2007 Buffalo Bills - A Madden Simchise
 

The 2006 NFL Season has come to a conclusion. That means only one thing. My acquisition of the Buffalo Bills franchise is complete. My goal is to finally get this city a Superbowl.

The 2006 Buffalo Bills finished a respectable 8-8, beating many people’s expectations. Shaun Alexander was named MVP again this season, however even he couldn’t overcome Steve McNair and the Ravens in SuperBowl XLI. McNair had a wonderful game in his second shot for a ring and led Baltimore to a 41-20 victory. XLI was the Ravens second title.

In the college world, Iowa senior(RS) QB Corey Smith won the Heisman trophy, leading the Hawkeyes to an 11-1 regular season record and an eventual 28-10 win over #11 Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. During the season, he completed 289 of 411 passes for 3953 yards and had 46 total touchdowns.

#2 Maryland(13-0) upset #1 Oklahoma(13-0) 31-28 to win the BCS National Championship.


I have a few goals for my team over the next several years.

1. Get the team into some respectable uniforms
2. Win 10 games in a season by year 2.
3. Have a new stadium within 4 years
4. Make it to the Super Bowl by year 5
5. Win a Super Bowl by year 6


And so we begin…

2007 Offseason

Financial News:

I get our financial report on my desk and am very pleased with what I see.

Income: $149.15M
Ticket Sales: $34.35M
Concessions: $4.30M
Parking: $1.90M
Merchandise: $3.00M
NFL Shared Revenue: $105.5M
Local Media Contract: $0k

Expenses: $92.10M
Player Salaries: $65.85M
Staff Salaries: $9.75M
Stadium Upgrades: $0k
Stadium Maintenance: $16.50M
Advertising: $0k
Fan Appreciation Day: $0k

Year 2006 Net Income: $57.05M

I slightly raise the prices of tickets, concessions, merchandise, and parking to keep on par with the rest of the NFL.

I also sign a 1 year/$1.50M deal with Hammerhead Shipping for naming rights to our stadium. We get paid if we win 8 games or make the playoffs next season.


Coaching News:

Bill Belichick has left the New England Patriots

Our special teams coach, B. April’s contract is up. He’s currently got an offer from Tampa to be their special teams coach. He’s the best ST coach on the market, so I really don’t want to let him go. After some negotiations, I sign him to a 2 year/$310k contract.

We still have a 2 year contract with the mediocre Group Training Company to be our trainers. Not really much I can do about that now.

2007 Offseason: Continued

Retired Bills Players:

Free Safety #23 Troy Vincent announces his retirement after 15 years in the NFL. He’s played for the Bills since 2004 and played in Philadelphia earlier in his career. He ends his career with 872 tackles and 48 interceptions.

Fullback #31 Daimon Shelton announces his retirement after 10 years in the NFL. Shelton was a career backup until this past year when he started all 16 regular season games. He played for Jacksonville, Chicago, and most recently Buffalo. He’s been with the Bills since 2004.


Other Retired Players

Quarterback #10 Trent Green, an NFL Icon of the Kansas City Chiefs has retired. He ends his career with 28,738 passing yards and 167 touchdowns.

Quarterback #13 Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals has retired. The former MVP finishes his career with a 93.6 passer rating, as well as 22,129 passing yards and 141 touchdowns.

Quarterback #4 Brett Favre, and NFL Icon of the Green Bay Packers has retired. The former MVP and Super Bowl champion finishes his career with 56,188 passing yards and 412 touchdowns.

Other notable quarterbacks retiring include Brad Johnson of the Vikings, Mark Brunell of the Redskins, Jeff Garcia of the Eagles, and Trent Dilfer of the 49ers.

Halfback Curtis Martin, an NFL Icon of the New York Jets has retired. During his career with the Patriots and Jets, he ran for 15,611 yards and 99 touchdowns.

Halfback Marshall Faulk, an NFL Icon of the St. Louis Rams has retired. He ran for 12,832 yards and 105 touchdowns and caught 777 passes for 6,961 yards and 37 touchdowns playing for Indianapolis and St. Louis.

Wide Receiver Rod Smith of the Denver Broncos has retired. He finishes with 857 catches for 11,652 yards and 72 touchdowns.

Wide Receiver Keenan McCardell of the San Diego Chargers has retired. He played for several teams during his career and finishes with 901 catches for 11,612 yards and 71 touchdowns.

Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson of the Carolina Panthers has retired. He caught 787 passes for 10,224 yards and 61 touchdowns while playing for the Jets, Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Panthers.

Linebacker Junior Seau of the Washington Redskins has retired. He spent most of his career in San Diego, but also played for the Dolphins, Patriots, and Redskins. He recorded 1,660 tackles, 54 sacks, and 15 interceptions.


Release Players:

HB Anthony Thomas, a journeyman who signed with the team prior to last season will not be retained.

LT Mike Gandy, who is in his 3rd year is injury prone and has never played a full season. He will be gone.

RT Aaron Gibson, a former first round pick(8 years ago) will also be released.


Restricted Free Agents:

We have one restricted free agent this year. He is DT Tim Anderson. He’s a more than serviceable backup, so I offer him a 1 year/$680k contract. However, Oakland sees him as more than that and offers way more than I feel he’s worth. So long, Tim!

I see no one else worth going after.


Re-Sign Players:
We have $71.1M in cap room to start off free agency. Woo-hoo!!!

My first re-signing will be LT Matt Morgan. He played in 13 games last year, starting 9 of them. I sign him to a 3 year deal worth $2.94M with a $600k bonus.

RT Jason Peters will also be retained. He had 53 pancake blocks last season, starting all 16 games. He signs a 3 year deal worth $7.08M with a $1.80M bonus.

RE Aaron Shobel will also be back next season. He was injured last season and still recorded 6 sacks. He signs a 4 year deal worth $19.88M with a $5.00M bonus.

I re-sign backup LOLB Mario Haggan to a 2 year/$2.10M deal with a $400k bonus

CB Nate Clements had an off-season last year, but is insanely talented. He agrees to a 3 year/$15.30M contract with a $3.90M bonus.

CB Terrence McGee made the Pro Bowl last year, so it is a priority to sign him. He agrees to a 4 year deal worth $19.40M with a $5.00M bonus.


Not suiting up for the Bills next season will be the following players.

HB Shaud Williams - 71 OVR
WR Josh Reed - 76 OVR
WR Andre Davis - 79 OVR
TE Brad Cieslak - 71 OVR
LE Chris Kelsey - 78 OVR
DT Lauvale Sape - 70 OVR
LOLB Jeff Posey - 83 OVR
MLB Liam Ezekiel - 64 OVR
ROLB Angelo Crowell - 75 OVR
CB Jabari Greer - 69 OVR
FS Rashad Baker - 77 OVR
SS Coy Wire - 75 OVR
K Rian Lindell - 86 OVR


Unrestricted Free Agency:
It’s very nice to enter UFA with $56.1M in cap room. We have a few team needs. QB is solid with Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman(who seems to be a bust at this point). We don’t have a single FB on the roster, so we’ll be looking to fill that void. We also have needs on the offensive line, especially at LT. We also need backups on pretty much every position on defense.

We make preliminary offers to FB Patrick Pass of New England, LT Michael Roos of Tennessee, LE Aaron Smith of Pittsburgh, and LOLB Hannibal Navies of Cincinnati.

2 days later, we get our first signing. LE Aaron Smith agrees to a 3 year/$13.0M deal with a $3.00M bonus. LOLB Hannibal Navies signs a 3 year/$4.14M deal with a $900k.

The following day, FB Patrick Pass agrees to a 3 year/$7.59M contract with a $2.01M bonus.

The last of our preliminary offers, Michael Roos agrees to a 3 year/$7.08M deal with a $1.80M bonus.

NFL Draft:

Picking Order:

1. Detroit(3-13)
2. Cleveland(4-12)
3. Tampa Bay(4-11-1)
4. Kansas City(5-11)
5. Jacksonville(6-10)
6. Houston(6-10)
7. Arizona(7-9)
8. San Francisco(7-9)
9. Minnesota(7-9)
10. New Orleans(7-9)
11. Denver(7-9)
12. Philadelphia(7-8-1)
13. New York Jets(8-8)
14. Buffalo(8-8)
15. Miami(8-8)
16. Tennessee(8-8)
17. Oakland(8-8)
18. San Diego - From Atlanta(8-8)
19. New York Giants(8-8)
20. Chicago(8-7-1)
21. Kansas City- From Pittsburgh(9-8)
22. Dallas(9-7)
23. Cincinnati(10-7)
24. New York Giants - From St. Louis(10-7)
25. Indianapolis(9-9)
26. Green Bay(11-7)
27. New England(10-8)
28. Carolina(12-5)
29. Washington(12-7)
30. San Diego(11-7)
31. Seattle(13-6)
32. Baltimore(15-4)


We’ve got several needs in the 2007 draft, with most of them being on offense. At QB, Kelly Holcomb is 34 years old and J.P. Losman has been labeled as an “underachiever”.

We’re fine in the backfield now with Willis McGahee at HB and Patrick Pass at FB. However both will need backups.

WR is probably the key position we’re gonna be looking for. We have Lee Evans at number one with a rating of 88OVR. Our current second man is Peerless Price, who’s rated at 77OVR. Needless to say, any QB that we do eventually pick up will need some help.

On offensive line, we’re not looking too shabby. We just need a backup RT.

On defensive line, we’re gonna need at least a backup at DT. We run the 4-3, so we need to be deep. We have John McCargo who’s rated at 75OVR going into his 2nd season next year, so I’d like to give him a chance to develop.

I feel like we’re pretty solidly stacked. We’ve got free agent signing Hannibal Navies(80OVR) at left out, London Fletcher(91OVR) in the middle, and pro-bowler Takeo Spikes(95OVR) on the right. We do need a couple backups though, and none of the guys are getting any younger.

We seem to be stacked at CB too, with Nate Clements(90) coming back and pro-bowler Terrence McGee(88) on the other side. A backup will be needed.

FS is a need position for us. We only have one on the roster and that is 2nd year man Ko Simpson(76). We’ll need to address this on the first day of the draft.

We’re fine at SS as we have Donte Whitner(82) slotted to start. He’s been labeled as a future star. Last year’s starter, Matt Bowen(81) will back up.

A kicker is needed, but most likely won’t be drafted. We’ll be looking for a free agent after the draft.


So priority goes…

WR/QB - We will only go QB this year if Iowa’s Corey Smith is available. He won the Heisman for the Hawkeyes last year and has a ton of athletic talent. He’s projected to go in the top 10 though. If he’s gone, we’ll be looking at receiver. The receiver that would most likely fall to us would be Michigan’s Josiah Kelly, who is rated as the 3rd best in the draft. He’s 6’2” and runs a 4.35 40.

FS - If both our players are gone by 14, we’ll be looking at Greg Tuner of Ohio State or Greg Booker of Colorado. Both are projected first rounders. If we go offense in round one, we’ll be checking out Miami’s Earl Walton, or Florida’s Eddie Payne.

HB - We need a backup for McGahee. I’d kind of like a bruiser.

RT - Simply a backup is needed.

LB - Backups.


Mel Kiper’s Top 5:

1. QB Lonnie Humphrey - Ohio State
This kid can do it all. He’s 23, so he’s not too old, plus he’s got several years of experience playing against high caliber opponents in the Big Ten. He’s 6’3” and runs a 4.74 40. More of a pocket passer.

2. QB Ben Walker - Miami(FL)
Athletic and young(he’s 22), he poses a dual threat. He can run and throw, and does each very well.

3. WR Stephon Johnson - Southern California
Not a tremendous deep threat, but this guy can go over the middle and hit. He’s tall(6’4”) and has a 38” vertical, so he can go up for the ball. Not a burner, as he only runs a 4.53 40.

4. WR Maurice Wright - Florida State
Pretty much the polar opposite of Johnson. Wright is shorter(6’), but can outrun many CBs. He played in the ACC, so he’s been up against good players.

5. HB Cedric Landry - Virginia Tech
He’s a midsized back with the ability to turn on the juice in the open field. Questions, however, abound as to whether he’s really that good, or just a product of the system.

Draft Day:

Round 1:

1. DET - QB Lonnie Humphrey - Ohio State

TRADE ALERT - Cleveland has traded R1P2 to Dallas for R1P22 and R2P22.

2. DAL - QB Ben Walker - Miami(FL)
3. TB - WR Stephon Johnson - Southern California
4. KC - WR Maurice Wright - Florida State

TRADE ALERT - Jacksonville has traded R1P5 to San Francisco for R1P8 and R4P8.

5. SF - HB Cedric Landry - Virginia Tech
6. HOU - LT Benjamin Samuel - Nebraska
7. ARI - ROLB Troy Porter - Georgia
8. JAX - HB Isaiah Jenkins - Michigan
9. MIN - QB John Holmes - Arizona State
10. NO - TE Robert Rivera - Texas A&M
11. DEN - LE Claude Johnson - Utah
12. PHI - RT Adam Carter - Tennessee
13. NYJ - RE Derrick Maddox - Utah

14. BUF - WR Josiah Kelly - Michigan
-We decided to go WR for mainly one reason. Corey Smith was still on the board, however he’s already 24 years old(same as Josiah). If I’m going to build a franchise around a QB, I would like him to be younger than that.

15. MIA - DT Nick Dodds - Nebraska
16. TEN - RT Ben Morton - Georgia
17. OAK - TE Frank Hunter - Texas A&M

TRADE ALERT - San Diego has traded R1P18 to Tampa Bay for R2P3 and R4P3.

18. TB - FS Greg Turner - Ohio State
19. NYG - HB Eric Turner - Minnesota
20. CHI - WR Titus Schroeder - South Carolina
21. KC - CB Tanard Mann - West Virginia
22. CLE - LOLB Brandon Goodman - Southern California
23. CIN - DT Brian Burke - Nebraska
24. NYG - C Anthony Stephens - Utah
25. IND - FS Greg Booker - Colorado
26. GB - C Daniel Collins - Boise State
27. NE - DT Jon Walters - West Virginia
28. CAR - TE Will Winston - California
29. WAS - TE Greg Burnsides - Ohio State
30. SD - QB Tim Jacobs - Boise State
31. SEA - QB Tyler Brown - Southern California
32. BAL - HB Jeremy Keller - Arkansas State


The big stories coming out of the first round were LT Blake Griffin of South Carolina and QB Corey Smith of Iowa. Both were projected to be top 10 picks and were skipped over in the first round. Blake didn’t have to wait much longer to hear his name called, as Detroit made him the first pick of the second round. San Diego would make Smith the third pick of the second round.


Buffalo Bills: Rounds 2-7:

Round 2 - FS Eddie Payne - Florida
-We needed another playmaker on defense and I believe he could be it. He’ll compete for the starting job.
Round 3 - HB Joel Washington - Arkansas
-I was looking for a bruiser and Joel was available. He had the most bench reps in the draft.
Round 4 - LOLB Cole Hollins - Colorado
-He’s your averaged sized linebacker with really good speed and good strength. He’ll backup at ROLB.
Round 5 - FB Jeremy Riley - Virginia Tech
-Did his blocking days at VT. He was the best available player at positions I need backups.
Round 6 - MLB Stanley Gray - Florida State
-Very mobile and athletic. Will do well in coverage situations.
Round 7 - RT Matt Robinson - Penn State
-Simply filling a need.

Our draft is graded as an “F”. I feel differently, but what can you do?


Signing Players:

WR Josiah Kelly agrees to a 5 year/$38.10M contract with a $7.00M bonus. He will wear #88 and is given a rating of 83OVR.
FS Eddie Payne agrees to a 3 year/$10.02M contract with a $2.25M bonus. He will wear #20 and is given a rating of 83OVR.
HB Joel Washington agrees to a 4 year/$14.04M contract with a $3.00M bonus. He will wear #44 and is given a rating of 82OVR.
LOLB Cole Hollins agrees to a 2 year/$3.66M contract with a $700k bonus. He will wear #55 and is given a rating of 80OVR.
FB Jeremy Riley agrees to a 4 year/$2.56M contract with a $600k bonus. He will wear #37 and is given a rating of 76 OVR.
MLB Stanley Gray agrees to a 3 year/$4.95M contract with a $450k bonus. He will wear #52 and is given a rating of 78OVR.
RT Matt Robinson agrees to a 3 year/$3.42M contract with a $600k bonus. He will wear #79 and is given a rating of 75OVR.


Taking a look around the league…

QB Lonnie Humphrey agrees to a 7 year/$84.6M deal with a $22.2M bonus. He will wear #10 and is rated at 90OVR.

QB Ben Walker agrees to a 7 year/$62.5M deal with a $14.6M bonus. He will wear #3 and is rated at 88OVR. Could we have another Manning-Leaf situation on our hands?

WR Stephon Johnson agrees to a 7 year/$60.4M deal with a $10.2M bonus. He will wear #14 and is rated at 86OVR.

WR Maurice Wright agrees to a 7 year/$51.8M deal with a $8.68M bonus. He will wear #86 and is rated at 84OVR. I’m very happy with my pick at WR.

Free Agency:
We go into the 2nd free agency period with two needs, DT, and K.

We get the K right away when former Steeler Jeff Reed agrees to a 2 year deal worth $1.58M with a $400k bonus.

We find undrafted rookie DT Cliff Terrell of Texas to fill our other need. He agrees to a 2 year/$3.24M contract with a $580k bonus. He will wear #95 and is rated at 74OVR.

We sign a local media contract worth $2.45M for 1 year.


Preseason:
Since I don’t feel preseason games are important enough to write detailed reports about, I’m just gonna go with a couple blurbs from each game.

Week 1: Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions
-We debut our new uniforms, the 1970s throwbacks. They will be used from now on.
-QB Lonnie Humphrey completed 10/20 passes for 94 yards and threw 1 pick.
-HB Joel Washington carried 22 times for 93 yards.
-WR Josiah Kelly did not catch a pass.
-Final Score: Detroit 26, Buffalo 14.

Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons
-We managed 121 yards of total offense and only 9 first downs.
-Our quarterbacks completed a total of 9/21 passes for 73 yards and 1 interception.
-WR Josiah Kelly still has yet to catch a pass.
-Final Score: Atlanta 33, Buffalo 13.

Week 3: Buffalo Bills vs. Arizona Cardinals
-Kelly Holcomb takes the lead in the battle for starting QB.
-Josiah Kelly catches 3 passes for 41 yards.
-Our defense records 6 sacks.
-Final Score: Buffalo 24, Arizona 21.

Week 4: Buffalo Bills at New York Giants
-We’re not looking particularly good at QB this season.
-Joel Washington has another solid performance.
-Giants rookie HB Eric Turner destroys us, running 36 times for 128 yards.
-Josiah Kelly catches 2 for 68 yards, including a 59 yarder.
-Final Score: New York 34, Buffalo 17.


We finish the preseason 1-3.


Final Preseason Notes:
Kelly Holcomb will be our starting QB.
Matt Bowen will start at SS again this year.
Rookie LOLB Cole Hollins will start over Hannibal Navies this season.

2007 Schedule

Week 1: vs. New York Jets - Sunday Night Game
Week 2: at Miami
Week 3: at New York Giants
Week 4: Bye
Week 5: at New England
Week 6: vs. Baltimore
Week 7: at Cleveland
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia - Sunday Night Game
Week 9: at Denver
Week 10: at Washington
Week 11: at Cincinnati
Week 12: vs. Pittsburgh
Week 13: vs. New England
Week 14: vs. Dallas
Week 15: vs. Houston
Week 16: at New York Jets
Week 17: vs. Miami - Fan Appreciation Day

Big News:

BUF - SS Donte Whitner will miss 7-9 weeks with a fractured foot.
BUF - RG Jason Thomas will miss 2 weeks with a sprained ankle.

PIT - QB Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season with a broken elbow.
SEA - HB Shaun Alexander has broken the 10,000 yard mark for his career.

Big News:

BUF - HB Willis McGahee will miss 3-4 weeks with a sprained ankle.

Big News:

BUF - RG Chris Villarial has allowed 6 sacks in the passed 2 games.
BUF - HB Joel Washington scored his first NFL touchdown.

WAS - SS Adam Archuleta will miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist.
MIA - LE Kevin Carter recorded his 100th career sack.

Big News:

No Big News this week.

Big News:

BUF - The Bills, along with the Lions are the only winless teams in the NFL
BUF - QB Craig Nall will start next week against Baltimore(1-3)

Big News:

BUF - HB Joel Washington will miss 9-10 weeks with a broken tailbone.

CIN - QB Carson Palmer will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his forearm.

Big News:

BUF - The Bills have signed HB Musa Smith to a 1 year/$1.00M contract with a $140k bonus.

BAL - K Matt Stover kicked his 500th career extra point.

Big News:

BUF - LG Bennie Anderson suffered a hip pointer and will miss 3 weeks.
BUF - Our defense is ranked #4 against the run.
BUF - Our defense is ranked #10 against the pass.
BUF - We are ranked #8 in total defense.
BUF - Our offense is ranked #17 in rushing.
BUF - FB Patrick Pass is currently 2nd in Pro Bowl voting for FBs.
BUF - K Jeff Reed is currently 1st in Pro Bowl Voting for Ks.

CAR - QB Jake Delhomme will miss 9-10 weeks with a torn groin.
CAR - MLB Dan Morgan will be returning soon from a dislocated elbow.
CIN - LE Justin Smith recorded his 50th career sack.
ARI - HB Edgerrin James should be back soon after suffering some broken ribs.
MIA - The entire Miami defensive line currently leads Pro Bowl voting.

Big News:

CHI - DT Tommie Harris suffered a broken elbow, ending his season.
CHI - LT Seth Wand suffered a career ending fractured patella.
DEN - QB Jake Plummer has thrown for over 30,000 yards.
DEN - LE Gary Walker recorded his 500th tackle.
MIN - QB Karl Galloway, who was taken with the 9th pick in the 2nd round of this year’s draft fractured his hip, effectively ending his football career.

Big News:

BUF - Our offense is ranked 29th in the NFL.
BUF - CB Terrence McGee scored his 5th career kickoff return touchdown.
BUF - QB J.P. Losman will start against the Bengals next week.

ARI - RE Bertrand Berry will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his hamstring.
IND - TE Dallas Clark suffered a broken tibia, ending his season.
KC - WR Maurice Wright, the Chiefs’ first rounder this year, tore his MCL, ending his rookie season.

Big News:

BUF - HB Willis McGahee sprained his foot against the Bengals. He is listed as probable against the Steelers.
BUF - LOLB Cole Hollins is currently the front runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

ATL - HB Warrick Dunn has surpassed the 10,000 yard mark.
SF - The 49ers defense has allowed 101 points over the last 2 weeks.

Big News:

BUF - HB Willis McGahee was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
BUF - Our defense is ranked 6th in the league.

DEN - MLB Al Wilson broke his elbow, ending his season.
HOU - WR Eric Moulds now has over 10,000 career receiving yards.
SD- HB LaDainian Tomlinson has now run for over 10,000 yards.

Big News:

BUF - Apparently our game had the highest ratings of the past week.
BUF - Our defense is ranked 6th in the league.
BUF - ROLB Takeo Spikes recorded his 1,000th career tackle.
BUF - LOLB Cole Hollins has recovered 5 fumbles this season.

ATL - QB Michael Vick has run for over 1,000 yards this season.
CHI - WR Mushin Muhammad now has over 10,000 career receiving yards.
TEN - ROLB Keith Bulluck will be sidelined 9-11 weeks with a torn shoulder.
WAS - HB Clinton Portis ran for his 75th career touchdown.

Big News:

BUF - QB Kelly Holcomb was 6/11 for 52 yards with 1 INT in action against Dallas.

BAL - QB Steve McNair is done for the season after straining his back.
IND - FS Bob Sanders is out for the season after fracturing his foot.
SEA - HB Shaun Alexander now has 125 career rushing touchdowns.

Big News:

BUF - HB Willis McGahee now has over 5,000 career rushing yards.

ARI - MLB Karlos Dansby is done for the year after partially tearing his PCL.
JAX - MLB Mike Peterson recorded his 1000th career tackle.
NE - QB Tom Brady has ruptured a disk in his back and is done for the year.
SEA - The Seahawks have clinched the NFC West.

Big News:

BUF - Last week’s game had the highest ratings of any game.
BUF - ROLB Takeo Spikes was named NFL Defensive Player of the Week.

ATL - QB Michael Vick now has over 1,500 rushing yards this season.
BAL - MLB Ray Lewis now has over 1,500 career tackles.
CHI - The Bears have clinched the NFC North.
CIN - MLB Odell Thurman has broken his femur, ending his season.
DAL - The Cowboys have clinched a playoff birth.
DEN - The Broncos have clinched a playoff birth.
NO - The Saints have clinched the NFC South.
PHI - The Eagles have clinched the NFC East.
WAS - The Redskins have clinched a playoff birth.

NFL - The NFC playoff picture is set, as all 6 births have been clinched. Only 1 AFC team has clinched a spot.

AFC East - All Miami needs to do is beat Buffalo to clinch the division. If Miami loses and New York loses, Buffalo wins the division. If Miami loses to Buffalo and New York beats Cleveland, it creates a 3 way tie. Miami will win based on conference record.

Big News:
BAL - The Ravens have clinched the AFC North.
DEN - The Broncos have clinched home field advantage in the playoffs.
IND - The Colts have clinched the AFC South.
OAK - The Raiders have clinched a playoff berth.
OAK - QB Aaron Brooks is done for the year after breaking his jaw.
PHI - The Eagles have clinched home field advantage in the playoffs.
SD - The Chargers have clinched a playoff berth.
SEA - HB Shaun Alexander has set a new NFL record with 2,163 yards rushing this season.

Notes: Denver becomes the first franchise in NFL history to lose 5 SuperBowls.

Grr.

2008 Offseason

In the NCAA:
The Heisman race this year ended being a duel between 2 Texas quarterbacks. Texas A&M red shirt Senior Tony Miller put up a valiant effort, completing 286/423 passes for 3,702 yards and 43 touchdowns. However, it was only his first year starting and that my have hurt him. Texas Tech red shirt Senior Dan Hart didn’t have that problem, as he’s been a 4 year starter. He completed 336/496 passes for 4,236 yards and 50 touchdowns and wins the Heisman trophy. He finishes his incredible college career with 15,642 passing yards and 162 touchdowns(NCAA record).

In the BCS National Championship, #2 Georgia(13-0) fell to #1 Ohio State(12-0) 32-20.


Financial News:

I got the financial report for the season today. Compared to last year, ticket sales were down, but we made more from fans once they got here. Profits were down from last year, but performing well next season should improve that.

TOTAL ASSETS: $88.30M

Income: $162.55M(/\)
Ticket Sales: $29.65M(\/)
Concessions: $5.40M(/\)
Parking: $2.25M(/\)
Merchandise: $3.15M(/\)
NFL Shared Revenue: $118.15M(/\)
Local Media Contract: $2.45M(/\)
Sponsor Income: $1.50M(/\)

Expenses: $131.00M(/\)
Player Salaries: $88.60M(/\)
Staff Salaries: $4.35M(\/)
Stadium Upgrades: $0k(<>)
Stadium Maintenance: $16.50M(<>)
Advertising: $21.35M(/\)
Fan Appreciation Day: $200k(/\)

Year 2007 Net Income: $31.55M(\/)


Stadium Central:
Once again, I won't be making any upgrades to the stadium, as we will be preparing for a move within the next 2 seasons.

I sign a 3 year deal with Grey Reef Cruises for naming rights to the stadium. They offer to pay us $6.00M every time we win at least 12 games in a season. This will more than likely be the last time this stadium gets a name change.


Price Central:
Ticket prices will not change for the 2008 season. Ticket prices are as follows.


The price of Hot Dogs will be going up $1 this year, along with the price of popcorn.


Merchandise prices will stay the same next season.


Parking Prices will also not change.

2008 Offseason

Staffing:
Our defensive coordinator position is open. Perry Fewell has been our guy for the past 2 seasons and our defense has been good both years. I sign the 46 year old Fewell to a 3 year/$860k deal.

Lovie Smith has been hired by the New York Giants. After a mediocre 8-7-1 campaign in 2006, he led the Bears to a 12-5 record last year. The Bears lost to Dallas in the Wildcard round.

The Bears have announced their new head coach. The man is Mike Trgovac, the former defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. He's been with Carolina since 2002 and has been defensive coach since 2003.

No other teams changed head coaches.


We still have 1 year left on a deal with Group Training as our training staff.

2008 Offseason

Retired Bills Players:
No Buffalo Bills are calling it quits this season.


Notable Players Retiring:
QB #11 Drew Bledsoe of the Dallas Cowboys has retired after 15 years. Playing in New England, Buffalo, and Dallas, Bledsoe finishes his career with 48,336 passing yards and 284 touchdowns.

QB #14 Karl Galloway of the Minnesota Vikings has retired at the age of 23. The 9th pick in the 2nd round of this past year’s draft played in only 3 games. He fractured his hip in a win against the Packers.

HB #31 Priest Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs has retired after 11 years in the NFL. He played in Baltimore and started for the Chiefs for 4 years before injuries started to get the best of him. He ends his career with 8,642 rushing yards and 88 touchdowns.

WR #87 Joe Horn of the New Orleans Saints has retired after 12 years. He finishes with 9,937 yards and 74 touchdowns.

WR #87 Muhsin Muhammad of the Chicago Bears has retired. Playing for 12 years in both Chicago and Carolina, he caught 769 passes for 10,292 yards and 61 touchdowns. He had 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns this past season.

WR #84 Joey Galloway of Tampa Bay has retired after 13 seasons. He caught 693 passes for 10,630 yards and 76 touchdowns.

WR #80 Isaac Bruce of the St. Louis Rams has retired after 14 seasons. He caught 940 passes for 13,978 yards and 89 touchdowns.

WR #87 Eddie Kennison of the Kansas City Chiefs has retired. He caught 634 passes for 9,318 yards and 55 touchdowns in his 12 year career, becoming more productive in his later years.

LOLB #55 Willie McGinest of the Cleveland Browns has retired. In a 14 year career with New England and Cleveland, he recorded 776 tackles and 89 sacks, notching 10 this past season.

FS #47 John Lynch of the Denver Broncos has retired. In a 15 year career that started in Tampa, John recorded 1,111 tackles and 30 interceptions.

2008 Offseason

Cuts:
Ther are only 2 outright releases this offseason.

LG Bennie Anderson
-Bennie is an 8 year pro that came over from Baltimore in 2005. I just feel that we need to find someone younger if we're going to improve our offense.

RE Mark Word
-Mark is a 7 year pro and a career backup. I can fill the position in this year's draft.


Restricted Free Agents:
I resign CB Eric King to a 1 year/$680k deal.

LG Justin Geisinger is signed to a 1 year/$680k deal.

HB Lionel Gates is released.


Re-sign Players:
We only have a few free agents this season, however most of those men are star players. We start with $48.0M in cap room.

The first priority this offseason is HB Willis McGahee. We are able to lock him up with a 4 year/$19.96M deal with a $5.00M bonus.

RG Chris Villarrial, who is a team captain, signs a 2 year/$8.40M deal with a $1.80M bonus.

MLB London Fletcher signs a 3 year/$15.87M deal with a $3.99M bonus.

RG Jason Thomas is released.
SS Matt Bowen is released.
WR Sam Aiken is released.
HB Musa Smith is released.

2008 Offseason

Free Agency:
I go into free agency expecting to sign a couple players. First, I need a starting LG. I would also like to sign a new WR with some speed, and a backup HB.

Our new LG comes rather quickly as Matt Lehr of the Falcons agrees to a 4 year/$19.9M deal with a $4.40M bonus.

WR Devery Henderson of the Saints agrees to a 2 year/$3.00M deal with a $500k bonus. He's got a 96 speed, 92 agility, and 96 acceleration. Perfect.

HB Aveion Carson of the Rams agrees to a 2 year/$1.56M deal with a $120k bonus. He was the fastest HB available in free agency.


Notable Free Agent Signings:
LG Alan Faneca has signed a 3 year deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

LE Julius Peppers has signed a 3 year deal with the Denver Broncos.

ROLB Joey Porter agrees to a 3 year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

MLB Zach Thomas has signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

SS Roy Williams has signed with the Carolina Panthers.

C Jeff Hartings has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

WR Randy Moss has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

QB Aaron Brooks has sined with the Green Bay Packers.

QB Steve McNair has signed with the Oakland Raiders.

HB Tiki Barber has signed with the Chicago Bears.

NFL Draft:

Picking Order:

1. Kansas City(2-14)
2. Cleveland(4-12)
3. New England(4-11-1)
4. Detroit(5-11)
5. Cincinatti(5-11)
6. New York Giants(5-10-1)
7. Tampa Bay(6-10)
8. Arizona(6-10)
9. Tennessee(6-10)
10. Carolina(7-9)
11. Atlanta(7-9)
12. Green Bay(7-9)
13. St. Louis(7-9)
14. Houston(7-9)
15. San Francisco(8-8)
16. Buffalo(8-8)
17. New York Jets(8-8)
18. Jacksonville(8-8)
19. Pittsburgh(9-7)
20. Minnesota(9-7)
21. Oakland(10-7)
22. New Orleans(11-6)
23. San Diego(10-7)
24. Chicago(11-5)
25. Miami(9-9)
26. Baltimore(10-8)
27. Dallas(11-7)
28. Seattle(13-4)
29. Indianapolis(11-7)
30. Philadelphia(14-4)
31. Denver(13-6)
32. Washington(15-5)


There’s no getting around it this year. We need a quarterback. I have a feeling that we’re gonna need to trade up to get one though. It’s a good QB class this year, but I don’t think any of the guys we’re looking at will fall to #16. The top guy on our board would be Dan Hart from Texas Tech, who won the Heisman this past season and holds the record for most touchdown passes in NCAA history.
The rest of what we need is pretty much just backups.

So priority goes…

QB - Dan Hart is the man we want and we’ll most likely trade up to get him if we have to.

RG - We need a backup for Villarrial. Plus, Chris is getting up there in years, so I want someone who has the potential to be a starter.

CB - We’re gonna need a dime back this season.

RE - Just a backup for Schobel.

TE - I’d like a 3rd stringer.

SS - We need a backup for new starter Donte Whitner.

ROLB - Backup for Takeo Spikes.


Mel Kiper’s Top 5:

1. QB Nathan Johnson - LSU
He’s a big guy at 6’, 245 and has proven that he can beat the good teams. He’s listed as a scrambler, but runs a 4.74 40. His big upside is that he’s only 22.

2. QB Mike Rucker - Oklahoma
Mike has tremendous potential. He’s 21 and played in a pro style offense in the Big XII. He doesn’t have a lot of starting experience though.

3. RE Kyle Brittain - Texas Tech
Kyle is a young(22), speedy(4.68 40) defensive end in the Reggie White mold. He only weighs 232 lbs though, so there is question as to whether he can stand up to an NFL offensive line.

4. HB Kyle Smith - Iowa
He’s not the speediest back, but not too shabby either, running a 4.4 second 40. He’s listed as a power back and is only 22 years old.

5. LT Mike Hines - Penn State
Yeah, Mike is pretty much a wall. The 6’8”, 326 pounder was impossible to get through for the Nittany Lions. He’s a bit older than the rest of the top 5 at 24 years old.

Draft Day:

Round 1:

1. KC - QB Nathan Johnson - LSU
2. CLE - QB Mike Rucker - Oklahoma

TRADE ALERT - New England has traded R1P3 to St. Louis for R1P12 and R3P13.

3. STL - RE Kyle Brittain - Texas Tech

TRADE ALERT - Detroit has traded R1P4 to Green Bay for R1P12 and R3P12.

4. GB - HB Kyle Smith - Iowa
5. CIN - LT Mike Hines - Penn State

TRADE ALERT - New York has traded R1P6 to Chicago for R1P24 and R3P24.

6. CHI - HB Freddie Hudson - Florida State
7. TB - LT Doug Robinson - Texas A&M

TRADE ALERT - Arizona has traded R1P8 to Buffalo for R1P16, R2P16, and LOLB Hannibal Navies.

8. BUF - QB Dan Hart - Texas Tech
-Deals were going down like crazy today and I absolutely felt the need to trade up to get Dan. He’s one of the best Qbs(stat wise) to come out of the college ranks and will more than likely start on opening day.

9. TEN - QB Chuck Concepcion - North Carolina
10. CAR - HB Byron Satele - Miami
11. ATL - SS Eric Wilson - Minnesota
12. DET - HB Luke Peoples - Ohio State
13. NE - QB Tony Cohen - Georgia
14. HOU - FS Bill Campbell - Penn State
15. SF - LE Joe Lemon - Alabama
16. ARI - QB Brian Patrick - Alabama
17. NYJ - TE Will Bryant - Arkansas
18. JAX - FS Jim Baker - Ohio State

TRADE ALERT - Pittsburgh has traded R1P19 to Tampa Bay for R2P7 and R3P7.

19. TB - LE Lionel Jones - West Virginia
20. MIN - TE Bobby Mason - West Virginia
21. OAK - QB Jeremy Downing - Oregon
22. NO - DT Jon Butler - USC

TRADE ALERT - San Diego has traded R1P23 to Kansas City for R2P1 and R4P1.

23. KC - LG Jake Davis - Oklahoma
24. NYG - C Kevin Stanford - Florida
25. MIA - C Derren Willis - Texas Tech

TRADE ALERTBaltimore has traded R1P26 to Jacksonville for R2P18 and R3P18.

26. JAX - LG Lance Coker - Iowa
27. DAL - TE Ryan Coleman - Maryland
28. SEA - QB Darius Corder - Arkansas
29. IND - HB Mark Mooney - Maryland
30. PHI - QB Jerome Lee - Navy
31. DEN - WR Patrick Williamson - Michigan
32. WAS - FS Babatunde Reed - Florida

2 Big stories in the first round this season. The first would be that 7 trades were made, which is one of the highest numbers in recent draft history. Those 7 deals included 4 of the top 10 picks.

The second would be the 9 quarterbacks taken in the first round. Many teams seemed to be reaching later in the round, as Alabama’s Brian Patrick, taken at 16 by Arizona(who still has Matt Leinart) is strongly considered the last “1st round quarterback”.


Buffalo Bills - Rounds 2-7:
Round 2 - Pick traded to Arizona
Round 3 - CB William Evans - Maryland
-Tall for a CB with a high vertical jump. Has enough speed to cover the deep threat wideouts.
Round 4 - RG Daniel Gibson - Ohio State
-A big man from a big school.
Round 5 - LOLB Zach Walton - Penn State
-Will fill in at LB very nicely, especially with a 40 time of 4.37 seconds.
Round 6 - RE Tim Lee - USC
-Not many choices available. Tim’s got decent speed and amazing strength.
Round 7 - SS Matt Callahan - Michigan
-Not a big guy, but he doesn’t need to be.

For the 2nd year in a row, our draft is graded as an “F”.


Signing Players:
QB Dan Hart agrees to a 6 year/$34.50M deal with a $9.00M bonus. He will wear #17 and is rated at 87OVR.
CB William Evans agrees to a 4 year/$16.20M deal with a $2.20M bonus. He will wear #23 and is rated at 81OVR.
RG Daniel Gibson agrees to a 3 year/$4.83M deal with a $990k bonus. He will wear #68 and is rated at 80OVR.
LOLB Zach Walton agrees to a 4 year/$5.12M deal with a $1.00M bonus. He will wear #55 and is rated at 79OVR.
RE Tim Lee agrees to a 3 year/$3.24M deal with a $450k bonus. He will wear #90 and is rated at 74OVR.
SS Matt Callahan agrees to a 2 year/$1.66M deal with a $300k bonus. He will wear #42 and is rated at 75OVR.


Taking a look around the league…

QB Nathan Johnson agrees to a 7 year/$84.6M deal with a $22.2M bonus, exactly the same as Lonnie Humphrey’s deal last year. He will wear #18 and is rated at 90OVR.

QB Mike Rucker agrees to a 7 year/$67.0M deal with a $15.8M bonus. He will wear #12 and is rated at 89OVR.

RE Kyle Brittain agrees to a 7 year/$55.7M deal with a $12.3M bonus. He will wear #90 and is rated at 88OVR.

HB Kyle Smith agrees to a 7 year/$58.9M deal with an $11.6M bonus. He will wear #38 and is rated at 88OVR.

LT Mike Hines agrees to a 7 year/$37.8M deal with an $8.68M bonus. He will wear #68 and is rated at 83OVR.

QB Chuck Concepcion agrees to a 6 year/$32.2M deal with a $7.44M bonus. He will wear #5 and is rated at 86OVR.

QB Tony Cohen agrees to a 5 year/$38.4M deal with a $9.10M bonus. He will wear #10 and is rated at 85OVR.

QB Brian Patrick agrees to a 5 year/$37.9M deal with an $8.90M bonus. He will wear #16 and is rated at 85OVR.

QB Jeremy Downing agrees to a 5 year/$33.3M deal with a $7.45M bonus. He will wear #10 and is rated at 84OVR.

QB Darius Corder could not reach a deal with the Seahawks and will be a free agent. He is rated at 84OVR.

QB Jerome Lee agrees to a 5 year/$38.9M deal with an $8.85M bonus. He will wear #15 and is rated at 86OVR.


Free Agency:
We go into the final phase of free agency needing only a backup TE and ROLB.

TE Kris Wilson agrees to a 2 year/$2.14M deal with a $300k bonus.

ROLB Matt McCoy agrees to a 3 year/$3.42M deal with a $600k bonus.

QB Darius Corder and the Baltimore Ravens agree to a 3 year/$9.48M deal with a $2.16M bonus. He will wear #14.

Preseason:

We sign a local media contract worth $2.45M for 1 year.

Week 1: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints
-Dan Hart completes 15/20 for 119 yards and 1 touchdown.
-Roscoe Parrish catches 3 for 76 yards.
-Our QBs are sacked 6 times.
-C Melvin Fowler tore a pectoral. He will be out 4 weeks.
-QB J.P. Losman strained his shoulder and will miss 2 weeks.
-Final Score: New Orleans 34, Buffalo 22.

Week 2: Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles
-Dan Hart goes 23/41 for 203 yards with 3 touchdowns.
-Dan Hart also throws 4 interceptions.
-Our defense records 5 sacks.
-RG Chris Villarial sprained his ankle and will miss 2-3 weeks.
-Final Score: Philadelphia 30, Buffalo 27 in overtime.

Week 3: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
-QB Dan Hart completes 16/28 passes for 171 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions.
-Final Score: Cincinnati 37, Buffalo 17.

Week 4: Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos
-Dan Hart completes 16/23 for 165 yards.
-Final Score: Denver 13, Buffalo 10.


We finish the preseason 0-4.

2007 Schedule

Week 1: vs. Miami - Monday Night Football
Week 2: vs. Denver
Week 3: vs. New England
Week 4: Bye
Week 5: at Miami
Week 6: at Houston
Week 7: vs. Seattle
Week 8: vs. Cincinnati
Week 9: vs. St. Louis
Week 10: vs. New York Jets
Week 11: vs. Oakland - Fan Appreciation Day
Week 12: at San Francisco - Sunday Night Game
Week 13: at Arizona - Sunday Night Game
Week 14: at San Diego - Monday Night Football
Week 15: at New York Jets
Week 16: at Kansas City
Week 17: at New England

-We end the season with 6 straight road games.

Big News:
CLE - WR Braylon Edwards dislocated his hip and is done for the season.
NYJ - QB James Lindsey has dislocated his ankle and will miss the remainder of the season.

Big News:
BUF - SS Matt Callahan recorded his 1st career interception.

WAS - HB Clinton Portis now has 10,048 career rushing yards.

Good job so far! This is my first "Madden Simchise".

Big News:
NO - HB Reggie Bush is done for the season after suffering a severe concussion.

Big News:
CLE - LOLB Jamie Sharper has piled up over 1,000 career tackles.

Big News:
PHI - MLB Jaremiah Trotter has recorded 1,006 career tackles.

Big News:
BUF - MLB London Fletcher has recorded 1,200 career tackles.

Big News:
CAR - DE John Abraham has piled up 70 career sacks.
NO - DT Dan Wilksinson has recorded 504 career tackles.
SD - HB Ladainian Tomlinson is close to returning from a broken collarbone.
TB - DE Greg Spires has recorded 50 career sacks.