Patriots Dynasty - Madden 2008

[rbreg7]

(For those of you who have never seen this concept, I will take over the New England Patriots as of the start of the 2007 season and become their general manager. I will handle all of the roster moves, etc. I will simulate the games on Madden 2008, and report it all back to you here. I will try to keep it all realistic as possible while still adding my own flair to it all. A few notes to begin on: All teams will have their own seven picks in the draft to start their seasons, no draft picks have been exchanged in Madden 2008. That's right, no 49ers pick for the Patriots. Also in regards to the draft, the players in the draft are fictional. I know this is a bummer, but no worries, I will be updating you all on the prospects as I scout them. In a final note, the following injuries are already in the game for the Patriots: HB Sammy Morris (IR) and TE David Thomas (IR). If I remember anything else as I go along, I'll let you know.)

New England Patriots - The Madden Dynasty
Preseason, 2007

(Most of you probably know all of this already, but I will break down some of the general roster info on the Patriots along with their "overall rating", which is the rating given to them into the game to determine how good the player is based on many different categories. The rating is out of 100.)

Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady (99), Matt Cassel (75) ^, Matt Gutierrez (68) *
HB: Laurence Maroney (85), Kevin Faulk (79), Kyle Eckel (64) ^
FB: Heath Evans (89), Kyle Eckel (84) ^, Kyle Brady (88)
WR: Randy Moss (99) ^, Donte Stallworth (85), Wes Welker (90), Jabar Gaffney (78) ^, Kelly Washington (73), Chad Jackson (73)
TE: Ben Watson (87), Kyle Brady (80)
LT: Matt Light (94), Wesley Britt (68) ^, Russ Hochstein (73)
LG: Logan Mankins (94), Russ Hochstein (79), Ryan O'Callaghan (74)
C: Dan Koppen (90), Russ Hochstein (72), Ryan O'Callaghan (66)
RG: Stephen Neal (89), Billy Yates (68) ^, Russ Hochstein (77)
RT: Nick Kaczur (82), Ryan O'Callaghan (75), Russ Hochstein (71)

LE: Ty Warren (90), Jarvis Green (80), Kareem Brown (69) *
RE: Richard Seymour (97), Jarvis Green (82), Kareem Brown (68) *
DT: Vince Wilfork (93), Mike Wright (69) ^, Le Kevin Smith (68), Jarvis Green (82), Kareem Brown (68) *
LOLB: Mike Vrabel (89), Eric Alexander (70) ^, Pierre Woods (68) ^
MLB: Adalius Thomas (94), Tedy Bruschi (89) ^, Junior Seau (83) ^, Larry Izzo (68) ^
ROLB: Rosevelt Colvin (87), Pierre Woods (68) ^, Eric Alexander (67) ^
CB: Asante Samuel (96) ^, Ellis Hobbs (84), Brandon Meriweather (77) *, Randall Gay (76) ^, Willie Andrews (70)
FS: Eugene Wilson (86) ^, James Sanders (77) ^, Brandon Meriweather (82) *
SS: Rodney Harrison (90), Mel Mitchell (66) ^, Eugene Wilson (80) ^

K: Stephen Gostkowski (87)
P: Chris Hanson (79)
KR: Wes Welker (94), Ellis Hobbs (93), Troy Brown (93) ^, Asante Samuel (85) ^, Brandon Meriweather (81)
PR: Wes Welker (94), Ellis Hobbs (93), Troy Brown (93) ^, Asante Samuel (85) ^, Brandon Meriweather (81) *
KOS: Stephen Gostkowski (83)
LS: Dan Koppen (93), Matt Light (99), Dan Connolly (57) ^
3DRB: Kevin Faulk (98), Laurence Maroney (98)

^ = contract is up after season
* = rookie season

My evaluation: The offense is all set as long as our offensive line is signed and healthy and Tom Brady is Tom Brady. Cassel makes an intriguing backup if Brady does go down, and may be re-signed by year's end. With Sammy Morris down, this puts even more pressure on Maroney and Faulk to preform, which I believe they will do fine in a pass-heavy offense. Our receiving core is something to be happy about this season, but both Moss and Gaffney reach the end of their contracts post-2007 and Stallworth's cap hit increases dramatically. A problem may arise there in the future. Our tight end situation could use some depth, especially with David Thomas down. Our offensive line is an area of great strength, as they are all signed long-term and guys like Russ Hochstein add great depth.

Oh defense, defense, defense. Quite a mess if you ask me. Sure, on the surface, it's pretty solid. Our front three are dominate, and Jarvis Green makes a decent backup at the ends. However, if any of the three went down, Green would be forced to step in, leaving no other backup of any substance. We'll most likely look to add a DT/DE hybrid to insure we don't have a weakness in depth there. Our linebackers are decent, for now. They are aging and almost all of them but our starting three, Vrabel, Thomas, and Colvin, are free agents after the season. I don't expect us to make any moves on this until the off-season, so hopefully they can hold up until then. Our secondary is decent this season, barring any major injury. An injury to Harrison would force us to put Wilson at strong safety and Meriweather at free safety. This would impact our depth at corner as well. We will be in talks with Samuel for an extension, although it is unlikely he'll be re-signed. We may look for an upgrade at backup strong safety, but we will look to address it long-term this off-season.

Our special teams will do just fine in my eyes. Gostkowski is a fine kicker and should be able to be effective. Although our punter, Hanson, may not be the greatest, we hope not to be using him all that often anyway. He should be good enough to stay mistake free and not hurt the team in any drastic way. We have serious weapons with Welker, Hobbs, and Brown as kickoff and punt returners. It is always nice to be able to strike from special teams, I look for these guys to make a big difference in field position as well. We have two very solid long snappers in Koppen and Light. Maroney and Faulk are interchangeable as third-down backs, it will be highly situational.

Predicted Season Record: 13-3

(Below are the best remaining free agents at each position.)

Current Free Agent All-Star Team

QB Aaron Brooks (79)
HB Domanick Williams (83)
FB Jerald Sowell (86)
WR Antonio Bryant (81)
TE Jermaine Wiggins and TE Erron Kinney (82)
LT Todd Steussie (82)
LG Joe Andruzzi (83)
C Trey Teague (79)
RG Adam Timmerman (83)
RT Adam Meadows (81)
LE Kenard Lang (81)
RE Carlos Hall (74)
DT Seth Payne (79)
LOLB Lavar Arrington (80)
MLB Al Wilson (88)
ROLB Carlos Emmons (81)
CB Tory James (79)
FS Lamont Thompson (80)
SS Donovin Darius (82)
K John Carney (83)
P Scott Player (87)

Patriots Free Agent Radar

HB Corey Dillon (80)
HB Kevin Barlow (75)
LE Bobby Hamilton (77)
DT Seth Payne (79)
MLB Ed Hartwell (80)
SS Troy Vincent (79)
SS Mike Bowen (74)

Patriots Trade Radar

Jaguars DT Marcus Stroud (95)
Vikings HB Chestor Taylor (86)

Both the Jaguars and Vikings are looking for decent-to-good wide receivers. Just so happens, we have a few on our depth chart. Moss and Welker are untouchable, in my mind, but Stallworth would be attainable. Stroud's contract inflates up to $8 million over the next three years, but for a player of his status I would take that on. Taylor would be a great addition to our offense, and would probably also cost us Stallworth. He has one year left on his contract and does not fit a "need" exactly. We shall see.

 

[Truck]

I already did this. The Patriots went 19-0 in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10.
Then I got bored and stopped playing.

Goodluck with your analysis

Also don't forget to sign Troy Brown off the free agent wire. He's not the cheapest solution but he's good for the locker room morale

Here's my initial findings
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=62602&highlight=madden

This is what I've learned after playing 2 seasons Madden 2008...

I see why Stallworth isn't getting any looks. If I need short/mid yards, I look to Watson, and Welker. Watson is good is grabbing balls high out of the air (where if I miss throw, its not a big deal since no one else can make the grab). Welker is good at getting open, and can make the catch at balls thrown at him. If I want to go deep, throw it high and to the outside to Moss. There's a good chance he makes an incredible leaping catch. And, like Watson, if he misses, the ball was thrown high so that no one else can grab it. There's almost no reason to throw at Stallworth. He's not as good in the middle as Watson, not as good on short/mid yards as Welker, and not as good in the long game as Moss. The only reason to throw at Stallworth is to keep the defenses honest.

I think we should expect a lot of interceptions from our secondary (and from AD) this season. When the offense runs the score up early, the other team is forced to go into a passing game. When this happens, we our LBs into coverage and there'll be plenty of chances to pick the ball off. I'd say 60% of my picks are coming in the 4th quarter (mainly from Samuel, Hobbs, and Thomas). Granted, these picks aren't as valuable since the game is already in our control, but it looks good on the stat sheet.

A balanced run/pass approach works best In my first madden season, I was going to the air 90+% of the time. Got alot of yards, but got alot of interceptions to. In my second season, I now run 50+% of the time. Don't have as many passing yards, but my interceptions have gone down alot. I'd be all for the Pats going 5 wide all the time, but now I've learned why you need to insert the running game, even if your passing game is incredible.

When in the red zone, look for Moss first, then Watson.

Anyone else have madden insights?

 

[Wildo7]

I already did this. The Patriots went 19-0 in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10.
Then I got bored and stopped playing.

Goodluck with your analysis

Here's my initial findings
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=62602&highlight=madden

so you're saying it's 100% accurate?

 

[Remix 6]

Sign Al Wilson

speed on D! speed on D!

 

[xmarkd400x]

In an equally interesting statement of fact, I have three level 70 characters in World of Warcraft.

 

[Fixit]

In an equally interesting statement of fact, I have three level 70 characters in World of Warcraft.

Oh, yeah? I just reached pro status on Wii tennis.

 

[rbreg7]

(I will be focusing more on roster moves then the games themselves in the preseason, so I will be posting the score and some observations in regards to the games. Also, thank you to those who commented. I will be simulating games in my attempt to keep it more realistic then constant winning. Hopefully that works out. Troy Brown is already on the team in the updated rosters I have.)

Preseason, Week One

Rumors have surfaced that the Patriots have been in contact with several teams with the key piece being shopped said to be Donte Stallworth. We believe the reason behind the Stallworth shopping is his contract inflation following the 2007-2008 season. We have heard speculation the Patriots have been searching for a defensive tackle, but we believe that Marcus Stroud's price would be too high. Only time will tell.

In response to the loss of Sammy Morris, the Patriots signed halfback Kevin Barlow to a one-year deal. The twenty-eight year old is known for being a bigger, more burley back then what the Patriots were carrying in Maroney and Faulk. He did rush for over 1,000 yards in 2003, but is projected to see few carries in the Patriots' offense as a goal line or emergency back.

The Patriots avoided paying Kelley Washington's inflated contract for the next five years by trading him to the Chicago Bears for fifth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Washington's contract would reach nearly $6 million by the end of his contract, and rather than cutting him the Patriots managed to reach the deal with Chicago.

The Patriots signed eleven-year veteran defensive end Bobby Hamilton to a one-year contract. Hamilton, a powerful end, will create more depth on the Patriots line. He can play end and tackle, as he has both power and tremendous pursuit ability for his age.

Week One: New England 27, Tampa Bay 12

We'll start with the most important thing, injuries. Donte Stallworth will miss a week with a sprained elbow. I'll definitely take that as the one injury, as it won't even effect us into the regular season. Now, unto the game.

Tom Brady got off to a good preseason start throwing for 134 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He completed thirteen of twenty passes, giving him a 65% completion percentage. Cassel and Gutierrez both did alright, going four-for-eight combined with no interceptions. The main target was Wes Welker, who caught five passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Moss had two touchdowns even though he made only three catches for eighteen yards. Troy Brown even got in on the action with a team-leading 49 yards over four receptions. Laurence Maroney was a stud, which makes me very happy. He ran for 115 yards on twenty-five attempts, a 4.6 average-per-carry. He did fumble once, however, but it does happen.

Our defense pulled down four picks, two by Tedy Bruschi and two by Randall Gay. Gay also forced a fumble, but Tampa Bay recovered. They also got to the quarterback six times, two of which were performed by Adalius Thomas. Overall, the defense gave up 235 yards, 75 of which were on the ground. They did not allow a touchdown in the red zone, only two field goals.

Our special teams unit was the one glaring issue in this game. Phillip Buchanon returned five punts for 114 yards and a touchdown. Ike Hilliard and Michael Pittman also combined for 129 yards on five kickoff returns.

League Transactions

Buffalo signed TE J. Wiggins to a three-year deal.
Arizona signed P J. Miller to a three-year deal.
San Diego signed MLB A. Wilson to a three-year deal.
Miami signed FB K. Johnson to a three-year deal.
Philadelphia signed P S. Player to a three-year deal.
San Francisco signed ROLB C. Emmons to a three-year deal.
New York Jets signed FS L. Thompson to a four-year deal.
Green Bay signed HB D. Williams to a four-year deal.
Carolina signed SS D. Darius to a three-year deal.
Houston signed FB. J. Sowell to a three-year deal.

The Chargers signing Al Wilson scares me. They now have Shaun Phillips, Al Wilson, and Shawn Merriman from left to right for the next three years. The Packers continued to explore halfback options by signing Williams, who will probably win out the starting job.

 

[rbreg7]

Pre-Season, Week Two

Despite the trade of Kelley Washington to the Bears, apparently Donte Stallworth is still being shopped. No news to report, but word is that offers have been put on the table and are being considered.

Week Two: Tennessee (1-0) 17, New England (1-0) 35

Defensive tackle Mike Wright went down for the season in this one, making the need for a backup even more important.

The story of this game was the Patriots putting up 535 total yards of offense. 293 passing, 74 rushing, and 168 on special teams. Brady did not play well, or long, as he threw for only 47 yards with an interception in twelve attempts. His completion percentage was 41%. Cassel, on the other hand, tore it up. Matty went 16-for-21 for 255 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, no picks. Troy Brown caught two of the touchdown passes in his five receptions for 84 yards. Gaffney eclipsed 100 yards with 107 on four receptions. Cassel's other touchdown went to Maroney. Speaking of Maroney, he only had 37 yards rushing on twelve attempts, but he did have a rushing touchdown. Heath Evans had a running touchdown as well.

Asante Samuel led the way with two interceptions, but he collected no tackles. The defense brought the heat with five sacks. They did give up 218 yards of passing and 77 yards on the ground, but overall a good performance.

Our special teams unit again gave up over a 20-yard average return in this one, but our guys did not do bad themselves. Hobbs took three kicks and gained an average of 28.3 yards. Welker took one punt for 42 yards.

Immediately following the game a trade was made, sending Donte Stallworth and a third-round pick to Tennessee for defensive tackle Tony Brown, a fourth, and a fifth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Brown, a twenty-four year old who is in his second year in the NFL, brings a lot of power and intensity to the field. He will shed blocks and tackle hard. The Patriots now have no third-round picks, two fourth-round picks, and three fifth-round picks in the 2008 NFL Draft.

League Transactions

Cleveland signed FB N. Luchey to a three-year deal.

 

[Patstopia]

This is why I like the Wii

 

[pheenix11]

Is this for 2007 or 2008?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Not to be facetious, but your preseason already makes no sense: if Washington and Stallworth are on the roster when TC opens, that means they'll have been paid ~$10M total, and if they get traded, that all hits the cap in 2008 and/or 2009.

 

[Ring 6]

Not to be facetious, but your preseason already makes no sense: if Washington and Stallworth are on the roster when TC opens, that means they'll have been paid ~$10M total, and if they get traded, that all hits the cap in 2008 and/or 2009.

Madden franchise mode doesnt handle the cap properly.

I like the franchise mode, but it becomes about trying to win 30 straight SBs. Once you build a good team, you end up with 99s all over. (I never bought 2008, so this is 2007, and I assume 08 is the same)
You can also set playcalling to 90% passing, and destroy everyone. I have a franchise started from the Pats, Im up to around 2030, and my QB the last 3 years has thrown for something like 6700, 5800, and 6200 yards with 67,56,63 TDs.