Posted by norbert on 3/6/2012 5:56:00 PM (view original):
I guess that's my question though. What does the percentage mean? Is it just the chance that that player is the primary target? What about checking down? Who's next? Does it just check the rest of the players based on that percentage? That might work. The other issue we would need to solve is how to determine where the ball is thrown. If it's just an aggressiveness setting in the playbook, like it is now, it can lead to some strange behavior like the deep ball going to your RB. Might not be bad in some cases, but I'd think some people would want some way to control that as well.
If I try to walk through what I would want to play plan in the context of using these situations in my game plan I would want to know that I can use my best players in certain situations with respect to their attributes and have it occur consistently. Maybe to rethink the depth chart would be the best thing. Right now we are locked into positional depth charts and maybe situational depth charts are better. This would allow depth settings for: Run inside/Run outside (for RB, FB, QB, WR), Pass Short/Pass Medium/Pass Long (for RB, FB, TE, WR) with frequency values chosen for each starter and substitute for that situation. You could even add Depth charts for Run block/Pass block (OL, TE, FB, RB, WR with duplicates not allowed in run/pass charts). Attributes would need to be assigned to each selection so RB in Run inside would be different than Run outside, and WR/TE would use different characteristics to be most effective at different distances. Same with OL and Run/pass settings. That would give 5 depth charts specific to play choice, but not formation, so line-change substitutions would be harder to pull off.
Defense could have depth charts for (names are for demonstration purposes only and should not be used at home without professional supervision) Line of Scrimmage (Pass rush, LB and CB blitz, inside runs), Short and Flat (Short passes and outside runs), Cover (Medium and short passing), Prevent (Medium and deep passes). Again different players with different attribute sets would be more efficient for different formations.
If we hold firm on roster limits, it will test us as coaches to produce players to fill multiple roles, and will allow us to develop specialists for certain depth charts.
Game planning would let us set formation, down and distance, and play (like Pass Medium) which would use players in order from that depth chart. Same on Defense. Would be nice to have a setting for field position too.