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+---- Thread: *GM for a Day - Yellowknife Wraiths (/showthread.php?tid=40718)
*GM for a Day - Yellowknife Wraiths - mithrandir - 08-09-2022
Well, I was planning on writing a GM for a Day media article about my own team, but Juosu did such a fantastic job on hers that I decide not to also write about the New Orleans Second Line. Next, I thought I'd just start with the first team alphabetically, but I did not want to write about the Arizona Outlaws, since they are our stinky ASFC rivals. So I am starting at the end of the alphabet, and writing about the last team on the budget sheet. They are not my "favorite team" like the media bonus prompt said (doot doot!) but I have always admired the team and I love their color scheme and branding. In this article, I will investigate their current roster and suggest what I would do if I was GM of the Yellowknife Wraiths for a day. I will give suggestions for trading, free agent pickups, and draft picks in the S37 draft. Though I have access to some of Yellowknife's actual picks as a war room member, I have not and will not look at who the Wraiths picked in this draft, nor do I remember any of their actual picks. Please do not fine me for leaks, Head Office!
Offense
Quarterback
Currently rostered:
Dustin Parmelee - S30 - 1334 TPE
Parmelee has been an adequate quarterback for the Wraiths. He's been their starter through a bit of a rebuild, and the Wraiths have gone from the bottom of the conference to the middle through his career, gradually getting better each season, and finishing with a winning record and a playoff spot this season. They will look to continue that upward trajectory before Parmelee gets hit too hard by regression. Conventional wisdom says that quarterbacks should be drafted about every seven seasons or so, meaning this S37 class likely contains Yellowknife's quarterback of the future. Luckily for the team, this quarterback class is actually a pretty strong one, with six who are all earning very well. It seems likely they will go with Preston Beatz, as user Darkness Rising spent the entirety of his first player's career with the Wraiths.
Suggestions:
Draft an S37 QB
Running Back
Currently Rostered:
Adebayo Akinfenwa - S35 - 612 TPE
Kumquat Archipelago - S35 - 565 TPE
The Wraiths backfield has a classic Lightning and Thunder duo. Archipelago is the archetypal scat back. His small size, speed, hands, and agility make him an excellent option as a receiving back and for outside runs. Akinfenwa is more of a fullback, blocking for Archipelago, and sometimes taking carries up the middle himself. He only had 21 carries last season, but with the departure of Bradley Welch in retirement, Akinfenwa may see an uptick in carries. Perhaps the Wraiths look to acquire another back to take some of the load from Archipelago, or maybe we see Kumquat featured as a bell cow this season.
Suggestions:
Stick with what you have.
Wide Receiver
Currently Rostered:
Bernd D. Brot - S32 - 1084 TPE
Troy Abed - S28 - 769 TPE before third regression
Calvin Spiff - S35 - 465 TPE
Maximilian Hamilton - S35 - 331 TPE
This receiving core is at an interesting spot. They have a true number one in Brot who will be among the TPE leaders at the position this year. After that, they have a sharply regression Abed and two young guns in Spiff and Hamilton, who will likely not be great this season. However, they are set up incredibly well for the future. For those of you keeping track at home, Yellowknife has two running backs and two wide receivers from S35 draft class (nice drafting, GMs), which should help make the transition from Brot to a rookie QB in a few seasons a smooth one. Brot can probably play four or five more seasons and Spiff and Hamilton will be around a long time. They are in great shape going forward.
Suggestions:
Stick with what you have.
Tight End
Currently Rostered:
Reece Wells III - S36 - 399 TPE
Sent Down:
Richard Harden - S36 - 235 TPE
Wells and Harden are two more young offensive pieces for the Wraiths. Wells will be a starter this season, but at his TPE level likely will not get a ton of targets. Harden is a send down but I do not necessarily see a place on this roster for Harden going forward. Perhaps they ask him to switch positions or to move to a blocking archetype to avoid redundance with Wells III.
Suggestions: Find new role or position for Harden.
Offensive Line
Currently Rostered:
JT Kurbis - S36 - 459 TPE
One final offensive piece demonstrates that the Wraiths are going all in on having an offense that is peaking at just the right time to help their next quarterback succeed immediately. Kurbis is earning very well and looks to have a bright future ahead. With the cap lowering, offensive linemen will be more in demand, but Yellowknife should really try to grab a second OL to help manage cap space before the S35/36 crew all need big contract extensions. Assuming the Wraiths go for a first round QB, perhaps a guy like Brandon Mason could be around for their second round pick.
Suggestions: Draft another OL or two in the next three drafts.
Defense
Defensive Line
Currently Rostered:
DT - Absolute Unit - S36 - 234 TPE
DE - Daron Arnold - S33 - 992 TPE
DE - Leonard Taylor - S26 - 652 TPE before heavy regression
Yellowknife runs a 3-4 defense so they only roster 3 defensive linemen. Unit (user Arkz, one of the GMs) hasn't updated in two months but is sitting on quite a bit of TPE. They will be fine at nose tackle. Arnold and Taylor are a great duo. Arnold is one of the future stars at the position, and Taylor is one of the best DEs in league history. Unfortunately, the peak of Taylor's career is behind him and I would imagine next season will be his last. They will need to find a replacement for him as soon as possible.
Suggestions: Draft a DE in S37 draft. If they can't they need to trade for someone or find another way to plug that spot (Harden position switch?)
Linebackers
Currently Rostered:
Zephyr "Tater" GreyWolf - S32 - 1059 TPE
Kahn Cussion - S33 - 978 TPE
Jack McPherson - S35 - 480 TPE
Teddy Murphy - S29 - 393 TPE before regression
Yellowknife will be looking for creative packages to keep Murphy off the field this season. He is a liability on this defense and as an inactive in regression, this is probably Murphy's last season. GreyWolf and Cussion are a fantastic high TPE duo who will lead the group, and McPherson is a solid if not spectacular third guy to throw in the rotation. However, between Taylor and Murphy, the Wraiths desperately need front seven help in this draft.
Suggestions: Draft a LB in S37.
Defensive Backs
Currently Rostered:
CB - Kalam Mekhar - S32 - 1096 TPE
CB - Simon the Frog - S34 - 684 TPE
CB - Dragazor Blaze - S32 - 469 TPE
S - Jay Spears - S31 - 942 TPE
S - Sam Sung - S34 - 469 TPE
There seems to be a pattern here. Whereas the S35 and S36 drafts focused heavily on offense, the Wraiths spent four seasons from S31 to S34 building up this defense. They have some great defensive pieces overall, but this secondary is somewhat weak. Blaze, Spears, and Sung are not earning TPE particularly well. They have at least two pieces in Spears and Blaze that will need to be replaced somewhat soon, though none are immediate priorities.
Suggestions: Draft two defensive backs in either S38 or S39 drafts.
Kicker
Current Roster:
Double Doink - S33 - 704 TPE
With one of the best earning kickers in the league, the Wraiths are set on special teams for several more seasons.
Overall view of the team:
For a team that made the playoffs last season and have a 1300 TPE quarterback (pre-regression), I think the Wraiths are not in a great position to compete next season. Their defense is a couple seasons away, and almost their entire offense outside of Parmelee and Brot is pretty young with low TPE. The Wraiths are in great shape for the future, especially on offense, and if they get the quarterback pick correct in the first round of this year's draft, they have a lot of potential going forward. If I was their GM, I would draft a QB in the first round, take a linebacker in the second round, and then take a flier on either a defensive or offensive lineman in the third. None of the free agents available still can really help the team, but perhaps they could make some trades that look towards the future. They are not in a position to trade for veteran players, in my opinion, as they should not be focusing on competing this season. They should look to reload on defense over the next three drafts or so, making sure to draft at least one linebacker, one defensive lineman, a safety, and a cornerback. The CB is probably the lowest priority, since Frog and Mekhar can start for a while, and CB3 is not incredibly important. They have to find a way to add depth to the front seven soon, but should focus on young players who will be around during the team's potential championship window in the S40-S42 range.
Strats and depth charts as GM:
Offensive strats might be tricky for this team in S37. Last season, Yellowknife were one of the more run-heavy teams, passing the ball only 53% of the time. Bradley Welch's retirement leaves 154 carries from last season available to others. If you gave all those carries to Archipelago, that puts him near 390 carries, in Jay Cue Jr. volume territory. Given that Archipelago is under 600 TPE and Akinfenwa as a fullback is not equipped to take on a heavy workload, I expect Yellowknife to pass the ball more this season. If I was GM, I would give another 50 carries or so to Archipelago and let Parmelee throw the ball 100 more times or so. That would put them pretty close to league average in terms of passing rates. Where do those extra targets go? Well, Brot is more of a deep threat guy but I expect he will get even more heavily targeted with Abed regression, Walker retired, and Spiff and Hamilton still young. Spiff, Hamilton, and Abed are all slot guys, so we may see more of a focus on a short yardage passing game with regular deep shots to Brot mixed in. Archipelago also could get more usage in the passing game. As a receiving back he had fewer than 40 receptions last season but look for that number to go up this season. I expect a strong dose of RB and FB on the field at the same time and a focus on smashmouth and short yardage routes on offense. On defense, I would run a 3-4 base scheme, but look to be in 3-3-5 as often as possible to keep Teddy Murphy off the field. In fact, I would honestly try Dragazor Blaze at LB in 3-4. His Physical Corner archetype might allow him to hold up there better than Murphy.
RE: GM for a Day - Yellowknife Wraiths - negs - 08-09-2022
do one for philly!
RE: GM for a Day - Yellowknife Wraiths - DarknessRising - 08-10-2022
@mithrandir brb firing you for leeks
(For legal reasons this is completely a joke)
RE: GM for a Day - Yellowknife Wraiths - Cody - 08-10-2022
(08-09-2022, 11:42 PM)negs Wrote: do one for philly!
Step 1 - Fire Negs!