I'm actually going to talk about my first player. Despite both of my players being strong earners, my first player didn't make it in and my second player likely won't, either. But while Reese often underperformed for his TPE, I felt Kennedy went out on a much better note and deserved proper consideration.
Eric Kennedy was a RB from S2 - S6 and a WR from S7 - S10. He was more of a back-up for his first 3 seasons, but he exploded in S5, starting a trend for receiving RBs getting involved in the slot and wideout spots. This created some controversy as it exploited some issues with the sim itself, but it was only intended initially as a way to get him more involved while the team continued to feature fellow RB Bubba Nuck. Despite the controversy, Kennedy won co-MVP in S5 with 130 catches, 1655 receiving yards, and 14 receiving TDs. He also had 51 rushes for 218 yards on the ground and a rushing TD. Because of the issue in the sim, a few voters admitted to ignoring this season when considering Kennedy for the Hall of Fame. I disagreed with this as the Hall of Fame has always followed the numbers and ignored the user behind the player; some great users with unlucky careers have been shunned while relative IAs with good sim luck (or perhaps just good timing) have made it in at times. Especially in the early days of the league. I have no problem with that, honestly, but if that's your criteria, then you stick to it. That said, as the exploit became apparent, I had a desire to put that sitigma behind the player and Kennedy focused more on rushing, doubling his carries in S6 and halving his catches. It was not a great season for the player, but perhaps a quiet season for the best way to let the heat die down a little. In S7, he switched to WR and focused purely on the passing game, accumulating 4803 yards and 28 Touchdowns over the course of the next 4 seasons. This may not be as impressive in modern terms, but he was a strong WR1 for his team and the numbers he put up reflected that as he placed #3 in S7, #2 in S8, and #6 in S9. He fell to #12 in S10, but that was because he was willing to help the team by taking a backseat to their newly acquired WR Tegan Atwell despite still being a WR1 in terms of ability. Kennedy was always a team player first, whcih we've learned doesn't necessarily lend itself to HoF consideration. Hence the rise of more player contracts featuring usage requirements over the past 5-6 seasons. Still, he did put up over 1000 yards in each of his four seasons at WR, includiing S10, so sometimes talent can speak for itself regardless of the depth chart.
Outside of the S5 controversy, the biggest mark against Kennedy seemed to be lack of longevity. The irony is that I thought I was helping his chances of making it into the Hall of Fame by retiring in his prime, but knowing more about how voters approach the Hall of Fame now, longevity and performance over time is a massive factor. Kennedy spent over half of his career playing at a different position and, even though he excelled when he finally made the move to WR, his short time at the top was not enough to earn him a place in the Hall. I was initially very upset by this because of all the work I put into the player and my belief that the S5 controversy still continued to taint his name. However, with time, I have accepted that the ultimate nail in the coffin was a short span of time at the top. For any player seeking the Hall of Fame, I recommend sticking around as long as possible, especially if you position switched halfway through your career.
668 Words
Eric Kennedy was a RB from S2 - S6 and a WR from S7 - S10. He was more of a back-up for his first 3 seasons, but he exploded in S5, starting a trend for receiving RBs getting involved in the slot and wideout spots. This created some controversy as it exploited some issues with the sim itself, but it was only intended initially as a way to get him more involved while the team continued to feature fellow RB Bubba Nuck. Despite the controversy, Kennedy won co-MVP in S5 with 130 catches, 1655 receiving yards, and 14 receiving TDs. He also had 51 rushes for 218 yards on the ground and a rushing TD. Because of the issue in the sim, a few voters admitted to ignoring this season when considering Kennedy for the Hall of Fame. I disagreed with this as the Hall of Fame has always followed the numbers and ignored the user behind the player; some great users with unlucky careers have been shunned while relative IAs with good sim luck (or perhaps just good timing) have made it in at times. Especially in the early days of the league. I have no problem with that, honestly, but if that's your criteria, then you stick to it. That said, as the exploit became apparent, I had a desire to put that sitigma behind the player and Kennedy focused more on rushing, doubling his carries in S6 and halving his catches. It was not a great season for the player, but perhaps a quiet season for the best way to let the heat die down a little. In S7, he switched to WR and focused purely on the passing game, accumulating 4803 yards and 28 Touchdowns over the course of the next 4 seasons. This may not be as impressive in modern terms, but he was a strong WR1 for his team and the numbers he put up reflected that as he placed #3 in S7, #2 in S8, and #6 in S9. He fell to #12 in S10, but that was because he was willing to help the team by taking a backseat to their newly acquired WR Tegan Atwell despite still being a WR1 in terms of ability. Kennedy was always a team player first, whcih we've learned doesn't necessarily lend itself to HoF consideration. Hence the rise of more player contracts featuring usage requirements over the past 5-6 seasons. Still, he did put up over 1000 yards in each of his four seasons at WR, includiing S10, so sometimes talent can speak for itself regardless of the depth chart.
Outside of the S5 controversy, the biggest mark against Kennedy seemed to be lack of longevity. The irony is that I thought I was helping his chances of making it into the Hall of Fame by retiring in his prime, but knowing more about how voters approach the Hall of Fame now, longevity and performance over time is a massive factor. Kennedy spent over half of his career playing at a different position and, even though he excelled when he finally made the move to WR, his short time at the top was not enough to earn him a place in the Hall. I was initially very upset by this because of all the work I put into the player and my belief that the S5 controversy still continued to taint his name. However, with time, I have accepted that the ultimate nail in the coffin was a short span of time at the top. For any player seeking the Hall of Fame, I recommend sticking around as long as possible, especially if you position switched halfway through your career.
668 Words
![[Image: welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=67...y=lossless]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/357281973594619905/1319836335887880192/welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=677d299f&hm=c03a86226787bfca2f2d024eb23c800c6f1ecd647532e0419a9d0218636d40e4&=&format=webp&quality=lossless)
![[Image: baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png]](https://i.ibb.co/1rgfYXP/baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png)
Thanks to Jangorhino for the sig.
