1982 Season Preview

Edgar Jones, QB, Shreveport Steamer

When a league's champion is decided by a safety in sudden-death overtime, it can't get much weirder than that. Or, can it?

The USFL/WFL moves into its ninth season having adopted V 0.4.5 to replace the oddball 4.4. That might mean some records will never be broken. For instance, Honolulu Hawaiians rookie RB Ronald Boatman catching 139 passes. Or Shreveport Steamer QB Edgar Jones completing 84.2 percent of his 474 throws. Or 100-year-old Chicago Blitz QB Daniel McKee finishing the season with a 137.60 quarterback rating.

The changes version 4.5 promises are not likely to result in a complete revamping of the league's power structure. The defending World Bowl champion New Jersey Generals, the runnerup Detroit Wheels, and traditional powers Oklahoma and Shreveport are likely to be back in the race. The new kids on the block (Honolulu, Denver, Baltimore) probably aren't going anywhere soon as well.

Pacific Division

Dusty Heckman, WR, SJS

The Hawaiians (14-2) won the division by eight games and will certainly be the favorite, even if RB Ronald Boatman isn't quite as dominant. The Los Angeles Express (6-10) missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season after winning four straight division titles and now must go through life without longtime QB Gene Nowlin. Southern California (4-12) earned its first-ever victory over LAX and both the Sun and the San Jose SaberCats (4-12) knocked off the playoff-bound New York Stars. The SaberCats will give future Hall of Fame WR Dusty Heckman a shot at his 100th career TD catch after signing the former Oklahoma Outlaws star to a free-agent contract. He has 93.

West Division

Christopher Curtis, WR, OAK

The Denver Gold (11-4-1) earned their first-ever division title and made the playoffs for the first time since 1974. They are roughly $48 million under the salary cap, giving coach AlexanDragon the flexibility to add pieces for a run at the World Bowl. The Arizona Wranglers (9-7) returned to the postseason after a three-year absence and have All-Pro QB Jerry Montalvo back in the fold after first allowing him to test the free-agent waters. The Portland Storm (8-8) signed a few superstars to make one more run at the title. Of Portland's 54 players in camp, 30 will have 10 or more seasons of pro experience come 1983. The Oakland Invaders (7-9) could jump right back into contention behind new coach Cdog13157 and former league MVPs Les Lacy and Christopher Curtis.

Midwest Division

Max Howard, RB, CHI

The Chicago Blitz (12-4) won the division in 1981 and returned to the playoffs after a five-year absence. One has to wonder how many bullets QB Daniel McKee has remaining in his revolver, but he can always just hand off to All-Pro RB Max Howard. The Detroit Wheels (10-6) had to win four in a row at the end of the season to claim an American Conference wild card spot, but Detroit came within that oddball overtime safety of earning its third league championship. A boatload of key veterans have departed, including QB Mario Valencia (Gamblers), WR John Risinger (Gamblers), CB David Peralta (Gamblers), CB Bradley Mondragon (Showboats), RT Thomas Watson (Bulls), RB Robert Costello (retired), WR Rigoberto Gonzales (retired), and CB Chuck Johnson (retired). The Cleveland Thunderbolts (7-8-1) saw their string of five consecutive playoff appearances snapped, but all-world LDE Jim Zarate bounced back from an injury-plagued 1980 season to record 25 sacks. Everyone keeps waiting for the Michigan Panthers (7-9) to make their move after a few seasons of building a talented young roster. Maybe this is the year.

Southwest Division

Tony Smith, QB, STO

The Oklahoma Outlaws (14-2) are 39-9 in three seasons under coach RoyceR, but will need to make some adjustments to qualify for the World Bowl for the first time after the departures of star-caliber players QB Dale Brown, WR Dusty Heckman, DB Allen Herrera, and LB Victor Lincoln.  The Houston Gamblers (9-7) forged the first winning season in franchise history and head coach setherick now has this previously endangered franchise nearly $58 million under the salary cap as well. The Memphis Showboats (9-7) sat out the playoffs after having won back-to-back World Bowls but will rebuild on the fly and another postseason berth would not shock anyone. The San Antonio Gunslingers (6-10) knocked Georgia out of the playoffs with a Week 15 upset and QB Tony Smith will add to his more than 43,000 career passing yards and is likely to throw his 300th TD pass.

South Division

James Sheckler, WR, NOV

The Shreveport Steamer (8-8) have been in the playoffs six of the last seven seasons, but have never won more than one playoff game. That could change this season if QB Edgar Jones completes 84 percent of his passes again and the team wins nine of its last 11 games again. Georgia (8-8) lost in Weeks 15 and 16 to miss the playoffs, but Force fans are excited to have a new coach in amalric7, who certainly will be an improvement over the old coach. The Birmingham Stallions (6-10) gained some momentum in their rebuilding program, with four of their six victories coming against playoff contenders. New Orleans (5-11) welcomed back old/new coach greyghost1225 with open arms after a tumultuous season during which four different coaches led the VooDoo. The old/new guy coached the team to a pair of World Bowl appearances during his previous stint.

Southeast Division

Edward Fields, RB, JAX

New coach hectorg became an instant hero in Jacksonville when the Bulls (8-8) pulled off their first-ever division championship. Edward Fields joined the ranks of the league's elite RBs in his ninth pro season. He ran for 1,244 yards and nine TDs and caught 34 passes for 371 yards and three more scores. Jacksonville added some pieces via free agency, pieces they will need to hold off the Tampa Bay Bandits (8-8), who had won the previous five division titles. Tampa Bay coach Mcarovil is not used to losing and will likely to bring an angry team out of the tunnel this season. The Orlando Renegades (4-12) swept both games from the Florida Blazers (3-13) to avoid the division basement. Those two crosstown rivals may have the most young talent in the league between them, including Florida WR Arthur Strickland, the 1979 Rookie of the Year.

Atlantic Division

James Alonzo, MLB, BLT

The Baltimore Stars (14-2) completed the biggest one-season turnaround in league history, recovering from a 2-14 nightmare in 1980 to claim their first Atlantic Division crown in 1981. Head coach Duval was named Coach of the Year by his peers. Now what can he do for an encore? Washington coach CrazyRazor was Coach of the Year in 1980, but the Federals fell to 7-9 in his second season. Oklahoma's BigPoppa left the league after winning the award three seasons ago. We are beginning to wonder if there is a Coach of the Year curse. The Charlotte Hornets (7-9) fell by the wayside after a 6-2 start, but still earned the most victories in a single season in franchise history. The Pittsburgh Maulers (6-10) suffered their first losing campaign under head coach Otterpop, but will carry a three-game win streak into 1982.

East Division

Ernest Lynch, RB, NYS

The New Jersey Generals (13-3) are the defending league champions and lost only one significant contributor from that team (leading receiver WR Damon Rosato, now with Memphis). So, it's safe to characterize the Generals as the odds-on favorite to repeat. It seems like forever ago that the Philadelphia Bell (9-7) were 1-15. In four seasons, head coach Jaybo911 has taken Philadelphia to back-to-back winning records and the team's first-ever playoff spot. The New York Stars (8-8) are coming off a playoff berth and have a new head coach in Chandyo and one of the league's best RB in second-year pro Ernest Lynch. The Boston Breakers (1-15) will look to avoid earning the No. 1 overall draft pick for a fourth consecutive season.