Superstar editor: CB in nickel and dime?

[operagost]

I created Bobby Taylor for the Eagles and replaced one of the backups with him, so he gets a lot of play in the nickel and dime.  I didn't get any improvement points after the first game (even though he had a pick), so does anyone know if DBs improve when they're not in the base defense?

[joelcsuh]

They still do. That pick will get him that much closer to an improve. I always give my DBs 88 INT so they can improve more quickly. (This isn't the best idea if you create an entire team at once from scratch.)

[TecSpectre]

Did you know that CB Eagles IS Bobby Taylor?

[operagost]

I figured that out too late.. It's been a long time... I thought he had been drafted in 1996.

 

So I have two Bobbys now.  An unfair advantage!

[TecSpectre]

Haha... It's only unfair if the created Bobby Taylor is far more impressive than the normal one. Otherwise, your secondary is still lacking

 

I do have a fondness in my heart for CB Eagles though, as he led me to a Man Bowl championship in season 11 of the NFTGL.

[pi_hole]

Players obviously stand a better chance at improving the more plays they see, but you can improve those odds by setting your roster, turning off injuries, and skipping through a season (i.e. all teams on 'SKP'). Make sure you are MAN or COA for trades and free agency, and then switch to SKP and let it run. You can stop the skipping of games by hitting B, and you should either do so occasionally or only skip six or so weeks at a time to make sure your players are in the correct positions -- even with injuries off, the game occasionally resets the rosters and your players can get benched.

After the season is over, observe the All-Pro team and 'skip' through the playoffs, and notice that some of your custom players have improved -- and (hopefully) more than a single 'pip.' Through this method, I've had players with over a bar of improvement points. Repeat as desired; I've seen OL, DL, a couple LBs, and one RB improve beyond completely full ability scores (read: they have improvement points which cannot be used).

Also, for standard players (not custom players), you can use free agency to force them into the right position. When I'm builing my roster, I fire all of my players and re-sign them in the desired order. For example, I want Barry Sanders at RB1, so I he's the first RB I sign. If you want a specific player to sub for him, put that guy at RB3, and if there's an injury he should be the next one in. Be warned, however, because doing this can also cause safeties to become cornerbacks and vice versa (which can be cool, but can also be annoying when the FA safety you want can't be signed because your CBs have suddenly become safeties).