Where are Golds "Essential"?

[slthree]

Like all of you, I have built hundreds of teams and tried bunches of players.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out where the best value is for the "Gold" picks.

First, should they be used on Offense or Defense, and then where?

What got me thinking about this was that I played a guy online who uses his Golds and Silvers on offense and believes they are wasted on defense.

[RogueHominid]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Like all of you, I have built hundreds of teams and tried bunches of players.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out where the best value is for the "Gold" picks.

First, should they be used on Offense or Defense, and then where?

What got me thinking about this was that I played a guy online who uses his Golds and Silvers on offense and believes they are wasted on defense.

I think it's scheme-based. Figure out what you really want to do with a given team, then put your golds at your most important positions in that scheme.

Just to give you an example, I wanted to run a WCO in our league. I knew I could make a bronze quarterback shine, so the most important position for me was WR; I needed someone who could run the routes in that offense, turn short passes into long gains, and block in the run game. Consequently, I took Jerry Rice.

I definitely don't think that golds on defense are a waste. My other gold pick on that team was Reggie White. I wanted someone who would pressure the quarterback and force mistakes on a regular basis, and I was operating under the assumption that teams would be playing from behind more often than not. He's done just what I wanted him to do and has been essential to the success of my defense.

I will say that I find it harder to win without legends at some positions than others. I can win with nobody in the secondary, but I can't win with nobody at DL. Maybe that's just me. I can also win with nobody at QB or RB, but not with nobody at WR.

[slthree]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

I think it's scheme-based. Figure out what you really want to do with a given team, then put your golds at your most important positions in that scheme.

Just to give you an example, I wanted to run a WCO in our league. I knew I could make a bronze quarterback shine, so the most important position for me was WR; I needed someone who could run the routes in that offense, turn short passes into long gains, and block in the run game. Consequently, I took Jerry Rice.

I definitely don't think that golds on defense are a waste. My other gold pick on that team was Reggie White. I wanted someone who would pressure the quarterback and force mistakes on a regular basis, and I was operating under the assumption that teams would be playing from behind more often than not. He's done just what I wanted him to do and has been essential to the success of my defense.

I will say that I find it harder to win without legends at some positions than others. I can win with nobody in the secondary, but I can't win with nobody at DL. Maybe that's just me. I can also win with nobody at QB or RB, but not with nobody at WR.

Did you pair Reggie with any other legend DLinemen?

By the way, you and Buddy got me started on the 'using legends at dl' thing. thanks

[teambayern]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

I will say that I find it harder to win without legends at some positions than others. I can win with nobody in the secondary, but I can't win with nobody at DL. Maybe that's just me. I can also win with nobody at QB or RB, but not with nobody at WR.

I completely agree about WR's being absolutely necessary, but disagree about the DL and DB. Trojan, I'd love to know how you pull that off, I can't seem to do anything right without legend Db's, but i get by regularly without any legend DL's.

My best team is two gold safeties, with a silver and bronze lb. I find that if I'm getting crushed on the run, I can always bring the safeties into the box to stop it (truth be told they do a great job stopping the run anyway). For pass protection, they keep everything in front of you on D, and if you blitz an LB (particularly a legend with attributes that make him a good rusher) you force a lot of ints. However, when I've tried legend DL with a skimpy DB set, I find that I get a decent amount of sacks, but that I am hopeless on the vast majority of snaps where my DL doesn't quite get there.

I think it's a testament to the game that two players can have such different styles and still be completely satisfied with their D.

[RogueHominid]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Yeah, I really do think this game is all about individual playing styles. My own defensive style relies on pressure. I just lost a game with my no-secondary team, but it wasn't because of them. They had three picks and my defense only allowed 14 points; I just couldn't play for crap on offense that game. I think my overall winning percentage with that team is about .666 or .750.

I find that with that squad I get such good pressure that I don't have to worry about my defensive backs. Plus I change my looks and coverages a fair bit. You'd be surprised how an all-generic secondary can force opponents into mistakes because they throw balls into coverage and then get them picked.

[kcxiv]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

I mix it up on a few teams. I have a few teams that i use a Cornerback and WR as my golds. ANother team, i use a RB and FS as Golds. Another team i have a Cornerback and a MLB as Golds.

Just like someone was saying, depends on how you want that team to be built.

[cHuMp3s]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

i dont like getting golds on offense unless they are running backs because i over use the offensive gold and get too predicable(i run a lot so i dont care if i over use a gold running back). i also think its a waste to get a d-lineman of any tier. i can make a good defense with one gold saftey, a bronze db and 2 bronze linebackers(i dont do that but i know i can). i run a conservative defense that is very good at stoping the run, forcing the offense to one dimension making my job easier.
the best place for me to have a gold is at saftey or corner or running back

[Pappy Knuckles]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

There isn't anywhere that I wouldn't put a gold player. Like most have said already, it just depends on the team.

[MC Fatigue]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Like some people have said - depends on the team.

Gold WR? Useless to me. I can do just fine with Bronze players Moore and Ishmial (spelling on that last one).

What do you want? A heavy defensive team? A heavy offensive team? A special teams team?

Personally, I never go for Gold offensive linemen; they do seem like a waste to me. I think that's the one position I'd never consider putting a gold at.

Personally - I tend to do the same two things with my teams. I either go two Gold RB's - or I go with a Gold RB and a Gold defensive player at Corner, Safety, or Linebacker. I've found the two Gold RB combo to be absolutely killer. I use one guy to bowl through people, then I switch it up to Simpson who bursts up field. When one gets tired, the other is fresh. I like to use a silver FB as well for the blocking.

[ANDROMADA 1]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Like some people have said - depends on the team.

Gold WR? Useless to me. I can do just fine with Bronze players Moore and Ishmial (spelling on that last one).

What do you want? A heavy defensive team? A heavy offensive team? A special teams team?

Personally, I never go for Gold offensive linemen; they do seem like a waste to me. I think that's the one position I'd never consider putting a gold at.

Personally - I tend to do the same two things with my teams. I either go two Gold RB's - or I go with a Gold RB and a Gold defensive player at Corner, Safety, or Linebacker. I've found the two Gold RB combo to be absolutely killer. I use one guy to bowl through people, then I switch it up to Simpson who bursts up field. When one gets tired, the other is fresh. I like to use a silver FB as well for the blocking.

GreAT POINTs...I have used Larry little paire with Tom mack=guaranteed running game with any legend back..gold,silver,bronze,platinum,copper...just kidding but you should give it a try .Larry Little is devastating.

[CreatineKasey]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

I think gold picks show up best overall in situations where they are involved in plays and the upgrade in talent makes a big impact.

Gold QB's can really shine and make a passing attack unstoppable... there's no limit to your throws and your passing skill really shines. For this reason I do believe if you are a great passer getting a Gold QB and dominating instead of hoping to dominate with less is a wise decision.

Gold RB's can dominate over other tiers and break even the most stacked defenses. Gold RB's really let your stick skills shine and can take over games. If you can juke people out consistently using a finesse RB like Barry, OJ, and Gayle will completely terrify defenses. The game really gets put in your hands in this situation and that can be a very good thing.

Gold recievers can be powerful. Still, they are not used every single play and aren't controlled manually very often. They can still shine but a lot of what they do is out of your hands.

Gold DL are counter-intuitive to what i'm saying as far as manual control goes as they will be controlled by the CPU probably. Where they do apply is the effect they have on every single play. Whether it is a run or pass, he must be accounted for. In many situations I have found gold DL very powerful. You get a 100% mismatch almost guaranteed as nobody selects legend OL.

Gold LB's are my favorite position to have gold. I feel that just like the NFL they are the heart of many successful defenses. If you control the middle manually with a gold ILB and take away the run yourself, you can really limit the offense and put the game in your hands as he will HAVE to challenge your manual skills eventually... and that is what we want. Derrick Thomas has the capability to blow up every single play in this game.

Gold DB's are the most popular picks in this game in my experience. They can lock down lower tier recievers fairly effectively, but are not a guarantee. They seem to overperform in run defense and underperform in most situations in pass defense. I've beat willie brown in man coverage with bronzes regularly. Yes, he can break some passes up, but he doesn't completely shut down the WR like people think. Ronnie Lott is a tough tackler and is a great leader. That being said, I've still trucked him with Silver and Gold RB's consistently and he isn't superman. There are other ways to play this game outside of loading up on DB's and WR's (no problem with this unless you throw hot corners). I haven't used gold DB's very often. I never use gold corners, I might use gold safeties on Steeler CAP teams (Polamalu).

Overall, I'm a believer in the biggest mismatch/play involvement (DL, LB) and user control (QB, RB, LB, DB).

[catcatch22]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

I don't look at the tiers, I look at their abilities.

However I only find Gold DB's, TE's and Offensive Lineman worth it for how I like to play.

Occasionally I will pick a Gold Defensive lineman or linebacker.

[dunelly]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

good post creatine. especially the db is better vs run than pass.

[ANDROMADA 1]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Leadership and or 5 abilities make a Great Gold player...Woodson,lott,reggie white...any will do just make sure you have some leadership on your defense....im not sure if it makes a difference to the offense but i have found that leadership on defense boosts all defensive positions other than that i would say know your opponents tendencies and make solid playcalls..go crazy with it blitz some times...etc mix it up,keep em guessing.on offense the same You must have some leadership or you will pay as the game goes on....I have discovered that even if you give up a big play or fumble or some thing like that your Teams will keep their composure better with solid leadership.Makes cents to me...Great leadership overcomes adversity quite well I noticed in this game and in real life... hope this helps.

[s38s38s]

Re: Where are Golds "Essential"?

Golds for me are best at WR>ILB>QB, and the occassion Gold HB