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All-time LSU team for NCAA Football 12 -- requesting assistance from ATVS

So I just discovered that one can create and upload custom teams to NCAA 12 or download the team that someone else has created. Naturally this lead me to look for an all-time LSU team so I could play it against others. And I found one, but unfortunately there were a couple of issues. One is that it was last updated in 2009 (this was originally for NCAA 10). That means no Zod, who obviously is an all-time LSU great. Second, it was, not unexpectedly, chock full of blatant homerism. I like Brady James -- hell I taught Brady James! (good student, btw) -- but he's not a 99 overall. 

So what I have started doing is creating my own all-time LSU team, starting with the players I know, and one I did some research on to find out his tendencies. I have only started, and since this is a rather grueling process I would really appreciate help and insight from the ATVS community. I was hoping to use your knowledge. 

The template for a custom team has 35 offensive players and 31 defensive players, with one punter and one kicker. The template they gave me is all messed up (a spot for one fullback but nine wide receivers!), but since you can put players pretty much anywhere on the depth chart it's not really a big deal. 

For those of you that don't know (and a refresher for those of you that do), each player is rated on a scale from 1-99 on different individual attributes. Taken together these attributes determine an overall composite score of 1-99 that measure how good that player is. A 99 player is the best possible rating, while a 1 is the worst. In the game the very worst players are usually in the 40 or 50s, while the best are in the mid 90s. I think only Andrew Luck has a 99 rating in this year's game, though I might be mistaken. 

Given that this is a project that I want to be as objective and devoid of homerism as possible, I would like players to be rated reasonably. Only the true all-time greats should crack 95, and 99s should be exceedingly rate. In general 99s should be reserved for players like Hershel Walker, Tommy Frazier, Vince Young, N-Donkey Kong Suh, and the like. 

The individual attributes are as follows: 

Basic skills: speed, agility, acceleration, strength, awareness, stamina, injury

Ball carrier skills: break tackle, trucking, elusiveness, ballcarrier vision, stiff arm, spin move, juke move, carrying

Throwing skills: Throwing power, throwing accuracy

Receiving skills: catching, spectacular catch, catch in traffic, route running, release, jumping

Blocking skills: pass block, run block, impact block, run block strength, run block footwork, pass block strength, pass block footwork

Defensive skills tackle, hit power power move, finesse move, block shedding, pursuit, play recognition, man coverage, zone coverage, press coverage

ST skills: kick power, kick accuracy, kick return

Now it's important to keep in mind that only if someone is really good at something should they get a score over 90 in that skill. If I were to rate a receiver 95 in every relevant stat for a receiver he would rate a 99 overall -- overall rating does NOT indicate an average of relevant scores. And sometimes players have weaknesses, and we need to address that. Dwayne Bowe was a bit of a butterfingers, so I rated his catch score as 63. Glenn Dorsey was very prone to injury, so he gets a 30 for that. Zod cramped a lot, so his stamina was only a 65. We have to be honest here. 

The only other thing -- I am rating a player's best year, not a composite over his career. Usually this will be a player's senior year, but perhaps someone had an exceptional year as freshman (e.g., Justin Vincent), or left early for the NFL (e.g., General Zod). 

So far I have only rated a few players. Here they are, with their overall rating in parenthesis: 2007 Glenn Dorsey (99), 2010 Patrick Peterson (97), 2007 LeRon Landry (96), 1956 Billy Cannon (94), 2006 JaMarcus Russell (93), 2004 Marcus Spears (92), and 2006 Dwayne Bowe (85). 

The only other issue is who ARE the all-time LSU greats? I'm sure many we can agree on by consensus. Hopefully the players above are not subject to debate. (JaMarcus might not be the greatest all-time LSU qb, but he's in the top three.) There are also a few others that I think we would all agree belong -- guys like Kevin Faulk and Tommy Casanova. Others (like Justin Vincent or Jacob Hester) might be a point of disagreement.

I think the best way to go about settling the borderline players is to have people rank their top five of each position: QB, RB, FB, WR, TE, OL, DE, DT, OLB, MLB, S, CB, K, P, and KR. Some of you guys know a LOT more about LSU football history than I do, and I would greatly appreciate your feedback to make this an accurate and fun team to play with. 

Feel free to suggest ratings, or provide a top five list for any (or all if you like) positions. If you want to rate a player just give me relevant ratings. (Like for a DT, there's no need to give me his receiving or throwing skills; basic and defensive skills should be fine. I will need things like catching skills for backs and DBs, and ball carry skills for receivers though, for obvious reasons.) 

Anyway, I hope to use the insight and suggestion of this community to create an awesome all-time team for NCAA Football 12 as well as future installments of the game. 

Comment 21 comments  |  1 recs  | 

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Some suggestions

Doc Fenton?
Y.A. Tittle*
Kevin Faulk
Tommy Casanova
Billy Cannon
Jerry Stovall
Rudy Niswanger
Josh Reed
Alan Faneca
Bert Jones
Corey Webster
Josh Jasper anyone?
Bert Jones
Steve Van Buren*
Jim Taylor*

*mainly known for their professional careers

by nasa1225 on Jul 24, 2011 2:25 PM CDT reply actions  

I just did Jerry Stovall

He’s a RB/S/P. Fake punts are gonna be awesome with him!

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Jul 24, 2011 10:24 PM CDT up reply actions  

.

Surprised this hasn’t gotten more traffic. This skews towards players I have seen. This is based in part on the All-American blurbs included in the 2010 media guide. Center was a really deep position (Mawai, McClure, and Wilkerson), and I went with Mawai even though he was the only one of those three not to be all-american, apparently. DT is way deeper than DE, too – I would probably start three DTs (McFarland, Lavalais and Dorsey) with Spears as the starting four DL (I guess Dorsey would play outside in that lineup). I went with Marquis Hill (R.I.P.) as the other DE, but I feel like I’m leaving somebody out. Of the six DL I thought of, four were on the 2003 team. Unreal.

LT – Andrew Whitworth
LG – Faneca
C – Mawai
RG – Tyler LaFauci
RT – Niswanger

QB – Bert Jones
WR – Josh Reed, Wendell Davis, Eric Martin, Bowe,
RB – Faulk, Billy Cannon, Charles Alexander, Jim Taylor, Hilliard, etc, etc.

DE – Spears, Marquis Hill
DT – Booger McFarland, Lavalais, Dorsey, Kyle Williams
LB – Bradie James, Mike Anderson, Michael Brooks
S – Cassanova, LaRon Landry
CB – Corey Webster, Zod

"I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops...depending on the breaks." - Buck Turgidson

by Yail Bloor on Jul 25, 2011 5:20 PM CDT reply actions  

I like that team

Probably add Andolsek to the OL (and it’s Mawae, dammit!), but that’s pretty much my team. I might add Kennison or Kinchen as a WR to return punts. And LaFleur would be my TE.

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
And The Valley Shook!
I self-indulgently tweet @ATVSPoseur

by Poseur on Jul 26, 2011 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions  

Niswanger

Played C more than RT. Currently a center in the NFL too.

Couple other names…
OL: Eric Andolsek, Moonie Winston, Todd McClure, Nacho Albergamo.
QB: Tommy Hodson (c’monnnn)
WR: Michael Clayton
TE: David LaFleur, Richard Dickson
DL: Ronnie Estay, Henry Thomas, John Garlington
LB: Albert Richardson, Warren Capone
DB: Greg Jackson, James Britt

K: Josh Jasper
P: Donnie Jones or Chad Kessler

Writer (and a handsome one at that),
And the Valley Shook

by Billy Gomila on Jul 26, 2011 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions  

Throw Stephen Peterman in the OL group too

Not only a real life stud, but I’m pretty sure he was one of the highest rated guys on NCAA 04 too.

Writer (and a handsome one at that),
And the Valley Shook

by Billy Gomila on Jul 26, 2011 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions  

Hodson and Jones at QB definitely.

I’m getting the impression you guys think Jones should start over TH and JaMarcus… right?

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Jul 26, 2011 2:58 PM CDT reply actions  

Go with Bert!

I think Jones is the best QB in LSU history, followed by JaMarcus. Hodson’s third.

Well, that’s not counting NFL careers, at which point I would take Tittle.

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
And The Valley Shook!
I self-indulgently tweet @ATVSPoseur

by Poseur on Jul 26, 2011 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions  

Thanks

Any thoughts on stats for him? Arm strength? Accuracy?

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Jul 29, 2011 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions  

speed?

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Jul 29, 2011 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions  

I have heard it said that he had one of the 2 or 3 strongest arms in NFL history

Belichek (sic?) said he was the best pure passer he’s ever seen. Don’t know about the mobility.

"I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops...depending on the breaks." - Buck Turgidson

by Yail Bloor on Jul 29, 2011 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions  

I disagree with your rating of Bowe.

Dude dropped everything prior to his eye surgery. But if you check out his last year he was a vaccuum.

I think his catching is in the low to mid 80’s. I’d put Michael Clayton in there and put his catching at about a 95.

"I know the quarterback has a strong arm, but...I mean the ball's not gonna outrun ME" --PP7

by LSU Jonno on Jul 28, 2011 9:19 AM CDT reply actions  

Thanks for the input.

Am I the only one that thinks Bowe never really caught the ball well, even after surgery? I remember announcers making a big deal about it, and him STILL dropping passes. This is just from what I remember though, but I seem to remember thinking “my God, this guy STILL cannot catch.”

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Jul 29, 2011 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions  

His last year he really picked it up

I don’t seem to remember that many drops in 2006 — but then the whole passing game that season just seemed to explode. Even Buster Davis was a surprise that year.

Writer (and a handsome one at that),
And the Valley Shook

by Billy Gomila on Jul 29, 2011 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions  

Andolsek and Faneca are definitely the two guards..

Whoever said Michael Brooks at LB needs to get a raise.

The problem with these “all-time” teams is that it’s so hard to compare across eras. Jamarcus Russell could throw the ball straight through Tommy Hodson’s chest, but they were probably pretty similarly valuable within their respective football eras, and they had roughly similar NFL careers if you ignore where each was drafted.

I mean, Tommy Casanova vs. Laron Landry? How do you even compare them?

Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.

And The Valley Shook

by Richard Pittman on Aug 2, 2011 11:50 AM CDT reply actions  

Some Suggestions

Warren Capone – All American linebacker

Ronnie Estay – A beast of a defensive tackle and also an All American, I believe

Tyler LaFauci – All American guard

Mike Williams – All American DB

Andy Hamilton WR – Bert Jones’ cousin and his favorite target. Elusive as hell and big for his day (6’3", 190lbs). His move on Notre Dame all-everything DB Clarence Ellis is considered by some one of the slickest moves in running a pass route in CFB (and certainly LSU) history . Thrown to him by the guy who shared time in a SUCCESSFUL 2 QB system with Bert Jones; Paul Lyons (which is why I never understood the howls by ATVS posters against the system when we needed it; it has worked well before).

Too many RBs to compare, but might I suggest Charles Alexander:

Charles Alexander was a four-year letterwinner on the LSU Tigers football team. He was selected as a first-team All-American and All-SEC in 1977 and 1978. In 1977 he was selected the SEC Most Valuable Player by the Nashville Banner. Alexander set nine SEC records, tied one and set 27 LSU records during his college career. He still holds the LSU records for most rushes in a game (43), most yards in a season (1,686) and most yards gained per game in a season (153.3).

Alexander set two Sun Bowl rushing records, carrying 31 times for 197 yards, as he won Offensive Player of the Game honors in the 1977 Sun Bowl. Despite Alexander’s efforts, LSU fell to Stanford 24-14. He played his last game as a Tiger in the 1978 Liberty Bowl. Alexander gained 133 yards on 24 carries in the 20-15 loss to Missouri. In 1989, Alexander was inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

by Deluded on Aug 3, 2011 8:33 AM CDT reply actions  

Input appreciated.

I am having a tough time with these older players in determining their strengths and weaknesses though. Bert Jones I was able to catch a couple of highlight films on, and some quotes about his play, as I was for Stovall and Cannon. But I can’t find much of anything about Charles Alexander when I was researching him. Basically, anyone after 1985 I am having trouble creating.

This is turning out not to be the easiest project.

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Aug 3, 2011 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions  

Charles Alexander Follow Up

In researching that same site, I didn’t find any of the “great” RBs that I could think of (including Faulk) who came close to Alexander’s stats, if that counts for anything in your project.

by Deluded on Aug 3, 2011 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions  

I don't need stats so much

as accounts of play style. Something a bit more subjective. Thanks for trying though.

Jordan Jefferson for Heisman!

by Gregatron on Aug 3, 2011 11:45 PM CDT up reply actions  

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