Preface: I have zero sim experience and this is based solely on outside observations. Genuinely do not care enough about this to complain under normal circumstances and just want to complete the point task. Thank you.
Now in terms of intricate statistics this may end up a bit light, however in terms of simple comparisons I can say that I think we could use at least a minor archetype overhaul. Even if only in the form of an archetype simplification as I feel like there are certain positions where we have an unnecessary division. This will focus on defense which is where my player Magnus plays and where I have more experience in general from having observed that side more closely during my time in the league.
Starting with the defensive tackle position I feel like the Balanced and Run Stuffer archetypes could be merged into one. The Nose Tackle being the only defensive position capable of maxing strength fits the Run Stuffer description, and this would mean defensive tackle archetypes cover strength, balance, and speed. However the big reason for this is while their initial expenditures are mildly different; their only stat cap difference is Balanced being able to go five points higher on hands.
Going into defensive end the discovery that the Speed Rusher and Balanced archetypes have the same speed cap raised an eyebrow for me. (Note: Height and weight caps for defensive line are all pretty similar so not going to go into that, although I do think Nose Tackles could justifiably get a few extra pounds due to personal bias.) Once again though there is a matter of two positions essentially fulfilling the same role with the caps for the Power Rusher and Run Stopper only being different by a five point hands advantage for the Power Rusher. So once again I think a simple strength, balance, and speed option list would cover everything people reasonably want to make for the league.
Admittedly outside of the defensive line my knowledge level drops off considerably, but I do still think there are areas that could be addressed based on my knowledge of attribute value. Given defense deems strength and speed to be key the fact that only three of the five linebacker archetypes have 170 total between the two, and that the other two only get 165 raises an eyebrow. Using a quick and easy check there are only two active Coverage linebackers making use of archetype caps, and no active Run Stopper linebackers making use of archetype caps. That suggests to me that at the least the Run Stopper could either be done away with, or be made more appealing to the public.
Cornerback I will admit works well from what I have seen of tests. You have the All-Around that is arguably the strong archetype with higher strength and tackling caps. The Zone archetype that makes use of a slightly higher hands attribute to get more takeaways. Along with Man-to-Man which is the speed archetype. One could argue that there could be a bit more distinction made between the three, but overall I feel this is the best of the defensive archetypes as it stands.
Safety sees a similar oddity as others earlier with the All-Around and Playmaker archetypes being quite similar, although unlike the defensive line positions the five points of hands may actually have a distinct difference on how the two handle as far as the sim is concerned. They also have the Center Fielder to cover speedy types and the Run Support to cover strong types. Also to nicely fill the free safety and strong safety designations.
Now to summarize this all means I think defensive tackle and defensive end could both be broken down to three archetypes a piece. Linebackers could afford a boost or reduction of archetypes to accommodate their two less popular selections. Each cornerback archetype has at least four representatives making use of their unique caps which makes them well balanced in my book. Honestly safety is in a similar boat as they also have at least four representatives making use of the unique caps of each archetype.
Now in terms of intricate statistics this may end up a bit light, however in terms of simple comparisons I can say that I think we could use at least a minor archetype overhaul. Even if only in the form of an archetype simplification as I feel like there are certain positions where we have an unnecessary division. This will focus on defense which is where my player Magnus plays and where I have more experience in general from having observed that side more closely during my time in the league.
Starting with the defensive tackle position I feel like the Balanced and Run Stuffer archetypes could be merged into one. The Nose Tackle being the only defensive position capable of maxing strength fits the Run Stuffer description, and this would mean defensive tackle archetypes cover strength, balance, and speed. However the big reason for this is while their initial expenditures are mildly different; their only stat cap difference is Balanced being able to go five points higher on hands.
Going into defensive end the discovery that the Speed Rusher and Balanced archetypes have the same speed cap raised an eyebrow for me. (Note: Height and weight caps for defensive line are all pretty similar so not going to go into that, although I do think Nose Tackles could justifiably get a few extra pounds due to personal bias.) Once again though there is a matter of two positions essentially fulfilling the same role with the caps for the Power Rusher and Run Stopper only being different by a five point hands advantage for the Power Rusher. So once again I think a simple strength, balance, and speed option list would cover everything people reasonably want to make for the league.
Admittedly outside of the defensive line my knowledge level drops off considerably, but I do still think there are areas that could be addressed based on my knowledge of attribute value. Given defense deems strength and speed to be key the fact that only three of the five linebacker archetypes have 170 total between the two, and that the other two only get 165 raises an eyebrow. Using a quick and easy check there are only two active Coverage linebackers making use of archetype caps, and no active Run Stopper linebackers making use of archetype caps. That suggests to me that at the least the Run Stopper could either be done away with, or be made more appealing to the public.
Cornerback I will admit works well from what I have seen of tests. You have the All-Around that is arguably the strong archetype with higher strength and tackling caps. The Zone archetype that makes use of a slightly higher hands attribute to get more takeaways. Along with Man-to-Man which is the speed archetype. One could argue that there could be a bit more distinction made between the three, but overall I feel this is the best of the defensive archetypes as it stands.
Safety sees a similar oddity as others earlier with the All-Around and Playmaker archetypes being quite similar, although unlike the defensive line positions the five points of hands may actually have a distinct difference on how the two handle as far as the sim is concerned. They also have the Center Fielder to cover speedy types and the Run Support to cover strong types. Also to nicely fill the free safety and strong safety designations.
Now to summarize this all means I think defensive tackle and defensive end could both be broken down to three archetypes a piece. Linebackers could afford a boost or reduction of archetypes to accommodate their two less popular selections. Each cornerback archetype has at least four representatives making use of their unique caps which makes them well balanced in my book. Honestly safety is in a similar boat as they also have at least four representatives making use of the unique caps of each archetype.
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