I really like the brighter blue for the Mariners. I liked the black pants better for Kierport but it's just a lateral move anyway. That new black third for Orcaster is fire.

1966 Offseason Part 2: South Division Changes

Like with the Miners and Angels, the Dragons, Lumberjacks, and Reapers made no significant changes

Adelaide decided to ditch the interlocking AO as their primary, adding an owl head to their helmet while keeping the rest of their uniforms mostly the same. 1961-1965 set for comparison.


Augusta is the other team that added a third jersey, introducing a orange third with blue pants and orange socks. The rest of their set remains unchanged. 1964-1965 set for comparison.



The Anchors in Tallokope City made some minor changes to their jerseys after major criticisms after the introduction of their brand last year. The set for comparison. 



C&C Appreciated! After all C&C is through I'll (eventually) post the rest of the offseason.

Orange Crush: Escalian Edition.

While I like the Owls' new logo, I feel it could use some tweaks. Either no outlines and just a flat look, or, perhaps thicker outlines more like the helmet striping. I'd also consider moving to a white owl on the helmet, I think it'd look a lot stronger. I think it's also too big for the helmet. Oversized logos didn't really become a thing until way later.

I like the new orange alternate for the Bulls.

The Anchors look 100x better now. Nice work.

May or may not have forgotten about this due to schoolwork, but I'm back with the 1966 season!

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North Division: 
The defending champs in the Gatekeepers clinched the North for the third straight year in a row, tying the Knights for most North Division titles and the most division titles in the league’s history. QB Jack Reuter finally won his coveted MVP, barely beating out Duvall’s Harold Bauer for the award. Coming in a second, surprisingly, is Ellesby, who have their first winning season since their 5-5 campaign in the inaugural 1960 season. A combination of a revitalized secondary lead by former first round draft pick DB Raleigh Gibson and a well-oiled offense led to their sudden rise from the basement. Right behind the Mariners are the Knights, missing the playoffs once more due to injuries to their offensive line, causing the offensive unit to put up less impressive numbers. The remaining three teams in the North finished within a game of each other, but each had relatively forgettable seasons to round out the basement.

South Division:
The South was once again won by Duvall, who were followed by Norfolk and Augusta. The Dragons and Lumberjacks fought fiercely for the division title all season, with both coming into week 11 tied for the title. In a closely fought game, the Dragons barely came out on top to win the division by a game. Norfolk seemed to struggle at parts during the year, most notably at QB, where a position battle occurred through most of the early season, with rookie QB Nathan Slezak controversially coming out on top of now-backup Terry Rogers, who had started all of last season, after week 4 and resulted in Rookie of the Year honors for Slezak. The Bulls, on the other hand, faced some injuries throughout the season, having their worst season in 4 years. The rest of the division, the Owls, Reapers, and Anchors, all had seasons to forget, and finished squarely at the bottom of the division and at the bottom of the league. 

Awards:
Most Valuable Player: QB Jack Reuter (HAD)
Most Valuable Coach: Aaron Lang (ELB)
Most Outstanding Offensive Player: QB Harold Bauer (DUV)
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: DB Raleigh Gibson (ELB)
Most Outstanding Rookie: QB Nathan Slezak (NOR)


Playoff Preview: 

Ellesby Mariners @ Hadley Gatekeepers
Hadley’s matchup against a team not named the Knights should be a lot closer than last year’s blowout of the Miners. Ellesby has a standout defense once again, and looks to stop the reigning champions with newly-crowned MVP Jack Reuter and his receiving core with their equally as good secondary unit. Look for a close one this time around in the North
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Most people will predict this game will be closer, but not *that* closer. Hadley leaves the building North Division champs once more. 27-13 HAD

Norfolk Lumberjacks @ Duvall Dragons
The ‘Jacks were hot for the midseason stretch, going 7-0 after starting 2-2 to finish a game behind the Dragons. Besides that, most of the pieces from last year on both sides are still here, so this game may be as exciting as their last contest on this stage.
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Norfolk’s QB situation will cause them some issues, as they fall short to the Dragons once again. 23-19 DUV 

Last edited by DireBear (9/14/2020 9:56 pm)