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The 22nd season of the USFL kicked off with a celebratory tone and a lot of excitement this week. From Friday night’s kickoff game in Washington through until the Sunday Night clash between the Dragons and the Maulers, the week was full of enthusiasm, hard hitting action, and drama. While we had one of the least weather-impacted opening weeks in recent memory, we saw how injury can impact a season even from the first games. We also saw that some teams could be looking very different from 2003 until today. It was the debut of some new faces, some transplanted players, and some eager rookies hoping to make a splash. Let’s get right to it with our first Game of the Week for 2004. BIRMINGHAM 13 BALTIMORE 16 OVERTIME It may not have been the biggest marquee matchup of the week, but the game between the Stallions and the Blitz had everything one could want from an opening week game, big players, rookies proving themselves, big plays, and a dramatic final drive to send the game to overtime. It also had something you don’t want to see, a starting QB going down with an injury. Ryan Leaf will likely miss at least 3-4 games, but is at risk of losing his job as well as #1 overall draft pick, former Miami of Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger will take over at the QB spot while Leaf recovers. Leaf now runs the risk that a successful run by the young Roethlisberger could cost him his job, and in his first game as a pro player, Roethlisberger already provided dramatics with a 2-minute drill to tie the game and an overtime win. The game started well for Baltimore. The retooled defense of Coach Tom Coughlin was effective against Brett Favre in the first quarter, keeping Birmingham on their side of the field and producing the firs takeaway of the season, a Tyrone Bell pick of Favre. The Blitz also struggled on offense and settled for two field goals in the quarter. Birmingham came alive in the second quarter, equalizing the score on two Mike Hollis field goals as their red zone offense faltered both times they got the ball deep into Baltimore territory. It seems the Blitz defense led by LBs Dedric Smith and new arrival Mike Maslowski were able to fluster Favre through effective pressure. Favre would end the game with 351 yards passing, but would only throw 1 TD to two picks. Meanwhile, Ryan Leaf was playing well, completing 12 of 14 passes in the first half. His final throw of the half was his best, a 16-yard TD toss to another new Blitz player, wideout J.J. Stokes. Leaf fit the ball in between the corner and the safety, giving Stokes perfect placement to make the catch and score. Up 13-6 at the half, Baltimore went into the locker room happy with what Coach Coughlin’s game plan was producing. But, as often happens, both teams made changes at the half. Birmingham shortened their routes, and got the ball out of Favre’s hand quicker in the 3rd quarter, leading to the only score of the period, a beautiful slant and go that produced a 44-yard TD for James Thrash. That evened the score at 13, and when Mike Hollis connected from 30 yards out on the next Stallion Drive, the visitors had their first lead. Baltimore was driving for what they hoped would be a go-ahead TD when their drive was derailed by Stallion DE Antwan Odom. The rookie end took advantage of poor blitz coverage to get around the right tackle and drove Ryan Leaf to the turf. Leaf got up, but then immediately went down again, clutching at his side. The doctors were called out and they eventually put Leaf on the back board and removed him from the field on a cart. Later x-rays would reveal a fracture in a vertebra in his mid-back. It was not a major break, but very painful and the kind of injury that would need at least a month to heal fully. Out came Ben Roethlisberger, the top choice in this year’s draft. Big Ben was shaky at first, missing on his first two throws, and the Blitz were forced to punt. When they got the ball back Roethlisberger looked a bit calmer, connecting with Rob Moore on his first pass of the new drive. He would not be asked to do much in this drive, handing off on 8 of 10 plays, 7 times to Ron Dayne and once to Marcel Shipp. The drive ate up a good chunk of the final period, and with under a minute left to go, when a pass to TE Antonio Gates was too low for the big receiver to bring in, the Blitz opted to tie the game with a Martin Grammatica kick. The game would go to overtime. Baltimore won the toss and proceeded to drive into Stallion territory, now with Roethlisberger looking more comfortable, connecting on 4 passes on the drive. He would connect with Bill Schroeder for 14 to get Baltimore into Grammatica’s range, but another 3rd down mistake, a drop by a wide open Daniel Graham, meant that it would be Grammatica kicking again. He drilled the 44-yarder for Baltimore to take the lead, but overtime rules meant that Birmingham would get a possession to try to equalize or win. Brett Favre would find out on this possession that Baltimore had no intention of letting this lead go. After being sacked on first down, a speed rush from DE Chuckie Nwokorie, he got 4 of the 6 yards lost back thanks to a solid Shaun Alexander run, but that still left a 3rd and 12 and Favre would have 2 downs to keep the drive alive. He was pressured again on 3rd down, missing a connection with Marcus Robinson, leading to 4th and 12. On this final down, Favre would avoid pressure from DT Paul Grasmanis, but in his rush to get the ball away, he missed the LB dropping in coverage. Instead of connecting with TE Fred Baxter, he would instead see the ball picked by LB Daryl Smith to end the game. A rough start for Favre, a comeback win for Ben Roethlisberger, and a potential QB controversy on the horizon for the Blitz. Big Ben will be the starter next week against the Stars, and how he performs could help define what may happen in a month when Ryan Leaf is expected back. NOR 24 WSH 31 The USFL season began on Friday with the Breakers visiting the Federals. Washington took an early 13-0 lead thanks in part to a 9-yard Stewart scramble, and never trailed, building up a 31-17 lead by the 4th and holding on as Trent Dilfer tried to rally the Breakers. Dilfer would end the game with 304 yards passing and 3 TDs, but it was not enough as the Federals time and again ended Breaker drives outside of scoring range. The star for Washington on offense was WR Deion Branch, who racked up 146 of Kordell Stewart’s 227 yards passing, but this was a game for the Federal defense, and the star there was CB Charles Woodson who ended the game with 8 tackles and a pick of Dilfer. NSH 18 PHI 15 Another overtime game in the season’s opening week as the Knights and Stars slugged it out for 4 quarters only to need an extra period. In a game that saw 16 combined penalties for over 120 yards, it was a bit sloppy. Philadelphia got a late Jeff Jaeger field goal to tie the game at 15, but in overtime Todd Collins got the Knights deep enough into Stars’ territory for their new kicker, Matt Stover, to connect on a 49-yard game winner. MEM 9 NJ 30 If there was one team that lived up to preseason hype this week it was the Generals. Their defense was on fire against Heath Shuler, with 3 picks of the former MVP, including 1 from superstar acquisition Deion Sanders. The offense also looked good with Tom Brady distributing the ball to 9 different receivers on the day. Terry Glenn, as always, led all receivers with 7 catches, but Brady kept everyone in the game by completing on short passes all over the field. Rookie Lee Evans caught 4 for 31 to lead all Memphis receivers but this was New Jersey’s day from opening kickoff until the final kneel down. ARZ 23 BOS 41 Boston also looked like a team to be reckoned with as they opened up to a sold out Alumni Stadium with a big win over the visiting Wranglers. Drew Bledsoe threw 4 TDs, including two to his new #1 target, Chad Ochocinco, and Tiki Barber found all kinds of running room, rushing for 127 and a score as Boston took an early lead and never let up. DEN 10 JAX 17 A low-scoring affair in Jacksonville as the Bulls slugged it out with the visiting Gold on opening weekend. Talk about two very different styles, Mark Brunell attempted 40 passes on the day, completing 31, while Jake Delhomme only reared back 14 times, completing 10, but it was Jacksonville that got the big play, a TD pass from Delhomme to Boldin that gave them the win. Jacksonville would also rush the ball over 30 times, with Antowain Smith leading the way with 92 yards and Fred Jackson contributing 33 more and a score for the Bulls. HOU 14 ORL 10 Houston’s defense came to play, while both offenses struggled on opening day. Two picks of Joey Harrington helped the Gamblers upend the Renegades. Orlando had the 10-7 lead into the 4th, but Houston’s defense came up big, with FS Leomont Evans picking off a poorly timed pass from Harrington to Reidel Anthony. Evans stepped in front of Anthony and had clear sailing 61 yards downfield for what would be the game-winning score. TEX 10 TBY 33 The return of Bandit Ball was on display in this battle of desperadoes, with the Bandits blowing past the Outlaws. Duante Culpepper threw for 282, including 4 catches for 98 yards for Randy Moss, while Willis McGahee added two TDs as Tampa Bay built a 24-7 lead at the half and limited Texas to a field goal in the second half. LA 9 CHI 13 In the only game truly affected by weather, whipping cold winds in Chicago made things tough for both offenses as the wind chill reached below zero. The big winner here was the Machine pass rush, who sacked Cade McNown 7 times (only 2 more than Jeff George suffered on this bitterly cold day). Brian Urlacher looked right at home in the cold, snagging 6 tackles, a sack, a pick, a forced fumble and a recovery to be named a Defensive Player of the Week. Chicago won the game thanks to those turnovers, getting 10 points off of turnovers in what was otherwise a battle of field position. OAK 10 MGN 35 Just as the first game for Tom Coughlin went well in Baltimore, new Panther Head Coach Dick LeBeau began his first season with Michigan doing something the Panthers could not do at all in 2003, winning a game. Michigan looked dominant, with Drew Brees going 20 for 27 and throwing 4 TDs. The run game still struggled, with rookie Chris Perry gaining only 30 yards on 16 carries, but Brees found success against the Oakland defense. Trent Green, in his first start for Oakland, completed only 18 of 39 passes for 164 yards as the Panthers took this one easily. LV 21 OHI 27 Ohio struggled a bit in their first game as repeat champions, but found a way to win. Kerry Collins completed 14 of 20 passes, but Las Vegas limited him to only 148 yards. Meanwhile Akili Smith threw for 340, revealing some issues in the Ohio secondary. And yet, Ohio led from the half on in a game where they seemed content to hand the ball off, and run down clock rather than try out new offensive fireworks. The strategy worked as the Glory held on to win by 7. SEA 10 PIT 24 In the last game of the weekend, Pittsburgh won the battle of trendy preseason picks. They were able to get the W by holding Seattle to only 1 of 11 on third down, a conversion rate that killed a lot of Dragon drives. Charlie Batch went out of the game with an injury in the 3rd quarter, but with Pittsburgh up 17-3, all Alex Van Pelt had to do was keep the clock moving, and he got a lot of help from Terrell Davis to do so. Pittsburgh would end the game with a 36-24 time of possession edge. First Impressions Looking at the best of new players in new places, we have to start with Boston’s new big time receiver, Chad Ochocinco. The former Glory wideout started off his first season in Boston with a 2-touchdown game as the Cannons looked very dangerous against Arizona. Another receiver impressing his new home fans was Star wideout Amani Toomer, who caught 6 balls for 82 yards and his first Philadelphia TD. Things were a little tougher for the relocated halfbacks, particularly Stephen Davis in Arizona, as he was able to accrue only 2 yards on 11 carries, a very familiar refrain of frustration for Wrangler fans as Arizona again struggled to create holes for their backs to run through. Rashaan Salaam, starting his first full season with Oakland, fared no better, averaging only 1.9 yards per carry against the Panthers. And, of course, one of the newest playes in Oakland, QB Trent Green, was also in the spotlight, Green completed only 18 of 39 passes (46.2%) and only gained 164 yards against a Michigan secondary that is not considered one of the league’s best. We already mentioned the first game success of Deion Sanders in New Jersey, but he was not alone in making a good first impression for his new club. Sean Gilbert locked down the center of the line for Tampa’s defense, making 3 tackles and helping to limit Texas’s T.J. Duckett to 2.7 YPC. KGB did not record a sack for the Knights, but the Nashville defense was solid against the Stars. Looking at the rookies, yes, Ben Roethlisberger got a lot of attention for his Week 1 appearance, but of all the rookies who started the week, we have to give special kudos to Houston WR Roy Williams, who looked like the sharpest receiver, catching 3 of 4 targets, 2 for first downs. Both big safeties, Pittsburgh’s Sean Taylor and Washington’s Bob Sanders also acquitted themselves well in their first action of the year. COACHING DEBUTS Speaking of rookies, we should applaud the rookie coaches, yes, we know, each is a pretty veteran guy and hardly a rookie in the true sense, but still, their first games went well. LeBeau and Coughlin both got solid wins in their first games at the helm of their new clubs. Steve Spurrier’s return to Tampa Bay was very impressive as well, as the Bandits played with a swagger we simply have not seen in a while. Only Arizona’s Jim Fassel came away from the week with a loss, but opening the year with a road game in Boston was a tough task to be sure. The win by Michigan was perhaps the most impressive as the Panthers not only beat the visiting Invaders pretty handily (25 point margin), but looked disciplined doing it, something that had been lacking under Mike Martz. Michigan got called for only 2 penalties (one a bit dubious as well), and were an impressive 6 of 12 on third down. Yes, we know, Oakland is not Ohio, so a win at home against a 2-win Invader squad is not exactly a sign of dominance, but for a Panther squad that went winless in 2003, this is a very good start. In Baltimore, Tom Coughlin’s group was tested by Birmingham, and by the injury to Ryan Leaf, but they percevered and pulled out a win in overtime. That is a good sign of the character and culture Coach Coughlin is trying to instill in the Blitz, a team that for too long has seemed content with mid-table finishes. The next few weeks, with Roethlisberger thrust into a starting role, will be a big test for Baltimore, but with a lot of veteran players on this squad there is no shortage of experience and leadership to help Coach Coughlin get the message out about play after play and week after week effort. Trouble Ahead? We are only 1 week into the season and the Breakers may already be facing an issue with their lead running back. After serving a 4-game suspension last year for a failed drug tests, reports out of New Orleans that Ricky Williams may have failed another test this week could lead to major issues. Williams would face a season-long suspension if the test is verified and once again Williams tests positive for marijuana. The Breakers have not released an official statement, but voices out of their team offices were sounding very nervous this week. Williams is slated to play this weekend as the Breakers host Seattle, but an announcement at any time could radically alter the plans for the Breakers’ offense at any point before Sunday. It is expected that a decision would come down no later than tomorrow (Thursday), but even if the decision is appealed and Williams is able to play this weekend, the uncertainty and the distraction are certainly unwelcome for Coach Nolan and the Breakers. While the back injury to Baltimore QB Ryan Leaf was the headliner this week, the good news is that Leaf is expected to make a full recovery within a month. The same is not true for Jacksonville LB Lavar Arrington, who could miss anywhere from 2-3 months after a full tear of his quad on his left leg. Arrington was untouched on the play, chasing down a receiver and then simply collapsed as the muscle was stretched beyond its capacity. The Bulls are not putting their star outside linebacker on IR, in hopes he can return in 8 weeks, but that is a very ambitious timetable. Another defender who could be out well over a month is newly-arrived Machine DT Ted Washington. Washington suffered a knee injury midway through the Machine’s opening game. It was determined to be a meniscus tear, and Washington will be sidelined at least 4 weeks. Other significant injuries in this opening week include Memphis DE Dameaion Jeffries (2-4 weeks, disc), Houston LB Nick Barnett (2-4 weeks, fractured jaw), Bulls’ guard Mike Verstegen (1-2 weeks, thigh), and Arizona WR Tim Dwight (1-2 weeks, wrist). Doubtful or questionable for Week 2 we have Mauler LT Korey Stringer (shoulder), Breaker HB Troy Davis (pinched nerve), Seattle HB Corey Dillon (tendinitis), and Washington WR Cedric Tillman (tendinitis). Expected to play are Pittsburgh QB Charlie Batch (concussion) and Orlando QB Joey Harrington (toe). Las Vegas Unable to Get Permits for Temporary Seating The saga of the Thunder and their attempts to add 11,000 temporary seats to UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium continued this week as the city of Las Vegas refused to grant emergency clearance for the addition of the seating to the 30,000 seat stadium. The hope had been that a last minute clearance could allow the team to install the seating in time for a Week 3 game against the Dragons. With the failure of this effort, the Thunder will be limited to the stadium’s 30,000 seat capacity at least until Week 9. The process proposed by the Thunder to add this significant temporary structure to the stadium requires at least 2-3 weeks to complete, and the only road trip long enough to accommodate it is a 3-game swing weeks 6-7-8 that sees Las Vegas in Oakland, New Orleans, and Philadelphia before returning to Sam Boyd for a Week 9 clash with LA. Even that option seems unlikely as it would require a new clearance and OSHA approval by Week 4 at the latest. It very well may be that the 2004 Thunder have moved from a Portland Civic Stadium with a 34,000 seat capacity to a stadium in Las Vegas with only 30,000 seats, at least for this season. Glendale Plans Move Forward On the other side of the stadium situation we find the Arizona Wranglers. Arizona, working closely with the NFL Cardinals and the state government, are moving ahead with plans for a new retractable roof domed stadium in nearby Glendale, Arizona. The new stadium would be the first of its kind as it would have the capacity for the entire turf tray to move between the stadium floor and an outdoor location where it would benefit from Arizona’s everpresent sun. This would allow both the Cardinals and Wranglers to play on a real grass field while also playing in a climate controlled environment. The City of Glendale was convinced to approve the plan after both the NFL and USFL agreed to locate Championship games in the new facility within 5 years of its completion. The unanimous approval by the city council means construction can begin in earnest, and the stadium could be completed in time for the Fall 2006 NFL season. If all goes to plan, both the Wranglers and Cardinals would call the stadium home, meaning that Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium would no longer host either team. The USFL would almost certainly be the first to place a championship in Arizona, as the NFL has booked out their Super Bowls through 2009, while the USFL plan only goes as far as 2006 (Orlando in 2004, Houston in 2005, and Philadelphia in 2006), meaning that the USFL could host Summer Bowl 2007 in Arizona at the conclusion of the stadium’s first year of occupancy. A Stadium without a Team? An intriguing but somewhat odd bit of stadium news as the city council of Portland has approved plans to move ahead with their East Side stadium project despite the departure of the Thunder to Las Vegas. The plans for a 50,000 seat stadium make little sense for the city unless there is high confidence that an ownership group is forming that could put together a viable bid for a 2008 USFL expansion franchise. The 50,000 seat partially roofed stadium which was originally designed as a home for the Thunder is too small for a potential NFL expansion club (and we know the NFL has no current plans to grow beyond the current 32 franchises), and far too large for the small 1-AA program of local Portland State. The vote to approve construction might well indicate that an ownership group heretofore unknown in the region, has informed the city of their plans, swaying votes on the council to construct the stadium, and that Portland will indeed be a potential bidder for the two USFL expansion teams to be added in 2008. Week 2 brings us our first divisional action as all 12 Eastern Conference teams battle within their divisions. We are excited to see the matchup between New Jersey and Washington, an early season showdown that could set the tone for the Northeast this season. With those two matching up, that leaves Philadelphia to host the Blitz and rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger. In the Southeast it is Tampa Bay hoping to go to 2-0 but facing a tough Jacksonville team, even with Arrington unable to play. Boston is on the road as they visit Orlando. In the Central Division, Ohio will face their first divisional test as they host Chicago. Meanwhile Michigan, fresh off their first win in over a year, will head to Pittsburgh to face a very good looking Mauler squad. In the West, the best of the interdivisional games could be Houston at LA, as the Gambler D tries to slow down that LA Express balanced attack. Denver is in Memphis as both 0-1 teams try to get their first W of the season. The same is true for the Stallions and the Wranglers as they face off in Legion Field. Seattle and New Orleans both came off disappointing first games, and now clash in the Super Dome. In Nashville, the Knights can move to 2-0 if they can hold off the Las Vegas Thunder, while the Oakland Invaders hope to get their first win against a Texas club that did not look ready for prime time in Week 1.

Part two of our 2004 USFL Season Preview and we turn our eyes on the teams and their possibilities this year. Having realized a long time ago that we simply were not good at forecasting the USFL, we have brought in experts to do the impossible for us. We start our look at 2004 by bringing in three of the most respected voices in the world of football, starting with former Oakland Raiders Head Coach and current NFL commentator John Madden. JOHN MADDEN (CBS Sports) “What do I see when I look at the USFL? I see an exciting league with a lot of exciting players, playing in a wide open format. Reminds me a lot of the old AFL where I got my start. You got these guys, I mean, you got Collins and George in Ohio just putting up points, but then you have someone like Washington, trying to play it classically by playing defense and handing the ball off to McCallister. It’s a blast, it really is.” “So what do I see this year? Well, that Culpepper signing is something special. You see him down in Tampa with Randy Moss and Coach Spurrier, and you know it’s gonna be wild, just chuck it deep and let Moss run under it. But they have McGahee too, and he is a ballplayer. That guy can juke and spin, and just make things happen.” “I like Ohio again, how do you not, but keep an eye on what Steve (Spurrier) is doing down in Tampa Bay. I think they will put it together quickly. And out West, that is tougher. What do you do with Denver? I mean they like to play like its 1968, but do they have the horses to pull it off? And now you have Keyshawn in Los Angeles, that could be fun to watch. But I love defense, so I am going to pick Houston to rebound and make a run. They have two monsters on the D-line, and they just added a really good corner in Shaun Springs. That could make a huge difference for them. So I am going to go with Ohio and Houston as my two picks.” CHRIS BERMAN, ESPN “ You know everyone is going to talk about Ohio, oh… Madden already picked them. I believe that. Ok, so let’s just say it is not Ohio, because it is so hard to repeat, and now they lose Chad Ochocinco, that has to be a blow. So, we look at who else might be there. Pittsburgh was close last year, they were close, but not quite there, and I don’t know if Charlie Batch can get them there, but Terrell Davis is for real, and that defense is for real too. Now they add Sean Taylor, who was just a beast at the U, that is a big add.” “And I like what the Wranglers are doing. They basically bring in two head coaches, Jim Fassel, who you know will get that defense a lot tighter, and then Greg Landry, a guy who really understands USFL football, and you give him not only Jake Plummer to work with, but also a veteran like Stephen Davis and the best rookie receiver since Randy Moss with Larry Fitzgerald from Pitt. That is quite a combo.” “So, the Swami is looking at Pittsburgh and Arizona as two teams on the rise, and if it is not going to be Ohio for a third year, one of those two might be in position to knock them out.” TROY AIKMAN, FOX “You know I want to talk about the Bandits, but I am going to put that aside and talk about a team that is still somehow sneaking under everyone’s radar, New Orleans. Yes, they made a big splash signing Eli Manning out from under the San Diego Chargers, but I still see Trent Dilfer running the show this year. Let the rookie watch and learn, maybe get him some late game action, but don’t rush him. The Breakers are a team that wins with defense and by giving their backs the ball. Don’t change that. They came really close last year, almost knocked off the Glory in the Summer Bowl. They are going to be tough again this year” “In the East, I don’t know. Washington is always there. Pittsburgh is solid. And the Southeast could go any direction, even Boston could be there when it is all over. So, let me talk about Boston for a minute. They go out and sign away Chad Ochocinco from the Glory, which hurts Ohio, but also gives Drew Bledsoe something he has never really had with this club, a true #1 receiver. I like that move a lot. I also like that they brought in Troy Brown as a good slot option or maybe even the #2, and then they have Tiki Barber, who is only getting better now that teams have to double up on Johnson. I think Boston could surprise some folks. So there you have it. Three football experts all trying their best not to focus exclusively on the Ohio Glory and the attempt to threepeat. In a league with 24 clubs and a history of making a repeat, much less a threepeat, nearly impossible, anything can happen. All 24 clubs made moves this year to try to compete at the top level, to dethrone the champion or to just get better. So who was successful in doing it. We scoured all the moves, all the new faces, and we tried our best to figure out the mystery of who can take on the Ohio Glory and compete for a title. Here is our look, division by division, starting with the Central, home to the 2-time champion, and moving through the league, as we explore what is new for each team and explore their possibilities for the 2004 season. COACH: Al Luginbill 2003 RECORD: 12-2, League Champion OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The departure of Chad Ochocinco was the biggest disruption to the league champions. You don’t lose 1,000 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns and just brush it off. The Glory signed Philadelphia veteran Troy Brown to step in at #2, but expect to also see a lot of rotating faces at receiver, including 3rd year WR Reche Caldwell, 2nd year WR Justin Gage, and smatterings of Malcolm Floyd and Tyree Davis as well. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Ohio’s free agent signings, other than Brown, were largely depth-builders, players like NFL halfback Patrick Pass and DE Chris Combs. In the draft they added two prospects at OT, including South Carolina’s Travelle Wharton, who starts the year at RT. Another Buckeye, Craig Krenzel, starts the year as the #3 QB. All in all we don’t see a lot of big contributions coming from new players this year. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: As long as the Glory have Collins, Galloway, and George working together on offense, this team will put up points. They may have slipped a step, but is that enough for others to catch up to them? Pittsburgh and Chicago will try, but we think their only real competition will be from outside of the division. We see them going 13-3 and potentially being a #1 seed and a favorite to get back to the Summer Bowl again. COACH: Jack Bicknell 2003 RECORD: 9-5, 2nd in Central OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The trade that put Pittsburgh into position to draft and then sign Sean Taylor is a huge story for the Maulers. Taylor is an early favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year based on his days at Miami. But the departures of 9 players from a roster that was not all that deep should not be ignored. The late retirement of David Rocker also means that Pittsburgh’s run defense may need time to figure out a Plan B. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: It is all about Taylor, which makes sense. That was a big move by the Maulers, and they got the man they wanted. The only other rookie who we expect to see a lot of playing time right away is K-State center Nick Leckey, who should be a regular up front. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Maulers feel like a team on the rise. They are fast on defense and have top level talent at both WR (Rison) and HB (Davis), but we still are unsold on Charlie Batch as a championship caliber QB. It is question no one wants to address in Pittsburgh, but it is the big question going into a season where once again the Maulers will be chasing Ohio. Our pick is for 9-5 again, and 2nd place again. COACH: Marty Mornhinweg 2003 RECORD: 9-5, 3rd in Central OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: It is not a story Machine fans want to hear, but the departures seemed to outweigh the new arrivals for Chicago. Losing T John Thierry (retirement), WR Johnnie Morton (NFL), DT Sean Gilbert (Free Agency), and G Leo Goeas (Free Agency) is a lot of quality no longer with the Machine. We do like that they addressed the O-line by bringing in Jim Pyne, the All-USFL-quality center from Washington, and DT Darwin Walker could also be a good add, but it does not feel like enough to keep pace, much less gain ground on Ohio or Pittsburgh. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: We mentioned Pyne and Walker, which is basically the main influx of veteran talent. In the draft we also find a dearth of immediate impact players. TE Ben Hartsook will get some snaps, as will NC State product Sean Locklear at guard, but we do not see a gamebreaker in this year’s draft for Chicago. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Machine picked a bad year to more or less stand pat. While other teams were wheeling and dealing, Chicago did very little to upgrade their roster. That does not feel like a good plan in a division that has a dominant team and a second club in ascension. We think the Machine take a step back, which might prod them to do more next year. How does 6-8 motivate the Machine? COACH: Dick LeBeau 2003 RECORD: 0-14, 4th in the Central OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Starting over, that is the story. Coach Dick LeBeau takes over a team that was just miserable all season and needs to make sweeping changes. The Panthers’ offense had absolutely no punch, despite generally high regard for QB Drew Brees’s abilities. Of course, not needing a QB meant that Michigan could trade out of the top spot in the draft and pick up more picks to get more young talent. The question is whether or not Dick LeBeau can mold a young roster into winners any time soon. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: The draft for the Panthers was dedicated to trying to get some playmakers on offense. They signed Michigan HB Chris Perry out of the T-Draft, and then added two wideouts in Washington State’s Devard Darling and Texas A&M’s Jamaar Taylor. They also signed two potential starters on their desperately needy offensive line, Florida tackle Max Starks and Nebraska center Josh Sewell. Adding veteran tackle Mike Gandy was also an important move. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: It will be a long road back for the Panthers. We like some of the young talent, and if lineplay gets better, that will help a lot. With more of a disciplinarian in LeBeau in charge this club will not shoot itself in the foot nearly as often, and we think that alone could be worth a win or two. We see Michigan with 3-4 wins as a realistic expectation and 7 wins as a best case scenario. COACH: Gunther Cunningham 2003 RECORD: 9-5, 1st in Southeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The Bulls were another quiet team this offseason. No big signings, no draft day dramatics, so the biggest story was clearly receiver Terrell Owens’s decision to jump to the NFL. Owens will certainly be missed, but the emergence of Anquon Boldin last year as a rookie certainly helps Bulls fans feel like they still have a #1 to turn to. The question now becomes who will be the #2 receiver? Rookie Rashaun Woods could be there by year’s end, but for now it looks like Coach Cunningham will have alternate between Javon Walker and NFL signing Tai Streets. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Streets will get a shot at the #2 receiver spot, but seems better suited in the slot. LB Allen Aldridge should be a nice addition to the LB corps, but the most excitement is around rookie WR Rashaun Woods, who has speed, but is a bit rough on his routes. That will take coaching, but the talent is there. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Bulls will look very much as they did in 2003. Is that good enough to retain the lead in the Southeast. We are not so sure. Boston, and even Tampa Bay could be ready to give them a run for the title this year. We think they slip a bit, perhaps snagging a Wild Card, perhaps not. Our pick is for Jacksonville to finish right in the middle of the league, 7-7 just feels very possible this year. COACH: John Fox 2003 RECORD: 7-7, 2nd in Southeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Landing Chad Ochocinco was a huge move for the Cannons. After 2 years without a true #1 wideout, QB Drew Bledsoe now has one of the most dynamic weapons in the game at his disposal. Ochocinco will be a distraction at times, no doubt, but he will also force defenses to adjust, which will allow more room for Tiki Barber, and if Boston can score just a few more points per game, they could easily leapfrog to the top of the division. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: In addition to Ochocinco, Boston nabbed two potential contributors in the draft, with DE Jason Babin being the biggest get. Adding NC State receiver Jerricho Cotchery could also be a nice addition for the Cannons, who plan to place him in the slot. Not as big in media coverage, but certainly for Coach Bicknell, was landing Wrangler CB Fred Smoot, a nice addition to a secondary that at times last year looked lost. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: Boston feels like another team on the ascent. After countless losing seasons in Atlanta, the relocated Cannons were decent at 7-7 in their first year in Boston. Fans will now expect more, and we think this Cannon club can deliver on that. They are our pick to win the division, and we think 10 wins is within grasp. COACH: Steve Spurrier 2003 RECORD: 4-10, 3rd in Southeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Bandit Ball is back! Sure, the media guys have never said it left, but the deal that brought Coach Steve Spurrier back to Tampa Bay is huge for the Bandits. It means not only media attention and local swagger, but a real chance to rekindle the magic of the early years of the Bandits. And Spurrier does not come empty-handed, his moves in January to trade Trent Green to Oakland and bring in NFL QB Duante Culpepper have the Gulf Coast buzzing about the deep ball from Culpepper to Moss. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: The Culpepper signing is all anyone can talk about in Tampa, and it certainly is huge, but we think adding Sean Gilbert on the D-line and Miami Hurricane LB Jonathan Vilma in the LB Corps may even be more impactful. Tampa Bay also signed a very intriguing CB in tiny Tusculum’s Ricardo Colclaugh. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Bandits have some big time playmakers on offense, and they may have a decent defense as well with these three additions. 7-9 wins feels very possible for this newly-energized Bandit squad. COACH: George O’Leary 2003 RECORD: 3-11, 4th in Southeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Dropping from 12-4 to 3-11 in only 2 seasons is not a good look for O’Leary and the Renegades. This is the vital 3rd season for QB Joey Harrington, who definitely seemed to regress after a decent rookie season in 2002. If he is not the answer, then Orlando could be in trouble again. They brought in two backups in former NFL QB Jeff Blake and former Heisman winner Koy Detmer, but this season will likely still depend on the development of Harrington. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: The best case scenario for Orlando is that the two QB’s brought in to back up Harrington never see the field. But other new faces should, including rookie TE Ben Troupe, Ohio State product Michael Jenkins at WR, and free agent signing Corey Sears at DE. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Renegades still seem a bit lost on both sides of the ball. What is their identity? It used to be defined in part by QB Scott Mitchell and DE Chris Doleman, but they are both gone, so what does Orlando have to stand on? Not much yet, and that could spell another rough year. We see 3-4 wins as a likely cap for a team that needs to find its identity. COACH: Paul Hackett 2003 RECORD: 13-1, First in Northeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Which is larger, 11 different players leaving via free agency or retirement, or the the new faces in town. Well, the good news is that very few of those who left were starters, and at least 1-2 of the new arrivals are likely to slot right into the Feds’ roster. Honestly, the Federals live and die by their defense and we think the addition of rookie SS Bob Sanders might make them just a bit better. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Sanders was the biggest get, after failed attempts to trade with Tampa to draft Sean Taylor. Will being a clear 2nd choice give Sanders a chip on his shoulder. Washington hopes he comes to town with something to prove. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Federals are still what they were last year, a team that controls the ball, shuts you down on third down, and keeps games close. They lost a shootout to Ohio in the playoffs last year, but really did not do much to add more to the offense, which tells us that they think they have what they need for a title run. We are not so sure. They may still win the division, but a lot of teams have improved this offseason, and one challenger is right behind them in the form of the Generals. We think 11-3 may be about as good as the Feds can be this year in a tougher season for them. COACH: Bill Parcells 2003 RECORD: 9-5, 2nd in Northeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Prime Time, that is the story. Ok, not the whole story, but adding the best cornerback in football is a gamechanger for the Generals. They basically just cancelled out the best receiver for each opponent, forcing QB’s to look for alternatives while also running away from the ageless Phil Hansen. And to make it even more challenging, New Jersey upgraded other positions on defense as well. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Adding Prime Time was huge, but signing rookie DT Tommie Harris of Oklahoma and LB Dontarrious Thomas from Auburn make the Generals better in all three levels of their defense. Sean Ellis, Phil Hansen, and now Tommie Harris are going to make life very difficult for opposing offenses. A good draft and one of the biggest free agent signings have to make Coach Parcells happy. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: So we know about the defense, what about Tom Brady and the offense? We are still concerned that Terry Glenn is a one-man show in the receiving corps. Yes, TE Anthony Becht is solid, but he is not Shannon Sharpe or Keith Jackson. And we cannot overlook that HB Curtis Enis has not averaged 4 yards per carry since 2000. Is that enough offense in a league where the Ohio Glory have been blowing the doors off people? Maybe not, but at least in the division, New Jersey seems to be matching up well against Washington. We see them challenging the Federals. 10-11 wins for New Jersey is a very solid goal. COACH: Tom Coughlin 2003 RECORD: 6-8, 3rd in Northeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The Blitz got the hard-nosed disciplinarian they wanted to lead the club, and then they went out and got a big ol’ hoss of a QB for the future. Two very exciting moves for a club that has languished in the middle of the pack for a long time. We love both signings, but we are a bit worried about how the challenge of Ben Roethlisberger will impact starting QB Ryan Leaf. And if Leaf falters, will the finicky Baltimore crowd start calling for Big Ben? That will be a situation worth monitoring. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Trading with Michigan and then signing Roethlisberger feels like a very big shift in the philosophy of the usually tepid and reserved Blitz ownership. The rest of the offseason felt much more like them, signing role players like LB Mike Maslowski or TE Jay Riemersma and having a pretty quiet post-Big Ben draft. So did they do enough? OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: Coach Coughlin is trying to ground expectations in Baltimore. This is not a quick fix project. A new culture is needed, a new leader has to develop, and a new identity, but we think the Blitz are headed in the right direction. It may take a few years to develop but we like what we see this year. Probably still in the 6-7 win range, but with more potential to be dangerous. COACH: Jim Mora Jr 2003 RECORD: 4-10, 4th in Northeast OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Coach Mora enters the season very much aware that he is on the hotseat. There are plenty of folks who thought retaining him after a 4-win season was a mistake. The coach has shaken things up, letting veteran HB Stephen Davis go, bringing in Amani Toomer from LA, and then signing a Penn State legend who has had a rough go of pro football in Ki-Jana Carter. Desperation or deliberation? That is the question with the Stars rebuild. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: We like the signing of Toomer as well as of SS Sam Shade of the Maulers. Not so sure about Ki-Jana Carter, but he will largely serve as a change of pace back to big Larry Johnson. Honestly, the best signing was NFL guard Damien Woody, a roadgrater in the run game and a solid pass protection guy too. Brian Griese has some new weapons, and should have more protection. Can that pay off for him and the Stars? OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Stars feel to us like a team that needed a major rebuild but got a few tweaks on the fringes instead. It just does not feel like enough for them to be able to make headway in a division with two very heavy hitters in Washington and New Jersey. We think 4-5 wins may be the cap again for Philly, and if that is the case, then the rebuild begins next year at the head coach position. COACH: Mike Nolan 2003 RECORD: 9-5, 1st in Southern Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Archie’s kid is coming to the Big Easy! That’s all anyone can talk about in New Orleans these days. Nevermind that the Breakers made it all the way to the Summer Bowl and played the Glory quite close without Eli Manning. It seems that after the USFL missed out on his older brother Peyton, now one of the NFL’s superstars, they were not going to miss out on the younger Manning boy. Eli comes to New Orleans, but as of now the starter remains Trent Dilfer. Could Eli actually sit for a year, or will we see him on the field at some point this season? If you leave it up to the fans in N’awlins, he would be on the field one way or another. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: The unspoken story for the Breakers is that they managed to make it to a Summer Bowl and not suffer a mass exodus as teams picked apart their roster. New Orleans lost no starters and only 6 bench players in free agency. They didn’t spend big either, focusing, clearly, on the draft. So what about the draft? Anyone not named Manning going to get some attention? There are two players, actually, who we should keep an eye on. Fullback Thomas Tapeh comes from Minnesota and should be a day 1 starter. Tight End Chri Cooley from Utah State has also looked very good in camp and could see significant playing time. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Breakers sort of snuck up on us all, barely holding off Birmingham to take the division and then upsetting both LA and Denver on the road to make the title game. They will not be able to sneak up on anyone this year. That said, they still look like the most complete team in the division, and possibly in the entire conference. They don’t have the explosiveness of LA, but they have a very solid squad top to bottom. That will get you far in this league. We see 11-3 and a run at the #1 seed as very much their goal for the year. COACH: Dennis Franchione 2003 RECORD: 8-6, 2nd in Southern Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The loss of Deion Sanders was a big hit for a team that was not living up to its potential on defense even with the future Hall of Famer. When we add in the losses of DE Cedric Scott, LB Barrett Green, and DE Renaldo Turnbull, Coach Franchione finds himself rebuilding the entire defense. That is sure to put even more pressure on Favre and the offense to put up points. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Birmingham tried to plug holes with the draft this year. DE Antwan Odom from Alabama, LB Darrell McGlover form Miami, but we are not sure if either will start for the Stallions. Odom will almost certainly get some field time as players rotate in opposite Mike Rucker, but what will his impact be? OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: Franchione’s first year at Legion Field was a good one, moving Birmingham to 8-6 and a Wild Card game. From what we see his second year may be tougher. The Stallions lost some talent, and did not make big moves to replace it. Their roster screams “middle of the pack” to us, so we are going to say 7-7 and perhaps the Stallions get more aggressive next offseason. COACH: Jim Mora Sr. 2003 RECORD: 7-7, 3rd in the Southern Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: It was a bit of a rotating door in Memphis this summer, with 8 players leaving via free agency, but another 5 coming in. None were gamechangers, but that means that they did not gain any ground either. The 2002 Western Conference Champions fell hard last year as inconsistency plagued them all season. Coach Mora is going to need to get more out of them, particularly out of the defense and the run game, if the Showboats are going to rebound. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Memphis had a solid draft, with two week one starters in their haul, speedy wideout Lee Evans and center Casey Kramer. The other potential draftee who could see the field a lot is DT Marcus Tubbs, who could rotate in with Barron Tanner and Rashad Moore through out the year. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: Memphis is the kind of team that could go 10-4 if all goes well or 4-10 if it does not. They have talent, though some of it is getting a little long in the tooth, but do they have a coherent style of play? On defense the answer seems to be no, and they need one. We are going to split the two poles here and say that the Showboats could also end up around 7-7. COACH: Jim Johnson 2003 RECORD: 6-8, 4th in the Southern Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The early story was the loss of some pretty good players from last year’s disappointing 6-win club. Guard Gennary DiNapoli, LB Mike Caldwell, DT Don Sasa, FS Earl Little, these are players who will be missed. But, as the winter went on, the Knights kept on signing players, 5 solid free agents all told. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is the big name, and the Knights hope he will bring big numbers to the pass rush, but others like CB Otis Smith, WR Kevin Lockett, DT Kris Jenkins, and DE Ta’ase Famui are going to contribute as well. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: It is getting crowded in the Defensive End group with the arrival not just of veterans KGB and Famui, but with a really good looking late round draft pick, Jared Allen out of Idaho State. Allen was by no means guaranteed a spot on the roster, but we now expect to see him in games this year, as he has moved up to the swing position behind KGB and Osi Umenyiura. With the ability to rotate players on the ends, expect Nashville to improve their sack totals and cause more turnovers this season. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: If Nashville does see an uptick in both turnovers and sacks, they could easily move from basement to penthouse in this very even division. The key to the offense is still Ahman Green, but the defense has talent at all three levels, especially on the line, where plays can be made or blown up. We like what Nashville has done, and we are going to pick them to challenge New Orleans. 9-5 and in the mix is our pick. COACH: Dick Jauron 2003 RECORD: 11-3, First in the Southwest Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Retirements were the story in Denver. Free agency was not bad for them, but they had 4 important players all call it a career this offseason. WR Dedric Smith, LB Marvcus Patton, FS Mark Carrier, and C Jay Leeuwenberg are all important veteran leaders and solid players. They will be hard to replace, and that could spell trouble for the Gold. Denver was stunned by New Orleans in the Western Championship, and that will sting for a while, but without veteran leadership, they may have trouble returning to those heights. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Denver did what Denver always seems to do, go small, spend little, and try to get guys who fit the system. No one is jumping over the moon at the signings of rookies like WR Devery Henderson or DE Marquise Hill, but you can bet they will be asked to contribute. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: It is amazing that Denver can so regularly be one of the league’s better teams and yet at the same time be so utterly boring. Aside from the Rashaan Salaam situation a couple of years back, there is rarely anything exciting to talk about in Denver, either on the field or off. Expect the Gold to somehow crush out 9-10 wins this year. What may be actually interesting about that is that it may not be enough as we see 2 other teams in the division headed their way. COACH: Chan Gailey 2003 RECORD: 7-7, 2nd in Southwest Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Texas made the playoffs, despite losing in week 14 last year, but they cannot count on luck and tiebreakers to get any further. They also cannot count on any game-changing stars headed to town. The Outlaws had one of the quieter offseasons. No big trades, no NFL signings, just a few depth-building free agents. It was dull, to be honest. And we worry that dull is not going to work for Texas this year. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Still trying to figure out why Texas let UT wideout Roy Williams slip out of the T-Draft and end up with rival Houston. That seemed like such a no-brainer pick for the Outlaws. But it happened, leaving Texas with a somewhat underwhelming draft class headlined by Oregon DT Igor Olshansky and Texas CB Nathan Vasher. Just not a lot of excitement generated there. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: We honestly think Texas stayed about the same talent-wise, but we think both Arizona and Houston got significantly better, so that does not bode well for the Outlaws. We say they slip to around 5-9 and find themselves at the bottom of the division by season’s end. COACH: Jim Fassel 2003 RECORD: 6-8, 3rd in Southwest Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: The Wranglers had just about the opposite offseason as the Outlaws, making big moves, signing big names, and getting their fanbase excited about a new coaching staff and some new weapons. Jim Fassel begins his tenure in Arizona with a lot of good will as he brings with him both LB Karlos Dansby and WR Larry Fitzgerald, two very good looking rookies. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: We will certainly hear a lot about Fitzgerald and Dansby this season, but we should not forget that perhaps the most relevant signing to the success or failure of Arizona’s 2004 season is not one of the big rookies, but veteran HB Stephen Davis. It seemed like every year under HC Art Shell there was lip service paid to the run game and every year it fell apart. Can Davis be the catalyst to get an actual run game threat into the arsenal of the Wranglers? Or will Jake Plummer again lead the club in rushing? OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The pairing of Fitzgerald with Santana Moss and QB Jake Plummer is exciting to consider. We are also really intruged about a LB Corps that now boasts rookie Karlos Dansby alongside veterans Lance Briggs and Winfred Tubbs. Arizona could be ready for a big leap upward, though I feel we have said that in the past. We are going to be optimistic with them and say 10-4 and 1st place in the mix for the Wranglers. COACH: Wade Phillips 2003 RECORD: 4-10 and 4th in the Southwest. OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Two signings really lit a fire under the Gambler fans. The first was stealing CB Shaun Springs away from the NFL. He is a top level cover corner and lined up opposite Ronde Barber, Houston now has a 1-2 combo in the defensive backfield to parallel their killer 1-2 punch on the D-Line. The other was rookie WR Roy Williams from Texas. Expect a lot of Longhorn fans to be cheering for Williams each week. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Williams was the big name signing, the one nobody thought would get away from the Texas Outlaws, but he is headed to Houston, not San Antonio. But the other rookie surprise, adding OK State HB Tatum Bell in the second round was the true coup. They got lucky as Bell, for unknown reasons, started slipping, and the Gamblers were able to get him without having to move back up into the first round. Adding Bell and Williams to the Houston offense is going to be big. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Gamblers still have some issues to work out, and we are still not fully sold on Matt Hasselbeck with this offense, but the talent level is definitely there to make a run if they can stay organized and move the rookies along quickly. We think it is not outrageous to look at 9 wins for this club. COACH: Galen Hall 2003 RECORD: 10-4, First in the Pacific Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Up until Tampa Bay’s signing of Duante Culpepper, the biggest NFL-USFL transfer story had to be the return of Keyshawn Johnson to LA. A USC grad, Keyshawn has a larger than life personality and the talent to back it up. In LA that talent will be used to better control the ball, and to free up speedster Tory Holt deep. Keyshawn can also excel at deep balls, but with his frame we see him handling a lot of intermediate routes and forcing safeties to make impossible decisions on who to cover. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: LA got hit hard by free agency, with players like Amani Toomer, Travis Kirschke, Barry Minter, and Bryan Stoltenberg headed elsewhere. But they turned around and did well for themselves also, signing not only Keyshawn Johnson, but adding DT Norman Hand and LB Adalius Thomas. In the draft, LA targeted USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze early and despite being a high NFL pick, Udeze signed with the Express. They also added quality with WR Bernard Berrian of Fresno State and Tulane HB Mewelde Moore. A very good draft indeed for the Express. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: LA won the division last year before being unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by New Orleans. That loss has stung the Express and they look very much like a team on a mission. With Johnson, Moore, and Berrian joining Holt, Foster, and McNown, the Express have the makings of a top 3 offense, and that could mean a serious run to their first ever Summer Bowl appearance. We like them to win 10-12 games and fight for the top seed this year. COACH: Marvin Lewis 2003 RECORD: 8-6, 2nd in Pacific Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Coach Marvin Lewis got Seattle to the playoffs in his first year with the club, and while they looked good in beating Birmingham in the Wild Card round, they stumbled against Denver in the Divisionals. The Dragons found their QB in Byron Leftwich and this offseason they looked to improve the defense, adding FS Omar Stoutmire and LB Barry Minter. Unfortunately they lost All-USFL safety John Lynch to the NFL in the process. So are they better on defense or will Leftwich and the offense have to carry the team again? DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: Seattle’s draft was a bit of a head scratcher. We like DE Travis LaBoy from Hawai’I, but they went all over the map, selecting and signing WR Reggie Williams and QB Cody Pickett from UW in their T-Draft, but the only Open Draft signees were from the lower rounds, including two mid-round DTs who may not see much of the field. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The Dragons should be fun to watch, with Leftwich throwing to David Boston, Corey Bradford, Ashley Lelie, and newcomer Reggie Williams. They can still run as well, with Corey Dillon leading the way. But can their defense hold up? That will be the big question. We think another playoff run is possible, but we are not sure they can overtake LA this year. We say a Wild Card at 9-5. COACH: Joe Vitt 2003 RECORD: 6-8, 3rd in Pacific Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Inaction was the story as the Thunder clearly spent all their time trying to get the show up and running in the desert. Despite losing 3 players to the NFL (including HB Correll Buckhalter) and having both LB Greg Biekert and QB Rick Mirer leave to other USFL teams, the Thunder made only a few fringe signings of their own, snagging TE Brian Kozlowski from the NFL and adding some linebacker help in Shawn Barber and Antony Jordan in free agency. We like the addition of DeShea Townsend, and it was an upgrade to bring in Mike Vanderjagt to be the new kicker in Las Vegas, but this feels very much like treading water, and when you are 6-8, you really should not stand pat. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: While we were unimpressed with the Thunder’s free agent signings, we have no complaints about their draft, expect perhaps that they need to find a way to sign more players. They Added a solid safety in Georgia’s Sean Jones, got a good inside back to get tough yards in Notre Dame’s Julius Jones, and may have a mid-round steal in UCLA linebacker Brandon Chillar. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: The story this year feels like the story the past 2 years, the Las Vegas Thunder will go only as far as QB Akili Smith can take them. If he grows into the role, they could top .500, if not, they may turn to backup Aaron Brooks, obtained in trade from the Breakers. Hard to see either of those QB’s leading the Thunder deep into the playoffs, and isn’t that the goal? We say 6-8 once again. COACH: Dennis Green 2003 RECORD: 2-12, 4th in Pacific Division OFFSEASON’S BIG STORY: Dennis Green has his hands full, but he seems to be off to a better start than his predecessor. When he, just like the year before, had his top draft pick, another big-armed QB, slip through his grasp, he did not stay with the mediocre options on hand. He made a deal with Tampa Bay and brought a solid “bridge” QB to town in the form of Trent Green. Green (the QB, not the coach) has issues with staying healthy, which could be a concern, and he is certainly not a long-term solution, but he gives Oakland a much better chance to win some games this year. And for those still upset that both Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers turned down the Invaders, just remember that in 2005 we expect Cal QB Aaron Rodgers to go pro, so maybe the third time is the charm for the Invader faithful. DRAFT & FREE AGENCY FINDS: So, in addition to trading for Trent Green, what did Dennis Green do in the offseason? He made another swap, sending Robert Mathis to Philly for LB Henri Crockett. Crockett is an upgrade at the position, but we are worried that Mathis may have been on the path to being a very good edge rusher and Oakland may have given him away too cheaply. Other than that, and a few odd signings like punter Josh Bidwell (NFL), guard Glenn Roundtree (BOS), and safety Jerome Woods (TBY), not a lot until the draft. In the draft Oakland went for beef, signing OTs Vernon Carey (Miami) and Kirk Chambers (Stanford), and DT Dwan Edwards (Oregon State). From camp it looks like Carey will be the starter at LT, so that may be a bit of a wild ride this year. OUTLOOK & PREDICTION: It should not be hard to improve upon a 2-win season. They have a solid guy at QB, able to make smart calls and Burress, Stallworth and Fauria are a decent 1-2-3 option at receiver. If Rashaan Salaam or Justin Fargas can start finding holes behind that Invader line, the offense could be adequate. The defense needs to generate more pressure and more turnovers. If they can, Oakland could leap over Las Vegas and with 5-7 games but we don’t see a playoff run just yet.

Just ten days away from the start of the 22nd USFL season and there is a buzz in the air. The spring league has been basking in the glow of a superb signing period, with two of the top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft opting to play for the USFL. Add to that a solid number of NFL players opting to join the league, including a third big name QB who has left the fall for the spring and a chance to play closer to home. It has been a very exciting month since the USFL draft, and now, with training camps closing down, the last preseason games in just 2 days and the final roster adjustments ready to be made, the USFL is getting to prepared for the opening kickoff. It all begins on Friday, March 19th with a good opening game matchup as the Western Conference Champion New Orleans Breakers head up to RFK to face off against the team with the best regular season record last year, the Washington Federals. With all 24 clubs in interconference action in Week 1, we get intriguing matchups all across the schedule, ending with Sunday night’s matchup of Seattle at Pittsburgh, two up-and-coming clubs to be sure. But we get ahead of ourselves. The past month has given us plenty to talk about, and we will start our two part preview by looking at the last month before finishing up with a look forward to the 2004 season ahead of us. STEVER SPURRIER RISKS IT ALL AND WINS Two stories intertwined, and now two clubs who will have their histories intertwined as Oakland and Tampa Bay formed part of one of the more intriguing late offseason stories in several years. It began with the the drafting of Philip Rivers #2 overall by the Oakland Invaders. The Invaders, having swung and missed last season in their attempts to sign Carson Palmer out of USC, were dead set on getting a QB in this year’s draft. They scouted both Rivers and Miami of Ohio’s Ben Roethlisberger. When Baltimore traded with Michigan to jump to #1 and pick Big Ben, it all but guaranteed that Rivers would the the choice, and he was. But Rivers was also the choice of the New York Giants, and given the option between a pretty solid club in the largest media market in the country, and a club in full rebuild mode in Oakland, Rivers opted for the easier path, signing with the Giiants. Once again unable to sign their top pick in the draft, the Invaders were desperate to find a silver lining in what had become very dark clouds. That meant finding a quarterback who could legitimately be viewed as a long term solution for the Invaders. Of course, by February there are not a lot of those on the market. The best USFL free agent at the position was Mark Bulger, hardly a name that would quiet the outrage of Invader fans. The NFL had a couple of true quality quarterbacks in the free agent pool, but coming to Oakland did not seem an easy sell for an NFL defector. Enter Steve Spurrier and the Tampa Bay Bandits. With Tampa Bay not making a serious push to snag a rookie QB for Spurrier’s offense, the assumption had been that he had seen enough in Trent Green from the 2002 season (before an injury kept him out for nearly all of 2003) to feel comfortable going into the season with Green as the starter. Apparently that perception was false. Spurrier offered Green to the Invaders, and for a relatively reasonable price for a solid starting QB, though one with significant rehab still ongoing. Oakland could have the former Blitz and Bandit starter for two 2005 draft picks, a first-rounder and a third-rounder. It took Oakland less than 24 hours to review the proposal and accept it, sending Green to the Bay area to play for his 3rd team in 4 years. But what was Tampa Bay going to do at quarterback? They had not chosen one in the draft, the free agent pool was thin, and there was no way that Kent Graham was going to be the starter. Count on the Old Ball Coach to have a plan. It appears that in conversations with several NFL/USFL agents, Spurrier had learned that Tampa Bay was on the short list for one of the NFL’s most prized free agents, former University of Central Florida QB Duante Culpepper. The big receiver had spurned the advances of the USFL back in 1999 when he came out of UCF, but after several very good years in Minnesota, the chance to be a free agent, return to Florida, and perhaps the enticing opportunity of playing for Spurrier and throwing the ball to Randy Moss, made the deal one the All-Pro QB was happy to consider. After a tense 4 days when Bandit fans wondered what Spurrier had been up to, the announcement was made that a deal had been cut for Culpepper to join the Bandits. The reaction was immediate. The Sports Talk phonelines lit up, the Vegas oddsmakers immediately shifted Tampa Bay’s championship odds from 200-1 to only 30-1. Culpepper would bring instant clout to the Bandit offense, and an arm that can put fear into any defense. With Moss, HB Willis McGahee, and TE Jeremy Shockey, the Bandits could indeed bring back the vertical offense and multifaceted run/pass game that had made Spurrier a household name and a desired commodity. The Bandits were looking up, and in a division that feels very much unsettled, the fans have hope that the Bandits are in good hands and headed in the right direction. While the Duante Culpepper signing was certainly the most dramatic of the NFL/USFL Transfer Window, it was hardly the only signing that has the potential to impact the 2004 season. As expected the USFL made up some ground in the balance of transfer between the two leagues, with many NFL free agents available after the conclusion of the Super Bowl in late January. There would be a few departures from the USFL to the fall, most notably that of TE Kyle Brady to the NY Jets, DE Renaldo Turnbull to the Oilers, CB Tyrone Legette to the Chargers, and LB DeShone Myles to the Cowboys. However, when compared to the number of NFL players, many starters in the fall league, who would join USFL clubs and help fill up late offseason gaps in their rosters, the balance certainly leaned in favor of the spring league this time around. Looking at the signings this February, this is our pick for the 10 most influential moves from NFL to USFL, with Culpepper solidly at #1. 10) Reggie Tongue, S, Memphis—The Showboats continued to try to improve a defense that let them down last season, signing the former Chief and Seahawk centerfielder. Tongue is good in coverage and a solid tackler. He could slot in at either strong or free safety, though we expect he will end up at the strong safety position ahead of rookie Glenn Earl from Notre Dame. 9) Ki-Jana Carter, HB, Stars—The former Penn State star has struggled in the NFL with both injuries and the bad fortune of being a NY Jet. After bouncing around the league with Carolina and Green Bay, Carter all but sat out the 2003 season in an effort to rehab knees that had required surgery twice in 3 years. The rehab and subsequent private workouts must have impressed the Stars, who offered Carter a 2-year “Prove It” contract laden with incentives and a league minimum salary. 8) Jeff Gooch, LB, Orlando—The long time Buccaneer doesn’t even have to relocate to sign on with the Renegades. Gooch will be part of a very different LB corps, with Orlando also obtaining Zach Thomas from Arizona in the draft day trade that sent Larry Fitzgerald to the desert, and a promising rookie in 3rd rounder Marquise Cooper from Washington. 7) DE Grant Wistrom, DE, Baltimore—Tom Coughlin wants the Blitz to be a team that offensive coordinators fear. Wistrom is not a 20-sack guy, but he can play both the pass and the run and his presence could free up Andre Wadsworth or provide rookie LB Karlos Dansby with easy blitz options. 6) Orlando Brown, T, New Jersey—The Generals continue to try to rebuild an offensive line that got pretty hard by retirements and free agency. In addition to Brown, who comes over to the USFL after 10 seasons with the Browns/Ravens, the Generals have added Bulls guard Matt O’Dwyer, and drafted Dylan McFarland out of Montana to try to build up that line. 5) Ebenezer Ekuban, DE, Michigan—Sometimes it is creepy how close the moves of Baltimore and Michigan seem to be. Coach LeBeau is also interested in generating more pass rush, and Ekuban has been erratic with the Cowboys, but he has speed and a good swim move. Rotate him with Aaron Schobel, Anthony Abrahms, and Leonard Little and you could certainly keep offenses guessing. 4) Tutan Reyes, G, Washington—The Federals land themselves a solid NFL guard in Reyes. In several seasons with 3 of the 4 teams of the NFC South (Saints, Panthers, Bucs), Reyes has been a steadying influence and a good run blocker. 3) Shawn Springs, CB, Houston—One of the best defensive free agents in the NFL goes to one of the best defenses in the USFL. If you think that does not worry folks in Denver, San Antonio, and Phoenix, I think you are kidding yourselves. 2) Keyshawn Johnson, WR, Los Angeles—Before the Culpepper signing, all the talk was about the gamble that Coach Hall was taking bringing in Keyshawn. Truth is the former USC Trojan is perfect for the Express. An LA guy, a good route runner who can still handle the intermediate routes that will free up Tory Holt deep. Basically a pretty good move after the loss of Amani Toomer. Now, if Keyshawn can just stay happy and out of the media, the Express will be very glad they signed him. Yup, a big “if”. 1) QB Duante Culpepper, QB, Tampa Bay—This one is the gamechanger, the signing that could move the Bandits from the “and they also played this week” type of team into a headliner. Snagging the All-Pro quarterback will define the year for Coach Spurrier. If he can get him on the same page quickly with the returning Bandit skill players, the chance is there for Culpepper to help Tampa Bay do big things this year. DRAFT DISAPPOINTMENTS While it is certainly the focus of this preview to focus on the players who are suiting up this March with your favorite USFL teams, the reality each and every year is that the NFL and USFL are in a bidding war for talent, and each year there are as many disappointments for USFL fans as there are exciting signings. In addition to players moving back and forth in the Transfer Window, there is the matter of the two Collegiate Drafts, held only 2 weeks apart, and the subsequent war of agents and GMs trying to sign as many of the top picks as possible. While this year was very promising with many Top 20 picks signing with the USFL and a solid 51.1% signing rate of all picks, there were still some disappointing misses as the NFL also got their fair share of big name talent. Here is our list of the 10 most disappointing missed draft picks, players who opted for the NFL to the detriment of the USFL squad who drafted them. TE Kellen Winslow II, Tampa Bay (Signed with Browns): The Bandits had a pretty successful offseason, and they landed Winslow’s U. of Miami teammate Jonathan Vilma, which is a bigger need. Winslow felt like a luxury pick, and when the bidding war got serious with Cleveland, that luxury just got too pricey for the Bandits to stay competitive. TE Benjamin Watson, Memphis (Signed with Patriots): Tight End was a problem for the USFL this draft. They lose Winslow to the Browns and then Watson to the Patriots. Guess that makes Orlando the big winner for landing their T-Draft TE pick, Ben Troupe of Florida. HB Kevin Jones, Baltimore (Signed with Lions): Jones was going to be the Lightning to Ron Dayne’s thunder, at least that’s what fans (and likely Coach Coughlin) hoped. But the Hokie halfback was offered a chance to be a full-time starter in Detroit and balked at the prospect of playing second fiddle to the big back in Baltimore. QB J.P. Losman, Birmingham (Signed by Dolphins): You would think the prospect of spending a year or two behind Brett Favre, learning what he has to teach would be appealing, but apparently not. Losman took a shot at becoming a Week 1 starter in Miami, who struggled to only 6-wins with Jay Fiedler at QB. It was a weird pick for Birmingham, who certainly have more immediate needs, and a bit of a waste of a 1st round pick as Losman almost certainly would have been there in the second round, but it ends up being a truly wasted pick (as so many are) when the NFL offer was more enticing. OT Robert Gallery, Philadelphia (Signed with Raiders): The big burly tackle out of Iowa opted for the West Coast and a team that has more of an established offense. Can’t really blame him, but the Stars were hoping to lock down that LT position for a decade with Gallery. DT Vince Wolfork, Tampa Bay (Signed with Patriots): We said that Tampa Bay had an embarrassment of riches in the T-Draft thanks to the U. of Miami. They did. But they landed only one of the 4 players selected, and then they draft Wilfork in the Open draft and cannot close the deal there either. That has to bother Coach Spurrier, having that much talent available and missing out on most of it. HB Stephen Jackson, Las Vegas (Signed with Rams): The Thunder needed a big win at the HB position. Reuben Droughns did not pan out as they had hoped when he came over from Washington and they had hoped Jackson would be a slam dunk. Old school coach Joe Vitt did the Old School USFL move however, drafting two players at the same position within the first three rounds, so the Thunder were able to sign Notre Dame’s Julius Jones, not quite the speedster that Jackson is, but a good inside runner who might just help the Thunder mix up the offense a bit. CB Deangelo Hall, Baltimore (Signed with Falcons): Another bad blow for the Blitz. They lose out on their HB choice and on the top corner in the draft. Atlanta may have overpaid to sign Hall, but they have him now, whereas Baltimore is hoping to fill in with Chris McCallister (moving over from nickel), and, yes, the whole city is blind to anything that is not Big Ben related, but having a true shut-down corner was high on Coach Coughlin’s list of priorities. CB Chris Gamble (signed by the Panthers) and DE Will Smith (Signed by the Saints). Both were T-Draft choices for the two-time champion Ohio Glory, and both were elite prospects for a defense that simply pales in comparison with the Glory’s offensive starpower. Could Ohio have realistically signed both of them? Not likely, not with their cap limitations, but they were hoping to get at least one of them on board. QB Philip RIvers, Oakland (Signed with NY Giants): This one had to hurt Oakland. Yes, they recovered by trading with Tampa Bay for veteran Trent Green, but that makes two years in a row where the Invaders tried to land a young, charismatic franchise QB only to have the player opt to play in the NFL. Eventually the series of band-aid options will not be enough for the Invaders and they will have to do something to try to actually land a blue chip prospect at the position. But for now, Trent Green seems a viable option for Coach Green. TOP DRAFT CLASSES So those are the disappointments of the post-draft signing period. Let’s not dwell. It happens every season. Let’s look instead at the success stories, the draft classes that have real potential to contribute right away, to be impactful to their teams right now. In some cases this may be because of a single signing, while in others it is more of a cumulative benefit, but we see these 8 teams as the ones who made significant improvement thanks to both a good draft strategy and the ability to sign key players. BOSTON: The Cannons did not have a flashy draft, no big trades or shocking moves, but what they did was go for quality and signability. They landed their 1st round pick, DE Jason Babin, and they also added a solid mid-round receiver in Jerrico Cotchery, another in the 5th (Northern Arizona’s Clarence Moore) and a second DE in Roderick Green of Central Missouri State. The double-up strategy is one that has proven effective over the length of the USFL’s existence, and it seems to have produced results for Boston this year. PHILADELPHIA: While the fans in Philly are not at all happy about missing out on Robert Gallery, they should be focused on the signings the Stars did make. They landed a solid tackle in Jacob Rogers of USC, a quality safety in Madieu Williams, a good developmental DE in Anthony Hargrove, and they might have gotten a steal in the 6th round with HB Cedric Cobbs of Arkansas. MEMPHIS: They did not land all their top picks, but they got three players early in the draft who we think will be a factor. The trade with Ohio helped them add some speed at wideout by signing Wisconsin burner Lee Evans. They then added DT Marcus Tubbs and DE Reggie Torbor from Auburn. Both should see time in the D-line rotation right away. BALTIMORE: Yes, they missed on a few picks/signings, but they got the man they wanted at the position they wanted. Ben Roethlisberger could have easily headed off to Pittsburgh and the NFL, but the Blitz gave him enough to entice him to the Charm City. The rest of their draft is a bit hit or miss, but in signing Roethlisberger, they have brought a lot of hope to Blitz fans. LOS ANGELES: We already mentioned the Keyshawn Johnson signing, but the Express also drafted a versatile receiver in Fresno State’s Bernard Berrian. Expect him to get some time in special teams and in the slot early on. More importantly, the Express were able to sign their top target in the Territorial Draft, DE Kenechi Udeze from USC. Add to this a sneaky good pick in Tulane HB Mewelde Moore and the Express get high marks for their draft. HOUSTON: They missed on a few of their defensive draftees, and we are still trying to figure out why they drafted a punter in round 5, but what we see in the Houston draft is the potential for real offensive growth over the next couple of seasons. We love the fact that they went big for WR Roy Williams, something the Outlaws refused to do by passing on him in the T-Draft. Williams will be a big help to QB Matt Hasselbeck. And then to have the luck that unprotected HB Tatum Bell from OK State slipped all the way to the 2nd round and Houston’s #29 pick is more than Gambler fans could have hoped for. ARIZONA: The wheeling and dealing of the Wranglers paid off big time. Not only did they trade to be able to draft (and sign) wideout Larry Fitzgerald from Pitt, but they also moved up in the Open Draft and landed LB Karlos Dansby of Auburn. That is a difference maker on both sides of the ball. We are honestly jazzed to see what OC Greg Landry does to get the ball to both Santana Moss and Fitzgerald. Should be a lot of fun in Tempe this year. NEW ORLEANS: When a good team can make the jump to being a great team with one move, that is a big move. We don’t see the signing of Eli Manning as an immediate change of the guard for the Breakers, but as we look ahead a year or two, we absolutely think he will be the starter and we see good things ahead. Snagging undervalued TE Chris Cooley in the mid-rounds is just icing on the cake for Coach Nolan. USFL CAMPS PRODUCE SOME LATE MOVES In addition to the always dramatic NFL-USFL Transfer Window, we have seen more and more cases of mid-preseason retirements and late offseason free agent signings as teams fine tune their rosters as camp breaks, cuts are required, and teams try to get their rosters right before opening week. So, what did we see this year? Well, no last minute trades, but several retirements and several very late signings. Let’s start with the players who came to camp and then opted to step back and away from the game. The biggest of the last second departures was DT David Rocker, who, after several productive years in Los Angeles, signed a deal to come to Pittsburgh, but a combination of age, injury, and a very different defensive scheme left Rocker feeling out of sorts, and that led him to speak to Coach Bicknell and leave camp. Pittsburgh had hoped that Rocker would line up next to Russell Maryland, but that role may now have to fall on a rotation of Monsanto Pope and Josh Shaw. Perhaps a more surprising retirement was that of SS Sam Shade, who had signed a 2-year deal to move from the Maulers to the Stars. Shade had played 9 seasons in Pittsburgh and at 33 appeared to have several more in him, but, citing issues with his health and his focus, Shade opted to step away, much to the dismay of the Stars, who now find themselves looking to either 3rd year backup Marlon McCre or 2nd year Tank Williams as their starting safety. Don’t be surprised if the Stars make a move to shore up that vital defensive position. Others who opted not to come out of camp but to retire include QB Jason Garrett, who came to the USFL last season, after several years in the NFL. He was cut by the Renegades after they dealt to get both Jeff Blake and Koy Detmer. Garrett briefly joined the Chicago Machine in camp, but opted to return to the Miami Dolphins, now as a QB coach instead of a QB. Another late departure was that of punter Tom Rouen, who left the Bulls after dealing with a hip injury throughout most of camp. Jacksonville opted to sign undrafted rookie James Erwin of USF as their new punter. In addition to departures, we had several teams that cut their roster below the limit of 53 active players and 8 practice squad signings. That made room for some very late free agent signings as teams tried to either upgrade a weakness discovered in preseason or add one more player at a key position. Many of the signings were essentially players moving from the cutting floor of one club into the practice squad of another, but there were some veteran signings worth noting, including: Baltimore signed WR J.J. Stokes, after a very good year in Seattle. The Blitz will be Stokes’s 5th USFL club. Another wideout who found work was former Showboat and Panther Cedric Wilson, who now finds himself in Boston, his 3rd team in 4 seasons. Las Vegas added three players, signing HB Detron Smith, LB Antony Jordan and LB Shawn Barber after camp led to a bit of a depletion of their linebacking corps. Chicago also added a veteran backer in former Star and Gambler Mike Peterson. They also opted to sign DT Darwin Walker to a one-year deal. Michigan added a 3rd tight end to their roster, signing Lovell Pinkney. LA added free safety Scott Shields. Ohio gave DE Carl Powell a 1-year deal after he was cut in camp by the Stars. Finally, Freddie Solomon was finally signed after looking like he might not find a home after getting only 1 start as a Panther last year. Solomon, who had two seasons of over 90 catches in 1998 and 1999 in Pittsburgh, suffered a knee injury in 2000 and has not been the same since, but catches on with the Outlaws, where he will back up Carl Pickens and Ike Hilliard. With that update we leave you for today, but come back for the second half of our USFL preview, where we will look at all 24 teams, their starting lineup, rookies to watch, and where three football gurus will give us their best predictions for the 2004 season.

January 30, 2004 Every year at draft time we get a few big trades, a few surprise picks, and, of course, the drama of whether picks will join the spring league or opt for the NFL club that picks them 2 weeks later. But this year was something special. Maybe it was the presence of several top picks at quarterback that made the draft day trade wire go nuts, perhaps we are seeing a real shift in tendencies as teams start to really value the Territorial Draft, or perhaps it was just that this is a very good draft at the top and teams were feeling the need to take advantage of every opportunity to improve. Whatever the reason, what we saw this year, both in the T-Draft and the Open Draft was unprecedented, with trade after trade leading to a shuffling of the draft and some teams doing what was needed to get the player they coveted, while others may have hurt their prospects by not making a move and hoping the talent would be there when they got their picks. In order to understand what we witnessed, we need to go step by step, starting with the Territorial Draft and then, 5 days later, the Open Draft. As we now wait for the NFL Draft this weekend, and the inevitable battle to sign players chosen by both leagues, we look at the USFL draft and wonder whose big moves will pay off and whose will leave a team empty handed. TERRITORIAL DRAFT REVIEW This year marks the third since the Territorial Draft was reinstated, with each USFL club having three protected schools and able to take 4 players off the board from the open draft. The tendency in the past has been to see most teams go for mid-range players here, players more likely to sign early and forego the NFL, with just the occasional smattering of top talent being chosen, and then waiting for the NFL to make a decision. What we got this year feels like a new direction, with clubs willing to make trades, to move picks both within the T-Draft and the Open Draft to go after top talent in the hopes that either the targeted pick, or the extra 5 days before the NFL Draft would give them a heads-up in the signing process. NASHVILLE WINS AN APPEAL FOR BETTER OPTIONS We also saw, for the first time since the T-Draft was reinstated, a successful petition for a club to obtain a 4th protected school. There is an allowance for this in the draft policies, as teams can appeal to the Competition Committee if they believe that their pre-designated 3 schools simply do not have any prospects who are considered top tier talent. Each year we get a couple of appeals, but in most cases the committee deems that there is at least one high level prospect, loosely defined as a player who would be expected to be chosen in the first 3 rounds of the Open Draft, or several players within the first 5 rounds, and the appeal is denied. This year we saw our first ever approval of a 4th school as the Nashville Knights were able to make the argument that their three designated schools--Louisville, Vanderbilt, and Middle Tennessee—simply did not have an adequate pool of quality draft-eligible players. Nashville was one of three teams, along with Arizona, and Washington, to make appeals. It appears that the presence of QB Matt Schaub of Virginia sunk Washington’s bid, and Arizona was undone by a combination of Fresno State WR Bernard Berrian and FB Mike Karney, both of whom were borderline as qualifying, but who the committee felt were adequate. Nashville, on the other hand had as its top prospect only McNeese State CB Keith Smith, and, no offense to Smith, but that was clearly a good case for a 4th university to be assigned to the Knights. The committee agreed with Nashville’s appeal and the Knights were granted the University of North Carolina as their 4th option, a school that would end up producing 3 of Nashville’s 4 selected players, including guard Jeb Terry and FB Vontae Leach. TRADES TARGET ELITE TALENT While Nashville’s appeal made news days before the Territorial Draft, Draft Day was all about the trades and the big names taken off the board. It was a day when GMs were on the phone constantly, trying to get others to make the swap, either within the T-Draft, or in some cases trading high Open Draft spots for the shot to target that one elite protected player. Here, in brief is our recap of the biggest stories of the day. Manning Going Nowhere We knew that New Orleans would get some attention with top QB prospect Eli Manning protected, and with Trent Dilfer having just led the Breakers to the Summer Bowl, there was expectation that New Orleans would be open to a trade that would send their top T-Draft option to another club. But in what was a surprise to many, the Breakers turned away offers from at least 3 different clubs, held the pick, and did make Eli Manning their first selection. This is a huge move for the Breakers, a potential concern for Dilfer, and a huge disappointment to several other teams around the league who felt that Manning was the best prospect of the 3-4 potential early QB picks. We know that Oakland inquired about the pick, but they were also joined by Tampa Bay and Las Vegas. In each case, the offers were not enough to move New Orleans off their pick, and now the Breakers have to wait and see what happens with the NFL Draft. The drama could not be higher with this pick as you have two very different factors impacting this selection. The first is the NFL factor, as the Manning family, represented by Eli’s father and former Saints QB Archie, has already stated that if Eli is chosen by the San Diego Chargers next weekend, he will not sign with them. So will San Diego trade away the #1 overall pick, providing Eli with another option, or will the Ole Miss QB rebuff the Chargers and sign with the Breakers. If he were to do so, then the question becomes what his timeline is, and how secure the job Trent Dilfer holds down becomes. We would expect that Dilfer would still be the Week 1 starter, after all, he was among the Top 10 QBs in the league last year and he did help the Breakers get to Summer Bowl 2003, but with Dilfer’s contract due to expire at the end of 2004, is he on the block? Could New Orleans sign Manning and then let Dilfer walk? That is a really intriguing situation all the way around, and when it is a situation that ties in the Manning family, and a chance for another Manning to play in the Big Easy, the drama level could not be higher. Arizona Goes All In for Plummer’s Pick New Wrangler Head Coach Jim Fassel is not known as a gambler, but with OC Greg Landry pushing for the club to add more talent to assist QB Jake Plummer, and with Plummer actively campaigning the club for his favorite prospect, the more conservative Fassel, along with Arizona’s talent eval team, must have been convinced. The Wranglers made the first deal of the day, actually getting an agreement in place the night before the T-Draft, sending their 2nd and 3rd round Open Draft picks to the Pittsburgh Maulers for the ability to use Pittsburgh’s first selection in the T-Draft. The minute it was announced, we all knew what that meant. Arizona jumped at the chance to sign Larry Fitzgerald, wideout from Pitt and one of the most pro-ready receivers to come out in years. A tall, speedy receiver with great hands and a reputation as a dedicated film and practice player, Fitzgerald would provide Plummer with a dangerous combo at wideout, paired up with Santana Moss, who had a breakout season this year. Plummer has already reached out to Fitzgerald in hopes of persuading the top wideout pick in the draft pool to sign with the USFL ahead of the NFL draft, where he would also certainly be a Top 10 pick. Maulers Make Their Move With two additional Open Draft picks in hand, the GM’s office in Pittsburgh now felt confident to make a move to get the player they coveted, University of Miami safety Sean Taylor. They first tried sending Arizona’s two picks to Tampa Bay, but Coach Spurrier and the Bandits wanted something different. It took until the morning of the T-Draft, but the Maulers eventually agreed, sending their first overall Open Draft pick to the Bandits for the right to make Tampa Bay’s first T-Draft pick and lock in Sean Taylor. Tampa now had two first round picks in the open draft, and still had a luxury of players from “The U” to choose from in their remaining T-Draft. Pittsburgh got their chance to sign Taylor, a hard hitting safety in the mold of Adam Archuleta or Troy Polamalu, a safety that would not be afraid to take on the bruising halfbacks of the USFL and fast enough to handle coverage of the league’s elite receivers. The only question now is whether Taylor would sign on or would opt for whomever selects him this weekend in the NFL draft. A Rare Double Swap Memphis needed help at wideout, but had none in its pool. Ohio wanted help on the interior line but their usual pipeline, Ohio State, had no top grads this year inside. So, what do you do? You pull off a rare one for one swap of T-Draft picks and you get an agreement between each team as to who each would pick. Memphis and Ohio swapped picks and each was able to get what they most wanted. Ohio would select Arkansas guard Shawn Andrews, considered by most to be the most pro-ready lineman in the draft, while Memphis would get their WR in the form of Wisconsin’s Lee Evans. Honestly, we are surprised this does not happen more often, but leave it to Al Luginbill and future HOF head coach Jim Mora Sr. to blaze this trail. Nashville Adds More Even after getting a dispensation to add UNC to their pool of protected schools, Nashville felt the need to do more, and so they found a willing trading partner with Boston and jumped into Boston’s pool to select guard Chris Snee. Snee, along with Andrews, was a clear first round pick were he to make the Open Draft, and with Andrews already selected by Ohio, the Knights could not afford to take the chance that Snee would fall to them at the midpoint of the Open Draft. The Knights sent Boston a 2nd rounder in the Open Draft, and Boston allowed Nashville to select the guard from Boston College. Big Names Come Off the Board In addition to the trade drama surrounding Manning, Fitzgerald, Taylor, Snee, Evans, and Andrews, there were also plenty of potential first round picks who came off the board thanks to the Territorial Draft as many USFL clubs seemed to feel more comfortable than in the past using these picks on higher risk, lower security prospects, the kind of top tier talent who are most likely to hold out until the NFL makes its picks and then use the two to increase their asking price. In addition to the top prospects already highlighted, these additional Territorial Draft selections would be huge acquisitions for their teams: OT Robert Gallery, Iowa—Selected by the Stars TE Kellen Winslow, Miami—Selected by the Bandits WR Reggie Williams, Washington—Selected by the Dragons CB Dunta Robinson, South Carolina—Selected by the Renegades LB Jonathan Vilma, Miami—Selected by the Bandits DT Tommie Harris, Oklahoma—Selected by the Generals DE Will Smith, Ohio State—Selected by the Glory DE Kenechi Udeze, USC—Selected by the Express HB Chris Perry, Michigan—Selected by the Panthers CB Chris Gamble, Ohio State—Selected by the Glory HB Kevin Jones, Va Tech—Selected by the Blitz But, now, as every year, these teams, well, actually all the USFL teams, have to wait and watch as the NFL Draft transpires, and then get down to the business of outbidding the fall league if they can. We know that on overage 50% of USFL draft picks sign with the NFL, and while the average is a bit better (53%) with T-Draft selections, there is no guarantee at all that any of these big name picks will find their way into the league. We just have to wait and see. OPEN DRAFT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT Even with the drama of a more dynamic T-Draft than we have seen before, there was still plenty of drama to be had in the Open Draft. One of the Big 3 quarterback prospects was off the board with New Orleans’s T-Draft selection of Eli Manning, but both Miami (OH) prospect Ben Roethlisberger and NC State’s Philip Rivers were unprotected in the T-Draft and would be among the top picks to be sure in the open draft. Beyond the QB position, there was still a deep pool of talent for clubs to fight over in the Open Draft, and the maneuvering would be impressive, but it all started at the top. With two elite QB’s on the board, all eyes turned to the top 2 picks. Oakland, sitting at #2 was clearly in the market for a quarterback, and well-positioned to get one of the elite options. Michigan, with the #1 overall pick, was not in the hunt for a signal-caller, sitting very happily with Drew Brees as the starter, so the question would become what kind of ransom would Michigan demand in order to move out of #1 and how far would they be willing to drop. With several teams drooling over the prospect of either Rivers or Roethlisberger, there was no shortage of suitors, but Michigan’s price would not be an affordable one for most clubs. While many expected a move well before draft day, it was not until just minutes before the official kickoff of the draft that news of a swap started to spread both in the Draft Room at LA’s Spectrum Arena, and within the Media. It would be the Baltimore Blitz who would find the right combination of picks to convince Michigan to move down and relinquish the top pick, but at what cost? The Blitz would give up this year’s and next year’s #1 pick for the chance to draft a franchise QB. That was enough for Michigan to drop down to #8 and for the Blitz to get their shot at their top choice, Miami of Ohio’s Ben Roethlisberger. With two brand new head coaches representing each team, and two known for their defensive-minded approach to football, it was a bit surprising that this was the move that was made, but for both clubs, the deal was one that they felt was needed to move out of the early stages of the draft and move towards competitiveness. The news was not exactly welcomed by Blitz QB Ryan Leaf, who arrived with the team midseason. Leaf was visibly agitated when approached at a charity golf tournament in Florida, not wanting to address any questions about his status with the Blitz. For their part, the Blitz have stated that they see Leaf as the starting quarterback, but also careful to say that as with all positions, quarterbacks have to earn their right to start. So, the Blitz now wait to see which NFL club makes their move for the big QB and then the battle of bonuses, incentives, and big money begins. Expect the Blitz to go all in on negotiations’ with Roethlisberger’s agent, as losing one first round pick to an NFL signing is bad, but to lose two and not land the player would be a disaster. And, what of Michigan? Good question. By moving down 7 spots, and not choosing a QB, the Panthers almost certainly save a few million dollars from their cap, and they get a pretty darn good player anyway in OT Max Starks of Florida. Clearly, with the selection of Starks and the T-Draft pick of Wolverine HB Chris Perry, Coach LeBeau is giving Drew Brees all the possible talent he can to help revive what has been an absolutely moribund offensive team. DEALS NOT DONE AFTER QB’S OFF THE BOARD If we thought the drama was over with Baltimore’s move to select Ben Roethlisberger at #1, we were wrong. Yes, Big Ben went #1, and Oakland, as expected, took Philip Rivers at #2, but we were not done seeing trades impact the first round. Orlando sat at #3, but when the pick came in, it was not what we expected, not WR Michael Clayton, but rather a trade announcement. Arizona had once again made a move, sending their 1st round pick (#7) and a 5th rounder this year, along with LB Zach Thomas, to Orlando to move up 4 spaces. Clearly the Wranglers had a player in mind, and a concern that either Houston at 5 or Philadelphia at 6 were eyeing the same prospect. The Wranglers, after making a big move to snag Larry Fitzgerald for the offense in the Territorial Draft, made waves again, sending picks to Orlando to move up 4 places to help their defense, selecting Auburn linebacker Karlos Dansby. Dansby is a dynamic playmaker who has game-changing ability, particularly against the run, where he was feared by even the biggest and best SEC halfbacks for his ability to find the right angle and come in with a big hit. For their part, Orlando was able to drop only 4 places, still get a player they coveted in Ohio State wideout Michael Jenkins, add a 5th round pick, who they would eventually use on Nicholls State CB Chris Thompson, and, of course, they now would have the services of LB Zach Thomas, who has 2 years left on his contract. TAMPA USES TWO PICKS TO FOCUS ON DEFENSE As much as Steve Spurrier is known for the Bandit Ball offense, he is certainly a coach that understands the value of solid defense. He prioritized this in the T-Draft, using his first pick on Miami LB John Vilma, and he doubled down by using both 1st round Open Draft picks on defense as well, selecting NT Vince Wolfork at #7 (a surprise non-selection for Tampa in the T-Draft) and then adding CB Ricardo Colclaugh of tiny Tusculum with the #16 pick they received from the Maulers in the trade that gave Pittsburgh the rights to Miami safety Sean Taylor. Tampa would not pick their first offensive player until the 100th overall selection with guard Brian Rimpf of ECU. Many around the USFL were a bit shocked by the Bandits’ lack of emphasis on offense, as they were early bidders with the Breakers to try and get a shot at Eli Manning. Many expected Tampa Bay to make a move at QB after a year that saw Trent Green miss most of the season with an injury. The Bandits have big play capacity with Randy Moss and Willis McGahee, but questions at QB remain, and there was no solution found in the draft or in free agency so far. Unless there is a surprise awaiting in the NFL-USFL transfer window that opens in 1 week, it appears that Coach Spurrier is willing to go into the season with the same QB room he inherited, Green, backed up by Kent Graham and Ken Dorsey. FIRST ROUND RECAP It was a dynamic first round, with a lot of movement at the top and a lot of talent on the board for all 24 clubs. We know what happened at the top, but let’s do a quick recap of all 24 first round picks, remembering that there is every possibility that at most we are likely to see 12-14 of these players opt for the USFL option once the NFL finishes their annual draft. Whether or not these top prospects sign becomes the question of the day over the next few weeks, often making or breaking the offseason for a club. Baltimore (via MGN) QB Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH) Oakland QB Philip Rivers, NC State Arizona (via ORL) LB Karlos Dansby, Auburn Tampa Bay DT Vince Wolfork, Miami Houston WR Roy Williams, Texas Philadelp CB Ahmad Carroll, Arkansas Orlando (via ARZ) WR Michael Jenkins, Ohio State Michigan (via BAL) OT Max Starks, Florida Las Vegas HB Stephen Jackson, Oregon State Nashviille CB Chris Gamble, Ohio State Memphis TE Benjamin Watson, Georgia Boston DE Jason Babin, Western Michigan Texas DT Igor Olshansky, Oregon Birmingham QB J.P. Losman, Tulane New Jersey LB Dontarrius Thomas, Auburn Tampa Bay (via PIT) CB Ricardo Colclaugh, Tusculum Seattle DE Travis LaBoy, Hawaii Jacksonville WR Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State Chicago G Sean Locklear, NC State Los Angeles WR Bernard Berrian, Fresno State Denver WR Devery Henderson, LSU Washington SS Bob Sanders, Iowa New Orleans LB D.J. Williams, Miami Ohio OT Travelle Wharton, South Carolina Outside of the obvious Top 10 craziness, what else do we see in this first round. We see concerns in Birmingham that Brett Favre is getting close to retirement, that is certain. J. P. Losman is not going to unseat Favre, but could be a protégé who is ready to step up when Favre decides to call it a career. But with several other needs, isn’t that what you normally do with a later round pick, not your first rounder at #14. The Stallions must see something in Losman that made this a priority for them. Picks we love, if the USFL clubs can sign them, include Boston’s selection of Jason Babin, a very good player on a lower tier 1-A school. We also really like CB Ricardo Colclaugh to Tampa Bay, DE Travis LaBoy to Seattle, and SS Bob Sanders to Washington. We know the Federals were hoping to make a deal with Tampa Bay to get a shot at Sean Taylor, but former division rival Pittsburgh must have given them a better deal to swoop in and select Taylor in the T-Draft. Finally, let’s finish off our draft coverage with our Top 10 Picks outside of the Top 2 rounds. Here are our favorites as sleepers who could not only make the team, but have an impact if they sign with the USFL. WR Keary Colbert, USC (Ohio, 3rd round) Left unprotected by the Express, the Trojan wideout could take over Chad Ochocinco’s vacated slot. TE Tim Euhus, Oregon State (Jacksonville, 3rd round) A solid blocker, good route runner, and has decent hands. That is a pretty well-rounded TE. DT Tank Johnson, Washington (Pittsburgh, 4th round) We are not only surprised Johnson lasted to the 4th. We are still unsure why Seattle did not protect him in the T-Draft. HB Mewelde Moore, Tulane (Los Angeles, 4th round) Moore is not a 3-down back, but would provide a lot of spark and good receiving skills as a sub for DeShaun Foster. LB Brandon Chillar, UCLA (Las Vegas, 4th round) Chillar needs a bit of refinement to his game, but the physical skills are there for him to make an impact. FB Thomas Tapeh, Minnesota (New Orleans, 6th round) Fullbacks never go in the top few rounds, but it was a surprise to see Tapeh, a very good prospect, fall all the way to the 6th. A steal for a run-heavy team like New Orleans. DE Jared Allen, Idaho State (Nashville, 6th round) A very athletic, very aggressive DE who just has not played against top talent in Pocatello. QB John Navarre, Michigan (Ohio, 7th round) Having already selected Craig Krenzel from Ohio State in the T-Draft, the late flyer on Michigan’s Navarre will at least make for some fun rivalry moments in camp. It is unlikely both will stick with the Glory. WR B.J. Sams, McNeese State (Oakland, 7th round) Film on Sams shows a lot of promise. Another surprise drop down until the final round. DT Brock Lesnar, Minnesota (Orlando, 7th round) A bit undersized for a DT, but very athletic and with a huge personality. Could be a late round steal. With the USFL Draft completed and camps opening soon, the Free Agency period is nearly complete. The final phase, the second NFL-USFL Transfer Window, will open next week. It is traditionally a period where USFL teams have the better of the exchange as NFL teams have just wrapped up their Fall season (Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts on their Super Bowl victory) and the annual process of resigning players has begun. The USFL will likely see a healthy smattering of NFL talent headed there way just as we saw significant defections to the NFL back in August and September. But what has happened since we last looked at Free Agency? Several teams tried to address holes in their rosters with signings and several of the top unsigned players have found a new home. Here is our rundown of the biggest free agent signing since October. OCTOBER Quarterback Jon Kitna found a home relatively quickly, signing a 2-year deal to serve as Kordell Stewart’s backup in Washington. Wideout Amani Toomer also got a contract done in October, becoming a new member of the Philadelphia Stars, where he will line up alongside Steve Smith and TE Marcus Pollard in Jim Mora’s pro-style offense. Tight End remains an interesting situation as Kyle Brady remains unsigned while Fred Baxter signed pretty quickly with the Birmingham Stallions. One of the best linemen available in the draft, center Jim Pyne, left Washington to take a significant pay increase as the newest member of the Chicago Machine, another club that would love to establish the run as the crux of their offense. Another likely starter on defense is out of the pool when Randall Godfrey left Boston to become another significant piece of a defense the Houston Gamblers hope will return them to the top of the Southwest Division. Finally, we saw decent money thrown at a kicker as Mike Vanderjagt traded in the Gulf Coast for the desert, inking with the Las Vegas Thunder, where he will replace the retiring Carlos Huerta. NOVEMBER November usually sees a bit of a pre-holiday rush as teams like to get Free Agency settled so they can focus on the draft in December and January. We saw that with several signings, including a couple of big-time defenders and a former 1,000-yard rusher. Stephen Davis, feeling abandoned by the Stars after several good years in Philadelphia, found himself a new home as he signed a 1-year deal with the Arizona Wranglers. Now we have to see if a new Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator can actually make use of Davis and develop a real run game in Tempe. On the defensive side of the ball, the two biggest signings were CB Fred Smoot, who left Arizona and found a spot on the roster of the Boston Cannons. The other was DT Norman Hand, who leaves Memphis to join an LA Express defensive line that also includes Daryl Gardener and Jevon Kearse. Washington added tackle Matt Stinchcomb late in November to help shore up the right side of their line, while former Bandits free safety Jerome Woods heads off to Oakland. DECEMBER Always a quiet period, we saw only 2 significant signings in December as DT John Thornton will join the Breakers and SS Sam Shade inked with Philadelphia. JANUARY The post-holiday market kicked off immediately as January 2 saw four signings in the USFL. LA decided to take a shot on journeyman QB Rob Johnson as a backup for Cade McNown. The former USC quarterback has had a spotty record in the USFL, but returns home to southern California with the Express. Tackle Mike Gandy also moved on, leaving Orlando to sign with the Showboats in Memphis. New Jersey found themselves a new kicker in former Knight Ryan Longwell. And slot receiver Kevin Johnson is joining Steve Spurrier in Tampa Bay hoping to be part of a revival of Bandit Ball. Some other recent signings in January include center Bryan Stoltenberg (LA to DEN), Cornerback Otis Smith (NJ to NSH), DE Corey Spears (OHI to ORL), FB Robert Booker (TEX to WSH), FS Omar Stoutmire (JAX to SEA), LB Barry Minter (LA to SEA), Punter Tom Rouen (PIT to JAX), TE Jamie Asher (NJ to WSH), and WR Troy Brown (PHI to OHI). League enters TV Negotiations Once again it is time for the USFL to engage in the regular ritual of negotiating contracts with the major players in television coverage. Contracts with ABC/ESPN and with FOX are up for renewal. NBC is still in place for another 2 years, so we know that the Friday night game is locked in and not going anywhere. But what may be interesting as the league begins talks with the two other primary partners is the impact of the expansion planned for 2006 and 2008. Expansion, specifically to St. Louis and Atlanta, brings two decent-sized markets back to the fold. The potential to add even larger markets in 2008 if Dallas, Miami, or one of Ohio’s open markets, is perhaps even more enticing to the major networks. One question very much to be discussed is the USFL schedule. The networks would love to fill the gaps in the schedule between the USFL and NFL, but USFL owners specifically moved from a 16-game to a 14-game schedule to create longer gaps, which benefit both leagues on issues of player acquisition. Returning to a 16-game schedule would mean shrinking the periods of free agency and again pushing the NFL-USFL transfer windows deeper into camp for both leagues. But the money is certainly there. USFL broadcasts, while still trailing NFL numbers, are far outstripping those of Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and all but the most compelling playoff series of the NBA. The only real challenge to USFL viewership has been the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament and, as happens with summer broadcasting, the Olympics held in 2000 in Sydney. With another Olympic Games scheduled for mid-summer 2004 (Athens) there will once again be scheduling issues, though this is mainly a problem for NBC, as it holds the rights to both the Olympic Games and Friday Night Football. FOX and ABC/ESPN are more than happy to put late season and playoff games of the USFL up against time delayed coverage of track & field, diving, and volleyball. Yes, the occasional Team USA basketball game, or women’s gymnastics can lower USFL ratings, but this is typically only for 1 weekend a year. So, what do we expect from these talks. Some grousing about schedules, some pressure for the league to look at large markets for expansion, but in the end, we fully anticipate a deal that splits the Saturday and Sunday day games between FOX and ABC, and preserves Saturday and Sunday Night Football for ESPN. The formula has worked very well for all three networks, the broadcast teams are in place, and the production value has worked well for all parties, so we don’t anticipate major changes, only a change in cost for the networks. There you have it, our second Offseason Report. Next up is camp and preseason football, mixed in with the NFL-USFL Transfer Window. We shall see if we have any late February surprises, and soon we will be looking at depth charts, predicting the season, and inevitably getting most of our picks wrong. We will see you in just a few weeks, ready to gear up for USFL Football.

October 13, 2003 The USFL offseason always brings about a mix of emotions. For many there is a sadness as the season closes, while others quickly shift gears and start preparing for NFL action in this year-round obsession with the pigskin. In some cities there is a palette change as Breaker teal & navy or Stars red & gold turn to Saints black & gold and Eagles green & silver. For others, particularly fans in USFL-only cities like Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio, and Oakland, the long wait for the return of football begins. But it is also a time of great optimism as each team tries to find the right pieces, on the sideline and on the field, to take a crack at the title in the year to come. Players say goodbye to the game, others prepare to be drafted and to decide whether they keep playing the game they love in the fall or jump to the new kids, not so new anymore, in the spring. There are departures that fans wish were not so, and new arrivals they cannot wait to see in their team’s colors. While the players get some well-deserved rest and rehabilitation, the GM’s, scouts, coaches, and owners get to work building what they hope will be a team that makes their fans proud and their stadiums full of excitement. Success on the field in March begins now, in the Fall, as the USFL builds for the future. Sometimes building for the future means looking back to the past. That is what the fans hoped the Tampa Bay Bandits would do, and that is what they have done. Two weeks ago, amid no small amount of turmoil between the USFL and NFL, the Tampa Bay Bandits came to an agreement with Steve Spurrier to join the club this January at the conclusion of his current season with the Washington Redskins. It required a significant buyout from the Bandits to the Redskins to make it happen, but the “Ole Ball Coach” is coming back to where it all began, the team he led to the 1983 USFL Championship, the league’s first. The move caused a bit of a stir because up until this deal future contracts have been largely frowned upon, with both player and personnel deals only routinely made for those who were no longer under contract. Spurrier’s contract extended through the 2003 NFL season, but it seemed clear that he was looking for an exit strategy as working with Washington owner Dan Snyder has been a rough go from the start. Enter the USFL and the Bandits and it seemed both parties were willing to move ahead with a futures deal that allows the Redskins a season to search for a replacement and assures Spurrier that in January he can fully turn his attention to his new team. This, of course, means that much of free agency and the draft will be handled by the GM and front office staff, though they are planning on consulting with Spurrier as his schedule allows. An odd setup, to be sure, but one that will certainly please Bandit fans, who have been clamoring for a return of their Hall of Fame coach ever since he left for the University of Florida. The Steve Spurrier hiring brings the coaching carousel to an end for this offseason. We now know the four new head coaches who will be joining the USFL coaching club this March (well, sooner really). Spurrier will take over the Bandits just before the draft and the 2nd NFL-USFL window, the one that tends to bring more NFL talent into the spring league. In Michigan Coach Dick LeBeau is already in town and evaluating players and needs as part of the offseason strategy, one already well under way across the league. In Baltimore Coach Coughlin has one huge question on his hands, will he start the season with Ryan Leaf as the undisputed starter at QB, or will he seek an alternative? And, finally, in Arizona, new Head Coach Jim Fassel is charged with improving both the defense and the run game of the Wranglers to ensure that the team lives up to their potential, or at least the potential of their All-USFL quarterback, Jake Plummer. New OC Greg Landry will be in charge of designing an offense that complements Plummer’s skills, but also diversifies the attack to take the full glare of the spotlight off the team’s dual threat QB. The USFL Free Agency period kicked off in earnest following the Summer Bowl, and this year there was a bit of a twist. Thanks to the shift to a 14-week season, the USFL free agency period actually was able to open for 5 days before the NFL-USFL transfer window became active. This gave USFL teams a bit of a head start in the frenzy to sign talent, and that certainly helped some teams. A similar advantage will exist for the NFL in January, but for now the benefit for the USFL is that several of the top free agents were scooped up quickly, a move that may have required a bit of overpayment to get signatures on contracts quickly, but one that makes fans happy because a top tier player may be headed to their team even before the NFL starts opening their checkbooks. Several high profile players were among those snatched up in the first days of free agency. We will highlight eight who found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or who will be starting new after sour departures from their clubs this year. These eight players highlight the initial frenzy of activity during the first week of free agency. 8) Free Safety Mike Prior moves from Michigan to Texas. One of the better players on a pretty bad Panther defense, Prior leaves Michigan after 7 seasons. Injuries limited Prior to only 3 starts this past season, but when healthy, he is one of the more effective “centerfielders” among league safeties. 7) Baltimore QB Jeff Garcia becomes the backup to Byron Leftwich. The writing was on the wall for Garcia after a very rough 2003 season and the trade that brought Ryan Leaf to the Charm City. Garcia’s numbers were not good this year, throwing 17 picks to only 13 touchdowns. This was the second consecutive season where the TD-INT balance has gone far into the red for the QB. His role in Seattle is clear, hold a clipboard, prepare for games, but the Dragons hope he never has to take the field for them as they put their trust in Rookie of the Year Byron Leftwich. 6) Chicago DT Sean Gilbert will now man the pivot in Tampa Bay. We don’t know if this decision was made with or without Steve Spurrier’s input, but regardless of the origin of the move, the signing is a very good one for a Bandits team that struggled to get D-line pressure this past season. Gilbert has been a reliable starter and solid runstuffer in Chicago, both elements of his game that Tampa could use. 5) Jeff Blake heads South. Pittsburgh brought Jeff Blake over from the NFL to compete with Charlie Batch. The move led to Batch having his best season as a starter, and that made Blake somewhat expendable. The Orlando Renegades saw the value of that move and are clearly trying to replicate it, bringing Blake in to help motivate, push, and mentor young QB Joey Harrington. Harrington backslid a bit after a strong rookie season. While Harrington’s overall yardage total went up in 2003, this is largely due to him starting 13 of 14 games instead of the 9 he led in 2002. His 14-11 TD-INT average was nearly identical to the 15-10 mark in 2002, and needs to improve if Harrington is going to get his 3-year rookie deal extended. Orlando must be hoping that Blake can either help him get there, or step in if he falls further behind the learning curve. 4) LA loses a good one to the Maulers. Pittsburgh made a good run this year, and already look stronger for 2004 after signing the Express’s best edge rusher in DE David Rocker. Rocker has played 12 seasons in the league, and it appears Pittsburgh believes he has more in him. The speedy end has missed only 1 game in the last 4 seasons, so we know he is in good shape, but this does still feel like a risk for the Maulers. 3) KGB Defects. While Rocker is a solid player, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was the undisputed #1 edge rusher in the free agent pool, and he did not have to wait long before a lucrative deal was offered to him. It only took until the 2nd day of free agency for the three-time 10-sack rusher to find a home with the Nashville Knights. This is a big loss for the Blitz, who helped develop the somewhat raw DE into a regular 10-sack producer. For Nashville, the move clearly points to coach Jim Johnson trying to reestablish the dominating defensive style that helped make the Knights a playoff regular in St. Louis. 2) Ochocinco moves on. Two players were at the top of the free agent pool by a wide margin, and both were snapped up within 72 hours of the official signing period commencing. For Chad Ochocinco, fresh of a 2nd consecutive title, a third straight 1,000 yard, 10+ TD season with the Ohio Glory, Ochocinco let his rookie deal run out, and now finds himself one of the newest, and one of the richest, members of the Boston Cannons. Ochocinco had expressed an interest in finding a more lucrative media market, something Boston could offer, and with the Cannons having major cap room this offseason, the Cannons were able to make a deal that Ochocinco did not need much time to accept. The tall, but speedy, receiver will move immediately to the top of the depth chart for the Cannons, where he will now catch balls from Drew Bledsoe. 1) Prime Time in the Big Apple. Well, sort of, since the Generals officially represent New Jersey and not New York, but close enough. Yes, if there was one player more sought after than Ochocinco, it was the legendary shutdown corner from the Stallions, Deion Sanders. Prime Time signed a 3-year deal with the New Jersey Generals that makes him the highest paid defender not only in the USFL, but in all of pro football. In Sanders, the Generals get a true shut-down corner, a player who can simply make an opponent’s top wideout an afterthought. It is a pairing that will allow Sanders to maximize his effervescent personality and extroverted ways in a media market that will soak up every second of it, while the Generals now look even more like a serious contender. Those were the eight players whose early signing sent shockwaves throughout the league. But these were hardly the only quality players to change hands even before the NFL could get a bid in on them. Others who signed quickly include Portland QB Rick Mirer, who heads to Michigan to back up Drew Brees; Texas cornerback DeShea Townsend, who will set up shop in Las Vegas with the Thunder; Houston LB Allen Aldridge, headed to Jacksonville, and Seattle LB Mike Maslowski, the newest member of a proud Baltimore Blitz LB legacy. We also saw SS Je’Rod Cherry leave Philly for Arizona, TE Jay Riemersma sign with Birmingham, Houston TE David LaFleur head to Denver, Portland LB Greg Biekert sign with the Panthers, and Orlando 3rd stringer, Jason Garrett, head up to Chicago. NFL Goes Heavy for Wideouts With Chad Ochocinco already off the board, the wideout pool was only slightly less impressive when the NFL-USFL transfer window opened, but that did not dissuade NFL clubs from hitting the free agent transfer window hard, and very much Wideout was the position of choice. The biggest loss for the USFL, and in this case the Bulls, was that of Terrell Owens, who departed Jacksonville to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, another wideout diva looking for a bigger market in which to take over the spotlight. But Owens was not the only wideout snatched up by NFL teams during the month-long transfer window. In addition to the flamboyant Owens, we saw Boston’s Terrance Mathis head to the NFL Falcons, Johnnie Morton to the Chiefs, Darnay Scott to the Chargers, and JuJuan Dawson to the Raiders. And receiver was not the only area of interest for NFL teams. There was plenty of talent available and the fall league, just weeks away from the start of their own regular season, was happy to dive right in and snap up players fresh off a full spring season. Seattle took a big hit, losing strong safety John Lynch to the NFL Broncos. Lynch was a rare quality player on a pretty average Dragons defense, but now heads to the NFL where he hopes to find more success with the Broncos. Another big hit was taken by New Jersey, who gain Deion Sanders but lose RT Leon Searcy to the NFL Bills. Another big lineman gone is Nashville’s Gennaro DiNapoli, who will stay in town to play for the NFL Tennessee Copperheads. Oakland loses FS Antuan Edwards, Portland will lose any chance of resigning HB Correl Buckhalter, who head off to the Eagles, and cornerback Bobby Taylor leaves the Maulers for the Detroit Lions. So did the USFL benefit at all from the NFL-USFL transfer window? Well, as usual, this first round has to be considered a win for the NFL, as few of their top free agents were still unsigned by this late in the summer, but remember that when the January-February window comes around it will be the USFL that has most of their players under contract and the NFL that has to fear departures for the spring. That is to say that while we did not see a lot of big name players jump to the USFL, there were still a few who could be impactful for their USFL clubs come March. We love the signing of DT Ted Washington by the Chicago Machine. Washington is just a space eater who will make inside runs even tougher against an already solid Machine front. Another good DT signing was pulled off by the Washington Federals, who landed Copperheads’ DT Robaire Smith. Still searching for the elite DT they lost when Jerome Brown retired, Washington brings in a good one in Smith. The last big name among defensive signings was in the secondary, where Jacksonville got some help by inking former Bill Antoine Winfield to a 3-year deal. Winfield is a high energy corner who is not afraid to take on running backs in the open field and has excellent ballhawking skills. On offense perhaps the best signing was executed by the Stars, who landed former Patriot cemter Damien Woody. With a few holes in the O-line to fill, this was a good start for Philadelphia. Another lineman picked up from the fall league is center Cory Withrow, who leaves the NFL Vikings for a warmer spot with the Birmingham Stallions. Top flight “skills” players were hard to come by in this round of transfers, but two who could have an impact are former Niners’ receiver Tai Streets, who is headed to the Bulls, and former Patriot halfback Patrick Pass, who will become a role player and special teamer behind Eddie George in Ohio. We also saw two special teams moves as kicker Matt Stover is now a Nashville Knight after several seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Finally, punter Josh Bidwell leaves the Green Bay Packers for a much warmer clime in Oakland. Free Agency Not Done By a Long Shot While it certainly has been a dynamic start to the free agency period that lasts into early February, to say that the free agency pool is now depleted is far from the truth. The NFL-USFL window and the early rush to sign top players has certainly taken a chunk out of the pool of available talent, but there are still some big names and some quality contributors available to be signed over the next few months. Looking at the best players left, we would put them into three categories: Potential All-USFL players, Potential Starters, and Potential Contributors. Here is our look at the top 5 in each category Potential All-USFL players still available to sign. C Jim Pyne (WSH)—Not the first name that pops up when you discuss the position, but a player who has been at the top of the game for a few years now. LB Randall Godfrey (BOS)—Being on bad teams in Atlanta have not hidden the talent of this versatile LB. CB Fred Smoot (ARZ)—Always near the top of the interception leader board and about as good in zone coverage as a DB can get. K Mike Vanderjagt (TBY)—Did not get the opportunities to kick enough to reach the top of the scoring leaders list, but deadly accurate and good under pressure. DE Renaldo Turnbull (BIR)—In the right defense, Turnbull could shift form a 10-sack guy to a 15-20 sack guy pretty easily. Potential Starters HB Stephen Davis (PHI)—While not as dynamic as he once was, Davis can still must you a 1,000 yard season if given the carries. TE Fred Baxter (CHI)—Underappreciated because he is not a “streak down the seam” kind of TE, but he is a reliable blocker, has good hands, and will do the dirty work in the run game. DT Norman Hand (MEM)—A solid option, particularly at the nose in a 3-4, who will occupy space and take on doubleteams. WR Amani Toomer (LA)—Best as a #2 receiver who makes teams pay for overemphasizing coverage to the #1. TE Kyle Brady (BAL)—Better as a receiver than a blocker, best suited for a more spread offense that wants an option over the middle. Potential Contributors DT John Thornton (OAK)—Not the most athletic of DT’s but has good skills and can effectively take on blockers to free up the LB. FS Jerome Woods (TBY)—Neither a true centerfielder or a come to the line guy, but effective in coverage. T Matt Stinchcomb (ARZ)—Might be best suited to swap from LT to RT as his run blocking is definitely better than his ability to protect the blind side. DE Antonio Edwards (SEA)—Was never able to break out as a pass rusher, but a good, versatile guy who will help maintain containment of the QB and outside runs. QB Jon Kitna (OAK)—Not a true starter at this stage of his career, but a savvy, still somewhat athletic, and accurate passer who can certainly provide stability as a backup. Before we talk about some of the early offseason trades that have raised an eyebrow, we should acknowledge that several players from the top 4 teams in last year’s playoffs have since announced they are going to step away from the game. As we reported earlier on the non-playoff teams and the early exiters from the playoffs, seems only fair we remind everyone of these announced retirements as well. Denver took the biggest hit of the 4 teams that played in the conference title games this year, losing 4 contributors within 2 weeks of their season concluding. LB Marvcus Patton, a team captain after the retirement of Kurt Gouveia, stepped away after 13 seasons in the league. Wideout Dedric Smith came over from LA after making a name for himself with the expansion Express in 1995. He had two 1,000 yard seasons before the emergence of Peerless Price resulted in a drop in production, but still had 57 catches for 785 yards this year with the resurgent Gold offense. Free Safety Mark Carrier is also retiring after 13 years in the USFL, most of it with Jacksonville before a 3-year stint in Denver. Carrier only saw action in 3 games this season. Finally, Center Jay Leeuwenberg, who has started all but 2 games at center for the Gold since 1999 is ending his 11-year career at the age of 35. That is a lot of talent for one team to replace all at once, and that does not even count free agency losses. Expect Denver to be very active as free agency continues. Ohio had two players announce after their back-to-back titles, with the biggest impact likely that of CB Corey Raymond, who split time as a starting DB or as the nickel. Raymond started all 30 games between 2001 and 2002, but found himself as the nickel this year. Ohio also lost the services of tackle Mark Van Der Poel, a long time starter at RT for both the Glory and previously the Stars, but who again saw himself moved to a swing roll in 2003 as Ohio added new talent. New Orleans bid farewell to Moe Gardner, the long time Pittsburgh Mauler DT who came over to the Breakers in 2001 and started all 14 games in the Breaker D-line this season. Gardner had 3 sacks in his final season long with 42 tackles, one of his strongest years at the position. Finally, the Washington Federals said goodbye to DE Steve Bates after only 1 year with the club. Bates, who started with Seattle, and was a 3 year starter for the Dragons, racking up 15 sacks in his three seasons, spent a year in New Orleans, where he only started 2 games, and came to Washington as a backup action, but saw almost no time on the field, sitting behind Brackens, Hamilton and Greg Spires on the depth chart. To have only a few trades in the early going of free agency should not be a shock. As we get closer to the draft, and as teams miss on the targeted players in the free agency pool, we will start to see more action, but that is not to say that the moves we haves seen are not intriguing. The New Orleans Breakers made a very interesting move, sending backup QB Aaron Brooks to Portland, where he will back up, and perhaps help mentor a very similar QB in Akili Smith. Brooks was a full time starter in Atlanta before coming to the Breakers, where he backed up Trent Dilfer. In return the Breakers get a young prospect at receiver, Jerome Pathon, and a 3rd round pick, but all the talk is about what the departure of their #2 QB might mean for the Breakers. The excitement in the Big Easy is pretty palpable as everyone and their uncle is hoping that this is a sign that the Breakers are going to make a major effort to draft and sign Ole Miss QB Eli Manning. With the immediate success of his brother Peyton in the NFL, Eli is looking like an elite prospect, and while Trent Dilfer has been very solid at QB since coming to the Breakers from the NFL, the chance to have the son of a New Orleans legend, Archie Manning, play for the Breakers, and one who seems to have all the tools for success, is a prospect that has the city abuzz. The key will be who gets the top pick in the NFL Draft after the conclusion of their season. There are clearly teams that Eli would want to avoid, and if he is the #1 pick, as many suspect, the odds are that he would be picked by a truly horrible team. With New Orleans holding his rights in the Territorial Draft as an Ole Miss player, he has the shot to avoid going to the worst team in the NFL and signing instead with a very solid club that just appeared in a league championship game. That could be a very persuasive reason to not join his brother in the NFL. It is a prospect that likely has every resident of New Orleans except for Trent Dilfer excited to see what happens. In a far less dramatic QB trade, Ohio 3rd stringer and former Heisman winner Koy Detmer has been traded to Orlando to compete with Jeff Blake to be the #2 behind Joey Harrington, a position that could become a #1 if Harrington does not show more promise in his 3rd year. Detmer has not gotten much of a chance to get on the field in his USFL career, starting one game with Ohio in 2000 and none at all since then. Ohio might be getting the better of the trade, at least for immediate impact, as Orlando sends DT Gabe Wilkins to the Glory for Detmer. Wilkins is a solid run stuffing DT who could help the Glory with that aspect of their defense, something teams often try to exploit to slow down the pace of games and keep that dangerous Ohio offense off the field. Finally, the third notable trade saw two defenders swap from one also-ran team to another as the Stars tried to enhance their D-line as Oakland hoped to add some energy to their linebacking corps. Philly sends LB Henri Crockett, a 3-year starter with Birmingham (and for 1 year in Philly) who is useful on blitz packages and as a weak side backer, to the Invaders. In return, they land a young prospect who showed some flashes in his rookie year, DE Robert Mathis. Mathis saw limited action most of the year, but started the final 3 games and recorded 2 sacks in those starts. Coming out of HBCU Alabama A&M, Mathis was a low round pick in the 2002 draft for Oakland, but showed enough to garner attention around the league. Philadelphia has their star DE in Regan Upshaw, but have not been happy with the rotation of Derrick Burgess and Carl Powell at DE, so Mathis may very well get a chance to start far more games in 2004 with the Stars. We have looked at the flurry of free agency, mentioned the key retirements, even seen some interesting trades to start off the offseason, and now we start thinking about this January’s draft. Always a highlight of the offseason, and often a catalyst for a 2nd flurry of free agent signings in the weeks of USFL minicamps as well, the Draft is where USFL teams come to make a splash. Ever since the league’s early days of snagging Heisman winners like Walker, Rozier, and Flutie, the league has put an emphasis on competing with the NFL at this stage of player development, signing big name college players, including underclassmen, rather than outbidding the NFL for established pro stars. That has been the strategy and it has been a good one. Unlike the NFL, the USFL began with, and has now returned to, a format that includes a territorial draft, where players coming out of 72 of the best university programs in the country can be selected only by the one franchise that owns the rights to that school. The pool is limited, as only 4 players from each team’s 3 schools can be selected, with all others eligible for the Open Draft, but the strategizing around which players to pursue, the value of signability, and the exclusive rights within the T-Draft have made it one of the most exciting features of each offseason. With its return 2 years ago, the league set up the T-Draft to run one week before the standard draft, often leading to long hours in each team’s war rooms as they readjust their boards after the results are known. Every year teams will jump on some “home run” picks, while others might bypass the biggest names in their protected schools and opt for quality contributors who are eager to sign rather than await their fate in the NFL draft. Strategies vary, but occasionally there are players who are so iconic in their USFL team’s region, that the USFL club has to take a shot at them. So, looking at the best of the best in this year’s T-Draft pool, here is who we see as the Top 10 prospects to be snatched up by USFL clubs before both the USFL Open Draft and the NFL Draft. 10) HB Stephen Jackson, Oregon State > Invaders A really interesting scenario here as the Invaders get Oregon State as a school only because the Thunder move to Las Vegas shook up the rights and the Thunder opted to keep Oregon but not the Beavers. So, one of the best HB prospects falls into the laps of the Invaders. But will Oakland bite, or are they hitching their wagon to the hopes that Rashaan Salaam will reemerge in his first full season after suspension? 9) DE Will Smith, Ohio State > Glory Just what Ohio needs, but exactly what the USFL does not want to see, a dominant defensive player falling to the Glory. The issue for the Glory is cap room, but with Chad Ochocinco already jumping ship, there may be space now, with some other shrewd moves, if the Glory want to roll out the red carpet for the big man. 8--- LB Jonathan Vilma, Miami > Bandits For years teams like New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Oakland have complained that the T-Draft provides far more benefits to clubs like the Bandits, Stallions, and Outlaws, who have deep beds of prospects in their home states and at their regional schools. If ever there was an argument to be made it is this year’s crop of players coming out of the U. of Miami, a Tampa Bay protected school. Easily 5-6 players in the top 30 come out of Miami. Tampa Bay cannot select them all, and certainly cannot afford to sign even their 4 picks, but we have 3 Bandit prospects on this list. Expect 1 of them to be the target of an all out recruiting campaign. Vilma, an outstanding LB prospect, should be one of them. 7--- WR Roy Williams, Texas > Outlaws The Longhorn pool is not as deep this year as it has been in the past, but Roy Williams seems an ideal fit for an Outlaws team who have been underwhelming at the position for several years. 6--- CB DeAngelo Hall, Va Tech > Blitz Arguably the best corner coming out in this year’s draft (in debate with South Carolina’s Dunta Robinson and Arkansas’ Ahmad Carroll), Hall should be a target for a Blitz team that is desperate to rebuild a dominant defense and which just hired a defensive-minded coach in Tom Coughlin. 5--- TE Kellen Winslow, Miami > Bandits Our second of three Hurricane players the Bandits should consider. The question is whether or not Tampa Bay likes Jeremy Shockey enough to bypass Winslow and go for one of the other options they have in their smorgasbord of Hurricanes. 4--- S Sean Taylor, Miami > Bandits If we were in the Bandit war room, this is the player we would be targeting. One of the best prospects at the position in years (along with Polamalu last year) and an immediate starter for a Bandits defense that has lacked killer instinct for a long time. 3--- OT Robert Gallery, Iowa > Stars You cannot go wrong finding a quality LT in the draft, and Philadelphia has a good one thanks to their selection of Iowa as their one non-regional choice of protected schools. Gallery could plug in at LT right away, a move that would make Brian Griese very happy. Problem is, he will be a major target for several NFL clubs as well, and could play the wait-and-see game to see which of his two suitors he likes best. 2--- WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt > Maulers Picturing Fitzgerald lined up alongside Andre Rison has to make Mauler fans salivate. A local star with Pitt, Fitzgerald is a singular talent and would immediately help Pittsburgh become a more viable title contender. This one just feels natural, and we fully expect the Maulers to make an effort to sign him before the NFL Draft. 1--- QB Eli Manning, Ole Miss > Breakers We already talked about Manning as an absolute coup for the Breakers, especially if he is chosen, as we expect, by the worst team in the NFL. If you have a choice to play for a truly bad team or a title contender that has already made room on their roster for you, where do you go? Yes, it is likely that a move to the Breakers means at least 1 year if not more behind Trent Dilfer, but it could also give you the chance to develop as a young player on a team that will be competing for league championships. That is a prospect that is inviting for both Manning and the Breakers. I think we join Breaker fans in wanting to see the club put their best effort into making this happen. Will QB Talent Lead to Trades? That is the big question as we look at the draft. Even if Eli Manning is off the table due to the Territorial Draft, there are still two potential Top 5 picks at the QB position in unprotected NC State star Philip Rivers and the athletic QB from Miami of Ohio Ben Roethlisberger. Add to that a solid cluster of second tier signal callers like Tulane’s J.P. Losman, Virginia’s Matt Schaub, Louisiana Tech’s Luke McNown, and Ohio State’s Craig Krenzel, and you have all the makings for a gold rush at QB, and that could lead to trades throughout the draft as teams try to position themselves. The biggest question is what to expect from the Michigan Panthers. The Panthers earned the #1 pick by going 0-14 this season, but they are one of few non-playoff teams who feel solid at QB with Drew Brees growing into the role. So, what do they do? We all expect Oakland to take a QB with the #2 pick, so that means someone who wants a shot at one of the high level QB’s needs to make a deal with Michigan, and making a deal for the #1 overall pick never comes cheap. Who do we think is in the running? Tampa Bay is a possibility, especially if Coach Spurrier does not like the premise of starting the year with Trent Green as his #1. The Bandits sit at #4, which is not far for Michigan to drop. A pick swap with perhaps a 2nd or 3rd rounder and a player might be enough for Tampa Bay to move up 3 spots and take a shot at either Rivers or Roethlisberger. What do we think about Houston at #5 and Philly at #6. Both have veteran QB’s who have had solid seasons, but who have also disappointed. If either club felt they could use either Hasselbeck or Griese as a bridge for a year, they may take a shot at someone like Roethlisberger and give him a year to develop. Of course, both clubs also have glaring needs at other positions, which is what you expect from anyone with a Top 10 pick. So will they mortgage multiple picks in a swap to get a potential franchise QB? That is a very good question. After those two, we get back to a team in clear QB transition, the Baltimore Blitz. The Blitz traded for Ryan Leaf, and then let their starter, Jeff Garcia, go into free agency. Could that mean they are happy with Leaf, or are they also a potential suitor for Michigan’s top pick? A trade with the Panthers would almost certainly require multiple picks as a drop from #1 to #8 is significant, but if they put the right package together they could swing it. Anyone below the Blitz is likely to need to offer multiple #1s to have any shot at getting that top pick. Is there anyone out there desperate enough to do that? Honestly, we don’t think so. While there are rumblings that Las Vegas wants more out of Akili Smith, or that Nashville is concerned that Todd Collins needs a defensive juggernaut in order to win games, there is really not a club after the Blitz that we would say is actively seeking a QB solution this year. So, if Michigan is hoping to rack up some picks and give someone else a shot at one of the two elite QB’s who are sure to be in the open draft, they should be taking all calls from the Bandits, Gamblers, Stars, and Blitz, because those are the contenders right now. Winning is About More than Quarterbacks This is absolutely true, you need a team around a QB to win championships. So, for those clubs who are happy at QB, who are the top prospects we already know are going to be available in the opening round of the draft. Remember that a good number of top T-Draft prospects will go unpicked, as they are every year, but that cannot be known until teams make their picks and protect their 4 players each from the protected schools. If we look only at unprotected schools, and we drop the QB’s from the equation, who are the top choices in the draft that teams can safely scout at this point. The top prospect may just be Western Michigan’s Jason Babin, an explosive edge rusher who could be a good fit for a club looking to shore up their front line with a pure speed rusher. Next up is likely one of two Oklahoma State prospects, either wideout Rashaun Woods or halfback Tatum Bell. Both clearly have first round talent, and both are there for teams hoping to improve their offensive skills positions. We also should not overlook a some smaller school talent like Montana State CB Joey Thomas, Tusculum’s Ricardo Colclough, or TE Chris Cooley from Utah State. NC State also has a receiver who could be a top pick along with QB Rivers, wideout Jerricho Cotchery may be a product of working with Rivers, but it seems like he also has legit skills which would translate well to the USFL. This mix of players will be joined by many others who simply were not among the Top 4 prospects each USFL club protected from their 3 protected schools, sometimes for cost reasons, for positional need, or because they simply felt more confident that others were more willing to sign on early. Don’t be surprised if some of the biggest names in the draft, from WR Larry Fitzgerald to safety Sean Taylor come out of the T-Draft unclaimed and available one week later in the open draft. It has happened every year that a T-Draft has been in place.

Hi all, I initially screwed up and confused 2003 (Seattle) with 2004 (Orlando). I have since made appropriate changes to the text. Thanks to elithesportsdude2006 for catching my mistake. The Ohio Glory have made USFL history for a second year in a row, becoming the first club in league history to repeat as champions and cementing themselves as one of the elite teams in league history in the process. It was not easy as New Orleans put up a strong fight throughout the game, scoring the final ten points of the game to pull within a score of the defending champions, but Ohio held firm and finished the evening in Seattle holding the John Bassett Trophy aloft once again. The title game demonstrated the depth and quality of the entire Glory roster as big plays were made both by the team’s big name players and by lesser-known reserves and complementary players. In a game where three-time MVP Kerry Collins was limited to only 12 of 21 passing for an uncharacteristically low 197 yards, and extroverted wideout Chad Ochocinco was held to only 1 reception all game long, the Glory leaned heavily on halfback Eddie George, the game’s MVP, and their defense to secure the victory. On a day when the decision to hold the game with an untraditionally late start of 8:00pm, the league came out looking smart as a late afternoon thunderstorm brought lightning and monsoon rain to the stadium 2 hours before game time, but the storm travelled on well before the kickoff at 8:15 and while there was some moisture on the Seattle Stadium field, it did not impact the game or the exuberance of the 65,400 fans in attendance. The events began on time with a national anthem sung by performing artist Brandy, a flyover from nearby McChord Field Airforce Base, and the traditional coin flip, won by the Glory, who deferred until the second half, meaning New Orleans would get the ball first. Both teams began somewhat tentatively, two opponents who had not played each other during the year and were sizing each other up. New Orleans got a first down in their first drive before punting the ball to Ohio, who missed on a 3rd and 9 throw to Ochocinco and went 3-and-out. New Orleans managed a second first down on their next drive, getting help from a defensive holding call against Ohio, but again would have to punt. Ohio would begin their second drive at their own 17 after a fair catch, and they would find that their best option was to be patient, take what New Orleans would give them and work their way down the field. In a game that saw New Orleans earn twice as many first downs as Orlando, it would be the patience of Ohio and the ability to hit the occasional big play that made the difference. Ohio hit their first big play on this second drive, as a 3rd and 5 draw play turned into a 21 yard run. It would be Eddie George’s longest run of the first half. It got Ohio into Breaker territory, and 3 plays later Collins would throw the first of two scoring tosses on the day, both to his favorite deep threat, Joey Galloway. A 17-yard out & up route by Galloway gave Ohio the lead with just under 3 minutes left in the opening period. New Orleans would get good field position on the next drive when an over-enthusiastic John Carney sent the kickoff out of bounds, giving the Breakers the ball at the 40. The Breakers, led by Trent Dilfer’s 393 yards on the day, found good success in the short and mid-range passing game (Dilfer threw the ball 46 times, completing 34 but averaging less than 9 yards per reception). The Breaker drive took 6 plays, one of the shorter scoring drives for a club that combined 25 carries for Ricky Williams with a lot of short passes to outpace Ohio in offensive plays 78-41, fitting into the standard strategy against the Glory of minimizing their offensive touches. When the drive bogged down in Glory territory, kicker David Green connected on a 42-yard kick to put New Orleans on the board. That drive was followed by a quick 3-and-out as Ohio again failed on 3rd down thanks to a Clyde Simmons sack of Collins on 3rd and 4. New Orleans responded with a short drive before they too had to give the ball up. On their second drive of the 2nd quarter, Ohio again found the formula to get 7 on the scoreboard. Again it was a big play by Eddie George, this time a 57-yard catch and run on a perfectly executed screen pass. That play set Ohio up on the 17 yard line of the Breakers, and after a short Musa Smith run the Glory gave the ball back to the Offensive POTY and Eddie George made New Orleans pay with a tackle-busting 17-yard run to pay dirt. New Orleans was now down 11 and there was a sense that the Glory might just run away with the game if the Breakers could not respond. New Orleans did respond, mounting a short drive that led to a second Green field goal, but more importantly, they followed that drive with yet another 3rd down stop, getting the ball back after Ohio used only 43 seconds of clock. The Breakers made their first foray into Ohio’s red zone on this drive, combining solid runs from Ricky Williams with short passes to TE Bubba Franks and wideouts Kevin Dyson and Josh Reed to get deep into Ohio territory. Reed would finish the game as the leading receiver with 8 catches for 153 yards on the day, but Dilfer would mix up his receivers, throwing to 8 different targets over the course of the game. One of the unexpected targets was backup TE Austin Wheatley, who would catch 4 balls on the day, including the Breakers’ first touchdown, a goal line play action pass that left him wide open to pull New Orleans to within 1 at 14-13 right at the 2-minute warning. With a serious challenge on their hands from New Orleans, Ohio did what they so often do, they used the final 2 minutes of the half and the first drive of the 3rd quarter to get two scores on the board in quick time and shock their opponent with a sudden burst. Their two-minute drill had been effective all year, and they had the same success using a no-huddle high-energy attack in the final two minutes of the Summer Bowl as well. Linking up with Chad Ochocinco for his only catch of the game, a 19-yarder, and then Galloway for 21, and Stephen Alexander for 7, the Glory had New Orleans reeling. At the 19-yard line they surprised the Breakers’ D with a draw play, and once again Eddie George proved why he was one of the most dangerous players on the field, racing to the end zone, giving the safety a shoulder fake that allowed him to glance off the tackle attempt, and over the plane for the score. At the half, Ohio led 21-13, a closer game than many expected, but they would follow the halftime festivities (a rowdy performance by the Foo Fighters) with a second scoring drive, this one a much slower affair, taking over 5 minutes despite having not a single 3rd down on the entire drive before Joey Galloway caught a fade route from Collins to put Ohio up 15 at 28-13. Again there was a sense that this could be the end for the Breakers, and, in a sense it would be as they would be unable to catch the 28 points of the Glory, but the Glory would also not score again in the game as time and again New Orleans did just enough to get them off the field outside of even field goal range. The Breakers stuck to their possession game, taking nearly 7 minutes to get on the board on the next drive, a drive that saw Ricky Williams carry the ball 4 times, Trent Dilfer connect with Josh Reed and Sanjay Beach, and then New Orleans got their own screen game working, with Troy Davis weaving his way through initial traffic before breaking out on a 22-yard scoring run to pull the Breakers within 1 score at 28-20 as the 3rd quarter wound down. It was in the 4th quarter that Ohio did what they so rarely do, turn to their defense to win them a game. With the offense stymied by a lack of 3rd down success, the somewhat predictable early down runs from Eddie George could not sustain Ohio’s offense, so they asked their defense to salt away the win. After New Orleans’s first drive of the quarter led to a third David Green field goal, a kick necessitated by a Marcus Stroud sack of Trent Dilfer on 3rd and 3 on the Glory 6 yard line, the differential was down to only 5 points, but New Orleans would not get a legitimate shot to score a late game winner. The Breakers would get two more chances to score, and on both they would be stymied, missing a 51-yard field goal attempt on their next drive, and then getting forced into a 4th and 4 on their final possession, only to see CB Jason Webster strip the ball away from Kevin Dyson to end the drive with a fourth down fumble (initially called an incomplete pass but switched to a fumble upon official review). Ohio would drain the clock and as Kerry Collins took a knee on the game’s final play, the confetti cannons streamed the field with the familiar red, white, and blue of the Glory (Which happen to be the league’s colors as well, so we are not sure if a Breaker win would also have had the same confetti.) Eddie George’s 130 yards on the ground and 93 in the air had set a Summer Bowl record for total yards from scrimmage. Kerry Collins had been limited to only 12 completions, but had 2 touchdowns, and the often overlooked Ohio defense had held the lead when the offense was unable to build on it. Altogether the efforts of all 53 players for Ohio had brought them the much sought after repeat title. For New Orleans, the Breakers had availed themselves well against the Ohio offense, had fought their way into range to potentially win, but had eventually fallen just short. The 5-point loss certainly frustrated a lot of folks who had taken the Las Vegas bet that Ohio would win walking away, and it was certainly a testament to the quality of the Breakers squad, but the night belonged to the Glory, who stayed on the field to celebrate with fans and their families. The Glory had won their second consecutive title going 26-2 over two seasons and would now lock up their status as one of the better teams ever to play in the USFL. A Gatorade-soaked Al Luginbill took the league trophy from the commissioner and thanked the ownership in Ohio, the fans, and all his players before handing the trophy off to Kerry Collins and the team. Another USFL season in the books, and while the next day would bring the harsh reality that several members of the repeat league champions, including wideout Chad Ochocinco, were now free agents, this night belonged to Ohio and their Glory.

Two very different games this weekend as the USFL Conference Title Games provided us with a shootout and a major upset. Washington and Ohio went toe to toe, scoring at will one against the other, all the way to extra time before a winner was decided. Meanwhile in Denver, an explosion of points in the 4th quarter turned a somewhat humdrum 7-7 game into a blowout win for the underdog Breakers. The results set up an interesting Summer Bowl, but one in which the Ohio Glory are going to be heavily favored to become the first USFL club to ever repeat as champions. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. OHIO GLORY 41 WASHINGTON FEDERALS 38 OVERTIME It was a game where the Washington Federals went completely against character, throwing points on the scoreboard with ease, while their vaunted defense seemed to have incredible difficulty keeping their opponents from doing the same. With the two teams combining for 1001 yards and 79 points and where the Federals did not trail until the 1:05 mark of the fourth quarter and yet came away with a loss as Ohio punched their ticket to a second consecutive Summer Bowl and a chance to repeat as champions, something no USFL team has ever done. Ohio got huge performances from its big stars, with Kerry Collins completing 23 of 27 passing for 379 yards and 2 scores. Eddie George was unstoppable, gaining 108 on the ground and another 118 through the air. Three different running backs scored for Ohio, as did TE Stephen Alexander and WR Joey Galloway. For Washington, the results were even more astounding as Kordell Stewart threw for 357 and 2 scores and the defense contributed a pick-six to help the Fed’s keep pace all game long with the high-powered offense of the Glory. The game started with a strong opening period from the home team as Washington scored on their opening drive, thanks to a short TD run from Deuce McCallister. When the defense got Ohio’s offense off the field in only 5 plays, the Federals’ offense doubled up their advantage with Stewart connecting with TE Cam Cleeland to go up 14. But, as expected, Ohio’s offsense would not be contained for long. The Glory struck just as the 1st quarter turned to the second, with Joey Galloway catching a short TD pass from Collins to bring the difference down to 7. After halting a Washington drive, Ohio went back to work, and after 7 plays Eddie George got the handoff on the 3 yard line and punched it in to even the score. With 3:50 left in the half, Washington got the ball back and proved that they also had some offensive capacity left in them. Moving the ball quickly down the field, the Federals got help from a pass interference call in the endzone to put the ball on the 1, and Brock Olivo pounded it in from there with 37 seconds left in the half. Washington went in at halftime up 7. The Federals pulled the double dip, scoring in the final two minutes and then getting the ball to start the second half, and, just as they did in the first quarter, they built up a 14-point lead on Ohio when Cedric Tillman caught an 11-yard fade pass from Stewart, just barely getting his toes in bounds. But, just as Washington was repeating their first half success, Ohio would do the same. Washington’s score was followed up by two consecutive scoring drives for the Glory. Musa Smith, subbing for George, took a handoff on the 15 and spun past a defender, diving for the pylon and bringing Ohio back within one score. When Kordell Stewart threw a bad ball on the next drive, Ohio got the first Federal turnover of the game, and they cashed in on it with a 27-yard Collins to Alexander TD pass. Once again the game was tied. Washington got the ball back to start the 4th quarter, but on the 2nd play of their drive, Deuce McCallister fumbled for the 2nd time in the game. This one was lost to Ohio, unlike the earlier fumble picked up by a Washington lineman. Ohio had the ball on the Washington side of midfield, and it looked like they could take their first lead of the day, but as Collins tried to hit Chad Ochocinco on an incutting route, LB Michael Barrow made an incredible play, leaping high in the air, swatting the ball, and then having the presence of mind to not only catch the deflected ball, but to take the right angle as he started running, avoiding the hit of Eddie George and racing to a score for the Federals. Washington was on top yet again. But the Washington defense had struggled all day to disrupt Collins, and once again Ohio would find a way, this time Collins getting the benefit of a defensive PI call, much like the one the Feds had benefitted from earlier. It was a pretty easy call as Ed Reed got there way to early and ran straight into Chad Ochocinco in the endzone. Again the ball ended up on the 1, and again a backup HB, this time Ohio’s Musa Smith, got the ball across the plane. 35-35 with 6:22 left to play in this barnburner. Washington would continue to have miscues and on their next drive it was Stewart’s turn. The mobile QB scrambled out of trouble, but did not see Glenn Cadrez gaining on him from behind. Cadrez knocked the ball out of Stewart’s hand and recovered the ball to give Ohio the ball deep in Federals’ territory. Washington held, but John Carney’s kick was able to give Ohio the lead with only 1:05 left in the game. Stewart would need some big plays to get Doug Pelfrey, the league’s All-USFL kicker in range. Receiving the ball on the 25 after a touchback on the kick, Stewart took over on offense and immediately started using mid-range passes to try to get the ball into field goal range. He hit Cedrick Tillman for 8, then Cleeland for 5, and Bryant Johnson (playing for the injured Deion Branch) for another 11. On first and 10, Ohio flushed Stewart out of the pocket, but the elusive QB rushed for 17 yards on the busted play. Spiking the ball with 23 seconds left, Stewart lined up for one more play before sending out Pelfrey. He would connect with Tillman at the 35 yard line, use the team’s last timeout, and Pelfrey would line up for a 52-yarder to tie the game. Pelfrey’s kick flew dead center and the game was headed to overtime. Ohio called heads, it was tails, and the Federals received the kickoff. Stewart, now not operating with the time limits of his 2-minute drill, struggled to find rhythm, missing on a 2nd and 8 throw, and then miscommunicating with Bryant Johnson on third down as Johnson hooked in while Stewart threw to a nonexistant out route. The Feds punted and turned to their defense for support. But, this was a defense that had been on its heels for a good portion of the game. In just 6 plays Ohio was in range for Carney, and when a Fed’s defender jumped offside on the kick, the ball was brought even closer, producing a very makeable 36-yarder for Carney. The Glory kicker made good and kicked the defending champs back into the Summer Bowl. Ohio now becomes the 4th league champion to make a repeat appearance in the title game, following the 1985-86 Stars, the 1992-93 Gamblers, and the 2000-10 Denver Gold. None of the previous three defending champs were able to win that elusive back to back title. Can Ohio do them all one better and take home a second straight Bassett Trophy? NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 28 DENVER GOLD 7 A very different game at Invesco Field as both Denver and New Orleans struggled to put points on the board through three quarters before the floodgates opened, at least for one club. Both New Orleans and Denver scored in the opening period, but then the offenses dried up for the better part of the game. In particular Denver seemed to have no ability to sustain drives at all. Rod Smart led all rushers with only 61 yards while Mark Brunell completed only 17 of 31 passes for 115 yards. For New Orleans, Ricky Williams rushed only for 57 yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Without Az-Zahir Hakim, the Breakers spread the ball among 8 receivers, but none were able to break a big one for New Orleans. The Breakers did look good on their first drive, when Dilfer marched the visitors down the field with scripted plays, putting a score on the board when he hit Sanjay Beach for a 12-yard touchdown. Denver also looked pretty solid on their first drive, an 11-play, 7 minute drive that finished up when Rod Smart went off tackle at the 3 and squeezed his way between defenders to reach paydirt. It was a start that seemed to promise more fireworks throughout, but the next two quarters saw both defenses turn up the pressure and both offenses miss opportunities. New Orleans got to the Denver 30, but kicker David Green missed both kicks, from 43 and 47 yards out. Not much better, Jeff Wilkens missed Denver’s only other scoring opportunity in the 2nd quarter, a last second kick from 44 yards out. It felt like neither team wanted to win this one. The score stayed 7-7 until the 12:31 mark of the fourth quarter, when Trent Dilfer finally managed to avoid a rough third down situation and keep the ball moving forward. From the 2-yard line Dilfer found backup TE Austin Wheatley alone in the endzone after a good fake to Williams. The score put New Orleans up for the first time since the early minutes of the first quarter. They kicked the ball off to Denver, and a muff on the kickoff put the ball on the Denver 9 yard line. They would move the ball out to the 20, but back to back penalties, first a hands-to-the-face infraction and then a false start, moved the ball all the way back to 9 once again. On 2nd and 19 disaster struck for the Gold when LB DeWayne Dotson burst through the line untouched, crashing into Brunell before he even got set. The ball popped out and before the Denver players could even react, Dotson was falling on it in the endzone to give New Orleans as 14-point lead. Down two scores, Mark Brunell got desperate, and that desperation turned south again as he was picked off at his own 33 by Latin Berry, and 2 plays later New Orleans made it a 3-score lead as they faked the ball to Troy Davis and then Dilfer found Wheatley for a 2nd score. 28-7 and this one was all but over. Denver tried to go deep on their next drive, but on 4th and 10 had to admit defeat and punt the ball away. New Orleans went into time-killing mode, and that turned into victory formation mode as the Breakers’ bench celebrated the team’s first ever conference title. The Breakers were headed to the Summer Bowl for the first time in the 21-year old club’s pretty storied history. The problem now was that they would be going into that game as a prohibitive underdog. Michigan Gets Their Consolation Prize It has to feel a bit weird to be Dick LeBeau. Yes, you just got a second head coaching job after being let go by one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL, but you are also so very clearly the backup option for your new team, and that cannot feel good. After making a fuss over Tom Coughlin only to miss out on the coach to the Baltimore Blitz, Michigan announced the hire of LeBeau this Tuesday. LeBeau, known as a defensive mastermind and a bit of an old-school throwback, inherits the worst club in the USFL, and a team that desperately needs some structure and discipline. There is some talent in Michigan, particularly at QB and WR, but the defense needs a total overhaul, and the run game has been all but nonexistent. So, a lot of work to do for a coach who may just be entering this job with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. It will be interesting to see how this pans out, although sadly we won’t see a Baltimore-Michigan game on the schedule next year. Arizona Double Dips The Wranglers apparently had two coaches that really interested them and really stood out in interviews, former Bulls and NFL Giants head coach Jim Fassel, and former Bears and U. of Illinois offensive coordinator, and a former Wranglers QB, Greg Landry. So, what do they do? They work with Fassel to set up an agreement that brings him to Arizona with a focus on defense and special teams, and allows the Wranglers to bring in Landry as the OC and Assistant Head Coach. It is a rare thing to have a head coach and an offensive coordinator on the same team who have never worked with each other before, but that will be the situation in Arizona. The good news is that in doing so, the Wranglers have brought in specialists who can work with the different squads within the team, and if it goes well the two can complement each other’s style and build something. But the risk is there that this is a two-headed monster, much like when a team has 2 equally-matched QBs competing to start. Landry is not much of an ego-driven guy, so maybe we are exaggerating the potential clash of styles and personalities, but this is certainly something of an experiment for the Wranglers. Tampa Bay Still Searching The hires of LeBeau and Fassel leave Tampa Bay as the only USFL club without a head coach. What is the delay? Well, there is a lot of pressure in Tampa Bay for the owners to make a symbolic move and sign former Bandit HC Steve Spurrier. And they may well be considering that, but no one from Tampa Bay is allowed to reach out to the former Bandit coach until the NFL/USFL Transfer Window opens in two weeks. So what is Tampa Bay to do in the meantime? Well, they had a brief (and we here somewhat fiery, phone call with Jerry Glanville, who seems to want no part of the Bandits any longer. They also brought in former Renegades HC and current Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger for a quick visit, but it seems that Big How is comfortable in small time college football and is not eager to take up the pressures of pro ball again. Rumors also have Tampa Bay interested in recently let go Baltimore Coach Lindy Infante, but we cannot imagine the fanbase in Tampa would be on board with that kind of lateral move at all. Spurrier may be the only option that allows the Bandits to bring the fanbase back to their usual level of rowdy fervor, assuming he is open at all to a switch, as it would force him to resign from the Redskins, giving up a significant portion of his 3-year contract to do so. Divisional Game Knockouts Lead to Roster Shifts Another round of playoffs, another round of players who either become free agents as their contracts expire and a few more retirements. That is the rhythm of the early offseason and we saw it again as Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle bowed out of the playoffs this week. Some pretty significant contributors leaving all four clubs, or at least testing the waters to see what options they have. We begin with a few noteworthy players opting to retire and step away from the game. The biggest name in this new group is that of Chicago tackle John Thierry, whose retirement will leave a huge hole to fill for the Machine on their O-line. Punter Chris Mohr of Jacksonville, recently named the punter on the All-Time All-USFL team, has also decided to step away from the game after 15 seasons with the Bulls. Seattle will lose their backup QB as Craig Erickson announced his retirement, one of three Dragons who will call it a career. One more player of note as Chicago QB Browning Nagle, who has not seen a snap in real game action since 1997 departs to pursue a broadcasting position in Louisville. Retirements are expected, and often quite predictable, but each of these teams is also significantly impacted by the players who did not resign with the team during the season and now become free agents. Looking at each club, we see these players as the most significant to test the waters: CHICAGO: DT Sean Gilbert, G Leo Goeas, WR Johnnie Morton, TE Fred Baxter JACKSONVILLE: WR Terrell Owens, G Matt O’Dwyer, T Jon Runyan, FS Omar Stoutmire, WR Bobby Shaw LOS ANGELES: DT David Rocker, C Bryan Stoltenberg, G Tom Ackerman, WR Amani Toomer, QB Shane Matthews, DT Travis Kirschke, LB Barry Minter SEATTLE: SS John Lynch, DE Antonio Edwards, WR J.J. Stokes, LB Mike Maslowski, G Troy Sienkiwicz, DT Shane Burton There are some big impact players on that list, starting with Bulls receiver Terrell Owens, who will almost certainly be a major target for both NFL and USFL clubs looking for a true #1 at the position. Safety John Lynch is also in the prime of his career and a former All-USFL selection. For those on more of a budget, snagging either J.J. Stokes or Amani Toomer could be a huge addition, while DT Sean Gilbert or Travis Kirschke could be huge upgrades for several teams as they try to build up a solid D-line. A lot of talent here, but as teams try to negotiate the salary cap and prioritize key positons, there may well be some bidding wars at play that impact who has the space and the drive to sign some of the bigger talents in the free agent pool. We will see how aggressive the NFL is and who within the USFL is willing to match NFL salaries to sign some of the talent in the free agent pool. Just four teams left, with Denver and Washington the next to see departures as we fully expect unsigned players like Denver’s Gennaro DiNapoli, Tracy Boyd, and Lloyd Hill to hit free agency along with Washington’s Sam Garnes, Tommy Vardell, Kevin Lockett and center Jim Pyne. With Ohio and New Orleans still playing we wait yet another week to see if the Glory can resign both Joey Galloway and Chad Ochocinco. The expectation is that they have room in their budget for only one. Great news for both New Orleans and Ohio as there were no additions to the injury report this week. That doesn’t mean some players won’t be missed, with the Breakers going without WR Az-Zahir Hakim and DE Chidi Ahanotu. Without their top weapon in the receiving corps the Breakers are going to have to get inventive if they want to keep pace with Ohio. The only lingering injury for the Glory is a player they would not expect to see the field, backup QB Chris Redman, so they have their full arsenal available to them as they prepare for their title defense in the Summer Bowl. Success Boosts Breakers Asking Price The Breakers picked a good year to make a Summer Bowl run as on-field success, which also boosts financial success as fans flock to jump on the bandwagon, immediately improves the value of the club and interest in potential ownership opportunities. The longtime lead owner of the Breakers, Jerry Canizaro is looking to cash out and while David Dixon, the influential league architect of the WFL and to a degree the USFL is still going to retain his share of the club, the Breakers are hoping to get top dollar for the controlling share of the team. Winning their way to a title game this year only helps them garner attention. The latest news is that Azram Glazer,son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer has taken an interest in the team. This would not be the first time that we see an NFL-USFL connection in ownership as way back in 1984, Edward DeBartolo Sr., father of 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., signed onto the new league as owner of the Pittsburgh Mauler expansion franchise. It took some negotiating and legal maneuvering, but the deal was cut. A similar situation would almost certainly come around were Glazer to be the nominee to take over the Breakers. Already heavily invested in athletics through the Glazer’s ownership of both the Buccaneers and English soccer club Manchester United, Glazer would almost certainly want a stronger role in team operations than Cannizaro held. That may be a sticking point for Dixon, who fancies himself more of the hands-on owner within the franchise’s structure. We appear to be a ways away from someone signing on the dotted line with the Breakers, as they are still very much exploring options, reaching out to interested parties, engaging in thorough financial checks, and negotiating internally about the desired value for the club, and the percentage of the ownership consortium which will be sold off versus reallocated or sold internally to David Dixon and others within the current ownership structure, but the clear good news of this season is that the value of the club is taking an upward turn as the team’s on-field success expands their revenue potential. Seating Plan Under Scrutiny Much the opposite situation in Las Vegas, where the plan to add an additional 11,000 seats to Sam Boyd stadium has run into a significant snag. UNLV, the primary tenant for Sam Boyd Stadium, and a significant voice in the stadium commission, has balked at the initial plans for the expanded temporary seating, even though the new seating would be dismantled well before fall football season would begin for the Rebels. It seems they may have an ally within the city as well as initial plans for the expansion have come under scrutiny on grounds of their structural soundness. The plan called for structural additions within the framework of the stadium that would allow for anchoring of the new seating areas, essentially an upper deck to the endzone areas of the stadium, but engineers are warning that the plans could compromise the existing structure and do not provide ample support for cross-directional stresses, such as strong winds. That sounds on the surface like a very untenable situation, and it seems clear that the Thunder are going to have to go back to the drawing board if they want the appropriate permits and the clearance from the stadium commission to make the addition. Without additional seating, Sam Boyd Stadium would be the smallest capacity facility in the league, a full 4,000 seats below the capacity of Portland’s Civic Stadium, a building that kept the Thunder from reaching the financial capacity of the market or league averages. To play in an even smaller stadium would be a disaster for the newly-relocated Thunder. Now, there is time for owner Phil Ruffin to develop a new structural plan for expanded seating, but that time is not endless. In all likelihood, the plan would need to be in place before the Winter Holiday season if the club wants to have any hope of completing the plan in time for a March kickoff. This is not a situation where new stands can simply be erected as you may see with a stadium that has an open end where bleachers can simply be set up for additional seating. Sam Boyd would require structural additions or modifications in order to add this temporary deck of seating, and that will require significant time to complete, especially since construction cannot begin until the conclusion of UNLV’s fall football season, assuming UNLV and the commission approve of a plan this fall. It may well be that the Thunder once again are handcuffed, at least for the short term, with a stadium that simply does not have the capacity to allow for the kind of ticket and in-stadium revenue that most other USFL clubs take for granted. Here we are, only days from Summer Bowl 2003, and the feel around the country and around the football world is focused on the question of whether or not Ohio can be stopped. New Orleans opened as a 7-point underdog, and as betting has shifted in Las Vegas, that line has grown to 10 points. Fans and wagerers simply seem to believe that the Glory are destined to take the title again, and who can blame them. Ohio has lost only 2 games in 2 years, has the top rated offense, a three-time MVP at quarterback, a two-time Offensive Player of the Year at running back and perhaps the best 1-2 combination of wideouts we have seen since the early Carter-Holloway combo the Panthers used to win two titles in the 1980’s. This will be a major upset if New Orleans can pull it off. So how could they? That is the question most pundits have been debating since Sunday’s championship games. The general theory goes something like this: Hold the ball, slow the game, and make plays on third down. Sounds simple, right? But that is a strategy that many have tried and failed to accomplish. We saw Pittsburgh successfully use Terrell Davis and a short-yardage passing attack to defeat Ohio for the first time in over a year, but that was back in Week 4, and when the Maulers tried a similar tactic in Week 10, they could not sustain it and Ohio scored 34and won the game in Heinz Field. The Federals had moderate success with that strategy, leaning heavily on Deuce McCallister and blanket zone coverages back in Week 11 of the regular season, and kept the score down, but still lost 17-10, their only defeat of the regular season. When those two met this past week the game played out very differently, but Washington again could not come out on top. New Orleans has the run game to eat clock. They can hand off to Ricky Williams as often as they like. They also have a solid screen game with Troy Davis as the primary target, but it can be predictable because it is so rare to see New Orleans engage in standard inside runs when Davis is in the game. The issue for the Breakers, at least on offense, is going to be consistency in the passing game. Without Az-Zahir Hakim, they have to rely on Kevin Dyson, Sanjay Beach, and Josh Reed, with TE Bubba Franks as a safety valve. That is not a receiving corps that would be classified as elite, or even fall in the upper half of USFL clubs. Trent Dilfer is going to have to be decisive, and varied in his targets if New Orleans wants to keep drives alive and shorten the game to keep Ohio from having chances to score. The reason that will be so important is because, unlike the Federals, the Breakers’ defense is somewhat suspect, especially against the pass, where they gave up 291.1 yards per game this season (near the bottom of the league). You do not want to have a shaky pass defense when playing against Collins, Galloway and Ochocinco (We still have trouble taking his name seriously, can we just say that?). The Breakers will almost certainly try to use similar blanket zone plans that we saw so many teams use, which means they cannot blitz as much as they would like. That puts pressure on the front 4 of Michael McCrary, Moe Gardner, Brandon Whiting, and Clyde Simmons. Expect to see a lot of rotation, especially on the interior where Chris Maumalanga could get a lot of 3rd down snaps. If they are going to blitz, expect it to come from DeWayne Dotson, the player who helped the Breakers lock down the win against Denver this past week. Do we see New Orleans pulling this out? Not really, but that is also what we thought about Pittsburgh in 1995 when they shocked the Houston Gamblers and Orlando in 2001 when we thought Denver was sure to repeat as champions. A repeat has never happened, and that must be for a reason. All the pressure is on the Ohio Glory. New Orleans has no expectation for victory and that free & easy position makes them dangerous. If Ohio comes out tight, if they are not at their best, they too could become a victim of the repeat pressure that knocked out 3 prior champions trying to defend their crown. So, are we predicting a Breakers title? Sorry, we just can’t be that detached from what we have seen on the field this year. We are going with Ohio to become the first club to repeat, and we agree with the Vegas book, 10 points seems about right. Our pick is Ohio 38-28.

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.