Established team vs new team, the big difference is time

OK, so if you've been following the blog, you know I was working towards an expansion team and received a semi-gutted squad. I thought I'd make a post about what the differences have been, to perhaps give people an idea what to expect if they do get an existing team.

The impression I had was that its so sudden. With the expansion team, I'd have know exactly when it was going to happen, and been able to make sure I was ready to go. I also had all my recruitment done well in advance.

with the existing team, I logged in and there it was! My shiny new team. There is so much information to assimilate so that you can work out what you need to do in such a short time. That chemistry grace period looks awfully short when you realise you're going to need to overturn most of your roster, and you only have $600K in the bank!

The good thing about taking on an existing team though is it has a financial history, you can see what the ticket prices are set for,, and how much that has earnt the team. You have a much more defined baseline from which to plan finances. The bad thing is the costs are more unpredictable, as you have a wider range of levels to recruit.

I know I've basically had to tell FAs when making my pitch - I'm sorry I can't afford any equipment bonuses right now, and if its a bidding war for your services I concede defeat! Not the most awe inspiring pitch ever, but I'd much rather do it that way. You know the people who decide to pursue it further are either genuinely interested, or completely oblivious! I've held pretty firm to this so far, and I think it will pay dividends.

Something else I'd suggest is don't lose heart in your recruiting. The nature of the beast is that its easier to recruit the less you need to do. Players are much more keen to join if they see you have a solid squad. If you have major recruiting needs, it will happen slowly at first, and gradually snowball as you gain momentum. Recruit a solid O-Line and all of a sudden HBs and QBs will be leaping over themselves to play for you.

Try and identify the positions that act as multipliers for other players and make them your key targets. The O-Line for those HBs and QBs for example. QBs for WRs. D-Line for LBs and DBs. Punter for the entire defence.

Its a very intense time period when you first get that team - try and make the most of it you can. In a way, I've been lucky, as with being locked out of the playoffs, it gives me a bit of time to contact a lot of people before I can actually make any moves.