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PART TWO Time to look into the crystal ball and try to make sense out of all the offseason moves, the coaching changes, draft pick signings, and player acquisitions, and see what we see as the future of the USFL in 2001. You cannot just go by last year, that has been proven out almost every season. In 1999 the LA Express came out of nowhere to win the Pacific, last year Ohio, Seattle, and Philadelphia made huge leaps and became serious playoff contenders. The USFL is a fickle league, with success very fleeting and sudden changes of fortune very common. So, we will do our best to read the tea leaves and see what we see, but, as always, don’t hold us to it. ATLANTIC DIVISION Perhaps the most balanced division from top to bottom. Last year it was the Stars jumping from 6th to 1st place, but we could see any of maybe 5 teams having a possible claim. Pittsburgh seems a bit lost, New Jersey is intriguing but will need time to gel, Washington may be on a downward trend, and Ohio seems poised to make a run this year. We are going to shake it up just a bit, but don’t be surprised if Philly repats or Baltimore ascends to the top. PREDICTED FINISH: 1-OHIO 2-PHILADELPHIA 3-BALTIMORE 4-NEW JERSEY 5-WASHINGTON 6-PITTSBURGH Three Year Trend: From 7-9 to 8-8 to 10-6 last season, a clear pattern of improvement. Head Coach: Al Luginbill Returning Stars: QB Kerry Collins, HB Eddie George, WR Joey Galloway, DT LaRoi Glover, LB Jeff Herod Departures: HB Darrell Thompson (FA), SS Kyle Kramer (FA), DT Tony Stevens (FA), WR Cedric Tillman (FA), WR Rob Thomas (FA), LB Aubrey Beavers (NFL), C Bob Kronenberg (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: HB Lamont Warren (FA), T Pete Kendall (FA), G Cooper Carlisle (Trade) Rookies to Watch: The Glory added two potential immediate starters in DT Marcus Stroud (Georgia) and wideout Chad Johnson (Oregon State). Could Johnson be the player that finally draws some coverage away from Galloway? Other signings of note include guard Marques McFadden (Arizona), OLB DeLawrence Grant (Oregon St), and TE Shawn Draper (Bama) Outlook: Ohio is a team on the rise, and their offense only got better with the addition of rookie Chad Johnson and added depth on the O-line. Losing Bob Kronenberg is tough, but the Glory have a solid line. The big question is whether or not they can take the next step, particularly on defense. Predicted Finish: 11-5, Division Champion Three Year Trend: Ten wins in ’98, a collapse to 5 in 99, and then a rebirth to a division title and 13 wins last year. Was 99 a blip or was 2000 a fluke? We tend to go with the former as the more likely scenario. Head Coach: Jim Mora Jr. Returning Stars: QB Bobby Hebert, HB Stephen Davis, WR Bobby Engram, DE Regan Upshaw, DT Seth Payne Departures: TE Eric Green (FA), DT Leon Lett (NFL), SS Corey Chavous (NFL), WR Kevin Dyson (NFL), CB Deltha O’Neill (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: DT Brandon Whitting (FA), G Joe Patton (FA), DE Bronzell Miller (Trade) Rookies to Watch: WR Steve Smith (Utah) has impressed in camp. LB Quinton Caver (Arkansas) has struggled a bit and likely will not get immediate starts. TE Tony Stewart (Penn State) has huge shoes to fill for the departed Eric Green. Other potential rostered rookies include OT Mathias Nkwenti (Temple) and SS Marlon McCree (Kentucky). Comments: Philadelphia was a surprise for many last year, but they have a lot of quality veterans on this team. 2001 could be the last hurrah for Bobby Hebert, and the departure of Eric Green and Kevin Dyson will not help, but rookie Steve Smith looks like a quality addition. Predicted Finish: 10-6, Wild Card Three Year Trend: Consistent winning (10 wins, then 12, then 10 in 2000), so we expect much the same this year as the roster seems even a bit deeper. Head Coach: Lindy Infante Returning Stars: QB Jeff Garcia, HB Ron Dayne, DT John Randall, SS Bennie Blades, LB Duane Bickett Departures: TE Keith McKeller (FA), DE Mike Piel (NFL), QB Trent Green (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: C Curtis Wilson (FA), DE Kabir Gabaja-Biamila (Trade) Rookies to Watch: S Adam Archuleta (ASU) looks like an immediate plug-n-play guy, possibly starting at FS or alternating with Blades at SS. He could line up alongside another good-looking rookie, CB Ken Lucas (Ole Miss). HBs Travis Minor (FSU) and Marcel Shipp (UMass) should both make the squad but may not get many touches until they pick up pass protection. Comments: Baltimore made the switch to Jeff Garcia at QB, and he did quite well for them. They were largely non-participants in Fre Agency, but got a potential star in DE KGB in trade for Trent Green. Add in a very good looking rookie in safety Adam Archuleta and the Blitz look ready to challenge again. Predicted Finish: 10-6, Wild Card Three Year Trend: From 7 wins in ’98 to 6 in ’99 and only 3 last year. That trend cost Marty Schottenheimer his job. Bill Parcells comes in and hopes his major shakeup produces a quick turnaround. Head Coach: Bill Parcells Returning Stars: HB Curtis Enis, WR Terry Glenn, WR Wayne Chrebet, DE Phil Hansen, LB Bobby Houston Departures: HB Lamont Warren (FA), SS Eric McMillan (NFL), G Corbin Lacina (NFL), LB Lorenzo Styles (NFL), LB Kevin Greene (RET), QB Jeff Lewis (Trade), QB Eric Zeier (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: QB Troy Aikman (FA), CB Darrien Gordon (FA), CB Kenny Gales (Trade) Rookies to Watch: LB Kendrell Bell (Georgia) is likely the only immediate starter from the 2000 rookie class, though we expect to see tackle Matt Light (Purdue) and guard Chad Ward (Washington) rotate into the lineup for some snaps. Another who could make the 53-man roster is CB Tay Cody (FSU) who seems to have beaten out Carey Scott (KY State) for a spot in the secondary. HB James Jackson will likely start the year on the practice squad. Comments: No team made a bigger splash this offseason. Bill Parcells was a huge addition, and he will have this team playing mentally tough football. Aikman has had some issues with concussions, so the Generals will need to watch out, but he has some serious weapons around him in Curtis Enis, Terry Glenn, and emerging 2000 rookie Anthony Becht. The defense will also look very new with two free agent corners along with rookie LB Kendrell Bell. Predicted Finish: 8-8, a big step up from 2000. Three Year Trend: Solid but not spectacular over 3 years (10 wins, then 8, then 11) seems about right for the Federals, who are in something of a rebuilding phase and have some players who are clearly on the back end of their careers. Head Coach: Paul Hackett Returning Stars: QB Kordell Stewart, HB Rueben Droughns, WR Herman Moore, DT Jerome Brown, CB Charles Woodson Departures: LB Winston Moss (FA), T Pete Kendall (FA), WR Andre Coleman (FA), HB Lamar Smith (FA0, WR Mike Williams (FA), LB Corey Miller (Trade), QB Brock Huard (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: LB Quentin Coryatt (FA), WR Lawyer Tillman (WSH), HB Tim Lester (Trade) Rookies to Watch: With the emergence of Rueben Droughns last year, it was a bit of a surprise to see Washington invest in a back like Ole Miss’s Deuce McCallister, but they always have loved the 2-back system, so expect Deuce to get a chance to shine. DT Kris Jenkins (Maryland) will rotate in for Jerome Brown as the big man needs more occasional breathers at this point in his career. Expect to see guard Damion Cook (Bethune Cookman) get some snaps, and LB Torrance Marshall (OU) should see action on special teams. We don’t see John Markum (Vandy) beating out Doug Pelfry for the kicking duties. Comments: The Federals again lost some good defensive talent in Winston Moss and Corey Miller, but the addition of veteran Quentin Coryatt should help. We are not sure who will end up getting carries as Washington added former Arizona thumper Tim Lester as well as rookie Deuce McCallister to a RB group that was expected to be handed over to Rueben Drouhns. There are a lot of questions, and that has us nervous about a team that is usually pretty easy to like. Predicted Finish: 7-9, needs time to fill in some gaps. Three Year Trend: From mediocre (8-8 in 1998), to slightly better (10-6 in 1999) to a complete collapse in 2000 (3-13). Pittsburgh is clearly in a rebuilding mode. Is that good enough for Emmitt Thomas to keep his job? Head Coach: Emmitt Thomas Returning Stars: QB Charlie Batch, HB Terrell Davis, WR Andre Rison, LB DeMetrius DuBose, LB Godfrey Miles Departures: FS Jerome Woods (FA), DT Moe Gardner (FA), WR Lonzell Hill (FA), HB Tavian Banks (FA), CB Quintin Jones (RET), T Bernard Williams (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: HB Lamar Smith (FA), DE Mike Mamula (FA), DT Russell Maryland (FA), QB Alex Van Pelt (Trade) Rookies to Watch: We love the motor on DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska) and we think TE Alge Crumpler (UNC) could get the starting gig within the season’s first month, but the biggest surprise in camp has been FS Corey Hall (App State), who could break into the lineup for a Mauler D that needs his energy. Kicker Bill Grammatica (USF) could unseat Ryan Lindell. Comments: The Maulers had a major collapse in 2000, despite decent play from QB Charlie Batch and the usual greatness from HB Terrell Davis. The defense was the big issue, and we are not sure that the addition of Russell Maryland and Mike Mamula is enough. We do like rookie DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, but the LB corps and the secondary still make us wonder about the Mauler D this year. Predicted Finish: 5-11, with room for growth. SOUTHERN DIVISION Is this finally Orlando’s year to shine? They seemed poised to make a deep playoff run, and they did win the division, but losing Scott Mitchell late in the season doomed them to a quick playoff departure. The Renegades are not a given as Birmingham is always a threat and Memphis is in no way out of the picture. We are still not sure what to say about Jacksonville, who started 2000 very strongly but then wilted in the summer heat. Tampa Bay has a lot of issues to overcome and we are just not ready to say that Atlanta is ready to turn the corner and join their fellow 1995 expansion clubs in the postseason. PREDICTED FINISH: 1-ORLANDO 2-MEMPHIS 3-BIRMINGHAM 4-JACKSONVILLE 5-TAMPA BAY 6-ATLANTA Three Year Trend: 2000 felt like a step up, from 2 consecutive 9-win seasons to 11-5 and a division title. Can they take another step this year? Head Coach: George O’Leary Returning Stars: QB Scott Mitchell, HB Terry Kirby, WR Keenan McCardell, WR Donald Driver, DE Chris Doleman, CB Deon Figures Departures: TE Dante Whittaker (CFL), LB Dante Jones (NFL), DT Joel Steed (NFL), HB Moe Williams (NFL) Veteran Arrivals: TE Ricky Dudley (FA), DT Brandon Whiting (FA) Rookies to Watch: The Renegades focused on low-sizzle, high-impact positions. Mike Gandy (NDame) should be the week 1 right tackle. Kenny Smith (Bama) will be in the DT mix, and OLB Patrick Chukwarah (Wyoming) could see some action early as well. Others on the 53-man roster include guard Stephen Neal (CSU Bakersfield) and LB Hakim Akbar (Wash) Comments: We are saying this is Orlando’s chance to step up. Yes, they lost some solid players, but adding Ricky Dudley is an upgrade at TE, and their draft was solid. We see Orlando going as far as QB Scott Mitchell and their defense can take them. Predicted Finish: 11-5, Top seed in the conference. Three Year Trend: Two consecutive 12-win seasons after an 8-8 start for coach Jim Mora Sr. We don’t see a big dropoff this year. Head Coach: Jim Mora Sr. Returning Stars: QB Heather Shuler, HB Garrison Hearst, WR Joe Horn, TE Adrian Cooper, LB Jim Schwantz Departures: LB Joe Mott (FA), WR Lawyer Tillman (FA), C Curtis Wilson (FA), DE Mike Mamula (FA), G Cooper Carlisle (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: T Brian Williams (FA), QB Bill Musgrave (FA), FS Joe King (FA), C Bob Kronenburg (Trade) Rookies to Watch: Center Casey Rabach (Wisc) was a clear need pick, while the two wideouts signed, Justin McCareins (NIU) and Cedric Wilson (Tenn) will add depth. In camp, unheralded UNC LB Brandon Spoon has looked like a contributor, while DE Paul Toviessi (Marshall) has done enough to make the roster. Comments: Despite losses on both sides of the ball, Memphis’s season still looks like it will be dictated by the play of QB Heath Shuler and the O-line’s ability to block for him. Adding C Bob Kronenburg should help there, and adding two rookie wideouts should provide some options beyond Joe Horn for the Showboats. Predicted Finish: 10-6 and a Wild Card. Three Year Trend: Two 8-8 seasons with an 11-5 bump in the middle. We all keep saying that the Stallions are too talented to win 8 games, but they still win 8 games. Head Coach: Kevin Gilbride steps up to fill the slot that Ron Erhardt’s new GM position opened. Returning Stars: QB Brett Favre, FB Mike Alstott, WR Lawrence Dawsey, CB Deion Sanders, DE Mike Rucker Departures: HB Rodney Thomas (OAK) LB Cornelius Bennett (FA), DT Brandon Whiting (FA), G Ed King (FA), WR Ernest Givens (RET) Veteran Arrivals: LB Joe Mott (FA), DE Renaldo Turnbull (FA), QB Eric Zeier (Trade) Rookies to Watch: We are not sure Ron Erhardt’s first draft as GM was a strong one. SS Harold Blackmon (NWern) and DT Damione Lewis (Miami) will certainly make the roster, but we don’t see a starter in this draft. Others who could stick are FB Nick Goings (Pitt) if the Stallions keep 5 backs, or DE Cedrick Scott (So Miss). Early pick Bill Ferrario (Wisc) has been something of a disappointment in camp at the guard position and may be relegated to the practice squad. Comments: We like the signings of Turnbull and Mott to help the defense, but they also lost Cornelius Bennett, the outspoken leader of the defense, so there will be a need for new leaders to step up. The offense will still run through Brett Favre and Lawrence Dawsey, but without Ernest Givens on the squad, who will step up at that split end position? Predicted Finish: 9-7, Just missing the postseason. Three Year Trend: Steady improvement from 3 wins to 6, and 8-8 last year. Is this another step along the way to a playoff contender? Head Coach: Gunther Cunningham Returning Stars: QB Chris Chandler, HB Sedrick Irvin, WR Terrell Owens, LB Lavar Arrington, DT Sam Adams Departures: C Bubba Miller (FA), TE Steve Johnson (FA), FS Mark Carrier (FA), WR Patrick Rowe (FA), CB R.W. McQuarters (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: WR Cedric Tillman (FA), TE Eric Green (FA) Rookies to Watch: The Bulls have three solid players at the top of their draft and a possible darkhorse in what has to be considered another good draft. Expect to see quite a bit of DE Derrick Burgess (Ole Miss) on the field. Center Dominic Raiola (Nebraska) may get the start this week, and OLB Brian Allen (FSU) has looked like a fast learner. The surprise has been the play of 6th round pick, safety Ifeany Ohalete (USC). Finally, we expect UCLA wideout Drew Bennett to make the squad as well as he could be part of the kick return and coverage teams. Comments: The Bulls looked dynamite for about 1/3 of the season last year and then the wheels sort of fell off, and the worst thing is that there was not a clear reason why. The run game needs to be better, but we don’t see much beyond the addition of an athletic rookie center to address that. Chris Chandler is getting older, less mobile, and more prone to sacks each year, so a run game will be needed to keep him upright. Predicted Finish: 7-9, but just not quite a playoff team. Three Year Trend: Trending the wrong way for Coach Seifert. 13 wins and a league title, down to 7-9 in 1999 and only 6-10 last year. Now losing Aikman, things seem headed south. Head Coach: George Seifert Returning Stars: HB Errict Rhett, WR Randy Moss, DE Santana Dotson, LB Kevin Mitchell, CB Samari Rolle Departures: CB Darrien Gordon (FA), QB Troy Aikman (FA), G Chris Thatcher (FA), WR Robert Brooks (NFL), DE Kabir Gabaja-Biamila (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: LB Winston Moss (FA), FS Jerome Woods (FA), SS LeRoy Butler (FA), QB Trent Green (Trade) Rookies to Watch: Former Wolverine Steve Hutchinson is a no brainer to start for the Bandits. We are not sure what to make of the rest of their rookie class. CB Brock Williams (NDame), ILB Zeke Moreno (USC) and CB Chidi Iwouma (Cal) all should make the roster, but beyond that, we just don’t know if we will see much of them this year. Comments: It is a rebuilding year, one of several we expect. Trent Green has issues staying healthy and is a placeholder at best at this point. There are still a lot of weapons, including Randy Moss and Errict Rhett on this team, but losing Aikman and then Robert Brooks is not a good thing for Coach Seifert. Predicted Finish: 5-11 and the search for a franchise QB commences. Three Year Trend: Six, two, and 4 wins, paired with last place finishes in the division do not seem a trend one wants to continue. Can Coach Petrino get more from them in year 2? Head Coach: Bobby Petrino Returning Stars: QB Aaron Brooks, HB Tiki Barber, DT Anthony McFarland, LB Mo Lewis, DE Bruce Smith Departures: SS Robert Blackmon (FA), WR Hart Lee Dykes (NFL), G Chris Dalman (NFL), HB Glyn Milburn (NFL), P Brian Moorman (NFL), HB Mike Anderson (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: P Chris Hanson (FA), HB Mario Greer (FA), C Bubba Miller (FA) Rookies to Watch: Signing big DT Casey Hampton (TEX) was a good start, though all fans could talk about was the failure to land Michael Vick. SS Adrian Wilson (NC State) and guard Paul Zukauskas (BC) should also make the 53, while tackle Maurice Williams (Michigan) and CB Jeramatrius Butler (K State) are on the bubble and could start the year on the practice squad. Comments: The Fire played hard last year for Coach Petrino, and the defense got better, but they still have to decide if either Aaron Brooks or Mark Bulger is really a starting QB in this league. They took their shot at Vick and failed, so now one of those two has to make it happen. We only wish they had been able to add more weapons for either of them. The Fire receiving corps remains seriously underwhelming. Predicted Finish: 3-13 unless Petrino can light a fire under one of his QBs. CENTRAL DIVISION In some ways very unpredictable, as we saw with New Orleans’s rise last year, and yet the St. Louis Knights have been something of a constant at the top of the division. We think this year they will be challenged by New Orleans, but we see Michigan, Chicago, Texas and Houston quite a bit further down the power rankings and we think this could be a 2-horse race. PREDICTED FINISH: 1-ST. LOUIS 2-NEW ORLEANS 3-CHICAGO 4-MICHIGAN 5-HOUSTON 6-TEXAS Three Year Trend: Three straight division titles is pretty consistent even if the record has fluctuated (14-2, 10-6, 12-4). Head Coach: Jim Johnson Returning Stars: QB Todd Collins, HB Ahman Green, WR Bert Emmanuel, DE Vonnie Holiday, SS Rodney Harrison Departures: FS Jerome Watkins (FS), HB Karim Abdul-Jabbar (NFL), G Chris Villareal (NFL), DT Jerry Ball (RET) Veteran Arrivals: TE Keith McKeller (FA), DT James Manley (FA) Rookies to Watch: DT Shaun Rogers (Texas) is the one sure thing from the draft. We are still scratching over the pick of FS Bhawoh Jue (Penn State) as early as they picked him. TE Jabari Holloway (NDame) is not the big play TE the Knights hoped to find. HB George Layne (TCU) is likely a practice squad player, and kicker Jay Feeley seems destined to be seeking work elsewhere. He is solid, but not going to unseat Longwell. Comments: The Knights just keep winning the Central Division, but is that enough? Losing DT Jerry Ball to retirement will not help the D, though James Manley is certainly serviceable. The Knights did not draft or sign well, at least not that we can see. Is a step down coming? Possibly, but we are still picking them to win a pretty weak Central Division. Predicted Finish: 10-6 and just enough to win the division again. Three Year Trend: From back to back losing seasons (6-10, 7-9) to a legitimate title contender in one year. No wonder Mike Nolan was a serious candidate for Coach of the Year. Can he keep it up? Head Coach: Mike Nolan Returning Stars: QB Trent Dilfer, HB Ricky Williams, LB Lamar Lathon, DE Chidi Ahanotu, SS Devin Bush Departures: LB Robert Hinkley (FA), HB Erric Pegram (FA), LB Gerald Dixon (FA), C Brian Brauninger (FA), FS Darren Woodson (NFL), DE Jerry Reese (RET), CB Thomas Randolph (Trade), T Oliver Ross (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: DT Moe Gardner (FA), TE Steve Johnson (FA), WR Roell Preston (Trade), G Bob Sapp (Trade) Rookies to Watch: For a team with a solid D, the Breakers sure drafted like they needed help. FS Idrees Bashir (Memphis), ILB Monty Beisel (K State) and OLB Jason Glenn (TAMU) will all make the squad, but will they see the field? A late pick in QB Jesse Palmer (Florida) is a bit of a developmental project. Comments: The Breakers had one of the most surprising seasons we can remember last year and it was all lead by a true shut down defense. So, of course, they lose some key players this offseason, including DE Jerry Reese, CB Thomas Randolph, and two linebackers. Adding Moe Gardner helps their interior line, but a lot could be asked of some rookies, including two rookie linebackers, and that could mean a step back as they adjust to the pro game. Predicted Finish: 9-7 and a Wild Card. Three Year Trend: The Machine are headed the right way, improving from 3 wins in ’98 to 6 and then to 7 last season. It is slow, but they are getting better. Head Coach: Marty Mornhinweg Returning Stars: QB Jeff George, HB Duce Staley, DT Sean Gilbert, DE Simeon Rice, LB Brian Urlacher Departures: CB Alan Grant (FA), T Jeff Wright (FA), HB Mario Bates (FA), CB Clifton Abraham (FA), HB Ricky Watters (NFL), WR Floyd Turner (Trade), QB Alex Van Pelt (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: QB Browning Nagle (FA), CB Jimmy Hitchcock (FA), SS Je’Rod Cherry (FA), DT George Tuttle (Trade), CB R.W. McQuarters (Trade), T Bernard Williams (Trade) Rookies to Watch: We love the signing of disruptive LB Tommy Polley (FSU), and adding another athletic LB later in the draft with Vandy’s Jamie Winborn is another good signing. In camp, fomer Badger Jamar Fletcher (CB) has turned heads too. But, where is the offensive help? Comments: Coach Mornhinweg has the club moving in the right direction, but we just are not sure they have enough offense to truly be dangerous. Jeff George has been underwhelming since coming over from Atlanta, and the loss of Ricky Watters to the NFL will be felt. We like the addition of R.W. McQuarters through trade, safety Je’Rod Cherry, and DT George Tuttle, basically helping to provide some defensive depth to the squad. And while LB Tommy Polley is a great addition from the draft, we wonder where the offensive help is coming from. Predicted Finish: 7-9, and struggling to score points. Three Year Trend: The Panthers have been hovering around .500 for years (7, 9, 7 wins) and that led to Skip Holtz being let go. Can Mike Martz do better? And will it be Flutie or Brees that gets him there? Head Coach: Mike Martz Returning Stars: QB Doug Flutie, WR Muhsin Muhammad, LB Ted Johnson, FS Mike Prior, LB Sam Cowart Departures: DE Renaldo Turnbull (FA), LB Frank Stams (FA), K Brett Conway (FA), QB Elvis Grbac (FA), G Bob Sapp (Trade), HB Natrone Means (Released) Veteran Arrivals: CB Alan Grant (FA), HB Siran Stacy (FA), CB Deltha O’Neill (CB), T Oliver Ross (Trade) Rookies to Watch: The state of Michigan is all abuzz about Drew Brees (Purdue). They like Flutie fine, but it is always exciting to see a top tier QB drafted. Flying a bit under the radar is DE Aaron Schobell (TCU), another good pick. DE Reggie Hayward and LB Jeremiah Pharms will likely be practice squad or deep bench players in what was really a very shallow draft for the Panthers. Comments: Expect this year to be all about the QB position. While he certainly has his fans, many in Detroit have soured on Doug Flutie and are excited to see Drew Brees on the field. But, here is the thing, the rest of the team has issues too. Siran Stacy has to step into a nasty situation surrounding Natrone Means, the receiving corps did not get any faster, and the team is still trying to audition a kicker. We see trouble ahead. Predicted Finish: 6-10 and moving on to Brees. Three Year Trend: After 2 years of mediocrity (7 and 8 wins) the bottom fell out for the Gamblers (4-12) leading to Coach Willsey’s resignation and a clear rebuilding phase for Houston favorite Wade Phillips. Head Coach: Wade Phillips Returning Stars: QB Matt Hasselbeck, HB Kevin Faulk, WR Antonio Freeman, DE Kavika Pittman, DE Michael Sinclair Departures: HB Mario Greer (FA), LB Quentin Coryatt (FA), WR Brett Perriman (NFL), CB Ashley Ambrose (NFL), Veteran Arrivals: WR Tamarick Vanover (FA), LB Gerald Dixon (FA), CB Vince Buck (FA), QB Brock Huard (Trade), HB Mike Anderson (Trade) Rookies to Watch: Houston doubled down on their one strength, the D-line, by signing top pick DT Richard Seymour (Georgia). That line will be tough, but what other help was obtained? WR Koren Robinson (NC State) will likely replace Brett Perriman, another good pick. We are not sure if guard Matt Lehr (Va Tech) will make the 53 or not, and CB Jason bell (UCLA) is likely a practice squader. Comments: Houston was bad last year, like epically bad, particularly on offense, where they simply could not score points. So what did they do to remedy that? They brought in a slot receiver, a backup QB and a halfback who barely saw the field for the Atlanta Fire. Hardly seems enough. We do love their draft, particularly those top two signees, Richard Seymour for the D, and Koren Robinson for the offense, but that does not feel like enough. We still see little hope of a strong run game and we are not sold that Matt Hasselbeck is truly a quality starter. Predicted Finish: 5-11 and trying to rebuild over time for their new coach. Three Year Trend: A slow ascension (8 wins to 10) turned into a 5-11 debacle last year. Out goes Jack Pardee, in comes Chan Gailey, but the Outlaws are clearly rebuilding. Head Coach: Chan Gailey Returning Stars: HB Reggie Cobb, WR Shawn Collins, DE John Bosa, SS Mike Minter, LB Tedi Bruschi Departures: WR Darnay Scott (FA), QB Kelly Stouffer (RET), C Mike Arthur (Trade), CB Kenny Gales (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: T Jeff Wright (FA), HB Erric Pegram (FA), LB Stephen Boyd (Trade), QB Jeff Lewis (Trade) Rookies to Watch: Guard Leonard Davis (Texas) will help protect new QB Jeff Lewis, but he needs more weapons and we don’t think mid-round WR Scotty Anderson (Grambling) is what Lewis was hoping for. HB Kevin Barlow is not exactly LaDainian Tomlinson, but at least he signed. Those three may be the only signees who make the squad in a pretty iffy draft. Comments: Both Texas clubs are going through major upheavals. The Outlaws will be starting a new QB for the first time in a decade, and they have to feel lucky that Coach Parcells simply did not want to work with Jeff Lewis. Lewis played well for a bad Generals team last year, and now he finds himself on a squad with just as many issues as his former club. Reggie Cobb is not getting any younger, so getting Pegram to spell him periodically is a good idea. We think Texas will try to keep scores low and win ugly, but what we predict is mostly just the ugly part. Predicted Finish: 4-12 and needing a youth movement. PACIFIC DIVISION Denver finally nabbed their first title, but the division will be a tough slog. Both Seattle and LA have improved in some key areas, Arizona also looks like a potential threat in the division. Oakland and Portland will almost certainly bring up the rear. We are going to go with Seattle as the ascendant team, just because the post-title hangover is a very real threat for the Gold. PREDICTED FINISH: 1-SEATTLE 2-DENVER 3-ARIZONA 4-LOS ANGELES 5-OAKLAND 6-PORTLAND Three Year Trend: The Dragons took the step, up from 7-9 and 8-8 to 12-4, Seattle seems to have found its way under Coach Tiller. Head Coach: Joe Tiller. Returning Stars: QB Brian Griese, HB Corey Dillon, WR David Boston, LB Levon Kirkland, LB Takeo Spikes Departures: CB Paul Jetton (FA), WR Donald Hayes (FA), G Jesse Sapolo (NFL), LB Stephen Boyd (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: HB Tavian Banks (FA), T Mike Arthur (Trade) Rookies to Watch: A tough draft to celebrate as none of their early rounders signed on. CB Willie Middlebrooks (Minn) should move into the nickel, and we think guard Russ Hochstein (Nebraska) will be part of the rotation, but when your only sure starter is the new punter, Nick Harris (Cal), maybe you did not get what you wanted from the draft. Comments: Seattle is another trendy pick to move up a notch, get a division title and possibly a championship. Many are still not sold on Brian Griese as a championship QB, but there are a lot of good pieces in place in the Pacific Northwest. Corey Dillon has become a true All-USFL back, and the receivers are dynamic. Not a lot of changes due to free agency, though the trade of Stephen Boyd left a hole in the LB corps that Seattle has not truly addressed. We like the overall picture and could imagine this team going far. Predicted Finish: 12-4 and top seed in the West. Three Year Trend: Denver is the league champion, and with 3 straight 10+ win seasons, they are a model of consistency under coach Jauron. Head Coach: Dick Jauron Returning Stars: QB Mark Brunell, HB Rashaan Salaam, WR Dedrick Smith, DE Leslie O'Neill, CB Bruce Pickens, LB Kurt Gouveia Departures: FS Joe King (FA), DT James Manley (FA), WR Tamarick Vanover (FA), QB Bill Musgrave (FA), T Adam Meadows (NFL), SS Corey Gaines (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: QB Elvis Grbac (FA), FS Mark Carrier (FA), DT Paul Grasmanis (Trade) Rookies to Watch: When you pick last each round you are not expected to get a lot of solid talent, but we think Denver did pretty well. CB Jamar Fletcher (Wisc) should be a solid option at the nickel, FS Tony Driver (NDame) adds good depth) and WR Robert Ferguson (TAMU) is rangy with good hands. FB Heath Evans (Auburn) was a good late round pick who could help Salaam snag that rushing title he so wants. Comments: Denver finally got over the hump and won their first title, but with that comes the feeding frenzy in free agency. Losing Joe King, James Mandley and Adam Meadows is not a good thing for the Gold. We like adding Paul Grasmanis in trade, but he is not an answer all by himself. Their draft was solid and we should see several rookies get some playing time, though likely not as starters just yet. Predicted Finish: 10-6 and still in the mix. Three Year Trend: We are done calling each year the year Arizona gets over the hump. Jake Plummer had a monster season last year and they still only got 9 wins, after 7 in ’99 and 8 in ’98. We think they will likely get somewhere between 7-9 wins this year as well. Head Coach: Art Shell Returning Stars: QB Jake Plummer, HB Dorsey Levins, WR Carl Pickens, LB Broderick Thomas, CB Philippi Sparks Departures: CB Aeneas Williams (FA), DT Russell Maryland (FA), QB Browning Nagle (FA), LB Barney Bussey (NFL), WR Rocket Ismail (NFL), CB Kevin Minnifield (NFL), HB Tim Lester (Trade), DE Bronzell Miller (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: CB Clifton Abraham (FA), LB Corey Miller (Trade), Rookies to Watch: We love the signing of Miami’s Santana Moss to this offense, and CB Fred Smoot (Miss State) also looks like a good early pick, but the steal of the draft may well be final round “afterthought” pick Dominic Rhodes from tiny Midwestern State. Rhodes has been impressive in camp, winning himself a spot in the 3-man HB group. Comments: Arizona has to get worse, right? They lost a few very good pieces to their defense and while they added a couple of decent players, it does not seem a positive in the overall picture. Losing Rocket Ismail will be tough for Plummer, who loves the deep ball, but maybe rookie Santana Moss can help with that. Now, if they could just block better for Dorsey Levins, they might just get a run game beyond Plummer’s crazy scrambles and bootlegs. Predicted Finish: 8-8 and once again stuck in the middle. Three Year Trend: After an explosive rise from 2-16 in 1998 to 11-5 in 1999, the Express had a bit of a letdown last year, finishing at 8-8 and just barely making the postseason. Head Coach: Galen Hall Returning Stars: QB Cade McNown, HB Antowain Smith, WR Mike Pritchard, DT David Rocker, LB Danta Jones Departures: CB Vince Buck (FA), TE Rickey Dudley (FA0, T Brian Williams (FA), P Chris Hanson (FA), QB Brent Pease (NFL), WR Bobby Shaw (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: CB Aeneas Williams (FA), LB Cornelius Bennett (FA), P Micah Knorr (Trade) Rookies to Watch: The Express Draft was deep and talented. They added a dynamic edge rusher in Mizzou’s Justin Smith, a roadgrating tackle in USF’s Kenyatta Jones, and a dual use TE in Arizona’s Brandon Manumaleuma. The choice to draft and sign Georgia’s Quincy Carter at QB seems an odd one, but with Brent Pease departing an athletic backup QB behind McNown may be a good move in the long run. Others likely to make the squad are CB Renaldo Hill (MSU), and punter Steve Cheek (Humboldt State). Comments: We think LA was better than last season’s record indicated. For this year they bolstered their defense with two very charismatic veterans in Aeneas Williams and Corenelius Bennett. Their draft was considered one of the league’s best, so why do we have them 4th in the division? Well, I think it comes down to not trusting that the offense has enough explosiveness. Their 2 backs are more plodders than explosive big play guys, and their receiving corps needs more options for QB Cade McNown. Losing Ricky Dudley means he now has no security blanket on those tough 3rd down calls. Predicted Finish: 8-8 but possibly could do much better if the new pieces blend quickly. Three Year Trend: From 9 wins in 1998 to back-to-back 4-12 seasons. Things have to improve by the bay or it will not be long for Coach Capers, in his 2nd year with a team that has issues. Head Coach: Dom Capers Returning Stars: QB Ryan Leaf, HB Troy Davis, WR Plaxico Burress, LB Chris Spielman, DE Eric Currry Departures: HB Siran Stacy (FA), G Joe Patton (FA), QB Cary Conklin (NFL), DT Tracy Rocker (NFL), WR Roell Preston (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: HB Rodney Thomas (FA), CB Thomas Randolph (Trade) Rookies to Watch: LB Dan Morgan (Miami) will be a week 1 starter on a defense that needs more aggressiveness. DE Karon Riley (Minn) and WR Alex Bannister (EKU) should make the squad, while QB Marques Tuiasosopo (Wash) will likely end up in the 3rd QB slot behind Leaf and Kitna, giving him time to adjust in case Leaf continues to struggle and ends up walking after his contract ends. Comments: For a team that seemed to need major infusions of talent this offseason the Invaders played it pretty low key. They lose Stacy but add Rodney Thomas, about a wash if you ask us. They don’t add much more for Ryan Leaf to work with and their line may have actually taken a step back with the loss of guard Joe Patton. Hard to be optimistic about this group, particularly with their QB situation now muddled, with both veteran Jon Kitna and rookie Marques Tuiasosopo breathing down Ryan Leaf’s neck. Predicted Finish: 4-12 and a desperate need to build an identity. Three Year Trend: “Oof” is the word you are looking for. From 10 wins to 6 to a miserable 1-15 season. Ray Rhodes got a pass last year, against the wishes of many fans, but he had better figure things out quickly. Head Coach: Ray Rhodes Returning Stars: QB Rick Mirer, HB Napoleon Kaufmann, WR Matthew Hatchette, DE Clyde Simmons, LB Mark Simoneau Departures: SS Je’Rod Cherry (FA), CB Jimmy Hitchcock (FA), HB June Henley (FA), T Herb Webster (NFL), C Jeff Uhlenake (NFL), WR Webster Slaughter (RET), DT George Tuttle (Trade), DT Paul Grasmanis (Trade) Veteran Arrivals: HB Darrell Thompson (FA), LB Greg Biekert (FA), WR Patrick Rowe (FA), WR Floyd Turner (Trade), SS Corey Gaines (Trade) Rookies to Watch: Portland did well In signing their picks, and with the issues they had, several rookies could see considerable action this year. CB Will Allen (Syracuse) will start right away as should center Roberto Garza (TAMU-Kingsville) and tackle Kenyatta Walker (Florida) on a revamped O-line. We also like Nebraska HB Correll Buckhalter as a contributor this year. Portland also filled their 3rd QB slot behind Mirer and Akili Smith, with a smart, often underestimated QB in Oregon’s A.J. Feeley. Comments: The Thunder were bad last year, really really bad. We are not sure that either Akili Smith or Rick Mirer is the answer at QB. And while we like both Greg Biekert and Corey Gaines as defensive additions, the club also lost 2 defensive tackles through trade and we don’t see how they replaced them with players of the same, much less higher, caliber. Coach Ray Rhodes got a 2nd year despite a 1-win season, but he had better do a lot more than we saw last year if he wants a 3rd season. Predicted Finish: 3-13 and we say goodbye to the coach. We just don’t see more talent than last year. We have looked at the season as a whole, but we have a slate of games coming up and should take a hard look at the matchups to decide who comes out in Week 1. Here are the 12 opening matchups with the Las Vegas line and our picks. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) 8pm ET Birmingham @ Denver (-3): A great opening matchup between the defending league champions and one of the league’s most explosive teams. Will the Gold have a title hangover or will they come out rolling? SATURDAY AFTERNOON (ABC/FOX) 12 pm ET Baltimore (-2) @ Michigan: A good early test for the Panthers, who are actually home underdogs against the Blitz. Flutie v. Garcia should be a fun showdown of two scrambling QBs. New Jersey @ Texas (-2): The new-look Generals are still a road underdog, perhaps in part due to the supposed revenge factor of new Texas QB Jeff Lewis going against his former club, who unceremoniously traded him off to go for a big name signing in Troy Aikman. 4pm ET Jacksonville @ Arizona (-3): We like the Wranglers in this one. Starting the season not knowing what Coach Shell has in store with Jake Plummer is not a comfortable feeling for the Bulls. Memphis (-9) @ Portland: The biggest spread of the week is not really surprising. Memphis was one game away from the Summer Bowl last year while Portland was 1 game away from a winless season. SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ESPN) 8pm ET Ohio @ St. Louis (-4): The Knights defense will be a huge opening week test for Kerry Collins, Eddie George, and Joey Galloway, but we can also say that Galloway, George and Collins are also a pretty tough test for the Knights’ D, so this one is tough to pick. SUNDAY AFTERNOON (ABC/FOX) 12pm ET Philadelphia (-3) @ Chicago: The casinos like Philly’s chances to win on the road, but Chicago in March can be a tough call. If it is a blustery and cold day that could play in favor of the Machine. Pittsburgh @ Houston (-1): A practical “toss up” game between two teams who certainly disappointed last year. Does Houston really feel comfortable with Hasselbeck at QB? Is Pittsburgh ready to rebound from a disappointing 2000 season? 4pm ET Tampa Bay @ Los Angeles (-5): The loss of Aikman has the books leary of the Bandits, but LA was a pretty middle-of-the-road last year after shooting to the top of the standings in 1999. Is Cade Mcnown ready for a rebound year or is Trent Green going to find success in Tampa? Orlando (-4) @ Oakland: Scott Mitchell is back and the Renegades focused almost exclusively on strengthening the middle of their defense in the offseason so we see this as a tough matchup for the Invaders to open the year with. Atlanta @ Seattle (-7): A touchdown favorites, we think Seattle wins this one, but we also think Atlanta will play them tough and cover the spread. SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ESPN) 8pm ET New Orleans @ Washington (-2): The Feds get the home field nudge on the line, but this one could be a game without a touchdown as both clubs live and die by defense and we expect some pretty harsh weather in the DC area on Sunday.

PART ONE Three weeks from kickoff of the USFL’s 19th season and the excitement is palpable. Rosters have to be trimmed to 53 by this Friday, and the NFL-USFL tranfer window has again closed for the season. There remain some free agents still looking for clubs, but for the most part teams have their rosters in place and may only tweak on the edges. Game plans for week 1 are already being developed, and fans across the country are eager to see if their club has made the changes needed to garner a title this year. We start our preview of the upcoming season with the big story, the 2001 USFL Draft and the signings the league has been able to ink since the selections were made. We have come to learn over the past 18 years that the USFL Draft is only half the story. With the spring league always competing with the senior NFL for talent, every pick is a weighing of probabilities. Who seems open to signing with one club over another? And while the risk of joining the USFL instead of the NFL is far less daunting than it used to appear in the early years of the league, there is still always a give and take as players and their agents play the two leagues off each other to get the best deal possible. Sometimes it is a matter of funds, or of the perceived fit or quality of the NFL and USFL squad that has drafted a player. Location can be the difference, or even something as minimal as which pick was used in each league to select the player. As we have seen each year since the NFL and USFL moved their drafts within 3 weeks of each other, the negotiations are tricky, and the smallest factor can make a club a winner or a loser in the draft. And, as usual, both leagues end up with somewhere around 50% of their selections signing with the rival league. So, as we examine the biggest hits and biggest misses of the draft, we recognize the really tough work put in by the scouts, general managers, player personnel staff, and contract negotiation teams to bring talented players to USFL rosters. Here are our biggest hits and misses of the 2001 Draft. HIT: DT Richard Seymour (Georgia) signed by the Houston Gamblers. A lot of folks thought Houston would go for Vick with their first pick, but they zigged when we thought they would zag, and the payoff may be the most dominant D-lineman in the draft. Put Seymour between Sinclair and Pittman and Houston has a D-line that will strike fear into offensive coordinators. The Gamblers may never need to blitz again with this 3-man line in place. Bring just one LB into the pass rush and the pocket is almost sure to crumble. MISS: QB Michael Vick (Va Tech) chooses between two clubs in the same city. We always knew that with the Atlanta Falcons having the first pick in the NFL draft that Vick would be enticed to play in the fall league with a club about as close to his alma mater as could be. Perhaps that is why the Fire felt that they would have a shot at the elusive dual threat QB where other USFL teams would not. They gambled with their first round pick (6th overall), but Vick took the deal with the Falcons instead. A calculated risk, but one that cannot make Aaron Brooks or Marc Bulger feel comfortable. HIT: WR Santana Moss (Miami) an immediate starter With Rocket Ismail off to the NFL, the Wranglers desperately needed to add a speedster to their WR corps, and the signing of Moss has definitely fit the bill. In training camp, the former Hurricane’s speed has been on display, and his hands have been pretty darn good too. Expect Moss to be a Day 1 starter and a key target for Jake Plummer this year. MISS: LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU) leaves Texas for the SoCal Coast. The idea of TCU’s dynamic HB staying in Texas with the Outlaws seemed a natural fit, and the Outlaws certainly hoped Tomlinson would see it that way as well when they took him with their 1st pick, but Tomlinson got a really good offer from the Chargers and the coast came calling. It is a clear missed opportunity for the Outlaws, who did add Reggie Barlow, their 4th round pick from NC State, and improved the line by signing one of the top guards in the draft, Leonard Davis of Texas, but Reggie Cobb has a lot of miles on those legs. HIT: Drew Brees the Newest Panther Let’s be honest, it is amazing Doug Flutie has lasted this long. He came into the league in 1985, and he has had a very solid career, but the Panthers need to plan for the future. Don’t expect Brees to start on Week 1, but don’t be surprised if the former Purdue QB is finishing the year as the starter. He shares a lot of traits with Flutie, including great vision and a somewhat diminutive size. A good transition for the Panthers as their Flutie-based offense should work well with Brees under center as well. MISS: Strike 1 and 2 for the Thunder It is a common strategy in the USFL draft to double up on the same position, knowing that you have about a 50/50 shot of signing your top choice. Well, Portland went 0-for-2 on their attempts to get a top flight defensive end. They did land their top pick, CB Will Allen of Syracuse, but lost out to the NFL on both Stanford’s Willie Howard and, more importantly, on Cal’s Andre Carter. It is not easy to get a California player to leave the state, so when the 49ers also drafted Carter the 1-15 Thunder knew it would be a tough sell. That Howard preferred the offer from the Minnesota Vikings over that of Portland just goes to show how hard it is to land players when your team is viewed as something of a front office trainwreck. HIT: LA and Baltimore Get Their Men When asking GMs who had the strongest draft (and signing record) we are hearing LA and Baltimore mentioned a lot. LA hit on 4 of their top 5 picks, signing Mizzou DE Justin Smith, USF tackle Kenyatta Jones, TE Brandon Manumaleuna and also getting a good developmental QB in Georgia’s Quincy Carter. Baltimore also landed 4 top choices (4 of their top 6), including 1st round pick SS Adam Archuleta, 2nd rounder CB Ken Lucas of Ole Miss, and then adding two solid HBs in later rounds in speedy receiving back Travis Minor of FSU and a top Div 1-AA producer in UMass’s Marcel Shipp. MISS: Atlanta and Philadelphia Struggle to Sign Top Picks While not surprised that Atlanta missed out on several of their top picks (including Vick), it is a bit of a surprise that Philly struggled to sign players. The Stars did get a solid talent in Utah wideout Steve Smith, but no one else in their draft really stands out. Missing out on TE Todd Heap (who signed with the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL) means that the loss of Eric Green is even tougher for the Stars. Atlanta did sign DT Casey Hampton and SS Adrian Wilson of NC State, but again, not much value added to the team beyond those two picks. In addition to missing on Vick, they also lost the bidding war for CB Eric Kelly of Kentucky and OLB Orlando Huff of Fresno State. Other Notable USFL Signings include: WR Koren Robinson of NC State (HOU), LB Dan Morgan of Miami (OAK), DT Marcus Stroud of Georgia (OHIO), G Steve Hutchinson of Michigan (TBY), HB Deuce McCallister of Ole Miss (WSH), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch of Nebraska (PIT), TE Alge Crumpler of UNC (PIT), and WR Chad Johnson of Oregon State (OHIO). Lower Round rookies who have impressed in camp include WR Drew Bennett of UCLA (JAX), guard Stephen Neal of Cal State Bakersfield (ORL), Midwestern State HB Dominic Rhodes (ARZ), Georgia Southern Kicker Rob Bironas (ARZ), and Guard/Center Josh Warner from tiny Brockport (SEA). Michigan Parts Ways With Troubled Back Following his arrest for DUI after a late December automobile accident, Natrone Means now finds himself out of work. The Michigan Panthers have opted to release the veteran halfback rather than have him occupy either a roster slot or practice squad position. The move costs Michigan $450,000 in salary cap hit, and means that the Panthers will move ahead with a committee at HB headed by former Oakland Invader Siran Stacy, and including backups Brock Olivo and Winslow Oliver. Rumors have the Panthers interested in current free agent Mario Bates as another potential signing. As for Means, he was released on bond but faces a potential hearing in the next 3 weeks, and potential suspension by the league for violation of the league’s drug policies. Even cleared of charges, which seems unlikely, Means may not find many suitors within the USFL as the issue of drug use and driving under the influence have become major PR concerns for both the NFL and USFL. Troubles Could Cost St. Louis's Orthwein His Club Legal trouble of a different kind as the charges against James Olthwein of financial malfeasance and insurance fraud are likely to have him in court most of the spring and summer. The investigation into the Busch family member’s finances began with reporting out of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch almost 2 years ago. The financial irregularities tie directly to Olthwein’s ownership of the St. Louis Knights, and in part revolve around the inflation of attendance and ticket sale numbers as part of a wider issue related to property and revenue appraisals as part of both insurance and credit assessments. Should Orthwein’s finances be found to contain significant irregularities it could easily lead to either legal requirements to sell of his majority stake in the Knights or potentially league injunctions on his ownerships. In either case the question of Knights ownership could come up as soon as next Fall. With much to be determined by the courts this summer, we would not want to speculate on what could happen next, except to say that while Mr. Orthwein continues to proclaim his innocence of any malfeasance, there is a well-known lineup of potential USFL ownership groups very much interested in the possibility of a franchise, particularly such a successful franchise, coming on the market. Our final story around the league is a recap of the past month’s free agent signings. After an initial flurry of NFL-USFL transfers back in August and September, the comparable quiet of the January-February window came as a bit of a surprise. There were, however, a handful of noteworthy signings to report. Former Dragons guard Jesse Sapolo has signed a 1-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. Former Generals safety Eric McMillan is now a member of the Denver Broncos LB Dante Jones, who played with both Washington and Orlando, has signed on with the Chicago Bears. Portland tackle Herb Webster signed a 2-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals TE Danta Whitaker has opted to join the CFL’s BC Lions on a one-year deal. LB Barney Bussey has opted to return to his former NFL club in Detroit to finish his career. WR Hart Lee Dykes, after playing for 3 USFL clubs has signed on with the NFL’s New England Patriots. Moving from the NFL to the USFL we have… LB Billy Granville, a former Cincinnati Bengal, signed a 2-year deal with Baltimore. Birmingham has inked former Seahawk TE Itula Mili. Guard Jorge Diaz of the Buccaneers has signed on with the Chicago Machine. Former Giants and Falcons TE Brian Kozlowski has come to terms with the Denver Gold. Brian is not related to former Gold wideout Glen Kozlowski. Tampa Bay also added a TE in the form of former Colt Bradford Banta. Jaguars DE Joel Smeenge has signed on with Houston where he will provide depth behind Michael Sinclair and Kavika Pittman. Michigan added perhaps the biggest of the late NFL free agents, signing LB Eric Hill away from the San Diego Chargers. Hill started 151 NFL games before coming over to the Panthers. Within USFL ranks, the following late signings have added to club rosters: New Jersey made another bold move, signing former Tampa Bay corner Darrien Gordon to a 3-year deal. The highest rated CB in this year’s free agent pool will join Gene Atkins, Otis Smith and Kenny Gales to form a crowded but deep pool of cornerbacks for the Generals. Houston resigned LB Pat Swilling for a 1-year deal after Swilling seemed headed to New Orleans. Tampa Bay also added a veteran LB in Winston Moss, formerly of Washington. Pittsburgh signed former Federals HB Lamar Smith and added a solid DE to their roster in the form of former Showboat and Machine edge rusher Mike Mamula Portland added a savvy receiver in former Blitz, Express, Knight, and Bulls receiver Patrick Rowe. Seattle also added a halfback to the mix, signing former Mauler Tavian Banks. 33-year-old veteran of 5 different USFL clubs, Keith McKeller, adds a 6th club, signed to a 1-year deal by St. Louis. Former Machine RT Jeff Wright is a newly-inked member of the Texas Outlaws. Denver boosted its secondary with the signing of veteran FS Mark Carrier from the Bulls. Washington signed former Memphis wideout Lawyer Tillman to a 1-year deal and also bolstered their depleted LB corps by signing Houston's Quentin Coryatt to a 2-year deal, enticing the 32-year old to postpone retirement. Another Showboat finds a new home as center Curtis Wilson makes his way to Baltimore. Arizona added another CB to their secondary by signing Clifton Abraham, last of Chicago. NFL STARS TELL US THEIR USFL PICKS We all know that there is always a lot of interest in the NFL in each USFL season, just as USFL players follow the NFL season each fall. Players pal around with each other, including old college buddies and roommates who now find themselves not just on different teams, but in different leagues. So we decided who better to evaluate the USFL ahead of the 2001 season than some of the biggest stars of the NFL. We picked 5 of the biggest names in the NFL right now and asked them who they expected to see in the Summer Bowl in Chicago this August. What we found is a lot of homerism, and a lot of disagreement, a sign that this colud be a wide open season with a lot of contenders this year. Peyton Manning, QB of the Indianapolis Colts Manning was quick to turn to the QB position as the key to determining success in the USFL. While he sees great statistical success for Brett Favre, he points to Jake Plummer as a player who he feels can will his club to victory. He has Arizona defeating Heath Shuler and the Showboats as his pick for the 2001 Summer Bowl. Manning refused to pick a winner in the game, but joked that it could be the first Summer Bowl to hit 1,000 yards of combined offense. Kurt Warner, QB of the St. Louis Rams Warner, whose Rams have been the offensive showcase to balance with the Knights’ defensive power in St. Louis, seems to respect solid defense, picking 2 defensive clubs as the potential Summer Bowl matchup, though, to be fair, if he did not pick St. Louis to represent the West he might catch some flack. He has the Knights facing off against Washington in his picks. He cites Jerome Brown of the Federals as the one player he is glad to see in another league and not chasing after him. Jerome Bettis, HB for the Pittsburgh Steelers With the Maulers clearly in a rebuilding phase, Bettis did not feel pressure to stick with the home-town pick. The former Golden Domer names a former teammate, Rick Mirer of the Portland Thunder, as his favorite USFL player but even he cannot pick the 1-15 Thunder as a Summer Bowl favorite. He opts instead for the club just up the road, the Seattle Dragons. Bettis believes Seattle will outlast the Baltimore Blitz for the title. He says he is a huge Corey Dillon fan. The two rarely get to hang out since their two seasons occupy the full year, but Bettis says that he stays in touch with the Seattle back throughout the year. Marvin Harrison, WR in Indianapolis One of the NFL’s top receivers shows some love to another star receiver, picking the wide open passing game of the Ohio Glory and their stellar wideout Joey Galloway to take home a title. He has Ohio beating Denver in his title game clash. Harrison, who has led the NFL in receptions the past 2 seasons, loves Galloway's break away speed, and also cites Kerry Collins as an underrated passer with a good head for the game. Ray Lewis, LB for the Baltimore Ravens The Raven’s All-Pro middle linebacker refuses to play by the rules, rejecting the home team Blitz as his Summer Bowl pick. Instead he opts to go with the Birmingham Stallions, led by Brett Favre to win a shootout against the Seattle Dragons in this year’s title game. When asked about defensive players, Lewis mentioned former Philadelphia Star as his all time favorite USFL linebacker, but gave kudos to former Outlaw Brian Bosworth, and current USFL backers DeMetrius DuBose (PIT), Broderick Thomas (ARZ), and and Mike Vrabel (JAX), sayng the league should also keep an eye on 2000 rookie Brian Urlacher in Chicago as a big impact player. So, no consensus among the NFL pros. I guess it comes down to us. We are notoriously bad at this, but we still have to give it our best shot. Denver has a good shot to repeat, having appeared in the past 2 Summer Bowls and finally getting over the hump this past August. We like Denver’s roster a lot, but they did not make a lot of changes this offseason, whereas Los Angeles has added talent through both the draft and free agency, so we are going to pick the Express out of the west to rebound, reclaim the division and represent the conference in Summer Bowl 2001. From the East we are going to go with a club that came close to putting it all together last year, but could not make a playoff run without their starting QB in the lineup. Give Orlando a healthy Scott Mitchell for the full season and this squad has the talent to take it to the Championship. So, we are going with Cade McNown and the Express vs. Mitchell and the Renegades in the title game. Our pick to win it all? Well, maybe we should hold off on that one. We’ll get back to you when the season hits the midway point. Join us for Part 2 of our 2001 USFL Season Preview, when we break down all 24 teams and explain the picks we just made.

January 10, 2001 The four-day meeting of the league’s 24 ownership groups, along with the leaguewide office holders from NYC met, concluded this past Friday and while some of the announcements made over the course of the gathering were largely expected and pro forma, there was some excitement and surprise as well. We begin with the expected and then move on to two significant changes on the horizon for the league. Twenty Seasons The league announced on the first day of the meetings that there would be considerable pomp and hoopla to be had during the 2002 season to mark the 20th season of the once upstart spring football league. This will include the usual fanfare, with items such as commemorative patches to be worn on uniforms, special fan-centered celebrations during the season’s first week, an expanded festivities both at Hall of Fame Weekend in October of 2001 and at the 2002 Summer Bowl in Pittsburgh, and a series of tour events around the league during the season, highlighting great teams and players of the past 20 years. The league has even contracted with ABC to put together a large format film on the history of the league to air at IMAX studios around the country leading up to the kickoff of the league’s 20th season. Changes in Franchise Ownership By Tuesday the meetings had turned to more weighty matters, with several ownership groups seeking to either sell their franchises or expand ownership with additional investors. Most proposals were uncontentious and largely rubber stamped, with Philadelphia, Houston, Denver, and LA adding minority owners to their ownership groups without controversy. Washington posed a challenge to the owners as the Federals’ principal owner, Berl Bernard (a prominent DC attorney), leader of the limited partnership Washington Football Partners LLC was seeking to sell his holdings to a minority owner, Ted Lerner, a Maryland real estate developer. Lerner, who has been involved in early discussions to bring major league baseball back to the capital, is seen as a major force in the negotiations to renovate or replace RFK stadium. This is seen as a positive for the Federals as the state of their stadium has become something of a concern. Of course, the controversy lies in whether or not Lerner will prioritize the campaign for DC baseball at the expense of the operation of the Federals franchise, though, should the former movement gain steam, a baseball/football joint use stadium might just be the solution to Washington’s stadium issues. While multipurpose stadia have been waning in popularity since the 1990’s, and with the Redskins firmly ensconced in their own Landover (MD) facility, the expectation that the DC metro area could add both baseball and a new football stadium at once does seem dubious. This is where the appeal of a multi-use facility could tip the scales. The second major ownership debate surrounded the Birmingham Stallions. In an effort to expand their revenue base, as well as the potential value of the franchise, also in hopes of cajoling a new stadium out of the state of Alabama and the city of Birmingham, the ownership of the Stallions, primarily in the figure of Marvin Warner, proposed the creation of a public company, Stallions Football LLC, to take the place of the private ownership group, at least in part. The proposal would allow for the sale of shares in the Stallions, with the current ownership retaining a 61% stake in the company and allowing 39% to be sold on the market (likely the Nasdaq) to expand ownership to the community. This move would both expand the coffers of the Warner-led group, but also provide community buy-in which could sway later explorations of stadium development by the city or state. Of course, there were detractors to this model, after all the private ownership of sports franchises is by far the norm across the country, with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL being the only true example of a publicly traded or community-owned sports franchise. However, with the unique situation of Birmingham as a smaller market, in a football-crazed part of the nation, and in a city without other likely tenants for a new arena, save perhaps the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the deal did have an appeal to it. The reassurance that a 61-39 split between private and community ownership assures that the leadership of the Stallions would remain intact, and that helped create a sense of continuity for those owners who fear pushes to move towards community ownership as a larger trend. The proposal went through several votes but finally achieved the needed 2/3 supermajority of representative votes to be approved. Expect details on the IPO to come out in the summer of 2001, with the likely opening bell sometime in September of this year. USFL RETURNS TO A 2-STAGE ROOKIE DRAFT Having dealt with the internal financial decisions, the owners next responded to a proposal from the league’s competition committee. In most years the committee focuses on minor rule changes and penalty adjustments, and there were a couple of these this year, mostly dealing with dual engagement blocks (cut blocks and the like) and limitations on formations during kickoffs to minimize injuries, but the biggest news was that surrounding the USFL Draft. After nearly 2 years of research and discussion the league has voted to re-adopt the Territorial Draft as a part of the Collegiate Draft format. First used in the early years of the spring league, the T-Draft, as it is commonly known, provides each club with a set number of protected or designated territorial schools. Each club has set number of picks which are reserved for players from these schools, with all other eligible players who go unselected then available for the open draft. The T-Draft was designed to allow for local college talent to bring their regional fame and fan interest along to their USFL team. The T-Draft was abandoned in favor of the current salary cap discount each franchise holds for players from designated schools, but the competition committee recommended a return to a protected draft, and despite some concerns from teams, particularly those in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, the proposal was adopted, to go into effect for the 2002 draft. The T-Draft will look a little different in 2002 than it did in the 1980’s. Each franchise will select 3 schools as their designated protected schools, however only 1 is required to have a geographical tie to the franchise. This will allow a club like the Generals or Stars to select Oklahoma, Auburn, or the University of Miami as one of their protected schools if not chosen already by another club. The designation of each school will be locked in for a 5-year period, so as to not allow clubs to designate a particular school just to have the exclusive rights to a rising senior in that year’s draft. Every 5 years a franchise may opt to change 2 of their 3 designated schools, creating a more consistent alignment between universities and franchises in the league. Finally, the draft will be limited to 5 players per year, meaning that a good number of top level players will remain available for the open draft even from schools in the protected list. The salary cap discount will be adjusted from a 50% reduction to 75%, so the incentive to sign players at certain high cost positions like quarterback or defensive end may not be quite as preeminent. So, what can we expect? When the allocation of franchises is completed next September, I think it is safe to say that Birmingham will lock up Alabama right away, as will LA with USC, the Glory with Ohio State, and Chicago with Notre Dame. Expect clubs like New Jersey or Arizona to shoot for their non-regional schools first, trying to snag a pro-player factory like an LSU or Michigan, before later signing on with a less “in demand” regional school like Rutgers, Syracuse or Arizona State. Expect very few non-power conference schools to be selected, though with 24 clubs each selecting 3 schools, 72 schools will be named in total. Also expect that clubs will do as they did during the first iteration of the T-Draft, which is to trade the rights to these picks just as they trade open draft selections. For example, a club that has a solid starter at QB may trade away a pick to another so that the top prospect QB from the protected school could be signed by a franchise other than the one that owns that school’s rights. This is how LA acquired Steve Young from Denver, who had the rights to BYU players in the original T-Draft. Will this dramatically change the way the USFL acquires players? Unlikely, though adding more local talent, at least in some areas, always seems to benefit a club. New Alignment & Schedule Approved for 2002 Friday, upon the conclusion of the league meetings, we got our biggest announcement, one that has been in the works for nearly 6 years. The league once again reviewed proposals for a shift from 4 to 6 divisions and from 16 to 14 weeks of regular season play. This time, unlike the debacle several years ago that led to a major conflict with the union and a pre-season strike, both the USFLPA and the USFL leadership worked on the proposal together. What came out of this joint effort is an agreement that adds 1 preseason game (at full pay) to the schedule, shifts the season to 14 weeks, but grandfathers in all current contracts so that there is no reduction of pay or prorated adjustments. New contracts will reflect the 16, rather than 17 game schedule, but with the salary cap rising as it has over the past decade, this is expected to be barely noticeable, particularly among high draft picks and NFL/USFL free agent signings. The approved modification means that the 2002 USFL season will begin a week later and end a week earlier, with an extra preseason game added in March and the Summer Bowl now likely to alternate between the last week in July and the first week in August, depending on the calendar. The move also means a realignment of divisions, with both the Western and Eastern Conferences moving from 2 divisions each with 6 clubs to three divisions, each with 4 clubs. If the league sticks to the realignment proposed back in the late 1990’s, which we anticipate, the new alignment would look like as shown below. The new alignment would mean a conference shift for several clubs, including Memphis and Birmingham moving to a new Southern division in the Western Conference (along with St. Louis and New Orleans) while Chicago and Michigan would join with Pittsburgh and Ohio to form a new Central division in the Eastern Conference. The league would retain its 14 club playoff format with 7 playoff teams per conference. We would see a total of 6 division winners and 8 Wild Card clubs, up from only 4 division winners. We would still have only 1 bye per conference as the league currently offers to the best record in each conference. That the league continues to push this shift and “downsize” of the regular season is a clear sign that ownership is exploring the relationship with the NFL, one strained already this offseason with the Keyshawn Johnson signing, and is hoping to make significant adjustments to the NFL-USFL transfer system. That the union signed on to this new version of the schedule adjustment goes a long way to avoiding any of the messiness we saw in the past. TV contracts, thanks to the expansion with both Fox and NBC, will largely remain unchanged, though there will be a marginal reduction in broadcasting fees as each network will see a reduction in games to produce. But, for fans, do not expect to see season ticket prices reduced even with what amounts to one less home game per season pass. That is very unlikely to occur, particularly as most franchises in the league (with some noteworthy exceptions) are already at their season ticket targets each year with many well exceeding the target goals. As if the news out of the league office was not enough this year, we got a huge story out of Michigan, where the Panthers’ star halfback Natrone Means was involved in a car accident that could cost him more than just higher insurance rates. The crash took place two weeks ago in the early hours of the morning in the somewhat upscale suburban enclave of Grosse Pointe. Based on police reports it was estimated that Means’s vehicle was racing at a speed between 85 and 100 when it lost control, first hitting a light pole before spinning into another vehicle. Means was injured, with reports of both knee and hip injuries in addition to an array of cuts and bruises. Fortunately the driver of the second car suffered only minor injuries. To make matters worse, Means reportedly tested positive for drugs in his system after being taken to a local hospital. So, in addition to the medical fallout from this incident, there are potential legal concerns as well. While the Panthers have made the usual statements to the media about respecting the legal process, it is expected that should charges be brought against Means, the league would require that the Michigan back serve a suspension above and beyond any recovery time needed for his injuries. While full details on the extent of his injuries is unknown, speculation places it at midseason at best, and if a suspension is added to the lost time due to injury, we could easily see the Panther lead back out for the full season. If his legal woes are fully realized, the results could be even worse for the Panthers as the accident could lead to significant jail time. Tampa Bay dealt with the elephant in the room, the departure of QB Troy Aikman as best they could. They brought in another seasoned veteran, though one who has had difficulty finishing a season. Tampa paid a hefty price but they got a QB that Coach Seifert can use in his complex offense. The Bandits send DE Kabeer Gabaja-Bialmila and a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft to Baltimore for former Blitz starter Trent Green. Green, very much a stand tall in the pocket style player similar to Aikman, has had issues with injuries in recent seasons but brings a good football mind and a decent arm to Tampa Bay, allowing Seifert to pursue the same style of play that he had developed with Aikman at the helm. Beyond the league meetings and the chaos of the Natrone Means story this past week, the primary story of the offseason, as it often is, comes down to the free agent market. We saw a lot of talent sign quickly back in September, followed by the usual late fall lull, but in recent weeks we have seen more signings. As the NFL-USFL transfer window has not yet reopened, these have all been USFL signings. Looking over the moves made in the past few weeks, we would rate these as the moves most likely to impact the 2001 season: Michigan is in the news quite a bit, as they now find themselves having to spend to acquire a fallback plan at halfback, limiting their funds for other positions. The Panthers get their backup plan in the backfield, signing former Oakland Invader Siran Stacy, but this means they cannot spend top dollar to retain another player from their 2000 roster. Michigan’s top pass rusher, Renaldo Turnbull, departs for a 3-year deal in Birmingham. Turbull will be paired with Mike Rucker in Birmingham’s version of Houston’s infamous 1-2 punch at DE. Birmingham continues to shuffle the defense, losing a key player and adding new blood in the LB corps. Popular former Crimson Tide LB Cornelius Bennett signed with the LA Express in November, and just this past week Birmingham snagged LB Joe Mott from division rival Memphis. The two are very different players, but both are fierce competitors and natural leaders on the defense. Orlando also added some linebacker help, snagging Robert Hinckley away from New Orleans. Memphis built on its secondary by signing former Denver free safety Joe King. Los Angeles, in addition to signing LB Cornelius Bennett, added a playmaker at the corner position, snagging Aeneas Williams away from division rival Arizona. On the offensive side of the ball we saw some movement as well, with former LA and Ohio halfback Darrell Thompson signing on in Portland, while Jacksonville tried to add more weapons for Chris Chandler by signing former Philadelphia Star TE Eric Green. New Orleans also added a Tight End with good ball skills, signing Steve Johnson away from the Bulls. Texas added depth at the HB position, inking Erric Pegram on a 3 year deal while also resigning young breakout back Autrey Detson to a 2-year extension. Atlanta also signed a back to sit behind Tiki Barber, signing Houston’s former scat-back Mario Greer. Atlanta also takes care of a position of obvious need, center, by signing the best available USFL free agent at the position, former Jacksonville Bull Bubba Miller. Miller will come into Atlanta as the default starter at the position. Houston, a club which had looked to revamp their entire offense, added a wideout after losing Brett Perriman, signing Tamarick Vanover away from Denver. They also got some defensive help in the form of New Orleans LB Gerald Dixon Chicago signed Browning Nagle to back up Jeff George at QB. Still unsigned we have some very solid talent, with Tampa’s Darrien Gordon still the top name on the market. Others who could be late signees include many players at or over 33 years of age. Among those still on the market we find former Breaker DE Jerry Reese, St. Louis DT Jerry Ball, Seattle guard Jesse Sapolo, Houston LB Pat Swilling, Pittsburgh CB Quintin Jones, and Washington LB Winston Moss. There is also some young talent left unsigned, headed by 24-year old FS Jerome Woods, 25-year old DT James Manley (Denver), tackle Jermaine Mayberry of Texas, and 28-year old SS Je’Rod Cherry from the Machine. While there are still some talented players available in the Free Agent Pool, and likely some talent will migrate between the NFL and USFL over the next month, all eyes are now on the USFL Draft. It is a draft headlined by Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick, but with several other high ceiling players potentially available to USFL clubs, assuming they can outbid or outwoo the NFL to get them. As we look at the draft ahead, we will take a look at each USFL club, their biggest needs, and the player we think would be the best fit for them, assuming they can sign them. We will follow the order of the first round in our review of all 24 clubs. 1. PORTLAND THUNDER The Thunder have needs across the roster, but while many would love for them to take a shot at Vick we simply do not see that being a priority for a club that has a young, athletic QB in Akili Smith. Defense is always an issue for Portland, so our pick for them will be an impact defender. OUR PICK: Defensive End Andre Carter from Cal would be a solid building block for a defense that needs more speed and ferocity. 2. PITTSBURGH MAULERS The Maulers could take a shot at Vick, but they got some decent games from Charlie Batch so we are also going to say that they too pass on the high risk/high reward option here. The Maulers could also go defense, or they could try to find a weapon opposite Andre Rison for Batch to throw to. OUR PICK: WR David Terrell from Michigan would be a welcome contrast to Rison and a good option for the Maulers. 3. NEW JERSEY GENERALS The signing of Troy Aikman clearly takes the Generals out of the Vick market, or does it? We could see Coach Parcells try to make a splash with Vick, but have him sit behind Aikman for a year or two. But, does New Jersey brass really want to pay those two big salaries and have only one of them on the field? We don’t think so. We think Parcells goes for a big defensive playmaker. OUR PICK: Georgia LB Kendrell Bell is a perfect fit for a Parcells defense, fast, aggressive, fearless. He could be a key piece in a more dynamic General LB corps. 4. HOUSTON GAMBLERS Houston is the first truly legitimate landing spot for Vick. Matt Hasselbeck got a contract extension, but neither his contract nor his performance last year scream “Franchise Guy”. He very well could find himself starting the season only to give way to a rookie QB. OUR PICK: Michael Vick, QB, Va Tech. Now, try to sign him if the Falcons take him #1 in the NFL Draft. No easy task. 5. OAKLAND INVADERS Oakland has not been happy with Ryan Leaf’s lack of development but they certainly are not going to give up on him yet. He needs protection, so we see Oakland going O-line here. The best option in the first round is our pick. OUR PICK: Guard Leonard Davis of Texas could help defend Leaf while also opening holes for their somewhat lackluster run game. 6. ATLANTA FIRE If Houston passes on Vick, then Atlanta will almost certainly take a shot at him. But let’s assume he is off the board with the Gamblers. What is plan B for the Fire? Last season the defense made some great strides, but they can do even more if they can shore up the middle of the line and prevent the opposition from using the ground game to keep the pass rush honest. OUR PICK: DT Gerald Warren of Florida is the kind of run stuffing DT the Fire have always needed. 7. TEXAS OUTLAWS The Outlaws could go quite a few ways. The O-line needs more muscle, but the defense also needs more speed. We like the Outlaws to go D first. OUR PICK: LB Dan Morgan from Miami (FL) would be a great building block in a somewhat depleted Outlaw linebacking corps. 8. TAMPA BAY BANDITS Losing Aikman was huge for Tampa Bay, but the acquisition of Trent Green means they do not have to reach to try to find a QB in this year’s draft. They may go for one mid-draft, but are not likely to seek the other highly regarded QB, Purdue’s Drew Brees. Their bigger needs are now on defense as they not only have to replace Gabaja-Bialmila, but also have holes across all levels of the D. OUR PICK: Start with the essential DE position by drafting Justin Smith out of Mizzou. 9. CHICAGO MACHINE The Machine would love nothing more than to add a speedy LB on the outside of last year’s #1 pick, Brian Urlacher. There are several potential candidates but we have heard rumors that one in particular has caught the eyes of the front office. OUR PICK: OLB Tommy Polley of Florida State would be a deadly team-up with Urlacher. 10. MICHIGAN PANTHERS While most would likely say that QB is not the top priority for a Michigan club that had major defensive issues last year, little deep ball ability in the passing game, and at least 1-2 more years from Flutie in front of them, the rumors that the Panthers are going hard after Drew Brees cannot be ignored. OUR PICK: As much as we think Michigan should pick either WR Koren Robinson (NC State) or HB LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU), we all know they are looking at Brees as their top target. 11. JACKSONVILLE BULLS The Bulls are another team that needs to start thinking about the QB position. Chris Chandler is no spring chicken, but we see them as looking for a potential project QB in the mid-rounds, a Sage Rosenfels or Chris Weinke type of player. In the first round, they could go O-line or they could go for defense. OUR PICK: Going with the best player on the board in one of their key areas of need, we pick DT Richard Seymour of the Georgia Bulldogs as a great match of talent, home region appeal, and need in North Florida. 12. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS The Stallions have got to do a better job of protecting Brett Favre. It is not good that almost every week we see him sacked 5, 6, or 9 times. That is too much by far. So, tackle or guard is the obvious pick here. OUR PICK: Florida LT Kenyatta Walker makes a lot of sense for the Stallions. 13. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS After a Cinderella run to the top of the Western Conference in 1999, the Express crashed back to reality, barely making the playoffs this past season. They need more pressure on defense, and that starts with a better DE lineup. OUR PICK: FSU edge rusher Jamal Reynolds seems the best option for LA. 14. WASHINGTON FEDERALS We have entered the realm of the fringe playoff teams, so the needs are not quite as obvious anymore. They added Tim Lester from Arizona to pair with Rueben Droughns in the backfield, so while a young back may be tempting, we don’t think it is a 1st round need. Better to look at the defense or perhaps to add a solid TE. OUR PICK: There are two clear 1st round talents at tight end in this year’s draft, so it is between Todd Heap of ASU and Alge Crumpler of UNC. We think Heap makes sense in DC. 15. ORLANDO RENEGADES Another interesting position here. With Moe Williams gone and Terry Kirby not getting any younger, this is a spot were we could see Coach O’Leary take a home run swing and go for SDSU halfback Ladainian Tomlinson. Or he could go for the bunt and get a solid defender who is more likely to sign. OUR PICK: Let’s go big, Tomlinson. 16. SEATTLE DRAGONS Seattle had a very good season on both sides of the ball, but they still need some intimidation factor on defense. We think the secondary is still the weak link. The best player available is SS Adam Archuleta of ASU, but they could also go corner. OUR PICK: We like the option of Archuleta here, even if SS is not the most immediate need area for Seattle. 17. ARIZONA WRANGLERS The Wranglers lost Rocket Ismail to the NFL, so they need a breakneck speed receiver to complement their otherwise solid, but not explosive group. OUR PICK: Miami’s Santana Moss is perhaps the best pure speed guy in the draft. 18. OHIO GLORY The offense looks solid for the Glory, especially if they can keep feeding the ball to Eddie George. The defense needs to make sure the opposition cannot match the ground game that Ohio has. That means defensive tackle. OUR PICK: Not the top DT in the draft, but Georgia’s Marcus Stroud is a space-filler, which may be the top quality the Glory need. 19. BALTIMORE BLITZ The Blitz have moved from Green to Garcia, but we are not sure that they feel confident long term that he is their guy. OUR PICK: 1st round may be a bit early, but we like Georgia QB Quincy Carter as a younger, faster version of Garcia. 20. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS The Breakers lost a few key pieces from their top-rated defense this offseason. They will likely emphasize the defense early in the draft, which could mean secondary or LB. OUR PICK: We think they go for a run-stuffing LB, and the best option at this point in the draft is Arkansas’ Quinton Caver. 21. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS Memphis has a lot of talent across the roster, and as a division winner there are not too many holes, so they could go Best Player Available. If they do that, it comes down to who they rate as the best guy left on the board. OUR PICK: Looking at our board the best player may just be WR Koren Robinson of NC State. 22. ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS The defense in St. Louis is still one of the league’s best, and the run game with Ahman Green is strong, so we look to the passing game. If Robinson is here, he could go to the Knights, but we had him going to Memphis, so the next best option is our pick. OUR PICK: Clemson wideout Rod Gardner. 23. PHILADELPHIA STARS Another club that has to be worried about the longevity of their starting QB. Bobby Hebert is one of the oldest players in the league, so QB should be a priority, but choosing 23rd does not leave them with a true franchise option, so we think they wait. OUR PICK: Guard Steve Hutchinson from Michigan could help keep Hebert upright for another year. 24. DENVER GOLD Denver won its first title, but as is typical, that meant the piranhas came to pick at their roster during free agency. Lots of pieces to replace or upgrade, so lots of options here. We think the Gold stick to improving the defense that is key to their success. OUR PICK: CB Nate Clements of Ohio State is strong in zone coverage, which is Denver’s preference, so a good match here.

-October 15, 2000 It did not take long for the USFL offseason to get into full swing. The first week of both free agency and the Fall NFL-USFL transfer window was electric, and no one made bigger news than the New Jersey Generals and their new Heach Coach/General Manager Bill Parcells. Arguably the two biggest signings in the league came out of the Meadowlands, one of which could be a major issue in USFL/NFL negotiations. More on that in a minute. While the Generals seem intent on making a major culture change, other clubs may not be as excited about their offseason, beginning in Tampa Bay, but with some pretty major NFL signings, there is a bit of hurt all throughout the league as clubs scramble to fill vacancies. But, let’s start where everyone has their eyes fixed right now, New Jersey. To say that Bill Parcells started his USFL career with a bang would seem to be an understatement. Three moves in the first 4 days of free agency have created an enormous buzz in the league and in New Jersey’s ticket office, as season ticket sales spiked over the past month in response. Let’s look at each move one at a time to determine just what this means for New Jersey and the USFL. 1. Lewis Texas Bound: Jeff Lewis, who spent the 2000 season as the Generals’ starter at QB, and who finished the year with a very respectable 91.3 QBR, 27 TDs to only 13 picks, and nearly 4,000 yards passing, was shuttled off to San Antonio only 3 days after Kelly Stouffer announced his retirement from pro football. New Jersey jumpd on the vacancy, sending the promising young QB to the Outlaws for cornerback Kenny Gales and a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft. That seems a low price to pay for a potential starting QB, even if it is one that did not produce a lot of wins in East Rutherford. There had been some concern that Lewis was simply not the right fit for the Parcells philosophy, more of a scrambler/gunslinger than the traditional pocket passer and game manager that Parcells prefers (think Simms or Testaverde). For Texas this is a potential winfall, and the move was immediately panned on sports radio in the NY area. Why would the Generals trade away their starting QB, and arguably one of the bright spots in a season that had gone so well? Couldn’t they have gotten a #1 pick if they were intent on trading him but not in a hurry? There were a lot of questions. But those would be answered the very next day. 2. Parcells Gets His QB: One of the earliest USFL free agent signings was one of the most surprising. Only 1 day after trading Lewis to Texas, the Generals called a press conference to announce the signing of Troy Aikman as the new face of the franchise. While most around the league were surprised that the Tampa Bay Bandits had not resigned Aikman during the final year of his contract, it was well-known that they remained in negotiations with their veteran, Championship winning QB, and nearly everyone in the business expected Aikman to return to Tampa Bay shortly. From all accounts, New Jersey contacted Aikman’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, and made an offer he could not refuse. Aikman appeared at the presser, thanking the fans of Tampa Bay for so many good years, but saying that the opportunity was just too good in New Jersey to pass up. The details of his contract remain unknown at this time, though rumors place him as the highest paid QB in the league, leaping over the contract that brought Ryan Leaf to the USFL. For Tampa Bay, this is an utter disaster, not only because it leaves only Kent Graham and Tony Sacca on the roster, but because it is viewed as a major gaff by ownership not to resign Aikman before his contract ended. For New Jersey it is a major coup, bringing a QB with 12 years of experience, a top flight pedigree, and a ring to his name, to serve as both the signal caller and the face of the franchise. Expect to see his face plastered all across the tri-state area, along with Parcells, as the Generals try to fight their way out of irrelevancy in the market. The signing of Aikman is a clear shot across the bow of the league, stating unequivocally that these Generals will be a Parcells team, smash mouth, strong leadership, veteran presence, and smart football. What came next showed that the Generals might simply be going a step further. 3. Risky Signing Presents Inter-League Tension Apparently the signing of Aikman was not enough to grab a full 100% of the headlines in New York, so Parcells and the Generals went one step further. Two days after announcing the Aikman signing, the Generals announced that they had come to an agreement with former NFL first overall pick and New York Jet superstar Keyshawn Johnson, to join the club at the conclusion of the 2000 NFL season. The move caused immediate uproar within the NFL, because while the NFL-USFL transfer window was in effect, Johnson remained under contract for the 2000 NFL season, and would only be a true free agent if he remained unsigned at the end of that contract in January. Signing a contract which could not officially go into effect until January was within the letter of the agreement between the two leagues, but certainly not within the spirit of the twice-annual transfer window. Up until this move, neither league had ever signed a player with time left on his original contract. The expectation would be that the Jets would have the opportunity to sign Johnson during his final season, and only if they failed to do so would he become a free agent and be available during the January-February transfer window. By signing him now, New Jersey had opened up a can of worms, one both leagues had been very hesitant to approach. Johnson will play this season with the Jets, but the contract means that the NFL club is simply unable to negotiate to resign him, and, of course, there will be questions of what kind of effort Johnson will make with the Jets, as his new contract does not rely on performance, and could be jeopardized by injury during the NFL season. Jet’s Head Coach Al Groh was cautious not to say that this was a form of tampering, but it certainly was being said by both reporters in the NY metro area and by fans on NY sports radio. Jet fans are furious, NFL officials (and some USFL colleagues) are irate, and the only people who seem happy about this move are General fans and season ticket holders (who number nearly 5,000 more than last year already). It is a move that is sure to be challenged by the NFL, and may lead to some form of chastisement from the USFL towards New Jersey, but by all accounts the wording of the NFL-USFL agreement does not prohibit future contracts as long as they are completed during the window. That is a loophole that may very well get closed quickly (likely with a clause named for Johnson and/or Parcells). USFL ownership, wary of greater animosity with the NFL, could also come down on the franchise, though, again, the letter of the law was not broken so it is hard to see a major penalty being justified. It would appear that the former NY Jet GM and one time Head Coach, might have just outsmarted both his former team and the league he has just joined. No matter the potential ramifications for the USFL and its relationship with the NFL, one thing is for sure: the New Jersey Generals are going to be at the center of attention when the 2001 USFL season kicks off next March. While the news out of New Jersey seemed to suck the air out of every press room across the league, it was hardly the only major announcement over the past month. We saw several major retirement announcements, significant trades, and free agent signings started with a bang even beyond East Rutherford. We begin our recap of the other stories of the past month with retirements. Kelly Stouffer, as anticipated, announced his departure from the game 3 days after the Summer Bowl, in a brief statement made before the press in San Antonio. The 36-year old QB, who has been the offensive leader of the Outlaws since coming to the club in 1990, thanked the fans of San Antonio and the state of Texas, thanked ownership, and thanked all three coaches he played under in Texas (Widenhofer, Stallings, and Pardee). Stouffer retires with nearly 40,000 yards passing (39,702), 274 touchdowns, but no league title. In fact, over his 11 years since being traded from Arizona, the Outlaws have only made the playoffs 4 times and have an overall playoff record of only 1-4, losing in their first playoff game in 3 of 4 postseason appearances. While his stats speak to a solid career, there are doubts that Stouffer will be selected to the Hall of Fame simply due to the lack of team success during his tenure. Stouffer’s retirement was anticipated, of course, having had injuries in each of the past 4 seasons, a losing record this season, and a new coach on the horizon. It was not a surprise to the front office that Stouffer would step away from the game, which is likely why the deal with New Jersey was able to be formulated so quickly after the announcement. Fans in Texas do not have to wonder who their starter will be, or mull over the potential of a rookie learning on the job, as they get in Lewis a 5-year veteran who, in his first year as a full-time starter, showed a lot of promise this past season with the Generals. In Portland, another highly anticipated retirement as WR Webster Slaughter announced that he would step away from the game after 15 seasons in the USFL. Slaughter, a 2nd round pick of the Washington Federals in 1986, played 4 seasons in DC, moving from slot receiver to the #1 target in the Federal offense before becoming a free agent in 1990 and signing with Portland. He has been a fixture in the Thunder offense ever since. He retires with 1063 receptions for 14,345 yards and 105 touchdowns in his long USFL career. Sadly, despite his longevity, and his high quality of play, his tenure in Portland not only did not produce a ring, but only 1 appearance in the Summer Bowl (Portland’s improbable 1997 run). It seems that the move from Washington to Portland almost cursed Slaughter as the Federals went on to win the title in 1990, the year Slaughter switched to Portland, and then it was the Federals again in 1997 who kept Portland from a title. Portland was not the only club to have a major star at wideout hang up his cleats. Again, much anticipated, but Birmingham said goodbye and farewell to one of its brightest stars, Ernest Givens, this month. Givens, played his entire career in Birmingham, much of it catching passes from Brett Favre. He came to the Stallions in the 1986 draft (much like Slaughter) out of Louisville, and made an immediate impact, starting 15 games his rookie season and gaining 995 yards in his first season. The following season he would cross the 1,000 yard mark for the first of seven times in his career. Known as a deep ball threat, Givens only reached 100 catches once in his career, but was frequently among the yardage leaders in the league thanks to his propensity to be on the receiving end of fly patterns and deep corner routes. Givens retires with 950 receptions for 16,251 yards and 121 career touchdowns. Hampered by injuries which shortened each of the past 3 seasons, the announcement clearly places Lawrence Dawsey as the club’s new #1 receiver, something many have said is well-deserved for several years. Finally, and for the second time, the league bid a fond farewell to linebacker Kevin Greene. Greene, who retired from the Birmingham Stallions after the 1987 season, returned to the league with New Jersey mid way through the 1998 campaign and completed his third season in New Jersey this past year. Greene retires with 1,261 tackles, 44 sacks, and 19 interceptions to his name, having added only 1 sack in his 3 seasons with New Jersey, a number that has been discussed ad nauseum on the call-in radio shows in the region. Greene still remains a potential Hall of Fame candidate, though he is likely to recognize Birmingham if he is enshrined. The Offseason to date has, in addition to the Jeff Lewis move, seen a surprising number of trades involving quarterbacks, due partially to what is viewed as a potentially shallow pool of rookies at the position and a growing belief among league circles that a viable backup is no longer a luxury but a necessity in a league which so heavily depends on the passing game and the pass rush as primary offensive and defensive weapons. While most of the action has been a reshuffling of backups, it is still noteworthy to see so many moves happening this early in free agency, but with Aikman and Stouffer off the table, the QB pool is somewhat sparce and clubs who want a veteran at the position have to make deals in order to obtain what they desire. We begin our trade rundown with the QB movement across the league. Washington sends QB Brock Huard to Houston for a 3rd round pick in this year’s draft. Huard is expected to back up Matt Hasselbeck, who has received a “vote of confidence” from new Houston head coach Wade Phillips. Chicago sends off disgruntled (and we would say deservedly so) backup and one-time starter Alex Van Pelt to Pittsburgh, where he will almost certainly push Charlie Batch for the Maulers while counting as only 1/2 salary in the cap as a Pitt grad. In returen the Machine acquire RT Bernard Williams. Chicago also sent a 5th round pick to Pittsburgh to obtain the big run-blocking tackle. New Jersey, still with 4 QB’s on the roster, received two 4th round picks for former Atlanta Fire starter Eric Zeier. Zeier will now back up Brett Favre in Birmingham, sending a 2001 and 2002 mid-round pick to New Jersey to acquire the former Georgia Bulldog. But quarterback is not the only position of need for clubs across the USFL, and a few other trades emphasize that the offseason is not only about free agents and rookies, but teams turning strengths into bartering power to fill weak areas on the roster. The following trades are also important as we examine each club’s offseason Arizona, having settled on Dorsey Levins as their bell cow back, have finally cut the cord on Tim Lester, sending the big back to Washington, where he likely will try to fill the role of retired big man Barry Word in the Federals’ offense. On their end, Arizona receives a 4th round pick this year as well as LB Corey Miller, a solid contributor for the Federals, though never a full-time starter. Denver has opted to strengthen their defensive line by trading for Portland DT Paul Grasmanis. In return, the Thunder improve their secondary by receiving strong safety Corey Gaines from the Gold. No picks were involved in this trade. Philadelphia made two moves that essentially act as a 3-way trade, first sending CB Deltha O’Neill to the Michigan Panthers in exchange for a 4th and 7th round pick, and then packaging those two picks to bring Arizona DE Bronzell Miller to the Stars. Expect Miller to start opposite Regan Upshaw for the Stars, while O’Neill should be an immediate starter in Michigan. Portland began the process of replacing Webster Slaughter by trading with Chicago to obtain wideout Floyd Turner, an underused player in the Machine offense. In return, Chicago boosts their D-line with Portland DT George Tuttle. Chicago made another deal to help their beleaguered defense, sending their 3rd round pick to Jacksonville to acquire CB R.W. McQuarters. Houston, not happy with the production of their run game after last year’s trade of Dorsey Levins to Arizona, and facing the free agent departure of Mario Greer, send 2 4th round picks (2001, 2002) to the Atlanta Fire for bruising back Mike Anderson. The move seems somewhat ironic now, seeing as Greer would sign with Atlanta only 2 days after the trade, essentially seeing the fire swap out a big back for a better pass catcher in the elusive Greer. Some movement to fill holes in the line as New Orleans and Michigan swap linemen, tackle Oliver ross headed to Michigan as guard Bob Sapp moves to the Big Easy. A rare thing as a punter is traded. Tampa Bay, having 2 punters on the roster, packaged Micah Knorr with a 6th round pick to Los Angeles to bolster their wide receiving corps by bringing Bobby Shaw to the Bay. In a 1-for-1 swap, Oakland provided New Orleans with another receiving option in the form of Roell Preston, receiving yet another good defender in CB Thomas Randolph as it seems the Breakers were not content with the top-rated defense after getting bumped from the playoffs in the divisional round this year. Seattle looked to fill a significant gap in their line by getting OL Mike Arthur from the Texas Outlaws. Arthur played across the line for Texas in a swing position but is anticipated to serve as the starting center for the Dragons. In return, Texas added some quality at linebacker in the form of Stephen Boyd. And one final O-line swap as Ohio sends center Bob Kronenburg to Memphis to get a true right guard in Cooper Carlisle. One of the reasons we may be seeing heightened trade movement this offseason may be because of the NFL pull from the USFL free agent pool. While the Keyshawn Johnson move garnered all the headlines in the opening days of the NFL-USFL transfer window, the balance of movement has been heavily weighted towards the signings by the NFL of some very solid USFL Talent. We will look at outward mobility first and then review the USFL signings from the NFL before moving on to intra-league movement. Defense seemed to be an emphasis for NFL teams, and they hit deep into the USFL talent pool to fill those gaps just as their training camps were wrapping up and preseason began. Some big names on this list. DT Leon Lett leaves the Stars for the Dallas Cowboys DT Tracy Rocker departs Oakland for the Tennessee Copperheads DT Joel Steed arrives with the Pittsburgh Steelers after several years in Orlando FS Darren Woodson is leaveing the Breakers to play with the Houston Oilers LB Lorenzo Styles will likely end his career with the Rams after leaving the Generals LB Aubrey Beavers has opted to join the Falcons, leaving behind the Ohio Glory SS Corey Chavous is another departure from the Stars’ defense, heading to NFL Cardinals after only 2 seasons in the USFL. CB Ashley Ambrose, a household name for the Gamblers has chosen to relocate to Atlanta as well, with the Falcons. Arizona loses a quality CB in Kevin Minnifield, who will join the Buffalo Bills And, the only major DE defection, since most big name players were resigned during the season, Baltimore’s leading edge rusher, Mike Piel, is the newest LA Raider. On offense the talent drain was not quite a shigh, but still some players that will be missed. Wideout Rahjib “Rocket” Ismail was a major target for Jake Plummer in Arizona as well as a popular figure in the community, but he could not resist the money that the Dallas Cowboys could offer him. WR Kevin Dyson started getting some attention in Philly during the late season and playoff run, but he will now take his wares to the Tennesse Copperheads of the NFL. Another wideout, and another popular Tampa Bay Bandit will also be leaving as Robert Brooks heads over to the NFL with the Bears. Brett Perriman, after a very solid career with the Houston Gamblers, has gotten a significant pay raise and is sure to be the top receiver for the Detroit Lions this fall. Mark Bruener, the former Steeler TE, struggled in the USFL, and is now returning to the NFL and right back to Pittsburgh. LT Adam Meadows won a ring with the Denver Gold this year, but will now join the Denver Broncos after only 3 seasons in the USFL. Chicago knew they could not retain both Duce Staley and Ricky Watters. They opted for the younger Staley, who had taken on the lead back role this season, and now Watters will try for a top spot on the roster of the San Francisco 49ers. Another back who struggled to retain a starting position, Moe Williams, after first playing with Memphis, and then sharing time with Terry Kirby in Orlando, will head to the Minnesota Vikings in the fall. Karim Abdul-Jabbar, who has played with 3 teams in his 5 year USFL career, makes the Miami Dolphins his 6th. Three starting guards depart the league for the fall, creating a gap that will clearly make the position a key one in this year’s draft. Corbina Lacina (NJ), Chris Dalman (ATL), and Chris Villareal (STL) all head to the fall league. The only QB’s to make the jump are both players who had a shot early in their careers but had become backups in recent years in the league, Brent Pease of LA heads to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Cary Conklin, a long time backup in Oakland, will almost certainly finish his career now with the NFL Chargers, where we expect he will serve as a backup to starter Jim Harbaugh. That is a lot of talent headed to the fall. So, what did the USFL manage to obtain in return? Well, not quite as much, but perhaps some names that will make news in 2001 (in addition to Keyshawn, who is sure to make the back page of the paper a few times). Among the more intriguing signings we find the following: WR James Thrash joins the Birmingham Stallions after starting his career with the Redskins. He will almost certainly act as the 2nd receiver, keeping Marcus Robinson in the slot and moving Lawrence Dawsey to the clear top spot. Chicago finds a good candidate to share carries with Duce Staley as they sign former Jet and Cardinal HB Adrian Murrell. Murrell is not a good candidate for 20+ carries a game, but expect Chicago to give him 10 touches in relief. The Gamblers try to replace Brett Perriman with an NFL import, bringing David Patten in from the NY Giants. Patten was a highly touted player coming out of college but never really took off in NY. Houston is hoping he is a good fit for an offense in need of all the help it can get. He will likely not unseat Antonio Freeman, but might serve as the flanker opposite Houston’s top pass catcher. The Memphis Showboats add some depth behind Garrison Hearst by signing Tony Carter away from the Patriots of the NFL. And one more WR signing as Pittsburgh provides a weapon for Charlie Batch with the signing of former Saints slot man Eddie Kennison. A former LSU star, Kennison could become a prime target in the Mauler’s short passing game. Offense was not the only area of interest for USFL clubs. Several defenders were also added to USFL rosters during the transfer window. Among the more notable names we find: The Bandits opt to add two NFL cornerbacks, signing both Jeremy Lincoln from the NFL Giants and Taje Allen from the Rams. Orlando bolsters the interior of their line, adding a player who can make Chris Doleman even more dangerous, inside muscle man Brentson Buckner, formerly of the 49ers. New Orleans continues to add defensive muscle, now focusing on the LB corps with the addition of former Dolphin Derrick Rogers. Memphis had some issues in the secondary this year and hopes that the addition of former Charger CB Terrance Shaw can help strengthen the group. LA has started looking to its defense after a step back to 8-8 this year. The addition of DE Van Tuinei should help them rotate more players in on passing downs. Houston is not only adding offensive talent, they are trying to find support behind their two monster defensive ends. LB O.J. Brigance of the Dolphins should help them improve their run defense, freeing up Pittman and Sinclair even more. While the NFL-USFL transfer window seems to be aiding the fall league a bit more than their spring rivals, the USFL is also deep in their own internal free agent window. With teams across the league looking to upgrade position groups or fill holes created by retirements and free agency, the action in the internal free agent pool has been pretty heavy already this fall. Here is our ranking of the top 10 signings from one USFL team to another. TE Ricky Dudley was beginning to emerge as a major target in LA. He will now be catching balls from Scott Mitchell in Orlando as the Renegades look to diversify their passing attack. Memphis gets a solid backup behind Heath Shuler, signing Bill Musgrave away from the Denver Gold. Ohio finds a solid back to spell Eddie George (who got over 88% of all carries for the Glory last year) by signing former NJ General halfback Lamont Warren. St. Louis tries to add some down the field speed by signing Darnay Scott from the Outlaws. Known for blazing speed but questionable hands, Scott has struggled to become a regular in both Arizona and Texas, but St. Louis needs some outside speed, and Scott does offer that. Philadelphia hopes that former Stallion DT Brandon Whiting can help replace the loss of Leon Lett to the NFL. That is a tall order, but Whiting has shown some flashes. Jacksonville, still trying to find someone to take pressure off of Terrell Owens, adds Cedrick Tillman, whose stay in Ohio only lasted 1 year. Jacksonville will be the 4th club to sign Tillman in 4 seasons. Pittsburgh gets its DT help in the form of former Wrangler Russell Maryland. Oakland has cut ties with Siran Stacy, but adds Rodney Thomas to pair with Troy Davis in their backfield. Houston lost Ashley Ambrose to the NFL, but got a younger replacement with a lot of upside in LA’s Vince Buck. And perhaps the best signing, and one that stings because it is between two rivals, Orlando SS LeRoy Butler may not even need to sell his house as he now joins the Tampa Bay Bandits. With so much talent moving hands, just who is left in the Free Agency Pool to potentially impact clubs before the draft? Here are our picks for the best available free agents still on the board. Tampa CB Darrien Gordon is All-USFL caliber and we are a bit shocked he has not signed yet. With DE being such a need across the league, it seems Michigan’s Renaldo Turnbull is calling the shots in negotiations with several teams, trying to get himself the best possible deal on the best possible team. HB Siran Stacy may not be a Top 5 back in the league, but plenty of teams could use his talents. Jacksonville hopes they can resign center Bubba Miller, but the competition will be fierce. LB Joe Mott of Memphis could help a lot of teams, including Memphis if he would resign. Another LB who should be coveted, even if he may only be around for another year or two is Birmingham’s Cornelius Bennett. A fierce leader on the D “Bisquit” should be a hot commodity. St. Louis Nose Tackle Jerry Ball is a bit past his prime at age 34, but for a team trying to make a run this year, he could be a bargain. Seattle guard Jesse Sapolo is unlikely to be out of work for long with all the guards that have defected to the NFL this offseason. Philadelphia still has hopes of resigning TE Eric Green and at 33 years of age, that may be his best option. HB Erric Pegram has been a solid backup in New Orleans. Expect a team to add him for depth. QB Browning Nagle is no longer considered a low end starter, but for clubs looking for a reasonably priced, reasonably talented backup, he should be an option. QB Elvis Grbac is another potential signing at the QB position, though he has not been able to show much sitting behind Doug Flutie in Michigan since signing with the Panthers. So there you have it, the full skinny on Free Agency, Trades, Retirements, and NFL transfers. A lot to digest, and still so much to anticipate as we work through the next 3+ months before camps open, the second NFL transfer window arrives, and the January Collegiate Draft takes place. A lot of holes still to fill, a lot of moves still to be made, and a lot of clubs trying to find the missing pieces. Until our next offseason report prior to the draft, we leave you wondering just how your favorite team is faring, and just how much more we all can expect from the center ring of the circus, which is clearly sitting in New Jersey with Bill Parcells as the Ringmaster.

It appears that the 4th time is the charm for the Denver Gold and their longsuffering fans. After three defeats in the league championship, dating back to the USFL's inaugural season in 1983, the Denver Gold have won their first title. Denver came into the game as a 4-point underdog to the Jim Mora Jr. led Philadelphia Stars, but they came in with a gameplan that was designed to maximize their strengths and minimize the chances for 2-time champion QB Bobby Hebert to beat them. Denver ran the ball 43 times, splitting carries between Rashaan Salaam, their bell cow back, and backup Ricky Whittle. They also kept Philadelphia's passing attack in front of them, playing deeper zones to avoid big plays and force the Stars to slowly move the ball down the field. It did not always work, as evident in the longest play of the game, a 41-yard Eric Green TD reception, but it worked well enough to hold Philadelphia to 20 points for the game, and to keep them scoreless in the final quarter as Denver took home the title. Coach Dick Jauron stated in the week leading up to the game that he felt the strength of his team was their ability to adapt to the talents and weaknesses of their opponents. In some games he would play press defense or put the ball into the hands of QB Mark Brunell, while in others he would soften the zones on defense and rely on the run game. It seems he scouted Philadelphia correctly, using the run game and those softer zones to slow down the game, control the ball, and shut down the big plays from the Stars. For his part, Coach Mora stated on Friday that he expected this exact strategy from the Gold, but when it came time to finding ways to crack the defense, especially in the fourth quarter, the Stars simply could not break through. The game started on the right foot for the Gold, who took the opening kickoff and marched into Philadelphia territory, largely thanks to their run game but not without on ebig passing play, a 23-yard catch and run from fullback Jeff Cothran. The drive stalled inside the 20 but Jeff Wilkens put the ball between the uprights to give the Gold the 3-0 lead. Both clubs then traded quick and short drives but Denver got back into scoring position with their 3rd possession, again using the run to set up easy passes over the middle. This time it was Peerless Price who got them into position with an 11-yard catch on 3rd and 8. 3 plays later Rashaan Salaam crashed into the endzone for the first of his 2 TDs on the day. But Philadelphia is a quality club and they would not stay down for long. On their first drive of the 2nd quarter, Bobby Hebert found Troy Brown for a 29-yard reception, and got a couple of good runs from Stephen Davis to get the ball into field goal range, and with Jeff Jaeger’s first attempt of the day, the Stars were on the board. After a Jeff Wilkens 44-yarder put Denver back up by 10, Phillly would again bounce back, this time with an Hebert to Engram TD toss. Engram would finish the day as the leading receiver for the Stars, catching 6 balls for 62 yards and this score which brought them within 3 at the half. The Stars would come out of the half with a new energy. They received the kickoff and in fewer than 3 minutes had taken their first lead of the day. After moving the ball into Denver territory with short passes and Davis runs, Bobby Hebert executed a perfect play fake, putting the ball in Pat Chaffey’s gut and pulling it out at the last second. The ploy worked, drawing in the linebackers, and TE Eric Green found himself open on a seam route. Hebert hit him in stride, and Philadelphia got the biggest gainer of the day, a 41-yard TD that put them up 17-13. Denver was stunned, and after a 3 and out, Hebert and the Stars increased their lead, kicking another field goal. It could have been worse for the Gold. Philadelphia had the ball on the 8 yard line and only a fingertip graze of an Hebert pass by CB Bruce Pickens kept the ball out of the hands of Engram in the endzone. Down 7, Denver had to get something on offense. They turned to their backs, alternating swing passes, screens, draws, and counter runs, 2 for Salaam, then 1 to Whittle, then back to Salaam. The strategy worked, winding the Philly defenders and methodically moving the ball deep in to Stars territory. The drive ended with Salaam plunging into the endzone from only 1 yard out to equalize the score just as the 3rd quarter wound to a close. 15 minute to go and we were back even, a whole game left to be played in one quarter, a title on the line. Philadelphia initially moved the ball well on their first drive after the Denver score, but a false start followed by an exchange bobble by Chaffey, left the Stars with 2nd and 18, and they could not recover. They punted the ball to Denver and the Gold just kept putting together just enough yards to earn another set of downs. 3rd and 1 became a gain of 2, 3rd and 4 a gain of 5. It was as if Coach Jauron simply always had 1 yard more than he needed in his pocket. Ricky Whittle would carry the ball 4 times on the drive for 19 yards, including the 4-yard touchdown that finished off the drive and gave Denver it’s 2nd lead of the game. A little over six minutes left and Philadelphia was down 7. This was where Hebert could shine, if Denver would just make a mistake. Their zone defense had allowed Hebert to dink and dunk but kept Philadelphia from making the big play. On several drives either a penalty or a poor play call left Philly with a 3rd and long, and they just could not make the deep play to convert them. 5 plays into the Philadelphia drive, they had another, 3rd and 7. This time Herbert was not going to check down just to have the defenders swarm his receiver before the 7 yards could be gained. He was going to hang in the pocket and wait for the deep route to emerge. The problem with this plan was that Leslie O’Neal also had a plan, and that plan was to get to Hebert before the receiver could come open. O’Neal’s plan worked, and Hebert was sacked for only the 2nd time in the game, but it was a drive killer. 4:21 left to play and Philadelphia had to kick. Denver got the ball at their own 16, not great, but the key for them was time, not field position. 6 yards to Salaam, 5 to Whittle, another 3 to Salaam. It just kept adding up. On a key 2nd and 5 they faked to Salaam and Dedric Smith was an easy target on a hook route. On the drive’s first third down play it was Battaglia who found a hole in the coverage and converted. Denver eventually stalled, a 3rd and 4 run by Salaam got only 3, and on 4th and 1 from the Philadelphia 44 the Gold opted to punt. Philadelphia got the ball back with just over 1 minute left to play, down 7 and desperate to figure out how to get the ball down the field against the Denver zone scheme. All semblance of the run game was over, Hebert would attempt 8 consecutive passes, and he would have some success. 8 yards to Tyson (tik tik tik), 8 to brown (tik tik), a drop by Engram, a completion for 6 to Brown (tik tik), then a swing to Chaffey (tik tik), and with just 21 seconds left, Philadelphia found itself in the red zone. Hebert hit Kevin Dyson on 1st down, but he stepped out only 4 yards later. 17 seconds left. A toss to Dyson falls short. Stop the clock with 12 seconds. Third down, an out route to Engram. Caught but one foot was on the line. Out of bounds. 7 seconds left, 4th and 6. One last play to tie the game. No field goal here. Hebert went into the shotgun, looked left to Dyson, then swung his gaze to the right and Bobby Engram. With Robert Porcher getting close, Hebert had to make the throw towards the endzone. Rushed and unable to set his feet, Hebert threw high, Engram stretched but the ball was just out of reach. Turnover on downs, game over. Denver had held on against a very game Philadelphia squad to win their first title. Coach Jauron was doused in Gatorade. Mark Brunell raised one of his kids onto his shoulders and hugged his wife. Leslie O’Neill knelt on the ground awash in emotion. On the Philadelphia sideline a resigned sadness. Bobby Hebert had never lost a championship game before and he was clearly not loving the feeling. The Commissioner would come on stage to congratulate Coach Jauron, co-owners Charles & Richard Monfort, and then Brunell lifted up the league trophy. The MVP was given to Salaam, who rushed for 117 yards and 2 scores on the day. The fans from Denver who had made the trip sang “Rocky Mountain High” in the endzone. A good night for the Gold and Black, and a great end to a fun season of USFL football. DENVER STATS PHILADELPHIA STATS

Two games to decide who will play for the title. Four division champions, each with the credentials to be champions, but only two can emerge to battle for the league title. Would it be the defending champions returning for a potential repeat? The perennial bridesmaid hoping for another shot at glory? The past champion, back again and looking to restore past glory? Or the three time division champion but never league title holder, looking to take the next step? The Conference Championships can be bittersweet, a clear recognition that a club has what it takes to weather a long season and battle through the playoffs, but for two clubs a step too far to reach the title game. For Memphis, Denver, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, the battles of the long season have brought them here, and now two will advance and fight for the title, and two will go home, so close but still too far away to taste the sweet joy of a championship. Who will advance and who will return home disappointed. We find out in this week’s conference championships. In a game that was even in so many ways, small errors and missed opportunities can make all the difference in the world. Memphis outgained Philadelphia 459-377, controlled the clock for 5 more minutes than the Stars, and converted more third downs, but they also committed 3 times as many penalties, failed on 2 fourth down attempts, and gave up two big plays that turned the tide of the game. And so it will be the Stars ascendent once again, who will represent the Eastern Conference in the USFL title game, while the 1999 champions fall one game short. It was a game that Heath Shuler had to win for his club, and his 382 yards passing certainly kept the Showboats in the game throughout, but it was Bobby Hebert’s 3 TD passes, paired with a good game from Stephen Davis, that gave the victory to the homestanding Stars. Hebert would find 9 different receivers on the day, with none going over 55 yards receiving, while Memphis relied on Joe Horn, who finished the day with 138 yards but no touchdowns. Shuler began the scoring in the game, finding Lawyer Tillman from 24-yards out on the ‘Boats’ second drive. Both clubs had felt each other out on their first drives, but both would score on their second. First it was Shuler to Tillman and then, 6 minutes later Stephen Davis ran off tackle for 12 yards to equalize the score. Memphis tried to maintain balance, handing the ball to Aaron Stecker 17 times on the day, but Stecker was not Garrison Hearst and was only able to average 2.6 yards per carry, well short of Davis’s 4.4 or Pat Chaffey’s 4.7 for Philadelphia. Stecker would score Memphis’s second TD, a 3-yard run after a long Joe Horn reception had gotten Memphis to the 3 yard line. But as the second quarter marched on, it became clear that Philadelphia had a plan that was working. Davis’s success rushing would make it easier for Hebert to find open receivers on early downs. The Stars defense could key on Shuler with little threat coming from the Showboats’ rushing attack. Philadelphia would score the final 10 points of the half, taking a 17-14 lead into halftime. They got a 32-yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger and then Hebert found Kevin Dyson, a new favorite target over the last few weeks of the season. Dyson would score twice on the day, and his first TD would give Philly the halftime lead. Memphis opened the second half with a frustrating drive that ended in 3, when they had a shot for 7. One play before the kick Lawyer Tillman had gotten behind the coverage but the pass from Shuler was just inches too long for the receiver to snag. Philadelphia’s Courtney Hawkins would not suffer the same fate on the Stars’ next drive. Hebert found him on a quick out route from the 9-yard line, and Hawkins would catch the ball at the 3 and twist his way into the endzone to put Philly back up by 7 at 24-17. The Stars would double that lead as the 4th quarter began as Kevin Dyson would score his second, a 21-yard corner route from Hebert that caused him to slide out of bounds just across the end line. 12:23 left in the game and the Stars held a 14-point lead. Memphis had struggled all day with key defensive penalties, and the drive that produced the Dyson TD included two that kept the Stars on offense. It would be an issue all day as the calls simply went Philadelphia’s way. On their next offensive drive, an offensive penalty (illegal formation) forced Memphis to go for a 4th and 5. Shuler connected with TE Adrian Cooper and kept the drive alive. Eventually Aaron Stecker would plunge over the line from the 1-yard line and Memphis fans felt that the game was not lost. There were 6 minutes left and a defensive stop could get the Showboats the ball down only 7. But the defense could not hold up their end of the plan. Philadelphia slowly and methodically marched down the field, and when Pat Chaffey did his best Stecker imitation and dove over the line from the 1, the Philadelphia lead was back to 14 with only 2:28 left to play. The Stars had simply put too much distance between themselves and the Showboats. When the game’s final whistle blew, father met son at the 50-yard line, and the two Moras congratulated each other. The bitterness of the loss for Jim Sr. clearly undercut by the pride he took in his son’s success. Jim Jr. had not only followed in his father’s footsteps, he had taken his old team back to the title game, continuing a legacy of success that had been started nearly 20 years earlier. Philadelphia would be returning to the Summer Bowl, a 3-time champion rising once again to the pinnacle of the sport. Who would face the Stars in the Summer classic? Would it be the three-time runner up from Denver or the Knights, a team that had seen steady success over the past 4 years, but which had yet to win a title either in St. Louis or in their former lives as the first LA Express? The suspense about this question did not last long. Denver would come out of the gate with a plan that seemed to completely neutralize the St. Louis defensive strategy. They would score the first 28 points of the game, and all within the first 22minutes of play as they rocketed to a 28-0 lead, a lead that St. Louis would never challenge. The key to their success was the focus the Knights had put on Salaam as the weapon of choice for Denver. The Gold used St. Louis’s over-exuberant pursuit of Salaam to deceiver and misdirect the defenders. Play action for Mark Brunell became little more than a simple game of catch. He would finish the game completing 15 of 21 throws, most in the first half, for 274 yards and 3 scores. In the first 2 quarters he hit Dedric Smith, Peerless Price and TE Marco Battaglia with scoring tosses. The Salaam threat also seemed to help backup halfback Ricky Whittle, When Salaam was out of the game the Knights seemed to always guess pass, and the Gold seemed to always counter this with delayed draws, screens, and short passes. Whittle would end the game with 14 carries for 79 yards, just slightly behind Salaam’s 91 rushing yards, but with both of the game’s rushing touchdowns. Down 28 so quickly, St. Louis’s plan to ride Ahman Green on offense had to be scrapped. The back would still get 18 carries, but his role would be greatly diminished as St. Louis had to pass to play catchup. Todd Collins would struggle, averaging only 4.9 yards per attempt, and failing to hit the big play. He would grow more desperate as the game progressed, forcing two picks and missing short routes in order to try to get the big play that never came. Collins did help get St. Louis closer by the half, finding Amani Toomer for a short TD just before the half, and with a Ryan Longwell score it was 28-10 at the break, but things did not get any closer in the second half. A quick 3rd quarter TD score from Whittle put Denver back up by 25 points. St. Louis would only muster another field goal, and, when backup QB Eric Wilhelm finished off the Knights with his own TD pass in the fourth quarter garbage time, the Knights were truly sunk. Their vaunted defense simply underprepared for a Denver attack that preyed on their pursuit and confused them with calls against tendency that St. Louis could not adjust to quickly enough. So for the second year in a row, and the 4th time in their history, the Denver Gold would be in the Summer Bowl. Would this year be different than their past forays into championship football? Or would Denver once again find themselves as runner-ups to a more dynamic, more energized club? We will have to wait a week to find out, but for fans in the Mile High City, a return trip to the title game is a sweet feeling they won’t soon forget. Excellent news on the injury front as neither Denver nor Philadelphia suffered any new injuries in the game. Yes, there were some scrapes and bruises, but both teams enter the Summer Bowl in good health and with full rosters ready to play. Michigan Finds Their Man The Michigan Panthers wasted no time in signing a new head coach, reaching out to former St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. Martz, who came up through the college ranks with Pacific, Minnesota, and Arizona State, is seen as something of a QB Guru, having produced great success in the NFL with both Jim Everett of the Rams and former Breaker Jamie Martin with the Redskins. In Michigan he will have veteran Doug Flutie to work with, although there are rumors that the Panthers may also be in the market for a young QB after letting Elvis Grbac join the free agent market. Rumors have Michigan’s front office giving serious consideration to Purdue’s Drew Brees, a younger version of Flutie in many ways (including knocks against him for his lack of stature). Martz will join the Panthers in plenty of time to have an influence over free agency and the draft, and he inherits a club that was clearly middle of the pack in many ways, not only as a 7-9 club, but with a 15th ranked offense and 14th ranked defense. Texas Goes With Plan B Failing to land Wade Phillips, who signed on with in-state rival Houston, the Outlaws went with plan B, or in other words, if you cannot get an Oiler, go for a Cowboy. Texas announced this week that their next head coach would be Chan Gailey, who was unceremoniously relieved of duties as Head Coach in Dallas (NFL) despite his Dallas clubs making the playoffs both seasons he was leading the club. Gailey, who also worked with the Steelers and Broncos in the NFL and who had a short stint in the USFL with the Atlanta Fire, is viewed as an offensive innovator. His first big issue will be determining the status of longstanding Outlaw QB Kelly Stouffer. While nothing official has come out yet, there are all sorts of rumors that Stouffer will retire after yet another painful season in San Antonio. Stouffer came into the league in 1987 and has taken a beating in recent years as the Outlaws have simply not done a great job of protecting the 36-year-old QB. If Stouffer does retire, the Outlaws will need to make a move at QB. Their backups, Tommy Maddox and Tony Graziani have not exactly filled Outlaw fans with anticipation for a QB change. The Outlaws have seen production decline each of the past 3 years and finished in the bottom 4 in the league in several key categories in their 5-11 season this year, finishing 22nd in points per game, 21st in yards per game, and 20th in yards allowed on defense. Not a strong base for Coach Gailey to inherit. LEAGUE AWARDS ANNOUNCED MVP: In one of the closest MVP votes in years three players split votes, with Heath Shuler, Chris Doleman, and Jake Plummer all getting nearly 1/3 of all votes. Plummer came out on top with 35% of the votes, and that seems fair. Plummer actually finished 9th in the league ratings as a pure passer, with 4,043 yards passing, 27 TD passes to 14 picks, and 63.3% completion rate. None of these numbers would have won him an MVP, but when we also look at his rushing statistics we can see why he was seen as the one player who his team could not live without. In 2000 Plummer rushed for 715 yards and 15 touchdowns, numbers that put him above several clubs' top running back, and far and away the most in either category from the QB position (Atlanta's Aaron Brooks was second with only 165 rushing yards and 2 TDs). When you add his 15 rushing TDs to his 27 passing scores, it is pretty clear that Arizona lived and died by Plummer's success, the true definition of an MVP. Offensive Player of the Year: In something of an unprecedented move this year the 2nd place vote-getter in the MVP race did not win a POTY award. Heath Shuler, last year’s MVP, finished 3rd in the OPOTY voting despite finishing 2nd in the MVP vote. Ahead of him were the two leading rushers in the league, Corey Dillon of Seattle and the 2000 Offensive POTY, Ahman Green of the St. Louis Knights. Green finished the year atop the rushing leader board with 1,558 yards, only 31 yards ahead of Dillon, but on 2 fewer carries. He also equaled Dillon with 12 rushing touchdowns. Shuler, while a strong candidate, finished 4th in QB Rating and did not lead the league in any major category (though he was top 5 in several). Defensive Player of the Year: Another controversy brewing as Chris Doleman beat out Kavika Pittman for Defensive POTY despite the fact that Pittman finished the year 2 sacks ahead of Doleman. The Orlando DE actually finished 3rd in sacks with 20, 1 behind PAtlahil Hansen of New Jersey and 2 behind Pittman. Voters clearly felt that Doleman’s overall game was stronger, and also considered the fact that his Orlando squad was atop the Southern Division standings for a good portion of the season before slipping to a Wild Card berth while Hansen and Pittman languished on basement-dwelling clubs. Rookie Of the Year: Ron Dayne, the bulldozer of a halfback for the Baltimore Blitz was the only real runaway selection of the five major awards. Yes, Rueben Droughns in Washington came on late, and Plaxico Burress (OAK) or John Abraham (SEA) also had very strong freshman seasons, Dayne was a pretty clear choice. Dayne finished the year 8th on the rushing chart with 1,226 yards and also contributed 6 TDs for the Baltimore Blitz as they rode his bulky shoulders to a 10-6 record and a playoff appearance. Dayne is the latest in a long line of big, bulldozer backs in Baltimore, a list that has included some pretty heavy hitters over the years, but none who have won this award before. 2nd in voting was John Abraham, the Seattle DE who finished Top 5 in sacks, and 3rd went to Droughns, who, with the retirement of Barry Word, now looks to be the main back for the Federals entering the 2001 season. Coach of the Year: Another close vote, this time between two first-year coaches who took their clubs from also ran to playoff contenders in their first season. Mike Nolan’s job in New Orleans was certainly stunning, taking the pieces left him by Mike Ditka and creating one of the best defenses in league history. New Orleans raced out to first place in the South but had some difficulties during a span of games when Trent Dilfer, their NFL import QB, was unavailable. That span cost them the division crown, and likely cost Nolan this award. The other candidate took a last place Stars squad and now has them in the Summer Bowl in his first season at the helm. It also does not hurt that he comes to the game with a championship pedigree. Jim Mora Jr. won 72% of the first-place votes for Coach of the Year, and his 13-3 Philadelphia Stars certainly deserve a lot of accolades. While voting took place before either New Orleans or Philly began their postseason games, the fact that the Breakers headed home in the Divisional Round game while the Stars are heading to Tampa Bay clearly seems to validate the selection of Mora as this year’s Coach of the Year. SUMMER BOWL 2001 LOGO REVEALED The USFL began its Summer Bowl preparations as it always does, with a media event to welcome fans to Tampa on Monday and with the reveal of the next year’s Summer Bowl logo. 2001 will see the 12th Summer Bowl (the first years of the league they called the game simply the USFL Championship) come to the Windy City as Chicago’s Soldier Field will be the venue for the sport. If that was not known by the casual fan, the game’s logo certainly will drive the message home. The logo not only utilizes two of the Chicago Machine’s dominant team colors of burgundy and sky blue but features at its center a depiction of one of the city’s iconic buildings, the Sears Tower. The vertical thrust of the tower, practically reaching the golden sun at its peak, is paralleled by vertical text for “2001 Summer Bowl” which parallels the uneven sections of the tower itself. Unlike the 2000 logo which prominently features both a football and a goalpost, there is very little in the Chicago 2001 logo which indicates that this is in fact a football championship. It could very well be a design from the Board of Tourism to promote sunny Chicago summer days. But, as we have seen in the past, not all logos play up the football aspect, as Summer Fun is often a theme. LA’s 1999 design was all about sunsets and sunglasses, and it seems’ Chicago’s is about the beautiful downtown architecture and the inferred “reaching for the heights” implicit in the tower image. An interesting matchup in Summer Bowl 2000 to be sure. Denver returns to the Summer Bowl for the fourth time, repeating their appearance from last year but hoping to not repeat their defeat from 1999’s game. Philadelphia is back in the title game only 1 year removed from a 5-11 collapse that helped push out Head Coach Raymond Berry and usher in Jim Mora Jr. These are two teams that did not get a lot of preseason hype, and for much of the year did not get the spotlight, but these are two very solid clubs. Let’s start our Summer Bowl analysis with a tale of the tape. A pretty even matchup, with Denver certainly a slight favorite on defense while Phillly’s offensive numbers are ahead of the game. Denver will likely run the ball more with Salaam while Philadelphia relies a bit more on Bobby Hebert to get chunks of yards through the air. Both defenses are good in limiting scoring opportunities, though Denver has the edge there as well. The Gold are also a better club at taking the ball away. So, with Denver having the slight edge in many categories, and having the better defense, why is Philadelphia a 4-point favorite going into the game? Call it pedigree, or call it a lack of faith in the Gold to finish off a good run. Whatever the reason the oddsmakers in Vegas have had to try to tempt bets to the Gold by raising the line from 2 points to 4. Folks just don’t believe Denver can turn the corner and win the big one. Remember, this is a Gold squad that has made three prior trips to the league title game and has come away empty all three times. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has participated in 4 prior title games and came away with three trophies, defeating Chicago in 1985, Houston in 1987, and a different Chicago club (Machine, not Blitz) in 1994. Their lone loss was an epic shootout with the Hebert-led Michigan Panthers in 1986. Hebert now leads the Stars, so do we also add his 2 titles to the mix in this one? There is a lot of playoff experience in his head, and with the Stars, despite the fact that Denver has more recent Summer Bowl experience. So who are the players to watch in this one? Which battles will determine this game? Here are our top 5 battles to monitor that we think will determine the course of this game. 1. Stephen Davis vs. the Denver D-line. If Davis can find running room it opens up the entire offense for Philadelphia, making Bobby Hebert’s day much easier. 2. Philly’s LB corps vs. Rashaan Salaam. We know Salaam will have at least a handful of plays where he reaches the 2nd level of the defense. If they cannot wrap up or gang tackle the big back for Denver, he could take over the game. 3. DE Leslie O’Neil vs. LT Mark Van Der Poel. One of the best edge rushers in the league against a swing-tackle who is forced into action in the playoffs. Philadelphia needs to help Van Der Poel by leaving Eric Green or Marcus Pollard in to block, because in one-on-one with O’Neill the inexperienced tackle would likely not fare very well. 4. Dedric Smith/Peerless Price vs. Reggie Givens/Corey Fuller: The Denver receivers are not exactly known for taking the roof off the stadium, but they can be very effective in space and over the middle. How the Philly corners hold up on short and mid-length routes could determine if Denver can be effective in the air. 5. Regan Upshaw & Leon Lett v. Denver O-line: The Stars are not known as a heavy blitzing team, and their leading passrusher, Upshaw, had only 10 sacks this year. The Stars will need to put some pressure on Brunell because Denver can milk the clock with the short passing game and Salaam’s runs if they don’t. OUR PICK: This is a tough one. Our head says Philadelphia is the better team, but our heart says it is time Denver got one. We can envision scenarios where either team could win, and the game could be about something as basic as penalties or third down conversions. Both clubs want to keep a slow pace, both want to play the field position game, and both have the capacity to grind down the clock, but what may be key is which club can make that one big play that the other cannot counter. With all else more or less equal, we turn to an unlikely source for a decision, the kick and punt return team. Philly’s combo of Troy Brown and CB Robert Williams is more explosive and more consistent than Denver’s returners (Price and CB Deral Boykin). That could be enough to give Philadelphia shorter fields to work with. We think the game will be close, and these two teams tend not to produce any self-inflicted wounds, so we are going to say that field position is the key, and we are going to give a slight edge to the Stars. They may not cover the 4-point spread, but we pick Philadelphia to earn their 4th championship ring. PHILADELPHIA 21 DENVER 20

Another meaty weekend of football action as all 4 division winners get into the fray with the Wild Card survivors. We would see three really close games this weekend, but in the end the cream rose to the top, setting us up for the #1 vs. #2 seed in each conference meeting next week. It was a very good season for the 4 Wild Card clubs this season, in some cases far better than what was expected of them, but in Memphis, Philadelphia, Denver, and St. Louis we are left with the 4 clubs that have been the most consistent all season long. All this plus two big name coaches join the USFL coaching ranks. What a week! It was always going to be a big hill to climb, to go into the Liberty Bowl and knock off the defending champions, but the loss of Eddie George made it a hill too far for the Ohio Glory. That said, the Glory availed themselves valiantly and took the game down to the last minute. Memphis was the better team, the healthier team (at least through 2 quarters—more on this coming) and had the boisterous support of more than 50,000 fans in their home stadium, and yet it all came down to an onside kick to keep the W. Memphis looked the better team early, building up a 17-3 lead until their own injury bug struck. Following a 71-yard bomb from Shuler to Tillman that gave them the 14-point lead, Memphis looked like they had the game won. Shuler had hit TE Adrian Cooper earlier in the game and Ohio had struggled to establish a run game with Darrell Thompson. But after a quick 3-and-out, Memphis got hit as Garrison Hearst went down, grasping his leg in agony. He would be helped off the field and carted to the locker room, where doctors would determine that there was a possible break in his tibia. X-rays at a local hospital would later affirm this diagnosis. For Memphis, this injury shiften their entire offensive philosophy. Aaron Stecker would get carries, as would fullback Larry Centers, but the team became far more one dimensional. At the same time, Ohio would start figuring out how to get the ball to Joey Galloway and that would, in turn, free up some lanes for Thompson to run through. The visiting Glory would get a TD right before the half, a Cedric Tillman 25-yard corner pattern that Collins hit in stride, and at the half Memphis was up only 7. The Showboats would gain that TD back in the 3rd quarter on a Larry Centers TD reception, but Ohio would not go away. Collins led them on two scoring drives in the final period, hitting Robb Thomas for one TD and then, with only 1:13 left in the game, finding Galloway from 28 yards out. Only an earlier Jeff Hall field goal separated the two clubs and it would all come down to Ohio attempting an onside kick. They had no time outs left, but could get the ball back if they could recover the kick. In an interesting move, the Glory had punter John Jett take the kick instead of placekicker Don Silvestri. Jett got the effect he wanted, a high third bounce that put the ball in the air. Unfortunately it found the waiting hands of Fred Weary, the league’s interception leader and infrequent hands-team member. Apparently, Coach Mora felt Weary’s good hands were needed on this most important kickoff, and he was right. With the ball in their control, Memphis kneeled twice to end the game and the defending champs punched their ticket to the USFL Eastern Conference Title Game. Another hard fought game awaited USFL fans on Saturday night as the Arizona Wranglers, with dynamic QB Jake Plummer, headed to St. Louis to face the precision defense of Coach Joe Johnson’s Knights. On paper the game looks like it should have been far from a close affair, with St. Louis outgaining Arizona 453-295, but the Wranglers simply would not go away. They held the lead in the game until the final minute of play, but St. Louis found a way to pull it out in the end. As expected,the key for St. Louis was containing Plummer. They spent most of the game seemingly content to slowly fold the pocket around him rather than go for an all out pass rush. This strategy seemed to work as Plummer was sacked 4 times and rushed 10 times for only 9 yards on the day. Staying in their lanes and eschewing the blitz, St. Louis kept the pocket around Plummer, and he found little room to run. He did hurt St. Louis with the pass, throwinjg for 3 Tds on the day, two to Carl Pickens and 1 to Rocket Ismail, but the overall lack of a run game for Arizona meant that St. Louis could play something of a bend but don’t break philosophy, coming up big on third down when it mattered most. The Knights offense also had its moments, with 120 yards from Ahman Green setting the tone. Todd Collins was not asked to do much, but his 2 TD passes helped keep the game in range for the Knights. In the 4th quarter and trailing 22-19, they got the break they needed. Arizona was backed up to their own 2 yard line after a bad kick return error forced the return man to try to escape the endzone. On a 1st and 10 from the 2, the Wranglers tried to run off tackle, but there was no room and Dorsey Levins was captured by LB Na’il Diggs in the endzone to pull the Knights to within 1 point. On the ensuing drive, the Knights took the lead. Running a 2-minute drill, Todd Collins dinked and dunked, using the sideline and all 3 of his timeouts to get the ball into field goal range, but on a 2nd and 3, rather than run to set up a good angle for Ryan Longwell, the Knights called a play action pass. TE Carlos Etheridge got inside position on the linebacker and Collins hit him for a quick strike go-ahead TD. The Knights went for 2, but failed, giving them a tenuous 5-point lead. St. Louis would turn to their defense to preserve the lead, and the defense that had held the Knights up all season came through again. On 2nd and 9 Vonnie Holiday would snag Plummer by the ankle and cause him to drop for a 6-yard loss. On 3rd and 15 Plummer’s pass to Ismail would be tipped away by Troy Vincent, and on the ensuing 4th and 15, Plummer would be rushed by inside pressure from Jerry Ball and his throw towards Mark Bruener would be completed but far shy of the needed line to gain. The Knights survived and advanced, a close one in the end, but a win for the home team. They move on to the Western Division Final, again at home in the comfy confines of the Transworld Dome next week. Our third game, and the opener for Sunday’s action, was once again a clash of familiar foes, two Atlantic Division rivals as Baltimore traveled to Philadelphia. Expected to be a low scoring affair between two clubs with solid defenses, what we got was a game that stayed relatively close for 3 quarters only to be blown wide open in the final 15 minutes. Philadelphia seemed to have all the cards early on, with Stephen Davis running well and Bobby Hebert hitting on his throws. They got two first quarter TDs (one each from Davis and TE Eric Green) and Baltimore could only muster one field goal. They would add another to start the 2nd, but Philadelphia again pulled out ahead at the end of the 2nd with backup HB Pat Chaffey scoring on a 14-yard run, his first of three scores on the day. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Baltimore still trailed 21-9, but got 7 back as the quarter began, with Garcia hitting Mike Cloud on a swing pass that went for 21 yards and a touchdown. Their momentum shift was short lived. Philadelphia would score on their next three possessions, following each one with a quick defensive stop. First it was Bobby Engram catching a 15-yard strike, then Hebert hit Chaffey on a perfect screen that went for 64 yards and boosted the Philly lead to 35-13. Baltimore was done, and after turning the ball over on downs, Philly put the cherry on the sundae with Pat Chaffey rushing the ball in from 3 yards out to give the Stars a commanding 42-13 smothering of the Blitz. The Stars will host the Eastern Conference finals next week against the defending champion Showboats, and they look like a team that deserves to be there. Nothing of the 5-11 fiasco of 1999 seems to remain as Coach Jim Mora Jr has this club playing well in all phases of the game. The final game of the weekend was another matchup of two very solid defenses, and once again it was a very close affair. Both clubs were able to use the run effectively, with Rashaan Salaam gaining 99 yards on 32 carries, while New Orleans got 69 yards from Ricky Williams and another 30 from Erric Pegram. But despite the ground games, this affair was all about turnovers and the results of them. Both Mark Brunell and Trent Dilfer would throw 2 picks, but Denver would gain 10 points from the two turnovers while New Orleans could only muster one score, and missed the 2-point conversion to boot. The game opened with Brunell leading the Gold on a solid first drive, capping it off with a short TD pass to wideout Peerless Price. New Orleans responded 5 minutes later with Dilfer hitting Ricky Proehl with a score of his own. Denver would go on to score all the remaining points of the first half, 3 field goals from Jeff Wilkens, as they took a 16-7 lead into the half. The second half saw Denver take advantage of the first Dilfer pick. Cornerback Bruce Pickens stepped in front of a Dilfer pass to Proehl, and took it down to the Breakers’ 10-yard line. 2 plays later Salaam busted through a tackle and into the endzone as Denver took a commanding 23-7 lead. New Orleans would get on the board as well in the 3rd, to pull back to a 10-point deficit, as Dilfer hit Raynard Brown with a TD pass. But, on their next possession, Dilfer would again toss the ball to the wrong team and Denver would get on the board again, another Wilkens kick to put them up 26-13. With time running out, Denver controlled the ball, but rather than run on a 3rd and 2, they tried to get fancy and the ball ended up being tipped at the line and falling into the hands of FS Darren Woodson of New Orleans. The Breakers would score 4 plays later on a Dilfer to Deems May TD toss, but with only 2:02 left, they would need another score to steal the game. They would not get the chance. They kicked the ball away to Denver, hoping to get a quick 3-and-out to recover the ball. They saved their timeouts, and used them on 1st and 2nd down, but on a 3rd and 4 Rashaan Salaam found just enough room to edge past the first down marker, giving Denver 3 more plays and the ability to wind down the clock. And so, the Denver Gold, who came so close in last year’s Summer Bowl, will play in St. Louis for a chance to head back to the title game. It will be another defensive slugfest to be sure as the Knights and Gold are two of the best at limiting their opponent’s scoring chances. For New Orleans, a 12-4 season and a trip to the divisional playoffs was not something anyone foresaw for them, so they should keep their heads high. They defied expectations and while they again fell short of the final goal for the season, they had an incredible run this year. Four teams remain, and the good news is that for the most part each of the teams that is moving on avoided major injuries, with one glaring exception. Memphis halfback Garrison Hearst will miss the game in Philadelphia, having been diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his tibia after being taken out of the game this past week. Without Hearst, an 1,100 yard rusher this year, in the lineup Memphis will turn to two 2nd year backs, DeMond Parker and Aaron Stecker to provide a run game. In reality what it means is that the pressure will be on Heath Shuler to provide the offense for the Showboats. Philadelphia also will be without one of its backs as Mark Montgomery is ruled “questionable” with a pinched nerve, but this is more likely to impact punt and kick coverage, where Montgomery gets most of his snaps. With Stephen Davis and Pat Chaffey ahead of him on the depth chart, his absence from the offense is likely to go unnoticed. The absence of tackle Mark Van Der Poel (Out-Deep Thigh Bruise) could be more impactful. Van Der Poel acts as the swing tackle, spelling either John Flannery at LT or Chris Thome at RT. With his injury, that role is likely to go to either Todd Wade or guard Roosevelt Patterson. In the Western Conference Final Denver enters with no new injuries reported. Both Mark Bouette (DT) and Sean Lumpkin (SS) who were questionable last week but did see limited action, are now listed as probable and almost certainly will see the field. For St. Louis Chad Bradtske has also been upgraded to probable and should be part of the D-line rotation. WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER We have our first two coach signings of the offseason and in both cases the team’s got the man they were hoping for. In a press conference yesterday afternoon the New Jersey Generals announced Bill Parcells as their new Head Coach and General Manager. Meanwhile, on Monday, the Houston Gamblers apparently won the bidding war, announcing that Wade Phillips would return to the USFL as the next leader of the Gamblers. The Parcells move is a fascinating one. New Jersey has had a history of trying to make a splash with its head coach signings, from bringing in Walt Michaels from the Jets in 1984, to signing legendary NFL coach Chuck Knox and then former Blitz and Machine head coach Marty Schottenheimer. But, even among this line of noteworthy coaches, the signing of Parcells feels bigger. The “Big Tuna” took the NY Giants to two Super Bowls, winning in 1987 and falling just short against the Buffalo Bills in an epic Super Bowl XXV in 1991. He then shifted over to the New York Jets, where he took them to the Super Bowl in his 2nd year on staff. And though his Vinny Testaverde-led squad fell short against the Minnesota Vikings, the turnaround was impressive. In 1999 Parcells somewhat reluctantly moved into the GM role, with Jets ownership not willing to grant him a dual role. He managed the Jets roster, while Al Groh took over as head coach. After a year at the helm but not at the rudder, it seems Parcells was ready to jump at a chance to take on both tasks. We all know what to expect from a Parcells-led team. Smart, but not flashy QB play, a smashmouth run game, and a defense predicated on pressure. He has some of the pieces he needs to make this possible, with Curtis Enis as his bell cow back and Phil Hansen still very capable of providing pressure on opposing QBs, but he will have to decide where to expend draft capital and free agent dollars. Expect the secondary and LB corps to get a lot of attention, but we also have to wonder if Jeff Lewis is going to be a good fit at QB for a Parcells-led team. Lewis is athletic but also a risk taker. Parcells tends to prefer more cerebral and by-the-book guys like Phil Simms and Vinny Testaverde. Don’t be surprised if the new coach makes a move to bring in a guy who better fits his philosophy. In Houston, Gambler fans are ecstatic to bring a Phillips back to the sideline. Sure, it isn’t Bum, his big cowboy hat, and the Love Ya, Blue, but Wade Phillips has proven himself over the years. His prior stint in the USFL with the Denver Gold was not exactly a dynasty, but the club was competitive and a solid squad for most of his tenure. Phillips had more success in the NFL, particularly as a defensive coordinator, where his years in Philly, Denver, and Buffalo were solid, producing some great defensive football schemes. Expect Houston to lean heavily into the talent they already have on the D-Line with the twin terrors, Pittman and Sinclair racking up QB sacks. They need to work on the secondary a bit, and just as with New Jersey, Phillips inherits a QB situation that needs his attention. Matt Hasselback had some moments, but struggled overall to a produce victories. He finished the year with 2,700 yards passing, 17 TDs to 10 Ints, not bad overall, but only a 50.7% completion rate and a rating of 71.1, putting him near the bottom for USFL starters. The club still has Chuck Hartlieb under contract, but Jim Miller will be a free agent this year and it is unlikely Houston, with many roster needs, will spring to pay for a 3rd QB after resigning Hasselbeck during the season. RETIREMENTS CONTINUE Not a huge week for retirements, but with 4 teams ending their season in the Wild Card round, we did see a few notable names calling it quits. The first and perhaps most prominent is Los Angeles free safety Martin Bayless. Bayless played the first 13 games of the year before an injury took him out of the final month. In that time he was among the league leaders with 5 interceptions. He retires with 50 total interceptions in his career. Another safety, Terry Hoague in Seattle, also announced that he would be leaving the game. Hoague played one year in Tampa Bay before joining the Dragons through the expansion draft in 1995. He retires with 5 career picks to his name. Finally, it is not official, but rumors out of Washington seem to confirm what most believe will be the announcement made next Monday during a planned press conference. It is anticipated that Barry Word will step away from the game after 15 seasons, all with the Federals. He began as a spot player, getting no more than 100 yards in a season through the 1989 campaign, but then emerged as a starter in 1991 with 900 yards in a breakthrough season. He would increase that total to 1,115 yards in his second year as the starter and would reach the 1,000 mark again in 1997 and 1998. His production has declined over the past 2 years, not atypical for a halfback well into his 30’s, and with the emergence of rookie Rueben Droughns this year, the writing was on the wall. Expect confirmation of this rumor next week as Word is almost certain to call it a career in front of adoring fans in DC. He will retire only 392 yards away from 10,000 for his USFL career, and with 73 career TDs, along with 2 USFL championship rings (1990 and 1997). WANTING OUT A weird demand out of LA, where TE Frank Wycheck has asked to be released by the Express. Wycheck played a prominent role in the Express offense this year, targeted 54 times and ending the season with 31 receptions, 3 TDs and 352 yards, all pretty solid numbers, but apparently he believes that his talents are being wasted by Coach Hall, who does have a penchant for preferring the outside receivers in his offense. Wycheck, who first played for St. Louis, then moved on to Atlanta in 1995, came to LA just this past year, but clearly is not happy with Coach Hall and the offense he has put into place. Were the Express to release him now, he would have optimal viability as he would be available not only to USFL squads but to NFL clubs as well when the transfer window opens in a couple of weeks. LA may very well opt to let Wycheck go, as they have both Rickey Dudley and Aaron Shea behind him on the depth chart, two players with a lot of potential. If he is released, the Express would almost certainly prefer that he sign with the NFL, so do not be surprised if they don’t delay any possible release until the transfer window opens so that no USFL club gets an early shot at him. And then there were four. Four teams left. All four division winners, all four looking for that ticket to Tampa Bay and the 2000 Summer Bowl. We have the Defending Champions of both the Eastern and Western Conferences in Denver and Memphis. We have the upstart Philadelphia Stars, looking under Jim Mora Jr. a lot like the early powerhouses coached by his father, and we have the tried and true St. Louis Knights, a club that lacks flash but never heart. Two good games, two hard to predict games. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (12-4) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (13-3) Sunday, July 24 @ Noon Eastern Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia As tempting as it is to play up the Father v. Son aspect of Jim Mora Sr's Showboats taking on Jim Mora Jr's Stars, looking at this game it is hard to imagine that it will not be about the coaches but the quarterbacks. Memphis will be without Garrison Hearst in the backfield, so we know they are giving the ball to Heath Shuler and putting the game on his shoulders. For Philadelphia there can be a more balanced approach, but in the end it just feels like the former champion with the Panthers of the 80’s has a chance to be the hero once again. The two defenses are solid, the offensive lines are stout and athletic, the run games for both teams have had issues, and certainly will for Memphis in this one. So, yes, it could all be about the QB’s in this one. OUR PICK: We have always liked Bobby Hebert as a playoff QB, but we have to lean a bit more towards Heath Shuler. He has been on a tear these past two seasons, winning a title and an MVP award last year. Philadelphia is living the dream, rebounding after a horrid 5-win season last year, but dreams won’t get it done against an opponent as good as Memphis is. We are going to go with the Showboats to make a repeat appearance in the Summer Bowl. DENVER GOLD (12-4) @ ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS (12-4) Sunday, July 24 @ 4pm Eastern Transworld Dome, St. Louis This one is likely to come down to who blinks first. One big play, one screw up could determine this game. We have two of the league’s elite backs in Salaam and Ahman Green. We have two quarterbacks who prefer to distribute the ball rather than take long shots downfield, and we have two defenses that can be nearly impossible to block on any given Sunday. Leslie O’Neal is a beast for the Gold, who also have heavy hitters in LB Marvcus Patton, Kurt Gouveia, and Chris Cowart. In St. Louis the defense begins with LB’s Kevin Hardy and Na’Il Diggs, but has strength in the secondary too with Troy Vincent and Rodney Harrison making life miserable for inaccurate passers. The Knights’ pass rush is not quite as dynamic as Denver’s duo of O’Neill and Marcellus Wiley, but the combo of Bradtske and Vonnie Holliday still combined for 25 sacks this season. OUR PICK: Another tough one. IF this game were at Mile High we likely would favor the Gold to return for a 4th shot at a title (they are 0-3 all time in Summer Bowls) but this game will be played basically at sea level in St. Louis, so we give the edge to the home team. St. Louis could be headed back to the title game once again.

Four games, eight teams, and one chance to survive and advance. This week we saw four clubs step up and grab that chance. Three of them were road dogs who shocked their hosts with a very unwanted homewarming gift, a big L in the first round of the playoffs. We saw two division rivals shoot it out in Seattle, a first time playoff team knocking off a heavy favorite in a battle of backups, a rivalry game that swung heavily to the underdog, and a favorite very much act the part in the Crescent City. Let’s get to it. Not happy just to be invited, the Ohio Glory made the most of their first playoff game in franchise history, and took advantage of Orlando’s key injury to QB Scott Mitchell to upend the home favorite. The Glory hounded and pursued backup Craig Ericson all game long, producing 4 picks that were decisive in a 5-point win. The Glory, playing without Eddie George at halfback, leaned on Kerry Collins, and while his 193-yard, 2 pick performance was hardly a thing of beauty, it was enough to help Ohio get the win. Orlando pressured Collins all day, with 7 total sacks, 3 from Chris Doleman, but the mistakes by their offense were too many to overcome as Orlando blitzes caused Ohio to slow down, but not stop, producing 6 Don Silvestri field goals as Ohio consistently crept into Orlando territory only to be stopped in the red zone. The lone TD for the Glory was a 6-yard run from George’s backup, Darrell Thompson, but it was enough as the foot of Don Silvestre kept adding points to the Ohio scoreboard. Orlando got TDs from HB Terry Kirby and a pick-six of Collins, perpetuated by LB Greg Biekert, but their offense simply could not move the ball, consistently and those constant Ohio kicks kept adding up until Orlando was down 6 and unable to get a final drive going. Ohio won ugly, but they won, and now they move on to face the top seed from the South, the Memphis Showboats. Few gave LA a shot to win this one against that league leading Breaker defense, and when Cade McNown went out with a concussion after throwing only 2 passes the game quickly got out of control for the Express. Brent Pease, who has barely seen the field in 2 years, was ineffective against the tight coverage of the Breaker D, and slowly but surely the Breakers pulled away. New Orleans got 109 yards and a score from Ricky Williams, and Trent Dilfer, in classic “game manager” mode, threw for 163 yards but added 2 TDs as the Breakers put the game away against an Express team that simply could not put much on the scoreboard. Raynard Brown won game MVP for his 7 reception, 110 yard, 1 TD game, but it was Breaker DE Jerry Reese (a free agent after this postseason) who should have won the award for his 2 sacks, including the one that ended McNown’s game and LA’s chances. The Breakers now take that aggressive D and ball-control offense to Denver, where they will face another club built in a very similar mode, the ball-control, low score, smashmouth Denver Gold. Ron Dayne had a coming out party, scoring twice and rushing for 114 yards against a Federals’ defense that rarely allows triple-digit totals. Baltimore, scored 33 unanswered points after falling behind 7-3 and forced 5 Federal turnovers in a game dominated on both sides of the ball by the visiting Blitz. The Blitz defense won the day, sacking Scott Zolak 6 times, all from different players as they blitzed early and often. They also forced Scott Zolak to throw on the run, not a skill set he excels at, and the result was 4 picks, including a 28 yard pick-six from Tyrone Bell. Five total turnovers cost the Federals any chance of shifting momentum as Baltimore dominated for the better part of 45 minutes, with only a late field goal from Doug Pelfrey breaking the series of Baltimore scores. Far too little, far too late for the Federals and their fans, many of whom were long gone before the final whistle, while the blue and red-clad Blitz fans stuck around at RFK to celebrate a playoff win against a hated rival. Baltimore moves on and will travel once again, once again to a well-known divisional foe, the Philadelphia Stars. For the second straight week the Dragons ended up in a shootout, and for the second time it finished at 42-39, but, unfortunately for the homestanding Seattle club, this time they ended up on the short end of the stick. And do we really have to say who made it happen? Almost certainly the league MVP now, Jake Plummer had another one of those games, but this time it was both on the ground and in the air. Plummer accounted for all 6 Arizona touchdowns, four through the air and 2 more on the ground. He would rush for 102 yards and throw for another 350 in a game where Seattle simply could not defend him. Rocket Ismail also excelled, catching 2 long TD passes from Plummer, and TE OJ Santiago also got into the mix with 95 yards and a TD reception of his own. Seattle stayed on pace as well, with Brian Griese passing a bit more than Coach Tiller probably wanted, but having success, completing 32 of 41 passes for 285 and 4 TDs. Corey Dillon was equally impressive, rushing for 101 yards, but kept out of the endzone all game. It just was not enough against Plummer’s MVP performance. Seattle had an impressive 420 yards of offense, but gave up 535 to the Wranglers, who simply looked unstoppable for most of the game. And it was almost all big plays, a 1st quarter 50-yard TD for Ismail, a 64-yard scramble for Plummer, an 81-yard TD catch and run for Santiago, and then a 75-yarder for Ismail. Seattle just could not cover the receivers long enough and with John Abraham double-teamed all game, he could land only 1 sack against Plummer, who used roll outs and bootlegs to buy time and get his receivers deep. Not the type of first impression the Dragons wanted to make in the playoffs, but for fans of offensive football, a great spectacle in which one of the league’s most exciting players did exactly what he wanted and thrilled the few Wrangler fans in attendance along the way. The Wranglers now face a much tougher test, a trip to St. Louis and a Knight’s secondary that is likely to have a much better shot at containing the Wrangler big plays. At least they hope so. Looking ahead to the divisional round, there are some injuries which could be a factor in the 4 games next week. In the Arizona-St. Louis matchup the Wranglers will be without HB Tim Lester, but his role of late has not been particularly big to begin with. St. Louis has no significant injuries, at least none that are new to the team. When Denver hosts New Orleans, their biggest concern is likely to be the absence of CB Darrell Boykin and SS Sean Lumpkin, two potential gaps that Trent Dilfer might try to exploit. In the Baltimore-Memphis game, the only significant injury is on Memphis’s side as the Showboats are likely to be without tackle Anthony Clement, a loss that could impact the run game considerably. And finally, in the matchup of the Stars and the upstart Ohio Glory, Eddie George is still listed as doubtful, and now Ohio could be without DT Tony Stephens and DE Cedrick Harden, though both are listed as “questionable” which could mean almost anything. Philadelphia will be without LB George Koonce, but have been playing without him for the past month. Coaching Carousel Gets Spinning It did not take long for the USFL coaching carousel to get up to speed as we had one late change and some early interviews happening across the league. The change was the announcement on Tuesday, a week after Black Monday, that Michigan would part ways with Coach Skip Holtz. Holtz, who has held the reins of the Panthers since the 1994 season, lost the ownership’s confidence after the club again slipped into a mediocre 7-9 record. It is the 2nd time in 3 years that the club dropped below .500, with a 9-7 1999 season the exception. Michigan has not been bad under Holtz, an overall record of 74-54, but they also have not been particularly good, always on the fringe of the playoffs and only winning the division once in 7 years of Holtz’s leadership. The move puts Michigan a week behind the other clubs seeking new coaches, but that hardly seems a major disadvantage. So who are teams looking at? Well, as suspected, New Jersey does seem to be making a case to NY Jets GM Bill Parcells. The former Super Bowl winner with the Giants is rumored to be considering an offer that would not only make him the best paid coach in the USFL, but which would grant him the rare double of GM and Head Coach, allowing him to put together a roster to match his preferred style of play. In Houston and San Antonio, the battle seems to be between the two Texas clubs to lock up former Denver Gold head coach, and son of a Texas legend, Wade Phillips. Phillips, whose tenure in Denver was hardly the thing of legends, benefits from the reputation of his father Bum Phillips in Texas, and it appears that both the Gamblers and Outlaws are in a bidding war to sign the local legend as their next head coach. Only one can get him, and the question then becomes who the loser in the battle opts for. With Birmingham hiring from within, moving OC Kevin Gilbride up to the Head Coach position while Ron Erhardt moves to the front office, the only other open position is the newly opened Michigan job. Rumors have the Panthers looking for an offensive mind to take over a Doug Flutie led offense that got a bit of a boost with the arrival of Natrone Means this year. There is talent in Michigan, and taking over a 7-9 team is better than what most new coaches face when joining a new team. The Michigan job, more than any other this offseason, could be an attractive one. FIRST RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED While the focus of most football fans this time of year is on the USFL playoffs, for players, particularly those on non-playoff teams who are dealing with sore bodies, injuries, and changes in their roles, it is a time for reflection. And so, as we see each year, the beginning of the offseason is also a time when players who feel the time is right will announce their retirement. The first few weeks of the offseason are frequently a period of announcements of retirement, and this season that has begun with several significant announcements made in the days following the regular season’s conclusion. Over the past week the following players have made their intention to retire known to their respective USFL clubs. Michigan LB Hardy Nickerson, having returned to the team after a stint in the NFL retires as a Panther after a short stint in the NFL and one year return to the team that drafted him out of college. Nickerson came into the league with the Panthers in 1987, played for Michigan through 1997, then went to the NFL for 2 seasons before returning and finishing his career in the USFL this year. He retires from the USFL with 2 All-USFL seasons, 966 tackles, 41 sacks and 10 interceptions. Portland had two announcements this week as LB Bryce Paup and CB Torin Dorn both announced that they would be leaving the game. Paup joined the USFL in 1990 with Baltimore, played 4 seasons with the Blitz before short stints with LA, Michigan, Philadelphia, and his final season in Portland. He retires with 780 tackles, 20 sacks and 12 interceptions in an 11-year career. Dorn also came into the league with Baltimore, playing with the Blitz from 1990 until 1998, when he too relocated to Portland. He retires with 102 starts in the league, 495 tackles and 17 career interceptions. Tampa Bay strong safety Chris Crooms retires after 9 seasons in the league, all with the Bandits. Known as a solid “center fielder” in the secondary, Crooms amassed 419 tackles at the position and earned a championship ring with the 1998 Bandits. Chicago tackle Eduardo Vega hangs up the cleats after 10 seasons in the USFL. Vega started all 16 games of his rookie season as the right tackle for the New Orleans Breakers, playing 8 seasons in the Crescent City before his final year in Chicago. While he appeared in all 16 games for the Machine this year, Vega was moved to a shift tackle and started only 3 contests. Expect that over the next month or so, particularly as more clubs are removed from the playoff tree, that we will see further announcements. We will bring those to you as we continue to cover the playoff rounds and the offseason for the league. Here we go again, four playoff games down, four on tap. So, who do we like in this second round of action? Let’s see. OHIO GLORY (10-6) @ MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (12-4) Saturday, July 16 @ 3pm ET Liberty Bowl Stadium, Memphis Can the Glory do it again? Can they upend a home favorite even when Eddie George is unlikely to play (listed as doubtful in the injury report)? Memphis is not Orlando. They are not themselves dealing with a major injury. Heath Shuler is playing some of his best ball, and the Showboats can put up some points. This looks like a game that Memphis should win going away. Even with George the Glory were not an overpowering offense, and the defending league champions have proven all year that they can defend a wide range of offensive styles. And while Memphis does not have the strongest run game, it is good enough to force opponents to respect it, which means the passing game will have its chances. OUR PICK: We see the Cinderella story ending here for the Glory. Memphis is not only the better team, but the more experienced one. They won it all last year, and we see them doing what needs to be done to reach the Conference Title Game again. ARIZONA WRANGLERS (9-7) @ ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS (12-4) Saturday, July 16 @ 7pm ET The TransWorld Dome, St. Louis This one could be very interesting. Jake Plummer has been a handful all year, and this will be the first time the Knights have faced him in 2 years. That lack of familiarity certainly plays to Arizona’s advantage, but that may be the only advantage they have. St. Louis can play keep away with Ahman Green rushing against Arizona’s 19th ranked run defense. If they can limit Arizona possessions, and if they can keep Plummer contained, despite the roll outs and bootlegs, they can shut down his receivers, making the run game the only option for the Wranglers. OUR PICK: Hard to go against the Knights in this one. Arizona has not been consistent all year, while St. Louis has rarely had a let-down game. We think the consistency and quality of the Knights will win out. BALTIMORE BLITZ (10-6) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (13-3) Sunday, July 17 @ 1pm ET Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia It has only been 2 weeks since a season finale win for the Stars, completing the Philadelphia sweep in the regular season. But, this last matchup was only a 3-point win for Philly. Did they let up in the season’s final week, with their division title assured? Will an extra week of rest be the difference for Philadelphia? Or will Baltimore manage to do what so many seem to, to win a 3rd game against a team that won the first 2 matchups? Both clubs can run the ball effectively, and neither has a quick strike passing game, so this could be a pretty even matchup. Turnovers and missed opportunities could be the difference in this one. OUR PICK: When two teams are this closely matched, we have to go with home field, and that means we pick the Stars to edge Baltimore. Add in the playoff experience of Bobby Hebert against the complete lack of experience that Jeff Garcia brings to the game and we have to like the Stars here. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (12-4) @ DENVER GOLD (12-4) Sunday, July 18 @ 5pm ET Mile High Stadium, Denver We are not sure if either team will be able to score a TD in this one. We have two teams that love to win with defense, run the ball, eat the clock, and set themselves up for a late kick to win it. So, will either club find a way to break through? We have the #1 scoring defense in New Orleans and the #3 in Denver. New Orleans is also rated somewhat higher in offensive categories, though Denver has the ability to dominate on the ground with Rashaan Salaam. A tough call in this one, and very likely it all comes down to the right feet of either Lin Elliott of New Orleans or Jeff Wilkens of Denver. OUR PICK: Denver has a long history of playoff faceplants. And while New Orleans was also once known for their failures in the playoffs, this feels like a very different Breaker squad. We are going to go with the road visitor and the higher ranked defense in this one. New Orleans on a late kick, of course.

It’s like an extra week of playoff football when so much is on the line on the regular season’s final week. Six clubs vying for 3 division titles, another three with Win & you are in scenarios. All the pressure, all the drama, and so much on the line. It is what makes football so great. It’s not 154 games, or 82, but only 16 games in 16 weeks to determine who is getting to the postseason. It’s every game matters. It’s due or die. That is what we got this week, with so much yet to be determined and 12 games that would decide it all. It could have been a game where both clubs looked at the odds and decided to play it safe. Denver could win the Pacific even with a loss to Seattle in Seattle, while the Dragons needed an unlikely huge blowout to upend the Gold and steal the title from them. And yet, despite the long odds for anything other than a Denver division crown, this one played out like a Conference Championship, and could very well be a preview of one. We got to witness two of the league’s best backs, as both Rashaan Salaam and Corey Dillon were on display, and both ended the game over the 100-yard mark. We also got to see both Brian Griese and Mark Brunell play some of their best football of the year. Brunell would complete 22 of 33 for 356 yards and 3 scores, while Griese dinked and dunked his way to an 83.3% completion rate (20 of 24) and 2 scores as well. Seattle would at one point buildup an 18 point lead, but Denver would come back to make this game a close one. We got unheralded Denver wideout Dedric Smith racking up 127 yards and a score, and we saw David Boston for Seattle connect on a 51 yard completion but somehow not score. The game was a firecracker from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. 24 points were scored in the 1st quarter, 17 in the 2nd, 18 in the 3rd and 22 in the 4th. If you wanted to go to a restroom, or get that extra bag of chips from the kitchen, you had better race against the commercial break to do it, because you did not want to miss a play in this game. This one was a classic, with both clubs very much looking like Summer Bowl contenders, but only one could come out on top, and when push came to shove, Seattle built up a 42-24 lead and held it until the final whistle. It was not enough to upend the Gold and take the title, that still went to Denver, but it certainly sent a message that Wild Card or not, Seattle would be a force to reckon with. ORL 20 MEM 41 The other showdown of clubs battling for a division title did not produce quite as much drama as Memphis pulled ahead early and kept Orlando at arm’s length the entire game. With Scott Mitchell still dealing with an injury, Craig Ericson struggled against an aggressive Jim Mora defense. Ericson would finish the day with 2 touchdowns but only 129 yards passing, and while Terry Kirby averaged 5.5 yards per carry, with the Renegades trailing most of the game, he only got 11 carries. Garrison Hearst had a huge game, rushing for 109 and 2 scores while Heath Shuler also threw two scores and went 18 for 22 against the ‘Gades, despite frequent pressure from Chris Doleman (held without a sack on the day). With the win, Memphis lands the 2nd seed and a bye. Orlando will still be the 3 seed, which means a home playoff game next week. OHI 37 PIT 35 Ohio needed every ounce of quality they had to defeat a very game Pittsburgh squad and clinch the franchise’s first ever playoff appearance. Terrell Davis was a menace to the Glory D all game, rushing 23 times for 140 yards and a score. Andre Rison also caught 8 balls for 119 yards and 3 scores as Pittsburgh put a serious scare into the Glory. Kerry Collins responded with 3 TD passes and Eddie George rushed for 2 scores as Ohio held on to win the game and secure the 6th and final playoff spot in the East. However, the game did not come without a cost, as George could be lost for the next month after suffering what may be a broken bone in his right foot. He will certainly miss the Wild Card game, putting Ohio’s run game in question, but could be out longer. ARZ 17 OAK 10 Oakland too decided to put up a fight, though their offense continued to struggle. It took a late Carl Pickens TD catch and a 2 point PAT run from Plummer to secure the win for the Wranglers, a win that came with the 5th seed in the West. Plummer rushed only 5 times, and gained 0 yards, but thankfully Dorsey Levins picked up the slack, rushing for 129 against the Invaders and helping Arizona return to the postseason. LA 16 POR 6 The Express knew a win would get them back to the postseason as well, but they too struggled in the season’s final week. Portland had them locked up at 6-6 at the half before a Cade McNown to R. Jay Soward TD pass in the third gave them the lead for good. Despite earning 21 first downs to only 7 for Portland, the Express simply did not look in synch on offense. They rushed for 223 as they protected their lead in the second half, but could only add another 3 points to the total as Portland fought them for every inch. CHI 20 STL 42 Chicago had the hardest road to a playoff spot, needing to upset the Knights in St. Louis and then hope that LA would lose in Portland. While the scoreboard of the LA-Portland game gave them hope, the fact that St. Louis had a shot at the top seed in the West meant that they got no easy matchup against backups. The Knight starters built up a 21-3 lead and never trailed in the game, racking up 171 rushing yards, with Ahman Green gaining 97, just enough to capture the league rushing title. St. Louis would earn that top seed with the win and the Denver loss, while Chicago would end the year at 7-9 and out of the postseason after a 4-1 start to the year turned into a 3-8 finish. BAL 23 PHI 26 Needing the W to lock up the top seed in the East, Philadelphia kept all their starters in the game for the full 60 minutes, and they needed to as Baltimore was playing for keeps, despite already assured a Wild Card game. Stephen Davis rushed for 117 for the Stars and Bobby Hebert survived 3 interceptions by the Blitz defense to give the Stars the win they needed to claim the top seed. Baltimore would finish the week as a 5 seed, setting up a really intriguing Wild Card matchup against their arch rivals. NJ 13 WSH 31 Baltimore will travel to Washington after the Feds dispatched the New Jersey Generals to finish 11-5 and lock up the #4 seed. Rueben Droughns again outgained Barry Word and got the lion’s share of the carries as Washington built up a 31-6 lead after 3 quarters. Phil Hansen got only 1 sack, keeping him one shy of the league title, but Terry Glenn’s 6 receptions for the Generals gave him the receptions title for the year, a faint gleam of light in a very dark season for New Jersey. JAX 28 BIR 33 The Stallions finish the year at 8-8 thanks to a 5-point home win against the Bulls, who saw a 6-2 start to the year turn on its head with a 2-6 second half, one of the biggest collapses in league history. Brett Favre added 3 TDs and 287 yards to his league leads in both categories, and Deion Sanders pulled to within one of the league lead in picks with his 6th on the season as Birmingham took a moral victory in not finishing the year with a losing record. TBY 27 ATL 34 Atlanta’s first year coach Bobby Petrino tried to find some solace in a strong Week 16 performance at the end of a very long 4-12 year. Aaron Brooks would throw for 4 TDs in the final game of the season, one of his best of the year, as the Bandits simply did not seem to have the energy to take the game. Randy Moss was able to get deep on several occasions, racking up 141 yards on only 5 catches, but overall the Bandits seemed ready to head to the offseason after a very disappointing 6-10 campaign. HOU 10 NOR 24 New Orleans locked up the #3 seed and a home playoff game next week with a dominating win over the 4-12 Houston Gamblers, in an unflattering final game for Head Coach Ray Willsey. Houston will certainly be seeing a lot of changes in the offseason, while New Orleans, who was in Houston’s position last year, can now celebrate a return to playoff football under new coach Mike Nolan, finishing the year an impressive 12-4. MGN 31 TEX 17 In the final game of the week, and the only one that did not involve any playoff clubs, Michigan downed Texas in San Antonio to finish the year 7-9. Tommy Maddox got the start for the Outlaws as Texas is facing the possible retirement of Kelly Stouffer. Natrone Means topped 1,000 yards for the Panthers, one year after being treated as a failed project in Jacksonville. Rookie Laverneus Coles played for the injured Jeff Campbell and showed some flashes, catching 7 balls for 94 yards in the game. As we get ready for the Wild Card round of playoffs next week. Here are the injuries for the 8 clubs that will compete. ARZ LB Winfred Tubbs (Out-collarbone) BAL DT Michael Dean perry (Out-knee), DE Andre Wadsworth (Probable-thigh bruise) LA FS Martin Bayless (Out-wrist), WR Curtis Mayfield (Doubtful-ankle), WR Rob Carpenter (Probable-concussion), and TE Ricky Dudley (Probable-shoulder) NOR TE David LaFleur (Out-achilles), FS Darren Woodson (Questionable-shoulder), G Ken Blackmon (Probable-toe), HB James Bostic (Probable-knee) OHI SS Harlon Barnett (Out-back), HB Eddie George (Out-foot), DT Tony Stephens (Probable-finger) ORL G Mike Verstegen (Out-quad), LB Dante Jones (Out-knee), FB Chris Fuamatu- Ma’afala (Out-arm), QB Scott Mitchell (Doubtful-knee) SEA T Willie Anderson (Out-finger), G Jeno James (Doubtful-chest), WR Chad Carpenter (Doubtful-concussion) TALE OF TWO SEASONS What happened to the Jacksonville Bulls this year? How do you race out to a 6-1 start and then lose 7 of your final 9 games? Just what went wrong? Well, the first thing we have to look at is the defense, which allowed 23 points a game and was in the bottom half of the league in yards allowed. We should also point a finger at Chris Chandler, who may have thrown for 4,000 yards, but also finished with 21 picks on the season, a stat which plummeted his QB Rating down to 87.9, mediocre at best. With only Danny Wuerfel and Stoney Case behind him, Chandler does not seem to be threatened unless the club opts to trade him away, but he needs to play better if Jacksonville is going to get over the hump. The other big issue is the run game, which seems to be a concern worth exploring, especially when we see the success that Natrone Means had once he was shipped off to Michigan. Sedrick Irvin, thought to be the heir apparent in J’ville, did manage 902 yards this year, but that represents a 3.6 YPC average, and he only added 3 touchdowns to the Bulls offense. At times it was Kenny Bynum who looked more explosive, the 3-year veteran averaging 4.2 yards per carry and scoring 9 TDs. Could we see competition at the position. The one player no one is criticizing in Jacksonville is wideout Terrell Owens. The brash wideout led the league with 165 targets, and finished second only to Terry Glenn (NJ) with 100 receptions. He added 14 touchdowns and racked up 1,478 yards for the Bulls. The problem may be that there is little else in the cupboard for the Bulls passing game. TE Steve Johnson finished second on the team with 62 receptions, while free agent wideout Patrick Rowe was the next best option at wideout. Expect the position to be one of focus for the Bulls this offseason, that along with pass rush and secondary help seem in order. Mike Vrabel and Lavar Arrington seem to be setting up a solid LB corps, but without more assistance from the D-line and secondary, there is not a lot a LB corps can do to shut down opposing offenses. So, Jacksonville’s huge fade from 6-1 to 8-8 costs them a trip to the postseason and puts them firmly in the “retooling” category for next year. They are not alone in that category, but it certainly was not where fans expected to be as the club looked so good early in the year. FROM CINDERELLA TO PUMPKIN Chicago also teased their fans with a strong opening month, only to fade down the stretch. As with the Bulls, the rise of the Machine in the season’s opening weeks was also seen as a surprise, as most expected that Coach Mornhinweg simply did not have the talent in the Windy City to rise up the rankings this season. It appears that they were right. Jeff George was inconsistent, finishing the year with a pedestrian 85.4 QB Rating, and 13 picks to only 17 touchdowns. The Chicago receiving corps is nothing to write home about, with 2nd year TE Jim Kleinsasser leading the team with 75 receptions. Johnnie Morton does not appear to be a #1 wideout and Curtis Conway’s 58 receptions were well below what Chicago fans expected from the former Bear. And while Duce Staley and Ricky Watters combined for a solid 1,577 yards on the ground, they scored only 11 total touchdowns between them. With Watters a free agent, this might be a time when Mornhinweg might opt to let the veteran go and put his trust in Staley, who has seemed to gain favor over the season. Finally, there is the defense, a defense that finished the year 8th in points allowed, a very good ranking for them, but was more pedestrian on some other key stats, 14th in yards allowed and 12th in producing takeaways. So, 7-9 and some work to do seems about right, but when you start the year with as good a first month as Chicago had, and when you see New Orleans keep the pace up all year it is hard to feel good about a 7-9 final record. CLASS OF 1995 MATURES Well, it took a solid 6 seasons to happen, but it seems the expansion class of 1995 has finally arrived (well, ¾ of it at least). Last season we saw the breakthrough with the reborn LA Express racing up to nab an unexpected Pacific Division title. This year the Express return to the playoffs, though with a much more modest 8-8 record. They are joined by two more 1995 expansion clubs as the Seattle Dragons made a serious push for their own Pacific division crown, ending the season tied with Denver but missing out due to tiebreakers. Add to that a strong 10-6 season from the Ohio Glory, making them the 4th club from the Atlantic to make the playoffs and you have three of 12 playoff spots occupied by Class of ’95 entrants. Yes, building a winning team from expansion is a time-consuming process. The talent pool in expansion drafts tends to be made up of players past their prime and younger prospects who simply did not pan out for their original clubs. Sure, there is usually a smattering of talent that is freed up due to salary cap concerns, a Mo Lewis, for example, but generally speaking expansion clubs have rosters of cast offs, and that means they struggle. We certainly saw this with the class of 1995. We also know that it is not easy to start an expansion club as a head coach, and that certainly panned out, with none of the current ’95 clubs having the same head coach as in their inaugural season. Alanta (Reeves, Lewis, Petrino) and Los Angeles (Neuheisel, Fontes, Hall) are both on their third coach in 6 years. But, the tide seems to be turning, at least for 3 of the 4 clubs. Atlanta has yet to have a winning season and seem to struggle to build a fanbase as well in a city notorious for fair-weather fans. Each club made mistakes along the way, signing players that simply did not deliver, whether it was Marcus Allen in LA, Jeff George in Atlanta, or Jeff Hostetler in Ohio. But, with solid drafts and a smattering of top free agent acquisitions, each has built a significantly better roster than they began with. Seattle, sitting at 12-4 is at the top of the class this year. After years of rotating QBs and a mediocre run game, this year Brian Griese took the helm, leading to the trading away of Jon Kitna, and Corey Dillon emerged as a legitimate top tier back. In Ohio it was Al Luginbill’s offense, combined with the signing of NFL quarterback Kerry Collins, that helped build a solid foundation for the team. Finally LA, after a miraculous season in 1999, is back again with their 1999 Rookie of the Year QB Cade McNown, their two-headed running game (Antowain Smith and Michael Pittman), and a solid defense. Coach Galen Hall seems to have found a winning formula in LA, though the team showed some flaws this year and comes into the playoffs as the lowest seed. In Ohio Coach Luginbill has created a team in the mold of many Atlantic clubs: run well, play defense, don’t let your QB beat you. Kerry Collins, despite having solid numbers, played a control game, and that control made him the league’s top rated QB in 2000. In Seattle, it was the emergence of Corey Dillon and a defense that simply did not make big mistakes, that helped them shoot to the top of the division and come ever so close to a division title. All three clubs will be in action next week as the Wild Card round begins. The playoffs are settled, with all 3 clubs that were in playoff position in Week 15 holding those slots through the weekend. Memphis wins the South thanks to their solid victory over Orlando, Denver keeps hold of the Pacific despite the close loss in Seattle, and St. Louis nabs not only the Central Division but the top seed in the Western Conference thanks to their win over Chicago. The seeds will be: EAST: 1-PHI 2-MEM 3-ORL 4-WSH 5-BAL 6-OHIO WEST: 1-STL 2-DEN 3-NOR 4-SEA 5-ARZ 6-LA So this sets up some interesting matchups for next week, with LA traveling to New Orleans, Arizona in Seattle, Ohio in Orlando, and a great rivalry game as the Blitz head to Washington to face the Feds for a third time this season. Denver, St. Louis, Philly and Memphis will rest their players, scout the games, and build their plans over the next 2 weeks, preparing for home playoff games in the divisional round. The announced resignation of Ray Willsey in Houston, and the Week 13 firing of Marty Schottenheimer took a bit of the shock value of Black Friday away this year. But, that said, the day did not pass without event. Texas decided that the up and down tenure of former Houston Gambler head coach Jack Pardee was not bearing the fruit they had hoped he could bring to San Antonio. The Outlaws released Pardee from his duties on Monday. In 6 years with the Outlaws, Pardee produced 51 wins to 45 losses, a winning record overall, but one that included three 8-8 seasons and this year’s 5-11 record. The Outlaws did go 12-4 in 1997 but slid back to 8-8 in 1998. They made the playoffs in 1999 with a 10-6 mark, but never seemed to be a serious contender this season. Team officials announced the departure of Pardee on Monday and a full search is expected for a new coach. The second and final Black Friday decision was not another firing, but an internal realignment. Birmingham Head Coach Ron Erhardt has been given the opportunity to step up to the GM position with the Stallions, and has chosen to relinquish coaching duties to serve as both GM and President of Football Operations. Erhardt has led the Stallions to 88 wins and 56 losses in his 9 seasons with the club, including 6 playoff appearances and, of course, the 1993 league title. Erhardt will take over all personnel responsibilities, and his offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, will step up to the Head Coaching vacancy, providing the Stallions with less of a transitional period than a simple passing of the torch. The Black Friday results leave the league with only 3 coaching vacancies: New Jersey, Houston, and Texas. Many felt that there was a chance that Ray Rhodes may be another “one and done” situation after the Portland Thunder finished the year with only 1 win, but it appears that Portland ownership is willing to give Rhodes another year to prove he can turn things around. Likewise, fellow first year coaches Dom Capers (Oakland) and Bobby Petrino (Atlanta) seem safe from a one-year firing, despite not having strong showings in 2000. The other new 2000 coaches Mike Nolan (NOR) and Jim Mora Jr (PHI) had far greater success and are the two frontrunners for Coach of the Year. Looking ahead, let’s take a gander at the four Wild Card Playoff games next week. While home field advantage should help the higher seeds, this round is notorious for upsets, so we expect at least one if not more of the favorites to struggle. OHIO GLORY (10-6) @ ORLANDO RENEGADES (11-5) Saturday, July 9 @ 3pm ET The Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL This is a tough one to predict if only because both clubs are missing key players for this game. Ohio will have to go into the game without Eddie George, their Buckeye halfback. For Orlando the loss is QB Scott Mitchell, requiring that Craig Ericson take the helm in the playoffs, his first ever postseason start. Looking at the options for both teams, there is a slight edge for Ohio in that Darrell Thompson is certainly a serviceable backup for George, while Ericson has struggled to replace Mitchell at QB for Orlando. Ohio also has the top rated QB in the league in Kerry Collins (He edged past Favre in the season’s final week) and the league’s leading receiver in Joey Galloway (yardage). Orlando’s advantage is on defense where Chris Doleman has been eating up QB’s all season long. They also have solid coverage in the secondary with CB Deon Figures and SS LeRoy Butler. OUR PICK: We are going to pick Orlando to hold home court as we think the Ohio D is not the kind to truly rattle Ericson, while Doleman could cause Kerry Collins all sorts of problems. Without George to take the pressure off the pass rush, expect a heavy dose of Doleman in the Ohio backfield. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (8-8) @ NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (12-4) Saturday, July 9 @ 7pm ET The Super Dome, New Orleans, LA This one feels like a mismatch. New Orleans has been the breakout team of the year (well, maybe Philly would beg to differ) and their defense has been just monstrous, allowing only 12.4 points per game. LA has been up and down all year, and their offense is hardly a world beater this year. They needed a Week 16 win over Portland just to qualify and they barely got that. New Orleans has the league’s top defense and an offense that is Top 10. LA is not in the top 10 on either side of the ball, and 8-8 seems about their limit this year. OUR PICK: We have to go with the Breakers to win this one in front of a rowdy and very well-lubricated Super Dome crowd. That defense is just too good and LA has not had the same type of season as last year. They are 8-8 for a reason, a reason that New Orleans can exploit: inconsistency. BALTIMORE BLITZ (10-6) @ WASHINGTON FEDERALS (11-5) Sunday, July 10 @ 1pm ET RFK Stadium, Washington, DC This one will be fun. The two split their season series this year, and they both know each other’s tendencies so well that the key may be something as random as a big return, a blocked kick, or a poorly timed penalty. It is hard to say which club is more deserving of the win. Both bring in a backup who has played very well, with Scott Zolak throwing for 3,400 yards this year, while Baltimore opted to keep Jeff Garcia as their starter even after Trent Green recovered from injury. The two teams can run the ball, live off play action, and depend on their top tier defenses to keep the score low. Like we said, a balanced game, and should be a fun one. OUR PICK: Las Vegas gave Washington only a 1 point advantage as the home team. That feels right. We are going to pick the Federals as well, but do not put the deed to the ranch on a bet in this game, it is going to be a true game of inches. ARIZONA WRANGLERS (9-7) @ SEATTLE DRAGONS (12-4) Sunday, July 10 @ 5pm ET Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA This one looks like it should be a Seattle win on paper, but there are two reasons why it is closer than it appears. The first is that very few of the players on the Dragon roster have ever played in a pro playoff game, and that includes QB Brian Griese. The other factor is Jake Plummer. He is simply an X-factor. The two Pacific clubs played only once this year, and Plummer helped lead the Wranglers to a 33-27 win. If he can have the type of big game we have seen so often this year, he can absolutely take over the game. But if not, if Seattle can rein him in, then Corey Dillon and the Dragon O-line can slowly erode the Arizona defense and wear them out. OUR PICK: We are going to trust that Seattle has learned how to control Plummer’s rushing skills by watching the times he has been held in check. If it is a straight up game of passing only for Plummer, we think Seattle pulls this one out.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Playoff berths and seeding has been finalized following the final week or regular season action. EAST: 1-PHI 2-MEM 3-ORL 4-WSH 5-BAL 6-OHIO WEST: 1-STL 2-DEN 3-NOR 4-SEA 5-ARZ 6-LA

Playoff Picture: Philadelphia has locked up the #1 seed in the East. Baltimore, Washington, Memphis and Orlando have won playoff spots, with the winner of next week's ORL & MEM game getting the Southern title and the accompanying bye week. Denver, Seattle, St. Louis, and New Orleans are all in the postseason, but both divisions will come down to Week 16 action with Denver and St. Louis having the tiebreaker advantages. Ohio, Arizona, and Los Angeles control their own destiny, with a win next week guaranteeing them a Wild Card. Jacksonville needs an Ohio loss and a win to get in. Chicago needs win plus a Los Angeles loss to get in. Arizona could be eliminated only with a loss and wins by both LA and Chicago.

Only 1 week left in the season and we just now have our first division winner as Philadelphia goes from worst to first in Jim Mora Jr’s first season as head coach. The Stars knocked off Atlanta in a close one this week, but losses by both Washington and Baltimore mean they have locked up the title and a shot at the #1 seed in the East. Orlando and Memphis both won, setting up a Week 16 showdown with the division title on the table. Seattle stumbled, giving Denver a nearly insurmountable advantage going into their Week 16 showdown. The loss meant a win for LA, which is now in position to snag that last Wild Card slot, edging out Chicago and Michigan, which also lost their chance this week by falling to St. Louis. The Machine, Bulls, and Panthers are on the outside looking in with only 1 week left and the future out of their hands. Ohio, Arizona, and LA now control their own destiny. A barnburner between two very possible Eastern Conference title contenders as the Memphis Showboats needed every ounce of home field advantage to defeat the Baltimore Blitz. Memphis QB Heath Shuler had a monster game, throwing for 4 TDs and 435 yards against a Blitz defense that was clearly not ready, but the Blitz would not go away, getting points off a 106-yard kickoff return to help aid the cause. In the end, the Showboats hung on, but we get the feeling this would make a great rematch game in the playoffs as both teams are headed to the postseason. Baltimore got the first big play of the game as Memphis’s 36-yard field goal to open scoring was followed immediately by an electrifying 107 yard return from Baltimore’s Lamar Thomas. Thomas took the ball deep in the endzone but saw a gap in the Memphis kick coverage and did not hesitate. He burst through the initial wave of tacklers and was untouched until the 41-yard line, where he shrugged off a poor tackle attempt, sidestepped the kicker and was off to the races. Baltimore 7-3. Memphis responded with Shuler hitting on the first of his 4 touchdowns on the day, this time to Lawyer Tillman from the 16 yard line. Shuler would have a banner day against a pretty solid Blitz defense, completing 24 of 28 passes for 435 yards. Meanwhile Jeff Garcia, who we praised last week for his 2000 season, had a rough day, completing only 19 of 36 passes for 195. Baltimore relied more heavily on rookie Ron Dayne, who came through with 117 carries and a score. He was not the only back helping out the Blitz cause, as backup Mike Cloud averaged 5.2 yards on 8 carries. Cloud would score for Baltimore to again retake the lead; a 1 yard plunge off center at the end of an 11-play drive for the Blitz. Memphis would respond with two scoring drives to end the first half, the first staling at the 20, leading to a 37-yard Jeff Hall field goal, but the second producing a momentum shifting score as Shuler connected with Joe Horn for a 60-yard TD pass with only 8 seconds left in the half. The Showboats lined up with an I-formation and seemed content to run out the clock, down 14-13, but Shuler pulled the ball out of the belly of Garrison Hearst and found Horn in single coverage. A perfectly tossed bomb found Horn in stride and the veteran receiver avoided the tackle of the corner and found paydirt. Memphis went in to the half up 20-14. In the Third quarter the two clubs would trade scores, with Baltimore getting a 3-yard Ron Dayne TD run to go up by one only for Memphis to respond again, this time with Shuler hitting his All-USFL tight end, Adrian Cooper from31 yards out. The 2-point PAT failed so Memphis’s lead was limited to 26-21. But, when Shuler found Joe Horn again to open the 4th quarter, the lead ballooned to 12, 33-21. Baltimore would spend the rest of the 4th quarter trying to speed up the offense and get on the board. They would kick a field goal with 4:22 left after a Garcia pass to Tim Dwight glanced off his fingers in the endzone on 3rd and 9. On their final drive they would get the touchdown they truly needed, with Garcia hitting Bill Schroeder to get the Blitz within 2, but they would need an onside kick to try to get the ball back. Martin Grammatica’s looping kick found the hands of Memphis fullback Larry Centers, ending any hope the Blitz had of stealing the win. Memphis moved to 11-4, and with the loss, Baltimore was out of the running for the Atlantic Division title. They are still in strong position to get a home playoff game in the Wild Card round, but the bye and the home series a round later are now out of the question. Memphis, however, can potentially earn both. A win next week in their huge Week 16 finale at home against Orlando and the Showboats are in prime position to potentially reach the Summer Bowl again. The defending champs are well-positioned for a repeat run to be sure. WSH 24 JAX 27 OT The Feds needed a win to keep pace with Philly, but the Bulls were in even more desperate straits, needing to win or risk disqualification from a playoff spot that seemed theirs for the taking at midseason. The game went to overtime thanks to a last second TD from Chandler to Dez White, and in the extra period the Bulls defense shut down Washington and Kris Brown kicked them to the 3-point victory. OHI 38 TBY 33 A thriller in Tampa where the Glory kept their playoff hopes alive, thanks to a 5-TD performance from Kerry Collins. Collins threw scoring passes to 4 different receivers, including 2 to break out star, tight end Stephen Alexander, to upend the Bandits, despite 102 yards rushing from Errict Rhett. NJ 21 ORL 27 Orlando got one step closer to a division title, and now control their own destiny, needing a win in Memphis next week to take home the crown. New Jersey put up a good fight for their interim head coach, with Jeff Lewis outperforming Orlando’s Craig Erickson, but 100 yards from Terry Kirby, and a late Charlie Baumann field goal were enough to give Memphis the win. PHI 25 ATL 24 There is no quit in this Atlanta squad, despite their 3-12 record as they gave Philadelphia a major scare in Bobby Dowd Stadium this week. Aaron Brooks ran for a score and Tiki barber added two more but, in the end, Philadelphia put together two 4th quarter drives to upend the Fire. Stephen Davis added 115 yards rushing and Kevin Dyson led all receivers with 103 yards on 6 receptions as the win clinched Philadelphia a division title. PIT 0 BIR 38 Two non-playoff clubs were scheduled to attend the game in Legion Field, but it appears only 1 showed up as Birmingham manhandled the Pittsburgh Maulers in the battle of Steel Cities. Brett Favre would throw 3 TDs before being replaced late by Danny Kannell, who would add 2 more as it was total domination by the Stallions. NOR 18 CHI 6 Chicago’s defense came to play, but the Breakers held the Machine out of the endzone and came away with the win thanks to one huge play, a 93-yard TD strike from Dilfer to Raynard Brown that broke the defensive stalemate wide open. Chicago would convert only 2 third downs and earn a total of 7 all game as the Breaker defense limited them to only 19 yards rushing. At 7-8, the Machine can still make the playoffs with a win this week, but at present sit outside the Top 6 in the West. STL 26 MGN 13 The Knights doubled up the Panthers and knocked Michigan from the ranks of playoff contenders with a solid defensive performance. Michigan was limited to only 63 yards rushing on the day, whereas league leader Ahman Green added 138 yards on 26 carries to his season total. St. Louis controls their destiny, with a win next week giving them the Central Division Crown for the 3rd straight year. OAK 9 DEN 10 Denver’s offense struggled against a pretty unsound Invader D, but they still managed to get the home win thanks to their defense. Oakland managed a total of 187 offensive yards, including only 59 on the ground as the Denver defense earned this win for the home team. SEA 13 LA 28 An untimely loss for the Dragons, but a huge win for the Express, who now can clinch a playoff spot with a win next week at Portland. LA got one of its better defensive performances of the year, despite giving up 103 yards to Corey Dillon. They built up a 28-3 lead early in the 3rd quarter and cruised to a pretty convincing win, thanks to 2 scores each from HB Antowain Smith and WR Tory Holt. POR 17 ARZ 48 While not mathematically assured, Arizona now has about a 91% chance of making the postseason thanks to a big home win against the Thunder, a revenge game for the only win on Portland’s season, an upset of the Wranglers in Week 11. The Wranglers were out for blood in this one, and the Portland scheme of shadowing Jake Plummer failed miserably as Plummer rushed 11 times for 124 yards and 2 scores, adding to his 221 yards passing and 4 passing TDs. It was a game in which Arizona clearly played angry, and that anger may have just helped them reach their season goal of a playoff return. TEX 13 HOU 6 In a battle of two teams suffering through lost seasons, both the Gamblers and Outlaws looked uninspired. The Gamblers sacked Kelly Stouffer 6 times, including a 3-sack day from Kavika Pittman, but their offense was miserable, limited to 2 field goals as the game’s lone touchdown, a Reggie Cobb run, was enough for the Outlaws to get the road victory. Late season injuries are, of course, never welcome, and even less so for clubs hoping to tune up for the postseason. There were several potentially damaging losses this week. Orlando has lost guard Mike Verstegen for the year thanks to a torn quad muscle. Memphis likewise took a hit on the O-line as tackle Anthony Clement will miss any playoff run. Orlando is hoping LB Dante Jones can return in 2 weeks, but his sprained knee could cost him the playoffs as well. Ohio goes into their pivotal Week 16 game without SS Harlon Barnett due to a ruptured disk in his back that will have him out up to a month. New Orleans will be without TE David Lafleur for at least 2 weeks, so a possible return if they appear in the divisional round. Seattle guard Jeno James is listed as Doubtful for their big game against Denver, while Denver could miss CB Deral Boykin as he is doubtful with severe migraines. JAKE THE SNAKE DOES IT AGAIN Sure, the Arizona Wranglers are sitting on the fringe of playoff position, but despite the team’s obvious issues, if Jake Plummer does not win league MVP, there is no justice. No player has taken a team completely on his shoulders like Plummer has before. He did it again this week, in stunning fashion. In Arizona’s 48-17 romp, a win that moved them to 8-7 and so very close to a Wild Card berth, Plummer was not only the team’s leading passer with a 14/20, 221 yard, 4 TD day, but he also was the driving force in the run game, rushing the ball 11 times for 124 yards and 2 more TDs, accounting for all 6 Arizona TDs. His TD runs were not dive plays either, they were a 77-yard masteripiece and an equally impressive 33 yard run late in the game. Plummer currently has a passer rating of 96.6, with 26 TDs and is closing in on 4,000 yards. This is not 1st in any of those categories, but it is among the leaders, and no one else on the QB rankings has had the responsibility of leading their club in rushing. Plummer has. Plummer has carried the ball 137 times for over 700 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. 15 TOUCHDOWNS!!! That is an astounding number for a QB. He has simply been a one-man wrecking crew for the Wranglers, and while some teams have been able to contain him, he has also demonstrated that he can take over a game and almost single-handedly take over a game. LOOKING AT AWARD LEADERS So if we give the MVP award to Plummer, which seems more than fair this year, what does that mean for the other awards? Offensive POTY is likely to go to a halfback, as each of the top 3 halfbacks, Ahman Green, Corey Dillon, and Rashaan Salaam have been dynamic parts of their team’s strong playoff seasons. Whichever leads the league in rushing is likely to get the nod this year, in part because the other top QB’s are either on losing teams (Favre in Birmingham), or are unlikely candidates to repeat (Memphis’s Shuler). The one potential wrench in this prediction is if Terrell Davis finds a way to jump up to #1 despite the Maulers’ woes. That seems unlikely as Green leads the league with 1,461 yards and Davis sits nearly 200 yards behind him at 1,276. The back most likely to steal away the title from Green is Dillon, who is only 52 yards back. Any of the three are truly deserving of the recognition, but the easy call seems to be to go with the one who ends the year with the most yards. Defensive Player of the Year could be a tough call. It seemed easier when Chris Doleman of the division-leading Orlando Renegades was atop the sack leader list, but with Kavika Pittman’s 3 sacks this week, the Gambler DE has taken over the league. But, despite the brilliance of both Pittman and his teammate, Michael Sinclair, we just don’t see the MVP title going to a player on a 4- or 5-win club. Doleman could still snag the title, particularly if he ends the year either tied or 1 up on Pittman. Another potential contender is Arizona’s Broderick Thomas, currently second in the league with 128 tackles, but also with 4 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. CB Fred Weary leads the league with 7 picks, but he is something of an unknown and we all know how much name recognition can impact votes. If the Stallions were in the playoff mix, then Deion Sanders, with his 5 picks and 29 passes defended, would be a strong candidate, but the Stallions failed to put together the kind of season that would garner Defensive POTY votes. So, Doleman is the frontrunner, with Broderick Thomas, and maybe Weary as a dark horse. Turning to Rookie of the Year, Reuben Droughns of Washington has made a late push and his 799 yards rushing with 8 TDs is impressive for a player who spent most of the year platooning with veteran Barry Word, but it is well below the 1,173 yards that Baltimore’s Ron Dayne has racked up as the undisputed #1 back for the Blitz. Dayne adds 6 TDs as well and could be the most likely offensive player chosen. But, John Abraham, the Seattle DE should also get a look. In addition to his impressive 16 sacks this year, Abraham has also proven invaluable on run defense, a true 3-down lineman. He has 41 tackles to go with his QB sacks and pressures. Our best guess is Dayne, just because offense tends to get more attention with voters, but Abraham would also be a very worthy candidate. Finally, debating the Coach of the Year will be a post-season hobby for many football pundits. First year coaches like New Orleans’s Mike Nolan or Philadelphia’s Jim Mora Jr. seem the likely choices, and with Mora’s Stars locking up the Atlantic, as well as the sentiment factor among voters who love his father (Head Coach in Memphis) we have to say that Mora is the favorite. That said, the job that Nolan has done in New Orleans is nothing short of spectacular. Similarly, the season that Seattle has had under Joe Tiller has certainly been worthy of consideration as well, but the sheer shock of the rise of both the Stars and Breakers means one of those two coaches, both in their first seasons with the team, have to be the frontrunners. KUDOS ALL AROUND With one week left, and several starters likely to be rested or protected among clubs that are out of playoff contention, it seems a good time to give kudos to some outstanding players on some pretty poor teams. No team is without talent in the USFL, so while their overall record may not be great, here is our pick for the player of the year on each of the 9 teams already eliminated from playoff contention: Birmingham Stallions (7-8): WR Lawrence Dawsey—With Ernest Givens on and off the injury list, Dawsey has been the best receiver for the Stallions for several years now. Yes, we could again congratulate Brett Favre for his season, but Dawsey is more worthy of attention. He has already gained over 1,400 yards on only 59 receptions (an excellent 23.9 YPC average) and that includes 15 touchdowns, the 4th straight season at 14 or more scores. Those are All-league numbers to be sure. Tampa Bay Bandits (6-9): HB Errict Rhett—Yes, Randy Moss is exciting to watch, and DE Santana Dotson has finally brought some pass rush to the Bandit defense, but the year Errict Rhett had is outstanding and deserves this recognition. Rhett’s 1,276 yards rushing is impressive enough, a Top 5 total with 1 week left to play. He also leads all rushers with 18 touchdowns. And as if that were not enough, Rhett is an outstanding receiver, with 24 receptions for 203 yards and 2 more scores on the year. He is the best dual threat back in the league this year. Texas Outlaws (5-10): LB Jerrol Williams—We are going with a truly unheralded hero for the Outlaws here. Jerrol Williams, in his 11 seasons, has never garnered much attention, but this year he leads the Outlaws with 106 tackles, and also has 7 sacks on the season. It has been a breakout season for Williams, who only started 7 games last year due to injury, and whose best season was a 96 tackle campaign in 1994. He has had a long career with Texas, coming to the Outlaws after 1 season in Chicago, but he has never been a true standout. That all changed this year, a season which could be his last, but what a way to go out. Oakland Invaders (4-11): G Brenden Stai—It could be seen as a sign of just how bad the Invaders have been this year that we could not find a single “hands” player or defensive stud to celebrate here, but the truth is that Brendan Stai deserves something few interior linemen ever get, praise. Stai has been a silent force on the Invader line. In 15 starts he has an outstanding 62 pancake blocks and has yet to give up a single sack, which is truly amazing, especially considering Ryan Leaf’s penchant for holding the ball far too long. Houston Gamblers (4-11): DE Kavika Pittman—We really could and should celebrate both Pittman and Michael Sinclair, since Sinclair only trails Pittman by 1 sack and could finish the year tied with him. But we are going to single out Pittman because he not only has huge sack numbers (21 in 15 games) but he is also stalwart against the run (61 tackles to Sinclair’s 41). He has also forced 6 fumbles this year. If only the rest of the club was as good as the Gambler pass rush is. New Jersey Generals (3-12): HB Curtis Enis—Sure, we could praise Phil Hansen yet again for yet another 20-sack year, but the Generals’ defense has been nothing to celebrate as a whole, and while the offense has also had issues, Enis has been a steady hand, and a reliable source of yards for the club. He came into the league in 1998 and rushed for 901 yards as a rookie. Last season he boosted that to 1,019 yards, and this year he is already at 1,120 and could reach 1,200 with a good final game. There are a lot of issue in New Jersey, but the HB position is not one of them thanks to Enis’s continued development. Atlanta Fire (3-12): DE Bruce Smith—The Fire have made a lot of questionable personnel decisions since coming into the league in 1995, but the signing this offseason of former Buffalo Bills great Bruce Smith was not one of them. Smith made an instant impact, and his 19 sacks are among the league leaders. He is a coach on the field as well, motivating the Atlanta defenders, and while their current ranking of 14th in both points allowed and yardage is hardly the 1985 Bears, it is a huge upgrade over past years. Can Smith give Atlanta 2-3 more seasons? That is debatable, but for 2000 he has been an outstanding addition. Pittsburgh Maulers (3-12): WR Andre Rison—We could have gone with 1,300-yard rusher Terrell Davis, but he was expected to be good after winning the rushing title last season. Rison, despite some off-field issues which continue to plague him, and despite QB play from Charlie Batch that has been “inconsistent” (a kind way to say it), has been a light in a very dark season. Rison has been solid all 3 years with Pittsburgh, but this year he took it up a notch. After 15 weeks he sits at 4,159 yards and has 11 TDs for a club that simply does not score that many points. Get some development from Batch next year and he could become a true superstar for the Maulers. Portland Thunder (1-14): LB Mark Simoneau—The Thunder do not have much to celebrate, with a 1-win season after 15 weeks, the 23rd ranked offense, and the 23rd ranked defense, there has been an avalanche of bad in their season. But if there is one bright spot it is the development of rookie LB Mark Simoneau. In his first pro campaign, the K-State product has racked up 101 tackles, including 10 for a loss. Yes, he has gotten a lot of opportunities as the Thunder are last in the league in producing 3-and-out series, but he has been a solid tackler and has shown good instincts on the field. Too bad he is about as good as anyone on Portland has been all year long. Here is where we stand with 1 week left to play. Philadelphia is the only division winner to clinch their title, guaranteeing the Stars a bye week and a home playoff game. A win this week against Baltimore and they will have also locked up the #1 seed in the East, which means the playoffs would run through the very hostile Veterans Stadium crowd only 1 year after the Stars finished in the basement of the Atlantic Division. Orlando and Memphis are locked up at 11-4 and they face each other this week in what will be an amazing game to be sure. The winner will get the division title, the bye, and a lot of momentum heading into the postseason. The loser could fall as far as to the 5th seed and a road game if other games break against them. Out West Denver holds a 1-game lead on Seattle, so they control their fate. A win in the huge matchup with the Dragons in Week 16 and the Gold have home field throughout the playoffs and the much-desired bye. A loss and it comes down to tiebreakers. Both teams would have identical 7-1 division records, an identical 10-2 conference record, and would have a 1-1 season record against each other. That would mean it comes down to scoring margin, where Denver is currently + 98 and Seattle sits at +66, so Seattle would not only need a win, but a win by over 30 points to wrest the crown from Denver. But even if their odds are long, the Dragons would love to go into the playoffs with the confidence a win against Denver would give them. In the Central, St. Louis and New Orleans are also locked up, both clubs at 11-4 and both guaranteed a playoff spot. The thing is, unlike Denver-Seattle or Memphis-Orlando, the two do not play each other. St. Louis is home against Chicago (also needing a win for playoff contention), while the Breakers play host to the 4-11 Houston Gamblers. If both win, the tie goes to St. Louis thanks to their superior division record. New Orleans can only steal back the division title if the Machine upset St. Louis in the dome. We also have 3 Wild Card slots up for grabs next week. Ohio, Arizona, and Los Angeles all control their own destiny. Win and they are in. Ohio has a good shot of getting that win as they visit a dispirited 3-11 Mauler squad in Pittsburgh. Arizona is also facing a down & out club, the 4-11 Oakland Invaders, while Los Angeles has perhaps the best assignment, a visit to 1-14 Portland. So, what does that mean? It means that Chicago not only needs to beat the Knights in St. Louis, but also needs for either Portland or Oakland to step up and score an upset. Likewise, Jacksonville needs to get the win in Birmingham and hope that Ohio stumbles against the Maulers. The odds do not look good for either the Machine or the Bulls right now. Earlier in the season we looked at the players who were in the final year of their contracts and we commented that over the final weeks of the season clubs would be scrambling to get some of the biggest names in the game signed. We have seen just that, but that still leaves some big names unsigned. With only 1 week left to sign players before their contracts end and they become free agents, we thought it would be a good idea to review who has signed and who is still potentially hitting the market. Here is each club’s list of top signings and potential free agents with 1 week before the signing deadline: Certainly a few surprises on this list. With one week left, not many expected Tampa Bay to ever allow Troy Aikman to test the waters. The same is true for LB Winston Moss in Washington, QB Kelly Stouffer in Texas, DT Jerry Ball in St. Louis, or DT Leon Lett in Philly. Other potential free agents who could cash in large this offseason include SS LeRoy Butler from Memphis, HB Siran Stacy of Oakland, DE Renaldo Turnbull from the Panthers, and WR Brett Perriman of Houston. Don’t be surprised if a few of these guys sign this week, though a couple (including Perriman) seem ready to try somewhere new. There are certainly a lot of talented players on the list, some a bit long in the tooth, but some just coming into their own. And, of course, once the regular season ends it is a free for all between the USFL and NFL for these unsigned players. We have already run through most of the games as part of our playoff look. The only games unlikely to have any impact on the playoffs are when Tampa Bay visits Orlando and when Michigan heads to Texas. Even the Generals-Federals game could impact playoff positioning for the Feds. And while the Baltimore-Philadelphia game will not change the Atlantic Division title, a Blitz win could cost Philly home field advantage.