Inspired by the various different guides that I have read by managers I respect and all the information I have gathered through my time in this game I decided to create a small guide about how I choose my players and train them. The guide will contain some facts, but also my assumptions on what skills are needed for the different position. I hope this guide can be useful for new and old player alike and this first part will be about the players, as that is what I find the most interesting thing in game right now.

Players

One of the most important things in how I develop my team is to determine a players physical abilities in Speed and Strength, before deciding what position I will develop them to play.

Quarterback
One of the most important players on the offensive side of the ball. The captain and brain of the offense, so it is important to be guaranteed a solid and stable performance by him. The skill training is focused around the Passing and Vision skills, and eventually also the Agility to counter sacks. After those skills are trained to the level needed I would probably train the Strength, Stamina and Speed.

Requirements:
Talent 4.5+
Intelligence 18+
Consistency 18+

Training:
Passing
Vision
Agility

Runningback
Since this game revolves around the passing game the runningback is not a very important position, so my main focus is to get his Blocking up in hopes that he helps in pass protection, but this is unknown if it actually happens. Afterwards it is all about the runningback skills and Stamina.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+

Training:
Blocking
Carrying
Agility
Stamina

Tight End
One of the star player positions in Grid-Iron and therefore a very important player. A very good tight end can be unstoppable for many defenses and can together with the quarterback win games. Speed and Strength are important to get as high as possible before starting to train the other skills such as Catching and Agility.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Catching
Agility
Stamina

Wide Receiver
Another important player, since it is also involved in the passing game. Despite the strong consensus about the importance of Strength then I value Speed higher than Strength on my receivers. This might be a mistake, but I like to believe that there is a tiny bit, however small, logic in the game engine. Important skills to develop after the physicals have been maximized are Catching and Agility.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 18+
Strength 12+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Catching
Agility
Stamina

Offensive Linemen
The offensive linemen seems to make a bigger impact on run plays than on passing plays, but they are still important players to protect the quarterback to avoid sacks. The two most important players are the two tackles, which have to go against the defensive end and avoid giving up sacks. The interior linemen, the center and the two guards, are still important to counter the occasional linebacker blitz. Strength is very important skill and should be trained as high as possible. A bit of Speed on the tackles is advisable as well.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Strength 16+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Blocking
Footwork
Agility
Stamina

Defensive Tackle
The primary run stoppers and therefore they are not that important in this pass heavy game. High Strength is a must and that is pretty much it for this position. The training should focus around Tackling, Footwork and Agility.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Strength 16+

Training:
Tackling
Footwork
Agility
Stamina

Defensive End
The important player on the defensive line, since it the player that get the most important attempt in sacking the quarterback. High Speed and Strength are very important before training the positional skills such as Tackling, Agility and Footwork.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Tackling
Agility
Footwork
Stamina

Middle Linebacker
The captain of the defense that have the ability to change and adapt the defensive play calling to match the offensive play calling. It is therefore very important to have high Intelligence, so that the player can recognize the offensive play, along with high Consistency, so that the player always performs at a high level. High Speed and Strength are also important for this position, since he will to stop runs, blitz and defend pass plays. The training of a monster at this position takes time, since the high amount of skills required developed before he reaches his full potential, but it is well worth the wait I think, since the majority of the missed tackles defense suffers on pass plays goes through the middle linebacker.

Requirements:
Talent 4.5+
Intelligence 18+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+
Consistency 18+

Training:
Tackling
Positioning
Vision
Agility
Stamina

Outside Linebacker
The player that often will go against the offensive beast called the tight end, so it is important to have a strong and fast player at this position. Again it requires quite a few skills to develop before they shine, but eventually they will be able to limit the offensive player a bit.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Tackling
Agility
Positioning
Vision
Stamina

Cornerback
The player going head to head with the receivers, so it is needed to have good Speed to play this position. A bit of Strength never hurt anybody. Personally I like a fairly high Consistency, so I can depend on the player match after match. This is going to sound like a broken record, but again this position also need quite a few skills developed to stop the offensive players.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 18+
Strength 12+
Consistency 16+

Training:
Tackling
Agility
Positioning
Vision
Stamina

Safety
Some managers call this player the last line of defense and in the real world that is indeed the case, as for Grid-Iron they are just another player that needs to be able to stop the offensive player and don’t miss tackles. Intelligence is important for the position as stated by the Game Developers, but what effect it has it unknown. The Safety position will face both Tight Ends and Wide Receivers, so they will need to be fast and strong to counter the offensive players’ abilities.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Intelligence 16+
Speed 16+
Strength 16+
Consistency 10+

Training:
Tackling
Positioning
Vision
Agility
Stamina

Kicker
The depth of the kicking system in Grid-Iron is currently very limited, so the only skills needed are Kicking and Punting to perform well. Personally I like high Consistency so I can depend on the player’s performance on both punting, kick-offs and field goal attempts. Once I have the level I want in Kicking and Punting I will probably train Strength, since it makes sense in the real world, but it doesn’t have any effect in this game according to the Game Developers.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Consistency 18+

Training:
Kicking
Punting
Strength

Gunner
The position that needs to limit the return yards of the return team and win the fight for field position. It is not a position I find particular important, so I will have a decent player playing or use it to get Team Chemistry for youth players. Speed is the only logical skill needed before training the positional skills.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+

Training:
Tackling
Footwork
Agility
Positioning
Vision

Special Team Cornerback
This is the counter position of the Gunner and should help the return team gain more yards, but I really don’t use the position for this. I use this position to train new Cornerbacks in positional rating, so they can get to the first team faster. I guess one of the important skills for this position is Blocking, but I am not training it. I will train the player playing at this position like a normal cornerback.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 18+
Strength 12+
Consistency 16+

Training:
Tackling
Agility
Positioning
Vision
Stamina

Kick Returner
The return man that is supposed to gain the yards on the returns and most importantly avoid fumbling the return. Speed is one of the requirements for my players at this position before training the positional skills.

Requirements:
Talent 3.5+
Speed 16+

Training:
Carrying
Agility
Footwork
Catching

I hope people can use this information to be inspired to find the way they want to develop their players and team in their very own way. Remember that this post is my opinion and only certain information in it is confirmed by the Game Developers. The rest is based on my assumptions and thoughts developed through debate on the forum.Last edited on 2010-10-28 at 10:06

Intresting to see a surprise skill dominating training for all players but kickers. Some physical requirements will drop perfectly capable players though.

This is fantastic Jesper, hats off to you

onaj mile wrote: great job I only have some doubt about gunner's skills, because Administrator wrote that footwork need gunners. important or not?

I probably would end up training the Footwork skill anyways, since I don't train my Gunners to a very high skill level to keep the wages down

Thanks for all the hard work that must of gone into this, much appreciated!