EPFA '73 is underway ...

[Reginald Rutledge]

hard to come by!

You're already at 100 plays! It just tells me that even at 100 plays, scoring does not have to be off the chart. You can still have a great game and have stops.

Them backs are having a hard time of it! Keep doing what you're doing. Entertaining Roo!

Reg

[RooMorgans]

FOURTH QUARTER

PITT 15:00
101) FG - 49 yards GOOD
NEW ENGLAND 17, PITTSBURGH 12

NE 14:42
102) KOR - Enforced Touchback
103) Ashton -1 yard run (Holmes)
104) Ashton 2 yard run (Holmes)
105) Plunkett -10 yards sacked (Rowser)
106) Punt - 33 yards (PR - Edwards 0 yards) (Cunningham)

PITT 12:21
107) Pearson -7 yard run (Cash)
108) Pearson 13 yard catch from Bradshaw (Anderson)
109) Pearson -1 yard run (Kiner)
110) FG - 61 yards NO GOOD

NE 10:18
111) Cunningham 6 yard catch from Plunkett (Rowser)
112) Ashton 1 yard run (Edwards)
113) Plunkett inc.
114) Plunkett inc.
* Patriots go for it on 4th-and-3 from the Steelers 42 and come up empty.

PITT 8:32
115) Bleier 0 yard run (Adams)
116) Pearson -3 yard run (Cash)
117) Lewis 13 yard catch from Bradshaw (Boyd) FUMBLED/LOST

NE 7:04
118) Ashton -1 yard run (Blount)
119) Ashton 1 yard run (Toews)
120) Plunkett inc. + PITT 15 Penalty!
121) Ashton 1 yard run (Greenwood)
122) Plunkett inc.
123) Ashton 1 yard run
124) FG - 52 yards NO GOOD

PITT 4:07
125) Davis 16 yard catch from Bradshaw (Anderson)
126) Shanklin 37 yard catch from Bradshaw
127) PITT 5 Penalty
128) Pearson 10 yard catch from Bradshaw TOUCHDOWN (run failed)
* New England's DBs had been in shutdown mode all day, but on this drive, Bradshaw had 3/4 targets to choose from each play. New England pays for not adding to the lead earlier.
PITTSBURGH 18, NEW ENGLAND 17



NE 2:38
129) KOR - Ashton 52 yards (Toews)
130) Ashton -5 yard run (Dockery)
131) Plunkett inc.
132) Plunkett inc.
133) Plunkett INTERCEPTED (Edwards - 7 yard return)
* All looked lost for the Patriots here, but they still had 3 time outs.

PITT 1:36
134) Pearson 0 yard run (Chandler) (TIME OUT - NE)
135) Pearson -13 yard run (TIME OUT - NE)
* Pearson was centimeters from breaking this, but never got off his block and finally turned at the PITT 5.
136) Bradshaw inc.
* Terry throws it away, as he had just one eligible receiver, and that was by centimeters. Otherwise, he would have had to scramble out of the end zone to avoid a safety and coverage sack (which would have been a safety, too).
137) Punt - 47 yards (PR - Kiner 5 yards (Davis))

NE 0:24
138) Plunkett inc.
139) Plunkett inc.
140) Plunkett inc,
* It was hail mary time with 8 seconds left, and amazingly, Herron had managed to wind his way through the Steelers defense to the end zone. But he was nearly 65 yards away from Plunkett, and the pass, with plenty of zip, missed Herron to the right. Ironically, both Plunkett and Bradshaw had been missing passes to the left all day. The two earlier incompletions were as a result of the dice, as Plunkett missed on chances to hit open receivers around the Pittsburgh 30, which could have set up the winning field goal. It was go for broke on the final play, however, and Plunkett nearly fractured the Steelers - but not on this day.

Pittsburgh (1-0) 18, New England (0-1) 17.

PIT 6 3 0 9 - 18
NE 0 7 10 0 - 17

Time of Possession: NE 29:01; PITT 30:59
Rushing: NE 1; PITT 29
Passing: NE 95; PITT 196
Total Yards: NE 96; PITT 225
Total Plays: NE 57; PITT 57
First Downs: NE 6; PITT 10
Turnovers: NE 2; PITT 4
Penalties: NE 1-15; PITT 3-35

Individual Stats - New England:
Rushing: Plunkett 2-7; Cunningham 7-0; Tarver 3-(-16); Ashton 18-10.
Passing: Plunkett 8-of-26, 105 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 1 sack, -10 yards.
Receiving: Ashton 4-19 (1 TD); Cunningham 2-6; Herron 1-48; Windsor 1-32 (1 TD).
Tackles: Rucker 1; Mason 1; Cash 3; Herron 1; Rowe 2-1 PAT block; Chandler 5; Kiner 4; Boyd 9; Anderson 7; Acks 2-2 INT (13 & 0 yards); Bolton 1; Martin 1; Hamilton 3-1 FF-1 FR; Vataha 1; Adams 2; Hoey 1; Cunningham 1

Individual Stats - Pittsburgh:
Rushing: Harris 5-0; Bleier 2-1; P. Pearson 20-28 (1 TD).
Passing: Bradshaw 17-of-29, 198 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 1 sack, -2 yards.
Receiving: Lewis 4-45; Shanklin 2-46; P. Pearson 7-57 (1 TD); B. Pearson 1-(-7); Davis 1-16.
Tackles: Ham 6; Greenwood 4; Meyer 1; Holmes 7; White 3-1 INT (3 yards); Edwards 2-1 INT (7 yards); Toews 4; Wagner 1; Blount 2; Brown 1; Greene 1; Rowser 2-1 sack (10 yards); Dockery 1; Davis 1.

GAME NOTES:

* New England were held to just 10 yards in the second half, on 30 plays.

* The Patriots almost must win their last two to make Super Bowl I.

* The Patriots' defense was a team effort early. The first 9 tackles were made by 9 different players. But safeties Boyd and Anderson ended up combining for 16 stops.

* I have a hard time thinking the defenses I did up for Denver and San Francisco are going to be this good. If PITT and NE avoid incompletions and killer mistakes on offense, they could well meet again in Super Bowl I.

* The timing system might need tweaking. As much as I enjoyed the game and loved having an Alcoa Fantastic Finish, 140 plays was a bit much. I'll see what the DEN/SF game runs before making any decisions.

Roo

[dogwood30]

Wow ED that is some detailed game scoring. Good luck with your new season. Your scorkeeping is as precise as your painting. This is Mike V. known here as Dogwood 30. I am currently in my 48th Super Bowl Tournament and with your help I now have 48 teams in my league. I still have a few more teams to get done but should have them all by the end of this season.
Mike V.

[RooMorgans]

Hi Mike! Thanks for checking in. I was checking out your Super Bowl 48 thread earlier. I need to get cracking more on the painting side so I don't hold you up, I appreciate all the teams you've let me put together.

The stat keeping is one of my favorite things about this venture. I was a sportswriter for 8 years way back when (and that's how I got in this hobby), so I keep stats during the games as I used to do during high school and UVA games back then. It was neat for me to go through and see that Boyd had 9 tackles for the Patriots - he was definitely one of the best bases on the field. Both Patriots safeties are really good.

It was also almost alarming to see how stingy the rushing defenses were. Fun to run off 140 plays and have the game come down to the 140th snap and be decided by a point.

Roo

[dogwood30]

Hey Roo,
One of the things I enjoy most about this association is the different ways the solitaire leagues are played. I actually use the electronic scoreboard that was made I guess for miggle. Its easy to operate and the clock is accurate. Games usually take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to play. I also have designed result charts that use a 30 sided dice so you can imagine the outcome possibilities. The players on the field still decide the game. The charts spped up the passing and kicking aspect of the game. The running plays are still great. Sometimes I think these little guys have minds of their own when you all of a sudden see a back cut back and turn the corner then run straight. If I actually sat down and wrote out a rule book for my league it would take hours. That's the beauty of solitaire play, the rulebook is always in my head. My system has worked so well over the years with constant modifications when necessary and it shows by the number of different champions I've had. My expansion teams are mostly modifications or duplicates of college uniforms with the exception of the Blues and the Rebels which I designed and you brought to life. I am hoping that you can do my last 2 teams which are the duplicate home and away uniforms of the Boston breakers of the old USFL and the Jacksonville Sharks of the old WFL. I also have 48 mini helmets to go with all my teams including those old defunct teams. Well Roo that's it for now. LA Rams vs Atlanta Falcons tomorrow. Gotta get some rest.
Mike V. a.k.a.....VK

[RooMorgans]

Originally Posted by dogwood30

Hey Roo,
One of the things I enjoy most about this association is the different ways the solitaire leagues are played. I actually use the electronic scoreboard that was made I guess for miggle. Its easy to operate and the clock is accurate. Games usually take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to play. I also have designed result charts that use a 30 sided dice so you can imagine the outcome possibilities. The players on the field still decide the game. The charts spped up the passing and kicking aspect of the game. The running plays are still great. Sometimes I think these little guys have minds of their own when you all of a sudden see a back cut back and turn the corner then run straight. If I actually sat down and wrote out a rule book for my league it would take hours. That's the beauty of solitaire play, the rulebook is always in my head. My system has worked so well over the years with constant modifications when necessary and it shows by the number of different champions I've had. My expansion teams are mostly modifications or duplicates of college uniforms with the exception of the Blues and the Rebels which I designed and you brought to life. I am hoping that you can do my last 2 teams which are the duplicate home and away uniforms of the Boston breakers of the old USFL and the Jacksonville Sharks of the old WFL. I also have 48 mini helmets to go with all my teams including those old defunct teams. Well Roo that's it for now. LA Rams vs Atlanta Falcons tomorrow. Gotta get some rest.
Mike V. a.k.a.....VK

I had one of those scoreboards at one point - I'm sure I still do. Haven't used it in ages.

I actually wrote up a rule book way back when. I'll have to find it and post it.

48 teams. That's awesome. I'm starting with 14 in college and 4 in pro. Plan for Season 2 is 20 in college and 6 in pro. Drawing a lot of inspiration from all the pics you've posted with the great old-style uniforms your teams have.

Ed

[RooMorgans]

13 of the 14 teams for the ECFA are now based up and ready to play. The only outlier is Syracuse, who should get their running shoes tonight.

The college teams have 11 offensive players in dark, 11 defensive players in white. Here's how the positions break down for bases:

Offense:
TTCs: QB, LT, LG, C, RG, RT, TE
Rookies: WR, WR, RB, RB/WR (depending on if team has base 2- or 3-WR set)

Defense:
TTCs: DE, DT, DT, DE, MLB, CB, CB
Rookies: LOLB, ROLB, FS, SS

I haven't come across a college team yet where its base is a 3-4 defense. Were that to be the case, both MLBs would get TTCs.

Still have to base up Denver and San Francisco for the pro league. Hoping I have enough TTCs to do that, it's going to be close!

Going to play some college games first since they have a much longer season than the pro league does - which only totals 7 games (including the Super Bowl). The college season is 63 games, so there's lots to do.

I have some pictures from Pittsburgh's win over New England last week, and will be posting those either tonight or tomorrow. I gotta get pictures up to keep up with Mike V. and Reg!!

Ed

[RooMorgans]

Finally have gotten around to getting the Denver-San Francisco game underway.

Playing a different time system here, using the scoreboard the Roller created. Using 15-minute quarters, and running the clock during plays, stopping it after each play. Ran 25 plays in the first quarter, which seemed fine by me, and the game is tied, 7-7.

Denver has shown a pretty nice running game and San Francisco is having trouble containing Haven Moses. The 49ers haven't done much, but two big plays by John Brodie (one running, one passing) got them back into the game.

Ed

[mark robin]

c'mon man............lol... show the teams buddy, i wanna see those broncos. its cool that you are doing the '73 season, as i like recreating/playing games from the '74 season with my hogleg teams.

[RooMorgans]

In another EPFA game that didn't feature a ton of offense, but was close late, San Francisco defeated Denver, 16-14, scoring the only points of the second half on two field goals.

Denver grabbed the early lead on a 50-yard pass from Charley Johnson to Haven Moses late in the first quarter. The 49ers responded before the end of the period, when Ken Willard caught a pass from John Brodie and completed a 46-yard touchdown.

Denver's Gene Washington (both teams have one) put the Broncos back in front early in the second quarter, scoring on a 3-yard pass from Johnson after the quarterback had hit Otis Armstrong with a 60-yard catch-and-run to set up the score. San Francisco held the ball for much of the second quarter, culminating a 9 minute, 42 second drive with a 44-yard field goal. Denver led, 14-10, at the half.

But that was about it for the Broncos offense. Denver gained just 59 yards in the second half, and even though they held the 49ers out of the end zone, they found themselves trailing, 16-14, early in the final period. Denver's first chance to take the lead failed when the Broncos missed a 58-yard field goal. After San Francisco failed to run the clock out, Hackbart returned a punt 30 yards to the Denver 41. Not far from another field goal, and with time and time outs to use, Denver's rally ended when Johnson's pass under pressure was tipped and intercepted by middle linebacker Jim Sniadecki, preserving the 49ers' win.

San Francisco and Pittsburgh are 1-0 and will meet in Week 2. The winner will practically clinck a berth in Super Bowl I. Denver and New England will battle in the week's other game, both are 0-1. The loser will be eliminated from Super Bowl contention.

DEN 7 7 0 0 - 14
SFO 7 3 3 3 - 16

Scoring
DEN - Moses 50 pass from Johnson (kick good)
SF - Willard 46 pass from Brodie (kick good)
DEN - Washington 3 pass from Johnson (kick good)
SF - FG 44
SF - FG 48
SF - FG 39

Team Stats
Rushing: DEN 27-80; SF 25-67
Passing: DEN 14-131; SF 23-166
Total: DEN 41-211; SF 48-233
Returns: 5-160; SF 3-40
First Downs: DEN 11; SF 10
Penalties: DEN 3-20; SF 0-0
Turnovers: DEN 1; SF 0
Time of Possession: DEN 27:57; SF 32:03

Individual Stats - Denver Broncos (0-1)

Rushing: Johnson 11-23; Armstrong 15-57, Dawkins 1-0.
Passing: Johnson 6-for-13, 136 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT.
Receiving: Moses 2-70, 1 TD; Armstrong 2-66; Washington 1-3, 1 TD; Odoms 1-(-3).
Returns: Moses 3-125; Thompson 1-5; Hackbart 1-30.
Tackles-For Loss: Laskey 4-2; Smith 3-2; Thompson 1-0; Duranko 3-0; Chavous 4-0; Jackson 2-0; Hackbart 3-0; Jones 3-0; Tyler 1-0; May 1-0; Anderson 1-0; Graham 2-0; Greer 1-0; Mitchell 1-1.
Sacks: Smith 1.
Forced Fumbles-Recoveries: None.
Interceptions: None.

Individual Stats - San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

Rushing: Willard 7-(-3); Brodie 8-52; V. Washington 1-0; Cunningham 9-18.
Passing: Brodie 12-for-22, 171 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
Receiving: Willard 1-46, 1 TD; Thomas 2-21; G. Washington 2-39; Abramowicz 3-25; Kwalick 1-4; Cunningham 2-29; Witcher 1-7.
Returns: V. Washington 1-25; G. Washington 1-15; Phillips 1-0.
Tackles-For Loss: McGill 2.5-1; Phillips 5.5-1; Thomas 1-0; Krueger 3-0; Johnson 1-0; Hoskins 5-1; Sniadecki 2-0; Hardman 3-1; Wilcox 1-0; Hart 1-0; Taylor 1-0; Kwalick 1-0.
Sacks: Hoskins 1.
Forced Fumbles-Recoveries: None.
Interceptions-Yards Returned: Sniadecki 1-1.

Coming tomorrow, a photo gallery from Week 1 in the colleges and pros.

Ed