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Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
2/13/2022 4:57 pm
No one has done this yet...Gonna throw up a team page with my draft self-reflection.
(SInce the draft is paused a day, I can take a little time to break down the first half. (26 rounds)

By position:
QB: Kellen Mond: Not drafted in the elite part of the draft, Mond will not be the reason we win games. But, as long as he doesn't bust in camp, he won't be the reason we lose either. Mond has an established Strong arm and terrific athletic ability. Big risks in camp are his secondary passing skills (Acc, field of vision, look off). Those skills show potential now, but room to falter.

RB: Dalvin Cook and Robert Franz: Cook was the #3 overall pick and the first non-QB. Only 5'8" but has all the tools. In year 3, his 74 volatility leaves a little risk, but should be minimal. Franz on the other hand was a gamble that shot up the draft board for me in Rd 12. A rookie with 90 vol sounds scary, but most of his skills are developed, Only real risk is his ball carrying ability. (Which IS a big deal, I know).

WR: Michael Miller (8) and Robert Hayes (19): Like QB, I did not address the passing game early. As a year 3 WR with low vol, Miller is a safe bet. 80sp/93acc makes him as quick as he needs to be. He is just a hair under elite in the secondary categories. Hayes is a year 2 guy...also low vol. I wanted to know what I was getting here. I am hopeful Hayes improves his pass catching a hair in camp. Both are capable blockers and can return kicks.

OL: Rounds 6, 10, 11, 15, 22, 23: No one wants to read these names...lol. I went with fairly high volatility when picking OL. Not be design, just a matter of what was available. 2 rookies, 2 year 3, 2 year 4 players. So, I have to be VERY hopeful my OL coach has a good camp. TE Michelson lacks elite speed. If his receiving skills drop in camp, he is big enough to transition to OL if need be. But, this is the position I am most nervous about.

DL: DT John Randle(3) DE Alan Page (4) DE Trevor Perez(16) DT Daniel Sartain(18): After using 2 day one picks on the DL, I should feel good about these guys. All are year 2 or 3 so should be around for a while. John Randle is as safe as can be and has all the tools. Page is a year 2 guy with high vol...I don't need a boom here, just stay where you are...lol. As an 18th rd pick Sartain is just a hair behind Randle in skills. He just lacks the power. Perez has enough strength to move inside if need be.

LB: Anthony Barr(2), Carlos Jackson (17), Robert Self(20), John Barrera (26): It was hard to keep LB in the queue. I feel fortunate to get Barr at the end of Rd 2. 88 speed and "only" 66 vol for a Rookie makes him relatively safe to be an impact player. Lots of 90 potential skills to live up to. The other three guys were all day 4 picks. All have decent athletic ability and should be good against the run. Although they project some mediocrity in the pass game.

DB: 6 guys, rd 7, 9, 14, 21, 24, 25 : The roles my DB group will play is still in a bit of flux. One rookie (Tillman in rd 7) the rest are year 2-4. I need to see how camp treats their skills. The position group with the most competition. The only thing I can mark in pen is 9th rd CB Pat Dorn will be CB1. Being in year 4 makes him the group veteran and the safest bet not to get burned.

ST: K Kenneth Chaidez: In year 5, Chaidez is the "oldest" dude on my team. with 95/96 str/acc he should be kicking for me for the next 6-7 seasons. I still need a punter. I've had 1-2 guys queued but never made it to the top. Starting QB Mond is an adequate holder, but I wouldn't mind the Punter having a good skill there. Same at long snapper, I have a couple guys that are OK... but I could do better.

Needs for the 2nd half:
It won't be in round 27, but I should get a punter soon. The risk Monday morning is making sure I wake up in time for the 28-29 flop. Need to make sure I don't accidentally draft 2 punters...lol
The only other "starter" I lack is a FB. I know they are a bigger deal now than they used to be, so...soon.
While normally, I would start stocking up on young, risky players in the latter half, I think I might need a few of the opposite. I could use a couple safe veteran OL.

Later guys:

2nd Half of the draft:
Rd 27: FB check Athletic converted TE. Could use a little better receiving skills in camp.
Rd 28: Vet OL check Year 6 established solid guy. I will take it.
Rd 29: Punter that can be my holder? check
Rd 30. Vet DB with good speed. (My roster seems better at zone than man, I may have to adjust my normal gameplan)
Rd 31. Year 2 DL. Strong and quick with high Vol. Boom makes him a starter, but a bust leaves him as serviceable depth
Rd 32: WR3...maybe HB3 depending on the rest of the draft. Good speed for this point of the draft. The other attributes aren't horrible.
Rd 33: DE3...A safe pick, will never be a starter, but can help on ST.
RD 34/35: Time to gamble...High volatility QB and LB. Just give me one of the two as a boom please?
Rd 36: Solid LB depth. A little weak tackling, but good in coverage for flat routes.

Day 5: 37) Stable, QUICK WR that can help block in the run game. 38) High vol rookie OL. Limited risk, high reward. 39) FB with good speed and quality running skills. Weak as a receiver. 40) Athletic OL that can fill in all 5 spots. 41) Veteran FB, I may need him to play some TE. 42) Young, quick DB. Weak coverage skills. Good for ST 43) Rookie WR depth, high vol. Hoping for improve route running. 44) Strong young DL, can play in or out. 45) Young C. 58 vol. Hoping for a small payoff. Not very strong. 46) TBD
Last edited at 2/16/2022 7:20 pm

Re: Grizzly Den

By Braindeadkidfromouterspace - League Admin
2/13/2022 9:28 pm
**** yeah, Lars

This is legit. Smart.

Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
2/19/2022 1:24 am
Post Draft/Pre-Camp:

The Grizzlies have signed 12 UDFA since draft day. We brought in a bunch of competition at OL and LB.

Here are the players who stand to gain the most from a big camp:

LT Richard Fitch
UDFA rookie. 78 vol.
Athletic (66+ in speed/acc/str)
comes in showing 67/70 blocking potential. A good camp and he can be a starter, as it is, will be active on game days.

LB Anthony Bradley
UDFA rookie. 80 vol.
solid MLB build 65/73/88 sp/acc/str
shows 89 tackle potential now. With a good camp, can bring the other skills up and be a solid rotation piece. Otherwise, ST material.

CB Eduardo Snyder
Rd 46 rookie. 94 vol.
Almost Mr. Irrelevant. 72 speed and 63 acc isn't elite, but it doesn't ****.
Sits midrange in most every secondary skill potential. With a good camp, can be the CB2

High Risk players I am worried about
(Worried about all the players in camp, but if these guys bust, the entire team is in trouble...lol)

RB Robert Franz
Rd 12 rookie. 90 vol.
A fairly early high risk player.
Ball Carry is 25/100 right now. If he busts in camp and carrying is never realized. Along with his other attributes, he may be a guy I am scared to give the ball to. AND, I really don't have depth behind him except a converted QB with low carry skills.

FS Peter Tillman
Rd 7 rookie. 74 vol.
74 vol isn't HUGE, but the issue is that Tillman has little room to grow. So I basically need him to stay pat. Not even asking for a positive number. Come out of camp with a 10/0 growth and I will be ecstatic. The rest of the DB room is mediocre. So I need one guy to be a "Dude".

Overall I have 15 rookies, which isn't a huge number. But none of them have less than 50 volatility.

I am WEAK at TE. I don't have depth at RB/DL. And my QB play will be mid-range at best.

But, I am happy with the potential. I think I have enough bodies on the OLine and at LB to come out of camp with solid groups.
A good camp may put me at 10-11 wins. A bad camp might leave me at 5-6...Not a horrible beginning. Ready for Camp...Let's Go!

Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
2/22/2022 1:03 am
Camp results:

The Good:
7th rd pick, FS Peter Tillman: 14/7 moved him up to a 90 rating with my weights. and he is a rookie...That position is set moving forward.
A couple other DB had solid camps. My projected CB3 busted, but there was enough depth that I feel good about my DBs

Running Backs: #3 Overall Dalvin Cook stayed level in camp and that was all I could ask. RB 2, Franz added a solid camp to give me a good 1-2 punch. Some depth beyond is playable.

The Bad:
WR...4/6 went negative. A mediocre group to start with. No one stood out in camp.
OL...2 of the 5 projected starters busted bad. I am lucky I added depth in free agency. I will need to shuffle starters around.
LB: 2nd rd stud LB Anthony Barr busted out of camp with an impressive -11!. The rest of the group was...meh, but my foundation busted and that hurts.

The Ugly
DL: 6 out of 7 went negative. The only positive camp was a 2/2
For a code that is run first, I kind of was hoping to have a good front 7....hmm.

Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
2/22/2022 1:12 am
Reviewing the players I was watching:

LT Fitch: The UDFA went +7 and with the issues other OL had in camp, he may end up starting at LG

LB Bradley: Another UDFA, he busted in camp (-5). Will be fighting for a ST spot.

CB Snyder: Rd 46...Biggest gain in camp (14/9). Will be either CB2 or CB3

RB Franz: As I highlighted above, had a good camp. Biggest gain in route running. Avoid fumble at 67 is the only blemish.

FS Tillman: Again, highlighted above. Great camp, legit DB.

Win projection for what I see with my team is anywhere from 6-10 to 10-6

Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
4/14/2022 12:02 am
1977 Season in review:

Can't complain. 14-2 and made it to Conference Championship! I will take it.

Eventually, I will have a team record thread, but for now everyone was "best ever"...lol.

Some key stats for the year:
League Leaders
Kellen Mond 27 TD
Dalvin Cook: 1711 Rushing Yards
Dalvin Cook/Robert Frantz: 9 rushing TD
Kenneth Chaidez: 46 XP (out of 48)
Pat Dorn: 35 Knockdowns

Highlights
Kellen Mond (vs CHI) 18/18 passing, 176 yds 4 TD
Dalvin Cook (vs DAL) 173 yds rushing (2 TD)
Michael Miller (vs MIM) 141 yds receiving (2 TD)
Kenneth Chaidez (vs CAR) 6/6 FG
Anthony Barr (vs MEM) 13 tack
Trevor Perez (vs CLB) 5 sacks

1977 MVP: RB Dalvin Cook
1977 ROY: LB Anthony Barr

Now the pain of having to wait 28 picks for my 1st draft pick to add to the team. (1st world problems).

Re: Grizzly Den

By Lars Bullitt
4/29/2022 11:47 pm
1978 Draft notes:

After a surprisingly strong first year, we had to wait until pick #30 to add to our team.
We entered the draft with a goal of improving the OLine.

Training camp looked bad from a distance, but wasn't really as bad as some numbers look.
(Total -44 potential is a horrible number, but...)

Our 2 5th rd picks were both 100 vol boom/bust players. They combined for an impressive -39 (split evenly). The rest of the draft wasn't bad at all.

Rd 1: LG Steve Hutchinson had a quality camp (+19/+3) and will be a stud for a long time.
Rd 2: TE Irv Smith Jr.: We entered the draft with only one TE on the roster so were happy to have Smith fall. He was a solid +12/+2 and will compete for the starting gig very soon.
Rd 3: P Raymond Little: Punter was far from a focus, but LIttle was by far the #1 prospect on the board when comparing position-position. Coaches were not thrilled with other players available and went with the attitude. "If you can draft a potential starter, do it". Little rewarded the coaches' trust with a +13/+3 camp to raise his rating to a stellar 99!

Now the bad...lol
Rd 5: RB Velasquez 100 vol coming in, a good camp would have allowed him to compete for playing time right away...Not so fast. +1/-19 camp makes him virtually unplayable with avoid fumble and ball carry skills evaporating to almost 0.
Rd 5: LB Lawrence 100 vol coming in also...Not to be outdone, Lawrence would have told Velasquez "hold my beer", except he obviously drank it before camp. +1/-20...Lawrence won't play a down in preseason.
Rd 6: RT Rashad Torres 0/-3 is not a good camp, but we needed OL depth and he may still make the team.
Rd 7: DT Vanbuskirk an ugly +4/-8 camp...Nope, will be cut.
Rd 7: LT William Mixon a flat 0/+1 camp...But like Torres, may make the team as depth.

Let's go see what is on the waiver wire...lol

**Note** After leading the league in TD passes last year QB Kellen Mond may have competition. Mond (who had a negative camp last year) dropped another point, while backup QB McDaniel improved. There are rumblings.
Last edited at 4/29/2022 11:48 pm