Changing of the Guard: An Indianapolis Colts Franchise

[dj_morton]

Very nice! I'm following.

[RyanLeaf16]

Baltimore continues to restock that defense with Tank Carder.

[Rylo]

Dolphins with the obvious QB selection. Keep it up man, shits good.

[St. Francisco]

Baltimore continues to restock that defense with Tank Carder.

No doubt...gonna be WAY different next year.

Thanks for all the kudos guys.

[Primetime]

Packers sign Antonio Gates.......is that even fair? Madden cheese!

[St. Francisco]

FIRST ROUND
21-32

21. GREEN BAY PACKERS - SHEA MCCLELLIN (DE), BOISE STATE | 80 OVR, A POT
The Packers were one of the worst teams when it came to defending against the run, and ranked 28th in the league with just 25 sacks on the season. The addition of McClellin, the second defensive end taken from Boise State, should help both of those areas.


22. DALLAS COWBOYS - BRANDON JENKINS (DE), FLORIDA STATE | 78 OVR, A POT
Overall, Dallas had one of the best defenses in the league in 2011, but their rush defense ranked an abysmal 27th, and they were dead last in the NFL with just 21 sacks. Jenkins should help plug up those gaping holes in the trenches.


23. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - QUINTON COPLES (DE), NORTH CAROLINA | 77 OVR, A POT
A defensive end flew off the board for the third straight pick, as Jacksonville selected Quinton Coples to bolster an average pass rush on what was statistically a great defense with few trouble areas.


24. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - ALAMEDA TA AMU (DT), WASHINGTON | 79 OVR, A POT
Aging starter Kelly Gregg was not retained in the offseason, leaving a big hole on the defensive line. The massive frame of Washington's Alameda Ta Amu should plug it nicely, and allow the Chiefs to continue their dominant defensive presence against the run.


25. DETROIT LIONS - NICK MARTINEZ (T), OKLAHOMA STATE | 75 OVR, B POT
Detroit had one of the worst ground games in the league, and also allowed 40 sacks over the course of the regular season. Martinez is a bit of a reach in the first round, but he will still likely plug into a starting spot immediately.


26. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - RYAN LINDLEY (QB), SAN DIEGO STATE | 79 OVR, A POT
After watching three quarterbacks get snatched up in the first ten picks, Lindley plummeted all the way to the bottom of the round, where he may have landed in the best situation of them all. Alex Smith's offseason release will put Lindley in the driver's seat early, while a solid ground game and stout defense will ease his transition into the pros.


27. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - BRANDON LINDSEY (DE), PITTSBURGH | 77 OVR, A POT
New England's offense last season was one of the best in the nation...their defense? Not so much. The Patriots were average when it came to stopping the run, and ranked near the bottom of the league with 24 sacks on the year. Lindsey should help strengthen both areas.


28. CINCINNATI BENGALS - BACARRI RAMBO (FS), GEORGIA | 79 OVR, A POT
With their second pick in the opening round, the Bengals stayed on defense. Cincinnati ranked 2nd in the NFL when it came to defending the pass in 2011, but had just eight interceptions on the year. The team hopes adding Bacarri Rambo to the secondary will increase those game-changing turnovers.


29. PITTSBURGH STEELERS - AARON HENRY (FS), WISCONSIN | 77 OVR, A POT
Adding Aaron Henry to replace the aging Ryan Clark and play alongside Troy Polomalu will only serve to bolster Pittsburgh's fearsome defense.


30. WASHINGTON REDSKINS - CHARLES BROWN (CB), NORTH CAROLINA | 77 OVR, A POT
Brown was a projected 2nd round pick, but the Redskins snatched him up late in the first round anyway. Brown will help improve an average secondary, and should also help out in the turnover department, where Washington recorded just ten interceptions last season. Despite an appearance in the NFC championship game, the Redskins will enter 2012 with a retooled roster that not only features Charles Brown, but also free agent signings Alex Smith (QB), Mike Wallace (WR), and Michael Bennett (DE).


31. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - TERENCE BROWN (C), BYU | 79 OVR, A POT
If there's one area the top-ranked Patriots offense needed to improve, it was their o-line. New England struggled to run the ball all season, and also allowed 36 sacks, one of the highest totals in the NFL. Brown will be an anchor in the middle for years to come.


32. HOUSTON TEXANS - MATT DANIELS (FS), DUKE | 76 OVR, B POT
The Texans are celebrating their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history, but that won't stop them from improving the team. To round out the first round, Houston selected free safety Matt Daniels to replace Danieal Manning in the starting lineup.

[St. Francisco]

Double post.

[dj_morton]

Coples at 23? Steal of the 1st rnd so far IMO..he's a MONSTER!

[Leftwich]

Jags are always better in Madden than Real Life.

[Primetime]

Aaron Henry in the first round? IIRC, he's projected as a 3rd-4th rounder. I've seen the man play, he's really not very good. Slow as shit too.

[St. Francisco]

I've reached a crossroads.

To put it simply without going into too much detail, I'm simply not having as much fun doing this as I thought I would. The burden of creating a realistic NFL is weighing heavily on me, and I find myself yearning to simply go back and play my WTU dynasty every time I fire up the 360.

I'm going to chew on this for the next few weeks, and decide what direction I'll take...maybe I'll continue with what I'm doing, maybe I'll increase the CPU control for teams, or maybe I'll just focus on NCAA. But while I do that, I have decided to return to updating my NCAA dynasty again. So, stay tuned I suppose...until I make a decision.

[dj_morton]

really curious to see how luck turns out! knock out a season or two atleast!!

[GoChargers]

This was looking good.. I love a realistic franchise and I know you do too.

I usually control all 32 teams, all I really do for them is change the QB depth chart when necessary. I basically just make sure they all have a QB situation that is common IRL. I'll just note the teams progress year to year, if they have a bad season or a couple losing seasons consecutively, I change up the QB by picking up a FA or drafting one high.

I can imagine how much hard work this would've been.

[JBregz]

Wow amazing work so far. I hope you stick with it.

[St. Francisco]

Ok, I've done a little thinking...and when I get home tomorrow, I'm gonna try this again with a new thread.

What really killed me with my original plan was having to analyze each team's roster to sign free agents and draft picks...this took FOREVER. So, I've decided to put FA signings and draft picks back into the CPU's hands. I'll still cut UDFAs, double-check depth charts at key positions like QB, and decide who gets cuts and re-signed in the offseason. As far as the coaching changes go, I'm gonna just let the CPU do that since it doesn't really affect the game that much, but I will write stories about coaching changes to make the franchise interesting.

The only other change I'm going to make is to follow the current rumors/storyline around the league, where instead of Peyton Manning retiring, he will be traded. Of course, this is all contingent on the CPU making good decisions when it comes to FA and the draft. I'll be turning the salary cap off to make sure the CPU signs everyone they need to, and I'll adjust position priorities to keep certain teams from drafting certain positions.

When I get home, I'll make an offseason dry run, and so long as it goes well, then you'll see another thread sometime next week.