1967 Season Preview

1967 Schedule

Important Dates
Season Kickoff - June 22, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Boston
Canada Day: Centennial Celebration - July 1, 1967 - Halifax VS. Toronto, Ottawa VS. Montreal
4th of July - July 4, 1967 - Boston VS. Indiana
McCallister Cup Rematch: July 8, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Montreal
Rivalry Week - July 28-July 30, 1967
Labour Day - September 4, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Toronto, Indiana VS. Louisville
Regular Season Finale - September 10, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Louisville

Power Rankings

1 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1966 Record: 10-2 (1st West)
1966 Result: Won McCallister Cup
Buffalo is by far still the top dogs heading into this season. GM Reginald McMahon handled the salary cap crunch very well, being able to keep most of the team together and make cheap improvements. His key moves were acquiring OL Fabrice Beaufort from Ottawa (with the Royals retaining salary) and drafting WR Tracy Driscoll to replace the retiring WR Daniel Irons. However, it appears that there could be a battle for the 3rd WR spot between Driscoll and fellow young WRs in Jimmy Jack and Sebastian Dassler. In the end, expect Buffalo to continue to roll on in what looks to be another successful season for the team. 

Captains
C - QB Charles Lemieux
A - DL Lonnie Vincent
A - OL Georgio Stephan

2 - Halifax Mariners
1966 Record: 7-5 (3rd East)
1966 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
Halifax had quite a disappointing end to last season going 1-5 in the second half after starting 6-0. They will be aiming to bounce back this season as they are being looked at as a true championship contender. QB Lyle Painter is back to lead the way on offence with his star weapons of RB Ronald O’Sullivan, WR Shane Steadman, and WR Jav Kerrigan. Halifax’s defence will be key this season, they had moments to shine last season with a strong D-line but also had lapses and a lack of consistency. They will need to be consistent this season to truly put the Mariners in the fight for the Cup.

Captains
C - OL Ward Briscoe
A - DB Joe Robinson
A - DL Pat Butler

3 - Indiana Victors
1966 Record: 8-4 (2nd West)
1966 Result: Lost West Division Final
In the past two seasons, the Victors have finally lived up to their name. The hope is they continue this pattern into this season. They had a great season last year and they come into this season with a similar-looking team. They went out and added some more depth with DL Howard Grant and OL Jimmy McKay to solidify their position as a contender. Of course, they do have the biggest obstacle to get over in the Buffalo Blue Wings in the West. They have a shot at it, but it is going to be a tough challenge to beat them. The team will likely need QB Tom Applewhite to further his development and take another step forward this season if they want to get past the Blue Wings. 

Captains
C - DB Kelly Kirkland
A - OL Viktor Stahl*
A - LB Terrence Patton

4 - Long Island Raiders
1966 Record: 9-3 (1st East)
1966 Result: Lost East Division Final
The Raiders were just 2-points away from their 3rd straight McCallister Cup appearance last season. The heartbreak should certainly fire the team up hoping to get back to the final. Their defence remains their signature weapon, however, they do lose a couple of veterans in DL Vernon Spears and LB Gene Bensen, but they found some solid replacements in DL Brian Alvagardo and LB Sam Wynn. However, the big question for the team will be on the offence as OC Levi Bray has left for Boston leaving first-year OC Andrew Glover in his place. Glover will have the tough task of continuing what Bray had been able to do with QB Stanley Troyer and the offence. They also may not be able to rely on RB Dareion Fields as much, since the star back has faced injuries in recent years and is getting into his 30s. However, there is good news for Fields as he was named the team’s second captain in franchise history this season with LB William Washington II taking his place as an alternate captain.

Captains
C - RB Dareion Fields*
A - OL Elliot Winterbottom
A - LB William Washington II*

5 - Providence Gold Stars
1966 Record: 7-5 (4th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Providence faced the tough fate of missing out of the playoffs despite having a winning record last season. They certainly will be fueled by the apparent snub and will aim to get themselves back to the playoffs for the first time since their 1963 McCallister Cup appearance. There was a ton of veteran depth that GM Peter Brooks brought in this offseason, starting with LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes and later on OL Tyler Cunningham, DB Elvin Waters, and DB Evan Harris. The hope is the added depth will be able to propel an already solid roster far enough to make it to the playoffs and even fight for a chance for the McCallister Cup. 

Captains
C - QB Connor O’Rourke
A - DB Neville Falkner
A - DL Calias McDonough

6 - Boston Independents
1966 Record: 2-10 (6th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Boston’s miserable 1966 campaign signalled a wholesale change within the organization. It was pretty much new everything for the team, and that extended past the staff and to the players. Of course, the main pieces stayed, there were plenty of moves happening, the biggest being the acquisition of their latest star, DB Oliver Langstrom. Langstrom should make a huge difference in the secondary, adding to an already strong pair of DB Mordecai King and DB Lawrence Ralph. Along with S Ernie Osborne, Boston should have one of the best secondaries in the league, however, their front 7 leaves a lot to be desired. They lost several pieces on the D-line and they will be relying on a pair of rookies to take over the LB core in Byron Turner and Mads Strahlman. As for overall changes, Levi Bray is the new head coach of the team and there is hope that the team could take a step forward on offence. If they do take that step forward on offence and their defence can figure things out, they could be a huge threat in the East Division.

Captains
C - QB Nathaniel Braddock
A - OL Graham Chambers
A - S Ernie Osborne*

7 - Montreal Rouge
1966 Record: 7-5 (2nd East)
1966 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
Losing in the McCallister Cup would typically bring a team to the conclusion that they are very close to a title and might need just one or two more pieces. However, GM Martin Gagneaux decided to do the opposite and begin a small rebuild. Some wonder if the Thunder’s fall from McCallister Cup finalists to dead last might have made him rethink the strategy this season. The rebuild started with trading several veteran pieces away to get younger talent and more draft picks. The big acquisition is LB Conrad Kurst, who appears to be the centre of the new defence. On top of the new players coming in, the team also decided on a completely new set of captains, which will be led by young OL Mathieu Roy, WR Taylor Karis, and 1966 Defensive Player of the Year S Garet deVale. With their retool, the Rouge are expected to be a step behind the other teams in the East this season, although that’s more so because of the fact that all 6 teams seem capable of making the playoffs.

Captains
C - OL Mathieu Roy*
A - WR Taylor Karis*
A - S Garet deVale*

8 - London Tigers
1966 Record: 5-7 (5th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The 1966 season was a bit of a struggle for the Tigers, whose offence lost most of its explosiveness with WR Max Sutton and QB Riley Kiernan getting older and RB Austin Andrews being knocked out for the season. They looked to address this issue by first drafting WR Cole Fletcher out of UHamilton and then acquiring WR Joshua Lafleur from the Mariners. Both weapons, in combination with the return RB Austin Andrews, should allow the Tigers’ offence to get back to what they are used to doing, especially under the guidance of offensive mastermind HC Roy Aguirre. However, the Tigers are getting older and the defence is looking a lot more barebones, which could spell disaster. The Tigers will need to rely on their offensive firepower if they want one last shot at the McCallister Cup. Expect them to be in the hunt for the playoffs this season, but more so as an underdog if anything. 

Captains
C - QB Riley Kiernan
A - DB Jackson Miles
A - OL Emil Jennings

9 - Ottawa Royals
1966 Record: 4-8 (5th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Royals have been kinda just there for the last few seasons. Nothing special but not horribly bad. Just there. However, things are looking brighter with the addition of WR Piers Key into the WR core and all of the young defensive stars hoping to begin breaking out this season, keep an eye on rookie DL Bernhard Hartmann and second-year DB Sergio Alvarez. The Royals are expected to have a strong roster that could challenge in the East Division, however, their one drawback could still be at the QB position. Michael Benedict was acquired from the Mariners last season and showed some promise in the few starts he got, but there are certainly some skeptics still as Benedict has never really been able to maintain consistency. If the Royals are truly going to start moving out of the rebuild, they are going to need someone to step up at the QB position.

Captains
C - S Randall Green
A - WR Marshall Leonard
A - LB Sam Wheeler*

10 - Toronto Steelheads
1966 Record: 7-5 (3rd West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Steelheads have been doubted in all 3 seasons they have competed in thus far. They have exceeded all of those expectations with a combined 23-13 in those seasons, which includes a West Division title. And now the question is asked as to why they are ranked 10th. Well, the answer is that they have lost quite a few pieces from last season with the league’s highest number of retirees. It appears that the team has decided to begin the rebuild, sending several more veterans away to other teams to get younger pieces. While they do have a number of talented young players, namely RB Max Tracy and S Charles Clerk, they are still a ways away and reasonable to assume they will finally come down to Earth this season.

Captains
C - QB Todd Baker
A - DL Lawrence Armstrong*
A - OL Gregory Farrell*

11 - Louisville Thunder
1966 Record: 1-11 (6th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Blow it all up. That was the motto for Louisville this offseason as they reset just about everything with the team. The changes included a new GM in Robbie Wilson, a new HC in Malachi Knowles, and one of the highest roster turnover rates ever seen in the NAAF’s history. This is a much different Thunder team, however, that doesn’t mean they are instantly going to be back to fighting for McCallister Cups. They have some interesting pieces in 1st overall pick DL Aaron Henderson, last year’s first-round pick LB Le’Darius Wynn, and the electrifying WR Lloyd Lane. Those 3 should be the foundation of the team, however, there are still a lot of questions to answer especially with the QB spot. Leonidas Dumont has still 2-years left on his contract and he hasn’t been all that amazing, although he didn’t perform terribly in the final few games of last season. However, the team could be looking at a change especially since the QB will no longer serve as the team captain. The current potential answer could be in free-agent acquisition QB Buck Murphy. Murphy has the experience from starting in Pittsburgh and Halifax, but some are still not sure he is a franchise-leading type. However, there are rumours coming out of Thunder training camp that the QB has been looking good and seems to be growing a bond with star WR Lloyd Lane. There could be a chance Murphy gets the nod, but it is still expected Dumont may start the season under centre. 

Captains
C - DB Jayden Mills*
A - S Johnny Berger
A - OL Taylor Forbes*

12 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
1966 Record: 5-7 (4th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Pittsburgh certainly had a promising year last season, however, they didn’t make a lot of changes this offseason which may put them a step behind the rest. Their moves this offseason were primarily around the purpose of getting younger and continuing to build the roster’s foundation. It will be up to the youngsters to get this team into the conversation for a playoff spot. Some key players are going to be WR Taylor Austin, DL Matthias Harmann, and DB Aiden Sargent, who all will be stepping into starting roles this season. Of course, the biggest decision to be made will be at quarterback. The Blacksmiths do have Magnus Torrensen who played really well when starting last season, however, there are a lot of fans hoping the team sends out the 1966 1st overall pick, QB Louis Vaughn. It will be a tough decision, especially after a similar situation happened in Indiana a couple of seasons ago that saw Tom Applewhite start in his second season only to be replaced by QB Lyle Painter who went on to win an MVP. Maybe Torrensen is the guy to help win now, but Vaughn is the future. The decision is likely to come in the days leading up to their opening game against Halifax. 

Captains
C - RB Stavros Black
A - DL Sammy Pickett
A - OL Wally McRose

Wally’s 1967 Predictions
WEST
Buffalo 10-2 -y
Indiana 9-3 -x
London 5-7
Toronto 3-9
Louisville 3-9
Pittsburgh 3-9

EAST
Halifax 8-4 -y
Long Island 8-4 -x
Providence 7-5 -x
Boston 6-6 -xc
Ottawa 5-7
Montreal 5-7

Playoffs
DSF
PRO over LI
IND over BOS

DF
HFX over PRO
BUF over IND

49th McCallister Cup
HFX over BUF
*Buffalo is very good, but its Canada's 100th birthday, I gotta take a Canadian team to win it all

Who do you think is taking home the cup this season? Any players or teams you are excited to see this season?