About 2 years ago, as the league i am in began to expand and add new members, many of whom were new to FBPRO I wrote the following monograph concerning the FBPro skills and what they mean/do.
I have modified and adjusted the contents as I have learned more about the game. this is how I currently see the skills in FBPro.
Much of what I say below is subjective, and my opinion.
The information in this tutorial is gained from the following sources:
There are 11 discrete items of information about each player
the players' name
there are 8 categories of positions with some subcategories. Players may be switched between games from any subcategory to any other subcategory within the main category.
Main Category Sub Categories
Quarterback none
RunningBack Halfback, Fullback
Receiver Wide Receicver, Tight End
Offensive line Center, Tackle, Guard
Defensive Line End, Tackle
LineBacker none
Defensive Back Corner Back, Saftey
The years listed are the # of previous years played. A rookie will be listed as R in years.
*NOTE* As a player gets older (starting with year = 7) each of the players physical skills (This excludes IN and DI) will begin to degrade 0-3 points per season. Most commonly the drop is 2-3 points. This occurs when the START NEW SEASON button is pushed. This can be offset, to some degree in training camp.
There are 8 skills for each player. Some of the skills are absolute (i.e. A WR with SP = 80, is exactly as fast as a DL with SP= 80 reguardless of position) while some of the skills are relative (i.e. ST = 85 for a QB may not be as strong as a DL with ST = 65).
While Sierra has stated that some skills are absolute and some are relative, they have not specified WHICH are relative and which are absolute withe the SINGLE exceptions of revealing that ST is relative.
I have attempted to ascertain which are relative and which are absolute. I include my best guess below.
The maximum speed at which a player can run
(absolute)
How rapidly a player can increase their speed to their maximum Speed.
(Absolute)
How well a player can turn, leap, dive, change directions.
(relative)
How Strong a player is. For Def players controll abilty to tackle, break blocks,ect. For Off player how well they can block, break tackles, ect.
For QB, how well they can throw deep.
(relative)
How good are the hands...catching passes, pitches avoiding
fumbles, getting INTs. For OL, hiking ability, and fending off DLmen
OL and DL use hands to fend each other off. 2 linemen that are equal
elsewhere will have an advantage if they have superior hands
(relative)
Endurance..More on this later, injury avoidance
(absolute)
How well does a player adapt during a game. How well do
players 'read' the opposition's plays and formations. For QB's,
decision making in audibles and choosing which reciever to pass to
(absolute)
Basically this is how well a player stays with his assigned role in a play. i.e. a defensive player with a high DI is less likely to 'free lance'. Off players will run their routes or blocking assignments more precisly with the higher their DI.
Also, players with HIgh Di are much more successful with BUMP AT LINE logic than players with low DI.
Also, DI tends to controll penalties. The lower the DI, the more likely
a player is to commit penalties, especially offsides, false starts, ect.
(absolute)
**special note on Endurance ***
Each game, each player starts with 100 EP (energy points). Every play
they participate in, they use up some of those EP. Every play they sit out,
they recover some of those EP.
The higher the ENdurance a player has, the fewer EP he loses per play he is in.
The higher the EN a player has, the faster he recovers EP when he is sitting out.
EXAMPLE: a player with EN = 90 may drop 1 or 2 EP per play, while a player with EN = 50 may drop 5-8 EP per play.
Also, as the game goes on, the more a player plays, the maximum recovery may drop, i.e. instead of being able to recover back to 100 EP, he may only be able to recover back to 98 or 95 ect.
In fact, I have seen games where a players' max recovery was only 88 or lower.
NOW, and this is **VERY IMPORTANT** as a players' EP drops, so do all 8 skills, on a % basis. EXAMPLE: a player starts with SP = 90, as the game progresses, his EP drops to 90. This is a drop of 10% in EP, there will be a coresponding 10% drop in all of the players' _effective_ skills, i.e the SP will drop 10% from 90 to 81.
Also, the lower the EP drops, the more susceptable to injury a player becomes ....EP's below 75 are dangeous
All this info makes team depth and your substitution scheme very important to team success. Your substitution shceme is controlled by your roster depth chart AND how you define your profile.
All positions have 2 PRIMARY SKILLS. These are the 2 skills by which the computer evaluates trade value. Trade values must be roughly comparable when making a trade to a computer owned team.
Each skill matters for every position. Not all Skills are absolute.
Below, listed by category and subcategory are the (PRIMARY SKILLS) and the relationship of the various skills to that position. Also, on a scale of 1-10, how important I feel each skill is. These ratings are very subjective.
SP 5 AC 6 AG 6 ST 10 HA 6 EN 6 IN 9 DI 10
The 3 principal skills for RB are SP, AC and AG. The faster a RB is the farther they get when running in the open. AC also seems to be very important as it affects how quickly the RB goes from full stop to top speed. AG is the ability to juke, change directions, and the small body contortions that can help avoid the defenders grasp. ST is the ability to break tackles and drag tacklers. For dive plays or runs up the middle, AC and AG are more important than SP. SP takes over as more important if the ball carrier gets into the open , or outside and turns the corner on a sweep.
HA becomes important in avoiding fumbles and catching passes out of the backfield. EN is very important as RB's burn up EP at a high rate, when they carry the ball. I also find a strong corelation between high DI and successful RB's.
Top RB's have SP=85+, AC=80+, AG=75+. HA of 70+ are good for a RB getting passes out of the backfield, but will frequently be in the 30-50 range. Most RB have ST in the 45-75 range.
They will total 590+, top rookies in the draft will be 500+.
SP 7 AC 10 AG 9 ST 8 HA 6 EN 7 IN 4 DI 6
most of what is said about RB's apply to REC's. Perhaps with a greater emphasis on AG which is the skill of a WR doing a fake to get loose from a defender, and to leap or jump for a ball. HA controll pass receptions. ST is not nearly as important as for RB's.
The top REC's will average 80-95 in SP,AC,AG & HA, with a Total of 550-625. Top rookies will be 500+
SP 7 AC 10 AG 9 ST 5 HA 8 EN 6 IN 5 DI 4
ST is probably the main skill for offensive linemen. ST is the most important for 'fire out' blocking or straight ahead blocking schemes. AG is the primary skill (with an assist from ST) for pass blocking. SP and AC are very important in 'pull blocking' if the OL needs to get outside to throw a block. Outside running plays are higly dependant on OL with good SP and AC. HA are very important for the C, for the 'Center snap', though it appears that pass blocking is enhanced with good HA. IN allows OL to adjust better during the course of the game to what the defense is doing. A low DI will generate a high degree of penalties, for illegal motion or holding. Also low DI will increase missed blocking assignments.
Top OL will have ST=80+, AG=70+,AP,AC=50+ EN,HA,DI = 65+, with totals of 490-540. In general, OL have the lowest total score of any position, except P/K's
Rop rookies will be 440-470. About once every 4 drafts, there will be a rookie OL with 495-505. GREAT OL are the rarest commdity in FBPRo football.
SP 6 AC 7 AG 8 ST 10 HA 7 EN 6 IN 5 DI 6
ST is the #1 skill, but not by much. AG allows the DL to get arround/thru the OL. When moving short distances (5-10 yards) AC is more important that SP. A DL with high AC will get more sacks than one with high SP. HA, I have not been able to figure out how HA work for DL, or to what degree they matter, the same with IN. DI and En work the same as for OL.
Top DL have ST=80+, AG,AC =65+ SP= 60+, EN= 70+. Total scores run 525-575 with top rookies at 475-510.
SP 6 AC 9 AG 8 ST 10 HA 4 EN 7 IN 4 DI 5
generally the great linebackers are the best overall players on defense. Everything said about DL applies to LB's when playing RUN defense. Everything said about DB's apply to LB's in pass coverage.
The top linebackers will have ST=80+, SP,AC,AG,=70+, with totals of 550-625. Top rookies will be 500+
SP 7 AC 8 AG 7 ST 10 HA 6 EN 6 IN 7 DI 6
DB's are like the flip side of RB's. SP is very important for coverage. AC is almost as important as the DB's need to come up to fast. The higher the combined SP+AC, the closer to the Line of Scrimmage a DB can play. DB's with low AC better play off the LOS or they will get burned deep.
AG is very important in close coverage, allowing the DB to leap, dive, twist and get a hand in to break up passes, as well as staying close to the receiver as he cuts and jukes.
HA is a nice luxury. Mostly it determines how often a DB will intercept a pass, as opposed to just knocking it down.
ST allows a DB to be a good tackler
IN has a special role in pass coverage. When ever a receiver 'throws a fake', the game does a check between the Recievers' AG and the coverage man's IN, with a modifier. IF the defensive man's IN fails the check, then he 'bites' on the fake and may even run the wrong direction. In some cases I have seen receivers be open by 15 yards or more...just like real football.
Top DB's will have SP=90+, AC,AG,HA=80+ ST,IN,EN =65+ with totals of 575-650.
SP 8 AC 9 AG 10 ST 6 HA 6 EN 7 IN 7 DI 5
ST determines how far the kick/punt can travel. DI determines accuracy. For a PK, PAT's and FGA's will be good, at any distance a higher % of the time as DI increases. For punters, a high DI will greatly increase 'coffin corner' kicks. I actually find that DI is considerably more important than ST.
AC and AG greatly aid in avoiding blocked punts/kicks.
Top Punter/kickers will have DI=90+ ST=90+ AC,AG=45+
SP 6 AC 6 AG 4 ST 8 HA 3 EN 3 IN 3 DI 10
I hope this helps
Bryan Bills
092696