Welcome to a new RZL feature I hope to regulary post. This one was hard to come, but hopefully I can get enough of them during Post-season and do one each week in the next regular season.
Today we receive Saint and Bills GMs, Kevin Mullendore and Joe Gaspar. Both are RZL monuments, and this season both teams have had some different results when you consider their expectations and what the league generally thought they would do. The principle for them is to answer to 4 same questions and then to answer one about their face-off counterpart. I thank them deeply for their participation for that first ever issue, and taking some time to answer my questions.
Here it goes !
1* Apart the Chargers who are rolling, is there any other powerhouse in RZL according to you ?
Kevin : I don't think so, although the Raiders are currently looking like the next closest candidate. There is just so much parity in the league right now. Nobody seems to be playing with any consistency either.
Joe :The Chargers are in a league of their own and I'm predicting that they'll repeat this season so no I don't believe there is another "powerhouse" team in the RZL. However, if the question was rephrased to asking who the 2nd best team in the league is I'd side with the Raiders. Luka's got his team clicking and if he didn't have to play the Chargers twice this season he might be sitting at 12-2 instead of 10-4. The Raiders have been a great team for the past 3-4 seasons now but their problem has always been the injury bug at QB. The difference this year is that when Brohm inevitably went down to injury the Raiders had Leftwhich step in who could easily start for the majority of teams in the league. I thought it was a great move on Luka's part to have the best 1-2 punch at the most important position in football. I don't see why the Chargers and the Raiders won't meet in the AFC Conference Final this year.
2* The league’s been the witness of a load of trades this season, which are memorable for you, wether it is negative or positive ?
Kevin :Well any trades involving Red Bryant are memorable to me just because of the history and the fact that I think the player is horrible. The biggest two that I remember were involving QBs, the Bucs trading Cantwell and the Giants trading Manning. Great pickups for the teams they went to. The Thomas and McCourty trades by the Skins were pretty big as well.
Joe :The trade I remember most is Eli Manning heading to the Browns in exchange for Keith Rivers and picks. I thought the move would finally make Cleveland a team to talk about in the North after being virtually invisible year after year. The numbers speak for themselves as Eli has a QB rating of 111.9 and has the Browns only a game back of the division lead with 2 games to go. I don't think Ben has ever been in this position before with his Browns. I understand what Jon was trying to do in rewarding Thigpen for his solid play so I don't think it was a terrible trade for the Giants especially since they received help on defense as well as a 1st and 3rd. However, the clear cut winner here are the Browns based on their success since the trade went down.
I also remember the Hester flip flop in Green Bay. I thought it was a ballsy move on Paronne's part to give up Jackson and their 1st for an aging Hester. However, I did like it because it showed that the Packers were going for it this year after getting off to a very good start. That didn't last too long when the Packers got dismantled by the Vikings in Hester's 1st game and Paronne quickly put Hester on the block. He was later traded to the Bucs for a 1st and a young linebacker. I can't help but think that the Packers have no idea what they're doing.
3* Which offensive and defensive strategy are for you, more likely to work in a Madden 07 GM league (I precise : old school with fierce dfense and smashmout running, Air coryell etc…)
Kevin :I have always preferred strong defense and a good running game (strong OL with a good pair of backs). IMO with the gameplans you have to use to focus on the pass the results of the shootouts (no matter how good your secondary) are unpredictable. It also seems few teams/GMs can make a 1-dimensional pass offense be successful and translate to wins, for a variety of reasons.
Joe :I like a stacked line 46 defense with quick ends that are able to put pressure in the pocket and force poor throws and/or turnovers. To run this type of defense you need quick and experienced cornerbacks because they'll likely be left all alone with man to man coverage without help over the top. The 46 is known as a run stopping defense however can be tweaked to provide good coverage against the pass with the right set of corners. Above all, I love the 46 because of its effectiveness in the red zone. I don't know of a better defense that defends its own end zone inside the 20.
Offensively, I don't think I have a favourite. I use a wide variety of playbooks. I do tend to favor the possession type of offense instead of the big play just because that's the way my offense is built. When your #1 WR is 6'6" I think that's the way to go. I prefer height over speed at WR and I love power RB's who carry extra weight. Playbooks I generally favor include, West Coast, Run N Gun, Chiefs, and Broncos. I prefer Pass Balanced when I look to open things up.
4* You can pick a player in any team in RZL to booster your roster. Who is he and why ?
Kevin :Calvin Johnson. Have always loved the guy and have only had the pleasure of having him on my team one time. He just produces in every league I've ever seen.
Joe :DRC. Without a doubt. Next to QB, cornerback is the most important position in football. DRC has all the tools you look for in a CB. Height, speed, hands, strength, and decent tackle. The numbers he's put up in nearly 4 seasons in the RZL are eye popping especially when you consider he's done it with very little awareness. It'll be nice to see what he can do when he's as experienced as his closest match in Antonio Cromartie of the Chargers.
5a : Kevin special* The Bills are in delicate situation : what’s happening to them for you, and what should they do now for teh rest of the season and to prepare the next ?
Kevin :First, I think they were victims of an absolute brutal schedule earlier and unfortunately injuries/trades have now made the situation worse for the remainder of the season. If you look at their schedule, especially considering the Panthers were 5-2 through week 8, basically every time they played the first half of the season was top-13 in the power rankings, with 4 of them in the top 5. What is more alarming is that only one of the first-half losses was by a TD or less.
IMO the Bills underestimated or did not have an answer to the loss of Chris Wells and 31-year old Kevin Jones is clearly not the answer. The Lee Evans trade may not have been a bad one, but it clearly hurt their chances for winning this season. Coupled with the losses to injury have left the Bills unable to score enough points.
With the rebuild now underway in some areas of the team it will be interesting to see how quickly Mr. Gasper can bring the Bills back into the hunt. They are in a tough division and to do so next year will be a challenge.
5b : Joe special* The Saints are atop their division all thought would be the Buccs’ one to loose, but at times the Saints appear fragile : what should they do to be more dominant, more regular and maybe go all the way ?
Joe :Kevin's been around Madden leagues a lot longer than I have and has his Saints contending year after year so he knows what he's doing. If there was something I would change in New Orleans it would be to acquire a true #1 wide receiver. The Saints go as far as Drew Brees goes. He's put up solid numbers with great receivers but I don't remember him ever having a true "Go-to" guy which makes his performance over the years even that more special. Rice is progressing and with some improvements on his speed I believe he can be that guy for Brees. Besides that, the Saints have very little to pick apart.
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