International Simulation Football League
*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - Printable Version

+- International Simulation Football League (https://forums.sim-football.com)
+-- Forum: Community (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Media (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Forum: Graded Articles (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: *Rough Position Guide for the ISFL (/showthread.php?tid=23692)



*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - CLG Rampage - 07-20-2020

Welcome, rookies! I know all of this is confusing, believe me, I’ve been there. However, I want to help you through this, and give you a rough guide on what positions need the most help and what positions you really ought to stay away from if you’re a first timer, graded from A+ to F. A+ being “Please god create here” and F being “stay far away”. These are not completely objective rankings, this is just what I think will make your experience more enjoyable. So, let’s just get right into things!

QUARTERBACK: F

No. Just don’t. I know it’s an appealing position in the NFL, but there are a few things to keep in mind. We don’t have injuries, first of all, so backup QBs don’t exist. You will need to be a supermax earner in order to keep up with the rest of the league, so if you aren’t willing to commit a ton of time, don’t even try. And third, QB fucking sucks stat wise. One game you’re slinging the football for 300 yards and 4 TDs, next game you seemingly only throw it to the other team. Take my advice, do not create as a QB. And if you do, be prepared to either position swap or get very little to no playing time until very late in your career.

RUNNINGBACK: D

A position that’s certainly easier to be effective in, but it’s pretty saturated with young talent at the moment. Even if you do get a starting spot, you WILL be sharing carries with someone else in the majors. That’s just the nature of the sim, RBBC is more effective than single back sets. Not a terrible choice, but I’d go elsewhere.

Wide Receiver: B-

If you wanna go offense, either this or TE are your best bet. Wide Receiver is another position that’s received a decent influx of talent over the past few seasons, but since there are quite a lot of spots to fill, there are still openings for rookies to slot in. You’ll have to earn well in order to take the WR1 spot on your team, but if you’re up for the challenge, WR is a solid spot.

Tight End: C

Only issue with TE compared to WR is that most teams will only use one tight end. Some teams will just put receivers at the TE position, though more and more teams are picking up dedicated TEs. Definitely a better shot at getting the #1 spot compared to running back.

Offensive Line: A+

If you want to have arguably the biggest impact on an offense, get drafted highly and be loved by your GMs unconditionally, be a good earning offensive lineman. Seriously. After several posts by forum member iStegosauruz outlining the difference between human O-Linemen and bot offensive lineman, they have become more and more valuable. And considering there aren’t that many O-Lineman in the league, you’ll have plenty of spots to slot into.

D-Line: A+

I’m lumping in DT and DE here mostly for the sake of being concise, as both are in constant demand. The last couple of drafts almost universally saw a defensive lineman going top 3, so I hope that illustrates how important the trenches are. Good earning defensive lineman are rare, since they aren’t stat sheet stuffers like LBs and Safeties, who I’ll get to later. But again, if you want to be drafted high, be a good earning lineman, on either side of the ball.

Linebacker: B+

One of the most important pieces on the field in the ISFL. This position is slightly more filled up compared to D-Line, because like I said, linebackers generally get more stats. This is probably the ‘worst’ defensive position to create as besides maybe safety, but there are a good amount of spots on each roster for LBs, so you’ll still get a spot somewhere, for sure.

Cornerback: A

Cornerback is a strange position in the ISFL. The better you are, generally the worse your stats will be because opposing QBs really do not want to test you in coverage. That said, good corners are almost always needed, especially because a lot of the current corners in the ISFL are getting up there in age and will need replacements. You’ll need to earn well to get the CB1 spot, just like WR, but the league always needs new corners.

Safety: B

Again, lumping FS and SS here. Safety is definitely not a bad choice, but the biggest issue is that most teams will only need 2. Sometimes they’ll move an extra safety to nickel corner, but outside of that, teams only have two slots open. Nickel defense, which is what the vast majority of the ISFL uses, only has two safety slots. So it’s not a bad choice at all, but you might have to fight for your spot.

Kicker/Punter: F

Also no. Each team only needs one kicker, every team I’m aware of carries a single kicker. If you pick kicker, you will be asked to position switch, and if you aren’t willing to, it’s likely you won’t get playing time in the ISFL until later into your career. Do not recommend.

So that’s my very rough guide to positions in the ISFL, and what I think most teams will need! If you have any questions, or if anyone else wishes to chime in and give suggestions, I always appreciate it.


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - retrospace111 - 07-20-2020

warning to rookies: defensive backs may not get that great stats, which can be extremely frustrating. It's one of the more random aspects of the league, but some players don't get that many ints at all, which can be frustrating for a new player. I know it was for me.


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - gucci - 07-20-2020

(07-20-2020, 12:35 PM)retrospace111 Wrote:warning to rookies: defensive backs may not get that great stats, which can be extremely frustrating. It's one of the more random aspects of the league, but some players don't get that many ints at all, which can be frustrating for a new player. I know it was for me.

But you've literally always had great stats lol


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - CLG Rampage - 07-20-2020

(07-20-2020, 01:11 PM)gucci Wrote:But you've literally always had great stats lol

Exception, not the rule


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - The_Kidd - 07-20-2020

Let's say I'm brand new, but I understand how the league works and I wanted to be a QB or K for whatever reason ---- if I check the TPE tracker to look for teams with declining/regressed players, how low should the TPE for me to consider to build?

How much TPE would I need before I become an effective starter in the ISFL? How long would that take at a max earning pace(not supermax pace)?

For example, Austin and Orange County currently don't have rights to any DSFL QB's. Let's assume it stays that way going into next season. If I created as QB in season 25, I will have to stay 3 seasons(3 months) and earn at least ~535 TPE if I want to be ready for year 4(1st ISFL season).

Even if I continue to earn around 175 TPE per season, I'll likely be overwhelmed that first season(year 4), but by ISFL season 2(year 5), at the same pace, I should be close to 900 TPE and ready to make a serious impact.

Now if I look at the TPE tracker, three active QB's are in S14(9 seasons), one in S15(8 seasons), two in S16(7 seasons), one in S17(6 seasons) --- note one other S15 QB retired prior to this season. Regression kicks in after season 7, so most QB's cannot last past two regression cycles unless they are SUPERMAX earning, otherwise they become a liability.

If I wanted to time creation perfectly and max playing time, I want to find QB's that are in year 7. While they are at their peak for year 7, I'll concurrently be building in the DSFL. In my final DSFL year, they'll have undergone their second regression(my 3rd year should be their 9th year). That way in year 4, I'll have my 530-550 QB ready to start and then with the off-season/pre-season work, be close to 600 TPE and start that rough transition year.

So, Orange County's QB is S15 so they will be drafting a QB in this draft. Austin's is S16 and a max earner, so QB's that built this season will also fall just about perfectly into their timeline.

So, if you want to play right away, dont randomly build a QB. You need to be most attentive to detail before building QB. Make your rookie year coincide with year 7 of a veteran QB, e.g. in S25, the QB's in S18 will be next up for their first regression cycle at the end of that season ---- as of right now, there is only one S18 QB(one in S19, none in S20)




TL;DR
- You want a 7 season gap between your QB and your predecessor
- You need to max earn to make the most of your ISFL career from season 5-8 before regression
- You also need to check to see if the team already has a successor waiting. At the moment, Arizona and Philadelphia have developing successors. We have five S24 QB's and currently 4 ISFL teams without a successor.

So, the two routes for a solid QB career(at the current moment) are:

- wait for S27 or S28 to start building for Baltimore, Chicago, or San Jose
- take a gamble and build this season and be a backup plan in the event a S24 QB does not pan out and leaves an ISFL team(Austin, Orange County, Colorado, Sarasota) without a new QB ready to takeover


It's important you TALK/COMMUNICATE with the veterans and GM's before deciding on QB, as most QB careers will last 8-9 months, and require a full 3 months in the DSFL --- therefore timing of the build is the most important factor aside from dedication


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - Opera_Phantom - 07-20-2020

That's a good post Kidd, but you're forgetting one thing.

When i created my QB i instantly looked for the team that might need one and that need would align with my player. The Sabercats fit that perfectly.

And then they just switched Nicky from TE to QB.

It's really complicated to predict when teams will draft a QB because they can just simply decide not to do it when it would be wise and just have someone change positions.


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - Bigred1580 - 07-20-2020

Kidd, similar to what OP said, QBs are also the most valuable player on a team. It is hard for GMs to do what Arizona is and trust their future to a newbie, even if they seem great. People have been burned before. But if you have your heart set on it, go for it, by the time you are good, someone will take you. it just may take awhile



*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - retrospace111 - 07-21-2020

(07-20-2020, 01:11 PM)gucci Wrote:But you've literally always had great stats lol

there was a stretch of two games where i didnt get an int and it was very frustrating


*Rough Position Guide for the ISFL - manicmav36 - 07-21-2020

(07-20-2020, 12:35 PM)retrospace111 Wrote:warning to rookies: defensive backs may not get that great stats, which can be extremely frustrating. It's one of the more random aspects of the league, but some players don't get that many ints at all, which can be frustrating for a new player. I know it was for me.

Outside of QB, they also have, arguably, the biggest impact of any position on win percentage though.