Search this site

(Hi all, before we get started a quick update. I have worked up a new uniform presentation template based on uniforms being revealed on mannequins. I will eventually (hopefully over Thanksgiving) update the entire "Teams" page and add these there, but if you want to see them as I work on them, head over to Sportslogos.net, the best sports design website I know. In the Concepts forum you will see these posted in a "USFL Tweaks" thread.) The Jacksonville Bulls have to be the most nervous 2-0 team in football history. Sure, they came away with another win this week, but for the second straight week they faced an expansion club and nearly lost. The Bulls defense seems to be having real issues and while Bulls fans have to be overjoyed by the play of new QB Chris Chandler, beating LA and Ohio by the slim margins they have been able to pull out cannot make them feel good. Ohio came into this game with a desire to get their running game on track, and that is exactly what they did, with Vince Workman rushing for 120 yards and 3 scores against a Bulls defense that simply did not have an answer. Jeff Hostetler used the play action game to his advantage as well, at least until a late game injury took him out. And that may have been the only thing that saved Jacksonville. Dave Brown came on in relief and while he completed 5 of 8 pass attempts, he also threw a poor interception that helped Jacksonville come back. For their part the Bulls relied almost entirely on Chandler, who threw the ball 42 times, completing 27 and gaining an even 400 yards in the air. Natrone Means found only modest success on the ground, rushing for 50 yards on 14 carries. The two outside receivers for the Bulls were key as both Blades and Dokie Williams went over 100 yards receiving. Even rookie Kez McCorvey got into the action, catching 4 balls for 57 yards. And yet, despite their offensive success, once again it came down to a last minute play. After a late Brown to Byner TD pas gave Ohio a 34-33 lead with 1:37 left, Chandler once again had to try to pull a miracle out of his hat. Once again he did, though perhaps not as dramatic as last week’s 75 yd TD, Chandler guided the Bulls down the field and eventually found Dokie Williams for a score, adding on a 2pt PAT to win by 7. So, the big question in Jacksonville is what happens next, as the Bulls start to face non-expansion teams? Will their offense continue to pull out games? Can their defense show some backbone? Is 2-0 a good thing even if the way you got there is a bit dubious? Sure, but week 3 may tell us a lot about the Bulls and their future this season. SEA 0 BAL 26 The Blitz defense shuts down the Dragons, and 100 yards rushing from Derrick Fenner gives Baltimore the win. BIR 29 NJ 37 Herschel Walker’s 102 yards and 3 TDs help New Jersey outpace the Stallions, sending Birmingham to 0-2. MEM 23 PHI 26 Despite 3 TDs from Mike Kelley the Philadelphia Stars do just enough to eke out a home win against a fired up Memphis squad. ORL 45 PIT 21 Orlando’s offense finds its rhythm as Scott Mitchell throws for 265 ad 2 scores, and the ‘Gades get a surprising 100 yard day from Todd Fowler. TBY 20 WSH 29 Barry Word rushes for 123 and Don Majkowski hits on 2 TDs as the Federals move to 2-0 against Tampa. CHI 3 HOU 38 Chicago comes out flat and Jim Kelly makes them pay. 3 TDs from Kelly and 120 on the ground from Thomas help Houston blow past their division rivals. MGN 16 NOR 3 Michigan’s defense was ready for the Breakers, and rookie Tyrone Wheatley had a huge game, rushing for 147 against New Orleans. STL 7 TEX 28 The Outlaws get the W at home thanks to 3 TDs form Kelly Stouffer, all 3 to their star receiver Eric Metcalf. ARZ 16 DEN 7 A slugfest played in about 2” of snow, the Wranglers get just enough for Mick Luckhurst to find the goalposts 3 times and secure the road win. LA 8 POR 16 The Express and Thunder did what no one expected, played a tough defensive match. The rain helped that cause, but so did aggressive blitzing by both clubs. OAK 44 ATL 14 Oakland looked every bit a Summer Bowl favorite as the rolled over the expansion Atlanta Fire. Hebert found Duper twice for scores, 2 of his 3 on the day. 1. GROWING PAINS: Two weeks in and we are still waiting on our first expansion club win as all 4 fall once again. Ohio showed some spirit, putting up 34 on the Bulls, and LA came close in rainy Portland, but so far no luck for our four new franchises. The inability to run the ball seems a common thread for the 4 as only Ohio’s Vince Workman gained more than 30 yards on the ground for their club. 2. NEW QB'S: New QB’s seem all the rage right now, with Chris Chandler leading the league in passing yards, followed closely by Brent Pease. Scott Mitchell also jumped into the Top 5 in QBR with a very strong outing this week. Who is not looking good early on? Well Dave Krieg sits at only 63.3 in QBR, with Scott Zolak and Mark Brunell not doing much better. Among starters, Jim Kelly is trailing all others with only a 50% completion rate on the season. Cliff Stoudt has also struggled in Atlanta, but don’t expect to see the Fire trot out Eric Zeier, not until they figure out their front line protection. 3. ROOKIE HB'S SHINE: If anything is going to turn fans in Michigan around about the Marcus Allen trade, it might be the difference between his production and that of rookie Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley has 204 yards rushing and a 5.1 yard average, among the league leaders, while Allen, trying to find his footing with the expansion Express has only 27 yards on 7 carries after two weeks. Even if their line is still in flux, it is hard to understand the lack of carries for the former USC back. Another rookie back looking good early is Rashaan Salaam, who is averaging 4.1 yards per carry after 2 weeks, though he has yet to find paydirt with 0 TDs. 4. CAUSE FOR CONCERN?: It is way too early to panic, but sitting at 0-2 is not helping the nerves in New Orleans, Memphis or Birmingham. Of course the Stallions started off 0-2 last year and then won 12 of 14 games the rest of the way, so it is not yet time to scrap it all and play for next year. By the same token, Portland has to refrain from feeling too good about being 2-0, and the same for Jacksonville, who have played 2 expansion teams (and given up a lot of yards and points to both). We will see if the Bulls are actually any good as they face the Showboats in Memphis this weekend. 5. A TOUGH BREAK: A rough day for Coach Rutigliano in Washington despite the Feds big win over Tampa Bay. On a routine 2nd and 4 run, Tampa’s Kevin Mitchell undercut Washington HB Barry Word on the sideline, sending Word rolling right into the legs of the league’s oldest Head Coach. Rutigliano went down and had to be carted to the locker room. The diagnosis? A break in the tibia of his left leg. After a couple of days in the hospital, Rutigliano could be seen wheeling around the Federals offices, and expects to be present for the game on Sunday against the Maulers, but rather than prowling the sidelines, he will be in the booth and it will be defensive coordinator Rusty Tillman will be the main man on the sidelines. Last week we reported about stadium deals in the works, or at least hopefully in the works. This week we look at endorsements. The USFL has steadily increased their corporate partnerships over the years, but this week they announced a big one. Domino’s Pizza has signed on the dotted line and will be a major sponsor for the league. That is great, certainly for the league, but it puts a couple of players in an awkward position. QB Jim Kelly has been a spokesman for Pizza Hut for the past 3 years. In LA Marcus Allen had just signed a deal with Godfather’s pizza this offseason. Both should still be able to continue pitching their pizza, but there won’t be any footage of league games or use of uniforms or logos to accompany their pitches as Domino’s will have the exclusive rights to use USFL clips, logos, and identities as part of their campaigns. With Domino’s on board, we have nearly all the major categories of corporate partnership in place. Here’s the rundown: Automobiles: GMC Trucks: Dodge Ram Soda: Pepsi-Cola Fast Food: Burger King, Arby’s and, regionally, Bojangle’s Fried Chicken Airlines: Delta Beer: The Miller family Insurance: State Farm Retail: K-Mart Foodstuffs: Nabisco, Frito-Lay (through Pepsico), and Dunkin’ Donuts About all that is missing is the official feminine hygiene product and the official weedkiller of the USFL. Thus is the way of big time football these days. Another week, another list of players taken down by injuries. Oakland was dealt a blow as backup QB Cary Conklin was injured on, of all things, a field goal try. Conklin was all but stampeded by an Atlanta defender trying to get a block. The result was a torn ACL, and a quick trip to the IR, taking him out for the season. With Mike Pawlawski as the next up, Oakland has opted to sign a veteran, longstanding USFL backu Glen Carano is back for one more try, now likely as the 3rd QB in Oakland. Arizona also suffered a couple of hits as guard Todd Kalis and DT Sean Lee both are likely to be out for 1-2 months after sustaining injuries this week (leg and groin, respectively). LA will be without DE Antonio Edwards, thanks to a sprained knee, and veteran DT Mike Golic will be sidelined at least 1-2 weeks with a calf injury. Tampa will be without backup John Fourcade for about the same time after he suffered a deep thigh bruise in practice this week, and Ohio will likely not get Jeff Hostetler back this week and will have to go with Dave Brown for their game against Philadelphia Week 3 has some intriguing inter-divisional matchups. Arizona travels to Chicago in what some local broadcasters are saying could be a snow game. Denver is in the dome in Houston, Oakland heads to the Big Easy to face the Breakers, Portland is in St. Louis, and Seattle has another tough road game, this time in Birmingham. But, as usual it is the divisional matchups that have the prime time slots. The two big games this week are Baltimore at New Jersey on Saturday Night and Jacksonville at Memphis on Sunday Night Football. Other divisional games include Ohio visiting the league Champs in Philly, Pittsburgh headed to RFK to face the Federals and Orlando in a Florida Derby with the Bandits. The final two games this eek involve expansion clubs trying to get their first wins on the road, with the Express in Michigan against that tough Panther D, and Atlanta headed to San Antonio to face the Outlaws.

Kickoff weekend gave us a lot to love about the USFL. High flying O, gritty D, stars shining and a ton of big plays. The expansion clubs struggled, as expected, but showed signs that they would not be easy wins each week. One superstar had a horrible season start, while others seemed to get right back to business. It’s spring football season once again, bigger and better than ever. Our best game of the week came on a windy Sunday afternoon at the Gator Bowl. Rick Neuheisel and the LA Express gave the homestanding Jacksonville Bulls all they could handle but one huge error gave the Bulls the win in the end. In a game that saw two new starters at QB, both NFL import Chris Chandler and former Breakers backup Brent Pease have huge games. Chandler finished with 338 yards and 3 scores while Pease threw for 357 and ran for another 90, most of it on a 75 yard TD run that you had to see to believe. It looked like Jackonville would have this one early as they built up a 13-0 lead over the first 20 minutes of play. Chandler hit Dokie Williams for a 64 yard TD on a busted coverage, a harbinger of an even bigger play to come. LA fought back and over the rest of the 2nd and 3rd quarters they went on a 20-0 run against the Bulls, including Brent Pease’s ridiculous 75-yard run. But, down 7, Jacksonville woke up as Chandler hit Williams again to tie the score. They would go up 23-20 on a Stoyanovich field goal with 4:11 left, but LA was still game. They marched the ball down the field on an erratic, but eventually game-tying drive that ended with 26 seconds in the game and Doug Brien’s 56 yard field goal just edging over the cross bar. It looked like overtime was assured. But… After a fair catch on the kickoff, Jacksonville began on their 25, and the youth and inexperience of LA’s new secondary produced one of the biggest plays of the week. Chandler started in the shotgun, looked at Williams, and drew the safety far too much to the right side of the field, leaving Steve Johnson in one-on-one coverage alone down the left sideline. Once he had a couple of steps on the corner, Chandler shifted his eyes, found Johnson, and threw a perfect deep ball. LA’s defense was out of position, their corner hung out to dry, and 75 yards later Jacksonville had a score in 1 play. It was a sign of just how tough it is to put together a new team as LA simply did not have their defense in synch, and for the Bulls it was a huge play on a big opening week in front of nearly 50,000 fans. CHI 29 BAL 12 Ricky Watters rushed or 111 as the Machine opened on the road with a win. HOU 13 NJ 20 Lam Jones and Herschel Walker helped New Jersey edge the Gamblers on a blustery, wet March day. MGN 24 OHI 17 The Glory came prepared, but 10 points in the 4th for the erratic Panthers was enough to seal the win in front of 43,000 at Ohio Stadium. NOR 15 PHI 23 The Philly D was on the Breakers all game and new starting HB Charlie Garner had a solid 88-yard day for the Stars. STL 24 PIT 29 Despite 380 yards and 2 scores from David Archer, Pittsburgh got the win. Mike Rozier rushed for 109 and 2 TD’s to lead them. TEX 10 WSH 24 The Federals D harassed Stouffer as the new Run & Shoot in Texas fell flat in RFK. ARZ 33 SEA 17 Robbie Bosco threw for 3 scores and the Arizona D contained the Seattle ground game at a rain soaked Husky Stadium. DEN 27 BIR 14 Denver had all the answers, picking off Brett Favre 4 times and getting a combined 135 from Smith and rookie Rashaan Salaam to knock off the Stallions. OAK 30 MEM 17 The Invader line kept Reggie White off of Bobby Hebert’s back, and he threw for 4 scores against a Memphis secondary that was clearly overwhelmed. POR 31 ORL 10 A rough start for Scott Mitchell and the Orlando offense as Portland rolls thanks to 115 yards and 2 scores from Robert Drummond. ATL 10 TBY 20 Atlanta’s defense kept Tampa in check, but Cliff Stoudt looked rusty, throwing 2 picks as the Bandits held the Fire in check. Five storylines we saw this week that merit attention: 5. Rookie watch: As with any new season, you want to see who came out of the gate fast. Rashaan Salaam started strong for Denver, rushing for 55 yards to help the Gold to a win. Wheatley had 57 for Michigan in a decent game as well. Kez McCorvey caught 4 for 68 yards for the Bulls, but the biggest rookie coming out party was for Atlanta CB Tyrone Poole, who tallied 8 tackles and a pick-six for Atlanta’s only TD on the day. 4. NFL Crossovers: Of the new arrivals from the NFL, the gold star has to go to Jacksonville’s Chris Chandler, who sliced and diced the LA defense for 338 yards and that last gasp TD heave. Earnest Byner only garnered 3 carries for Ohio, and Rob Moore caught 6 for 59 yards for the Blitz. 3. Hollywood Action: While the Run & Shoot did not fare well for the Outlaws, whatever LA Coach Rick Neuheisel is calling his spread formations, they seem to be working. Brent Pease had a monster day against Jacksonville, finding Mike Pritchard for 132 yards, Darnay Scott for 124, and rushing for 2 scores. So do we worry about the Bulls’ defense or do we get some popcorn and see if LA might just be on to something? 2. Injury Watch: Only Week 1 and we already have some potentially season-altering injuries. Washington LB Michael Barrow is out for the year after a pretty gruesome broken leg. Arizona wideout Kendal Smith also might be gone for the year after a major knee injury, but the biggest hit was in Birmingham, where All-League receiver Ernest Givens went out early with a neck injury which may require extensive recovery time, possibly as much as 3 months. He was able to move his extremities, which is a good sign, but was taken off the field on a back board. A rough turn for Givens and for the Stallions as a team. 1. Fire in the Belly: What is it about rookie QB’s that seems to make the veterans play so well. Last year it was Heath Shuler in Memphis that ignited strong performances from Mike Kelley, and this week it was David Archer (37/46 for 380 yards) who seemed inspired by the presence of Todd Collins on the sideline. Archer had one of his better games, despite the Knights losing to Pittsburgh, as he seems intent on holding off on what most believe is the inevitable hook in favor of the Knights’ #1 draft pick. In off-the field news, the big hubbub this week is around stadiums. The city of Houston seems ready to negotiate with both Bud Adams (owner of the NFL Oilers) and the Gamblers on the prospect of creating a new mixed-use stadium to replace the aging Astro Dome. Plans for a retractable roof stadium, one which would allow open air football in Houston while also retaining the convention functions of the dome are under way, and with both the USFL and NFL behind the efforts, it very well could happen soon. In LA, the structure of the new stadium to be shared by the Raiders and the Express seems to be coming together, with about 6 months before it is expected to be ready for the Raiders season. And in Tampa Bay, the Bandits and Buccaneers, who have not exactly been the closest of neighbors, seem ready to work together to bring a new stadium to the city. Our question is whether they will look to the Big Sombrero for inspiration, perhaps designing a stadium with actual fringe or a brim on it. Finally, expect to hear soon from the city of Baltimore, which lost out on an expansion franchise for the NFL, as they debate whether a new stadium for the Blitz is an option. The city is not exactly flush with funds, and unless there is an NFL team looking to relocate, it is unlikely the Charm City will have a second tenant, so for now the Blitz continue to deal with an aging and under-monetized Memorial Stadium. The league’s new mixed-format schedule, with divisional games being randomized a bit more, comes into effect this week as all 6 Central Division teams are in divisional matchups, as are 4 of the 6 Pacific teams. The best Week 2 mathcups come from these games as Houston hosts Chicago in a bellweather game for both clubs. Michigan is in New Orleans, and St. Louis begins its stint in the Central with a road trip to San Antonio to face the Outlaws. Arizona is in Denver in a key rivalry game, and the LA Express are again on the road, this time in Portland to face the Thunder. In other matchups, Oakland heads to Dixie to inaugurate the Fire home season, while Ohio gets a second straight home game with the Bulls visiting. Seattle has to fly cross country to face the Blitz, while Birmingham will try to get in the game against New Jersey. It’s a defensive heavyweight fight as Memphis faces off against Philadelphia in Veterans Stadium, while Tampa heads to Washington and the Renegades are in Pittsburgh.

With all the new faces in new places, including four new franchises, this may be the most difficult season to predict since the league first began play in 1983. Every one of the 20 clubs from last year has had to adjust to retirements, expansion losses, and free agency. Four new clubs join the fray, and while we do not expect them to be playoff contenders in their first year, every win they record will have an impact on the teams that are vying for a title. As we look ahead to the 1994 season, uncertainty is the key word. Sure, we expect Birmingham’s Brett Favre to throw for 30+ TDs again. We anticipate that Philadelphia will win with defense, and that both Mike Rozier and Herschel Walker will somehow, despite years of wear and tear on their bodies, find a way to be among the league leaders in rushing. And yet, there is so much unknown, so many new pieces, that little else can be assured. So, what we are saying is that when the 1995 season wraps up, be kind to us about these predictions, because we are throwing darts with our eyes closed here. ATLANTIC DIVISION Philadelphia rose to prominence last year in large part due to the general parity found in the Atlantic. Every one of the division’s then 5 teams hovered at or near .500 throughout the season and only in Week 16 did we find out who would be in the playoffs and who would be on the edge looking in. This season should prove very much the same. It is a balanced division with 5 of the 6 teams having real playoff aspirations. Our Prediction: Philadelphia 10-6* Pittsburgh 10-6* Baltimore 9-7 New Jersey 7-9 Washington 7-9 Ohio 5-11 BALTIMORE BLITZ Coach: Lindy Infante (57-71) Top Players: DT William Perry, DT John Randall, SS Dave Dumars, WR Bill Brooks, CB Leslie Frazier Players Lost: LB Sam Norris, WR Mervyn Fernandez, HB Reggie Brooks, LB Danny Lockett New Arrivals: WR Rob Moore, OT Korey Stringer, TE Kyle Brady, Outlook: After 5 straight losing seasons in the Charm City, even an 8-8 finish was celebrated by Blitz fans, but this year they will want more. Coach Infante needs to get this club over the hump. Adding Rob Moore and drafting Kyle Brady should help QB Chris Miller get there. The defense has talent, especially on the inside, but is this a team that can explode on offense or will they need to grind out wins? NEW JERSEY GENERALS Coach: Sam Wyche (22-26) Top Players: HB Herschel Walker, QB Doug Flutie, LB Chris Spielman, CB Kirby Jackson, DE Phil Hanson Players Lost: QB Oliver Luck, LT William Israel, HB Amp Lee, G Dave Widell, LB John Offerdahl New Arrivals: QB Tommy Maddox, QB Rob Johnson, WR Darren Flutie, HB Lamont Warren Outlook: Flutie and Walker, that has been the story for a decade now and likely will be again for the Generals. The defense is legit, but the additions this offseason do not seem to make as much sense as we would like for a team that lost its starting LT and veteran leader in the LB corps. This could be a step-back year for the Generals as they don’t seem to have reloaded this offseason. OHIO GLORY Coach: Nick Saban (0-0) Top Players: TE Chris Kelley, CB Vince Buck, LB John Offerdahl, SS Kyle Kramer, HB Vince Workman Players Lost: None, expansion club. New Arrivals: WR Joey Galloway, LB Craig Powell, and NFL HB Earnest Byner Outlook: Ohio is going to try to build a team around a solid run game and a strong O-line. There have been worse plans in the history of the league. We worry a bit that the defense will take a while to gel, and may not be that good even when it does, but with so many Ohio names on the squad, the Glory should sell tickets even if wins are hard to come by. PHILADELPHIA STARS Coach: Raymond Berry (19-13) Top Players: CB Lorenzo Lynch, WR Cris Carter, QB Chuck Long, SS Marcus Quinn, DE William Fuller Players Lost: HB Kelvin Bryant, QB Browning Nagle, WR Ernie Jones, HB Bernie Parmalee, G Glenn Howard New Arrivals: G Mike Wythcombe, QB Will Furrer, WR Alfred Jackson, G Ruben Brown, TE Marcus Pollard Outlook: A year after becoming the first 3-time champion, the Stars dealt with the retirement of Kelvin Bryant, and the loss of both starting safeties about as well as one could expect. We love the pick of Ruben Brown in the draft, and TE Marcus Pollard could be a contributor as well. The defense came away unscathed from the expansion draft, so expect this to again be a team that leads with stifling D. PITTSBURGH MAULERS Coach: Ted Marchibroda (87-73) Top Players: HB Mike Rozier, DT DanSaleaumua, LB Erik Kumerow, QB Alan Risher, TE Mike Shaw, WR Louis Lipps Players Lost: QB Jeff Hostetler, WR Mike Pritchard, WR Robert Claiborne, DT Tony Siragusa, SS Kyle Kramer New Arrivals: WR Yo Murphy, QB Steve Matthews, T Zach Weigert, LB Damien Covington Outlook: How much longer do Alan Risher and Mike Rozier have? Both are getting a bit long in the tooth, so this year may have a sense of urgency to it. The rookie class is a bit week in immediate help, and the losses of Pritchard, Claiborne, and especially Kyle Kramer will hurt. Pittsburgh could have difficulty returning to the playoffs if these hits prove to be as deep as we imagine them to be. WASHINGTON FEDERALS Coach: Sam Rutigliano (81-63) Top Players: DT Jerome Brown, DE Dexter Manley, QB Don Majkowski, WR Herman Moore, T Ken Lanier Players Lost: DT Tim Johnson, LB Curtis Taliferro, HB Curvin Richards, C Joel Hilgenberg, DE Antonio Edwards New Arrivals: DE Bobby Hamilton, TE Demetrius Davis, QB Kordell Stewart, P Todd Sauerbrun Outlook: Washington seems ready for a transition. The selection and signing of Kordell Stewart seems to show that the team knows this. Don Majkowski has only played in 16 games once in the past 3 years, and only started 8 games last season. If he goes down again, it may simply be a time to transition to the young, athletic Stewart. SOUTHERN DIVISION The South still looks like Birmingham’s division to claim. Memphis and Tampa Bay are solid contenders as well, with Orlando, Jacksonville, and expansion Atlanta likely to finish below .500 as they build or rebuild their rosters and their cultures. The Stallions did not lose any major contributors in the offseason, so they are perhaps the team most chosen to repeat as a division champion. Memphis may be in the middle of a QB transition, and Tampa Bay still needs to show that their defense is good enough to allow them to avoid the win-by-shooutout as their only option. As for Orlando and Jacksonville, rebuilding around a new QB is not usually an immediate fix, but a process that takes time. In Atlanta, they are just hoping that the veteran leadership of Cliff Stoudt is enough to help them get off on the right foot as they groom Eric Zeier for the future. Our Prediction: Birmingham 12-4* Tampa Bay 10-6* Memphis 9-7* Jacksonville 7-9 Orlando 6-10 Atlanta 4-12 ATLANTA FIRE Coach: Dan Reeves (0-0) Top Players: QB Cliff Stoudt, LB John Roper, SS Robert Blackmon, T Eugene Chung, LB Mo Lewis Players Lost: None, expansion club. New Arrivals: Top rookies are QB Eric Zeier, CB Tyrone Poole, WR J.T. Thomas Outlook: Atlanta started accumulating defenders even before the Expansion Draft, and they just kept doing it. Roper, Blackmon, Mraz, Lewis, and Poole form a good defensive corps. Having Cliff Stoudt to guide the offense is also a really shrewd move (assuming he is mobile enough to survive behind a makeshift line). The Fire may not fully hit their stride this year, but they have a chance to be in almost every game if that defense is as good on turf as they seem on paper. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS Coach: Ron Erhardt (35-13) Top Players: QB Brett Favre, LB Kevin Greene, T Richmond Webb, WR Ernest Givens, TE Shannon Sharpe Players Lost: HB Brent Fullwood, WR Danny Knight, QB Cliff Stoudt, G Eric Moore, CB Aaron Glenn New Arrivals: LB Lorenzo Styles, CB Ken Irvin, S Kwamie Lassiter, WR Cedric Tillman Outlook: Everyone and their uncle picked Birmingham to win it all last year, and nearly as many are picking them this year. They just don’t seem likely to miss the players they have lost, and if preseason means anything, they may have hit on 3 potential starters in the draft this year. It will still be Brett Favre tossing the ball all over the field, but if the defense can improve even a little, that could be all the Stallions need to do. JACKSONVILLE BULLS Coach: Jim Fassell (0-0) Top Players: G Duval Love, WR Brian Blades, CB Domingo Bryant, LB Vaughan Johnson, FS Mark Carrier Players Lost: LB Mo Lewis, HB Vince Workman, QB Tony Eason, DE Bill Goldberg, WR Robb Thomas New Arrivals: HB Natrone Means, QB Chris Chandler, DT Reggie Rogers, G Matt O’Dwyer, WR Kez McCorvey Outlook: Jim Fassell inherits a team that just needs to reinvent itself. Having an NFL pro like Chris Chandler sign on is a good first step in that direction. A power run game led by former Gold big back Natrone Means can also help. The Bulls have talent on defense, enough to be a top 10 squad, and that may be just what Coach Fassel is hoping to see. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS Coach: Buddy Ryan (25-23) Top Players: DE Reggie White, HB Greg Boone, SS Bennie Blades, T Norman Randall, LB Eddie Simmons Players Lost: WR Vic James, HB Spencer Tillman, DE Santana Dotson, DT David Rocker, TE Tony McGee New Arrivals: DE Steve Rogers, LB George Bethune, DT Norman Hand, TE Christian Fauria, TE Adrian Cooper Outlook: QB Mike Kelley did more than enough to hold off rookie Heath Shuler last year, but he is not getting any younger and the calls for Shuler will only get louder if the Memphis offense cannot show improvement this year. The defense will definitely miss DE Santana Dotson and DT David Rocker, though we like the rookie Norman Hand to fill in. The D should still be solid enough to win a lot of games if the offense can keep teams guessing. ORLANDO RENEGADES Coach: George O’Leary (4-12) Top Players: WR Bert Emmanuel, HB Dalton Hilliard, G Dave Cadigan, DE Chris Doleman, DT Tracy Rocker Players Lost: QB Reggie Collier, WR John Jefferson, DT Greg Meisner, K Mike Hollis, LB J.D. Fuller New Arrivals: QB Scott Mitchell, WR Danny Knight, K Charlie Baumann, WR Tamarick Vanover, DE Derrick Alexander Outlook: Orlando was one of the worst teams in recent years last season, and losing their two best players is certainly not viewed as helping the team get better. Coach O’Leary brought in some interesting prospects, not the least of which is QB Scott Mitchell, but if he cannot reignite the culture of winning in the Renegades it could be another long season, something O’Leary cannot afford. TAMPA BAY BANDITS Coach: Jerry Glanville (8-8) Top Players: DT Rollin Putzier, QB Troy Aikman, WR Eric Truvillion, DE Fred Stokes, HB Errict Rhett Players Lost: HB Eric Bienemy, DE Mark Mraz, TE Chris Kelley, DT Chester McGlockton, FS Terry Hoague New Arrivals: TE Troy Drayton, DT Chris Maumalanga, LB Keith Traylor, FS Kurt Schulz, HB James Stewart, HB Terrell Fletcher, WR Freddie Solomon Outlook: 8-8 is not exactly a breakout season, but Coach Glanville brought excitemen to the Bandits by reviving the “Banditball” spirit of aggressive defense and big play offense. Addint solid depth behind Errict Rhett by drafting both Terrell Fletcher and James Stewart could make Tampa’s offense even more dangerous. The D may still be a step behind the offense, but may just be good enough to turn a 35-31 shootout into a 35-21 blowout. CENTRAL DIVISION For the first time in a long time there seems to be a challenger to Houston’s dominance in the division. Chicago surprised everyone last year by ousting the Gamblers from the top spot, and their impressive run to the Summer Bowl may be an indication that good things are still to come. We expect Houston to rebound, after a total collapse left them out of the playoffs altogether, but with improved teams in Chicago, Michigan, New Orleans and Texas, it may be a much more competitive division than we have seen in recent years. As the only division without an expansion team, with St. Louis filling the 6th spot, there will be no easy games against new teams on the schedule, so the winner of this division will have run a fierce gauntlet to get there. Our Prediction: Houston 10-6* Chicago 10-6* Michigan 9-7* New Orleans 8-8 Texas 7-9 St. Louis 6-10 CHICAGO MACHINE Coach: Marty Schottenheimer (35-52) Top Players: HB Ricky Watters, CB Eric Thomas, WR Wendell Davis, DT Kevin Fagan, TE Wessley Walls, QB Scott Zolak Players Lost: QB Bernie Kosar, T Greg Skrepenak, CB Robert Massey, CB Tyrone Hughes New Arrivals: CB Tony Collier, DE Mike Mamula, CB Clifton Abraham, TE Tony Cline Jr. Outlook: Coach Schottenheimer got the most out of his squad last season, winning the division and making it all the way to Birmingham for Summer Bowl 1994. Can the Machine repeat that feat or will having a target on their back make life difficult in Chicago? We like the addition of rookie Mike Mamula to the Machine D, and two additions to the secondary in Collier and Abraham could help make Chicago’s defense elite. HOUSTON GAMBLERS Coach: Ray Willsey (48-31) Top Players: QB Jim Kelly, HB Thurman Thomas, T Howard Ballard, SS LeRoy Butler, LB Fred Strickland, LB Pat Swilling, CB Ashley Ambrose Players Lost: WR Clarence Verdin, G Mike Wythcombe, TE Keith McKeller, SS Robert Blackmon New Arrivals: DE Terry Crews, DT Luther Ellis, TE Ken Dilger, WR Antonio Freeman Outlook: Houston was the surprise of the year last year, but not in a good way. Coach Willsey took a lot of heat for the team’s late season swoon, but with Kelly and Thomas focused on returning to glory, the Gamblers have a great shot to rebound. Their draft produced a solid DT prospect in Ellis, and a possible WR coup in Antonio Freeman, who could crack the starting lineup quickly and help draw attention away from Brett Perriman. MICHIGAN PANTHERS Coach: Skip Holtz (8-8) Top Players: QB Joe Montana, LB Hardy Nickerson, CB Garland Rivers, DE Renaldo Turnbull, SS Carnell Lake Players Lost: HB Marcus Allen, T Jim Lachey, LB Scott Stephen, WR Terrance Mathis, CB Keith Bostic New Arrivals: TE Kerry Cash, QB Shawn Moore, LB Ted Johnson, HB Tyrone Wheatley, T Melvin Tuten Outlook: The Montana and Marcus experiment helped Michigan return to the playoffs, but the trade that sent Marcus Allen to LA is still giving a lot of fans heartburn in the Motor City. Rookie Tyrone Wheatley has a great chance to become the hero for the Panthers that he was for the Wolverines, and LB Ted Johnson also looks like a keeper. A lot may hinge on whether rookie T Melvin Tuten can do anything close to what Jim Lachey had brought to the club. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS Coach: Mike Ditka (6-10) Top Players: DE Jerry Reese, FS Darren Woodson, CB Gene Atkins, WR Qadry Ismail, LB Lamar Lathon Players Lost: HB Marcus DuPree, QB Brent Pease, HB Fred Lester, CB Mike Riley New Arrivals: QB Jamie Martin, S Devin Bush, HB Terrell Davis, DE Gary Walker Outlook: We have a hard time figuring out the Breakers. Coach Ditka continues to focus his attention on the defense, but it may be the offense that will determine the future of the Breakers. The retirement of Marcus DuPree will need time to overcome, and we are not sure a combo of Erric Pegram and rookie Terrell Davis has what it takes to replace the former Sooner. This could be a year in which the Breakers struggle to stay in games, even if the defense comes together. ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS Coach: Jim Johnson (0-0) Top Players: FB Ironhead Hayward, DT Jerry Ball, WR Rocket Ismail, G Gary Zimmerman, HB Darrell Thompson, LB Chip Banks Players Lost: WR Eric Martin, TE Frank Wycheck, FS Roman Lewis, LB Bob Crable, WR Cedric Tillman New Arrivals: HB Joe Mickles, T Barry Shippang, QB Todd Collins, K Cole Ford, WR Curtis Marsh Outlook: Coach Johnson came into a hot mess in St. Louis, and we are not sure enough has been done to turn the tide yet. Losing Eric Martin and Frank Wycheck is tough on the offense, but perhaps the biggest issue is that the team is unsettled at QB, with rookie Todd Collins not stepping in immediately as the starter. The boo birds will be out for David Archer, who starts the year as the #1, but how long will Coach Johnson wait before acquiescing to the fans’ demands to see Collins play? TEXAS OUTLAWS Coach: Jack Pardee (55-40 with Houston) Top Players: C John Adickes, LB Brian Bosworth, HB Reggie Cobb, DE John Bosa, WR Eric Metcalf, G Larry Allen, QB Kelly Stouffer Players Lost: HB Roosevelt Potts, TE Theo Young, T Eugene Chung, CB Corey Raymond, FS Merton Hanks New Arrivals: QB Tony Sacca, FS Darren Carrington, HB Rodney thomas, DT Darius Holland Outlook: Texas is going Run & Shoot as Coach Pardee and Coach Davis return to the league that made them famous. But, do any of us really believe that Kelly Stouffer can be as successful as Jim Kelly was? Losing T Eugene Chung will not help. Coach Pardee may also need to tend to the defense a bit more than usual, which is not his strong suit, to be sure. PACIFIC DIVISION The Pacific has always been a tough division to call. Oakland and Denver seem like the sturdiest teams, able to win in a variety of ways, but we cannot count out Arizona as well. Portland is again going to try to establish some kind of defensive presence so that they can compete and having two expansion clubs may give the top teams a chance to win a couple more games and perhaps snag the conference’s top seed. Speaking of the reimagined LA Express and the Seattle Dragons, they like Atlanta and Ohio, are likely looking at a long season ahead, and likely will be happy just to be dubbed the best of the 4 expansion clubs, as a playoff run seems unlikely for either of them. Our Prediction: Oakland 11-5* Denver 10-6* Arizona 9-7 Portland 7-9 Seattle 5-11 Los Angeles 4-12 ARIZONA WRANGLERS Coach: Ted Tollner (78-82) Top Players: DE Charles Haley, SS David Fulcher, QB Robbie Bosco, LB Bill Romanowski, LB Broderick Thomas, HB Tim Lester Players Lost: QB Scott Mitchell, WR Trumaine Johnson, CB Vince Buck, WR Darnay Scott New Arrivals: DT Jeff Zgonina, HB Mel Farr Jr., WR J. J. Stokes, QB Craig Whelihan, Outlook: We all know the line about Arizona. They have the potential to have a nightmare defense, but once again no one has much faith in the offense. Losing both Trumaine Johnson (retirement) and Darnay Scott (expansion draft) is not going to help, and while we like J.J. Stokes as the team’s first round pick, there are still a lot of questions about just how Arizona will turn short fields into points. DENVER GOLD Coach: Wade Phillips (27-21) Top Players: TE Keith Jackson, CB Bruce Pickens, LB Kurt Gouveia, LB Marvcus Paton, DT M.D. Perry, WR Mark Carrier, DE Leslie O’Neill Players Lost: QB Dave Krieg, HB N. Means, T Harry Swaine, WR Glenn Koslowski, LB John Roper New Arrivals: WR Willie Jackson, C Joel Hilgenberg, HB Rashaan Salaam, QB John Walsh, C Cory Raymer Outlook: Denver likes to think that they are reloading, not rebuilding, but when you trade away the players who started at QB and HB week one a year ago, it sure feels like a brand new team. That said. Mark Brunell showed flashes last year, and we like the choice of Rashaan Salaam as both a fan favorite and a really talented back, if he can keep his nose clean and firmly placed on the grindstone. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS Coach: Rick Neuheisel (0-0) Top Players: DE Antonio Edwards, G Dave Widdell, DE Santana Dotson, HB Marcus Allen, WR Mike Pritchard, DT Greg Meisner Players Lost: None, Expansion club. New Arrivals: Rookies include T Blake Brockmeyer, LB Donta Jones. Outlook: We are still not sure who the starting QB will be for the Express, and that is not usually a sign of upcoming success. We know who will run the ball, as the big trade for Marcus Allen helped to define the club right away. This will be Allen’s club, and he will have to carry a lot of the offense on his back. The defense has some playmakers, especially Dotson on the edge, but the overall talent pool just does not seem to align well for a 7 or 8 win season. 5 or 6 wins for Coach Neuheisel may be a good first season. OAKLAND INVADERS Coach: Dick Vermeil (90-69) Top Players: QB Bobby Hebert, HB Siran Stacy, DE Ken Harvey, WR Henry Ellard, WR Mark Duper, LB Ron Rivera, DE J.J. Wierenga Players Lost: T Randy Dixon, HB Fred McAfee, DT Mike Ruth New Arrivals: HB Blair Thomas, LB Cedrick Crawford, CB Bobby Taylor, K Joe Nedney, G Brendan Stai Outlook: The Invaders went into the playoffs last year looking like a championship caliber team, but a quick exit shocked Invader fans. Oakland fared well in the expansion draft, and added some interesting talent in free agency and through the draft. We love CB Bobby Taylor, and getting Blair Thomas as a way to spell Stacy occasionally seems a very smart option. It could all come down to Hebert again, but that is not always a bad thing. PORTLAND THUNDER Coach: Vince Tobin (47-49 with Memphis) Top Players: T Bruce Armstrong, HB Robert Drummond, TE Clint Didier, WR Webster Slaughter, QB Jack Trudeau, FS Vencie Glenn, SS Ronnie Lott Players Lost: CB Gill Byrd, TE Adrian Cooper, HB Derrick Loville, T Joe Valerio, SS Bennie Thompson New Arrivals: QB Bill Musgrave, DE Hugh Douglas, C Dave Wolhabaugh, LB Mike Junkin Outlook: Portland brought in a defensive mastermind to finally address their huge issues there. Adding Hugh Douglas in the draft could be an immediate help, but the strength of the Thunder looks to still be that offense. If Drummond can repeat his 1,300 yard season, and if Trudeau can find Didier and Webster Slaughter regularly, Portland may just have enough to move past the others in the division. SEATTLE DRAGONS Coach: Woody Widenhofer ( 28-36 with Outlaws) Top Players: DT Tim Johnson, LB Scott Stephen, QB Dave Krieg, T Mark Shively, G Jesse Sapolo, DE Jim Reynosa, CB Robert Massey, HB Roosevelt Potts Players Lost: None, Expansion club New Arrivals: DT Dan Sasa, LB Stephen Boyd, FB Zack Crockett Outlook: Coach Widenhofer had a winning formula in Texas, and yet could never get past the 8-8 hump, finishing 3 straight years at .500. For the first year Dragons an 8-8 season would be a huge win. This is a team built to win close games, and likely to need to keep teams below 20 in order to win. While we like Dave Krieg, he has not been particularly successful in the USFL. Maybe a change of scenery and a return to the Great Northwest is just what he needs. OK. We have picked the divisions. Are we ready to pick the Champions? Not exactly. We have been burned the past few years, so rather than pick a club, we are going to give odds. Looking around the league, these 8 teams have, in our perspective, the best odds for a title this year: 1. Birmingham Stallions 4-1 2. Philadelphia Stars 5-1 3. Oakland Invaders 6-1 4. Chicago Machine 8-1 5. Houston Gamblers 10-1 6. Denver Gold 12-1 7. Tampa Bay Bandits 20-1 8. Michigan Panthers 25-1 And if you want a Darkhorse that can make a modest bet into a fortune, go for the LA Express, coming in at a whopping 5000-1.

Sporting News, March 3, 1995 A new year, four new teams, a wide open season with every franchise looking quite a bit different from a year ago. Last second signings, last minute hires, and a lot of roster shakeups highlight the last month of the USFL offseason. The teams are in camp, the season ready to begin, and what are we to make of it. In this USFL preview edition of Sporting News we will look at the eight new head coaches in the league, the lastest NFL and CFL signings, and the 10 high impact rookies everyone is watching, and, of course, our look at all 24 teams as we gear up for the season. We will do this in two parts, with our first story focused on the new faces around the league, and then a second article looking at each club’s potential, their strengths and concerns as the season starts. Let’s get to it! NEW COACHES IN THE USFL Eight men step into one of the toughest jobs in pro football, head coaching in the topsy turvey USFL. Three are here for a second go around, 5 are new to the position though not always new to the league. From expansion coaches who have been on the job for nearly 2 years, to Texas’s brand new hire, there is a wide range of experiences and expectations around the league with these leaders taking on the challenge of leading a USFL franchise. ATLANTA: Coach Dan Reeves Coach Reeves is stranger to pressure, having helped to lead the NFL’s Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls, only to face defeat each time. In Atlanta he has a new challenge, building a team from scratch. He immediately went out and got the best veteran QB he could find in former Stallion Cliff Stoudt, then doubled down on the position by signing Georgia rookie Eric Zeier. His challenge will be building a consistent offense around his QB. He will be looking to veteran USFL HB Bernie Parmalee and speedy wideouts in Ernie Jones and Terrance Mathis to help Stoudt or Zeier move the ball. JACKSONVILLE: Coach Jim Fassel The former Breakers OC, who has spent several years in the NFL with the Giants and Broncos, inherits a team that has been sliding further and further away from the leaders in the Southern Division. His first order of business was to find a QB to replace the retired Tony Eason. He first signed Browning Nagle, and many thought it would be Nagle v. Shula for the starting job, but his front office decided a late signing was needed, so the Bulls and Coach Fassel will be hurrying to get former Atlanta Falcon Chris Chandler up to speed for the opener. Fassel is known as a no-nonsense coach with a creative mind, so expect solid play from the Bulls and maybe a few gadget plays as well. LOS ANGELES: Coach Rick Neuheisel Neuheisel, the former UCLA and USFL QB stays close to home with the Express. Having retired from play as one of the most accurate QB’s in league history, despite an injury-plagued career, Neuheisel will have to bring attention to detail to his squad, as they do not appear to have the talent level of many other clubs in the Pacific Division. Oddly, for a former QB, Neuheisel did not jump on any of the bigger name USFL, NFL, or even CFL QB’s that were available, though somewhat briefly. He will go into the season with career backup Brent Pease as his starter, though the buzz in camp has been around 2nd year pro Jeff Garcia, who left the CFL for the Express after only one season up north. OHIO: Coach Nick Saban The former Cleveland Brown Defensive Coordinator will be building a new USFL franchise from the ground up, and one with a lot of Ohio in its blood. Not only did the front office bring in former Buckeyes Vince Workman and John Booty, but they drafted wideout Joey Galloway and then signed, just last week, Cleveland’s Ernest Byner. It will be a home-town team, to be sure, but can Saban build a defense around Booty, LB John Offerdahl, and two solid safeties in Kyle Kramer and Pat Terrell. The Glory will also need to work up an offense around Workman and Byner’s ground game (perhaps trying to recapture the glory of Byner and Mack?). PORTLAND: Coach Vince Tobin This is not Vince Tobin’s first rodeo. After making a name for himself by building the early defensive success of the Philadelphia Stars, Tobin served as the Head Coach in Memphis for 6 pretty solid seasons. He returns to the big chair with Portland, a team that has talent, especially on offense, but which seems allergic to playing smart defense. Tobin will try to fix that quickly, and he may have help from rookies like DE Hugh Douglas and CB Jimmy Hitchcock. Portland will go as far as the defense allows. If they can even be a middle-of-the-pack squad, the offensive talent around Jack Trudeau and 1994 breakout player Robert Drummond could spell quick success for Tobin. ST. LOUIS: Coach Jim Johnson Jim Johnson knows the USFL, having served on the defensive coaching staffs in both Oklahoma and Jacksonville, and he knows that St. Louis will need to overhaul a defense that has simply not been up to snuff the past few years. Even with talented players like LB Chip Banks, DT Jerry Ball, and CB Troy Vincent, the Knights have been anything but stalwart. And, to a large degree that is why Johnson was chosen. His defensive pedigree is solid, now he gets the chance to prove it with the Knights. Oh, and as if that is not enough, there is sure to be pressure to move past David Archer, the week 1 starter, and get Michigan product Todd Collins onto the field, ready or not. SEATTLE: Coach Woody Widenhofer Another 2nd time around, and for Widenhofer it is his second go with an expansion team. After leading the Oklahoma, then Texas, Outlaws through their initial growing pains, Widenhofer is back at it again in Seattle. Just like last time, he is building a team around a QB. With the Outlaws it was Doug Williams, and with Seattle it will be former Seahawk Dave Krieg. He helped build a solid offensive line in Seattle, with expansion picks like T Mark Shively and the addition of 49er Jesse Sapolo at guard. The hands players may not be household names, but a good line is not a bad place to start. TEXAS: Coach Jack Pardee Big Jackie P is back in the USFL. After building the Houston Gamblers into a powerhouse, then shuffling across town to the NFL Oilers, Pardee is back in the spring league, and he is bringing a familiar face with him. It will be Pardee and Mouse Davis on the sideline with the Outlaws, not far down the road from where they made their names in Houston. Texas delayed hiring a coach, and when Pardee was let go by the Oilers, the Outlaws pounced. Pardee and Davis will bring instant excitement to the San Antonio based squad, all of whom now expect Kelly Stouffer to start looking like Jim Kelly. That may be a tall order but with Eric Metcalf and Quinn Early out wide, there is space for a run & shoot to work, just as long as they don’t forget to feed their best player, Reggie Cobb, the ball too. LATE NFL & CFL SIGNINGS It has happened every year since the USFL and NFL developed the August and January transfer windows. Teams that seemed to have a weakness in one area suddenly find starting talent in a late signing. This year is no different as no fewer than 10 NFL starters jumped to the Spring league. When you add in the nearly 45 players who jumped from the CFL or from NFL practice squads to the USFL, there are a lot of players coming in with the skills and experience to make an immediate impact. Here are our picks for the 10 new arrivals most likely to shake things up in the USFL this spring. 10. WR Darren Flutie (NJ): We don’t expect the Flutie Brothers to light up the league, but it is fun to have Doug’s brother and former BC teammate on the squad in East Rutherford. Darren still has some quickness and can be effective in the slot, but mostly we think this is just one more way for the Generals to keep Doug Flutie happy. 9. DE Terry Crews (HOU): The former LB returns to the USFL after brief stints in the NFL with Green Bay and San Diego, and he returns as an edge rushing DE. The move of position may benefit Crews, who has added a lot of muscle, but seems to have retained speed as well. Crews starts the season as the swing DE, subbing for Michael Sinclair and Gerald Williams as needed, but expect him to see significant time on the field, especially on obvious passing downs. 8. QB Tommy Maddox (NJ): With Doug Flutie clearly the starter, and USC rookie Rob Johnson a developmental project for the future, the signing of Maddox by the Generals seems a bit of a head scratcher. Do not be surprised however if this is not just a tactic, with New Jersey waiting for another team to make an offer. With Maddox signed to a cap friendly contract, we could see him move to a team that suffers a big injury at the position. 7. HB Blair Thomas (OAK): The former top draft pick of the NY Jets has not had a stellar NFL career, and likely will serve as backup to Oakland’s Siran Stacy, but if he can show any of the talent that we saw in college, he could become a big piece of a balanced Oakland attack. 6. LB Marvin Pope (MEM): One of the better coverage backers in the CFL, Pope will add speed and a sense of the passing game to the Memphis linebacking corps. Not a huge player, but certainly one with range, expect Pope to help Memphis lock down the middle against slot receivers and tight ends. 5. FS Myron Guyton (ATL): Atlanta has been pushing for defensive talent since the free agent period began, dealing with Tampa for Mark Mraz, Jacksonville for Mo Lewis, and now signing Guyton away from the NY Giants of the NFL. Guyton is a smart player who can also lay a lick on receivers and backs. Add in a DT rotation of Chester McGlockton, Tony Siragusa, and Mike Ruth and Atlanta may be a solid defense from day one. 4. WR Rob Moore (BAL): Baltimore signed the former Jet to a 4 year deal, and immediately improved one of the weakest groups on their roster. Moore is a surehanded receiver and one of the best route runners in the game today. Paired up with Bill Brooks, Baltimore does not have Olympic speed outside, but they have two reliable guys who know how to get open against any defender. 3. G Jesse Sapolo (SEA): Any time you can get an experienced player on your O-line, that is a good thing, but when that player has had a major role in a multiple time Super Bowl champion, like Sapolo has with San Francisco, you have a coup on your hands. Sapolo, paired with former Mauler Mark Shively, will help Seattle’s backs (Potts, Loville, and Torey White) find space, and should also help Dave Krieg immensely. 2. HB Ernest Byner (OHIO): Apparently signing a lot of talent from local schools like Ohio State, Pitt, and West Virginia was not enough for the Glory, they went out this last week and gave the Glory a solid 1-2 punch at HB by adding former Brown Ernest Byner to a backfield that already had former Buckeye Vince Workman and former Pitt Panther Curvin Richards. This is a 1-2-3 punch of big men who will grind down opposing defenses, taking pressure off of former Mauler QB Jeff Hostetler. 1. QB Chris Chandler (JAX): Jacksonville is counting on Chandler to make an immediate impact. The former Falcon should be comfortable in the Jim Fassel offense, as both come in from the NFL and both seem to favor a run game which allows for deep balls on play action. Chandler has a strong arm and a good head for the game. He is injury prone, which has to concern Bulls fans, but for now they are looking at him as the next big thing in Duval County. ROOKIES TO WATCH What would a season be without impact rookies. This year we saw the USFL go aggressively after big name talent, and while many of the biggest names, players like Steve McNair, Warren Sapp, or WR Michael Westbrook opted for the NFL instead, plenty of the best of the NCAA signed on with the USFL. We wrap up our look at the new faces of the league with our predictions for the 1995 ALL-USFL-ROOKIE Team. QB: Todd Collins, Penn State (St. Louis)--- Of the three big signees at QB, along with Kordell Stewart in DC and Eric Zeier in Atlanta, we see Collins as the one most likely to get a shot to start by midseason. Five years down the line it may be Stewart who grabs the headlines, but Collins is well positioned to play this year. HB: This is between Michigan Wolverine-turned-Panther Tyrone Wheatley and Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam in Denver. Denver was so enamored of Salaam that they traded away a solid back in Natrone Means on the very day they picked Salaam. So the pressure is on. Same is true for Wheatley, who replaces Marcus Allen in the Panther backfield. No small task. WR: The obvious choice here is Joey Galloway with the Ohio Glory, but expansion is not easy, and there are two other wideouts who have looked really good in camp. The first is former Hokie Antonio Freeman with the Gamblers, and the other is J.J. Stokes with the Wranglers. All three could get significant action this year. TE: Kyle Brady is the consensus pick, as he is slated to start week 1 with the Blitz. He had quite a career at Penn State, and opted to join the Blitz over the sad sack NY Jets when they picked him 2 weeks after the USFL draft. The other name to watch is Christian Fauria with the Showboats. Since losing Keith Jackson to free agency, Memphis has been looking for a big man with good hands, and Fauria fits that bill. OL: A lot of linemen picked in this year’s draft, but none will be a bigger immediate contributor than Philadelphia’s Ruben Brown. Brown comes to a team that won the USFL Championship and then lost both their starting guards in the expansion draft. So, Brown is on a good team, during a transition period, and will get the chance to show his stuff protecting Chuck Long. DL: Warren Sapp opted to go to Tampa Bay in the NFL, but the USFL still snagged some real impact players on the D-line. We like the look of DT Luther Ellis in Houston, as well as Hugh Douglas in Portland, but don’t sleep on BC’s Mike Mamula, who is well situated in Coach Schottenheimer’s D in Chicago. LB: It was not a great draft for impact linebackers, but that is not to say that the USFL came away with nothing. Expect to see Ted Johnson on the field in Michigan, Lorenzo Styles in Birmingham, and Damien Covington with Philadelphia. CB: Tyrone Poole may end up as the #1 CB for expansion Atlanta. He has the stuff, at least from what we could see in camp. Clifton Abraham in Chicago may also see a lot of action with the Machine, and Bobby Taylor in Oakland is giving the veterans a run for their money as well. S: New Orleans has been overjoyed from what they have seen from their top pick, FSU’s Devin Bush. He seemed pro ready from the first day of camp. Birmingham may have also found a diamond in 5th round pick Kwamie Lassiter. K/P: A lot of special teams guys went undrafted, and were signed later, but Oakland spent a 5th round pick on K Joe Nedney from San Jose State, and he has earned their trust in camp, winning the kicker competition handily. Cole Ford likewise has won the job in St. Louis and rookie punter Todd Sauerbrun seems to have the job locked up in Washington as well.

Sporting News, February 3, 1994 A lot to report from yesterday’s conclusion of the USFL Collegiate Draft. It was a day full of surprises and more trades than we have seen in a long time. Hopes run high as teams selected from the collegiate elite, 8 rounds of picks for the 24 league franchises. Now comes the real challenge, signing as many of these picks as possible before training camp opens in 2 weeks. With the NFL Draft soon approaching, there will be some who wait out the process, dipping their toes into the USFL waters, but not taking the dive until they see what the fall league has to offer. Others will jump at USFL contracts which, at least in the first few rounds, often tend to outpace those of the senior league as the USFL has always tried to build through the draft and sign top college players, since the very first season when Heisman Winner Herschel Walker became the first big signee of the fledgling league. Will the league sign another Heisman Winner in Colorado HB Rashaan Salaam? What about top QB’s like Steve McNair, Kerry Collins, or Michigan’s Todd Collins? And what of other award winners like Miami DT Warren Sapp, or Outland Trophy Winner Zach Weigert of NCAA Champion Nebraska? The names have been selected, now lets see who signs. Here is our team by team analysis: ARIZONA: The top needs for Arizona were at WR, CB, T, and possibly a backup QB behind Bosco. They went for their receiver right away, drafting UCLA’s J.J. Stokes in the first round. They drafted 2 players each at CB and T, including ASU’s Zach Keysar in the 3rd. They waited on a QB pick, opting in the 4th round to go with Craig Whelihan of Pacific. ATLANTA: As an expansion club, the Fire had a lot of holes to fill, but they also traded away several picks to get Mraz and Mo Lewis on defense. They kept their first pick, however, and with it did what everyone expected, selecting Georgia QB Eric Zeier. Zeier, considered a mid-level pick for the NFL may just sign to stay in Georgia with the Fire. An interesting pick on defense was CB Tyrone Poole of little-known Fort Valley State, a player who had dominated against smaller school competition and now looks to make the leap to pro ball. BALTIMORE: The Blitz retained all 7 of their picks, avoiding the trades that so many others jumped at. In the early rounds they tried to shore up their offense, going Tackle, Tight End, and Wideout with their first 3 picks: Ohio State’s big LT Korey Stringer, TE Kyle Brady of Penn State, and Justin Armour of Stanford. In the late rounds they looked to defense but took two more fliers on receivers, using a 7th round pick on Winston-Salem State’s Oronde Gadsden, and then using the 8th round pick to take a low risk shot at Viriginia’s Tyrone Davis. BIRMINGHAM: The Stallions needed to replenish depth behind their starters, notably at QB and HB after the departures of Cliff Stoudt (ATL) and Brent Fullwood (NFL), but they did not appear to be in a hurry on either, waiting until the 3rd round to take a QB, local kid Jay Barker of Alabama, and a RB (in a pick from their trade with Washington, snagging Dino Philyaw of Oregon. Birmingham had made two trades earlier in the day to acquire talent at the Guard position, another decimated by the expansion draft. They traded WR Danny Knight to Orlando for G Ed King and a pick, and then sent C Chris Thome to Washington for draft picks, one of which would turn into Safetu Kwamie Lassiter. CHICAGO: The Machine were another club that opted to hold onto their picks. They wanted to find help at tackle and DE, and the addressed the latter need right away, selecting Boston College’s big DE Mike Mamula with their first pick. They went tackle in rounds 2 and 4, selecting Melvin Hayes of Miss State in the 2nd and Tony Berti of Colorado in the 4th. They also used a late pick on a bit of a flyer, taking HB Kijana Carter, who has already indicated a desire to look at the NFL and not sign right away with the USFL. DENVER: Denver must know something, because they pounced on Heisman Winner and Colorado star Rashaan Salaam as soon as their pick came up in the first round. Expect that a deal is already verbally agreed upon, because no sooner was the pick in than they worked on trading Natrone Means. They would send Means to Jacksonville in return for a second round pick, giving them back to back picks in the second round, where they selected C Cory Raymer and LB Chris Cowart. Denver was aggressive, and now will look very different on offense with Salaam and Mark Brunell taking on the challenge. HOUSTON: The Gamblers also made a deal on draft day, sending guard Mike Wythcombe to Philadelphia for the Stars’s second round pick. Houston went defense in the first round, selecting Utah DT Luther Ellis, but used their 2 second round picks to make Jim Kelly happy, selecting big TE Ken Dilger first and following that with Va Tech’s elusive Antonio Freeman. The rest of the draft included 3 offensive linemen taken, which should also put a smile on Kelly’s face. JACKSONVILLE: One of the most active teams, both before the draft, acquiring Browning Nagle from Philly and trading away both Mo Lewis and Vince Workman, but also during the draft, obtaining Natrone Means from Denver. As far as their picks go, the Bulls doubled down on the QB position, picking Alcorn State’s Steve McNair in the first round and Tennessee’s Jerry Colquitt in the 5th. LOS ANGELES: The pre-draft deal for Marcus Allen left LA with only 5 rookie picks this year. Their first pick, in the second round, was for LB Donta Jones of Nebraska, and they may have pulled a coup, selecting Black Brockmeyer, the big tackle from Texas in the 5th round. MEMPHIS: The Showboats did not like the look of the TE’s available in the draft, so they made a draft day trade with Portland to get one they trusted. Adrian Cooper will be coming to Memphis and in return the Showboats send LB Mike Junkin to the defensively-challenged Thunder. In the draft, Memphis still took a TE in Christian Fauria of Colorado. They also looked to help Reggie White out on the D-line, selecting both UCF DE Greg Jefferson and Ole Miss DT Norman Hand. MICHIGAN: We all expected Skip Holtz to go after Wolverine HB Tyrone Wheatley, and that is exactly what the Panthers did in the first round. Wheatley seems open to playing in the USFL, and in Michigan he will have a clear path to the starting job. Michigan also selected three tackles with their 9 picks, and got a solid backer in Colorado’s Ted Johnson. NEW JERSEY: With only 1 QB on the roster after the retirement of Oliver Luck and the loss of Dave Brown in the expansion draft, New Jersey had to take a shot on a rookie QB. They opted to wait until the 2nd round, selecting guard Jesse James of Mississippi State with their first pick. In the second they selected “prototype” QB Rob Johnson of USC, a very different kind of QB from their starter, Doug Flutie. The Generals also used 3 picks on LB’s and even gave a local kid some love, selecting Hofstra wideout Wayne Chrebet with their final pick in the 8th round. NEW ORLEANS: Not surprising with Mike Ditka at the helm, the Breakers used 5 of their 7 picks on defense, including 3 DE’s and 1st round pick Devin Bush, the safety out of FSU. Their lone “hands” player, is a bit of a flyer, HB Terrell Davis out of Georgia, who was not even the starting back for most of his career in Athens, so a bit of a surprise in the 5th round. OAKLAND: Oakland had few glaring needs coming into the draft, so they could play the Best Player Available game. They went for a longshot in FSU LB Derrick Brooks in the first round, then settled into a more familiar scheme in the second, selecting Notre Dame CB Bobby Taylor. Still unsure about the kicker position, the Invaders selected a local foot, San Jose State’s Joe Nedney and will give him a shot in camp. OHIO: Already signing local stars like WVU’s Jeff Hostetler and Buckeye Vince Workman to help boost their first season attendance, Ohio doubled down on that strategy, and now hope they can sign their first pick, Ohio State wideout Joey Galloway. Staying in Columbus may be tempting for the Buckeye star, but so might the NFL. Ohio also selected Buckeye LB Craig Powell, keeping to the home town team theme. ORLANDO: With Collier and Jefferson gone, and coming off a horrible season, it is definitely retooling time for Coach O’Leary. He got Scott Mitchell in trade to potentially start at QB, and in the draft he added speed in FSU wideout Tamarick Vanover. The speedy Vanover could see action in the slot and will almost certainly be a special teams returner. Orlando got another receiver in veteran Danny Knight through trade with Birmingham. PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia knew they needed to rebuild their interior line after losing both starters this offseason. They used the trade and the draft to do just that, acquiring guards Chris Snyder and Mike Wychcombe in trades and then drafting big Rueben Brown from Pitt in the first round. Brown may be tempted to wait for the NFL draft, but Philly seems ready to lay out a tempting offer to sign the big man, and starting your career with the defending league champ is enticing on its own. Keep an eye out on mid-round selection, LB Damien Covington as well. He looked really good in pre-draft combines. PITTSBURGH: The Maulers made some interesting choices in the draft. After trading away Jeff Hostetler, they chose not to draft a QB. After losing promising young receivers like Mike Pritchard and Robert Claiborne, they waited until round 5 to pick their only wideout. And despite having a perennial All-USFL tight end in Mike Shaw, they used both their 3rd round picks to add two at the position, Texas’s Lovell Pinkney and Louisville’s Jamie Asher. Not sure what the plan is for Pittsburgh, but expect them to make a couple of late signings, especially at QB, where they only have untested Pat O’Hara behind Risher. PORTLAND: We expected Coach Tobin to want to immediately address that defense, and he did. First they traded for LB Mike Junkin from Memphis. Then they use their first 3 draft picks on the defensive side, going after some big names in Washington State LB Mark Fields, the raw Hugh Douglass from Central State, and UNC standout corner Jimmy Hitchcock. They would also add later picks for another corner and a safety. Their only offensive selections were on the O-line, though they did make a trade with New Jersey to bring Amp Lee in as a backup to Robert Drummond. SEATTLE: The expansion Dragons had their QB when the draft started, and they had found some decent talent in NFL/CFL/USFL free agents in receivers Bobby Olive and Orlando McKay, QB’s Doug Nussmeier and David Klingler, and LB’s Jim Schwantz, Joe Johnson, and Tommy Thigpen. They filled in most other starting positions in the Expansion Draft, but must not have felt all that comfortable with the idea of Roosevelt Potts at HB, because they took the flier and drafted Napolean McCallum in the first round. McCallum is expected to be a tough sign, but perhaps being able to be stationed by the Navy in Seattle could help. They followed that pick by adding WSU Cougar Don Sasa at DT, LB Stephen Boyd of BC, WSU Corner Torey Hunter, and finally selecting a FB, one of only 2 taken in the draft, in FSU’s Zack Crockett. ST. LOUIS: A team in need of a bow to stern retooling, St. Louis was surprisingly quiet on the trading block, going into the draft with all 8 picks intact. With confidence in David Archer eroded, it is no surprise that the Knights went after a top QB option. What is surprising is that they went with Todd Collins of Michigan instead of the more highly-regarded Kerry Collins of Penn State. Collins, taken with the first pick in the draft, was all but signed on draft day, and maybe that is the key for St. Louis. The rest of their draft was somewhat nondescript, adding 2 safeties, DE Dameion Jeffries from Alabama, and looking for a kicker late, with the selection of USC’s Cole Ford. TAMPA BAY: The Bandits, who lost both backups to Errict Rhett in the offseason, took some shots at HB in the draft, picking both Wisconsin speedster Terrell Fletcher and Miami grinder James Stewart. They also tried to bolster their run defense, selecting 3 DT’s, including Miami Hurricane Pat Riley and the big name, Warren Sapp. Sapp was a late round pick, as he is just not expected to sign pre-NFL selection, so don’t expect him to be a Bandit, but Riley might be a possibility. TEXAS: The Outlaws did what we expected they would do, found a backup to Reggie Cobb first, and then went BPA the rest of the way. A&M’s Rodney Thomas will almost certainly stay in Texas with the Outlaws, platooning with Cobb. After that, the best selection may have been Colorado DT Darius Holland, who could be a Day 1 starter for Texas. We also like the selection of CB Kenny Gales of Wisconsin. WASHINGTON: With both Don Majkowski and backup Mike Hohensee both qualifying for AARP membership, we figured the Federals would go QB early, but we did not see Kordell Stewart as that pick. Stewart, the athletic but somewhat raw Colorado Buffalo QB, has a ton of ability, and being selected in the 1st round may be incentive for him to sign with Washington, but he is a very big stylistic departure for Coach Rutigliano. Likely to sit behind Majkowski as long as the Majik Man can stay healthy, he could find himself starting this year at some point because Maj has simply not been able to play a full 16 in recent years. That too may be incentive to sign with the Feds. So, a few big holes still to fill, and our expansion franchises will need to add depth to the roster as well, as we have a few weeks of free agency before training camp opens. The rosters are not set in stone at this time, but things are beginning to shape up. Now, sign these picks and get to work as the 1995 season will be here sooner than you think.

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY January 4, 1995 The USFL has reached the midpoint of its offseason marathon. The Expansion Draft proved enlightening as each of the 4 new franchises helped to define themselves with their selections, and now they, and 20 returning clubs, look towards the Collegiate Draft and the NFL-USFL transfer window to fill out the rosters, sign potential playmakers to replace lost stars, or add depth to depleted positions. Before we look ahead to the 1995 USFL Draft, let’s first review what happened at the USFL Expansion Draft and take a look at what Atlanta, LA, Ohio, and Seattle have done to build their rosters. ATLANTA FIRE Pre-Draft Moves: Atlanta’s big pre-draft moves were trades to add instant leadership to their defense. They acquired LB Mo Lewis from Jacksonville and DE Mark Mraz from Tampa Bay. In Free Agency they also signed potential contributors in LB Juan Long and DT Mark Pearce. Their only noteworthy offensive additions were NFL Vagabond WR Sanjay Beach, former Panther wideout Chris Calloway, and former KC Chief backup QB Matt Blundin. So, when the draft began, the expectation was that offense would be the focal point, with some quality defenders also added to the mix. Top 5 USFL Vets Drafted: #5—LB John Roper: Atlanta’s first pick was the Denver backer, again building their defense up seems a clear priority for Coach Reeves. #4—HBs Bernie Parmalee and Fred McAfee: The duo, picked in the 5th and 10th rounds, will almost certainly work as a duo, with final round pick Tony Vinson playing more special teams than offensive snaps. Neither is a gamebreaker, but both Parmalee and McAfee can grind out tough yards when called upon. #3—TE Frank Wychek: We love the former Oakland TE as a mid-round pickup. He is versatile, a tough blocker and a more than capable receiver. He should provide the Atlanta QB with a solid outlet option. #2—DT Chester McGlockton: Lined up with Mraz, his teammate from Tampa Bay, McGlockton will have a chance to help Atlanta build a solid run defense and possibly even contribute to the pass rush. #1—QB Cliff Stoudt: Unlike Seattle and Ohio, the Fire did not trade for a QB. They bided their time and that patience paid off with a proven starter in the league falling to them in the 4th round. Stoudt may have only a couple of years left in him at this point, but you could not ask for a better veteran presence and mentor to a young QB (Georgia senior Eric Zeier anyone?). Strongest Roster Group: It’s between the LB corps and the DT group, both of which seem stacked to limit the run. With Mo Lewis, John Roper, Danny Lockett and Juan Long, the LB corps may have a slight edge. But a line with Tony Siragusa, Chester McGlockton, Mike Mraz and Dale Rogers is nothing to sneeze at. For an expansion team, this kind of front 7 is a luxury. Area of Concern: The WR group has a lot of quickness, with Terrance Mathis, Chris Calloway, and Ernie Jones, but it does not have a true #1. How Sanjay Beach and Glenn Koslowski will fit in is also a bit of a mystery. Expect the emphasis on quickness over speed to mean a short passing game for the Fire. Potential Breakout Player: We love Siragusa as a block-absorbing sponge, which means he won’t get on the stat line too often, but it will free up McGlockton, Mraz and Rogers to pursue the QB or the outside run. Siragusa is just the type of undervalued big body in the middle that could really boost this defense. Other Notable Picks: DEN C Chuck Lanza, BLT CB Brian Mitchell, DEN K Jason Elam, former CFL T Keith Ballard, HOU SS Robert Blackmon, and Texas T Eugene Chung. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS Pre-Draft Moves: LA had the splashiest trade of the offseason, acquiring former USC Trojan Marcus Allen from Michigan after only 1 year with the Panthers. It cost them three top picks over the next 2 years, but Allen will be the face of the franchise. Other acquisistions pre-draft include former Blitz LB Bryce Paup, Stallion wideout Tyree Davis, and a couple of players who had cups of coffee with the NFL: DT LaMark Shackerford and H Ricky Blake. Top 5 USFL Vets Drafted: #5—WR Mike Pritchard: The former Denver speedster adds instant nitrous to the LA passing game. #4—DT Greg Meisner: The Renegade run stuffer was often overwhelmed in Orlando, but may have a better line around him in LA,thanks to two early DE picks. #3—QB Competitors: LA has 4 QB’s any one of whom could emerge as a solid starter. Our money is on former Florida signalcaller, New Orleans’s Brent Pease, but both Rodney Peete (USC), and former Express/Knight backup Frank Seurer have solid experience. The wild card in the group is former San Jose State signalcaller Jeff Garcia, who was signed from the CFL after only 1 season on the bench in Calgary. #2—CB Aaron Glenn: Glenn was on the fast track to being an ALL-USFL player for the Stallions. Now he will have a chance to continue that trajectory in LA, where his flamboyant style will translate well to Hollywood. #1—DE Santana Dotson: Reggie White’s linemate may be just as talented a passrusher, though more speedy than powerful. In L.A. he will be the undisputed focus of every offensive line that faces the Express, but Dotson has the guile and the moves to be successful despite double teams. Strongest Roster Group: While we are not sure who will be throwing the ball, LA does have a nice group of young speedy receivers in former Blitz WR Patrick Rowe, Wrangler Darnay Scott, Pittsburgh’s Mike Pritchard, and free agents Tyree Davis and Curtis Mayfield. Adding Memphis’s #1 TE, Tony McGee makes this a very solid starting group for whomever takes the reins at QB. Area of Concern: The secondary has one bonafied starter in CB Aaron Glenn from Birmingham, but he is the only CB the Express drafted. They have Irvin Smith from the CFL, but will need to draft some young DB’s to build a secondary. A bad secondary in the USFL can be a brutal weakness. Potential Breakout Player: While he struggled to get targets in Arizona, we still think WR Darnay Scott could be a big hit with the right offensive scheme. Having Pritchard and Rowe on the field with him should open up single coverage for the hot rod wideout. Other Notable Picks: BAL TE Deems May, HOU T Harris Barton, NJ HB Lars Tate, WSH LB Curtis Taliferro, and young kicker Doug Brien from Florida State. OHIO GLORY Pre-Draft Moves: Ohio was one of two teams, along with Seattle, that opted to secure their starting QB before the draft, trading 2 picks to the Maulers to acquire Jeff Hostetler. They also added a local hero in HB Vince Workman of Ohio State. Their free agent signings were not big names (not that there were many available), but adding SS Brock Marion, DT Pio Sagapolutele, and tackle Reggie Redding was a pretty good first step towards adding depth. We are also intrigued by former Minnesota Gopher QB Rickey Foggie as a young athletic backup to Hostetler. Top 5 USFL Vets Drafted: #5—Tampa TE Chris Kelley: We are still surprised that Tampa did not protect Troy Aikman’s favorite safety valve, but TE is an undervalued position so Ohio got a steal in the 2nd round with this pick. #4—SS Kyle Kramer was an up and coming player in Pittsburgh’s secondary. He now has the chance to be a major factor just a few hundred miles away in Columbus. #3—Lined up next to Kramer will be former Arizona CB Vince Buck. Buck has good cover skills and even better hand skills, which Ohio hopes will translate into takeaways. #2—New Jersey LB John Offerdahl. The 31-year old still has a lot to offer and will be a solid veteran presence on what looks to be a very young defense. #1—O Line. Not flashy, but Ohio made several strong O-line picks, including #1 pick, Birmingham guard Eric Moore, followed by T Joe Valerio from Portland, Tampa’s Ed Miller at center, and another guard in Philly’s Lester Holmes. Strongest Roster Group: It has to be that O-line, as it is the only group where the clear starters are known. Area of Concern: While the WR Corps is a possible weakness, the LB Corps seems the obvious choice here. Other than Offerdahl there is not much to be excited about here. Former Gold LB Aubrey Beavers has speed, but has not proven to be a very savvy player. Former CFL backer Malco Goodwin and NFL camp player Dean Lytle are the only other backers on the squad. Perhaps some Big 10 rookies are on the way to strengthen the group? Potential Breakout Player: Ohio picked 5 safeties, and while we expect Pat Terrell and Kyle Kramer to be the week 1 starters, we like the athleticism of Free Agent Brock Marion to help him find a role on defense, possibly even in nickel coverage as the Ohio corners are not a deep group. Other Notable Picks: WR Robb Thomas (JAX), HB Reggie Brooks (BAL), QB Dave Brown (NJ), P John Jett (WSH), FS John Booty (MEM) SEATTLE DRAGONS Pre-Draft Moves: Seattle signed their QB in trade from Denver, as former Seahawk Dave Krieg will return to the Pacific Northwest. They backed him up with another free agent, former Houston backup David Klingler. Other free agents likely to end up starting for the Dragons include LB Jim Schwantz, WR Derek Hill, C Ian Sinclair, and punter Josh Miller. Top 5 USFL Vets Drafted: #5—DE Jim Reynosa has led the Panthers in Sacks for the past 3 years. He may have lost a step, but he can still outmaneuver many tackles to get to the QB. #4—HB Roosevelt Potts was stuck behind Reggie Cobb in Texas, but when he got the chance he proved to be a very effective power runner for the Outlaws. Can he carry the load in Seattle or will they run a platoon with scat back Derrick Loville and NFL reject T.C. Wright? #3—Tackle Mark Shively from the Blitz was a solid RT in Baltimore. Will Seattle keep him there or move him to the left side? #2—DT Tim Johnson never got the limelight lined up alongside Jerome Brown in Washington, but he is a high motor guy who will make plays for Seattle’s D. #1—We love the TE combo that Seattle signed, both for blocking and receiving. Texas TE Theo Young and Houston TE Keith McKeller were both very successful in their USFL careers, and the pairing could lead to some interesting options for a 2TE lineup being both a running or passing formation. Strongest Roster Group: The TE group is strong, as cited above, but we like the QB group as a really solid, if unspectacular group. Dave Krieg had his issues in Denver, but has proven to be a reliable option. David Klingler can run a very similar offense to Krieg, which may be needed as O-line issues may lead to him getting a shot. Finally, former Idaho QB, and Saints draft pick Doug Nussmeier, has a strong arm and could be a solid developmental project. Area of Concern: The offensive line is a concern. Only Shively and G Haynes Hayward (formerly of Denver) were solid starters in the USFL, and we don’t see a lot of depth here either. Potential Breakout Player: Potts will have a chance to carry the Seattle run game, but we also like the possibility of former Penn State and Philly Star wideout O.J. McDuffie getting a chance to start for the Dragons, and he could emerge as their #1 in short order. Other Notable Picks: SS Alton Montgomery (ORL), LB Eddie Robinson (BIR), K Mike Hollis (ORL), FS Terry Hoague (TBY), CB Derrick Massey (CHI) COLLEGE DRAFT PREVIEW With almost every team in the USFL now shorthanded as players moved around the league to the new expansion teams, this draft has to be a winner for every club or they may see significant backslides this year. While some clubs, like Oakland, St. Louis, and Jacksonville saw minimal player losses, others, like New Jersey, Portland, Pittsburgh and Denver, took some severe hits to their rosters. Every team will have holes to fill, but for these clubs, along with the 4 expansion teams, drafting well this February 2 will be essential to rebuilding (or just building) a roster. Here is what we see as the key needs of each team after retirements, free agency, and the expansion draft: ARZ: QB—After trading away Scott Mitchell, a QB makes sense, but Arizona also lost Trumaine Johnson and Darnay Scott, so they need to hit on at least one immediate contributor at wideout. ATL: We expect Atlanta to make a serious play for local star Eric Zeier of UGA, but they should also try to invest in a quality receiver like Auburn’s Frank Sanders or even UCLA’s J.J. Stokes to help add speed to the receiving corps. BAL: The Blitz got hit hard this offseason, losing WR Mervyn Fernandez and LB Sam Norris to retirement and then getting hit for 6 players in the expansion draft. They too need to hit on a wideout after losing both Patrick Rowe and Fernandez. But are they happy with Chris Miller after so many mediocre seasons? Could they take a shot at Penn Stater Kerry Collins or Michigan’s Todd Collins? BIR: Losing Stoudt is a blow, but with Brett Favre solidly ensconced as the starter, not an urgent need. They need to figure out how to replace the losses of two key defenders in LB Eddie Robinson and CB Aaron Glenn. We like the idea of going after FSU’s Derrick Brooks or Ohio State’s Lorenzo Styles at backer. CHI: Bernie Kosar’s injury-triggered retirement was not unexpected, and with solid play from Scott Zolak taking Chicago all the way to the Summer Bowl, we don’t see them making a play for a top QB. More likely they will try to find a replacement for the 3 CBs they lost in the expansion draft. Ty Law of Michigan or Sun Devil Craig Newsome could be a start for the Machine. DEN: Another team hit hard by the expansion draft, and after trading away Dave Krieg, a team relying on the continued development of Mark Brunell. Denver lost 6 players in expansion, including two linebackers. Expect them to try to sign local talent like Buffs LB Ted Johnson, but will they also go for one of the offensive stars of the Buffs, Rashan Salaam, Michael Westbrook, or even QB Kordell Stewart? HOU: The Gamblers will likely look for a small slot receiver to replace Clarence Verdin in the mid rounds of the draft, in the early rounds, look for a solid TE to replace the departed Keith McKeller. Kyle Brady of Penn State and Mark Breuner of Washington look like good candidates for a 1st or 2nd round pick. JAX: Tony Eason is gone. Does Jacksonville feel comfortable with either Glen Foley or Mike Shula as the starter? Unlikely. So, we expect the Bulls to take a shot at Alcorn State’s Steve McNair, and, failing there, they may look at Kordell Stewart. LA: Coach Neuheisel seems content with his QB room (already at 4) and with Marcus Allen the HB spot is settled, so what does LA need? A lot of depth, and with no 1st or 3rd round pick due to the Allen trade, they need to maximize the mid rounds. The secondary was our area of concern, so expect a lot of CB and S picks from the Express. MEM: Losing Santana Dotson opens a huge hole for Memphis on the D-line. They need someone to take pressure off of Reggie White. The best option there, if the Showboats are willing to shell out the money for him, would be Kevin Carter of Florida. A cheaper option, but one that may be just as appealing, would be Louisiana-Monroe’s Sean King. MGN: We are still trying to figure out why Coach Holtz would trade away Allen after the year he had for them, but having 2 first round picks can help put balm on that wound. One of those picks is almost 100% guaranteed to be Michigan halfback Tyrone Wheatley. Signing the Wolverine back will immediately quiet the boo birds after Marcus Allen trade. NJ: The expansion draft was not kind to the Generals. Not only did they lose their MLB Offerdahl, but also three guards from an O-line that is key to their offensive production. Guard will be the target early and often, with Indiana’s Andrew Greene a likely target for the Generals. NOR: Marcus DuPree is gone, but the Breakers like young Eric Pegram, so they may not go for a back early. They should look at CB, having lost 2 in the expansion draft, but they also lost backup QB Brent Pease, so don’t be shocked if they go after a mid-round QB like USC’s Rob Johnson or K-State’s Chad May. OAK: The Invaders had the fewest players chosen in the expansion draft (only 3), so they have a lot to play with as they look at the potential rookie class. If they want to take advantage of the salary cap discount for California schools, they could take a shot at USC tackle Tony Boselli or Trojan LB Brian Williams. OHIO: The Glory still have some big holes on their roster. Wideout is a noted weakness and local superstar Joey Galloway is there for the taking. Look also for them to try to add depth to the O-line and D-line in the draft. ORL: The Renegades were not a good team before the offseason. They then lose both Reggie Collier and John Jefferson to retirement, and, as if that were not enough, they get hit for 5 players, including 3 defenders, in the expansion draft. DT is a concern, as is wideout. They traded for Scott Mitchell to compete for the QB spot with Craig Erickson, so we don’t see that as a priority. PHI: The league champions lost Kelvin Bryant to retirement, but with Charlie Garner groomed to take over, the bigger concern may be the loss of two guards and two wideouts to the expansion draft. Pitt’s Rueben Brown would be a coup for Philly since he would provide them with an instant starter and one at a salary cap discount as well. PIT: The Maulers were afraid Rozier, the league’s leading rusher, would call it a career, but he has resigned, so now they will just try to replace some of the 7 players lost to expansion (the most in the league). Wideout is a big area of need after losing both Mike Pritchard and Robert Claiborne, two promising young flankers. They still have Brown and Lipps, so maybe they don’t go after Michael Westbrook or J.J. Stokes early, but what about TCU’s Jimmy Oliver for quicks or FSU’s Tamarick Vanover for pure speed? POR: New coach, new scheme, and with QB, HB, and WR looking good, the time is ripe for Portland to go heavy on defense. Adding a dynamic edge rusher like Gator Kevin Carter, Seminole Derrick Alexander, or even BC Eagle Mike Mamula would be a slam dunk to get their defense on the right track. SEA: The lines (offensive and defensive) as well as linebacker are obvious areas of concern, and having local talent like WSU Cougar LB Mark Fields or DT Don Sasa may be great ways to kill two birds with one stone. If they want an even bigger splash, signing HB Napoleon Kaufmann from the Huskies is about as big as a Seattle team can get this year. STL: Rebuilding is key for the Knights. They let David Archer go into the expansion draft and no one wanted him, which has to tell you something. The Knights may not want to go QB, but the fans are calling for it. IF they go defense early and then try to slip in a Stoney Case or Steve Stenstrom in the mid rounds, they may really find themselves facing the music with the growingly unhappy St. Louis fanbase. TBY: Tampa lost a lot of quality in McGlockton, Kelley, and Terry Hoague. If they want to keep Troy Aikman happy, signing a Kyle Brady at TE would go a long way. But the defense also needs to patch some holes, and there is such great in-state talent, from Kevin Carter to Derrick Alexander, or even the outspoken big man, Miami’s Warren Sapp. TEX: A big tackle to replace Eugene Chung seems key, but so too would be replacing TE Theo Young. We expect tackle will be the pick, at least early, and they could look long and hard at Boselli or at in state stud, Houston Cougar Billy Millner. WSH: Washington lost three good defensive players in Taliferro, Johnson, and DE Anthony Edwards. They could take a shot at a DE in the first round, or they could throw us a curveball and pick an heir apparent to the oft-injured Don Majkowski. Could you picture Kordell Stewart in DC? What about Kerry Collins?

SPORTING NEWS, October 7, 1994 Just about 2 months into the USFL offseason and things are heating up. Front Offices have reported to the league their 12 protected protected players for the upcoming expansion draft, and there are a lot of All-League players and longtime veterans wondering if they are soon to be headed off to a new club. Teams are dealing with retirements and NFL defections, there are already a few new faces coming into the league from both the NFL and CFL, and, scouting for the 1995 College Draft, the first in league history without protected territorial schools. Trades have been made as the expansion clubs (and a few others) seek to build up talent levels, and one club is still in search of a new coach as the Texas Outlaws play the long game, likely not settling on a coach until after the NFL season, just as Tampa Bay did with their Jerry Glanville hiring last January. There is a lot to discuss, but before we rush into the hot stove, and the 1995 season, let’s look back at the 1994 season and see if we have learned anything about what to expect moving forward. Here are the 5 takeaways we see from 1994: 1. Defense still wins championships. We all went into last year talking about the dynamic offenses in Birmingham, Houston, or Tampa Bay, but in the end, it was defense that proved the better option as several of the league’s top defensive squads, including Chicago, Denver, Memphis, and eventual champion Philadelphia, rose up the standings. While some offense was certainly needed, Philadelphia’s win over Birmingham in the Eastern Conference Championship clearly showed that a solid defense can still be the ticket to a league title. 2. They've still got it. While we are now beginning to see the slow dwindling of the top RB’s from the early years of the USFL, with Joe Cribbs now several years into retirement, and others announcing their retirement this year, when you look at the final stats from 1994, it is amazing to see that among the Top 10 rushers in the league we still find Mike Rozier at the top of the list (1984 rookie), with Herschel Walker (1983 rookie) and Kelvin Bryant (1983 rookie) not far behind. Yes, we are losing 1 of those 3 players for 1995, but it goes to show that a 10-12 year career, even for a running back, is very possible for those with the talent. 3. We learned that big name QB’s are not always needed. Yes, Joe Montana certainly helped Michigan regain playoff form, but Chicago got a great year out of little-heralded Scott Zolak. Philly won a title with oft-maligned Chuck Long, and Denver got all the way to the Conference Title Game with an uncertain duo of Dave Krieg and Mark Brunell. Sure, if you can get a Favre, Kelly, Montana, or Hebert, you do so, but teams can still win with a guy who was not a Blue Chip 1st Round draft pick. 4. The USFL, despite its HB talent, remains a passing league. How do we know? Well, the fact that there are only 8 backs who went over 1,000 yards rushing, but nearly 20 wideouts who surpassed that total. Or, how about the fact that the top 2 tacklers in the league were not middle linebackers, but cornerbacks? Not to take away from the talent of Houston’s Ashley Ambrose or Oakland’s Aeneas Williams, but CB’s can only get close to 100 tackles when the ball is in the air a lot, and in the USFL, that is what we are seeing with more and more 3-4 WR sets and fewer teams willing to put an I-formation on the field. 5. Even record-breaking seasons are no guarantee of victories. Portland’s Jack Trudeau set league records in pass attempts and completions, with 682 and 470 respectfully, but Portland was still one of the league’s weaker teams. Sure, he had to throw because they were trailing, and it is still an impressive achievement, but in this case proficiency did not lead to victories. Also setting records this year: Leslie Frazier’s 4 defensive TD’s, which got him the Defensive POTY award, but could not get the Blitz into the postseason. David Trout’s 60 yard field goal in Washington stands as the league’s longest ever. Troy Aikman’s 68 pass attempts against Memphis set the highest total in league history. Ready to move on to a new season? Well, ready or not, the league is already gearing up for the next season, and with rosters very much unsettled, there could be a lot of action this offseason. Here is what we have seen in only 2 months of offseason action: RETIREMENTS As the heroes of the early years of the USFL get older, it is only natural that we start to see some big name retirements, and this year is no different. Here are some of the tougher players teams will be looking to replace this offseason: PHI HB Kelvin Bryant: After garnering his 3rd USFL Title, Bryant retires as the #3 rusher in league history with 15,378 yards and 113 touchdowns (#1 well ahead of Mike Rozier’s 94. Philadelphia will now look to Charlie Garner to move up to their lead back position. NJ T William Israel: The Generals will need to shore up the LT position after the announcement by Israel that he will retire after an injury-plagued 1994 campaign. Israel played in 164 games since coming into the league in 1984, missing only 7 games until this year, where he missed 7 due to injuries. ARZ WR Trumaine Johnson: A surefire HOF candidate, Johnson retires as the #1 all time leader in receptions with 1,209, nearly 300 more than 2nd best, as well as the #2 All-Time USFL receiver in yardage, with 16,580 yards. His 119 TDs is also second all time only to Eric Truvillion. ORL WR John Jefferson: Orlando loses two huge offensive stars this offseason, the first being WR Jefferson, who leaves after 10 years in the USFL (3 with Pittsburgh and 7 in Orlando). Jeffersion retires with 878 USFL catches (along with over 250 NFL receptions) and 70 TD’s to his name. ORL QB Reggie Collier: Looks like Orlando will need some major rebuilding as they lose not only their top receiver but their 9 year starter at QB. Collier, who currently ranks 2nd all time in Pass Attempts, Yardage, and TD passes, behind only Jim Kelly in each category, began as a dual threat QB in 1983, backing up in Birmingham, before becoming the starter in Washington and Orlando’s first player taken in the 1987 expansion draft. NOR HB Marcus DuPree: The former 1-year player at Oklahoma finishes his USFL career with 10,703 yards, good enough for 5th all time in the league. His 11-season USFL career is highlighted by a run of 1,000 yard seasons spanning 1986-1989. He often shared carries in a dual-back system, but was the gamebreaker for the Breakers offense for nearly a decade (after beginning his career in Memphis). STL WR Eric Martin: A stalwart contributor first for the LA Express, and then when relocated to St. Louis, Martin retires with 9,561 yards on 1,215 receptions. He had 4 1,000 yard seasons, including 1,016 yards for St. Louis in 1993. This year, despite 104 targets, he finished with only 65 catches and 756 yards. MGN CB Keith Bostic: The wily Bostic, who began as a nickel back but worked himself up to the #1 slot in the Panther secondary, played 10 seasons in Michigan, amassing 33 interceptions, 207 passes defended, and missed only 2 games due to injury since 1985. PHI LB Glenn Howard: A key piece of the Stars’ linebacking corps since coming into the league with the team in 1983, Howard amassed 723 tackles in his long career in Philly, and retires with 3 championship rings. POR CB Gill Byrd: Byrd came to Portland as the team’s first big NFL signing. Since arriving with the club in 1990, he has led the team in interceptions 5 of 6 years, including a stellar first season in 1990, when he garnered 7 picks and 92 tackles. This past year he topped over 100 tackles, but was criticized for allowing 97 catches thrown against him. JAX QB Tony Eason: The Bulls were caught by surprise by the retirement of their starter, but after 12 tumultuous seasons, including a 14-interception year this season, Eason felt the time was right. Eason began his career in New Orleans before signing with Jacksonville in 1988. He played in only 8 games his first 3 seasons in a Bulls jersey before earning the starting nod with a brilliant 31 TD season in 1991. BAL WR Mervyn Fernandez: After a solid early career in the NFL with the Raiders, Fernandez came to the USFL and quickly became a top receiver for the Blitz. Fernandez had the dubious distinction of playing on some pretty bad Baltimore squads, including the only team in league history to finish a year winless. HOU WR Clarence Verdin: A founding player of the Gamblers, Verdin has been a special teams and slot receiving mainstay for the 1984 expansion club and 2 time league champion. His best year in the slot came back in 1984, when he caught 88 balls for 1,163 yards and 10 TDs. While he would not reach 1,000 yards again in his career, he remained a regular target for QB Jim Kelly and the club’s top kick returner for several years. He did not return kicks this season, and was limited to only 52 receptions as well. BAL LB Sam Norris: The longtime centerpiece to the Blitz LB Corps, since the days in Chicago, Norris retires with 1,174 tackles, 29 career sacks and 5 career interceptions. Known as a run-stuffer, Norris had over 200 tackles for loss in hi his 12 year USFL career. He topped 100 tackles for the year on 6 occasions. MEM WR Vic James: James, who played for 3 different clubs during his USFL career, began as the #1 receiver in Denver, where he had his 3 most productive years, beginning in 1983 with 108 receptions for 1,240 yards and 10 TDs. In 1987 he left for Orlando in the expansion draft and in 1991 caught on with the Memphis Showboats. He finishes his career with 565 career receptions for 6,864 yards and 42 TDs. Along with retirements we have seen a handful of players make the leap to the NFL, including Bandits HB Eric Bienemy (to San Diego), St. Louis HB Terrance Flagler (to Detroit), Birmingham HB Brent Fullwood (to Green Bay), NJ backup QB Oliver Luck (to Houston), Chicago DE Eric Dorsey (to Dallas), and Oakland RT Randy Dixon (to the Raiders). TRADES The big trades came early on this offseason, with the already reported movement of Marcus Allen from Michigan to LA, Jeff Hostetler from Pittsburgh to Ohio, Dave Krieg from Denver to Seattle, Vince Workman from Jacksonville to Ohio, and Mo Lewis also from Jacksonville, but heading to Atlanta. With the unexpected retirement of Tony Eason, Jacksonville scrambled to find a possible starter and settled on a low-risk trade with Philadelphia to obtain backup QB Browning Nagle. Nagle, a top prospect coming out of Louisville, has not been able to break through in Philly but now will get a chance, competing with Mike Shula and Dereck Foley in the Bulls’ QB group. The other big QB movement in the past month was Arizona backup Scott Mitchell, who showed some signs of talent this year when subbing for Robbie Bosco. Mitchell was sent by the Wranglers to Orlando, where the Renegades are hoping he can step in to replace the retired Reggie Collier. Mitchell, who has been Bosco’s understudy since joining the league in 1990, has a career QBR of 88.2, but a decent completion rate of 65.5 in backup duty for Arizona. He has thrown 20 TDs to 12 interceptions in sporadic duties. He will now compete with Craig Erickson and longtime veteran backup Jimmy Jordan for the starting job in Orlando. Oakland, after losing starting LT Randy Dixon to the NFL has made a rare intra-divisional trade with Denver, acquiring Denver 3rd tackle Harry Swayne in return for Oakland DE Derwin Jones. SIGNINGS With so many USFL free agents resigned ahead of the expansion draft, there has been slim pickings for clubs. Of course, the 4 expansion teams, getting only 25 players through the expansion draft, have been the most active in signing the few USFL free agents who are out there, as well as reaching into the CFL for talent as the NFL season continues. Here are the top Free Agent signings at this point: ATLANTA: WR Chris Calloway, FS Mark Pembrook, WR Sanjay Beach (NFL FA), TE Lavar Bell (NFL FA), QB Matt Blundin (NFL FA), OT Keith Ballard (CFL), LB Juan Long (NFL FA), DT Mark Pearce (CFL), and CB James Bullock (CFL) LOS ANGELES: LB Bryce Paup, QB Jeff Garcia (CFL), HB Ricky Blake (NFL FA), WR Tyree Davis (NFL FA), WR Curtis Mayfield (CFL), OT Alan Kline (NFLFA), G Bill Henry (CFL), LB Virgil Robertson (CFL), LB Nate Dingle (NFL FA), DT LaMark Schackerford (CFL), and CB Irvin Smith (CFL) OHIO: SS Brock Marion, DT Pio Sagapolutele, T Reggie Redding, QB Rickey Foggie (CFL), WR Mario Bailey (NFL FA), WR Mike Bellamy (NFL FA), C Bob Kronenberg (CFL), G Brandon Houston (CFL), LB Malco Goodwin (CFL), LB Dean Lyttle (NFL FA), K Don Silvestri (NFL FA), DT Jerold Jeffcoat (NFL FA), DE Arthur Bussie (NFL FA) and CB Eric Carter (CFL) SEATTLE: QB David Klingler, WR Derek Hill, LB Jim Schwantz, QB Doug Nussmeier (NFL FA), RB T.C. Wright (NFL FA), WR Orlando McKay (CFL), WR Bobby Olive (NFL FA), TE Victor Hall (NFL FA), SS Greg Briggs (NFL FA), P Josh Miller (CFL), T Todd Peat (NFL FA), C Ian Sinclair (CFL), LB Tommy Thigpen (NFL FA), LB Joe Johnson (NFL FA), DT Junior Tagoai (NFL FA), DE Steve Bates (CFL), and CB Johnny Dixon (NFL FA). PROTECTED PLAYERS The lists our out ahead of the Expansion Draft. While most of the protected players are pretty much expected, there remains some really top talent available to the 4 expansion teams. Each will have their own strategy (youth vs. experience, speed v. durability, etc.), there are players who can immediately help form a culture in their new cities. And, we have to remember, that with each player chosen from their roster, the USFL team losing that player gets to protect another, so some of these names may come off the board as others are chosen. Rather than give you the full protected list of 12 players for each team, here is our assessment of the best players available and unprotected, by position: QB: Cliff Stoudt (BIR), D. Archer (STL), K. Bell (POR), D. McGwire (CHI), C. Carlson (BLT), B. Tolliver (DEN) HB: G. Boone (MEM), L. James (ARZ), D. Levins (PIT), T. Fowler (ORL), T. Smith (DEN), D. Fenner (BAL) FB: R. Wolfley (PIT), M. Cade (POR), K. Anders (CHI), C. Hayward (STL), E. Colson (PHI) TE: M. Shaw (PIT), C. Didier (POR), S. Bowers (OAK), C. Kelley (TBY), W. Walls (CHI), T. McGee (MEM) WR: D. Williams (TEX), J. Walters (WSH), W. Buggs (ORL), G. Phelan (PHI), M. Duper (OAK), J. Townsell (MEM), B. Edmunds (MGN), I. Fryar (NJ), M. Pritchard (PIT) OT: R. Delaney (BAL), M. Behning (TBY), A. Gardner (TEX), M. Shively (BAL), K. call (DEN), J. Totten (ARZ) OG: R. Milstead (PIT), D. Widdell (NJ), R. Hallstrom (MGN), E. Moore (BIR), H. Haynes (DEN) C: R. Hemphill (PIT), M. Tracy (HOU), B. Bush (ORL), C. Pitcock (BIR), C. Lanza (DEN) DE: K. Bokamper (OAK), S. Dotson (BIR), J. Reynosa (MGN), A. Edwards (WSH), L. White (DEN) DT: D. Butz (DEN), T. Johnson (WSH), C. Scotts (BIR), D. Gagne (JAX), G. Meisner (ORL0, D. Rocker (MEM) LB: B. Apuna (BAL), M. Douglass (MEM), C. Banks (STL), S. Stephen (MGN), J. Roper (DEN0, M. Munford (CHI), K. DeAyala (HOU), M. Tuiasosopo (BIR), D. Smith (MEM), J. Offerdahl (NJ), J. Armstead (JAX) CB: A. Clark (JAX), D. Bryant (JAX), V. Buck (ARZ), N. Mustafaa (TEX), D. Beasley (WSH), R. Massey (CHI) SS: D. Dumars (BAL), R. Blackmon (HOU), K. Kramer (PIT), K. Porter (TEX), S. Lumpkin (DEN) FS: M. Kelso (NOR), P. Terrell (PIT), B. McDowell (MEM), B. Bishop (BIR), M. Dumas (WSH), T. Bowles (HOU) The trend, as is obvious in this list, is that the 20 existing USFL clubs protected young players, particularly starters still on their rookie contracts, and that there is a lot of talent in the 32-36 year old range available. We expect a lot of these players to be retained as soon as an expansion club picks others, but some of the biggest veteran names on USFL clubs could be in a new home based on this list. The other thing we should note is that very few kickers or punters were protected, so at the very least the new clubs will have their pick of top special teamers even at the end of the draft. So, next up is the expansion draft. We will be here with a full recap and a look at the roster needs of all 24 USFL clubs prior to the second USFL/NFL transfer window in January and the Collegiate Draft in February.

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.