¡Volemos! - Mexico City Golden Eagles Relocation CFM (Owner)

[Tritoch42]

Welcome! This franchise is a continuation of The Tampa Investment, which I began a few weeks ago shortly after the game's launch. At the end of the season, the Bucs new fictional owner made the decision to cross the Gulf and have his team take on a new identity as the Mexico City Golden Eagles. Because of the pretty radical shift in location and tone, I preferred to start a new thread that better encompasses what I'll be writing about going forward. Kind of weird to have a thread called "The Tampa Investment" when 90% of the posts are in Mexico

For the background on what happened last season, feel free to click the link above and read over that thread. Because this is a direct continuation of the same franchise, this will begin in the offseason after the Cowboys won Super Bowl LIV. The Golden Eagles will be working out their staffing and personnel for the upcoming season, going through Free Agency and the Draft, and getting ready to start their first year as the first NFL franchise based overseas.

Gameplay-wise, I'm playing with 12 minute quarters and accelerated play clock, with a tweaked version of Matt10's All-Pro sliders. I did a lot of testing between the last game of my previous season and now, and found I've gotten some better, more realistic games without sacrificing the challenge by playing on a souped-up All-Pro as opposed to All-Madden. I'll continue to make minor slider tweaks as the CFM goes on, trying to make sure things stay more or less level and realistic. No elaborate house rules, other than trying to keep my playcalling reasonably varied and grounded without exploiting money plays. I'm more interested in telling a good story than winning.

[Tritoch42]

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[Tritoch42]

Answering Mexico City's Quarterback Question
Who will lead the Golden Eagles under center in 2020?

Martin Bower NFL.com

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis Winston as the first overall draft pick in 2015. In 2018, they opted to extend his contract to a fifth year, leaving him firmly in place as the franchise's lead signal caller for the 2019 season. But since then, the team has had just one winning season, finishing 2016 at 9-7, with this year's 4-12 being the team's worst record since 2014. Bruce Arians was hired, in part, with the hope that the "Quarterback Whisperer" could take Winston under his wing and turn him into a consistent, reliable franchise Quarterback who could be the team's future. So as the Buccaneers played out their season, one question stayed in everyone's mind: Is Jameis Winston the guy? Now that the 2019 season is over and the team has taken up residence in Mexico City in preparation for the offseason, the time has finally come to answer that question.

Based on stats and performance, things didn't look good for the fifth-year QB. A 4-12 record hardly inspires confidence in a field general, and Winston clocked a meager 77.0 passer rating on the year, throwing 20 interceptions and just 18 touchdowns. He managed to make Mike Evans #1 in the league for receiving yards, but he also relied on his go-to man far too often. While the performance got Evans an AFC Best WR award and a spot on the Pro Bowl team, it also saw Winston trying to force balls to his playmaker when he should have been throwing elsewhere, calling into question his judgement in reading plays.

Last week, the question was settled for good. Winston and his agent presented the team with an offer for a five-year deal worth $60.3 million, with another $62.3 million in guaranteed money. If the deal had been accepted, it would have placed Winston among the NFL's highest-paid at his position. But the Golden Eagles were having none of it, insisting that Winston's on-and-off performance didn't justify the kind of money he wanted. The two sides have parted ways, and Winston will be on the free agent market this spring.

Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, they will also enter 2020 without their primary backup at the same position. Blaine Gabbert took over the final game of the regular season after Winston suffered a lower back strain, and while the game still ended in a loss, he impressed by throwing for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, proving that he was a capable game manager. The Golden Eagles offered him a new one-year contract, but Gabbert declined and opted to pursue his free agency options.

As a result, the Golden Eagles will enter the free agency period with only two Quarterbacks on the roster. One is last year's third string QB, 30 year-old Ryan Griffin, who has never taken a regular season snap in his 7-year career. The other is 23 year-old Nick Fitzgerald, who signed with the Buccaneers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, and spent the entirety of last season on the practice squad.

If Bruce Arians wants to find his next QB in free agency, he'll be looking at names like Ryan Tannehill, Case Keenum, Jacoby Brissett, and Teddy Bridgewater. If he opts to use his team's position at #4 overall in the draft, there is only one Quarterback considered first-round talent from this year's class: Kris Conway out of Oklahoma State, known for his powerful arm and great field vision. Whichever route the team chooses to take will have a dramatic impact on what happens in their first season in Mexico City.
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[Tritoch42]

Offseason Highlights - Notable Retirements

Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints)
Matt Schaub (QB, Atlanta Falcons)
Eli Manning (QB, New York Giants)

Adrian Peterson (HB, Washington Redskins)
Darren Sproles (HB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers/ Mexico City Golden Eagles)

Ted Ginn Jr (WR, New Orleans Saints)
Julian Edelman (WR, New England Patriots)
Pierre Garcon (WR, Free Agent)
Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Arizona Cardinals)

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (CB, Washington Redskins)
Eric Weddle (FS, Los Angles Rams)

Andy Reid (Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs)

[Tritoch42]

Free Agency Highlights

Golden Eagles Upgrade On Offense
With Jameis Winston and Blaine Gabbert both on the free agent market, the Mexico City Golden Eagles have a giant question mark at the Quarterback position. While Coach Bruce Arians and owner Ryan Sterling didn't see anyone on the market that could fill that position, they did make important upgrades to their ground game, which could be a significant part of their offense in 2020 if they can't find the right QB. The Golden Eagles acquired former rookie Pro Bowler Kareem Hunt, signing him to a 5-year, $56.3M contract that makes Hunt the second-highest paid player on the team behind star Wide Receiver and team captain Mike Evans. The team also signed former Eagles LT Jason Peters and former Bears LG Cody Whitehair to strengthen the offensive line Hunt will be running behind.

• HB Kareem Hunt
• LT Jason Peters
• LG Cody Whitehair

Bills Spend Big For 2020
The upset AFC East champion Buffalo Bills had a lot of open cap space heading into the offseason, and they came out on a mission to spend all of it to upgrade their team for 2020 in their bid to stay on top of their conference for a second straight year.

• CB Kendall Fuller
• TE Austin Hooper
• RE Yannick Ngakoue
• HB Derrick Henry
• QB Jameis Winston

Quarterback Changes

The Buffalo Bills signed long-time Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston to a 5-year, $114M contract, including a bonus of $57.8M guaranteed. The deal is worth slightly less than what Winston asked from Tampa Bay, but Winston will still take home a big payday as the Bills' new starting Quarterback.

The New York Giants needed a new main man following Eli Manning's retirement, and they acquired Teddy Bridgewater on a three-year deal worth $42.1M. Bridgewater was expected to be re-signed by the New Orleans Saints after he led the team to the playoffs standing in for an injured Drew Brees, but Bridgewater will now be taking over as the face of the Giants.

The New Orleans Saints elected not to re-sign Teddy Bridgewater following his heroic stand-in for the injured (and now retired) Drew Brees. Instead, the team went out into the free agent market and signed former Colts backup Jacoby Brissett for a total of $35.2M over three years.

Other Significant Signings

• TE Eric Hebron - Texans
• WR Dez Bryant - Texans
• MLB Ryan Shazier - Colts
• WR Nelson Agholor - Ravens
• MLB Myles Jack - Ravens
• RT Bryan Bulaga - Dolphins
• RE Ndamukong Suh - Dolphins
• CB Mike Hilton - Seahawks

[Tritoch42]

Mexico City Golden Eagles - 2020 Draft Recap

Martin Bower NFL.com

The Mexico City Golden Eagles had their eye on Kris Conway, the standout QB from Oklahoma State, ever since the decision was made to cut ties with Jameis Winston. The 6'6'' signal caller demonstrated his arm strength at the combine, effortlessly slinging the ball deep downfield and achieving the highest score for a Quarterback on the bench press. With their position at #4 overall and with the Jaguars and Raiders already invested in their quarterbacks, the only competition Mexico City had for Conway was Miami. The Golden Eagles expected Miami to select the consensus #1 pick, USF Wide Receiver Devin Killings, or San Diego State's Heisman-winning Safety Lynn Brackins. But much to Bruce Arians' dismay, when the Dolphins got on the board, they selected Conway as the first overall pick of 2020, bringing the power thrower to very likely become their franchise QB for the next 4-5 years. The Raiders then selected Vanderbilt DT Walter Maggitt at #2, followed by the Jaguars picking up Devin Killings at #3.

By the time the Golden Eagles came up at the fourth overall slot, the top talented players at that stage of the round were at positions like Tight End, Middle Linebacker, and Free Safety -- all positions that Arians felt he had enough depth in. Without a clear match among the remaining top-first-round players, Arians and Golden Eagles owner Ryan Sterling shopped out their pick, hoping to move down in the draft order in exchange for multiple lower picks to help build out their roster with more up-and-coming talent. They traded the #4 pick to the Indianapolis Colts, who used the slot to select Brackins, while giving Mexico City a first round (31st overall) and second round (63rd overall) in exchange. Then, when they came up again, they made a second trade, dealing the 31st overall pick to the Dolphins for a second round (59th overall) and fourth round (111th overall) pick, as well as a seventh-round pick in 2021.

As a result, the Golden Eagles did not make a draft selection until the fourth pick of the second round. However, they ended up with a total of 11 draft choices, including three in the second round and four in the fourth round. From there, the team made no further trades, and used their abundance of selections to try and shore up a number of positional needs across the board.



Round 2, 36th Overall: CB Stewart Jackson (Utah State)
Cornerback wasn't the highest need on the Golden Eagles' draft board, but Bruce Arians believed that Utah State's Stewart Jackson was one of the best players on the board at the top of the second round. Vernon Hargreaves III and Sean Murphy-Bunting played well as the main CB duo last year, but the addition of a talented man-coverage back like Jackson could bring a strong slot back to round out a competent secondary.



Round 2, 59th Overall: C Clint Franklin (Auburn)

The 59th overall draft pick began in New Orleans before being traded to the Miami Dolphins, who then gave it to the Golden Eagles in order to move up to the 31st pick. The Golden Eagles then used it to select Center Clint Franklin out of Auburn. During the offseason, the Golden Eagles made a cap-saving move and traded their former starting Center Ryan Jensen to the Falcons for a fourth-round pick. As a result, the power-blocking Franklin is likely to see immediate play as the first-string Center.



Round 2, 63rd Overall: LT Luther Sawyer (Oklahoma)

With the Colts' draft pick acquired as part of the trade for the 4th overall pick, the Golden Eagles drafted Oklahoma's Left Tackle, Luther Sawyer. The team signed Jason Peters during free agency, and he will be the definite starter come the fall. However, Peters is 38 years old and only on a one-year deal with the Golden Eagles, so Bruce Arians will look for Sawyer to develop and be able to take over the starting role next season. At 6'8'' and 339 lbs, Sawyer will be the largest man on the Mexico City front line, and he has a well-balanced skill set that should allow him to develop into whatever sort of blocker Bruce Arians needs.



Round 3, 68th Overall: LE Lamar Arnold (Oklahoma State)

Lamar Arnold was one of the fastest and most agile Defensive Ends at the combine, excelling in the cone drill and showing off the ability to use quick moves to get past opposing blockers. Arnold was the sixth Defensive End chosen in this year's draft, but the Golden Eagles may have found a steal in getting him as a third rounder. He will compete with veteran William Gholston for the starting slot in the preseason, but his athleticism makes him a potentially dangerous weapon in a defense that ranked second in sacks in 2019.



Round 3, 77th Overall: MLB Lee Jacobs (Boise State)

The Golden Eagles' Middle Linebacker position is solid, with Lavonte David and Devin White anchoring the position for 2020. Jacobs represents a possible investment for the future, if he can be groomed to be ready for the day when David, now 30 years old, starts to get long in the tooth in the coming years. Jacobs will likely see minimal play in 2020, but if he can prove himself and develop, he could have a shot at being a future starter.


Round 4, 100th Overall: WR Kenan Orchard (Georgia)

Georgia WR Kenan Orchard was seen as a second-round draft pick by many analysts, but after disappointing combine performance, his stock dropped significantly. He fell to the Golden Eagles early in the fourth round, where they drafted him in hopes that his combine performance was a fluke and they can coach better performance out of him. If Orchard can recover from the bad combine, he may prove he was worth the mid-round pick.



Round 4, 102nd Overall: RG Darren Gordon (Vanderbilt)

The Golden Eagles drafted Darren Gordon for the same reason they drafted Luther Sawyer. Cody Whitehair is currently locking down the Right Guard position, put Bruce Arians wants to find young linemen who can develop into his next wave of starters. Like his Left Tackle counterpart, Gordon likely won't see play this year, but could become a fixture of the future O-Line in Mexico City.



Round 4, 109th Overall: RE Roosevelt Potter (Minnesota)

The Golden Eagles received the 109th pick from the Arizona Cardinals in the trade for Ndamukong Suh, and they used the pick to draft a player at the same position by taking Minnesota's Roosevelt Potter. Beau Allen is the clear starter at Right End, so this was primarily a depth pick for Mexico City.



Round 4, 111th Overall: QB Hunter Bailey (Maine)

After missing out on Kris Conway, the Golden Eagles focused on filling other positional needs. Bruce Arians reportedly found several of the remaining Quarterbacks overrated for their projected draft position, and did not pick a QB until the 109th overall pick, where he selected Maine QB Hunter Bailey. Physically, Bailey scored the top 40-yard dash time of all Quarterbacks at the combine, and placed in the top 5 for all other agility-related tests. While his throwing arm is lackluster, he has the speed to extend plays. However, Bailey will be competing with a number of equally uninspiring QB's in camp, and the threat of the starting role being taken by a late free agency acquisition is a real one. He may find himself securing a backup slot on the depth chart, but don't look to see Hunter Bailey starting during the regular season.



Round 5, 132nd Overall: RG Floyd Crocker (Maryland)

Taken in the fifth round, Floyd Crocker is the second Right Guard taken by the Golden Eagles in this year's draft. A number of Mexico City scouts were high on the former Terrapin, and it seems that a competition between Crocker and fellow rookie Darren Gordon is upcoming.



Round 6, 134th Overall: TE Theodore Kemp (North Dakota)

With the very last pick of their 2020 draft, the Golden Eagles added some additional depth at Tight End. Kemp's size makes him a big target in tight coverage or in the redzone, and he was known for his possession catches in college. Kemp will likely be a situational player at best, with O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate dominating the TE position for Mexico City.

Overall Draft Grade: C+

The Golden Eagles picked up a couple of talented young men along their offensive line, and if they pan out the way Bruce Arians hopes, Mexico City should have some strong blockers in its future. The team also added valuable depth on defense. But the failure to address the Quarterback position prevents this draft from being considered anything other than "slightly above average." There are talented players in this class who can make an impact on the team, but without a franchise QB, the Golden Eagles will struggle this year.

[rsump112]

Enjoying this. Looking forward to the continuation.