Opp big runs, fumbles and INTs returned for TDs

[jackusage]

This might be somewhat of a newb question because I'm just starting to play the game.

I've been starting the game with a preference draft and it doesn't seem to matter where I set the defensive lineman slider but the rate at which the opponent breaks off 30-75 yd runs is pretty high.

Also the opponent returns fumbles and INTs for TDs at a pretty high rate, and all this happens in the same game while they don't get many first downs. My QBs and RBs have been Brady, Rodgers, Foster, etc.

Are there any settings, options, files or strategies where I could prevent this from happening so frequently? It seems to make a game very unrealistic IMO. I thought that since this is a stats game that there's multipliers I could change.

Thanks in advance for any help you may have. I would very much like to give this game a chance due to current frustrations with fantasy football.

[QuikSand]

Welcome to the game and to the forum.

In brief, my recommendation is:



Starting out with a few games here or there, you're simply going to experience some weirdness. And from your description, you're apparently really going to notice it when it happens.

Overall, I can assure you that there's no general consensus that the game is "broken" and that all the stats arise from long breakaway runs surrounded by 1 yard stuffs. The game, overall, does a pretty good job simulating the back and forth and the realistic stats of modern NFL football. So... enjoy the game. I'm not saying that everything is picture perfect, but I'm saying there's no reason to panic that the game is pointless in the ways you're afraid it might be.


One note here -- things like cohesion (time your players have been on your team's roster) play a meaningful role in this game. When you do a preference draft, you reset every team's cohesion to zero, effectively, and that might be playing a part in what you're seeing. I confess I don't have that much experience with that setup.


This game is best played over the long haul (more so than as a one-season NFL replication, of the like). So, settle in, manage your team for a while, and in time I think you'll feel generally comfy that the game engine is at least good enough to enjoy.

[jackusage]

Thanks for the reply QuikSand. I had no idea about the cohesion metric. I'll try re-thinking more along those lines and for the long haul.