Woodard Isn’t Going Anywhere
PROVIDENCE GOLD STARS
After the Providence Gold Stars selected Weymouth QB Connor O’Rourke 5th overall in the draft, the future of QB Bruce Woodard was thrown into question. While there might have been some rumoured tension between Woodard and the revolving door of staff over the past couple of seasons, it seems to have not scared him away. The long time Gold Stars starter signed a 2-year deal worth $20K per year. The contract does have a player option for the second year of the term, so if Woodard chooses to go elsewhere he can. The other surprising news is the Stars also re-signed backup Brian Meadows to a 1-year deal worth $5K, which would likely place O’Rourke on the reserve roster for his first season, which may not be a bad thing to help develop the young QB.
Tigers Keep Their Future Intact
ONTARIO TIGERS
Both of the Tigers' top offensive stars were needing new contracts and they got both of them to stay long term. RB Laurent Brazeau has been the beating heart of the Tigers offense in his first 3 seasons and will continue that moving forward after signing a 4-year deal worth $102K overall. He will be paid 24K in ‘53 with an increasing salary over time. The biggest question was about signing the QB they traded for last year, Duane Logan. The ‘52 season was partly about showing Logan what the Tigers had in store and how he can win with this team. While a 4-6 season and missing the playoffs might not be satisfactory to start. The team was able to add pieces in the draft that have convinced the 33-year-old to re-sign. Logan will be on a 3-year deal worth $78K at an average of $26K a year.
Montreal Goes a New Direction Behind Center
MONTREAL ROUGE
After acquiring QB Oliver Callahan in a trade in 1951, the Rouge have released the veteran QB. While Callahan was able to lead Montreal to an unbeaten season and a McCallister Cup, the following season was very lackluster. Filled with pointless interceptions and costly decisions, Callahan struggled a lot in his second year with the Rouge. Guy Clarke is not a very patient man when it comes to his team, as seen by his trading of QB Maurice Norris despite the team finishing 1st in the league and in the McCallister Cup. QB Andrew Glover will likely take the reins as the starter this season which is a long time coming for the 29-year old. Glover had started his career in Buffalo behind Evan Morrow and was thinking he was the next guy, but when Angelo Medina came to town, Glover was looked at as a long term backup. He signed with Montreal last offseason in hopes that the aging Callahan would provide Glover with an opportunity to get into the starting role.
Another Hawk leaves the Nest
HARTFORD HAWKS
LB Roland Hensley of the Hartford Hawks has decided to leave the team following another disappointing season. The LB has been the top guy in Hartford for a long time and is fed up with the lack of passion the team has. Hensley is 28 and wants to play for a team that wants to win. He is one of the biggest players to ever hit the market and will be on every team’s radar in free agency.
Top Extensions - *Salaries are per year
QB Larry Larson BOS - 2 yrs, $25K - 2nd Year Player Option
OL Andrew Furrson BOS - 4 yrs, $18K
DB Dylan Alston BUF - 3 yrs, $16K
OL Casey York BUF - 5 yrs, $16K
DB Eugene Christensen HAR - 2 yrs, $15K - 2nd Year Player Option
S Carl Dawson HAR - 3 yrs, $12K
WR John Rivera MTL - 2 yrs, $20K
DL Zakary Turbide MTL - 4 yrs, $17K
DB Louie White ON - 4 yrs, $18.5K
DB Paul Gregory ON - 4 yrs, $17K
DB Uzzia Hayes OTT - 5 yrs, $18.8K
WR Willard Brooks OTT - 3 yrs, $17K
DB Victor Bean PRO - 3 yrs, $19.2K
WR Peter Brooks PRO - 3 yrs, $22K
RB Jacque Montier WOR - 2 yrs, $14K
K Trevor Francis WOR - 3 yrs, $10K
FREE AGENT FRENZY
Roland into Kitchener - Ontario Tigers
The Ontario Tigers stun the football world with their signing of top LB Roland Hensley. Hensley signed a 3-year deal at $17K per year. The addition will pair up the experienced linebacker with second-year Tiger LB Aengus Lynch. With the secondary only getting better, the Tigers have quickly climbed the ranks and on paper have the 3rd best defense behind Montreal and Providence. The Tigers are even scarier than last year and will hopefully take another step forward.
Free Agency Dry Spell
GENERAL NEWS
While this free agency window featured one of the biggest free agents ever in Roland Hensley, the rest of the group was far from great. QB Oliver Callahan did find a new home in Worcester and will back up Riley Kiernan. The Tigers also brought back WR Clifford Chapman who used to be one of their top guys but will likely fill the depth role as he gets older. WR John Hall moved on to Montreal after playing with the Royals as their #4 for several seasons. For the most part, it was depth pieces transitioning from team to team. However, there were a couple of bigger moves that happened through the process of trades.
TRADES
Gold Stars are Dealing, and a New Look Receiving Core is the Result
PROVIDENCE GOLD STARS, OTTAWA ROYALS, AND HARTFORD HAWKS
Virgil Gross in his first offseason as GM of the Gold Stars has many people either thrilled that the team is finally taking action or they are puzzled by the drastic changes. The first victim is long-time WR Eugene Burns. Burns has not been quite at the same level as his ‘50 All-Star season, but he is still a great #2 option behind WR Peter Brooks. However, they also had not addressed the D-line in yet and needed major help, so they called upon the Ottawa Royals. The Royals also need help on the D-line, but they also couldn’t pass up on the chance to add to an already deadly receiving core. The Royals would send DL George Woods, who they only signed a year ago from the Hawks, and WR John Osborn to the Gold Stars for WR Eugene Burns, DL (Prospect) Nicolas Campbell, and a 1954 3rd Rounder. The Gold Stars get both a replacement for Burns in Osborn who has been great as Ottawa’s 3rd WR and a strong veteran DL who should help out in the front 7. Ottawa, of course, grabs Eugene Burns who now is involved in a receiving core that already has Allen Atkins and Willard Brooks. Good luck to teams trying to stop that air attack. They also get a prospect on the DL but won’t likely be more than a depth piece and another late-round draft pick.
The deal overall is pretty even with the Gold Stars getting the much-needed help on the line, while still not having a bad receiving core. Ottawa will be one of the hardest teams to stop but will have some big holes on defense that could be detrimental.
Providence wasn’t done there tho as they would make a second trade with the Hartford Hawks. The Gold Stars would send troubled WR Lloyd Marshall to the Hawks for WR Michael Mcleod and RB Howard Reid. Providence picks up Mcleod who has probably been the most reliable WR in Hartford over the past few years and should fit in well on the offense in a smaller role. While Howard Reid was mainly a piece Providence took on because the Hawks couldn’t pay off the player and wanted the spot for rookie RB Pierre LeStrange. As of now, Reid will be the second option at RB, while their draft selections develop behind himself and Gene Fischer. The Hawks got a troubled WR in Lloyd Marshall who had never found his footing in Providence. Hopefully, in a new environment, the WR can improve and find a new level of success. Marshall also comes in much cheaper than Mcleod was and will provide the Hawks with some financial relief.
1953 Season Preview - Schedule
The season will kick off with the Blue Wings hosting the Rouge on CBS.
Ottawa will host Ontario for the first CBC game this season
A couple of returns will happen this season, starting with QB Andrew Glover returning to Buffalo in his first start with Montreal, then in Week 4 WR Eugene Burns returns to Providence, and after a couple of seasons, WR John Rivera will finally return to Hartford.
The 2 "rivalry" weeks were split because the league wanted to have Boston and Providence play later on in the season. Week 6 will still feature the 4 rivalry matchups.
Weeks 6-8 are all divisional games to hopefully make the race for the playoffs more intense, where at times weeks 9 and 10 have been a bit duller.
1953 Season Preview - Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo Blue Wings
Won McCallister Cup
Record: 6-4
The defending champions remain on top of the power rankings. This offseason they were able to add a couple of pieces in the draft while maintaining almost all of the championship-winning team from last season. OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste will only add to a very strong O-line headlined by recently re-signed Casey York and Melvin Marshall. Clifford Church should solidify himself as a strong #3 option for Medina. LB Ben McCray also got an extension after the team acquired him via trade last year and should make the LB core stronger. The concern on defense would be a bit of decline in the secondary as Oscar Patterson returns but will likely show more decline this season. Overall, the hope this season would be that Buffalo can get off to a good start rather than the 0-3 start from last year. Their confidence and experience should help them stay positive and keep going even throughout losses. Buffalo should be in the mix with every other team.
2 - Ottawa Royals
Lost in Semi-Finals
Record: 7-3
The Royals had the best record last season. Unfortunately, they still have yet to win in the playoffs and take that next step. The addition of WR Eugene Burns to the already top-notch offense will only make them more deadly. Not to mention the young RB in Alexei Volkov now entering his second season. The big concern would be that they sacrificed the defense and they will have to outscore their opponents to win rather than hold them back. LB Leo Davenport will likely see a bigger workload as minor injuries have hindered their top LB in Mickaël Beaumont. DL Olaf Viktorsson will make his debut in week 1 and hopefully, he can transition well to the next level and be a difference-maker for the Royals. If 1952 MVP Jean Matieau can maintain his high level of play in his second season, Ottawa should be able to finish near the top of the North division once again.
3 - Boston Independents
Lost in McCallister Cup
Record: 7-3
It will be a very different season for the Independents, as they start to truly transition from their old stars to the younger talent. QB Larry Larson still remains the team’s starter and Bonner will be a big piece to their success. The addition of WR Ellis Lindholm should help make the passing game even easier for Larson. The defense is mostly the same from last year which ended up being the second-best in the league. DB Lester Murphy and S Michael O’Brien will lead the way for the defense to try and repeat the success from last season. Expect another playoff appearance from Boston even under first-year head coach Dean Reed.
4 - Ontario Tigers
Missed Playoffs
Record: 4-6
It might be a surprise how high the Tigers appear here, but they had a great offseason and their new home should only help the team take yet another step forward. LB Roland Hensley is the best piece they added and he gives the Tigers a force in the middle of the defense being paired with Aengus Lynch. The secondary all return to give Ontario the 3rd best defense heading into the season. Laurent Barzeau will still be the key on offense but expect the team to look more to the air as Wilbert Benjamin gets better alongside their other young receivers. Duane Logan will hope to return to his All-Star level of play to finally get the Tigers to the postseason.
5 - Providence Gold Stars
Lost in Semi-Finals
Record; 6-4
A rollercoaster of an offseason for the Gold Stars puts them at the #5 spot. Bruce Woodard does return as a starter but his leash will be a lot shorter than in years past. The same goes for RB Gene Fischer who has been injured and struggling over the last few years. The new receiving core will be the main thing to watch for early on in the season to see if they will help add another side to the offense. The defense should be solid once again. Their secondary is still the top in the league, but they did have major weaknesses on the defensive line, which they tried to address with the Eugene Burns trade. The Gold Stars should be a lock for the playoffs based on their division, but they are still a complete wildcard on how they will fair overall.
6 - Montreal Rouge
Missed Playoffs
Record: 6-4
The Rouge’s record looks a lot better than it probably should after the team was repeatedly blown up in their losses last season. The lower-ranking comes primarily from uncertainty on the aging defense which still could be as good, and in their new starting QB in Andrew Glover. Glover has had some chances to prove he has skill, but his lack of experience might show if he is constantly on the field with the pressure of starting. Marchal will still be able to keep the offense going if Glover Struggles, but I can’t imagine Guy Clarke being patient with Glover. The Rouge have the defense and offense to win now and they want to win now.
7 - Worcester Athletics
Missed Playoffs
Record: 2-8
QB Riley Kiernan and LB Scotty Williams enter their second season looking like top tier players in the league. They should both take their play to the next level and give the Athletics more firepower and possibly another win or two this season. Athletics are still a long way from being a playoff team, but they look much better than last season. Their rookies for this season like OL Cliff Strautzenberger who will add help on the line and RB Marcus Devonshire who will pair up with Jacque Montier to carry the run game should continue to build the Athletics towards success. Expect a more competitive team out of Worcester this season.
8 - Hartford Hawks
Missed Playoffs
Record: 2-8
The Hawks had a very up and down offseason. While they got some solid pieces at the draft like their starting QB Lee Rogers, they lost a lot more in the veterans and depth. There were many players not happy with the team, most notably LB Roland Hensley, and they wanted to win. Hartford was also struggling with finances which they had to trade Mcleod to Providence to get rid of some of the payroll. There are a lot of concerns coming from around the team and owner Jonathan Sampson about the future of the team. Even with the young talent, expect Hartford to continue to struggle. Hopefully, Lee Rogers can live up to his expectations and give Hartford a competitive team in the end.
This season looks to be very interesting as the top 6 teams are all around the same overall rating which means this may be a very wacky season. But let's see who can predict the champion this season. Who's making the playoffs? Who goes to Providence and who takes home the Cup?
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