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I'd say that QC is the strongest choice, it adds another Canadian city to strengthen the league's position in the country and creates a natural rivalry with Montreal. To go along with Quebec, an American city is essential, the question becomes whether or not the league should expand west or stay in New England. If you want to stay in NE, then Rochester and Springfield seem to be the best choices, but I'd be worried about the long-term potential of the two cities. The other option, to expand west, has its own issues as well. Travel is the biggest concern, and by accepting QC you've limited yourself to only one western team, but I think it should be done anyway, and Indy appears to be the strongest choice. Grand Rapids is interesting but the owner seems to be sketchy and Cincy has been used by the GLFL before, so perhaps starting fresh in GLFL territory would be the easiest way to make headway into the Midwest and eventually the rest of the country.
TL;DR: QC and Indy.
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Thanks so much for all the feedback so far! I appreciate the opinions and it gives me something to consider with the shortlist of teams that are in the mix. In fact, making my true decision a bit tougher than initially thought, but that is a good thing. I will touch more on teams that don't make the cut and the ones that do and why when decisions are being made, but I don't want to give anything away yet.Â
Feel free to give anymore thoughts as Ryan Jameson and the NAAF deliberate over this tough decision.
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I think it's obvious I'm going to push for Cincy, I think if you pair it with Indy it'll really make a statement to the other leagues in the area, a high risk high reward type situation. A safer bid would be QC, but I think it might also be too safe. You already seemingly have that area under control and can expand to it later. If the NAAF wants to expand its influence I say pick a city that can do just that. Rochester could be another good choice for that although it's a bit small for a market. Hartford seems like too much of a mess to be an option right now, Springfield's better but it falls under the same consequences as QC.
Unless the NAAF isn't as aggressive as I'm interpreting, and is more keen on being regional and more amateur, then I think throwing their cast out there and trying to land a big city like Indy or Cincy would be a power move that could really benefit the league if pulled off right.
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I would select QC to solidify that region. Next selection would Indy or Cincy, but I don't trust Cincy as it is too close to GLFL or any southern league since it borders Kentucky. But hey, High Risk High Reward.
Also, is Philly and Pittsburgh in the ACFL region?
Last edited by ZO82 (7/28/2020 10:16 am)
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From a purely city standpoint, I like Indianapolis and Grand Rapids. Both are situated to the west, but also not too far from existing markets. These "baby steps" in expanding would be great. Getting into Indiana and Michigan could open up players from two of the historically strongest football programs in the University of Michigan and Notre Dame, which could increase the talent level coming into the league. However, I feel that taking from these schools will be a bigger threat to the GLFL than the actual teams in the area.
To avoid that league-on-league confrontation, I would say Quebec City and Rochester are the strongest options. Quebec City seems like a great option, and Rochester seems like a better option than Syracuse and/or Hartford.
I loved the idea behind Scranton, PA, even though they pulled out. Being only about 3 hours from Long Island, they start to build south. This could open up a Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or Baltimore in the future.
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Hey I’m back and better than ever. I caught up with this and I am happy my Royals won it again. As for expansion I’d support a team in Indy or Cincy. As for the other city. Quebec City OT Portland gets my vote. If Portland happens, let’s just pray that the other Portland doesn’t get a team along with that Portland
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Tossed a bunch of prospects your way
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Welcome back Rugrat.
Thank you Darknes, and everyone who has submitted players so far
The count in total is now at 28
QB - 2
RB - 5
OL - 5
WR - 2
TE - 2
DL - 3
LB - 3
DB - 3
S - 3
Great balance overall, though I will cut off the RB's at 5.Â
If you still wanna submit, OL, WR, DL would be the best positions to go for.
I also still have to review a lot of them, to make sure they work so some positions could change, but thanks again everyone!
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George Stefanakis got his lone talent scouted and submitted to the league office. Good thing too, he likes scouting OL
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1956 Offseason Pt. 1Â
Retirements
GM/HC - Guy Clarke - Montreal. QCÂ
NAAF Record: 43-22-1
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Coach of the Year (1951)
Guy Clarke will be known as one of the best coaches and general managers ever. He led the Rouge for over 2 decades and was a big part of their endless success over that time.
This past season was the only year with a losing record in the NAAF, and without the 2-8 season, his record would’ve been 41-14-1. Â
LB Quinton Brewer - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
Awards: Defensive Player of the Year (1950,1951)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
A true leader for the powerful Rouge defense, Brewer was a consistent force in the defense throughout the early years of the NAAF. One of the best defenders of his time.
DL Napoléon Chevalier - Moncton, NB
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 5 (1949-1953)
Chevalier was a great partner to Brewer. He was a feared edge rusher for his entire career and made it tough for teams to move the ball on offense. He never got the same spotlight as Brewer but still made his mark on the NAAF.Â
WR John Rivera - Hartford, CT
Teams: Hartford Hawks (1949-1950), Montreal Rouge (1951-1954), Ontario Tigers (1955)
McCallister Cups: 2 (1951,1953)
All-Stars: 2 (1949,1951)
Rivera had a very interesting career for a 2-time all-star, being traded twice. He would start his career in Hartford with an all-star nod, before famously being traded to Montreal to help them win two McCallister Cups. He would finish his career with one season in Ontario but fell short of another shot at the Cup.Â
DL Jean-Michel Duchane - Montreal, QC
Teams: Montreal Rouge (1949-1954), Ottawa Royals (1955)
McCallister Cups: 3 (1951,1953,1955)
All-Stars: 1 (1951)
Duchane was not as big a piece as Chevalier or Brewer but was still a strong DL. He would earn 1 all-star and even would help Ottawa to their second Cup to add to the two earned with Montreal.Â
TE Marion Warren - Providence, RI
Teams: Providence Gold Stars (1949-1955)
McCallister Cups: 0
All-Stars: 4 (1949-1950,1952-1953)
Warren was the top TE for a while during the early years of the NAAF. He would help the Gold Stars to a couple of strong seasons as well as 4 all-star appearances.Â
Other Retirements
DL Fred Clark - Boston, MA - BOS (1949-1955)**
DB Anthony Massey - Quebec City, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, OTT (1955)*
OL Ethan Watson - Providence, RI - PRO (1949-1954), OTT (1955)*
OL Pierre-Louis Trouvé - Sherbrooke, QC - MTL (1949-1954)**, ON (1955)
DB Trevor Morrow - Rochester, NY - HAR (1949-1951), BOS (1952-1953), BUF (1954), BOS (1955)
Coaching Changes
Clean Slate in Montreal
With the retirement of Guy Clarke, Montreal is left without a GM, Head Coach, and Defensive Coordinator. The team would decide to completely reset by letting go of Offensive Coordinator Theodore Ortiz. The first hire would be the GM in longtime-scout Anthony Vigneault. Vigneault has lots of knowledge about the talent pool in Quebec and has been scouting Hybrid football since it began to play in 1949. He would go on to hire Quebec City’s Amateur Head Coach, Soni Dionne, as the Rouge’s new Head Coach. Dionne has been coaching Hybrid Football with lots of success in Quebec over the past 5 years and is ready to take the next step. They would then add Gold Stars OC Kent Winters and U of Ottawa HC Paul Byers as the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. Montreal is hoping some younger staff members will be able to grow into great coaches alongside the rebuild the team is heading in over the next couple of seasons.Â
Powell is out in Providence
After 4 seasons at the helm in Providence, Perry Powell has been fired. GM Virgil Gross, who recently signed an extension with the team is hoping that shaking things up will allow for the team to get back to winning in the New England Division after a pair of average seasons. The replacement for Powell will be Tigers’ OC Roy Aguirre who has done a good job getting the Tigers’ offense to where it is today. They also took a new direction at OC letting Kent Winters go to Montreal and hired former Hartford Hawks OC Dean Parrish to take over the role. The Tigers have hired U of Toronto coach Clyde Wall as the new OC.Â
Hooper Steps Back From Head Coaching Duties
Bobby Hooper has stepped down from the Head Coaching Role in Buffalo to become the General Manager full time. He has promoted DC Dennell Willis to the Head Coaching role. Willis has been a big part of making the defense as strong as it is over the past couple of seasons and seems to be the right fit as head coach in Buffalo. They would hire Michigan State coach, Urick Wilkins, as the new DC. Â