Search this site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As part of our midseason report, we present this week expanded league leaders as we normally do at the end of each season.

We arrive at the midseason with some big surprises around the league. Michigan, Washington, Portland, and especially Texas have outperformed expectations, while Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and all four 1995 expansion clubs have failed to live up to preseason optimism. We have surprise success stories like New Jersey's Spence Fischer or Atlanta's Tiki Barber, and we have some surprising letdowns, like Ohio's Joey Galloway, or Baltimore's Chris Miller. This is why they play the game, folks. What we saw on paper is not always what is seen on the field. And we have not even begun teasing Chris Berman about his pick of Seattle as a Summer Bowl club. Another case of a team letting up too early as Memphis thought they had this one in the bag but let up 16 unanswered 4th quarter points to allow Jacksonville to steal a dramatic home win in the final minutes. Heath Shuler played 3 near-perfect quarters, throwing for 4 scores, and guiding the Showboats to a 28-13 lead with just one quarter to play, but the Bulls came all the way back, thanks to two big-play TDs. Early on it was all Memphis as Heath Shuler threw a 1st quarter TD to Carl Pickens and then doubled down with a second scoring throw to Kirby Dar Dar. Down 14-3, Jacksonville got back in the game with a 24-yard scoring toss from Chandler to Owens, but Memphis would go on to score 14 to Jacksonville’s 3 points over the course of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Shuler found both Joe Horn and Adrian Cooper for scoring tosses and it looked like the visitors were in control, up 28-13. But the fourth quarter belonged to the Bulls. The quarter opened with a dynamic Marquette Smith run, a simple counter tre run left that turned into a 24-yard touchdown scamper. The Bulls would get even closer on their next drive when they got the ball in position for Pete Stoyanovich to kick it between the uprights. Now down only 5 at 28-23, the Bulls and the crowd of 51,232, could feel the momentum on their side. The got the ball back with just under 2 minutes to go, down by 5. It would take them only 57 seconds to score as Chandler first used short passes to the boundaries to get Jacksonville into Memphis territory. Then, on a 2nd and 10, he threaded the needle to a streaking Terrell Owens, and the big receiver did the rest, shaking off a glancing hit from the strong safety and spinning his way into the endzone to put the Bulls up 29-28. They would fail on a 2-point conversion attempt, giving Memphis a chance to win with a field goal, but the Showboats could not muster a late drive to counter Jacksonville’s and the Bulls fans celebrated a key divisional win to move to 6-2 and stay atop the Southern Division, tied with Birmingham. BIR 31 ATL 28 Birmingham kept pace with the Bulls, but it was not easy as Atlanta looked game for a fight. The Fire got 4 TD’s from QB Cliff Stoudt, but the veteran also tossed 3 interceptions, the most damning being a pick-six off a deflection when blitzing LB Kevin Greene tipped the ball at the line, caught it himself, and rumbled to the endzone. TBY 27 ORL 37 Tampa loses their 4th in a row after a 4-0 start as the Orlando Renegades put together a balanced offense to control the clock and keep the Bandits from hitting on big plays. Terry Kirby led the way with 81 yards on 12 carries, getting an assist from Kantroy Barber with 19 yards in relief. Troy Aikman threw for 430 yards and 4 TDs but it was not enough as Orlando held the ball for over 34 minutes in the game. WSH 23 BAL 15 The Federals won the battle of I-95 by splitting carries between Thunder (Barry Word with 24 carries for 72 yards) and Lightning (Terrell Fletcher with 7 carries for 64 yards). The Feds also sacked Chris Miller 4 times and produced 2 more Miller interceptions (he leads the league in this dubious category). OHI 7 NJ 22 New Jersey got just what they needed from a home game against 1-win Ohio. Bam Morris averaged 4.6 YPC on 18 attempts, and the combo of Terry Glenn and Wayne Chrebet accounted for 13 catches for 133 yards in a Generals’ victory that moved them back to .500 on the year. PIT 24 PHI 31 Philly had Pittsburgh’s number, thanks to a late TD from Long to Cris Carter. Long finished the day with 4 TD tosses, while the Stars D picked off Robbie Bosco twice in the second half and held Mike Rozier to only 40 yards rushing on 18 carries. The big target for Chuck Long was not Carter, despite the late score, but TE Eric Green, who accounted for 140 of Long’s 285 yards passing. CHI 31 DEN 24 Chicago spoiled a home game for the gold by putting up 10 points in the final period to upend the Gold. Backup Alex Van pelt continued to overperform expectations, completing 29 of 40 passes for 328 yards and 3 scores, including 102 yards to WR Aubrey Matthews and TDs to Davis, Eccles and Wessley Walls. HOU 33 LA 13 The Express continue to flounder on offense as Jeff Garcia cannot spark the offense in relief of an injured Brent Pease. Antowain Smith returned to action and looked good (10 carries for 53 yards) but it was not enough as Chuck Hartlieb’s return for Houston was a 3 TD outing, aided by 74 yards rushing from Thurman Thomas. MGN 30 OAK 7 Michigan continued their impressive run as Tyrone Wheatley and Rodney Culver went off against an overmatched Invader defense. Wheatly averaged 7.2 yards a carry on his way to 174 on the day, along with 3 scoring runs. Culver backed him up and averaged even better, 8 carries for 73 yards, a 9.1 YPC average. NOR 20 POR 26 OT The Breakers played the Thunder tough, taking the home team into overtime before a Jack Trudeau to Lonnie Johnson TD ended the game with a Thunder win. Terrell Davis outrushed Robert Drummond 107 to 94, but Trudeau had the last laugh with his overtime TD. STL 45 SEA 14 The Knights must have gotten sick of us criticizing their lack of offense, because they went off on Seattle for 6 TDs, including two each from HB Darryl Thompson and FB Ironhead Hayward. Thompson was the game MVP with 158 yards on 18 carries, but Haywards also had a strong day, rushing for 52 yards and 2 scores. TEX 30 ARZ 10 Texas avenged their first loss of the year by taking their frustration out on the winless Arizona Wranglers. They outgained Arizona 400 to 186 in a game that never felt as close as the final score. Reggie Cobb had 22 carries for 96 yards and a score, while Kelly Stouffer threw for 293. ROOKIE WATCH: It’s midseason and that means time to evaluate how the rookie class of 1997 is faring. There have certainly been some hits in this year’s draft, but the one player brought in to save his team is just not finding life in the pros easy. Jake Plummer leads the 0-9 Wranglers, and while he has been able to start every game for Arizona, it has not gone well. The Wranglers, aside from being the league’s lone winless team, are 24th in scoring with only 13.8 points per game. Plummer is also struggling, having thrown 12 interceptions to only 9 TDs and completing only 55.7% of his passes. He needs a stronger run game, and more weapons in general if he is going to find success, but he is also very raw, and will need time. On the other side of the spectrum, Tiki Barber has done exactly what Atlanta drafted him to do. He leads the league in Yards Per Carry at 4.9, and his 533 yards have him on pace for a 1,000 yard season, the first for an Atlanta back. He has only scored once, something the Fire are hoping will improve, but they cannot complain about the balance on offense anymore as the threat of Barber’s runs have freed up Cliff Stoudt for the play action passing game Atlanta has always sought. While he has fewer yards than Barber, Jacksonville’s Kenny Bynum has proven to be the master of the big play. He leads the league with 5 runs of over 40 yards, and has scored 7 TDs on the season, backing up big back Natrone Means. The two other rookie starters at HB have struggled. Antowain Smith in LA has had some injury issues, and has only 32 carries after 8 games. His 5.1 average is strong, but he needs to be on the field more. In Seattle, Corey Dillon has had moments, but is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry behind a suspect Dragon line. Among receivers, the leader is Portland’s Matthew Hatchette, with 26 receptions for 425 yards. On defense we have a had a few immediate impact players. Philly’s Mike Crawford has 3 sacks and 4 forced fumbles as part of the improved Star LB corps. Al Harris in Seattle could reach 100 tackles for the Dragons, and Washington’s Michael Booker is seeing a lot of action, with 2 picks and a fumble recovery already on the books. SURPRISE STARS: The other big story this season has been the emergence of some surprise players. We have spoken quite a bit already about New Jersey’s 3rd-string-QB-turned-starter, Spence Fischer. The young Duke grad has moved the Generals back to .500 with his 4th win of the season and ranks in the top 10 of QBs by rating after finally accruing enough attempts to qualify. Kordell Stewart in Washington has also started his first full campaign as the Feds’ starter quite solidly, helping Washington rise to the top of the division, while throwing for 1,953 yards and a decent 8-5 TD-INT balance. Jeff Lewis in Michigan has been another pleasant surprise. Forced into action by a lingering injury to starter Doug Flutie, Lewis has held at nearly 75% completion rate, while throwing 5 TDs to 0 interceptions in his starts for the first-place Panthers. It helps that he has Tyrone Wheatley drawing a lot of defensive attention, but it is still a very impressive performance for the sub. The success of both Flutie and Lewis in Michigan has a lot to do with why we have a relative unknown, Panther wideout Jeff Campbell, leading the league in receptions and among the yardage leaders as well. Campbell has also shown a nose for the endzone, only 1 score behind Shannon Sharpe with 8 TDs for the league lead. Texas receiver Terrell Owens has also emerged this year, averaging 15.8 yards per catch and accounting for 6 scores for the 6-2 Bulls. Being paired with Brian Blades means it is rare for Owens to see double coverage and the big receiver is making smaller corners pay for the single coverage. On defense the big surprise is that it is 2nd year DE Tony Brackens, and not Dexter Manley, who is leading the club with 11 sacks, good enough for second in the league. Manley is still a danger, but has only 6 sacks on the season thanks to a lot of double-teaming. Those double teams have freed up Brackens on the opposite side and the big man is making offenses pay. Another defender busting out this season is Birmingham Stallion LB Kevin Greene. Greene is hardly new to the league, in his 12th season of pro ball, but this has been his most productive season to date for the Stallions. He is on pace for double digit sacks and is also among the league leaders in tackles. WHAT HAPPENED? If we are going to look at what is going right, we need to also point out what is not going as planned at all. It is safe to say that no one in Arizona, St Louis, Seattle, LA, or Ohio is happy about the first half of the year. The Wranglers in particular had very high hopes that they would rebound in their first year under Art Shell and with the rookie QB at the helm, but it has been tough sledding for the league’s worst offense. In St. Louis the problem has also been offense, as the Knights’ defense has shown signs of life over the past few weeks, but that offense has struggled (this week’s game not included). Of all these clubs, Ohio and Seattle have to be the biggest disappointments. Both were expected to make significant moves this year, with some prognosticators picking both as potential dark horse championship contenders. Instead we have 3 wins combined for the two 1995 expansion clubs. In Ohio the decline in production for Joey Galloway is staggering, and the slow development of Eddie George is not helping. In Seattle, Corey Dillon is struggling to find holes, and the QB rotation of Jon Kitna and Timm Rosenbach has proven ineffective. When we look at the expansion club coaches, we saw Dan Reeves lose his job last year, and things are not looking good for any of the other three. Without a stronger 2nd half, we may expect to see Woody Widenhofer (SEA), Rick Neuheisel (LA) and Nick Saban (Ohio) all out on the street in August. As another midseason report, let’s talk about attendance. We have not focused on this aspect of league finances in a while, in part because TV money and sponsorships have helped to make the league less dependent on gameday revenues, but also because as a whole the league has seen steady growth in attendance, with an overall average now solidly above 40,000. That is not to say that all clubs are created equally. Among the league leaders we have the usual suspects, clubs in good weather cities that have good clubs. Jacksonville, New Orleans, Birmingham, and Orlando are all in the top 10, along with Denver (always a contender), Washington, Philadelphia, and Michigan. Down on the other side we find Portland (popular but playing in a 34,000 seat stadium), LA (always a tough market), Atlanta, and St. Louis. Bad play has caused Arizona to drop from a solid opening day crowd to a 3 year low with only 21,000 attending their last home game. St. Louis started the season strong, and has a solid season ticket base thanks to optimism following last year’s playoff season, but attendance has been slipping after their weak start. Despite poor play Ohio, Seattle, and Memphis are still drawing decent crowds, though we are not sure how the Glory will do once the heat of summer and the misery of a 1-win club start to impact the numbers. So, the overall prognosis for the league remains strong, and while there are still concerns about the impact of the Rams in St. Louis, the 3-years of weak performances by the four 1995 expansion clubs, and the loss of fanbase in New Jersey after several sub-par seasons (and the loss of stars like Walker and Flutie), overall the situation is very solid for the league as a whole. Of course, this can all change if the current labor issues carry over into the offseason, or even impact the 1998 season, a worst case scenario for the league. We kick off the second half of the season with inter-conference play across the board. Even without any divisional games, we still have some really interesting matchups to look forward to as the USFL clubs cross the nation to play rarely-faced foes. Two games which immediately pop off the schedule page are Denver (5-3) at Pittsburgh (5-3), a battle of two clubs thick in the heat of divisional title fights. The same is true just down the pike in Washington, where the Federals host the 6-2 Portland Thunder. You also should be excited to see the Chicago Machine in Jacksonville to face the Bulls, with both clubs at 6-2. Michigan faces a good test against 5-2 Orlando, and it is a battle in Dixie as the New Orleans Breakers head to Atlanta to face the Fire, both stuck at 3-5 and needing a win to stay in playoff contention. In other matchups, we have the Texas Outlaws (7-1) in Memphis to face the 3-5 Showboats. New Jersey (4-4) hopes to get over .500 as they host the Seattle Dragons. Two disappointing clubs, both at 3-5, face off when Oakland visits Baltimore. Arizona is staring down an 0-9 start as they have to face the Philadelphia Stars in Veteran’s Stadium. Houston is visiting 6-2 Birmingham, St.Louis is in Tampa to face a Bandits squad that has followed a 4-0 start with an 0-4 2nd quarter. And, in a game I don’t expect many will tune in for, the 1-7 LA Express are in Columbus to face the 1-7 Ohio Glory.

The Outlaws fall for the first time this year, the Denver Gold have a major stumble, Orlando blows a 17-point lead, and Tampa Bay gets bombarded in a full week of divisional matchups as the USFL heads to the midseason mark. It was a big week for DB’s as several pick-sixes contributed to big wins, while in New Jersey the shine came off the Spence Fischer apple as the Federals overpowered the Generals. Epic comeback or epic collapse? It all depends on who you ask. Orlando raced out to a 17-0 lead in their matchup against Birmingham, but the Stallions ground out the next 18 points to edge the Renegades at the whistle. It was not a pretty win by any stretch, but it was a win nonetheless, and one which kept the Stallions atop the Southern Division while also showing that their much-maligned defense may actually be improving. The Renegades started the game in Legion Field in a commanding way. Their first drive lasted 9 minutes and 15 plays before Terry Kirby plunged over the right side to give the visitors a 7-0 lead. They would add 3 more in the quarter thanks to the right foot of Charlie Baumann. In the second quarter they did it again, a 7-minute drive over 11 plays that led to Mitchell hitting Bert Emmanuel for a scoring toss with just over 3 minutes left to play in the half. Birmingham would tack on a last second Olindo Mare field goal to finish the half, but down 17-3, things were not looking good for the homestanding Stallions. They looked even worse when on their first possession of the second half, Brett Favre came up hobbling after a tough hit. His day had not been much (8 of 10 for 146 and no scores) but with him out for the day, Danny Kanell would have to be the one to lead the comeback. One play after Favre went out, Mare hit his second kick of the day and it was 17-6, but after the Stallions’ D rose up to produce a three-and-out on the Renegades’ next possession, Birmingham would have another shot to close the gap. Kanell, who would finish the game with a respectable 10 of 19 day for 189 yards, got the Stallions into Mare’s range again, and with another swing of his leg the Stallions made it a one score game, 17-9. The Stallion D kept proving up to the task against the ‘Gades, who would end the day 3 for 12 on 3rd down, including 0 for 4 in the final period. The biggest play of the day opened the 4th quarter, as Kanell found an unguarded Lawrence Dawsey for a 51-yard TD to pull Birmingham within 2. The 42,000 fans in Legion Field had a sense that momentum had shifted and were in solid voice by this point of the game. The defense responded and with the Stallions down only 2 points at 17-15 after a missed 2-point attempt, they kept Orlando from crossing midfield. The offense took over with just over 1:30 to play, needing only a 4th Mare kick to steal the win. Kanel hit Ernest Givens and Shannon Sharpe on consecutive plays and after spiking the ball to stop the clock, Mare came out and booted the home team into the lead. Orlando was stunned, their huge lead erased, and their spirit broken, they could not rebound and the game ended on a desperation heave from Mitchell. Birmingham would move to 5-2 and Orlando would drop a game behind at 4-3. JAX 27 ATL 17 Like Birmingham, the Bulls also came into the week at 4-2, and like the Stallions they too emerged with 5 wins after a strong 120-yard day from Natrone Means helped put away the feisty Atlanta Fire. Cliff Stoudt was picked off 3 times, including a pick-six to open the game from Bulls DB Paul McGowan as the Fire fell back to 3-4 in this tight division. TBY 13 MEM 34 The Bandits also could have finished the week at 5-2 and atop the South, but Memphis’s Showboats had other ideas. Three takeaways, including 2 fumbles from Tampa HBs helped the Showboats get the home win against Tampa Bay. Heath Shuler relied on league leading TE Adrian Cooper, with 6 completions for 91 yards, while Moe Williams helped keep the defense honest. Memphis moves to 3-4 with the win, right back in the hunt. OHI 21 PIT 45 Don’t’ let the final score fool you, It was 42-0 after 3 quarters before the Glory got some easy points against the Mauler backups. Robbie Bosco and Raynard Brown were on fire, connecting for 3 TDs in the first half to put the game away early. Bosco would finish the week with 5 TD tosses, and backup Shane Matthews got to see some action in garbage time as Ohio was no match for the Maulers on this day. NJ 6 WSH 33 It seems clear that the Federals’ defense was not buying into the Spence Fischer hype out of New Jersey. The Feds blitzed early and often, producing 4 sacks and limiting New Jersey to 254 total yards on the day. Meanwhile, Barry Word had one of his better games of the season, rushing for 111 on 19 carries. BAL 27 PHI 14 The Blitz needed a win to get back into the hunt in the Atlantic, and they did what they needed to do to secure it in Philadelphia. The defense picked off Chuck Long 3 times and Barry Foster had a strong day with 2 scores and 107 yards. While the game was close through 3 quarters, the 10-point lead provided by Leslie Frazier’s pick-six of Long was enough to lock up the win for the Blitz. CHI 13 STL 10 Another defensive struggle for St. Louis, but they could not do enough to get the win as Chicago got a late Aubrey Matthews TD from backup Alex Van Pelt to pull out the 3-point win. The combo of Ricky Watters and Duce Staley helped the Machine control the tempo, combining for 107 yards rushing on 25 carries. HOU 10 NOR 20 Two clubs needing a win to stay relevant, and it was the homestanding Breakers who got what they needed. Jamie Martin had a strong game, completing 26 of 32 passes for 300 yards and 2 scores, while the combo of Terrell Davis and Erric Pegram combined for exactly 100 yards rushing. Houston, still playing without Chuck Hartlieb, struggled behind both Chuck Clements and Perry Klien. MGN 21 TEX 13 We had a feeling that Texas was due for a loss after winning their first three. They focused on Tyrone Wheatley and managed to hold the Panther back to only 47 yards on 23 carries, but in doing so they left receivers open for Panther backup QB Jeff Lewis, and the Northern Arizona product did just enough to get the win, throwing 2 TDs, both to the team’s leading receiver, Jeff Campbell. ARZ 16 OAK 21 We thought this could be a shot for Arizona to get their first win, but early TDs from Siran Stacy and Ed McCaffrey put the Wranglers in a hole, and they simply could not recover. The dagger came in the form of a 3-yard TD pass from Hebert to TE Christian Fauria in the 4th, just as Arizona had come back to within 1 point at 13-14. DEN 6 SEA 25 A shocker at Husky Stadium, where the 1-win Dragons upended the division-leading Gold. Kudos to the Dragon D, which held Denver to only 3 of 14 on third down conversions. Corey Dillon and Roosevelt Potts did lion’s work on the ground, combining for 95 Dragon rushing yards, while Tim Rosenbach, now subbing for a dinged-up John Kitna, completed 26 of 34 pass attempts to help Seattle get their 2nd win of the season. LA 13 POR 45 With both Brent Pease and Jeff Garcia ineffective, and no run game at all for LA, the Thunder rolled. Jack Trudeau went 22 of 27 for 217 yards and 2 scores, while Robert Drummond barely missed out on yet another 100-yard day, ending with only 91 yards, but 2 scores. With Denver’s loss to Seattle, the Thunder are right back into a tie for first in the division. WRANGLER FUTILITY: Optimism was high with the drafting and signing of ASU QB Jake Plummer, but with the Arizona defense floundering at 15th in the league in yards per game, and even worse at 22nd in points per game, a lot is falling on the young QB. Plummer has not played poorly, though his youth has shown at times, but there is just not enough support for him. The run game, led by HB Tim Lester, is 19th in the league, and the Wranglers have simply not been able to put themselves in good scoring position. Their 0-7 start is the worst in team history, and while HC Art Shell has the buffer all first year coaches get, the fans in Arizona are not willing to overlook losses each week just because the club signed Plummer. KNIGHTFALL: Another club who is underwhelming their fan base has to be the St. Louis Knights. This was a club that finished 1996 at 10-5-1 and had built real optimism in St. Louis as they competed against the NFL’s Rams. But this season their no-name defense has not been able to replicate the success of last season. They are still top 10 in the league against the pass, but it is simply not enough. Most of the blame has to fall on the offense, where the Knights average a paltry 14.1 points per game (good enough for 23rd out of 24 clubs) and are one of the worst passing clubs in the league. The loss of Rocket Ismail in free agency clearly has been an issue. In the past 4 weeks the Knights have scored 3, 13, 10, and 10 points. That is not going to get the job done. O-H-I-Oh, No!!!!: Ohio finishes out our tour of misery. Another club that was expected to make a leap this year, the 1-6 start for the Glory has been a huge disappointment. Sure, none of the 1995 expansion clubs have made the leap fans had hoped for (With LA at 1-6, Seattle at 2-5, and Atlanta the best at this point at 3-4), but Ohio has seemed to step back compared with last year’s promising 6-win season. Joey Galloway is not repeating his success from 1996, Eddie George simply cannot find holes to run through, and the defense is giving up over 30 points a game, including 34, 30, and 45 in the past 3 weeks. Coach Saban is under some pressure in his 3rd year to show growth, and the direction the Glory seem to be going is not what fans or ownership expected out of this year. THUNDER CLAPS: Let’s end on a positive note. Other than the 6-1 start in Texas the biggest positive swing is in Portland, where the Thunder are 5-2 and have a perfect 5-0 record against the Pacific Division. Their convincing win over Denver has fans in the PDX excited about the possibility that this club is finally ready to take the next step. As usual, Robert Drummond is impressing, with over 750 yards rushing in 7 games, and while the passing game only ranks 21st in the league, it has proven adequate to keep Portland among the league leaders in points scored (3rd with 28.3 PPG). The defense is just barely outside the Top 10, but has kept teams to only 22 points per game, well below the offense’s average. The Thunder have a few tough games coming their way, with New Orleans, Washington, and Baltimore on the schedule before they get a “bye” against Arizona. Their final 6 games of the year are all against teams with 3 wins or fewer at present, including 2 games against the winless Wranglers, so Portland could be in position to run away with the division if they can survive this next streak of 3 games against Eastern Conference Foes. As the league approaches the midpoint of the season, there are some teams really struggling with injuries, while others seem to have gotten off almost Scott free. That is the nature of the game, but it does not make life any easier for those clubs that have a laundry list of injured players. Arizona’s usually stout defense is struggling with both starting safeties out, including a season-ending injury to FS Martin Bayless. Denver is missing two defensive leaders as well, with Kurt Gouveia out for a month and CB Latin Berry listed as questionable. LA on the other hand may finally be getting healthy as both C Mark Tucker and HB Antowain Smith are expected back this week. Memphis has 5 players on the injured list, though most are expected back next week. DE Reggie White will miss this week, listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, but should return in Week 9. Orlando also has 5 players on the report, including LB James Folston, out 4-6 weeks with a broken leg. Seattle is looking at possibly 1 more week with Timm Rosenbach under center as Jon Kitna continues to recover from a dislocated shoulder. They are also missing HB Derrick Loville, C Mike Flynn and SS Alton Montgomery. As negotiations between ownership and the USFLPA take a hiatus, and as we await the results of the USFL Hall of Fame vote, we have a bit of a lull in league news. The biggest news this week was the announcement this week that NIKE would be producing new looks for three clubs next year. Washington, Memphis, and Baltimore will be getting updates from the sports attire and shoe company. Nike still has 2 years on their contract with the league, and while there is expected to be competition for the contract that begins in 2000, for now the focus is on design updates. Washington is expected to seek a new logo and new style going into 1998 and rumors have them possibly returning to more of a white and green emphasis after a long stint of silver helmets and pants during the Don Majkowski era. For Memphis a new logo is not in the works, but we do expect some changes to their red and silver-blue combo. Baltimore is more of a mystery as to how dramatic their update will be. We expect the main logo to remain, as it is ubiquitous in the Charm City after their strong season last year, and there does not seem to be a need to update a pretty classic red, blue, and silver look, but the Blitz are looking at defining this club for a new era after years of frustration in the Atlantic Division, so we would not be surprised if they opted to mix things up a bit. Week 8 looks like another interesting one, especially in the Eastern Conference, where divisional games bring in some serious rivalry energy. In the Atlantic it will be 5-2 Washington facing off against the Blitz in Baltimore, while in Philly the Stars hope to rebound and to avenge an earlier loss to Pittsburgh. New Jersey is hoping to rebound as they host the Glory at the Meadowlands. In the South the big game is 4-3 Tampa Bay and 4-3 Orlando facing off in the Citrus Bowl, but in this division all games have playoff implications. Birmingham is in Atlanta hoping to move to 6-2, and Jacksonville hopes to do the same as they face off against Memphis in the Gator Bowl. With divisional games in the East, that means it is interdivisional play in the West. The best clashes here include Denver, coming off that shocking loss in Seattle, hosting Chicago. 6-1 Michigan in Oakland, New Orleans headed up to Portland, and the 6-1 Outlaws hoping to blow past the winless Wranglers in Tempe. St. Louis is in Seattle and Houston heads to LA to round out the schedule.