With 9 weeks in the books, we take a look back at the first half of the inaugural USFL season. Read below for team reports and the midseason awards. Keep reading to the end for an exciting announcement about the 1984 season!
Team Reports
East Division
Boston Breakers (6-3, First Place): The Breakers come out of the first half of the season as one of the surprise teams in the league. Preseason predictions put Philadelphia as the runaway team in the East. Behind both an offense and a defense that rank in the top half of the league, Boston continues to win and push for a postseason berth.
Philadelphia Stars (5-4, Second Place): In spite of having two of the most exciting offensive players in quarterback Chuck Fusina and running back Kelvin Bryant, the Stars endured an up and down first half of the season, reflected in their record and struggle to stay in second place in the division.
New Jersey Generals (3-6, Third Place): New Jersey mortgaged their future for the now by drafting Herschel Walker. The move clearly placed a target on their heads. Teams clearly circle their games with the Generals on the schedule. They concede yardage to Herschel, but keep the rest of the team in check.
Washington Generals (2-7, Fourth Place): Little has gone right for the Generals in the first half of the season. They lost their first 5 games of the season before going 2-2 just before the halfway point. Even so, having dug themselves into such a deep hole, there’s little chance for success this year.
Central Division
Michigan Panthers (9-0, First Place): The Panthers came out firing from the first game and have not looked back since. They remain the only undefeated team and boast an offense and a defense that are tops in the league. This writer sees a potential championship for them at the end of this season.
Chicago Blitz (7-2, Second Place): Somehow, the Blitz at 7-2 have been overlooked. That’s only because they play in the same division as the undefeated Panthers. Otherwise, in either the East or the West, they’d be leading the division. Time, and their ability to beat them, will tell if they can overtake the Panthers.
Birmingham Stallions(5-4, Third Place): The Stallions looked to be going the way of the Federals. However, they righted the ship and reeled off 4 straight victories to climb above .500 and put themselves in the discussion for a postseason spot. The slow start means they are on the outside looking in, but if they can keep winning, who knows?
Tampa Bay Bandits (3-6, Fourth Place):The Bandits suffered a debilitating injury to their starting quarterback and then the back up. This luck is reflected in the standings. Tampa Bay has little recourse other than to start planning for next year.
West
Denver Gold (4-5, First Place): Denver suffered some quarterback troubles early in the year. Even though they have a losing record, it is enough for a three way tie for first place in a, thus far, weak west division. Surely, some team will rise to take hold of this division and the playoff spot promised.
Oakland Invaders (4-5, Second Place): Add the Invaders to the list of underachieving teams. A preseason pick by many to lead the division easily, an inconsistent first half puts them in a tie with Denver and Los Angeles. If any team rises, it will probably be Oakland.
Los Angeles Express (4-5, Third Place): Early in the season, Los Angeles looked to be the cream of the west division crop. But, a three game losing streak brought them back to the pack and struggling to find their form again.
Arizona Wranglers (2-7, Fourth Place): The Wranglers are currently vying with Washington as the worst team in the league. They’ve given their fans little to cheer for this year and even less to look forward to going into next year. It looks to be a grim start to the franchise.
Midseason Awards
Offensive Player Herschel Walker, RB, New Jersey Generals: Herschel came into the season as the most hyped prospect of either the NFL or USFL. New Jersey got the steal of the decade so far by drafting him. He proved everyone right. Herschel is second in the league in rushing yards and in receptions.
Defensive Player John Corker, OLB, Michigan Panthers: In addition to having double the amount of sacks of any other player in the league, Corker is on pace for over 100 tackles on the season. A ferocious defensive presence, he is a good reason the Panthers are undefeated.
Special Teams Woodrow Wilson, KR, Boston Breakers: Wilson is in the top ten in both kick return and punt return average yardage. He also has one of the only kick returns for touchdown in the league this season.
Exciting News for 1984
The USFL will announce 6 expansion teams for next year. The announcements will come once a week starting with week 13 and continuing until week 18. The demand for spring football is high and the USFL looks to cement its legacy as the standard bearer for many years to come. See you in week 13 for the first team announcement!
