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USA Today, February 21, 1996 It has been 4 years since a Western club has won the league title, and 5 years since a club from the Pacific Division had a representative in the big game. In a conference that has been dominated by the Houston Gamblers for the past half-decade (if not longer) the tendency is for close division races and erratic play, particularly in the Pacific Division, which alway seems to come down to a battle between a cluster of clubs hovering around .500. Will this year be different? Will Chicago, or Texas, or any club from the Pacific dethrone the Gamblers and make their way to the Championship? BIGGEST PERSONNEL MOVES: WESTERN CONFERENCE While the Eastern clubs might have had a bit more flash in their offseason, the West had its moments as well. Here are our picks for the most impactful signings and trades for Western clubs this offseason. The soap opera drama in New Jersey got all the headlines, but Oakland’s choice to replace longstanding coach Dick Vermeil with former 2x Summer Bowl Champion Jim Mora was without doubt the best move of the offseason. Mora will bring a championship pedigree to the Invaders. He was without doubt the best coach of the USFL’s first seasons, and he knows what it takes to win in this league. Add him to a roster led by another 2x champion in QB Bobby Hebert and you could have instant magic. We love this move, and we are shocked that Mora was not the target of bidding wars when the Saints let him go, but what is the NFL’s loss is clearly Oakland’s gain. Arizona is taking a shot that it can get from DT Russell Maryland what everyone in Dallas thought they would get when they drafted the big guy out of the U. Maryland did not reach his potential in the NFL, but the Wranglers still see something in the big guy. Of course, being on a line with Charles Haley and Al Noga (3rd and 4th respectively in sacks last year) could make life easy for Maryland. This will be a line that will give offensive coordinators nightmares, but only if Maryland can lock down the middle to free up Haley and Noga outside. While not a major on-field impact player, St. Louis’s Frank Reich could have a huge impact in his ability to act as a coach on the sidelines. Much as New Orleans did several years ago when they signed Joe Ferguson, St. Louis is bringing in the veteran Reich to be a teacher, a mentor, and a moral support for young Todd Collins. Collins had some moments last year, but also made some typical rookie mistakes. Reich is a tactician and the eternal optimist as a player, and that could be just what Collins needs to take the next step into being a quality pro QB. We mentioned the Flutie to Michigan trade in our Eastern Conference Preview, but perhaps we should have saved that for this preview, because while New Jersey will certainly be transformed by his departure, Michigan is likely to benefit from his arrival much more. After 2 years of somewhat disappointing results from the Joe Montana experiment, Michigan again foregoes the rookie QB experience, passing on this year’s poorly-regarded crop of QB’s and signs a veteran. In Flutie they get erratic performance, to be true, but also the potential for some game saving plays and amazing physical feats. Flutie is also a media darling, so expect a lot of his face on local TV in the state. We like this move. Michigan already has a strong run game in place, so Flutie can do what he does best, play action passing, some scripted bootleg run plays, and some key plays at big moments while the offense relies on Wheatley for the regular grind of yards and first downs. Could be just what the doctor ordered for the Panthers. Finally a bit of an under-the-radar pickup. Oakland traded away Blair Thomas to Atlanta, and while everyone focused on Atlanta’s bizarre attempt to fix their run game with the former Penn State back, few commented on what Oakland got in return. Thomas left and the Invaders get DT Tony Siragusa in return (along with a draft pick). Siragusa is not going to remind anyone of Jerome Brown in Washington, but what he does very well is occupy double teams. He is a big, strong guy who can take pressure off the DE’s, freeing them up to rush the passer. With undersized J.J. Wierenga on one side and power rusher Garin Veris on the other, Oakland has not been able to muster much in pass rush the past few years, but perhaps having the Goose in the middle will help them generate more sacks and more pressures this year. Free up LB Ken Harvey to come on the blitz as well and they just may have something. BIGGEST ROOKIE SIGNINGS: WESTERN CONFERENCE Arizona is taking a big shot on a small college player, going cross-country to sign LB John Mobley from tiny Kutztown State in PA. Mobley has range, power, and savvy, but the competition level for Kutztown was not exactly pro level, so he will have a lot of learning and a lot of adjustments to make to his game. Texas went for depth, signing a backup HB to Reggie Cobb in A&M’s Detron Smith, a raw local talent in A&M-Kingsville’s Jermaine Mayberry, and a wideout prospect in LSU’s Eddie Kennison. None of these players will be Day 1 starters, but all could see significant action this year. Having traded with St. Louis to get David Archer as a backup to Kelly Stouffer, the Outlaws are clearly focusing on depth and not immediate talent upgrades. It is an unorthodox strategy but one that may help them avoid the late season slump that often accompanies a growing injured reserve list by season’s end. Chicago’s defense just got yet scarier. One of the best squads in the league added local terrorizer Simeon Rice from the Illini. Rice is a vicious pass rusher, and that can only help the Machine keep scores down, force turnovers, and give their offense a short field to work with. We expect Rice to be in the starting D-line rotation from day one, and an early candidate to be Defensive Rookie of the Year. Houston, which seems to believe they are in an arms race on defense with Chicago, signed their own sack-specialist in DE Kavika Pittman from McNeese State. While Pittman does not have the Division 1 pedigree of Simeon Rice, his film shows as much speed and power as Rice’s. Houston is hoping he too can have an immediate impact on how offenses deal with Houston’s line. LA used their local ties to sway big LT Jonathan Ogden to stay close to his UCLA roots by signing with the Express. A highly-regarded prospect, Ogden should take over the LT starting job from week 1, making Brent Pease very happy. If he proves as effective in LA’s power run game as he was as a Bruin, Marcus Allen may be the immediate beneficiary. A lot of press went to Michigan’s selection of Mushin Muhammed at wideout, Jay Riemersma at TE, and Dusty Zeigler at center, all local products who come on the cheap for the Panthers, but the pick that really intrigues us is HB Winslow Oliver from New Mexico. Oliver has a shifty style that will be a good contrast to Tyrone Wheatley’s one-cut style. This could be a 1-2 punch to monitor this year. Seattle, which had needs across the board, is hoping that their future is in the late rounds of the draft. Not only did they use a 7th round pick to secure Washington Husky QB Damon Huard, but they also took a flier on Central Washington’s Jon Kitna. Both have talent but both are raw. They are unlikely to contribute much this year, and we expect one or both to end up on the practice squad, but if one of them can develop into a quality starter, the Dragons may be set for years to come. Don’t look now but the lowely St. Louis Knights may have come away with the best draft class in the league. Not only were they able to sign their #2 pick (after a futile effort to land HB Lawrence Phillips), Linebacker Ken Harvey of Illinois, but they also added guard Chris Villarial, wideout Amani Toomer, DE Mike Ulafale, and a sneaky pick late in the draft, CB Reggie Rusk from Kentucky, who could turn out to be a diamond in the rough. MOST ANTICIPATED ROSTER BATTLES: WESTERN CONFERENCE The first one is an easy prediction, in part because we just keep stressing it. Trent Green v. Robbie Bosco for the QB job in Arizona. After a decade of moderate success and equal levels of frustration it just feels like Arizona needs to turn the page on the Robbie Bosco era. We thought they would do it when they signed Scott Mitchell, only to watch when they traded him away to Orlando. Now they have a prototype QB in Trent Green, will the same happen or will they give him a legit shot to start this year? Texas Outlaws #1 receiver. After trading away Eric Metcalf, the receiving corps to be utilized in Mouse Davis’s Run & Shoot seems lacking in star power. We get that the R&S tends to utilize multiple receivers and not a clearly defined #1, but someone has to be there when Kelly Stouffer needs a 3rd and 9 completion. The frontrunners to take on that role are Quinn Early and Lawyer Tillman, but don’t be shocked if rookie Eddie Kennison gets into the mix. He has looked very sharp in camp. Nickel Back in St. Louis should be a dogfight. The top 2 CB slots clearly belong to Troy Vincent and Ron Pitts, but that all-important nickel slot is likely to be a fight between veteran Steve Israel and the fresh legs of rookie Reggie Rusk from Kentucky. With so many teams moving to 3-receiver sets as their base formation, having a solid, dependable nickel back is becoming a must. Seattle’s TE group is an interesting fight. You have two 9-year vets in former Gambler Keith McKeller and former Outlaw Theo Young, but you also have two rookies vying for a key position, including Tony Johnson from ‘Bama and Jarius Hayes from just up the road at Northern Alabama. It is unlikely Seattle holds all 4 on the roster, so it is a battle between these 2 rookies to see who gets bumped to the practice squad. The QB situation in New Orleans is our last point of interest. We all expect Jamie Martin to start the season, but who gets the #2 position and who ends up as the emergency-only #3 QB could be a fascinating battle. 3-year vet Gus Frerotte has the inside track, but New Orleans has a lot of interest in seeing how rookie Bobby Hoying transitions to the pro game. The former Buckeye was a surprise pick in the 3rd round, and by most accounts can become a reliable backup if not a marginal starter in the league, but can he unseat Frerotte this year? CONFERENCE PREVIEW CENTRAL DIVISION HOUSTON (14-2 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 13-3, Division Title It would be foolish to predict anyone but Houston to win the division that the Gamblers have had a stranglehold on for so many years. The Gamblers have lost a few pieces, but they retain a core that is one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league. So long as they can keep their stars on the field, the Gamblers will always be a tough out and a team others aspire to be. The loss in Summer Bowl 1995 will likely build their resolve even more to strive for a third league title. CHICAGO (12-4 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 11-5, Wild Card Chicago is the clear challenger to the Gambler’s dominance. They came close last year after a fluke division title in 1994, but fell just short. The fact that they seem to do this with a backup QB each year is astonishing. Now, with both Zolak and McGwire back, there is a potential for a QB controversy if things don’t start off well, but we anticipate that Coach Schottenheimer will not waver once his starter is chosen, and he will continue to feed the ball to Ricky Watters, so whoever starts at QB is basically there to hand off and occasionally go for a play action bomb. TEXAS (8-8 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 10-6, Wild Card Of the 3 mid-range clubs in the division, Texas just seems to be the best-positioned to make a run, that is if they can avoid their almost predictable late season swoon. The Outlaws always seem to be in the mix until mid-June and then for some reason fade away into the sunset. This year they were not very active in free agency, but did pick up some potential contributors in the draft, including WR Eddie Kennison, LB Zach Thomas, and HB Detron Smith (from nearby A&M). Is it enough to outpace Michigan and New Orleans for a Wild Card? Maybe, but let’s see how June looks in San Antonio this year. MICHIGAN (8-8 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 8-8 We like the move to trade for Flutie. In the right system, once which lets him use his feet as well as his arm, he can be a top tier QB. Give him a solid run game, which Wheatley can certainly do, and he can guide a team to victories, as he did a lot in New Jersey. A lot will hinge on the development of the receivers in Michigan, who are not exactly an intimidating lot, and on the aggressiveness of the Panther defense. The Panthers did add two potential targets for Flutie, both in-state cap-friendly signings, MSU’s Mushin Muhammad out wide and Big Blue’s Jay Riemersma at TE. NEW ORLEANS (7-9 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 6-10 Coach Ditka got the most out of his roster last year, and got a surprisingly good season out of Jamie Martin at QB. Now, with Timm Rosenbach out in Seattle, it will be Martin’s job to prove Ditka’s trust in him was deserved. The emergence of unheralded former UGA Bulldog Terrell Davis as a solid starting back was a second pleasant surprise last year. If Davis is for real, then New Orleans could outperform expectations once again. But we worry about the defense, supposedly Ditka’s forte, even with some big imports this year in former Buccaneer Chidi Ahanotu, and rookies Walt Harris at CB and UCLA’s Donnie Edwards at LB. ST. LOUIS (5-11 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 6-10 We think the Knights are a better team than their record indicated last year, especially if Todd Collins continues to mature and grow into the starting QB role. They played teams tough last year, and played their best ball in the final month of the season. In the offseason they added some interesting pieces in WR Amani Toomer of Michigan, LB Kevin Hardy of Illinois, backup QB Frank Reich from the NFL, and in DT David Wise, acquired in the trade that sent David Archer to the Outlaws. We think they will be better this year than last, but that may not lead to fewer L’s in the standings. PACIFIC DIVISION PORTLAND (9-7 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 10-6, Division Winner Of the three teams that clustered at the top of the Pacific last year, we like Portland as the most improved and most likely to break out and take the division crown. As usual their big weakness remains run defense, but Coach Tobin did not stand pat, signing three rookies to strengthen the center of the defense. While none are likely to be starters on Week 1 we like all three: SS Je’Rod Cherry, LB LaCurtis James, and mostly DT Paul Grasmanis as solid run stoppers at each level. If they can get better against the run, the Thunder have the talent on the offensive side, especially in league rushing champion Robert Drummond, to win a lot of games. DENVER (9-7 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 9-7, Wild Card Denver is what Denver always is, a plugger, a tough defense and an adequate offense. Nothing flashy, few big names, but solid talent throughout the roster. They were not big players in free agency, as usual, and their draft was solid but without flash, as usual, but somehow this tends to work for the Gold. We like the early pick of WR Alex Van Dyke from UNLV, who we expect to be dynamic on kick returns even if he is not a starter on offense. We also like the meat & potatoes pick of tackle Jason Odom from Florida to eventually move into the RT spot, key with a lefty QB like Mark Brunell at the helm. OAKLAND (7-9 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 9-7 We are picking Oakland to potentially rise out of the pack and even to challenge for the division title. Why? Well, Jim Mora is why. The former Philadelphia Stars coach returns to the league after a stint with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL. He is a master strategist, a great motivator, and will get the most out of this roster, which means getting the most out of QB Bobby Hebert. With Mora and Hebert together, the Invaders seem primed to make a run. Their roster is one of the oldest in the league, and honestly we don’t see a lot in their rookie class that will change the dynamics by the bay, but we have faith that Oakland has the leadership it needs to win the close games you have to win to take this division. LOS ANGELES (4-12 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 7-9 Yup, we are predicting the LA Express, in their second season, to overtake last year’s Division Winner and improve to nearly .500 in their second year. We just see too much talent on this roster to keep them at the bottom of the division. QB Brent Pease had a really strong year on a weaker team last year, and we just cannot imagine Marcus Allen doing anything but improving on 1995. LA added some depth with rookies like immediate starter Jonathan Ogden at LT and TE Rickey Dudley from Ohio State. They added Bernie Parmalee as a change of pace to Allen in the backfield, and while their receiving corps is not deep, Michael Pritchard was a revelation last year. If either Darnay Scott or Patrick Rowe can develop some consistency, the Express offense can be a league leader. Now…about that D… ARIZONA (9-7 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 6-10 Maybe we are being too harsh here, but we see that the Arizona offense is just not good, and we also see that the Wranglers did not pull the trigger on a new QB, so once again it will be Bosco leading a vanilla offense into the season. Without Lionel James, the Wranglers are without spark on offense. Adding unknown quantity Karim Abdul-Jabbar at HB might help with that, but the big issue remains the QB position and cautious Bosco is not the answer. Will Coach Tollner give Trent Green a shot to supplant Bosco? Can Green add dynamism? He has a strong arm but he is a bit raw and a bit stiff also. We just don’t like the direction, or lack thereof, in Arizona’s offense, supposedly Coach Tollner’s expertise. If we don’t see more, it may be Tollner’s downfall. SEATTLE (1-15 in 1995)—Predicted Finish 4-12 We expect the Dragons to make strides this year. How could they not after only a single win in their first season? They finished last in all 4 major statistical categories, which means they needed improvement at nearly every position. They addressed QB first, jettisoning Dave Krieg and signing Timm Rosenbach. They also added support for their QB in LT Lomas Brown from the NFL’s Lions. They drafted another tackle in Auburn’s Willie Anderson, two tight ends (the better of which in camp has been Alabama’s Tony Johnson) and used late picks to sign both Brock Huard and Jon Kitna as developmental QBs. What they did not do was make a big signing on defense. That will hold them back this year, but they do seem to be intent on building a roster that can slog out wins in the rain and wind of Husky Stadium. We don’t see them making a huge stride this year, but they are better than last season if that is any consolation.

USA Today, February 20, 1996 With camps in full force and the USFL’s 1 preseason week almost upon us, it is time to take a look at how the league’s 24 clubs have managed the offseason, the moves made, the draftees signed, and to look ahead at what we see on the horizon this spring. We will start with the Eastern Conference, and then tomorrow present the Western Conference’s prospects. For each we will discuss the biggest moves, the new talent headed our way, and our predictions for the upcoming season. BIGGEST PERSONNEL MOVES: EASTERN CONFERENCE After just a lampooning by the media and an outcry by the fans, the New Jersey Generals may have been able to save face with their late signing of Chuck Knox to be the new leader of the Generals franchise. Paired with new Head of Football Operations Tom Flores, Knox will bring an old school feel to a team that has been too loose and too careless in recent years. Flores made news by ending the Rick Kotite era after only 8 weeks and no games played, but in signing the former Rams, Bills, and Seahawks head coach, he brings in a proven winner and a disciplinarian. Unlike the Kotite signing, this move has been largely praised in the market, with most folks expecting the Generals to be a more cohesive, more disciplined squad this year. First on the agenda for Knox will be setting up a new offense around HB Bam Morris, QB Rob Johnson, and a largely unproven wide receiver corps that includes NFL transfer Keenan McCardell and rookie standout Terry Glenn of Ohio State. Orlando needed more experience in their linebacking corps, and they think they have found it by bringing in Duane Bickett of the Seahawks. Bickett, after a successful career in Indianapolis and Seattle, is likely to only spend a season or two in Orlando, but with a relatively young linebacking corps, the Renegades needed leadership and Bickett certainly can bring that, along with a lot of savvy. Jacksonville signed safety Dana Hall to a 3 year deal, hoping that the former 49er can bring some of San Francisco’s winning ways and defensive toughness to the Bulls’ secondary. Baltimore did not sign a lot of big name offensive weapons for their problematic offense, but the inking of former NY Giant Jumbo Elliott at Left Tackle could be bigger and more impactful than any of the “hands” players signed this offseason. Elliott will lock down Chris Miller’s blind side, and help the entire line learn how to play together and keep their QB comfortable in the pocket. Even without big name receivers or a monster back, this will help Baltimore improve their offense to align better with their Top 5 defense. With NCA&T rookie Jamain Stephens likely to start the year as the #1 Right Tackle, Baltimore could have a very dynamic line, something miller and HB Barry Foster should truly enjoy. The Blitz are clearly hoping to compete in the tough Atlantic Division, not stopping with the Elliott signing, they outbid several other clubs to land former Memphis SS Bennie Blades. Blades immediately energizes an already deep and talented Blitz defense. With Pittsburgh, Washington, and Philadelphia also posting top 10 defenses, Baltimore is hoping that by doubling down on that side of the ball, they will have the edge in what appears to be a competition in the Atlantic to shut down all opposition. If Baltimore got the clear #1 defensive player available in USFL free agency, Orlando signed perhaps the top offensive prize in former Washington Federal HB Terry Kirby. The Renegades, who have struggled to put together a top grade running game over the past few seasons, are looking at Kirby’s versatility as a key to their ability to threaten the opposition offense with both the run and the pass. If we are going to acknowledge USFL signings from the NFL, we should also probably recognize that some top talent is headed the other way as well. Among the USFL stars no longer plying their trade in the NFL are All-USFL Center John Adickes, who will be with the Vikings to end out his career. The Eagles signed safety Eric Reid from the Bulls, halfback Reggie Brooks will move on from Baltimore to the Tampa Bay Bucs, and wideout Bobby Joe Edmunds is hoping to get another 1-2 seasons before he retires by signing on with the Cincinnati Bengals. And perhaps the biggest “signing” this offseason is neither a player or a coach, it is an agreement between the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Blitz, and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. After lengthy negotiations between the Browns and the NFL, the club will be relocating for the NFL’s 1996 season to the Charm City, where they will share Memorial Stadium with the Blitz. The NFL has agreed to the move, with the franchise required to keep the team name “Browns” and all team records in Cleveland, promising an expansion franchise to the city, while the soon-to-be-named Baltimore franchise will move and restart their record books as a “new” team but with an established roster. What is even more beneficial in an offseason that has gone very well for the Blitz, is that the negotiations between the new NFL club and the city have led to a three way deal to replace Memorial Stadium with a new facility in the city by the year 2000. It is something the Blitz had not been able to negotiate on their own, but now with the combined clout of the two leagues, the city of Baltimore will soon have a new stadium, and year round football. BIGGEST ROOKIE SIGNINGS: EASTERN CONFERENCE While it is always hard to judge rookies before they even make it into the league, the USFL feels that they have had a very good year, nabbing not only the Heisman Winner this year, but a pretty deep pool of talent signed and ready to jump into Spring Football. Recognizing that some of our picks may fall short of expecctations, and that some players who are not arriving highly regarded may prove to be stellar additions, this is our tentative, but intriguing list of the top rookie signings in the USFL after this year’s draft. We could give Birmingham two top spots if we were ranking our list as they addressed their issues in the run game with two big signings. At HB they add power runner Stephen Davis of Auburn, but they were not finished, doubling up on the idea of a strong inside run game by also signing the bruising FB Mike Alstott of Purdue, a rare talent at the position who could be as effective a ballcarrier as he is a blocker. Jacksonville feels they had a top to bottom haul with their draft picks, signing three players who have shown a lot of potential in training camp and may all earn starting positions in their first year. They include 2nd round pick Tedy Bruschi at LB, tackle Jon Runyan in the 4th round, and big receiver from a smaller school, Terrell Owens of Chattanooga in the 6th round. All three signed with the Bulls despite NFL offers, and all 3 look like they could break into the starting lineup early this season. Memphis got the back they were hoping would be there for them, a possible replacement for the retired Greg Boone. Memphis jumped on Kentucky’s Moe Williams with their first draft pick, and it took them only 3 days to come to an agreement with the talented back. We mentioned earlier that New Jersey got their pick of the top receivers in the draft, signing Ohio State speedster Terry Glenn. Glenn will likely compete with veteran Scott Schwedes to be the #1 target for Rob Johnson right out of the gate. They may also have found Roger Ruzek’s replacement as they spent a late draft pick on South Dakota State’s Adam Vinatieri. Unlike many positions, there is less of a concern that small school competition impacts a kicker, though it certainly will be a huge transition from South Dakota to the NY media circus. Orlando continued to try to beef up their defense in the draft as well, signing two intriguing prospects in FS Brian Dawkins of Clemson and USC DE Israel Ifeanyi. Ifeanyi was bypassed in the NFL draft due to injury concerns, but if he can overcome his collegiate health issues, Orlando may have very wisely spent a 7th round pick on the edge player. Philadelphia had something of a 2-headed draft. They surprised many by using their first two picks on defenders (Cal DE Regan Upshaw and Texas A&M CB Ray Mickens) but then proceeded to select (and sign) 5 consecutive offensive players, including 4 linemen (3 of them tackles). The sole offensive hands player was Northeast Louisiana’s Stepfret Williams at flanker, and having 3 late round tackles for many is not as valuable as having one early pick at the position. Pittsburgh’s draft was even more mystifying for fans, as they have signed no player graded above a 5th round pick by NFL scouts. They did use an early pick on Michigan’s Tim Biakabatuka, but the hard-to-pronounce pick has opted for the NFL instead, leaving Pittsburgh with a no-name pool of signees, with perhaps the best of the bunch being UNC DB Sean Boyd or LSU’s Gabe Northern at DE. Tampa went for need with several picks, including Arizona punter Josh Miller, OT Andre Johnson of Penn State, and WR Chris Doehring from nearby Florida. Their best pick may have been one of their other “home town” selections, Seminole DE Orpheus Roye did not have a huge career in Tallahassee, but has shown good instincts and a great burst off the line in training camp for the pass-rush-challenged Bandits. Washington also put a heavy focus on defense, signing Texas DE Tony Brackens to line up opposite Dexter Manley, and adding depth in the secondary with Austin Peay CB Kirk Pointer. They also replaced the retired Mike Hohensee on the depth chart by signing prospect QB Mike Cawley out of James Madison, a raw player with some upside and a miniscule cap hit. And if you are wondering what happened with the expansion clubs, well, we have big news there as well. Atlanta, who many expected to jump on the rookie HB class, seems content with the signing of Blair Thomas. They did not even attempt to draft a top tier back, instead focusing on defense, with 5 key defensive signings. Top among them are CB Tory James to create a killer 1-2 combo in the defensive backfield. They also went for hard-hitting LB Randall Godfrey out of Georgia (a territorial selection that will cost them half on salary cap numbers) and LB Carlos Emmons of Arkansas State. Their only noteworthy offensive signing was TE Lovett Purnell of West Virginia, who is more of a blocker than a receiver. But the biggest signing of the draft class, as so often it has been for the USFL, is the reigning Heismann Winner, HB Eddie George of Ohio State. George opted to stay put, remaining in Columbus to play for the expansion Ohio Glory. Expect George to quickly supplant Ernest Byner as the lead back for the Glory, and to bring a lot of Buckeye faithful to the team, as he teams up with last year’s big signing, fellow Buckeye Joey Galloway on the Glory offense. But while everyone was (understandably) obsessed with the George signing, on a year when neither Biakabatuka or Lawrence Phillips joined the USFL, Ohio also helped upgrade their defensive line, inking two quality tackles to stuff the middle of the line. The first is Daryl Gardener of Baylor, who was rated a 1st round talent by many scouts, and then, much later in the draft, with a 5th round pick, the Glory also added DT La’Roi Glover of San Diego State. Finally, with their 2nd round pick, they also added quality at offensive tackle, signing Louisville’s Roman Oben. Ohio may well have won the draft, and for the expansion club that ended 1995 with the best record of the 4 new teams, they may be fast-tracking their way to relevance, even in the toughest division in football. 5 BIGGEST MISSED OPPORTUNITIES It is not an offseason without missed opportunities, whether it is the trade that did not happen, the draftee who signed with the NFL instead, or the free agent that just did not come to terms with a team that really needed him. This year is no exception. Here, in our opinion, are the 5 biggest missed opportunities. Atlanta standing pat at HB after the Blair Thomas trade. The Fire had several backs on their radar in this draft, but ended up not selecting any of them. They could have gone after Lawrence Phillips with their early pick, and while the Nebraska back did not end up signing with the league, despite being selected by Jacksonville in the 3rd round, an earlier pick by Atlanta might have lured him to the Spring. Arizona passing on a Doug Flutie trade. Sure, Robbie Bosco has been the incumbent for years, and backup Trent Green has shown some talent, but in getting the former Heisman winner, the Wranglers could have had an upgrade in both on-field playmaking and Q-rating with local sponsors. Flutie is a natural on camera, and on the field, but he will now be touting car dealerships and insurance agencies in Detroit, not Phoenix. Pittsburgh missing on Dan Marino. Yes, Marino was in contract negotiations with the Dolphins, but there was enough smoke being blown about the Maulers trying to prepare for Alan Risher’s expected retirement, and hopes that the former Pitt QB and now NFL icon would come back to his home to finish his career to get Mauler faithful all riled up. That this did not happen will be seen as a disappointment in the Steel City even knowing that it was a longshot to begin with. Baltimore features in our penultimate missed opportunity. The Blitz chose to double down on defense, signing SS Bennie Blades and drafting/signing 5 of 6 picks on the defensive side, including another safety in the highly-touted Lawyer Milloy out of Washington, but they put no effort at all into adding mor dynamism to their offense. While the emphasis on the tackle position should benefit the offense, there is just not a lot of explosiveness in an offense led by Chris Miller, with Barry Foster at HB and a receiving corps made up of veteran Bill Brooks and younger receivers Rob Moore, Lamar Thomas and Oronde Gadsden. TE Kyle Brady is solid, but hardly a gamebreaker. Baltimore needs to show that they can muster consistent scoring from this group, and in a year when there were some really interesting prospects at both HB and WR, it seems an opportunity missed. Finally, we have to say that several clubs missed out on the chance to sign a truly top flight head coach in Jimmy Johnson. Johnson, who spent last season in broadcasting, signed with the Miami Dolphins, meaning he was open to returning to coaching. Whether it was New Jersey’s Kotite to Knox bizarre situation or the internal hire of Paul Hackett in Washington, it just feels like a missed chance to put a proven winner in charge of their team and make an immediate statement. SEASON OUTLOOK Having looked at the moves, signings, and draftees likely to impact the 1996 season in the Eastern Conference, it is time for the rubber to hit the road, our picks for the season. We know that you know that we are not great at this. Sure, we can basically tell who looks stronger and who looks weaker, but every year there are surprises, collapses, and uprisings, which make it really hard to do this. But, that is, of course, part of the fun, not knowing what will happen when they put the pads on. Here is what we see today as the climate in the East, but, as always, don’t hold us to it. ATLANTIC DIVISION: PHILADELPHIA (12-4 in 1995)—Predicted finish: 12-4, Division Title We are picking the Stars, and not the Maulers to win the division. We like their balance of offense and defense, and the Stars are eager to return to the form that got them a title 2 years ago. If any of their OT picks end up as solid contributors it will help the Stars, and we like the addition of Upshaw and Mickens on defense as well. PITTSBURGH (13-3 in 1995)—Predicted finish: 11-5, Wild Card The Maulers return a lot of the strengths that got them the title last year, but it is so hard to repeat when everyone is gunning for you. Add in a relatively weak draft pool and the loss of All-USFL roadgrater Ron Wolfley leading Rozier to easy yardage and we think things will be tougher, but not overwhelming for the Maulers. BALTIMORE (9-7 in 1995)—Predicted finish: 10-6, Wild Card We criticize the defense-first mindset of the Blitz’s front office, and we worry that their offense just does not have enough flash, but at the end of the day if the defense can be as dominant as many expect, then this team could win a lot of low-scoring game. That is an iffy proposition, but Baltimore seems committed to a strategy and sometimes having a clear vision of who you are can lead to success all on its own. WASHINGTON (11-5 in 1995)—Predicted finish: 8-8 We loved the early run of the Federals last year, and while they clearly lost that mojo at year’s end, we tend to view their early success as more of an anomaly than their late season struggles. There is a good amount of talent on this club, but they are getting older and their draft did not feel like one which would add a lot of immediate impact. The retirement of Coach Rutigliano also leaves a gap at the top and we are just not feeling Paul Hackett as the kind of guy who will step in and inspire an uprising from the onset. OHIO (5-11 in 1995) – Predicted finish: 6-10 We like the direction the Glory are taking, and we think that young talent like Joey Galloway and rookie HB Eddie George will provide dividends in upcoming years, there are still a lot of positions where the team still screams “expansion roster” and that will take time to attend to. We know the Glory will fight for Coach Saban, and we think they can spoil things for some clubs, but it feels a year or two too early to expect a winning record or Wild Card berth just yet. NEW JERSEY (4-12 in 1995)—Predicted finish: 4-12 We think Chuck Knox will push this team to play a tough, disciplined style, but he is also a very conservative coach, which may not be ideal in the more fast-paced USFL, compared with the NFL game. We are also still very wary of the talent level on offense for this club. Rob Johnson has something to prove, but little time to get it right. Bam Morris needs to step up big, and rookie Terry Glenn will have a lot of pressure on him to produce immediately, without a lot of veteran leadership on offense to mentor him. That is a formula for another rough year in the Meadowlands as the team just does not have what it needs to flip the script this season. SOUTHERN DIVISION BIRMINGHAM (8-8 in 1995)--Predicted Finish: 11-5, Division Title The way you hear it from Stallion fans, you would think they finished last year 0-16 instead of 8-8, but dropping from the top and finishing out of playoff contention was a tough pill for this club to swallow. They have so much talent on offense, and now have a real shot to add a power run game to their undeniable aerial power. If their defense improves just enough to be mediocre, the Stallions could once again see themselves run away with the division. JACKSONVILLE (10-6 IN 1995)—Predicted Finish: 9-7, Wild Card The Bulls have some quality. That is undeniable. Their surprise run last year showed us that. They also still have some holes to fill. We like the depth of their rookie class (the three already mentioned plus 1st round pick Fred Thomas, the CB from Tenn-Martin) and we think that their acquisition of Dana Hall from the 49ers was shrewd, but the loss of both Eric Reid and Donald Gagne is going to hurt this defense. The key for both their offense and defense may honestly be nothing more than being able to run the ball with Natrone Means. A solid run game can shorten their defense’s exposure and open up passing for Chris Chandler. TAMPA BAY (7-9 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 9-7 We like the Bandits to leapfrog Memphis and Orlando and earn that one extra win to stay above .500. With Troy Aikman and Errict Rhett they have more than enough offensive firepower to compete with most clubs. Adding scatback Terrell Fletcher through trade and drafting a solid slotback in Chris Doehring should also help them convert more 3rd downs. On defense, the Bandits still have a lot of questions, and they need to generate more pass rush to be sure, but perhaps the addition of Orpheus Roye will help there. More talented than both Memphis and Orlando, we just think 1-2 more wins will be in the cards for the Bandits this year. ORLANDO (8-8 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 8-8 We like the direction the Renegades are taking. They have some quality signings in veteran LB Duane Bickett from the NFL, and in rookie FS Brian Dawkins, but is that enough? Their offense still has to be more consistent. Scott Mitchell has been up and down at QB, and the run game, which now will rely on Terry Kirby as a lead back, has a lot to prove. We think another 8-8 season is a fair prediction, but the Renegades could fall anywhere 2 games above or below this pick. MEMPHIS (7-9 in 1995)—Predicted Fiinish: 6-10 We are not sold on the Buddy-Ryan-Led Showboats. They show too much of their coach’s fire, but also his lack of discipline to make the most of their talent. Heath Shuler has yet to show that he can become an elite QB, though, admittedly, the talent around him has been a bit shaky as well. Rookie Moe Williams will be expected to lead the run game right away, and that is a lot to ask of a rookie. The defense now feels like it relies more than ever on Reggie White after losing both LB Mike Douglass and SS Bennie Blades this offseason. Without a staunch defense, we just don’t see how Memphis will win a lot of games. ATLANTA (4-12 in 1995)—Predicted Finish: 5-11 Atlanta added some young talent on defense with the drafting and signing of both Torey James and Randall Godfrey. If James pans out, the Fire will have a shot at being a takeaway machine on defense, and that could help them produce wins. Eric Zeier is likely to take the helm from the start, but we are still so unsure about a run game now led by Blair Thomas. The line needs more depth and more explosiveness, and the playcalling needs to be more creative, but the building blocks are there, but maybe another draft away from really making a move.

USA Today--October 3, 1995 With the USFL-NFL window now closed, we await the USFL Collegiate Draft in January, but that does not mean that things are not still happening around the league. It has been a tumultuous month for many clubs, with several noteworthy trades, some significant free agent signings, and, just utter chaos for one franchise. We start there. GENERAL DISASTER? What to make of the cyclone of weirdness that has swept across the New Jersey Generals franchise? It began with the retirement of two of the club’s premiere players in HB Herschel Walker, the first true star of the USFL, and wideout Lam Jones, New Jersey’s leading receiver for the past decade. Then you had the hiring of Rich Kotite, former Eagles and Jets Head Coach, which led to an immediate uproar on sports radio and across all media platforms in this media mecca. Add in the departure of Irving Fryar via free agency, and the trading away of a Generals icon, and you have a mess. Ownership made it a bigger mess altogether by releasing Kotite after only 6 weeks on the job. In what may be a first of its kind move, the Generals, bowing to media and public pressure, released Kotite even before he was able to hold one practice. Let’s start with Kotite. The release came with another firing as President of Football Operations Chuck Schmidt was dismissed and the new Executive VP and Director of Player Personnel Tom Flores was brought in. The Former Oakland & L.A. Raiders Head Coach, who briefly served as President and GM in Seattle before taking on coaching duties, is seen as a no nonsense, old school presence. Flores immediately lobbied ownership to allow him to rehire for the head coach position. Once the press got wind of this, a quick and devastating media blitz pushed the ownership group, led by Malcom Borg, to let Kotite go and allow Flores free rein to find a new coach. Within a week, Borg met with Flores and Kotite, and the very next day Rich Kotite stepped down. For metro area fans this was a win, dropping a coach who had worn out his welcome in the region through the way he had handled the Jets. For the franchise however this is an embarrassing turn of events, one which is still unresolved as now the Generals are likely to wait until December or January before a new coach is hired, allowing for the NFL season to play out and possible hires at the end of the rival league’s season to become an option. As if the coaching fiasco was not enough, New Jersey now finds itself in a full top-to-bottom rebuild. This was, of course, going to be the case after the retirement of both Walker and Jones, but it was made worse with Flores’s immediate trading away of the third icon of the franchise, QB Doug Flutie. More on that in a minute, but we should first at least recognize what is lost from the Generals with the retirements of two of its biggest names on offense. Herschel Walker defined the Generals, and in its early years, the entire USFL. Signed after his sophomore year by the USFL, his contract with New Jersey shot the league into the headlines and began a series of signings that would rob the NFL of its monopoly on top talent. The Heisman winner would be the first of 3 consecutive honorees to be signed by the new league (Rozier and Flutie would follow) and the first of countless top NFL draft picks who would opt for the energetic and innovative spring league. And, lest we forget, Walker also brought the goods on the playing field. His rookie year with the Generals he set what is still the league rushing record with 1,767 yards. Since then, in his 13 seasons with the Generals, he rushed for over 1,000 yards 11 times, reaching 1,500 yards on 5 different occasions. He retires with an astounding 15,569 yards rushing, 93 touchdowns and a career 4.4 average yard per carry. Despite this dominance, he leaves the game with only 1 ring, the 1989 league championship, but he also leaves with 9 All-USFL honors, the 1989 MVP, 1989 Playoff MVP, 1983 Rookie of the Year, 1983 Offensive Player of the Year, and a jaw dropping 55 different AP Player of the Game honors. Jones, while not as accomplished as his teammate, still casts a long shadow. Jones, in 11 seasons with the Generals caught 1,418 passes for 13,088 yards and 86 touchdowns. He too was a part of the 1989 championship for New Jersey, and appeared on the All-USFL roster 3 times. His best year was 1993, when he caught 94 passes for 1,682 yards and 14 touchdowns. His only under 1,000 yard season was back in 1988, when a late season injury held him just under at 996. Both Jones and Walker are almost certainly headed into the USFL’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with Walker a guaranteed first ballot entry. Their departure leaves New Jersey with huge shoes to fill for next season. We expect backup Bam Morris will be the frontrunner to take over carries as the lead back. His big, bruising style aligns well with the type of game that Walker brought, though he is nowhere near the same quality of receiver out of the backfield that Walker was. At receiver, the Generals made an immediate move to try to bring in talent, a story we will report in just a moment. With Walker and Jones both gone, that left Flutie as the sole remaining “icon” from the early years of the franchise and its success. That did not last long either. In one of his first moves as GM, Tom Flores ended the Flutie-Johnson QB debate by trading away the former All-USFL QB (1989, 1993). After flirting with the Arizona Wranglers, who are looking to upgrade from Robbie Bosco despite several playoff seasons, Flores found a taker, and a price he liked for Flutie in Michigan. Flutie will be joining the Michigan Panthers as their new starter after the short-lived late-career stint of former Super Bowl Champion Joe Montana. Flutie heads to Michigan with a chance to reignite his love for the game after a tough few years in the Meadowlands. In return, New Jersey gets depth at LB with the arrival of utility backer Ty Hallock, and a chance to start rebuilding with Michigan’s 3rd round pick. Flutie has never fully lived up to the hype coming out of Boston College. His career has been up and down, with turnover issues coming along with some amazing highlight reel plays. Known as a scrambling QB, Flutie often was running for his life behind an undermanned NJ line. He was known for the seemingly impossible pass while in mid-scramble, but he was also known as a QB who would put the ball in dangerous places. He leaves New Jersey having thrown 217 TD’s for the Generals, but also 170 interceptions, including an upside down 8-16 ratio this past season, a stat line that speaks volumes as to why then Head Coach Sam Wyche benched him in favor of rookie Rob Johnson. Flutie’s best year in New Jersey was 1993, when he threw for 4,633 yards, 35 touchdowns and 17 interceptions (a far better ratio than his typical year.) Flutie insists he still has a lot of game left in him, and it appears Michigan is hoping that is the case. So, 2 months into the offseason and the Generals have no coach, no stars, and no clear path forward. Flores is now clearly in charge, and it will be his vision, and the coach he hires, the players he drafts or acquires and the vision he brings that will define the future of the Generals franchise. TRADE NEWS While the Flutie to Michigan deal was clearly the most dramatic and impactful of the trades we have seen this offseason, it is hardly the only one of importance. Several teams opted to go the trade route to try to solve their most pressing needs, looking ahead at a draft that has some blue chippers sprinkled throughout but is not viewed as a particularly deep draft. Outside of the Doug Flutie trade, the most prominent moves revolve around the Atlanta Fire and their search for a lead running back. Having traded to acquire Jeff Blake midseason, Atlanta’s search continued in the offseason. In their first move, they sent DT Tony Siragusa to Oakland in return for former NY Jet Blair Thomas. Thomas, whose outstanding career at Penn State made him a prized early 1st round draft pick in the NFL (after turning down the selection by Washington in the USFL Draft). After a decent, but unsatisfactory rookie and sophomore year in New York (620 and 728 yards respectively), Thomas started having injury problems, and saw his yards and games played decline to 440 in 1992 and 221 in 1993. After being released by the Jets, he signed on with Oakland, and spent last season sitting behind Siran Stacy on the Invader bench. He carried the ball only 51 times for a 3.6 average last season in mop up duty. But it seems the promise of his Penn State years was enough for Atlanta to gamble on the 28-year-old back. This was evident by their next move, sending 1995’s club rushing leader Bernie Parmalee on his way. Atlanta sent Parmalee to LA, where he will likely spell Marcus Allen as the backup, in return for TE Deems May and a 7th round pick. So it will apparently be Blair Thomas and Ricky Blake who will battle for carries in Dan Reeve’s I-back system. Two other running backs also shifted teams in the early weeks of the offseason, with Seattle sending backup Torey Wright to Orlando (who lost 2 HBs to retirement and free agency) for a 7th round pick, and Washington sending the scatback Terrell Fletcher to Tampa Bay as part of a deal that sees guard Wayne Boatwright coming to DC. St. Louis finally resolved their QB debate, clearly favoring 2nd year QB Todd Collins over veteran David Archer. They ship Archer off to Texas, where he will back up Kelly Stouffer, and in return bring in DT David Wise and a late round pick. Finally, among players who are likely to be in the starting 11 come week one, the biggest move was by the defending champions, who send off a 2nd round pick to New Orleans in order to shore up their line by acquiring RT Brian Williams. With significant free agent defections along the line, the trade for Williams is clearly a quick fix to an urgent need for the Maulers. FREE AGENCY Not a lot of big signings in the USFL free agent pool, but a pretty significant NFL players jumped ship and joined the spring league during the transfer window this August. Let’s start with the one predicted move that came to pass. Shocking no one, the Seattle Dragons have signed former Bull, General, and Breaker QB Timm Rosenbach. The former Washington State Cougar will be the clear frontrunner for the starting gig in Seattle, with returning QB David Klingler struggling last season as he subbed for an injured Dave Krieg. Rosenbach, who had his best season in 1994 with the Breakers (3,205 yards, 19 TD, QBR of 85.8), will try again to start anew with a new club. The good news for Rosenbach is that Seattle only 2 weeks earlier had swung a deal with Texas to bring Eric Metcalf up to the Pacific Northwest as the club’s new standout #1 receiver. Krieg, who was unceremoniously let go by Seattle after only 1 injury-plagued season, was the first major USFL to NFL signing, as he was snatched up by the Arizona Cardinals and has already earned the starting job, though after a 1-4 start to the fresh NFL season, we are not sure how long that will last. The Krieg signing, along with the signing of Orlando LB Alex Moyer (Tampa), Bandits DT Jason Gregory (Cincinnati), and Jacksonville SS Eric Reid (Eagles) highlight the very few USFL players snatched up during NFL training camps. The pendulum definitely swung a little bit more in the USFL’s direction with their signings of NFL talent. Chief among the USFL’s top signings from the fall league was New Jersey’s first attempt to restock their offense. Former Cleveland Brown wideout Keenan McCardell signed with the Generals for 4 years, hopefully taking on the lead receiver role. McKardell has shown some flashes in Cleveland, but has not been able to crack the starting lineup. That is unlikely to be an issue with the barren cupboard that New Jersey begins with in their receiver room. The Former UNLV receiver is sure to have chances to make a splash. The Wranglers also addressed a need with a big-name player, but one whose full potential has not been realized yet. Arizona signed former Dallas Cowboy (and Miami Hurricane), DT Russell Maryland to an incentive-laden 2-year contract after he was let go by Dallas. Maryland has been an on-again, off-again starter in Dallas, and has accumulated 14.5 sacks in five seasons in Big D. With two All-USFL DE's outside of him in Arizona (Noga and Haley) Maryland should be poised to focus on occupying space and interior linemen. Seattle stayed busy, with their third big move, again clearly looking to improve their last place offense, signing former Lion LT Lomas Brown to a 3-year deal. With Brown and Metcalf, QB Timm Rosenbach has some options compared to what we saw in Seattle’s offense last year. Brown will be key to keeping Rosenbach upright as the veteran QB is not the most nimble, but with protection, Rosenbach has shown that he can be an effective passer. Philadelphia addressed the retirement of kicker David Trout by jumping on Saints kicker Chip Lohmiller. The former Redskin kicker and Golden Gopher product was a 2nd round pick of Washington in 1988, one of the highest picks for a kicker in NFL history, but had only a middling career with the Skins, averaging only a 71.8% field goal percentage, hardly comparable to David Trout’s 80.4%. Birmingham tried to strengthen its shaky defense by signing 2x Super Bowl Champion LB Cornelius Bennett from the Buffalo Bills. Bennett, who was part of a dominant Bills team that appeared in 3 Super Bowls from 91-93 (including the dramatic victory over the Giants in 1990 and the blowout of Detroit in 1993) returns home to Birmingham, his birth city, and Alabama, his college home, to play with the Stallions. Finally, the Tampa Bay Bandits believe they have upgraded their QB depth, finding a backup for Troy Aikman after the release of John Fourcade this offseason. Tampa has signed former NY Giant and Ohio State QB Kent Graham. Graham, taken in the 6th round of the 1992 NFL Draft, started 3 games his rookie year, losing all three, and has started only 1 more in the two subsequent years. He has a strong arm, but clearly needs some development. Sitting behind Aikman is likely to help that process. So, there you have it. A pretty interesting start to the USFL preseason, with more to come for certain. With a second NFL-USFL transfer portal opening at the conclusion of the 1995 fall season for the senior league, with the upcoming 1995 Draft, and with one franchise still looking for its next head coach, we are sure to see some interesting moves in the months to come before the USFL season kicks off in March.

Only two weeks have passed since the Summer Bowl and already the offseason is in full swing. We have had a spate of retirements which have altered the priorities of several teams, leading to some early trades, and some interesting roster shifts, and while there are only a few big names in the current USFL free agent pool, there is still plenty to follow as we work our way through the offseason. In this offseason “Preview” (Midview?) we will look at each club, where they stand, and what they need to do to make a move in 1996. We start in the Pacific and will work our way east. PACIFIC DIVISION Arguably the weakest division thanks to two expansion clubs and a pretty mediocre top of the division, the Pacific lags behind the rest of the league in QB talent. Only Bobby Hebert strikes fear into opposing teams, so the question becomes whether the likes of Bosco, Trudeau, Brunell or Brent Pease can get the job done. And who will be the QB in Seattle after the Dave Krieg experiment seems to have been a misfire. SEATTLE Coach: W. Widenhofer Retired: M. Shively-OT FA/Released: D. Krieg-QB, D. Hill-WR, R. Fuller-CB Outlook: The 1-15 Dragons have a lot of work to do to become a contender in this tight division. Their first season saw a lot of issues and not a lot of upside. The Dragons finished 24th in all 4 main statistical categories (points, yards, points allowed, yardage allowed). That means their needs are many. They need to look at the QB position, which saw both Dave Krieg and David Klingler struggle, but they also need a lead back, as their leading rusher, Dereck Loville, only gained 572 yards last year. Roosevelt Potts is clearly not the answer. Seattle jumped into the offseason quickly, trading some picks to nab All-USFL receiver Eric Metcalf from Texas, but they need a lot more. Among the positions of greatest need we find tackle, Free Safety, and D-Line, but they have to consider a QB as well. They are letting Dave Krieg test the Free Agent waters, and quite frankly they can do better. If the rumors are true and they are seeking to sign former Breaker QB Timm Rosenbach, that might be a start for an upswing in Seattle. Move we want to see: Sign Rosenbach at QB, it just makes too much sense not to do it. LOS ANGELES Coach: R. Neuheisel Retired: None FA/Released: B. McAlister-SS Outlook: Four wins in their first season back in the City of Angels was not great, but unlike Seattle, there was some fight in the Express. It looks like they have a QB in Brent Pease who can be part of the big picture. With Mike Pritchard’s 1,487 yards, they definitely have a receiver. Marcus Allen needs help on the O-line if he is going to return to any semblance of his Raiders form, and the defense, 23rd in the league, needs some attention as well. Expect LA to seek a 2nd receiver, either at WR or TE, to take pressure off Pritchard, and to look for some impact linemen (easier said than done), but they also need to try to bring in defensive talent, especially in the secondary. Move we want to see: Draft and sign Keyshawn Johnson from USC to line up opposite Pritchard. OAKLAND Coach: J. Mora Retired: L. White-LB FA/Released: T. Moss-HB Outlook: The Invaders crashed pretty hard last year, and now, with Jim Mora replacing Dick Vermeil, we can expect a bit of a different focus in 1996. Expect more from Siran Stacy, and less reliance on Hebert to play the hero each game. The biggest issue for Oakland was pass defense (23rd in the league), and they absolutely need to upgrade both at CB and LB to be able to play Mora’s aggressive style. Don’t be surprised if they also try to bring in some O-line help. Move we want to see: Trade down in the draft, maybe to pick up a LB or more picks. DENVER Coach: W. Phillips Retired: K. Call-OT, T. Smith-HB FA/Released: J. Mueller-HB Outlook: The Gold looked solid at times, but their 9-7 record was also buoyed by 4 games against Seattle and LA. One of their biggest concerns has to be at HB, with Timmy Smith retiring and Jaime Mueller a free agent. That leaves only Salaam in the backfield. Their defense is solid, 1st against the run, so they can focus on improving their 14th rated scoring offense, and perhaps a change-of-pace back could help. We are also not sold on the Mark Carrier-Odessa Turner duo as sufficient at wideout for Mark Brunell to truly shine. Move we want to see: Draft a speedy 3rd receiver, like LSU’s Eddie Kennison or Nevada’s Alex Van Dyke. PORTLAND Coach: V. Tobin Retired: R. Lott-SS, C. Reddick-WR FA/Released: K. Bell-QB, M. Junkin-LB Outlook: The 9-7 Thunder came on strong to lock up 2nd in the division late last season, and there is certainly some strength on offense to build on. They did lose two solid players to retirement in safety Ronnie Lott and wideout Cornelius Reddick, and we expect QB Kerwin Bell to leave Portland as a free agent, but once again Portland was in the bottom 5 in rush defense, a bugaboo they simply have been unable to shake. Expect them to add a young safety to patrol the middle, perhaps an early pick on a DT, and maybe even a solid 4th linebacker to help on the weak side. Beyond that, they will likely try to build some depth behind Webster Slaughter, and perhaps find themselves a TE with ball skills and blocking chops too. Move we want to see: Draft or sign a run-stuffing DT, even if it means going to the NFL to snag a beast like Ted Washington or Russell Maryland. ARIZONA Coach: T. Tollner Retired: L. James-HB, L. Bell-CB, T. Orr-TE FA/Released: T. Newberry-G Outlook: Sure, the Wranglers won the division, on tiebreakers, but their quick and unceremonious departure from the playoffs is a clear sign that they need to make some changes. Fans are tired of the lackluster play from Robbie Bosco, but with a weak draft, a trade may be the only option if Ted Tollner shares their concern. With Lionel James and TE Terry Orr retiring, and guard Tom Newberry likely leaving, the Wranglers will have to focus on offense this offseason. With the 4th best scoring defense in the league, they may just devote the entire offseason to building greater offensive firepower. Move we want to see: Two really. Give Trent Green a shot at QB (rumors are saying this will happen) and sign a speedy compliment back for Tim Lester, like Kentucky’s Moe Williams or UCLA’s Karim Abdul-Jabbar. CENTRAL DIVISION Houston and Chicago both put up impressive seasons last year, and with Texas, Michigan, and New Orleans all looking like teams in need of a makeover, they may again dominate the division. St. Louis hopes they found their new QB in Todd Collins, while Michigan’s gambit on Joe Montana did not pay off, as the 4-time Super Bowl winner could not recreate that success in the USFL and retires after only 2 seasons of spring ball. ST. LOUIS Coach: J. Johnson Retired: T. Moffett-WR, V. Rafferty-DE, C. Banks-LB, G. Clark-WR FA/Released: S. Anno-LB Outlook: After an 0-6 start to the year, the Knights went 5-5 down the stretch, and beat some pretty good teams doing it. The defense improved, especially against the pass, but the offense could not average 20 points a game, and that cost them games. With Todd Collins expected to be the man at QB this year, St. Louis may try to find trade value for David Archer. Expect them to sign a backup behind Collins, maybe a John Fourcade or Kerwin Bell, but their main focus will likely be at halfback and at LB. Chip Banks announced his retirement, and the Knights also expect to lose Sam Anno to free agency. They need to replace those two. They also need to develop some wideouts as both Tim Moffett and former Bull Gary Clark have announced their departure from the game. Move we’d love to see: If Archer is gone, as may be the case, bring in a savvy vet like Fourcade or Dave Krieg to support and guide Collins. NEW ORLEANS Coach: M. Ditka Retired: R. Mayes-HB FA/Released: T. Rosenbach-QB Outlook: The Breakers hung around the middle of the pack most of the year, finishing at 7-9. They hope they have their new QB in Jamie Martin, who came in after an injury to Rosenbach and threw for almost 2,500 yards and 18 TDs. With rookie Terrell Davis developing into a potential cowbell back, the main offensive concern for New Orleans is along the line. Expect them to also work on that defense this offseason, with DE and CB being key areas of need. Move we want to see: Get some help in the secondary. Bennie Blades is out there, and so is CB James Hasty. MICHIGAN Coach: S. Holtz Retired: R. Hallstrom-G, D. Steinkuller-G, J. Montana-QB FA/Released: B.J. Edmunds-WR, Outlook: The Panthers had a very up and down season, starting strong at 4-2, then losing 5 straight before finishing 4-1 to end up with an 8-8 record. They lose QB Joe Montana, who just signed a 1-day deal to retire a 49er, and also saw two guards, Ron Hallstrom and Dean Steinkuller, move on. So, guard will be an issue, but QB has to be a bigger one. Rumors have them talking trade with several clubs, and there are a few (Arizona, New Jersey, Baltimore) who may be looking at moving on. They could also benefit from an upgrade at WR, as Bobby Joe Edmunds, who is testing free agency, barely cracked 1,000 yards last season and seems to have lost a step. Move we want to see: With a weak QB draft, the Panthers should do what is needed to snag one of the veteran QB’s who is on the outs with his club. That could be Robbie Bosco, Doug Flutie, or maybe even Chris Miller. They can then wait until Danny Wuerffel, Jake Plummer, and Koy Detmer come out next year. TEXAS Coach: Jack Pardee Retired: None FA/Released: J. Adickes-C, A. Van Pelt-QB, E. Metcalf-WR-Traded to Seattle. Outlook: Thanks to another 0-4 June/July conclusion to the season, the Outlaws again melted away in the summer heat, which is weird since they play in a dome. They immediately made a move, trading away one of their most popular players, Eric Metcalf, to Seattle, picking up several picks in the process. They will likely make use of those picks to try to sign a backup to Kelly Stouffer, some strength at RT, and to shore up a defense that was good against the run but let too many big plays happen in the passing game. DT, FS, and LB could be areas to watch for Texas. Move we want to see: There are several decent guards in the free agent pool, but few tackles of any value. Do they try to raid Bruce Wilkerson from the NFL, or go for youth and a draft prospect like Jonathan Ogden or Willie Anderson? CHICAGO Coach: M. Schottenheimer Retired: B. Kiel-QB, M. Munchak-C, M. Munford-LB FA/Released: None Outlook: The Machine had a good run, once again defying the odds by rolling with a backup QB. They did it largely with defensive strength (5th in Points allowed and 8th in yardage), and a good blend of short passes and Ricky Watters’ runs. They lost 3 decent contributors to retirement in LB Mark Munford, C Mike Munchak, and backup QB Blair Kiel, but none of these players were essential cogs in the Machine. Chicago would like to be more explosive in pass rush (who wouldn’t?) and could also use some depth on the O-line. They likely will look for a late round rookie QB to sit behind Zolak and McGwire, but that will be a low priority compared to adding more defensive speed. Move we want to see: Chicago can get decent guards in free agency to add depth, but they also need to improve that pass rush, and the best option there might be right in their back yard, Simeon Rice from the Illini. HOUSTON Coach: R. Willsey Retired: K. Reeves-OT, M. Tracy-C FA/Released: R. Lewis-TE, G. Williams-DE Outlook: The Gamblers came within 7 points of winning their 3rd title, and they found a gem last year in the draft in wideout Antonio Freeman. Don’t expect them to be big free agent players, as they have a pretty solid roster. They could lose big DE Gerald Williams to free agency, though they will do their best to resign him. If that is the case, then we know where they will look in the draft. They also need to build depth back up on the O-line with 2 retirements from their top 8 linemen. Move we want to see: Not a lot of holes, and line help can come from anywhere, but if Williams leaves, DE will be important, so we would love to see Houston draft local star Tony Brackens from Texas. SOUTHERN DIVISION As shocking as Jacksonville’s quick rise to the top of the division was, Birmingham’s fall was even bigger. Favre still threw for over 5,000 yards, the defense and lack of a run game made the Stallions’ too predictable. Memphis transitioned at QB, with Shuler likely to be the week 1 starter in 1996, and Orlando showed some potential as well. Atlanta, well, until they can get a halfback to help out Eric Zeier, they will not be able to play the king of game Coach Reeves wants. ATLANTA Coach: D. Reeves Retired: D. Lockett-LB FA/Released: None Outlook: With a lowly 59.9 yard per game average, Atlanta’s run game was epically bad. Even a midseason trade for Ricky Blake barely nudged the needle. Expect Week 1 starter Bernie Parmalee to be replaced, either by Blake, or more likely by a new acquisition. We expect Atlanta to swing for the fences for a halfback in the draft. With Ohio State’s Eddie George, Michigan’s Tim Biakabatuka, and Nebraska’s Lawrence Phillips the prime candidates. That may be a futile move unless Atlanta can bolster their line as well. And, of course, their expansion year defense also had some holes, though rookie Tyrone Pool had a great year at CB with 6 picks. Move we want to see: You know what we want here, a running back. Unless they can lure Herschel Walker back from retirement, it is unlikely to be a Georgia back,and the free agent backs are all solid backups, but nothing more, but we hear that Jerome Bettis is not all that happy with the LA Rams. Could you picture the bus in Atlanta. That would be a move to remember. TAMPA BAY Coach: J. Glanville Retired: M. Behning-OT, S. McClendon-LB FA/Released: J. Fourcade-QB, J. Gregory-DT Outlook: Seven wins was a bit of a disappointment for the Bandits, who counted on the combo of Aikman and Rhett to help propel them back to the postseason. Tampa will look to add a slot receiver to help Aikman out, but the biggest help would be new tackles. Edge rushers had a field day with Tampa’s line last year, and if Aikman is going to get hurried and battered, the Bandits will go nowhere next season. Move we want to see: Tampa needs tackles, and again, that is not a great position in the USFL, so they may have to sign a big rookie like Ogden. In Free Agency, they might want to take a look at Alfred Jackson, who could be an ideal slot receiver. MEMPHIS Coach: B. Ryan Retired: G. Boone-HB, FA/Released: S. Rogers-DE, B. Blades-SS, M. Douglass-LB Outlook: A 7-9 year in Memphis was a step back from their 1994 playoff appearance, and it was clear that Heath Shuler had some growing pains, but Memphis now has to worry about the talent around Shuler. Greg Boone announced his retirement this week, and Tommy Agie is not going to work as a lead back, so HB is a key position for the Showboats. With Bennie Blades clearly on the free agent market, safety will be another area to address. Some LB depth and possibly a 2nd or 3rd receiver for Shuler would also be good signings by the Showboats. Move we want to see: Heath Shuler will need a running back to take the pressure off. We think Eddie George would look awfully good in scarlet and silver sky. ORLANDO Coach: G. O’Leary Retired: R. Childress-DE, E. Moody-CB, J. Jordan-QB FA/Released: T. Fowler-HB, A. Moyer-LB, D. Cadigan-G Outlook: The Renegades earned some believers last year, but still have a couple of major concerns. Dalton Hilliard and Todd Fowler are both gone, so the Renegades need to restock their backfield and quickly. They also could look to improve at wideout as Bert Emmanuel, while solid, is not a true #1. Add in a big hole at guard, and a need for a true field marshal at MLB, and Orlando has enough holes to make Swiss cheese jealous. Move we want to see: Another team in need of a running back. Terry Kirby would be a perfect fit for George O’Leary’s offense because he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but can also run up the middle. BIRMINGHAM Coach: R. Erhardt Retired: S. Norwood-K, C. Pitcock-C FA/Released: J. Strezlczyk-G Outlook: The Stallions can throw the ball all over, but if you cannot run, and you cannot stop anyone else from scoring, you are not going to return to the Summer Bowl. Expect lead back James Joseph to take a step back as Birmingham clearly needs a more dynamic starter at the position. They will likely also look to improve at FB, but their main focus will likely be defense, where they should be looking to improve at LB, DT, and FS. Move we want to see: That first draft pick could be a halfback, but if it is not, the perfect fit, and an immediate upgrade to the run defense, would be Miami’s Ray Lewis. He is a beast, which is what the Stallions need to revive that defense. JACKSONVILLE Coach: J. Fassel Retired: D. Gagne-DT FA/Released: M. Shula-QB, E. Reid-SS, A. Clark-CB Outlook: The signing of Chris Chandler from the NFL was huge for the Bulls. Now, if they can keep Natrone Means healthy, they may be on to something. The defense still has issues, especially against the pass, where they ranked 20th of 24 clubs. With DT Donald Gagne retiring and SS Eric Reid in the free agent pool, those also become important positions to fill this offseason. A speedy receiver opposite Brian Blades would also not hurt. Move we want to see: They may take a shot at Bobby Joe Edmunds in Free agency, or maybe even Irving Fryar, if they can keep him from officially retiring. That would save their top draft pick to get their new Strong Safety, and that pick should be Lawyer Malloy of Washington. ATLANTIC DIVISION The Federals looked like world beaters through the season’s first 6 weeks, but were overtaken by truly dominant teams in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. On the other side of the division, New Jersey managed to stumble their way to a 4-win season, landing behind even the expansion Ohio Glory. And Baltimore, well, they were solid, but not explosive, something we seem to say every year. With both Doug Flutie and Chris Miller in a bit of a doghouse with their coaches and the team’s fans, could one or both end up in a new venue next season? It would not shock us. NEW JERSEY Coach: R. Kotite Retired: H. Walker-HB, L. Jones-WR FA/Released: I. Fryar-WR, A. Fontenot-DE Outlook: While some expected the Generals to be mediocre, I don’t think anyone last February predicted a 4-win season and ratings near the bottom in several categories. This is a team with a very solid defense (1st in yards allowed) but turnovers, penalties and stupid mistakes caused them to be 20th in points allowed. Coach Wyche experimented with Rob Johnson at QB, with Flutie clearly in the doghouse, but now Wyche is gone. Is Flutie back on top with Coach Kotite, or will he look at Johnson and Tommy Maddox and try to get value by trading away the longtime starter? And with the top two receivers departing, the passing game is unlikely to improve in 1996. And what is the deal with Kotite. Fans in the tri-state area are furious with his hire, and team ownership also seems to be second guessing the signing by the VP of Football Operations. Can a coach be on the hotseat before his first game? Move we want to see: We could talk about the Generals’ needs all day. Halfback, Wideout, O-Line, but if they are truly done with Flutie, they owe it to him to allow a trade. We think he would look awfully good in a copper Wrangler helmet. OHIO Coach: N. Saban Retired: V. Workman-HB FA/Released: B. Marion-SS Outlook: At 5-11, Ohio was the cream of the crop among the expansion clubs. Despite their moxie and grit, they did finish in the bottom half of the league in most major categories of team performance, 15th or lower in all 4. So what does Ohio need? They have a solid QB in Hostetler, a good run game with Byner, though Vince Workman’s surprise retirement means they might look to find a complement to the former Brown at HB. Joey Galloway has talent, but needs to stay healthy. An upgrade at left tackle is like Jeff Hostetler’s biggest wish, but Coach Saban also wants to look at DT and LB to help develop a solid center to the defense. Move we want to see: I like the potential of the Ohio offense, but Ernest Byner is not getting any younger. Is there a chance Ohio could convince Eddie George to stay in Collumbus? If not, what about upsetting the Buckeye faithful and picking Tim Biakabatuka from that team in maize and blue up north? BALTIMORE Coach: L. Infante Retired: R. Delaney-OT FA/Released: R. Brooks-HB, C. Scotts-DT Outlook: The Blitz barely held off Orlando and Birmingham to snag a Wild Card, but no one was happy about it. In this tough division, the Blitz will need to improve to be competitive. The defense is a beast, 1st in scoring defense and 6th in yards, but the passing game is 23rd, and a lot of that falls on Chris Miller. The Blitz did not have a 1,000 yard receiver, and Derrick Fenner led the team with only 753 yards rushing. Expect the Blitz to revamp the entire offense, and that could mean a trade for Miller, or an early draft pick on a halfback. Move we want to see: Somehow, despite all the cries from the fans, we just don’t see Infante giving up on Chris Miller, but they need something to spark this offense. Buckeye wideout Terry Glenn could be just what they need. WASHINGTON Coach: P. Hackett Retired: A. Blaylock-CB, J. Walters-WR, D. Massey-OT FA/Released: K. Hawes-TE, T. Kirby-HB, Outlook: After a 6-0 start, the Federals had a rough slide when Majkowski went down for several weeks and Mike Hohensee could not get the job done. But, in a meaningless Week 16 game, Kordell Stewart seemed to show that he was the future for Washington. So, QB may not be a concern. HB might be, as Terry Kirby will be a hot commodity on the free agent market. Washington could run with just Barry Word, but that does not seem like their style. With a new coach coming from within, in Paul Hackett, former OC being upgraded to Head Coach, expect continuity to be key for DC. Joey Walters has retired, so a wideout is one key need area. Tackle, a DE opposite Dexter Manley, and a QB3 will likely also be on the Feds’ wish list. Move we want to see: The Feds still have a lot of solid pieces in place. The retirement of Joey Walters will be tough to fill, but with Herman Moore as the #1, they could go with more of a controled route-runner in the draft, and for that role we like Syracuse wideout Marvin Harrison. PHILADELPHIA Coach: R. Berry Retired: G. Phelan-WR, D. Trout-K FA/Released: J. Hasty-CB, A. Jackson-WR, M. Zandofsky-G Outlook: Had the Stars not played in the same division as the Maulers, they might have dominated their division as well. Philadelphia has a lot of the pieces already in place. They will have to replace David Trout, who retired after 13 seasons in Philly. Also gone are WR Gerard Phalen and WR Alfred Jackson. Depth along the front lines will also be a target area, but don’t expect the Stars to spend big to lure away another USFL or NFL vet. They seem poised to add youth as one of the older teams in the league. Move we want to see: Philly lives and dies by defense, so as much as we think they may need more offensive firepower, the prospect of them signing a Ray Lewis, Reggie Brown, or local small college star John Mobley of Kutztown State is awfully enticing as well. PITTSBURGH Coach: T. Marchibroda Retired: R. Wolfley-FB, T. Richardson-HB, L. Smith-OT FA/Released: S. Smith-DE Outlook: The newly-crowned league champions avoided a double-barrel shot to the gut when both Alan Risher and Mike Rozier announced that they would be back for 1996. That avoids the dreaded “rebuilding” phase, and allows Pittsburgh to build for the future. Expect the Maulers to go after an upgrade at Free Safety, and they will need to replace the retired FB Ron Wolfley. Adding youth at tackle and maybe a better slot option could also be priorities. With Dorsey Levins looking like a solid heir to Rozier, HB may not be a position of need, despite the retirement of journeyman Tim Richardson. Move we want to see: Ron Wolfley was a stud at FB, but rarely got to carry the ball. If you don’t want Rozier, in what (again?) may be his last year, to get too banged up, there is a perfect fullback with running ability in the draft. Picture Purdue’s Mike Alstott as a Mauler.

The Pittsburgh Maulers made believers out of the American viewing public, maybe even before they could believe themselves. In a Summer Bowl that showcased the top two offenses in the league, the Maulers erased a 30-16 deficit with four straight touchdown drives, upending the Houston Gamblers and securing the first league championship for the Steel City franchise that began play in 1984. Despite being outgained by Houston 494-396, the Maulers took advantage of two Houston turnovers and rattled off scores in quick succession as they turned the tables on the favored Gamblers. With a combined 81 points and nearly 900 yards of offense, this game hinged on momentum and big plays, and while Houston had plenty of both early in the game, the tide turned against them in the final 20 minutes of play, shocking both the crowd at Mile High Stadium and the Gamblers themselves. Pittsburgh never gave up on the run game, despite falling behind, while Houston relied heavily on the arm of Jim Kelly, who would end the game with 404 yards passing and 3 TDs. Alan Risher had a much more modest 241 in the air, but his 3 TD passes equaled those of his more celebrated opponent. The game began, as so many championship games do, with both teams tentatively testing some key formations, trying to assess what the defensive strategy of their opponents would be. The Gamblers got on the board first as their first drive got them within range for John Kasay to attempt a long field goal. After a short drive led to a punt, Pittsburgh got their first break, as FS Jay Bellamy was able to down the kick at the Houston 2 yard line. On their first play from the 2, Houston tried to catch Pittsburgh with a play action pass, but DE Bob Kuberski did not bite. Rather than give up a sack, the tackle held Kuberski, but was spotted by the Back Judge. The holding penalty in the endzone gave Pittsburgh a safety and brought the game to an odd 3-2 score. Pittsburgh would have their first successful drive after the ensuing kickoff, as Mike Rozier got 4 carries on the drive and served as decoy for FB Ron Wolfley, who avoided an early tackle and found open ground ahead of him, rushing the ball 17 yards for the score. 9-7 Maulers. Houston would respond with a drive of their own, though the Gambler drive eventually stalled at the Pittsburgh 7 yard line, leading to a chip shot kick for Kasay. The second quarter would all but belong to the Gamblers. Following a quick 3-and-out produced when Kiki DeAyala broke up a Risher 3rd down pass to his TE Mike Shaw, Houston combined 3 Thomas runs with 6 Kelly passes, including a 42-yarder to his slot receiver, Ricky Proehl. The drive was capped by a Thomas TD run from the 1-yard line and we had our second lead change of the game with only about 5 minutes gone in the 2nd quarter. Houston now up 13-9. A fumble by Reggie Rembert would end the next Mauler drive, and again Houston would add points to the score. This time it was a pass from Kelly to Ken Dilger that did the trick, though at first it appeared that the ball was intended for Perriman, Dilger reached for it at the 2, and was able to dive into the endzone for the score. The first half ended with a solid Mauler drive, ending in a short TD run, this time from Rozier. At the half it was Houston up 23-16, a 7-point gap. The Maulers had hung in with the Gamblers thanks in large part to their ability to mix the run and the pass, keeping the Gambler defense from sending blitzers to speed up Risher’s decisions. Houston had relied largely on the pass, and as that continued into the second half, it would start to lead to some issues as Pittsburgh defenders started to key on Kelly and the pass. The Maulers would get all 4 of their sacks of Kelly in the final 30 minutes, not counting the safety which resulted from a holding call. As the third quarter began, the two teams traded possessions, but on their second attempt, Houston took the Pittsburgh punt and in just 5 plays they were in the end Bzone again. The key play was a 3rd and 13 which turned into a 41 yard catch and run by Rookie of the Year nominee Antonio Freeman. Freeman was knocked out of bounds at the Pittsburgh 21, and after a short 3-yard run by Thomas, Kelly again went for the big play, this time finding his other TE, Jamie Asher, for the score. At this point in the game, up 30-16, Houston seemed to have it all going their way, but on their next possession, a tipped ball would flutter into the hands of Pittsburgh’s Sonny Gordon, and the fleet of foot corner would return it down to the Houston 4 yard line before being knocked out of bounds. Two plays later Raynard Brown turned a quick slant into a 3 yard TD. Pittsburgh was back in business, down only 7 at 30-23. As the 3rd quarter wound down, a failed 3rd and 2 rush by Kenneth Woodside forced Houston into a 3-and-out, and Pittsburgh, now feeling more confident about their chances, quickly took advantage. Risher dinked and dunked his way down the field, helped by a 14-yard draw play to Dorsey Levins on a 2nd and 8. Risher would end the drive with a screen to Wolfley, who touched the ball only 3 times in the game, but got TD’s on two of them. Pittsburgh had evened the score at 30 and had the wind at their backs. They would score again on the biggest play of the game the next time they had the ball. Risher saw Raynard Brown in single coverage and the speedy receiver used a double move to get behind the corner, where Risher hit him with a looping deep ball. The 40-yard reception was a backbreaker for the Gamblers, as it completed the Mauler flip of the scoreboard. Now it was Houston playing catchup, down 37-30. Kelly moved the team down the field, but the drive stalled just 3 plays after a big Perriman catch had gotten them to the 30. They trotted out John Kasay, but this time the reliable kicker was off, missing to the left and giving Pittsburgh the ball back at their own 37. The Maulers were feeling it now, and their next drive, which included 5 Rozier runs for 33 yards, put the game in their pocket. When Rozier dove off tackle and into the end zone with only 2:19 left, the Maulers had a 14-point lead just outside of the two minute mark. Houston would make it a game, however, as they quickly took advantage of good field position after a short kick from Septien. A 12 yard Thomas reception was followed by a 47-yard Kelly to Perriman TD toss. Houston was still alive with 1:32 left to play and down only 7. Their attempt at an onside kick turned into more of a squib, as the ball’s third bounce took a larger than expected arc, right over the front line Maulers. Dorsey Levins, manning the second level, fell on the ball, and Pittsburgh tried to run out some time. They rushed Rozier, then Levins, but got nowhere. On 3rd and 9 Risher scrambled but could not reach the first down line, so Pittsburgh had to punt. Houston had only 37 seconds left at this point, and that forced Kelly to try to get big chunks. He tried to hit Freeman first, but was denied. Was able to hit Asher on 2nd down, but Asher was unable to get out of bounds, forcing Kelly to spike the ball on 3rd and 1. With only seconds left, Kelly would try to hit Perriman deep, rather than take the short pass to Thomas on the swing. Perriman was unable to bring in the pass, and the ball turned over on downs. Alan Risher would take a knee on the final play of the game and, with purple and orange confetti erupting along the sidelines, the Pittsburgh Maulers were declared the 1995 USFL Championship. This was the club’s first title, and the culmination of 7 years of consistent growth for Ted Marchibroda’s Mauler squads. After an initial 5-11 season, the Maulers went to 7-9 in Marchibroda’s second year, then 9-7, 10-6 (and a Summer Bowl loss), and two straight 11-5 seasons before this year’s breakthrough. It was also, at long last, a coronation for one of the league’s earliest stars and one of its enduring faces of the game. Mike Rozier, in his 13th season, would have his first championship ring. Rozier, who is currently the #1 rusher in league history, edging out Herschel Walker 16,888 yards to 16,589, is already a legend, but now has the hardware to prove it. In this game he would rush for 114 yards and 2 short TD’s, and for that, and his long career of excellence, he was awarded the Player of the Game award. For both Rozier and Alan Risher, who came to the USFL as an LSU rookie in 1983, and who spent his first two years with Arizona, the victory was sweet redemption for a career that has not always been idyllic. Risher capped off his best statistical season (finishing as the top rated QB in the league) with a title, and possibly stamping his ticket to Canton some day. Questions abound as to whether Rozier or Risher will call this game their swan song and retire in the offseason, but that is a question for another day. Now is time for celebration among the Maulers, their staff, and the city of Pittsburgh. A parade will be held on Wednesday, so you Steel Citizens plan to call in sick. It is gonna be a party for a city that has not seen a football championship since the Steel Curtain of the 1970’s. For Houston it was a bitter end to a long and very successful season. The Gamblers appeared in their 5th championship game, but now, at 2-3 all time, have to hope that the 6th time will offer them a chance at another title. Jim Kelly, who is also rumored to be considering retirement, completed 26 of 40 for 404 yards and 3 scores in the loss. Thomas rushed for 88 yards and added another 34 on the ground, and three different Gambler receivers, Proehl (97), Freeman (87) and Perriman (75) finished with 75 yards or more receiving. But, in the end, the cruel fate of momentum shifted on Houston at a key time, and the Maulers simply had what it took to take advantage and earn their title. So next week there will be no football, well, no games that count, as the NFL is still in their preseason, and those of us who are true USFL devotees will start to scour the newslines for stories of retirements, signings, trades, and, very soon, the inter-league transfer window. For now, we sign off, another season reaching its dramatic conclusion, another champion crowned, another exciting season of USFL football in the books.

The top two teams in each conference faced off this week for the right to advance to Summer Bowl 1995 in Denver. In the East it was the surprising Jacksonville Bulls, who raced out to an early division lead when the season started and endured to win 10 games and become the only Southern team to make the postseason. For Pittsburgh a 1-3 start turned into an amazing 12 game win streak, a dominance over their division that rivaled the best we have seen in the league’s 13 year history. Out West we saw the resurgence of the Houston Gamblers, a club whose late season collapse in ’94 cost them a playoff shot, but who were focused on a return to glory this year. We also have the Chicago Machine, who surprised the league by making it to the Summer Bowl in ’94 with a backup QB, and now find themselves one game from doing it again, with yet another back up QB leading the charge. Four great stories, four really strong teams, but only 2 can advance, only 2 can reach the biggest game of the year. They have been simply unstoppable for the past 4 months, and Pittsburgh was once again dominant as they shut down the Jacksonville Bulls and ground their way to a Summer Bowl invitation. It was a full team effort as the offense put up 434 combined yards and the defense held the visiting Bulls to only 69 yards rushing and only 1 offensive TD. Yes, Jacksonville shot themselves in the foot too many times, 9 penalties for 111 yards, many of them on the offensive side, but it was also just a matchup of two teams, one who hoped they would win, and one who knew they would. Most of the scoring occurred in the first half as the Maulers built up a 20-7 lead. They did so largely on the running of Mike Rozier, no shock there, as the veteran back, in what might be his swan song season, carried the ball 11 times for 71 yards in the first half. He would add only 8 more carries and 29 more yards in the second, finishing with an even 100, as backup Dorsey Levins was used as the game-ending battering ram, getting 10 carries in the final 30 minutes to help spell Rozier. It was also Alan Risher, in his 13th season in the league, who proved tough to manage, playing off the run, but also extending plays with his scrambling ability. Risher would finish with 301 yards passing and a key 2nd quarter TD to Reggie Rembert that would end up being the margin of victory for the Maulers. The Bulls offense suffered in part due to an early game injury to Natrone Means, who finished the day with only 1 carry. With a game plan based on using the power run to shorten the game and keep Jacksonville close, the loss of Means was huge. Jamie Morris and Owen Gill did what they could, but neither was able to match what Means can bring to a game. That put the pressure on Chris Chandler, and despite a solid first half, in which he threw for 165 yards, Chandler was unable to keep pace with the Maulers and the Bulls spent the entire second half essentially spinning their wheels. It got so bad at one point, with 4 consecutive 3-and-outs spanning the end of the 2nd and opening of the 3rd quarters, that Coach Fassel put Mike Shula into the game for a series, just to see if it might spark something. It did not. Yes, they got a first down, but on a careless Mauler penalty, so instead of a 3-and-out, it was a 5-and-out. Chandler returned the next series and at least got Jacksonville a field goal to pull to within 10 at 20-10. The Bulls would get the only score of the 4th quarter, another Stoyanovich field goal, but pulling within 7 did nothing but inspire the Mauler defense. They would end Jacksonville’s next series with a Sean Smith sack of Chandler, and the final drive for the desperate Bulls ended on a 4th and 3 when Chandler’s pass to Anthony Jordan was just out of his reach. The Maulers will now return to the Summer Bowl for their second attempt at a title. Three years ago, in Summer Bowl 1992, they faced the Houston Gamblers and fell in a really hard-fought 34-28 game. With Houston favored to return again to the title game, they may very well face the same cast of characters, Kelly, Thomas, DeAyala, and many others who were there in ’92 just as Rozier, Lipps, Risher, and Kumerow were there. They would need to wait and see. Would it be Houston again, or would Chicago return to the title game one year after falling just short against the Stars. It would not take long for Pittsburgh to get their answer. The Houston Gamblers came out on a mission, and for the 3rd time this season they took it too their divisional rivals from the Windy City. By the end of the 1st quarte it was 13-0 Houston, and by the half a 20-7 lead. After 3 quarters, the lead had expanded to 30-7 and, other than a late Chicago TD that didn’t even help the bookies with the spread, Houston essentially coasted their way back into the Summer Bowl, their 5th appearance in 9 years. Houston got the win, and put the game away early, despite a pretty pedestrian game from Jim Kelly. The multiple time All-USFL QB completed only 13 of 27 passes against a dedicated Chicago secondary, and finished the game with only 193 yards passing. Of course, within that 193 we find multiple converted 3rd downs and two TD passes to his favorite outlet, HB Thurman Thomas. Thomas would also run for 73 yards on 20 carries as Chicago seemed content to let the Gamblers run as long as they could not hit on a big play. Thomas’s longest run on the day was for 11 yards, but the consistent threat of the run game made it possible for Houston to keep converting on 3rd down with the short passing game. Add in several key Chicago mistakes, mostly penalties (there were no turnovers in the game) and it was enough to help Houston build their lead and hold it. John Kasay did his part as well, connecting on two long kicks, a 43 yarder and a 44 yarder, both in the 4th quarter, and then adding a key 3rd field goal in the 3rd to keep Chicago well into a range where they would need multiple scores to come back. For Chicago, the issue was protection. Dan McGwire was roughed up all day long, and it is honestly surprising that he never tossed a pick or fumbled away a ball. He was sacked 7 times on the day, including a huge hit that must have rattled his cage by Fred Strickland early in the game. Chicago did have some success rushing the ball, as Ricky Watters averaged 5.6 yards per carry, but their issues on 3rd down, where they went only 2 for 12, and the pressure on McGwire simply held back the Chicago offense. Unable to turn it loose in the passing game, something the conservative Marty Schottenheimer rarely permits, and something the roster of mostly possession receivers is not suited for, meant that Houston’s lead was more than just an obstacle, it was a major obstruction. No receiver for Chicago had more than 40 yards in the game, and the two top receivers were both tight ends as Houston blanketed both Wendell Davis and Reggie Langhorne, forcing McGwire to dump the ball down. It was, much like the Pittsburgh game, a full team effort. The seven sacks of McGwire came from 7 different players. And other than Strickland’s 10 tackles, on other Gambler had more than 5. Brett Perriman did not even have a catch in the game, and Kelly used only 5 receivers, but what Houston did was effective, while what Chicago tried was not. So it will be a rematch of Summer Bowl 1992 as the Maulers and Gamblers face off next week. Two teams that have felt like teams of destiny all season long. Two clubs that have rattled off win after win. The two top seeds and quite possibly the two most complete teams in the league this year. This one could be a real battle. This is a game that promises to offer something for everyone, good defense, better offense, and a constellation of stars to follow. Two weeks into the offseason for most USFL clubs and we already have our first big stories. Fans in one city look to be overjoyed as they got their new coach, fans in another may well just throw their hands up in frustration, and a star player is traded even before free agency officially begins. It all happened this week. 1. OLD FACE IN A NEW PLACE: A legend of USFL coaching returns to the league, and, just as it was with returning hero Bobby Hebert two years ago, once again it is Oakland pulling the trigger on the big move. The Invaders, who announced the retirement of longstanding head man Dick Vermeil, yesterday announced the signing of one of the most revered names in USFL lore, former Stars Head Coach Jim Mora. Mora, who left the Stars to become the man in New Orleans in 1990 returns to the league that made him famous. After 4 seasons in New Orleans, seasons in which Mora gave the Saints their first playoff appearance in team history, Mora left the club as friction between him and owner Tom Benson soured the relationship, and back to back losing seasons (7-9 in 1993 and 1994) cut into his fan base in the Big Easy. He returns to the USFL with the Invaders and the fans in Oakland could not be happier. You replace a team-defining coach with a coach who helped build the entire league, that is a solid move. Kudos to the Invaders brass for making the bold choice and bringing immediate hope to the Invaders squad and fanbase. 2. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS? What would be the opposite of instilling immediate hope in a franchse? Fans of the New Jersey Generals think they have the answer to that question. After failing to connect with several top NFL coaches, the Generals seemed to just go the easy route, announcing the signing of former NY Jets and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Rich Kotite on Thursday. Kotite, who was practically run out of the Jets on a rail, is a bizarre choice. Yes, he had success with the Eagles, leading Philadelphia to 10 and 11 win seasons in back to back years, but after being named the Jet’s head coach midseason in 1993, he has shown no ability at all to lead a professional organization. The Jets in 1994 were a disaster in every sense of the word. Despite having solid talent at several key positions, the Jets floundered to a 3-13 record, 5 games worse than the year Kotite arrived. What is worse, an ongoing feud between Kotite and QB Boomer Esiason, became public, and the image for Kotite was not a good one. How this controversial coach, who is already widely disliked by tri-state area fans, and whose biggest issue is that he handles QB’s badly, is supposed to turn around an already troubled New Jersey Generals squad, one with major QB issues on their plate, is a mystery to us. Kotite certainly will not get the same reception in the Meadowlands that we expect Jim Mora to get in Oakland. If he cannot solve the Johnson-Flutie situation at QB, and if the club gets off to a slow start next season, in a division that already has 4 playoff teams in it, things could get ugly very quickly. 3. SPEED DEMON OR SPEED DRAGON?: Finally, we have had our first big offseason trade, and it is a shocker. Eric Metcalf, one of the most explosive and versatile receivers in the game, will be a Seattle Dragon next year. The move makes perfect sense for Seattle, whose offense was simply atrocious this year. The move makes little sense for Texas, sending away a former Longhorn, a stud of a player, and a very popular person in the community. The move may well be a salary cap issue, as Metcalf’s cap hit was sizeable and Texas was already looking to be in the red for 1996. The Outlaws will get in return Seattle’s 3rd round picks this year and in 1997, and they pick up backup center Ian Sinclair, but the loss of Metcalf is sure to hurt the Outlaw offense. Targeted 171 times, Metcalf finished the year with 112 catches for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns. The next highest receiver for Texas, and one assumes their new #1 wideout, Quinn Early, had only 3 TD’s though he did have a strong year with 1,154 yards in the pass happy offense of Mouse Davis and Jack Pardee. So Texas is saving cap room and picking up some 2nd day draft picks. Seattle gets a clear #1 receiver who could also help develop the talents of younger players like O.J. McDuffie and Robert Claiborne, but both clubs are still left with questions. Just who will get the ball to Metcalf? Dave Krieg is expected to be allowed to surf the free agency waters and David Klingler clearly showed he is not up to the task. Will Seattle again hit the trading block to find a signal caller? With the emergence of Jamie Martin in New Orleans, will Timm Rosenbach perhaps be headed back to the Pacific Northwest? Or is Seattle looking at a rookie in a year without a clear top round pick? There are a couple of local school signal callers getting some attention, Washington’s Brock Huard and Central Washington’s Jon Kitna, but neither is a plug-and-play guy. It remains a mystery, but after a 1-win season, Seattle needs to do something, and a big move like this could be just what they need to spark their moribund offense and get fans excited to sit in what is usually a rainy Husky Stadium. OK, back to the game at hand. What do we expect from a Maulers-Gamblers Summer Bowl? Well, if 1992 is any indication, this could be a good one. That game was entertaining from start to finish as both the Gamblers and Ted Marchibroda’s Maulers were unafraid to bring out the trick plays, to air the ball out, and to spread the field to find room for their backs to run free. And while the 1995 editions of both clubs have a better balance of offensive firepower and defensive stopping power, we still think this could be a pretty high-scoring game. Risher and Kelly finished 1-2 in the QB Ratings this year, and accounted for 64 passing TD’s between them (Kelly with 39 and Risher with 25). Rozier and Thomas both finished with over 1,100 yards on the season, with Rozier trailing only Robert Drummond with 1,475 and Thomas finishing 6th in the league at 1,123. Pittsburgh’s Louis Lipps finished 3rd among receivers with 110 receptions, while Houston’s combo of Perriman and Freeman had a combined 2,331 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns. Add in role players like Gambler slot receiver Ricky Proehl or Pittsburgh’s swiss army knife TE Mike Shaw, and you have a lot of offensive potential in this game. The defenses are no slouches either. Pittsburgh and Houston finished within 2 places of each other, and both in the upper half of the league, in points allowed, and while Houston’s D fared better in yards allowed, the Maulers counter that with the best turnover margin in the entire league, a +26 score through the regular season, including a whopping 42 turnovers forced. But, in the end, this is the #1 scoring offense in the league (Houston) going against the #2 (Pittsburgh), the 2nd and 3rd rated yardage leaders (both trailing Birmingham’s insane passing yards total) and the two best records in the league. This one, despite defensive stars for both clubs, should be a pretty entertaining and possibly high scoring game. But who do we pick? Well, when in doubt we tend to believe history repeats itself. We have a lot of the same players from the 1992 championship, and much the same character to both clubs. We expect Pittsburgh to try to use Rozier to set up the deep ball to Louis Lipps and Raynard Brown. We expect Houston to focus on the pass, including getting the ball to Thomas in space, and we expect both coaches to throw in a few wrinkles, but at the end of the day, we think Houston has what it takes to stop Pittsburgh’s win streak at 14 games, and take the title for a 4th time, retaking a share of the Championship tally with their third title, one year after Philly became the first 3-time champion. Our pick is: Houston 35 Pittsburgh 31

Not a great weekend for the underdog as the Divisional Playoffs went to three Las Vegas Favorites (though one was the lower seed) and one home team who was a slight underdog in Vegas. The results set up a Conference Championship Weekend that pits the #1 and #2 seeds in the East and the top two regular season records in the West. Here is how it played out. The battle between Atlantic Division foes was a war of attrition from start to end. Washington succeeded in shutting down Mike Rozier, limiting him to 2.5 YPC and only 43 yards on 17 carries, but a late 11-yard TD run was all Rozier needed to help Pittsburgh earn the win against the Feds. Pittsburgh, for their part, played a masterful defensive game, limiting Don Majkowski to 190 yards passing and shutting down the Federals’ offense in the second half Washington would finish with only 259 in total yards, and would convert only 2 third downs all day. And while Pittsburgh did not generate a tone of offense themselves, Alan Risher was able to secure a win thanks to Rozier’s score and a short TD pass to Mike Shaw. In the end it was sheer grit that pulled the game out for the Maulers as they shut down the Federals on three straight 2nd half drives to preserve the 10-point win. Arizona got on the board first in Tempe, using a strong opening drive to secure a 7-0 lead on a Bosco to Boyer TD pass, but that would be the last they would see success. The Machine clamped down on the Wranglers, holding them without a 3rd down conversion the rest of the game and limiting Arizona to 224 total yards on the day. Meanwhile, Ricky Watters helped Chicago ground out yards, while Wendell Davis snagged two TD passes from McGwire as the Machine scored 20 unanswered points to take over the game. Led by Gary Reasons’ 9 tackles and 4 pass defenses by Eric Thomas, the Machine stifled all attempts by the Wranglers to reestablish offensive rhythm. It was not a dramatic game with a ton of turnovers or game-defining sacks, more an exercise in patient suppression that won Chicago the game and set up a third clash with their division rivals next week. Las Vegas called this one as a close game, likely won by a field goal, and that is exactly what we all got on Sunday, ending with an overtime score to propel the Bulls to the Conference Championship. Philadelphia had a lot of success through the air, with Chuck Long completing 39 of 53 for 343 yards. Jacksonville, somewhat out of character, relied more on Natrone Means than Chris Chandler, as the big bruising back rushed the ball 22 times for 84 yards and a score. When the Bulls needed a big play, they got answers from Brian Blades and Dokie Williams. The game was thought lost as on the second possession of overtime, Philly lined up for a makeable 45 yard field goal, but the prevailing winds helped the Bulls and David Trout’s kick sailed to the left, giving the Bulls a chance. They secured the win with a short drive and a ‘down the pike” kick from Pete Stoyanovich. In a game that got away from Portland quickly, Houston scored on their first 4 possessions, a Ricky Proehl TD catch, a Thomas TD run and two John Kasay field goals to put the Thunder in a hole and limit their ability to rely on Drummond to shorten the game. Drummond got his yards, 146 to be exact, and Portland pulled back to a respectable 10-point final deficit, but they never got closer as Jim Kelly milked the playclock for the entire 2nd half, and found backup TE Ken Dilger twice to extend the score. Jack Trudeau did what he could, hitting both Hart Lee Dykes and TE Lonnie Johnson with scoring tosses, but it was just not enough as the #1 seed did what #1 seeds are supposed to do, snagged the home win and advanced to the Conference Title Game. Rutigliano Calls it a Career: The rumors had swirled all year long, and after a topsy-turvy season with the Federals, his 10th, Coach Sam Rutigliano announced his retirement on Wednesday. This was a rough year for Rutigliano, as not only was he laid up with a broken leg after getting bowled over by a wayward player early in the season, but his team’s fall from 6-0 to a 5-5 finish was seen as a lack of focus by many in the media. Rutigliano leaves the game with a good bit of success. After several solid seasons as the Head Man for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Rutigliano came to DC and turned around a team that had been one of the weaker clubs in the league during the USFL’s first three years. In his first season he helped the Federals reach 8-8, a standard they had never met before. The next season they qualified for their first postseason as a franchise, and 3 seasons later the club won it all, defeating the Arizona Wranglers in the 1990 Summer Bowl. The Championship would mark the high point of the Federals’ success, though they would make the playoffs the following 3 years. He leaves the game this year with a USFL record of 92 wins to 68 defeats and a playoff record of 6 wins to 5 losses. Officials in Washington, many of whom knew of Coach Rutigliano’s intentions several weeks ago, have already made plans for succession, as they have two strong in-house candidates, either DC Rusty Tillman or OC Paul Hackett could be easy options for the Federals. While the club was not prepared to name either the new Head Coach, expect that news within the week as either coordinator could potentially be tapped to step up and maintain continuity in Washington. General Mayhem: It has been a rough week for news out of New Jersey. Only 2 days after the departure of Sam Wyche, the Philadelphia Eagles accused the USFL club of tampering as they apparently reached out to Eagle Head Coach Ray Rhodes about their open position. This led to an immediate statement of disinterest from Rhodes. Within the next 3 days New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Parcells, and former NY Jets Head Coach Pete Carroll also made public statements denying interest in the position. The Carroll rejection was perhaps the most damning, as the former Jet coach is serving as a DC for the 49ers and appears to have turned down the chance to regain a head coaching position. So, just who do the beleaguered Generals turn to now? Rumors have them looking at Buffalo Bills Assistant Head Coach Elijah Pitts, current Detroit Lions QB Coach (and former USFL QB) Greg Landry, and University of Virginia Head Coach Herb Welch, but honestly, we are not sure any of these candidates will end up roaming the sidelines in the Meadowlands next March. Seems like New Jersey needs a bigger name than any of these three can provide. Who that could be is anyone’s guess, but we can say that with a roster in need of a major overhaul, the Generals will likely have to spend big to get a coach with any national recognition. Intriguing news out of St. Louis, as it appears that the city may, in fact, be getting the NFL club it has desired ever since the Cardinals packed up for Arizona in 1987. LA Rams owner Georgia Frontiere has been making a play to relocate her team to St. Louis for the 1995 season. That was initially stifled by an NFL owners vote which denied the petition, but after much wrangling, and threats of legal action by Frontiere, it appears that this season may be the last for the Rams in Angel Stadium, with the club beginning play in Busch Stadium in 1996. And while we have certainly seen cases where the presence of both NFL and USFL clubs in the same city has been a boon to both, as we see in LA where the Raiders/Express combo was able to get a new stadium constructed, and in Houston where the Oilers/Gamblers combo seems very close to their own shared stadium deal, the situation could be very different in St. Louis, where poor play and mismanagement have really hurt the Knights’ efforts to build a fanbase. The St. Louis Knights were the lowest attendance club in the league this year, averaging just over 24,000 in Busch Stadium. After a stronger first year in the Gateway to the West, one in which the relocated LA Express won 7 games and averaged just over 41,000 fans per game, the club has seen 3 consecutive 10-loss seasons (going 5-11 this year) and with few big name players to speak of, have had declining attendance each season. There is concern that the presence of the NFL Rams, in addition to the huge following of the Cardinals baseball club in the summer, could spell real trouble for a franchise that has not seen much go right since relocating from Los Angeles. Many are predicting that it is St. Louis, and not Baltimore, which might be the next USFL franchise to seek greener pastures, making St. Louis the first 2-time relocation club in the league’s short history. Now, it is certainly possible that the Rams coming to town could spark greater interest in football in general, but if that transitions over to the Knights is a huge question. And with a new stadium already in the works, the Knights are not in the same position as the Express, Gamblers or Bandits, who are using the NFL/USFL combo to sway local officials and voters into stadium construction. More than likely the excitement about bringing in an NFL club will dampen ticket sales for the 1996 Knights season. Unless the team can start to turn things around, or at least bring in a player or two that folks will pay to watch (a Barry Sanders, Brett Favre, or Deion Sanders, we have to expect that the Knights will continue to struggle to attract fans. That is not good news for the USFL or for St. Louis, though there are certainly some interested parties in places like Boston, Dallas, Miami, and Raleigh-Durham who would love to see a USFL franchise on the market. As we look to the Conference Championships, the question is whether either Jacksonville or Chicago have what it takes to win a tough road game against the best team in either conference. Chicago has faced Houston twice this year, and each time the Gamblers came out on top, scoring 38 points in the first matchup and 41 in the second, two of the highest scores the Machine has given up all season. Chicago will have to hope for a better result in the third matchup. If their 5th ranked defense cannot slow down the Houston offense, it puts a lot of pressure on Dan McGwire to outperform expectations. McGwire has had a solid season, but he has been shielded by the Machine’s solid defense and the running of Ricky Watters. If the Machine need to win in a shootout, we just don’t see how McGwire can outduel Kelly. Jacksonville did not face the Maulers this season, which means they are going to need to do some serious film work to prepare for them. What should concern Bulls fans is less than stellar record against the run this year. With Mike Rozier sure to be a featured part of the Mauler attack, having the 15th ranked rush defense does not seem like a matchup likely to produce success for the Bulls. If there is hope for Jacksonville it is that the return of Natrone Means may enable them to match Rozier’s production, or at least shorten the game by milking the clock themselves. If not, it will then be up to NFL castoff Chris Chandler to spark the Jacksonville aerial game. Chandler averaged 262 yards a game, enough to help Jacksonville to the 10th ranked offense, but with Pittsburgh ranked #2 in scoring, just behind Houston, it may not be enough. Our picks, well that should be obvious. We are expecting that the Summer Bowl will feature two of the strongest squads we have seen in several years, the two #1 seeds, Houston and Pittsburgh. The Mauler’s last loss was in Week 4, back when there was still some frost on the ground in the Allegheny mountains. Houston has only 1 loss since Week 1, a fluke upset by the Baltimore Blitz. We just don’t see either stumbling against their opponents this week, setting up what could be one heck of a show in Denver when these two juggernauts would meet in Summer Bowl 1995.

The playoffs are here, time to survive and advance, leave it all on the field, a time when legends are made. This week we saw four clubs battle for the right to advance and face the best teams in each conference, and in both games we saw division foes facing off face off, battles between clubs that know each other well. It would all come down to gameplanning and execution. For two it would be one-and-done, for two more a chance to keep the dream alive. Two rivals met for the third time this season when the Blitz took the short drive to RFK to face the Federals. It was a matchup of the #1 and #2 scoring defenses in the league, so no one was surprised that neither team could reach 20 points in this one. With a crowd of 43,000 that had a fair share of Baltimore supporters spread among the Washington faithful, the two clubs both had their cheering sections, and for most of the game those fans cheered on the defenses, and the kickers, as this game saw only one touchdown and 8 field goals. Washington would hold Baltimore to only 193 yards on offense, as the Blitz went 0 for 11 on third down. For their part, the Baltimore defense forced 2 turnovers, but just did not get the support they needed from the offense. It was a slugfest and a battle for field position all day long as Washington scored the game’s only touchdown early and then both teams simply did not allow the other to capitalize on any advantage they may have had. For Washington the gameplan was simple, run the ball early and often and then mix in some play action. For Baltimore, the need to rely on backup QB Cody Carlson when Chris Miller was unable to go meant that they would need a huge game from Barry Foster to have a chance. That huge game did not materialize against Washington’s front seven, and that hurt the Blitz’s chances. Washington got the game’s lone TD on a drive dominated by the run game. Barry Word, who would finish the game with 25 carries for 92 yards, gained 30 of them on this early drive. With the ball on the Baltimore 7 yard line, Don Majkowski would fake to Word’s running mate, Terry Kirby, drawing in the linebackers, and freeing up Andre Coleman on a slant which produced the first, and only, touchdown on the day. The Feds would add to that early lead one drive later, when Doug Pelfry hit from 51 yards out to give the Federals a 10-0 lead when the first quarter ended. Baltimore would spend the rest of the day trying to chip into that lead. The two teams traded field goals most of the afternoon, with Baltimore’s defense trying desperately to keep Washington from adding another 7, while Washington just kept clamping down on the Blitz on 3rd down. Cody Carlson would be sacked 4 times, and would miss on several other key throws, completing only 9 passes on the day. By the half the Blitz had gained back only 3 points, now trailing 13-6. The second half would not fare much better for the Blitz, or for both offenses really. Washington would see a tipped ball turn into a pick for Baltimore’s Barney Bussey and would wrangle a fumble from TE Mike Jones, but could not get more than 3 on either turnover. Washington would keep pace with their time-consuming run game,and bothclubs would put up 6 points in the second half, leading to a Federals lead of 19-12 with only 2 minutes left. A final drive by Baltimore could tie the game, if only the Blitz could muster a touchdown. They would get as far as the Washington 37, but could go no further as a 4th and 7 pass from Carlson to HB Travis Jervey was disrupted by LB Winston Moss, giving the win to Washington. It is always interesting to see two clubs who battled for the right to make the playoffs in Week 16 end up facing each other the very next week. Portland upset Denver in Denver only a week earlier, and that win gave them the right to host the Gold in this week’s Wild Card game. The confidence gained by their road win spilled over into this week’s game and we saw a Portland squad that was ready to repeat their success. For Denver the issues that cost them the game at season’s end were not solved, and they simply did not have an answer for Portland’s star back Robert Drummond, and that inability to contain Drummond was a huge factor in this week’s result. Drummond, the top rusher in the league, looked every bit the part as he carried the ball 23 times for 136 yards and 2 scores against a Gold defense that simply did not have an answer. That run game allowed Portland to control the clock to the tune of 39:34 minutes of possession. Add to Drummond’s success a solid 32 of 43 day for Jack Trudeau, one in which he did not turn the ball over, and what you get is a decisive win for the homestanding Portland Thunder. After trading field goals early, Portland erased a 6-3 deficit with the first of Robert Drummond’s 2 touchdowns, a 9 yard run that saw him execute a perfect straight arm to avoid the tackle of Denver’s Anthony Tuggle. Only 4 minutes later, Drummond would cross the goal line again, this time on a dive off center from a yard out. Denver added 3 as the first half wound down, but found themselves in a 17-9 hole after 30 minutes. The second half did not prove much better for the Gold as Portland added 7 on a Trudeau TD pass to Webster Slaughter. They would go on to add two more field goals to take a decisive 30-9 lead before Denver would get their first and only touchdown on the day. The Gold simply could not stop Portland on 3rd down, could not get the Thunder into 3rd and long, and could not generate big plays to help them come back. Mark Brunell, coming off his best season for the Gold, threw for 256, but never really threatened the Portland secondary, and with the Thunder holding a lead for most of the game, Denver could not take advantage of Portland’s usual weakness, run defense. Rashaan Salaam finished the game with only 8 carries. So the Thunder now head off to Houston and the unenviable task of trying to replicate their success against one of the most complete and dominant teams in the league. No small challenge for Vince Tobin and his Thunder team. 1. BLACK MONDAY: The annual bloodletting at the Head Coach position once again claimed its victims, though there really were no surprises. As anticipated, the Generals and former Bengals coach Sam Wyche have parted ways. After a disastrous 4-win season that saw the Generals finish behind expansion Ohio in the division, no one was shocked to see Wyche let go. The other switch was somewhat more unusual, but again hardly unexpected. Avoiding the Black Monday news cycle, the Oakland Invaders held a Tuesday press conference in which Coach Dick Vermeil announced that he would again be stepping away from football. This is essentially what he did with the Philadelphia Eagles, opting to take a break from the seemingly endless string of 80-100 hour weeks that being a pro head coach can require. Oakland announced immediately that they would be looking to sign a new head coach, one with experience and a winning philosophy, as soon as possible. They wished Vermeil well, recognized his past success with the Invaders, success that included a league championship in 1991, 8 playoff appearances, and 97 wins as Oakland head coach (a total record of 97-78). It is rumored that Vermeil will be joining the ABC broadcast team, working both USFL and NFL games over the course of the year. 2. UNIFORM REVEAL: Ahead of their road divisional game, the Chicago Machine added to the reveal of the new logos they would be using beginning this offseason by showing off the uniforms that the club would wear. There is a lot that is familiar in the new look, including the same maroon helmet and jersey, and the matching machine grey pants. So what is new? Well, sleeve stripes are replaced by a shoulder yoke, the pants now have a stripe pattern similar to the helmet, more complex than the single maroon stripe of past years, and a new set of pants, a maroon set, is added to the look. The club will wear their “ChiCago” wordmark on both jerseys as a small chest logo, and the new “Gear-C” will adorn both sleeves, contained within the shoulder and sleeve yoke. The club released the look and provided both a standard uniform template and the league’s new “Player Model” which places the uniform on mannequins so that photos can reveal a more complete look for the club. Chicago becomes the first club to use this new option, but expect all clubs to do the same in future uniform reveals. 3. INJURY UPDATE: All things considered; this may be one of the healthiest series of playoff games we have seen in recent years. No clubs are missing major stars, at least not any who have been active in recent weeks. Washington probably has the biggest absence, with Joey Walters still unable to report for duty and DE Bobby Hamilton ruled out again. Their opponents, Pittsburgh had only a few “probables” on their injury report and look like they will have their full roster available. In the other Eastern game, LB Ed Brady is doubtful for the game, as is Jacksonville tackle Antonio Davis. That is all that was reported, so again a game with two healthy clubs. Portland will face Houston without wideout Cornelius Reddick, but should be otherwise at full strength. Houston has a few players out, including LB Quentin Coryatt and TE Ron Heller. The final match of the week has the longest injury list, with Chicago likely without LB Ron Hinkley, guard Jose Castaneda, tackle Marcus Spears, and CB Tony Collier. Arizona also has some injuries to contend with, though none are new to the club. SS Gary Richard will be out, as will CB Levon Bell. TE Terry Orr and T Kirk Lowdermilk have been out for a while now, so Arizona is not scrambling to train anyone up. We love the divisional round. Eight teams and four games to enjoy over what is usually one of the most hotly contested weekends of football all season. This year should be no different as we have some really intriguing matchups on the docket. Washington (4) @ Pittsburgh (1) Saturday, July 8. 3pm ET @ Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh The Federals, who began the year at 6-0, only to see their division lead slowly fade away, face the Maulers, who started the year 1-3 and then caught fire, winning their next 12 games and dominating the division. The Maulers have looked unstoppable along the way, but Washington did hit them hard early in the year, crushing Pittsburgh 42-3 in Week 3. Pittsburgh got a measure of revenge in Week13, winning 31-23, but they may be looking for more in this one. We have to give the advantage here to the Maulers as they have just looked so strong during one of the longest win streaks in USFL history. Chicago (3) @ Arizona (2) Saturday, July 8. 6:30pm ET @ Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ This is one of those games where the home team is not the favorite because they barely won their division while the #3 seed Wild Card had a better record but could not overcome a top seeded division winner. The 12-4 Machine look a lot like the club that fought and scratched their way into the Summer Bowl last year. Once again they did it with a backup QB all year long, and they did it with a combination of ball control offense and stingy opportunistic defense. Defense is also the name of the game for the Wranglers, who have one of the worst offenses in the league, but won the Pacific due to their ability to stymie their opposition and win the field position battle. This one is not likely to be a shootout. We like Chicago because they have been winning these kinds of tight games all season long, while Arizona has been erratic, to put it mildly. The heat in Tempe might be an issue, but that may be the only advantage the Wranglers have in this one. Philadelphia (3) @ Jacksonville (2) Sunday, July 9. 1pm ET @ Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville Here we see it again where the road team is the Las Vegas favorite (by 3) and comes in with the better record. A couple of late season losses dropped the Stars behind the Maulers and cost them a possible division title, but they have overall been a very solid and dependable club. Jacksonville led the Southern Division pretty much from the opening weekend. Their 4-0 start was followed by long spans of alternating wins and losses, including a 7 week span to end the year. Jacksonville did beat Philly in the Gator Bowl in Week 4, but that was a long time ago. On paper, Philadelphia looks the better team, ranked higher in both offensive and defensive categories, though the Bulls, at +22, are one of the best at turning turnovers into points, so protecting the ball will be at a premium. Turnovers can be the bugaboo of many a good club, and with the home crowd behind the Bulls, we are leaning towards an upset win for the home team in this one. Portland (4) @ Houston (1) Sunday, July 9. 4:30PM ET at The Astrodome in Houston, TX How can you not pick the Gamblers in this game? They have been the class of the league all season, losing only 2 games all year. They defeated Portland in Portland in Week 10, though it was a close 24-20 victory, and they have won their last 6 since a surprise loss to Baltimore. Their offense is explosive, and their defense is also one of the toughest in the league. We like Portland’s pluck, as they fought through a rough year and had to win a road game to even make the playoffs, but pluck can only get you so far, and against Kelly, Thomas and this Houston squad, we just don’t see this as a game Portland is likely to win.

Hey everyone, a quick pause to get your thoughts on the playoffs before I start posting results. Who do you think will take it all? Why? Here again are the opening weeks with seeds. EAST WILDCARD: #5 Baltimore Blitz @ #4 Washington Federals WEST WILDCARD: #5 Denver Gold @ #4 Portland Thunder EAST DIVISIONALS: #3 Philadelphia Stars @ #2 Jacksonville Bulls Wild Card Winner @ #1 Pittsburgh Maulers WEST DIVISIONALS: #3 Chicago Machine @ #2 Arizona Wranglers Wild Card Winner @ #1 Houston Gamblers So, who has what it takes to win Summer Bowl 1995 in Denver, Colorado? Use the Comment Section to post your predictions. Wild Card Round will be uploaded on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Playoff Seedings: EAST: 1-PIT, 2-JAX, 3-PHI, 4-WSH, 5-BAL. WEST: 1-HOU, 2-ARZ, 3-CHI, 4-POR, 5-DEN

A week for fans of the Blitz, a huge disappointment for Renegade fans, and a huge debut for a player we did not think would ever hit the field this season as Washington gave former Colorado Buffs QB Kordell Stewart the start and all he did was go 20 of 25 and throw 3 TDs. Meanwhile, Jacksonville QB Chris Chandler reminded folks that the Maulers and Stars were not the only teams in the Eastern Conference, and the Western title came down to the wire as both Arizona and Denver flubbed the final game to back their way in. The Stars needed a win to have a shot at the Division, the Blitz needed it to get back in the playoff hunt. Only one could get what they wanted, and on this day the homestanding Baltimore Blitz had just enough in the tank to outmuscle Philadelphia and punch their ticket to the postseason. What made the Blitz victory even more surprising was that they had to go with Cody Carlson at the helm, as Chris Miller hurt his knee in practice on Thursday. Miller tried to get ready for Saturday’s game, but it was too much to ask, so Carlson got the start. The little-used backup had himself something of a day. Sure, he only completed 16 of 34 passing, and he only gained 180 yards in the air, but his 2 touchdowns included a game-winning strike to rookie Kyle Brady in the final minutes of the game. Baltimore won despite being outgained on the ground and in the air. Barry Foster could only muster 58 yards rushing, compared to Charlie Garner’s 114. Chuck Long completed 30 of 41 passes (73%) and yet somehow Philadelphia was only up by 3, at 16-13 when Baltimore started their game-saving drive. So, what turned the game in Baltimore’s favor, as is so often the case, it was turnovers. Baltimore had none, while the Stars coughed the ball up twice. That proved to be the deciding factor as the Blitz held Philadelphia in check, ending the final drive of the game with a fumble on a 3rd and 9 catch that would have been a first down. It was a hit by LB Philip Yeboah-Kodie that produced the decisive play. Long had just found TE Marcus Pollard for the first down, when Yeboah-Kodie laid a solid hit on the receiver. The ball popped out from the grasp of Pollard and was quickly fallen on by CB Torin Dorn. The game, which had seen Philadelphia take a 7-0 lead and only relinquish control in the 4th quarter, now belonged to the Blitz. With Baltimore players seeing on the scoreboard that Birmingham had a lead on Orlando, they knew that if they could get past Philadelphia, their playoff dreams would become reality. The defense held on for the final 5 minutes, helped only a little by a short 3-and-out offensive possession. The Stars simply did not have the energy needed to fight for the game, perhaps themselves deflated by the scoreboard, which showed Pittsburgh with a healthy lead on New Jersey. In the end, Baltimore got what it wanted, a playoff berth, and Philadelphia, while missing out on the division title, still earned a bye week and the rest and recovery that entails. Next week Baltimore will be on the road for a Wild Card game, while Philadelphia rests, but this week showed that on any given Sunday (or in this case, Saturday) the underdog could rise up and bite the favorite. PIT 38 NJ 23 Pittsburgh built up an early 21-7 lead and was never at risk against the Generals. Playing their starters for 3 quarters, the Maulers got 2 scores from Alan Risher and another from Rozier before sitting both to rest them. New Jersey hurt themselves as well with 4 turnovers, including 2 interceptions from rookie QB Rob Johnson. WSH 35 OHI 10 Washington tuned up for a playoff run in an interesting way. They left most of their starters in the game, but gave the week off to both dinged-up starter Don Majkowski, and oft-maligned backup Mike Hohensee. Rookie talent Kordell Stewart got the start and went 20 of 25 for 213 yards and 3 scoresas he showed some promise for the future in DC. MEM 26 SEA 13 The Showboats finish the season at 7-9 after knocking off a Seattle team that ended the year in dubious fashion with 12 straight losses. The expansion club just never found offensive success, even with former NFL QB Dave Krieg under center. The lack of a run game also hurt the Dragons, as it has all season. For Memphis, it was a balanced game from Shuler and HB Greg Boone. As both clubs look to next year, Memphis may be thinking about another playoff run in 1996, while Seattle just hopes to get healthy and get talent at some key positions. ORL 28 BIR 38 Orlando came into the game with dreams of a Wild Card, but those quickly faded as Birmingham QB Brett Favre connected for 5 TDs on the day. By the half the Stallions had built a 24-10 lead, and they never looked back. Both Ernest Givens (109) and Lawrence Dawsey (125) topped the century mark in receiving yards, and while Craig Erickson had a good day, tossing 3 TDs and no picks, the Renegades saw their playoff hopes dissipate into the air as their defeat, coupled with the Blitz’s upset of Philly, locked the guys from Baltimore into the final open spot. TBY 38 JAX 44 While the Bulls have to be concerned about their defense’s ability to contain a solid passing game, the offense’s production this week has to give hope to Jacksonville fans that their team can keep pace in a very competitive Eastern Conference postseason. Chris Chandler was the Player of the Week with his 5 TD performance against the Bandits. Dokie Williams, freed up by double coverage of Brian Blades all game, caught 6 Chandler passes for 152 yards, including a 63-yard bomb that found the Bandits defense unprepared. The win gives Jacksonville a final record of 10-6, their first 10-win season since 1991. NOR 24 CHI 27 Chicago opted to keep their starters in the game against New Orleans, concerned more about rust in 2 weeks than a 2nd week of rest for the stars of the club. With that move, they made life a lot tougher for the Breakers, but New Orleans was game. Trailing 24-9 at the half, New Orleans came almost all the way back, thanks to 2 second half TD’s from Jamie Martin, but in the end, there was just enough of a cushion, added to by a Carney field goal in the 4th, for the Machine to finish the year an impressive 12-4. STL 26 HOU 28 Houston did the opposite, offering Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas a chance to rest for 2 weeks in preparation for their home divisional game. Despite resting several starters, Houston still managed to hold off the Knights thanks to a solid play action game that allowed backup Chuck Hartlieb to connect on several deep balls, including a 79-yard TD to rookie Antonio Freeman. Freeman finished the game with 2 scores and a solid case for Rookie of the Year. TEX 22 MGN 24 Michigan finished the year with some pride in closing out 8-8, while Texas, for seemingly the 20th time, slumped to the finish line, a decline over the final month that once again cost them a playoff spot. We have to wonder if it is something in the water as this is becoming a regular part of the disappointment cycle in San Antonio. ATL 23 LA 20 In one last battle of expansion clubs, Atlanta got the win in LA to finish the year with 5. They started Eric Zeier in their final game of the season, and Zeier got in a solid workout, tossing the ball 55 times and completing 33 of those passes for 344 yards. For LA the star of the season was clearly WR Mike Pritchard, and he did not disappoint with 8 receptions for 117 yards for the Express. OAK 17 ARZ 16 The Wranglers cannot feel good about the way they finished the year, losing a close game to Bobby Hebert and the Invaders. But, with a bye still theirs to enjoy, maybe they can rebound in 2 weeks when they host the Machine in Tempe. They will need a better game from Robbie Bosco to beat Chicago. His 220 yard, 2 pick game against Oakland was not exactly the thing of legends. The defense also needs to regroup after giving up 92 yards rushing to Siran Stacy. Arizona did log 9 sacks on the jittery Hebert, but they still were not able to keep the Cajun Cannon from connecting on a pass to Ellard late to give Oakland the win. POR 23 DEN 10 Denver could have benefitted from Arizona’s loss, but the Gold had their own issues as Portland needed the win to snag a playoff spot. Portland got a solid game from Jack Trudeau (290 yards 1 TD, 1 Int) and Amp Lee added a TD run as the Thunder played well on both sides of the ball and leapt over Denver to claim the 4th place Wildcard. That win gives them a shot to take on Denver again next week, but in Portland. We have our 10 teams. Baltimore, Denver and Portland are in. Texas, Orlando, and New Orleans are out. So what do we have to look forward to? Well, a rematch for one as the Gold will play the Thunder again next week. They will need to show more on offense if they hope to beat Robert Drummond and Co. in Portland. In the other Wild Card game we have the third round of a rivalry as #5 seed Baltimore will head just down the road to #4 seed Washington. This could be a tough matchup for the Blitz as Washington beat them twice already this year, and not in close games, a combined 47-9 beatdown. We also know that in 2 weeks we will see #2 seed Jacksonville host the very tough Philly Stars and West #2 Arizona may have an even tougher task as they will host the 12-4 Chicago Machine in Tempe. Meanwhile Houston and Pittsburgh, safe with home field throughout the playoffs, will wait for the two Wild Card teams to know their opponents for their Divisional games. BIG YEARS: In a season where no major records were broken and where we saw what many regard as a watering down of talent in the league, we still had some very strong performances. Brett Favre once again went over 5,000 yards passing, though fans seem to be obsessing more over his 25 interceptions, 7 more than the closest competitors (Brent Pease and, shockingly, Troy Aikman). Robert Drummond nearly went from Week 1 through Week 16 as the leading rusher in the league, finishing with 1,623 yards, the first back to average over 100 yards a game since Rozier in 1992. LA’s Mike Pritchard was a breakout star in a city of stars but could not hold on to take the receiving title. Yes, his 135 receptions were the highest total since Mel Gray went nuts in 1987 with 143, but he was edged out by Oakland’s Henry Ellard in yardage, as Ellard’s 1,498 barely surpassed Pritchard’s 1,487. On defense the stars of the season were a diverse group, from Breaker LB Lamar Lathon, who finished the season by edging out Pittsburgh’s DeMetrius DuBose with 1 more tackle (128-127). Phil Hanson put in his second 20-sack season, the lone bright spot in a rough year in the Meadowlands. And for the first time we had 2 players from the same team finish in the Top 5 in sacks as Arizona’s Charles Haley and Al Noga finished 3rd and 4th overall, with 17 and 16 sacks respectively. ROOKIES: Looking at the rookie class, we have to say that the Draft Class of 1995 acquitted themselves quite well. In addition to Tyrone Wheatley’s 1,334 yards and 11 TDs in Michigan, Antonio Freeman caught 74 passes for 1,266 yards to lead Houston, and Rashaan Salaam, who missed the final few games with an injury, still managed to rack up 824 yards and 7 TDs. On defense the rookies also shone, with Atlanta CB Tyrone Poole leading them all with 6 interceptions and 111 tackles. Craig Powell, the Ohio LB had 123 tackles as well, and Oakland CB Bobby Taylor added 5 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries for the Invaders. And there may be more to come from the rookie QB’s as Eric Zeier, Kordell Stewart, Todd Collins and Rob Johnson grow into the position. Johnson struggled in New Jersey, but we have seen some sparks from the other three. INJURY UPDATE: Wee focus on our 4 Wild Card participants with this week’s injury report. Looking at the two divisional clashes between the Feds & Blitz and the Thunder & Gold, it looks like Portland is in the best shape. They will be missing WR Cornelius Reddick (Out), and possibly have a concern at CB with both Galloway and Herb Welch on the injury report, but with Welch listed as Probable, we believe they will be in OK shape. Denver has bigger issues with LB Marvcus Patotn out and DT Dave Butz questionable. They also lose two capable blockers on offense with guard Eric Pilgrim and TE Fred Baxter both on the injury report. Washington will be without wideout Joey Walters, who is likely to miss the entire postseason, as well as tackle Ken Lanier, who was placed on injured reserve several weeks back. They have also listed DE Bobby Hamilton as out, though we are unsure if this is an injury that would last beyond this week, and have listed starting center Jim Pyne as questionable. For their part, Baltimore will, as expected, be without wideout Bill Brooks, DE Mike Piel, and possibly also HB Derrick Fenner (doubtful). Free Safety Joe King is listed as questionable with an ongoing groin injury that may limit his mobility. As we prepare for the postseason, let’s take a where our ten playoff teams rank on both offense and defense, starting with the offenses. Points Per Game: Houston (1), Pittsburgh (2), Philadelphia (4), Portland (5), Washington (6), Jacksonville (10), Chicago (11), Denver (14), Baltimore (18), Arizona (20) Yards Per Game: Houston (2), Pittsburgh (3), Washington (7), Portland (9), Chicago (10), Jacksonville (13), Philadelphia (14), Denver (15), Arizona (16), Baltimore (19) No surprise that Houston and Pittsburgh are at the top here while Baltimore and Arizona rank near the bottom of the league. What is interesting is to note how opportunistic Philadelphia has been, 4th in scoring but only 14th in yards, meaning they rely on their defense to provide turnovers and short fields to allow the offense to have more scoring opportunities. Now, looking at the defenses… Points Allowed: Baltimore (1), Washington (2), Philadelphia (3), Arizona (4), Chicago (5), Denver (7), Houston (9), Pittsburgh (11), Portland (12), Jacksonville (16) Yards Allowed: Philadelphia (3), Washington (4), Denver (5), Baltimore (6), Chicago (8), Houston (11), Arizona (12), Pittsburgh (18), Portland (20), Jacksonville (22) They say defense wins championships, well it certainly gets teams into the playoffs as 9 of the 10 playoff teams had defenses in the upper half of the league in Points Allowed. It is also clear in these rankings how Baltimore and Arizona got to the playoffs. But what we also see is that there are a few teams with Top 10 ranked offenses and defenses, and those teams could be very dangerous. Washington has a Top 5 offense (when Majkowski is in the game) and is Top 5 in both scoring and yardage on defense. Houston is an obvious offensive dynamo, but has a solid defense as well. Philadelphia can score, and their defense can keep others from scoring. That is a very good combo to have available. OK, one last stat, turnover margin, because turnovers can be one of the most easily spotted markers of who will win or lose a game. Here are the turnover margins for each of our playoff teams: Pittsburgh (+28), Jacksonville (+22), Chicago (+16), Denver (+15), Baltimore (+15), Portland (+12), Philadelphia (+11), Houston (+9), Washington (+5), Arizona (+4) Now we see how the Bulls, despite their mediocre offensive and defensive rankings, can win the South and make the playoffs as a #2 seed. It also shows us how Pittsburgh was so dominant in their massive win streak. They can score and they can take the ball away. Looking at this number, we might worry a bit about Arizona, who are not faring well in this category compared to the others. And despite having a very solid defense, Washington is not a ball-hawking club. OK, looking specifically at this week’s Wild Card games, what do we expect? Baltimore Blitz (9-7) @ Washington Federals (11-5) With Don Majkowski back under center, we expect Washington to be the better team here. They scored nearly 100 more points than Baltimore this season while allowing only 8 points more than the Blitz. If Baltimore cannot run the ball with Fenner dinged up, the balance shifts even further towards the Federals, who have two healthy running backs in Word and Kirby. Baltimore will need win the turnover battle, get some 3-and-outs, and blanket Herman Moore. Can they do that consistently? We are not so sure. Our pick is Washington by 7. Denver Gold (9-7) @ Portland Thunder (9-7) Portland has the better offense, and Robert Drummond looks ready to bust out, but Denver’s defense has been solid and they know how to force turnovers, something that Portland has had some issues with. If Rashaan Salaam is back to 100% and if Denver can force Jack Trudeau into some mistakes, the Gold have a chance. Portland still has issues with big power backs, so Salaam could have a good day. But, if Trudeau protects the ball, we see Portland being able to wear down that Denver defense, especially with Dave Butz not in the D-line rotation. Our pick is Portland by 3.

With only 2 weeks before the postseason every win, every loss, every game could mean the difference between a postseason run and a disappointment. This week we saw one club fall from playoff position, another clinch a spot in the dance, and more continue to maneuver as we head to the do or die of Week 16. We open the week with our prestige game, and this week once again that game featured the Houston Gamblers. With the Division and the #1 seed assured, Houston had nothing but pride to play for, but for New Orleans a win would propel them right into the thick of the Wild Card race. Was that enough for the Breakers to outshine the 12-2 Gamblers at home. For a good part of the game the answer was yes, but when a championship squad finds itself behind the 8-ball, it finds a way to do what must be done, and that is exactly what the Gamblers did to snag the win and dash New Orleans’ hopes to jump above .500 and into Wild Card position. The game started about as well as it could for the Gamblers, as Houston scored 14 points in a span of only 2 minutes, thanks to a Breakers fumble that allowed them to double up scores. They started off, just as last week, with a Kelly to Proehl connection, then after the Pegram fumble, they quickly put the ball back in the endzone, this time with a 1-yard Thomas run. New Orleans was game, however, and they got back 7 with the only score of the 2nd quarter, with Timm Rosenbach finding former General Clarence Collins for a late TD. In the 3rd quarter it was the legs of rookie Terrell Davis that led the way as New Orleans evened the score, then, catching a break on a deflected Kelly pass, they snagged the pick and once again ran in the score, this time with Pegram making up for his early error. New Orleans would hold the 21-14 lead into the 4th, but a Kelly to Perriman connection tied the game up with 10:20 left. The Breakers would take the lead back just at the 2-minute warning, thanks to the foot of Lin Elliot, who nailed a 28-yarder to go up 24-21. But, Houston, who simply did not want the loss on their record, had 2 minutes left, and Jim Kelly did what Jim Kelly does, he led the Gamblers on an efficient 2-minute drill, scoring the game winner with just under 1 minute to play by once again hitting Proehl in the slot. Houston’s win did not change their positioning for the postseason but sent the Breakers to 7-8 and all but dashed their playoff chances as several tiebreakers are against them. They still have a mathematical chance, but they need a lot of help next week to get there. ARZ 11 ATL 26 Arizona would have clinched the Pacific Division with a win, but the Atlanta Fire had other ideas. They started the game emphatically with a sack of Robbie Bosco in the endzone for 2 points and never looked back. By the half they had built up a 12-3 lead, and with TD passes from Stoudt to both Ernie Jones and TE Frank Wycheck they kept Arizona at bay all game. The Wranglers are still playoff bound, but this is a win the Fire faithful can hang their hats on as they prepare for year 2. DEN 42 OAK 24 Denver took advantage of the Wranglers loss, dispatching the slumping Oakland Invaders handily. Mark Brunell had a stellar performance, completing 71.4% of his throws (25 of 35) and tossing 3 TD’s, including two to former Bandit Willie Gillespie. Timmy Smith took on the mantle of the run game with Salaam out and gained 93 yards on 17 carries to help pace the Gold to the win. Now even with Arizona at 9-6 it will all come down to next week’s games. The Wranglers have the tiebreaker so Denver needs a Wrangler loss to Oakland and their own victory at home over Portland, but the division could still be theirs. LA 24 POR 35 Portland also stayed alive in the playoff hunt by outlasting the feisty LA Express in Civic Stadium. Though the Express limited Robert Drummond to only 74 yards on the ground, it came at a cost, and that cost was open passing lanes for Jack Trudeau, who threw for 331 and 4 scores against an overmanned Express secondary. MGN 23 STL 31 Not everyone was so lucky against sub-500 opposition. Michigan is essentially eliminated in every way except mathematically, with their loss this week in St. Louis. The Knights got Todd Collins back from injury, and the rookie had a solid game, completing 18 of 26 and tossing 2 TD’s. He only threw for 143 on the day, but his play action passing helped the combo of Thompson and Jenkins run for 121 yards and 2 scores as the Knights upended the Panthers and their playoff hopes. BAL 3 WSH 20 Baltimore knew their game against the Federals would be a tough one. After a rough patch under backup Mike Hohensee, the Federals had Majkowski back, and the veteran starter was raring to get his club back in the win column. The Washington defense also responded as they shut down the Blitz all game long. With solid games from Majkowski as well as HB’s Terry Kirby and Barry Word, the Federals had more than enough to earn their 10th win and dispatch the Blitz, who now fall out of the Wild Card slot, now trailing Orlando for the final spot. JAX 3 ORL 27 Orlando played inspired football in their big game against the division-leading Jacksonville Bulls. The defense shut down the Bulls run game and frustrated QB Chris Chandler all day. Backup QB Craig Erickson played a conservative but effective game subbing for the injured Scott Mitchell, and the HB duo of Hilliard and Fowler did what they needed to help put points on the board. With the win Orlando is now only 1 game back of the Bulls, and leapfrogs the Blitz for the 5th and final playoff spot. CHI 17 TEX 14 Chicago also kept all their starters in this week, despite having really nowhere to move in the standings. That was enough for them to earn a tough win in Texas against an Outlaws squad that had hoped to move away from the cluster at that 4th and 5th playoff spot. It was Texas up 14-10 until the 4th, when Dan McGwire found HB Ricky Waters on a beautifully-designed screen pass that went for 14 yards and the winning score. BIR 23 MEM 27 The Memphis Showboats played spoiler, knocking Birmingham from even slim hopes of a Wild Card berth with a late score by Jo-Jo Townsell. Heath Shuler completed 25 of 39 against the suspect Stallion defense, and the Showboats D sacked Brett Favre 6 times on the day, limiting his effectiveness. The loss moves Birmingham to 7-8, and mathematically eliminates them from the playoffs as they drop below Orlando, Baltimore, and even Tampa Bay in the standings of the Eastern Conference. SEA 9 TBY 26 Tampa won their third in a row, and now have a chance to finish the year at 8-8, with a comfortable win over the 1-win Dragons. Troy Aikman looked solid, throwing 2 TD passes, and Errict Rhett found room to earn only his 2nd 100-yard game of the year, rushing 20 times for 101 yards. NJ 10 PHI 16 New Jersey played inspired defense, but it was not enough as once again Rob Johnson struggled to find open receivers and the Philadelphia defense stifled the run game of New Jersey. Even after knocking Chuck Long out of the game with a concussion (He is expected to play next week), the Generals could not take advantage as Eric Kramer did enough to preserve the Stars’ win. OHI 14 PIT 29 The Maulers continue to roll, with the Stars hot on their tales, as they down their cross-border rivals from Columbus. Mike Rozier had another huge game, rushing 20 times for 141, a 7-yard average. Add in an interception return for a score by LB Godfrey Miles, who was a gametime decision to play at all, and you have a solid Maulers win. One more and they claim both the Atlantic title and the top seed in the East. We’ve hit some of the stories, but here is where we stand in the big picture with one week left in the season: ATLANTIC: A win at New Jersey and both the Division and the #1 seed belong to the Maulers. If they lose, Philly has a chance to leapfrog them with a win in Baltimore. Whoever does not get the title will be the #3 seed and also have a bye during the Wild Card round. SOUTH: Jacksonville has the 1-game lead on Orlando, but they have lost to the Renegades twice, so a loss to Tampa Bay this week could plummet them from the division title and #2 seed down to a 4 or 5 seed. Orlando locks up a playoff spot with a win at Birmingham, and could take the division if Jacksonville stumbles at home vs. the Bandits. EAST WILD CARD: We know either Philly or Pittsburgh will be the first Wild Card. Washington has locked up the 2nd slot (4th seed) and will host the Wild Card game. The 5th seed could be Orlando, Baltimore or the Bulls, depending on next week’s games. Orlando and Jacksonville control their own destiny. Baltimore is hoping the Stallions upend the Renegades after they have lost 4 of 5 to slip out of playoff position. CENTRAL DiVISION: All wrapped up except a possible Wild Card for Texas. Houston is the Division Winner and #1 seed in the West. Chicago will be the #3 seed and get the bye as well. PACIFIC DIVISION: Arizona wins the division with a home win over Oakland. If they lose, a Denver Win would make the Gold the Pacific Champions. Portland can tie both Denver and Arizona at 9-7, but can only snag a Wild Card due to tiebreakers. WEST WILD CARD: We know Chicago has one locked up. Arizona can lose and still earn a Wild Card spot. Denver needs the win to assure its spot. Who is still alive for that 5th spot? Texas and Portland are both 8-7 and a win would go a long way to getting them in. The Outlaws control their destiny as they own the tiebreaker over Portland due to a victory over the Thunder in Week 5. But it all gets complicated if more than 2 teams tie at either 9-7 or 8-8. Believe it or not there are slim but still potential scenarios where tiebreakers allow either Michigan or New Orleans to jump into the battle at 8-8, but let’s not even try to go there because it is just not likely and because I do not want to do all that math. BALTIMORE BALK: With a 7-3 record only 5 weeks ago, the Blitz looked poised to challenge the Federals atop the Atlantic, but after losing 4 of their last 5, including division losses to Washington twice, the Blitz are on the brink of elimination, and many in the Charm City are calling for the head of Coach Infante. Lindy Infante took over a horrid Blitz club in 1992, and moved them from 4 wins up to 8-8 last season. Fans of the Blitz expected another leap up in 1995, but a loss moves them to 8-8 again, and after that 6-3 start, that is a major issue. Ownership in Baltimore say they are happy with the direction Infante has the Blitz headed, but ending the year at 9-7 may be the best way for Lindy to ensure he has a job to come to next season. GENERAL FAILURE: Sam Wyche may not be in such a position of control with 1 week left in the season. He came to New Jersey with a lot of bravado about offensive football, but after some success, including playoff seasons at 8-8 and 9-7 the past two years, the Generals have regressed to 4-11 with one week left. To make matters worse, Doug Flutie had a horrible year, and was benched to allow USC rookie Rob Johnson play. But Johnson has not exactly lit up the league in his first season. The Generals are 22nd in Points per game this year and 21st in yards per game, putting them below several expansion clubs in both categories. With a season like this, no one would be surprised to see Wyche let go. LAST DANCE?: With most other coaches of losing clubs in their first or second years, we don’t expect a lot of turnover beyond possibly Infante and Wyche, but there have been rumblings about potential retirements among USFL coaches, so do not be shocked if 3-4 positions become available at the end of the year. Questions have been swirling about two longstanding coaches, both of whom have had their bumps and bruises this year, quite literally in the case of Washington’s Sam Rutigliano, who suffered a broken leg after being clipped on the sideline earlier this year. Rutigliano has been with the Federals since the 1986 season, and he is no spring chicken. Could the rough second half, and his health issues (injury but also some other health concerns) make this his last year with the Feds? Similarly Dick Vermeil out in Oakland has been with the Invaders since 1985, making him the longest tenured coach in the league. He has had an incredible run, making the playoffs every year from 1989 until this season, but this year has been rough, and Vermeil is known for stepping away, as he did in the NFL, if stress and workload get too heavy. We are not sure if either will decide to hang up the clipboards this year, but it would not shock us if either did. INJURY REPORT: Next week’s games could see some issues with injury absences affecting playoff pushes. Washington will be without Joey Walters, who toughed it out this week, but whose knee is not getting better. He is listed as OUT already for this week. Likewise, Texas will miss TE John Henry Mills this week and into the playoffs. Houston LB Quentin Coryatt is definitely out after a second exam showed more extensive damage to his posterior cruciate ligament, ending his season. Houston will also miss TE Ron Heller, but with everything clinched, they are likely to rest several starters anyway. Finally, it looks like Orlando will need to rely on Craig Erickson to get them into the playoffs as Scott Mitchell’s ankle has him out this week but hoping to return if the Renegades make the Wild Card round. We reported earlier this year that the Chicago Machine, having lost a trademark lawsuit to a small manufacturer in Michigan, would have to abandon their familiar “Gear M” logo after the conclusion of the current season. Well, this week, as the club looks for a deep playoff run, the Machine revealed their new logo. Not straying far from the identity which has started to catch on with on-field success in the Windy City, the Machine revealed a new “Gear-C” Logo which features gearwheels in Maroon and Metallic Grey surrounding a sky blue circle or hub. The logo will be recolored with grey and white gears as it appears on the well-known maroon helmet and jersey. The team also revealed a new wordmark, one which uses the Gear C logo at its center, forming the 2nd C in “Chicago” just as locals have always associated with the oversized C in the middle of the Chicago Theatre marquee sign. No changes will be made this season or in the playoffs, and the Machine have not yet revealed the anticipated uniform changes which will accompany the new logo, but the logo is out and both T-shirts and sweatshirts are available in the Chicagoland area starting next week. One week left and it is do or die for so many clubs around the league. But let’s start with the easy ones. Houston, Chicago, and Washington have nothing to play for, so you can expect them to rest some starters as they prepare for the playoffs. That is good news for their opponents. New Orleans is really the only club that could benefit as they will face a half-hearted Chicago club. Houston plays St. Louis and Washington plays Ohio, so no playoff ramifications there. We can also rule out the Atlanta @ LA game as one with no playoff potential. So, what does that leave. Well, in the Central we have a key head-to-head game as Texas will be in Michigan to face the Panthers. The Outlaws are in with a win, but a loss throws a whole lot of scenarios into the mix, especially if New Orleans gets the win we expect from them. Out West the big game is Portland at Denver, with both teams pressing for a win. Denver has a shot at the division title with the win and an Arizona loss against Oakland, but Portland needs that win to lock up a Wild Card. In the South we can disregard the Memphis-Seattle game, but Orlando @ Birmingham and Jacksonville hosting Tampa Bay could shake up the whole division. Orlando can still win the division if they get help from their arch-rivals, the Bandits. And in the Atlantic it all comes down to Pittsburgh @ New Jersey. A win and the Maulers have the #1 seed, a loss and Philly can steal it out from under them if they can get the W in Baltimore. But don’t count out the Blitz just yet. They need a win (and some help) to get into the postseason, so expect a big effort from them. Lot’s of games with lots of permutations. Who will be there by week’s end and who will be eating sour grapes?