Hey someone requested it and I'm just looking at it now and giving my opinion on the teams that are in the eastern conference:
Fulton County Massacre: They look like a team that really wants to compete and on paper should do well but taking a closer look their depth issues and being a few levels lower than the rest of the field will hinder them. They ended up going 8-8 last season in the A4 and that's nothing to sneeze at but it looks like they either blew a team out or lost. They couldn't win the close games and a few times got beat down by the higher level teams. Not sure about their levels this year but just judging from the look of the team again it looks like another 8-8 season is in order, but that's not a slight against the Massacre just a testament to how tough I think the East will be this year. In a year or two if they keep recruiting well and get some more depth they could be real powerhouses.
Tupelo Kings: Slightly better depth IMO than the Massacre but they still have issues at several positions but they have slightly better overall levels than the Massacre as well. Going 12-4 last season was a good but making an early exit to the Bandits had to of hurt a little but it was obviously they had made great strides by holding the Bandits to less points and still making it a game. This year I think they might have finish 10-6 if they can fix their depth issues at certain spots and and gain a few levels at a few others without really hurting their depth issues. Not a walk in the park but not exactly what I would consider one of the top tier teams in the East either.
Dayton Devil Dogs: You would think looking at their scouting bars there is a lot less to worry about but there are some depth issues with them as well but overall if they don't have to get to the back-ups they're going to be a tough team to beat. I think they'll going to be living and dying by their defense though and I don't think that is a bad way to go looking at it as it's going to be one of the top units in the East this season. Not sure if they have plans to address some areas of need and waiting to surprise people or not but I still think they'll be one of the better teams either way just making the bottom of the top tier.
Reno Knights: Some depth issues but not nearly as many as the above teams but yet a lower overall level team. They should be competitive this season and will likely be needing their defense to step up but I'm not sure how well that will happen considering the number of inactives I see on their roster. Might just be a temporary thing or a permanent thing but it could cause some problems in the end. Either way I think they'll have a good season this year just not at the same level of success as last year with some tougher competition.
Lake Superior Squall: Gutted team but have a few nice players on it. Won't be doing much this year but in a few seasons could be a force if the owner keeps with it.
Key Biscayne Corsairs: Best depth so far but a vastly lower level team than most of the top tier teams that should be looking for 8-8 to be a good season that might or might not come as it looks like they have a few tough draws against the West as well. Look to be about a 6-10 team due to the tougher schedule. Not a bad team but much like my own Buckeyes two seasons ago, just needed to get those few players to keep with it and work to build a true contended.
Murfreesboro Taints: A few very good higher level players and then some depth issues including CPU players on their team. I think they'll be able to make a few teams work harder than they would like but unless they address a lot of their issues they'll have some problems. Don't have to worry about relegation due to the Squalls but it won't help recruiting either.
Syracuse Samurai: A team my Buckeyes know very well. These guys came on strong at the end of last season with some midseason acquisitions as well as better use of the AI and ended up taking my team to the final minutes of the game to decide the winner. A team with very few weaknesses and good depth on both sides of the ball they'll be one of the top contenders for not only the East but also the Title this year.
Cleveland Buckeyes: My Buckeyes of course I hold in very high regard but also know there are areas of concern. Great depth throughout with a few holes still needing to be fixed and two of the best GMs in GLB in JoSCh and skippjlo running things with me just signing the paychecks. We'll be one of the teams to beat along with the Samurai, Lycans, Randsom, and Tarheels in the East and should be another great season as we look to extend our 20 game winning streak.
Beaver City Crabs: A few very good players but too many CPU players sprinkled in trying to add depth to the team to make them really competitive. They should be shooting for an 8-8 season this year and that would be considered a victory IMO as the overall competitiveness of this conference will be tough to overcome with their current roster. With some more free agent signings and the finishing of their stadium they should be prime to be able to get the top players to compete next season.
British Columbia Beasters: Their chemistry is through the floor right now and starting off with the Amish will give them an immediate kill to their morale as well. Overall though they look like a team that would be more comfortable in the BBB this season and let them work on their levels rather than trying to compete with teams 6-10 levels on average higher than them. They'll likely put together some wins and push some a good portion of their opponents to game plan but they likely won't be more than some flies to the top teams.
Texas Tarheels: One of my preseason favorites this year. Depth Issues at only one or two positions that I could see but overall a very high level and tough team to compete with. They'll definitely be a team looking to improve on their 12-4 record and first round exit from the playoffs. I could see a minimum 12-4 record for them again this season and depending on their match-ups all the way a title run. But the same could be said about all my top 5 teams.
Appalachian Lycans: A top dog from Da 7 these guys have been a top team for as long as I remember. They have an average level of around 40 for their starters and are never a walk in the park for any team to game plan against. They have a few more issues than I remember from last year but I'm sure they'll be taking care of those in quick fashion. They'll be looking to finally get the Gold this season and earning a promotion rather than getting it handed to them which they are still a little sore about. Still these guys are the real deal and should be one of the top 5 teams and a definite title contender.
The River City Ransom: Another team from Da 7 that will be looking to take home the gold this year. I see they've been active in Free Agency increasing their overall team and have a few very good high level players to give opposing teams headaches. Fore the most part great depth though a little heavy on the LBers don't you say even if you do run a 3-4. Should be a tough team to contend with each week and will be playoff bound this season as well.
Florida BeachDogZ: A team that looks like they have better builds for their levels than most teams but depth and still the difference in levels will have an effect with the new Veteran Abilities and in the end I see them just missing the playoffs looking for an 8-8 or 9-6 record.
Rochester Dragons: Another team with good overall level, looks to be about 35 on average without doing the math, and fairly good depth but I don't think they'll do more than make the top teams gameplan for them. I think them and the BeachDogZ will be pushing the Demon Dogs for the final playoff spot if the Demon Dogs can't fix their depth issues in time. Overall looks to be a team poised to make a title hunt in a season or two but this year just trying to see where they are with the AI and build off that.
Tier 1 (Guaranteed Playoff Spots):
Cleveland Buckeyes
Appalachian Lycans
Syracuse Samurai
River City Ransom
Texas Tarheels
Tier 2 (Fighting for spot #6/Some issues):
Dayton Demon Dogs
Rochester Dragons
Florida BeachDogZ
Reno Knights
Tupelo Kings
Tier 3 (You're getting there but just not this year):
British Columbia Beasters
Beaver City Crabs
Murfreesboro Taints
Key Biscayne Corsairs
Fulton County Massacre
Tier 4 (You're gutted and are rebuilding):
Lake Superior Squall
Well I hope you guys liked my little preview and let me know if you agree/disagree.
Fulton County Massacre: They look like a team that really wants to compete and on paper should do well but taking a closer look their depth issues and being a few levels lower than the rest of the field will hinder them. They ended up going 8-8 last season in the A4 and that's nothing to sneeze at but it looks like they either blew a team out or lost. They couldn't win the close games and a few times got beat down by the higher level teams. Not sure about their levels this year but just judging from the look of the team again it looks like another 8-8 season is in order, but that's not a slight against the Massacre just a testament to how tough I think the East will be this year. In a year or two if they keep recruiting well and get some more depth they could be real powerhouses.
Tupelo Kings: Slightly better depth IMO than the Massacre but they still have issues at several positions but they have slightly better overall levels than the Massacre as well. Going 12-4 last season was a good but making an early exit to the Bandits had to of hurt a little but it was obviously they had made great strides by holding the Bandits to less points and still making it a game. This year I think they might have finish 10-6 if they can fix their depth issues at certain spots and and gain a few levels at a few others without really hurting their depth issues. Not a walk in the park but not exactly what I would consider one of the top tier teams in the East either.
Dayton Devil Dogs: You would think looking at their scouting bars there is a lot less to worry about but there are some depth issues with them as well but overall if they don't have to get to the back-ups they're going to be a tough team to beat. I think they'll going to be living and dying by their defense though and I don't think that is a bad way to go looking at it as it's going to be one of the top units in the East this season. Not sure if they have plans to address some areas of need and waiting to surprise people or not but I still think they'll be one of the better teams either way just making the bottom of the top tier.
Reno Knights: Some depth issues but not nearly as many as the above teams but yet a lower overall level team. They should be competitive this season and will likely be needing their defense to step up but I'm not sure how well that will happen considering the number of inactives I see on their roster. Might just be a temporary thing or a permanent thing but it could cause some problems in the end. Either way I think they'll have a good season this year just not at the same level of success as last year with some tougher competition.
Lake Superior Squall: Gutted team but have a few nice players on it. Won't be doing much this year but in a few seasons could be a force if the owner keeps with it.
Key Biscayne Corsairs: Best depth so far but a vastly lower level team than most of the top tier teams that should be looking for 8-8 to be a good season that might or might not come as it looks like they have a few tough draws against the West as well. Look to be about a 6-10 team due to the tougher schedule. Not a bad team but much like my own Buckeyes two seasons ago, just needed to get those few players to keep with it and work to build a true contended.
Murfreesboro Taints: A few very good higher level players and then some depth issues including CPU players on their team. I think they'll be able to make a few teams work harder than they would like but unless they address a lot of their issues they'll have some problems. Don't have to worry about relegation due to the Squalls but it won't help recruiting either.
Syracuse Samurai: A team my Buckeyes know very well. These guys came on strong at the end of last season with some midseason acquisitions as well as better use of the AI and ended up taking my team to the final minutes of the game to decide the winner. A team with very few weaknesses and good depth on both sides of the ball they'll be one of the top contenders for not only the East but also the Title this year.
Cleveland Buckeyes: My Buckeyes of course I hold in very high regard but also know there are areas of concern. Great depth throughout with a few holes still needing to be fixed and two of the best GMs in GLB in JoSCh and skippjlo running things with me just signing the paychecks. We'll be one of the teams to beat along with the Samurai, Lycans, Randsom, and Tarheels in the East and should be another great season as we look to extend our 20 game winning streak.
Beaver City Crabs: A few very good players but too many CPU players sprinkled in trying to add depth to the team to make them really competitive. They should be shooting for an 8-8 season this year and that would be considered a victory IMO as the overall competitiveness of this conference will be tough to overcome with their current roster. With some more free agent signings and the finishing of their stadium they should be prime to be able to get the top players to compete next season.
British Columbia Beasters: Their chemistry is through the floor right now and starting off with the Amish will give them an immediate kill to their morale as well. Overall though they look like a team that would be more comfortable in the BBB this season and let them work on their levels rather than trying to compete with teams 6-10 levels on average higher than them. They'll likely put together some wins and push some a good portion of their opponents to game plan but they likely won't be more than some flies to the top teams.
Texas Tarheels: One of my preseason favorites this year. Depth Issues at only one or two positions that I could see but overall a very high level and tough team to compete with. They'll definitely be a team looking to improve on their 12-4 record and first round exit from the playoffs. I could see a minimum 12-4 record for them again this season and depending on their match-ups all the way a title run. But the same could be said about all my top 5 teams.
Appalachian Lycans: A top dog from Da 7 these guys have been a top team for as long as I remember. They have an average level of around 40 for their starters and are never a walk in the park for any team to game plan against. They have a few more issues than I remember from last year but I'm sure they'll be taking care of those in quick fashion. They'll be looking to finally get the Gold this season and earning a promotion rather than getting it handed to them which they are still a little sore about. Still these guys are the real deal and should be one of the top 5 teams and a definite title contender.
The River City Ransom: Another team from Da 7 that will be looking to take home the gold this year. I see they've been active in Free Agency increasing their overall team and have a few very good high level players to give opposing teams headaches. Fore the most part great depth though a little heavy on the LBers don't you say even if you do run a 3-4. Should be a tough team to contend with each week and will be playoff bound this season as well.
Florida BeachDogZ: A team that looks like they have better builds for their levels than most teams but depth and still the difference in levels will have an effect with the new Veteran Abilities and in the end I see them just missing the playoffs looking for an 8-8 or 9-6 record.
Rochester Dragons: Another team with good overall level, looks to be about 35 on average without doing the math, and fairly good depth but I don't think they'll do more than make the top teams gameplan for them. I think them and the BeachDogZ will be pushing the Demon Dogs for the final playoff spot if the Demon Dogs can't fix their depth issues in time. Overall looks to be a team poised to make a title hunt in a season or two but this year just trying to see where they are with the AI and build off that.
Tier 1 (Guaranteed Playoff Spots):
Cleveland Buckeyes
Appalachian Lycans
Syracuse Samurai
River City Ransom
Texas Tarheels
Tier 2 (Fighting for spot #6/Some issues):
Dayton Demon Dogs
Rochester Dragons
Florida BeachDogZ
Reno Knights
Tupelo Kings
Tier 3 (You're getting there but just not this year):
British Columbia Beasters
Beaver City Crabs
Murfreesboro Taints
Key Biscayne Corsairs
Fulton County Massacre
Tier 4 (You're gutted and are rebuilding):
Lake Superior Squall
Well I hope you guys liked my little preview and let me know if you agree/disagree.
