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10/23/2020 3:08 pm  #671


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Really digging the Cincy look and name as many others are, but they look good and another team I may have a soft spot for. I also like both the Ironmen and Kings' looks they are very strong like Cincy.

Not a huge fan of Minne grabbing Edmonds and not a young QB in the draft, but hopefully Don Fields can be a strong player. I just hope they can take their time to grow and not push to be competitive if they aren't.
 

Last edited by Wallflower (10/23/2020 3:08 pm)


 

10/24/2020 9:38 pm  #672


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Steelman wrote:

Glad to see the Ironmen back in Pittsburgh where they belong.

I also really love that Houston identity with the rocket. Nice work.

Hopefully they do you well. I forgot to mention as well that Milwaukee agreed to return the Ironmen history as well. I'll let those on the mothership argue on whether that was smart or not, they seem to enjoy the Cleveland-Baltimore situation irl, I'm sure this one would go down just as well. Hopefully the fans enjoy it though.

Stickman wrote:

Lots of news this offseason!  Loving it!

Merger and new teams: Lots of excitement here with 7 new teams!  Definitely feels like the NFL/AFL merger, except the SFL never really seemed to be on equal footing with the NFA like the AFL was with the NFL.   With so many new teams in the mix, (20 teams now), I was wondering, if you have the time, would you be willing to post what all the teams in the league currently look like in a single post?  It'd be a pretty good time to have a complete picture of the league!

Realignment: Other than Minneapolis getting a tough break with the alignment, this looks pretty good!  (Cincinnati being in the south is just a funny happenstance like the Indianapolis Colts being in the AFC South and it harmless).  Really loving Pittsburgh and Milwaukee being in the same division over the Ironmen situation, that could prove to be a great rivalry!

Houston Explorers: This is a really nice update!  Adding yellow definitely helps this team look more adventurous, (befitting the Explorers name).  Those sleeve numbers look good too!   Probably the best of the updates!

Texas Roughriders: A very simple approach to this jersey with just red and white.  Definitely a fan, although I'll miss the old logo. That really was a stroke of genius in the logo having the Ridin' Cowboy's horse's eye be the spot on the Texas map where the team plays.  Still, the new logo is very nice too!  

Colorado Cougars: Really nice job with the new identity!  That logo is pretty killer, -would love to see that on the helmets eventually- and the purple and gray color scheme will help them stand out amongst all the new red and blue teams!  Great job!

Miami Stingrays: Not sure if anyone's asked before, but I was wondering why not use the secondary logo for the helmet instead of the upward facing stingray?  It'd look pretty dynamic, I think.  Otherwise, not much to note as they are a pretty traditional looking team, which I always appreciate!

Cincinnati Sabres: I think this is my favorite of the expansion teams!  Really like the logo a lot, as it's simple, but I think pretty recognizable!   The stripes would benefit from being simplified a bit, but it's pretty clear you were intending for them to get that criticism.  Another really good design! 

Pittsburgh Ironmen: Nice to have these guys back!  Hopefully they'll be able to stick around this time!  They certainly look cool!

St. Louis Kings: I like the uniforms a lot!  The logo is quite good, (the fleur de lis' designs on the crown are a nice detail).  The blue oval looks a little odd on the helmet, but it definitely needs to be there so that the white crown doesn't bleed into the yellow helmet.  But other than that one detail, this is another winner!

Baltimore Bulldogs: They're actually one of my favorite team designs, so hopefully the stadium situation doesn't cause them to move!

Nice job on the sigs too!  I'll have to look over all the teams before I decide on a favorite team for sure!  Once I do, I'd happy use one of them!

I'll respond to this in parts. 

Yes, a full look at all the teams uniforms will be posted with the season post. Also, every team will be updated to a new uniform template next year (there will also be a few changes so be excited.)

I'm glad the realignment went over well, I went back on forth over a few different ideas but in the end this one made the most sense to me, Minneapolis unfortunately got the short end of the stick. And yes Pittsburgh will have a fun time playing at Milwaukee this year, I'd love to see that turn into a rivalry over the years. I think they'll regain their rivalry with Philly too, but I don't want to foreshadow anything...

I'm glad everyone liked the new teams and rebrands! I had a lot of fun making them. As for your questions, As much of a fan as I also was of the Riders old logo, it only felt necessary that they needed to change it. I'm sure if they're fans want a return of it I could see it return one day. Miami's upright logo is directly inspired by the Bills throwback logo, and I have no shame in admitting that. I think the secondary is a bit too modern for the helmet, so I created that upright one, which I think fits the era much better.

Hope that answers everything!

Dan O'Mac wrote:

My team has been Milwaukee, but damn it if I haven't fallen in love with the Sabres look. I don't like that when the logo is smaller, the sabre disappears a bit. I do like the overabundance of stripes for the era, and I'm curious to see what they do if a) they keep it going forward, and b) when sleeves start getting smaller.

Also, hooray for my William Karcz entry submitting the name for St. Louis!

Section30 wrote:

The changes for the merged teams all look good. I'll miss the Texas outline for the Roughriders, but I understand why it was dropped. Colorado is the big winner from this group though for me, love the logo and the colors.

The expansion teams are also really well done. Glad to see the Ironmen back in Pittsburgh, the new striping looks good (reminds me of the Gretzky era Kings jerseys). Cool to see Sabres win for Cincy, the striping and colors really make their uniforms pop, one of my favorite looks in the league probably. St. Louis also looks great, big fan of the colors and helmet

I'm happy you guys like the new look!

Wallflower wrote:

Really digging the Cincy look and name as many others are, but they look good and another team I may have a soft spot for. I also like both the Ironmen and Kings' looks they are very strong like Cincy.

Not a huge fan of Minne grabbing Edmonds and not a young QB in the draft, but hopefully Don Fields can be a strong player. I just hope they can take their time to grow and not push to be competitive if they aren't.
 

Yeah that's the general consensus among fans. Especially in such a talented pool, grabbing a QB or not could be a big decider in who's competitive or not through the early 70's.

Thanks for all the feedback! The season will be coming soon!

     Thread Starter
 

10/30/2020 11:05 pm  #673


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Here's a look at all the of the uniforms for the 67-68 Season!



1967-68 NFA Season
 

After one of the biggest summers in NFA history, where the league added a whopping 7 teams to the mix, nearly doubling its size, and where they added 2 games to the schedule and split the teams up into 4 hotly contested divisions. Not to mention the league also added two more playoff spots for extra competition. Viewers tuned in to one of the most exciting seasons yet.  

North Division: 
Starting off in the North, where we had some former NFA West titans in the Zephyrs and Bombers, it was the Barbarians who would actually come out on top. After a breakout performance by QB William Brown in week 3 against the Bombers, Milwaukee caught on fire and were one of the fiercest teams on the gridiron. Next to Brown the Barbarians had RB David Jackson who quietly had some of the best stats in his position for the season. Just behind Milwaukee is Detroit, who had another great season led by RB Charley Rodgers. Rodgers continued his reign as the best back in the game but was let down when the rest of the offense didn't sail quite as smoothly as last year. In third place in the North are the reigning Champions. After surmounting the league and stamping their mark in history as the NFA Champions last year, the Rangers came out and fell back down the mountain to their normal stomping grounds. They would be a good few spots in line behind clinching a playoff spot too, meaning they are the first team to miss the postseason one year, win it all the second, but miss it again the third since the 1956 playoff expansion. In fourth were the Zephyrs who made steady improvements from last year. QB Scott Hogg even started all 14 games, which is the most he's started in a season since 1962. In last place were the Ironmen. Pittsburgh had a rough first year, as is expected of expansion teams. What matters most about this season though was QB Sam Powers. He didn't start but 2 games this season but he did become join the small list of rookie QBs to win their first ever start. He looked really promising as well. Ironmen fans might really have something to look forward to in the coming years.  

Northeast Division: 
While the North may not have been too contested, the Northeast was a bloodbath. But with 4 teams who’ve got Champions Bowl aspirations and who are bitter rivals as well, it's expected. Coming out on top though were the Washington Pirates. Led by QB Ron Murray who took home MVP honors this year, the Pirates put up an amazing season and the league's best defense and a top 5 offense to boot. They were the first team to ever have 2 players win MVP and the MOD award in the same season. That being Murray and DE Monty Jones. They also put up some ridiculous numbers as well. They held their opponents to one of the lowest ppgs of all time while also scoring the most out of any team this season, resulting in one of the craziest point differentials a team has ever had. In second place were the Cannons, who just barely nudged out the Hornets for the 8 seed, in part thanks to their record setting 3 ties. New York was no joke this season, handing Washington a tie in one of the best defensive battles in league history. Their defense wasn't necessarily 3 headed but instead 5 headed, with 4 players on the ballot for the MOD award, taking up half of the spots. On offense the Cannons were still a bit weaker, but QB Micheal Bauer made due. Trailing just behind them were the Hornets. Philly was in the running, alongside NY, Boston and Washington,  for the division crown all season. They nearly got it too, but Washington pulled away in the last couple weeks. They weren't nearly as impressive on paper as the previous two teams, but Washington had a stellar year that got his team into the playoffs. Next up was Boston, who like Cleveland, also missed the playoffs. This is the first time since 1952 that both participants of the Champions Bowl missed the postseason the next year. Boston had a good year, but they were clearly outmatched by the younger more impressive teams of the Northeast. A. 500 record definitely wasn't a big hit among fans but it may be the best as they get for a while, since rumor has it that the team might try and rebuild this offseason. In last place were the lonely Bulldogs. Baltimore wasn't terrible but we're definitely the sore thumb of the division, not standing a chance in any of the games against their division rivals this year. QB Grayson Little was traded midseason for QB Doug Edmonds from Minneapolis after a rough start to the season there. Edmonds did better the Little for the Dogs but it wasn't enough.  

South Division: 
In the youngest division in football, the battle for the crown was really up between the two SFL rivals, the Riders and Rays. Miami would come out on top securing the 3rd seed going into the playoffs as the last few weeks of the season they took off. Big wins over Texas, St. Louis and Cleveland later in the season were the push they needed. RB Elijah Boone proved that he was as good as thought and could keep up in the NFA. The two time SFL MVP didn’t win the NFA MVP this year but he was brought up once or twice after some impressive performances. Coming in second were actually the Kings, who became just the third expansion team to capture a winning record in their inaugural season, next to the Stingrays and Zephyrs. Led by QB Darryl Simpson, the Kings managed to make a late season push and were in the playoff conversation. On defense some of the vets they picked up proved useful, such as DT Johnny Silas who saw prominent time for the first time in years, and made the most of it. In third was Texas who, unlike Miami and St. Louis, starting to fall apart towards the end of the season. QB Pete Blair was injured the last 4 weeks of the season and the Riders quickly fell out of playoff conversation. The defense wasn’t as strong in years past either, loitering in the middle of the rankings for the entire season. Coming in right behind Texas were the Sabres. Despite picking up a lot of win now talent in the expansion draft, it was the youth that led them to 7 wins, in fact by the end of the season they had one of the youngest starting lineups in the league, after trading some of their older players to contenders. The captain of this ship however was QB Roy Frazier. Frazier was on a mission this year after winning out the starting job in week 2. He would go on to start the last 13 games of the season and put up impressive numbers for a rookie. He would win the MOR award for his troubles. Last in the South were the Explorers. Houston had a forgettable season. Things started off great with a 3-1 record, but they would finish the season as one of the worst in the league. 

West Division: 
Out in the wild west we saw the Tigers return to the throne of the league. With a league best record of 10-3-1, LA had reclaimed that high powered offense they became so known for in years past. QB Kieth Lincoln was also back in the MVP running, looking to win the award for the third time. Their defense was also the best it’s been in years past. Players like OLB Jim Williams and DE Dave Terry would scare any opponents they went up against this year. In second place were the San Francisco Whales who burst on the scene out of nowhere. Led by an overpowering defense and deep running game, the Whales were one of the most underrated teams in the league. Many say they overachieved though and with a weak schedule and some lucky close wins against Milwaukee and Boston that may very well be true. They’re definitely a team fans are interested to see this postseason, as they make their first appearance. Battling for third were Minneapolis and Colorado. Both were underwhelming and disappointing. The Ox especially, as the Doug Emmonds experiment didn’t work out and by midseason he was shipped to Baltimore. The rest of the team was definitely  impacted by Addams’ retirement as well, his fiery leadership seemed to hold this team together more than thought. In last place once again was Seattle, who much like the rest of the teams in last, had a forgettable and uneventful season.

1967-68 NFA Standings:
North:
5.Milwaukee Barbarians 9-5-0 | .642
6.Detroit Bombers 8-5-1 | .607
Cleveland Rangers 7-7-0 | .500
Chicago Zephyrs 5-9-0 | .357
Pittsburgh Ironmen 3-11-0 | .214 

Northeast:
2.Washington Pirates 9-3-2 | .714
7.New York Cannons 7-4-3 | .607
8.Philadelphia Hornets 8-5-1 | .607
Boston Gaels 7-7-0 | .500
Baltimore Bulldogs 5-9-0 | .357 

South:
3.Miami Stingrays 9-4-1 | .678
St. Louis Kings 7-6-1 | .535
Texas Roughriders 7-7-0 | .500
Cincinnati Sabres 7-7-0 | .500
Houston Explorers 4-10-0 | .285 

West:
1.Los Angeles Tigers 10-3-1 | .750
4.San Francisco Whales 9-5-0 | .642
Minneapolis Blue Ox 6-8-0 | .428
Colorado Cougars 5-9-0 | .357
Seattle Lumberjacks 3-11-0 | .214 
*Number indicates seed

The Most Valuable Player Award went to QB Ron Murray of the Washington Pirates. 
The Most Outstanding Defender Award went to DE Monty Jones of the Washington Pirates. 
The Most Outstanding Rookie Award went to QB Roy Frazier of the Cincinnati Sabres. 
The Most Outstanding Coach Award went to Coach Charlie Stacy of the Washington Pirates. 

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10/31/2020 7:06 am  #674


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

All i can say is Let's go Pirates! Go out there and get that 3rd title!


 

10/31/2020 7:45 am  #675


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

3-1 to 4-10, that sucks. At least I can root for the Whales this postseason.



Owner of the Indiana Cardinals (2005 AltBA Champions) the owner of the Memphis Kings, and new owner of the Milwaukee Mallards! #HoosierBirds #KingUp #QuackQuack
 

10/31/2020 8:25 am  #676


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Jeez, win it all one year then miss the playoffs the next? That's rough. Going with the Pirates vs Tigers in the champions bowl. Out of curiosity, where is the Big Game this NFA season? 




 
 

10/31/2020 9:54 am  #677


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Having looked at all the teams, I'm really impressed by the overall quality here, there really aren't any duds at all!  It was actually really hard to pick a favorite out of these, but I'm going to be rooting for the Cleveland Rangers from here on out, (kinda had to pick them and their winged helmet, being an Philadelphia Eagles fan and all, plus I love that green and blue color scheme).   Shame they missed the playoffs this year, but I bet they'll be back soon!

Definitely a fan of the season write up, recapping by each division makes for an easy read for me.  I'm thinking this is gotta be the Washington Pirates year, with such a strong offense and defense, they don't really have to depend on one side of the ball to win them games.  Picking them to win over the Milwaukee Barbarians, who I think get past the Tigers.




 

10/31/2020 12:10 pm  #678


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Quite the season, lots of competitive teams.
Kinda figured that's how the Edmonds experiment would go in Minne...
Hopefully, they realize they need to rebuild now...?

I have a feeling LA and Washington will be tough to beat in the playoffs, tho I think I'll be rooting for Milwaukee for the playoffs; they feel like a bit of an underdog.


 

10/31/2020 4:33 pm  #679


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Hopefully the Ox can have a quick turnaround and become a contender again soon, but I think it's time to admit our window has passed and we nee to rebuild.

Here are my predictions of the first round

LA over PHI
MIL over SF (I don't think they'll win but go Whales!)
MIA over DET
WAS over NY



 

11/01/2020 5:16 pm  #680


Re: History of the National Football Association - 1974-75 Season

Here's the wildcard round!

1967-68 NFA Wildcard Round - Detroit Bombers at Miami Stingrays
The first game to kick off this year's wildcard round was an exciting matchup between two of the league's best RBs; Charley Rodgers and Elijah Boone. Rodgers was last year's MVP, while Boone was the SFL MVP in it’s last year. In fact, for having not played for a year, Boone and the Rays looked scary, and it showed in this game. Detroit would strike first, hitting a field goal in the middle of the first quarter. Surprisingly, both backs had been fairly quiet so far in the game, but on the following drive, Boone would break through for a thrilling 52 yard TD run that put Miami up 7-3. Miami would score again after QB Stephen Hall’s throw would be intercepted on the following drive. A few drives later, Detroit would attempt and miss another field goal to sound off an exciting first half. 

Rodgers would start the next half with some fireworks when he too would find a big TD run. He shed two tacklers and brought Detroit back in the game 43 yards later when he reached the endzone. Miami would turn the ball over later in the quarter, which immediately led to another Detroit score just a minute later, giving them the lead for the first time since the first quarter. It wouldn’t last long though because early in the 4th quarter Miami took back the lead with another Boone TD. This would be the final score too as Hall would throw another interception, sealing the game for the Bombers. The final score was 21-17. Miami would win their first ever postseason game, which sent waves through the league, proving that they were actually a threat and not a fluke that was benefited by a weak division.



1967-68 NFA Wildcard Round - New York Cannons at Washington Pirates
While the Bombers had traveled down to take on the Stingrays in Miami, New York had made the quick trip to meet with their rival Pirates in a matchup between two of the most successful franchises in the NFA. As would be expected after an extremely tight regular season in the division full of rivals, tensions were high coming into the game, and Pirates Stadium, despite a steady rain coming down, was packed with record breaking amounts of fans, only increasing the drama. The game would also go as planned, with both teams locked into an intense defensive battle. New York would score first, and it would be on a fumble return. DT Tyree Matthews would be recorded with the hit on RB Chester Lindsey, and DE Greg Waterson would return it for the score. Not much later however, DE Monty Jones would bat down and intercept a pass by QB Gary Jones for Washington, which would set them up deep in Cannons territory. MVP QB Ron Murray would turn this into 7 points when he found WR Paul Hudson in the endzone. This 7-7 tie would stand till halftime. 

After the rain picked up dramatically delaying the start of the second half, both teams finally got back to work. Continuing the defensive battle from the first half, both teams would force another 2 turnovers, Jones throwing another 2 interceptions for the Cannons, and a Murray interception and a WR Gene Harris fumble for the Pirates. The score would stay at 7 a piece however. New York had attempted but missed a field goal at the end of the third quarter, Washington hadn’t even made it to the red zone. As time was ticking down however, New York looked poised to be able to steal the win on a long field goal. Disaster would strike for them however. As they lined up to snap the ball with just over a minute left in the game, the crowd had gotten so loud that you could barely hear yourself. Whether or not that affected the players was in question but that's what the fans would claim had happened on the play. As the ball was snapped the kicker would turn to look over at the sideline, unaware that the ball had been snapped. He would quickly turn back and try and get a kick off. But the powerful Pirates line had been given too much time. The kick was blocked. It would be picked up and returned for the score too, giving Washington the game winning touchdown. New York would try and chuck it deep as time expired but it would hit the ground. Washington would win one of the more memorable postseason games in league history with a final score of 14-7.



1967-68 NFA Wildcard Round - Philadelphia Hornets at Los Angeles Tigers
After one of the most exciting regular seasons in NFA history, many marked this game as the one to look forward to in this wildcard round. Philadelphia who had slipped all the way down to the 8 seed, led by up and coming star QB Oscar Washington was facing off against the talented Tigers. A postseason regular, they were led by 2 time MVP QB Kieth Lincoln. It was squared up to be a great matchup between two Champions Bowl contenders, or that was what fans had hoped.. The first half wasn’t close at all. Lincoln and the Tigers would quickly march down the field on the first drive of the game, putting them up 7-0. Philadelphia would try and walk in their footprints, but they’d quickly get shut down. LA would follow that up with another score. By the end of the half, the score had blown up to 23-6, with the Tigers defense even getting involved in the scoring and forcing a safety in the middle of the second quarter.

Philadelphia would go into the break with their heads in their hands, Washington especially, who was having one of his worst games.
 On the first drive after the break, Washington had seemed to recollect himself. He wowed the crowd when found WR Florence Short deep for a 45 yard completion, that set Philadelphia up at 1st and Goal. 3 plays later however and the field goal unit was back on kicking another field goal. It would be good, but this would be one of only 2 times the Hornets would score this half. LA would continue to lay on the pressure on both sides of the ball, Lincoln carrying most of the scoring as RB Sam Peck would continue to struggle with injuries. By the end of the game Philadelphia would be sent home in a disappointing 39-16 loss. The Tigers on the other hand would be headed to a date with the winner of the Barbarians and Whales game. 



1967-68 NFA Wildcard Round - Milwaukee Barbarians at San Francisco Whales
Maybe the most unexpected matchup of the wildcard round was the Barbarians vs Whales game. Both teams were making their first appearance in franchise history. Both had also had a losing record the year before and were at the bottom of the league. But both had broken out this season into fierce competitors, surrounded by young talent. QB William Brown and rookie LB Jack Church had headlined the Barbarians as great leaders and potential stars and RB Sid Snell had won the hearts of San Francisco with phenomenal play. The game wouldn’t be too exciting however. Both offenses would play mediocrely and Milwaukee would take an early lead that would be seemingly just out of reach for the Whales all game. The first half would see the Barbarians score off of 2 RB David Jackson scores, while San Francisco would only find a field goal. San Francisco would come close to scoring their first touchdown of the game but a controversial ruling of RB Sid Snell being short on a 4th down try would prevent that from happening.  

The second half would see the Whales finally get a touchdown when QB John Leonard found his man in the back of the endzone. This would cut the Barbarians lead to the closest it was all game, at just 4 points. The game would stay at this score for the rest of the quarter. But just as they were about to score again, Leonard would fumble the ball when he took a hit in the pocket, giving Milwaukee the ball. They would take advantage of this and put the nail in the coffin with a few minutes left to play. Brown would get his first TD of the game, putting away the Whales for good, even if they missed the extra point. The final score was 20-10. 




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