Of all the players that return punts or kicks in the NFL in a given year, only a few of them return enough kicks to have something that could be considered a large enough sample size to treat as representative. Those returners that have a sufficient number of returns, are included in the database by name, and you get the specific stats of that player. I take all of the other players who have returned a smaller number of punts or kicks and lump them together and generate statistics that represent "any old joe" on your roster that might be pressed into service returning kicks or punts. Those are the stats that are used for "free agent".

Of the players you listed, none of them returned more than 9 punts or kicks the entire year, so they're NFL team didn't exactly view them as difference makers in the return game. So the program basically determined that they were examples of "any old joe" and put one of them back there (unnamed) to return the kick/punt.

Planned.

Matt Dodge hasn't been on an NFL roster since 2010.

So Matt Dodge actually is "free agent".

Well I think I figured out the Sherels thing. He is showing as unavailable for week 1, even though every resource I can find lists him as active for all 16 games.

I guess we'll see if he returns kicks next week.

Marcus Sherels was not available in week 1 inside Sandbox. I note that in reality he played in all 16 games, but the algorithm we use had him out in week 1.

Players with pending bids on them will eventually be awarded to the last bidding teams (when the clock runs out). I didn't have time to program a more graceful way of ending free agency.

He is only on Clearwater's roster now.

One of the reason that trades are not allowed mid-season. Sure it could be programmed, but it's just a whole lot less complicated to freeze rosters.

Does this mean in a day or two the guy I had a bid on will show up on my roster?

Yep.

Cool. That doesn't jack with your simulations? The guy was a backup anyway.

Are you planning on including some kind of "special teams coverage" code in the future that analyzes backup players? I'm guessing right now the only thing that determines the outcome of special teams play is the quality of punters/kickers vs returners.

I had signed Matthew Slater to be a STs ace/cover man before I decided I probably agreed with you; I can't imagine the sim's that advanced just yet. So I ended up cutting him to keep Underwood on the squad.

But it would certainly make things more interesting.

Don't know if it's a bug or not, but when I go to defensive gameplan the "safety in the box" togged switch keeps changing back to yes.

I want it set to no.

Well that sucks, I went off the availability listed on your site... so i assumed he was good to play all 16.. he's listed as available for every week.

Edit: Here is a perfect example of why FA should be allowed during the season. Now I'm stuck the entire year without a punter for game day, yet a wasted spot on my roster (and a wasted 3-yr contract)

Great!