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Week 5 sees the last of the winless teams break out, and Baltimore becomes the last remaining undefeated squad with a big win at RFK paired with a little help from a division rival. The South continues to cluster, while a projected Central Division frontrunner continues to struggle. Add in a few big games for unheralded players and you have an exciting week of USFL action. We did not predict this one as a GOTW contender, but it’s what happens on the field that counts, and this week the most exciting game was the clash between the Ohio Glory and the New Jersey Generals. The Generals have been relying on defense to get the job done this year, but they came up short against the Glory this week, with Jeff Hostetler having the most prolific game of his career, throwing for 413 yards and 2 scores, while Eddie George finally broke the 4 YPC barrier with a 79 yard day. New Jersey tried to combat this with Rob Johnson himself having a big day with 3 scoring throws, but in the end it was not enough and the Glory head back to Columbus with their second win of the season. Things looked good for the Glory from the start, as their first drive showed a commitment to the run (Eddie George carrying the ball 4 times in 5 plays) and then the effectiveness of play action as Hostetler hit Robb Thomas for a 32-yard scoring strike to open the game. After a Generals punt, the Glory added to their score with a Don Silvestri field goal to take a 10-0 lead after one. New Jersey struggled on offense all day, and while they did get the only score of the 2nd quarter, a 51-yarder from rookie kicker Adam Vinatieri, they were just not in synch. Bam Morris struggled to establish a run game, averaging only 1.6 yards per carry, and with Rob Johnson only connecting on 7 of 21 passes in the first half, it was not looking good. The third quarter was a bit better for New Jersey, as the halftime adjustments seemed to pay off. Johnson got better protection and made more connections, hitting Morris for a short TD to even the score at 10 after 3 quarters. Fans expected the game to continue to be a low scoring affair, but with 4 TDs in the 4th quarter it was anything but plodding. Ohio took the lead early in the 4th when Eddie George had his longest run of the season, a 26 yard sprint around the right side and down the sideline for the score. When New Jersey went 3-and-out on their next possession, Ohio doubled up on the Generals, with a beautiful pass from Hostetler to Galloway, putting the Glory up 24-10. New Jersey were not done, however. They took the kickoff and in 8 plays pulled the game back to within 7. Johson hit Chris Gedney for the score and New Jersey was back in the game with only 2:29 left to go. What happened next has to be considered a coaching muff by Nick Saban as he tried to fake out the Generals with a play action pass instead of running the ball. On a 2nd and 7, Hostetler faked the ball to George and tried to hit Chris Kelley, only to have the ball deflect off Kelley’s shoulder pad and right into the hands of Chris Hicks for the Generals. New Jersey was in business with 1:47 left to play and the ball on the Ohio 39. The Generals capitalized, and when Johnson hit Wayne Chrebet with a goal line crossing route for the game tying score, you could feel the air come out of Ohio Stadium. Ohio got the ball back, and now, rather than risk a 4th Hostetler interception, they played it conservatively, winding down the clock and taking the game to overtime. In overtime both teams struggled to get out of their side of the field. After 4 failed drives, each ending in a punt, Ohio finally found the energy and the right combination of plays to get into field goal range. Hostetler connected with Galloway on a key 3rd and 11 to keep the drive alive, and with only 26 seconds to play in the extra period, Saban had Don Silvestri trot out for a 35 yard attempt. The kick went true and Ohio scored the victory on the road, moving their record to 2-3, alongside New Jersey in the very difficult Atlantic Division. WSH 11 BAL 21 It is an Atlantic Division headed by this season’s revelation team, the Baltimore Blitz. Baltimore shut down the Kordell Stewart-led Federals, limiting their offense to only a field goal for 3 quarters before a safety gave the Feds a short field and they pulled within 10. It was not enough as Baltimore’s offense had put 21 on the board thanks to 3 Miller TD tosses, two to Lamar Thomas and one to Bill Brooks. The Blitz left the day as the league’s last remaining undefeated club. PIT 27 PHI 20 Philadelphia lost their first game of the year thanks to a strong performance from the Mauler defense and a solid, if not exciting game from backup QB Shane Matthews. Matthews avoided turnovers and Mike Rozier kept the clock and the yards turning as the Maulers shortened the game. The Mauler D contributed with 3 sacks and 2 picks of Chuck Long, but the story of the day has to be the run defense. Check this out for a crazy stat line. Bouie and Ham for Philadelphia combined for 14 carries for a total of -5 yards. Yup, negative rush yardage on the day for the Stars, who have to hope that Charlie Garner comes back next week. TBY 28 BIR 31 The South got tighter as Birmingham used home field and a 110-yard rushing game from FB Mike Alstott to squeak by the Tampa Bay Bandits. It was a good day for fans of the rushing game as Tampa back Errict Rhett rushed 19 times for 167 yards, but it was the combination of Alstott’s 2 scores and another 2 from receiver Lawrence Dawsey that gave Birmingham the win. With Stephen Davis out, Alstott has been taking over in 1-back formations, and those were used to great effect by the Stallions in this win. ORL 16 JAX 9 Orlando joined the Bandits and Stallions at 3-2 with a win on the road in Jacksonville. The Bulls simply got nothing going on offense as they were limited to 277 total yards and failed to get into the endzone. The Renegades also struggled in that department, kicking 4 field goals themselves, but an early Terry Kirby TD run plus those 4 kicks proved sufficient to get the road win. MEM 48 ATL 20 Memphis became the 4th Southern club to hit 3-2 for the year as they dismantled the Atlanta defense, a fate Atlanta has seen a lot of this season. Heath Shuler was on fire all day, completing 26 of 35 throws for 359 yards and 4 TD’s to lead the Showboats. Atlanta simply could not get any pressure on the Memphis QB, recording their only sack on the day on veteran Mike Kelley in garbage time. CHI 10 POR 27 Portland’s usually soft rush defense came up big against Ricky Watters, limiting him to 28 yards, while the Thunder had no trouble rushing the ball against a usually stout Chicago defense. Robert Drummond carried the ball 26 times for 99 yards and backup Amp Lee got another 11 carries for 75 as Portland limited Jack Trudeau’s throws and kept the ball on the ground on a rainy day in Portland. Chicago’s offense was out of sorts all day, with Scott Zolak only completing 43% of his throws. Their only TD on the day was a pick-6 from George Teague on an errant Trudeau toss late in the first half. HOU 31 SEA 10 Seattle’s defense held through the half, leading 7-0 at the intermission, but the dam burst in the 3rd quarte as Houston scored 28 unanswered points in the period. All 4 were Kelly TD tosses as the MVP candidate went 21 for 32 for 377, hitting 4 different receivers on scoring tosses of 61, 7, 24, and 73 yards in 15 minutes of play to sink the Seattle hopes for a huge upset. TEX 20 OAK 48 We said that to win Oakland may need to just outscore their opponents and that is exactly what they did, scoring on 8 of 10 possessions in the game. Bobby Hebert threw for 366 and 4 TDs, with both Ellard and McCaffrey going over 100 yards receiving against an overwhelmed Texas secondary. Forced to play from behind, Texas abandoned their solid run game and Oakland spent almost the entire second half in nickel an dime defenses. STL 30 LA 13 This battle of upstart clubs was won by the St. Louis defense, which limited Brent Pease’s success throwing the ball and limited Marcus Allen to 1.9 yards per carry. The Knights offense went through HB Darrell Thompson, sort of a forgotten man when we discuss USFL ballcarriers. Thompson rushed 20 times for 134 yards and score, while running mate Alfred Jenkins scored twice on only 8 carries to help St. Louis even their record at 2-2-1. NOR 20 DEN 26 OT The thin air was too much for the Breakers as Denver won in overtime to take over first place in the Pacific. The Gold got strong games from both QBs as Mark Brunell threw for 2 scores before suffering a possible concussion. Billie Joe Tolliver relieved Brunell and completed 13 of 18 and threw for a score, despite tossing two inopportune picks. Tolliver’s single TD toss occurred in overtime, where he found Odessa Turner open for the game winner. MGN 23 ARZ 17 OT A third overtime thriller, this time with the Panthers upending the Wranglers in Tempe. Both Doug Flutie and Trent Green threw for over 300 yards and 2 scores each, but it was a 27-yard Rodney Culver run in overtime that gave the Panthers the win. Culver had only 2 carries on the day as Tyrone Wheatley remains the main man for Michigan, but his second touch was huge as he burst through the line on a 2nd and 2, stiffarmed a Wrangler defender and rumbled all the way to paydirt. ROOKIE WATCH: So far this year it is all about the running backs of the South among the 1996 rookie class. Moe Williams is the indisputable starter in Memphis (322 yards and 3 TDs to date), Mike Alstott and Stephen Davis are leading the charge in Birmingham, with Alstott now leading the way with 255 yards and 4 TDs in 5 weeks, and in Orlando Kantroy Barber has seen considerable action and has 4 scores of his own as he backs up Terry Kirby. The biggest name in the draft, Ohio State HB Eddie George, has struggled. His 2.8 YPC average is not what you want from a starter and he has yet to find the endzone. There are also some outstanding performers on defense as Portland CB Je’Rod Cherry already has 2 picks and 2 sacks to his name. Breakers CB Walt Harris has 3 picks and a TD, and DE Tony Brackens in Washington has proven a great complement to Dexter Manley, with 5 sacks in 5 weeks. As expected the QB class of 1996 has yet to see much action, with Birmingham’s Danny Kanell leading all rookie QB’s with 1 pass attempt. Not much to see here. Among receivers the leader of the pack is, to no one’s surprise, New Jersey’s Terry Glenn, with 25 receptions for 314 yards and 1 TD. Behind him we find Denver TE Marco Battaglia (20 Rec, 143 yards), Jacksonville’s Terrell Owens (19 Receptions for 252), and Memphis’s midround steal, Joe Horn (18 receptions for 276 and 3 TDs). QB Controversy: It may not be a controversy yet, but Coach Knox in New Jersey cannot be happy that his “rising star” QB, Rob Johnson has shown more of a proclivity for getting sacked than for tossing TDs. Johnson is currently near the bottom of the league (among QBs with 4 or more starts) in yardage and TDs. He is near the top in sacks suffered, with 13 already. While the Knox philosophy does not ask a lot of its QB’s, staying upright and avoiding costly sacks is an important part of their “grind it out” strategy. With former NFL draft pick Tommy Maddox in the wings, we wonder if Knox will start to think about a replacement. Seattle Offensive Woes: Rob Johnson must be happy that Timm Rosenbach is still the QB in Seattle, because Rosenbach’s numbers are the only thing making Johnson look viable. Rosenbach is sitting with a 3-5 TD-INT ratio and only a 59% completion rate. The Seattle offense is dead last in points per game, and while not all of this is the passing game, it does not help that even the arrival of Eric Metcalf does not seem to have helped. Metcalf has been targeted a whopping 66 times (20 more than any other Dragon receiver) but has only 28 catches. Of course the lack of a dependable run game is also not helping. While Potts and Loville have each had moments, there is just not a lot of consistency there, with both averaging well below 4 yards per carry. So, what is the answer for Coach Widenhofer? He cannot pull Rosenbach, as his backups are David Klingler and two untested rookies. He is unlikely to find a quality back to boost the rush game through trade or free agency at this point. It may come down to altering the offensive philosophy to try to maximize what he has. For starters he needs to find Rosenbach an option outside of tossing the ball up to Metcalf whenever he can. In Keith McKeller and Theo Young, Seattle has two decent receivers at TE. Widenhofer might want to consider using more 2 TE formations. It will help the run game and could create mismatches in the middle of the field for Rosenbach to exploit. PARITY OR PARODY: Outside of the Atlantic Division, we are seeing a ton of balance across the league. Some see this as a sign of quality across the board, others see mediocrity. With no team better than 3-2 outside of the Atlantic, and even 1-4 clubs still in contention, especially in the Pacific Division, it seems there is still a lot to sort out. In the 3 weeks that lead up to the midway point of the season, we expect to see some distancing, as some of the 2-3 teams continue to lose, while others at 2-3 or 3-2 string together some wins. Who do we like? Well, Denver seems a step above many of their division foes, but we also think that Portland has righted their ship after an 0-3 start with 2 solid wins. Houston may begin to pull away from the pack in the Central, though we like what we have seen from both Michigan and New Orleans, and as they face more division games, we expect the cluster of 3-2 teams atop the Southern Division will separate. Right now, we have a perfect scenario for those folks who love to discuss playoff tie breaker scenarios, but we know that is a small and very bizarre group of people, and we know that it won’t last. At least we hope so. INJURY REPORT: A few injuries of note this week, but particularly for the Philadelphia Stars, who are looking at no fewer than 9 players listed as questionable or worse on their injury report this week. They hope that they will see Garner back at HB this week, but now havequestions about Chris Conlin at tackle, John Flannery at center, and Ruben Brown at guard. Add in a major injury to TE Marcus Pollard and a possible season-ender to FS Tim Hauck and the Stars are hurting. We mentioned earlier that Mark Brunell was clocked in Denver’s game this week. He may be out this week just as a precautionary measure as Tolliver has gotten most of the snaps in practice this week. Birmingham is hoping to see HB Stephen Davis back in action, though they will still certainly want to keep giving the ball to Mike Alstott after the success he has seen. Rookie DE Simeon Rice could miss 1-2 weeks for Chicago as he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in this week’s loss. Memphis is down another corner as Deon Figures is likely lost for the year with a back injury that could require surgery to repair. With Figures out and Derrick Cudrup still questionable this week, Memphis has to dig deep into its roster. And finally, despite his strong game this week Errict Rhett also ended up on the injury list, though he is listed as questionable after suffering a shoulder injury at the tail end of the game against Birmingham. It’s April and that means Spring Owner’s Meeting time in NYC. We are anticipating some interesting discussions this week in New York as several interesting topics are on the docket. First among them is a concern about the NFL-USFL truce and ongoing negotiations to modify the trade window system that has been in place the last few years. The NFL is unhappy with the timing of the summer window, which overlaps with NFL camps, and one has to suspect that the USFL is not happy with the Jan-Feb window for much the same reasons. Everything seems to be on the table, including buy-out clauses, adjusted schedules for both leagues, even a player re-draft system for free agents in which both leagues could bid on players. Of course the NFLPA and USFLPA are not looking for anything that would restrict player movement or the upward trajectory of salaries across the league. They will be big players in the discussions to be sure. The USFL is also in the midst of renegotiation of TV rights, now with 24 clubs and 12 weekly games, there is talk of rebalancing coverage among the 3 current providers (ABC, ESPN, and FOX) and there have been rumors that CBS has also been sniffing around to see if they could acquire a piece of the pie. In addition to TV rights, there is talk within the USFL of a national radio deal. The recently passed Telecommunications Act is expected to expand the power of the largest radio syndicates by allowing syndicates to own a much larger number of stations nationwide, and the league is looking into whether it makes sense to shift from local team-by-team agreements with local stations to a national radio presence similar to national TV deals. It seems a bit premature, as we are certainly unsure which syndicates may come out on top in the anticipated “radio wars” but the league seems to be exploring the possibility. Additionally, the competition committee is looking into several potential rule changes, including an exploration of overtime rules as well as the always-controversial pass interference penalty. Also, while the league does not wish to abandon its stance as the “more fun league” by curtailing post-play celebrations, there is a concern that certain forms of celebration amount to taunting and have led to more than a few significant incidents between players. While they certainly want to encourage enthusiasm in the stands through personality-driven celebration, taunting may have to be restrained to avoid ongoing disciplinary issues. Finally, there are a couple of franchise ownership moves to approve, as the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, and Orlando Renegades are all proposing to bring in new minority owners to bolster their ownership groups. We don’t expect any of these moves to be controversial as primary ownership remains with the current ownership groups, but you never know what may come of it. The most interesting of the cases is Orlando where NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is among a small group of investors who hope to buy into the Orlando Renegades. Again, this would be a minority position, so don’t expect Big George to start firing coaches left and right as he does in NY. Seems more of a financial diversification strategy than a power grab, but it is Steinbrenner, so you never know. Week 6 flips the script again (get used to this with the USFL’s divisional based scheduling model) as the Western Conference is in division while the Eastern Conference has the Southern clubs hosting the Beasts of the East. Looking at the Pacific Division, this could be a big week as Denver, likely without Brunell, heads to Portland. Arizona is in LA, which is no easy win, and Seattle hosts Oakland in a battle of 1-4 clubs. In the Central, the big game is Chicago at New Orleans, with the Machine trying to scrape back to .500 with a win. Houston is in San Antonio for the annual battle of Texas clubs, and the St. Louis Knights will try to spoil the day for the visiting Panthers. Some great inter-divisional games in the East as well. A banged up Stars team will try to escape Birmingham’s Legion Field with a win, while Washington hopes to get back to .500 but face a very game Memphis squad in the Liberty Bowl. Undefeated Baltimore could be challenged by a balanced Orlando squad and an enthusiastic Citrus Bowl crowd. Pittsburgh will be in Jacksonville, where the Bulls hope to rediscover their offense, but face a very tough Mauler D. New Jersey will be in Tampa Stadium to face the Bandits, and Atlanta will see if their defense can show up for a change when they face the Ohio Glory.

An exciting week of divisional action, but one marred by a major injury likely to impact a major contender. With all 24 clubs in divisional play this week we knew we would get some good games, and we certainly did, but the injury to Alan Risher overshadowed much of the action as his potential loss for the season rattles the entire calculus of who is the frontrunner in the Eastern Conference. With Risher down for at least 10-12 weeks can the Maulers continue to be a frontrunner for the Atlantic Division? Are the defending champs now at a disadvantage even within their own division? And just who can take advantage and step into a potential void at the top? No game was more anticipated this week than the battle of undefeateds in Pittsburgh between the upstart Blitz and the reigning league champion Maulers. Everyone hoped for a slugfest, but no one saw the overtime thriller coming, much less the potentially season-ending injury to Alan Risher that impacted not only this game but the rest of the season for the Maulers. The game started off slowly, with both defenses playing solidly against their opponents. Late in a scoreless first quarter a Pittsburgh pick of a Chris Miller pass gave them solid field position in Baltimore territory, but the Blitz defense held, leading to the lone score of the quarter, a Septien 27-yard field goal. The second quarter saw things begin to move, as both offenses adapted and started to make headway. Baltimore got on the board with a long Luis Zendejas Field Goal, and then, on the next possession, Alan Risher tried to scramble for a first down on a 3rd and 4 play, but took a wicked shot to the knee, totally legal, but clearly impactful as well. He would hobble to the sideline in visible pain, and Shane Matthews would come on to relieve him. Baltimore took advantage, holding Pittsburgh to consecutive 3 and outs in their next 2 possessions, and using the short field provided by these defensive stops to add 14 points o their total, a Kyle Brady TD reception and a Barry Foster 24-yard run. Foster would become the primary weapon for the Blitz, and he responded with his best game in 3 years, 143 yards on 28 carries. Chris Miller would take advantage of the strong running game, using play action to complete 30 of 41 passes for 263 and 3 scores. But Pittsburgh was not out of this game yet, though, down 17-3, they needed to find an answer. Just before the half, Pittsburgh finally got a drive to stick by switching to a no huddle offense, and with 1:38 left on the clock Shane Matthews found Louis Lipps for a 26-yard TD toss to pull Pitttsburgh within 7. After a scoreless third quarter, Pittsburgh was able to mount a successful drive and just as the 4th quarter began, Matthews plunged over his center on a QB sneak to equalize the score at 17. Despite a shaky 11 of 24 performance, Matthews was doing enough, thanks in part to the always reliable Mike Rozier (21 carries for 101 yards) and Pittsburgh was still in this game. Baltimore responded 8 minutes later with a scoring drive of their own as, for the 2nd time on the day, Miller found Kyle Brady open in the endzone to put Baltimore up 24-17 with 7:49 left to play. Pittsburgh’s next drive went nowhere and they returned the ball to Baltimore with only 37 seconds elapsed. Baltimore too failed to gain ground on their final drive, though they milked the clock a bit, and with 5:02 left to play the Maulers got the ball back on their own 7 yard line, needing a TD to tie the game and send it to overtime. The ensuing Mauler drive was a sporadic one, but it slowly made its way down the field, aided by an offsides penalty on a 3rd and 3, and by a key 4th down run by Rozier against a stacked box. Facing a 3rd and goal at the 7, Matthews found 3rd receiver Yo Murphy in the back of the endzone, just barely avoiding a tip from LB Eric Kumerow, and the game was tied. Baltimore won the toss and opted to receive in overtime. They were determined not to let Pittsburgh see the ball, and 7 plays later Miller hit HB Derrick Fenner in the flat and Fenner gained steam, plowing over the safety and into the endzone to give Baltimore a huge road win over the defending champs. The Blitz would move to 4-0, and Pittsburgh would suffer their first defeat of the season. More importantly, they soon received news that Risher had suffered a complete tear of the MCL on his right leg. The injury required immediate treatment, likely a re-attachment surgery, and the recovery time would be measured in months, not weeks. The combination of the Risher injury and the Baltimore victory might just have shifted the balance of power in the Atlantic Conference, with Baltimore and Philadelphia suddenly gaining in the eyes of the Las Vegas bookmakers, while Pittsburgh fell from a 1 in 8 chance of repeating to a 1 in 20 longshot. Such was the impact of the game and the loss of their long time starter. While the Baltimore-Pittsburgh game was the most viewed, and one of the most dramatic of the weekend, it certainly was not the only game that proved pivotal in the early stages of the season. NJ 10 PHI 17 The rivalry between the Stars and Generals renewed in Veterans Stadium, where a 4th quarter TD toss from Chuck Long to rookie Stepfret Williams was the difference. This game saw its share of injuries as well as Philadelphia lost Pat Chaffey, possibly for a month, while New Jersey saw RT Herb Wester go down with a concussion. OHI 10 WSH 20 Kordell Stewart helped Washington even their record at 2-2 with a 10-point home win over Ohio. Stewart went 22 of 34 and threw a nice 44-yard TD pass to Herman Moore. The game was tied at 10 after 3 quarters, but Washington’s D helped pull out the win as Lester Lyles picked off Jeff Hostetler and ran it back for a late score to put the game well into the Federals’ hands. JAX 31 TBY 35 A great game to watch in Tampa, where Troy Aikman’s 4-TD day helped the Bandits overcome the Bulls in a shootout. Both Aikman and Chandler threw for well over 300 yards and 4 scores apiece, but it was a last minute Aikman to Ben Coates 84-yard stunner that caused the Tampa crowd to get to its feet. The final minute score answered a Dokie Williams TD that looked like a potential game winner for the Bulls. BIR 21 MEM 20 A rowdy crowd of nearly 53,000 in Memphis witnessed another great game as the Stallions got a late Cedrick Tillman TD to upend the Showboats and even both clubs at 2-2 for the year. Three picks on the day by Heath Shuler helped keep Birmingham in range, even as Brett Favre struggled, sacked 5 times and going 1 for 8 on third down. The bomb to Tillman was a huge play on a day when Memphis had allowed almost no big plays, but it was a decisive one. ATL 24 ORL 45 Orlando rolled to a 31-3 halftime lead and never looked back as both Terry Kirby (141 on 16 carries) and rookie Kantroy Barber (111 on 9 carries) went over the century mark against a Fire defense that had no answers up front. Scott Mitchell only completed 12 passes on the day, but the run game of Orlando was, for the first time in a long time, a dominant factor in the game. MGN 28 CHI 35 Another great game in Chicago, where the Machine eked out a win over the very game Panthers. Ricky Watters outpaced Tyrone Wheatley 93 yards to 65 and Mario Bates added a late TD to give Chicago a 35-21 advantage, but Michigan came close, scoring first on a Jeff Campbell TD toss from Flutie, then recovering an onside kick, but the Panthers, needing a TD to tie, could not get magic from Flutie as his attempt at a hail mary fell to the ground in the endzone as time expired. STL 17 HOU 17 OT A weird one in the Astrodome, as the Gamblers, despite the return of Thurman Thomas to the offense, simply could not get in synch. Todd Collins and the Knights kept Houston in check, and, trailing 17-7 after three quarters, came back with a late Emile Harry TD catch to tie the game. Both teams struggled in overtime, with John Kasay missing on a 48-yarder while Cole Ford came up well short on a desperation 57-yarder as time expired, leaving both clubs with that unpleasant feeling of a tie game. TEX 21 NOR 31 New Orleans takes over sole possession of first place in the Central as their defense limited Reggie Cobb to 12 carries, got off the field on 3rd down, and pressured Kelly Stouffer all day. Terrell Davis carried the load on offense for the Breakers, toting the rock 22 times for 66 yards and a score, while Jamie Martin had an amazing day, completing 25 of 27 for 301 yard and 3 TDs. LA 32 DEN 17 The LA Express now share the top spot in the Pacific after a surprising road win against the Denver Gold. LA scored on 4 consecutive second half drives to overcome a 17-6 deficit and upend the Gold in Mile High. Brent Pease got protection all day from his line, and completed 30 of 40 passes for 330 yards and 3 second half TDs, rushing for a 4th, as the Express took it to the Gold. POR 38 OAK 16 The battle of surprise winless teams went to the Thunder as Jack Trudeau threw for 4 scores against an Invaders defense that seemed confused and out of place all day. Coach Mora cannot be happy with that performance as Portland racked up points while the Oakland offense sputtered, with Bobby Hebert picked off three times in the game. SEA 10 ARZ 30 Coach Tollner’s shift from Robbie Bosco to Trent Green was shortlived, but the message was received loud and clear by the former starter. Up 7-0 in the first, Green was hit across the head and suffered a concussion, leading to Bosco finishing up the game. He led Arizona to 23 points and a solid win over the offensively-challenged Dragons, who also lost their starter to injury early in the game. Both are expected to return next week, but the benching seems to have motivated Bosco, though not Coach Tollner, who already announced that, if healthy, Green will get the start again next week. LA Story: The 2-2 start of the Express may not seem like a major news story, but this expansion club has already knocked off 2 division foes (Denver and Oakland) and found their offense in doing so. After a rough first 2 weeks which saw the Express score a total of 17 points combined, they have rattled off 33 and 32 in consecutive games. Their defense has also stiffened up after their first two games (33 and 37 points) to allow only 18 and 17 points in weeks 3 and 4. And while not all aspects of their game is working the way they would like (Marcus Allen is still struggling to find lanes to run) the Express have to be pleased with both their young QB Brent Pease (1,066 passing yards and 8 TDs) and their pass rush, which has generated 12 sacks in 4 games. Santana Dotson is among the league leaders with 5 sacks to date, and they have also gotten help from his opposite, Antonio Edwards (2 sacks) and the LB corps. LA sits atop the Pacific Division, and with clear issues in both Oakland and Arizona, their main obstacle may be the Denver Gold, who they have already defeated at Mile High. Could the 2nd year franchise led by former USFL QB Rick Neuheisel actually make a run at the division title? It seems so, but there is still a lot of football to play. Oakland Woes: On the other side of the sprectrum, if you are looking for a reason behind the Oakland Invaders’ 0-4 start, don’t look at Bobby Hebert. His 306 yards per game is among the league leaders and his QB Rating of 88.7, while not among the league’s best, is hardly a major concern. Yes, Hebert has thrown 6 interceptions in 4 games, but he has spent a lot of time playing catchup, so it is understandable that he would be pressing a bit. No, it seems clear where the issue is. While the offense is averaging a slightly under par 18 PPG, the defense is allowing a league worst 35 points per game. You are not going to win many games when the opposition is scoring 5 TDs a game. The Invaders have gotten no pash rush at all, with their sack leader being backup DT Jeff Alm. They also are not pressuring QBs into mistakes, with a lone Ron Rivera pick as the only one for the club in their first four games. Coach Mora had better get more out of this defense and quickly or this could be a long season in Oakland. We all respect Coach Mora, but his new system on defense either does not have the right personnel to be successful, or is too complex for his club to pick it all up. Whatever the issue, the odds are already stacked against an Invaders playoff season this year. Orlando Runs to Glory: When you think of the best rushing attacks in the USFL, the Orlando Renegades are not the club that typically comes to mind, but they seem to have found something this year with the combination of veteran free agent signing Terry Kirby and midround rookie pickup Kantroy Barber. The combo of Kirby-Barber (Kirbarber?) has produced 405 yards on the ground this season, better than any single back in the league. The duo were in rare form this week against Atlanta, when Kirby rushed for 141 yards on 16 carries and Barber went for 101 on only 9 carries. If this dynamic duo continues at their pace for the full year, we could have the first double 1,000 yard tandem in league history. It is a tall order, but Coach O’Leary seems eager to win with a ground game, taking pressure off of Scott Mitchell, and adding the ability to run down the clock as well. Orlando was on the cusp of playoff football last season, and now, with a run game they can rely on, they may be ready for the next step up. Pittsburgh Signs a QB: With Alan Risher officially placed on injured reserve, Shane Matthews moves up to the starting position and Pat O’Hara occupies the 2nd slot. Pittsburgh, looking for additional depth, and perhaps some experienced words of wisdom at the position went out this week and signed former Tampa Bay Bandit and NFL QB John Fourcade. While it is unlikely that Fourcade will see action in a Mauler jersey, his veteran presence can only help Matthews or O’Hara as they face the challenge of leading a championship caliber team. Injury Report: While the Risher injury is clearly the story of the week, there are a few other teams looking hard at that injury report and wondering how they will adapt. Pittsburgh’s foe this week, Philadelphia, will be without both starter Charlie Garner and backup Pat Chaffey, forcing them to activate Troy Ham from the practice squad. Ham will share carries with 3rd stringer Kevin Boule and FB Eddie Colson, at least for this week, before Garner is expected back in Week 6. Houston is also feeling the pain as they will likely be without two starters on the O-line this week as well as their reliable slot receiver, Ricky Proehl. Proehl is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a torn biceps, while starting LG John Rienstra could be out the same amount of time with a knee injury. Center Aaron Graham is listed as questionable with a hip injury, but should at least be back for week 6. Washington’s Kordell Stewart will likely get the nod for at least 2 more weeks as Don Majkowski recovers, but now will also have to deal with an injury to All-USFL LT Ken Lanier, who could be out this week and possible one more. In Seattle, Lomas Brown may miss this week just as Timm Rosenbach looks to return to action. And in Memphis, CB Derrick Cudrup is expected to join WR Joe Horn on the injured list after suffering a concussion in practice on a freak collision with a TE during 7 on 7 drills. The USFL welcomed their 1996 Hall of Fame class this week. With five eligible spots available, a split among voters, particularly at the HB position, means that only 4 candidates received the required 75% of votes. Leading the pack was former Philadelphia Stars QB Chuck Fusina, who garnered 95% of the vote in his first year of eligibility. WR Mel Gray and former Panther defensive captain John Corker both also scored more than 85% of the votes. Longtime LA Express corner Raphel Cherry rounded out the four, named on 79% of the ballots. Just missing the cut were Washington Federals back Craig James, whose 73% just missed the cutoff. Craig was likely hindered by voters splitting their ballots among three intriguing candidates, with Gary Anderson and John Williams also both named on more than 50% of ballots. Former Breaker WR Nolan Franz also missed the cut by fewer than 10%, named on 67% of ballots. The HOF ceremony recognizing these 4 league legends will be held in July, during Wild Card Weekend of the USFL season. They will join John Reaves, Junior Ah-You, Anthony Carter, Marcus Marek, and owner John Bassett in the new USFL wing within the Pro Football Hall of Fame. James, Williams, Franz, Anderson, Doug Williams, and others will be eligible for the next 4 years as they return to a pool that will include 1992 retirees such as legendary Birmingham Stallion HB Joe Cribbs, Blitz receiver Jackie Flowers, former LA Raider and Express TE Todd Christiansen, Stallion DE Bob Barber, SS William Cesare, and FS Mike Fox of the Express and Machine as part of the 1997 HOF contenders. Week 5 blends divisional matches in the East with inter-divisional games in the West once again. The biggest game by far has the 3-1 Maulers, with Shane Matthews under center, going to Philadelphia to face the 4-0 Stars. Philly’s offense has not taken off yet, so if the Maulers can hold them, they have a chance despite losing Alan Risher for the year last week. The Keystone Clash is only one big rivalry game as we also have Washington traveling just up the road to take on the Baltimore Blitz. The Blitz knocked off Pittsburgh last week in a statement game. Can they keep the same energy or will the 2-2 Federals work their way into the divisional mix behind the dual threat of QB Kordell Stewart? In the South the key matchups all involve Florida clubs as we have a battle of 2-2 clubs when Orlando heads up I-95 to face the Jacksonville Bulls. Meanwhile, alone at 3-1, the Bandits head to Birmingham to face the Stallions. The other two East Conference matchups, Ohio @ New Jersey and Memphis @ Atlanta may not have the same allure as the highlighted games, but could still turn out to be a lot of fun to watch. In the Western Conference we have a few great matchups as well, with New Orleans headed up to Mile High to face the Denver Gold, Michigan out in the desert to face Trent Green and the Wranglers, Texas in Oakland as the Invaders try to score their first win of the year, and Chicago up in Portland hoping to move over .500 with a win. Houston is out in Seattle, and, in a surprisingly intriguing game we have the former LA Express, the St. Louis Knights, in LA to face the New Express. Both clubs have surprised with their performances so far this year, and this could actually be a really interesting matchup of potential up & comers this season.

The USFL season hit week and the Western Conference finally began division play. We got a lot of blowouts this week, but we also got a major upset, a statement game from a Summer Bowl favorite, and we may have seen the true birth of a rivalry in the Pacific Northwest. Not bad for April Fool’s weekend. We got a bit of everything in the matchup between the undefeated Showboats and the homestanding and equally undefeated Philadelphia Stars. We saw an understudy come up big, we saw some rookies looking like seasoned pros, and we saw one of the league’s best do what he does best. All this and 2 score changes in the final minute of play made this inter-divisional game our clear GOTW winner. Let’s start with Memphis, a team that seems to be transitioning right on schedule for Coach Ryan. It also looks like he hit on a couple of gems in this year’s draft as rookie HB Moe Williams is among league leaders, racking up another 91 yards on only 13 carries in this game against the tough Philly D. That would be enough, but we also have midround pick Joe Horn working his way into the Memphis offense. He only had one catch in this one, but it was an 8-yard TD catch. Most of the balls went towards veteran Carl Pickens, who snagged 7 receptions for 104 yards. For Philadelphia the revelation was backup HB Pat Chaffey, subbing for a dinged up Charlie Garner. Coach Berry gameplanned Garner well, using the threat of the pass to set up several nice draw plays, and using a lot of pulling linemen to work the outside game which is Chaffey’s forte. The result? How about 21 carries for 144 yards and 2 TDs? Not a bad first start in the league for young Chaffey. The other big hero for Philadelphia was Cris Carter, whose 7 receptions led the team and included a 45-yarder when the Stars were desperate for a big play. Both clubs looked good in a first half that ended 20-14 in favor of the Stars. Pat Chaffey had his 2 TD’s and Heath Shuler looked sharp, connecting with both Joe Horn and Adrian Cooper for scores. The 2nd half began with rookie back Moe Williams putting Memphis on top 21-20 with a short TD run. It would be the only score of the quarter and the final TD of the day. The rest of the game would depend on the feet of Chip Lohmiller and Kevin Shea. Lohmiller struck first, connecting on a chipshot 25-yarder with 6:35 left on a drive where Stepfret Williams missed on a corner route that could have given the Stars 7. Memphis received the kickoff and used a methodical short game to get the ball in range for Kevin Shea. Shea connected on a 40-yarder with only 25 seconds left and Memphis players started to celebrate just a bit prematurely. Philly received the kickoff from Shea as a touchback. They would have the ball on their own 25 yard line but with only 25 seconds left. After a quick toss to the left was ruled out of bounds, the Stars opted to go deep. They placed Williams, Cris Carter and Jeff Graham in trips formation, with the receivers kris-crossing after 10 yards. The coverage got confused, with 2 DB’s following Williams, and no one on the sideline to follow Carter. Long released the deep ball and Carter tip-toed along the sideline as he caught the slightly errant pass. Out of bounds at the Memphis 23 with 19 seconds left. It was a huge error by Ryan’s defense, and, after a kneel down by Long to center the ball, Philly would run down the clock to 3 seconds left before calling their last time out and bringing out their new kicker, Chip Lohmiller. It was a 46-yard kick, with all the pressure on Lohmiller, but it sailed right down the middle and likely would have been good from 55 as it easily cleared the crossbar. Philadelphia moves to 3-0 and keeps pace in the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division, while Memphis learns a valuable lesson about playing to the whistle. BIR 9 NJ 23 Don’t look now but the revamped Generals’ defense under Coach Chuck Knox may just be for real. No one expected Brett Favre to be held out of the endzone all game, but with 2 interceptions and only 19 completions on 42 passes, New Jersey showed it could be done. The offense also came through, with Bam Morris’s 78 yards and the game’s lone offensive TD leading New Jersey to an upset victory. TBY 10 WSH 41 The Washington Federals got their first victory in dramatic style this week, laying the lumber to the favored Tampa Bay Bandits. Barry Word scored 4 times as the Federals just kept pounding the ball into the Tampa line. This strategy was implemented when Don Majkowski went down and Kordell Stewart came in at QB. Stewart would run 11 times himself, and with Morris and Terrell Fletcher, they formed a triad of rushers that overwhelmed the Bandits. ORL 21 PIT 42 Pittsburgh got another monster game (182 yards rushing and 3 TDs) from Mike Rozier as they doubled up the Orlando Renegades. Add in two Michael Shaw TD receptions and a 21-0 run between the 2nd and 3rd quarters and Orlando just did not have an answer for the Maulers, who move to 3-0 on the season. ATL 13 BAL 36 Trailing only 13-10 at the half, the wheels came off the bus for the Fire in the 2nd half. Baltimore got 113 yards receiving from Bill Brooks and the Blitz defense sacked Eric Zeier 6 times to keep the Fire down all day. Add in 5 Luis Zendejas field goals and the game quickly got away from the Fire. JAX 37 OHI 10 The Bulls got their second victory of the year in Columbus as they manhandled the Glory. Natrone Means went over 100 yards and Jamie Morris added another 53 as Baltimore found holes in Nick Saban’s defense. Rookie Terrell Owens also had a good game for Baltimore, catching 4 balls for 49 yards. For Ohio, Joey Galloway again led all receivers while for the 2nd time in 3 weeks Eddie George had difficulty finding room to run behind Ohio’s shaky line. NOR 23 MGN 45 A statement game from the Panthers as they took down Jamie Martin and the Breakers with ease. Weegie Thompson gained 132 yards in the air, helping Doug Flutie to his best game as a Panther (293 yards and 66.7% completion rate). Ad in a defense that picked off Jamie Martin 4 times and you have a beat down. Chris Snyder nabbed a share of the league league with 2 more picks in this game, and Garland Rivers added to his impressive career total with one of his own. TEX 17 STL 7 The Outlaws had a tough go of it in St. Louis, but their defense held the Knights and their offense did just enough to eke out a win. It was a strange game for Kelly Stouffer, as he completed 33 of 37 passes, but almost all were short completions which St. Louis kept from turning into long gains. Reggie Cobb averaged only 2.8 yards per carry, and the game could have gone either way until a late Boniol FG gave Texas a definitive 10-point lead. DEN 21 ARZ 13 In a game that may be Robbie Bosco’s swansong as the Wrangler starter, Arizona again struggled to move the ball. Bosco finished with only 176 yards passing, and Arizona again needed to rely on its defense to keep the game in range. By the 4th quarter they were down 21-6 before a late “garbage time” score made the game look closer than it was. Second year back Rashaan Salaam looked good, rushing for 110 yards on 22 carries and scoring twice. OAK 18 LA 33 Trouble in Oakland for Coach Mora as his new team lost one most expected them to win easily. The LA Express came out ready to rumble, and it showed. QB Brent Pease threw for 3 scores, including a nice thread-the-needle play to rookie TE Rickey Dudley, and the LA defense, led by Santana Dotson’s 2 sacks, took down Bobby Hebert 6 times. Despite the constant pressure, Hebert threw for 305 and both Ellard and McCaffrey went over 100 yards, but the problem was red zone offense, a problem LA used to keep the Invaders from keeping pace all day. SEA 29 POR 14 Another shocker in the Pacific as Seattle got their first win of the year, and their first road win ever, by knocking off the Thunder in Portland. Down 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter, Seattle went on a 22 point run, getting 2 field goals from Mike Hollis to pull within 1 at the half, then starting the 2nd half with a safety as Jack Trudeau was sacked in the endzone. Roosevelt Potts rushed for 102 yards and Eric Metcalf led the Dragons with 7 receptions as Seattle upended Portland and perhaps started a true rivalry among the two clubs. HOU 29 CHI 10 The finale for the week was the highly anticipated Gamblers-Machine showdown in Chicago. Once again Jim Kelly carried the team, as he threw for 443 and 3 scores. Thurman Thomas was a game time scratch due to an eye infection that impacted his vision, so Keith Woodside stepped in. He was adequate, but it was clear that Kelly would need to lead the team, and he did, finding Antonio Freeman twice for scores and adding another to TE Ken Dilger. Run to Daylight: It was a good week indeed for fans of the run game as we had several contenders for Offensive POTW from the HB position. With weather a little dicey in many games, and with teams trying to avoid good defenses from teeing off on their QBs the run game has had some moments in this pass-happy league, and this week was certainly one of them. Leading the pack, as he always seems to be, was Mike Rozier, who does not seem to be slowing down at all. Rozier’s 182 yards and 3 TDs were too much for Orlando to handle. Not far behind him were Pat Chaffey in Philadelphia (144 yards), Natrone Means, for Jacksonville (116), Rashaan Salaam for Denver (110), Robert Drummond in Portland (110), Roosevelt Potts (102) for Seattle (102), and Terrell Davis for New Orleans . Of note, from those 100-yard days, only Drummond’s Thunder failed to win their game this week. And, while he did not make the 100-yard group, Barry Word’s 4 TD day should also not be ignored. The message to other clubs, get yourself a run game. Dragon Breathing Fire: Special kudos to Scott Stephen of Seattle, who won the Defensive POTW, a first for the longtime rotational player of the Panthers who is getting his chance to lead for the expansion club. It is also a first for Seattle, which has hardly been a regular in the weekly awards. Seattle got their first win of the year, and only their 2nd in 2 seasons, in large part due to their defense containing Portland in a tough road environment. Stephen’s day was a big part of that. The strongside backer finished the day with 8 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and his sack of Trudeau in the endzone to open the 2nd half was the game-changer that gave momentum and a belief in themselves to the entire defense. A good day indeed for the 10 year vet who has found new life in the Northwest. Glimpse at the Future: Washington fans may have gotten a glimpse of their future this week, and likely will get more over the next month. Midway through the 2nd quarter of their game against Tampa Bay, Don Majkowski went down, awkwardly twisting his throwing arm on a 2nd quarter sack. Kordell Stewart, the star signing from Washington’s 1995 draft came in, and what we saw from Kordell caught the attention of fans. While the former Colorado Buffalo completed only 14 of 26 passes, he avoided the deadly turnover, and he added 11 rushes, helping the Federals run away from the Bandits and leading them on 5 scoring drives in 8 possessions. While Majkowski remains a popular figure among Federal fans, this next month, with the Majik Man out with a wrist injury, may give Washington a chance to see how their franchise might transition to a new style of play with Stewart under center. Injury Report: While the Majkowski injury is certainly a big one this week, it is sadly not the only one. We saw a few long-term concerns around the league. Seattle’s success this week came at a cost as their starting strong safety, Chris Hayes herniated a disk and could miss 2 months. Philadelphia tackle Chris Conlin may be out upu to 6 weeks as doctors revaluated his neck injury. New Jersey will be without TE Jeff Spek after he fractured his jaw in a collision with a linebacker this week. In Pittsburgh, the Maulers lost two of their speedier players, with CB Le-Lo Lang likely to miss 1-2 weeks with a torn abdominal muscle and wideout Freddie Scott nursing a gimpy ankle. Expect Pat Chaffey to get a 2nd start at HB in Philadelphia as it does not appear that Charlie Garner is ready to return, and in Memphis, good-looking rookie wideout Joe Horn could miss a week or two with turf toe. News this week from Nike as the three teams getting updates to their for the 1997 season have been announced. It will be Denver, Texas, and Orlando getting facelifts for the next year. While we don’t expect any of the three to abandon their current color schemes, past history has shown that an updated logo, along with newly-imagined uniform designs are certainly within the realm of the possible. Of the 3, we would have to say that both the Orlando and Denver logos do seem a bit dated, or at least not as aligned with contemporary style as many other teams in the league. Denver’s gold starburst is simple enough, but lacks any real connection with the region or its rich mining history. We would not be surprised to see a new logo that contains a mountain element or makes use of the golden nugget instead of a more astronomical-themed gold icon. For Orlando, the tomahawk seems an appropriate logo, but the long horizontal style, along with the script wordmark, is awkward on the side of a helmet. We would not be shocked if the Renegades found a way to balance out the logo a bit more, perhaps two crossed weapons, similar to the famous Chicago Blackhawk crossed-tomohawk “C” logo. Something that creates a more centered logo might make sense. As for Texas, the scruffy-looking bandit placed on a blue star has received some criticism for being derivative of the Dallas Cowboys’ star logo, but it is a good, well-balanced logo that captures the spirit of the original Oklahoma Outlaws masked bandit and allows the team to incorporate black into the otherwise blue and green look of the city’s original team, the Gunslingers. If anything, we would expect an attempt to connect the franchise more to San Antonio now that the club has a permanent home in the Alamodome rather than splitting time across the state. Expect to see new looks towards the end of the season, as has become the norm in the league, as teams try to build up excitement for the next year. Of course, if these three “middle of the road” teams can make a push towards the playoffs that may be all the excitement needed for their fanbases. Week 4 offers up the rarest of the rare, a full slate with all 24 clubs fighting within their divisions. So many meaningful games, especially for those clubs who have not started off as hot as they, or their fans, would like. Among the high-tension games we have Baltimore @ Pittsburgh in a battle of 3-0 clubs, Jacksonville heading down to Tampa, with both at 2-1, and Birmingham trying to right their course on the road in Memphis. In the Western Conference we have Michigan headed to Chicago to face the Machine, Texas down in New Orleans, Denver in LA, and in a surprising matchup of 0-3 clubs, Oakland hosts Portland in a must win for both clubs. Other games include Seattle at Arizona, St. Louis in Houston, Atlanta @ Orlando, Ohio traveling to DC to face the Federals, and, in a game that could surprise some folks and spark that classic rivalry, the 2-1 Generals head to Veterans Stadium to face the unbeaten Philadelphia Stars.

The first divisional games of the year and some quality clashes in the Western Conference highlight the second week of USFL action. We come out of the week with several clubs starting off stronger than expected, a few hoping to turn things around quickly, and a few clubs still trying to figure themselves out after a long offseason. We start with a nip & tuck battle in Houston that went to overtime before a winner was decided. It is no easy task to go into the Astrodome and keep pace with the Gamblers, but that is what Denver did this week as Mark Brunell battled with Jim Kelly through 4 quarters and a little more. The two teams combined for over 900 yards of offense on the day, with Denver getting a strong performance from their run game to complement Brunell’s arm, while Houston relied on another huge day from Jim Kelly, with 437 yards passing, to earn the win. Houston started fast, and after only 5 plays found themselves up 7 as Keith Woodside took over for Thomas at the goal line and plunged in from 3 yards out to give Houston the early lead. Denver was not going to sit back and let Houston earn all the momentum, and with their second drive they found some holes in the Houston secondary, with Brunell hitting Odessa Turner for a game-tying score. In an action-packed first quarter, Kelly then responded by hitting Antonio Freeman with a 48-yard scoring strike to again go up by 7. Denver finished the quarter with a long drive ending in a Jeff Wilkens Field goal. 14-10 after one. The 2nd quarter saw the two clubs swap scores again as Houston got a Kelly to Heller TD pass and Denver responded with a nice Rashaan Salaam run for 14 yards to go into the half down only 21-17. The 3rd quarter slowed down the pace a bit as both defenses made halftime adjustments. The lone score was on a short field after a Denver takeaway as rookie HB Rickey Whittle found space around the left side and danced along the sideline before falling into the endzone to give the Gold their first lead of the day, 24-21. Houston kame on strong in the final quarter, scoring on their first two drives, a Kasay field goal and then a second Woodside run to build up the 7-point lead at 31-24. But, scoring with 3:45 left meant that Denver would have a shot at an equalizer. Brunell moved the ball down the field and capped off the game-tying drive with a nicely thrown corner route to Mark Carrier for 17 yards. With 1:37 left to play, Houston tried to get the ball into field goal range for Kasay, but when his 52-yarder went wide left, it was on to overtime. Both clubs held fast on their opposition’s first drive, meaning the game would be a true sudden death situation. After a 3-and-out on Denver’s second possession, Houston took over with 5:28 left to play in the extra period. They took advantage of a roughing the passer call and a blown coverage to get the ball well into field goal range, but, not satisfied to sit on the ball, QB Jim Kelly found Brett Perriman on a play action pass and Perriman loped into the endzone for the winning score. Kelly finished the day 25 for 46 for 437 yards and 3 TDs, despite being sacked 5 times by the aggressive Denver D. Mark Brunell went 33 for 43 for 257 and 2 scores, and was helped out by 118 yards from Rashaan Salaam. For Houston both Freeman and Perriman went over 100 yards, while Mark Carrier led the Gold with 9 catches for 81 yards and a score. Houston, with the win, moves to 1-1 while Denver, which has played well these first two weeks, falls to 1-1 after their week 1 win in Birmingham. They have one more road game next week before their late home opener in Week 4. Houston will now prepare for a vital road game in Chicago against the top contenders in the Central Division. BAL 19 NJ 13 New Jersey’s defense again played well, but so did the Blitz D, and a low-scoring game was won on 10 fourth quarter points from the Blitz. The big play on the day was a late Miller to Derrick Fenner TD which put a positive spin on a 3-interception game from Miller. New Jersey’s Rob Johnson also threw three picks against that tough Blitz secondary, and with Bam Morris only able to muster 3 YPC (15 for 45 yards) it was tough sledding all day for the Generals’ offense. PIT 24 WSH 21 Pittsburgh got the better of Washington in RFK this weekend, despite Mike Rozier being limited to only 32 yards rushing on 21 carries. It was the Mauler D that won the day as Demetrius DuBose had a huge week, capped off by a 51-yard interception return in the 4th to turn a 17-13 lead into a 24-13 advantage, just enough as Washington came back to within 3 in the final minutes. PHI 17 OHI 9 Ohio and Philadelphia found themselves in a defensive struggle as well this weekend, with the Stars holding Ohio to only 3 field goals, while Ohio kept Philadelphia from running away with the game. The Stars were hamstrung, literally, by an early game injury to Charlie Garner. Pat Chaffey struggled in relief, rushing for only 44 yards on 16 carries (2.8 YPC) while the Philly D had their hands full with a pretty decent outing from the HB duo of the Glory, Eddie George (77 yards) and Ernest Byner (31 yards). Ohio had their chances but could not turn yards into points, settling for 31 and 32 yard field goals from within the red zone. BIR 31 ATL 6 After a tough home loss to Denver, Birmingham was happy to take their frustrations out on the Atlanta Fire. Brett Favre threw for 334 yards and 3 scores and the rookie duo of Davis (8 for 37) and Alstott (13 for 79) made life difficult for the Atlanta defenders. Atlanta came after Favre (5 sacks) but were unable to keep pace on offense despite 109 yards from wideout Ernie Jones. MEM 19 JAX 7 Memphis’s good start continued as their defense got after Chris Chandler for 6 sacks, while Moe Williams had a good 2nd outing with 82 yards rushing. Add in 99 yards and a score from #1 receiver Carl Pickens and you have a formula for a Memphis division win. TBY 20 ORL 13 Tampa Bay also moved to 2-0 after a hard-fought road win against the Renegades. Errict Rhett came up big with 105 yards rushing and a score, while James Stewart added a 2nd rushing TD for the Bandits. Tampa held Terry Kirby to only 27 yards rushing and Orlando had to rely on Scott Mitchell to keep pace. Despite 290 yards passing from Mitchell, the big plays did not come their way and the Bandits escaped with a division win. ARZ 20 CHI 34 Arizona again struggled to put points on the board, while Scott Zolak had a strong game with 73% passing and 3 TDs for the day. Ricky Watters added 75 rush yards and a score on the ground while also catching 5 balls for 48 yards and a 2nd score in one of his best games to date. Throw in 2 Wendell Davis TD catches and you get a 14-point win for the homestanding Machine. LA 10 MGN 37 Brent Pease had a rough day, throwing 4 picks against the Michigan D, while Doug Flutie made the most of his chances and got a HUGE day from Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley rushed 28 times for 217 yards and a score, including a 46-yard run for a score that has to be seen to be believed. LA quickly got down double digits, taking Marcus Allen largely out of the game and putting a lot of pressure on Pease. SS Tony Covington of the Panthers was the beneficiary, picking off 2 Pease throws to lead the Michigan defense. OAK 10 NOR 35 Oakland’s rough start under Jim Mora continues as the Breakers got 2 TD’s from Terrell Davis and 2 from Qadry Ismail against the porous Invader defense. With Bobby Hebert sacked 4 times and hit many more, it was a long day for the Invaders offense, which did not score a TD until the final 3 minutes of a game already long out of reach. POR 13 STL 23 The Thunder also continue to underperform as St. Louis got the home win on the strength of a solid 3-TD day from Todd Collins. Rocket Ismail found himself on the receiving end of 2 of those passes while rookie Amani Toomer stepped up with 4 catches for 56 yards and a score himself. Despite 95 yards from Robert Drummond, the Thunder could not overcome the St. Louis defense as Trudeau was sacked 4 times and got picked 2 times in the defeat. SEA 13 TEX 34 Texas rebounded from an opening week shutout by putting up 34 against the Dragons in Seattle. The Outlaws were dominant from the opening kickoff, thanks in large part to 172 yards rushing from Reggie Cobb. Add in 3 Kelly Stouffer TD passes and a defense that limited Seattle QB Timm Rosenbach to a 47% completion rate and you have Texas’s first win of the year. Western Woes: After 2 weeks the Pacific Division has a combined 1-11 record, with Denver’s opening week win in Birmingham as the only bright spot. Offensive struggles seem to be the common theme among the 0-2 Pacific clubs, with Seattle still looking like a team without a clear offensive identity, LA still unable to make use of the talents of Marcus Allen, and Arizona still unsure about their future with Robbie Bosco at QB. Expect Coach Tollner to give Bosco one more week to show what he can do, but the option of Trent Green is there for him whenever he decided he has had enough. Oakland does not have a QB controversy, but Bobby Hebert is going to need more help from the players around him if he is going to turn this around for the Invaders, while in Portland teams are loading the box against Drummond and challenging Jack Trudeau to beat them. He needs to step up if Portland is going to meet expectations this year and take the division. Denver, with Mark Brunell having outdueled Brett Favre, and held his own against Jim Kelly, looks to be in the best position, with a solid run game and an up and comer at QB. Beasts of the East: If the Pacific looks like a division in search of a quality team, the Atlantic has the opposite issue. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all look like legit contenders. Ohio and New Jersey have shown some spark, and no one expects Washington’s 0-2 start to represent their actual talent level. This is a division that again could contribute 4 clubs to the playoff pool come July, if they don’t beat each other up too much along the way that is. Fast Starts Down South: Tampa Bay and Memphis have gotten off to 2-0 starts and have looked good doing it. With Errict Rhett and Moe Williams providing solid games and with both clubs showing some defensive moxie, the two clubs look primed to compete for the division this year. And we are not yet ready to count out Birmingham, who looked good this week after being a bit rusty against Denver in the opening game. Even Atlanta has a win on the season so far, so this division may continue to be a close one all year. And, in the Central, what can we say? New Orleans has burst out to a 2-0 start, but with the rest of the division at 1-1 it is still anyone’d game. We like what we saw from Michigan this week, with Wheatley and Flutie complementing each other’s games, and we know that both Houston and Chicago can bring it. If Texas is also able to play solid ball in all 3 phases, the division could be home to a dogfight all season long. Injury Report: We knew the good luck would not last long. After a week of play with no significant injuries, we followed it with a 2nd week that saw a few clubs taking hits. The biggest knock of the week is the news that Houston would be without two of its big playmakers for several weeks. Ricky Proehl looks to be out at least 4 weeks with a torn meniscus while Thurman Thomas will likely miss 2-3 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. Philadelphia also got unwanted news as RT Chris Conlin could miss as much as 2 months with a neck injury that was quite scary to watch. The good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery as there was no fracture within the spine. Other injuries likely to cost players a week or two include Pittsburgh receiver Freddie Scott (collarbone), Oakland HB Mike Gaddis (hamstring), Philly HB Charlie Garner (knee), Ohio wideout Rob Thomas (concussion), and Birmingham rookie back Stephen Davis (ankle). Jim Kelly and Denver CB Anthony Tuggle were both briefly out in their game this week, but both are expected to play in Week 3. In Week 1 we looked at the coaches around the league, this week we take a look at the stadium situation for each club. Stadium capacity, amenities, age, and support can make or break a team's bottom line, and there is a wide range of situations around the league. As the 1996 season begins, let's explore how each team sits and where there may be issues. ARIZONA: Sun Devil Stadium is adequate, though mid-summer games in the desert heat are a concern for the Wranglers and the league. There has been some talk of the city trying to develop a domed stadium for the Cardinals and Wranglers, but with the cost of the recently built baseball stadium (for the upcoming Diamondbacks team to join MLB in 1998) it may be a while before citizens of the Valley of the Sun are willing to foot the bill for a football venue. ATLANTA: Despite the Georgia Dome offering air conditioned bliss, the Fire set up shop across town in Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium. The stadium itself is a good size for the USFL and it is in good shape, but those mid-summer humid games are not as enjoyable as one would like. We don't see a shift in the next few years, but the dome is there if the Fire opt to negotiate for a spring schedule indoors. BALTIMORE: The news this year of the relocation of the Cleveland Browns brought with it a new stadium deal that will benefit the Blitz greatly. Memorial Stadium is a bit of a dump, well past its prime, but it looks like by 1998 we will see a brand new football-specific stadium for the Blitz and their new, as of yet nameless, fall counterparts. BIRMINGHAM: Legion Field is too old, too big, and too revered, so it is not going anywhere. The Stallions share it only with a fledgeling UAB program and while other cities may have stadia with more luxury boxes and better amenities in general, there is a love for this old warhorse in Birmingham and fans will come out in droves for the Stallions despite the stadium's lack of modern features. Don't expect a new stadium any time soon. CHICAGO: Soldier Field is a bit big for the typical Machine crowd, but not so much that the stadium feels empty. It could use some updates, and with the Bears on board we may see a major renovation in the years to come, but the location is priceless and the atmosphere is plenty strong for the Machine. DENVER: Talks are well underway between the city and both Denver ballclubs to share funding for a new football-specific stadium. As with Arizona, Denver is still recovering from the expense of their new baseball club, and in Denver's case, the building of Coor's Field. That said, Denver is a football town and there is no way the beloved Broncos, and the well-supported (if not beloved) Gold will get the short end of the stadium stick for long. HOUSTON: The Oilers have been hoping for a new stadium for years. The rabid fanbase of the Gamblers and the team's ongoing success, have just given the city even more reasons to make it happen. Talks are under way, and if the Astrodome continues to become less desirable there is both Robertson Stadium (U. of Houston) and Rice Stadium available to both clubs. JACKSONVILLE: The Gator Bowl could use a facelift, to be sure, but unless the Bulls can assist the city with financing, this could be a big ask. While there is no immediate concern about the Bulls, this could become an issue down the road, as the viability of the Bulls franchise in Jacksonville could depend on the city and the region's willingness to fund a renovation. LA: The Express are sitting pretty in the newly dubbed Farmer's Insurance Field. The newly-opened stadium, which houses both the Express and the Raiders of the NFL has all the amenities, tons of luxury suites and boxes, state of the art tech, and, especially useful for the Express, the ability to tarp over some of the unused upper deck sections so that the typical 25k-30k Express crowd has an intimate feel while the 65k Raiders crowd can be accommodated. The Express would love to reach a point where they could open up those sections, but so fare the lower decks are all they need. MEMPHIS: The Liberty Bowl is not going anywhere. It is certainly large enough for the Showboats, but its lack of amenities and luxury boxes could become an issue for the club. It's a venerated stadium in a city with a long football history, but it will never be a major revenue generator. MICHIGAN: Pontiac and its SilverDome suffice for now, but the Panthers and Lions are going to be pushing the state and the city for a downtown stadium similar to the upgrade the Tigers are pushing for. With baseball and football both moving away from the multi-use stadium model, the city of Detroit, which is not exactly flush with cash, may have difficulty building venues for both sports. NEW JERSEY: The main complaints about Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands revolve around the commute and lack of public transit from NYC to East Rutherford. The stadium itself is a pretty decent venue, though larger than the Generals have needed the past few years (which is more about the team's performance than the stadium). NEW ORLEANS: While not the most modern or most beautiful dome in the country, the SuperDome is a fine home for both the Saints and the Breakers. Don't expect anything new in the near future. OAKLAND: Oakland-Alameda stadium is reaching the end of its lifespan. Sharing it with the A's is also not ideal for the Invaders. There has been some noise in recent years of moving the team up the road a bit to Berkely to play on the Cal campus, but unless a deal can be made regarding alcohol sales, we don't see that happening. As for a new stadium, that seems a longshot in Oakland. The question is more whether the lure of either San Francisco or San Jose may cost Oakland their hometown team. OHIO: The Horseshoe is way too big, that is clear. The Glory are trying to work with the city and the new MLS club in town to see if a more "right sized" option (something in the 35-45k range) might be possible. Problem is that the Glory prefer 45k and the Crew would be happier with 20k. That is a big difference in scale. ORLANDO: The Citrus Bowl is a solid venue, and modern enough to suit the Renegades just fine. Sure, some new screens and updated concessions would be nice, and those may happen if the USFL club continues to be the primary tenant. UCF is also growing their football program, which could help the city cough up some funds for an interior renovation. PHILADELPHIA: We all know what makes the Vet a mess, it's that horrible turf. Yes, the entire stadium needs work, but if they could just put in a more modern turf system the players would feel safer. That won't help the in-stadium experience for fans, so eventually a new building may be needed, but safety first. PITTSBURGH: We love Three Rivers, but as the Maulers and Steelers, along with Pitt, look to modernize, we expect the city will capitulate and a new stadium will be in the works soon. The football scene in the Steel City is way too big for this to be dragged out. PORTLAND: Despite the expansion that took Civic Stadium up to 34,000 seats, it remains a lesser quality venue within the league. But, with no prospect for an NFL club, no major college team in the city, and no local support to spend the money it would take for a top notch facility, it may come down to whether Phil Knight wants to spend his own money to develop a venue for the Thunder. If not, then Portland is at risk of losing their club eventually. ST. LOUIS: The new dome is great, as domes go, but the Knights have only been able to fill it occasionally (mostly in their first year) and mostly out of spite for the NFL after the Cardinals left town. Now that the Rams are filling the NFL void, will attendance dip even lower for the Knights? We think it is the club, not the stadium, that may eventually lead to problems for the USFL in St. Louis. SEATTLE: Husky Stadium is a solid venue, and the atmosphere at Dragon games is great, even if the club has been pretty tough to watch. With UW as the primary tenants, it would take a major campaign by the university to update the stadium, but that is not out of the question. TAMPA BAY: Work is already underway on a new stadium for the Bucs and the Bandits to share. Expect it to take advantage of the perfect Tampa weather with only a bit more shade provided, and a lot of open air amenities throughout. TEXAS: The AlamoDome works really well for the Outlaws. They can add or remove seating through tarping, can avoid the summer heat, and still have a solid revenue stream from not only their games, but other events co-hosted by the club. A solid situation. WASHINGTON: The shelf life of RFK is dubious, and with the NFL Redskins refusing to share their new prize out in Maryland, the Federals are going to have to find a way to persuade the District to spend some money in the near future. Perhaps a deal with the MLS DC United could help, though the Federals' best chance may be to help lure a MLB club to the city and build a joint-function stadium, though that seems a longshot at this time. Week 3 reverses what we saw in Week 2, with the Pacific and Central divisions engaged in divisional play while the Eastern conference clubs from the Atlantic take on those from the South. The best matchup is clearly going to be the Houston-Chicago tussle at Soldier field, but we are also looking forward to New Orleans headed to Michigan, Denver out in Arizona, and Oakland trying to get a W in LA. St. Louis also hosts Texas and Portland will host Seattle in a battle of 0-2 Pacific Northwest clubs. In the Eastern Conference the Memphis-Philadelphia game should be a real slobberknocker, while Orlando-Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay-Washington promise some fireworks. Don’t sleep on the Bulls visiting Ohio as the Glory have some talent to compete in this one. Birmingham will bring their high-powered O against the tough New Jersey D in the Meadowlands this week, and Baltimore tries to move to 3-0 as they head down to Atlanta to face the Fire.

A great start to a new season. The USFL kicked it all off with a rematch of the 1995 Summer Bowl between Houston and Pittsburgh, then gave us some great interconference games like Chicago-Philly, Michigan-Baltimore, N’Awlins-Washington, Arizona-J’ville and Denver-Birmingham. We saw huge crowds across the league, despite some dicey mid-March weather (especially Sunday on the East Coast) and we had some down-to-the wire games. It was a weekend to remember for spring football fans and a great way to kick off 1996 in style. While Saturday night’s Summer Bowl rematch was the most anticipated game of the week, we give the nod for the best game of the week to the matchup of the Michigan Panthers and the Batlimore Blitz. It was a game that saw several lead changes, 4 scores in the final quarter, a huge game from Panther wideout Weegie Thompson thanks to his new QB, and a late game-winning drive from a QB not known for his ability to win the close ones. The game marked the first start for longtime NJ General Doug Flutie as the new Panthers QB, and while his 289 yards and 74.4% completion rate were solid, he also threw 2 picks, leading to 10 Blitz points. Chris Miller, the oft-maligned Blitz QB had himself a solid day, throwing for 256 yards and 3 TDs to lead Baltimore to the win. After a couple of short drives ending in punts, Chris Miller led the Blitz on the first scoring drive of the game, finding Rob Moore for the TD. Michigan responded as Flutie got the Panthers into position with a dynamic scramble to the 2 yard line, and Tyrone Wheatley scored his first TD of the season on the next play. Michigan pressed their advantage in the 2nd quarter, scoring 10 points in the quarter to take a 17-7 lead at the half. Baltimore came out inspired in the second half, and put up 13 unanswered points in the 3rd and beginning of the 4th, with both the TD drive (Alexander Wright TD catch) and the first field goal coming off of two poor throws by Flutie leading to picks. Down 17-7, Baltimore flipped the score and took a 20-17 advantage with 7 minutes left in the game. Down 3, Michigan rallied as Doug Flutie got them in range for a 31 yard Daluiso field goal to even the score. With 1:48 left on the clock, the Generals kicked the ball away to Baltimore, hoping to hold the Blitz and take the game to overtime. Miller and the Blitz got the ball at the 14 after Torin Dorn questionably took the ball out of the endzone. After a short Barry Foster draw play, Michigan helped the Blitz with two consecutive penalties (Neutral Zone Infraction and Facemask) to get the ball to the 42. Miller hit Kyle Brady for 10, then found him again, 2 plays later, for 20 yards, getting the ball to the Michigan 37. After spiking the ball, a bit of controversy as Miller completed a short pass but was thrown to the ground by Michigan’s Renaldo Turnbull. Turnbull got called for Roughing, and Miller had himself a first down at the Michigan 17 with 34 seconds to play. Rather than milk the clock, as Michigan expected, the Blitz faked the ball to Foster and Miller found Bill Brooks on a post-corner route that fooled the safety. Touchdown Blitz, and the Blitz fans, who had not been kind to Miller all offseason, hoping a trade or signing would dethrone him as the starter, cheered the QB off the field. 45,000 Baltimoreans returned home happy, while Doug Flutie and the Panthers resigned themselves to a tough road loss. For Doug Flutie, a frustrating day but overall a solid opening performance with his new club. DEN 27 BIR 24 Saturday’s 2nd afternoon game was equally thrilling as the Gold held off the Stallions to snag a road win in Birmingham. Mark Brunell had a huge day, completing 28 of 39 for 385 yards against an often-confused Stallion defense, with Odessa Turner busting coverages for 134 yards on only 6 catches as the Gold get the 3-point win. HOU 31 PIT 41 The nightcap was the game everyone waited for, and it provided plenty of fireworks as Jim Kelly threw for a whopping 533 yards and 4 TDs but in the end it was Pittsburgh, thanks in part to 2 TDs from Mike Rozier (111 yards rushing) and 4 Alan Risher TD’s upended the Gamblers once again. The Maulers showed off the trophy at the half, much to the delight of nearly 50,000 at Three Rivers Stadium. CHI 17 PHI 24 Scott Zolak returned as Chicago’s starter, throwing for 319 and 2 scores, but a 7 catch, 128 yard day from Philly’s #1 receiver Cris Carter helped the home team snag a season-opening win. Philly veteran LB Frank Stams had himself a day with 2 sacks to lead the Stars to victory. NOR 20 WSH 7 The Breaker secondary was on fire as four different backs snagged interceptions off of Don Majkowski, including Darren Woodson’s pick-6 as the Breakers confused and confounded the Federals all game long. Jamie Martin avoided turnovers, throwing for only 169 yards, and the combo of Terrell Davis and Eric Pegram helped New Orleans milk the clock and control the game. STL 23 OHIO 26 Joey Galloway exploited the opening day secondary for the Knights, racking up an impressive 216 yards to help Ohio open the season with a home win. While Galloway shone, rookie HB Eddie George had a tough introduction to pro ball, contained to only 15 yards on the day. But, with St. Louis unable to slow down the pass game for the Glory, Ohio still earned the W. TEX 0 NJ 13 Sunday’s all-day soaker meant it was a wet field and rough conditions when the Outlaws faced off in New Jersey against the Generals. The Run & Shoot of Mouse Davis was waterlogged as Kelly Stouffer completed only 53% of his passes and tossed 2 interceptions. Rob Johnson did not do much better after earning the starting job over Tommy Maddox, but Bam Morris’s plodding 77 yards on 17 carries helped the Generals hold off the punchless Outlaws for a shutout win to open the season. ARZ 6 JAX 9 Another rain-soaked game, though significantly warmer in Florida, mean no touchdowns on the day. Jacksonville kicked 2 fourth quarter field goals to defeat the Wranglers. LB Broderik Thomas for Arizona helped keep Jacksonville’s offense in check with 11 tackles, a pick, and 2 forced fumbles on the sloppy field. LA 7 TBY 33 The Express started off well, scoring on their opening drive, but Tampa got momentum off of a 59 yard Aikman to Baker TD pass, and rattled off 33 unanswered points. Aikman would throw for 367 on the day, despite some lingering rain from the stormfront, and Errict Rhett had a solid 75-yard day to help propel the Bandits to an impressive opening day win. OAK 28 ORL 34 Oakland made the long distance flight to Orlando, but came up just short as the Renegades got 3 TD’s from Scott Mitchell and held off a late rally for a home win. Terry Kirby started off well with his new club, rushing for 50 yards while sharing carries with rookie Kantroy Barber. Bert Emmanuel stepped up as well, catching 12 balls for 123 yards and a score. POR 20 MEM 33 Heath Shuler looked good, throwing for 343 and 3 scores, as the Showboats upset the visiting Portland Thunder. Memphis was able to contain Robert Drummond (only 59 yards) while rookie Moe Williams and Tommy Agie combined for 104 yards rushing. A strong first game from rookie WR Joe Horn (107 yards and a score) also helped the Showboats get the home win in front of 39,000 happy Memphians. SEA 17 ATL 21 Atlanta won the battle of 2nd year clubs, thanks to a late Zeier to Mathis TD with 3:41 left. The Fire still struggle to run the ball as new HB Blair Thomas amassed only 25 yards on 12 carries. Mathis was the hero for Atlanta, catching 2 TDs from Zeier, including the game winner. Eric Metcalf, Seattle’s big offseason acquisition, had 8 receptions but only a 7.9 yard average in the Seattle loss. Offense Wins the Day: Other than a couple of foul weather games, it appears that offense got the jump on defense in week 1. Whether Jim Kelly’s 533 yards passing, Galloway’s 216 receiving, or a strong 20 carry, 111 yard day from the ageless Mike Rozier, offensive stars came out in force. That is not to say that defenders did not have their moments (Eddie Simmons’ day was a good one with 8 tackles 2 sacks, 2 fumbles caused and one recovered) but the overall win went to the offenses. Welcome to Pro Ball, Rookies: Other than the surprise performance from mid-round pick Joe Horn, the rookie class of stars had a rough opening week. Eddie George was completely stifled. Terry Glenn had New Jersey’s lone score, but managed only 3 receptions in his first start, and no rookie QB started this week. That latter situation was anticipated as there were no QB’s taken who were expected to begin the year as starters. On defense, several rookies got the starting nod, including LB Kevin Hardy in St. Louis (4 tackles), CB Walt Harris (8 tackles) for New Orleans, and two big DE’s: Regan Upshaw in Philly (1 Sack) and Simeon Rice for Chicago (1 tackle). Bad Day for the Majik Man: Not often an ALL-USFL QB finds himself last in the QBR, but that is what we see with Don Majkowski after week 1. Aided by 4 picks, Majkowski sits at a 41.2 QBR, last in the league, though Kelly Stouffer is not much better at 48.6. Bobby Hebert, despite losing to Orlando, leads the league with a 150.3 QBR thanks to 344 yards passing and 3 TDs in a losing effort. Injury Report: We have a near miracle this week, a full slate of USFL games and no noteworthy injuries. Yes, there are some bumps and bruises, but no players are ruled out for next week, perhaps the only week in league history when we can say that. So, enjoy while you can, but we all know this game too well to expect this good fortune to last. It seems a little cruel to start off a new season by looking at coaches on the hotseat, but football is a cruel game, and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to the often herky jerky careers of coaches. Last year we saw 3 positions change, though two of these were due to retirements rather than firings. We expect that this year might not be as kind. With four expansion clubs entering their second year, the pressure will be on to make strides, and while we don't see the 4 expansion head coaches as being under the most pressure to win now, they certainly will feel some pressure to improve on last year, especially in Seattle, where the 1-win Dragons need to show more this season. So, who is under the most pressure? Well, that all depends on who you ask and what your standards are for your club. Looking at the league's 24 head coaches, it is relatively simple to see who is secure, who is wavering, and who may be feeling the heat. Here is our grouping: NOT GOING ANYWHERE This group is securely in place and only a major scandal is likely to shock them out of a position: Marchibroda (PIT), Willsey (HOU), Berry (PHI), Erhardt (BIR), Schottenheimer (CHI), Fassel (JAX) BEING GIVEN ROPE This next group is secure for the moment only because they are new enough in their positions to be allowed rope to hang themselves with. We cannot picture any of these 1st or 2nd year coaches getting pulled even with a bad year this season: Reeves (ATL), Neuheisel (LA), Johnson (STL), Knox (NJ), Mora (OAK), Saban (OHIO), Tobin (POR), Pardee (TEX), Hackett (WSH). PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING These are veteran coaches who are expected to show strides this season after decent years last year and could be at risk if they do not produce: Tollner (ARZ), Infante (BAL), Holtz (MGN), O'Leary (ORL) FEELING THE HEAT This is a pretty well-known group of coaches, but their teams have not responded as hoped to their guidance yet. One more bad season and this could be the end of their time at the helm: Wade Phillips (DEN): Another .500 season, another early playoff exit, and it may be time to look for a more dynamic offense and more aggressive defense in Denver. Buddy Ryan (MEM): The Memphis defense has gotten sloppier each season, and the impact of Reggie White won't be enough if the Showboats don't start showing something. A lot rides on Heath Shuler's development and Buddy Ryan is not exactly known as a QB guru. Mike Ditka (NOR): The Breakers have been just good enough to get hopes up each offseason, but so far Ditka has not been able to recreate either the smothering defense of his '85 Bears or the fan frenzy that the Breakers used to muster. Another 8-8 type year may mean the end for Big Mike's tenure in the Big Easy. He needs the decision to go with Jamie Martin and jettison Timm Rosenbach to work out in his favor. Jerry Glanville (TBY): Another huge personality who has not taken huge strides with a talented Tampa Bay roster. Many claim that Glanville's lack of offensive knowledge has wasted some prime years for Troy Aikman. Even worse, the defense has not been good enough to compensate for Glanville's offensive woes. Another weak season, and particulalry another weak offensive show from Tampa Bay could likely mean that the man in black will see pink, a pink slip that is, in August. Week Two gives us our first divisional action as the Atlantic and Southern Divisions stay in the division while out west the Pacific Clubs travel to face Central Division foes. Expect some real nasty battles as Baltimore heads up I-95 to face the New Jersey Generals, as Pittsburgh heads to DC to face the Federals, and as the Stars face off against the Glory in Columbus. In the South it is Birmingham @ Atlanta, Memphis @ Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay in an in-state clash at Orlando. The best of the Pacific @ Central matchups has Denver heading into Houston. Arizona @ Chiago and Oakland @ New Orleans could also produce some fireworks. We also have LA heading to the Silverdome to face the Panthers, Portland hoping to get a win on the road in St. Louis, and the Seattle Dragons on the road in San Antonio to face the Outlaws.

Hello all. It will still be a couple of days before I can kick off the 1996 season, but there is something I can announce, and a way you can participate. Below we have 12 nominees for consideration for the 1996 class of the USFL Hall of Fame. Only 5 can be selected for entry this year, so we have some tough decisions to make. All candidates must have retired from the game no later than December 1, 1991, prior to the 1992 season. All are strong contenders, but only 5 can enter the Hall this year. The others will remain eligible for voting in future years. So, what is your role? Review the 12 semifinalists and use the comment section to offer up to 5 nominees you believe should make it into the USFL HOF (within the Pro Football HOF in Canton, Ohio). It is just that simple. Here are your semifinalists: QB Chuck Fusina: 1983-1991. Philadelphia Stars The 2-time USFL Champion QB retired with 3056 completions for 31,334 yards, a career QB Rating of 91.1 and 200 TDs to 116 Interceptions. He was named to the All-USFL team twice in his 9 USFL seasons. Known for his steady leadership and clutch performances, Fusina was never considered a physical marvel, but was regarded as one of the best field marshals, able to use his wits and steady hand to guide the Stars offense to two titles. QB Doug Williams: 1984-1990. Jacksonville Bulls, Oklahoma Outlaws, Texas Outlaws Doug Williams was one of the early gunslingers at QB in the USFL. Named the Offensive Player of the Year in 1989, Williams's deep ball and ability to extend plays made him a force to be reckoned with and one of the league's early stars. Williams was named to 5 All-USFL teams in his 7 USFL seasons before returning to the NFL in 1991. He finished his USFL career with 2017 completions for 23,889 yards, with 182 touchdowns and 80 interceptions. His career QB rating was 95.3 HB Craig James: 1983-1989. Washington Federals One of the two legendary Pony Express members of the SMU backfield, James joined the USFL in 1983 and for 7 seasons was the engine behind the Washington Federals' offense. He went over 1,000 yards in all 7 of his USFL seasons before injuries shortened his career. He finished his career with 8,908 yards on 2238 carries, a 4.0 YPC average. He also contributed 53 TDs to Washington's cause. James was named an All-USFL player twice in his 7-year USFL career. HB John Williams: 1983-1990. Michigan Panthers Williams was not a big name when signed by the Panthers for the league's inaugural season, but quickly became a player known throughout the league for his slashing runs and ability to take on defenders. Williams rushed for 8,291 yards and 55 TDs in 8 seasons, a 4.2 YPC average for his career. He reached the 1,000 yard mark 6 times in those 8 years and was named to 4 All-USFL squads. Williams was a key member of the 1984 and 1986 league champion Michigan Panther squads. HB Gary Anderson: 1983-1989. Tampa Bay Bandits A dual threat, Anderson joined the Bandits from the NFL in 1983 and in his 6 seasons with the team helped them to the league's first championship in 1983, and played a major role in the defining years of "Bandit Ball" as a wide open, multifaceted offense. Anderson returned briefly to the NFL in 1990, but his best years were his 6 USFL years, where he rushed for 7,557 yards, 54 TDs and a 4.3 YPC average. He went over the 1,000 yard mark 5 of his 7 seasons for Tampa Bay and was also one of the first true dual threat backs, as deadly in the passing game as rushing the ball. WR Nolan Franz: 1983-1990: Boston/New Orleans Breakers. A prolific receiver, known for tough catches in traffic and in the Red Zone, Nolan Franz was one of the stars of the Breakers during their run of playoff years that extended from 1984 into the 1990's. Franz, while not the flashiest player in the league, put up some flashy numbers, finishing his career in New Orleans with 559 receptions for 9,305 yards, an average of 16.6 yards per catch. He was on the receiving end of 76 TD passes over his 8 year career. While never on a championship team, Franz's four 1,000 yard seasons and four All-USFL nods are testament to his place among the league's early receiving stars. WR Mel Gray: 1984-1990: Memphis Showboats Mel Gray, already an established name after several NFL seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, came to the USFL with the expansion roster of the Memphis Showboats and immediately became one of the new club's premiere players. Gray was simply uncoverable, leading the league in receptions 3 times in 7 years. Gray still holds the league record for catches in a season with the 143 he hauled in during the 1987 season. He retired from football after 7 years in Memphis with 764 receptions, going for 8,924 yards and 44 TDs. He was a 5-time All-USFL awardee, and will forever be known as "the old man who's always open". TE Raymond Chester: 1983-1991. Oakland Invaders Raymond Chester was exactly what every QB hopes to have, a big man, with good hands, who knew how to find a hole in a zone. The Invaders' top TE and one of its leading receivers for 9 seasons, Chester left the game in 1991 with 581 receptions, 6,007 yards, and 37 TDs. His steady presence provided Oakland QB's from Fred Besana through Brian Sipe and Gale Gilbert, with a safety valve when pressure mounted. Named All-USFL 4 times, Chester helped Oakland appear in the playoffs six times, capped off by the league title in his final season, 1991. LB John Corker: 1983-1990. Michigan Panthers The undisputed leader of the Panthers defense in the 80's, John Corker helped galvanize the team's defensive squad and lead Michigan to two league titles in the early years of the league. Corker retired in 1990 with 782 tackles over 8 seasons, including 130 in his first season to set the stage for his entire career. He was named an All-USFL defender 5x and was the league's first Defensive Player of the Year in 1983. In addition to his tackle total, Williams added 25 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 96 tackles for loss, along with a reputation as a leader which no stats can quantify. CB Raphel Cherry: 1985-1991. Los Angeles Express For 7 seasons Raphel Cherry defined the position of shutdown corner for the LA Express. A perennial interceptions leader, Cherry always took on the best receiver the opposition had, and often came out on top. When he retired from the game in 1991, Cherry had amassed 38 picks, including 8 that he returned for scores. He also added 692 tackles, 2 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, and 158 passes defended. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1987, a season in which he led the league with 7 picks, and also forced 5 fumbles. Cherry appeared on five All-USFL teams in 7 years. DT Jumpy Geathers: 1983-1990. Boston Breakers, Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars The "Big Man in the Middle", Gaethers came to the USFL when the league began, spent a few years moving around and eventually found a home in Philadelphia. In his first year with the Stars he made a huge impression in the Jim Mora defense, recording 11 sacks from the Nose Tackle position. Geathers would finish his USFL career in Philadelphia, with 43 career sacks, 368 tackles, and 9 forced fumbles. He was a member of the 1987 title team for the Stars and was named All-USFL 6 times. DT Laval Short: 1983-1990. Denver Gold Denver's mountain of a man, Laval Short compiled 276 tackles, 32 sacks and 9 forced fumbles in his 8 years of play at Mile High Stadium. Short was the key to Denver's run defense for his entire USFL career, named All-USFL 6 times in 8 seasons. Appearing in the first USFL Title Game, Short and the Gold never reached the mountaintop, but his outstanding play in the center of the d-line was recognized around the league. So there you have them, the 12 semi-finalists for the USFL Hall of Fame Class of 1996. Only 5 can be enshrined this year, and your vote is a big piece of the puzzle. Just use the comments section below to nominate up to 5 of these stellar USFL performers for the greatest recognition in the USFL, induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hello all. Before we kick off the 1996 season I thought it might be a good idea to run through the 24 clubs and highlight the key players on each roster. So, here we have the players to watch on each club, in alphabetical order. ARIZONA WRANGLERS COACH: Ted Tollner QB: Robbie Bosco, Trent Green HB: Tim Lester, Karim Abdul-Jabbar (R) WR/TE: Courtney Hawkins, J.J. Stokes, Terry Orr OL: Kirk Lowdermilk, Todd Kaliss DL: Charles Haley, Al Noga, Russell Maryland LB: Bill Romanowski, Broderick Thomas, Winfred Tubbs DB: David Fulcher, Philippi Sparks, Martin Bayless ST: Mick Luckhurst ATLANTA FIRE COACH: Dan Reeves QB: Cliff Stoudt, Eric Zeier HB: Blair Thomas, Ricky Blake WR/TE: Ernie Jones, Terrance Mathis, Frank Wycheck OL: Eugene Chung, Keith Ballard DL: Chester McGlockton, Mark Mraz, LB: Mo Lewis, John Roper, Randall Godfrey (R) DB: Robert Blackmon, Myron Guyton, Tyrone Poole, Torey James (R) ST: Jason Elam BALTIMORE BLITZ COACH: Lindy Infante QB: Chris Miller, Cody Carlson HB: Barry Foster, Derrick Fenner WR/TE: Bill Brooks, Rob Moore, Kyle Brady OL: Jumbo Elliott, Brian Bollinger, Wayne Gandy, Korey Stringer DL: William Perry, John Randall, Mike Piel, Robert Porcher LB: Barney Bussey, Jason Gilden DB: Torin Dorn, Leslie Frazier, Lawyer Malloy, Brian Blades ST: Luis Zendejas BIRMIGHAM STALLIONS COACH: Ron Erhardt QB: Brett Favre, Danny Kannell HB: Stephen Davis, Mike Alstott, James Joseph WR/TE: Ernest Givens, Lawrence Dawsey, Cedric Tillman, Shannon Sharpe OL: John Brohin, Richmond Webb, Emory Yates DL: John Copeland LB: Cornelius Bennett, Kevin Greene, Lorenzo Styles DB: Chris Dishman, Blaine Bishop, Kwammie Lassiter ST: Olindo Mare CHICAGO MACHINE COACH: Marty Schottenheimer QB: Scott Zolak, Dan McGwire HB: Ricky Watters, Mario Bates, Kimble Anders WR/TE: Wendell Davis, Reggie Langhorne, Wessley Walls OL: Leo Goeas, Frank Winters DL: Sean Gilbert, Kevin Fagan, Alonzo Spellman, Simeon Rice (R) LB: Gary Reasons, Fred Smalls, Darryl Talley DB: Derrick Burroughs, Eric Thomas, George Teague, Anthony Prior ST: John Carney DENVER GOLD COACH: Wade Phillips QB: Mark Brunell, Billy Joe Tolliver HB: Rashaan Salaam, WR/TE: Mark Carrier, Odessa Turner, Keith Jackson OL: Jason Odom (R), Joel Hilgenberg, Cory Raymer DL: Leslie O'Neill, Oliver Barnett LB: Trev Alberts, Kurt Gouveia, Marvcus Patton DB: Anthony Dorsett (R), Bruce Pickens, Anthony Tuggle ST: Jeff Wilkens HOUSTON GAMBLERS COACH: Ray Willsey QB: Jim Kelly, Chuck Hartlieb, HB: Thurman Thomas, Keith Woodside, Mario Greer WR/TE: Antonio Freeman, Brett Perriman, Ricky Proehl, Ken Dilger OL: Howard Ballard, John Rienstra, Keith Van Horne DL: Kavika Pittman (R), Luther Ellis, Terry Crews, Michael Sinclair LB: Quentin Coryatt, Fred Strickland, Pat Swilling DB: Ashley Ambrose, Kerry Glenn, Reggie Sutton, LeRoy Butler ST: John Kasay JACKSONVILLE BULLS COACH: Jim Fassel QB: Chris Chandler, Browning Nagle HB: Natrone Means, Jamie Morris, Edgar Bennett WR/TE: Brian Blades, Kez McCorvey, Dokie Williams, Terrell Owens (R) OL: Duval Love, Matt O'Dwyer, Antone Davis, Mark Stepnoski, John Runyan (R) DL: Reggie Rogers, John Thierry LB: Tedy Bruschi (R), Vaughan Johnson, Johnny Holland, Jessie Armstead DB: Domingo Bryant, Terrell Buckley, Mark Carrier, Dana Hall ST: Pete Stoyanovich, Chris Mohr LOS ANGELES EXPRESS COACH: Rick Neuheisel QB: Brent Pease, Jeff Garcia HB: Marcus Allen, Bernie Parmalee WR/TE: Mike Pritchard, Darnay scott, Patrick Rowe, Rickey Dudley (R) OL: Dave Widell, Harris Barton, Blake Brockmeier, Jonathan Ogden (R) DL: Mel Agee, Lemark Shackerford, Santana Dotson, Antonio Edwards LB: Donta Jones, Bryce Paup DB: Ray Crockett, Aaron Glenn, Merton Hanks ST: Doug Brien MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS COACH: Buddy Ryan QB: Heath Shuler, Mike Kelley HB: Moe Williams, Tommy Agie WR/TE: Jeff Query, Carl Pickens, Joe Horn (R), Christian Fauria OL: Jamie Dukes, Norman Randall, Bruce WIlkerson DL: Norman Hand, Curtis Maxey, Reggie White LB: Eddie Simmons DB: Deon Figures, Bubba McDowell ST: Kevin Shea MICHIGAN PANTHERS COACH: Skip Holtz QB: Doug Flutie, Sean Salisbury HB: Tyrone Wheatley, Rodney Culver, Winslow Oliver (R), Lorenzo Neal WR/TE: Weegie Thompson, Muhsin Muhammad (R), Butch Rolle, Jay Riemersma OL: Mike Zandofsky, Melvin Tuten DL: Renaldo Turnbull, Tony Garbarczyk, Michael McCrary LB: Hardy Nickerson, Ted Johson DB: Garland Rivers, Chris Snyder, Carnell Lake ST: Brad Daluiso NEW JERSEY GENERALS COACH: Chuck Knox QB: Rob Johnson, Tommy Maddox HB: Bam Morris, Lamont Warren WR/TE: Terry Glenn (R), Wayne Chrebet, Keenan McCardell, Mark Chmura OL: Corbin Lacina, Mike Baab DL: Joe Phillips, Phil Hansen, Bob Otto LB: Dino Hacket, Ty Hallock, Chris Spielman DB: Kirby Jackson, Cliff Hicks, Eric McMillian ST: Adam Vinatieri (R) NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS COACH: Mike Ditka QB: Jamie Martin, Bobby Hoying (R), Gus Frerotte HB: Terrell Davis, Erric Pegram WR/TE: Qadry Ismail, Herman Fontenot OL: Jeff Zimmerman, Brian Brauninger, Doug Reisenberg, DL: Shane Burton (R), Shawn Lee, Chidi Ahanotu, Jerry Reese LB: Donnie Edwards (R), Michael Brooks, DeWayne Dotson, Jeff Herrod DB: Walt Harris (R), Devin Bush, Darren Woodson ST: Lin Elliott OAKLAND INVADERS COACH: Jim Mora QB: Bobby Hebert, Cary Conklin HB: Siran Stacy, Glyn Milburn WR/TE: Henry Ellard, Ed McCaffrey, Johnnie Morton, Carlester Crumpler OL: Michael Cheever (R), Branden Stai, Todd Steussie, Harry Swayne, Mike Devlin DL: Reggie Rogers, Tony Siragusa, JJ Wierenga LB: Ken Harvey, Ron Rivera DB: James Hasty, Clayton Holmes, Aeneas Williams, John Lynch ST: Joe Nedney OHIO GLORY COACH: Nick Saban QB: Jeff Hostetler, Dave Brown HB: Eddie George (R), Ernest Byner, Curvin Richards WR/TE: Joey Galloway, Robb Thomas, Mario Bailey, Chris Kelley OL: Roman Oben (R), Eric Moore, Joe Valerio DL: LaRoi Glover (R), Pio Sagapolutele LB: Aubrey Beavers, John Offerdahl DB: Corey Raymond, John Booty ST: Don Silvestri, John Jett ORLANDO RENEGADES COACH: George O'Leary QB: Scott Mitchell, Craig Erickson HB: Terry Kirby WR/TE: Bert Emmanuel, Tamarick Vanover, Shawn Jefferson, Danta Whittaker OL: Robert Curry, Leon Searcy, Jim Juriga DL: Israel Ifeanyi (R), Joel Steed, Tracy Rocker, Chris Doleman LB: Duane Bickett, Tim Green DB: Brian Dawkins (R), Robert Bailey, TIm McDonald, CHris Oldham ST: Charlie Baumann, Mitch Berger PHILADELPHIA STARS COACH: Raymond Berry QB: Chuck Long, Eric Kramer HB: Charlie Garner, Pat Chaffey WR/TE: Cris Carter, Stepfret Williams, Marcus Pollard, Eric Green OL: Ruben Brown, John Flannery DL: Regan Upshaw (R), John Jurkovic, Leon Lett, Esera Tuaolo, William Fuller, Steve Bryan LB: Andre Collins, Robert Gooch, Ed Brady DB: Ray Mickens (R), Lorenzo Lynch, Tim Hauck ST: Chip Lohmiller, Rhon Stark PITTSBURGH MAULERS COACH: Ted Marchibroda QB: Alan Risher, Doug Nussmeier HB: Mike Rozier, Dorsey Levins WR/TE: Louis Lipps, Raynard Brown, Yo Murphy, Mike Shaw, Cap Boso OL: Steve Kenney, Zach Wiegert DL: Dan Saleamua, Kimo Van Oelhoffen, Bob Kuberski LB: Erik Kumerow, Godfrey Miles, DeMetrius DuBose, Mark D'Onofrio DB: Harry Colon, Quintin Jones, Jay Bellamy, Jason Belser ST: Rafael Septien, Mark Royals PORTLAND THUNDER COACH: Vince Tobin QB: Jack Trudeau, Bill Musgrave HB: Robert Drummond, Amp Lee, Mike Cade WR/TE: Webster Slaughter, Bruce Hill, Hart Lee Dykes, Lonnie Johnson OL: Ray Brown, Bruce Armstrong, Siupele Malamala DL: Paul Grasmanis (R), Mike Golic, Eric Curry, Hugh Douglas, Anthony Pleasant LB: Cedric Figaro, Lewis Bush, Todd Howard, Billie Ray Smith DB: Je'Rod Cherry (R), Vencie Glenn ST: Al Del Greco SAINT LOUIS KNIGHTS COACH: Jim Johnson QB: Todd Collins, Frank Reich HB: Darrell Thompson, Reggie Brooks, Ironhead Heyward WR/TE: Amani Toomer (R), Rocket Ismail OL: Chris Villarial (R), Gary Zimmerman, Joe Goebel DL: Jerry Ball, Deadrick Wise, Mike Lodish LB: Kevin Hardy (R), Marcus Coton, Barry Minter DB: Steve Israel, Troy Vincent, Rodney Harrison ST: Cole Ford SEATTLE DRAGONS COACH: Woody Widenhofer QB: Timm Rosenbach, Damon Huard (R), Jon Kitna (R) HB: Roosevelt Potts, Derrick Loville, Zach Crockett WR/TE: Eric Metcalf, O.J. McDuffie, Keith McKellar, Theo Young OL: Willie Anderson (R), Jesse Sapolo, Greg Skrepanak DL: Bill Goldberg, Jim Reynosa LB: Eddie Robinson, Jim Schwantz DB: Robert Massey, Terry Hoague ST: Mike Hollis TAMPA BAY BANDITS COACH: Jerry Glanville QB: Troy Aikman, Kerwin Bell, Kent Graham HB: Errict Rhett, James Stewart WR/TE: Robert Brooks, Freddie Solomon, Chris Doering (R), Ben Coates OL: Will Shields, William Boatwright, Corey Lachey DL: Orpheus Roye (R), Chris Maumalanga, Fred Stokes LB: Bobby Houston, Keith McCants, Keith DeLong, Kurt Schulz, Chris Croomes DB: Eric Allen ST: Dean Biasucci TEXAS OUTLAWS COACH: Jack Pardee QB: Kelly Stouffer, Tony Sacca HB: Reggie Cobb, Rodney Thomas WR/TE: Quinn Early, Lawyer Tillman, Eddie Kennison (R), John Henry Mills OL: Larry Allen, Troy Auzene, Ian Sinclair DL: Darius Holland ,Lester Archambeau, John Bosa LB: Zach Thomas (R), Brian Bosworth, Garth Jax DB: Corey Barlow, Corey Sawyer, Reggie Rutland ST: Chris Boniol WASHINGTON FEDERALS COACH: Paul Hackett QB: Don Majkowski, Kordell Stewart HB: Barry Word, Terrell Fletcher, Sam Gash WR/TE: Herman Moore, Bill Schroeder, Reggie Barlow (R), Demetrius Davis OL: Eric Harmon, Ken Lanier, Chris Thome DL: Tony Brackens (R), Jerome Brown, Dexter Manley, Bobby Hamilton LB: Michael Barrow, Dante Jones, Willis Crockett, Winston Moss, Tracy Scroggins DB: Lester Lyles, Derrick Beasley, Tyrone Drakeford, Louis Oliver ST: Doug Pelfrey, Todd Sauerbrun