Well due to the positive response on the player illustrations I'll be doing more in the future, most likely during the regular season or in the championship game. Here's the offseason post:

Draft: 

The second ever draft was overshadowed by the first in terms of talent, as this time there were only 2 clear options and the rest was a grey area. These two frontrunners were QB Matt Kollen from the University of Huron and WR Andrew Padmore from Argil Agricultural College. 

1st - Hadley Gatekeepers: WR Andrew Padmore (Argil Agricultural College)
The Gatekeepers passed on the best player on the board, as they felt they had a good starting QB for the next few years. Instead, they took the phenom WR in Padmore to “pad” out their aging receiving core.
2nd - Ellesby Mariners: QB Matt Kollen (University of Huron)
Realizing that they are starting to descend into the basement, the Mariners pounce on the opportunity to take the best player on the board to start up their rebuild.
3rd - Norfolk Lumberjacks: T Robin Ely (Great Plains Provincial College)
Like last year, the ‘Jacks took another standout tackle to better protect Eddy Belmont.
4th - Duvall Dragons: T Max Hadaway (Howle College)
Continuing their rebuild, the Dragons follow suit and take the next best tackle on the board.
5th - Orcaster Racers: QB Adrian Norris (Howle College)
The Racers take a QB as a surprise to some but most expected this to happen at some time, as their current QB in Jeremy Hunt is starting to show his age, so taking a new QB under the wing may help improve the struggling team.
6th - Augusta Bulls: TE Henrique Azenha (Bristol University)
In another surprise, the first ever player drafted from Decontro was taken by the Bulls, where Azenha will help on their blocking and run a few routes along the way.
7th - Adelaide Owls: DT Reinier Penders (Taerrisia Provincial College)
The Owls take another star defensive player to patch up the Rogues who embarrassingly let the Knight run all over them in the last Escalian Cup.
8th - Kierport Knights: T Christian Kitchens (Arcanora Tech)
Feeling confident with their win over the Owls and their offensive scheme, the Knights take another star tackle to bolster their O-Line and keep themselves constant playoff threats. 

Player/Coach Movement:
Two notable retirements took place this season, the first came with the shocking retirement of ADL DT Reed Adcock, who played from 1943-1961, playing with amateur teams until Adelaide took him in their first season. The other major retirement was from Orcaster, with DB Devin Augustine hanging up his cleats after 20 total seasons of play. Augustine was most known for the key fumble recovery in the 1960 North Division Final that set up the game-winning touchdown the very next play.  The coaching carousel saw Hadley HC Nick Abrams not get his contract renewed after 2 very disappointing seasons. In his place, OC Marvin Saylor took up head coaching duties.  

Logo/Uniform Changes:
the Knights take a stab at what Adelaide did the season prior and also add a badge in a similar vein to theirs. “If they can claim that they’re the best team in the nation, then so can we claim that we’re the best” said owner Earl Tozer. Kierport’s badge will have a gold star over their shield logo, with the swords that were scrapped from the helmet logo. Adelaide decided to keep their badge on their uniform after hearing what the Knights were doing, as they were only going to do it for one year before the Knights copied them. 


Duvall made some minor changes to their uniforms. They modified their helmets so that the shell is gold with the red dragon on it instead of the dragon recolored to white on a red shell. They also adjusted their shoulder stripes to look more like Augusta's, as well as slightly changing their shade of gold.

Norfolk made no uniform changes, but did alter their shades of green and brown.

You can compare the color changes here 

Preseason Power Rankings:
Norfolk Lumberjacks
Kierport Knights
Adelaide Owls
Augusta Bulls
Orcaster Racers
Duvall Dragons
Hadley Gatekeepers
Ellesby Mariners 

C&C Appreciated

Gatekeepers in the playoffs? Didn’t see that coming

Steelman wrote:

I really like the switch to a gold shell for Duvall. The whole badge war is a fun early storyline.

Tough break for Acker but it gave Paul Dane a chance to show his stuff too. Is Acker back for the playoffs or what is his status?

Acker is out for the division final game, but there is a possibility for him to come back for the Escalian Cup if the Knights win their game. Speaking of that.....



Adelaide Owls @ Norfolk Lumberjacks 
After biting the injury bug last year, Norfolk is back with a vengeance to defeat the old guard in Adelaide. After their age began to show last year against the Knights, the Owls want to prove doubters wrong that they can win with this team again. Adelaide proved their doubters correct in the first, as they could only manage one field goal on their three drives this quarter. Norfolk on the other hand were more efficient on their one drive this quarter, with Eddy Belmont taking the rock to the house on a 46 yard run. 
END OF Q1: 7-3 NOR
The Owls gained some composure on their next drive, where they made it into their redzone for the first time in the game. They didn’t score on that drive, but they seemed to be back to their old selves again. The Lumberjacks took advantage of their failed drive, as they scored a rare passing touchdown, caught by TE Elliot Henderson on a 10 yard pass from QB Willard Taft. The Owls wanted a piece of the touchdown cake before the half ended, so they marched down on a two minute drill to score on a RB Martin Hartell run to make it a one score game before the half ended.
END OF Q2: 14-10 NOR
Norfolk received the kickoff in the second half, but failed to score a touchdown on the drive, settling for a field goal instead. Adelaide kept their momentum running in the third, as their first drive saw a touchdown on a pass from QB Jeff Watson to WR Ray Rowe, and followed it up with a field goal on their next drive. The Owls’s defense also breathed new life, stopping the ‘Jacks in their tracks, preventing them from scoring again in the quarter.
END OF Q3: 20-17 ADL
Entering the fourth, both teams fixed what was broken in their game plans, and were set for a brutal fight to the Escalian Cup. Adelaide struck first in the quarter, making a 54 yard field goal to extend their lead to six. The ‘Jacks and Eddy Belmont were now on a mission to score with 3 minutes remaining left in the quarter. Luckily for them, it didn’t take too long to score, as on the second play of the drive, Belmont took a handoff to the inside, split the defenders midfield, and ran 64 yards for a touchdown. Adelaide’s flame died out after that play, and Norfolk would go on to their first (and long-awaited) Escalian Cup appearance. 
FINAL: 24-23 NOR

Hadley Gatekeepers @ Kierport Knights
After stumbling out the gate in the first two years, the Gatekeepers are finally at where they were supposed to be. The only problem to overcoming the last hurdle is to defeat the defending champions in the Knights. The Knights crushed the stumbling Gatekeepers, as they stopped Hadley’s drives throughout the quarter while on offense Kierport scored on both of their drives, the first being a field goal and the second resulting in a short pass by QB Paul Dane to TE Ralph Holmes. 
END OF Q1: 10-0 KIE
After the sluggish first quarter, the Gatekeepers seemed to gain traction and finally scored early in the quarter, on a pass to WR Lambert Hollman from QB Jack Reuter. They also put a minor stop to the Knight’s attack, but allowed another TD on a run from RB Robert Underwood, but the Knights failed to make the point after attempt. The latter half of the quarter saw these rivals in a dogfight, with neither giving up any points to the other as the half expired.
END OF Q2: 16-7 KIE
The Gatekeepers found out how to slow the Knights down during halftime, as they forced the Knights to punt for the first time in the game. Hadley also found themselves on top of the defending champs, as they scored two touchdowns in the quarter off a rush from RB Clint Atwood and a pass from QB Jack Reuter to WR Andrew Padmoore. The Knights lost their mojo that they had this game, and only managed a field goal in the entire quarter as they struggled to get anything going
END OF Q3: 21-19 HAD
Hadley started off the quarter by nailing another field goal while the Knights began to snap out of the funk they had in the third quarter. Dane went back to steamrolling over the young ‘Keepers defense, as he and Underwood charged to the endzone with the intent to score. They succeeded when Dane took it in for a 4 yard rush, taking the lead with 3 minutes left in the quarter. Hadley then began to mount their own two minute drill like the Knights in the Escalian Cup last year. But, they ended up backed onto their 10 yard line on a crucial third down. Reuter dropped back to pass and threw to WR Lambert Hollman, before the pass being broken up and intercepted by DB Freddie Petit, who walked back into the endzone untouched to seal the game for the Knights. 
FINAL: 33-24 KIE

1962 Championship Preview: Kierport Knights @ Norfolk Lumberjacks 

These two teams are back from probably one of the best games of the year in week 7, where Norfolk squeaked out a win in Kierport (which is why they are the home team in the Cup). Both teams feature a heavy rushing attack that caught most teams off-guard, and now that the league knows who they are no one can stop them. Expect this game to be as high-scoring and action packed as the regular season match-up.
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Home field advantage will prevail again, as the ‘Jacks will barely manage to win their first cup over the Knights. 35-31 NOR 

Great game between Adelaide and Norfolk.
I've been following along quietly, and I am really digging the series so far. Each team has an interesting brand and I love it. Great Job!

The Dane Train rolls onward! Here's hoping Acker can make a comeback for the championship!