Jump to content

San Antonio Gunslingers (Expansion Team Sim) - Second Season


jrry32

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Techbert said:

Defensive look:

I'll edit this, but just wanted to ask one question.

Still nagged by the Clowney trade. The question is whether the spare parts Houston received are worth the 3rd round pick going to a mid-to-late 2 with no spare part players.

I think so. That's why I bumped it to a 2nd. But it's a fair concern. I'll throw in DE Jordan Willis too to give them a spare part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Techbert said:

Instant Analysis:

(Bold are shared players. Ital are players I have had in the past. I am looking with the same lens that I use on my own players, which is sometimes harsh.)

qb - better keep Goff healthy! Kessler has concussion stuff going on, and that is hard for fans to gauge from a distance. Rypien has some promise but was a cut. May want to make another roster move.

rb - Kamara is a talent, and I think will get a ton of receptions this year as Brees' arm shows failure due to age. Hunt will be back after 8 games, but will miss all team activities. You have to think there will be opportunity for major carries when he gets there. We both hope CJ Anderson has another year in him. Zenner is plus in special teams and can run tough, but pass pro is his weakness. Need more depth. Might run shy on carries.

te - Strong top 2, but needs a 3rd te. Love Kittle. Like Goedert.

wr - Allen Robinson needs to prove his big contract, and Tyler Boyd needs to show he can shoulder WR1 with Green out. I would think Beebe will be the slot for Minny, but who really knows what they will really do for a full season? Wrong Mike Thomas lol. Needs depth. Would run short of catches, but you have the TEs and Kamara.

ol - Work has been done. Still needs more. Nsekhe is a journeyman getting old, and Brown needs to step up from what he did last year. Edoga looks like he might have a future. Osemele has not taken many snaps for the NYJ this year due to health, so he still needs to integrate. I think you want to swap Tretter and Whitehair. I've been rooting for Lamp for some time, but we need to find out what is left after injuries.

Offensive summary: Great skill position starters, with major depth issues everywhere. OL improved but unlikely to take you as far as Goff and the RB's would expect to go.

(Defensive look tomorrow, or at least soon.)

 

I'm actually feeling pretty good about my depth. It's better than it has been. Obviously, if you lose a starter, there will be some drop off, but I think I have some guys who could contribute in such a scenario. Your point about QB is well taken. I added Brian Hoyer because Kessler's concussions are a concern. I dropped Rypien to my practice squad. At HB, I think Zenner can hold down the third HB slot. He's a good special teamer and a solid enough HB. He only has to hold it down until Kareem Hunt is back. At WR, Mike Thomas is finally healthy and coming off a stellar preseason. I've always been a fan of his and thought he was capable of more at WR. He might be finally living up to that this year. Most significantly, though, he's one of the NFL's best special teamers. Auden Tate has shown flashes as a big man who can make catches in traffic. Beebe is seen as a potential breakout player in Minnesota this year as their slot WR and brings special teams value. I also like Stanley Morgan. I could see him becoming a NFL contributor with time.

At TE, I claimed Nauta because I love his blocking as a 3rd TE, and he's sure-handed, if unathletic. I think we have one of the best TE duos in the NFL with Kittle and Goedert. 12 personnel will be our base set with Robinson, Boyd, Kittle, Kamara, and Goedert as our main receiving options (unless Beebe has a monster year). Finally, I think our OL depth is stellar. Fleming is one of the league's top swing tackles, I think Edoga can be a starting OT (maybe even a starting LT) down the line, I am hopeful that a finally healthy Lamp can step up and take the starting job away from Tretter (giving us Tretter as an amazing utility man backup on the OL), and you're right about switching Whitehair and Tretter. I had not realized that Whitehair slid over to guard this year. If Lamp steps up and becomes the player I think he can be, I'll slide Whitehair back to Center. If Lamp does become that player, we'll have a really good OL. I think Nsekhe has proven over the past few years that he's a serviceable LT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jrry32 said:

I think so. That's why I bumped it to a 2nd. But it's a fair concern. I'll throw in DE Jordan Willis too to give them a spare part.

I don't think you need to. I think you could just announce you are adjusting the amount each team pays Clowney this season, which is variable and does not affect what we do, unless you are bumping the cap.

The main reason I brought it up is that it is hard for outsiders to evaluate players in a trade rather than draft picks, and BO'B definitely wanted win now players over draft picks.

Florio thinks this guy is the problem in Houston, and I can't dispute that.

jackeasterby003.jpg?w=444

Edited by Techbert
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jrry32 said:

I'm actually feeling pretty good about my depth. It's better than it has been. Obviously, if you lose a starter, there will be some drop off, but I think I have some guys who could contribute in such a scenario. Your point about QB is well taken. I added Brian Hoyer because Kessler's concussions are a concern. I dropped Rypien to my practice squad. At HB, I think Zenner can hold down the third HB slot. He's a good special teamer and a solid enough HB. He only has to hold it down until Kareem Hunt is back. At WR, Mike Thomas is finally healthy and coming off a stellar preseason. I've always been a fan of his and thought he was capable of more at WR. He might be finally living up to that this year. Most significantly, though, he's one of the NFL's best special teamers. Auden Tate has shown flashes as a big man who can make catches in traffic. Beebe is seen as a potential breakout player in Minnesota this year as their slot WR and brings special teams value. I also like Stanley Morgan. I could see him becoming a NFL contributor with time.

At TE, I claimed Nauta because I love his blocking as a 3rd TE, and he's sure-handed, if unathletic. I think we have one of the best TE duos in the NFL with Kittle and Goedert. 12 personnel will be our base set with Robinson, Boyd, Kittle, Kamara, and Goedert as our main receiving options (unless Beebe has a monster year). Finally, I think our OL depth is stellar. Fleming is one of the league's top swing tackles, I think Edoga can be a starting OT (maybe even a starting LT) down the line, I am hopeful that a finally healthy Lamp can step up and take the starting job away from Tretter (giving us Tretter as an amazing utility man backup on the OL), and you're right about switching Whitehair and Tretter. I had not realized that Whitehair slid over to guard this year. If Lamp steps up and becomes the player I think he can be, I'll slide Whitehair back to Center. If Lamp does become that player, we'll have a really good OL. I think Nsekhe has proven over the past few years that he's a serviceable LT.

I will point out that Hoyer, Rypien, Zenner, Morgan, and Nauta do not have jobs right now, or did not have jobs when you wrote above. That does not mean you are wrong about them; it means we cannot prove you are right about them, at least not until something happens. (I do agree you are accurate in at least a couple of the above, but I can't prove it either.)

I'm not a fan of Demby, and think Tretter/Whitehair are your top 2 centers. That's enough. It appears Lamp can play at the Dan Feeney level right now, or very close. So inside you probably have 4 acceptable players at 3 positions. At tackle, I see Fleming as "acceptable" rather than "top." Difference of opinion. I like what Edoga can be, but am not sure of where he is right now. Certainly reasonable tackle depth.  So that is 3 acceptable bench players so you are fine there. You carry 4, and I might have done the same. My biggest line question is about your starting tackles, and the season will affirm or disprove that quickly enough.

Anyway, good job on your offense so far. We are talking about it as a team, rather than as a collection of disjointed players, and that is a main waypoint of these simulations.

Edited by Techbert
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Techbert said:

I will point out that Hoyer, Rypien, Zenner, Morgan, and Nauta do not have jobs right now, or did not have jobs when you wrote above. That does not mean you are wrong about them; it means we cannot prove you are right about them, at least not until something happens. (I do agree you are accurate in at least a couple of the above, but I can't prove it either.)

I'm not a fan of Demby, and think Tretter/Whitehair are your top 2 centers. That's enough. It appears Lamp can play at the Dan Feeney level right now, or very close. So inside you probably have 4 acceptable players at 3 positions. At tackle, I see Fleming as "acceptable" rather than "top." Difference of opinion. I like what Edoga can be, but am not sure of where he is right now. Certainly reasonable tackle depth.  So that is 3 acceptable bench players so you are fine there. You carry 4, and I might have done the same. My biggest line question is about your starting tackles, and the season will affirm or disprove that quickly enough.

Anyway, good job on your offense so far. We are talking about it as a team, rather than as a collection of disjointed players, and that is a main waypoint of these simulations.

Hoyer is fielding offers. He'll have a job soon. Rypien, Morgan, and Nauta will end up on practice squads. Zenner will likely end up somewhere during the season after an injury. Even if he's not, he put up solid numbers last year and is merely a placeholder until Hunt comes off the suspended list. Demby is our 9th OL. If he sees the field, we're in trouble. But I am keeping him because Aaron Kromer seems to be high on him. I hold Kromer in very high regard. I understand the questions at tackle. I wish Nsekhe had ended up somewhere he could start. Because he always played well in Washington when thrust into action, but it seems Buffalo wants him as a swing OT behind their two young guys. Honestly, depth is easily the most difficult part of this because I don't have the ability to put together a 90-man roster, watch the guys practice and play in the preseason, and then make choices with the input of coaches. 

EDIT: With the contract Hoyer signed with the Colts, I'm not going to match that, so I signed Taylor Heinicke instead.

Edited by jrry32
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Head Coach: John DeFilippo
Offensive Coordinator: James Campen (OL/RGC)/Graham Harrell (QB/PGC)
Defensive Coordinator: Kris Richard

Offense (23)

QB: Jared Goff/Taylor Heinicke
HB: Alvin Kamara/Kareem Hunt/C.J. Anderson/Kerrith Whyte
XWR: Allen Robinson/Mike Thomas
ZWR: Auden Tate/Mike Thomas
SLWR: Tyler Boyd/Stanley Morgan
TE: George Kittle/Dallas Goedert/Isaac Nauta
LT: Ty Nsekhe/Chuma Edoga/Cameron Fleming
LG: Austin Corbett/Alex Bars
C: J.C. Tretter/Jamil Demby
RG: Cody Whitehair/Alex Bars
RT: Orlando Brown/Chuma Edoga/Cameron Fleming

Defense (27)

SDE: Sam Hubbard/Michael Bennett/Andrew Brown
NT: Timmy Jernigan/Matt Ioaniddis/Albert Huggins
UT: Sheldon Richardson/Matt Ioaniddis/Cortez Broughton
LEO: JaDeveon Clowney/Sam Hubbard/Jachai Polite
WLB: Eric Reid/Shaquem Griffin/Te'von Coney
MLB: Jatavis Brown/Malik Jefferson/Te'Von Coney
SLB: Shaquil Barrett/Kyler Fackrell/Shaquem Griffin
LCB: Richard Sherman/Daryl Worley/Jalen Mills
RCB: Marcus Peters/Daryl Worley/Jalen Mills
SLCB: Desmond King/Julian Love
FS: Quandre Diggs/Jalen Mills/Obi Melifonwu
SS: Jamal Adams/Kemal Ishmael

Special Teams (3)

K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Michael Dickson
LS: Justin Drescher 
KR: Kerrith Whyte
PR: Desmond King

IR: HB Rodney Anderson/WR Penny Hart/OG Kelechi Osemele/OG Forrest Lamp/FS Nasir Adderley/WR Chad Beebe/DE Ronald Blair/LB Leighton Vander Esch/LB Jack Cichy

Practice Squad:

QB Brett Rypien

WR Tanner Gentry

WR Emanuel Hall

TE C.J. Conrad

OL Tony Adams

DE Jeff Holland

DT Joey Ivie

MLB Scooby Wright III

CB: Corn Elder

S Tray Matthews

2020 Draft Picks:

Round 1

Round 3

Round 6

Round 7 (PHI)

2021 Draft Picks:

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 6

Round 7

Round 7 (DET)

Moves:

Placed NT Timmy Jernigan on IR (will return)

Signed NT Albert Huggins off the Practice Squad

Added DT Joey Ivie to the Practice Squad

Placed OG Kelechi Osemele on IR; signed OL Alex Bars from PS

Traded 2021 5th round pick for OL Austin Corbett; released Jamil Demby to Practice Squad

Activated CB Jalen Mills from PUP list; demoted Corn Elder to PS

Placed OG Forrest Lamp on IR; signed Jamil Demby from PS; added Tony Adams to PS

Traded 2020 4th round pick for S Quandre Diggs and 2021 7th (DET)

Placed FS Nasir Adderley on IR

Activate HB Kareem Hunt from Commissioner's Exempt List; cut HB Zach Zenner

Place DE Ronald Blair on IR; Activate NT Timmy Jernigan from IR

Placed LBs Leighton Vander Esch and Jack Cichy on IR; signed LBs Te'Von Coney and Malik Jefferson

Edited by jrry32
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Interesting year. We were hit hard by injuries. The biggest might prove to be MLB Leighton Vander Esch because it leaves us undersized at LB with Jatavis Brown in the middle. Offensively, Goff and Kamara each took a step back, but I'm not sure it matters too much with the defense we have. It's quite obvious that the offense still has an elite group of weapons in the passing game with Kittle, Robinson, Boyd, Kamara, Goedert, and Hunt. The OL is a passable unit with a strong right side. I think our offense would be in the 10 to 15 range at worst.

The defense, on the other hand, is a juggernaut unit against the pass. Barrett led the NFL 19.5 sacks, and we had a number of guys behind him produce. Ioannidis posted 8.5 sacks, Hubbard posted 8.5 sacks, Bennett posted 6.5 sacks, and Jamal Adams posted 6.5 sacs. While Clowney didn't post a ton of sacks, he had one of the highest pass rush win rates and provided strong run D. Richardson and Jernigan also provided quality run defense. It's likely that this cast of players led the NFL in sacks. On top of that, our secondary is phenomenal. Jamal Adams, Richard Sherman, Marcus Peters, and Desmond King are all Pro Bowl caliber players. Quandre Diggs played very good football after being traded to Seattle. Daryl Worley, our #4 CB, was a competent starter for the Raiders. And Julian Love showed potential as a safety and slot CB this year.

All in all, despite our lack of size at LB, I think he could competently stop the run due to our DL and safety play while boasting very arguably the NFL's best pass defense. I think we're talking about a top 5 defense here, if not #1 or #2 in the NFL. Ultimately, I could see this team winning a Super Bowl. I'm content enough with this team to start anew.

EDIT: Just saw the All Pro Teams. Congratulations to George Kittle (1st), Shaq Barrett (2nd), Marcus Peters (1st and 2nd), Richard Sherman (2nd), and Jamal Adams (1st) for making the squads!

Edited by jrry32
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/2/2020 at 9:21 PM, jrry32 said:

Interesting year...

Very interesting year. Interesting team. Very.

You can beat any team on any given Sunday, and lose to any team on any given Sunday. I think you had a good draft, but it did not show due to injuries and it did not help you at all this year, except for 8 games from the lineman.

Offense. Home run hitters galore, but only 3.5 OL starters and no good backup at RB for half a year. I think your offense can get you back into any game, but not reliably close out a lead.

I don't know why Goff hit a rough patch. I think he needs a certain stability around him that he was not getting in the early and middle of the season. Either way, I think he is underrated long term.

Defense. Strong backfield. Strong pass rush. Weak run defense. Linebackers are a mess, as LVE was injured and Reid would have to have gone back to safety to play next to Adams once Adderly went down. But DC's adjust, so I don't think you would have gotten as many sacks IRL because a) people would have run more, and b) you would have sold out against the run. Overall, you would probably been a very good defense, but with pickable flaws. If you got a lead, you would be an extremely difficult defense to come back against, but if they had the lead you would have trouble getting the ball back quickly.

Here's the game plan I would have against you, and you decide how you would counter it. On offense as a different team, I would run and pass short, matching up my running backs against your linebackers. That gets the ball out quickly and I would feel good about my people beating your linebackers in space. If you bring Adams and Reid into the coverage I would beat you (perhaps deep) with my tight ends and slot receivers. If you try to get cute with Sherman or Peters coming in to stop the above I'd hit my X and Y receivers who would be freed or going against someone stretched to get there in time. And I would pull and run a lot. As long as I know where Adams is, I'd take my chances beating Reid and everyone else.

On defense with a different team against you, I think I could rush 4 and get good pressure and give Goff plenty of confusing looks with my back seven. On run defense I'd keep it basic and control the gaps and hit Kamara enough to wear him down.

How would I simulate your won-loss? I don't know. Tough question. I would probably count Goff's bad games and think the defense would allow you to win 1 or 2. I'd center the peak around 11-5, which is playoffs, but I would agonize over you repeating the LAR record of 9-7. I think you would be in a low-scoring dogfight in every playoff game. If I picked a team to say, "This is the team that simulates what I will do in the playoffs," it would be the Patriots or Saints, but the choice is yours.

I hope you keep this team, because I would like to see how you draft for need coming up, and see how you handle upcoming salary cap issues. But, hey, I abandon teams all the time at about this phase so I understand the desire to start fresh and build again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Techbert said:

Here's the game plan I would have against you, and you decide how you would counter it. On offense as a different team, I would run and pass short, matching up my running backs against your linebackers. That gets the ball out quickly and I would feel good about my people beating your linebackers in space. If you bring Adams and Reid into the coverage I would beat you (perhaps deep) with my tight ends and slot receivers. If you try to get cute with Sherman or Peters coming in to stop the above I'd hit my X and Y receivers who would be freed or going against someone stretched to get there in time. And I would pull and run a lot. As long as I know where Adams is, I'd take my chances beating Reid and everyone else.

On defense with a different team against you, I think I could rush 4 and get good pressure and give Goff plenty of confusing looks with my back seven. On run defense I'd keep it basic and control the gaps and hit Kamara enough to wear him down.

With Kris Richard at DC, my team runs the Seattle defense. The base is a 4-3 Under. It's a scheme with a lot of zone coverage (C-3 especially) and varied pressure looks. Adams will spend a lot of time in the box. With my speed at LB, Desmond King in the slot, and Adams in the box, I don't think you'd have much success attacking with your HBs and throwing short. The way to target this scheme is to use deeper routes to clear out the DBs and then attack in the intermediate range. Play-action is especially effective if you draw the LBs up into the action and throw into the space behind them. The challenge there is needing the time to let those routes develop. That's why the Legion of Boom was so tough to beat. They had a pass rush that didn't give offenses enough time to get into the soft spots in the coverage. I think my pass rush presents the same problems, especially with the CBs I have in my secondary.

As for the run defense, while I cannot disagree that my LBs are a weakness there, I think my talent on the DL compensates. Clowney, Hubbard, Richardson, and Jernigan can all defend the run. Additionally, in the base, Shaq Barrett will be on the LOS too (over the TE). Ioannidis and Bennett will rotate. On passing downs, we get a four-man rush of Barrett, Clowney, Bennett, and Ioannidis coming at you with Hubbard, Richardson, and Jernigan coming off the bench to keep our rushers fresh. Richard is also more aggressive than your average Carroll DC, so guys like Jamal Adams and Desmond King, who are both great blitzers, would get plenty of opportunities to attack.

Ultimately, while I do have some vulnerabilities against the run (a team that could control the LOS would be my toughest match-up because they could keep the DL from stuffing the run; an example of such a team is Dallas), most teams can't fully exploit it. And that leaves them to try and attack my secondary that has three All Pros while dealing with my pass rush that produced a ton of sacks and pressure this year. Ultimately, I think my defense is pretty similar to the 49ers'. The 49ers had some vulnerabilities against the run due to injuries at LB, but their secondary and DL compensated for it.

Offensively, I think what helps deal with my OL challenges on the left side is the fact that I could spend a lot of time in 12 personnel. That'll allow Kamara, Goedert, and Kittle to help with the pass protection. Obviously, I don't want to keep them all in, but I can use them to chip and when necessary keep extra blockers in to help with protection. However, I'm not sold my OL would be a poor unit. With OLs, the sum is often greater than the parts. Nsekhe, when he has played in the past, has provided capable LT play. Corbett provided capable LG play for the Rams, and there's no doubting Tretter, Whitehair, or Brown. I don't think I'd have an elite OL, but I don't think it would be a sieve either. I think offensively, I'm most similar to the Rams, and the Rams ended up 11th in PPG and 7th in YPG.

Quote

How would I simulate your won-loss? I don't know. Tough question. I would probably count Goff's bad games and think the defense would allow you to win 1 or 2. I'd center the peak around 11-5, which is playoffs, but I would agonize over you repeating the LAR record of 9-7. I think you would be in a low-scoring dogfight in every playoff game. If I picked a team to say, "This is the team that simulates what I will do in the playoffs," it would be the Patriots or Saints, but the choice is yours.

I don't think either team really mirrors mine. Unfortunately, there's not a great analog for my team this year. My offense is quite a bit different from the 49ers', and my defense is a lot better than the Rams'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...