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With the 2059 season ending and Motor City missing the playoffs, it’s time to look back on the year and see what happened.
Pre-Free agency
Motor City started the 2059 season right at the cap limit and several problems with the roster. NT Johnathan Collier retired at the start of the season, and while the retirement was expected, it still created problems. He is tied for 1st in sacks and hurries, 3rd in blocks, 8th in tackles and 6th in assists, all from the interior of the line. Whether 2nd year player Weston DiGiacomo would step up or a free agent would fill the spot, there were big shoes to fill.
As is tradition, another player is due for a huge paycheck this year; star RB Clay Fitzgerald. In his first 3 seasons, he has rushed for 1123, 1337, and 1323 yards, averaging 4.25 ypc in the process. Resigning him is a huge priority, and space will be made to keep him. He ended up signing a $104/4yr deal.
Several players were let go because of their cap hit, including some starters. OLB Vinny Hanson was released, having lost his starter spot to Mickey Stein and still having a starting OLB cap hit. CB Conrad Reese and TE Marty Howe were also released early, freeing up their roles as backup for cheaper, younger players.
There were several starters also let go: ILB Rusty Jamison, LT Ricky Ayanbadejo, RT Bill Kampman, and RG Rex Blackburn. ILB Rusty Jamison was an excellent player, and in his 3 years with Motor City had a PDPCT of 76.4, 76.5, and 79.9. With star 2nd year LB Dakota Hutton ready to step in to the SILB role and backup Howie Smetana improving over the offseason to become a starting WILB, there simply wasn’t cap space for a player as good as Jamison.
LT Ricky Ayanbadejo was a very good player, but unfortunately had the highest LT salary in the league on a capped-out team. 2058 was a record year for him, with a career high 37 KRB out of his usual 80 KRBO. He refused a cap reduction resign, although GM Finkellll admittedly never tried an aggressive contract offer like CB R.J Howard. He was let go at the beginning of free agency.
RT Bill Kampman was the highest RT FA in 2058 according to MTC scouts. He did not live up to expectations during the 2058 year, achieving 13 KRB out of a possible 31 KRBO (50 less KRBO then LT Ricky) and missed several games due to injury.
RG Rex Backburn had trouble playing at the level expected for his salary. He had a $13m cap hit when free agents with similar ratings were asking $4m. While he was a good starter for Motor City, he was not worth his cap hit and let go.
Motor City entered FA with 2 of its 5 offensive starters from the previous year on the roster, and this would prove a costly mistake.
Trades
Motor City was very quiet in free agency this year, signing only a punter and a long snapper. However, several players were brought in via trades.
Trade 1: MTC sends 4.27, HAW sends LT Farmer and 7.14.
This trade was probably fair value. Farmer was OK with MTC in his first year. 22/47 KRB with 6 SA. The picks for both players turned into serviceable backups all rated in the upper 30s. Farmer will also be competing against rookie Burnett next year, so all in all this is a depth building trade for both teams.
Trade 2: MTC sends 4.28, HAW sends RG Marcus Green
This was a good trade for MTC, RG green was very productive at 21/87 KRB and 9 SA. With a cohesion increase those numbers should improve in the future.
Trade 3: MTC sends 3.27 & 6.27, STP sends RT Danny Keane
This was a gamble that paid off for MTC, with Danny Keane being 29 years old and dealing with a MCL injury. His bars held and he went 21/62 KRB with 4 SA. MTC was able to lock him in to a $53/4yr deal with a ~$13m cap hit each year.
Trade 4: MTC sends 1.27 and 1.2060 (1.5), MOR sends 1.21, 2.12, and 2.23
On paper this trade looks bad, as a calculator says MTC lost ~35% of value because the future first turned into 1.5. However, the players gained from this 1 trade make up for it. MTC was able to move up 6 spots and grab C Marquis Lindsay; a 30/80 center with one of the highest future value ratings in the draft. 2.12 was traded to Ohio for Devonte Lodish, who was extremely productive for MTC, and 2.23 was traded to Kalispel for a future 2nd. It will probably take a few years for this trade to really show who got the better deal here, but I believe this trade worked out well for both teams.
Trade 5: MTC sends 2.12 and 2060 5th (I believe 5.5), Ohio sends NT Devonte Lodish.
Mr. Extreme Conflict himself. This trade worked out surprisingly well for MTC considering the conflict. Lodish was 3rd in DTs in sacks and QB hits despite missing the last 3 games, and has a $5m cap hit for the next 4 years, much lower than the $20m+ the other productive DTs have. He also had a +/- of 89% on the year, which is good for someone with a conflict.
Trade 6: MTC sends 2.23, KAL sends 7.21 and 2060 2nd (I believe 2.20)
Another good trade for both teams here. KAL used 2.23 on SS Marcus Knoll, who had a 86.6 PDPCT on 620 pass plays in his rookie year. MTC used 7.21 on LT Frank Burnett, who has a 55 OVR FV and showed promise in the 5 games he played in his rookie year. MTC also moving “up” 3 spots is good value, even tho it is a year out.
Trade 7: MTC sends WR Cody England, Ohio sends 2060 5th
This was a midseason trade that worked out well for both teams. Ohio nearly got 900 yards out of England in 12 games, and MTC got a 5th for a player in the final year of his contract during the season. England was struggling to get targets with MTC’s offensive line crumbling, and it was clear that he would not perform well unless he was on a team with good pass protection.
Draft
1.21: C Marquis Lindsay
Due to starter John Foreman getting injured, Lindsay played many games in his rookie year, despite not being quite ready to start. He went 13/37 KRB and 5 SA in 10 games, and his 81 OVR FV has many excited to finally have stability at Center in MTC.
5.27: OLB Edwin Blackwell
Blackwell is a quality backup taken in the 5th round, but will need more time to improve, 12 tackles and 72.7 PDPCT on 95 pass plays isn’t great, but for a late 5th pick he will be a good backup for years to come.
7.14: ILB Karl Kelley
Karl Kelley provided depth at ILB, but didn’t play enough snaps to really get a feel for what his potential is.
7.21: LT Frank Burnett
Burnett is an excellent 7th round pickup and is expected to compete for the starting role in his 2nd year. As a rookie he went 2/5 KRB with 3 SA in 5 games.
2059 Regular Season
The good
In a 5-10-1 season there is not much good, however there are a few bright spots. The best is NT Devonte Lodish, who made an impact all season until missing the last 3 games due to injury. WR Randall Weaver cashed in another 1200 yard season, and is on pace to be the best WR in MTC history. 2nd year TE Darryl Butler had great receiving numbers when he did get the ball, going 29/47 for 428 yards and 4tds. MTC coaches are hoping to get him a 50 catch season next year. The front 7 as a unit did well, with a 3rd best 3.69 opponent YPC average. Finally, MTC was the only team with less than 10 turnovers this season, and led the league in turnover +/-.
The bad
Let’s begin with the obvious. Thanks to C John Foreman going down for 8 weeks in the season opener, MTC had to play with 4 new starters on the offensive line. This caused problems that can be seen all over the stat sheet.
MTC had 10th worst KRBs, 5th most sacks, and 2nd worst OpPRPct in 2059. In 2058 those rankings were 4th most KRBs, 11th most sacks, and 11th worst OpPRPct. Because of the extreme falloff in KRBs, MTC had further to go on 3rd down this year (9.3 AvYTG, league worst, compared to 8.1 AvYTG n 2058), and converted far fewer of those 3rd downs as a result of the extra distance. MTC converted 26% of 3rd downs, which was worst in the league, and a big drop from the 36% conversion in 2058. MTC also had a 3.57 Avg rushing yards, where the same RBs had a 4.79 avg. the year prior. Most of the 1.2 YPC dropoff was because the offense could not get the KRBs.
The secondary also struggled greatly in the first half of the season, and didn’t wake up until it was far too late. In 2059 MTC had a 53.4 PDPct, compared to the 62.4 a year ago. MTC had the league worst PDPct through the first half of the 2059 season.
2nd year ILB Dakota Hutton did not fill Rusty Jamison’s shoes, with a 73.6 PDPCT, and 1 sack, 2 hurries, and 1 hit despite all that potential for a premier blitzing LB.
FB Earnest Idonije had 121 yards on 80 attempts resulting in a disgusting 1.5 YPC. How much the offensive line is to blame is undecided, but this is very concerning.
Finally, red zone production and kicking were extremely bad this year. RB Clay Fitzgerald had -1 red zone rushing yards on the year, and as a team MTC had 2nd worst points per visit. Out of 35 red zone trips MTC only had 16 touchdowns to show for it. Naturally this means that MTC had poor PPG this year, and they were with 4th worst in the league. K Andrew Fitzgerald had a league worst 63% FG converted, including an abysmal 45% FG 40+ yards. This was the final year of his contract and MTC will not pursue him this offseason. He ends his MTC career 3rd in FGs and 4th in points scored.
The Future
There are many, many questions for the future of this franchise. There are simply too many talented players for the results to be this bad. CB RJ Howard is considering retirement, there is no WR2 in the 113 because of Ricky Drake's low END, Devonte Lodish still has the extreme conflict, the offensive line desperately needs cohesion, and the lack of talent at safety is a big concern for an aggressive defense like this. Motor City will have cap space next year and no big names to sign, so hopefully this roster can be greatly improved in time for the 2060 season.
Pre-Free agency
Motor City started the 2059 season right at the cap limit and several problems with the roster. NT Johnathan Collier retired at the start of the season, and while the retirement was expected, it still created problems. He is tied for 1st in sacks and hurries, 3rd in blocks, 8th in tackles and 6th in assists, all from the interior of the line. Whether 2nd year player Weston DiGiacomo would step up or a free agent would fill the spot, there were big shoes to fill.
As is tradition, another player is due for a huge paycheck this year; star RB Clay Fitzgerald. In his first 3 seasons, he has rushed for 1123, 1337, and 1323 yards, averaging 4.25 ypc in the process. Resigning him is a huge priority, and space will be made to keep him. He ended up signing a $104/4yr deal.
Several players were let go because of their cap hit, including some starters. OLB Vinny Hanson was released, having lost his starter spot to Mickey Stein and still having a starting OLB cap hit. CB Conrad Reese and TE Marty Howe were also released early, freeing up their roles as backup for cheaper, younger players.
There were several starters also let go: ILB Rusty Jamison, LT Ricky Ayanbadejo, RT Bill Kampman, and RG Rex Blackburn. ILB Rusty Jamison was an excellent player, and in his 3 years with Motor City had a PDPCT of 76.4, 76.5, and 79.9. With star 2nd year LB Dakota Hutton ready to step in to the SILB role and backup Howie Smetana improving over the offseason to become a starting WILB, there simply wasn’t cap space for a player as good as Jamison.
LT Ricky Ayanbadejo was a very good player, but unfortunately had the highest LT salary in the league on a capped-out team. 2058 was a record year for him, with a career high 37 KRB out of his usual 80 KRBO. He refused a cap reduction resign, although GM Finkellll admittedly never tried an aggressive contract offer like CB R.J Howard. He was let go at the beginning of free agency.
RT Bill Kampman was the highest RT FA in 2058 according to MTC scouts. He did not live up to expectations during the 2058 year, achieving 13 KRB out of a possible 31 KRBO (50 less KRBO then LT Ricky) and missed several games due to injury.
RG Rex Backburn had trouble playing at the level expected for his salary. He had a $13m cap hit when free agents with similar ratings were asking $4m. While he was a good starter for Motor City, he was not worth his cap hit and let go.
Motor City entered FA with 2 of its 5 offensive starters from the previous year on the roster, and this would prove a costly mistake.
Trades
Motor City was very quiet in free agency this year, signing only a punter and a long snapper. However, several players were brought in via trades.
Trade 1: MTC sends 4.27, HAW sends LT Farmer and 7.14.
This trade was probably fair value. Farmer was OK with MTC in his first year. 22/47 KRB with 6 SA. The picks for both players turned into serviceable backups all rated in the upper 30s. Farmer will also be competing against rookie Burnett next year, so all in all this is a depth building trade for both teams.
Trade 2: MTC sends 4.28, HAW sends RG Marcus Green
This was a good trade for MTC, RG green was very productive at 21/87 KRB and 9 SA. With a cohesion increase those numbers should improve in the future.
Trade 3: MTC sends 3.27 & 6.27, STP sends RT Danny Keane
This was a gamble that paid off for MTC, with Danny Keane being 29 years old and dealing with a MCL injury. His bars held and he went 21/62 KRB with 4 SA. MTC was able to lock him in to a $53/4yr deal with a ~$13m cap hit each year.
Trade 4: MTC sends 1.27 and 1.2060 (1.5), MOR sends 1.21, 2.12, and 2.23
On paper this trade looks bad, as a calculator says MTC lost ~35% of value because the future first turned into 1.5. However, the players gained from this 1 trade make up for it. MTC was able to move up 6 spots and grab C Marquis Lindsay; a 30/80 center with one of the highest future value ratings in the draft. 2.12 was traded to Ohio for Devonte Lodish, who was extremely productive for MTC, and 2.23 was traded to Kalispel for a future 2nd. It will probably take a few years for this trade to really show who got the better deal here, but I believe this trade worked out well for both teams.
Trade 5: MTC sends 2.12 and 2060 5th (I believe 5.5), Ohio sends NT Devonte Lodish.
Mr. Extreme Conflict himself. This trade worked out surprisingly well for MTC considering the conflict. Lodish was 3rd in DTs in sacks and QB hits despite missing the last 3 games, and has a $5m cap hit for the next 4 years, much lower than the $20m+ the other productive DTs have. He also had a +/- of 89% on the year, which is good for someone with a conflict.
Trade 6: MTC sends 2.23, KAL sends 7.21 and 2060 2nd (I believe 2.20)
Another good trade for both teams here. KAL used 2.23 on SS Marcus Knoll, who had a 86.6 PDPCT on 620 pass plays in his rookie year. MTC used 7.21 on LT Frank Burnett, who has a 55 OVR FV and showed promise in the 5 games he played in his rookie year. MTC also moving “up” 3 spots is good value, even tho it is a year out.
Trade 7: MTC sends WR Cody England, Ohio sends 2060 5th
This was a midseason trade that worked out well for both teams. Ohio nearly got 900 yards out of England in 12 games, and MTC got a 5th for a player in the final year of his contract during the season. England was struggling to get targets with MTC’s offensive line crumbling, and it was clear that he would not perform well unless he was on a team with good pass protection.
Draft
1.21: C Marquis Lindsay
Due to starter John Foreman getting injured, Lindsay played many games in his rookie year, despite not being quite ready to start. He went 13/37 KRB and 5 SA in 10 games, and his 81 OVR FV has many excited to finally have stability at Center in MTC.
5.27: OLB Edwin Blackwell
Blackwell is a quality backup taken in the 5th round, but will need more time to improve, 12 tackles and 72.7 PDPCT on 95 pass plays isn’t great, but for a late 5th pick he will be a good backup for years to come.
7.14: ILB Karl Kelley
Karl Kelley provided depth at ILB, but didn’t play enough snaps to really get a feel for what his potential is.
7.21: LT Frank Burnett
Burnett is an excellent 7th round pickup and is expected to compete for the starting role in his 2nd year. As a rookie he went 2/5 KRB with 3 SA in 5 games.
2059 Regular Season
The good
In a 5-10-1 season there is not much good, however there are a few bright spots. The best is NT Devonte Lodish, who made an impact all season until missing the last 3 games due to injury. WR Randall Weaver cashed in another 1200 yard season, and is on pace to be the best WR in MTC history. 2nd year TE Darryl Butler had great receiving numbers when he did get the ball, going 29/47 for 428 yards and 4tds. MTC coaches are hoping to get him a 50 catch season next year. The front 7 as a unit did well, with a 3rd best 3.69 opponent YPC average. Finally, MTC was the only team with less than 10 turnovers this season, and led the league in turnover +/-.
The bad
Let’s begin with the obvious. Thanks to C John Foreman going down for 8 weeks in the season opener, MTC had to play with 4 new starters on the offensive line. This caused problems that can be seen all over the stat sheet.
MTC had 10th worst KRBs, 5th most sacks, and 2nd worst OpPRPct in 2059. In 2058 those rankings were 4th most KRBs, 11th most sacks, and 11th worst OpPRPct. Because of the extreme falloff in KRBs, MTC had further to go on 3rd down this year (9.3 AvYTG, league worst, compared to 8.1 AvYTG n 2058), and converted far fewer of those 3rd downs as a result of the extra distance. MTC converted 26% of 3rd downs, which was worst in the league, and a big drop from the 36% conversion in 2058. MTC also had a 3.57 Avg rushing yards, where the same RBs had a 4.79 avg. the year prior. Most of the 1.2 YPC dropoff was because the offense could not get the KRBs.
The secondary also struggled greatly in the first half of the season, and didn’t wake up until it was far too late. In 2059 MTC had a 53.4 PDPct, compared to the 62.4 a year ago. MTC had the league worst PDPct through the first half of the 2059 season.
2nd year ILB Dakota Hutton did not fill Rusty Jamison’s shoes, with a 73.6 PDPCT, and 1 sack, 2 hurries, and 1 hit despite all that potential for a premier blitzing LB.
FB Earnest Idonije had 121 yards on 80 attempts resulting in a disgusting 1.5 YPC. How much the offensive line is to blame is undecided, but this is very concerning.
Finally, red zone production and kicking were extremely bad this year. RB Clay Fitzgerald had -1 red zone rushing yards on the year, and as a team MTC had 2nd worst points per visit. Out of 35 red zone trips MTC only had 16 touchdowns to show for it. Naturally this means that MTC had poor PPG this year, and they were with 4th worst in the league. K Andrew Fitzgerald had a league worst 63% FG converted, including an abysmal 45% FG 40+ yards. This was the final year of his contract and MTC will not pursue him this offseason. He ends his MTC career 3rd in FGs and 4th in points scored.
The Future
There are many, many questions for the future of this franchise. There are simply too many talented players for the results to be this bad. CB RJ Howard is considering retirement, there is no WR2 in the 113 because of Ricky Drake's low END, Devonte Lodish still has the extreme conflict, the offensive line desperately needs cohesion, and the lack of talent at safety is a big concern for an aggressive defense like this. Motor City will have cap space next year and no big names to sign, so hopefully this roster can be greatly improved in time for the 2060 season.
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