1969 NAAF Season Preview
1 - Indiana Victors
1968 Record: 7-5 (3rd West)
1968 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
After making it to their first ever McCallister Cup last season, the Victors looked to get themselves over the hump this season, by reeling in the biggest fish in free agency, DB Neville Falkner. Falkner’s addition to the secondary should be a massive boost to an already strong group of players. Outside of Falkner, the team’s starting lineup doesn’t see a lot of changes. The biggest loss will certainly be OL Elias McCarren, but they should have the depth to make up for it with several up-and-coming players at the position. QB Tom Applewhite and RB Raymond Green are still slated to be the headliners of the offence, but there is excitement about 2nd-year WR Jake Abbredezzi, who performed well in the preseason and could have a breakout season. While the roster is familiar, they do have a new coach leading the way in Urick Wilkins who is promoted from the Defensive Coordinator role. However, it is expected that the team will still have a lot of the same systems in place with Wilkins still managing the defence and OC Lou Granger handling the offence.
Captains
C - DB Kelly Kirkland
A - OL Viktor Stahl
A - LB Terrence Patton
2 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1969 Record: 7-5 (2nd West)
1969 Result: Lost West Division Semi-Final
After falling in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Blue Wings are looking to get back to the top of the league. They boast one of the best starting lineups in the league featuring the usual suspects of QB Charles Lemieux, RB Jimmy Golden, DL William Sanderson, and DB Ezra Power. However, there are a couple of new additions and up-and-comers looking to make an impact. LB Dallas Dillard is easily the biggest addition, as the 6x All-Star will help form a stellar LB core with LB Orion Carter and LB Randall Lambert. OL Artem Sobakov should bring a boost to the team’s O-line in his rookie season, while WR Tracy Driscoll is expected to see more playing time with WR Sebastian Dassler in Minnesota. While the starting lineup looks like an immovable force, there are plenty of concerns with the team’s depth. The mega contracts signed to Lemieux and Golden handcuffed the team in terms of picking up solid depth pieces, so the Blue Wings could easily find themselves in a tough spot if injuries pile up, but in the end, they should still be a contender for the cup.
Captains
C - QB Charles Lemieux
A - DL Lonnie Vincent
A - DB Dean Hawkins
3 - Ottawa Royals
1968 Record: 10-2 (1st East)
1968 Result: Lost East Division Final
Ottawa surprised a lot of people by putting up the league’s best record last season, especially behind first-year starter QB Tyrion Gainsborough. A big factor in that is Ottawa’s depth. The Royals boast one of the deepest rosters in the league with plenty of young stars that are only getting better. DL Bernhard Hartmann, now with an “A” on his chest, DB Sergio Alvarez, and S Marc Bellecourt are forming an elite defensive core that should cause many issues for opposing offences for years to come. Offensively, they still have star power with RB Corbyn Knight, WR Piers Key, and newly named captain, WR Marshall Leonard. However, there was still a question mark at QB heading into camp. Head Coach Jean Matieau had made it clear that 2nd-year QB Drake Young has a shot at taking the starting job over Gainsborough. Throughout camp, Matieau was impressed with both players, but in the end, they decided to start the younger hand in Drake Young. Young has a lot to prove this season, especially after Gainsborough’s solid first year as a starter, but if he is what he was at UHamilton, it could be a new era of Royals domination.
Captains
C - WR Marshall Leonard*
A - LB Sam Wheeler
A - DL Bernhard Hartmann*
4 - Halifax Mariners
1968 Record: 6-6 (2nd East)
1968 Result: Won McCallister Cup
The defending champs are certainly still in the conversation to be a top contender this season, however, there are still plenty of concerns about the team. First, is the loss of OC Alfred Deniau, who left for Montreal’s Head Coaching job. There will certainly be an adjustment that needs to be made for the new man in Don Neuman. On top of that, they have a new feature back as RB Rashed Smith joins the club to replace RB Ronald O’Sullivan. Smith’s playstyle is quite different from O’Sullivan’s so they will need to make those adjustments. They also lost a top OL in Flint Boyer to the Serpents and will have to rely on rookie OL Graeme McDouglas to fill those shoes. Now it’s not all bad news as most of the defence is back and they did add some help in the passing game with WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence to supplement WR Jav Kerrigan and WR Shane Steadman. The Mariners should still be a strong team, but there may be some growing pains early in the season.
Captains
C - OL Ward Briscoe
A - DB Joe Robinson
A - DL Pat Butler
5 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
1968 Record: 6-6 (5th West)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Blacksmiths showed that they could compete last season. Unfortunately, they had fallen just short of a playoff berth, but if they continue to show growth this season, they could easily be a front runner for a playoff spot. The offence is very similar, but there is hope that QB Louis Vaughn can turn it up in his 2nd full season as the starter, and start to come into his own as a top QB in the NAAF. The only major change is with the WR3 spot with Nathan Murray-Lawrence heading to Halifax, 26-year-old WR Justin Dubuque will be the one set to fill those shoes. Defensively, the Blacksmiths might have a great dynamic duo on the D-line with 1968 Rookie of the Year winner DL Artur Bradshaw and 3rd-year DL Matthias Hartmann. They also have other up-and-coming stars like LB Patrick Hamilton and DB Aiden Sargent.
Captains
C - QB Louis Vaughn
A - OL Erik Nelson
A - DL Sammy Pickett
6 - Louisville Thunder
1968 Record: 4-8 (6th West)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Thunder were a team that completely failed to meet expectations in 1968. The dual threat of WR Casey Coleman and WR Lloyd Lane looked to create a destructive offence with QB Buck Murphy’s big arm. Unfortunately, injuries as well as opposing teams figuring out how to counter the attack brought the production down significantly, and the weaknesses on defence only made their season worse. Luckily, there are some new faces and a hopefully healthier team may be able to get this team back in the running for a playoff spot. They added some help in the WR core with veteran WR Alexei Dubois, then they looked to improve on a young defence with DL Gavin Shaw being added in the draft and LB Linus Kinjerski coming over from Buffalo to strengthen their weakest position. They will also be hoping that a few younger talents start to take over the defence in LB L’Darius Wynn and DL Aaron Henderson. Louisville should be competitive and be in the running for a playoff spot this season, but they will still have lots to prove.
Captains
C - DB Jayden Mills
A - S Johnny Berger
A - OL Taylor Forbes
7 - Long Island Raiders
1968 Record: 6-6 (3rd East)
1968 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
The Raiders have been a competitive team for the last while, but they may be faced with an aging core this season. Their LB core took a heavy hit with retirements and regressing talent, and 31-year-old LB Calvin Hardy doesn’t seem like the greatest solution. Their D-line also is facing some question marks as their top players hit their 30s, but DL Dallas Breaker should hopefully add some youth to the line. Age isn’t only hitting the defence as RB Dareion Fields is slowing down while the O-line is filled with aging veterans. On top of those questionable positions, they still have a question mark at QB. Ivan Sanchez was given the job last season, but struggled in his first year, while QB Landon Ross helped the Raiders into the postseason. Despite how last season went, Sanchez seems to still be the favoured player, which makes sense when you consider youth, but he’s still not as experienced as Ross. The team didn’t seem to come to a full decision by the time camp was wrapping up, but the expectation is that Sanchez will be given the reins, however, don’t expect his leash to be very long. Overall, the Raiders can still compete and be a playoff contender, but they are certainly going to be on the back foot this season.
Captains
C - RB Dareion Fields
A - LB William Washington II
A - DB Rutherford Winters*
8 - Montreal Rouge
1968 Record: 4-8 (5th East)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
Montreal seemed to fly under the radar this offseason, making several smaller moves that could certainly help the team in a major way. The big acquisition was DB Adam Levesque from the Victors as Indy needed to make space for DB Neville Falkner. They also added OL Xavier Villeneuve to continue to solidify their front. On top of those acquisitions, there is plenty of youth in the team that may start to come into play this season especially since they have made 14 draft picks over the past 2 seasons. DB Lamar Brown, DL Alan Franjkovic, and OL Shane Willis could all make large impacts in their second season. The biggest question mark will be in the backfield as the Rouge brought in RB Carter Roy to fill the shoes left by RB Hugo Hughes. Roy has some experience but isn’t viewed as a game-changer. Overall, Montreal should have a solid foundation and could be a wildcard to make the playoffs this season.
Captains
C - OL Mathieu Roy
A - WR Taylor Karis
A - S Garet deVale
Toronto Steelheads
1968 Record: 7-5 (1st West)
1968 Result: Lost West Division Final
The Toronto Steelheads or some may say Max Tracy’s Steelheads, as the star RB was clearly the biggest reason the team managed a 1st place finish in the West Division last year. While there are some smaller changes and some younger players getting better, the team doesn’t feel like it has much besides Tracy’s legs. QB Todd Baker is getting older and becoming less effective as well as several veteran pieces throughout the lineup like DL Allen Barrera and WR Edmund Landry. The one part of the lineup that may be stronger this season is in the secondary which is headlined by the free agent acquisition of DB Oliver Langstrom, who joins the younger DB Dwayne James and veteran DB Luke Warren. Not to mention the team’s strong S Charles Clerk. Toronto has some upside present, but seeing how they crumbled without Tracy last season, leaves a lot to be skeptical about for this team, especially if Tracy goes down again.
Captains
C - QB Todd Baker
A - OL Gregory Farrell
A - DB Oliver Langstrom*
10 - Boston Independents
1968 Record: 5-7 (4th East)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
Everyone in Boston is holding their breath that Kenneth Chaney is the answer at Head Coach. The immense turmoil over the last several seasons has left a lot of people not very high on Boston. They do still have some positives, like QB Nathaniel Braddock, WR Zachariah Pembroke, and RB Reggie Whitehead leading the way on the offence. Then, LB Byron Turner, LB Mads Strahlman, and DB Lawrence Ralph make up a solid defensive core. The foundation is there in Boston, but they just don’t have the depth around the core. The team has struggled with drafting in the later rounds, so the depth has been depleted. Similarly to Buffalo, this team is very vulnerable to an injury bug which could easily derail their season. They also don’t have the same strength in their starting lineup to make them as strong as Buffalo. In the end, Boston should hopefully be a little more stable this season, however, whether that will turn into a playoff appearance or not is a question that will be answered over time.
Captains
C - QB Nathaniel Braddock
A - OL Graham Chambers
A - S Ernie Osborne
11 - Minnesota Serpents
1968 Record: -
1968 Result: -
The Serpents are an obvious wild card heading into this season. They have a lot of strong pieces that they picked up in the Expansion draft. Notable names like WR Sebastian Dassler, DLs Ryan Sargent and Albert Sullivan, and OL Flint Boyer all join the team looking to be the stars. Of course, the best player they picked up in the expansion draft is likely OL Elias McCarren who has been named the team’s first-ever Captain. They also made a couple of moves in the offseason to acquire RB Hugo Hughes to start out of the backfield and WR Ferdinand Matthews to bring even more youth to the offence. However, the big question was about who would start at QB. The team seems set on Martin Keller as the future of the team, but they also had acquired QB Leonidas Dumont in free agency. In the end, the team has decided to start the season with Dumont leading the charge, who will face his former team in the season’s first game. Overall, Minnesota should be a competitive team, expected to outperform most previous expansion teams.
Captains
C - OL Elias McCarren*
A - WR Evan Clanton*
A - DL Albert Sullivan*
12 - Providence Gold Stars
1968 Record: 4-8 (6th East)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
Providence has gone through one of the most traumatic offseasons ever. They lost their franchise QB in Connor O’Rourke to retirement, then both their star RB Rashed Smith and franchise cornerstone, DB Neville Falkner. With O’Rourke’s retirement, the team has named LB Victor Falkensteig the new captain. Overall, the 1969 season is shaping up to be a recovery year for the team as they certainly don’t have the same level of talent they used to. However, Providence does have some young pieces to be at least a bit excited about in rookie WR Justin Palmer, DL Newton Dalton, and RB Ronnie Byers. Now, there are going to be a lot of eyes on Byers to see if he can take a huge step forward this season and be a feature back for the team. However, yet again we have a team with a question mark at QB. It is expected that former 2nd Round Pick, QB Ulysses Lawyer, will be the starter out of the gate when the team finally plays in week 2. Lawyer hasn’t made a lot of massive waves yet in his career, but there are fans hopeful that he can step in and be at least a solid option for the time being. However, some may call for their hometown hero and Rhode Island State Alumni, rookie QB Edwin Hunt, if their season is as bad as it is looking.
Captains
C - LB Victor Falkensteig*
A - DL Craig White*
A - WR Owen Paisley*
13 - London Tigers
1968 Record: 6-6 (4th West)
1968 Result: Missed Playoffs
Finally, we have the Tigers. It’s pretty obvious the Tigers are going through a transition. The core from the championship runs of the 1960s is mostly gone or at the end of their careers now. On top of that, the team has its first new head coach since 1958 as Dewey Doyle takes over for Roy Aguirre following his retirement. While London is expected to be one of the weakest teams heading into this season, especially with 9 rookies on their active roster, they do have some exciting players to watch. The linebacker position may be the most interesting as the team is expected to start both of their rookie linebackers that they selected in this year’s draft, LB Reuben James and LB Everett Lynch. Fan-favourite DL Richard Blunt does make his return to the team after being traded at the deadline last season, but fans may want to keep their eyes out for DL Timothy Bits and DL Mo Kahn, who look to be the future at the position. The Tigers are still rolling with veteran QB Riley Kiernan to start the season, but don’t be surprised if they decide to make a change to either QB Magnus Torrensen or 2nd-year QB Emmitt Jackson.
The Tigers did have one other bit of news out of camp as LB Gideon Jura announced his retirement during training camp. Jura was really falling behind the rookies in his play and his motivation was not there to continue playing. Jura is looking to contribute more to civil rights movements back in America along with former teammate RB Clifford Russell.
Captains
C - QB Riley Kiernan
A - DB Jackson Miles
A - OL Emil Jennings
1969 Prediction
WEST
Buffalo 9-3 -y
Indiana 9-3 -x
Pittsburgh 7-5
Louisville 6-6
Minnesota 5-7
Toronto 4-8
London 3-9
EAST
Ottawa 8-4 -y
Halifax 7-5 -x
Montreal 6-6 -x
Boston 6-6
Long Island 5-7
Providence 3-9
DSF
IND over PIT
MTL over HFX
DF
BUF over IND
OTT over MTL
51st MCC - Indianapolis
BUF over OTT
No comments:
Post a Comment