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12/28/2020 11:27 pm  #61


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Stickman wrote:

Houston Stars: Simple and to the point, I like this one a lot!  The orange will help them immediately stand out in a league with a ton of blue teams, (not to mention a Stars vs. any blue team should make for a nice looking matchup).  Very nice!

San Francisco Condors: On of the one hand, this is basically a blue Philadelphia Eagles team.  On the other hand, that's pretty much all it usually takes for me to root for them, lol!  For the most part though, this team looks very classy that home uniform is excellent.  I do have to take points off the away jersey for the random gray pants that they wear, seeing as they don't wear gray literally anywhere else on either the jersey, not is it on the logo, (which btw, is an instant classic for me).   Other than the away jerseys, this is another fine jersey.

Well, after having to think for a few minutes, (a rarity as I usually have one team that immediately becomes my favorite), I think I will be rooting for the San Francisco Condors, but there really are a bunch of nice looking teams here!   Really nice work Docta C!

Question though, related to the league's structure.  The National Division has a bunch of east coast teams, while the American Division has teams all over.   Now I know it's because of the merger between 2 rival leagues, but when it comes to the league's layout as time goes on, are we going to see these divisions as a NFC/AFC type situation or are we looking more at a East/West breakdown, where the West division just happens to have a few teams that really belong more in the East?

Sorry Stick, I've had this written up for a while and when I saw you chose to root for San Francisco... I'm just sorry. They are one of the younger teams in the league, so hopefully they can rebuild quickly.

 

12/28/2020 11:28 pm  #62


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Should be a good first year for this league! Also, why are the Stars called the Barons now?




 
 

12/28/2020 11:36 pm  #63


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Rugrat wrote:

Should be a good first year for this league! Also, why are the Stars called the Barons now?

They're not! I was originally going to call them the Barons, and wrote this preview before I changed their name to the Stars.

     Thread Starter
 

12/30/2020 12:03 am  #64


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason


DIVISION RECAPS

American: The Washington Americans followed the arm of Drew Cain to an 11-3 record and American Division Regular Season Championship. Cain led the PFA in passing yards with 2,176 and was second in passing touchdowns with 21. They started the season strong, opening with a 4 game win streak before dropping their first in an overtime game at the Houston Stars, 22-20. They would go another win streak, this time for 6 games, before dropping two more. They ended the year with a win at home against the Baltimore Lords, 31-12. Coming in second were the Chicago Cougars, who were led by their defense, which was second in the league in most categories to the Hartford Oaks. Quarterback Donnie Hanson was much improved from last season in the passing game, finishing top 5 in the league in both yards and completion percentage. He also continued his contributions in the rushing game, rushing for 11 touchdowns, first among QBs. Cornerback Ralph Turner was dominant, recording 11 interceptions and shutting down opposing receivers week after week. The LA Palms are on the outside looking in this season, which was surprising to most people. They struggled with injuries throughout the year, starting 3 different quarterbacks over the first 8 games in which they went 3-5. Starter Jeffrey Howard returned for the final 5 games and went 4-1 - almost bringing them to the playoffs. The Houston Stars finished fourth this season. Quarterback Vincent Clark led their offense, which was average in both passing and rushing for the league. A bright spot for them was their defense, which emerged as top 5 in the PFA. In fifth were the Pittsburgh Miners, led by their stout defense. They started the year hot, jumping out to a 3-0 record before ending the year 3-8 through the final 11 games. The San Francisco Condors had a much better season than expected. They finished 5-9 after many people believed they would finish with 1 or 2 wins. 25-year old running back Dewey Abbott emerged as a young star for the Condors as he rushed for 676 yards (4th) and 8 touchdowns (3rd). These next few drafts will be crucial for them as they could become a winner if they take advantage of Abbott's prime years and build around him. In last were the Cincinnati Monarchs who really struggled on defense after losing linebacker Cedric Singleton. They finished last against the run and third-to-last against the pass.

National: The Hartford Oaks were as good as advertised this year, winning the division at 12-2. They were exceptional on both sides of the ball and won four of the five end-of-season awards this year. Running back Roy Lindsey dominated every team he went up against, but a few incredible performances stand out: 221 yards vs. Boston in Week 2, 178 yards vs. Fort Wayne in Week 7, and 4 touchdowns vs. Cleveland in Week 12. Rookie cornerback Dexter Newman was as good as anticipated - he is clearly the second best CB in the league behind Chicago's Ralph Turner. Fort Wayne finished in second, as they held the tiebreaker over Philadelphia after beating them both times the team matched up: 9-3 in Week 1 and 23-10 in Week 9. Cedric Singleton was considered the best linebacker in the PFA this season, and Nathan Sanders was considered one of the best running backs. In third were the Blue Coats. RB Alfred Jones finished second in rushing yards to Hartford's Roy Lindsey with 881. He also ran in 13 touchdowns, good for first. Defensive tackle Russell Peters continued to dominate opposing offensive lines and finished second in DPOY voting. The Knights finished in fourth, led by a very solid defense. They gave up a good amount of yards (they were just 8th in yards allowed per game), but held teams to low scores, giving up just 13.2 ppg. Their offense was really bad, though, finishing last in passing and 7th in rushing. Running back W.M. Lawson had the worst season of his career, rushing for just 311 yards (11th) and 2 touchdowns (T-14th). In fifth were the Boston Shamrocks, who were just horrible in away games. They went 5-2 in the friendly confines of McDavid Stadium, but finished a whopping 0-7 when they hit the road. They even handed Hartford one of their two losses at home in Week 4, 13-11. Baltimore finished in sixth, one spot better than projected. Their offense was still very bad, but their defense saw some improvements. They were able to be average against the pass for the league and slightly below average against the rush. Coming in last in the National were the Cleveland Lakers. They were already expected to be bad, but when the injury bug hit, they went from bad to worse. Their only notable name, DT Calvin Guzman, went out with a knee injury in Week 5 and didn't return for the rest of the season.

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For those wondering, here's what these awards mean since it seems to be different for every league:

- MVP: Usually the best player on the best team, though it could be someone that just completely carries a team to a finish much better than they were projected.
- COY: Coach that had the biggest impact on their team's success.
- ROY: Rookie with the most impressive season.
- OPOY: Player with the best offensive stats.
- DPOY: Player with the best defensive stats.

The MVP won't necessarily win the OPOY or DPOY, though it did happen this season.

​----------------------------

DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS

Chicago Cougars at Washington Americans: Washington's elite passing offense against Chicago's elite passing defense. The difference in this game will be if Chicago's offense can capitalize on opportunities their defense provides early in the game. Cain may start slow, but he'll catch fire eventually and they need to be up when he does.

The Americans win a close one, 17-14.

Fort Wayne Chiefs at Hartford Oaks: Hartford has looked unstoppable this year, but the one game they were shut down down on offense was in Week 3 against the Chiefs. They were able to get it going in the Week 7 rematch, however. It would be surprising if Fort Wayne is able to shut them down again. They just have too many weapons.

The Oaks win comfortably, 27-13.

​----------------------------

Thanks for reading. The division championship results will be up tomorrow or the day after.

Last edited by DoctaC (12/30/2020 2:40 pm)

     Thread Starter
 

12/30/2020 2:50 am  #65


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Nice writeup and presentation. I dig all the graphics.

That American conference travel schedule must be brutal. Looks like an average year for the Miners. Glad the Oaks are doing well.



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

12/30/2020 8:14 am  #66


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Oaks vs Americans in the championship is my prediction too


 

12/30/2020 8:46 am  #67


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Very nice presentation!  Really detailed and thorough!  Since you warned me about the Condors, I didn't expect too much, so going 5-9 and finishing 6th out of 7 actually was a nice surprise, lol.  

Yeah, definitely feels like the Americans and Oaks are the strongest teams in the league this year.  It feels like the Oaks are the more balanced team, so I'd predict that they'll win the championship this season.

Great work Docta C!




 

12/31/2020 2:37 pm  #68


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Nice and clean! Enjoy the visuals a lot. Enjoy the success of Chicago, Hartford and Fort Wayne even more.



 

12/31/2020 4:56 pm  #69


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

Thanks for the compliments on the presentation.

1957 PFA PLAYOFFS


American Division Championship: The first playoff game in PFA history kicked off at 5:00pm in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C, on December 22, 1957. The game was broadcast by CBS (who signed a lucrative deal with the PFA to broadcast all 3 playoff games) and was viewed by fans nationwide. The 2nd place Chicago Cougars brought to town one of the best defenses in the league to face the Washington Americans, who possessed one of the best offenses. The Americans won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff, seemingly to show Chicago that their defense wouldn’t be able to slow them down. Quarterback Drew Cain led the Americans straight down the field, connecting with receiver Lee Edwards on a 7 yard out route to take a 7-0 lead. Chicago’s first drive seemed promising with two first downs in the first three plays, but it stalled and they were forced to punt. There would be no more scoring for the rest of the quarter - the Americans would fumble on their next drive, the Cougars would punt, and then the Americans would punt. The next score would come 7 minutes into the second quarter when Cougars quarterback Donnie Hanson ran in from 17 yards to tie the game at 7. Chicago was able to get the ball back with just 58 seconds remaining and quickly drove within Washington’s 30, but missed a field goal as the half ended. Things looked good for Chicago at the half as they had been able to limit Cain and the prolific Americans offense. They looked even better just a minute into the second half when the Cougars already sat at the Americans 15 after two big plays. Washington would hold, though, and Chicago had to settle for a field goal, making the score 10-7. Next, Washington would put together a great drive, reaching the Chicago 24 before Drew Cain was picked off by Ralph Turner. Unable to capitalize, Chicago would quickly go three and out, with the punt setting up Washington at their own 30. Cain would work his magic on the ensuing Americans drive. He completed 9 straight passes for 70 yards, easily picking apart the Cougars defense and giving Washington the lead as the 3rd quarter expired, 14-10. Even though the lead only sat at 4, it felt much larger - Cain was heating up and the Cougars were struggling to score touchdowns. To open up the fourth, Chicago got a quick first down but then went three and out after a sack, an incompletion, and another sack. Washington got the ball back, and Cain took them right back down the field and threw another touchdown to Lee Edwards, giving them a 21-10 lead with 5:47 remaining. The Cougars would put together their first scoring drive in over 25 minutes of game time after they hit a 38-yard field goal with 1:31 to go. They would go for the onside kick, but were unsuccessful, and Washington kneeled twice to end the game, giving them a berth in the first ever Gridiron Bowl.

Player of the Game: WAS QB Drew Cain (24-29, 247 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)

​------------------------------


National Division Championship:
The second playoff game of the night began its broadcast at 7:00pm, immediately following the American Division Championship. The Hartford Oaks were expected to win easily, but it wound up being a very close game. Fort Wayne came out of the gates fast, driving down the field and reaching the Oaks’ 12-yard line in just 1:41. Hartford would hold, however, and the Chiefs kicked a short field goal to go up 3-0. On the following possession the Oaks would turn the ball over on a Marshall Jackson interception that set up the Chiefs inside their own 40. They were able to move into the red zone, but were once again unable to get in the end zone, kicking a field goal to make the score 6-0. The quarter came to an end during the next Hartford possession, which ended in a punt two plays into the second quarter. Just three plays after getting the ball back, the Chiefs fumbled the ball back to the Oaks, who then turned the ball back over to the Chiefs with another interception around 4 minutes later. At this point, Hartford had 2 turnovers, both being Jackson INTs, and Fort Wayne had 1. Fans began booing the ugly play on the field. On their next drive, the Chiefs hopped on the shoulders of star running back Nathan Sanders and rode him to the endzone, taking off 7 minutes of game time leaving the Oaks just 16 seconds left in the half. They kneeled, entering the locker room down 13-0, their first time trailing at halftime since their Week 3 loss to this same Chiefs team. Roy Lindsey was being completely shut down with just 28 yards on 11 carries. Oaks coach Jack Tate is known for his halftime adjustments, and they worked on Hartford’s first drive of the second half as they drove down the field in 8 plays to score their first points on a 7-yard Roy Lindsey inside run. Fort Wayne would follow with another impressive drive, taking off 6 minutes of clock before kicking through a 28-yard field goal, making the score 16-7. Hartford seemed to have completely figured out the Chiefs defense as they once again drove right down the field, but a questionable spot on a 4th-down run by Lindsey ended their drive. The Chiefs got the ball back and ran off the final 2 minutes of the quarter, sitting at their own 45 yard line. They quickly punted to open up the 4th, pinning Hartford deep in their own territory at the 3 yard line. On the biggest drive of the game for the Oaks, Tate made some excellent playcalling, Lindsey had some spectacular runs and Jackson made a few really nice passes en route to a touchdown with 5:59 remaining in the game. With his team trailing 16-14, Tate decided to trust his defense and kick the ball off to the Chiefs, who returned it to the 19. They were able to run off over 4 minutes of game before punting the ball back to the Oaks, who would have to engineer a game-winning drive from their own 12 with just 1:32 remaining on the clock. They were able to get to the Chiefs’ 32 yard line after a 52 yard bomb from Marshall Jackson to receiver Gary Murray. With just 4 second left of the clock, Tate sent out his field goal unit to attempt a 49-yard game-winner. It had the distance, but just barely missed to the right, sending the Fort Wayne Chiefs to play the Washington Americans in Gridiron Bowl I.

Player of the Game:
FW RB Nathan Sanders (21 rushes, 134 yards, 1 TD)

​------------------------------


​------------------------------

GRIDIRON BOWL I PREDICTION

Fort Wayne Chiefs vs. Washington Americans: Fort Wayne wasn't expected to be here. Most aren't giving them a chance. Cain is expected to dot up the Chiefs' defense en route to an easy championship win.

Americans win convincingly, 28-13.

​------------------------------

Here is the trophy that Washington and Fort Wayne will be playing for; the Boone-Warren Trophy, named after the founders of the NFA (Gerald Boone) and FLA (Sheldon Warren).


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Thanks for Reading. C+C is encouraged and appreciated.

Last edited by DoctaC (12/31/2020 9:07 pm)

     Thread Starter
 

1/01/2021 2:50 pm  #70


Re: The PFA: 1958 Offseason

I love the presentation, great work there. Too bad cincy only got 4 wins, hopefully we can improve in the next couple seasons.

Wow Fort Wayne with the upset! I know they aren't favored but I'll pull for them to win it all.

 

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