I don't really think you're doing anything wrong but I suggest putting together a defensive team that has at least 3 Gold/Silver players on offense to prevent those previous issues.
In my opinion, you need at least that many offensive players to stay consistent on offense against the CPU or anyone online. You can use the rest of the 9 picks on defense and you'll be surprised how well a group of silvers/bronze play together. I'm a defensive player but still put up about 21-28 points per game.
In terms of user control, I would go into practice mode and just control Lott to learn how to play with him. Stick skills don't get good overnight but you just keep plugging away.