Player development

[Hammer]

I must confess I haven't played the single player version of 2007 much, as I've been playing in multi player leagues. So with that in mind, I wonder if anyone could further my understanding of player development.

I seem to recall Jim saying young players should develop faster in this version. I'm not seeing that. I'm wondering if mentors are less effective in this version? I'm also seeing players develop at varying speeds to put it mildly, and I can't pin down whats causing this.

Is on field success a contributor of a players improvement? Should I get my QB to pass more often in pre season if I want to improve him, just to get his passing reps up?

Help appreciated!

[Narcizo]

I think what happens is that scouting error is making it very hard to judge how developed a player is. I certainly think there's far more cases of the top-tier players coming in from the draft already highly developed. It's also possible that you are drafting busts who never will develop because they're already near their potential, it's just that the scouts don't realise it. There's a lot more of those in the game as well, rather than out-and-out busts.

Quarterbacks do seem to develop more slowly in this version though. Gone are the days of a quarterback's current bumping his potential up past 80 within 3 years.

[Ksyrup]

Before I really knew what I was doing, I guess I cheated (especially after reading Jim's interview) and sent my 1st round QB to summer league. Within 4 years, he was fully maxed out at 98/98. I started him from day 1, too.

I'm noticing very few stand out FAs and am having to judge players by stats more, which is awesome. I signed Lawrence Tynes as my kicker after Jason Hanson retired. He was 66/66. His numbers with KC were very solid. First year for me, he makes less than 75% of his FGs and maybe 40% of his 40+ yarders. I was not happy. Next year, 3/4 of the way through the year, he's at 60% on total FGs and like 3 for 12 on 40+ yarders. I pulled a Parcells and dumped him (still 66/66, BTW) for 37/37 Janikowski, who came through nicely for the rest of the season and playoffs. My scout is average on kickers.

And when looking at the mass of 38/38 thourgh 48/48 FAs, I almost always look at stats trends, injuries, and age first before I even get to salary. I often pass up higher-rated guys who just don't seem to be living up to their ratings for lower-rated but "better looking" players.

[henry296]

The develop faster if played. I've noticed if they stay a backup they don't improve much at all.

[joyosects]

Yeah, if non QB guys start their first and second seasons, they're virtually always maxed or near it at the beginningof their 3rd season.

[Hammer]

I've just spend a few hours fast track simming, tracking the development of young QBs and recording results. In summary, hard and fast rules are real tough to come by!

I tracked a number of rookies, ranging from your 40/80 stud types to your undrafted 20/40 types. Some interesting observations...

* I had guys fly out of the gate, (17/50 pre season, 30/50 by first season end) and then just die a death! Despite being the starting QB over his career this guy finished 29/38 at the end of year 5. In general though, most big increase guys went on to great things.

* I had slow developers, continue consistent growth, (26/69 pre season, 30/69 seasons end starting every game). End of year 5, 68/73.

* I had guys dip only to recover and improve their potential, I had QBs increase their potential and then flop in later years. In general though if a guys potential improved or decreased early, it was a sign of things to come.

* I had players grow at an average rate, meeting their potential and then just carry on increasing.

* Drafting a quality QB isn't exactly a crapshoot, but you can do all things right and still end up with a dud.

Jim seems to have done a great job, as in real life its so tough to pin down how a player is going to develop. Not all new stuff to us, but this version seems less predictable than 2004. Often I think QBs are just going to have to be given a few years under centre before a judgement is made.