Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

[JDrama84]

In short, I am a huge lover of the mode even though it isn’t where we want it to be (or where it used to be).

Having said that, I am getting very excited about having to pick my team for my Franchise journey.

The goal is to go as many seasons as possible.

The question...which NFL Franchise do I roll with?

I had a more difficult time choosing mine this year, than I ever have before. I tend to favor teams that aren’t SB ready and in need of some TLC. I was intrigued by the Cardinals. The speed in their young secondary was a huge plus. There offensive and defensive lines need to be rebuilt. I was also intrigued by the Steelers. The Roethlisberger era is about to end. Will the Steelers FINALLY go through a rough patch?

These teams were tempting, but I am craving the deepest rebuild the game has to offer and that is with the New York Jets. I will be taking over what remains of this franchise which is devoid of talent and continues to lack stability.

I have been a die hard fan of the Jets for over 23 years, so I know the history. This franchise is amongst the handful of franchises who have been truly snake bitten. Almost everything always seems to go wrong with this franchise. Bad draft picks, free agent signings, contract disputes, coaches, management, ownership, injuries, playoff losses...the sadly goes on. The Jets were a circus...were

Joe Douglas is our General Manager and his goal is to make the NYJ the greatest organization in sports. The New ownership of the New York Jets will do whatever it takes to make this happen.

[JDrama84]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Who are you riding with in franchise mode this year?

[MasonOS95]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Who are you riding with in franchise mode this year?

Falcons number 1, got KC in one league so they will be fun.

And room for one more team but not sure which one


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[Mackrel829]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I think the Jets will be a really fun Franchise this year, and I'll probably get into it with them at some point too. I disagree that they're they hardest rebuild though. They already have their QB, and they have multiple first round picks. They have some pieces in place, it's just a case of waiting for development.

I'll be starting with the Colts, however.

With the addition of Phillip Rivers, the Colts are in a very short Superbowl window. They're certainly not championship favourites in Year One or Year Two, but are absolutely a team that could go all the way if things break right. I'm going to squeeze every last drop out of Rivers, Houston, Hilton, and Rhodes, and hope that its enough to get me over the line.

The reason the Colts are so exciting though, is that the window can be extended almost indefinitely if they can find their next franchise QB in those first two years. The core of the team is incredibly young and incredibly talented, with the like of Buckner, Leonard, Taylor, Pittman, Ya-Sin, Willis, Nelson, Smith, etc. and could genuinely be a dynasty in the making depending how things play out over the first two years.

Jacoby Brissett has proven himself to be a high end back up or a low end starter, so he's not the guy. Jacob Eason has a lot of potential but a long way to go. I could see spending a lot of training resources and pre-season time on him and trying to develop him, but he's still something of a long shot. There are a handful of QBs in the upcoming draft who might make it to the back of the first or the top of the second who could be ideal, and the only other options would be a trade or free agency. Streaming aging free agent QBs from year to year might not be the worst idea, but my ideal scenario would be swinging a trade for Dak. Dallas obviously has another two franchise tags to spend on him, and they'll probably get a long term deal done they have to use them. Plus, I can't imagine the haul they'd ask for in return.

I'm going to spend the first few weeks making a detailed custom playbook that replicates the Colts style of play IRL. Hopefully should give time for the gameplay to settle, a patch or two to be released, and a slider set and draft class to be made. Then I'll jump in and get started!

[tru11]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Ravens all the way.

Eagles seems like an intresting rebuild.




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[ripcandlestickpark]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

The Jets would be a very fun rebuild, especially since you're a fan of the team and you bring the accompanying passion/perspective/knowledge. The Panthers also come to mind as an interesting rebuild option. If end up doing a M21 Franchise, I'm leaning towards Carolina, personally.

I'm glad you mentioned the Cardinals as well. They're an interesting team in that they're sort of in-between the "rebuild" and "win now" stages. They have a good amount of talent currently on the roster, but there's still a ways to go in that regard. Plus, they play in one of the most competitive/challenging divisions.

[Dsabol715]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Jets like always. Think this year should be a good one with some personal tweaking to the roster. See who can I can add in FA and trades before the season starts. Examples: can I squeeze in Clowney or Ryan if available? Is Gore gonna make the team? Can I pry Ngakoue from the Jags?

I would like to start another with a different team though. My choices on those would be between the Panthers, Bucs and Rams. I’m a big fan of Teddy and an elite HB, the offense of the Bucs has to be fun, and the overall Rams would be fun options. Not to mention all 3 teams have some of the best jerseys in the sport; playing with a different jersey each week is always one of my personal favorites with the game. We shall see!

[JDrama84]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I think the Jets will be a really fun Franchise this year, and I'll probably get into it with them at some point too. I disagree that they're they hardest rebuild though. They already have their QB, and they have multiple first round picks. They have some pieces in place, it's just a case of waiting for development.

I'll be starting with the Colts, however.

With the addition of Phillip Rivers, the Colts are in a very short Superbowl window. They're certainly not championship favourites in Year One or Year Two, but are absolutely a team that could go all the way if things break right. I'm going to squeeze every last drop out of Rivers, Houston, Hilton, and Rhodes, and hope that its enough to get me over the line.

The reason the Colts are so exciting though, is that the window can be extended almost indefinitely if they can find their next franchise QB in those first two years. The core of the team is incredibly young and incredibly talented, with the like of Buckner, Leonard, Taylor, Pittman, Ya-Sin, Willis, Nelson, Smith, etc. and could genuinely be a dynasty in the making depending how things play out over the first two years.

Jacoby Brissett has proven himself to be a high end back up or a low end starter, so he's not the guy. Jacob Eason has a lot of potential but a long way to go. I could see spending a lot of training resources and pre-season time on him and trying to develop him, but he's still something of a long shot. There are a handful of QBs in the upcoming draft who might make it to the back of the first or the top of the second who could be ideal, and the only other options would be a trade or free agency. Streaming aging free agent QBs from year to year might not be the worst idea, but my ideal scenario would be swinging a trade for Dak. Dallas obviously has another two franchise tags to spend on him, and they'll probably get a long term deal done they have to use them. Plus, I can't imagine the haul they'd ask for in return.

I'm going to spend the first few weeks making a detailed custom playbook that replicates the Colts style of play IRL. Hopefully should give time for the gameplay to settle, a patch or two to be released, and a slider set and draft class to be made. Then I'll jump in and get started!

I hear ya and agree. Jets aren’t the “hardest” rebuild, but they are the least talented roster. I don’t think that is up for debate.

[Cowboy008]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I think I will go back to the NFC this year and go with the Panthers. Will most likely start a Cowboys franchise later on in the year just in case any update requires a restart.

[Darth Aegis]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Bears & Steelers! I like to do one NFC & one AFC.

[mestevo]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I got a lot out of the 'live season' stuff last year and that guided my franchise choices quite a bit. Playing a compelling matchup for that week often led to me playing at least a few more weeks.

That aside, as a Chiefs fan they'd be fun to sim a season or two and then continue to build up the roster around Mahomes, or play the Raiders and enjoy this new stadium and build a roster to try and compete in the AFC West.

[JoshC1977]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I did the "crap rebuild" thing last year. It was enjoyable, but this year, I want to go a little different direction.

I want to take on saving a sinking ship. I have a few teams in mind right now (in rough order of preference).

1a. Chicago. They lack cap room, draft assets, and youth; but the Bears have talent. The question is if the talent can be molded in time to make a legit run. I still think Mitch has the raw tools to be effective but he needs weapons outside of ARob (I'm not a Cohen fan fwiw). The weakness of this pick though is a weak division - none of the other teams have true "staying power"; so I think it'll be a mess.

1b. Rams. The Rams are older than we'd like to think. There are a couple of studs on defense, but overall, the team lacks star power. Goff is a divisive QB - I think he can still be good, but he's going to need help. Plus, they're in a really tough division. (As an aside, I've always liked Malcolm Brown in video games - going back to NCAA 14. Seeing him in a starting role adds some appeal)

3. Houston. Things could get ugly in a couple of years with the cap. I think they're decent enough for a year; but for a long-term 'chise, it's going to require some fancy maneuvers. I'd love to run an air-raid style of attack here.

4. Philly. My god, the salary cap is a nightmare. The thing giving me 'pause' on doing this is playing in a fairly weak division and the strong likelihood that it will wind-up turning into a rebuilding project after just a season.

5. Detroit. I'm trying to figure out if this is a sunken ship or if it's still afloat and taking on water. Stafford is not a bad QB, they have weapons on the outside, Hockenson over the middle, and a couple of good RBs. The line is a mess and defense needs a lot of work, but something in me thinks that you don't have to bail on the core roster right away. With a couple of breaks, this feels like a team that can slip into the playoffs.


Right now, the Bears and Rams are my top two contenders. I think both have some intriguing storyline possibilities

[JDrama84]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

I did the "crap rebuild" thing last year. It was enjoyable, but this year, I want to go a little different direction.

I want to take on saving a sinking ship. I have a few teams in mind right now (in rough order of preference).

1a. Chicago. They lack cap room, draft assets, and youth; but the Bears have talent. The question is if the talent can be molded in time to make a legit run. I still think Mitch has the raw tools to be effective but he needs weapons outside of ARob (I'm not a Cohen fan fwiw). The weakness of this pick though is a weak division - none of the other teams have true "staying power"; so I think it'll be a mess.

1b. Rams. The Rams are older than we'd like to think. There are a couple of studs on defense, but overall, the team lacks star power. Goff is a divisive QB - I think he can still be good, but he's going to need help. Plus, they're in a really tough division. (As an aside, I've always liked Malcolm Brown in video games - going back to NCAA 14. Seeing him in a starting role adds some appeal)

3. Houston. Things could get ugly in a couple of years with the cap. I think they're decent enough for a year; but for a long-term 'chise, it's going to require some fancy maneuvers. I'd love to run an air-raid style of attack here.

4. Philly. My god, the salary cap is a nightmare. The thing giving me 'pause' on doing this is playing in a fairly weak division and the strong likelihood that it will wind-up turning into a rebuilding project after just a season.

5. Detroit. I'm trying to figure out if this is a sunken ship or if it's still afloat and taking on water. Stafford is not a bad QB, they have weapons on the outside, Hockenson over the middle, and a couple of good RBs. The line is a mess and defense needs a lot of work, but something in me thinks that you don't have to bail on the core roster right away. With a couple of breaks, this feels like a team that can slip into the playoffs.


Right now, the Bears and Rams are my top two contenders. I think both have some intriguing storyline possibilities

Love this idea. I am leaning towards the crap rebuild as I have yet to do one with such little young talent on the roster. I’m thinking a Falcons or Bears chise would be fun due to cap.

[Mackrel829]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Love this idea. I am leaning towards the crap rebuild as I have yet to do one with such little young talent on the roster. I’m thinking a Falcons or Bears chise would be fun due to cap.

Bears would probably be a fun one. There's definitely a lot of franchises who are in a pretty dire situation that would take 5 years minimum to properly turn around.

I might do one of them later in the year. I like the Saints as an option too. Their situation isn't quite as bad as some of the others listed but a lot of their talent will be fine in 2-3 years and they're up against the cap during that period too. You inherit a contender but it will take some effort to retool and rebuild once the window closes.

[JoshC1977]

Re: Deciding on a Franchise Team for M21

Love this idea. I am leaning towards the crap rebuild as I have yet to do one with such little young talent on the roster. I’m thinking a Falcons or Bears chise would be fun due to cap.

The Falcons would be another team that fits the bill for sure. For me though, their Arena League-inspired uniforms (ATL on the front? REALLY? LMAO) and just the fact that they are the Falcons (I'm a Saints fan) turns me off completely.