1951 Week 5

Ottawa Royals - 18, Montreal Rouge - 27
The Montreal Rouge continued to dominate as they crushed the Royals in Ottawa. The final score does not show the 24-0 lead that the Rouge held in the 3rd quarter. They were able to shut down the top tier offense of the Royals, forcing 3 turnovers in the first half. DB Jean-Luc Paget had the first interception, and DB Anthony Massey had the second. DL Jean-Michel Duchane did force a fumble as well for the defense. The offense also turned it up through the air as WR John Rivera caught two touchdowns for the first time this season. RB Marchal had the other touchdown. It was a rough day for QB Duane Logan, who was not able to get things going. He got one strong drive late in the third finishing with a touchdown to WR Allen Atkins. In the fourth, however, the Royals decided to give QB Jean Matieau a chance to show his skills. Matieau delivered on his first drive taking Ottawa down the field and scoring with a TD pass to WR Willard Brooks. They would have a couple more decent drives but only getting a field goal or a single.  

Buffalo Blue Wings - 24, Toronto Tigers - 22
While both teams have had quite different starts to the season, it seems like meeting up brought out the best in both teams resulting in a great duel. The Blue Wings came out strong with an opening drive touchdown to WR Travis Gallagher. Toronto followed up with a strong drive but could only capture a field goal. However, a couple of Blue Wing Drives later, QB Angelo Medina would throw the ball right into the hands of Tigers DB Jesse Scott setting up a RB Laurent Brazeau touchdown to give Toronto the lead. The Blue Wings would counter in the second quarter with a RB Arthur Conner touchdown. The Tigers would add a field goal just before the half. 14-13. Buffalo came out of the second half flying, scoring another big touchdown on a bomb to Travis Gallagher to extend their lead to 21-13. TIgers had trouble responding until Laurent Brazeau put the offense on his back and took the team down the field. He would eventually break for a 33-yard touchdown. The Tigers would go back to him for the 2-point convert but DL Jonathan Brown saw that coming and stopped Brazeau in the backfield. The Tigers wouldn’t give up as Brazeau would lead them into Blue Wing territory again and set up the field goal to take the lead. Angelo Medina was not ready to lose though and led the Blue Wings on a fast drive down to the 17-yard line where their rookie K Donald Brewer would nail the game-winner. The teams will meet again next week in Toronto, which is expected to be as exciting.  

Boston Independents - 24, Worcester Athletics - 4
Not much to talk about in this showdown as Boston crushed the Athletics for the second time this season. WR Samuel Floyd and WR Ethan Walters both caught touchdowns from Larry Larson. RB Clayton Owen got into the endzone as well, extending the lead. They would be pretty conservative from there as they didn’t want to risk more injuries. Even after their best game last week, the Athletics looks flat again. They couldn’t move the ball and had several turnovers throughout. They also lost WR Dewey Doyle on a big hit early in the game. Doyle is planning to retire at the season’s end but that retirement might have come early for the Worcester native.  

Providence Gold Stars - 21, Hartford Hawks - 9
The Gold Stars got their revenge for the week 3 loss to Hartford. DB Lee Wolfe was the leader in the win as he sparked the Gold Stars on a first-quarter pick 6. The offense would add to it in the second on a WR Peter Brooks touchdown. Then RB Gene Fischer would add the third TD in the second half. The Gold Stars still looked a bit rough around the edges but the win is the right steps towards being a championship contender again. QB Andrew Sexton made his first start for the Hawks and was alright. Besides some early turnovers, he was able to get the team into field goal range a few times. RB Ellis Love played well in support of Sexton, moving the ball down-field.  

​Players of the Week 

OFF: WR John Rivera MTL - 2 Touchdowns, 97 Receiving Yards 

DEF: DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 6 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns 

Standings
NORTH
Montreal 4-0-1
Buffalo 4-1
Ottawa 2-2-1
Toronto 1-4

NEW ENGLAND
Boston 3-2
Providence 3-2
Hartford 2-3
Worcester 0-5

Power Rankings
Montreal -
Buffalo -
Ottawa - 
Boston -
Providence -
Toronto -
Hartford -
Worcester -

MID-SEASON ANALYSIS
So far the Rouge standout as the heavy favourites to win the McCallister. They have gone through one of the toughest schedules for any team and have managed to come out unbeaten. Buffalo has continued its great play from the end of last season, but they have a tougher stretch in the second half. Ottawa will also have a lighter schedule like Montreal which may help them to catch up to the Blue Wings or Rouge. Toronto unfortunately just doesn't have the team to compete with the top 3 teams at the moment.

In the New England division, Boston is holding on to the top team, but they are getting older and injury battered so some may question their ability to hold on. However, the teams behind them haven't had amazing seasons. Providence had a solid win this week, but they will need to continue the momentum if they want to be considered a true contender. Hartford caught fire over their 2-game homestand but without Norris it is likely this team falls down to Earth. Worcester sits back for now just developing at this point. 

Week 6 Games
HAR (2-3) @ MTL (4-0-1)
WOR (0-5) @ OTT (2-2-1)
BOS (3-2) @ PRO (3-2)
BUF (4-1) @ TOR (1-4)

Glad to see Providence got a bounce back win. Come on Gold Stars, you can do better!

I may have missed this a while back in the thread but is the playoffs the top two teams in each division or two division winners and the next two best teams? Also, my Gold Stars aren’t looking so hot right now after that loss. Hopefully the game against Toronto kick starts a strong late season run that continues into the playoffs.

1951 Week 7 

Worcester Athletics - 0, Montreal Rouge - 38
The Rouge came out determined not to end up like the Blue Wings or Royals who took the Athletics to be a little easier (while they didn’t lose they still were closer games than they should’ve been). They did not allow Worcester to gain any ground and completely steamrolled them. The Defense was the biggest factor forcing 7 turnovers. LB Quinton Brewer had two interceptions leading the way. Control of the ball gave Montreal chance after chance to score and well they would. WR John Rivera had the first touchdown, but it was RB Élisée Marchal who put up 4 touchdowns and 217 Rushing Yards in the game. They went into the fourth up 35-0 and had thrown in the backups to slow down, QB Théophile Béliveau made his first appearance since the 1949 semi-final loss to Providence. He would lead the Rouge to a field goal. The Athletics had no ability to fight in this game looking worse than ever. QB Adrian Little was visibly upset after throwing his 4th pick of the first half resulting in QB Jervonte Simpson to play for the second half, and he fared no better.  

Toronto Tigers - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 31 - Kitchener, ON
The fans of Kitchener got treated to one of the best games in NAAF history. While most of the fans came to check out the league and what it offered, by the end they were up and cheering on the players. Providence was fast out of the gate and controlled most of the first half. RB Gene Fischer had both of their touchdowns in the half and their defense was able to contain Toronto. While the fans were not exactly excited about the 6-17 score at the half, they were even less when Providence scored on their opening drive of the second half. WR Eugene Burns had the score and all the momentum for the Gold Stars, but Laurent Brazeau had something to say about it. A couple drives later the Tigers offense had moved the ball to mid-field. QB Evan Morrow took the snap and handed it to Brazeau. The young RB took through the big hole the O-line had made and cut right at the linebackers. He would make a move around LB Leo Davenport and then cut sharp towards the sideline. He sped past most of the defenders and DB Lee Wolfe was the only one to catch up. When Wolfe put his hands out to tackle Brazeau he was met with a powerful stiff-arm. Brazeau shoved Wolfe off of him and sprinted into the endzone to score. The crowd erupted and one of the greatest runs in the history of the game would spark the Tigers. They would pick the ball off from Providence on the next drive leading to Brazeau’s second touchdown. In the fourth, they would take the lead with another Brazeau score. Toronto was determined to hold on and finally get the ever escaping win, but QB Bruce Woodard, who had struggled this season, turned it up and led the Gold Stars on a game-winning drive ending with a WR Peter Brooks touchdown. While the Tigers lost, many of the Kitchener fans were stunned by the performance of Laurent Brazeau and are excited to see the Tigers back next year. 
*Providence's win and Worcester's loss eliminates Worcester from the playoffs*

Buffalo Blue Wings - 11, Boston Independents - 13
The two teams engaged in a very defensive affair in Buffalo. After trading field goals in the first quarter, they would start trading defensive stops in the second. Interceptions were a part of those stops with DB Dylan Alston of Buffalo and DB Clinton Benton of Boston trading the turnovers. Boston would finally break through the seam in the third quarter on a WR Ethan Walters touchdown. Buffalo would try to counter but came up short on a long field goal ending in a single. They would take the lead late though with a huge catch from WR Joseph Barry which led to the RB Arthur Conner touchdown. QB Larry Larson may be getting old but he is still one of the best at executing game-winning drives. He would drive the field in a minute and a half leading to an Independents field goal. There was still 2:03 left in the game but the defense held strong and stopped the remaining Blue Wing efforts. 

Hartford Hawks - 15, Ottawa Royals - 20
The Hawks continued to be a tough team to beat on the road considering their record this season. QB Andrew Sexton has started to flash some of his potential on some good drives early in the game leading to field goals. The defense also disrupted the potent Ottawa offense that has not been the same since week 4. DL Sean Bowen was aggressive in getting to the backfield and pressured Duane Logan all day, including a huge forced fumble. RB Ellis Love found some form and had a touchdown for the Hawks. The Royals seemed to just be flat on offense. They were able to get into the endzone three times via a WR Willard Brooks catch, a WR John Osborn out route, and WR Allen Atkins explosive 40-yard touchdown catch. QB Duane Logan might be feeling a bit of pressure with Matieau behind him as well as the team trying to catch Buffalo in the race for the playoffs.  

Players of the Week: 

OFF: RB Laurent Brazeau TOR - 3 Touchdowns, 189 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Quinton Brewer MTL - 2 Interceptions, 10 Tackles 

Standings:
NORTH
Montreal 6-0-1
Buffalo 5-2
Ottawa 4-2-1
Toronto 1-6 - e

NEW ENGLAND
Boston 5-2
Providence 4-3
Hartford 2-5
Worcester 0-7 - e

Power Rankings
Montreal -
Boston +1
Buffalo -1
Ottawa -
Providence +1
Toronto -1
Hartford -
Worcester -

Week 8 Games
TOR (1-6) @ BOS (5-2) *BOS clinches Playoff with win or HAR loss
BUF (5-2) @ MTL (6-0-1) *MTL clinches Playoff with win or OTT loss *MTL clinches North Division with win
OTT (4-2-1) @ PRO (4-3)
WOR (0-7) @ HAR (2-5)

1951 Week 8

TRANSACTION NEWS:
The Providence Gold Stars have acquired Athletics and Former-Rouge WR Jean-Yves Vallotton for a playoff run. Vallotton was rumoured for a long time to be on the move considering he had one year on his contract and is 33 years old. The Athletics are in no place to compete so they give up the veteran receiver for draft capital in a 3rd round pick. The move also includes Gold Stars’ depth receiver Jay Baxter, since Worcester needed a receiver to play for the injured Dewey Doyle. 

Providence Gold Stars get:
WR Jean-Yves Vallotton 

Worcester Athletics get:
Providence 1952 3rd Round Draft Pick
WR Jay Baxter 

Boston Independents - 16, Toronto Tigers - 9
It was a pretty “boring” game in Boston, considering the Tigers' previous three games. The Independent and Tiger offenses couldn’t get into the endzone today with the only major coming from Boston DB Lester Murphy on a pick-six in the second quarter. The teams would trade field goals throughout the game and it would turn out to be the Murphy interceptions that decided the game and clinched Boston their third straight playoff spot. The Independents also announced that RB Joel Bonner will not return before the playoffs start, but hopes to be back for the New England Semi-Final. *Boston Clinches Playoffs* 

Montreal Rouge - 23, Buffalo Blue Wings - 14
The Montreal Rouge takes claim of the North Division with a strong win over Buffalo at home. Montreal controlled this game for most of it, only faltering early when letting up a RB Arthur Conner touchdown in the first half which had tied the game at 7. From that point on RB Élisée Marchal and the Rouge built their lead up to 20-7. Marchal had both of Montreal’s touchdowns and was the main factor on offense. The defense held Buffalo off until the fourth quarter when they pulled it back to within a score in Conner’s second touchdown. Montreal would hold on for the win and clinch the home game in the semi-finals.
*Montreal Clinches Playoff and the North Division*

Providence Gold Stars - 17, Ottawa Royals - 17
The two teams who have seemingly lost their mojo throughout the second half of the season end their matchup deadlocked. The story for each team coming in did not change with this one. The Gold Stars were good out of the gate, scoring early and quickly going up 10-0. WR Peter Brooks had a touchdown. The new addition in Jean-Yves Vallotton had a couple catches as well that helped the Gold Stars eventually extend their lead to 17-3 on a RB Gene Fischer touchdown. However, as stated before the story became the same as Ottawa would mount a comeback. QB Duane Logan was off again for the Royals early on, and their offense was not helped by an early RB Ray Middleton fumble. Once the fourth quarter came around, Logan looked like his old self finding Willard Brooks for the first touchdown and eventually the tying major to his favourite target, Allen Atkins. The Gold Stars had one more chance but fell flat into the tie. 

Hartford Hawk - 27, Worcester Athletics - 11
QB Maurice Norris made his return after going down with an injury in week 4. Norris played well leading the Hawks to their 3rd win of the season. This also gives Norris 3 straight wins in games he has started grabbing some attention from around the league or solidifying his starting role in Hartford. He would pass for another touchdown to rookie WR Robert Lang and RB Ellis Love would carry in two more touchdowns. The defense remained solid overall and didn’t give the Athletics too much ground. QB Adrian Little did lead a solid drive ending in a RB Jacque Montier touchdown and had pulled Worcester into the game for a moment. Hawks ultimately keep their playoff hopes alive with the win.  

Players of the Week: 

OFF: RB Élisée Marchal MTL - 2 Touchdowns, 114 Rushing yards 

DEF: DB Lester Murphy BOS - 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 4 Tackles 

Standings:
NORTH
Montreal 7-0-1 - y
Buffalo 5-3
Ottawa 4-2-2
Toronto 1-7 - e

NEW ENGLAND
Boston 6-2 - x
Providence 4-3-1
Hartford 3-5
Worcester 0-8 - e

Power Rankings
Montreal -
Boston -
Buffalo -
Ottawa -
Providence - 
Toronto - 
Hartford -
Worcester -

Week 9 Games
BUF (5-3) @ OTT (4-2-2) *BUF clinches playoff with a win
WOR (0-8) @ PRO (4-3-1) *PRO clinches playoff with win or HAR loss or tie
TOR (1-7) @ MTL (7-0-1)
BOS (6-2) @ HAR (3-5) *BOS clinches division with win or PRO loss

Last edited by Wallflower (4/20/2020 8:53 pm)