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IDP Talk - Features And Timing You'd Like To See - Dr. Jene (1 Viewer)

Joe Bryant

Joe Bryant

Guide
Staff member
Hey Folks,

I asked this question for Dynasty content and you guys were super helpful. Let's do the same for IDP. I'll ask it the same way:

Branching off of our conversation started the other day about asking questions, I wanted to focus a bit on IDP.

We've got a significant challenge this year as our beloved Dr. Jene Bramel is going to have to pull back from his IDP writing. He'll still be doing all the great content with related to Injuries and Rehab and Game Expectations he's always done for us. It's a bummer as Jene's awesome on IDP as you know but it's a reality of life thing for him. That leaves us with decisions to make for IDP. As I said, my goal is to keep the level of content the same. What we have to decide is if that means trying to have other people do features like Jene was doing or maybe that's other features. We need your feedback there. 

And please hear this - I'm asking for feedback here. This is not any offer to do all that's suggested. Not even close. I'm just trying to hear and understand what some of you like. Sometimes people view these things as if we don't do all the things suggested then we're "not listening" or "don't care". So please don't do that. 

But if you'd like to share some of the things you'd like to see for IDP Content, please do it here. So it's most usable, please use this format.

1. The feature (rankings, article topic, etc)

2. The time frames you'd like to see these.

3. If possible - specific examples with links of how you're seeing this done now in other places.

4.  How popular you think the feature would be with the broader IDP audience. (Understanding most every guy on this board is nowhere near the "average" IDP player)

Thanks. Again, no promises at all that we can do more features. I wanted to give you guys a place to talk about what you'd like to see.

J
 
Unfortunately Jene will not be contributing on the IDP side this year. The history buffs out there will understand when I say; I feel a little like General Lee when Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville. Lee said "Jackson has lost his left arm and I have lost my right". But like Lee, we must go on.

Jene and I have been working the IDP side together since before either of us were part of Footballguys. His contributions will be missed. That said, we have a lot of talent to draw on here at FBG and we will continue to provide plenty of quality IDP content/analysis. What we are looking for here is some input from our readers as we plan for the 2017 season and beyond.    

 
One thing is the depth charts.  I'm not saying you guys depth charts are right or wrong but they differ significantly from other sites.  Getting IDP depth charts updated and accurate goes a long way in helping owners understand how a player will be deployed or how useful that player can be.  

Replicate what Bramel does with tiers.  That is fantastic work and shows who, in his opinion, has upside or is just a guy that isn't shown in a 1-100 ranking system or in projections.  And keep this updated often especially this time of year with free agency and the draft as depth charts are changing.

 
Invigorate the "upgrades and downgrades" with more forward looking analysis.  Much of the time it seemed to just be "this guy did well last week, this guy didn't" without much analysis.  

Idp focused podcast, explaining each defense.  That can be a one time, preseason podcast and then an update weekly.  

 
Ramblin Wreck said:
One thing is the depth charts.  I'm not saying you guys depth charts are right or wrong but they differ significantly from other sites.  Getting IDP depth charts updated and accurate goes a long way in helping owners understand how a player will be deployed or how useful that player can be.  

Replicate what Bramel does with tiers.  That is fantastic work and shows who, in his opinion, has upside or is just a guy that isn't shown in a 1-100 ranking system or in projections.  And keep this updated often especially this time of year with free agency and the draft as depth charts are changing.
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This.  Probably my favorite article on this site.  Bloom's rookie comes close. 

 
Ramblin Wreck said:
One thing is the depth charts.  I'm not saying you guys depth charts are right or wrong but they differ significantly from other sites.  Getting IDP depth charts updated and accurate goes a long way in helping owners understand how a player will be deployed or how useful that player can be.  

Replicate what Bramel does with tiers.  That is fantastic work and shows who, in his opinion, has upside or is just a guy that isn't shown in a 1-100 ranking system or in projections.  And keep this updated often especially this time of year with free agency and the draft as depth charts are changing.
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:goodposting:

 
Combined draft board and his Tier articles are top notch.  They have to be replicated.  

I've relied on his tier articles to make up for the lack of dynasty IDP rankings (as they seem to dry up quickly once the season starts).

I'd make the suggestion in general that you guys find talent and get information out quickly to subscribers.  This is a huge loss.

 
The IDP side of things does feel a bit neglected, which is I suppose understandable since not many people play in IDP leagues apparently (I have no idea why).

The biggest issue over the last couple of years has been the timing of content - the Eyes of the Guru column has tended to be later in the week and the podcast on the Thursday or Friday, making it basically useless for most leagues that do waivers earlier in the week before the Thursday game. Reading the Defense from memory is published earlier, but it's still later content. The upgrades/downgrades is published really quickly but like someone else said, it's very much focused on who did well or poorly the last week, mostly just taking the best and worst statistical performances and providing a very brief comment on them. I find this article useful in that it highlights some performances I might have missed if I didn't scour every box score, but the analysis is a bit lacking. On analysis, I'd like to see more discussion about WHY certain statistical things are happening (whether it be scheme, temporary opportunity that won't be sustained), not just that they are. This goes for all the IDP articles.

My other personal gripe is that the content of the podcast (which is still good) has often largely mirrored the analysis in the weekly articles so in effect subscribers haven't been getting any 'exclusive' content. You could just listen to the podcast and more or less pick up most of the key player/situation discussion from the articles (maybe with some exceptions).

In terms of something I would like to see in the format requested:

1. A team by team dynasty stash/forward looking analysis.

2. Maybe twice a year - weeks 6 and 12 for example.

3. I believe a poster in the forum started a thread along these lines that was a good addition- doesn't have to be set out like that necessarily, but that kind of idea.

4. Would be very popular - I think a lot of the IDP crowd also play dynasty and forward looking dynasty IDP content is very lacking across all websites.

 
The biggest issue over the last couple of years has been the timing of content - the Eyes of the Guru column has tended to be later in the week and the podcast on the Thursday or Friday, making it basically useless for most leagues that do waivers earlier in the week before the Thursday game.
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Absolutely agree with this, and have brought it up more than once with staff prior.

Get more of the IDP content out earlier in the week.  Example: EoTG is great....but its value is significantly mitigated for many when it isn't released until late Thursday afternoon.  Ditto the IDP Rountable pod.  It's a "brave new world" and Thursday night football isn't going anywhere.   Things like that really need to get out to subscribers by Wednesday afternoon.

Of course, with one less set of capable hands available on the IDP side, I think I'm tilting at windmills hoping for that to happen.

 
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Something I would like to see on/about February each year (the timing being after the coaching carousel is finished).

An article that discusses how the coaching changes (both head coach and defensive coordinator) will affect how well their existing players can/will do.

For example, if a team goes from a 3-4 to a 4-3, how should their individual DEs and ILBs fare going forward?

 
The upgrades/downgrades is always helpful and the Bramel Tiers is huge going into draft season.  It is a lot more informative than just a rankings list.  Something that continues with that level of detail while tiering players is a good tool.  

A last minute primer for hunches (good plays or bad plays) based on any practice/injury reports leading up to the weekend.  Something that came out on Saturday with a couple players from each game that are good or bad plays for that week.  Maybe include some current key injury situations (O-line included to the IDP players themselves).  

In general the last season timing of content was disappointing because much of it came out too late for waiver help.   

 
Thanks for the comments you have left so far. I feel your pain on the timing of release with the EOTG column. This is something I have struggled with for a long time. Between the day job, the time it takes to get word from teams on injuries and so forth, review games to see what defenses were doing schematically etc. and get projections done, it's just tough for me to get it out much earlier without sacrificing quality and depth of either EOTG or projections. We realize this is an issue and it's something we will discuss as we gear up for 2017.  

It is true that our podcasts have a lot of the same info as our articles. We write about the things we believe are relevant and important, we talk about the things we deem most relevant and important each week. It's not as if there is a whole different set of news items, matchups or situations to talk about between the time we write articles and record the show on Wednesday nights. I guess we could leave something out of the articles and only mention them in the podcast but that would be the wrong approach in my opinion. My goal is to give everyone as much as possible each week. There is going to be a lot of overlap. That said, there is always more depth to the written articles.       

 
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1) tiers
2) combined rookie board

Those are the 2 things that Jene wrote that for me was really added value. While a lot of stuff in "Reading The Defense" was also covered by John in the Guru articles (there is also a lot of "snap count" stuffs on other fantasy sites, but I know that's not the point), those 2 things were unique and showed a great approach to IDP playing / drafting.

 
I'll echo tiers. Jene's annual DL, DB and LB tiers (which he would update a few times throughout the spring/summer) were my favorite piece of IDP content. 

Beyond that, I would really like to see IDPs consistently be included in the top 200 forward that gets posted on the site on Wednesday nights during the season. IDPs are often a late addition (or not added at all) and it makes my waiver claims much more difficult. 

 
Wooters said:
Combined draft board. Look forward to it every year. 

And release of EoTG on Thursdays, sometimes Fridays, really makes the article too late to be useful that week. IR really needs to come out Tuesday, prior to waivers.  Mr. Norton, I would suggest to you to make the article less in-depth, release it Tuesday evening and let the reader decide what to do with the information. That would be far better than reading an in-depth article on Thursday/Friday, that can't be used until the following week, when things change again. 
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Maybe Norton could release a "gut feelings" set of notes and then the more in-depth later in the week?  

Not thinking "double Norton's workload" (although if they could pay him enough to do that fairly, they should!).  More thinking of giving us a window into the article earlier in the writing process.  For instance, if he goes team-by-team, post them as updates on completion rather than waiting till every team he has time for is done.

 
I'll echo Combined Draft Board and Tiers.

Some general dynasty rankings would be good on the IDP front.  The last I see anyone posting was 10/2.

 
Bummer, I missed this until now.

I use (and subscribe to) FBG primarily for features that are specific to my team, or are niches that aren't addressed elsewhere such as IDP and dynasty info.  The things I want most from FBG are:

  • Weekly start/sit decisions using MyFBG that's linked to all my teams and scoring systems, including multiple rankings and options to select an expert or average them, across offense and IDP.
  • Weekly waiver wire decisions with MyFBG tools that know who's available in my leagues (includes upgrades/downgrades, Top 200 Forward).
  • Dynasty rankings (both offense and IDP) updated when my dynasty leagues have offseason free agency periods, linked to my current rosters and showing free agents in blue.
  • Dynasty rookie draft rankings / combined rookie draft chart.
  • Jene and John IDP articles / IDP podcast.
  • PK rankings (I know, everyone hates kickers, but nobody on the internet covers them since Capybara disappeared).
Honestly, FBG is letting me down on most of these topics.  The MyFBG debacle last season didn't really bug me that much, but it's never functional in the offseason, so any dynasty rankings won't highlight my players and free agents.  It also doesn't link up with the IDP upgrades/downgrades article.  There never seem to be IDP dynasty rankings in the offseason, at least between the Super Bowl and the draft when my dynasty free agency periods are.  Jene's tiers were great for that, but they'll be gone now.  I'd like to sneak a little hidden value at PK, but there's nothing really here anymore.

To follow the format and exclude the non-IDP one:

  1. Add a second set of weekly IDP projections.
  2. 9/1/2017.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Link IDP upgrades/downgrades to MyFBG.
  2. 9/1/2017.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Working offseason MyFBG so that dynasty rankings will show my players and free agents.
  2. Too late for this offseason, so 3/1/2018.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. IDP dynasty rankings available in March for Zealots free agency period.
  2. Too late for this offseason, so 3/1/2018.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Combined IDP/offense rookie draft chart.
  2. 5/1/2017.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine, but it seems to be a common response in this thread.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. A second opinion on IDP weekly projections.
  2. 9/1/2017.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.

 
Oh, one more: 

  1. Inseason IDP dynasty stash articles, one per month.
  2. 9/1/2017.
  3. Nobody does this - FBG should lead the way.
  4. Requires a Surveymonkey to determine.
 
Dynasty IDP tier rankings kept updated year a round would be nice.  Right now is there any on this site at all ?

 
I rely on the Combined Rookie Draft Board to steer me through my 14 rookie drafts each year. I hope that this can continue, and continue in a hurry. Some of my rookie drafts have started already and many more are scheduled to start this weekend. I feel like I am going through this blind without the CRDB.

 
bronco fan said:
I rely on the Combined Rookie Draft Board to steer me through my 14 rookie drafts each year. I hope that this can continue, and continue in a hurry. Some of my rookie drafts have started already and many more are scheduled to start this weekend. I feel like I am going through this blind without the CRDB.
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Same. Invaluable tool. Especially combined with the Bloom 100.

 
John Norton said:
Unfortunately Jene will not be contributing on the IDP side this year. The history buffs out there will understand when I say; I feel a little like General Lee when Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville. Lee said "Jackson has lost his left arm and I have lost my right". But like Lee, we must go on.

Jene and I have been working the IDP side together since before either of us were part of Footballguys. His contributions will be missed. That said, we have a lot of talent to draw on here at FBG and we will continue to provide plenty of quality IDP content/analysis. What we are looking for here is some input from our readers as we plan for the 2017 season and beyond.    
Click to expand...
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.

 
A good example of IDP being the red headed step sister here at FBG is the last IDP article (sans Jene's combined draft board) was in late March, almost a month and a half ago and a full month prior to the NFL draft.

 
Penguin said:
A good example of IDP being the red headed step sister here at FBG is the last IDP article (sans Jene's combined draft board) was in late March, almost a month and a half ago and a full month prior to the NFL draft.
Click to expand...
No articles focused onky on IDP, but Bloom's top 100 articles (pre and post draft) both included the defensive rookies slotted in with the offense, and had useful commentary about each.  Between that and Jene's always remarkable Combined Board (which also included player commentary) I've found IDP content to digest.

 
Arodin said:
No articles focused onky on IDP, but Bloom's top 100 articles (pre and post draft) both included the defensive rookies slotted in with the offense, and had useful commentary about each.  Between that and Jene's always remarkable Combined Board (which also included player commentary) I've found IDP content to digest.
Click to expand...
True, but Bloom doesn't do in season IDP content and Dr. Jene will no longer be doing any.

 
Ramblin Wreck said:
One thing is the depth charts.  I'm not saying you guys depth charts are right or wrong but they differ significantly from other sites.  Getting IDP depth charts updated and accurate goes a long way in helping owners understand how a player will be deployed or how useful that player can be.  

Replicate what Bramel does with tiers.  That is fantastic work and shows who, in his opinion, has upside or is just a guy that isn't shown in a 1-100 ranking system or in projections.  And keep this updated often especially this time of year with free agency and the draft as depth charts are changing.
Click to expand...
Clearly this never happened but would have been great. Jene was hands down the best part of fbg to me.

 
I've been hesitant to reply but I'm hoping to put together defensive positional tiers again this summer. There may not be as much strategy as in previous years. It may just be a short introductory vignette leading into each table of tiers w/ a line of context.

I much prefer the underpromise and overdeliver approach. The combined draft board is very likely to continue in future years. We've made two strong IDP hires in the past month to improve the breadth of our coverage this year. I think Joe will be announcing those soon. Whether it's me or one of our new hires, I think the expectation is for the tier series to continue as well. While I don't believe I can continue the RTD -- :(  -- I'm planning on covering defensive injuries more closely this year and we have at least two additions to the inseason IDP offerings I think everyone will really like.

I really appreciate the interest in and the kind comments on the tier features. They take a ton of time to produce to my standards and the first set at each position is the most time-consuming and the basis for every adjustment until the end of the preseason. With some luck, the first set will be done by early June. 

 
Jene Bramel said:
I've been hesitant to reply but I'm hoping to put together defensive positional tiers again this summer. There may not be as much strategy as in previous years. It may just be a short introductory vignette leading into each table of tiers w/ a line of context.

I much prefer the underpromise and overdeliver approach. The combined draft board is very likely to continue in future years. We've made two strong IDP hires in the past month to improve the breadth of our coverage this year. I think Joe will be announcing those soon. Whether it's me or one of our new hires, I think the expectation is for the tier series to continue as well. While I don't believe I can continue the RTD -- :(  -- I'm planning on covering defensive injuries more closely this year and we have at least two additions to the inseason IDP offerings I think everyone will really like.

I really appreciate the interest in and the kind comments on the tier features. They take a ton of time to produce to my standards and the first set at each position is the most time-consuming and the basis for every adjustment until the end of the preseason. With some luck, the first set will be done by early June. 
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:wub:

 
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