Snakebitten: A Real-Time MP FOF thread

[QuikSand]

Well, in the training camp stage, I bit the bullet and submitted a file, knowing that it might ruin y playbook/gameplan for the year. The whole point was to re-sign our DB chemistry leader, S Hammond.

Then, it appears, I failed to make him the offer that I had worked to clear cap space for. This is the sort of mistake that you just cannot make in this fast-moving league. It will hurt us badly this year.

I'm home sick, this wasn't a case of being too busy, just an oversight, I guess.

I am not exaggerating that the dropoff from these fairly subtle things could be enough to drop us out of the playoffs, right after a 16-0 season. I hope not, but these several things (WR/TE erosion, chem losses at D7 and DB) compounded will hurt us a lot.

[QuikSand]

And for what it's worth, this sort of chemistry dead end was absolutely introduced in the game as it switched to FOF 8. The developer believed, presumably, that the game was too easy to "angle shoot" in this respect, and wiped out the ability to convert positions, and aggressively muted the number of high leadership+personality players who make for great chemistry leaders. So.. this is a feature, not a bug.

I built the team knowing this sort of problem was possible. And now I'm in it. I have no realistic way to cut my way toward a better setup - cutting our CB1 Pedro Sutter and eating a $42m cap hit would move us to something like a Grade B chemistry setup. So, I likely just have no real option here.

This was going to happen next season anyhow, assuming S Hammond retires. The league is just really short on guys in the sign I need, who are suitably strong leaders. Plus, I was too confident in my ability to work around Sutter's high leadership (but low personality) score. Put it together, and this is a fine mess we're in, Ollie.

[QuikSand]

The Things We Do For Love

So, two seasons ago, I knew there was a chemistry issue brewing. There were, by my count, five legitimate chem leaders on the defensive side of the ball in the one sign where I had (unfortunately) built both my D& and DB groups. One of them was my incoming D7 chem leader, a guy we had been sitting on for years as a below-replacement-level talent but knowing he would step into this role for us in time. Another one was our current DB leader, a safety. Things were basically fine, and nearly everyone on my defense was from the 7-8 and 11-2 groups (only two exceptions).

Then the DE retired last offseason. I had to move to replace him, and ultimately came up with a plan -- I put in bids on the two best-looking chem leader DBs out there in the 8-9 group, expecting to have to fatten them up and try to switch one to become a lousy linebacker. It worked, to an extent -- I got a CB in Hammond (by massively overpaying for 1yr) and switched him to safety, and moved my safety/DBleader over to play OLB. It worked, chemistry was back in place, and we were fine.

This offseason, the safety-cum-backer retired. I'm a mess now. Had to settle for a not-very-good leader there, my current guy only has a 66 personality. I know, you're saying "oh boo hoo" but listen -- this is how I build my team. We didn't go 16-0 last season because I have some rocket surgery gameplan, or because I'm a superb drafter. We win (when we do) because I build my roster for good fits in every way, and then I keep them around as best I can. This is the best play I have.

So..we had to re-sign S Hammond, but lacked the cap space to do it easily. Put in a couple bids, one got rejected, one got withdrawn due to cap space problems. Came down to this last stage, and... I flubbed it.

Now, the two DBs who would solve my problem are both sitting on rosters managed by AVAILABLE. Hammond took a 1yr minsal deal, of course, and anther guy took a legit deal last offseason as I failed to push in heavily for him as my Plan B. So, we're fuct.

No apologies for writing about this so much. People drafting and signing players happens everywhere... if you're taking the time to read this stuff, you might as well feel how much this upends my team's plans. For this season, the chemistry losses will definitely hurt us more than the suspension of our 1.4 wide receiver rookie.

Grumble, grumble.

[QuikSand]

This is supposed to be an exciting stage - final roster decisions, slide in role players, decide who gets in for special plays, etc. Instead I'm just pissed off about chemistry and don't feel like reporting much.

We should still be okay, but I doubt we are dominant again. Maybe back to that 9-11 win zone where we maybe get into the playoffs but are dead ducks once there.

[Kodos]

It seems to me like Jim should be happy when different people find different angles to use in the game. The more ways to build a winner, the better. It feels like this change was aimed squarely at you (as the most well-known and successful of the chemistry guys). That kinda sucks. Things like that are part of what made me decide FOF wasn't really for me any more.

[QuikSand]

It definitely doesn't do me any good to gripe about it publicly, like in a major "feedback" thread or something similar here. Doing so buried in a dynasty thread like this doesn't really count. Alas, so it goes.

[QuikSand]

For the season ahead, Ben's power ratings place Baltimore 5th overall... only good for 3rd in our own division. Yikes. CLE and CIN are both fielding mighty rosters this year.

[Squirrel]

Originally Posted by Kodos

It seems to me like Jim should be happy when different people find different angles to use in the game. The more ways to build a winner, the better. It feels like this change was aimed squarely at you (as the most well-known and successful of the chemistry guys). That kinda sucks. Things like that are part of what made me decide FOF wasn't really for me any more.

I don't think having chem in the game does any harm for MP FOF, quite the reverse, but I'm probably biased in saying that as I lean on it fairly heavily, though alas with less success than Quik.

I think the main thing chem does for MP FOF is increase the amount of trading that goes on. In the league I follow most closely, the GML, I do more trades than most and often there's a chem angle that provokes it. Some of these trades, if not most, could be viewed as unbalanced and I'm sure some GMs look at them and think I'm mad. But I'm sitting there thinking it's good for my team based on the things I value.

I think having trades is fun and an important reason to play MP not SP. Surely it's good for the game to have reasons to cause different people to value the same thing differently, which is the reason trades happen. Scouting variance and scheme are good for this, as are some other things, but so to my mind is chem.

[QuikSand]

I'm all in that the chemistry system, warts and all, is a net positive for the game. I enjoy it, others are free to ignore it, I think that's a great wrinkle.

[QuikSand]

So, whining aside, here's the regular season summary:

Front Office Football Eight
2069 Summary for Baltimore Ravens
   
Year                2069                                      
Record              14-2                                      
Winning Pct.        .875                                      
All-Time            552-407-1                                 
Winning Pct.        .575                                      
Playoffs            15-33                                     
Playoff Visits      34                                        
Bowl Wins           0                                         
Head Coach          Orlando Morris                            
Record              93-57                                     
Winning Pct.        .620                                      
Off. Coord.         D. Bruce                                  
Def. Coord.         K. Durrough                               
Asst. Coach         G. Carbajal                               
Stren. Coord.       D. Tisdale                                
   
Baltimore Ravens        Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         21.5      30          
Rushing Yards           83.4      29          
Yards Per Carry         3.88      26          
Pass Attempts           37.6      12          
Completions             24.4      11          
Completion Pct.         64.8      12          
Passing Yards           305.6     2           
Yards Per Attempt       8.12      4           
Yards Per Catch         12.54     2           
Total Yardage Gained    377.1     7           
3rd Down Conversions    33.5      22          
Points Per Game         30.5      2           
Pass Rush Pct.          20.2      10 (T)      
Pass Defense Pct.       47.2      18          
Turnovers               23        23 (T)      
Turnover Margin         +10       4           
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         25.1      11          
Rushing Yards           97.6      7 (T)       
Yards Per Carry         3.89      6 (T)       
Pass Attempts           39.5      32          
Completions             24.7      29          
Completion Pct.         62.5      15          
Passing Yards           261.9     21          
Yards Per Attempt       6.63      13          
Yards Per Catch         10.61     9           
Total Yardage Gained    347.3     18          
3rd Down Conversions    32.0      3 (T)       
Points Per Game         17.8      4 (T)       
Pass Rush Pct.          17.7      9           
Pass Defense Pct.       48.7      19          
Turnovers               33        1           
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     29    at CIN        22      
2     25    CHI           6       
3     24    at HOU        31      
4     16    KCY           13      
5     27    at OAK        17      
6     41    SDO           13      
7     41    at DEN        13      
8     41    CIN           13      
9     9     at CLE        37      
11    30    PIT           15      
12    38    DET           10      
13    45    NED           44      
14    27    at GBY        21      
15    30    CLE           3       
16    24    at MIN        14      
17    41    at PIT        13      
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
9 I. Mathews            QB    595   387   4852  8.15  36    18    97.8    
**Team                  ---   602   390   4889  8.12  36    19    96.7    
$$Opp                   ---   632   395   4191  6.63  18    17    80.1    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum   
Front Office Football Eight
24 G. Banks             RB    250   1033  4.13  16    4       
25 E. Blackburn         RB    77    226   2.94  2     0       
**Team                  ---   344   1335  3.88  18    12      
$$Opp                   ---   401   1561  3.89  8     27      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
13 L. Duran             WR    258   148   2165  14.63 8.39  6     17      
80 R. Maloney           TE    92    66    818   12.39 8.89  6     7       
84 C. Vukmir            WR    78    58    716   12.34 9.18  3     7       
24 G. Banks             RB    45    35    403   11.51 8.96  0     1       
25 E. Blackburn         RB    32    22    139   6.32  4.34  1     2       
89 O. Heath             TE    31    20    176   8.80  5.68  4     2       
18 K. Jacobs            WR    30    20    245   12.25 8.17  0     0       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
51 E. Emerson           ILB   95    27    1.0   0     1     4     72.5    
39 Z. Christakes        S     92    27    0.0   0     4     3     79.3    
34 R. McIntyre          CB    71    17    0.0   0     5     12    80.9    
58 G. Lincoln           OLB   71    28    0.0   0     0     3     73.0    
55 C. Matthews          ILB   66    22    0.0   0     0     3     72.7    
5 P. Sutter             CB    59    14    0.0   0     2     5     76.7    
45 R. Lester            OLB   57    26    1.5   3     1     9     80.8    
94 B. Broomfield        DT    37    9     6.0   13    0     0     81.1    
96 D. Harmon            DE    35    12    6.0   13    0     1     80.9    
32 B. Dennis            S     35    15    0.0   0     2     4     79.9    
52 L. Shapiro           OLB   30    5     0.0   0     0     5     79.5    
36 L. Shireman          S     29    13    0.0   0     1     6     79.6    
26 B. Upshaw            CB    27    9     0.0   0     1     5     77.8    
99 M. Rudoff            DE    20    6     5.0   11    0     1     81.7    
91 P. Douglas           DE    19    10    7.5   27    0     0     81.6    
93 J. Ricks             DT    17    5     3.0   9     0     1     81.1    
28 R. Evans             CB    16    4     0.0   0     0     2     76.3     

So... I remain convinced we are not really a towering elite team right now. I think if we played out this season 100 times, our median win total would be something like 11. But we managed a big year regardless - a +10 turnover ration is nice, and helped overcome a back-to-earth season by QB Mathews. Duran was Duran, no shock there, but both TE Maloney and WR Vukmir stepped up to be pretty productive in their roles, too. The running game predictably stunk. Offense overall probably hit, but didn't truly exceed, my expectations.

Defensively, turnovers saved our bacon. We were decent on D, but great at taking the ball away - not a great portend for things ahead.

But we'll take the bye week, for sure!

And... maybe if we're lucky, we get a shot at this year's 16-0 juggernaut, Squirrel's Washington team (visited this thread above, he's a chem-first guy, too).

[QuikSand]

So, our postseason rings true, and lives up to the "snakebitten" thread title. One and out.

But, misery loves company, right? We're dispatched by the 9-7 Chiefs under Sawblade, who manage an improbable run -- beating 13-3 CLE, 14-2 BAL, 14-2 NE, and then 16-0 WAS to take the title. Stuff happens (seemingly more in FOF than IRL but whatever).

[QuikSand]

Season rollover competed. On to a new, and presumably bitterly disappointing, season. Hooray!

Our only retirement is DT Julian Ricks. We have already loaded up at the position anticipating this - he was around mainly as a cohesion plus of late. No worries there.

We're hoping to plug in a new offensive coordinator. Yeah, I know, our offense is regularly notching top-tier results, so this seems counter-intuitive. But this is FOF, gang, sometimes night is just going to have to be day.

[QuikSand]

Looking ahead (since there's not much I can actually do right now in the game, here are thoughts on the offseason ahead:

-The offense should get a shot in the arm with 2nd year WR Artie Dodge relieved from his suspension. He looks like a solid mid/late first rounder, rather than a trade-up-to-grab guy, but he'll be good, at least. That should give us three legitimate targets on the outside. Duran remains the do-it-all stud, Vukmir is the downfield threat, and now Dodge (52/71, 70/80GD, 71BPR) should be an all-purpose WR2/3. I'd guess he's good for 80 targets this year - we'll hope he delivers 700 yards and a half dozen scores.

Tight end is the weird spot, yet again. Ricky Maloney was solid last year (92 targets, 818/7) but he's now a ripe candidate for a holdout, as he's still on a minsal deal. So, we will have to keep an eye on that, and presumably be ready to pay up, or plug in the slot with some other system-ready sucker. Heh, maybe AVAILABLE will cut TE Doss and we'll get him back on a reasonable deal? Can't rule that out.

Speaking of the cap, this fast-paced league is up to $415m overall, and we have $75m in space. $75m sounds like a lot, but it's less than 20% of the total. I have basically no productive cuts to make, and cap-outs are really our only way to clearing more space. So... that's a fairly limited avenue, too.

Last-year guys include: CB Sutter (unlikely to extend), T Fletcher (likely), LB Lincoln (certain), WR Vukmir (certain), DE Harmon (no), and DE Douglas (maybe). Without seeing asking prices, my guess is it will occupy about $40m to re-up with T Fletcher, LB Lincoln, and WR Vukmir. So, there goes most of that seemingly impressive cap space. This is likely to be my usual offseason -- I will have enough play-around space to make a few free agent dabbles, but I doubt we will actually pursue anyone as a difference maker.

[QuikSand]

Roster needs, short term:
RB! (only have chem leader Roberts on contract right now)
OL (we played last season with a stiff at RG, and a cohesion stiff at RT, should improve)
TE (Maloney might start, reserves are weaksauce)
DE (we're really one quality guy away from the group I'd prefer)

Roster needs, longer term:
DE (everyone we do have is up in years, we have nobody young and good)
DB plan (figure out whether to live without chem, or overhaul to get it back)
LB (not as urgent as DL, but similar situation)
OL (have a chem plan, need parts to pull it together)

So, in a perfect world, I think this offseason would look something like:

-Draft a good-fit OL in round one, and hopefully get useful guys at RB, TE and LB in later rounds - maybe one of those long time affinity/specialteams guys who can play with us for a decade

-Consider a new deal with RB Banks to maintain cohesion, he's not great but good enough I think, for this team (and the league is overloaded with stud RBs)

-Find affordable, playable guys at OL and TE to tide us over for now

-Make a decision at DB, and either make deep cuts/trades to rebuild around CB McIntyre as our chem leader (59 leadership, 100 personality) or come up with another plan I can live with longish term

[QuikSand]

Ok, an interesting twist here. We bring aboard a new Offensive Coordinator, as planned, and he has no eye for talent. I'll live - that's not unreasonable, given that we are already a top-tier unit, we should be relying on our guys more than acquisition. But i honestly do prefer the comfort of having a really good scouting bar for my staff. Anyway, the new OC is really good at playcalling and other stuff, so he came up as our top pick. Fine.

New DC also, he's good across the board save for "young talent." Lucky for him, we don't draft anyone with any talent, so he ought to be fine. JK

[QuikSand]

Well, this offseason is going to be trickier than I had expected. Both the free agent pool ad the draft class appear to be really thin in my affinity areas. I know, boo hoo hoo. Regardless, this will be really tough for me to make the additions I want in the ways that I'd like to.

The draft is loaded with RB, yet again. I really don't love drafting a RB in round one, but that's now a possibility. There's a stud TE who would be great, and a great OT also, but neither has any chance to slide to my pick...nor do I think I'd pay the king's ransom needed to get up into the top 8 picks or so to get one of them. So, draft-wise, I basically have no plan. I could...gasp...even end up selecting a non-affinity player here.

I do not see any free agents who look like perfect fits for us, the sort that i'd make a roster-altering move for (like CB Sutter two years ago). Speaking of Sutter, I have posted a trade block including him - if we got a strong offer, I could consider moving him, as we are pretty deep with adequate cover men (though nobody as good as him). Our chemistry situation could improve more easily if Sutter were relocated elsewhere.

[QuikSand]

Okay, FA opens up, and the draft is underway, it's showtime.

We re-up with C Rob Adams, which is a major continuity move, as well as a skills necessity. He takes a deal for 2/30, expensive but forth it for us, little doubt.

I knew I might lose RB Gabe Banks here, and indeed he is lured away by New England -- the other 14-2 team from last season in our conference. Tough loss, I put in a bid strong enough to beat the many AVAILABLE teams but not good enough to beat out an aggressive real life foe. That will sting, though he's really not anything special, I don't think.

[QuikSand]

Two draft developments, both ending with a whimper rather than a bang:

1. The TE I coveted (and didn't even interview, as he seemed likely to go in the first ten picks) lasted into the 20s. I tried in vain to trade up to get him, and watched him go two slots ahead of us... TO OUR HATED RIVALS IN CLEVELAND. ugh. That would have been such a great fit for us.

2. I am predictably uninspired by the time my pick does come up, and eventually deal down. i don't often make this sort of trade, but I take two 2nds (and a 5th) to sell of my late 1st. Given the tier of guys I was considering as my top choices at pick 1.27, I think I very possibly still get one of them in mid-round-two, and so this ends up being a good deal for us. Alas, what that means is my sights are not set very high to being with. (The positions I am targeting are just thin in the groups where I want to focus)

[johnnyshaka]

Glad I could be of service.

I suspect he fell due to his lack of endurance but after getting our current TE1, who also lacks endurance, nearly 1000 yards I figured he'd do just fine in our offense.

For a change, I'm glad you didn't get your usual "future top 10 first round pick" for your late first rounder. :P

[QuikSand]

Yeah, suck it Johnny. (Agreed, the big demerit on the TE was a possibly null endurance, but I agree he's definitely worth a mid/late first regardless)

[QuikSand]

My trade spelunking goes poorly... none of the guys I felt I was "reaching" for at 1.27 fall very far, and by the time 2.14 comes up, my list is wiped out. I deal down again just to grab some pocket lint (a 4th and a 5th) and end up with a late 2nd rounder, at 2.26 for the move. We traded this year's 2nd rounder at some point earlier, apparently, so this pick basically replaces that one.

Not thrilled about my options, but at least I grabbed some other draft capital to potentially use later.

[QuikSand]

Well, the draft implosion continues. Apparently my draft clock ran out overnight, so I got auto-picked from my list. Got an OL, but he's definitely nothing special. not sure what I would have done if I had the pick in hand, but I think I would have been tempted to look at non-affinity players just to find some level of talent.

[QuikSand]

Draft continues, I won't belabor it because I don't expect many of these guys are going to stay around long enough to matter. Round 7 should be a long snapper, he may be the MVP of the lot. Miserable.

[QuikSand]

In free agency, some movement worth mentioning:

LB Philip Hillenbrand gives us another do-it-all option at LB for a few years, anticipating that our youth movement isn't really happening, at least he should be solid for 2-3 seasons, and can play pretty much anywhere. Good fit.

RB Alex Gerak gives us a cut-friendly veteran option at RB, assuming we don't have enough young talent to field a legitimate backfield (likely). He looks okay, not great, to me. He does wrest away the affinity leadership from Roberts, which I do not like, but if he's the best guy to be RB1, then he will stick. If not, we'll cut him and his $7m salary, and move on with whatever youngsters we have handy.

[QuikSand]

Numbers-wise, it's situation normal, all fouled up.

50 players signed
10 free agents with BAL as the top $ bidder
8 rookies on their way here for better or worse

[QuikSand]

...I'm also just over the sal cap, and will need $10m to re-sign WR Vukmir, at the very least. No room to reneg TE Maloney if/when he holds out, without going to extreme measures.

Some of these cut-friendly contracts are going to get a close look in a couple of stages.

[QuikSand]

On a happy note... WR Luke Duran is now rated the #5 receiver in league history (by Ben's DawgPoints) after only eight seasons of play. Damn.

[QuikSand]

Free agency continues, and we have a predictably busy late stage, as many of my low-risk contracts come together...

NEW SIGNINGS

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
NT Aaron Christen
3 years, $5,400,000 (Bonus: $30K. Salary: $1.6M, $1.8M, $2.0M.)
18
39

affinity stiff, longshot to stick

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
RCB Ben Fagundez
2 years, $8,000,000 (Bonus: $2.0M. Salary: $3.0M, $3.0M.)
32
32

important signing, new DB chem leader, worth overpaying for here

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
WILB Blaine Haayer
2 years, $4,580,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $2.3M, $2.3M.)
31
31

affinity stiff, but super high personality makes him good candidate to stick

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
TE Myles Henson
2 years, $5,500,000 (Bonus: $940K. Salary: $2.3M, $2.3M.)
34
34

mediocre player, but cohesion + chem at need position, he'll stick

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
SS Chandler Holmes
2 years, $6,000,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $3.0M, $3.0M.)
36
36

low risk contract, will compete for playing time, bubble guy at cut time

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
SLB Diego Hoover
2 years, $3,360,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $1.6M, $1.8M.)
13
36

affinity stiff

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
FB Joseph Jennings
2 years, $6,020,000 (Bonus: $20K. Salary: $3.0M, $3.0M.)
35
35

affinity stiff, we haven't had a proper FB for a while, though

Baltimore Ravens
QuikSand
SLB Lance Shapiro
2 years, $6,400,000 (Bonus: $1.0M. Salary: $2.7M, $2.7M.)
45
45

nobody else was interested, so i waited a long time to re-up with him, he will play a good deal

[QuikSand]

Most important development here is we have rebuilt our great DB chemistry setup, with the signing of Fagundez (11th year, 86 leadership, 88 personality). He is not perfect, but he's basically the last guy in the league who would have managed this well for us.

Sp, here's where we stand at DB for this season

CB1 Pedro Sutter 67/67, Aff, 3yrs with team
CB2 Ron McIntyre 62/62, ---, 8ywt
CB3 Raul Evans 47/47, ExAff, 5ywt
CB4 Brenden Upshaw, 50/50, Aff, 6ywt
CB5 John Rodgers, 34/34, Aff, 12 ywt

SS1 Zack Christakes, 60/60, MAff, 6ywt
FS1 Bo Dennis, 41/41, Aff, 2ywt
FS2 Lamont Shireman, 45/45, PAff, 3ywt
FS3 Shawn Ellison, 28/33, PAff, 2ywt

This is a group that is pretty good overall (many of these guys, notably Evans and Upshaw have "good match" bars for my coverage scheme, making them better to my eye than their overall ratings), and will be buoyed by great chemistry and great cohesion. Only one major free agent signing here (Sutter), the rest are home grown or minsal pickups.

We'll keep Sutter this year, and let him walk into free agency next year. He would take our leadership mantle next season, and mess up our chem. SO, we will have to hope that Fagundez sticks around and gives us at least 2 or 3 seasons getting paid millions of dollars to be on the inactive roster.

[QuikSand]

WR Vukmir has rejected my latest extension offer, and I now think it's unlikely we will be able to extend him. He's good, and we'd likely bid to get him back, but I don't think we will massively overpay him - he's a solid WR2 but not a build-around talent.

[QuikSand]

Unsurprising: our draft is rated 32/32, dead last... admittedly we did trade out of our first, then our second, picks... but still, I'm not expecting much of any help

Surprising: no holdouts

So...mixed bag. We're all about continuity anyhow, so not being pushed to plug in yet another brand new TE will help, I think. I thought it was possible Vukmir would hold out, too, so nice to avoid that as well.

[QuikSand]

So, my stupid "collector mentality" has borne its usual fruit, and I'm sitting on 78 players leading up to training camp. Pruning will ensue.

[QuikSand]

...more pruning...


Undrafted rookie RB looks likely to beat out everyone for the RB1 job... we're cutting 7th year free agent pickup Gerak, and I expect to use a three-man rotation, probably with last year's RB2 Blackburn splitting time mostly with UDFA Henry Malone, who grades out at 41/48 by my scout now, and has some nice bar distribution but low endurance.

[QuikSand]

Mostly boring reports here. Biggest news from the preseason is that our 3rd year RB Blackburn took a tumble in camp, and he ended up being the cut, leaving two rookies and our affinity journeyman as our ball carriers for this year. In retrospect, I really do regret letting RB Gabe Bans walk into free agency, but we'll make do with good chemistry and young fresh legs I guess.

Overall for this year, I'm giving two rookie OL the start, so I think we will suffer on offense a bit. WR Duran is still our build-around guy, so we expect another big season from him, hopefully with WR Vukmir, WR Doyle, and TE Maloney filling in above replacement value. If so, we ought to remain a top-tier offense.

The defense lucked into a lot of turnovers last season, I don't feel we can count on that. If we remain a roughly average unit there, that will be fine. The pass rush could slide a bit (we had some veteran erosion at DE) but again, we on't need to be great, merely okay.

I think we regress to the mean a bit from last year's #1 seed, and finish at something close to 11-5. Solid, but not elite.

[QuikSand]

Okay, here goes the regular season:

Front Office Football Eight
2070 Summary for Baltimore Ravens
   
Year                2070                                      
Record              9-7                                       
Winning Pct.        .562                                      
All-Time            561-414-1                                 
Winning Pct.        .575                                      
Playoffs            15-34                                     
Playoff Visits      35                                        
Bowl Wins           0                                         
Head Coach          Orlando Morris                            
Record              102-65                                    
Winning Pct.        .610                                      
Off. Coord.         C. Mahaffey                               
Def. Coord.         T. Blouir                                 
Asst. Coach         J. Goolsby                                
Stren. Coord.       D. Tisdale                                
   
Baltimore Ravens        Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         20.6      31          
Rushing Yards           79.1      32          
Yards Per Carry         3.84      26 (T)      
Pass Attempts           41.1      5           
Completions             26.1      1 (T)       
Completion Pct.         63.6      15          
Passing Yards           348.9     1           
Yards Per Attempt       8.50      2           
Yards Per Catch         13.36     1           
Total Yardage Gained    415.1     2           
3rd Down Conversions    33.6      23          
Points Per Game         28.3      6           
Pass Rush Pct.          15.9      31          
Pass Defense Pct.       47.2      25          
Turnovers               27        19 (T)      
Turnover Margin         -6        21 (T)      
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         23.3      6           
Rushing Yards           95.0      8 (T)       
Yards Per Carry         4.09      11          
Pass Attempts           41.2      32          
Completions             26.0      31          
Completion Pct.         63.1      23 (T)      
Passing Yards           286.9     30          
Yards Per Attempt       6.97      19          
Yards Per Catch         11.03     13          
Total Yardage Gained    369.7     26          
3rd Down Conversions    35.9      13          
Points Per Game         26.3      25          
Pass Rush Pct.          17.1      9           
Pass Defense Pct.       43.0      8           
Turnovers               21        21 (T)      
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     20    at CLE        30      
2     31    at TBY        26      
3     24    at DEN        17      
4     16    at NJY        26      
5     34    NED           36      
7     36    BUF           21      
8     33    at CIN        27      
9     22    CLE           39      
10    18    at MIA        34      
11    13    at PIT        12      
12    26    CAR           31      
13    23    IND           17      
14    24    at NOS        44      
15    48    PIT           23      
16    59    ATL           18      
17    26    CIN           19      
$$WC        at KCY                
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
9 I. Mathews            QB    657   418   5583  8.50  30    17    94.9    
**Team                  ---   657   418   5583  8.50  30    17    94.9    
$$Opp                   ---   659   416   4590  6.97  26    14    88.0    
    
Front Office Football Eight
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
31 H. Malone            RB    193   700   3.63  5     6       
33 L. Mahoney           RB    104   404   3.88  3     4       
**Team                  ---   330   1266  3.84  12    22      
$$Opp                   ---   372   1520  4.09  11    10      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
13 L. Duran             WR    250   149   2432  16.32 9.73  12    14      
80 R. Maloney           TE    98    67    711   10.61 7.26  5     3       
84 C. Vukmir            WR    101   66    918   13.91 9.09  6     4       
14 A. Dodge             WR    62    35    581   16.60 9.37  3     4       
82 E. Browne            TE    44    34    277   8.15  6.30  2     0       
33 L. Mahoney           RB    44    32    262   8.19  5.95  4     2       
31 H. Malone            RB    28    18    113   6.28  4.04  2     1       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
58 G. Lincoln           OLB   95    23    1.0   0     0     9     71.3    
39 Z. Christakes        S     90    27    0.0   0     3     2     78.6    
54 P. Hillenbrand       ILB   74    21    2.0   0     0     2     68.2    
36 L. Shireman          S     71    18    0.0   0     1     9     75.2    
45 R. Lester            OLB   54    17    1.0   0     0     9     76.2    
5 P. Sutter             CB    49    14    0.0   0     1     10    80.7    
51 E. Emerson           ILB   48    23    1.0   0     0     6     77.7    
34 R. McIntyre          CB    44    19    0.0   0     4     10    81.6    
52 L. Shapiro           OLB   36    11    0.5   3     0     7     80.7    
94 B. Broomfield        DT    34    19    8.0   20    0     0     82.0    
26 B. Upshaw            CB    27    9     0.0   0     1     4     77.3    
53 M. McCarthy          ILB   26    14    0.0   0     0     2     75.9    
96 D. Harmon            DE    23    7     3.5   10    0     0     81.9    
32 B. Dennis            S     20    1     0.0   0     1     2     77.4    
99 M. Rudoff            DE    19    8     4.0   10    0     1     82.1     

So... it feels like a disappointing season, to only go 9-7. But we're in as a wild card, and that's really what I felt like we deserved... so the difference between 11-5 and 9-7 doesn't pan out to much anyway. And Cleveland indeed did go 13-3, meaning an 11- or 12-win season from us wouldn't have yielded much more anyhow. Now, we're just in that position of pissing everyone off if we win postseason games after a lackluster season where five teams really dominated the conference.

Anyway... Duran again has a good case for League MVP. DT Broomfield really picked up the slack along a depleted DL. And that's really it for outstanding individual achievements. Decent year, QB Mathews is good but not great - it's looking likely that his "lightning in a bottle" season is behind him, and now he has regressed to being a solid 95-rating guy, rather than a standout 115-rating guy.

[QuikSand]

Jumping the gun a bit, and looking ahead to next season:

-We are going to have some money to spend, I think

-CB Sutter goes into open free agency...we'll consider re-upping with him, in large part since CB Upshaw took a ratings dive this year, and CB Rogers also did to the point where he was inactive

-Along the OL, T McWilliams is angry about being benched. I will start him for the postseason, but he definitely may walk on account of this. Then what? Had been grooming him to be the long term chemistry anchor, and made decisions this year (and in this draft) assuming that to be the case. Without him, I don't know what we do there.

-We, uh, need to find a pass rush. It was worse than I had feared. Roster priority #1.

-The running game was worse than I would have guessed, too. Also a priority.

[Squirrel]

Coming soon...the Squirrel-Quik 1/1 rated lineman exchange program.

Pissed off with your lack of playing time despite that fact that you're shit at blocking and for that matter everything else and the only reason you're there at all is that you somehow cheer the spirits of other players who are not shit, making them slightly better?

Well, the exchange program has the answer for you. You will be traded from BAL to WAS and back again every second year. Each time a player very similar to you will be offered in consideration for you. Then you won't get inexplicably angry and refuse to sign the minsal contracts you deserve. We'll see you back here in a couple of years' time, partner. Have fun!

[QuikSand]

Beltway Buddies FTW

[QuikSand]

Interesting note if you've been watching this thread: the WR we traded away two offseasons ago hasn't put up huge numbers, but it's not his fault.

Johnnie Stallings

He probably couldn't handle a 250-target workload like Duran has, but it's painful (to me) to see him only putting up numbers as the #13 receiver. That dude has got mad skillz -- maxed-out RR and BPR most of all. 10.3 yards per target sounds about right... but only 6 targets per game? Oh, the humanity.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Interesting note if you've been watching this thread: the WR we traded away two offseasons ago hasn't put up huge numbers, but it's not his fault.

Johnnie Stallings

He probably couldn't handle a 250-target workload like Duran has, but it's painful (to me) to see him only putting up numbers as the #13 receiver. That dude has got mad skillz -- maxed-out RR and BPR most of all. 10.3 yards per target sounds about right... but only 6 targets per game? Oh, the humanity.

That he can't fly as a bird of a different feather is a cardinal sin.

[QuikSand]

:eyeroll:

[QuikSand]

In the postseason, we take our usual quick exit, going one-and-out in Kansas City (corbes).

johnnyshaka's Browns win it all, edging out the affinity-driven Washington team (squirrel).

And so it goes.

[QuikSand]

New offseason - starts with a list of retirements:

DE Dillon Harmon was fading anyhow, we saw that coming
CB John Rodgers, same story for a former CB1
LB Alvin Jenkins, same story but he wasn't ever an impact player
DE Mark Rudoff, not as prolific as Harmon, but solid role player
LB Glen Wilcox, will leave us with a chemistry problem in the D7

[QuikSand]

The upcoming 2071 offseason, by the numbers:

We have 40 players signed at the outset
(technically need to add at QB, TE, OL, K, and DL to get legal)
We are $121m under the salary cap (about 29%)
(factoring in costs of rookie draftees moves that to $101m, 5th most)
We have 9 draft picks (extras in rounds 2 and 6)

For a team that thrives on continuity, having a ton of money to spend isn't the best thing. We could probably re-sign CB Sutter, and may well move to do that. We need DL talent badly, and may have to suffer weak chemistry there this season as we are leaderless right now. And at RB, my sense is that Malone is a RB2, and the other two guys should not be carrying the ball at all. So, we have work to do.

[QuikSand]

Well, if this thread is worth writing, then I guess it's worth detailing my chemistry decisions. Along the defensive front, we patched over with LB Wilcox for a couple of years -- he was basically the last man standing in the 8-9 group who would take the leadership role and anchor our group there. Now that he has retired, we have to decide how to proceed.

Bottom line is this - we have been hoarding 7-8 and 11-12 guys for years now, to build around a 8-9 leader. If we are at the point where there isn't a viable 8-9 group guy to step in and take the leadership reins, then we probably have to cut bait, and switch the leadership to either the 7-8 group or the 11-12 group. It happens every so often when managing rosters this way, it's a pain but not insurmountable.

So... if we end up going that way, here's a quick look at the D7 players affected (Group, Ldr/Pers, Pos, Name, Grade, Exp):

7-8 41/91 DE Rivers C 7th
7-8 20/50 DE Baker C 4th
7-8 19/43 DE Douglas B 9th
7-8 25/86 LB Hillenbrand B 9th
7-8 58/95 LB McCarthy B 7th
7-8 7/100 LB Haayer C 7th
7/8 68/19 LB Burks B 2nd
7/8 70/26 LB Lester B 4th

11-12 39/99 DT Broomfield A 5th
11-12 22/95 DT Lind C 3rd
11-12 6/99 LB Mathews B 12th
11-12 59/87 LB Richardson C 2nd
11-12 22/32 LB Emerson B 7th
11-12 11/89 LB Lincoln A 5th
11-12 10/62 LB Shapiro B 10th

So...from that setup, it seems pretty clear that unless I can find (or manufacture) a D7 leader from the 8-9 group (who could click with everyone above) the real play for us is to get a 7-8 leader. We'd then have to decide what to do with guys I'd prefer to keep (basically the Bs) but who would not longer have an affinity as long as a 7-8 leader sits atop the roost.

That would let us basically build around our 11-12 guys Broomfield and Lincoln, both of whom are high personality and starter-caliber for the long haul. We could end up cutting bait on last year's semi-promising rookie LB Burks, but after last offseason maybe just blocking the whole year/draft out would be for the best.

[QuikSand]

Funny thing happened on the way to a new franchise quarterback.

A new GML owner posted he was open to dealing out of pick 1.2...the usual deal, new guy, feels he has lots of team needs, might value a lot of good picks over one big one. I send an offer, basically a 1222 for the 1.2. He responds wanting my 1221 for the pick.

Had I been around, I would have accepted the trade, and been typing now about our new rookie QB. He doesn't look like a lock solid sure thing to me, but he looks like he will be substantially better than what I have in hand, and my current guy is likely to cost us $40m or more by next season.

Anyway...he withdrew the counter offer, and used the pick himself, on the QB.

So it goes. That's two times we have flirted behind Irving's back, an come away blue balled. Hope he's not the thin skinned type.

[lcjjdnh]

Just wanted to say I’m enjoying reading this, even though I haven’t played FOF in years.

[QuikSand]

Glad to hear, thanks for the feedback.

[QuikSand]

Free agency opens, with a thud.

-CB Pedro Sutter leaves for (Ben's) Falcons. I was in a real pickle there, as I got weird signals from the in-game messaging about chemistry. Sutter is one of those high-leadership/low-personality guys that I hate, and to my eye, signing him would have claimed the group leadership away from the guy we want in the lead. But in-game, I got no such message. I think this is because he was already on my roster, but I wasn't 100% sure. So I put in a one year, zero-bonus offer...and lost out to a legitimate contract from Atlanta. So it goes.

-I splashed around with a number of very good non-affinity guys, but didn't land anyone. Landing one of these overpaid, cut-friendly deals would have been great, but didn't pan out. Most likely, we will end up with a lot of unused cap space this offseason - I am running low on legitimate targets for us.

[QuikSand]

Free agency continues.

A voice from our recent past:

Originally Posted by QuikSand

We need DL talent badly, and may have to suffer weak chemistry there this season as we are leaderless right now.

Yeah, about that. We, uh, signed some guys this stage:

DT Brian Wooden
DE Aidan Harden
DE COrnell Morrison

...and that's just the former Raiders! Seriously, I think my cheapass scouting staff must have only scouted one team this year. All three of these guys are free agents that the Raiders let walk in free agency. WTF?

Bottom line, these are three cut-friendly contracts, at a need position, and I have a lot of cap room that I wasn't able to spend on real game-changers. So... I'll splash some of it around to give me options at DL.

The guy I'm serious about is

DT Marcus Matthews

He's not going to stay at NT, he's the right side to swing outside and use probably on the right side, in the mostly pass-rushing rotation slot that gave some of our various players 7-10 sacks a year of late. I think he will be a great fit -- he's a chemistry angle, too, with a 4 leadership and 100 personality, so once we settle on a leader, he should lock in for good. THIS is the guy we pay a bonus for -- he gets $9m in bonus money, those other clowns get $40K each.