sillegrant wrote:
As someone with 15 years of experience playing GM and football simulation games, I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts on this site. My goal is to provide constructive feedback while also acknowledging the enjoyment it brings to many fans worldwide.

I came across this site because, like many others, I work a regular job, but my dream has always been to become an NFL General Manager. These types of simulations allow me to scratch that itch and immerse myself in team-building decisions. I’ve already been enjoying another football sim site that focuses on realism, but I was looking for something more, which led me here. While this platform has a unique charm and offers a fun experience, it ultimately doesn’t quite align with what I personally seek in a football simulation. That said, I respect the effort behind it and the community it has cultivated. My hope in sharing this feedback is to inspire positive changes.

What I Appreciate About the Site
Complexity and Strategic Depth:
The site’s emphasis on financial decisions and cost-risk analysis is fantastic. It forces you to think critically about long-term strategies and carefully manage resources.

Coaching Staff Management:
The detailed approach to managing coaching staff is impressive and adds a significant layer of immersion.

Physical Conditioning Dynamics:
The way the game incorporates physical condition into performance is excellent. Balancing recovery with training is a realistic challenge that adds to the strategic depth.

Customizable Facilities:
The ability to design and upgrade facilities to suit your team’s needs is a great feature.

Training and Scouting Systems:
Features like deciding whether to invest in psychologists or scouts and how that impacts your players’ performance add another layer of realism and strategy.

Playbook System:
The detailed playbook system is a standout feature, although it seems better suited to players with significant time to invest in mastering it.

Areas for Improvement
Soccer Origins:
It’s evident that this site was originally designed as a soccer game, and while adapted for football, some mechanics feel out of place or disconnected from the NFL experience.

High Barrier to Entry:
The learning curve is steep. It took me 16-20 hours just to understand the basics of how to succeed.

Limited Early-Game Strategies:
Early progression feels restricted. Maximizing stadium upgrades seems to be the only viable path, which can make alternative strategies—like a cost-efficient "Moneyball" approach—unrealistic.

Trading System:
Trading is a cornerstone of NFL strategy, yet the system here feels unclear and disconnected from what NFL fans are familiar with.

Player Recovery and Training:
Players should recover physical condition over time in a more realistic way. Athletes don’t simply train twice a week; they follow structured recovery and training schedules year-round.

Lack of Player Physical Attributes:
Important traits like height and weight, which significantly affect performance in football, are absent. For example, a tall offensive tackle has distinct advantages over a shorter one in certain matchups.

Salary Cap Structure:
Starting with zero money instead of a realistic NFL cap (e.g., $255 million) is confusing and detracts from the sense of immersion.

Roster Size and Special Teams Mechanics:
The roster system doesn’t reflect the NFL’s structure. For example, NFL teams don’t dedicate roster spots to full-time gunners on special teams; backup players typically fill these roles. A realistic 53-man roster would require tough decisions on depth and versatility, which isn’t captured here.

Youth Academy System:
The youth academy feels like a carryover from soccer mechanics. Allowing other teams to poach young players isn’t reflective of how the NFL operates, where player rights are tightly controlled.

Final Thoughts
Ultimately, this site is different from what I was hoping for. While it’s clear that a lot of effort has gone into adapting a soccer simulation for football, the experience still feels rooted in soccer mechanics rather than the intricacies of the NFL. For those looking for a more general football management sim, this platform has plenty to offer. However, for those seeking a simulation that mirrors the realities of NFL team-building, it may fall short.

I admire the community that has formed around this site and respect the enjoyment it brings to so many people. I hope this feedback serves as a constructive perspective for the developers while recognizing the strengths of the platform as it stands.

Again, I hope this generates zero animosity. also, I'm sorry if some of this is on the To-Do list but I have already sunk enough time into this site. I'm also not going to advertise the site that I play on here since that feels very trashy.

sillegrant wrote:

Trading System:
Trading is a cornerstone of NFL strategy, yet the system here feels unclear and disconnected from what NFL fans are familiar with.

Youth Academy System:
The youth academy feels like a carryover from soccer mechanics. Allowing other teams to poach young players isn’t reflective of how the NFL operates, where player rights are tightly controlled.

High Barrier to Entry:
The learning curve is steep. It took me 16-20 hours just to understand the basics of how to succeed.

waky53 wrote:
I have been playing for years and still have no idea what I am doing.

pete wrote:


Describes me very well

gp-Rurik wrote:
If you want a different competition structure and mechanics; try RedZoneClash out and you'll see a different transfer market; NFL-like salary cap, no YA, 7-round draft.