Unrealistic with speed drops in CFM

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpyPirates

A lot of good points in this thread, but I'll echo some of the best points and add my own: I tend to think that guys in their mid-to-late 20s do actually lose speed more than we realize. If they're really good, they use their speed early in their career to make a name for themselves with their elite physical tools, and later in their careers they rely more on their intangible skills. At this point we just have competing claims with no one providing any evidence, so unless someone starts linking some academic papers (or at least media articles covering them) it's all hearsay :-) In the game, I haven't really seen significant regression at the age 28 season, though--are we sure it's not the age 29 season? Recall that your players get a year older during the offseason, so if they were 28 years old while you were playing with them in a given season, and they regress in the ensuing offseason, they actually regressed while they were 29. I've also seen regression hit fewer attribute categories in the age 29 season sometimes. I would love to see variable regression curves. The current system reduces a lot of complexity I'd like to see when negotiating contracts because I know almost exactly what a guy's attributes are going to be in year X of the long term contract I'm signing. I wouldn't mind the curves being hidden from the user so that you aren't using information that would be unknown IRL to take advantage of a contract negotiation. Finally, I think it's been mentioned, but players really shouldn't be losing many intangible attribute points as they age. I doubt a guy like Revis has just forgotten how to cover man-to-man; he just isn't as fast and quick as he used to be, so it's harder for him to keep up, even though he's one of the best of all time at that skill. Off the top of my head, I think only speed/agi/acc/str/throw power/inj/stamina/hit power should really be subject to regression.

I posted an article from Pro-Football Focus which chronicled production, which is the easiest to find data there is on this.

You could argue physical skill are compensated by knowledge of the game, but I would argue that isn't as strong an offset as some might think, given that wide receivers have been WRs for 20 some years of their lives. While the NFL game is more complex, the fundamentals of the position are not drastically changed as a Pro. Torrey Holt, for example, came in the league as one of the best route runners in years. He probably got better as he got older, but he was already one of the best as a rookie.

And my example regarding Randy Moss: while he definitely lost speed as he got older, much of the year in 2012 defenses were still playing him with a safety over the top with the cornerback ten yards off the line. Why would they do that if he dropped to Anquan Boldin speed, which is what Madden would have by then if it's progression applied in real life?


An NFL WR will lose speed as he gets older. He is NOT going to become as slow as the average tight end, however. Madden needs to make the physical skill decline follow a curved path, rather than a line.

[SilverBullet19]

Quote: Originally Posted by ForUntoOblivionSoar∞

I posted an article from Pro-Football Focus which chronicled production, which is the easiest to find data there is on this. You could argue physical skill are compensated by knowledge of the game, but I would argue that isn't as strong an offset as some might think, given that wide receivers have been WRs for 20 some years of their lives. While the NFL game is more complex, the fundamentals of the position are not drastically changed as a Pro. Torrey Holt, for example, came in the league as one of the best route runners in years. He probably got better as he got older, but he was already one of the best as a rookie. And my example regarding Randy Moss: while he definitely lost speed as he got older, much of the year in 2012 defenses were still playing him with a safety over the top with the cornerback ten yards off the line. Why would they do that if he dropped to Anquan Boldin speed, which is what Madden would have by then if it's progression applied in real life? An NFL WR will lose speed as he gets older. He is NOT going to become as slow as the average tight end, however. Madden needs to make the physical skill decline follow a curved path, rather than a line.

These are excellent points. A reply to one of my posts saying a CB was unplayable by 32, was saying "like Nnamdi Asomugha? Was one of the greats, then plummeted and was out of the league by 32" or something like that.

Sure, there are guys that lose physical ability quickly when they age. That is NOT, however, the norm. Most guys are on a slow regression, not an immediate plummet in skill, and certainly not as soon as they are 30. It should be a curve, not a linear regression. On that note, it needs to take other factors into account.


I took it into my own hands and bumped player's speeds. At 31, Dez had dropped to 84 speed. I bumped him back to 86. Not huge, but a change. Terrance Williams, at 29, had dropped to 82. 82...for a guy known for speed. Bumped to 87.

My WR's were almost the same speed as my tight end (81). Completely ridiculous.