Philadelphia got the ball first and Addams quickly got to work. Within no time he and Jackson had already made it down deep into Detroit territory. With about 5 minutes ticked off the clock, the Hornets stood at a 3rd and 2 at the 23 yard line. Addams received the snap and stepped back; faked a throw to the right before finding one of his receivers in the corner of the endzone for the first score of the night. Now down 7-0, Henderson got the chance to retaliate. It didn’t take long for the Bombers offense to get cooking, but back to back dropped passes forced a punt that would pin Philly within their own 10. Philadelphia couldn’t do much else either as the Bombers forced a punt. Detroit will get their second try this quarter, and just like the first, it didn’t last long. With less than a minute left on the clock and a promising 2nd and 2. Henderson took a shot down field looking to tie it up. The ball was caught, but by the defender, who managed, with the help of a lot of blockers, to return it for 101 yards; an NFA record. CB John Walker who has led the league in INT’s the last 2 seasons, and had a pick last game against the Cannons was the record breaker who put the Hornets up 14-0 entering the 2nd quarter. The second quarter was, for a lack of better terms, boring. Two seemingly unbeatable and proven offenses fall flat as both Addams and Henderson set season records for most incompletions in a single quarter. The run games both failed to get started as well, Barnes and Jackson both combining for only a combined 43 yards. However with about 2 minutes left in the half, Detroit did manage to get on the board. With Philadelphia at their own thirty, they were hoping to perform a good 2 minute drill and manage a score before time expires. This was interrupted however when DE George Portson punched the ball out of Jackson’s arms forcing a fumble. The ball was immediately swarmed by Bombers defenders giving them just under a minute to finally make a mark on the scoreboard. As time expired Detroit tacked on 3 to make it 14-3 as we entered halftime.Coming out of the break Detroit seemed more fired up than ever. They received the ball at half and set up shop for a long scoring drive to swing the momentum their way. Well only part of that came true; they managed to put 7 on the board to make it a four point game, but it only took them about 2 plays. Barnes, on a 2nd and 10 found a gap in the defense and exposed it for an 80 yard touchdown run. It took about as long as it took to heat up, to calm down. The rest of the quarter went just about as well as the 2nd. Both Addams and Henderson took hits and fumbled the ball at some point, but neither opportunity ended in points for either team. Detroit failed to get a first down again until the end of the quarter in which a failed 4th down conversion by the Hornets set them up at their own 45. Henderson rolling left hit Coleman for a 12 yard reception, the biggest of the 2nd half for either team. As the 3rd quarter came to a close, the Hornets led the Bombers 14-10. The 4th quarter was unlike the rest of the game. What I mean is that the teams actually woke up finally. Detroit’s drive consisted of Henderson looking like the MVP candidate that he was, as he avoided sacks and made difficult throw after difficult throw against the elite Hornets D. It took him about 3 minutes to find his way into the endzone. He handed it off to Barnes who punched it for the 17-14 lead. Philadelphia wouldn’t take long either, as Addams retaliated with a perfect drive. Throwing 9-9 as he wore the Bombers defense down and finished the drive with a 23 yard TD reception to retake the lead 21-17. Now with about only about 7 minutes left in the game Henderson could prove himself to be one of the best QB’s in the league despite his poor performance in the first 3 quarters. He just had to use smart time management and show off his ability to win games in the clutch. Henderson would do just that, in a deteriorating 6 minute drive Henderson led the Bombers all the way to the 3 where he found Coleman for his first TD pass of the game. As the extra point sailed through the uprights, the Bombers swarmed Henderson on the sidelines celebrating gleefully. With only 52 second remaining on the clock, the Bombers had taken the 24-21 lead and all but secured their first Champions Bowl victory. But Addams still had a shot at stealing the limelight. With no timeouts and just under a minute left in the game. The Hornets made quick work of the already celebrating defense and found themselves at midfield with about 12 seconds left. On 2nd and 10 Addams took the snap and set back waiting for his receivers to get down the field. He launched one deep into a pile up of about 6 players right in front of the endzone. The whole stadium seemed to hold their breath as the ball soared through the night sky. When it finally came down it was hit by a couple defenders back up the field before landing straight into the arms of trailing receiver; Patrick Doyle who caught it in front of the pile, who then ran and dove stretching his arms out into the endzone. Just like that the Hornets scored and stormed the field winning the game 27-24 in what would later be called the Luckiest Catch in Football. A famous picture of Henderson sitting alone on the bench with his head in his hands surrounded by celebrating Hornets players long after his team had already left for the locker room would circle Detroit for weeks to come. Eugene Addams was named MVP of the Champions Bowl, giving Philadelphia a league most; 3 Champions Bowl victories.

5th Annual NFA Draft:
1st- RB Stevie Parks- South Carolina -Boston Gaels
2nd- OLB Elijah Potter- Jackson -St. Louis Tigers
3rd- DE Robert Fox  - Illinois State -Pittsburgh Ironmen
4th- QB Ryle Hanson- Los Angeles International- Cleveland Rangers
5th- QB Burt O’Conner - Iowa A&M- Minneapolis Blue Ox 

Other notable picks;
6th- ILB Parker Romeo - Texas State- Washington Pirates
8th- S Rocco Johnson- Pitt State- Philadelphia Hornets
16th- TE William Flaherty- Atlanta State- Washington Pirates
24th- LT David Mann- West Point Academy- Cleveland Rangers
39th- QB Penny Icarus- Silver State- St. Louis Tigers. 

Roster Changes:
-Philadelphia Hornets linebacker Alexander Harvey-Lancaster signs with New York Cannons.The Cannons are coming off a season where they gave up the 3rd most ppg in the league with one of the oldest d-lines in the league. Harvey-Lancaster, coming off his 6th season, had been top 5 in fumble recoveries the past 2 years, and was a leader for the Hornets defense. In signing him along with some other defensive pieces, New York is retooling their defense in order to make another shot at the NFA East Championship. However what they should be focusing on is Quarterback, as Kenny Durham is sure to retire any time now. 
-WR Jerry Rhodes signs with the Boston Gaels after 7 previous years with the Tigers. Rhodes had a career low in catches last year and battle a hand injury for a lot of the year prior, the Tigers decided they didn’t want to pick him up and let him walk. Boston should be a good place for him to restart his career, where he stands out as one of the few noticeable names on the roster. 
-Daniel Caudill, a breakout Tackle last year for the Hornets, signs with the Blue Ox. This is a big pickup for Minneapolis and bolsters their defense, which showed signs of being surprisingly well last season. 
-Rangers pick up 2 defensive players; Veteran Ace Rupper, and Roger Clark. The Rangers biggest flaw last year was their defense, giving up the most ppg, and yardage per game. With a young and improving offense, under a new QB, signing these two solid defenders helps round out the Rangers as they look to be lining up for a winning season next year. 

Coaching Changes:
-Boston clears front office, hiring Bill Montague as Head Coach, and Hanley Montgomery and Joe Rosenberger as Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. This sweep comes after going 6-22 the past 3 seasons. The worst 3 year period since the AFA days. Bill Montague comes off a solid coaching career at Jackson University, leading the team to 5 straight winning seasons. A defensive specialist, the Gaels are hoping he can help turn things back around. 
-Pittsburgh fires long time OC Lennie Grey and replaces him with former Gaels HC Daniel Robinson. An expected move, Grey who helped coached the Ironmen to 3 straight Champions Bowls and had coached the team since 1946, wasn't necessarily at blame for the teams recent lack of success but his firing shows that the front office is actually trying to make changes to get better, even if it’s at the expense of a long time tenure.
-Blue Ox fires HC Jack Taylor after 1 year and promotes OC Greg Hubbard to head coach. They replace Hubbard with Roy Lynch. Taylor’s firing was mostly motivated by off field incidents and comments made about certain staff and players among the team. Hubbard takes the lead as Head Coach, which is his first time taking such a position. 

League News:
-Pirates break ground on new stadium to be completed for the 1958 season. The future Pirates Stadium will replace the old National Field which has been around since the 20s. Pirates Stadium will house just under 45,000, making it the biggest stadium currently in the NFA. Philadelphia and New York also secure deals that will upgrade their current stadiums to around 45,00 people. Centennial Field, and Eastern Pennsylvania Stadium, which is to go under a name change after renovations, are already some of the biggest stadiums in the league and these changes will only make them bigger. 
-Several players announce their retirement this offseason, the most important however being Oliver Black and Mike Bennet. Black played 13 years of football. Starting with the Hornets in 1944 and ending with the Tigers in 1957. Oliver Black went to 4 Champions Bowls, 3 with the Tigers and 1 with the Hornets. Bennet played all his 14 seasons with Pittsburgh and was the anchor of their defense for years. Bennet ranks high in the Ironmen stat records and was one of the best in his position in the mid 40s.

Identity Changes:
-The only change this offseason was Washington Pirates making subtle tweaks to their uniforms and add their fairly named, Pete the Pirate logo, to their helmets.
C&C Appreciated!

What a way to lose a game...
Better luck next year, bombers!

My team went undefeated. Hopefully no let downs in the championship.

1957-58 NFA Conference Championships


In the second ever NFA East Championship, we saw the Washington Pirates travel to Philadelphia to take on the Hornets. The Pirates were looking for their first Champions Bowl appearance since 1949, and the Hornets were seeking their 5th straight appearance. The first quarter saw the Pirates and breakout QB Doug Emmonds lead an 8 minute drive that ended in 7 to start the game. It didn’t take long for the Hornets to respond however, they managed to match the Pirates at 7 in half the time; letting RB Jackson carry the ball 8 times for 45 yards on that one drive. As the first quarter came to an end we saw RB Carson King break out for a 20 yard run before being forced out of bounds, setting the Pirates up in Philadelphia territory.The second quarter was just as offensively led as the first. Within 3 minutes the Pirates had already scored their 2nd TD of the night, Dougie, as Pirates fans call him, finding WR Dale English for 7. Once again, Philadelphia retaliated quickly, finding their footing deep in Pirates territory after Addams found a receiver down field for a 37 yard gain. Addams took it himself for his second TD of the game. Only about half way through the 2nd quarter and Philadelphia’s defense is already exhausted, giving up a huge scramble by Dougie, who escaped the pocket and picked up 18 before sliding down within the red zone. One play later and RB King is already in for another 7. A drive that ended in a punt by Philly and 7 players later, Dougie find English again to take a 28-14 lead with 3 left in the half. Philly goes down and kicks 3 points in right before half, Addams having his worst drive of the game however, having to rely on Jackson to get almost all the yardage as Philadelphia goes to the locker rooms down 28-17 at home in the NFA East Championship. Washington however is playing as unstoppable. By far the best played game they’ve had all season and it’s all clicking at the right time. Coming out of the half Philadelphia received the kick and led a drive that failed to reach even the 50. It was the first time in 4 weeks they hadn’t scored on the opening drive of the second half. The Pirates took this chance and ran up the score. In only 5 plays, Washington was already within field goal range. 2 plays later and they were at the 15. Both Emmonds and King having over 100 total yardage and each having 2 TD’s they could put the nail in the coffin against the reigning MVP, Champions Bowl MVP and Champions Bowl Champion, Eugene Addams and the Philadelphia Hornets in only the beginning of the 3rd quarter. For Philadelphia, however, if they wanted to stay in this, they’re defense had to make a play. They failed however as thier d-line opened up like a can of sardines and King practically walked into the endzone. Addams, unlike his defense, wasn’t finished though. The first play of the next drive he finds WR; Ulysses Dotson, wide open down field for one of the quickest scores all season. Suddenly the Hornets were back in this. With just over half the 3rd quarter still left, the Hornets had plenty of time to catch up. Could they keep up with them though? Emmonds led his team back down the field in short time again and put another 7 on the board. They were up 42-24. Addams shot back with his own scoring drive but the Hornets could only muster 3 after giving up 2 sacks in the red zone. With another chance to end the game, Washington chewed the rest of the 3rd on a drive that ended in another 7 in the fourth. That was the game. Washington stopped Philadelphia twice more and ended picking Addams off for almost another 7 as they came out of the Hornets Nest with the upset blowout win. Winning their first NFA East Championship; 49-27.



The NFA West Championship was highly anticipated as the rematch of two rivals, this time in Chicago as the Zephyrs take on the Detroit Bombers.Chicago got off to a hot start on both sides of the ball. First, Hogg led them down the field in an impressive 5 minute drive to put them up 7-0. Not long after, the Z-Men picked off Henderson and returned it for 7. After this though, Detroit’s offense got rolling. Henderson completed back to back passes to WR James Nelson to bring the Bombers within the Zephyrs 20. However they were stopped and forced to kick for 3 after a big sack on 2nd down left them with 17 yards to gain. Both teams finished the half off with drives that ended in punts.The second half was much more explosive than the first. Down 14-3; Detroit took the kickoff back to make it 14-10. It didn’t take long for Hogg and Chicago to retaliate. On a tumultuous 10 minute drive, highlighted by gritty runs from RB Alfie Raschall, the Zephyrs found themselves taking a 2 score, 21-10 lead. Not long after the start of the 3rd, did the Zephyrs force their second turnover of the game, strip sacking Henderson as he tried to scramble, returning it all 43 yards for a score. Just like that the game had snowballed from a 4 point game to a 18 point one, and for once, it wasn’t really at the hands of Hogg, who’d attempted the least amount of passes through 3 quarters since week 2. Detroit finally managed to scrape together another score however; Henderson finding Coleman behind the goalpost to make it a 28-17. Both teams then exchanged very quick touchdown drives, it was getting obvious that the defense was getting tired from such a wearing battle on the lines. Rounding the end of the game, Detroit was still down 11 after just knocking their 2nd TD of the quarter in. They had to convert an onsides if they wanted a chance to win. They wouldn't convert however and Chicago would run the clock out. The Zephyrs win their first NFA Championship and head into their 2nd Champions Bowl as clear favorites against the underdog Pirates. They beat Detroit 35-24.



C&C Appreciated! How'd your team do?

Last edited by MyTeamIsDr.Pepper (2/08/2020 4:26 pm)