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Saw this on another site and decided to take a crack at Utah’s best NFL team

Welcome to Ute Hub Forums Utah Utes Sports Football Saw this on another site and decided to take a crack at Utah’s best NFL team

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    • #164663
      12
      NarfUte
      Participant

      I used the Career approximate value from Pro Football Reference. Some notes, Mac Speedie is a tough one because he’s in the HoF but played split end, he should probably be one of the starters at WR. PFR also doesn’t give him an approximate value becuase he played before 1960. The colors cascade by what I percieve as accomplishment level.

      Better than I expected at the skill positions (And yes, I’m counting Josh Gordon….), we need some help on the interior of the OL and at LB but this is a pretty damn good football team. 

    • #164667
      2
      Ute Dub
      Participant

      How much time did you put into this??? Nice list. Too much information for me to digest and comment on. Give me a couple of days. 

    • #164668
      4
      krindor
      Participant

      I did something similar and have a few suggestions…

      1. Every team plays 3 WR sets these days. Make another spot for that with starting WR as Smith/Jefferson/Gordon. Same story at CB. The nickelback is a de facto starter.

      2. Going by career AV undersells current players and players that were better in shorter periods. Jaylon Johnson absolutely shouldn’t be a 4th string CB. Tim Patrick, Devontae Booker, Mike Anderson also have arguments to move up.

      3. Can take advantage of some positional flexibility. Luther Elliss has played DE, so shift him there. With Lotuleilei and Soliai we have tons of DT depth. Also Barry Sims can probably shift inward to LG and let Bolles and Gross take the tackle spots. That just leaves C and LB as weak spots.

      • #164672
        NarfUte
        Participant

        Good points – When I was slotting them I had the same issues. Weddle should be a FS but can’t put him ahead of an actual HoF’er – and the Career AV is definitely hurting our newer guys. When I get some more time I want to look at it from a “best year” type AV.

    • #164670
      2
      CincyUte
      Participant

      Nice work!

    • #164673
      1
      ProudUte
      Participant

      Fun stuff.

      WHat about Chris F. at running back?

    • #164675
      1
      krindor
      Participant

      Dealing with a 53 man roster and those constraints here’s what I come up with

      QB (3): Alex Smith, Scott Mitchell, Tyler Huntley
      Notes: Could also include Grosscup over Huntley or only roster 2 QBs if preferred

      RB (4): Jamal Anderson, Mike Anderson, Devontae Booker, Zach Moss
      Notes: Booker and Moss serve as pass-catching options. Charlie Smith gets left out, just because I want stronger pass-catchers, but he’s another guy who would be on the short list if a spot opens up

      WR (6): Steve Smith, Roy Jefferson, Josh Gordon, Mac Speedie, Tim Patrick, Kevin Dyson
      Notes: Probably the deepest spot on the roster, Steve Odom has more AV but is left off since that was mostly as a KR. With Steve Smith, Kevin Dyson, Mac Speedie and others we’re well stocked at KR/PR

      TE/H-Back (3): Bob Trumpy, Marv Fleming, Matt Asiata
      Notes: Asiata plays a H-Back/Fullback role

      OL (9): Jordan Gross, Barry Sims, Lance Scott, Zane Beadles, Garrett Bolles, Chris Kemoeatu, Sam Tevi, Gordon Jolley, Rich Umphrey
      Notes: Gross, Sims, Scott, Beadles, Bolles start left to right. If a guard goes down, Kemoeatu is the first man up. If a tackle goes down, can either shift Sims to T and bring in Kemoeatu or bring in Tevi. Rich Umphrey provides versatility as backup center that can also play guard, and Gordon Jolley (G) is the versatile T/G for a last line of depth

      DL (9): Luther Elliss (DE/DT), Paul Kruger (DE), Paul Soliai (DT), Dave Costa (DT/DE), Manny Fernandez (DT/DE), Ma’ake Kemoeatu (DT), Star Lotulelei (DT), Derrick Shelby (DE), Nate Orchard (DE/OLB)
      Notes: Roster construction means we’re a bit stacked with DTs but Elliss, Fernandez, and even Costa (in a pinch) can move out to DE. Elliss, Kruger, Soliai and Costa start. A little light on DEs, so we add in Orchard who can also play LB if we go to a 4-3 or 3-4 for plays. Sione Pouha is the better player, but we need the edge rush depth and versatility

      LB (5): Koa Misi, Devin Lloyd, Ed Pine, Anthony Davis, Cody Barton
      Notes: Given our lack of LBs, plus great DBs and the modern game, we’re going to play a 4-2-5 defense as a standard, starting Misi and Lloyd (yeah, I may be cheating a bit there). If we want more on the field at some point we have plenty of depth, including Orchard (who is listed as a DE here) or even bringing Marquise Blair (spoiler alert) up into the box

      CB (6): Sean Smith, Jaylon Johnson, Norm Thompson, Eric Rowe, Andre Dyson, Brice McCain
      Notes: Smith, Johnson, Thompson start, but great depth here. Brian Allen and Keith McGill don’t make the cut

      S (5): Larry Wilson, Eric Weddle, Marcus Williams, Julian Blackmon, Marquise Blair
      Notes: Again a focus on versatility – Wilson and Weddle start, Marcus Williams and Blackmon are the top backups. Blackmon can fill in at CB in a pinch, Blair at LB if needed.

      ST (3): Matt Gay, Marv Bateman, TBD
      Notes: Wishnowsky unfortunately misses the cut here because we only need one punter. The TBD is for a long-snapper. If we can get one of our existing OL to handle that as well, then it frees up a spot for someone else, but don’t want to rely on that

    • #164688
      2
      Ute95
      Participant

      Wow! A Manny Hendrix siting. Even though he never played a down of football for the Utes, he did have a pretty  good career with Dallas Cowboys at corner. That last second shot that he hit to beat Wyoming at the SEC in ’85 was epic! 

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