Saturday, 6 June 2020

1954 Offseason Pt. 2 - Transactions and Season Preview

1954 Re-Sign Stage

Worcester Secures Their Future
Worcester Athletics

The Athletics made it certain that LB Scotty Williams and QB Riley Kiernan are the faces of the franchise and extended the players to identical 6-year contracts. The first two years will be worth $28,000, followed by $30,000 the next two, before $32,000 in the final two seasons. This will make both players the highest paid in the league at their respective positions. They also extended S Shawn Jensen to a 4-year deal with an average salary of $18,000.  

Buffalo Keeps Medina and Conner for 4 More Years
Buffalo Blue Wings

Medina signed a 4-year deal starting at $26,000 but will go up to $28,000 by the final year. Much like Medina Conner has a 4-year deal that increases over the years starting at $25,000 and ending at $27,000. Buffalo has put a lot of faith into the two players and they hope they can bring them back to the top of the NAAF. Medina will have concerns about health after missing the second half of this past season.  

Providence Making More Moves
Providence Gold Stars

Bruce Woodard is sticking around for another season, so the team has cut QB Brian Meadows to make way for QB Conner O’Rourke to back up Woodard this season. The team also made a huge signing in DB Lee Wolfe for another 3-years at $28,000 a season. The big surprise, however, is the team releasing RB Gene Fischer after 5 years with him behind the QB. They could be looking to target either, RB Ellis Love, RB Johnnie Stafford, or bring up their prospects they drafted last season. 

Other Major Signings:
WR Ethan Walters BOS - 2Y, $14,000
TE Richard Stewart BOS - 4Y, $16,000
OL Ronnie Elliot BUF - 5Y, $15,000
DB Slay Mitchell LI - 5Y, $19,000
WR Robert Lang LI - 4Y, $17,500
LB Quinton Brewer MTL - 2Y, $21,000
QB Andrew Glover MTL - 2Y, $17,000
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 6Y, $19,000
WR Wilbert Benjamin ON - 4Y, $19,000
WR Allen Atkins OTT - 2Y, $27,000 +1 Option $20,000
RB Alexei Volkov OTT - 4Y, $18,000
WR John Osborn PRO - 2Y, $16,500 

1954 Free Agency

​Fischer and Stafford Swap Teams
Long Island Hawks, Providence Gold Stars
RB Gene Fischer has had his ups and downs with the Gold Stars over the past 5 seasons. Being injured on and off and making many costly mistakes, he was never a fan favourite. Despite his strong capabilities, it was never a good match in Providence. There were talks last offseason that the Gold Stars would move on from the Running Back, but they gave him one last shot. In the end, Virgil Gross decided the Gold Stars wanted to go in a different direction especially with their developing offensive core. Fischer would wait to hear offers, but not many teams were interested in his services. There were rumblings the Royals wanted to add him as a backup but ended up bringing Ellis Love back for that role. Long Island became the top spot for the RB to land. They have not had a very stable run game in any of the 5 seasons, Ellis Love was the closest to that. The addition of Fischer should help add just a bit of stability behind QB Lee Rogers. Johnnie Stafford decided to leave the Hawks based on how he was treated over the past year. After being taken in the second round in 1952, Stafford was the starting back for the 1952 season. However, the Hawks would trade up and draft Piere LeStrange in the first round the following season. LeStrange would start the season as the Hawks didn’t have faith in Stafford. In the end, Stafford would get the job back but he was done with that. He will be the starter in Providence and maybe a little less weight on his shoulders could help him be a better back.   

Former NYFL Players Make Their Way Into The NAAF
With several teams being shut down, many players were left without jobs in the new ACFL. The best and youngest players were gathered up by the ACFL and some teams in the Great Lakes, but there were a handful of players that made the transition to the NAAF. Many were former Long Island Raiders, and they were happy to join the Long Island Hawks. DB Amyre Rouleau was the most notable. The DB played all his professional time with the Raiders and was very against the ACFL after they were shut down so he held out until the Hawks came to Long Island. He was joined by former teammates, DB Rickey Matthews, OL Samuel Weston, and DL Rielly Cooper. Former Philadelphia DL Jessie Sellers also joined the Hawks as the team already looks to have a great improvement over the past few seasons. There were plenty of others like WR Daniel Hubbard and DL James Beck heading to the Tigers, DB Karl Shannon and OL Darek Palmer going to Providence, and DB Kenneth Barnett and LB Willie Baxter landed in Ottawa. The new talent will bring some new excitement to the league. 

1954 Schedule
 - Two games a week will be on CBS and one will be shown on CBC. Ottawa and Long Island have the most nationally televised games.


1954 Season Preview and Power Rankings

1 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1953 Record: 6-4
1953 Result: Missed Playoffs

Despite losing their star QB Angelo Medina midway through the season, the Blue Wings were able to finish at 6-4. With the new crossover rule that would have been good enough for the playoffs. They were a completely capable team last season, and they only got better this offseason. The big addition was DL Sean Bowen. The Blue Wings now have the Superstar DL paired up with their own All-Star DL Jonathan Brown to make a scary front 4. They have plenty of youth in the defense and on the offensive line that will hopefully take another step forward, and they will have the return of QB Angelo Medina to lead the way. Medina’s health is very important and I can imagine him being a little more conservative this season to not risk further injury.

Player to Watch: QB Angelo Medina
Biggest Acquisition: DL Sean Bowen
Rookie to Watch: LB Lloyd Mathis

2 - Ottawa Royals
1953 Record: 7-3
1953 Result: Lost In Semi-Finals

The Royals once again look like a team ready to run over the league. Their offense is by far the best in the league. They managed to maintain WR’s Allen Atkins, Willard Brooks, and Eugene Burns for QB Jean Matieau to pass to. They also still have youngsters in RB Alexei Volkov, TE Jervonte Howell, and 1st round pick WR Chester Bennett. The defense also sees some solid improvement with DL Olaf Viktorsson entering his second year, and the addition of DB Kenneth Barnett and LB Willie Baxter from the ACFL. Expect the Royals to be much tougher to bring down this season.

Player to Watch: RB Alexei Volkov
Biggest Acquisition: WR Chester Bennett
Rookie to Watch: DB Mingan Oliver

3 - Providence Gold Stars
1953 Record: 9-1
1953 Result: Lost in McCallister Cup

Despite being the most dominant team last season, the Gold Stars don’t seem as big of a threat this season, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Woodard is only getting older and he will have to prove the MVP season was not just a one off. RB Johnnie Stafford will hopefully help change things up a bit behind the line, but they still have some issues with the offensive line. The defense is as good as ever and they will have to rely on the defense in order to have the same success as last season. If things don’t start great, don’t be surprised to see QB Connor O’Rourke get an opportunity this season. The Gold Stars will hope that Lee Wolfe and the defense can lead them to the top like Montreal’s defense was able to do for them.

Player to Watch: QB Bruce Woodard
Biggest Acquisition: RB Johnnie Stafford
Rookie to Watch: QB Connor O’Rourke

4 - Montreal Rouge
1953 Record: 8-2
1953 Result: Won McCallister Cup

The Rouge surprised a lot of people with their run back to the top of the league last season. They still come into this season with a fairly strong team, but they lost a few players to retirement this season, specifically on the OL. The newly built O-Line will likely have some ups and downs early on. The defense may run into some issues as well, as they have many older players like DB Jean-Luc Paget and LB Quinton Brewer. LB Rusty McVee will be looked at as the new face of the defense, and we will see how he fits as he enters his second season. Montreal may take some steps back this season as they get older, which may make this season one of their last shots at a title before a more long-term rebuild.

Player to Watch: LB Rusty McVee
Biggest Acquisition: TE Eli Grant
Rookie to Watch: TE Eli Grant

5 - Ontario Tigers
1953 Record: 2-8
1953 Result: Missed Playoffs

Disappointment is the only word to describe the 1953 season for the Tigers. After the hype over the addition of LB Roland Hensley, the team could not deliver. New Head Coach Lewis Gallegos should give the team a new angle this season and could help get the Tigers moving in the right direction. Overall, they didn’t make any major moves this season, they added to the depth especially on the O-line, they hope they can make things happen this season and make the playoffs for the first time. With the crossover, they could sneak in if they have a strong season.

6 - Boston Independents
1953 Record: 4-6
1953 Result: Lost in Semi-Final

The Independents had their big step back last season falling to a 4-6 record. There is a lot of belief that the team will have a similar season this year as well with QB Larry Larson getting older and the team overall having more holes on defense. The receiving core is still quite strong and they have RB Joel Bonner, but they will need to truly rebound to take another shot at another McCallister Cup.

Player to Watch: WR Ellis Lindholm
Biggest Acquisition: QB Brian Meadows
Rookie to Watch: LB Silas O’Brien

7 - Long Island Hawks
1953 Record: 2-8
1953 Result: Missed Playoffs

The Hawks look very intriguing entering their first season on Long Island. They added several players from the old Long Island Raiders and the ACFL. Plus they managed to add some solid pieces in DL Vernon Spears and LB Elijah Goldwater from the draft and Sean Bowen trade. RB Gene Fischer will be a legit RB that should be able to give Lee Rogers some help. While they are still a long way from being a true playoff contender, but they could make waves this season.

Player to Watch: QB Lee Rogers
Biggest Acquisition: RB Gene Fischer
Rookie to Watch: DL Vernon Spears

8 - Worcester Athletics
1953 Record: 2-8
1953 Result: Missed Playoffs

The Athletics fall to the bottom of the rankings based on the fact that they didn’t make any substantial additions outside of the draft. DB Alexander Bradley is a generational talent, but he won’t turn the team around alone. LB Scotty Williams and S Shawn Jensen are still great, but the reality is the lack of depth may come to bite them. However, the Athletics still have improved and should be a more competitive team this season. WR Clyde McIntosh and WR Christian Venegas should stand out this season especially with QB Riley Kiernan entering his third season.

Player to Watch: LB Scotty Williams
Biggest Acquisition: DB Alexander Bradley
Rookie to Watch: DB Alexander Bradley

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