*Vladimir Fyodorovich Future

[majesiu]

I decided to opt-out of my S11-S12 contract becoming FA in the upcoming off-season. Likely I won't have that much time when off-season will start for talks so this moment is good for me to at least show how my perspective shapes up, without a further ado what am I looking from my next team in the Free Agency:

Winning
So far in my first four seasons in NSFL despite lack of individual success, I was a part of and Ultimus Teams and Ultimini team, reaching the finals every time:

• S6 Ultimini Champions
• S7 Ultimus Finalists
• S8 Ultimus Finalists
• S9 Ultimus Champions

Season 10 is still underway, but I think it's a safe bet my postseason streak will be alive.

Money
I was a mostly minimum guy so far and I don't like this - I'm high earning TPE player (probably Top 15 next season) on the position that apparently scales most among WRs and QBs (also open to switching to one of those) - depending on variety of situation but one result I heard is that difference between 350 TPE Cornerback and 800 TPE one can swing the win percentage by 10%.
I'm not a huge fan of the whole model where third of the cap space goes to the offensive line. I realize that I don't want to handicap the team with a really big salary. I'm looking for a salary that is at least greater than the minimum for my TPE level e.g. $4M+ in S11, $5M+ afterwards. Also full NTC - I absolutely loathed my last trade, how it was handled and announced to me. If seasons goes sideways I'd open to a move to the contender.

Locker Room
NOLA sets the level incredibly high, but sadly I don't have as much time anymore and some people that I valued a lot already stepped down or even quit the league. I'll be looking closely to the draft and who you choose since while I'm really looking to play with most people, on the other hand as is usually the case there are certain folks I'd rather avoid.

FA Rankings
Favourite part of everyone. Far early to say anything for sure, but I'll rank it in 4 categories above, Winning, Money, LR and fit - even though the last one is rather no-brainer - I think no team has 4 close to being capped defensive backs and could easily use one like me. LR is hard to judge from outside so other than NOLA it's basically people I recognize there. Money is an even bigger guess with how much it can change, even after a quick glance at budget sheets.

1. New Orleans Second Line
Current champions and tied in the standings at the moment. They will get hit by regression next year but boast the solid core on key position of S3+ players and should easily contend for at least two more seasons. The only issue is they have so many good players that budget might be tight and they are now in the favourites/contender tier., though while an aforementioned streak of finals is still alive I'm giving priority to the winning teams.
Winning: 10/10
Money: 5/10
LR: 10/10
Fit: 8/10 (arguably, 10/10 if having 4 great DBs scale as well as the difference between 1 and 2, 2 and 3 or 0 and 1).

2. Yellowknife Wraiths
Wraiths are ageing but have enough of S5+ to remain competitive for foreseeable future. I like and recognize a lot of people there. Lavelle and Cameron Taylor supported by Thad Pennington are a really good Defensive Back combo, but surely they lack the final man to create real suffocating opposing WRs and QBs defence.
Winning: 8/10
Money: 7/10
LR: 9/10
Fit: 8/10 (same case as with NOLA)

Tied 3rd. Arizona Outlaws
Of the three rebuilding teams (SJS, Liberty) I'm probably most intrigued by Arizona. They should have the best QB for the duration of my career and while they have 3 good safeties I'm inclined to try being the two-way player and I think that'd be a perfect place to do it. They are obviously a step behind current Top 4 Teams (NOLA/BAL, COL/YKW), but depending on FA they might be a sneaky good team before young troops of SJS grow while Otters gets final blows dealt by the regression.
Winning: 6/10
Money: 9/10
LR: 8/10
Fit: 10/10

Tied 3rd. Baltimore Hawks
The perennial contenders are in it yet again and arguably other than QB/DB are even better prepared for the future than Second Line. Their defensive backs are going to struggle hard through next season with Antoine Delacour retiring and Turner/Rove duo regressing hard. Not sure how I feel about going to the biggest rival of my current team though, especially if we met in the postseason yet again.
Winning: 10/10
Money: 5/10
LR: 7/10
Fit: 10/10

Tied 5th. Colorado Yeti
With Colorado being in the post-season contention it'd be a shame to disregard them, especially since I love being part of the teams with an underdog mentality. They have probably best dynamic duo in the league with Applehort and Miller. They have a respectable defensive back in Bly, Tillman and Brister, but that leaves space for an aforementioned position switch.
Winning: 7/10
Money: 7/10
LR: 5/10
Fit: 7/10

Tied 5th. Philadelphia Liberty
Liberty is famous for winning a title but also offered a gargantuan contract to Dermot Lavelle in the past. They have one very good looking CB in Lucari Felix, but other than that needs an influx of defensive back talent. The one knock, similar to the SaberCats is that they are so young it might take at least a season and two before they really contend.
Winning: 4/10
Money: 10/10
LR: 6/10
Fit: 10/10

Tied 5th. San Jose SaberCats
Sabercats are a super young team that drafted a lot of great talent in last seasons drafts and their core is going to be mostly S8-S11 players. With that said I'm not sure how S7 player like me would align with their timeline, but I'm sure they could use defensive reinforcements. Maybe a bit later into my career when I'd be at my absolute peak and their players get closer to being great, it would make more sense.
Winning: 5/10
Money: 9/10
LR: 7/10
Fit: 9/10

8. Orange County Otters
The winningest team in NSFL history and if you didn't know yet I'm not a huge fan of dynasties. While I respect and like a lot of people there I don't see me returning ever returning there with this or any other player after being thrown away. Said that it gave me a lot of motivation and is still a big factor both with me extending with Second Line before and in the upcoming off-season - it simply would hurt to let Otters win that trade.
Winning: 6/10
Money: 7/10
LR: 7/10
Fit: 0/10

That's it, thanks for the attention and good luck in the rest of season!

[enigmatic]

Trust the process?

[kckolbe]

@majesiu Got bored, decided to address your comments team by team. I left out money for obvious reasons.

NO
Current champions, and most likely to repeat. Will see some regression, but are the easy favorite in S11 if no one changes teams this offseason. After that, they will likely start going downhill, as most of the team will be facing regression. With bovo as a GM, though, I don't expect this team to really decline. I think he is one of the two best recruiting GMs in the NSFL (the other being Bzerkap). People want to play for him, so I expect NOLA to be a legit contender through S13.

YKW
As I mentioned, Bzerkap is a very pleasant person to play for, but I just don't see much of a future here. Kennedy is gone after S10, leaving Tegan Atwell (free agent) and the inactive Glenn McPoyal as the only receiving options. Pennington is actually just as good a fit for you in terms of draft class, as the two of you will likely retire around the I worry about this team's strategies, as they seem to lose the most winnable games. Unless they make a big FA splash, I don't see them making the playoffs in S11, though they would with you.

You may not know it, but your list has an interesting pattern, in that your top two teams are run by the GMs with arguably the best personalities.

ARI
With 4 of the top 11 picks in the upcoming S11 draft, ARI is definitely a solid team if you are looking for long term success...but only if you are willing to miss one year of making the playoffs. I have ARI as going 7-7 next season (again, assuming no FA moves), and being narrowly edged out by NO and OCO. Starting in S13, I have ARI as the favorite to win it all (though a lot can change by then). RunCMC is one of the two most competent GMs in this league, so you can trust the improvement to continue, which counts for a lot.

BAL
There is only one manager on par with RunCMC for competence, and that is iamslm22. So for the top 2 you seem to favor likeability, and next competence. Baltimore is in an odd spot, as they have drafted quite well, but being near the top for so long has hurt their draft picks. Blocksdale is in his last season as a top tier QB, and will be barely below average in S11. Taylor will regress as well, but will likely still be the best fantasy RB in the league thanks to the insane blocking support he has there, so the offense will still be good enough. With you there, they could compete for an Ultimus as a legit contender in S11, but downhill hard after that.

COL
Brister is gone after this season, and Bly has declared inactive. They are a fringe playoff team next year, and a playoff lock with you there opposite Bly. Unfortunately, this team has suffered from piss poor management since at least S8 (wasn't paying much attention prior), so I don't know if I would ever consider them a real contender.

PHI
I like the moves they've made, so I won't write them off, but know that this team is still getting worse, as they lose (I think) seven players to auto-retirement after this season, and a few more the following year. They don't have the draft picks to replace what they are losing, either, so you would likely be the hero of a 1-13 team should you go there.

SJS
The rebuild they began in S2 appears to be about where it started, and I just can't say I have a lot of faith here...or any. One playoff appearance in 10 seasons, all with the same GM, pretty much tells you what to expect.

OCO
Expect them to spend one game in the playoffs this year and next, but to make a legit Ultimus run in S12. With you there, they would likely be the S12 champs before declining. Won't say anything else, though, since they seem ruled out.

[iamslm22]

There is only one manager on par with RunCMC for competence, and that is iamslm22. 

This is going in my sig

[speculadora]

BAL
There is only one manager on par with RunCMC for competence, and that is iamslm22.

I was trying to come up with a comeback but ended up dunking my phone in the toilet instead

[Bzerkap]

@kckolbe you hurt me in a way I never knew I could hurt

[Bayley]

@kckolbe you hurt me.

[RedCydranth]

8. Orange County Otters 
The winningest team in NSFL history and if you didn't know yet I'm not a huge fan of dynasties. While I respect and like a lot of people there I don't see me returning ever returning there with this or any other player after being thrown away. Said that it gave me a lot of motivation and is still a big factor both with me extending with Second Line before and in the upcoming off-season - it simply would hurt to let Otters win that trade.
Winning: 6/10
Money: 7/10
LR: 7/10
Fit: 0/10 

I'd like to point out that I am not Molarpistols, nor is Speculadora. Holding us accountable for how the prior regime mishandled you doesn't seem fair to me. I simply would like to be able to negotiate with you, and be given a fair shake as a GM. If you ultimately choose another destination, I would be fine with that. I don't think it would be asking too much to move on from that whole debacle and start with a fresh slate. It would be like me judging NOLA because of what Las Vegas Legion did.

[kckolbe]

@kckolbe you hurt me in a way I never knew I could hurt

How? @`BayleyIsland` Same question.

@speculadora That was pretty funny.

Also, @RedCydranth makes a good point. You should totally judge NOLA by how LVL was run. That helps the rest of us out a lot.

(Sorry for the delays and having to group up responses, internet at work today keeps dropping out)

[AW13]

SJS
The rebuild they began in S2 appears to be about where it started, and I just can't say I have a lot of faith here...or any.  One playoff appearance in 10 seasons, all with the same GM, pretty much tells you what to expect.

FHOFQB: Future Hall of Fame Quarterback