User Authored Guides

Guides written by users of the game

Please note that these guides are essays written by users of the game, they are not an official help document but may aid a team in playing at Simgalaxy.com. The situations in the game may change so as to make some statements in these documents obsolete. The views and opinions in these documents do not express the views and opinions of Simgalaxy. They are the sole opinions of the authors.

Creating Age/Position Tiers and Scheduling Turnover
Evaluating Players vs. Their Peer Groups
Developing a Team System and a Plan

Creating Age/Position Tiers and Scheduling Turnover

So you have put all the pieces together, you have made a solid run for two seasons, and now it looks like you could be looking at the TITLE. But something makes you a little uneasy when you look at your roster. Suddenly you are hit by what the problem is, your team is peaking, and should walk this season, but you realize that almost all of the ages of your key players are within a very few years of each other. You're all but Guaranteed the TITLE this season, but you have to ask at what price, and how long will it be before you get another shot.

Is it possible to avoid this dilemma?

I seriously doubt it's possible to completely avoid this problem, but it's definitely possible to try and both extend your window of opportunity, while reducing the impact of any single roll-over, while decreasing the amount of time it takes to contend again.

A team in L10 took ONE SEASON OFF between being the top contender in his conference, and returning. But that isn't an everyday occurrence. Another owner worked on that situation for probably 4-6 seasons Previous to when his team peaked out.

4-6 seasons?

That's a quick guess, for all I know, he might have had 8 seasons of work into making sure that his team would turnover positions properly.

Some rough ideas you might want to look into when organizing your roster:

Quarterbacks and Halfbacks are high demand positions, if your top gun at either position has a terrible off-season, it could really weigh down your team. These are positions in which you'll definitely have desire to ride a superior vet as long as you can, but as they age one off-season could take them from being capable or good, and have them not able to fill the bill for what is needed form them. As such, it's probably a good idea to either keep another player in their position that is rather close 1-2 seasons in age/development, or be prepared to insert an external vet to fill in if they should stumble. In both positions though it's probably a good idea to have at least 5-7 years age difference between "Franchise Players" at that position. This is mainly due to the price tag involved in holding "the next" player at either position, while also paying for the current top dog, and to limit the amount of time you "waste" that investment as the top dog keeps the heir apparent on the bench. 33yrs of age seems to be a pretty avg time when many vets start becoming questionable between off-seasons, at which point you probably want the next generation starter to be about 24-27 and ready to step in if asked. (24-27 being the age in which you should be able to expect a player to be able to be a capable starter IF they are developing on track)

Offensive Linemen Probably should have about 2-3 years in age difference between your top two at each position, if you carry three of them, and 5-7 years between your best one and the next generation in that position. Which means if you only carry 2 centers, it's probably best to keep somewhere between 5-7 years of age difference in them. In an O-line I believe it's probably more important to maintain stability over peaking. It's also an area that could kill you if you lost both of your top players in a single position in a single off-season. It's rough enough scrambling for one starter let alone two - especially in Quality O-line. I try to get used to the idea of carrying 4 in a position - often with a single season vet type holding the number three slot while a young prospect is being groomed.

There's nothing wrong with one season type vets that have been there done that, but probably only have a season or so left in them - IF you plug them in correctly, and don't rely on them to be your core. One owner just added a great grey beard LB to his team, that really boosted his LB corps, probably only for THIS season, but because of the ages of his other LBs, it's a great temporary fix, and gives him a much better chance at contending this season.

Wide Receivers can be difficult to develop, and can also be ridden longer then many positions. So if you have a legit number one you might push him until he's 35... (but they do often become a bit more fragile as they age - INJ seems to get hit hard by aging). I have been struggling with this with the Feathered Serpents. I would suggest 3-5 years between the number one and number two WRs ages. And I'd stretch that further IF you seem to have a Methuselah as your top dog. You don't want to have your Wide Receiver corp completely fall apart over night, but you have to watch that you don't have them so staggered that when the torch is passed, someone can carry it. If you are an Aggressive Passing team, then I'd suggest that the number two WR be under 4 years younger, and that you carry four receivers (even if you bench one during the season) with the last two being 5-7 years younger and separated by 2-3 seasons.

You might have noticed, there are no hard and fast "rules" for designing your age tiers, because different team styles will demand different flow, also keep in mind Talent stability is the key, even more then the ages. What you are trying to do is keep your talent consistent, it's just easier if it's due to ages and the players happen to fill the talent needs at that age.

Tight Ends find a lot of use in Sim Gal, and as such I suggest carrying three of them, so that you can keep your top two within a bout a 3 year window of each other, while developing a much younger next generation of starter. Always remember,that while you are developing a player, if you come to the decision that player WILL NOT fill the eventual role you need them to - make the change to get that player that does fill that role and need.

Fullbacks come in two shapes and flavors. You have those that make them a definite part of their offense, and those that merely require a solid guy filling a role. If you try to make string use of the FB, then I'd suggest keeping your second close enough in age/development that they can be called upon, and so that they will be prepared for when the starter gives up- the fight, while keeping the younger next generation over 5 if not over 7 years apart from the top dog. Nice part about that is the second will be able to fill the role as starter, hopefully, for a season or two while the new FB finishes grooming, and then will be able to be your vet depth second, while you find the next replacement FB. If you only carry two of them, it's probably best to keep them 4-6 years within age of each other, so their isn't a huge drop-off, but you have the long term run, without wasting the new kids ability for too many years as he watches from the
bench.

Defensive Linemen are quite a bit like the offensive trench fighters, in that you want long-term stability here even more then one that peaks. You can always "splash in" a vet to thicken a line, but you want to make sure that it remains capable of doing their job, season after season after season. I'd probably try to stagger the top two linemen at each position by at least 3 years, and probably 7 years to the youngest. I'd carry four of each, that way the fourth can be either a vet solid depth guy, or another young prospect.

Linebackers really suit their selves to being adaptable when it comes to organizing their ages. Typically you can rely on one very good vet to carry two developing co-starters. IF you have to. But it's probably better suited to when you have two experienced players here and then two younger developing prospects. If this is a position in which you lean heavily upon, then I'd carry five of them, and keep two of them within 2-3 years of each other, if not closer, while staggering the others by 4-7 years each (from the oldest LB). Keep this in mind, if you know you have a weak D-line. A solid enough LB corp might just keep your opponents "honest".

Corners are really a position in which it's probably best to have a legit Tandem, which means keeping them within probably 2 seasons of each other, while carrying two more that are 3-5 years younger. Don't be surprised if you find your self contemplating carry five of them, so that you can add a strong veteran depth player to play number three. 9 years between the oldest and youngest is probably more then you'll ever want, because if the high demand on this position. You want to make sure your next generation can step in immediately when your top dogs fail.

Of course there are always exceptions, especially if you have AA p[layers in the mix ( which add about 3+ years to their career length on avg) or VERY VERY young rookies.

Safeties are another position I try to maintain four of, so that I can keep the top two relatively close. Perhaps 3 years age difference is a good starting goal. that allows for the next number one to be 7 +years younger then the current number one, giving them plenty of time to develop before they are called on. The other depth player should probably be 3-5 years younger then the avg between the number one and number two, allowing them to be used as a stop gap if the next Starter takes an extra season or two to develop. BUT this is a position that you definitely don't want to skimp on the development, or talent level that fills the ranks.

Now throughout this you can interchange age with talent level, but still try to look at career/starter length. As a I stated most players should start somewhere between 24-27, and most players start getting a bit unreliable around 33. Using that as a very rough guide, it'll allow you to gauge age vs talent vs starter/career length.

I'll try to get into deal "goals" or ideas about how to fill those ranks, etc.. in another article sometime. In the meantime enjoy,and hopefully this helps you to realize the tiers within your team better,and plan and organize your teams future.

Evaluating Players vs their Peer Groups

So, you have figured out what you want your team to do, but you can’t get them to do it, or you can’t “make the moves” to get them were you know they can be. Figuring out your system was easy - you want to have a dominating defense with a power running game. But how do you achieve it, you wonder. Which player can do it, and which is wasting time?

You wonder why everyone is laughing at you when you upgraded your CB position with that new 35 year old player. He’s easily twice as good as the player you had there, so what are they talking about? Sadly enough , their snickers stem from several sources. Bringing a 35+ yr old player on to your team means - A) you believe you have it all wrapped up, and this is “your year”. B) he’s tops in his peer group. C) You couldn’t find a younger guy at a similar talent level.

Chances are, that no... he isn’t tops in his peer group - you just added someone else’s crap to your team and will deal with it for a season. Wow. That seems pretty harsh... But that is what we do as Owners. We identify players that we don’t want and ship them off to someone else - don’t be a victim. Identify - Why is this player being offered. What can that player do for you. When will you be able to add a better player then him to your team. Who is better then him in his peer-group. How long will he be able to perform for?

Why do you have to “worry” about any of that you ask. Talent is Talent is Talent... But it isn’t. Always be aware of who each player competes with. Who are the other players within his age range that are good. And what are their vitals, and production like? Know the players “peeking order” within the players that he will be facing. If you want to be “extreme” take his projection against guys in his opposite position for his age group as well...?

That means if he is a CB, look at WRs that are within 3 years of his age, +/- . Do you feel comfortable, that he can compete with them? Is he going to be a step above the WRs in his age group, a step below? Where is he sitting. Also when judged against the other players in his position, where is he in respect to his peers? Is he the best of a so-so lot? Mid-grade, in a deep field? Will he be able to do the job you need performed. Immediately, eventually or throughout his career.

At some point you have to know what you need from the player you are evaluating. And then it is a balancing act between the players Vitals/Performance, and available talent in the position and peer-group. A player doesn’t have to have “ideal” vitals if he happens to be the best player at that position in a 7 year range. And it’s possible that you don’t need the “top” vitals to get the job done that needs done. Proper and clear identification of what you are looking for from the player/position will make it much easier to evaluate the value of any player you are looking at.

Does the player fill a need in your team plan? Are you just upgrading talent? Is the player a tradable commodity, that is the missing piece in another deal that will bring you the player(s) that you are really looking for?

Developing a Team System and Plan

When you first take over a team, as you do inventory you should start getting a rough idea of the natural strengths of the team, as it currently is, as well as it’s weaknesses and problems. First thing you should do is realistically evaluate the over-all talent level, then make note of the ages groups for your top talent vs peer groups. This can be difficult as you weigh out different possibilities. You’ll want to “lump” players into basic groups within 3-5 years of each other. Some simple groupings would be 19-23, 24-28, 29-32,33+

Once you see where your “best talent” is grouped you can decide if you are in; complete tear down and build, transformation, or win now. Of course there might be “hybrids” to those three basic situations (Compete now, while preparing for tomorrow...), but it’s best to commit to as simple of a plan as possible. Also consistency is worth it’s weight in gold, so you don’t run back and forth over the same ground without getting any closer to your goal.

If your best talent grouping is in an older tier, then you have to make the realistic evaluation, and decision, if they are capable of winning the Title right now, or at least within the window that their ages give you, and at what long term price to your team to make the attempt. Then assess whether assets you can move from your other tier groups can complete what you need to win. IF NOT, then you are not in that team stage regardless to where your talent lies. At that point you need to determine how far down the road you need to be looking. Does the team only need to transform a few positions, and be ready to make a solid run in 1-2 years? Does it need to be torn down in order to give a 3-5 year peak in 3-5 years?

After you have determined how your age tiers fall, and what the current goal of the team is; Build, Transform, Win - then you need to examine the strengths and weaknesses of your current roster and what style of play they are best suited for. Then you need to decide if you are going to change that style of play, or just add to what is already there. This can be a hard decision, as it’s pretty normal for anyone to want to move towards their bias (be it, Power running, Aerial fireworks, Crushing D, Opportunistic Pass based D...), but realistically you have to look at what your talent return will be on players that might be excellent in a different system then you imagine. No one wants to be the guy that handed the final piece for a three-peat to another team on the cheap... But also be open enough to actually realize the value of your players you are pimping, as well as the players you are looking at acquiring. At this point it is about peer-group weighting. Are you moving up or are you moving down? Are you trading Quality for Quantity? Are you trading youth for talent? Properly address what you are trying to achieve. NOT just position wise, but over-all team scope. Adding a 34 yr old Safety to a team with the majority of their talent aged 23-27 doesn’t make much sense...
He’ll be unreliable right about the time in which the other players are peaking.

Make sure you are looking at the peer group for both the players you are moving and the players you are acquiring. I know I stated this once before, but I can’t help but state it again. You have to have a clear understanding of where that player sits when compared to the players he will compete against in his career.

Now begin to set an outline for what you need to do to the team to put it on track for the type of team that you desire, and when they should start to “arrive”. This will help you set up a “schedule” for what needs to be done, when. It will also help identify what pieces need to be added, when. Minor slips in the order of adding the pieces you want are going to happen. Availability is always a factor and it will adjust when you get some of your pieces. But do not shoot yourself in the foot either. If your team is roughly 23-25 yrs old, and still needs three of four Defensive players, don’t add the 27 yr old QB that is ready to win right now. Unless you think you can make deals to add the other players you need within the next two seasons, without having to rely upon the draft for any future starters. Moving yourself from say a top 5 draft pick to picking 15th+ could severely slow down the progress of adding future potential starters players to your team.

This schedule doesn’t have to be written in stone or even thoroughly written down. I alternate from just general observation and the recording of observations in order to catch basic trends, but not get lost in the micro management of it, or do anything to reduce my suspension of disbelief. But if you are efficiency minded, it might better suit you to try and have as clear of an idea as possible. What I try to do is watch “trends”. Just over-all changes and patterns in the development, and production of players. Thinking here is, I don’t need to copy down every success or failure in development, to get a rough idea of what is going on. “Important” info should stick out and tell me what is going on. When I see either, it should remind me if I have seen those before... which should leave a bigger “flag” in my mind if I see such results in the future. Watching for trends and patterns. If you are going to attempt this method, remember to try and remain as consistent as possible in training, even to the point of training large numbers of players in the same basic vital, or “vital group”, so that it helps you to get “flags” for what’s been going on. (you might be surprised at the brain’s ability at pattern recognition...while reducing busywork)

Once you have your basic outline, and schedule, it should help you to refine your System, and enhance team identity. If you don’t know what a team is supposed to do, how can you expect them to achieve anything? Try to be patient in your development and refining. Sometimes a lot of major changes can stagnant progress even more then never adjusting anything, and not studying what is going on to give you the results you are finding.

Try to identify cause and affect as much as possible. Is your D getting a bum wrap because your Offense has a tendency to turn the ball over in inopportune times, and put the D out frequently, and in tough situations? Is the lack of a solid running game due to an O-line that needs upgraded, or running backs that need to go to the glue factory? Are you calling the plays you want, when you want? Often?

These are all things you’ll address as you refine your System, but hopefully at least you’ll have an idea of what you’d like them to do...