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Before we begin the article, a brief word about what happens after the championship. I will be traveling a bit this week, and with the complexity of adding 4 new teams, reconfiguring divisions, creating a new schedule, managing retirements, the expansion draft, the college draft, stocking, and restocking rosters, etc. I do not think you will see a story from me until Thursday, Nov. 4 or perhaps Saturday, the 6th. Fair warning. There is a lot of back-of-the-house work to do to prep the 1995 season, so some time will be needed before I can report on it. OK, on with the story. Sporting News, July 25, 1994 Two teams who exceeded expectations. Two teams who clawed their way from obscurity into the limelight. Two teams hoping to make history. For Chicago just reaching the Summer Bowl is an achievement to be celebrated. For Philadelphia it is a chance to rekindle memories of a glorious past and set up a bright future. Two teams with a chance to grab the golden ring and raise high the USFL trophy. It all comes down to one game, who has the strategies in hand to win, who can execute them, who can turn the ordinary play into the extraordinary. One game to decide the USFL title, Chicago or Philadelphia? Pizza or Cheesesteaks? Al Capone or Rocky Balboa? Michigan Ave meets Broad Street. Navy Pier meets Freedom Hall. It all comes down to this. The Machine and the Stars for the USFL Championship in Summer Bowl 1994. The game began with perhaps the most unexpected start, a long, time consuming drive by Chicago against the Philadelphia defense. It started on their own 17-yard line and ended with a Zolak to Walls touchdown pass nearly 8 minutes later. In total the drive took 14 plays, and an unnecessary roughness penalty to reach its conclusion, but with half of the first quarter gone, Chicago had staked an early 7-0 lead. This was followed by a 3-and-out by the Stars after Kevin Fagan strongarmed the lineman and sacked Chuck Long for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 4. The Machine would repeat their earlier success, this time a 15-play drive, highlighted by two Stars penalties for encroachment, a 12-yard pass to Aubrey Matthews, another to Reggie Langhorne, and finally a 2 yard off-tackle run by Ricky Watters to give Chicago a stunning 14-0 lead after two possessions on offense. Where was the vaunted Stars defense? How had Chicago dinked and dunked their way to a two score lead? The Stars were not going to wait to find out. Philadelphia’s All-USFL kick returner Chris Snyder would get the Stars back into the game, taking the Chicago kickoff deep in the endzone and choosing to take it out. He would reach the 38 on a weaving, dodging run that got the Philly fans in the stadium into full voice. Philadelphia would not wait for a 14 or 15 play drive. They went for big chunks, 9 to Phelan, 12 again to Phelan, 13 to Brown, 10 to Phelan again, 8 to Carter, and in only 1:22 the Stars halved the deficit, as Chuck Long hit Kelvin Bryant for the scoring play. It would now be up to the defense to change the narrative of the game so far. The beleaguered Philly D found itself on Chicago’s third drive. After getting a first down on a 3rd and 5, thanks to another Wessley Walls catch, Philadelphia tightened, forcing a 3rd and 5, and on 3rd down, LB Frank Stams found his way to the legs of Scott Zolak and brought down the lanky QB, forcing the Chicago punt with 4:28 left in the half. Philadelphia went back to business. Long completed 5 straight passes, moving the ball from the Philadelphia 25 to the Chicago 44. After a short run by Bryant, it was Long again, completing another 5 straight, splitting targets from TE Eric Green, to Kelvin Bryant, to Cris Carter, and 3rd down back Charlie Garner. On 1st and goal from the 1, Long faked the ball to Bryant and evened the score with a quick out route to Phelan. 14-14 with 1:18 still left on the clock. The earlier quiet of the Philly fans was now turning into a cacophony of cheers, taunts, and talkback between the fans from both cities. Chicago would try to drive, but once the clock reached 11 seconds and the Machine were still on their side of the field, Coach Schottenheimer gave Zolak the call to take a knee and go to the locker rooms. After a pretty solid halftime performance from, who else at Legion Field, but the band Lynyrd Skynyrd that included both “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home, Alabama”, the two clubs came out ready to break open the tie. Philadelphia got the ball first, and they continued their momentum with another strong scoring drive. Again, it was Long making most of the plays, with only the occasional run against the 8-man fronts that Chicago was showing. Long was effective, finding backs as release valves, catching Chicago in zones with Phelan and Carter finding holes, and, on the drive’s final play, locating TE Eric Green in the middle, boxing out the safety. Philly went up 20-14, and even a botched extra point by the All-USFL kicker of the year, David Trout, could not dampen the enthusiasm on the sideline or among the fans. Only 3 plays later, the mistake that would all but lock up the Philadelphia momentum. Scott Zolak, having just hit Kimble Anders for a 3rd down conversion, looked deep to Langhorne, perhaps tired of playing the dink & dunk game. It was a huge mistake as Langhorne was outmuscled by Stars CB Lorenzo Lynch, who picked off the ball before falling out of bounds at the Chicago 46. Six plays later, Trout redeemed himself for the missed PAT, putting Philly up 23-14, a 9-point lead that would require 2 Chicago scores to counteract. As the 3rd quarter shifted to the 4th, Chicago was on their way to reducing that lead. They faced a tough Philadelphia rush, but again penalties kept them in the game. First a neutral zone infraction from Howard, then a holding call in the defensive backfield, helped to position Chicago for their own kicker, John Carney. Carney connected from 46 yards out and the Stars’ lead had dipped to 6 points, 23-17. After a short 4-play drive, the Stars were forced to punt and again Chicago seemed to be putting together a slow, methodical drive toward points. But, after garnering a first down on the Stars’ 40-yard line, Zolak missed on three straight passes, long on the first, outside on the second, and just too short on the third, and the Machine was forced to punt the ball back to Philadelphia, a touchback that gave Philly the ball at the 20 with 7:03 left to play. Again, Philadelphia was stymied as Charlie Garner got only 2 yards on a 3rd and 3. They would punt back to Chicago. The Machine saw the clock running down, only 3:51 left to play. After getting 8 yards from Mario Bates on 2nd down, they missed on 3rd and had to decide whether or not to go for it on a 4th and 2 form their own 43 yard line. They decided to give the ball to Ricky Watters, but Andre Collins saw it all the way, and wrapped Watters up behind the line of scrimmage. Turnover on downs. It would take Philadelphia only 3 plays to get the ball into David Trout’s range, and with another kick he restored the 9 point lead, now with only 2:29 left to play. Chicago would drive the ball to the Philadelphia 11-yard line, trying to get the big score first and hope for an onside kick, but with only 8 seconds left, Wesley Walls caught the pass to the Stars’ 3, but could not get out of bounds. The Stars scrambled to spike the ball, but there simply was not time. Philadelphia would win their 3rd USFL Title, becoming the first franchise to do so. Chuck Long, who completed 30 of 35 passes on the day, for 240 yards and 3 scores, would be named the game’s MVP. Coach Berry would get the Gator Ade shower from the players, and owner Miles Tannenbaum would once again raise high the USFL trophy, thank the players, the fans, and the city of Philadelphia. Despite a strong performance by the Chicago offense, particularly Zolak, who finished with 307 yards passing on a 36 of 55 day, the day belonged to Philadelphia, an unlikely champion by all accounts when the season began, but a very deserving one by the final whistle.

The Conference Championship Games have shown us once again that defense wins titles. Both Philadelphia and Chicago were able to eat clock, end drives, and frustrate their opposition on their way to victories this week and now a chance to win it all next Sunday at Summer Bowl ’94. We came into the Western Conference Championships expecting both teams to emphasize defense and ball control. Many gave Denver the edge in that department with their #1 scoring defense and the ability to pound the ball with Natrone Means, but in the end it was Chicago’s underrated defense, and the combination of Ricky Watters and Mario Bates that won the day as the Machine dominated the first half and held off a comeback to win their first Western title, another feather in their cap after winning their first division title in the regular season. Chicago built up a 20-6 halftime advantage thanks to efficient play from Scott Zolak (16 of 18 in the first half on his way to 25 of 30 for the game) and a good mix of Bates and Watters on the ground. Zolak found TE Scott Eccles for the first score of the game on the Machine’s second possession, got Chicago into range for two John Carney Field Goals, and then led the Machine on a half-ending TD drive to provide a 14-point cushion against a Denver squad that did not show much in the first half. Chicago’s defense had held the Denver offense to only 115 yards of total offense in the half, and while the Gold would find more room in the second half, it would not prove enough. Denver pulled within 11 after a Jason Elam field goal to start off the 3rd quarter, but the Machine took advantage of 15 Chicago penalties on the day, and 3 on their next drive, as Ricky Watters again boosted the home team’s lead, 27-9. The closest Denver would get was 27-19 after a Natrone Means TD and another Elam field goal, but in the 4th Chicago kept the game at a slow pace, and when John Carney added his third field goal of the day, the lead was back at 11 and Denver was too far back to pose a threat. Chicago would represent the West for the first time since 1985, when the then Chicago Blitz faced off against the Philadelphia Stars. Would it be Chicago v. Philadelphia again 10 seasons later? The Stars came into the season with hopes of a playoff appearance, but no one, including the team itself, could have anticipated the season that Philadelphia has had. Their defense gelled early and helped lead the team to a league best 11-5 record and home field advantage throughout the season. Birmingham was supposed to be here, the defending league champion and favorite for the first repeat in league history. They too finished the season at 11-5 and if they wanted a chance to play for the title in their home stadium, they would need to find answers against the Stars defense. A slow first quarter yielded only 3 points as David Trout put Philadelphia out in front. But that lead was quickly erased as the 2nd quarter began, when Brett Favre had his best drive of the game, hitting on 4 of 5 passes on a 9 play drive that brought the Stars 7 points when Shannon Sharpe caught a ball at the 2 and bulled his way into the endzone. Undaunted, Philadelphia tightened up against the Stars’ receivers, but could only muster another field goal in the half. When Birmingham went into a 2-minute drill to end the half, Favre again found success, and with 1:11 left in the half, Derric Lassic found daylight on his way to a 16-yard TD run. It was 14-6 at the half, and many were expecting Birmingham to pull away in the second half, but the opposite happened. Philadelphia used the mid-game break to reassess their defensive gameplan and shift from a blitzing scheme to a 4-man front with 7 in pass coverage, almost daring Birmingham to run the ball. The strategy offset Brett Favre’s early success, but while Derric Lassic finished with a career high 102 yards rushing, the Stallions would muster only 3 more points on the day. Meanwhile Chuck Long and Kelvin Bryant started to find the weaknesses in the Stallion defense. Bryant would finish with 107 yards on 21 carries, and Long would hit TE Eric Green twice for scores in the second period, the first tying the score at 14 thanks to a 2-point conversion which Long ran in himself on a bootleg which totally fooled Birmingham. The second would be the only score of the 4th quarter, turning a 14-17 deficit to the winning score of 21-14. Philadelphia had come from behind, had shut down the vaunted Stallions defense, and was now on its way to the title game with hopes of being the first USFL club to win a third title. They would need to get past a team very much like themselves, plucky, determined, undervalued and largely anonymous to the casual fan. It would be Chicago and Philly for the USFL title. SUMMER BOWL 1994 PREVIEW The Chicago Machine and the Philadelphia Stars will vie for the USFL title next week in Birmingham. Two clubs very much cut of the same cloth. Solid defense, balanced offense, underrated QB play and defined by a blue-collar tenacity that has led them here. Coach Berry has the Stars playing some of the best defensive football in the league, but Chicago’s Marty Schottenheimer has built a never-say-die attitude in his Machine club which has helped them surprise the league and take the Western title. It is two unexpected conference top seeds, two champions that few bet on early in the year, and two clubs capable of grinding out a win in a hard fought game. Most pundits are giving Philadelphia the edge, counting on the #2 scoring defense and #1 pass defense to limit Chicago’s options. It may depend on Ricky Watters and the Chicago run game, as Philadelphia’s run defense has been a middle-of-the-pack group statistically. For Chicago, their wins have tended to come late, with strong defensive performances in the second half and opportunistic offenses. For their defense, the key will be to avoid a run first, play action second strategy from Chuck Long and the Stars. Long, a former Machine starter, can punish his former club, as he has shown the ability to air it out, while his counterpart, Scott Zolak is more likely to rely on a short passing game to essentially boost the running game and control the clock. This could be the last hurrah for multiple time All-USFL halfback Kelvin Bryant, so expect him to try to push for every yard. In what feels like a game that could turn on a single mistake, the key for both clubs will be protecting the ball, setting the tempo, and finding the will to make that one big play that undoes the other. We, like most, are leaning towards Philadelphia to be the team that does this and walks away with their 3rd league title, but it would not shock us at all to see Coach Schottenheimer lift high the USFL Trophy after the game on Saturday. This will not be a spectacle like last year’s Stallions-Gamblers game, but it should be a hard-fought, fundamentally sound, tight ball game. AWARDS--Lots to report this week. Let’s start with the league’s announcement of the 1994 Award Winners and All-USFL Team. Presented at the USFL Summer Bowl Festival in Birmingham this week, the home crowd, disappointed at missing out on another Stallions championship, got to celebrate a good year as their star, QB Brett Favre was again named league MVP. Beating out Oakland’s Bobby Hebert, Favre won his second award thanks to 4,968 yards and 46 TDs. Hebert, as so typically happens, missed out on the MVP but was then named Offensive Player of the Year for his 39-TD season leading the Invaders to the Pacific Division title. The Defensive POTY was a bit of an upset, as Baltimore’s Leslie Frazier beat out Houston’s Ashley Ambrose. Frazier, who scored a record 4 TDs on defense this year, also had 7 interceptions and 87 tackles. Rookie of the year was an easy call this season as Tampa Bay HB Errict Rhett easily took home the title for his strong first season, which included 956 yards rushing, another 266 as a receiver, and 10 total TDs. Finally, Coach of the Year, came down to the two Summer Bowl coaches, with Chicago’s Marty Schottenheimer just edged out in the voting by Philadelphia’s Raymond Berry. Both coaches took their clubs to unexpected heights and both were duly cited by fans, their peers, and the press, as deserving of the award. The All-USFL team had few surprises as once again the AP looked at both statistical success and team success to name the squad. Here are your 1994 All-USFL players: QB: B. Favre (BIR), B. Hebert (OAK), J. Kelly (HOU) HB: R. Drummond (POR), T. Thomas (HOU), M. Rozier (PIT) FB: R. Wolfley (PIT) TE: C. Didier (POR), S. Sharpe (BIR) WR: E. Metcalf (TEX), E. Givens (BIR), H. Ellard (OAK), Q. Ismail (NOR), C. Carter (PHI) T: H. Ballard (HOU), K. Lowdermilk (ARZ), R. Curry (ORL) G: J. Richards (OAK), J. Rienstra (HOU), W. Shields (TBY) C: R. Fortin (OAK), C. Pitcock (BIR) DT: D. Gagne (JAX), R. Putzier (TBY), K. Fagan (CHI) DE: R. White (MEM), J. Reese (NOR), L. O’Neill (DEN) LB: A. Collins (PHI), E. Simmons (MEM), K. Greene (BIR), K. Gouveia (DEN), C. Banks (STL), J. Williams (TEX) CB: L. Frazier (BAL), K> Jackson (NJ), A. Ambrose (HOU), C. Pickens (DEN) SS: D. Fulcher (ARZ), D. Dumars (BAL) FS: B. McDowell (MEM), C. Mincy (DEN) K: D. Trout (PHI) P: T. Rouen (ARZ) KR: C. Snyder (PHI) COACHING—We have 2 more coaching slots filled. A week after former Memphis head man took the position in Portland, two more first-time head coaches found work in the USFL. Jacksonville has made their choice and announced this week that former Breakers and NY Giants OC Jim Fassel would be handed the reins. Fassel, who helped lead Phil Simms to a Super Bowl (The SB 25 defeat by the Buffalo Bills) will have a steady QB in Tony Eason to work with, but will be charged with creating a running game where one has simply not developed over the past half-decade. In St. Louis, it is defense on the mind of ownership, and they brought in a defensive wunderkind in current Arizona Cardinal DC, and former defensive coach with both the Bulls and the Outlaws, Jim Johnson. Johnson has some pieces to work with on the Knights defense, but will need to add talent on both sides of the ball, particularly at QB and on the D-Line if he hopes to move the Knights out of the basement of their new division next year, as St. Louis relocates to the Central Division as part of the expansion realignment. PLAYER MOVEMENT—Finally, we have more signs that teams are trying to position themselves for the expansion draft, and one club, dealing with a retirement, has found a possible answer. OHIO—Recognizing that most USFL starting QB’s would be protected for the expansion draft, Ohio has made a move to secure what it believes is the best option of the bunch, trading away their 3rd round pick in the rookie draft to Pittsburgh to obtain veteran Jeff Hostetler from the Maulers. Hostetler, who regularly spells the oft-injured Alan Risher, has shown flashes of talent since coming to the USFL from West Virginia, and may bring some Mountaineer fans with him to Columbus. ORLANDO—With the anticipated announcement from Reggie Collier that he has played his last game in the USFL, Orlando has acted quickly to try to shore up the QB position, making a deal with the Arizona Wranglers for their promising young backup, Scott Mitchell. Mitchell will get a chance to compete with Craig Erickson for the starting job in Orlando while Arizona will pick up a 3rd rounder in each of the next two college drafts, more compensation than they would get from losing Mitchell in the expansion draft, as they were expected to protect starter Robbie Bosco from potential expansion draft movement. MICHIGAN—In what has to be a head scratcher for Panther fans, and one of the most unexpected moves ahead of the offseason, the Michigan Panthers have traded away one of their newest stars, HB Marcus Allen. Allen will return to his old stomping grounds as the first new member of the reborn LA Express. In Allen, Los Angeles gets an instant ticket-seller, as well as one of the best backs in the league to build their offense around. And what does Michigan get for handing over their star halfback? Plenty. LA sends the Panthers their 1st round and 3rd round pick this year as well as their 2nd rounder in the 1996 draft. With one of the top prospects in this year’s draft being a U. of Michigan HB, Tyrone Wheatley, you can expect the Panthers will try to calm the frazzled nerves of their fanbase by signing the Wolverine to their roster, and likely needed an early pick like LA’s #1 to do so. Still, it is a risky move, sending a known commodity like Allen to the expansion Express in return for picks.

The 2nd week of the USFL playoffs is often the most dramatic, with 8 clubs still alive, 4 games over 2 days, and with everything on the line. It is the first playoff action for 6 clubs, each coming off a bye where they could rest, plan, strategize, and prepare for action. Two Wild Card teams survived their play-in game, and now they must face each conference’s best club. It is the round when dreams of grandeur crash to Earth, and when Cinderellas can make their mark. The Divisional Round is intense, and for the 4 clubs that survive, it is on to the Championships, East and West. The first game of the week produced the only upset of the bunch, though one many predicted as the pre-game line from Las Vegas was a mere 2 point advantage for the homestanding Invaders. Denver came in confident after knocking off Arizona the week before, while Oakland had lost their last 2 regular season matches before the bye week. Both clubs were tentative at first, testing out the opposition in a first quarter that produced only 1 field goal per club. The break in the stalemate came from the Denver defense, when Charles Mincy jumped an Hebert pass intended for Ed McCaffrey, 48 yards later he was dancing in the endzone and Denver had a 7-point lead. Things got even worse for Hebert and the Invaders when, on a key 3rd and 9 play, Bobby Hebert was hit by Marvcus Patton just as he released the ball. Bruce Pickens of Denver caught the errant pass, but the bigger issue was Hebert, who remained down for several minutes. He would have to leave the game with an injury to his non-throwing arm, looking a lot like a shoulder separation. If Oakland were to come back it would be up to Cary Conklin to lead them. At the half it was 10-3 Denver, but the Invaders were not through yet. After a 2nd Gold fieldgoal opened the scoring in the 3rd period, Oakland showed their determination, with Conklin leading the Invaders on a 57 yard drive, capped off by a short pass to 3rd down back Glyn Milburn for the score. That same energy began the 4th quarter, as once again Conklin led Oakland to points, and once again it was a back who capped off the drive, this time Fred McAfee, with another short pass from Conklin. Oakland was on top 17-13 with 10 minutes left to play. Denver would retaliate, after a quarter and a half where their offense was unable to build on their lead, they now trailed, but with Natron Means leading the way, thanks to a 7.3 yard per carry average in the game, the Gold ate up 6 minutes of clock on their way to retaking the lead 20-17 on a short Mark Carrier pass from Brunell. After a 3-and-out brought on by a key 2nd down sack from Denver’s Leslie O’Neill, Denver put the game away, increasing the lead and running the clock down to just over 1 minute as Means broke off tackle from 10 yards out and gave Denver the final 27-17 margin. The loss of Hebert clearly hindered the Invaders, but so too did their rush defense, which saw Means gain key yardage on 3rd down drive after drive. Even little-used backup Lamont Warren gained 35 yards in the game spelling Means. Denver was now 2 rounds into a postseason that was in doubt most of the year. It would be off to the Western Conference title game next. When this game was lined up, pretty much everyone predicted it would be a low-scoring game, dominated by the running attack and likely to produce a lot of hard hits. They were right on all counts. In a game that saw no scoring after 1 quarter, and only a 7-3 Philly lead after 2, both clubs found moving the ball to be a major concern. Despite the game having two reliable backs from the early days of the league, neither Greg Boone for Memphis or Kelvin Bryant for Philadelphia could top 70 yards rushing on the day. It would be up to the QB’s to try to find opportunities to succeed. In that battle, Chuck Long won out, completing 25 of 33 passes, with Eric Green and Cris Carter both able to snag 6 balls each. Long hit slot receiver Ernie Jones for the first TD of the game, and Long would find Kelvin Bryant in the 3rd quarter for the games 2nd and final TD. The rest of the scoring was limited to the kickers as both clubs made the red zone a rough place to be. The Stars would get 5 sacks on Mike Kelley, and while not as successful, the Showboats also got to Long 3 times. And while Philly converted only 5 of 11 third downs, it was enough to edge Memphis, who turned third down into first down only 4 times in 15 tries. With the win the Stars guaranteed not only a ticket to the Conference Championships, but another home game for their loud and rambunctious fanbase. Not since Chuck Fusina led the Stars to 2 titles has the city seen the level of excitement we expect to be in store at Veterans Stadium next week. The Stars will face the Birmingham Stallions in the matchup most of America has been waiting for, as Birmingham dispatched the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday, though not with any ease, to be sure. The Maulers proved that teams could go toe to toe with Brett Favre and the Stallion offense, but in the end there was 1 TD too many from Birmingham. Pittsburgh had had the edge, thanks in large part to Mike Rozier’s 101 yards and 2 scores. The visiting Maulers took an early 14-7 lead in the 1st after a Rozier TD was followed up by a fake to Rozier and an Alan Risher bootleg to the corner of the endzone. And when Birmingham got a Reeves TD reception to equalize, it was Rozier who once again put the Maulers back on top, 21-14 at the half on the strength of an 18-yard TD run. Again Birmingham answered, with Favre finding FB Michael Haddix for the QB’s 3rd TD of the day, but again Pittsburgh was setting the pace, with Risher finding Louis Lipps for the go-ahead score. They would add to this score on their next drive with a Septien FG. Down 31-21, things looked bleak for Birmingham as the 4th quarter began, but the fans remained behind their team as they had seen the Stallions explode to score in the final frame before. And that is exactly what they did. After a slow start to the quarter with back-to-back-to-back punts by the 2 teams, Favre had success on the Stallions’ 2nd drive of the quarter and when Derrick Lassic dove in from 2 yards out to pull Birmingham back to 31-28, there was a sense in the stadium that momentum had shifted. That was confirmed when Chris Dishman tipped away a Risher pass on 3rd and 4, forcing Pittsburgh into an early punt and giving Birmingham a chance to tie or take the lead with 2:44 left to play. The Stallions would not settle for a game-tying field goal on the drive. They took advantage of an overzealous Pittsburgh D, and on their own 35 yard line, caught Pittsburgh overplaying the run on a 2nd and 2, leaving Lawrence Dawsey in single coverage. Favre pulled the ball out of HB James Joseph’s gut, and rolled to his left, unleashing a deadly accurate deep ball to Dawsey, who took the ball in stride and raced down the sideline for what would prove to be the winning score. Birmingham would hold Pittsburgh on the final drive of the game, and with the win they punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Championship against the Stars. The final game of the week saw Michigan head into Soldier Field to play the Chicago Machine. It would be All-NFL and 4-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana against untested Chicago backup Scott Zolak. Or rather, it would be Montana against the Chicago Defense. That turned out to be the battle of the game, as Chicago focused their attention on Montana and the injury-riddled Panther WR corps. Without Halloway or Weegie Thompson, Michigan was forced to rely on Billy Joe Edmunds, Jeff Campbell and TE Butch Rolle. For Chicago the emphasis would be getting the ball into the hands of HB Ricky Watters. Watters would finish the day with 63 yards rushing and 2 scores, but also caught 4 balls for 26 yards. Not huge numbers, but enough to place Michigan in a 14-6 hole in the 2nd quarter. At the end of 3 it would be 17-9, and Michigan would have to shoot for a vintage Montana 4th quarter comeback. That comeback came with 5 minutes left in the game as Montana moved the Panthers down the field, eventually hitting Campbell with a TD pass to pull to within 2. With time winding down, Coach Holtz did not believe the Panthers would get a second chance, perhaps to kick a game-winning field goal, so he went for 2 after the Campbell TD, but despite a good play call, an athletic play by FS George Teague prevented the Montana to Rolle pass form being completed, and prevented the tie. Michigan would not get the ball back, as Chicago held onto it for the final 1:33, salting away the victory on a 3rd and 3, when they took the risk of passing on the down and Zolak hit TE Wesley Walls with the pass that would lock up a first down and the ability of Chicago to run out the clock. So next week it will be the matchup we all wanted, Birmingham at Philadelphia, and the matchup no one expected, Denver at Chicago. Two of those clubs will find themselves with tickets to the Summer Bowl, and two will have come so close but not all the way. EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (11-5) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (11-5) 3pm ET, Sunday, July 24 at Veterans Stadium Sunday will kick off with a bang as one of the most most dominant defenses in the league faces perhaps the best offense in pro football. The Stars edged the Stallions on a tie breaker to get home field, and they will need every one of the 55,000 plus expected at Veterans Stadium if they want to hold off the defending champs and return to the Summer Bowl for the first time since 1987 (when it was not yet called the Summer Bowl). For Birmingham, the gameplan is simple, contain Kelvin Bryant and simply outpace Philly’s ability to score. To do that they have to protect Brett Favre, and find ways to get the ball into the hands of Givens, Sharpe, and Dawsey. If they can do that, they have a strong chance of returning to the Biggest Game of the Summer. If not, they leave the window open for the Stars to return to glory. For the Stars, it comes down to two keys. Can they mount a balanced ball-control attack against a pretty mediocre Stallions defense and can they fluster Favre into some turnovers. If Philadelphia can use short passes and their ground game of Bryant and Garner to eat up clock and limit the number of Stallion possessions, and, even better, if they can catch Favre playing hero ball, and snag a pick or two, they can reduce the game’s final score, and stay in this one. The score will tell the story. If either team gets into the 30’s it is likely Birmingham and a Stallions win. If it stays in the 20’s or lower, then it could signal a Stars victory. WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW DENVER GOLD (9-7) @ CHICAGO MACHINE (9-6-1) 8pm ET, Sunday, July 24 at Soldier Field The second championship game is tougher to suss out. Neither of these teams was supposed to be here, and both of them have clear issues, mostly on offense. This could be a question of who makes the fewest gaffs, who holds onto the ball, and who has the chance for a late kick to take the game. Denver’s defense does not get the press attention that Philadelphia’s does, but they are the #1 scoring defense in the league and have forced an impressive 42 takeaways. If they can do that against Zolak and the Machine, then they can grind out a win. Mark Brunell has been up and down since replacing Dave Krieg at QB, but this is his chance to make a name for himself. Of course, if Coach Philips has his way, Brunell will spend most of the day feeding the ball to big Natron Means instead of tossing it. Chicago is still something of an enigma. Not bad on defense, but not dominant. Not explosive on offense, but certainly capable. They are in the upper half of the league in many categories of both offense and defense, but rarely in the Top 5 in anything. So what does that mean? It may mean that they have several paths to victory, depending on who is hot and what works best against the Gold. Before we pick a winner, can we just give some credit to Coach Schottenheimer. When he came to the USFL from the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, it was all praise and fanfare. He had a terrible run in Baltimore, and fans were beginning to give up on the hype about MartyBall. But, since coming to Chicago, he has built real grit into this squad. They made their first playoff appearance last year, and this year, with their star NFL import QB lost for the year, they rally to win the Central Division, snag home field for the playoffs, and now they are one home win away from the Summer Bowl. That is pretty impressive. While it seems a lock that Raymond Berry in Philadelphia will win Coach of the Year, we hope it is a close vote with Marty because his work with the Machine has been impressive. OK, our pick, we think Marty will win out in this one. We like Denver’s D, but Chicago has proven all year that they can adapt and adjust to almost any style, so if Denver wants to slow it down and fight a war of attrition, we think Chicago can do that. Before we go, a few tidbits about the offseason we have seen to date. FREE AGENCY—We started to see this coming towards the end of the year, teams signing more players than usual to extended contracts, knowing that the expansion draft was coming and that the 4 new clubs might shy away from 3 or 4 year contracts. Well, the impact of this strategy has started to be felt. The Free Agent pool within the USFL is the smallest it has been in years, and we expect few starters to test the waters this year. It seems that both NFL and USFL expansion have led most teams to guard what they have, knowing that there will be fewer high quality players available to replace a star who heads to a new team. With plans in place to protect only 12 players (with more secured as others are lost) and 100 players to be signed away by Atlanta, Ohio, Seattle, and LA, it seems the USFL clubs are doing all they can to maintain rosters rather than build them up. The same seems largely true in the NFL as well, so this offseason could be one short of news until the expansion draft occurs. JACKSONVILLE—The one exception to the statement above seems to be on the trade front. After Tampa Bay opened things up by sending DE Mark Mraz to Atlanta for picks, rumors of player for pick swaps with the new clubs have run rampant. It seems at least Florida teams are open to it as Jacksonville jumped in with both feet this week, sending two starters to expansion clubs for picks in the next two drafts. The first move was to send LB Mo Lewis, who has been pretty vocal about wanting a trade after several run-ins with Coach Hall, to the Atlanta Fire. The Fire, who acquired DE Mark Mraz from Tampa last week, seem intent on building a defense and Lewis, who has been unhappy in Jacksonville since being moved inside, will likely get the chance to return to his more comfortable outside. Lewis, a Georgia grad, may be the first of several former Bulldogs to join the Atlanta club, as his salary will be discounted against the cap due to the league’s new “Home Town Hero” program, replacing the former Terrirtorial Draft as a way to emphasize local college talent on a squad. The second Bull traded away certainly speaks to the home town emphasis, as the Bulls sent former Buckeye Vince Workman to the Ohio Glory. Workman has played 6 seasons in the USFL, the first four in Michigan and the last two in Jacksonville. He has yet to crack 1,000 yards in a USFL season after coming out of Ohio State as a top prospect. In Jacksonville he gained only 675 his first year and even less, 480, this season after being forced to split time with Jamie Morris. Perhaps his name still carries some clout in Columbus, and his salary will have reduced cap impact for the Glory. The Bulls, by sending away these two players have gotten what they covet most, draft picks. Atlanta is sending the Bulls their 3rd this year and next, while Ohio offered up a 4th rounder this year and a conditional 2nd or 3rd rounder next year, dependent upon the # of carries Workman gets with the Glory. Perhaps more intriguing is the possibility of QB’s being traded in this way. There are some serious QB battles on a few teams, and if a club can get trade value for a QB who is falling out of favor, that certainly beats having that player unprotected in the expansion draft and losing him with no compensation. An intriguing proposition for the next 2 months before the draft. Of course, these expansion clubs don’t want to trade their way entirely out of the rookie draft, but if they can get a potential starter at QB, it might make sense to spend a little draft capital to do so. PORTLAND—The Thunder become the first team to sign their new leader this week, when, after three interviews with 3 defensive coaches in 4 days, the Thunder announced that they had come to an agreement with Vince Tobin to take the reins of the club. Tobin, who made his name as the DC of the Philly Stars during their early league title runs, coached the Memphis Showboats from 1986-1991, and got some solid results thanks to his defensive schemes and the promotion of Mike Kelley over Walter Lewis at QB. He takes over a Portland squad that can certainly score points, but whose run defense has been a huge issue for the club’s entire existence. Expect the club to sign a new OC soon, to keep that side of the ball happy, but expect Tobin to focus on defense when working the trade wire, free agency and the rookie draft. Who’s next on the coaching hot stove? Rumors are that Texas is in full delay mode, likely to do as Tampa did last year, and wait until after the rookie draft (and the NFL regular season finale in December) before signing a guy from the rival league. The best prospect for a hire in the next few weeks will likely be Jacksonville, although St. Louis has been exploring possible candidates as well. Rumors in Duval County have the Bulls looking for a disciplinarian, but one with some inventiveness to him. St. Louis might be going down the Portland route, and may try to shore up a shaky defense with a top DC candidate. We may find out soon, as both clubs are working the wire right now, setting up interviews.

Two very different games this weekend as New Jersey and Memphis played in a defensive slugfest, while Michigan kicked it into high gear and ran away with a home victory against the Wranglers. Is the success of Montana and Marcus Allen in this game a sign that they may just have the playoff experience to make a run or is the slow steady defensive muscle of the Memphis Showboats more likely to be a challenge as they face the Stars next week. Wild Card football this weekend, divisional matchups to preview for next weekend. All here. This one was all about the defenses as neither team was able to crack 300 yards of offense and both kept the other to only 3 converted third downs all day. New Jersey scored first as Doug Flutie, after two weeks recovering from injury, found Mark Chmura for a score on their 3rd possession of the first half. Memphis would connect on two 2nd quarter field goals and at the half it was a 7-6 Generals advantage but a game that was dominated by big defensive plays. The Memphis D had sacked Flutie 3 times in the first half, and this would continue into the second as Reggie White scored 3 sacks on the day and Santana Dotson two more. The Showboats would also force 2 interceptions and a fumble from New Jersey as the ball hawking and high pressure scheme of Buddy Ryan kept the New Jersey offense off balance all day. For their part the Generals defense focused on containing Greg Boone, which they did quite well, limiting him to 3 yards per carry and no scores. But, in doing so they fell prey to a few well-timed play-action passes as Mike Kelley had a solid second half. He would connect with TE Tony McGee for one score, and after a failed 2-point PAT attempt, Memphis would take the lead early in the third 12-7. They boosted this advantage when Kelley found wily veteran Vic James for his second TD pass, this time just into the 4th quarter. With a 19-7 advantage, Memphis just had to slow things down, and while they did give up a TD late in the game to Herschel Walker, the lead held, and the Showboats set up a divisional matchup of two defenses who may just try to shut each other out as Memphis will head to Philadelphia next week to face the Stars. Both the Wranglers and Panthers aimed to prove that despite 8-8 records, they deserved to be in the playoffs as the two faced off in the Silverdome. The Wranglers made the postseason despite having one of the league’s least effective offenses, relying on turnovers and defensive pressure to win games. Michigan had more offensive firepower but their defense suffered from lapses in concentration which often cost them games. Two imperfect teams trying to get it right this weekend, when only one could survive and advance. The game was fairly even through the first quarter and a half, with Arizona building up a 10-7 lead thanks to a short Bosco to Kendal Smith TD toss and a Mick Luckhurst field goal. Michigan had countered as backup HB Rodney Culver dove in to the endzone from the 2 to keep the home team right in the mix. It was a game that looked to be close unless something big turned the tide one way or the other. Well, that something happened in dramatic fashion as a ball intended for Courtney Hawkins, got tipped high in the air before being snagged by LB Hardy Nickerson, surrounded by 3 Wrangler linemen, Nickerson appeared to be headed to the ground when he suddenly tossed the ball back to an approaching Carnell Lake. The pitch surprised the Wranglers, who were still stunned by the initial pick, and Lake had open ground to the endzone. That play, dramatic and energizing for the crowd, turned the tide of the entire game. On their next possession the Panthers would increase the lead to 21-10 on a Marcus Allen 9-yard run. Then, after a Daluiso field goal to open the 3rd quarter, Michigan scored twice more against the now shellshocked Wranglers. Montana hit Jeff Campbell for a score to close out the 3rd, and then, only 4 minutes later, found Bobby Joe Edmunds for another. It was 38-10 and while the fat lady was not singing right away, she was certainly tuning up her vocal cords. Arizona finally responded with a late Terry Orr TD, but it was much too little and much too late as Michigan relished a home playoff victory and prepared for their next task, a short hop over to the Windy City to face their familiar rival, Chicago, the surprise #1 seed in the Western Conference at 9-6-1. TEXAS—While the Outlaws are just now gearing up their search for a head coach, they have taken a big step towards redefining their team as the club has signed former Dallas Cowboy and Arizona Cardinal Player Personnel staffer Bob Ackles to be their new GM and Director of Player Personnel. It is expected that Ackles will be guiding Texas through the player retention, resigning, expansion draft and collegiate draft processes. Ackles is considered a strong up and coming roster-builder who will very likely be managing not only the player-focused tasks, but could take on a larger role, as GM, including being a key voice in the search for a head coach. Does this mean that Texas has a plan in mind, or are they looking at Ackles as a driving force to determine their direction going forward? That is the big question. TAMPA BAY—One team not wasting any time are the Tampa Bay Bandits. As many teams have begun to do, Tampa has been actively resigning players in the last year of their contract, recognizing that creating long term deals not only helps solidify the roster in a year when most teams expect significant losses due to the expansion draft, but may also shelter some players from being selected in that draft due to the length and compensation levels of the new contract. The theory is that the 4 expansion clubs may move away from players who have 3-4 years on a new contract in favor of those with 1-2 years or a lower salary range, as they build an entire 53 man roster. Not happy with just using contracts to solidify the roster, Tampa is now the first club to actively trade away a starting player for draft picks as a way to offset anticipated roster losses. This week they completed a trade to the expansion Atlanta Fire, sending DE Mike Mraz to the Fire and receiving Atlanta’s 4th round picks for the next two years. Mraz becomes the first official rostered player on any of the expansion clubs, though we anticipate that all 4 expansion clubs will be actively scouring NFL and CFL rosters and free agent pools for talent in the upcoming weeks. For Tampa, the addition of 2 draft picks for Mraz means that they will have greater opportunity to rebuild from the anticipated losses within the expansion draft. This strategy is one which we expect several clubs to look into, assuming that others, particularly the 4 expansion clubs, will value veterans in trades more than mid-round, or even early round draft picks in the collegiate draft. PORTLAND—The Thunder are wasting no time in their coaching search. Just days after releasing Dennis Erickson from his position, the team has started bringing in candidate, and there is a definite flavor developing. Two potential hires, both known as defensive gurus, were in town this week. The first was former Memphis Showboats head coach and Philly Stars DC Vince Tobin on Thursday. Yesterday it was former Stallions DC and Head Coach Carl Reese. Expect the Thunder to stick with the defensive emphasis, as their failures as a franchise have always been on the defensive side of the ball, especially run defense. What this means for the offensive stars like Jack Trudeau and Robert Drummond remains to be seen, but clearly the club needs to do something about their inability to slow down their opposition and hiring a respected defensive mind to lead the club seems a good first step in that direction. UNIFORM NEWS—We have the second wave, and we anticipate, the final 3, alternate uniforms revealed for the 1995 season. After Baltimore and Washington revealed retro looks and Tampa Bay introduced their “Black Rider” helmets and jerseys, we were told that these were not the final alt unis to be expected and this week the Arizona Wranglers, St. Louis Knights, and Pittsburgh Maulers all revealed an alt look for next year. Arizona joins the retro trend, going back to their first season, before they made red their dominant color and added flames to their pants. The 1983 look will feature a blue facemask, a white jersey with blue numbers and a wide blue sleeve stripe with thin red and yellow stripes beneath it, and instead of their flame-emblazoned copper pants, they will wear replicas of the yellow pants with single blue stripe from that inaugural season. Pittsburgh and St. Louis went with a color swap theme, similar to Tampa’s. St. Louis, as with Tampa, revealed a black dominant look, complete with a black helmet, jersey, and pants. The shift of helmet color also meant a recoloring of the team’s logo, so now the knight chesspiece is white rather than black & purple, giving the outfit its “White Knight” moniker. Pittsburgh is opting to embrace the “Steel City” emphasis of the city by swapping out the purple helmet and jersey for steel gray versions of both. This will allow them to wear grey over grey with helmet, jersey and pants. Just pray they don’t wear this combo on a cold, grey, rainy day in March because the contrast with the white visitor’s uni may not play well on TV. OK, back to playoff football. Four huge games this week as each Wildcard winner now gets to take a shot at the conference’s #1 seed and each #3 seed travels to the other division winner and #2 club. Some interesting intra-divisional matchups of clubs very familiar with each other highlight the Western Conference games, while in both Eastern Conference games it is Atlantic v. Southern clubs. DENVER GOLD (9-7) @ OAKLAND INVADERS (9-7) 3:30pm ET, Saturday, July 16 Oakland-Alameda Stadium Two balanced clubs, each able to knock off anyone on their best day and equally able to fall flat on their worst. The difference here may be all about the quarterbacks. While Denver wavered between veteran Dave Krieg and youngster Mark Brunell all season, Oakland saw the fruition of their signing of former Panther hero Bobby Hebert as the Cajun Cannon had a stellar year, competing with Brett Favre of Birmingham for possible MVP honors. Denver has the better defense, and they will need it on the road and facing Hebert, Stacy, and Ellard, so don’t expect a shootout, but we still think Oakland has the edge here because they too can play effective defense but have more options on offense. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (9-7) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (11-5) 8:00pm ET, Saturday, July 16 Veterans Stadium Will either of these teams score on Saturday? That is the big question. We have two clubs with outstanding defenses on display. This could be a 6-3 snoozefest for those who love offense, or a brutal war of attrition for those who love old school defensive domination. Two players will likely determine who comes out on top. For Memphis it is all about Greg Boone. If the veteran HB can find space and break off a few good early runs, it will open up the passing game and force Philadelphia to defend both options. For the Stars, it is Chuck Long. He has no playoff experience, and while his numbers this year were good, the pressure from Santana Dotson and league sack champion Reggie White will test his mettle. If he can remain cool under pressure, the Stars have some offensive weapons to use against Memphis’s secondary. Expect double coverage on Cris Carter, which means TE Eric Green and slot receiver Ernie Jones might find room in the middle of the field if Long can stay vertical. We like the #1 seed in this one. They have been playing excellent complementary football for weeks. PITTSBURGH MAULERS (11-5) @ BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (11-5) 1pm ET, Sunday, July 17 Legion Field Pittsburgh brings a good balance of O and D to this one, and has the potential to hang with Birmingham even if the game is a shootout. Mike Rozier will have a huge role, but we are looking at the combo of Louis Lipps and Raynard Brown as the key to the Mauler offense. If they can exploit the Stallion defense, the Maulers can surprise the Birmingham crowd. Of course, while we think about how Pittsburgh might win, we also recognize that Birmingham are heavy favorites. After a slow 0-2 start to the year, the Stallions have turned it on and Brett Favre had another superstar year. The Stallions will test the Mauler secondary early and often in this one, and we suspect that at the end of the day they will find a way to win the battle of steel cities. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (8-8) @ CHICAGO MACHINE (9-6-1) 4:30pm ET, Sunday, July 17 Soldier Field The fact that Vegas has this as only a 2-point advantage for Chicago can mean one of two things. Either there is a lot of faith that the showing the Panthers put on last week reveals a playoff ready club, or there is still a lot of skepticism about Chicago being the #1 seed. Probably a little of both are true, because no one expected the Machine to get to this point, especially not without Bernie Kosar, and many did expect a revival in Michigan when Montana and Marcus Allen were signed. In our bullpen, we like the grit and spirit that Marty Schottenheimer has developed with this Chicago club. We also think that he will have some surprises in place for the Panthers. We are leaning towards a Chicago win here.

USA Today, July 8, 1994 It came down to the wire, but these ten franchises have made it to the second season, the USFL playoffs. Now it is survive and advance. Six teams will not advance past the divisional rounds, and only two will survive to play in the 1994 Summer Bowl. Will it be a repeat for the Birmingham Stallions, or will defense prevail with top defensive squads Arizona, Denver, Memphis and Philadelphia all in the field? Will Joe Montana’s playoff experience lead Michigan beyond its wildest hopes? Can Oakland get more magic from 2-time USFL Champion Bobby Hebert? So many possibilities. So many chances to make history. But only one club will raise high the USFL Championship Trophy when it is all said and done. Who will it be? ARIZONA WRANGLERS (8-8) #5 in the West STARS: LB Broderick Thomas, DE Charles Haley, WR Trumaine Johnson, LB Bill Romanowski STRENGTHS: The strength of the Wranglers is their front 7, with Thomas, Romanowski, Noga, and Haley. The Wranglers were the #3 scoring defense in the league and can bring pressure on QBs from multiple directions. WEAKNESSES: The entire offense. Arizona edged into the playoffs despite being the lowest scoring club in the league. The running duo of Lester and Lionel James can be effective when offset by an efficient passing game, but too often this year neither aspect of the offense has been in rhythm. OUTLOOK: Arizona played .500 football all season, and they lost to the last 3 playoff teams they faced. A win on the road, even against another 8-8 club will be difficult, especially if Bosco & Co. cannot keep pace with a much more dynamic Michigan offense. NEW JERSEY (9-7) #5 in the East STARS: QB Doug Flutie, HB Herschel Walker, WR Lam Jones, DE Phil Hansen, FS John White STRENGTHS: Despite having big names on offense, the Generals real strength is their D, which was 4th in the league in scoring defense and forced 43 turnovers, giving them a +17 TO margin, third best in the league. FS John White came into the forefront this year with 8 interceptions, but this is true team defense with solid players at every level. WEAKNESSES: Consistency on offense. Sam Wyche’s pass-first offense has helped Doug Flutie reach career highs over the past 2 years, but it also tends to run hot and cold. If they are hot, the combo of Flutie and Walker can be devastating, but when they are cold, they put a lot of pressure on the D to survive. OUTLOOK: In Memphis, New Jersey faces a club with an equally flawed offense and an equally tough D. This is a balanced game, so it all comes down to offensive execution. Doug Flutie’s mobility may just be the edge over a more traditional QB in Memphis’s Mike Kelley. MICHIGAN (8-8) #4 in the West STARS: QB Joe Montana, HB Marcus Allen, WR Weegie Thompson, DE Jim Reynosa, CB Keith Bostic STRENGTHS: Experience. There are a lot of veterans on this team, one of the oldest in the league, and bringing in proven winners in NFL legends Joe Montana and Marcus Allen means that playoff jitters should simply not be a factor. WEAKNESSES: Pass defense. Despite a solid season from both Reynosa, rushing the passer, and Bostic (6 Interceptions), the Michigan defense has struggled against more effective passing games. Fortunately the O has been 2nd only to Birmingham in scoring, so they have been able to outgun opponents, but 8-8 is a sign that the team is not consistent enough to make a deep run. OUTLOOK: You know Joe Cool will not be overwhelmed by his first USFL playoff, and for a club whose biggest flaw is pass defense, going up against the weak pass offense of Arizona in the first round is certainly a gift. The surprise home field placement as the #4 seed for the Wild Card game certainly favors Michigan as well. Beyond that, heading to Chicago the following week could be a challenge, but the Panthers know the Machine well, so it may be another opportunity for Joe Montana to show his stuff. MEMPHIS (9-7) #4 in the East STARS: HB Greg Boone, WR Jo-Jo Townsell, DE Reggie White, CB Deon Figures, SS Bennie Blades STRENGTHS: This defense can bring pressure and capitalize on it. With a solid secondary and the brutal combo of White and Dotson bringing heat, it is no surprise that Memphis is Top 5 in yards against, and a solid +8 in turnover margin. WEAKNESSES: Scoring offense. Sounds weird to make that distinction, but Memphis is Top 5 in yards per game, but only 14th in scoring. For all the risks Coach Ryan takes on defense, he seems more than happy to live with fieldgoals instead of risking more to get that 4th down or even taking deep shots. Memphis wins when the defense holds teams below 20, because they rarely score over 24 points themselves. OUTLOOK: Facing New Jersey in the Wild Card round, Memphis will have to contain Flutie and force him to face the pass rush and throw into that secondary. If they are successful at that, then they have to generate enough points to edge the Generals. They can do that, especially if Greg Boone can get some open lanes. We like Memphis to win and then head to Philly to face an even tougher defense than their own. DENVER (9-7) #3 in the West STARS: HB Natrone Means, HB Timmy Smith, DE Leslie O’Neill, LB Kurt Gouveia STRENGTHS: Denver, as usual, is a team with few big name players, but what they lack in star quality they make up for in grit and solid team defense. Denver finished first in the league in scoring D and 2nd in yardage allowed. They are simply tough to score against, and that helps them grind out wins, especially at home. Starting the playoffs on the road at Birmingham will be a huge test though. WEAKNESSES: Explosiveness. The Gold don’t have it. They rely on short fields and extended drives to put points on the board. That means the defense has to have answers for Bobby Hebert and the Invaders because if they cannot contain Oakland with the D, this offense will not be able to keep up. OUTLOOK: Denver is fortunate to have a well-known foe in the first round. They split their series with the Invaders this year, but we bet they wish they were playing at Mile High, where they always seem to get results. In Oakland they will have to be at their best to get past an experienced Invader club. PITTSBURGH (11-5) #3 in the East STARS: QB Alan Risher, HB Mike Rozier, WR Louis Lipps, LB Erik Kumerow, LB Godfrey Miles, LB Demetrius DuBose STRENGTHS: This is a very balanced team. They are 5th in both scoring and points allowed, which means they can play with you in a shootout or they can shut you down. Only a tie breaker kept them from being the #1 seed in the Conference, so this is a team with a lot of upside. WEAKNESSES: What is the phrase? Jack of all trades, master of none. If the best of Pittsburgh’s O and D strengths show up, they can dominate, but all too often one phase has to carry the other. If the matchup is not right when that happens they can lose badly to a team who has a dominant squad on either offense or defense. They face off against Birmingham in the divisional round so they need both their D and their offense to show up big. OUTLOOK: Had Philly, not Birmingham been the #2 seed, we would give the Maulers a much better shot at winning a close one. As good as their D has been all year, they will have to bring it up another notch to match the offensive firepower of Birmingham. OAKLAND (9-7) #2 in the West STARS: QB Bobby Hebert, HB Siran Stacy, WR Henry Ellard, CB Aeneas Williams, LB Ken Harvey STRENGTHS: Oakland’s offense has really taken advantage of another year with Bobby Hebert. He has improved dramatically over 1993, and is a valid MVP candidate. Henry Ellard is torching defenses and with balance provided by Siran Stacy, the Invaders could challenge even the Stallions in scoring. WEAKNESSES: While the defense has had its moments, it is not consistent enough, finishing 10th of 20 clubs in scoring defense. Aeneas Williams with 116 tackles and only 3 picks is making plays on receivers after they catch the ball, not plays on the ball before it is caught. The D-line is not getting enough pressure on QB’s either. OUTLOOK: Oakland faces Denver, which means they don’t really have to worry about a shootout. What they need to worry about is getting stuck in a game in the teens, one settled by a field goal. If Hebert can find time to throw, Oakland could take this game easily, but he has to be able to find holes in the Wade Phillips defense. BIRMINGHAM (11-5) #2 in the East STARS: QB Brett Favre, WR Ernest Givens, TE Shannon Sharpe, WR Lawrence Dawsey STRENGTHS: Do we have to say it? This team just scores points. We all expect Favre to light it up each week, and we tend to underestimate how effective the draws and inside runs of James Joseph and Brent Fullwood can be because neither back is an eye-popping speedster. But don’t doubt for a second that the Stallions will win with offense. WEAKNESSES: The defense seems too content to just draw out drives and allow eventual scores, confident that the offense will outpace any opponent. 14th in yards allowed, Birmingham is susceptible to a club that can slow their offense down and which can turn long drives into 6 points instead of 3. OUTLOOK: Pittsburgh is a tricky first opponent. Unless Birmingham can force the Maulers into field goals instead of TD’s , they could hang with the Stallions. And if Brett Favre feels pressured to play hero ball, we know he can get a bit careless with the ball. That would mean a quick exit. Do we expect that? No. is it inconceivable? Also no. CHICAGO (9-6-1) #1 in the West STARS: HB Ricky Watters, WR Reggie Langhorne, TE Wessley Walls, CB Eric Thomas, LB Darryl Talley STRENGTHS: Cohesiveness. You see the list above. Not exactly a star-studded, big name club. Chicago surprised everyone by ending up the year not only as Central Division Champs but the #1 seed as well. They did it by playing with a team concept and believing in their talent. Coach Schottenheimer has groomed Scott Zolak into a quality starter in the absence of Bernie Kosar, and the club finds ways to win. WEAKNESSES: Dominance is not a word you think of with the Chicago Machine. Whenever they win you often leave the game scratching your head. How did they pull that out? This is a club that does not excel in any one area, they just work hard and rarely hurt themselves. Is that enough in the postseason? OUTLOOK: Everyone expected this to be Houston, not Chicago. But, playing at home for the entire postseason, and playing somewhat safe, and somewhat mistake-free has been a formula that can work for the Machine, especially in a Western Conference that simply does not have a dominant team this year. We would not be surprised to see Chicago win their 2 games and find themselves in Birmingham for Summer Bowl ’94, but we expect that if they do, people will wonder how that happened. PHILADELPHIA (11-5) #1 in the East STARS: HB Kelvin Bryant, WR Cris Carter, DE William Fuller, STRENGTHS: Defense, Defense, Defense. Yes, the offense has been adequate (11th in scoring) but this Stars defense has been a revelation. No one expected them to be this good this fast after am 8-8 season a year ago. Coach Berry was thought to be an offensive-minded guy, and he is helping Chuck Long play his best ball, but it is the work of D-Coordinator Dick LeBeau that is turning heads, and winning games for the Stars. WEAKNESSES: Philly has talent on offense but not the kind that will throw 35 points on the board in a half. Kelvin Bryant is still a solid back, but seems more defensible this season. Chuck Long has played well, but can still be forced into some bad decisions, and Cris Carter, for all his amazing sideline grabs, is not going to blow the top off a defense. OUTLOOK: The Stars will go as far as their defense allows. That could be really far. We are all hoping for a Philly-Birmingham Conference Championship, because it is the perfect immovable object vs. unstoppable force game. If Philly can win that matchup, they can win it all. OUR PREDICTION: We still like Birmingham to repeat. Who they will face is a tough call, and while we love the story of the Chicago Machine, we think we like the idea of Bobby Hebert vs. Brett Favre better. We are going to take Birmingham over Oakland 42-38 in a fireworks show of a game in Legion Field.

Four weeks ago it would have been unthinkable, Houston was atop the conference and seemed ready for another deep playoff run. Michigan was in the basement of the division and struggling to string together good games. What a difference a month makes!! The Gamblers collapse was quick and shocking, the Panthers rise was equally surprising. what happens now is anyone's guess, but the message is clear, do not count anyone out, not yet, not until the games are played. While the most entertaining game of the week was Orlando’s epic comeback against St. Louis, we just could not get ourselves to name the game between the two worst teams in the league the final GOTW of the year, so we chose instead a game with a lot of playoff implications, Philadelphia hosting Baltimore. The Blitz needed the win to have a chance at 9-7 and a Wild Card. Philadelphia needed to win to hold off Pittsburgh and claim their first division crown since 1988 and the departure of Coach Mora. The game between these two teams separated by only 101 miles started off slowly, as both defenses ratcheted up the intensity for the final week of the year. Chris Miller completed only 1 of his first five passes, and Chuck Long fared little better, completing 2 of 6 to start the game. Baltimore would get the first score as they took advantage of a 35 yard Anthony Miller punt return to get into range for Luis Zendejas. The first quarter ended with only that 3-pointer on the scoreboard. But in the second quarter both clubs started to see their offenses find some room. Philadelphia was the first to get their legs under them, despite Baltimore shutting down Kelvin Bryant (He would finish the game with a 1.9 yard average). Chuck Long hit Cris Carter on a tightrope sideline pass and Carter would fall into the endzone to put the Stars up 7-3. Baltimore got another big play from Miller, as Chris hit Anthony for a go-ahead TD with 1:21 left in the half. Baltimore took a lead into the half in front of a loud and raucous 45,670 at Veterans Stadium. The second half saw Baltimore increase their lead with 2 more Zendejas field goals in the third quarter. The Blitz defense was giving up yards to Chuck Long, but not breaking down, leading to 3 consecutive fruitless drives for the Stars. But, the 4th quarter would prove to belong to the Stars. Long connected with Carter, Phelan and Eric Green on a long drive to open the final period, and on 2nd and goal, he hit Kelvin Bryant with a short pass and let the big man rumble over the safety to pull the Stars to within 16-14. Seven minutes later another long drive would end with Bryant plunging off-tackle for the go-ahead score. Baltimore had no answer and a jubilant crowd celebrated the rebirth of not only their home town team, but of their team as the best in the East as Philadelphia clinched both the Atlantic Division and the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference at 11-5. Baltimore would finish at 8-8, their best record in 6 years, a far cry from the team that went 0-16, but still a step away from their goal of playoff football. WSH 13 NJ 23 More playoff drama as both Washington and New Jersey knew that a win would propel them to the playoffs. At the last minute New Jersey realized that Flutie was not ready to return, so it would be Oliver Luck vs. Mike Hohensee, a season-ending battle that few in the Meadowlands wanted to be their lineup for the key game. But, Luck did enough, avoiding turnovers and finding Lam Jones for a TD, while the defense limited Hohensee and the Federals to 13 points to assure the Generals of the Wild Card spot. BIR 35 MEM 10 The worst thing for Memphis was to go into this game with Birmingham angry about a loss to Denver last week and needing a win for any chance at home field advantage. The result, a Stallions rout, with Brett Favre earning Offensive POTW for his 352 yards and 5 TDs. Mike Kelley tried to compete, but forced the ball, leading to 2 picks and 40.4 QBR for the day. Birmingham finished 11-5 but still the #2 seed behind Philly. Memphis, despite the loss, would earn the #4 seed and a home game next week. TBY 43 JAX 10 The Bandits, eager to reach .500 under Coach Glanville flashed a lot of potential this year, and brought all of it to this game against a clearly deflated Bulls squad. Tampa scored on their first 4 possessions, taking a 16-7 lead. They would also score on their final 4 possessions as they rout the Bulls in the Gator Bowl. HOU 10 CHI 36 Houston’s season-ending 4-game swoon came to a crashing end as the Gamblers were outclassed by the Machine at every turn. Early TD’s from Matthews and Watters put Houston in a hole and they simply were unable to keep pace on a day when Kelly threw only 1 score and 1 pick. Scott Zolak looked more the former Champion, throwing for 3 scores against a mismatched Houston D. Houston, the preseason favorite to represent the West in the Summer Bowl, fell all the way out of the playoffs and Chicago claimed their first Division Crown since coming into the league in 1987. NOR 21 MGN 27 New Orleans came into the game already eliminated, Michigan had only slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs at 8-8 with a win, but those hopes were enough to fuel the Panthers to a win. Joe Montana completed nearly 80% of his passes and Marcus Allen scored 2 more rushing TDs to win the league scoring title. The final result, all the breaks they needed went their way and not only did Michigan qualify for the postseason, but, as the #4 seed, they get to host the Wild Card game next week. ARZ 3 DEN 24 Hunger was the difference in this matchup of Pacific Division rivals. Denver had it, Arizona did not. The Gold scored 17 points in the 2nd quarter and led by 14 at the half. That was all they needed as their underrated defense dominated the Wranglers, limiting their run game to 45 total yards. The win propelled Denver to the #3 seed and a bye, while Arizona fell to #5 and a road game next week. POR 29 OAK 27 Proving that sometimes clinching the division too early can lead to complacency, Oakland lost their second straight since locking up the Pacific. Despite playing their starters, the Invaders fell behind and were unable to convert a 2-point PAT to tie the game when the result was on the line. For their part the Thunder played hard, with Jack Trudeau exposing issues in the Oakland secondary for 401 yards and 3 scores. Siran Stacy had 124 yards in a losing effort for Oakland, who now get a week to rest before hosting a Divisional Round game. TEX 17 PIT 27 Say if you will that Pittsburgh was just the better team, but you will not be able to quiet the rumblings in San Antonio after the Outlaws once again failed to reach the playoffs and once again fell apart at the end of the season. For what seems the umpteenth time, the Outlaws ended the year on a losing streak, turning playoff position into a missed opportunity. Losing 5 of their last 7 over the 2nd half of the season led to a predictable result, as we will discuss later on in this report. STL 31 ORL 34 The Renegades win, but, of course, lose by winning. Thanks to 3 TD's from Craig Erickson, and a combined 124 yards rushing from Hilliard and Fowler, the Renegades came back from 31-14 down and defeated the St. Louis Knights to finish the season at 4-12, but in so doing they lost the #1 draft pick to St. Louis. The Knights got their best performance from Jim Miller, 23 of 33 for 254 and 3 scores, but lost the battle, and by doing so, perhaps won the war. An angry and highly motivated Brett Favre is exactly what the other clubs in the league did not need to see as the surviving 10 teams prepare for the postseaon, but that is what we saw this week. Favre shredded a very good Memphis defense, and was able to sit out a good part of the 4th quarter after throwing 5 TD’s and blowing the Showboats out of the game early. He hit 3 different receivers for scores, and linked up with Ernest Givens 8 times for 160 yard and 2 scores. That is a bad signal for anyone who has to face Birmingham this offseason. Coach Erhardt again looks to have his team ready to go for the post-season, and if Favre plays like this any defense, even the league leading Philly D, will have their hands full. You know the basics by now. The final 4 spots have gone to Memphis, New Jersey, Denver, and, quite surprisingly, Michigan. Philadelphia and Chicago are equally surprisingly division champs, though anyone who watched both clubs this year quickly realized that preseason doubters were way off base. So what is next? Two interesting Wild Card games. NEW JERSEY @ MEMPHIS: Saturday, July 9 @ 7pm ET in the Liberty Bowl It is a battle of two teams with solid scoring defenses (NJ 4th, Memphis 8th) and quality running games. A lot will depend on if Doug Flutie will return. He was expected to start this week, but was pulled over concerns that he was not at 100%. If he is in the game, New Jersey’s offense is much more dangerous, as Flutie possesses the elusivity needed to avoid the Memphis pass rush. The two teams met in midseason and Memphis won by 10, 24-14, and the Showboats have home field here, so expect a rowdy Mid-South crowd. We like the chances of the Showboats, especially with the strong games Greg Boone has been having. ARIZONA @ MICHIGAN: Sunday, July 10 @ 3pm ET in the Pontiac Silverdome The Wranglers still seem shellshocked that they fell from #3 to #5 with one loss, and they will have to play their best ball in a hostile environment as Coach Holtz and the arrival of Marcus Allen and Joe Montana have fans in Michigan believing that they are a lot better than their 8-8 record shows. The Panthers bring in the 2nd best scoring offense, with Allen being the scoring leader among backs. Arizona boasts the 3rd best scoring defense (behind Denver & Philly) but their offense has been erratic at best. Despite finishing the year 8-8 and in the playoffs, Arizona has scored the fewest points in the league, being the only club not to reach 300 points this season. That should scare Arizona, and raise the spirits of the Michigan D, which has been a bit unpredictable this year. We like the Panthers to pull this one out as they have a lot of playoff experience in 4-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana. The predictable has become the predicted as 4 clubs cut loose their head coaches on Black Monday. Two were known for weeks as St. Louis was not shy about the eminent departure of Jack Elway and Portland had all but confirmed that Dennis Erickson would not be back. The other two were not surprises, but were the result, in both cases, of late season swoons that took .500 clubs and once again led to their removal from playoff contention. In Texas another late season collapse was one too many for Gene Stallings. Stallings leaves the Outlaws with an overall record of 32-31-1, not horrible, but the tendency for solid Outlaw squads to collapse in the final quarter of the season has led to 3 straight losing seasons. For Galen Hall, early success became hard to sustain and even a Wild Card win in 1993 was not enough after another mediocre year. Hall leaves the Bulls with a 47-49 record, and a 1-2 playoff record in 6 years as the Bulls leader. And so now, with 4 new teams entering the league, player allocation for the expansion draft on the horizon, and a lot of offseason movement expected, the Thunder, Knights, Bulls and Outlaws will also have to contend with hiring a new leader to mold, motivate and manage their teams. Let the mayhem begin. For this week’s report, let’s focus on the 4 teams that will face off next week. As we said, most expected Doug Flutie to play Week 16. The fact that he did not at such a crucial time certainly indicates that his situation may still be in flux. But, despite these concerns, Flutie does not appear on Wednesday’s injury report. New Jersey listed 4 players, including the known situation of LT William Israel, who likely won’t return until the Conference Championships. Dino Hacket, Jaime Fields, and Oliver Luck all appear as Probable, so the Generals, if Flutie can start, look to be in pretty good shape. Memphis is also in good shape, though the fact that their 2 players on the injury list are both at the CB position may be making Lam Jones and Irving Fryar lick their lips. Deon Figures is listed as probable, and likely will get the start. Otis Smith, the Memphis nickel back, may be more of a concern as he is listed as questionable. The Panthers are going to have to put even more weight on the shoulders of Marcus Allen as it seems they will be without two of their top receivers for the game this week. Weegie Thompson could miss up to 3 weeks with a neck injury and Johny Holloway is also out with a collarbone fracture. Add to that a hamstring issue for RG Rick Cunningham and the Panthers may need some magic from Allen to overcome the Wranglers. Arizona comes into the game with only 2 players on the injured list, but both are big losses. Center Woodrow McKinnon and veteran wideout Trumaine Johnson are both listed as “Out” this week, hampering an Arizona offense that had issues all year even with these two cogs. If the Wranglers can scrap out a win, it may well be due to their defense as these two losses could derail any offensive plans the Wranglers might have. You know what is on tap this week. In our next report we will give you the full USFL Playoff Preview, looking not only at the 4 teams that will clash this weekend, but all 10 teams fighting for a shot at the title and this year’s Summer Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham. Will the Stallions ride their way to a home game for the Summer Bowl? Can Philadelphia use their shut down D to regain their glory? Is there a team from the West who can compete with the two Eastern powerhouses? All this will be discussed in our playoff preview edition, along with updates on coaching searches in Jacksonville, Texas, Portland, and St. Louis.

PLAYOFF SEEDS: EAST: 1-PHI 2-BIR 3-PIT 4-MEM 5-NJ WEST: 1-OAK 2-CHI 3-DEN 4-MGN 5-ARZ

What a wild week we all just witnessed. The two conference leaders, just one week after clinching their divisions, both fall. Houston loses their third in a row, moving Chicago into first in the Central, St. Louis gets a win against a playoff calibre team, and 4 more teams clinch playoff spots after a crazy week of action. The Machine knew that they needed a win in the Big Easy to stay within range of a fading Houston Gambler squad. The Breakers new that only a win could keep them from playoff elimination. Both clubs came out swinging, but in the end it was Coach Schottenheimer’s plucky Chicago club that got the job done and now the Machine find themselves in first place with a huge showdown with the Gamblers next week. Chicago got it done by combining a short passing game with red zone runs, as Watters and Mario Bates combined for 3 scores on the ground despite only gaining 60 total rushing yards on the day. New Orleans had their run game working much better, with Marcus Dupree rushing for an even 100 yards and erric Pegram adding another 44 to the Breakers total, but unlike Chicago, the New Orleans run game was unable to convert yardage into scores, at least not enough scores. New Orleans opened the scoring as Timm Rosenbach found Herman Fontenot for a 14-yard TD on their first drive. Seven minutes later a 5 yard scamper from Bates equalized the scoreboard. New Orleans responded with the only score of the 2nd quarter, a 36-yard Mazzetti field goal. In the third Chicago took its first lead of the day as this time it was Ricky Watters powering in from 10 yards out. Chicago doubled up with the first score of the final period, again Bates getting the ball over the goalline and the Machine took a 21-10 lead. But, New Orleans, which had found it tough to score all day, broke into the endzone thanks to the legs of Marcus Dupree. They went for 2 and got it, now trailing only by 3 at 21-18. On their next drive, a controversial defensive pass interference call helped the Breakers get into the red zone before their offense fizzled. They settled for the game-tying score with 2:22 left to play. That 142 second gap between the Breaker score and the final whistle proved to be too long as Scott Zolak, who has made the most of his chance to start for the injured Bernie Kosar this season, led a furious 2-minute drill. Not willing to settle for 3 and leave New Orleans a full minute to equalize, the Machine went for it on 4th and 1 at the New Orleans 22. They got the conversion as Watters jumped the pile for just enough. 3 plays later, it was Aubrey Matthews catching a quick slant from Zolak and bouncing off the tackle attempt by SS Jessie Blount. Chicago had broken open the tie and taken the win. The loss for New Orleans moved them to 6-9 and mathematically eliminated them from the playoffs, and an upset Mike Ditka fumed during the post-game press conference. But, for Chicago, the win, combined with a Houston’s recent slide, now puts the Machine in the driver’s seat. A win, or another tie against Houston next week and it could be the Machine’s first ever Central Division title, and all in a season where Bernie Kosar was out for the entire year. HOU 23 BAL 33 Houston came into Baltimore with hopes of snapping their 2-game losing streak, but the Blitz had their own agenda. Picking off Kelly twice, including a pick-6 by Leslie Frazier, and sacking Kelly 6 times, including a safety in the 2nd quarter, helped Baltimore knock off the Western Conference Champs and move their own record to 8-7, still very much alive in the playoff hunt. DEN 34 BIR 17 Another shocker as Denver came into Legion Field and manhandled the Stallions. The Gold sacked Favre 5 times and forced 2 interceptions as the Southern Division Champs seem to have lost the fire that helped them win 6 in a row to take the division crown. QB Mark Brunell only threw for 141 on 12 of 23 passing, but he also scrambled 4 times for 44 yards, showing a bit of a dual threat to the Stallions. Timmy Smith added 2 scores and the Blitz find themselves now with a huge game next week against Philly, who may rest some starters, but likely not many as they need a win to hold off Pittsburgh. PHI 27 NJ 15 The Stars clinched a playoff berth (but not the division) with a convincing win over their arch rivals from New Jersey. Cris Carter, Kelvin Bryant and Charlie Garner all scored, and the Philly D held New Jersey to only 5 Roger Ruzek field goals as the Generals simply could not punch it in when they got close. New Jersey is still in the mix at 8-7, but cannot afford a week 16 loss. WSH 18 PIT 23 Washington is another 8-7 club that has to play its best next week after losing to the Maulers in Three Rivers Stadium. The Feds held Mike Rozier in check (27 yards on 14 carries). But made too many mistakes, including 4 turnovers, which helped the Maulers take control of the game. Alan Risher hit Raynard Brown for a score and Kyle Kramer scooped up a Barry Word fumble and returned it for a score as the Maulers stay tied with Philadelphia atop the Division. MEM 30 JAX 14 Memphis helped their playoff chances immensely and all but eliminated the Bulls with a resounding road win in the Gator Bowl. Greg Boone again ran strong, gaining 103 yards on 23 tough carries. It was Tommy Agie who benefited, scoring on two short runs, and Jo-Jo Townsell put the icing on the cake with a short TD reception for the Showboats, who face Birmingham next week with a chance to match the Stallions’ record, but fully knowing that they can at best be a Wild Card due to tiebreakers. TBY 30 ORL 17 The Bandits improved their record to 7-8, but have slim hopes of making the playoffs due to the sheer number of 8-7 clubs ahead of them. Erric Rhett rushed for 103 and a score to power the Bandit offense, and the defense held Orlando to only 78 yards rushing in the road victory. Orlando will finish the season against St. Louis in a game that could determine draft order in this expansion season. MGN 27 TEX 20 Following the Panther win, both clubs sit at 7-8 and on playoff life support, needing a lot of help from other games next week to sneak into the postseason. Michigan got a strong game from veteran Marcus Allen, who rushed for 119 and 2 scores to power the Panther offense. Glen Carano threw for 2 scores, but only completed 46.8% of his passes, leading to a lot of missed conversions on 3rd down. POR 14 ARZ 31 By the time Arizona played late on Sunday afternoon, they knew that a win would clinch a playoff spot for the Wranglers. They played like it was a playoff game, with Robbie Bosco completing 72.2% of his passes and the combo of Lester and James rushing for 150 yards and 2 scores against the hapless Thunder defense. Portland locked up a 10-loss season, and by all accounts ensured the departure of Dennis Erickson as Head Coach. OAK 10 STL 24 Oakland, having clinched the Pacific Division the week before, came out flat against St. Louis, and the Knights pounced on the opportunity to earn a bit of respect. David Archer had his best game of the year, named Offensive POTW, after throwing 3 TD’s and completing 27 of 39 on the day. The Knights blitzed early and often, throwing Hebert from his game and sacking the MVP candidate a season-high 6 times in the upset win. Denver came into this week with perhaps the toughest task of any team. To remain alive for the playoffs they needed to travel to Birmingham and knock off perhaps the hottest and the best team in the league, the defending USFL Champions. They did just that with a ferocious defensive pressure strategy, and the leader of that defense was veteran LB Kurt Gouveia. Not only did Gouveia lead the Gold in tackles (9) but he also opened up the 2nd half with a pick of Favre run back for 6, a score that gave Denver a shocking 24-7 lead. He would also add a force fumble, knocking the ball out of the hands of James Joseph, and a recovery, pouncing on a ball that DE Oliver Barnett swatted from the hands of Favre. After the game, Gouveia credited coach Wade Philips for the brilliant gameplan and his teammates for playing a swarming, hard hitting 60 minutes, but no one on the Denver defense this week deserves more credit than Gouveia, the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year, and still a force for the Gold. We got some clarity this week, with 4 more clubs clinching playoff spots thanks to the tiebreaker system. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both 10-5 have 2 games on the rest of their division and both will make the postseason, but neither can rest their players if they want to guarantee a home playoff game next week, and only 1 can be the division champ. The tiebreaker goes to Philadelphia, so Pittsburgh has to hope that Baltimore can pull off the upset next week against the Stars. In the West, Arizona and Chicago also earned playoff berths with their wins this week. Chicago can win the Central with a victory against Houston in the final week of the season, while Arizona is now playing to be the #3 seed and avoid a Wild Card Weekend matchup. Teams still on the outside but able to control their own destiny include 9-6 Memphis, and, among the 8-8 Eastern teams, 8-7 New Jersey is in a win-and-in situation. The same is true for both 7-7-1 Houston and 8-7 Denver. If Houston can beat Chicago next week and snap their 3-game losing streak, they will leap up to the #2 seed. Washington, Baltimore, Michigan and Texas are all mathematically alive, but need help to reach the postseason. With one week left, we are interested in the end of season awards, many of which seem too close to call. While it seems clear that Bobby Hebert could be the Comeback Player of the Year with the big season he has had, he is also a potential MVP, with Brett Favre being his main competition. Whoever loses out on MVP is very likely the Offensive POTY, as Houston’s losing streak has dropped Jim Kelly behind the top two. Looking at Defensive POTY, arguments can be made for Houston CB Ashley Ambrose, who leads the league in tackles (not a great thing for a CB usually) but is also in near the top of the league in interceptions, and has 2 defensive TDs this season. Also in the race are Baltimore’s Leslie Frazier (82 tackles, 7 interceptions and a whopping 4 defensive scores) and Dexter Manley, who has 15 sacks and 2 safeties for the Federals. Rookie of the year will likely come down to Errict Rhett, who needs an even 100 yards in Week 16 to gain 1,000, and Birmingham’s Aaron Glenn, who has 4 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles and can reach 100 tackles with 9 more in week 16. Finally, Coach of the Year could be a nail biter. There is a lot of support for Philadelphia’s Raymond Berry, but there is also a growing vote for Chicago’s Marty Schottenheimer, who has the Machine poised to win the division after losing Bernie Kosar for the year and playing most of the season with Scott Zolak at QB. Late season injuries are the bane of every team. Those playing out the string don’t want to jeopardize their contract negotiations, those on the bubble want to be at full strength in the final weeks, and those with playoff berths in hand do not want to see their strengths diminished right before the postseason, but the final weeks are like any other weeks and there are always game-impacting injuries. Perhaps the worst case this week is Oakland’s Ron Rivera, a leader on defense, who will miss the entire postseaston after breaking a bone in his ankle in a dogpile early in this week’s games. New Jersey is looking at a potential fracture to the collarbone of their LT, William Israel. Chicago will be without Wendell Davis at wideout after he suffered a groin injury this week, and Pittsburgh could be without FS pat Terrell for as many as 4 weeks with a hip injury. Scott Zolak suffered a late game injury to his non-throwing hand, but is expected to play the all important final game for the Machine, while Houston may be without Howard Ballard, who is listed as questionable for the season finale. New Jersey lost Oliver Luck late in their loss this week, but with Flutie expected to be in full health for the finale, it may not have an impact. Finally, Baltimore has made two key positions a possible game time decision, with TE Deems May and LB Barney Bussey listed as probable, but observers in practice saying that both had greatly reduced loads this week. You have to love Week 16 football, and this year, pretty much every playoff team has to play their starters because the divisions and the seeding is still up in the air in both conferences. Houston @ Chicago may be the biggest game of the week, as it is a direct head-to-head battle for the Central Division title, but do not count out how important the Baltimore-Philadelphia and Texas-Pittsburgh games are. A loss by the Stars and the Maulers can take over the division. Arizona and Denver have a big clash, though moreso for the Gold, who do not yet have their ticket to the postseason and have a win-and-in scenario. Memphis would love to earn a bye but they have to play the Stallions this week, who also need a win to potentially earn home field advantage. They too are hoping the Stars lose so they can regain their place as the #1 seed. In other games we have Tampa @ Jacksonville, New Orleans @ Michigan, and Washington @ New Jersey. The Bulls, Panthers, Feds and Generals all have playoff hopes still alive, so expect some fights in these games. And finally we have St. Louis @ Orlando. A win by either club guarantees the first pick of the draft to the other, so this will be a weird game to watch, but then again, with so many clubs fighting for their playoff lives, who is going to tune in to a battle of also-rans trying to get a draft pick? Not this fan.

Birmingham, Philadelphia, Pittsurgh, Oakland. Chicago, and Arizona are guaranteed playoff berths. Only Birmingham and Oakland have wrapped up their division titles. Orlando, St. Louis, Portland, and New Orleans are eliminated from contention.

Play until the final whistle. that is the message this week as once again late game comebacks shift the futures of several clubs. Two teams clinch their divisions and a playoff bye, and one club sees their playoff potential cut short with a late game collapse. All in the course of another intense week of USFL football. Never let up on the gas, and never assume a game is over until the whistle blows. Those are the hard lessons the Philadelphia Stars learned this week. Leading 28-10 with 4:11 left in the game, they and most of the 38,204 at the Alamo Dome both seemed to believe that the game was all but over. Glen Carano and Quinn Early thought differently, and that combo combined for 2 scores in the final 2 minutes to delight the Texas faithful in the dome, and to shock the Stars and their fans back in Philadelphia. The Game had been close throughout, with Texas taking a 14-7 lead into the half, thanks to Carano hitting Theo Young from 20 yards out and Eric Metcalf from 12 yards out. But Philadelphia roared back in the second half, getting 2 scores from Cris Carter and one from Ernie Jones to build up the seemingly game-winning 28 points as Texas had only gained 47 yards in the second half and only put up one long field goal. But, with 4:11 left in the game, Texas mounted a furious 2-minute drill (2 minutes earlier than usual) and with 1:41 on the clock they got what they needed, Carano to Early from 25 yards out to pull within 5 at 23-28. Their attempt for 2 failed, so they would need another touchdown. Rookie Chris Boniol, who still remains a potential darkhorse for Rookie of the Year, got them the break they needed, creating a perfect onside kick, recovered by Cory Sawyer at the Texas 47 yard line. 1:28 left, 1 time out, a backup QB and a need for 6. It took Carano 9 plays, all passes, to get Texas in the endzone, finding Metcalf and Early each 3 times on the drive. After Metcalf went out of bounds on the 5 with 12 seconds left, it was 4th and goal for the Outlaws. One chance to steal a game and save a season for Texas. Carano dropped back, was pursued by the Philly defense, but heaved a ball towards the back corner of the endzone and Quinn Early was there, a step ahead of his defender, and brought down the pass. It was done. Texas had won a game that few gave them a shot of winning. They had pulled out a frantic final 4 minutes and shocked themselves, the Stars, and everyone watching. Texas was now 7-7 and right back in the thick of the playoff hunt in the West. With losses by New Orleans and Michigan, they were now in playoff position, and could control their own destiny down the stretch. For Philadelphia, this was not a death blow. They still lead the Atlantic, but now find themselves tied with Pittsburgh. They too still control their own destiny, and perhaps this unexpected loss will drive home those all-important messages about playing until the game is truly over. BAL 10 CHI 27 Two desperate teams, but only one could get the win. That almost always seems to be the case late in the season and it was once again at Solider Field. Chicago left no doubt about their position, scoring twice in the 4th quarter to turn a 13-10 lead into a solid 27-10 victory. Scott Zolak gave them the lead, but it was Blair Kiel who finished the game and put the final points on the board. Ricky Watters had his best game as a pro, rushing for 170 yards against a Blitz defense that simply did not have an answer. PIT 36 HOU 28 Pittsburgh did what few have been able to do in recent years, earn a late season win in Houston. The Maulers relied on 130 yards and a score from Mike Rozier, but also got solid games from Louis Lipps and Mike Shaw as they scored the final 17 points of the game to shock the Houston crowd. WSH 21 MGN 17 A big win for Mike Hohensee and the Federals, a tough loss for Joe Montana and the Panthers. Washington got TD’s from Moore and Gunn to propel them to the win. Their defense held Marcus Allen in check, limiting the former Raider to only 24 yards rushing and a paltry 1.2 yard average. The win puts the Feds at 8-6 and well in the playoff hunt. The loss drops Michigan to 6-8 and makes their playoff hopes slim. NJ 27 NOR 17 New Jersey bested the New Orleans Breakers thanks to 2 Doug Flutie TD passes and a brilliant 23-yard Herschel Walker run. New Orleans fell behind 17-0 and never recovered as the Generals slowed down the pace of the game and kept the Breakers at arms length from a comeback. Now 6-8 the Breakers need a lot of help to make the post-season, while New Jersey’s 8-6 record means they can control their own playoff destiny, and with a bit of help could catch Philly and Pittsburgh. BIR 34 ARZ 20 The battle of offense against defense went to the explosive Birmingham Stallions this time. Arizona played well and led at the half, but a second half that saw Brett Favre connect with both Shannon Sharpe and Danny Knight, and then a game-clinching 11 yard Derrick Lassic TD run was just too much for Robbie Bosco and the Wranglers to make up. ORL 12 DEN 17 Denver needed a win to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff hunt, and Orlando was in no mood to gift it to them. Down 12-10 with 3 minutes left to play, it came down to one last drive, and 2nd year QB Mark Brunell got it done, finding Mark Carrier from 24 yards out to give Denver the win they needed. TBY 21 OAK 24 Tampa Bay’s luck appears to be running out late in the season. Up 21-3 at the half, the Bandits could not continue to hold down Bobby Hebert and the Invaders. Hebert exploded for 206 yards in the second half, and Oakland got short TD runs from Fred McAfee and Glyn Milburn to pull within 3 points at 21-18. Matt Bahr did the rest, kicking from 40 and 37 yards out to give Oakland the comeback victory at home. JAX 41 POR 38 Another wild shootout for the Thunder, and another tough loss as the Jacksonville Bulls got 167 yard rushing against the always compliant Thunder rush defense. Jamie Morris and Vince Workman pummeled the Portland D and added 3 scores to the 2 TD passes from Tony Eason. Eason’s final pass of the day, a 5 yarder to Joey Jones, flipped the score for the final time, giving Jacksonville the win, and officially eliminating Portland from playoff contention. MEM 34 STL 12 After seeing other teams sell St. Louis short, the Showboats took them seriously and the result was a convincing road win. Buddy Ryan’s defense tormented backup Jim Miller, sacking the rookie 4 times and getting a pick-six from LB Eddie Simmons as well. Greg Boone had a solid game, gaining 117 and scoring twice, and the Showboats kept themselves in the Wild Card hunt, now at 8-6. The AP gave this weeks award to Jack Trudeau for his 4 TD day, but the Thunder lost a close one. We think the better recipient is Glen Carano of the Texas Outlaws. Filling in again for an injured Kelly Stouffer, and facing that tough Philadelphia Stars defense, Carano pulled off a huge come-from-behind victory for the Outlaws, basically saving their playoff lives. Carano threw for 308 yards and 4 scores of his own, including the two late strikes to Quinn Early that crushed the Stars’ dreams of 10-4 and 1st place in the conference. Sure, Jack Trudeau had a great game, but Jacksonville’s defense is nothing like Philly’s and, unlike, Portland, the Outlaws actually won the game. Carano found 7 different receivers on the day, but when it came to crunch time it was a solid dose of both Metcalf (10 receptions for 111 yards) and Early (7 receptions for 76) that got the job done. With Stouffer likely out at least another week, Glen Carano can become a hero in Texas, and just might position himself as a veteran option for the 4 clubs scouting everyone ahead of the expansion draft. Pieces are starting to fall into place. Thanks to tiebreaker advantages, both Oakland and Birmingham have now clinched their division titles, although there are still several teams in both the Atlantic and Pacific division still in play for Wild Card consideration. The big loser this week was Houston, who now find themselves tied with Chicago atop the Central, something almost unthinkable a month ago. Pittsburgh has to be happy to be tied with Philly with 2 games left, and if the Stars lose a game, Pittsburgh can overtake them. Right now the odd man out are the 8-6 Washington Federals, who need to win out and need either New Jersey or Memphis to falter. In the West it is Denver in the dreaded #6 position. They are looking to win out and get help against either Arizona or Texas. For the Gold it may come down to a Week 16 home game against the Wranglers for the final playoff spot. Wouldn’t that be fun? With two weeks of divisional games still on tap, there are so many clubs who can help themselves with a solid 2-game streak at this point, that doing the math is something we have to bring in someone from MIT to do. Let’s just say that every game is a playoff game at this point. Two weeks to go and 17 of 20 teams still have playoff hopes, though some are on life support. What does this mean for USFL coaches on the hot seat? Well, we are feeling pretty confident in saying that 2 current USFL head coaches are on their way out. We have known that Jack Elway would be let go by St. Louis for a while now, and it seems clear after several comments this week by Phil Knight, that he is none too pleased with Dennis Erickson's lack of progress with the Portland Thunder, particularly their sub-par defense week in and week out. Erickson is finishing his 5th season in Portland, and despite a 10-6 record and a playoff spot in 1991, and a return to the playoffs at 8-8 in 1992, the Thunder have just not progressed. Even a stronger run game with Robert Drummond and swapping out Kerwin Bell for a proven QB in Jack Trudeau has not produced results, as Portland was again eliminated from playoff contention this week. We fully expect Erickson to be elsewhere next season. Next up? Well, Orlando is not doing well at 3-11 right now, but George O'Leary is in his first year, so we don't see the Renegades giving him the one-and-done treatment. New Orleans is now 5-9, assured of a losing season, but again, Mike Ditka is a first year coach, and needs a draft of two to build something. He has the undermanned Breakers playing hard and he has been such an attraction in the Big Easy just due to his fiery personality that we simply do not see the ownership moving on so quickly. The next big domino to fall may well be Gene Stallings in Texas. Yes, they got a huge win this week, but they sit at 7-7 after 14 weeks. If they go 2-0 down the home stretch it likely means a playoff spot and saves Stallings, but this is a club famous for late season flops, and if they go 0-2, or if they miss the playoffs, it could well be the end for Stallings. After a strong 1st season (12-4 in his first outing) the Outlaws fell to 7=8-1 in his second year, 6-10 in year 3, and could finish at or below .500 again this year. We just don't see the folks in San Antonio sitting for that. So, for the Outlaws, it may be 2-0 or Stallings must go. A good week as no new players were placed on IR this week. But with only 2 weeks left it does not take a season-ending injury to impact games and playoff runs. New Jersey will be without 1993 Defensive MVP Dino Hacket for at least a week as he is listed as doubtful after hyper-extending his knee. Pittsburgh DT Moe Gardner is Questionable with a hand injury and Houston tackle Howard Ballard is likely out for a 2nd straight week as well. Kelly Stouffer remains listed as questionable, but after the game Glen Carano just had, we expect Coach Stallings to give Stouffer another week before bringing him back for the season finale. Some players potentially returning to action, listed as “probable” include New Orleans HB Dalton Hilliard, Baltimore DE Charles Buchanon, Philly CB James Hasty, Denver LB John Roper, and Tampa Bay HB Eric Bienemy. Man, oh man!! It does not get much better than this. Two weeks left and nearly every team in the league playing for their playoff lives. Even Oakland and Birmingham still want to play hard to earn home field advantage, so don’t expect any resting starters this week. Ok, what’s on tap? In the East we have Philly at New Jersey (no love lost there) and we have Washington at Pittsburgh. Memphis is in Jacksonville with both teams still alive for a Wild Card, and Tampa Bay will try to earn back some respect in Orlando. Chicago heads to New Orleans in a crucial game for both clubs, and Michigan is in Texas with both clubs fighting for their playoff lives. Portland is on the road at Arizona, and the Wranglers need this win. Meanwhile Oakland is in St. Louis trying to avoid a trap game. Out of division does not mean out of playoff potential. This week Houston travels to Baltimore, but has Chicago on a scoreboard watching alert. Denver has a tough task ahead of them, as they need to win in Legion Field against Brett Favre and the Stallions to set up a week 16 playoff matchup against Arizona. Tough one there.

Birmingham and Oakland have clinched their division titles due to division record advantages. Orlando, St. Louis, and Portland have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Orlando and St. Louis are eliminated from playoff contention. No team has clinched a berth.