Best CFM Playbook for Simming Stats

[BigVin95]

Hi Everyone,

I sim the vast majority of games in each season (usually only playing Opening Day and a random game here or there). My main focus is the draft and building a roster.

My question is, what's the best playbook to use to get the best stats from simming? For years, I used Dallas' playbook on Offense and usually ended up with a QB throwing over 4500 yards, a RB Rushing over 1000, A WR or two over a 1000 and a TE close to 1000 (somewhat realistic to the real life results of Romo, Murray, Dez, and Witten). Once Dak took over for Romo in real life, I noticed I wasn't getting the same results, as it was much more Run Heavy. I then switched to Pittsburgh's Playbook in an effort to match the stats touch-wise of the real life Ben, Bell, and AB at the time, which worked well up until this year.

I've tried all of last years Top Offenses and I cant replicate the stats they put up in real life. Additionally, I notice that from year to year, the computer-controlled teams's stats fluctuate pretty wildly despite their playbook and scheme not changing (Aside from Dallas being overly Run Heavy with Zeke).

I'm also not sure how scheme plays into all this. Like if I sim with the Rams playbook on West Coast Spread and then sim with the same playbook on Air Raid, will it actually matter when simming stats-wise?

TL;DR: Has anyone found a playbook-scheme combo that consistently yields high offensive production from all 3 of QB, RB, and WR? Or are there additional factors you found that make a real difference?

[burnum]

Sim stats are one area where I think EA isn't giving us enough control. Even in games like NCAA 14 you could set your run/pass ratio, which would have a huge effect on sim stats.

To answer your question, there are a lot of valuables that play a role in sim stats:
- Players (and their respective ratings)
- Playbook
- Scheme
- QB type (scrambler/balanced/pocket)

First and foremost, your players' ratings play a huge part in the stats. You can't expect to use the Dolphins (bad QB, bad O-Line) with your normal Cowboys Offense (PB & Scheme) and expect the same outcome as Dallas would have (good QB, great O-Line). Put Zeke Elliott behind Miami's OL and his stats will drop.

Another huge role is the choice of your PB. It should match your style of football, e.g. if you want to run a lot from heavy formations, use Cowboys. If you want a ton of Playaction from Singleback sets, use Rams. If you want a Shotgun heavy offense, use Bucs or Cardinals. There are strengths and weaknesses to each PB (but EA doesn't do a good job explaining them).

Scheme also plays a role in how the game generates sim stats. If you run an Air Raid or Run And Shoot scheme, the game will 'call' (simulate) more Shotgun formations from 3 WR sets (although RNS should usually be 4 WR but EA doesn't take that into consideration). If you run a more balanced scheme (e.g. West Coast Zone or Vertical Power Run) you can expect the game to create more balanced stats.

Those two factors (Playbook and Scheme) go hand in hand. Each PB works differently when paired with a certain Scheme. I don't have any overview or spreadsheet and I've yet to find the perfect combination for myself, it just takes some tinkering. I recommend starting an offline franchise just for testing purposes and saving the game just before the 1st game of the regular season. Make sure to turn injuries off in the options. Then go to the Coaches menu and select your PB and Scheme. Sim the entire season (should take around 5 minutes) and see what stats the game generated. Write it down somewhere. Then reload the save from before the season, select different PB and Scheme and do it again - until you've found a combination that you like.
Personally, I've discoverd that the combination of Tampa Bay's PB and the RNS Scheme gets me the stats somewhat close to what I like. But that's just a matter of personal preferrence.

One minor factor that can play a minimal role in sim stats is the type of QB you have. A scrambling QB will run more, which in turn gives you less passing attempts. Not sure if there's a difference between 'Pocket' and 'Balanced' types but 'Scrambling' usually produces a bit more rushing stats and a bit less passing stats for me.

[BigVin95]

Thanks! That was actually really helpful.

I really like the way the 49ers Offense operates, getting a lot of players involved. I think I may go with that playbook and run it on Air Raid or Spread to to bring the passing numbers up. I'm playing with the Jets, so I'll have to rebuild the OL, but I'm excited to see what Darnold can post in that system.