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Looks like my Feds have a real shot at winning it all once again, hopefully our window doesn’t slam shut on our fingers though.
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East Division
The East was once again fairly top-heavy for another year, though it took some time for the top teams to separate themselves from the rest. The Federals seemed to have a repeat of last year: they started out on a post-championship hangover at 3-3 but would win 4 out of their next 5 games leading up to the final week to potentially win repeat division titles. The usual suspects helped out again, though rookie S Bobby Loes proved to be a lethal backfield combination with Josh von Bank, with many toting their secondary as the best in the league. Even with the rest of the division being weak, they would not have a straight shot to a division title like last year, but it wasn’t the expected foe as it was the year before. That team would be the second-year Boston Dragons, who lived up to their expansion year expectations. The team avoided major injury and had QB Sam Eagleburger step up to the starter role, going from 3-9 last year to 6-4-1 and a shot at the division title. Even with a change at QB, their offense was the third worst in terms of scoring, but the real reason for their success came from the defense. Thanks to players such as LB Bob Jessup, DB Lynn Sharp, and S Carl Allyn, the Dragons allowed the fewest points per page since the inception of the league, coming 10 points shy of the total that the Hawks allowed in 1950. Coming into the final week, the Dragons had to win against Pittsburgh and hope that Washington lost to Philadelphia to win the East. The game between Boston and Pittsburgh was a back-and-forth affair, but the Dragons broke the tie late to score a 24-21 victory. Their efforts would be for naught, as Washington held off Philadelphia just long enough to secure a 15-10 victory and their second straight division title. Had the Dragons not tied with the Rattlesnakes in week 5, they would have won the division due to a better division record than the Federals. Boston will have to get through the semi-finals against the next-best team in the East in order to prove that they are not just a lucky team and are a legit contender. As for the other teams, Buffalo struggled to keep up with the best of the East, starting out tied with the Federals for the division lead at 3-3 but kept at the .500 mark the rest of the year mainly due to a 4 game skid during that time that kept them out of the division title race. Buffalo seemed to struggle with the lack of veteran presence and a very young offensive line, so it may just be a down year while some of the youth gets acclimated. Due to the rest of the division being under the .500 mark, the Hammers would continue their streak of making the playoffs every year since joining in 1952. The Lions stayed at 4-8 for another year, though the team did start 0-4 before QB Roy Woodward got knocked out for the year due to a broken shoulder. Backup QB Gary Byrne came in to replace him, finishing 4-4 to close out the year and throw the question of who the better QB is. Pittsburgh wasn’t an absolute disaster this year, finishing a half game ahead of the last-place Rattlesnakes. They made a relatively controversial move in naming longtime backup QB Eric Trueblood as the starter over 3rd overall pick Aksel Kahr in an attempt to revamp the offense. Their offense failed to perform at the same level as they did last year and the defense performed about the same, resulting in the Shamrocks putting up the second worst point differential in the league at -55. Philadelphia performed about as expected for an expansion team, holding on to the second overall pick for next year as the ragtag group of backups didn’t mesh and floundered as a result. The defense was about average, but the offense relied solely on 1st overall pick RB Mickey Greene. Greene practically carried the Rattlesnakes to any semblance of relevance even with the mediocre offensive line. He would still win Rookie of the Year honors, providing a lone bright spot in an otherwise forgettable first year.
West Division
The fight for the playoffs in the West was one of the tightest races in the short history of the AFL. The one constant was that of the division leader, as Cincinnati took hold of the lead in the first week and never let it go the entire year. QB Lester Parker led the Rivermen to their best season ever in professional football in total wins and an MVP award for himself. The Rivermen held control over the West for most of the year, but the team that unfortunately held strong in the basement was the Cleveland Crows. Something has not clicked over the past few years since the departure of OC Vincent Merritt, and in an especially tough division they were not able to keep up with everyone else. That fall could be attributed to an injury to star RB Max Panders in week 5 that essentially sidelined him for the rest of the season, leaving the Crows scrambling to find a replacement in the backfield during that time frame. Their defense let up the most points out of any team, resulting in the league’s worst point differential at -61. Besides those two outliers, the remainder of the teams in the West were neck-and-neck the entire year. The first team to bow was the Hawks in week 11, needing a win against the Crows to stay alive in the playoff race. Tri-Cities kept up with the other teams up above them, but needed everything to go right for them to continue the magic from last year. Instead, the injury bug hit them late, knocking out several key players in the week upcoming to this pivotal game. They would play to a 23-23 draw, and were eliminated after nothing else went their way that week. That left 3 teams to fight for the remaining two playoff spots over the remaining two weeks. The obvious team here is the Hogs, who were unable to keep up with Cincinnati for the division but still held strong with another stellar year from RB Billy Gould and the defense. Their plan hit a snag when they lost to Detroit in week 1, leaving them even with the remaining two playoff contenders in the West. Those two remaining teams were none that anyone expected to compete this year: the forever underachieving Detroit Knights and the expansion St Louis Stallions. Early in the year, the Knights looked like they were going to play dark horse and potentially win the division, with QB Mike Major playing up to form with a potent offense that had been stifled by coaching these past years. RB Jesse Brown and WR Paul Kent made their first All-Star appearances in an offensive explosion, and for the first time in years the defense was not a liability. The Knights cooled off a bit to end the year, but could clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Hogs at Thanksgiving. St Louis was not expected to compete like Philadelphia, but QB O.J. DeMille had something to prove this year. He was far and away the leader that the Stallions needed, as he carried a team of mostly nobodies into relevance, with WR Anthony Wheatland of championship infamy as his top target of the year. Their defense was surprisingly average, which may have been a detriment to any other team but to the Stallions it was more than enough to keep them in playoff contention. With every one of those teams at 7-4, the winner of Chicago-Detroit would automatically be given a spot, and it would come down to tiebreakers if the Stallions were not able to beat the Hawks in this critical final week. The Hogs and Knights rivalry was renewed for a Thanksgiving Day clash, with the two teams trading blows in a fairly brutal game. Several players on both sides got a beating, but the Hogs would ultimately survive on a late field goal to put them ahead for a 20-19 win and another trip into the playoffs. Detroit’s only chance of making it in the playoffs was for the Stallions to get blown out at home due to tiebreakers. The Hawks would in fact play spoiler to the playoff-hopeful Stallions, pumping the breaks on a home playoff game in a 33-9 throttling. Tri-Cities did not put up enough points though, as the final tiebreaker came down to St Louis’ +22 to Detroit’s +20, giving the expansion Stallions a ticket to the playoffs in their first year of existence. It was a devastating blow to the Knights, who had achieved their best season in nearly half a decade with a complete regime change in the background. It will certainly be a few interesting years for the West, now that nearly every team has proven to be competitive.
Awards:
Most Valuable Player: CIN QB Lester Parker
Offensive Player of the Year: CHI RB Billy Gould
Defensive Player of the Year: BOS LB Bob Jessup
Rookie of the Year: PHI RB Mickey Greene
Coach of the Year: BOS Robert McNamara
East Division Semifinal: (3) Buffalo Hammers @ (2) Boston Dragons
1956 H2H: W8 - BUF 9-23 BOS, W12 - BOS 7-17 BUF
Historic H2H: 3-1 BUF
Playoff H2H: 0-0
Buffalo makes its way into the playoffs once again, though they made the playoffs due to the rest of the East being weak. Boston took advantage of a division unwilling to win and took hold of the 2nd seed, living up to their expansion expectations just a year behind schedule. The fact of a weak East leaves some doubt if Boston is actually a good team or just had a lucky year, so this game will be a true test of legitimacy for them. Buffalo still has the same core that took them to the division finals last year, while Boston underwent a QB change and is still mostly made of scraps from other teams. The Dragons may be the better team on paper, the Hammers might have just enough in them to squeak by and set themselves up for a playoff rematch against the Federals.
My Pick: Buffalo
West Division Semifinal: (3) St Louis Stallions @ (2) Chicago Hogs
1955 H2H: W3 - CHI 30-27 STL, W8 - STL 27-17 CHI
Historic H2H: 1-1
Playoff H2H: 0-0
St Louis may have done the unthinkable and made the playoffs in their first year of existence, but they’ll have the ultimate task of trying to get their first playoff win over what may be the most dominant teams in professional football. The Hogs just want to get past the Stallions for a much-anticipated rematch against the Rivermen for the championship. It may not be an easy matchup for the Hogs as they would want it, as they have struggled a bit against St Louis in their two games this season. The Stallions are a pesky bunch to say the least, as they will put up a good fight as long as QB O.J. DeMille is under center. Chicago is the same team they have been the past few years, and they’ll find a way with RB Billy Gould to get past the Stallions and get themselves facing Cincinnati in the playoffs once again.
My Pick: Chicago
C&C Appreciated!
Last edited by DireBear (8/03/2024 6:07 pm)
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love to see oj demille and sam eagleburger leading their teams to the playoffs, especially uncle sam doing it in boston. let's go dragons bb woo
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Definitely surprised to see Boston and St. Louis in the playoffs, but I’d call it a pleasant one. In all honesty, seems like another cakewalk for my Feds to the Championship in the East.
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I love a good ol'crazy finish to a season resulting in a narrow tie-break to decide the final playoff spot. Great work Dire. Great to see some new blood in the playoffs as well with St. Louis and Boston.
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Saw that Cincinnati is doing well, how is Edgar Abney doing with the teams as successful as it is?
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1956 Playoffs: Division Semi-Finals
East Division Semifinal: Buffalo Hammers @ Boston Dragons
The City of Boston had seldom seen its professional football teams playing past the regular season. But just two short years of the Dragons being in town have made up for the last 30 years of lackluster play from the assortment of teams. The clouds managed to part over Lansdowne Field for the first postseason game at the historical park, and the first true test for the expansion team against perennial playoff contenders in the Hammers.
Q1
The Dragons would get the ball first in an attempt to start their playoffs on the right foot. It would start out in the right way, as QB Sam Eagleburger found WR Lloyd Lawson for a big 20 yard reception on the first play of the game. That momentum would peter out right before midfield, and Boston reluctantly punted the ball away to the Hammers. They would not have the explosive first play, instead gaining a single first down before giving it back to the home team. The Dragons made better progress on their second attempt, with Eagleburger finding his connections with Lawson to move past midfield and into scoring range. The Hammers defense stopped the run, holding the Dragons to a 25 field goal for their first points of the game. The Buffalo offense would slowly make their way downfield after a pair of punts from them and the Dragons, but their latest drive would swiftly come to an end when QB Brendan Turnbull’s pass was deflected by LB Killian Graves and LB Harvey Crowe managed to get himself underneath the ball for the interception to end the first quarter.
BOS 3, BUF 0
Q2
Boston continued on their way slowly advancing down the field, with Eagleburger and RB Pete Abbott finding holes in the Hammers’ defense to get their drive moving. The young QB would unfortunately hit a snag once the Dragons got to the 20 yard line, as Eagleburger tried to force a pass to Lawson but failed to hit his target all three times. K Dan Rasmussen came out once again to nail the attempt to go up by 6. The ensuing kickoff would see the action that was desperately needed for this game, as return man Christopher Flynn would cut around a group of Dragons defenders and found himself in open space. He would then outrun the remaining few defenders on his way for a 93 yard return TD to tie the game up. The extra point by K Guy Moran would sail through the uprights, putting momentum in the Hammers’ favor. Boston would claw their way downfield once again, with Eagleburger spreading the ball out a bit more instead of relying on Lawson to gain ground. Eagleburger threw one out of the reach of Buffalo DB Rogelio Amos and into the arms of Lawson, and Lawson would have gotten into the endzone had S Jacob Dolan not stopped him at the 1 yard line. RB Pete Abbott leaped over the offensive line to retake the lead for the Dragons. The Hammers attempted to get a drive going, but after trading punts with Boston they instead decided to run out the clock and restart in the second half.
BOS 13, BUF 7
Q3
The restart for the Dragons started out well enough, with Eagleburger making the right throws for two first downs to begin the half. He looked to throw to WR Alan Price, but Buffalo DB Joe Merritt swooped in to get the interception for the Hammers. They crawled their way into field goal range, but QB Brendan Turnbull decided that they were going for the lead. Turnbull stepped back and threw a perfectly placed pass to WR Harry Chilton in the endzone, who caught it just out of reach of DB Lynn Sharp for the 25 yard score. The extra point by K Guy Moran would once again put the Hammers ahead. The Dragons would struggle on their next drive, starting a series of punts back and forth that would continue through the end of the third.
BOS 13, BUF 14
Q4
The Hammers finally broke the stalemate early in the final frame, when QB Brendan Turnbull heaved one down the sideline that landed over the head of Boston DB Jim Downs and into the hands of WR Justin Harris. Harris had no one else behind him as he waltzed in for an easy 54 yard touchdown. Boston would take some time to retaliate, finally getting within the 20 on a sizable 15 yard rush by RB Pete Abbott. Any momentum they had would quickly be quashed by a fumble by RB Jim Riggs, and the Dragons stalled out there and then. K Dan Rasmussen kicked a chip shot 17 yarder to cut the lead to 5. Buffalo would not hold onto the ball for very long, as QB Brendan Turnbull thought that he had enough time to throw to a mostly-open WR Harry Chilton. He did not see DB Lynn Sharp waiting for him to take the bait, and jumped in front for the interception. That put Boston within prime field position, and just two plays later QB Sam Eagleburger threw a short pass to WR Lloyd Lawson, who ran 24 yards through the secondary for the go-ahead score. Buffalo tried their hardest to retake the lead, getting past midfield on a pair of receptions between WR’s Harry Chilton and Justin Harris. Turnbull threw another pass up the middle, and it was again Lynn Sharp to intercept the pass and give the Dragons the chance to seal the game away. Boston chewed up a good amount of clock, but were unable to put the game away entirely. They were able to make sure that Buffalo would need a touchdown if they were able to score, with K Dan Rasmussen getting in another chip shot from 19 yards out. Buffalo’s attempt to score was brief, as RB Calvin Townsend took a handoff to the outside but was clocked by LB Bob Jessup and the ball fell loose. DB Jim Downs was found at the bottom of the pile with the ball, and the crowd at Lansdowne Field erupted. In just their second year, the Dragons had won their first playoff game, and were just a win away against the Federals to play for their first title.
BOS 26, BUF 21
West Division Semifinal: St Louis Stallions @ Chicago Hogs
It was a fairly mild day for Chicago football, though with a different change in scenery for the perennial playoff team. Union Stadium was not very welcoming to the visiting St Louis Stallions, who were massive underdogs in their first year of existence. They were just happy to make the postseason, but were a scrappy enough of a bunch to possibly keep this game close.
Q1
The tone of this game would be set almost immediately, with the Stallions receiving the kickoff and the Hogs forcing a three and out for the young team. Chicago would not have the best luck themselves, expecting to pretty much march downfield without difficulty. However, the scrappy St Louis front 4 halted the advances of the league’s best RB in Billy Gould, limiting the Hogs to just a single first down. The Stallions would not have much luck either, with Chicago DL Benjamin Walkins Jr taking down St Louis QB O.J. DeMille before getting a throw off twice in a row to kill any chance of them starting anything. The quarter wasn’t marred by sloppy football as games like these usually were, instead it was defensive prowess that kept either team out of the endzone. The Stallions got further than they had been all day, but were stopped about 30 yards short of the endzone. They brought out K Kevin Finch to attempt a 40 yard, but his kick tailed to the right and missed the uprights altogether. The quarter would end with neither team getting on the board.
CHI 0, STL 0
Q2
With an entire quarter leaving fans wanting something out of this game, Chicago quite literally got the ball moving. RB Arthur Busch managed to punch his way through the Stallions defense and rumbled his way for a 24 yard gain. That rush put the Stallions defense just off guard, as Billy Gould took over for another big gain to put them on the 14 yard line. With the Stallions expecting the Hogs to run it in, QB Nathan Aldenberg faked the handoff to Gould and put the ball directly in WR Ciarán Murphy’s arms for the touchdown. St Louis would have their way on the extra point, as DB Terrence Sparks would beat the outside blocker to tip the ball just enough to send it sailing away from the goalposts. The Stallions could have taken the lead on a touchdown, but the Hogs defense prevented DeMille from making any progress downfield. The Hogs also shared this misfortune, punting the ball away after nearly going for it on 4th and short but the offensive line drew a rare false start penalty. The Stallions turned to the ground game, gaining ground on alternating handoffs to Kevin Knox and Daniel Wall. They crept downfield, but the Hogs finally caught on and stopped them on a near-interception. K Kevin Finch’s kick was tipped at the line, but still had enough power to just barely make it over the crossbar. The Hogs ran out the remaining clock to end a relatively uneventful half barely ahead.
CHI 6, STL 3
Q3
Chicago would attempt to get something going to start the second half, but already worn down by the scrappy Stallions defense they couldn’t get past them. The Hogs tried to move through the air, Aldenberg throwing a pass in the direction of WR Dakota Walter. Walter seemed to have other ideas, running a slant when he should have been on a go, and Aldenberg’s pass went directly to DB Kevin Prince for an interception. The Stallions were given decent field position, except that the Hogs were now out for blood and quickly ended any chance of a St Louis touchdown. Finch went out on the field for another attempt and made one from 41 yards out without difficulty. The defensive bout continued after that mistake, with the Hogs failing to move on the ground and the Stallions getting stuffed before plays could develop. The stalemate would have to break between these two heading into the final frame.
CHI 6, STL 6
Q4
The stalemate would continue throughout the first half of the fourth, but would be broken on the next Hogs drive. Billy Gould had not yet broken out for one of his patented long runs, and Chicago fans would finally get to see him do what he does best. Starting at his own 20, he took a handoff to the outside, putting LB Isaac Bullock on his knees after maneuvering around him. He had a wide open field in front of him- at least until DB Tom Wolf came up from behind him and punched the ball free from his hands. The ball rolled in front of him, and Gould tried to leap onto the ball as it rolled with Wolf and S Perry Fink in the area. Wolf held down Gould as he tackled him to the ground, and Fink was free to fall on the fumble before the scrum came in to get the ball free. St Louis did not make the best of their opportunity, only barely making it past midfield for a first down before stalling out on a third down. QB O.J. DeMille stepped back to pass looking at WR Lester Foster at first, and saw a rare miscommunication in the Hogs secondary. Neither DB Jason Brother nor S Garry Pugh were guarding WR Anthony Wheatland, and DeMille took the opportunity to throw to a wide-open man for the go-ahead 40 yard score. Chicago fans could hear a pin drop in Union Stadium. Aldenberg and Gould had a tall task ahead of them, and usually they would find a way out of this mess. Unfortunately, the Stallions defense still held and forced a 4th and 1 for the Hogs to have a chance of tying up the game. Aldenberg would hand the ball off to RB Arthur Busch to go up the middle, but DL Gordon Spijker came around the outside to wrap up Busch and seemingly seal up the game for the underdogs. The Hogs gave the Stallions decent field position as well, so they ran out as much clock as they could before adding on another field goal for insurance with only a few seconds left to play. Chicago seemed to have given up on the final plays of the game, running out the clock by themselves with a few running plays. In just their first year of existence, the Stallions had not only won their first-ever playoff game, but upset the powerhouse Chicago Hogs in this magical season.
CHI 6, STL 16
East Division Finals: (2) Boston Dragons @ (1) Washington Federals
1956 H2H: W3 - WAS 31-10 BOS, W10 - BOS 21-6 WAS
Historic H2H: 3-1 WAS
Playoff H2H: 0-0
These two teams are completely different in how they play: Boston likes to play rough with their opponents and keep games low scoring, while Washington tends to let their offense take control of games while their defense holds their opponents down. Both of those playstyles were apparent in each of the games between these two this year, so this game will be determined on which of those two teams will appear. Boston may be a good quality team, but they don't have the talent and playoff experience compared to Washington.
My Pick: Washington
West Division Final: (3) St Louis Stallions @ (1) Cincinnati Rivermen
1956 H2H: W5 - CIN 16-12 STL, W11 - STL 16-13 CIN
Historic H2H: 1-1
Playoff H2H: 0-0
Even though it seemed that St Louis would get crushed by the Hogs, they kept it close and upset the longstanding power. They now face a more challenging team in Cincinnati, who they have also managed to both keep close in their two games and split the series. The expansion team has a tall task facing the defending champions, but the Rivermen take a more balanced approach to the game that will surely catch the Stallions off guard and make another trip to the championship game.
My Pick: Cincinnati
C&C Appreciated! Sorry for taking so long on that, I got carried away with a few other things (*cough cough CFB25*) so that put this on the backburner for a bit. Hopefully I should be a bit more consistent to end the year out.
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TheEnigmaticOne wrote:
Saw that Cincinnati is doing well, how is Edgar Abney doing with the teams as successful as it is?
Abney is currently sitting as a starting LB in the Rivermen's linebacking core. His draft position should have meant he would be one of their top defenders but is being overshadowed by veteran Jeff Blankenship and Cade Masters. Blankenship is in his prime while Abney has a few years until he hits that same point, so he and Masters will likely be featured as top players in that core for the foreseeable future.
Last edited by DireBear (9/27/2024 4:28 pm)
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whoa! big weekend for the 'dogs. very cool to see boston come away with the win; slightly less so to see chicago lose, but still makes for a fun story
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Wow, wasn't expecting either result! Hopefully the Federals can send the Dragons back to beantown next week.