Pros and cons of controlling all 32 teams in franchise mode

[Deegeezy]

I have been toying with the idea of controlling all 32 teams in my upcoming Bengals franchise and was wondering what people who have experienced this thought of it.

No I am not doing it to cheese the CPU but actually quite the contrary. I am doing it because I want to have some sort of control of keeping things somewhat realistic, i.e. the Patriots never cutting Tom Brady, Peyton Manning with the Bucs by year 3, etc. I don't want to interfere with 98% of the things the CPU does but I would like to be sort of "big brother" or "the eye in the sky" of my franchise, so to speak.

Are there many cons to controlling all 32 teams and setting all of the in-season and off-season functions to "CPU control (free agency, draft, etc)?"

Will the CPU still reject trade offers I make?
Do I have to manage the CPU's coaching staffs, etc?

[skudplayr]

Pros

- Can release players who would test the free agent market in real life instead of always having the CPU resign them and having no good FA out there in the offseason.
- Can fire and hire coaches for any team. Redskins go 4-12? You know Mr. Snyder would fire Jim Zorn, so you can too and hire the hot new offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champs to be their new coach.
- Can draft for any team. So there won't be any "Patriots select a QB" type of situations.
- Can control the depth charts of teams. Is Brady Quinn struggling in his first 7 weeks of the season? Do what the CPU wouldn't do (atleast in 09) and start Derek Anderson.
- Control every team's Defense type and offensive game plan. By going into the coach's settings area, you can change every team's default game plans (which comes in handy because many of them are wrong). Switch Baltimore from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and make them run 60-70 percent of the time instead of the 50-50 split they're on. Also, you can split up running back carries for a team like Tennessee to be more even.

Cons
- Takes a substantially longer amount of time than a single team franchise. To do all the things in pros takes a while.
- Sitting through free agency while the message pops up, "QB John Dowe has signed with the Titans, would you like to complete the signing? Yes or No." This happens for every team whether you're controlling their free agency or the CPU is. So it could take 10 minutes just sitting there clicking A to get through it.
- Salary cap issues. With 09 and NCAA draft classes, I always had salary cap issues with teams like Jacksonville and New England that forced me to try to do some swift maneuvering with regards to cutting certain players. I wish EA had realistic restructuring of contracts.

That's all I can think of right now.

[Deegeezy]

Quote: Originally Posted by skudplayr

Pros - Can release players who would test the free agent market in real life instead of always having the CPU resign them and having no good FA out there in the offseason. - Can fire and hire coaches for any team. Redskins go 4-12? You know Mr. Snyder would fire Jim Zorn, so you can too and hire the hot new offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champs to be their new coach. - Can draft for any team. So there won't be any "Patriots select a QB" type of situations. - Can control the depth charts of teams. Is Brady Quinn struggling in his first 7 weeks of the season? Do what the CPU wouldn't do (atleast in 09) and start Derek Anderson. - Control every team's Defense type and offensive game plan. By going into the coach's settings area, you can change every team's default game plans (which comes in handy because many of them are wrong). Switch Baltimore from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and make them run 60-70 percent of the time instead of the 50-50 split they're on. Also, you can split up running back carries for a team like Tennessee to be more even. Cons - Takes a substantially longer amount of time than a single team franchise. To do all the things in pros takes a while. - Sitting through free agency while the message pops up, "QB John Dowe has signed with the Titans, would you like to complete the signing? Yes or No." This happens for every team whether you're controlling their free agency or the CPU is. So it could take 10 minutes just sitting there clicking A to get through it. - Salary cap issues. With 09 and NCAA draft classes, I always had salary cap issues with teams like Jacksonville and New England that forced me to try to do some swift maneuvering with regards to cutting certain players. I wish EA had realistic restructuring of contracts. That's all I can think of right now.

So the CPU teams won't manage the cap at all? They never cut people?

I hear you on the unrealistic re-signings.

For one thing, there is no tampering in Madden so guys that you are prepared to throw all kinds of money at would settle for signing a cheap deal with their current team which is unrealistic. In real life, if I want "x" player and I am willing to give him a big money deal, he would know about it before re-signing with his former team for cheap.

[skudplayr]

Oh yeah, one more pro and con.

Pro - No CPU trade logic. Want to replicate that Denver-Seattle trade where the 'Hawks get the Broncos 1st round pick for next year? Or the Cutler trade? Or, on Madden 09, the Roy Williams trade? You can since you control every team.

Con - No CPU trade logic. Since you control all 32 teams, any trade you offer will be accepted. So, if you're planning on controlling all 32 with a main focus on one, trades will be boring if not useless because every time you can just offer Adrian Peterson from Georgia Southern for Adrian Peterson from Oklahoma.

[skudplayr]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deegeezy

So the CPU teams won't manage the cap at all? They never cut people?

Yeah, but they cut the wrong people. The Colts will cut Manning instead of trying to cut a Raheem Brock. The Pats will cut Brady and Seymour instead of letting Wilfork or one of their RB's go. That's why you control all 32 so that this doesn't happen and if they do you can quickly resign them. But to do this, you have to cut other guys from their team.

[Deegeezy]

I wonder if the acceptance of every CPU team's free agent offer is what the root of the salary cap problem for CPU teams is. The CPU may possibly change their minds from time to time.

[SA1NT401]

Quote: Originally Posted by skudplayr

Pros - Can release players who would test the free agent market in real life instead of always having the CPU resign them and having no good FA out there in the offseason. - Can fire and hire coaches for any team. Redskins go 4-12? You know Mr. Snyder would fire Jim Zorn, so you can too and hire the hot new offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champs to be their new coach. - Can draft for any team. So there won't be any "Patriots select a QB" type of situations. - Can control the depth charts of teams. Is Brady Quinn struggling in his first 7 weeks of the season? Do what the CPU wouldn't do (atleast in 09) and start Derek Anderson. - Control every team's Defense type and offensive game plan. By going into the coach's settings area, you can change every team's default game plans (which comes in handy because many of them are wrong). Switch Baltimore from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and make them run 60-70 percent of the time instead of the 50-50 split they're on. Also, you can split up running back carries for a team like Tennessee to be more even. Cons - Takes a substantially longer amount of time than a single team franchise. To do all the things in pros takes a while. - Sitting through free agency while the message pops up, "QB John Dowe has signed with the Titans, would you like to complete the signing? Yes or No." This happens for every team whether you're controlling their free agency or the CPU is. So it could take 10 minutes just sitting there clicking A to get through it. - Salary cap issues. With 09 and NCAA draft classes, I always had salary cap issues with teams like Jacksonville and New England that forced me to try to do some swift maneuvering with regards to cutting certain players. I wish EA had realistic restructuring of contracts. That's all I can think of right now.

^^^ Could not have said it better. I have been controlling ALL 32 teams since we were allowed to. I can keep teams REALISTIC and "fix" issues the CPU WILL NEVER EVEN realize.

The biggest Negative for me is just the time it takes sometimes to get stuff finished. But it is mainly in the off-season and you do get a system for getting through it quickly.

i will only play franchise this way and it helps fix 95% of the logic stupidity of the CPU since you are pretty much removing it from the equation.

[Deegeezy]

Quote: Originally Posted by SA1NT401

^^^ Could not have said it better. I have been controlling ALL 32 teams since we were allowed to. I can keep teams REALISTIC and "fix" issues the CPU WILL NEVER EVEN realize. The biggest Negative for me is just the time it takes sometimes to get stuff finished. But it is mainly in the off-season and you do get a system for getting through it quickly. i will only play franchise this way and it helps fix 95% of the logic stupidity of the CPU since you are pretty much removing it from the equation.

Care to explain your "system?"