DireBear wrote:

Well at least the Zephyrs started out well, but I didn't have my hopes up too high for them lol.

Surprised that the South got jumbled up a bit since last since, did not expect St Louis to win the division in their second year with Miami already in their division. 

A bit late, but I love all the new updates, with Detroit and LA being my favorites. For Cleveland, I can see where you are coming from on comparisons between the Eagles and Jets, but I think it's just different enough from them where it works

Keep up the good work! The playoffs should be interesting to follow!

Chicago started out really well actually, QB Lloyd Brown started every game he played in and was a big upgrade over Scott Hogg, who's probably going to retire soon because Brown is definitely the Z-men's future. The defense also made improvements over last season. Honestly, if Chicago stays relatively injury free next year, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the fight for the postseason.
The South was a bit surprising. St. Louis is thought to have had a fluke year, but we won't really find out till next year. Houston on the other hand basically jumped the gun on their rebuild, their young core played surprisingly well at a level that was thought to still be a year or two away. Miami is definitely the best team in the division still though, however it'll be interesting to see how Houston does next year because they could still be a problem for them.

Stickman wrote:

First off, I really like the new standings chart you have there, looks really good and I love the touch of including the team helmets!  Hope that standings style stays!

As for the playoffs, the road to the NFA Championship seems to run through the Northeast division, as you can make a legit claim that the Hornets, Pirates, and Cannons might be the 3 favorites to win it all!  In fact, I'm predicting we'll see the Philadelphia Hornets and Washington Pirates being the championship matchup this year, with Washington repeating as champs!

Speaking of the Northeast division, it's gonna be interesting to see what the Baltimore Bulldogs' fate will be.  While I like the team's old school feel to it, they do seem like they've never been a good franchise despite having 2 chances now.  If I was guessing, I think they will move to Atlanta.   If that happens, it'll be sad to see them go, but on the bright side, (for me at least), maybe that could mean a return of the Atlanta Copperheads, (a favorite design of mine)!  

Course, if all that happens, then the question would be if Atlanta would stay in the Northeast or if realignment would have to happen, (perhaps moving Atlanta to the South division, moving Cincinnati to the North and perhaps moving Pittsburgh to the Northeast???).

Definitely excited to see what happens!

 

Yeah, it's pretty clear the Northeast is the crem of the crop right now. I'd say every team except Baltimore have goals to make a run at the Championship. Boston is a bit old but 5 of their 8 losses came in division and they didn't look awful. Washington and Philly is definitely a likely probability right now, either way though, theres an influx of talent right now, so I think any of the top 6 teams could really win it.

As for all the comments about Baltimore, don't worry, I've got something interesting in store that I hope will work out.

Steelman wrote:

LOVE the new standings graphic, huge step up in presentation. Nice work! Hopefully a good learning experience for Pittsburgh to show they can win.

I'm glad to see you back Steel! Pittsburgh had a really good season! They were in the same boat in Houston as a young team who are a couple years ahead of schedule on their rebuild. Young QB Sam Powers is looking to be a franchise talent and RB Wendell Granger had a good rookie year as well. Their only downside right now is a poor defense, which definitely cost them a couple games this year. They lost some winnable games this year that might've pushed them into the playoffs, such as a week 1 loss in Detroit, a week 8 loss in LA, and also losing twice to Cleveland. If they can work on closing some games out or just bulking the defense up, they could definitely be a contender for the division title, especially considering the North is a bit of a mess right now outside of Milwaukee.

Sevsdast wrote:

Dr. Pepper, the Whales helmet logo looks awfully similar to the California Whales logo of the AFA, was that your inspiration for the logo?

I think I've mentioned before how much I have been inspired by Veras and his fantastic work. But no, as great as his California Whales identity is, I'm trying to go out of my way actually to not take too much inspiration from him for the Whales, because the brands are already so similar. Looking back now the secondary I came up is a bit more similar than I thought so I might even redux it and try and come up with a different logo, but I'm not too sure. 

Rugrat wrote:

C’mon Cleveland, you have to be good again someday! This was definitely an interesting year, like the new graphic for the season standings. Curious about the Bulldogs possibly moving to Atlanta, wonder how that could go. As for the playoffs going with the Hornets vs the Pirates in the Victory Bowl

I'll take it as a compliment your confusing the NFA with the AFA and Veras's work haha.

Thanks to everyone on the love for the new graphic, I'm really glad I finally added one. I hope y'all like the new playoff ones too.

Here's the wildcard games!

1968-69 NFA Wildcard Round - Houston Explorers at Philadelphia Hornets

The first half would play out as many had expected. Philadelphia got out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a miracle throw on 3rd and 9 from QB Oscar Washington. Houston would try and score too but Philadelphia would be too much for them to handle. Philadelphia would knock in another score and a field goal as Houston could only get 3 throughout the entire first half. RB Ollie Smith would've had the Explorers first touchdown of the game if it wasn't for a holding call that brought the play back and turned what would’ve been an amazing 45 yard rushing TD into just another punt.  

The second half would begin as the first had ended with Houston finding some light on offense. They'd come out if the half looking refreshed and QB Zachary Ingram would lead them on an 80 yard TD drive. Philadelphia would have an answer though and take up another good chunk of the quarter on a drive of their own. Houston was looking to make another drive down the field but a tight pass by Ingram would be picked off by LB Eli Webber and returned for 7. This pretty much put the game away for Philly. They’d go on and score another field goal before the game ended making the final score 34-10.



1968-69 NFA Wildcard Round - New York Cannons at Los Angeles Tigers 
Despite being slightly favored Los Angeles came out of the gate horribly. They were having their way like they needed to with the Cannons defense, but messed it up when it counted. On the opening drive they got all the way to the 2 yard line but they would be forced to settle for a field goal and then miss. They're defense would grant them another chance when they forced a 3 and out, but on the first play of the drive RB Sam Peck fumbled the ball giving New York the ball in Tiger territory. New York would convert it this time taking a 7-0 lead. On the third LA drive they would once again make it all the way down the field only to miss another field goal. Subsequently, New York would put together a long drive of their own that left LA in a 14-0 hole with only 2 minutes left in the half to play. LA would, for the third time this half, manage to get in scoring position. Using their timeouts wisely they'd granted themselves a 1st and goal with 26 seconds to play. But on the snap Lincoln would look away for a split second and miss the snap. The ball would hit his helmet and ricochet away. After a couple players couldn't pick it up a New York defender finally fell on it. The game would go into the half with the Cannons out on top 14-0 thanks to a great red zone defense and some Tiger miscues.  

The second half would be better for LA. The Tigers would find a stop for the Cannons offense and force their first turnover of the game that gave them the ball at their 30. Lincoln once again would lead the team down the field and would once again come across a 4th down in the red zone. This time however Coach Ray Warren called for the offense to stay on the field. It paid off big time as Lincoln would convert a quick pass to his right and find his receiver making a slant route for the first down. The Tigers would finally get on the board the next play when Peck broke through the Cannons defensive line. QB Gary Jones wouldn’t make the same mistakes as he did on the last drive, but the Cannons wouldn't stay on the field for near as long… because Jones found a wide open Edward Fischer who shook off a tackler and took the ball 65 yards for the score. The Tigers retaliated quickly and put up another 7, not even having to rely on a 4th down conversion this time. As we got to the meat of the fourth quarter both teams offenses slowed down. The Tigers managed a second 3 and out and then New York’s towering defense managed a big stop that forced the Tigers to punt for the first time in the half. New York would end up taking their next drive to the house on a grinding drive led by RB Thomas O’Grady. This left the Tigers with just over a minute to go and a near impossible lead to surmount. The Tigers would try to get down the field but ran out of time. The Cannons offense would surprisingly be the big factor of this win as they put up all 28 points in a 28-14 win in LA. 



1968-69 NFA Wildcard Round - St. Louis Kings at Washington Pirates 
This particular Sunday afternoon was quite the rainy day in the D.C. area, leading the ball to be wet and the field to be muddy. To say this didn’t have a big effect on the game would be lying. In the first half, neither offense could convert, Washington got the first opportunity, after a short drive by QB Ron Murray set them up in field goal range, but when the holder botched the snap the kick would be blocked. The Kings would then be resorted to punting on the subsequent drive, the Pirates defense holding them to a three and out. After leaving 3 on the field on their first drive, Washington would ruin another chance to score. As the rain pounded the players on the field, RB Chester Lindsey would let a handoff slip out of his hands on 1st and goal and the Kings would recover on their own 10. The Kings offense would be kept to a 3 and out once again though, as QB Darryl Simpson would overthrow 2 of his targets and RB Johnny Graves would come up short on third down to close out the first quarter. This gave Washington a chance at a short field but a sack and a tackle for loss set them up at their own 40 looking at a 3rd and 16. To make matters worse, Lindsey would fumble once again, giving the Kings the ball in field goal territory. The Kings would use this to take a mid second quarter 3 point lead. Thankfully for the Pirates, Washington would finally get on the board on the next drive and tie things up on a 40 yard field goal of their own. 

The second half was just as rainy as the first, that was seen after the Kings dropped the kickoff and the Pirates recovered at the 12 yard line. Washington would drop a pass in the endzone, and the St. Louis' defense would come up big as they forced them to settle for 3. Washington would kick it through to take a 6-3 lead. What followed this was nearly 28 minutes of defense as both offenses just didn’t look good. Both teams would get an interception but neither of them would result in any points. The Kings would miss a field goal of their own that would’ve tied things up at the start of the 4th, but it was shanked to the left. While both offenses did do poorly, both defenses did do better, in particular DE Monty Jones who got a record 4 sacks on QB Darryl Simpson, 3 of them coming in the second half. He would finish the game with 17 total tackles in one of the most dominating defense performances in a postseason game ever. Neither team would score again and Washington would send the Kings back after a narrow, dirty win.



1968-69 NFA Wildcard Round - Milwaukee Barbarians at San Francisco Whales 
The last Wildcard game was probably the most exciting. San Francisco got things started early after picking off QB William Brown and returning it for the first score of the game only 1 minute into the affair. This set the standard for the Whales in the first half. Milwaukee would try again on their next drive but would be stopped before reaching midfield. The Whales would take their next drive across the field before the Barbarians would be able to stop them. San Francisco would be forced to settle for 3, but that gave them a two possession lead. Milwaukee still couldn’t get it going as they’d be stopped again, DT Dale Hinton sacking Brown on a big third down. The Barbarians defense would pull their weight this time though and force the Whales to punt for the first time in the game. Now into the second quarter, Milwaukee would finally break into the endzone on their next drive. RB David Jackson would score this one on a 13 yard run where he didn’t get touched once. Now back to a one possession game, San Francisco would try and get the lead back up to 10 points. QB John Leonard wouldn’t help much as he would be sacked and the ball would come out. Thankfully it was recovered by the Whales, but it set them up with a long 3rd and 25. This was no problem for RB Sid Snell, who finally got a big time play as he got the first down and another 20, carrying the ball all the way past midfield before being brought down. To the disappointment of San Francisco fans though, they’d only end up getting three points out of the haul. The game would go into the break 13-7. 

The second half would be back and forth, with the two teams trading big punches. First, on the first drive out of the half, San Francisco would get all the way down the field on 2 throws, only for Leonard to throw a pick in the endzone. Milwaukee, starting at the 20 yard line, would reverse the field on a quick drive of their own. Unlike the Whales though, they would end the drive with a lead stealing touchdown. Now down for the first time in the game, the Whales offense looked shaken up. Leonard would miss a target and Snell would come up short of 2 tries, leading to San Fran’s second punt of the game. Milwaukee would continue to lay it on the Whales and would reverse the field again for another Jackson touchdown. Now down 21-13, an even bigger deficit than last time, San Francisco would finally rediscover some semblance of an offense and start making their way down the field. As the third turned to the fourth, the Whales crossed midfield, and eventually found their way back into the endzone for the second time tonight. Sid Snell shoving his way through 2 defenders on a 3 yard punch in drive. However, in a strange string of play calls by coach Morris Smith, the Whales went to attempt an onside kick, a call that resulted in audible confusion from the crowd and commentators. They would fail to convert and gave the Barbarians the ball in their territory. Milwaukee would have mercy however, Brown would nearly throw an interception and the Whales defense would pull out a stop leading to only 3 points of damage. Now with just under 6 minutes, the Whales had to go 80 yards to win. However as they made their way into Barbarians territory, Leonard would throw another interception on a shot into the endzone. Milwaukee would take over on offense at the 2 yard line with just under 2 minutes to go. San Francisco wouldn’t get to see the ball again and the Barbarians would pull out a second straight wildcard win at Whales Stadium. The final score was 24-20.



Semifinal Preview: 
5.Milwaukee Barbarians at 1.Philadelphia Hornets
These two met in week 1 of the regular season in Milwaukee with the Hornets pulling out a convincing win. Milwaukee’s grown a lot since then though and they’ve been arguably the best team in the league over the last month. So, despite not being able to get it done at home at the beginning of the season, this game could pretty much go either way. I predict it to be a shoot out though as both defenses won’t be able to keep up. In the end I think the Hornets pull it out in the last game at Wilkes Stadium, in front of a sold out home crowd. Final score 40-31, Philadelphia wins. 

6.New York Cannons at 2.Washington Pirates
Flashback to the last time these teams met, it was a rainey, ugly day and Washington pulled out a close 14-7 win thanks to a blocked punt. Since then the teams tied in one of the closest regular season games this year. As many think, this will probably be a defensive battle, like most of the meetings between these budding rivals. However much like last week, I think New York pulls out a surprise offensive performance. Their defense looks unstoppable and they have endless depth of talent on that side of the ball. Despite winning his second straight MVP, I think Murray and the reigning champs will be upset by the red hot Cannons. I think the Cannons offense will just out play Washington, enough so to pull out a close win. Final score 21-13, New York wins. 

C&C as always is appreciated! How'd your team do?

Last edited by MyTeamIsDr.Pepper (11/23/2020 2:47 pm)

The Cannons should not be in the graphic, the Tigers should.

The tigers were the home team.

Time to show the Cant-ons. (get it haha) what we're made of!

Last edited by MitchSwanson94 (11/23/2020 12:56 pm)

Moving on to round 2!

1968-69 NFA Semifinal Round - Milwaukee Barbarians at Philadelphia Hornets 
For most of the first half, this game was the fireworks show that people expected. Milwaukee would get on the board first when they flipped the field in just 2 minutes to put them up 7-0. Philadelphia would retaliate well, pushing deep into Barbarians territory before being forced to settle for a chip shot field goal. Luckily for them though, Barbarians WR Charles Stevens would get hit hard and fumble the ball at the 22 yard line. However, after two Hornets would fail to corral the loose ball, Milwaukee would fall on it and end up keeping possession of it, just at the expense of 10 yards. Now backing them up to their own 10 yard line, the Hornets defense would come alive for the first time and sack tackle RB David Jackson for a loss on back to back attempts. Now at their 5 yard line Milwaukee had to play it safe. They would try and run it again but the ball would once again be fumbled, this time on the snap. The ball would slip through QB William Brown’s hands and end up in the endzone where he’d pick it up and be tackled for the safety. Philadelphia’s offense would follow this up by returning to the fireworks. In just 6 plays they would make their way deep into Milwaukee territory. However they wouldn’t get much farther as once again they’d be stopped just short of the endzone. They’d settle for the chip shot again and take a 8-7 lead. Milwaukee would take a bit longer on their next drive, but nonetheless by the start of the next quarter, Brown would find WR Dale English, who’s playing for the possibility to play in his 4th Champions Bowl, at the 8 yard line to give them first and goal. However, much like Philadelphia, they wouldn’t make it any further and the Hornets defense would step up and force them to settle. Now down once again QB Oscar Washington would take his team all the way back down the field and would steal the lead back on their first touchdown, finally breaking the Barbarians red zone defense. As the second quarter progressed through the offenses that had appeared so quickly just as quickly disappeared and neither team would make it past the 50. The teams would go into the break with Philly leading 15-10.

The second half would continue the search for an offense as both defenses had seemingly figured out how to stop one another. They’d trade punts to start the half and then both QB’s would throw interceptions. Luckily for Milwaukee, after jumping Washington’s pass, they’d return it all 52 yards for the score, regaining a 15-10 lead. But despite this blip of scoring, both offenses would still seemingly have never left the locker room. The third would come and go and neither team would break into field goal range. Philadelphia would finally get close enough to knock a long 40 yarder later in the 4th though, which would give them the close lead and apparently the unsatisfying win as Milwaukee’s offense would continue to flounder through the last 6 minutes of the game. Philadelphia would return to the big game for the first time since 1966 with an underwhelming 18-17 win. 


1968-69 NFA Semifinal Round - New York Cannons at Washington Pirates
The second game of the day would be much more as planned then the first. Neither team would manage a score through the first half, the Cannons coming closest when their first field goal attempt would be blocked, which would be the 3rd straight game between the two teams where a field goal was blocked. QB Ron Murray would particularly have a rough day, as he was constantly avoiding the Cannons defense. He would take more hits in the first half then any other game this season, getting sacked 3 times, twice by LB Art Gladson. He would stay turnover-less though, which was better than the Cannons, who racked up 4 turnovers in the first half alone, a record for the postseason. QB Gary Jones would be pulled for QB Micheal Baeur late in the second quarter after throwing his 3rd pick of the evening. Bauer would do significantly better, leading the Cannons on a 2 minute drive that led to the missed field goal. 

The second half would be as dirty and sloppy as the first. Both teams would get in a scuffle on the first drive out of the half that led to three ejections, two of which had been going back and forth all game, two stars, WR Paul Hudson for Washington, whose one of the best in the league, and breakout CB Andy Stafford for New York. Despite both teams losing significant talent, nothing really seemed to change. It wouldn’t be until RB Thomas O’Grady found some daylight on a 3rd and 2 that he took all the way for the 25 yard score, finally putting someone on the board. Washington would actually follow this up with a score of their own. It was only 3 points, but the crowd was the loudest it had been all night. As the third turned into the 4th both teams were still fighting it in the trenches. Washington would force a fumble early on in the quarter, their 5 forced turnover, that gave them another field goal to bring the game within 1 point. New York would pretty much follow suit, picking off Murray for, surprisingly, the first and only time, setting them up just within range of a field goal. The Pirates defense would pull through and hold the Cannons to a 3 and out, but the Cannons would try and succeed on a long 45 yard field goal, that just passed through the uprights. Washington with the lead slipping away, would be stopped once again. Murray would be remembered for tossing his helmet in frustration on the sideline after having been chased around on 3 straight plays. New York would get the ball back with 4 minutes to go in the game. With the way this game was going, and since they had the lead, they didn’t need anything more than a field goal to close this one out. Bauer, who had failed to live up to expectations almost his entire career, would have the best drive of his career and deliver on this. It was nothing spectacular but with less than a minute to go, the Cannons were kicking a 20 yard field goal. Suddenly, flashbacks to both earlier in the game and the tragedy that of last year emerged and New York coach Douglass Shipp would quickly call a timeout before the ball was snapped. After a long talk with O'Grady he changed his mind, put his trust into his offense and lined them up to go for it. O’Grady would take the snap immediately and charge into the pile as the crowd at Pirates Stadium hushed to a quiet. As the pile cleared, it was shown that he had just barely gotten the 1 yard needed. The riskiest call in Shipp’s career had paid off and the miracle that had won Washington the game last year was to not to be repeated. New York would run out the clock to win
the game 10-6. They would rush the field and the two teams would once again start a scuffle, but no ejections would happen this time.
 

 

Champions Bowl Prediction

6.New York Cannons vs 1.Philadelphia Hornets
Two of the most storied franchises will meet in Miami for the Champions Bowl once again in the same year as the founding of the AFA. It’s quite the storybook ending to the season. These teams have been playing one another on and off in some way for over 40 years, and are bitter rivals, yet this is only the third time they’ve matched up for a championship. Both teams are going into this game after sloppy performances in the semifinals where both of their defenses pulled it out for them, but even though Philadelphia had the overall better performance of the two, the Cannons are the heavy favorites to win it all. New York’s defense is too good to get around right now, especially after the performance they’ve put up against two of the most potent offenses in back to back weeks. But Hornets fans have a reason to believe that they have a shot. QB Oscar Washington may have struggled a bit in the second half against Milwaukee, but in the first half, and the week before against Houston, he played very well and showed why he was in the MVP conversation. My prediction is New York wins an incredibly close game 16-14.



C&C Appreciated! How'd your team do? What's your prediction for the Champions Bowl?