bdubbs
03-13-2017, 04:33 PM
Hey everyone, I haven't delved incredibly deep with FoF8. No MP yet, just run through a bunch of seasons offline to see if I can get a feel for the roster building, contract management, and year to year ratings.
I haven't kept track of how many season's I've run but it's probably 30-50 now and I just wanted to share some of my anecdotal observations when it comes to which positions seem to have the most / least depth throughout the years as well as which positions appear to bring more overall value when it comes to superstar players. This is the order that I've come to prioritize positions in the draft independent of team needs.
The obvious spot at #1 belongs to QB. I've found it entirely possible to put together a strong team without a franchise QB, but when it comes to quarterbacks in the high 50's ratings it feels like a huge crap shoot of trying to find a guy who will thrive in your system, which is a guess and check situation. I've also witnessed from my own teams and CPU teams that there seems to be such a thing as "one hit wonders" where middling QB's on a team with enough talent put up prolific numbers for a season but never touch those numbers again.
Elite QB draft prospect's seem to be pretty rare. The most rookies with a scouted future potential of 65+ I've seen come into a single draft is 3, and it seems common for drafts to be completely absent a QB in the top 8 pre draft rankings.
I give my #2 Spot to Running Backs
In the NFL RB's fell out of favor but are making a come back due to scarcity of elite QB talent and the fact that defensive coordinators have caught up with this paradigm shift and are putting more emphasis on shutting down opposing passing games. In FoF a top tier RB can put up tremendous production and feels like a position where you'll rarely find players developing beyond a low 60s rating. When an elite RB enters a draft class at the top of the board the CPU also seems to prioritize them, and they rarely fall in the draft the way some elite defensive players might.
RB is also a position where players don't age well so having a young elite talent at the position is an advantage that most teams won't have. Even with a tough OL I have struggled to get meaningful production out of running backs with ratings in the 50s.
My #3 Spot goes to WR's
This makes 3 offensive positions in a row, and I believe it's the interdependence of the offensive positions combined with the scarcity of talent in the draft that make these 3 positions stand out the most. Without at least one very talented WR even an elite QB is likely to put up mediocre numbers. Without a talented RB or QB a strong OL feels like dead cap space, etc. A WR that can do it all is a rarity in the draft, and even if a talented WR ever hits free agency he's probably going to be 27 or older and wants a king's ransom to sign. This is another position where ratings declines seem to happen young and rapidly, further increasing scarcity.
My #4 Spot goes to CB's
In my mind those first 3 were pretty easy to choose as priorities #1, 2, and 3 but this fourth spot feels much more tightly contested. The alternative choice would have been offensive tackle, but I think CB wins out here due to a bump in scarcity. Elite caliber CB's are a rarity, and finding a guy with great combines, a high interception bar, and high coverage bars is a pretty big rarity.
My # 5 Spot goes to OT
I'm not sure how but not every OL position is made equal in terms of this game. I think the best way to build an OL is with two great tackles and then average quality starters on the interior to save cap space. The most successful run I had with a team was when I had a franchise QB, elite RB, elite WR, and elite LT. The rest of my offense was average ratings which let me put together a pretty strong defense as well. I managed to make a 3 year run at the Front Office Bowl, winning 2 of them before losing a lot of key pieces that I couldn't afford to keep. It's also worth noting that I've found a fair amount of situations where I was able to convert a tackle into an interior lineman for a net ratings boost, particularly to center which can be helpful for filling out your line.
My #6 spot goes to linebackers
I'm not going to discern between ILBs and OLBs because for the most part they seem to be interchangeable. There's a greater wealth of talent at LB than some other positions but I think they make a bigger impact on defense than some of the others
My #7 spot goes to safeties
I've found that safeties don't typically make the same impact on defense as they do in the NFL. While an elite safety can make up for lack of LB talent by becoming a tackling machine I find that they rarely become a disruptive force in coverage even with high bars. That aside they are much more scarce in a draft than elite LBs and DL which gives them some premium.
My #8 spot goes to DL
D lineman are largely interchangeable, and while I'm sure there are some that would disagree with that I believe that for the purposes of this game the defensive system doesn't have a huge impact on player roles. I've had elite DE's in a true 34 average over 15 sacks a season. I think these positions are important for building a strong defense, but elite DL are in the top of every draft class and at the end of the day feels like the easiest positions to fill with quality players.
My #9 spot goes to TE's
I've never tried building an offense with a TE as a major presence. I've had elite TE's come and go from teams but unless you emphasize them in the game plan they don't seem to make much of an impact. In theory though if utilized properly a pass catching TE can be as valuable as receiver if you gameplan around him. TE's can be surprisingly expensive to keep around though, especially the talented ones, and you can live with average starters here.
My #10 and final spot goes to interior OL
I just don't feel like you ever get your "bang for your buck" here. High rated interior lineman are expensive to keep around but don't seem to be able to "anchor" an OL the way a tackle can. The only time I ever draft a guard or center in the first 2 rounds is if they appear to have significantly higher ratings than all other available prospects and I'm already comfortable with my starters at most other positions
What are all your thoughts about priority by position?
I haven't kept track of how many season's I've run but it's probably 30-50 now and I just wanted to share some of my anecdotal observations when it comes to which positions seem to have the most / least depth throughout the years as well as which positions appear to bring more overall value when it comes to superstar players. This is the order that I've come to prioritize positions in the draft independent of team needs.
The obvious spot at #1 belongs to QB. I've found it entirely possible to put together a strong team without a franchise QB, but when it comes to quarterbacks in the high 50's ratings it feels like a huge crap shoot of trying to find a guy who will thrive in your system, which is a guess and check situation. I've also witnessed from my own teams and CPU teams that there seems to be such a thing as "one hit wonders" where middling QB's on a team with enough talent put up prolific numbers for a season but never touch those numbers again.
Elite QB draft prospect's seem to be pretty rare. The most rookies with a scouted future potential of 65+ I've seen come into a single draft is 3, and it seems common for drafts to be completely absent a QB in the top 8 pre draft rankings.
I give my #2 Spot to Running Backs
In the NFL RB's fell out of favor but are making a come back due to scarcity of elite QB talent and the fact that defensive coordinators have caught up with this paradigm shift and are putting more emphasis on shutting down opposing passing games. In FoF a top tier RB can put up tremendous production and feels like a position where you'll rarely find players developing beyond a low 60s rating. When an elite RB enters a draft class at the top of the board the CPU also seems to prioritize them, and they rarely fall in the draft the way some elite defensive players might.
RB is also a position where players don't age well so having a young elite talent at the position is an advantage that most teams won't have. Even with a tough OL I have struggled to get meaningful production out of running backs with ratings in the 50s.
My #3 Spot goes to WR's
This makes 3 offensive positions in a row, and I believe it's the interdependence of the offensive positions combined with the scarcity of talent in the draft that make these 3 positions stand out the most. Without at least one very talented WR even an elite QB is likely to put up mediocre numbers. Without a talented RB or QB a strong OL feels like dead cap space, etc. A WR that can do it all is a rarity in the draft, and even if a talented WR ever hits free agency he's probably going to be 27 or older and wants a king's ransom to sign. This is another position where ratings declines seem to happen young and rapidly, further increasing scarcity.
My #4 Spot goes to CB's
In my mind those first 3 were pretty easy to choose as priorities #1, 2, and 3 but this fourth spot feels much more tightly contested. The alternative choice would have been offensive tackle, but I think CB wins out here due to a bump in scarcity. Elite caliber CB's are a rarity, and finding a guy with great combines, a high interception bar, and high coverage bars is a pretty big rarity.
My # 5 Spot goes to OT
I'm not sure how but not every OL position is made equal in terms of this game. I think the best way to build an OL is with two great tackles and then average quality starters on the interior to save cap space. The most successful run I had with a team was when I had a franchise QB, elite RB, elite WR, and elite LT. The rest of my offense was average ratings which let me put together a pretty strong defense as well. I managed to make a 3 year run at the Front Office Bowl, winning 2 of them before losing a lot of key pieces that I couldn't afford to keep. It's also worth noting that I've found a fair amount of situations where I was able to convert a tackle into an interior lineman for a net ratings boost, particularly to center which can be helpful for filling out your line.
My #6 spot goes to linebackers
I'm not going to discern between ILBs and OLBs because for the most part they seem to be interchangeable. There's a greater wealth of talent at LB than some other positions but I think they make a bigger impact on defense than some of the others
My #7 spot goes to safeties
I've found that safeties don't typically make the same impact on defense as they do in the NFL. While an elite safety can make up for lack of LB talent by becoming a tackling machine I find that they rarely become a disruptive force in coverage even with high bars. That aside they are much more scarce in a draft than elite LBs and DL which gives them some premium.
My #8 spot goes to DL
D lineman are largely interchangeable, and while I'm sure there are some that would disagree with that I believe that for the purposes of this game the defensive system doesn't have a huge impact on player roles. I've had elite DE's in a true 34 average over 15 sacks a season. I think these positions are important for building a strong defense, but elite DL are in the top of every draft class and at the end of the day feels like the easiest positions to fill with quality players.
My #9 spot goes to TE's
I've never tried building an offense with a TE as a major presence. I've had elite TE's come and go from teams but unless you emphasize them in the game plan they don't seem to make much of an impact. In theory though if utilized properly a pass catching TE can be as valuable as receiver if you gameplan around him. TE's can be surprisingly expensive to keep around though, especially the talented ones, and you can live with average starters here.
My #10 and final spot goes to interior OL
I just don't feel like you ever get your "bang for your buck" here. High rated interior lineman are expensive to keep around but don't seem to be able to "anchor" an OL the way a tackle can. The only time I ever draft a guard or center in the first 2 rounds is if they appear to have significantly higher ratings than all other available prospects and I'm already comfortable with my starters at most other positions
What are all your thoughts about priority by position?