Hello, all. This is my third dynasty expedition here on Operation Sports. Some of you may know that I previously rolled with Bowling Green on NCAA 14 for 4+ seasons from December 2013 - December 2014, as well as the Cleveland Browns on Madden 15 from December 2014 - August 2015. Both previous dynasties had the illustrious head coach Sam Freday* at the helm, a Connecticut native who had to move out to Ohio to find success, which he did at both BG and Cleveland. While he was on vacation last week, he got a call from the Wilf brothers - Zygi, Mark, and Leonard - the majority owners of the Minnesota Vikings. The Wilfs were strong fans of Coach Freday and loved what he had done in the past. However, they only offered him a head coaching position.
The next day, Freday got a call from John Mara, the esteemed owner of the New York Football Giants. He, like the Wilfs, was astonished by the level of success Freday had in little experience time. He informed Freday that he and Tom Coughlin were stepping down from day-to-day operations due to health reasons, and that he wanted Freday to be the owner and the coach. Freday spent the rest of his week on vacation contemplating the two offers. Then he made his decision. He called up Zygi Wilf and accepted the position of head coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
*Of Note: Coach Sam Freday is an entirely fictional character, although some of his happenings are based on the true life story of RoundingThird.
(Yes, Guru, these are the two teams I was deciding between.)
Why Minnesota?
In his two previous destinations as a head coach, Freday has blossomed into an offensive guru, while developing his defenses into a machine as well. The offense that best suits him is a modified West Coast Offense with a mobile quarterback that can run the read option or other QB design run plays. Everything else about the West Coast Offense is the same: The ground and pound running game, short passes with potential for big YAC, etc... He studied this system at Bowling Green with QB Matt Johnson and then QB Zach Long in his final year, then perfected it in Cleveland with Johnny Manziel. So, before taking the job in Minnesota, he thought about the personnel of both the Vikings and the Giants. Would he want to work with an experienced, yet immobile veteran in Eli Manning, or a younger, mobile, QB that has potential to be a star in Teddy Bridgewater? The latter is the more rewarding option in the long run, because if Eli is anything like his brother, he basically runs his own offensive system by now.
The other part of the decision was team history and current potential. The Giants have established themselves as a champion organization, winning two Super Bowls since 2008. While they may be coming off a bad year, they know they have good, established players, that don't need to be turned into stars. Minnesota, meanwhile, is a team full of stars in waiting. Of course, the offense runs around Adrian Peterson, so when he was suspended last year, they had to improvise, and the younger guys on offense sure stepped up. The Vikings finished 7-9, but with a ton of potential. And, it only gets better. The franchise awaits the opening of its brand new stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium, in 2017. How great would it be if the Vikings were to play the Super Bowl on their home turf when it comes to Minneapolis in 2018?
The Rules:
Game: Madden NFL 16 (Digital Copy)
Console: Xbox One
Difficulty: All-Madden
Game Length: 12 minute quarters
Game Speed: Normal
Accel Clock: On, winds down to 20 seconds
Sliders: See Below
Relocation: All Teams (CPU included)
Existing Injuries: Yes
Preseason...? No
^Madden 16 guarantees that there will be no injuries if preseason is skipped
Sliders: It's basically default (I'm not overly concerned about sliders). These are the same as the Browns dynasty:
USER:
QB Accuracy: 60
Pass Block: 50
WR Catching: 60 (But M16 provides a chance for spectacular catches all the time)
Run Block: 60
Fumbles: 50
Pass Defense Reaction Time: 60
INTs: 60
Pass Coverage: 60
Tackling: 65
CPU:
QB Accuracy: 45
Pass Block: 50
WR Catching: 50
Run Block: 45
Fumbles: 45
Pass Defense Reaction Time: 40
INTs: 50
Pass Coverage: 48
Tackling: 50
Special Teams:
FG Power: 65
FG Accuracy: 65
Punt Power: 50
Punt Accuracy: 50
Kickoff Power: 50
Game Options:
Injuries: 50
Fatigue: 50
Min. Player Speed Threshold: 50
Penalties are all on 55, and the ones that can be turned off are all on.
Comment