2015 Off-Season Update

[jerrydlux]

for PS players dont we get unlimited bids on them similar to our own FAs? If so, I think that's a big benefit of this process working properly.

[Goodell]

Properly is subjective and the amount of programming changes is dependent upon free time of volunteer workers. Some changes made this year that could be made this year, and those results as they play out ahead will be monitored. Some changes may be made in the future, as each year there are some. There were some parts of this overhaul that time didn't allow to get quite done that may get done ahead, or not, depending upon how things go in terms of both available time and reviewed outcomes of this year's changes.

There are a couple of things that may be tweaked in the process, but for now it is functioning properly as intended at this time by league management.

I know people care about this and that's appreciated. Feedback is welcomed but each season there are rules in place for that season based upon changes that can be made after rules discussions in the off-season and these are the rules for this season to be monitored and modified in the future as deemed necessary.

I'll repeat that if you really, really care a lot about having complete control over a player then the ONLY way to do that is by not cutting him. By keeping him under contract. That's how the league is setup intentionally.

The league rules don't currently have a lot of sympathy for teams losing control of players they decided to cut. That's also intentional. If you decide to cut a player, you no longer have any contractual ownership of that player. People always seem to want more control over these players they cut and don't have under contract but that's not proper in the league view. They can be signed by anyone at any time as free agents as intended. The role of practice squad as setup by league management is intended to favor those willing to PAY the player and that's always my advise for those concerned about controlling their practice squad players.

[Goodell]

Practice squad assembly isn't under team control in reality. For those that watched Hard Knocks this year, the Texans really liked Charles James. He was the star of the show and someone they would have LOVED to have on their practice squad. They lose all control over whether he's going to be in their organization or not the moment they decided to CUT him. He went to another team's practice squad. There are all sorts of practice quad examples with Seattle and SF over the past few years of them trying to block each other's pquad intentions with players not under contract with either team.

The ONLY way a team can have had complete control over a player would be to not cut him. That's what the league management emphasizes in rules in this regard. Once you cut a player, the options you have for controlling that player's fate is intentionally much less predictable and much less outside of your team's direction. You gave up that by cutting the player. Maybe he finds his way back to your squad and maybe he doesn't, but a team gives up their say in guaranteeing that by terminating a player's contractual rights with them. Some want much more control over players they cut, and I understand why from a team management perspective, but at the moment the league isn't setup that way by design.

[tino38]

"we're talking about practice! (squad)" lol perfect way to turn a nonissue into an issue guys. Simply put if you like the guy then don't cut him, this is getting ridiculous

[jerrydlux]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

[tino38]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

If the player has importance to your roster, why cut him in the first place?

[Goodell]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

For this season underway we have practice squad. Whether we have it in the future, whether it changes, or whether some of the rules/processes/tools for that changes would be decided in the off-season rules discussion after this season to apply to a future season.

From a league setup perspective, our aim is to mirror reality of NFL team building. Practice squads are part of the NFL so also implemented here. It's likely they will remain because realism is important to the league foundation, but always something up for discussion in off-season rules discussions where changes happen every year.

Some of the treatment of practice squads here is based upon trying to reflect reality where there are some common sense relationship advantages for teams in retaining some players to practice squads, but on the other hand also a lot of movement of players to other organizations for better opportunities and no direct control over cut players by NFL teams. It's not like baseball's minor leagues. A cut player is free and under no team controls. There's a balance there where we want some slight benefit for teams but certainly no guarantees at all once they decide to terminate a player's contract.

Difficult decision making is what's intended to make this a game. Hopefully that's the fun in simulating those tough decisions (like NFL reality) of who a team can't live without and who they choose to cut and risk losing. For a front office game, our big play isn't on the field but in deciding who to cut or not. Who makes the 53. That's our game as GMs.

Once an NFL team cuts a player they might be able to get them back to psquad (and maybe they can get many of them back) but it's much more of a crapshoot (especially for players of most interest from other teams) once they terminate their contractual rights over that player. Same here. When it's down to the last cuts, who do you not want to risk losing. That's in large part what the league is based upon, not trying to reduce consequences or make decisions easier.

It's all about tough decisions in NFL front office, right? We want to make them tough here too, not everybody gets everyone they want always and can keep everyone (even players they cut!). That's not reality in the NFL. In the NFL if you cut someone MAYBE you can hope to get them back on practice squad (maybe), but certainly no guarantee of that or that even if you do they aren't gone to another team shortly after that. If you want them for sure, you have to pay them in NFL and here. Your job as GM is to decide what 53 to pay, that's our front office game.

For players you like but have to cut to get under 53 man roster in the NFL, NFL teams are likely to get SOME of the players they liked back on their practice squad. Usually not all in the NFL or here. That's the choice NFL teams face, do you risk losing a player by cutting him knowing there is no guarantee you can have him on practice squad because that's not in your complete control once you cut someone. Sometimes that roll of the dice works for NFL teams and they can get the player back to psquad and other times they end up elsewhere.

Same here where our sim teams that probably statistically have pretty good odds of getting MANY of their cut players back to practice squad but probably not all if the players are of higher interest. In my league, I probably lost out on one or two that didn't make it back to my practice squad. The ones with the most interest understandably have higher odds that they won't make it back to you, and that's the choice NFL and sim teams have to make.

Without conducting a thorough scientific examination, anecdotal examples of watching the leagues seem to line up with what I'd expect here that's similar to reality. If an NFL and sim team both cut 10 players that they desperately want to bring back to the practice squad, I think for both sim and reality there are good odds of getting more back than not. It would be foolish for NFL or sim team to expect to get 100% back if they are cutting quality players. And it would be a bad game IMO if those tough choices didn't have possible consequences making those decisions harder.

In the NFL, teams with the most talent usually end up losing the most of it over time. That's how the system is setup in NFL and here. It's setup to give those players opportunities elsewhere. It's setup to limit how many players you can absolutely keep in your control. That's what makes building an NFL team hard, and that's the same challenge we want to have here.

[whteshark]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

Speak for yourself....I love my practice squad.

You don't have to have one.

[RebelFan]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

Speak for yourself....I love my practice squad.

You don't have to have one.

I second that.

[larry linke]

then really why do we have practice squad? easier just to remove it than put more work into it.

Speak for yourself....I love my practice squad.

You don't have to have one.

I second that.

I third that ( I am sure my English teacher for the 1970's loved that)

Larry
Minnesota