Can someone please give me some solid advice/tips/insight on winning in this game? I've played for years but rarely get past 2nd round of playoffs & I'm tired of wasting money & getting my a$$ kicked by humans every freakin' season. I know the basic stuff - stick to my 360 if possible, don't battle humans typically etc. etc. What I need is some REAL insight so I can figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong/not doing. I'd appreciate any REAL tips. I enjoy the game but I'm getting pretty fed up at this point.

Not sure how to define REAL insight. In my experience, read the forums, especially the pinned posts. Some specific strategies no longer apply, but there are a lot of principles there that still carry over. Mastering this game requires some study, and some experimentation. I have been here forever, and I still find myself trying different things based on the recommendations of more successful coaches and trends in popular strategies.

I've read through lots of stuff & even contacted a few owners here & there but never been given many specific strategies or tips. Other than what I mentioned, probably the most specific thing is, I've had a couple tell me how long they practice a formation. But obviously I'm not getting something right. I've blitzed a ton, cut back to 15-20% blitzing, all sorts of blitzing formations, you name it, anything I can think of. I used to schedul all AI for non-conference. Now I try to schedule at least a couple that are in the top 25-30. But again, I'm not having any long term luck & in this world & the last several seasons, I always get throttled in regular season or 1st or 2nd round of playoffs.

I feel this -- can't beat human-coached teams consistently to save my life. 1st or 2nd round exit from the playoffs most every year for as long as I can remember.

the sims wont give you the information you're looking for. you have to play humans. a lot of times. if there is any advice i can give id say recruit growth, don't fight for a guy if you can get 85% of him for pennies, and never throw short on 2nd and long.

Just a quick glance at your roster, I'd say you're passing way too much with inexperienced QB's and not Elite WR's...

34 interceptions is unacceptable, right?

Your OL/DL are not at a level that can compete at 1AA. You need to get your average STR/BLK or STR/TKL around 85 to make playoff runs in 1AA. You also should only throw passes with a 4th year JR QB or 5th year SR. So start getting your QB situation lined up.

Also I don't know how much or little you run Pro but that minimal amount of practice time you have invested in it is probably not doing you much good. I'd just practice one O and one D.

Check your sitemail scooby.

Hey scooby, if you haven't watched the TTATO series, especially the ones here, I recommend checking them out. Some pretty well established coaches have come on the show and shared some insight to their success - as well as providing a tid-bit of "WTH" info. LOL. GL and keep asking questions, plenty of us here to help.

Posted by bhouska on 9/29/2025 6:26:00 PM (view original):
Just a quick glance at your roster, I'd say you're passing way too much with inexperienced QB's and not Elite WR's...

Im doing the best I can with the players I can actually sign. I keep losing out on my top targeted picks & many/most aren't even to human coaches.

Posted by rudyrude9 on 9/30/2025 11:44:00 AM (view original):
Your OL/DL are not at a level that can compete at 1AA. You need to get your average STR/BLK or STR/TKL around 85 to make playoff runs in 1AA. You also should only throw passes with a 4th year JR QB or 5th year SR. So start getting your QB situation lined up.

Also I don't know how much or little you run Pro but that minimal amount of practice time you have invested in it is probably not doing you much good. I'd just practice one O and one D.

I do run 1 Off/Def most of the time (probably 85% or better). The only times I change it are when the opponent is running formations that I feel I need to make a change, like if someone runs all Trips. I also try to change it up at half time or for a particular game to catch the opponent off-guard. Otherwise I stick with my preferred formations. Personally, Id rather have a VERY run heavy offense to chew up the clock & wear down the defense but, my experience, pretty much my entire 20 years or so playing (on & off) is that the game seems to heavily favor passing over running. I also prefer to run a different offense than most. I hoped that eventually, over time I'd have a consistent & strong running game but that's not been the case for the most part.

Posted by jhunterz on 9/30/2025 1:26:00 PM (view original):
Check your sitemail scooby.

Got it, thanks.

Posted by frankum on 10/2/2025 2:39:00 AM (view original):

Posted by scooby24210 on 9/28/2025 2:56:00 PM (view original):
Can someone please give me some solid advice/tips/insight on winning in this game? I've played for years but rarely get past 2nd round of playoffs & I'm tired of wasting money & getting my a$$ kicked by humans every freakin' season. I know the basic stuff - stick to my 360 if possible, don't battle humans typically etc. etc. What I need is some REAL insight so I can figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong/not doing. I'd appreciate any REAL tips. I enjoy the game but I'm getting pretty fed up at this point.

I haven't looked at your teams or your records. So I don't know what your specific issue may be. But I can promise you something. When I see players who have played this game for years and never get competitive, they all have the same single issue. They are not aggressive enough. You need to be routinely recruiting the best players you can see year in and year out. If you aren't competing with the best teams/owners in your world every single season then you won't ever win. Once you are good enough you should no longer be recruiting "local". The worlds are too small now and you won't win if you do that. No one else will tell you but that's just a fact. If you want to win the world you need to recruit best players. Local doesn't matter anymore at the lower levels. (still matters a D1A but not a whole lot).

Also and most importantly: be patient. These guys have ruled the worlds right now for like 5 real life years lol. They are better than you and they know more than you. It will take 6 seasons for you to even see the players you need to see so that you can compete with them for recruiting. Yes not even beating them but recruiting (they have 60 seasons worth of expertise over you lol) The best players at each division at each world right now are so god damn good that you will have to spend 8 months of your real life to be able to beat them consistently. But they can be beat. I'm about to starting kicking some of them in the nuts because I think I'm better than they are. And that's why we play this game lol.

I understand what you're saying & I do go after some elite players, the problem is I end up losing many & not to humans but to AI. I've been super aggressive as far as things like blitzing before & done well for a season or so but then I get trounced so I back off. I do tend to go after guys outside my 360 a fair amount. When I first set my list on guys to scout I'll check out guys sometimes as far away as 1,000 miles. I don't necessarily pursue them unless the report is really good though. I probably tend to stay within 500-750 miles.

I definitely recognize owner names from several years back & I'm not new myself. I've played at every level & every world for the better part of 20 years. That's why Im so frustrated. I know it takes time to learn the ins & outs but after that long I would've thought I could be a lot more competitive.