After some time away, I noticed just how many new goodies d-linemen have to play with, and it got me thinking about balance in the morale/energy side of the sim.
While o-lines do have the option of going with Thick Skin (who does this?), Meathead, or Workhorse, the point saving doesn't offer much in the way of saving SP in a build--and any gains are mostly offset with penalties to other key skills (except for WH). For this reason, I think o-lines (and maybe FBs, too) could use a boost to their positions' "key ingredients" list--especially since d-linemen already share those options I just mentioned.
As for physical traits, o-lines are outmatched by the SP cost to d-linemen in every way imaginable already: not only are the technique and power side of the block roll a good deal more expensive, but so are the physical traits that help linemen get in and maintain positioning. Egotist is no real solution though, and Downfield Blocker doesn't offer guards nearly enough incentive to skip picking a bonus that helps pay for much more costly skills. So, I think there should be some kind of happy-medium to egotist: less of a cap boost (maybe +3) and/or SP savings (-3-5%) for physical skills accompanied by a smaller penalty--or none at all--to conditioning, toughness, and heart.
While o-lines do have the option of going with Thick Skin (who does this?), Meathead, or Workhorse, the point saving doesn't offer much in the way of saving SP in a build--and any gains are mostly offset with penalties to other key skills (except for WH). For this reason, I think o-lines (and maybe FBs, too) could use a boost to their positions' "key ingredients" list--especially since d-linemen already share those options I just mentioned.
As for physical traits, o-lines are outmatched by the SP cost to d-linemen in every way imaginable already: not only are the technique and power side of the block roll a good deal more expensive, but so are the physical traits that help linemen get in and maintain positioning. Egotist is no real solution though, and Downfield Blocker doesn't offer guards nearly enough incentive to skip picking a bonus that helps pay for much more costly skills. So, I think there should be some kind of happy-medium to egotist: less of a cap boost (maybe +3) and/or SP savings (-3-5%) for physical skills accompanied by a smaller penalty--or none at all--to conditioning, toughness, and heart.
