Pittsburgh Armour

Pittsburgh Armour
The Pittsburgh Armour are one of the league's first announced, and more popular franchises. They also represent a city that prior to the BFL (excluding the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, obviously), was always overlooked by their more popular neighbor. In early 2000, when the A11FL announced they were expanding to 28 teams, the people of Pittsburgh instantly lobbied for a team. It is worth noting that at the time, at least 30% of the home attendance at Philadelphia Liberty games came from residents of the Steel City. Yet despite the statistics in their favor, Pittsburgh was overlooked entirely, and the expansion slot was used to give Los Angeles a second franchise. The city of Pittsburgh never forgot that. For years to come, Pittsburgh fans were basically forced to watch Philadelphia succeed, and fail, as a thriving A11FL franchise. And all Pittsburgh could say was "Why not us?". Understandably, when the A11FL finally announced the Pittsburgh Power in late 2004, it was music to their ears. Pittsburgh was finally being recognized as a city worthy of hosting two football teams. Fans packed into Penn State Arena to watch their team play. Sure, it took a whole decade, but the past is the past. The Power were here, and that's all that mattered. Unfortunately, fans were unaware of just how bad things were for the A11FL at that point. In 2008, the league ceased operations. Pittsburgh was devastated. They finally establish themselves as a two-team city, and just like that it's over. Fortunately, this wouldn't last long, either. Jim Tading had actually been a fan of the A11FL. So he had to notice the Pittsburgh Power's incredibly large fanbase and record attendance. So, when the BFL Candidacy Poll was being distributed, there was only one city Tading thought about other than Dallas. Pittsburgh. So when the poll hit Pittsburgh in early 2013, it was sent everywhere. In three weeks, the results were sent to the BFL Board of Directors. Pittsburgh... gave a 90% approval rating. Good enough for 5th. Some fans were worried this Pittsburgh franchise would end like the Power did just five years prior. But, there was enough optimism to give the city a nod anyway. So when Pittsburgh was announced as a BFL city in August 2013, the Board of Directors didn't expect much. It actually took for the naming poll to be released for Pittsburgh to realize, a second team really was on the horizon. That's when the city went nuts with excitement. People were thrilled Pittsburgh's second team was entering a more stable situation than the A11FL. A week later, the league announced the formation of the Pittsburgh Armour. Fans chose the Armour alias for three important reasons. One, as an obvious nod to their beloved Steelers. Two, as a reference to Pittsburgh's history in the steel industry, and also because of their widely-accepted deal with Under Armour* that was signed on September 4, 2013, who guranteed their stadium would be finished within a year of the contract's signing. As promised, Under Armour Stadium was completed in late August of 2014. Approximately three weeks before their 1-year deadline. An entire year before the league was set to begin, however. To make extra cash before Pittsburgh's daybiew, team owner Robert Kordell rented UA Stadium to a few local teams for games, before starting a 3-month project to update the stadium in early 2015. Finally, on April 3rd, 2015, the Pittsburgh Armour took the field vs the Buffalo Sabers. Pittsburgh won 23-20. The team finished 9-6 in 2015. In 2016, they finished 10-5, but lost to the Las Vegas Aces 28-17 in the Division III Championship. In the 2017 offseason, Pittsburgh signed former Steelers RB Tyrone Kilgore, intrigued by his intangibles during a tryout, they hoped he could carry the offense. Riding on the back of rookie Tyrone Kilgore in 2017, Pittsburgh went 10-5. Kilgore won DIII Rookie of the Year, but Pittsburgh again fell in the DIII Title game, this time to the Washington Sentinels 13-7. Fans were upset, but refused to give up. In 2018, new HC Brett Hoyer brought in another intriguing prospect, WR/DB Antwan Bennett from Georgia Tech. He won no awards, but Pittsburgh finished 10-5 for the 2nd straight year. Once again, Pittsburgh was bested by Honululu 21-17. Only this wasn't the DIII Title game, but instead the Semi-Finals. In 2019 and 2020, Pittsburgh failed to make the DIII Title game, but came close every year. By the 2020 offseason, most Pittsburgh fans thought they'd never advance past DIII. This year, proved to b a special one, however. When League owner Jim Tading announced a 15% raise in the salary cap for all teams, coach Hoyer knew exactly how to turn Pittsburgh around. He targeted potentially the biggest defensive free agent on the market that year, S Champ Floyd. After six seasons with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, Floyd decided to transfer, for personal reasons. The only other team he was considering was the Seattle Thunderbirds, who'd just been bumped back down to DIII. But Hoyer was smart. Figuring many teams would be pursuing the NFL Pro Bowl safety, Hoyer waited patiently. On the final day, the 28-year old S announced he was signing with the Pittsburgh Armour, citing his desire to play for his hometown as a key factor. But, Hoyer knew more needed to be done to advance. So, with the 8th pick in the Inaugural BFL Draft, he snagged QB Greg Peters out of Alabama. In 2021, Pittsburgh finished 11-4, and advanced to the DIII Championship. This time vs the Seattle Thunderbirds. Pittsburgh fell 17-10 late in the 2nd half, but came back to tie the score with 1:32 left. Seattle drove to around the 40-yard line. But, with :13 left, S Champ Floyd intercepted a pass, and returned it for a 66-yard TD that won the game. After six years, Pittsburgh had finally advanced to Division 2. With a vastly improving offense led by Kilgore, and team captain Champ Floyd leading the defense, it's no surprise that Pittsburgh are considered favorites to win Division II within the next two years.

*C*: Champ Floyd, S
Age: 29

Yrs in the NLF: 1

Awards: 3x NFL Pro Bowler ('17, '19 & '20), NFL Defensive Player Of The Year (2018), BFL Defensive Player Of The Year (2021)

Bio: Drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Champ was essentially given the task of leading the defense from Day 1. At the time, the Cowboys defense was in contention for the worst in the NFL. Many rookies wouldn't be able to handle that kind of pressure right out of the gate. But Champ relished the challenge. Within one year, he proved to be the star their defense wanted. Within two, he proved himself to be the leader they needed. With Champ at the helm, Dallas's defense never finished the season outside the top 10 in the six years he was there. But, after five years featuring two consecutive playoff losses, a cut in the salary cap proved to be his undoing. For over a year, Champ had been asking Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for the extension he felt he deserved. He'd already re-signed with Dallas once on a low-budget deal to save cap space, and he made it clear he wasn't doing it again. All season, he watched as Dallas handed out extension after extension while he sat in limbo wondering when or if they'd even offer him a new deal. Champ once again put up Pro Bowl numbers, yet Dallas suffered a complete collapse in the playoffs. During Super Bowl week, Champ informed management that he wanted to re-sign before the deadline, essentially giving Dallas one more opportunity to re-sign him before he hit free agency. But after Jerry handed him yet another short-term deal, Champ decided he'd had enough. After the season, Champ announced he wouldn't be re-signing with the Cowboys and thanked the fans for their support throughout his tenure. Upon entering the free agency pool, Champ came to realize that the NFL couldn't give him what he ultimately wanted, the opportunity to go home and play for the city of Pittsburgh. He could see the Pittsburgh Steelers were in no position to sign him whatsoever. For one thing, their cap problems were just as bad as Dallas'. And even if they managed to free up the space to offer him something, they already had two budding young safeties. With this in mind, Champ announced his intention to continue his career in the BFL. Upon entering the BFL free agency pool, as expected, Champ was sought after by pretty much every team in the league. But Champ knew where he wanted to play: Pittsburgh. It had been his dream from a young age to play for his hometown, and now he had the chance. He waited for Pittsburgh's initial offer, which sure enough came in just two days after he left the NFL. On the final day of Wave one of free agency, he accepted their offer. In his first season, Champ looked to prove to Pittsburgh's faithful that he was the same franchise player he'd been in Dallas. He did just that, nabbing Defensive Player of the Year honors, and nabbing a key interception in the Division III title game to send Pittsburgh into Division II. He may be a bit undersized, but he's proven himself in the NFL and BFL to be the real deal.

Strengths: Plays the position with an unnatural aggression that has made him an absolute force. Known for being in the right place at the time to nab the interception. Above-average tackler, one of the league's most notorious big hitters. Solid footwork and hands. An expert in zone coverage. About as tough and durable as the position requires. Displays good character skills on and off the field. A sideline-to-sideline kind of player. Dangerous when the blitzing the QB. Excels at plugging the run.

Weaknesses: Vertical leaping ability is average at best. Becomes a liability when asked to play man coverage. Known for dropping relatively easier interceptions. Not the fastest Safety in the league. Known to take breaks in-between defensive drives.