NFL 2018 Season Thread

[Honolulu_Blue]

Maybe the Lions will end up grabbing him. The Whole Snack Harrison trade worked out really well. G-Men West!

[Izulde]

Case Keenum to the Redskins makes me laugh. I'm not sure he's that much better than Colt McCoy.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Maybe the Lions will end up grabbing him. The Whole Snack Harrison trade worked out really well. G-Men West!

I was hoping the Colts would grab him on draft day. I thought he was a no brainer. But nope, Ryan Grigson thought Philip Dorsett was the best choice.

Today Ballard probably won't offer him he's worth. We have some decent safeties but they're oft-injured.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Case Keenum to the Redskins makes me laugh. I'm not sure he's that much better than Colt McCoy.

But I do think he's better than Joe Flacco.

[stevew]

Mr Big Chest probably going to the Bills. Good luck with that inaccurate trash QB.

[muns]

Originally Posted by stevew

Mr Big Chest probably going to the Bills. Good luck with that inaccurate trash QB.

I would like have loved to have seen that happen. Grass isnt always greener. Kinda worried that he is talking his way out of going anywhere that the steelers think that they can get decent compensation for him, and he ends up being back.

[stevew]

I guess Mr Big Chest isn't going to the Bills after all.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by stevew

I guess Mr Big Chest isn't going to the Bills after all.

I wannaleave! Get out! Go!


{AB to Buffalo}


NOT THAT BAD! NOPE!

[sabotai]

Giants trading DE/OLB Oliver Vernon to the Browns for G Kevin Zeitler, and swapping mid round draft picks in the Browns favor (Browns get pick #132 and Giants get pick #155)

[QuikSand]

Guess that shuts down the Browns getting Trey Flowers, which I thought might be interesting. Their pass rush ought to be pretty good, though.

The Browns are building a team.

[QuikSand]

Dolphins cut Danny Amendola, save $6 million

Because of course they did, and of course they would, and of course we all saw it playing out exactly this way when they absurdly signed him last season. Now, maybe he re-signs with the Pats for peanuts, right? Dammit.

[QuikSand]

FOF rant here...

So, this stuff happens all the time in the NFL. Not just the occasional swing-and-a-miss deal gone bad. All the time. Guys are getting cut after one season, or maybe two seasons, of a recently signed lucrative deal. The team walks away eating dead cap space, getting only a small share of the intended contract.

But when I play FOF, I almost never get to this point. Why is that? I don't tank. I really don't want my team to go 5-11. It's not like I don't give a damn, and am willing to just throw away a season.

One theory is it's time. A real year is a long time to sit and watch a team flail around badly. So, that adds real pressure to put something on the field... like Miami feeling they needed to sign clowns like Amendola and Albert Wilson... their WR group looked putrid without them (after dealing away Landry).

I guess the related thing is scouting. In-game in FOF I can see that the 9th year WR is only rated 34/34, he's really not much better than that 2nd year guy sitting around unsigned for minsal. In real life, scouting is tougher, right? A guy comes off an 850-yard season for another team and there's no such thing as "34/34" it's more like "complementary receiver with starting experience and decent route running." Perhaps the value of experience is more present in the NFL than it is in a computer game, too.

I don't know that a football sim would be more fun if I were constantly pushed to make moves like the ones that many/most front offices make. But it does seem like a meaningful disconnect.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

FOF rant here...

So, this stuff happens all the time in the NFL. Not just the occasional swing-and-a-miss deal gone bad. All the time. Guys are getting cut after one season, or maybe two seasons, of a recently signed lucrative deal. The team walks away eating dead cap space, getting only a small share of the intended contract.

But when I play FOF, I almost never get to this point. Why is that? I don't tank. I really don't want my team to go 5-11. It's not like I don't give a damn, and am willing to just throw away a season.

One theory is it's time. A real year is a long time to sit and watch a team flail around badly. So, that adds real pressure to put something on the field... like Miami feeling they needed to sign clowns like Amendola and Albert Wilson... their WR group looked putrid without them (after dealing away Landry).

I guess the related thing is scouting. In-game in FOF I can see that the 9th year WR is only rated 34/34, he's really not much better than that 2nd year guy sitting around unsigned for minsal. In real life, scouting is tougher, right? A guy comes off an 850-yard season for another team and there's no such thing as "34/34" it's more like "complementary receiver with starting experience and decent route running." Perhaps the value of experience is more present in the NFL than it is in a computer game, too.

I don't know that a football sim would be more fun if I were constantly pushed to make moves like the ones that many/most front offices make. But it does seem like a meaningful disconnect.

There's also the churn of one year deals in FOF that maybe isn't such a real life thing. I mean, I don't know if I sign Amendola for 2 yr in FOF, I just wait until he's willing to do one year or I take the next closest thing to him on a one year. In real life, those seem to often be 2 yr/cut after 1 deals instead.

[QuikSand]

Two parts of this...maybe we just give up that a computer AI will be a strong opponent in a complex game like this.

But, in the most cutthroat multi player leagues, I almost never see serious bonus-heavy multi-year contracts turn into one-and-out or two-and-out.

Maybe we just don't have enough guys who semi-randomly lose their luster quickly? And that happens in real football/sports, but would be too disheartening in a sim game?

[SirFozzie]

Quik, I think part of it is also that fit for scheme is something that a lot of games can't model right. I mean, look at Amendola. FOF would have had his ratings translate well everywhere, but the feel he's made with the Pats offense (the little things, like shading in a bit in certain routes or what have you) don't translate well.)

Pats trade a fifth for Philadelphia's Bennett and a seventh rounder. When you consider the contract that Flowers is going to get roughly in one year what Bennett is due over the next two, AND the Pats are likely going to get a comp pick (a third rounder?), this is a trade with good upside, and very little downside.

edit: And that's why the Pats are the Pats.

[albionmoonlight]

I want fof to get away from coach modeling. But this seems like an area where assistant coaching and scheme matter a lot in real life.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Maybe we just don't have enough guys who semi-randomly lose their luster quickly? And that happens in real football/sports, but would be too disheartening in a sim game?

Interesting. Having played some FOF recently (the latest one afaik) after my kid decided he wanted to give it a try (gotta love Steam library sharing), I feel like the fall off the table guys occur at a really high clip.

Maybe that isn't quite "random" though. Apparently what has to happen for guys to go from stud to dud is for me to sign them.

[stevew]

Mr Big Chest only worth a 3rd round and 5th round pick

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by stevew

Mr Big Chest only worth a 3rd round and 5th round pick

Yep Buffalo or Oakland-guess none of the good teams wanted him?

[PilotMan]

It's a sad day, no question, for Steeler fans. This is a very disappointing offseason, and we really don't have anything to complain about. It's been a very good, long run, but unless we can find some better management than we've had (and I'm talking GM) in the past 7-8 years, and better cap management we're heading down the slope.

[Carman Bulldog]

Raiders looking good this off-season.

[bhlloy]

For that crappy return, I might have just taken the comedy “trade him to the worst team in the league” option.

[JPhillips]

We should have all known this would end with the Raiders.

[Atocep]

This ended up as poorly for the Steelers as it possibly could have. A 3rd and a 5th plus you take a $21 mil cap hit? I'm sure they did the best they could under the circumstances, but that's a kick to the balls.

Between the Cooper and AB trades the Raiders basically traded Cooper for AB + a 2nd. Not bad. They're still Jon Gruden figuring out how the game is played in 2019 away from being good though.

[stevew]

Barnwell had a nice piece about the Steelers contract structure. Basically they are the only team in the league still working with "FOF Style" deals and most modern teams have adjusted. And the front office still loves the "Cap Out" button because the majority of the veteran guys always carry huge cap numbers due to previous cap outs and general overpayment.

We typically get so little value from our rookie deals that we have to go over-sign a Joe Haden(who I really like) to calm down a dumpster fire in our secondary

[stevew]

Name another team in the league who would pay Bud Dupree 9.3 million dollars?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

For that crappy return, I might have just taken the comedy “trade him to the worst team in the league” option.

They didn't?

[Atocep]

Dan Snyder goes 6 years and $84 mil for Landon Collins.

I really think the Giants made the right call here.

[bhlloy]

Packers throwing money at players I've never heard of like it's going out of style. Either they have some analytics that the rest of the league doesn't, or they are going to be terrible for a couple years and Rodgers is going to have a complete meltdown.

[AlexB]

Not sure what the Dolphins plan is - Amendola & Gore who are lauded for leadership qualities and setting the example are gone, Jawuan James is gone, looks like Cam Wake is gone, but they keep DeVante Parker???

If they bring in Fitzpatrick for double Fitzmagic, or Tyrod Taylor as rumoured, we know its full on tank mode.

[JPhillips]

This feels so much like a replay of the Shula years for the Bengals. It wouldn't surprise me to see a replay of the David Klingler draft.

[albionmoonlight]

Is there a German word for when your team signs a perfectly good player to a perfectly fine contract, but you are just sad because it means a well-loved player will be moving on?

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Is there a German word for when your team signs a perfectly good player to a perfectly fine contract, but you are just sad because it means a well-loved player will be moving on?

Probably no words but I'm sure they've made a beer for it.

[Thomkal]

This will go well I'm sure:


Browns agree to trade for Giants WR Odell Beckham - NFL.com


for a 1st, 3rd, and S Peppers

[NobodyHere]

Browns will be the Browns

[Lathum]

Love the move for the Giants. Don't want that cancer around Barkley.

[Scoobz0202]

Am I in the minority? I'm hyped as hell if I am a Browns fan....

[ISiddiqui]

Dude, this is a fantastic move for the Browns IMO. I think most people are on your side, Scoobz.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, I'm with Imran on this one.

[NobodyHere]

I dunno, I refuse to believe that the Browns could make a good decision ever.

[miked]

And the Giants are about to pay Manning a $6M roster bonus. A 23M cap hit, but they did just surrender for the year. So I guess they are all in on a 1st round QB.

[bhlloy]

Great trade for the Browns. Top 3 WR for a mid first round pick? The Giants will suck as long as they have this brain trust in place.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I dunno, I refuse to believe that the Browns could make a good decision ever.

It's becoming equally as unlikely that the Giants make one, IMO

[CleBrownsfan]

FINALLY!!! It's been a long ass time since I have been excited for this sorry ass franchise... amazing what a solid QB and a competent GM can do for a team

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

This will go well I'm sure:


Browns agree to trade for Giants WR Odell Beckham - NFL.com


for a 1st, 3rd, and S Peppers

Just the Sergeant or the whole Lonely Hearts Club?

[stevew]

Just shows how fucking stupid the Steelers’ brain trust is for the Big Chest trade

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Just the Sergeant or the whole Lonely Hearts Club?

No more for you Sir!


:::takes drink away:::

[Atocep]

I don't have a fucking clue what the Giants are doing.

The Browns offense could be top 5 next year.

[spleen1015]

Browns win the division!

[molson]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I don't have a fucking clue what the Giants are doing.

They're trying to get Manning to retire because they're not allowed to move on from him for some reason.