This

I would love to use a big nickel or DL sub-package

Contracts are to cheap, longer contracts should cost a lot more and one year contracts shouldnt be free.

Sorry bro this is a terrible idea
You won't have 1300 every yr
Teams w a lot of money left either don't have much talent
or don't have long contracts on them.

Give it a couple of seasons and u will want every dollar u can get

Backup players suggestion:

Why can't a single player backup more than 1 position? I feel like we should be able to have a 'swing end' or something to similar effect. Especially if it's someone like a DE3 when I'm running a 4-3 that could slide in and be the backup DT with a pass bias and a backup DE with a run bias.

That's a pretty standard use for that size/type of player.

sfchief, sent you a PM about Welker

I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned & I'm not gonna re-read 3 pages.

Ability to offer cash when trading to help offset contracts.

/even more awesomeness for Sandy

Im sure its been mentioned but being able to sub your linebackers out for different situations would be awesome. For example if it is a passing situation id like to put my better pass coverage linebackers out there. If it is third and short id rather have my run stuffers in there.

After a week of gameplay, another suggestion (that has been echoed a bit in the game threads):

More detailed play by play that is the reflected statistically.

For instance, instead of "Chris Johnson runs for 8 yards" it could be "Chris Johnson runs off tackle left, breaks a tackle from Dont'a Hightower; tackled by Adrian Wilson"

You just learn so much more about how to deal with that play. And it can then be reflected in the stats with both a missed tackle from Hightower and a tackle from Wilson as well as a few yards after contact from CJ.

Instead of "Cam Newton (pressured) passes incomplete to Andre Johnson" you could have "Cam Newton (pressured by Gerald McCoy) throws to Andre Johnson; pass broken up by Tarell Brown". Again, more knowledge as to who did what and how. It would greatly improve gameplanning.

I know it will probably be insanely difficult to program, but I do think you're marketing to a 'Madden' audience here and frankly that crowd is a little spoiled. I think that's what you'll need to get this to be commercially viable.

DJ--

thanks for your feedback. Expanded and more detailed pbp is planned in the near future. We have two requirements for any such expansion:

1) the model is based on measurable statistics of actual NFL play
2) the information provided must be relevant to the game model

Therefor the level of detail in the pbp must be supported by the level if detail in the
model which in turn must be supported by available data from the NFL. This may ultimately limit the amount if detail that can be provided in the pbp. For passing plays we should be able to approach what you suggested. For running plays at present ther is a lack of data to support an accurate simulation at quite that level of granularity. We will provide more data, but at some point we'll hit a limit.

I'll toss in a suggestion that we have a depth chart at every position so that injuries aren't replaced by street free agents if a team isn't actively managed or the owner misses an injury in the lineup.

You can call it the "Austinchief's a big dummy" function!

I have a plan to consolidate the roster weekly availability and lineups into a single depth chart page that would contain all the info and controls and operate as you suggest. I'd also take care of the special teams lineup assignments as part of this project.

It's a major project and needs to be placed into priority with other major projects.

Complete sandgestion here, but I realized it this morning.
If I were a paying customer, I would want a predictilator.
Something that glowed green when I had my "best potential" player in that position. I know it's "Madden-ey", but it's an alternative to auto-loading the best players on a team as I think that would lead to too much "set it and forget it".

While this suggestion has probably already been made, a passing and run philosophy would be an excellent addition and make the safety in the box selection more valuable (e.g. play action %, short/deep/screen %s, outside/inside/draw run %s.


Additionally, assigning players %wise to those responsibikities would likely provide a more interesting simulation.

I could be wrong but I think the safety in the box toggle is broken. It always defaults to in the box when I check the page.