Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 12: The Offseason Pt. II

(+) Yeah! (+)

Jets
OT Kareem McKenzie
G Jake Groves
DE Chauncey Davis
CB Chris Gamble
K Lawrence Tynes

Lightning
QB Eli Manning
WR Braylon Edwards
K Neil Rackers

Lions
QB Jason Campbell
G Justin Smiley
G Jonathan Clinkscale
DE Osi Umenyiora
K Rob Bironas
P Rodney Williams

Packers
OT Kevin Barry
G Logan Mankins
C Jeff Faine
OLB Channing Crowder
K Josh Brown

Panthers
C Nick Hardwick
DE Luis Castillo
MLB Jonathan Vilma

Patriots
TE Heath Miller
P Dustin Colquitt

Pioneers
WR Mark Clayton
WR Troy Williamson
K Nate Kaeding

Pumpkins
G Mike Williams
P Kyle Larson

Raiders
OT George Foster
C Chukky Okobi

Rams
WR Roy Williams
OT Robert Gallery
G David Diehl
OLB Demarcus Ware
K Sebastian Janikowski

Ravens
SS Michael Boulware

Redskins
OT Leonard Davis
DT Kevin Williams
FS Sean Taylor
K Mike Nugent

Seahawks
OT Levi Jones
G Chris Snee
P Brian Moorman

Steelers
OT Mike Pearson

Titans
G Bryant McKinnie
K Robbie Gould

Vikings
G Qasim Mitchell
C Ross Tucker
DE Will Smith
P Dave Zastudil

The Toronto Wildcats are the only team with no players taken in the fantasy draft still on their team.
---

KCF0107 posted...

The Toronto Wildcats are the only team with no players taken in the fantasy draft still on their team.

lmao
---

How many players have been in the league for 5+ seasons without seeing a snap? Or is that a pain to check?

That would be an excruciatingly painful thing to check and maybe even nobody except for CB Victor Alejo. I am assuming you mean players that have been on a roster for at least five seasons and not simply in the league and have been a free agent for most or all of it.
---

Yeah. I think my third choice DT meets the criteria but I figured it wouldn't be all that common for a team to harbor a player for that length of time without having him see the field

DT Jake Thomas appeared in 7 games during the S10 season.
---

Oh, I figured since he has zero stats in my spreadsheet he had likely never seen the field

Jags QB Dan Orlovsky has been with the team for 11 seasons and has appeared in just four games.
---

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.

*Penciling In NFC Super Bowl Rep...*
Cowboys

(Commissioner's) Dream Super Bowl Matchup
Dolphins
Pumpkins

Addition By Subtraction Sayeth the Raven!
Broncos
Rams
Ravens

Two New OL = A New NFC South Champ
Giants
Jaguars
Lightning
Pioneers
Redskins
Seahawks
Steelers
Vikings

See, the Raiders Are Not in the Worst Shape Among Last Season's Playoff Teams!
Colts
Hawks
Jets
Packers
Panthers
Raiders

Retirements Suck Don't They Chris?
Bears
Bengals
Bills
Browns
Buccaneers
Falcons
49ers
Patriots
Wildcats

I Don't Think Two Former Super Bowl Teams Want To Be Associated With the Curse of Stan
Chiefs
Lions
Titans
---

To Do:
- Update spreadsheet for free agency signings
- Add the damn HoFers to the wiki!
- After the preseason, do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
- Do my minor project before simming the preseason
- Something I may have missed?
---

Also, I don't like to use the overall numbers, but the Cowboys are three points ahead of the Dolphins and Pumpkins, so we might be in for a rough season lol.
---

Do the Giants really need to do everything?

Fine we'll just win the NFC East okay?
---

I also am rooting for the Pumpkins
---

KCF0107 posted...

S4 (128 games)
FB Mike Cox (Vikings)
TE Zach Miller (Dolphins)
FS Ko Simpson (Vikings

(Bears DE Lawrence Jackson would have if he wasn't Eli Manning'd by management in Week 17 last season)

I am a goddamn monster.

KCF0107 posted...

the Curse of Stan

---

If Nee and/or Socko are open to combining rosters into a single superteam let me know
---

Panthers release the following players:

WR Derrick Williams
WR Ryan Sampson
C Mike Bihl
---

Not sure why I checked the spreadsheet, I have no money

---

Bears release the following players:

QB Ryan Lindley
C Dennis Dougherty
---

To Do:
- After the preseason, do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
- Do my minor project before simming the preseason
- Sim preseason on Thursday
---

hype

---

Ranlom posted...

If Nee and/or Socko are open to combining rosters into a single superteam let me know

Why not all three of us?
---

Today's the day!

I have a fantasy football draft tonight, so I simmed the preseason just now. The "short" project I had planned to do will have to wait for another season the purpose is defeated once the injuries start piling up.
---

Due to preseason injuries, I had to make signings and sometimes cuts for a few teams to proceed with the sim. They are as followed:
- Bucs sign FB Dante Rosario to a 1 year deal
- Chiefs cut OLB Joshua Massey and sign P Eric Wilbur to a 1 year deal
- Lions cut DE Da'Quan Bowers and sign FB Roger Allison to a 1 year deal
---

A punter injury? Damn

---

AI signings/cuts:
- Bengals sign HB Knowshon Moreno
- Pioneers sign HB Chris Johnson
- Jets cut G Herman Paris and sign C Alex Mack
---

To Do:
- Update depth chart sheet
- Update roster/financial/free agent sheets for preseason cuts and signings
- Add in new schedule
- Wipe league leaders
- Do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
---

WR Josh Briscoe hasn't been endearing himself to new management so far. Looks like I'm rolling with 3 rookies and a 2nd year player at WR for most of the year!

Also that Gurley injury sucks and I hope isn't a prelude to everyone's fantasy seasons...
---

Dodged that bullet

---

Stellar pre-season for me

Best offensive playmaker? Injured
Best o-lineman from last season? Injured
Player progressions? Zero
Player regression? Multiple

Schedule? Well out of division I have...
Cowboys on the road
Dolphins on the road
Broncos (on the road I think?)
Plus 5 of final 6 games on the road and a hard start (Jets, @ Broncos, @Ravens)

The only silver lining I can grasp at is that my first 3 opponents all have decimated O-lines due to retirements/injuries and 2 have inexperienced QBs so hopefully my defense can capitilize. On the flipside though, I also have a weakened O-line (and offense) so those first few games will likely be low scoring wars of attrition

I do not anticipate this being another 10 win season (unless the middle of my schedule is incredibly soft). Could be a 7-8 win season on the cards

>DeAngelo Williams out half a season

Why am I not surprised...
---

To Do:
- Update depth chart sheet
- Update roster/financial/free agent sheets for preseason cuts and signings
- Post Week 1 schedule and determine what days I will sim this season, including the specific date for Week 1.
- Do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
---

Bills release QB John Johnson and OLB Joey Carey and sign HB Chris Ivory and G Dylan Gandy to 1 year deals.
---

All teams should 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
P/K can only be played by Ps and Ks
KR/PRs (WRs, RBs, CBs. Ss, FBs, TEs)
---

To Do:
- Update roster/financial/free agent sheets for preseason cuts and signings
- Post Week 1 schedule and determine what days I will sim this season, including the specific date for Week 1.
- Do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
---

An old project that I started several seasons ago was going through our entire draft history and showing how many players at each position each team selected. I ultimately shelved that idea due to how time-consuming and uninteresting it was, but I had one tidbit that I wanted to share with everyone.

The Cincinnati Bengals in their first three drafts selected three kickers (Connor Hughes, Justin Medlock, and Chris Nendick). The only other positions that they drafted three or more over that span were at OT and OLB.
---

Can I sign Connor Hughes with a $0 signing bonus and then promptly cut him?

---

Wildcats cut CB Boykin and sign G Jonathan Martin to a 1 year deal.
---

SockoressKnight posted...

Can I sign Connor Hughes with a $0 signing bonus and then promptly cut him?

After some user(s) abused that, it was outlawed.
---

aww fiddlesticks

---

Packers sign FB Kalvin Bailey to a 2 year deal
---

Falcons sign G Willie Colon to a 1 year deal
---

KCF0107 posted...

Falcons sign G Willie Colon to a 1 year deal

Woo
---

Week 1 User vs User Matchups
Bills (stevr) at Patriots (Jukkie)
Pumpkins (Shonen) at Bears (Stan)
Wildcats (prof) at Redskins (Wiz)
Packers (Tangicide) at Colts (KCF)
Lions (Nee) at Titans (Socko)
Buccaneers (Chris) at Chiefs (Ranlom)
49ers (Scare) at Giants (Eddv)

Game of the Week
Browns at Cowboys

Week 1's sim date is TBD, but it will likely be in mid-September
---

To Do:
- Determine what days I will sim this season, including the specific date for Week 1.
- Do my seasonal division + conference standings and RotY predictions
- Start to embark on my huge project (like I did in seasons past with ranking 1st round picks at each spot and how every team was constructed)
---

AFC West Prediction

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

The Broncos were by all accounts a Top 5 team last year, but only finished 9-7 and more importantly, were on the outside looking in come playoffs. The defense should still remain elite despite the massive turnover at CB. They spent 2nd and 3rd (via RFA) round picks to fill the starting jobs, so a pair of upper-70s CBs should be more than fine for a defense loaded everywhere else. The offense will be a bit of a mystery. QB A.J. McCarron, coming off of a rookie season in which he posted an 82.0 passer rating with 1300 yards and a 62.4 completion %, will replace the retired Michael Vick, and will be the first pocket passer they've had as the Week 1 starter since maybe Brady Quinn. Given the OL didn't miss a beat and how well he connected with the team's top three WRs (Colbert, Wallace, and Tate), I have faith in him.

HB LaMarcus Coker has played a full 16 game season only once (S8) and has missed 12 in the past three seasons. The team no longer has absurdly high-end backup Antonio Pittman, so their backup now is former Dolphins and Rams HB Mikell Simpson. He is injured right now, but he has posted a 4.2+ YPC in all but one season, so that should be reassuring. Combine that with the best offensive and future HoF FB Brian Leonard, one of the best blocking TEs in Dwayne Allen, and a phenomenal OL (I talked earlier in the offseason about how absurd the OTs were in particular), and you have one of the AFC's SB favorites.

By virtue of winning the division, the Raiders are "lucky" to face the division winners from last season in the Dolphins, Colts, and Ravens. Then again, the alternative is being forced to face the second-place teams in the Pioneers, Steelers, and Jets (though they still got the Pioneers on their schedule), so I'm not sure which is worse. Anyway, the team with the surprise playoff run from last year had a quietly excellent offseason. They lost stalwart WR Anquan Boldin, and former 1st rounders Brandon Marshall and Doug Baldwin haven't lit it up exactly, but the team has finally handed the reins to Andy Dalton. Perhaps with some continuity (Raiders haven't had a QB be the starter out of the preseason in consecutive seasons since Daunte Culpepper eons ago), they can break loose. HB R.J. Jackson quietly had his best season in the league in his first season in Oakland.

They killed it in free agency with their OL signings. RG Adam Goldberg has the highest pass-blocking rating at the position and 16th in run-blocking. OT signees Sean Locklear and Marcus Johnson have posted a combined line of 179 blocks against 2 sacks allowed. They may not have the Broncos line, but they are probably no worse than fourth in the AFC. This defense is still great. They replaced the moribund Mychal Kendricks with 1st rounder Vontaze Burfict and so many players keep trending up. The DL is merely okay, and that would normally be problematic in a run-based division, but the Raiders somehow make it work year in and year out. With the conference becoming more evenly spread, it will be a tough path for them to stand out and replicate what they managed to do last season, but they will certainly be in the thick of the playoff race, especially being gifted the NFC South as their non-conference opponent.
---

The Hawks, like 2/3 of the rest of the teams in the division, routinely have a reliable defense. They lost a couple of guys to retirement (most notably SS Roy Williams), but they have high draft picks to pick up where they left off. Given their historical production at the position, SS Keanu Neal might be one of the favorites for Defensive RotY. If they wish to be back in playoff contention though, they need their offense to step up. You would think a team with a team with a HB (DeMarco Murray) who has finished among the league leaders in rushing yards and a 4.4 YPC to his name, a QB who has posted an 85+ passer rating in his four seasons with the club (Philip Rivers), and an underrated WR corps would do better at scoring than they do, but the Hawks always seem to have one of the greater divides between total offense and points per game rankings. Aside from poor luck, maybe OL was an issue.

C Max Unger has a career 10:1 block:sack ratio, and RT Justin Blalock almost at 11:1 and is consistently on the blocking leaderboard. The other three spots tended to see lackluster production. With LT Jonas Jennings and RG Kynan Forney now retired, perhaps Taylor Lewan and Earl Watford can help stabilize the offense and put them in playoff contention this season. It will be tough since there are nine AFC teams that I would consider to be at least very good, but some convenient injuries and regression elsewhere can play in their favor. They get a rough start to the season with three straight road games and three of four games being against the non-Titan AFC South teams, but, and sorry to bring this up again, they do face the NFC South and avoid the Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, and Steelers, so the schedule as a whole is in their favor.

The Chiefs have some nice building blocks to form a future foundation, but this team is at least another year, probably two, away from being a serious Wild Card contender. There isn't a whole lot to say. Garappolo is coming off probably the best season by a Chief QB since Bruce Gradkowski, but his skid to end the season is a little concerning. Blount is a pretty average HB. Ditto their receiving corps (Gonzalez had a minor breakout year though) and OL (they spent a 1st round pick acquiring G Jonathan Fletcher for his potential and not production). Where they can realistically see strides though are on the defensive side where they have spent a lot of draft picks (through the draft or via trade).

Six of their projected starters are entering their rookie-4th years. Former 1st rounders OLB Jamie Collins and SS Andrew Sendejo in particular are prime for a breakout season any time. They don't have as daunting of a schedule given they finished last in S11 and face the NFC South this season, so there is hope for a better record and/or going further away from owning the #1 pick.
---

AFC East

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

The future construction of the team might look very differently next season depending on a variety of factors, but right now, the Dolphins, on the heels of a season where one could argue they were the best team ever, are still SB contenders even with the retirements of WR Kelly Campbell and C Todd McClure, trade of MLB James Laurinaitis, and loss of LT Lane Johnson in RFA. Losing Campbell and Johnson could have major consequences though. The WR corp is looking a little thin and what was once a deep pool at OL has been pilfered to death and back to where it doesn't look at that special on paper. They still have former MVP QB Sam Keller and MVP runner-up HB Jacquizz Rodgers, so it would be a shock to anyone if they didn't have at least a very good offense. We could see a sizable drop though.

The elite defense though should see very little to any drop off with Laurinaitis gone, especially since do-it-all DE Calais Campbell is returning from a lost season. The Dolphins after owning the third-hardest schedule last season should feel relieved that play the majority of their most-difficult games at home, face the Rams and Colts early in the season when they are currently very healthy, and they avoid both the Pioneers and Jaguars. A second straight AFC East crown should be theirs if they want it.

I'm not sure there's a more underappreciated team in the NFL than the Jets. We are, what, five seasons removed from Fenny running the team, and everybody seemingly forgets about them. They are 29-19 over the past three seasons and frequently field a Top-10 defense and Top-16 offense. They have one of the best HBs in Romance Taylor, the division's best WR corps, and a developing and ascending OL on the left side and middle with the right side being manned by Jake Grove and Kareem McKenzie, who have a combined 1290 blocks against 135 sacks allowed. The defense features a DT factory, a great young LB corps, and an ascending secondary. The DE is their "weak spot" by default but they do have a 90 DE and a 1st round pick starting. Most teams would kill to have this defense. This team basically has no holes, and they never beat themselves.

The enigma surrounding this team is squarely at the QB spot where Mike Glennon's time spent behind Drew Brees and Byron Leftwich comes to an end. In limited duty, which does include two starts, he does have an 85.4 passer rating on 62.8% passing. What could cause them to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season is not the preseason OL injuries (they did sign a replacement for one player) but the schedule. They start with road games against the Steelers and Pioneers, exit the bye with the Rams and Seahawks, and end the season with both Dolphins games with the Ravens sandwiched between. I'm sure Glennon would like the schedule to be redone.
---

I wasn't sure whether to put the Bills or Patriots next. Despite the preseason basically ending any realistic playoff hopes for the Bills, I put them ahead. The Bills went 9-7 last season, but they were definitely lucky as they performed closer to a 6-10 team. They had an above-average pass D, but the offense and run D were bad. They had the NFL's worst turnover differential even accounting for the disastrous 10-turnover game against the Dolphins (-7 for the game). In the offseason, they lost LT Jeff Backus to retirement. They let G Adam Goldberg walk. They replaced them with serviceable but ultimately inferior players. Their lone addition that could have made a difference, first round pick HB Todd Gurley, will not be playing his rookie season. Along with other injuries on offense, and there isn't much reason for hope on offense this season.

The defense theoretically could improve, but I don't have faith in management. It was curious when management admitted that they eschew depth for high-end starters. One look at this team, and you have to wonder how this became the product of that ideology. They have the division's worst (using my expertise and opinion) starting HB, FB, WRs, TE, OL, DE, DT (tough to cross-compare 3-4 and 4-3) OLB, and SS (if we are calling Baker a FS) and only depth at a select few spots. I think it is time for a more flexible approach.

If you want a dark, dark horse playoff contender this season, look no further than the league's worst team last season record-wise! Their post-bye schedule is fantastic. Six of nine games are at home, and nearly every game seems at least somewhat winnable. They are likely to drop at least one of two from the Dolphins, and the Rams/Ravens will likely be tough, but both of those games are at home, and their away schedule aside from the Dolphins are the Browns and Titans. The remaining games include the Bengals, Chiefs, and Wildcats. In a best-case scenario, they could go 7-2, and that puts them squarely in the playoff hunt. They have to survive their first half schedule, which includes both Jets games and road games against the Seahawks and Steelers, so it is probably too much to ask they finish with a record within a game or two of .500 entering the bye, but that's why they are a dark, dark horse!

That will be contingent on so many factors though and unfortunately on both sides of the ball. Right now, they are projected to have the lowest-rated starting QB since Ryan Fitzpatrick of the doomed S2 Eagles (they moved to Las Vegas for a reason!) in Logan Thomas of the 47.6 rookie passer rating. Their other choices are rookie QB Ryan Nassib and a former 1st round pick in Case Keenum coming off a terrible sophomore season. All are sub-80 rated, and WR Lance Leggett has to feel that his career has been wasted. Luckily, they have bright spots in HB Dexter McCluster and one of the league's best OL. Their DL is still fantastic, but beyond that, the defense is mostly full of replacement-level players and unknowns outside of OLB Bruce Irvin. Maybe #1 overall pick OLB Preston Smith comes to the rescue, and a great preseason might propel 10-year vet and 112 game starter SS Keon Jackson to finally have a breakout season. I don't see it happening, but there's a path for this team to be a surprise Wild Card contender. They just need plenty of good luck for them and bad luck for the rest of the league.
---