Rumplebeanskin wrote:
Rules are certainly the way forward ultimately, but require a greater knowledge and depth to what you're doing.
True. That's why I recommend you play in only one or, if you must, very few leagues.
Without a good game plan there is simply no way that one can routinely excel unless your team consists mostly of players in the upper echelons of skills. For example, a team made of players rated in the 90's where other team are made lesser rated players will rarely lose no matter its game plan. Whereas a team of lesser rated players can regularly compete against and beat teams of higher rated players if it has the right game plan. That's what makes this game so good potentially.
However, knowing your plays, applying the skills of your personnel, studying your opponent and designing a game plan requires an hour or two
per game (for me anyway). There is simply no way I have the time to do that for more than one team.
The real investment of time is when you first set up your rules and thereafter when you evaluate players (e.g., the draft, free agency and trades) whose skills compliment your overall game plan. After that, you simply you tweak your rules and depth chart based on scouting reports. As I've said before, I NEVER let the AI call a defensive play. It is all done through the rules I have established. And I pretty much control my offense the same way.
I decided to rely on my rules when, for example, the AI might call a goal line personnel defense against a goal line personnel offense on 3rd and 20, even though my team was ahead by 20 points. So I set a rule to play a standard (or nickel defense) and call pass defense in those types of situations. Even if I guessed wrong and the offense call a running play, the odds are extremely low that it would result in a first down. But if the offense in this situation called a passing play (against a goal line defense), it has a greater chance of making a first down than if it is matched against a pass oriented defense.
In other words, using rules makes it harder for your opponent to trick you. It's not entirely foolproof, but gives your players an improved chance to succeed.
Last edited at 4/27/2016 9:01 am