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Post by Narcizo on Jan 19, 2006 10:05:11 GMT
Oh yes. Not only am I member of the USFL league, I'm also in the Historic Football League. The game starts in 1970 and uses real players (most of whom I've never heard of) but who have had an X-factor applied making them a bit more random. Due to an inability to alter the league set-size there are too many teams in the game compared to the historical situation so who better to play in a 1970s league than the Baltimore Ravens. Luckily I get to use their vaguely cool shieldy symbol on our helmets rather than the bastard son of Emu that adorns their current effort. Anyway, things aren't going quite so swimmingly in this league compared to the USFL (7-3 at the mo). Due to a teeth-grindingly annoying habit of fumbling the ball at regular occasions and a defence that is just plain hopeless-looking we're a mere 5-5 and need to win 4 of the last 6 (and probably 5) to have a shot at the play-offs. Our team stats are pretty good but the turnovers and hopeless fucking kicker have shagged usWe also don't have any players anyone will have heard of (except maybe Terry Bradshaw. Oh and S1ugt may have heard of Otto Stowe and Nick Buouniconti. And I've heard of Steve Nelson who my predecessor drafted at the start of the year so I guess you might have, particularly Moo. Even though the X-factor seems to have made him a little pantish). Luckily for me this league has seen fit to fuck up my quarterback, just like it has Culpepper in the other. Anyway, it's all very exciting and whatnot. But the sort of exciting where you know you're going to end up disappointed - rather like following Crystal Palace, rather than the exciting where you only suspect you're going to end up disappointed, as with the War Dogs. Basically the 5-5 record means I have to keep on fielding my best team, thus not developing my youngsters, while chasing a play-off spot I can't hope to get and ending up with a 8-8 record that will leave me with a mediore draft pick. I'm liking it better though because there aren't the swathes of pricks that seem to inhabit USFL and because of the historical aspect. So why am I going on about this? Because it's where I've been directing most of my "spare" time for the last couple of months. As with the old "If I spent as much time studying as I did drinking at University" line, if I spent as much time working as I have writing pieces for the league then I'd have, erm, done a lot of work. I am Cub Reporter as well as Narcizo. Anyway there you go, if you want a look. The standings and whatnot are to be found in the League section. Anyway, only 9 more game years (= 2 1/2 real years) to go before I can draft John Elway should 1) I have a toppish pick and 2) he not be made rubbish by the x-factor. Expect more updates as we limp to the promised land of 8-8 mediocrity. *Oh I forgot to mention that our current qb in Bradshaw's absence is called Dick Shiner. Hur! Hur!
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Post by Moo on Jan 19, 2006 11:06:31 GMT
Why would you want to draft John Elway? He's a cúnt. You should maybe hold out for a guy called Tony Eason, I expect great things from him....
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 19, 2006 11:39:52 GMT
Elway may well be a cunt. Well, ok then, is a cunt. But he's an exciting-to-watch cunt. Obviously Dan Marino would be the best one to get but I'm sort of hoping that I'll never be in the position to get a first overall draft pick. Especially as I would imagine the 1982 season will feature a tankathon by anyone needing a quarterback.
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Post by Boony on Jan 19, 2006 13:07:43 GMT
So you'll know who'll be coming up in each draft pick, according to the history of the league? Interesting... This is Front Office Football, right? I had a go with that a while ago. I had good fun trying to sort out a half-decent roster, but I was too scared to dip into the gameplan/tactics side of things. Which is why I never won anything, I guess. Good luck, sir. Show them how to do it the Nark way. :nark:
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 19, 2006 13:29:19 GMT
The problem with the draft is that the random factor can make hall of famers rubbish and elevate effectively grey players to herculean heights (I have a young quarterback who, as far as I can work out, is fictional but could be one of the best qbs in the game. Could be but won't be because I can't afford to commit to developing him). So there's no telling where decent players will turn up in the draft.
For example Walter Payton is probably the biggest name in our upcoming draft, but in the trial runs I've done with the draft file he's only god-like in about 50% of the draft classes, in 25% he's starter quality and 25% he's pretty average. Of course the good thing about the game is that viewable potentials aren't set in stone so he might actually turn out to be good although he looks average at the time of draft.
I never bothered gameplanning on single player, it's just not practical if you want to get anywhere. That's the beauty of multiplayer - it gives you the time to really think about what you're trying to do and work things out a bit. It's really two different games. Roster Management/career building in single player and far more micromanagement in multiplayer. For example it's possible to predict which players will have an affinity or conflict with your team leaders but I'm buggered if I'm going to sit there and try to work it out in singleplayer when I want to rattle through a year in a couple of days or so. The good thing with gameplanning is that it allows fairly easy multiplayer games without everyone actually having to be on-line at the same time. The bad thing is that it leads to cheese-tactics and it's inflexible.
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Post by Boony on Jan 19, 2006 15:55:17 GMT
Ah, fair enough. I must have been rubbish at building rosters, then. I rarely got above 8-8, I seem to remember. I might give it another go one of these days, as it was good fun at the time. I made spreadsheets to help me work out my salary caps and everything...
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Post by DC on Jan 19, 2006 16:27:48 GMT
Shirley Warren Moon is the 'sleeper' pick. Nab him in 1979 or whenever he first came up, instead of 1983 after 4 years toiling with the Huskies in the CFL.
Do it.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 19, 2006 16:30:54 GMT
Except he isn't a sleeper because he's programmed as good as he eventually turned out to be rather than how he was viewed at the time. Unless he's rubbish. I think he's in the 1979 draft class.
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Post by DC on Jan 19, 2006 16:33:47 GMT
Booo! They should program in the racism inherent in the system. Help, help he's being oppressed etc.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 20, 2006 7:55:30 GMT
Well the good news is that a flashing running game (259 yards on the ground) spearheaded by my reserve halfback (205 yards) led us to 6-5 with a 24-10 win over the Eagles. The bad news is that it was my reserve running leading us because my star starter got injured and is out for the rest of the year. My divisional rivals all won as well so this week has been a bit bogus really. Without my starting quarterback or halfback I don't really see how I can get to the play-offs but I still have to keep trying. Should you want you can actually "see" the game here, near the bottom of the list. But you'll have to be pretty bored or have a vested interest to want to do that.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 24, 2006 9:16:25 GMT
Another game, another win (a nervy 20-17 defence-fest against the Steelers) and we're now 7-5 but still third in the division as it appears we've ended up in the Division of Death!!!! !!! We currently have a wildcard spot (thanks to a superior conference record) but how long will that last?
As we face 3 teams currently with 10-2, 9-3 and 7-5 records in our remaining games I'd have to say "Not very long". I can't say I'm liking our chances of making the play-offs and the division is pretty much a distant pipe-dream. I smell an 8-8 record, or, possibly, another 9-7 near miss on a wildcard place just to ensure maximal loss of draft position while still missing the play-offs.
On the plus side our back-up running back broke past 100 again this week, against the 4th best run defence in the league no less. And our back-up quarterback continues to post 100+ rated games. So, basically, it looks as though I should have played the back-ups from the start. Either that or we've been playing teams with losing records the last three weeks. I wonder which it could be.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 27, 2006 10:01:57 GMT
Pants! A double whammy in my two MP leagues as the Dogs went down to #2 league side Baltimore Burn 20-17 thanks to a missed field goal in the last seconds of the game while the Ravens are beaten by league #1 Dallas because my receiver dropped the ball twice when I was on for a touchdown in the end of a match we lost 26-21. Fan-bloody-tastic!
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Post by elth on Jan 27, 2006 11:10:47 GMT
You're crap.
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Post by Moo on Jan 27, 2006 11:41:30 GMT
Nice taunt.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 27, 2006 12:40:00 GMT
I'm winning crap. My record in MP play so far is 14-10. Which giving the fact that my starter QB got injured in both leagues isn't shabby. So nur!
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 27, 2006 18:19:21 GMT
Having decided that I just wasn't wasting enough time as it is on all this malarkey I've joined another league. In this one I am the 49ers in 2008 NFL. The thing is, the side looks really mint but the owner seems to have deliberately tanked them to get a good draft pick. Either that or the team has a fundamental flaw I haven't spotted. I'm sure it isn't that though. Anyway Mr 49er got #3 overall and I'm having all the fun of the fair offloading it because the draft class has five potential HOFers so everyone wants in on the action. Unfortunately I've decided to ignore Hornet's standing draft-for-skill advice and thus will cash in my chips for some good talent and future picks.
The trading, free agency and draft is really where MP comes into its own. This is the first time I've got to try it out and it rules. I heartily recommend it to all.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 30, 2006 7:40:46 GMT
Should anyone want to try out the game past the first two pre-season games and see what's what in on-line play I seem to have a spare license knocking about, but it would have to be someone I weally, weally twust as I might want it back at a later date.
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Post by Moo on Jan 30, 2006 9:13:51 GMT
Where's WWP these days?
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Post by Narcizo on Feb 1, 2006 8:07:46 GMT
Finally the game puts me out of my misery by giving me 2 losses (by 5 and 3 points) both of which I could (and probably should) have won. My kicker has a worse kick percentage than my PiFFLe kicker for fuck's sake! The twat! Anyway, for good measure the game injured my best receiver and defensive end so my roster could actually lose strength during the off-season. Which isn't nice. On the plus side the Columbus War-Dogs are 8-4 and leading their division, although with a tough schedule ahead. We are probably the borongist team in football but we don' care. Week 13 vs Jacksonville - You know a game sucks when the fullback is MVPWe are in a tough division. I play Boston, New York, Hartford and Norfolk to finish off the year and I reckon 2 wins will get me to the play-offs (as long as one is over New York or Norfolk) and 3 might be enough for the division title. I won't be getting a bye-week though by the looks of things. The other good news is that Minnesota (who's 2nd round pick I have) are in the middle of a huge losing streak, which I'm hoping will continue so they get a nice high pick for me.
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Post by Sonic on Feb 2, 2006 3:35:05 GMT
Piffle? Is that still going on?
Division champion, isn't that over-reaching? 2 wins, with 2 fullbacks getting MoM, that's what you need.
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Post by Narcizo on Feb 2, 2006 8:54:36 GMT
I'd love to take the division title just to piss off the Norfolk owner (League Champions last year). His team is currently under-written by a couple of super-dodgy deals he made with the owner of Hartford - basically giving him; a) a first overall pick for like 2 2nd round picks - a pick he later traded for 3 1st round picks. b) the best left tackle in the game after Hartford had just signed him to a 5 year deal with a huge bonus. Hartford ended up having to pay the bonus causing his team to melt down while Norfolk can reap the benefits by capping out each year, because he only has to pay the annual wages. (capping out involves moving the year's wages to bonus money, allowing you to spread out your payment over the years.
So if I can win the division when I have had an arse-awful quarterback playing all year and have been missing my best player all year, then it will really grate with him. Which will be nice.
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Post by coffers on Feb 2, 2006 9:44:14 GMT
Get stuck in Nark ,it's obviously a fixed game or something, the cheating bostord.
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Post by Narcizo on Feb 3, 2006 9:11:15 GMT
Well I finally got knocked out of play-off contention with my Ravens side. Injuries and an inability to stop 3rd andllong conversions have been my downfall. Oh and a wanky kicker. Anyway I've started playing rookies to give them a bit of development time and am now looking forward to the 1975 draft.
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Post by Narcizo on Feb 3, 2006 9:16:59 GMT
Anyway, I'm all getting geared up for the draft in NAFL which starts this afternoon. It looks as though I'm going to be getting a running back with my #5 pick. I have my preference but, unfortunately, they matter not a jot as there's probably only going to be one left by the time it's my turn to pick. It's all very exciting I must say. Shame most of it will occur while I'm asleep, necessitating my using a preference list and running the risk of getting 4 guards or something. Stupid time zones! I wish someone would start a Europe-based league, although I doubt there would be 32 takers for that.
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Post by Moo on Feb 3, 2006 10:50:07 GMT
Unlucky, Narkle. KUTGW!
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