Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 10: Off + Preseason

(+) Yeah! (+)

All but two user teams have their rookies signed
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Chiefs/Pats trade is official.
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Here are all the active players who have started in all 144 games of B8NFLL thus far, though it appears that two at this moment are in position to see that streak end come Week 1:

WR Anquan Boldin (Raiders)
WR Keary Colbert (Titans, soon to include Broncos)
WR Roy Williams (Rams)
TE Antonio Gates (Bucs, Rams)
TE Dallas Clark (Lightning, Broncos)
TE Kellen Winslow (Hawks)
LE Travis Johnson (Dolphins)
LE Ty Warren (Jaguars)
RE Dwight Freeney (Packers)
DT Anthony McFarland (Raiders, Panthers, Patriots)
DT Corey Simon (Giants, soon to see streak end with Cowboys)
DT Mario Fatafehi (Dolphins, Bengals)
DT Sam Rayburn (Chiefs)
DT Tommie Harris (Broncos)
DT Vince Wilfork (Browns)
LOLB Derrick Johnson (Hawks, Titans, might see streak end Week 1)
ROLB Demarcus Ware (Rams)
CB Dunta Robinson (Cowboys)
FS Bob Sanders (Jaguars)

The game doesn't consider kickers or punters starters. There are like 20 or more who would qualify for this list though.
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Here are the list of players from the S2-S6 draft classes who have started every game since they entered the league:

S2 (128 games)
LG Max Jean-Gilles (Dolphins)
DT Claude Wroten (Lions, Panthers)

S3 (112 games)
FB Dane Todd (Bears)
TE Brent Celek (Jaguars)
TE Leonard Pope (49ers, Pioneers)
RT Daniel Inman (Redskins)
RE Mario Williams (Bears)
FS Tom Zbikowski

S4 (96 games)
FB Mike Cox (Vikings)
TE Zach Miller (Dolphins)
LE Lawrence Jackson (Bears)
CB Johnathan Joseph (Giants, expected to see streak end with Cowboys)
FS Ko Simpson (Vikings)

S5 (80 games)
WR Gonzie Massey (Wildcats)
TE Dane Guthrie (Wildcats)
TE Rory Nicol (Giants)
LE Brick Massey (Lightning)

S6 (64 games)
FB Conredge Collins (Bucs)
LE Eugene Germany (Wildcats, might see that end Week 1)
RE Calais Campbell (Dolphins)
RE Paul Freeney (Colts, free agent now so Week 1 status unknown)
DT Amobi Okoye (Hawks)
DT Jerrell Powe (Cowboys)
MLB Sam Crooks (Vikings)
CB Sean Smith (49ers)
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Basically don't come to the Steelers if you want to start for a prolonged period of time!

The Giants are a fairly steady squad it seems
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Wow B8NFLL Bob Sanders is surprisingly in great health
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@Wizardsfan1000 @mccheyne

Do your rookie signings so we can do free agency earlier!

I totally didn't realize that I didn't tag the new topic. Will get on this after work!
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AI trade!

Ravens receive:
C Kurt Mann

Falcons receive:
OT Mike Adams

Wiki already used his position change this season, and I guess he wants to free up more cap space to go after bigger free agents for his holes or something.

This is up for 24 hour peer review, and Wiki needs to confirm it.
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There are now just two FBs still around from the inaugural season, Chiefs' Troy Fleming and free agent Greg Jones. Seeing as 99 overall Justin Griffith of the Lions retired at 34, this will be both of their final seasons. By comparison, there are:

24 QBs
20 HBs
21 TEs
31 OLBs
18 MLBs
41 CBs
12 FSs
15 SSs

OL/DL/K/P have much longer careers, so I didn't bother to look them up.
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KCF0107 posted...

AI trade!

Ravens receive:
C Kurt Mann

Falcons receive:
OT Mike Adams

Wiki already used his position change this season, and I guess he wants to free up more cap space to go after bigger free agents for his holes or something.

This is up for 24 hour peer review, and Wiki needs to confirm it.

Block.

Buster.
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Mann is 30 while Adams is 25 if anyone needed that info.
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Oh no, I'd hate to bust up Derrick Johnson's streak. We'll see if he can hold off the young guys.

HUGE TRADE GUYS, BIGGEST TRADE OF THE YEAR but I confirm it
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Also, I misspoke when I told you Wiki that the 1.96 mil cap hit of Mann's was post-trade. That was pre-trade. Post-trade is 1.54 mil, so you save an additional 420k.
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I hope y'all ready for the report nobody asked for because I'm almost done with it and its like 5 fucking pages. I still have like 2 positions and a conclusion to do

KCF0107 posted...

Also, I misspoke when I told you Wiki that the 1.96 mil cap hit of Mann's was post-trade. That was pre-trade. Post-trade is 1.54 mil, so you save an additional 420k.

Sweet sweet $$$$$$
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Troy is a tough son of a gun, don't be surprised if he sticks around another season.
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Looking to move a couple guys before free agency gets rolling.

DT Justin Ostrowski (78 overall, 29 y/o)
- A former first round pick that has dropped 3-4 points the last two seasons. Maybe somebody that knows what they're doing can build him back up and rejuvenate his career ;)

SS Ryan Clark (81 overall, 34 y/o)
- Even though he went down in rating, Clark actually put up solid numbers (dat Chiefs magic, ya'll) Could make a nice backup.
98 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 FRs

Looking for some late round picks, even 2016 (season 12) ones if you wish. And/or maybe a DT or HB (age and rating not a factor) you want to move. But I'll seriously consider just about anything.
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TRADE ALERT

Cowboys get
WR Matt Caddell (83)

Pats get
Cowboys 5th Round Pick

@Wizardsfan1000
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I cannot make this trade until after the preseason FYI.
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So i have to get under the cap so I can make a trade that will get me under the cap?
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No, it's because I do not have access to next season's draft picks.
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ShatteredElysium posted...

I hope y'all ready for the report nobody asked for because I'm almost done with it and its like 5 fucking pages. I still have like 2 positions and a conclusion to do

Link for easier reading but will post in topic too because content!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qYhE_xB235f4UGZBsFPFuyjD0pupdeHUrgLIu6ccbpU/edit?usp=sharing

I don't expect many, if any, to read all this but it was enjoyable for me to write and killed some time whilst we wait on everyone to finish up rookie signings (Please don't take until deadline!). This was probably partly driven by the huge turnover on my team this year and my team looking a lot more competitive than I expected given caliber departures and cap woes.

I would strongly recommend that anybody with time on their hands do something similar for their teams, was super fun to do.

I may do some divisional predictions and other team write ups in the future but obviously won't be able to go in depth as I was able to with my own team and statistics available. I also need to wait until free agency starts to see all the rookies on AI teams

Steelers Pre-Season Review

Record Recap

2010 - 9-7
2011 - 10-6
2012 - 6-10 (1-1 in playoffs)
2013 - 7-9

In recent years the Steelers have fallen well short of the win totals you would expect given the players at their disposal. Whilst they were never superbowl contenders, there was the expectation of 9-12 win seasons. The 2013 season was the last chance for a bulk of their star players at a deep run but they never looked like reaching the playoffs after an awful start to the season. Injuries to key players hampered their season but they also werent helped by an ill fitting scheme after those injuries occurred. Nor were they helped by a lack of replacements or by playing younger lesser rated players.

The Steelers management faced their biggest challenge this offseason with a large number of their key players calling time on their career leaving huge holes in a roster that lacked both the draft capital and cap room to address such an exodus. The expectation for 2014 had been a rebuilding and reassessment year with a significantly weakened team. However, after a slew of trades the Steelers look to be in a stronger position than anticipated.

This 2014 roster likely does not have the same ceiling that last years roster did but given the large underperformance of that 2013 team, its very possible that the 2014 Steelers outperform them with an 8-10 win season. So the Steelers now have an outside shot at making the playoffs in what was expected to be a rebuilding year. One thing to note is that this Steelers team is ill equipped to deal with injuries due to a lack of depth so there is the very real chance of season derailment too.

Departures

G Goff (90 - Retired)
G Piller (90 - Retired)
OLB Arrington (90 - Retired)
SS Phillips (90 - Retired)
WR Branch (89 - Retired)
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MLB Laurinaitis (90 - Traded)
OT Winston (89 - Traded)
CB Youboty (78 - Traded)
G Warford (77 - Traded)
DT Odrick (77 - Traded)
DE Harrell (76 - Traded)
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QB Grossman (84 - Cut)
QB Cutler (81 - Cut)
G Sciullo (86 - Cut)
G Clary (82 - Cut)
DE Nece (83 - Cut)
SS Keys (78 - Cut)

Arrivals

OT Harris (98 - Trade)
SS Cox (91 - Trade)
DT Starks (88 - Trade)
C Levitre (87 - Trade)
QB Turner (85 - RFA)
CB Banks (85 - Trade)
MLB Vinson (84 - Trade)
WR Murdock (83 - Trade)
SS Marquardt (77 - Trade)
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G Castle (75 - 4th Round)
G Bowanko (75 - 5th Round)
WR Owen (68 - 6th Round)
G Williams (70 - 7th Round)

Quarterback

The Quarterback position has been one of the Steelers biggest problems in recent years. They have failed to find a settled starter over the last 4 seasons through a combination of injuries, poor performance and questionable pick-ups.

The Steelers have previously invested a 1st (Robert Griffin III) and a 2nd (Kyle Gant) round pick into QBs but neither player has been given a run at the starting role. Instead Rex Grossman ran the offense for 3 seasons before giving free agent Jay Cutler a crack at the job last season. Both Grossman and Cutler proved to be injury prone. Grossman missed over half the season on 2 occasions and was injured 1 game before the playoffs in the other. Whilst Cutler did not fail to start games due to injury, he was knocked out of games on almost a weekly basis.

The Steelers opted to roll the dice again in the offseason by spending a 2nd round pick on restricted free agent Michael Turner (85). Turner was given a 5 year contract and will be the Steelers highest rated starter in many years so will likely be shown patience. Should Turner prove to be as injury prone as his predecessors then Gant will finally get his shot after sitting on the bench for 3 seasons.

Departures: Grossman (84 - Released), Cutler (81 - Released)
Arrivals: Turner (85 - RFA)
2014 QBs: Turner (85), Gant (81), Griffin (79)

Running Back

With no departures or arrivals in the offseason, the Steelers will once again be heavily pinning their hopes on Jamario Thomas. We will never know just how much Jamarios long term injury hampered the Steelers playoffs hopes last season. What we do know is that the Steelers back-ups produced only 1056 yards on the ground last season compared to the 1658 yard average Thomas compiled the previous 2 seasons. The Steelers total of 1663 rushing yards was also well down on 2159 yards average of 2011 and 2012, some of which can be contributed to a change in offense philosophy once Jamario went down injured.

If the worst were to happen, it is unlikely the Steelers management would repeat the mistake of not bringing in an adequate replacement.

2014 RBs: Thomas (91), Bush (83), Darby (82)
2014 FBs: Belton (94)

Wide Receiver / Tight End

The Steelers receiving corps has been thoroughly mediocre for a number of years which undoubtedly has not been helped by their Quarterback situation and a tendency to run the ball. An attempt was made last season to improve their quality of receivers with Meachem (90) replacing the retiring Chambers and Deion Branch (89) being brought in to serve as the WR2. Unfortunately Branch went down in the pre-season for half the year leaving the Steelers with the same overall quality of receivers as the previous year.

This season looks to be much of the same with Deion Branch retiring and nobody approaching that quality being brought in as a replacement. A trade was made for Murdock (83) but that appears to be to balance the books rather than improve their passing game. Kevin Owen (68) was signed as a 6th round draft pick but is unlikely to see the field for anything other than special teams. The Steelers pair of Tight Ends also remain the same.

There may be a slight uptick in QB play but with the return of star RB Thomas, its unlikely Turner will be allowed to throw the ball as frequently as Jay Cutler did last season.

Departures: Branch (89 - Retired)
Arrivals: Murdock (83 - Trade), Owen (68 - 6th round)
2014 WRs: Meachem (90), Murdock (83), DeSa (83), Thomas (80), Owen (68)
2014 TEs: Casey (85), Schouman (77)

Offensive Line

During the 2013 pre-season the Steelers had been extremely optimistic about their offensive line. On paper it looked to be one of the stronger O-lines in the league. What actually transpired for the Steelers was the worst O-line performance during the current managements tenure. Blocks dropped by 25% and sacks allowed increased to an all time high.

Perhaps father time caught up to an aging O-line. Perhaps Meester and Pearson missing prolonged time hampered their effectiveness as a unit. Perhaps the change to a pass heavy offense after the injury to Thomas did not favor their O-lines strengths. One thing for sure is that it was a putrid performance and the result is a complete overhaul for the 2014 season.

Goff (90) and Piller (90) departed to retirement in the offseason. Eric Winston (89) was shipped off to Columbus for players later used to acquire a DT and CB. Backup guards Sciullo (86) and Clary (82) were allowed to walk. In their place elite Tackle Kwame Harris (98) and C Andy Levitre (87) were brought in to start. Multiple late round draft picks were used to acquire young guards who may or may not have a future with the Steelers. The rebuild is unlikely to be finished with Meester in his final season and depending on the performance of younger players, more reinforcements may be required.

On paper the starting Steelers O-line is of similar quality to last season but the interior is worryingly short of depth and any injury would prompt playing time for either a late round draft pick or an out of position tackle. Theres reason for optimism but it is also entirely possible that the Steelers see no improvement over last year, albeit with a far younger O-line.

Departures: G Goff (90 - Retired), G Piller (90 - Retired), OT Winston (89 - Traded), G Sciullo (86 - Released), G Clary (82 - Released), G Warford (78 - Traded)

Arrivals: OT Harris (98 - Traded), C Levitre (87 - Traded), G Castle (75 - 4th), C Bowanko (75 - 5th), G Williams (70 - 7th)

2014 OT: Harris (98), Pearson (92), Costanzo (84), Wimbs (82)
2014 Interior: Meester (94), Levitre (87), Christensen (85), Castle (75), Bowanko (75), Williams (70)

Defensive Tackle / Defensive End

Back in 2010 the Steelers had a line-up of DE Brock (91), DT Glover (87), DE McMillan (87) backed up by 1st round pick DT Favorite (85) and 2nd round pick DE Beardless (82). The years were not kind with ratings slides across the board coupled with Glover and Favorite departing. That left the 2013 Steelers with a starting line of DE Brock (89), DT McCoy (82), DE Beardless (80) whilst opting to leave DE Nece (83) and DE McMillan (84) on the bench

The Steelers made some attempt to address the situation with the acquisition of DT Starks (88) this offseason for a 2nd round pick and giving up on their 2013 1st round DT. They have also left themselves with a hole and the cap maneuverability to make a move for a DE in free agency but with competition expected to be fierce, it remains a long shot that they will win that race.

At the very worst, their 2014 front three should be stronger than the line-ups they rolled out in 2013.

Departures: DE Nece (83 - Released), DT Odrick (77 - Traded)
Arrivals: DT Starks (88 - Traded)
2014 DT: Starks (88), McCoy (82), Thomas (74)
2014 DE: Brock (89), McMillan, (84), Beardless (80) + 1 Hole

Linebackers

In what is one of the weaker positions in the league, the Steelers have excelled over the last few years. Despite age catching up with him, Arrington (95 > 93 > 90) remained one of the league's best OLBs and lining up on the other side was Tufts (87) who was quickly improving to an elite level too. In the middle the Steelers again had one the leagues best in Laurinaitis (90) paired alongside McClain (88) with both of them still on rookie contracts.

What remains in 2014 is a farcry from previous years. Arrington called timed on his career and Laurinaitis was reluctantly traded in order to strengthen the rest of the team after a slew of high profile retirements. That trade of MLB Laurinaitis (90) coupled with OT Winston (89) brought an effective return of OT Harris (98), C Levitre (87), CB Banks (85) and MLB Vinson (84). The Steelers will surely miss Laurinaitis who has been their best producer over the last 4 seasons and is coming off a career best season but put into that context, its understandable why the trade was made.

The only addition to the Steelers linebackers corps in the offseason was MLB Vinson (84) who isnt on Laurinaitiss level but is still a starting caliber MLB even for teams who run 4-3. OLB Tulloch (80) will be left to fill the void left by Arrington and Tufts (86), who slightly regressed last season, will line up on the other side.

The Steelers will undoubtedly see a significant downswing in production due to those key departures but are still left with an upper-mid level linebacker crew due to the leagues weakness at the position. Their starting linebackers will consist of MLB #10, MLB #21, OLB #14, OLB #51

Departures: MLB Laurinaitis (90 - Traded), OLB Arrington (90 - Retired)
Arrivals: MLB Vinson (84 - Traded)
2014 MLBs: McClain (88), Vinson (84)
2014 OLBs: Tufts (86), Tulloch (80), Galette (76), Carter (74)

Safeties

Whilst there has been turnover in the safety department, everything almost remains status quo. SS Jermaine Phillips (90) was one of the Steelers most productive players until he retired in the off-season. Originally the Steelers had brought in the young J.J. Wilcox (83) as part of the Laurinaitis trade to take over that role before later acquiring SS Ian Cox (91). Wilcox was promptly flipped for a 2nd round pick which was later used to acquire MLB Vinson. The Steelers will hope that Ian Cox can put up similar numbers to the retired Phillips.

Rather than draft a SS in the later rounds, in a cap saving exercise the Steelers opted to trade a 5th to acquire 23 year old Levi Marquardt (77) to serve as Coxs back-up.

At Free Safety there has been no change for the Steelers where both their existing FSs have shown consistent improvement each year. Corey Campbell (86) gears up for his 4th season as starter and will be backed up by Tashaun Gipson (83) who may be a viable RFA candidate for rivals in the offseason.

Departures: SS Phillips (90 - Retired), SS Keys (78 - Released)
Arrivals: SS Cox (91), SS Marquardt (77)
2014 SSs: Cox (91), Marquardt (77)
2014 FSs: Campbell (86), Gipson (83)

Cornerbacks

There has been considerably turnover in recent years at the cornerback position where performance has been poor. A few years back the core of Manning, Youboty and Brown looked well set to kick on with all three rated in the low 80s. Fast forward to this 2014 and all 3 have been traded away over a 1.5 season spell after slipping to 78-79 ratings.

The Steelers CBs will be led this season by Trumaine Banks (85) who instantly became the best CB they have had in recent memory (#9 in league) after he was acquired from the Cowboys. Lining up alongside him will be converted strong safety Parrish (80) (in his second year as a CB) and third year player McGuire (75). The Steelers will be hoping that having a player the caliber of Banks will help develop their younger CBs.

Whilst nothing special will be expected of the Steelers CBs, there will at least be some expectation for improvement this year

Departure: Youboty (78 - Traded)
Arrivals: Banks (85 - Traded)
2014 CBs: Banks (85), Parrish (80), McGuire (75), Johnson (71)

Special Teams

No change was made in either kicking department with Carpenter returning after unexpectedly leading the league in FG% (thanks largely due to not taking long kicks) and Graham also returning as Punter for what has to be his final season at age 40.

What did change on special teams was the Steelers spending a 6th round pick on return specialist Kevin Owen. The Steelers have lacked consistency at the return position with their returner changing on a regular basis. Whilst Owen may not be a star as a WR (68), he will likely become a mainstay on the Steelers roster due to his return skills (89).

A lot of those, maybe even all, that you said were cut/released actually had their contracts expire and you elected not to re-sign them.
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Yeah I know that but I still consider electing not to re-sign someone as cutting/releasing them.

Ravens/Falcons trade official
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Man, just looking at teams and if the Bengals had drafted an MLB instead of DT first round then potentially the entire AFC North could play 3-4

I have no idea if the Ravens/Browns play 3-4 but the rating differences between their DT/MLBs is close enough that they could

Bumpers
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Shit sorry guys. Tomorrow definitely. My life has been crazy, my apologies for not getting this done earlier.
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No rush. Life comes first.
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Bump
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Less than 48 hours until Bears and Cowboys rookies become auto-signed and for any user who elected not to sign some of their rookies to change their minds.

Free agency should begin on Friday.
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cool/tag

Bumpers
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Uh, I think that my laptop's WiFi card is toast, which is an inopportune time for this to happen for many reasons. I was planning on replacing this laptop this year anyway, but after "splurging" on appliances and home maintenance projects, that time cannot be now. I am probably going to have to post things via phone and tablet for awhile and only update the spreadsheet when I am in a situation where I can use an Ethernet cord to sync offline changes (probably every few weeks or so).

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this ultimately should not affect the league much aside from having to endure a bunch of sloppy posts from me and delayed spreadsheet updates.
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No worries man, you do what you need to do.

Not something you have any control over
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DoubleTangicide posted...

No worries man, you do what you need to do.

^

If anything, we're the inconvenience.
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Okay, it has been just a day, but I cannot retain my sanity having to use my tablet and phone for all things internet, so I am going to get a new laptop by July. I feel totally justified in my fiscal irresponsibility.
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Oh wow. i wish we could chip in a few bucks for all the hours you put into this.
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Do your parents not have a computer of any sort they would allow you to use?
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I'll totally chip in for it if other people are.

Also if you didn't want to splash out on a new laptop, do they not do like Wi-Fi usb dongles to use as an interim fix? I remember those being a thing a long time ago for computers lacking Wi-Fi cards but not sure they exist anymore

Edit: Quick Google search says they still exist and you can get a cheap one for $10-15 if it truly is your Wi-Fi card that has died

Emeraldegg posted...

Do your parents not have a computer of any sort they would allow you to use?

My mom has a work laptop, but my parents have otherwise converted to just tablets and phones.

ShatteredElysium posted...

Also if you didn't want to splash out on a new laptop, do they not do like Wi-Fi usb dongles to use as an interim fix? I remember those being a thing a long time ago for computers lacking Wi-Fi cards but not sure they exist anymore

Edit: Quick Google search says they still exist and you can get a cheap one for $10-15 if it truly is your Wi-Fi card that has died

I did look into those and decided that I should just go ahead and get a new laptop.
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I just realized that the deadline has now passed. We only had one user team left and will take care of that later. It is possible that I can start free agency tonight. I also might make a series of spoiler-tagged posts to inform those who are interested the overall ratings of the AI, Bears, and Cowboys rookies since I likely won't have the spreadsheet updated until mid-June or so.
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