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While we are on "pause" for a moment, this is a good time to talk about my approach to FOF in general, and how you've seen it here.
My goal is to become a synergy of the best of the Steelers and Patriots of whatever universe that they are playing in. That's my goal.
The Patriots have a powerful system. Despite changing names at various positions, they have some genuine HOF players, like Brady, they build around and use. They have some high quality players they retain. But they are not afraid to bring in Free Agents, high profile ones, and more. Randy Moss. Fred Taylor. Corey Dillon. Rodney Harrison. And they will bring in players that will be better in the Patriots system than elsewhere, like Wes Welker. And they will parrot their talent. Brady and company will air the crap out of the ball and bombard everything when they have that talent. Or they will plug up and play a powerful smashmouth run game when that's where they are. Whatever works. The Patriots are about replacement, plug and play, and getting the right people into the right spaces. They will collect draft picks, trade up to target the right player, trade back to acquire more picks, and are masters of draft management. And they make it to the playoffs and they win.
Now imagine that the year after Brady retires there is a top QB talent in the draft, like a Manning, or a Manning, or a Luck or someone. Imagine if they did everything they could to grab that 1.1 pick and take that top talent and kept on going.
That's what I like to do.
But I like to be the Steelers about it. I like to retain my own people. I'd rather keep a perfectly respectable 50/50 OG I have on my roster than sign some dopey 54/54 guy. Now If it makes sense( Half the money, drop in age by 7 or 8 years, etc) then I will. But I don't want to.
I want to:
1). Have the strong system players come into my draft, like the Steelers
2). Retain all of my talent, inc UFAs, that I bring in. Those are "my" players.
3). Master the draft like the Patriots, and match my pick to need, in order to keep it going
That's where I want to be.
I call this combination of Steelers and Pats mentality my "Equilibrium point." I try to get my dynasty to the Equilibrium Point. and we have reached that a couple of years ago here
Here is my path to Equilibrium:
1). Always, with only a handful of exceptions, draft BAP. You will have a healthier, stronger, and more competitive roster, when you took the BAP. Let me give you an example from my last dynasty with the Jags in FOF7. I had two top ten WRs in the mid20s at the end of the 1st round when a draftee called Joshua Wild fell to me. He was the BAP, and a stud. Now I had positions of need outside of WR. But I took him, two yeas later he replaced one of my WRs permanently, and was so good he made it to the HOF and was a concensus best WR during his tenure with us. I will take a stud DE, DT, LB, CB, or S even if I have two starters, with little muss or fuss. (Take my era with Horner and Stanton just now. I would not take a stud DE because I have two All Pros Defensive Player of the Year talents already - but that is a rare case). I will BAP a stud TE, RB, FB, WR or more over my current starters. BAP talent. You can see that in this dynasty with my linebackers.
2). Don't ever cut someone you can trade. Trade a younger 4th year player you won't keep for a future pick. You are building through the draft. So stockpile draft picks.
3). Target top talent, and move up to take it. There are a handful of players that will push my dynasty forward. Twice you saw me target Lorey and Alcott, and move up. Now I have had a 2000 yard rushed and an All Pro 90/90 NT for a 3-4 defense. Both were worth it. When there is a player that will make your team sing the next octave, make a play.
4) Don't get caught up with big bars and fancy stars. There will be studs in every draft. There will be players that should improve your team in every draft. You will lose them. That's fine. It happens. Don't move up and lose something to grab someone that you never really needed. Only make trades for players that are true value to your team.
5). Unlike many FOF players, I prefer bars to combines. There are draftees with great combine scores and low bars. They often grow. But they don't always,
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