~*~*~* MM's Madden Eagles Franchise Thread *~*~*

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Since it's *that* time of year and we're all missing football, I'm going to give ST some football.



I simmed the 2016 season. (6-10) Pats won the SB in the sim just like in real life.

IMPORTANT TRANSACTIONS


Non-Eagles:

- New York Giants signed WRs Alshon Jeffery #81 and Brandon Marshall #85, re-signed DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Jonathan Hankins.
- Atlanta Falcons signed WR Pierre Garçon #88
- Washington Redskins re-signed WR DeSean Jackson and signed WR Terrelle Pryor #81, DT Bennie Logan #98
- QB Tony Romo #9 joined the Denver Broncos

RETIREMENTS
LG Allen Barbre: "I'm tired of taking hits in the trenches just to lose, I'm going to raise my family now. I retire"
LT Jason Peters: "I'm old, football was fun but I want to play settle down and play golf now. I retire"
PR/KR Darren Sproles: "The game has been great to me, I was blessed to have a great football career. I'm proud to announce that I have accepted a job as KFC media spokesman after Kevin Hart declined the opportunity."

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

After the Chip Kelly turmoil and a flameout in the 2016 season, the Eagles decided that Howie Roseman would not be in their plans for the future. Therefore, Jeff Lurie sought out a new executive to run the Eagles organization. He found his replacement in 74-year-old Steve Guynes, a retired university computer science professor in Texas.

Guynes: "I've always loved football and am grateful for this opportunity to get out of the Texas heat and move to a great place with great fans. I'm excited to begin the process of turning the Eagles into a perennially successful and model team in the NFL. I'm gonna make this team good, just watch."

"I'm going to start by overhauling this team and draining the swamp of the bad apples. I'm going to build this team through the draft and we're going to see if we can go all the way before I'm gone."

"The defensive scheme is going to be wild with me in charge. We're going to blitz a lot, we're going to use both 4-3 and 3-4. The offense is going to be balanced and better than ever before. Just y'all watch."


PRE-DRAFT TRANSACTIONS

- Signed DT Terrell McClain #97 to a 6 year, 18.4 million contract + bonuses, CB Terrance Mitc #21 to a 7 year, 21.0 million contract + bonuses
- Traded: DT Fletcher Cox #69 to the Dallas Cowboys for their 2017 4th round pick, 2017 7th round pick, DE Benson Mayowa #94
- Traded: RG Brandon Brooks #67 to the Los Angeles Rams for their 2017 6th round pick
- Traded: WR Jordan Matthews #81 to the Atlanta Falcons for their 2017 5th round pick
- Traded: OLB Nigel Bradham #53 and WR Dorial Green-Beckham #18 to the New York Giants for S Mykelle Thompson #25, their 2017 5th round pick, and 2017 6th round pick
- Cap casualty: DE/OLB Connor Barwin #98


DRAFT:

1. WR Desmond Jackson #80, 6'4" 220, Penn. Pros: Physical and tall outside receiver, great speed for bigger receiver. Cons: ball security issue, injury issues in college, consistency, faced poor corners. BCS: poor man's Calvin Johnson, WCS: Dorial Green-Beckham

2. MLB Sean Daniels #52, 6'1", 235, E. Illinois. Pros: Fast and hard-hitting, smart, great motor, nose for the ball. Cons: strength an issue, can get pancaked on blocks, injuries in college. BCS: Sean Lee, WCS: Kiko Alonso

3. OLB Jeremy Franklin #55, 6'4" 250, Tulane. Pros: Very athletic, hits hard, attacks hard and plays with fire, good pass rusher/blitzer off the edge. Cons: getting off blocks, coverage, tweener, not big or strong enough to play 4-3 DE, tires out faster than normal. BCS: black, long dreads version of Clay Matthews, WCS: any JAG OLB.

4. DT Shurik Mumphrey #96, 6'6" 315, TCU. Pros: Young, athletic for a big man; powerful and can pass rush better than usual for a young guy his size. Good run stuffer. Cons: Not going to speed rush. Could be a tweener as he is tall for a DT (definitely for a 3-4 NT) and too big for a 4-3 DE. No finesse. Needs to be able to recognize run vs. pass better. Inconsistency a question. Little to no meaningful experience in college.

4. FS Anthony Player #44, 5'5", 170, Youngstown St. Pros: elite track star speed and quickness as a short black guy, pesky, never quits, good field awareness, hits well for size, very young and potential room to grow an inch or so, excels in the "helper" role in man coverage. Cons: Very small and short stature leads to broken tackles, easy catches made over the top in coverage, etc. Small school. Horrible in zone coverage. BCS: poor man's Bob Sanders, WCS: JAG short DB

4. SS Marion Livingston #36, 6'5", 210, Arizona St. Pros: height gives him advantage in certain coverage situations, lankiness gives him speed and agility, athletic for a taller white guy. Very young. Good instincts, decent angles. Cons: height a liability against the low throw and poor tackling leverage. Poor in zone coverage and easily blocked due to slender frame. Not strong enough to be a linebacker; may be too short to play safety. Metabolism disallows him to gain weight easily. Can stand to improve hitting for a strong safety. BCS: Andrew Sendejo, WCS: Jayron Kearse or similar JAG

5. WR Corey Jacobsen #83, 6'2", 190, Vanderbilt. Pros: good instincts and smarts, good route running, good WR frame, blocks well, solid hands. Cons: As a white receiver, his speed and athleticism is a concession. Doesn't jump well. Smaller football school. Could stand to bulk up a bit and secure tougher catches better. Likely ceiling as a secondary outside receiver. BCS: Chris Hogan, WCS: practice squad/cut JAG WR

5. LDE Steven Weldon #90, 6'5", 270, Stanford. Pros: Extremely smart, 4.0 GPA in a top academic school. Uses power moves in conjunction with smarts to beat tackles and guards. Strong and a steady tackler. Drive, hunger and desire is there. Recognizes plays well. Cons: As a bigger, white DE, not a banner athlete. Not going to speed rush, relies on smarts to bend around the edge. Sturdy 4-3 left defensive end, questionable fit in the 3-4 as a 5-tech DE. Backup player throughout college. Struggles to get off vice-grip blocks by linemen. BCS: Joey Bosa, WCS: practice squad/cut JAG DE

5. QB Max Hallgren #14, 6'2", 190, Cornell. Pros: Intelligence and awareness, quick for a white QB, short throw accuracy, confidence. Cons: inaccurate on longer throws, backup project in a smaller college, must improve pocket awareness and defense reading. Smaller frame makes him vulnerable to bigger hits. Must improve arm strength. Raw project. BCS: Fran Tarkenton, WCS: practice squad/career backup QB

6. CB Derieon Delaney #29, 5'11", 170, Clemson. Pros: Very fast and athletic, track speed; plays receiver well, good in press coverage. Great hands and ball skills and can make spectacular interceptions. Cons: Never saw the field in any meaningful game in college due to compe ion at a top football school and extensive injury history. Smaller corner. Play recognition and awareness must improve. Dreadful in zone coverage. In man coverage, often lets receiver get in front of him. Risk taker. Project at corner for sure. BCS: Jeremy Lane, WCS: practice squad/career backup CB

6. RB Jeremy Beckley #20, 6'0", 230, Michigan. Pros: Has NFL one-cut runner physique and good speed and potential. Cons: Must improve on his football skills as a runner, blocker, and receiver. Not as physically strong as desired for physique. Never saw the field in any meaningful game in college. Likely a year one practice squad star. BCS: a starting or committee NFL running back, WCS: practice squad/short NFL career

6. DT John Malley #92, 6'2", 310, Wisconsin. Pros: Good size for a prototypical 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE, young, smart and sturdy in run support; can get off a block and make a tackle. Charismatic and funny; good to hang out and have a beer with. Cons: Not fast or athletic, even for a white DT; unlikely to be an effective rusher, even a bull rusher. No finesse. Never saw meaningful snaps in college. Likely ceiling is a rotational interior defensive line body. BCS: rotational interior NFL defensive lineman, WCS: practice squad DT/short NFL career

7. LB Jelly Plinian #59, 6'3", 260, South Alabama. Pros: Good linebacker body; solid speed and drive. Cons: every facet of his game needs significant work, tackling could definitely improve, not really a MLB, not really a pass rusher, very small football program in college. Likely a career backup unless game progresses in an unusual manner. BCS: rotational LB piece, WCS: practice squad LB/short NFL career

7. DT Peleéan Nortiori #64, 7'0", 190, Canada. Pros: Drive to excel; born in Naples, Italy to poor Senegalese family, emigrated to Toronto, ON at age 9. Extremely athletic, fast and quick, can blow by people in a hurry and swat balls in the air with ease. Cons: Should have been a basketball player. Suffers from anorexia nervosa. No power; finesse only. Played as a situational nose tackle at his school in Ontario and was destroyed by offensive linemen with huge size and leverage advantages over him. Freakish height also a tremendous disadvantage in tackling. Unplayable on non-passing downs. Must work on everything to be an NFL player. Not projected to be drafted. BCS: situational nose tackle on passing downs, WCS: out of the league quickly


UDFA. FB Tim Fullton #34, 6'2", 275, Southern Miss. Pros: Above average running and route-running fullback out of the backfield; good awareness, smart player. Cons: Must improve blocking technique to succeed as a fullback on an NFL roster. Lousy pass protector. Not fast or small enough to be a wideout; not tall or fast enough to be a receiving tight end. A real tweener. Potential as a situational fullback or H-back.


GM Steve Guynes: "We've got a very young ball club. It's a lot of picks and we feel pretty confident about our draft."

Mel Kiper Draft Grade: C+

[UNT Eagles 2016]

AUGUST

Signings: CB Nolan Carroll #22 (one-year re-sign), WR Deonte Thompson #16, LB Kenny Demens #54, WR Joseph Morgan #84, CB Deiondre' Hall #32, MLB Terrell Manning #98, SS D.J. Campbell #31, C Joe Madsen #60, RT Jonathan Anderson #77, C Darren Keyton #72, CB Nick Marshall #40, other camp bodies

Cuts: CB Jalen Mills, WR Nelson Agholor, RB Kenjon Barner, TE Trey Burton, QB Chase Daniel, other camp bodies... none of the 2017 class rookies

Trade: SS Malcolm Jenkins #27 to Buccaneers for 2018 5th round pick


GM Steve Guynes: "Well, we've obviously got huge holes on the offensive line, and we understand that's going to be a problem this year until we can rectify this in next year's draft. However, we are pleased to announce that our star tackle Lane Johnson is drug-free and ready to move full-time to the left side this year, and Beau Allen has made his full conversion from defensive tackle and will be our starting right guard for the 2017 season. We're pleased to have removed the idiot anti-American activist Malcolm Jenkins from the organization for good."


Projected 2017 QB Rotation: Carson Wentz #11, [R] Max Hallgren #14 (others moved to PS or cut)
Projected 2017 RB Rotation: Ryan Matthews #24, Wendell Smallwood #24, Jon Dorenbos #46 (FB)*, [R] Tim Fullton #34 (FB)
Projected 2017 Starting O-Line: LT Lane Johnson #65, LG Josh Andrews #68, C Darren Keyton #72, RG Beau Allen #74, RT Jonathan Anderson #77
Projected 2017 TE Rotation: Zach Ertz #86, Brent Celek #87
Projected 2017 WR Rotation: [R] Desmond Jackson #80, Joseph Morgan #84, Deonte Thompson #16, [R] Corey Jacobsen #83

Projected 2017 4-3 Starting D-Line: LDE Steven Weldon #90**, LDT Shurik Mumphrey #96, RDT Terrell McClain #97, RDE Benson Mayowa #94
Projected 2017 3-4 Starting D-Line: LDE John Malley #92, NT Shurik Mumphrey #92, RDE Terrell McClain #97
Projected 2017 OLB Rotation: Jordan Hicks #58, Vinny Curry #75, Kenny Demens #54, Jeremy Franklin #55, Jelly Plinian #59, Terrell Manning #98
Projected 2017 MLB Rotation: Sean Daniels #52, Kenny Demens #54
Projected 2017 Safety Rotation: FS Mykkele Thompson #25, SS Jaylen Watkins #26, FS Anthony Player #44, SS Marion Livingston #36
Projected 2017 Corner Rotation: Terrance Mitc #21, Nolan Carroll #22, Nick Marshall #40, Derieon Delaney #29, Deiondre Hall #32

Projected 2017 K: Caleb Sturgis #6
Projected 2017 P: Donnie Jones #8
Projected 2017 KR/PR: Wendell Smallwood #28, Terrance Mitc #21, other various fast guys

[Avante]

I still play Tecmo Bowl. When I'm the Steelers Rod Woodson has ran back a KO return to score in every game since 1996 when I bought the game.

He is the leader in INT's and sacks and blocked kicks also. He's like Bo Jackson*** in the first Tecmo Bowl, just on defense.

*** I could start from my one yard line with the Raiders, run Bo all around, all the way to their one back to my one and do it again, runs that went on until I simply got bored with it. And Marcus Allen wasn't bad either. Without question the greatest running game ever.

What really sucks is ya make this amazing run, and nobody there to see it.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I still play Tecmo Bowl. When I'm the Steelers Rod Woodson has ran back a KO return to score in every game since 1996 when I bought the game.

He is the leader in INT's and sacks and blocked kicks also. He's like Bo Jackson*** in the first Tecmo Bowl, just on defense.

*** I could start from my one yard line with the Raiders, run Bo all around, all the way to their one back to my one and do it again, runs that went on until I simply got bored with it. And Marcus Allen wasn't bad either. Without question the greatest running game ever.

What really sucks is ya make this amazing run, and nobody there to see it.

That's cheesing... fortunately modern day Madden doesn't let you do such things. I haven't gotten a KO/PR touchdown in like 3 Madden seasons. Allowed about a couple. It's not something you can spam like in older more simplex games.

[Avante]

That's cheesing... fortunately modern day Madden doesn't let you do such things. I haven't gotten a KO/PR touchdown in like 3 Madden seasons. Allowed about a couple. It's not something you can spam like in older more simplex games.

I don't play video games for complexity, I play for action and fun.

I have actually....

ran back the opening KO. Only to watch them run back a KO, then I turn around and run back that KO. Yep, 14-7 without a down being played.

[Clipper Nation]

Drafting a WR in the first round

[UNT Eagles 2016]

ran back the opening KO. Only to watch them run back a KO, then I turn around and run back that KO. Yep, 14-7 without a down being played.

That's '90s and early '00s video games for ya. NBA Jam and, to a lesser extent, NBA Live were the same. Zero realism action arcade game more than a realistic sports game.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Drafting a WR in the first round

I have the Eagles who are already WR starved, and I traded away Jordan Mathews and cut Agholor. Trust me, this guy is already pretty darn good. Not Megatron good, but he can catch the toughies well on the outside. Unfortunately can't throw the deep ball too much because the game is biased toward having the CPU get a lot of interceptions. I'm not going to with the sliders because that's cheating.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Sooooooooooo...... I ing nailed Marshall to the Giants and Pryor to the Redskins.


I did triangulate and make trades to make the rest of the teams realistic. Baker & DJax to the Bucs, etc. I put Alshon Jeffery on the Giants and Torrey Smith on the Redskins, because I don't want 'em on my team... I'm gonna start the regular season over with the new realistic rosters. Good for Madden to allow users to do that.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Well digging up the stats for that first simmed season, Brandon Graham got 14.5 sacks, Vinny Curry 10.5, nice... nobody else with more than 4.5 though.


(as for the Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence got 16.5 which is just nasty... also DT Maliek Collins with 10.5... really hope that would happen in real life)

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Another golden nugget... Justin Houston got 22.5 which is just wow... funny thing is that actually happened in real life a couple years ago.

Texans led my Madden league in sacks with 60, their pass rush is just ridiculous....

- Clowney: 15.0
- Watt: 14.5
- McKinney: 10.0
- Mercilus: 8.5

Nobody else with more than 3.0. But crazy and strangely realistic at the same time.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

It's April, 2017.

- Tony Romo has signed with the Houston Texans!
- Adrian Peterson has signed with the New York Giants!
- Fletcher Cox has been traded to the New York Giants!

The Eagles have traded!

- LDE Brandon Graham to the New Orleans Saints for 2018 2nd round pick. Graham too good and too few prime years left for Eagles' rebuilding process
- FS Rodney McLeod and one of several 2018 late rounders to Chargers for Dontrelle Inman. Keenan Allen is back in time for the Chargers in 2017.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

It's August, 2017.

Additional UDFAs Signed (custom created players): WR #13 Daniel Diener 5'8" 185 (overall rating 74); TE #81 Esteban Martinez 6'5" 270 (overall rating 73); TE #89 Drakoen Ginsborough 6'4" 250 (overall rating 73); CB #27 Andrew Hansen 5'8" 140 (overall rating 71).

CB Andrew Hansen becomes a rare white cornerback to be signed onto a team. He says: "I'm excited to have an opportunity to practice and play with the Eagles organization and bring a better name to the number 27 here on the Philadelphia secondary."