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03-28-2008, 06:41 PM
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#1 | ||
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Testing My Limits - FOF Career using "Action Points" limitation
Testing My Limits
I have posted some speculation about a new concept for FOF House Rules – specifically to leave pretty much any activity “on the table” for my team to engage in when playing solo FOF, but to make each of them carry a certain cost. The idea is to place each season under a separate limit of ACTION POINTS (AP) – and each action taken by the team would have a prescribed cost in terms of those AP. My hope is to take on this challenge with a mature team – in this case, I am continuing with a fully-developed team that I started in my Highlander Challenge thread – which was itself yet another attempt at making the decision-making in the solo game more meaningful. Anyway – my goal with the first couple seasons is mainly to see whether I have built the menu of costs properly. If any decisions seem like no brainers to me, then that’s some indication that I haven’t attached a high enough cost to that activity. I also want to find an amount of annual AP that makes the career sufficiently challenging. In any event – this is fully intended to be partially a dynasty thread, but substantially a testing exercise. So I probably won’t be detailing a ton of stuff here. To the extend there’s a balance between a career thread being utilitarian and entertaining – I’ll lean more towards function than form. |
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03-28-2008, 06:41 PM
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#2 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Background
In the Highlander Challenge, I limited my management of the team to making onely one of each category of transaction that I could isolate fairly – leaving my hands fairly tied in offering FA contracts, making trades, and so forth. It proved to be fairly challenging, but maybe not quite as rewarding as I would have liked, and it did tend toward tedium for several reasons. Here is the record of success we posted with that team, by the way: Code:
So, once the team was built up from an empty roster, we eventually became what I usually have – an annual player for a top playoff seeding. No championships in hand, but the team was never really in jeopardy of picking in the top ten, or slipping from the ranks of playoff contenders. |
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03-28-2008, 06:41 PM
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#3 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Point Values for FOF Actions
Staff Hiring 3 – Hiring scout or head coach with no contract restrictions 2 – Hiring scout or head coach on requested contract before stage 3 0 – Hiring scout or head coach on requested contract in stage 3 1 – Replacing scout or head coach currently under contract 2 – Hiring coordinator with no contract restrictions 1 – Hiring coordinator on requested contract before stage 3 0 – Hiring coordinator on requested contract in stage 3 0 – Hiring coordinator at half of HC request in stage 3 1 – Replacing coordinator currently under contract (costs are cumulative, and in effect for duration of contract) Internal Contract Moves 4 – Use franchise tag on player unwilling to sign otherwise 2 – Use franchise tag on any other player 4 – Offer unrestricted renegotiation to current player 2 – Offer current player his requested renegotiation 0 – Offer current player full or partial capout 2 – Offer RFA player an unrestricted new contract 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (costs apply when offer is accepted by player, not for failed attempts) Early Free Agency 4 – Offer unrestricted contract to FA player 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player 2 – Offer three-year minsal contract to FA player 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player 0 – Offer FA player 5th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (up to 4) (Submitting an altered contract to a player already on offer list re-incurs same cost as original offer would have above) Trading 2 – Initiating trade for player from another team 4 – Initiating trade of player(s) for a 1st round pick or more 2 – Initiating trade of player(s) for 2nd round pick or more 1 – Initiating trade of player(s) for less than 2nd round pick 2 – Accepting AI-initiated trade that fails “fairness test” 1 – Accepting AI-initiated trade that passes “fairness test” 2 – Trading down from Top 10 pick within current draft 1 – Any other trade within current draft 5 – Any trade involving future 1st round pick from another team 2 – Any other trade involving draft picks in future years Rookie Draft 6 – Use up to 60 rookie interviews 5 – Use up to 40 rookie interviews 3 – Use up to 20 rookie interviews 2 – Select a rookie player with more than one red combine 2 – Select a rookie player with more than three red/blue combines 1 - Select a rookie player with one red combine 1 – Select a rookie player who skipped the combine 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of position board 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (Combine and board location costs are separate above, so a two-red player off the top page of the big board would cost a total of 3 points) Late Free Agency 5 – Sign a FA player released during late free agency 3 – Sign a FA player in 2nd through 4th year in league 2 – Sign a FA rookie player 1 – Offer any other FA player his requested contract 1 – Sign any other FA player to a one year contract Training Camp 3 – Use custom training camp settings 0 – Use default training camp settings 5 – Carry up to 70 players into training camp 3 – Carry up to 60 players into training camp 2 – Carry up to 57 players into training camp 1 – Carry up to 55 players into training camp 0 – Carry up to 53 players into training camp In-Season 10 – Implement custom gameplans at start of season 2 – Allow unlimited changes to offensive gameplan during season 2 – Allow unlimited changes to defensive gameplan during season 0 – Implement staff-controlled gameplans for full season 4 – Allow manual management of depth chart 0 – Implement staff-controlled depth chart for full season 6 – Set injury rate at 100 3 – Set injury rate at 150 0 – Set injury rate at 200 3 – Sign veteran free agent to replace player placed onto IR 1 – Sign rookie free agent to replace player placed onto IR 0 – Sign lowest-rated rookie free agent to maintain legal roster Salary Cap 15 – Use entire salary cap 12 – Leave 5% of cap unused as of start of season 9 – Leave 10% of cap unused as of start of season 6 – Leave 15% of cap unused as of start of season 3 – Leave 20% of cap unused as of start of season 0 – Leave 25% of cap unused as of start of season 3 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying over 10% of cap 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap Revision notes substantially revised by QS March 27, 2008 and incorporated into “Testing My Limits” thread |
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03-28-2008, 06:42 PM
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#4 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2038 Initial Offseason
So, I’m going to start up a new season and set my annual AP budget at 60. I expect this to be challenging, but I don’t yet know whether it will be more or less so than the rules I have been playing with up until now. I think with the AP system, by design, the first decisions to make are the big picture ones – namely: -do I need to use a custom gameplan? (Yes, will cost 10 points) -do I need to manage my depth chart? (No, I’ll let the staff do it) -do I need to use rookie interviews? (Yes, will use 20, costing 3 pts) -do I want a liveable injury setting? (Yes, I’ll pay for injuries at 150) -do I need to use the whole salcap? (Not sure, we’ll see where we are) -will we be carrying big-salary players with a cost? (Yes, 3+2+2+2=9) Anyway – from my budget of 60, I am guessing that I will probably end up fairly close to the cap (maybe using 9 AP there) and we will have something like 29 AP to really use for our transactions. My staff hiring decisions occupy only 3 AP, as I (surprisingly) retain my current head coach in stage three due to there being no other offers, and replace my other 3 staffers with “free” hires, so in steps: 0 – Hiring scout or head coach on requested contract in stage 3 0 – Hiring scout or head coach on requested contract in stage 3 1 – Replacing scout or head coach currently under contract 1 – Replacing coordinator currently under contract 1 – Replacing coordinator currently under contract 0 – Hiring coordinator at half of HC request in stage 3 0 – Hiring coordinator at half of HC request in stage 3 Incidentally, for those who are familiar with this team from the Highlander phase, then you’ll recognize that the loss of WR Bryant Czyz to retirement is a tough one -- he has been one of the franchise’s best players for years. We also lost DE Ronald Harmon to retirement, he’s in the what-could-have-been category due to an early career-altering injury. |
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03-28-2008, 06:42 PM
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#5 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2038 Free Agency
Here is our menu of free agents and walk-year contracts – all part of the AP mix for renegotiations and/or re-signings. Code:
For our franchise tag, I don’t think we will use it – DT Rolfe is the candidate there, but I am going to try to ink him to a real deal, rather than the tag tender. We start with our own restricted players, and fan out to get contracts in line for the season ahead: 2 – Offer RFA player an unrestricted new contract (G Travis Carter) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (T Clarence Schroeder) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (T Buddy Vasquez) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (NT Jake Rolfe, 2yr $54m) 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (LB Kris Devine, 1yr $3.05m) 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (CB George Pujols, 1yr $2.97m) 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (LB Terrell Hardy, 1yr, $1.42m) 0 – Offer FA player 5th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (LB Chris Mathews) 0 – Offer FA player 5th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (RB Trent Sullivan) That’s I my first tier, and we get everyone signed within a few stages of early free agency. That gets us to 49 players on the roster, and about $15m under the cap (max offer) – or roughly 5%, since our cap is nearing $300m overall. We do have some chaff on this roster that would be worth replacing, and I expect to make a couple more adds in the later stages to prepare for that eventuality. My toughest decision here is with LB Mel Goodwin, an emerging star at the WLB slot. He’s an RFA so I have time, but his requested deal is about $9.5m per season, and I have found this slot to be pretty easy to fill, all told. If I do offer him a deal, then we will likely end up within that 5% degree of the salary cap, and using a full 15AP to be there. 0 – Offer FA player 5th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (C Kerry Swartz) 0 – Offer FA player 5th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (DE Doug Lane) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (FB Lawrence Murray, 4y, $21m) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (LB Mel Goodwin, 4y $39m) So, I knuckle under and retain both our fullback and our blitzbacker, and accede to likely being right up against the salary cap for this season. |
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03-28-2008, 06:42 PM
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#6 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2038 Rookie Draft
Assuming these last two contracts mean that I will be spending a full 15 point of my AP budget toward using all of the salary cap, then here’s my practical AP count: 60 total budget less 15 full cap use less 10 custom gameplans less 9 high contracts cost less 3 staff hiring less 3 for 150 injuries less 9 early FA Subtotal = 11 AP remaining If I conduct 20 rookie interviews, that leaves only 8 AP for use in making my draft picks and finishing up the roster altogether. I don’t think I can do that – so I will forgo interviews this season altogether, and leave myself some flexibility to draft attractive-looking rookies and maybe even sign a player or two after the draft. 11 AP is not a lot, especially if most of my draft picks are going to cost at least a point or two. We come into this draft with a pretty complete roster – especially being able to sign a few of those “free” veteran free agents, we don’t have any illegal slots on the roster. That’s good. I think we’d be better off if we could add a quality RB to the roster in this draft, and I think we are in need of a long-term addition at safety as well. We hold pick 1.30, and as usual will have to wait and see what slips off the top after other teams have had their fill. By the way – I would have loved to have seen this guy land in our laps: 9. Jacksonville - Hanna, Bennie, OLB, Vanderbilt Great name. Code:
So, the AP breakdown: 2 – Select a rookie player with more than three red/blue combines (CB Soto) 2 – Select a rookie player with more than three red/blue combines (RB Bennett) 2 – Select a rookie player with more than three red/blue combines (QB Winslett) 1 - Select a rookie player with one red combine (WR Upshaw) 1 - Select a rookie player with one red combine (LB Zacc) 1 - Select a rookie player with one red combine (TE Finch) -- 9 AP We are left with 2 AP left to be used – 5 if I’m willing to go through the season with injuries set to 200, which is looking increasingly likely. Last edited by QuikSand : 03-28-2008 at 06:51 PM. |
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03-28-2008, 06:45 PM
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#7 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Rules Update
Incidentally, I posted in the main AP thread looking for input on this issue – I am a bit fearful that I got away with too much with my four “free” signings in early free agency. Here are the guys that I signed:  Not world beaters, but after playing by my “Highlander” rules for so long, it felt cheap to so easily add quality depth at several key positions. After getting some input, I have decided to alter the rule going forward, and the free signings will now only apply to player in their 8th year or higher – meaning I will necessarily be absorbing the inherent risk of a bad training camp rendering them far less useful. That seems like a very possible outcome with a guy like LB Chris Mathews, who right now (pre-camp) looks like he will start for us at the SLB slot. |
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03-28-2008, 06:47 PM
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#8 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Readers of the "highlander" career will recognize RB Trent Sullivan as one of my favorite old Buccaneers, a guy who played as our #2 RB for several seasons and was our main KR/PR threat that time as well. One of my favorite old players - I'm glad to have him back and hope he makes it through camp looking good enough to still get some carries.
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03-28-2008, 07:00 PM
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#9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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03-28-2008, 09:02 PM
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#10 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Code:
So – we do have a monster breakout on our hands with CB Bill Soto. I toyed with moving him to safety (a bigger need position for us right now) but decided I liked him at CB better, and I’m glad I did. CB Omar Carlisle is looking for a $20m/yr contract to sign after this year, and I suspect we will instead be okay going with the youngster there, and remaining three-deep in quality corners. The drop list is fairly predictable – but I didn’t expect to see FB Murray there, right after we ponied up big bucks to link him for four years. LB Mathews dropped off and is not the “cheap” starter I thought he might be after all. A big disappointment from SS Dewacht, a guy I thought might have been a sneaky good draft pick this year. A –7 camp suggests I chose…poorly. A –6 from RB Bennett tells me I didn’t exactly hit that one out of the park, either. Other than Soto, this really appears to have been a terrible draft, after all – maybe I need those scout interviews more than I’m letting on. I make one last move – I do a minor capout deal and clear out enough salary to get us to 5% under the cap (which wasn’t very far away). That frees up 3 AP, enough to let me use the 150 injury setting rather than 200. We have 2 AP left to use for some possible contract extensions later on, assuming we don’t need them for picking up fill-in rookies. |
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03-28-2008, 09:02 PM
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#11 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2038 Season
Benchmarks: Roster Rating – 83 (4th) Cohesion – 94-74-70-77 My predictions: QB Jose Swartz re-settles at his usual level – about 3,600 and 28/14 RB Stanley Cooper takes the starting role (surprise) and posts 4.0 ypc LB Mel Goodwin posts 10 sacks to lead the defensive pressure We remain a playoff team, but show signs of weakness at 11-5 Season narrative: We get off to a solid 2-0 start, but injuries are really racking up for us in the early stages, even with the 150 setting. This is what I was trying to avoid, to be honest. We still get to 5-1 in the early going, but I am a bit worried about our lack of depth with so many guys hurt. It seems, though, that we are basically a cohesion machine, and we are playing very well with anyone we send out there, especially on defense. 7-1 at the halfway point, and DE Darren Newman has 10 sacks on the books already. We are #1 in PR# at 29 (wow) and #3 in PD% at 71.3 (solid). Our pass defense is very solid this season – and we are overcoming a pretty pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry in our own running game. At 12-2, we are locked in for a bye week, along with 12-2 Dallas. We finish it out with two more wins, and are in good shape once again for a playoff run – and actually in better health than we were for most of the season. Code:
Big, big season from DE Newman, earning his fat paycheck and then some, and likely a slot on the all-pro team. LB Goodwin had 3 sacks in 3 games before getting sidelined with an injury – so the combo of him and Morrison actually did deliver the 10 sacks I had expected. Another really good season from S Upshaw, who just seems to be better than his decent, but not noteworthy, red bars. We’ll take it – an 83.7 PD% is off the charts good. Rookie CB Soto also shows the signs of being the real deal, and we expect to see him slide into a starting role soon. The offense was pretty standard – WR injuries forced everyone in and out of the lineup, but everyone played well, though I’m a bit disappointed with the measly 6.7 ypt from Phillips. RB Cooper gave us what we wanted, though I had hoped by actually investing some draft capital into the position we’d have lit a fire there – no such luck, as rookie RB Aaron Bennett looks like a lesser player than my other late-round grabs. My slight concern about WR Phillips push me to take the contract extension offer from WR Rex Franklin – he will be a 5% player each of the next three year, but I feel we need to solidify that position and this removes all doubt there – and wipes out my final AP. |
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03-28-2008, 09:02 PM
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#12 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2038 Postseason Narrative
Divisional Playoff: San Francisco (12-5) at Tampa Bay (14-2) We are heavy favorites at home, and play that way – throttling the Niners for a 44-17 win. RB Stanley Cooper posts a 100-yard game, and Jose Swartz was nearly flawless. Great effort. Conference Championship: Tampa Bay (15-2) at Dallas (15-2) Sucks to be on the road with a 14-2 record, but here we are. Game likes Dallas by 5, and they match up really well – they are #1 in QB rating posted and allowed, good metrics overall. We are #1/#2 in passing yards per attempt, so this could be a shootout. In the first half, we trade scores – they post FGs, we post TDs, and it’s 14-6 at the half. From there, we manage to just smother them completely, as great defense beats great offense, at least this time. Good game from WR Rex Franklin, fresh off his $20m signing bonus, who snags 144 yards worth of passes and a score in the win. Superbowl: Tampa Bay (16-2) vs. Tennessee (14-4) We are 3 point favorites, as the Titans will try to repeat their win over us from four years back in the title game. They are led by uber-QB Ellis Marsh, and a high quality defensive front. The first half is a standard back-and-forth affair, neither team really opening up, and it ends with us missing a FG that would have gotten us within one point… so, TEN 14, TB 10. Tennessee opens the third quarter with a nice TD drive, though, and it’s an 11-point margin, the biggest of the game. We strike back quickly, on a 66 yard pass to Patrick Phillips, and are back in it, but we do miss the PAT. We force a 3-and-out, and then move in for a F to make it 21-19 a the third quarter expires. TEN moves into our territory, but has to punt into the end zone. We get our chance to take the lead, but instead settle for a coffin-corner punt to their 2. We stop them, and get the ball near midfield with about 7 minutes left – not urgent yet, but now would be a good time to take command. We cannot convert after facing 2nd and 3 from their 22, but hit on the FG that gives us the lead, 22-21, with 3:21 on the clock. Tennessee gets four plays and one first down, but they have to punt and our offense can put this one away with a couple first downs. Three runs get us 7, 2, and . . . –1 yards. We pun it back with 2:06 on the clock. We are on control, but they connect for 11 yards on 4th and 11 to stay alive – but two plays later Courtney Booker picks off Ellis Marsh, and we wrap it up from there. Tampa Bay 22, Tennessee 21. We have our rings, at last. How bout that. |
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03-29-2008, 03:38 PM
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#13 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Initial Offseason
I am not discouraged. We won a championship, but this was a very good team coming into the season already, and I knew that. We went 15-1 with a 598/241 points margin in 2037, so a 14-2 season topped off with a title in 2038 isn’t a great shock, and doesn’t shake my hope that this 60AB budget system might still prove to be interesting. With that – we’re moving on. Only one retirement, and it’s completely out of the blue – RT Buddy Vasquez. Just signed to a new deal for last year and this year, he abruptly quits after his 4th season, following a bad injury suffered in the playoffs last year. Ouch. Here is my initial AP planning: 15 – Use entire salary cap 10 – Implement custom gameplans at start of season 3 – Set injury rate at 150 3 – Use up to 20 rookie interviews 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (LT Matthew Collier) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (NT Jake Rolfe) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (DE Darren Newman) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (WR Rex Franklin) -- 39 AP already “tied up” The biggest pivot decision here is what we do to return free agent QB Jose Swartz. He was asking for $25m to extend, so I declined – my hope is that he will not attract much interest from other teams, and we can get him in for a good deal less. To tag Swartz would cost us 2AP for the tag, and 3 more as he would make $31m and become a 10% player. So, that’s basically out – unless I did a tag-and-reneg to make him more affordable under the cap this year. I’ll risk the chance of losing him to get him to the open market, where I expect we can outbid anyone if need be. |
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03-29-2008, 03:38 PM
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#14 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Free Agency
Here is our major player movement as we start the FA period: Code:
Looking good with our two young cornerbacks, and at wide receiver. Okay – I look at our team overall, and I would say that our top need areas are OT, LB, and SS. We have other slots worth filling, but all three of those need to be addressed for certain. UFA LT Schroeder looks like he may be good enough to entertain as a RT starter, but we still need playable depth at OT no matter what. Code:
CB Omar Carlisle is a very good player, but we are deep at CB and I don’t see investing a ton of money at the position for a 10th year guy makes a lot of sense. I decide against using the tag this season, and will splash in free agency instead. I am tempted to offer QB Swartz what he’s asking, but for the fact that it would put him **just** over the 5% mark for this year, which would cost us an extra AP. Tougher decision that way, now. 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (WILB Terrell Hardy, 1y $2.2) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (FS Craig Ventura, 1y $2.1) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (RB Stanley Cooper, 1y $2.0) 0 – Offer RFA player his requested new contract (K Cris Joseph, 1y $1.8) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (LT Clarence Schroeder, 3y $8.1) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (RB J.R. Terry, 3y $8.1) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (LT Alonzo Snodgrass, 3y $8.1) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (WR Jeff Woodling, 3y $9.6) 2 – Offer flat contract with at least 25% bonus to FA player (P Skip Watson, 3yr $9.3) 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (re-sign SS Ben Terry, 2y $18.2) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (LB Chris Mathews) I have these offers in the chamber, and nothing yet for QB Swartz, and it’s becoming clear to me that we are unlikely to be right up against the cap this year. So I’m guessing we will have 5% or even 10% space available – that might help us meet our budget more easily than I might have forecasted. So, I go ahead and make Swartz’s requested offer – 3 years and $33m up front. 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (re-sign QB Jose Swartz, 3y $63) That’s 10 AP worth of moves, with three more free veteran signees on tap. I’ll let the FA process unfold a bit, and see where we are after several stages. We lose out on one guy from above – young OT Snodgrass, who chooses to stay with the Texans for a bit less than we were offering. That’s 2 AP we simply eat, which I could do without. But everyone else, including Swartz, takes our offer. That gets us to 42 players signed, with three more free signings still available. We have used 12 AP so far – under my budget that leaves only 9 for the draft (which is what I used last year) unless we are able to stay well enough under the cap to squeeze out a packet of points that way on top. 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (SLB Rondell Moore, 1y $1.46) 1 – Offer the requested contract to FA player (LT Patrick Quinn, 1y $1.19) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (re-sign TE Travis Buffington) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (SLB Tommie Fisk) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (FS Xavier Andrews) I am pretty sure this will put us on target to get 3 AP relief for staying 5% under the salary cap, and so we’ll be sitting on 10 AP for the draft and afterwards, so I can use my 20 interviews to try to do a better drafting job than last season. |
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03-29-2008, 03:38 PM
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#15 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Rookie Draft
Following our free agent fill-ins, I feel that our top targets for this draft will likely be: -starting-caliber right tackle -starting caliber linebacker (SLB or ILB) -playable QB prospect -additional OL depth -additional CB/S depth I didn’t get much guidance from my 20 rookie interviews, so I fear I will again be flying fairly blind here. Code:
2 – Select a rookie player with more than one red combine (LB Hester) 2 – Select a rookie player with more than three red/blue combines (RB Emerson) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (SS Werenka) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (T Bailey) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (CB Reado) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (T Bailey) 1 - Select a rookie player with one red combine (QB Womer) -- 9 AP used |
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03-29-2008, 03:38 PM
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#16 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Late Free Agency
My inability to land a quality OT forces Clarence Shroeder to move to the right side, where he will become our starter now. That’s fine. I overdid it at RB, still trying to get a long term “solution” there – probably a bad move, as I passed on a super-fast WR in round two to take him. So – we have 53 players signed, with our top draft pick yet to ink his new deal. I believe we will come in 5% below the salcap, freeing up 3 AP. So, we have 4 AP to work with for late signings and renegotiations. I am tempted to blow 3 AP on a young RT who looks good enough to be a decent starter, but I realize that would likely tip us over the salcap target, and would force at least one capout to remain on target with AP, and he’s not worth that much sacrifice, I don’t think. I also look at a decent backup QB, but he presents the same issues – if Swartz goes down, we are in grave peril, plain and simple. So, I sit on my 4 AP as a hedge against a bad injury, and we will plan to use a few toward the end of the season to do a reneg or two if they remain available. |
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03-29-2008, 03:38 PM
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Training Camp Results
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03-29-2008, 03:39 PM
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#18 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Code:
So – we get an unexpected volatility breakout from our starting C, likely making him a guy we will want to keep rather than replace cheaply. Solid. LB Hester gave a solid +4 camp, saying he is likely going to work out to be a solid starter, which we are going to need soon. I’m pleased by S Werenka, too – we re-signed S Ben Terry, but he won’t be here forever. RB Emerson is a +2, and **maybe** we will actually have a fairly dynamic backfield for once, with him at least in the #2 role. Lots of veteran dropoffs, no shocks. QB Womer dropped 5 points, despite his blazing speed, which I had hoped might be a tell of something special. FB Murray seems to be spiraling rapidly toward relative uselessness. Good camp, on balance. If we hold on to these AP, we may be looking to extend some key offensive linemen, as it seems we have a number of pretty useful players there. |
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03-29-2008, 03:39 PM
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#19 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2039 Season
Benchmarks: Roster Rating – 92 (tied 2nd) Cohesion – 91-89-79-100 My predictions: Swartz slips a bit but gives us another solid season, maybe 3,400 and 26/16 RBs JR Terry and Freddie Emerson bump us to 4.3 ypc teamwide Defense again plays very well, stays top tier in PR% and PD% We again earn a top tier playoff position at 12-4 Season narrative: Despite my misgivings, we again march off looking every bit the power team. We get tripped up in week 3, but get to 5-1 fairly easily, led by WR Rex Franklin and his 750 yards, 8 TD – already right around where he finished last season in his 11 games played. Old man S Ben Terry, a seemingly afterthought re-signing for us, is leading the team again with 34 tackles and an 84.7 PD%. We lose K Cris Joseph to a serious injury, but replace him with a rookie off the FA scrapheap, rather than spending serious AP to pick up a veteran there. At 9-1, we are indeed on track for 4.3 yards per carry, with JR Terry leading the way with about 75 yards a game. We lose a tough road game at SF, who might prove to be a major obstacle in the playoffs too, as they inch a game ahead of us. At 12-2, we still need to play hard to fend off 11-3 Minnesota for the #2 seed behind San Fran. We get nipped at now-rival Tennessee in another tough road game, and finish up at 13-3 – good enough for the #2 seed, at least. Code:
The big breakout on the offensive side started, I think, with WR Franklin being healthy and productive all year, and Swartz hitting him all year long. The 1477 yard season ranks up there with the best in this franchise’s history – and the y/t numbers for both Franklin and Montgomery were just downright sick. Swartz has had one other really big year, but I think this is a new high for him – a 121.6 passer rating is pretty strong by any measure. The defense was not quite as great as I had gotten used to – part of that likely due to an injury to CB Soto, leaving us really thin at the CB position for much of the season. Booker and Nakamura are fine, but I think Soto is a difference-maker waiting to get his real chance. Our overall pass defense slid to almost average, but our offense made up for that loss. The pass rush ranked 1st again, helped by a late-season push. DE Newman and LB Goodwin are basically the engines for the whole thing, as DE Donny Burns is really just a replacement-level player who will need to be replaced next season. Great offense covers up a lot of weaknesses elsewhere. I wonder what really was the trigger here. Better running opening up the passing game? Vice versa? Just good dice rolls? |
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03-29-2008, 03:39 PM
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#20 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Postseason Narrative
Divisional Playoff: Minnesota (13-4) at Tampa Bay (13-3) Line is even here, and we have to worry – MIN is a very solid looking team. We open up looking great – two TDs on our first two drives, and our running game is rolling. We roll to an easy 31-7 win behind JR Terry’s 144 yards and 2 TD. Great showing. Conference Championship: Tampa Bay (14-3) at San Francisco (16-1) San Fran is a power team, for sure, and are favored by 5 – but their talent doesn’t seem that much better than Minnesota’s to me. They have a +13 turnover ratio, and they seemingly just don’t make mistakes – QB Kris Blaker threw only 3 picks all year. Tough game, back and forth, but in the end, Vegas had it right. They had a slight lead, and added to it with a late FG to wrap up the win, 31-26 and move on to the title game against Buffalo, who beat Tennessee. Niners Bills at last, Chris Berman just shit himself. With our final 4 AP, I work out two new contracts: 2 – Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (LG Mickey Colombo) 2 – Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (LT Matthew Collier) I am happy with the OL right now, and these two guys are a big part of that – so I’ll just lock them both up now, even though it’s a big slice of our cap. Saves us the trouble and risk next season – that’s the idea, right? SF beats BUF 31-24 to win the league championship. In all-pro honors, WR Rex Franklin and LB Mel Goodwin are named to the first team, QB Jose Swartz to the second. |
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03-29-2008, 08:02 PM
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#21 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Rule Update
As I noted in the general thread discussing this rule set, I am now adopting a new overarching rule: 1 – Additional cost for any transaction after it has been used three times in any one season …and by doing so, I’m wiping out the limit of four “free” veteran FA signings. That just becomes a free move, but once it has been used three times, its cost goes up to 1 AP. |
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03-29-2008, 08:02 PM
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#22 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Musings on difficulty…
Well, I am making sacrifices here and there – but I am right where I usually am at this point, each year trotting out a super-high cohesion team with excellent established veterans at most every position. I am still trying to think about what to do with the 2 AP “flat contract” signings… but for now I am hopeful that the 3-time limit on everything will make some of my decisions incrementally harder. Compared to last season, that makes a 4 AP difference, and I think that’s meaningful. |
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03-30-2008, 12:07 AM
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#23 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Initial Preseason
Planning a more direct, abbreviated approach here… Retirements: S Ben Terry, LB Chris Mathews (Terry has a case for the HOF) We have 35 players signed, but that includes three guys on exploded contracts (a vestige of my old rules) who most likely need to be released, though I may try to renegotiate one of them. Initial AP Plan: 12 – Stay 5% below the salary cap 10 – Implement custom gameplans at start of season 3 – Set injury rate at 150 3 – Use up to 20 rookie interviews 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (LT Matthew Collier) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (QB Jose Swartz) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (DE Darren Newman) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (WR Rex Franklin) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (LG Mickey Colombo) -- 38 AP That leaves roughly 10 AP each for free agency and the draft, and a little fluff factor to hold onto for renegotiations or roster fill-ins. Roughly the same as last season. I can do a fairly harmless capout with guys like G Colombo and WR Franklin to squeeze them down below the 5% mark for this year, if that ends up looking like it’s important. 1 – Send former 4th or 5th round pick or undrafted rookie to European league (S JT Werenka) 2 – Sign RFA player on an unrestricted new contract (C Mack Manahan, 3yr $10.5m) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (LT Patrick Quinn) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (SLB Rondell Moore) And on to open free agency we go… |
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03-30-2008, 12:07 AM
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#24 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Free Agency
2 – Offer FA player a flat contract with at least 25% bonus (TE Alvin Chiaverini) 2 – Offer FA player a three-year minsal contract (S Xavier Andrews) 1 – Offer FA player his requested contract (LB Terrell Hardy) 1 – Offer FA player his requested contract (FS Craig Ventura) 1 – Offer FA player his requested contract (WR Raymond Shipp) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (LB Tommie Fisk) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (NT Myron Doss) I want to drop in a cheap offer to a backup-quality QB also, but I think I want to wait and be sure that my offer will be accepted, so I’ll do it in the later stages. Basically I’m doing nothing at all here but re-signing our own players, and we’re using 10 AP (including the RFA moves) to do so. The one real “add” here is a jouurneyman DT, mostly because we simply don’t have a single body there to play, and I just don’t think old Jake Rolfe is his old self. We’ll be looking to go young at DT, for certain. By week 7, we have all 7 target players signed – LB Hardy even turns down slightly more money to stay with us. I can’t help but put in yet another offer to a WR – he’s just too good to pass up, we’ll find the AP somewhere… 2 – Offer FA player a flat contract with at least 25% bonus (WR Gerald Poysky) 2 – Offer FA player a three-year minsal contract (QB Dwight Blakely) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (LB Jeffrey Morrison) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (TE Brock Lennon) I do a small capout deal with G Mickey Colombo – that frees up 2 AP by getting him underneath the 5% level for this year. I also reneg with DE Darren Newman, which is basically a wash – I give him his requested offer, costing us 2 AP but getting him underneath the 5% level for this year. So, technically, I should add to the log: 2 – Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (DE Darren Newman) 0 – Sign current player to a full or partial capout (G Mickey Colombo) Finally, I knuckle under and make one more offer: 2 – Offer FA player a flat contract with at least 25% bonus (DE Donny Burns) Not an impact player, but he’s been good enough to hold down the job, play every game, and not make an embarrassment off himself. This basically keeps us flexible with our top pick this year, rather than feeling forced to draft at DE almost no matter what. |
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03-30-2008, 12:07 AM
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#25 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Rookie Draft
By my count, we are essentially sitting at 9 AP left to use, total. I had planned to use 20 rookie interviews, but now I think I need to skip that and instead fly blind through the draft again, and conserve the AP. I’m looking ahead to a renegotiation with CB Booker, and I don’t see how we would possibly afford it otherwise. Code:
1 – Select a rookie player with one red combine (LB Dotson) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (LB Dotson) 1 – Select a rookie player with one red combine (CB Monroe) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (DE Gaines) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (DE Fitchie) 1 – Select a rookie player not on the top page of overall board (C Catlett) I can’t say I’m thrilled here, but I’m hopeful that we’ll get some solid contributors from this lot. I reached a bit at DT to take the need guy, and missed out on a MLB who I **loved** for a move to DE, but he went to – San Francisco, at 1.32. Bastards. Last edited by QuikSand : 03-30-2008 at 12:07 AM. |
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03-30-2008, 12:07 AM
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#26 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Late Free Agency
So, we actually have 6 AP left, due to my fairly frugal draft. Hmm… room for a reneg and maybe one more signing, even. Actually, we have 55 player signed at the moment (all draft picks aboard) and in theory we could get this team down to under the 10% free cap threshold. I start with a reneg with CB Booker: 2 – Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (CB Booker) 2 – Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (S Upshaw) That actually gets us down to nearly $33m under the salary cap of $309,500,000. I make a couple of cuts to help get us down to 53 players, and we’re around $33.7m below the cap. I am now pretty confident that we can spend those last 3 AP, as we will clear the 10% mark – so out total remaining count is 5 AP. I spend a little time trying to figure out how we might sign one of the two superior OG who were cut in this late phase, but I really just lack the AP to pull that off. And I ultimately conclude not to make any move here, we’ll sit on these few AP and be open to a couple more renegotiations later this season, hopefully saving AP in future years. |
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03-30-2008, 12:08 AM
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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03-30-2008, 12:08 AM
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#28 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Camp Rundown
Code:
Well, we got a big move from a couple linebackers – didn’t see that coming in either case. DE Fitchie gives us a +3 camp and may be useful, as may LB Dotson (expected). LT Collier drops 11 points, which is bad news – he’s too young to be fading, so I hope this was just bad luck. QB Swartz fades, no shock there. Disappointed to see LB Hester slipping, but he will get tons of playing time this year to build himself up. Looking like an okay draft, but not a home run – DT Ashenfelter looks like a so-so starter at best, and we really need more from our top draft picks. Probably should have used interviews after all (he says, sitting on 5 unused AP). |
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03-30-2008, 12:08 AM
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#29 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Season
Benchmarks: Roster Rating – 73 (tied 10th) Cohesion – 98-90-78-78 My predictions: Swartz slips a bit, but is still solid… 3500 and 30/16 RB production drops off back to 4 ypc or so DE Newman and LB Goodwin combine for 22 sacks We win the division, but miss the bye at 11-5 Season narrative: We start out looking great, a 38-10 win says nothing at all is wrong. In three games, we have three wins and Swartz is up to 9/2 ratio – offense looking very good, defense is okay. We slip up at St. Louis, finally, and fall to 5-1. Injuries are piling up, as WR Franklin and LB Goodwin have both missed a month already. We lose at home to New Orleans, and suddenly are behind in the division race to the 7-1 Saints. We win three in a row, but make up no ground. Finally the Saints lose a couple of games, and we get back in front. However, we still finish at their place. We lose one to Carolina, and the regular season finale see us even at 12-3… winner gets a bye, loser hits the road for a wild card. We hang 59 on them and send a message, locking up our 13-3 record and once again the #2 seed. Code:
So – Jose Swartz still has it, doesn’t he? Not a stellar season, but with the injuries at WR, not bad at all. And despite his swoon, RB JR Terry posted another very respectable season as the chairman of the RB committee. TE Brock Lennon proved to be quite a “free” signing – posting maybe the best TE season we have seen from this franchise. LB Hester certainly got thrown right into it this year – and played well, at least beyond his modest bars in things like run-stopping. I still fear he will be a liability in coverage, though. DE Newman actually had a solid season, just didn’t get the sacks he usually does. LB Morrison played really well, at some combo of the strong and weak sides. And CB Bill Soto. I tagged him earlier as “special” – and no joke. 29 PDs is awfully high. Third highest in this league’s history, in fact. That’s a huge season for him – has to be an all-pro, I’d think, for certain. |
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03-30-2008, 12:08 AM
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#30 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2040 Postseason Narrative
Divisional Playoff: San Francisco (11-6) at Tampa Bay (13-3) Oh, great, we draw the defending champs here. Swell. They once again don’t make mistakes – but we get a surprisingly good game from RB Freddie Emerson (including 3 TD rushes) and we put them away fairly comfortably, 27-17. Conference Championship: Tampa Bay (14-3) at Washington (14-3) Redskins put it all together this season, but we are favored, largely on the passing game advantages. We cannot get a ground game going at all, and the Redskins take advantage of field position to grind out their own 27-17 win, and send us home after our fifth straight appearance in the conference championship game. The Redskins win it all, 34-17 over the Colts. CB Bill Soto is only named second team CB – losing out to guys with a lot of interceptions. Tough to complain all that much, I guess. Nobody else gets a mention. My last AP were spent renegotiating WRs Timothy Montgomery and Patrick Phillips, trying to keep our stable there strong and deep. |
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03-31-2008, 04:16 PM
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#31 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Initial Offseason
This team is going to pivot when Jose Swartz leaves – will it be this year? Yes. QB Jose Swartz, TE Brock Lennon, and WR Jeff Woodling (?) all call it quits. We knew this day was coming, but it will prove to be a challenge for this team, for certain. Swartz leaves the league with a 99.9 career passer rating, the highest in league history – not bad for a 6th rounder who had a bad rookie training camp, eh? Anyway – on we go. I have tweaked some of the AP rules, including a change that is likely to make the draft a shade more expensive. I’m sticking to the 60 AP budget – but here is my thinking right now: Initial AP Plan: 9 – Stay 10% below the salary cap 10 – Implement custom gameplans at start of season 3 – Set injury rate at 150 5 – Use up to 40 rookie interviews 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (LT Matthew Collier) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (DE Darren Newman) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (WR Rex Franklin) 2 – Each player on roster for week 1 occupying 5-10% of cap (LG Mickey Colombo) -- 35 AP My best guess is that we will spend about 10-12 points in free agency, and another 12-14 points in the rookie draft. Potentially, that could wipe out just about all our AP. Sounds about right. I now look at that 10% target for the salary cap, and think it’s probably infeasible. We are eating over $16m in dead cap space this year (a lot from Swartz) – that’s about 5% right there. We may end up with only about $45m in usable cap space once we clear out one exploded contract – I don’t see any way we can fill all our gaps that cheaply – so that’s 3 AP that likely dissolves right there. Our scout and DC are hired away, but we replace guys okay – Head Coach Shaun Grier, on a new cheap deal with us, will likely retire with us, with a fantastic record of success. 0 – Send former 6th or 7th round pick or former to European league (K Ken Bryant) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (LT Patrick Quinn) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (RB Aaron Bennett) 0 – Sign RFA player to his requested one year contract (TE Gabe Finch) 2 – Sign RFA player to an unrestricted new contract (SLB Christian Zaccardelli) RG Roy Maticic has been solid for us, but his contract calls for more than $24, this year, and he won’t negotiate down below $15m – so he has to go. We have some renegotiations that will help us, but we’ll wait until later in FA to settle all that. |
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03-31-2008, 04:16 PM
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#32 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Free Agency
0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (re-sign LB Tommie Fisk) 2 – Offer FA player a flat contract with at least 25% bonus (re-sign FS Craig Ventura) 1 – Offer FA player his requested contract (re-sign WR Raymond Shipp) 1 – Offer FA player his requested contract (LB Raymond Riley) There is really only one QB out there who looks like he would be a meaningful upgrade over our minsal man, Dwight Blakely. For now, I will keep an eye on him, and if he gets (much, much) cheaper, consider an offer to the 14th year veteran as a stopgap. I am also waiting on a veteran OG, to see if he gets an offer in his asking price – if not, I will probably do so and try to get him inked and wrap up that glaring roster hole. WR Shipp takes a long time to choose our offer over several others he received – despite low loyalty, even. 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (QB Rex Dotson) 0 – Offer FA player 8th year+ requested contract 1yr no bonus (TE Moe Lucas) With early FA closing down, we haven’t made any major additions – LB Riley is a rotation-caliber young guy, but nothing too special, I don’t think. I think we can safely do our rookie research as planned – only 6 AP used in free agency thus far is less than I had anticipated. |
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03-31-2008, 04:16 PM
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#33 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Rookie Draft
We have 46 players signed, and a legal roster everywhere save OG. I happen to have G Travis Carter who is a potential 1 AP signing after the draft, so I’m not really desperate there. Regardless, I would say our team needs are, more or less in order: G, QB, ILB, DT, DE, CB, S I have a semi-sleeper at QB, and I’m thinking round two is the likely spot to pull the trigger to get him… that would be nice. Code:
Adjustments from base cost of using our draft picks: -1 – Deduction from positive AP cost for selecting top player on position board (DE Blair) 1 – Any other trade within current draft (move un in round two to get QB Hammond) 1 – Added cost if player drafted after first round has 4 or more red + blue combines -1 – Deduction from positive AP cost for selecting top player on position board (QB Hammond) -1 – Deduction from positive AP cost for selecting top player on position board (WR Burns) I couldn’t wait to see if my target QB will fall after rising to be the top name on the big board, and pull the trigger on him in round two, sending away our 3rd rounder to move up the 8 slots to seal the deal, and getting back some free late round picks in exchange. Again, I have really underused my AP budget – only 8 AP for this draft, including the trade - and we may have some liberty to try to make an impact move after the draft wraps up. I may also be contemplating taking the reins with the depth chart this season, especially if I decide that I want to toss a creeping rookie QB right into the mix. |
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03-31-2008, 04:16 PM
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#34 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Late Free Agency
So, by my count, we are on target to come in 5% below the salary cap, and therefore we have 9 AP remaining – a bit more than I expected. Perhaps sensing that the iron is hot – RB J.R. Terry announces a holdout. He only wants a slight fatter 1 year deal, but I don’t think he has the leverage he thinks he has – it would cost me one AP to re-sign him for his slightly higher 1yr deal (it’s not even a long term deal he seeks, just a bit more cash). Turns out, his holdout costs him his job – we release him and will just go with the other three RBs on the roster. Well, my worry about a starting guard may have been resolved – we put in a fat offer on a 4th year guy who was not re-signed by Miami (who seems to be in perpetual mismanagement). It’s a big contract, but he looks like a big add. 3 – Sign a FA player in his 4th year in league (G Norbert Simmons) It’s a fat four year deal, but it won’t get up to the %5 level at any point – and there are no other suitors for him. That feels like I got away with something there – this is too good a player (74/74 by my scout) to land that cheaply. Need to stew on this a shade. Anyway – depending on how things look coming out of training camp, we might make a meaningful change to this team for this year. If our rookie QB shows us a lot, I am tempted to just toss him out there and see how he can do. |
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03-31-2008, 04:17 PM
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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03-31-2008, 04:17 PM
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#36 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Training Camp Rundown
Code:
QB Glenn Hammond +7 = excellent news. Certainly our guy of the future – big question is whether he is the guy of the present. I don’t know what we are going to get out of top pick DE Blair, but at least we got one apparent hit with this class. Veteran casualties are heavy. LB Hester is surprising. Bad news all over the place there. Rough camp overall. So, we are at 53 players, and I have 6 AP remaining available. I think we will start off with the journeyman Blakely in at QB, but I have the 4AP available to take over depth charting myself if I want to do so. If we are falling apart, I may decide to go ahead and send in the rookie Hammond to start at QB and get him on the clock with development time. |
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03-31-2008, 04:17 PM
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#37 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Season
Benchmarks: Roster Rating – 68 (11th) Cohesion – 76-100/94-75-80 My predictions: (this got awfully repetetive, with a 12 year stable QB here every year) QB Blakely works out okay, stays above water, and posts 3100 and 24/18 Running game by committee slips to just under 4 ypc Defensive pass pressure slips also, as older players are declining We slip from the elite level of teams, post a 9-7 record and miss the playoffs Season narrative: We open up with a loss, and look just awful. Blakely has two picks and a 42 passer rating, Freddie Emerson is dreadful as our main RB, and we lose 19-13 despite playing decent defense. We get to 2-2, and things are better – but this doesn’t feel like a power team at all. At least Emerson and Bates are running well behind our super line, and the QB isn’t killing us any more. We are 5-3 at the halfway point, and it’s tough to decide what to do here. It looks like we are in the playoff hunt, so I don’t want to just bail on the season and stuff the rookie in there – I think we will leave the depth chart up to Otto and go from here, taking our chances with Blakely. Carolina is 9-0, so we are already thinking wild card at best. Two more wins, and we have nipped Carolina to get within two games. Blakely has a 100 passer rating, and we look like a postseason player now. WR Rex Franklin is already up and over 1,000 yards for the season, and DE Newman has 12 sacks. Looking pretty good. We cannot catch mighty Carolina, but we do manage to finish out pretty strong at 11-5, and earn ourselves the #5 seed. It’s the tough path, but we are a player once again. Code:
So, we toss in a guy-off-the-street at QB, and get pretty much the same numbers we were used to with our supposed hall-of-famer. I guess that’s testament to the quality at WR and OL… and maybe a little bit to the gameplan as well. WR Rex Franklin didn’t seem to mind at all – he put up his best year ever and is definitely heading to Hawai’i. Darren Newman continues to be a really useful engine for us in the pass rush. LB Mel Goodwin was playing okay, but was felled by a serious injury midseason. Eventually, I had to move Zaccardelli over to play the blitzbacker slot, where he played very well and may have earned the starting job going forward. We were shot a CB for several weeks (Booker) and our depth there was tested – but Booker is ready for the postseason, at least. DT Ashenfelter may not be an impact player, but he is contributing okay as a starter for us in the middle. |
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03-31-2008, 04:17 PM
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#38 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Postseason Narrative
Wild Card Game: Tampa Bay (11-5) at Minnesota (11-5) We are road dogs here, but I like the matchup for us overall. We fall behind 10-0 early, but bear down, nibble back, and manage to get a FG in the final minute to pull out the 13-10 win. Soild run, with WR Rex Franklin leading the way with 140 and our only TD. Divisional Playoff: Tampa Bay (12-5) at Carolina (15-1) We are the “and one” on their record – that’s our ace in the hole. They are favored here by 7 points, and look really solid. However, we come out early and smack them around a bit, taking a 13-6 halftime edge, and looking like the better team. In the second half, they basically fold up and we roll right over them, as our running game dominates the game form there ans we go on to an easy 34-9 victory. Go figure. Conference Championship: Tampa Bay (13-5) at New York Giants (12-5) We are actually favored on the road here, being the giant-killers and all (pun intended). Statistically, we are the better team, too. The first half is pretty even, we hold a 14-13 lead at the break. Second half is a puntfest through 20 minutes (no joke, 7 straight punts) until they finally get things going and score a TD with under 4 minutes left. We trade three-and-outs, and get one last chance with under two minutes. We have to connect on a 4th-and-6 to keep the drive alive, and we get to their 35 and spike the ball. From the 35 yards line, the last play of the game is a mundane pass to the RB for 14 yards, and the clock expires. Nice. |
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03-31-2008, 04:18 PM
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#39 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2041 Season Coda
Okay – we got more than we had a right to expect, but the team did come together pretty well there for us in the second half of the season. The G-men take down the title. League’s fastest man WR Rex Frankin settles for second team honors – wow. Looks like a brutal three-way race for top receiving stats. LB Zaccardelli, who actually moved positions halfway through the season, earned first team honors, while DE Darren Newman joins Franklin on the second team. I work out a renegotiation with CB Bill Soto – it is not cheap, but I am convinced he is the real deal. Three more years at $19m per – that will make him a 5% player, but I cannot afford to have him walk off the team under any circumstances. I spend my last two AP on RT Clarence Schroeder, who has been dependable for us (not big numbers, but a reliable starter and a strong position leader, where we have much stability at work). He’s a shade overpriced, but this saves us the trouble of working out a deal next season. And therefore, WR Rex Franklin is heading for free agency, but I just didn’t feel I could cough up nearly $40m per year to retain him under his own terms. He has been an intermittently great player, and I will seriously try to keep him – but 13% of the cap is a bit much for pretty much any player, I think. If he doesn’t sign with us, he could be in for a monster payday. |
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04-01-2008, 10:10 AM
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#40 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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And thus ends my career.
Turns out, when I started up the "Texas Challenge" career, I happened to use the same 8-letter abbreviation for that career as I did for this one, and therefore I over-wrote this career's files and it's gone forever. No warning, either. Awesome. My bad. Hope you weren't actually interested...though all indications are that nobody really was. Last edited by QuikSand : 04-01-2008 at 10:11 AM. |
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