"Eighty-Two Protection, you got double 'A's'." Leaf's Madden 16 Buccaneers

[RyanLeaf16]

Lawrence Sidbury sacks the Vikings' Shaun Hill (left) & Bradley McDougald lays the boom to Jerrick McKinnon (right)

Fight to the Finish!
Backup DE Lawrence Sidbury records 4 sacks | Competition across the board produces excellent results | Winston struggles in debut

Minneapolis, MN --- The Jameis Winston era did not start off well for the young rookie quarterback. Winston was just 2-8 passing with just 16 yards.

"He's a rookie," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said with a smile. "He can't win us the Super Bowl in a preseason game so we'll pump the brakes on the panic button."

While no one is going to panic inside One Buc Place, the performance did nothing to instill confidence in Winston from the fanbase.

While the Bucs stumbled out of the gate by spotting the Vikings 13 points and allowing some big plays out of the running game, the team responded well when faced with on-field mistakes.

After a 36-yard run by Adrian Peterson, DE George Johnson recorded a tackle for loss on the very next play and DT Henry Melton recorded a sack on the play after that.

"They really responded well after a letdown," Smith said. "If they let up a big play, they didn't let it eat at them. Instead, they seemed to focus and limit the damage the rest of the way."

Big plays were shared all around by the defense. S Bradley McDougald absolutely laid out Vikings RB Jerrick McKinnon forcing a fumble on the play early in the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Bucs, they weren't able to fall on the ball and take advantage of the excellent field position a turnover would have provided. Consequently, the Bucs would later allow a big 3rd and long conversion on the same drive after missed tackles by DT Matthew Masifilo and LB Orie Lemon.

With the Vikings up 13-0, the Bucs offense continued to sputter and punted the ball back to the Vikings midway through the second quarter. Then...something happened.

DE Lawrence Sidbury happened. Sidbury, a 6th year player out of Richmond and NFL journeyman, recorded sacks on back-to-back plays to shut down a Vikings drive on his own.

That spark seemed to jolt the Bucs offense to life. Led by QB Mike Glennon, the Bucs offense finally seemed to click as the second team offense began to move the ball with some efficiency. Unfortunately, the Bucs could not punch the ball into the end zone just before halftime. A Glennon pass to WR Rannell Hall in the back of the endzone was knocked loose just before Hall landed on his feet. The Bucs ended the half with a field goal to make the score 13-3.

The Bucs would carry that momentum over into their first drive of the second half as Glennon would drive the offense down to the Vikings goal line. Down 13-3, the Smith elected to go for it on a 4th and goal situation. An attempt by RB Bobby Rainey to put the ball in the endzone was shut down by the Vikings defense.

"In a regular season game, we would have kicked the field goal," Smith said. "In preseason, we didn't see an issue with working on some goal line offense."

Sidbury would "pickup" the Bucs offense by recording his third sack of the night forcing a Vikings punt.

The Bucs offensive redzone struggles continued as Glennon led the team down on another impressive drive, but, failed to finish it off with a touchdown. This time the Bucs took their three points to bring the score to 13-6.

The defensive struggle would last all game as the teams continued to battle late into the fourth quarter when a touchdown run by Bucs' RB Charles Sims tied the game. However, the Vikings would answer on a blown coverage by Bucs CB Sterling Moore that allowed for the Vikings to get into field goal position and eventually finish the game with a 16-13 victory.

Final Score:

-- 13
-- 16

Stats:

[Cheese2121]

Love the layout and the pictures look great. Shaky start for Winston but it is just preseason. This is the time to have those growing pains. Sidbury is a guy I have always liked, so it was nice to seem him do well. Maybe he can be a situational pass rusher for you in the future.

[RyanLeaf16]

Mike Mamula, Combine Warrior & NFL draft bust

Shooting at the Walls of Heartache, Bang Bang Combine Warriors
Bucs GM RyanLeaf16 to "handcuff" himself with new scouting rules | Looking for more realistic outcomes

Tampa, FL --- When Madden 16 dropped, Bucs GM RyanLeaf16 was anxiously awaiting for the work day to end so he could pickup his physical copy and start with the rebuild of his Buccaneers.

Throughout the pre-release process, Leaf watched many videos about the new scouting system that many of the developers were "excited" about.

"It's not often that the developers get 'excited' about a feature being inserted into franchise mode," Leaf said. "So naturally, I felt like it would be a 'game changer'."

Unfortunately, while this new scouting system has some appeal, it tends to cut right into the meat of the process, rather than peel a layer away.

"I like the efficiency of virtual scouting in this version," Leaf said. "However, I have realized that if you use the scouting as intended, I have this god-like power to know exactly how each player should perform."

While the game operates on a suspended plane of reality, there should still be some "fog of war" according to Leaf.

"I just can't legitimize my draft experience if I can scout a guy that has a first round grade and have it revealed to me that he actually has fifth round talent!"

Per the Bucs GM, he has thought long and hard on how to execute the draft in this franchise and how to handle scouting...and according to him, there is no perfect way to handle the situation.

Instead, Leaf has decided to introduce his own "fog of war" element into the process.

"I'm going to scout each player's best trait and that's it. No second trait or third trait," Leaf explained. "I considered only using combine numbers, however, in real life, teams still have an idea about a player's ability based off of film study. However, I couldn't justify unlocking a players true talent/potential by just unlocking three traits. Therefore, I will unlock one and then use combine numbers only."

Leaf explained that he felt this approach would lead to a more balanced outcome regarding his draft success.

"The goal is NEVER to draft a Mike Mamula, but, the goal is to insert the possibility into the process. Currently, that doesn't exist with the setup we've been given."

While it is still preseason, it is good to know that the man steering the ship for the virtual Bucs already has the 2016 draft on his mind. It should be interesting to see how this strategy plays out and if the approach is amended in any way following the 2016 draft.

[RyanLeaf16]

Just a heads up. I am waiting on the CFM patch to drop before moving forward. In the interim, I will try and write some stories for the franchise, but, I don't want to get too far into it and then have the patch drop and have the progression system break my game lol.

[Cheese2121]

Nice article on the recruiting process and I really like the self imposed rules you are using to keep things realistic. Looking forward to seeing this continue once the patch drops.

[RyanLeaf16]

CFM downtime means extra practice time

CFM Bugs Offer Opportunity for Leaf & Squad

Lutz, FL --- Just north of the Tampa city limits sits the unincorporated town of Lutz (LOOTS). This sleepy town is home to a number of area athletes and coaches. Included are Anthony "Booger" McFarland, Jon Gruden, Al Singleton and current Bucs GM RyanLeaf16.

In his home office, Leaf has been busy making use of the CFM downtime he has been afforded due to a massive player progression and in-game drive goal glitch causing ratings to spike to as high as 120 and then reset in-game.

"I decided to give the guys a rest," Leaf said. "I didn't see the need to get so deep into this CFM and then have it all just go down the tubes."

Instead, Leaf is working on his game through in-game drills and developing a custom playbook. According to Leaf, a light went on a few days ago when he realized that while many are/were complaining that this Madden is "OP" (over-powered) with aggressive catches and "Not Sim," it is actually about as "SIM" as it has ever been.

"I've had a hell of a time with this year's version. It's quite a challenge." Leaf said. "I also talked to a few guys who have spent a little time in the league and still like to get on the sticks and they are impressed as well."

Leaf went on to say that many players that "think they know the game," really have no clue.

"There are so many examples of how this game recreates actual football strategy and so many people are missing it," Leaf said. "This year, you actually have to STOP PLAYING MADDEN and start playing football."

What worked in the past, won't necessarily work this year. While this CFM glitch is certainly a disappointment, it has actually allowed Leaf to focus on building a custom playbook and evaluating the roster.

"Good times are ahead," Leaf said. "This won't be an overnight thing, but, we are going to get back to building a solid foundation."

[RyanLeaf16]

At 6-5 340, Donovan Smith is charged with protecting Jameis Winston

The Road to Success Starts in the Trenches
Bucs looking to build through draft | It all starts up front on both sides of ball

Tampa, FL --- Prior to the 2015 draft, the Buccaneers spend a total of FOUR draft picks on offensive lineman over the last SEVEN seasons!

It is not a coincidence that the Bucs are back to where they began as an organization...in the gutter. They have not drafted well and they have refused to acknowledge the most important parts of a football team - the offensive and defensive line.

It might be cliche, but, it truly is a team's foundation. It supports the back end and allows for the big name players to have the opportunity to succeed.

"You are going to see heavy investment from us regarding building our core and our lines," Bucs GM RyanLeaf16 said. "You build through the draft and patch holes through free agency."

The Bucs have started the process this season along the offensive line. After taking Jameis Winston number one overall, the team drafted two offensive lineman with their next two picks.

Donovan Smith was considered a "reach" by some with the 34th pick overall. However, Smith has proven in training camp that he is no slouch.

The same can be said with Division III product Ali Marpet. The Hobart college alum was a standout at the NFL Combine in February and has been giving fits to Bucs DT Gerald McCoy in practice.

With Logan Mankins entering the final year of his contract and Evan Dietrich-Smith seeing a decline in his play, the Bucs may be in the midst of a complete offensive line overhaul over the next couple of season.

Regardless, it's clear that the Bucs have realized where they have erred over the last several seasons and see that whether it is through trades, drafting or free agency, the team has got to focus on their foundation to start winning more consistently.

[mon0poly]

Loving the articles Leaf, pumped to see an OG like yourself get back into the swing of things.

I'll never forget your old Florida dynasty at MM. Good times.