Posted by trwstpoint on 3/25/2020 2:50:00 PM (view original):
Wow, this is an interesting strategy that I would have a hard time having the patience to pull off. I guess the real use of this is if you have a promising group of newbies come in you can play them and save the veteran as an insurance.
The question is does it completely wipe out their WE or is this negligible because they would theoretically be maxed out at this time?
I rarely do it, but I don’t covet the resources as much as a lot of folks, so... Basically my approach is to have a core of 8-10 players every year, which leaves 2-4 open spots, and these are generally taken by players that I treat as projects. Some of them I plan to move into that core group at some point, with proper development and IQ advancement (I often redshirt these guys, even as sophs, if I can). Some are purely depth and insurance against EEs and lost battles. For the latter group, this strategy is an option. Another option is just cutting them if something better comes along.
In my experience, it has always wiped their WE; they’ll lose 8+ points during the season of sitting, and then the rest after you lay the redshirt on at the very end. But as you say, many times these players have already maxed, at least in the important categories.
If recruiting goes well, and/or you don’t expect to lose any early entries, you can always just let him go. To be honest, I think I’ve probably let that player just walk as often as bring him back for another year. But again, I don’t lust after those resources, so grain of salt.