Largest contracts you've seen or given

[Fistandilius]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

Yeah, in a perfect world, all 53 players on the roster would be quality. But is that remotely realistic? What team has 53 starting caliber players? Sometimes teams just will start a player who's not even starting quality, but they need someone to fill the spot. And if you did have 53 quality players, you'd have no cap room.

I have very little response to that. I've never seen a real GM that can scout players in real life to the level that we can scout players in Madden. I also think the NFL is LOADED with bad GM's.

And what were you saying about injuries? I've had plenty of injuries where the player had a terrible backup. My free safety just got a broken jaw and will miss 4 weeks. My backup free safety is rated 63 overall. I had to move a cornerback over there.

I'm happy for you, but it's well documented that injuries are broken in Madden 13. I gave you the TE example. If you have 3 tight ends on your roster, then your tight end can get injured. If you have 2 tight ends on your roster and your tight end gets injured, it will say he is hurt, the commentators might even comment on it being a bad injury, but he will never come out of the game. In 7 seasons in my franchise I have had 2 injuries to players who weren't halfbacks or receivers. I have had zero injuries through 2 seasons in my other franchise other than receivers.

Secondly, just because a team doesn't want to trade players doesn't mean the trading system is broken. Very often you'll see good players get traded for low picks in real life. If you know a team is trying to get rid of a player just to free up cap space, why would you give up a lot for him? The team trying to get rid of him has no alternative other than to cut him, so the team getting the player is in a powerful position. Unless a team needs a plays at that position AND can afford him, I can see why they wouldn't want to trade for him.

Your example doesn't wash. You're talking about a situation where a team wants to move a player and can't. There are situations where a player can't be traded, but it's almost universally due to character and almost never because of talent level. In fact I can't think of one situation where you could prove a talented player couldn't be moved that wasn't due to character issues.

A prime example would be Josh Freeman this season. Coming out of last season a lot of teams would have been interested, but the head coach clearly didn't want him and when he exploded in the media and was allegedly refused entry to team meetings, it was clear the Buccaneers had to get rid of him. If you knew they had to get rid of him the only reason you would give up anything for him is if you really wanted him on your team. And with the season he had he didn't warrant that kind of attention. Much cheaper in the long run to make a play at him after he's cut.

Regardless, that's not the same as a team that refuses to trade a player, which is what I was talking about.

It's not realistic at all for a team to hold on to a player they just drafted who hasn't even set foot on the field and was drafted in the 5th round when offered 3 first round picks in the same draft.

If the game allowed organic trading based on player values more instead of just handing out draft picks left and right we wouldn't have these issues. They put together a system where it tells you whether a team is interested in your player or not, but it's broken and worthless because it doesn't matter if they're interested, they're still going to give you a player that's 10-20 points lower than the one you offered.

[il blood il]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

Yeah, in a perfect world, all 53 players on the roster would be quality. But is that remotely realistic? What team has 53 starting caliber players? Sometimes teams just will start a player who's not even starting quality, but they need someone to fill the spot. And if you did have 53 quality players, you'd have no cap room. And what were you saying about injuries? I've had plenty of injuries where the player had a terrible backup. My free safety just got a broken jaw and will miss 4 weeks. My backup free safety is rated 63 overall. I had to move a cornerback over there.

Secondly, just because a team doesn't want to trade players doesn't mean the trading system is broken. Very often you'll see good players get traded for low picks in real life. If you know a team is trying to get rid of a player just to free up cap space, why would you give up a lot for him? The team trying to get rid of him has no alternative other than to cut him, so the team getting the player is in a powerful position. Unless a team needs a plays at that position AND can afford him, I can see why they wouldn't want to trade for him.

i actually challenged myself to see how good i can make the lowest ranked player on my team no matter how i did it, the best "team" i was able to make was my best player being a 90 and my worst was 71..

[macbranson]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

I'm happy for you, but it's well documented that injuries are broken in Madden 13. I gave you the TE example. If you have 3 tight ends on your roster, then your tight end can get injured. If you have 2 tight ends on your roster and your tight end gets injured, it will say he is hurt, the commentators might even comment on it being a bad injury, but he will never come out of the game. In 7 seasons in my franchise I have had 2 injuries to players who weren't halfbacks or receivers. I have had zero injuries through 2 seasons in my other franchise other than receivers.

I thought we were talking about Madden 25.

Also, if the trade system wasn't broken we wouldn't have to resort to draft picks. I'm not going to cut a guy with an 88 overall because his salary is more than I need for a 3rd cornerback, but when the computer teams always say they're interested, but have certain players they refuse to trade, it's one sided. I shouldn't have to trade an 88 player for a 78 player to make it work. In addition, it's pretty ridiculous when a team refuses to trade a player. I think in reality every player has a price and when I offer 3 high first rounders for a player, or 3 guys with 90+ ratings for a player, it's asinine when the computer refuses the trade. But they'll trade draft picks all day long so I'd rather do that, then get nothing for a 25 year old 88 cornerback.

Make the trades more balanced and the injuries mean something and it would eliminate some of the issue.

I gave a bad example. I'm guessing that you feel the game is too stingy when it comes to trading player for player, but more willing to trade draft picks for a player? I think that players are difficult to assign a value. Their value depends on too many factors: their age, contract, other players at that position, susceptibility to injury, his rating, his rating within the scheme...too many things. Draft picks are almost like a currency in Madden, they have a pretty much universal, objective value. That's why you'll find the CPU a lot more willing to trade for draft picks. But if you try hard enough, you can find a player for player trade that works, it definitely has to benefit both parties, though. I traded HB Jonathan Stewart (84 rating, 28 years old) for CB Morris Claiborne (85 rating, 25 years old) because the Cowboys needed a running back badly.

[Fistandilius]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

I thought we were talking about Madden 25.

I apologize. I really thought I put M13 in one of my posts, but I went back and I don't see it. If they fixed it in 25 great. But I'm not paying $60 every year for a glorified roster update. If I can pickup 25 used for like $10 it would be worth it for me just to get over the progression bug I have in M13, but otherwise I won't be buying it.

I gave a bad example. I'm guessing that you feel the game is too stingy when it comes to trading player for player, but more willing to trade draft picks for a player?

Right. That's exactly the problem. It's exactly why I end up with a crapload of 1st round draft picks because they're SO easy to get. Let's say I side with you and say it's more realistic for a team to not want to trade a player? Ok, supposing I bought that, which I don't given the extremes in the examples I used, but it's no more realistic to throw away draft picks the way the CPU does.

I think that players are difficult to assign a value. Their value depends on too many factors: their age, contract, other players at that position, susceptibility to injury, his rating, his rating within the scheme...too many things. Draft picks are almost like a currency in Madden, they have a pretty much universal, objective value. That's why you'll find the CPU a lot more willing to trade for draft picks. But if you try hard enough, you can find a player for player trade that works, it definitely has to benefit both parties, though. I traded HB Jonathan Stewart (84 rating, 28 years old) for CB Morris Claiborne (85 rating, 25 years old) because the Cowboys needed a running back badly.

Again, maybe they fixed it some in 25, but listening to my brother-in-law complain about how he could only get a 2nd round pick for Larry Fitzgerald, I'm guessing no.

I tend to go for younger players because as I said I generally have cap issues because I have so many talented players on my roster.

It's super easy to have a bunch of good players on your team because of two simple facts...

1)if you scout awareness you pretty much know where the player's overall will land if you pick the right scheme.
2)because the cpu throws away draft picks left and right

So I tried it the other way... I tried trading for established players that were already over the hill, like in the 35 years of age category. I still couldn't get anyone to pull the trigger on a deal.

And again... I'm giving up quality players.. Right now I have an 85 23 year old DE and an 88 25 year old cornerback and I literally cannot get a team to give me anything I deem "fair" for them without just taking a draft pick.

It generally takes me 4 hours or more just to do the offseason, including the free agency, the draft, and setting my season roster. And I'd say while a good portion of that is scouting players, the majority of it by far is trying to move players to fill the few roster spots I need to fill to start the season.

[Fistandilius]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

i actually challenged myself to see how good i can make the lowest ranked player on my team no matter how i did it, the best "team" i was able to make was my best player being a 90 and my worst was 71..

I started a second franchise with the Raiders. I made a rule that I wouldn't take anyone on the team that was rated higher than 69. I traded the whole team away or cut the ones I couldn't trade and ended up keeping I think 4 players who fit the "under 70" rule. I also made a rule that I would not take more than 2 draft picks per round in trades. It took me a few quarterbacks to get one I could work with, but I settled on Trevor Vittatoe, and he now has a rating of 90 something starting his 3rd year. If you've never heard of him, nobody would blame you because he literally never played a single down in the NFL. He was an undrafted free agent by the bears and was brought in by the Colts the year Manning got hurt as a 4th string quarterback.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Vittatoe

It's so easy to develop or find good players. It's way harder for me to manage the cap and keep them.

[macbranson]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

And again... I'm giving up quality players.. Right now I have an 85 23 year old DE and an 88 25 year old cornerback and I literally cannot get a team to give me anything I deem "fair" for them without just taking a draft pick.

Why are you getting rid of these young talented players? Are they asking for a lot of money? Because I've encounters that problem. It seems that when you trade for players from other teams, they always want a lot more money than they really deserve. I had an 86 rated Left Tackle who wanted over $8 million a year which is what top ten tackles make. I think that may be part of the reason these teams are willing to trade these players away; because they demand too much money. Just a theory, though.

[Fistandilius]

Re: Largest contracts you've seen or given

Why are you getting rid of these young talented players?

Two reasons.

1. I have better players to replace them as starters.
2. I have other holes I need to fill.

Right now I have a 20-21 year old LE that's rated at 83 backing up the 23 year old 85. I can't play both of them all the time. Behind both of them I have another LE... he's a project, only rated at 61, but he's got speed of 90 and finesse moves of like 89 or something. How often do you get a young DE with a speed rating of 90? There's no point in moving them to the right side because I have a 26 year old at 93, and a 20 year old at 80 over there.

The 88 25 year old cornerback is ironically someone I tried to get from the Titans for about 4 seasons, but they refused to trade him until he turned 25. But now that I got him, I had a rookie cornerback that just had a sensational year and now he's got an 89 rating. So I have Joe Hayden at like... 99? 98? Norwood at 89 (age 23 I think?), and Angel Martinez at 84, age 22. Trying to trade 25 year old 88 player (Andrew Berry) so I can get playing time for Martinez and see if he improves before his contract is up because otherwise I'm letting him walk.

Yes, it would be great to just keep these guys and have massive depth, but right now... I have no backup quarterback. No backup free safety, no backup LOLB, and only 2 RB's on the roster. Oh.. and only 1.8 mil in cap space.

Both of the guys I'm trying to trade were acquired in trades, so there is no cap penalties for me to move them, which is another good reason why I should move them and not someone else.

I would love to keep the LE, and move the 61 guy over to LOLB, but again Madden is broken and we can't do that. I could shove him over there on the depth chart, but he will always be listed as a LE and rated as such.

It seems that when you trade for players from other teams, they always want a lot more money than they really deserve.

I'm kinda curious as to how Joe Hayden's contract is going to play out. He's set to make like 11 mil in the final year of his contract. He's the highest paid player I have. But he'll be like 33 years old when his contract is up. Is he going to ask for a reasonable contract based on his age, or is he still going to want 8 mil a year because his ratings are high?