Snakebitten: A Real-Time MP FOF thread

[QuikSand]

Ravens are on the clock in round one. Mulling over options... a BPA player at a need position but not a "move-the-needle" one is there... also a skill position guy who looks like a very good fit... and then there's the "best QB out there because we really need a QB plan."

Waffling.

[QuikSand]

Went with need-enhanced BPA... gotta have a brand, mine is overlooking the important roster slots in lieu of big fat bars elsewhere:




Baltimore: QuikSand takes DE Denzel Cowdrick with the 1.17 pick.

Run Defense		68<->100
Pass Rush Technique		68<->100
Pass Rush Strength		61<->92
Man-to-Man Defense		50<->81
Zone Defense		28<->60
Bump-and-Run Defense		30<->62
Play Diagnosis		0<->32
Punishing Hitter		68<->100
Endurance		68<->100
Special Teams		67<->99

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
72	279	5.9	6.5	4.78	21	29	7.44	117	-	49

Very pleased that what my scout saw as maxed-out bars also look that way in this view. No sure thing, but we really could use an anchor-caliber presence on the DL, I hope this is it.

[QuikSand]

So, huge Ravens D updates in the first nutso wave of free agency. I was very unsettled going in, especially at DB, and had to make weird decisions here. The results are mixed, but okay overall:

LCB Ezekiel Hoover	FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $171,000,000.
NT Dave Woods	FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $15,500,000.
RCB Arnold Huntley	FA Stage 2	turned down a contract offer: 4yrs, $388,000,000.
MLB Trey Martin	FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Tennessee: 2yrs, $71,000,000.
RCB Keegan Jaynes	FA Stage 3	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $94,000,000.
LCB Alexis Desai	FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Chicago: 3yrs, $34,500,000.
WLB Dakota Patton	FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Buffalo: 4yrs, $276,000,000.
LCB Arnie Hausermann	FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Cincinnati: 3yrs, $34,500,000.
SS Joseph Barkshadt	FA Stage 3	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $261,000,000.

So, bottom line is we tried to land a build-around DB and failed. We let our top veteran guys go, and now have a mere shell of a DB infrastructure. That's going to be okay, I think.

We DID land two monumental LBs, one young-ish and one old, and that position group should be totally jake for a while.

So, much work to do at DB, I probably want to add a couple guys in this draft and put them out there right away to start building chem and cohesion... and this year is increasingly looking like a throwaway. I have my usual "please take all my draft picks" post up, but only one nibble and likely not that serious, so... will be trying to get some very useful engines in the later rounds (thinking special teamers, role players, the sort of thing we thrive upon out here).

[QuikSand]

...to clarify, DBs Desai and Hauserman are here on no-risk min-bonus deals, so once I have a chem scheme in mind, I can cut whomever doesn't really fit. If one of them fits, fine, he can start this year maybe, but more likely we'll push young guys out there to coach 'em up.

[Chas in Cinti]

Wow... haven't see this major of a rebuild in a minute... will be following...

[QuikSand]

Yeah, it just feels right. And another major piece of the rebuilding "commitment" will drop momentarily.

First... FA 1:3-4... we missed out on a couple guys, but life goes on:

LDT Darrell Haworth	FA Stage 4	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $24,600,000.
FS Dustin Swedberg	FA Stage 4	turned down a contract offer: 4yrs, $52,000,000.
K Thurman McWaters	FA Stage 5	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Detroit: 3yrs, $16,080,000.
FL Fernando Hampton	FA Stage 5	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $8,270,000.

So, two run-stopping DTs have rebuffed my advances. Thing is, this is an easy position to fill with an adequate guy. So, I'm not panicked here. We could throw a 4th round pick at it, or maybe just skip it and cover up - I don't really care a lot about stopping the run in a no-gameplanning league.

Our signees here are a decent and affordable kicker (fine) and a nice strong-chem roster filler WR. Nothing to shout about, but both likely make the team unless we end up drafting a big kicker, which seems awfully unlikely.

[QuikSand]

And in round two... my "best QB out there" from round one is still there, so I grab him. Not exactly thrilled, especially since all the people and tons of Ben's bots have passed him up... but he's a young guy we can toss out there. To my scout, he looks to have decent bars and a meh sense rush (I know)... and to the league he looks like this:



Baltimore: QuikSand takes QB Cary Alfonso with the 2.16 pick.

Screen Passes		1<->29
Short Passes		45<->74
Medium Passes		53<->82
Long Passes		31<->60
Deep Passes		37<->66
Third Down Passing		64<->93
Accuracy		59<->88
Timing		63<->92
Sense Rush		37<->66
Read Defense		27<->56
Two Minute Offense		50<->79
Scramble Frequency		60<->89
Kick Holding		34<->63

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
73	213	5.6	6.4	4.63	40	10	7.80	111	85	27

...okay, then. Basically see the same guy. Caretaker, more or less, and best case is he becomes a long term "well he's got cohesion and I suppose he's good enough since we're drafting in the 20s again" guy.

[QuikSand]

My veteran QB throws a ton of interceptions. This rookie will, too. Probably time to pull the lever and see what we have here.

[QuikSand]

...and I still cannot name a single guy who is "certain" to have a job playing CB or S on opening day. So that's kinda fun. Really had expected to land a DB in round one.

[QuikSand]

So, WTF is up with the WTF, you ask?

Well, not a whole lot, tbh...

SS Irving Bruce	FA Stage 4	signed as a free agent: 3yrs, $30,000,000.
RB Kenny Brandon	FA Stage 4	turned down a contract offer: 4yrs, $36,000,000.
RDT J.T. Leandri	FA Stage 5	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Tennessee: 2yrs, $23,900,000.
FL Javier Whorton	FA Stage 5	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $108,000,000.

That's the full list of player transactions and failed attempts at same... so, pretty quiet.

We have 44 signed, and a lot of irons in the fire, so... nothing much to see here. My effort on that WR was subpar, Ben's ATL team grabs him for $71m or so, a ton more than I put out there.

[QuikSand]

WFT draft update:




Washington: KickStand takes WR Johnnie Tatum with the 1.30 pick.

Avoid Drops		22<->52
Getting Downfield		62<->91
Route Running		52<->82
Third Down Catching		63<->93
Big-Play Receiving		53<->82
Courage		63<->92
Adjust to Ball		42<->72
Punt Returning		0<->29
Kick Returning		0<->29
Endurance		71<->100
Special Teams		17<->46

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
73	206	5.6	5.8	4.41	32	16	7.02	106	46	37

Looks like a solid late-1st receiver, that's fine. I took him ahead of a really nice looking chem-fit OT, and then posted a "I want to trade up" block...actually got a bite, but my OT had already gone at pick 1.31. Ugh.





Washington: KickStand takes T Charles Bishop with the 2.30 pick.

Run Blocking		28<->57
Pass Blocking		57<->86
Blocking Strength		38<->67
Endurance		33<->62

HT	WT	RAW	ADJ	DASH	SOL	BENCH	AGI	BRJU	POS	%DEV
81	333	4.7	5.2	5.27	33	28	7.65	94	-	26

Profoundly unexciting...but especially dispiriting after turning away from a potential stud LT in the first.

[QuikSand]

Ravens have a busy stage today, no shock, as stage 7 is often loaded with medium-tier guys finally deciding what to do... let's have a look:

FS Steven Ellingsen	FA Stage 6	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Carolina: 2yrs, $10,320,000.
RCB Edwin Reid	FA Stage 6	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $8,760,000.
RCB Winston Isaacs	FA Stage 6	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
LCB Chandler Koopman	FA Stage 6	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $52,000,000.
SS Morris Bauer	FA Stage 6	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Seattle: 3yrs, $39,000,000.
FL Blake Strugielski	FA Stage 7	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $20,000,000.
LCB Donnell Boyer	FA Stage 7	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $20,000,000.
LCB Preston Quinonez	FA Stage 7	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $24,000,000.

Anything exciting here? Well, depends what you consider exciting. CB Ellingsen is here as a build-around chem option at DB, badly needed. 9th year guy, special teams ace, and 80/96 on chem, so... good for a few years. CB Koopman was supposed to be the package deal, a potential CB1/2 to slide in and click with Ellingsen, but he picked another deal instead.

The twist here is that we also signed CB Boyer, who at 7th year 87/87 becomes the group leader over Ellingsen. He grades out as a CB4 caliber, and a solid KR, so a nice asset... younger than Ellingsen, so... maybe we build around him as chem leader instead? Hmmm.

So... maybe we load up the last round or two with young DBs from the 8-9 chem group, to play it safe and work with either leader? Ugh.

side note: i fuckin' love this sort of thing, FAR more at this point in FOF than sorting out which mediocre receive should start in the slot when we play 11 formation

WR Strugielski opted for Atlanta over our offer as well, would have been a modest upgrade at WR/TE chem leader for us. Alas.

[QuikSand]

Okay, late stages of free agency:

QB Albert Campbell	FA Stage 8	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
LCB Marvin Hobbs	FA Stage 8	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $32,000,000.
WLB Brandon Rice	FA Stage 8	turned down a contract offer: 3yrs, $21,000,000.
LG Caleb Beckman	FA Stage 8	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $6,400,000.
LCB Damon Ashraf	FA Stage 9	signed as a free agent: 3yrs, $26,700,000.
FS Branden de Leon	FA Stage 9	signed as a free agent: 3yrs, $21,000,000.
TE Van Makofske	FA Stage 9	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
QB Jeremy Garrison	FA Stage 9	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $6,400,000.

Lots of low-risk moves here. DB Ashraf is a patch-over affinity guy good enough to play for a season or two (considering our lack of rookie investment there, might be needed), DB DeLeon much the same only younger and maybe could stick for a while and play FS. Nothing thrilling.

[QuikSand]

WFT moves:

RT Carl Atkins	FA Stage 8	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
WLB Dusty Drozd	FA Stage 8	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
TE Ernie Fasani	FA Stage 8	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
SS Rufus Richmond	FA Stage 8	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Tampa Bay: 3yrs, $20,400,000.
FS Jeff Alston	FA Stage 8	signed as a free agent: 3yrs, $22,500,000.
LCB Greg Leadbetter	FA Stage 9	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
LCB Grady Tate	FA Stage 9	signed as an unrestricted free agent from San Francisco: 3yrs, $27,000,000.
FS Max Traxler	FA Stage 9	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Atlanta: 2yrs, $14,200,000.
RG Derek Whitehurst	FA Stage 9	signed as an unrestricted free agent from New Orleans: 3yrs, $21,000,000.
QB Gabriel Lang	FA Stage 9	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $6,400,000.

...similarly, a lot of low-splash transactions. This is totally on brand for me, it's a source of untold "profit" in MP leagues, even really competitive ones.


T Atkins re-signing brings him back as the chem lead, that's helpful. Young G Whitehurst is a non-affinity, but I don't understand why nobody wanted him in open free agency - maybe an overreaction to his low intelligence? My scout grades him 40/61 as a second year guy, and no other offers. Weird.


In the DB group, we signed a couple more possible options... S Traxler is a zone specialist, which I have found useful before, and CB Tate is a veteran special teams standout... both have strong chem to back up their possible complementary roles. Each is roughly 50/50 to make the team, possibly competing for the same roster slot.


Hmm, lemme muse through the DB situation. Here's how I see it now:


CB1 Bradley (duh)
CB2 Shelton, Horst
NB Otteson
DB Traxler
SS Cummings
FS Houston
active ST/gunner CB Tate
inactive aff leader CB Leadbetter


That's 9 guys who I think would have jobs right now, 8 active. That leaves S Richmond, a no-risk signee this offseason, and a similar guy signed last year Robertson, both out in the cold. And S Donhoff (great chem effects) in the mix only for an inactive slot. Subject to change, but this is not bad - could be a top-tier unit leaguewide.

[QuikSand]

Ravens transactions...

FL Roger Freedman	FA Stage 10	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
SLB Luis Manning	FA Stage 10	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $14,000,000.
MLB Howie Pringley	FA Stage 10	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Dallas: 3yrs, $24,000,000.
RCB Aidan Rounds	FA Stage 10	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Dallas: 2yrs, $8,740,000.
FS Tom Lucky	FA Stage 10	signed as a free agent: 3yrs, $39,000,000.
LCB Burt Haskell	FA Stage 10	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Tennessee: 2yrs, $23,000,000.
SS Alfredo Renes	FA Stage 10	signed as an unrestricted free agent from New England: 3yrs, $18,300,000.
SLB Mickey Donaldson	FA Stage 10	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Jacksonville: 3yrs, $21,000,000.
SLB Caleb Sitz	FA Stage 10	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
QB Adam Hancock	FA Stage 10	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $7,330,000.
SILB D.J. Burge	Late FA Stage 1	has begun a contract holdout

Okay, I saw the holdout coming. He wants HUGE money. Tough call.

We signed LB Sitz, but I don't know whether he Fitz, so to speak. No chem, and not really elite ratings any longer - the guys we poured money into earlier this offseason are the real build-around guys, he's just a quality cohesion guy at the moment. We'll see.

S Lucky is a guy I like a lot, perhaps a future chem leader, and I'm glad we got him, albeit by overpaying a shade. Future 80+ tackle SS in my D, I reckon.

Hmm, looks like we went past 70 players, that might be a ding and a loss of a pick. Rats.

[QuikSand]

Here's the snapshot of our DB group now, after pruning of non-chem-fit guys other than McCabe, who might stick despite not fitting in our triad:

Ashraf, Damon           1527LCB         10   41               41               3 yrs. 
Desai, Alexis           1540LCB         8    46               46               3 yrs. 
Boyer, Donnell          1522LCB         7    38               38               2 yrs. 
Haskell, Burt           1507LCB         6    50               50               2 yrs. 
McCabe, Bob             1535LCB         5    50               50               1 yr.  
Lucky, Tom              1639SS          6    54               54               3 yrs. 
Renes, Alfredo          1643SS          6    45               45               3 yrs. 
Ellingsen, Steven       1628FS          9    32               32               2 yrs. 
de Leon, Branden        1633FS          6    41               41               3 yrs.

Okay, so... Desai, Haskell, and McCabe are all bump/man guys with low/no zone skills, so CB1 or CB2 only. All have good endurance, so we likely don't need three such players.

Ashraf is a nice NB/DB with decent coverage and some ballhawking. Boyer is a reserve, decent at everything, and a good KR... plus our current chem leader.

Lucky looks like the starting SS, a bit better than Renes who is also useful. de Leon can play FS or rotate in there, and Ellingsen is a pure special teams guy.

Maybe we carry 9? Or perhaps we release one of the CB1/CB2 guys and make it 8?

Not a terrible spot. This isn't awful.

[QuikSand]

Oh, by the way... rookie sneak peek at this stage.

Ravens, 13th rated draft (!?!?)

13

BAL

QuikSand

1(17) RDE Denzel Cowdrick 54/81 3(15) RDE Casey Burns 35/61 4(14) LT Damien Starks 27/51 2(16) QB Cary Alfonso 16/51 6(19) SE Ernie Gomez 22/44 7(18) P Kody Plumb 34/52 5(13) MLB Winfred Charron 19/48

1(17) RDE Denzel Cowdrick 54/81 3(15) RDE Casey Burns 35/61 4(14) LT Damien Starks 27/51 2(16) QB Cary Alfonso 16/51 6(19) SE Ernie Gomez 22/44 7(18) P Kody Plumb 34/52 5(13) MLB Winfred Charron 19/48

68.2

Okay, I see QB Alfonso who looks like your standard backup-caliber guy who might evolve into 41/41 with no special skills. Chase Daniel maybe? Meh, that's fine, but do we push that guy into the lineup to see what we have? I think I already see what I have.

DE Cowdrick looks really good, but regrettably his strong suit is run stopping, he's not maxed out in pass rush as I had seen/hoped. DL Burns looks solid to move inside and be a rotation run stopper, that's fine.

I don't see much else here, sadly. Maybe BenBot has sniffed out a boom someplace, but I don't see it. Cowdrick was nice value, but this doesn't feel like an impact draft to me.


And WFT, the 30th rated (more like it):

30

WAS

KickStand

1(30) SE Johnnie Tatum 36/59 5(30) WLB Joshua Peterson 33/42 2(30) LT Charles Bishop 21/49 6(30) K Hardy Greer 41/61 4(30) RB Julian Dole 24/41 7(30) LG Brody Sherman 18/47

1(30) SE Johnnie Tatum 36/59 5(30) WLB Joshua Peterson 33/42 2(30) LT Charles Bishop 21/49 6(30) K Hardy Greer 41/61 4(30) RB Julian Dole 24/41 7(30) LG Brody Sherman 18/47

56.8

Well, WR Tatum doesn't look good enough to skip a generational LT to get, but he looks like a solid rotation guy, likely a future WR1 or WR2 and "good enough" in that role, but not a superstar. Fine.

5th round LB Peterson looks like a keeper, though a rotation guy not a star without a serious boom.

QB Thornton shows up with 85 sense rush, 83 scramble frequency, and a 4.55 dash - on the Ravens, I might be intrigued enough to toss him in as a starter for a year and see if that style can work. He has little else going for him, so jury's out. And may stay that way - when would this guy play?

RB Dole was a "very underrated" guy by my scout, seemed worth a pick, but he doesn't have the maxed out HR bar we wanted, more like 45/74, so meh.

[QuikSand]

Okay, late free agency in a blur, per usual... Ravens moves confirm our commitment to a new-look DB grouping, where we will just run out there with no sort of cohesion whatsoever this season...

RB Morris Shepherd	Late FA Stage 1	signed as an unrestricted free agent from New Orleans: 1yrs, $7,000,000.
RB Sergio Polanco	Late FA Stage 1	signed as an unrestricted free agent from New York: 1yrs, $7,000,000.
LCB Jorge Crews	Late FA Stage 1	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $5,980,000.
LCB Joel Burroughs	Late FA Stage 1	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $5,980,000.
RB Claude Jasso	Late FA Stage 2	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Tampa Bay: 1yrs, $7,000,000.
TE Darien Minter	Late FA Stage 3	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
TE Derek Turnbull	Late FA Stage 3	re-signed as an unrestricted free agent
WILB Shaun Farr	Late FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Oakland: 3yrs, $17,800,000.
LS Antonio Hudson	Late FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Carolina: 2yrs, $6,840,000.
LCB Lorenzo Tjandranegara	Late FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Cleveland: 1yrs, $6,000,000.

Nothing shocking here, really. CBs Crews and Burroughs are low-talnt guys whose ideal role would be CB1/CB2... so, longshots. You've got a better chance to stick if you can at least play zone or hit it on special teams.


Plenty of options at RB, mostly bad ones, standard.


Glad to bring back LB Shaun Farr, my bad for letting him walk but he got his starts and should stick here this time.

[QuikSand]

Ravens' erstwhile QB starter Stancil now grades out at a comically low 18/18, dragged down by his absolute refusal to get corrective surgery for his jersey color blindness. Awesome. Time to throw the rookie in and see how much worse it can get. Likely a rough season here, but I don't think we bottom out or anything, more likely we just mark this as the beginning of a new build-up. We have pieces in place that I like - if we end up with, say, pick 1.10 next year then we can likely grab one more cornerstone young player and start climbing back up into the top tier, I expect.

[QuikSand]

On down I-95 to the nation's capital... lessee here...

FS Tony Houston	Late FA Stage 1	has begun a contract holdout
SE Duane Vanderpool	Late FA Stage 1	has begun a contract holdout
FS Tony Houston	Late FA Stage 1	signed a renegotiated contract: 3yrs, $95,710,000.
SE Duane Vanderpool	Late FA Stage 1	signed a renegotiated contract: 3yrs, $61,530,000.
FL Jessie Peters	Late FA Stage 1	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Houston: 2yrs, $18,600,000.
LT Carlton Colvin	Late FA Stage 1	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Jacksonville: 2yrs, $7,800,000.
FL Marcus Sampson	Late FA Stage 1	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $5,980,000.
TE Sherman Kauffman	Late FA Stage 2	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Arizona: 1yrs, $5,500,000.
FL Levon Batiste	Late FA Stage 2	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $5,510,000.
TE Eduardo Gray	Late FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Carolina: 2yrs, $12,000,000.
TE Doug Hansen	Late FA Stage 3	turned down a contract offer: 1yrs, $3,700,000.
TE Harry Walston	Late FA Stage 3	signed as an unrestricted free agent from Miami: 1yrs, $4,500,000.
RB D.J. Thomer	Late FA Stage 3	turned down a contract offer: 2yrs, $6,000,000.
MLB Roman Woods	Late FA Stage 3	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $6,000,000.
FS Michael Brady	Late FA Stage 3	signed as a free agent: 2yrs, $6,000,000.

Well, also not a ton of thrills here.


I love S Tony Houston, he's just a great guy for my style of play - so he'll get overpaid to stick around. A coverage stalwart and solid bet for 18 yards per punt return... sold. I also re-up with my other holdout, WR group leader Vanderpool, who inexplicably got 119 targets last season. He's got build-around chemistry for us (96/94) so he'll stay, but the targets surely will not.


WR Peters joins a crowded group of "pretty good" receivers, he's youngish and should still be here after Hines leaves, so that's good. Solid WR2/3/4 talent, good chem fit, great cheap signing for us, albeit not thrilling.


Among the others, WR Batiste is a style I like a bit... high ST and End, and just a smidge of "actually play football" talent to go with it. And a 93 personality says... he's probably going to end up on the good side of a roster bubble this year, and perhaps be with us for 10 years as active WR5/6.


I did miss on a couple of stabs at young RBs, and that position is sorely lacking. May grab a couple fliers on the way into camp with this group.

[QuikSand]

Tired and tipsy. Perfect to sit down and start my files for "the big stage." Awesome fun. Great hobby, dumbass.

Ravens cutdown notes:

This is not "the year" for us, so we'll make sure we get a good look at many young guys. Not tanking, but making sure we know what we have where that's worth knowing. Rookie class looks meh after camp, with undrafted CB Crews a nice surprise and worthy of a look at CB2 in a few formations this year. Scrapheap sophomore will get the bulk of the carries as RB2, with rookie QB handing off to him despite a pre-season slide. Yeah, this won't be pretty. Maybe we go 6-10?

WFT cutdown notes:

WR Tatum is gonna be useful, but only in a WR3 sort of way. I don't even want to see the LT we passed over for him. Wily veteran Swift gets the call - is this still a bankable centerpice? Dunno.

[QuikSand]

...oh, i see my WFT file is still sitting on my laptop, unsent. Awesome, there's a season flushed right there. This league is unforgiving. My bad for delaying getting it together... but dammit.

[QuikSand]

wow, lucky reprieve... file is late today for some reason...so I re-did and sent in something for WFT after all

I'll guess we slide back to 9 wins just as a regress-to-mean plus some lack of deep attention by me here

might be time to post my waffling on whether to return to this league

[QuikSand]

spring break, Ben's up later into the night and files will be later in the morning

cool here

[Kodos]

He's probably giving those patriotic undies a workout with all the spring breakers!

[QuikSand]

That would be your 7-9 DIVISION CHAMPIONS thankyouverymuch

GML: Baltimore Ravens 2139

lol

we stunk, so did everyone, tiebreakers rule, can't wait to win it all

[QuikSand]

WFT Slips to 9-7, Sits out Postseason

GML: Washington Football Team 2139

[QuikSand]

Ravens are one-and-out in the playoffs, rightfully so. On to next season!

(yawn)

[QuikSand]

Okay, Ravens 2140, where are we?

QB Stancil retires after his unceremonious benching, that's fine. G Magniafico retires also, but I'm okay along the OL with a whole gaggle of B-minus caliber guys running around all thinking they're the "blind side" guy.

And we will need to decide whether we're actually building around the Rookie of the Year QB Cary Alfonso, who outperformed pick 1.1 but still was only a 78-rated passer. Nothing too thrilling there.

We are again toward the top of the "cap space" list, which is potentially useful. I...uhhh... do not see a WR1 on this roster, at this point. Pearson is in his 14th season and is, maybe, mirrorin Larry Fitzgerald IRL, he's the savvy veteran who goes and grabs the ball and runs it over to the line of scrimmage to save a second or two on the clock in our third down drill, but not a guy we want to "target" very much anymore. (JK, we'll likely throw 160+ his way again)

Defense has some growing to do, but I like some of the pieces was have in place. DE Cowdrick is a run stopper but managed 7.5 sacks - he should be rather good for a long time, and will complement our cheapass one-trick pass rusher ear-pinner types just fine. The LB corps is very nice, anchored by big money signing Dakota Patton but flooded with useful role players. The secondary is just getting acquainted, but I'm comfortable with the trajectory there as well.

This shouldn't be a five-year rebuild. Our fluke playoff run papered over the mini-depression, but for a "give away" year to still manage respectability was nice, and I suspect we can get back to .500 this season, with a key move here or there.

[QuikSand]

WTF is going on with the WFT?

(yes, I will bludgeon the hell outta that joke)

So, we lost two OT in retirement - a longtime starter, and a chem leader. Not great, but not awful, assuming I can patch over the chem stuff. I'm hopeful.

In my hastily-assembled file, I failed to extend a variety of players, so I have more legit free agents than usual. It happens. We still have a solid amount of cap space, so we hopefully can push others around if there's something we really need to do.

Nothing thrilling to document, I don't think.

[QuikSand]

One very big fish landed for the Ravens:

http://gml.fof-belco.com/playercard.php?playerid=108059

So, needless to say he will be a build-around piece for our front seven going forward. Very pleased, great skills and great fit. 15 sacks, please.

[QuikSand]

And where my Ravens just aced the "price the free agent test" with the prized DE, my WFT managed to just miss out on re-signing DT Alonzo Compton. He's good, fading, and was valuable - we'll fill the slot, but it's a drop in overall D7 talent for certain.

Also amused to see a quality C walk into free agency - I bid, sensing a potential chem fit and long term asset. Then the team that hasn't played him a snap in four years after spending its 2.10 pick on him ends up backing up the Brinks truck to pay him to return. Uh, okay then.

This roster has a lot of gaps, and now that adds to them. Weird, it felt like this was the "together" side, but meandering through right now I'm feeling like it's not in very good shape at all.

[QuikSand]

Nothing too hot to report... the Eagles are seemingly after a lot of my players, they're either pursuing chem in the same groups as me (looks unlikely), after special teamers (possibly), or deliberately just out to get me (more fun). We'll see.

[QuikSand]

So, draft is in the books. Let's see what the bot says. Instinct is it will be unkind to the WFT selections, where my first two picks were questionable even before seeing any feedback.

28

BAL

QuikSand

1(21) RG Bryant Billig 31/70 2(21) SLB Sebastian Mohammed 29/64 3(21) WLB Caleb Bullock 23/41 5(21) K Wade Huffman 33/47 7(21) QB Harrison Bruce 12/40 4(21) RT Cristian Morris 18/50

1(21) RG Bryant Billig 31/70 2(21) SLB Sebastian Mohammed 29/64 3(21) WLB Caleb Bullock 23/41 5(21) K Wade Huffman 33/47 7(21) QB Harrison Bruce 12/40 4(21) RT Cristian Morris 18/50

56.4

Okay, standard fare here. 28th of 32, yawn. I like a few things I see here, to be honest, but the 1st round G is not the total road grader I thought I was getting there, so a slight miss at a weak position is a big miss, I reckon.

And the other side, as gleefully predicted:

32

WAS

KickStand

3(23) K Riley Emerson 51/77 1(23) LT Dusty Starling 21/54 6(23) FB Richard Cote 25/47 5(23) RDE Brad Strong 21/42 2(23) RB Ted Hodel 25/28

3(23) K Riley Emerson 51/77 1(23) LT Dusty Starling 21/54 6(23) FB Richard Cote 25/47 5(23) RDE Brad Strong 21/42 2(23) RB Ted Hodel 25/28

39.7

So, yeah. First round I take a chemistry-motivated Ol out of a lack of good fits. Second round I end up with a weird RB who had no bars but multiple big combines ... not my usual flavor, but felt like it was worth a swing. Now we are at risk of coming out of this draft with nothing but... a kicker? Awesome.


Ravens honestly don't feel that bad. If there were a late-career fill-in QB lying around, I might do that in search of putting up a sneaky 12-win season here. Instead, with a second season from young Alfonso... maybe we can get back on the right side of .500 and squeak 9-7.

WFT, I don't know, doesn't feel good. We have a productive QB, but I feel we lack purpose right now. The OL quandary (chem leadership is just absent, and with the rookie miss there, ugh) bugs me, and if they slip and the running game slips with it, we might have an awful season here. Like, 6-10 feels within reach.

[QuikSand]

So, who gets the rock?

RB Controversies on both teams...

-Ravens have 4 contenders for carries before cutdowns, let's have a look:

Carl Naranjo (MEN)

RB2

10

37

37

YES (58)

3(28)

2131

2140

Free Agency

31

5-8

212

$7.0M

1

3

57

85

70

85

50

48

So, back on a one year deal, he was very effective with us early in his career, just got too expensive. Is he the answer? He'd be short term, but does come off a pretty good run elsewhere.

Sergio Polanco

RB

3

36

53

No (45)

Not drafted.

0

2139

Free Agency

24

6-1

228

$5.5M

1

3

64

65

13

48

31

21

Polanco has that few-bars-but-good-ones that some clever GMs seem to make work well... 55/65 Hole Rec and 85 Brk Spd to be specific. High elusiveness is, I guess, a drawback? 3.36 ypc last season is not impressive, and nobody else bid for him.

K.C. Murray (MEN)

RB

5

35

35

YES (66)

1(16)

2136

2138

Free Agency

26

6-0

226

$4.4M

1

27

6

99

54

100

29

47

Okay, Murray is great for chem w/99 Pers, and he's a mentor and KR candidate, so he has some angles to make the team regardless of getting carries. That said... 1.69 ypc and an apparent void at Hole Rec doesn't make much case for him.

Claude Jasso

RB

3

34

34

YES (90)

Not drafted.

0

2139

Free Agency

24

6-2

211

$3.4M

2

1

22

46

13

94

2

66

Finally, a wild card, guy we picked up in the regular season stage last year, so he was on the active roster but not in the lineup. But in his rookie year he posted 1,000+ yards for the Bucs. Weird mix of skills, high ST an Elusiveness and little else. But in my experience, that mix can actually work out okay.

Okay...I didn't say it was a mix of thrilling options at RB, just that we had options. WFT will be more interesting, I reckon.

Base notion right now, before camp/preseason: RB1 Polanco, RB2 Jasso, carry 2x FB

[QuikSand]

WFT RB conundrum, laid bare:

Frank Killian

RB

5

41

41

YES (63)

Not drafted.

0

2136

Free Agency

27

5-10

212

$9.8M

1

21

79

100

61

75

25

41

The incumbent, holding out after a lovely 5.60ypc season - we can afford him but do we want to pay him big? Sure looks like a system guy to me.

Efrain Greenway

RB

3

41

48

YES (81)

6(13)

2138

2140

Free Agency

25

5-10

204

$5.8M

1

83

11

46

37

41

44

93

The surprise new shooter. Assuming we discard Killian, the job seems wide open, so I grabbed this guy on a one year RFA deal. 80 ST means he makes the team, almost certainly, but his key ratings (36 End, 60/76 HR, 15 BrkSpd) are not awful, and he might merit carries if the job is indeed open.

Ted Hodel

RB

1

YES ()

2(23)

2140

2140

Rookie Draft

23

6-2

225

$4.2M

4

97

9

88

59

49

3

35

I don't often draft RBs high, but had few options and this guy was very highly rated in-game and had big combines, so I'm hoping against hope for a breakout of some sort. Sneak peek looks... about like his uninspiring bars would suggest, rather than something really revved up under the hood. We'll see what the differential says after camp. Enthusiasm dampened.

Tracy Perreault

RB

3

33

33

No (22)

5(31)

2138

2138

Rookie Draft

25

5-11

219

$4.1M

2

52

32

81

16

62

1

40

Unexciting, maybe he's the Malcolm Brown in this scenario, but last year he popped off 5.34 ypc as RB2, so there's every reason to think he could remain effective given the chance.

Jackie Brent

RB

2

29

48

No (55)

5(24)

2139

2140

Free Agency

23

5-9

208

$8.0M

1

28

51

16

48

37

49

64

I couldn't help myself, and signed him as a free agent, despite no affinity. Good bars all around, so maybe there's something here? Julio in PHI had one season and said enough's enough, 3.0 ypc stinks, and let him walk. And he's on his way to taking this division over by force. Unlikely, but by bars alone, tempting.

Julian Dole

RB

2

23

37

No (31)

4(30)

2139

2139

Rookie Draft

22

5-10

208

$3.8M

3

35

81

83

77

45

9

55

And I will include Dole here, too - soph comes off a 4th round draft pick but rode the pine all season. He's got good chem, but no special teams, which would be the best angle for him to make the 53. Longshot.

Base notion right now, before camp/preseason: pay for RB1 Killian, RB Greenway, bubble Perreault/Hodel, carry 2x FB

[QuikSand]

So, I still remember a little joke/story, told by the instructor at some sort of leadership/development seminar I once attended. And sadly enough, I deploy it from time to time:

Q: Three crows are sitting on a fence.
One decides to fly away.
How many crows are left?

A: (tentatively) Two?

Reveal: No, three. He decided to fly away, but he didn't do it yet.

Anyway... let's say that I decided to pay up for WFT RB Killian. But this morning when I see my league file sitting here unsent, I realize that it didn't happen.

[QuikSand]

I think I'm okay with him, in this league I can just offer his demand, he'll be active for preseason, and we're good to go.

[QuikSand]

Geez, cutting down to 60 for the Ravens, and I really like a lot of this team. Our "battery" at QB/WR is way subpar but past that I like a lot of what we have built here. Kinda sad to leave this in the hands of a going-nowhere young QB, we could have been pretty good this year.

As it is, we head into preseason feeling like a mid-tier team, I hate that.

[Chas in Cinti]

How did the R RB for WFT look after camp... any change?

[QuikSand]

Just sent in Ravens file for the one-shot regular season. Honestly, if I were confident that our QB/WR battery would just be replacement level, I think this might be, say, a 10-win team. As is, maybe more like 8 wins.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Chas in Cinti

How did the R RB for WFT look after camp... any change?

So... mixed bag, basically.

League scout bumped him up from 24/28 to 27/34, but still doesn't grade him over 50 at anything except special teams.

My own scout see him now as 27/36, also modestly encouraging, but not fantastic. If he had been an after-draft pickup, I'd be saying "hmmm, intriguing potential as a RB3/ST guy, nice grab." But given the 2nd round investment, we have to be pretty disappointed.

He's got 88 personality and 44/72 special teams, so I guess he makes the roster and maybe lands exactly that role - RB3 and special teams guy. No voids anywhere, which I guess is nice. So, we'll see.

But nothing indicating this was a HUZZAH moment here. No +14 preseason boom and definitely no James Robinson season in the offing here.

[QuikSand]

Holy smokes no clue what to do at RB here in Washington...

[QuikSand]

Okay, file is in. We'll use four RBs this year, I guess, with Killian getting the biggest share but Greenway and Hodel both getting enough touches to have some idea whether there's a future for them. I'm forcing a lot of starts for younger players, and am not sure where we will be after this season.

Julio Riddols has taken the reins in Philadelphia, and I reckon it's just a matter of time until he has a stranglehold on the division - we have had our way with this foursome for longer than is fair, to be honest. So... it's all good.

Not sure where we will fashion an actual plan at the QB position, but for now we'll make do with our supposedly known quantity. I will pencil in 9-7 and likely sitting out the playoffs again.

[QuikSand]

[QuikSand]

ah of course

[QuikSand]

Ravens Muddle to 9 Wins, Eke Into Postseason


GML: Baltimore Ravens 2140


So, QB Alfonso made a step forward to 81 passer rating, still meh
Run game remained very soggy, non-QB rushes well under 4 ypc
DEs Manning and Cowdrick were wonderful, by design
Defense was overall decent but not great
This doesn't feel like a winning team, we're lucky to be 9-7


Well okay then.

[QuikSand]

Washington Powers to 13-3 Record, Earns Bye Week


GML: Washington Football Team 2140


QB Swift was his usual self, solidly productive, 92 rating
RB Greenway led the way with 5.65 ypc, whoa (Killian stunk?)
WR Leland Tubbs, used selectively for downfield shots, killed it w 9.9 ypt
TE Lehman, getting his shot in the swing TE role, was awful (tradition)
Newly extended DE Quinn had a career year with 13.5 sacks, yay
Overall, pretty good season


(my starting lineup got AI-jumbled, I must have erred with my file somewhere)


Anyway... hard to complain. Go get 'em, Team.

[QuikSand]

GML POSTSEASON RECAP

GAME RESULTS
Wild Card Round	BOX		Baltimore Ravens (QuikSand)	22-14	Indianapolis Colts (SBLemstrom)		LOG
Wild Card Round	BOX		Detroit Lions (AVAILABLE)	17-16	St. Louis Rams (tzach)		LOG
Wild Card Round	BOX		Philadelphia Eagles (Julio Riddols)	31-3	Green Bay Packers (sawblade300)		LOG
Wild Card Round	BOX		Pittsburgh Steelers (AVAILABLE)	6-24	Cleveland Browns (Scrooge)		LOG
Divisional Round	BOX		Baltimore Ravens (QuikSand)	20-27	New England Patriots (pyser)		LOG
Divisional Round	BOX		Cleveland Browns (Scrooge)	14-20	Kansas City Chiefs (Juggles)		LOG
Divisional Round	BOX		Detroit Lions (AVAILABLE)	19-41	Atlanta Falcons (Ben E Lou)		LOG
Divisional Round	BOX		Philadelphia Eagles (Julio Riddols)	21-20	Washington Football Team (KickStand)		LOG
Conference Round	BOX		Kansas City Chiefs (Juggles)	7-34	New England Patriots (pyser)		LOG
Conference Round	BOX		Philadelphia Eagles (Julio Riddols)	49-26	Atlanta Falcons (Ben E Lou)		LOG

The GM Challenge Bowl Result
Front Office Bowl	BOX		New England Patriots (pyser)	16-19	Philadelphia Eagles (Julio Riddols)		LOG

So, a pretty decent season. My longtime AFC nemesis Pyser beats us and makes it to the bowl. And my likely intra-division new nemesis Julio manages to nip us and then win it all with the wildcard Eagles. Ugh.

[Kodos]

Julio is pretty damn good!

And look at that .723 career winning percentage for Ben. He's pretty good!