The UFL Forum

First off, I love the game. Thanks for making it, and for making it free.
It's exactly what I've been looking for the last 2 years.
Better than EA Head Coach, I think...

My questions:
1) What pass play is like a fly pattern, (or go deep, etc..., all the same.)

2) when setting depth chart for linebackers, which slot ( 1 to 3) is for SLB, MLB, and WLB?

3) when setting depth chart for safeties, which slot ( 1 or 2) is for SS, which is for FS?

4) same for DE, DT, OG, OT.

Thank you!

Hey there! Welcome to the forum. Post regularly, I feel lonely around here sometimes!

>First off, I love the game. Thanks for making it, and for making it free.
>It's exactly what I've been looking for the last 2 years.
>Better than EA Head Coach, I think...

I haven't played that yet, it looks okay I guess, but I'm an old-timer and a text-based simming addict so UFL works best for me.

>My questions:
>1) What pass play is like a fly pattern, (or go deep, etc..., all the same.)

Post and Flag passes (the last 4 on the list of plays) are the deep ones, so those are as close as you'll get.

>2) when setting depth chart for linebackers, which slot ( 1 to 3) is for >SLB, MLB, and WLB?
>3) when setting depth chart for safeties, which slot ( 1 or 2) is for SS, >which is for FS?
>4) same for DE, DT, OG, OT.

Ben will probably be better qualified to answer this one than I am, he's been around the software a lot longer, and I'm just an addicted fan, but as far as I'm aware from my 20+ seasons of coaching, UFL doesn't break the positions down any further than they are in the game. BUT...

And this may be more coincidence than any actual feature of the game, but I find that I get more sacks from my #1 and #2 linebackers (I usually play with a 3-4 defense), so I tend to think of those 2 as my outside LBs, and the #3 and #4 guys as my inside. My #1 DT is effectively just a Nose Tackle for me, going with 3-4. Safeties, I haven't looked at in any depth, I might go back over my rosters and stats from previous seasons and see if any patterns emerge in terms of stats.

Like I said, enjoy the game and stick around! It's good to have new people on the forum.

Scotty

I am glad that you are enjoying the game, mattalex.

Unfortunately, I have no idea which safety is the SS or FS, etc.

I'd like to give a better response to questions 2-4:

I still don't know which safety is the SS or FS or which LB is the MLB or OLB, etc., but there must be a distinction because there is a Free Safety Blitz play and the Left/Middle/Right blitz plays. So if you run a right side blitz, that must be pitting the stats of the right side defensive players against the stats of the left side of the offensive line.

Even though there is a distinction between the sides, I don't think that you would be able to fully control a player's specific position by placing him in a specific depth chart slot. I theorize that UFL picks players for specific positions this way:

You call a 4-3 play. UFL picks the LBs this way: LB1 = LOLB, LB2 = MLB, LB3 = ROLB

However if you call a 3-4, UFL picks the LBs this way: LB1 = LOLB, LB2= LILB, LB3 = RILB, LB4 = ROLB (Now LB4 is your ROLB instead of LB3)

And 4-2 would be: LB1 = LOLB, LB2 = ROLB (a third different player at ROLB)

This would ensure that no matter what formation you call, your best-rated linebackers will always be out on the field. It also makes technical sense because UFL does not have distinctions in the player ratings for specific positions. It might be possible to narrow it down better by editing some player ratings and running simulations, followed by analyzing the stats as Joe suggested.

I'd like to add my worthless insights 9 years & change after this discussion started

I'm an idiot!

So my team plays a standard 4-3 defense, with LDE Rubin Holloway, LDT Don Parrish, RDT Tyson Garfield, a RDE Jordan Bloodsteak and are listed as 1-2's in their respective slots Left to Right. But when it came to my all-world MLB Robert Abdullah, I put him in the ONE position & put OLB Brandon Spoon in the two, which of course makes him the Mike when he's supposed to be my outside pass rush specialist while Robert is the signal caller in the middle. I NEVER EVEN NOTICED THE DISTINCTION! Like I said, Spoon eats up sacks galore like a James Harrison but doesn't really drop into coverage as much while Robert is more a Mike Singletary sort as field general who leaves dropping the QB on his backside to more qualified men. I HAD THEM SWITCHED! Won't make that mistake again. Blitzes from the Left should be more effective this year as Holloway & Spoon are a quarter ton of trouble coming from that weak side.