My 10 Year Journey as Vikings GM on Madden 2018
Oct 29, 2019 12:33:53 GMT -6
Reignman and Danchat like this
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2019 12:33:53 GMT -6
I'm probably just writing this post for Danchat, unless there are other closet Madden nerds on here... You're welcome bud! I'm doing a Vikings franchise on Madden 2018 with modded rosters to reflect the 2019 season. I'll post each individual season and reflect on my actions in my pursuit to win a Super Bowl for our favorite team.
Before I begin, here are my rules in order to prevent building a total powerhouse and taking fun out of the game:
- I have to let at least one player rated 80 and above go to free agency every year.
- I cannot screw over the computer AI on trades. The logic is wonky and it's easy to accumulate 1st round picks by picking up unsigned free agents in the preseason and flipping them to teams that need the player.
- I cannot edit any attributes on future drafted players except the name since they're fictional.
Here is where the Vikings stand with modded rosters at the start of 2017.
QB: Kirk Cousins 82 OVR, Sean Mannion 68 OVR, Jake Browning 66 OVR
RB: Dalvin Cook 85 OVR, Ameer Abdullah 74 OVR, Alexander Mattison 71 OVR, Mike Boone 64 OVR
FB: CJ Ham 71 OVR
WR: Adam Thielen 93 OVR, Stefon Diggs 91 OVR, Bisi Johnson 73 OVR, Josh Doctson 72 OVR, Chad Beebe 70 OVR
TE: Kyle Rudolph 85 OVR, Irv Smith Jr. 79 OVR, David Morgan 75 OVR, Ty Conklin 68 OVR
LT: Riley Reiff 72 OVR, Olisameka Udoh 67 OVR
LG: Pat Elflein 74 OVR Dakota Dozier 71 OVR
C: Garrett Bradbury 75 OVR Brett Jones 71 OVR
RG: Josh Kline 73 OVR Dru Samia 71 OVR
RT: Brian O'Niell 74 OVR Rashod Hill 69 OVR
LE: Danielle Hunter 89 OVR Stephen Weatherly 68 OVR
RE: Everson Griffen 91 OVR I. Odenigbo 66 OVR Jaylen Holmes 65 OVR
DT: Linval Joseph 89 OVR Shamar Stephen 74 OVR Jaleel Johnson 68 OVR Arman Watts 66 OVR
LOLB: Ben Gedeon 75 OVR Eric Wilson 68 OVR
MLB: Eric Kendricks 79 OVR Kentrell Brothers 68 OVR
ROLB: Anthony Barr 85 OVR Cameron Smith 67 OVR
CB: Xavier Rhodes 86 OVR Trae Waynes 79 OVR Mackenzie Alexander 77 OVR Mike Hughes 75 OVR Holton Hill 73 OVR
FS: Harrison Smith 94 OVR Marcus Epps 71 OVR
SS: Anthony Harris 78 OVR Kris Boyd 68 OVR
K: Dan Bailey 78 OVR
P: Britton Colquitt 74 OVR
Initial Thoughts: This OL blows. I hope Kirk is ready to run because there's no helping him with this low rated group. That's my first step in making this team better.
Notable stats:
Passing Yards: Kirk Cousins 9 GP 228 YPG 17 TD 9 INT
Rushing Yards: Dalvin Cook 11 GP 218 att 972 yds 4 TD
Receiving Yards: Stefon Diggs 16 GP 88 Rec 1,540 yds 14 TD, Adam Thielen 13 GP 64 Rec 768 yds 3 TD
Sacks: Danielle Hunter 16 GP 82 tackles 6 TFL, 11 sacks - Everson Griffen 16 GP 78 tackles, 11 TFL, 7 sacks.
Tackles: Eric Kendricks 15 GP 128 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INT - Anthony Barr 14 GP 97 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT.
Interceptions: Harrison Smith 16 GP 87 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 INT.
Player Re-Signing: There wasn't a significant Vikings player that required a new contract this year. I resigned most of the depth pieces to 1 year contracts.
Free agency: I knew heading into the offseason that the OL needed significant upgrades. Unfortunately those upgrades weren't available in this free agent class. The best LT available was Greg Robinson at 75 OVR. He wanted $6 million a year, which is too much for barely an upgrade over Reiff. The crown jewel of the class was Drew Brees, who opted out of New Orleans and signed with NFC South rival Tampa Bay for 1/$24.5 million.
The Draft: While I was scouting during the year one person really stuck out as a great value and a perfect fit for the Vikings needs.
LT - DeAndre Brooks 6'4" 331 lbs with a mid-1st round draft grade. He set the record for most starts in a row at Washington, with impressive combine numbers. Finishing 1st with 42 bench reps, 2nd in vertical, and 20 yard cone drill. If he was gone by pick 10, it's going to be a long season for the Vikings.
Fortunately when our pick came up he was still available! I nearly pull a hamstring running up to the podium to select the franchise LT. And boy does he look like it:
R2: SS Harris Ellis 6'1" 190 lbs 76 OVR Normal Dev - fell into my lap with 91 speed, 93 acceleration, and 81 zone coverage.
R3: QB Todd Van Pelt 6'4" 218 lbs 74 OVR Slow Dev - After seeing what it looked like without Kirk I needed someone who could actually throw a ball more than 5 yards down field. Van Pelt started as an early 2nd round grade but fell after an inconsistent season at Florida.
R4: RG Turner MacDonald 6'2" 314 lbs 72 OVR Normal Dev - Got fooled by his combine numbers and thought he'd be better. His lack of strength 79 OVR will be hard to overcome.
R5: WR Marvin Blair 6'2" 212 lbs 74 OVR - Blair comes from LA Tech and a big possession receiver. His downfall will be his lack of speed 86 OVR similar to Treadwell.
R6: LG Quincy Gorrer 6'2" 314 lbs - 77 OVR Quick Dev - Madden makes it easy to identify really good OL late in the draft. In order to keep it realistic I try not to load up, but this guy was too good to pass up. 88 strength, 84 run block, 76 pass block.
R7: OLB Raysean Savage 6'5" 238 lbs - 67 OVR Normal Dev - For my last pick I usually go for the best name, or the freak combine athlete. Savage was the fastest LB in the class 89 OVR, and the strongest 78 OVR. Time will tell if any of that can translate on the field.
Tune in soon to read how the 2018 season turned out for the Vikings.
Before I begin, here are my rules in order to prevent building a total powerhouse and taking fun out of the game:
- I have to let at least one player rated 80 and above go to free agency every year.
- I cannot screw over the computer AI on trades. The logic is wonky and it's easy to accumulate 1st round picks by picking up unsigned free agents in the preseason and flipping them to teams that need the player.
- I cannot edit any attributes on future drafted players except the name since they're fictional.
Here is where the Vikings stand with modded rosters at the start of 2017.
QB: Kirk Cousins 82 OVR, Sean Mannion 68 OVR, Jake Browning 66 OVR
RB: Dalvin Cook 85 OVR, Ameer Abdullah 74 OVR, Alexander Mattison 71 OVR, Mike Boone 64 OVR
FB: CJ Ham 71 OVR
WR: Adam Thielen 93 OVR, Stefon Diggs 91 OVR, Bisi Johnson 73 OVR, Josh Doctson 72 OVR, Chad Beebe 70 OVR
TE: Kyle Rudolph 85 OVR, Irv Smith Jr. 79 OVR, David Morgan 75 OVR, Ty Conklin 68 OVR
LT: Riley Reiff 72 OVR, Olisameka Udoh 67 OVR
LG: Pat Elflein 74 OVR Dakota Dozier 71 OVR
C: Garrett Bradbury 75 OVR Brett Jones 71 OVR
RG: Josh Kline 73 OVR Dru Samia 71 OVR
RT: Brian O'Niell 74 OVR Rashod Hill 69 OVR
LE: Danielle Hunter 89 OVR Stephen Weatherly 68 OVR
RE: Everson Griffen 91 OVR I. Odenigbo 66 OVR Jaylen Holmes 65 OVR
DT: Linval Joseph 89 OVR Shamar Stephen 74 OVR Jaleel Johnson 68 OVR Arman Watts 66 OVR
LOLB: Ben Gedeon 75 OVR Eric Wilson 68 OVR
MLB: Eric Kendricks 79 OVR Kentrell Brothers 68 OVR
ROLB: Anthony Barr 85 OVR Cameron Smith 67 OVR
CB: Xavier Rhodes 86 OVR Trae Waynes 79 OVR Mackenzie Alexander 77 OVR Mike Hughes 75 OVR Holton Hill 73 OVR
FS: Harrison Smith 94 OVR Marcus Epps 71 OVR
SS: Anthony Harris 78 OVR Kris Boyd 68 OVR
K: Dan Bailey 78 OVR
P: Britton Colquitt 74 OVR
Initial Thoughts: This OL blows. I hope Kirk is ready to run because there's no helping him with this low rated group. That's my first step in making this team better.
2017 SEASON : (6-9-1, picking 10th overall)
This season actually started off on a strong note! Kirk Cousins was wheeling and dealing even though he was getting sacked 4 times a game. The wheels started falling off when Cousins bruised his sternum and out for 6 weeks, leaving me to start Sean Mannion. In relief, Mannion threw for 175 yards a game, with 4 TDs and 9 INTs. During that same stretch, Dalvin Cook was knocked out for 5 games with a partially torn ACL. The Vikings went 1-5 during that stretch and were eliminated from post season contention in week 14. Notable stats:
Passing Yards: Kirk Cousins 9 GP 228 YPG 17 TD 9 INT
Rushing Yards: Dalvin Cook 11 GP 218 att 972 yds 4 TD
Receiving Yards: Stefon Diggs 16 GP 88 Rec 1,540 yds 14 TD, Adam Thielen 13 GP 64 Rec 768 yds 3 TD
Sacks: Danielle Hunter 16 GP 82 tackles 6 TFL, 11 sacks - Everson Griffen 16 GP 78 tackles, 11 TFL, 7 sacks.
Tackles: Eric Kendricks 15 GP 128 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INT - Anthony Barr 14 GP 97 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT.
Interceptions: Harrison Smith 16 GP 87 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 INT.
2017 Super Bowl Champion: New England Patriots over Atlanta Falcons
2017 Off-season:Player Re-Signing: There wasn't a significant Vikings player that required a new contract this year. I resigned most of the depth pieces to 1 year contracts.
Free agency: I knew heading into the offseason that the OL needed significant upgrades. Unfortunately those upgrades weren't available in this free agent class. The best LT available was Greg Robinson at 75 OVR. He wanted $6 million a year, which is too much for barely an upgrade over Reiff. The crown jewel of the class was Drew Brees, who opted out of New Orleans and signed with NFC South rival Tampa Bay for 1/$24.5 million.
The Draft: While I was scouting during the year one person really stuck out as a great value and a perfect fit for the Vikings needs.
LT - DeAndre Brooks 6'4" 331 lbs with a mid-1st round draft grade. He set the record for most starts in a row at Washington, with impressive combine numbers. Finishing 1st with 42 bench reps, 2nd in vertical, and 20 yard cone drill. If he was gone by pick 10, it's going to be a long season for the Vikings.
Fortunately when our pick came up he was still available! I nearly pull a hamstring running up to the podium to select the franchise LT. And boy does he look like it:
78 OVR - 95 strength, 94 impact blocking, 78 run block, 74 pass block, and Super Star Development.
R2: SS Harris Ellis 6'1" 190 lbs 76 OVR Normal Dev - fell into my lap with 91 speed, 93 acceleration, and 81 zone coverage.
R3: QB Todd Van Pelt 6'4" 218 lbs 74 OVR Slow Dev - After seeing what it looked like without Kirk I needed someone who could actually throw a ball more than 5 yards down field. Van Pelt started as an early 2nd round grade but fell after an inconsistent season at Florida.
R4: RG Turner MacDonald 6'2" 314 lbs 72 OVR Normal Dev - Got fooled by his combine numbers and thought he'd be better. His lack of strength 79 OVR will be hard to overcome.
R5: WR Marvin Blair 6'2" 212 lbs 74 OVR - Blair comes from LA Tech and a big possession receiver. His downfall will be his lack of speed 86 OVR similar to Treadwell.
R6: LG Quincy Gorrer 6'2" 314 lbs - 77 OVR Quick Dev - Madden makes it easy to identify really good OL late in the draft. In order to keep it realistic I try not to load up, but this guy was too good to pass up. 88 strength, 84 run block, 76 pass block.
R7: OLB Raysean Savage 6'5" 238 lbs - 67 OVR Normal Dev - For my last pick I usually go for the best name, or the freak combine athlete. Savage was the fastest LB in the class 89 OVR, and the strongest 78 OVR. Time will tell if any of that can translate on the field.
Tune in soon to read how the 2018 season turned out for the Vikings.