Board 8 > Sign-ups for B8's best board project [sports]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) just wrapped up its 11th season where the Miami Dolphins defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. That means its time for new blood or old blood returning to be able to get in on the action for Season 12. Signups will last until June, so there's no rush.

What is this?
B8NFLL is a simulation league using Madden 06s franchise mode where users build rosters while managing the salary cap to have fun and/or accomplish something over the course of multiple seasons (no hard figure, but the game can't exceed around 30 seasons)

What do we do in a season?
Here is an oversimplified breakdown of what we do each season:
What is the seasonal schedule?
1. Offseason
- Ownership changes <---- We are here
- Player retirements
- Restricted free agents
- Unrestricted free agents
- NFL Draft + signing draft picks
- Free agency
2. Preseason
3. Regular Season
4. Postseason

We go through roughly two seasons in a calendar year. Offseason/Preseason and Regular/Postseason usually take up around the same amount of time, so I like to think that I have crafted a schedule that paces itself nicely. This works well for people who have varying schedules, time on their hands, and degrees of effort. I also do around 95% of the work around here with many safety nets in place for users, so there should be no worries on your end if you are concerned about a time commitment. As an added bonus, there have been a lot of success stories with users who put in minimal time and effort. The list isn't as extensive as those who have put in at least a decent amount of time and effort, but there are many users who have made the playoffs and one even won a Super Bowl!

How do I sign up?
In the post below, there will be a list of all 32 teams in the league. Many of the teams are already occupied, but I will explain who is and isn't open. All you have to do is post that you will take over X open team, and you are good to go.
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Here are the 32 teams in the league by division. I have made notes for any team that has relocated since this started. A team in bold is one that is occupied by a user who will be coming back in season 12. A team in italics is one that is currently occupied by a user who has yet to inform me of their plans for season 12. A team that is neither bolded nor italicized is open (you can also tell because there's no username to the right of them) for the taking. If an italicized team is the one you want the most, you can sign up for X open team with the stipulation that you would like to change to Y team if their incumbent user does not return, which is just limited to the Bengals, Pumpkins, and Seahawks.

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs - Ranlom
Oakland Raiders
Washington Hawks (formerly San Diego Chargers)

AFC East
Buffalo Bills - stevr
Miami Dolphins - KCF
New England Patriots (formerly Birmingham Cougars and New England Patriots) - Jukkie
New York Jets

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals - Smitty
Mexico City (formerly Cleveland) Browns - VI
Pittsburgh Steelers - Shattered

AFC South
Columbus Pioneers (formerly Houston Texans)
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars - Sultan
Tennessee Titans

NFC West
San Francisco 49ers - Scare
Seattle Seahawks - Jablax
St. Louis Rams
Toronto Wildcats (formerly Arizona Cardinals) - prof

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys - Wiz
Las Vegas Pumpkins (formerly Philadelphia Eagles) - Shonen
New York Giants - Eddv
Washington Redskins

NFC North
Chicago (formerly Los Angeles, Richmond, and Chicago) Bears - Stan
Detroit Lions - Nee
Green Bay Packers - Tangicide
Minnesota Vikings

NFC South
Anaheim Lightning (formerly New Orleans Saints)
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers - Emerald
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Chris
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Here are some helpful links that you can go over with if you desire. I will explain each of these after the links.

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

The hub spreadsheet is the go-to place to understand the current landscape of the league. Included are:
- Roster sheet that includes the full roster of each team, including position and overall rating (0-99 scale). Player retirements are still ahead of us, so that can change as does overall rating changes due to progression and regression.

- Team Financials sheet tells you the salary cap for the league, how much you have remaining, ages of your players, and the various contracts of your players. Due to time constraints, I do not have that info up for AI teams, but you are free to ask me questions about any team you are potentially interested in.

- Depth Chart sheet shows you the pecking order for each major position. You are free to change this as many times as you want starting in the preseason. I don't update them until after the preseason though, and like team financials, I do not have AI depth charts posted.

- Injury sheet is exactly what it sounds like. I will post all injuries in the league here. During the regular season, I update the spreadsheet after every two in-game weeks (with one exception), but I will PM you any injuries you suffer in odd weeks, and I always let you know if you suffer an injury that requires you to acquire a replacement due to game-mandated requirements.

- Free Agent sheet shows you many of the available players at each position with overall ratings and ages provided. This isn't every player available though. I provide the Top 9 and Bottom 1 player at each position. You are free to inquire about those who didn't fall into those ranges.

- Trading Block sheet shows all assets that a user has publicly offered to trade or want to trade for.

- Schedule and Standings sheet shows the full schedules for every team, the results of those games, and the divisional standings with records.

- League Leaders sheet shows the Top 5 at a wide variety of stats in the league for each season.

- Draft Prospects sheet shows the list of prospects and their projected draft slot. It is currently empty as I am only provided this info just before the draft, so it will be a ways off before I can fill it up again.

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

The word doc is a consolidated list of various things to know about how Madden 06 and B8NFLL operates. It isn't required reading, but it is certainly helpful and hopefully not overwhelming.

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

The wiki page shows the history of our league including participants, regular season records, playoff results, award winners, and stat leaders. There's also a link at the bottom taking you to a page that shows the full rosters of every Super Bowl-winning team.

Previous Topics (alive as of this moment)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77581363
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77429731

These two topics encompass everything from the regular season on if you are curious to see how things are presented. Feel free to take a gander.
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I want to reiterate that this is a project that people of all kinds should be able to enjoy. It might be a little harder if you have no interest and/or little knowledge in American football, but we go at a nice consistent pace with plenty of time to do tasks you are given, I explain everything, I am open for any questions and advice, and there are safety nets in place if you forget to do something.

If you have even a little interest in this, I say go for it. Worst case scenario is that you won't return for a second season. We've had so many users throughout the years. Roughly half of the league has been here for at least eight seasons, and they too are willing and eager to help new people, so don't feel like because it is a competitive league that it means you are on your own.

Signups won't end until around mid-June, so you have plenty of time to ask questions, look through links, and think things over. I will provide a few snippets of the open teams in a bit.
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Denver Broncos - They have the third most SB appearances (3) and had previously made it to the title game in S9 and S10 before going 9-7 and out of the playoffs this past season. They were unlucky last season though as their offense and defense both ranked in the Top 10. They are likely to lose QB Michael Vick to retirement, but this is a deep, talented team with plenty of youth starters on both sides of the ball. Biggest question mark is probably at CB given their top three players are over 30, with two possibly retiring.

Oakland Raiders - They just made a surprise run to the AFC Championship game (round before the Super Bowl), and were in the hunt until the final quarter. There are plenty of question marks on this team, mostly its future at QB and DL, but this is a great defense, and the AI has drafted well as of late, so there's plenty of youthful starters that should be stalwarts for that team for years to come.

Washington Hawks (formerly San Diego Chargers) - This team started 3-0, lost 9 straight, then ended the season on a four-game winning streak. It's also set to lose a bunch of starters to retirement within the next two seasons. This isn't a ready-made playoff roster, but if you want to get your hands on a team that you can shape into your own, this is a good one to start.

New York Jets - Jets have just three non-winning records to their name, and have gone 9-7 or better in each of the past three seasons. They didn't make the playoffs this season, but there's no shame in having one of the toughest schedules in the league and coming away with a winning record. There's very little that you would need to do with this roster. It needs a starting QB and also look at the future at TE, DE, CB, but there's no glaring hole on this team and is playoff-caliber as is.

Baltimore Ravens - Ravens, like their real-life counterpart have been defined by their running game and defense, and they've been great at both seemingly every season. Their win/loss record fluctuates greatly, but they won the AFC North last season, so there's reason for optimism next season.

Columbus Pioneers (formerly Houston Texans) - The Pioneers are coming off of a season where they had three players in the five-man MVP race, including WR Mark Clayton (whom the users voted as MVP), QB Russell Wilson (named QB of the Year), and OLB Kamerion Wimbley (who won Def Player of the Year). The once-aging OL has been rebuilt, There is a successor in place at HB, and there's a lot of talent along the defense. That being said, the defense as a whole has yet to put it all together in spite of the talent, but maybe a user touch is all it needs to realize its potential.

Indianapolis Colts - The reigning AFC South champs were the second-best team in the AFC last season but bounced out of the playoffs in their first game. They are also expected to lose some stalwarts to retirement in the next offseason or two, mostly on the defense. The AI has drafted well as of late, so the drop off might not be big. Regardless, they should be in the thick of things next season.

Tennessee Titans - This is definitely a work in progress. You can blame previous management for being a curse magnet that the organization hasn't been able to shed yet. They will be picking in the Top 5 again, but there are huge question marks at QB, HB, WR, TE, OL, CB, FS. If you want a challenge, this is your team as the Titans play in a division where the third-best team went 9-7 last season.
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Why Madden 06?
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redrocket posted...

Why Madden 06?

I'm guessing that was the game the project started with?

Btw KCF. This is the first time I have ever decided to come into one of these topics. I'm not a football fan by any means but I'm impressed with what you have set up here. Are you the original creator of this project?
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Yes, I started it in the fall of 2013.
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redrocket posted...

Why Madden 06?

There are two things that this game features that are necessary for this project:

1. Ability to have multiple user controlled teams
2. Ability to change teams from AI to user controlled and vice versa.

The third reason why I used this game is because for seasons 2-9, I imported draft classes from NCAA 06, which is only compatible with Madden 06.
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And now for the NFC teams...

St. Louis Rams - They previously made the NFC Championship game in Seasons 9 and 10, but they were eliminated convincingly in the wild card round this season. The defense is excellent, and they accumulated a lot of a top-end players at DL, LB, and S. The issue is the offense. They let some people go and saw a few retirements over the offseason, and the offense fell off a cliff. QB Ryan Tannehill is one of the best QBs when healthy, but he's missed considerable time in each of the past two seasons. HB Lamar Miller might not be the long-term answer at the position, and the rest of the offense is aging. They are still a SB contender imo, but that offense needs tweaking to get them there.

Washington Redskins - One of four teams with 2 Super Bowl victories, the team fell on hard times for a bit due to financial constraints. Now, the team is out of the hole and should be able to make some noise. There's a lot of talent on this team, and they've drafted well these past 2-3 years. There's also a lot of old, starting players on the verge of retirement.

Minnesota Vikings - One of the best teams available, the Vikings find themselves perennially in the playoffs thanks to a balanced offense and a great defense. This is the oldest team in the league, so expect quite a few retirements, but the AI has set them up to compete for many seasons.

Anaheim Lightning (formerly New Orleans Saints) - This franchise hasn't been to the playoffs since S2 or S3, but they alternate between bad and borderline great years. They are coming off of a bad year, so history suggests they will be in the playoff hunt next season! This team needs some work though. They have thrown so many resources at making a passable OL, but aside from their C and RT, they just haven't gotten the job done, which is why this team is usually in the bottom half of the league on offense. They also need to look at QB Eli Manning's successor. Defense is in good shape, though a new MLB will be a priority this offseason.

Atlanta Falcons - Falcons arguably suffered the most impactful retirements last offseason as they plummeted to a Top 5 pick in this upcoming draft after winning the NFC South in S10. Defense is fine, though the future at DT and FS is murky at best. Offense is expected to lose some starting OL to retirement as early as this offseason. QB Aaron Rodgers was one of the worst QBs last season, and the stable of HBs kept getting injured. The special teams are among the league's best, so you at least don't have to worry there.
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To simplify:

Super Bowl Caliber
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings
St. Louis Rams

Playoff Caliber and Super Bowl Caliber with a little work and luck
Baltimore Ravens
Columbus Pioneers
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders

Needs some work
Anaheim Lightning
Washington Hawks
Washington Redskins

Needs a lot of work
Atlanta Falcons
Tennessee Titans
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It's a fun project! You can potentially guide your team to a Super Bowl, even if they are a team like the Detroit Lions!
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Bump
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Bump
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Totally vouching for this project.
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I'm always tempted to come back to this but I know I will get lazy and be not happy with myself.
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This sounds right up my alley. I'm an avid NFL fan and reading the current state of these teams was a little weird. I'd take the Ravens or the Raiders if either are still available.

Both the Ravens and Raiders are available, so it's up to you.
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Maniac64 posted...

I'm always tempted to come back to this but I know I will get lazy and be not happy with myself.

You can always take a SB-ready team. Vikings are in a relatively weak division. Colts have never been under user control (one user had them but backed out before the offseason began).
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KCF0107 posted...

Vikings are in a relatively weak division.

*cough*
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Look around the league and tell me the NFC North isn't at minimum a bottom three division!
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......fair.......
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That's only because I haven't gotten a chance to build up the Bears into perennial Super Bowl contenders yet. And now that we're back where we belong in Chicago, watch out!

Yeah sure I can take over the colts. See if I have time to keep up.

Now watch the retirements be even worse than expected.
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KCF0107 posted...

Look around the league and tell me the NFC North isn't at minimum a bottom three division!

I think of the available teams, the ones with the easiest path to the division title are probably Broncos and Vikings? Which feels odd to say given Broncos didn't win the division last year.

AFC West - Theoretically Broncos should be the favories although Raiders are up and coming.

AFC East - Jets are good but got to get past the Dolphins which is always going to be stupid hard.

AFC North - Possibly in the conversation since Ravens are probably the best team in that bunch but this division is one of those where the top teams consistently change. I don't think we've had a back to back winner in this division for a while.

AFC South - Again in the conversation just due to how good the Colts are but getting past the Jags seems more difficult to me than getting past the Raiders with the Broncos or the Steelers with the Ravens or the NFC East with the Vikings.

NFC West - Rams are good but you have to contend with the Seahawks who are a better team than the Raiders and what the NFC East offers

NFC North - Have to get past the Cowboys which is like getting past the Dolphins

NFC East - This is probably the easiest one with navigate with the Vikings because whilst the other 3 teams are quite evenly balanced, I don't think any of them (based off last few years) would be a credible threat to win any other division. Doesn't mean it won't change

NFC South - I probably don't rate this division as highly as I should and this would probably be in the conversation if not for the fact that the available teams in this division need a lot of work to make them good. Whereas the likes of the Vikings, Colts, Broncos and Ravens are probably favorites to win their division out of the box. Dump either of Falcons of Lightning in any other division and you get the same answer.

And I guess that NFC South evaluation kinda answers the question in a different way. If you had to take control of the Falcons/Lightning (or any team for that matter) and got to pick the division to dump them in via replacing another AI team which division are you putting them in to give you the best chance to win? The answer to me is clearly to replace the Vikings in the NFC East.

Also will chip in and say the league is incredibly well run by KCF who clearly puts in a lot of time and effort to the project. Far more than any other project I have seen on B8. This is not the sort of project where you have to worry about the organizer flaking out on it after you get invested.

KCF is also extremely accommodating to everyone and will help you out as much as you need if you are not sure what to do. He wants the league to be as fair and competitive as possible so he isn't just going to let you run a franchise into the ground because you don't know what you are doing. Everyone else in the league is very friendly and will help too. It probably took me 3-4 seasons before I figured out how everything worked but KCF would have happily divulged if I had asked him.

I have never been part of a better project on the board and my main regret is not joing sooner (this year will be my 7th) after expressing an interest 1-2 seasons before actually joining. So if you are on the fence about joining then my advice would be to join.

And Maniac becomes the first user in charge of three different teams (if we don't count the seasons where some were dumped on me in the offseason).
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Yeah I was going to mention that.

Part of the reason I didnt want to take the Falcons again. A. To much repair work to do, B. I might as well keep up the tradition and change teams again.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Uc3V8NxKWw" data-time="

Good Afternoon, I will be holding a press conference at 2 EST.

Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

After much consideration, Wizardsfan1000 has been relieved of his GM duties. It was a mutual separation and he was not fired(so don't ask him that question dammit). The Dallas Cowboys wish him the best on his future endeavors.

Noooooo!
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Oh wow, for some reason I thought you told me for sure you were coming back.
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I was actually surprised when you said that because I kinda interpreted what he said in Discord as him being likely to make an announcement he wasn't coming back

I assumed he had spoken to you separately to say he was staying so figure maybe a team change or something

Bump
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Aw. How am I supposed to pilfer ex Cowboys players now that the AI is more likely to resign them instead of letting them hit FA?

But seriously, sad to see you go, Wiz! Unless you're secretly planning on taking another team to continue your winning ways in which case...alrighty then.
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Quit spoiling the surprise everyone!
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MysteriousStan posted...

Aw. How am I supposed to pilfer ex Cowboys players now that the AI is more likely to resign them instead of letting them hit FA?

But seriously, sad to see you go, Wiz! Unless you're secretly planning on taking another team to continue your winning ways in which case...alrighty then.

Now you can blow your AI trade on the cowboys but not really because none of us have any players good enough to start for them!

Bump
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Updated user roster

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs - Ranlom
Oakland Raiders
Washington Hawks (formerly San Diego Chargers)

AFC East
Buffalo Bills - stevr
Miami Dolphins - KCF
New England Patriots (formerly Birmingham Cougars and New England Patriots) - Jukkie
New York Jets

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens - burrito
Cincinnati Bengals - Smitty
Mexico City (formerly Cleveland) Browns - VI
Pittsburgh Steelers - Shattered

AFC South
Columbus Pioneers (formerly Houston Texans)
Indianapolis Colts - Maniac
Jacksonville Jaguars - Sultan
Tennessee Titans

NFC West
San Francisco 49ers - Scare
Seattle Seahawks - Jablax
St. Louis Rams
Toronto Wildcats (formerly Arizona Cardinals) - prof

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Las Vegas Pumpkins (formerly Philadelphia Eagles) - Shonen
New York Giants - Eddv
Washington Redskins

NFC North
Chicago (formerly Los Angeles, Richmond, and Chicago) Bears - Stan
Detroit Lions - Nee
Green Bay Packers - Tangicide
Minnesota Vikings

NFC South
Anaheim Lightning (formerly New Orleans Saints)
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers - Emerald
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Chris

Wiz still deciding on new team
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Oh sorry I'll take the ravens
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Bump
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Oh I got a full AFC North challenging me this year if I convince Smitty to come back. It's been a while since that happened

Also Wiz should have to take the Titans! Even if it foils my planned AI trade

The Titans were 100% going to be under user control next season, so those plans were foiled once Stan went to helm the Bears.
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I'll take the Titans...
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Just so you know, the Titans are possibly in the worst state of any team in the league.

Thanks for the heads up, but since the Panthers aren't available, I might as well accept the challenge
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Greetings, my predecessor! It's nice to finally meet you, KCF has spoken highly of you.
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Yeah KCF is always gushing about you. Happy to have you back in the league
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I'm touched. And happy to see people interested in this project (even if one of you is squatting on my team). KCF puts in a lot of effort and deserves more engagement. To think I'd leave for four years, and this is still going on. Amazing. Thank you, guys, for keeping this alive.
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