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Originally Posted by tanner_the_taco
So I was able to get it to work! Some of the drafts that have exactly 800 players need to have several players added. Not sure why exactly but I was able to get all of the csv files to work from 1996 on. I would just throw random long snappers in there, usually around 10-15 is enough to make it work.
Thanks for all your work on these. It's been so fun to create my own history. I'm super busy with work and grad school right now but when I have free time, I was thinking of starting a project to put together a roster starting in 1976 with draft classes for 1977-1982. Do you have any tips at all for obtaining the data? Did you just webscrape footballreference?
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Well, that sounds good. Little time myself these days. Working on a Historical Game soon to be released. But I'm retired so some time can be put on this FOF.
First the year you start in must be filled up with lots of players that was never in any playing roster during the season, IR or similar. Many got cut during the summer and during training camps. Some ended up in CFL others in Arena Football or similar. They will keep the fictional out of the gaem. So my 2002 I needed to add some 7-900 players. Each team got to have some 65 players to start. AI cut the rosters to 60 when you start, but with 65-70 players it should not go digging for any fictional. If need players you have to have added hundreds of real players of those that was cut. A big Free Agent list of real players that is. Check so you get enough on each poistion.
It's harder back in 1976 I think, then for me in 2002. Check out also the draftlist the years prio to the year you aim to start with. Some players popped up after your starting year but then they are not in the draflist the coming year. I found many such players that had an off-year in 2002. They wasn't in this starting 2002 FOF list that I started to work on. Hard to find them but check out the links I give.
As you found out yourself the draftlist for each year need to be stocked too.
National Football League (NFL) sports on StatsCrew.com
gives you many players even from those lower leagues. And all info to add them.
NFL Training Camps - Pro Football Archives
gives some indication of cut playres
Pro Football Historical
You always can find some missing guys. This is a goldmine if looking at the Transactions of every player in and out of teams for each year since 1994.
If you don't find a player on those lists I don't think he ever was signed by a NFL at any time.
So for me it was just to start filling in these guys for 2002, where my try in starting a historical league begun.
Only making the decisions when to make them FA or member of the starting team when FOF8 starts just prio to training camp.
And the real best link might be NFLs own. You can easily put in the year you want and then select from years start. All players that was in and out of pro football training camps and even before, cuts and everything.
Here is the waivers on the list I got most my "hidden" players
NFL waivers by month | NFL.com
Would be cool if you got your project on the road. It's very very long time to get such done and dusted.
Also check out the contracts for those starting years. My 2002 had FOF7 contracts with TWO bonus numbers added each year in FOF7 but in FOF8 only 1 bonus sum for each year, so the result got weird. Thats' important.