Introduction
Hello, everybody. And welcome to the first CAG Madden league on Xbox One. Madden leagues on CAG have been very successful over the years, with a consistent league running for the past 6 years, and two leagues running simultaneously for the past 3 years.
As we move forward to a new generation of consoles, things are bound to change. We've no doubt had some members switch to PS4. But we very well could have had some PS3 users switch to Xbox One as well. So, this is a great time to reestablish things and start fresh.
In that spirit, this will be a league FOR EVERYONE. I'm not going to so much worry about skill level as I am about keeping things competitive. And we can discuss ways to make sure that happens in the thread. I've got some ideas, but I'd like to hear input from everybody. Blowouts are uncomfortable for everyone. The more often we can avoid them, the better.
Oh, also, if you're new and you're wondering what the heck is up with the name of the league, it's a bit of a tongue in cheek reference to all the names the various CAG leagues have had over the years (mostly by my doing, haha). And the jacket...well, the jacket is just awesome.
General Guidelines
I'd like the league to be as self-sustaining as possible: no nonsense, no constant reminders to play right, a non-negotiable expectation to keep up with the thread, being responsive to PMs, etc. And if people show any difficulty sticking to that, they're gone. What I'd like to avoid is the whole mentality of caring more about winning than caring about playing right. Also, having so and so's friend's, brother's, uncle who likes Madden, but has no idea what this thread is or even what CAG is can be a hinderance more often than not. If you want to be a part of the league, be a part of the league.
Once again, this year, we will be changing a few policies and rules. First and foremost will be the return of the trade cap. Despite Madden's in-game salary cap and roster management system, it still left people too many loopholes when trading and/or signing superstar players. I can at least give EA credit for trying to incorporate team finances, but when people know they're dealing with a limited season league, it lets them know there are certain things they can take advantage of. So, definitely expect a limitation on trades per season and contract lengths. These policies will only be put in place to make for a more realistic league though...so hopefully most people won't have a problem with that.
Anybody who would like to play in this league, feel free to voice your interest, introduce yourself, weigh in on league policies, bounce around some ideas, etc. As always, with a new Madden, I'm hopeful that we'll continue to move in a positive direction and that this year's game will be the best ever! Thanks!
Releasing a Player From the Website
1. Log in
2. Click on "Team"
3. Find the player you want to cut
4. Click on him and choose "View Player"
5. Click "Take Action" and then choose "Release Player"
(Subject to Change)
Skill Level: All-Pro (preferably with some slider tuning)
Quarter Length: 5 minutes
Accelerated Clock: Off
Minimum Play Clock: Off
Game Speed: Normal
Player Progression Frequency: Every Week (this only affects CPU teams)
Coach Firing: Off
Game Play Tuning: Yes (allows us to adjust sliders)
Injury: On
Pre-existing Injuries: Off
Trade Deadline: On
Trade Type: Enable Human (I disabled CPU to CPU trades simply because based on the logic people have seen with CPU teams relocating, I don't trust them to make realistic trades)
Fill Roster: Off (meaning CPU won't sign players to fill your roster)
Re-Sign Players: Off (meaning CPU won't re-sign players for you)
Progress Players: Off (meaning CPU won't assign XP points for you)
Sign Offseason Free Agents: Off (meaning CPU won't sign free agents for you)
League Type: Coaches Only
Maximum Users: 32
Public/Private: Private
Legend: No
League Rules and Policies (Subject to Change as New Game Info is Released)
A lot of this SHOULD go without saying, but yeah...it's better to be specific. In general, the rule is "Play like a real NFL coach would". This means you don't go for 4th downs on your end of the field. This applies until you get to the point that you think "If I don't make something happen now, this game is over." If you're losing 28-0 in the 2nd quarter, and have a 4th and 8 at your 46 yard line...it's not unreasonable to feel like you're at that point.
The flip side of that, say you don't convert the 4th down, your opponent is free to play however he wants in the 1st half. If he scores to go up 35-0 at halftime, he can feel free to put it in cruise control and run out the rest of the game. He might throw on 3rd down to keep the chains moving, but he shouldn't be airing it out with that big of a lead. That's exactly how an NFL coach would play it. I've always said, if you have a lead in the 2nd half, your objective should be to get the game over with as quickly as possible. That's what happens on Sunday. Running up the score will not be tolerated.
Two point conversions should not be attempted unless you're in a situation where the 2 points would bring you to within one score or tie the game if you're losing, or would reasonably solidify a small lead if you're winning (ie. If you're up 47-42, there's no difference between a 5 point lead and a 6 point lead, so you might as well go for 2).
If you're in a situation at the end of the game where an extra point would tie it, but a 2 point conversion would win it...that's your call. I've seen NFL coaches go both ways with it. If your opponent's offense/defense has been hot all day and you're nervous about playing for overtime, it's your call. But if you're curious about scoring the first TD of the game and going for a 2 point conversion...yeah...not allowed.
Running with the QB is generally ok. But there are certain strategies where it is cheap. You shouldn't be calling 5 wide streaks just so you can pull the defenders deep and then immediately take off running with the QB. That's cheesy as hell and is basically trying to game the system. If you see your opponent dropping 8 men back into coverage, and there's just nowhere to throw the ball, of course, you can take off. The other issue is sprinting backward 20 yards with your QB out of the snap. That's also not a realistic example of a "running QB". In general, the "play like a real NFL coach" rule applies here too.
Hurry up can be used in obvious comeback situations and during any 2 minute offensive situation. You can also use hurry up during any point during the game, you just can not use it on consecutive plays and you have to wait until the play clock is down to at least 25 seconds before you can snap the ball.
The only position that has any kind of subsititution limitation will be the QB. There was an issue a few years back with people using the hot swap method to sub QB's in and out without any warning to the opponent. This was basically done to use an accurate QB on passing plays and a fast QB for QB runs. This was quickly deemed as being a cheap tactic.
An argument was made of "Just pay attention to the QB's jersey number!", but what that doesn't account for is that in real life, the coach sees what personnel his opponent has on the field BEFORE making his play call. In Madden, you're left with audibling and trying to adjust individual coverage all before the ball is snapped.
The policy that was used was that you could only swap out a QB at the beginning of a drive, UNLESS you paused the game and sent your opponent a message saying "subbing QB". Since the game doesn't do any better of a job this year of notifying people of personnel changes before they pick their defensive play, I think we should continue with the same policy. This may seem like a hassle, but if it's such a vital part of your strategy to change out your QB in the middle of a drive, then you'll have to get used to it.
Wildcat formations are excluded from this rule since the game does show "Wildcat" when one of those plays is selected.
Offense in Madden can be very overpowered at times, and there are numerous "go to" plays and positions that are extremely difficult to defend. In an effort to curb this a bit, it will not be allowed to move an offensive player out of his natural position on the depth chart. This includes putting RBs at WR, TEs at WR, WRs at TE, etc. In addition to the potential mismatches this would create, the main reason this policy is necessary is because the game continues to recognize the players' natural position, rather than where he's being lined up. What this gives you is 1 WR, 2 TE, 2 RB "formations" which give the appearance of a running play...but end up essentially being 4 WR shotgun plays. Such gimmicks are very deceptive and not in the spirit of this league.
Having RBs/TEs above any WR at the WR position on your depth chart will not be allowed. I am willing to concede that due to injury or whatever, RBs/TEs may need to fill in at the bottom of the depth chart. However, this is not an excuse to carry only 3 WRs. It will be pretty obvious if someone is trying to abuse this policy.
As for moving players around on defense, this is completely allowed, as the consequences generally don't have the potential to impact the game as severely. If you want to play a LB at DE, that's fine. Or a CB at FS. The advantages to be gained on defense are not nearly as severe as moving offensive players around.
Leave it to EA to make a feature MORE complicated. In years past, when your opponent selected an onside kick, the game would show "onside kick" as their play choice, giving you a heads up, and allowing you to select "onside recover" to be ready for it. This year, the game just says "kickoff" no matter what type of kick they have chosen. What this is going to lead to is people coming out in a regular kick return formation and being surprised to see that their opponent is in fact going for an onside kick. If this happens, you can either burn a timeout or audible to an onside kick return (X and then LB). If you're the kicking team, and you see your opponent is not ready for an onside kick, give them a chance to audible. Rushing onside kicks because you "caught somebody by surprise" will not be tolerated.
Furthermore, you should ONLY be attempting an onside kick if you're losing in the 4th quarter anyway. Yes, some coaches may try it at the start of the 2nd half or whatever, but even in real life that comes off a dick move...and considering the issues Madden has with them, I think we should just save it for the end of the game.
Again, something that EA programmed poorly. Due to the way the AI reacts to squib kicks, it makes it unrealistically easy for the kicking team to recover them. There are only a few instances with a squib kick should be used to begin with (ie. end of the half with little time left). You are only allowed to attempt a squib kick at those times, and you are required to kick it straight down the middle of the field. If for some strange reason, the kicking team does recover the kick, they are REQUIRED to punt the ball out of the end zone on the next play. The only exception to this is if the receiving team recovers it and then fumbles trying to return it. But nobody should be attempting a squib kick with the intention of recovering it. This is completely unrealistic.
Another thing I want to add, NO SHOWBOATING. This is the Gentlemen's League afterall. Have respect for your opponent and act like you've been there before. Yes, it might be cool to flip into the endzone and see all the cool little animations, but save it for offline. In a friendly league where people just want to have a good time, rubbing in the fact that you scored on somebody just isn't cool and just causes tension.
Ok, for desyncs, until EA gets this sorted out, unfortunately, we need some kind of fallback. I had no idea how prevalent they were or that they were 100% caused by a bug in the programming that would get you almost every single time.
I hate to make this a requirement...and I would say "if you haven't been having a problem, don't worry about it"....but that doesn't really help if your opponent has been having issues with desync. In the short term, I guess it's just better to all be on the same page (and truthfully, most of these changes just put the game back to how it was last year...before all these new features that messed everything up, haha).
So, please go into the Settings menu under CFM and make sure yours look like this:
Player Names: Always Heat Seeker: On Ball Hawk: On Switch Assist: On Camera Settings: Standard Defensive Graphics: None Kick Aiming Arc: Off Previous Play Information: Off Camera Toggle: Off
I'm pretty sure this covers all of the possibilities of what could be causing it. A few of those are different from the default settings, but from reading things around the net, just having them the same SHOULD be good enough. This seems to be a very "no promises" (EA's new slogan, lol) kind of fix...just basically lowering the chances of a desync occurring.
It's also very much a "broad brush" fix because no one seems to be sure which setting or combination of settings is causing the issue. But at least if we have all of these the same, we stand the best chance of not wanting punch a hole in the wall, lol.
So, again...everyone please make sure you have your settings set to this. And for anybody who has a league game coming up in the next few days, please send your opponent a message and make sure they've changed their settings. The game you save could be your own, lol.
EA's servers are often unreliable, and there are times when two users just can't complete a game to save their life.
If a game you're playing disconnects post in this thread immediately letting everyone know what the score, quarter, and situation was when the game dropped. Whose "fault" the disconnect was and whether or not the outcome of the game was essentially decided will determine how to proceed.
It won't be a perfect science, but in general, people know if there was any chance for a comeback. The losing team should definitely have a say in the matter, but it will ultimately be up to the community to make a ruling. Disconnects are extremely unfortunate when they happen, but we'll just have to try to handle them the best we can.
This will be the criteria for disconnected games
*Any game that disconnects in the 1st half should be replayed
*Any close game that disconnects at any time should be replayed
*Any game that is in the 2nd half that is well in hand should have the score, quarter, and situation posted in the thread to determine if replaying is necessary
Any member discovered to be intentionally causing disconnects is subject to multiple strikes and/or immediate removal from the league
Closing out games the right way seems to be a difficult thing to interpret for people in Madden This is kind of where an "enforced logic" comes in. I feel like we have to restrict a lot of stuff so people don't "play like a video game", and actually use football logic. In real life, the reason for running the ball is to chew clock. Coaches don't risk a pass because it could either A) lead to a turnover or B) result in an incompletion which stops the clock. If you're up by 21 in the 4th quarter, you should be trying to do everything you can to keep that clock moving....and at that point, punting isn't the worst thing in the world should it happen.
I don't know why a lot of people seem to have trouble grasping it, but if you kill some clock with a 21 point lead in the 4th, and are forced to punt...and then your opponent comes down the field and scores a TD to cut your lead to 14...start running your offense again. The idea of chewing the clock doesn't mean that you have to let your opponent come back and tie the game or something.
Obviously, it starts to become a gray area, but to me, a comfortable lead is 3 scores. Two scores can happen pretty quickly (TD + onside kick). So, to me it wouldn't be reasonable to get upset at somebody for throwing the ball (on any down) with a 2 score lead. I guess the idea there is that you're still trying to score to put the game away. And with a 3 score lead...you're trying to preserve the lead and get the game over with (not saying you can't do that with less than a 3 score lead...you've just got a much smaller margin for error).
And as always...in the 3rd quarter, there is no expectation. The variable factor here is time. If there's time to come back, you should keep playing your game. But once you get to a comfortable spot in the 4th quarter where you can whittle down the clock and dictate the end of the game, that's all you should be trying to do.
There will be times during this franchise that you will have to play the CPU. Whether it's because that team is currently without an owner or the owner is just unavailable to play, these games should be approached in the same manner as games against a human opponent. General expectations are that CPU games are "easy wins". It is also acknowledged that CPU teams do not manage the clock well and will frequently turn the ball over when they are behind. Of course, you can run your offense and play the game normally. But once the 4th quarter begins, if you have more than a 2 score lead, you should be running the ball and chewing up clock. If you are a running team, you should also strongly consider bringing in your backups to not only avoid accusation...but injury as well. Running up the score and mining XP for your players will not be tolerated and anyone discovered to be doing so will receive a strike.
The league will advance every 4 days. Games take about 45 minutes to play, so hopefully playing once every 4 days won't be too demanding for anyone. This year, however, in addition to playing your games, you'll also have other activities that you can do. You can practice with your team, scout college players, add XP to your players, and even spend time seeing who's on the trade block and reading the latest league news. EA has added two features this year that will hopefully make advancing a smoother process. The first is allowing each person to mark when they're ready to advance. After you've played your game for the week and have completed all the team activities you wish to complete, please mark that you're ready to advance. This won't prevent us from advancing once we've reached a deadline, but if there was ever a week where everybody finished early, it would be great to be able to see that everyone is ready to move forward. The other feature is the ability to put your team on autopilot. If you're ever going to be away for a vacation or something, definitely post in the thread to let everyone know, but you won't have to vacate your team like was necessary last year. You can just put them on autopilot and retake control when you return.
In the first season, no team will be allowed to sign a free agent until we reach the designated period (most likely Week 4). At that time, we will use a draft style system according to team record (worst to best), allowing each team to sign one free agent. In the offseason, free agency uses a bidding system, which works much better and allows multiple teams to make offers on a player. It's just too bad EA doesn't use this system during the season as well.
*All teams must carry 53 players on their roster during the regular season.
When signing free agents during the season, it's a very simple process. You only can only give them what they are asking for. They all want one year contracts for a set amount of money. You offer it to them, and they're yours. In the offseason, however, multiple teams can negotiate with free agents, offering varying contract lengths and dollar amounts. In this interest of keeping this league as fair and realistic as possible, we have two policies for contract offers.
1. When negotiating with your own free agents (ie. players who are currently on your team), you may offer them any length of contract for any dollar amount that you wish. It's YOUR job to make sure that the deal makes sense and doesn't bankrupt your team.
2. Once players hit the open market, you may not offer a free agent a longer contract than what he is asking for. You can offer less years than what he is asking for, but not more. You may offer any dollar amount you wish though.
For example - If a player is requesting a 5 year contract, you MAY offer him anywhere between 1-5 years...for any dollar amount. You MAY NOT, however, offer him a six or seven year contract.
Unfortunately, Madden doesn't have realistic contract restructuring. However, what people have discovered is that you can cut a player, and then immediately resign him without any negotiating or resistence of any kind. The problem that this creates is that it allows people to acquire or hold onto star players without paying them the actual salary that they would command on the open market.
As such, this practice is not allowed. If you wish to "restructure" a player's contract, you may cut him...but you may not resign him for 2 weeks of in game time, during which, any other team is free to sign him. This will serve as a "waiver period" and will ensure that all teams are handling their finances and free agent acquisitions as realistically as possible.
We will be bringing back the trading cap this year. Trading is still allowed, but teams will be required to adhere to the following limits in an effort to maintain a more realistic league experience.
5 trades per season,, 3 core players traded away max
90+ Player = 2 core players
80-89 Player = 1 core player
1st round pick = 1 core player
Trades with CPU teams are at least going to be considered this year. But they will be heavily scrutinized by the Trade Committee since the CPU can't speak for itself. All trades must still make sense and will be reviewed by a five man trade committee to make sure they seem fair. Committee members may not vote on their own trades or the trades of any of their family members, and an alternate will be used in those instances. We all understand that a team's finances must be taken into account this year. Trades may not always be about skill for skill anymore, and unloading a big contract in an effort to clear cap space is a valid reason to do a trade. Each trade is different and needs to be viewed on its own merit. If you have discussed a trade with another owner and have come to an agreement, please PM the trade proposal to CAGLeagueSports. Trades should be posted in the following format and include the relevant attributes depending on the position of the players involved. When trading for draft picks, please list both the round and overall pick number (if known...such as: 2nd round/57th pick).
Trade Format
Team Name Sends
Player Name
Position
Age
Overall Rating
Contract Info: total years, years remaining, salary for each remaining year (ie. 2013: $X.XM, 2014: $X.XXM, etc), signing bonus
Relevant Attributes For Position
Team Cap Space
For
Team Name Sends
Player Name
Position
Age
Overall Rating
Contract Info: total years, years remaining, salary for each remaining year (ie: 2013: $X.XM, 2014: $X.XXM, etc), signing bonus
Relevant Attributes For Position
Team Cap Space
Relevant Attributes By Position
QB: Short, Medium, Long Throw Accuracy, Throwing Power, Awareness, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
RB: Speed, Acceleration, Elusiveness, Carry, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
WR: Speed, Catch, Catch in Traffic, Route Running, Release, Awareness plus anything you think is useful to make your case
TE: Run Blocking, Catch, Catch in Traffic, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
O-Line: Run Blocking, Pass Blocking, Impact Blocking, Strength, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
D-Line: Block Shedding, Tackle, Power Move, Finesse Move, Strength, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
Linebacker: Pursuit, Tackle, Speed, Play Recognition, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
D-Back: Man Coverage, Zone Coverage, Press Coverage, Play Recognition, Speed, plus anything you think is useful to make your case
Kicker/Punter: Power and Accuracy
We will be following the official NFL trading deadline this year, which typically is after Week 8.
The only other restriction on trading is that any player that is newly acquired by a team must be on his new team for 6 weeks before being eligible to be moved again. This applies to both players acquired through trades and via free agency.
*All teams must carry 53 players on their roster during the regular season.
The only way this league can be successful is by everyone working together and staying active. It is the responsibility of every member to keep up with the thread and to contact their opponent to arrange a time to play. While people may have different ways of being reached, the league's preferred method of contact is through private message on this website. If you've messaged your opponent and haven't heard anything in a day or two, post in the thread and let me know. Good communication is essential to avoiding problems and solving any that may arise.
Anyone who does something that is against league policy as stated in the OP, or does something that is deemed excessively dickish will receive a strike. Punishment will begin after the second strike and will double with each offence. Punishment will be as follows:
2 strikes = 1 game suspension
3 strikes = 2 game suspension
4 strikes = 4 game suspension
5 strikes = 8 game suspension
6 strikes = 16 game suspension (and you probably don't want to come back)
*suspensions must be served against human opponents
Strikes are permanent and carry over from season to season.
Basically, you get one freebie and after that, you have to pay the piper. The consequences may seem stiff, but I firmly believe that it is not that difficult to play the game with respect and decency. If it's something you have to actively think about, then you might want to re-evaluate some things.
*Commissioner reserves the right to immediately ban any player who goes out of his way to cause trouble and undermine the enjoyment of the league.
Team Lottery
Forgive that I left the empty teams in there. I gathered all these images like a week ago, and ultimately, felt it added to the suspense, haha.
And a simple list for people who hate fun videos. For anyone wondering why in the hell I do these, I just like to keep my skills sharp and my creative juices flowing. And they're just meant to be fun.
Spoiler
AFC East
Bills: OPEN
Dolphins: siradam134
Patriots: OPEN
Jets: OPEN
North
Ravens: OPEN
Bengals: Dark Rider
Browns: jza1218
Steelers: OPEN
South
Texans: Tanabeo
Colts; DarkTower80
Jaguars: OPEN
Titans: n8rockerasu
West
Broncos: Outlaw1986
Chiefs: OPEN
Raiders: OPEN
Chargers: OPEN
NFC East
Cowboys: Tony208
Giants: OPEN
Eagles: Philthy Bird
Redskins: Heidenreich
North
Bears: Panoramic15
Lions: staticz
Packers: Matt Young
Vikings: TimboSliceGB
South
Falcons: jhweathers
Panthers: OPEN
Saints: lvpatriots
Buccaneers: MrWazeleski
West
Cardinals: OPEN
49ers: Msn1983
Seahawks: Methoes
Rams: OPEN
Members Team | CAG Name (click to send private message) | XBL Gamertag | Time Zone | Availability Any team listed as *OPEN* may be taken
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills | *OPEN*
Miami Dolphins | siradam134 | feroci0us1 | ET | Weekdays: 9PM ET-12AMET, Weekends: very flexible
New England Patriots | *OPEN*
New York Jets | *OPEN*
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens | *OPEN*
Cincinnati Bengals | Dark Rider | Brownwing | ET | ? *PLAY CPU*
Cleveland Browns | jza1218 | statnut28 | ET | F-M: evenings, Tu-Th: not available *PLAY CPU*
Pittsburgh Steelers | *OPEN*
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans | Tanabeo | Tanabeo | CT | M-F: After 10:30PM CT (possibly earlier by appt), Sa-Su: very flexible
Indianapolis Colts | DarkTower80 | DarkTower80 | MT | ? *PLAY CPU*
Jacksonville Jaguars | *OPEN*
Tennessee Titans | n8rockerasu | n8rocker82 | CT | Su: 12PM CT-8PMCT, M-Th: 5PM CT-8PM CT, F: 5PM CT-2AM CT, Sa: 12PM CT-2AM CT, (these are all starting times) *PLAY CPU*
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos | dr0ppinL0adz | Z stepano Z | ET | Weeknights: After 7PM ET, Weekends: flexible
Kansas City Chiefs | *OPEN*
Oakland Raiders | *OPEN*
San Diego Chargers | *OPEN*
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys | *OPEN*
New York Giants | kill3r7 | LiquidSnake04 | ET | M-Th: 8PM ET-12AM ET, weekends: flexible *PLAY CPU*
Philadelphia Eagles | Energy Penguin | hi FUNKsioning | ET | Mostly Nights
Washington Redskins | Heidenreich | JCariello | ET | flexible *PLAY CPU*
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears X | Panoramic15 | RevCottonMarcus | ? | ?
Detroit Lions | staticz | staticzv2 | CT | Usually 9PM CT-12AM CT, other times negotiable *PLAY CPU*
Green Bay Packers | Matt Young | The Matt Young | PT | After 3PM PT
Minnesota Vikings | *OPEN*
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons | *OPEN*
Carolina Panthers | *OPEN*
New Orleans Saints | LVPatriots | MurdaModeLV | ET | flexible
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | *OPEN*
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals | *OPEN*
San Francisco 49ers | Msn1983 | Jetsetpoker | ET | Most Evenings: 7PM ET-12AM ET *PLAY CPU*
Seattle Seahawks X | Methoes | Epic MidKnight | PT | Anytime after 10PM PT *PLAY CPU*
St. Louis Rams | *OPEN*
*X = Strike
Past Champions
Madden 15
Season 1 - Houston Texans (Tanabeo)
Season 2 - New Orleans Saints (LVPatriots)
Season 3 - Houston Texans (Tanabeo)
Madden 25
Season 1 - Buffalo Bills (Chetty12) Season 2 - Buffalo Bills (Chetty12)
Season 3 - Carolina Panthers (deuce20602)
Madden 13
Season 1 - Baltimore Ravens (augmog)
Season 2 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (hemingway012)
Season 3 - Houston Texans (Doomtime)
Season 4 - Arizona Cardinals (Chetty12)
Madden 12
Season 1 - Kansas City Chiefs (Doomtime) Season 2 - San Francisco 49ers (Mr Grand Cru) Season 3 - Detroit Lions (sprice8688) Season 4 - Detroit Lions (sprice8688) Season 5 - Detroit Lions (sprice8688)
Madden 11
Season 1 - Oakland Raiders (Doomtime) Season 2 - Denver Broncos (augmog) Season 3 - Denver Broncos (augmog)
Madden 10
Season 1 - New York Giants (BigAT) Season 2 - Carolina Panthers (Mr Grand Cru) Season 3 - New York Giants (BigAT)
Madden 09
Season 1 - Tennessee Titans (Soodmeg)
Madden 25
Season 1 - Tennessee Titans (n8rockerasu)
Season 2 - Tennessee Titans (n8rockerasu)
Season 3 - New York Jets (HooRox)
Madden 13
Season 1 - Miami Dolphins (Chetty12)
Season 2 - Detroit Lions (perdition(troy)
Season 3 - Denver Broncos (Dark Rider)
Madden 12
Season 1 - Green Bay Packers (pitfallharry219)
Season 2 - Green Bay Packers (pitfallharry219)
Season 3 - New York Giants (lvpatriots)
I haven't really decided how to do team selection yet, but with the thought that we might be bringing in people from many directions here, I almost think the lottery style system that the official league used last year might be best.
I liked what we did in having people use the team they were a fan of. I could just see more conflicts with that system this year. I'm open to suggestions though.
So is this the only league, and there will not be one run by SirAdam? I'm in either way, but I'd still like to know.
Suggestions:
All Pro difficulty
5-6 minute quarters
Team selection priority based on number of combined seasons played in both CAG leagues, especially those who have played with the same team for over half a decade of real time.
No plans to pick up an Xbox One or Madden. I think this may be the year I break free of that emotionally abusive relationship. Although I do hope to see everyone streaming their games, I'd definitely tune in.
So is this the only league, and there will not be one run by SirAdam? I'm in either way, but I'd still like to know.
Suggestions:
All Pro difficulty
5-6 minute quarters
Team selection priority based on number of combined seasons played in both CAG leagues, especially those who have played with the same team for over half a decade of real time.
That is all.
Based on what I know right now, this is the only CAG league. I've talked with siradam and staticz, and they both informed me that neither of them has time to run a league this year. I haven't conferred with Uber or BV or anybody...but since they dropped off league running duties some time ago, I sort of assumed they had nothing planned. They would both be more than welcome to co-commish, help out, or participate in any fashion they would like though.
The crux for me is the 4 day advance though. I just don't personally see the usefulness in wreaking havoc in my family life to schedule games every couple days, just to get burned out on the game by March. Getting through 3 seasons with a 1-2 month break between releases just feels like the sweet spot for me. Hopefully others can agree with that.
As for team selection...
there's no need to be coy here, lol. You want the Packers without anyone contesting for them. I'd like to give them to you. If I were playing favorites, I would give them to you. I just don't know how fair that is. I know HooRox is a Packers fan, and he got stuck with the Jets last season. I'm not even sure if he has an Xbox One, but that's just a scenario I thought of.
I'm really brainstorming now, but I don't know if there could be a variation of the lottery system...where we let people openly call out their first choice of team...and THEN go to a weighted lottery system if somebody doesn't give a crap and wants to challenge you for that team. Or, maybe you could play each other for the team...with both of you using that team, lol. Seriously, my creative thinking is in overdrive in the interest of fairness right now.
Otherwise, you're asking for a situation where the Packers are yours until the end of time and everybody else, lol. I mean, I get it. But for nobody else to even have a chance...not even with the weighted lottery. I don't know. Wasn't there some grumbling last year about you and siradam not having to compete for teams? I guess I'm just trying to see a way where it doesn't amount to receiving special treatment.
Ultimately, I guess if the situation were laid out as "I'm only willing to play as X team...and if anybody else gets that team then I'm not playing", then it's up to everybody else to decide if they want to force the issue. I mean, I had no plan of appointing myself the Titans either. I just think maybe it should be the same for everybody?
tl:dr - Discussing the merits of anybody being able to lay claim to a team
I wasn't expecting you to just give me the Packers, but I figured I'd throw in my opinion all the same. ;-)
Haha, I hear you. There's definitely something to be said for longevity (that's what she said), but I guess with this kind of being a fresh start on a new system, with potentially a mix of players from both leagues, it just feels like giving everyone a fair shot is called for. Hell, part of me even questions throwing out the the weighted lottery and truly putting everybody on equal ground. My biggest apprehension there would be somebody who has been on CAG like a week coming in and taking a longtime member's favorite team. That would just feel wrong. And at least the weighted lottery would safeguard that a bit.
The other thought I had was not allowing any previous super bowl winners to select one of the top teams (ie. say we have 4 previous super bowl winners in the league...they wouldn't be able to pick any of the top 4 teams). I feel like the official league had a policy like that last year didn't they? That was just one of my thoughts on keeping a competitive balance. Granted, as most people know, in past Madden's sometimes it didn't make any difference who had a "good team" and who had a "bad team". But who knows? Maybe one of these years it'll matter, haha.
I've only seen your xbox live message, and i swear i responded to it!
I'm super-duper-busy running my business at the current point in time....and i've gotten on quite a health kick in the last 6 months...my schedule used to be "available from 7pm to 1am" any weekday....and open all weekend...Now it's more like available anytime from 9:00pm-12am....and very flexible on the weekends.
Stupid Gym:D
Anyways...i'm actually really interested in "joining" this league...as long as it stays a "4 day advance" league. I could absolutely handle playing a game once every 4 days on the Xbox One.
Running a league straight up is...out of the question for me at the time being. N8...i'd be glad to help when and if you need it (gtalk anytime of the day...most of my "commissioner duties" the last two years happened at work..so it was actually really convenient...) So if you'd like to talk about that, feel free to send me a pm.
In all seriousness, great to have you aboard! This league will most definitely stay at 4 day advance. That's really all I can do, myself. JV/Gentlemen's/Fan's league was always 4 day advance. If anybody absolutely NEEDS faster than that, I guess they'll have to look elsewhere.
But like I've said, this is a CAG league for CAG members. This site doesn't seem to get as much traffic as it used to...and I hope that doesn't hurt our ability to even fill up one league. But other than OS (which I can't stand because they overmoderate almost anything negative said about a game out of fear of upsetting the developers who post there) and daddyleagues, there's not really a community like this one. And I come to CAG for much more than just sports gaming.
And I'm sure I'll need help with something at some point this year. It would be really nice if EA would let commissioners do more from the website (or God forbid, that vaporware app for mobile that was announced years ago). Just being able to put somebody on/off auto pilot would be such a time saver. Anyway, I'll shoot you a PM with some ideas and we can go from there.
All right, got a member list started in the OP. Feel free to post your general availability if you know what it's going to look like once the game comes out, and I'll get that updated. We've got 7 people so far. Almost 25% full, haha.
Adam, I only contacted you on Xbox Live. I sent 2 messages, maybe 3 at most, at different times. So I didn't think you were ignoring me and I wasn't trying to complain. I just meant that your lack of response was my reason for worrying about the league situation at that time.
EDIT: Availability will probably be the usual for me- 3 P.M. Pacific and later. I'm sure I will be able to play earlier on some days.
I either work 5 am to 130 or 1-930 pm so will be honest it can be random. Best I sch my games after advance
So, your hours aren't consistent then? That sucks. Do they ever pull the crap on you where you work till 9:30 pm one night and then have to come in at 5 am the next morning? Employers that do that should rot in hell.
Once Minor League baseball season ends in mid-Sept, I should have a bit more flexibility. Won't be able to play Tuesday-Thursday, but will likely be available the other nights.
So, your hours aren't consistent then? That sucks. Do they ever pull the crap on you where you work till 9:30 pm one night and then have to come in at 5 am the next morning? Employers that do that should rot in hell.
So, your hours aren't consistent then? That sucks. Do they ever pull the crap on you where you work till 9:30 pm one night and then have to come in at 5 am the next morning? Employers that do that should rot in hell.
Back in college I worked in a restaurant that routinely scheduled us this way. Typical Friday night/Saturday was working from 5pm - 11pm and then turning around and working from 8am - 5pm on Saturday. It paid for a lot of my school, but they can still rot in hell
I just had an idea. While I still prefer the team selection method I mentioned before, how about this: if we end up going with a lottery, how about a weighted system rather than a completely random one? Basically, I'm thinking of something like the method the NBA uses to determine the top 3 picks, except this would be for all team picks.The criteria I mentioned before could be applied to determine how high your chances are of landing the #1 team pick. Thoughts?
I just had an idea. While I still prefer the team selection method I mentioned before, how about this: if we end up going with a lottery, how about a weighted system rather than a completely random one? Basically, I'm thinking of something like the method the NBA uses to determine the top 3 picks, except this would be for all team picks.The criteria I mentioned before could be applied to determine how high your chances are of landing the #1 team pick. Thoughts?
I'm not sure what the reasoning the official league used for doing the "top 5 teams" method was, as opposed to just a straight picking order. I would imagine it would have something to do with having a bunch of people who are essentially equal and not wanting to just randomly decide who should pick first. But I'll talk to siradam about it and see if anything about the process could be tweaked in any beneficial way.
I think we're just overcomplicating things personally.
You can't downplay it though. It's the team people are going to use for the next 10-11 months. People do take it seriously. If it's not done in a fair way, there will be hate mail. There will probably be hate mail anyway...but if it's fair, at least I won't have to feel bad about it. I guess I could request that all complaints be routed to your inbox though, haha
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I think the lottery style sounds excellent.
You want the Packers without anyone contesting for them. I'd like to give them to you. If I were playing favorites, I would give them to you. I just don't know how fair that is. I know HooRox is a Packers fan, and he got stuck with the Jets last season. I'm not even sure if he has an Xbox One, but that's just a scenario I thought of.
everybody else, lol. I mean, I get it. But for nobody else to even have a chance...not even with the weighted lottery. I don't know. Wasn't there some grumbling last year about you and siradam not having to compete for teams? I guess I'm just trying to see a way where it doesn't amount to receiving special treatment.
