Madden 20 Buffalo Bills Franchise - 2023 Season

[JBURGE]

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

14 hours ago, JBURGE said:

Without further ado, with the 1st overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select..... 

Wesley Killian, QB, Wisconsin

This is a pretty disappointing #1 overall pick imo.  I know he's a QB and that he has the hidden dev trait, but he's 70 ovr or under on all types other than Scrambler (which is the worst QB type).  He also has sub 90 throw power.  If he has only Star development you're going to be replacing him in a season or two.  

It will all depend like you said on the dev. If he is a star, he will come along slowly, and yeah I will probably replace him for the dream QB prospect. My team will struggle again next year, so taking a QB again isn't out of the question. But if he is a superstar and can progress in a year or 2 to an X factor, he will be a 90+ in 3 seasons. Unfortunately there weren't any other QB options, and I wanted to get a QB year 1. 

The most important thing for me is the dev. If he is a superstar or x factor it will work. 

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 51st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Joe Sandridge, OT, Arizona State

Dang, 93 strength is awesome.  I'd move him to Guard and upgrade him as a power blocker.  

He will be playing RT for me. I like tackles that can pass block, and with that being his strength I'm not going to turn him into something else. I will be able to get guards down the line, they're way easier to find and draft. Strength plays into LEs being a little bigger too. 

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 65th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Michael Younger, TE, South Carolina

Looks like another good pick.  I've been frustrated with how 1 dimensional the TEs are in this year's madden though.  Guys can either block or they are receivers, they don't seem to ever be both.  His block ratings are in the 60s which are actually solid for a receiving TE.  

I love this pick. Every draft I've had so far has junk TEs past the 1st round, so I made it a priority to take him. If I had to guess he will only have star dev, and considering how slow TEs progress in madden, I might need to focus train him to get him to where I want him to be. 

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 78th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Evan Beal, S, Indiana State

Sub 90 speed and can't tackle.  He's going to need some work.  Looks like a career backup to me.  

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 82nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Jay Elliot, DT, Washington State

77 strength is almost unplayable at DT.  66 OVR with normal dev, this guy might not make your roster.  

These two guys suck. I checked out the other safety I wanted who went 1 spot before me and he has quick dev  They looked solid as prospects, but honestly whatever, they're 3rd rounders. They will be depth and we'll move on in 4 years. 

 

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 108th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Kendall Kerr, WR, Wyoming

This looks like a great pick.  Good speed and hidden dev.  You can probably develop him into a solid #2 WR after a few years.  

I only drafted this guy because I didn't get that safety, so that worked out. He sucks but I will give him slot duties this year so he can develop a little bit. The roster won't compete this year, so it won't hurt. Just like the RB will get 3rd down work with Singletary getting early downs, though at mid season if Singletary isn't doing much, I will play the rookie. I am almost considering just playing May. 

28 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

12 hours ago, JBURGE said:

With the 129th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select...

Bryan Halladay, FB, BYU

Do you use a FB?  I usually just carry 4 TEs.  The FBs in the game are usually garbage.  Every TE is usually better than any FB.  

I don't when I play, but I like having one for sim purposes. 

 

Thank you MKnight for the feedback and comments, makes this worth it! 

I likely won't have an update until Saturday or Sunday.

Edited August 8, 2019 by JBURGE

[holt_bruce81]

Knowing absolutely nothing about Josh Allen's ratings....Was it at all tempting to keep Allen and trade your #1 pick to build a better team around him?

[JBURGE]

24 minutes ago, holt_bruce81 said:

Knowing absolutely nothing about Josh Allen's ratings....Was it at all tempting to keep Allen and trade your #1 pick to build a better team around him?

No. In a sim Josh Allen probably would be fine, but a few things.....

• his accuracy is horrible, so when I user I will hate him. It was so hard doing the training because he missed a few crosses badly. 
• I don't like him as a player, and I will not enjoy a rebuild where my focal player isn't someone I care about.
• He is a star development. He likely will not progress to an X Factor, and even if he does, see above. 
• Trading down from #1 probably nets me a late 1st and a 2021 1st in this game because Madden doesn't understand trade value. Not worth it.

I picked a team where I knew I would move on from the QB. My pass/run split when I play is probably 70/30, so I want to have a QB that I like. 

Edited August 8, 2019 by JBURGE

[JBURGE]

@MKnight82

I am also willing to surrender a few overall points for the QB for his athleticism. He has 85 speed and 80s accel, agility and break tackle. That isn't something you can progress. He may be a 69 Field General or Strong Arm, instead of a 74/75 that would might get for a typical #1 overall QB in this game, BUT I am willing to lose 1 year (on a 21 year old I may add) for athletic traits. 

I plan on developing the Field General and Strong Arm, and expect his throw power to be 92/93 after a couple years, which is serviceable. 

Maybe I should have prefaced before I picked him. If he wasn't the athlete that he was, ie if he didn't own the combine, I wouldn't have drafted him 1st overall. I would have done what @holt_bruce81 said, trade #1 away and get an extra couple picks, and go after a QB next year. It's either I get the guy who has the arm talent and you are a pocket passer, or you draft the athlete and develop the rest. 

The more I think about it the happier I am with the pick. If he is a star dev I will be really bummed

Edited August 8, 2019 by JBURGE

[rob_shadows]

5 hours ago, JBURGE said:

No. In a sim Josh Allen probably would be fine, but a few things.....

• his accuracy is horrible, so when I user I will hate him. It was so hard doing the training because he missed a few crosses badly. 
• I don't like him as a player, and I will not enjoy a rebuild where my focal player isn't someone I care about.
• He is a star development. He likely will not progress to an X Factor, and even if he does, see above. 
• Trading down from #1 probably nets me a late 1st and a 2021 1st in this game because Madden doesn't understand trade value. Not worth it.

I picked a team where I knew I would move on from the QB. My pass/run split when I play is probably 70/30, so I want to have a QB that I like. 

They lowered value of first overall that much? Last year you could trade down to 2nd or 3rd overall and pick up their 1st in the next draft... Very rarely the CPU wouldn't do it and you'd have to go down to maybe 5th overall at the lowest but you could always stay in the top 5 and still get a future 1st.

[RandyMossIsBoss]

As someone obviously very much into the franchise mode of the series, how does this one stack up? I haven't played since Madden 18.

[JBURGE]

15 hours ago, rob_shadows said:

They lowered value of first overall that much? Last year you could trade down to 2nd or 3rd overall and pick up their 1st in the next draft... Very rarely the CPU wouldn't do it and you'd have to go down to maybe 5th overall at the lowest but you could always stay in the top 5 and still get a future 1st.

I didn't try, but when I look at the proposed offers they are bad. I don't often do manual trades when trading draft picks

If I wasn't taking the QB I likely would have tried

[JBURGE]

7 hours ago, RandyMossIsBoss said:

As someone obviously very much into the franchise mode of the series, how does this one stack up? I haven't played since Madden 18.

It hasn't changed much, but last year they introduced a new progression system where you no longer upgrade individual stats, but position archtypes and it will upgrade random stats under that archtype. This year they added the Superstar and X Factor (zone) abilities. Those two together definitely improved the franchise experience, but don't expect much else. 

[Danger]

Ah I see the old meme of Madden Trades is still alive and well.

[JBURGE]

2 hours ago, Danger said:

Ah I see the old meme of Madden Trades is still alive and well.

In another franchise I couldn't trade Myles Garrett in 2020 for a rookie right tackle that was 77 overall and a star development. 

[JBURGE]

On 08/08/2019 at 12:47 AM, JBURGE said:

BILLS 2020 DRAFT CLASS
PICK		NAME	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL	COMBINE	RATING
1.1	QB	WESLEY KILIAN	21	6'3	221	WISCONSIN	6.7	73 ?
1.19	OT	DEVON MCBRIDE	21	6.4	306	OREGON	6.8	77 ?
2.1	HB	CORTEZ MAY	22	5.9	199	MAINE	6.7	71 N
2.19	OT	JOE SANDRIDGE	21	6.6	312	ARIZONA STATE	6.8	74 ?
3.1	TE	MICHAEL YOUNGER	21	6.4	268	SOUTH CAROLINA	7.0	75 ?
3.14	S	EVAN BEAL	21	6.1	208	INDIANA STATE	5.8	70 N
3.18	DT	JAY ELLIOT	21	6.2	305	WASHINGTON STATE	5.8	66 N
4.12	WR	KENDALL KERR	23	5.1	196	WYOMING	6.3	64 ?
4.24	FB	BRYAN HALLADAY	23	6.3	245	BYU	6.8	70 N
5.1	K	WYATT CURTIS	23	6.3	194	PRINCETON	1.2	70 N
6.1	K	DILLON BUTLER	23	5.11	210	INDIANA	2.2	69 N

I'll go into this some more tomorrow. This draft took almost 3 hours and I'm beat. 

Overall, I am happy with this draft, but of course we will have to see the dev of these guys before I have real judgement. If all of the hidden dev guys are stars then I will be disappointed, because having 3 picks in the top 33 with no superstars would be a huge letdown. 

How were some of the other guys on my board that I missed?

• CB Ontarius Pearson, drafted #9 by the Cardinals, is a 72 ovr hidden dev. 
• LT Denton Mooney, drafted #11 by the Texans, is a 77 hidden. Really damn good player already
• WR Trent Parson, drafted #16 by the Raifers, is a 74 ovr hidden. 
• C Eli Armstead, drafted #18 by the Ravens, is a 74 ovr normal. 
• DE Michael Rountree, drafted #21 by the Cowboys, is a 72 oivr normal. 
• WR Leon Carswell, drafted #25 by the Redskins, is a 70 overall hidden. 
• DE Arsenio Baxter, drafted #26 by the Seahawks, is a 71 ovr normal.  COnsider myself lucky for them taking him 1 spot ahead of me!
• S Harvey Dupree, drafted one spot ahead of me in the 3rd by the Falcons, is a 68 ovr hidden. Slightly lower ovr than Beal who I drafted, but better dev. 

That's enough of a draft review. Let's take a look at the UDFA class and fill the roster out. 

_______________________________________

2020 Pre-Season

So I signed a few guys, but no one of note. I didn't see any UDFA hidden dev guys, nor any solid cuts on Week 4 of the Pre-Season

[JBURGE]

2020 Season

So I am going to be pretty damn conservative this year again when setting my goal. Last year I had 3 wins, and I would expect something pretty similar this year, but hopefully a few more wins. The #1 picm isn't the goal - I need to win a few games this year. The goal will be 4 wins. 

I will be focus training:

• QB Wesley Kilian
• LT Devon McBride
• RT Joe Sandrigde

Boring to do the two tackles, but since the pass rush is so good in this game, I would like to have two good protectors as early as possible. Plus I didn't draft any good defenders unfortunately. 

So we have a new QB, new bookend tackles, and a new 3rd WR. Since I won't be a competitive team, rookie WR Kerr is getting WR3 and primary slot duties over Robert Foster and Isaiah McKenzie. Rookie TE Younger will get TE1 over Knox and Tyler Kroft. I also figured that since May is only 3 overall ponts behind Singletary that he would start. On the OL, I slid Dion Dawkins inside to LG, Cody Ford moves over to RG, all to accomodate the new tackles. 

The defense is a lot more boring. No new faces outside FS Evan Beal, who is probably a future 3rd safety. Ed Oliver and Tremaine Edmunds will continue to develop. I'm still not sure how long I will keep them. 

As of now, this is my draft capital:

BILLS PICKS
1st	5th
1st via KC	5th via NYJ
2nd	6th
3rd	7th via MIN

I would like to add a few more mid round picks, so we will if that will be possible. WR John Brown, DT Phillips, DEs Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson will all be placed on the trade block to guage their value. 

The priorities to upgrade this year are, in rough order:

1. Defensive End / Pass Rushers
2. Safety
3. Corner
4. Wide Receiver
5. Interior OL
6. Running Back

Depending on what the hidden devs end up being, and what the draft class looks like, this will shift around. 

Next stop, mid-season. 

Edited August 10, 2019 by JBURGE

[JBURGE]

2020 Mid-Season Break

This is a 2 week break. I have an early Bye, so I am pausing at week 8 to maybe make some trades happen, and also at week 9 to post mid-season stats and updates on the hidden devs of the rookies.

In week 8, we are sitting at 1-5, so I am going to be a seller. The core 4 guys I will look to move (not all) are the same ones I listed before..... 

TRADE
BILLS RECEIVE			SEAHAWKS RECEIVE
	2021 3rd		WR	JOHN BROWN	80
OG	C GOSSETT	67

Seahawks are a playoff team and their WRs suck. The OG was a throw in to make the cap space work for them. 

TRADE
BILLS RECEIVE			BUCS RECEIVE
	2021 2nd		DE	SHAQ LAWSON	81
				2021 7th

Shaw Lawson is in his contract year, and I'd rather not pay him what he is asking for, which is a lot. This gives the competing Bucs a starting edge rusher for a likely late 2nd. 

I got good deals with those two players, so I won't make any more trades. I will pick up a depth edge player to replace Lawson whil Trent Murphy will start.

Player Re-signings

• CB Tre'davious White has signed a 4 year, $55m deal to remain with the Bills. 
• WR Zay Jones has signed a 3 year $20m deal
• LG Dion Dawkins signs a 2 year $2m deal
• DE Trent Murphy signs a 1 year, $6m deal
• OLB Matt Milano declines offers and will test FA - will see if I franchise tag. I wasn't giving him a 5 year deal. 

Rookie Developments

The part we've all been waiting for..... the rookie development reveals. 

• QB Wesley Kilian, now a 76 ovr Field General (also 76 Scrambler) is..... a Superstar! PHEW. I will update with his superstar abilities below.
• LT Devon McBride is a Star 
• RT Joe Sandridge is a Star
• TE Michael Younger is a Star
• WR Kendall Kerr is a Star

Obviously would have liked to hit one more superstar, but can't be too upset with the haul, considering I also have Ed Oliver and Tremaine Edmunds as Superstars. Below, I will list the Superstar players with their abilities. 

QB | Wesley Kilian | #10		INSIDE DEADEYE	Perfect accuracy on all throws inside the numbers
Field General 76 OVR	6'3 | 221 ROOKIE | 21	POCKET DEADEYE	Perfect accuracy on all unpressured throws while feet are set in the pocket

Thank christ I was able to get Kilian to another archtype before the traits unlocked... Otherwise these 2 would have been locked as a scrambling QB's traits, which I would have hated. I upgraded the Field General 5 or 6y times and Scrambler only upgraded twice. 

For the actual abilities, wow! I have experienced Inside Deadeye before, and it makes post routes absolutely elite. Pocket deadeye I haven't had before, but that is a pretty damn great ability to pair with the first. I am now super happy with this 1st overall pick!

MLB | Tremaine Edmunds | #49		SECURE TACKLER	Increased success when using conservative/diving tackles
Field General 85 OVR	6'5 | 250 Year 3 | 22	?	Unlocks at Level 90

DT | Ed Oliver Jr. | #91		UNDER PRESSURE	Apply pressure to the QB from greater distances
Power Rusher 84 OVR	6'1 | 287 Year 2| 22	?	Unlocks at Level 90

Both of these guys will stick around for a bit, but eventually will be replaced to make the team completely built via the draft. 

Mid-Season Stats

2019 BUFFALO BILLS PLAYER STATS
OFFENSE
	PASSING	PASS YDS	PASS TDS	INT	COMP %	QBR
QB	WESLEY KILIAN	1,839	10	4	63%	91.9
	RUSHING	ATT	RUSH YDS	RUSH TD	YPC
RB	CORTEZ MAY	137	442	5	3.2
QB	DEVIN SINGLETARY	27	61	0	2.3
	RECEIVING	REC	REC YDS	REC TDS	AVG
WR	ZAY JONES	41	536	4	13.1
TE	MICHAEL YOUNGER	43	445	2	10.3
WR	KENDALL KERR	26	309	1	11.9
HB	CORTEZ MAY	11	130	0	11.8
-	-	31	377	0	12.2
DEFENSE
-	-	TAK (TFL)	SAK	INT	FF / FR	TD
MLB	TREMAINE EDMUNDS	68 (5)	1.0	1	0/0	0
CB	TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE	41	0.0	4	0/0	0
DE	TRENT MURPHY	20 (3)	5.0	0	1/1	0

I wish there was more to report than this.......... yikes. I am sincerely hoping that the offense can pick it up a bit now that we have some abilities on Kilian, but wow, this is probably the worst offense I have ever had on a Madden franchise ever. 15 touchdowns in 8 games? 

Kilian is currently in 1st for OROY, but right behind him is the Chiefs rookie WR Greg Pitts. 

I'm going to sim through to the end of the year and we will do offseason #2

Edited August 10, 2019 by JBURGE

[JBURGE]

2020 Season Summary

2020 SEASON SCHEDULE
WEEK		TEAM	SCORE
1	@	CARDINALS	21-52
2		PATRIOTS	8-38
3		RAIDERS	19-17
4		BYE	-
5	@	BRONCOS	16-22
6		RAMS	20-28
7		DOLPHINS	14-20
8	@	PATRIOTS	22-38
9		JETS	18-21
10	@	CHARGERS	31-28
11	@	SEAHAWKS	17-38
12	@	DOLPHINS	16-35
13	@	TITANS	17-19
14		RAVENS	10-35
15		49ERS	20-17
16	@	JETS	13-20
17		CHIEFS	21-14

The Bills finished the season 4-12, which is what the goal was and quite frankly about what I expected. It's still a little surprising considering the division was really weak this year, but we went 0-6 in the division. 

2020 BUFFALO BILLS PLAYER STATS
OFFENSE
	PASSING	PASS YDS	PASS TDS	INT	COMP %	QBR
QB	WESLEY KILIAN	3,722	19	8	62%	88.8
	RUSHING	ATT	RUSH YDS	RUSH TD	YPC
RB	CORTEZ MAY	280	887	10	3.2
QB	DEVIN SINGLETARY	58	146	2	2.5
	RECEIVING	REC	REC YDS	REC TDS	AVG
WR	ZAY JONES	87	1,087	7	12.5
TE	MICHAEL YOUNGER	82	870	5	10.6
WR	KENDALL KERR	58	677	3	11.7
WR	ROBERT FOSTER	33	316	0	9.6
HB	CORTEZ MAY	25	231	0	9.2
DEFENSE
-	-	TAK (TFL)	SAK	INT	FF / FR	TD
MLB	TREMAINE EDMUNDS	139 (10)	1.5	2	0/0	0
LB	MATT MILANO	115 (5)	4.5	0	0/0	0
CB	TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE	83	0.0	4	0/0	0
DE	TRENT MURPHY	44 (9)	8.4	1	0/0	0
DT	ED OLIVER	52 (12)	5.5	0	0/0	0

Offensively it was a pretty pedestrian year. May wasn't able to hit 1,000 yards, but he shouldn't have, because he is a pretty below average RB.I'll look to upgrade the RB spot this offseason potentially. Zay Jones has a pretty good year, and I'm happy to see Madden improving TE sim stats. That is a really solid year for Mike Younger, the rookie TE.

Madden however still can't sim QB stuff, because with Kilian's 85 speed, he had 7 rushes for 28 yards. lol. 

On defense, much of nothing. Barely any turnovers this year at all, which is weird because my defense is definitely better than last year. Lorenzo Alexander must have been the golden key. 

2020 BUFFALO BILLS TEAM STATS
OFFENSE
PPG		TOTAL YDS/G		PASS YDS/G		RUSH YDS/G		PASS TD		RUSH TD		ALL-P YDS
17.7	2.2	304		234		70		19	-3	13	5	397
32nd	-1	31st	-2	25th	3	28th	-1	29th	-1	25th	7	30th	-3
DEFENSE
PPG		TOTAL YDS/G		PASS YDS/G		RUSH YDS/G		SACKS		INT		FUMBLES
27.6	2.7	368		260		107		29	-1	8	-7	0	-2
31st	-8	26th	6	24th	4	28th	2	26th	-6	T25th	-23	T32	-16

This is more new. I changed the Total yards to be per game, which is way nicer to read. The 2.2 on the PPG represents the year over year change, and the number beside the league ranking is of course the change in year over year ranking. Next year I will have year over year improvements in yards per game as well. 

I think this will give a nice suimmary of what is improving over the last year. 

With that being said, I sucked this year. 

Edited August 10, 2019 by JBURGE

[JBURGE]

2020 Standings and Awards

2020 SEASON STANDINGS
AFC					NFC
	TEAM	W-L	SEED			TEAM	W-L	SEED
1	BROWNS	12-4	1		1	SAINTS	13-3	1
2	PATRIOTS	11-4-1	2		2	SEAHAWKS	12-4	2
3	CHARGERS	11-5	3		3	FALCONS	12-4	3
4	JAGUARS	11-5	5		4	BEARS	11-5	4
5	RAVENS	11-5	4		5	GIANTS	9-7	5
6	JETS	10-6	6		6	REDSKINS	8-7-1	6
7	TEXANS	10-6	x		7	CARDINALS	8-8	x
8	BRONCOS	8-8	x		8	RAMS	8-8	x
9	COLTS	8-8	x		9	PANTHERS	8-8	x
10	BENGALS	7-9	x		10	COWBOYS	7-8	x
11	TITANS	6-10	x		11	LIONS	7-9	x
12	RAIDERS	5-11	x		12	PACKERS	7-9	x
13	DOLPHINS	4-12	x		13	49ERS	6-10	x
14	BILLS	4-12	x		14	BUCS	6-10	x
15	STEELERS	4-12	x		15	VIKINGS	5-11	x
16	CHIEFS	1-14-1	x		16	EAGLES	4-12	x

Okay, so, I traded for KCs 1st round pick last year. I was shocked when KC picked 7th last year.... what the ****? Below are a couple pics of the Chiefs schedule just to show that I did not force lose their games to get a better pick lmao. I think I will have to trade down with one of them because I don't want to pick twice in the top 5.... 

2020 SEASON AWARDS
MVP	QB	PHILIP RIVERS	CHARGERS	COTY	-	SEAN PAYTON	SAINTS
AFC				NFC
OPOY	QB	PHILIP RIVERS	CHARGERS	OPOY	RB	EZEKIEL ELLIOT	COWBOYS
DPOY	LB	RYAN SHAZIER	STEELERS	DPOY	LB	ANTHONY BARR	VIKINGS
OROY	QB	WESLEY KILIAN	BILLS	OROY	WR	LEON BOWIE	EAGLES
DROY	S	EVAN BEAL	BILLS	DROY	DB	ONTARIUS PEARSON	CARDINALS
BEST	QB	BAKER MAYFIELD	BROWNS	BEST	QB	RYAN TANNEHILL	SAINTS
	RB	NICK CHUBB	BROWNS		RB	EZEKIEL ELLIOT	COWBOYS
	WR	KEENAN ALLEN	CHARGERS		WR	ALLEN ROBINSON	BEARS
	OL	SHAW MASON	PATRIOTS		OL	TERRON ARMSTEAD	SAINTS
	DL	JJ WATT	TEXANS		DL	CAMERON JORDAN	SAINTS
	LB	VON MILLER	BRONCOS		LB	KHALIL MACK	BEARS
	DB	TRE WHITE	BILLS		DB	AVONTE MADDOX	EAGLES

Predictably Kilian wins OROY, but a bit of a nice surprise to see Evan Beal win DROY. He barely had any stats, but he played all of the snaps for the year. Maybe this will progress him to a star rating, and then he can progress some? We'll see.

Edited August 13, 2019 by JBURGE