My thoughts.
A. It's unfortunate that owners abandon teams after only 1 season, but nothing is ever going to get rid of that issue. Make the cap / roster / draft pick situation KNOWN to potential owners BEFORE they take over the team. Maybe at least they will know what they are getting into before taking a team. It would be better to have some teams managed by the AI than to be abandoned.
B. Trading good players for good draft picks (or vice versa) is a legitimate strategy. Just because some teams are more successful at it than others doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed.
Personally, I have never had much success trying to trade any of my players for a first round pick. I am usually the one giving up the first round picks in order to get a good player.
I think it is actually a better (smarter) strategy to give up your picks in order to get good players, because you never know what you're going to get in the draft. There is just TOO much random luck involved in whether your picks will be any good or not. I would much rather see someone trade away a first round pick for an impact player than to see them tank just so they have a
chance at drafting someone who will develop into a similar type player years in the future.
C. Trading an expensive proven vet for a cheap promising young player in order to save cap room is also a legitimate strategy.
D. Every owner does not value draft picks the same. Some people will look at a trade and say "I can't believe he gave up a 1st for an 80 rated player", while someone else looks at the same trade and says "I can't believe he got an 80 rated player for a 1st".
For the most part, the small chance you have of getting a good player in the draft is not worth passing on a player you could get in a trade.
It is now pretty much automatic that I will immediately "void contract" for anyone I draft in the 5th round or later, and sometimes the 4th also.
Even if you get extremely lucky, it will be many years before anyone is worth playing as more than a roster-filling backup. Not realistic, and not worth the time or investment for such a random "dice roll".
E. This is NOT the NFL.
F. I don't think using your MFN experience / knowledge to develop a strategy is manipulating the game.
If JDB didn't want certain aspects of the game to be the way they are, he would change them. EX: If he wanted people to value 5th, 6th and 7th round picks, there would be good players available there, etc.
Last edited at 9/01/2015 11:40 am