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Wild Card Weekend, or should we call it Once More Weekend, as two wily veterans dominate both games. With retirement speculation roiling, Pittsburgh’s Mike Rozier goes off against the Memphis Defense, while in Michigan QB Doug Flutie shows he still has a little magic left as he leads a Panther attack that catches New Orleans unprepared. It’s all part of the joy of playoff football as the USFL heats up under the summer sun. The Liberty Bowl was rocking as nearly 54,000 sat in 88 degree heat to cheer on their Showboats and interim head coach Cam Cameron. But the day belonged to veteran halfback Mike Rozier, who showed off some moves we don’t often see from a 32-year old halfback, proving his retirement may not be eminent after all. The 13 year veteran defied Father Time and rattled off 148 yards on 20 carries to lead the Maulers to the road victory in the Mid-South. Memphis’s offense also had its moments, including their opening drive, which was more of a blitz than a march down the field. It took Memphis only 3 plays and 48 seconds to get on the board as Heath Shuler completed 3 consecutive passes of over 15 yards to rocket the Showboats into the Red Zone, and from there, after one lone Moe Williams run, he found Carl Pickens for a 12-yard strike to put the Showboats up top, much to the delight of the partisan Memphis crowd. Pittsburgh needed only 3:22 to even things up, as their offense also looked ready to rock the house. Robbie Bosco, the midseason transfer who many credit with saving the Mauler season, connected with Raynard Brown on a key 3rd and 8, and Mike Rozier carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards, including a 15-yard scoring run which included a dynamic spin move against the safety, as Pittsburgh evened up the score at 7 apiece. They would take the lead for good on the next possession, when Bosco found Brown, slotted into Louis Lipps’ usual position as the X receiver, and the Maulers went up by 7. It would be a 4 point lead at the half as Memphis was able to add a Kevin Shea 45-yarder midway through the 2nd quarter. The third quarter belonged to Mike Rozier, as he gained nearly 80 yards on the ground in this one period alone. Pittsburgh would garner the only score in the quarter as Rozier took it down to the 1, but the Maulers used the threat of the run to free up Dwight Pickens for a scoring toss by faking to their lead back. Up 21-10, the Maulers set off to shorten the game and used a combination of short passes and Rozier runs to do it. How dominant was the 13-year vet? Pittsburgh normally subs in Dorsey Levins on occasion to spell Rozier, but in this game the bulkier backup only touched the ball once, as Rozier just kept picking up yards, a 7.4 YPC average. After a Septien field goal put Pittsburgh up 24-10, Memphis clawed back into the game with Shuler finding Adrian Cooper for a score mid-way through the 4th, but they would get no closer. The combination of clock killing runs and a botched 4th and 2 by Memphis ensured that this game would not be heading to overtime. After the game Coach Marchibroda, who is set to step down as soon as Pittsburgh’s run is over, said “Mike carried us today. I would not be surprised if he came back next year and was still a force in this league.” Rozier, whose retirement has been speculated since the 1994 season, didn’t want to hear it, stating “Don’t ask me about next year, we still have games to play right now. We’re going to Baltimore and we know what we have to do next.” In the Pontiac Silverdome it was another savvy vet who is beginning to show some grey on the temples who led the Panthers on a route of their division foes from New Orleans. Doug Flutie threw for 4 TD’s, all in the first half as the Panthers lept out to a 27-0 lead before the Breakers knew what hit them. Flutie had a first half to remember, and then slowed down the pace in the second half, relying on the run game more to preserve the win. Touchdowns to Jeff Campbell (2), Muhsin Muhammad and Weegie Thompson ended the first four of the Panther’s first half drives, while New Orleans saw 3 punts and a pick as their results before Herman Fontenot scored just before the two minute warning. A late Brad Daluiso kick and Michigan took a comfortable 30-7 lead into the half. The crowd in Pontiac, counted as 48,274, stayed throughout to cheer on the Panthers, who never let the Breakers get back to within 20 points, adding scores by Rodney Culver of 5 and 7 yards. They even got a Sean Salisbury sighting as Flutie came off the field to a standing ovation early in the 4th quarter with Michigan up 47-14. Flutie finished with only 232 yards, but all the accolades after leading the Panthers to those four consecutive scoring drives. Tyrone Wheatley remained a huge part of the offense all day, as his 2nd half numbers (101 yards on 11 carries) helped him finish with 160 yards rushing on the day. Flutie found 9 different receivers on the day, including hitting all 3 of his starting wideouts with 6 passes and welcoming back TE Butch Rolle with 5 catches for 60 yards. For New Orleans, the defensive breakdowns of the first half and the inability to shut down the run in the second threw their entire gameplan out the window. Jamie Martin would throw 3 TD’s, all to flanker Herman Fontenot, but the defense just did not have what it took to slow down the Panthers on this day. The huge Michigan lead all but took Terrell Davis out of the game, as he finished with only 12 carries. With Martin forced to play catchup, the Panthers defense stayed in nickel for most of the game and the lanes were simply not there for Martin to find big plays. “They outplayed us, got us behind and we just could not shut them down” Coach Ditka told reporters after the game. “Flutie doesn’t get enough praise in this league”, he added, “that little guy can play this game.” So two games down, and now we head into the biggest weekend of football this summer, the Divisional Round, with 4 games and 8 teams all vying for a shot at their conference titles. Life does not get easier for either Pittsburgh or Michigan as each must now face the top seed in their conference. Both will face familiar divisional foes as Pittsburgh heads to Baltimore to play the Blitz, while Michigan heads down to Houston and an offense which can keep pace with Flutie magic, the Gamblers, led by Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas. Let’s take a look at all 4 matchups as we prep for Divisional Playoffs in the USFL. Pittsburgh Maulers (5) @ Baltimore Blitz (1) Memorial Stadium, Baltimore 3pm EDT, Saturday, July 13 The Maulers head into Baltimore to face the top seed in the East, knowing full well that the Blitz are looking for a bit of revenge after they were mauled 24-7 a month ago. The Blitz boast the league’s top scoring defense, and can make the passing game nearly unworkable with a combination of pressure and tight coverage. If Pittsburgh is going to have a shot, they are going to need to lean on Rozier and Levins to keep the ball moving on the ground. The Blitz have a balanced, but somewhat erratic offense. Both Chris Miller and Barry Foster had their best seasons in blitz blue this year, but both also relied heavily on short fields and post-turnover drives to get on the board. Our pick this week? We have to go with defense here. Baltimore let things slip a bit after clinching the #1 seed, but with 2 weeks to prep and a chip on their shoulders, we have to like the Blitz to take care of business here. St. Louis Knights (3) @ Denver Gold (2) Mile High Stadium 7:00pm EDT, Saturday, July 13 This could be the most balanced game of the week, and will likely be the lowest scoring, as both clubs play solid defense and both have some offensive challenges. Denver likes to rely on the efficiency of Mark Brunell’s short passing game, balanced with an inside-outside run game with Rashaan Salaam. For St. Louis, it is much the same, with Todd Collins rarely taking deep shots, while a combo rushing attack using Darrell Thompson, Alfred Jenkins, and big man Craig “Ironhead” Hawyard, keeps the defense honest. Looking at the rankings you have Denver, with the 4th best scoring offense in the league balanced against the #9 scoring defense, while St. Louis boasts the 8th best offense and the 3rd best defense. What that tells us is that this one could come down to the wire. Denver will have some key pieces missing, as guard O’Neill Glenn is out, while his opposite on the right side, Evan Pilgrim, is doubtful, which could impact the run game quite a bit. Both Kurt Gouveia and Anthony Tuggle are expected back on defense, which will certainly help the Gold. St. Louis comes in much healthier, with only backup tackle Greg Bishop on the injury report. Their main concern is how to handle DE Leslie O’Neill and the Gold pass rush. Our pick here is still a matter of debate. Home field is a real thing in the USFL, so there is a slight lean towards the Gold, but it is by no means certain. Philadelphia Stars (3) @ Tampa Bay Bandits (2) Tampa Stadium 1pm EDT, Sunday, July 14 Tampa Bay look poised for a deep run, having ended the regular season on a 7-game winning streak, while Philadelphia seem to have lost a bit of the mojo they held earlier in the year. The Philly run game has not been able to gain traction, and Chuck Long came back from a brief injury respite looking a bit rusty and out of synch. That does not bode well when you are facing a club like Tampa Bay, which can rattle off points like a Gatling gun. Troy Aikman has had his best season under Coach Glanville, thanks to a new offensive philosophy which allows him to make use of the speed of his top receivers, Shannon Baker and Robert Brooks. The emergence of Ben Coates as a legit threat at the TE position, and the balance available with Errict Rhett at tailback make the Bandits one of the league’s most dangerous offenses. The Stars cannot afford to get in a shootout. They will rely on a defense led by a solid pass rush and the speed rush of outstanding rookie Regan Upshaw to keep the game close. Philly does not have burners on the outside, with Cris Carter being more of a possession & red zone receiver and Eric Green at TE lacking deep speed. Philly also has to face far more injury concerns than Tampa, with key players likely out on both sides of the ball, including center John Flannery, WR Stepfret Williams, FS Tim Hauck, and TE Marcus Pollard all likely to be out. Tampa has a pretty clean sheet, except for the absence of Chris Doering in the slot, but that has been their situation for weeks, and Freddie We like Tampa here. Philly might hold it close for a half, or even 3 quarters, but at some point Aikman is going to hit a deep ball and this game will get away from the Stars. Michigan Panthers (4) @ Houston Gamblers (1) Houston Astrodome 4:30pm EST, Sunday, July 14 This is the game that could give us our best chance for a shootout. Both of these clubs have a ton of offensive weapons, and both can take the ball away on defense. The combination of Flutie and Wheatley proved they could be dangerous against the Breakers, and we all have seen the record-breaking pace of Jim Kelly and that Houston offense this year. Expect both defenses to be on their heels all game. Michigan will try to balance the run with the pass, but so can Houston with Thurman Thomas toting the rock. And if either defense opts to load up against the run, it won’t take much for Flutie or Kelly to start looking for quick strikes. This one should be fun. Due to the unbalanced divisional schedule these two met only once this year, a 35-31 barnburner in the Silverdome. We expect much the same in Houston this time around. Injuries will impact both clubs, but perhaps most for Houston, who will be without Mike Adams and Kerry Glenn in the secondary. DT Luther Ellis is expected back, as is passrusher Michael Sinclair. For Michigan, the main concern is LB Ted Johnson, who is likely to miss his second consecutive playoff game. DT Sam Adams is probable for the start, which could help against the run. We think this game will be close, and will be high-scoring, but we think the Gamblers have both the fire to win one more for Kelly and Thomas, and to get back to another title game. Michigan has been a revelation this year, and the trade for Flutie has certainly paid off, but the Gamblers seem to be on a mission. Just a couple of items around the league as most of the news comes out of the playoffs. First off, news out of Memphis as the late run which got them in the playoffs was enough for Showboat ownership to remove the “interim” from Coach Cameron’s title. The young offensive guru will become one of the youngest coaches in the league, taking over for Buddy Ryan, who is still protesting his dismissal. Cameron will need to bolster a defense which has been slowly eroding over the past few years, and may want to find another weapon for Heath Shuler. There is no word yet on whether or not he will make changes to the coaching staff, especially on the defensive side, now that he has locked up his own role with the club. In other coaching news, the Atlanta Fire and Arizona Wranglers have begun their search process, with each seeking permission to speak with coordinators around the league, as well as a few feelers in NFL circles. Arizona has got to get some offensive help without weakening a defense which has been their calling card for several years. The prospect of seeking a rookie QB (We all know who) means that they will want to get an established offensive mind either at the Head Coach or OC positions. Atlanta, on the other hand, may be looking for a defensive mind. Their offense needs help, to be sure, but they suffered too many blowouts to ignore a defense that ranked 24th in the league in points allowed and 23rd against the rush. Whoever steps in for the Fire will also have to deal with a potential QB issue as ownership clearly wants Eric Zeier to be the face of the franchise, but fans and many on the team feel that Cliff Stoudt, should he remain active and not retire, gives the Fire a better chance to win now. Finally, the first few retirements have been announced, and some teams will now be scrambling to replace key pieces of their squads as some pretty important components of their teams are heading off into the sunset. LA will have to start over after their one big name player, HB Marcus Allen, after suffering 2 rough seasons with the Express, has opted to step away from the game. A potential NFL Hall of Famer, Allen struggled with the expansion club, a team not built to support him with effective run blocking. In Washington, All-USFL Left Tackle Ken Lanier has said his goodbyes, leaving a hole for the Federals to fill. Many expect Don Majkowski to do likewise, but so far there has been no word from the veteran QB. A surprise in Portland, where HB and return specialist Amp Lee has opted to step away from the game, despite being a league leader. Lee joins LB Billie Ray Smith as departures from the Portland franchise. Orlando will be looking at bringing youth in at LB after veterans Tim Green and Van Waiters have opted to put their cleats away for good. This was not unexpected, unlike in Oakland where the Invaders were shocked that Ken Harvey has also decided to retire. He joins fellow LB Randy Kirk as newly-dubbed ex-Invaders. Coach Mora has mentioned the need to revitalize a defense that clearly did not have enough athleticism this year, and it looks like LB will be the first place to start the rebuild. In New Jersey, Coach Knox will have to start with the O-line as their one stalwart, center Mike Baab, has stepped away from the game. The Generals need upgrades across the entire roster but losing Baab’s leadership will certainly be a blow to an already undermanned offense. The QB position remains one where most eyes around the league are keeping a close watch. In addition to Don Majkowski and Cliff Stoudt, there are rumors that Jim Kelly may be ready to step away, and could be hoping to do so on top as league champion. Doug Flutie has confirmed that he is coming back for 1997, having found new life in Michigan, and Bobby Hebert has brushed off numerous questions about his future in Oakland. We expect some news soon on the players on non-playoff teams, but the question of Kelly will remain unanswered as long as the Gamblers remain in contention during the playoffs.

It’s playoff time in the USFL. 24 teams down to the 10 best, ready to compete for a trophy, a ring, and the title of World Champions. Sixteen weeks of blood, sweat and tears behind them. Four weeks of the toughtest football they have ever played ahead of them. Ten teams hoping to etch their names into the history books, hoping to prove that they are the best. Only one can hold aloft the John Bassett Trophy, only one can be dubbed Champions of the USFL. Will it be a familiar name like the Gamblers or Stars, or an upstart like St. Louis or Memphis. Can Pittsburgh return to glory the hard way, as a road team? Can Denver, New Orleans, or Tampa claim the glory that has so long evaded them? It’s playoff time in the USFL, and that means that every game matters, every play matters. It’s summertime and for the past 14 years that has meant it’s time for some football. We have poured over these squads, looked at the film, studied all 16 regular season games for each, and this is our best estimation of who is going to take this home, starting with the longshots and working our way to the favorites. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (9-7, 4TH in Central Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 2-3, with losses to Chicago and Houston to end the year. STARS: QB Jamie Martin, HB Terrell Davis, WR Qadry Ismail, DE Jerry Reese, LB Lamar Lathon OUTLOOK: The Breakers have a tough path forward. They did not end the season particularly strong, and must start their playoff run in Michigan. They did beat the Panthers in their last matchup, but have dropped 3 of 4 since then. Coach Ditka will want to clamp down on Michigan HB Tyrone Wheatley, and he will try to shorten the game with Terrell Davis running the ball. Of course, a win in Michigan means facing Houston next, a team that just beat the Breakers in the Super Dome a week ago. We just don’t think it is in the cards for the Breakers this year. PITTSBURGH MAULERS (9-7, 3rd in Atlantic Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 4-1, a late season surge with Robbie Bosco as QB got them here. STARS: QB Robbie Bosco, HB Mike Rozier, WR Raynard Brown, LB Demetrius Dubose, LB Godfrey Miles OUTLOOK: The Defending Champs know how to do this. They still have Mike Rozier toting the rock, and they still have the best LB Corps in football with Miles, Dubose and Kumerow locking down the opposition. Their pass defense has not been ideal, 21st in the league, which could be a problem against Memphis, but they have good coaching and a solid shot at getting past the Showboats to face Baltimore, a club they defeated 24-7 just 3 weeks ago. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (9-7, 2nd in Southern Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 4-1, the Boats surged under interim HC Cam Cameron. STARS: QB Heath Shuler, HB Moe Williams, WR Carl Pickens, WR Joe Horn, DE Reggie White, OUTLOOK: Memphis used to be seen as a defensive club, but not this year. While Reggie White at times seems like the only guy giving 100% on defense, the offense under Cameron and with growth by Heath Shuler has vastly improved. Moe Williams did not reach 1,000 yards, but is a solid option, but the key to the Showboats is Shuler throwing the ball to Pickens, Horn, and TE Adrian Cooper. With Pittsburgh having major issues in pass defense, this is the angle Memphis will take to get past the defending champs and on to Baltimore. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (10-6, 3rd in Central Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 2-3, including a loss to New Orleans. STARS: QB Doug Flutie, HB Tyrone Wheatley, WR Weegie Thompson, DE Renaldo Turnbull, CB Chris Snyder OUTLOOK: Michigan lives off of the run game, play action and a defense that forces turnovers. But they have also proven to be inconsistent all season, with big wins against St. Louis, Washington and Memphis,in recent weeks, but also losses to Texas, Seattle and their opponents in the Wild Card Round, New Orleans. We don’t see the Panthers being good enough on either side of the ball to go all the way, but they have the weapons to challenge New Orleans before getting a major test against the Houston Gamblers. PHILADELPHIA STARS (9-7, 2nd in Atlantic Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 2-3 and have only won divisional games since Week 11 STARS: QB Chuck Long, HB Charlie Garner, WR Cris Carter, DE Regan Upshaw, CB Lorenzo Lynch OUTLOOK: Philadelphia seems to have backed their way into the playoffs, with their last month not impressing many. Only a win over hapless New Jersey kept them from going 0-for-June. Not a good sign with the Tampa Bay Bandits on the schedule. The Stars’ defense will be tested early and often by Tampa’s balanced attack. We are not feeling confident that the group we have seen over the past month can get the job done. ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS (10-5-1, 2nd in Central Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 4-1, only a 2-point loss in Michigan tarnished their home stretch. STARS: QB Todd Collins, HB Darrell Thompson, WR Rocket Ismail, CB Troy Vincent, SS Rodney Harrison OUTLOOK: A defense that was Top 5 in both scoring and yards allowed has been the key for the Knights. This is a club that does not allow long drives, with an offense that focuses on ball control and playing it safe. They match up well against Denver, a team in the same mold. If the Knights can win the turnover battle, and avoid costly penalties, they have a shot against the Gold, and then they find themselves in the Western Conference Championship, quite the Cinderella story. DENVER GOLD (11-5, 1st in Pacific Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 3-2, with a 1-point loss to St. Louis 3 weeks ago. STARS: QB Mark Brunell, HB Rashaan Salaam, WR Odessa Turner, DE Leslie O’Neill, LB Kurt Gouveia OUTLOOK: Denver is one of those sneaky-good teams. They got a lot of easy wins in a pretty week Pacific Division, but they have also knocked off some solid clubs, with wins over several playoff clubs. They will not blow anyone out, that is just not in their DNA, but with Mark Brunell’s efficiency and a solid defense, they will hang around and find a way at the end. Add in that home field advantage for their first match against the Knights and things look good for Denver to have a shot at the Western Conference. TAMPA BAY BANDITS (12-4, 1st in Southern Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 5-0, as part of a 7-game win streak, the longest in the league. STARS: QB Troy Aikman, HB Errict Rhett, WR Shannon Baker, TE Ben Coates, CB Eric Allen, LB Kevin Mitchell OUTLOOK: Tampa has been the hottest team in the league since the midseason mark, rattling off 7 straight wins. They have a potent offense, led by Aikman and Rhett, with a lot of passing targets, including Shannot Baker (24 yards per catch), Robert Brooks, and the underrated Ben Coates at TE. Their defense has improved, but remains in the bottom half of the league. If they are going to make a run at their first title since 1983, which seems very possible, it will be the offense which leads them there. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (11-4-1, 1st in Central Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 4-1, with a 6-1-1 record in the Astrodome this year. STARS: QB Jim Kelly, HB Thurman Thomas, WR Antonio Freeman, WR Brett Perriman, DE Kavika Pittman OUTLOOK: We spend so much time praising the Houston offense that we often overlook a defense that has some playmakers as well. Rookie Kavika Pittman is a legit ROTY candidate with 13 sacks this season, and while everyone looks at Jim Kelly’s gaudy 1996 numbers, the Gamblers have the #2 pass defense in football. That combo, the wide open offense and a pass D that prevents comebacks when teams get behind, is a tough combo to overcome. We think Houston, a perennial Summer Bowl participant, has a real shot at getting back there again. BALTIMORE BLITZ (13-3, 1st in Atlantic Division) LAST 5 GAMES: 3-2, clinching the division and #1 seed nearly a month ago. STARS: QB Chris Miller, HB Barry Foster, DE Mike Piel, DT William Perry, DT John Randall, CB Leslie Frazier OUTLOOK: The best front 4 in football makes the Blitz a terror to play. They stuff the run and they get after the QB. Yes, the Blitz let off the throttle after a 12-1 start locked up the conference 4 weeks ago, and there are fears they won’t be able to crank up the energy, but have you ever spoken with John Randall, I don’t think energy will be a problem. Baltimore’s offense is nothing to write home about, ranked 10th in scoring and 11th in yardage, but when you have a defense that only allows 15.9 points per game, you don’t need to rack up a ton of points. Baltimore starts off their potential run with either Memphis Pittsburgh, the two teams who beat them in the past month, but in neither game did Baltimore show much. We expect a ton of new blitz packages, complex zones, and lockdown play out of D Coordinator Dick Lebeau. If defense wins championships, this is a team that you might want to place a few bucks on in Vegas. OUR PREDICTIONS: it is hard to get past Houston or Baltimore at the top of each conference. We think both have a better than good chance of making Summer Bowl 1996 in the Meadowlands. Once there it is anyone’s guess. Immovable object or unstoppable force? Houston has come up short the last two times they have been to the Big Game, and we just don’t know if they can do it against a Baltimore squad that has played so well against top offenses. We are going to pick Baltimore to get their first title against Houston, just as Pittsburgh did last year. Sorry, Jim Kelly. We loved you this year, but we are picking the Blitz to take home the title.

(Note: The program for some reason put Pittsburgh ahead of Philadelphia but still gave Philly the #3 seed and Pittsburgh #4. So, we work from the premise that Philly should be listed 2nd here). PLAYOFF SEEDS EAST: 1-Baltimore 2-Tampa Bay 3-Philadelphia 4-Pittsburgh 5-Memphis WEST: 1-Houston 2-Denver 3-St. Louis 4-Michigan 5-New Orleans

For the first time in many years we had a Week 18 where no team felt safe enough in its standing to rest its starters. All 24 clubs had a reason to try for the win, and all 24 let the week play out, though some did opt to bench key players who were injured and a few were able to swap in some backups late in the game. Still, with division titles, playoff seeding, and playoff berths still on the line, there was a lot to play for, which gave us that rare joy of quality Week 18 games. It all came down to this, a Southern Division showdown, winner gets the Wild Card, loser is out of the playoffs. After a stunning loss to New Jersey in Week 15, the Orlando Renegades now would have to face a Memphis squad that just knocked off the Baltimore Blitz. This would be a slugfest, with everything on the line, just what you want from a Week 18 play in game. The game started off fully in Memphis’s favor, with over 53,000 on hand at the Liberty Bowl, and a pumped up Showboats squad. The ‘Boats came out of the gate ready to roll, scoring on their first two possessions, with Heath Shuler racking up 1st quarter yardage and finding both of his big receivers, Carl Pickens and rookie Joe Horn on scoring strikes to take a 14-0 lead in the 1st. Orlando would calm things down in the 2nd with a Mitchell to Danny Knight TD that brought them back to within a score, and the defense started to find answers as well, holding Memphis to only 39 yards of offense in the quarter as Orlando crawled back, first with Knight’s TD and then with back to back Charlie Baumann field goals. At the half it was a paper thin lead for the Showboats, 14-13. That lead disappeared in the 3rd as Orlando continued to frustrate Shuler and the Showboats. Moe Williams was simply not able to get much going on the ground, and would finish the day with only a 2.3 yards per carry average. Orlando, on the other hand, got good production from both Terry Kirby and Kantroy Barber, with both averaging just over 5 yards per carry. The Renegades would add 6 points on two field goals to take a 19-14 lead in the the final period before Memphis again found the endzone. Memphis shifted things up at the end of the third, going with more 2-tight end formations and using Adrian Cooper as an offensive weapon. Shuler would connect on 7 consecutive passes and with 10:07 left in the quarter he found Joe Horn in the endzone. The 2 point conversion, a bootleg run with a pitchout to Williams, put the Showboats back on top by 3 at 22-19. But it would be a short-lived lead as Orlando hit on a deep ball from Mitchell to Bert Emmanuel, getting them in range for Charlie Baumann to even the score with 1:03 left to play. But, as we have seen all season, a tie score with a minute left is not a guaranteed ticket to overtime. But, when Memphis missed on a 3rd and 11 at their own 38, things looked bleak. The Showboats punted, and punter Chris Becker hit a beauty. The coverage team did their job and downed the ball at the 1 yard line. Despite the poor field position Orlando still had all the cards. All they needed was one first down and Memphis would have to burn all their time outs. But, as we all know, any time you snap the ball there is a chance for something to happen, and that is exactly what we saw when on 2nd and 10 from the 1, Mitchell gave the ball to Kantroy Barber on a dive left, but the exchange was not ideal, and when Eddie Simmons clipped Barber at the line, the ball came loose, there was a mad scramble as the ball rolled back into the endzone, and when the pile was sorted out it was DE Tony Hill of the Showboats who held it. Memphis was awarded the touchdown and the stadium erupted in delirium. The Showboats would be headed to the playoffs. At the end of a crazy season that saw their former head coach dismissed after taking a swing at their current head coach, the Showboats had pulled it out in the most unexpected way. HOU 35 NOR 30 The other big games this week were in the Central, as all 3 had playoff implications. Houston came into the week leading the division and thanks to 4 TDs from Kelly (Perriman, Heller, Dilger, and Pruitt), the Gamblers walked away with the division crown. New Orleans fought hard, and had a strong day from HB Terrell Davis, and they will be in the playoffs as a Wild Card, but the loss pushed them to the 5th seed, meaning a road game next week. CHI 23 STL 44 The Knights got a strong game from Todd Collins (4 TDs) and when the St. Louis defense knocked Dan McGwire out of the game in the 2nd quarter, this game was all but over. Alex Van pelt came in and threw two TD’s to make it respectable, but he also threw 2 picks, which helped St. Louis build up a sizeable lead. The Knights will be a 3-seed in the West, giving them a bye and a Divisional round matchup at Denver. MGN 10 TEX 37 Michigan had a shot at a bye but came out flat against Texas. The Outlaws were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but played like a team on the cusp of a postseason bid as they outmuscled the Panthers. Reggie Cobb looked solid, rushing for 132 yards on 19 carries, a 6.9-yard average. Meanwhile Tyrone Wheatley, nursing a sore ankle, had only 11 carries for 23 yards. The Panthers still head into the postseason, but will now have to play next week, hosting New Orleans in the Wild Card round. DEN 31 SEA 3 Denver looked to be firing on all cylinders as they prepped for the playoffs with a blowout win over the Seattle Dragons. The defense held Seattle to 240 total yards and the Gold took a 14-0 lead at the half and just kept adding to it throughout the game. Denver will be a 2 seed and will host St. Louis in the divisional round. BAL 22 PHI 14 The Blitz played their starters for only 3 quarters but still were able to upend the Stars in Philadelphia. The Stars have struggled on offense down the stretch and that was certainly the case against Baltimore’s defense as Chuck Long was picked off twice. Baltimore rested Barry Foster in the game, but backup Derrick Fenner did well in relief, rushing for 65 yards on 18 carries. NJ 7 WSH 16 With nothing to play for but pride the Federals gave Kordell Stewart the start and the young QB showed more skill, passing for 241 and evading several Phil Hansen sacks (though Hansen would get to him twice on the day to set a new USFL record.) New Jersey was uninspired on offense, gaining a grand total of 204 yards and we fully expect a new OC to be helping out Chuck Knox next Spring after a truly miserable offensive year by the Generals. OHI 14 PIT 38 Rickey Foggie finally had a halfway decent game for Ohio, but it was not nearly enough as the Maulers put the first 38 points on the board before Ohio could score late. Robbie Bosco started for the Maulers and looked solid, completing 16 of 20 before giving way to John Fourcade after 3 quarters. With the win the Maulers secured a Wild Card and will now face the Showboats in Memphis next week. TBY 24 ATL 19 Atlanta gave Tampa a scare, as the Bandits still had a shot at the East’s #1 seed when the game began. Atlanta QB Cliff Stoudt, in what may be his last game as a pro, completed 36 of 54 attempts for 336 yards on the day. For Tampa the deciding score did not come until late in the 4th quarter when Troy Aikman hit Freddie Solomon for a 32-yard TD to ice the game and set up a playoff matchup against Philly next week in Tampa Stadium. JAX 41 BIR 20 The long, odd season for Brett Favre came to a close as his Stallions were thoroughly outplayed by another team with an equally disappointing year, Jacksonville. Chris Chandler threw for 3 scores and the combo of Jamie Morris and Marquette Smith rushed for 131 yards against a dispirited Stallion defense. Both teams will head home to reassess and decide what missing pieces they need to find in order to meet expectations next year. ARZ 7 OAK 17 In what most expected to be Ted Tollner’s last game, the issues that cost him games all year were there again. Trent Green, the supposed future at the position, threw 4 picks to Oakland defenders and the run game simply never showed up. For Oakland, little solace was taken in Siran Stacy’s 119-yard day. Expect to see a new HB sharing carries with Stacy next year as he clearly is not meant to be a bell cow back. Meanwhile, all eyes in Arizona now turn to the draft and the prospect of signing local hero Jake Plummer. LA 10 POR 20 Portland ended the year 8-8 by knocking off a shorthanded and uninspired LA Express club. Robert Drummond locked up his second consecutive league rushing title by adding 104 yards to his season total, but there was little joy in the Rose City as 8-8 was not what fans expected from the Thunder last year. Time for both Coach Tobin and Coach Neuheisel to start assessing needs, shortcomings, and prospects as they offseason awaits. BLACK MONDAY: As the regular season draws to a close two things are inevitable, that 10 teams have more football to play, and that 14 other clubs look at their season and hope to do better next year. A big part of that process is changing leadership, and so we come to another Black Monday, when USFL coaches who failed to show improvement, meet expectations, or guide their teams where preseason hopes anticipated them being are shown the door. This year appears to be a rather mild year, with only two new transitions announced on Monday. We already saw Buddy Ryan released midseason after a bizarre sideline blowup. Cam Cameron retains the position on an interim basis at least for another week as he has guided Memphis to a Wild Card match against Pittsburgh. We also knew that Ted Marchibroda would be stepping down and Emmitt Thomas would become the new Head Ball Coach in the Steel City, but Marchibroda has at least one more game with the Maulers as well. On Monday two very anticipated moves were made. Arizona, after a catastrophic season, and despite an overall record of 61-67 in his 8 seasons in Tempe, have released Ted Tollner from his duties. Tollner, who was an early favorite in the desert, guiding the Wranglers to the 1990 Summer Bowl, has found it hard to meet expectations, and this year in particular there were claims that he had lost the locker room. A 4-win season is never fully the blame of any one person, but in the case of Tollner, the inability to use his background as an offensive guru to produce a top tier offense in Arizona was clearly a core reason why management opted to move on. Just what Arizona will look for in a head coach is very much up in the air, but one thing seems clear, they are going to lobby hard to try to get Arizona State’s Heisman nominee QB Jake Plummer to become the next leader of the Wranglers. Having traded Robbie Bosco to Pittsburgh, and with Trent Green having a rough year in Arizona, it seems very likely they will do all in their power to have Plummer as their golden boy next year. In Atlanta, it is less about faded glory and more about missed expectations. Dan Reeves was expected to build a winner quickly with the expansion Fire. While 2 seasons hardly seems adequate to turn an expansion roster into a playoff contender, Atlanta’s absolute inability to generate offense, and their propensity to be blown out did not bode well for the former Bronco head coach. Stories of clashes between Reeves and the front office of the Fire also did not help the situation. Conflict arose as the front office pushed the idea of starting former U. of Georgia QB Eric Zeier, while it seemed obvious that Reeves preferred the veteran Cliff Stoudt. When Reeves returned to Stoudt as the starter in the final month of the season, it was viewed by many as a thumbing of the nose at the ownership in Atlanta. He was unlikely to be resigned for a 3rd year prior to that, but that move certainly burned the bridge between Reeves and management. Expect Atlanta to look for an offensive playcaller like a Mike Shanahan or Sherm Lewis of the NFL, or possibly Houston Gambler OC Chan Gailey. Sighs of relief we expect from two other coaches as the ownership of both the LA and Seattle expansion clubs must have felt that improvement over year 1 was on pace. The Express had only a modest improvement on the field, from 4-12 in their inaugural season to 5-11. Seattle, under Woody Widenhofer, saw better growth, jumping to 6-10 after a miserable 1-15 inaugural year. The emergence of unheralded rookie QB Jon Kitna has folks in the Emerald City optimistic, while a season of rotating QB’s as Brent Pease had trouble staying healthy, doomed the LA Express, and Head Coach Rick Neuheisel to a series of erratic performances. The only other coach who was on a potential hot seat, Orlando’s George O’Leary, had his Renegades in contention up until the final 2 weeks of the year, when back-to-back losses doomed their playoff chances. But, it seems Orlando ownership is content with back to back 8-8 seasons, at least for now. Expect pressure to be on in Orlando in 1997 as a third season with no playoff tickets to sell may not go in O’Leary’s favor. RECORDS BROKEN: While not all the records we have been watching were busted this year, we did see a few fall by the wayside. Jim Kelly was able to tie, but not surpass Brett Favre’s record of 47 touchdowns in a season, but a strong Week 16 game did propel him to a new record for yards passing in a season with 5,417, nearly 300 yards beyond the 1992 mark set by Favre. Mark Brunell had a pair of rough games at the end of the year for Denver, missing out on Joe Montana’s record completion percentage of 72.5, and landing 9th at 71.1 for the year. Two other passing marks we were not even tracking were surpassed this year as well, as Kelly Stouffer set new marks for both pass attempts (690) and Completions (476). In both cases Stouffer lept past Jack Trudeau’s marks of 682 and 470, evidence that the USFL continues to be a passing league. Stouffer also landed on the Top 10 list in an area he did not want, as his 14 fumbles this year are 3rd all time, though well behind the stunning record of 28 fumbles set by Walter Lewis back in 1985. Joey Galloway also fell short of a record as he was severely hamstrung by the injury to QB Jeff Hostetler. With the erratic Rickey Foggie closing out the season under center, Galloway’s production took a huge hit, and he ended the year below 1,900 yards and well short of Eric Truvillion’s 1986 mark of 1,959 yards. Galloway places 6th all time, with Truvillion ahead of him 3 times along with Derek Holloway and Carlos Carson once each. Chris Snyder becomes one of many to reach for Raphel Cherry’s record of 9 picks in a season only to fall 1 interception short. The simple fact is that when he raced out to 6, then 7, then 8 picks, teams noticed and started avoiding putting the ball in his range. It is just that simple. His 4 interceptions returned for TD’s is a record for a season however, and his 209 yards in interception returns is 2nd all time. And finally, Phil Hansen is his own toughest competition, as he broke the record he set 5 years ago, securing 25 sacks in 16 games this year, 2 more than his prior mark (shared with Dexter Manley’s 1993 season). Hansen was the one positive thing to come out of a chaotic year for New Jersey, making him clearly the biggest name on the roster for the Generals. The other star in New Jersey was, unfortunately for Generals fans, punter Ray Criswell, who set a league record with 5,364 yards in punts, not exactly a statistic that most clubs want to own. INJURY REPORT: Rather than review all the bumps and bruises for clubs that are either resting for a week or setting up to play some golf, we are going to limit our look at the injury situation for just the 4 Wild Card clubs that will be in action next week. Here, before we comment, is the injury report from each club: Pittsburgh—Louis Lipps WR (Out), Rod Milstead G (Probable) Memphis—Reggie White DE (Probable) Michigan—Ted Johnson LB (Out), Butch Rolle TE (Questionable), Frank Cornish C (Probable), W. Thompson WR (Probable) New Orleans—Lamar Lathon LB (Probable) Honestly, for teams that have played 16 grueling games, this is a remarkably healthy set of Wild Card clubs. The injury to Lamar Lathon in New Orleans is unlikely to keep him out, and we know Reggie White will play for Memphis even if not 100%. So that leaves Pitsburgh and Michigan. The Maulers have depth at the guard position, so even if Milstead cannot go, they should be solid, and they have been playing without Lipps for several weeks without missing a beat. Michigan could miss Ted Johnson’s athleticism and motor in the LB corps, and they would love to have Butch Rolle on hand, but that seems unlikely. But all things considered, we don’t think injuries will play a big factor in next week’s games. Two interesting Wild Card games on the docket. In the first we have two division foes going at it for a 3rd time as Michigan hosts the New Orleans Breakers. The Panthers thrashed the Breakers 45-23 in Pontiac on the season’s 3rd week, but New Orleans evened the series with a 26-20 win in the Super Dome. Both clubs come in relatively healthy (as outlined above), though the loss of LB Ted Johnson could be an issue for the Panther D. They will likely replace him with either Ricky Shaw or Alondra Johnson, while defensive play calls will now run through outside linebacker Hardy Nickerson. The key for this game is likely to be the run game. If either Tyrone Wheatley or Terrell Davis can start off strong, that will take pressure off of Flutie and Martin, and that makes play action so much more dangerous. Our pick: We like the way the Panthers have been playing (this week’s loss excluded) and we like the experience of Doug Flutie at QB in this one. Panthers by 5. In the other matchup we have something of a rarity, two teams that did not meet in the regular season. Both Pittsburgh and Memphis had to win some tough games late to get into the playoff mix, with Memphis winning 4 of their last 5, including an impressive win over Baltimore and a Loser Goes Home showdown with Orlando this week. Pittsburgh has also been impressive since getting Robbie Bosco in trade from the Wranglers. Winners of 5 of their last 6, Pittsburgh also pulled off the win against the Blitz, but the rest of their wins were not as impressive (Arizona, New Jersey, Chicago, Birmingham and Ohio). We know what to look for from the Maulers, Rozier, and more Rozier. If it ain’t broke, why fix it. For Memphis, it all comes down to how young Heath Shuler deals with the pressure. Our Pick: We have to go with the defending league champions. Sure, this is not the same team, and without Alan Risher or Louis Lipps, they are far more reliant on Mike Rozier than they should be, but for a 32-year-old, Rozier still has it, and experience is all in Pittsburgh’s favor.

Division Winners: Baltimore, Denver, Tampa Bay Playoff Berths: Houston, Michigan, St. Louis, Philadelphia Eliminated: Atlanta, Arizona, Oakland, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Birmingham, Ohio, Seattle, Texas.

Two weeks left in the regular season and things are heating up. Only 1 team, the Michigan Panthers, were able to add themselves to the playoff pool this week, and after this week we still have 7 teams battling for 3 playoff spots, including 5 teams in the East who could still nab a Wild Card. Tampa wins their 6th in a row, while Philly seems to be struggling down the stretch. Houston regains their hold on the top seed out west, while Denver stays in the hunt. Pittsburgh finds a way to win despite Bosco having to sit one out, and in Orlando the New Jersey Generals refuse to go gently into the night. Memphis upends Baltimore as the Blitz seem to be coasting perhaps a bit too much towards that #1 seed. It all happened in Week 15 of the USFL season, and here is how it went down. It is hard to be at the top, a lesson St. Louis learned this week as they took up the mantle as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Their first task was to go to Pontiac to face the Michigan Panthers in the SilverDome, and predictably, Michigan was not ready to bow to the crown. The Panther, led by a plucky Doug Flutie, bedeviled the Knight defense, avoided turnovers, and converted on 3rd downs to not only hang with the Knights, but to knock them off their perch as the conference’s top seed. Home Field advantage helped spur the Panthers to an early lead as the Michigan crowd was loud and engaged as the game began. Michigan shut down Todd Collins on the Knights’ first possession and then the Michigan O proceeded to “matriculate the ball down the field” in the famous words of Hank Stram. They held onto the ball for 10:22 and 16 plays on their way to a short TD catch from Weegie Thompson, who would finish the day with 110 yards and 9 receptions. On their next possession, after yet another St. Louis 3-and-out, the Panthers would add 3 more to go up 10-0 after 1 period. St. Louis would turn the tide a bit in the second half as their offense finally got some positive plays. They opened with a field goal on a short drive following a shanked Michigan punt, and then, after nearly picking off Flutie on a 3rd and 7, they took the ball on their own 22 and drove down the field, mixing runs from Alfred Jenkins with passes by Collins to Alex Higdon and Greg Scales until they found themselves on the Panther 7 yard line. Giving the ball not to Jenkins, but to big Craig Hayward, who has been seeing more time at HB with the injury to Darrell Thopmson, Hayward, rumbled into the endzone for the tying score. With time running down in the 2nd quarter, Michigan had an answer, moving the ball into range for Brad Daluiso, and the home team went into the locker room with a 3-point lead at the half. They would come out and again build the lead to 10 thanks to a beautiful catch by Muhsin Muhamad on a 3rd and 13 that kept the drive alive. Flutie would repay Muhammad 3 plays later, hitting him for the score on a corner route. Down 20-10, St. Louis still struggled on offense, but their special teams and defense found ways to help the cause. After a beautifully played punt gave Michigan a 1st and 10 on their own 2 yard line, St. Louis used a run blitz on first down to stuff the Panthers on the 1, and then blitzed a second time, nearly nabbing Flutie in the end zone, but just as well, drawing a holding call which provided St. Louis with 2 points and the ball. The Knights would garner another Cole Ford field goal at the end of their post-safety possession, and now trailed Michigan by 5. When Daluiso connected from 33 yards out on Michigan’s next possession, it was an 8-point lead for the home team, with about 6 minutes left to play. St. Louis would need a touchdown and the 2-point PAT to equalize. Collins moved the Knights down the field efficiently, despite a pair of penalties (2 of the 8 on the day for the Knights) which forced the Knights to overcome a 1st and 15 and a 2nd and 20 on the drive. They would eventually punch it in when Collins hit Hayward on a swing pass from 2 yards out to pull within 2. But, with Hayward limping off the field after the play, they could not count on a 2 yard plunge to tie the game. Instead Coach Johnson called on Collins to bootleg out to the right and try to find Alex Higdon crossing in the endzone. Higdon was in position, but a missed block by 2nd TE Scales gave Bryce Paup an angle on Collins, and just as Collins released the ball, he collided with Paup, sending the ball fluttering outside the grasp of Higdon. The Knights fell in Michigan, and that loss dropped them all the way from 1st in the conference to 4th and a Wild Card with a play-in game, dropping below both Houston and Michigan in the division. Now the Knights need to win when they host Chicago this weekend, and they need help, from New Orleans (hosting Houston) and Texas (hosting Michigan) if they want to find themselves back atop the division and the conference. For the Panthers, the win assured them a playoff spot, and a win will get them a bye week as the #3 seed, but if they also get help from the Breakers, and a Houston loss, Michigan could claim first in the division and perhaps the entire conference. A good place to be for Flutie and the Panthers, who are playing some of their best ball right now. NOR 17 CHI 22 The other real nail biter this week was in Chicago, where the Machine refuse to give up on a potential playoff run. Chicago has won 3 in a row since Coach Schottenheimer subbed McGwire for Scott Zolak, and in this week’s game McGwire did just enough to knock off the Breakers and tighten up the hunt for the final Wild Card in the West. Chicago limited Terrell Davis to 46 yards rushing and picked off Jamie Martin twice, putting the Breakers’ season on the edge and keeping the Machine alive into Week 16. TEX 7 HOU 40 The Gamblers did not mess around and by the end of the day they once again were sitting pretty atop the conference. Jim Kelly surpassed 5,000 yards passing and threw 2 more touchdowns on his way to an easy victory. Thurman Thomas chipped in 74 yards on the ground, another 46 in the air, and 3 scores as Houston rolled over the “playing out the string” Outlaws. POR 20 ARZ 30 What happened to the Thunder this year? They have just not been able to get a streak going, losing to Arizona in Tempe and giving Trent Green his best game to date. Green’s 323 yards and 3 TDs garnered him Offensive POTW honors and Courtney Hawkins had himself a game, scoring 3 times on 9 receptions. Robert Drummond was the lone bright spot for Portland, who fall out of playoff contention with the loss. OAK 23 DEN 29 OT Oakland took the Gold to overtime before a Rashaan Salaam TD run ended the game and moved Denver to 10-5 on the season. Bobby Hebert looked like his old self, going 30 of 41 or 252 and 2 scores on the day, and the Invaders actually showed some defensive grit as well, holding off the Gold to get the game into overtime, but in the end the better team got the W. SEA 14 LA 21 Brent Pease returned and hit his favorite target Mike Pritchard for 3 TDs and 120 yards receiving as the Express outdueled the Dragons. Marcus Allen also looked good against the Dragon D, rushing for 71 yards on only 9 carries. The win assures that LA, along with Ohio and Seattle will have won more games in 1996 than 1995, a statement that shows that despite their difficulties, there can still be optimism in these expansion cities. PHI 13 ATL 15 The Fire, not wanting to miss out on the optimism, pulled off a huge upset on Sunday by knocking off the Philadelphia Stars. A sparse crowd of just under 12,000 were on hand to watch the Fire play some pretty solid defense on a hot, muggy afternoon. The Stars were limited to only 270 total yards as Chuck Long threw two picks and Charlie Garner had to leave the game early with a hamstring injury. For Atlanta, this marks their 4th win of the year, which may not be enough to save Coach Reeves from Black Friday. PIT 34 BIR 20 The Maulers continue to find ways to win despite having to resort to John Fourcade with Robbie Bosco unable to go. Fourcade responded with one of his best performances against an admittedly iffy Stallion defense. Fourcade went 29 of 38 for 295 yards and tossed 3 TDs on the day as Pittsburgh put themselves right in the thick of the playoff hunt and guaranteed the Stallions a losing season. JAX 20 WSH 7 Jacksonville played spoilers, seriously hurting Washington’s hopes for a Wild Card spot with a convincing win. The Bulls picked off Don Majkowski 4 times and got enough offense from HBs Jamie Morris and Marquette Smith to keep the Feds at bay. Dokie Williams was another big part of the story as he caught 7 balls for 101 yards and both Bulls touchdowns. BAL 13 MEM 16 Baltimore cannot be happy about the recent lack of energy from their squad, losing 2 in a row as the season winds down. Barry Foster was dinged up in the game and could miss the season finale, and Chris Miller made a few too many mistakes as Memphis, under interim coach Cam Cameron got a much needed win to stay alive in the playoff race. The Showboats still need help to lock up a Wild Card, but they are playing good ball right now. NJ 24 ORL 17 Another shocker as lifeless New Jersey got the better of an Orlando squad that was fighting for a playoff spot. Tommy Maddox got some help as Bam Morris returned from injury and rushed for 42 yards on only 7 carries. The New Jersey defense did the rest, holding Orlando out of the endzone on 2 key drives late to secure a rare Generals win. With the loss, Orlando now falls out of the 4th position and finds itself in a 3 way tie for 2 spots, with Pittsburgh having the tiebreaker and Memphis showing a lot of fight as well. OHI 3 TBY 42 The Bandits wrapped up the Southern Division Crown in style, crushing an impotent Ohio Glory squad, outgaining the Glory 527 to 152 on the day. With Rickey Foggie at QB the Glory simply had nothing going. Even Joey Galloway was hamstrung, gaining only 48 yards in the air and likely killing any hope that he would match Eric Truvillion’s league record for receiving yards. Seems only fitting that it would be Truvillion’s Bandits that would crush that dream. Troy Aikman passed for 3 scores and Errict Rhett had his best game of the year with 125 yards as the Bandits locked up a bye and a home game in the Divisionals. COACHING CHANGE: Nope, not a late season firing, though there certainly are fan groups calling for a few of those. This is a transition, not a restart. Coach Ted Marchibroda confirmed rumors out of Pittsburgh that he will be stepping down at the end of this season. With Pittsburgh making a late surge and very likely to be a contender, Marchibroda confirmed that win or lose, the defending Summer Bowl Champs will have a new head coach in 1997. That coach has already been named as Pittsburgh, seeking continuity with the very successful current squad, has already revealed that for the 1997 season their defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas would be named the Head Coach. Thomas has helped Pittsburgh become a solid defensive squad, currently #6 against the run, but has also taken heat for some of the team’s woes against the pass. While an uncontroversial pick in many senses, the former KC Chief cornerback, will be one of the first African-American coaches in the USFL, and the first to coach in Pittsburgh. ROZIER TO GO AS WELL?: Last season, after winning the title, many felt certain that Mike Rozier would call it a career while on top. He did not, returning this year. After suffering a few minor injuries this year, Rozier returned this week and a decent week helped him return to the Top 5 In rushing yards after slowly dropping on the list. He will likely finish Top 5 once again, and may help spur the Maulers on in the playoffs. But with his good friend and QB Alan Risher retiring, and now a new head coach on the horizon, will this be the tipping point that sends the 32 year old back into retirement. We could be looking at a very different Mauler squad next year without Marchibroda, Risher or Rozier. PASSING FANCY: The USFL has been a passing league since its inception, but that seems never more true than this year. With 1 week left to play we already have 6 QB’s with over 4,000 yards passing, including Jim Kelly’s 5,068. Joining him on that list are Heath Shuler (4,630), Chris Chandler (4,460), Brett Favre (4,395), Bobby Hebert (4,220), and Troy Aikman (4,101). If they have even mediocre games next week we can expect Chris Miller (3,923) and Scott Mitchell (3,842) to join the club as well. That is a lot of yards on a lot of teams. Compare that to the HB position, in which we have only 6 backs over 1,000 yards, with a chance it will reach 8 if Errict Rhett and Ricky Watters have good weeks in Week 16, but only 1 back over even 1,200 (Drummond) and no chance anyone is going to be catching Herschel Walker’s 1983 record. It has become cliché that it is easier to catch balls for 1,000 yards than to tote them for the same distance. And yet, does all that passing equal wins? While Kelly and Aikman have used the passing game to lock up playoff spots, Heath Shuler has not yet gotten that far and Favre, Chandler and Hebert are already eliminated. Maybe try running the ball a bit more? INJURY UPDATE: Focusing on teams that have to win this week, we see a few key injuries that could play a huge role in Week 16 action. Baltimore will be without Leslie Frazier, who could still be back in 2 weeks for the Divisional round after spraining an ankle in this week’s loss. Chicago will be in St. Louis this week with slim playoff hopes still alive, but with a banged up defense, as 3 starters are expected out: Darryl Talley, George Teague, and nickel back Tony Collier are all listed as doubtful or worse for this big game. Houston will have some depth issues as 4 defenders, including starting D-linemen Michael Sinclair and Luther Ellis are expected to miss action this week. They both should be back in 2 weeks, as Houston is all but guaranteed a bye regardless of the events this weekend. Memphis listed Reggie White as Questionable for their big game this week, but you know we all expect the Minister of Defense to be there for this one. In Michigan it looks like LB Ted Johnson could be out, which will hurt the Panthers defense, while both center Frank Cornish and guard Rick Cunningham are expected to play despite nagging injuries. New Orleans got good news as Lamar Lathon’s knee was deemed not to be a ligament or tendon issue, which puts him as probable for their final game as they hope to lock up a Wild Card. In Orlando, the concern is offensive line depth, as 3 different linemen are listed as questionable. And in Philadelphia the good news that Leon Lett should be good to go is balanced by bad news that wideout Stepfret Williams is likely out. For the Knights, the hope is that Darrell Thompson, listed as Probable, will be at least 80%, which should help their chances against Chicago’s tough run defense. Finally, Washington will go into the game with Bobby Hamilton and Tony Brackens both dinged up at DE, but both expected to play. Here we are, only 1 week left, and so much left to be decided. Let’s start with what we know. Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Denver are division champs and will sit out the Wild Card round. Philadelphia, Houston, Michigan and St. Louis are also in the dance, though their exact positioning is uncertain. If the playoffs were to start today the final 3 teams to get in would be Pittsburgh, Orlando and New Orleans, but that is by no means guaranteed. Who controls their own destiny going into Week 16. Well, here is what we see: 1. If the Breakers can win at home against Houston, they are in. But, the bad news is that Houston is motivated to win, because a win gets them the #1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs. 2. Pittsburgh and Orlando also have Win = In scenarios, with the Maulers hosting Ohio in what should be a relatively easy win (on paper) while Orlando has to travel to Memphis. Pittsburgh also has a bit of a leg up in that even with a loss they are likely in the dance. Only a loss plus a tie between Memphis and Orlando would remove them from contention. 3. If you read between the lines you know that this means the Renegades-Showboats game becomes a Winner Take All affair. It is possible for both to get in the playoffs, but only if they tie and somehow Ohio upends the Maulers, so we don’t see that happening. 4. Chicago needs all kinds of help to get in ahead of the Breakers. It does not look good for them on tiebreakers, but they still remain mathematically alive. Of course, having to get a win in St. Louis, with the Knights still hoping to snag the division title and a bye, is also not going to be an easy task. 5. If Houston does fall to the Breakers, the window of opportunity is there for both St. Louis and Michigan. If St. Louis wins in this scenario, they win the division. If the Knights falter the Panthers can win the division by beating Texas in San Antonio. And, if by some quirk of fate the Denver Gold lose at Seattle, then whoever wins the Central will be the conference’s #1 seed. While most of the news this week is about on-field play and postseason scenarios, there was one announcement which makes things interesting on the business side. Portland principal owner Phil Knight, of Nike fame, has announced that he is looking to step back into a minority ownership role, and wants to sell of a significant stake in the Thunder. While it is expected that there will be several potential buyers who wish to join the Thunder ownership group, and there is no talk of relocation in this case, the reduced role for Knight is intriguing in its timing. Nike’s contract with the USFL to produce both on-field uniforms and off-field merch for the entire league is set to expire after the 1999 season. The reduced role for Knight could open up greater competition from other firms to get in on the USFL contracts, something which could lead to reduced costs for the league, increased profits, or a combination of the two. With Champion, Starter and Adidas looking to expand their football presence, and with news that Reebok as well may take a stab at entering the team sport arena, there could be quite a bidding war for the USFL brand and the right to make a wide range of products bearing the logos and style of the league’s 24 franchises. We would not be surprised, of course, were Nike to hold onto a large portion of the market, but it also would not be a surprise with Knight no longer at the inner circle of the league, for a rival like Adidas to step up and undercut Nike’s bid when negotiations begin in late 1997. It is far too early to speculate, but this seemingly innocuous reshaping of ownership in Portland could have major ripples in league coffers in the near future. We will all be watching the Orlando-Memphis game this week, the only true Play-In game for the postseason, but we should also be keeping our eyes on playoff positioning. Philadelphia hosts Baltimore and neither team really wants to fall yet again before the playoffs begin. Denver needs to win in Seattle to have any hope of home field advantage, and all 3 Central Division clashes, Chicago @ St. Louis, Houston @ New Orleans, and Michigan @ Texas, are huge when it comes to what the Western Conference playoffs are going to look like. If you want cheap seats, there are also quite a few games this week that do not promise much excitement. Arizona @ Oakland is likely the last game for Ted Tollner, while LA @ Portland is hardly a high stakes matchup. In the South, Tampa will likely only play their starters for a half against Atlanta, while Jacksonville and Birmingham have only pride on the line. And in the Atlantic, Pittsburgh should have a pretty easy time of it against a demoralized and banged up Ohio Glory squad, while New Jersey will have to dig deep to face Washington in a game that no longer has any playoff significance.

A huge road win for the Maulers, a shootout in Tampa, a tough loss for the Gamblers, and a surprise club at the top of the Central Division with only 2 weeks left to play. Things are heating up, and with 6 of the league’s 10 playoff spots already claimed, the battles will only get more fierce as we enter the final two weeks of the season. It’s playoff football come early for many of the league’s teams, sitting on the edge of contention or elimination. It’s June and that means the heat is on. While many recognized that Jim Johnson had built a solid defense in St. Louis, and some speculated that the Knights could vie to reach .500 for the first time since coming over from LA, we don’t think anyone would have predicted that after 14 weeks the Knights would not only sit atop the Central Division, but thanks to their victory this week, would hold a tiebreaker over the Denver Gold. Denver, having clinched the Pacific crown, and the bye that comes with winning your division, may have taken this game a little too lightly, or, alternatively, St. Louis truly is a contender this year, a team capable of knocking off anyone. The Knights are not flashy, we all know this. Todd Collins is not wowing folks with highlight reel throws or last second comebacks, but what St. Louis does is win the war of attrition. Often that is a war fought in the teens, with the defense holding down the opposition and the offense taking advantage of takeaways to play on a short field. That was not exactly the case this week as Denver and St. Louis combined for 59 points and 907 yards. Denver actually got off to a pretty solid start, building a 13-0 lead over the first 19 minutes of play before St. Louis finally got on the scoreboard with a Cole Ford field goal. They would equalize the score at 13 thanks to an Emile Harry TD catch and a second Ford kick as time ran out in the half. Denver had let them back into the game, and the Knights would not go away in the second half. A relatively quiet 3rd quarter left St. Louis up 20-16 thanks to Craig “Ironhead” Hayward’s 8 yard run. The Knights have started to sub their big fullback in as a rusher from time to time, and the big man proved he can tote the rock, pounding the ball between the tackles and spelling Alfred Jenkins. The 4th quarter began with Denver retaking the lead on a Willie Gillespie TD reception. Gillespie, whose role in recent years has seen a steady decline, can still find holes in the defense and exploit them as he did on the Brunell pass that garnered a score for the Gold. But, St. Louis was tenacious, and on their next possession they went back to Harry for a 2nd score and again retook the lead 27-23. Denver was forced to kick a field goal on their next drive to pull within 1 at 27-26 and their defense helped the cause, producing a quick 3-and-out by the Knights. The Gold would put another 3 on the board thanks to Jeff Wilkens, and with only 39 seconds left in the game you could see celebration on the Denver sidelines. Down 29-27 with only 39 seconds, St. Louis took the touchback on the kickoff (Why Denver did not squib kick it we are not sure.) Todd Collins, not known as a comeback QB, mustered some magic, hitting Greg Scales for 10 on his first play, then, after a timeout, he fond Alec Higdon for 15, and again called timeout. The Gold had left the middle of the field open, assuming St. Louis would play to the sidelines, but they used their 2 time outs to quickly gain 25 yards and then shift gears. On 1st and 10 from the 49, Collins again found an open receiver, this time it was Harry again, and when the corner whiffed on the tackle, Emile Harry was able to gain another 5 yards, for a total of 14, and a first down on the Denver 34. With time ticking away, Collins rushed the Knights up to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with only 11 seconds left on the clock. Out came Cole Ford, and, after an icing TO from the Gold, Ford lined up the 51 yard field goal, took his swing and the ball sailed through. With the dramatic win, the Knights jumped to 9-4-1, half a game ahead of Denver, and now with a tiebreaking win over the Gold on their record. With Houston’s loss earlier in the day, this meant it was the Knights who took over possession of both the Central Division and the #1 seed. They control their own destiny, but have two tough matchups left on the schedule, a road trip to Michigan next week, and a season-concluding home game against arch rivals Chicago. Denver, who could technically coast to a playoff bye will need to see St. Louis lose at least once, and will need to win out in games against Oakland and Seattle if they want any chance at the #1 seed. That top seed is a big prize, so we don’t expect to see the Gold rest players over the next 2 weeks. A win today could have almost guaranteed the top seeding, but now the Gold find themselves looking for help if they want the Western Conference playoffs to run through Mile High. PIT 24 BAL 7 A shocker in B’more as Robbie Bosco and the Maulers manhandle the Blitz. Is this a case of Baltimore easing up on the gas now that they have the division won? Chris Miller looked off, throwing 4 picks, including a pick-6 to start the scoring for Pittsburgh. Mike Rozier had a 1 yard TD run but gained only 13 total yards as he still does not look 100%. PHI 17 NJ 16 Possibly another case of the post-clinching malaise as Philadelphia struggled against New Jersey. Chuck Long returned to action and threw 2 TD’s but New Jersey hung in, even with Rob Johnson going out of the game midway through the 2nd quarter. Most troubling for Philadelphia was the fact that they gave up over 70 yards to both Bam Morris and Leland MacElroy as New Jersey was able to run the ball well all game. WSH 31 OHI 5 The Federals made a statement as they throttled emergency QB Ricky Foggie for Ohio and got 4 TDs from Don Majkowski against an overstretched Glory defense. Despite the blowout, Joey Galloway somehow garnered another 132 yards receiving in the loss. ATL 21 MEM 37 Atlanta was game, but the Showboats pulled away late as Heath Shuler carved up the Fire secondary for 288 yards and 5 TDs. Joe Horn put in a late bid for Rookie of the Year with a 3 TD day, while Terrance Mathis caught 10 balls for 117 yards for Atlanta. BIR 41 TBY 48 A barnburner as Birmingham got their O back but still could not find a defense. With a 41-23 lead midway through the 3rd it looked like the Stallions would pull off the upset, but Tampa Bay came storming back with scores by Ben Coates and Errict Rhett. Troy Aikman won Offensive POTW with his 6 TD day. JAX 26 ORL 31 The Renegades took a big step towards a playoff berth and put a serious hurt on Jacksonville’s chances with a 5-point win. Down 31-16, the Bulls mounted a 4th quarter comeback, but it fell short as Orlando held on to win at home. NOR 35 ARZ 14 Arizona got 3 TD passes from Jamie Martin and 103 yards on the ground from Terrell Davis as they outpaced the Wranglers in Arizona. Arizona was held to 3 of 13 on third down and allowed 409 yards of offense to the Breakers in a disheartening showing for both sides of the Wrangler squad. TEX 14 LA 10 Texas picked off Jeff Garcia twice, and limited the Express run game to only 23 yards on the day but still struggled to beat LA in LA. Kelly Stouffer was picked off three times by the Express and only a late Rodney Thomas TD run saved the Outlaws from playoff elimination. CHI 28 OAK 21 Chicago stayed alive for the final playoff berth, though a longshot, with a win that was not as close as it looked. At one point the Machine held a 28-7 lead before late scores against Chicago backups made it look more competitive. Ricky Watters paced the Machine with 91 yards rushing and a score, while Dan McGwire accounted for 2 scores. HOU 24 POR 27 Another clinched team underperformed this week as the Gamblers fell to the Thunder. Robert Drummond rushed for 109 against the Houston D, but it was Amp Lee who found the endzone, scoring twice. Add in a long TD from Trudeau to Bruce Hill and you have a home win that keeps Portland, now 7-7 from elimination. MGN 16 SEA 17 Michigan has not yet locked up a spot, but they looked like they were taking it eays, too easy, against Seattle. The Dragons held Tyrone Wheatley under 70 yards rushing while Jon Kitna did just enough to snatch a victory for the home team. The winning score was a perfectly executed screen play to Roosevelt Potts (not known for his receiving prowess) which ended up going 29 yards for the go-ahead points with less than a minute to play. SWAN SONGS: Looking around the league as we enter the season’s final 2 weeks, we focus primarily on teams fighting for playoff spots or chasing records, but we should also remember that at the end of every season we also find the end of some player’s careers. Each year we see more original 1983 founding players conclude their careers, and we often see several others step down after shorter spans in the league. We already know that Alan Risher, long time QB of the Maulers, has made his departure from the game official after suffering a season-ending injury. Is there anyone else we suspect may call it a career after the 1996 season is completed? Well, if we start by looking at some of the older players in the league, there are a few potential candidates here. Atlanta DE Dale Rogers is 37, and honestly playing for the Fire cannot be that much fun these days. Chicago wideout Reggie Langhorne has seen his role on the team diminish at the age of 35, and Memphis QB Mike Kelley has to know that his odds of being the starter again for the Showboats cannot be good, not with the strong year Heath Shuler has had. Philadelphia has counted on FB Eddie Colson for years, but his 35-year old legs have got to be getting tired. The same can be said for the “Old Man” on the Stars defense, LB ed Brady, also 35. A couple of tackles who have taken a beating over their careers, Arizona’s Jason Totten and Washington’s Ken Lanier, have to be considering the optoin to step away, and while he has gotten late season starts for the Fire, QB Cliff Stoudt may just be looking to move on as well. Others who have hit the retirement rumor mill include Chicago LB Gary Reasons, Denver center Joel Hilgenberg, Houston FS Todd Bowles, Jacksonville CB Domingo Bryant, and Pittsburgh TE Mike Shaw. Michigan’s Chris Snyder was considered a candidate, but his amazing 1996 season seems to have invigorated the 34-year old cornerback. He could, of course, opt to go out on top as the league’s INT leader and perhaps record holder for interceptions, but his success this year could also lead him to stick it out for another year just to see if he can do it again. RECORD PACE: Let’s check back in on the potential record breakers this year. With 2 games left, it is down to the wire for these players. Joey Galloway (Yards receiving): Galloway needs 288 yards in 2 games to top Eric Truvillion’s record of 1959 and 329 if he wants to eclipse 2,000. Both seem more unlikely now that Jeff Hostetler is not getting him the ball. He managed to eclipse 100 yards with Rickey Foggie at QB this week, but averaging 144 over the next 2 games seems very unlikely. Jim Kelly (Passing TDs): Both of Brett Favre’s records from 1992 seem in reach. The passing yardage record of 5,169 would require Kelly to average only 213 yards per game over the next 2 games, while he would need to toss 6 more TD’s to tie Favre’s mark of 47, a number that could be attainable especially because Houston is in the midst of a fight for the division title and a bye. Kelly could be on the verge of breaking both impressive records. The question is, if the Gamblers lock up a bye, either as Division Champs or the #3 seed this week, does that mean they sit Kelly in Week 16 with the records unmet? Phil Hansen (Sacks): The Generals are playing only for pride, and their main point of pride this year has been Hansen’s phenomenal play. He is 1 sack away from the record of 23 which he shares with Dexter Manley. 2 sacks gives him back the undisputed title. Odds are he sets that record, as he has been averaging more than a sack a game all year. Mark Brunell (Pass Completion %): Brunell is right on the cusp of Joe Montana’s 72.5% mark from last season. He currently sits at 72.8. Two solid games and he could surpass Montana. The other possibility is that the Gold rest Brunell if he has the record in place, after all they have their bye secured. Chris Snyder (Interceptions) Two weeks left but Snyder has been sitting on 8 picks for several weeks now. Will he get a 9th to tie USFL HOF inductee Raphel Cherry’s record? Can he possibly get 2 in 2 weeks to break the record in his 12th season in the league? Snyder has only ever had more than 2 picks in a year once before (7 in a strong 1991 season with the Stars), but now is on the cusp of a potential record. Can he obtain that one needed pick, and at whose expense? He faces Todd Collins and division-leading St. Louis this week. Collins has thrown 10 picks in 14 games, so there is a shot there. In Week 16 he will likely face Kelley Stouffer of Texas, who has thrown 11, but he also might be facing untested backup Tony Sacca if the Outlaws are out of playoff contention. That may be his best shot as Sacca has yet to throw a pass in a regular season game for Texas. INJURY REPORT: While there were no major injuries this week, a rarity in the league, we did see a few that could impact the final couple of weeks of the season. Denver will have to close out the stretch without LB Kurt Gouveia, whose hyper-extended knee could cost him the next 2 weeks. With a bye in the first round already assured, we all expect Gouveia back on the field when Denver faces their first playoff test. In New Jersey it looks like Rob Johnson’s season is over. The much maligned Generals QB has a deep thigh bruise, and with Tommy Maddox already challenging for the starting position, and the season already an unmitigated disaster, there is little chance we will see the former USC QB back at the helm this year. Ohio upgraded Jeff Hostetler back to Doubtful after being out this week, but he is still unlikely to play next week against Tampa Bay, and if the Glory lose that game their playoff chances are dashed, which means Coach Saban will almost certainly go with Rickey Foggie again and let Hostetler continue to heal. If Ohio can upset the Bandits, we may see Hostetler go in an attempt to snag a Wild Card. We may see a similar situation in Pittsburgh, where Robbie Bosco is likely ou this week (listed as Questionable) due to a neck issue, but could be back for Week 16 if the Maulers still have a shot at a Wild Card. A tough call for Coach Marchibroda either way. Some players who could be back in time to impact the final playoff push in Week 15 include Birmingham SS Darryl Williams, Ohio TE Chris Kelley, New Orleans safety Devon Bush, Jacksonville LB Vaughan Johnson, Chicago DE Simeon Rice and Memphis CB Deon Figures. Ernest Givens is expected to return for Birmingham, and guard Larry Allen is slated to be back on the field for Texas. Six of the ten playoff spots have been secured, 3 in each conference, but that does not mean that there is nothing left to play for as 2 of 4 divisions have not yet been settled. Baltimore at 12-2 has locked up the Atlantic and the bye, while Philadelphia clinched themselves a Wild Card spot and now must try to stay ahead of Orlando and others to get a bye from the first round. Tampa has clinched a playoff berth, and a win this week would lock up the division title and its much-desired bye week as well. Orlando remains a game ahead of the cluster at 7-7 and a win this week could ensure them a playoff berth as well. Pittsburgh, Washington, and Memphis are all 7-7 and are hoping that wins this week can boost their chances for that 5th seed. In the West, St. Louis is the surprise leader in the conference, with Denver, Houston, Michigan and New Orleans all right there. We may not see the Central Division get its champion until the final games of the season as it is still too close to call. St. Louis is guaranteed a spot, as is Houston, both thanks to their early season tie, which keeps the 7-7 teams out of range. Denver, having already wrapped up the West, can coast to the playoffs if it wishes, though they should be looking towards a possible #1 seed if St. Louis and Houston both falter down the stretch. With a 2 game lead over Texas, Portland, and Chicago, the Breakers and Panthers need only 1 win to lock up a playoff spot. If they win their last two, it is still possible that either one could also run away with the division title, so there is a lot of motivation there. The Orlando Renegades, hot off a 4-game win streak and close to locking up their first playoff spot in several years, decided the time was right to feed the buzz about them by revealing a new look for next season. We knew since the preseason that Orlando would join Texas and Denver as this team’s Nike redesign projects. But while Texas went with only minor changes, adding an Alamo reference to their imagery and shifting the striping pattern on their uniforms, the Orlando Renegades have gone for a more dramatic shift. The Renegades revealed on Tuesday a new logo package which removes the little-used red script and keeps the entire look to royal blue, black and silver. In addition to the color shift, the team presented a new logo, a bold “O” interlocked with a more linear and abstract depiction of the team’s tomahawk logo. The new logo will be featured on the team’s new black helmets. Eschewing the white helmet that the club has used since coming into the league in 1987, Orlando switches to a glossy black helmet with black facemask and no striping, only the new logo on each side. Their uniforms also show a dramatic shift as they do away with sleeve stripes in favor of a full shoulder and sleeve treatment. The royal blue jersey features a black shoulder yoke, while the white jerseys (often used at home in the hot summer days of Florida) has a royal blue yoke. A new number font and repetition of the new “Tomahawk O” logo on the sleeves wraps up the look. The club will have both a silver pant set and a black one, as well as both royal blue socks and black socks for a wide range of potential combinations. The new look should be unveiled on actual players for the 1997 kickoff game, but Orlando is petitioning the league to allow them to wear the new gear should they qualify for a playoff game this year. It is unlikely that the league will grant this request as there is some interest in trying to sell off any remaining Orlando gear with the current design before sales begin on the new merchandise that will accompany the new look. So, now we are 2 teams down, with only Denver left to be revealed, and we expect that news any day now, as Denver tries to build excitement ahead of its own playoff run, which we know will begin with a home game in the Divisional Round. Week 15 sees a split schedule with the Pacific and Central teams facing off in their divisions while in the Eastern Conference the Southern Division clubs each host an Atlantic Division squad. In the divisional games out West the best looking matchups are huge for playoff implications, particularly in the Central, where nearly every team still has a shot. Division leading St. Louis is in Michigan to take on the Panthers with only ½ game separating the two. Houston is at home, hoping they can get back on top of the division with a win against 7-7 Texas, who need a win on the road to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Chicago too needs a win to stave off elimination as they host the 9-5 New Orleans Breakers. In the Pacific, not as much on the line as most of the division is already out of playoff contention. We have a battle of expansion clubs as Seattle (6-8) heads to LA (4-10), we have Portland (7-7) with still an outside chance at a playoff spot as they head to Tempe to face the Arizona Wranglers, and we have Denver (9-5) who have already wrapped up the division crown, hosting the Oakland Invaders. In the Eastern Conference inter-divisional matchups, some interesting games as well, particularly on the fringes of the playoffs as teams look for a possible Wild Card spot. 7-7 Memphis has a tough home matchup as they host the 12-2 Baltimore Blitz. Orlando, at 8-6 can wrap up a spot with some help and they host the 3-11 Generals. Ohio and Jacksonville, both 6-8 need a win as they face off against Tampa Bay and Washington respectively. Pittsburgh hopes to keep its unlikely surge going as they travel to Birmingham, and Philadelphia, already locked into a Wild Card, will visit Atlanta with little on the line.

Baltimore and Denver have clinched their respective division titles and the accompanying 1st round byes. Tampa Bay has clinched a berth, but needs 1 more win to lock up the division. Houston, St. Louis and Philadelphia have also locked in berths, with the Gamblers and Knights battling for the division title, which could also go to Michigan or New Orleans. Wins by the Panthers and Breakers this week would eliminate Texas, Chicago, and Portland, as would losses by any of those three. A win by Orlando would grant them a Wild Card at the least, though they could still win the division with 2 wins and 2 Tampa losses. Pittsburgh holds the tie breaker over Memphis and Washington for the final Wild Card in the East, but with all 3 at 7-7 it could break in any number of ways, and if Orlando were to lose it further complicates scenarios.

Baltimore has clinched the Atlantic Division Title. Denver has clinched the Pacific Division Title. Houston has clinched a playoff berth. Arizona, Atlanta, and New Jersey are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

The last month of the USFL season is not for the faint of heart. The playoff fortunes of any team can rise and fall each week, with fans agonizing over every game and scoreboard watching in hopes that the out-of-town results will benefit their club. This week 2 more clubs locked in their playoff berths, though just where each will end up by Week 16 is still very much in doubt. With a cluster of teams 1 game from .500, we are likely to go down to the wire for those last few playoff spots, especially in the Eastern Conference, but a win streak, even just a 2-3 game mini-streak, may be enough for some clubs to find themselves in the playoff hunt. Our game of the week features two teams on the cusp of playoff contention, both hoping that they can muster a string of wins to end the season and find themselves in the dance. On the one side we had the Ohio Glory, one of this season’s feel good stories, currently 6-6 after 12 weeks and with a likely MVP or Offensive Player of the Year candidates in 2nd year wideout Joey Galloway. On the other sideline we have the Texas Outlaws, perennial cuspers, trying hard to dispel their reputation as late season swooners. These two clubs would play hard-nosed smashmouth football all game, with both defenses holding their own and both offenses seeking to avoid costly turnovers. Both would, as there were no takeaways for either defense the entire game. With both teams playing somewhat conservatively the biggest issue turned out to be penalties, with Ohio called for 8 on the day while Texas had only 2 flags thrown. The game began slowly, with a 46 yard FG from Ohio’s Don Silvestri being the only score of the first quarter. In the second, Texas would get on the board as an 11-play, 7-minute drive led to a Reggie Cobb TD run. Ohio answered with a long drive of their own, capped off by a short TD pass to, who else, Joey Galloway. Galloway would finish the day with 8 receptions for 117 yards, far and away the top receiver for the Glory. Kelly Stouffer of Texas would spread the ball around a bit more, finding 8 different receivers on the day, with Quinn Early leading the pack, and making the big play late in the game. Down 10-7 at the half, Texas came out in the 3rd and equalized on a 33-yarder from Chris Boniol. But, for most of the remainder of the half it was the defenses that ruled the day. Texas would go 0-3 on their next 3 third down attempts, Ohio fared slightly better, going 1 for 4 on first downs and adding two field goals over the course of the next 20 minutes. Up 16-10, it would fall on the Glory defense to keep Texas from a late TD to steal the win. After a nice punt by Ohio, Texas would start on their own 13 with just over 1:21 left to play and needing at TD to win. On their first play, wideout Shawn Collins was hurt, pulling up with what appeared to be a hamstring. The ball was nearly picked, but officials ruled that it was caught after touching the ground, saving Texas for another play. Kelly Stoupher then found Justin Armer and Rodney Thomas on consecutive plays to reach their own 40. After an incompletion to Early, they surprised Ohio with a draw, and Cobb gained 8, creating a 3rd and 2 at the 48. Stouffer hit Steve Wilkes on a hook pattern to get the first down and stopped the clock with 43 seconds to play on the Ohio 45. With Ohio now playing a soft zone, Texas pulled out a trick play to open things up and it went even better than anticipated. Ryan Yarborough ran a 10-yard hook, while Quinn Early ran a crossing route. When Stouffer hit Yarborough the defenders turned his direction to get the stop in the field of play. Just as they reached him, Yarborough tossed the ball back to the crossing Early, who, already at full speed, took the ball to the sideline and turned up field, with a clear path to the endzone. It was a perfectly executed hook & ladder play, and it caught the over-zealous Ohio defenders flat-footed. The deep safety had converged on Yarborough and was unable to change direction quickly enough to get an angle on Early as he sped upfield. Texas tied the game at 16, and Boniol’s Pat put them up 17-16. It was a brilliant playcall made at exactly the right time and it gave Texas a much-needed win. The Texans improved to 6-7 and remained in the hunt for the final Wild Card, though still trailing New Orleans by 2 games, while Ohio dropped to 6-7, one of six clubs with that record, all vying for that last playoff spot. Because of tiebreakers, Ohio slipped to 6th among that group. The Glory will need to run the table to have a realistic chance of leapfrogging the other 5 clubs, while Texas needs to win out and get some help from the upcoming teams playing New Orleans if they hope to claw back into contention. Tall orders for both clubs, to be sure, but the win today gave Texas a chance, something a loss would have essentially removed. BAL 24 NOR 17 It came down to the wire in the Crescent City, but in the end the Blitz were able to hold off the Breakers, thanks in large part to an 8 catch, 81 yard day from Bill Brooks, and 2 TDs from Chris Miller. New Orleans was within 7 at the end, but could not connect on a Hail Mary to tie as the clock ran out. NJ 7 STL 35 Coach Knox gave Rob Johnson the start against the Knights, which was hardly doing him any favors, as Johnson was sacked 4 times and picked off twice by St. Louis’s defense. The New Jersey offense showed nothing, as the club’s only points came on a pick 6 provided by the defense. The Generals finished the day with only 151 yards of offense and only 6 first downs to the Knights’ 20. PIT 16 CHI 17 The Machine edged the Maulers thanks to a Derrick Burroughs pick six and 70 yards from backup HB Mario Bates. Mike Rozier returned to action but was not 100%, rushing for only 48 yards on the day. With Louis Lipps out, Freddie Scott took over the position and had his first 100-yard day but it was not enough for the Maulers. PHI 13 HOU 17 The Stars confounded the Gamblers offense all day, but in the end Houston had just enough to edge the visitors. TD catches from Brett Perriman and Thurman Thomas helped Houston build a 17-13 lead, and in the waning moments of the game Eric Kramer missed on a toss to Eric Green and threw his second pick of the day, ending any chance for a Stars’ comeback. WSH 14 MGN 27 Michigan got a strong defensive performance, limiting Barry Word to 47 yards rushing, and scores by Tyrone Wheatley and Rodney Culver helped propel the Panthers to a home win. Don Majkowski connected with Herman Moore for both Federals scores, but it was not enough against a Michigan club that controlled the clock and limited Washington opportunities all day. ATL 14 POR 28 The Thunder raced out to a 21-0 lead and then held on as Atlanta tried to mount a comeback. Robert Drummond’s 108 yards rushing helped him rise to the top of the league’s rushing leaderboard and Jack Trudeau connected on 3 scoring tosses to power the Thunder victory. BIR 10 ARZ 29 Arizona’s defense was aggressive again and the surprising power outage for the Stalliions’ offense continued as Birmingham looked completely out of synch, gaining only 157 total yards on the day. Ernest Givens was limited to only 1 catch for 23 yards, and the combination of Karim Abdul-Jabbar and Vaughn Dunbar gained 106 yards rushing to power Arizona to another surprise win. JAX 28 DEN 42 Denver dominated in the second half, pulling back from a 21-17 halftime deficit to overwhelm the Bulls. Mark Brunell completed 29 of 41 passes for 314 and threw for 5 scores, including 3 to wideout Odessa Turner as the Gold scored the game’s final 24 points to clinch the Pacific Division title and a playoff bye. MEM 27 SEA 32 Rookie Jon Kitna continued to impress, throwing for 3 scores as the Dragons upended the Memphis Showboats in front of 42,022 in Husky Stadium. Eric Metcalf had 107 yards and a TD on the day and the Seattle D stuffed Moe Willams, limiting him to only 43 yards rushing, while the Dragon combo of Dereck Loville and Roosevelt Potts combined for 132 on the ground. ORL 30 LA 14 Scott Mitchell connected with veteran Danny Knight for 2 scores and the duo of Kirby and Barber rushed for 110 as Orlando became the only 6-6 team in the East to pull out a victory this week. Bert Emmanuel had a big game as well for the Renegades, accounting for 123 yards in the air on 7 catches. TBY 30 OAK 24 The Invaders held tough all game long, but a late Freddie Solomon TD gave Tampa the 6-point victory on the road. Troy Aikman connected with 7 different receivers on the day, with Robert Brooks leading the group with only 4 receptions, but it was enough to outpace the Invaders, who had another rough day running the ball, with a total of only 27 yards rushing. Meadowlands is a nice word for swamp: How bad are things in New Jersey? Well, for the first time all season the AP has the Generals listed last in the unofficial power rankings. The list, which, as expected, has Baltimore at the top, now has New Jersey below all 4 expansion clubs and even Arizona, who have jumped up 4 spaces thanks to back to back wins. The other big loser this week, Bimingham, losers of 4 in a row, who now slip to 21st in the rankings despite a 6-7 record shared by many clubs. St. Louis is perhaps the biggest positive surprise, rising to 4th, above even division winner Denver in the estimation of the writers. Orlando also rose 3 spots to 7th in this weeks poll, thanks to their win over the Express. Stat Leaders in the wrong way: Rather than looking at the top of the player stat board, we look at the bottom this week, and with that we can see why certain teams are having issues. Rob Johnson ranks dead last among regular starters, a position he reclaimed from Tommy Maddox this week, with a QBR of 61. Bobby Hebert, while looking strong with 28 TDs on the year is also a league leader in interceptions with 20. Add to that the fact that Hebert (10) trails only Texas QB Kelly Stouffer, whose 11 fumbles lead the league. Bad news for Jacksonville as Natrone Means is out for the rest of the year, and the backup, Jammie Morris holds the worst YPC of any back with 100 carries or more. Morris clocks in at a disappointing 2.6 yards each time he touches the ball, the only back with 100 carries to register below 3 yards per attempt. If you are looking for a reason why the Generals are having trouble in the passing game, one may be the number of drops, particularly from rookie wideout Terry Glenn, who leads the league with 17. Snyder eyeing title: But let’s not linger on bad news, lets look at a good story. Michigan’s Chris Snyder added a pick to his tally this week, bringing him within 1 of tying Raphel Cherry’s league record of 9, with 3 games left to play. In addition to his league leading 8 picks, we should remember that 4 of these, fully 50% have been pick-six scores for the Panther corner. That in itself is amazing. Snyder, who has been a solid player for several years, has always played in the shadow of veteran CB Garland Rivers, who is no slouch himself with 5 picks this season. But, with his performance, we are seeing more and more teams shift their passing game away from Snyder and towards the older Rivers. That Michigan has such a ball-hawking combo on defense is a big reason for the success this season of the squad. Michigan leads the league with 23 interceptions as well as 110 passes defended. They have scored 6 times on defense, with Snyder’s 4 pick-six plays powering the aggressive Panther secondary. Injury Report: The injuries continue to mount up as the season progresses. The biggest hit this week was for the Bulls, who will miss HB Natrone Means for the rest of the season after a torn posterior cruciate ligament was the diagnosis on Monday. Means’s rehab could take him well into 1997, but he is expected to return for the start of the 1997 campaign. Bill Romanowski will not be leading the Arizona defense for the final 3 weeks as a ruptured Achilles tendon put an end to his season. In Chicago, the concern is for guard Leo Goeas, who suffered a partial ACL tear and could need 2-3 months to recover, while in Texas wideout Shawn Collins could miss the rest of the regular season with an ankle injury. Ohio is still very much in the playoff mix, but they will have to go at least the next 2 weeks without QB Jeff Hostetler, who suffered a broken collarbone in the game this week. Washington rookie DE Tony Brackens may be out up to 2 weeks thanks to a blow to the head in this week’s game that may have fractured his eye socket. In Birmingham, the already depleted defense will be without its best corner as Chris Dishman is expected to miss 2 weeks, while Denver LB Kurt Gouveia could be out the next 2 weeks with a hyper-extended knee, but should be good to go when the Gold have their first playoff game in the divisional round. Two more teams clinched a playoff trip this week, with Denver wrapping up the Pacific Division with their win. Portland could tie them at 9-7 if they won out and Denver lost their final 3 but would still lose on tiebreakers. Houston also guaranteed itself a playoff spot, though not the division title, as they hold a ½ gme lead on Michigan and a 1 game lead on St. Louis. In the East, Baltimore remains the only team with a spot, with Tampa Bay and Philly looking good to clinch this week. Orlando was the only one of the 6-6 teams to win this week, giving them a leg up on the competition for the #4 seed. Memphis, Jacksonville, Washington, Birmingham, Pittsburgh, and Ohio all sit at 6-7 and only 1 of them can have the #5 seed. Who can rattle off 3 wins over the next 3 weeks and find their way to the postseason? Birmingham has lost 4 straight, so they are looking very shaky. Pittsburgh is banged up, Washington and Ohio have been so erratic, but will play this week, with the winner in much better position than the loser, and don’t rule out Jacksonville, who hold a tie breaker over several other clubs in the Conference. News out of the League Offices today as the Owner subcommittee which was researching schedule options revealed their report, with surprising results. The subcommittee examined the schedule and league alignment as it currently stands and looked into alternative options which might allow them to address the issues many teams have raised about the current NFL-USFL transfer windows, both of which fall awkwardly during the year, in late January and early February and then in July, right during the USFL playoffs. The conflicting schedules between the USFL and NFL don’t allow for a lot of leeway in these windows, as any shift of the window itself would surely have a negative impact on the regular season of one of the two leagues. The report cited this concern, as well as ongoing concerns about the impact of poor weather in March on the USFL season. The solution to both issues, according to these owners, is to realign the league from four divisions of six teams to a new alignment of six divisions of four teams and to reduce the regular season from 16 games to 14. It is this last element which will almost certainly result in significant opposition among some owners. Reducing the regular season by two weeks would guarantee a need to adjust television contracts, a major source of revenue for the league, and would cost each club one home game, another source of revenue. While the new alignment and shorter schedule would allow for the league to start its regular season a week later, and end it a week earlier, this alignment would also reduce the number of division games from 8 to 6, and with division games often bringing in the greatest crowds, and having the lowest travel cost (due to proximity of clubs) there will definitely be some concerned that this proposal would result in considerable financial concerns. While the proposal would address some of the concerns about the transfer windows, the financial impact of a 14-game vs. 16 game season seems likely to be a major sticking point. The proposal also recommends an expansion of the playoff field from 5 teams per conference to 6, with 2 division winners receiving byes in the Wild Card round, 2 more playing as home teams and 2 Wild Card clubs per conference playing as road teams. This component of the proposal is likely to be approved even if the league as a whole rejects the shortened season concept. Adding a sixth playoff team in each conference is going to expand the number of clubs who are playing meaningful games at the end of the season, which certainly increases interest and ticket sales as well. One potential compromise raises the option of a 14-game schedule over 15 weeks, with each team having 1 bye week during the year. This could minimize the impact of a shorter schedule on TV revenue, but also halves the advantage of shortening the season vis-à-vis the transfer window. The idea of bye weeks has been floated before, with the Competition Committee in favor due to the current impact of injuries over the 16-week season, but has never gained traction, largely due to the already time-constricted schedule and potential conflicts with the NFL. Could a compromise position be in the offing for the USFL on this issue. Certainly there are some clubs who see a reduction of home games and potentially of TV revenue as a major concern, while there are others, primarily the larger market clubs, who view an easing of transfer window scheduling and a later start date for the season as major advantages. The report will be reviewed by several executive committees and would then come before the committee as a whole (the collected owners) at the Fall Owner’s Meeting scheduled for September in New York. Week 14 brings us back to division play in the Eastern Conference, with the Pacific and Central divisions facing off in the Western Conference. With so many playoff spots left to claim, this week could be huge for several clubs. Pittsburgh, playing without several key performers, heads into Baltimore to face the juggernaut Blitz. Washington and Ohio clash in Columbus, with one dropping to 6-8 while the other will reach .500 again with a win. New Jersey at Philadelphia rounds out the Atlantic clashes. A win should lock up a playoff spot for the Stars. In the South the big game is Jacksonville (6-7) at Orlando (7-6), a Renegade win will put some space between them and the cluster of teams hovering around .500. Birmingham tries to snap a 4-game losing streak in Tampa, while Atlanta will be in Memphis with the showboats hoping to get back to .500 with a win. The big game in the Western Conference is St. Louis at Denver. The Gold clinched the Pacific last week, while the Knights hope to lock up a playoff spot with a win this week. Houston is in Portland with the Thunder’s playoff chances on life support, while Chicago hopes to get in the mix with a win at Oakland. Texas will be in LA hoping to get even at 7-7 with a road win. New Orleans is in Tempe to face the Wranglers, and the Michigan Panthers travel to Seattle, knowing a win will clinch them a spot in the postseason.

Divisional games always produce amazing results, and this week’s full slate did not disappoint. All three Central Division matchups went to overtime, making our Game of the Week decision an impossible one. In addition to that we had a huge upset in Denver, a battle for the Pacific Northwest in Seattle, a battle royale between two Florida clubs, and an epic battle between the Feds and the Stars in the East. It was a week of serious football in the USFL, and it should only get better from here. When you have 3 games in the same week go to overtime, that is outstanding, but when all three are division matchups in the same division, that is something special. So, rather than try to split hairs to focus on just one, we give you three deep dive recaps on all three Central Division battles. STL 26 TEX 20 OVERTIME Brian Bosworth had 15 tackles for the Texans, but it was not enough as Todd Collins threw for 328 and 3 scores to help lead the Knights to the win and better place them in the playoff hunt. Down 20-10 early in the 4th quarter, St. Louis scored the final 10 points in regulation, tying the game on a Collins-to-Greg-Scales TD pass with just over 2 minutes to play to even the score. When Chris Boniol’s long attempt came up short and wide to the right, the game went to overtime. St. Louis won the toss and never gave Texas time to adjust, marching down the field with Collins finding Alex Higdon for 6 and the game. The Knights won, thanks in large part to a defense that kept Texas in check despite Kelly Stouffer’s 71.4% completion rate. Dinking and dunking did not produce big plays as the longest pass completion on the day for Texas was 18 yards, while for St. Louis both Rocket Ismail and Amani Toomer averaged over 10 yards per catch, with the two combining for 13 receptions for 164 yards. MGN 20 NOR 26 OVERTIME The Panthers also came back from a 20-10 deficit at the end of regulation, but all for naught as the Breakers reasserted themselves in overtime to get the win. Both Doug Flutie and Jamie Martin had ups and downs, with 5 interceptions between the two of them, but with Terrell Davis and Tyrone Wheatley both helping to carry the offenses (Davis with 83 yards and 2 scores, Wheatley with 107 and a TD), the two clubs were very evenly matched. The two teams were evenly matched all day, and finished within 15 yards of each other in the final stats. Turnovers were also a wash, so it came down to overtime execution. Michigan won the toss, but after scrambling to tie the game on a late Brad Daluiso field goal, they were not able to produce on their first drive in the extra period. New Orleans’s offense was far more successful, finding holes in the line to be exploited by Davis and Erric Pegram, and ending when Jamie Martin faked the ball to Davis and found the ageless Clarence Collins for the game winning score. CHI 24 HOU 30 OVERTIME Finally, in a game that last year would have likely been for the division title, the Gamblers got all they could handle from a reawakened Chicago Machine club. With Dan McGwire under center, the Machine have found offensive success, while Houston once again relied on Jim Kelly and the passing game as Chicago was able to stifle Thurman Thomas as a runner. Kelly would pass for 388 yards and 3 scores to power the Gamblers, but it came down to a late Brett Perriman TD with a 2-point conversion for Houston to equalize the score. Chicago got 2 TDs from Mario Bates and had managed to build up a 24-16 lead until the final Houston drive of the game. After holding Perriman in check most of the game, it all fell apart for Chicago in the end. Not only did he catch the 27-yard TD toss to send the game to overtime, but in the extra period he again asserted himself and again was on the receiving end of what would be the game winning play for the Gamblers. ARZ 16 DEN 9 As if the three overtime games were not enough, Arizona gave us a major upset, going into Denver and upending the division-leading Gold. Now, to be fair, a late decision to start Billy Joe Tolliver over the aching Mark Brunell played a big part, but Arizona’s ability to shut down Rashaan Salaam was also huge in this defensive slugfest. The Wrangler defense was able to keep Denver out of the endzone, and Trent Green did just enough, finding Curtis Duncan for the game’s lone TD, to get the win for the visitors. POR 17 SEA 28 The Dragons improve to 4-8 with a big win over their rivals from Portland. Jon Kitna looked like a seasoned veteran, going 20 for 38 for 247 and 2 scores without a pick. He was helped by the choice to provide more carries to Derrick Loville and his outside run game than to Roosevelt Potts’s inside runs. Loville rushed 17 times and gained 88 yards and a TD for his efforts. With Seattle pressuring Jack Trudeau all day (4 sacks and 7 hurries) the Dragons were able to disrupt the Portland offense and come out on top. LA 3 OAK 20 Jim Mora finally got a defensive performance he can be proud of as the Invaders shut down the Express, holding them to only 211 total yards and only 3 of 12 on third down. With Hebert hitting Ellard twice for scores in the first quarter, LA’s interest in a balanced attack went out the window and the shift in strategy put inexperienced QB Jeff Garcia in a bad position. Oakland kept the Express at bay with a strong balance of short zones and run blitzes to garner their 4th win of the year. TBY 23 JAX 17 Another close game as the two top teams in the South squared off. Jacksonville got scores from Dokie Williams and rookie wideout Terrell Owens, but it was Tampa’s consistent offense that won the day. Troy Aikman threw for 2 scores, including a beautiful catch and run from Errict Rhett, and both Robert Brooks and Shannon Baker went over 100 yards receiving as the Bandits escape Duval County with a win. MEM 34 BIR 17 Birmingham’s slide continues as their defense again proves ineffective, while the Stallion offense sputters without Ernest Givens on the field. Cam Cameron put the game in the hands of Heath Shuler, and the young QB, despite 2 picks, got a solid win for the Showboats, throwing for 349 yards on the day. But the story of the day has to be Reggie White. After trailing the sack leaders all season long, White apparently decided to get back in the race all at once. He had 4 sacks of Brett Favre, and just for good measure, snagged backup Danny Kannell once as well. The 5 sack day pulls White into the top 5 among edge rushers with 14 sacks on the season. ORL 31 ATL 20 The Cliff-Stoudt-led Fire gave Orlando a scare, but it was not enough as the Renegades were able to pull away late, thanks in large part to a combined 114 yards from Kirby and Kantroy Barber. Bert Emmanuel also got on the highlight reel with an over the shoulder catch for a 36-yard TD in the 4th quarter as the Renegades even their record at 6-6. NJ 10 PIT 35 Pittsburgh also evened their record with a must-win home game against the struggling New Jersey Generals. Robbie Bosco won his 2nd in a row, going 24 for 30 for 270 yards and a TD against the Generals. Dorsey Levins again took the lead in the run game, pounding out 78 yards on 21 carries. The win helps Pittsburgh move up the playoff ladder, part of a huge cluster of 6-6 clubs in the Eastern Conference. OHI 10 BAL 38 Baltimore became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with their 11th win on the year, and the loss moves Ohio back to 6-6 to join the cluster. Barry Foster won Offensive POTW with his 149 yard, 3 TD performance as the Glory simply did not have an answer for the Blitz run game. Eddie George had a good game in the loss, rushing for 84 yards, but it was not enough as the Blitz D never really felt threatened by deep incursions from Ohio. WSH 24 PHI 27 In a back-and-forth battle, Philadelphia, led by backup Eric Kramer, held off the Federals and retained the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference. Kramer, coming in for Long, threw for 3 scores, including a big 45 yarder to Cris Carter, to help Philadelphia build up a 27-17 lead. Washington got within 3 just at the 2-minute warning but was unable to recover the onside kick and the Stars used runs by Charlie Garner and Pat Chaffey to keep possession and wind down the clock. Cameron Starts Strong: Well, for a first week in the hot seat, Cam Cameron did pretty well. A convincing road win against an arch-rival is a good way to start things off, and a win where both the offense and defense performed very well is a strong start towards rebuilding cohesiveness on the squad. Memphis looked good, and clearly had a plan for Birmingham that was both effective and appropriate. And while neither players nor Cameron himself would comment on the Buddy Ryan incident and firing last week, it seems clear that leaders on both sides of the ball were ready to rally behind their new coach and try to make a push towards the playoffs. Uncharacteristic of the Showboats, the team has been buoyed by their offense this year, an offense which currently ranks 2nd in the league in both points per game at 29.2 and yards per game at 395.3. Most of this has been due to the strong year put together by Heath Shuler, who is closing in on 4,000 yards passing and has a very respectable QBR of 90.6. The defense, while having its issues this year (ranked 18th in PPG) is still leading the league in sacks with 56. They need to translate that aggressiveness into stops, as their yardage per game has been mediocre and the club currently has a Turnover rate of -1, with only 21 takeaways and 22 giveaways. But, with two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference headed towards clubs that are currently at 6-6, there is no reason that this Showboats squad cannot rally behind their new coach and make a run at the postseason. Defenders take center stage: While Reggie White’s monster 5-sack game rightly won him top honors this week as Defensive player of the week, there were several standout performances which deserve mention in this week’s round of divisional games. In Seattle, Scott Stephen, the long time Michigan Panther stalwart at LB, had himself a game, In addition to 5 tackles and a sack on Portland’s Jack Trudeau, Stephen forced two fumbles, including a strip of halfback Amp Lee on the Portland 11 yard line, which he then scooped up and ran in for a score as the 2nd quarter was winding down. That score gave Seattle the lead at the half and they would never look back. Arizona’s big upset of Denver was due in large part to the 3 interception day for CB Philippi Sparks. Billy Joe Tolliver kept trying to feed the ball to Mark Carrier and Sparks just kept taking it away. In Oakland it was Ron Rivera, showing he may have lost a step but is still an intense competitor, with 6 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovery to help the Invaders get the home victory. We mentioned Brian Bosworth’s 15 tackle day in a losing cause for Texas. Bosworth was all over the field against St. Louis and his big haul helped propel him to 3rd in the USFL rankings for tackles on the year. Baltimore’s D seems to do it week in and week out, and the big star of that effort this week was SS Bennie Blades, the former Memphis Showboat had 7 tackles, a sack, a play against Robb Thomas where he both forced the fumble and recovered it to help the Blitz avoid the upset against Ohio. Finally, in Tampa’s close win against Jacksonville the defensive star was CB Eric Allen, who picked off Chris Chandler early in the game and then added a forced fumble in the 2nd half, both of these key turnovers alongside 8 tackles on the day as the Bandits edged the Bulls by 6. Award Wrap Up: As the season plays out, it is looking like this year’s annual awards are not going to be nail biters. With over 4,100 yards already and 10 more passing TD’s than any competitor, the MVP has to go to Jim Kelly of Houston. He may not eclipse Brett Favre’s passing records, but it seems clear that Kelly is on his way to the award and the postseason. The Offensive MVP award is another award that seems wrapped up. Ohio’s Joey Galloway is still pursuing the record for receiving yards, and still seems indefensible each week. Sure, Tyrone Wheatley is having a solid year, but the distance between Wheatley and other bell cow backs is not particularly great, while Galloway is a solid 300 yards ahead of his closest competitor. Coach of the Year is another no-brainer, as the dominant season being put together by the Baltimore Blitz, a domination over what many considered the most balanced and toughest division in the league, is certainly going to result in the award going to Lindy Infante. Infante, known as an offensive guru, has put together one of the league’s best defenses, and while credit absolutely must be shared with Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau, Infante is being praised for the rise of the Blitz. One of the closer races among the awards has to be rookie of the year. New Jersey receiver Terry Glenn has had a very solid rookie season, with 870 yards to date and 6 scores, but with the Generals floundering as one of the league’s worst teams, it seems unlikely he will garner the award. Moe Williams is also playing well, with 10 total TDs to his name, but his 659 yards rushing after 12 weeks does not guarantee a 1,000 year season and it would be hard to name him ROTY without that accomplishment under his belt. The most likely candidates are two defenders, Regan Upshaw of Philadelphia and Tony Brackens of Washington. Both are tied at 11 sacks for the year. Upshaw has 10 more tackles, but Brackens has also forced 2 fumbles. It honestly may come down to how each club finishes the year, or, quite possibly the two will split the vote and Glenn may end up with the award despite playing on a 10 loss club. Injury Report: A big blow for the hopes of the Pittsburgh Maulers to return to playoff contention as Louis Lipps, the club’s clear #1 receiver, will be out for the rest of the year after tearing the quad on his left leg. Lipps, who has 68 receptions for 901 yards and 6 scores this season, will be unable to help the Maulers emerge from the 6-6 cluster in the Eastern Conference as he has been placed on IR and will begin rehab. Arizona got the win this week, but in doing so lost one of their chief offensive weapons as Tim Lester went down with a hamstring injury that could cost him the rest of the season. He could be back in as few as 2-3 weeks, but more conservatives estimates say 5-6, which would mean the offseason. Portland will finish the year without FS Vencie Glenn, who broke his jaw in a major collision with his own teammate on Sunday. In Ohio, wideout Mario Bailey went down with a torn abdominal muscle, which will make it easier for teams to shift coverage to Galloway for the rest of the season. And in St. Louis, Darrell Thompson came back this week and immediately reaggravated his ankle, which now could cost him up to 2-3 more weeks of action. Expected to return to action this week we have Chicago FS George Teague, Atlanta LB Mo Lewis, Orlando LB Greg Bickett, Tampa wideout Chris Doering, Baltimore wideout Bill Brooks, Birmingham’s Ernest Givens, and Denver QB Mark Brunell, good news for the Gold who did not look good with Tolliver at the helm. Baltimore became the first club to stamp their ticket to the playoffs at 11-1. With 4 games left to play they hold a 3 game lead over Philadelphia in the division, so a win this week could also give them the division title. Denver’s surprising loss kept them from clinching the Pacific, but they retain a 3-game lead as well, so it could be this week for the Gold. Philly and Tampa both look good at 8-4, and then the East is just a mess, with 7 teams all knotted up at 6-6. Memphis and Pittsburgh leapfrog to the current playoff positions due to tiebreakers, but there is sure to be a lot of sifting to be done before this season ends and we find out who is in. In the West, we are getting more and more confident that 4 teams from the Central could make the playoffs, with only Denver representing the Pacific. With Houston, New Orleans and Michigan all with 8 wins, and St. Louis a half game behind at 7-4-1, they have a solid lead over the 5-7 clubs (Portland, Texas and Chicago). But, with a lot of division games left to play, a hot streak by Portland could take advantage of the Central Division teams knocking each other off. Some concern around the league, and some rumblings as well, about the 1995 expansion and the lack of support being seen in LA and Atlanta. While the Ohio Glory and Seattle Dragons have drawn well in their first two years in the league, the reinstated LA Express and Dan Reeves’s Atlanta Fire have lagged behind most of the league in their first two seasons. Admittedly Atlanta has not given fans much to be excited about, but even with the signing of UGA hero Eric Zeier, the fans have been slow to accept the Fire. Theories about why range from blanket statements that Atlanta is not a particularly good sports town, with the Hawks drawing poorly and the short-lived Atlanta Flames hockey club suffering a short-lived stint before moving to Calgary, to concerns that the bulk of diehard football fans in the area had already bought into the Birmingham Stallions as their club, and have been slow to shift to a new franchise in their city. Some have even suggested that the name of the club, while intended to link with the Olympic Games has had a more obvious connection to the burning of the city during the Civil War, a memory that many in the state wish to forget. Of course, having the Olympics, set to begin just as the USFL playoffs hit full stride this July, has also meant a ton of competition for news, attention, sponsorship and media coverage for the new club. Atlantans are dealing with major traffic snafus as construction around the city races to be ready for the start of the Olympiad. Thousands of locals are also involved in one way or the other with the upcoming influx of visitors as well as the event itself. Perhaps waiting until after the games were over would have made more sense for the Atlanta USFL squad. Only time will tell if the Fire will find a way to garner more attention in town after the Olympic flame goes out. Of course, winning more, and looking better on the field would not hurt either. As for LA, there is no international event to blame low attendance on. The Express, while not winning a ton of games, have been an entertaining squad, with an offense that is capable of some big plays, a star HB who is familiar to local fans, and a defense just bad enough to ensure that most games come down to a few key plays to decide. We all know Los Angeles is a tough market, with competition each spring not only from the Dodgers and Angels, but the Lakers typically making deep playoff runs, and the weather sending many Los Angelinos out to the beaches instead of to the new Farmer’s Insurance Field. The immense popularity of the Raiders, the USFL Express’s stadium “roommate” is another factor, as football fans have clamored to be part of the Raider Nation on Fall Sundays, but largely ignored the spring football season. LA currently trails all other USFL clubs with an average attendance of 23,102, a solid 1,000 behind Atlanta and 3,000 behind 21st place Arizona. Local media are already beginning to question whether these Express will suffer the same fate as the prior club, and could eventually find themselves a more enthusiastic market. We know that there are groups in several cities who missed out on the 1995 expansion and who may see relocation as their best shot at joining the USFL club. “Bring USFL to US” campaigns are particularly strong in Boston and Dallas with grassroots groups also present in Indianapolis, Miami, Kansas City, and the Raleigh-Durham areas. But, at the same time, the USFL, and their TV partners, have no interest in losing the 2nd largest market in the USA, and the owners of the Express, who are heavily invested in their new stadium, would need a huge offer to even consider severing ties with the stadium and the city. So, LA seems locked in for at least the short term, now they just need to figure out how to get fans locked into the Express as a club. We follow up a full division week with a full inter-conference week as the Eastern Clubs head to the Central division and the South faces off out West with Pacific clubs. With such a cluster of teams at or near .500, every win is a big win, so we look at some of the more balanced battles this week. We have 6-6 Pittsburgh at 5-7 Chicago, 6-6 Ohio headed to San Antonio to take on 5-7 Texas, 6-6 Washington with a tough game at 8-4 Michigan, and 6-6 Jacksonville in Denver to face an angry Gold team. Other intriguing matchups include Tampa Bay at Oakland, Orlando at LA, Memphis in Seattle, and Birmingham in Tempe to face the Wranglers. Atlanta will fly across country to battle the Portland Thunder. Baltimore has a potential challenge as they face the Breakers in New Orleans. New Jersey limps into St. Louis to face the Knights, and in the marquee game for this week, we have the 8-4 Philly Stars in the Astrodome to face the 8-3-1 Houston Gamblers.

Baltimore is the first team to secure a playoff berth, though they have not secured the Atlantic Division Title yet.