Hi everyone. Hard to believe but with Summer Bowl 1999 in the books, we have now completed 17 seasons of USFL history. Happy you have been following along as we head into the new milennium.
A quick word about timing. As with most years of this simulation, there is actually more behind the scenes work to be done with the game itself in the offseason than during the simulation of the season, so I may need a few days to get ready for 2000 and the offseason moves. Typically in the offseason mode I need to:
Fire coaches.
Create new coaches and/or sign coaches from within the game.
Decide which players with contracts up will resign, which will be USFL free agents and which may jump to the NFL.
Process the retirements.
Create the custom schedule for the next season on excel and then upload into the game.
Research what NFL players changed teams between 1999-2000 to see who might possibly leave for the USFL.
Assess team needs for each of the 24 squads.
Determine early Free Agent signings
Create the first offseason report for you all.
Scout and then run the collegiate draft.
Run a second round of free agency.
Create the NFL players coming into the league (custom players)
Add those players to the appropriate teams.
Remove/set aside any USFL players headed to the NFL.
Fill rosters to 60 players each.
Simulate the preseason game (still only 1 preseason game)
Finalize rosters with cuts down to 53.
Set depth charts for the regular season.
Adjust or update coaching styles to match personnel and the coach in question.
Write the post-draft offseason report.
Write the season preview report.
Start simulating Week 1 of the next season.
So, as you might guess, this can take a bit of time. I hope to have something ready this weekend (offseason report 1 at least) and be ready to kick off the 2000 season by next weekend. It should be a pretty interesting offseason, and I am intrigued as to whether the big star of the 2000 draft (a 6th round QB out of Michigan that no one expects much from) ends up in the USFL or not, and if so, where?
Please check back soon as I hope to have new posts up, but we hope to be back with season 18 by next weekend.
Have a great weekend and thanks for following along on this alt history vision of the USFL.
Take...Your...Time.
That is all.
Love what you do! Thank you so much for providing us with this awesome alternate USFL universe !
I knew it was a lot of work for you but had no idea what all was involved. I think I speak for everyone when I say we really appreciate your efforts and enjoy this immensely!!