Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 15: The Offseason

(+) Yeah! (+)

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

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

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

Previous Topic (alive as of this moment)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79099207

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Coaching Changes

I say this every year, but I have found no evidence that suggests that your coaching staff has any impact on your team in a pure sim like this. Any changes in the coaching strategy as a result of a new coaching staff can be negated through user intervention. That being said, I like to reveal coaching changes since I believe most of us are curious about them.

Retirements
Lions HC Steve Mariucci (was Lions HC for previous 14 seasons)
Patriots HC Dante Scarneccia
Pioneers HC Dom Capers (was Pioneers HC for previous 14 seasons)
A couple of OCs/DCs/STs that I no longer can find out who because I wasn't paying attention to my laptop battery when it died

Head Coach
Bengals hire Vikings HC Brett Favre
Bills hire Bengals HC Mike Holmgren
Browns hire former Falcons DC Ernie Holmes
Jaguars hire Washington DC Pat Williams
Lions hire Browns HC Lovie Smith
Orcas hire B8NFLL Hall of Fame G Tutan Reyes
Patriots promote DC Ed Donatell
Pioneers promote DC LaVarr Arrington
Vikings promote OC Flozell Adams

Offensive Coordinator
Bills hire former Bengals OC Tom Rathman
Colts hire Ravens OC Mike Tice
Cowboys hire Panthers OC Rod Smith
Falcons hire former Bears OC Ron Turner
49ers hire former B8NFLL Express OT Jonas Jennings
Orcas hire Falcons OC Greg Knapp
Panthers hire former Lions OC Keith Rowen
Patriots hire Cowboys OC Dennis Green
Raiders hire 49ers OC Tom Clements
Ravens hire former 49ers OC Priest Holmes
Vikings hire former B8NFLL Giants OT Mike Rosenthal

Defensive Coordinator
Bengals hire Jets DC London Fletcher
Browns hire former Lions DC Tom Grantham
Buccaneers hire Bengals DC Mike Smith
Chiefs hire Raiders DC Dick Jauron
Eagles hire former Eagles DC Roosevelt Colvin (hasn't coached since being their DC in S12)
49ers hire Steelers DC Romeo Crennel
Jaguars hire former Patriots DC Bryan Robinson
Jets hire 49ers DC Tony Dungy
Orcas hire former B8NFLL Colts MLB Nick Barnett
Packers hire former Bills DC Chuck Cecil
Patriots hire Packers DC Dave Campo
Pioneers hire Browns DC Jim Nelson
Raiders hire former Washington DC Nate Wayne
Washington hire Orcas DC Willy Robinson
Steelers hire former Seahawks DC Chad Brown

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To Do:

• Player Retirements
• NFL Draft Order
• Offseason in a Nutshell
• Slash Line Explained
• Finish up sending Jets stat PM
• Update spreadsheet to remove retired players, adjust ratings, adjust ages/contracts, make sure to include Lightning/Pumpkins changes to Orcas/Eagles, AI to User financial changes and vice versa, etc...
• Hall of Fame ballot
• Explain what happens if you idle
• Do trivia/interesting tidbits like I always do about ironman streaks/coaches/whatever
• Possibly missing something

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Oh boy, we kept Rex Ryan. Lucky us...

LV Pumpkins > SJ Orcas >
The Rest >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Washington Hawks > Portland Express

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Off season hype
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Thanks for everything, Mariucci! There is an Edible Arrangements basket being sent to your house.

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Tag

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Player Retirements by Team

Bears
FB Dane Todd
ROLB A.J. Hawk (668 tackles, 50 sacks, 14 INTs, 14 FFs, 16 FRs, Raiders first draft pick in NFL Draft)

Bengals
FB Champ Davis
WR Mike Williams (920 rec for 10233 yards, 67 total TDs, two-time Pro Bowler, played for Bengals all 14 seasons, started all 218 games he played in)
FS Ryan Mundy

Bills
C Nick Hardwick (1-time Pro Bowler)

Broncos
FB Jon Helmandolar (927 carries for 3220 yards, 88 rec for 536 yards, 50 total TDs, two-time Pro Bowler)
FS Tom Zbikowski (546 tackles, 9 sacks, 26 INTs, 12 FFs, 12 FRs, Defensive Rookie of the Year S3, 1-time Pro Bowler)
LOLB Patrick Willis (729 tackles, 30 sacks, 11 INTs, 15 FFs, 10 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Anthony Schlegel (1029 tackles, 26 sacks, 11 INTs, 17 FFs, 14 FRs)
C Scott Mruczkowski
TE Derek Schouman
LOLB Spencer Adkins

Browns
TE Marcedes Lewis (852 rec for 6093 yards, 39 TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
FS Lovon Ponder (389 tackles, 7 sacks, 25 INTs, 7 FFs, 14 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
LOLB Kai Parham (570 tackles, 37 sacks, 8 INTs, 11 FFs, 9 FRs)
CB Avery Atkins (166 tackles, 29 INTs, 2 FFs, 9 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Brandon Flowers (282 tackles, 1 sack, 17 INTs, 3 FFs, 3 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Buccaneers
QB Kevin Kolb
QB Paul Thompson
HB Alley Broussard (11781 return yards, 13 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
RG Chris Kemoeatu

Chiefs
CB Dominique Cromartie
CB Brandon Carr (319 tackles, 10 sacks, 16 INTs, 8 FFs, 8 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Mike Bush
CB Harold Dalton

Colts
DT Ian Scott (592 tackles, 86 sacks, 19 FFs, 10 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler, played all 14 seasons for Colts)

Cowboys
FB Nolan Hughey (1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Darius Walker (2979 carries for 12326 yards, 439 rec for 3354 yards, 109 total TDs, 4-time Pro Bowler, 1-time RB of the Year)
WR Steve Smith
TE John Tereshinski
RE Erasmus James

Dolphins
None

Eagles
FB Brandon Hancock (1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Antonio Pittman (1545 carries for 6472 yards, 114 rec for 919 yards, 48 total TDs
FS Anthony Reddick

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Express
FB Dane Zaslaw
K Shayne Graham (399 FGM, 610 XPM, punted once for 56 yards)
WR Sam DeSa (TD every 7.8 rec: 36 TDs on 283 career rec)
LE Baraka Atkins (313 tackles, 57 sacks, 10 FFs, 7 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
QB Omar Jacobs (1-time Pro Bowler)
LE Matt Roth

Falcons
QB Brian Hoyer

49ers
LE Marcus Spears (603 tackles, 53 sacks, 11 FFs, 9 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler, played for 49ers all 14 seasons, started all 190 games he played in)

Giants
LT Kevin Shaffer (613 blocks, 67 sacks allowed, 1-time Pro Bowler, started all 204 games he played in)

Jaguars
QB Alex Smith
TE Vernon Davis
CB Tracy Porter (534 tackles, 3 sacks, 19 INTs, 9 FFs, 7 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler, Comeback Player of the Year)

Jets
RG Jake Grove (686 blocks, 90 sacks allowed, 5-time Pro Bowler, played in 222 of a possible 224 games, starting all 222)
WR Courtney Taylor
TE Joe Newton

Lions
P Rodney Williams (1-time Pro Bowler, Punter of the Year)
HB DeAngelo Williams (2324 carries for 10075 yards, 390 rec for 3250 yards, 80 total TDs)
QB Aaron Rodgers (3021-5000, 31985 yards, 199 TDs, 183 INTs, led league in passing yards for four-straight seasons: S2-S5, 4-time Pro Bowler)

Orcas
FB Dante Rosario
HB Kestahn Moore (1400 carries for 6182 yards, 194 rec for 1479 yards, 32 total TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Reggie Bush (2687 carries for 11423 yards, 434 rec for 3593 yards, 79 total TDs)
QB Anthony Morelli
CB Eric Wright

Packers
None

Panthers
MLB Jonathan Vilma (1803 tackles, 51 sacks, 28 INTs, 18 FFs, 29 FRs, 4-time Pro Bowlerplayed all 14 seasons for Panthers with 211 games and starts)
WR Robert Meachem (639 rec for 7669 yards, 52 TDs)
HB Dion Foster

Patriots
FB Brandon Jackson (1230 carries for 4510 yards, 69 rec for 409 yards, 39 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
SS Keon Jackson (803 tackles, 18 sacks, 17 INTs, 15 FFs, 13 FRs. 1-time Pro Bowler)
TE Heath Miller (794 rec for 5733 yards, 31 TDs, played all 14 seasons for Patriots with 221 starts)
LE Mathias Kiwanuka (418 tackles, 109 sacks, 13 FFs, 4 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
FS Greg Blue (393 tackles, 9 sacks, 18 INTs, 9 FFs, 5 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
RG David Baas

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Pioneers
LOLB Kamerion Wimbley (988 tackles, 40 sacks, 14 INTs, 15 FFs, 18 FRs, 4-time Pro Bowler, 1-time LB of the Year, 1-time Def Player of the Year)
QB Charlie Whitehurst (1875-3148, 20227 yards, 143 TDs, 109 INTs)
RT Max Starks
DT Jonathan Babineaux (484 tackles, 60 sacks, 11 FFs, 8 FRs, 3-time Super Bowl champion)
C Richie Gandy

Raiders
QB Erik Ainge
RE Jay Moore

Rams
FB Chris Alexander
RT Robert Gallery (686 blocks, 75 sacks allowed, 3-time Pro Bowler, played all 14 seasons for Rams with 190 starts)
LG David Diehl (1-time Pro Bowler, played all 14 seasons for Rams including 192 starts)
RG Dan Buenning

Ravens
WR Calvin Johnson (644 rec for 7505 yards, 56 TDs)
HB LenDale White
QB Ben Mauk (famously signed to a 7-year deal by the Pats only to be traded the next offseason, incurring the largest single-player cap penalty in our history)
WR Terry Richardson
RG Tyson Clabo
LG Richie Incognito
ROLB Brian Toal
TE Kellen Davis
LE David McMillan

Seahawks
TE Matt Spaeth (726 rec for 5483 yards, 31 TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Barrett Ruud (1072 tackles, 29 sacks, 12 INTs, 13 FFs, 16 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
QB Brad Smith (2071-3489, 21094 yards, 602 rushes for 4511 yards, 176 total TDs, 154 INTs)
WR Steve Breaston (9 career return TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
LT Jabari Levy
RE Luis Castillo (500 tackles, 87 sacks, 13 FFs, 4 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
SS Darnell Bing (558 tackles, 12 sacks, 18 INTs, 4 FFs, 6 FRs)
RG Tyler Reed
FS Dashon Goldson

Steelers
HB Jamario Thomas (2649 carries for 11159 yards, 192 rec for 1570 yards, 64 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler, Comeback Player of the Year)

Titans
None

Vikings
FB Mike Cox (569 carries for 1684 yards, 11 rec for 38 yards, 58 total TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
RG Qasim Mitchell (3-time Pro Bowler)
HB Charlie Jones
LG Samson Satele
DT Dewayne Robertson (659 tackles, 85 sacks, 11 FFs, 11 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Washington
FB Lawrence Vickers (1530 carries for 5887 yards, 94 rec for 715 yards, 50 total TDs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
WR Todd Blythe
WR Tito Gonzalez

Wildcats
WR Santonio Holmes

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NFL Draft Order

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

Bills own Pats 6th and 7th round picks
Giants own Pioneers 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks, Steelers 2nd and 4th round picks
Panthers own Bills 7th round pick
Patriots own Panthers 7th round pick
Pioneers own Giants 7th round pick
Steelers own Bills 3rd round pick, Giants 6th round pick
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Hm lots of retirements, especially in the secondary

Guess I know what to focus on!

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Offseason in a Nutshell

We do have one new person this season. There are four major events during the offseason. They will be explained in full detail when the time comes, but here they are:

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

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

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

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

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

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The Almighty Slash Line

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

3 / $7.50 mil / $1.80 mil

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally, in case someone doesn't know, mil = dollars in millions while k = dollars in thousands.

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What happens if you idle during the offseason?

For starters, anyone is free to ask me for advice at any point, and if real life requires you to take a small break at some point that prevents you from doing an event or more, feel free to ask me to temporarily take over your team, and I will make decisions as if I were in charge of your team. However, if the worst comes to pass, I have safety nets in place to protect user teams.

Should you idle during Restricted Free Agency, I will sign a random two players, if applicable, to random tender levels. I will not participate in the second phase, and should any of your RFAs be signed by other players during that phase, I will default to not matching the deal in the third and final phase.

Should you idle during Unrestricted Free Agency, I officially sign a random third of your players, rounding up to the contracts that they ask for. However, in recent seasons, I have been more generous and increased that to around half.

Should you idle during the draft, I will draft as if I were in charge of your team.

Should you idle during free agency, this is unavoidably the most harsh of the four offseason events. I will not sign any players for you and the AI will fill the holes on your behalf at the conclusion of free agency.

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To Do:

• Finish up sending Jets stat PM
• Update spreadsheet to remove retired players, adjust ratings, adjust ages/contracts, make sure to include Lightning/Pumpkins changes to Orcas/Eagles, AI to User financial changes and vice versa, etc...
• Hall of Fame ballot
• Do trivia/interesting tidbits like I always do about ironman streaks/coaches/whatever
• Possibly missing something

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I am looking to trade any of my players for draft picks. My whole team is trash. If any good offers come up I will take them.

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Okay, Jets stats have been sent, free agent sheet has been updated, retired players have been removed from roster sheet, Orcas/Eagles have been renamed where necessary, all teams have their cap spaces updated, and the Falcons have their financials fully updated.

To Do:

• Update adjust ratings on roster sheet, adjust ages/contract info on team financial sheet plus remove retired players from there, AI to User financial changes and vice versa, maybe more stuff
• Hall of Fame ballot
• Do trivia/interesting tidbits like I always do about ironman streaks/coaches/whatever
• Possibly missing something

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Jamario :(

Good night sweet prince. I was hoping another season of running you into the ground may have gotten you into the HoF but it wasn't to be.

Absolutely amazed I get Tulloch for another year. Was surprised I had him last season nevermind this season. Arrington didn't last this long. Guess Tulloch has aged much better.

Roster sheet should now be updated. I hope to put out the Hall of Fame ballot within the next day. It will take me a long time to deal with the financial sheet, so don't expect us to truly begin the offseason for another week or so.

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Tag to look at later. Got a lot on my plate this season it seems!

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B8NFLL Hall of Fame Ballot

The following posts will contain players and their career accomplishments up for immortalization. After having an exceptional pool of players up for enshrinement last season, the candidates this season are lacking in comparison, but I still found enough to put 15 on the ballot.

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

Participation is of course voluntary, and you can post your responses, PM them to me, DM me on Discord, discuss or whatever. You decide what your criteria for selection is. You can base it solely off of the context of B8NFLL, compare to real life stats, or some marriage of the two. We had a decent turnout last season, but given how active participation in the league has its ups and valleys, I don't think that I will have a specific target percentage of Yes votes that will ensure enshrinement. It will of course be north of 50% at the very least.
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1. QB Aaron Rodgers
- Played S1-S6 for Browns, S7-S13 for Falcons, S14 for Lions (203 games, 171 starts)
- Passed for 3021-5000 (60.4%), 31985 yards, 199 TDs, 183 INTs (77.1 career passer rating)
- Season averages of 2284.6 yards, 14.2 TDs, 13.0 INTs
- 4-time Pro Bowler (S3, S4, S5, S7)
- Led the league in passing yards for four straight seasons (S2-S5 with totals of 3712, 4058, 3748, and 3955)

Rodgers ranks among QBs 2nd in career passing yards, 3rd in TDs, 1st in INTs

2. HB Darius Walker
- Played all 11 seasons for the Cowboys (157 games)
- 2979 carries for 12326 yards (4.1 YPC), 81 TDs, 26 fumbles (1 fumble every 131.4 touches)
- 439 receptions for 3354 yards (7.6 YPC), 28 TDs
- Season averages of 270.8 carries for 1120.5 yards, 39.9 receptions for 304.9 yards, 9.9 total TDs
- 4-time Pro Bowler (S5, S9, S11, S14)
- Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year (S4)
- Super Bowl MVP (S7)
- Co-RB of the Year (S9)

Walker ranks among RBs 2nd in career rushing yards, 1st in carries, T-1st in rushing TDs, 1st in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, 1st in receiving TDs

3. HB Jamario Thomas
- Played all 11 seasons for the Steelers (130 games, 103 starts)
- 2649 carries for 11159 yards (4.2 YPC), 55 TDs, 17 fumbles (1 fumble every 167.1 touches)
- 192 receptions for 1570 yards (8.1 YPC), 9 TDs
- Season averages of 240.8 carries for 1014.4 yards, 17.4 receptions for 142.7 yards, 5.8 total TDs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S8, S10)
- Co-Comeback Player of the Year (S10)

Thomas ranks among RBs 5th in career rushing yards, 6th in carries, T-9th in rushing TDs, 16th in receptions, 14th in receiving yards, 14th in receiving TDs

4. HB DeAngelo Williams
- Played S2-S5 for Vikings, S6-S14 for Lions (151 games, 135 starts)
- 2324 carries for 10075 yards (4.3 YPC), 68 TDs, 40 fumbles (1 fumble every 75.9 touches)
- 390 receptions for 3250 yards (8.3 YPC), 12 TDs
- Season averages of 178.7 carries for 775.0 yards, 30.0 receptions for 232.6 yards, 6.4 total TDs
- As a returner, they added four TDs (1 KR, 3 PR)
- As a LB sub, they added 16 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 FRs and was once named Defensive Player of the Week

Williams ranks among RBs 8th in rushing yards, 3rd in rushing TDs, 8th in carries, 3rd in receptions, 3rd in receiving yards, T-6th in receiving TDs

5. HB Reggie Bush
- Played S2-S6, S14 for Orcas, S7-S13 for Panthers (209 games, 123 starts)
- 2687 carries for 11423 yards (4.2 YPC), 60 TDs, 41 fumbles (1 fumble every 76.1 touches)
- 434 receptions for 3593 yards (8.2 YPC), 19 TDs
- Season averages of 206.6 carries for 878.6 yards, 33.3 receptions for 276.3 yards, 6.0 total TDs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S10, S13)

Bush ranks among RBs 4th in rushing yards, 5th in rushing TDs, 3rd in carries, 2nd in receptions, 1st in receiving yards, 2nd in receiving TDs
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6. WR Mike Williams
- Played all 14 seasons for the Bengals (218 games)
- 925 receptions for 10233 yards (11.0 YPC), 66 TDs
- Season averages of 66.0 receptions for 730.9 yards
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S11, S12)

Williams ranks among receivers 1st in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, 3rd in receiving TDs

7. G Jake Grove
- Played all 14 seasons for the Jets (222 starts)
- 686 blocks vs 90 sacks allowed (7.6 blocks per sack allowed)
- Season averages of 49.0 blocks vs 6.4 sacks allowed
- 5-time Pro Bowler (S8, S9, S10, S11, S14)

Grove ranks among interior OL 1st in blocks, 20th in sacks allowed

8. DE Mathias Kiwanuka
- Played all 13 seasons for the Patriots (211 games, 196 starts)
- 418 tackles, 109 sacks, 13 FFs, 4 FRs, 2 defensive TDs
- Season averages of 32.1 tackles, 8.3 sacks, 1.0 FFs, 0.3 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S5)

Kiwanuka ranks among DL 18th in tackles, 2nd in sacks, T-7th in FFs

9. DE Luis Castillo
- Played S1-S12 for Panthers, S13-S14 for Seahawks (209 games, 183 starts)
- 500 tackles, 87 sacks, 13 FFs, 4 FRs
- Season averages of 35.7 tackles, 6.2 sacks, 0.9 FFs, 0.2 FRs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S6, S7, S10)

Castillo ranks among DL 12th in tackles, 8th in sacks, T-7th in FFs

10. OLB Kamerion Wimbley
- Played S2-S6 with nobody, S7-S14 for Pioneers (113 games)
- 988 tackles, 40 sacks, 14 INTs, 15 FFs, 18 FRs, 7 defensive TDs
- Season averages of 123.5 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 1.7 INTs, 1.8 FFs, 2.2 FRs (free agent years were not factored in)
- 4-time Pro Bowler (S9, S11, S12, S13)
- LB of the Year (S11)
- Defensive Player of the Year (S11)

Wimbley ranks among LBs 5th in tackles, 10th in sacks, T-8th in INTs, T-6th in FFs, 3rd in FRs, 1st in def TDs
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11. OLB A.J. Hawk
- Played S2-S13 for Raides, S14 for Bears (196 games, 158 starts)
- 668 tackles, 50 sacks, 14 INTs, 14 FFs, 16 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Season averages 51.3 tackles, 3.8 sacks, 1.0 INTs, 1.0 FFs, 1.2 FRs

Hawk ranks among LBs 26th in tackles, 4th in sacks, T-8th in INTs, T-9th in FFs, T-7th in FRs

12. MLB Anthony Schlegel
- Played all 13 seasons for Broncos (191 games, 158 starts)
- 1029 tackles, 26 sacks, 11 INTs, 17 FFs, 14 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Season averages of 79.1 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 0.8 INTs, 1.3 FFs, 1.0 FRs

Schlegel ranks among LBs T-3rd in tackles, T-3rd in FFs, T-11th in FRs

13. FS Tom Zbikowski
- Played all 12 seasons for Broncos (192 games)
- 546 tackles, 9 sacks, 26 INTs, 12 FFs, 12 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Season averages of 45.5 tackles, 0.7 sacks, 2.1 INTs, 1.0 FFs, 1.0 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S4)
- Co-Defensive Rookie of the Year (S3)

Zbikowski ranks among DBs 7th in tackles, T-3rd in INTs, T-3rd in FFs, T-7th in FRs

14. SS Keon Jackson
- Played all 13 seasons for Patriots (208 games, 160 starts)
- 803 tackles, 18 sacks, 17 INTs, 15 FFs, 13 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Season averages of 61.7 tackles, 1.3 sacks, 1.3 INTs, 1.1 FFs, 1.0 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S14)

Jackson ranks among DBs 2nd in tackles, T-3rd in sacks, T-31st in INTs, 1st in FFs, T-4th in FRs
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I have no set deadline as of this moment, but I'm leaning toward Saturday or Sunday to coincide with us starting the first offseason event. Send me those ballots via PM, Discord DM, or post here
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As always, I will publicly reveal my ballot

QB Aaron Rodgers - No

He had an underrated career, but he quickly easily falls short of enshrinement on the virtues of his issues with overall average efficiency and below-average turnover rates. His inclusion on the ballot was more for his counting stats at least making sense to being the first QB to be on the ballot and also because he was the poster child was the wild War years running the Browns. As mentioned, he led the league in passing yards four straight seasons when War decided to air the ball all the time with a WR corps that included Terrell Owens and Steve Smith. He also led the league in INTs for two of those seasons with a combined 55.

HB Darius Walker - Yes

The HBs are all a fascinating case for various reasons. Walker had a YPC between 3.9 and 4.1 for eight of his 11 seasons his peaks in terms of yardage were actually in his first two seasons. However, he amassed almost 16000 total yards in just 11 seasons and more importantly put up a whopping 109 TDs in his career. He did, undeservedly, win a RB of the Year award as well. I never considered him to be an elite HB, but his body of work suggests his career deserves to be in the hall.

HB Jamario Thomas - No

Aspects of his game are very impressive, namely his absurdly low fumble rate and how he ran for at least a 4.2 YPC for six of his 11 seasons. He once led the league in rushing and also has a Comeback Player of the Year award to his name. The constant injuries though really kind of sour things when looking at his year-by-year statlines, with just five of his 11 seasons resulting 1000+ rushing yards, and just two of those five with a 4.2 or greater YPC. He also didn't find the endzone often or carve out a role in the passing game. To his credit, he was clearly vital to the offense, but in a league where we will always have a bunch of HBs on the Hall of Fame ballot, I don't want to say yes to every HB out there he reaches a certain stat threshold, so I'm going to have to say no.

HB DeAngelo Williams - Yes

Okay yes I know that I held Jamario's injuries against him, but DeAngelo was simply a beast He had a 4.3 or greater YPC in nine of his 13 seasons. He had six seasons of 350+ receiving yards. The fumble numbers were inflated due to higher fumbling rates for returners, of which he had more than 300 returns in his career, so his total doesn't bother me much. Another factor was his impact on the team. Much like real life, the Lion's rushing game has arguably been the league's worst when he has missed time. I think Selvin Young in S11 has been the only the time a HB other than Williams has recorded a 4.0 or greater YPC in a season for the Lions, regardless of the amoung of carries. He just always seemed like a special back to me, and his body of work I think is good enough to warrant his inclusion. Plus, how can you say no to his absurdly productive work as a LB when he garnered accolades?

HB Reggie Bush - No

I admit that I didn't think his numbers were quite like that when I went to look at them. However, I do still think that he's the least deserving of the four HB candidates. Unlike DeAngelo, Bush only had a handful of returns in his career, so his fumbling rate definitely raised some eyebrows. The bulk of his work was in Carolina where there was a four-season stretch where he put up 1200+ rushing yards on 4.2+ YPC, but that was the extent of his damage. The rest of his career was defined by ineffectiveness. He just completely disappeared for long stretches of time, including multiple seasons. He had a paltry 54.6 rushing yards per game, and while him being the starter for about 60% of his games did play a role, it is below several other HBs who have started fewer than 50% of their games played, including Knowshon Moreno and Kestahn Moore. It seems weird that I am saying no to someone who had over 15000 total yards and almost 80 TDs in their career, but I don't think there was ever a time when I would rank Bush among the Top 10 HBs in the league. It's possible that I would have said yes to him in another season, but when he's matched up with three other HBs that I think were better and more impactful, it's hard to say yes.

WR Mike Williams - No

I applaud him for his ability to stay healthy until his final season and for playing well for such an up-and-down franchise like the Bengals, but his career YPC is mediocre, and his averaged less than 5 TDs a season. He had one 1000 yard season. Nothing about him screams exciting or elite. Nice career all things considered, but he's not a Hall of Famer.

G Jake Grove - Yes

He has a great ratio for an interior OL, he has high block totals, he has been decorated, and he missed just two games in his career. Everybody would kill to have an interior OL like Grove. He's an easy yes from me. If I had just two votes, he would be one of them.

DE Mathias Kiwanuka - Yes

I may be a bit biased because Kiwanuka was the first player that I selected on behalf of MZero and the Patriots after the infamous S2 mass exodus of players back before there were safety nets in the offseason. Kiwanuka, while good for the occasional FF, was really only good at one thing, and that was sacking the QB. Getting to 100 career sacks is a major accomplishment, and to me that is basically an automatic yes vote. DL age the worst out of any unit out there, so while they may retire later than other positions, it is hard for them to keep up their ratings long enough to stick around as a starter. Also factoring in how wildly sack totals can fluctuate, 100 career sacks is mighty impressive in my book. Yeah, I would have liked to see better stats across the board and more Pro Bowl recognition or an award, but I have long felt like he's had a high impact on that Pats defense and kept that unit from falling apart in those early seasons. Also, 109 sacks is the second on the all-time list.

DE Luis Castillo - No

He had an underrated career as he was sneakily named to three Pro Bowls, and I do think that he was an important factor on some good Carolina defenses, but I just don't see him as a Hall of Famer. Perhaps if his final few seasons weren't duds, he would have reached the magic number of 100 sacks.

OLB Kamerion Wimbley - Yes

Man, what a story. This dude went undrafted, somehow managed to avoid to annual purging of free agents for a few seasons, was signed by a Pioneers, then called the Texans, squad coming off of a 4-12 season, miraculously was named a starter, and he just fucking beasted from then on. He had just eight seasons of work, three of which he missed at least three games (one he missed eight), and he still managed to retire being in the Top 10 of all major categories. He averaged nearly one defensive TD a season! He was named LB of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and four Pro Bowls. He's the best player on the ballot.
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OLB A.J. Hawk - No

Long overlooked on a Raiders stacked LB corps that included the likes of Larry Foote, Zeke Moreno, Karlos Dansby, and David Thornton, Hawk put up some great numbers in their shadows. He was never "the guy" on the Raiders, and he had zero recognition from the league, so he ultimately didn't do enough to separate himself from his peers.

MLB Anthony Schlegel - No

A great starter for one of the league's best defenses over the course of this project, the Broncos Ds were always defined by the DL and DB, so I'm afraid that I have to say no to the former 4th round pick.

FS Tom Zbikowski - Yes

FS might be the weirdest position to evaluate. DB for sure is in general, but FSs always look unimpressive in the stat sheet. Zbikowski though managed to finish near the top among all DBs in major stats, and as I just said, the Broncos have long had one of the league's best Ds, and the DBs played a major role in that. He also started all 192 games in his 12 seasons, and I am always a sucker for that.

SS Keon Jackson - No

With Kiwanuka also retiring, this marks the end of the era from when I drafted for MZero. Drafted in the third round of the same draft (S2) as Kiwanuka (QB Bruce Gradkowski was selected between the two), every member of the Patriots right now came to the team during the Jukkie era with DE Cliff Avril, selected 3rd overall in the S7 draft, now as the longest-tenured Patriot. Anyway, back to Jackson, he was a lot more distruptive than I thought. However, I think that he has a much weaker case than Thomas Davis and Michael Huff from a year ago did, and I voted no to both of them. I'm not seeing anything to make me completely change my evaluation of DB hall cases.
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I'm not gonna be one of thsoe guys that throws a fit but I am minorly surprised that Vilma isn't on the ballot.
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Did he meet the eligibility criteria? Maybe had stats prior to the first season which would make him ineligible

Edit: Yeah his rookie year was 2004 so he wasn't eligible

KCF0107 posted...

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

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Wimbleys peak may be enough for me to consider just because of how good of a story it is

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Nothing to see here folks, just an tired idiot who can't read...
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LiquidOshawott posted...

Wimbleys peak may be enough for me to consider just because of how good of a story it is

Yeah there's definitely a few on the ballot this year where it really tests a person's HoF view of peaks / narratives vs years of consistent stat compiling.

May skip on the vote since I'm not sure on who anyone is, but excited for the preseason to start!

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ViolentAbacus posted...

but excited for the preseason to start!

Oh you sweet summer child

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The Colts have released QB Colin Kaepernick and RG Jonathan Martin

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And we have our first trade of the offseason

Orcas receive:
Colts 1st round pick (11th overall)
Colts 2nd round pick (43rd overall)
Colts 3rd round pick (75th overall)
Colts S16 7th round pick
Colts S17 7th round pick

Colts receive:
Orcas 3rd round pick (74th overall)
Orcas S16 1st round pick
Orcas S16 4th round pick
Orcas S17 1st round pick

The Orcas are one of the league's most downtrodden franchises. They have one winning record and playoff appearance to their name, and that was in S2. Under new management, they wish to be super aggressive like they were in their last job with the Pioneers and make sweeping changes and set a foundation for future success at the expense of future picks. With two additional Top 45 picks, they can add more young players with great potential in the draft or use them in restricted free agency. With their ample cap space, the added cost won't hinder their ability to add talent in other offseason events. Plus, since they run the draft, being able to pick back-to-back is a welcome opportunity in a hectic event.

The Colts, even with their releases of two overpaid players, have the league's lowest cap space. With a few starters and quality contributors with expired contracts, they could use more cap relief as they look for creative ways to navigate the cap while maintaining their elite defense and look for ways to improve the league's worst offense from last season. Trading away their first and second rounder this season should help them a lot in that department as it nets them two future firsts and an additional Day 2 pick.

Both parties exhibited that they understood what both parties were giving up and receiving and what they each hoped to achieve from the trade.

This trade is now official.

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G Cedric Dockery (91 OVR) is on the trade block. He has 124 Blocks against 19 Sacks for me (6.53 ratio). He has 1 year left on his contract and would make 7.06m. He's 33 so probably has 5-6 years left in him

Open to picks or players but my goal is cap space

CB Jason McCourty (82 OVR) is also on the trade block. Two years left on his deal, due to make 4.52 mil in the 2019 season. He's 32, and in the two years I've taken over the Colts, he has the most INTs (5) and tackles (62) than any other CB.

Would prefer picks, likely aimed towards next season, but I'm open to any suggestion!

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Also my first overall pick is on the trade block.

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Depending on how RFA shakes out, we will be looking to trade up in the 1st or 2nd round

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Ranlom posted...

Depending on how RFA shakes out, we will be looking to trade up in the 1st or 2nd round

I'm going to try update that section of my spreadsheet now so that at least people can see which players are RFA eligible this year. Won't know prices but you can probably make a reasonable assumption

Can't speak for production but in terms of rating these are probably the more notable RFA players (assuming they were offered the default years on their rookie contracts)

QB Murray - 87

HB Gordon - 90

OT Flowers - 90
OT Havenstein - 88

G Lawson - 93
G Allen - 90
G Wichmann - 87
G Garcia - 86

DT Williams - 86
DT Sutton - 85

OLB Alexander - 88
OLB Brown - 85
OLB Jenkins - 85

SS Neal - 91
SS Joseph - 86

CB Cockerell - 88
CB Lawson - 82
CB Verrett - 82
CB Foley - 81
CB Martinez - 80

P Lachlan - 87

K Santos - 98

Then there's a couple in the 80-84 range who I guess may generate interest depending on how they are tagged.

Another trade

Bears receive:
QB Teddy Bridgewater (90 overall, 26 years old)
Buccaneers S16 7th round pick

Buccaneers receive:
Bears 1st round pick (6th overall)
Bears S16 1st round pick

The Bucs will incur a $6.57 mil cap penalty to shed to $7.96 cap hit

The Bears will assume a $5.77 mil cap hit

The Bears have been searching for a long-term answer at QB after David Carr retired to no avail. In recent seasons, they have shown to not be shy about giving up high draft picks to get great, proven players such as SS Derek Linde and DE Everson Griffen. They don't have much cap space right now, so getting a player of Teddy's caliber at a discount to the cap is also a cost-efficient way to improve the team while pushing for their first playoff appearance.

The Bucs have gone 9-23 the past two seasons even with Teddy, so they figure it is time for a committed rebuild. Given Teddy's performance, age, and rating, he has a high trade value and this trade will give them a great jumpstart on their rebuild by giving them two of the top six picks in the draft and an additional first next season.

Both parties demonstrated that they understood what each party was giving up and receiving, the financial impact, past histories of players, and what each team hoped to achieve with the trade.

This trade is now official.

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To Do:

• Fully update Team Financial sheet
• Hall of Fame ceremony on the weekend
• Do trivia/interesting tidbits like I always do about ironman streaks/coaches/whatever
• Possibly missing something
• Begin the first offseason event (RFA) on Monday

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CB Janoris Jenkins (80 OVR, 28 yrs.) is on the trade block. He has 107 tackles, 11 INTs (career high of 6 last year, tied for 3rd in the league), 4 FF, and 3 FR in what's essentially 4.33 years as he missed 11 games one year. Plenty of starting experience having started since being draft in the top 5 five years ago. Least I'm pretty sure he started his rookie year (I took over after his rookie year so not positive on that one).

Mostly looking for a draft pick or two.

Looking to offer draft picks/young talent for Dline, Secondary, TE, and O-line depth maybe. More than likely won't be accepting offers until RFA though. Just want to see what's on the table.

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VeryInsane posted...

Looking to offer draft picks/young talent for Dline, Secondary, TE, and O-line depth maybe. More than likely won't be accepting offers until RFA though. Just want to see what's on the table.

I want picks. Look through my roster

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Hall of Fame voting will end some time tomorrow

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