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A big week for the Chicago Machine as they get the win in the final seconds in Detroit to take over the Central Division and now control their own destiny as they seek the #1 seed in the West. Philadelphia and Baltimore score big inter-divisional wins, and Arizona sends ripples through the league by officially announcing that 2-time league MVP Jake Plummer is officially on the trading block. A busy week, with more teams seeking to clinch a postseason berth, but lets start with Chicago's come from behind win at Ford Field to oust Michigan from the top spot out West. CHICAGO MACHINE 21 MICHIGAN PANTHERS 16 For the first time this season the Chicago Machine find themselves sitting atop the Central Division. The 2007 Western Conference champions have done it with a shut down defense, a solid run game, and the surprising success of backup Kyle Orton, defeating the Michigan Panthers to move to 11-2. They are rewarded not only with the ability to control their destiny in the Central Division, but a very real shot at the #1 seed in the West. They pulled off the win in the biggest game for both teams this season through controlled, measured offense and stifling defense, holding Brian Griese to only 198 yards passing, and relying more heavily on Kyle Orton than we suspect their gameplan anticipated. Michigan, for their part, largely took Michael Turner out of the game, limiting Chicago’s lead back to only 2.4 yards per carry and a total of only 48 yards, but in doing so, they freed up more opportunities for Donald Driver, who finished with an impressive 10 receptions for 140 yards and the game winning score. For much of the game Michigan looked to have the upper hand, and actually led 16-8 with only 3 minutes left. But something failed in the final minutes of the game as Chicago was able to mount a fierce final quarter comeback. The game began with both defenses holding the upper hand. The only points of the first half came on a 51-yard field goal from Tim Seder after a poor Michigan punt set Chicago up at their 47, requiring only a short drive to get in range for their kicker. The first TD of the game came at the start of the second, on Michigan’s best drive of the first half. Brian Griese connected with Hines Ward for a 12-yard TD strike, and Michigan took a 7-3 lead. The lead would be cut to 7-6 at the half, but neither team felt they had a handle on how to produce offense. In the third quarter neither would. The only points of the quarter came on defense as Chicago DT Ted Washington managed to stuff a Fargas run from their own 1 yard line. Officials originally ruled that Fargas had made it out of the endzone, but replay showed his knee touch down inside the endzone, giving Chicago a slight lead of 8-7 on the safety. Michigan would respond with a solid drive on their next possession, with Griese avoiding the rush to hit Laverneus Coles with a 24-yard pass to reach Chicago’s side of the field. This was followed by a 17-yard run by Fargas and an even more devastating 29-yard screen that went for 7. Michigan would stuff Chicago on their next possession and then add 3 points from kicker Matt Prater to take what appeared to be a solid 16-8 lead. But Chicago was about to find their stride, just in time. The Machine got the ball back with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Trailing by 8, they hoped to even the score with one good drive. They got the drive, but not the equalizer. Kyle Orton connected with Aaron Shea, James Hardy, and Donald Driver before a short swing pass to fullback Alan Ricard got them within 2. They went for the obvious choice, the 2 point PAT, but the play failed, leaving Michigan with a 2 point lead with just 2:55 left in the game. Chicago would have to go for the onside kick. Tim Seder kicked a perfect 3rd-hop onside attempt, the ball bouncing over the first line of Panther players. It bounced off WR Danny Farmer’s shoulder as the receiver could not adequately judge the ball, and was picked up by SS Sammy Knight of Chicago. The Machine would start the final drive of the game on their own 48. With Brady Quinn gone for the year, the Machine had called on 3rd year backup and Purdue product, Kyle Orton. Orton, who had started only 1 game in his first two years, started the past 4 games, winning the first three, all division victories, including two important victories over the Ohio Glory in three weeks. In this game, the fate of Chicago’s division title hopes relied on Orton’s ability to drive the team into field goal range and do so in a way that did not provide Michigan time to respond. What he did instead was drive a stake into the heart of the Panthers, taking the Machine into the endzone with only 6 seconds left. The star of the drive was Donald Driver, who caught 3 passes on the final game-winning drive, including the 6-yard strike that gave Chicago the win. But, believe it or not, the biggest play was not an Orton throw, or a Driver catch, it was a simple misdirection run on 3rd and 2. Chicago faced the decisive down at the Michigan 22, and had they failed to make it, they almost certainly would have returned the ball to the Panthers, possibly up 1 on a field goal, but with nearly 1:30 on the clock. HB Reno Mahe was the ballcarrier as Chicago put him in the backfield with Michael Turner. With the defense viewing Turner as the bigger threat, the initial move towards Mahe was viewed as a feint, but it was not. Orton handed the ball to Mahe for his first carry of the day, and, with the linebackers shifting left, Mahe went over the right guard for 3yards and a first down. That first down would lead to the Driver score and the impossible task for Michigan, to come back, down 5, with only 6 seconds left. The Panthers tried the multiple lateral return on the kickoff, but, as usual, it did not get very far. Chicago had scored twice in the final 3 minutes to not only knock off the Panthers, but to put the season in their hands. With a pretty reasonable final 3 weeks ahead of them (vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Houston, and at Arizona) the Machine controlled their own destiny and could wrap up the top seed with wins in their final games. Michigan would drop from the #1 seed down to #4 as a Wild Card, and unless Chicago stumbled in their final matches, the Panthers could do nothing about it. DENVER 18 BALTIMORE 21 Big Ben has a big game as Roethlisberger throws for 268 and 3 scores to help Baltimore hold off the Gold and move to 9-4 on the year. Tory Holt, Marty Booker, and Antonio Gates all scored for the Blitz, with Holt leading all receivers with 121 yards on 5 catches. PHILADELPHIA 12 MEMPHIS 10 The Stars’ defense holds Memphis to only 7 first downs and sacks Brett Favre 7 times in a painful game for Memphis, who have now lost 2 in a row. On offense, the duo of Robinson and Slaton combine for 124 yards rushing on 41 combined carries as Philly dominates on the ground, wearing down the Showboats by game’s end. NEW ORLEANS 27 LAS VEGAS 7 Las Vegas continues to struggle without Steve McNair, dropping their 2nd in a row, while New Orleans has won two straight and now have an outside shot at a playoff spot. Fred Jackson was the surprise hero for the Breakers, rushing for 106 yards on only 12 carries, while Matt Forte added 122 of his own as New Orleans found serious issues in the Las Vegas run defense. BOSTON 23 WASHINGTON 27 Boston hoped to jump over .500 with a win, but the Federals are still chasing a the Stars and were in no mood to be generous. Kordell Stewart threw for 1 score and ran for another for the Feds. I twould take a final minute Stewart toss to Kellen Davis to get the W. McCallister added 110 yards on 31 carries, while Rashard Mendenhall for Boston struggled to 75 yards against the Federal defense. NASHVILLE 21 OAKLAND 28 Oakland continues to win the close ones, sinking Nashville’s hope of building some momentum in the South, by knocking them off by the Bay. Ricky Williams rushed for a score and league leader Jurious Norwood scored his 9th and 10th TDs of the season to help Oakland get the 7-point win. LOS ANGELES 22 SEATTLE 28 Jeff Garcia had one of his better games just one week before Seneca Wallace is expected back, but the Dragons found a way to win, thanks in part to a Troy Walters 41-yard punt return TD and an Eddie Mason pick-six, as all three phases contributed to the win. OHIO 20 PITTSBURGH 23 Ohio drops below .500 as their disappointing season continues. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has won 3 in a row, led by the defense in this one. Dameaion Jeffries led the way with 3 sacks as the Maulers got to Collins 7 times on the day. DeSean Foster led the Mauler offense with 114 on the ground. Cody Pickett went 19 of 29 against the Ohio secondary, with two scoring throws to slot receiver Kevin Johnson. HOUSTON 30 NEW JERSEY 10 The Gamblers had no trouble dispatching the Generals in New Jersey. Kavika Pittman had two sacks of former Gambler QB Kris Kershaw, and the combo of Alexander and Faulk combined for 37 carries to control the game. ATLANTA 12 TAMPA BAY 20 The Bandits were not at their best offensively, but the defense helped with the day, in part by knocking David Garrard out of the game. Culpepper was also removed from the game in the 3rd quarter, producing a potential concern for the next couple of weeks in Tampa Bay. PORTLAND 20 ARIZONA 13 The Stags move to 7-6, a great record for an expansion club, by shutting down the hapless Wranglers. James Stewart and Chris Perry combined for 104 yards and Laurent Robinson caught a rare TD for the Stags as Portland tied Atlanta’s record 7-win total from 2 years ago, with a chance to guarantee at least an 8-8 record with a win next week. ORLANDO 24 JACKSONVILLE 30 Jacksonville put an end to all realistic hopes Orlando had of a postseason run as Matt Cassel got his first start for the Renegades. Cassel played well, connecting on 26 of 40 tosses for 381 yards and 3 scores, but the Orlando defense has been somewhat directionless after losing Calais Campbell to injury, and this week that meant giving up scores to 4 different Bulls as Jacksonville pulls off the home win. CHARLOTTE 27 BIRMINGHAM 16 In what can only be viewed as a blow to any chance Kent Austin had of returning next year, Charlotte outgained Birmingham by over 100 yards and got 2 TDs from Weinke to Dan Campbell to defeat the Stallions in Legion Field. Charlotte was trailing 16-10 after 3 quarters but scored an unanswered 17 points in the 4th as Birmingham faded in the summer heat. ST. LOUIS 38 TEXAS 27 The Skyhawks finally turned offensive production into a win as they outpaced the Outlaws with 4 Jeff Blake scores. Blake threw for 3 and ran for a fourth as he increased his rushing total for the year with another 135 yards, including an 86-yard scoring run. Rookie Jordy Nelson caught 2 TDs from the St. Louis QB as Texas simply did not know what to defend against in this one. Garrard Injured in 1st Game Back Well, if Jay Gruden hoped someone else would make the QB decision for him, he got his wish. In his first game back as a starter after sitting behind Tyler Thigpen for six weeks, David Garrard lasted just slightly more than three quarters before a season-ending injury. The game was still somewhat in range, though Atlanta trailed 20-9, but Garrard had been unable to command a touchdown drive against the Bandits. On a somewhat mundane 2nd and 7 play, he faked the ball to rookie Darren McFadden but failed to see DE Derrick Harvey had broken free of his block. Harvey blindsided the Atlanta QB, and in so doing had landed on top of him, forcing his knee into an awkward sideways bend. The damage was done, MCL ligaments would be the eventual announcement. Garrard’s 2008 season would be over, perhaps his tenure in Atlanta as well. Garrard has another season on his contract with the Fire, but many expect that he will be asked either to accept a trade or to prepare to serve as a backup. Atlanta is almost certainly going to make a concerted effort to draft and sign University of Georgia QB Matt Stafford, and if they are successful, Stafford could well be a Week 1 starter. Garrard, who was first signed by Philadelphia in 2002, got his chance when the expansion Fire gave him a start in 2006 and then named him the full time starter for the 2007 season. But Garrard struggled in the role, and this year was benched after the first 6 games, with only 3 TDs and 7 picks to his name. When Tyler Thigpen struggled to do any better, Coach Gruden turned back to Garrard this week, but the move now seems moot as Thigpen will likely resume the starting role with Garrard now done for the year. The future of the ECU product is now very much in doubt as the market for a QB with Garrard’s marginal history is not exactly hopping. Culpepper to Sit for 1-2 Weeks Tampa Bay did not come out of the Atlanta game unscathed either. Daunte Culpepper, having an All-USFL season, was also forced to sit out the end of the game after clipping his hand on the helmet of an oncoming rusher. X-rays determined that he had, in fact, fractured the index finger on his throwing hand, an injury that would force him out of next week’s game against Nashville, and possibly another week beyond that. Tampa Bay will likely be cautious in pushing for a return to action for their veteran QB. They have a 2-game lead on the #1 seed in the East, so they can afford to be a bit protective of Culpepper and go with backup Omar Jacobs at QB for a week or two as they face Nashville and Jacksonville. We expect that they will want Culpepper to get some snaps in the season finale so as to avoid a 4-week gap between games as they enter the playoffs almost assuredly in the Divisional Round after a bye week. So, not major concern for Coach Spurrier, but a potential hiccup on what has been a flawless 11-game win streak. New Orleans Back in the Hunt Don’t look now, but New Orleans’s win over Las Vegas this week has them thinking about a Wild Card. They sit at 6-7, identical in record to the #6 seeded Nashville Knights, and they finish the year with three straight divisional games, beginning with the 1-11 Stallions before big games, both at home, against Memphis and Nashville. A 3-game sweep would almost certainly propel the Breakers into the playoffs, and very possibly save Coach Mike Nolan’s job. This possibility did not always look feasible. As recently as Week 11, New Orleans was sitting at 4-7 and looking very much like a team about to be eliminated from playoff contention. But, a win against the moribund New Jersey Generals kept them alive, and the road win in Las Vegas this week has changed the tone and the sense of possibility for the club. While knocking off both Memphis and Nashville will not be easy, even in the comfy confines of the Super Dome, it is not unfathomable either. Eli Manning has been playing very well over the past month, moving steadily up the QB ratings and now sitting at #5 in the league. The running game has also improved as Coach Nolan is splitting more carries between rookie Matt Forte and veteran Fred Jackson, but, perhaps most important, the defense has shownsome stopping power, moving up the rankings in the past 6 weeks to #13, a long way from their early season struggles. The Breakers are a young team with a young corps, including Forte and a receiver trio none of whom have more than 2 years of experience. The defense is also somewhat untested, rebuilt over recent years with a mix of veteran free agents and developing draftees. Something of a no name group, they are led by DE Corey Sears, LB Brady James, and CB Ahmed Plummer. Whether or not this group, and this team, can complete a strong second half by winning their final 5 games (two in hand, three to come) remains to be seen, but for Breaker fans, just entering these final weeks with a real shot at a playoff spot is a welcome development. Thunder Drop as Dragons Rise The other side of the coin from this week’s surprising loss at home against New Orleans is that Las Vegas has fallen from the six playoff spots in the West and now trails Seattle by a game for the final spot. The loss to New Orleans follows a road loss to Nashville that had caused Las Vegas to slip in the standings and in the hunt for a Wild Card. From 7-4 and looking like a shoe-in, the Thunder now need help if they hope to make the postseason for the first time in Jerry Glanville’s 4-year tenure. The losses follow the injury to QB Steve McNair as Tony Banks has been forced into action. While McNair’s numbers in Las Vegas have never been great, they have been enough for the Thunder defense to help the club get some wins under their belt. With Banks, that has not been the case. McNair is listed as questionable this week, but there is a sense that if he is even at 80% Coach Glanville will take the risk and put him in for a must win game at Texas. The Thunder have a favorable schedule down the stretch, with their game in Texas followed by home matchups against the 1-12 Arizona Wranglers and the expansion Portland Stags. But even a 3-0 run would not guarantee them a Wild Card. They sit a game behind division rival Seattle and SW Division contender Denver. Las Vegas needs one of the two, possibly both, to drop a game to have any chance at a tie-breaker entry to the postseason. Seattle does have tough games ahead at Ohio and home to Oakland, while Denver finishes the year with Arizona, Texas, and a season finale against Houston that likely will determine their division. Las Vegas can have hope for a loss by their opponents, but first they need to ensure that they do not slip up in the final weeks, or once again the Thunder could be out of playoff contention. They have not made the postseason since 2002, a streak they would love to end. A big week in the playoff race as 4 more teams punch their tickets to the postseason. Chicago’s win over Michigan propels them to first place, but both squads are now locked into a playoff berth. Philadelphia and Oakland join them as we now have 5 of 12 spots filled with 3 weeks of action left. The Machine now hold the top spot at 11-2, but cannot afford a loss as Oakland is right there with them at 11 wins. In the East, Tampa Bay has a 2 game advantage over Philadelphia for the #1 seed, and has won 11 in a row, but if Daunte Culpepper misses 2 weeks, as many fear, the Stars may still have a shot. Memphis, losers of two in a row, now look like the 3rd best potential division champion, which would put them into the Wild Card round of the playoffs, much as Houston expect to be as they trail both the Pacific and Central Division leaders by 2 games as well. At the bottom of each playoff bracket we battles that could come down to the final week. Nashville is now in a 3-way tie with both Boston and New Orleans at 6-7. If any one of these clubs can finish the year with 3 wins, they could easily snag the final Wild Card. In the West, Denver and Seattle sit at 8-5, with 1 game on both Las Vegas and Portland. The nature of football means that as the season progresses the likeliness of injury increases, and we are seeing that this week. Atlanta was forced to place 2 more players on IR as both WR Josh Reed (leg) and DT Keyonta Marshall (hip) are done for the year. Likewise, Michigan learned this week that cornerback Donavan Greer is also out for the year with a broken hip. Texas will finish out the season without rookie WR Danny Amendola (shoulder) and LA will be without Daryl Gardener due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury. As we reported, David Garrard will also be placed on IR to finish out the year for the banged up Atlanta Fire. Others who could be back in Week 15 or 16 include Baltimore tackle Matt Hill, Ohio safety Mike Doss, Ohio center Richie Incognito, Boston linebacker Chris Clairborne, Washington safety Bob Sanders, Memphis LB Hannibal Navies, and Seattle CB Leodis McKelvin. Expected back this week are Pittsburgh DT Dan Klecko, Jacksonville HB Travis Minor, Washington T Matt Stinchcomb, Arizona WR Domenic Hixon, Texas SS Lawyer Molloy, Ohio CB Deshea Townsend, Memphis SS Coy Wire, Chicago HB Maurice Clarett, and LA end Keneche Udeze. Wranglers Will Seek Trade Offers for Plummer After weeks of debate, and several statements by the Arizona Wranglers’ star QB, the club this week did announce that they will field offers for 9-time All-USFL and 2-time USFL MVP Jake Plummer. Do not expect the asking price to be cheap, at least two #1 draft picks or some valuable veteran talent, but the Wrangles, who are already in the midst of a search for a new head coach, are very much planning a near complete roster overhaul, and the biggest piece of that puzzle appears to be a willingness to part with the disgruntled Plummer. There will be no shortage of suitors, with, by our count, no fewer than 6 clubs aside from Arizona looking to find a solution at QB. New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Birmingham, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Los Angeles all have tenuous QB situations, and we might add Las Vegas to that list if rumors of Steve McNair’s potential retirement are legit. Any one of those six clubs would be overjoyed to bring Plummer to town as the new starter, but who has the deeper pockets and the willingness to part with significant draft or personnel capital to do it? That is the big question that we will certainly see play out over the offseason. Stallions to be Sold, No Further Community Buy In Planned With both financial concerns and legal complications surrounding the Birmingham Stallions’ principle owner, Marvin Warner Jr., including potential federal charges for Warner’s role in the collapse of the Southern States Bank during the current crisis. Warner, who inherited the Stallions from his father (himself indicted on major financial crimes back in the 80’s) will be forced by the USFL to divest from the Stallions franchise, essentially forcing a sale of the majority share. Birmingham has a unique arrangement within the USFL, with 44% of the franchise owned by public shareholders, predominantly within Alabama and the Birmingham area as part of a local investment strategy back in the early 90’s. This arrangement forces any new owner to work with a board of investors as part of the management of the club, though the new owner would take on 50.5% of the shares in the club, with the shareholders controlling the majority of outstanding shares along with a few small-time local minority owners. There is, of course, interest in ownership of the Stallions, and with the unique community shareholder model the risk of purchase and relocation is all but negated, but finding a primary investor with the available resources to make the purchase in the middle of a national recession and credit freeze could be a challenge. While there is no word yet on any interest, there is some hope that Jim Walton, of the Walmart fortune might be interested, as could Jimmy Rane, a coal magnate from the region, or John Menard, of the Menard’s home improvement chain. The question is whether or not there is appeal in purchasing a rebuilding franchise in an aging stadium and in a region of the country that has been hit hard by the burst bubble of real estate and significant banking crises. A bad time to have to sell a team and a tough market to invest in at this time. Memphis Tweaks Silver Sky The Memphis Showboats have announced this week a minor change to their identity and uniform as they are tweaking their trademarked “Silver Sky” color. The team, which switched from a crimson and silver look in their first few years, to the unique blue-silver tint in 1990, showed off a new, slightly lighter, slightly more grey-toned version of the color. The change does not require full approval of the league as it is not considered a significant uniform modification. Both Riddell and Reebok are on board with modifications to the uniform for 2009, with the helmet being the most noticeable adjustment. The new helmet will feature the silver sky tone with a “silver flek” feature that will add a deeper, more metallic tone to the shell. This cannot be replicated on the jersey or pants, but astute fans will notice a slight change in the depth of color and the tone of the blue-silver on both next year. As we look back at the first 25 seasons of USFL football, this week we look not at teams, but at venues. The USFL has grown and developed into a 5th major league in the United States, and that fact, along with strong partnerships in many shared NFL-USFL cities, has allowed the clubs to either build or renovate their current homes to play in world class facilities, but that was not always the case. This week we look back at some of the past homes of USFL teams, from the awesome to the awful. Here are the 10 most memorable home stadia no longer in use in the USFL. #10—Nickerson Field (Boston) When the USFL placed a team in Boston, the hope, of course, was that they would share Foxboro Stadium with the NFL Patriots. When that failed to materialize, the expectation was that a deal could be brokered with Boston College for Alumni Stadium. That also fell through, and so did Harvard Stadium, leaving the first year Boston Breakers with no other choice than tiny Nickerson Field at Boston University. Barely qualifying as a college facility, much less a pro football stadium, Nickerson Field was tiny, with no amenities, poor parking, and, not that they could control it, but truly horrible weather in the spring of 1983. A bad option and one that lasted only 1 season before the Breakers overpaid to move to Harvard. #9—Alamo Stadium (San Antonio) When the stadium you move into is primarily used for high school football, even Texas high school football, you are in trouble. Alamo Stadium in San Antonio was bigger than Nickerson field, by about 8,000 seats, we will give it that, but it may have been even in worse condition. Scorching hot for day games, with no shade and little in the way of concessions, it was a poor home for a fall team and an even worse home for a spring-summer league. Thankfully the city was already working on building the Alamodome when the USFL came to San Antonio. #8—Skully Stadium (Oklahoma) The plan was never to put a team in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city with all the mass market appeal of Crystal Pepsi. The Outlaws were supposed to play in San Diego, then possibly Honolulu, even Sacramento was considered, but for one season they ended up at Skully Stadium in Tulsa. Even taking the near constant spring rain out of the equation, the home of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football was not a pro football venue, even if the state is a football crazed hotbed. #7--JFK Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia) The home to both the Eagles and the 2-time USFL champion Stars, JFK Stadium had all the character of an avocado kitchen set. It was outdated and unpleasant even on the best of days, but, even worse, it was widely known as having the worst turf in all of pro sports. Countless injuries to Eagles, Phillies and Stars resulted from the ridiculous seams and uneven edges in the turf at RFK. No one cried any tears when it was torn down and replaced by Lincoln Financial Field. #6—Bobby Dodd Stadium (Atlanta) A fine facility for Georgia Tech and fall football, but whoever thought that playing day games in an outdoor stadium in Atlanta in June and July was a good idea was just plain nuts. Peanuts perhaps? Players often described playing in Atlanta with or against the original Atlanta Fire as playing in a bowl of chowder, that is how muggy it can be in Georgia in the summertime. The Stadium was basic but solid, but the concept was poorly thought out. #5—LA Coliseum (Los Angeles) The Coliseum makes sense for the Olympics, and maybe for a Super or Summer Bowl, but as a home to a fledgling football team in a fledgling league its 90,000+ capacity is ridiculous. Even when the LA Express had decent crowds, which was not often in the early years, the place looked empty. There were games there where each fan could basically have their own section, not just seat or row. A historic facility, sure, but a good home for the early years of the Express, absolutely not. #4—Civic Stadium (Portland) The first stadium on the list that I can honestly say I have some fondness for. Yes, it proved to be too small for the Portland Thunder by the early 1990’s, and, admittedly, it was built for AAA baseball, so the locker rooms were cramped for a 53-man football team, but the place had charm, and Portlanders built up a really nice homefield advantage there. Columbia Sportswear Stadium is a great new facility, but there is nostalgia for “The Civ”. #3—Husky Stadium (Seattle) If you want a college atmosphere for a pro game, Husky Stadium is a pretty good option. Sure, you had major restrictions on alcohol sales, and parking was a bit of a problem, and maybe the Dragons were not happy to have so much purple everywhere when it was not a team color, but as a site for the Dragons’ first decade, Husky Stadium was a fun venue and a great home field. #2—The Astrodome (Houston) There are some venues that are just too iconic to hate. Yes, the Astrodome was past its prime by the time the Gamblers and Oilers moved out, but there was still something special about the place, and that may be why Houston has yet to tear it down. The original dome for NFL football, and a very good idea when dealing with Houston heat and humidity in the summer, the Astrodome was a great home for the Run & Shoot and some very good Gambler squads. #1—The Silverdome (Michigan) Pontiac, Michigan may not be downtown Detroit, but the Silverdome was a great place to watch a game, especially while others were freezing their buts off in Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, or Pittsburgh in March USFL action. While most northern teams were struggling to get teams to bear with bad early season weather, the Panthers were cruising to two titles in 3 years and calling the comfy, warm, and often packed, Silverdome their home. We like Ford Field plenty, but the Panthers will always be remembered for bringing home a title to Michigan while playing in Pontiac. Week 14 could be a make or break week for several teams on the bubble. It is put up or shut up time as playoff spots are claimed and the very unwanted “-e” for eliminated gets added to more teams. So, we will take a look at this week with a focus on teams sitting on the bubble. FRIDAY @ 8PM Atlanta (4-9) @ Jacksonville (5-8) NBC Both teams are on life support for a Wild Card, trailing Nashville and needing to run the table. SATURDAY @ 12pm New Jersey (2-11) @ Washington (9-4) ABC The Feds cannot afford a trap game as they pursue Philadelphia for the Division. SATURDAY @ 12pm St. Louis (3-10) @ Charlotte (4-9) ABC The Monarchs would love to get to 5 wins with this one but St. Louis has been surprisingly adept on offense the past few weeks. SATURDAY @ 12pm Boston (6-7) @ Philadelphia (10-3) FOX A tough game for Boston to get back to .500, but Philadelphia has proven vulnerable in recent weeks. SATURDAY @ 4pm Michigan (10-3) @ Portland (7-6) ABC Can Portland upend Michigan and stay in the heart of a Wild Card hunt, or will the Panthers prey on the Stags? SATURDAY @ 4pm Arizona (1-12) @ Denver (8-5) FOX All the buzz is about where Jake Plummer could be next year. Does he show off a bit this week to improve the market? SATURDAY @ 8pm Memphis (8-5) @ Orlando (5-8) ESPN The Showboats want this one to lock up the division, Orlando needs it to have any hope at all of a Wild Card. SUNDAY @ 12pm Tampa Bay (12-1) @ Nashville (6-7) ABC It feels like half of the Eastern Conference is counting on Tampa Bay to knock off the Knights and open up the Wild Card hunt to other contenders. SUNDAY @ 12pm New Orleans (6-7) @ Birmingham (1-12) FOX The Breakers may be scoreboard watching, because a Knights loss and a win for them in B’ham could propel them into 6th place. SUNDAY @ 12pm Pittsburgh (6-7) @ Chicago (11-2) FOX If the Maulers want any shot at a Wild Card, they need to pull off a big upset here against Chicago. SUNDAY @ 4pm Las Vegas (7-6) @ Texas (3-10) ABC The Thunder need this win, and a couple more, to get back into contention. SUNDAY @ 4pm Baltimore (9-4) @ Houston (9-4) ABC An intriguing matchup of two teams eager to improve their position and clinch a playoff spot. SUNDAY @ 4pm Seattle (8-5) @ Ohio (6-&) FOX The Glory’s season may be in the balance here. 9 losses is not a playoff formula in the West. SUNDAY @ 8pm Oakland (11-2) @ Los Angeles (5-8) ESPN ESPN hoped for a title fight here, what they got was one team cruising and one on its last legs.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Philadelphia, Michigan, Oakland, and Chicago join Tampa Bay as teams with clinched playoff berths, though only the Bandits have already locked in a division crown. St. Louis, Texas, New Jersey, Birmingham, and Arizona are eliminated from playoff contention.

The Playoff picture gets an overhaul with important home wins by Philadelphia, Chicago, and Nashville. Meanwhile, Boston claws back into the playoff picture with a tough win in Denver and the Oakland Invaders get a tough win on the road in Memphis. It is getting tense across the league, and while some clubs, like Ohio and Orlando could be in real trouble, others, like Pittsburgh, Boston, and Seattle are still fighting hard for a possible playoff spot. Let’s get right to the action and then take a look at the situation as we enter the final month of action across the league. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 31 PHILADELPHIA STARS 38 The Feds and the Stars gave us an epic divisional clash with first place on the line this Sunday. Both clubs came in at 8-3, the Stars riding a 3-game losing streak after a masterful 8-0 start, Washington winners of 3 of their last 4. This game would be a rematch of a pretty good 16-13 Stars victory in week 6, now 6 weeks later. The Stars would dominate the first half, taking a 31-7 lead into the break, but Washington would turn the tables in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points to even the score at 31 with 5 minutes left in the game. Could the Stars hold on and avoid a 4th straight loss, or would Washington continue their 2nd half domination and take home the win, vaulting themselves into first place for the first time all season? Before we get to the game’s conclusion, let’s start with a first half utterly dominated by the Stars. Washington won the coin toss and deferred, so the Stars began the game with the ball. They would need only 5 plays to get the ball in the end zone, with Kurt Warner taking advantage of a Washington blitz to locate Steve Smith for the first of his game high 3 touchdowns. Smith, who would finish the day with 151 yards on only 4 catches (a 37.8 YPC average), was a constant threat to get deep, and on the first drive of the game he did just that. Locked up in single coverage, Smith brought in the fly route and highstepped his way out of an ankle tackle before finishing off the 39-yard play. When Washington failed to convert their first 3rd down attempt of the game, the Stars went right back on offense. Philadelphia would add another score on their second drive, pushing the ball into the Washington red zone before returning HB Michael Robinson, after missing 2 games, burst off the right side for 14 yards, putting the homestanding Stars up 14-0. It looked like the Stars would get the ball back one more time in the quarter as they forced Washington into a 3rd and 12, but with a blitz on, Star defenders wrapped around the pocket, but instead of locking up Kordell Stewart, the Philadelphia pressure created an open lane for the athletic QB, and Stewart did the rest, spinning, juking, and sprinting his way to a 58-yard TD run, his 5th of the season, tying St. Louis’s Jeff Blake with 5. The 2nd quarter opened with Philly up 14-7, but it was a quarter to be dominated by the Stars. Kurt Warner connected with Steve Smith twice more for scores, one from 16 yards out, the other a deep bomb that went 84 yards before Smith crossed the end line and put Philadelphia up 28-7. The Stars defense also fared very well in the period, limiting Deuce McCallister to only 21 yards on his first 8 carries. The emphasis for the Stars at the half was on finishing the game out strong, while for Washington it was about pride and about not letting the deficit keep them from their goal, a division title. The Feds would get the ball first, and they would immediately implement a new strategy, having Stewart roll out of the pocket with his halfback, threatening the option run, but more often than not throwing to an open slot receiver, either Kellen Davis or Heath Miller. The strategy worked and after a long 11-play possession, the Feds kicked a field goal to get them within 21. Then, on the very first play of the Stars’ first possession, they would get the break that would shift momentum their way and deflate the Star sideline. Kurt Warner opened the 2nd half trying to hit Smith again, but instead of his deep threat receiver, he found CB Brandon Flowers. The undersized corner stepped in front of the pass and had clear sailing from there down the sideline to the endzone 32 yards later. That defensive play not only pulled Washington back to a 14-point deficit, but also silenced the Philadelphia crowd. After a short Star drive ended with a punt, Washington’s offense went to work again, again using roll outs to loosen up the Star defense. With Stewart and McCallister both taking turns with carries, Philadelphia crept up their secondary, and that is when Stewart hit Eddie Kennison for a 32-yard TD strike, with Kennison catching the ball just outside the 10 and then making a bee line to the corner pylon. The Star lead was down to 7 and once again the offense proved incapable of sustaining a drive, Steve Slaton stuffed behind the line on a 3rd and 1 from their own 44. Philly punted, and Washington again converted on a drive. This one killed nearly 8 minutes, with 14 plays, including 2 costly penalties from the Stars, and ended with Deuce McCallister evening the score (with PAT) on a 3-yard inside run. The Stars were looking flustered, but they were still in the game, still tied and would get the ball back with plenty of time left, 5:09 when Doug Pelfrey kicked the ball back to Carlos Rogers. The Stars opted to shake things up a bit as well, focusing the passing attack not on Smith, but on TE Dallas Clark. Clark would catch 3 of his 5 receptions on the day on this drive. Mixed with runs from both Slaton and Robinson, Philadelphia seemed to find a formula that workedagainst Washington’s coverage schemes. It took 9 plays, but when Reche Caldwell’s 2nd and 7 catch brough the ball to the Washington 6, they were in the red zone and had just over a minute to kill clock and kick a game winner. Washington, knowing that the Stars would be content to run the ball, kill clock, and kick on the final play of the game, went for a risky gambit. On 1st and Goal, they let Michael Robinson score. The Stars back seemed almost perplexed when Washington defenders, rather than try to stuff him, seemed to hold him up as he fell into the endzone. Washington would get the ball back with nearly a minute left, down by 7, but with time to potentially equalize. A risky gambit to be sure, and one that traditionalists would despite, but one which left enough time for Stewart and the offense to potentially send the game to overtime. Of course, the strategy of letting your opponent score to save time only works if the offense can quickly move the ball down the field and get the equalizer. That did not happen for Washington in this game. After earning a first down with their first play, Washington went for a deep ball to Deion Branch, but Philly’s Quentin Jammer was ready. His interception showed the folly of Washington’s gambit, giving the Stars the ball and the ability to end the game with a knee. The Stars looked to be in trouble but found a way to pull this game out and retake command of the division. Washington perhaps learned a valuable lesson, but also showed that they could hang with the Stars should a third showdown be necessary. OHIO 24 CHICAGO 29 Chicago’s defense comes up huge, with 6 sacks of Kerry Collins, and just a complete shutdown of Eddie George to help the Machine take the W and put Ohio 4 games behind the leaders in the division. Michael Turner also did his part, taking the pressure off of Kyle Orton with 126 yards rushing. Orton fared pretty well, completing 15 of 25 passes and tossing TD’s to Donald Driver and Aaron Shea as the Machine thrill the home fans with a big win in the division. PITTSBURGH 30 ORLANDO 12 Another week and another QB goes down. The good news for Orlando is that Drew Brees could be back as soon as Week 14, but the bad news is that at 5-7 their playoff hopes are slipping away. Pittsburgh realizes their hopes are also slim, but they are proving tenacious nevertheless. DeShaun Foster was the big star in this game, rushing for 107 yards and 2 scores for the Maulers. JACKSONVILLE 17 ATLANTA 19 The Fire get a win at home as Jacksonville cannot connect on a game-ending field goal. Charles Woodson got the game off on the right foot for Atlanta, picking off Delhomme only 23 seconds into the game. After that, field goals by Josh Scobee and a 3rd quarter TD form Thigpen to Reed were enough for the Fire, who limited Jacksonville to only 3 points in the second half to hold on for the W. TAMPA BAY 27 CHARLOTTE 7 Henry Burris struggled, while Daunte Culpepper cruised in this lopsided win for the Bandits. Culpepper threw for 3 scores and Willis McGahee rushed for 122 yards as the Bandits racked up 354 yards of offense on their way to a comfortable division win. NEW JERSEY 16 NEW ORLEANS 20 The Generals continue to fight for Coach Romeo Crennel, but also continue to come up short. Trailing 16-7 after 3 quarters, the Breakers flipped the switch in the final 15 and outpaced New Jersey 13-0 to take the narrow win. Eli Manning threw for both Breaker TD’s and Fred Jackson averaged 7.2 yards per carry as he fared better than starter Matt Forte in the game. BIRMINGHAM 7 LOS ANGELES 10 The Stallions were in this one until the end, but just could not mount enough of an offense to catch or bypass the Express in LA. Neither team showed much on offense as the two teams did not reach 500 yards combined on the day. Maurice Jones-Drew got the lone TD for LA while Felix Jones had Birmingham’s only points. SEATTLE 31 PORTLAND 7 After having their win streak snapped at 6 last week, Seattle rebounded in definitive fashion, dominating the Portland Stags in all phases. Despite Jonathan Stewart rushing for 149 on the day, Portland fell behind 10-7 at the half, and then watched as Seattle scored on their first 3 possessions of the second half to pull away. LAS VEGAS 24 NASHVILLE 29 A necessary home win for the Knights as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive at 6-6. Las Vegas outgained the Knights (360-279) but committed 10 penalties, which killed drives and on two occasions took the team out of field goal range. The Knights were effective against the run, limiting Lynch to 57 yards on 19 carries, while the combo of Frank Gore and Leon Johnson produced 114 yards for Nashville. TEXAS 17 BALTIMORE 31 Baltimore rolls to their 8th win of the year by balancing the run and the pass. Ben Roethlisberger connected with three different receivers on scoring drives and Ron Dayne punched in a 4th TD as the Blitz took over the game in the second half, scoring all 24 points of the final 30 minutes. ARIZONA 14 HOUSTON 31 The Gamblers did not fall for the trap game, taking a 21-0 lead by the end of the first half and cruising to a home win against Arizona. Shaun Alexander rushed for an even 100 yards and Ike Hiliard caught two Hasselbeck TDs as Houston put away the 1-win Wranglers. MICHIGAN 43 ST. LOUIS 37 A wild game in St. Louis, one that saw pick-sixes from both teams and 9 total touchdowns. St. Louis had a 37-34 lead, but a 65-yard pick six from Michigan’s Kenny Phillips gave the lead to Michigan and they held on to win a game they had to have. Brian Griese threw for 3 scores, while Jeff Blake ran 2 in for St. Louis. Justin Fargas also added 114 and a TD while Dominique Rhodes led St. Louis with 95 yards on 14 carries. BOSTON 10 DENVER 9 The exact opposite type of game in Denver as defense dominated for both teams. Adrian McPherson struggled to 9 of 32 passing, but Rashard Mendenhall’s 116 yards and his lone TD were enough for Boston to win their 3rd in a row and return the Cannons to .500. Matt Leinart connected with Peerless Price 10 times for 157 yards but Denver just could not turn yards into points, settling for field goals on their 3 scoring drives. OAKLAND 35 MEMPHIS 32 The Invaders make the case that they are an elite team this year with a tough road win in Memphis. Brett Favre went 20 of 26 for 257 yards and 4 TDs, outdueling Joey Harrington, but Oakland won the game thanks to a balanced attack that included TDs from Williams, Dudley, Norwood, and Jennings, but the play of the game was from rookie DeSean Jackson, who took a punt after Memphis’s first drive of the 3rd quarter and returned it 65 yards for a score. It’s Showdown Season This week we saw two key divisional showdowns with Philadelphia topping Washington and Chicago upending Ohio. Next week we get the Machine at the Panthers with the Central Division lead on the line. It is the time of year when teams are fine tuning for the postseason and battling for positioning and for playoff spots. In addition to the divisional clashes, there are plenty of heavyweight fights among division leaders, such as this week’s Oakland-Memphis clash. Next week will see not only the Battle for the Central, but also good matchups of Denver @ Baltimore, Philadelphia @ Memphis, and Nashville @ Oakland, In Week 14 it will be Baltimore at Houston, Seattle @ Ohio, Boston at Philadelphia, Memphis @ Orlando, and Tampa Bay at Nashville. Week 15 could be huge when Boston hosts Washington, Oakland heads to Seattle, and Houston is in Chicago, and it all wraps up with Week 16, where Ohio faces Oakland, Philadelphia takes on Michigan, Denver has their divisional clash at Houston, and the Federals renew their rivalry with Baltimore. Brees Out for 1-2 Weeks, Orlando May Be Out of Playoff Hunt The Renegades got a big scare on Saturday when Drew Brees had to be helped off the field. The good news is that Brees’s knee is only a sprain and not major ligament damage. He could return as soon as Week 14, but the bad news is that Orlando is struggling, losing their last two games, three of the last four, and now could be out of playoff contention before Brees is even able to return to action against Memphis. Sitting at 5-7, Orlando is now well out of the Divisional race, with Tampa Bay wrapping up the Southeast at 11-1, but they are also a game behind Nashville, who sit at 6-6. If they cannot upend Jacksonville in Jacksonville next week, they could easily be 2 games out of a tie with Nashville with only 3 to play. It seems obvious that the injury to rookie DE Calais Campbell has caused the defense to struggle, and that has put more pressure on the offense, and in 3 of the last 4 games, that offense has not gotten it done, scoring 7, 16, and 12 points. What began as a disaster with Orlando starting the season 1-4, then seemed to turn around, thanks to a 4-1 run, but now, with the past two losses, the Renegades may be quickly fading out of the picture. Birmingham To Go With Wright For Rest of Season The quarterback carousel continues in Birmingham, where it seems clear that there is a clash between ownership and Coach Austin. While it is well-known that ownership, for reasons we cannot comprehend, wants to see Jason Campbell under center, Coach Austin has announced that the starter will not be Campbell, but Anthony Wright. Wright was the 3rd string QB when the season began, but after Campbell was benched and CFL import Dave Dickenson was injured, Wright got a start and looked good in his first game, so Austin has named him the starter. His game this week was not nearly as good, going 18 of 32 for 165 yards and a pick, but Austin must see something to keep him under while a healthy Campbell sits on the bench. It may be a moot point if Austin cannot get the Stallions ready for a home game against Charlotte in Week 13. It is the Stallions’ best bet to get a 2nd win, with New Orleans, Nashville, and Memphis on tap after that, and if Austin’s Stallions finish the year at 1-15 there is a real chance that the ownership will clean house. Of course, Birmingham may also be looking at an ownership change as Marvin Warner Jr, who inherited the team when team founder Warner Sr. passed away, is in deep heat with the Feds due to his role in the current banking and mortgage crisis. The USFL is conducting their own investigation and, if due to malfeasance or simply financial collapse, Warner is found to be unfit to retain the team, the Stallions could be sold. None of that likely impacts what happens on the field, but it certainly helps explain some of the chaos that has turned this once proud organization into one which has floundered, with 4 straight losing seasons, and a 5th guaranteed already this year. Atlanta to Switch Back to Garrard More QB uncertainty as Atlanta Head Coach Jay Gruden has seen enough of Tyler Thigpen. Coach Gruden announced this week that David Garrard will return under center in Week 13. Thigpen has started the past 6 games since being given the wheel for Week 7’s game in Orlando. In that 6 game window, Thigpen has thrown for 4 scores and 9 picks, with a QB Rating of 59.9. For comparison, in the first six games of the year Garrard threw for 3 scores and 7 picks, and his QBR of 61.0 is barely better than what we have seen from Thigpen. It seems clear that Atlanta does not have their franchise QB on the roster right now. They will have to finish out the year with these two as the best options, but we all know what fans of the Fire want. They want University of Georgia QB Matt Stafford, who is going into his final season for the Bulldogs as a potential Heisman candidate. Stafford, playing for UGA, will be available to Atlanta in the USFL’s Territorial Draft, and it seems a no-brainer that Coach Gruden and the Fire will take a long hard look at the young QB. It would be a shock if Stafford was not one of the 3 T-Draft picks Atlanta protects from the rest of the USFL in the T-Draft, but their bigger concern is almost certainly the NFL. Stafford is considered a Top 5 prospect and could very easily be the top pick of whichever NFL club finishes the 2008 Fall season with the league’s worst record. Can Atlanta convince Stafford to stay in Georgia at what likely would be a more modest contract than the NFL alternative, or could the Fire lose Stafford to the fall league? And if they do, what else will they do to land a viable starter? Week 12 and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. While Tampa Bay remains the only team with a confirmed playoff spot, and are only 1 win away from an assured bye in the first round, others are well within range and could clinch this week with the right combination of results. Michigan, Oakland, and Chicago are likely to clinch this week, and Philadelphia could join them with a win. We do have more clubs eliminated as Birmingham, St. Louis and Texas join Arizona with that dubious distinction. In the Wild Card race, we have 4 teams realistically alive for 1 space in the East, with Nashville currently in the position of controlling their own destiny. If they slip, Boston, with their 3-game winning streak, is right back in contention at 6-6, while New Orleans and Orlando remain in range for a potential late run, only 1 game back at 5-7. In the West, there are 4 teams within 1 game of the 6th playoff position, with Las Vegas at 7-5 and able to control their own destiny. Four more wins and Las Vegas is assured of the spot, but if they slip, there is Seattle also at 7-5, and behind them the 6-6 clubs in Portland and Ohio. As for divisional races, we have two where the two frontrunners are tied, with Denver and Houston both sitting at 8-4, and in the Central where the Panthers and Machine both sit at 10-2. Philadelphia has a 1-game lead on Washington, while Oakland, Memphis, and Tampa Bay all have multiple game leads on their divisions. A light week for injuries, with a few 2-4 week concerns but no new IR placements. St. Louis OT Ross Verba is perhaps the most severe injury with some tendon damage to his right wrist. He could be back in 2 weeks with a soft cast on the arm, or St. Louis could opt to play it safe and sit him for the season’s final 4 games. We already mentioned Drew Brees’s situation for Orlando. He could miss between 1-2 weeks depending on how quickly the swelling and pain in his sprained knee subsides. Others who could mis this week, listed as Doubtful, are LB Mark Simoneau of Washington, FB Heath Evans of Denver and Las Vegas LB Joey Porter. Expected back in action this week are some important pieces for some teams looking at the playoffs. Memphis SS Coy Wire, Oakland WR Alex Bannister, Tampa WR Davone Bess, Philadelphia CB Antonio Cromartie, and two Denver Gold players, HB Mewelde Moore and LB Kendrell Bell. Outlaws to Call Dallas Home in 2009 The question of how the Texas Outlaws would handle their temporary exodus from the Alamodome in 2009 has been answered. The club announced this week that a deal has been reached for them to play the entire 2009 season at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The 90,000+ seat stadium has not been the home to a professional football team since the Cowboys relocated to Texas Stadium in 1971, and has not been a home venue for any team since SMU opened Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2000. While certainly not the most modern facility, what the Cotton Bowl lacks in amenities and luxury suites, it certainly makes up for in pure capacity. It immediately becomes the largest stadium in the USFL, and the largest since the early years of the LA Express, when they played at the LA Coliseum. It is believed that the Cotton Bowl was selected over several other contenders, including El Paso’s Sun Bowl, the aforementioned Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and Austin’s Memorial Stadium in large part because the league and their television partners preferred the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the Outlaws wanted a stadium with at minimum a 45,000 seat capacity, which ruled out SMU’s facility. With neither the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or Bobcat Stadium in nearby San Marcos viewed as valid alternatives, it was well-known that the Outlaws would play on their regional “Texas” name by opting to play far from their home city of San Antonio. Dallas does offer the largest open market in the state, and one of the largest markets in the USA without a USFL club. The club has announced that they will retain their training facilities in San Antonio for the 2009 preseason, but will then relocate their base of operations to Dallas, practicing at nearby UT-Dallas. The club has stated that they expect season tickets sales to begin on schedule in August, and expect to offer tickets well below standard USFL rates for the upper areas and endzone seating in the stadium in hopes of taking advantage of the larger DFW metroplex population to get large crowds on hands for the region’s first USFL presence. It may only be a temporary arrangement, as the Outlaws are contracted and fully expect to return to the newly-refurbished Alamodome for the 2010 campaign, but for USFL fans in northern Texas, this may be their best shot to demonstrate fan interest, and possibly develop a grassroots effort to bring a club to the region in the future. League Reveals 2010-2013 Summer Bowl Sites As expected, the league yesterday announced the locations for the 2010-2014 Summer Bowls. The league had announced earlier that they had hoped to finalize sites and venues in 4-year clusters, and they have lived up to that commitment with their announcement this week. Following this year’s Summer Bowl in Jacksonville, and the 2009 contest in Baltimore, the league will be back on the West Coast, as Portland’s brand new Columbia Sportswear Stadium will host the 2010 stadium, the first time the Rose City has hosted the league’s title game. Following Portland, the game returns to the South, with Memphis’s Liberty Bowl named as the host for 2011. Then, in 2012, we get the first fully enclosed “dome stadium” Summer Bowl since the 1997 game in San Antonio, when the St. Louis Skyhawks will play host at The Dome at America’s Center. We have seen several games played at stadia with retractable roofs, such as last year’s game in Arizona, but St. Louis returns the game to a traditional domed facility. Finally, the 2013 game brings the league full circle back to its first championship, returning to Denver for the Summer Bowl, the third time the Centennial State has hosted the title game. The schedule maintains the rotation of divisions, with the 4 newly announced sites representing the Pacific, Southern, Central, and Southwestern in that order. With this year’s title game in the Southeastern city of Jacksonville and 2009 I the Northeastern city of Baltimore, all 6 divisions are represented. While we did not feel that it would be possible for teams that barely passed their 10-year anniversaries to adequately populate a full Mt. Rushmore on their own, we decided to recognize these four clubs by asking them to nominate one retired player to represent each club, forming a 4-team Mt. Rushmore for the class of 1995. Once again, current players could not be included, so don’t expect 3 Ohio Glory stars and no one else. We also limited each team to 1 player so that all 4 clubs would be represented. ATLANTA/BOSTON For the Boston Cannons, who began their existence as the Atlanta Fire (version 1), the choice is obvious. Halfback Tiki Barber was for several years the lone offensive star of the Fire. He got even better when the club moved to Boston and landed NFL QB Drew Bledsoe to guide the offense. Barber retired in 2006 with a career that will get him first-ballot consideration for the USFL Wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 11,7-6 yardsrushing and 77 touchdowns, including a fabulous 2006 season, his last in the league, in which he rushed for over 1,500 yards, 14 TDs and a league rushing title. LOS ANGELES The “reborn” LA Express spent 4 years with an assortment of QB’s trying to get the job done (some with a few quality moments), but in 1999 they had the inside line on UCLA QB Cade McNown, and in the former Bruin they found their starter. McNown spent 7 seasons with the Express before moving on to the New England Patriots of the NFL. He is still an active player, but as he is not in the USFL any longer, we are allowing the fans of the Express to nominate the UCLA product. In his 7 years, McNown threw for over 24,000 yards and tossed 199 touchdowns. One of the league’s top rated QB’s, with a 100.8 QBR in his USFL career, McNown is the clear choice for the Express. OHIO Ohio fans struggled with this one, wanting to amend the rules to allow them to name one of the many stars of the club that came to dominance in the early 2000’s, but with Collins, Galloway, and George all still current members of the Glory squad, we could not let these future Hall of Famers represent the club, at least not this year. So, who did the Glory fans select? Believe it or not, a defender. LB Craig Powell was the highest vote getter of the actually eligible players. Powell was a founding member of the Glory, coming to the USFL in 1995 and spending his entire career in Glory red and royal until his retirement last season. Powell amassed over 1,100 tackles and 37 sacks in his career with Ohio. And while the Glory have never been known as a defensive power, Powell has been recognized as a quality defender, named All-USFL 2 times in addition to his two championship rings. SEATTLE With Seattle, we have the first and only occasion of a player appearing on two different Mt. Rushmore lists. Wideout Eric Metcalf was already named as a member of the Texas Outlaw Mt. Rushmore quartet, barely edging Carlos Carson for the honor. For Seattle, with current stars like Leftwich, Boston, or Dillon unavailable, Metcalf became the clear choice. The speedy Metcalf was the first break out star for the Dragons, coming over from Texas as a free agent 1 year after the birth of the franchise. In his first year in Seatle, Metcalf caught 104 passes for 1,026 yards and 7 touchdowns. He would go on to lead the Dragons in receptions and yards in each of his 6 years in Seatle, retiring after a 1,300 yard season in 2001. And with these four names, our Mt. Rushmore Project wraps up. 100 players (24x4 plus 4x1) that epitomize the best of the game, and the fondest of memories for USFL fans. We will continue our look back at the first 25 seasons of the USFL in Weeks 13 and 14, before wrapping it up in Week 15. Next week we will list our top 8 players who missed their window for the Hall of Fame but who deserve consideration when the league opens up its nominations for overlooked players from before 1995. In Week 14, we look back at the stadia that were homes to USFL squads in the past, and we wrap it up in Week 15 with our nominations for the greatest single game performances in USFL history. Week 13. Will it be lucky or unlucky for clubs around the league. With several teams hoping to clinch playoff spots this week, and others trying their best to stay in the chase, it will take more than luck this week to get the results each club needs. Here is our breakdown of this week’s games. FRIDAY @ 8pm Orlando (5-7) @ Jacksonville (4-8) NBC Not the game NBC hoped for when they built the schedule, but a game where both teams recognize that a loss almost certainly means their postseason hopes are done. SATURDAY @ 12pm Denver (8-4) @ Baltimore (8-4) ABC A really interesting matchup of two very interesting teams, both of whom want this one badly as they pursue the postseason. SATURDAY @ 12pm Atlanta (4-8) @ Tampa Bay (11-1) FOX What should be a very winnable game for the Bandits at home. They do not want to look past Atlanta, even with a 2-game lead on the top seed right now. SATURDAY @ 12pm Houston (8-4) @ New Jersey (2-10) FOX Houston is playing at the same time as Denver, and both clubs know that they have a shot at being all alone in first place if the other slips, but they do not want to be the club to stumble. SATURDAY @ 4pm Portland (6-6) @ Arizona (1-11) ABC We are pretty sure most Wrangler fans had this one circled as a win before the season started, but now it is Portland hoping the can get win #7 against a club that has shown almost no life in weeks. SATURDAY @ 4pm New Orleans (5-7) @ Las Vegas (7-5) FOX The Breakers still have playoff hopes, the Thunder cannot afford to drop a game at home, so this one should be a high energy game for both. SATURDAY @ 8pm Chicago (10-2) @ Michigan (10-2) ESPN A monster game on Saturday night, one likely to determine the Central Division Champion and very possibly the top seed in the West. SUNDAY @ 12pm Boston (6-6) @ Washington (8-4) ABC The Cannons have won 3 in a row with Adrian McPherson at QB. It they can make it four against Washington, they could be very much alive in the playoff picture, something that seemed nearly impossible a month ago. SUNDAY @ 12pm Ohio (6-6) @ Pittsburgh (5-7) FOX We don’t think anyone expected these two teams to be separated by only 1 game this late in the year. Could Ohio actually fall below .500 this week? SUNDAY @ 12pm Charlotte (3-9) @ Birmingham (1-11) FOX Perhaps the best shot the Stallions have to earn a 2nd win for the rest of the season. If they cannot, is that the end for CFL import Kent Austin? SUNDAY @ 4pm St. Louis (2-10) @ Texas (3-9) ABC Two teams who have been playing better than their record indicates, especially over the past few weeks. SUNDAY @ 4pm Nashville (6-6) @ Oakland (10-2) ABC Teams tend to underestimate the Knights, something the Invaders do not want to do. They still have a shot at the #1 seed, but a loss here will put them a game behind the Chicago-Michigan winner. SUNDAY @ 4pm Philadelphia (9-3) @ Memphis (9-3) FOX A game we expect most around the country will watch as two division leaders clash. The Stars got the upper hand on Washington last week, but could lose it if they cannot muster a win in Memphis. SUNDAY @ 8pm Los Angeles (5-7) @ Seattle (7-5) ESPN The Dragons cannot afford to slip up any more. They need to play near perfect ball to get a Wild Card. LA needs even more, but are still about a week or two out from having Seneca Wallace back.

Playoff Picture: Tampa Bay remains the only club with a clinched playoff spot, though several others could clinch this week. Texas, St. Louis, New Jersey, and Birmingham are now eliminated from playoff contention, as Arizona was last week.

There is nothing better than a weekend full of football games that go down to the wire, and that is exactly what we got this week in USFL action. Look across the league and you see games that came down to one possession, one big play, one turnover. Houston beats Oakland by 2, Memphis over Nashville by 3, same for Las Vegas in Birmingham. All in all we had 6 of 14 games come down to less than 7 points, and one in overtime. That is just fun to watch, and when playoff hopes are on the line, it just adds to the drama of it all. Let’s get right to it with our game of the week, Houston at Oakland. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 27 OAKLAND INVADERS 25 The Gamblers came into their matchup with the 9-1 Invaders needing to re-establish themselves after a tough loss to the Denver Gold in Week 10 that cost them the lead in the Southwest Division. Denver now held the upper hand in the divisional race and Houston was on the road to face the team with the best record in the West. Oakland, playing at home, winners of 8 in a row, and well ahead of their divisional foes in the Pacific, fully expected to win this one, as they had very week since a loss to Las Vegas in Week 2, a loss they had more than made up for with a 42-13 drubbing of the Thunder only 2 weeks later. So, it was a team feeling a bit of pressure against one that had it all going right, so you know what that means, intensity vs confidence always makes for a good game, and we got that in this one. Houston wasted no time trying to establish themselves in this one. Following an opening drive that saw Oakland get on the board with a field goal, Houston got the ball for the first time and did something no one really expected, they ran the ball, and well. Shaun Alexander, who would go on to rush for 131 yards in the game, touched the ball 6 times on the opening drive, a full 1/3 of his total carries for the day. Houston spent most of the drive, and much of the game in a 2 receiver, 2 tight end, and 1 back formation, a formation that was designed to nullify the pass rush of Israel Idonije and Aaron Schobel and force the linebackers to face chip blocks and pulling guards. On their first drive, Houston worked this to perfection, moving down the field in short order and putting 7 on the board with Shaun Alexander’s 6th carry, a 1-yard off-center plunge. The drive sent a message to Oakland, that the Gamblers had done their homework and would match up well against the Invader defense. When Oakland failed on a 3rd and 7, punting the ball back to Houston after only 3 plays, they would be tested again. This time, Houston used the run game to set up the play action pass, with Matt Hasselbeck faking the ball to Alexander and connecting with Ike Hilliard for 31 yards. With Oakland defending Roy Williams with 2 men all day, Hasselbeck would need to look elsewhere, and on this play he had the veteran wideout in single coverage. 3 plays later (2 of them run plays), Hasselbeck used play action again, this time faking the ball to Kevin Faulk, then rolling right and throwing back left to Faulk, who beat his defender and raced 11 yards into the endzone to give Houston a 14-3 lead. Oakland needed to wake up and realize they were in a dogfight. The Invaders fared a bit better on their next drive, with Joey Harrington connecting with both Plaxico Burress and Ricky Dudley to move the ball into scoring range, but another failed 3rd down (the Invaders would convert only 3 of 14 attempts all day) meant another Mike Hollis field goal. Houston up 14-6 with 10 minutes left in the first half. The Gamblers would again use the run game in their next drive, but a holding call on a 2nd and 3 forced Houston to the air inside Oakland territory, and when the Gambler 3rd down play was broken up by Will Allen, the Gamblers also settled for 3, a 46-yarder from Dan Carpenter. Oakland got the ball back with just over 5 minutes left in the half, and they would mount their first TD drive of the game, using up nearly the entire time remaining to do it. Rather than going for deeper routes, Oakland settled for what Houston gave them and got the ball out of Harrington’s hands before Kavika Pittman could set upon the Oakland QB. The dink and dunk strategy worked and when Harrington hit Plaxico Burress with a fade route to the end zone, Oakland was back within 1 score at 17-13. That would be the score going into the half. Houston would get the ball first to open the second half, and in fewer than 2 minutes, they were back in Oakland territory. Hasselbeck hit Mike Sims-Walker with the biggest pass play of the game, a 45-yard catch and run that nearly went for a score. Only 2 plays later, a quick swing route to Alexander netted the former Stallion his 2nd TD of the day. Houston again was up 2 scores at 24-13, but Oakland had figured out by this point that they needed to shrug off their casual demeanor and start throwing some punches (figuratively). The Invaders would score the next 13 points in the game, capitalizing on a tipped ball interception by LB Patrick Chuckwarah to turn a field goal into back to back 3-pointers, drawing them within 24-19 by the close of the 3rd quarter. As the 4th opened, they were driving again, taking a page out of Houston’s playbook by bringing in a 2nd TE and putting the ball into Ricky Williams’s hands. Williams, who would finish the game with 94 yards on 22 carries, would get the score that put Oakland on top, a 9-yard run that saw him plow right over safety Shaun Williams at the goal line. Oakland went for two to get a 3-point lead, but the toss to Greg Jennings was off target and the lead stood at only 1. Houston would have one shot to get the lead back as time was running down, but needing only a field goal, and holding 3 timeouts, there was no sense of urgency caused by the clock. Matt Hasselbeck was content to throw to his tight ends over the middle, connecting with Vernon Davis twice and Dante Rosario once, mixed with draws to both Faulk and Alexander. As the clock ticked down, Houston crept closer and closer to Dan Carpenter’s range. The key play in the drive was a 3rd and 3 from the Houston 49. This was the draw to Alexander, as they set up with 3 wideouts for one of the first times in the game. Oakland took that as a sign of a pass coming, and dropped into a 2-deep zone, which gave Alexander all the room he needed to rush for 5 yards and give Houston a new set of downs. With 1:12 left to play, Houston eventually bogged down at the Oakland 25-yard line and Dan Carpenter came out. He put the ball through the uprights and Houston was back on top 27-25. But, 1:12 and down only 2, Oakland would get a shot to come right back. The Invaders got a solid kick return from DeShaun Jackson, placing the ball at the 28. On first down, Harrington hit Ricky Williams with his 4th reception on the day, a 9 yarder to kick off the drive. That was followed by a short run for a first, and then a short pass to Dudley. Oakland continued to work the entire field, mixing short throws with 2 Williams rushes, using two time outs and a spike to keep the clock from ticking away too fast. But, as they approached a safe range for Mike Hollis, a mistake cost them 10 yards. Holding called against tackle Kwame Harris on a 2nd and 4 pushed the Invaders back to the 36 yard line and created a 2nd and 14. Harrington could not connect on 2nd down, and again on 3rd, so with 19 seconds on the clock and the ball at the 36, Coach Green had no choice but to send Hollis out for what would be a 53-yard attempt to win the game. Houston iced Hollis with a timeout, and the Invaders lined up again. The kick looked good coming off the foot of the Invader kicker, but slowly curved to the right, drifting too far and missing the target. Houston had held on and would move to 7-4. Oakland, still atop the Pacific at 9-2, would go down to their first defeat in 2 months. MEMPHIS 23 NASHVILLE 20 A nice rivalry game in Nashville as the Memphis Showboats slugged it out with the Knights. Brett Favre threw for 334 and 2 scores to help the visitors get the divisional win. Frank Gore had a solid game with 90 yards, but was stuffed on a key 4th and 2 late in the game to help Memphis preserve the win. Cadillac Williams also played well for the Showboats, rushing for 110 yards on only 15 carries. LAS VEGAS 20 BIRMINGHAM 17 The Stallion defense played well at home against the Thunder, but Birmingham could not get that final drive needed to either win or send the game to overtime. With Dickenson dinged up and Jason Campbell still in the doghouse, Coach Austin turned to Anthony Wright, who would go 24 of 37 for 184. Not a bad game but not enough as Thunder QB Tony Banks completed 20 of 29 for 19 and a touchdown to give Las Vegas their their 3rd win in the past 4 weeks. PITTSBURGH 28 ATLANTA 6 Tyler Thigpen had a nightmare game, throwing 4 picks to the Mauler defense, as Pittsburgh rolled to a 22-point victory. Kareem Larrimore returned one pick for 6 and kicker Bill Grammatica connected on 5 field goals as the Maulers took advantage of several short field possessions to keep adding points to the scoreboard. Darren McFadden had 108 yards in the loss, but Atlanta never really threatened in this one. TEXAS 20 PORTLAND 31 The expansion Stags find themselves at 6-5 and deep in the playoff picture after another solid home win. A. J. Feeley looked at the top of his game, connecting on 21 of 29 passes for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns, while James Stewart outgained league leader T. J. Ducket 116-83. Eight penalties for over 70 yards hurt Texas, who were in this game at the half, but faded down the stretch. WASHINGTON 21 ARIZONA 10 The Wranglers under interim coach Tom Olivadotti held the lead at 10-7 at the half in front of a disappointing 17,404 at University of Phoenix Stadium, but Washington would own the 2nd half. A 75-yard scramble-sprint from Kordell Stewart was the play of the week as he simply outmaneuvered the Wrangler defenders. He also added a short TD pass to Deion Branch to secure the win for the visiting Federals. PHILADELPHIA 10 BOSTON 34 Stars fans are getting worried after their club goes down for the third straight week. Meanwhile, Boston fans are getting excited about Adrian McPherson after the young QB goes 19 of 23 for 407 yards in what can only be described as a coming out party for the former Syracuse Orange. McPherson honed in on Chad Ochocinco, connecting with the league’s receiving yard leader 6 times for 204 yards and a score as Boston wins their second in a row under McPherson, and gets themselves into the Wild Card hunt with the win. CHARLOTTE 14 JACKSONVILLE 20 The Bulls get TDs from Rahsaun Woods and Antowain Smith to topple the Monarchs in this divisional game. Henry Burris got the start for the injured Chris Weinke, and had a solid game, completing 21 of 28 for 223 yards, but when a 33-yard TD toss to Stevie Johnson was called back due to a holding call, it sucked the air out of the room for the Monarchs. Kicker Brandon Coutu would miss on all 3 field goal attempts on the day for Charlotte, nine potential points that could have won the game for the visitors. TAMPA BAY 15 NEW JERSEY 10 We will say this for the Generals, their defense is improving and they do not give away easy wins. Tampa struggled to get anything done on the day, but a TD from LaBraondon Toefield, a safety, and two field goals proved to be enough as the Kris Kershaw-led Generals could only put up 10 points on the day, despite a combined 132 yards rushing from Ray Rice and James Jackson. ORLANDO 16 BALTIMORE 26 Orlando’s win streak is cut down as Baltimore gets a late Ron Dayne TD to ice this game in the 4th. Dayne, who finished the day with 155 yards rushing and 2 scores, was just a runaway train against Orlando’s defense. Drew Brees tried to keep Orlando in the game, but a late TD to Justin McCaerins was not enough to bring the Renegades back from a 26-9 deficit. DENVER 41 SEATTLE 31 Denver went toe to toe with one of the hottest teams in the West, and came out on top thanks to two 2nd half TD tosses to Anquan Boldin and a tipped ball drill that turned into a pick six for LB Barrett Rudd. The Rudd score was one of 4 picks of Byron Leftwich as Denver blitzed the Seattle QB into several rushed throws. James Fletcher, would get two of the 4 picks on the day, with an earlier pick-six in the game as Denver scored twice on defense to help boost them over the Dragons. ST. LOUIS 27 CHICAGO 30 OT Neither the high score nor the tenacity of the St. Louis Skyhawks was expected in this game, but the Chicago Machine have to feel lucky to escape this one with a win. St. Louis had a 27-13 lead at the start of the 4th, with Machine fans in shock, but Kyle Orton came on strong after a rough first 3 quarters. He connected with Arnold Brown for a score midway through the final period, then hit Anthony Fasano for another in the final 2 minutes to even the tally and send the game into overtime. In the extra period, Orton found Donald Driver on a key 3rd and 6, and got Chicago into field goal range for what would be the winning kick. Jeff Blake, who had 2 TDs on the day, missed Sinorice Moss on 4th and 3, ending St. Louis’s attempt to answer Chicago’s overtime score as well as the Skyhawks’ attempt at a major upset. LOS ANGELES 33 NEW ORLEANS 21 Maurice Jones-Drew scored twice and combined with Ladell Betts for 107 rushing yards as the Express pull past the Breakers in the Super Dome. New Orleans made too many mistakes, with over 85 yards in penalties and 2 turnovers, both off the arm of Eli Manning. LA, playing without DE Keneche Udeze, still managed to limit Matt Forte to only 34 yards rushing and force some bad throws from the Breaker QB as they win their 4th of the year. OHIO 20 MICHIGAN 34 The Sunday Night Special was a back and forth game that saw Ohio with a slim 9-3 lead at the half before Michigan exploded for 31 points in the final 30 minutes. Brian Griese threw two 3rd quarter TDs and rookie Mike Hart added another Td in the 4th as Hosuton outpaced Ohio 31-11 over the final two quarters to take the win and retain not only 1st place in the Central, but, with Oakland’s loss, the #1 position in the West. Adrian McPherson is Winning Over Cannon Fans What can we say about Adrian McPherson’s two week performance for the Cannons? How about this, if the QB rating system did not require a minimum of 200 pass attempts to qualify, McPherson would be the #1 rated passer in the league right now. His 824 yards and 6:1 TD:INT balance is a huge reason that the Cannons have won both games since Bledsoe went down for the year. Yes, there is a sense that the entire team is rallying after Bledose suffered a season-ending injury, and it certainly is true that rookie HB Rashard Mendenhall has had two very solid weeks for the Cannons, but McPherson’s game has been outstanding. After throwing for 199 in his mop-up performance in the game Bledsoe went down, he has followed up with 222 yards and 2 scores last week and a whopping 407 yards and 3 scores this week against a highly-rated Philadelphia Stars defense. This is a story we don’t see often, the backup coming in and possibly saving a season for a floundering club after their All-League starter goes down to injury, but it is just the type of story that can propel a player from obscurity to stardom, and for Boston fans, it is exactly the story they have hoped for ever since their All-USFL quarterback was slammed to the ground 3 weeks ago. Oakland Stumble Offers Hope to Michigan & Chicago The Invaders’ loss to Houston this week is huge, not just because it ends a major win streak for the Pacific Division leader, but because it very much puts the #1 seed in the West up for grabs. Now tied with Michigan and Chicago, Oakland slips to #2 in the West, with Michigan at #1 and Chicago, sitting with the same 9-2 record but losing out to Michigan on a tiebreaker, very much in the hunt. The Machine will face off against the Panthers in 2 weeks, and the winner of that game could very well control their own destiny towards home field advantage in the playoffs. For Oakland, the loss means they may well have to run the table and hope that whoever wins the Panther-Machine showoff finds a way to lose one of their other games. With upcoming games at Memphis, at Seattle, and home to the Ohio Glory in the season’s final week, Oakland is going to have to regroup and be at their best down the stretch. Chicago has perhaps the easiest path, with Ohio at home, then games with Pittsburgh and Arizona on the docket in the season’s final month. For Michigan, in addition to the home game against the Machine, they also have to deal with the Stars in the season finale, though games against St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and the plucky Portland Stags could be helpful for them. This very well could come down to the final week, when Oakland faces Ohio, Michigan hosts the Stars, and Chicago travels to Arizona to finish out the year. But before we get there, we should all circle that Week 13 game between the two division leaders in the Central. That game will be enormous for the playoff seedings. Washington Gets Divisional Hopes as Philly Falls Philadelphia’s sudden vulnerability has given very real hope to the Federals that the division is not locked up. The Feds moved into a tie with the Stars this week, and with 2 of Philly’s 3 losses coming to division foes, the 4-2 division record of the Stars is very much reachable for a Federals team that has only played 3 division games to date. Their 2-1 record could easily be boosted if they can win upcoming games against Boston (2x), New Jersey, and Baltimore, but the biggie is likely this upcoming week when the Feds travel up I-95 to Philadelphia for a showdown for 1st place. A win there would even their record with Philly and put them a game up in the division with 4 to play. Washington has been one of the truly surprising success stories this year. After suffering back to back 4-10 seasons, there was a concern that the Feds needed to tear down the current roster and start from scratch, but Sean Payton, and a reinvigorated Kordell Stewart, have breathed new life into the Federals. Washington currently has both a Top 10 scoring defense and a Top 10 scoring offense, a very good combination to have when you are hoping to win a division. In addition to the Stewart comeback story, Payton has apparently done what his predecessor could not, devise a passing scheme that diversifies the targets for Stewart to choose from. Yes, Deion Branch remains the team’s primary receiver, but the arrival of Eddie Kennison and a very good season from TE Heath Miller (409 yards and 3 scores this year) has breathed new life into the Federals’ passing game. That, in turn, has helped free up Deuce McCallister, who is only 11 yards behind T. J. Duckett for the league’s rushing title. The defense has also found new life under Payton and his Defensive Coordinator, former Thunder Head Coach Joe Vitt. Vitt has adopted an aggressive 4-3, led by the inside game of DT Anthony McFarland and two speedy, hard hitting linebackers in Cameron Wake and Antonio Pierce. The loss of All-USFL corner Charles Woodson was thought to be a death blow to the Fed defense, but the combo of Rashard Bauman, Brandon Flowers, and Sheldon Brown has been solid, while the best safety duo in all of football, Bob Sanders and Ed Reed, have been dynamic against both the run and the pass. The Federals are a legitimate contender, and if Philly’s 3-game losing streak drops to 4 against this Washington club next week, they could also garner themselves a division title and a bye week. Portland A Playoff Team? Maybe we should not get ahead of ourselves, but there are a lot of folks wondering if Portland has a legitimate shot at a playoff spot in their first year. Sitting in a 6-5 cluster that includes Ohio and Seattle, and all three 1 game out of the #6 seed, it is not inconceivable that Portland could go into the final weeks of the year very much in the hunt. After all, Atlanta was able to make a playoff appearance at 7-7 in their first year. Who is to say that Portland cannot repeat that with an 8- or 9-win season? But before we get all the folks up in the Rose City too excited, we should point out a few things. The two teams at 7-4 who currently occupy the #5 and #6 slots in the playoff rankings are the Thunder and Gamblers, two clubs who are far from flukes and who could easily finish the year with 10 or more wins. Then you have Ohio and Seattle in that cluster with the Stags. As much as we love a Cinderella story, those are two more very dangerous and very capable teams. Portland will get their shot at Seattle this week, hosting the Dragons in the Cascade Clash, and they will face off with the Thunder in Las Vegas in Week 16, so they do have the capacity to improve their own odds with upset wins in both games, but the rest of the way is also not an easy path. After their game with Seattle, they must win when they visit 1-10 Arizona, but then they host the 9-2 Michigan Panthers and travel to 8-3 Philadelphia before finishing with the Thunder in Vegas. It is not an easy path by any means. But, that said, just the fact that Portland fans can have the conversations and debate the odds is a great feeling for an expansion club, especially when St. Louis, Atlanta, and Charlotte have yet to get past 3 wins this year. With 5 weeks left we have our first clinched playoff spot and our first elimination. The 10-1 Tampa Bay Bandits have not only locked up a postseason berth, but have also become the first team, and one of the earliest in league history, to lock up a division title. Their 5-game lead over 5-6 Orlando, combined with their division record ensures them of the Southeast title. They now can focus, with a 2 game lead over Philadelphia and Memphis, on securing home field throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Arizona Wranglers, 1-10 in the West, have also settled their playoff status, but not in the way any team wants to, becoming the first club officially eliminated from contention, sitting a full 6 games behind Houston with 5 to play. Birmingham narrowly avoids this fate thanks to the muddle of 5-6 teams in the East, but another loss could and should remove them as well from postseason feasibility. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s 3-game losing streak has produced a tie in the NE Division, one which likely hinges on this week’s game with the Feds in Philly. Michigan and Chicago are similarly tied atop the Central Division, and the two will face off in 2 weeks at Ford Field with that division likely on the line. In other division races, Oakland holds a 2-game lead over Las Vegas in the Pacific, Denver is one game up on Houston, and Memphis has a 3-game lead on Nashville in the Southeast. Looking at the current Wild Card situation, the West is relatively simple, with both Las Vegas and Houston a game up on the other challengers, essentially allowing them to control their own fate. In the East, Nashville currently holds the tiebreakers among the pack of 5-6 clubs that also includes Orlando and Boston. That can shift week to week, so it is very much in flux, and even 4-7 New Orleans and Jacksonville are not out of the picture. A relatively quiet week as far as major injuries, and, thankfully, after two straight weeks, no starting QB’s went down this week. That is not to say that all teams escaped the week unscathed. Michigan had to place nickel back Donovan Greer on IR after a fracture to his pelvic bone, a tough one to isolate. Orlando FS Kevin Williams is also on IR with a fracture, but this one in his scapula. Baltimore will miss backup safety David Trujillo for at least 6 weeks, meaning the season, with a broken wrist, while New Orleans CB Billy Austin could miss the rest of the regular season with a broken arm. Other shorter term injuries include Atlanta DT Robaire Smith (MCL), Birmingham center Chukki Okobi (concussion), Ohio safety Mike Doss (turf toe), Oakland DE Justin Smith (Doubtful-groin), Chicago HB Maurice Clarett (Doubtful-concussion), and Tampa Bay WR Davone Bess (Doubtful-shoulder). Teams Race to Resign Players As Season Draws Down With just about a month to go, teams are battling on the field to get the wins needed to lock up a playoff berth, but off the field, the personnel teams are working just as hard to lock up contracts, ensuring that the stars of today are in the same uniforms next year. Salary cap management, player performance, incentive packages, and value are the lexicon of the GM, the Director of Player Personnel, and the scouts. Every team needs to assess what is possible, and what tough decisions may need to be made. As we look ahead to playoff football, we also recognize that players unsigned by the end of Week 16, at least for the 16 non-playoff teams, are free agents, with no real incentive to stay put if they can find a better offer. So, looking at the current standing of things, where do the league’s 28 clubs stand. Who has been locked up in the past few weeks and who is a potential defection, either to another USFL club or in the NFL transfer window? Let’s go division by division and see what we see. BALTIMORE Resigned: HB Ron Dayne, G Eric Steinbach, CB Chris McCallister Still Unsigned: TE Antonio Gates, QB Alex Van Pelt, HB Correll Buckhalter, WR Ted Ginn Jr., FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo Outlook: Gates is the priority, but the Blitz would also love to find a way to retain Ginn and Ayanbadejo. BOSTON Resigned: WR Chad Ochocinco, WR Joe Jurevicious, CB Fred Smoot, OT Joseph Bragg Still Unsigned: DE Hugh Douglas, OT Stockar McDougal, FS Corey Hall, G Jamie Nails, LB Manny Lawson, LB Roman Pfifer Outlook: The Cannons locked up the three offensive players they could not afford to lose, but does that leave them enough cap room to resign a key veteran like Douglas or the two starting linemen still waiting for a deal? NEW JERSEY Resigned: TE Anthony Becht, DE Reynaldo Wynn, C Casey Wiegemann Still Unsigned: C Jeremy Newberry, G Bobbie Williams, LB James Harrison, G Tuten Reyes, WR Kassim Good Outlook: Even a team looking to rebuild wants to keep some pieces in place. Becht was a priority for the Generals, as should be James Harrison, but does that mean they let quality offensive linemen go? PHILADELPHIA Resigned: OT Flozell Adams, DE Regan Upshaw, HB Cedric Cobbs Still Unsigned: FB Deon Dyer, TE Roland Williams, OT Barrett Brooks, WR Charles Rogers, FS Anthony Dorsett Outlook: The Stars did well to lock up both Adams and Upshaw. They are in a good cap space, so they can opt to work on several more contracts or try to upgrade in the offseason. WASHINGTON Resigned: WR Deion Branch, DE Greg Spires Still Unsigned: SS Gibril Wilson, SS Bob Sanders, HB Antwone Womack, OT John Stinchcomb Outlook: There is no way the Feds are going to let both of their outstanding strong safeties go, but are they ready to pay what Bob Sanders is asking or will they retain the more affordable Wilson and let Sanders ply the free agent waters? ATLANTA Resigned: CB Charles Woodson, WR Josh Reed, CB Andre Woolfork, WR Dante Hall Still Unsigned: OT Willie Anderson, TE Jim Kliensasser, HB Rod Smart, SS John Howell, LB Corey Miller Outlook: This is the first year that Atlanta is actually pressed by the cap. They did well to get Woodson resigned early, but now they will have some tough choices to make. CHARLOTTE Resigned: OT Wayne Gandy, WR Brandon Marshall, HB Robert Edwards, FS Chris Crocker Still Unsigned: QB Chris Weinke, WR D. J. Hackett, C Aaron Graham, LB Jeff Ulbrich, WR Ashlie Lelie Outlook: The Monarchs inherited a lot of contracts, and signed both Weinke and Hackett to “look and see” 1 year deals. So now they have looked and seen, will they resign both? They have more than enough cap room to do so. JACKSONVILLE Resigned: LB Mike Vrabel, WR Donald Hayes, TE Jeb Putzier Still Unsigned: WR Rashaun Woods, DE Israel Ifeanyi, WR Javon Walker, SS Keith Lyle Outlook: the priority has to be to pull Woods out from what would be a very expensive free agent competition. If that means losing the other three significant players on this list, that may be the price to pay. ORLANDO Resigned: WR Greg Jennings, CB Cortland Finnegan Still Unsigned: DT Pat Williams, DE Sedrick Clark, WR Jabar Gaffney, K Neil Rackers, DT Kenny Smith Outlook: While we like Sedrick Clark at DE, the priority for the Renegades has to be to offer Pat Williams enough not only to stay in Orlando, but also to not consider retirement. The big man is getting on in years. TAMPA BAY Resigned: LB Jonathan Vilma, QB Daunte Culpepper, C Trey Teague Still Unsigned: HB Willis McGahee, DT Ellis Wyms, FB Jerold Sewell, SS Brandon Merriweather, HB Julius Jones Outlook: After losing Randy Moss last year, the Bandits absolutely cannot let McGahee bolt this year. They restructured and extended Culpepper’s deal, so they now have a bit more cap room to try to retain their star halfback, so let’s see if they get the deal done. BIRMINGHAM Resigned: FB Shaun Bryson, WR Donte Do, WR Dedrick Ward, OT Jonathan Sullivan Still Unsigned: QB Jason Campbell, CB Ken Irvin, WR James Thrash, CB Michael Booker, DE Antwan Odom Outlook: The expectation is that Campbell will not be resigned and Birmingham will focus on the QB position in the offseason. Does that mean they have the cash to resign either Irvin or Booker at corner? MEMPHIS Resigned: DE Marcellus Wiley, WR Robert Ferguson, LB Kirk Morrison, K Jeff Hall Still Unsigned: OT Anthony Clement, CB Wendell Davis, HB Lionel Gates, WR Marquise Walker Outlook: Getting Ferguson signed was huge for Memphis, as was extending former Gold DE Marcellus Wiley for another 2 seasons. Now the Showboats will turn their attention to Clement, a big piece of the puzzle to keep Brett Favre upright. NASHVILLE Resigned: HB Frank Gore, WR Derrick Mason Still Unsigned: OT Jason Fabini, LB Michael Barrow, CB Terrell Buckley, HB Leon Johnson, G Jeb Terry, TE Reggie Kelly Outlook: The Knights gave Gore a major contract upgrade over his rookie deal, but that now places them in some tight quarters when it comes to cap space for other signings, and with so many veterans perhaps past their prime, we may see some big names let go. NEW ORLEANS Resigned: DE Ty Warren, LB Bradie James Still Unsigned: QB Eli Manning, DE Corey Sears, LB DeWayne Dotson, DE Brandon Mitchell, TE Matt Cushing, SS Devin Bush, C J. R. Conrad, DT Brandon Whiting Outlook: The word out of New Orleans is that Coach Mike Nolan wants to try his hand with a new QB, but Nolan is not on the solidest of ground himself, and ownership still sees Manning as a cash cow, even if his on field performance has not yet been lighting the town on fire. CHICAGO Resigned: DE Anthony Weaver, HB Michael Turner, K Tim Seder Still Unsigned: WR Donald Driver, FS Eric Weddle, HB Reno Mahe, WR Terrence Wilkens, OT Charles Spencer Outlook: the Machine have locked in Weaver and Turner, their two top priorities, so now they turn their attention to Donald Driver and Eric Weddle, both of whom are players the Machine do not want to place onto the open market. MICHIGAN Resigned: DE Jevon Kearse, TE Bennie Joppru, LB DeMarcus Ware Still Unsigned: G Chris Villareal, C Jeff Faine, SS Mike Brown, OT Mo Collins, HB Leon Washington, CB Deltha O’Neal, HB Musa Smith Outlook: It took quite a while for Kearse to sign a longer deal with Michigan, but signing both the former Express DE and linebacker DeMarcus Ware are two very solid moves. Now the Panthers have to take a look at that offensive line, with three potential free agents still to deal with. OHIO Resigned: LB Glenn Cadrez, TE Stephen Alexander, CB Jason Webster Still Unsigned: WR Joey Galloway, G Bill Ferrario, WR Santonio Holmes, TE Jermaine Wiggins, OT Doug Niehuis Outlook: With Alexander resigned, it does not look likely that Wiggins will be retained. The real question is whether Galloway retires, signs back on for 1 more year in Ohio, or finishes his career off with a new team, a-la Jerry Rice. PITTSBURGH Resigned: HB DeShaun Foster, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, WR Vincent Jackson Still Unsigned: SS Sean Taylor, LB Dwayne Rudd, HB Fred McAfee, C Dennis Morrison, K Bill Grammatica, QB Quincy Carter Outlook: Sean Taylor was a priority for the Maulers, but his agent is playing hardball, and may push Taylor to test the open market, a very lucrative one for him, one would expect. Signing Foster and Vanden Bosch is a good start for a Maulers team that does have cap room to spare. ST. LOUIS Resigned: G Jeffrey Fisher, FB Vontae Leach, OT Maurice Williams Still Unsigned: DE Santana Dotson, DT Pat Riley, G Tre Johnson, HB Larry Johnson, SS Rich Coady, CB Tod McBride Outlook: The Skyhawks have been a bit tight with the pursestrings, resigning only some lower cost positions and players. They seem to expect Dotson will retire at the end of the year, but perhaps they have started giving Larry Johnson the ball more to test whether they want to work to retain him or let him go. ARIZONA Resigned: CB Jimmy Williams, DT Kimo VonOelhofen, WR Domenic Hixon, SS Clifton Black Still Unsigned: DT Jason Peter, C Ben Claxton, WR Bobby Wade, TE Bob Slowikowski Outlook: The Wranglers have what looks like a light free agent pool in front of them. They very well can focus on retooling and improvement rather than retention. DENVER Resigned: G Elton Brown, WR Keary Colbert, WR Devery Henderson Still Unsigned: C Dereck Smith, HB Derrick Ward, DT Tommy Harris, K Curtis Fries Outlook: Other than expecting a kicking competition, and a likely push to resign Harris, Denver also could be looking more at improvement than retention after resigning both Colbert and Henderson to a deep WR group. HOUSTON Resigned: QB Matt Hasselbeck, LB Zak DeOssie Still Unsigned: DE Kavika Pittman, CB Shaun Springs, HB Kevin Faulk, CB Jason Bell, FB Sean Smith, WR David Patten Outlook: You know Houston will throw everything and anything to retain Pittman, but that means that they are unlikely to be able to retain Springs, Faulk or both. The new deal for QB Matt Hasselbeck is cap friendly, at least for next year, so there is some room to work with. TEXAS Resigned: LB Kailee Wong, FS Tavares Tillman Still Unsigned: WR Muhsin Muhammad, WR Tim Dwight, SS Lawyer Milloy, CB Michael Boulware, CB Cedric Griffin, TE Johnny Mitchell, QB Chris Simms, LB Vernon Crawford Outlook: The good news? Texas has plenty of cap room to work with. The bad news? They have a lot of potential free agents left to sign and could also lose some quality veteran leadership to retirement. Both Muhammand and Milloy could be eyeing the end unless they feel the Outlaws are close to breaking through. LAS VEGAS Resigned: CB Will Allen, CB Antoine Winfield, OT Kenyatta Walker Still Unsigned: QB Steve McNair, WR Matthew Hatchette, G Taylor Whitley, QB Tony Banks, CB Kenny Wright Outlook: Quarterback is the big question mark for the Thunder. Do they try to convince McNair to come back for one more year or let him walk into the sunset? Do they resign Banks and then try to land a true #1? How Las Vegas proceeds with the QB position will largely determine the rest of their offseason. LOS ANGELES Resigned: LB Akin Ayodole, HB Maurice Jones-Drew, TE L. J. Smith Still Unsigned: WR Keyshawn Johnson, DE Keneche Udeze, OT Kenyatta Jones, C Gene McGuire, DT Igor Olshansky, HB Ladell Betts, QB Jeff Garcia Outlook: The Express have decent cap room, thanks largely to a pretty affordable QB room, but if, as expected, they go after USC QB Mark Sanchez in the draft, that could force them to be frugal elsewhere. The obvious players to focus on for resigning are Udeze and Johnson, two of their top players right now. OAKLAND Resigned: G Ruben Brown, C Jeff Saturday Still Unsigned: OT Matt Light, OT Vernon Carrey, TE Rickey Dudley, HB Jurius Norwood, WR Sean Morey, FB Leo Benson Outlook: The Invaders have prioritized the protection of QB Joe Harrington both with their offensive scheme and their signings, locking up both Brown and Saturday. Now they will turn their focus on the tackle position, and we expect they will prioritize Matt Light over Vernon Carrey if they cannot get a deal with both that keeps them under the cap. HB Jurius Norwood has been very good in relief of Ricky Williams, but that could cause his value to rise significantly, making him a tough player to resign. PORTLAND Resigned: QB A. J. Feeley, SS Terreal Bierria, DE Elvis Dumervil, LB Channing Crowder Still Unsigned: OT Korey Stringer, C Brad Meester, CB James Trapp, LB Ben Leber, WR Craphonso Thorpe Outlook: Like Charlotte, Portland is looking good on salary cap after a somewhat frugal set of expansion draft choices. They have already extended QB A. J. Feeley’s contract for another 3 years, reducing his cap impact, and they have resigned both of their better defensive players in Bierria and Dumervil. The question now is whether or not they resign Korey Stringer to a 1-year deal, or let the 36-year-old go. SEATTLE Resigned: LB Takeo Spikes, DE Travis LaBoy, OT Chad Clifton Still Unsigned: WR David Boston, G Vince Manuwai, LB Godfrey Miles, OT Lomas Brown, HB Kenny Watson, C Mike Flynn Outlook: We fully expect David Boston to sign with Seattle, with a major bump up in compensation. Brown and Miles are both 37 by season’s end, so they could be let go as Seattle seeks younger players, but Vince Manuwai must also be a priority if Seattle wants to keep Leftwich safe and happy. Our last two teams for team specific Mt. Rushmores. We have looked at the 12 founding franchises, the 4 expansion clubs from 1984 and now we finish up the 4 from 1987. For these two it was a bumpy road to begin with as both clubs ended up relocating after the 1987 season, the Outlaws merging in a sense with the San Antonio Gunslingers and forming the Texas Outlaws, while the San Antonio ownership all but folded their club, but allowed the players to sign with the new Portland Thunder club brought in to replace them. So, two teams with rocky starts, and pretty rocky histories as well, so where will their Mt. Rushmore players come from? Let’s see, starting with the Outlaws. TEXAS OUTLAWS The Outlaws played their first season in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it was for that reason that they went all out to sign one of OU’s biggest stars, linebacker Brian Bosworth. The Boz made an immediate impact in 1987 and would become a central figure in the early years of the club, so it is no surprise to find him as the #1 vote getter among Outlaw fans. And in the case of The Boz, for as much hype as he produced as a character, the results on the field also attest to his value as a football player on the field. Bosworth retired in 1997 as the Outlaw all-time leader in tackles, tackles for a loss, and forced fumbles. He still holds these club records, while also holding the league record for his 1990 season total of 155 tackles. Many might have imagined that NFL transfer Doug Williams would be the QB that Outlaw fans would name to their Top 4 players, after all, he helped found the franchise in 1987 and in San Antonio in 1988, but what we have to remember is that Williams left the USFL to return to the NFL in 1989, so he only spent 2 years with the Outlaw organization. The QB who most Texas fans remember as the best in Outlaw history had a much longer career in the Alamo City. Kelly Stouffer came to the Outlaws after 3 seasons as a backup in Arizona. He was immediately set up as the new starter, playing 14 games of the 16 in the 1990 season. He would remain the starter in Texas until he retired in 2000, starting over 167 games for Texas. In that time he would throw for over 39,000 yards and 274 touchdowns. Stouffer led Texas to the playoffs in 1991, and again for a 3-year run form 1997-1999, but sadly the Outlaws were never able to make it past the divisional round in any playoff year. The third star of the Outlaw franchise is something of an obvious choice, the all-time Outlaw leader in carries, rushing yards and rushing TD’s, Reggie Cobb. Cobb was an Outlaw from the rookie draft of 1990 until his retirement in 2002, and with 12,385 yards and 99 touchdowns, he was a quick first ballot Hall of Famer in 2006, the second for the franchise after Bosworth in 2002. Finally, the other Hall of Famer associated with the Outlaws, one who also entered the Hall in 2006, Eric Metcalf, is Texas’s 4th Mt. Rushmore nominee. Metcalf split his career between the Outlaws and the Seattle Dragons, playing 7 years in San Antonio before adding 6 more in the Pacific Northwest. Metcalf barely beat out another receiver, Carlos Carson for the honor, perhaps boosted by his Hall of Fame status. It also does not hurt that Metcalf helped propel the Outlaws to their first ever playoff appearance with a pair of enormous games down the stretch in the summer of 1991. LAS VEGAS THUNDER While most of their history was in Portland, the Thunder fans in Las Vegas have embraced the history of the club, so even though there was only a smattering of Thunder voting coming in from Oregon, a lot of the heroes of the early years of the Portland Thunder are well represented in our Mt. Rushmore for the club. The voting leader for the Thunder is no surprise at all. Robert Drummond was the face of the Thunder for nearly a decade, led the league in rushing for 3 years, and set record after record on his way to the Hall of Fame. His career total of 12,824 yards, 91 touchdowns, and 2,769 carries are all nearly unassailable totals (though we suspect Marshawn Lynch will give it a shot). Drummond holds the same records at the season level with a 1,710 yard season In 1997, paired with 18 touchdowns in 1995. Drummond also holds team records with 191 yards in one game and 4 touchdowns in a 1994 opening day romp against the Bandits. Second among voters is another easy pick. Wide receiver Webster Slaughter holds several team records, both for career numbers and season stats. Slaughter came over from the Federals after several solid but not explosive years. He joined the Thunder in 1990 and immediately became the team’s #1 target. He would stay with Portland through the 2000 season and enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame 7 years later in his third year of eligibility. A third and final offensive player makes the cut for Outlaw fans, and that is their QB, Jack Trudeau. Trudeau was another transfer to the Thunder after playing 8 seasons in Michigan. His arrival in 1994 quickly led to the best run of play in Thunder history, with a playoff appearance in 1995, and a trip to the Summer Bwol in 1997. Trudeau could not bring a title to Portland, but he will always be remembered as one of the best players to ever wear the electric lime jerseys of the Thunder. Finally, at #4 we have our first defensive player. It was a close vote between DB Vencie Glenn and LB Joey Porter, but in the end the 4-time All-USFL liniebacker won out. It might have been to Porter’s benefit that he spent his entire career with the Thunder, and even made the move to Las Vegas with the club. Glenn, for all his talent and numbers, spent a good portion of his career in Denver, and perhaps that soured the vote against him. Both are great players, both hoping to one day be Hall of Famers, but for now, it is Porter who gets this honor. Only 5 games left for our 28 USFL clubs, and every one seems to be a must win for most, if not all the teams in the league. Sure, there are some clubs who are now essentially playing for pride, or for players and coaches to retain their jobs, but that is valuable too. But with only 1 playoff spot booked, and only 1 team officially eliminated, there are still a lot of games with a lot on the line as we start Week 12. FRIDAY @ 8pm Ohio (6-5) @ Chicago (9-2) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm Pittsburgh (4-7) @ Orlando (5-6) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Jacksonville (4-7) @ Atlanta (3-8) FOX SATURDAY @ 12pm Tampa Bay (10-1) @ Charlotte (3-8) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm New Jersey (2-9) @ New Orleans (4-7) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm Birmingham (1-10) @ Los Angeles (4-7) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm Seattle (6-5) @ Portland (6-5) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm Las Vegas (7-4) @ Nashville (5-6) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Washington (8-3) @ Philadelphia (8-3) FOX SUNDAY @ 12pm Texas (3-8) @ Baltimore (7-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Arizona (1-10) @ Houston (7-4) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm Michigan (9-2) @ St. Louis (2-9) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm Boston (5-6) @ Denver (8-3) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm Oakland (9-2) @ Memphis (8-2) ESPN

Playoff Picture: Tampa Bay has clinched the Southeast Division with a 5-game lead over Orlando with 5 to play. Arizona has been mathematically eliminated from contention at 1-10.

Boston makes a huge statement as Adrian McPherson steps up, but in Ohio another starting QB goes down as Brady Quinn is done for the year. Denver gets a big divisional win and Orlando gets back on the winning track. Philadelphia loses a 2nd in a row as the Blitz claw their way further into the playoff picture, and Nashville stuns the Federal faithful at RFK with a statement win. All this, plus our look at coordinators who could get the call up to new head coaching positions in 2009, in This Week in the USFL. CHICAGO MACHINE 20 OHIO GLORY 17 A costly win for the Machine ,as they knock off Ohio in Columbus, but lose Brady Quinn for the year in the process. In a game that saw Chicago’s defense hold Kerry Collins to a stunningly low 151 yards passing, it was the Ohio pass rush that may have done the most damage, when, midway through the 3rd quarter, LB Brandon Ayanbedejo brought Brady Quinn down awkwardly. The result was a broken fibia, not as nasty as the famous Joe Theisman injury, but clearly a very painful break. Quinn was carted off the field with his club down 10-9 and it would be backup Kyle Orton who would have to fight for a Machine win. In the first three quarters, with Quinn at the helm, Chicago had only mustered 3 field goals, which put them behind by a point after Collins connected with Randy Moss for a 12-yard TD, the only score of the 2nd quarter. In the 4th quarter, with Quinn out of action, Orton would lead the Machine on their only TD drive of the day. The Purdue product connected with Donald Driver and Aaron Shea on the drive, but it was backup HB Maurice Clarett who would give Chicago the lead on a 1 yard plunge. Orton connected with Fasano on the 2-point PAT and Chicago was up 17-10. Ohio would battle back in the final minutes of the game, and when Collins hit Eddie George with a scoring toss with only 1:57 left to play, many in the stadium wanted Coach Luginbill to go for 2 and the win. He did not, sending out Josh Brown to tie the game. Chicago would have a chance to break the tie with just under 2 minutes to play. Kyle Orton would get the job done, completing 3 of 5 passes, and making use of both Turner and Reno Mahe as receivers out of the backfield. With only 16 seconds left on the clock, Chicago opted to go for the game winner on 3rd down, playing it safe rather than risk another play from scrimmage with no time outs left. Tim Seder was money, and the kick put Chicago up without enough time for Ohio to come back. Chicago now shares 1st place with Michigan and Ohio falls 2 games back at 6-4, but the road will not be easy for the Machine moving forward. Chicago will start Kyle Orton the rest of the way, with former Wrangler Andrew Walter the backup. With the trade deadline passed, there are not a lot of options for Chicago to pick up a 3rd QB. Expect them to sign a 1st or 2nd year player who was a camp body this year as really the only option. JACKSONVILLE 19 ORLANDO 27 Orlando gets back on track and Jacksonville fades after their big upset last week. Despite 121 yards from Antowain Smith, the Bulls could not upend the Renegades in Jacksonville. Touchdowns from Brees to Jenkins and McCaerins, paired with a solid 70 yards from Jacob Hester gave Orlando enough to take the W on the road. A Robb Morris pick-six also helped the cause as it took a 19-17 deficit and turned it into an Orlando 24-19 lead, a lead that would hold for the ‘Gades. CHARLOTTE 7 TAMPA BAY 31 The Bandits continue their dominance of the SE Division with a completely dominant performance against the Monarchs. Tampa Bay scored the final 28 points of the game, including 2 TDs from Willis McGahee to go with his 113-yard day. Henry Burris got the start for Charlotte, but even a 22 of 36 day was not enough to keep pace with the Bandits on this day. MEMPHIS 20 NEW JERSEY 16 The Generals raced out to a 13-0 lead in a shocker, but faded in the second half, giving up touchdowns to Lee Evans and David Martin as Memphis roared back to take the win. Kris Kershaw was back under center for the Generals, but completed only 9 of 22 throws, showing that New Jersey just does not have an answer at QB right now. ATLANTA 31 BIRMINGHAM 3 A bit of a shocker as Atlanta manhandles the Stallions in Legion Field. Birmingham only mustered 6 first downs in a game where they simply looked incapable of getting anything done. Meanwhile. Tyler Thigpen went 14 of 20 and threw for 2 scores as Atlanta ran all over the Stallions. Rod Smart, on only 16 carries, ran for 148 yards, a 9.2 YPC average, while Darren McFadden rushed for 74 yards as well. ST. LOUIS 8 SEATTLE 27 Their 0-4 start long behind them, the Dragons continue to look like a serious threat as they dismantle the Skyhawks. David Boston catches 4 balls for 107 and a score and the combo of Dillon and Sproles combines for 130 yards as Seattle rolls in this one. LOS ANGELES 13 LAS VEGAS 28 LA Drops to 3-7 after another division loss with QB Play still an issue. Jeff Garcia put up 52 balls, but completed only 26 and threw 2 picks in the process. Meanwhile Tony Banks, in for the injured Steve McNair, went 14 of 25 and threw for 2 scores as the Thunder improve to 6-4 and well within the playoff hunt. HOUSTON 16 DENVER 21 The big SW Division clash was a bit lopsided until a late Houston score brought things a bit closer. A Greg Clark TD from Leinart put Denver up 21-9 with 11 minutes to play. Houston got a score from Alexander but could not draw any closer. Cedric Benson had some success in this one, gaining 95 yards on 17 carries, subbing for a dinged up Mewelde Moore. BALTIMORE 27 PHILADELPHIA 17 Two losses in a row for the Stars as Baltimore gets the better of them in the Linc. Baltimore went up 3 with only 28 seconds to go, and Philadelphia’s Kurt Warner made it 10 when on his first pass of a desperation drive, he threw a pick-six to Ken Lucas, turning a neck and neck game into a 10-point Blitz win. Philly still leads the division, but it is getting tighter with Washington and Baltimore both chasing the Stars. NASHVILLE 31 WASHINGTON 10 The Feds could have tied Philly at 8-2, but they were solidly thrashed by a fired-up Nashville Knights club. Frank Gore and Leon Johnson combined for 160 yards and 2 scores, and Jay Cutler, going 14 of 19, threw for 2 scores in one of his better games. The Knights corralled McCallister and forced Stewart to beat them, and on this day he did not have it in him. NEW ORLEANS 20 BOSTON 39 Still reeling from the Bledsoe injury, Boston rallied behind Adrian McPherson and got a huge win at home against the Breakers. McPherson went a respectable 13 of 25 for 222 and 2 scores, but it was Rashard Mendenhall and the D that gave this game to Boston. Mendenhall had 130 yards and 2 scores, while the D limited Matt Forte to only 18 yards rushing on the day. ARIZONA 3 TEXAS 27 Interim Coach Tom Olivadotti fared no better than Fassel had with the Wrangler offense as Texas shut them down and just kept adding more points. T. J. Duckett rushed for 103 yards and 2 scores, but it was the defense, sacking Jake Plummer 4 times and limiting Sedrick Irvin to only 53 yards, that won the day for the Outlaws. Rookie QB Joe Flacco also had a strong game, going 21 of 30 for 258 and a scoring toss to Marques Colston. MICHIGAN 25 PITTSBURGH 16 The Panthers take care of business in Pittsburgh to retain a share of 1st place in the Central. Justin Fargas rushed for 2 scorers and the defense held the Maulers to only 73 rushing yards on the day as Michigan moves to 8-2 and sends Pittsburgh to their 7th loss of the year. PORTLAND 23 OAKLAND 28 The Stags were game, but the Invaders had just a bit more and came away with a hard-fought win at home. A. J. Feeley threw for 244, but also tossed 2 picks, while Ricky Williams rushed for 93 yards and a score. Portland actually outgained Oakland 333-248, but Oakland took advantage of turnovers, like the Feeley pick-six thrown to LB Roosevelt Colvin, to snag the win, their 9th on the year. Chicago Now Relies on Orton With Brady Quinn now on IR, the 8-2 Machine may be poised atop the Central Division, but they will have to go with an unknown commodity at QB the rest of the way if they want a return trip to the Summer Bowl. Kyle Orton, who was drafted by the Machine in 2005, has appeared in a grand total of 1 regular season game in the past 4 seasons. He did go 20 of 37 for 190 yards and 2 scores in that game, and he certainly looked poised this week, helping Chicago come back twice to take the win in front of a hostile Ohio crowd. He may get a bit of an easy first start as the Machine are at home against 2-8 St. Louis next week, but then it gets nasty again, with a rematch against Ohio in Week 12 and a trip to Michigan in Week 13. Orton can make himself a hero in Chicagoland if he can lead the Machine to a division title and into the playoffs, and with next year a contract year for the QB, he could also build some value with good outings, but, first things first, Chicago needs to figure out the best gameplan to play to his strengths and maximize their own chances to hold on to the division. Boston Rallies Behind Adrian McPherson While the Cannons are certainly saddened by the shortened season that Drew Bledsoe now faces, they did their best to rally behind former Syracuse QB Adrian McPherson, and the 4 year vet paid them back with a solid game and a big win for the Cannons. McPherson, who started 3 games last year when Bledsoe had a less significant injury, has put up good numbers over his career. He came into this year with 9 TDs’ to only 3 picks, and an overall rating over 100, not something you often see from a QB who has so few snaps in his career. Like Orton, McPherson will now get a shot to show what he can do, and the message is clear. McPherson can either win himself the job as Boston’s starting QB in 2010, or open the door for the Cannons to bring in a QB in the offseason. Rare that a backup QB has such an opportunity to make an impression, and certainly not in the way he would have wanted, but this could be a big break for the humble Orange QB. Will he take advantage of it for a Boston team with nothing to lose. Is Coach Austin Headed for One and Done? We hate to point out the obvious, but Kent Austin is not showing us many signs that he has Birmingham headed in the right direction. Sitting at 1-9 and failing to score a TD in 2 of the past 3 games, the Stallions don’t just look like a team that needs to retool a bit. They look like a team bottoming out and in need of a total overhaul, but will ownership find reasons to allow Austin to be the man to do that overhaul. So far this year the offense has been pure misery and the defense is rated dead last in both scoring and yards allowed, not something that shows positive signs for the future. It is not common to have a one-and-done coach in the USFL. It has only happened twice in league history, with Roman Gabriel in Pittsburgh in 1987 and then Wayne Fontes with the LA Express in 1998. Could Austin be the third to suffer this embarrassing fate? There certainly does not seem to be a lot of optimism in Birmingham that the club will suddenly start finding success. They face Las Vegas this week and then have two potentially winnable games at 3-7 LA and then home to 3-7 Charlotte. If they go 0-3 in that stretch, then the die may be cast. Finishing the year with the Breakers, Knights, and Showboats, creates the potential for Birmingham to finish the year 1-15, a record Stallion fans will not find any humor in. Orlando & Seattle All the Way back In While an 0-4 or 1-4 start is often the end of a team’s playoff hopes, we have seen the occasional team battle back to squeak their way into the playoffs. This year it very much seems that the Renegades and Dragons are not looking to eke in, but to reassert themselves as serious contenders. Since going 1-4 to start the year, the Renegades have won 4 of 5 to even their record at 5-5 after 10 weeks. Though a serious slip in week 9 to the Breakers has some fans fearful of a decline down the stretch, the rebound win against the Bulls was a good sign that this team will continue to fight for a playoff spot. They will do so without Calais Campbell, at least for another 2 weeks, but with an offense that has improved steadily since a shaky opening month. In Seattle, the 0-4 start of the Dragons is nearly all but forgotten. The Dragons have rattled off 6 consecutive wins, and now control their own playoff destiny. Looking very much like the squad that won the Pacific Division last year, Seattle has 4 divisional games left in their final 6 games, and could make a run at division-topping Oakland. The defense has come on, allowing only 20 points combined in their past 2 games, and the offense is averaging a very solid 23 points per game, nearly 28 points per game over just the 6-game winning streak. We are not sure what caused Seattle to have early season losses to teams like Portland and New Orleans, but they have shown since then that they have found their stride and are looking like one of the better teams in the league. A 10+ win season seems more likely than not, despite the early losses for this Dragon squad. It may still be too early to start seeing teams lock up playoff spots, but what we are seeing is a clustering of clubs between 6 wins and 6 losses, 10, in fact, and all likely battling over only 4 playoff spots. While the 1-loss, 2-loss, and even 3-loss teams might look somewhat secure atop the playoff rankings, the clubs at 6-4, 5-5, and 4-6 have to be at their best to ensure that they have a shot at a postseason paycheck. Right now Tampa Bay and Oakland are the two surprise #1 seeds, with Philly and Michigan in hot pursuit. Denver and Memphis are the third division leaders in each conference, but the chase for divisions is going to be a busy one down the stretch. Philadelphia has only 1 game on Memphis, the same in the Southwest, where Denver has a 1 game lead on Houston. Michigan and Chicago are separated only by a tiebreaker at the moment, while Oakland and Tampa bay have comfortable leads, 3 games for the Invaders and 3 for the Bandits. Today the action is in those mid-ranges. In the East Baltimore at 6-4 has a 1 game lead on the pack, while Orlando barely edges Nashville for the final playoff spot, thanks to a tiebreaker. In the West, Seatle and Las Vegas have the tiebreaker advantages over Ohio and Houston, all sitting at 6-4, while expansion Portland is still in the hunt at 5-5. And don’t count out either Boston or New Orleans. Both sit at 4-6, but a run down the stretch could easily put them in contention. This week we may also see our first official eliminations, as Arizona and Birmingham could find themselves out of it with losses again this week. It may just be a matter of time for both, as a 9-loss team is already very unlikely to sneak into the postseason. Brady Quinn’s leg was the story of the week, but his was not the only injury to impact teams this week. Several other players were also placed on the IR this week, including Charlotte HB Travis Prentice (MCL), Boston guard Chuck Johnson (ACL), and Orlando safety Kevin Williams (arm). Others who could be out for the next couple of weeks include LA defensive end Keneche Udeze (toe), Memphis SS Coy Wire (hamstring), Michigan center Jeff Faine (leg), New Jersey wideout T. J. Houshmandzadeh (knee), and Denver LB Kendrell bell (hip). Expected to return to action this week are Portland DT Kendrick Allen, Michigan LB Shawne Merriman, Philly HB Michael Robinson, Houston LB Keith Brooking, Thunder CB Antoine Winfield, and Texas WR Muhsin Muhammad. Coordinators Who Could Get the Call in 2009 With one Head Coach position already open and several more expected, don’t be surprised if there is a lot of buzz about a coordinator for one of the league’s more successful teams getting a call to take over as head coach somewhere else. We asked GM’s around the league who the hottest prospects are among the league’s offensive and defensive coordinators, and these six names kept cropping up, so we thought we would give you a bit of insight into each, as they could very well be taking on the main job for a club near you. Memphis OC Turk Schonert: While fans like to give all the credit for Memphis’s offensive success to QB Brett Favre, teams around the league also recognize the work of OC Turk Schonert to build an offense around Favre’s talents. The Showboats are averaging nearly 365 yards of offense per game (second only to Seattle) and are also among the league leaders with 24.9 points per game, and while Favre is a big part of that, Schonert is also getting a lot of attention as a coach who gameplans to find weaknesses in an opponent’s defensive scheme. Ohio OC Bart Andrus: Another obvious choice for many is the mind behind Ohio’s offense. Again, the players get a lot of the credit, but the coach is the one juggling the roster and the playcalling to maximize team success. In the case of Andrus, the question is less about maximizing talent and more about ensuring that all the big players—Moss, Galloway, George, Alexander—get their touches and their opportunities for big plays. Denver DC Perry Fewell is the name being cited most often on the defensive side. Denver does not have the big name defensive superstars that some other clubs have, but they are still one of the league’s stingiest defenses, and a lot of that is due to the scheme and the weekly gameplan that Fewell is putting into action. Denver is allowing only 13.7 points per game, and are among the league leaders in stuffing the run and making teams one dimensional. A lot of clubs at the bottom of the standings could use that kind of boost to their defensive stopping power. Philadelphia DC Jim Tomsula: On of the breakout stories of this season has been the emergence of the Philadelphia defense, and that shines a light on Stars defensive guru, Jim Tomsula. The Stars defense has emerged as a swarming squad that simply does not whiff on tackles. A lot of effort and a lot of motivation are the key to the Stars’ success, and Tomsula is seen as the man keeping that focus in place for the team. Oakland OC Tom Ramsey: Back on offense, former LA Express QB and current Oakland OC Tom Ramsey is getting a lot of attention for his mentoring of Joey Harrington. Once considered expendable when he struggled in Orlando, Harrington has found new life under the tutelage of the former Express QB. Ramsey has designed a power run offense with Ricky Williams that allows Harrington to enjoy clean pockets and the benefits of play action, making him a far more effective QB than in past years. Finally, expansion Portland has had great success in their first year, and a lot of credit is going to the defense led by former Generals and Invaders LB and current Stags DC Chris Spielman. Spielman's unit is allowing only 16.9 points per game and fewer than 190 yards passing each week. Cobbled together in one offseason, the roster is a hodge podge of veterans and younger talent, and Spielman has them working well as a unit, not just as individuals. The ability to build a successful defense quickly has been noticed around the league and could merit a few interviews for the Breakers’ all time tackle leader turned defensive coach. Oakland Reveals Updated Uniform for 2009 The Invaders become the third and final team to unveil a new look for the next season, a look we very likely will be seeing come the postseason. It is a design that retains many of the familiar elements of Invader designs over the year, with a callback to earlier renditions of the team’s uniform. It comes with a new secondary logo, a rondel patch which at present is not found on the uniform, but will be used around the stadium and in some marketing materials. The wordmark is also slightly altered, now featuring a navy drop shadow, a feature we will see repeated in the uniforms. The Reebok redesign features a return to the original striping for the Invaders, thick sky and white stripes with a thin navy border on the helmet and gold pants, with variations of the same theme on the white pants and the new sky pant set. The jerseys feature no sleeve stripes, simply a large primary logo on each sleeve. The number font has been modified and now features outline piping and a drop shadow as well. Finally, the collar features a small team logo with stripes behind it in offsetting colors. Overall a very clean, somewhat traditional look for the Invaders. We move from 1984 to 1987 with our next batch of Mt. Rushmore selections. With 4 teams added in 1987, we start with Orlando and Chicago, and next week we will finish up with the Thunder and the Outlaws. With fewer years to work with, these are a bit tougher, but there is still a lot of talent out there that these four teams can draw on. ORLANDO RENEGADES When I mention the Orlando Renegades, what is the first name that comes to mind? If you don’t say Chris Doleman, then I am not sure you are really a USFL fan. In 11 seasons with the ‘Gades (’92-’02) Doleman was a dominant force on the defensive line, recording 198 sacks, an average of 18 per year, and currently the #4 total all time. While Renegade fans are certainly excited about Calais Campbell’s start as a pro, the reference for Doleman’s time with the team is still vivid. Second among vote getters for the Renegades was an original USFLer, wideout Wamon Buggs. Buggs came to Orlando in the 1987 expansion draft, after having played 1 year with the Chicago Machine and 3 with the Arizona Wranglers. With Orlando he would play another 9 seasons, and when he retired he held the team records for receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He still holds the team record for both yardage and receiving touchdowns, and still is a popular jersey to see at Renegade games. Third up is QB Scott Mitchell. Mitchell is a bit of a surprise, as many in our bullpen expected Reggie Collier to get more votes as the original Renegade QB and the player who still holds most team passing records. But, it was Mitchell who took the Renegades to the top of the mountain with their 2001 league title. So, despite some up and down play, Mitchell gets the nod. It should be noted that due to his somewhat shorter tenure in Orlando, while most career records are still held by Collier, it is Mitchell who holds the season records for attempts, completions, and passing yards. For their fourth selection, Orlando fans doubled up on the QB position, giving Reggie Collier his due. Collier was the starter at QB for the Renegades from 1987 through 1994, and while he was not able to bring a title to Central Florida, he did help Orlando reach the playoffs in three straight years, peaking in 1989 when the 3-year old club made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual league champion Generals. As we said already, Collier still holds the career records for Orlando in most passing categories, including attempts, completions, TDs, and yards. CHICAGO MACHINE Chicago’s second USFL club arrived in 1987 and struggled through several rough seasons before they finally made the playoffs for the first time in 1993. But, despite their early struggles, they still had several talented players, worthy of a space on the club’s Mt. Rushmore. First among them was one of the early draft success stories for the Machine, defensive end Simeon Rice. Chosen as a territorial pick from the University of Illinois, Rice became a fixture at left end, racking up double digit sacks 6 times in his 11 year career. He remains the Machine’s career record holder in that one category, but he also remains a regular fixture at USFL games in the Windy City. Second among the fan vote was a running back, and while Chicagoans do not hold Ricky Watters in the same rarified air as Walter Payton, they do think enough of the Notre Dame product to elect him to the Machine Mt. Rushmore. Ricky’s entire 9-year career was with the Machine, and before he jumped to the NFL for two largely forgettable years, Watters rushed for 8,482 yards and 58 touchdowns as a member of the Machine. Watters was a big reason Chicago made their first of three (losing) Summer Bowl appearances in 1994, a season in which he rushed for 1,042 yards, his first 1,000 yard season. Another member of the 1994 team to make the Chicago Mt. Rushmore is wideout Wendell Davis. Davis came to the USFL and the Machine in the 1988 draft and would remain a member of the Machine until he retired in 1998. A 7-time 1,000 yard receiver, Davis was a steady influence at a time when Chicago seemed to question their offense year in and year out. He retired with team records for receptions (862), yards (11,458) and receiving touchdowns (65), three records that still remain intact. Finally, the voters from Chicago and the national Machine fanbase selected a linebacker, one in a long line of linebackers revered by Chicago football fans. Gary Reasons played 11 seasons for the Machine after coming over from Jacksonville. He arrived with a bang, scoring his only 100-tackle season in his first year in Chicago, but despite never hitting that height again, Reasons was a fan favorite and a steady performer for over a decade. He might be a bit in the shadow of Brian Urlacher these days, but there are still a lot of Machine fans who recognize that Reasons was one of the original Machine members in 1987, and a major contributor to their eventual success as a franchise. The weather is starting to heat up. Memorial Day is not far off. Spring is slowly morphing into summer, and the USFL is heading towards its final weeks. Time to get serious, get hot, and get ready for a playoff run. Week 11 in the USFL provides us with some key matchups that could help propel teams into a postseason sprint, or make the path ahead a lot rougher. The weekend opens with the Gamblers in Oakland, an interdivisional matchup of two playoff hopefuls. On Saturday we have another round of the Battle of Tennessee, with Memphis traveling to Nashville. Philadelphia at Boston is the nightcap, and after the Cannons’ big game and Philly’s back to back losses, there is a growing sense this could be an upset. On Sunday Orlando @ Baltimore is an intriguing interdivisional game, as is Denver @ Seattle, but the biggie is the night game on ESPN when Ohio travels to Michigan, hoping to draw closer to the top of the Central Division. FRIDAY @ 8pm Houston (6-4) @ Oakland (9-1) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm Memphis (7-3) @ Nashville (5-5) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Las Vegas (6-4) @ Birmingham (1-9) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Pittsburgh (3-7) @ Atlanta (3-7) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm Texas (3-7) @ Portland (5-5) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm Washington (7-3) @ Arizona (1-9) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm Philadelphia (8-2) @ Boston (4-6) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm Charlotte (3-7) @ Jacksonville (3-7) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Tampa Bay (9-1) @ New Jersey (2-8) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Orlando (5-5) @ Baltimore (6-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Denver (7-3) @ Seattle (6-4) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm St. Louis (2-8) @ Chicago (8-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Los Angeles (3-7) @ New Orleans (4-6) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm Ohio (6-4) @ Michigan (8-2) ESPN

Playoff Picture: No clinched spots or eliminations left. Six weeks left to go, but we may see a 1-win team eliminated before too long or a 1-loss team clinch.

Philadelphia goes down in an upset no one saw coming. The Jacksonville Bulls, given an F in our midseason report card, must have gotten a bit testy over that, and they came out firing against the Stars. We also saw Nashville knock off Memphis in the Battle of the Volunteer State, Tampa Bay edge Ohio in Columbus, Seattle dismantle the Thunder to move over .500 for the first time all season, and Michigan routed Arizona, leading to the dismissal of Coach Fassel with 7 games left to play this season. A lot to talk about this week, so let’s get right to it with our game of the week, the showdown between the Bandits and Glory at Ohio Stadium. TAMPA BAY 27 OHIO 21 A clash of the titans as the Bandits head to Columbus to face the Ohio Glory. Tampa Bay has been one of the biggest surprises in the league this season as Coach Spurrier has his team playing nearly flawless football, while Ohio, picked by many as a runaway favorite for Summer Bowl 2008, struggled to a 2-2 start but have won 4 straight since then, boasting one of the most potent offenses in the game. We expected some fireworks in this game, and we got some, but what we also got was a chess match of offensive and defensive strategies as both teams shifted and modified their game plans throughout the day. It looked early on like Tampa Bay might win this game walking away, but a furious comeback by Ohio made it a much closer affair by the final minutes. The key for Tampa Bay was the big play, something Ohio had built their reputation on. This started on the very first play from scrimmage when Willis McGahee busted into the secondary and rattled off a 40-yard run to open the action. Three plays later it was Culpepper throwing his first of 3 touchdowns on the day, a short slant to Davone Bess, to put Tampa Bay up 7. On their next drive, the Bandits would double up the advantage over Ohio when Daunte Culpepper connected with Chris Doering on a 24-yard post route to go up 14-0 just as the 2nd quarter began. Ohio had been thwarted in their first two drives, but they would get on the board with their third as Collins was able to move the ball thanks to 3 consecutive first down catches by TE Jermaine Wiggins, Randy Moss, and Santonio Holmes. A missed throw on 3rd and 7 meant Ohio would have to settle for 3, but at least they were on the board. Tampa Bay finished out the first half with a short drive as time ran down, capped with a Nate Kaeding field goal to go into the half up 14 at 17-3. The first half had proven a frustrating one for Coach Luginbill and the Glory offense, as they were able to move the ball but third down woes (they would go 1 for 14 on the day) meant that drives kept fizzling before getting into scoring range. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay was mixing up the pass and the run and keeping the Ohio defense off balance. This would continue into the 2nd half, when Tampa Bay would try to shift more to the run to shorten the game, but Ohio would counter with more zone coverage and fewer blitzes. The strategy was effective, as Tampa Bay did not find the success or the big plays of the first half in the third quarter. They would muster only 3 points on another Kaeding field goal. Unfortunately for Ohio, the Glory would be shut out in the third, again due mostly to struggles on third down, when Tampa Bay brought pressure and Kerry Collins was unable to connect with his primary receivers. So, after three, it was now a 17-point lead for the Bandits. It would get even worse just as the 4th began. Tampa Bay ended the third quarter with yet another big play as Culpepper connected with Karl Williams on a 31-yard strike to get the ball down to the 18-yard line, the first big connection through the air since early in the 2nd. On the very next play, they would stretch their lead to 24 points as Culpepper again found Chris Doering, the unsung “possession” receiver who has broken out this year in the absence of Moss from the Bandits roster. Doering would score his second and Tampa Bay now held a commanding lead. When Coach Luginbill settled for a field goal once again on Ohio’s next drive, they found themselves down by 21, and the partisan Glory crowd was visibly displeased. A quick 3-and-out got the Glory the ball back, and for the first time all game they hit on a pair of big plays to move down the field quickly, having already shifted to a hurry-up offense. The first was a 32 yard toss to the former Bandit, Moss, that fans believed to be a score, but replay showed that Moss had stepped out during his run down the sideline, so the ball was placed at the Tampa Bay 27 instead of scoring 6. Eddie George had his best run of the day on the next play, a 20-yard rumble through the defense that got the ball to the 7. Just 2 plays later, Collins threw a screen to George and he would take it in for 6. Now down 27-13, there was life in Ohio Stadium. Ohio set up for an onside kick with just over 6 minutes left to play, and despite everyone in the stadium knowing it was coming, the ploy worked, with FS Mike Doss falling on the ball at midfield to give Ohio another possession. It would take them 5 plays to get 18 yards, down to the Tampa Bay 32, but only 1 play to get from there to the end zone, as Collins again looked to Randy Moss. A deep throw to the end zone asked Moss to go up high and pluck the ball out of the air in a spot neither Tampa Bay defender could reach, and Moss did exactly that, scoring on a play that was vintage Moss, something the Bandits had seen 100 times, but never with Moss as an opposing player. Now down only 7, again Ohio would line up for an onside kick, but this time the Bandits would fall on the ball. Their goal now was to kill as much time as they could to reduce any chance of another Ohio possession. They had seen the Glory score 14 points in rapid succession, and did not want to take a risk at overtime with another Glory quick strike. Tampa Bay turned to the run game, alternating carries between McGahee and Toefield. After 3 plays it got them only 9 yards and, sitting at the Ohio 40, they had a choice, punt the ball deep or go for the 4th and 1 and a chance to extend their drive. They opted for the latter. Lining up in a pro formation, with both of their top halfbacks in the backfield. Tampa Bay ran down the clock until there were only 2 seconds left in the play clock, then snapped the ball, with McGahee plunging toward the line. The defense converged, but Culpepper had not put the ball into McGahee’s gut, he had pivoted and tossed the ball wide to Toefield. The ruse worked, Toefield only gained 2 yards on the play, but it was enough. Tampa Bay would run 3 more plays, then line up for a punt to give Ohio the ball with only 27 seconds left. Matt Turk hit a perfect coffin corner kick and Ohio watched helplessly as the officials marked the ball on the 7-yard line to start a final drive with 24 seconds on the clock. Collins connected with Stephen Alexander on first down, but that forced them to use their final time out and got them only to the 15 yard line. On 2nd down Joey Galloway went for an out route but the ball was just outside forcing him to cross the sideline to make a catch. Third and 2 on the 15, and Collins was forced to scramble. He made the first down but was unable to get out of bounds. The clock ticked down as the Glory reset, and on 1st and 10 from the 18, the game ended when the clock clicked down to zero as Ohio scrambled to get into formation. Tampa Bay had won a decisive game against one of the league’s elite clubs, proving that their unexpected season of success was no fluke. For Ohio, the loss was a tough one, dropping them a game behind both Chicago and Michigan in a a very competitive Central Division. For Randy Moss, a bittersweet reunion with many of his former teammates, and for us, a pretty good contest that looked like it might be a blowout, but ended up with quite a bit of drama. NASHVILLE 21 MEMPHIS 16 Down three in the final quarter, Nashville got two field goals to take a 16-13 lead, and then, with time waning, a muffed kickoff return forces Memphis to take the ball on their own 1 yard line, and a holding call in the end zone gives Nashville a 5-point lead and the ball with one minute to play, essentially ending the game. A weird game all around, where Jay Cutler (20 of 31) had a better day than Brett Favre (13/28). CHICAGO 17 CHARLOTTE 12 Not an easy road win for the Machine, but they get the job done thanks to 110 yards and a TD from HB Michael Turner. Chris Weinke was knocked out of the game with what appears to be a broken index finger on his throwing hand, bringing in former Thunder QB Henry Burris. It was a good day for LBs as Charlotte’s Andra Davis recorded 13 tackles and Brian Urlacher of Chicago equaled that total. BOSTON 14 BALTIMORE 22 Not at all how Drew Bledsoe wanted his farewell tour to end. Bledsoe was knocked out of the game on the second snap of the first drive when Jared Allen essentially body slammed the immobile QB to the turf. The sack produced a shoulder injury that will require surgery, ending Bledsoe’s season and career on a very sour note. For Baltimore, Ron Dayne has another big day, with 147 yards and a score as the Blitz improve to 5-4 and send Boston to yet another division loss. PHILADELPHIA 17 JACKSONVILLE 27 The shocker of the day, if not the year, as the seemingly inept Bulls muster up their best game of the year to send the Stars to their first loss of the season. Antowain Smith managed to do what few have, gain 100 yards rushing against the Stars, rushing for 108 and 2 scores, while the Jacksonville D made life difficult for Kurt Warner, picking him off, sacking him twice, and keeping him to only a 51% completion rate. PORTLAND 17 LOS ANGELES 10 The Stags move above .500 with a solid win in LA despite another great game from LA linebacker Keith Rivers (10 tackles, 1 sack). LA had a 10-3 lead going into the 4th, but a Chris Perry TD run evened the score and with time running out A. J. Feeley found Andre Davis for the game winning score. Portland held on as LA tried a last second drive, but the Hail Mary went unanswered. NEW JERSEY 7 DENVER 20 In something of a sleepy game, Denver gave up an early TD to Anthony Becht but then shut down the Generals and slowly built up their 13-point cushion. New Jersey held Mewelde Moore to only 30 yards rushing but a combined 192 yards from Peerless Price and Anquan Boldin was enough to propel the Denver Gold to victory and a key matchup with Houston next week. LAS VEGAS 12 SEATTLE 28 Seattle earned their fifth consecutive win as Tony Banks was unable to generate a passing game for Las Vegas. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 132 but it was not enough to help Las Vegas keep pace with Byron Leftwich and the Seattle offense. Touchdowns by David Boston, Corey Dillon, Darren Sproles and Tony Jackson were more than enough for the Dragons to get the W. ORLANDO 7 NEW ORLEANS 38 If not for the Philly-Jacksonville score, this would have been the shocker of the week as Orlando came out flat against a Breakers team that was fired up and playing its best game of the season. Matt Forte rushed for 93 yards and Eli Manning went 21 of 25 against the vaunted pass rush of the Renegades. Meanwhile the Breaker D limited Jacob Hester to only 35 yards rushing and held the Orlando passing game in check as they score a major win in blowout fashion. BIRMINGHAM 17 WASHINGTON 37 Washington had no trouble with the Stallions this week, with Kordell Stewart throwing for 3 scores and Deuce McCallister rushing for 117 and a TD of his own. Dave Dickenson struggled to 16 of 39 passing against the Federal defense, and on Monday it was announced that Jason Campbell would get the week 10 start as pressure from ownership seems to have forced Coach Austin to reconsider his benching of the highly-paid Campbell. ARIZONA 7 MICHIGAN 27 We have been reporting for a while now that Jim Fassel may not make it to the season finale, and this week that came to pass, as another embarrassing loss by the Wranglers led to ownership making the move this week, dropping Fassel and promoting DC Tom Olivadotti to the interim position. In the game Drew Brees threw for 2 scores and HB Justin Fargas had himself a 100-yard game on only 17 carries. Leon Washington, with only 10 carries, rushed for 72 yards and 2 scores against Arizona’s ineffective D. ATLANTA 21 ST. LOUIS 24 A good game between two evenly matched teams at the bottom of the standings, as Jeff Blake, despite two more picks, rallied the Skyhawks to ten 4th quarter points and a win at home. Touchdowns to Bryant Johnson and rookie Jordy Nelson helped St. Louis pick up their 2nd win, while Tyler Thigpen again struggled for Atlanta. TEXAS 6 HOUSTON 13 The Gamblers opted to keep the roof open against their in-state rivals and the effect seemed to be that the muggy and hot Houston afternoon drained both teams of any energy. We saw nothing but field goals until a late Sean Smith FB Dive gave Houston the win in the 4th. Joe Flacco was knocked out of the game for Texas, but should be fine to go next week. OAKLAND 21 PITTSBURGH 11 Oakland sacked Cody Pickett 6 times, including a safety from LB Dan Morgan as the Invaders racked up win #8. The highlight of the game was a 73-yard TD from rookie DeShaun Jackson on a play where he made a tackler miss and then just outran the entire Mauler secondary. Alge Crumpler had a rare 100-yard day for Pittsburgh, but the Maulers simply could not find their way into the endzone, failing on a late 4th down play to try to draw closer. They drop to 3-6 with the home loss. Drew Bledsoe’s Final Season Ends Early and on IR We start our recap of Week 9’s big stories with a disappointing ending to what has been an outstanding career for QB Drew Bledsoe in Boston. The shoulder injury suffered in this week’s loss to Baltimore means that Bledsoe’s final season is ended after only 9 weeks, and not with a drive for a title as the team had hoped. The season had been a huge disappointment already, with Boston seemingly losing their focus and their ability to keep pace with division rivals. This week’s loss drops them to 3-6, and while it is too early for them to be mathematically eliminated, the odds do not look good for a comeback, especially now, with Bledsoe shuttered for the remaining 7 games. The Boston QB will undergo surgery in the next 2 weeks but is still expected to formalize the retirement he announced in the offseason. For the Cannons, it is a sad end to what had been a very good run of success for Bledsoe and the team. They will now go with Adrian McPherson as the starter for the rest of the year, and start to focus on the future. If McPherson plays well, he may simply inherit the starting position for the Cannons, but if he struggles, then Boston will have to do something they have not done in many years, focus on the QB position in the offseason. Orlando loses Calais Campbell for at least 2-4 Weeks. The Renegade’s bad loss to New Orleans was double troubling, not just because they were unable to rattle Eli Manning, but because they lost their potential Rookie of the Year candidate, Calais Campbell for 4-6 weeks. Campbell’s broken wrist will need at least 4 weeks before he can play in a soft cast, but it is possible that he will be out for the remainder of the regular season, not something a team on the fringe of playoff contention wants to see. Sitting at 4-5, Orlando is now truly out of contention for the Division and will have to fight for a Wild Card, but they will likely do so without their superstar rookie defensive end, and that could spell trouble for a team whose offense has not been on pace with their defense all year. Charlotte to Start Burris After Weinke Injured Chris Weinke was the third significant injury this week. Charlotte reported on Monday that x-rays confirmed that he has indeed broken the index finger on his throwing hand after it glanced off the helmet of an oncoming rusher. Team doctors note that it is not a displaced bone, so it is possible that Weinke could return in as few as 2 weeks, depending on his adherence to their recovery plan. Henry Burris will start in place of the NFL transfer, and if he does well, the team is likely not to rush Weinke back. Unlike some other teams, the expansion Monarchs have the benefit of low expectations for the year, so there is little risk to delaying Weinke’s return if needed. Arizona Gives the Pink Slip to Jim Fassel, Promotes Olivadotti to Interim For a while now it has been a question of when, not if, Arizona fired head coach Jim Fassel. We now have the answer to that question. The embattled coach of the 1-8 Wranglers was relieved of his duties on Monday, a day after another game in which the team failed to prove competitive against their opponent. The 20-point loss at home, a home game in which a sea of paper-bags covered the heads of many fans in the stadium, proved too much for ownership. Fassel was let go and it was announced via press release that Tom Olivadotti, the defensive coordinator (for the 27th ranked defense in the league) would serve as interim head coach. Fassel started his stint in Arizona very well, going 10-4 and taking the Wranglers to the Summer Bowl in 2004, but since then it has been a comedy of errors. After a 3-11 season in 2005, the Wranglers rebounded in 2006, but then fell to 2-12 last year, and seem to be on pace for another 10-loss season this year. Fassel’s handling of the Wrangler offense has been so problematic that star QB Jake Plummer has openly called for a trade. Whether or not the ownership will work to rebuild trust with their superstar or if they will work to trade him and start fresh with a new generation of players remains to be seen, but promoting the DC to the interim position is certainly not a move that is likely to make Plummer eager to stay in the desert. As for Fassel, he leaves Arizona with a combined record of 26-39 after four and a half seasons. Birmingham to Go Back to Campbell We mentioned it in the game recap, but it was announced this week that Birmingham will once again start Jason Campbell at QB in Week 10. There appears to have been some pressure on Head Coach Kent Austin to make the switch back to Campbell after his experiment with CFL transfer Dave Dickenson has produced 3 straight losses. Campbell is a free agent after this season and it seems very unlikely that the Stallion organization will put much effort into resigning the Auburn product between now and the end of the regular season, so this is not a situation where ownership is trying to improve Campbell’s trade value. We are honestly not sure why there would be pressure to start the 4th year QB, except perhaps a sense that they are paying him far too much in his rookie deal to have him simply holding a clipboard. We realize that in a 16-week season, starting the playoff scenario tracking in Week 9 seems a bit premature, but we got really used to a Week 9 launch during the 14-game seasons of recent years that we just felt it was time. Way too early for teams to be clinching, or eliminated, but it is still fun to see where the standings are right now. No surprises at the top, where Philly, Tampa Bay, and Oakland all sit on 8-1 records, trailed by Michigan and Washington with 7-2 marks. The fun is at the bottom of the playoff pool, where .500 is still an option, at least in the East. Nashville currently occupies the 6th and final slot at 4-5, but they lead New Orleans and Orlando only by tiebreakers and those can shift easily week to week. In the West, 6-3 is the minimum mark to make the Top 6 right now, so teams at 5-4, which includes Las Vegas, Portland, and Seattle right now, are on the outside looking in. Don’t expect any eliminations or berths to be won next week, but the mosh pits at 5-4 and 4-5 should continue to evolve as we move forward. We don’t have to tell you what the big injury news of the week was, the Drew Bledsoe story has been all over sports media since it happened. But in the coverage of that story, there are a lot of other injuries that have gone largely unreported. Here is our list of the injuries most likely to impact this upcoming week and the weeks to come. Charlotte HB Travis Prentice was placed on IR with a torn MCL. Boston also lost guard Chuck Johnson for the year with an ACL injury. Orlando safety Kevin Williams was also placed on IR with a shoulder injury. Seattle will go the rest of the year without LB Godfrey Miles after he broke his wrist. Baltimore placed safety David Trujillo on IR with a neck injury Memphis tackle Anthony Clement is also on IR with an MCL tear. Las Vegas has made it official, Steve McNair was added to IR after reevaluation of his abdomen. Calais Campbell will not be placed on IR, and could return in 2-4 weeks. Portland strong safety Terreal Bierria will miss at least 1 game after a high grade concussion. Memphis safety Coy Wire has a lingering hamstring injury and will be out 1-2 weeks. Arizona WR Dominic Hixon was diagnosed with a fracture in his Jaw, 1-2 weeks out of action. NJ linebacker Bobby Howard broke his thumb and is doubtful for this week. Michigan LB Shawne Merriman is also doubtful after an elbow injury last week. Joe Horn could return this week, but is listed as questionable. Joe Flacco is listed as probable after dealing with a hamstring injury. Chris Weinke will miss this week and possibly one more after his broken finger. NFL-USFL Agree to Modified Transfer Window An announcement this week that the NFL and USFL have come to basic terms about a shift in their agreement regarding player and staff transfer. There are still some details to work out, but the most obvious adjustment is in the timing of both transfer windows, a shift that provides both leagues with a greater possibility of resigning their own players, at the expense of potential transfers and games played by transfers. At present, the two transfer windows run from mid-August until mid-September and again from mid-January to mid-February. This falls during training camp for each league, bumping up against the start of the regular season for the NFL in September, but 2-3 weeks before the start of the USFL season in February. The new windows would likely be the month of September and the month of March, which means that both windows will occur during the opening weeks of each league’s regular season. Moving the windows means that each league will have between 6-8 weeks of open free agency at the end of their regular seasons to resign their own players, essentially limiting competition for talent to teams within the league whose season has just ended. It also means that any player signed from the rival league during the transfer window that matches the start of that league’s season will not be available for the first two to five games of the year. This is a modification that is likely to have two significant impacts, the first being that teams in both leagues will essentially be limited in their cross-league free agent signings to players who have either gone unsigned by the rival league or who are holding out during the free agency period closest to the start of each league’s end of season. For example, by September, the only NFL players a USFL team could sign away from the fall league would be players who no NFL team signed during their offseason, cuts from NFL camps, and players holding out past training camp and into the regular season. The same would be true for the NFL in the March window. The second impact is that we are likely to continue to see transfers continue, perhaps intensifying, in two very different “flows of traffic”, with most USFL signings of NFL talent happening in March, and most NFL signings of USFL talent happening in September. The impact of this second anticipated trend is that we will see USFL and NFL teams using their respective pre-seasons and the first few weeks of the regular season to assess gaps and talent deficiencies in their squads (which must be at 53 players by late August [NFL] or late February [USFL]. Teams would then be able to address deficiencies by signing talent from the other leagues during the opening weeks of their regular season, which, in turn, leads to either expansion of practice squad rosters or players who were on squads in weeks 1-4 of the regular season suddenly cast away by Week 5. Not since the early years of the USFL, when, for example, Steve Young signed with the LA Express and joined the team mid-season, have we seen the type of mid-year signings that the new agreement is likely to produce. And while there are some who see this as an interesting twist which could lead teams with slow starts to significantly improve their rosters mid-season, for many this goes against the whole idea of building a roster in the offseason, going to camp to build cohesion, and then selecting a team before Week 1 to compete with. There have always been midseason signings and trades, but most often these are marginal signings, whereas now a team could bring in a bona fide superstar after 4 weeks of play and radically alter their fortunes. How the NFLPA and USFLPA will react to the announced change is still to be determined. Neither players’ union has released a statement yet. We can expect that the new calendar will likely not be received well by either union for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the shift is expected to reduce the number of transfers between leagues, with many teams not wishing to disrupt their rosters once the regular season begins unless there is a dire need. That means less competition for players, and that very well could suppress salaries as well as options for players. Secondly, for players on the margins of each team’s roster (60 teams in total between the two leagues), any early-season signings also mean early-season cuts or reassignments, expanding the period when roster slots are in flux and players are unsure about their status. Players who may have survived training camp cuts can no longer feel secure in their roster positions, with the very real possibility of being reassigned to the practice squad (at a fraction of their active roster salaries) or cut altogether. For now, we will have to await the details of the agreement, and the reaction of the two players’ unions. The new plan will not go into effect until August of 2010, so the upcoming offseason is not expected to be impacted, but just how the shift in transfer policy indirectly impacts 2009’s offseason remains to be seen. Will we see a flurry of activity ahead of the change or will it be a quieter than usual period? At this point, and with so few details fully fleshed out, it is hard to assess. Week 10 Trade Deadline Moves We have had a flurry of activity today, right at the trade deadline before the Week 10 schedule begins, far more than we see in most years. Some moves are due to the spate of IR-level injuries we have seen this month, but others simply appear to be teams on the margins of the playoff hunt hoping to add a key piece just in time to make a late run. In nearly every case we are seeing draft picks sent to teams at the bottom of the standings in order to bring a player to a contender, almost more of a baseball-style “buyers and sellers” strategy than what we usually see in either the NFL or USFL. Let’s quickly run down the moves that have happened today, as the window for trades closes. Boston sends a 4th round pick this year to Memphis for backup Damon Huard. This is a clear indication that the free agent pool of QB’s is viewed as largely depleted. Las Vegas had recently signed veteran Jeff George when Steve McNair went down, and Boston simply felt that there was no viable player in the free agent pool who could help back up Adrian McPherson for the rest of the season. Orlando Boosts backfield Orlando sends two picks, both 3rd rounders (theirs and one they had acquired from New Jersey) to Birmingham to obtain HB Marion Barber. Barber had been demoted from rotation with Felix Jones to a clear 2nd team position, while Orlando has struggled to get a solid run game going with rookie Jacob Hester and veteran Najeh Davenport. Expect Barber to again be part of a rotation as the Renegades try to balance their offense a bit more as they hope to make a run from 5-5 to a Wild Card berth. Seattle sends DT Paul Grasmanis to Texas for LB Jamie Winborn. This is a direct result of the Godfrey Miles injury. In Winborn the Dragons get a plug and play option to fill Miles’s spot, and in Grasmanis Texas finally has a 3rd DT to rotate in with Chris Hovan and Luis Castillo. Knights Support Their Secondary Nashville needs help in the secondary and they think they have gotten it by sending a 2nd round pick to the St. Louis Skyhawks to obtain CB Chidi Iwoma. Iwoma started all 9 games for St. Louis, has a pick and two forced fumbles on the year and will likely start off as the nickel back for the Knight’s 17th ranked pass defense. Denver Builds on Strength Denver hopes they have found a difference maker in the LB corps as they make a deal with the Maulers to bring LB Joe Odom to the Mile High city. Odom cost the Gold a 2nd and a 4th round pick in this year’s draft, but the hope is that he can both line up inside on run downs when Denver often adds a 4th LB, and play swing behind all three starters, used as needed to spell Barrett Rudd, Dat Nguyen, or Kendrell Bell. The Gold already have the 2nd rated scoring defense and the 4th rated overall defense, so adding strength to strength seems to be the goal here. We continue our Mt. Rushmore Project with the two remaining 1984 expansion teams, the Maulers and the Bulls. Both clubs have had some success, with Pittsburgh garnering a league title in 1995 and Jacksonville often playing the bridesmaid role, good but never good enough to make the Summer Bowl. We start with the Maulers and one of the most prolific halfbacks ever to suit up in the spring. PITTSBURGH MAULERS No debate at all about who the GOAT for the Mauler franchise is. Mike Rozier came to the Maulers in their inaugural season, a huge signing for a new club in a new league, to land a Heisman Winner, the league’s 2nd in 2 years. The Nebraska star would remain an elite player at the pro level, named to 10 All-USFL teams and winning both the 1984 Rookie of the Year and a league MVP award in 1992. He retired in 1997 after 14 seasons with the Maulers and more than 19,000 yards rushing, a staggering number in any league. The second name to emerge from the Mauler fan vote is also no surprise, the QB who led them to their lone league title, Alan Risher. Risher came to Pittsburgh after 2 solid seasons in Arizona. The unorthodox style of the former LSU star, combining the run with the pass while never really looking fluid with either, was always a topic of discussion in the Steel City, but it got Pittsburgh wins. Statistically up and down, Risher had his best season (3,339 yards and a 25-7 TD-INT ratio) in the championship year of 1985. In third place for Mauler fans is another offensive weapon, though one would come to the Maulers after their pinnacle, arriving in 1998 and staying with the team for only 7 seasons before jumping to the NFL. Wideout Andre Rison made a huge impression, as often with his mouth as with his on field deeds. That is not to say that he was not outstanding on the field, leaving Pittsburgh with six 1,000 yard seasons in seven years. But, it was often the off-field antics and stunning soundbites that both kept him in the papers and helped endear him to Mauler fans. Finally, the Maulers, long known for defense, do end up with a defender on their Mount Rushmore. The vote was close, since the Maulers always played something of a no-name defense, but in the end 14-year veteran LB Erik Kumerow got the votes needed to round out the mountain. Still holding the Mauler record with 141 tackles in 1989, Kumerow was a mainstay in the middle for Pittsburgh from 1988 through his retirement after the 2001 season. A 3-time All-USFL selection, Kumerow retired with 1,186 tackles, 35 sacks and 11 picks in his career. JACKSONVILLE BULLS The Bulls have been a competitive team, if something of a snake bit team, since coming into the league in 1984. With 12 winning seasons in 24 years, there certainly were a lot of high water marks for the Jacksonville squad, and within those years there have also been a lot of fan favorite players. The top vote getter was one of those favorites, a player that Jacksonville fans lobbied into the Hall of Fame after several years falling short. Linebacker Vaughan Johnson finally got his yellow jacket in in 2005 on his 4th year of eligibility. It did not take him 4 votes to get into the Bulls’ version of Mount Rushmore as the 14-year Bull was the top vote getter by a pretty wide margin. Jacksonville fans split their votes for the team’s best wide receiver, but both got enough votes that we have two wideouts joining the mountain for the Bulls. The first, by a narrow margin, is Gary Clark. Clark only played 6 seasons with the Bulls before cashing in with a lucrative NFL contract, but what a run it was. He burst onto the scene with the 1984 expansion Bulls and made an immediate impact, catching a stunning 137 passes for 1,711 yards and 10 touchdowns. Clark’s numbers were astounding, and he kept it up year after year. With 120 catches in ’85, 126 in ’86, and 114 in ’87, Clark helped rewrite the expectations for a #1 receiver, and his place on the Bulls Mount Rushmore is a fitting tribute to his success. With Clark leaving for the NFL in 1990, the Bulls needed to find a new go-to target. The good news is they had already been grooming one since the 1988 draft, when they signed Brian Blades out of the U.. Blades Had two modest years (by his standards, averaging 60 catches in 1988 and 1989, but with Clark gone to the NFL, he seamlessly moved into the #1 spot and in 1990 he saw 151 targets and converted them into 76 receptions for 1,517 yards. He would do even better in future years. He may have never reached the reception numbers of Clark, but his yardage and TD production were on a par with any receiver in the league. He retired in 1999 with over 15,000 yards on 981 receptions and 96 touchdowns. So, we have a bone-crushing linebacker and two elite receivers, what else does a team need? We know you want to say QB, but that is a bit of a sticky issue for Bulls fans. They love Doug Williams, but he only stayed in Jacksonville for 3 seasons before heading to the Outlaws. They have very mixed feelings about Chris Miller and Chris Chandler, because both had moments but both are also widely blamed for playoff defeats that kept the Bulls from finding Summer Bowl glory. So, what happened? No one QB could muster enough votes, allowing a bit of a darkhorse to slip in ahead of them all. That dark horse is kicker Pete Stoyanovich. Yup, another kicker. Admittedly, as kickers go, you won’t do much better than Stoyo’s 10-year run in Jacksonville. The Indiana product retired with every Bulls kicking record, all of which he still holds, and with over 250 career field goals and a 98.2% PAT conversion rate. Sure, some purists cringe at the thought of kickers on a team’s Mt. Rushmore, but in this case, we get what the fans were thinking. Week 10 brings us a lot of divisional action, kicking off with the Bulls at Orlando on Friday Night. On Saturday we have a huge game on ESPN with the Gold and Gamblers facing off, but we also have LA at Las Vegas in what could be a make or break game for the Express. On Sunday, how about Baltimore at Philly at noon, Portland heading to Oakland at 4, and then cap it all off with a huge game in the Central Division as Chicago faces Ohio in Columbus. FRIDAY @ 8pm Jacksonville (3-6) @ Orlando (4-5) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm Charlotte (3-6) @ Tampa Bay (8-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Memphis (6-3) @ New Jersey (2-7) FOX SATURDAY @ 12pm Atlanta (2-7) @ Birmingham (1-8) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm St. Louis (2-7) @ Seattle (5-4) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm Los Angeles (3-6) @ Las Vegas (5-4) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm Houston (6-3) @ Denver (6-3) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm Baltimore (5-4) @ Philadelphia (8-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Nashville (4-5) @ Washington (7-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 12pm New Orleans (4-5) @ Boston (3-6) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Arizona (1-8) @ Texas (2-7) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm Michigan (7-2) @ Pittsburgh (3-6) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm Portland (5-4) @ Oakland (8-1) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm Chicago (7-2) @ Ohio (6-3) ESPN

Midway through the USFL season and a lot has not gone as anticipated, to say the least. Seattle and Orlando started off horribly, but appear to have found their mojo once again. But both Boston and Jacksonville, picked by many to win their divisions, are flirting with the basement instead. Oakland has had a brilliant first half, losing only once in 8 games, while the Philadelphia Stars have been consistently good enough to get the W each and every week. As we review the latest results from Week 8, we will also look at the stories of the first half of the season and make some recommendations for the second half as we look at all 28 clubs and where they stand. But, first, let’s start with the results from this week, including a massive comeback by the Gamblers, spurred by 2 minutes of frantic action. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 30 BOSTON CANNONS 27 Call it one of the greatest comebacks in league history, or one of the biggest collapses, both are equally true. How did Houston come back from a 21-point deficit in one quarter? Well, they outscored Boston 24 points in 3 drives and a defensive game-changer, that is how. This one was all Boston for three quarters, until it wasn’t. The Cannons came out firing in the first quarter and by the midway point of the 2nd it was already 21-0 Boston. Everything was working. Jerrico Cothery caught a Bledsoe TD on the Cannon’s opening drive. The next two drives for the Cannons ended with TD runs, first from Tony Hunt and then from rookie Rashard Mendenhall. It was utter domination, and even when Houston could get on the board it was only thanks to the right foot of Dan Carpenter. Houston got their first points as time wound down in the 2nd and a pretty dejected looking group went into the locker rooms down 21-3 at the half. Boston had racked up 280 yards in 30 minutes, and Houston had failed on all 5 third down attempts. Things were not looking good. But, Wade Phillips took stock at the half, made some adjustments, and asked the team to dig deep. The third quarter was quite a bit quieter for both clubs, with Houston adding 3 more points, but Boston also content to kick field goals, two in the period to build up their 27-6 lead. Houston fans were not in a good mood, but they got a break on a Boston Pass Interference call and just as the 4th quarter began, Houston was in scoring range. It took them 4 more plays after the PI, but when Shaun Alexander dove in from the 1, it at least gave Houston life. Only 9 seconds later they would get the moment that they needed. After a touchback, Boston took over on the 20 with Bledsoe in the shotgun. Bledsoe was hoping to go deep to Ochocinco, but he never saw Zak DeOssie coming. DeOssie crashed into Bledsoe and the ball flew out of his hand, back 7 yards. A mad scramble ensued, someone kicked the ball, and it rolled into the endzone, with players from both teams in hot pursuit. HB Kevin Faulk managed to get to the ball, but he was touched down by CB Jimmy Knox before he could get to his feet. It was a safety, not the 7 points Houston fans were hoping for, but still a huge play that brought the crowd to their feet and seemed to inspire the Gamblers. Houston would take the ensuing kick and in only 3 plays they would put a shock into the Cannons. After a short pass to Vernon Davis and a shorter run by Alexander on 2nd down, Houston went to the shotgun, and Boston blitzed. It was a perfect time to call a screen, and Kevin Faulk was the perfect back to receive Matt Hasselbeck’s pass. He juked, spinned, and then outran the secondary, 50 yards to paydirt. In a matter of less than 2 minutes the Gamblers had scored 3 times and turned 27-6 into 27-22. Boston could not recover. They went too conservative on their next possession, trying to slow the game down and take the now-boisterous Gambler crowd out of the game. It did not work. Three plays, barely any yardage, and the Cannons were kicking back to the red hot Gamblers. Houston would make them pay for the quick turnaround. The Gamblers took 12 plays to score, but that also killed much of the final quarter. On a 2nd and goal from the 3, Hasselbeck found Vernon Davis, and with a 2-point play to Ike Hilliard, the Gamblers were now on top by 3 and Boston was done. For the Gamblers, it was a triumphant win, a spark that could impact their season moving forward. For Boston it was their third loss in the past 4 games, and now, at 3-5, they have a huge mountain to climb in the second half if they want to get anywhere near the expectations everyone had for them in the preseason. It was the worst loss of the 5 Boston has suffered, and could well produce a hangover as the Cannons head to Baltimore next week, hoping to get closer to .500 and avoid dropping to the basement in the division. With the win, Houston earned a share of1st place with Denver, and could well be on their way to a division title. SEATTLE 33 NASHVILLE 21 The Dragons appear to have found their groove as they even their record at 4-4 with their fourth consecutive win. Much like Orlando last year, it appears that the Dragons needed time to find their rhythm, but now appear to be making all the right moves. Byron Leftwich won OPOTW with his 3 TD performance as Nashville simply was not able to get any pressure on him With Nate Burleson proving his worth to his new team (4 catches for 127 yards and a TD) and David Boston seeing fewer double teams, the Dragons appear to have found a winning formula. ORLANDO 17 CHARLOTTE 13 The Renegades win their 3rd in a row to also even their record. It was not easy, but an early Pick-Six from Lito Sheppard, and a Justin McCaerins TD catch helped the Renegades outpace the Monarchs in Charlotte. The Orlando D made life tough for Chris Weinke all game, sacking the immobile QB five times in addition to the forced throw that resulted in the interception return for a TD. Jacob Hester got the start at HB for the ‘Gades and looked very good, rushing for 96 yards on only 16 carries, with one 41-yard scamper making up the lion’s share of that total. LOS ANGELES 13 MEMPHIS 20 Memphis got back to their winning ways after a 2-game losing streak. They struggled at first with the LA Express, but were able to get a key score form Lee Evans late in the game to take the W. Favre was limited to 203 yards by a pretty good Express defense, but the Express are just not strong enough on offense to do much, even with Keyshawn Johnson returning for limited action (22 snaps) in this game. BALTIMORE 15 WASHINGTON 27 The Feds also snap a 2-game losing streak with a big win in their biggest rivalry game. Baltimore got out to an early lead but got burnt by a former player as Eddie Kennison took a simiple slant and ran it 59 yards for a score as the 2nd quarter concluded, putting the Feds up for good. A 2-yard Stewart bootleg run and a Bob Sanders pick-6 for Washington helped them pull away and improve their record to 6-2. DENVER 17 TEXAS 20 The Outlaws played one of their most complete games of the year and despite giving up 121 on the ground to Mewelde Moore (who is looking more and more like Denver’s main back), were able to hang on and defeat the Denver Gold. Texas got TD runs by Duckett (2 yards) and Troy Davis (34 yards), but needed a Rian Lindell field goal in the final minute to secure the W. Denver got 2 Leinart TD passes, but just had no time to respond to the late Outlaw field goal. OAKLAND 27 ARIZONA 10 Another week, another ugly loss for the Wranglers. Ricky Williams rushed for 112, Norwood for another 72, and Oakland had a 20-3 lead at the half. Jake Plummer could do nothing to get back in it and Arizona fell once again. They had chances, especially after Joey Harrington left the game with a nerve pinch. His replacement, Ingle Martin, was also knocked out of the game, so it was emergency QB Billy Volek to the rescue. Volek went 0 for 4 throwing, but the run game for Oakland killed time. The defense did the rest. MICHIGAN 20 CHICAGO 17 A hard hitting game and a late Michigan score send Chicago to defeat for the first time since Week 1. The Panther star of the week was Hines Ward, who caught both Panther TDs, including the 8-yard toss in the 4th that would give them the W over the Machine. What was even more impressive is that Michigan, using a HB platoon of Fargas, Washington and rookie Mike Hart, gained 173 against one of the best run defenses in football. Even Michael Turner’s 106 rushing could not compare with Michigan’s success. NEW ORLEANS 13 TAMPA BAY 21 If it weren’t for Houston’s rally, we might be calling Tampa Bay’s game the comeback of the year. Not quite as dramatic, Tampa Bay was contained for 3 quarters, with New Orleans building up a 13-7 lead after 3 quarters, but the 4th quarter belonged to the Bandits. Chris Doering caught a 34-yard scoring toss from Culpepper to give Tampa Bay a slim lead, and when Donnie Avery fumbled away a first down catch, it put Tampa in position to lock in the W, which they did with a 7-drive capped with a LaBrandon Toefield TD run. NEW JERSEY 13 ATLANTA 23 The Fire get their first win since Week 2 by knocking off New Jersey in front of a marginal crowd of maybe 19,000 in the Georgia Dome. Tyler Thigpen, in his second start, avoided turnovers and let Darren McFadden to do the heavy lifting. McFadden responded with 138 yards on the ground to fuel the Fire offense. In a game that saw mostly field goals (5 in total), a Rod Smart TD run, paired with a Thigpen to Marcus Robinson TD toss, was enough to upend the moribund Generals. PHILADELPHIA 33 BIRMINGHAM 3 Speaking of moribund, someone might want to get a mirror to see if the Stallions are still breathing after the beat down Philadelphia gave them. The Stars outgained the hapless Stallions 404-168 as rookie Steve Slaton rushed for 113 and a TD and Kurt Warner went 19 for 26 with 2 TDs. Former CFL QB Dave Dickenson was probably wishing he was in Ottawa after 5 sacks and a pick ruined his day in the hot Alabama sun. PITTSBURGH 10 LAS VEGAS 30 Tony Banks had a good first outing replacing the injured Steve McNair, throwing for 191 yards and 2 scores as the Thunder handled the Maulers with relative ease. It was 14-10 Las Vegas at the half, but the second half saw 4 consecutive Thunder scoring drives, with Banks hitting Hatchette for a 29-yard TD as the highlight. The Las Vegas defense held Cody Pickett to 119 yards passing and the Maulers failed on two 4th down attempts, as they could not find a play that worked consistently. JACKSONVILLE 17 PORTLAND 20 It just keeps getting worse for the Bulls as a long flight, a rainy day, and a game Stags team sent them to their sixth straight defeat. Early TDs from Bubba Franks and Koren Robinson put the Bulls in an immediate hole, and Portland did enough to keep the punchless Bulls from coming back on them,, despite Jake Delhomme attempting 49 passes in the game. OHIO 30 ST. LOUIS 22 Ohio wins their 4th in a row but come nowhere near covering the 13 point spread as the Skyhawks give them a fight. Two Galloway TDs helped give the Glory the W, but Jeff Blake, despite 3 picks in the game, proved again why Coach Williams likes him, throwing for 2 scores and rushing for a 71-yard TD on a busted play. Randy Moss had 4 catches for 126 yards, but was held out of the endzone for Ohio. Best & Worst of the first 8 Weeks Halftime of a season that has produced quite a few surprises. We start our midseason review with a list of the best and worst of the season’s first half. What was the best performance, the best game, the worst outing, and the biggest upset? Let’s see what our full time USFL staff of experts selected. BEST GAME: While we know folks from different fanbases will have their own favorites, our crew pretty quickly settled on Week 6’s matchup between the Memphis Showboats and the Las Vegas Thunder as the most entertaining game of the season so far. The 30-27 affair came down to the final seconds, with Brett Favre equalizing the game with only 1:25 left to play, only to watch Steve McNair orchestrate a final drive to provide a shot for rookie Taylor Mehlihaff a shot at a 50-yarder for the win. Mehlihaff connected and the Thunder took the win in a thriller. WORST GAME: New Jersey has given us two real stinkers this year, both shutout losses and both in the division, but when we look at the stats, the 23-0 debacle against the Boston Cannons has to be the worst. In a game that saw New Jersey gain only 6 first downs all game, go 1 for 14 on third down, and hold the ball for only 19:10 out of a 60 minute game, there was little to enjoy, unless, of course, you are a die-hard Bostonian who loves sticking it to the NY tri-state area. BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: We are going to give this one to Ron Dayne and his 154-yard, 3 TD game against Boston. Dayne’s ground attack was the key to Baltimore upsetting the Cannons in Boston. The big back averaged 8.6 yards every time he touched the ball, with the highlight a punishing run that went for 63 yards largely due to the Cannons’ inability to get Dayne down to the ground despite multiple hits. WORST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: We could just give this to the Generals, or to Kevin Kolb for that Boston game in which he went 7 of 31 for a total of 73 yards, but we already highlighted how bad that game was. No, we will go with more of a shocker, Brian Griese, the 2007 Offensive POTY, has had a somewhat less-successful season in 2008, but his numbers are still generally pretty good. But that was absolutely not the case Week 6 against Texas, when the Panther QB went 13 of 32, for 142 yards and a whopping 4 picks in one game. It was a huge game for Texas, and a huge letdown for a Michigan squad that had been playing well. Fortunately Griese bounced back in Week 7 with 2 TDs and a win over St. Louis, but that Texas game has to feel like a winnable game that just got away. BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: Not a name we call out often, but Ohio LB Glenn Cadrez got the job done against the Pittsburgh Maulers in Week 5. In one game he had a whole season, recording 12 tackles, 2 defended passes, a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pick-six. Not a bad day at all for a linebacker. WORST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: We are not going to single out any one player, mostly because defensive players can be scary (and vindictive), so we don’t want to call anyone out, but we are going to point at the entire Birmingham Stallion defense and ask how they ever gave up 44 points to a New Orleans team that is barely averaging 20 per game and has rookies at both the HB and 2 of 3 starting WR positions? You would expect turnovers to be the reason for such a lopsided loss (44-17), but Birmingham only committed one. The defense, on the other hand, gave up 155 yards rushing, 239 passing, and another 83 on penalties. No way to win a game to be sure. BEST UNDERDOG STORY: While we could easily point to both Charlotte and Portland for their strong first 8 games in league history, we are going to give this one to the Washington Federals, who most picked to finish 4th if not dead last in the NE Division. A 6-2 record in the first half of the season was certainly not on anyone’s radar, and, of course, this story is also in part a comeback story for Kordell Stewart, who returned from a season-long injury in 2007 and is playing better than ever. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: It has to be the Jacksonville Bulls. Expected to compete with Orlando for the Southern Division, and winners of their opening two games, the wheels have simply fallen off the bus for the Bulls as they have now lost 6 straight and are very much at risk of being mathematically eliminated very early. For a team that has the talent that Jacksonville has, this is a huge letdown. The Biggest Surprises of 2008 We mentioned earlier that this has been a season of surprises. What do we mean? Well, here is our bullpen’s list of the biggest surprises no one saw coming this year. That Portland and Charlotte would be significantly better in their first season than St. Louis and Atlanta are in their 3rd. The whole point for expansion teams is to build over time, and yet it seems like no one told any of the 4 recent expansion teams. Both Charlotte and Portland are exceeding expectations for a first year club, while the 1-7 Skyhawks and 2-6 Fire seem to be regressing. Where is the Fire club that went 7-7 as a new entry back in 2006? And how is St. Louis still so thin on talent in their 3rd season? The rookie rushers of 2008. We expected some good things, but we have gotten more than we could have hoped for. Not only is Rashard Mendenhall of Boston in the Top 5 for yards, but he is joined in the Top 20 by Philadelphia’s Steve Slaton (591 yards), Atlanta’s Darren McFadden (563 yards) and Portland’s Jonathan Stewart (513). Add to this group Breaker HB Mat Forte, with two 100-yard games to date, and Orlando’s Jacob Hester, who got his first start this week and rushed for 96, and you have quite a grouping of quality backs in one year. Of the big-name backs taken, only Felix Jones in Birmingham and Mike Hart in Michigan have yet to really bust out, and Hart was not really expected to get many touches anyway. So, all in all, this has been a very good year for rookie rushers, though we know that the 2nd half of the season is when the legs will start to feel heavy. It happens every year with the transition from fall college football to spring pro football. Hatchette and Hackett. Two receivers with eerily similar names have found themselves near the top of the receiving yards rankngs, both quite a surprise. Matt Hatchette has been a decent, if not All-Star #1 receiver for several years, but Las Vegas was never in a position to propel him to the top of the rankings. So far this year, they have found ways to get him the ball. As for D. J. Hackett, playing for an expansion club in Charlotte, where he was expected to be the #2 to Curtis Conway, he was not expected to step up this way, But, when Conway announced his retirement in camp, Hackett was the choice to move to #1 and he has responded with over 650 yards in 8 games. The comeback story of Kordell Stewart. Look, it is not like we did not expect Stewart to come in and play well for Washington, it is just that even when he was healthy the past 2-3 years, the Feds still did not do much. This year he not only returned to action but Coach Payton is finding ways to maximize his skill set and produce problems for defenses. Stewart is not a classic drop back thrower, and Payton has recognized that and built a gameplan around misdirection, and the threat of the run. That has helped McCallister, Stewart, and this Feds team as a whole. The shaky play of several preseason favorites. Pick your team, Boston? Orlando? Seattle? Jacksonville? There are a lot of 4-4, 3-5, and even 2-6 clubs who everyone expected to be 7-1 or 6-2 at this point. And while it looks like Seattle, and maybe Orlando, have figured out how to right the ships, it appears that we either grossly overestimated what Boston and Jacksonville could do this year, or they are crumbling under the pressure. Whatever the reality, it seems we are not going to see either Drew Bledsoe or Jake Delhomme in the postseason this year, and we cannot yet feel positive about Drew Brees or Byron Leftwich. Coaches Who Should Be Worried Right Now For every rising club like the Stars and Bandits, there is another club that is falling far short of fan expectations, and in many cases, owner expectations as well. We already know that Arizona’s Jim Fassel is already on thin ice after a brutal 1-7 start, but who else is on the potential hot seat right now. We see 3 coaches whose teams are not helping their job security prospects. A 3-5 start is not the kind of rebound that Mike Nolan needed in New Orleans. The goal was to prove that the Coach of the Year award from a surprise success in 2006 was the norm, not the disappointing 2007 campaign. Right now the Breakers look a lot more like that 2007 group than the road warriors from the year before. Unless Nolan can get the club to overperform in the second half, getting at least to 8-8, but better to get to 9-7 (requiring a 6-2 second half), it could be tough for Nolan to make the case that he has this team headed in the right direction. Ron Rivera was already on thin ice in Pittsburgh after a disappointing 6-8 campaign in 2007 (following a disastrous 2-12 year in 2006). He needs to show growth this year, and particularly, he needs to show that Cody Pickett is growing into a viable starter. So far that has not happened, and, with the club also sitting at 3-5, in a very tough division with 3 verifiable Summer Bowl contenders, it is looking pretty unlikely that the Maulers can reach .500 and that could mean the end for Rivera. Tom Coughlin in Baltimore has the Blitz at 4-4, which is not horrible, but it is also not great. With the Blitz not having made the playoffs since 2000, something more was expected this year. We all still believe that if the Blitz make the postseason, Coughlin is safe, but if they cannot get over the hump and show some potential for future progress, the disciplinarian may well find himself disciplined. Five Rookies Who Need to Show Us More We all know the rookies who are lighting things up this year, but there are others who we are still hoping to see more from. This is not abnormal. Every year there are rooks who need time to adjust and earn a spot on the field, but who come through in the final weeks and earn themselves a bigger role in their sophomore campaigns. So, who are the 5 rookies we think need to step it up in weeks 9-16? 5) Felix Jones—HB (BIR): Jones has been sharing carries with Marion Barber for the first 8 weeks, earning his first true start this week. But with so many rookie backs putting up strong numbers, Jones has yet to show that he deserved to be a first round pick. He is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and has only 2 touchdowns so far. What we want to see from Coach Austin and the Stallions is a commitment to put the ball in Jones’s hands 20-25 times a day, and what we want to see from Jones is an ability to turn a 3-yard gain into a 20-yarder from time to time. 4) James Hardy—WR (CHI): With Curtis Conway gone to expansion Charlotte, Hardy had the red carpet rolled out to him to be the #2 receiver. So far he has 24 catches for 290 ayrds, not horrible, but not starting wideout numbers, at least not in a Marty Mornhinweg offense. He has been losing snaps to unknown backup Arnold Brown, and that is not a good look for a high draft pick. 3) Dan Connor-LB (PHI): Very little has gone wrong for Philadelphia this year, but they do have to be somewhat disappointed in local star, Penn State LB Dan Connor, who signed on to become a force in the middle, and to date has only 4 tackles. Admitedly, Connor has not gotten a lot of snaps as the #2 MLB. Paul Posluszny simply does not take plays off, and in a 4-3, that means there is not a lot of opportunity for a 2nd MLB, but we do expect to see Coach Harbaugh rest Poz a bit down the stretch, so when he does, it is up to Connor to show that he belongs on the field on a more regular basis. 2) Brian Kehl-LB (LV): A BYU product graded as a first round pick by both USFL and NFL Scouts, so far Kehl has been a bust. He has not seen a single snap on the field. Not one. And while Las Vegas picked Kehl up in the territorial draft, so he was not technically a high draft pick a lot was expected of the former Cougar. Currently he sits behind Brady Poppinga as a backup to either Shawn Barber or Joey Porter on the outside. Why he is not subbing for either or for MLB Orlando Huff on run downs is still a mystery, but the clear message is that he is just not showing enough in practice. 1) Ray Rice-HB (NJ): We ran through our list of halfbacks above, and we mentioned Jones as a disappointment, but he comes nowhere close to Ray Rice in that department. Rice was handed the reigns and offered a shot to be the heir apparent to the retired Curtis Enis. What has New Jersey gotten? How about 2.5 yards per carry. That is not going to keep you in the lineup for long, that is for sure. Now, we understand, New Jersey has lots of issues, but when you have no run game, it can make a lot of other problems much worse. Rice needs to show something or he should expect New Jersey to go in a different direction in 2009. Baltimore and Memphis fall prey to the injury bug this week, with Blitz safety David Trujillo and Memphis tackle Anthony Clement both placed on the IR after suffering major injuries this week. They are joined on IR by Arizona safety Brian Dawkins, who was injured last week but was reevaluated this week as swelling in his injured back worsened. He is expected to be fine, but the medical team recommended his season be suspended. The only other injuries of note were the right foot of Portland strong safety Terreal Bierria (a bad week for safeties this week) and the big toe of Orlando guard Damion Cook. Expect both to be out around 2 weeks. Expect these players to be back in action after being upgraded to Probable on today’s injury list: NSH CB Lenny Walls, HOU LB Keith Brooking, CHA DE Julius Peppers, NSH WR Derrick Mason, NOR CB Billy Austin, ARZ HB Sedrick Irvin, PHI FS Anthony Dorsett, ORL OT Jonas Jennings, OHI C Richie Incognito, and MEM FB Theron Wilson. EASTERN CONFERENCE PHILADELPHIA STARS CURRENT GRADE: A+ (8-0, First in NE) HIGHLIGHTS: Pretty much everything. The defense is the best in the league (both in yardage and scoring) and the offense is 3rd, which is a huge surprise. Perhaps the biggest surprise success has been the run game, a combination of two young players, Michael Robinson and rookie Steve Slaton, both exceeding expectations. Slaton is on pace for 1,000 yards, and Robinson is not far behind. If the Stars can keep feeding the ball to these two, they will be tough to beat. ISSUES OF CONCERN: As good as the Stars have been, we are surprised to see Kurt Warner with fewer than 2,000 yards (only 1,709) and only an 8-5 TD-INT ratio. Clearly Philly does not need Warner to be Brett Favre in order to win, but improving the TD-INT ratio at a minimum should be a goal. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A to A+, 13 to 14 wins. We don’t see a 16-0 season as possible here, but the top seed in the East should be the target. TAMPA BAY BANDITS CURRENT GRADE: A+ (7-1, First in SE) HIGHLIGHTS: Before the season we noted that Tampa Bay’s receiving corps could be the worst in the league after the departure of Randy Moss. Guess it is time we ate some crow. Tampa has the 8th best passing offense, and while that may not sound like much, it is truly impressive when we look at who they have catching the ball. Chris Doering has stepped up big time, with over 581 yards and 8 TDs this year. Karl Williams, best known as a kick returner, has over 550 yardsas well, and they are getting contributions from others like Roscoe Parrish and Davone Bess as well. ISSUES OF CONCERN: While the defense is looking solid at #4 in scoring D, they Bandits do give up a lot of passing yards. Their pass rush is not as dynamic as Coach Spurrier would like, forcing the club to blitz quite a bit. That is fine now, but come playoff time, that could provide an opening for a team to exploit a thinner coverage on the back end. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A, 11 to 13 wins is very possible, and with 5 of their final 8 games in the division, Tampa Bay could wrap up a bye week pretty soon. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS CURRENT GRADE: A (6-2, First in Southern) HIGHLIGHTS: The #1 passing game in the USFL is a clear and obvious highlight for the Showboats. Brett Favre is a serious MVP candidate with 14 TDs and leading the league with over 2,300 yards passing. Lee Evans has come on as a premier receiver, on pace for a 1,300 yard season, and Robert Ferguson remains one of the best possession receivers in the game. 2nd year receiver Sidney Rice has also developed into a major threat in the slot. All good on this front. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The defense gives up a lot of yards, a lot of first downs, and a lot of time of possession. A shrewd club with the ability to run the ball and eat clock can limit Memphis’s offensive capabilities. Ranked 24th in yards allowed, the Showboats have to do better on 3rd down, as their 2-game losing streat against Las Vegas and Seattle demonstrated recently. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A-, 10-11 wins and the Southern Title. We see the Memphis defense as a significant flaw in the champion’s defense title run. There are a lot of teams out there who can take advantage of that, so unless the Showboats want to win every game as a shootout, they need to find a way to shut down drives. WASHINGTON FEDERALS CURRENT GRADE: A (6-2, 2nd in NE) HIGHLIGHTS: If grades were curved against expectations, Washington would be our top team. No one saw this level of success coming. We all knew they could run the ball, and that their defense would likely be Top 10, but it is the return of Kordell Stewart, and the Federal passing game, that has made this unexpected success possible. ISSUES OF CONCERN: As good as the Federals have been on defense (6th in scoring), they are not creating a lot of turnovers. That means the offense is typically facing longer drives and longer odds to score. It has not been an issue yet, but you know Coach Payton would like to see the D creating more short fields and momentum-shifting plays. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: B+, 9-10 wins. Recent losses to both Philadelphia and Houston seem to indicate how you go about beating the Federals. If other teams can copy the ball-control model of those two games, they might find success against a Feds team that many are still not totally sold on. ORLANDO RENEGADES CURRENT GRADE: B- (4-4, 2nd in SE) HIGHLIGHTS: Pass defense, particularly the pass rush, has been the highlight of the season for the Renegades. The team ranks #1 in passing yards allowed, at 163 a game. That is tremendous, and a big part of that has been the immediate impact of rookie Calais Campbell. Orlando is just not a team you want to come back against, because they will just pin their ears back and go after your QB. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The ‘Gades are only 4-4 for a reason, and that reason is their rushing game. Yes, rookie Jacob Hester had 100 yards this week, but that was against expansion Charlotte. The combo of Hester and Najeh Davenport has not been atrocious, but it has not been enough to keep pressure off of Drew Brees, one big reason the passing attack is ranked only 17th right now. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: B+, 8-9 Wins. We think Orlando can improve in the 2nd half. Three straight wins, all games where they allowed fewer than 14 points, seem to indicate that defense will be the reason. BALTIMORE BLITZ CURRENT GRADE: B (4-4, 3rd in the NE) HIGHLIGHTS: The arrival of Tory Holt has helped add some danger to the Blitz passing attack. It is now a Top 10 unit, averaging over 230 yards a game, and Holt is the leader of the pack with 45 receptions and over 600 yards. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Inconsistency is the biggest bugaboo for Baltimore. They have been up and down all season long, and while nearly all their losses are close games, they need to find a way to win those. Their pass rush was shaky, so they made a big trade for Jared Allen, who they hope can add some real menace to their front four. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: B+, 8-10 Wins. We are big believers in the Allen trade. If he can create more pressure, allowing the Blitz to drop 7 into coverage, their 24th ranked pass defense can get a lot better, and that may make all the difference in a team that has been in nearly every game they have lost. NASHVILLE KNIGHTS CURRENT GRADE: C+ (3-5, 2nd in South) HIGHLIGHTS: In an inconsistent and disappointing first half to the season, the one constant highlight is HB Frank Gore. Gore’s 619 yards put him on pace to hit 1,200 yards again this year. He is the one dependable feature of the Knights’ offense, and should be a candidate for All-USFL again. ISSUES OF CONCERN: As much as we want to point the finger at Jay Cutler and his 1:1 TD-INT ratio, the truth is that the big letdown this year has been the defense. Nashville is ranked 22nd in scoring D and 21st in yardage allowed. That is not typical Knights football, and it cannot be making Coach Johnson happy. The issues on defense make the trade of Jared Allen a real headscratcher for the Knights, but more problematic is a secondary that has been prone to mistiming runs on receivers, leading to a lot of missed picks and long gains instead. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C (7 or 8 wins at most). We just don’t see a way for Nashville to turn this around this year. 6-10 or 7-9 is very possible for this squad, and that is not what anyone associated with the Knights wanted for this year. CHARLOTTE MONARCHS CURRENT GRADE: A- (3-5 and 3rd in SE) HIGHLIGHTS: Yes, the Monarchs have a losing record right now, but wins over Boston, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh are solid results for a first-year expansion club. Statistically they are not great, midrange or worse in most areas, but Jim Mora Jr.’s group is finding ways to win. They appear to have a solid comeback story in HB Robert Edwards and D. J. Hackett has impressed at wideout. When Curtis Conway retired in camp, there was fear for the receiving corps, but Hackett, brought over from the NFL Seahawks, has been a quality option for QB Chris Weinke. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The Monarchs have all the usual issues that expansion teams have, a line not used to playing together, a lack of quality depth, a need for a few more gamechanging players, but overall they are exceeding expectations. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A- , 6-7 wins. If Charlotte can equal Atlanta’s 7-7 inaugural season from 2 years ago, that would be a major accomplishment, and one that could actually have them in the playoff hunt. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS CURRENT GRADE: B- (3-5, third in South) HIGHLIGHTS: As much as fans want to criticize Eli Manning’s leadership style or demeanor, you cannot argue with an 11-4 TD-INT ratio or with a rating in the 90’s. New Orleans is not an elite team, but Manning is not the reason, at least not this year. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The young receiving corps is doing better than expected, but they still are struggling to make yards after the catch, which is forcing the team to sustain long drives in order to score. They need more big plays from Bowe, Doucet, and Avery, and a lot of that may depend on more aggressive playcalling from the sidelines. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: B, 7-8 Wins. We suspect New Orleans will edge Nashville for 2nd in the division, and could be in competition for a Wild Card. That would be a good outcome for this club. BOSTON CANNONS CURRENT GRADE: D (3-5, 4th in NE Division) HIGHLIGHTS: It has to be Rashard Mendenhall. The rookie leader in rushing yards, on pace for a possible 1,400 yard season, the Illinois product has been all that Coach Fox could have asked for a year after losing Tiki Barber. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Everything else. Boston was expected to be an elite team for Drew Bledsoe’s farewell tour, geared to challenge for a Summer Bowl berth. Instead we have a 3-win team at the midway point and a team that is losing games to teams that, on paper, should not be able to compete with them. Losing to expansion Charlotte was embarrassing, but to lose 2 weeks ago to the moribund New Jersey Generals, that is shameful. This is a team that has all the talent you could want, but it is not playing good football right now. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C, 7-8 wins. We just cannot imagine Coach Fox will allow this to continue. Boston will surge in the second half of the year, and could still eke out a playoff spot if they get serious. ATLANTA FIRE CURRENT GRADE: C- (2-6, 4th in SE Division) HIGHLIGHTS: Another rookie as the highlight, with Darren McFadden proving to have been a good choice with the Fire’s 1st round pick. McFadden should finish with 1,000 yards and is the one highlight in a pretty dismal 3rd campaign in Atlanta. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The passing game is a shambles. The recent trade for Kelly Holcomb may finally be a sign that Coach Gruden has realized that David Garrard is not the man. He is now starting Tyler Thigpen, and that did produce a win this past week, but we don’t think they have either the QB or the receivers to win this year. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C-. 5-6 wins. The Fire seem to be getting worse each year. 10 losses is a real possibility this season. NEW JERSEY GENERALS CURRENT GRADE: D (2-6, 5th in NE Division) HIGHLIGHTS: Finding something that is going right in New Jersey is tough. They have already been shut out twice this season and are only averaging 9.9 points per game. If there is one player who is showing up each week it would have to be DE Reynaldo Wynn, whose 6 sacks is at least on pace for a decent 10+ final result. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Name it. Run game? Defense? QB Play? We could point to any one of them. The only reason we did not give New Jersey an F this year is that we did not expect them to be very good, so they have not failed in meeting that expectation. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: D. 3-4 wins. The Generals have some attainable games on the schedule, and could pull off another upset as they did against Boston. If they get more than 5 wins, we have to upgrade them, but for now a D seems generous. JACKSONVILLE BULLS CURRENT GRADE: F (2-6, 5th in SE Division) HIGHLIGHTS: The offense is still putting up yards, so we cannot entirely fault them. We wish they scored more than 18 points a game, but they are putting up nearly 350 yards each week. That ought to be good enough to win more games. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The entire defense minus Mike Vrabel. Vrabel appears to be the only player on D who is playing up to his talent. Lavar Arrington has become mostly invisible, the D-line is not getting the job done (Ifeanyi leads the team with only 3 sacks) and the secondary is giving up big play after big play. A total disaster for a team that was expected to be a contender. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: F. 3-5 wins. Unless the entire defense suddenly figures out what their issues are, we just don’t see the Bulls being able to turn this dumpster fire of a season into something a little less horrific. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS CURRENT GRADE: F (1-7, 5th in South) HIGHLIGHTS: If there is one positive in this season for Birmingham it may be that the ownership and coaching staff have finally come to the conclusion that Jason Campbell is not the answer at QB. Fans have been saying it for a long time. Problem is, CFL import Dave Dickenson also does not appear to be the answer. If it were not for the fact that nothing else is working either, we would say the Stallions were a lock to go for a QB in the draft. ISSUES OF CONCERN: This team is dead last in scoring defense, yards allowed, 27th in yards for, and 26th in scoring. The list of concerns is endless. First off they need a major talent infusion at nearly every position. The Stallions look and feel more like an expansion club than either of the actual expansion teams. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: F. 2-3 wins would be the most we could see coming. A 1-win season could very easily happen. WESTERN CONFERENCE OAKLAND INVADERS CURRENT GRADE: A+ (7-1, First in Pacific) HIGHLIGHTS: A lot has gone right for the Invaders this year, but we want to celebrate a defense that is allowing only 14 points per game. For us, the key to that success is a defense that is putting on a clinic on tackling. The Invaders, led by LB’s Dan Morgan and Roosevelt Colvin, are just not allowing players to break free, or find angles. They swarm to the ball, and they bring the ballcarrier down. That is a good thing to be known for. ISSUES OF CONCERN: While Burress, Jennings, and Alex Bannister are proving to be a solid 1-2-3 receiver option, the TE position is just not working for the Invader offense. Yes, both Dreesen and Dudley are being asked to run block a lot more, but when your lead TE has only 97 yards receiving at midseason, you need an upgrade. They have 2 weeks before the trade deadline comes around, so perhaps there is a move to be made. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A. 11-13 Wins and a top seed in the West seem very attainable, even playing in a very tough division. MICHIGAN PANTHERS CURRENT GRADE: A (6-2, First in the Central Division) HIGHLIGHTS: If I told you in the preseason that the Michigan Panthers would be the #1 rushing offense in the league, you would have laughed me out of the room. But that is where we are. Michigan’s 3-man rotation of Justin Fargas, Leon Washington, and rookie Mike Hart is averaging 146 yards a game. That is a huge improvement over past years, and it is propelling Michigan to surprising success. ISSUES OF CONCERN: While there are some concerns with Brian Griese’s dropoff in production, the honest concern is that they are looking at Ohio in the rear-view mirror, and they are getting nervous. There is still a sense in Michigan that the Panthers just don’t believe they are as good as Ohio, and that they will atsome point crack. They beat the Glory in Week 1 and face them again in Week 11. A win in that 2nd game could be the best thing for Michigan’s sense of self. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A, 10-13 wins and quite possibly a bye in the playoffs, if, and only if, they can hold off the Glory. HOUSTON GAMBLERS CURRENT GRADE: A- (5-3, 1st in the SW Division) HIGHLIGHTS: The Gamblers have found balance, thanks in large part to the arrival of Shaun Alexander to boost the run game. They don’t beat themselves, and they are in nearly every game, as was evident this week when they overcame a 27-6 deficit in the final quarter against Boston. ISSUES OF CONCERN: We are concerned that the offense has lost some of its explosiveness by attaining greater balance. Matt Hasselbeck is just not taking the risks in the passing game that he did in the past, and that is actually hurting the Gamblers. They rank 23rd in passing yards, which seems like a fixable problem, but one they have to acknowledge first. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A. 10-12 wins. We still see Houston as the frontrunner in the division, but they have to find more explosiveness if they want to compete with Ohio, Michigan, or Oakland in the playoffs. OHIO GLORY CURRENT GRADE: A- (6-2, 2nd in Central) HIGHLIGHTS: Four straight wins have calmed the nerves of Ohio fans who were not ready to be 2-2 after 4 weeks. The biggest reason is, drum roll, yup, the #1 rated offense in the league. Are you surprised? Kerry Collins is back in MVP form, leading the league in TD throws, Eddie George looks 24 again, and the combo of Galloway and Moss is beginning to dominate the way Ohio fans hoped it would. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Another explosive offense paired with a defense that has trouble against the run. The pass rush is there, which is good when you have a lead, but again the Glory could be susceptible to a team shortening the game and limiting possessions by using the run game against them. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A. 11-14 wins is possible. We could easily envision Ohio overtaking the Panthers and earning a bye in the playoffs. They are on a 4-game win streak, but with matchups against Tampa Bay, Chicago (2x), Michigan, Oakland, and Seattle on the docket, they do not have an easy path forward. CHICAGO MACHINE CURRENT GRADE: A (6-2, 3rd in Central) HIGHLIGHTS: If you want to know how the Machine plan to defend their Western Conference title and reach the Summer Bowl again, all you have to do is look at the defense. The Machine are #2 in scoring D and #1 against the run. They have a dominant DE in Anthony Weaver and one of the best MLB’s in the game in Brian Urlacher. Their only losses were against Michigan and Tampa Bay, so they are not playing down to their competition. They face Ohio twice in the 2nd half, so that could be huge for them. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The offense needs to be able to take some pressure off of that defense. Brady Quinn is suffering from a bit of a sophomore slump, putting up barely 1,100 yards in his first 8 games this year, and the loss of Curtis Conway has definitely left a hole in the receiving corps, one rookie James Hardy has not stepped into yet. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A-. 10-12 wins. We are worried that the offensive issues will make it a struggle when Chicago faces Ohio, Michigan, and Houston in the 2nd half of the season. The difference between 1st and 3rd in the Central could be as slim as a tiebreaker, so Chicago cannot afford to lose focus. LAS VEGAS THUNDER CURRENT GRADE: B+ (5-3, 2nd in Pacific) HIGHLIGHTS: The best thing we have seen this season from the Thunder is a greater balance between offense and defense. Yes, the defense has slipped a bit from last year, but still allows fewer than 18 points per game, while the offense is markedly improved, at least until the injury to Steve McNair. Whether they can continue their better production without him is perhaps their biggest issue right now. ISSUES OF CONCERN: We just said it. McNair is down for at least 6 weeks. Can the Thunder score enough points with Tony Banks at QB? Will they bring in a Dilfer or George to help if Banks struggles? It is a huge issue, because there is very little room for mistakes with both Portland and Seattle just 1 game behind them. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: B. 7-9 wins. We think Las Vegas will struggle to win another 5 games. If they can just break even, winning 4 of 8, they should be in playoff contention. We will learn a lot in the next 2 weeks when they play Seattle and LA back to back. DENVER GOLD CURRENT GRADE: A- (5-3, 2nd in SW Division) HIGHLIGHTS: The absolute surprise this year is that Coach Jauron has officially made Mewelde Moore the primary back and limited Cedric Benson to a role as a short yardage guy. And it is working! Moore, in his last 2 games, has rushed for 94 and 121 yards. Now, that was against Arizona and Texas, so we are a bit dubious, but if he can average even 80 yards a game, add in 20-30 from Benson, and you have a run game that can keep pressure off Matt Leinart. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The defense is solid, so nothing there, which makes Matt Leinart the biggest concern. His QB Rating has bounced back from a truly bad 2007 (from 77.3 up to 92.3), and his 14-5 TD-Pick ratio is looking really good, but there is still a lot of concern that he is one bad game away from crumbling. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A-, 9-11 wins, and a possible shot at the Division Title. Denver has 2 games left against the Gamblers. A sweep and they likely take the division, a split and we shall have to see how the tiebreakers fall. PORTLAND STAGS CURRENT GRADE: A (4-4, 3rd in Pacific) HIGHLIGHTS: Normally a 4-4 record would not get you an A grade, but for a first year expansion club, that is a phenomenal result. Add to that the fact this club has beaten some quality teams (Seattle, Michigan, and LA) and there is a lot to be excited about. Perhaps the best thing we see is a team ranked #7 in both yardage and points allowed. That is a great start for a franchise. ISSUES OF CONCERN: A. J. Feeley has struggled to get the passing game going, ranked 25th in the league. His conservative approach (or is it Coach Brooks’s conservative approach) means that he rarely stretches the defense. We are not saying Brooks should look at another option, at least not this year, but what needs to happen is that Feeley has to take some shots downfield to Koren Robinson, Roddy White or Andre Davis to open up the run game. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A-/B+, 6-9 wins. If they get to 7-7 or 8-6, they deserve an A, but if they slip a bit, which is entirely possible, a 6-10 season is still a solid B+ in our books. SEATTLE DRAGONS CURRENT GRADE: B (4-4, 4th in Pacific) HIGHLIGHTS: Basically the last 4 games, where Seattle has looked like Seattle. They have looked good against both Houston and Memphis, which is not easy to do, and they finally have their offense moving the ball consistently. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The Dragons need to do better at getting the ball into the hands of Darren Sproles. For as much as we love Corey Dillon, he should not be carrying the ball 20+ times a game at this point. Sproles is a difference maker and we are just not seeing enough opportunities in the passing game for him to help open things up for the Dragons. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: A-, 9-11 wins and a possible shot at Oakland for the division. We are going to forget the 0-4 start and say that this club could win 5-7 games in the second half. That could be enough to catch up to Oakland, especially if they can avenge their Week 1 loss when they face the Invaders again in Week 15. PITTSBURGH MAULERS CURRENT GRADE: B- (3-5, 4th in Central) HIGHLIGHTS: The Maulers have two things going for them on defense, a very solid gameplan against the run, allowing only 87 yards per game, and the ability to rush the passer with only their front four. Kyle Vanden Bosch continues to be their best defender, and CB Patrick Surtain is doing a lot to eliminate each opponent’s #1 receiver. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Cody Pickett is just not developing into the player Pittsburgh thought they were getting when they traded for him. In his few games in Seattle he held a QB Rating of over 115, but in his2 seasons in Pittsburgh (1.5 seasons really), he is closer to 80.0. That is just not good enough. He makes too many poor throws or poor decisions, evident in his 22 game TD-INT ratio of 19-22. A negative ratio is not going to keep you starting games. The Maulers are unlikely to bench Pickett for Quincy Carter, but if he cannot start making better decisions, this could be an offseason position of interest for the Maulers. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C+, 6-7 Wins. We don’t see the Maulers winning more than 4 more games, not with Oakland, Michigan (2x), Chicago, Ohio, and Orlando on the schedule. They will be lucky to get 3 wins (Atlanta, St. Louis and a split with Michigan) to finish at 6-10. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS CURRENT GRADE: C- (3-5, 5th in Pacific) HIGHLIGHTS: Rookie defenders Keith Rivers and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie have been stellar. A lot of good vibes about the future of this defense with these two added to the other top players LA has amassed on that side of the ball. Their rankings are not great, but that has more to do with having absolutely no offense to balance out games. ISSUES OF CONCERN: No one knew how good Seneca Wallace was until he went down. Neither Jeff Lewis or Jeff Garcia have been able to generate any type of offense since taking over for the injured QB. The goal right now has to be to try to win at least 1 more game before Wallace comes back (possibly Week 10) and then hope his is ready to roll and help LA finish strong. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C, 6-9 wins. If Wallace can come back with 6 weeks left, and if he can win 3 or more games in that 6-game run, the Express could make a late run, but that feels like a lot of ifs for a team that has looked hapless without him. TEXAS OUTLAWS CURRENT GRADE: D, 2-6, 3rd in SW Division) HIGHLIGHTS: The offense has definitely been better this year. T. J. Duckett continues to produce good games week in and week out and rookie QB Joe Flacco seems to be adjusting well to the pro game. Their Week 6 and Week 8 wins against Michigan and Denver were good signs of potential success to come. ISSUES OF CONCERN: The defense is still struggling to make stops, especially against the run, where they are giving up nearly 150 yards per game. If you cannot stop the run, you cannot prevent the play action pass, and if both of those are working against you, it is very hard to get wins. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: C, 5-7 wins. We think Texas could have a better second half, possibly going 4-4, which would be a nice way to finish off a year that started 0-5. ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS CURRENT GRADE: F (1-6, 5th in Central) HIGHLIGHTS: We had to look long and hard to find something Coach Williams can be happy about. We could just praise WR Taylor Jacobs again, but that record is played to death. So, we looked over the roster and we decided to at least throw some positivity at someone different, and that someone is LB Wali Rainier. The 6 year vet is contributing against both the run and the pass, with 70 tackles, 2 sacks and a pick this year. If he had more help around him, he could be an All-USFL darkhorse, but as it stands we at least recognize that he is a player to build around. ISSUES OF CONCERN: We are not seeing the kind of clear direction from Coach Williams that Skyhawk fans wanted. Blake has not been the answer at QB, despite his occasional dual threat potential. Throwing 13 picks to 7 touchdowns is not any way to hold down the starting job. Even worse, it seems Coach Williams cannot pick a HB and stick with him. He has started (and given dominant carries) to 3 different backs, and the only rusher on the team with more than 3.4 yards per carry is Larry Johnson, who was 3rd on the depth chart until this week. Will Williams stick with the Penn State product or is the seemingly pointless rotation going to continue? PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: F. 2-3 wins. We just don’t see this team suddenly finding their way and winning more games. They may get lucky in a couple of games on their schedule, or they could end up with the #1 pick in the draft. Either way, in their 3rd year we have to call this an F. ARIZONA WRANGLERS CURRENT GRADE: F. (1-7, 4th in SW Division) HIGHLIGHTS: The new stadium is nice, no sweltering heat. There we said something positive. We dare you to find anything else positive to say about this club this year. Sorry, Wrangler fans, you deserve better. ISSUES OF CONCERN: Name it. 26th in points allowed, 27th in yards allowed, 19th in scoring, and 27th in rushing despite bringing in a consistent 1,000 yard rusher in Sedrick Irvin. This absolutely feels like a club that needs a fresh start, and you know it is bad when your local hero QB is asking to be traded, as Jake Plummer has been the past few weeks. Will they let their golden boy go? Maybe they should, just to signal a whole new direction. PREDICTED FINAL GRADE: F. 1-3 wins. We do not see a single game on their remaining schedule that they should win. They have only 1 game against a team with a losing record (Week 10 @ Texas) and we think the Outlaws are likely to take that one, so a 1-15 season is very possible. A good reason to clean house. We have worked our way through the original 12 franchises in our Mt. Rushmore polling, so that brings us to the class of 1984, just one year into the league’ existence, when they added 4 clubs. Today it will be two of the more successful clubs in the league, with the current defending USFL Champion Memphis Showboats and the 3-time champion Houston Gamblers. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS I don’t even have to tell you who won the most votes as a Showboat superstar from the past. No player in the league is more synonymous with his team than the Minister of Defense, Reggie White. White dominated the line of scrimmage for 16 years, racking up a jaw-dropping 259 sacks, 12 All-USFL Team nominations, 1984 Rookie of the Year, 1990 MVP, and 1992 Defensive Player of the Year. His final season in 1999 was an exclamation point with the Showboats winning their first league title. Sadly White passed away far too soon in 2004, a victim of a cardiac arrhythmia. He was a giant among men in the USFL, and in the community, an obvious choice for the Mountain. The second highest votegetter was another longstanding leader on the Showboat squads, quarterback Heath Shuler. Chosen from the University of Tennessee in the T-Draft of 1994, he would become the full-time starter mid-way through his sophomore campaign. Shuler would go on to lead the Showboat offense for 12 seasons before a tragic car accident caused him to miss most of the 2006 season and to retire at the end of the year. It was a sad end to what had been an illustrious career. Shuler led Memphis to the title in 1999 with a 4,900 yard, 42 touchdown season, his best as a pro. He retired with more than 41,000 yards passing and over 300 career touchdowns. Shuler will be eligible for USFL Hall of Fame nomination in 2011, and we fully expect him to make the hall, but for now he is enshrined in our (informal) Mt. Rushmore. Third up was one of the best tight ends in league history, and a fixture in the Showboat passing offense for more than a decade. Adrian Cooper was not a highly touted rookie, picked in the 3rd round by Memphis in the 1991 Draft, he did not become a regular starter until 4 years later. Once he stepped into the starting role, his impact was immediate. In 1995 he caught 76 balls for over 800 yards and 5 TDs. He would only go up from there. When he retired after the 2005 campaign he had racked up over 900 catches, nearly 12,000 yards, and 99 career touchdowns at the Tight End position. He is in the conversation with Keith Jackson and Shannon Sharpe as the best at his position in league history. And in fourth place, an NFL signee who would go on to rack up some huge numbers in the USFL, wideout Mel Gray. Gray came to the USFL a savvy veteran, having already played 11 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals. He would play 7 more with the Showboats, and from the start his production was off the charts. He had 100 receptions for 1,230 yards in 1984, followed by 121 for 1,553 the following year. His 143 receptions in 1987 remains 2nd all time (to Jeff Campbell of Michigan in 1998) and Gray retired with 6 seasons over 100 catches, an absolutely amazing stat and one that absolutely places him among the elite not just for the Showboats, but for the league as a whole. HOUSTON GAMBLERS Another club with some pretty obvious superstars to add to the mountain. We start with the man who is still the face of the franchise, appearing often at games and team events and a big presence in the city of Houston, Quarterback Jim Kelly. The orchestrator of Mouse Davis’s Run & Shoot offense, and the team leader for three title runs, Kelly is a legend for the Gamblers. Kelly was voted league MVP three times, including twice in seasons when he did not win the title. He retired in 1996 with over 53,000 passing yards and 412 touchdowns. Along with Reggie White, another indisputable Best of the Best in the USFL. And you almost never talk about Kelly without also talking about the 1988 Rookie of the Year and 9-time All-USFL running back, Thurman Thomas. Thomas was the piece the Run & Shoot needed to get over the hump and win a title. He came on the scene from Oklahoma State in 1988, rushing for 1,331 yards and 9 TDs as a rookie, and helped Houston win the USFL title his first year. He would go on to lead the team in rushing for a decade, rushing for 11,503 yards and 86 touchdowns, while also becoming one of the most prolific receiving backs in football history. But Houston’s success was not entirely predicated on its offense. The Gamblers quickly became known as a team that could shut down opponents as well. A big piece in Houston’s early defensive strength was linebacker Kiki DeAyala, a 2001 Hall of Fame inductee, the Gamblers’ first. DeAyala was an original Gambler, coming to the team in 1984. He would play 12 seasons on the Gambler defense, winning two titles and being named All-USFL 3 times. Finally, a player from slightly later in the Gambler’s history. While the early Gamblers teams were led by the Mouseketeers (Ricky Sanders, Clarence Verdin, Gerald McNeil, and Richard Johnson), the acknowledged best receiver in Houston history did not arrive until 1995. Antonio Freeman, signed as a rookie out of Virginia Tech, caught 73 passes for 1,266 yards in his freshman season. He would go on to lead the Gamblers in receiving for over a decade, retiring in 2006 with over 15,500 yards, 1,011 catches, and 104 career touchdowns. Week Nine and the 2nd half of the USFL season kicks off with a good one in Memphis as the rival Knghts come in from Nashville for a short but very meaningful road trip. On Saturday the highlight is the ESPN Saturday Night game with the Thunder and Dragons clashing in Seattle. Portland and LA are also going head to head in the Pacific Division on Saturday, while Boston clings to its playoff dreams in a tough road game in Baltimore. On Sunday, our game of the day has to be the FOX national broadcast of the Bandits at the Glory. Three losses between these two clubs means we are in for some high quality football there. Orlando at New Orleans should be another interesting matchup, and despite their records, any game between the Texas Outlaws and Houston Gamblers is usually really entertaining. FRIDAY @ 8pm Nashville (3-5) @ Memphis (6-2) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm Chicago (6-2) @ Charlotte (3-5) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Boston (3-5) @ Baltimore (4-4) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm Philadelphia (8-0 @ Jacksonville (2-6) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm Portland (4-4) @ Los Angeles (3-5) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm New Jersey (2-6) @ Denver (5-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm Las Vegas (5-3) @ Seattle (4-4) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm Orlando (4-4) @ New Orleans (3-5) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Birmingham (1-7) @ Washington (6-2) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm Tampa Bay (7-1) @ Ohio (6-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Arizona (1-7) @ Michigan (6-2) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm Atlanta (2-6) @ St. Louis (1-7) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm Texas (2-6) @ Houston (5-3) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm Oakland (7-1) @ Pittsburgh (3-5) ESPN