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Football seasons are funny things. You start the year hot and everyone thinks you are unbeatable. You start slow and it is a lost season. But then teams gel, others crumble, players get hurt, others rise to the occasion, and the team you were so sure about week 5 looks like an also ran in week 15, and that club that looked hapless early on now cannot be stopped. In some cases it is too little too late, and the season ends with optimism for the future, and for others you back your way into the postseason but no one has much confidence in you. As we reach Week 14, there is a lot of both happening. Denver seems like a shadow of the club that started the year 5-1. New Orleans has won 4 in a row and looks primed to jump into an unexpected playoff spot. Pittsburgh had lost 5 in a row, but back to back wins have them right in the thick of it, while Washington sandwiched a needed win over Philadelphia with back to back bad looking outings. A season is a funny thing, long, twisted, and largely inconsistent, and this year is no different in the USFL. Philadelphia came into this week’s home game against Houston needing a win to get back on track. They had just lost a heartbreaker to the Federals but at 9-4 could still overtake their division rivals and reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic. Houston, entering the game at 5-8, had no illusions of postseason play in the middle of what many considered to be a rebuilding season, but they had been playing well with Chuck Hartlieb back under center. Sometimes the most dangerous opponent is the one who has nothing to lose, a lesson Philly learne the hard way this week. Philadelphia expected a balanced attack from the Gamblers, and dedicated a lot of energy to limiting the impact of HB Thurman Thomas, one of the last vestiges of the Gambler squads that had won 3 titles. They did, allowing Thomas only 45 yards on 18 carries, but somewhere along the lines they failed to defend the pass. Chuck Hartlieb threw for 323, and his backup, who came in for a stint in the third quarter when Hartlieb was shaken up, was able to complete 6 of 10 for 135 himself, a whopping total of 468 yards to a team not known for aerial explosions. And yet the Stars’ scoring defense had held up pretty well. At the half they were down 13-10, but scored on a pick-6 to open the third and held onto a 17-16 lead when the quarter ended. But, the Stars simply could not generate consistent offense, converting on only 4 of 11 third downs, and not getting much run game from their lead back either, as Charlie Garner could only garner 58 yards on the day. So, as both defenses tired in the final quarter, it was not surprising that Houston would come back and wipe out the 1-point stars lead. They did so with Hartlieb back under center, hitting TE Ken Dilger for the game winner early in the quarter and then holding on as the Stars attempted but failed to mount a comeback. Houston would hold onto the slim 22-17 lead and upend the Stars in their own house. At 6-8 Houston has only faint hopes of reaching .500 or sneaking into a Wild Card slot, while Philadelphia cannot feel confident going into the final two weeks of the season and hoping to earn a bye. MGN 21 WSH 2 Philadelphia would catch a break as the Washington Federals simply did not show up at home against the Panthers. Kordell Stewart limped off the field early on and Eric Kramer was not ready to take over, completing only 14 of 35 passes all game. On the other side of the field, Doug Flutie completed 76% of his throws (26 of 34) and tossed TDs to both HB Tyrone Wheatley and TE Butch Rolle to knock off a disappointing Feds team. CHI 15 PIT 20 Pittsburgh pulled itself back into relevancy with a strong defensive game against a good Chicago club. Despite going 0 for 9 on third down, the Maulers got just enough to edge the Machine at home. A strong 72 yards from Mike Rozier, and a rushing TD from Dorsey Levins were enough to keep Alex Van Pelt’s 414 yards passing from leading to a Machine victory. TEX 11 OHI 14 Ohio continued its strong run of play lately, taking advantage of a bad day from Texas backup Tony Sacca to snag their 6th win of the season and their third in a row. Eddie George contributed 80 yards on the ground, and Joey Galloway went over 100 yards again as the Glory pleased the home crowd with a hard fought win. NOR 27 BAL 24 Baltimore had hoped that home cooking would get them to 7-7 and right in the middle of the Wild Card hunt, but the Breakers have been hot lately, and they were able to navigate the rough waters of Baltimore’s D to edge past the Blitz thanks to a 13-0 scoring run to close out the game. Terrell Davis scored a late TD and Lin Elliott’s field goal with 1:00 on the clock gave the Breakers the win. STL 29 NJ 7 For a while the Generals looked like they would eke their way into the postseason, but their third straight loss has dropped them into dangerous territory. St. Louis dominated with a stifling defense that held New Jersey to only 235 total yards and forced a pick-6 that turned a manageable 16-7 deficit into an unreachable 23-7 gap. ARZ 33 BIR 49 Jake Plummer looked solid as the Wranglers put a scare into the Stallions before Birmingham pulled away at the end. Brett Favre was able to connect with Ernest Givens on a pair of long scoring tosses, including a 79-yarder as the Stallions played deep ball against a weakened Wrangler secondary. POR 34 ATL 21 Portland never trailed as they took a 10-0 first quarter lead and just kept Atlanta out of range all game long. Robert Drummond had a huge day, rushing for 169 against the Fire, while Jack Trudeau tossed 2 TDs for the Western Conference leaders. DEN 17 JAX 27 Denver continued to struggle, falling to 7-7 with their loss in Jacksonville. Kenny Bynum and Natrone Means outrushed Rashaan Salaam, and two Terrell Owens TD catches helped the Bulls build a 27-10 lead that held through a late Denver rally to remain tied atop the Southern Division with Birmingham. OAK 29 TBY 3 Tampa continued to stumble as they looked completely out of synch against the Invaders, whose defense is not exactly fear-inducing. Troy Davis rushed for 3 scores and Bobby Hebert connected on 72% of his passes against a Bandit defense that was not able to rise to the occasion. The offense was not much better, with Troy Aikman completing only 46% of his passes and throwing 2 picks. LA 16 ORL 41 The Renegades made short work of the Express and moved one step closer to a postseason position as Scott Mitchell threw for 349 yards and 3 scores. Dante Whittaker caught 2 TDs and Keenan McCardell looked strong with 7 receptions for 92 yards for Orlando. SEA 20 MEM 15 Another bad outing from the Showboats as they sleepwalked through the game and allowed a 4th quarter Kitna to Metcalf TD take them down. Neither team showed much of a run game, but Kitna’s 24 of 29 day was enough to help Seattle earn the road win. TRIPLE THREAT If you want to understand how Birmingham has made such a dramatic improvement in a year, from a truly disappointing 6-10 season in 1996 to 10-4 and a legitimate shot at the #1 seed in the East, all you have to do is look at their top 3 receivers. In ’96 injuries kept Ernest Givens out of the lineup for a good chunk of the year, and Lawrence Dawsey was in and out of the lineup with a series of minor dings. This year the two have both stayed healthy and paired with TE Shannon Sharpe they are just destroying defenses. All three are over 1,000 yards already, with Evans near the top of the league with his 1,357, Dawsey and Sharpe are at 1,124 and 1,125. The three have combined for a stupefying 38 TDs, including a league leading 17 from Sharpe, and their per catch averages are insane, 23 YPC for Givens, 20.8 for Dawsey, and 18.8 for Sharpe, a ridiculous number for a tight end. Yes, Brett Favre is playing his best ball right now and is the top rated QB by a mile, but you have to say that these three likely All-USFL receivers are a huge reason why. CHALLENGING A LEGEND Robert Drummond is in range, a long range, but in range, to challenge Herschel Walker’s 1983 rushing record of 1,767 yards. With two games to play Drummond would need 267 yards combined to top Walker, an average of 133.5, which is a lot to ask, but Drummond had topped 130 twice already this year, and with Portland having already wrapped up the division title, there may be a focus on feeding him the ball to see if he can do it. Walker is an absolute legend in the USFL, having rushed for over 1,500 yards five tims in his 13 year career. Drummond is now getting his due after topping 1,000 yards for 6 straight years, including a 1,600 yard season in 1995. He has led the league in rushing the past 2 seasons and seems on pace to do so again, with a very healthy 255 yard lead over the closest contender, Reggie Cobb. Expect Drummond to be the Offensive Player of the Year this season and expect the Thunder to keep feeding him the ball as he challenges Walker’s legendary 1983 season. SACK MAN Speaking of legendary performances, we have got to talk about what Phil Hansen is doing. After setting a league record for sacks in his rookie year, Hanson broke that record last year with 25 sacks, and this year he already has 22 with 2 games left and could challenge his own record. The product of North Dakota State has been a one-man wrecking crew for New Jersey since coming into the league in 1991. In 7 seasons he has amassed 134 sacks, an average of 19 a year. He already has the 6th highest total in league history, and while he still trails Reggie White by 88 sacks, he holds the top two season records and is almost certain to hold the top 3 with this year’s total. If he remains healthy long enough, he could quite easily become the all time sack leader, now, if his team could just build something around him. Finally, we should probably give some love to the leader of the Texas Outlaws’ #1 ranked scoring defense, LB Brian Bosworth. The Boz is not only 2nd in the league in tackles with 106 (5 behind Breaker Lamar Lathon) but is first among all linebackers with 3 picks and has 6 sacks on the season as well. His 4 forced fumbles tie him with Kevin Greene behind only Mike Crawford’s 5, and his 12 pass defenses are highest among linebackers. He has basically done it all this season for a defense that has skyrocketed up the rankings this year and helped the Outlaws lay a claim to the Central Division despite losing their starting QB weeks ago. After a season-ending injury in 1995 cost him 10 games, Boz looked good, but not outstanding in 1996, but it is clear he is all the way back this year. Two weeks left to go and things are beginning to get sorted out. We now have 6 of 10 playoff teams decided, with Birmingham and Jackconville joining Washington in the East and Portland, Texas and Michigan all clinched in the West. With wins this week Chicago and Philadelphia can join them, leaving only the 5th spot in each conference to be decided. That 5th slot is likely to be messy. In the East, Orlando has a one game lead on Pittsburgh, with both clubs having won their last 2 games. Right now both clubs are 5-5 in the conference, but a Renegade win over the Maulers in Week 4 (a 42-35 shootout) would give the edge to Orlando. Win this week and they lock it up. In the West, Denver and New Orleans are both 7-7, with Denver holding the tie-breaker thanks to a 31-20 Gold win in the Big Easy earlier in the year. But, the Gold have lost 3 in a row, while the Breakers have won 4 straight, meaning the two seem to be headed in opposite directions. New Orleans finishes up with Houston and Chicago, two tough opponents, while Denver has what looks like an easier path with 4-10 Seattle and 5-9 Oakland on the docket. More big hurts around the league this week as Memphis loses their QB, Atlanta loses a key defensive piece, and Texas loses their best o-lineman. Heath Shuler hobbled off the field this week against Seattle, and on Monday the MRI revealed what Coach Cameron feared, an ACL tear that could take several months to repair. In Atlanta, LB Carlos Emmons is done for the remainder of the season after a rupture of the Achilles tendon, an injury which could impact as far off as training camp. And in Texas, already playing without QB Kelly Stouffer, the offense took another big hit as their top guard, Larry Allen is out at least 8 weeks with a torn quad muscle on his left leg. Not good news for Tony Sacca or for the run game and Reggie Cobb, with the playoffs right around the corner. Washington avoided a worst case scenario when a potential neck injury to QB Kordell Stewart was evaluated and determined to be simply a nerve pinch paired with a light concussion. Stewart is scheduled to start this week after missing most of the Federals’ rough loss this past week. Herman Moore also went out of the Feds’ game, but is expected to be back in action this week. Others expected to be back in action this week include Tampa TE Ben Coates, St. Louis safety Rodney Harrison, Arizona LB Winfred Tubbs, and Baltimore HB Barry Foster, who took a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit last week. OK, we are not going to talk about the league-union negotiations this week because there is not much to tell and the seeming lack of urgency on this is just depressing. Instead, we want to take a look at the 1998 Draft ratings. Yes, we have already looked at the QB position and the potential landing spots for top blue chip QB’s Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, so we are not going to focus there. Instead let’s look at the top 6 clubs (by which we mean the likely bottom 6 USFL squads) going into this year’s draft and what they might be targeting. Of course, with the labor situation being what it is, and the chance that every team in the league will have to scramble to resign players, or sign replacements, it is hard to say just what each team’s needs really are, but, looking at the rosters right now, it is obvious that each of these struggling squads has some obvious needs even before the seemingly-unavoidable free agency fiasco on the horizon. Looking at current rosters, here is what we see. #1 Pick--Arizona Wranglers: With Jake Plummer seeming to gain confidence and quality over the course of his rookie season, Arizona could be in a position most would envy, having the #1 pick in a year where QB is almost guaranteed to be the top pick, but not needing a QB. We absolutely expect the Wranglers to trade down, picking up a lot of draft capital in the process. We still think they will stay in the Top 10, and with their first pick they can go one of two directions, HB or Defense. Both need help. If they go HB, which seems a strong likelihood, then we expect the pick is between Penn State’s Curtis Enis and Floriday’s Fred Taylor. Both are strong power runners with the kind of burst that can turn a 4-yard run into a 20 yarder. If it’s defense, then LB or DB is key, and the best prospect for Coach Shell is likely Auburn’s Takeo Spikes, a rangy, fast LB who also can hit. #2 Pick—LA Express: The Express could go QB quite easily, but they also have big issues on defense. If they get a good enough package, they could opt to trade down as well. So let’s pencil in either one of the 2 big QB’s here or look at the best defensive lineman, Florida State’s Andre Wadsworth. LA needs to generate pass rush, and that is where Wadsworth could make a huge difference. #3 Pick—Seattle Dragons: Tied with Atlanta, but having lost to them earlier this year, Seattle would get the #3 pick if the season ended today. Seattle is in a weird place here too. They could go for the home run and move up into the top 2 to get local star Ryan Leaf, but they already have 3 local QB’s in Rosenbach, Kitna, and Huard. That said, Ryan Leaf seems a much better option than any of those three. We are going to assume that Seattle makes the move to jump ahead of LA and get the #1 pick, naming Ryan Leaf the new starter and possibly trading away Rosenbach or Kitna as part of the deal. #4 Pick—Atlanta Fire: Another club that could be highly motivated to trade into the Top 2. If Seattle goes #1 with Leaf, the temptation to trade up to #2 and sign Tennessee legend Peyton Manning may be too good to pass up. Of course, as with all USFL draft strategies, the Fire have to be aware that the NFL is not just going to roll over and let the USFL sign both of the top QB prospects we have seen in years. It is risky to give up a lot even to move up 2 places if Manning heads to the NFL instead. #5 Pick—Memphis Showboats: The Showboats are likely standing pat at QB, so don’t expect them to try to trade up. Heath Shuler is not the issue in Memphis, a defense that is giving up 385 yards and 25 points a game is. Reggie White cannot play forever, and an aging LB corps desperately needs some speed and ferocity. If Takeo Spikes is available, he seems a great option, but if not, then look for Memphis to go with either CB Charles Woodson or Ga Tech LB Keith Brooking, both being strong upgrades for a D that needs a lot of help. #6 Pick—Oakland Invaders: If Bobby Hebert opts to retire, which we are hearing rumors of, then Oakland would feel obligated to make a move up to the top 2 and hope to sign either Manning or Leaf. But, if he stays, and if Oakland has a new Head Coach (again highly anticipated) it is likely that coach is going to want to add speed at WR and pass rush on defense, two aspects sorely lacking by the bay this season. If it is speed they want, the best option is likely Marshall wideout Randy Moss, the tall, lankey receiver is a nightmare to cover. If they opt to go for passrush, it could be Wadsworth, UNC’s Greg Ellis, or his teammate for the Tar Heels Vonnie Holiday. As you would expect, Week 15 has some dynamic divisional games, each with great playoff potential. In the Pacific, Denver’s fading season may hinge on them getting a home win against Seattle this week. Portland is in LA and could lock up the #1 seed with a win. Oakland is in Arizona as well, in one of the week’s few non-playoff implicated games. In the Central Division, Texas is at Michigan and the Panthers are hoping they can snag the Outlaws and reclaim first place. Chicago hosts rival St. Louis in what could be a really good matchup of tough defenses. Houston hosts New Orleans who hope to win out and reach the postseason. A huge game in the South as Jacksonville and Birmingham clash, both at 10-4 and sharing 1st place in the division. This one likely decides the title. Orlando can clinch a playoff spot this week with a home win over Memphis and a bit of help. Atlanta is in Tampa Bay, which needs a lot of help to even sniff the playoffs. Finally, in the Atlantic, we have big games for both Washington and Philadelphia. The Feds are in New Jersey to face the Generals while Philly is in Baltimore with hopes of catching Washington this weekend. Pittsburgh has a tough game in Columbus if they are going to get over .500.

Playoff Picture: Texas, Portland, Michigan, Washington, Birmingham and Jacksonville have clinched berths. Texas remains the only locked in division winner. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Orlando can clinch a berth with a Week 15 victory.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Washington joins Texas and Portland as teams with guaranteed playoff spots. Portland also becomes the first crowned division winner, thanks to a 3.5 game lead over the Denver Gold. Several teams are now also mathematically eliminated from contention, including Arizona, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Atlanta.

It is getting chippy out there. So many games that have an impact, so many chances to move towards playoff contention, or chances to spoil it for someone else. Hardly a game that does not mean a lot to one, if not both clubs involved, and it showed this week, with a lot of heart out on the field and a lot of pain for the losers. We had several good games to choose from this week for our Game of the Week, but we decided to go with the spoiler performance from the Ohio Glory, who severely damaged Baltimore’s late playoff run. It was a game that saw two scores in the final 2 minutes, and left the Ohio Stadium crowd cheering for more. Baltimore had come in as winners of 3 of 4, and at 6-6 had a shot at moving to .500 for the first time since week 5. But don’t look past the Ohio Glory, they have won 3 of their last 4 as well, including a huge win at Washington just the week before. In the first half it looked like it was all Ohio, as the Glory lept out to a 13-0 lead at the half, thanks to a Hostetler to Galloway connection and two Silvestri kicks. But Baltimore made some good adjustments at the half, They would score twice in the quarter to not only catch the Glory but take a 1-point lead into the final period. Their offense was not exactly dynamic, but had done enough, first with a short Miller to Alexander Wright TD toss, and then with Miller hitting Ferrell Edmunds from 5 yards out to take a 14-13 lead. But, just as Baltimore thought they had the game heading their way, tragedy struck. After a Glory punt, their 4th of the half, landed at the Blitz 3-yard line, Chris Miller turned the wrong way, missed the handoff to Foster, and was sacked in the endzone for a safety. Ohio had retaken the lead on a fluke play. The Glory got the ball back on the kick, but one play later Baltimore was given new life as Mario Perry fumbled on his only carry of the game. Baltimore took advantage, and in a long drive that stalled after 9 plays, they settled for a 27-yard Luis Zendejas kick. But, they left 1:48 on the clock for Ohio. The Glory had struggled the entire second half against the Blitz and their complex zone blitz strategy. But in the 2-minute drill, Baltimore played softer zones, and Ohio used the no huddle very effectively. Within 3 plays they were into Baltimore territory, and then, on a seemingly innocuous 1st and 10, the Glory faked a handoff to George and Baltimore fell for it, something almost inexcusable in a prevent defense. The corner missed on his attempt to jam Floyd Turner at the line, the safety stayed to the center of the field, spying on George, and Turner found room down the sideline. Hostetler hit Turner with a perfect looping ball and 43 yards later the Blitz had not only a lead, but one that would require a TD to surpass. Baltimore did not have it in them to make it down the field in less than a minute, and when a desperation heave from Miller fell to the ground, the Glory and their fans celebrated another big win down the stretch. For Baltimore, the loss dropped them to 6-7, in a cluster of 6-win teams all 1 game behind the final Wild Card spot. Ohio at 5-8 is still mathematically alive, but at this point in the season, ending with 7 or 8 wins may be all the Glory can take away from the season, a late surge that likely could keep Nick Saban at the helm of the club. PHI 13 WSH 17 The Stars had taken the lead in the razor-thin Atlantic thanks to Washington’s upset loss to Ohio last week, but this week the Federals had the chance to take it right back, and that is exactly what they did, beating the Stars in RFK thanks to 118 yards from wideout Herman Moore and a gutsy call on 4th and goal that produced a Barry Word TD. The Feds now jump back into 1st by a half game over the Stars and clinch a playoff spot as well. PIT 19 NJ 16 Pittsburgh’s 5 game losing streak comes to an end as they upend the Generals and pull themselves within a game of a Wild Card spot. Louis Lipps’ return to action, combined with a solid 81-yard day from Rozier helped the Maulers overcome that tough General D, while the Maulers’ D had one of their best games of the year against Spence Fischer and the Generals. BIR 41 MEM 24 Brett Favre reminded everyone how potent the Stallions can be as they manhandled the Showboats in Memphis. Over 58,000 attended the game, including quite a good number in Birmingham crimson & gold, and they saw their QB throw for over 400 yards and 5 TDs (to 5 different receivers) against an overwhelmed Memphis secondary. Reggie White got to Favre twice, but it was not enough as he combined with Dawsey for 127 and with Givens for 176 on an epic day for the Stallion offense. JAX 20 TBY 17 The Bulls kept pace with Birmingham by edging the Bandits in Tampa. With Natrone Means a bit gimpy, Kenny Bynum stepped up with 105 yards rushing to pace the Bulls. Tampa countered with Aikman throwing for 2 scores, but a late Pete Stoyanovich FG put Jacksonville up 6 and Tampa could only muster another field goal as time ran down. ATL 16 ORL 24 Orlando became the only 6-6 club to pull out a win this week, giving them the inside line on the 5th and final playoff spot in the East. Atlanta put up a fight, thanks to a Ronde Barber pick-6 and a late Lake Dawson TD catch, but it was too little too late, as Orlando got 2 TD runs from Kantroy Barber to edge out the Fire and move over .500. HOU 24 CHI 38 Chicago moved one step closer to a Wild Card with their 9th win, and pushed division rival Houston further from a distant playoff hope by capitalizing on 6 of 9 drives, including 3 TDs from wideout Wendell Davis. Alex Van Pelt continues to impress and may very well be the QB for Chicago down the stretch. NOR 31 MGN 28 New Orleans stayed alive, now only 1 game behind Denver for the 5th and final Western playoff spot, by beating Michigan in Michigan. They did it despite Jamie Martin being removed from the game after a head injury in the 3rd quarter. Bobby Hoying came in and threw 2 scoring tosses, while Chris Canty contributed a pick-six off of Doug Flutie to help the Breakers upend the Panthers. TEX 31 STL 16 Texas holds a 2 game lead with 3 to play as they get their 11th win of the year. Tony Sacca had an up and down game, with 3 TDs but also 2 picks. Thankfully Texas’s defense stepped up, picking off Todd Collins three times, including a scoring play from Elbert Shelley as he ran one pick back 43 yards for a score DEN 28 ARZ 33 Denver has now lost 4 of their last 6, including a loss this week to a team they had beaten by 30 points earlier in the year. Arizona is proving to be a tougher out towards the end of the season, and Denver learned that as Jake Plummer had his best game as a pro, completing 35 of 44, for 333 yards and 3 TDs. Mark Brunell played well (22 of 32 for 244 and 4 TDs) but it was not enough as Plummer found Rocket Ismail for 2 scores, including the game winner. SEA 20 POR 23 Portland became the first clinched division winner, their first ever, as they upended a game Seattle team in their annual rivalry. Portland had a 20-7 lead at one point, but Seattle battled back only to see Al Del Greco kick the game winner to give Portland the division. OAK 28 LA 16 In a game only 13,566 came out to see in LA, the Express again underwhelmed as Oakland, led by a recuperated Bobby Hebert, overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit and cruised to a 12-point win. Antowain Smith was the one highlight for LA as he rushed for 145 yards on 21 carries in LA’s 10th loss of the year. COACHING HOTSEAT: Looking at the records and end-of-season form around the USFL, there are several coaches who may need to be worried about getting a call into the GM’s office. Atlanta, after a solid start, has lost their last 4 games, and while first year coach Sherm Lewis is still talking optimistically about the future, the Fire need to decide if they are going to look to youth down the stretch, and that means Eric Zeier at QB. Seattle’s 10th loss cannot be good news for Woody Widenhofer, who just has not been able to get over the hump with his Dragons, and seems a very likely candidate for some bad news on Black Monday. Memphis head man Cam Cameron has not impressed in his first season after moving from interim to full time head coach prior to the season. We would not be surprised to see the Showboats go a totally different direction next year. We mentioned that Jim Mora may be stepping down in Oakland, and a 4-9 record to date may all but guarantee that. Our most intriguing situation may be New Orleans, where an 8 or 9 win season may just be enough to quiet those calling for Mike Ditka to be let go. The Breakers have hardly resembled the ’85 Bears in Ditka’s regime, but if they can squeak ahead of Denver and nab a Wild Card, Big Mike may just be safe. QB MOVES With 3 games left in the season, and a wild free agency period almost guaranteed by a lack of movement on the labor front, there are a lot of teams who may be reevaluating their QB situation. Atlanta may play Eric Zeier down the stretch just to see if they are comfortable standing pat or if they will test the free agent market. New Jersey has a tough decision ahead as Spence Fischer has outshown both Rob Johnson and Tommy Maddox. They won’t keep all 3. Michigan had success with Jeff Lewis under center, but they cannot be thinking of moving on from Doug Flutie already, can they? And what about the confusing QB situations in Seattle (Rosenbach v. Kitna), LA (Pease v. Garcia), and St. Louis (Is Collins good enough?), there are a lot of teams looking at the potential USFL free agent QB’s if and when teams can sign players. If all current unsigned players become true free agents, there are some names to keep an eye on: Chris Miller, Brett Favre, Dan McGwire, Doug Flutie, Rob Johnson, Tommy Maddox, Jeff Hostetler, Jon Kitna and Chuck Long could all be free to sign (with the USFL or the NFL). LAST LEGS? As the season winds down for some teams, careers also may be at an end for some of the league’s most recognizable players. Yes, we are going to speculate on Mike Rozier again. Both he and Thurman Thomas are 33 years old, and there are not a lot of backs who play beyond that. Both are also having what they would consider sub-par seasons with teams that appear to be rebuilding. Rozier may still make 1,000 yards, but he is not among the league leaders in rushing for the first time in a long time. Thomas has 822 yards rushing, but seems to be lacking that burst that made him so dangerous for so long. Among QB’s there are several who may simply call it a career this offseason. Mike Kelley turns 36 this year and has been relegated to the bench in Memphis for 2 years now. Cliff Stoudt is still the starter in Atlanta, but at 35 he is taking a beating each week and may finally give way to Eric Zeier. Chris Miller is having a rough year as well, leading the lead in picks, and far from the team success he saw in 1996. Bobby Hebert is still only 33, but he has not found success in Oakland, and if Jim Mora leaves, as many suspect, Hebert may also be looking to move on. On the defensive side, Old Man Time could be making a housecall to several big names, including DE’s Dexter Manley (35), Charles Haley (34) and Charles Buchanon (33). Chicago LB Gary Reasons turned 35 this year, and while Kevin Greene (34) is having a great year in Birmingham, this could be a swan song year, especially if he can go out on top with the Stallions. We also have heard rumors that Houston FS Todd Bowles (35) and Michigan CB Chris Snyder (35) may be in their final season as each has struggled this year after good seasons in ’96. Finally, among the receiver group, the ageless Mike Shaw (actually 35) may also be looking at calling it a career as the Maulers retool. The league’s most senior wideout, New Orleans’s Herman Fontenot may also be looking to retire, while both Louis Lipps in Pittsburgh and Cris Carter in Philly, both also 34, seem ready to keep plugging as they are both having strong years. Washington punched their ticket to the postseason this week with a huge win against the Stars. The division is still very much up for grabs, but the Feds at least know they will play a 17th game. Texas and Portland were in last week, but the Thunder locked up their first division title this week, with their 4th straight win. Wins this week will clinch playoff spots for Chicago Michigan, Philadelphia, Jacksonville and Birmingham. And if either Orlando or Denver lose this week, things will get very interesting at the cusp of the playoff rankings. No fewer than 4 teams at 6-7 (PIT, BAL, NJ, TBY) could be right in the mix if Orlando stumbles, while Denver now has to worry abou the New Orleans Breakers, winers of 3 in a row and only 1 game back. The stretch run is always complicated when it comes to injuries. Some players minimize their pain and try to play through but are not 100%, others are looking to rest ahead of the playoffs, and for teams that are not headed to the postseason incentive clauses in contracts can be a huge factor in who plays through pain and who calls it a year. Around the USFL there are teams that are actually looking pretty healthy, clubs like Birmingham, Denver, Houston or Jacksonville with only 1 player on the injury report each, while others, like Baltimore (5), Texas (4), New Orleans (4) or LA (4) are filling gaps. And with only 3 weeks left, a 1-month recovery, which is viewed as good news in the early season, could be a season ender for many players. Among those getting bad news this week we find Memphis FS Bubba McDowell (broken leg), NJ tackle Marvin Elam (broken wrist), Baltimore LB Mike Junkin (broken leg), and Texas CB Corey Sawyer (broken foot). Atlanta will be without Mo Lewis down the stretch, and Tampa will miss DE Orpheus Roye at least for 1-2 weeks. Rodney Harrison’s strong season for St. Louis hits a bump as he is listed as doubtful for Week 14, while Arizona loses both LB Winfred Tubbs andFS Martin Bayless. Is ownership on the verge of caving? That seems to be sense of how the past 3 weeks of on-again, off-again meetings have gone. There is a sense that the players and their union remain much more unified, while within the USFL ownship group there are significant factions and splinter groups, each trying to find a path to a deal that works for them. On the one hand you have some large market, or high attendance clubs towing a hard line, and on the other you have several teams that quite simply would not weather a protracted lock out or player walk out very well. Portland, with only a 34,000 seat stadium is having a great season but would be deeply hurt by a work stoppage, even if in the offseason. Others like LA, Seattle, Atlanta, and St. Louis can hardly afford more bad press and a potential exodus of talent to the NFL, while clubs like Chicago, Houston, Birmingham, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Washington seem prepared to suffer short term pain to gain a longstanding budgetary restraint. The end result of the split among owners could simply play towards the players’ interests of ensuring that current contracts do not lose value and that future ones continue to show a steady growth in both player salary and mobility. More pressure from the NFL, including what may be a good number of defections if there is no CBA by the end of the regular season, can only drive up the cost of signing USFL talent, and provide the players more leverage as they seek to find good fits, a chance at a championship, and, of course, greater compensation. The union and the owners are expected to reconvene for talks in New York later this week, but right now there seems to be enough obstinance on both sides to prevent a quick wrap up to the talks or a fair compromise. The losers, of course, are the fans, who simply don’t get much say in how the league or the union go about settling this major issue. Week 14 and a lot on the line, though many view this inter-conference week as almost a pause before the divisional battles to come. Still, these games could move teams up and down the standings in ways that will impact the final push for many clubs. Among the more intriguing games we have two 6-7 clubs still trying to reach the promised land as New Orleans heads to Baltimore to face the Blitz. We have Michigan and Washington matched up in a game neither can afford to lose. Denver needs to get off the snide, but they are in Jacksonville, no easy place to win. Other clubs are trying to avoid a letdown this week as they face teams they are expected to beat. Orlando needs to win at home against the LA Express to maintain their slim playoff lead over the 6-7 pack. Birmingham has what should be a very winnable game at home against Arizona, while Philly is at home against Houston and Texas travels to pesky Ohio. In other action, New Jersey hosts the St. Louis Knights, Pittsburgh hosts Chicago, Portland is in Atlanta, Seattle travels to Memphis, and Oakland makes the long flight to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Texas and Portland have clinched playoff berths. Arizona is mathematically eliminated.

In a week that saw two of the biggest upsets of the year, we had 2 clubs lock up playoff berths, and two division leads flip hands. Texas benefitted from a surprisingly good performance from the Seattle Dragons, while Philadelphia got help from the Ohio Glory to leapfrog the Washington Federals to take over first place. All this plus some potential Wild Card drama in the East is on the plate this week. Despite there being several tight games, including an overtime affair between the Generals and Stars, we picked this one as the game of the week because no one saw this coming and against all odds the Dragons actually pulled it out. Seattle came in as an 11-point underdog, but they scrapped and fought Michigan all day, and in the end a huge 4th quarter comeback, including a game-winning score of the most dramatic kind, got the Dragons the win. The Seattle defense picked off Doug Flutie 3 times in the game, and managed to nab him for 4 sacks, and while the Dragon offense was not exactly dynamic (218 yards passing and 76 yards rushing) it did enough to complement a pretty solid defensive gameplan against the Panthers. The Dragons held Tyrone Wheatley to 3.4 yards per carry and a total of only 58 yards. They also forced those 3 picks, which would be huge. Seattle got on the board first with the only score of the 1st quarter, a Rosenbach toss to Bobby Olive. Michigan came back in the 2nd as Flutie hit Jeff Campbell, but Seattle would not go away. Derrick Loville ran a score in to give Seattle the lead again, and Flutie hit Weegie Thompson late in the half to salvage a tie at the break. In the third quarter both defenses held tough and Michigan knew they were in a dogfight. They got their break about 6 minutes into the final quarter when a long drive, aided by 2 unfortunate Seattle penalties, ended with a Wheatley TD run. Up 7, the Panthers knew the game was not over. It took them 2 more possessions, but Seattle evened things back up with 2:09 left on the clock as Rosenbach hit Derrick Loville for a game-tying score. With more than 2 minutes on the clock and 2 timeouts left, Michigan was poised to snatch the victory if they could move into field goal range. But, on a 3rd and 7, the Seattle defense pressured Doug Flutie, forcing him to roll to his left. He attempted to throw back to the right to hit TE Mark Chmura, but this very tough pass went all kinds of wrong. The ball glanced off of Chmura’s hands and into the waiting hands of LB Tommy Thigpen. Thigpen advanced the ball about 8-10 yards, but just as he was about to be hit, he tossed the ball back to fellow backer Jim Schwantz. The tackler took out Thigpen, but Schwantz had a clear line to the endzone. The Michigan crowd was stunned. With under a minute left to play, they now found themselves not lining up for a game-winning kick, but down 7 and a long way from a tying score. Seattle held the despearate Panthers on the game’s final drive, and a 4th and 11 pass did not find its mark, ending all hopes for the Panthers. This was a costly game for them, as Texas now retakes the division title and can control their own destiny. But, hope is not lost as Michigan will face off against those Texas Outlaws in Week 15, in a game that could decide the division. Seattle gaines only their 3rd win of the year, but one they can proudly point to as a sign that this team is still playing hard for Coach Widenhofer. Is it enough? We shall see. BAL 19 PIT 7 Pittsburgh’s first game without Robbie Bosco went about as badly as pessimists expected. The Blitz defense had a field day with the Maulers, holding them to only 208 total yards, including a pathetic 28 yards rushing. The only Pittsburgh score came on a Chris Miller interception (a problem he has not been able to shake all year) as Baltimore just dominated on defense to move to 6-6. NJ 14 PHI 17 OT New Jersey spotted the Stars a 17-3 halftime lead, but came back on Philly to make things tight. The Generals gained an impressive 428 of total offense, most of it from the arm of Spence Fischer, who went 40 of 57 as the Generals fought to come back. Philadelphia bent but did not break, but the game still went to overtime. There Philadelphia shut down New Jersey again, and with only 16 seconds left in the final period, they put their trust in kicker Chip Lohmiller, who came through with a game-winning 46-yarder. OHI 38 WSH 16 What the heck happened in RFK this week? Jeff Hostetler played angry, and the Glory defense came through with 2 picks of Kordell Stewart as the Feds clearly fell into a trap game looking ahead to their showdown with Philly next week. Joey Galloway is finally back, with another big game (8 catches for 133 yards) but it was his double coverage that allowed Rob Thomas to catch 8 for 94 and 3 TDs from Hoss as the Glory got the huge upset. MEM 21 ATL 17 Atlanta was playing the Showboats tight at home, but, down only 14-10, Cliff Stoudt was knocked out of the game on a play that led to a Memphis pick 6, a double insult. From then on the Showboats contained Eric Zeier, who went only 10 of 30, and a Jeff Query 99-yard kick return for 6 put the game into Memphis’s hands for good. TBY 25 BIR 35 The Stallions were in no mood to let Tampa get back in playoff contention. They raced to a 28-9 halftime lead and kept the pressure on all day. Stephen Davis outgained Errict Rhett, and Birmingham got 4 sacks against Troy Aikman to keep Tampa down. Add in a monster day form Ernest Givens (135 yards on only 5 catches) and you have a comfortable win for the Stallions. ORL 30 JAX 31 Another contender for Game of the Week, Jacksonville fought it out with Orlando all day, with 2 lead changes in the final 2 minutes to give the home squad the win. Orlando went up 30-25 thanks to a Mitchell-to-Shawn-Jefferson 21 yard toss with 1:26 left, but Jacksonville got their fantastic finish, thanks to Chris Chandler finding slot receiver Kez McCorvey with 29 seconds on the clock as the Bulls move to 8-4. ARZ 17 NOR 27 The Breakers got 3 TDs from Jamie Martin, and 107 yards from Qadry Ismail as they outlasted the Wranglers at home. The Breakers outpaced the Wranglers 413 yards to 289, but the game was close well into the 3rd thanks to a poor 4 of 14 on third down by New Orleans. DEN 21 STL 23 The Knights continue to be dangerous as they eke past the Gold thanks to two 4th quarter field goals. St. Louis won the turnover battle (2-1), the penalty battle (5-6) and the third down battle on their way to a tight win that keeps them in contention and may just squelch any hopes Denver had of winning the Pacific Division. LA 20 TEX 23 The Outlaws are not finding wins easy to come by without Kelly Stouffer, but once again they get just enough to outlast their opponent. LA never led, but stayed close, thanks to 264 yards passing and 2 TDs from Jeff Garcia and a combined 110 yards from Antowain Smith and Bernie Parmalee. Texas relied on Reggie Cobb (17 for 74 yards) and a big day from Quinn Early (7 receptions for 111) to stay atop the Central. OAK 7 CHI 37 Rumors of Jim Mora stepping down at year’s end only got louder after the Invaders, playing with Cary Conklin at QB, were just outclassed in all phases of the game by the Machine. Alex Van Pelt continued to look good and may get the nod down the stretch from Coach Schottenheimer. Add in 91 combined yards and 2 scores from Watters and Staley and the Machine roll. POR 34 HOU 28 Houston is still a talented team, and Chuck Hartlieb is not giving any foes an easy win. Portland pulled it out thanks to a TD from rookie Matthew Hatchette and a late Del Greco field goal, but it was tight all day as the Gamblers outgained the Thunder 466-379. Two teams locked up playoff berths this week, both in the Western Conference. Texas, with the win and losses by several 5-win teams, is now guaranteed a playoff spot at 10-2, but they still have that big showdown with the Panthers to determine the division title. Portland also punched their ticket at 9-2-1. That tie also should help them with the division as Denver is now 1.5 games behind instead of just 1. In the East, Philadelphia lept over Washington thanks to the surprise win by Ohio at RFK. The two are a half game apart, and will face off next week in a big game for both clubs. Birmingham has the tiebreaker edge on Jacksonville, with both sitting at 8-4, and they too have a big showdown in Week 15. At the other end of the playoff list, those 5th slots are going to be interesting, at least in the East. Orlando holds the current tiebreakers at 6-6, but with Baltimore, Tampa and New Jersey also all at 6-6, there is a lot of insecurity about that spot. Even Memphis and Pittsburgh at 5-7 are not out of it yet. In the West, Denver at 7-5 has a 2 game lead over the 5-7 clubs (New Orleans, Houston, and St. Louis) but cannot afford to slip up over the final month of the season or one of these scrappy clubs could jump up and overtake them. Another week and another few players are done for the year. This week the league lost the services of Memphis FS Bubba McDowell (broken leg), Pittsburgh corner Harry Colon (Biceps), Baltimore FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo (Ribs0 and Blitz LB Mike Junkin (leg). New Jersey may be without WR Terry Glenn at least one week with a dislocated knee, but no ligament damage was detected, which is good news. Atlanta believes Cliff Stoudt will be able to play next week after getting knocked out of the game against Memphis, but it is likely a game time decision. The same may be true for Jon Kitna in Seattle, though Timm Rosenbach’s upset win over Michigan has to make Dragon fans feel good regardless of who gets the start. We are only 4 weeks from the end of the regular season and the unlocking of nearly 200 players as free agents, and yet we are getting no news from USFL-USFLPA negotiations. There were rumors of a possible compromise from owners, as it does appear that several of those who initially voted to rearrange the league format and schedule are now feeling heat to avoid a free agent disaster this offseason, but nothing has emerged. If the players believe they have the upper hand, with all the pressure on ownership, they may hold out and not accept a compromise position. The only news this week seems rather inconsequential in the face of the labor issues the league faces. Nike has released their 1998 look for the Baltimore Blitz. The changes for next year are not wide sweeping, though the Blitz are adding a secondary logo and, apparently, trying to put a face on the franchise. In addition to the familiar “blitz” script logo, which remains the dominant image for the club, the team has introduced a new mascot, Billy Blitz, and a logo of Billy will also be used in promotions and on the jerseys. The new mascot/logo looks a bit like a mix between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Hulk. In the age of steroid concerns around pro sports, the image of what appears to be a “roid rage” mascot seems an odd choice, but it is what it is. In addition to this new mascot, the Blitz are updating their striping on the helmet, jersey and pants while maintaining the same red, white, and silver color scheme they have held since their days in Chicago. The new twist, in addition to altering the order of the colors in the stripes, is a ”shock point” on the striping, particularly on the pant and helmet stripes, where the entire stripe seems to jump to the side, similar to a common depiction of electricity or lightning. It is not a huge feature, but one that stands out when incorporated into the player numbers on the jersey, a feature we are not sure we like. Decide for yourselves, as you can see the new look here, in these designs released by the club. Week 13, only 4 left to play, and a lot on the line, especially along the edges of playoff qualification. A lot of games involve teams hovering around .500 and trying to make a surge to qualify for the postseason. You are likely to see some hard-hitting action if you tune in for one of these matchups. Baltimore is in Ohio to face the Glory and a win gets the Blitz to 7-6 and above .500 for the first time all year. Pittsburgh is in New Jersey with both clubs still clinging to hopes for a Wild Card. Orlando (6-6) is hoping that a home game against Atlanta will boost them into the Wild Card mix. Memphis is 5-7 and still alive, but they host a Birmingham squad that is thinking Division Title. Tampa Bay at 6-6 is also hoping for a late run, but it has to start with a win at home against a tough 8-4 Jacksonville squad. Oh, and did we fail to mention that 9-3 Philadelphia has a HUGE game at Washington this week. A win could all but lock up the Atlantic for the Stars, while a Feds win at home propels them back into the driver’s seat down the stretch. In the Western Conference, there are also key battles for some clubs on the outside looking in, but in this case, most of them are 5-7 and face tougher opposition. The Gamblers are in Chicago, where Chicago could lock up a playoff berth with a win. New Orleans is on the road, hoping to get to 6=7 and stay alive, but they face a 9-3 Michigan Panthers team trying to catch the Outlaws. And those Outlaws are in St. Louis, where an upset could really boost the chances for the Knights to come all the way back from their horrendous start and make the postseason. In the Pacific, there is notably less drama, as 4 of 6 clubs are well outside contention. Denver is in Arizona, where the Wranglers are just hoping to get a 2nd win this season. Portland, the division leaders, are at home, hosting their rivals from Seattle, and in the game not many will tune in for, the 3-9 Express host their in-state rivals, the 3-9 Oakland Invaders.

Week eleven saw a bit of everything: A monster game from a monster defensive end, a veteran QB goes off on the Maulers’ banged up secondary, a scat back scoots for 113 yards, and a team known for defense gets just enough to slow down an offensive powerhouse. We had Chicago taking a bite out of the Texas Outlaws, the Breakers trying desperately to stay relevant, and the LA Express winning their second in a row under their interim head coach. So much to talk about. We start in Jacksonville, where the upstart New Jersey Generals and their rags-to-riches QB Spence Fisher, came into town with upset on the mind. Jacksonville, tied atop the Southern Division was hoping to overwhelm the visitors from up north, but it was New Jersey that took advantage of overtime to head home with a win and a place in the playoff hunt. The hero of the day for New Jersey was unsung backup HB Leeland MacElroy, who took over when Bam Morris went down with an ankle injury and proceeded to make a case for more carries, toting the ball 14 times in 2 and a half quarters, gaining 93 yards and a key 4th quarter TD. Fischer also had a good day, completing 31 of 43 throws as Coach Knox is starting to trust in his QB and open up the playbook. For Jacksonville, Browning Nagle was forced into action when a Phil Hansen sack took out starter Chris Chandler. Nagle played well, throwing for 249 yards and 2 4th quarter scores to take the game to overtime, but it was not enough on this day. New Jersey came into the game looking to take advantage of Jacksonville’s run game. They did just that, with Morris gaining 81 yards before being dinged and MacElroy taking it from there. The strategy kept New Jersey in the game and wore down the Bulls’ defense. At the half it was 11-6 Generals, thanks in part to a safety on one of Nagle’s first snaps, but the Bulls were game, and after a Bynum TD, Nagle hit on the 2 point conversion to put the Bulls up 14-11. As the 4th quarter began New Jersey started to take advantage of a tiring Bulls defense. They snagged thei first TD with only 43 seconds gone in the quarter and then added another as MacElroy pounded the ball in from the 3 yard line to put the visitors up 25-14. Jacksonville needed to rally, and they did, thanks to a Brian Blades TD reception and yet another catch for Blades on the 2 point conversion. Down 25-22, Jacksonville was able to stifle the run on 3 plays and New Jersey reluctantly punted the ball back to the Bulls. Nagle led Jacksonville into New Jersey territory and with 29 seconds on the clock Pete Stoyanovich tied the game, sending it to overtime. In overtime neither team could muster much offense, both clubs seemed exhausted. But, when the Bulls punt returner Troy Shavers muffed a punt, it gave New Jersey all they needed. They recovered the ball on the Bulls 30, gained 7 yards on three rushes and on 4th and 3 trotted out Adam Vinatieri for the game winner. The young kicker put it straight down the middle for the Generals, who leave Jacksonville a surprising 6-5 and currently holding onto the 5th and final playoff spot in the East. BAL 27 BIR 24 The Blits stayed relevant, moving to 5-6 with a hard-earned win in Legion Field. Brett Favre was sacked 7 times by the Blitz defense, including 2 from DE Mike Piel, and Barry Foster contributed 87 rushing yards and two short TDs to help Baltimore pull off the road upset. PHI 13 ORL 10 Both the Stars and Renegades struggled to get any offense going in this one, as the defenses dominated all day. Neither team surpassed 60 yards rushing on the day, but the Stars got what they needed from Charlie Garner when he scored their only offensive TD. Scott Mitchell actually ran in Orlando’s only TD on the day, but with 2 field goals from the Stars they had enough to upend the homestanding Renegades. PIT 21 TBY 41 Pittsburgh defense came into this road game banged up and the Bandits showed them no mercy, exploiting the secondary with a barrage of deep balls as Troy Aikman averaged 15.8 yards per completion on his way to 406 yards on only 19 completions. He added 4 TDs as well, with Baker, Brooks, Ben Coates and even FB Jerold Sowell snagging scoring tosses as Tampa Bay steamrolled the Maulers. WSH 34 ATL 7 Back to their old ways, the Fire could get nothing done against an aggressive Washington front 7. Cliff Stoudt looked slow and shaky as he was sacked 6 times and threw 2 picks. Meanwhile Kordell Stewart went 20 for 29 and threw 2 TD passes for the Federals. Scatback Terrell Fletcher was also a weapon of choice, averaging 8.7 yards per carry on his way to a rare 100 yard game, 113 to be exact. OHI 13 MEM 20 A good game between two midling squads as the Showboats needed a late Travis Jervey TD to defeat the visiting Ohio Glory. Joey Galloway continued his hot streak, catching 6 balls for 129, while his teammate, Robb Thomas caught 9 for 81 as Ohio went to the air early and often. Memphis kept it balanced, with Shuler throwing for 202 and Williams rushing for 70 as the Showboats pick up win #4. TEX 14 CHI 31 The Big Game in the Central saw Chicago rattle Texas backup Tony Sacca, who completed only 19 of 43 tosses on the day. Chicago also played with a backup as McGwire was again unable to go, but Alex Van Pelt is pushing for starts and his 270 yard, 3 TD day is certainly going to help. MGN 34 HOU 20 Michigan started the game knowing that Texas had lost, and they knew that if they could beat Houston in the Astro Dome, first place would be theirs. They struggled at first, but pulled away in the second half as Tyrone Wheatley and Jeff Campbell both came up big with 4th quarter scores. Brett Perriman was the game’s top receiver with 166 yards, but it was Campbell’s 118 and a TD catch that got the job done for Michigan. Doug Flutie finished with an impressive 350 yards and 4 TDs, helping him move onto the QBR leaderboard. OAK 6 DEN 30 How dominant was Denver in this game, well, by the 4th quarter the Invaders had put WR Ed McCaffrey at QB hoping he could at least avoid the hits that both Cary Conklin and Mike Pawlwoski suffered against the Denver D. Sack specialist Leslie O’Neill had a career game with 4 sacks against Oakland QBs. Oakland was only able to convert 2 third downs all day and was never really in this one. POR 23 ARZ 20 Portland did not have as easy a time against a plucky Arizona team that seems to be finding their sea legs late in the season. A pair of fourth quarter TDs from Plummer to Courtney Hawkins put a scare into the Thunder, but they were able to prevail thanks to a game-ending 51 yard field goal from Al Del Greco. STL 24 NOR 34 The Breakers earned their 4th win and clipped the Knights’ win streak at 3 with a 10-point home win. Terrell Davis was key for the Breakers as his 105 yards and 3 TDs (2 rushing, 1 receiving) helped New Orleans hold off a late surge from St. Louis. SEA 17 LA 20 The Express win their second in a row since sacking Rick Neuheisel and promoting Mike Nolan to the head position. In this one the Express sweated it out as they built a 13-0 lead in the first half, then gave up 17 straight to the visiting Dragons before a late Jeff Garcia TD pass to Dedric Smith pulled the game out in front of only 17, 202 in LA. Air or Land?: With Robbie Bosco suffering a season-ending injury this week, the biggest competition for Offensive Player of the Year (assuming Brett Favre is MVP) is likely coming down to Philadelphia QB Chuck Long and Texas HB Reggie Cobb. Neither is leading the league in their respective category (passing or rushing yards) but both have been impressive for their squads. Cobb is closing in on 1,000 yards and has 12 total touchdowns to his name. Long has thrown for just under 3,000 yards, which is not among the league leaders, but his 26 TDs and his ability to help Philadelphia to a strong 8-3 record are in his favor. A longshot, but one we should consider is Michigan wideout Jeff Campbell, whose 84 catches lead the league. He also has 1044 yards to date and 9 TD, third in the league behind Birmingham TE Shannon Sharpe (13) and Stallion wideout Lawrence Dawsey (10). On D Fence: Among Defensive POTY candidates we have Phil Hansen (yet again), but sentiment may be against him as he has already racked up a good number of awards. Birmingham LB Kevin Greene is a sentimental favorite due to his dramatic late-career surge this year, with 74 tackles and 8 sacks. We also think Denver’s Leslie O’Neill, after his 4-sack performance this week, could leapfrog Hansen for this award even if he cannot win the sack title. His 6 forced fumbles and 4 recoveries are huge in Denver’s favor. Rookie Class: Still waiting to see who comes out of the pack for the Rookie of the Year category. Tiki Barber has slowed down a bit for Atlanta, but still leads all rookie rushers with 669 yards. Matthew Hatchette’s 42 receptions and 610 yards are nice, but hardly award-winning numbers, so perhaps we have to really look at the defenders as Federals’ CB Michael Booker, Philadelphia LB Mike Crawford, and Houston SS Chris Carter are all having solid seasons, each with over 50 tackles (Booker has 74). Crawford has 4 sacks and 5 forced fumbles, while Carter has a sack, 2 picks and 2 forced fumbles. This will be a tight race to be sure. The Big Man: Finally, thinking about Coach of the Year, the initial money was on Texas’s Jack Pardee, a familiar face to USFL fans, but if Texas fades without Stouffer at the helm, the vote could easily shift to either Michigan’s Skip Holtz, or, more likely, to Washington’s second year man, Paul Hackett. Honestly, though, if New Jersey finishes about .500 and in the playoffs, I may have to cast my vote for Chuck Knox, in his second year with a club no one saw winning more than 5 games. Washington solidified their position this week thanks to losses by both Birmingham and Jacksonville, but Phllly has won 4 in a row and could be trouble. Michigan leapfrogs Texas into the #1 seed in the West, but it could come down to the wire, with Portland also in the mix. Hard to believe but New Jersey would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. They, Tampa, and Orlando all sit at 6-5, and only 1 of these clubs is likely to qualify unless the Bulls’ 2-game losing streak continues to grow. Out West, Chicago helped Michigan a great deal, but also helped themselves, now up 2 games on Houston for a Wild Card space. Denver, at 7-4 is also right there, though they are certainly hoping to catch Portland if they can. Pittsburgh was dealt a huge blow this week as QB Robbie Bosco tore his ACL late in the loss to Tampa Bay. Bosco will undergo surgery to repair his knee in the next week or two, but will miss the rest of the season and well into the offseason in rehab. That puts the pressure of any slim playoff hopes the 5-6 Maulers have on either steve Matthews or Pat O’Hara, with rookie Mike Cherry still on the practice squad. Texas just cannot catch a break. First it was offensive leader, QB Kelly Stouffer, lost for the year, and now one of their best DE’s Shawn Patterson is out for the season with a ruptured achilles. Add to that CB Corey Sawyer, who may be able to return in time for the playoffs and it is beginning to look like the Outlaws team that started the season will be very different from the one ending it. Seattle got some bad news, as QB Jon Kitna will be out at least 1-2 weeks with a sprained wrist. Kitna has been battling Timm Rosenbach to win the long term starting job, but this could set him back. In Jacksonville, Chris Chandler is still complaining of some blurred vision after getting knocked out of the game last week. He likely will take this week off to recover after the hard hit. Some players expected to return to action this week include Ohio HB Ernest Byner, Michigan SS Tony Covington, NJ SS Eric McMillian, Houston CB Ashley Ambrose, LA tackle Blake Brockmeyer, and Pittsburgh WR Louis Lipps. In another fruitless week on the CBA front, we do have a bit of brighter news, the first of the new NIKE USFL uniforms and logo redesigns is in. Memphis is planning on being Back in Black in 1998, well, at least a bit. Their uniform is still predominantly scarlet red and silver sky blue, but they are certainly reemphasizing the black accents which have been missing for several years. You will see black as a component of the tweeked team logos, as piping on the uniforms, and as outline stripes on the new helmet. It’s not a huge shift, though we do find the new jerseys to be a bit “fashion forward”, with shoulder striping that extends well below the armpits. It is still very much the Memphis Showboats, but a club that wanted to add that third color back in again, and found a way to do it. Week 12 is a huge week for playoff implications as The East is in divisoinal play and the west in inter-divisional games. In the Atlantic the big game is New Jersey at Philadelphia, with both clubs quite hot right now. Pittsburgh and Baltimore may be fighting a winner-survives, loser packs it in game, while Washington is at home against an Ohio Glory squad that has seen no glory this year. In the South, we are keeping an eye on the Tampa Bay – Birmingham game in Legion Field. If the Bandits want to get into the playoff picture, they need to get wins like this one. Orlando is in Jacksonville in another pivotal Southern matchup, while Memphis heads to Atlanta with both clubs stuck at 4-7. In the Western Conference we have a good game between Portland and Houston, but most of the other matchups look like one-sided affairs. You have 9-2 Michigan hosting 2-9 Seattle. 9-2 Texas hosting 3-8 Los Angeles, 7-4 Chicago hosting 3-8 Oakland, and 7-4 Denver at 4-7 St. Louis. The closest game other than the Thunder-Gamblers matchup may just be 1-10 Arizona headed to New Orleans to take on the Breakers.

Playoff Picture: No teams have clinched after 11 weeks, however, Washington, Michigan, and Portland can lock up a berth with a win and the right combination of additional results in Week 12.

Any given Sunday is the cliché about football, that any team on any week is capable of winning a game against a heavily favored foe. Well, clichés are built on a basis of truth, and that was made very evident this week as two huge upsets highlighted a weekend slate of games between the Eastern and Western Conferences. Arizona notched its first W of the season as the Wrangler defense finally put together a solid game and Jake Plummer had a white hot first quarter to give Arizona a lead they would not relinquish. As if that were not enough, the LA Express, in their first game under interim HC Mike Nolan, got two Mike Pritchard TDs and held New Jersey to only 200 yards of offense to record only their second win of the season. Add to this a home win for the Houston Gamblers over the favored Jacksonville Bulls and an ascendant St. Louis using home cooking to knock off Atlanta and you have a week that the folks in Vegas hated but fans across the country enjoyed thoroughly. It’s why they play the games. Despite all the upsets this week, our GOTW was just a straight up battle between two evenly matched teams, both 6-3 and both in the thick of the early playoff hunt. Birmingham, with a share of the Southern lead on the line, was in Chicago, where the Machine have been very good but still find themselves trailing both Michigan and Texas in the Central Division. The first half saw both clubs bend but not break on defense as a flurry of field goals defined the half. Birmingham was the only club to reach the endzone as Favre connected with Lawrence Dawsey on a blown coverage, a 64-yard TD that helped the Stallions go into the locker room with a 13-6 lead. They would expand that lead in the 3rd before Chicago battled back, led by Alex Van Pelt, who came in when Dan McGwire was ineffective and roughed up. Favre hit on his 2nd TD of the day, this time to TE Shannon Sharpe, to give the Stallions a 14-point lead just 3 minutes into the 3rd. Chicago again answered with a field goal, as again McGwire was ineffective in the red zone. On the final play before John Carney was trotted out, McGwire missed a wide open Wendell Davis, and appeared to hobble off the field after an awkward collision with a Stallion rusher. It would be the last we saw of the starter on the day. Alex Van Pelt began the next series and did what McGwire had been unable to do against the Stalliion defense, he put the ball in the endzone with a TD pass to Aubrey Matthews. The score, combined with a 2-point conversion, pulled Chicago to within 3 at 20-17. Things were looking up for Chicago. But, on their next possession, Birmingham tried to slam the door on a Machine comeback as again Favre found Shannon Sharpe, this time from 44 yards out. The big TE blew past the LB, caught the Favre pass in stride and shrugged off a diving tackle from the safety before crossing the goal line. Back up by 10 with only 9 minutes left to play, things looked good for Birmingham. But, 9 minutes can be an eternity in football, and it is certainly enough time for a club to score 10 points. Coach Marty Schottenheimer, concerned about time, made a shrewd decision that may have helped his club come back. On a 3rd and 13 from the Birmigham 40, rather than desperately try to pick up the first and keep driving for a touchdown, he used a screen play to gain 9 yards and put John Carney in a better position for a field goal. Carney connected and with over 5 minutes left to play, the Machine were only down 7. They would rely on their defense to get the ball back and give Alex Van Pelt a chance to tie the game. The defense did its job, holding Birmingham to one first down and then sacking Favre on a 3rd and 6 to get the ball back with just over 2 minutes left to play. It would come down to Van Pelt and the Machine offense to tie the game. With all 3 time outs still available, the Machine did not play the sidelines on their final drive. Instead they used the full field, with Van Pelt connecting with Wessley Walls and Ricky Proehl over the middle, and even mixing in an 11 yard Ricky Watters draw play to get down to the Birmingham red zone. On a 3rd and 6, Van Pelt connected with Aubrey Matthews for a first down on the Birmingham 2, and followed that with a perfect play action, faking the dive by Duce Staley and finding second TE Tony Cline all alone in the endzone for the tying score. This game was going to overtime. Chicago won the toss, and with all the momentum on their side, pushed their way back into Stallion territory again. The home crowd at this point was in full voice, but on a 3rd and 4 the slant pass was just a bit behind Ricky Proehl and glanced off his fingers. Chicago sent out John Carney for a 52-yard attempt to take the lead, but the Chicago winds were a bit stronger than Carney anticipated and the ball hooked to the right. Birmingham would have a chance to take back the game that once seemed solidly theirs. Favre relied on Mike Alstott, who rushed the ball 4 times against a tired Machine D-line. He would gain 32 yards on those 4 carries, pairing an initial 7-yard run, with a 12 yarder, a 6 yarder and finally another 7-yarder to get Birmingham into Chicago territory. Favre then faked the ball to Davis, and instead found Ernest Givens in single coverage to reach the Chicago 28. After a failed 3rd down pass to Walter Reeves it was Olindo Mare’s turn to try to end the game. With the wind blowing right to left on this side of the field, Mare lined up, took aim at the right upright and the ball sliced left and through to give the Stallions the win. It was a game between two very good clubs, both with a solid set of weapons. Birmingham came away with a key victory and at 7-3 looks very good for a playoff spot. Chicago dropped further behind the leaders in the division, and may now have a QB controversy on their hands, but still looks like a very dangerous club down the stretch. PIT 18 ARZ 24 A disappointing crowd of only 21,033 saw the Wranglers rustle up their first W of the year as Jake Plummer connected with both Rocket Ismail and TE Keith Cash in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead and then pin their ears back to harass Robbie Bosco for 3 quarters. Bosco would struggle, throwing for only 197 yards, and a 4th quarter Tim Lester run helped Arizona put the game away for the upset win. NJ 11 LA 14 Los Angeles took a different path to earn only their 2nd win of the season, though they too did it before a sparse home crowd (only 18,202 in Farmer’s Insurance Field). Jeff Garcia connected on two TD tosses to Mike Pritchard and Antowain Smith carried the ball 25 times for 88 yards as the Express kept New Jersey out of the endzone for 3 quarters before a late Wayne Chrebet score closed the gap. Spence Fischer looked vulnerable as he missed on several key 3rd down passes despite a relatively weak LA pass rush. The loss knocks New Jersey back down to .500 at 5-5. PHI 24 DEN 23 Back among the league leaders, Philadelphia got a big win in Mile High thanks to a fluke play that avoided overtime. Down 24-17, denver got a Keith Jackson TD with only 13 seconds left on the clock, but as the Mile High faithful celebrated, the snap on the PAT was botched and punter Josh Miller could not bring the ball down for Jeff Wilkens. Miller was swarmed by Philly defenders and the game ended with a 1-point Stars win. WSH 30 OAK 3 The Federals did not need dramatics to move to 7-2-1 and remain atop the Atlantic. With Bobby Hebert knocked out of the game midway through the 2nd quarter, the Invaders were nullified on offense and Washington just methodically increased their lead over the course of the game, thanks in large part to 145 yards rushing from Barry Word. BAL 17 POR 20 Baltimore continues to struggle on the road, dropping a close game to the Pacific Division leaders, Portland. Jack Trudeau hit on 2 TD tosses and Robert Drummond carried the ball 22 times for 81 yards, but the big star was DT Mike Golic, who amassed 9 tackles, a sack, and a huge hit on Chris Miller that, while not injuring the Blitz QB, clearly had him looking over his shoulder the rest of the game. OHI 14 SEA 10 In a downpour in the Emerald City, Seattle slogged through standing water to build a 10-0 lead, but it all fell apart in the 4th quarter as Ohio scored twice to steal a road win. First it was Eddie George who splashed down in the endzone from a yard out, and then, wth only 48 seconds left, it was Hostetler finding Joey Galloway, who seems to be coming on after a very slow start to the year, for a score as Ohio wins their 3rd game for Coach Saban. JAX 10 HOU 30 That Houston won at home against Jacksonville is not that big an upset, that they did so by 20 points is a bit of a shocker. Thurman Thomas was up to his best form on the day, rushing for 71 yards and catching 4 passes for 80 more as he helped Houston treble the Bulls. The key was the rush defense, which simply shut down both Natrone Means and Kenny Bynum. Jacksonville all but gave up on the run in the second half, already down 14, and that did not help. MEM 3 MGN 27 The Panthers rolled to their 8th victory of the year as Tyrone Wheatley and Rodney Culver combined for 98 yards and 2 scores on the day. Memphis QB Heath Shuler threw for 255 but could not find the endzone all game as the Michigan secondary toughened up in the red zone. TBY 27 NOR 22 The Bandits got a much needed win to snap a 5-game losing streak, thanks to 3 second half TDs, two from Errict Rhett and a Shannon Baker 75-yard TD catch and run to blow past the Breakers. Troy Aikman only completed 11 of 23 passes on the day, for 187, but the one time he found Baker deep was deadly. ATL 27 STL 30 The Knights win their 3rd in a row, and this time it was more about the offense than the D. Todd Collins threw for 251 and a pair of scores, and Darrell Thompson averaged 4.9 YPC on his way to 79 yards and a score on the day for the Knights. ORL 13 TEX 23 The defense and backup Tony Sacca proved that the Outlaws could win without Kelly Stouffer at the helm. The D limited Kirby and Kantroy Barber to only 73 yards rushing and Tony Sacca threw for 282 with no picks as the Outlaws picked up their 9th win of the year and their first without Stouffer under center. MVP ALL WRAPPED UP Yes, we are only 10 weeks into the season, but it is looking more and more like Brett Favre is the only MVP candidate. He is having an absolute monster season with the Stallions, and that has them poised for a possible #1 seed and a deep playoff run. All you need to see to understand how well Favre has been playing is this ratio, 27:1. That’s 27 touchdowns in 10 games to only 1 pick. He has always had high TD numbers, even in down years, but he is keeping his picks so far below what we have gotten used to, and that is all Birmingham needs to be really dangerous. Just compare his 27:1 against last seaosn’s 30:17 total or 1995’s 35:25 monstrosity and yo ucan see why Birmingham is looking so good. His comletion average is also a full 10% higher than last season (63.7% to 53.3%). It has certainly helped that he has not seen injuries to his big receivers, Sharpe, Givens, or Dawsey, unlike last year, but we should also praise the work he is putting in and the focus he has demonstrated this year. SUPER SOPH Since we are handing out kudos, we have to recognize how amazing the growth of Philadelphia Stars’ free safety Anthony Dorsett has been in his 2nd year. In his first campaign Dorsett worked his way into the starting lineup, starting the final 7 games of the year, but he finished the season with only 18 tackles and no picks. Ten games into his sophomore season and he leads the league with 6 picks. He also has 41 tackles and has a forced fumble and a recovery. Dorsett has become a major factor in the gameplans of opposing offensive coordinators, and his ballhawking skills are allowing the Stars to play more man coverage, devote more to the passrush and run coverage and feel secure in their secondary. That is a big deal, and the future only looks bright going forward. OUT OF THE RACE? So we all went into this season thinking that the Houston Gamblers were gearing up to make a run at either Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf in the 1998 draft. Clearly Chuck Hartlieb was just a transition QB who would last a season, hopefully play adequately and then make room for the next future franchise QB for the Gamblers, but a funny thing happened on the way to the draft, Hartlieb has looked pretty darned good. Yes, he is hovering only around 50% completions, which is not ideal, and he was hurt for several weeks, missing 2 starts, but in the games he has started and finished Houston is 5-2 and Hartlieb has thrown for 13 TDs to only 4 picks. Does this mean Houston bows out of the QB race? Not entirely, but it may mean that the Gamblers will not throw everything and the kitchen sink into a trade to move up to a top 2 position in the USFL draft. They may very well finish the year at or above .500, and that may mean that they opt to fill other needs in the first round and then either sign a free agent to compete with Hartlieb (assuming free agency is possible with a new CBA) or draft a lower-cost QB in a later round. It must feel good to no longer be considered a team in desperate need for a franchise QB, and while we are not sure that the front office still does not covet one of the Big 2, at least we know that they don’t feel it is an all or nothing bet. Week 10 means we are ready to look at playoff scenarios and this year there may actually be some clarity early on. Texas, Portland, Washington and Michigan seem to be all but assured a playoff spot, though the Panthers and Outlaws seem destined for a clash atop the Central. Washington and Philly will likely come down to the wire, as might the south with both Birmingham and Jacksonville tied at 7-3. As always it will be the Wild Card slots where we may see some drama. Can New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Tampa or Houston put together a string of wins to move solidly above .500? Can Orlando, Denver and Chicago hold them off? Even St. Louis is only 2 games out and have won 3 in a row to bring back some life to the club. The grind of a pro season is beginning to take its toll on clubs across the USFL. New Jersey is likely playing with two backup guards for the rest of the year as both Corbin Lacina and Jesse James could be done for the year. Houston will be without their starting free safety Todd Bowles, thanks to a torn MCL. Both Baltimore and New Orleans are going to miss starting CB’s with Torin Dorn and James Hasty ruled out at least 8 weeks. Denver’s top CB, Anthony Tuggle, is expected to miss at least 2 weeks, as is Chicago QB Dan McGwire (out again, after just returning to action 2 weeks ago). Oakland could be without Bobby Hebert for 2 weeks as the QB is dealing with a deep thigh bruise, and in Seattle, top receiver Eric Metcalf looks to be at least a week away from returning from broken ribs. On the positive side, Michigan is likely to have Doug Flutie back this week, though they certainly are not complaining about the performance of Jeff Lewis in relief as the Panthers are sitting pretty at 8-2. In Seattle edge rusher Jim Reynosa is expected to be back for the first time in over a month, and in Baltimore the Blitz get back one of their key defenders as Duane Bickett is expected to return to action after missing the past 3 weeks with a shoulder injury. This week the USFL tried to take some attention off its labor concerns by releasing (2 weeks earlier than anticipated) the names of the 5 former players who will be enshrined in Canton as members of the class of 1997. Three players will be inducted into the hall in their first year of eligiblity while two others are in after previously barely missing out in their first eligible year. Here are your 1997 USFL inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame JOE CRIBBS Halfback, Birmingham Stallions (1984-1992) Cribbs was an almost shoe-in for first ballot induction. The Auburn product came to the Stallions from the NFL Buffalo Bills after a heated contract dispute between the two leagues. In the USFL he became an instant league leader. He finished his career with 12,557 yards rushing, a lifetime yards per carry average of 4.4 yards and 83 rushing touchdowns. Cribbs was the USFL Offensive Player of the Year in his first season in Birmingham, and was named to All-USFL teams 7 times. He retired as the #4 all time rusher in the USFL in attempts, yards, and touchdowns. His 1,765 yards rushing in 1984 remains the second highest total ever, just behind Herschel Walker’s 1983 record of 1,767, and he still holds the single game record with 262 yards rushing in a game against the Memphis Showboats in 1986. WILLIAM CESARE Safety, Birmingham Stallions (1983-1987), Chicago Machine (1988-1992) A 2 time All-USFL player at Strong Safety, Cesare retired after splitting his career between the Birmingham Stallions and Chicago Machine. He left the game with 82 passes defended, 13 interceptions, and 945 tackles (2nd among Safeties) to his name. Cesare was known as a violent hitter and was unafraid to take on rushers out of the backfield. His best season was 1986 with Birmingham, when he recorded 104 tackles, including 14 in one game against Pittsburgh. JACKIE FLOWERS Receiver, Arizona Wranglers (1983), Chicago/Baltimore Blitz (1984-1992) A bit of a surprise as a first ballot entrant. Flowers never got the press of more flamboyant receivers like Eric Truvillion or Anthony Carter, but was a quintessential speed receiver in the league for a decade. Starting with a single season in Arizona, Flowers was part of the full roster swap between the Wranglers and Blitz in 1984, and would remain with the Blitz for the rest of his career. He retired with 739 career receptions for 11,803 yards and 93 touchdowns. Known for his speed and his willingness to leap to catch balls that might seem out of reach, Flowers was named an ALL-USFL player 4 times in his 10 year career. He reached the 1,000 yard plateau 8 times in his steady career, with his best season being a 1,574 yard, 19 touchdown season in 1986. CRAIG JAMES Halfback, Washington Federals (1983-1989) James beat out Michigan’s John Williams to earn induction, despite only playing 7 seasons in the league. A straight-ahead runner, James was the focal point for the early Federals squad, rushing for over 1,000 yards every season of his career, including a 1,400 yard season in 1984. He retired due to ongoing knee issues in 1987 with a total of 8,908 yards rushing and 53 rushing touchdowns. Like Cribbs, his squads never saw playoff glory, but he was still seen as one of the league’s early season stars coming out of the Pony Express of SMU in the early 80’s. JUMPY GEATHERS Defensive Tackle, Boston Breakers (1983-1984), Michigan Panthers (1985), Philadelphia Stars (1986-1990) A little love for the defensive side of the ball as in his third year on the ballot, Geathers is awarded with hall induction. A six-time All-USFL selection and key defensive cog in the 1987 Philadelphia Stars championship, Gaethers retired with 43 sacks (4th all time for a DT), 368 tackles, and 67 tackles for loss. Considered one of the first pass-rushing DTs, Gaether’s power rush was an early predecessor for later stars like Jerome Brown and Michael Dean Perry. We are in the home stretch with 6 games left to play and a lot on the line. Week 11 has the Western Conference back to divisional play while the East has interdivisional games. A huge game for Chicago if they hope to make up ground in the Central as they host the Texas Outlaws without Kelly Stouffer. If Chicago can get the win, they pull within 2 games of Texas, and Michigan could move into a tie. All the Panthers would need is a win in Houston. St. Louis and New Orleans are bringing up the rear in the division but the Knights have been hot lately and could get to 5-6 with a win. In the Pacific both Portland and Denver have to take care of business against struggling opponents. Arizona got their first win of the year last week, but are a big 13 point underdog at home to the Thunder. Denver are at home in Mile High to face an Invaders team playing without Bobby Hebert. Meanwhile in LA, the Express and Dragons are both hoping for their 3rd win, LA with an interim head coach and Seattle with a coach very much on the hot seat. In the East, the best game has Philadelphia headed south to face the Orlando Renegades, though we are also hoping to catch the battle between two clubs surprised to be 5-5 when Pittsburgh travels to Tampa Bay. Jacksonville will host the Generals, Baltimore travels to Birmingham, and Washington is hoping to get the better of Atlanta in Bobby Dowd Stadium. Finally, neither Memphis or Ohio seem to be playoff bound, but for Coach Cameron and Coach Saban every win is key as they try to hold onto their jobs.

Another week of fruitless talks between the USFL ownership and the USFLPA and another week of intriguing games from players who simply do not know what the future will hold. We had a slugfest between the Gold and the Maulers, a close call for the Outlaws, a pretty significant upset in Birmingham, an actual tie game between two division leaders, and the possible signalling that St. Louis is not out of this season quite yet. A lot to get to in a busy week of inter-conference play. We had a feeling that some of this week’s interconference games would be heated affairs, and we were not wrong. There were several really interesting matchups, and of those the game between the Gold and the Maulers was perhaps the best. After all it did come down to the last 6 seconds to be decided, and it had some moments to remember along the way. The first of these was only 6 minutes into the game when a well-executed fake to HB Mike Rozier, drew in the Gold linebackers and allowed veteran TE Mike Shaw to find himself in wide open space. It was a play we have seen the Maulers run for what seems like forever, and it worked to perfection. Shaw had 10 yards between himself and a defender so when Robbie Bosco found him with the ball, it was an easy TD. Denver, sticking to their usual ball control offense, did not panic, and only 5 minutes later a long 9-play drive ended with Brunell finding Odessa Turner on a fade route to the corner of the endzone. All tied up at 7-7 after one period, the second would remain close. Pittsburgh would manage only two field goals in the second quarter, while Denver would take a 1-point lead on a second TD from Brunell to Turner. The combo was solid all day, with Turner finishing with 6 receptions for 65 yards. Brunell would hit 9 different receivers on the day, a diverse attack that would keep Pittsburgh on their toes. It helped that between starter Rashaan Salaam (94) and backup Terry Battle (70) the Gold racked up 164 yards on the ground. For their part, Pittsburgh focused on the passing attack. In addition to Shaw’s early TD, Robbie Boscoe relied heavily on 2 of his 3 wideouts. Denver blanketed Louis Lipps, but Bosco found both Raynard Brown and Derick Mason frequently. Brown would finish the day with 134 yards on 7 receptions to lead all receivers. Down 1 at the half, Pittsburgh would regain the lead on their first possession of the second half. Dorsey Levins, subbing for an aching Rozier, pounded the ball in from 2 yards out to give the Maulers a 19-13 lead. They tried for 2, but the ball glanced off of TE Mike Shaw’s hands and was ruled incomplete. After trading field goals to reach 22-17, Denver got it’s only really big play of the day, a 23-yard scoring strike from Brunell to Carrier. With Turner now facing frequent double coverage, the Gold had lined up Carrier on the inside, with Willie Gillespie outside of him. The combo route gave Carrier a step on the defender and the corner route worked to perfection. The Gold now led by 3. But, with 7:52 left to play, the game was far from over. Once again Bosco relied on his short passing game, finding Mason, then Shaw, and finally Freddie Scott to get the Maulers in field goal range. With 2:47 left to play, the Septien kick evened the score, but left way too much time on the clock for Denver to use. The Gold did not rush their final drive, milking the clock down to the final 6 seconds before using their last time out and trotting out Jeff Wilkens for a final kick. Knowing they would head to overtime if he missed, Wilkens lined up for the 52-yard kick and seemed to show no pressure. The ball sailed true, just barely crossing over the bar for the long kick that would give the win to the visiting Gold. TEX 24 MEM 22 The snakebit Showboats almost gave us another fantastic finish, as this time it was them, and not there opponents who mounted a last second comeback. Down 24-13 after 3 quarters, the Showboats got a Shea field goal to pull within 8, and then, with 1:16 left, Heath Shuler found Joe Horn for a late score. The Showboats were within two, but needed to convert on the 2-point PAT to send the game to overtime. Shuler missed high on a pass to Carl Pickens in the endzone and the Outlaws escaped with their 8th win of the season. More on this game below, as it produced a season-altering injury we will need to explore. STL 32 TBY 24 The Knights finally seem to have found their offensive rhythm, while Tampa, losers of 5 straight, seem to be completely out of synch. The Knights got the game rolling on the ground, with Darrell Thompson rushing for a season high 128. He, Ironhead Hayward and Albert Jenkins all scored on the ground as the Knights protected Todd Collins. Tampa got 3 scores from Troy Aikman, but at a cost. Aikman was harassed all day, sacked 6 times and picked off twice by a very aggressive St. Louis blitz scheme. MGN 14 ORL 17 Two of the league’s hotter teams met in the Citrus Bowl, and, thanks to a late Charlie Baumann field goal, the homestanding Renegades got the win and moved their record to 6-3. With little in the run gam working, Scott Mitchell got the job done with scoring tosses to Bert Emmanuel and HB Terry Kirby. Jeff Lewis played well, but Orlando managed to bottle up Tyrone Wheatley and that handcuffed the Panthers all game long. NOR 17 ATL 24 The Fire got another home victory as they bumped off the slumping Breakers. Tiki Barber only carried the ball for 36 yards, but his late TD run helped to put Atlanta over the top. The Breakers built up a 24-10 lead in the 3rd quarter and while a Jamie Martin TD toss got New Orleans within one score, they could not find another as the Fire got their 4th win in 9 games. CHI 25 JAX 32 In a game that was tied at 25 with only a minute to play, Coach Schottenheimer went against character and tried for the big play, a call which backfired completely as the Dan McGwire toss was picked and LB Paul McGowan found himself with a convoy to the endzone for what would be the game-winning score. The game had been back and forth all day, and McGwire, back from injury, had a chance to get Chicago into field goal range for the win, but his second pick of the day was a shocking turn of play, one very welcome to the big Gator Bowl crowd. POR 33 WSH 33 OT It seems to happen every season, a game where neither team can absorb a loss and we end up with a tie game. It happened again in RFK, when neither the Thunder or the Federals could score a TD in overtime and two field goals in extra time meant the game ended in a tie. It was a game that saw both Trudeau an Stewart throw for more than 350 yards, and where Herman Moore seemed unstoppable, with 123 yards on 10 catches, but it was not enough for either team to get the W. SEA 7 NJ 9 In a game where it seemed neither team was worthy of a W, the Generals got 3 Vinatieri field goals and held Seattle to a lateKeith McKellar TD as both clubs struggled to move the ball in the Meadowlands. Spence Fischer had one of his weaker games, throwing for no scores and one costly pick in the redzone, while Jon Kitna returned to action, went 20 for 30 but for only 175 yards as Seattle could not hit on any deep balls. HOU 36 BIR 30 Houston has won two straight since Chuck Hartlieb returned to action, and this one may prove to be a big one as they knock off the 6-2 Stallions. Thurman Thomas would prove dangerous against the Stallion D, rushing for 117 and a score, and scoring again through the air. Shannon Sharpe came up big for Birmingham with 2 scores and 164 yards receiving, but it was not enough as Houston pulls off the road upset. ARZ 17 PHI 45 The Stars were in no mood to be upset, and the Wranglers simply did not have the horses to get that done anyway. Chuck Long would throw 4 Tds and Charlie Garner added 2 more along with 145 on the ground as the Stars manhandled an overmatched Wrangler squad, sending Arizona to their 9th straight defeat this year. LA 21 OHI 41 In a game that would cost Rick Neuheisel his job, the Glory scored TDs on their first 4 possessions and put the Express out of contention early. Joey Galloway looked like his old self, catching 5 Hostetler passes for 129 yards and a score, and Eddie George scored twice to go along with 86 yards rushing as Ohio rolled. The Express announced the firing of Neuheisel the next day, naming defensive coordinator Mike Nolan the interim head coach. OAK 9 BAL 28 The Blitz move to within a game of .500 with a home win against the Invaders. Barry Foster rushed for 109 yards and a score and Rob Moore added 98 more and a score of his own through the air, all part of a 28-0 scoring run for the Blitz after an initial 6-0 lead for Oakland. NEUHEISEL OUT: With only 1 win on the season and a three-year record of 10-32, it is not really a shock that the LA Express have let Coach Neuheisel go. The only real question was which of their coordinators would get the shot at the intermim gig. After all, the offense is ranked 23rd in points and 21st in yards, while Mike Nolan’s defense is ranked dead last in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed, so it is not as if one side of the ball was carrying the team. Nolan walks into a tough situation. The Express have 2 QB’s neither of which has shown the abilty to turn yards into wins. They have a rookie HB who also cannot carry the team on his back, and they have a defense which allows over 107 yards a game on the ground and an average of 31.3 points per game. If not for a win over the 0-9 Arizona Wranglers, the Express would also be winless on the year. They don’t face Arizona again, and looking ahead at their schedule (@ NJ, SEA, @ TEX, OAK, @ ORL, POR, @ SEA) their best chances to avoid a 1-15 chance may be to steal a divisoin win against Seattle or Oakland. Threee years after rejoining the league, the Express are having trouble establishing themselves in a crowded LA market, and even more trouble earning wins. LIKELY NOT ALONE: We do not believe that Coach Neuheisel will be the only casualty this year, and he may not even be the only coach let go during the season. Here is our list of the coaches who need to start showing some results. Nick Saban (Ohio): Yes, they got the win vs. LA that ended Neuheisel’s season, but one win over a 1-8 club is not nearly enough to make Saban a solid candidate to return next year. Ohio had hopes for a playoff season this year, but they have regressed and are now solidly in last place in the division. Our best bet is that they need to win at least 4 more games of their final 7 to save Saban’s job. Cam Cameron (Memphis): Cameron, you will recall, took over for Buddy Ryan last season when the fiery coach was let go after a sideline incident. The move seemed to work as Memphis finished the 1996 season strong. But this year the Showboats have floundered, often blowing late leads, or failing to complete comebacks in games they have a chance to win. They too languish at the bottom of their division and fans may be turning on Cameron. Woody Widenhofer (Seattle): The Dragons improved from 1-15 to 6-10 in their second season, but they have slid again this year, back to only 2 wins so far. If Widenhofer can get them to win another 3 games, maybe he keeps his position, but the Dragons are not looking like a team that is going to upset too many foes, with the 22nd scoring offense on display. The Dragon ownership may very well move on after this year. Jim Mora (Oakland): It seems almost sacreligious to say that Jim Mora, the legend of the Philadelphia Stars, could get canned in Oakland, but in his 2.5 years by the Bay, the Invaders, who competed in 6 straight playoff seasons, have gone 7-9, 5-11, and now have only 3 wins on the year. Sometimes it is just not a good fit, and that appears to be the case between Mora and the Invaders. Art Shell (Arizona): Do you fire a coach after only 1 year? Well, if the club goes 0-16 there is a really good chance. Shell has not gotten a fare shake, and likely deserves a full offseason to help rebuild a club that was flailing before he arrived, but to get that chance, he needs to at least win 1 game, maybe 2, down the stretch. 0-16 demands a change, and coach is usually where that happens. We mentioned it somewhat coyly earlier, but the Showboat-Outlaw game did produce an injury that is likely to profoundly alter the season for Texas. QB Kelly Stouffer was hit by two Showboat rushers at once, and immediately went down. Showboat DE Reggie White could see that something was not right and called over to the Texas bench. The replay showed what could only be described as a disjointed femur. The leg simply became detached from the hip socket. Stouffer would be taken to the locker room and immediately to a local hospital where it was determined that he had indeed displaced his femur from the hip, an injury that came with significant ligament damage. For fans of the Outlaws this means that they will have to go the rest of the way with either Tony Sacca or Tony Graziani under center, but for Stouffer it could mean much more. This injury, so late in his career, could be career ending, and in a season when he had led Texas to an amazing 8-1 start, that is a deeply troubling thought. Stouffer’s injury was clearly the most dramatic and heartbreaking of the week, but it was hardly the only rough blow suffered by USFL squads. Both Pittsburgh and Seattle saw their top receivers go down as Louis Lipps suffered a head injury and Eric Metcalf suffered 2 cracked ribs this week. Both are expected to miss 1-2 weeks as they recover. In New Orleans, left tackle Troy Auzene suffered MCL damage as he was rolled over during the course of play. He could miss as much as 4 weeks of action. Oalkand guard Brendan Stai is likely out for the year after suffering an ACL tear, and a similar injury, but to the Posterior ligament, could take out New Jersey guard Corbin Lacina for the season as well. Pessimism reigns after the lastest rounds of talks between the USFL executive committee and leadership of the USFLPA failed to result in even a marginal closing of the gap between the two parties. The owners seem ready to stick to their proposal that all USFL salaries be reduced by 10% to offset the shift of the league from 16 to 14 regular season games (a 12.5% cut in games). The USFLPA seems adamant as well that all current contracts remain at their original value despite the league's decision to restructure the season to 14 games and expand the playoff pool by 2 teams. There is now real concern that the impasse between these two powerful forces in spring football could extend beyond the remaining 7 weeks of the regular season, which means that it extends past the conclusion of a good number of player contracts, creating free agency havok for the league. With no ability to resign players without an agreement on the transition of scheduling for 1998, the league is very likely to see a major round of NFL poaching, with the transfer window opening just as the USFL playoffs begin in July. With big name talent at every position looking at potential free agency, the NFL has to be licking its chops at the opportunity to hamstring their rival league and draw in major talent across its 30 franchises. Meanwhile, USFL GMs don't even have the ability to resign players ahead of their contracts expiring. A court injunction following the owners' vote all but blocked any ability for teams to resign players so long as the current CBA between ownership and the union remains in dispute. The net result of this is that both sides are under intense pressure to come to an agreement before the July 4th holiday to avoid a major talent purge. Even if USFL players remain faithful to the league, something seen as quite unlikely, the shuffling of players among league franchises would also be a significant upheaval for the USFL. The best case scenario is that one of the two sides cracks and gives in on their to-date-solid positions. Public opinion is also split as a recent USA Today Poll found that 43% of respondents sided with the players, basically saying a contract is a contract, while 38% sided with the owners, generally of the opinion that as with most jobs, reduced hours results in reduced pay. There seems to be no groundswell in either direction for their side to be the one to give in and accept a lesser deal, and that spells trouble for both sides, and a potential windfall for the NFL. Week 10 is our second consecutive interconference week, with the South now facing the Central and the Atlantic clubs headed to the Pacific. A scheduling oddity to be sure, but there are some games to monitor this week as we start to look seriously at the playoff situaton. Let’s start with Texas, hoping to maintain momentum with Tony Sacca at QB, as they have a home game against a good Orlando squad. Jacksonville is hoping they can take command in the South by beating the Houston Gamblers in Houston, but Houston has won 2 in a row, so look out for a possible upset here. Birmingham is hoping to rebound, but they have a tough matchup in Chicago against the Machine. In Michigan the Panthers will face the 3-6 Showboats, while in New Orleans the Breakers hope they can send Tampa’s losing streak to 6 games. St. Louis and Atlanta face off in the Gateway City in a game that likely means the end of any playoff hopes for the loser. If Baltimore wants to get back into the playoff hunt they will need to upend the Portland Thunder at Civic Stadium. Philadelphia has a big game as they head to Mile High to face the Denver Gold, while New Jersey could move to a surprising 6-4 if they can beat the LA Express and new head coach Mike Nolan. Washington hopes to retain first place in the Atlantic by beating the Invaders in Oakland, and the Ohio Glory and Seattle Dragons, both a disappointing 2-7 face off in Seattle.

My apologies, everyone, but I ran Week 10's games thinking I had already done the stat leaders for Week 9, so unless I want to use the Week 10 stats and then subtract out all the Week 10 performances to get Week 9 stats (a lot of work), I don't have Week 9 stats. In Week 10 we will be back to having a stats leader sheet.