IDP case study article posted (1 Viewer)

I just penned a LONG article for the FBG website, an IDP dynasty league case study article. I used one of my specific teams and pretty much analyzed almost every move I made over the course of a year and a half, along with a lot of strategies. It covers 28 trades, 2 rookie drafts, a few key waiver moves, and strategies from a rebuilding standpoint followed by strategies from a contenders point of view.

I had a couple of questions already asked and one was about linking the league. I decided not to because I want people to just focus on the strategies I used rather than getting comments about the rest of the league, and also because I don't think it's fair to open up other league members to scrutiny over other deals made that do not directly involve me.

I will answer any specific questions that were not answered about anything I did with that team or any general strategy questions. Please do not ask questions about what to do with your specific team. Those belong in the IDP assistant coaches forum.

I also will be around more after the next couple of weeks to help answer questions in the assistant coaches forum. It has been hectic and very busy lately and I haven't had any time for anything.

Any other comments are welcome.

NOTE: The below quote is from the article. Please read this because this is a common mistake left out of posts in the assistant coaches forum.

One important thing about league scoring systems and other important information about a league is that all leagues are not created equal. The facts about a league are vitally important when making decisions. I see many posts at Footballguys.com, in the Assistant Coaches forum, asking for advice, but not giving any information about their league. Folks, this is nothing short of throwing a dart at a bunch of names and hoping to be right. We must know the details of the league in question to effectively answer questions or make a comment. That is why I listed the pertinent facts about my league above. Without that, it would be tough to explain some of the transactions I made.

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Link to article.

How did you trade Justin Fargas March 7, 2007 and then again on November 19, 2007?

edit: I see it now. Whoever you traded him to in March dropped him and you picked him up off the waiver wire.

The Man With No Name said:

How did you trade Justin Fargas March 7, 2007 and then again on November 19, 2007?edit: I see it now. Whoever you traded him to in March dropped him and you picked him up off the waiver wire.

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He was dropped and picked up a few times. When I traded him, the Raiders had not yet signed Rhodes. Once they did, Fargas was cut by the owner I traded him to. I picked him up more than once myself.Little did any of us know that he would turn into a 1000 yard RB.

That's an amazingly good roster tranformation in such a short period. Most of your trades improved things, while the few that didn't don't matter because the results were so good from the others.

I've never had to rebuild a team in 13 years of playing dynasty, but I've only had more than 2 teams for 2 years.

Good read.

I sat there looking at your trades. I don't recall ever saying "Borbely really hosed the dude in this one"...heck, I thought you got the short end of the stick more often than not.

Just goes to show (that i don't know what i'm talking about ) your thesis is correct in that the little moves made a huge difference.

Enjoyed it--thank you.

I find articles like this fascinating and really appreciate letting us get a glimpse into your head. I think too many times, owners get boggled down on making the big deal and forget that 2-3 "small deals" can wield a similar impact for a squad, especially in a dynasty.

I thought it was a good read also. Getting a glimpse inside your head - reading your thought process was very interesting. I know that WhoDat at one time did something similar to this only he did it as he was going along and I enjoyed that a whole lot too. There is a whole lot of work that goes into just a single trade. Perhaps I don't give it enough time. I get turned down - no counter and give up. Perhaps I need to be more persistant and not give in so quickly sometimes.

The Man With No Name said:

That's an amazingly good roster tranformation in such a short period. Most of your trades improved things, while the few that didn't don't matter because the results were so good from the others.I've never had to rebuild a team in 13 years of playing dynasty, but I've only had more than 2 teams for 2 years.

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I agree. Man that team was bad to start with. You did a nice job of transformation.

Great read, Tony.I especially liked this section, which addresses the biggest problem I think most IDP/dynasty owners make.

My general rebuilding philosophy is to completely overhaul the roster. Patching holes works when you only need a few pieces to contend, but if you try this strategy with a bad team, all that happens is that you lengthen the time it takes to make your team a contender. You patch one hole and create another, basically spinning your wheels. I do not see any point in doing that. The goal is to win a championship, not to wallow in mediocrity.

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You can fiddle with a 7-6 team all you like and hope to get lucky in the playoffs. More often, you'll end up worse off in future seasons without a title to show for it. Of course, if it was as easy as Tony made it look here, owners would tear down their rosters more often.I also appreciated your treatment of the "smaller" deal. It's not that you try to get a little sweetener thrown in on the back end of every trade, it's that you stay on the lookout for parts that will be valuable to someone else when you do get a shot at those "throw-ins". AB.

Good timing, Anthony. I've had a team that's had an up and down history over the 7 years of our league, with a few playoff appearences and many more near misses. (Twice, I've started out 6-0 and ended up with a losing record). 1 playoff win. No championships. For years I'd been trying to patch holes in my roster, with a combination of bad decisions and bad luck kept me from really building. This year, I decided I would get rid of the old ones, even the good old ones, and work towards the future. But as time came to execute it, I began to doubt. Your article convinced me to take drastic measures, and I found it to be pretty well written and interesting as well.

I passed it on to a replacement owner in another league I'm in and I think it's helping him too. (He inherited a team midseason, and didn't have much to work with. Guy took Priest Holmes in the 1st). Keep up the good work. Just of out curiosity with anyone else reading the thread, what have been your experiences with rebuilding? Any great successes? Or miserable failures?

EDIT: It occurred to me that my big hangup with being willing to shake things up stemmed from two things (which are closely related)

1) Loyalty to my past stars

2) Fear of the unknown

As an example, when this league launched, I drafted Hines Ward in the last round. He was little known, at least amongst players in our league, and I was the only person with an SEC perspective. He ended up being the superior rookie WR for the Steelers (Anyone remember Troy Edwards?) in no time. Every year, he's been Mr. Consistency for me. I traded him this year to a contender, but I almost backed out for two reasons.

One, he had been on my team since it's inaguration, and had always delivered for me, and Two, losing him meant losing someone I felt like I could count on, meaning a possibly precipitous drop.

When I read the article, it convinced me that the best thing Hines Ward could do for my team was get me some extra draft picks that I could use to prepare for the future and bolster other parts of my team. It was risky, but if it didn't pan out, then it only hurt me for this year and the next most likely, and there's always next years draft.

bump

DawnBTVS said:

I find articles like this fascinating and really appreciate letting us get a glimpse into your head. I think too many times, owners get boggled down on making the big deal and forget that 2-3 "small deals" can wield a similar impact for a squad, especially in a dynasty.

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I actually look to make small moves first. I want to rid my team of players that I have no intention of keeping, and I want to do this as soon as possible to clear roster space for players with upside. Big deals are a lot harder to make and require patience. But just because you may have to wait to make a big deal doesn't mean you have to wait to improve your team. When you clear a roster spot, you never know if that spot may be soon occupied by someone who will turn into an important player down the road.

pretender said:

I thought it was a good read also. Getting a glimpse inside your head - reading your thought process was very interesting. I know that WhoDat at one time did something similar to this only he did it as he was going along and I enjoyed that a whole lot too. There is a whole lot of work that goes into just a single trade. Perhaps I don't give it enough time. I get turned down - no counter and give up. Perhaps I need to be more persistant and not give in so quickly sometimes.

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WhoDat's thread was a great read. You have to be patient with trades and realize that some do not happen right away. Occasionally, an owner will say no, hoping you will lower your price. Often times, once he sees you are firm with your price, he may lower his demands. Obviously, there is compromise needed, but there are times when you have a set price. You should have an idea of how much, if any, you will lower your price. But you don't have to complete a trade on the spot. A lot of trades take time to finalize.

I'd say the high majority of trade offers lead to nothing, but don't let that discourage you.

Trade #14: July 1, 2007 * Traded: WR Kevin Walter, LB Gerald Hayes, 2008 Round 3 pick * Received: WR Matt JonesAnalysis: This was by far the worst trade I made. At the time the deal was consummated, I was very high on Jones and didn't think I gave up much. I felt that I was giving up middling talent and a pick for a player with a high ceiling and decided to pull the trigger. The one thing about making a lot of trades and taking chances on upside is that you will whiff occasionally. I whiffed on this one.Trade #15: August 3, 2007 * Traded: 2008 Round 1 pick * Received: QB Drew StantonAnalysis: I was and still am very high on Stanton, and this trade was easy for me to make because I wanted to add a young QB that I was high on and Stanton fit the bill. The pick I traded was owned by a top contender, so I thought it would be anywhere from 1.13 to 1.16. The final determination of whether this deal was a good one will not be known for a couple of years at a minimum as I have to wait for Stanton to develop.I had a good feeling when I made the first deal. I thought Walter and Jones were comparable. It worked out better than I hoped. When I traded Stanton to Borberly my frustration was at an all-time with injuries on my team.

I give Anthony a huge amount of respect for how he built his team. He's very active and made a ton of great moves that have him in place for a playoff run this year. Glad he's not in my division. ;-)