I notice the best coach in my division consistently has players with the best work ethic. And sometimes his players are improving in that area 10+ points per year, and their position rating is going up 5-6-7 points per year, while I'm happy to get 3-4-5.

What I can't figure out is, how do I improve my players Work Ethic? I'm about to start focusing in recruiting on guys who are 50+ in WE, but other than that, what can I do during the season?

Playing time always adds work ethic.

Yes, it helps to recruit guys with higher WE and potential that you find from scouting during recruiting. If those are in place then playing time will increase them even more! The better coaches find a way to get all their players on the field as much as possible. Whether as backups in blowout games or even changing around lineups for runs vs passes on offense/defense. I even know of some coaches that run completely different groups of players for 1st and 2nd downs, then run their best lineups on 3rd downs. The problem with doing that is finding the balance for playing time, promises and still winning!

Thanks for the replies!!

I've got substitutions on 95%, so everybody plays. My top guys don't even crack 75% of participation, and even the last guy in each position group is usually getting 20%. Do they need more? Does giving the top guys even fewer plays not hurt them?

playing everyone is good, but when upper classmen don't get the snaps they think they deserve, their work ethic drops. youngsters are more likely to take it in stride and not lose their 'want to'

Yes, but who cares if WE drops on Srs. You are gonna lose them anyway at seasons end.. Play your young guns as long as you can and not lose and you too will have team with higher WE.

scottdean...there is no single "correct" answer. There are multiple correct answers.

P and K are easy. As long as you only have one....they get 100% pt and start every game. If you have high POTENTIAL and a decent starting WE, those guys will grow nicely.

Other players are a bit tricky, but the concepts are the same. High potential with a decent starting WE...then the amount of PT and starts makes a huge difference when the players are young.

So, what is a "decent" starting WE? Well, you also have to decide what that is. I have a "minimum" WE that I look for in every player when recruiting. I will deviate from that if I find some guy who has really big core numbers and can start right away, but I usually keep that as a FIRM requirement.

It is also nice if you can keep a "minimum" for potential when recruiting. Try to NOT recruit guys who are L or VL. Again, I'll pick up those guys if they are already really good at their position and can play right away.

This is all a balance...it's hard to find a full class of recruits that: meet your position needs, have high WE, have high Potential, have good core attributes, and are actually available.

I suggest simply setting your minimum WE at something like 40....and let the rest of it fall where it falls....That alone will give you a bit of a boost...while you figure out the rest of the "magic combinations" that work for you.