1957 Season Preview

 

1 - Cincinnati Rivermen
1956 Record: 9-3 (1st West)
1956 Result: Lost Championship
Highlighted Players: OL Milton McCovery (54) & DL Fergus Prenderghast (99)

The Rivermen suffering an embarrassing loss in the championship made them realize something critical. Their core was starting to reach their prime, and they needed to make a push sooner rather than later. That realization resulted in them trading for possibly the league’s best defensive linemen in Fergus Prenderghast from Cleveland. They’ll certainly need him with how the rest of the West Division is beginning to shape up. Their defense is now arguably as good as Chicago’s: Prenderghast and fellow DL JJ Worthington should be a lethal 1-2 combination to terrorize offensive lines, LB Cade Masters has developed into a very solid top option at linebacker, and DB Kerry Lantz proving worthy of his DPOY award a year ago to be one of the corners in the league. Their main issue now is that their key players are starting to get up there in age.  QB Lester Parker is just about to hit 30, and the rest of their offensive playmakers have just hit the apex of their primes. How long will the Rivermen have left on the top of the league? Cincinnati surely hopes it will last as long as they want, but they’ll have to get back to the title game in an extremely competitive West Division that is both young and ready to take down the more established teams. The Rivermen have got what it takes to get back to the top, and will surely be a lock to at least make the playoffs.

2 - Washington Federals
1956 Record: 8-4 (1st East)
1956 Result: Won Championship
Highlighted Players: QB Johnnie Sellers (12) & LB Howard Treadaway (51)

Washington got their revenge on a blown call in the 1955 championship game by obliterating their rival in the following title game. They’ve made the title game in three out of the past four years, and will continue to extend that streak with how weak the East is. They’ve run into the same position as Cincinnati, as their primary players are beginning to reach their apex, but they’ve been taking steps to remedy that when the time eventually comes. They drafted two wide receivers late in the draft this year to eventually take over when Joseph Atkins and Darius Sanderson inevitably leave D.C.. Their main defensive players are locked into contracts so they’ll stay in Washington for the foreseeable future. They have some of the best offensive and defensive units in the league. The Federals, at least in the eye of their fans, have gotten a bit complacent in their whole position in the league. They’ve coasted to division titles the past two years, the first year because of a timely Buffalo collapse and the second year because no team could really catch them. Boston is right on their tail, and Federals fans have gotten a bit scared of losing their iron grip on the East. Washington will have to attempt to avoid becoming stagnant, else another team will usurp their guaranteed division title.

3 - Chicago Hogs
1956 Record: 8-4 (2nd West)
1956 Result: Lost West Division Semi-Final
Highlighted Players: DL Eric Forbes (95) & RB Billy Gould (34)

It seemed it was all but certain that the Hogs were to win the 1955 title. After a high-scoring regular season, they were held to just 6 points to a Cincinnati team that would eventually win their first championship in over 20 years. They went all-in on making another push to a title by acquiring LB Barry Moore in a blockbuster trade from Pittsburgh. They would end up losing the division title to said Cincinnati team, and suffered an even more humiliating defeat to an expansion team in the play-off game to St Louis. The Hogs went out by making another similar move in the offseason, acquiring S Charlie Fischer from Detroit for a steep price in an attempt to shore up a position of weakness for Chicago. They’ve made the same kind of move for two years in a row, and it proved the first time that it couldn’t single-handedly get them over the hump to another title. RB Billy Gould can only carry the team so far, and coach Donovan Hasenkamp needs to rely on his other offensive playmakers to possibly get over that hump. QB Nathan Aldenberg is an incredible player when he gets the opportunity, but still the team prefers to run over their opponents with Gould and to a lesser extent Arthur Busch. This team is still the odds-on favorite to win the league, but the way this team is being run they might not even get a taste of the championship game.

4 - Boston Dragons
1956 Record: 7-4-1 (2nd East)
1956 Result: Lost East Division Final
Highlighted Players: S Tom Meltzger (26) & WR Lloyd Lawson (7)

Boston stormed onto the scene a year later than expected, getting luck to swing their way as they cruised to a 7-4-1 record thanks to an incredibly stout defense that allowed just 12 points a game. LB Bob Jessup led the defense to play much better than was expected, partially the reason why he would win DPOY last year in just his second season. The secondary was a sore spot last year, and the Dragons acquired probably the best safety in the league in Tom Meltzger from the Hawks to fix that. He and fellow S Carl Allyn will definitely be enough to stop whatever goes through their other two defensive backs, so their defense should be even better than it was last year. The main problem of concern is the offense. Boston’s defense was able to hold the opponents to next to nothing, but their offense only scored 15 points a game on average. Their offensive line is one of the best in the league, but it’s not their fault when no one else on offense could take advantage of their coverage. RB’s Pete Abbott and Jim Riggs are sufficient enough to have a running game, and QB Sam Eagleburger performed decently for his first year playing in the AFL. He primarily relied on throwing to WR Lloyd Lawson or TE Guy Horne, with a plethora of secondary receivers that caught a pass last year. With how they performed last year, they should be in the playoffs, but with how this team is constructed at the moment they will likely not win a title unless they get lucky.

5 - St Louis Stallions
1956 Record: 7-5 (3rd West)
1956 Result: Lost West Division Final
Highlighted Players: QB O.J. DeMille (9) & LB Isaac Bullock (54)

St Louis had its original football team, the Archers, wrongfully folded when they had one of the most dedicated fans in the MWFC/PAFC. In the first year of the new team, they shockingly made the playoffs and took down one of the “old guard” teams in Chicago in a defensive rout. QB O.J. DeMille finally showed off the talents that he flashed during the 1952 playoffs, quickly making Pittsburgh regret that trade with their current situation at quarterback. The Stallions needed to quickly fix holes in a good starting running back and wide receiver, and what better way to do that by fleecing their geographic rivals in the Tri-Cities Hawks. RB Spike Roosevelt and WR Max Ausloos should be excellent additions to the offense, and will certainly help them compete in the arms race that is the West Division. They’ll certainly hope that the defense develops just as well as the offense, still being made of scraps leftover from teams and the young players they drafted the past two years. LB Isaac Bullock will be leading the defense in just his second year, hoping that his presence alone will elevate the relatively middling defensive unit around him. If last year was not just a first-year fluke, then they should be in great form to compete for the playoffs and potentially be a dark horse to win it all.

6 - Detroit Knights
1956 Record: 7-5 (4th West)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: WR Paul Kent (14) & LB Vincent Meyer (54)

A change of scenery for the Knights is what they needed to finally get their first winning season in the AFL. They were in prime contention for a playoff spot last year, but dropped their last two games to lose out on a playoff spot on tiebreakers to St Louis. For the first time in almost a decade, Detroit football has hope. Head coach Tommy Park brought what was successful over in D.C. and worked wonders to a shambling team. QB Mike Major took over the starting duties in the middle of 1955, and a changed gameplan has improved his play significantly. WR’s Paul Kent and Pat Kimball have looked like studs in Park’s system, and with the weight significantly off of him RB Jesse Brown put up the best season in his career. The defense could arguably gotten worse, as they did trade away their best player in S Charlie Fischer for cheap to Chicago. Still, their defense is young and ready to prove themselves. The real question now is whether this team is ready to make the next step and make the playoffs. They’re only in the toughest division in the league with 3 other teams trying to make it as well, and two of them are better than them already. With a St Louis team ready to pounce on the rest of the division, the Knights will have to prove that last year was not a fluke and make the playoffs for the first time in the AFL.

7 - Buffalo Hammers
1956 Record: 6-6 (3rd East)
1956 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
Highlighted Players: QB Brendan Turnbull (17) & DB Rogelio Amos (33)

The Hammers were looking great in their first year with head coach Vincent Merritt two years ago, until they blew the last few games of the season to lose the division title. That seemed to prelude what happened last year, finishing at 6-6 and getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The primary issue could be explained by all the veterans taking a backseat to the younger players, and the team struggling to fill gaps in areas of depth. The offense is the least of concern, with QB Brendan Turnbull becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league with a young trio of wide receivers at his disposal to throw to in Harry Chilton, Justin Harris, and Julian Washington. The running back position is now something the team has to worry about, now having to replace longtime starter Calvin Townsend, with either returnman Tyler Dye or rookie Duke Cooper having to fill that hole. The defense unfortunately faced the brunt of the lack of depth issues over the past year, but the youth has developed enough for that problem to have been lessened. If they are unable to avoid further collapse, they’ll be at risk of missing the postseason for the first time since joining the AFL in 1952.

8 - Pittsburgh Shamrocks
1956 Record: 4-8 (4th East)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: OL Bob McKenna (67) & DL Roy Forbes (71)

The Shamrocks were forced to plunge into a rebuild, missing the postseason for only the second time since joining the AFL. 3rd overall pick last year Aksel Kahr was supposed to take over starting quarterback duties this year, but still does not look like he is ready to take over the starting job from current starter Eric Trueblood. Even worse, their former starting QB O.J. DeMille is now flourishing in St Louis. Despite that, not everything seems doom and gloom for Pittsburgh. RB Paul Barker has fit right into the mold of successful running backs, running behind what may be the league’s best overall offensive line. Whoever is under center will usually throw to WR Ron Guy, who has finally given the Shamrocks a true #1 receiver for the first time in years. The defense is still building up after its main stars were dealt away, but should not be overlooked as a complete pushover. Their linebacking core is the highlight of this, with rookie Tebucky Hambrick already proving to be ready to be the head of the defense along with fellow LB’s Hak-Kun Park and Dick Cooper. With how weak the East already is, one slip up from any team in the middle of the pack would allow the Shamrocks to sneak into the playoffs, but that may be to their detriment. Pittsburgh isn’t sure how long they want this rebuilding phase to be, but it may be some time before the Shamrocks see the postseason again.

9 - Cleveland Crows
1956 Record: 2-9-1 (6th West)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: WR Joey Staniskovski (19) & DL Ralph Rogers (93)

It seems that the Crows’ run to the championship game in 1954 might have been a fluke season. And now, with 4 teams in the West that are vying for playoff spots, Cleveland may be doing the right thing and beginning to sell off what brought them to the title game. Most of the main contributors are still here, but who knows how long they’ll have left with the team. WR Joey Staniskovski might be the next impactful player to leave Cleveland, with his contract expiring and not wanting to commit to staying through a rebuild. RB Max Panders suffered a setback in recovering from a season-ending injury last year, and may not be the same back that led the Crows to the top of the East in ‘54. What’s left of the defense consists of either veterans who are clinging on to a starting job for now (DL Ralph Rogers, DB Nicholas Lamb, and S Stephen Norris), or young players finally getting into the starting lineup after waiting behind older players who held on too long. Luckily, they will likely not be in the basement in the West thanks to another team that sold more aggressively than them, but the playoffs are seemingly moving further and further out of reach.

10 - Philadelphia Rattlesnakes
1956 Record: 3-8-1 (6th East)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: RB Mickey Greene (38) & DB Roosevelt Richter (36)

The Rattlesnakes seem to be building a fairly decent team for the future. Mickey Greene practically carried the team on his back last year, proving worthy of winning ROTY and putting himself up in the conversation for the league’s best running back in just his first year. Greene was unable to help the rest of the team, finishing second-to-last but getting QB Raymond Oram as their potential quarterback for the foreseeable future. Philadelphia wants Oram to succeed, and traded for struggling Roy Woodward this past offseason to take the reins and take the young quarterback under his wing. Woodward is expected to win the starting job, though Oram is giving Woodward a run for his money with Woodward on an already scorching-hot seat. RB Neal Earnhardt has also become a very solid #2 option to back up Greene, but their offensive line is average at best to support them. Philly has also worked on trying to improve their defense for the future, but at this moment their defense is just a red carpet for other teams to walk all over them. As long as they keep building for the future, the Rattlesnakes may become a potential playoff team. But for now, they’ll continue being at the bottom of the league standings unless they punch above their weight with a very underrated running back tandem.

11 - New York Lions
1956 Record: 4-8 (5th East)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: LB Duane Ackerman (58) & RB Felix Philipow (28)

New York is quickly falling into the shadow of fellow expansion team Boston. They’re a team that doesn’t really have an identity while the Dragons nearly made the championship in just their second year. Roy Woodward was expected to bounce back after a few years with horrid Detroit teams, but brought that play into New York to an equally horrid 4-12 record over one and a half seasons of play. He was shipped off to Philadelphia, and now the Lions are back at square one at the position. Gary Byrne performed fine after Woodward got hurt, but now he’ll have to compete with incoming Freddie Hughes for the starting position. First-round selection RB Felix Philipow will be the focal point of the offense, but will not have much of an offensive line to do anything behind. Their defense is not much better. They’ve been lucky to hold teams within reason the past two years, but the lack of any significant development anywhere on defense will likely mean a struggling offense won’t be able to keep up with how many points the defense will allow. The Lions will probably be a top candidate for finishing at the bottom of the East, and will only get the first overall pick if they somehow screw things up more than the Hawks.

12 - Tri-Cities Hawks
1956 Record: 5-6-1 (5th West)
1956 Result: Missed Playoffs
Highlighted Players: QB Rocco Vanthourenhout (14) & DL Clifford Dale (90)

The Hawks of this year look completely different than any Hawks team in the past, and that’s not a good thing for them. Longtime owner Bert Hester passed away before the start of the season, and his son Bob took over the team and made sweeping changes to sell off anything of value. He practically gave away RB Spike Roosevelt and WR Max Ausloos to St Louis and S Tom Meltzger to Boston, and forced longtime QB Gilbert Clay into retirement after attempting to trade him to New York. What remains of the former Hawks team, frankly is not that good. QB Rocco Vanthourenhout will essentially try to carry the offense all by himself, with no clear top receiver for him to throw to or a decent back to hand off to. The defense is not much better, with the only good players still left in the secondary, but who knows how long they will still be with the team. Fans are unsure if Hester is actually attempting to rebuild the team, but it seems he is trying to do that unintentionally. Barring a major collapse from any other team, the Hawks should be a shoo-in for the top pick in the draft next year.