Here we are at the end of the cycle. Some things went our way. A lot didn't. We learned a lot during our first full cycle in the league and hope to use this experience to have a stronger, better, more successful cycle next go around. We made the playoffs in 3 out of the 7 seasons. Stating the roster we started wasn't pretty would be an understatement. The Jets were the only team with 1 ability player at the start of the cycle. That player also happened to be a rookie offensive lineman who wasn't all too useful either and was shipped out before fulfilling his rookie contract. We started the cycle with a pair of 3 win seasons as we tried to add talent to a bare roster whether through free agency, the draft, or trades. We made the playoffs in year 3 and started an up and down roller coaster of inconsistency. After every year we made the playoffs, we missed out the following year. It wasn't as though we barely missed out either. We had no shot. We made a lot of trades in the offseasons and although some definitely worked out, plenty of them did not. Now that we have a better grasp on what or how to build a team successfully or rather the "do's and don'ts", we should be better prepared for future cycles to come. Here are some notable division stats:
Cycle record within our division: Patriots 5-9
Dolphins 6-8
Bills 9-5 AFC East playoff records: Jets 2-3 Patriots 5-5 (1 super bowl appearance)
Dolphins 1-4
Bills 0-0
It's pretty evident to state that the Patriots were clearly the best team in the division overall for the whole cycle. They routinely made the playoffs and had a great playoff run that led them to a Superbowl appearance. The dolphins may have had the 2nd best division record for the cycle during the regular season but we had the 2nd best playoff record for the cycle.
John Clifton came via trade with the Eagles as a normal dev and developed into a solid superstar runningback who only had 5 fumbles on over 1,000 carries. Stanley Wagner fell into our laps in the middle of the first round in a year in which we had a top 5 pick but traded it away. A significant improvement over Sam Darnold. Wish we could have drafted him in an earlier draft! Denzel Mims started off the cycle with a very low rating and poor attributes for route running and release but ended up developing into a dependable weapon... as dependable as can be with the drop passes trait.
Breeland Speaks was our selection in the "free agency draft" at the start of the cycle. Speaks started off as a normal dev rotational player and developed into an X-factor dominant pass rusher in the middle of our defensive line. Jaylon Smith was obtained via trade from the Cowboys. He immediately had an impact in both the run game and pass game putting up career-best seasons. Javelin Guidry started off at a putrid 64 overall normal dev and after a few seasons turned into a solid #2 corner. Why? Well, speed of course. DUH. His 97 speed helped him overcome his poor coverage ratings and routinely lock up receivers.
Being a part of this community has been such a great experience and it really is a privilege. Shoutout to everyone for making this a fun, unique experience. Seeing everyone chat about various topics, post in channels about food or stocks, folks creating their own content with graphics, videos, tweets, blogs, podcasts etc, has been so motivating and just adds to the immersive community feel. Not all leagues are like this. This is a truly special place. I'm extremely grateful I found this place and found my madden-home. Shoutout to those that played the entire cycle, the commissioners, and the division reps for all that they have done throughout the cycle.