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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?

Playoff Picture: Houston has won the Central Division. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Jacksonville, Chicago and Arizona have clinched playoff spots. Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Jersey, Ohio, St. Louis, Memphis, and Oakland are eliminated from contention.

Houston has clinched the Central Division. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Jacksonville, Chicago and Arizona have clinched Wild Card berths.

A win by the homestanding Chicago Machine and the division would be back in their hands, but the visiting Gamblers would have none of it. Jim Kelly threw 5 TD’s, including 2 to slot receiver Ricky Proehl as the Gamblers took an early lead, lost it, and then stormed back with a 17-0 third quarter to hold off the Machine and become the first team to clinch their division in this year of tight races. Kelly found Proehl early, connecting for a score on their opening drive. That would be answered by Dan McGwire of Chicago as he hit TE Wessley Walls for a score on Chicago’s first drive. After the Machine took a 10-7 lead on a 27 yard John Carney field goal, Houston scored 14 straight in a 2nd quarter that saw no punts and 6 consecutive scoring drives. Kelly hit Proehl again for the 14-10 lead, then connected with Antonio Freeman, the stud rookie who finished the day with 123 yards receiving on 6 catches. Chicago would respond with 2 scoring drives of their own, first a 37 yard McGwire to Wendell Davis toss, and then an Eric Thomas pick six on one of Kelly’s very few poor throws on the day. Not to be outdone, Kelly drove the Gamblers down the field and with time ticking off the clock John Kasay evened the score at 24-24 going into the half. Houston would dominate the 3rd quarter, scoring on 3 consecutive plays and forcing 2 Chicago turnovers in the period. Kelly worked the tight ends on 2 key drives, first finding Jamie Asher for a TD and then another to Ken Dilger. Add a John Kasay field goal and the 24-24 tie was now a solid 41-24 lead for the Gamblers. To start the 4th, Houston got the ball on their own 2 yard line after a perfect coffin corner punt. That was followed by a botched center exchange, which led to Jim Kelly taking a safety. With the ensuing short field, Chicago pulled closer, scoring on a Reggie Langhorne TD reception, but 8 points would be as close as they would get. Houston’s blitzes in the final quarter started to rattle McGwire, who missed on 2 key third down passes and an even more vital 4th and 11 toss. Houston swept the series with the Machine, and in so doing clinched the Central Division title and the top seed in the Western Conference. Chicago is still sitting pretty at 10-4 as the top wild card club also gets a bye, but will likely have to travel to Arizona for their divisional round game, while Houston sits home and looks forward to a mismatch game against either the 4th or 5th seed in the postseason’s second round. BAL 7 ARZ 15 The Wranglers win their 5th in a row after a dogfight with the Baltimore Blitz. Both defenses proved their muscle, with each club failing to reach 300 yards of total offense. Arizona built an 15-0 lead on 2 field goals, a safety and a 3rd quarter Bosco to Richie Anderson TD. Baltimore got back in it with a late Miller to Lamar Thomas toss, but it was not enough as the homestanding Wranglers got their 9th win. TBY 21 ORL 18 Orlando had a chance to even up with Baltimore at 8-6, but 2 Troy Aikman TD tosses and an Errict Rhett run proved enough for the Bandits to escape the Citrus Bowl with the upset win. With Scott Mitchell hurt, Orlando turned to Craig Erickson, and the Renegades could only amass 236 total yards of offense against a mediocre Bandit defense. They fall to 7-7, but could still catch Baltimore with 2 straight wins. BIR 38 SEA 24 Birmingham gained ground and stayed alive in the hunt for the last Wild Card in the East by knocking off the Dragons in Seattle. Brett Favre struggled, with 2 interceptions to boost his league lead to 23 picks on the season, but Birmingham benefitted from two pick-sixes, one each from Milton Fields and Darryl Williams, as Dave Krieg looked completely out of synch all day. PIT 38 POR 24 Pittsburgh looked every bit a championship contender, dispatching with Portland by 14. Alan Risher had 3 TD passes and Mike Rozier rushed for 123 and 2 scores as the Maulers led nearly the entire game. The Mauler D held rushing leader Robert Drummond to only 68 yards rushing to keep Portland at arm’s length and snag their 10th consecutive win. PHI 27 OAK 17 The Stars kept pace with Pittsburgh thanks to 98 yards and 2 touchdowns from Charlie Garner. The defense limited Siran Stacy to only 36 yards rushing and stifled the Oakland offense on 3rd down (5 of 14) to take the road win. They still need a Pittsburgh loss if they want to win the Atlantic, but a bye as the top Wild Card team is pretty much assured if they don’t get it. WSH 17 ATL 30 The injury to Don Majkowski has led to a collapse of Washington’s position and play. The Federals simply could not generate consistent offense, and even their usually staunch defense seemed to struggle as the game wore on. Atlanta, bolstered by an early pick-6 of Mike Hohensee, kept the pressure on, with Ricky Blake and Bernie Parmalee carrying the ball a combined 25 times, while Cliff Stoudt, still getting starts despite Eric Zeier being cleared from the injury list, completed 70.7% of his throws. NJ 7 DEN 10 In an ugly game that was delayed twice due to lightning in and around the Mile High City, Denver slogged out a much needed win, their 8th of the year, as the muddy field and windy conditions kept either offense from looking smooth. Rob Johnson was sacked 3 times and had horrible issues on 3rd down, where the Generals converted only 2 of 15. Brunell’s 3 of 12 record on that key down was also nothing to brag about, but the Gold get the win and move on. NOR 10 MGN 34 Timm Rosenbach did not win over any of the Jamie Martin fans as he was unable to help the Breakers generate yards or points. Meanwhile, with Joe Montana dinged up, Sean Salisbury relied on the running of Tyrone Wheatley to keep the Panthers marginally alive for a playoff spot at 7-7. Wheatley’s 2 scores, paired with a momentum-shifting Weegie Thompson TD catch, gave Michigan the energy they needed to win this key divisional game. TEX 13 STL 31 The Knights played spoilers to the visiting Outlaws, shutting down the Texas run game, and getting a combined 107 on the ground from their backs, Darrell Thompson and Alfred Jenkins, to derail Texas’s playoff drive. David Archer completed 23 of 28, and even though he only threw for 153 yards, his two TD tosses were enough to keep Texas at bay. MEM 27 JAX 44 The Bulls reasserted their place as Southern Division champions with a solid beatdown of the Showboats. Chris Chandler threw for 3 scores and both Jamie Morris and Owen Gill got into the endzone in the absence of injured Natrone Means to give the Bulls their 9th win of the season. Heath Shuler struggled for Memphis, throwing 4 picks, but threw for 450 yards as Memphis fell behind early and abandoned the run to try to stay in the game. OHI 23 LA 20 In a battle between the two winningest expansion clubs, Ohio got the edge by picking off Tampa Bay QB Brent Pease 3 times. Joey Galloway had his best game of his rookie season, catching 8 balls for 109 yards, and the Glory defense limited Marcus Allen to only 24 yards on 11 carries as Ohio moved to 5-9, a game up on New Jersey in the division. A little bit more clarity emerged this week as we now have our first Division Winner (Houston) and we now have 7 of 10 playoff spots secured. Arizona, Washington, and Jacksonville punched their tickets this week, though we have to say that the Federals appear to be backing into the playoffs, having lost 5 of 8 since starting the year 6-0. Three division titles are still out there, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia battling for Atlantic supremacy. Denver is still within a game of Arizona in the Pacific but needs help to overtake the Wranglers, who hold the tie-breaker. Jacksonville just needs a win or a Stallions loss to claim the South, as Orlando’s loss this week relegates them to the Wild Card chase. Speaking of that last Eastern Wild Card, a win would have clinched it for Baltimore, but with the loss, they still are only 1 game up on both Birmingham and Orlando. Baltimore did not play either, so a tie with either one of them would go to conference record to decide. The Blitz are 6-4 in the conference, while B’ham is 4-4 and Orlando is 5-5, meaning that the Blitz can basically claim the playoff spot with a win in either of their remaining games. Out in the West, while Arizona, Chicago, and Houston are in, there are 2 wild card spots still very much in doubt. Denver and Texas have an edge at 8-6, able to control their own destiny, but do not count out Portland, Michigan or New Orleans, all at 7-7. Denver’s 4-5 conference record makes them more vulnerable than Texas (6-3 in the West) and a late surge of 2 straight wins by any of the 7-7 clubs could make things interesting. Texas has a tough game against Chicago this week, and Denver is in Oakland, so a loss by either could put a 7-7 club right in the mix. Things could get real interesting in the season’s final week as Denver hosts Portland and Michigan has Texas in town. A lot could flip in the next 2 weeks. 1. CHICAGO’S “GOOD” PROBLEM: We have praised Chicago and Coach Schottenheimer’s ability to play “Next Man Up” with their QB sitution, but what does this mean long term? It was not an issue when Bernie Kosar went down and Scott Zolak helped lead Chicago to the 1994 Summer Bowl, in large part because many expected for Kosar to retire, which his what happened. That avoided a QB controversy as 1995 began with Zolak firmly placed as the starter. But when Zolak went down and former LA/STL washout Dan McGwire stepped in, most expected it to be a rough patch for the Machine and for Zolak to regain his starting gig as soon as he was able. Well, Zolak has begun basic workouts, and in theory could be available at some point during the playoffs. But, at the same time Dan McGwire, in Schottenheimer’s run-first, play action system, has had an outstanding year. He currently ranks 7th among starting QB’s, with 2,893 yards, a 63.2 completion rate, and a very respectable 21-9 TD-Int ratio. Assuming Chicago gets a bye, would Coach Schottenheimer return to Zolak for the divisional game or would he ride McGwire as the Machine has done all year. This is a huge question going forward. 2. QB QUANDRIES: Chicago is one of several clubs with either a looming or a very present QB controversy. We know Doug Flutie is not happy at all with being benched in favor of rookie Rob Johnson. Could he be looking for a trade or a release? Timm Rosenbach has been in for Jamie Martin of late, and it has not looked good. Does that mean that Rosenbach may again have been beaten out for a job. Could he be on his way out? And just when will Atlanta turn back to Eric Zeier? He got some starts in the midseason, but with Cliff Stoudt faring better, and unlikely to retire this offseason, will Atlanta be OK with letting the UGA Bulldog sit on the bench for a second year? Add to this a disgruntled Mike Kelley on the bench in Memphis, and potential retirements in Michigan (Montana), Portland (Trudeau), and the possible dismissal of Dave Krieg from Seattle and this could be a wild year for QB movement. In a year with no clear top flight QB’s in the Collegiate Draft, there may be a call for some moves and a chance for some of these controversies to turn into a wild free agent and trade market. 3. RUN TO DAYLIGHT?: Staying on the offensive side, we may be in for a rarity in USFL circles, a year where the leading rusher in the league has more yardage than the leading receiver. The USFL is known as a passer’s league, and in nearly every year since Herschel Walker set the league rushing record at 1,767 in the inaugural 1983 season, we may very well see rushing outpace receiving, at least at the top of the leaderboard. We still expect there to be more 1,000 yard receivers than rushers, but Robert Drummond is outpacing Henry Ellard 1,496 to 1,256 yards, a solid 200 yard lead with only 2 games left to play. Drummond has a 200 yard lead on the next rusher, the ageless Mike Rozier, so it is likely he will be the only back to surpass the top receivers, although at present Rozier and Wheatley, both over 1,200 yards, surpass all receivers except for Ellard and LA’s Mike Pritchard. It is a quirky thing, and largely due to the absolute faith that Coach Vince Tobin has placed in Drummond (whose 291 carries easily outpaces all other backs) and the loss of Ernest Givens from the race due to injury most of the season, but it also could be a sign that the run game is beginning to gain favor once again in the USFL. 4. DEFENDERS SEEK TITLES: Two really interesting statistical battles taking place on the defensive side of the ball. First we had New Jersey’s Phil Hansen overtake Washington’s Dexter Manley on the sack leaderboard. Hansen has been one of the very few bright spots for New Jersey this year, and his 18 sacks, while off the record pace of his rookie season, is still an amazing number. Manley is only 1 sack behind at 17, and the dynamic 1-2 punch of Charles Haley and Al Noga in Arizona are just barely off the pace. Those two could become the first teammates to both rank in the Top 5 in sacks in league history. Even the combo of Reggie White and Santana Dotson could not pull that off. The other tight race is for the tackle leader. Often a dubious distinction because to lead the league in tackles implies that the defense allowed a lot of plays to the opposition offense, but this year both frontrunners are highly respected linebackers, who can truly make an impact in each game. Demetrius DuBose of Pittsburgh surpassed Lamar Lathon of New Orleans a couple of weeks back but the lead is only 1 tackle. We expect this battle to come down to the wire, and we should also note that no one else seems to be in range, so it really is up to one of these two to earn the title. 5. INJURY REPORT: As the pressure of playoff hunts intensifies, the last thing any team wants is a key injury to hamper their chances. Week 14 was relatively good for most clubs, but it is football, so that means that some injuries are inevitable. Washington is getting dinged up on defense, with 2 DE’s and 2 starting LB’s listed as either Doubtful or Questionable for week 15. Michael Barrow has a leg injury he is trying to work through, and Winston Moss is dealing with a hamstring injury. In Texas, the big concern is tackle Dave Popp, who may not be able to go after hyperextending his knee. Portland could be without their best linebacker, Billy Ray Smith due to a lingering issue with migraines. New Orleans will have to make their playoff push without their #1 receiver as Qadry Ismail’s aching knee has been diagnosed as a torn meniscus. In Houston, LB Quentin Coryatt could miss action with a hip stinger, and in Chicago the concern is on the O-line where both RT Marcus Spears and LG Juan Casteneda are dealing with leg issues. Baltimore is reeling, and with Bill Brooks likely out for the final weeks of the year, their offense could suffer. They are hoping that Rob Moore’s turf toe is healed enough that he can take on the possession role, but cutting on a turf toe is a tough task. The USFL announced this week the inaugural class to christen the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s USFL Wing. The inductees were notified in person by former USFL standout and current League Player Personnel Liason, Jackie Flowers, as he visited each. Included in the inaugural class is a posthumous nomination to one of the league’s early movers and shakers, Tampa Bay Bandits owner John Bassett. Bassett is joined in the inaugural class by 4 players who shone in the early years of the league, all retiring by or before 1990. The player inductees are: QB John Reaves (Tampa Bay, 1983-1988). Reaves led Tampa Bay to the league’s first title, winning the League MVP in that first season. He was a 5x All-USFL awardee, and retired with 21,667 passing yards, 192 touchdown passes, and a stellar lifetime QB Rating of 102.8. WR Anthony Carter (Michigan, 1983-1989). Carter played in Michigan for 7 seasons before taking an offer to jump to the NFL, where his success continued. As a Panther, Carter was a big part of two championship seasons (1984 and 1986), was a 4 time All-USFL receiver, and one of the most dangerous deep ball receivers in the league. He retired with a stunning 22.5 Yards Per Catch average, 431 USFL receptions and 57 touchdowns. DE Junior Ah-You (Chicago-Baltimore, 1983-1987) A controversial pick in some ways as he was already mid-career when the USFL began and only played 4 seasons before retiring, but what a run it was those 4 years. Ah-You set the standard for USFL pass rushers, averaging over 20 sacks a year for his 4-year run. He retired with 83 sacks, was a 3-time All-USFL selection and won Defensive Player of the Year twice in his short USFL career. While others have broken both his 21-sack single season record and his career mark, he will always be regarded among the greats at his position in the league. LB Marcus Marek (Boston-New Orleans, 1983-1990). One of the most consistent and feared MLB’s in the game, Marek played for 8 season, accumulating more than 100 tackles in each of his first 7 years in the league before an injury-plagued 8th year forced his retirement. Marek was a physical presence in the middle and the QB of the Breaker defense during a run of success that saw the club make 7 consecutive playoff appearances. Snakebit in the sense that he would never hold aloft the USFL Championship Trophy, Marek still remains a league legend and a favorite son of the Big Easy. Owner John Bassett. The founder and owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits will always be remembered for his bravado, his swagger, his savvy, and his influence. Bassett, after short lived stints with other start-up leagues such as the World Hockey Association and the World Football League, struck gold with the USFL. He, along with David Dixon, were among the early visionaries who put the league on the map, and many credit Bassett’s strong leadership and persuasive way with the league’s early decision to forego a shift to a fall schedule and to double down on spring football as a winning proposition. While not directly engaged in the lawsuit that would break the NFL monopoly and provide the USFL with a huge infusion of funding in its early years, Bassett is still credited by many with the vision and foresight to set the league up for eventual success. He was awarded with a championship for his Bandits in the league’s inaugural season, and while the Bandits have yet to return to that lofty peak, it seems fitting that the first title belongs to his club. After his all-too-sudden and all-too-soon passing, the league created the John Bassett Visionary Award, given to the league executive who is recognized by the league as moving it forward into the future each season. Five legends of the league, five stars on the field and in the owner’s box. Five very worthy inductees in the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame’s USFL Wing of Honor. Turning back to the games to be played, a few important matchups highlight the penultimate week of the season. With Baltimore still hoping to clinch a playoff berth, and Washington reeling as they fall 2 games behind the frontrunners in the division, the rivalry game between the Blitz and the Federals takes on a huge added level of importance this week. Don Majkowski is expected to suit up, so we may see a very different Federals’ offense than what has been on the field the past two weeks. Also huge for playoff positioning is the matchup between Chicago and Texas. The Outlaws are 2 games back for the top Wild Card position, and face challengers from a pool of 7-7 clubs. A win at home against the Machine will go a long way to locking up a playoff berth. Similarly, 8-6 Denver has to try to get their ticket punched by knocking off the Invaders in Oakland. At 6-8 the Invaders have lost out on a playoff run, and there are rumors that longstanding coach Dick Vermeil may be contemplating retirement, but Oakland can still be very dangerous. Other games with playoff implications include Michigan at St. Louis, LA at Portland, Arizona at Atlanta, Houston at New Orleans, Birmingham at Memphis, and, perhaps most intriguing, Jacksonville at Orlando. With a 2 game lead, the Bulls are not concerned about losing the division, but need a win to lock it up. Orlando still can get into the Wild Card position with 2 wins, so this one is key for them. Finally, we have Ohio visiting Pittsburgh and New Jersey visiting Philadelphia. If either underdog can steal a win, it would be a major blow to the two Atlantic Division leaders. Do we expect an upset? No, not really. Both Philly and the Maulers look like they should glide through these games, but you never know in the USFL.