The 10YF Bills confirmed this morning the signature of Paul Posluszny for the season less than 2 hours after he got released by the Jaguars. A 11 years veteran with above 1,000 career tackles, Posluszny returns to the team which drafted him 34th overall in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL draft.

"We are blessed to welcome back Paul here in Buffalo. Paul will create a lot of value for us, he has a tremendous leadership and is still one of the best coverage LB in the game. We are very excited for the opportunity to add Paul to our football team" commented CoachMac.

Like any 10YF team the Bills are waiting... The next few hours will reveal the outcome of the first free agency settlement window and... the Combine results which will have a huge impact on all the draft boards around the league. An opportunity to go through the


Youth required in Buffalo

Most of the Bills stars are at the sunset of their career. It is a special draft for tghe Bills, the team holds 6 picks in the top 81 selections

It is ovbviously a huge pressure, like most teams we would love to go by talent but that roster has huge needs which will barely be addressed in the Free Agency.

Richie Incognito retirement just made the situation even worse creating a big gap in the interior of the line, Incognito was arguably the best player on offense in 2017 allowing a single sack in 698 snaps. He fought with a back soreness for most of the season and missed 6 games.

"We will need more than one draft and off season to get all that mess sorted, but we definitely expect to have a step in the right direction in the coming few days" commented an assistant.

 

Genius or idiots ?

Quietly having Bills at the bottom of the league in scoring is a disappointment even with an average cast. The Mike McCoy inspired offense never clicked. 
"We implemented a system which has never been used anywhere else. I mean how many time did you see a team selecting Chargers offense as system ? Never, when you are the only one doing something you are either a genius or an idiot... looking at the number of points scored by the offense we getr a solid idea of what we are..." commented Richie Incognito after his retirement...

Multiple auditions have been conducted. Rumors announce that Bills interviewed Patriots assistant offense and QB coach Gery Schupinska while other sources announce the possibility to see Steve Marruki to leave broadcast and return to coaching. 

"We should go to something quite different to what we use to play. We want to use concepts and play types we pretty much ignoired in the past. We used to dominate downfield and we had an reading the coverage. But in nowadays 10YF the defenses have the edge and Bills need to adjust to such a reality".



Regardless of the system it will all come down to the QB

Entering a contract year Tyrod Taylor started all 16 games in 2017 and finished with 3,011 yards 17 TD and 19 INT completing 56% of his attempts. Sacks allowed (62) have been the main issue. Even if it has been acknowledged as a league issue, the new system need to favor Tyrod mobility and help him getting more time in the pocket. 

Looking at the deal between Rams and Dolphins which sent Tannehil to LA, some advisors suggested that Bills could test the market for QB Peterman. 

Peterman has starting caliber arm strength and good mobility, but his main weapon is his release. His release is actually much more natural and faster than Tyrod Taylor one.

"Nathan needs to work his accuracy but man his release is so quick. I think he can play in this league"... could it be in Buffalo ?

Tyrod Taylor throwing motion has been a concern all season long. "When we played Chiefs despite the win he was close to be benched. Chiefs played heavy blitzes and Tyrod was not releasing the ball quickly enough. He got sacked 10 times... 10 times. are you kidding me ? Peterman would have done better but Mac remained committed to his QB to avoid a QB controversy while the team was on a winning streak" commented a non official team source.

At this stage the most probable option is to consider that it is Tyron job to loose while the team develop Peterman and Cardale Jones. 
But.... Bills own the 10th pick in the next draft. All scenario assume that both Hayden Parsons and Taylor St Clair would be gone by then, but what if... 

At this stage nothing can be ruled out and all options are on the table.
 

Go Bills 

The Jaguars are a corner stone in term of offense. After a struggling 2017 exercise the offense is looking to rebound.

Personnel wise, the jaguars parted way with TE Julius Thomas who was declining in the off season but failed to add a reliable replacement. Tight ends are a key part of modern offenses to take advantage of matchups against LB or safeties with near-receiver-like speed, coupled with the imposing physical size and strength of a traditional tight end.

However, the pick of former Florida standout Antonio Gallaway open the door to additional opportunities on offense. With Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Antonion Galaway, Jehu Chesson and J.J. Nelson in the roster Jaguars have enough ammunition in terms of profiles and talent to create problems to any defense.

There is a temptation for us to run more often spread 4WR sets and incorporate some run and shoot concepts in our playbook.

Second year player Jehu Chesson looks too good to seat on the bench while the mix of size and speed between the different players create plenty of opportunities for Jaguars.

Are the jaguars afraid of increasing pressure on the OL ? A spread set by definition creates pressure on the OL. However, a tailback can still drop in protection. So at least in term of numbers you can still protect with 6 guys, not much different than a 11 personnel with a TE running a route.

"How many DC have headache planning for Marcus Baugh or Neal Sterling at TE ? Not many I am affraid, so we do not do our job properly if we do not create issues for the opposition. Now take that same DC and ask him to defend Hurns, Allen, Galawway and Chesson. it may prove to be tougher" commented OC Michael Marlukey.

In a quite slow market, understandable  before a sim season, the Jaguars confirmed the signature of former Cleveland Browns LB Christian Kirksey for 4 years .

Kirksey, 26, was a browns 3rd round selection in the 2014 draft from Iowa. He started 9 games in 2017 before being sidelined with a torn pectoral. He collected 63 tackles, 7 TFL, 2.5 sacks and 2 interceptions.

identified first as a coverage LB he is expected to improve a LB group in Jacksonville which got badly hurt during 2017 campaign. 

"We are very excited to add Christian to our front 7. he is a very smart football player, he is an athlete and his coverage skills are among the best in the league. So we are very excited to add Christian to the team" commented GM Coach Mac in the introduction press conference.

The 2017 season is a souvenir, Jaguars have now to figure out how to bounce back from a 7-9 season and found a way to be back in the playoffs.

"It is the most exciting time of the year. We scout the rookies look for our priorities. There are need position and positions where we want to be better. We figure out the cap situation and free agency. 10YF is very competitive league and within 10YF AFC South will be a wild place next season. It is exciting" commented GM and HC CoachMac .

 

In the very first step, Jaguars confirmed the 76ovr player this year. T Andrew McDonald was initially the intended 76ovr guy this season. But surprisingly Marqise Lee did not resign with Jacksonville and is as well eligible to meet the league 76ovr rules.

"Marqise has been a tremendous slot for us, however he struggled when he was pushed to the starting lineup following Allen Robinson injury" declared a staff member. The Jaguars finally decided to let him go and test the open market.

The Jaguars parted way with two other starters. Former Broncos TE Julius Thomas and former Packers CB Davon House were both released prior to march 1st bonus deadline. Julius Thomas has been inconsistent since joining North Florida and did not match his contract while Davon House whose numbers regressed in 2017 was suspected of not being worth a 5M cap hit for 2018.

 

No provocation nor controversy, in any Madden league that is the question when you are out of playoff contention: should we hope for better picks and do not really "play" the remaining games ?

You often see teams going on CPU control at that time or even people not really chasing their opponent to play or schedule games ending up with more sims. No finger pointed to anyone the issue has been true for all leagues in Madden online history. 

In NFL there is no question: NFL teams play to win until the last second of the last play. There is no place for loosers in Pro Football; history is famous of meanning less games where team fight for their coach or for themselves. Players on the field or coaches on the bench do not care of future draft picks because they may not even be in the same team when these picks will get used. Final game of Dave McGinis as Cardinals HC was for me a lesson on that matter when the 3-12 Cards won ag Randy Moss and Donte Culpepper Vikings in the final minute of the final game of the season to kick Minnesotta out of the playoffs.

For a lot of reasons the 10YF Jaguars have had a disapointing second season.  Jacksonville stands 6-8 with two games left against Patriots (5-9) and Bengals CPU (7-8).

"I think nowadays the strategy does not make anymore sense. Regressions is brutal, XP too valuable; not only for players but for HC as well in order to get perks helping making the team better. But more than all of this, this team does not want to give up. We have fun playing, and when we play we try to do it as well as we can." commented a staff member.

Jaguars confirmed that offensive coordinator Greg Olsen in his job for next season. "It took us a while to get in the new scheme, we feel much better than we were earlier this year. If this year help us defining the offense we want to be; confirm the defense we want to be and fix our kicking issues, then regardless of the record, this year will not be a waste for us" commented HC Coach Mac. Even with 8 players in injured reserve and almost no playoff hope the Jaguars will play until the final play of the final game. That was the lesson from the real Coach Mac.

 

It is settled. Football is a quarterback game so is Madden. The Jaguars have extended the contract of QB Blake Bortles for 4 years deal worth a bit more than $66M.

 

Despite a down season Bortles is seen obviously as a franchise player in Jacksonville and the 10YF Jaguars are committed to keep Blake Bortles as their QB.

Around 10YF league at QB keeping in mind that next season will be a CPU season so next user season is +2:

• 10YF teams (100%) sure to get a new starting caliber QB before the next user season (11): Giants, Cowboys, Jets, Ravens, Saints, Steelers, Chiefs, Bears, cards, Chargers, Packers

• 10YF teams almost (95%) sure to look for a new QB before the next user season (5): Falcons, Patriots, Texans, Dolphins, 49ers

• 10YF teams likely (80%) to get a viable starter potential QB in the roster before the next user season (4): Bengals, Skins, Lions, Bills

 

"There will no player better than Blake in the FA. So not giving an extension to Blake Bortles would mean to draft a QB early because you want a starter. It is supposed to be a good year for QB (all our scouts say so). But look at the league QB situation. We do not believe in that.

Around 20 out of 32 teams will be looking for a starting QB in the next two draft. you better have deeply talented draft pool to get it done... So giving Bortles extra money eventually overpaying him is is what is best for our team. These teams drafting QBs early will give us extra opportunities in top 2 rounds  to get a good players at another positions".

 

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars confirmed today the extension of C Brandon Linder contract for 4 years. Linder, a former 3rd round selection from the Jaguars in 2013 from Miami University, is the third player to sign an extension this season after WR Allen Robinsonand LB Telvin Smith.

The Jaguars are still negotiating with WR Maquise Lee and more important with former 2014 NFL draft 3rd overall selection QB Blake Bortles.

 
Some rumors announced that the Jaguars were a bit reluctant to extend Bortles considering the amount of money required, 14m/year minimum, and the fact that the upcoming 10YF draft seems deep in term of talent at QB.

Other rumors suggested that current season performance, following a pro bowl season, left some doubts in North Florida before committing such a big amount of money.

 

  
Pressed to comment whether or not the Jaguars are looking to extend Blake Bortles before the end of the season Coach Mac in his weekly press conference got a bit upset.  
 
"These rumors are garbage. The draft is deep in talent ? so what ? There are 10 to 12 teams in this league which will be chasing a starting QB during the next off season. We will resign Blake.  He will be a Jaguars next season even if we have to use the franchise tag for him.
Do not blame our QB for the record or the lack of success this season, it is all on the coaching staff. he is progressing in the new scheme, he was much better on the past couple of games he will our QB for a very long time".
 
Marqise Lee case seems more questionable. The former 2nd round selection has been a valuable slot but the staff seems happy with the development of former Michigan rookie WR Jehu Chesson. "We like Chesson he has done an outstanding job so far, but in today NFL a slot WR is a starter. I am sure we can come to an agreement with Marquise. under the league policy you are usually always able to fin a way to get any valuable player out of the open market".

 

The Cleveland Browns are in the storm. The team is 3-5 and posted a negative record in the AFC North which has never been the trade mark of any team directed by owner and GM Coach Mac. The defense play decent but the offense is ranked 31st in points and create 4 turnover / games with costly penalties.

The team was undefeated last year with a 7-0 start until the forced breack from the GM so the expectations for this season were quite high.

Having the team playing so bad is not acceptable in Cleveland. Despite some injuries and the fact that Browns failed to land a franchise QB on the past two off seasons. There are talents on the offensive side of the ball even with a questionable offensive line which struggle to protect the QB and is penalty prone.

The GM pushed the trigger by firing offensive coordinator this week. It is now obvious that coach Chudzinsky is on a hot seat. The offense is under review and Chudzinsky will directly act as his own OC. Rumors indicate that GM/Owner Coach mac has been much more involved in the team day to day management and game planning especially on offense.

"We need to look at what is efficient in this game and go back to basis" a team official says. The next ew weeks will indicate whether the Browns can bounce back from the bottom.

Game summary

Rob Chudzinski post game press conference