them in. JACKSONVILLE 16 OHIO 19 A white-knuckle ride in Columbus as the Bulls and Glory slugged it out in a game that saw Jacksonville go for 2 on both touchdowns, while Ohio just kept kicking field goals. In the end it was Kerry Collins’s lone TD toss to Joey Galloway that gave Ohio the win, but this one was anything but a cakewalk for the Glory, whose offense continues to underperform expectations. TAMPA BAY 20 HOUSTON 24 With Daunte Culpepper sitting out again for some undisclosed medical reason, Tampa Bay’s offense struggled against the Houston D. Koy Detmer threw two picks and completed only 10 of 30 passes, while Matt Hasselbeck’s 25 of 40 day helped Houston pull out a needed home win to take over the Southwest Division. TDs to Ike Hilliard and Dave Campbell helped Houston edge the Bandits in this one. LAS VEGAS 21 SEATTLE 23 Another tough divisional game for the Dragons, but they managed to pull this one out thanks to two late Dave Rayner field goals. Las Vegas was able to take advantage on the ground, with both Marshawn Lynch and Earnest Graham rushing for more than 70 yards, but in the end, it was the ability of Seattle to end drives with points that gave them the win. A Marcus Truffant pick-six of Steve McNair also proved pivotal in this close matchup of Pacific rivals. NEW ORLEANS 20 NASHVILLE 26 Fred Jackson rushed for 104 yards on only 16 carries, and Kenny Irons added 79 more as Nashville’s run defense was tested early and often by the Breakers. But a 16-0 scoring run by Nashville in the final 2 quarters turned a 20-10 deficit into a 26-20 victory in overtime. Craig Whelihan, in for the injured Jay Cutler, broke the hearts of the few Breaker fans who made the trip, hitting Robert Meachem with an 11-yard TD in the final minute of play to give Nashville the win. Birmingham, Chicago, and Orlando Surging Good times in these three cities as their clubs have shaken off early season doldrums and are now making runs at playoff positions. Orlando has won 4 in a row and 6 of 7 since their early season stumbles. Those that were quick to call the Drew Brees signing a bust are now eating their words as Brees has turned around the Orlando offense and now ranks among the Top 5 QBs in the league. In Chicago, a 3-game winning streak comes against 3 division foes, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Michigan. Having split their series with Ohio, Chicago is in a solid position if they can catch the Glory, who sit one game ahead in the standings. They also have a pretty amenable schedule ahead of them, with the two 1-win teams back to back, St. Louis this week and New Orleans the week after, before closing out the season with a home game against the LA Express. Birmingham’s rise is perhaps the biggest surprise. After a Week 6 loss to winless New Orleans, it seemed all but certain that Dennis Franchione’s luck had run out and the Stallions would be making a change. The Stallions would earn a win against Atlanta, then lose to Michigan, but back to back wins against solid Tampa Bay and Boston squads have Stallion fans feeling better about their squad. That could change quickly however as the Stallions must now face a gauntlet of 6-4-1 Nashville, 8-3 Memphis, and 6-5 Orlando, all on the road. To make the playoffs, two, perhaps three road wins will be needed, a tall order to be sure. Denver, Tampa Bay, and Michigan Fading Things are not looking so bright in these three cities, as the Gold have lost 3 of 4 to drop out of first place; Tampa Bay have lost 5 of the last 6 and seem to have a mystery situation with their QB, and Michigan’s 4-game win streak has been followed by consecutive losses, dropping them to 3rd in the Central. Denver’s woes are pretty clear. They are not scoring points. In the past 4 weeks, they have scored fewer than 7 points 3 times, with a lone field goal in games against Houston and Seattle, and a deeply troubling shutout this week against Orlando. Were it not for a lone anomaly game against Arizona, the Gold would likely be out of the playoff picture by now. The Gold now sit at 25th in scoring, not a place that a playoff contender usually lands. Matt Leinart has only 8 TD passes on the season, and Cedric Benson continues to underwhelm Gold fans with a 3.8 YPC average and only 2 touchdowns on the season. Coach Jauron has started to rotate in Mewelde Moore and Travis Prentice to try to add more explosiveness to the run game, but so far to no avail. In Tampa Bay it feels like the wheels have fallen off the bus entirely. The defense is allowing nearly 28 points a game, the offense, which helped them be competitive most of the season has fizzled, and now we have seen Koy Detmer start the past two weeks after what appeared to be a minor concussion to Daunte Culpepper in a Week 9 game against Atlanta. Sitting at 4-7 it does not look promising for the Bandits, and Coach Spurrier has not been very forthcoming with how he plans to turn things around. We think he is still solidly in control of the locker room, but would not be surprised to see some major shifts this offseason on the roster. Finally, Michigan, coming off a 4-game win streak, has now dropped consecutive games to Houston and Chicago. Now, those are both solid teams, and a 2-game dip is not usually a cause for panic, but there is not a lot of room in the standings for teams to drop to .500, and Michigan is getting very close. They have a winnable game at Pittsburgh this week, and finish the year with St. Louis, so 2 of 3 wins is very possible, and that might be enough to snag a Wild Card, but it seems clear the momentum they had midseason seems to have fizzled. Offseason Moves: Pay Outs & Flops The 2006-2007 Offseason was a busy one with several huge moves impacting USFL squads from coast to coast. As we reach the final weeks of the season it seems clear that some moves paid major dividends while others simply did not. Here is our assessment of the 5 biggest offseason moves and the 5 decisions that have not worked out. Big Pay Out: Orlando signing Drew Brees. As weird as it is to say it, this may actually be a move that helped two teams. Orlando, after a rough 0-4 start to the season, has figured out what the do well, and Drew Brees has been a big part of that. He now ranks 5th among passers in QB Rating and has thrown 16 touchdowns to only 2 picks since Week 4. Orlando has won 6 of 7 and the Renegade offense now boasts a Top 10 passing game. But, what is perhaps even weirder is that Michigan, in losing Brees, may have actually stumbled into a better situation for themselves as well. Given the chance to be the #1 starter, Brian Griese has taken the bull by the horns and is putting up a career year for Coach LeBeau. Griese currently leads the league with 2,934 passing yards, and with 25 TDs is also in 1st. His QBR of 124.1 is third, behind only Drew Bledsoe and Byron Leftwich. By all accounts, Griese has blossomed in his 2nd chance to be a starter (after losing his starting gig in Philly and then spending 2 years behind Brees in Pontiac). This appears to be win-win, which is something we are used to saying about trades, not about a player going to a new team in free agency. Big Flop: Jeff George to Texas After years of midling QB play with Jeff Lewis and then Trent Dilfer, fans in the Lone Star State were hoping the arrival of Chicago starter Jeff George would see their pass offense flourish. If anything they have gotten worse. George has thrown 12 picks to go along with his 12 touchdowns, a balance no team wants to see. His completion rate of 51.6 is among the worst among starters in the league, and even the signing of Muhsin Muhammad from Las Vegas has not benefitted the Outlaws, who rank 25th out of 26 teams in passing. To say that Texas has not had a strong offseason is to put it mildly. Even top rated rookie DE Tim Crowder has not flashed this year, with no starts and no sacks this season. Expect some turnover in the front office after the year Texas has had. We expect Norv Turner will get more time, but we would not be shocked to see a different GM in place by August. Big Pay Out: LA Standing Pat at QB One of several teams to lose a starting QB and not pursue a new player to take over, Los Angeles may not be having the statistical success of Michigan and Brian Griese, but fans cannot be upset with the results they have gotten with Seneca Wallace at the helm. Wallace’s 2,212 yards may not be among the league leaders, but his 20 TD to 4 Int ratio has been impressive, as has LA’s 7-4 record after 11 weeks. Wallace is not built in the classic QB mold, but his leadership and improvisational ability have proven valuable to an Express team that is built for the run and the deep ball. With both Keyshawn Johnson and Tory Holt averaging over 25 yards per reception, this is an offense that lulls you to sleep with Maurice Jones-Drew toting the rock, and then takes the top off with their wideouts. It would appear that Hue Jackson knew what he had in Wallace when Cade McNown shipped off to the NFL, which explains why LA, unlike several other clubs, did not panic to try to find a replacement. Big Flop: New Jersey Standing Pat at QB Where LA found success with its “stand pat” strategy, New Jersey has not. The loss of Tom Brady has had a devastating impact on the 2006 league champions, one that many underplayed before the season began. But, after 11 weeks, the best team in the league has fallen off a cliff, sitting at 3-8 and sporting the 3rd worst passing game in the league. Kelly Holcombe has simply not lived up to expectations, throwing only 11 touchdowns in the season’s first 11 games. Do not be surprised if rookie Kevin Kolb finishes out the year if only to see if New Jersey has to be looking at the position again this offseason. Without a consistent passing game, Curtis Enis has had to carry the load, and, as his 3.6 YPC average will attest, it has not been easy. Terry Glenn also cannot be happy, as his numbers have also taken a major dip with the departure of Brady. Glenn had a chance to jump to the NFL as well, but resigned with New Jersey, banking on the team’s championship roster being able to withstand the loss of their QB, but this season is going to show just how important one player can be to a franchise. Big Pay Out: Vegas Moving Up for Lynch Perhaps the biggest move of the USFL Draft was the Las Vegas Thunder jumping from the 13th pick up to #4 to nab Marshawn Lynch. Lynch has been sensational for the Thunder, carrying the ball 255 times for 991 yards. His work load is one of the heaviest in the league, and while Las Vegas does not exactly have a league leading offense, the ability to shorten games, run down the clock, and provide rest for their top ranked defense has helped keep the Thunder in contention in nearly every game. The only negative on Lynch so far this year is that he has managed only 2 touchdowns and only 2 rushes of over 20 yards this year. A lot of that is on the O-line, but it is something that will have to improve in year 2. Big Flop: St. Louis Moving Down in the Draft While it may not be fair to look at a draft after only a portion of a season and say it has not worked out, the feeling in St. Louis is that their move, down from 4 to 13 has not worked out well for the 1-10 club. Yes, they got a pair of extra picks, but what we are seeing is a draft class that is not contributing much. William Gay, the cornerback picked with the #13 pick, has seen action in 6 games, and he does have 1 pick, but he has largely filled in at nickel, and now, with a fractured jaw, he likely will miss the rest of the season. HB Michael Bush has averaged only 2.2 yards per carry in his rookie year, and TE Matt Spaeth has a total of 184 yards receiving and no touchdowns after 11 games. All in all it appears that the 2nd year team did not take great advantage of the haul of picks from their trade with Las Vegas. Now, it is early, and an expansion team is still an expansion team, but when you compare the 2007 Skyhawks with the Atlanta Fire, or even with the 2006 version of the same team, we are not seeing a comparison that favors St. Louis. Perhaps that is why Art Shell was let go so early. St. Louis is likely to have a very early pick again in 2008, and we would hope they might make some more impactful choices with it. Big Pay Off: Brady Quinn to Chicago Not exactly a shocker that a top-rated Notre Dame QB would have an impact in his first year, but Chicago fans, with the club sitting on a 7-4 record and within striking distance of Ohio, have to be pleased with the payback for the investment in the golden domer. Quinn may not be among the league leaders in yardage (his 2,012 yards actually places him 15th among 26 starters), but his 16-8 TD-INT ratio, and 67.2% completion rate are very strong for a first year player. Add to this the way in which Quinn’s game has allowed HB Michael Turner to find more space in the run game, and you have a pretty good return on investment. Now, if Chicago could catch Ohio and challenge for the division title you would have a rookie year any Windy City native would be pleased with. Big Flop: Baltimore Underuses Ted Ginn Jr. The Ohio State wideout was supposed to be a firebrand in the slot, a playmaker and gamechanger. So what has Baltimore gotten from Mr. Ginn? How about 6 receptions for 72 yards? Yup, that is all. Ron Dayne has more yards and more receptions than Ginn. Craphonso Thorpe has seen more snaps. Yes, Ginn has been solid as a punt and kick returner, with a very good 24.1 Yard per Return average on kicks, but you do not expect that to be the lone contribution of your top overall pick. Baltimore has a QB with a cannon for an arm in Ben Roethlisberger, but the receiving corps is among the league’s weakest, with Eddie Kennison leading all Blitz receivers with only 47 catches. So there was an opening here for Ginn to make an impact and he simply has not made it. Can he improve as a sophomore? Blitz fans sure hope so. Big Pay Off: Favre in Memphis This one is the no-brainer of the year. A year after finishing 3-11 the Memphis Showboats sit at 8-3 and are challenging for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The primary reason for this is the arrival of former league MVP Brett Favre. The former Stallion signed with that club’s arch rival and now Memphis is sitting pretty with the 4th best passing game in the league. Favre has connected with veteran wideout Robert Ferguson, youngster Lee Evans, and rookie Sydney Rice to the tune of 93 receptions and 13 touchdowns among the trio. TE David Martin, brought in from the NFL has also had a strong year with 31 receptions as Favre has distributed the ball well all season long. Yes, the gunslinger of all gunslingers still throws a few too many picks (12 so far), but when he also has 22 touchdowns and the team is winning, you can let that slide. Signing Favre after only 18 months in the NFL was a coup for Coach Haslett and the Showboats, a coup that could lead to a trophy before too long. Big Flop: Andre Davis to the Feds Davis was the best receiver to jump from the NFL to the USFL this offseason. A solid starter for the Buffalo Bills in 2006, but since his arrival in DC he has done a great impression of the Invisible Man. With 24 receptions for 240 yards (an easy to calculate 10 yards per catch) and no touchdowns, the big NFL signing has not been a big player for an offense that desperately needed one. If you recall, last year Washington was worst in the league with only 11 total touchdowns on offense. This year has been even worse, with Kordell Stewart and Henry Burris combining for only 5 passing TDs in 11 games. Yup, 5 TDs. That is it. Those are not numbers that are going to win you many games. But whereas Mike Williams and Deion Branch have put up respectable, if not winning numbers (60 and 54 catches respectively for a combined 1,300 yards), Davis has been MIA. Philadelphia and Seattle join Boston and Memphis with clinched playoff spots this week. Seattle actually goes one better, locking up the division title in the Pacific thanks to a 4-1 division record. Los Angeles, the closest rival in the division, sits at 1-3 in divisional games, putting them at a distinct tiebreaker disadvantage. Losses by both Boston and Memphis mean that they have not yet locked up their divisions, with Philadelphia only 1 game behind the Cannons and Nashville, 1.5 games back of the Showboats with 3 to play. Thanks to the Bulls’ loss, Orlando now leaps up to first place in the Southeast, having gone 6-1 after their miserable 0-4 start to the year. Ohio holds a 1 game lead over a surging Chicago squad in the Central Division, while the Southwest seems like a division destined for an 8-8 champion. Houston sits atop the division at 6-5, with Denver 1 game back at 5-6. Tight races in several divisions, and a cluster of teams at 6-5 or 5-6 means that a lot of teams are still alive, including 3-win New Jersey. Eliminated as of this week are the two 1-10 squads (St. Louis and New Orleans), the 2-9 Wranglers and the 4-7 Texas Outlaws. A rough week on the injury front, with several players getting hit with injuries that will linger well into the offseason to heal. Of course for some teams, particularly those in playoff hunts, any loss is a bad one, but even for the teams that are just playing out the string, you hate to see a player go down with a bad injury. Looking across the league, here are the injuries that have teams scrambling this week. Oakland is looking at 1-2 weeks without Joey Harrington under center as their QB suffered a neck injury in this week’s defeat. The Invaders hope they can get by with Ray Lucas under center until Harrington is cleared to return to action. The invaders also lost WR Kevin Dyson for the season with torn bicep, quickly signing Oregon State product Mike Hass to keep their receiving corps at 6. Denver has listed Matt Leinart as Doubtful for this week, which means we are likely to see Derreck Anderson get the start as the Gold face the Wranglers with their playoff hopes on the line. Nashville keeps taking hits. This week it is wideout Derrick Mason, expected to be out 1-2 weeks with a hamstring injury. With Jay Cutler out at least another 1-2 weeks and Frank Gore listed as questionable with a stiff neck, this could be a rough week for the Knights. Las Vegas loses a key weapon with TE Ben Hartsook out for the next 2 weeks with a shoulder injury. Add this to a receiving corps that is already shorthanded with Troy Williamson and Samie Parker both listed as Out for at least 1 week and the Thunder offense is looking even more dependent on Marshawn Lynch. Tampa Bay: Daunte Culpepper is still listed as “Doubtful” but his injury is mysteriously cited as “undefined”, something that has both Bandit fans and Fantasy players freaking out. The Bandits did add safety Bryan Scott to the injury list as well, out with a broken collarbone. St. Louis put TE Fred Baxter on the IR this week after he suffered a hip injury in this week’s game. As we mentioned above, CB William Gay is also out for at least 1-2 weeks with a fractured jaw (ouch!!) Baltimore’s pass rush will have to get by without Chuckie Nwokorie for the final 3 weeks of the year as the DE suffered a hernia during the game this weekend. Philadelphia has Kurt Warner listed as Questionable, a big upgrade for this week, though it is likely we will not see him until Week 13 at the earliest. And with Matt Gutierrez winning each week, the urgency is not there. Ohio MLB Clint Kriewaldt suffered a concussion in last week’s win, but is still a potential start this week, listed as Questionable. New Jersey lost FB Deon Dyer for the year and have signed Mike Karney to replace him, though we should expect a lot of 1-back formations and possibly the use of Brock Forsey in the fullback position as well. Pittsburgh Gets New Look We have known for a while now that in addition to the new Portland Stags and Charlotte Monarchs, Reebok was working on an updated look for the Pittsburgh Maulers. This week that look was revealed. At halftime of the Maulers’ home win against Arizona the new uniforms were available for viewing at Heinz Field and a special presentation of the new logos was shown on the big screen at the half. From the crowd reaction the new look for Pittsburgh’s USFL club will be a popular one with Mauler Nation. The look begins with an updated logo. While the essential imagery of the logo remains the same, a sledge-wielding ironworker in silhouette, the new Mauler takes on a very different pose than his predecessor. A slimmer, more “active” Mauler swings his sledge in a more aggressive way. He is highlighted with a grey sledge, and grey highlights on his arm and helmet, both standing out from the purple silhouette figure. The shape of the logo is perhaps an even more radical departure from the past look. Replacing the simple rondel (circle) design is a new keystone shape, a shape acutely linked to the state of Penssylvania, the Keystone State. The new sledge-swinging Mauler and Keystone logo will be seen on the helmet, on the jersey sleeves, and in most marketing materials. The team also unveiled a secondary logo, a sort of Jolly Roger, Pittsburgh style, with the skull and crossbones replaced with a construction helmet and a pair of crossed sledges. This new secondary will be featured on the uniforms at the base of the jersey collar, and could be seen throughout promotional materials. The uniforms themselves are modified version of the most recent look, retaining the shoulder yokes, but now with tri-color collars and thin color block that eminate from the collar to the underarm. On the road white jersey the yoke is purple, with color blocks of orange and a collar point in grey. The purple home uniform has an orange yoke, grey color blocks and a white collar point. The jerseys also feature the new number font, a squared, block font with angular lines. The team’s new angular wordmark is also featured on the chest of both jerseys. The look comes with two pant options, a grey pant set with three wide purple and orange stripes, and a purple set with a single wide orange stripe. As has become tradition in the USFL, Pittsburgh would don the new uniforms and logos should they make the playoffs this season, otherwise the look would first be seen in the preseason of 2008. Merchandise featuring the new logos is already available on TheU.com and MaulerFootball.com. The new jerseys are expected to be ready for sale to the public by the conclusion of the regular season in 3 weeks. A Ring for Reggie: The 1999 Memphis Showboats In this week’s look back at USFL history we focus on a season of destiny. The 1999 Memphis Showboats were a club with a singular mission, provide 15 year veteran and legendary Showboat Reggie White with a title in his final season. White, who had declared his intention to retire after the 1999 season, had been the face of the franchise since their inception in 1984, and the members of the 1999 squad wanted nothing more than to provide the Minister of Defense with a chance to go out a champion. The 1999 Showboats were not an early favorite to make that title dream a reality. The 1998 squad had finished 8-8 and a distant 4th place and 5 games behind the dominant Tampa Bay Bandits of Troy Aikman. Memphis was expected to once again fall somewhere in the middle of the pack in Jim Mora Sr’s second season. The club, led on offense by QB Heath Shuler, HB Garrison Hearst, and WR Joe Horn had struggled to put up points in 1998, finishing with only 370 on the season, far behind the 566 put up by eventual champion Tampa Bay. The defense also had struggled, allowing 420 points. But, Memphis had finished the year strong, winning their final 3 games to reach .500. There was optimism that the club could compete for a Wild Card, but most assumed they would finish somewhere behind the Bandits in 1999. The thing was, no one told them that. The 1999 Memphis Showboats were on a mission, and that mission showed quite clearly from the first weeks of the season. Whereas 1998 belonged to Troy Aikman, Heath Shuler would quickly assert himself in the 1999 season. Opening the year with a 29-14 victory over Oakland, Memphis would go on to a 4-1 start, holding teams under 20 points per game while scoring nearly 30 per game in the season’s opening month. By season’s end, Memphis would finish as the league’s scoring leader, racking up 526 points. The defense also played lights out football, allowing only 335 points. Heath Shuler would be named MVP after throwing for 4,937 yards and 41 touchdowns. Garrison Hearst would just miss out on 1,000 yards, and Joe Horn complete the season with 1,375 yards. Tight end Adrian Cooper would also be a unanimous All-USFL player after a 1,094 yard, 10 TD season for Memphis. The defense was impressive as well, with Reggie White racking up 16 sacks, his 15th season with double digit sacks. Free Safety Tebucky Jones, another All-USFL player on the squad, would tally 6 picks and 54 tackles and linebacker Joe Mott would finish the year with 75 tackles and 5 sacks. The Showboats finished the regular season at 12-4, an four game improvement over 1998 and good enough to win the Southern Division by 1 game over Brett Favre and the Birmingham Stallions. In the playoffs they would first face the 10-6 Pittsburgh Maulers in the Divsional Round, a game they would win going away, 33-10. That set up a brilliant rivalry game against Birmingham in the Eastern Conference Finals. In a classic shootout Shuler and Favre dueled the entire game, but the Memphis defense managed to pick off Favre and help the Showboats hold a 42-33 victory to propel them into the Summer Bowl, their first since 1988. Memphis had defied the odds and were one win away from realizing the dream of winning a title for one of the greatest defensive players in pro football history. Reggie White was about to retire with league record 259 sacks, but there was still unfinished business. Memphis faced the Denver Gold in the title game. Denver was a Wild Card team, coming into the playoffs at 10-6, but they had defeated Houston, St. Louis, and the Pacific Champion LA Express to reach the Summer Bowl. None of that mattered to the Showboats. They were on a mission and they were not going to relent now. In a game that saw Heath Shuler throw for 4 touchdowns, including 3 to little-known wideout Tydus Wynans, Reggie White still stood out, sacking Denver QB Mark Brunell 3 times on the night and helping limit the Gold to only 7 points in the second half. Memphis would win the game by 14 points, taking the 38-24 victory, the franchise’s first title. Reggie White would get to hold aloft the John Bassett Trophy on the final night of his career, and the Memphis Showboats would provide a memory for both White and all Showboat fans. Harry Sydney: A Leader On & Off The Field This weeks Look Back Player is not an all time league leader, not a multiple Summer Bowl champion, and not a Hall of Faner, at least not in Canton. He is Harry Sydney, former halfback of the Denver Gold, and perhaps a more interesting man after the game than as a player. Sydney came to the USFL as a rookie out of the University of Kansas, a low-cost option for a low-budget 1983 Gold squad. Like so many USFL players in the league’s inaugural season, the league was an option when no other seemed likely. Undrafted by the NFL, Sydney saw the USFL as an opportunity to continue to play the game he loved. A bulldozer of a back at 217 lbs, Sydney would start the season in rotation with Scott Stamper, but would soon begin to dominate carries for the surprisingly solid Gold squad. He would finish his rookie year with 1,226 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns, good enough to finish 6th among rushing leaders in the 12-team league. His efforts helped lead the Gold to the 1983 inaugural USFL Championship game, where they would fall to the Tampa Bay Bandits. Sydney would spend seven years with the Gold, rushing for 7,068 yards and 40 touchdowns over his career, including 2 more 1,000 yard seasons in 1987 and 1989. He would be named to the All-USFL team only once and appear in a second USFL Championship in his final season, a second loss for the Gold. He retired after the 1989 season. After a year away from the game, he was brought in by the Gold to be their Running Backs Coach, helping to mentor young backs like Timmy Smith and Rashaan Salaam. Sydney would leave the Gold in 1997 to pursue an opportunity to be a head coach at Denver’s Northglenn High School. It was at Northglenn that Sydney found a second calling. Seeing the issues that were impacting young men in the school, Sydney felt that more needed to be done to help guide men into productive lives, despite the obstacles in their way. He founded My Brother’s Keeper, a male mentoring business designed to help both teens and young adults who were struggling in their lives. This would be the work that would continue with Sydney through his post football live. He continued to coach and was a regular on the Denver Gold radio shows in the area, but it would be his work with young men, including a troubled Rashaan Salaam, suspended by the USFL in 2002 for drug and criminal activity, that would be his primary focus. Salaam cites Sydney as one of the primary motivators for his recovery and return to the USFL. Sydney also worked closely with post-tragedy support for students at Columbine High School after the tragic 1999 mass shooting, a calling he has often referenced as the most difficult of his life. Sydney continues to be a presence in Denver and around the Gold organization as he helps to mentor young men and provide guidance to rookies throughout the USFL with his My Brothers Keeper organization partnered with the league to support young players who have had issues either with drugs, alcohol or the law prior to arriving in the league. While his on-field performances have helped make a name for him, it is his post-retirement life that has made him one of the most revered members of the Gold organization and community. (IRL: Sydney would play all 3 seasons with the Gold in the real USFL, then go on to play 7 more seasons in the NFL with San Francisco and Green Bay. He would win Super Bowl rings with both clubs, as a player and coach. He would remain in Green Bay after retirement, first as a RB Coach and then coaching high school football and hosting a radio show. I did not change those facts, just the location. He is also the founder of the male mentoring business My Brother’s Keeper, which continues to do great work in the Green Bay area and beyond. Seemed like a player and a man worth highlighting.) It is all about divisional play in Week 12, with 10 of 13 games featuring divisional matchups. NBC, after several mediocre matchups, gets the game of the week with 8-3 Philly headed to Boston to face the 9-2 Cannons. A Stars win and they would control their destiny for the division and a possible #1 seed. Other key divisional games include Pacific clashes between Seattle and LA (Saturday Night) and Oakland in Las Vegas (Sunday at 4pm). Michigan at Pittsburgh is a game that has more drama than many may have thought when the schedule came out, with both teams clinging to playoff hopes. Birmingham @ Nashville is another matchup that could have a huge impact on the playoff scenarios for both clubs. Some great games to catch this week, as every game starts to take on more and more urgency. FRI @ 8PM Philadelphia (8-3) @ Boston (9-2) NBC SAT @ 12PM Houston (6-5) @ New Jersey (3-8) ABC SAT @ 12PM Michigan (6-5) @ Pittsburgh (5-6) FOX SAT @ 12PM Baltimore (4-6-1) @ Washington (4-7) FOX SAT @ 4PM Denver (5-6) @ Arizona (2-9) ABC SAT @ 4PM Memphis (8-3) @ Texas (4-7) FOX SAT @ 8PM Seattle (10-1) @ Los Angeles (7-4) ESPN SUN @ 12PM Atlanta (5-6) @ Jacksonville (5-6) ABC SUN @ 12PM Ohio (8-3) @ New Orleans (1-10) ABC SUN @ 12PM Birmingham (5-6) @ Nashville (6-4-1) FOX SUN @ 4PM Oakland (7-4) @ Las Vegas (6-5) ABC SUN @ 4PM Chicago (7-4) @ St. Louis (1-10) FOX SUN @ 8PM Orlando (6-5) @ Tampa Bay (4-7) ESPN

Playoff Picture: Two changes this week at the top as Seattle clinches the Western Division (thanks to their division record) and at least a top 2 seed, which means the bye is theirs. Philadelphia also locked up a playoff spot this week with their 8th win. That makes 4 spots taken (Seattle, Boston, Memphis, Philadelphia) with 3 weeks left to play. The teams eliminated from contention are St. Louis, New Orleans, Arizona, and Texas. Surprisingly, even at 3-6, New Jersey remains mathematically alive.

Playoff Picture: Memphis joins Boston as the only teams to have clinched a spot in the postseason. Seattle's loss still makes it mathematically possible, though unlikely, that they would miss the postseason. Arizona and New Orleans join St. Louis as teams eliminated from playoff contention after 10 weeks.

It was a week of unexpected results. Seattle went into Oakland and ran into a buzzsaw of an Invader squad, leading to the Dragons' first setback of the season. Tampa Bay went into Birmingham expecting a low-scoring affair with Koy Detmer facing Jason Campbell, but what we all got was a wild shootout with both offenses putting up points at a blistering pace. We also saw Las Vegas put the clamps on the Express, Orlando mount a hair-raising comeback on a short-handed Nashville squad, and Houston and Michigan slug it out over 60 minutes in a battle of clubs on the fringe of playoff contention. Memphis locks up a playoff spot, and two 2006 playoff teams suffer the indignity of becoming among the first to be eliminated from postseason contention. All that plus a look back at the 1995 expansion and a forgotten early star of the USFL in this week's "This is the USFL" report. Tampa Bay 35 Birmingham 49 A true barn burner in Birmingham as the Stallions shock the Bandits with an offensive explosion. Both starters, Koy Detmer and Jason Campbell, would throw for 4 scores each as it seemed neither defense had a lot going right. But what was even more surprising was that Birmingham was able to run the ball as well, with both Shaun Alexander and Marion Barber easily eclipsing the 100-yard mark. Alexander would finish the game with 137 yards and a TD, while Barber rattled off 122 and 2 scores to help power Birmingham to a big win. It was a wild one from the beginning as the points just kept coming. Birmingham jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first off of TDs from Alexander and James Thrash. Tampa added a Kevin Johnson TD catch to close out the opening period, but there were another 4 TDs to come in the 2nd quarter as neither defense could contain the opposition. Birmingham got TDs from Thrash (his 2nd) and Marion Barber, while Tampa Bay scored on a Randy Moss TD catch and a Bryan Scott fumble recovery and score from 25 yards out as the 7-point Birmingham lead after 1 quarter remained at 7 with a 28-21 halftime lead. The 2nd half saw no slowing down as Birmingham boosted their lead to 21 thanks to third quarter TDs from O.J. Santiago and a third TD reception from player of the game James Thrash (6 catches, 3 for scores on the day). Tampa tried to fight back, with two more scores in the passing game (Karl Williams and Moss for a 2nd time) but when Marion Barber scored his second rushing TD, it gave Birmingham a comfortable 14-point margin with time running down. The win moves Birmingham to 4-6 and very much alive in the Wild Card hunt. Tampa drops to 4-6 and now sits a game behind Jacksonville and Orlando in a very tight Southeast Division. Philadelphia 24 New Jersey 20 The Generals play Philly tough, but Matt Gutierrez moves to 3-1 as a starter with a late TD toss to Edward Stinnett locking up the Stars’ win. Philadelphia relied heavily on the ground game, with Ahman Green rushing for 2 scores and 109 yards while backup Marcus Robinson added another 77. New Jersey was also happy to focus on the run with Enis and Jackson combining for 167 yards, but in the end New Jersey could not mount a final drive and the Star fans drove back to Philly happy. Chicago 17 Pittsburgh 6 The Machine stayed very much in the playoff hunt with a defensive master class in Pittsburgh. The Machine limited the Maulers to only 156 total yards, completely shutting down DeShaun Foster (17 yards for the day). Michael Turner led the way for the Machine offense, rushing for 109 and a 4.4 YPC average. Brady Quinn connected with Curtis Conway and D’Juan Woods for scores as the Machine move to 6-4. Baltimore 24 Boston 31 Drew Bledsoe’s return to action was a modest one (13 of 20 fo r244 and 1 score) but Boston got 3 rushing touchdowns and picked off Ben Roethlisberger twice to earn their 9th win. Baltmore kept it close, thanks to 3 TDs from Big Ben, but a late rally failed to produce a game-tying TD on 4th and goal. Texas 17 Atlanta 24 Terrell Davis and Rod Smart combined for 132 yards on the ground, with each scoring once as the Fire stayed alive in the playoff hunt. Texas was led by WR Tim Dwight, who caught 4 balls for 121 yards, but a late Rod Smart TD run, with only 43 seconds to play, broke the tie game and gave Atlanta the win at home. Arizona 7 Denver 24 Jake Plummer was again sidelined by injury, this time in the 1st quarter, as Denver’s defense ran roughshod over the Wrangler offensive line. They would sack Plummer 4 times and then add 5 more for backup Jim Sorgi. Add in 144 yards rushing for the Gold and this one was never competitive. Seattle 33 Oakland 38 The Dragons go down to defeat for the first time this year as Oakland pulls out the win at home. Joey Harrington threw for 3 TDs and Ricky Williams rushed for 145 and a score to help propel the Invaders to the W despite a combined 268 yards from David Boston and Jeramy Stevens. An 88-yard TD from Harrington to Greg Jennings gave Oakland a 38-17 lead in the 3rd, and then they just slow-played the game as Seattle scrambled to come back. Los Angeles 13 Las Vegas 24 The Thunder defense held LA to only 3 points in the first 3 quarters, helping Las Vegas build up a 21 point lead. Steve McNair connected with Matthew Hatchette for 2 scoring throws and Marshawn Lynch rushed for 87 yards in this one-sided game. The win by the Thunder levels both teams at 6-4 with 4 weeks left in the season. St. Louis 3 Ohio 31 A blowout win as Ohio dominates all three phases in this mismatch. Eddie George rushed for 117 and 2 scores while Kerry Collins added 2 more scores as Ohio toyed with the Skyhawks all game long. The visitors could only muster 40 total rushing yards and Luke McCown completed only 16 of 36 pass attempts in a game that showed that Ohio has defense to go along with their high-flying offense. Nashville 21 Orlando 28 The Knights built up a 21-7 lead, but Orlando stormed back in the final 25 minutes of play to take the win and move their record to .500. Drew Brees connected with Michael Jenkins and Justin McCaerins for two 4th quarter scores to propel Orlando to victory. Nashville was hindered by an injury to Jay Cutler, with Craig Whelihan unable to sustain offense in the second half. Washington 17 Memphis 29 The Showboats score 20 of their 29 points in the final period to upend the Federals and move to 8-2. Brett Favre connected with Maurice Smith and Alvis Whitted to give the Showboats a 22-17 lead, and then, in late action, SS Coy Wire picked off Henry Burris and ran it back for the game-sealing score. Jacksonville 31 New Orleans 13 The Bulls return to .500 with a convincing win against the spiraling Breakers. Jake Delhomme threw for 2 scores and both Antowain Smith and Travis Minor scored on the ground as the Bulls took a 21-7 halftime lead and built on it in the second half. Houston 21 Michigan 13 A good finale to the week as the Gamblers and Panthers played hard nosed football for 60 minutes. Brian Griese suffered two safeties as the pressure from Houston produced 8 sacks, but the Panthers were still right there until a Kevin Faulk TD in the 4th put Houston up by 8. Kavika Pittman was Man of the Game with 3 sacks and a safety. Cutler to miss 2-3 weeks for Nashville A double dip of trouble for the Knights this week as they both lost a key game to the Renegades and they also lose their young starter for at least 2 weeks, perhaps for the rest of the regular season. Cutler had started the game against Orlando well, completing 5 of 5 in the two opening drives, both scoring drives with Frank Gore running in the game’s first 14 points. But, as the second quarter began, Cutler got caught up in a crowd on a 3rd and 6. He managed to get the ball off, but he was escorted to the ground by a pair of Renegade defenders, one of whom fell on top of his throwing arm, bending back his wrist in an awkward way. Cutler came out of the game in obvious pain and was quickly escorted to the locker room. Tests would seem to indicate that there is no ligament damage to the wrist, but the muscular strain, along with swelling, could require time to heal. Were it Cutler’s non-throwing hand, he might be able to play next week, but as it was his throwing hand, two weeks seems the most optimistic Nashville can be about the injury. The Knights are tenuously holding onto a Wild Card spot at the moment, 2.5 games behind Memphis, and 1.5 games ahead of 4 teams all tied at 4-6. They have back to back division games in the next two weeks (New Orleans and Birmingham) before finishing the year with two very tough matchups, home against Philadelphia and away to Jacksonville. With Craig Whelihan at the helm, and veteran Rick Mirer backing him up, Nashville has two veteran backups, but they may need to win 3 of 4 to ensure a playoff spot, so Cutler’s situation is significant. Last of the Unbeatens Falls With Seattle’s loss in Oakland this past weekend we lose the last of the unbeatens. Unlike the Miami Dolphins, who celebrate this moment each year in the NFL, there is no such tradition for the Ohio Glory, whose 2002 season is the one and only example of a perfect season in the USFL. Seattle still holds a strong command of the Pacific Division, sitting 2 games ahead of Oakland even with the loss, and 3 games above both Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Coach Lewis, speaking after the game, seemed to take the loss in stride. “Our goals for this year were to win our division, and then fight for a shot at a title, and both of those goals are still in view” said the 5th year coach. Lewis has one of the weirder records in sports. He has coached the Dragons for 5 seasons, and, with 9 wins already this year, is guaranteed to have his 4th winning season in five years. That is not so unusual, but what is odd is that the one losing season, a 6-8 campaign in 2005, is the season that the Dragons got hot just in time to run through the playoffs as a 6th seed and win the league title, the only team in the modern age of pro football to ever win a title despite a regular season losing record. Seattle is relatively healthy, with only 3 players on their injury list (two questionable), and they control their own path to a #1 seed, with two key matchups in the next two weeks, hosting Las Vegas this week and then wrapping up their divisional games with a road match in LA the week after. The hope may well be that the Dragons clinch the top seed ahead of a week 14 clash against 8-2 Memphis, allowing Seattle to rest some starters and provide Memphis with a very incomplete and vanilla look at the team ahead of a possible playoff matchup. It is a strategy that fans are already discussing, the theory being that you show Memphis nothing in Week 14, and then bring the house if the two meet in the playoffs. We shall see if that comes to pass. For now Coach Lewis and the Dragons are focused on that division title and the top seed. Lynch Running Away with ROTY Staying in the Pacific division, where Oakland and Seattle have been big stories, we should recognize that the Las Vegas Thunder are also making news. Yes, the defense has been the story all year long, with Coach Glanville’s aggressive defense not only allowing a league best 10.8 points per game, but also in the top two in both passing yards allowed and rushing yards allowed, but there is another story in town. Glanville went out on a limb to draft Cal HB Marshawn Lynch, and with 4 weeks to go in the regular season, that pick is paying dividends. Lynch is running away with the Rookie of the Year competition, thanks largely to his 919 yards, good enough for 6th place in the league. Las Vegas’s offense has not exactly been explosive this year, and, admittedly, his 2 touchdowns are a bit disappointing, but Lynch is well on his way to a 1,000 yard season with 4 games to play, and could reach 1,200 with 4 solid weeks. The past 4 weeks have been particularly strong for the Thunder halfback, rushing for 437 yards in the past month, including 100 yard games against Nashville, Seattle and Houston, all very solid defensive squads. If Las Vegas is going to make a late run at a playoff spot, they will need Lynch to continue that form. They face Seattle, Oakland, Ohio, and Tampa Bay, not exactly an easy final month of action. Manning Losing Breaker Trust Only one year after all of New Orleans was celebrating the unexpected success of the “Portland” Breakers traveling road show, things are very different in the Big Easy, and none of it is easy for QB Eli Manning. Manning is catching a lot of the negativity being felt by Breaker fans these days. More and more we are hearing boo birds for Manning, once a hero as a much-touted draft pick of the Breakers out of Ole Miss. After two straight 3,000 yard seasons, Manning is struggling this year. His 75.7 QB Rating is one of the worst in the league for a regular starter, and his 9 touchdowns are not what you want from a player who has started all 10 Breaker games, especially when paired with 7 picks over that same span. Certainly, all of the blame does not lie with Manning. While the Breakers are 15th in passing in the league, they are 25th in rushing, with only Arizona producing less than New Orleans’s 683 total rush yards. The defense has also struggled this year, ranked near the bottom in both rush defense (allowing 118 yards a game) and pass defense (allowing 240 yards per game), but as so often is the case, the QB and the Head Coach get the credit when a team is winning and get the blame when they are losing. That is clearly what we are seeing this year in New Orleans. Mind you, it is not as if fans are crying to see Todd Boumann or Tim Rattay take the field, they just want to see Eli do more, and show more passion, each week. The infamously low-key Manning brother is being criticized as a leader on and off the field because fans are not seeing passion from him. That is fine again when a club is winning games, but when they are struggling and have only 1 win all year, that kind of dispassionate style is going to get criticized, and certainly Manning is hearing those critiques this year. Manning faces a contract year in 2008, so he has a chance to turn things around, but neither fans nor the front office can be feeling a lot of love towards the idea of shelling out “elite QB” money for Manning over the next year. If he cannot find another gear, we could easily see the Breakers head a different direction as Manning heads into his final contract year, not what any player wants to hear about themselves at this key juncture. Ten weeks in and we have only 2 teams who have locked up spots in the 2007 playoffs. Memphis joined Boston this week, clinching a playoff spot and now holding a 2.5 game lead in the South. Seattle could have clinched with a win, but their first loss of the year means they have to wait at least 1 more week to make it official. In each conference we have 1 division that has a .500 team at the head, with Jacksonville tied with Orlando at 5-5 in the Southeast, while Denver and Houston are also tied at 5-5 in the Southwest. Both New Orleans and Arizona, two 2006 playoff clubs, were eliminated from contention this year as both have seen early season optimism turn into profound death spirals in 2007. Were the playoffs to start today, byes would go to Boston, Memphis, Seattle, and Ohio, with Wild Card spots going to Philly, Nashville, and Orlando (the only other clubs at or over .500 in the East), and to Oakland, Las Vegas and Michigan in the West. Chicago and LA, both at 6-4 would be out. The Jay Cutler injury is, as one would expect, garnering a lot of attention, but at this phase of a season, where even a moderate injury can lead to a player missing the rest of the regular season, what we see are that injuries across the league lead to greater use of the injured reserve and greater scrambling to find replacements. Among injuries that may require shuttering a player’s season, we find these potential IR placements this week: Nashville LB Lenny Walls joins Cutler in potentially missing the final 4 weeks of the season. Nashville is also hit again as FS Curtis Fuller was placed on IR with an MCL injury. New Jersey guard Chad Ward could miss 2-4 weeks after an elbow injury. Oakland has a similar report on tackle Kwame Harris, expected to miss up to a month. The Invaders have also put CB Billy Austin on IR with a fractured leg. Orlando’s Sedrick Clark will not be terrorizing QB’s as the DE is on IR after suffering fractures to both bones in his lower right arm. Seattle SS John Keith may miss up to 4 weeks, but will not be placed on IR as he is expected to return for a playoff run. Charlotte Tabs Mora Jr as First Head Coach Four years after being let go by the Philadelphia Stars, Jim Mora Jr. is going to be back on the sidelines for a USFL franchise. The Charlotte Monarchs named the former Stars’ head man and son of legendary USFL coach Jim Mora Sr. as their first head coach. Mora, who coached the Stars to a 32-40 record from 2000-2004, returns to the spring league after two seasons away, where he served as an analyst for college football on CBS. He will bring with him a lot of the schemes and strategies of his father, including an offense focused on play action passing and a defense defined by linebacker play. Charlotte ownership opted to delay their hiring process, particularly in comparison to Portland, who signed former Oregon head coach Rich Brooks months ago to head up their 2008 expansion club. Both clubs have their man in place long before the Expansion Draft, Free Agency and the Collegiate Draft put players on the club rosters, so the choice of those players will be heavily influenced by each. Mora had immediate success in Philadelphia, something unlikely with an expansion club. His 2000 Stars finished the year 13-3 and were favored to win Summer Bowl 2000 before falling to the Denver Gold. But over the ensuing 4 seasons the Stars were never able to repeat that success, winning 9 games the following year, but then slipping below .500 in his third through fifth seasons. Charlotte is certainly anticipating that Mora will have the opposite trajectory with the Monarchs. The club has to anticipate a difficult first year, but the goal, as with all expansion clubs, is to build over the “honeymoon period” and have a contender within 5 seasons. Unlike Rich Brooks in Portland, Mora will come to the Monarchs with USFL head coaching experience, as well as a long history as a position coach and coordinator. He also has the ability to call on one of the league’s most successful head coaches as an advisor, his father. Whether or not Jim Sr. will take an official role with the club is not known, but it should come as a surprise to no one if he is seen around Charlotte facilities when the team gets up and running in February 2008. The 1995 Expansion: Early Struggles and Eventual Success Early in the 1990’s, with financial security well in place and a thriving 20 team league having established itself as a legitimate 5th major league in the United States, the USFL started to receive a lot of attention from ownership groups which sought opportunities to join the new venture. The league had already expanded twice, from 12 founding franchises to 16 in its 2nd year, and then, 3 years later, adding 4 more teams to reach 20 franchises in 1987. That 2nd expansion had been partially motivated by the relocation of the Chicago Blitz franchise to Baltimore and the desire of the major television networks to see the league return to Chicago. The league obliged, and in 1987 added a new Chicago franchise (the Machine), as well as new clubs originally targeting San Antonio, San Diego, and Miami. It was a rough process, and in the end the league ended up adding Chicago, San Antonio (Texas Outlaws), Orlando and Portland instead of their 4 original targets. The chaos and compromise brought about by the 1987 expansion made USFL owners leary of another significant addition, and yet, in 1992, when the struggling LA Express franchise was sold to investors from St. Louis, to become the St. Louis Knights, it became clear to many that with such strong interest among well-funded proposing groups, failing to expand the league could actually cause more disruption, with greater potential for franchise relocation and greater instability within the league. This, added once again to the importance of a large market like Los Angeles to the league’s television contracts, motivated owners to once again seek expansion. It was quickly agreed that Los Angeles would recover the Express franchise, a restart under new ownership. All other bids would be for new franchises in new cities, with an eye towards several larger markets. It would again be a 4-team expansion, and one of the goals would be to fill in some gaps in the league’s national profile. A greater emphasis on both in-hand stadium deals as well as deeper financial investigations of any proposing ownership group would be essential to avoid some of the issues that became problematic in 1987. By the spring of 1993 the decisions had been made. In addition to a rebirth of the LA Express, the league would welcome three more franchises, adding a second Pacific Northwest club in Seattle, Washington, a Midwestern club in Columbus, Ohio, and another franchise in the league’s strongest region, the South, with an Atlanta franchise. Within a few months the Seattle Dragons, Atlanta Fire, and Ohio Glory would be finalized as franchises to begin play in the Spring of 1995. It would take time for these new clubs to establish themselves. Working with rosters often cobbled together from NFL and USFL free agents, rookies, and a limited pool of Expansion Draft signings, the four expansion clubs would struggle at first. This was not to say that these teams did not start play with some established players. Atlanta, for example, had longtime Birmingham Stallion QB Cliff Stoudt as their opening day QB and also signed quality players like Mo Lewis, Chester McGlockton, TE Frank Wycheck, and HB Bernie Parmalee. Seattle signed HB Roosevelt Potts, DE Jim Reynosa, LB Eddie Robinson. In Ohio the early signings included TE Chris Kelley, CB Vince Buck, LB John Offerdahl, and QB Dave Brown. LA would start their first season with the splashiest move, signing NFL halfback Marcus Allen, also adding LB Bryce Paup, WR Mike Pritchard, and QB Brent Pease. Despite some name players, the rosters were not up to par with other USFL clubs overall, and, unsurprisingly, 1995 saw all 4 clubs finish with 10 losses or more. Ohio and Atlanta topped the expansion results with 5-11 records, while LA finished at 4-12 and Seattle a dismal 1-15 mark. It would not be until the 1999 season, the clubs’ 5th, when we would see the first .500 or better records from the four clubs. LA would finish the 1999 seaosn a surprising 11-5 and win the Pacific Division, while Ohio would find moderate success at 8-8 in that same year. Of course we know what happened at the change of the millennium, as Ohio had slowly built its roster up to become one of the strongest teams in the league. They would go on to post a perfect 14-0 regular season record in 2002 and win the league title both that year and the following season, becoming the league’s first ever back-to-back title winners. Seattle would join Ohio as league champions from the class of 1995 when they surprised everyone by winning the Summer Bowl in 2005 despite having barely qualified for the playoffs at 6-8. Los Angeles would have an up and down first decade, reaching 10+ wins three times between 1999 and 2003, but never reaching the Summer Bowl, a drought which trailed back to the original Express’s 1983 season. That bad streak was finally broken last year, when the Express represente the West in Summer Bowl 2006. As for Atlanta, their history was even shakier. After posting 10+ losses every year from 1995 until 2002, the franchise was sold to investors from Boston, relocated to Boston College’s Alumni Stadium and began play in 2003 as the Boston Cannons. The Fire would return last season as a 2006 expansion club, which is a story for another day, but in Boston, unlike in their time in Atlanta, the 1995 expansion club would finally find success, reaching .500 for the first time in their first season as the Boston Cannons, and then posting a winning record every season since. Far less chaotic than the 1987 expansion, the 1995 growth of the league was one that may have taken more time to develop, but its four franchises were stable, and have now become stalwart members of the USFL family, something to remember as we watch the ups and downs of the latest expansion clubs from 2006 and next year’s addition of Portland and Charlotte to the league. The lesson of 1995 is that success is not always immediate, but slow, steady development can build a ragtag expansion club into a league champion. Arthur Whittington: Oakland’s Forgotten Hero If I asked you to name a USFL player who rushed for over 1,300 yards in 3 of the USFL’s first five seasons, including two years over 1,500 yards, you almost certainly would throw out names like Walker, Cribbs, or Rozier. But would you ever mention Arthur Whittington? Likely not. Whittington, who came to the Oakland Invaders as one of their first signings ahead of the 1983 inaugural season. After 4 seasons with the NFL Raiders and 1 with the Bills, not much was expected of the former SMU back. He had amassed only 1,592 yards in his 5 year NFL career, and was certainly not the biggest name HB to enter the league. Heck, he wasn’t even the biggest name SMU back to join the league, that was Craig James in Washington. And yet, in the USFL, and with the Invaders, Whittington found a home, emerging as one of the league’s early stars, though never one who garnered the attention he deserved. Whittington would earn the starting job for an Invader squad that lacked a lot of star power in 1983. Oakland would only win 5 games in their inaugural season, but, along with Fred Besana, Whittington would quickly become a household name in the Bay area, rushing for nearly 1,400 yards (1,398 to be exact). He entered the 1984 season as a focal point for the Invaders’ offense, but after only 4 games, a season-ending injury stopped a promising sophomore campaign in which he had been averaging 4.5 yards per game. Whittington would return to action midway through the 1985 season, but would only garner 4 starts as he continued to struggle with his knee injury. He would enter the 1986 season very much a question mark for the Invaders. After spending the offseason of 1985-1986 working with NFL superstar Walter Payton, Whittington returned to the USFL intent on rebuilding his role as a lead back for Oakland. He won the job in training camp, despite the presence of 1985 leading rusher and NFL signee Albert Bentley. Bentley had been brought in when it was clear that Whittington was not back to full speed in 1985, and had rushed for 1095 yards in the 1985 season, putting Whittington’s status as the team’s lead back very much in question. Whittington had an impressive camp and was set to split carries with Bentley in the season opener. The season opener saw Oakland hosting New Orleans, and Whittington put any talk of a halfback by committee to rest with 127 yards on only 17 carries. He would remain the starter all season, limiting Bentley to short yardage situations, and rushing for 1,600 yards to finish third behind only Rozier and Cribbs and making his first All-USFL team. In 1987 he would practically repeat the same exact season. Oakland would go 10-6 and make the playoffs for a second season, and Whittington would lead the club with 1,587 yards. The only real difference in 1987 was that both Rozier and Cribbs would struggle more and it would be Whittington who would walk away with the league rushing title, beating out Kelvin Bryant by over 70 yards. Whittington had become a favorite in Oakland, but he had also caught the eyes of the NFL. With the new NFL-USFL transfer window operating in the 87-88 offseason, Whittington was one of the hottest commodities around, and the bidding between the Invaders and the NFL proved to be one of the most aggressive in the league’s short history. Whittington would take offers from the Raiders, the 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, along with the Invaders. In the end he would take a deal with Miami, where he would finish out his career with Dan Marino. But Whittington would never see the success with Miami that he had in Oakland with the USFL. He rushed for only 873 yards in the fall of 1987, falling victim to the demands of two back-to-back seasons. In 1988 he would find himself benched behind Lorenzo Hampton, and by 1989 he would only see 83 carries on the season. Whittington’s departure left a bitter taste in the mouths of Invader fans, which may help explain why the former league rushing champion is simply not revered the way other early Invader players are. And yet, this former Raider turned Invader was very much a big part of Oakland’s early story. His accomplishments in the USFL were a highlight of a career that very much may not have amounted to much had the spring league not come along, and his strong 1986 and 1987 seasons helped put Oakland into a winning mindset, one which would see them make the playoffs in 8 of 9 seasons between 1986 and 1994, including an eventual title in 1991. Yes, it is clear that Whittington was not there to see the best of those seasons, but without his 1986 and 1987 seasons helping Oakland turn from also-ran to contender, could the Invaders have found that success? As painful as his departure was for Invader faithful, after 20 years perhaps it is time the Invader Army gave Arthur Whittington some credit and some love. Week 11 means we are down to only one month of action left, and there is so much to play for as the playoff push becomes earnest. No time to take it easy as every game impacts both teams’ outlook for the postseason. As always, national broadcasts are in bold font, and all divisional matchups are in blue. FRI @ 8pm Washington (4-6) @ Atlanta (4-6) NBC SAT @ 12pm St. Louis (1-9) @ Philadelphia (7-3) ABC SAT @ 12pm Denver (5-5) @ Orlando (5-5) ABC SAT @ 12pm Arizona (2-8) @ Pittsburgh (4-6) FOX SAT @ 4pm Oakland (7-3) @ Texas (3-7) ABC SAT @ 4pm Memphis (8-2) @ Los Angeles (6-4) FOX SAT @ 8pm Michigan (6-4) @ Chicago (6-4) ESPN SUN @ 12pm New Jersey (3-7) @ Baltimore (3-6-1) ABC SUN @ 12pm Boston (9-1) @ Birmingham (4-6) FOX SUN @ 12pm Jacksonville (5-5) @ Ohio (7-3) FOX SUN @ 4pm Tampa Bay (4-6) @ Houston (5-5) ABC SUN @ 4pm Las Vegas (6-4) @ Seattle (9-1) FOX SUN @ 8pm New Orleans (1-9) @ Nashville (5-4-1) ESPN

Boston and Memphis rebound and get back to their winning ways. Michigan proves it can win a shootout, Atlanta and Orlando help to tighten up the Southeastern Division, while the Southwest also looks like a donnybrook ready to happen. We enter the traditional “home stretch” with a lot of teams still very much in contention and two divisions without a winning team. That is almost certain to produce some real battles for limited playoff opportunities across the league. Meanwhile, the Cannons and Dragons are within 1 game of locking up the first playoff berths of the season, with Seattle still unbeaten after a home win in a downpour. All this, plus a look back at one of the greatest individual seasons any USFL player has ever put forward, Brett Favre’s coming out party in 1992, and one of the most surprising MVP runs the USFL has ever witnessed, Matt Robinson’s “out of nowhere” 1988 campaign. BIRMINGHAM 34 MICHIGAN 40 overtime Week Nine’s best game was not one we had planned on focusing on. It was not a battle of top tier teams, nor a classic divisional rivalry, but the game between Birmingham and Michigan was the type of eye candy that the USFL has been all about since the beginning, two teams throwing everything they had at each other for 4 quarters, and then taking it into overtime before a winner could be named. Michigan came into this game a prohibitive favorite, not only because they were viewed as the better team, but because Birmingham would have to go into the game without their starting QB. In place of Jason Campbell, Birmingham would start a journeyman QB signed away from the NFL, Anthony Wright, who had gone undrafted by both the USFL and the NFL back in 1999. Wright did nothing less than spark the Stallion offense with 293 yards passing on 30 of 38, throwing for three scores as the Stallions kept pae with Brian Griese all day despite the Michigan QB having a career day, throwing for 452 yards and 3 scores as well. It was a shoot out that we did not see coming, but it sure was fun. Scoring was early and often as both defenses struggled to deal with the hot QBs of their opponent. Birmingham got on the board first as their opening drive produced a Shaun Alexander TD run from the 7 to give the visiting Stallions a bit of confidence. Michigan would get confidence on their first drive as well, with Griese hitting Hines Ward with a short TD pass to level the score at 7. Birmingham came right back, moving the ball quickly into scoring range and then connecting Wright with Joe Horn for another 7. When Michigan punted on the next drive, Birmingham made it a 14-point lead, scoring on a short dink pass from Wright to little-used TE Corey O’Toole. 21-7 Birmingham, and the most points the Stallions had scored in any half this season. But the half was not yet over, and in a classic 2-minute drill, Michigan cut the Stallion lead to 7 thanks to a late Leon Washington TD run. 35 points between the two teams in the first half, and we were nowhere near done. Joe Horn got his second TD of the day to open the third quarter as Birmingham again showed that they had offensive firepower well beyond what the film on them had shown. Michigan would counter with a long drive of their own, one capped by a Justin Fargas TD run. After a shank on the PAT, the score would be 28-20 Birmingham, but they would boost that to 31-20 thanks to a Kris Brown kick to end the third quarter. In the 4th, Michigan would mount a comeback, scoring 14 unanswered points to take a 34-31 lead. After a Marcellus Rivers TD from Griese, Michigan converted the 2 point play, pulling to within 3 at 31-28. Over the next 10 minutes, they would add 6 more on two Matt Prater field goals, andwith 1:14 left to play it looked like the Panthers had wrapped up a 34-31 win. But Birmingham would have one last drive to get into field goal range. Anthony Wright would connect first with James Thrash for a 13-yard gain, then O. J. Santiago for 8 more, and then Ben Obomanu for 11. The Stallions kept making plays, and when they didn’t they still advanced the ball, as was the case when an incompletion led to a defensive holding call against the Panthers. When the clock reached 9 seconds and the Stallions faced a 3rd and 9 from the Michigan 26-yard line, Coach Franchione opted not to risk a pass to the endzone and sent in the kicking team. Brown would connect on the kick, and the game would go to overtime. In the extra period, Birmingham got the ball first, but were clearly spent from their drive to tie the game. They failed on a 3rd and 5 and were forced to punt to a rested Michigan offense. The Panthers picked apart the Birmingham secondary, with Griese connecting on 4 of 5 passes as he moved the team deep into Stallion territory. Then, with a perfect touch pass on a fade route, Griese hit Hines Ward at the edge of the end zone and Michigan pulled out the win. With a final score of 40-34, it was one of the highest scoring games of the year, and with the win Michigan moved to 6-3 and maintained their spot atop the Central Division. Birmingham heads home at 3-6, but what is more, they may be heading home with a bit of controversy after a very strong perfromance from a player many had assumed was just window dressing. ST. LOUIS 6 CHICAGO 23 Not an ideal first game for interim head coach Rob Ryan and the Knights as Chicago limits them to only 2 Rob Bironas field goals. Michael Turner had himself a game against Ryan’s defense, rushing for 144 yards and a score. The Chicago defense did the rest, blowing up every 3rd down attempt. St. Louis would go 0 for 13 on the down as they fall for the 8th time this year. TAMPA BAY 14 ATLANTA 32 A huge game from former Georgia Bulldog Terrell Davis as the back rushes for 174 yards against a bewildered Bandit defense. David Garrard was solid in his return to action, completing 20 of 30 and helping Atlanta score on 7 of 10 possessions on the day. Daunte Culpepper is clearly not 100%, as he completed only 14 of 35 passes on the day. WASHINGTON 30 NEW JERSEY 24 The Federals continue to fight hard for Coach Payton. Deuce McCallister rushes for 118 and 2 scores and Deion Branch gains 116 and scores as well as the Federals stay in the hunt at 4-5 and send New Jersey to their second 3-game losing streak of the year. TEXAS 17 BALTIMORE 10 The Outlaws get their 3rd win of the year against a fading Blitz squad. While Ron Dayne did rush for 121 yards, he could not get in the endzone, and 2 red zone picks of Ben Roethlisberger spelled defeat for the Blitz at home. T.J. Duckett added another 100+ yard day to his season-leading total, racking up 115 yards for the Outlaws. NASHVILLE 5 LOS ANGELES 19 A hard-fought game in an unseasonably wet LA as the Express slog through the wet field to take the W. Maurice Jones-Drew, in his first game as the undisputed starter in LA gains 101 to power the LA offense on the wet field. Jay Cutler, hindered by a sprained knee, struggles, throwing 3 picks, two to Defensive Player of the Week Renaldo Hill. OAKLAND 27 ARIZONA 20 Arizona plays the Invaders tough after their coaching shuffle, but they fall to 2-7 as Oakland finds a way to win in the end, scoring a Jerious Norwood TD run with only 1:36 left in regulation to take the W. Oakland had the run game working, with Ricky Williams gaining 136 on 23 carries, and Norwood contributing another 52 on only 12 carries, including 2 scores. BOSTON 20 PHILADELPHIA 17 One of the best games of the week saw these two NE contenders trade body blows all game long. Boston built up a 20-7 lead on a TD run Tony Hunt and a Jurevicious TD form McPherson, as Bledsoe again missed action. Philly countered with a late run that included a Gutierrez to Steve Smith TD as the two backups faced off, but in the end Boston held their ground and took the W. MEMPHIS 17 NEW ORLEANS 9 The Showboats move to 7-2 thanks to Brett Favre’s two second-half TDs. Lee Evans benefitted from the Breaker’s coverage of Robert Ferguson, catching 4 balls for 118 yards and a score as the Showboats continue to dominate the Southern Division. Eli Manning was booed by the Breaker crowd as he threw 2 picks and failed to convert on 9 of 11 third downs. OHIO 24 PITTSBURGH 21 The Glory got all they could handle from a feisty Mauler squad. New acquisition DeShaun Foster helped the Maulers rack up 117 yards on the ground, and QB Cody Pickett threw for 2 scores as the Maulers hung tough in this one. However, a late Stephen Alexander TD from Collins put Ohio up 24-21 and the score stayed there as the Pickett Hail Mary attempt was incomplete as time ran out. DENVER 3 SEATTLE 6 While there was rain in LA, there was a pure deluge in Seattle for this one. The turf field was a slip and slide as both teams struggled to get anywhere in horrible conditions. Both clubs stressed the run game, with Benson and Prentice combining for 150 yards while Corey Dillon racked up 118 on his own in a game that was won by the surefooted Dave Rayner, whose 2 field goals were one better than Mason Crosby’s lone kick. HOUSTON 10 LAS VEGAS 29 No rain in Las Vegas, just a lot of hitting as two of the meanest defenses in the league clashed. Both teams scored on pick sixes in this one. Shaun Springs for Houston and Eric Wright for Las Vegas both ran back errant throws. The only offensive TD of the game came from Steve McNair, as he found Kahlil Hill on a 49 yard toss that should have been picked, but slipped through the defender’s hands and right to Hill. A big win for Las Vegas, a tough loss for the Gamblers. ORLANDO 34 JACKSONVILLE 7 Another Sunday Night Shocker as the Renegades ran roughshod over Jacksonville in Alltell Stadium. Drew Brees looks like he is in All-USFL form, throwing 4 TDs and gaining 365 yards through the air. Brandon Marshall’s 78-yard score was a highlight as Orlando served notice that they were very much a part of the Southern Division race, despite their 0-3 start to the season. QB Controversy in Birmingham? We don’t want to stir the pot in Birmingham, but we think this particular pot is already boiling. NFL journeyman and former undrafted free agent Anthony Wright has made life tougher for Jason Campbell in only 2 games. After coming in last week due to Campbell’s injury, Wright got the start this week and proceeded to put up some numbers that Campbell has rarely achieved. Wright lost the game in Michigan, but kept Birmingham in the game with a 30 of 38 passing day, totaling 293 yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks. While Campbell’s numbers this year have been an improvement over last season, a 3-5 record as a starter and a QB rating of 86.2 is not exactly sending chills down the fanbase in Birmingham. When Wright comes in, with the same talent around him, and puts up numbers like that against a solid Michigan squad, it raises eyebrows. The question now turns to embattled coach Dennis Franchione. Will he go back to Campbell this week against the Bandits or keep Wright in to see what the longstanding 3rd stringer can do? We know that there is a pretty sizable fan contingent ready to make a change, and a game like this, even in a defeat, will not quiet that group down. If anything, they will get louder in their critiques of Franchione if a switch is not made. Who Wants the Southeastern Title? That is the big question as the entire division is now below .500. Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa Bay all sit at 4-5 after the Bulls lost their 4th in a row. This was a club that at one point was 4-1 and looked like a serious title contender, but the Bulls have let games slip away, losing in consecutive weeks to Oakland, Boston, Tampa Bay, and now getting blown out by the Renegades. Orlando, once thought out of contention after an 0-3 start, is now tied for first after a modest 2-game win streak. Tampa Bay appears to be a shell of their former selves, with questions swirling about Daunte Culpepper’s health. Even Atlanta, sitting at 3-6, is still very much in the mix after their big win over the Bandits this week. Does anyone want to win this division? And can anyone else even make the playoffs as a Wild Card? With 3 of 4 teams able to get back to .500 this week, we may get our answer soon. Who Wants the Southwestern Title for that matter? As confusing as the Southeastern Division is, it is no better in the Southwest, where Houston and Denver currently lead the division with equally mediocre 4-5 records. Texas is a game back at 3-6 after winning this week, and, believe it or not, Arizona at 2-7 is not out of the picture. Inconsistency on offense has been the bugaboo of pretty much every SW team. All three top teams in the division have given up fewer than 200 points so far this season, but their offenses have simply not been helping. The normally reliable Houston passing game has been sputtering. Denver has not found a rhythm with Matt Leinart under center, and Jeff George is looking like a shadow of his former self in his first year in San Antonio. So, what do we see happening here? Well, it seems likely that one team only will make it to the postseason from this group, and that team may be lucky to be at or over .500 when it happens. With Seattle still unbeaten and Houston now 2 games behind Michigan, a bye week seems out of the question, as it appears whoever wins the division will be a 3-seed, which guarantees a road game in the divisional if they can get past their Wild Card foe. Still a lot of games left to be played, but just like in the SE Division, someone has to get hot if they want any chance to play homefield football beyond one game this postseason. Did DeShaun Foster Trade Help Both Clubs? The early results seem to be yes. What we saw this week was two teams whose run games were improved by the transfer of Foster from one team to the other. LA got a 100-yard game from MJD in his first game as the bona fide starter. Meanwhile, Foster gained 99 yards for Pittsburgh as they took Ohio to the limit before bowing to the Glory. Coach Rivera, who has taken a lot of heat for trading Terrell Davis away and hoping to replace him with a combination of Ladell Betts and Brandon Jacobs, seems to have gained a bit of a reprieve by bringing in a recognized talent like Foster. Meanwhile, Jones-Drew is eager to prove he is a true lead back in LA, and with 2 more draft picks still to be taken in the deal, LA is certainly not showing any concern about trading away their former top pick. This could actually be one of those rare situations where the two clubs, and their two fanbases, are all happy with the result of a midseason trade. One More Trade Before the Deadline With Week 10 action being the deadline for trades in the USFL, there was time for one more deal to try to help that late playoff push. The team that made the move is Washington, still hoping for a Wild Card bid even without Kordell Stewart available this year. Washington is in the hunt at 4-5, but Coach Payton felt that Henry Burris was just not getting enough support In the passing game. Cam Cleeland’s numbers have not been good, and with a need for a safety blanket, Payton wanted to find a receiving TE. He found a willing trade partner in New Orleans’s Head Coach Mike Nolan. Bubba Franks, New Orleans’s big target, was the player in question, and while it took some wrangling, Payton was able to make a deal to bring the big man to Washington. The Feds send LB Torrance Marshall, practice squad TE Ben Troupe, and a 4th round pick obtained from Las Vegas to the Breakers, and New Orleans provides Payton’s offense with another mid-range, middle of the field target for Burris. The Breakers also free up over $2M in cap room going into the offseason, something the desperately needed to do. Will this move have a huge impact on either club? Perhaps not. Tight Ends are rarely game changers, but if Washington can get even marginally better results out of the passing game, they could find themselves in the playoff hunt, and that is a lot better than what many foresaw for them this year, especially after Stewart went out for the year. Our first official Playoff Progress Chart and our first team officially eliminated after 9 weeks. St. Louis at 1-8 is the first club out of the picture, thanks to the number of 6-3 clubs already on the board. The Skyhawks, who already gave the boot to Head Coach Art Shell, could well find themselves as the #1 overall pick, though New Orleans is also in that mix. On the other side of the spectrum, there are two clubs who could lock up a playoff birth this week as both Boston and Seattle could make it official with one more win. If the playoffs started today, the top two seeds in the East would be 8-1 Boston and 7-2 Memphis, while in the West 9-0 Seattle and 6-3 Michigan are in the catbird’s seat. At 4-5, both Houston and Jacksonville currently lead their divisions, but that is anything but settled at this point. Current Wild Card positions are held by Philadelphia, Nashville, and Washington in the East; LA, Ohio, and Oakland out West, but there is still a lot of football to be played before we know for sure who is going to be in the dance. Several more season-ending injuries as, with only 5 weeks left, even a medium duration injury can keep a player out of the lineup through Week 14. This week we saw several players added to IR and several free agents signed for depth. Among those ruled out for the remainder of the year we have Denver tackle Jason Odom (neck), Nashville safety Curtis Fuller, and St. Louis TE Fred Baxter. Expected back within the final 5 weeks, but out for at least 1-2 weeks we have Nashville CB Lenny Walls, Baltimore DE Chuckie Nwokorie, New Jersey LB Donterrious thomas, Houston safety Shaun Williams, Tampa DT La’Roi Glover, and Pittsburgh HB Brandon Jacobs. Those considered Doubtful or Questionable this week include CB Ken Irvin of Birmingham, Las Vegas DE Erasmus James, Seattle corner Ray Mickens, Arizona TE Kevin Everett, and Texas SS Lawyer Milloy. Potentially returning to action this week we have Carlos Rogers (LA), Jason Campbell (BIR), Richard Seymour (HOU), Drew Bledsoe (BOS), and Dwayne Rudd (PIT). Coaching Hot Seat Already In Effect While the midseason firing of Art Shell in St. Louis was something of a surprise, it is certainly not surprising that several teams are already hearing from fans that the time has come to go a new direction. This is as much a part of the football cycle of the year as training camp or the draft. Teams that underperform, teams headed down the wrong path, even just teams that don’t meet the lofty projections that fans put on them, can start to feel pressure to make a change. Changing players can be costly, but switching up the Head Coach tends to be a quick way for a franchise to deal with fan negativity, and often a way to dramatically alter the dynamic in the locker room as well. So, in addition to St. Louis, who will almost certainly conduct a search this offseason for a permanent hire, who else do we see potentially on the hot seat 9 weeks into the season. Dennis Franchione, Birmingham: A lot here will depend on how the Stallions handle the QB position. Anthony Wright’s strong performance this week triggered a potential QB controversy, and fans in general have simply not been impressed with Jason Campbell’s lack of production, Auburn grad or not. If the Stallions continue to struggle, and if it is seen as Franchione’s fault if QB play does not improve one way or the other, then we don’t see a way the former Crimson Tide coach does not find himself on the outs by Black Monday. Tom Coughlin, Baltimore: Every time it seems the Blitz are ready to challenge in the Northeast, they go on a losing streak. The offense has talent but seems to underperform on a regular basis. The defense should be better than it performs as well. It just feels like a team that needs a new culture. Maybe Coughlin’s disciplinarian routine is just not right for this roster, or maybe, after 4 years of the same, with minimal success, it is just time to try something new. Ron Rivera, Pittsburgh: Rivera has the Maulers at 4-5, which is pretty decent for a club that looked very lost last year. Is he totally out of danger? No, not really. He seems like a coach that needs 7-7 to feel safe, so that means 3 wins in the final 5 games, certainly doable, but not a sure thing in a tough division like the Central. Dick Jauron, Denver: It may seem unfathomable that the Gold would let Jauron go after a pretty successful run in the Mile High City, but if Denver again fails to reach .500, we could see ownership looking for a spark, and that often means a new head coach. Would we fire Jauron at this point? No, we still think there is growth to be had with Matt Leinart and they need to find a replacement for Cedric Benson, but neither of those flaws is entirely the head coach’s fault. Jim Fassel, Arizona: It’s not that last year’s success is forgotten, it’s how comfortable ownership is with a roller coaster ride between good years and bad years. That schtick grew old with Art Shell, when he was the head man for the Wranglers. We cannot imagine it is sitting well with them now. Arizona needs to show some signs of life. The window is closing on Jake Plummer, and a 3-4 win season is not going to look good for Fassel. Rob Ryan, St. Louis: We just don’t see Ryan as Head Coach material at this stage of his career, and we really don’t see him turning around a Skyhawk club that struggles on both sides of the ball, not enough to impress ownership. We think Ryan was a convenient interim pick, but the Skyhawks are going to look elsewhere to find a new coach who can help build something in St. Louis. A Sophomore Season that Shaped the Stallions While it is not entirely accurate to say that Brett Favre made a huge first impression, it certainly felt that way in 1992. You see, Favre was drafted out of Southern Mississippi by the Birmingham Stallions in 1991, and he would spend that season sitting behind Cliff Stoudt. He got into one game,went 2 of 5 for 20 yards, and that was it. So, while 1992 was not his rookie year, it was for many the first time they saw him get any action. He would sub in for Cliff Stoudt in Week 1, when Stoudt was dinged up, and he would not leave the starting lineup until after the 2004 season, when he would “retire” before joining the New York Jets. So, what did he do in his “sophomore” campaign, his first real action? How about throwing for 5,169 yards, a league record at the time. Along with those yards were 47 touchdowns, another league record at the time. He would lead the Stallions to a 10-6 record with a club that led the league in scoring with 493 points, nearly 31 per game. And while his inexperience showed in the playoffs, where a late pick doomed Birmingham to lose at home to Tampa Bay, the excitement around this young QB and around the Stallions was a thing to behold. By the time the 1993 season kicked off, you could barely drive through the South without seeing Favre on a billboard, whether it was for convenience stores, tires, Budweiser, or the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, MS. Everyone seemed to have "Favre Fevre" (as it was spelt in the local press). The mania for the gunslinging young QB certainly did not abate in 1993, when Favre’s Stallions finished the season 14-2 and raced through the playoffs before upsetting the defending champion Houston Gamblers in a wild shootout, 38-36. The young man from Kiln, Mississippi, playing in Birmingham, had exploded on the scene, a 2nd year “rookie” who took his shot and ran with it. Favre is, of course, back in the USFL this season, still in the South, but now with the rival Memphis Showboats, and still on more billboards than the Golden Arches. He returned this year after only 18 months away, after a rough year with the NFL Jets, and he returned with a vengeance, already leading the Showboats to a surprising 7-2 start. He already holds many career records and is just adding to his totals for attempts, yardage, and touchdowns. Week 2 against Chicago he threw #500, an amazing total, but one that is not done yet. It has been 15 years since that fateful season, but sometimes it still feels like we are discovering this now greying QB for the first time all over again. Matt Robinson: The MVP Out of Nowhere Brett Favre was not the first USFL QB to come out of nowhere with a miraculous season. John Reaves started it all off in 1983, when the “washed up” former Florida Gator came onto the scene with this new league. Then it was Kelly, coming in from the U. of Miami and lighting things up for the Gamblers. But, no quarterback quite matched Matt Robinson’s 1988 season as a bigger shocker for the league. Robinson was no hotshot rookie in 1988. He had been in the league since arriving with Jacksonville in 1985. Before that he had played with the NY Jets, where he was drafted in the 9th round more as a camp arm than a starting prospect. After seeing limited action in NY, he was in Denver by 1980, and with Buffalo in 81 and 82. He was out of football altogether when the Bulls brought him in for their inaugural season in 1984, and he dutifully sat on the bench behind Doug Williams. In 1985 he was again out of work, but picked up by New Orleans in camp. He would see action in 5 games for the Breakers. In the two years that followed he would start 4 games, always due to injuries to the starter, and he would be back on the bench as soon as the starter returned. You can imagine, with this history, that it was quite a shock that New Orleans jettisoned Tony Eason, their highly recruited QB, after the 1987 season and opted to go with Robinson as the starter. This was, after all, a Breakers squad that had made the playoffs every single year of Eason’s tenure. The Breakers were expected to be retooling, trying to get further than the Conference Title Game, where they had fallen in 1986. In 87 they lost in the first round of playoffs, so folks were anticipating a deeper drop in 1988 as the team retooled, and they were none too happy that Eason was allowed to go to Jacksonville and Robinson would be the main man under center. Fan disappointment would not last long. Robinson came out of nowhere in 1988 to electrify the Breaker offense. He would start all 16 games, throw for nearly 3,700 yards, and 38 touchdowns. He led the Breakers to a 13-3 record, a division title, and into the Conference Title Game. New Orleans, who would develop a reputation for choking in the title game, struggled against division foe Houston, falling 27-21, but Robinson would still win MVP of the season for his production and his leadership of the Breaker offense. Robinson would remain the Breaker starter for the next 5 years before injuries in 1992 took their toll on the mustachioed QB. He would throw for over 16,000 yards and 130 TDs in that span, and the Breakers would appear in the Conference Title Game in 88, 89, 90, and 92. When Robinson hung up the cleats in 1993, so too did the Breaker playoff run. They would make the playoffs only once between ’93 and 2000. As we look back over the 25 years of the USFL, for all the tales of storied careers, the Kellys, Walkers, and Favres, there is still room for those who burned brightly for a short while, who came out of obscurity and amazed us with a sudden and furious rise to the top. Matt Robinson had struggled for years, paid his dues, and when given the chance, he made the most of his opportunity. You can still occasionally find Matt at Breaker games, though he spends most of his time now working with the USFLPA, helping other players make the transition from football to their post-football lives. We suspect that there are many a bar in Breakerland where Matt doesn’t have to buy his own beers, though he is quite a bit harder to recognize now that he no longer has the Fu Manchu moustache. (IRL: Of course, Matt Robinson did play for both Jacksonville (84) and the Breakers (Portland, 85). He had been with all three NFL teams listed above, and after the USFL he did not play any longer. We shifted his work with the NFLPA to the USFLPA, and his career was longer in this alt history than in real life, but not much else was changed except the fact that he was able to lead the Breakers to several Conference Championship games and win an MVP in this version of history, a far cry from his 2 years IRL). The week kicks off with one of the league’s best rivalry games as New Jersey hosts the Stars from Philadelphia. On Saturday we have an interesting Central clash between Chicago and Pittsburgh, and Washington tries to reach .500 against Memphis. Sunday brings us Nashville at a resurgent Orlando club, Seattle facing a feisty Oakland team again, and a nightcap with Houston traveling to Michigan to face the surging Panthers. FRI @ 8pm Philadelphia (6-3) @ New Jersey (3-6) NBC SAT @ 12pm Chicago (5-4) @ Pittsburgh (4-5) ABC SAT @ 12pm Baltimore (3-5-1) @ Boston (8-1) FOX SAT @ 12pm Texas (3-6) @ Atlanta (3-6) FOX SAT @ 4pm Washington (4-5) @ Memphis (7-2) ABC SAT @ 4pm Jacksonville (4-5) @ New Orleans (1-8) FOX SAT @ 8pm Los Angeles (6-3) @ Las Vegas (5-4) ESPN SUN @ 12pm St. Louis (1-8) @ Ohio (6-3) ABC SUN @ 12pm Nashville (5-3-1) @ Orlando (4-5) ABC SUN @ 12pm Tampa Bay (4-5) @ Birmingham (3-6) FOX SUN @ 4pm Arizona (2-7) @ Denver (4-5) ABC SUN @ 4pm Seattle (9-0) @ Oakland (6-3) FOX SUN @ 8pm Houston (4-5) @ Michigan (6-3) ESPN