#How the USFL Affected the NFL

[davidshawnsown]

USA FOOTBALL AND NFL ONE SHOT - Are we ready to be in Ukraine - or are we not ready?

(AN: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began a week after Superbowl 56, is one of the biggest wars we've ever witnessed in recent memory, one that has had the attention of millions in these past few months. Now as the war continues on, the focus of the American people remain on how the war has affected the political and economic landscape of the world as the country faces a variety of enviromental and social issues, especially with the huge Russian involvement and financial aid to far rightists as well as far-leftists now being unraveled. The sport of American football, which has its roots in both soccer and rugby and began as a collegiate sport in the 1860s before the 1920 formation of the National Football League - just two years after the end of the First World War - which led to the nationwide and now global recognition and fame it now enjoys as one of the top pro team sports of the nation, has had its share of players serving the nation in both World Wars and in other military operations by the United States Armed Forces, past and present. And now the sport has grown once more, with two spring time minor leagues, 4 indoor pro leagues, the ever popular collegiate circuit with its elite conferences and the growing women's football scene in both flag and tackle forms. And of course, the national football programs have made the country proud more than ever in international competitions. This fic is the first one shot set in the current war and featuring many of the faces of the NFL, USFL, XFL, the indoor leagues and USA Football's national teams, ensuring the increased awareness of this conflict among the fanfiction writers online.)

HEADQUARTERS, 202ND BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

1400H CST

The 202nd Brigade Combat Team, the primary component of the larger 169th Command and its principal fighting force, had just finished the winter season and also had considered reinstating the regimental level at this time, having just honored the command's former commanding general, reitired GEN Raymond T. Odierno, who in 2019 was named honorary colonel in chief of the brigade and died just months ago. Just days ago, its new commanding general Peter W. Chiarelli formally assumed the office of commanding general and is expected to appoint LTG Todd Berry as his successor given his advanced age, with Peter choosing instead to be honorary colonel in chief like his predecessor was. Peter and Todd have agreed in principle for the return of the regimental level for the infantry components of the brigade, and they have also confirmed COL Scott Hallenbeck will remain the brigade's executive officer.

It was a stellar 2021 for this consituent service of the Army Reserve and its components. But now the brigade's command, led by BG Eric Mayes, given the international situation resulting from the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began days ago, is seriously monitoring how the other mobilization commands are handling the aftermath. Already the 78th Brigade has been deployed to Eastern Europe and with the announcement of the International Legion of Territorial Defense's establishment has been back and forth of Ukraine to escort willing Americans who have retired from the forces to give this new force the experienced servicemen needed to help Ukraine's fight against the aggressor. 1st Battalion's commanding officer, LTC Patterson, has been concerned with the international situation and has been thinking: will the brigade be deployed to Ukraine or not in the weeks and months to come?

This was the same for COL Rudy Wyland, part of the 2017 national contingent who got recalled just 3 weeks ago, and those of the other national contingents. All are being asked to join the 1st Battalion with personnel having finished basic training but with ties to units of the command or in residence in these units' recruting AOR to man the rest of the formations, which will all be mobilized.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions based in Indianapolis and the 4th and 5th Battalions based in Anderson serve as the primary infantry formations of this brigade, which also has an armored battalion. Organized since 2003 as a brigade combat team the brigade also has combat and service support elements, its depot elements and its 6th battalion based in Martinsville which serves as the OPCON battalion and secondary depot unit. All personnel come from all over the nation - college graduates of the ROTC program, enlisted personnel having finished basic training, West Point and OCS alumni, and civilian staff assigned. 1 more infantry battalion is being activated in Springfield given that it is the state capital with partnerships being worked on with the ROTC program and student brigade of Purdue University.

Now that Ukraine is fighting back against Russia, the question still lies for the 202nd BCT to answer Ukraine's call as the world watches the heroic resistance of Ukrainians. No matter what the decision they would make in this regard the brigade is ready to answer to the call to serve in the interests of national defense and assistance to allies around the world.

@tulowitzki @agender-adrastea @hourcat

[zoneofblog]

The USFL began with eight teams but ceased operations after three seasons with financial losses, mostly due to mounting player salaries.

[sportsthemepod-blog]

The Crony Capitalism of the NCAA’s Unpaid Athlete  System

The Crony Capitalism of the NCAA’s Unpaid Athlete  System

With the recent passing of a California state law allowing NCAA athletes to earn money from their image and likeness, the topic of college athletics’ exploitative model of “amateur” unpaid athletes is experiencing renewed focus. In episode 1 of the SportsTheme Podcast I spoke with Dr. Lori Martin about her perspectives on the NCAA’s unpaid model. There we focused on the connected history of racist exploitation of black athletes and its relevance to the college athletics system today. In this post, I’d like to acknowledge some of the political corruption and back room collusion that supports the college system as it is. In response to the current signs for a potential for changes to the amateur model, I’ll offer my perspective here on the role of the professional leagues and their influence alongside the NCAA to create a politically comfortable atmosphere in which their abuses are unchecked.

First, it’s helpful to remember that despite massive amounts of revenue and monopolistic control over individual sports, the NCAA, NFL, and NBA maintain special privilege from the federal government to operate. In the case of the NCAA, its continued status as a non-profit and largely tax exempt institution despite billion dollar television contracts is a situation so absurd it rightfully compels a (necessary but too involved for here) look at the tax evasive nature of many recognized non-profits. But in the case of the NBA and NFL, the impotent application of antitrust laws against organizations which dominate their respective landscape in each sport, are hostile to emergent new leagues, and are operating a franchise model which fixes prices and unifies business practices marks a special status of its own. (e.g. the USFL’s award of $1 in its “successful” suit against the NFL for breaking antitrust statutes in 1986). This seeming unwillingness to hold sports leagues accountable to antitrust principles is certainly part of a larger pattern, but seems especially blatant when each of the 4 major America professional sports are unquestionably dominated by single entity franchise structures that eliminate real economic competition. With greater focus on political campaign finances, some leagues have received  media criticism for their lobbying and donations to especially conservative members of congress. However, I’d speculate the political inaction on antitrust laws is further facilitated by fear of populist electoral backlash to any action which affects the status quo. Whatever the cause of this allowance, the complicity of the NBA and NFL in the NCAA’s exploitation of athletes compounds their culpability. 

Rightfully so, much of the criticism for the unpaid athlete model is directed at the NCAA. Recently in response to California’s new law, the seven-figures compensated president of the NCAA Mark Emmert reacted to this nascent threat by suggesting the law was unconstitutional. This near repulsively blatant response seeks to protect a corrupt institution which has earned its scrutiny-- however what is lost in that singular focus is the necessary help of the NFL and NCAA. The perpetual investment required to scout and develop young athletes is often seen as unpalatably risky by the billionaire business ghouls who exclusively populate NFL ownership. Here the NCAA offers a mutually beneficial solution to that problem: maintain a bogus amateur development league that will operate in lieu of a potentially unprofitable minor league. Look no further than the MLB’s ongoing lobbying efforts to maintain minimum wage exemptions for their minor league players under the classification of ‘seasonal workers’. Yes, that’s an exception to the unlivable $7.25 federal minimum wage that MLB sees as necessary to support its developmental system. It is easy to imagine why then that the NFL and NBA work closely with the NCAA in establishing eligibility rules and draft procedures that felicitously maintain a system which benefits all three organizations at the expense of its unpaid, young (and predominantly black) workers. 

What a truly just professional sports model might look like is a difficult and valuable question. But it’s important to understand here that, although other systems are deeply imperfect, the player development model in the United States is far from the norm around the world. In professional soccer leagues in most nations, young adult athletes are developed through academy systems which are often owned and operated by the professional clubs themselves. At the highest levels, the business model some clubs is so focused on investment towards player acquisition and development, the best teams remain unprofitable. To be clear, I’m glossing over a serious diversity in models here, but it is important to recognize the unique situation in the United States. While there are many, many corrupt aspects of sporting institutions around the world, the American model is unreplicated. Nowhere else in the world is the defacto second tier of massively popular and profitable sport supported on the backs of unpaid athletes. While it is encouraging to see small steps at state level to change the NCAA model, much action is needed to create a system which is remotely just. Shifting focus away from the NCAA itself, and towards a larger system of complicit professional leagues and passive politics may prove valuable in thinking about change. 

Related Reading

Dr. Lori Martin: White Sports/Black Sports: Racial Disparities in Athletic Programs, American (Un)Civil Religion, the Defense of the White Worker, and Responses to NFL Protests, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLjPiTE0-FQ&feature=youtu.be

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/sports/college-athlete-pay-california.html

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-09-11/ncaa-fair-pay-bill-college-athletes-gavin-newsom

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/sep/22/-sp-how-american-sports-franchises-sell-cities-short

[tkmedia]

Heitritter: How Dwayne Haskins Compares To Steve Young

Wait! Before you scroll down to the comments to voice your complaints on the title above, stay with me for a minute here. This article is not to suggest that Dwayne Haskins is the next Steve Young who is recognized as a 7x Pro Bowler, 3x First-team All-Pro, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is more to compare the two players’ situations entering the league and how they transitioned teams and how it could work out for Haskins relative to how it worked out for Young. So, if you are willing to dive down the rabbit hole with me, as the true die-hard Steelers fans say, “Here We Go.” In terms of measurables, there isn’t much of a similarity with Young standing around 6’2, 215lb and Haskins at 6’3, 230lb. Young was far more mobile than Haskins currently is as a runner of the football, having multiple seasons under his belt where he rushed for over 400 yards and multiple TDs on the ground. Haskins possesses a strong arm than Young did back when he played, having great velocity on his ball as it jumps off of his hand. However, as you look more at the two players, you start to see some things align. Both were highly-touted QBs coming out of college, with Young throwing for 3,902 yards, 33 TDs, and a 71.3% completion percentage his senior season and Haskins going for 4,831 yards, 50 TDs, and a 70% completion percentage. Young elected to be selected 11th overall in the USFL Draft back in 1984 to the Los Angeles Express instead of being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in 1984 due to the state of the franchise. However, after issues arose with the USFL and the Express, he settled a buyout with the team and was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 Supplemental Draft. Haskins too was selected in the first round being taken 15th overall by the Washington Football Team in 2019. So, both players were recognized with the pedigree to be potential signal callers at the next level. However, both players were met with adversity with their respective teams in their first two seasons. As is well-documented, Haskins was thrust into the starting role by Week Four of his rookie season once starter Case Keenum was benched but also struggled as was deemed not ready for action, however, Haskins was forced into action again by Week Eight with Keenum suffered a concussion and thus proceeded to start the next seven games, going 119-for-203 (58.6%), 1,365 yards, seven TDs, and seven INTs with a 76.1 QB rating and taking 29 sacks while going 2-5 in his starts. In his second season, Haskins was named the starter and team captain from the start. He ended up going 1-5 in his starts in 2020, going 148-for-241 (61.4%) for 1,439 yards and five TDs with seven INTs with a 73.0 QB rating and taking 20 sacks. He was benched after going 1-3 to start the season due to poor play and unimpressive work ethic but started again in Week 15. Haskins was then caught at a strip club (although he said he was attending his girlfriend’s birthday party) without a mask. He was fined by the NFL, stripped of his team captain status, and would be released the following week after his final loss as the starter. In January, Haskins signed a futures contract with the Steelers to compete for a roster spot. Now Steve Young also met adversity in Tampa Bay, who had lost double digit games for nearly the past decade. He started five games in 1985, going 1-4 in those starts and completing 72-for-138 passes (52.2%) for 935 yards, three TDs, and eight INTs with a QB rating of 56.9 while taking 21 sacks. As the full-time starter in 1986, Young endured a dreadful season, completing 195-of-363 passes (53.7%) for 2282 yards, eight TDs, and 13 INTs while going 2-12 as the starter before being benched at the end of the year, recording a 65.5 QB rating and taking 47 sacks on the season. The Buccaneers deemed Young a bust after the season and chose to select Vinny Testaverde first overall in the 1987 NFL Draft, trading Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2nd and 4th round draft picks. He would then backup Joe Montana for the next four seasons before getting a chance to start in 1991. Now Young was able to sit behind one of the all-time greats in Joe Montana for four seasons and learn from him and under the tutelage of offensive mastermind Bill Walsh so when he took over the reins, he was ready for action on a well-built 49ers roster that was by far a better situation than that which he left in Tampa Bay. Now I argue the same could be said with Haskins in Washington, having similar lofty expectations put on him from the start and had very little help and support to meet those expectations. Sure, the defense played well last season for Washington, but the offense was mediocre at best, yielding an average offensive line where Haskins saw a lot of pressure and had to create out of structure to receiving weapons, outside of Terry McLaurin, that wouldn’t start for a majority of NFL teams. He also had to deal with a coaching change from his rookie to sophomore seasons, trying to learn an entirely new playbook in a pandemic-affected offseason. Obviously, you have to factor in the maturity issues with Haskins in terms of lack of preparation, leadership, and the lack of mask in public incident. This resulted in Haskins being pulled early on in his 2020 campaign, but Young was allowed to struggle for almost all of 1986 before being put on the bench. Also, the pressure of being around all of his family and friends in his hometown likely factored in his wavering focus, something easy to tell an NFL QB to do, but can be difficult for a 23-year-old kid with a poor inner-circle around him. For comparison sake, Young spent time in the USFL to start his career getting more professional game exposure under his belt and suffered his downfall in Tampa in his age 25 season. Also factoring all the controversy surrounding the Washington franchise the past several years with the Trent Williams debacle, the name changes, and the reported issues with the team owner and management, and you put a young kid in that situation and expect him to be the savior of a franchise, that can be quite the tall task. The point I’m trying to make is both players were thrust into situations that were almost insurmountable to overcome when concerning all of the factors. Both players were given relatively short leashes (less than two seasons) to prove their worth before being deemed as busts and shipped out of town. To Young’s benefit, he went to the best possible location a young, developing QB could ask for. He inherited a team with structure and a winning culture that had many leadership figures on the roster and throughout the coaching staff and front office to help mentor him and see his development through to capitalize on the promise he showed coming out of BYU. Haskins figures to be in a very similar situation now in Pittsburgh. He leaves a team that has dealt with instability for years to possibly the most stable franchise in the NFL, having long commitments to their head coach, general manager, and also to Ben Roethlisberger as their starting QB since 2004. There are plenty of role models/mentors on the team that can take Haskins under their wing, not including seeing him with the likes for Steelers great Franco Harris at a baseball game this offseason with some of the other young players. He won’t be required to be thrown into the fire under another new offensive system, being clearly in-line to sit the bench, learn, and develop behind the scenes with Ben hopefully starting all of 2021, much like Young did during his first four years in San Francisco before taking over the starting job. He inherits a top-notch defense in Pittsburgh, much like Young did with the 49ers, and both Young and Haskins have seen an increase in offensive weapons at their disposal with their respective change of teams compared to what they previously had. Again, this isn’t to say that Haskins in on pace to be a Hall of Fame quarterback like Steve Young was. The dude needs to throw a pass in a Steelers uniform first! However, many quickly forget how Young was dubbed a clear bust after his terrible start in the league, but he was able to resurrect his career with better scenery around him and develop into a great quarterback. The same could be said for Haskins, who has all of the physical tools and traits to be a successful passer in this league and has seen his scenery around him improve in just about every way this offseason. It comes down to maturity for Haskins at the end of the day, because if he blows this opportunity Pittsburgh has afforded him, he will be out the door. However, in the limited about we have seen Haskins in OTAs and minicamp, he seems to have his head on straight, and more importantly, he looks to have been humbled due to the events that started his NFL career. Again, that bad start likely humbled Young as well, who had to sit for another four seasons after leaving to get his chance. I do think though that this humility for both players comes with maturity, and more importantly, a hunger to capitalize on a second chance and compete to be the player you were projected to be coming out. I understand there are far more stories of players with high pedigree not panning out than those that do, but I wanted to share the similarities between these two situations. Young managed to create a successful career with himself with the new opportunity, and we get the pleasure of seeing if Haskins can do the same. Instead of looking at Haskins as either a broken reclamation project that can’t be fixed or as the heir-apparent to one Ben Roethlisberger, I say we view him similarly to a rookie coming into the league with a new team in a new city that is still very young and has the potential to bust, breakout, or be just average like any other rookie QB has the potential to do. I think one thing is certain though. Dwayne Haskins is in a better spot today than he was in several months ago both as a player and as a young man. Now we get to sit back, relax, and see what he makes of his new opportunity, similar to what 49ers fans got to do when they made the trade to acquire Steve Young. What are your thoughts on Dwayne Haskins heading into 2021 and beyond? Do you think he is broken beyond repair and shouldn’t get an opportunity to play again, or do you see promise and potential in the young passer and look forward to seeing what he can do in his new surrounds much like Steve Young did in his? As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments section below and thanks again for reading and all of your support here at Steelers Depot!

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[brandoncarlo]

A Non-Exhaustive, Ever expanding, list of the the best sports documentaries ever (and where to watch them)

* please be aware that the links are meant for people to be able to see regardless of country and access to netflix but most of these are available on american netflix so i suggest you try to find them on other streaming platforms you have access too first. ones that don’t have links i can still find for you so if you’re interested send me an ask. *

Of Miracles and Men

I love 30 for 30 documentaries but this one is by far my favorite. Simply, it tells the story of the 1980′s Miracle on Ice game from the soviet perspective, but it also goes further than that. Of Miracles and Men outlines how soviet hockey developed differently from canadian hockey and how it was so successful, and then why it lost in 1980 and collapsed soon after. The documentary follows the conception of the Soviet hockey team and ends with the first USSR player to win the stanley cup. If you like history, politics, sports, social commentary, and hockey, this documentary hits all of those things (also if you’re interested in how long lou lamoriello has been around)

Broke

This is another 30 for 30 documentary (I really love them) but it’s almost completely different from every other documentary on this list. This documentary basically explores the phenomenon of ex athletes going broke and why that happens (spoiler alert: exploitation and racism). It’s a lot more analytical and math focused but even some one like me who doesn’t necessarily like that found this so interesting. It’s full of information and makes you think about stuff you may not even realize as a sports fan. It focuses more on objective fact that a heart wrenching story of a wronged NFL player, but if you enjoy feeling like you’ve legitimately learned something this documentary is great.

League of Denial

For someone who doesn’t like football I love documentaries about it. This one is pretty dark because it deals with really messed up situations but it’s so important imo. It basically follows the whole timeline of the NFL’s issues with CTE and how they went from outright denial to “meh sure it happens.” This documentary is a big deal because it was just recently made and it shows you how long this fight has been going on for. This one blends together medical, psychological, and social issues together with sports and it’s amazing. You’ll probably be pissed that an organization like the NFL is full of people who legitimately don’t care about others, but the documentary also showcases people who will do anything for others even if they have no relation, which i always appreciate.

Ice Guardians

I just saw this documentary recently so you probably have already seen me rant about how good it is and trust me. it’s real good. It’s a documentary about enforcers, fighting in hockey, concussions, and how they all relate. It counteracts “logical” thinking with anecdotes from actual players and observations from psychologists and neurosurgeons. Regardless of whether you’re pro fighting or against fighting this is an important documentary to watch because so often are we faced with issues and ignore those the issues are actually affecting. This documentary doesn’t answer the fighting debate, but it tries to open your eyes about what’s actually happening.

The Price of Gold

This is one of the documentaries that got me super into sports documentaries. While a lot of these documentaries are social commentaries going after institutions, this one is not like that at all, it’s more akin to a true crime documentary imo. Basically it follows the Tanya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan story and gets absolutely buckwild. If you’re not a fan of documentaries that give the perpetrator too much of a voice this may not be for you because it is very Harding centric (although i think that’s because Kerrigan doesn’t want anything to do with this story anymore). This is more if you like interesting drama profiles than social commentary.

The Last Gladiators

This one is similar to Ice Guardians but it follows Chris Nilan, one of the most famous enforcers of all time. He’s a stereotypical Boston Boy who ended up playing for the Montreal Canadiens (go figure), New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins. He’s a tough, wear his heart on his sleeve, type of guy and this documentary is like the real life, dark version of Goon. He struggles to stay relevant in a league where he’s mostly a fighter, is faced with undying love and hardship, and it shows his struggles post NHL and how he’s recovered. This one may be a good one to watch either right before or right after Ice Guardians for a fuller understanding of the issue surrounding enforcers.

Big Shot

Ooooh Boy I forgot about this one. It’s....legitimately the most insane sports documentary ever maybe. This is about a guy who basically scams the NHL into giving him the New York Islanders, yeah, the actual NHL and the actual New York Islanders. He got this close to getting away with it too. It’s absolutely amazing and drama packed and it literally blows your mind how a normal ordinary guy got so close to owning an NHL team without any money to do it. Oh and the interview the guy for it too

Four Days in October

Yankees fans i’m gonna stop you right here because this one is not for you. I hate baseball, i’m famous for how much I hate baseball and not in a “i’m cooler than you” way, i just legitimately can’t find any entertainment in it for me. HOWEVER, I am from boston and I think my Boston pride really got me through this documentary. It’s just about the red sox becoming the first team in MLB history to reverse sweep a best of seven series. Basically if you ever wondered why David Ortiz is such a legend in Boston, this documentary will answer that for you.

The Prince of Pennsylvania

Netflix has their own version of this documentary called Team Foxcatcher but this one is a lot better imo. It’s another one of those “wtf this is crazy” documentaries but is probably more true crime than sports. It’s insane. I have no interest in wrestling but this definitely has other areas it hits on as far as entertainment. It’s definitely on the creepy side though so if that’s not your thing steer clear.

Honorable mentions that are probably good but for personal reasons I did not like as much as the ones above:

The Legacy of Brendan Burke (they make some claims about what closeted gay athletes are responsible for and I’m not a fan of that part)

Kings Ransom

June 17th 1994

9.79*

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL (warning: trump centric but as i recall he’s portrayed as the bad guy)

[altusfl]

93. Intermission or how what happened to Shane Dronnett...

CTE or  chronic traumatic encephalopathy and particularly how it affected Shane Dronnett has been the elephant in the room since I started writing this alternate history of the USFL.

My “writing fuel” has been the idea that having a second strong pro football league would allow basically twice as many people the opportunity to live their dream of being a professional football player.  Rather than 2% of every college class of football players playing in the NFL, you’d see 4-5% going to the NFL and the USFL.  I think when you read this history you see how close the USFL probably was to making this a reality and just how many people would have had hundreds of thousands of dollars injected into their families lives and a lifetime of treasured memories....It all sounds so good...until you get into a discussion of CTE.

Then it feels a little like I am advocating feeding more gladiators to the lions for my amusement.

It was tough writing about Junior Seau, a very public victim of CTE, potentially opting to play in the USFL.

The Shane Dronnett situation brought all of this to a head for me. 

Shane Dronnett was a defensive end for the University of Texas in the early 1990′s.  I started college at UT in 1989.  I watched and cheered for Shane Dronnett.  He was my second favorite on a UNT defensive line that was borderline dominant.  (Sorry Tommy Jeter, James Patton, an undersized DT whose NFL career was derailed by the Buffalo curse and injuries, was my boy.)

Dronnett was the media sweetheart.  He was the photo op star and the all-american player in college.  He was capable of winning the battle in the run or passing game against anyone, but to my taste was not as consistent as you’d like to see out of a true all-american, but still I was very enthusiastic about his pro chances as a strongside 4-3 defensive end.   If he could land in such a situation, I could see him becoming a 10 year solid starter. Maybe a Jim Jeffcoat, Greg Ellis level player...

He would end up playing most of his pro career as an undersized 3-4 defensive end.  This would (probably) shorten his career.  He committed suicide and was found to have had CTE.

It has saddened me every time I think of him and his family.

This story ties into my life and my love of football.

I stopped playing football in High School in 1988 after I had a concussion in a game.  I had had a major concussion in practice after begging to coaches to let me play scout team nose tackle (I was 6-4 180 in high school) earlier that season.  It had gone undiagnosed and had played through that in practice with my head screaming in pain.  After the second concussion, I think somewhere inside me I realized that as much as I passionately loved playing football, that I was screwing myself up.

I think that decision was justified. I literally have felt brain damaged for decades now. I am still smart, but I feel like my brain worked better when I was 16. (...Now 2 years of an abusive relationship with alcohol in high school may have also played a role...)  I have little things I just suck at now that I didn’t used to suck at.  My memory is garbage about a lot of things.  I score well on IQ tests on everything except processing speed. I recently took some tests for grad school and was absolutely abysmal on extracting the main point of articles...all very bizarre stuff for me. 

I can’t help but wonder if I was on the same path Shane Dronnett took (not the All-American and future pro football player path).

It has haunted me for the first half of writing this history and when I reached the 1992 draft where he was picked I had to stop for a while and deal with this.

I don’t write this to say, “Feed this players to the lions.” I write this to say, “I loved the USFL, It could and should have made it, and all of these people were legitimately good enough to have long productive pro football careers but were fed to a the NFL profit meat grinder.”

As I wrote in this blog, I think the USFL would have realized the competitive advantage they had in going with a shorter season. My personal belief is that eventually the NFL would have followed suit and you would see a lot less of these horrible stories as the players had more time to heal.  But I could be wrong.  Maybe there would be no effect.

CTE paints a scary picture of how fragile our minds are when we experience even one bad collision.   It calls the entire logic of playing a contact sport into question and I will confess has severely diminished my day to day enjoyment of the sport as I worry about the health of it’s players.

But I still love the USFL and writing this project, so with no disrespect to anyone who is suffering with CTE, I am going to continue.  I want to continue to try to praise those forgotten players who didn’t get a real shot because of narrow minded NFL thinking.

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[junker-town]

Nick Foles joined the list of backup quarterbacks who’ve won Super Bowls

The list includes Jeff Hostetler, Doug Williams, and ... Tom Brady.

A torn ACL will keep Eagles’ starting quarterback Carson Wentz from playing in Super Bowl 52, and history suggests that might not be so bad for Philadelphia.

Backup quarterbacks — most of the following are passers who didn’t start their team’s season openers — have been counterintuitively successful in the biggest game of the season. Since the beginning of the Super Bowl era, these replacement passers are 7-3 in NFL championship games. In fact, the last six teams to start a backup in the Super Bowl have all hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

In some cases, these Super Bowl performances are the launchpad for Hall of Fame careers, like with Roger Staubach, Kurt Warner, and even Foles’ Super Bowl 52 opponent, Tom Brady. In others, a team strong enough to overcome a lackluster performance behind center was enough to bulldoze its way to a title, like with Trent Dilfer’s 2000 Ravens or Jeff Hostetler’s 1991 Giants.

Here’s how each and every backup quarterback has fared when given a shot under the NFL’s brightest lights.

Earl Morrall, Colts: lost Super Bowl III

Morrall was an overlooked backup pressed into the starting lineup due to a preseason injury to Johnny Unitas. He exceeded expectations to win a league MVP award. But his breakout season ended in heartbreak, thanks to a showdown against a cocksure Jets quarterback named Joe Namath.

Craig Morton, Cowboys: lost Super Bowl V

Morton started 11 games for Dallas in 1970, but sat out the first game of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery. That makes him a borderline inclusion on the list, but since he missed the opener, he counts. Morton completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but threw for nearly nine yards per pass. His three-interception performance in the Super Bowl allowed the Colts, led by journeyman Morrall, to win their first NFL title.

Roger Staubach, Cowboys: won Super Bowl VI

The Heisman winner took over for Morton early in the 1971 season and started every game of the perfect playoff push. He teamed with Hall of Famers Lance Alworth, Bob Hayes, and Mike Ditka to deliver Dallas’ first Super Bowl title and prove he deserved his spot as the starting quarterback.

Vince Ferragamo, Rams: lost Super Bowl XIV

Ferragamo’s first start came after Pat Haden suffered a broken pinky. The third-year passer went 4-1 as a starter in the regular season despite completing less than 50 percent of his passes and throwing 10 picks to five touchdowns. Even so, a well-rounded team parlayed a run to the Super Bowl, where the Steelers’ budding dynasty awaited. The Rams led through three quarters, but couldn’t hold back an ascendant Pittsburgh.

Jim Plunkett, Raiders: won Super Bowl XV

Another Heisman winner, he was a bust with the Patriots after being selected with the first pick of the 1971 NFL draft, once leading the league in INTs, but his performance under coach John Madden earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. The journeyman replaced another middling veteran after Dan Pastorini broke his leg, then showed off a knack for big plays to cement his status. Plunkett’s revival shook off a 2-3 start while building the Raiders’ reputation as one of the 1980s’ toughest teams.

Doug Williams, Washington: won Super Bowl XXII

Williams had started 67 games over five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was relegated to backup status after escaping Hugh Culverhouse and spending two years in the USFL. He appeared in one game in 1986 and was 0-2 as a starter during 1987’s strike-affected regular season, but shined in a history-making Super Bowl. Williams dismantled the Broncos to the tune of 340 passing yards and four touchdowns, all as the first black quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl.

Jeff Hostetler, Giants: won Super Bowl XXV

Hostetler had only started four games in five seasons leading up to 1991, but the league’s top-rated defense made sure he didn’t have to do much in Phil Simms’ absence. The mustachioed backup threw for only 510 yards across three playoff games as the Giants held their opponents to fewer than 12 points per game. Hostetler avoided mistakes (zero career playoff interceptions) and did just enough with his feet against the Bills.

Trent Dilfer, Ravens: won Super Bowl XXXV

Like Hostetler, all Dilfer had to do was avoid mistakes. Ray Lewis’ Ravens were 2000’s scariest team, punishing opponents with the league’s top defense. Dilfer, filling in for an injured Tony Banks, had just a 12:11 TD:INT ratio in the regular season, but did enough in the playoffs to win a ring.

Kurt Warner, Rams: won Super Bowl XXXIV

Warner was an Arena Football lottery ticket primed to serve as Trent Green’s backup for a shaky St. Louis team in 1999. When Green tore his ACL in the preseason, Warner was elevated to starter, where he went 13-3 during the regular season and took home MVP honors.

Tom Brady, Patriots: won Super Bowl XXXVI

The Patriots were 0-2 and without face of the franchise Drew Bledsoe after the veteran quarterback suffered internal bleeding due to a massive sideline hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Enter Brady, who thrived with a short-range passing attack before growing into a confident starter. Brady led New England to one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, pushing his 14-point-underdog Pats to their first title by defeating Warner’s “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams.

Nick Foles, Eagles: won Super Bowl LII

It looked like the Eagles were done when Carson Wentz’s MVP season was cut short by a torn ACL. But Foles stepped in and didn’t just do enough to get his team wins. He dismantled the Vikings’ No. 1 defense to advance to the Super Bowl. He rose to the occasion on the NFL’s biggest stage and took down the Patriots dynasty with a 41-33 win.

How the Eagles can win with Nick Foles at quarterback

[junker-town]

Nick Foles can join the list of backup quarterbacks who’ve won Super Bowls

The list includes Jeff Hostetler, Doug Williams, and ... Tom Brady.

A torn ACL will keep Eagles’ starting quarterback Carson Wentz from playing in Super Bowl 52, and history suggests that might not be so bad for Philadelphia.

Backup quarterbacks — most of the following are passers who didn’t start their team’s season openers — have been counterintuitively successful in the biggest game of the season. Since the beginning of the Super Bowl era, these replacement passers are 7-3 in NFL championship games. In fact, the last six teams to start a backup in the Super Bowl have all hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

In some cases, these Super Bowl performances are the launchpad for Hall of Fame careers, like with Roger Staubach, Kurt Warner, and even Foles’ Super Bowl 52 opponent, Tom Brady. In others, a team strong enough to overcome a lackluster performance behind center was enough to bulldoze its way to a title, like with Trent Dilfer’s 2000 Ravens or Jeff Hostetler’s 1991 Giants.

Here’s how each and every backup quarterback has fared when given a shot under the NFL’s brightest lights.

Earl Morrall, Colts: lost Super Bowl III

Morrall was an overlooked backup pressed into the starting lineup due to a preseason injury to Johnny Unitas. He exceeded expectations to win a league MVP award. But his breakout season ended in heartbreak, thanks to a showdown against a cocksure Jets quarterback named Joe Namath.

Craig Morton, Cowboys: lost Super Bowl V

Morton started 11 games for Dallas in 1970, but sat out the first game of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery. That makes him a borderline inclusion on the list, but since he missed the opener, he counts. Morton completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but threw for nearly nine yards per pass. His three-interception performance in the Super Bowl allowed the Colts, led by journeyman Morrall, to win their first NFL title.

Roger Staubach, Cowboys: won Super Bowl VI

The Heisman winner took over for Morton early in the 1971 season and started every game of the perfect playoff push. He teamed with Hall of Famers Lance Alworth, Bob Hayes, and Mike Ditka to deliver Dallas’ first Super Bowl title and prove he deserved his spot as the starting quarterback.

Vince Ferragamo, Rams: lost Super Bowl XIV

Ferragamo’s first start came after Pat Haden suffered a broken pinky. The third-year passer went 4-1 as a starter in the regular season despite completing less than 50 percent of his passes and throwing 10 picks to five touchdowns. Even so, a well-rounded team parlayed a run to the Super Bowl, where the Steelers’ budding dynasty awaited. The Rams led through three quarters, but couldn’t hold back an ascendant Pittsburgh.

Jim Plunkett, Raiders: won Super Bowl XV

Another Heisman winner, he was a bust with the Patriots after being selected with the first pick of the 1971 NFL draft, once leading the league in INTs, but his performance under coach John Madden earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. The journeyman replaced another middling veteran after Dan Pastorini broke his leg, then showed off a knack for big plays to cement his status. Plunkett’s revival shook off a 2-3 start while building the Raiders’ reputation as one of the 1980s’ toughest teams.

Doug Williams, Washington: won Super Bowl XXII

Williams had started 67 games over five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was relegated to backup status after escaping Hugh Culverhouse and spending two years in the USFL. He appeared in one game in 1986 and was 0-2 as a starter during 1987’s strike-affected regular season, but shined in a history-making Super Bowl. Williams dismantled the Broncos to the tune of 340 passing yards and four touchdowns, all as the first black quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl.

Jeff Hostetler, Giants: won Super Bowl XXV

Hostetler had only started four games in five seasons leading up to 1991, but the league’s top-rated defense made sure he didn’t have to do much in Phil Simms’ absence. The mustachioed backup threw for only 510 yards across three playoff games as the Giants held their opponents to fewer than 12 points per game. Hostetler avoided mistakes (zero career playoff interceptions) and did just enough with his feet against the Bills.

Trent Dilfer, Ravens: won Super Bowl XXXV

Like Hostetler, all Dilfer had to do was avoid mistakes. Ray Lewis’ Ravens were 2000’s scariest team, punishing opponents with the league’s top defense. Dilfer, filling in for an injured Tony Banks, had just a 12:11 TD:INT ratio in the regular season, but did enough in the playoffs to win a ring.

Kurt Warner, Rams: won Super Bowl XXXIV

Warner was an Arena Football lottery ticket primed to serve as Trent Green’s backup for a shaky St. Louis team in 1999. When Green tore his ACL in the preseason, Warner was elevated to starter, where he went 13-3 during the regular season and took home MVP honors.

Tom Brady, Patriots: won Super Bowl XXXVI

The Patriots were 0-2 and without face of the franchise Drew Bledsoe after the veteran quarterback suffered internal bleeding due to a massive sideline hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Enter Brady, who thrived with a short-range passing attack before growing into a confident starter. Brady led New England to one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, pushing his 14-point-underdog Pats to their first title by defeating Warner’s “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams.

[altusfl]

42. Lead up to the 1988 Season --- The return of the the Gunslingers, expansion must happen....

Summer of 1987 would bring the completion of the Alamodome, San Antonio’s state of the art 46,000 seat, $100 Million pro-football dome. Designed to be multi-purpose, the Alamodome would also provide a home for the NBA’s spurs.

Gunslinger owner Clinton Magnes would be thrilled that his new stadium would have arrived, but would also be keenly aware of how difficult it was to get the stadium built.

The stadium had been delayed almost a full year because principles in San Antonio had hoped to increase the capacity to 64,000 in order to attract an NFL team. 

The league had helped Magnes quietly convince the city residents to push the civic leaders to save $50M by building the Dome with 18,000 seats fewer, but structuring it to where it could easily be expanded if the NFL did become interested.

Magnes was keenly aware that much of the city didn’t want to deal with him.

It had never bothered him in the past, but he now realized how much that animosity hurt his ability to do what he set out to do — to give back to the community in Austin and San Antonio by delivering a pro team.

He even saw that the blackout that affected Alamo Stadium during a televised game in the initial Gunslinger’s season was an active sabotage by someone who had a bone to grind with Magnes.  While Magnes was still at his core a natural opportunist, he had grown to realize it was better to choose his moments after watching George Allen and Bill Polian work.

Reporters in San Antonio would be shocked by how humble and apologetic this new Clinton Magnes was who announced the formation of his new incarnation of the San Antonio Gunslingers.   Magnes barely spoke before turning the stage over to his new president/GM Bill Polian and head coach Jim Stanley.

(Jim Stanley would find himself tired of the Harbaugh questions in Michigan.  He had already decided he needed a change prior to Todd’s playoff meltdown.  Following the season, he resigned as coach of the Panthers.  Bill Polian would contact Stanley about being the new Gunslingers Head Coach.  Stanley would immediately take the job. Polian would push Stanley to hire Jim Bates as the team’s defensive coordinator.)

San Antonio media were floored by the professionalism of the Gunslingers’s presentation.  Magnes answered questions in the Q & A session truthfully and expressed regret for his failings as an owner the first time through.  The Media left that press conference thoroughly impressed… and an equal amount confused.  What just happened?

What lead to this?

With the Alamodome nearing completion, League owners acknowledged they would be forced to allow Clinton Magnes to restart his Gunslingers.  Most league owners at this point were fairly used to Magnes and felt he would be a much better owner this time through.  

All of them at one point or another had pulled Magnes aside and explained how his previous iteration of the team had hurt the league and most were surprised to see that Magnes seemed to get it.

The Alamodome was a perfect size for the Gunslingers.  It was glitzy and new and far better than anything the city had previously.  Fans would come out just to sit in the stadium.   Most USFL owners expected Magnes would show a profit from day 1.

Historians would tend to overlook it, but the Alamodome was the first stadium built specifically to house a USFL sized audience --- even if that wasn’t the intent of the city.

Whether to allow San Antonio didn’t seem like a real question.  The real question was whether to expand by two or by four?

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[altusfl]

3. The USFL’s Alternate Reality Savior

In finding a savior for the USFL, I think you need to look through the ranks of the people who had the most to lose with that fall vote.

One of the headliners of that list was Washington Federal owner Berl Bernhard.

The Origin and collapse of the Federals

Bernhard was a successful D.C. lawyer.  While he proved to be one of the league’s most emotional owners in public, he was literate and precise due to his job. He had the right skillset to be the league’s savior.

Berhard was not one of the richer USFL owners, so he put together an ownership group. 

Bernhard and his partners hired the 4th most winningest coach in Canadian Football League history to run the Federals in Ray Jauch.  Bernhard’s staff had stocked his team with proven veterans and a marketable star collegiate running back in SMU’s Craig James. Things were looking pretty good.

But then the NFL’s Washington Redskins won the Superbowl, setting a very high standard in a major market.  

Jauch chose to go with veteran QBs Kim McQuilken and Joe Gilliam for most of the season instead of solid but unspectacular rookie Mike Hohensee. The veteran duo combined for 11 starts.  They also threw 26 interceptions vs. 12 TDs and contributed 13 fumbles, recovering 9.  They were a huge part of the team’s -13 turnover margin. 

The team was in the game most weeks, but lost a ton of close games. The Federals won 4 games in 18.  

The team had drawn over 38,007 opening day but by the end of the season Washington fans had largely tuned out.  They would draw 9792 and 11,039 to their last two home games.  Still, they ended the season with 3 wins in their last 4 games, finally showing some ability to close out games.  For the season they drew an average of roughly 18,000 fans per game --- in the same ballpark as most of the teams in the league.

Then the fall rolled around and their NFL competition, The Redskins, again went to the Superbowl.

Bernhard and his team identified QB as their biggest problem and tried to create a splash by bringing in an exciting new QB.  They went all in on 2nd year man Reggie Collier, acquiring his pricey contract from Birmingham.  Collier was an thrilling, mobile collegiate QB from Southern Miss, a lower profile program near New Orleans.  He was well known in the deep south, but had been a first round bust in his rookie season in Birmingham. 

Regionally displaced, he did nothing to excite the fans or sell season tickets in DC. DC Fans took a look and see approach to buying Federals’ season tickets. 

Collier did not seize hold of the starting job in camp.  

Most of the veterans on the Federals defense weren’t back with the team for the second season.  The Feds apparently cut their 3 starting linebacker mere hours before their season opener.  

The team opened up with a blowout 53-14 loss to an expansion franchise.  An embarrassed Bernhard panicked and fired his coach, promoting an unknown to coach the last 17 games of the season. 

Credibility totally shot, the fans stopped coming.  Craig James went down with an injury.  Seeing that James would not be part of the solution to his attendance issues, Bernhard agreed to cut a deal with James allowing the player a way out of his contract in order to reduce the team’s roster costs. 

Fans became even less interested.  The team would average an all-time league worst 7700 per game.  Bernhard and his partners suffered through a financially disastrous second season in Washington. They tried to sell the team, but no one wanted to buy a bad team to keep in a disinterested market.

The Miami Transaction

By about mid-season, there was finally a buyer for his Federals in the form of Woody Weiser.

Weiser planned to rename Federals “the Spirit”.  The team would be moved to Miami playing under University of Miami head coach Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger was the hottest name in college football having just come off upsetting a Nebraska team considered one of the greatest of all-time. 

A vote to move the league to a fall schedule had a chance to undo the sale of Bernhard’s Federals. 

In real life, it did.

In real life, both Berl Bernhard and the new owner of the Miami franchise were not allowed to participate in this key vote, which hits me not only as shortsighted thinking but also as erroneous thinking.

The sale of the Federals was supposed to close in mid-summer.  But the deal was to purchase a team in a spring league.  It seemed pretty clear that was what Weiser had invested to do. 

The fall vote fell in the same general time period.  One can speculate that Weiser may have tried to drag out the closing of the deal to wait for the results of the fall vote and that may be why he wasn’t invited to vote at the meeting.

As a failed franchise owner, there may have been little interest in inviting Bernhard to vote either, assuming he would vote for Weiser.  People who are struggling in business don’t like to be around people who are currently failing in the same business.  

It is also very possible that Bernhard was seeking to put the deal behind him to prevent himself from doing anything that would potentially legally reopen the transaction.

And frankly, it is possible Weiser also CHOSE to not participate in the vote for the same reason --- to protect his ability to walk away from the deal.

Overall, not having Weiser vote did not seem to be an ethical position for the league.

After all, Chicago “franchise” owner-in-name-only Eddie Einhorn wasn’t even actively fielding a team at that point, and he was allowed to participate in the vote.

Bernhard and his minority owners had far more money invested in the USFL than Einhorn. It appears that possibly due to Einhorn getting credit for closing a lucrative new TV deal that Chet Simmons had been working on with ESPN (an injury had prevented Simmons from completing the transaction), Einhorn may have been allowed to vote while Bernhard was not. (I am speculating on why this situation existed.)

But what if the principles involved had behaved slightly differently….

Directly prior to the fall vote meeting, on August 22nd Eddie Einhorn sent out a letter to all the league’s owners propping up the prospects of moving to the Fall in 1985 or earlier in a split-season set up.

The letter also featuring pie-in-the-sky talk of adding 6 more top 20 markets ---effectively turning the USFL into a clone of the NFL. (No mention was made of how all those teams were going to get into stadiums in those markets.)

This was just Einhorn’s full of crap, Pie-in-the Sky-vision for the future of the league. This letter, promising bags of gold a-plenty awaiting in the fall, apparently swayed a lot of league owners.

Not so in this reality...

In my alternate reality, lawyer Berl Bernhard realized the impact of this letter. He realized that if the league did actually vote to move to the fall, it would likely screw his transaction to sell the Federals, so he jumped into action.

Bernhard sent a response to Einhorn’s letter to all league owners, requesting the ability for he and the new Miami owner to participate in the meeting, discuss their view on the move to the fall, and vote as a single voting owner.

He admitted right off the bat that he has a vested interest in protecting the transaction that will sell his team to the Miami owner, but that the underlying points of his letter were points of fairness and keeping the league viable.

He made the case to allow Miami to vote as they purchased the team in good faith to play in the coming spring. He reminded the other owners that Eddie Einhorn was going to vote and he was not even going to play this spring….

“It isn’t ethically sound to allow an incoming owner who favors one position to vote while another incoming owner who favors the contrary position is not. In fact, I can tell you as a lawyer, it is also legally questionable.”

With that atomic bomb dropped on the owners, Bernhard would offer a solution.

He requested the team be allowed to cast a vote on this decision as it affects Weiser as much as any other owner.

He said that if it pleased the league they can allow Miami to speak to the owners and then the team would cast their vote first and then all of the rest of the owners can discuss the matter and go ahead and vote as they please, but if Einhorn was going to be allowed to vote, allowing Miami a vote is the only fair and ethical path forward.

He noted that Miami had hired the highest-profile hottest collegiate coach in America in Howard Schnellenberger to coach that team and would deliver a replacement top 12 Market to replace the DC Market. He reminded the other owners that this transaction would be looked on very favorably by the TV partners.

He made the argument that “If TV is the League’s concern, you don’t want to cost the league a top 12 Market.”

“Or several.”

He pointed out that the markets Einhorn talked about adding that in theory were going to drive revenue in the fall are not currently hosting USFL teams, whereas Miami would be this spring. "There is a time for theoretical conversations involving theoretical future teams,” he remarked, “but that time is not now. Now is about the reality of today.”

He requested personally, and on behalf of Miami, that the owners consider the positions of teams like Miami, Pittsburgh, Houston, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Denver, and others who would likely either go out of business or pay for a costly move and marketing effort if the league switch to a fall schedule as they wouldn’t have anywhere to play in their current cities.

“In the spring, all of our businesses are valid. In the spring, we have the maximum number of teams we can have. While the Federals didn’t work out for me personally, the USFL’s numbers give the league a great chance at success down the road.”

He closed by noting the Denver Gold’s recent strategy of signing Mouse Davis and reuniting him with his collegiate star quarterback, Neil Lomax, likely failed due to the uncertainty around the league concerning a potential move to the fall.

“The run-and-shoot is a heck of an offense. Neil Lomax looked like Jim Kelly on steroids running that system in college. We could have used another Jim Kelly in Denver. The league cannot afford to let another Jim Kelly get away. We already twice passed on Dan Marino.”

“At this point, a move to the fall is considered reckless by the general public and the players who fuel our league— whether it is valid or not. It appears a move to the fall may threaten our ability to sign more of these kinds of difference makers.”

He noted that the players on his own Federals team do not feel like a move to the fall is survivable, so why would collegiate and NFL players want to sign with the USFL?

His letter slowed the momentum for the fall created by Einhorn’s letter. It also inspired to other key players on the fringe of taking serious action — Alfred Taubman and Chet Simmons.

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