Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 13: The Offseason

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hub Spreadsheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10gIP0JkVqOaoUc4aQX_NyDM8dB31FOPm_dUx6DVTWPk/edit?usp=sharing

Word Doc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RVeEIyjqIiEkS0VYvbsI02dWMDXyOgdVQAgThNJyIfc/edit?usp=sharing

Wiki Page
http://board8.wikia.com/wiki/Board_8_National_Football_League_League

Previous Topics (alive as of this moment)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78188213
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78009170
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78269886

Player Retirements by Team

Bears
none

Bengals
FB Rashon Powers-Neal
FS Madieu Williams
CB Rod Council
DT Tank Johnson

Bills
DT Kris Jenkins
C Roberto Garza
HB Cedric Benson (11047 rushing yards, 74 total TDs)

Broncos
FB Brian Leonard (8173 total yards, 88 TDs)
WR Keary Colbert (916 rec for 11276 yards, 86 TDs)
P Hunter Smith
WR Jerome Mathis
CB Jason Allen
ROLB Chad Greenway (1st round pick by Bucs in first NFL Draft)
DT Jon Bradley

Browns
LT Adrian Jones
LOLB Vince Redd

Buccaneers
SS Daniel Bullocks
WR Nate Burleson (925 rec for 12595 yards, 95 TDs)
DT John Henderson (773 tackles, 97 sacks, 13 FFs, 21 FRs)
HB Robert Merrill
QB Tyler Palko
C Eric Ghiaciuc
P Jason Baker
LOLB John Kerr

Chiefs
RG Steve Sciullo
DT Jimmy Kennedy
RE Junior Siavii
CB Antwan Allen

Colts
HB Steven Jackson (17534 total yards, 98 TDs)
RG Cosey Coleman
MLB Nick Barnett (1345 tackles, 30 sacks, 26 INTs, 8 FFs, 15 FRs)
TE Ben Troupe
LE Richard Seymour (620 tackles, 102 sacks, 1 INT, 15 FFs, 9 FRs)

Cowboys
SS Troy Polamalu (1164 tackles, 29 sacks, 38 INTs, 23 FFs, 13 FRs)
P Chad Stanley
CB Dunta Robinson (315 tackles, 3 sacks, 31 INTs, 13 FFs, 3 FRs)
RE Robert Mathis
RG Scott Kooistra

Dolphins
K Kris Brown
LOLB D.J. Williams (985 tackles, 47 sacks, 33 INTs, 13 FFs, 12 FRs)
ROLB Daryl Smith (1130 tackles, 62 sacks, 23 INTs, 19 FFs, 18 FRs)
QB David Greene
QB Matt Schaub
DT Sam Rayburn

Falcons
C Dominic Raiola
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49ers
WR Andre Johnson (977 rec for 13112 yards, 110 TDs)
LOLB Leroy Hill (1064 tackles, 47 sacks, 18 INTs, 15 FFs, 16 FRs)

Giants
FS C.C. Brown

Hawks
FB James Coleman
WR Brandon Jones
C Donovan Raiola
TE Jeff King

Jaguars (all players selected by the team in the inaugural season's franchise draft)
LG Matt Lehr
K David Akers
LOLB David Pollack (922 tackles, 38 sacks, 11 INTs, 14 FFs, 13 FRs)
ROLB Kevin Burnett
QB Dan Orlovsky

Jets
RT Kareem McKenzie (818 blocks, 72 sacks allowed)
TE Teyo Johnson
HB Brian Calhoun (had his only 1000 yard rushing campaign in his final season at 33 years old)
LG Derrick Dockery
CB Chris Gamble
RG Wade Smith

Lightning
FB Adrian Byrd
QB Eli Manning
TE Alex Smith
WR Terrence Murphy
RT Jordan Black
CB Jonathan Wade

Lions
FB Roger Allison
QB Jason Campbell
CB Tramon Williams
LE Osi Umenyiora
QB Derek Anderson

Packers
RT Kevin Barry
HB Carnell Williams (18790 total yards, 101 TDs)
WR Demetrius Williams
TE Martin Rucker
ROLB Channing Crowder (611 tackles, 36 sacks, 11 INTs, 15 FFs, 16 FRs)

Panthers
none

Patriots
CB Ellis Hobbs
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Pioneers
WR Troy Williamson
DT Albert Haynesworth
WR Vincent Jackson
CB Justin Wyatt
DT Marcus Tubbs
LE Marquise Hill
CB Victor Alejo (the man who captured all of our hearts)

Pumpkins
C Justin Hartwig
LOLB Mark Zalewski
CB Alan Ball

Raiders
C Chukky Okobi (477 blocks, 46 sacks allowed)
TE Chris Cooley
DT Rien Long
DT Dan Klecko

Rams
FB Jason Snelling
WR Roy Williams (912 rec for 11301 yards, 86 TDs)
SS Eric Weddle
LE Julius Peppers (511 tackles, 100 sacks, 3 INTs, 19 FFs, 10 FRs)
ROLB Demarcus Ware (875 tackles, 48 sacks, 18 INTs, 13 FFs, 22 FRs)
LE Niko Koutouvides
HB Dontrell Moore
RT Jacob Bell
WR Clarence Moore
CB Will Blackmon

Ravens
RT Maurice Williams
SS Michael Boulware (557 tackles, 15 sacks, 39 INTs, 14 FFs, 12 FRs)

Redskins
LT Leonard Davis
C Melvin Fowler
HB Terrence Whitehead (400+ rushing yards with 8 of the 9 teams he played for)
QB Matt Leinart
CB Jimmy Williams

Seahawks
FB Quadtrine Hill (4910 total yards, 57 TDs)
P Brian Mooreman
FS Will Herring
RG Jake Scott

Steelers
none

Titans
FB Victor Mann
LOLB Shawne Merriman (753 tackles, 41 sacks, 11 INTs, 12 FFs, 14 FRs)
CB Domonique Foxworth

Vikings
RT Floyd Womack (535 blocks, 49 sacks allowed)
C Ross Tucker
LE Will Smith
LG Adrien Clarke
RE Igor Olshansky

Wildcats
HB Laurence Maroney (12422 total yards, 77 TDs)
WR Chris Henry
TE Steven Hogan
CB Ahmad Carroll
---

NFL Draft Order
1. Chiefs
2. Titans
3. Panthers
4. Jets
5. Lions
6. Browns
7. Bears
8. Bills
9. 49ers
10. Lightning
11. Bengals
12. Steelers
13. Pioneers
14. Falcons
15. Redskins
16. Seahawks
17. Colts
18. Wildcats
19. Giants
20. Broncos
21. Rams
22. Pumpkins
23. Patriots
24. Ravens
25. Vikings
26. Hawks
27. Buccaneers
28. Raiders
29. Jaguars
30. Packers
31. Cowboys
32. Dolphins

Bears own Dolphins 3rd + 5th
Dolphins own Bears 2nd + 3rd + 5th, Falcons 2nd + 3rd + 5th
Falcons own Dolphins 6th
---

To Do:
- Hall of Fame Ballot
- Inform users player demands
- Send mccheyne Colts stats
- Start Updating Spreadsheet
- Determine salary cap
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I mentioned this in Discord, but I should post it here too, that after 12 seasons of being the GM of the Dolphins, I have decided it is time for a change of scenery and will be the first user to take over the Columbus Pioneers/Houston Texans franchise. It isn't that much of a change of scenery given I was born, raised, and still live in Columbus, but it's something different!
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Offseason in a Nutshell

Every user this season is a returner, so none of these should need much explanation to anyone. There are four major events during the offseason. They will be explained in full detail when the time comes, but here they are:

1. Restricted Free Agency
2. Unrestricted Free Agents
3. NFL Draft + Signing Rookies
4. Free Agency

Restricted Free Agency - This is easily the most complex of the four, yet it is the one that has the lowest activity. A small sub-section of players whose contracts run out are considered restricted free agents. These players can, but do not have to, be signed by their original teams to a 1 year contract at one of three fixed amounts. Those that do sign can then be offered contracts by any of the other 31 teams to multiyear deals. Any team who has a player sign a contract with another team will then have the opportunity to match said contract or let them sign with another team and receive NFL Draft pick compensation.

Unrestricted Free Agents - Any player with an expired contract who was not considered a restricted free agent is thus an unrestricted free agent. Teams then can elect to re-sign the remaining players or let them enter the free agent market. Unlike the previous event, the other 31 teams cannot do anything to you, so you are free to operate without outside pressure. There are a few more wrinkles, but it is pretty straightforward.

NFL Draft + Signing Rookies - This is an event where all 32 teams can select college football players to join their team. Each team normally has seven draft picks, one for each of the seven rounds of the draft. The order that a team selects is based on their record and playoff performance, if applicable, from the season before. Earlier in the topic, I mentioned this season's draft order, and all teams are free to trade draft picks. After the draft, a separate period of time is devoted to signing all the players that a team drafted.

Free Agency - All players not signed or re-signed in the previous three events enter the free agent pool, and this is the time that every team is able to bid on the services of those without a team (aka free agents).
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The Almighty Slash Line

All contracts will be presented to you via slash lines. It is imperative that you interpret and understand a slash line and its components, so here is an example to kick off my seasonal explanation:

3 / $7.50 mil / $1.80 mil

3 = length in seasons that the contract will last. All contracts will end up being between 1-7 seasons in length. There are some in-game and league-mandated limitations on length, but I will explain that rather soon.

$7.50 mil = Total salary that a player will earn over the life of the contract should the contract not be reworked while still under said contract or the player released.

Using this example, the player will receive $7.50 mil over three seasons, which gives him an average cap hit of $2.50 mil. His cap hit will not be $2.50 mil in each season though. This contract will see the player's cap hit rise each season, so his first year cap hit might be $2.12 mil, $2.47 mil for the second season, and $2.91 mil for the final season.

$1.80 mil = Portion of total salary that is guaranteed, aka signing bonus. For most, this is the hardest thing to grasp about the slash line and contracts in general. The NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts, which means that what a player signs for might not actually be what they receive in the end. The team that signs a player to a contract will always be on the hook for the final figure in a slash line, with the only exception being if a player retires while under contract.

Using this example, the player might have a cap hit of $2.12, $2.47, and $2.91 mil in the first, second, and third seasons. However, his signing bonus is stretched out evenly across every season. The annual bonus in this contract would be $600k ($1.80 mil / 3 years). The annual bonus is a feature on the team financial sheet, so that info will always be available to you.

Now, if you trade or release a player under contract with guaranteed money, you will receive a reduction in your salary cap space, aka cap penalty, that is equal to their annual bonus x the years remaining on their contract. Using this example once again, let's say the player is released after the first season. That would leave him with $1.20 mil left in guaranteed money ($600k annual bonus x 2 years left on contract). The team that signed him to that contract would then be issued a cap penalty the following offseason to the tune of $1.20 mil.

If that player would be traded instead, the original team would receive the same cap penalty, but the new team would have a discounted contract. Because the original team is always on the hook for the guaranteed money, the $1.20 mil that is still owed that player is taken out of the contract for the new team. If the cap hits for years 2 and 3 were originally $2.47 and $2.91 mil and the annual bonus was $600k, then the new cap hits for the new team would be $1.87 and $2.31 mil. The new team could then release or trade the player at any time without financial repercussions since the contract no longer had any guaranteed money attached.

Finally, in case someone doesn't know, mil = dollars in millions while k = dollars in thousands.
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Chiefs hire Hawks DC Rex Ryan

Haha! You got me! Who did we really sign

DT Jimmy Kennedy
RE Junior Siavii
CB Antwan Allen
DT Sam Rayburn
C Donovan Raiola
LOLB Shawne Merriman

Thank you all for your contribution to The Kingdom. You will not be forgotten

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Getting the #1 pick again is disappointing, but all i can do is learn from my past mistakes and move on.

Congrats on the move to Columbus.

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Probably the only person who sees no retirements and is disappointed because I'm going to be in cap hell

12th in the draft is workable.

How old was Alejo when he retired? Was it due to age or did he just regress to such a point he called it quits?

Yay no retirements! Was hoping for Top 5 but 7th is good for me.

Oof Maroney being gone is going to hurt.
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May Victor Mann serve as an example that I don't negotiate with terrorists.

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KCF, do you want me to remove all the retirees from the spreadsheet for you if you haven't already? Anything I can do to lighten your load I will

I don't think that is necessary right now. I would rather that info be up as people start to come back to the league and look at things.
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Thank you for getting rid of Rivera for me. Now my team can-

Titans hire former Giants DC John Fox

FIRE JOHN FOX!

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Woah woah woah is that a rivera hater I see? Dude, we need to talk.
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With me moving on from the Dolphins, there remains just three teams that have been under user control for every season:

Giants (Eddv for all 13)
Lions (Nee for all 13)
Packers (Cody/Kora/Tangicide)
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ShatteredElysium posted...

How old was Alejo when he retired? Was it due to age or did he just regress to such a point he called it quits?

31. Once a player hits a certain age related to their position, they must maintain a minimum overall rating to keep playing. I guess we know that by age 31, a CB must be higher than 53 at the very least.
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Emeraldegg posted...

Woah woah woah is that a rivera hater I see? Dude, we need to talk.

Sure thing. As Rivera coaches your team into the ground, and I climb out of this hole he put me in, we can talk as we pass each other.

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FS Tashaun Gipson (85) is on the trade market because he isn't psychic and didn't realize he was actually going to start this season. He's been a productive backup FS (and SS) that I didn't want to let go but he's forced my hand.

His career numbers are 88 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 3 FF, 2 FR, 5 INT as a backup (as mentioned he was backup SS too which sees decent snaps). He's good enough that I was going to start him this year, he seems to be a bit of a do everything safety.

I'm open on the wants side. Draft compensation or maybe a similar level starter, I'd have to look at the options

QB Turner (84 last season, may have regressed) is also on the market

He has not performed well for me. His contract isn't even going to be great even after I eat the dead money. But if you want him for virtually nothing, you are welcome to kick the tires on him.

Full disclosure, I will be cutting him if I get no takers so you can also get him for free on the open market (but may have to bid against the AI). Only additional benefit would be that you would be able to cut him if he didn't work out at no cost.

Is he holding out or something? I'm confused

EDIT: This is regarding Gipson

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SockoressKnight posted...

Is he holding out or something? I'm confused

EDIT: This is regarding Gipson

Demanded a trade

Head Coaches Around the League

I don't think that I have ever done an overview of the league's head coaches. I will list the head coach from each division and include their record as a head coach. It will include Ws/Ls from any head coaching stint prior to B8NFLL as well as the playoffs.

AFC West
Denver Broncos - Donnie Henderson (72-72)
Kansas City Chiefs - Rex Ryan (19-29)
Oakland Raiders - Norv Turner (149-174-1)
Washington Hawks - Jeff Fisher (152-139)

AFC East
Buffalo Bills - Mike Sherman (107-91)
Miami Dolphins - Kerry Collins (28-10)
New England Patriots - Dante Scarnecchia (80-98)
New York Jets - Michael Strahan (14-18)

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens - Bill Belichick (66-81) (he is listed as NE Coach in the game and must have erased record with Browns/Pats prior to 2005 season)
Cincinnati Bengals - Mike Holmgren (211-193)
Mexico City Browns - Lovie Smith (87-110-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers - Bill Cowher (251-172-2)

AFC South
Columbus Pioneers - Dom Capers (129-183)
Indianapolis Colts - Ron Meeks (8-8)
Jacksonville Jaguars - Mark Brunell (60-56-1)
Tennessee Titans - Jamie Sharper (0-0)

NFC West
San Francisco 49ers - Mike Nolan (99-97-1)
Seattle Seahawks - Marty Shottenheimer (270-205-3)
St. Louis Rams - Brian Billick (150-149-1)
Toronto Wildcats - Tom Coughlin (183-170)

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys - Corey Dillon (29-9)
Las Vega Pumpkins - Vinny Testaverde (83-43)
New York Giants - Jerry Gray (69-66)
Washington Redskins - Will Shields (8-8)

NFC North
Chicago Bears - Mike Singletary (31-49)
Detroit Lions - Steve Mariucci (181-157)
Green Bay Packers - Jon Gruden (170-119)
Minnesota Vikings - Brett Favre (40-30)

NFC South
Anaheim Lightning - Andy Reid (121-98)
Atlanta Falcons - Jim Mora Jr. (113-106)
Carolina Panthers - Ron Rivera (9-23)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mike Zimmer (45-40)
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To Do:
- Hall of Fame Ballot
- Send mccheyne Colts stats
- Start Updating Spreadsheet
- Determine salary cap
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Pumpkins have released HB LenDale White
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Even though 90% of the league is flush with cap space, I have decided to increase the salary cap by $1 mil to $163 mil for this season. That should cover the expected rise in RFA tenders at any rate.
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Falcons cut HB Arian Foster
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Tag

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In terms of B8NFLL coaching trees, they are pretty paltry given the trend for loyalty and re-treads. One has emerged above the rest though. Nick Saban was originally the Dolphins head coach, and has been out of football since he left his post in this alternate reality.

His DC in Richard Smith had a winning record as HC of the Giants including multiple playoff appearances. He is currently the Rams DC.

His OC for many seasons in Brett Favre has been the HC for the Vikings for the past four seasons, which has resulted in three playoff appearances in four seasons, and a playoff victory in each trip. He is 40-30 entering his fifth season.

His final OC was Vinny Testaverde who is 83-43 as a head coach. He succeeded Saban and was able to bring the Dolphins their first B8NFLL SB title and led the Pumpkins to their first playoff appearance.

An OC under Testaverde and Saban's QB for the Dolphins in B8NFLL SB IV, Kerry Collins took over when the Pumpkins lured Testaverde away after S10. In his two seasons at the helm, he helped make the Dolphins become the first franchise to back-to-back SB victories. He is 28-10 entering his third season with the club.
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B8NFLL Hall of Fame Ballot

The following posts will contain players and their career accomplishments up for immortalization. Last season, four players were on the ballot and all four were enshrined. With last season also being our first year doing this, people were noticeably wary of having all the nominees be enshrined, so to ease some concerns, I will try to have 10-15 players on the ballot every year, so there will be some obvious no votes. There is no way for me to find out a player's career ranks within B8NFLL, so when it comes to stats, I will provide where they rank in a particular stat (possibly even by a particular position) among active and recently retired players at the moment of their retirement (aka now).

I originally had a hardline stance of only considering players who debuted in the inaugural season or later and incumbent players whose career stat line showed no production entering the inaugural season (mostly OL). I immediately made one exception to include Tatum Bell who holds the record for most rushing yards in a season and whose stats pre-B8NFLL were clearly laid out and were in line with what I read online. There were only a few other players like Bell that I would have considered to make an exception for, but I have decided to scrap that idea, and will continue with my original thought, so unfortunately Andre Johnson and Nate Burleson will not be making the list.

Participation is of course voluntary, and you can post your responses, PM them to me, discuss or whatever. You decide what your criteria for selection is. You can base it solely off of the context of B8NFLL, compare to real life stats, or some marriage of the two. We had a decent turnout last season, but given how active participation in the league has its ups and valleys, I don't think that I will have a specific target percentage of Yes votes that will ensure enshrinement. It will of course be north of 50% at the very least.
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1. HB Carnell Williams
- Played all 12 seasons for Packers (171 games)
- 3322 carries for 14290 yards (4.3 YPC), 82 TDs, 39 fumbles (1 every 4.3 games)
- 495 receptions for 4500 yards (9.0 YPC), 19 TDs
- Season averages of 276.8 carries for 1190.8 yards, 41.2 receptions for 375 yards, 8.4 total TDs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S4, S6, S7)
- Rookie of the Year (S1)
- Running Back of the Year (S10)

Carnell ranks 1st among HBs in career rushing yards, 2nd in rushing TDs, 3rd in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, 3rd in receiving TDs

2. HB Cedric Benson
- Played S1-S6 for Titans, S7 for Pioneers, S8 for Patriots, S9-12 for Bills (131 games)
- 2822 carries for 11047 yards (3.9 YPC), 67 TDs, 26 fumbles (1 every 5.0 games)
- 192 receptions for 1231 yards (6.4 YPC), 7 TDs
- Season averages of 235.1 carries for 920.5 yards, 16.0 receptions for 102.5 yards, 6.1 total TDs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S10)

Benson ranks 4th among HBs in career rushing yards, T-5th in rushing TDs, 17th in receptions, 21st in receiving yards, T-17th in receiving TDs

3. HB Laurence Maroney
- Played all 11 seasons for Wildcats (154 games)
- 2305 carries for 9990 yards (4.3 YPC), 70 TDs, 31 fumbles (1 every 4.9 games)
- 297 receptions for 2432 yards (8.1 YPC), 7 TDs
- Season averages of 209.5 carries for 908.1 yards, 27.0 receptions for 221.0 yards, 7.0 total TDs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S11)

Maroney ranks 6th among HBs in career rushing yards, 4th in rushing TDs, 7th in receptions, 7th in receiving yards, T-17th in receiving TDs

4. FB Brian Leonard
- Played all 11 seasons for Broncos (162 games)
- 1797 carries for 6937 yards (3.8 YPC), 75 TDs, 16 fumbles (1 every 10.1 games)
- 162 receptions for 1236 yards (7.6 YPC), 13 TDs
- 11-time Pro Bowler (every season of his career)

Leonard ranks 1st among FBs in everything by a mile
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5. RT Kareem McKenzie
- Played all 12 seasons for Jets (178 games)
- 818 blocks vs 72 sacks allowed (11.3 blocks per sack)
- Allowed single digit sacks in every season
- Season averages of 68.1 blocks vs 6.0 blocks allowed
- 8-time Pro Bowler (S2, S3, S4, S5, S7, S9, S10, S11)
- OL of the Year (S4)

McKenzie ranks 2nd in career blocks and 43rd in sacks allowed (6th among OTs)

6. RT Floyd Womack
- Played S1-S3 for Lightning, S4-6 for Giants, S7 for Colts, S8-S12 for Vikings (131 games)
- 535 blocks vs 49 sacks allowed (10.9 blocks per sack)
- Allowed six or fewer sacks in every season
- Season averages of 44.5 blocks vs 4.0 sacks allowed
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S5)

Womack ranks 15th in blocks, T-79th in sacks allowed (T-23rd among OTs)

7. C Chukky Okobi
- Played all 12 seasons for Raiders (157 games)
- 477 blocks vs 46 sacks allowed (10.3 blocks per sack)
- Season averages of 39.7 blocks vs 3.8 sacks allowed

Okobi ranks 30th in career blocks (11th among interior OL) and T-88th in sacks allowed (58th among interior OL)
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Will edit the rest of these LB stats in. I was just feeling overwhelmed with all the tabs and unposted info.

8. LOLB Leroy Hill
- Played all 12 seasons for 49ers (174 games)
- 1064 tackles, 47 sacks, 18 INTs, 15 FFs, 16 FRs, 2 Def TDs
- Season averages of 88.6 tackles, 3.9 sacks, 1.5 INTs, 1.2 FFs, 1.3 FRs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S6, S7, S12)

Hill ranks 7th (6th among LBs) in career tackles, T-3rd among LBs in sacks, T-5th among LBs in INTs, T-10th among all defenders in FFs, T-10th in FRs

9. LOLB David Pollack
- Played all 12 seasons for Jaguars (181 games)
- 922 tackles, 38 sacks, 11 INTs, 14 FFs, 13 FRs, 4 Def TDs
- Season averages of 76.8 tackles, 3.1 sacks, 0.9 INTs, 1.1 FFs 1.0 FRs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S5, S8)

Use other LBs as reference points as to his rankings

10. ROLB Demarcus Ware
- Played all 12 seasons for Rams (192 games)
- Started every possible B8NFLL game
- 875 tackles, 48 sacks, 18 INTs, 13 FFs, 22 FRs, 1 Def TD
- Season averages of 72.9 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 1.5 INTs, 1.1 FFs, 1.8 FRs
- Defensive Rookie of the Year (S1)
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S3)

Hill ranks 2nd among LBs in career sacks and 2nd overall in FRs. Use Hill/Merriman as benchmarks for other rankings.

11. LOLB Shawne Merriman
- Played S1-9 for Chiefs, S10-12 for Titans (154 games)
- 753 tackles, 41 sacks, 11 INTs, 12 FFs, 14 FRs
- Season averages of 62.7 tackles, 3.4 sacks, 0.9 INTs, 1.0 FFs, 1.1 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S10)

Merriman ranks 19th in tackles, T-10th among LBs in sacks, T-16th among LBs in INTs, and not as good as Hill in the other categories
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12. SS Eric Weddle
- Played all 11 seasons for Rams (168 games)
- 670 tackles, 8 sacks, 26 INTs, 15 FFs, 11 FRs
- Season averages of 60.9 tackles, 0.7 sacks, 2.3 INTs, 1.3 FFs, 1.0 FRs

Weddle ranks 5th among DBs in career tackles and T-10th among all defenders in INTs

13. CB Domonique Foxworth
- Played S1-S3 for Giants, S4-S12 for Titans (106 games)
- 175 tackles, 24 INTs, 3 FFs, 3 FRs
- 6 career KR TDs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S6, S10)

Foxworth ranks T-13th among all defenders in career INTs, 2nd in KR TDs

14. CB Victor Alejo
- Played all 8 seasons for the Pioneers (0 games)
- Earned $10+ mil in his career to show up for practice and otherwise be an overly-pampered NFL player without ever playing a down
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And there is your 14-man ballot for this season's Hall of Fame. If you have any questions about the candidates, feel free to ask me. This took me many hours to compile, and a massive amount of it is the painstaking task of figuring out everyone's ranks since I have to do it all manually. In future seasons, I will probably only mention the rankings for a few stats to significantly cut down on time.

It's probably best if your format is along these lines:
Williams - Yes
Benson - No
etc...

I will also accept ballots that simply contain all of the players you are saying yes to, but you need to be explicit about that.

There is no set deadline as I am still several days away from starting RFA, so expect the deadline to come no sooner than Friday the 7th.
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To Do:
- Send mccheyne Colts stats
- Start Updating Spreadsheet
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Doing this now while I know I have time.

Some of these guys have some very impressive resumes.

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KCF0107 posted...

14. CB Victor Alejo
- Played all 8 seasons for the Pioneers (0 games)
- Earned $10+ mil in his career to show up for practice and otherwise be an overly-pampered NFL player without ever playing a down

this is hilarious lmfaooooo

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Daytime bump for voting

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I'm shocked a dominant Cowboys player is doing well in the poll. Good riddance i say!

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I will publicly reveal my bracket like last season:

HB Carnell Williams - Yes

One of the most productive HBs we've had on a per season basis, and I would assume that he has the most career yards in B8NFLL history with a good YPC. It also helps that he's carried (no pun intended) that offense for the second half of his career. And an added bonus is that his body of work would also enshrine him if this were reality. Easy call.

HB Cedric Benson - No

He's been an above-average HB at his best (really just in Buffalo), but for the vast majority his career, he was mediocre. I mean, his 3.9 YPC and being a complete non-factor in the passing game kind of says it all. His longevity and opportunities given may have afforded him a good career rushing total, but there was never a point in time where one would call him among even the Top 10 best HBs in the league.

HB Laurence Maroney - No

As the resident Golden Gopher fan, I want to say yes so bad, but he simply doesn't have the body of work. He was so underutilized across his career, it hurts. He had to operate in a Michael Vick offense for nearly his entire career, which took away a lot of touches from him. The AI actually made him the #2 HB in two seasons. The post-Vick and injured-Vick offenses were shifted to passing-oriented, which continued to make him second fiddle, on a good day.

FB Brian Leonard - Yes

The easiest call. He will almost certainly be the only FB even considered to be placed on the ballot given it is impossible to quantify the impact of pure-blocking FBs, and in general, FB stats are ugly to look at. Leonard had a career YPC that nearly matched Benson. The dude had 88 total TDs and made the Pro Bowl every season (though I will admit that Pro Bowl voting for FBs is entirely based on stats and not blocking prowess).

RT Kareem McKenzie - Yes

He compares to our inductee from last year, Mark Tauscher. They have similar accolades and were pivotal in their ability to provide their teams with excellent rushing attacks. Tauscher had a better peak, but I would say that McKenzie was statistically the more consistent player.

RT Floyd Womack - No

He was a very good OL for his career, and the 6 or fewer sacks allowed every season is very impressive, but I just don't see him as Hall of Fame material. There's a lot of OTs like him, but very few are like McKenzie.

C Chukky Okobi - Yes

I totally understand why people would say no. His block totals per season are pretty paltry, and he does not have a Pro Bowl nod to his credit. I blame that on block totals being the main factor on Pro Bowl voting, which I do realize circles back to what his main criticism is. However, that is an absurd Block/Sack ratio for an interior OL. Check your stat PMs from the years to verify that. He and Hall of Fame inductee Tutan Reyes formed one hell of a tandem in Oakland.

LOLB Leroy Hill - Yes

I know compared to real life players, Hill's stats won't match up. MLBs in general soak up the counting stats more than OLBs, so for Hill to still have a career like this, with across the board production at that, is very impressive to me. I felt like he was probably robbed of 2-3 Pro Bowl nods too. He's been a highly underrated OLB for his career, and I feel he is HoF-worthy.

LOLB David Pollack - No

Pollack does have all those Def TDs and being the one steadying force in the Jags LB corps for a consistently great Jags D, but I just can't bring myself to say yes to him. Great career, not a hall of fame player.

ROLB Demarcus Ware - Yes

I am a huge fan of ironman streaks, so him playing all 192 games is a big deal to me, and those FR figures, especially in comparison of his peers, are eye-popping to me. He wasn't a one-trick pony either has he compiled great sack and INT totals relative to his position. I'm not going to look past his overall lack of accolades and say yes.

LOLB Shawne Merriman - No

Merriman is an interesting case. Having missed more than two whole seasons worth of games in his career (38), his per game stats actually stack up well, and he was one of the few players holding that Chiefs D together as the seasons went on. Ultimately though, I never thought of him as an elite OLB during his career, and his body of work suffering due to missed time is too much to overcome.

SS Eric Weddle - No

I really like that Weddle flew under the radar. I don't think many people thought he had that kind of career, but that also means people, including me, never really thought of him as a top SS in the game. I wonder if he would have accrued the kind of stats that people couldn't ignore if the final few seasons of his career didn't come as a backup (though we've had some excellent seasons by backup SSs)

CB Domonique Foxworth - No

I was honestly just trying to find some player to add a little variety to the mix. There really isn't much of a case for Foxworth. He played for the Titans D for most of his career, so obviously he wasn't much good. He may have had 6 KR TD, but he had no PR, and is 6 really Hall of Fame material? Roy Helu Jr. is the only player right now that I am voting in based on return stats.

CB Victor Alejo - No

Obviously not. I just wanted to give one final shoutout, before everyone forgets him, to living the dream of getting paid millions for relatively little work and only putting your body at risk during select practices. If only the real Victor Alejo stumbled upon this...
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Oh hey, my votes were identical except for Foxworth I think. I struggled with Foxworth because CBs are so unproductive stat wise and all my own team comparisons were nowhere close even without the return TDs. So that kinda tipped it over for me.

Weddle was another I struggled on. I actually wrote No then Yes and then back to No. Again I compared him to my own dude and figured his stats were good but not great. It was just the length of time he did it for that was impressive. My SS outperforms him on a season by season basis but won't come close to his career stats because he just won't play anywhere near as many games. I wasn't sure how much to value the consistency across a career though

Edit: And yeah with Chukky I went yes even though the rankings for him suggest no. That career sack/block ratio is that insane for a C even for a few seasons, nevermind an entire career. I did remember you highlighting how crazy his stat line was a few seasons back when we asked what was a good ratio for an interior O-line player

With this new wave of retirements, HBs and OLBs now join FBs in positions that have no players (on roster or free agent) from the inaugural season still around. Here is the position breakdown:

QBs: 5
HBs: 0
FBs: 0
WRs: 8
TEs: 3
OTs: 22
Gs: 32
Cs: 9
DEs: 19
DTs: 10
OLBs: 0
MLBs: 5
CBs: 3
FSs: 1
SSs: 1
Ks: 14
Ps: 11
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KCF0107 posted...

Bills hire former 49ers OC Gil Haskell

Another year of extraordinarily questionable coaching hires in Buffalo!

KCF0107 posted...

He is 28-10 entering his third season with the club.

Does the game include postseason wins, or were you just keeping track separately?

Ballot incoming in next post...

KCF0107 posted...

I don't think that I have ever done an overview of the league's head coaches. I will list the head coach from each division and include their record as a head coach. It will include Ws/Ls from any head coaching stint prior to B8NFLL as well as the playoffs.

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