HOME | DD

Description

The league was turned upside down in 1991, as each of the top four seeded teams from a year ago failed to even make the postseason. In fact, of the four, only the Colorado Centennials (9-7) managed to avoid their division’s cellar. The defending champion Guardians of Cincinnati fell to 6-5-1, which earned them the 8th pick in the draft. This was the worst performance by a Victory Bowl champion since the 1974 Philadelphia Railers picked 5th overall.

Perhaps the saddest decline, however, came in New York, where an aging Imperials team came up 5-9-1 as future Hall of Fame QB Ron Adams played in only four games due to shoulder and ankle injuries. This means that Adams will likely end his career without a ring, though he did cryptically imply that he might be willing to play out one more season for a contender. Still, most fans are skeptical. He did look pretty good when healthy – a shadow of his former self, to be sure, but certainly above average – but he may just be too old to stay on the field, not to mention the fact that he is still under contract with New York for 1992.

Into the power vacuum stepped two teams which clearly established themselves as being head and shoulders above the rest of the league throughout the season. The Boston Captains had seemingly been on the cusp of greatness for some time, and the addition of Donny Minor under center (along with the timely decline of bullies in Pittsburgh and New York) put them squarely in the position of being one of the league’s elite teams. Their roster is loaded with talent, and they made clear that they are ready to win right now when they dealt away a pair of draft picks to Arizona at the trade deadline in exchange for LB Jay Kershaw, a blitzing machine who had grown disgruntled in the desert. The deep, well-rounded roster stormed to home field advantage and the second seed on the strength of a 14-2 record.

The other new superpower came as something of a surprise. The Chicago Butchers had quietly been building talent for several years, but anyone claiming to have known in August that the Butchers were ready to make the leap is lying. The key to their success was a breakout season by fourth year RB Kevin House, who became just the second player in league history to break the 2000 yard mark as he finished with 2020 yards. In fact, it didn’t take fans long to draw parallels between House and Will Silver, the AFA’s first 2000 yard back (though this was admittedly not a difficult connection to make, as both were lightfooted, shifty Chicago RBs who propelled the Butchers from the basement into the top seed). Backed by a strong defense, it is difficult to imagine anyone blocking their path to the Victory Bowl.

Tampa Bay fans took exception to the characterization of the playoffs as a ceremonial precursor to a Boston/Chicago Victory Bowl, as the Bobcats went 13-3, taking the third seed. Nevertheless, few analysts are taking them seriously thanks to a laughably weak schedule in which their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .398, they didn’t play a single team with a double digit win total, and their three losses came against teams that posted a combined 19-28-1 record.

Going into week 16, these three teams had clinched their respective divisions and the top three seeds, though the order of seeding was still up in the air. Additionally, the Detroit Gladiators had already secured a wildcard berth and the fourth seed. The remaining six playoff slots, however, were wide open.

The Southern Division was the most competitive, with the New Orleans Krewe, Texas Stallions, and Arizona Firebirds were all tied at 8-6. A Stallions loss in Denver on Sunday afternoon meant that the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Krewe and the Firebirds in New Orleans would determine who took home the division. It was an ugly game which the Firebirds led for more than three quarters, but the home team ultimately came out on top 14-13, sending New Orleans to the playoffs for the first time since 1976 (New Orleans was lucky to not need a week 17 win to come out on top – they drew a highly motivated Chicago team looking to get House across the 2000 yard mark, and were shellacked 36-3).

The Western Division would also be settled that week in a win and in matchup between two 8-6 teams, as the California Whales travelled to Seattle to take on the Grizzlies. Seattle was able to keep the game close, but never really threatened to take the lead, either, as California comfortably rolled to a 32-21 win.

The Milwaukee Wolves and Kansas City Crows were both 9-5, and would square off in Milwaukee. Thanks to their week 5 win in Kansas City, the Crows would clinch their first division title with a win. This would not come to pass, however, as the Wolves rallied from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to claim a 27-24 win in overtime. This did not, however, destroy KC’s playoff hopes. A win in the season finale at home against Minnesota would clinch a wildcard berth, and a victory plus a Wolves loss to California would still allow them to enter the playoffs as division champions. In the end, they did their part, knocking off the Angels 23-10, but the Wolves steamrolled the Whales 35-0.

As the playoffs begin, it is clear that there is a massive talent gap in the remaining teams. Chicago and Boston are both overwhelming favorites to go to the Victory Bowl, with a handful of sportswriters arguing the Detroit or Milwaukee might be able to play spoiler. The remaining six teams are almost entirely being written off, and interest in the postseason in general is unusually low.

Before they could begin, however, the league was shocked by an off field development, when details leaked out of Atlanta about a nearly completed agreement to sell the Rebels to former Louisville Brawlers owners Olivia and Sean Holmes. After having lost his case blocking the league takeover at the district court level, and fearing a repeat in the court of appeals, owner Sy Jackson elected to sell the team on his own terms, expecting that a court-approved league takeover would result in a dramatically reduced price. Noteworthy among the details of the agreement are terms stipulating that the Holmeses cannot rename the franchise as long as it remains in Atlanta, and the conspicuous absence of language requiring them to attempt to keep the team in Georgia. Thus, after watching their team fail to post a winning record for the fifth consecutive year, Rebel fans will now go into the long offseason wondering if their team will soon depart for Kentucky.

Wildcard Previews:

Kansas City Crows vs Texas Stallions

Both teams are dominant on one side of the ball and can sometimes struggle on the other. The clash between the KC defense and the Texas offense will be a sight to see, but the game will come down to whether or not Crows QB John Vessey can take advantage of the weapons around him. We think he will. KC 20 TEX 17

Detroit Gladiators vs Arizona Firebirds

The Firebirds are a better team than most people think, but this Gladiators squad is nearly as good as the one that won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989. Look for a blowout in the Motor City. DET 31, ARI 16.

Description

The league was turned upside down in 1991, as each of the top four seeded teams from a year ago failed to even make the postseason. In fact, of the four, only the Colorado Centennials (9-7) managed to avoid their division’s cellar. The defending champion Guardians of Cincinnati fell to 6-5-1, which earned them the 8th pick in the draft. This was the worst performance by a Victory Bowl champion since the 1974 Philadelphia Railers picked 5th overall.

Perhaps the saddest decline, however, came in New York, where an aging Imperials team came up 5-9-1 as future Hall of Fame QB Ron Adams played in only four games due to shoulder and ankle injuries. This means that Adams will likely end his career without a ring, though he did cryptically imply that he might be willing to play out one more season for a contender. Still, most fans are skeptical. He did look pretty good when healthy – a shadow of his former self, to be sure, but certainly above average – but he may just be too old to stay on the field, not to mention the fact that he is still under contract with New York for 1992.

Into the power vacuum stepped two teams which clearly established themselves as being head and shoulders above the rest of the league throughout the season. The Boston Captains had seemingly been on the cusp of greatness for some time, and the addition of Donny Minor under center (along with the timely decline of bullies in Pittsburgh and New York) put them squarely in the position of being one of the league’s elite teams. Their roster is loaded with talent, and they made clear that they are ready to win right now when they dealt away a pair of draft picks to Arizona at the trade deadline in exchange for LB Jay Kershaw, a blitzing machine who had grown disgruntled in the desert. The deep, well-rounded roster stormed to home field advantage and the second seed on the strength of a 14-2 record.

The other new superpower came as something of a surprise. The Chicago Butchers had quietly been building talent for several years, but anyone claiming to have known in August that the Butchers were ready to make the leap is lying. The key to their success was a breakout season by fourth year RB Kevin House, who became just the second player in league history to break the 2000 yard mark as he finished with 2020 yards. In fact, it didn’t take fans long to draw parallels between House and Will Silver, the AFA’s first 2000 yard back (though this was admittedly not a difficult connection to make, as both were lightfooted, shifty Chicago RBs who propelled the Butchers from the basement into the top seed). Backed by a strong defense, it is difficult to imagine anyone blocking their path to the Victory Bowl.

Tampa Bay fans took exception to the characterization of the playoffs as a ceremonial precursor to a Boston/Chicago Victory Bowl, as the Bobcats went 13-3, taking the third seed. Nevertheless, few analysts are taking them seriously thanks to a laughably weak schedule in which their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .398, they didn’t play a single team with a double digit win total, and their three losses came against teams that posted a combined 19-28-1 record.

Going into week 16, these three teams had clinched their respective divisions and the top three seeds, though the order of seeding was still up in the air. Additionally, the Detroit Gladiators had already secured a wildcard berth and the fourth seed. The remaining six playoff slots, however, were wide open.

The Southern Division was the most competitive, with the New Orleans Krewe, Texas Stallions, and Arizona Firebirds were all tied at 8-6. A Stallions loss in Denver on Sunday afternoon meant that the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Krewe and the Firebirds in New Orleans would determine who took home the division. It was an ugly game which the Firebirds led for more than three quarters, but the home team ultimately came out on top 14-13, sending New Orleans to the playoffs for the first time since 1976 (New Orleans was lucky to not need a week 17 win to come out on top – they drew a highly motivated Chicago team looking to get House across the 2000 yard mark, and were shellacked 36-3).

The Western Division would also be settled that week in a win and in matchup between two 8-6 teams, as the California Whales travelled to Seattle to take on the Grizzlies. Seattle was able to keep the game close, but never really threatened to take the lead, either, as California comfortably rolled to a 32-21 win.

The Milwaukee Wolves and Kansas City Crows were both 9-5, and would square off in Milwaukee. Thanks to their week 5 win in Kansas City, the Crows would clinch their first division title with a win. This would not come to pass, however, as the Wolves rallied from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to claim a 27-24 win in overtime. This did not, however, destroy KC’s playoff hopes. A win in the season finale at home against Minnesota would clinch a wildcard berth, and a victory plus a Wolves loss to California would still allow them to enter the playoffs as division champions. In the end, they did their part, knocking off the Angels 23-10, but the Wolves steamrolled the Whales 35-0.

As the playoffs begin, it is clear that there is a massive talent gap in the remaining teams. Chicago and Boston are both overwhelming favorites to go to the Victory Bowl, with a handful of sportswriters arguing the Detroit or Milwaukee might be able to play spoiler. The remaining six teams are almost entirely being written off, and interest in the postseason in general is unusually low.

Before they could begin, however, the league was shocked by an off field development, when details leaked out of Atlanta about a nearly completed agreement to sell the Rebels to former Louisville Brawlers owners Olivia and Sean Holmes. After having lost his case blocking the league takeover at the district court level, and fearing a repeat in the court of appeals, owner Sy Jackson elected to sell the team on his own terms, expecting that a court-approved league takeover would result in a dramatically reduced price. Noteworthy among the details of the agreement are terms stipulating that the Holmeses cannot rename the franchise as long as it remains in Atlanta, and the conspicuous absence of language requiring them to attempt to keep the team in Georgia. Thus, after watching their team fail to post a winning record for the fifth consecutive year, Rebel fans will now go into the long offseason wondering if their team will soon depart for Kentucky.

Wildcard Previews:

Kansas City Crows vs Texas Stallions

Both teams are dominant on one side of the ball and can sometimes struggle on the other. The clash between the KC defense and the Texas offense will be a sight to see, but the game will come down to whether or not Crows QB John Vessey can take advantage of the weapons around him. We think he will. KC 20 TEX 17

Detroit Gladiators vs Arizona Firebirds

The Firebirds are a better team than most people think, but this Gladiators squad is nearly as good as the one that won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989. Look for a blowout in the Motor City. DET 31, ARI 16.