Huge move for the Thunder getting Bradley, that should definitely help them on defense. Just take your time Flower we all have things to take care of in 2020.

1959 Schedule
This season will kick off in Long Island with the Gold Stars visiting the Raiders on Thursday Night Football. Canada Day will feature a Wednesday evening game between the Royals and the Blue Wings, and the 4th of July game will be held in Louisville against the Independents. Rivalry week continues to be on during week 6, and Labour Day will feature two games with the Blue Wings visiting the Victors and the Athletics visiting the Royals. 

Schedule Legend
TNF = Thursday Night Football
FNF = Friday Night Football
SNF = Saturday Night Football
CA Day = Canada Day
4th JL = 4th of July
LB Day = Labour Day 

1959 Season Preview

Power Rankings
* = New Captaincy

1 - Long Island Raiders
1959 Record: 7-5
1959 Result: Won McCallister Cup
The defending champions come into the season with an opportunity to repeat. The defence only lost a depth piece in LB Sharquay Bradford and they replaced him with a young LB Deon Wiggins who will get to continue his development behind the 3-headed monster of LB Rusty McVee, LB Elijah Goldwater, and LB Gene Bensen. The defence as a whole should be able to maintain their great form from last season. As for the offence, 1959 Rookie of the Year, RB Dareion Fields will be aiming to make more noise in his second season while QB Lyle Painter might finally bring more to the passing game after overcoming his critics in the McCallister Cup last season. The Raiders should continue to be the favourite to win the West. 

Captains
C - DL Vernon Spears
A - LB Elijah Goldwater
A - WR Robert Lang 

2- Ottawa Royals
1959 Record: 12-0
1959 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
After an unbeaten regular season, the Royals were unable to bring home the championship. They will be hungry this season after falling short in back-to-back years. The Royals didn’t really add anything of major note during the offseason that really created a major shift from the team they had last season. But that was a team that finished 12-0, so there isn’t always a lot of space to make changes with a team like that. However, they still have some exciting young players that will be looking to make a statement in the LB core with LB Douglas McDougall getting more snaps in his second season and LB Killian Reed looking to break into the starting role. Ottawa will also have a coaching change in the defence and will have to hope that Matthew Carson can keep their defence at its best following the departure of Harry Meadows to Providence. 

Captains
C - QB Jean Matieau
A - DL Olaf Viktorsson
A - DB Uzzia Hayes 

3 - Boston Independents
1959 Record: 7-5
1959 Result: Lost Division Semi-Finals
QB Nathaniel Braddock’s rookie year was a bit of a roller coaster. After starting the year with a minor injury, Braddock was able to form great chemistry with star WR Ellis Lindholm. Unfortunately, Lindholm would miss the second half of the season leaving Boston’s offensive attack lacking. GM George Hanson knew he had to add a 2nd WR and some help on the O-line. He would go out and get Worcester WR Clyde McIntosh to help out Lindholm and then bring in former Blue Wing OL Ronnie Elliot to strengthen the O-line. Boston’s developing defence and stronger offence make them a competitor in the East this season. The only concern about Boston is their secondary with DB Lester Murphy on the last legs of his career and DB Clayton Malone returning from a season-ending injury from last season. Hopefully, the two can help Carson Scott and keep the Independents right up at the top. 

Captains
C - LB Brent Harper
A - OL Andrew Furrson
A - WR Ellis Lindholm 

4 - London Tigers
1959 Record: 6-5-1
1959 Result: Lost Division Final
The Tigers enter their second season with QB Riley Kiernan under centre. As a whole, the offence looks as scary as ever with WR Max Sutton reportedly taking a major step forward in a WR core with both Wilbert Benjamin and Benedict Spencer already playing well in. RB Clifford Russell has also been super consistent behind a strong O-line. The defence remains strong and getting better with the youth developing under the lead of LB Aengus Lynch. The Tigers are primed to be a super competitive team, and the rest of the league is just waiting for them to explode into a super team. Unfortunately, every time it seems like they may finally be tapping into their potential, they fall apart and finish around the middle of the league. They hope with HC Roy Aguirre having the entire offseason to work with the team, that this will finally be their time. 

Captains
C - LB Aengus Lynch
A - WR Wilbert Benjamin
A - QB Riley Kiernan*

5 - Montreal Rouge
1959 Record: 5-7
1959 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Rouge were easily the hottest team at the end of the 1958 season winning their final 3 games. QB Stanislav Ovechkin finally found his footing in the Montreal offence and was able to get things going. If he carries that on into this season, Montreal could easily find themselves fighting for a home playoff game. RB Scott Mallard-White is back on a big contract and will be looking to give Montreal what they paid for in another strong season. The big x-factor for the Rouge will be the defence which is still young and could be an issue in some situations this season, but they are developing and will be more impactful than last season. Keep your eyes on LB Sam Fitzroy and DL Dexter Barbarcos who might be the key players for the team this year. 

Captains
C - QB Stanislav Ovechkin
A - OL Eugésippe Chalifoux
A - DB Quentin Xavier

6 - Louisville Thunder
1959 Record: 1-10-1
1959 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Thunder will get a lot of praise for the past two offseasons and how they turned their team into a competitive group. The big headline, of course, is grabbing arguably the league’s best DB, Alexander Bradley. He’ll slip into a young and potentially deadly secondary that may make Louisville torture to pass against. They also made the big move of bringing in former Athletics HC Emil Riddle to coach the team which has had a major effect in keeping LB Silas O’Brien and many other players wanting to play under the 2-time Coach of the Year winner. The key will be the continued development of QB Leonidas Dumont, who looked good last season, but will need to be even better to get Louisville to the next level. The good news is the team looks to have several key pieces in WR Ben Roland, WR Piers Key, and RB Stavros Balck on the rise to help Dumont. Dumont will also be taking on a bigger leadership role this season with Riddle assigning a completely new captain group with Leo at the top. Don’t be too surprised if Louisville finds themselves in the running in the West Division this season. 

Captains
C - QB Leonidas Dumont*
A - LB Silas O’Brien*
A - DB Alexander Bradley* 

7 - Providence Gold Stars
1959 Record: 6-6
1959 Result: Lost Division Final
Providence looks to be in a transitional year. Their veterans are getting older, but they are hoping that the youth will start to find their way to the front of the lineup. With QB Connor O’Rourke at the top of his game, the Gold Stars are certainly not going to go into a full rebuild. With GM Allen Hutchinson and HC Harry Meadows taking over this season, there does seem to be a bit of a different feel about the Gold Star squad. While the dark horse is not different, this season they really feel like a wildcard that could be really good or really poor, only time will tell if the ageing team will fall off or if they will maintain strong enough play to keep in contention. 

Captains
C - DB Lee Wolfe
A - QB Connor O’Rourke
A - DL Calias McDonough* 

8 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1959 Record: 6-6
1959 Result: Lost Division Semi-Finals
It seems clear that the Blue Wings’ rebuild is beginning heading into this season. While only two years removed from their 1957 title, the Blue Wings team is on the older side and this year could be a rough one while the youth develops. Despite the rebuilding atmosphere, the Blue Wings were still able to make some strong acquisitions to keep build a bit of a future foundation. GM Dwight Gilbert was able to bring in RB Johnnie Stafford from Providence and WR Ronald Vernon from Boston to help with the offence, and then bring in 27-year-old LB David Marx over from Ottawa for the defence. Buffalo is certainly expected to be on the weaker side this season, but in the end, experience, which they have with QB Angelo Medina and DL Sean Bowen, could help them to some wins this season. 

Captains
C - DL Sean Bowen
A - S Frazier Brooks
A - OL Casey York* 

9 - Worcester Athletics
1959 Record: 4-8
1959 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Athletics should certainly be a team competing at this point with a young QB in Gene Bishop, a strong RB in Marcus Devonshire, and a star LB in Scotty Willams; however, when you lose so many key pieces in just 3 years, there’s no way you can stay as competitive as you were. HC Dean Parrish is going to have a tough time this season figuring out how to get the crumbling Athletics back into a competitive spot. They will be hoping that Gene Bishop has a stronger second season as well as the youth to take a step forward. Rookies OL Ward Briscoe and WR Zachariah Pembroke will certainly be key pieces this season as they will likely see the field a lot. A lot of pressure will certainly be on DB Dennis Kirchner to fill the shoes of Alexander Bradley, and based on his previous NAAF showing, will not likely be able to replicate that level of play. Worcester is in a mess and had a good chance to end up at the bottom of the East Division.

Captains
C - LB Scotty Williams
A - QB Gene Bishop*
A - RB Marcus Devonshire*

10 - Indiana Victors
1959 Record: 5-7
1959 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Victors unfortunately run into the issues that come with being a developing team in the NAAF. They really don’t have much to offer other teams or players to bring them into the team. The attempt to be competitive out of the gate has completely backfired and has landed GM Jacob Harrell on the hot seat. While Indy may be in for a real rough go, they still have some exciting young players that will look to give the Victors some wins this season. RB Rodney Clark looks to continue where he left off last season being a touchdown machine, while DB Kelly Kirkland and DL William Sanderson will look to make some noise on defence this year. Indy is in for a tough go, but they hope that they can take the right steps to keep moving forward.  

Captains
C - DL William Sanderson*
A - DB Kelly Kirkland*
A - RB Rodney Clark* 

Wallflower's Season Predictions

WEST
Long Island 9-3 - y
London 8-4 - x
Louisville 5-7 - x
Buffalo 3-9
Indiana 2-10

EAST
Ottawa 9-3 - y
Boston 8-4 - x
Montreal 7-5 - x
Providence 5-7
Worcester 3-9

DSF
WEST - LDN over LOU
EAST - BOS over MTL

DF
WEST - LDN over LI
EAST - BOS over OTT

41st McCallister Cup - Montreal
LDN over BOS

I think Long Island and Ottawa will take the division titles narrowly this season, London and Boston will slide in to the #2 seeds in each division while Montreal returns to the playoffs and Louisville sneaks in. I just have a feeling the Tigers will finally break loose in the playoffs and go on a tear to the Cup while Boston will finally end Ottawa's Cup streak. I'm going to gamble with the Tigers taking home the Cup.

Last edited by Wallflower (12/02/2020 2:39 pm)

1959 Week 1 

Long Island Raiders - 31, Providence Gold Stars - 10 - Long Island Stadium - June 25, 1959 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Light Rain
1st
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
14-0 LI - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Robert Lang
2nd
21-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
21-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Sammy Moss
3rd
24-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
31-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
4th
31-10 PRO - FG K Ira Foster 

The Raiders' defence shined in the season opener sucking all the life out of the Gold Stars offence.
DB Slay Mitchell and S Johan Eckhart each brought in an interception while the rest of the defence forced 3 fumbles on former Raiders RB Bernard Alston. 
RB Dareion Fields had a great day to kick off the season with 3 touchdowns.
The Gold Stars would get a late second-quarter touchdown, but that was all they could manage. 

Worcester Athletics - 17, Ottawa Royals - 42 - Worcester Stadium - June 26, 1959 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st
7-0 WOR - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
2nd
7-14 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Truman Harry
7-21 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
10-21 WOR - FG K Elvis Franklin
3rd
17-21 WOR - RTD RB Marcus Devonshire
17-28 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Chester Bennett
4th
17-35 OTT - PTD QB Jean Matieau -> WR Mackenzie Jones
17-42 OTT - RTD RB Alexei Volkov 

QB Jean Matieau shredded the Athletics’ young secondary, throwing for 5 touchdowns, 3 of which landed in his favourite target’s hands in Mackenzie Jones.
DB Uzzia Hayes and DB Mingan Oliver each had a pick on QB Gene Bishop who seemed to struggle while passing the ball after an excellent opening drive.
RB Marcus Devonshire would get most of the touches for the Athletics as the team is still adjusting to the new coaching staff.
The Royals extended their regular-season unbeaten streak to 16 games. 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 21, Louisville Thunder - 18 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - June 26, 1959 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Windy
1st
3-0 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
3-1 LOU - Single K Theodore Provost
2nd
10-1 BUF - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford
10-4 LOU - FG K Theodore Provost
10-11 LOU - RTD RB Stavros Black
3rd
11-11 BUF - Single K Donald Brewer
11-18 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Piers Key
4th
14-18 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
21-18 BUF - RTD RB Johnnie Stafford 

A windy day in Buffalo would lead to a close battle between the Blue Wings and Thunder. 
The Blue Wings seemed to have the advantage on the ground with RB Johnnie Stafford being strong throughout the game. 
Louisville was able to get some offence going which included Piers Key’s first career touchdown.
DB Alexander Bradley did bring in his first interception for the thunder which allowed Louisville to take the lead late in the first half.
Buffalo was able to come back in the 4th on the legs of Stafford and bring home the close win. 

Boston Independents - 27, Montreal Rouge - 17 - Richardson Stadium - June 26, 1959 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st
7-0 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
10-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd
10-7 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
13-7 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd
20-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Ellis Lindholm
20-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th
27-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Clyde McIntosh
27-17 MTL - PTD QB Stanislav Ovehckin -> WR Derek Cross

Montreal and Boston reignited their early ‘50s rivalry with a solid game on Saturday night.
QB Nathaniel Braddock showed his growth in year 2 with a pair of passing touchdowns in the second half.
Montreal still struggled at times on offence but found a bit of a grove late in the second half to get a couple of scores.
LB Brent Harper made his mark for Boston by forcing a fumble on WR Fredrick St. Pierre. 
DB Quentin Xavier almost brought in a pick, but WR Ellis Lindholm was able to break up that play in a reversal of roles.  

Indiana Victors - 22, London Tigers - 31 - Victory Stadium - June 27, 1959 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st
0-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
0-14 LDN - RTD RB Clifford Russell
3-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd
6-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
12-14 IND - RTD RB Rodney Clark
12-21 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Wilbert Benjamin
3rd
15-21 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
15-24 LDN - FG K Nathaniel King
4th
22-24 IND - RTD RB Rodney Clark
22-31 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton 

Indiana stuck around in their match with the Tigers but were ultimately topped by an excellent Kiernan led drive to secure the win.RB Rodney Clark was once again the star for the Victors taking in two touchdowns.
DL William Sanderson also forced a fumble on RB Clifford Russell which led to their second touchdown of the game. 
DL Dee Floyd would take the ball away in the first quarter for the Tigers on a strip-sack on QB Caldwell Higgins III.
WR Max Sutton was the highlight for the Tigers scoring a pair of TDs. 

Injury Report
OL Andrew Furrson BOS - 1 Week
OL Leonard Haney IND - Season
S Johnny Berger LOU - Day-to-Day
OL Bravon Covington OTT - 2 Weeks
OL Emiel Cole OTT - 7 Weeks
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Jean Matieau OTT - 5 Passing Touchdowns, 413 Passing Yards 

DEF: DL Vernon Spears LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Sacks, 5 Tackles 

Power Rankings
1 - Long Island - 
2 - Ottawa - 
3 - Boston - 
4 - London -
5 - Montreal - 
6 - Louisville - 
7 - Buffalo +1
8 - Providence - 1
9 - Indiana +1
10 - Worcester -1 

Standings
WEST
Long Island 1-0
London 1-0
Buffalo 1-0
Louisville 0-1
Indiana 0-1 

EAST
Ottawa 1-0
Boston 1-0
Montreal 0-1
Providence 0-1
Worcester 0-1

Week 2 Games
BUF (0-1) @ OTT (1-0) - JUL 1 - 5 PM ET - Canada Day
PRO (0-1) @ LDN (1-0) - JUL 3 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BOS (1-0) @ LOU (0-1) - JUL 4 - 5 PM ET - 4th of July
LI (1-0) @ IND (0-1) - JUL 5 - 1 PM ET
WOR (0-1) @ MTL (0-1) - JUL 5 - 4 PM ET

Last edited by Wallflower (12/01/2020 6:04 pm)

Considering Mallard-White’s recent award, has he reached the point of likability/notoriety where he can be given a nickname?

Go Tigers!