Is it to soon to fire the head coach in Louisville?

1966 Week 8

Boston Independents - 17, Halifax Mariners - 31 - Richardson Stadium - August 11, 1966 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Nick Nacker
2nd Q
6-7 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-14 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
12-14 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
14-14 BOS - 2PT QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
17-14 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
17-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
OT
17-24 HFX - RTD RB Don Gregson
17-31 HFX - DTD FUM S Jay Shepherd

The Independents bounced back to put up a strong fight against the division’s top team, but unfortunately were not able to do anything in the extra frame and fell behind by 14.
The Mariners had to face adversity in Boston with RB Ronald O’Sullivan getting taken out late in the game, but RB Don Gregson would come through with a big touchdown in relief and DL Wayne Baxton forcing a fumble and allowing S Jay Shephard to take the fumble back for the score.
With the win, the Mariners continue to put themselves in a great position in the East, holding off the Raiders for another week.
As for Boston, they are reeling with their 5th straight loss and could see their season slipping away.

Long Island Raiders - 20, Montreal Rouge - 17 - Long Island Stadium - August 12, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
2nd Q
7-7 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
10-17 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
17-17 LI - RTD RB Eric Sydney
4th Q
20-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schmacher

The Raiders bounced back from their back-to-back losses with a win at home against Montreal.
They were able to overcome the absence of RB Dareion Fields with RB Eric Sydney having a much better game with no fumbles.
Montreal had a chance to win the game, but the Raiders found a way to climb back into the game and take a late lead.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 27, Ottawa Royals - 10 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 13, 1966 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
14-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
14-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
17-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
24-3 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
24-10 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
27-10 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

Buffalo rolled on with a strong win over the Royals to maintain their spot at the top of the West Division.
RB Jimmy Golden had his way with the Royals’ defence scoring a pair of touchdowns and 110 rushing yards.
The Royals struggled with both of their QBs in Lee Rogers and Landon Ross, who both were flipped in and out to see who could get rolling.

Toronto Steelheads - 31, Indiana Victors - 27 - Anderson Stadium - August 13, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-3 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Ben Roland
2nd Q
10-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
17-3 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
17-10 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
3rd Q
24-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
24-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
24-20 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
24-27 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
31-27 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> RB Max Tracy

Max Tracy balled out in a huge win for the Steelheads who aim to keep pace with the Blue Wings at the top of the division.
Tracy had 3 touchdowns in the game and over 125 yards combined through the air and on the ground.
QB Tom Applewhite did lead quite the comeback for the Victors who were able to take a lead in the 4th quarter, but their defence was unable to stop the Toronto offence from scoring right back.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 31, Providence Gold Stars - 21 - New Providence Stadium - August 14, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
6-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
6-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
6-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
12-14 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
14-14 PIT - 2PT RB Stavros Black
3rd Q
17-14 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
17-21 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
4th Q
24-21 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
31-21 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Jack Duncan

Pittsburgh came through with a huge win on home field managing to put up 31 points against one of the better defences in the league.
QB Magnus Torrensen continued to show off his talents with a pair of touchdowns which puts him at 6 through 3 starts.
RB Stavros Black also played a large role in the win with the game-winning touchdown and a 2-pointer.
As for Providence, this is a disappointing loss, despite a good performance from RB Rashed Smith who made the Gold Stars’ run-game exist for the first time in a while.

London Tigers - 24, Louisville Thunder - 7 - Western Fair Stadium - August 14, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
10-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
17-0 LDN - RTD RB Alex Warren
3rd Q
4th Q
24-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox
24-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark

The Tigers bounced back from their back-to-back losses to the Blue Wings with a strong win against the Thunder.
RB Alex Warren stepped up in the absence of RB Austin Andrews and was able to make the most of the weak front-7 of the Thunder.
Kiernan also looked better in this game with a pair of touchdowns through the air.
Louisville continued to look hopeless. 
Their defence was strong out of the gate, but slowly the Tigers were able to move the ball on the ground and Louisville could not compete.
QB Nikolas Diakos played the full game this time, but it’s unlikely he sees the field again, especially with QB Leonidas Dumont finally due to return from injury.

Injury Report
OL Alen Williams BUF - 8 Weeks
LB Orion Carter BUF - 4 Weeks
RB Ronald O’Sullivan HFX - 6 Weeks
DL Fred Webster IND - 9 Weeks
DB Jackson Miles LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Jerry Winecoff LI - 2 Weeks
OL Amos Sewell OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Peter Kingsley OTT - 4 Weeks
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of Week

OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 1 Passing Touchdown, 88 Rushing Yards, 37 Receiving Yards

DEF: LB Dallas Dillard LDN - 1 Interception, 1 Forced Fumble, 10 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 7-1
Toronto 6-2
Indiana 4-4
London 4-4
Pittsburgh 3-5
Louisville 0-8

EAST
Halifax 7-1
Long Island 6-2
Montreal 4-4
Providence 3-5
Boston 2-6
Ottawa 2-6

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

Week 9 Games
PIT (3-5) @ OTT (2-6) - AUG 19 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BUF (7-1) @ HFX (7-1) - AUG 20 - 12 PM ET
*BUF clinches playoff spot with Win or LDN Loss + PIT Loss
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win or LDN Loss or IND Loss
TOR (6-2) @ MTL (4-4) - AUG 20 - 3:30 PM ET
*TOR clinches playoff spot with Win + IND Loss
LDN (4-4) @ LI (6-2) - AUG 20 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*LI clinches playoff spot with Win
BOS (2-6) @ IND (4-4) - AUG 21 - 1 PM ET
LOU (0-8) @ PRO (3-5) - AUG 21 - 4 PM ET

Last edited by Wallflower (12/26/2021 5:36 pm)

1966 Trade Deadline
Heading into the deadline there was lots of talk about running backs being the hottest commodity in the trade market with Long Island, Halifax, and London all with regular-season ending injuries to their star backs. Boston, Ottawa, Louisville, Pittsburgh all had backs that they were willing to move, so there was a lot of talk between the 7 teams ahead of the deadline. Around the league, there was a lot of excitement and anxiety about where players may end up.

Monday, August 15, 1966 - 4:10 PM ET
A minor trade was made between the Thunder and Rouge on the eve of the trade deadline that saw the Rouge add DL Troy Hunt to boost their depth on the D-line in exchange for a 4th Round Pick in this upcoming draft.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 1:03 PM ET
It was quiet for the morning of the deadline with some moves seeming to rely heavily on some other deals getting done. The first domino to fall was with Boston’s RB Kendall Morgan. Morgan was likely the best RB available, being a former 3rd overall pick and a long-time starter for Boston. With his long tenure and Boston’s unwavering loyalty to their players, they gave him a bit of say on where to go and he wanted to be in Long Island. The Raiders were probably in the best position out of the teams available, plus they run the ball a lot, meaning Morgan will be important. In return for the star RB, Boston will get Long Island’s 1st Round Pick, OL Aaron Sharpless, and RB Henri Létourneau. RB Tresean Jones is expected to pick up the starting role for the Independents for the remainder of the season.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 3:48 PM ET
With Morgan gone, it started to open the door, however, it still took until almost 4 O’clock for another trade to go through. Now this trade may have been delayed more so because of the sheer size of the deal. Halifax and Ottawa had been talking about several deals for a while now, but they never pulled the trigger. However, now that the season was coming to a close, everything seemed to align and the two squads would combine the deals to make a mega 8-piece trade (6 players, 2 picks). The deal would see the Mariners grab RB Wally Morton to replace RB Ronald O’Sullivan (who is out for the season), WR Sam Nash to replace the injured WR Joshua Lafleur, LB Douglas MacDougall, a local Maritimer, to boost their LB core, and QB Lee Rogers for more insurance behind QB Lyle Painter. Going back to Ottawa was QB Michael Benedict, who is expected to get a couple of starts down the stretch, LB Enzo Morello, for some youth on the defence, and Halifax’s 1st and 3rd Round Picks from the upcoming draft. The deal is huge but should work out well for both squads as Halifax is shooting for the Cup and the Royals are continuing to work on their rebuild. 

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 4:03 PM ET
Shortly after the Royals-Mariners trade, the Royals went over to Louisville to grab a RB to replace Wally Morton. RB Stuart Beasley was acquired by the Royals from the Thunder in exchange for the Royals’ 5th Round Pick in this year’s draft.

Tuesday, August 16, 1966 - 4:45 PM ET
As the deadline rolled around there was one last trade sent through. The London Tigers were still looking for a running back to replace Austin Andrews. Both Kendall Morgan and Wally Morton had both been traded and so there were fewer options available. In the end, it worked out for GM Joseph Johnson of the Tigers who was able to negotiate a much better deal with the Blacksmiths for RB Cody Barnes. The trade originally saw the Tigers having to trade a 3rd rounder and DB Gord Honk, but Johnson got them to go down to a 4th rounder instead since there was no other team that was going to make a trade for Barnes.

1966 Week 9

Ottawa Royals - 11, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 19, 1966 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
0-10 PIT - RTD RB Starvos Black
7-10 OTT - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Marshall Leonard
3rd Q
7-17 PIT - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
4th Q
8-17 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
11-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
11-20 PIT - FG K Al Highlander

Pittsburgh rolled to their 3rd straight win, making it their longest win streak to this point.
QB Magnus Torrensen continued to show off with another big win which is turning many heads around the league to see if he could be an option for the future for a team. 
QB Landon Ross remained the starter as the recently acquired QB Michael Benedict was still learning the playbook for the time being; Ross performed alright in the first half but was unable to help the Royals overcome the Blacksmiths.

Halifax Mariners - 26, Buffalo Blue Wings - 35 - Atlantic Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 HFX - RTD RB Wally Morton
2nd Q
10-7 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-7 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
13-21 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
19-21 HFX - RTD RB Don Gregson
4th Q
19-28 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
26-28 HFX - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Shane Steadman
26-35 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake

A battle between the two top teams in the league was a close one, but the Blue Wings edged out the Mariners for their 6th straight win.
RB Jimmy Golden was a key piece for the Blue Wings as he was able to get past the strong Halifax D-line.
RB Wally Morton was solid in his first start with the Mariners, scoring a touchdown and rushing for 78 yards.
QB Lee Rogers also had to make his Mariners debut as QB Lyle Painter took a tough hit in the 4th quarter that prevented him from returning; he did throw a touchdown on the drive that Painter was injured on.
*BUF clinches playoff spot

Montreal Rouge - 30, Toronto Steelheads - 25 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - GAME OF THE WEEK
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-3 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
10-3 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
2nd Q
10-6 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
13-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-6 MTL - QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
20-13 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
20-16 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
4th Q
27-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Derek Cross
27-19 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
27-25 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
30-25 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger

The Rouge ended the Steelheads’ 5-game win streak with a huge win on home field to solidify their position in the last Eastern playoff spot.
QB Gene Bishop was strong with a pair of touchdowns while RB Hugo Hughes got it done on the ground.
Toronto on the other hand was slow out of the gate, mostly because of a strong performance from S Garet deVale who had a pick and 8 tackles. 
The Steelheads picked it up in the second half, coming back down 14 at the break to pull within two, however, the Rouge did an excellent job of running out the clock with the combination of Hugo Hughes and Scott Mallard-White.

Long Island Raiders - 31, London Tigers - 16 - Long Island Stadium - August 20, 1966 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
7-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
14-3 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Troy York
14-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
17-9 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
24-9 LI - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
4th Q
24-16 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> TE Tranquille Rousseau
31-16 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman

The Raiders crushed the Tigers on Saturday night due to a big boost in the run game with RB Kendall Morgan. 
Morgan had a pair of touchdowns in his Raiders debut and helped the offence get back to what they do best.
The Tigers looked flat on their side for the most part; Riley Kiernan was able to move the ball aright, but the team lacked the ability to find the endzone against the Raiders defence which left them too far behind.
LB William Washington II had another great day for the Raiders with a sack and 11 tackles.
*LI clinches playoff spot
*HFX clinches playoff spot with LDN’s Loss (first playoff appearance since 1960..Gene Bishop was their QB)

Indiana Victors - 26, Boston Independents - 20 - Victory Stadium - August 21, 1966 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
10-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Emmanual Hines
10-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
10-13 BOS - RTD RB Tresean Jones
3rd Q
13-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
20-13 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
4th Q
23-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-20 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
26-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

The Independents fell yet again, losing their 6th straight game and calling a lot into question for the team heading into this offseason, as they will officially not go to the playoffs for the first time since 1956.
RB Tresean Jones was not too bad in his first career start for the Independents, scoring a touchdown and rushing for 83 yards.
Indiana had a good game, especially on defence with DB Cameron Taylor grabbing an interception in one of his best games of the season and LB Marshall Langenbrunner having 7 tackles and a forced fumble.

Providence Gold Stars - 16, Louisville Thunder - 14 - New Providence Stadium - August 21, 1966 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
6-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
6-7 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Lloyd Lane
13-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
13-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
4th Q
16-14 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin

It almost seemed that QB Leonidas Dumont’s return to the lineup might have been the key to getting a win for the Thunder this season, however, Providence’s defence shut them down after their second touchdown.
QB Connor O’Rourke only needed to get into field goal range to take the win and stay in the fight for the playoffs.
Both teams had a little trouble with keeping the ball with 5 total turnovers in the game. 

Injury Report
S Manuel Ray BUF - 1 Week
QB Lyle Painter HFX - Day-to-Day
LB Harvey Phillips LI - 2 Weeks
LB Gideon Jura LDN - Season
DL Chester Avery TOR - 2 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 103 Rushing Yards

DEF: S Garet deVale MTL - 1 Interception, 8 Tackles, 4 Passes Defended

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 8-1 -x
Toronto 6-3
Indiana 5-4
Pittsburgh 4-5
London 4-5
Louisville 0-9

EAST
Halifax 7-2 -x
Long Island 7-2 -x
Montreal 5-4
Providence 4-5
Boston 2-6
Ottawa 2-6

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

Week 10 Games
OTT (2-7) @ HFX (7-2) - AUG 25 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
BUF (8-1) @ LOU (0-9) - AUG 26 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*BUF clinches West Division with Win or TOR Loss
IND (5-4) @ MTL (5-4) - AUG 27 - 3 PM ET
*MTL clinches playoff spot with Win + PRO Loss + PIT Loss + LDN Loss
*IND clinches playoff spot with Win + PIT Loss + LDN Loss + PRO Loss
LI (7-2) @ PIT (4-5) - AUG 27 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LDN (4-5) @ BOS (2-7) - AUG 28 - 1 PM ET
PRO (4-5) @ TOR (6-3) - AUG 28 - 4 PM ET
*TOR clinches playoff spot with Win + LDN Loss

Boston missing the playoffs? I'd call that faltering.