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Divisional Weekend in the USFL is always one of the most exciting of the year. Good teams taking on good teams with everything on the line. It does not get much better than that. And what did we get on this Divisional Weekend? We got strong defensive performances, big plays, and results leading to a couple of very intriguing matchups next week as we get the Eastern Conference Final that everyone was hoping for, and we get a Western Conference Final that is somewhat unexpected but very intriguing as a matchup of styles and strengths. All this, plus the first coaching hire of the offseason, and one of the greatest players at his position becomes a free agent this week. Jacksonville Bulls 13 Ohio Glory 23 The Bulls came into this game knowing that they would need to slow down the pace and control the ball to have any chance against the high-flying offense of the Glory. They hoped that the bye week, as it can do, might lead to some rust in the Ohio offense, and that seems to have come through, but even when a plan comes to fruition, sometimes it is just not enough, and that is what happened to the Bulls this week, as they did slow down the game, but could not produce enough offense themselves to overcome the favored Glory. The Bulls did several things they set out to. They controlled the ball 34:36 to 25:24. They outrushed Ohio 147 to 97, thanks in large part to a 2-headed combo of Kenny Bynum (76 yards) and Antowain Smith (65 yards), and they were strong on third downs, holding Ohio to only 2 of 10 on the day. And yet, with quick strike scores to both Chad Ochocinco and Joey Galloway, the Glory had enough to earn a 10-point win. The truth is, this is about as well as Jacksonville could have played, but it was not enough. The Bulls had the game tied at 13-13 late into the 3rd quarter, but one bad play, one missed coverage and Collins found Galloway deep to take a 20-13 lead. In a game where Ochocinco and Galloway were held to only 5 catches between them, the Bulls did their job, but when two of those 5 are touchdown tosses, it is not enough. The fact is that in most measurable ways, Jacksonville won the battles, but in the end Ohio won the war with a few high quality high impact plays. It was not the typical Glory victory by any means, but it was still a victory. So now Ohio goes on the road, heading to the Conference Championship, still very much focused on their goal to become the first USFL team in the 20 year history of the league to repeat as champions. Seattle Dragons 21 Denver Gold 24 We had a feeling this would be a close one, and that proved itself true. It was close in some ways, and yet, Denver scored first and never trailed in this game. They held the Dragons at arm’s length throughout and limited the effectiveness of Byron Leftwich by controlling the clock for just over 35 minutes. In a game with no turnovers, this one was just a war of attrition, and Denver held the high ground. After a scoreless first quarter that saw both clubs try to establish the run and both punters keep busy, the Gold broke the seal on scoring in the 2nd with a short Brunell to Battaglia TD pass. It was the culmination of a 6-minute drive that was highlighted by an 18-yard Robert Holcombe run that resembled a pinball bouncing off the round bumpers of a vintage pinball machine. Seattle would respond with two field goals in the half, and the close game went to the break at 7-6. In the third quarter, Holcombe reached the end zone on another pounding run and Denver took an 8-point lead into the final period. They would expand that lead to 21-6 thanks to a Brunell to Peerless Price TD toss. Price would finish the day as the offensive POTG, thanks to 9 catches for 91 yards and this pivotal score. But Seattle was not done. They responded well, with Leftwich guiding them down the field and Corey Dillon, who struggled all day to find room, found enough for a 1-yard TD plunge. Back in the game at 21-13, Seattle hunkered down and tried to keep Denver from adding to their lead. They did enough to keep the Gold out of the end zone, but Denver did add a Jeff Wilkens field goal to make the score 10, and force Seattle to pick up the pace. The Dragons got a break late in the 4th when Denver safety Sean Lumpkin clipped his heel with his other foot, fell to the ground, and left Ken Dilger uncovered. The result was a touchdown for Dilger and, with the successful 2-point play, Seattle was now within 3, but with only 1:51 left, their options were few. The Dragons tried for the onside kick, but failed when Denver HB Rod Smart fell on the ball and rolled out of bounds. The Gold needed only 1 first down to end the game, and they got it on three consecutive run plays. Denver would move on to host the Western Conference Championship next week, Seattle would return home having already surpassed any expectations for the year. Chicago Machine 6 Washington Federals 21 Washington left no doubt that they were the best defense in the league this week, and they also sent a message to Ohio that they could score when they needed to as well. The Federals put up two quick touchdowns in the first quarter, both strikes to Cedric Tillman, to stun the highly-regarded Chicago defense, and to set themselves up with a defensible 14-point lead, a lead Chicago never challenged. In a game that saw neither team able to run the ball against the other, the difference was a very solid 17 of 21 performance from Kordell Stewart. Stewart threw 3 touchdowns, including a 4th quarter strike to Bryant Johnson that put the game well out of reach for Chicago. Meanwhile, Jeff George struggled against the coverages of the Federals. Washington did not get as much pressure as they would like, sacking George only once, but they got enough to force 2 interceptions and limit Chicago’s effectiveness on offense all game. The Federals built up the early lead and then turned to the defense and said, keep this lead intact. While the Machine did manage to muster two field goals, it never seemed that the Federals were threatened. Chicago’s deepest foray into Washington territory was the 27 yard line, and their only big play was a 34-yard completion to Donald Driver that was followed on the next play by a Jeff George interception. With the win, Washington sets up the matchup we all wanted to see, a rematch of the Glory-Federals game from week 11 that gave the Feds their only loss of the year. Can the Glory do it again and move on to the Summer Bowl with a chance to repeat, or can Washington avenge the loss and head to Seattle for Summer Bowl ’03 as a prohibitive favorite against the Western Conference? New Orleans Breakers 34 Los Angeles Express 17 In the only upset of the week, the Breakers’ offense simply proved too much for the LA Express, putting up 421 yards of total offense, including 135 on the ground. Los Angeles struggled to keep pace, with Cade McNown completing only 13 of 33 passes, the offense going 0-2 on fourth down plays and giving away the ball twice on turnovers. The game was close through the first half, with both clubs getting early touchdowns. For New Orleans, backup Troy Hambrick scampered to an 11-yard TD to open scoring in the game, but this was quickly followed by a 46-yard TD pass from McNown to Tory Holt. The Breakers went into the half up 3 after they got a Dilfer to Beach TD but suffered a blocked kick on the PAT. The second half saw a very different story, as New Orleans scored twice to expand their lead to 27-10 and create an air of desperation among the Express. It began with a drive that saw Ricky Williams and Troy Davis gash the Express defense for 54 yards on a 67 yard drive, ending with Williams going untouched into the end zone from a yard out. They followed this up with the longest play of the day, a 55-yard catch and run from Kevin Dyson that increased the lead to 17 points. LA would get a second Tory Holt TD to draw closer, but when Troy Davis ran in from 8 yards out early in the 4th, restoring the 17 point lead, the Express simply could not overcome. New Orleans slowed down the pace of the game, played solid defense on third down, and cut short LA drives in the final minutes. The win earns New Orleans its first trip to a Conference Finals since their heyday back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, 1992 to be exact. They now face the daunting task of going on the road again, but this time to the thin air of Mile High Denver. Baltimore Gets Their Man The Baltimore Blitz had a feeling, a feeling that if they hesitated, the man they wanted to be their next head coach would get snapped up by another team. It was a logical intuition as both Baltimore and Michigan had brought former Jaguars’ head coach Tom Coughlin in for extended interviews. Coughlin, who helped build the Jaguars from expansion club to Super Bowl contender in record time, was the type of disciplinarian and by-the-books guy that both clubs needed to whip their often sloppy play into shape. So, recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Blitz put a very strong offer on the table from the onset, made it clear to Coughlin that he was their choice, and got the deal done. The signing was announced on Tuesday, just one day before Coughlin was scheduled to fly back to Detroit to meet for a second time with the Panthers. The Blitz announced the signing and immediately got to work with arrangements for their coach to meet team leaders. The challenge for Coughlin will be twofold, first to change the culture of a Blitz team that has always been good enough to be close to the playoffs or to qualify, but never good enough to make a serious run at a title. The second will be to solve the situation at quarterback. Having released Jeff Garcia, the frontrunner to start this year is clearly Ryan Leaf, the two-time exile from other USFL clubs. Leaf is a man (or perhaps a man-child) in need of a firm hand, and Coughlin has a reputation as a no-nonsense kind of coach. Will that lead to Leaf becoming a reliable starter, or will it lead to chaos and disruption? And is Baltimore ready with a Plan B if it all falls apart? Fans certainly see the prospect of a strong QB class in this year’s draft as the perfect way to buttress the position should Leaf flame out, but with several key areas of need, does the GM and management see it as a priority? The decision on QB, along with many other personnel decisions, will be early work for Coughlin as he enters the fray as the new coach of the Blitz. Michigan A Step Too Slow It was no surprise that the Panthers were also seriously in the running for Tom Coughlin, and they have to feel undercut by the signing a day before Coughlin was to visit Detroit again for what likely would have been an offer from the Panthers. The former Jaguar Head Coach was not the only candidate brought in, but he appeared to be the expected frontrunner to take over a Panther squad that often seemed to play recklessly and without discipline under Mike Martz. With Baltimore signing their targeted coach, the Panthers now have to look elsewhere. The rumors around the Panthers organization is that they love the defensive know-how of former Bengals and Steelers defensive coordinator (and short-lived Bengals Head Coach) Dick LeBeau, but they worry about the failures of LeBeau in Cincinnati when given the chance to be the main man. It is so hard to tell what led to the short tenure of LeBeau in Cincinnati, because the Bengals organization is notoriously poorly run from the owners’ box and talent on the field was just not there during his tenure. If Michigan thinks that LeBeau can succeed not only with the Panther defense, but as the leader of the entire club, we could see an announcement soon. If not, then they have to start looking further afield for candidates. Retirements Follow Wild Card Defeats As we see each year, the week after each team’s final game is often when players decide to announce that they have played their last. We saw this with the 12 non-playoff teams last week, with big names like Broderick Thomas and John Randall hanging up the cleats. With 4 clubs bowing out of the playoffs after the Wild Card round, we saw the same this week, and we will likely see the same next week, now that 4 more clubs are packing up for the offseason. This week’s departures are not as dramatic as the prior week’s but they still will impact each club. New Jersey is going to once again address their offensive line as guard Will Shields has ended his career after 11 seasons split between the Bandits and Generals. Baltimore, not a playoff team, but one that has already seen a key defensive player depart, saw another go as LB Tracy Scroggins announced his intention to leave the team after 5 seasons in Baltimore. Scoggins came into the league in 1992 with Washington and came over to Baltimore in 1999, racking up 110 tackles in his first year there. He landed 91 this season and has been a key contributor. One wonders if Coach Coughlin will try to convince him to give it one more year before he files his paperwork with the league. Another lineman, from another non-playoff team, also announced this week as guard Chris Thome of Philadelphia declared his intention to fill out the retirement agreement with the league. Thome, a veteran of 13 seasons with Birmingham, Washington, and the Stars started 11 of 14 games for Philadelphia this year. And finally, Jeff Query, longtime receiver in Texas also announced his retirement from football. The 35-year old receiver began his career in Memphis as a rookie in 1989, played with the Showboats through 1997, then signed with Tampa Bay on a one year deal in 1998, just in time to win a ring with the Bandits. He became a free agent at the end of the year and was signed by Texas, where he would play the final 6 years of his 15-year career. His first year in Texas was his best year in the league, when injuries led Query to become the starting receiver for 13 weeks of the 16-week season. He responded with 97 receptions for 1,238 yards and 7 touchdowns, numbers never seen before or after from the lanky receiver. In 2003, Query did not receive a single start and ended the year without no catches on only 9 targets. One Name Dominates Newest Free Agent Group As with retirements, the defeat of four clubs (Birmingham, New Jersey, Texas, and Pittsburgh) during the Wild Card round means that more players without contracts officially become free agents. The name we were all waiting on to see if a last minute deal has, indeed, become a free agent. Deion Sanders, perhaps the best cover cornerback to play in either the USFL or NFL did not agree to a new deal with Birmingham, and is now a free agent. There is no doubt that “Prime Time” will be among the most coveted and well-paid signings of the offseason, but now the question becomes whether or not the USFL retains Sanders as an outspoken ambassador for the league or if he makes his return to the NFL. Those of us who root for the USFL are hoping he can find a new spring season home. Others who will also receive a lot of interest from both leagues include Stallion FB Mike Alstott, DE Renaldo Turnbull (coming off injury), tackle Melvin Hayes and DE Cedric Scott. From New Jersey, the biggest potential loss is OT Leon Searcy. Others who now become free agents include WR Kevin Johnson, LB Adalius Smith, CB Otis Smith, and TE Jamie Asher. For Pittsburgh the hope was to resign both TE Jay Riemersma and QB Jeff Black (a recent NFL acquisition) but with Charlie Batch firmly entrenched as the starter, Blake has opted to enter the market. Riemersma also has not resigned and joins other Maulers, including SS Sam Shade, punter Tom Rouen, FS Corey Hall, and CB Bobby Taylor as free agents. Finally, Texas, in addition to losing Jeff Query to free agency, will also possible lose center John Burch, FB Robert Hooker, HB Kevin Barlow, CB DeShea Townsend, and free safety Scott Shields. Townsend is clearly viewed as the biggest potential loss, but, with Deion Sanders on the market, that loss could be quickly forgotten if the Outlaws can attract the All-NFL, All-USFL corner to come to San Antonio next. While Ohio and Denver enter the Conference title games with no new injuries, the same cannot be said for either Washington or New Orleans, both of whom could be without their top receivers after both Deion Branch and Az-Zahir Hakim were injured in this week’s games. Branch, who suffered an injury earlier in the season, is listed as doubtful after apparently aggravating the injury in this week’s Wild Card game. Hakim is listed as out, as he had to be helped from the field after an apparent ankle injury. Testing later discovered that it was not an ankle issue at all but a stress fracture in two different bones in his heel and arch of the right foot. This is a big blow to both offenses as both Branch and Hakim are seen as keys to the passing game of both clubs. Branch will likely be replaced by Bryant Johnson, as he was during the regular season. Hakim’s slot will be taken over by Kevin Dyson, with Jake Reed likely becoming the primary passing target for Trent Dilfer. We have not seen the Breaker offense without Hakim all year, but we expect that this will put even greater emphasis on the run game of Williams and Troy Davis, as well as a more prominent role for TE Bubba Franks, coming off a career season with the Breakers. Championship Week means so much around the USFL, but one of the biggest items of the week is always the announcement of the league award winners and All-USFL team. This year was not a year for surprises as most of the award winners were pretty clear, but there was a bit of a surprise in at least one award. MVP: A no brainer as Kerry Collins wins again. With a record QB Rating, nearly 4,700 yards passing, and a whopping 52 touchdowns in 14 games, Collins was the run-away choice for a third year in a row. Offensive Player of the Year: Eddie George joins Collins as a repeat winner as he earns his second consecutive OPOTY award thanks to a combined 1,835 yards (1,033 rushing) and 12 touchdowns on the season. This race was at least a bit closer with Byron Leftwich, Jake Plummer, and fellow Ohio teammate Joey Galloway also getting some first place votes. Defensive Player of the Year: With Phil Hansen and Mike Rucker tied atop the sack leaderboard, room existed for a third player to jump up and take away the title as the two Defensive Ends split the votes of those who favor that position. That is exactly what happened as Pittsburgh cornerback Patrick Surtain was announced as this year’s DPOTY. Surtain certainly made his case on the field, racking up 91 tackles at the corner position, finishing tied for the league lead with 5 interceptions , but also adding 8 forced fumbles, 4 recoveries, and 2 defensive touchdowns to an impressive season total. Rookie of the Year: Despite strong freshman performances from players like Willis McGahee, Anquon Boldin, Mike Doss and Patrick Truffant, this was a pretty obvious choice. Seattle’s rookie sensation, QB Byron Leftwich ran away with all 24 first place votes. Leftwich finished the year as the only QB outside of MVP Kerry Collins, to surpass 4,000 yards passing. He also finished second in passing TDs with 36, and ended the year third in the league behind only Collins and Tom Brady, with a 115.4 QB Rating. As first year QB performances go, this is the best one we have seen since Brett Favre’s first season with the Stallions. Coach of the Year: After a very disappointing 7-7 season in 2002, Coach Paul Hackett rebounded with a nearly perfect 13-1 season in 2003. That accomplishment earned him the honor of Coach of the Year, the second time he has won the award. Hackett molded the Federals defense into the league’s best, despite being considered an offensive-minded coach. His offense, featured one of the season’s break out stars in HB Deuce McCallister, and his club now finds itself in the Eastern Conference Title Game, playing at home against the defending league Champion Ohio Glory. All-USFL Team The league actually announced two All-USFL teams this year. We have the 2003 All-USFL Team and the added bonus of the 20th Anniversary All-Time All-USFL Team, a bonus as season 21 saw the league look back on its first two decades. Let’s start with this year’s honors and then take a look at the 2-decade team. 2003 ALL USFL TEAM QB: K. Collins (OHI), J. Plummer (ARZ), B. Leftwich (SEA) HB: A. Green (NSH), E. George (OHI), T. Davis (PIT) FB: A. Cowley (POR) TE: A. Cooper (MEM), K. Dilger (SEA) WR: J. Galloway (OHI), P. Price (DEN), S. Moss (ARZ), C. Ochocinco (OHI), A. Rison PIT) OT: J. Wunsch (OHI), A. Clement (MEM), M. Light (NJ) OG: S. Page (CHI), A. Faneca (LA), J. Nails (BOS) C: B. Meester (HOU), G. Huntington (CHI) DE: P. Hansen (NJ), M. Rucker (BIR), K. Pitmann (HOU) DT: M. Reager (DEN), J. Randall (BAL) LB: M. l.ewis (LA), D. DuBose (PIT), L. Lathon (NOR), J. Porter (POR), J. Farrior (BAL), G. Miles (SEA) CB: P. Surtain (PIT), D. Sanders (BIR), Q. Jammer (TEX), J. Fletcher (DEN) SS: B. Blades (ARZ), L. Milloy (BIR), FS: E. Reed (WSH), M. Doss (OHI) K: D. Pelfrey (WSH) P: C. Jarrett (POR) No real shocks here. Ohio dominated offensive categories and even got a defender into the mix with rookie safety Mike Doss being recognized for an outstanding first year. We also saw rookie Byron Leftwich make the grade in his first year. Two retirees finished on top as both Bennie Blades and John Randall were named to the team. The biggest debates were at WR and DE, where Az-Zahir Hakim, Regan Upshaw and Anthony Weaver were also certainly worthy of a potential spot. But, all in all, a solid representation of the best of the best from the past season. USFL 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ALL-TIME ALL-USFL TEAM QB Jim Kelly, Brett Favre HB: Mike Rozier (HOF), Herschel Walker (HOF), Kelvin Bryant (HOF) FB: Mike Alstott TE: Keith Jackson, Mike Shaw WR: Trumaine Johnson (HOF), Eric Truvillion (HOF), Henry Ellard (HOF), Lawrence Dawsey OT: Richmond Webb, Howard Ballard (HOF), Bruce Armstrong (HOF) OG: Gary Zimmerman (HOF), Duval Love C: William Copley, Mike Baab (HOF) DE: Reggie White, Chris Doleman, Phil Hansen DT: Jerome Brown, John Randall, Rollin Putzier LB: Kurt Gouveia, Broderick Thomas, Chris Spielman, Kevin Greene, Brian Bosworth (HOF) CB: Bruce Pickens, Donnell Woolford, Eric Allen S: Bennie Blades, Carnell Lake, Martin Bayless K: Tim Mazzetti (HOF) P: Chris Mohr An interesting mix of 1st Generation USFL stars like Kelly, Reggie White, and Heschel Walker, more recent players like Bosworth, Gouveia, and Keith Jackson, and current players like Brett Favre, Lawrence Dawsey, Bennie Blades and Phil Hansen. The only complaints we are hearing, other than fans just being homers for their guys, are the reduction of slots for guard, center, and safety between this list and the typical annual list. Funny that no one has complained (at least not loudly) about the list having only 2 quarterback slots instead of the standard three. I guess fans of Kerry Collins have other things to focus on right now. Summer Bowl 2004 Logo Revealed Another tradition of Conference Championship Week is the reveal of the next year’s Summer Bowl Logo. We got that this week as the Summer Bowl will return for the first time to the city where it first acquired that name, Orlando. After several years of “USFL Championship Games”, the moniker “Summer Bowl” was officially adopted in 1990 and Orlando was the first host city. The Summer Bowl returns to the Citrus Bowl this year, where it will be played beginning at 8pm, its latest start ever, to try to avoid the afternoon heat of central Florida in July. The logo depicts a football helmet as the sun, with the very summery color combination of bright yellow, orange, and magenta, colors used originally in the 1990 Orlando Summer Bowl and returning now for 2004. While some may wonder why the logo would depict the sun as its central feature when the game will be deliberately placed at dusk and at night to avoid summer sun, it has clearly become tradition that images of summer and the sun are central to the Summer Bowl logo, differentiating the title game from the NFL’s Super Bowl, played in the dead of winter. Four teams left, all fighting for a chance to travel to Seattle and Summer Bowl 2004. We have the defending champion Ohio Glory, hoping to make history by becoming the first ever repeat champion, the 13-1 Washington Federals, one win away from a perfect season, the Denver Gold, hoping to reclaim glory after a fall from grace in 2002, and the New Orleans Breakers, trying to go further than any Breakers’ team ever has. Sixty minutes stand between each of these teams and a ticket to the Summer Bowl. So who do we see packing their bags for the Pacific Northwest? Who has what it takes to win when the pressure is on? Here is our look at the 2003 Conference Championships of the USFL. #2 Ohio Glory (11-3) @ #1 Washington Federals (13-1) Sunday, July 14 @ 1pm on ABC RFK Stadium, Washington, DC This is the game that we have been waiting for all season. Back in Week 11 the 8-2 Glory ended Washington’s hopes for a perfect season with a big win in RFK. They now return to the same place to face the same team. Will this be a story of redemption for the Federals, or will Ohio again upend the Federals and stake a claim on the Summer Bowl and recognition as the league’s next dynasty? Will the offensive firepower of Collins, George, Galloway and Ochocinco be too much for Washington, or will a the defensive might of Brackens, Barrow, Rudd, and Woodson shut down the Glory? It truly is strength against strength as the league’s #1 scoring defense takes on the #1 scoring offense. We have seen these kinds of matchups before in the USFL and the truth is that neither side has a consistent history of victory. We have seen offenses like Houston’s Run & Shoot dominate and we have seen defenses like Philadelphia’s “Lights Out” defense take over a game. The consensus here is that if the game is in the 20’s or lower, that certainly favors Washington, but if it turns into a track meet, the Glory will win out. Key players of the game are often not the first ones you think of. In our minds the two key players are on the opposite side of the ball, Washington’s offense and Ohio’s defense. Can Kordell Stewart an Deuce McCallister maintain offense and burn time off the clock? Can Ohio’s Vonnie Holliday and La’Roi Glover control the line of scrimmage and get the Federal offense off the field? The ability of each club’s weaker half to hold up their end of the bargain will determine which club’s tempo, style, and strength will win out. OUR PICK: This one is as close to a tossup as we could imagine. We could easily develop a clear rationale for either side to take the win. So, we say this with a grain of salt and just a pinch of intuition. Ohio won the earlier matchup because they were able to get on the board early. We see Coach Luginbill finding ways to confuse the Federals defense early in the game once again. We are going to go with the Glory to find themselves back in the Summer Bowl. Ohio 29-23. #3 New Orleans Breakers (9-5) @ #1 Denver Gold (11-3) Sunday, July 14 @ 5pm on FOX Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, CO So what to make of this matchup? What we have here are two very good teams that have largely avoided the spotlight all season long. Denver’s record is the equal of Ohio’s but no one seems to talk about them. New Orleans won perhaps the toughest and most even division in the league, the South, and was able to win on the road to get here. But winning in Denver can be a whole different game than going to LA and getting a victory. Home field advantage is real when it is over 5,000 feet above sea level. Add to that a riled up fanbase in Denver, and a team that rarely hurts themselves and you have a tough hill to climb. The Breakers have talent on both sides of the ball. If they can get their run game going, it opens up the passing game for Trent Dilfer. They can rush the passer with the combination of DE’s Michael McCrary and Clyde Simmons, and Lamar Lathon is going to be focused fully on the run game of the Gold. With Az-Zahir out of commission for the game, the offense will have to get creative. They need a big game from Ricky Williams and Troy Davis, and they need to get TE Bubba Franks involved as well. For Denver, the offense depends largely on the ability to mix up the run and the pass with Rod Smart and Robert Holcombe sharing carries. Peerless Price has become a top flight receiver this year, but you know he will be getting double coverage, so who else steps up? Will it be TE Marco Battaglia or slot receiver Kassim Osgood? The Denver defense is about bending but never breaking, forcing teams to build up long drives without mistakes. They do not get great pass rush, even though Marcellus Wiley has had some impact this season with 11 sacks. The secondary has one star in FS Jamel Williams (5 picks this season) but plays well as a unit. With Dat Nguyen a potential scratch for the game, a lot of pressure will be on the linebackers in action, Marvcus Patton, Deshone Myles and Chris Cowart. OUR PICK: We have seen better teams than the Breakers head up to Mile High and just wilt. The altitude issue is real, but so is the ability of the Gold to wear teams down. We see that happening this time and we see Denver returning to their 4th Summer Bowl in 5 years, their own claim on dynasty status. Our pick is Denver in a low scoring game, 17-13.

Wildcard weekend for 8 clubs, a bye for 4, and the start of offseason moves for the remaining 12. That means a lot of news to report. We got a pretty par for the course Wild Card weekend, with three of four home favorites getting the W and moving on. The fourth was a battle of two evenly matched foes and it went to the more experienced club, so not really a shock there either. We also had a slew of big-name retirees as the season ended for 12 of the league’s 24 clubs. This week we also saw something you don’t see every day, Two QB’s who started games this year cut by their teams as they look to head a new direction. More on that later, but let’s start with the on the field, our Wild Card coverage. NEW JERSEY 13 JACKSONVILLE 14 Passing: Brady 24/43-199-1Td-1Int, Delhomme 19/33-176-1TD-1Int Rushing: A Smith 14-84-1, Enis 14-73-0, Bynum 12-71-0 Receiving: Owens 8-100-1, Glenn 8-60-0, Becht 5-57-1 The early season trade for Antowain Smith paid off big come playoff time for Jacksonville, as Smith combined with last season’s lead rusher for the Bulls to run through and over the New Jersey Generals. New Jersey hung tough all game, but their defense, missing 4 starters, simply wore down as Smith and Kenny Bynum combined for 144 yards rushing and Antowain Smith scored the deciding touchdown in the 4th to give Jacksonville a one-point win at home. The game started off slowly in the afternoon heat of Jacksonville. Neither team was able to do much, and New Jersey took a 6-0 lead into the half, but in the second half the sun and the Bulls started to impact the Generals. New Jersey would not score again, and when Jake Delhomme connected with Terrell Owens in the waning moments of the third quarter, the Bulls were back within 1 score and had momentum on their side. Tom Brady tried to rally the Generals, but a long pass to Donald Hayes on a broken coverage inexplicably slipped through his hands, ruining a chance for a momentum-shifting big play. Midway through the fourth quarter, Jacksonville took advantage of New Jersey’s tiring defense, going on a 15-play drive that saw Jake Delhomme attempt only 3 passes (2 completed). The drive was a grinding and methodical push by the O-line and the two big backs for Jacksonville. It finished with Antowain Smith breaking tackles on his way to the endzone, giving Jacksonville the 14-13 lead with 8 minutes left to play. Brady would have one more shot to retake the lead but could only get Neil Rackers within range for a 49 yard attempt. The kick fell short and to the right and Jacksonville punched their ticket to the Divisional round and a matchup with defending champs, Ohio. BIRMINGHAM 10 SEATTLE 24 Passing: Leftwich 13/22-216-0TD-0Int, Favre 20/37-212-1TD-0Int Rushing: Dillon 27-128-2, Mitchell 7-74-1, Alexander 13-65-0 Receiving: Horn 5-77-0, Bradford 5-58-0, Dilger 2-56-0, Dawsey 4-39-1 Seattle’s defense came up big, sacking Brett Favre 5 times and holding an early lead throughout the game on an overcast day in the Emerald City. Corey Dillon provided early scores with two first quarter touchdowns and backup Brian Mitchell provided the game-clincher, a 6-yard TD run in the 4th that put Seattle up by 14 and helped them move on to the divisional round. It was a frustrating day for the Birmingham offense, which could neither develop a reliable ground attack or provide consistent pass protection for Favre. The Seattle defenders were particularly good on third down, limiting Birmingham to only 2 conversions on 12 attempts. Five different Dragons got to Favre on the day, though it was consistent pressure from John Abraham that seemed to cause the greatest harm to the Stallion passing game. For their part the Seattle offense was conservative but effective. Not wanting to force rookie Byron Leftwich to carry the load, the Dragons established Corey Dillon early and often, with 60 of his 128 rushing yards in the first half. That strategy worked as Seattle scored on Dillon runs on their first two drives, establishing a good lead on the Stallions. Most of the second half was Dillon and Brian Mitchell getting carries to burn time and move the sticks as Seattle held the ball for over 33 minutes in the game. With the win Seattle now heads on the road, where Leftwich will face a real test as the Dragons face the rough conditions and solid D of the Denver Gold next week. CHICAGO 37 PITTSBURGH 13 Passing: J. George 24/29-307-2TD-0Int, C. Batch 21/36-193-1TD-0Int Rushing: T. Davis 26-60-0, D. Staley 16-30-0, C. Rogers 11-40-2 Receiving: J. Kliensasser 8-90-0, D. Driver 7-79-1, C. Conway 4-77-1, T. Davis 4-71-0, A. Rison 5-38-1 Chicago’s experience and defensive muscle shown through in Pittsburgh as the Machine dismantled the Maulers at Heinz Field. Jeff George threw for 307 yards and 2 scores as the Machine built a 13-10 halftime lead into a 30-10 lead after three quarters. Chicago’s defense limited Terrell Davis to only 2.3 yards per carry and held Andre Rison to only 38 yards receiving as the Machine clamped down on the Mauler offense all game. Rison’s big moment was a 15-yard TD on Pittsburgh’s best drive of the day, scoring with 1:24 left in the first half to make the score 10-10, but when Chicago managed to get into range for Tim Seder before the half and went into the locker room up 3, the Maulers never recovered. Chicago scored 17 in the third, including TD passes to both Driver and Conway, to crush Pittsburgh’s spirit. It was a clear case of the more experienced team knowing how to maximize their efforts as the score right before the half was added to on the first drive of the third, creating a 10-point advantage as Pittsburgh’s offense could only watch and wait. The Machine will have another tough test next week against another solid defense as they head to Washington to face the top seeded Federals. TEXAS 17 NEW ORLEANS 20 Passing: Tolliver 21/30-209-1 Td-0Int, Dilfer 18-25-206-0-0, Lewis 10/13-81-0-0 Rushing: R. Williams 18-111-1, T. Duckett 9-81-0, B. Westbrook 13-51-1 Receiving: Pickens 10-125-0, Hakim 6-80-0, Reed 4-60-0, Ward 4-36-1 The Outlaws backed their way into the playoffs, losing on the final week of the year but edging Memphis on a tiebreaker, but they availed themselves like legitimate playoff contenders, keeping close to the heavily favored Breakers all day, but eventually falling to the home favorites, and all this with a backup QB playing most of the game. New Orleans, for their part, played the long game, using Ricky Williams as a battering ram and playing strong red zone defense throughout. Texas QB Jeff Lewis had a hot start to the game, completing 10 of 13, but on a 2nd and 7 he got blindsided by Mike McCrary and seemed woozy coming off the field. Billy Joe Tolliver would come on in relief and play well, but not well enough to get the W. The score was 6-0 at the half and 9-7 at the end of 3 as Texas got a Brian Westbrook TD run to offset three earlier Breaker field goals. In the 4th quarter, New Orleans fell behind 10-9 on a Rian Lindell field goal, but responded with a 12-play, 81-yard drive that culminated with Ricky Williams running in from 3 yards out. The Breakers opted to go for 2 to create a 7-point lead and Trent Dilfer connected with Bubba Franks to move the Breaker lead to 17-10. New Orleans would add a field goal to go up 10, but Texas would come back. Billy Joe Tolliver went 4 of 6 on the Outlaw drive, connecting with Dedrick Ward for an 8-yard TD to put the Outlaws right back into the game with 4:33 left to play. Texas chose to kick away instead of going for the onside attempt. That proved to be an issue as New Orleans was able to string together 7 plays and 2 first downs before finally having to punt the ball back. Texas was left with only 43 seconds to mount a final drive, and that proved to simply not be enough. On the final play of the game they asked Lindell to try to connect on a 55-yard kick, but that was outside of his range even in the controlled environment of the Super Dome. New Orleans gets the W and now head off to face the LA Express in a battle of clubs with high aspirations but little experience in playoff football (at least recently). Texas heads back to the drawing board having gained a bit of respect for their efforts this week. Quarterbacks On the Cutting Board Some might call it cruel, others might say that early cuts allow players a chance to find a new home, but this week we saw 3 quarterbacks with significant playing time see themselves called into the GM’s office and handed their walking papers. The biggest hit was for Baltimore starter Jeff Garcia. Apparently Ryan Leaf did enough to give Baltimore confidence to release their regular starter after, admittedly, a pretty rough season. Either that or Baltimore is simply trying to give a new coach a fresh start with a new starting QB. While Garcia is likely to catch on elsewhere as a veteran backup with some skills, Baltimore now looks at Ryan Leaf as their top QB, unless, of course, the front office is thinking QB in the draft. That seems a risky proposition if only because Ryan Leaf has something of a track record of not taking QB competitions kindly. Throw in a top flight rookie QB and Leaf is almost certainly going to get defensive. But, we shall see. Baltimore does not have a head coach yet, and we can only speculate if they will seek a QB in the draft or move ahead with Leaf. The other pretty big surprise cut was of veteran Jon Kitna from Oakland. We all expected Oakland to make a move this offseason to improve their QB room, but we had assumed that this would mean letting 2003 season starter Marques Tuiasosopo go, likely through trade. Kitna is a solid veteran QB who, while not likely to start for a club, can certainly be helpful when the starter is injured and a club needs a 3-4 game bridge. Like Garcia, we expect Kitna to find a home relatively quickly as solid backups are hard to find most years. As for Oakland, this clearly points to the rumors that they are again going to try to go big in the draft and sign one of the 1st round talents coming out this year. With two of the top three quarterbacks being unprotected for the Territorial Draft, Oakland will have a good shot at their preferred QB with the #2 pick in the open draft. With Michigan ahead of them, who are not backing away from Drew Brees as their starter, the only potential issue is if another team trades with the Panthers to steal away the top QB. But if Oakland sees viable options among the three highly touted QBs-Manning, Rivers, and Roethlisberger-they very likely will feel comfortable at the 2nd pick. Of course, as we saw with them last year, having the pick and signing the pick are two very different propositions. Finally, former New Jersey starter and Michigan backup Spence Fischer was let go by the Panthers. We saw this one coming as Fischer looked very rusty and very unstable when called on to replace Drew Brees during a couple of games this season. Michigan is clearly going to use the free agent pool to try to find a backup who better suits their offense and who is likely a bit more athletic than the more cerebral Fischer. With the free agent pool now containing Garcia, Kitna, Jeff Blake, Mark Bulger and Rick Mirer, we don’t think the Panthers will have difficulty finding a QB they like. As for Fischer, he could opt to retire or stick around and see if someone will take a shot on him based more on his past successes than his performance this past season. Season’s End Brings Retirements from 12 Non-Playoff Clubs In the annual ritual of offseason football, the end of another USFL regular season means departures for some veterans ready to move on. Once again some excellent players have reached the end of their careers and have notified their clubs of their decision. We wish these players all the best as they embark on the next phase of their lives and we look forward to seeing how their USFL clubs manage a transition to new personnel, an annual reality that helps some clubs and hurts others. Here are the players who have made public their decision to retire this week: SS Bennie Blades (ARZ): One of the best safeties to ever play in the USFL calls it a career. He played 16 seasons in the league with Memphis, Baltimore, and Arizona, was a 10-time All-USFL selection, and will almost certainly be a first ballot HOF candidate. LB Broderick Thomas (ARZ): The other pillar of the Arizona defense is also departing after 15 seasons, all with the Wranglers. He leaves with practically every defensive record for Arizona, an 8-time All-USFL player and a reputation as one of the most versatile and feared linebackers in the game. DT John Randall (BAL): Baltimore loses its defensive captain and one of the great leaders in the game. A low round draft pick, Randall quickly became a centerpiece of some pretty solid Blitz defenses for Coach Infante. A 13-time All-USFL player at Defensive Tackle, Randall is now going to start the clock ticking on what should be a quick Hall of Fame process. LB Mike Caldwell (NSH): Nashville loses another cog from its glory days as one of the league’s most feared defenses. Caldwell played his entire career for the Knights, coming into the league in 1993 in St. Louis. He leaves the Knights after a disappointing season in which Nashville failed to make the playoffs for the first time in six years. TE John Henry Mills (ORL): Orlando had hoped to convince Mills to come back for one more year, but the big tight end has opted to protect his knees a bit by leaving the game now. Mills missed several games this year due to injury, but was still one of Joey Harrington’s favorite red zone targets. He had his best year in 2002, catching 8 touchdowns and 72 receptions. G Lester Holmes (PHI): A stalwart of the Stars’ offensive line, Holmes departs Philadelphia after 4 seasons with them and 11 total seasons. Coming into the league in 1993 with the Stars, won a title with Philly in 1994, but left in 1995. Holmes began as a backup, and was not protected during the 1995 draft, heading to Ohio when that franchise began. He returned to Philadelphia as a free agent in 2001 LB Dixon Edwards (POR/LV): Dixon Edwards played 13 seasons with the Panthers, Glory and Thunder as an outside linebacker. Known for his speed, the undersized OLB was an effective run-stopper and solid in coverage as well. A reserve player for Portland, he had his best years in Ohio during the first 5 seasons of the Glory franchise. LB Keith McCants (TBY): McCants played 14 seasons in Tampa Bay, coming in as a rookie in 1990. He won a title with the 1998 Bandits and has been a solid contributor to the Bandits’ defense his entire career, averaging 58 tackles per season over 14 years. His rookie year he had 7 sacks, but never truly developed as a pass rusher beyond that, with his highest total since then 4 sacks in 2002. The Search Is On With four teams now exploring options for a head coach, the search is on to see who will snag a leader to move them from also-rans to contenders. With all 4 teams (Michigan, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Arizona) needing to have strong offseasons and solid draft classes, we don’t think we will see a situation like in recent years where at least one club has waited until the 11th hour for the NFL season to conclude to snag a top candidate from the coordinator pool. This feels like a year when clubs will try to get a coach in place early so that they can maximize their free agent and draft processes. Michigan got a head start on the process, releasing Mike Martz at midseason and going with an interim coach in Lovie Smith who they did not expect to be a candidate for the full-time position. We know they have been looking at lots of options already, and this week they brought in two coaches for interviews, former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, and former Cincinatti Bengals HC and defensive guru Dick LeBeau. Both seem to fit what Michigan is looking for, a hard-nosed, defensive minded, no-nonsense coach to bring a mindset of discipline and competitiveness to a team that has some talent but has not been able to produce on either side of the ball. With an 0-14 club, the sell to a new coach may be a tough one, and may require giving any serious candidate a significant amount of personnel power as well. Baltimore released Lindy Infante and now also seems to be interested in Coughlin, who had a strong career with the expansion Jaguars, getting them into the playoffs in only their second season. That type of franchise building seems like a skill set that the Blitz are hoping to find. Baltimore is also believed to be considering former Bandits head coach Jerry Glanville as well as former NFL Defensive Coordinator (for several teams) Fritz Shurmur. In Tampa Bay, we know who the fans want, as they are begging the Bandits to bring back Steve Spurrier. The former Bandits HOF coach recently left the U. of Florida for the Washington Redskins of the NFL, but has struggled with the Redskins, creating a situation where the USFL Bandits could make an offer to Spurrier during the NFL-USFL transfer window that might sway the “Ol’ Ball Coach” to leave the NFL and make his way back to the USFL and the Bandits. That seems more of a pie-in-the-sky hope from desperate USFL fans, but stranger things have happened. Finally, in Arizona the hope is that whoever the new coach is, he understands how to build a balanced offense. There is a lot of fear that Jake Plummer’s talents are being wasted on mediocre teams and that with little else working well for the Wranglers, he will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks never to win a title. The Wranglers will almost certainly be looking for an offensive minded coach. Do they go after a West Coast guy like a Steve Mariucci or even the recently let-go George Seifert, or do they go with someone with more of a pro-style offense like a Tom Moore or Jim Fassel. As we look ahead to the Divisional Playoff round, we have 4 teams that have just had a week of rest and four who have just finished some tight playoff games. Team health is a factor at this point, as it always is. So what do we see when we look at the four upcoming games? New Orleans @ Los Angeles looks like the healthiest game. LA has only one player out, center Brett Stoltenberg, while New Orleans could be without SS Devon Bush (Questionable) and CB Latin Berry (Probable). Jacksonville @ Ohio should also be a game largely unaffected by injuries. There is some question after this week’s game if guard Matt O’Dwyer can play. He is listed as questionable for the game. For Ohio, the bye week has helped move some players off the injury list, but DE Vonnie Holliday and backup QB Chris Redman remain unlikely to play. While Chicago did not see any new injuries in their victory in Pittsburgh, Washington does have some concerns, even after an extra week to heal. Rookie standout Ed Reed is listed as doubtful and very likely will sit the game out. DT Kris Jenkins and TE Cam Cleeland are both questionable, though word we are getting is that both will suit up and a final assessment will be made at game time. Finally, Seattle reports no new injuries, while Denver has several players still in questionable states. Expect guard Eric Pilgrim and CB Jabari Fletcher to be out. LB Dat Nguyen is doubtful as well and may be rested until a potential Conference title game. Finally, LB Chris Cowart is doubtful with an ankle injury. With the recent vote to expand by 2 teams in 2006 and 2 more in 2008 the hopes of fans across the country that they may soon have USFL football each spring was raised, but a lot of work has to happen between now and the first snap of a USFL football in each city. There are the obvious questions to answer, such as who will take up ownership in St. Louis and Atlanta. And then there are other issues that need to be resolved. We present to you our Top Ten Questions surrounding USFL Expansion. 10—Where will a new Atlanta club play? The Fire had played their games at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dowd Stadium, but the oppressive heat and humidity of summer in Atlanta seems to be a very good motivator for any new team to take up residence in the Georgia Dome, assuming a deal can be reached with the facility and the NFL Falcons. 9—Who are potential owners in St. Louis? While Atlanta already has a group that looks viable being formed, St. Louis does not enter this process with a clear frontrunner to take control of a new USFL franchise. After the issues with Orthwein, the USFL may want to steer clear of the entire Busch family unless something convinces them otherwise. So, looking outside of that family, what do you see? Two potential contenders include Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of the Bass Pro sporting goods empire and another is David Steward, owner of World Wide Technologies, a major player in the technology sale and resale world. Steward would be the first African-American lead owner in the league if he wishes to sign on to a new USFL club. 8—How do new franchises in St. Louis and Atlanta fit into the USFL alignment? Adding two teams but only for 2 years means that the league will have 26 clubs for a short period. With their current 2 conference format that creates 2 conferences of 13 teams, a hard number to divide equally. The most likely scenario is that we will see Atlanta join the Southeast Division with the three Florida clubs, and Boston would create a 5-team Northeast Division by shifting up to join the 4 current clubs. St. Louis is more flexible but clearly adding a team to the Western Conference would make the most sense. That could be done one of two ways. The simplest is to add St. Louis to the Southern Division with Memphis and New Orleans as fellow riverfront cities along the Mississippi. But we also know that Chicago would love to have St. Louis as a natural rival. The only way that makes sense is t flip the Central and Southern divisions to have the Central (with the new St. Louis club) in the Western Conference, moving the Southern Division to the Eastern Division. 7—What happens to divisions when 2 more clubs are added in 2008? Two years later we will see two more clubs join the league, and again this could impact divisions. We assume the league would go to a 28-team format very similar to the one the NFL used for years (Between the addition of Seattle and Tampa Bay in 1976 until the addition of Carolina and Tennessee in 1995). That means that the easiest route to adding two new franchises is to select one western city (particularly a city that makes sense for either the Pacific or Southwestern Divisions) and one to the East (particularly the Southeastern division and either the Central or Southern, depending on who is also placed in the East). So, even before the process for adding 2 new locations in 2008 begins, we already know that some restrictions or preferences may be in place for potential locations. 6—Thinking of 2008, what cities seem like good potential candidates? If we assume that the most likely locations for new franchises are in the West and in the South or Southeast, that gives us our short list of likely locations. Out West, the league could try to work with Portland on efforts to get a stadium built and bring a club back to a city that has recently lost their franchise, or they could finally take seriously the interest in Dallas-Fort Worth for a club. Other, perhaps more unlikely locations, include Kansas City, Tulsa, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento. A strong ownership group would need to develop from one of these cities, and a suitable stadium as well. Right now, Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City have stadiums in place that make sense for the USFL, but not all have owners stepping up to purchase a team. In the East, the emphasis, now that Boston has their club, is almost certainly going to be in the southern half of the country. Potential cities that could foster interest include Miami, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, or the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. But, if the league is willing to be a bit looser with geography, there are some sizable markets in the Midwest that could support a club, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, or the Twin Cities. Is a Midwestern team a priority? It seems not, particularly because the USFL has always had better attendance and a deeper following in the South, but with so many quality facilities in place in the Midwest, a city that could pair that with a strong ownership group could go far in the bidding process. 5—Will expansion also lead to a change in USFL schedules? The league made a somewhat counter-intuitive decision to reduce the USFL season from 16 games down to 14. We have seen that in operation for two seasons now, and honestly the benefits the league expected have simply not been obviously manifesting. It is very possible that by 2006 the league will be ready to revisit the issue and expand the season back to 16 teams. 4—Will the playoffs be expanded when the league adds 4 teams? Way too early to say. Moving from 6 playoff teams per conference to 7 or 8 has some attractiveness, but also some pitfalls. Moving to 7 means that only 1 club would have a bye week, creating a very uneven advantage for a club that plays in a weaker division. Moving to 8 teams eliminates the bye week altogether, which may be more attractive, but moving 8 teams into the playoffs from a 14 team conference almost guarantees that we will see the occasional team with a losing record get a playoff bid. That just feels wrong on a lot of levels. 3—How will rosters be stocked? This is always a debate. No one wants to see their favorite team lose a lot of quality players in an expansion draft, but the league cannot have a weak system that guarantees that the expansion clubs are cupcakes for several seasons. The 1995 draft, in retrospect, could have provided more talent to clubs up front. All four expansion clubs struggled for at least 3 years before they really started to level out with prior clubs. Is that too long a timetable? And with teams coming in over a 3 year period, do you have the same type of expansion process for the 2006 clubs and the 2008 clubs, or do you alter the process so that each year’s process is effective in stocking the new team rosters without decimating the other clubs? 2—Will the Fire really return or is Atlanta going to go in a new direction? If public statements can be trusted, the Atlanta group headed up by Jim Kennedy of Cox Media seems committed not only to bringing the USFL back to Atlanta, but specifically the Atlanta Fire. The question is why? The Fire, in 7 seasons in Atlanta, never won more than 6 games in a season and never made a playoff appearance. There were certainly more embarrassing moments than memorable victories for the Fire, and yet, there is a fervent group of fans pushing to resume the franchise just as it was before the sale and relocation to Boston. We are not against the idea. Atlanta had a cool identity and nice flame-covered helmets. They were also the only club in the league to use orange as a primary color. But that is not exactly a strong endorsement of why the identity should be revived. 1—How will expansion impact gameplay? One of the biggest concerns when the USFL was formed and opted not to be a feeder league for the NFL, but to compete with the Big Boys, was whether or not there were enough quality players available to have over 40 pro football clubs all claiming to be top flight football. The success of both years since the early 1980’s seems to prove that the answer was Yes, the talent was there. But, as both the NFL expanded to 32 clubs and now the USFL is looking at 28, that is 60 clubs. Some already claim that both leagues are already being negatively impacted by the number of teams. Quarterback play is the most common indicator that fans moan about when making this argument. For every Payton Manning or Kerry Collins, there is a team struggling with a mediocre QB or no clear QB in control. Will adding 4 more clubs mean we get 4 more teams that cannot consistently mount offenses or find quality QB play? No one wants to watch the quality of play drop, but both the league and the player’s union seem confident that the talent is out there and the reason for some bad situations has more to do with coaching and poor GM decisions than with a dearth of quality players to join either league. Divisional Week means that the top 4 teams in the league get a chance to prove that their high seeds are not mirages. It is also a chance for a Wild Card club to prove it deserves respect as well. We have in this week all 6 division winners left in play along with Wild Card clubs Chicago and Seattle. Will the top seeds prevail and head to a predictable Conference Championship pairing, or will we see a Cinderella step up and extend the dance? #3 Jacksonville Bulls @ #2 Ohio Glory Saturday, July 6 @ 3pm ET Ohio Stadium, Columbus This looks like a tough matchup for the Bulls, which is to be expected, of course, in a 2nd round playoff. Ohio has been the best team in the league since recovering from 2 early season losses. They have the top ranked offense both in scoring and yards per game, as they did last year in their unbeaten run to a title. Their defense has improved over the second half of the season, and while they still have issues defending the run, most teams need to pass early and often to even try to keep pace with the Glory’s scoring explosions. Jacksonville’s best strategy option is what most teams have tried, to hold possession, eat up clock, and do not settle for field goals. Problem is, teams with better offenses than the Bulls have tried and failed. OUR PICK: We cannot go against the Glory on this one. Ohio 35-28. #4 Seattle Dragons @#2 Denver Gold Saturday, July 6 @ 8pm ET Invesco Field @ Mile High, Denver We feel like Denver has really been undervalued this season. We have barely talked about them and they are an 11-3 team that has won 5 of their last six. Admitedly the Southwest Division is not the league’s toughest, and the issue with Denver is that they tend not to impress with the way they play, but it is a very effective formula. Seattle, on the other hand, has gotten a lot of press, mostly due to the early success of their All-USFL rookie QB, and the imitation they have been doing of the Ohio Glory on offense for most of the season. After a 2-5 start, the Dragons finished the season 6-1 to nab a Wild Card. They are dangerous, to be sure, but that Denver home field is real and their defense is one of the league’s best. OUR PICK: As much as we like Seattle as an up and coming team, we are leaning towards Denver in this one. Gold 23-20. #5 Chicago Machine @ #1 Washington Federals Sunday, July 7 @ 12pm ET RFK Stadium, Washington DC Is anyone going to score in this one? You have the top scoring defense (WSH) against the 3rd best scoring defense (CHI), with only 21 points separating them. Denver is also the 2nd best defense in yards allowed (behind Baltimore) and Washington is 3rd. So what we are saying is that this will be a defensive game, so turnovers and making the most of opportunities will be key. And guess, what, Chicago is 3rd in the league with a +22 turnover margin, while Washington is 4th at +18. So again, a close matchup where it counts. OUR PICK: Other than one game against the red hot Glory, the Federals have been in control all season. We have to believe that they are in control again this week, coming off a bye week when they got to rest and prepare. Washington 17-13. #3 New Orleans Breakers @ #2 Los Angeles Express Sunday, July 7 @ 5pm ET Farmers Insurance Field, Los Angeles This is perhaps the most even matchup of the week, with the two division winners facing off. Both have Top 5 offenses, though they are very different in style, but LA also has a Top 5 scoring defense, while New Orleans has one of the league’s most erratic (22nd ranked). That does not bode well for the Breakers. The Breakers lost 2 of 3 going into the playoffs, both key divisional games, but in their last 4 games, LA also lost twice, also both divisional games, including a stunner in Oakland when they scored only 3 points. This likely comes down to which team can contain the run game of the other and make the opposition offense one-dimensional. That allows the pass rush to tee off, and that could decide this. OUR PICK: We are going to stick with our tendency to pick the favorites, and say LA 21-17, but we will not be shocked if that does not turn out.

In one of the more dramatic final weekends we have seen in a while we had a bit of everything. We had a divisional bloodbath as Chicago made a statement by outdueling the Ohio Glory in a high scoring affair. We also had several teams play their way into the postseason, with Seattle easily dispatching the Oakland Invaders while Birmingham won the week’s one true “Play In Game”. We also saw heartbreak as the Memphis Showboats took care of business by beating the Breakers, but ended up on the outside looking in when all the wrong results put them in a cluster of 7-7 teams that threw all the wrong tiebreakers at them. The luckiest team in this wild week? Has to be the Texas Outlaws. Despite going down to defeat in Denver, Texas got the opposite result that Memphis experienced. Texas ended up at the #7 spot and not out of the playoffs on a simple tiebreaker with Memphis, strength of schedule. Odd as it seems, It was losses to teams like LA, Denver, New Orleans, Ohio that gave Texas the edge. We also saw drama in the East, though we already knew who the six playoff teams would be. Washington made a statement, locking down the top seed with a win in New Jersey, a win that pushed the Generals from the 4 seed down to the 6. Meanwhile both Pittsburgh and Chicago improved their records and moved up the seedings because of it. And, yes, Michigan lost for the 14th time, unable to contain the Maulers’ attack or muster up one of their own. They now join the 1991 Baltimore Blitz as the only teams to play an entire season without at least one win. But, while that is certainly a story to explore, the focus this week was on the playoff clubs, and on one game in particular that was a highlight of the week, Ohio @ Chicago. OHIO GLORY 37 CHICAGO MACHINE 40 Ohio had a shot at the top seed in the East with a win and a Federals loss, but Chicago wanted more out of this game. The Machine had come close on three prior occasions, nearly upsetting the Glory twice during their 2002 unbeaten season. They opened up the season playing the Glory in Ohio and lost by 10 in another good game, and it seems they just got tired of losing. In the season’s final week they decided enough was enough and found a way to win against their new arch nemesis. If there was an indication that this game would be a rough one, it came on the very first drive, when the opening kickoff was downed at the 3 yard line and 2 plays later Kerry Collins was caught in the endzone by DT Brentson Buckner. Chicago had won all year on defense and that defense would be tested in this game, but it would do enough to help the offense pull out the win. These two points got them off to a good start. After Chicago failed to move the ball following the Ohio kickoff, the Glory got their first true shot at offensive football and they did not disappoint, marching down the field in only 6 plays and getting the first TD of the day, a short fade route to Chad Ochocinco to go up 7-2. But, this would not be a game where the Ohio offense simply ran over their opponent. Chicago would keep pace all game long, and on their next drive the Machine hit the first of several big plays in the game, a 31-yard strike to Curtis Conway to retake the lead. That lead would bounce back and forth like a tennis ball in a long volley, moving back to Ohio after a second Chad Ochocinco score, then expanded with an Eddie George TD run, before Ohio came right back and scored the next 10. At the half it was 21-19 Ohio, but there was no sense that the game had seen the bulk of its scoring. Everyone at Soldier Field could sense that the tennis match would continue all game. Ohio scored the lone touchdown of the 3rd quarter, a 90-yard strike to Galloway that ran completely against the generally slow pace of the quarter as a whole. Back up by 9, Ohio was in no way safe as Chicago mounted a long drive that carried into the 4th quarter and ended with Duce Staley diving in from the 1. Staley would have very limited carries on the day due to nagging hamstring issue, but his backup, Charles Rogers, would more than cover for him, rushing for 104 on 23 carries. Now down only 2, Chicago again saw the Glory expand the lead, a 1-yard dink pass from Collins to Shawn Draper put them back up by 9, but Chicago was not through. With 5:37 left to play, Jeff George hit his back, Rogers, with a perfectly set up screen pass and Rogers did the rest, galloping 21 yards to again pull Chicago within 2 at 35-33. After an Ohio drive ended with a coffin corner punt that pinned Chicago inside the 5 with 3:03 left, the pressure was on. That pressure led to a bad call, Chicago’s RT was called for illegal hands to the face when the replay clearly showed that he had hit the shoulder and not the facemask of the rushing defender. That penalty was in the endzone, giving Ohio 2 points with the second safety of the day. It would be up to the Machine defense to get the ball back. After kicking away, they did just that, stuffing Eddie George on first down, then breaking up passes on both 2nd and 3rd down. They would get the ball back with 2:44 left to play. Jeff George and the Machine had their shot. Down by 4, it would have to be a touchdown. The Machine moved the ball effectively in their no huddle offense, George connecting with both Conway and Donald Driver on the way into Ohio territory. With just 1:12 left to play it looked like Ohio had ended the drive, but a defensive holding call saved what had been an incomplete 4th down pass, giving Chicago new life. They took advantage and 22 seconds later George found Conway for a 2nd TD on the day and the game winner. Chicago had slain the dragon and gotten the collective monkey of the Glory off their backs. The win would not alter much for the playoff rankings, with the Machine staying in the 5th position, but beating Ohio felt like its own form of championship for the Machine. NSH 17 BIR 24 The Knights would ride their defense to a 17-10 lead after three quarters, but that same defense failed them down the stretch as Brett Favre connected first with James Thrash, and then with Marcus Robinson on two consecutive scoring drives to snatch victory away from the visiting Nashvillians. Favre would finish with 3 touchdowns on the day, and Birmingham would lock up the 5th seed. Nashville fell to 6-8 and for the first time in 6 years the Knights would sit out the playoffs. NOR 10 MEM 33 Memphis went into the game with New Orleans with backup Bill Musgrave under center, but with a determination to fight for a playoff spot. New Orleans had their starters intact, but also had a playoff spot well in hand, so the motivation was certainly not at it’s most intense. The difference in urgency showed up quickly as an early Breaker field goal was followed by 27 unanswered Memphis points. The Showboats would rack up 440 yards against the lackluster Breakers, but in the end it was to no avail as they came out on the short end of a tiebreaker with Texas and would sit at home next week. TEX 28 DEN 33 That Memphis is out despite winning is made worse by the fact that Texas gets in despite losing their season finale in Denver. It was a close fight, and Denver trailed 28-26 late, but Mark Brunell stayed calm and found TE Marco Battaglia for a late game score change and a Gold win. That could have been it for the Outlaw’s playoff hopes, but the breaks went their way, with several other clubs failing to meet their goals. Texas would back their way in despite the Week 14 loss, landing as the #6 seed in the West. WSH 25 NJ 21 Not knowing that Ohio would later lose to the Machine, Washington took business into their own hands, limiting Tom Brady to only 189 yards passing and racking up 184 yards rushing against the General defense to take the win and lock up the #1 seed in the East. Deuce McCallister was the star, rushing the ball for 144 yards, though it was Stewart’s 3 TD passes that would seal the deal for Washington. SEA 31 OAK 17 Oakland actually led after 1 quarter thanks to a pick six and a 42-yard Rashaan Salaam run, but the fun did not last as Seattle exploited the Invader defense to win pulling away. Corey Dillon would outgain Salaam 127 to 60 and add 2 TDs as well, while both Corey Bradford and J.J. Stokes would each go over 100 yards as Seattle locked up a playoff spot for only the 2nd time in team history. POR 13 LA 54 The Express left no doubt that they want to be considered in the same breath as Ohio and Washington by just trampling the Portland Thunder in their last game as the Portland Thunder. It was 34-3 at the half, and did not get better for Portland in the second half. DeShaun Foster rushed for 109, Amani Toomer and L.J. Smith both scored twice, and LA made a statement as they locked up the #2 spot and a bye to prep for the Divisional Round in two weeks. HOU 17 ARZ 34 In a heated battle of backups, Kris Kershaw of Houston faced off against Tony Banks of Arizona, with Banks coming out ahead. Santana Moss had a good game with 2 scores and 114 yards, but this was pretty much a snoozer for anyone who does not enjoy seeing teams experiment with their bench depth. PIT 38 MGN 7 The Maulers settled for field goals on 6 different drives or this one could have been even uglier. Michigan went 1 for 12 on third down, 0 for 3 on fourth down and just got nothing from anyone on the roster as they clearly were not motivated to avoid the 0 for 14 season. Unsurprisingly Lovie Smith was relieved of his interim duties on Monday and now the Panthers start to look for a new coach. Pittsburgh has their sights on the playoffs, where they will host a Wild Card game this week. TBY 13 JAX 30 In what would be George Seifert’s final game leading the Bandits, things did not go his way. Turnovers and penalties spoiled a pretty good day for Willis McGahee, and after the game star wideout Randy Moss actually came out and said he is hoping for a change. That change came the next day when Black Monday took out the coach who had won a league title in his first season in Tampa Bay. ORL 24 BOS 21 With nothing on the line, Boston started rookie QB Brian St. Pierre, just to see what they had in him. He played fairly well, but Orlando got more out of their offense in a pretty lackluster game and came away with their 3rd win of the season. Reidel Anthony, getting the start for Keenan McCardell showed some moves, catching 7 balls for 122 yards and a score as Orlando took home a hollow victory. PHI 13 BAL 15 Philly started David Garrard for the second season ender in two years and Ryan Leaf got to audition once again for Baltimore coaches, problem is that those coaches won’t be in Baltimore next year as Lindy Infante was let go the next day. Leaf threw two picks while Philadelphia’s rookie halfback Larry Johnson rushed for 60 yards, a key consideration as Stephen Davis now becomes a free agent. Misery for Memphis, Joy for Texas, and 12 teams now ready to face off in the USFL playoffs. Looking at the seeds and byes, it will be Washington-Ohio as the 1-2 in the East, both resting and planning during their bye weeks. In the West Denver is #1 and LA snags the second spot thanks to the Breakers’ loss. That means New Orleans will host the Texas Outlaws in one Wild Card game next week. The other Western Wild Card game will see Birmingham travel to Seattle in what could be an excellent battle of QB talent between Favre and Leftwich. The Eastern Wild Cards will feature a divisional battle as Chicago travels to Pittsburgh, while the New Jersey Generals, who slid from the 4-slot to the 6 this week, will visit Jacksonville to take on the Bulls. The Bulls won 3 in a row to finish out the season. LEAGUE LEADERS FINALIZED IN WEEK 14 As we see each season, the jockeying on the leaderboard comes to an end on the season’s final week. While there was not much drama in most quarters, there were a few late efforts worth noting. It took him most of the season to overcome Byron Leftwich’s passing totals, but late season injury to Leftwich left the door open and Kerry Collins raced through it, finishing with 4,694 yards passing, over 600 more than the Seattle QB. Collins, a clear MVP favorite, also blew away the competition with 52 touchdown passes, a staggering number for a 14-week season. Leftwich was again second with 36, the only other QB to top 30 this season. The rushing title was Tiki Barber’s for most of the year, but again, late season injury left the door open and Barber would finish in third place, behind Pittsburgh’s Terrell Davis and the 2003 champion, Ahman Green, with 1,368 yards. Interestingly, neither Davis or Green would be the league’s rushing TD champ. That honor went to Denver’s big man, Robert Holcombe, who racked up 12 TDs to lead the league. Joey Galloway, as expected, led the league in both TD receptions (18) and in receiving yards (1,563), despite a late push from Denver’s Peerless Price. Price would share the title of most receptions with Portland’s Muhsin Muhammad, with both garnering 95 catches over the 14-week season, though Muhammad did it with 9 fewer targets than Price. Jim Schwantz of Memphis had a huge final week to leapfrog both Michael Barrow (WSH) and Demetrius DuBose (PIT) and snag the tackle title this season, while the big battle for sacks came down to a tie, with Phil Hansen once again in the mix, this time with Birmingham’s Mike Rucker right there. In a battle that raged all year long between Washington’s Doug Pelfrey and Pittsburgh’s Bill Grammatica, it was the Mauler that came away on top, outlasting Pelfrey to win by 3 points, 147-144. Looking at the league recordbook, we have two new records, both from passers. Kerry Collins’s final QB Rating of 143.6 absolutely shattered his own record of 136.6 from last year, and well above 3rd place, held by Tony Eason from 1991 with 136.3. And finally, Jake Delhomme of Jacksonville also set a record this season with a 73.7 completion percentage, 0.8 points higher than the mark set by Denver’s Mark Brunell in 1998. TOP CANDIDATES FOR AWARDS With the league leaders we see above, it is not all that hard to look at the various league awards and determine some potential winners. Kerry Collins is again the clear favorite for MVP, leading the league with over 4,500 yards passing and 52 touchdowns in only 14 weeks. Fellow Glory star Eddie George could make it back to back OPOTY awards as he racked up over 1,900 combined yards and 12 touchdowns for Ohio. If he gest any competition it may be from Arizona’s Jake Plummer, who again led his club in both passing and rushing, but Arizona did not win all that many games, so he would be a darkhorse in this race. Defensive POTY is a bit tighter, with Mike Rucker and Phil Hansen tied atop the sack board. An outside chance has to go to Pittsburgh’s Patrick Surtain, who not only was among league leaders with 5 picks, but also had 8 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 91 total tackles. Those are very impressive numbers. As for Rookie of the Year, we suspect that while folks in Tampa Bay will pull for McGahee, and maybe a few folks in Jacksonville will mention Anquon Boldin, the clear winner is going to be QB Byron Leftwich of Seattle. Not only did he lead his club to the playoffs, but he threw for over 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns as a rookie. Those are almost Brett Favre numbers right there. Finally, Coach of the Year. This is always a tough choice. Washington’s Paul Hackett seems a good choice, but we should not overlook the work done this year by Denver’s Dick Jauron, or Boston’s John Fox, who took a miserable Atlanta Fire team, dealt with the craziness of a franchise relocation, and had the Cannons in the playoff hunt almost until the end. 7-7 usually does not win the award, and missing the playoffs after Tiki Barber was injured in Week 12 does not help, but Fox did an amazing job with an underwhelming roster. FREE AGENTS TO HIT THE MARKET While the free agency window does not open for a few weeks, the players on non-playoff teams who have not resigned with their teams are now officially out of contract and available to discuss options with other teams. Some may still resign with their current clubs, but a lot will move on. Looking at the 12 non-playoff teams, we see a lot of talent out there to be had. Here is our quick list of the top free agents from the bottom half of the league. Arizona: With most expecting Bennie Blades to retire this year the biggest free agent names out of Arizona are tackle Matt Stinchcomb and CB Fred Smoot. Both could be well paid to find new homes. Baltimore: The Blitz will have a new head coach for the first time in a decade, and that will certainly affect who stays and who goes. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is the biggest question. The clear #1 DE potentially available would be a big loss for Baltimore. TE Kyle Brady is another talented player who could opt for a new location. Boston: Things are looking up for the Cannons after a pretty solid first year. Will that help them retain players like WR Terrance Matthis or G Glenn Roundtree? Houston: The Gamblers don’t have a lot of top tier players headed into the pool. Perhaps the most intriguing is LB Allen Aldridge, who is solid without being a game changer. Memphis: Not only do the Showboats fall out of the playoffs on the last week of the season, but they have a ton of players unsigned. With cap limitations they simply cannot sign them all. DT Norman Hand would be a big loss, but so too would tackle Norberto Davidds-Garrido, CB Jason Simmons, or LB Shawn Barber. Michigan: For players on an 0-14 club, leaving town may feel like a good option, but one the Panthers cannot afford, especially for the likes of FS Mike Prior, the biggest name on their list of unsigned talent. Nashville: The Knights are hoping to resign kicker Ryan Longwood and guard Gennaro DiNapoli,, which may mean having to give up on DT Don Sasa, WR/KR Darnay Scott, and G Todd Peat. Oakland: The most interesting FA prospects from the Invaderse are DT John Thornton and FS Antuan Edwards, but both are not prime big money signings. Oakland is more likely to focus on resigning members of their O-line like Michael Cheever and Ken Blackman. Orlando: With both backup QBs ending their contracts the question in Orlando is if either Mark Bulger or Jason Garrett will be back. Garrett was signed from the NFL on a 1-year deal, but never saw the field. Bulger has had an up and down career as a backup. Orlando is more likely to throw money at TE John Henry Mills or LT Mike Gandy than the QB position. Philadelphia: The big name here is Stephen Davis. Unless the Stars feel great about rookie Larry Johnson, they may need to invest in keeping Davis in town. But they also have SS Je’Rod Cherry, WR Troy Brown, and G Joe Patton to consider. Portland: The Thunder got a deal done with top WR Muhsin Muhammad, so that pressure is gone. But that leaves LB Greg Biekert, T Robert Hicks, and HB Correll Buckhalter as potential departures. Tampa Bay: The Bandits may look to shake things up on the roster as they bring in a new head coach, but the one guy they cannot afford to lose is DE Santana Dotson. If he gets the big money that means others like LB Kevin Mitchell, FS Jerome Woods, CB Samari Rolle, or DT Carlos Anthony may be on the way out. Looking ahead to the Wild Card round, the good news is that we have not seen any injuries we would call potential-altering for our playoff teams. Yes, some guys are potentially not at their best, but we think, at least through the Wild Card Round we are going to see teams with their main players intact. Here is the rundown: Generals @ Bulls: New Jersey is perhaps the most banged-up of the Wild Card teams, with CB Mike Rumph, DT Jason Wiltz, and DE Shaun Ellis out for the game. Safety Brian Hawkins is also questionable. That is 4 starting defenders, which may be a concern for the Generals to be sure. For Jacksonville, DT Renaldo Wynn remains out, and center Dominic Raiola is questionable. Stallions @ Dragons: The biggest missing player is Seattle’s David Boston, but the Dragons have already proven that they have depth at the receiver spot. Brett Favre is listed as probable, but this is Favre, so you know he will start. Machine @ Maulers: Chicago has a few question marks. We knew Marcus Spears was out, but now we see two corners on the injury list, James Trapp is questionable, while R.W. McQuarters is listed as probable as he comes back after a couple of games out. For Pittsburgh we have DT James Shaw out, but it appears that the injury last week to DE Kyle Vanden Bosch was minor, so expect him back. CB Bobby Taylor is listed as questionable but did get some snaps this week, so he is likely to play. Outlaws & Breakers: By far the healthiest two teams in the weekend. Texas had no players on their injury report, a very rare occurrence for a 15th week of the year. New Orleans does have Chidi Ahanotu out and may have to play without fullback Jason Wittman, but neither of these injuries is considered one that will heavily impact the gameplan for the Breakers. Black Monday Hits Four Clubs We kind of saw the writing on the wall, but it did not take long for predictions to turn to reality. On Monday, following the Week 14 slate of games, four different clubs made the announcement of a change at the top. Let’s take a look at each situation and what we are hearing about options. MICHIGAN We knew about Michigan. Lovie Smith was interim and had little chance of following Portland’s Joe Vitt as an interim who would get the permanent job. With Michigan going winless and looking pretty bad while doing it, the writing was on the wall for Smith. So, Lovie was let go, and very likely will catch on either in the USFL or NFL as a defensive coach once again. He is very well respected in that field, but may not be ready to lead a club yet. So, what does Michigan look for? Well, the options are somewhat endless, in that the Panthers are horrible on both offense and defense. They have a talented young QB, which is a good building block, but clearly need help in many areas. Getting a coach with experience building a club might be the best option, perhaps a former expansion team head coach or one who has dealt with similar situations. Could that mean jumping on recently fired Baltimore HC Lindy Infante? TAMPA BAY: George Seifert came in with a bang, winning a title in his first year, but the questions have always been there about whether he simply inherited a championship team from the volatile Jerry Glanville. With the Bandits headed the wrong way, ownership clearly felt that this might have been the case, letting Seifert go after a 4-win season. So what does Tampa Bay do to restore Bandit Ball to what they want it to be? The rumors on Tampa sports radio are that they have already reached out to two prior Bandit head coaches to inquire about interest, both Glanville (who is unlikely to leave the NFL for a job at a club that fired him unceremoniously) and USFL Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier, the first and most successful coach in Bandits history. Spurrier recently left the University of Florida, and is available if the Bandits want him. Could be a perfect fit for a team that needs to regain some swagger. BALTIMORE: After more than a decade waiting for Lindy Infante’s teams to emerge from mediocrity to greatness, the Blitz simply had to realize that it was not happening. Baltimore and Infante came to an agreement to void the final 2 years of his contract and so they are now looking for a new direction. But what direction? They have a potential QB controversy with both Jeff Garcia and Ryan Leaf looking like mid-level options. Do they go for Option 3? They have a lot of defensive talent, so perhaps a coach who can turn talent into results, but they also need to better define their offense. Our guess is that they go for a defensive-minded coach and try to follow rival Washington’s path to playoff football. Dick LeBeau was recently let go as Head Coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, and while there are some questions about his game management skills, his defensive credentials are unassailable. ARIZONA: The only pseudo-surprise of the Black Monday firings was that of Art Shell. Yes, he has taken Arizona to the playoffs three years running, including a deep run in 2001, but his inability to develop either a run game or a defense that can consistently compete means that the club is always a middling franchise. That seems a waste of Jake Plummer’s best years as a starter in the league. So, ownership is looking to do something different. Expect them to look for a young, up and coming, coordinator to take over and add some innovation, enthusiasm, and fire to a Wranglers club that simple needs to be more than just Jake Plummer doing Jake Plummer stuff. First Twelve Slots in 2004 USFL Draft are Set With the end of the regular season we also see the standings and order for the 12 non-playoff teams in the upcoming draft. No shocker, Michigan has the top pick. After that there was a bit of debate leading up to the final week, but an Orlando win on Week 14 helped clear that up, as did the wild finish to the Wild Card positioning. So, as 12 clubs prepare for playoff football, another 12 get ready for the offseason. Here is what we see as the biggest need for each club sitting outside of the postseason. 1. MICHIGAN: The Panthers need a lot of help, but by most accounts, QB is not one of the positions of need. Sitting at #1 in a quarterback heavy draft means they will get a lot of offers. Their best strategy is to moved down with in the Top 10, get a bushel of picks to do so, and then work to improve their biggest areas of need, O-line, halfback, and defensive line. 2. OAKLAND: Orlando’s win means Oakland is guaranteed the #2 spot. They are not going to move out of this position because they need a QB, unless they have a clear favorite and fear someone will move into Michigan’s position to sign him. If not, then expect Oakland to pick either NC State’s Philip Rivers or Miami of Ohio’s Ben Roethlisberger with their top pick. Then the challenge becomes getting that pick to sign up. Having a respected coach like Dennis Green at the helm could make that easier than last year’s Carson Palmer debacle. 3. ORLANDO: The Renegades come in at #3 and you know what we are going to say, Edge Rusher. This year’s collapse seems directly related to Chris Doleman’s retirement and the inability of the Renegades to replace him. Now, if they are able to sign KGB away from Baltimore in free agency, then they have a proven commodity and their draft opens up, but if not, they have to look hard at making a deal with Ohio or LA to get a shot at either OSU’s Will Smith or USC’s Keniechi Udeze. 4. TAMPA BAY: Picks 4-6 came down to some tough tiebreakers, but Tampa Bay ended up as the #4 selection. A lot depends on who they hire as their new coach and how comfortable they are with Trent Green as the starting QB. He missed most of this year, but his 2002 season was not ideal. Assuming they don’t need a QB, they could trade down, but if Michigan or Orlando is willing to do that, it makes Tampa’s pick less appealing. If not, then the priorities need to be the secondary and the linebacking corps. Best available player there is actually in the Territorial Draft, Miami safety Sean Taylor. So maybe a LB in the Open Draft? 5. HOUSTON: The Gamblers cannot be happy with their production at halfback. Both Kevin Faulk and Mike Anderson have their talents, but it is just so obvious how the Gamblers will play based on who is in the backfield that it makes life easier for the defense. So, if they can nab a high quality 3-down back (so rare these days) they can make life tougher for defensive playcallers. How about taking a shot at Ok State’s Tatum Bell? 6. PHILADELPHIA: The Stars lost out on the 3-way tie among 4-win teams, so they get 6th position. They saw enough from Brian Griese to not be in the QB hunt, but with Stephen Davis likely leaving town and Larry Johnson still a bit of an unknown, they too could be thinking halfback. More likely, since Johnson was a high cost signing last year, is that they focus on defense. If players like Va Tech’s DeAngelo Hall or Miami’s Jonathan Vilma are not scooped up in the limited T-Draft choices, either would be a solid addition to a D that needs more muscle. 7. ARIZONA: Do we even need to say halfback? It is the same story every year. But, the Wranglers will have a new coach, and honestly, the bigger issue might be the O-line and their inability to create holes. So, if I am the new guy, sitting at #7, I look first for a big tackle like Iowa’s Robert Gallery or Miami’s Vernon Carey. 8. PORTLAND: The Thunder are headed to the desert, but they are also headed for another non-playoff season if they don’t improve the defense considerably. Look for the Thunder to spend a lot of their draft on D-line and the LB corps. 9. BALTIMORE: Very hard to predict until we see who the new head coach is. It also depends a lot at what happens at QB. They have both Garcia and Leaf under contract, but neither looked like a long term solution. Is Baltimore likely to give up a bunch of picks to move up and take a shot at one of the top prospects or do they stick with either Garcia or Leaf this year and pick a lower ranked prospect like a J.P. Losman or Matt Schaub. 10. NASHVILLE: The Knights have a lot going for them, including the league rushing champion, a decent game manager at QB, a talented wideout in Emmanuel, but the defense that once dominated is now pretty dormant. So, look to the secondary with this pick. There are quality corners in this draft and if several slip through the T-Draft then Nashville is likely to pounce. 11. BOSTON: The Cannons have a lot of good players who stepped up this year. Their QB situation is solid for now with Bledsoe, though he is less and less mobile each year, and they have a top tier HB. What they lack is explosiveness on the outside. But, we may very well see both Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco on the market. Don’t be surprised if Boston deals with WR in free agency and then the sky is the limit with this pick. Defensive End, Guard, Linebacker. All are positions of potential need if WR is off the table. 12. MEMPHIS: A very talented team that underperformed this year and let the playoffs slip away. They have good talent at the skill positions so expect Memphis to look at the line (offensive and defensive) and the secondary, two areas where this draft has some talent. Wild Card weekend is upon us. We have 4 games over 2 days, each with nationwide coverage. Let’s get right to the analysis and see who our in-house swami’s see moving on to the next round. #6 NEW JERSEY GENERALS (9-5) @ #3 JACKSONVILLE BULLS (9-5) Saturday, June 29 @ 4pm ET on ABC AllTel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida Both teams have a lot of upside for the offseason, but both also struggled with consistency, thus the 9-5 records. We like the Generals offense led by Tom Brady and Curtis Enis, but we worry that the injuries on defense will prove to be a problem for them against a Bulls team that likes to control the clock and shorten games. The Bulls are not the most explosive team, but with Terrell Owens and Anquon Boldin out wide, Jake Delhomme has a potentially deadly receiver duo. It is one of the reasons he set a league record for completion percentage this year. OUR PICK: While we like aspects of both teams, we think New Jersey is the deeper squad and the one with a stronger overall team. It will be close, but we see Brady and the Generals pulling it out, 24-21. #5 BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (8-6) @ #4 SEATTLE DRAGONS (8-6) Saturday, June 29 @ 8pm ET on NBC Seattle Stadium, Seattle, Washington This one should be fun. We could see over 100 pass attempts in this game between Favre and Leftwich. The Dragons are inexperienced in key positions, but talented. Birmingham has a lot of veterans who have been here before, which is a big edge for them. They also have a new-found ability to run the ball, which is essential since Seattle is also going to use the run game as a primary weapon. So, which defense can come up with enough big plays to take over this game? ‘ OUR PICK: We are going to go with experience and say that the Stallions make fewer mistakes and find a way to edge the young Dragons squad. 31-30 Birmingham in a shootout. #5 CHICAGO MACHINE (9-5) @ #4 PITTSBURGH MAULERS (9-5) Sunday, June 30 @ 1pm ET on FOX Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA Defense will be the order of the day in this one. Expect a heavy dose of run blitzes as both teams try to make the opposition one-dimensional. If that happens Jeff George certainly can outperform Charlie Batch, but even with the higher ranked defense, Chicago is more likely to have trouble containing Terrell Davis than Pittsburgh will have limiting carries for Duce Staley. OUR PICK: If defense wins titles, then these two teams will be in the thick of things, but only 1 of them can come out on top. We think that this year the better of the two is in Pittsburgh. We are going with the Maulers to win a close, low-scoring game. Maulers 17 Machine 14. #6 TEXAS OUTLAWS (7-7) @ #3 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (9-5) Sunday, June 30 @ 5pm ET on ESPN Super Dome, New Orleans, Louisiana Texas has to feel somewhat lucky to have lost this week and still find themselves in the playoffs. That luck is likely to run out when they face the Breakers in New Orleans. New Orleans has been a bit inconsistent this season, but you know they will throw some new looks at Texas. Expect a lot of Thunder & Lightning with Ricky Williams pounding the ball inside while Troy Davis gets screens and swing passes galore. Az-Zahir Hakeem has been a revelation at receiver this year, and we can see him getting moved inside, outside, in cluster formations. That will be tough for Texas to handle. OUR PICK: We see the Breakers as the clearly superior team, and we pick them to win by 10. 31-21 New Orleans and on to the Divisional Round.

Playoff Picture: The dust has settled and we have our 12 playoff teams. Washington and Denver have earned home field advantage. LA and Ohio are #2's and get a bye week as well. Next week we will have #6 at #3 and #5 at #4. Here are the seeds as they turned out after Week 14's action: EAST: 1-WSH 2-OHI 3-JAX 4-PIT 5-CHI 6-NJ WEST: 1-DEN 2-LA 3-NOR 4-SEA 5-BIR 6-TEX

A huge week for the USFL as teams fight for playoff spots while the league’s 24 ownership groups approve a plan to return USFL football to St. Louis and Atlanta in 2006 and to add two more teams in 2008 to bring the league to 28 franchises. Great news for football fans in the Peach City and Gateway to the West, and potentially good news for fans in many non-USFL cities as their cities could put in bids for a 2008 franchise. But, more on that later. Let’s start by looking at a week that locked up 3 playoff spots but left a lot of confusion out west and a lot of disappointment in Bean Town, as the strong first season of the Cannons came to a crashing conclusion. We start in Birmingham, where the Stallions tried to lock up a playoff spot by beating the 11-1 Washington Federals. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 24 BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 16 It was a big game for Birmingham, and it showed as they scratched and clawed at Washington all game long. The game never got out of 1-score range, and Birmingham showed a few things, but Washington got the points they needed to retain their position as the top team in the East. The Federals defense also kept up their reputation, sacking Brett Favre 4 times and picking him off twice to preserve a win. Birmingham had some success running the ball (84 yards for Shaun Alexander) but they simply could not get the big plays that so often power their offensive production. Meanwhile, Washington was happy to play a conservative, time-killing, dink and dunk offense, with Kordell Stewart giving his backs plenty of touches, and completing 21 of 27 throws on the day. Birmingham started off well, building up a 6-0 lead after one quarter on two Mike Hollis kicks. In the second, Washington turned up the heat a bit with Deuce McCallister’s first of 2 touchdowns to open their scoring and take the lead. Birmingham got their first (and only) TD of the day thanks to the defense, as they retook the lead on an ill-advised pass from Stewart, one of three picks on the day for the Washington QB. This one was returned for a score by Birmingham’s Marcus Wimberly, but that would be the only time that Washington would let the Stallions into the end zone. Washington recovered and with Deuce McCallister’s 2nd touchdown, just before the half, they entered the break with a 14-13 lead on the homestanding Stallions. They added to that lead in the 3rd when Cedrick Tillman scored from 2 yards out on a quick slant. Birmingham was down 8, but could only muster a field goal to pull within 5. When Washington responded with their own kick to bring the lead back up to 8 at 24-16, Birmingham needed to do what they could not all day, score a touchdown. The Stallions had two drives in the 4th quarter, sandwiched around a time-killing possession by Washington. The first ended with a penalty changing a 4th and 1 into a 4th and 11 and forcing a punt. The final drive ended with Brett Favre having to dump down to his TE on 4th and 10, and the defense swarming Walter Reeves well short of the line to gain. And so, Washington remains atop the East. Birmingham is still in playoff position at 7-6, but a loss next week against Nashville could spell disaster for the Stallions. They play at home again, so there is a good chance for the Stallions to pull out the win and get themselves into the post-season, but they will need to learn from this week’s disappointment. PHI 17 MEM 10 A truly bad week for the Memphis Showboats as not only do they lose at home to a Stars team that had nothing but pride on the line, but you also lose your All-USFL starting QB as Heath Shuler goes down in the 2nd quarter. With the loss, Memphis now falls to 6-7 and will need to win next week and get help if they want to get into the playoffs, and it looks like they will have to win with Bill Musgrave under center. Not what the Showboats wanted to get out of this weekend at all. NJ 37 NSH 26 Nashville’s playoff chances take a huge hit as they cannot slow down the New Jersey Generals’ offense. Brady and company racked up 451 yards of offense, including 367 and 3 TDs from Brady to move to 9-4 and lock up a playoff spot. New Jersey had 3 receivers go over 100 yards as Nashville just could not get the job done. Donald Hayes had 122 and 2 scores, TE Anthony Becht had 116 and a score, and Terry Glenn, on only 3 catches, had 112. A bad day for the Knights’ D, and potentially a playoff costing loss. BAL 30 NOR 38 In his first start for the Blitz, Ryan Leaf looked pretty darned good, almost pulling off the upset and throwing for 276 and 4 touchdowns. New Orleans looked very nervous but got a Ricky Williams touchdown and a David Green field goal to pull the game out in the 4th. The Breakers now look to the playoffs, while Baltimore looks at their QB situation and wonders what next Spring will look like. JAX 20 HOU 17 A tight one, but Jacksonville gets the final 3 points of the game and locks up the Southeast division. Their win, plus the Boston loss gives the Bulls the guaranteed #3 seed and a home playoff game. For Houston, a decent game from Matt Hasselbeck (2 TDs, 77.8% completion), but the Faulk/Anderson halfback combo still struggled. BOS 0 TEX 41 So close to a playoff game, a lot of the old Atlanta Fire showed up for the Cannons this week. Basically the wheels fell off the bus as they ran into a motivated Texas club, hoping to avoid their usual late season swoon. The Outlaws dominated every phase, limiting Boston to only 180 total yards in a game that Tiki Barber missed due to injury. CB Jimmy Hitchcock dominated Drew Bledsoe, snagging 3 of Texas’s 4 picks of Bledsoe, but also running back 2 of them for scores. Just a horrible week for Bledsoe and Boston as the loss eliminates them from the franchises first potential playoff appearance. PIT 10 LA 27 The Express wanted to prove they were a championship caliber team by beating a very good Pittsburgh squad at home, and the message was sent loud and clear. Cade McNown threw for 3 touchdowns, while the LA defense sacked Charlie Batch 4 times. It was 10-10 late into the 3rd, but LA scored the last 17 points to get a big confidence boost as the playoffs approach. CHI 21 SEA 12 Home field was not enough as Seattle played without Byron Leftwich and facing that tough Chicago defense. The Machine built an 18-12 halftime lead and shut out Seattle after making halftime adjustments. Seattle is still in Win-and-In position in the West, while the win clinches a playoff spot for the Machine. The Machine got great games from both starting wideouts, with both Conway and recent arrival Donald Driver showing up with 100 yard games. MGN 19 POR 30 The Panthers were game, taking the lead twice in the game, but eventually fell to the Thunder in Portland as Spergon Wynn was sacked 5 times by the Thunder. Akili Smith did it all for Portland, rushing for 95 yards and going 22 of 27 in the air against the Michigan defense. With extra security in place, the Thunder finished their home season as large crowds chanted some unflattering things about owner Phil Ruffin. Believe it or not, a win next week and some help and Portland could be in the playoffs. It’s a bit of a longshot, as the tiebreakers have to fall just right, but there is a chance. OHI 31 OAK 13 Ohio went up 24-6 at the half and by the end of the third backup Koy Detmer was seeing action as the Glory moved to 11-2 on the year. Joey Galloway added 2 more touchdowns and 67 yards to his league leading total. For Oakland, Rashaan Salaam continued to struggle, gaining only 17 yards on 9 carries. Some tough decisions ahead for Coach Green in Oakland as the team seems to need a major talent infusion across the board. ORL 20 DEN 30 The Renegades got a solid game from Sedrick Irvin and hung on in this one longer than Denver had hoped, but in the end the Gold did what they had to do to get the W. Robert Holcombe rushed for 2 scores and 86 yards as Denver played the game-slowing run game all day. Not the prettiest game for either side, but a win that helps Denver move closer to home field advantage. TBY 13 ARZ 36 Things cannot be looking good for Coach Seifert in Tampa as it feels very much like the Bandits have just given up. Ken Dorsey got the start for Tampa, and struggled to get the ball into his receivers’ hands. Arizona, for their part, still relies too much on Jake Plummer, but he comes through with 4 TD passes and 366 yards in the air. At least he did not run as much and put his health at risk in a meaningless game. Breaking Out in 2003 With just two weeks left in the season, we thought that it would be as good a time as any to take a look at the spring and summer we have had and point out the players that made a name for themselves this year. So, we got together the bullpen and started talking about break out players this year. We decided pretty quickly that we should not lump in first year players like Byron Leftwich, Willis McGahee, and Anquon Boldin. They will all certainly be recognized as rookies. Our focus was on veterans who stepped up their game, got the chance they were waiting for and made the most of it. So, here, for your debating pleasure, are our 8 Break Out Players of 2003: Laverneus Coles, KR/PR, Michigan Panthers True, the Panthers have had a horrible season, truly horrible, but the one bright spot has been the decision to add special teams duties to Laverneus Coles’s receiving duties. In his first year as a punt returner, Coles is averaging 7.6 YPR, which is pretty solid. What is more, in his second year as a kick returner his average has gone up 5 yards per return and his total yards up from 492 to 944. Yes, part of that is that everyone scores on Michigan, so he has gotten more return opportunities, but a big part of it is also that he has found his groove as a return specialist, a role he needs to keep next year, regardless of who is coaching the Panthers. Shaun Alexander, HB, Birmingham Stallions This is less about Alexander’s talent than Birmingham’s offensive strategy. Alexander has been the lead back in Birmingham since 2001, but only this year is he getting the snaps, the carries, and the support from the O-line to truly do some damage. He sits at 877 yards on 220 carries with 2 weeks left, so a 1,000 yard season seems very viable. Now all the Stallions need to do is to get Alexander into the passing game as well. He has only 6 receptions this year, which seems criminal. Bubba Franks, TE, New Orleans Breakers Always a solid receiver, Franks just never got the ball sent his way. His best year between 200 and 2002 was 73 targets and 46 catches in 2001. This year he has 92 targets and 62 catches. His yards per catch are up to 11.6 and he has 720 yards receiving, more than 300 yards more than his previous best. He is not in a category with an elite like Adrian Cooper, but Franks is a solid option for Trent Dilfer and the Breaker offense. Anthony Weaver, DE, Chicago Weaver had a solid rookie year in 2002, 24 tackles, 3 for a loss, and 10 sacks. Not bad. But he grew in both talent and know-how this year and it showed in his stats. He is currently tied for 3rd in the league with 16 sacks, has 35 tackles, including 12 for a loss, that is a big number. Weaver is very likely to make his first All-USFL list with numbers like that, and he is a big reason Chicago’s defense is one of the league’s best. Deuce McCallister, HB, Washington Federals With the trade of Reuben Droughns to Portland this offseason, you had a feeling that the Feds would lean heavily on McCallister in his 3rd year. After getting 149 carries as a rookie and 123 last year in combo with Droughns, McCallister has blown those numbers away with 251 attempts this year and is well on his way to a 1,000 yard season, his first, with 978 yards and two games left to play. McCallister is the engine for the Washington offense, and the threat of his runs makes life that much easier for Kordell Stewart. Roosevelt Colvin, LB, Oakland Invaders After an injury cost him 8 games last year, Colvin returned to Oakland and immediately became their best linebacker. This year he broke the 100 tackle mark for the first time in his career, added 13 tackles for loss, and two picks. The Oakland defense is a bit of a shambles, but they have a building block to start with in Colvin. Az-Zahir Hakim, WR, New Orleans Breakers After years as the slot receiver, the departure of Raynard Brown gave Hakim a chance to move up the depth chart and find himself on the field a lot more in 2003. The result? His targets increased from the mid 30’s to 120 this year. His catches from 23 in 2000 (fewer in 2001 and 2002 due to injury) to 85 this year, and Hakeem has already racked up 1,214 yards and 8 TD’s blowing away his past totals. It seems New Orleans has found themselves a top flight receiver and he was right there the whole time. Paired with Bubba Franks, it is easy to see why New Orleans has had the strong season they have. Ed Reed, FS, Washington Federals We all saw Ed Reed’s talent last year as a rookie. He started 14 games, had 2 sacks and 3 picks. But what we have seen this year is a maturity well beyond most sophomore players. His numbers are up across the board (tackles, sacks, picks, passes defended, etc.), but what is more amazing is that he became a leader on a defense that already had great character and great talent. As much as Deuce McCallister stepped up for the offense, Ed Reed stepped up for the league’s best defense. He will be a force in this league for quite a while if he plays like he did this year. Boston’s poor showing this week in Texas means that the Eastern Conference has their 6 playoff teams. Due to tiebreakers even a Boston win next week to reach 8-6 and losses by either of the 8-5 teams is not enough for the Cannons to make their first playoff run. Stil, a very good year by Fire/Cannons standards. So the 6 teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs will be divisional winners Washington, Ohio and Jacksonville and Wild Cards New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. There is still some positioning to be decided, as Washington clinches the top seed with a win in Week 14, while a loss would open the door for Ohio to snag the seed, having been the only team to beat the Feds so far this year. Jacksonville is locked into the #3 seed, and will host the lowest seeded Wild Card. How the 3 Wild Card teams will rank will come down to next week’s action. The #4 seed is New Jersey’s to lose, and would come with a home game. In the West it is much shakier. We still only have 3 teams confirmed: Denver, LA, and New Orleans. All three are locked in as Division Winners. Denver locks up the top seed with a win in Week 14. A loss would open up the door for New Orleans to take the seed. LA cannot win it as they lost to Denver earlier this year. We also have 3 Wild Card spots, but 6 teams in the running. The three at 7-6 control their own destiny. Wins by Birmingham, Seattle, or Texas and they punch their tickets. If one or more of these three lose, then the door could be open for Nashville, Memphis, or Portland to steal a spot. The tiebreakers are very complex, both within divisional standings and between divisions, so for now let’s just say that the three 7-6 teams are in Win & In situations. Some significant bad news as we head towards the playoffs. Several starters are likely out in key Week 14 games, including New Jersey CB Mike Rumph, who is out for the year after tearing his MCL. He hopes to be back in time for training camp, but doctors say at least 16 week (4 months) will be needed, so the timeline is tight. Seattle is hoping David Boston can return if they make a playoff run, but he is still listed as doubtful, as is center Dominic Raiola for the Bulls, and, most importantly, QB Heath Shuler for the Showboats. Shuler suffered a concussion in this week’s game, and he is still being evaluated. If he cannot go, that significantly hurts Memphis’s chances of making the postseason as they need a win and some help this week to squeak in. Better news in Pittsburgh where a scary injury to DE Kyle Vanden Bosch has been determined to only be a sprain. He is now listed as probable for the big game this week. Finally, Byron Leftwich has been cleared to play this week, so Seattle will have their chance to lock up a Wild Card with their star rookie on the field. LEAGUE OWNERS APROVE TWO STAGE EXPANSION PLAN As expected, the Owners’ Meeting this week produced an immediate result, approval by a 21-2-1 vote to approve the proposal for a two-stage expansion in 2006 and 2008. Only Jacksonville and Las Vegas opposed and Los Angeles abstaining (Due to the owner rep being called away on a family emergency, knowing the vote was already in favor of expansion). Jacksonville objected to Atlanta being given special attention, largely due to their ability to draw fans from Georgia if there is no Atlanta franchise. Las Vegas voted against, largely as a gesture towards Portland, because no carve-out was made to ensure that Portland would recover a franchise with the departure of the Thunder to Las Vegas. The plan means that the USFL will now work to ensure that viable ownership groups are identified for both St. Louis and Atlanta. We already know of an Atlanta group, headed by Cox Cable founder Jim Kennedy and featuring USFL Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, that looks very promising and which has already publicly committed to bringing the Atlanta Fire back to life, hopefully a more productive and winning life. For St. Louis the search is now on. We know the city is prepared to provide a USFL club a much more advantageous stadium deal than the Knights ever received. It seems losing the Knights to Nashville opened a lot of eyes in St. Louis and a lot of money was lost, so the city and the stadium authority seem very keen to help the USFL fill the hole left behind. Failing to attract the Memphis Showboats, St. Louis now falls on plan B, a new ownership group and a new team. On a side note, as a friendly amendment opposed by none of the owners, the Nashville Knights received confirmation that any new St. Louis team would develop a new identity and that the Knights’ identity is indeed the sole property of the Nashville ownership group. So, with this vote the USFL commits to growth first to 26 teams in 2006 and then to 28 in 2008 (there is a symmetry in those numbers, isn’t there. The expectation is that the new Atlanta franchise will move into the Southeast Division, with Boston transplanted in 2006 to the Northeast, a more logical location for the team. St. Louis could join either the Southern Division with other Mississippi River cities like Memphis and New Orleans, but owners in Chicago and Michigan would like to see the new team added to the Central Division to boost regional Midwestern rivalries. The question of divisional alignment will be settled in the next Owners’ meeting, with the expectation that St. Louis will be the 13th team in the Western Conference, whether that is as part of the Southern Division or, as some owners prefer, as part of the Central, with the Central moving west and sending the Southern Division to the Eastern Conference. More on this later to be sure. New Look In New Orleans The Breakers, still in the process of setting up a sale of the controlling interest in the team, worked with Reebok to develop a new look for a new period of team history. The look, which the Breakers can wear as soon as two weeks from now in the playoffs if they wish, features a brand new logo, new helmet design, and new uniforms. Fans of the current stylized wave design may be taken aback by the update. The new logo features a large cresting wave, complete with white foam, a far more “realistic” wave than the competing teal, ocean blue, and grey wave shapes that comprise the current look. The new wave will crest further back on the helmet, and we will see teal and grey as highlight colors for the darker “ocean” color wave. With the new logo we also have a new font for the team name as well as a new secondary logo. The secondary logo makes use of the common New Orleans abbreviation “NOLA” (New Orleans, Louisiana), with a 4-letter monogram in which the O is represented by the team logo of the cresting wave and seagull. This secondary logo will appear on the new uniform as the chest wordmark for the club. The uniform features the same familiar combination of a teal jersey and either silver or white pants with a 3-color pant stripe undulating like swells on the water’s surface. The jersey no longer features offset color sleeves, returning to the original 3-stripe patter used in early USFL seasons. A thick ocean (ocean is what the Breakers call their deep, almost navy teal color) with two thinner stripes above it. The numbers remain double-piped with silver and navy on both the white and teal jerseys. The seagull motif is continued with a lone gull above the sleeve stripes on both jerseys. The helmet is the biggest adjustment, and while some fans may prefer the old look, it is a bit dated, so this new wave retains the basic premise of a wrap-around logo with a surging wave, but is rendered in a more realistic and dynamic style. Here is a look at the full design sheet for those of you who are uniform nerds like us. Week 14 and a lot to play for. Let’s run down the games starting with those that are play-in games, then positioning games, and finally, games with little to no playoff implications. Nashville (6-7) @ Birmingham (7-6): The only game that could be a true pre-playoff playoff game. Nashville must win to have any shot at a Wild Card, but a loss by Birmingham could cost them a Wild Card. So, for both clubs a win is essential. New Orleans (9-4) @ Memphis (6-7): The Showboats need a win and some help to get in, but New Orleans could still claim the #1 seed with a win, so they will not be resting any players. This one could be an intense game. Texas (7-6) @ Denver (10-3): Texas wants to win to lock up a Wild Card. Denver wants to win to ensure they have the top seed and home field throughout the Western Conference playoffs. So, we have a formula for a tough game. Hard to win in Denver, but the Outlaws cannot afford to lose, not with 3 other teams at 6-7 hoping to jump into their spot. Seattle (7-6) @ Oakland (2-11): The Dragons appear to have easiest path to a Wild Card with the 2-win Invaders on the schedule. A win in Oakland and Seattle claims the #4 seed and a home playoff game. Portland (6-7) @ Los Angeles (9-4): Just like last season, Portland could find themselves in the playoffs if they can win on the season’s final day. They need quite a bit of help as they are not well set up in tiebreakers. LA may choose to rest some starters as they do not have a chance at home field advantage thanks to an earlier loss to Denver, but will they? Washington (12-1) @ New Jersey (9-4): Washington needs a win to lock up the #1 seed and home field advantage, but New Jersey risks losing a home playoff game if they lose, so this is likely to be a hard fought game for both clubs. Ohio (11-2) @ Chicago (8-5): Both teams are in, but if Ohio wants that top seed, they need the win. Chicago has a long shot chance at a home playoff game with a win, but they need all the pieces to fall into place for that. Pittsburgh (8-5) @ Michigan (0-13): It is Michigan’s last chance to get a win this season in what has been a truly disastrous campaign, but, with a shot at a home Wild Card game, don’t expect Pittsburgh to rest any starters or go easy on the Panthers. Tampa Bay (4-9) @ Jacksonville (8-5): The Bulls are locked into the #3 slot, so expect them to protect some key players by resting them. Tampa Bay may also play some younger players or rest some starters in a game that has no impact on their season. Houston (4-9) @ Arizona (5-8): Nothing on the line here. Expect some younger players to see action just so coaches can see what they have. Philadelphia (4-9) @ Baltimore (5-8): Another game between teams that are already thinking about the draft. The biggest question here is whether or not Lindy Infante will survive Black Monday. After 11 seasons at the helm, we think it is very likely that this will be his last game with the Blitz. Orlando (2-11) @ Boston (7-6): Could have been a big game for Boston, but the loss last week knocked them out. Expect Drew Bledsoe to rest, while Tiki Barber is definitely out with his recent injury.

Playoff Picture: All six Eastern Conference playoff spots are filled, with Jacksonville winning the Southeast due to tiebreakers with Boston. Washington and Ohio both can still win the top seed, with the Federals controlling their own destiny. New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Chicago have locked up the three Wild Card positions, and Boston is eliminated from playoff contention due to a worse conference record than the Machine or Maulers. In the West, the same three teams (Denver, LA, New Orleans) have locked in berths, with 6 teams all within one game of .500 and fighting for 3 positions. Birmingham, Seattle, and Texas all control their destiny, win and they are in. Nashville, Memphis, and Portland are alive, but need help to qualify as losses by any of the three 7-6 teams could provide an opening but tiebreakers will be messy depending on who falls to 7-7 and who rises to 7-7 to compete for the Wild Card.

Late season football is about as much fun as it gets. It’s almost like a second set of playoffs with teams needing to play their best to get into the postseason. You have teams vying for a division title, or just trying to get into the Top 7 in each conference so that they can join the playoff dance. Sure, there are some teams now playing out the string, but so many games mean a lot for the teams involved, and you just get great football. And, of course, in the USFL this does not happen with a backdrop of late season snow, ice and cold. It happens in June, when the weather is at its best and you can enjoy a game, a brew, and a tailgate unconcerned about staying warm or covering up. Sun’s out, people. Time for great USFL action, and we certainly had that this week. Let’s get to it with a great game from the Pacific NW as the Express battled the Dragons at Seattle Stadium. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 24 SEATTLE DRAGONS 33 A Clash between the division leader and the hottest team in the West as LA came to Seattle for a late season divisional game. The story of the game came early when Byron Leftwich was sidelined by blow to the head. He would leave the game on Seattle’s second series and the game would be in the hands of Craig Erickson for the rest of the way. So, how did Erickson respond? He went 13 for 19 for 214 yards, 2 TDs and no picks. That was good enough for the Dragon offense to get the W, with a lot of help form the running game. Cade McNown started for LA and had some struggles as Seattle registered 6 sacks in the game and limited McNown to only 11 of 23 passes completed. McNown did hit Tory Holt with a TD toss, and one to rookie TE L. J. Smith, but he missed on a couple of key third downs as LA converted only 2 of 11 chances in the game. The score was 10-8 Seattle at the half, with an Erickson to Stokes toss the only touchdown of the half. Starting the second half, Seattle paid LA back for an early safety (sack of Leftwich early in the 1st) by getting to McNown in the endzone for the rare 2-safety game. They then added a Corey Dillon TD to go up 11. LA trimmed the lead by scoring on the Holt TD reception, but they failed on the 2-pointer, so they trailed 19-14 after three periods. In the 4th the two teams traded scores but LA was never able to acquire the lead. A field goal from Steve Christie made the score 17-19, but Seattle would score on the next drive, a 37-yard Ken Dilger TD as Erickson had his best drive of the game, going 3 for 4. LA responded quickly, with McNown connecting with L.J. Smith on a TD that again brought them within 2 points with just over 5 minutes to play. But, on their next drive, Seattle would catch a huge break as LA had only 10 men on the field on a 2nd and 2 play. When Brian Mitchell took the pitch, the Seattle blockers found one less LA defender than expected, and helped to pave the way for a 43-yard Mitchell scamper to paydirt. Up 9 with 2:16 left in the game, the Dragons eschewed the prevent defense and continued to pressure McNown. The strategy worked as LA failed to connect on a 3rd and 7 play and then came up 1 yard short on 4th down, giving Seattle the game. The win does not alter the standings, though Seattle now sits only 1 game behind LA in the Pacific. If LA wins out, they are the Pacific Champions, but if they stumble again, especially in a divisional game, Seattle could jump up and snatch it by winning the divisional record tie-breaker. Two weeks left and both clubs have to play their best ball down the stretch. LA plays both games at home, but they have a tough matchup next week against Pittsburgh before facing the Portland Thunder. Seattle’s road is also difficult, with a home game against Chicago next week before a pretty good final game matchup for them, visiting Oakland. CHI 17 PIT 31 The battle for a top Wild Card spot was on full display in this one, as Pittsburgh built up a 21-10 halftime lead thanks to two Charlie Batch TD tosses and a strong defensive performance. In the second half it was more of the same, with Batch Hitting Alge Crumpler early in the half to go up by 18, and then it came down to limiting Chicago possessions, which mean more carries for Terrell Davis. The win has the Maulers currently in the #4 slot, which would mean a home playoff game. BIR 31 NOR 28 A huge win for the Stallions as they edge closer to the playoffs at 7-5. Brett Favre threw for 332 and 4 TDs without a pick as he helped the Stallions build up a 31-14 lead after 3 quarters. Birmingham got a bit sloppy in the final period, but held on to win. They now sit in the 6th position, tied with Seattle (5th) and a game up on the three 6-6 clubs chasing them. For New Orleans, who is already guaranteed a playoff spot, the division is still theirs if they can finish with 2 wins. MEM 21 NSH 39 Memphis continues to slide as Nashville gets back in the mix at 6-6. Ahman Green rushed for 97 yards and a score and CB Steve Israel returned a pick-six 52 yards to help Nashville blow past the Showboats. Memphis simply could not run the ball, with Dorsey Levins gaining only 17 yards on the day. Nashville currently holds the 7th playoff spot out west, as they win tiebreakers with Texas and Memphis. DEN 17 HOU 20 Denver clinched the division last week and got a bit sloppy this week, helping Houston snap an 8-game losing streak by committing 8 penalties for 80 yards and failing to stop the Gamblers’ final drive, which resulted in a game-winning field goal in front of a sparse crowd at NRG Stadium. ARZ 30 TEX 41 Over 520 yards of offense for Arizona was still not enough as Texas countered the Wranglers at every turn. T.J. Duckett and Brian Westbrook combined for 151 yards rushing and 2 scores and Jeff Lewis threw for 250 and 3 TDs without a pick. Texas now sits at 6-6, but needs to leapfrog Nashville to get into Wild Card position. BOS 24 TBY 11 Boston remains tied with Jacksonville at 7-5 after knocking off the Bandits in Tampa Bay despite Tiki Barber rushing for only 47 yards. Solid defense and a late Mike Cloud TD run helps the Cannons stay on pace, but they need help in the form of a Jacksonville loss to avoid being the 8th man out. Losing both matchups with the Bulls means they need a 1 game advantage to win the division, likely their best path to the playoffs. JAX 30 ORL 27 The Renegades did not quit on this season, we can say that. They gave Jacksonville a serious scare in the Citrus Bowl this week as Joey Harrington threw for 323 yards and 2 Renegade TDs. Unfortunately he also threw 3 picks, including one in the 4th quarter that set up a Terrell Owens 9-yard TD catch. Owens finished the game with 135 yards and 2 TDs while ROTY candidate Anquon Boldin racked up 121 on 8 catches for the Bulls. NJ 17 PHI 13 It was a tough one for the Generals, but they got the W they needed to stay well inside the Wild Card grouping at 8-4. Philly’s Stephen Davis boosted his possible free agent stock with 127 yards and a TD and wideout Steve Smith caught 7 balls for 103 yards, but in the end, New Jersey outlasted the Stars and a 3rd quarter Curtis Enis TD run was enough to put the Generals on top. BAL 24 WSH 30 Baltimore came to play, but the Federals escape with a win thanks to a diversified offense. Deion Branch returned to action for Washington off of injury and caught 4 balls or 87 yards and a score. Deuce McCallister rushed 21 times for 116 and another TD, and the Feds officially eliminated Baltimore from contention while also holding onto the top seed in the East. With Ohio only 1 game behind them, the Feds must win out to ensure home field advantage. MGN 6 OHI 45 The Panthers surprised us by giving Drew Brees the start after announcing that we would likely see Spergon Wynn at QB. It really did not matter as Ohio took a 21-0 halftime lead and never looked back. Eddie George was huge once again, rushing for 65 yards and a score and then catching 3 balls for 110, including a 67-yard catch and run. Ohio will be the #1 seed if they win out and the Federals lose, having already locked up the Central Division. OAK 14 POR 27 The Thunder get a win as Akili Smith accounts for all 3 Portland touchdowns. It was a small but vocal crowd in Portland as fans booed their own team (for now) at several moments in the game. Despite the animosity towards Portland’s ownership, the fans still cheered for Smith when he found the endzone. Jon Kitna started for Oakland, but suffered a concussion in the first half, which meant that Tuiasosopo once again went under center. Kitna is expected to be back next week. HOT SEATS As the season enters its final weeks, we take a look at the 5 coaches who are feeling the most pressure. Obviously Mike Martz is no longer on this list, having been relieved of duties, and while there may be some pressure on Lovie Smith, the Interim Head Coach for the Panthers, we are not going to add him to the list as he took the job knowing full well that it was not likely to lead to a permanent hire this year. So, with three games left, who do we think is feeling the heat? George O’Leary, ORL: It seems strange to list a coach who won a title as recently as 2002, but a 2-win season so far is going to beg some questions. We think O’Leary will weather the storm and get a shot to turn things around. Prior to this year the Renegades ad a 6 year run of playoff appearances, including the 2001 title, so one bad year, especially with a young QB and major offseason shakeups on defense, is not likely to spell trouble for one of the league’s most respected coaches. Dennis Green, OAK: Another situation where we think the coach is pretty secure. Yes, 2 wins for Oakland is not the year that the owners expected when they hired Green away from the NFL, but all involved knew that Oakland was a reclamation project. The team is still in search of their QB of the future, and Green is almost certainly going to get at least one more offseason to build the roster and show results in Year 2. Jim Mora Jr., PHI: The son of legendary Stars HC Jim Mora Sr. started like gangbusters, going 13-3 and making it to the Summer Bowl in his first year, but 3 years later things are looking dire. From 13-3 to 9-7, then 3-11 last season, and now he sits at 3 wins again. That is not a good trajectory. Will name recognition and pedigree give him a 5th season or will the Stars head in a new direction? That question is very much on the table right now. Lindy Infante, BAL: Coach Infante has been the leader of the Blitz since 1992 (How time flies!!), but his run may be coming to a close. In 12 seasons the Blitz ownership have been very patient, and they have gotten some playoff runs from the Blitz in that time (5 of 11 seasons to date), but the Blitz have never advanced past the Divisional Round, and the last 3 seasons have seen the team decline each year. We know that folks in Baltimore are fans of Coach Infante as a man, but as a coach, his record simply does not warrant a 13th season in Baltimore. The Blitz need a new direction. George Seifert, TBY: Another coach who simply has not lived up to his first season. Like Mora in Philly, Seifert came in hot, winning 13 games and a league championship his first season. But since then the Bandits have dropped out of playoff contention each year. This year’s record has to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Yes, the Bandits played nearly the entire year with a backup QB, but 4 wins is not enough to merit a 7th season for Seifert. Thanks for the title in 1998, but this is 2004 we are talking about and clearly the Bandits need a new start. We think these five are the most likely to lose their jobs this year (and in some cases we think that the decision is overdue), but that does not mean that others are not at risk. Joe Vitt looks like he has the Thunder again headed for a middle-of-the-pack finish. That was astounding last year, when he took over a winless team, but this year, that was not the goal. Houston’s Wade Phillips will likely get a grace period after a division title last year, but the collapse of the Gamblers this year is troubling. Fans in Arizona are also getting a bit tired of the Wranglers doing just enough to show potential and and optimism for the following season, only to go through another year of ups and downs that eventually leads nowhere. We think Art Shell keeps the position one more time, just because Arizona ownership has no interest in buying out the rest of his contract (which expires after 2004), but if Shell wants a new deal, the 2004 Wranglers had better impress from week one all the way through the year. PLAYOFF DROUGHTS With three games left to play, we have several USFL teams locked into a playoff berth, many more fighting for their shot at the postseason and a few who are already setting up tee times for July rounds of golf. Looking at the roster of teams competing for playoff spots this year made us wonder which club has the longest drought. Which fans have suffered the longest without a taste of playoff action? We know that Boston (formerly Atlanta) has never qualified for the playoffs, but looking around the league we wanted to see just where teams stood. So, here is our quick rundown of each team’s most recent playoff appearance, as well as the most recent title (for those that have won it.) ARIZONA: Wild Card in 2002, No championships. BALTIMORE: Wild Card in 2000, No Championships. BIRMINGHAM: Division Champion in 1999. Title in 1993. BOSTON: No playoff appearances since joining as Atlanta Fire in 1995. CHICAGO: Wild Card in 2002. No Championships. DENVER: Conference Champion in 2001. Title in 2000. HOUSTON: Division Champion in 2002. Title in 1996. JACKSONVILLE: Wild Card in 2002. No Championships. LOS ANGELES: Division Champion in 2001. No Championships. MEMPHIS: Conference Champion in 2002. Title in 1999. MICHIGAN: Wild Card in 1999. Title in 1986. NASHVILLE: Wild Card in 2002. No Championships. NEW JERSEY: Division Champion in 2002. Title in 1989. NEW ORLEANS: Wild Card in 2002. No Championships. OAKLAND: Wild Card in 1998. Title in 1991. OHIO: League Champions in 2002. Title in 2002. ORLANDO: Wild Card in 2002. Title in 2001. PHILADELPHIA: Division Champions in 2001. Title in 1994. PITTSBURGH: Wild Card in 1999. Title in 1995. PORTLAND: Wild Card in 2002. No Championships. SEATTLE: Wild Card in 2000. No Titles. TAMPA BAY: League Champions in 1998. Title in 1998. TEXAS: Wild Card in 1999. No Championships. WASHINGTON: Wild Card in 2002. Title in 1997. So, the verdict is in. If you are looking at playoff droughts the longest is Atlanta/Boston, who have never been, but next on the list is a tie between Tampa Bay and Oakland, both of whom last played postseason football in 1998. As for title droughts, the winners are New Orleans, Nashville, Baltimore, and Arizona, all of whom were founding 1983 franchises (Knights as LA Express, Baltimore in Chicago, and New Orleans in Boston) that have yet to win a title. All four have come close, making Summer Bowl appearances, but none has been able to take home the title in 21 seasons of USFL football. With only 2 weeks left in the season, things are tightening up across both conferences. We still have only 5 teams with clinched playoff spots (Washington, Ohio, Denver, New Orleans and LA). Jacksonville controls their own destiny and can win the Southeastern Division with 2 wins or a Boston loss. Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Chicago can also lock up a Wild Card with 2 wins each, but if any of the three falter, it might allow Boston to sneak in at their expense. In the West right now the Wild Cards are Seattle, Birmingham and Nashville. The Knights are tied with Memphis and Texas at 6-6, but two wins will ensure them a playoff spot regardless of what the others do. The same is essentially true for the Stallions and Dragons. Texas and Memphis need some help, but also need to go 2-0 to have a realistic shot. That could be tough for the Outlaws, who host Boston this week and finish with the Denver Gold. Memphis hosts Philly this week before ending their season with a huge home game against New Orleans. With 2 weeks left to play, 8 of the 24 USFL teams are mathematically eliminated, including the 0-12 Michigan Panthers , who finish up at Portland and then home to Pittsburgh. They need a win in one of those two games if they want to avoid becoming only the 2nd USFL club in history to go winless in a season. Fans in Seattle want to know Byron Leftwich’s status for this week, but a listing as “Questionable” simply does not offer much help. Erickson could get the start if Leftwich does not show sufficient post-concussion improvement by Friday. In Boston the concern is for Tiki Barber, who is almost certainly out this week, though listed as “doubtful’ with a shoulder injury. Mike Cloud is also banged up for the Cannons, but is expected to play. The Express are looking short handed at LB as both John Holocek and Mo Lewis ended up on the Injury List this week. Lewis is “probable” but might be rested since LA has already clinched a playoff spot. Holocek has a groin issue and is doubtful. Pittsburgh Is looking at CB Bobby Taylor who dislocated his thumb this week. He could be out, but is listed as questionable. Dre Bly, their other starter at CB is also on the injury list with some tendinitis in his knee but is expected to play. Finally, Memphis is still trying to find the right combo at WR since Justin McCaerins went out with a broken arm. He will miss the rest of the season, so the Showboats need Kelley Washington and Tydus Wynans to step up for their starting flanker. HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2003 NAMED The USFL this week took a pause before next week’s owners’ meetings (and the big discussion on expansion) to celebrate the heroes of yesteryear, announcing the Pro Football USFL Hall of Fame Class of 2003. Five new member, including two first-time nominees and three linemen will enter the hall this year. It seems that after a long drought before a lineman could enter the hall, the doors are now open and three more will join last year’s trendsetter, Howard Ballard. Third year nominee, the Generals’ long time center Mike Baab got the nod, as did former Portland LT Bruce Armstrong in his second year of eligibility, and Express/Knights guard Gary Zimmerman, also in his second year of eligibility. The three linemen will be joined by Oakland’s all-time receiving leader Henry Ellard, and “the Mouth of the South”, Birmingham Stallion TE Shannon Sharpe, both first ballot HOF entrants. With the release of the Class of 2003 Hall of Famers, there is always some disappointment as others did not make the cut, and some are now out of their entry window and can only be nominated when a special committee on early-year players begins to look for overlooked contributors, something that won’t happen until 2010. Among those who did not receive the honor this year are first year nominees Jack Trudeau, Garland Rivers, Vaughan Johnson, and Frank Winters. Among those no longer eligible for a standard nomination we have some pretty high quality names: Michigan tackle Arnoldo Gardner, LA receiver Eric Martin, LB Ben Apuna, cornerback Keith Bostic, and halfback Marcus DuPree. With the announcement of the Class of 2003, we thought it might be a good time to review the current roster of USFL Hall of Famers nine years into its presence within the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A lot of great players already in, and this will only continue to grow over the upcoming years. Here, by position, are the current USFL Hall of Famers, including their year of induction, with a reminder that players are eligible 5 years after they retire from the league: QUARTERBACK: John Reaves ’95, Chuck Fusina ’96 RUNNING BACK: Joe Cribbs ’97, Craig James ’97, John Williams ’99, Herschel Walker ’00, Kelvin Bryant ’01, Mike Rozier ’02, Thurman Thomas ’02 RECEIVERS: Anthony Carter ’95, Mel Gray ‘96, Jackie Flowers ’97, Trumaine Johnson ’99, John Jefferson ’99, Eric Truvillion ’00, Joey Walters ’01, Jo-Jo Townsell ’01, Henry Ellard ’03, Shannon Sharpe ‘03 OFFENSIVE LINE: Howard Ballard ’02, Bruce Armstrong ’03, Mike Baab ’03, Gary Zimmerman ‘03 DEFENSIVE LINE: Junior Ah-You ’95, Jumpy Geathers ’97, Ronnie Paggett ’98, Dexter Manley ’02 LINEBACKER: Marcus Marek ’95, John Corker ’96, Brandon Zavala ’98, Sam Norris ’00, Kiki DeAyala ’01, Brian Bosworth ‘02 SECONDARY: Raphel Cherry ’96, William Cesare ’97, Donald Dykes ’98, Frederick Wilder ’99 SPECIAL TEAMS: Tim Mazzetti ‘99 COACHES: Jim Stanley ’98, Steve Spurrier ’99, Dick Vermeil ’00, Sam Rutigliano ‘00 OWNERS: John Bassett ‘95 Week 13 of 14 is the final non-divisional week as all 24 clubs face inter-conference foes. Among the key matchups for playoff positioning, we find New Jersey headed to Nashville, Birmingham hosting Washington, Boston in Texas, Chicago at Seattle, and Pittsburgh in LA to face the Express. Other games involving playoff hopefuls include Jacksonville at Houston, Orlando visiting Denver, Baltimore at New Orleans, and Memphis hosting the Philadelphia Stars. Finally, we also have Ohio in Oakland and Michigan hoping to get their first win of the year up in Portland, where fans are not likely to give the Thunder a Bon Voyage party as they play their last game at Civic Stadium before relocating to Las Vegas.

Playoff Picture: With two weeks left, here is what we know. Washington has won the Northeast, Denver the Southwest, New Orleans and Los Angeles have clinched playoff berths. Michigan, Orlando, Oakland, Philadelphia, Houston, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore are eliminated from the playoff picture. New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Seattle, and Birmingham control their own destiny and would qualify with 2 wins. All others need some help.

It was a week that saw the only team with an undefeated season knock off this season's only undefeated team, a battle of two teams with one combined win, the birth of a potential new rivalry, and some of the best longstanding rivalries in the league, including the California Derby, the Cascadia Clash, the Battle of Texas, and the Memphis-Birmingham Border War. So, to say it was a big week would be a bit of an understatement. Add to this the big referendum in Memphis that all but determines the future of the Showboats and you have a lot to talk about. Let's get right to it. OHIO GLORY 17 WASHINGTON FEDERALS 10 It was billed as the “Game of the Season”, some calling it the game of the decade, and while it did not have the fireworks we expected, what we got from the showdown of the defending champion and the unbeaten Federals was a display of intense USFL football. Ohio found just enough holes in Washington’s formidable defense to end the Federals’ dream of an undefeated season, preserving their own legacy as the league’s only unbeaten team in its 21 seasons of play. And while there was no champagne popping as we see from the NFL Dolphins whenever the last unbeaten team falls each fall, there certainly was a lot of celebrating as Ohio is well on track to a potential defense of their title, and another record, since no team has ever repeated as champion in 20 USFL seasons. Ohio pulled off the road win in RFK using a strategy that simply did not seem likely, but which proved effective. They allowed Washington to set a slow tempo, and they ran the ball. We expected the Glory to go to the air early and often, and, of course, that is what the Federals’ defense prepared for, but what we got was 22 carries for Eddie George, and the former Buckeye came through with 137 yards, a 6.2 YPC average, the highest the Feds have given up all year. Now, this is not to say that Kerry Collins stayed quiet all game. He did throw for both Ohio touchdowns, but he attempted only 25 passes, far below his season average. Joey Galloway reeled in 4 of those, including the first score of the game to lead Ohio. The first score came on Ohio’s first drive, a 6 minute, 10 play drive that showcased George and a new contributor, FB Mike Templeton (who caught 2 balls on the drive). The drive ended when Collins found Galloway over the middle, a spot the receiver rarely occupies, and one that seemed to surprise Washington. Galloway bounced off his tackler and into the endzone to send Ohio to an early lead. Washington would struggle on offense in the first quarter, trying to get the run game going. Ohio was ready for the strategy and loaded the box. Deuce McCallister would end the day with only 36 yards rushing, a 2.0 YPC average as Ohio dared Kordell Stewart to beat them in the air all game. By the second quarter the frustration was mounting as Washington had punted on their first 3 possessions. When Ohio doubled their advantage with a 2nd successful drive, this time capped off by a Stephen Alexander TD, the frustration was palpable on the Washington sideline. The anxiety among RFK’s 51,202 fans, nearly all sporting Federal green, when the Federals finally put some points on the board. On their only TD drive of the game, Washington took a poor punt from Ohio and used the field position to run their 2-minute offense. The shift in strategy worked and Washington soon got on the board with Stewart finding Cedrick Tillman to cut the Ohio lead in half. But it would be Ohio who finished off the scoring in the 1st half, racing down the field with less than a minute to play before sending John Carney out to kick a field goal with 4 seconds left. Washington would trail at home at the half, 17-7. The second half saw both defenses adjust to the opposition. Washington was able to keep Ohio off the board, despite the success the Glory were having moving the ball and eating up clock with a 13 point lead. The Federals increased the pressure on Collins whenever there was a clear passing down, leading to a total of 6 sacks for the Federals, including 2 from DE Greg Spires. Ohio, for their part, kept Washington from developing their run and play action game, forcing Stewart into uncomfortable third downs. Washington would convert only 3 of 12 third downs for the game, and went 1 for 7 in the second half. The Feds added a field goal midway through the third, but were frustrated time and again as they tried to come back in the 4th. Meanwhile Ohio just kept using up clock, moving the ball but themselves unable to add more space to the lead. It would be a one score game when Washington got the ball one last time with 3:23 left to play. This drive would determine the game. John Carney had missed on a 47-yard attempt that would have pushed the lead to 10, so the Feds had the ball on their own 30. On first down Stewart completed to Deuce McCallister for 6 yards, the n got the first down with a short pass to Tillman on 2nd down. But on 1st and 10 from the 47, Cedrick Harden got to Stewart and sacked him for a loss of 6. On 2nd and 16 Stewart recovered and gained 14 of the yards back with a pass to Bryant Johnson, who, subbing for Deion Branch this game, would end up as the Federals’ top receiver. Facing a 3rd and 2, and recognizing that the run game had not been reliable all day, Stewart faked the ball to McCallister and started to roll left. He was immediately faced with Nick Griesen, the Ohio linebacker blitzing on the play. Griesen got just enough of Stewart’s leg to start him stumbling. He fell to the ground for a loss of 7, creating a 4th and 9 to keep the drive alive. The play became 4th an 4 after Harden was called offsides trying to jump the count. Stewart again took the snap, looked first for Johnson, then turned and looked for Tillman. Both were covered and with pressure coming Stewart desperately threw for FB Tommy Vardell in the flat. The ball sailed high and the Federals’ dreams of a 14-0 season were over. Ohio players cheered and surrounded Coach Luginbill, dumping Gatorade on both him and a good portion of the coaching staff. Washington players lowered their heads and went to the locker rooms, still leading their division, still a game up on Ohio for the top seed, but certainly feeling a bit deflated after their first loss of the year. BOS 34 NJ 31 The most thrilling game from a scoring perspective came in New Jersey where a new rivalry may have just been born between the Generals and Cannons. Both Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe played exceptionally well, with both throwing for 3 scores. Tiki Barber was his usual self, rushing for 125 on the day. The game was tied when Brady hit Becht for a 47-yard TD with 4:14 left, but that proved to be too much time as Bledsoe positioned the Cannons in field goal range and Jason Elam kicked through the gamewinner with 23 seconds left on the clock to keep Boston’s playoff hopes alive. ORL 20 MGN 14 While it was hardly Clash of the Titans, the game between the 1-win Renegades and 0-win Panthers turned out to be a pretty decent affair. Michigan lost the turnover battle 3-0, which in the end kept the Panthers winless, but the game was close throughout, tied at 14 well into the 3rd quarter before Orlando added two field goals and Michigan suffered a fumble and a pick to lose in the end. Michigan's Laverneus Coles was the offensive standout with 103 yards and a TD, while DE Derrick Alexander of Orlando stood out on defense with a sack, a forced fumble and a recovery. JAX 26 BAL 42 Coach Infante gave Garcia the start, one most thought he had lost last week, and Garcia came through, completing 22 of 28 passes for 236 yards and 2 scores. Ron Dayne and Travis Minor also both added 2 scores as the Blitz had their best offensive performance of the season. They also looked solid on defense, holding new Bull HB Antowain Smith to only 15 yards rushing. Rookie backup Fred Jackson had more success with 48 yards and a TD on 9 carries, but it was not enough for the Bulls, who are now tied with Boston at 6-5. TBY 7 CHI 33 A week after overlooking Orlando, Tampa Bay again had major issues as Chicago’s defense limited them to only 184 total yards. Kent Graham completed only 15 of 33 passes for 136 and Willis McGahee found no room at all against the Machine defense, rushing for only 26 yards on the day. Chicago, for their part, kept picking at Tampa’s defense, with Jeff George finishing the game with 4 touchdowns and 303 yards. Curtis Conway was offensive player of the week thanks to his 188 yard, 3 TD performance against Tampa’s secondary. PIT 31 PHI 16 The Maulers looked every bit a contender as they scored the first 24 points of the game and then held Philly at bay to score a 15-point win. Charlie Batch threw 3 touchdowns, but it was Terrell Davis once again who dominated the game, rushing for 168 yards on 24 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run that broke the game open early for the Maulers. LA 3 OAK 17 A shocker in the California Derby as the Oakland Invaders shut down LA’s offense on what was just a bad day all around for the Express. Cade McNown completed only 14 of 36 passes and was sacked 7 times as the Express offense just seemed completely out of synch. Oakland got a TD from Salaam, despite only rushing for 33 yards on the day, and added another from Dante Stallworth to earn their 2nd win of the year. POR 24 SEA 47 Seattle’s offense continues to impress as they move to 6-5 thanks to 467 combined yards. Corey Dillon was rested for part of the game and backup Brian Mitchell had a strong 61-yard performance in the second half. Byron Leftwich went 15 of 18 for 342 as the deep ball was there all game despite the absence of David Boston. J.J. Stokes led all receivers with 163 yards on the day, while Corey Bradford caught 2 TDs for the Dragons. ARZ 14 DEN 26 Denver did what Denver does, play tough defense and win home games. They held the Wranglers to only 2 late scores after building up a sizeable lead, limiting Jake Plummer to only 261 yards passing and eliminating him as a runner by having their nickel back shadow him all game. The result was -6 yards on 7 carries for Plummer. HOU 16 TEX 28 Texas kept their playoff hopes alive by handing Houston their eighth consecutive loss. T.J. Duckett had his best game since coming over from Michigan with 74 yards on 13 carries. Ike Hilliard and Johnnie Mitchell added touchdown catches and the Texas defense held Houston in check all game as Texas moved to 5-6. BIR 41 MEM 22 Brett Favre went off against a Memphis defense that lacked a pass rush today. Throwing for 299 yards and 5 touchdowns, Favre had one of his best games in recent memory. Lawrence Dawsey also seemed to find the Fountain of Youth, catching 6 balls for 124 yards and 3 scores as the Stallions improved their record to 6-5, knocking their rivals down to the same record with the win. NOR 34 NSH 20 The Breakers took advantage of Memphis’s loss to build up a 2-game lead in the South thanks to a comfortable 14-point win in Nashville. Ricky Williams had his best game since returning from suspension, 77 yards on 25 carries and backup Troy Hambrick added another 44 as New Orleans dominated on the ground against the Knights. Falling behind early Nashville was forced to reduce the role of Ahman Green and depend on Todd Collins, which is never their best strategy. The Knights fall to 5-6 in the tough Southern Division. Rucker’s Big Day We focused on the offense in our summary of Birmingham’s win in Memphis, but we need to acknowledge the day, and the season, Mike Rucker is having for the Stallions. Birmingham managed 4 sacks against Heath Shuler in Sunday’s game, and Mike Rucker was credited with 3 of them. He was simply unblockable, getting to Shuler repeatedly, including a pass deflection and several big hits in addition to the sacks. Outside of Phil Hansen, whose continued productivity is astounding, Rucker may well be the most feared pass rusher in the league. His 3-sack day moves him into a tie with Hansen with 16 sacks on the season, and he could become the only player outside of Hansen to record 20 sacks in a 14-week season (something Hansen did last season). If Birmingham is able to make a run and finish at or near the top of the Southern Division, Rucker has to be a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, and at 27 the Stallions can look forward to several more years of top flight production from the disruptive end. Michigan to Protect Brees with Benching It seems clear that word has come down from the Owner’s Box that Drew Brees is at too much risk. Coach Lovie Smith, acting as interim, announced this week that they are shuttering Brees for the final two weeks of the season and will start Spergon Wynn this week to “see what he can offer us”. The premise that the Panthers are exploring QB options is preposterous. Brees is clearly the #1 and will be next year as well, but he is getting beaten up behind a bad line and has no run game to protect him, so it seems pretty obvious that Al Taubman and the ownership group has given Smith a directive to remove him from danger during this lost season, one in which Michigan could easily finish 0-16. What is likely Lovie Smith’s decision is that Wynn, and not Spence Fischer, will get the remaining starts. Wynn is younger and more mobile than Fischer, so he stands to do better behind the porous line the Panthers have. Fischer got starts earlier this season while Brees was dinged up, and to say it did not go well might be an understatement. So, Drew Brees can hit the showers, or more likely the trainer’s table to work out some of his lingering bumps and bruises, and Michigan will finish the season and look forward to hopefully brighter days ahead. Chad Ochocinco Makes it Official After a year of trying to convince sportscasters to refer to him as “Ocho Cinco”, Chad Johnson has found the one way to ensure it happens. This week he finalized the legal paperwork to officially change his name from Chad Johnson to Chad Ochocinco. Bizarre as that sounds, it is legally binding, so expect sportscasters to start using the new name, though you cannot prevent them from commenting on it. What makes Chad Ochocinco’s extroverted style and love of media intriguing this season more than others is that as of today the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson is not signed for next season. Ohio has some serious cap restrictions and both Johnson and Joey Galloway are in the last year of their contracts. It has been posited that the cap room is simply not there for Ohio to sign both Galloway and Johnson/Ochocinco. If they have to choose between the two, it seems logical that Galloway would be the choice, which means that 85 will be a free agent, able to sell himself to anyone looking for a top level WR and not afraid of one with a bit of a diva complex. This should be entertaining, to say the least. Top 10 Unsigned Veterans Who Could Join Free Agency Thinking about Chad Ochocinco’s situation put us in a mind to look over the current players in their final years of a contract. Typically we see signings throughout the season, as has been the case this year, and by this time the players who are not signed are often those who are considering free agency, including a possible leap to the NFL, as a potential option to maximize their value. We see it every year, players using the NFL as well as other USFL teams to leverage a better deal out of ownership, but we also see many cases where the threat of departure turns into an open market scramble for top talent. In some cases there are players, as we may see with 85, who simply cannot be fit within a team’s cap, and that means that they move on. In other cases it is the player who seeks a change of scenery, as we have seen now twice from Ryan Leaf. So, as we enter the final month of the regular season, who are the players as of yet unsigned, who could be about to venture into the choppy water of the Free Agent Sea? Here is our Top 10 potential free agents for 2004: Stephen Davis, HB, PHI Davis has had a solid 3 seasons with Philadelphia after coming over from the Stallions. But, if you look closely, the 30 year old back has seen declining numbers since reaching 1,100 yards in both 2000 and 2001. Last year he finished with an even 800 on similar carries to the past two years, and this year he sits around 750 with 2 weeks to go, but with an equal 3.7 YPC as last year. These are not horrible numbers but they may be just the kind of numbers that allows Philadelphia to explore the value of rookie Larry Johnson and potentially allow Davis to hit the free market. Renaldo Turnbull, DE, BIR At 34 years old, Turnbull is a risk for any team that signs him. He is a talented edge rusher, but his numbers have not been as good since coming over from Michigan to Birmingham. In Michigan he had 4 straight years of 10 or more sacks, but his last 3 years in Birmingham have seen 8, 8, and now 9 this season. With Mike Rucker the clear #1 De in Birmingham, Turnbull might be a perk that the Stallions can no longer afford. If he reaches 10 sacks, which seems possible, he could be a high value commodity for a team looking for a 1-2 year run at a title, like an Ohio or Memphis, for example. Amani Toomer, WR, LA That Amani Toomer has talent is not in question. He had 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons in Nashville before cashing in on a lucrative deal with LA. But that deal is about to expire and Toomer may be hoping for more. He is a #2 in LA, behind Tory Holt, and he has not reached 1,000 yards or 5 TDs with the Express. We see Toomer as a good prospect to choose the free agent route again, and to look for a chance to be a true #1. David Rocker, DT, LA Another Express player who may be squeezed out by cap room or may choose to seek another opportunity, David Rocker is a very solid DT, but 2004 would be his 13th season in the league, and at 32 he is hitting a dangerous period for such a physical position. Rocker is in peak shape, always more athletic than bulky, so he could have another 3-5 years in him if he is placed with a team that uses him as part of a 4-man front. He is just not suited to be a nose tackle. We could see him ending up somewhere like Philly, Portland, or Tampa Bay if the money is right. Tyrone Legette, CB, BOS One of the Tyrone Bros. up in Boston (formerly in Atlanta), Legette is often the highest graded of the Tyrones. With the USFL always a pass-first league, that equals opportunity. Legette could be the best free agent CB available (depending on what Birmingham does with Deion Sanders), and as such would have no shortage of suitors offering him big time money. Sean Gilbert, DT, CHI Gilbert is another solid DT in his early 30’s (31) who could be looking for a cash out from Chicago. He is a solid nose tackle and can play in either a 4-3 or 3-4, which means his market is larger than that of Rocker, but he is also a bigger man, so concerns about his long term health are an issue. Knees and ankles tend to become more finicky for players like Gilbert. Staying in Chicago, where he is a centerpiece of the defense, would be an option, of course, but not likely the one that will pay the best. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE, BAL The best pass rusher in the potential free agent pool. And with the value of an edge rusher that means he is a player who could be a very expensive signing for Baltimore or any other club. KGB is Baltimore’s premier passrusher, with 8 sacks this season, but the Blitz are not in great cap shape and have some major issues, including potentially at QB, so if he wants a bigger paycheck, KGB might think about defecting. Terrell Owens, WR, JAX Owens is a premier wideout, one who has regularly had double digit touchdowns and over 1,200 yards receiving, but playing in Jacksonville is not like playing in NY or LA, and for a very attention-driven receiver like Owens, that plays into the equation. With Anquon Boldin now stealing a significant portion of spotlight even in local media, Owens may take the chance to change markets and increase his Q value (marketing clout). Imagine Owens in LA, Chicago, New Jersey, or Oakland. He would be a constant fixture across media platforms. Chad Ochocinco, WR, OHI Perhaps the only player more concerned about media exposure than T.O, Chad Ochocinco may get his chance to upgrade markets, but likely not teams. And that is the irony. By leaving Columbus, Ochocinco would almost certainly be able to maximize his media presence, but he is currently on one of the best teams the USFL has ever seen, and the teams willing to pay for him to step into their #1 receiver position are not likely to be very good. So is it title runs, or sponsorship deals for 85? Deion Sanders, CB, BIR And no list of media-savvy players would be complete without “Prime Time”. Sanders came over to the USFL from the NFL 4 years ago and has been a human highlight reel ever since. And while Birmingham has been good for him, it is not a big media market like San Francisco or Atlanta in the NFL. We could easily see Sanders leave the USFL for the NFL again if the right team came calling, of course there are plenty of teams in the USFL who would also love a shot at Prime Time. Could you, for example, picture Sanders as a member of the Generals, Stars, or the Boston Cannons? Talk about a media frenzy. We have more clinched spots after this week’s action as Ohio, Denver, New Orleans, and Los Angeles (despite their loss) have locked up playoff spots. Washington has also clinched the Northeast despite the loss to Ohio, while Birmingham and Seattle have moved into playoff positions. Denver also locks up their division title thanks to a 4 game lead between themselves and the Texas Outlaws. Houston, Philly and Tampa Bay join Orlando, Oakland, and Michigan as teams eliminated from contention. Right now the teams on the outside includes Boston, whose best shot may be to win the Southeast Division where they are tied with Jacksonville at 6-5. Nashville and Texas are both one game behind Seattle, Birmingham and Memphis, while Baltimore is 2 games behind a cluster of 7-4 teams and needs to win out and get a lot of help to make the playoffs. Three weeks left in the season, so we can expect some teams to protect star players and start playing rookies and other bench players to protect their assets (mostly non-playoff teams), and we will soon see some playoff teams rest their starters as well. This is because no one at this time in the season wants to see a key player get injured, and yet, injuries happen at every point in the season. This week has been no different. This week we saw Denver lose guard Evan Pilgrim (IR) to a torn ACL, Pittsburgh lost DT Josh Shaw (IR) to an ankle injury, Michigan lost FS Mike Prior (IR) to a groin pull, and Memphis lost WR Justin McCaerins (IR) to a broken arm. Along with the new IR placements, we have players across the league who could be back in time for playoff runs, but who are likely done for the regular season, including Mempis CB Darrien Gordon (collarbone), and Seattle WR David Boston. Mo Lewis is out at least this week for LA with an injury to his wrist, while NJ free safety Brian Dawkins appears to be out with a hamstring injury. Deion Branch remains out, but has been upgraded to questionable for Washington, as has center Trey Teague for Tampa Bay. Michael Sinclair in Houston could return this week, as might Dre Bly in Pittsburgh, Chike Okeafor in Arizona, Darnay Scott in Nashville, and Greg Biekert in Portland. Arizona’s Stanley Pritchett is listed as probable, but we hear he is unlikely to play. The same with Tavares Tillman in LA and Godfrey Miles in Seattle. Memphis Voters Approve Bond for Showboats The people of Memphis have spoken, and they have said unequivocally that they want the Showboats to stay. In what was expected to be a close vote on Tuesday to determine if the City of Memphis would issue bonds specifically to renovate Liberty Bowl Stadium and expanded team facilities, we ended up with a pretty clear message. On the proposal, “Yes” defeated “NO” by an 8-point margin, 54% to 46%, far larger than the margin was predicted by polling. The vote means that the city can begin issuing the bonds this fall, and that construction can begin as soon as January 2004. Two items need to be determined in the meantime, firstly, that the Showboats confirm that they will stay in the city and sign a new lease. The USFL has gotten this commitment from the Showboats, but it will need to be proven out and the best way that can happen is with a lease extension. The second is to determine the timing of the renovations and their impact on scheduling for both the Showboats and the University of Memphis, the stadium’s fall occupant. Renovations are expected to require up to 8 months to complete, which all but guarantees that both tenants will be impacted, but the ideal situation for construction is to begin in early spring and complete the work before weather turns south in fall. That essentially means the entire 2004 season. The Showboats will have to explore other options for the 2004 season if they want to see the renovations completed. Likely options would include playing several games, perhaps as many as 4 of their 7 regular season games at other regional stadiums such as the University of Mississippi in Oxford (103 miles), Nashville’s Adelphia Stadium (208 miles), or, as if this is not ironic enough, in St. Louis, whose presence as an open market inspired the Showboats to threaten relocation in the first place. Of the options available to them, it seems the most likely would be for the Showboats to try to frontload their schedule with home games in 2004, then perhaps limit their out-of-town home games to 2, and play either at Ole Miss or in Little Rock, where War Memorial Stadium is unused in the spring and summer. Honestly, playing a game in both Oxford and Little Rock may help the Showboats in the long run, as they have always tried to market themselves as a regional franchise that could draw fans from surrounding states like Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and northern Louisiana. Playing a couple of games in those states could actually be a boon for the Showboats in the long run, once Liberty Bowl Stadium is complete. For now, the good news is that it is almost guaranteed that the Showboats will remain in Memphis. And for St. Louis, which had put together a pretty sweet deal to try to lure the USFL back to town, the chance is still there when in two weeks the league will vote on an expansion plan that specifically would target the Gateway City for a 2006 expansion team. League Vote Expected to Approve Two Phase Expansion We mentioned the vote that is anticipated at the Summer Owners’ Meeting in two weeks. With the Showboat situation likely all but locked up thanks to the voters of Memphis, the odds of a positive outcome for cities like Atlanta and St. Louis are significantly improved. The league has been at 24 clubs since 1995, and while the schedule works well with 12 teams in each conference, the presence of several large markets, each with potential ownership groups hoping to join the spring league, the pressure certainly exists to add more franchises. The proposal that was put forward by the Finance and Competition Committees calls for a two stage expansion, one that would target two cities who recently lost their franchises, St. Louis and Atlanta, for targeted expansion (no other bidding cities) for 2006 and an open bidding for 2 additional franchises in 2008. If the Finance Committee modeling which was requested several weeks ago can allay some of the fears of overexposure and can provide positive modeling of potential revenue growth, then the only real potential hangup is the question of Portland. The Rose City recently underwent an ownership crisis of their own, and the end result was the decision to approve a consortium of Las Vegas-based owners, and that, in turn, has the Thunder leaving for Las Vegas next year. Will Portland receive the same type of consideration that St. Louis and Atlanta received? It seems unlikely simply based on the economics. Portland is one of the league’s smaller markets, and the stadium in place is the league’s smallest. While there are some in Portland who are pushing for the city to move ahead with the earlier proposed plans for a new football and soccer stadium, those are likely a couple of years away from shovels hitting dirt, if they develop at all. So what would be the league incentive to treat Portland with the same urgency that the owners seem to be giving to the St. Louis and Atlanta markets? If Portland is a non-issue, as some in the league would have us believe, then we fully expect to see the expansion proposal approved and the official market for St. Louis and Atlanta ownership proposals to begin. We covered Atlanta’s efforts last week, and we are well aware of St. Louis’s interests as a city, but would have to wait and see who might come forward as a potential ownership consortium for the city. And, before you ask, while Atlantans have organized an effort to retain the Fire moniker and branding for a new team, no such popular effort has been made by fans in St. Louis, in part due to the fact that the current ownership of the Knights will almost certainly push for language protecting their rights to retain the Knights identity in Nashville as part of any St. Louis expansion approval. So, now we wait, just two weeks, to see what the owners decide. Will it be St. Louis and Atlanta in 2006 and two more unnamed cities in 2008, or will the league remain at 24 clubs with a high risk of further relocations and franchise instability in the near future? Houston Gamblers’ 2004 Uniform Goes Full Country One final note for the week. In the midst of a pretty heartbreaking season, one that saw Houston jump out to a 3-0 start only to lose their next 8 games, the Gamblers are trying to rebrand, and apparently they have gone full country in the effort. Reebok this week revealed the new look for the Gamblers in 2004, a look brought on by the poor sales of the Gamblers’ most recent design, an awkward mix of side panels, shoulder yokes, and uneven striping that simply annoyed Gambler fans and football aesthetic fans as well. The new look does away with both of the more annoying elements of the prior uniform, but doesn’t go back to traditional stripes either. The look leans heavily on a Western/Country motif, using elements commonly found in traditional “cowboy wear” as part of the uniform. Gone is the shoulder yoke and in its place is a faux embroidery pattern based on Western-styled button down shirts. The embroidery pattern takes up the upper chest and shoulder pad area on both home and away jerseys. Black embroidery effects on the white jersey and reversed on the back. The design features swirls and curls, but also a 5-pointed star at the center of the chest. The jerseys also feature a two stripe pattern at the cuff of each jersey as well as the team’s familiar Texas “G” logo on each sleeve. A similar embroidery pattern is seen on the pants, with a thin line occupying most of the leg and broadening into an almost denim-pocket pattern from a pair of jeans on the hip. The only red in the pants is a thin band around the knee. The helmet remains largely unchanged, with no center stripes and a slightly enlarged logo on each side. Frankly we like the new look, but the real vote of confidence will come when jerseys and other gear sporting the new team wordmark are available for sale to the public. As has become the trend since Reebok took over uniform production, we should expect to see the new look on the field at the Gamblers’ final home game, which will be Week 13 against Jacksonville. It is the first of the season-ending All Divisional weekends (Week 14 being the other) as all 24 teams are going to face off with divisional foes this week. This includes some major playoff impact games as we enter the final month of the season. We start with a key matchup in the Central Division where Chicago and Pittsburgh will clash at Heinz Field. Both enter the game at 7-4 and 2 games behind Ohio. The loser is almost certainly looking at a road game in the Wild Card round. The winner still can dream of a division title, but at the very least a likely home game in the playoffs. The South has two games with huge playoff implications. Memphis is in Nashville for a Tennessee Tussle, and if the visitors can steal the win, they likely end Nashville’s playoff chances, but if Nashville uses home cooking to upend their in-state rival, they may be right back in the mix in the South. New Orleans leads the division by 2 games and can all but wrap it up if they can hold off the hard-charging Birmingham Stallions at the SuperDome. A win for Birmingham puts them in great position with 2 weeks left. Arizona and Texas face off in the Alamo Dome, and the loser can pretty much start planning for Golf in July. Arizona may be done regardless at 4-7, but could spoil Texas’s season with road win in San Antonio. In the Pacific, the Express try to rebound from a stunning loss in Oakland but face the offensive juggernaut that Seattle has become. The Dragons can move to 7-5 and almost certainly a Wild Card spot with a win. In other action Oakland visits Portland, Denver hopes to get their 10th win in Houston, Michigan hopes not to be embarrassed by Ohio when they visit Columbus, Boston hopes to rebound in Tampa Bay, Orlando hosts the Bulls in the Citrus Bowl, Baltimore is in Washington, where they likely will face an angry Federals team, and New Jersey is in Philly, hoping to lock up a playoff spot with their 8th win of the year.

Playoff Picture: Several playoff berths have been locked in this week. Denver has clinched the Southwest Division Title. Ohio, New Orleans, and Los Angeles have clinched berths but not divisions yet. Jacksonville and Boston are tied atop the Southeast, with Jacksonville currently holding the tiebreaker. Currently in playoff position we have Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey in the East and Birmingham, Seattle, and Memphis in the West. Teams that have been eliminated include Michigan, Orlando, Oakland, Houston, and Philadelphia.

A really fun week in the USFL as the Maulers and Glory battle down to the final seconds. Orlando gets their first win as they surprise in-state rival Tampa Bay, the Outlaws and Breakers go to overtime, and Seattle makes a statement with a win over the Showboats. We also saw what many predicted, another bad performance from Michigan led to the departure of Mike Martz. We also saw something about as rare as it gets in the USFL, a 200-yard rushing game, as Ahman Green powered the Nashville Knights to a needed win. Let’s get right to the action on the field as we look at the shootout between Pittsburgh and Ohio in what could develop into one of the league’s better rivalry games. PITTSBURGH MAULERS 31 OHIO GLORY 34 It was a battle for the Central Division and it felt every bit a playoff matchup from the opening kickoff straight through until the final whistle. The Maulers came into this game knowing that a win was crucial if they wanted to have any shot at the division crown. Ohio was out to prove that they had not lost a step from last year’s unbeaten championship, despite two early season losses. What we got as fans was a clash of two teams playing their best football, so a big win for us. Both teams found their offenses early, though it was Ohio that took the quick lead in the 1st quarter. Kerry Collins hit Chad Johnson with a 16-yard TD on the opening drive of the game to set the tone for the game. After a promising drive ended in a rare missed field goal from Bill Grammatica, Pittsburgh gave the ball back to Ohio, who promptly went up 14-0 thanks to a 25-yard swing pass from Collins to Eddie George. But Pittsburgh would respond and on their next drive they methodically “matriculated the ball” down the field and got on the board with Terrell Davis’s 2-yard off-tackle run. They would score again after LB Joe Odom caught Kerry Collins unaware and picked off a pass intended for Stephen Alexander. Three plays later, Grammatica brought Pittsburgh within 4 points at 14-10, and so ended a very active first quarter. The second quarter would see less scoring but plenty of action as both teams settled into their offensive pattern, Ohio depending on the pass (Collins’s totals for the day include 451 yards and 4 TDs) as Pittsburgh would not allow Eddie George room to run (20 carries for only 36 yards). Pittsburgh would rely more on the run game, with Terrell Davis and Harold Shaw combining for 29 carries, but most of the yardage would also be through the air as Charlie Batch threw for 350 yards. The first score of the second quarter put Pittsburgh on top, Davis’s 2nd TD run at the end of a 14-play drive that killed about 7 minutes of the period. Ohio would strike back quickly to take a 21-17 halftime lead as Collins again found Chad Johnson, this time on a corner route from the 38 yard line. It was a back and forth game, and one that saw a lot of highlights for both teams, and this would not change in the second half. Pittsburgh got the ball first to open the 3rd quarter and they again moved the ball well, settling for another Grammatica field goal after bogging down at the 17 yard line. After a batted ball by Russell Maryland forced Ohio to punt, Pittsburgh again took the lead, this time with Charlie Batch hitting rookie Nate Burleson, who just recently has started to see more action in 2 and 3-receiver sets for Pittsburgh. The Maulers went for 2 and converted, giving them a 28-21 lead. Ohio would themselves respond, and it only took 2 plays. Following a 2-yard run by George on first down, the Glory got what they wanted, Joey Galloway in single coverage, and Collins exploited the coverage, hitting Galloway on a streak that would go 83 yards for a score, stunning the contingent of Mauler fans who made the trip to Columbus. At the end of 3 it was tied 28-28 and fans were fully aware that they were attending one of the best games of the season between two very good teams. Ohio would take the lead once again early in the 4th as they moved the ball into the redzone, settling for a John Carney field goal with 11:54 left to play. On their next drive, Pittsburgh would also breach the red zone and also come up short on 3rd down, forcing yet another Bill Grammatica field goal. Now tied at 31, the game felt very much like one destined for overtime. After two failed drives, Ohio got the ball bck with only 35 seconds to play, on their own 22 yard line. With only 1 time out it felt very much like the Glory would take a knee and prepare for overtime. At least that is what Pittsburgh seemed to expect as they casually came to the line. Ohio was in kneel down formation and the Maulers were only half lined up when Collins took the snap, stepped back 2 steps, and half-knelt. But he got back up again, and by the time Pittsburgh reacted, TE Alge Crumpler was behind the deepest defender. Collins hit his TE with a looping pass and 64 yards later Crumpler fell to the ground as CB Dre Bly finally caught up to him. The Glory used their final timeout as a stunned Pittsburgh defense knew they may have just blown the game. Carney came out onto the field to attempt the field goal, and as a jubilant Ohio crowd cheered on, he nailed the kick and gave Ohio the win, and very likely the division. It was a stunning play at the end of a really well-played and entertaining game, the kind of play that will stick with the Maulers for some time. But, for the disappointed Mauler faithful, the game still showed that their squad could (when focused) hang with the Glory. They had beaten them in Week 4, and played toe to toe with them in Week 10. Would they get a 3rd meeting in the playoffs? For Ohio, the win gives them a 2 game lead on the Maulers with 4 to play. Their next challenge, a trip to Washington and a chance to ensure that their unbeaten season is not equaled by the Federals only 1 year later. TBY 7 ORL 26 While the Maulers-Glory matchup was the best game of the week, Orlando’s upset of Tampa Bay will be the one the Vegas oddsmakers are regretting, as it paid those few willing to bet on Orlando quite handsomely. The Renegades played as if this were their Summer Bowl, limiting Tampa Bay to only 2 of 11 on third down, picking off Kent Graham twice, and limiting Willis McGahee to only 59 yards rushing. On offense Sedrick Irvin and R.J. Redmond combined for a surprising 173 yards rushing, with Irvin scoring twice for the Renegades. NOR 23 TEX 17 OT New Orleans rebounded well this week, taking their club on the road and upending the Texas Outlaws in overtime. The Outlaws had come back from a 10-point deficit in the final quarter and got the game tying score when Jeff Lewis hit Kirby Dar-Dar with 3 minutes to play. A missed field goal meant the game went to extra time and in the extra period Trent Dilfer hit Az-Zahir Hakeem with the game winner on the opening drive to secure the win for New Orleans. NSH 27 HOU 22 Houston led throughout this game but never put Nashville away. They would live to regret it as the Knights got a miraculous 55-yard TD pass from Collins to Bert Emmanuel in the final minute of play, despite Houston playing a soft prevent defense. Emannuel went up for the ball, the two defenders hit each other and left the Knights’ receiver a clear path to the endzone and a win that may help Nashville return to the playoffs. The loss was Houston’s 7th in a row after opening the season 3-0. The star for Nashville was Ahman Green, who rushed for a season’s best for any HB, 216 yards against a tired Houston D. MEM 21 SEA 31 As many predicted, Memphis ran into a buzzsaw in Seattle. Only one week after evening their record with New Orleans, the Showboats fall a game back after giving up 318 yards to Byron Leftwich, including 161 yards on only 4 receptions for Corey Bradford as the Dragons scored the final 10 points of the game to defeat the Showboats and even their record at 5-5. BIR 20 POR 27 In front of a crowd of only 13,040 in Portland, and with a loud anti-Thunder protest outside, the home team did not really have any home field advantage, but they still managed to pull out a win over the visiting Stallions. Portland picked off Brett Favre twice and limited Shaun Alexander to only 28 yards on his 14 carries. In Akili Smith’s first game back after 2 weeks recovering from a concussion, he did not seem phased, as he rushed for 62 yards and threw for 252 and 2 scores. LA 27 ARZ 7 The Express did not allow Jake Plummer to run the ball, and that worked to their advantage as they built up a 27-0 lead and coasted to victory. With Antowain Smith now in Jacksonville, LA turned to unheralded Maurice Smith to back up Deshaun Foster and the former 3rd stringer did more than fill in, he rushed for 149 yards on the day, outpacing Foster with an 8.8 YPC average. OAK 12 DEN 21 Jon Kitna threw for 303 yards, but was only able to muster 1 touchdown against the Denver defense. Meanwhile, Robert Holcombe and Ricky Whittle combined for 108 yards and 2 TDs on the day to power the Gold. Oakland held up through three quarters, with a 7-3 deficit holding until the final quarter, when two late Denver TDs put the game away for the homestanding Gold. NJ 31 BAL 17 New Jersey held Ron Dayne in check and forced Jeff Garcia to make tough throws all game. Baltimore’s QB was unable to make enough plays to keep up with the Generals, who got 101 yards from Curtis Enis and two Terry Glenn touchdowns in his return to action. After the game Coach Infante was mum on whether or not Week 11 would see Garcia or Ryan Leaf start for the Blitz, whose playoff hopes now may require them to run the table down the stretch. WSH 32 PHI 23 Philadelphia held an early 10-0 lead on the Federals, but got worn down over the game, falling behind in the 2nd quarter and never regaining the lead. Deuce McCallister and Kordell Stewart accounted for 171 yards rushing and 3 TDs between them, while Doug Pelfrey added 4 field goals to give Washington their 10th win of the season. Philadelphia falls to 3-7 and all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. JAX 24 BOS 3 The Bulls take the road win in the battle of 5-4 clubs, thanks in large part to 158 yards from WR Terrell Owens. Owens and rookie Anquon Boldin combined for 248 yards and a Td as Boston’s secondary simply did not have an answer. Boston got 111 yards from Tiki Barber, but was unable to turn yards into points as time and again their drives ended short of field goal range. MGN 0 CHI 20 An ugly loss for Michigan, which mustered only 201 total yards of offense, a loss that would be the final straw for ownership, who relieved Mike Martz of his duties Monday morning. Charles Rogers again had a strong day, rushing for 128 yards as he subbed for a gimpy Duce Staley. Michigan’s lead back, Ladell Betts, only garnered 18 yards on 7 carries as Michigan’s offense was entirely inept. Martz Out, Lovie In After yet another incredibly poor performance by the Michigan Offense, owner Al Taubman had seen enough. On Monday he relieved Coach Mike Martz of his duties and appointed defensive coordinator Lovie Smith as the interim head coach of the Panthers for the season’s final weeks. Martz, who came to Michigan as an “offensive guru” has simply been unable to replicate his past successes as an offensive coordinator as Michigan’s head coach. As of this week’s results, Michigan ranks dead last in the league, averaging only 11.5 points per game. The Panthers have by far the worst run game in the USFL, averaging only 36 yards per game, and this has also helped them rank 24th in yardage. Mind you, Lovie Smith does not have a lot to stand on in this regard either as the Panther defense currently ranks last in the league in points allowed, a whopping 32.7 per game. So, expect this to be a short tenure for Smith, who is unlikely to be retained even if he were able to get Michigan their first win of the season. Attendance plummets in Portland It should not really be a surprise that attendance for the Thunder in Portland has plummeted. The past two games (vs LA and Birmingham) the attendance has dipped below 15,000 per game. This is part protest of the current ownership, which sought and received approval to relocate the team to Las Vegas, but also apathy for a team that is leaving and which has not been playing up to even last year’s modest 7-7 record. With just over 13,000 in attendance this week, the chants and bullhorns of the anti-Ruffin protesters across the street from the stadium could clearly be heard throughout the game. Expect things to be even uglier when the club returns from this week’s game in Seattle. They have two home games left, against Oakland and Michigan, two teams with a combined 1 win between them. With a combination of former Thunder fans turning their backs on the team (and their season tickets) and very vocal protests expected for both games, having home field advantage may simply not be an option for the Thunder until they reach Las Vegas. Las Vegas Reveals Branding Speaking of Las Vegas, Reebok this week revealed for fans in Sin City the new secondary logo that will accompany the move to Sin City. The team will retain their color scheme, uniforms, and primary logo (all seen as cost-saving measures for the club) but will have a new secondary logo which will adorn the sleeves of the team’s trademark “electric lime” jerseys. The LV monogram logo includes a lightning bolt forming from the “L”. the interlocking letters represent the new home of the club and will feature prominently in marketing as Las Vegas’s new ownership begins the marketing process for season tickets for the 2004 Thunder. Fans React to New Logo, Owners Say “Nevermind” In an incredible and slightly comical example of the power of a fanbase, the release of Texas’s new “Outlaw Jim” logo, a logo that was to become the primary image for the franchise, fans in San Antonio and across Texas reacted quite harshly. The phones at the Outlaw main offices in San Antonio rang off the hooks, and the message was clear, the new logo is not what the fans want. They want a return to the classic logo the club has used since 1988. Within 3 days every newspaper was printing articles and letters to the editor bashing the new “active” version of the Outlaw and demanding the club and Reebok return to the traditional logo. When word got out that the owners were in the facility at the AlamoDome, a large crowd gathered outside demanding a redesign. On Friday, owners announced through local media that they would listen to the fans and return to the classic outlaw logo, reserving the new logo for use as a secondary logo (not to appear on uniforms). While this is not the first time that fan reaction has altered plans for a new team look (we all remember the case of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990’s and their attempt to update their logo), it is the first time that a USFL owner has buckled under immediate pressure. For their part, Reebok has been quiet on the process and how such a negative reaction was not picked up in pre-release polling or focus group testing, but clearly the change was not what San Antonio fans had in mind. It appears that the new uniform designs will be retained, with the only real change to the team’s look being the decal on the helmet, so it is not a major economic hit for the Texans to make the change now. But, if you find any apparel with the new logo on it, as some was available the day it was released, hold onto it as it will be a collector’s item for years to come. We have our first clinched playoff spot, and to the surprise of no one, it is the Washington Federals. Sitting at 10-0 with only 4 games left on the schedule and a 3-game lead over the New Jersey Generals, there was little doubt that Washington would qualify for the post-season, but with losses by Tampa Bay and Boston, the math locked in for Washington to lock up a spot. With a win or a New Jersey loss next week the Federals should also lock up the division. No other team has clinched a spot, but both Michigan and Orlando (despite their Week 10 win) are now officially eliminated from any playoff contention. Were the playoffs to begin today, Pittsburgh and Chicago would be in, and Boston would be out in the East. In the West, Birmingham and Nashville would nab the last two spots with 5-5 records, while Seattle would be out, despite having the same record. Tiebreakers can do that to you, so the Dragons had better continue to win games if they hope to make a postseason appearance. Two more players added to IR after week 10 as Pittsburgh loses backup DT Josh Shaw to a torn ACL, while Baltimore will be without their starting left tackle, Blake Brockmeier, after he also injured his knee and will require surgery. Seattle takes a big hit as David Boston’s injury now looks like it could keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. He could return if Seattle qualifies for the playoffs, but even that is in doubt. Denver will finish their regular season without LB Chris Cowart, who suffered a torn quad and could miss 3-4 games, while Arizona will go without FB B.J. Askew, who suffered an abdominal tear in a rare carry this week. Portland CB Will Allen is out 1-2 weeks with a dislocated finger, and more bad news for Baltimore’s faint playoff hopes as DT John Randall could be out 1-2 weeks with an ankle injury. Expected back in action in Week 11 we have Ohio DE Vonnie Holiday (hip), Michigan LB Andy Katzenmoyer (hand), Breakers DE Chidi Ahanotu (neck), Memphis DT Norman Hand (hip), and Texas LB Stephen Boyd (knee). Rod Smart is questionable but looks like he could see action, and Pittsburgh’s Korey Stringer may be back in the lineup as well. Memphis Referendum Next Week The future of the Showboats is on the line next Tuesday, when Memphians will vote in a special election to determine if the city will fund stadium renovations and the creation of a practice facility for the Showboats through a bond referendum, all designed to encourage the club to remain in the city. Polling shows this is a close vote as Memphis residents are wary of the expense and investment when the city has significant pressing issues in many other areas. The vote all but determines the fate of the Showboats as recent negotiations between Memphis ownership and the USFL owners have basically locked the club into remaining in Memphis if the bond issuance is approved, and if it fails, the Showboats have essentially guaranteed themselves the right to relocate to St. Louis ahead of any potential expansion. The league will vote on expansion for 2006 and 2008, a proposal that highlights both St. Louis and Atlanta, in 3 weeks, but this Tuesday’s vote will go a long way to determining what happens next. With the Showboats in the middle of another playoff push, and having made it all the way to the Summer Bowl in 2002, the timing is about as good as the Showboats’ ownership could have asked for. One can easily imagine that a 2-12 Memphis club would have a hard time garnering enough support to push the city to invest in Liberty Bowl Stadium, while a regular contender is more likely to get the votes needed. I guess we will know soon enough. What is happening in Atlanta? While St. Louis’s future is still muddled, with all likelihood being that they will either host the Showboats by 2005 or have an expansion club in 2006, things in Atlanta are a bit clearer. The vote in 3 weeks to expand the USFL includes a special carve out for the city, meaning that they are all but guaranteed a return to USFL football if the expansion vote is approved. Mayor Shirley Franklin and a delegation of Atlanta business leaders and sports personalities have been lobbying league owners for a return of USFL football, and a fan group has specifically been pushing not only for a return of the league, but of the Atlanta Fire in particular. A petition asking the USFL to return the Fire to the city has already garnered over 100,000 signatures. What is more impressive is that a coalition of city leaders and football fans has already started to form the early basis for an ownership group. Several prominent Atlantans, including recently retired USFL superstar Herschel Walker, has begun negotiations to form an LLC to officially bid for an Atlanta franchise should the league vote to expand back to the city. That effort got a huge shot in the arm when it was confirmed that Jim Kennedy, multimillionaire CEO of Cox Media, one of the nation’s largest cable TV providers, was on board. Kennedy adds the deep pockets that the bid will need, and could act as the lead owner and President, while others in the group, including Walker, could take on smaller financial roles while still engaging with the team’s formation and organization. It is a very good sign that Atlanta is ready to return to the USFL to see both business and political leaders engaged in the effort and working to ensure that if expansion is approved, Atlanta is ready to jump in. Now it seems the bigger question is if the new leadership will listen to fans and return the Fire to the city or go a new direction. Teams Begin Looking to the Offseason No one will officially say it yet, but with three teams eliminated from playoff contention, and several others on life support, it is clear that there are some clubs looking to evaluate their current rosters and determine a strategy for the offseason. Michigan has made the move to an interim head coach, so you know that new leadership is their first priority, but Orlando, Oakland, Houston, and Philadelphia are also looking at the future. We see this with some personnel changes as Oakland explores the possibility of Jon Kitna at QB, while Houston is giving more playing time to their rookies. So, what are the biggest needs for these 5 clubs as they look to the draft and free agency? We figured now is as good a time as any to start exploring what each club may need. We will go in reverse draft order from 5th to 1st and look for the one key position (among many in some cases) that the club should address. Philadelphia Stars (3-7): The Stars feel that they have their QB of the present with Brian Griese, and drafted Larry Johnson at HB to help transition at the position as Stephen Davis hits the 30-year old mark, so what else is needed in Philly? Clearly, with the 19th ranked rush defense, linebacker and DT are key positions, but we still want to look at offensive firepower. The Stars have Steve Smith as their #1 wideout, but 32-year old Troy Brown and 29-year old Bobby Engram are simply not doing enough to draw coverage away from Smith, hamstringing the Philadelphia passing game. We like the combo of Marcus Pollard and rookie Dallas Clark at TE, so for us, the big focus will need to be at WR. The good news is that this is a position where the draft can be an immediate help. While many look at Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald or Texas’s Roy Williams as the two best prospects at the position, we don’t see either the Maulers or Outlaws giving away a chance to sign those two players from protected schools, but the Ohio Glory could possibly be willing to trade away one of their T-Draft picks to allow Philly to draft either Wisconsin’s Lee Evans or Ohio State’s Michael Jenkins without using an open draft pick. That would be our recommendation for them, and then focus on defense with the open draft and free agency. Houston Gamblers (3-7): The Gamblers are pretty well set on defense, though they may stll draft for depth, but their biggest issue is that the combo of Kevin Faulk and Mike Anderson has not really produced enough consistent run game to keep defenses honest. We love Faulk as a 3rd down back, but he is not a 3-down type of guy, while Anderson is great in short yardage but will not be a 20-carry back for the Gamblers. They need a bell cow who can keep defenses honest, opening room for Matt Hasselbeck and the pretty good receiving group that Houston has. They cannot just win with defense week in and week out, as this week’s loss to Nashville proved. Our recommendation, look in free agency for a solid starter, but that may be difficult to find, particularly as we often see older backs in the pool, and that is not what Houston needs. If, for example, Stephen Davis remains without a contract (which seems plausible in Philly), then he could be a short term answer, but youth is a priority in the HB position, so the draft might be a better option. Houston does not have any top level talent in their protected school pool of players, but there is a quality HB available in the Open Draft who could be a perfect fit, Oklahoma State’s Tatum Bell is not protected by any team, and could be just the type of slashing runner that could balance out the skills of Anderson and Faulk. Bell projects as a 1st or 2nd round pick, perhaps not a Top 10 pick, so Houston could play it smart, trade down with a team who has a mid-teens pick, and still get a halfback who will complement their current roster. Something for Coach Philips to consider. Oakland Invaders (1-9): We are not sure who, between the Invaders, Panthers, and Renegades, will end up with the 1st overall draft pick, so we are just working on a hunch as to who can perhaps get a 2nd win (or a 1st for Michigan). Of the three, we think Oakland might have the most obvious decision ahead. Clearly Marques Tuiasosopo is not the answer at QB, and while Jon Kitna might be a serviceable starter in the short run, the goal should be to sign a future franchise QB this offseason. The Invaders tried to do last year, trading for the rights to Carson Palmer, but they failed to ink the current Cincinnati Bengal. So who should the target this year? There are two top tier QB prospects that are free from T-Draft protection, NC State’s Philip Rivers and Miami of Ohio’s Ben Roethlisberger. Oakland should spend the offseason scouting both, wooing both, and then pull the trigger on the one most likely to sign (not necessarily the one they evaluate higher) on Draft Day. Orlando Renegades (1-9): The ‘Gades got their first win this week, which may actually cost them the #1 pick, but since they have their QB for now, having the overall #1 pick is not as essential. We expect that with a strong QB class, lots of teams will be interested in trading up to try to snag a QB, so sitting anywhere in the Top 3 could be a lucrative place to be. And that is what we think Orlando should be focusing on, using their position to accumulate picks and get more help across the roster. But, we all know what the primary focus has to be. The Renegades have collapsed since the retirement of Chris Doleman, in large part because they are not pressuring opposing QB’s and not disrupting opposing offenses nearly enough with their current front 4. If we were working in Orlando’s War Room, we would be on the phone right now with Ohio, trading our top draft pick for 2-3 picks, including a T-Draft pick to try to land Ohio State DE Will smith. He may not have the explosiveness of Doleman, but he is a dangerous power rusher who will draw double assignments, freeing up the rest of the line with one-on-one blocking. If Ohio won’t deal, then LA is the next target, with USC DE Kenechi Udeze the focal point. Either way, a pass-rushing DE has to be the goal. Michigan Panthers (0-10): The Panthers will have a new leadership team long before draft day, and likely will need time to assess free agents, which means the draft will be vital for them. They need to support Drew Brees with a more athletic offensive line and a run game that actually threatens opponents. Averaging fewer than 40 yards a game is just a travesty. OK, so we look at O-line first and we see that there is no help from the three protected schools the Panthers have (a bit of an oddity for 2 Big 10 schools like Michigan and Michigan State to not have a prospect, but so it goes). So, the Panthers need to look at the open draft, perhaps make a deal with Philly to try to sign Robert Gallery of Iowa, or with Boston for guard Chris Snee of Boston College. Trading away picks in the open draft for protected picks is a risky business (just ask Oakland), but seems necessary this year. At HB, the Panthers could stay at home with Wolverine HB Chris Perry, or they could look at two potential free agents as of yet unsigned in the NFL. Charlie Garner, the former Philadelphia Star is not yet resigned by the Raiders and could be available in the first NFL-USFL transfer window. The same is true of Thomas Jones with the Cardinals. Jones is more of a risk, as his best year was 511 yards and a 3.7 average, but he has shown flashes. The new head coach will need to consider what type of run game he wants to emphasize, and to what degree Ladell Betts might fit into that. We don’t see Betts as a full-time starter, so either Jones, Garner or Perry could be a priority for the Panthers. Week 11 and a lot on the line around the league as the West returns to divisional play while the East is in interdivisional clashes. Looking at playoff positioning, here are the games to watch out for: Ohio @ Washington: This is the game all of America is waiting to see. Can the Glory stop Washington from equaling their perfect season from last year? It is a classic matchup of the unstoppable force (Ohio’s offense) against the immovable object (Washington’s defense) when these two clash. This could be one for the ages. Jacksonville @ Baltimore: Both clubs are still very much alive, as is evident by the very real chance we will see Ryan Leaf start for the Blitz. Jacksonville is a game up on Boston and a win here, especially if the Cannons lose in New Jersey, could all but salt away the division. Boston @ New Jersey: A tough game for the Cannons as New Jersey can all but lock up a Wild Card with a win. Boston is in good position at 5-5, but a win here would be a boost as they head into the final divisional games, besides, it’s Boston v. New York (we know, New Jersey, but you get the idea.) Tampa Bay @ Chicago: Another matchup of clubs that really cannot afford to lose. Tampa’s loss to Orlando was a clear “trap game” situation as the Bandits simply underestimated a hungry Renegade squad. They cannot afford to lose a 7th game if they have hopes for a Wild Card, while Chicago is trying to stay in the hunt with Pittsburgh and Ohio ahead of them in the division. Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia: Not quite as heated a rivalry as when the Maulers and Stars shared the same division, but still a big game in the Keystone State, and a big game for the Maulers who need to rebound after back to back losses to Washington and Ohio. If Pittsburgh wants to be seen as an elite team, they need to win the games they are expected to win, and this is one of them. Arizona @ Denver: A nice rivalry game and one that the Wranglers absolutely need to pull out if they want any shot at a Wild Card. They are not looking good on tie-breakers, so they need wins to pull them off the table. Denver, for their part, is looking to wrap up the Southwestern Division in what has been an unexpected but very enjoyable rebound year for Gold fans. Portland @ Seattle: Both clubs are on the fringes of the playoff picture, both could still make a run. Seattle seems the better and hotter team, but when these two play each other you can basically throw the records out the window. Two of the league’s more athletic and exciting quarterbacks square off when Akili Smith faces the rookie, Byron Leftwich. Birmingham @ Memphis: Ooh, this is a good matchup of two teams that just don’t like each other. Only 1 game separates the two Southern rivals. Memphis has home field, and will play only 3 days before the big vote that could determine if the Showboats stay Memphis’s team. You know the players are going to fight for a win to help the voters decide. New Orleans @ Nashville: Another good southern clash as the Breakers can pull away in the division with a win and a Memphis loss, but Nashville is not done dreaming of playoff football just yet, and a win by the Knights tightens up the entire division with all 4 teams possibly having winning records with only 3 more weeks in the season. Houston @ Texas: We thought this one would be a playoff matchup earlier this year, but neither team has really stepped forward. Houston has lost 7 games in a row after a 3-0 start and would like nothing more than to get back in the win column with a road win in San Antonio against the rival Outlaws. Texas fans came together to demand that ownership not change up their team mascot/logo, can they come together to will the Outlaws to a home victory in the Lonestar Classic? Los Angeles @ Oakland: The California Darby has lost a lot of its luster, but this is still a battle for pride. We will see Rashaan Salaam and Jon Kitna playing not only for pride but for their futures in Oakland. LA has even more motivation as a win could win them the division crown. It will be interesting to see if desperation or determination wins out in this one. Orlando @ Michigan: If Ohio-Washington is an epic battle, this is the classic Comedy of Errors. What we expected to be a battle of two winless teams was slightly downgraded by Orlando’s win last week, but this is still very likely the game that decides the #1 overall pick in the draft. It may be Michigan’s only hope for a win, and interim HC Lovie Smith will likely put pride on the line with his players to try to get this one win. Orlando seems the better team on paper, but after getting the monkey off their back last week, are they ripe for Michigan to upset. This game should be entertaining if only because there may well be an entire episode worth of football follies and bloopers coming out of it.

Playoff Picture: Washington clinches a playoff berth at 10-0 while Michigan, Orlando, and Oakland are the first teams officially eliminated.