How's Your Franchise Going- Madden 12 Edition

[Slasher727]

Starting a new Dolphins franchise. I created Dan Marino with real info (except for birth year) and real ratings (not all 99). It's going to be different using him but fun

[Slasher727]

Difficulty: All-Pro
Sliders: Default
Week 1, Patriots 0 @ Dolphins 24

The Dolphins dominated as Marino threw for 220 yds and 2 TD. Te Patriots were just plain shut down, even though Brady had good time in the pocket his passes were blocked or picked by the Dolphins' DBs

[Gronk4M13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Slasher727

Difficulty: All-Pro Sliders: Default Week 1, Patriots 0 @ Dolphins 24 The Dolphins dominated as Marino threw for 220 yds and 2 TD. Te Patriots were just plain shut down, even though Brady had good time in the pocket his passes were blocked or picked by the Dolphins' DBs

Sounds fun, can't wait to see how that turns out.

As for myself, I will be finishing my twelfth season in a franchise and moving on to a fresh franchise. My choices are:
The Bears
Falcons
Jets
Ravens
Chiefs
Raiders
Chargers
If anyone could offer some insight as to which team to be, please reply.

[Cre8]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gronk4M13

Sounds fun, can't wait to see how that turns out. As for myself, I will be finishing my twelfth season in a franchise and moving on to a fresh franchise. My choices are: The Bears Falcons Jets Ravens Chiefs Raiders Chargers If anyone could offer some insight as to which team to be, please reply.

Chargers or Chiefs would be fun to see. Both are in the middle of going different directions... Chargers could be fun to dismantle and rebuild.

[Cre8]

Nico Perry didn't disappoint in his first game as Buffalo's QB... 177 Yards and 2 TDs with 76 yards rushing... Not too shabby!

Not to mention a 4th quarter comeback against Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Broncos! 35-28 Final! 1-0 on the season!

[Gronk4M13]

Alright, Cre, tomorrow, I'll begin rollin' with the Chiefs. Good job with Nico Perry btw. Sounds like he'll bring your Bills back to prominence.

[KBLover]

Year 11 Offseason Wraps Up

Hall of Fame:
Here are 2022's Hall of Fame Inductees.

QB Philip Rivers - 6th passing yards (52,479), 7th in TD (350), 18 seasons
MLB Patrick Willis - 2,262 tackles, 31.5 sacks, 14 INTs, 15 seasons
OLB Lamarr Woodley - 1,355 tackles, 122.5 sacks, 12 INTs, 15 seasons

NFL Draft Weekend:

Trades:
(Rules Recap: I hit "Trade Players" for all picks. If there's a trade there, I have the dog roll his big 20-sided die. 12 or higher and the trade is made. If there's no trade there, I can try to trade for the pick using the Draft Picks Value Chart. I can also build a trade for another team if there's a need (denoted with a ^ symbol). If there's a trade there, I can't trade for that pick, even if the trade was "rejected". If a trade is "rejected" the teams have 2 more chances to "work it out" by offering a higher net value trade. Next year picks, if offered, are valued as if they were 6 spots lower)

[Round-Order in Round. Ex: 3-15 = 3rd round, 15th pick]
Seahawks trade pick 1-2 to Minnesota for 1-6 and 2-6

Rams trade pick 1-5 to Carolina (sigh) for 1-14 and 2-14 (dumb dog rolling my arch-rival to get a TOP FIVE pick)

Cowboys trade pick 1-12 to Indianapolis for 1-18 and 2-18

Saints trade pick 1-15 to Kansas City for 1-23 and 2-23

Cardinals trade 1-23 to Tennessee for 1-30 and 2-30

Lions trade 2-10 to Cowboys for 2-18, 3-12, and 7-12

Where Players Scouted* By Bucs Ended Up:
*Pro Days or Individual Workouts players only

QB Dylan Braithwaite - 95th Overall to Bucs
QB Bruce Goodwin - 3rd Overall to Bills
QB Jack Clark - 10th Overall to Lions
HB Amos Haynes - 8th Overall to Ravens
LT Ranoy Marshall - 27th Overall to Texans
OLB Scott Goodwyn - 40th Overall to Ravens
OLB Shaquelle Kelly - 32nd Overall to Bucs
MLB Taurean Favors - 106th Overall to Lions
CB Tyler Jones - 160th Overall to Bucs
FS Aspha Nealy - 11th Overall to Redskins

Here's how the draft went for the Bucs:

Round 1
Projected: FS Aspha Nealy
Actual: OLB Shaquelle Kelly
Bucs miss their top target but get a great consolation prize.

Round 2
Projected: OLB Shaquelle Kelly (taken in 1st round)
Actual: SS Domico Mays
With Kelly already drafted, Bucs pick up the hard-hitting Domico Mays

Round 3
Projected:
QB Dylan Braithwaite
SS Domico Mays
OLB Scott Goodwyn

Actual:
QB Dylan Braithwaite
TE Easton Hayes
RG Brandon Allen
Bucs grab their QB target, an athletic TE to develop, and a back up G. Mays was taken in the 2nd round.

Round 4
Projected: LT Ranoy Marshall
Actual: LT Chuckie Davis
This projection was severely missed, but the Bucs picked up a LT they hope will develop.

Round 5
Projected: CB Tyler Jones
Actual: CB Tyler Jones
Bucs get their man in round 5. Interesting how the CB situation will shake out now that the team has 7 CBs on the roster.

Round 6
Projected: P Trevor Stephens
Actual: P Trevor Stephens
Bucs get the punter they wanted, ending the adventures of Zoltan in all likelihood.

Round 7
Projected: WR Keylo Fitzgerald
Actual: LT Carter Scott
No choice having the final pick of the entire draft. Keylo did make it to the 7th round, but just wasn't meant to be.


Draft Grading:

Bucs Grade: B-, 20th Rank
Best Value: QB Dylan Braithwaite

The Bucs actually get a half-decent grade this year as analysts usually do not like the Bucs' selections. Analysts especially liked the selection of QB Braithwaite.

"You can't worry about stuff like that. They aren't here everyday to see our team. It's just opinion. I think our draft was a B+ at least, and my grade has as much worth as anyone's, " Coach Fletcher spoke.

Depth Charts

Heading into the pre-season, the following moves were made:

MLB Walls was released.
CB Malone moves to FS.
OLB Kelly moves to MLB.
DE Knox moves to DT.
RG Monroy moves to LG.

Trade Rumors
The Bucs are reportedly shopping QB Case Murphy as the team has 3 young QBs on the roster, and would like help at WR. Sources say the team might accept picks, but would prefer current talent. A couple teams could use Murphy, the Vikings have been mentioned as having strong interest as their best...and only...QB on the roster is rated under 60...But they don't have talent available at WR while most other teams are actually stable in the QB situations...with either good young QBs or solid prospects already developing on the bench...

[KBLover]

Year 12 Dawns!

A new season of NFL football has arrived with the Bucs looking to win their third title in a row. Their top rival, the Panthers, were highly active in order to stop that from happening...and possibly try to keep the Bucs out of the postseason entirely.

Here's how the NFC South looks to shape up as pre-season begins:

Projected Records:
(Overall ratings in parenthesis where reported)

1. Bucs: 10-6
Defending champs might have it rough(er) this season. The division is stronger and the NFC looks like it's still solid overall. The offensive inconsistency and position battles everywhere may hold this team back. The defense looks as strong as ever, lead by Gibson (99) as always. Drafting Shaquelle Kelly (85) should minimize the departure of Gerron Brown (89)...barring injuries...and CB Chris Cole (93) is coming into his own. WRs Emanuel Jefferson (89) and Juliaus Saunders (91) will present whoever the QB is with two top tier targets while HB Easton Reed (96) is turning into an all-around threat.

2. Panthers: 10-6
The Panthers are locked and loaded, gunning for their rivals as well as a return to the postseason. The Panthers are one of the few teams that are not intimidated by the Bucs' vaunted defense as they have had relatively consistent success, or at least as much as should be expected against such an elite unit. Tate (95) is in his walk year and will look to impress while Khary Thomas (95) is ready to slash and dash. The Panthers also blew the cover off in free agency, with a lot going to skilled defenders, such as LBs Gerron Brown (89), Charlie Morgan (84), and Dewayne Franklin (86), perhaps to (attempt to) match the Bucs with a strong front seven of their own.

3. Saints: 8-8
The Saints are not a horrible team, but they are in the wrong division for having holes. WR Tubbs (90) is a key weapon on offense and TE Jimmy Graham (89) can still get it done in his 13th season. DE P.J. Derise (98) has the makings of a superstar while DT Markeese Wheeler (95) is a feared force in the trenches. However, QB Schaap (87) is prone to inconsistency and underachievement despite his raw tools, and the running game may be non-existent since they allowed long-time workhorse HB Mark Ingram to leave via free agency. Not enough here it would seem to make a real run.

4. Falcons: 6-10
The Falcons are in something of a restructuring period as they look to get younger as the last remnants of the Ryan/White/Turner/Jones era have either moved on via free agency or left the game altogether via retirement. What's here is a collection of solid, or better as in the case of stud WR Odis Haynes (97), young players that are long on athleticism and short on experience and instincts. While you never want to sleep on a good young team, it seems it's not there time to shine...yet.

Bucs Position Battles

There are position battles a-plenty on the offensive side of the ball, while the defense is stable and set.

QB: Jake Stewart (77) or Dylan Braithwaite (82)? That's going to be the #1 question this pre-season. There is a case for either. For Stewart, the Super Bowl ring, of course, as well as picking up 21 TDs. It wasn't pretty much of the time (or at all), but he somehow put a pretty decent season together. Braithwaite has better intangibles and is noted for his comebacks in his college career as well. He has better mechanics, although Stewart is better at reading defenses.

HB: Reed is #1, but Collins (88) might have a threat from Holmes (70) as the team is still looking for a truly natural route runner. Reed (96) manages because of his raw athleticism and determination, but he is not a solid route runner in general and his hands can be questionable in traffic. Holmes seems to be the best of the three as a receiver. That could land him as #2 coming out of pre-season.

FB and WR: All set here. Wells (97) is the FB, no doubt, and Jefferson (88) + Saunders (91) = the starting pair of WR. Wheeler (79) is expected to hang on for another year in the slot position.

TE: Sullivan (91) might face some push from draftee Easton Hayes (85?). A lot will depend on how well Hayes can go up for balls since Sullivan has won the trust of the coaching staff in that regard.

OL: Where to begin? C Carter (97) and LG Pouncy (95) are set. That much is known. It's everything else that's one big mess between former prospects that haven't emerged to new draftees trying to learn the system and win a starting job. Ryan Cradic (80) has a leg up at RG over Brandan Allen (64?) but Terrell Waters (81) is anything but a lock at RT. LT is just outright weak it seems unless Chuckie Davis (71?) can surprise as Lewis (70) and Austin (65) are not really ideal to say the least.

DE: No surprises here. DE Stephen Hosey (95) with LB/DE Murray (90/99) are locks for their usual roles. Likewise for DE Banks (90) and LB/DE Dennis Green (90/97).

DT: Markeese Green (82) and Cody Hunt (82) look to use their immense strength to anchor the center of the line once again.

LOLB: Shaquelle Kelly (84) might be listed as MLB, but he's likely to play on the weak side of the formation. Aldon Smith (79) will likely be a pass rush specialist, perhaps taking the role Gibson discovered for himself in the Nickle Normal set as the 5th rusher. This would allow Gibson to work in coverage with his safety-like awareness in space. Brian Barker (81) is likely to be a special teams player and nothing more, barring injury. His mobility has just collapsed due to injuries.

MLB: As if. Moving on...

ROLB: For now, this isn't a battle. Jamarcus Smith (96) will get another chance to redeem his lackluster performance of last season, though his role might be slightly diminished.

CB: Antonio Cohen (96) and Carlos Cole (91) are the 1-2 punch in the secondary again. Freeman (89), Jones (85), and Young (80) are expected to finish in that order for the Nickle spot, though Jones is a dark horse to take the Nickle slot.

FS: Ahhh....no. Holliday (99), if he can stay healthy, is the man here. Malone (86) proved to be a worthy replacement, however, and has that role again this year. Na'Quan Gordon still needs some seasoning - and he better get it quick or be relegated to KR/PR duties.

SS: No chance. Chauncey Cohen (99), is the man here, too. However, Domico Mays (79?) may get some action in the 46 as he has tremendous hitting power, giving him a unique advantage among the Bucs' stable of finesse, athletic defensive backs. Domico Mays plays a lot like Taylor Mays used to, like a linebacker with some coverage skills.

K/P: Only thing that could happen here is that Trevor Stephens, the team's drafted punter, has a big downside surprise. Zoltan Mesko is still around, just in case, but it seems unlikely for him to start.

KR/PR: Branden Smith is the starter here in all likelihood with rookie Tyler Jones getting a shot as #2 KR as the team sends two KR back, ideally both a threat for a big return and Jones, with his noted ball carrier vision and quick feet, could do some damage.

3rd Down HB: Same as the #2 HB spot as both roles are set the same for the Bucs.