AV6 High Elf Catcher

[mattgslater]

Context: High Elf team in AG-heavy league. 5-1 record, halfway point in season. After good early start, I've started to take some damage, but I've done a good job spreading the SPP, and everybody's between 6 and 18. Here's what I have:
Lineman w/Kick, Block (new, but not the subject... I'm sure about Block on my Kicker, thanks)
Lineman w/Wrestle
Lineman w/Dodge, -AV, MNG
Lineman w/Dodge, Side Step
Lineman w/Dodge, Guard
Lineman w/Guard
Blitzer w/+ST, Mighty Blow
Blitzer w/Side Step
Thrower w/Dodge
Catcher w/Dodge, Skill, -AV
Catcher w/Dodge, Block
Catcher w/Dodge
Apo, 1xAC, 1xCL
5FF, 3RR, 30k bank

So I have two questions.
1) I'm going to hire two of the following assuming nobody dies: Thrower (groom as QB and use the other Thrower as a backup lineman), Lineman (more bodies for line rotation means they all improve faster), or Catcher (see below). I'm not sold on the value of a QB on a team like this, but twice now I've blown it by one on SPs in clutch offensive situations, even as twice now I've saved my butt by having Dodge and Pass on the same guy. I know my Thrower will get Sure Hands next, so if I want to make him into a true QB with Accurate I'll have to wait for the postseason.
2) Catcher with AV6. What to do? -AV isn't a firing offense on a two-skill player. Block will make him more survivable, but if I don't take a Thrower and instead go for a lino and a Catcher, I can groom him for offense, to be just a 1TTD threat and maybe third-string safety. I don't like fielding 4 Catchers at once, as it makes it harder to skill your linos that way. So should I get him Sprint? Or should I compromise with Side Step as a deterrent for blitz actions against this ripe fruit?

[cyagen]

Get him block or wrestle and it solves part of the AV6 problem. It also makes a great player to sack the ball carrier.

[voyagers_uk]

I was going to say Fend, but wrestle probably achieves the ends you seek.

[Carnis]

Sack.

[Craigtw]

While -AV maybe it is not a fireable offense, I almost see the idea of protecting him as being a bit of a waste.

At AV 6 this guy's days are pretty numbered. What I would be inclined to do with this guy is make him as much of a pain as possible to the opposition before he goes.

[*]Diving Tackle is great on him, because if he goes down voluntarily it means that he is not taking an Armour roll. If he survives to his next skill then Sidestep would be the logical choice (with Shadowing after that)

[*] Dirty Player - this way he can help to get rid of the opposition without any risk of losing a great player - it will also mean that his gain of SPPs will be less likely. Sneaky Git would be the next.

[mattgslater]

My thinking is that once I'm at 13 players, he'll become a roleplayer of sorts. Here's my reasoning:

A: 3 Catchers on the field is better than either 2 or 4.
B: Catchers get hurt.
C: A Catcher with 2 skills is too expensive to be a career backup and needs to be a role-player at a minimum.
D: I can barely keep 11 guys on the field as is, and refuse to sack anyone for -1AV until I'm in a MUCH better position.
E: I'm always going to be a fat overdog no matter what I do.

I'm not going to sack him, at least not until I have 3 other stud Catchers. I don't like firing players for a single AV loss or niggling injury: two, maybe, or one of each... but I've seen some superstar Halflings, and this guy is ST3 with better support, in a decidedly non-bashy league. Convincing me that this plan is not optimal will only convince me that I'm going to do the suboptimal anyway. Given that, what skill do I give him?

I guess the real options are: fundamental or gimmick? If I'm just going to bench him, then he can become a dedicated 1TTD threat (Sprint or Side Step) or a free safety (Wrestle or Pass Block).

[Craigtw]

If keeping him then my fundamental concern is that he does not become an SPP vacuum. The skills I suggested will make him useful, help your others players to score, but will nto be helping him to rack up and more SPPs himself.

[stashman]

As long as the catcher don't get blocked, AV6 is not a problem!

[mattgslater]

So 8/3/4/6 Catch, Dodge...
A: Wrestle
B: Block
C: Side Step
D: Pass Block, DT or other defensive gimmick
E: Sprint, KOR or other offensive gimmick

[Craigtw]

So 8/3/4/6 Catch, Dodge...
A: Wrestle
B: Block
C: Side Step
D: Pass Block, DT or other defensive gimmick
E: Sprint, KOR or other offensive gimmick

Assuming that this is indeed a poll, I vote D. Don't give the guy opportunities to gain more SPP when he is already such a weakling.

The other alternative is Dirty Player - don't know whether you are strategically, or perhaps morally opposed to that one!

[DoubleSkulls]

Actually I disagree. Av6/7 isn't that big a deal and you'd expect HE catchers to die regularly anyway - this guy is just a little more prone to it. As he's got lower Av he's going to be targeted to so I'd go Wrestle or Block. Otherwise I'd be trying to whack him with Block/Tackle/MB every turn.

[Wanchor]

I was thinking either Wrestle or Fend, but Diving Tackle and Dirty Player are interesting options too.

[stashman]

Wrestle!

Make him a suicide blitzer! Wrestle, Strip Ball, Tackle

I have a wood elf wardancer with wrestle, strip ball, tackle, pro and niggling! That wardancer play every match like it was his last. Always going for the ballcarrier. He has been fouled many times, but he survives.

[mattgslater]

Yeah, I'd normally just take Wrestle. But I have a Wrestler, and there's something of a shortage of Block in the league. Still, it's a good skill for the player.

[Carnis]

If you're convinced about keeping him then wrestle is the only way to go for these reasons:

You have a wrestler, but he's MA6 and no dodge.
Wrestle on a piece that gets targeted is better than block on a piece that gets targeted (unless if your league is full of block/jugs, a rare skill combination I have never seen in real life as of yet).
You don't want to make your AV6er a primary ball carrier, and blodger is often the best guy to carry the ball with.. This would focus SPPs on a "let-go" player.
MA8 diminishes the downside of being bothdowned while wrestling.
Finally, you'll rarely really win the CAS war, and even then the single blodge over wrestle won't be the defining player.

I'm heavily pro sack for the following reasons though:
Your economy is good, easy to replace him now and you'd have time to skill the replacement as well.
Your SPP spread is good, so it wouldn't be a sacrifice to give the "new guy" 2 TDs for free.
A AV6 guy will not only die sooner, but he'll also make your team more fragile vs good basher teams (MB/PO/Tackle). These kind of injuries do stack up and you'll soon be having not just the two you have now, but 4-6 -AV/-MNG injuries and you'll be really vulnernable to even single tackles then.