I like the striping and the darker shade. Helps to differentiate from Toronto's set because otherwise I'd have a hard time telling.

Thanks for the compliments on Toronto.

Now for the 1949 NAFA Season

Season Standings
1. Philadelphia Americans: 8-1-1
2. New York Football Club: 7-3-0
3. Toronto Nationals: 5-4-1
4. Montreal Saints: 5-4-1
5. Baltimore Knights: 3-5-2
6. Cleveland Lumberjacks: 2-7-1

The Philadelphia Americans were led by speedy halfback Ralph Figueroa who had a breakout season in which he scored 11 TDs. The Americans also had a good defense. They led the league in turnovers forced with 23, 19 of which were fumbles. Their line backing core was undoubtedly the best in the NAFA, and received the nickname "Patriotic Punishers."

NYFC dropped a spot this year after star halfback Lester Riley was injured in week 2. He didn't come back until week 7, when NYFC was 3-3 and on the outside of the championship picture. He then led them to 4 straight victories in which he rushed for an average of 227 yards and 3 TDs. Despite being the road team, NYFC will most likely be favored to win the Continental Championship.

1949 Continental Bowl

Philadelphia won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. On their opening drive, NYFC marched down the field behind two huge runs by Lester Riley (one 33 yards, one 24). Just 4:49 into the game, Riley plowed into the end zone from the half-yard line to give NYFC the lead 6-0. Then, in an act of pure confidence, Coach Tom Evans kept his kicker on the sideline and went for two. They faked a toss right to Riley and quarterback Brendan Boone trotted out left to convert, raising the score to 8-0. On Philadelphia's first drive, they also marched right down the field, taking only 3 plays to enter NYFC territory. On 2nd and 12 from the NYFC 27, Philly quarterback Milton Gilbert faked the hand off to Ralph Figueroa and dropped back to pass. He lofted the ball to the left corner of the end zone in the direction of Isaac Stone, but NYFC safety Max Hawkins cut off his pass and intercepted it. Hawkins then returned the ball out of his own end zone out to his own 14 yard line. 7:17 remained in the opening quarter. NYFC then put together one of their typical bone-bruising drives that didn't end before the end of the quarter came.

End of 1st Quarter: NYFC 8, PHI 0

NYFC continued to run time off the clock as they moved the ball into Philadelphia territory. The drive stalled, however, at the Philly 22, and they were forced to settle for the 29 yard field goal by Rickey Barnett. This made the score 11-0 NYFC with 10:28 to go in the half. The next three drives stalled (PHI - NYFC - PHI), and NYFC regained possession off of a Philly punt with 1:53 remaining in the half. For the first time in the game they put Brendan Boone's arm to use as he tossed out a short screen pass to Lester Riley that went for a quick 33 yards up to the PHI 47. Boone then rushed his troops to the line and threw a dart down the left hash to a streaking Cody Osborne that gained 21, bringing NYFC up to the 26 yard line. Two plays later, from the PHI 17, Boone booted left and hit Riley on a crossing route for a touchdown, giving them the lead 17-0. Then, Coach Tom Evans once again sent out his offense looking for a two-point conversion. Boone handed left off-tackle to Riley who jogged in untouched, raising the lead to 19-0. Philly got the ball back with just :23 remaining, and Milton Gilbert took a knee to end the half.

Halftime: NYFC 19, PHI 0

Philly did little with the first drive of the second half, as they ran just 4 plays before being forced to punt it back to NYFC. New York then put together another time-consuming drive that involved Lester Riley having 12 carries for 54 yards. They once again couldn't get into the end zone after a long drive, and Rickey Barnett made a 36 yard field goal to bring the lead to 22-0. Regaining possession with 4:44 to go in the quarter, Philly marched down the field for the second time in the game. However, Milton Gilbert threw another interception, this time from the 15 yard line. It seemed the game was over, and NYFC would coast to their first Continental Championship after they ran off the final :17 of the quarter.

End of 3rd Quarter: NYFC 22, PHI 0

On the first play of the final quarter, however, Philly's star middle linebacker Norman Rodgers laid the boom on back-up halfback Dexter Brooks, forcing the fumble. Philly recovered, and it seemed that they may have had some life left in them. They then proceeded to once again march right down the field, before meeting 4th and goal at the NYFC 3 yard line. Learning from his previous mistakes, Coach Don Flowers elected to hand the ball to halfback Ralph Figueroa, who lowered his head into the end zone, cutting the lead to 22-7. NYFC stalled on their next drive, giving Philly a golden opportunity to give themselves a chance at a comeback. They looked magnificent once again, as if they had figured out how to beat NYFC's defense. Then, on the NYFC  33 yard line, quarterback Milton Gilbert was hit while throwing, and his pass fell into the hands of NYFC cornerback Stanley Miller, ending their chance of a comeback and sealing the game. NYFC ran the rest of the time off the clock (11:04) and were hailed the Second Champions of the Continental Bowl.



Thanks for viewing. As always, C&C is encouraged and appreciated.

Last edited by DoctaC (5/21/2019 9:06 pm)

MyTeamIsDr.Pepper wrote:

Big blowout by NYFC, surprise to see that Americans good offense and defense just be stopped

 
It was a tough matchup for Philly. Their defense was known for forcing fumbles, and they were met by the best halfback in the league, known for taking care of the ball. They also got down early, which forced them to stray away from the run game, which was what worked for them all year. NYFCs defense is also really good.

Last edited by DoctaC (5/22/2019 6:34 am)

guess I should push my 2 sense up in here. No idea what happened to make Connecticut turn into Baltimore (hoping that gets mentioned unless I'm just blind) 

NYFC: seems like a good first design, curious to see if any other NY team joins if they'll have to abandon the 5 stripe design. 

Cleveland: The vertical stripe is a nice touch, probably one of the better identities. 

Philadelphia: 'MUREKAH

Montreal: plain and simple, I don't see them moving much from that. Maybe not even a logo on the helmet, numbers at most would be an interesting touch. #StayHumbleMontreal. 

Toronto: As a Phillies fan I dislike any team named "Nationals" (unless they refer to the indigenous population like Hamilton Nationals did). 

Curious to see how this unfolds

Dan O'Mac wrote:

Here I'm planning to do my own league, and the Philadelphia Americans name just got snapped up!

As far as everything goes, this is really solid. The logos and jerseys are period appropriate, and the cities you've chosen are good choices.

 
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Sorry about the Americans’ name lol.