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Playoff Picture: No teams have clinched a berth yet. Boston and Seattle can clinch with a win in Week 10. St. Louis is the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

A challenging week for the teams with the three best records in the league as Boston goes down for the first time all year, playing without Drew Bledsoe, Memphis also falls in a tough rivalry game, and Seattle gets a bit of a scare but now stands as the last unbeaten squad. We also had a midseason coach firing in the Central Division, and a very unexpected trade as the Maulers make LA an offer they couldn’t refuse. All this, plus three overtime games all in Week 8 of the USFL. OAKLAND 37 BOSTON 31 overtime We had a feeling that when we talked about the two unbeatens in the USFL last week that we might end up jinxing one or both of them. And while the more obvious cause for Boston’s first loss of the year was the absence of Drew Bledsoe from the starting lineup, we cannot help but feel a bit responsible. The Oakland Invaders played the Cannons tough, as they did last week against Seattle, but this time they would find a way to get the extra score they would need, in overtime, to take the win and knock Boston from the ranks of the unbeaten. Boston knew they would be without their MVP candidate QB in this one, with Bledsoe nursing a foot injury that made playing under center, dropping back, pivoting and throwing with authority very difficult. Rather than have him hobble through a low-impact inter-conference game, the Cannons opted to sit him this week and give promising backup Adrian McPherson get the start. McPherson did not disappoint, completing 18 of 25 passes for 311 yards and 3 scores, but when Boston needed a bit of magic, the backup could not deliver, which seems what you would expect. This was a game of swinging momentum from the beginning, with Oakland scoring 13 of the first 16 points in the game, then Boston scoring 28 unanswered, followed by 23 unanswered by the Invaders. Some radical back and forth as neither team could take full control at any point, exactly what you might expect of two quality clubs going head to head. It would take Oakland only 7 plays a 2:16 to get on the board, marching down the field with yet another scripted series of plays (classic Bill Walsh style from Dennis Green). Rickey Williams would get the score on a 1-yard plunge, just one of his 68 yards rushing on the day. Boston could not respond immediately, going 3-and-out, and Oakland would add another three on the next drive as Joe Nedney connected from 44 yards out. Boston would respond with a field goal of their own, and then Oakland would land a 21 yard field goal after having to settle on 4th and goal. And here, early in the 2nd quarter, is when momentum shifted. Adrian Mcpherson, who had been only 2 of 7 early on, connected on a big one, a 56-yard bomb to Chad Ochocinco that drew Boston back to within 3 points. Oakland could not reply in kind, and on the final drive of the 2nd quarter Boston milked the clock, used the run game effectively and rookie Tony Hunt got his one 1-yard dive to put the Cannons on top 17-13 going into the break. Boston would get the ball first in the 3rd quarter, and they immediately capitalized with McPherson hitting Tiki Barber on a 1st down screen that went for 30 yards, and then finding Joe Jurevicious on a fade route for 7 more, to go up 24-13. It all was heading Boston’s way, as a quick pass to Lovell Pinkney was bobbled, caught, and then popped loose by the hit of CB Fred Smoot. The ball was recovered by the Cannons and they again put 7 on the board, again with McPherson hitting Ochocinco. It was 31-13 and it all appeared to be going Boston’s way. On their next possession, Oakland had to settle for another field goal, but they too would get a break and a momentum swing, as return man Oronde Gadsden would be hit hard by LB Patrick Chukwarah, who would recover the kickoff fumble and give Oakland a short field and an emotional lift. 6 plays later Jerious Norwood would punch the ball in and the Invaders were back in range at 31-23. Eight points were all they needed in the last 9 minutes of the half. But they would need to slow down the Boston offense as well. They did more than slow them down, they picked off McPherson on a forced throw to Chad Ochocinco. Will Allen snatched the ball away from the double-covered Cannon, and once again Oakland was in business. It would take them only 1 play and a PAT to get even. On first and 10 from the Boston 40, Joey Harrington faked the ball to Ricky Williams, rolled out to the right and saw Plaxico Burress in single coverage. Burress went up high for the 50/50 ball, and came down with it in the end zone to put the Invaders within 2 points. On the vital PAT play, Oakland lined up with 3 wide, but put the ball into Ricky Williams’s hands. The big back did what he usually does, plowed right into LB Roman Phifer, catching him in the chest with a shoulder pad, and knocking him back and to the side as Williams plunged in for the game-tying score. All tied up at 31, but with enough time for a Boston rally. That rally would not come, as McPherson missed James Whalen low on a 3rd and 5 toss from their own 37. They would punt and Oakland would opt to sit on the ball and take their chances with overtime. It was a good call as Oakland won the coin toss, took the ball first, and led a methodical drive downfield. A touchdown would win it without Boston getting a shot, and they were determined to make that happen. Coach Green mixed up runs by Williams with short passes from Harrington to crossing receivers. Greg Jennings was vital on the drive, catching 2 of his 4 receptions on the day, and on a 1st and 10 from the 12, it was a feint to Jennings that moved the safety and allowed Harrington to connect with Kevin Dyson for the game winner. A really nice win for an Oakland squad that has really been coming on. A first defeat for the Cannons, but one that fans can write off as a club making due with the backup QB in the game. Bledsoe is expected back in Week 9 and Boston fans will be ready for the Cannons to get back to their winning ways. NEW JERSEY 13 LOS ANGELES 16 overtime Friday Night gave us a cross country classic as once again the Generals faced off against the Express. This one would go to overtime as neither team could get into position at the end of regulation to win the game. The Express would get a Steve Christie kick on the opening possession of the extra period and New Jersey’s Ryan Longwell would not get a chance to equalize as the Generals failed on a 4th and 4 on their final drive. PITTSBURGH 16 ST. LOUIS 5 The Skyhawks outgained the Maulers but could only muster 3 points on offense in a pretty brutal game to watch. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 2 touchdowns, but only 30 yards on the day as the Maulers struggled to get anything going. But, fortunately for them, St. Louis also could not muster any offense in a sloppy, ugly game in the dome. OHIO 23 WASHINGTON 17 overtime Washington was able to take Ohio to overtime, but an Eddie George TD in the extra period gave the game to the Glory, who continue to struggle with offensive continuity. Joey Galloway would gain 123 yards on 5 receptions, but Ohio came up short in the red zone on 3 occasions. Washington was led by Deuce McCallister, who rushed for 125 and a score. DENVER 3 HOUSTON 27 Houston found their defense in this one, as the Gold were held to 206 total yards and lost the ball twice on Matt Leinart interceptions. Houston started off scoring with a defensive TD as Shaun Williams returned one of Leinart’s passes 35 yards for the score. Tatum Bell and Ike Hilliard would produce the other Houston scores as they take this one easily in NRG Stadium. CHICAGO 27 MICHIGAN 44 Michigan had it all working as they racked up 414 yards of offense against Chicago. Brian Griese would throw for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Panthers, despite struggling to run the ball, picked apart the Machine. Chicago’s Brady Quinn would throw for 3 scores to keep the Machine close for a half, but by the end of the 3rd this was Michigan’s game. JACKSONVILLE 28 TAMPA BAY 31 A big win for the Bandits, who level both clubs’ records at 4-4 by knocking off the Bulls in front of 55,407 friendly Bandit fans. TE Jeremy Shockey had a huge day, catching 4 ball for 80 yards, with 3 of them going for scores. For Jacksonville, Jake Delhomme threw for 3 scores but also tossed two picks, a rarity for the accurate QB. ATLANTA 10 BIRMINGHAM 17 Touchdowns from Marion Barber and Shaun Alexander helped the Stallions get the win despite losing Jason Campbell to injury in the first quarter. Backup Alexander Wright would go 12 of 17 in the win, while David Garrard, in his return to action, would throw the ball 51 times, completing 33, but not producing a TD. The Fire pulled to within 7 midway through the 4th quarter but could not get the final score they needed to send the game to overtime. BALTIMORE 7 PHILADELPHIA 37 Any thoughts that the Stars without Kurt Warner would dry up and blow away were dispelled by their romp over Baltimore. Matt Gutierrez’s 164 yard, 1 TD game was not earth-shaking, but combined with 167 yards on the ground from Ahman Green and Michael Robinson, including 4 TDs between them (3 by Green) were more than enough to blow past an ineffective Baltimore offense. ORLANDO 23 NEW ORLEANS 17 It looked good early for New Orleans, but the second half belonged to Orlando as Drew Brees connected with both Justin McCaerins and Brandon Marshall on scoring tosses to fuel the comeback win for the visitors. ARIZONA 17 TEXAS 14 Jake Plummer returned to action, a bit rusty, but effective enough to edge the Outlaws in San Antonio. A Jimmy Williams pick-six of Jeff George certainly helped the cause as the Arizona defense actually looked competitive in this one. SEATTLE 21 LAS VEGAS 15 The Las Vegas defense certainly put a crimp in Seattle’s game, but a crimp was not enough to secure a win. Byron Leftwich would still connect with David Boston on two scoring throws and Corey Dillon would slog for 90 yards on 25 carries in the win. It was, however, a good game for Marshawn Lynch, who powered his way to 123 yards rushing. NASHVILLE 21 MEMPHIS 14 The Sunday Night Tennessee Tussle was everything we could have hoped for, a knock-down brawl between two rivals who don’t like each other very much. Brett Favre threw TDs to Sidney Rice and Maurice Smith, but a Jared Allen sack-fumble-recover-TD play sank the Memphis spirits, and a Musa Smith TD run finished them off for good as Nashville moves to a half-game of the Showboats with the win. Boston & Memphis Fall, Seattle Struggles for 8th Win As we said in our opening, this was a week where two of the three best records in the league saw defeat. Boston fell to Oakland in an epic overtime game, a loss they can justify as they were forced to play without Drew Bledsoe. Memphis also played in a very tight game, theirs a rivalry matchup with Nashville that was decided by turnovers and third downs. Memphis had two turnovers, Nashville none, and the Knights also converted 33% of their 3rd downs, while the Showboats went only 1 of 13 on the day. Neither loss is a huge concern for either club, though both now find their divisions to be a bit tighter. Memphis’s lead on Nashville is down to ½ game, thanks the Knight’s earlier tie at Baltimore. Boston still has a 1-game lead on the Philly Stars, and is set to play the Stars twice in the final 6 weeks of action. So, for fans of both teams, the pressure will be on to get back to winning ways as fast as possible. The two losses mean that Seattle is now the team with a target on their backs. Las Vegas gave them a run this week, but the Thunder, while one of the league’s best defenses, struggles on offense. It will not get any easier for the Dragons over the next few weeks as they face Denver, Oakland, Las Vegas again, and then LA. All of those clubs are at or above .500 and all want a piece of the Dragons. Seattle will likely be favored in each of those games, though a road trip to Oakland may prove to be a slight advantage for the Invaders. And while Coach Lewis and the Dragons are saying all the right things, the cliché thing about playing one game at a time, the pressure will continue to mount will each week. Express Surprise Many with Trade We did not see this one coming, but sometimes a team just gets made an offer they cannot refuse. That appears to be the case for the Express when Ron Rivera and the Maulers came calling, offering up two early draft picks and a player for HB DeShaun Foster. Foster has been splitting time with 2nd year UCLA grad Maurice Jones-Drew, but with MJD getting more and more carries this season, and with Foster on the last year of his contract, the offer was too good to pass up. Pittsburgh sends LA a solid runner in former Panther Ladell Betts, as well as a 2nd rounder in 2008’s draft and a 3rd in the 2009 draft. That is a lot to get a halfback, but Pittsburgh was struggling to get big plays from the run game with the combo of Betts and Brandon Jacobs, both big backs with limited elusiveness. With Foster they get a one-cut back who has the ability to make people miss. Foster was a 1,000 yard back in 2004, and was not too keen on splitting carries with Jones-Drew in LA. Now, as a Mauler, he will be the feature back, pulled out of games only on some short yardage plays when Jacobs is a natural choice. It is a move that clearly indicates that the 4-4 Pittsburgh Maulers feel they have a shot to compete in the Central. With Ohio slipping a bit compared with preseason picks, and Michigan and Chicago both having solid, but mid-range results this year, there is a very wide-open field in the division. If this move helps add more of a run game to the Maulers, it will benefit QB Cody Pickett, and the entire team. Pittsburgh could find themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot, a position which would very much benefit Coach Rivera. For LA, they move to a scenario where they give MJD every chance to become a true bell cow back, while having Betts available for short yardage and goalline. They also pick up two very useful draft picks for the next two years. A deal too good to pass up. Griese Signs a Long Term Deal with Panthers There is one less QB who the NFL could poach this season, as a very strong first half of the season by QB Brian Griese convinced Michigan management to lock up the former backup. Griese, who had been a starter in Seattle and Philadelphia, is having perhaps the best season of his career. His QB Rating currently sits at 122.4, a personal best, and the Panthers have been putting points on the board, especially in division, where they put 55 and 57 up against Ohio, 44 up against Chicago this week, and 37 against St. Louis. They have scored over 30 points in each of the past 4 games, and sit at 5-3, tied with Ohio for 1st, but having already beaten the Glory twice. Griese will be getting a 4-year deal, and while it is not the highest paid QB deal in the league (that belongs to Favre with the Showboats), it puts him in the Top 6, and by far the most he has made in the USFL. The deal locks him into being a Panther, meaning that Michigan will not have to worry about NFL poaching and will certainly protect Griese as one of the 15 players from the club to be held out of the 2008 Expansion Draft for Portland and Charlotte (The league agreed to move the protected list from 12 to 15 players this offseason). A good deal for the Panthers and welcome recognition for a QB who is feeling vindicated now that he has been given this opportunity with the Panthers to become a starter again. Arizona Shakes up Backfield & Coaching Staff To say this season has not gone as planned for the Arizona Wranglers is an understatement. The 1-7 Wranglers have seen their defense collapse, their QB get hurt, and their run game make no gains at all. Something had to give, and that thing was that Jim Fassel needed to shake things up or risk being a victim of Black Monday only 1 year removed from a playoff season. Fassel shook things up this week, focusing on both of his team’s weak spots. He retained OC Greg Landry, but let running backs coach Kirby Wilson go. He also released defensive coordinator Frank Bush from his duties. The run game and the defense have been major letdowns for the Wranglers in this epic collapse of a season. For both positions, Fassel went with Wrangler alums, promoting linebackers coach and former Wrangler LB Brian Noble to the DC position and signing on another former Wrangler HB James Wilder to be the new Running Backs Coach. Wilder, who played with the Wranglers from 1986-1989 and rushed for 1,065 yards in 1988, will have the responsibility to work with rookies Antonio Pittman and Chris Henry to try to get more out of the duo. Wilder immediately reestablished Pittman as the starter, with Henry moving up the depth chart to 2nd, much to the dismay of veteran Ahmaad Galloway, who is currently the leading rusher for the Wranglers. Chicago loses LB Tommy Polley for the season with a broken hip and Denver RT Jason Odom is also gone due to a knee injury. In Philadelphia LB Quinton Caver is also out for the year in a week that saw three additions to the IR and several more big injuries. Not going to IR, but also significant injuries we find New Jersey guard Chad Ward (4-6 weeks, neck), Oakland RT Kwame Harris (4-6 weeks, shoulder), Nashville DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (4-6 weeks, foot), Memphis DE Paul Toviessi (2-4 weeks, abdomen), and St. Louis SS Bobby Myers (1-2 weeks, nerve). Obviously, the KGB injury is a huge concern for the Knights, as KGB was leading the club in sacks. He will be replaced by Parys Hardson, though there is a good chance that Jared Allen will move to LE and Hardson will take over on the right side. Among those listed as Doubtful or Questionable this week we have NSH corner Reggie Rusk, Birmingham QB Jason Campbell, NJ center Jeremy Newberry, LA corner Carlos Rogers, Arizona WR Santana Moss, Pittsburgh LB Dwayne Rudd, and Boston QB Drew Bledsoe, still dealing with a nagging foot injury and likely to be a gametime decision. ESPN Football League to get “Enhanced Broadcast” coverage of Saturday Night Football. While the USFL continues to work with partners to try to enhance options for live feeds on their partner network with ESPN, the EFN or ESPN Football network, an internal deal within ESPN will be bringing live game action to the network for the first time in 2008. The cable sports giant will opt to dual broadcast their Saturday Night USFL games with two different crews on both ESPN and the EFN. ESPN will get the usual team of Craig James and Mike Patrick. The new EFN broadcast will be an “enhanced broadcast” with greater analysis and commentary from the In-Studio team rather than an on-site team. The In-Studio team, consisting of Chris Berman, Trey Wingo, former LA Express QB Steve Young, and longtime Memphis Showboats lineman Jamie Dukes. The goal is to create an atmosphere during the broadcast of a group of friends watching the game and commenting as events unfold, more of a “you are in a buddy’s home” feel than the standard broadcast. The game itself will be shown on the main screen, with a stat ticker running below the screen, but frequent “cut ins” from the crew, analyzing replays and adding commentary sections during timeouts and breaks. The plan is to pilot this for one year with the Saturday Night games, and, if ratings are solid, to expand to the Sunday Night game as well. It will be a very different broadcast style than a standard in-stadium experience, hoping to maximize on fantasy football fans as well as broadcasts in bars, where the more banter-heavy style might allow for a more dynamic broadcast. ST. LOUIS'S SHELL SACKED (BY THE SEA SHORE?) Just as we were ready to “go to press” we received verified reporting that the St. Louis Skyhawks have released head coach Art Shell from his duties, effective immediately. This comes only 2 days before the Skyhawks are set to visit Chicago to face the Machine. Apparently the 1-7 start and dissent on the team itself have convinced ownership that a change is necessary. We do not have a lot of details at this time, however it appears that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will take on interim duties and will be on the sideline this week against Chicago. This is Shell’s second stint as a USFL head coach, and his second firing. He was head coach in Arizona from 1997-2003, and now is let go in St. Louis after only 21 games at the helm of the expansion franchise. St. Louis has gone 5-17 in this period. After a 4-10 inaugural season, expectations were there that the team would equal or better that record in their second year, but so far the Skyhawks have found winning difficult, and sit tied for the worst record in the league with New Orleans. Shell’s Skyhawk squads have struggled to score and to stop others from scoring. While the club is mid-range in several other statistical categories, they are 24th in scoring at only 14.4 points per game, and dead last in scoring defense at 28.5 PPG, a combination that creates the worst point differential in the league. Their only win this year was a narrow 23-20 win over Orlando back in Week 3. Rob Ryan will step in as the Interim Head Coach. Ryan, a defensive specialist, has been with St. Louis since Shell was hired, and previously worked as a position coach with Western Kentucky, Oklahoma State, the NFL Cardinals, and with Shell’s Wranglers in the last 2 seasons of his stint there. There is no word yet as to whether Ryan will be a candidate for the permanent position, though we expect that the club’s performance over the final 6 games of the season will have a large say in that decision. Pardee, Davis, Kelly and the Run & Shoot You cannot talk about the early years of the USFL and the eventual dynasty that was the Houston Gamblers from 1987-1996 without talking about the Run & Shoot. During the 10 year period between Houston’s first league Championship Game appearance and their 3rd title in 1996, the Gamblers appeared in the playoffs 9 times, and the league’s title game a stunning 6 times. They were, without a doubt, the dominant team for a decade, and while there were certainly stars across the roster, including a very good defense, the key to the Gamblers began with and continued to be the run & shoot offense. The style, using 3-4 receivers, rarely seeing a tight end on the field, and using a lot of running out of the spread formation, may have been unconventional, but when the right players were put into place in that system, it was about as dangerous and hard to defend as any offensive scheme ever seen. The brainchild of Houston OC Mouse Davis, the Run & Shoot was implemented in the first year of the Gambler franchise, 1984. Houston would make the playoffs as an expansion team in that 1984 season, averaging over 24 points per game. That average would rise over the Jack Pardee years, even after Davis left Houston for a Head Coach gig in Denver in 1986. During Pardee’s tenure, from 1984 through 1989, the Gamblers would continue to hone the system, and with the arrival of HB Thurman Thomas from Oklahoma State, paired with 1984 acquisition QB Jim Kelly of Miami, the system flourished fully. Houston would ride that dynamic duo, along with wideouts Ricky Sanders, Clarence Verdin and Ernie Jones, to their first championship game in 1987 and their first title in 1989. When Jack Pardee heard the siren call of the NFL and left after the 1989 season, ownership was keen to bring in a coach who would retain the Run & Shoot, and found one in former Cal head coach Ray Willsey. Willsey, who would focus mostly on improving the Houston defense into one of the league’s best, was more than happy to have a wide-open offense that allowed him to focus on protecting leads and rushing the passer. From 1990-1996 the Gamblers would win two more titles, knocking of Pittsburgh 34-28 in 1992 and then defeating Tampa Bay in a wild Summer Bowl 1996 that saw the two teams combine for 73 points in a 38-35 Houston win. The Gamblers would also appear in the Summer Bowls of 1993 (losing to Brett Favre’s Stallions) and 1995, where they lost to the Maulers in another shootout, 44-37. Along the way Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas would set records for the club, and in the league. Thomas would establish himself as one of the most dangerous dual threat backs in any pro league, while Kelly would win the league MVP three times, including back to back wins in 1995 and 1996. He would win the Playoff MVP in 88, 92, and 96, and would be named to 10 All-USFL teams. While later Houston teams would become famous for their defensive might, the success of the Run & Shoot would put the Gamblers on the map, and go on to influence offensive football across both the USFL and NFL. Mouse Davis would bring it to Denver and then the NFL Oilers. Jack Pardee would also become an outspoken proponent of the system, as would several coaches that followed in their footsteps. The style has even been adapted to the college game, where teams now commonly run a variation known as the “Spread” offense. Even conservative teams will now occasionally line up in sets with 4 wideouts, even 5 wideouts and “empty backfields” to exploit coverages. What began in Houston with the USFL Gamblers is now a common feature of most offenses, and in some cases remains the dominant offensive style for teams at many levels of football. WR Gary Clark: Mr. 100. In an earlier article we highlighted the 100-reception season put together by Stars receiver Scott Fitzkee. We got a lot of mail after that posting, as many pointed out that while an occasional 100-reception season might be a highlight for several pro receivers, there was really only 1 man synonymous with the feat. That player was Gary Clark, Mr. 100. Clark played for the Jacksonville Bulls from 1984 through 1989, left for the NFL Redskins, and then returned to the USFL to finish his career with the St. Louis Knights, playing 2 years in the Gateway City. And while Clark certainly has a lot to boast about in his two-league career, it is undeniably his run of 100-reception seasons that he is most proud of, and which fans, particularly Bulls’ fans are eager to highlight. From 1984 with the expansion season Bulls, through 1987, Clark reached the 100-reception milestone not once, but 4 consecutive seasons. And it was not even close in those 4 seasons, with Clark finishing each 16-game season with 137, 120, 126, and 114 receptions. He averaged just over 170 targets per year in those years as well, and it was not as if he was playing in a dink-and-dunk offense. His yardage totals were among the best in the league each year as well, with 1,711 yards in his first season in the league, and over 1,400 yards in each of the four 100-reception seasons. Clark would be named to 4 straight All-USFL teams, after all, how could you keep him off with his production? While he would never win a title, his production helped Jacksonville move from a very respectable 6-10 in their first year as a club to 9 wins in 1985 and 11 in 1988. Clark, perhaps due to his NFL stint, or the short run of very strong seasons, was passed over for Hall of Fame recognition, but was inducted into the Bulls Ring of Honor in 2000 and is a favorite for reconsideration when the USFL and the Hall of Fame institute a new Early Heroes ballot into the hall voting in 2010. Over 6 seasons in Jacksonville and his final 2 in St. Louis, Clark amassed a total of 813 receptions for 8,883 yards and 60 touchdowns, meaning that in his 8-year USFL career he averaged over 100 receptions per year, 1,100 yards, and 8 TDs per season. Those are numbers most would be elated to have, and numbers we should recognize and celebrate. So, our apology for not writing about Mr. 100 a lot sooner. He was, and is, a true legend of the USFL. We will be honest, Week 9's matchups are not exactly the stuff of legends. NBC was hoping they would get a great Central rivalry game with St. Louis and Chicago, but the Skyhawks are in a bit of turmoil and we expect a Chicago cakewalk. Their are some solid divisional games, particularly on ESPN this week, with Boston-Philly and Orlando-Jacksonville, but not a lot of excitement for the day games. Nashville-LA is a good potential Saturday game, and Houston v. Las Vegas could also be worth a watch, though do not go into that game expecting a lot of scoring. FRI @ 8 pm St. Louis (1-7) @ Chicago (4-4) NBC SAT @ 12pm Tampa Bay (4-4) @ Atlanta (2-6) ABC SAT @ 12pm Washington (3-5 @ New Jersey (3-5) ABC SAT @ 12pm Texas (2-6) @ Baltimore (3-4-1) FOX SAT @ 4pm Nashville (5-2-1) @ Los Angeles (5-3) ABC SAT @ 4pm Oakland (5-3) @ Arizona (2-6) FOX SAT @ 8pm Boston (7-1) @ Philadelphia (6-2) ESPN SUN @ 12pm Birmingham (3-5) @ Michigan (5-3) ABC SUN @ 12pm Memphis (6-2) @ New Orleans (1-7) FOX SUN @ 12pm Ohio (5-3) @ Pittsburgh (4-4) FOX SUN @ 4pm Denver (4-4) @ Seattle (8-0) ABC SUN @ 4pm Houston (4-4) @ Las Vegas (4-4) FOX SUN @ 8pm Orlando (3-5) @ Jacksonville (4-4) ESPN

Midseason and we still have 2 unbeaten teams in the USFL. Is it too early to talk about 14-0 and wonder if it is possible not once but twice? Probably. What we can say is that outside of Boston and Seattle there is a lot of parity and a lot of uncertainty around the league. Memphis is impressive, with their 6th win in a row. Michigan, Houston, and Chicago have the next longest win streaks at only 2 games. Birmingham, Arizona, and St. Louis have the longest losing streaks at 4 games, and we have a whopping 15 of 26 teams sitting with either 4 or 3 wins. So, a lot left to decide as we look to the second half of the season. We start our look at Week 7 with Seattle’s 7th win, a tough win but the Dragons find a way. OAKLAND 21 SEATTLE 27 overtime It took overtime, but the Seattle Dragons managed to land their 7th straight win and remain unbeaten despite a very game Oakland squad. The Dragons raced out to a 21-7 lead but had to withstand a major shift in momentum and pull the game out with a game-winning opening drive in the extra period. Oakland came into this game hoping to limit the success of Corey Dillon, the player they saw as the key to Seattle’s success. However, in doing so (Dillon was limited to 3.5 YPC an 74 yards) they created space for play action, and, more troubling, single coverage for David Boston. Boston would make them pay, scoring all three Seattle TDs in regulation and gaining 166 yards in the process. The Dragons, not facing Joey Harrington but Ray Lucas, also focused on stopping their opponent’s ground game, with slightly less efficacy, allowing 103 yards to the combined efforts of Ricky Williams (83) and Jerious Norwood (20). They also saw a similar effect, as Plaxico Burress found himself in single coverage much of the game, finishing with 9 receptions for 116 yards. Oakland opened the game with a scripted first drive, one which produced points as Ray Lucas found TE Lovell Pinkney from the 8 yard line to give the visitors an early 7-0 lead. Seattle responded with the first of Byron Leftwich’s 4 TDs on the day, and the first strike to Boston, a 32-yard corner route that saw the CB out of position and Boston able to make the catch uncontested. Seattle, shutting down Oakland’s offense for most of the first half, moved into the lead in the 2nd quarter when Leftwich hit Boston again, this time from 25 yards out, on what was really a 15 yard out route that got turned upfield and into the endzone. The Dragons went into the half ahead, but with Oakland making things difficult. That difficulty continued throughout the third quarter, when both defenses seemed to take the upper hand. Both teams combined for 6 punts in the third quarter alone. When the 4th quarter began, Leftwich was able to find Boston a third time and the Dragon lead jumped to 14 points, but Oakland was still fighting. The Invaders added 3 on a Joe Nedney field goal at the 7-minute mark, and then got the big play they needed all day. Leftwich tried to squeeze a pass in to Jeramy Stevens, but Oakland LB Roosevelt Colvin anticipated the pass, stepped in front of Stevens and returned the pick 42 yards for the score. A shovel pass to a motioning TE Joel Dreesen on the 2-point PAT attempt was successful and the Invaders were within 3. Oakland’s D would again come up big, shutting down the Dragons on three consecutive plays, thanks in part to the 6th sack of Leftwich on the day, this one a Justin Smith edge rush on 3rd and 8. Oakland got the ball back just outside the 2-minute mark, and drove the ball all the way to the Seattle 8-yard line. The Dragon D stiffened inside the 10 and when a 3rd and goal throw to Greg Jennings missed high, Coach Green settled for the game-tying field goal instead of a very risky 4th and goal call from the 8. Seattle would win the coin toss to start overtime and opted to take the ball. Oakland would never gain possession again. Seattle used a Darren Sproles screen, two Dillon runs, and a nice deep ball (26 yards) to former Blitz wideout Darnerien McCants to get the ball deep into Invader territory. Not willing to settle for a field goal, Seattle drove down to the 3-yard line, and when Leftwich hit Stevans on a rub route, they got the walk-off score and their 7th win in 7 attempts. A tough loss for the Invaders, who showed that their early 0-3 start was not a true reflection of the team’s capabilities. The Seattle win brings them to 7-0 and gives them a 3-game lead on the field, with the rest of the Pacific Division all sitting at 4-3 and wondering about Wild Card positioning. LOS ANGELES 23 ARIZONA 10 The Wranglers are holding out hope that Jake Plummer can return in Week 8 as they fall yet again and backup Jim Sorgi, given the start over Andrew Walter, struggles, throwing 2 picks and completing only 11 of 31 pass attempts. LA capitalized on both picks, gaining 10 points from the two turnovers. In a huge day for Dez White, the slot receiver caught a 93-yard TD, and finished the day with 131 receiving yards. Maurice Jones-Drew and DeShaun Foster combined for 39 carries as LA just ground down the Wranglers in this one. NEW JERSEY 16 WASHINGTON 22 The Federals, and QB Henry Burris, showed signs of life this week, ending New Jersey’s win streak at 3 games. Deuce McCallister was his ever-reliable self, rushing for 105 and a score, and wideout Mike Williams had a good day, catching 7 balls for 84 yards. For New Jersey, Terry Glenn kept the game close with a 3rd quarter TD, but the Feds scored the final 13 points of the game to take the home win and tighten up the Northeast behind Boston. PHILADELPHIA 27 TAMPA BAY 13 The Stars got a big win on the road as they easily dominated backup Koy Detmer and the Bandits. Ahman Green’s 124 yard, 1 TD day and a nice 40-yard TD from Amani Toomer were the highlights for the Stars. The defense picked off Detmer twice and sacked him 3 times as it was clear that Tampa Bay’s usual offense was simply not going to make an appearance without Daunte Culpepper. LAS VEGAS 14 NASHVILLE 15 Nashville and Las Vegas played a real slugfest in Adelphia Stadium. After falling behind 14-9 thanks to a Marshawn Lynch and a Matthew Hatchette TD, the Knights clawed back into the game thanks in large part to a blown coverage by the Thunder that turned a short pass into a long TD for Derrick Mason. Nashville scored the game’s final 12 points (2 kicks and the TD with a missed 2-pointer) as the Knights improved to 4-2-1 and send Las Vegas into a 3-way tie for second place in the Pacific. PITTSBURGH 13 DENVER 19 The Maulers’ D played well, and Pittsburgh had the upper hand after 3, holding a 13-9 lead, but the Gold got a huge defensive TD on a Jamar Fletcher 51-yard pick six, and never gave Pittsburgh a chance to reverse their fortunes. Ladell Betts was banged up and knocked out of the game early and Brandon Jacobs simply could not keep Pittsburgh’s run game going. Denver had much better luck with Benson and Prentice combining for 132 yards on the ground as the Gold moved to 4-3. BOSTON 28 JACKSONVILLE 25 A really good, really tight game between two division leaders, but the Cannons again found a way to win and move to 7-0 at the halfway point. Jacksonville had them on the ropes thanks to TDs from Rashaun Woods and Donald Hayes in the 4th quarter, but, trailing 25-21, Boston found a way with 1:14 left when backup Adrian McPherson, playing for a dinged-up Drew Bledsoe, connected with who else? Chad Ochocinco, for the game winner. ATLANTA 21 ORLANDO 17 The Fire tough out their 2nd win of the year thanks to two fourth quarter TDs from rookie QB Tyler Thigpen. Atlanta went up 14-10 when Thigpen hit Marcus Robinson from 39 yards out, but after a Drew Brees to Michael Jenkins TD toss of 51 yards, Thigpen needed one more drive. He got it and with 1:53 left to play Atlanta went up for good when Thigpen hit TE Jim Kleinsasser for the game winner. Brees needed a TD, but the Atlanta D was up to the task, swatting away the final Hail Mary to preserve the win. NEW ORLEANS 3 BALTIMORE 26 A really bad day for the Breakers as Baltimore rattled off the game’s first 23 points before a lone David Green field goal gave New Orleans any points. Baltimore’s D held New Orleans to a paltry 140 total yards, while the Blitz managed 428 against a shaky Breaker defense. Ron Dayne and Correll Buckhalter combined for 143 yards on the ground and Big Ben threw for another 276 and 2 scores as the Blitz moved into contention at 3-3-1. MICHIGAN 37 ST. LOUIS 20 The Panthers looked to be falling into a trap game in St. Louis but pulled out the win with a defiant 13-point 4th quarter. TE Benji Joppru was the hero, scoring twice in the second half for the Panthers, who struggled to get the ball to either outside receiver and completed passes to only 3 receivers all day. St. louis had a good game from their backs, Rhodes and Bush combining for 123 yards and a score. HOUSTON 27 TEXAS 7 The Gamblers appeared to have regained some swagger in this Texas Tussle, scoring 27 points unanswered before the Outlaws got a late garbage-time score to get on the board. Matt Hasselbeck went 12 of 17 for 177 yards and 2 scored, but once again it was the ability to get Kevin Faulk on the outside that helped Houston dominate. Faulk would finish the game with 107 yards rushing on only 13 carries, a 7.2 YPC average. OHIO 20 CHICAGO 37 Questions about Ohio’s offense return to the fray, as Kerry Collins was sacked 5 times by the Machine, including 2 from potential Comeback Player of the Year Anthony Weaver. Brady Quinn had a strong game for Chicago as well, going 18 of 24 for 208 yards and 3 scores, helped quite a bit by Michael Turner’s 112-yard day. Eddie George did not fare as well, averaging only 2.1 yards per carry on his way to 50 yards on 24 carries. MEMPHIS 31 BIRMINGHAM 24 The Sunday Night game that saw Brett Favre return to Birmingham in Memphis colors was as exciting as it was tense. Favre heard a round of boos when he took the field, but they could not silence his arm, which went 17 of 24 for 394 yards and 3 scores. That is one way to return with authority. Birmingham kept it close, thanks to 329 yards from Jason Campbell and 92 on the ground from Shaun Alexander but a late Memphis drive, capped off by a 1-yard Theron Wilson plunge over the end line gave Memphis their 6th win in 7 games and dropped Birmingham to an underwhelming 2-5. Is 14-0 Possible for Seattle and Boston? We have only reached the halfway point in the season but fans across the USFL are buzzing about the possibility of one, or perhaps both 7-0 clubs going undefeated. There is a long way between now and a perfect season, but the dominant first halves by both clubs have fans speculating about each club’s potential to match the 2002 Ohio Glory and pull off a perfect season. Both clubs have already had a few close calls, but have managed to pull out victories each week. Can they continue to do this? And who is best positioned to stop them? Boston has done it largely on offense, averaging just under 29 points per game, and putting up the best pass offense in the league. Their defense is better than last year, but sits at the median, 14th in the league in both scoring and yards allowed. Looking at their schedule, there are some games to worry about. The next two weeks could be vital, especially if Drew Bledsoe is unable to go. They face the tenacious Oakland Invaders in Week 8, with Adrian McPherson expected to start, and then have a road game in Philadelphia, where the Stars have been very good this year. They will meet Philly a 2nd time in Week 12 before finishing the season with road games in Washington and New Jersey. Any one of those games could be a dogfight, and three dogfights in a row could be enough to wear down the Cannons. For Seattle, the game everyone is pointing to is that Week 14 finale against Memphis. The Showboats are 6-1 and Brett Favre has the club believing in themselves. Before the Dragons get to that game they will have to get past some other tough matchups, including next week when they travel to Las Vegas and their aggressive defense. The Dragons actually play their next 6 games against teams with 4-3 records at the halfway point, including at Vegas, at Oakland, and at LA, all very tough divisional matchups on the road. So, before we jump to the Memphis game, let’s not forget how much season is left for the Dragons. It does feel early to speak about undefeated seasons. Let’s get to Week 10 before we take that talk too seriously. Upsets happen every week in the USFL, so we would not be shocked to see either of these teams stumble over the next 7 weeks. Midseason Award Races Not surprisingly, at the midway point of the season we take a look at the major awards for the league and start to assess just who is in the running for recognition as this season’s best. Let’s take our best guess at each of the 5 major awards, who we would give the award to today and who could sneak up in the second seven weeks of the season to claim it. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Right now this feels like a 2-horse race, with the 2 QBs from the 2 undefeated teams well ahead of the pack. Drew Bledsoe and Byron Leftwich are leading dynamic offenses and putting up strong numbers. Both have 18 touchdowns in only 7 games and both are on their way to well over 3,000 yards. Bledsoe looks like he could miss a game or two with an injury, so Leftwich could get an edge here. In order for one of these two players not to get the MVP trophy, they would have to fall apart down the stretch. Honestly, beyond them, we really don’t see a lot of contenders. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR It is a very real possibility that whichever QB does not win MVP will win OPOTY, but working from the assumption that the voters want to differentiate the QB position from others, they might look at some possible position players as well. This could be a receiver like David Boston, who already has 886 yards and 10 TDs for the Dragons. At HB our vote would be for Ahman Green, who has turned it up this year and has Phlladelphia feeling a playoff run in their future. T. J. Duckett has slightly better numbers, but Texas is not having the same success as the Stars when it comes to the win-loss column, and that tends to impact voting quite significantly. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR This week’s Pick-6 helped put Roosevelt Colvin’s efforts on the map. In addition to his scoring play, he has 52 tackles, 5 sacks, a 2nd pick, a blocked field goal and 2 fumble recoveries. That is the kind of all-around success that voters will notice, especially if Oakland can make a run. Others who could be in on the conversation include Chicago DE Anthony Weaver, who currently ranks 3rd in sacks, but who is seen as a major comeback story after missing nearly all of the 2006 season due to injury. Houston’s Kavika Pitttman is leading all pass rushers with 11 sacks, which automatically makes him a contender. And let’s throw one more Dragon into the mix as LB Godfrey Miles has 4 forced fumbles, a pick, 5 sacks, and 43 tackles in his efforts to keep Seattle unbeaten. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Rookie of the year could be a tight race this season. Marshawn Lynch is on pace for 1,000 yards. Brady Quinn could lead Chicago back to the postseason. Robert Meachem has proven to be a valuable weapon in Nashville, and for as much as we love what Brett Favre is doing in Memphis, we have to give kudos as well to rookie LB Patrick Willis, who is helping the Showboat defense improve significantly from last year. If we had to pick, we likely would go with Lynch at this point, but it could come down to which of the two frontrunner teams makes the playoffs, Chicago or Las Vegas. COACH OF THE YEAR Coach of the Year looks like a clear win for Memphis first year coach Jim Haslett. The former DC has the Showboats at 6-1, well ahead of schedule for a major rebound from a 3-11 season in 2006. Memphis has not had a winning record since their Summer Bowl appearance in 2002, so a 10+ win season for the Showboats all but guarantees this trophy goes to the internal hire that Memphis ownership went with as Jim Mora Sr. resigned last July. Another week, another IR placement. New Jersey LB Bobby Howard is the latest to join the one USFL list no one wants to be mentioned on. A fractured tibia is the culprit for Howard, who, in his 9th season with New Jersey, will end up on the list for the 3rd time, after having his rookie 1999 season and the 2002 season also significantly impacted by injuries. Others who avoided the IR, but who will be out for a considerable period include Oakland CB Billy Austin (6-8 weeks but possibly back for the season finale), another Invader, OT Kwame Harris (also 6-8 weeks), and Birmingham center Chukki Okobi, expected out 2-4 weeks. The good news around the league is that several of the dinged-up quarterbacks could return this week, including Jake Plummer, David Garrard, Daunte Culpepper, and Kerry Collins, all listed as Probable this week. Drew Bledsoe is doubtful, but could be a game-time decision after suffering a jammed Toe in Week 7. If he cannot go, Adrian McPherson will get the start over NFL vet Jamie Martin. Others who could be back on the field this week include STL tackle Larry Triplett, Orlando DT Ian Scott, NJ DE Tamba Hali, Birmingham WR James Thrash, Atlanta guard Rex Hadnot, Ohio CB DeShea Townsend, and LA SS Troy Polamalu. Midseason Report As we look at the first half of the 2007 USFL season we are surprised by several developments, impressed by others, and confused by some. Our preseason picks, while not totally thrown out the window, are looking a bit of a mess. Our expectations for darkhorse teams now look a bit silly, and our predictions a bit outdate. So, we offer you, as our midseason report, this recalibration of where we are and what we think the future holds, with comments on the surprises in each division, and what we think could be on tap in the second half of the season. Biggest Surprise: Philadelphia’s strong first half is likely our biggest surprise. Had New Jersey continued to flounder after their 0-3 start, we would list them, but their bounceback puts them right about where we thought they would be at midseason. We did not expect the Stars to be quite as good as they have shown. They have a real shot at bouncing back from 2006 and making the playoffs. Breakout Star: Stars TE Dallas Clark may not be the most prolific receiver in the league, but he makes the most out of his chances. Clark has only 11 receptions in 7 games, but 4 of them are touchdowns, making him a major red zone concern for teams facing the Stars. Biggest Surprise: The slow start of the Renegades was a bit of a surprise, but the struggles of Daunte Culpepper are even more perplexing. We anticipated Brees would need to time to adjust to a new system in Orlando, and yet, after 7 weeks, Brees has nearly 300 yards more through the air than Culpepper, and 9 more touchdowns. Culpepper, with all the talent around him, has only 6 TDs all season, which cannot be making Randy Moss happy at all. Breakout Star: He is no newcomer, but Willis McGahee is in another gear this season. He is, for the first time in a long time, among the league rushing leaders with 653 yards at the half-way point, on pace for his best season ever. His 10 rushing TDs also lead the league. He is averaging 23 carries per game, which is 4 more than last year and by far the highest total of his career. It appears that with Culpepper struggling, Coach Spurrier is relying more heavily on his elusive halfback to make up the difference in production. Biggest Surprise: This is really a tossup between the strong first half put together by Memphis and the complete disaster of a stretch for New Orleans. After last year’s surprising success, we all anticipated that New Orleans would celebrate their return to the Big Easy by dominating the Southern Division, but, rather than show up big, the Breakers have looked like a tired, dispirited team. One win in their first seven is certainly not what anyone in New Orleans expected of the Breakers this year. The same could be said in reverse for Memphis. Yes, landing Brett Favre was huge, but this Memphis squad is proving more tenacious and more dangerous than anyone could have anticipated. Cadillac Williams has a legit shot at 1,000 yards, David Martin has been a great addition, and, now as a true #2, Lee Evans has helped himself to 5 touchdowns in only 7 weeks. All in all a very successful reinvention in the works for the Showboats. Breakout Star: LB Hunter Hillenmeyer is coming into his own for the Knights. He currently trails only Urlacher and Harrison with 62 tackles and he is clearly in command for the newly reimagined Nashville defense. The Knights currently rank 3rd in the league, allowing only 15 points per game, and they have been among the best against the pass, in large part due to QB pressure, but also due to effective zone schemes led by their MLB in space. He may not be mentioned in the same breath as Urlacher, Kevin Mitchell, or James Harrison quite yet, but it is clear that Hillenmeyer is a player on the rise. Biggest Surprise: As much as we want to praise Chicago’s solid first half, the biggest mystery here is what has happened to Ohio’s offense. The Glory rank only 7th in points, well below where we have gotten used to seeing them. They are 11th in both passing yards and rushing, again, well below expectations, and 3-time MVP Kerry Collins is currently the 10th best QB in the league according to QB Ratings, belowBrian Griese, Josh McCown, and just barely ahead of rookie Brady Quinn. Something is not clicking in Columbus, and in a tough division like the Central, Ohio had better figure out how to repair it, and quickly. Breakout Star: Taylor Jacobs had a very good first year with the Skyhawks in 2006, and from the looks of it, he is not done yet. The one truly positive story coming out of a pretty rough 2007 for St. Louis has been the speedy receiver. Jacobs currently ranks behind only David Boston with 650 yards receiving, on pace for 1,300. He also sits third in receptions (behind only Matthew Hatchette and Keenan McCardell). Now, if St. Louis could start turning some of those receptions into scores (Jacobs has only 1 on the year), then St. Louis may be on to something. Biggest Surprise: Arizona’s total collapse is all we talk about in the Southwest, and with good reason. This was a team that was an early favorite for a Summer Bowl appearance. And yet, even before Jake Plummer went down with an injury, things were not going well in Glendale. The defense has again collapsed (26th in yards allowed, 23rd in scoring). The run game is pathetic (53 yards per game, dead last in the league), and Coach Fassel is now very quickly on the hot seat after a 10-win season and a playoff run in 2006. Breakout Star: We have been waiting a while to say this, but it appears that the combo of Kavika Pittmann and Osi Umenyiura is now officially an edge duo. Umenyiura is having his best season as a pass rusher, and is on pace to break through the double-digit barrier that he has previously been unable to cross. With 6 sacks in 17 games, Umenyiura has actually made life tougher for offensive coordinators, and, at the same time, make his linemate, Kavika Pittmann, even more dangerous, as now the double teams have to be balanced with a sense of caution about the other side of the line. Biggest Surprise: As much as Seattle was picked to be a good squad, possibly a playoff contender, we did not see a 7-0 start coming from this group. The Dragons are Top 10 in both offense and defense (scoring and yardage categories) and sit at 1st in points per game. Pretty rare air. Byron Leftwich is a serious MVP candidate, David Boston likewise for Offensive POTY. Godfrey Miles is looking like an All-USFL linebacker again, and Paris Lenon is getting his hands on the ball, snagging 4 picks in 7 games. This is a team doing everything right, and that has helped them build up a 3 game lead on a pretty good set of division foes. Breakout Star: While we all love Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Mode” persona, the true breakout star in Las Vegas is Jerry Glanville’s aggressive and stifling defense. The Thunder are allowing a measly 9.1 points per game and have held opponents under 10 points in 6 of 7 games. They are #1 in scoring defense, #2 in yards allowed, #2 in passing yards and 3rd in rushing yards. If this club had any kind of consistent offense, they would be rolling their way through the year instead of stuck at 4-3. Glanville has done this with a complex defensive scheme, built on deception and anticipation. He has an athletic and violent LB corps led by the trio of Joey Porter, A.J. Hawk, and Shawn Barber. In Will Allen and Antoine Winfield he has two legitimate one-on-one corners, and then you add the wall of flesh that is the combo of Haloti Ngata and Norman hand at DT and you have one heck of a tough D to crack. It may not be one player making a name for himself, but the Thunder defense is quickly becoming the talk of the town. Early QB’s of the USFL Last week we focused on the amazing stable of backs that the USFL had in its early years. In doing so we referenced the fact that the USFL has always made its name on the dynamic passing game. If that is the case, it seems only fair that we should focus a bit of attention on the passers who helped put the USFL on the map. There are some who we all know by name, and all recognize as among the best the league has ever produced. Names like Kelly, Flutie, Hebert, and Fusina. And those USFL greats certainly deserve the attention, celebrity, and status they have earned, but what about the others, the players who helped build the league, and in so doing also helped put themselves on the map. Today we want to recognize five quarterbacks from the 1980’s who perhaps are not as often remembered or not as recognizable, but who also helped put their stamp on the league back when star power was needed to put butts in seats and eyes on screens. Here are our 5 unsung heroes of the USFL QB’s of the 1980’s. Cliff Stoudt (BIR 83-94): We have Stoudt 5th on the list, because of all the players on our list, he is the one who still has something of a cult following, especially in Birmingham, where fans talk about him and Brett Favre in the same breath. Stoudt played 12 seasons with the Stallions, from 1983-1994, and while his last two seasons in Birmingham were as a backup to hotshot newbie Brett Favre, Stoudt’s legacy is secure in B’Ham. As the starter for the Stallions through the entire decade of the 1980’s, Stoudt guided the club to the playoffs 4 times, including an appearance in the 1984 USFL Championship. He would not win a title until 1993, when Brett Favre was the starter for all but 2 games, but Stoudt is still revered as a guiding figure in Stallion history, and still holds the club record for career completion % at 68.8, just about the only place where Favre has not topped his early numbers. Reggie Collier (BIR 83, WSH 84-86, ORL 87-94): The Southern Miss product started out in Birmingham as well, but after one year he found himself in Washington, where he immediately became the starter after the Feds had rotated through QB’s in 1983. Starting in that 1984 season, Collier would throw for over 3,000 yards in 11 straight seasons three with the Feds and 8 with the Renegades. In 1990 he would be named the Offensive Player of the Year, and a year later he would lead the Renegades to the Summer Bowl. Collier’s #10 jersey is still one of the most common to spot at Renegade games even today. Bob Gagliano (DEN 84-90, BAL 91): After 3 seasons barely hanging on to the 3rd QB position with the NFL Chiefs, Bog Gagliano was signed by the thrifty Denver Gold and quickly became one of their premier players. Neither a physical specimen nor a coach on the field, Gagliano was known for guts and determination. Playing in the often unpredictable Denver weather, and with a team often put together on a shoestring budget, Gagliano still helped lead Denver to the playoffs 5 times, including two appearances in the USFL Championship in the 1980’s. With Gag’s “the Goose” at the helm, Denver had only one losing season in the 1980’s. Alan Risher (ARZ 83-84, PIT 86-96): As a rookie out of LSU, Alan Risher somehow found himself in Phoenix, with the Wranglers. By the end of camp he found himself the starter for the new franchise. Risher would play in 14 games as a rookie ,throwing for over 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, but in 1984 he was caught up in the Blitz-Wrangler franchise swap and soon found himself in Coach George Allen’s doghouse, stuck behind veteran Greg Landry. He would be traded to the expansion Pittsburgh Maulers at the end of the 1985 season, only to suffer a season-ending injury before the regular season even began. Risher would have a fantastic comeback in 1986, winning the starting job for the Maulers. By 1987 he was back to playing every week, throwing again for over 3,000 yards. He would finish out the 1980’s as the undisputed main man for the Maulers, and won a ring with the club in 1995, his final full season with the team. Known as a scrambler and a gunslinger with elusiveness that made him hard to sack, he remains Pittsburgh’s career leader in pass attempts, completions, TDs and yards. Doug Williams (JAX 84-86, OKL 87, TEX 88-89): Doug Williams came to the USFL in the flurry of big QB signings in 1984. An NFL starter with Tampa Bay, but frustrated by the stingy Buccaneer franchise, Williams, along with fellow veteran Brian Sipe and rookies Jim Kelly, Steve Young, and Rick Neuheisel, jumped to the USFL. Williams made the cross-state jump to the Jacksonville Bulls, and immediately became a superstar for the league. In his first two years in Jacksonville, he would throw for over 9,000 yards, tossing 30 TDs in 1984 and 34 in ’85. In his second season he helped the Bulls make the playoffs, and repeated that feat in 1996. But, issues with ownership in Jacksonville led to Williams making the jump to an expansion club in 1987. At first Williams believed he would be playing ball in sunny San Diego, but stadium issues there forced a relocation for the franchise and Williams suffered through a 1987 season in Tulsa, where it rained at the first 5 home games for the Oklahoma Outlaws. One year later, with a reshuffle of two 1987 expansion clubs, Williams, along with Brian Bosworth, moved on to the newly formed Texas Outlaws, where he would play for 2 seasons. In 1989 he would return to the NFL, playing for the Washington Redskins, but for fans of the USFL, Williams will always be remembered as the strong-armed QB who helped two different expansion teams get rolling. Williams still holds season record with both Jacksonville and Texas, including the Passing TD record for the Bulls and the Yardage record for the Outlaws. Rick Neuheisel: The Star-Crossed Star Rick Neuheisel has to have one of the most convoluted stories of any QB in USFL history. A highly-touted signee in 1984 out of UCLA, Neuheisel was expected to be something of a golden boy. A blond-haired West Coast guy who signed with the Arizona Wranglers before the franchise swap with Chicago. He was to compete with Alan Risher for the starting job as a Wrangler, but once the swap occurred, and cantankerous head coach George Allen brought in NFL veteran Greg Landry, Neuheisels’ opportunities were limited. He spent most of the 1984 seaosn on the bench along with Risher. His fortunes seemed to change when both Allen and Landry retired after the 1984 season. Neuheisel quickly caught the eye of new Wrangler coach Frank Kush, and would become the full-time starter for the Wranglers in 1985, with Risher off to Pittsburgh. Neuheisel flourished in Kush’s offense, throwing for 4,100 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1985 as Arizona, giving the Wranglers their first winning season. But, once again, just as fortune seemed to be smiling on the QB, fate turned again. Neuheisel and the Wranglers appeared to be having another strong season in 1986, with Neuheisel throwing 22 touchdowns and only 3 picks in his first 10 games. But in that 10th game, Neuheisel would suffer the first of several injuries that eventually drove him from the game. He would not play another game for the Wranglers, finishing the year on IR as Arizona fell to 8-8. In the offseason he would not have his contract renewed and would end up in Texas as a backup to Doug Williams. He would play in 6 games for the Outlaws, but injuries again would haunt him throughout his 4th season. It would be his last as a player. Doctors advised the QB that further damage to his shoulder could be life-altering, limiting his movement and use of the arm. The UCLA grad opted to step away from the field, but not the game. He returned to his Alma Mater as a grad assistant, and quickly moved into several coaching positions. In 1995, only 8 years after stepping off the field as a quarterback, Neuheisel was back in the USFL, this time on the sideline as the youngest coach in the league. He was given control of the expansion 1995 LA Express, the second team in the league to hold that identity. Leading an expansion club, and in a tough sports market like LA, proved to be more than the young coach could handle. In three seasons he managed a record of only 13 wins and 35 losses and was released from his contract after the 1997 season. Neuheisel would continue to coach, focusing on offense at the University of Colorado, the University of Washington, then back in the USFL with the Atlanta Fire and Jacksonville Bulls. In 2006 he made the return to being a head coach, now back at UCLA as their new main man. Rumors still swirl that the former Wrangler and Outlaw will return to the USFL once again, but for now he seems very happy back in LA and back in Bruin blue and gold. (IRL: Neuheisel’s USFL career was limited to two turbulent seasons with the Gunslingers. He would have short stints with San Diego and Tampa Bay in the NFL, but then return to coaching as the UCLA QB Coach in 1988. Stints at Colorado, Washington, the NFL Ravens, and UCLA would follow. He did a lot of broadcasting in the 2010’s before returning to coaching briefly in 2019 with the ill-fated Alliance of American Football’s Arizona Hotshots.) Week eight kicks off the second half of the season, and the intensity will pick up, particularly for those teams just barely hanging on, or barely under .500 and trying to keep their postseason hopes alive as long as they can. Looking at the week, we have a few really key divisional games, and a pretty darned good Sunday Nighter to look forward to. It all kicks off with a rematch of Summer Bowl 2006, made more interesting by New Jersey’s resurgence over the past 4 weeks. FRI @ 8PM New Jersey (3-4) @ Los Angeles (4-3) NBC SAT @ 12pm Oakland (4-3) @ Boston (7-0) ABC SAT @ 12pm Pittsburgh (3-4) @ St. Louis (1-6) FOX SAT @ 12pm Ohio (4-3) @ Washington (3-4) FOX SAT @ 4pm Denver (4-3) @ Houston (3-4) ABC SAT @ 4pm Chicago (4-3) @ Michigan (4-3) FOX SAT @ 8pm Jacksonville (4-3) @ Tampa Bay (3-4) ESPN SUN @ 12pm Atlanta (2-5) @ Birmingham (2-5) ABC SUN @ 12pm Baltimore (3-3-1) @ Philadelphia (5-2) ABC SUN @ 12pm Orlando (2-5) @ New Orleans (1-6) FOX SUN @ 4pm Arizona (1-6) @ Texas (2-5) ABC SUN @ 4pm Seattle (7-0) @ Las Vegas (4-3) FOX SUN @ 8pm Nashville (4-2-1) @ Memphis (6-1) ESPN

A rough week for quarterbacks as several starters are knocked out of games. For Philadelphia it could be a major issue as Kurt Warner could miss a month or more. For Oakland, losing Joey Harrington early was not enough to bring defeat as they shock the Bulls. Speaking of shockers, Orlando dealt one to the Tampa Bay Bandits as Drew Brees is beginning to look like a QB who is feeling more comfortable in a new system. New Jersey wins their third in a row, and Arizona looks hapless without Plummer under center. All this plus a look back at the amazing USFL running backs of the 1980's, this week in the USFL. JACKSONVILLE 38 OAKLAND 41 A truly wild one out in the East Bay as the Oakland Invaders show off their offensive power even without Joey Harrington, but then have to hold on for dear life as Jake Delhomme throws 4 touchdowns to make this one a nail-biter by the end. Things did not look good early for Oakland as Joey Harrington was injured after attempting only 3 passes. He took a blow to the head on a scramble, seemed to be fine, and then got woozy and had to sit down. He would not be back in the game and Oakland would have to call on former Chicago Machine QB Ray Lucas. Down 7-0 after a Donald Hayes TD catch, it did not look good for Oakland, but Ricky Williams quickly reminded the Invader faithful on hand that this team was more than just their former Heisman finalist. Williams busted off a 39-yard touchdown that included a devastating stiff arm on safety Pat Watkins that sent the defender sprawling. It would be the first of three Williams touchdowns on a day that saw him gain 198 yards rushing despite Jacksonville’s best efforts to contain him. Not to say that Ray Lucas did not do his part, completing 17 of 26 passes and tossing a TD to Plaxico Burress, but this was a Ricky Williams party from start to finish. Following his first score, Oakland added a field goal, and then, in the final seconds of the 1st quarter Williams did it again, this time on a sweep from the 14-yard line. The Bulls were stunned. They had knocked out Oakland’s starting QB before any Invader points were on the board, and somehow, without offensive balance, the Invaders were up 17-7 after only 1 quarter. Jacksonville would tighten the game early in the 2nd on another Delhomme to Donald Hayes strike, but Oakland would again prove difficult to stop. On two straight possessions the Invaders would score on 1-yard runs, the first by Williams and the second by understudy Olandis Gary. Jacksonville went into the half shellshocked, and trailing 31-14. The third quarter provided much the same. The Bulls again tightened the score, picking off Lucas and returning the interception 49 yards for a score, but, undaunted, Lucas took to the air again and found Plaxico Burress to restore the 17-point lead. It appeared the Invaders could do no wrong. The problem was, they were losing steam, despite the Burress score. Jacksonville would score quickly on their next drive, with Delhomme finding TE Jason Whitten from 21 yards out. When they added a field goal only 4 minutes later, the lead was down to 7 and Oakland was clearly feeling the pressure. Delhomme had already connected with Donald Hayes twice, and Whitten to keep Jacksonville in the game. He would need one more to tie the score, and he would get it. Getting the ball back with 1:33 left to play, Delhomme marched the Bulls down the field, using his time outs to allow the team to use the whole field, He would eventually find backup HB Michael Hayward, the most unlikely of heroes, on a swing route with only 16 seconds left. When Haywards dove into the endzone the Bulls were within one point of tying the game. Rookie Justin Medlock would do his part and the game would go to overtime. Now it was Oakland’s turn to be shellshocked, but they did not fall into a spiral, Coach Green got them up, and when they won the coin toss, there was an air of optimism in the stadium. The Invaders would move the ball well, again relying on Ricky Williams, who had 4 carries in the overtime drive. The drive bogged down at the Jacksonville 39, but Coach Green had confidence in kicker Joe Nedney. He sent Nedney out to attempt a 56-yarder, and the veteran connected, getting the ball just over the crossbar to give Oakland a 3-point lead. But, league rules require a TD to end the overtime, either that or the other club gets one drive to try to equalize the field goal. Jacksonville would have one drive to try to tie the game again, or go home in defeat. Delhomme would get the ball on the 23, and get to work. He connected with HB Travis Minor on first down, then TE Tim Euhus, followed by Donald Hayes for the 6th time. But Jacksonville’s drive would bog down in almost the same spot as Oakland’s had, placing the ball at the 35, meaning that rookie Justin Medlock would be asked to kick a 52 yarder to keep the game going. Medlock got the kick off, it had the distance, but it started to slice left almost immediately after leaving the UCLA product’s foot, and by the time it reached the back of the endzone it was well wide. Oakland had won their fourth in a row, and beaten the 1st place Bulls in the offing. A very good night in Oakland, even if concern over Joey Harrington would dampen the postgame celebrations. ATLANTA 3 MEMPHIS 41 Friday Night’s big game started off ugly and stayed ugly as Atlanta, playing without David Garrard, was no match for the Memphis Showboats. Rookie Tyler Thigpen could get nothing going, and Atlanta’s defense, which had been a big part of their 7-7 inaugural season, was simply not up to defending Brett Favre on this night. Favre would throw for 3 scores, and get an early break as Memphis put in Mike McMahon for most of the 4th. ST. LOUIS 14 PITTSBURGH 28 The Maulers move to 3-3 after a big day from their new lead back, Ladell Betts. The big man rushed for 106 yards and added another 81 through the air, most of it on one perfectly executed swing pass that would go for a score. Cody Pickett also looked good, connecting on 13 of 21 passing for 201 yards and 3 scores against St. Louis’s ineffective defense. SEATTLE 34 BALTIMORE 21 The Dragons built up a 31-7 lead after three quarters and then let up on the gas as Baltimore made the game look closer than it was. Darren Sproles scored on a 108-yard kickoff return and David Boston brought in a 41-yard TD as the Dragons were clicking in all three phases of the game. BIRMINGHAM 20 NEW ORLEANS 26 The Breakers finally break into the win column as they take down division rival Birmingham. Fred Jackson barely missed landing his first 100-yard game with the Breakers, finishing with 91 yards on 22 carries. Shaun Alexander had 88 for the Stallions in a very balanced game between both. After 3 quarters it was tied up at 20, and only two Breaker field goals were scored in the final period, sending the Breaker faithful home happy for the first time this year. NASHVILLE 14 HOUSTON 26 A big win for the Gamblers as they move to 2-4, thanks largely to the right foot of Josh Brown, who kicked 4 first half field goals. Add in 2nd half touchdowns from Tatum Bell and Koren Robinson and the W goes to the homestanding Gamblers. In a game where Frank Gore was out with a minor injury, Nashville managed only 25 yards rushing and could not sustain drives. Houston’s Matt Hasselbeck had better luck, with a 21 of 29 performance, enhanced by 88 yards on the ground from Kevin Faulk. LAS VEGAS 20 LOS ANGELES 7 The Thunder defense again proved its mettle in this one. After giving up a Tory Holt touchdown on the opening drive, the Thunder limited LA to only 229 yards on the day and no more points. And while Las Vegas’s offensive production was not exactly electrifying, it proved enough as Marshawn Lynch’s lone TD, paired with 4 Mike Vanderjagt kicks were enough for the Thunder to get the road win. TAMPA BAY 24 ORLANDO 38 Orlando’s offense put all the pieces together, with Drew Brees throwing for 314 yards and 2 scores, while Sedrick Irvin ran in 3 touchdowns as Orlando pulled away with 21-points in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. Daunte Culpepper went out before the half, which stunted Tampa Bay’s comeback ability. Koy Detmer did throw 2 touchdowns, but it was not enough for the Bandits to keep pace. WASHINGTON 25 BOSTON 27 Boston moves to 6-0, but it was not easy as the Federals used 141 yards from Deuce McCallister to keep this one close. A Henry Burris TD toss to Deion Branch with 1:05 brought the Feds within 2 points, but the pass attempt on the PAT failed and the Feds could not equalize the game. Tiki Barber returned to action and ran for 93 yards on only 14 carries, a 6.6 YPC average. NEW JERSEY 20 PHILADELPHIA 17 Don’t look now, but the Generals have ripped off three wins in a row. The defending champs got 17 of their 20 points in the 4th quarte as the Stars wilted at the game’s end. Kelly Holcombe’s two touchdown passes, both to Terry Glenn, came in the final 15 minutes, and a Ryan Longwell field goal with 18 seconds on the clock avoided overtime and helped move the Generals to 3-3 after 6 weeks. DENVER 14 CHICAGO 20 The Gold drop to 3-3, the Machine improve to 3-3 after a hard fought game at Soldier Field. Chicago got 85 yards and the game-winning TD from Michael Turner as they turn back the Denver Gold despite 303 yards passing from Matt Leinart. Brady Quinn would throw for only 137, but would add at TD to Anthony Fasano and would return Chicago to .500. TEXAS 16 ARIZONA 3 Andrew Walter would complete 20 of 40 passes, but the Wranglers rarely looked threatening as Texas grinds out a win on T. J. Duckett’s big 212-yard day. The big man rushed the ball 29 times as Texas simply kept the clock moving and kept the ball out of Arizona’s hands. Despite two turnovers, the Outlaws held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and Arizona just looked unable to threaten them without Jake Plummer. OHIO 22 MICHIGAN 47 Sunday Night’s showcase game saw the Panthers, for the second time this year, blow past the Ohio Glory. Brian Griese would attempt only 18 passes, but connected on 13 of 18 for 269 yards and 2 scores. The combination of Justin Fargas, Troy Davis, and Leon Washington would gain 200 yards on the ground as Michigan simply had Ohio’s number. Kerry Collins was sacked 4 times and would throw no TDs and 2 picks as the Glory fall for the 2nd time this year, both times to Michigan. Kurt Warner out 4-6 weeks Major concern in Philadelphia, where Kurt Warner went out in the third quarter of a tight game with New Jersey and now could miss a month or more of action. Warner was hit as he threw late in the 3rd and immediately clutched at his arm. The diagnosis on Monday was a partially torn bicep. No surgery would be needed, but Warner would need time to heal and might miss as much as two months before his arm is back to full strength. The former Rams’ QB stated he hoped to be back much sooner, but that he would listen to his physicians and not rush his recovery. Philadelphia, which fell to 4-2 with the loss to New Jersey, is now 2 games behind Boston in the Northeast, and will be turning to untested rookie Matt Gutierrez for the next month or longer. Gutierrez beat out former MSU Spartan Jeff Smoker in camp for the 2nd QB position, but looked somewhat shellshocked in the final period of the New Jersey game. He will get a lot more reps in practice this week, but don’t be surprised if Philadelphia puts more on the shoulders of HB Ahman Green against Tampa Bay, and for the next few weeks. Teams on the Rise New Jersey’s third win in a row makes them one of our USFL Teams on the Rise. Along with Memphis (5 straight wins) and Oakland (4 straight), the Generals have turned around an 0-3 start and are back at .500. Credit the learning curve for Kelly Holcombe at QB, but also an improved defensive scheme which has held the Breakers, Stallions, and Stars under at or under 20 points. Of course, the fact that New Jersey has scored 20 or more each week, as opposed to the 26 points total they scored in weeks 1-3 and you can see how they have turned the season around. Memphis’s success has been one part Brett Favre and one part solid play across the roster. While Favre is not putting up the astronomical numbers he did in his youth, he is managing games, making big plays when needed, and doing what all good quarterbacks do, elevating those around him. Cadillac Williams and Maurice Smith are doing their part, combining for nearly 600 yards rushing in 6 games, and receivers Robert Ferguson and Lee Evans are proving to be a dangerous combo. Add in 21 receptions for NFL acquisition, TE David Martin, and Memphis seems to have found a winning formula. In Oakland, their 4-game win streak , including an impressive win against the Bulls this week, has been the result of a Top 10 offense and one of the league’s best run defenses. Yes, Oakland is giving up nearly 285 passing yards a game, but that is less a sign of trouble and more an indication that they are playing with a lead. Ricky Williams and Jerious Norwood have combined for over 800 yards rushing, with both men averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and Joey Harrington is spreading the ball around, with 5 different receivers at or above 10 receptions so far, led by Plaxico Burress and Greg Jennings. The defense is getting pressure on QB’s with both Roosevelt Colvin and DE Justin Smith sitting at 5 sacks apiece, and Israel Idonije only 1 behind them. Oakland has moved from 0-2 to 4-2, and sit in second only behind the unbeaten Dragons, who they will face this week. Teams On the Slide On the other side of the spectrum we find Atlanta, losers of 5 in a row; Arizona, losers of 3 straight, and Birmingham, also losers of 3 straight. Early season optimism has descended into midseason concern for all three clubs as each faces their own unique issues. We know what Arizona’s problems are, having focused on their anemic run game and pourous defense last week. For Atlanta, the issue is a surprise, as the defense which was ranked #1 in both scoring and yardage last year has fallen far from that point. After their 41-3 trouncing by Memphis, they are now dead last in scoring defense, giving up nearly 30 points per game. Each of their last 3 foes (Memphis, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville) have scored 30 or more when facing the Fire. Admitedly, this was the toughest 3-game stretch of the year, as they now face several teams with 2 wins or fewer in the next 6 weeks, but if the defense is truly that big of an issue, even this run could be daunting for the Fire. Birmingham’s troubles seem to be multiple. The offense is simply not effective enough to provide enough scoring, and the defense tends to give up big plays, allowing over 25 points per game. Since beating New Orleans in Week 3, the Stallions have lost consecutive games to the Knights, Generals, and then to the Breakers this week. Once again fans are questioning when and if Jason Campbell is ever going to mature in to the type of QB Birmingham hoped for when they drafted him. But the club also has to look at the defense and wonder when there will be more help provided to Mike Rucker, who seems to be the only top tier defender on the field each week. The Stallions host 5-1 Memphis on Sunday Night Football this week in what is not only a classic rivalry, but a grudge match now that Brett Favre returns to Birmingham in a Showboat jersey. If this cannot motivate the Stallions, then they may well be headed to a 4th straight losing season and once again Coach Franchione will have some tough questions to answer. It was apparently Pittsburgh’s turn to deal with IR as cornerback Kareem Larrimore is now out for the year with a neck injury. No risk of spinal injury, but still an injury that will keep Larrimore off the field through the rest of the spring. It occurred in a head to head collision with St. Louis receiver Drew Bennett. Bennett came out of the collision without incident, but Larrimore stayed down, eventually put in a neck brace, but allowed to sit up in the cart. We already mentioned Kurt Warner’s injury, which falls into the 4-6 week category. He was not the only player to get a similar timeframe as Las Vegas WR Samie Parker and Oakland CB Billy Austin also were given a one month minimum timeframe to recover from a quad injury and a hairline fracture in the leg, respectively. Four QB’s and last year’s Offensive Player of the Year are on the Doubtful list for this week, with Jake Plummer and David Garrard both expected to miss a 2nd consecutive game, while Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper and Tiki Barber are also expected to be out. Harrington will be replaced by former Machine backup Ray Lucas, Culpepper by Koy Detmer, and Tiki Barber by Notre Dame rookie Tony Hunt. Next Round of NFL “poaching” a Concern for USFL GM’s. With no one expecting that the NFL emphasis on signing top flight players off of USFL rosters was a one year plan, and with agents now hoping to use the inter-league competition to increase player salaries, and, equally, their cut of new contracts, a lot of USFL GM’s are getting nervous about the upcoming 2007-2008 offseason. Add in the fact that once again the league’s current teams will be participating in an expansion draft to stock the rosters of the new Portland Stags and Charlotte Monarchs, and there is a lot to be nervous about. We are still over 2 months away from free agency, but the list of players who have not been renewed at this point in the year is clearly a focal point for nearly every club in the league. Looking over the various rosters and who is in the final year of their deals, we get a pretty deep pool of players. Past years would seem to indicate that about half of these players will sign before they become free agents, but with players and agents motivated to hold out, that number may not hold this year. Here is our quick survey of the best players as of yet unsigned beyond July. QUARTERBACKS: Not quite as rich a pool as last offseason, but still several quality starters who are potentially headed to the fall if their teams don’t get a deal done. Among them are Seattle’s Byron Leftwich, Jacksonville’s Jake Delhomme, Washington’s Kordell Stewart, and Michigan’s Brian Griese, whose strong 2007 season is turning some heads. HALFBACKS: Some top names here, including Tiki Barber of Boston (who may be more likely to retire than switch teams at this point), Birmingham’s Shaun Alexander, Texas big back T. J. Duckett, Michigan’s new acquisition, Justin Fargas, Oakland’s resurgent Ricky Williams, former OPOTY Eddie George, and Orlando’s Sedrick Irvin. RECEIVERS: Among the big names potentially on the market we have Curtis Conway (CHI), Peerless Price (DEN), Tory Holt (LA), Az-Zahir-Hakeem (NOR), Randy Moss (TBY), Terry Glenn (NJ), and both Steve Smith Sr. and Amani Toomer of the Stars. That is a lot of quality potentially looking for a richer deal. D-LINE: Some guys in their prime here as well as some older players who might want to finish their careers with an NFL stint. On the edge we have Birmingham’s Mike Rucker, Denver’s Marcellus Wiley, Julius Peppers from Memphis, Shaun Ellis from New Jersey, and KGB, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, of Nashville. Inside there are fewer big names, but Ted Washington is big enough for us. OTHER DEFENDERS: A mixed bag among linebackers, safeties, and corners, but still some names that fans won’t want to see leaving their favorite team. Names like London Fletcher (BOS), Lavar Arrington (JAX), Ronde Barber (HOU), Patrick Surtain (PIT), Marcus Truffant (SEA), Charles Woodson (WSH), Mike Doss (CHI), and Ed Reed (WSH). The Backs of the 80’s While for many it was the USFL that helped usher in our current pass-happy pro football culture, but we should not forget that some of the biggest USFL stars of the 1980’s were not big name quarterbacks or dynamic receivers, but the backs who toted the rock and provided the USFL with excitement in the run game. You cannot talk about the history of the USFL without starting with the signing of Herschel Walker. In the league’s second year they added Mike Rozier, another Heisman winner. And it seemed every team had a back who could grind out a first down, turn a screen into a long gainer, or move through a crowd to gain the needed yards. Sure, some teams were pass happy from the start, but all across the USFL the 1980’s produced amazing performances from the halfback position. If we look over the league record holders and career totals, those players from the 80’s still dominate the list. With over 19,000 rushing yards, Mike Rozier remains the king of USFL rushers. He had a career average of 4.6 yards per carry, and scored 134 TDs, more than any other back in league history. Second on the all-time rushing list is the first big USFL star himself, Herschel Walker, with 15,569 career yards. Not far behind him is Philadelphia’s Kelvin Bryant at 15,378, the only other player in league history to rush for 100 career touchdowns after Rozier. Jumping over Robert Drummond, who did nearly all his damage in the 1990’s we get to another 80’s back, Birmingham’s Joe Cribbs. The smaller, but oh, so elusive Cribbs finished his career with over 12,500 yards and a long list of players who got embarrassed by one of his jukes. The list starts diversifying after this with players from the 1990’s and early 2000’s, but we still see a lot of names from those 1980’s teams: Barry Word (WSH), Greg Boone (TBY/MEM), Craig James (WSH), John Williams (MGN), Gary Anderson (TBY), Tim Spencer (CHI/BAL), Curtis Bledsoe (WSH/ORL), and Harry Sydney (DEN). The USFL may be a passing league, but these great backs helped to build the foundation for the league, and their names can still be seen on fan jerseys, and are still spoken with great admiration in stadiums all over the league. Not surprisingly, the Hall of Fame has six different USFL halfbacks from the 80’s among their enshrinees: Walker, Cribbs, Rozier, James, Williams, and Kelvin Bryant all wear the gold jacket, and deservingly so. Will other join them? Well, the USFL is anticipating adding a special category for early year players with the class of 2010 and beyond, so there is still hope for fans of Gary Anderson, Greg Boone, or Bary Word to make the hall some day. But, regardless of the accolades or honors, these players will continue to be a huge part of the history of the league and of pro football in the 1980’s. Scott Fitzkee: The Unlike 100-Catch Man He is not the first name that rolls off your tongue when you talk about USFL receivers. Not the first player most people name when you talk about the early Philadelphia Stars, and not a player who evokes record-breaking performances, but Scott Fitzkee is a great USFL story. He played only 3 years in the league, joining the Stars in their inaugural season after 4 largely anonymous years in the NFL with Philadelphia and St. Louis. A 1979 5th round pick out of Penn State, Fitzkee did not come to the USFL with a pedigree that spoke to his potential. In his time in the NFL he had barely seen the field, catching only 17 balls in four years. But something clicked with Coach Jim Mora and QB Chuck Fusina, himself a 1979 Penn Stater, and longtime friend of his fellow Nittany Lion. So, what happened in 1983, when Fitzkee became a starter for the Stars in the league’s debut season? How about 162 targets, 106 receptions, 1,384 yards and 9 touchdowns? Those were huge numbers, they still would be today, but in 1983 they were astonishing. Fitzkee finished behind only Victor James in receptions (There were actually three 100-yard receivers in the USFL that first year, with Tom McConnaughey in 3rd) and his 1,384 yards put him behind only Eric Truvillion (Bandits) and Nolan Franz (Breakers) in yardage. Fitzkee was not the fastest receiver on the field, not by a longshot. Probably not even the fastest on his team that year, but he was shrewd, could find holes in zones, could shake single coverage, and he had a rapport with Fusina that no one could match. The two were like twins who had their own secret language. Fitzkee would repeat his 100-reception feat in his second season, and drop off a bit due to injury in his third and final USFL season, 1985. He won a title that year with the Stars, but aging knees and a lot of mileage were getting to Fitzkee. He would retire in the offseason after three amazing, but far too short, USFL seasons of success. He will not make the USFL Hall of Fame, and his #81 is not retired by the Stars, but it is still a badge of honor to wear that number in Philadelphia, something receivers have to earn. It is being worn right now by Amani Toomer, Philly’s possession receiver par excellence, a fitting passing of the torch. (IRL: Scott Fitzkee played all three years of the USFL with the Stars, in Philly and Baltimore. He actually never played on a pro team that did not make the playoffs—Eagles, Chargers, and Stars—but is remembered for his time with the USFL. He now owns a roofing company and lives outside of Baltimore. This info from an article on the Eagles’ website: https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/where-are-they-now-wr-scott-fitzkee) Week 7, the midseason is already here, and, man, do we have some divisional fights on our way. This week’s schedule will feature 6 divisional games, and a few really interesting inter-divisional matchups as well. No time to take a breather, time to start pushing. As always, divisional games are in blue and national coverage games are in bold. FRI @ 8pm Los Angeles (3-3) @ Arizona (1-5) NBC SAT @ 12pm New Jersey (3-3) @ Washington (2-4) ABC SAT @ 12pm Philadelphia (4-2) @ Tampa Bay (3-3) FOX SAT @ 12pm Las Vegas (4-2) @ Nashville (3-2-1) ABC SAT @ 4pm Oakland (4-2) @ Seattle (6-0) ABC SAT @ 4pm Pittsburgh (3-3) @ Denver (3-3) FOX SAT @ 8pm Boston (6-0) @ Jacksonville (4-2) ESPN SUN @ 12pm Atlanta (1-5) @ Orlando (2-4) ABC SUN @ 12pm New Orleans (1-5) @ Baltimore (2-3-1) FOX SUN @ 12pm Michigan (3-3) @ St. Louis (1-5) FOX SUN @ 4pm Houston (2-4) @ Texas (2-4) ABC SUN @ 4pm Ohio (4-2) @ Chicago (3-3) FOX SUN @ 8pm Memphis (5-1) @ Birmingham (2-4) ESPN

Hi all. A quick website update. I am going to be traveling quite a bit over the next 2 weeks. I have written several articles ahead of publishing, so it will not be a 2-week gap, but to spread them out I am going to move to posting once every 3 days instead of every other day. So, expect an update sometime on Wed, then Sat, then Tuesday and Fruday of the week that follows. By that weekend I should be able to move back to a 48 hour cycle. Once again, thanks for all your support. A good week for shootouts as we had two really exciting back and forth games between the Breakers and Showboats and then between the Panthers and Cannons. We also had our first tie of the season as neither Nashville or Baltimore could muster points in the extra period and had to settle for a 13-13 tie. We had defensive muscle on display when Las Vegas traveled to Pittsburgh, and we had several other games that provided close finishes and big plays. So, all in all a very good week for USFL football. NEW ORLEANS 24 MEMPHIS 31 Sometimes when things are going badly it seems like even the good times are doomed to go bad. That has to be how the Breakers are feeling as they descend to 0-5 on the season. New Orleans held a 24-10 lead with only 10 minutes left to play and gave up 21 points in those final 10 minutes to fall in Memphis. While it was an exhilarating comeback for the Showboats and their 42,440 fans at the Liberty Bowl, it was another crushing blow for a team that has already been through a lot in what many had hoped would be a triumphant return to action in the Big Easy. It was a game that encapsulated the entire Breaker season so far, high hopes, promising signs, and ultimate failure. New Orleans was in a dogfight early with Memphis, then scrapped their way to a 14 point lead only to watch it all fade away in the final moments of the game. The Breakers are finding new ways to lose, while Memphis is a surprising 4-1 and now stands alone atop the Southern Division. The game began very much to the liking of Breaker Head Coach Mike Nolan. New Orleans took the opening kickoff, drove down the field, and put 3 points on the board in less than 3 minutes. Their defense then held Memphis to two straight 3-and-outs. But Memphis would adapt and by the end of the first quarter they were making headway. They had a good drive as the quarter ended, and with 43 seconds left in the first they got on the board, a 12 yard swing pass from Favre to Maurice Smith, the first of three Brett Favre TD tosses on the day. Memphis would extend the lead to 10-3 in the 2nd quarter before New Orleans added another 3 to go into the half down only 10-6. That score would be cut to 10-9 after the Breakers’ first possession of the second half. But the Breakers needed more, and they would get it after a careless throw from Favre was snatched up by Breaker FS Will Hunter. That pick gave the Breakers momentum, and they would use that energy to get into the endzone, with Eli Manning finding Jerome Pathon from 17 yards out. The 2-pointer was good and after 3 quarters New Orleans was up 17-10. They would go up by 14 only 5 plays later, when a 3-and-out and a poor punt by Memphis turned into a 43-yard TD from Manning to McCardell. The 8-year vet would catch 10 passes on the day, gaining 129 yards and this score. With the run game still floundering for New Orleans, despite the presence of new acquisition Fred Jackson, it was McCardell who provided the spark. Unfortunately for the Breakers, momentum has a way of switching mid-game. The Breakers had gone up 14 and were feeling pretty good, but Memphis was not done. They were focused on the next drive, far more than New Orleans appeared to be. When, on a 2nd and 8 from the Breaker 37, Maurice Smith took the ball off left tackle, the hope was for a 6-8 yard gain, but what Memphis got was a 37-yard touchdown, and a significant boost in crowd engagement. That crowd came in handy on the next defensive set of downs, as noise forced a false start that derailed the New Orleans drive. Memphis would get the ball back with just under 7 minutes to play, down 7. They would find their way into scoring range, and, after a defensive pass interference call placed the ball on the 1, Favre would hit rookie Sidney Rice with a quick slant, and the game would be tied. And here is where fate can be so cruel. New Orleans got an outstanding return from Walt Harris, putting the ball on their own 48-yard line, with plenty of time to get into range for David Green to kick them to their first victory. They would need to gain about 15 yards in just over a minute to get Green into position, but with 3 time outs in their pocket, it seemed eminently possible. And so, on 1st and 10 from their own 48, they called a simple draw play to rookie Kenny Irons. But in the USFL nothing is as simple as it appears. The ball never made it into the gut of Irons, it bounced off his waiting arm, dropped, was kicked, and ended up rolling past the line of scrimmage, where Memphis DE Julius Peppers fell on it. Memphis ball on the Memphis 49 yard line. And now the Showboats could shoot for that final, game-winning field goal. Of course, getting the field goal depends on moving the ball again, and when you have Brett Favre at quarterback, any play could become something quite different from what was written up. The call was for a short inside route to TE David Martin, but when Favre was forced out of the pocket, the coverage began to break down. Favre saw this and let the ball rip, downfield about 20 yards to rookie Sidney Rice, Rice went up for the ball, but it bounced off one hand, then off a New Orleans defender, and right into the arms of halfback Maurice Smith. Smith, who had 62 yards rushing and had cashed in on the swing pass TD earlier in the day, was again off to the races. With coaches calling for him to go down, to protect the ball and set up a field goal, Smith was racing down the field, crossing lines of pursuit, and clearly unable to hear or acknowledge the advice of those on the sideline. Had he lost the ball, there would have been hell to pay, but he didn’t, instead he dove over the final defender and into the endzone to put Memphis up by 7 with only 41 seconds on the clock. Memphis had scored 14 points in less than 1 minute, and New Orleans did not have a response. They got the ball back with just over 30 seconds left, but could not complete a pass when needed and when the clock struck 00’s, Memphis had their 4th win and New Orleans was sent home 0-5. MICHIGAN 34 BOSTON 40 The Weekend started off with a lot of fireworks as the Panthers and Cannons ran up the score on NBC’s Friday Night Football. Brian Griese would throw 4 touchdowns and newly dubbed starter Justin Fargas would rush for 90 yards and another score, but the Panther defense simply could not contain the Cannons. Drew Bledsoe threw for 3 scores, two to Joe Jurevicious, who seems healthy once again, while Tiki Barber would run for 112. Rookie Tony Hunt would score, but the game winner was on defense, as a desperate Brian Griese threw a bad pass that LB London Fletcher would snag out of the air and return 47 yards to put Boston up 40-28. A late score from Michigan was not enough as Boston moved to 5-0 in impressive fashion. BIRMINGHAM 17 NEW JERSEY 45 A shocking turn of events as the Stallions drop another one and New Jersey defeats their second Southern foe in two weeks. What was truly stunning was the production of Kelly Holcombe, who completed 16 of 19 passes and threw 4 touchdowns. Hitting both T. J. Houshmanzadeh and Anthony Becht for two scores each. Add in 114 yards from Curtis Enis and this General squad looked a lot more like the 2006 champions than the team that started the year 0-3. LAS VEGAS 3 PITTSBURGH 7 If scoring is not your thing, then a rain-drenched Heinz Field held the game for you. Both Las Vegas and Pittsburgh struggled to get much going at all. The Maulers amassed only 179 total yards of offense against the tough Las Vegas defense and the elements. The Thunder did not fare much better, gaining only 221 in a game that saw a combined 23 punts. Twenty Three Punts!!!! It would come down to one final drive, and Pittsburgh got it. Cody Pickett hit Travis Taylor for the only TD of the day with only 45 seconds later, much to the delight of the very few, very wet fans who were still in the stands when this one concluded. SEATTLE 35 HOUSTON 24 Houston’s struggles continued as they drop another game at home. Seattle would fall down 14-0 after the first quarter, but would go on to score 28 unanswered to take command. Byron Leftwich would make up for an early pick-six thrown by tossing 4 touchdowns, all 4 scores in that run. David Boston would finish with 138 yards and 2 scores. Houston, playing without Roy Williams, would struggle to keep up, though newly promoted Koren Robinson had a good game with 6 catches for 100 yards and a score. ST. LOUIS 23 OAKLAND 26 The Knights are another snakebit team, as they fell to 1-4 in a hard fought game out in Oakland. A late Greg Jennings TD catch put Oakland up 26-16 with 12 minutes left to play, but while Luke McCown would get one score late, it was not enough to catch up with the Invaders, who move to 3-2 and a 3-way tie behind Seattle in the Pacific. JACKSONVILLE 30 ATLANTA 22 Saturday’s ESPN Special saw the Bulls take on division rival Atlanta. Jacksonville got an early lead and never let Atlanta get back on top. Two touchdowns from Rashaun Woods and 151 yards from a very dynamic Antowain Smith kept Atlanta at arm’s length all night. It did not help that Atlanta QB David Garrard had to leave the game at the half due to a minor injury. Rookie Tyler Thigpen, in his first action as a pro, would go 19 of 28 in the second half, keeping the game close with 2 TD passes, but Atlanta just never got close enough. PHILADELPHIA 30 WASHINGTON 20 Sunday opened with a wet field, but the skies cleared in time for the Stars to face the Federals. The main beneficiary of the clear skies appeared to be the Star secondary, who came away with three picks of Henry Burris. And while Charles Woodson’s pick-6 was the most exciting interception of the day, it was not enough to pull Washington out of a 27-6 hole as Philadelphia moves to 4-1 on the year. LOS ANGELES 24 ORLANDO 40 They say flying from the Pacific to the East Coast is tough on a team, well that appears to be the case for the Express this week, though we should also give credit to a very motivated 0-4 Orlando club. The Renegades came out of the gate hot and just got more and more confident as the game progressed. Drew Brees had his best game in blue and black, throwing for 350 yards and 3 scores, while newly arrived wideout Justin McCaerins made some new friends in Florida with his 60 yard, 1 TD day as Orlando lands their first win of the season. BALTIMORE 13 NASHVILLE 13 OVERTIME The first 4pm game of the day became the longest game of the day as Baltimore and Nashville slogged through an extra 15-minute overtime only to end in a tie that satisfied neither team. After going up 13-0 on a Marty Booker TD catch, Baltimore slowly bled points until Musa Smith’s TD run for Nashville tied the game up midway through the 4th. In a game that just seemed to lack precision all day, neither team could connect in overtime, with Matt Stover missing on a 38-yard kick in the only real scoring chance in overtime. A tie and both teams start over next week. DENVER 19 TEXAS 13 The Outlaws drop to 1-4 as Denver, the only team with a winning record in the Southwest, gets just enough to move to 3-2. Texas led 13-9 into the 4th, but a Kassim Osgood TD reception put Denver up for good. Denver would outgain Texas 360-202, but could never build much advantage from it. Texas actually had the ball with a chance to win the game late, but a fumble by R. J. Redmond on 4th and 2 meant a turnover on downs and Denver took the victory formation to win the game. ARIZONA 14 TAMPA BAY 34 Hopes are beginning to dim for the 1-4 Wranglers, who look like a shell of the team that won the Southwest last year. It did not help that Jake Plummer was sidelined with a possible concussion. Andrew Walter would come in, but by then the die was cast. Willis McGahee added 3 more scores to his league leading total of 9 scores in 5 weeks and the Jeremy Shockey would lead all receivers with 111 yards as the Bandits move to 3-2, a game behind Jacksonville. What is Wrong with Arizona? We have seen this movie before. The Wranglers have a very good season, and we expect more the next year, and then they fall flat on their faces. This was the pattern that eventually got Art Shell fired, good years followed by major disappointments. The same seems to be happening to Jim Fassel. The club went 10-4 in 2004, Fassel’s first year, then fell to 3-11 in 2005, but that was the year that Jake Plummer missed most of the season, so we expected a bounce back, and we got one. They went 10-4 again last year and many thought the corner had been turned, but here we are at 1-4 after 5 weeks of the 2007 season. So, what can we say? Well, let’s say the obvious thing first. This club has to figure out how to run the ball. The Wranglers are averaging a pathetic 49.4 yards per game this season. They have two rushers with 94 yards (Galloway and Jake Plummer, yes, Plummer again). Rookie Antonio Pittman is averaging 1.6 yards per carry, and former Arizona Wildcat Chris Henry has all of 2 carries on the season. What is so hard about developing a run game that the Wranglers cannot do it? So, what if Arizona could run? They can’t, but what if? Well, they also have the 25th rated scoring defense and the 26th rated defense for yards allowed. Being able to run the ball and sustain drives would help with that, but it won’t fix it all. When we look at the defense, it is pretty easy to find problems. They are last in the league with only 7 sacks in their first 5 games. They also have only 1 interception as a team, and they allow 124 yards per game rushing. Those are a lot of issues. But why? Why did they have a solid defense last year and such a horrible one again, just like in 2005? If we had the answer to that, we would likely be hired by the Wranglers at this point. But someone on Fassel’s staff had better figure it out and soon. And with Houston? The numbers on Arizona are pretty obvious, while Houston’s 1-4 start seems a bit of a tougher nut to crack. They are having trouble giving up too many big plays, but they are getting pressure on quarterbacks, with Kavika Pittman again a one-man wrecking crew, leading the league with 8 sacks all on his own. They also struggle to run the ball, but Kevin Faulk has had 117 yards against the Wranglers and 94 this week at LA, so it is improving. What we see when we look at Houston is a team that cannot close. They lost 15-9 to the Gold, 20-17 to the Wranglers, 24-23 to LA, and only really lost badly this past week to Seattle. This could be a 3-2 team instead of a 1-4 squad. That may bring hope to some, but it brings a lot of frustration as well. Now, with Roy Williams out, just 5 weeks into the year, and in a year when Antonio Freeman jumped to the NFL, the Gamblers need to find more firepower on offense. They cannot find themselves in so many tight games and not come away with victories in any of them. So, what is our solution? Put Michael Sims-Walker into the starting lineup, not as a slot option, but as a 3-down receiver. As nice as Ike Hilliard and Koren Robinson are at getting open 8 yards downfield, this team needs to threaten clubs downfield, and that is where their rookie can be so effective. Sure, they won’t connect on every attempt, but it seems like they are wasting his straight line speed in the slot. Add some deep ball danger and just maybe they open up some run lanes for Faulk and Bell. Maybe they hit on a few long passes, and maybe they start to turn close losses into wins. And What is Going Right for Memphis? While questions of “what went wrong” are big in Houston and Phoenix, the Showboats are happy to answer questions about what is going right. The easy answer is Brett Favre, but the former Stallion QB is not blazing his way through the record book like he did earlier in his career. He is currently 10th in passing yards, and 8th in touchdowns, tied with Jake Delhomme. So what is working if it is not Favre chucking the ball all over the field? How about balance? Favre has 165 pass attempts, but Cadillac Wiliams, Maurice Williams and Lionel Gates combine for 137 rush attempts. It is not all Favre all the time. Yes, having a USFL legend at QB absolutely makes it easier to run the ball. Teams have to be worried that Favre is going to let one loose to Lee Evans or rookie Sidney Rice, but he hasn’t been. Evans is averaging only 14.8 yards per reception, Rice only has 2 catches so far. No, the secret is the threat of the deep ball, a threat that has allowed Williams to average 3.9 yards per carry, and Maurice Smith an even better 5.7. If you want to beat Memphis, believe it or not, you may just want to stop fearing Favre and start playing more to stop the run and the short passing game. And for Philadelphia? The Stars are another surprising 4-1 club, but one whose formula is not that surprising. The Stars are both Top 10 in rushing offense and Top 10 in yards allowed. They control the ball, the clock, and the number of opportunities their opponents get. It makes sense. They have Ahman Green, a 3-time rushing leader, averaging 4.1 yards per carry (his backup, Michael Robinson is at 4.9). They have a ball control passing game, with 3 different players having caught 18 or more passes this year, including TE Roland Williams, along with Toomer and Smith. They also incorporate a lot of receivers into their multi-level attack. Ahman Green has 171 yards receiving, and both Dallas Clark and Roddy White are seeing targets every week as well. On defense, Philadelphia is strong up the middle, with SS Reggie Tongue behind rookie LB Paul Posluszny and DTs Kendrick Clancy and Seth Payne. They also can pressure the QB with Regan Upshaw and Robert Mathis coming off the edge. They could use a shut down corner, especially noticeable when Antonio Cromartie got dinged up, but overall this is a defense that forces you to take your time, avoid mistakes, and score slowly. That keeps them in games and lets them wear you down over time. A good formula, and one that is working for Coach Harbaugh and the Stars. No new IR placements, which is always a good thing to see. It does not mean however that the week went by without any injuries to speak of. Several players could miss significant time though are not likely out for the remaining 9 weeks. Among the more significant injuries we have Chicago’s rookie DE Victor Abiami, who will miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury, New Orleans tackle Mark Tauscher (2-4 weeks, hamstring), Atlanta QB David Garrard (1-2 weeks, shoulder), Oakland CB Deon Grant (1-2 weeks, hand), and Arizona QB Jake Plummer (1-2 weeks, groin). That makes 2 starting QB’s who are likely out at least until the midway point of the season. Others out this week (Doubtful or Questionable) include Baltimore TE Antonio Gates (hamstring), Nashville HB Frank Gore (back), NJ DE Tamba Hali (foot), Birmingham WR Joe Horn (nerve), Boston OT Marco Colombo (neck), Philly CB Anthony Parker (foot), and Texas TE David Thomas (knee). Forbes ID’s USFL Finances Forbes Magazine this week published an interesting study of USFL finances. As they have done with the NFL, they listed the most valuable and least valuable franchises, factoring in their stadium situation, ownership, ticket sales, and revenue streams within each community. While there were no huge surprises, with USFL markets often paralleling their NFL counterparts and larger markets leading to higher individual financial advantages, there were a few interesting aspects to the report. With numbers taken from 2005, it is not surprising that the 2004 USFL Champion Generals topped the list as the most valuable franchise, sitting at just under $1B in value. This is significantly less than the value assessed to either the Jets or Giants, who both top $2B in value, but for a league that was only 23 years old at the time, a one billion dollar assessment is nothing to sneeze at. In part New Jersey benefits from the greater NYC metro area as a resource for sponsorships and partnerships, and in part the plans for a new stadium set to open in 2010 benefitted New Jersey quite a bit. Others in the Top 10 included Tampa Bay ($950M), Seattle ($915M), Denver ($880M), Philadelphia ($865M), Michigan ($802M), Houston ($787M), New Orleans ($755M), Chicago ($688M) and Arizona ($645M). In nearly every case these are well-funded teams, with solid stadium arrangements, strong fan bases and a rich pool of corporate sponsors and partners. While Atlanta and St. Louis were not included in the study, it can be assumed that they both start off strong due both to their stadium deals and the relatively stable finances of their ownership groups. To no one’s surprise the smaller markets were among the lowest valued, along with teams like Las Vegas and Boston whose stadium situations are tenuous at best. What may surprise some is that Los Angeles landed at 18th, sixth from the bottom, despite the huge market and corporate presence. LA has a strong stadium agreement with Farmers Insurance Field, which they share with the NFL Raiders, but the issue, as it always has been in LA, is attendance and gameday revenue. The others in the Bottom 6 include Memphis, Washington, Oakland, Las Vegas, and Boston. So, what can these “lower value” franchises do to improve their standing? Well, each case is its own, but there seems to be a pretty clear answer for each club. Los Angeles: Find a way to expand the fanbase, improve attendance, and somehow tap into some of the success the Raiders have had in becoming a “must see” event each Sunday. Memphis: The market is the issue here. Sharing Tennessee with the Nashville Knights is not helping either club, as Nashville barely missed this list at 7th. Memphis is not a strong corporate market, and has one of the lowest per capita income numbers in the league. Yes, they have created connections with Fed Ex, but what other regional partners can they better mine to get a greater exposure, all while fending off Nashville as a competitor? Washington: The Feds have two main issues, the first is that their ownership remains one of the least capitalized of any USFL team, so perhaps they need to consider expanding their ownership group to bring in more big money minority owners. The second is the rapidly declining viability of RFK Stadium as a home for the club. Washington is in discussions with the local MLS club, DC United, to try to build something within the city, but with the Redskins still vehemently opposed to sharing their stadium, for now Washington is stuck in a pretty bad home. Las Vegas and Boston: Stadium is the main issue with both clubs. The capacity of both Sam Boyd and BC’s Alumni Staduim is just not there, and both stadia lack amenities which make them destination spots. If Las Vegas could get a stadium built, the city itself is primed to be a key market for the league and a significant money maker. Same in Boston, where a better stadium situation could dramatically improve the finances of a club that has a lot of other things playing in its favor. Competition, rather than cooperation with Robert Kraft and the Patriots has proven a drag on the team, more than the league could have anticipated. While the league as a whole is looking strong, and the revenue sharing built into its structure keeps even the lower value teams from struggling to bring in revenue, more assistance for clubs on the lower end, whether through expanded corporate sponsorship or assistance with stadium development, could go a long way to spanning the gap between the top and the bottom. Musical Franchises: The 1987 USFL Expansion By the 1986 season the USFL was flush with funds from the antitrust suit against the NFL, and was feeling pretty good about its future. The 1984 expansion had strengthened the league, with very solid franchises in Jacksonville, Houston, Memphis, and Pittsburgh, and the spirit within the league offices was one of growth and opportunity. No wonder that in this situation there was a lot of interest in another round of expansion, and a lot of ownership bidding groups ready to throw their hat in the ring. Groups from as far afield as Seattle, Miami, Minneapolis, and San Diego were all bidding on a chance to get a piece of what seemed a hot commodity. For the 1986 season the league had approved two franchises to relocate, one due to stadium issues and the other for general financial and attendance concerns. The Chicago Blitz would move to Baltimore, where they were enthusiastically welcomed by a city still angered by the midnight departure of the NFL Colts. The Breakers would find a new home and a new owner in the Big Easy, a move that would radically improve their bottom line and their attendance after several rough years in Boston’s tiny Nickerson Field and Harvard Stadium. However, the departure from two large markets into decidedly smaller ones was not sitting well with either ABC or ESPN, who counted on big market franchises to boost ratings. The USFL would have to replace at least one, if not both of the lost markets to avoid a major squabble about market share and ratings with the networks. The solution was to add 4 expansion teams in 1987 and ensure that one would be placed in Chicago to replace the departing Blitz. The other three cities would be mid- to large markets that would expand the national scope of the league. Early favorites were Dallas, Seattle, and Miami. But, the whims of fate, and the politics of stadium leases would force the league in a very different direction. The Chicago Machine, awarded to Blackhawks majority owner Bill Wirtz, would prove to be the easiest of the 4 expansion bids. Wirtz would get a solid deal to put his team in Soldier Field, and would build his franchise around Head Coach Joe Bugel, a no-nonsense football guy who had come out of an O-line background and would create a team with a blue collar attitude. The second franchise awarded was a Texas team, a natural rival for Houston, but it would not be Dallas. Clint Manges, a oil man born in Oklahoma but made rich in south Texas, who would land a franchise, and after agreeing to foot the bill to upgrade Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, the Alamo City would be Texas’s second USFL city instead of Dallas. San Diego appeared to be next as the league approved William Tatham, a Fresno-based real estate developer and banker, to operate franchise in the California city. Problem was, Tatham did not have a deal with San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. Over the course of the fall of 1986, he would abandon the plans for San Diego, explore options as far-ranging as Portland and Honolulu, before time ran out and he was forced to take the best deal he could, which ended up placing his team in the very “not desirable” market of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The smallest market in the league and a 2nd tier college stadium would be home to the short-lived Oklahoma Outlaws. The fourth and final proposal came from Florida real estate magnate Woody Weiser, and the plan was to create a team (rumored to be called the “Spirit of Miami”) in the Miami Orange Bowl. Miami even had a coach lined up, former University of Miami head coach Howard Schnellenberger was on board as a part owner and the club’s first coach. Problem was, once again, the franchise was awarded before a stadium deal was locked up. The Orange Bowl balked, many suspecting that this was due to intense pressure from the NFL and Dolphins’ owner Joe Robbie. The Spirit of Miami would need to find another home. The franchise would settle on Orlando, but in doing so they lost the support of Weiser, who sold off his controlling share to one of the club’s minority owners, Donald Dizney, who had also had dealings with the Bandits before signing on for this new club. Dizney would build up the team in Orlando, to be called the Renegades, and managed to keep Schnellenberger on as coach. Orlando would prove to be a stable location and a good venue for the USFL, though we suspect that Miami still feels like a lost opportunity. So, not the 4 cities the league had imagined, but landing Chicago had made the networks accept the smaller markets of San Antonio and Orlando. They were not pleased by Oklahoma, but it turned out they would not need to worry about it for long. During the inaugural 1987 season for these 4 clubs, issues continued to arise for both Oklahoma and San Antonio. In Oklahoma it was stadium and financing, while in San Antonio the issue appeared to be that Clint Manges had completely bamboozled the league with his financial reporting. Players were not getting paid, vendors were filing suits to get funds from the club, and the league would have to step in and find a solution. What the league proposed, and what was eventually accepted with some trepidation and back room dealing, was a major reconfiguration involving both franchises and one of the unapproved bids from the 1986 expansion process. Clint Manges would sell off his ownership of the San Antonio Gunslingers to William Tatham, who would relocate the Outlaws to San Antonio, a city already in the planning for a new domed stadium. Tulsa would be out, but the league still needed a 20th franchise, so the league reached out to one of the early 1986 bidders, and offered a franchise to Phil Knight of the rapidly growing Nike sporting goods interest to bring a club to Portland, Oregon. Not a huge market, but having a presence in the Pacific Northwest, even if it was not Seattle, would go over well with ABC and ESPN. Knight agreed, but demanded a fair chance to sign players rather than an expansion draft. The deal was cut that the rosters of the Outlaws and Gunslingers would form a roster pool and the new Portland Thunder and Texas Outlaws would draw their players from this pool. Texas would land the bigger talent pool from this plan, including QB Doug Williams and LB Brian Bosworth. Portland was expected to start their first season with Rick Neuheisel at QB, but injuries would lead Neuheisel to retire before ever playing for Portland ,who would go with Kerwin Bell at QB, with former Oakland QB Fred Besana also signed on. In 1988 all 4 teams would find stable homes, and the 1987 expansion could finally be considered complete. It would only take 4 years for one of the 1987 clubs to appear in a championship, with Orlando appearing in Summer Bowl 1991. The first winner would take longer as once again it was Orlando in 2001 who hoisted the trophy. Texas, Portland (now Las Vegas) and Chicago have yet to taste victory in the USFL championship, though both the Thunder and Machine have made appearances in the game. But, with the 1987 expansion, as chaotic as it was, the USFL reached 20 franchises, and was well on their way to being seen as a major league, no longer an upstart or fledgling operation. Putt Choate: Have Gun Will Travel. One of the early faces of the 1987 expansion was linebacker Putt Choate, who had made a name for himself as a member of the Denver Gold from 1983 until the 1987 expansion. Choate, a product of SMU, had been offered a brief cup of coffee with the Atlanta Falcons in 1979, but found success in Red Miller’s Denver Gold defense, where he led the team with 91 tackles in the inaugural year of the league. He would remain with Denver through 2006, appearing in the first USFL Championship, and having his best year in 1986, with 103 tackles. And yet, when the expansion draft was conducted, Choate requested that he be placed in the pool, having hoped to return to his native Texas with the San Antonio Gunslingers. Choate would get his wish, selected by San Antonio in the early rounds of the expansion draft. He would become the face of the Gunslingers, along with former Arizona QB Rick Neuheisel, in the club’s lone season. Choate would improve his personal best with 107 tackles, but would have his hopes for local fame and fortune thwarted by the deal that merged the roster pool of Oklahoma and San Antonio when the Gunslingers were dissolved, the Oklahoma Outlaws were relocated, and the Portland Thunder were signed on as the league’s 20th franchise. Choate again had hoped to remain in San Antonio, after all, he was the club’s top defensive player. The problem was, the new owner of the relocated Outlaws had a MLB in mind already. University of Oklahoma All-American Brian “the Boz” Bosworth, was a member of the Outlaws and one of the players who William Tatham was eager to retain as his club relocated to San Antonio. Along with Doug Williams, Bosworth would be coming to San Antonio. As part of the expansion deal, that meant that several of the top Gunslingers would be assigned to the new Portland franchise. Putt Choate would find himself in that small group of assigned players before the reallocation even became public. Choate was locked into his USFL contract for one more year, so off he went to Portland. He would have a solid year with the Thunder, racking up another 97 tackles, but was miserable in Portland. He walked away from contract negotiations, hoping he might catch on with another USFL team as a free agent. Unfortunately neither of the Texas clubs, nor his former club in Denver, were in the market for a middle linebacker over 30. Choate had brief try outs with the New Orleans Breakers and Arizona Wranglers, but ended up unsigned. He would go to camp with the Houston Oilers, but again fail to make the squad. Disheartened, he returned to Texas and waited by the phone. He would eventually be signed by the Green Bay Packers, where he would play for one year before hanging up the cleats and forming what would become Choate USA, a landscape architecture firm in Dallas that has now expanded across Texas and Louisiana. While his dream of playing pro football in Texas was short-lived, Putt Choate is still fondly remembered in both San Antonio and Denver. He is remembered as having a non-stop motor, an eye for the ball, and a heart for the game, an early star in the first years of the USFL. (IRL: After, playing every game of the 3-year USFL, and one season in Green Bay, Putt Choate did go on to found Choate USA, as you can see on the company’s website-- http://www2.choateusa.com. He is also a member of the Texas High School Football and SMU Halls of Fame.) Heading into Week 6 and there are a lot of teams that are hoping that they have put the pieces together and are ready to make a run. We have some great divisional games on tap (highlighted in blue text) and a lot of nationally broadcast games as we hope to leave a rainy April behind and enter the warmer weeks of May and June. FRI @ 8pm ATLANTA (1-4) @ MEMPHIS (4-1) NBC SAT @ 12pm ST. LOUIS (1-4) @ PITTSBURGH (2-3) FOX SAT @ 12pm SEATTLE (5-0) @ BALTIMORE (2-2-1) ABC SAT @ 12pm BIRMINGHAM (2-3 @ NEW ORLEANS (0-5) ABC SAT @ 4pm NASHVILLE (3-1-1) @ HOUSTON (1-4) ABC SAT @ 4pm JACKSONVILLE (4-1) @ OAKLAND (3-2) FOX SAT @ 8pm LAS VEGAS (3-2) @ LOS ANGELES (3-2) ESPN SUN @ 12pm TAMPA BAY (3-2) @ ORLANDO (1-4) ABC SUN @ 12pm WASHINGTON (2-3) @ BOSTON (5-0) FOX SUN @ 12pm NEW JERSEY (2-3) @ PHILADELPHIA (4-1) FOX SUN @ 4pm DENVER (3-2) @ CHICAGO (2-3) ABC SUN @ 4pm TEXAS (1-4) @ ARIZONA (1-4) FOX SUN @ 8pm OHIO (4-1) @ MICHIGAN (2-3) ESPN

Four weeks into the season and some teams are already getting a bit desperate. We have two clubs sitting at 0-4, both made moves this week to try to get that first win under their belts. We also have 2 teams sitting at 4-0 and feeling pretty good as both Boston and Seattle have yet to taste defeat. We have some surprising successes in places like Philadelphia, Memphis, and LA, and we have some disappointments in New Jersey, Orlando, Atlanta, and New Orleans. I guess we could call the entire Southwest Division a bit of a disappointment as three teams sit at 1-3 and Denver is only a game up at 2-2. But if that is the case, then we have to celebrate the Pacific where Oakland is in last place at 2-2, while Vegas and LA sit at 3-1 and Seattle rules the roost at 4-0. Four weeks in, and the season’s storylines are just now beginning to take shape. They are still very mutable, so stay tuned. It only gets better from here. HOUSTON 23 LOS ANGELES 24 For the third consecutive week Houston drops a close one as they simply cannot seem to put teams away. While Los Angeles, after a tough loss in Seattle, rebounds with a big home win to move to 3-1 on the season. Seneca Wallace continues to prove a pleasant surprise this season, throwing for 3 touchdowns, while surviving a brutal pass rush that produced 10 total sacks. In a game where Houston ran the ball surprisingly well, the Gamblers simply could not put the game away when they needed to and LA found a way to pull it out with almost no time on the clock. The game would be characterized by LA’s big plays and Houston’s aggressive defense. Seneca Wallace would suffer 10 sacks on the day, as time and again he held the ball waiting for deep routes to develop. When they did, he was able to make connections with his two best receivers, linking up with Tory Holt for a 33-yard TD toss on the opening drive, and then finding Keyshawn Johnson for 2 more scores. Down 7 after the Holt TD, Houston got two big defensive plays to put them back in the game. First a misplayed 4th and 1 call went against LA, turning the ball over on downs and leading to a Houston field goal. Then, only 2 minutes later a muffed punt turned into a Houston TD as Shaun Williams came away with the ball in the endzone for 7 points. Houston would add a Vernon Davis score in the 2nd and go into the half with a seemingly comfortable 17-7 lead over the homestanding Express. But, as so often does, the half allowed Coach Jackson and the Express to recalibrate. They would open the 2nd half with a field goal to get back to within 7 at 17-10. Then, on their next possession, the deep ball would again pay off for Wallace. He avoided the rush on a 2nd and 3 and found Keyshawn Johnson open deep, a 72-yard strike that evened the score of the game. Houston would retake the lead with 4:16 left in the half, another Josh Brown field goal making it 23-20 for the visitors. They would double that advantage after a tipped ball from Wallace became a pick and Houston took over on the fringe of field goal range. They moved the ball into range for Brown, and he added 3 more to make Houston’s lead 23-17 with only 1:40 left to play. While a few Los Angelinos started heading to the exits, most stuck around, and what they saw was their team rallying behind Seneca Wallace. Wallace connected on a short circle route to Jones-Drew, then a crossing pattern by Manumaleuna. A scramble on 1st and 10 garnered another first down, and soon LA was in range and still held 2 time outs. They would not need to stop the clock again. On 1st and 10 from the 33, Wallace again rolled slightly to avoid the Houston rush that had been his nemesis all game long. This time he had just enough time to again spot Keyshawn Johnson getting open. He delivered a ball high and inside just across the goal, and Keyshawn was there to snatch it out of the air. With only 26 seconds left, LA had taken their first lead since the early stages of the opening quarter. Houston would not have time to rally and once again a close game would slip away. LA moves to 3-1, just one game behind Seattle, while Houston joins the crowd at 1-3 in the Southwest Division. ARIZONA 17 SEATTLE 29 Friday night saw the Dragons back in action again, and they left little doubt in this one, scoring the first 22 points of the game before Arizona ever got on the boards. Dillon and Sproles combined for 118 yards as Seattle continues to give Darren Sproles more opportunities to touch the ball. David Boston also did his part, catching 5 balls for 128 yards, including a 52-yard strike that broke open the game early in the 2nd. ORLANDO 17 PHILADELPHIA 18 Orlando came within minutes of securing their first win, but Kurt Warner led the Stars on a final drive that ended with a Dallas Clark TD catch to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In a game that saw Sedrick Irvin outpace Ahman Green 82-54, the Stars still found a way to pull the game out and Orlando fell to 0-4 in what has been a truly disappointing opening to the season. ATLANTA 25 TAMPA BAY 33 After falling behind 20-6, the Atlanta Fire made it a game in the 2nd half and had Tampa Bay on the ropes until a Willis McGahee TD run late in the 4th helped them build up a lead that Atlanta could not eliminate. McGahee finished with 77 yards rushing and two scores. Terrell Davis had 114 for the Fire, but it was not enough to produce a road victory for Atlanta. OHIO 38 ST. LOUIS 10 Ohio’s offense found their groove against the Skyhawks, with Kerry Collins throwing for 3 scores and Eddie George rushing for 77 yards, but the surprise star of the game was backup HB Kenny Watson, who rushed for 104 on only 5 carries, thanks to a 34-yard dash and 3 more 20+ yard runs. Joey Galloway added 141 yards and 2 scores as Ohio rolled the Skyhawks in the dome. TEXAS 3 LAS VEGAS 23 With T. J. Duckett still dealing with an ankle issue, the Outlaws could do little against Las Vegas’s top flight defense. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch had his first 100-yard game, 164 on 16 carries to be exact, as the Thunder got their ground game rumbling against the Outlaws. BOSTON 21 DENVER 13 Denver got 111 yards from HB Cedric Benson, but they could not contain the Boston pass game, with Bledsoe going for 325 and 2 scores as Boston pulled out the win at Invesco Field. Tiki Barber was a non-factor, with only 37 yards against the Gold defense, but Bledsoe kept chipping away at the D, and in the end that helped Boston get the win on the road to remain unbeaten. WASHINGTON 9 BALTIMORE 5 A tough game to sit through as neither team proved they had much on offense. Of course, for the defensive coaches it was a thing of beauty as neither team was able to find the endzone. Deuce McCallister’s 112 yards rushing were the offensive highlight of the game, but even with that Washington could only muster 3 field goals. Up 9-3 with time running out, the Feds went for the intentional safety just to get out of danger backed up on their endzone, explaining the baseball-like score. NASHVILLE 20 BIRMINGHAM 6 The Knights get over 200 yards of total offense from Frank Gore as they grind down the Stallions in Legion Field. Gore finished with 126 yards rushing on 22 carries and added another 75 through the air. Meanwhile, the Knight defense flustered Jason Campbell and contained the run game to hold Birmingham to only 2 field goals on the day. MEMPHIS 27 JACKSONVILLE 21 The Bulls fall from the ranks of the unbeaten as a late Favre to Lee Evans TD gives Memphis the win. It was Favre’s only TD on the day, but he avoided turning the ball over and that proved enough as Memphis’s defense played very well against Jake Delhomme and the Bulls, holding them under 300 yards of total offense. PITTSBURGH 21 CHICAGO 26 Cody Pickett would go 23 of 30 and throw for 3 scores, but it was not enough as TDs from Michael Turner and Maurice Clarett were enough to push Chicago over the Maulers. Turner would finish with 85 yards rushing and both Donald Driver and Curtis Conway would get over 75 each as Brady Quinn distributed the ball well, throwing for 201 yards on a 17 of 22 day. MICHIGAN 7 OAKLAND 24 Brian Griese’s worst game of the year as Oakland sacked the Panther QB six times and picked him off twice. Add in 135 yards rushing between Ricky Williams (95) and Jerious Norwood (40) and you have Oakland evening their record at 2-2. Invader LB Roosevelt Colvin had a huge game, racking up 12 tackles, 3 sacks, and a fumble recovery to help Oakland win comfortably. NEW JERSEY 26 NEW ORLEANS 20 In this battle of winless teams on Sunday night, someone had to earn their first W of the season, and that was the Generals, thanks to a sturdy run defense and just enough big plays from Terry Glenn and Curtis Enis. Early TD’s from Enis and James Jackson gave New Jersey the edge, and despite a strong day from Eli Manning, the Generals would hang on to win by six. Breakers Make Bold Move at 0-4 Losing will certainly amp up the need for a team to make a move, and that is certainly the case with the New Orleans Breakers, whose run game has been one of the worst in the league (300 yards in 4 games as a team). The combination of Troy Davis, Julius Jones and rookie Kenny Irons have just not found their stride, and while Davis has been a valuable asset over the years in the passing game, he was seen as a weak link in the run game. So, the Breakers this week opted to trade pass receiving skills for more traditional power run skills, sending Davis to the Michigan Panthers to acquire halfback Fred Jackson. Michigan, who has also been using a platoon strategy with their backs, acquires a pure 3rd down back, a scat back with excellent hands, to diversify their offense. They will almost certainly now move to Justin Fargas as their primary 1st and 2nd down ball carrier, with Davis used on passing downs, though Leon Washington has certainly been doing well in that role so far. For New Orleans, we expect Jackson to quickly be given the chance to establish himself as the lead back, with Kenny Irons likely serving as the backup and Julius Jones mostly serving as a short-yardage option. Jackson has decent pass receiving skills in addition to his one-cut style out of the backfield, so we could imagine New Orleans keeping him on the field for 3 downs, but spelling him with Jones or Irons as needed. Is this a move that dramatically improves the situation for the 0-4 Breakers? Unlikely, but it is a move that shows that management and Coach Nolan are not afraid to make changes and shake things up. Orlando Also Hits Trade Wire After 0-4 Start Another team hoping to shake things up after an 0-4 start are the Orlando Renegades. After making a huge splash this offseason by signing Drew Brees to a lucrative free agent contract, the Orlando offense has hardly been a well-oiled machine. Orlando currently ranks 23rd in scoring at 13.2 points per game, and is 21st in passing yards, averaging just barely over 180 yards per game. So, with Brees in place, what do you do? You provide him with a target. Orlando this week did just that, sending a 3rd round pick and special teamer Eddie Berlin to the Memphis Showboats to acquire wideout Justin McCaerins. McCaerins, who has hauled in 10 passes for 132 yards this season in Memphis, has not had a 1,000 yard season since his rookie year with the Showboats, but is seen as an upgrade for Orlando, whose leading receiver, Michael Jenkins, has only 199 yards and no touchdowns to date this year. Pairing McCaerins with Jenkins is designed to provide Orlando with two outside threats, with the hope that rookie Greg Olsen can serve as a third target inside. Both the #3 and #4 receivers on the Orlando depth chart (Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokely) are better suited as outside receives, relieving the starters, than as slot receivers, a position typically held by Tai Streets. Memphis will now promote Lee Evans to a starting role opposite Robert Ferguson. Evans has built some rapport with the Showboats’ new QB, Brett Favre, connecting on the game winning TD this week. St. Louis Goes for Bush No trade for the St. Louis Skyhawks this week, but a change in strategy as the club announced that rookie halfback Michael Bush would be replacing Dominic Rhodes as the starter at the position. Neither back has been particularly strong to date, with both averaging fewer than 3 yards per carry, but Bush is seen as a back with more potential and big play ability. St. Louis also shuffled their receiving corps, moving Bryant Johnson into the starting slot opposite Taylor Jacobs, while making Drew Bennett the top sub for both outside positions. Sinorice Moss and Lance Moore continue to occupy the slot. The Skyhawks also made some adjustments to their 26th rated defense, moving LB Wali Rainier to the MLB spot, and sending T. J. Slaughter to the weak side. Sitting at 1-3, this kind of roster shuffling feels pretty common, and in the case of the Skyhawks, very much necessary if they do not wish to continue being ranked in the bottom 3 in both scoring and points allowed. A bad day for wideout Roy Williams of the Gamblers, and a very bad bit of news for the Gamblers as a club. Williams had to be carted off the field with an apparent neck injury this week, and x-rays do confirm damage to two cervical vertebrae. It is a treatable injury, and there is no paralysis, but it will be some time before Roy Williams takes the field again, if he opts to do so after what is likely to be a long period of reflection and healing. The injury occurred in a head to head collision and it was immediately apparent that Williams was seriously injured. Staff from both teams came to his aid, and very quickly his facemask was removed and he was put into a neck brace and then a back board. This makes the second week in a row where the back board was used, and in the case of Williams, the diagnosis is not as positive as it was for DeShaun Townsend. He will be placed on IR, and will be focusing on recovery and rehabilitation for the foreseeable future. Our thoughts go out to him and his family. Two other significant injuries to note. Birmingham center Chukki Okobi is likely to miss 6-8 weeks after breaking an ankle after being rolled up on by one of his own players, and Pittsburgh fullback John Kuhn is expected to miss at least a month after suffering a knee injury this week. Fortunately no ligament damage was detected. Others who may be out only 1-2 weeks include Birmingham TE O.J. Santiago, Baltimore strong safety Adam Archuleta, New Jersey DE Tamba Hali, and Philadelphia corner Antonio Cromartie. USFL Announces 12 Hall of Fame Semifinalists The league office in New York this week released the names of the 12 men under consideration for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the USFL Class of 2007, and it seems clear that this year is all about the defense. Of the 12 nominees only wide receivers Webster Slaughter (3rd year of eligibility) and Raynard Brown (1st year) are not defensive players. Among the nominees are 6 defensive linemen, a linebacker, and 3 defensive backs. Clearly the Hall and the league feel that some catchup for defenders is needed, though it also helps that at least 2, maybe 3, sure fire first ballot defenders are in the group of new nominees who retired in 2002. The pool this year includes 8 first year nominees and 4 returning candidates. Here is our rundown of all 12, from most likely to get inducted, to the darkhorse. DE Chris Doleman (BIR 89-90, ORL 92-02) Chris Doleman’s path to the Hall of Fame did not start off with immediate results. In two years with Birmingham he recorded only 2 sacks and rarely saw the field. After being let go by the Stallions in the final training camp cuts of 1991, he would not find a team until the 1992 offseason, when he signed with Orlando. Something must have happened during that year away from the game, because Doleman exploded onto the scene with 20 sacks for the Renegades in 1992. For the next 11 seasons he would never record fewer than 10 sacks in any year. Doleman retired in 2002 with 198 career sacks, one of the most feared men in football. He was a regular top vote-getter for All-USFL, making the team 8 times in the 1990’s, and would set the league sack record at an incredible 29 sacks in 1999. His career total ranks him 3rd all time, behind only Reggie White and Phil Hansen. We believe Doleman is an easy 1st ballot Hall of Famer. DT Michael Dean Perry (HOU 86-92, DEN 93-96, JAX 97-99, BAL 00-02) A ten-time All-USFL player at Defensive Tackle, Perry played for 4 different teams, and while his stats, like most DT’s don’t show huge numbers across the board, fans and fellow players know just how impactful Perry was on the field. The fact that he made the All-USFL squad while a member of 3 of the 4 teams (every year from 1988 through 1997) is enough to testify to how respected he was around the league. He would win two titles, 1988 and 1992 with the Gamblers, and would play in 238 consecutive games, a stunning number for a big man in such a physical position. We see MDP as another slam dunk first ballot candidate. DE Leslie O’Neill (DEN 94-02) O’Neill is where we start to wonder if somehow this deserving player won’t make it. His career is shorter than many (9 seasons), and while his stats are impressive (163 sacks, never a season below 14), O’Neill always felt like a player who got minimal attention, with headlines focusing on Hansen, Doleman, or Kavika Pittman. Denver fans will certainly argue that he deserves a Gold Jacket, as O’Neill was a huge part of the Gold reaching three straight Summer Bowls from 1999-2001, and winning the league title in 2000. We think his odds are good to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, and he certainly will become a Gold Jacket recipient soon enough, but if there is concern about D-linemen occupying 3 of 5 slots, we think that puts O’Neill in an unenviable position. S Carnell Lake (MGN (1989-1995, LA 96-02) Of the three DB’s in this year’s class, we see Lake as the most likely to occupy a space, even as a first year candidate. The 14-year vet is widely regarded as one of the best coverage safeties to play in the league while also being feared as a hitter and tackler, a rare combination. He retired in 2002 having been named All-USFL 4 times, and leaving the game with career totals of 1,039 tackles, 35 sacks and 13 interceptions. Safety is a tough position to gauge, but observers of the game certainly can see the talent that Lake brought each week. WR Webster Slaughter (WSH 86-89, POR 90-00) It is a very tough call between Webster Slaughter and Raynard Brown. Their numbers are similar, their impact similar, their role as an underappreciated #1 receiver also very similar. Why do we put Slaughter ahead? Well, in part because it is his 3rd year of eligibility while Raynard Brown is in his first. But also because of consistency. From 1986 until his retirement in 2000, Slaughter never had a season below 50 receptions. He topped 1,000 yards 5 times and 800 yards 12 times in 15 years. Longevity and consistent production do not guarantee a gold jacket, but we think it is merited for this highly regarded wideout. WR Raynard Brown (PIT 87-97, NOR 98-02) We have made the case for Webster Slaughter, now let’s make the case for Raynard Brown. Brown had more 1,000 yard seasons (9) and more career touchdowns (104), he also was a prolific kick and punt returner, making him more valuable to his team. He won a championship (1995 with Pittsburgh), and while he only has 2 All-USFL seasons, that is still 1 more than Slaughter. Yes, he is a first year nominee, but if a WR is going to make it in this year, he seems a stronger choice, assuming voters don’t get hung up on the whole “who deserves to be a first ballot entrant” trip. DT William “Refrigerator” Perry (TBY 85-93, BAL 94-99) Perry is a sentimental favorite for a lot of defensive football fans, not just for his size, or his jovial personality, but because he was a very good player for a very long time at a very big size. An 8-time All-USFL selection at defensive tackle, Perry never won a title, except perhaps most eaten at a training table. The big man retired with more sacks and more tackles than his younger brother Micheal Dean Perry, but may be seen as less of a pure athlete than MDP. We love the Fridge, and we hope he gets in, but this is his 4th year of eligibility and it has not happened yet, so we worry it is just not in the cards. LB Pat Swilling (MEM 90-91, HOU 92-02) After a slow start in Memphis, where Swilling started only 1 game in 2 years, he moved to Houston and was embraced by Coach Ray Willsey. He would start 12 games in his first year with the Gamblers, and would be a key player in those tough Gambler defenses for a decade. In Houston Swilling developed a reputation as one of the league’s best tacklers, and a guy who would go sideline to sideline. He would make the All-USFL team 4 times in the 90’s and win two titles with the Gamblers, including one in his first season with the team. He retired with 905 tackles, 44 sacks, and 165 tackles for loss. While we are not sure Swilling will make the Hall in his first year of eligibility, we are confident he will soon have himself a bronze bust and a gold jacket. S Vencie Glenn (DEN 86-91, BIR 92, POR 93-01) Now in his 2nd year of eligibility, Vencie Glenn falls into the same trap that many safeties do. They don’t have the tackle numbers of linebackers, or the picks of cornerbacks, so how do you evaluate them? Vencie Glenn’s 624 tackles are outstanding for a free safety, and his 49 picks are among the best at the position. In fact, the 49 career picks by Glenn are second only to Martin Bayless’s 50. We wish we could say that in his 2nd year, Glenn was a shoe-in, but we know how tough voting is each year, so it certainly is not as easy as that. DE John Bosa (PIT 87-93, TEX 94-02) A prodigious edge rusher whose 167 sacks put him 7th all time, Bosa has the misfortune of retiring the same year as Doleman and O’Neill, who are both well ahead of him in that all-important DE category. Lack of recognition will not be new to Bosa, who was never voted All-USFL despite being one of the best edge rushers in the league year in and year out. He was always just outside of the big name DE’s, and we fear that will be the case again with the Hall of Fame. CB Bruce Pickens (DEN 91-02) A lifelong member of the Denver Gold, and the club’s all-time leader in picks with 44 career interceptions, Bruce Pickens is certainly worthy of consideration. Pickens was a 5-time All-USFL selection, spread from 1991 until 2001. He started all 16 games as a rookie with Denver in 1991 and remained their #1 CB for nearly a decade. In addition to his club interception title, he also racked up 990 tackles and 334 pass deflections over his career. Do we think he deserves to be in the Hall? Yes, someday. Do we think he gets in first ballot? No, we don’t. DT Jerry Ball (LA/STL 87-00) A surefire Knights Hall of Famer member, Jerry Ball is now in his third year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and we again think his odds are long. In addition to being one of 3 DT’s nominated this year, and the only one not a Perry brother, the fact is that he is simply not as popular or as highly-regarded as either William or Michael Dean. It is unfortunate, but we just don’t see it happening, meaning he will go into next year, his 4th with even longer odds. So, reviewing, our picks for the 5 members of the Class of 2007 are Chris Doleman, Michael Dean Perry, Leslie O’Neill, Carnell Lake, and Webster Slaughter. Four of five being defenders. But, we have been known to be wrong, so we will wait and see. It would not surprise us to see Vencie Glenn outperform Lake or Raynard Brown get more votes than Slaughter. Those last two slots will be contentious. Dueling Dynasties of the 1980’s This week in our look back at the first 25 seasons of the USFL, we choose a subject that is sure to start bar room debates across the country. Which was the Team of the 80’s in the USFL? There are really only 2 choices, but between those two, it is hard to say, at least outside of Detroit or the Delaware Valley. On the one hand you have the Michigan Panthers, winners of the 1984 and 1986 USFL Championships, boasting 6 Hall of Fame players and a Hall of Fame Coach in Jim Stanley. But opposing Denver are the Philadelphia Stars of Coach Jim Mora Sr. They won the 1985 and 1987 championships, and can boast 4 Hall of Famers. They also played in more playoff games (13) and won more (8) than any team in the decade. We can already hear the Michigan fans reminding us that from 1983-1990 Michigan boasts a better overall record, with 90 wins to 40 defeats, while Philadelphia has 80 wins and 50 defeats. We also expect that Panther fans will remind us all that in the 1986 title game, the Panthers routed Philadelphia 36-22. And yet, Philly fans will say, the Stars came back the next year and won the title, while Michigan has not returned to the league championship since 86. There is no doubt that Philadelphia sustained their success longer, winning a 3rd title in 1994, but we are talking about the 1980’s here, so we really cannot count that. For some it is about style. The Panthers were about big plays. Whether it was the deep ball from Hebert to Anthony Carter or Derek Holloway, or the big turnover from John Corker or David Greenwood. For Philadelphia it was about wearing a team down. Pounding Kelvin Bryant into the line, mixing in some play action from Chuck Fusina, or just crushing the run game with Sam Mills and Lorenzo Lynch playing close to the line. So how do we pick a winner? Two great franchises, two multiple champions? Well, how about we look position by position and see who stacks up? Best of the Best. QB: We have two hall of famers here, but we have to give it to the younger, more dynamic, more explosive of the two, Bobby Hebert over Chuck Fusina. Sorry “tried and true” fans but QB is a position where flash matters. HB: This one goes to Philly. We love us some John Williams, but there is no world where we can pick him over Kelvin Bryant. That is a win for Philadelphia. Both are in the Hall of Fame, but Bryant is considered one of the founding fathers of the league, a player who helped put the USFL on the map. That is a lot in his favor. WR: Anthony Carter and Dereck Holloway have to give a 2nd win to Michigan. Philadelphia has always seemed to do more with less at the wideout position, at least until they signed Cris Carter in 1995, so we give this one pretty easily to the Panthers. TE: Steve Folsom vs. Butch Rolle. That is a toughie. Eric Green came in 1990, so only 1 year there for the Stars. Folsom made 3 All-USFL teams (83, 85, 86) while Rolle made 4, but only 1 of those was in the 80’s. So, if we are looking only at 1980’s production, we have to go with Folsom and the Stars here. O-Line: Ok, this is another toughie. You have the Panthers with LT Arnoldo Gardner and RT Ryan Broderick, and guard Philip Novak. Center Hubert Hicks also won All-USFL honors. And you have Philadelphia with Rory Culver and Jamie Diamond at guard and Irv Eatman at the LT position. You also have Bart Oates, an All-USFL center for most of the decade. Overall, just looking at accolades and dominance at the line of scrimmage, I think we have to go with Philadelphia here. Their style plays a part in this, but so too does their sheer brute power as a unit. D-Line: Michigan has a slight edge in the 80’s here, thanks mostly to Ronnie Paggett on the outside. James Painter was no slouch for Philadelphia, but he was not as productive. We like Jumpy Geathers inside for the Stars, but Michigan added Tim Krumrie from the NFL midway through the decade, so that balances that out. We think Paggett’s production rushing the passer gives Michigan the edge here, but ever so slight edge. Linebackers: Pick your poison because these were among the most potent and feared linebacking groups in the league for most of the decade. For Michigan you have names like Hall of Famer John Corker, Rick Naylor, and, by the late 80’s Hardy Nickerson. For Philadelphia, how does a group with Sam Mills, John Bunting, and Glenn Howard. Just on sheer number of All-USFL awards, we have to go with Michigan, but that is no disrespect to the Stars. Secondary: Another rough one. Let’s start with Philadelphia and CBs Chris Snyder and Lorenzo Lynch, add in SS Lowell Edge or Scott Woerner, oh, and Eric McMillian sneaks in right at the end as well. Michigan had SS David Greenwood roaming centerfield, Keith Bostic at one corner, and free safety Roy Gee as well. But, overall, we have to give this one to the Stars. Kicking: Two classic USFL kickers in Novo Bojovic and David Trout. We love them both, but Trout holds the advantage in every statistical category, including being the first to kick a 60 yarder in the league. Novo is great, but Trout for the W. And when we add in punter Sean Landeta, this category goes to Philly. Coach: Jim Stanley is in the Hall of Fame. Jim Mora could be there but he won’t retire, so that means he cannot be nominated. For longevity we would go with Mora, for impact, Stanley. Can we call this one a toss up. I feel like if we only look at the Philadelphia years for Mora, he comes off better. He struggled in Oakland and in Memphis to match that success, though he did win a 3rd title in 1999 with the Showboats. If we call coaching a draw, then Philly takes it on the foot of David Trout, which just about sounds right to us. But, let the debates rage. As long as we just both acknowledge that it is very close and these are both two amazing teams of the 80’s. Marcus Marek: The Breaker Backer A five time All-USFL selection in 8 seasons, racking up 7 seasons with 100+ tackles, a defensive captain and a guy you do not want to anger on the field. Marcus Marek was all of this and more in his USFL career with the Boston and New Orleans Breakers. Marek was a 1983 product out of Ohio State who went undrafted by the NFL and found himself answering a call from Dick Coury in the fledgeling USFL. As a rookie he would not only start for the Breakers but lead the team with 105 tackles out of the MLB position. It would not be his last 100 tackle season, as he would repeat the feat for 7 years as the Breaker’s defensive captain. His only non-100 tackle season was his injury shortened 1990 campaign, his last in the USFL. Marek would play 15 of 16 games that year, missing the final game of the season while sitting with 98 tackles on the year. Marek would retire just as camp opened in 1991, still dealing with significant issues with his knee and hip. He would become eligible for the USFL’s first Hall of Fame class in 1995, having not played in any 1991 games, and he would be a member of the inaugural class of that year, joining the Hall with fellow greats Anthony Carter, Junior Ah-You, John Reaves, and the man whose name is on the USFL championship trophy, John Bassett. We are still not entirely sure how Marcus Marek made it to the Breakers. Here is a guy who was an All-American at Ohio State, but he was deemed too slow by the NFL and somehow went undrafted. He would sign with Dick Coury’s Breakers for a measly $60,000 a year in 1983, hoping to prove himself. He quickly became a fan of the league, and one of its break out stars. In 1985 he was rewarded with a new contract, and a much more lucrative one, but he never forgot about that chip on his shoulder from the NFL’s rejection. He made the move with the team to New Orleans and helped the Breakers reach the playoffs every year form 1984 until he retired in 1990. He would never lift up the Bassett Trophy, however, as New Orleans just kept falling short, never reaching the big game. Marek retired in 1990, returning to the Boston area, where he now is tackling not ballplayers but lobsters off the coast. But, he will still make a trip back to New Orleans for alumni week, still meets adoring fans each year in Canton, and his jersey is still seen around both Boston and New Orleans, on the backs of everyday fans who just love the way he played the game. (IRL: Not much out there about Marek after his USFL Days. According to Wikipedia he played 1 season with the Saints, and I found an article that cited that he now works in the lobster business in New England, which is where I got that idea.) Here is your Week 5 viewing guide. A few games you won’t want to miss this week, including an interesting NE Clash when Philly visits Washington. Chicago is in Ohio in another key divisional battle, while Denver heads to Texas hoping to build on their early season divisional lead. National Broadcasts in bold. FRI @ 8pm Michigan (2-2) @ Boston (4-0) NBC SAT @ 12pm Birmingham (2-2) @ New Jersey (1-3) FOX SAT @ 12pm Las Vegas (3-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-3) ABC SAT @ 4pm Seattle (4-0) @ Houston (2-2) FOX SAT @ 4pm St. Louis (1-3) @ Oakland (2-2) ABC SAT @ 8pm Jacksonville (3-1) @ Atlanta (1-3) ESPN SUN @ 12pm Philadelphia (3-1) @ Washington (2-2) ABC SUN @ 12pm Los Angeles (3-1) @ Orlando (0-4) FOX SUN @ 12pm New Orleans (0-4) @ Memphis (3-1) FOX SUN @ 4pm Baltimore (2-2) @ Nashville (3-1) ABC SUN @ 4pm Denver (2-2) @ Texas (1-3) FOX SUN @ 8pm Arizona (1-3) @ Tampa Bay (2-2) ESPN

Three weeks in and it is still hard to gauge were the season is taking us. Boston seems to be cruising right along at 3-0, and Seattle also looks formidable. Ohio’s offense is not where we thought it would be, and the Mauler pass rush is far more devastating than we anticipated. Fans are getting ready to hit the panic button in New Jersey, Orlando, and New Orleans because 0-3 is not what anyone anticipated. But, overall, across the league the divisions have yet to sort themselves out, which is pretty normal for the season’s first month. The storylines are not yet well defined, though, if we had to point to one story to start us off this year, it is the 2-game lead Jacksonville has already put on their division, with a huge win this week in our Game of the Week. TAMPA BAY 28 JACKSONVILLE 29 We knew this one would be big, as did the league schedule guru, who placed this game on Sunday Night as the dramatic finish to the third week of play. We knew to expect a tight game, as rivalry games often are, and to expect it to depend on which team made the most of its opportunities, and that too came to pass. The game looked like it was breaking Tampa Bay’s way at the start. Willis McGahee, in particular, seemed dialed in, gaining 55 of his 111 yards in the first quarter alone, with a series of good runs. Within the first 15 minutes and change, McGahee scored twice, and Tampa Bay was looking primed for this game, up 14-0. But it would prove a war of attrition and the tortoise would soon start to gain on the hare. As the game neared the half, Jacksonville got on the board, a 32 yarder from rookie kicker Justin Medlock, but when McGahee scored his third TD of the game, fans in Jacksonville started to get nervous. 21-3 is not how you want to go into the half, and certainly not with the opposition’s starting halfback close to 70 yards in the half. Jacksonville would recognize the dire urgency of the situation as they put together a 2-minute drill to get more points on the board before the break. Jake Delhomme guided the Bulls to the redzone and the run game took over from there, with Antowain Smith getting the Bulls to the 1 and Travis Minor taking it over the top for the score. At the half, the score was 21-10, but the Bulls were still looking like this could get away from them. The Bulls got the ball first in the 2nd half, and while they added 3 more points on a second Medlock field goal, once again Tampa Bay responded with a quick score, a 20-yard Culpepper to Moss TD that again increased the lead. At 28-13, it was not looking particularly good for the home team. But, as so often happens, one big play can swing momentum, and that play came on the Bulls’ next possession. After slowly moving the ball from their 20 to the 37, a near-perfect play call gave Jacksonville a new lease on life. Tampa Bay was expecting run, and set their defense with a lone safety up top and 9 men near the line. But when Antowain Smith hit the line of scrimmage, he did not have the ball with him. Jake Delhomme still had it and quickly saw that his tight end, Jason Whitten, had the safety out of position. A perfectly placed ball allowed Whitten to catch the pass in stride, shake off the safety and rumble his way 63 yards for the score. The crowd erupted and Jacksonville was back in business, down only 8. They would put the pressure on as the 4th quarter began. No more running lanes for McGahee, and no open receivers for Culpepper to locate with the ball. After getting the ball back with just over 6 minutes left, you could feel the confidence the Bulls exuded in the stadium. It took them 7 plays, but Delhomme found Rashaun Woods in the endzone and suddenly the Bulls were within a 2-point PAT of tying the game. Delhomme would try to connect with Whitten for the extra points, but the defense held, leaving Jacksonville down 28-26 with 4 minutes left. They would kick away to the Bandits and put the game in the hands of the defense. The Bulls’ D is not the most intimidating in the league, but it is a solid, well-disciplined group, and that focus was essential in the final minutes of the game. Tampa Bay would get a first down, but on the next set of downs, they faltered on 1st down, losing 2 yards on a poor outside run attempt, then throwing incomplete on 2nd down. When Culpepper failed to find a receiver and scrambled for a modest gain of 1 yard on 3rd and 12, the Bandits would have to punt. Jake Delhomme and the Bull offense would have their chance to get the ball into field goal range for their rookie kicker. Just over 2 minutes to play and about 50 yards to put the ball comfortably in Medlock’s range. Delhomme would use the full field, and all three of his time outs, connecting with Javon Walker, with Whitten, and with Jeb Putzier to move the ball into range. With 28 seconds left on the clock and facing a 3rd and 11 from the 13 yard line, the call was made to send Medlock in. Tampa Bay iced him, of course, but when the ball was snapped, Medlock sent it true, and the Bulls came away with a last second win that kept them undefeated after 3 weeks. For Tampa Bay another defeat, after falling last week in Nashville, meant they now trailed the Bulls by 2 full games, while for the Bulls, the win meant they could remain unbeaten and now would hold a 2-game lead over both Atlanta and the Bandits. MEMPHIS 24 NASHVILLE 17 Friday night in Nashville and the arch rival Showboats are in town with their former MVP QB. Brett Favre had a modest day by his standards, 180 yards on a 15 of 24 night, but it was enough for the Showboats to get the win. Cadillac Williams, Maurice Smith and Lionel Gates combined for 108 yards rushing, and the Memphis D picked off Jay Cutler twice to help preserve the Memphis win. BALTIMORE 17 NEW JERSEY 10 Baltimore gets their 2nd win of the year by knocking off the punchless Generals. New Jersey continues to struggle on offense, producing only 281 total yards as teams load up against the run and dare Kelly Holcombe to beat them. Holcombe has yet to throw a TD pass three weeks into the season, which does not bode well for the defending champs, who drop to 0-3. ORLANDO 20 ST. LOUIS 23 A good battle that came down to the final seconds as Luke McNown led a final drive that produced the game winning kick from Rob Bironas. Dominic Rhodes and Michael Bush combined for 103 yards rushing and the Skyhawk D picked off Drew Brees twice as St. Louis gets their first win of the year and sends Orlando to a tough 0-3 start. CHICAGO 12 WASHINGTON 3 Five field goals was all the scoring these two teams could muster as defense was the name of the game. Michael Turner had his best game of the year, rushing for 120 yards on 24 carries, a big part of Chicago’s ability to get into scoring position on more occasions than Washington. LAS VEGAS 3 OAKLAND 16 Another defensive war of attrition, but this time Las Vegas was on the wrong end of the low score. The Thunder could only muster a single field goal while Oakland got one big play, a 54-yard screen pass to Ricky Williams, to get the game’s only touchdown. LOS ANGELES 20 SEATTLE 23 Saturday Night’s big Pacific showdown did not disappoint. It was 20-12 LA after three quarters, thanks in part to two 2nd half TD tosses from Seneca Wallace, but Seattle scored the final 11 points of the game, finishing off the Express with a Troy Walters’ TD and a 2-point conversion just outside of the 2-minute warning. Dillon and Sproles combined for 174 yards rushing as LA simply could not keep the two contained. NEW ORLEANS 21 BIRMINGHAM 26 The Breakers find themselves at 0-3 after falling short in Birmingham. A 16-0 run by the Stallions in the 3rd and 4th quarter shifted a 14-10 Breaker lead into a 26-14 deficit and Eli Manning could not mount a comeback as Birmingham used 34 carries between Barber and Alexander to grind out the win. TEXAS 7 OHIO 14 In a game that did not answer any of the questions about Ohio’s offensive deficit this season, the Glory managed to get a W, but not impress in this one. T. J. Duckett outgained Eddie George 86-78, but a Joey Galloway TD saved the game for the Glory, who expected a lot more fireworks than what we have seen this year. ATLANTA 21 BOSTON 28 The Fire gave Boston a run for their money, but faded in the 4th quarter as both Tiki Barber and Cedric Wilson scored to give Boston a comeback win. David Garrard had his best game of the year, going 21 of 27 for 175 yards and 2 scores, but could not land a late TD to tie the game up. PHILADELPHIA 28 DENVER 29 The Stars learn how tough Denver can be at Invesco Field as the Gold come back from a 28-20 deficit to steal the win on a late Peerless Price TD catch. Denver went with a platoon at HB and the combo of Benson, Moore and Prentice were effective, combining for 123 yards on the day. Ahman Green was nearly all of Philly’s offense, rushing for 177, but it was not enough as Denver pulls this one out late. ARIZONA 20 HOUSTON 17 A big divisional road win for the Wranglers, thanks to a big scramble from Jake Plummer, looking like early 1990's Plummer as he bootlegged right, found open field, and raced 71 yards on what have to be crackling knees at this point. It was the biggest play of the game and of the season so far for the Wranglers. That one play undid the 306 yards passing from Matt Hasselbeck which had given Houston a 17-13 lead. Is it Time to Panic? That is the question for the Generals, Renegades, and Breakers, all of whom are shocked to find themselves at 0-3. Each has different issues, but each also had higher expectations for their clubs going into the year. To be sure the Generals expected some difficulty after losing their head coach and two star players, but the defending champions did not anticipate starting the year with three losses. Similarly, Orlando knew it would take time to integrate Drew Brees into a new offense, but the ‘Gades have not been clicking at all, something is clearly out of synch. As for the Breakers, one of the feel good stories last year, the return to New Orleans has not at all gone the way folks in the Pelican State had imagined. We start with the defending champs, who are clearly looking at a major readjustment after losing both Tom Brady and Deion Sanders to the NFL. New Jersey has had issues on both sides of the ball, looking like a very different team than the 2006 USFL title holders. In 3 games the Generals have mustered only 24 points, a measly 8 per game, worst in the league. At the same time their defense is allowing nearly 25 points per game, among the worst in the league as well. Kelly Holcombe has yet to throw a touchdown pass, and, other than a solid 120 yards against the Cannons, Curtis Enis has been handcuffed as defenses are loading the box to stop him, with no fear of the General passing game. And while the Generals’ defense is middle of the pack in both passing and rushing yards allowed, they are giving up far too many points over the first three weeks. New Jersey will face off against New Orleans in the Super Dome next week, and it may be their best chance to snag a win and change their trajectory. New Orleans has also been struggling, though their 12 points per game and 22 points allowed are both better than New Jersey’s totals. The two issues for New Orleans are a bit different than for the Generals. First on the table is the run game, where rookie Kenny Irons leads all rushers with only 146 yards (averaging fewer than 50 per game). The other big concern is the rush defense, which gave up 128 yards to the Stallions and 155 to the Knights. I guess we should add a third issue as well, with Eli Manning currently sporting a 61.5 QB Rating, with only a 50.4% completion rate and a 1:1 TD/INT ratio (3 each). This is not what fans expected after a pretty solid 2006 as a traveling road team. Orlando is our final 0-3 club, and they too are looking at some bad numbers across the board. They too are averaging only 12 points a game, but their defense is actually the worst of the three, giving up 28 points per game, including 42 to Jacksonville in Week 2. They are in the bottom 5 in both yards allowed and passing yards allowed as their defense has had major issues containing their opponents’ top receivers. Including both Rashaun Woods and Donald Hayes going over 100 yards in the Bulls game. Of course, the other issue, and the one sports radio in Florida is jumping on, is Drew Brees’s slow start. Brees’s current 66.7 QB Rating is well below the 95.1 he finished with last year in Michigan. It is hurt particularly by the 5 picks he has given up already this year, on pace for well over 20 on the year. Orlando faces a tough matchup in Week 4, heading to Philly to face the Stars, and it does not get much easier with LA, Tampa, Atlanta, and then the Breakers coming up. DC Desperation? Another team facing some desperation has to be the Washington Federals. The Feds won their opener, but then lost Kordell Stewart for the year. If this week’s game is any indication, Washington cannot feel good about a full season with Henry Burris starting for them. Against Chicago, Burris struggled to get anything going. He managed not to turn the ball over, but that is about all that could be said. The Feds put up only 3 points and have now lost 2 in a row since Stewart’s injury. The bad news for Washington is that there are simply not a lot of options for them. It seems unlikely that they will turn to 3rd stringer Jared Lorenzen as anything other than an emergency option. Looking over the free agent pool, there is not much to see, so if Washington wants to make a switch, they are going to have to look for a trade. It seems unlikely that any team, even one with a solidly entrenched starter, would be willing to give up their 2nd QB, so the Feds would have to take a flier on a 3rd stringer who perhaps has some potential. That is hardly a solution if the club is trying to win this year. It is a brutal break for new head coach Sean Payton, who wants to be experimental on offense, but may have to resort to a very conservative, run-first focus simply out of necessity. We expect Burris will improve over time. He simply has not had many snaps in the USFL, so we should not be surprised that he was off to a rough start. But is that enough for a Feds team that was already looking like a rebuilding club? Another week of action and another player sent to the IR. It was a relatively light week on the injury report, but don’t say that to Michigan linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, who fractured both bones in his lower left leg and was placed on the injured reserve list this week. Katzenmoyer, in his 9th season in the league, will turn over his captain’s duties to 3rd year player Shawne Merriman, who is also likely to slide into his position in the middle, with Odell Thurman taking over on the strong side and DeMarcus Ware retaining his position on the weak side. Just a bit to the south, Ohio CB DeShea Townsend is feeling very lucky indeed to be categorized as a 2-4 week absence on IR with a disc displacement. The corner fell awkwardly after going after a high ball, and lay for several minutes on the field before being taken off on the cart and on a back board. There was concern that paralysis could be a factor in the injury, but within a few hours full feeling had returned to Townsends extremities. An MRI would later indicate the nature of the injury and the ability for Townsend to expect a full recovery within a month. A sigh of relief for him and all football fans. Apart from these two injuries, all other newly reported injuries also fall into the 1-week range, either Doubtful or Questionable. They include Michigan corner Deltha O’Neal (foot), Arizona DE Gary Walker (nerve), St. Louis DT Larry Triplett (finger), Philly CB Antonio Cromartie (tendinitis), Boston WR Joe Jurevicious (hip), Las Vegas corner Antoine Winfield (neck), and Baltimore HB Ron Dayne (finger). Portland Brings Brooks Back to Oregon The Portland Stags have found their head coach, and he is a familiar face to fans in the state. Rich Brooks, who just finished his third year as head football coach at the University of Kentucky, is a former defensive coordinator at Oregon State and was the head coach of the University of Oregon Ducks from 1977-1994. He left the Ducks for the NFL in 995, where he coached for the Rams and Falcons before signing on with Kentucky. Brooks, who will turn 67 before the Stags play their first game, is also a former player in the state, having suited up for the Beavers from 1961-1963. As a head coach Brooks had solid results at Oregon, including a Rose Bowl bid (the first in a long time for the Ducks) in 1994, his last year at the school. With the Rams, Brooks went 7-9 his first year and 6-10 in his second. He was released after that second season and signed on as the DC for the Falcons. In his time at Kentucky, Brooks improved the SEC team from a 4-8 record his first year to 8-5 this past fall, including the university’s first bowl win since 1984. Brooks takes over a club that as of today has no players, only a few executives in place, and about 4 months before the first free agents will be available to sign. His task is to build a club from the combination of USFL and NFL Free Agents, college draftees, and players made available in the modified USFL Expansion Draft to be held in November. Along with Charlotte, Portland will see its first on-field action in March of 2008. Charlotte Finds a GM The Charlotte Monarchs, the last club to be confirmed as part of the two stage USFL expansion from 24 to 28 clubs, has not yet begun its head coaching search, but they have settled on a GM to manage the process. This week Charlotte announced an agreement with Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio of the NFL Patriots. Caserio, in his new role as General Manager and COO for Football Operations, will be central to the roster-building process. He leaves New England only a few months after signing Cade McNown away from the USFL to be the new Patriot QB. Caserio, whose professional career began as a grad assistant at both Saginaw Valley State and Central Michigan, began in the front office of the Patriots in 2001. He has been in the roll of Director of Pro Personnel since 2004, but now moves from Foxboro to Charlotte and from the fall to the spring. Expect the John Carrol grad to be heavily engaged in the process of developing both a player pool and a draft strategy as Charlotte will be building up their roster between this July and next March. With training camp set to be held at nearby Wofford University this February, Caserio will be a busy man between now and then. Early look at rookie class of 2008 Thinking about the expansion process as well as the 2007-2008 offseason, we thought it would be a good idea to take a quick look at the top potential picks in the College Draft. We anticipate that the league will release the modified Territorial Draft schools soon, though we fully expect that Portland will select both Oregon and Oregon State, while Charlotte is very likely to choose between UNC, NC State, Clemson, and South Carolina, taking advantage of the city’s location close to the state line between the two Carolinas. If we are correct, then both expansion clubs could find themselves a quality halfback in the 2008 draft, whether it be Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart or possibly East Carolina’s Chris Johnson. Both backs are projected as first round talent, and both could be included in the protected schools for both teams, though Charlotte may opt not to select ECU, but go for one of the bigger schools in the area instead. We know that one of the two clubs will also have the first pick in the Open Draft, with the other choosing third, just as Atlanta and St. Louis did in 2006. So who might be under consideration for both clubs? That is hard to say, as free agent and expansion draft signings will go a long way to determining which positions will be targets for the two expansion clubs. But, looking over the projected first round talents coming out, there are some intriguing options. If Charlotte does not protect ECU in an effort to sign Chris Johnson, they could have a shot at the top-rated halfback in the class of 2008, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden. This assumes, of course, that Memphis does not protect McFadden in the T-Draft, where Arkansas is likely to remain a feeder school for the Showboats. If halfback is not a priority, how about QB? The top two candidates to be early first-round picks in the draft are both intriguing prospects. BC’s Matt Ryan and Delaware’s Joe Flacco are both classic pocket passers, and while Boston might consider Ryan in the T-Draft, Flacco will be available as no club claims Delaware as a protected school. Among defensive players, D-line is the strongest pool in the draft, with pass rushing ends like Virginia’s Chris Long, Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston, or Florida’s Derrick Harvey among the early candidates. Or, perhaps a run-stuffing DT like LSU’s Glenn Dorsey or USC’s Sedric Ellis will catch a GM’s eye early in the USFL Draft. O-Line is always a priority, and with a clear cut first rounder like Michigan’s Jake Long available, we expect he would be a top choice, that is if the Panthers don’t select him with one of their 3 T-Draft picks. Linebacker is another deep pool this year, led by Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo, but also looking promising are USC’s Keith Rivers and OU’s Curtis Lofton. Finally, if a team is looking for that shut down corner, there are three very intriguing prospects, all at schools not currently protected by any USFL club. There is Kansas’s Aqib Talib, Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Troy’s Leodis McKelvin. Three potential options out there for teams hoping to shore up the secondary for the pass happy USFL season. The Vote: Not Falling for Fall Football Perhaps the largest single moment in USFL history that defined its survival or early demise was debate over shifting from a spring schedule to a fall schedule in 1985. After only a season and a half, in mid-1984, owners around the USFL were beginning to wonder if the concept of spring football was ever going to be profitable. Nearly all clubs had lost money in 1983, with Denver the lone exception, and many were hemorrhaging money in 1984, after participating in a feeding frenzy of college All-Americans and NFL players in an attempt to boost recognition and keep up with the high spending members of the league. Donald Trump, who had purchased the New Jersey Generals from William Duncan (an Oklahoma oil man with no ties to the area), had come in with a lot of flash, and was certainly helping the league get more media play, but he felt that the spring schedule was a loser, and he was not alone. Several other owners, particularly those in some non-NFL cities, agreed that the best option might be to move to the Fall in either 1985 or 1986. They would pair their move with a suit against the NFL for its monopoly on television rights, a monopoly which had made early negotiations to expand spring coverage difficult with all but the original networks ABC and ESPN. The plan, based on letters sent between the fall-leaning owners, was to push the NFL legally, push them on player acquisition, and force a merger, a move that was aimed at primarily helping out the owners in the initial group, largely non-NFL cities plus the NY market of the Generals. Opposing this viewpoint was John Bassett, and a significant group of USFL owners in NFL markets. Teams in places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Michigan, and Houston did not feel that their franchises could legitimately compete with the NFL in the Fall, and that moving to the fall would require them to either relocate or fold. Some, like Philadelphia’s Miles Tanenbaum, were already looking for alternatives if the vote did not go their way. It was rumored that Tanenbaum had already scouted Baltimore as a possible relocation site if a move to fall was approved. Others, like Michigan’s Abe Taubman, was in discussion with other owners to potentially merge his Panthers, who would win the 1984 title, with another franchise if the fall move was made. Studies were conducted, numbers crunched, estimates projected, and leverage assessed. In a fateful league meeting between the 1984 and 1985 seasons the decision would be made. On the one side was Trump and his small band of fall-leaning owners, and on the other was Bassett and his group of spring devotees. While most of the proceedings were conducted in private, what is known is that it got quite heated within the owner meetings, at one point Bassett calling out Trump as a wannabe NFL owner that the NFL would never accept, and Trump replying that Bassett and his spring football group were small potatoes who could not see the big picture. The decision that came out of that vote was split. The league would remain in the spring, but the lawsuit would be filed, claiming damages to the USFL due to the NFL’s monopoly over both stadia and television rights for fall football, rights that impacted the league even in the spring. Bassett, and the studies he and others had presented, made the case that the spring was the best option to maintain a league, and that a move to fall would have only a slim chance of forcing a merger, and then only for perhaps 4 of the league’s then 16 franchises. It was likely that the realization that only a few markets would benefit, and only a few owners offered the chance to join the NFL club, that likely swayed the final vote. Donald Trump would sell off the Generals and leave the league within 18 months. The league would win its court case and be awarded a major settlement which came in at just under $400 million (including court and legal fees), and the USFL would, within 2 more years start to see greater corporate and television funds to support its growing footprint. The 15 owners who remained would either sell off their franchises for considerable profit over the years, or remain today as major players in each city’s sports marketplace. The league would move from a sideshow or curiosity into a second major league, now with the financial wherewithal to go head to head with any league in the country. But it all could have been different. We could have seen the end of spring football almost as soon as it began. Maybe a few USFL franchises would now be in the NFL, or maybe the entire endeavor would have failed. We will never know, but what we do know is that in that meeting room in New York City, the future of the USFL was cast. And the league we have today is the result of that decision, perhaps more than any other single decision since the league was first created. Luther Bradley: “A pinball in motion” Why, you might ask, would we decide to dedicate a retrospective to safety Luther Bradley? He played only 3 seasons in the USFL (1983-1985), had only 5 career interceptions, and 195 total tackles, and did not win a title. So, why Bradley? The answer is that Bradley’s experience is very much what the USFL was like in the early years. He saw the league as a second chance, an opportunity to keep playing the game that he had played since his youth. Bradley was a consensus All-American with Notre Dame in 1977, and was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions. He would play four seasons in Detroit, starting all 16 games his first two years before injury shortened his 1980 season. By 1981 he was on the bench, and by 1982 he had been cut. From All-American to selling insurance in only 4 years. When the USFL came around in 1983, Bradley would have a second chance, and even better, he would get to play for George Allen and the Chicago Blitz. Bradley became one of several NFL vets to join the Blitz that season as Allen assembled a team heavy on veterans, something of a trademark of his. The Blitz were an early favorite to win it all, but struggled through the season, ending with a 5-11 mark, but Bradley started all 16 games and played well. He was looking forward to a second season in Chicago when he fell prey to one of the weirdest moments in USFL history. Citing an interest in owning the franchise closer to his Phoenix home, owner Ted Dietrich made a deal with Wranglers’ owner Jim Joseph to buy the Wranglers. The Blitz were sold off, and Dietrich was the new owner of the Wranglers, but in the deal, the entire roster of the Blitz, with just a few exceptions, were “traded” for nearly the entire Wranglers’ roster. Bradley and the Blitz would all have to relocate to the desert and suit up for a new team. In his own words, moving to the USFL made Bradley feel like “a pinball in motion”, never knowing what would happen next, where you would be or where you were heading. Bradley played the next two seasons in Arizona, but between the roster swap and the constant rumors tha the league was either about to fold or about to switch to the fall, skipping the 2006 spring season and delaying the season until August, it was a time of great uncertainty. Bradley would feel that pinball feeling once again. Despite starting every game in his 3-year USFL career, Bradley again would be looking for a new home in 2006. His contract with the Blitz/Wranglers had expired, and he began negotiations with Arizona for a new deal. The problem was that Bradley was asking for significantly more than his original contract, but the USFL at the time had a very limited salary cap, with only 3 players per team allowed to sign larger deals without counting against the cap. Bradley and his agent pushed to be one of the three, but the Wranglers had no intention of having a safety occupy one of those spots. A deal was never reached with Arizona. Bradley became a free agent as of the end of the 2005 season. He would eventually sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was limited by an agreement between the two leagues to waiting for the Fall 2006 season instead of the Fall 2005 season to suit up. In the interim, Bradley would lose focus, lose faith, and gain about 25 pounds. When he arrived in Eagles’ camp, he was not ready for the rigors of NFL camp and was cut before ever playing a game in Philadelphia. And that was Luther Bradley’s last football action. Bradley’s story is not one of inspiration, but it is one typical of so many early USFL players, given a chance by the new league, always uncertain of what was next, hoping to continue the ride as long as possible, and always looking over their shoulders. For many the path went far smoother, for others significantly rougher, but, just like the league in its early years, it was always a roller coaster, or like being a pinball in motion. Our schedule for Week 4 includes some really intriguing inter-divisional matchups, including a clash between 0-3 teams that cannot afford a 4th loss, and a 3-0 Boston club heads out to one of the West’s most difficult road sites. Add in a few tight divisional games and this week has a lot to offer. Here is the full lineup of games (National broadcasts in bold). FRI @ 8pm Arizona (1-2) @ Seattle (3-0) NBC SAT @ 12pm Orlando (0-3) @ Philadelphia (2-1) ABC SAT @ 12pm Atlanta (1-2) @ Tampa Bay (1-2) FOX SAT @ 4pm Ohio (2-1) @ St Louis (1-2) FOX SAT @ 4pm Texas (1-2) @ Las Vegas (2-1) ABC SAT @ 8pm Boston (3-0) @ Denver (2-1) ESPN SUN @ 12pm Washington (1-2) @ Baltimore (2-1) ABC SUN @ 12pm Nashville (2-1) @ Birmingham (2-1) FOX SUN @ 12pm Memphis (2-1) @ Jacksonville (3-0) FOX SUN @ 4pm Pittsburgh (1-2) @ Chicago (1-2) FOX SUN @ 4pm Michigan (2-1) @ Oakland (1-2) ABC SUN @ 8pm New Jersey (0-3) @ New Orleans (0-3) ESPN We suspect that when the league set up this broadcast schedule they could not have imagined it would be a battle of 0-3 clubs on their Sunday night broadcast. They saw the league champions headed to New Orleans and the return of the Breakers to the Crescent City, but here we are, with two winless teams desperate for a W on Sunday night.