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

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sorry KCF, take all the time you need man.

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Up

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Preseason will be simmed next weekend. I will make sure to send out strategy PMs in the next day or two.
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Coaching Strategies

Each user has an opportunity to alter some portions of how their team operates on the field. Here are the following categories you can change and what they mean.

Base Defense
You have a choice of 4-3 or 3-4. Under a 4-3, you start 2 DTs and 1 MLB. Under a 3-4, you start 2 MLBs and 1 DT.

Run-Pass Offense
The ratio of plays that will be run or pass plays on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Offense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Running Back Splits
How carries will be split among the top two RBs on your depth chart. This is on a sliding 100 point scale. That being said, I feel like coaches ignore whatever you put under this category and do whatever they please. That or RB2 actually refers to all HBs/FBs/QBs/WRs/TEs who may run with the ball and are not RB1.

Run-Pass Defense
The ratio of plays that will be run-stopping or pass-rushing plays on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Defense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.
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Every team should have received a PM containing their coaching strategy. For those who have it recorded what their most recent coaching strategy was, it may be radically different due to coaching changes. I encourage everyone to give it a thorough look at it to know if you want to make any alterations. Remember you are free to make changes to it at any point during the pre, regular, or postseason.
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The following are preseason Madden tiers based on the team rating. The tiers are ordered from best-to-worst and the teams within each are alphabetically ordered.

Goliath
Cowboys

Well, They're No David
Dolphins

History On Their Side
Broncos
Giants
Rams
Vikings

No Really, This Is Anaheim's Year
Hawks
Lightning
Raiders
Ravens
Pioneers
Pumpkins

Our Biggest Tier Only Had Eight?
Bears
Colts
Jaguars
Jets
Packers
Patriots
Seahawks
Steelers

Cincinnati Certainly Wished There Would Be At Least One AFC Rival
49ers
Bengals
Buccaneers
Falcons
Redskins
Wildcats

Can't Be Worse Than Last Season Right?
Bills
Chiefs
Panthers

Congrats Mexico City and Detroit, You Are Titans Tier
Browns
Lions
Titans
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To Do:
- Update roster/team financial sheets for free agency
- Get ready for post-preseason division, conference and RotY predictions
- Continue long-term project
- Maybe do the annual updates on games started streaks and fantasy players and/or do a where are they now for former 1st round picks
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Another season where I let the Ravens get ahead of me. On the plus side seems I didn't fall down the North pecking order which was a genuine concern although I'm sure the gap shrank.

Titans tier? Aww

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Giants got dis

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Oh hey, middle of the pack, nice! I can work with that.

Some of the in-game newspapers have season predictions.

Bears: 6-10, no playoffs
Bucs: 7-9, no playoffs
Falcons: 9-7, wildcard
Jaguars: 9-7, miss playoffs
Lions: 6-10, no playoffs
Packers: 9-7, Wildcard
Pioneers: 9-7, Wildcard
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KCF0107 posted...

Packers: 9-7, Wildcard

I would be thrilled at this

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Pssh. Bears going 8-8 at least!

I think I could be anywhere between 6 and 10 wins depending on how well the duct tape keeping Jamario Thomas together holds. I think 7-8 wins is probably the realistic marker though

theawesomestevr posted...

Whenever stuff resumes, and I can post this again later too so don't worry about it now, the Bills will cut Pierre Garcon and Ryan Alexander to get under the cap.

Posting again because I said I would.

I might sim the preseason today. As most of your know, it is simmed in one go. If a player gets injured that requires me to sign someone, I will do that myself. If you have roster or cap space issues, then I will make cuts for your team. I always target positions of excess, if applicable, first so I don't have to do any roster gymnastics.

If there's any player or position you would like for me to cut first in a worst-case scenario, let me know. Feel free to give me like a ranking/list in case things get bad.
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Sounds good!

Are the last batch of FAs on their teams in the spreadsheet by chance?

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Roster sheet yes. Team financial sort of.
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Just took a look, Colts last signings and cuts (QB Brian Johnson and ROLB Fred Harris were the cuts) aren't on there. I was too slow to add them to my own spreadsheet, so that's why I was wondering lol. No rush though!

Edit: It looks like it's mostly done on financials though!

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Screw you in game news paper!

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Bills cut WRs Pierre Garcon and Ryan Alexander

Packers cut QB Jay Cutler and FB Mac Kennedy. Packers sign QB Tom Herron to a 1 year deal.

Wildcats cut QB Andrew Luck
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Preseason has been simmed and injuries are up on the sheet. No user suffered an injury that requires a roster move.

To Do:
- Update Depth Chart and Schedule/Standings sheet + wipe league leaders
- Do division, conference and RotY predictions
- Continue long-term project
- Maybe do the annual updates on games started streaks and fantasy players and/or do a where are they now for former 1st round picks
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AI Signings:
- Cowboys signed FB Toby Gerhart
- Rams signed QB Jay Cutler
- Rams signed C Mark Fenton
- Vikings signed HB LeSean McCoy

User Signing:
- Browns sign G David Stewart to a 1 year deal
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wow the only 2 players i cant win a game without got hurt. siiick


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Could be worse, could be the Bills. Go check their injuries!

All team schedules are up. I am mostly done with depth charts. I need to add everything for the Colts/Pioneers plus update the last several teams on the sheet.
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Bills sign QB Travis Touchdown and OT Branden Albert to 1 year deals
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To Do:
- Do division, conference and RotY predictions
- Continue long-term project
- Maybe do the annual updates on games started streaks and fantasy players and/or do a where are they now for former 1st round picks

I haven't decided what days I will be doing sims this season, but the season will begin in late April
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I forgot to make this seasonal post, but here it goes:

All teams have their depth charts updated as per how the AI optimized depth charts after the preseason. For the love of all that is right in the world, please look over the depth chart sheet at least 10 times. Every season, someone doesn't realize that X player started over Y player for Z position until games have been simmed and are perplexed. Please look over at is many times as it takes for you to understand what you are seeing and let me know if you wish to make any changes.

Here are the positions that can play each position, but keep in mind that playing, for example, an DT out of position at DE will likely see a negative rating change, sometimes severe:
QB (QBs, Ks, Ps)
HB (HBs, FBs)
WR (WRs, HBs, TEs)
TE (TEs, FBs, OTs, DTs)
All OL must be played by an OL
DE (DEs, OLBs)
DT (DTs, DEs)
OLBs (LBs, DEs)
MLB (LBs)
All DBs must be played by DBs (CBs, Ss)
P/K can only be played by Ps and Ks
KR/PRs (WRs, RBs, CBs. Ss, FBs, TEs)
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AFC West Prediction

1. Oakland Raiders
2. Denver Broncos
3. Washington Hawks
4. Kansas City Chiefs

God, how do I choose between the Broncos and Raiders? The only differences in their schedule (aside from home/away common games) are that the Broncos face the Bengals (home) and Pioneers (away) while the Raiders face the Ravens (home) and Jaguars (away). Though I suspect most would think that the Raiders without a doubt have the tougher pair of the two, I think it is a wash. The Raiders helped themselves the most during the offseason for this season with adding DT Babatunde Oshinow through free agency and DE Dee Ford and CB Trae Waynes through the draft. The Broncos were better at adding depth with a look to the future, but they did grab #1 WR Tavon Austin in RFA and #1 CB in Kevin Johnson through the draft. The Broncos are easily the more talented team, and crucial injuries last season on offense is probably the only reason they missed out on the final wildcard, but I can't help but think losing FB Brian Leonard and WR Keary Colbert, the former especially, to retirement will make the difference.

Last season, the AFC West had three teams with double digit wins and Top 10 Os and Ds (they also should have had three in the playoffs). Given their significantly more difficult schedules on paper, it is almost certain at least one team is going to see a decent drop-off (record-wise at least), and the Hawks are my pick. That might be surprising given that they are running back the same starting squad with the exception of 1st round pick Connor McGovern taking over at RG while the other teams have more turnover. Once again, schedule isn't the reason why I am choosing them over the Broncos/Raiders because it is tough for all of them (for the record, the Hawks play the Steelers at home and Colts on the road for their schedule differences). I just feel like many players had career years last season that it isn't reasonable to expect everything to align just right in consecutive seasons. Now they won 12 games last season. They are certainly capable of matching that this season, but I think they will drop down to around 8-9 wins, which is still good given the circumstances and squarely puts them into the wild card conversation. I just don't think they will win the AFC West.

Relative to their draft position, It's hard to argue against anyone else having a more disappointing draft than the Chiefs. They also had a opportunity to be a big player in free agency, but they went into directions that I wouldn't have if I was in charge of the team. Given they are probably the biggest losers of the schedules this season, they will need Ebukam, their free agent class, and any starter worth something to pull their weight to not just prevent another wasted season but to avoid a second straight and third overall #1 pick in the draft.
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AFC East

1. Miami Dolphins
2. New York Jets
3. New England Patriots
4. Buffalo Bills

Stop me if you've seen this before, but the Dolphins lost a lot of talent over the offseason. OLBs D.J. Williams and Daryl Smith retired, C Weston Richburg and top reserve DE Cassius Marsh were taken in RFA, DT Ndamukong Suh and MLB Paul Worrilow left in free agency, and top offensive reserves in HB Eddie Lacy and OT Eric Fisher were traded during the draft for what I assume were draft pick trading restrictions and roster space issues. A mass exodus of talent has occurred every offseason since the wave of retirements after S7, and the Dolphins have ultimately been fine each season having made the playoffs and multiple SBs during that span. I would be stunned if they had a losing season, especially with them running back the same offense with Richburg being replaced with RotY finalist Laurent Duvernay-T (who was an injury replacement for RG Kendall Simmons). What worries me is they are bringing in a whole new LB corps. It's a good thing for the Dolphins that they are bringing back their starting secondary and 3/4 of the DL, but the Dolphins are starting two rookies and a second year player with 12 tackles to his name. If the D slips because of them, they could lose out on the division for the second time in three seasons. If that happens, they should definitely be in line for a wild card spot given they face the worst division as their non-conference opponent (AFC South) while other leading wild card hopefuls have to deal with the NFC East or NFC West.

I really wanted to talk myself into picking the Jets here for the division crown. I'm really feeling them this season. They were the most injured team in the league last season, and they still started 4-4 before inexplicably losing seven straight games. Statistically, they were far from a bad team, finishing in the mid-to-upper teens on offense and defense and having a positive turnover differential. They had one of my favorite offseasons with my overall favorite draft class, a great trade for OT Eric Fisher, and in free agency continued to beef up the OL depth with signing OT Kwame Harris as well as other key areas. The OL depth had looked a little shabby, but it is robust now. All of their young starters are trending in a positive direction too. Last season was really just poor luck, and I feel confident in saying that they will put it in the rearview mirror once this one is concluded.

The Pats were a surprise 10-6 team last season and nearly took the division. They were great at rushing the ball and their defense finished around 10th in the league, so that isn't a surprise, but the underlying stats did not paint a pretty picture as they were overall the worst offense to make the playoffs and had red flags in other areas like turnover differential and defensive playmaking (sacks and FFs). For this season, I'm already seeing one red flag: OL. They used to have quite the impressive depth at OL and routinely finished in the Top 5 in sacks allowed and blocks:sacks ratio. Now the problem isn't their starters but the complete lack of depth behind them. I am a big proponent of assembling a collection OL because they tend to be hit the hardest with injuries, and when I see this team's OL behind the starters (one will already be out for at least the first four games), I see it holding the team back. The decision to trade for QB Cam Newton while signing WR Larry Fitzgerald to their #1 and SS Justin Bethel to be special teams ace and potentially Keon Jackson's successor could all make immediate dividends (it will have to for Larry), I think it will be hard to replicate last season's 10-6 given I think the Jets will bounce back, they overachieved last season, and the poor OL depth this season.

I noticed someone implied the Bills had the worst preseason for any user team, but while it is never good to lose three players for the season, you can hardly say they lost a lot. QB Matt Flynn was a backup who hadn't thrown a pass since S5. LT Garett Bolles was a rookie, so we have absolutely no idea how good of a player he is or will be. RG Phil Loadholt had 4 blocks against 3 sacks last season. While they are obviously not a realistic playoff contender this season, I think they have a chance of getting to .500. For one they have a relatively easier schedule having finished third in the division last season and the NFC South being the non-conference opponent. They also brought in multiple OL in free agency that should be far superior to the steaming pile of garbage that was their OL last season. HB Todd Gurley will finally make his debut. While he could easily struggle, there's at least hope that he will be the team's best HB since Courtney Lewis was shown the door and Clinton Portis retired. Probably the biggest and best change is that the defense finally has a direction now. After purposely playing people out of position and not putting their best players forward, the LB corps looks legit and that secondary could go back to being above average with Lewis Baker playing his natural SS again. Unfortunately, they play in what is usually one of the tougher divisions, Derek Carr is still their starting QB, and overall, and they have a talent deficiency issue that makes it hard for me to pick them to get out of the cellar. Still, after finishing 30th on offense and 27th on defense last season, I would expect improvements from both, especially on defense.
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AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Mexico City Browns

The Ravens didn't really do much. They saw their long-time SS Michael Boulware retire and DT Babatunde left in free agency to join the Raiders, but they eschewed free agency except for depth pieces, and the only notable draft picks were DE Stephon Tuitt and SS Damontae Kazee. Having finished in the top half of the league on defense every season except one, it's the offense that needs to make strides if they wish to become SB contenders again. It will likely be all up to QB Ben Roethlisberger who has been a disappointment since his trade from the 49ers. Both teams probably wished they could take that trade back. After blowing the chance for a first round bye last season, the Ravens will have to take advantage of their quirky schedule and injury-free offseason to get there. Their first three games are on the road, including the first two against playoff teams from a season ago (Raiders and Jags). Then they play eight home games in an eight week stretch. These include pushovers, playoff hopefuls, and top franchises like the Vikings and Dolphins. If they can go 7-1 (I would expect 5-3 at the worst given their current injury status) during this stretch, they are a virtual playoff lock and their final five games (all on the road) include just one playoff team from a season ago (Packers). By playing the NFC North as their non-conference opponent, there is a path here to the #1 seed even.

While the Steelers are rarely outstanding, they tend to be at least adequate in all major areas, so they are a safe pick to finish second. Defense is clearly this team's strength, and they are running back virtually the same starting squad as last time (CB Bashaud Breeland won a starting gig, but he's out for several weeks to begin the season). I expect them to finish in the low teens at worst. The offense though is a concern. When healthy, HB Jamario Thomas is one of the best HBs in the game, but he has missed double digit games in three of the past four seasons. They have a high-end backup in HB Le'Veon Bell, but he's no Jamario. Even among scrambling QBs, Reggie McNeal isn't the most gifted passer, but you have to wonder if a poor WR/TE group and coaching strategy is holding him and the offense back. The biggest concern for me is that the OL has lost depth and star power, which will make it tough for a run-first team to reach the same level of production and efficiency they are used to seeing. They could compete for the division given their high floor, but their lower ceiling could also have them compete for the cellar. I sort of wanted to pick them to finish third, but I will play it safe and have them finish second.

I had at one point considered taking the Bengals to claim the division. While I wasn't completely enamored with their draft, I loved their first two picks in OLB Matthew Judon and WR Kenny Stills. They were also active in free agency grabbing multiple starters in their secondary in SS Chris Browning and CB Darrelle Revis. I think they can make great strides on both sides of the ball. They owned the #1 D for a multi-week stretch last season before the wheels came off, and QB Jake Locker had a strong end to the season. I am worried about this OL though and HB Eric Haw. Calling the OL underwhelming is an understatement. This aging group just hasn't been great for awhile. OTs Khalif Barnes and Lyndon Murtha own career block:sack ratios under 7, LG Eric Steinbach is coming off a season where he had 29 blocks against 16 sacks, C Travis Frederick has had two seasons where he played a combined 5 games due to injuries, but RG might be a bright spot as third-year player Mark Glowinski won the starting gig and has 30 blocks against 0 sacks in his career. Haw has three 1400+ yard seasons (all with 4.3 YPC), but those are his only good seasons. He has been very underwhelming in his other healthy years (six seasons of less than 4.0 YPC and none with 1000+ rushing yards) In two of the past three seasons, he has missed significant time (15 games S12 and 9 S10). Free agent HB Knowshon Moreno had arguably his best season last year under this OL (1150 rushing yards on 4.5 YPC and 270 rec yards on 10.0 YPC), so maybe the Bengals picked the wrong HB to retain. Anyway, I like the potential of this team, but with how much the running game matters and my belief that OL is the most important unit on offense, the Bengals lagging in those areas will probably prevent them from taking the division but could be a wild card contender.

I really, really wished that the Browns took advantage of a free agent class that perfectly fit many areas in needing of improvement. They could have grabbed SS Browning or Polite (latter wasn't signed until R2 of free agency) and MLB McDonald (former: see Polite) or Worrilow and still have a couple million left over. The team has naturally picked in the Top 10 for five straight seasons having won 5 or 6 games in each season. Being worried about contracts coming up next season should not be an issue for a team in desperate need for improvement. If you are a struggling franchise and see an opportunity to make significant immediate and long-term improvements to your team, you take it without question. Now all hope for this season isn't lost. A lot of these top picks using those Top 10 selections or picks received from those selections (HB Mark Ingram, RG Kevin Zeitler, WR DeAndre Hopkins) have developed and improved upon their production each year in the league. If #6 pick QB Dak Prescott proves to be a good fit in his rookie season, we could be looking at an offense that flits with being a Top 10 unit. I am very concerned about this defense though, and with FS Lovon Ponder potentially retiring after the season, I am also very concerned about its future. The defense is basically Ponder, OLBs Aaron Curry and Kwon Alexander, and DE Pierre Woods. Four players can't mask the deficiencies of seven others, and while the AFC North isn't known for their potent offenses, they will probably post some of their best outings of the season against this squad. Maybe the offense can carry this team to an overachieving level, but with defense being more tied to success than offense, it is more likely that a team that Madden dubbed as tied for the least talented in the league will once again be picking in the Top 10 come next season.
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AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Columbus Pioneers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tennessee Titans

Now this division is a toughie. There are compelling cases you can make for each of the top three teams. I actually am most concerned with the Colts, but I am stilling picking them because the surest thing in this division (in a positive way) is their defense, which has been among the league's best the past two seasons. I feel like that should carry them far. I feel the least confident about them making noise in the playoffs, but with their uncommon games against teams I am expecting some regression from in the Patriots and Hawks, I think they can get enough wins to take the division. I have major concerns about the offense though. I assume ageism was at play, but I found the signings of QB Colin Kaepernick and G Jonathan Martin perplexing, and that could derail what is an otherwise playoff caliber team. Charlie Whitehurst is without question the best QB on the team, but when he was injured last season, I tried the scrambling QB approach last season. It was a disaster, so to then hand the keys to another scrambling QB who had shown very little in Toronto and Carolina was odd. Jonathan Martin is just an outright bad G. His 23 blocks against 5 sacks last season brought his career line to 70 blocks against 22 sacks allowed. The key to this season on offense though is Steven Jackson's successor at HB in Duke Johnson. Rookie HBs tend to have efficiency issues, so for this season, we may have more of the same of what Jackson brought to the table, but if he can offer something above of what the Colts have typically seen, perhaps the offense can be just dynamic enough to separate themselves from the AFC South crowd. I know this isn't a ringing endorsement, and I will admit that I have extremely low confidence in this pick, but I just really like that defense a lot.

The Pioneers are the most complete team in the division, though the talent lags behind both the Colts and Jags. They are also a prime candidate to regress to the mean on offense after what is usually a unit that finishes in the Top 10 or so finished in the mid-20s thanks to high turnovers and poor injury luck. Under new management, they had a mini-makeover on that side of the ball with new starters at HB (Markus Manson), WR (Stefon Diggs, with Eric Decker as the slot receiver), and RG Wes Schweitzer. They also added a ton of depth on the line and added some pieces in the draft on all three levels (all this at the expense of their top picks next season). The Pioneers positioned themselves to seize this division if the majority of the adjustments they made pan out. The defense should keep them very competitive though with the division's best secondary and a rising LB corps. The DL is no slouch either, but they aren't the focal point of this defense. I see the floor of this team being 7-9 while something in the 10-11 win range isn't unrealistic and should be good enough for a playoff spot.

The Jags have the most star power in this division, and we've seen teams in recent seasons like the Bucs coast on their star power alone. The Jags are a better team than those recent Bucs squads, but even after making the AFC Championship last season, I have a feeling this will be a year the Jags slip. For starters, their OTs are gone for extended time, including one for the entire season, and because of cap issues, they've had to cut back on depth there. HB Adrian Peterson is still playing at a high level, but the offense really goes through him as QB Tim Tebow is looking more and more like a flash in the pan, and despite the level of talent, they haven't had a 1000 yard receiver since S7. On defense, the DL is amazing, but the rest of the team has question marks. MLB Rey Maualuga turned in arguably his best season in S12, but his OLBs are a recent 1st round pick and a former 5th rounder. ROLB Aaron Lynch had a very disappointing season statistically as the #6 overall pick and while LOLB Corey Morrison had a promising 2 FFs and 1 FR as a reserve last season, who knows how that will translate to a starting job. The secondary keeps having turnover because management has decided they want to keep switching safeties each year. This will be the third straight season that a different pair of safeties will be starting for them. Last year, rookies FS Tre Boston and SS Ibraheim Campbell helped make the Jags pass D finish in the Top 5, and they developed nicely for their help. Campbell wasn't retained as a free agent while Boston was traded. It's hard to develop a defense in particular when there's no continuity, and there's a chance that quickly abandoning those players could ultimately be the difference between being in the playoffs and watching them from the couch.

The Titans are finishing last. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. The situation isn't as dire as it is like the Chiefs in the AFC West. I am genuinely intrigued by this team though. Paxton Lynch was a blah QB, but the Titans can go to the free agent well and get a superior option with the savings. The highest are off the table, but there are several options that could be of use for this team as it tries to right its offense. The best offensive ranking the team has ever had was actually with Bobby Reid at the helm, so if the Titans want to admit their mistake in releasing him, he's available. Other options include Jake Christensen, Brock Osweiler, Ryan Lindley. I am droning on about QBs because I think it is imperative to get #2 overall pick WR Mike Evans going. The hit rate of Top 10 WRs in the past five or seasons has been great (very small sample size though), but a team like the Titans shouldn't take it for granted. The right QB could help put this offense on the right path because there's really nowhere else to look forward to on offense. The defense is weird. They should be better than what they've given over the years. They do have MLBs Brian Cushing and David Harris, but the rest of the team is either older players treading water at this point or younger players who have hit a wall. They've added more resources at OLB and while Tom Burton is unquestionably no Shawne Merriman, maybe this LB corps can get them back to respectability. If both the QB/WR connection and defense become adequate, the Titans could possibly pick outside of the Top 10 for a change, but a more realistic, optimistic outlook is a pick in the back half of the Top 10.
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AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Miami Dolphins
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Denver Broncos
6. Columbus Pioneers

Playoff Contenders
7. New York Jets
8. Washington Hawks
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Cincinnati Bengals
12. New England Patriots

Better Luck Next Season
13. Buffalo Bills
14. Mexico City Browns
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Kansas City Chiefs

Remember that I consider dark horse picks to be teams that had losing records last season
Dark Horse: Columbus Pioneers
Dark, Dark Horse: Buffalo Bills
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Wasn't I laughed at for signing Bobby Reid to a 2 or 3 year deal just before I left the Titans? >_>

I think that is pretty much in line with what I was predicted last season and pretty much what happened thanks to injuries. On paper I'm definitely a worst team but even if it's somewhere around an 8-8 season there's still plenty of intrigue around certain players for me.

• 8 of my 11 O-line men are young with barely any snaps so at least 2 will start and injuries will be filled in by youth.
• Uzomah / Howard at TE are rookie/sophomores and one of them has to start
• My WR3 is a rookie second rounder and likely my returner too
• Leveon Bell as backup HB if Jamario goes down is likely better than my options last season
• Sophomore SS Murray will actually get snaps this year (as CB3 during injury and then as backup SS instead of a FS)
• MLB Haley will likely get decent snaps as he's backup for the entire LB group. Gets the chance to see if he's the replacement when Tulloch retires
• DT Richardson in his sophomore season after a great rookie season
• DE Ingram did ok last year and is still on his rookie deal as a former 1st rounder

Sure it isn't all going to work out but at least I have plenty of young / rookie contract players to be invested in and maybe something will stick. There's a good 6-7+ rookie contract players who should see decent snaps this season whereas in previous seasons that number was 0-2. So I'm still excited, probably more so than any recent seasons

Good to know regarding Kaep and Martin lol, but I'll keep tabs on how things go. If Kaep shits everywhere, Whitehurst is still there. As for Martin, needed an upgrade at RG, though knowing his pass blocking stats now, could've gone a different route. Hopefully will still be good to go!

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NFC West

1. St. Louis Rams
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Toronto Wildcats

The Rams have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, winning the division three times. This team started 0-6 last season even with the #1 D at that point before winning 9 of their final 10 games. Even with the retirements of OLB Demarcus Ware and DE Julius Peppers, this defense should still be the cream of the crop in the division. They added DE Cassius Marsh through RFA and drafted OLB Leonard Floyd with their first pick to replace them, so there could be little to no drop off there. The offense I am optimistic about after two straight seasons of disappointment. QB Ryan Tannehill, while not performing to the level of his sensational rookie season, is still a Top 10 QB in the league. Longtime WR Roy Williams has retired, but they got a great rental in Martin Nance to replace him. The big change is at HB where the disappointing Lamar Miller is being replaced with Eddie Lacy. Lacy has never been the starter after spending three seasons in Miami, but he's been one of the more efficient HBs in a backup role. I keep thinking they will get back to something closer to their S11 level, but maybe it is time to temper my expectations for this squad. Still, I would be a little surprised to not see them in the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

I thought long and hard about who to choose second, and I decided on the 49ers. Unique games against basement dwellers Panthers and Lions were a big reason why. I criticized the 49ers draft, and I would still grade it quite low, but the moves they made in free agency helped. QB Kirby Freeman may not have lived up to his billing as the #1 overall pick, but he had a pair of great seasons and was generally an average or above average QB. This was on the Titans mind you. In his brief appearance with the Lightning and that OL and WR corps, he posted what would be in a full 16 game season arguably his second best season (2992 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs). Now he's going to the 49ers who boast one of the league's best OLs and while they don't have an elite WR, they do boast a deep trio there. Even at 31, his best years could still be ahead of him. After management made disastrous sweeping changes several seasons back, the defense took several seasons to get back respectability, which they did last season. Now the talent level isn't what you would like, but 3/4 of those LBs are fantastic, the safeties are developing, the CBs are hanging tough, and their young DL starter is developing and trending in the right direction. If they can continue to make strides and the offense gels immediately, it isn't out of the question seeing the 49ers win the division. At the very least, I think they should compete for a wild card.

The Seahawks are just a weird team to me. I can never figure out why they've only played up to their potential in the lone season Jablax was partially active. They probably have the highest floor and ceiling from this division as they don't have any weaknesses in their roster on paper, but it's exhausting thinking about them. While they didn't do much outside of their first three picks, I think they nailed those first three. That tradedown with the Cowboys ultimately netted them MLB Joe Schobert who is likely to be their future MLB, but the selections of C Cam Erving (who is starting at LG) and CB Bobby McCain (slot corner) could pay immediately dividends even in lower impact roles. I just really don't know what to expect from this team. I could see them doing as well as 12-4 or as worse as 7-9.

The Wildcats blew a chance of winning their first division since S2 (as the Arizona Cardinals). That might be the closest they will come to a division crown for at least another season. QB Aaron Murray played out of his mind. There is no way he is posting another upper 90s passer rating and 3:1 TD:INT ratio. It's also hard to expect an upgrade this season at HB with rookie Christian McCaffrey after the retirement of one of the league's most underrated players Laurence Maroney. I think the defense can get back to the teens. This team no longer has the talent deficiency issues that had plagued it on defense for a long time, but it also lacks stars at high impact positions (on both sides of the ball). By virtue of picking them to finish last in the division, it is more likely than not they will finish with a losing record, but if that ends up being the case, they could be the most competitive losing team in the league.
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NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Washington Redskins
3. New York Giants
4. Las Vegas Pumpkins

It's the Cowboys.

I have been high on the Redskins for the past few seasons now. They've been on the cusp of something great but haven't put it quite together. Maybe the losses to retirement, RFA, and UFA could be too much to overcome, and that depth will be tested as this is a franchise that routinely finds itself among the most injured in the league. However, they have stars or stars in the making at just about every position. It should pay off at some point. The schedule as a whole won't do them any favors, but since they finished last in the division with an 8-8 record, they get the Lions and Panthers as their unique games. That could be enough to put them over some division rivals and to a wild card spot.

The Giants were statistically a playoff team last season. I would argue they were the third-best team in the conference after the Cowboys and Vikings. Even with the significant loss of LT Junius Coston and trading away WR Martin Nance, I still think they can be a double digit win team if things go right. They are a complete football team after all. Unfortunately, like everyone in the NFC East and AFC West, the schedules are brutal and could ultimately cost them a playoff spot. With their talent and recent history of team production based on it, they should be in the playoff conversation throughout the entire season.

I'm glad the Pumpkins were able to end their playoff drought as I am expecting them to fall back to something around .500 this season. I won't keep referencing the schedule, so I will focus on regression in the run game both on offense and defense. While incumbent HB Cornell Brockington is one of the best pass-catching HBs in the league, he is an average runner at best, so it might actually be a good thing he is out for at least the first two weeks as they test out potential franchise HB in Tevin Coleman. While the LB corps and secondary are ascending, the DL is fluttering around and have been the prime suspect for a below average run defense these past two or three seasons. It is unlikely that second year player DT David Parry will solve their problems, but if he does a better job than former NT Shaun Cody did in recent seasons, that may save the team from ending up in the division cellar. The conference is light on surefire teams, and we've seen the team be very competitive for the past half dozen seasons or so. They are certainly capable of making a return playoff trip, but I just think it will be an uphill battle.
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NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions

Wow, the Vikings weren't messing around this offseason. They grabbed the 90+, 24-year-old starting C from the reigning SB champs in RFA, spent most of their remaining draft picks beefing up the lines, then they grabbed two of the better free agents in DT Ndamukong Suh and OT Junius Coston. Until they signed an injury replacement, they also had the third-most cap space in the NFL, but they have more than enough to make in an additional in-season move or two if need be. I think they were mad they went 11-5 with Top 10 Os and Ds and had to get in as a wild card. The question for this team isn't if they will make the playoffs but can they become the first team to knock off the Cowboys when it matters the most. They are the one team that has consistently given the Cowboys trouble during their unprecedented six year run. The Cowboys did lose quite a few starters from last season, but they will still be the conference favorites. The Vikings though unquestionably are fielding a better team this year than last. If one team is able to stop the Cowboys from making their seventh straight Super Bowl, it's this one.

The Packers lost franchise draftees OT Kevin Barry and HB Carnell Williams to retirement, then they had three holdouts that blew up what was an already sensitive financial situation. Then they had just an okay draft that wasn't financially savvy which forced them to go bargain shopping in free agency. To cap that off, they lost their two best OL for extended periods of time (one for the season). I have a hard time believing in an offense led by the trio of QB Tyrod Taylor, HB Ben Slater, and whatever WR you pick. That being said, they might be the leading candidate for a wild card spot. That defense had a down year last season, but it's full of studs. The weak link at LB has been developing quickly over the past two seasons. I think they can get back to the Top 10. I think last season's NFC Championship appearance is a very unrealistic option this season, but after the offseason they had, I'm sure a repeat playoff trip is more than acceptable.

The Bears' D flirted with being a Top 10 unit last season, and that pass D finished in the Top 5. If they can maintain something around that level of play, and the offense shows signs of life this season, they could be a dark horse wild card pick. I don't want to give Stan false hope, but after basically sitting out of the draft and free agency due to financial constraints, to field a team that I can see being a fringe playoff contender is pretty remarkable, especially the lone franchise that doesn't have a playoff spot to its name. They cannot afford injuries on the offense though as losing players at what are already thin skill positions would all but guarantee a repeat of last season.

The Lions are still at least a year away before I would consider them for a playoff spot, but this might be their most fruitful draft class they've had since S2 netted them DTs Claude Wroten and LeKevin Smith, C Greg Eslinger, and SS Greg Threat. The talent level as a whole is still extremely low. I really don't know what to expect out of their offense or defense. Neither will probably be great, but there's reason to believe at least one will be league average. Baby steps.
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NFC South

1. Anaheim Lightning
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Carolina Panthers

Well somebody has to win this division. I'm going with the team that I have seemingly picked to win the division every other year. The Lightning easily have the most talented roster in the division, so that's a start. They turned over half of their roster from a squad that has been mired in mediocrity, record-wise. That's probably a good thing? The secondary is clearly an issue, but that front seven is pretty damn great. I think they can be an above-average defense because of it. If they want to seize the division though, the offense will have to play to its potential. The excellent play of the OL, breakout season from HB Kestahn Moore, and the perennially fantastic play of WR Antonio Brown went to waste because of the mediocre play of QB Eli Manning. Having retired, they decided to roll the dice on former Raiders backup Blake Bortles. Laugh all you want, but he's improved significantly each season in the league, and he's had more work as a backup than most. Whether he's a good fit is unknown at this point, but he is an improvement over Eli at all, the Lightning should be in a great position to earn their first playoff berth since S2.

I'm putting the Falcons here under the belief that Aaron Rodgers will still be in uniform and will be made the starter over Brian Brohm before the regular season begins. The offense has quality players across the board. There may not be any stars, but they are a deep and versatile bunch that can withstand a few injuries. If they are to make the playoffs, it will be on the backs of their defense. They have one of the best DE combos in the league, and even though both Josh Julmiste and Doug Worthington are in their 30s now, there's no reason to expect them to slow down this season. After trotting out the same DT pair for many seasons, the Falcons idled and were given DT B.J. Raji in free agency. He does have some history being a capable pass rusher, which should make him an instant improvement over what they had. The relatively young LB corps is getting there. They already had a stud in MLB James Laurinaitis, but former Day 1 picks Pernell McPhee and Anthony Chickillo on the outside are coming into their own. If the defense lets them down again this season, it will be because of a secondary. The Falcons had previously thrown a lot of resources at CB but neglected the safety positions, and it ended up being a disastrous unit. There hasn't been much change there, but they have a new projected starter at FS, and with a bit of luck, maybe they will improve considerably. The Falcons have the highest floor out of anyone in this division, so that should keep them in the NFC South conversation, but they just aren't a team that I have a lot of confidence in. You frequently see one of those teams in a wild card spot, so if they can take advantage of a weak division, they can compete for multiple playoff spots.

The Bucs coasted off of their star power to claim the division last season, but two of their five best players just retired (WR Nate Burleson and DT John Henderson), and they also went through another offseason of mass departures coupled with getting free agent scraps. The high-end talent isn't there, and the depth is thin to put it mildly. They could become the next Bills if people don't step up. They've already lost two starting OL for the season, so that's not a great way to begin. If they wish to make a third straight playoff trip, they need to look not toward their best players like HB Matt Forte, OT Orlando Franklin, and OLB Sio Moore but to young players hoping to break out. Players like WR Jarvis Landry, MLB Alec Ogletree, and SS Adrian Amos need to make big leaps. It might be too much to ask so many players to be better than they've been before. Clustering of career years has been more common than it has any right to be, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case with the Bucs, but god this team keeps having their talent gutted. I just feel like they are due for a downfall, even a short one.

The Panthers were a bad team last season and let three of their better players walk in free agency (FB Champ Davis, C Nick Hardwick, and DE Luis Castillo). Even with the addition of a new QB in Carson Wentz, it's hard to imagine much improvement in both unit performance and the win column. While I still expect the offense to finish in the bottom 10, maybe the defense can be their saving grace. It's hard to find a better combo up the middle than DTs Claude Wroten/Callahan Bright and MLB Jonathan Vilma. There are major question marks everywhere else, but maybe their playmaking ability can help get them to respectability. If I don't sound convinced, it's because I'm not, but I'm trying to find something positive in this situation.
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NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. St. Louis Rams
4. Anaheim Lightning
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Washington Redskins

Playoff Contenders
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. New York Giants
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Seattle Seahawks
11. Las Vegas Pumpkins
12. Chicago Bears
13. Toronto Wildcats
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Better Luck Next Season
15. Detroit Lions
16. Carolina Panthers

Dark Horse: Anaheim Lightning
Dark, Dark Horse: Chicago Bears
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Offensive Rookie of the Year Predictions
1. Redskins HB Ezekiel Elliot
2. Browns QB Dak Prescott
3. Colts HB Duke Johnson
4. Panthers QB Carson Wentz
5. Wildcats HB Christian McCaffrey

Defensive Rookie of the Year Predictions
1. Bengals OLB Matthew Judon
2. Rams OLB Leonard Floyd
3. Ravens SS Damontae Kazee
4. Lightning DT Aaron Donald
5. Raiders DE Dee Ford
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To Do:
- Make new topic for regular season
- Continue long-term project
- Maybe do the annual updates on games started streaks and fantasy players and/or do a where are they now for former 1st round picks
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I do this every season or so, but I like to highlight who on each team was selected by them in the fantasy draft and has never left. Given we are in Season 13 now, it is mostly OL/DL/K/P that will be listed.

Bears
RT Jordan Gross
RG Shawn Andrews
CB DeAngelo Hall

Bengals
LG Eric Steinbach
LT Khalif Barnes
WR Matt Jones
RE Terrell Suggs
WR Mike Williams

Bills
RT Alex Barron

Broncos
RT Elton Brown
RT Shane Olivea
DT Tommie Harris

Browns
RT Nat Dorsey

Colts
OT Jammal Brown
DT Ian Scott
K Jeff Reed
P Shane Lechler

Cowboys
TE Jason Witten

Dolphins
RG Kendall Simmons
LE Travis Johnson

Falcons
SS Thomas Davis

49ers
LE Marcus Spears
K Josh Scobee

Giants
MLB Barrett Ruud

Hawks
WR Reggie Williams
TE Kellen Winslow

Jaguars
WR Michael Clayton
LE Ty Warren
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Jets
RG Jake Groves
RE Chauncey Davis
K Lawrence Tynes

Lightning
WR Braylon Edwards
K Neil Rackers

Lions
LG Justin Smiley
RG Jonathan Clinkscale
K Rob Bironas
P Rodney Williams

Packers
LG Logan Mankins
C Jeff Faine
K Josh Brown

Panthers
MLB Jonathan Vilma

Patriots
TE Heath Miller
P Dustin Colquitt

Pioneers
WR Mark Clayton
K Nate Kaeding

Pumpkins
LG Mike Williams
P Kyle Larson

Raiders
RT George Foster

Rams
RT Robert Gallery
LG David Diehl
K Sebastian Janikowski

Redskins
DT Kevin Williams
FS Sean Taylor
K Mike Nugent

Seahawks
LT Levi Jones
RG Chris Snee

Steelers
LT Mike Pearson

Titans
LG Bryant McKinnie
K Robbie Gould

Vikings
RG Qasim Mitchell
P Dave Zastudil

Buccaneers, Chiefs, Ravens, Wildcats all have no fantasy players remaining on their roster

Chiefs have C Chris White who has only played for the team, but he was allowed to enter free agency where the Chiefs ultimately signed him back.
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Each team has played 192 B8NFLL games during the regular season. 10 players have started at least 185 of them while four have started all 192. They are as followed:

192
Bears DT Vince Wilfork
Broncos DT Tommie Harris
Dolphins LE Travis Johnson
Jaguars LE Ty Warren (he is probable for Week 1)

191
Bengals WR Mike Williams

190
Jets RG Jake Grove
Patriots TE Heath Miller

189
Wildcats DT Randy Starks

187
Redskins FS Sean Taylor

186
Hawks TE Kellen Winslow

As you may have seen in the posts above, eight of these players have played for the same franchise during their B8NFLL career. Among the two exceptions is Wilfork who played for the Browns in the first 11 seasons before joining the Bears last season. The other is Starks who has had quite the journey. He began with the Bucs and won a title with them. He has also been, in order, with the the Titans, Ravens, and Steelers before joining the Wildcats in S11.
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KCF0107 posted...

Dark, Dark Horse: Chicago Bears

Yesss! As good as I could have hoped for given my off-season.

Bumpo for more readings!