Roster and Ratings Discussion: Buffalo Bills

Hey guys, we are going to use this thread as the catch all Buffalo Bills roster and ratings discussion. Got a problem with a guy being rated too high or too low, this is the place to speak your mind, but please keep it clean. If there is a guy on your team that’s not in the game, feel free to post that in here as well.

When you bring your argument, make sure you bring stats and provide as much reasoning as possible. Rating s Czar Donny Moore will be stopping by this thread from time to time, so your voice will actually be heard by the guy in charge of making all of the roster and ratings decisions for Madden NFL 10. Make it worthwhile.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 09/01/2009 17:22:21

i have some things i would like to suggest. first i think that you should add TE jonathan stupar to the bills roster. he has been playing great in the pre-season after spending most of last year on our practice squad. according to the bills official site he has 15 catches for 155 yards and 1 td so far this pre-season. he would have had more but he did not play as much last game due to the starters playing the entire first half. before this week of pre-season games, his 1t catches led the entire league in the pre-season. another reason he will make the team is because derek fine has gone down with a hamstring injury and they do not know how much time he will miss.

a couple other guys that should be added are copeland bryan and chris ellis. both are defensive ends and both have played beyond expectations this pre-season. chris ellis leads the team in pre-season with 13 solo tackles and is second in total tackles with 19 trailing by 1 for the lead. he also has 1 sack which resulted in a fumble i believe against denver. ellis is currently a free agent but he is only rated a 55 and has a d potential so there is no use in playing with him in a franchise. i think he should be bumped up to around a 62-65 rating with a b potential because he was a 3rd round pick in last years draft but was raw and needed to bulk up and he has done that.

copeland bryan has been the bills most relentless pass rusher so far in the pre-season. he only had 8 tackles but has 2 sacks, both of which resulted in fumbles by the opposing quarterbacks. he has been getting consistent pressure on the quarterback and i find it hard for him not to make the team due to the bills lackluster pass rush last year. he is not in the game and i believe his rating should be around a 63 maybe a point lower but his pass rushing moves should be decent. he does not have top end speed but he is not slow either.

another guy who should be added to the bills roster is xavier omon. not because he has had a good preseason but because of the suspension to marshawn lynch. he has carried the ball 25 times only to gain 62 yards. if he is added he should have a rating in the mid 50's. he is nothing special but this thread is for accurate rosters so yeah.

i think edwards should be rated lower too. as much as it kills me to say that because i only use the bills online, he has not performed well in the pre-season. he has yet to throw a td pass and i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt in the final pre-season game on thursday because he will likely only play 1 series. i think his awareness should be knocked down some. i think it is currently at a 78 but shouldnt be higher than a 74. one thing he should have increased is his deep ball accuracy. it shouldnt go up drastically but it should be raised from a 64 to about a 67. he ha an underrated deep throw and gets knocked for his arm strength but he had some nice deep passes to evans las t year.

steven johnson is another player that should be rated higher. he is only rated a 59 and is rated lower than both parrish and hardy even though he has much more potential than either of them. last year he came on very strong towards the end of the season and has had a good camp when he has been in there(had a nagging injury that kept him out). his stats werent great last year but he was getting open much more at the end. he has 6 catches for 73 yards in the pre-season but i think he has only seen action in 2 of the 4 games we have played so far. he played better than hardy last year and is pretty much a lock for the 4th receiver spot on the bills depth chart.

nic harris is a guy the bills picked up in the 5th round and was converted from safety to linebacker. he has had one hell of a pre-season thus far. he leads the team in total tackles with 20 and has a sack and a few pass break ups(one of which saved a td). he has looked like a monster out there and should be rated higher than a 56. i think i is reasonable for him to be rated around a 64 or 65. with that said, ellison should be lowered some to about a 68. ellison could end up losing his job to harris and i think the ratings should be closer than what they are now so people like me who hate ellison can bench him for someone with a decent rating that will play fairly well.

another linebacker that should be added is marcus buggs. he has 14 tackles this pre-season and stepped up his game against the steelers last week. he and pat thomas are fighting for the backup mlb spot now with digorgio sidelined for the year. thomas has been bothered by injuries and i dont think that he has made 1 tackle so far in pre-season. buggs also offers special teams help which is another reason why i think he will make the roster and thomas will not. speaking of special teams, why are the bills rated so low? i think i read that w have the 9th ranked special teams in madden. i would like to know why when we were ranked the first special teams unit last year. special teams is something the bills pride themselves on and i think it should be improved in the game. do you know who had the best average starting position in the entire nfl last year? yup the buffalo bills thanks to our special teams(doesnt say much about our offense last year haha).

i believe that is all of the suggestions i have. i decided to take the time to do all of this because the bills arent exactly the most popular team in the nfl and i didnt want to risk passing up this chance hoping someone would make some suggestions. you came through on a few of my requests in the last roster update(ellis lankster added and reggie corner ratings boost) so i thank you for that. hope to see some of these suggestions on the new update! hope this helped out and i hope you take the time to see what i am talking about with some of these players. i will post the link from where where i got the stats used at the bottom of the page. thanks again.

http://www.buffalobills.com/team/team-stats.html

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 09/04/2009 10:42:46

TO should be faster ran a 4.38 40 this offseason
Leodis Mckelvin should be faster is one of the fastest in the league.
Add Jonathan Stupar
Terrence Mcgee is a good corner should be at least an 85
The offensive line is playing well all should be bumped up a few overall points.

xbox.LOLMANTHEGREAT wrote:TO should be faster ran a 4.38 40 this offseason
Leodis Mckelvin should be faster is one of the fastest in the league.
Trent Edwards should be lower is playing awful this preseason.
Add Jonathan Stupar
Terrence Mcgee is a good corner should be at least an 85
The offensive line is playing well all should be bumped up a few overall points.

for the most part the line is playing awful what are you seeing? they have given up 5 sacks i believe so far in the pre-season. the only guy who has played well consistently is eric wood. he should be about a 77 overall and should be higher than levitre who has struggled at times although he has been playing better lately. i agree about the owens and mckelvin speed. owens is extremely slow although he is pretty good at breaking tackles in the game. and mckelvin ran the same 40 time as lee evans coming out of college, a 4.37. if you watch some of his kick returns or his int return for a td versus the chiefs, you will see his speed. idk if mcgee should be an 85 ovr because his ratings in man and zone are very good. not everything is about the overall grade but you have to look at the ratings that matter at each position. if he is bumped up it should only be to about a 83. all the rest of your suggestions i agree with because i mentioned them myself in the post above yours. but the more people that say it the better.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 09/01/2009 18:00:39

one other player i forgot to mention is demetrius bell. he was playing great in the pre-season before he suffered a lower back injury and has sat out the past 2 games. he is only rated as a 52 right now which is an awful rating for him. he won the swing tackle spot from chambers and the coaches were even thinking about starting him once he gets back from his injury at left tackle because walkers has not looked great on the left side so far. i think he should only be about a 66 overall but should have a b potential because he was a project pick in the 7th round last year and has grown by leaps and bounds in one season. mark my words, by the end of the season i see bell being the starting left tackle for the buffalo bills.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/2271/bell-evolving-into-bills-left-tackle-of-choice

http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/2323/2323

Bills to ring the Bell?
3:20
PM ET
Demetrius Bell | Bills Top Email

In spite of missing the past two games with a sore back, second-year lineman Demetrius Bell could be pushing Langston Walker for the starting job at left tackle for the Bills, according to the Buffalo News.

Asked to comment on the chances of this happening, head coach * Jauron did not rule out its occurrence, but did indicate it'd be unlikely by the regular season opener against New England.

We've gotta ask, at this point in the preseason, should there really be a question as to who a team's starter is at the most important position on the offensive line?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/features/rumors

ok i think i am finally done with suggestions now haha. i am surprised at how much i wrote about this subject. just trying to get my bills rated correctly because like i said earlier i only use them online.

Terrell Owens is definitely too slow. He can never seem to get open on a deep ball. He hasn't slowed that much.
And Trent's arm is a little bit stronger than he's given credit for. But probably not too much.

I agree with the comments on Demetrius Bell. I think he'll end up being very good, but I'm not sure you can improve him too much in Madden before we see it on the field. Same with guys like Nic Harris and Reggie Corner.

My biggest complaint with the Bills on Madden is on the special teams. They're rated as average despite being in the Top 3 overall for several years now. I'm thinking mainly in kickoff and punt coverage, but I think Leodis McKelvin is a bit too slow on KO returns. And Brian Moorman doesn't seem to get off as many booming punts as he does in real life.

I agree with the special teams, Buffalo almost always ranks top 5 in the league, they should be better overall on special teams, I would say they should have three bars, not two.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/020809dnspospecialteamslede.38f0fd2.html

ps3.bLazeni wrote:I agree with the special teams, Buffalo almost always ranks top 5 in the league, they should be better overall on special teams, I would say they should have three bars, not two.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/020809dnspospecialteamslede.38f0fd2.html

thank you for finding that article. i was looking for it but i could not find it. i dont think buffalo has finished out of the top 5 in special teams in about 4 or 5 years. bobby april is a great special teams coordinator and always keeps our special teams unit at the top of their game.

oh and pat thomas was released today like i thought he would be. i think buggs will take over backup duties for the mlb spot.

and one player i forgot about was bryan scott. he started 7 games for us last year at strong safety when we moved whitner over to free safety. he is very underrated at a 66 i think. comparing whitner and scotts stats(both started around 7 games at strong safety)they are very close. scott made 68 tackles(55 solo), had 1 sack, and 3 passes defended. whitner had 61 tackles(50 solo), 1 sack, and only 1 pass defended.

i think that whitner should be rated a little lower(maybe around an 82 or 83) and scott should be around a 72-75. whitner moved around a lot last year from strong safety to free safety to nickel corner because of injuries. he played positions where you can make more plays on the ball but made none. scott on the other had played strong safety in our tampa 2 which ,as im sure you know, the strong safety is used like another linebacker and isnt asked to drop back deep in coverage. despite this, scott had more pass breakups than whitner(although not a huge difference) and i think that he should be rated higher because unless jarius byrd comes on VERY strong in the last pre-season game and in the remaining practices before the season opener, whitner will be starting at free safety and scott will start at strong safety. and you have george wilson starting at strong safety for us on the current rosters when he has never played that position in his life(converted reciever)and plays free safety for us.

http://www.nfl.com/players/bryanscott/profile?id=SCO103424

http://www.nfl.com/players/dontewhitner/profile?id=WHI720119

I'm from Maryland, and dont get to see all that much of the bills preseason games.. so if i make a few suggestions that are off, i apologize. First off, I agree with everyone that Leodis Mckelvin should have his speed bumped up a few points (95-97). He showed this when covering Devin Hester in our second pre-season game. I know Hester did catch a deep ball, but Mckelvin also made a very nice interception, in which he stayed with Hester step for step. Also, I think the biggest add to the team should be Jonathan Stupar. If not on the bills roster, atleast place him in free agency. I know there are only a few spots open on the roster, so atleast if he is in free agency i can add him during my dynasty. Pat Thomas was dropped earlier this week, so with the vacancy, we should add Marcus Buggs. Xavier Omon would also be another nice addition. Like Stupar, atleast put him in the Free Agency, along with Justin Jenkins. On the original rosters, Jenkins was on the Bills. I don't see the point in completely removing him from the game. Wouldn't it be easier to just place him in Free Agency? Drayton Florence should be another in Free Agency.. but im just nit-picking. Of course these guys probably wont make the bills roster. When it comes to overalls, Steve Johnson should be placed 4th of the depth chart, or atleast ahead of Hardy, and be around a 63-65 with B potential. He has definitely shown more skill than Hardy who really is just a tall reciever for Red Zone purposes. Now with the addition of Owens, we don't really need Hardy and i dont see him getting much time this year. Also, I'm not sure on this, but if Derek Schouman is the clear cut 1st TE, then shouldnt he be rated higher than both Fine and Nelson? The problem with adding Stupar is that one of these 3 would have to leave. In my opinion it would be Schouman, but thats biased because I can't stand Schouman. I haven't seen enough to make any suggestions to the offensive line, but it does seem a little pointless to keep Bell on the roster if he is a 52 and has a D potential... maybe should be bumped up a bit. Otherwise, I know i'm dropping him. Any word on Ko Simpson? It seems like everyone is talking about the safeties issue.. of course Whitner is the clear cut starter at one or the other, but Simpson was a decent safety. Obviously we have Byrd now, so i think Simpson should be lowered because I know havent heard much of him in the pre-season. Though im not sure if he is hurt or not? Like i said, I live in Maryland so... Finally, I think Ellis Lankster's catch and Reggie Corner's PRC/Awareness should be raised. Corner is past being a rookie, and has made some nice plays over the past year. No way his rating at PRC should be in the 40's. Bump it to mid 50's. Also, Lankster has atleast 2 interceptions this pre-season. His catching on the game makes him have "hands of stone" so to speak. I mean, 40 catch? 2 interceptions for a rookie, granted playing against the backup's and such.. should be higher still (mid-high 50's) Ok well, if you get around to reading this great. I also got all my "facts" if you can call it that from the bills website. I think it was posted before. So, if you take a look at this and add some things then i thank you. But I'm really looking forward to the new update. Hopefully the Bills will have something to actually look forward to. In the past it seems they are always left out. Thanks Again.

I think that Marshaun Lynch should go up, he is diff. a good runner in the game and has a got truck and catch ability in the game. With the addition of terrel Owens and a good defense with Paul P. and co. as a whole I feel the team rating should go up to at least an 80 overall average

i dont know about marshawn lynch... i think his rating is just fine. One thing i forgot to mention, Trent Edwards should definitely go down a few points based on a poor pre-season, and i think ryan fitzpatrick should come up a few points. his 63 is slightly low for someone who played ok as a starter last season with the bengals, and hasnt had a terrible pre-season so maybe a 65-66 would be nice

more reason for nic harris to be rated higher, especially tackle rating...12 tackles in the first half of the last pre-season game. i know its against detroit and i know its pre-season but how often do you see a guy make 12 tackles in 1 half? he had 7 solo and 5 assists. also he would have had a pick but he couldnt get his feat in bounds.

other guys stats who i felt should go up, stupar had 4 catches for 29 yards, steve johnson had 3 catches for 69 yards, and marcus buggs had 8 tackles(4 solo). haha im trying to do work to get my bills a little better.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009090350/2009/PRE4/lions@bills#tab:analyze

The Buffalo Bills started off hot in '08, but cooled down come divison time. 0-6 in the division won't do much for the confidence. Getting rid of (LT) Peters was a surprise, 1 of the best in the business. Still they have talent, it just happens to be a lot of young talent.

UP:
1. Terrance McGee- One of the reasons the Bills didn't match the 49ers Clements deal. Has developed into a solid corner, yet still most people know him still for his KR skills which he doesn't do much of anymore.
2. Trent Edwards- Stanford grad is smart and has good accuracy. 85.4 rating should only improve with T.O.
3. Leodis McKelvin- Didn't begin his rookie campaign as a starter, but with Greer gone he will have his chance to shine. A small-school prospect in the mold of Rasheen Mathis. The Bills continue to develop good corners (Winfield, Clements, Greer).

Down:
1: Aaron Schobel- Once one of the most underrated players in the league, injuries have taken their toll on him. Still productive, just not at the same level.
2. Josh Reed- Had a decent season last year because there was no one else to throw to. Not very athletic, and has never lived up to his 2nd round draft status.
3. John McCargo- Bust since day 1, Didn't record a tackle in '08. Injuries have been a huge reason, but that's the game.

bills fired offensive coordinator turk schonert today. alex van pelt will take over play calling duties.

After watching the pre-season and looking at online stats, I am going to make this very easy for you to read. Highlighted in Red are MUST FIX in my opinion, and in most everyone elses.

UP

Leodis McKelvin- he has already been pushed up to an 80 so far, and everything seems ok except for his speed. He is exceptionally fast, and should have a 95-97spd rating. Stayed with Hester Step for Step. Also has shown good awareness and ball hawking, shown with his 2 interceptions. Increase his Play recognition and Awareness a few points.

Reggie Corner- Reggie had a pretty good pre-season, atleast better than his 63ovr rating would indicate. He got 3 interceptions (1 for a TD) and showed good ball awareness at times. His awareness, play recognition, catching, and man coverage should go up a bit. No way is he worse then Cary Harris, who is a 66. Make Reggie our 3rd best corner, 67ovr atleast. B potential please.

Nic Harris- Wow, I don't even know where to start. He has definitely been a bright spot in our pathetic pre-season performance. Harris once again showed tremendous tackling, and pursuit abilities last game with 12 tackles! (32 Total for the pre-season) This guy should start over Ellison, and on Madden a 56ovr is just WAY too low. He definitely was a good pick up for Buffalo in the draft, and should be atleast a 66-70 in madden. Increase his awareness, tackle, play recognition, and zone coverage. Also, from what i've seen, his potential should be an A. But since he was a low draft pick.. B should be sufficient.

Aaron Maybin- With only two games under his belt, Maybin has looked exceptionally good. 2 sacks and a FF was exactly what the Bills were looking for when they drafted this kid in the first round. 77ovr is not bad, but in my opinion, he will be starting sooner than later, and should get a small increase. 78 or 79. I believe his Block Shedding on the game is terrible, high 60's? i suggest low to mid 70's.

Terrence McGee- He doesn't have any interceptions this pre-season, and hasn't made any fancy plays, but Terrence McGee is a highly underrated corner. He plays well for his size, and keeps his opponents fairly quiet. With him being our number 1 corner, and playing.. in my opinion better than Clements has in SF (84ovr), he should be atleast as good as Clements, but an 83 would be good too.

Chris Ellis- Ellis as of now is a 55ovr Free Agent in Madden. Whether he stays a Free Agent or not, Ellis has had a GREAT pre-season for the Bills. He has used his size to his advantage, and has 20 tackles and 1 sack. <- These stats are leap and bounds better than a 55ovr. Increase his stats as a whole, Block Shedding, Power Move, Finesse Move, Tackle. He should be in the low to mid 60's with B Potential, after all he was a 3rd round draft pick.

Jairus Byrd- With the departure of Ko Simpson, Byrd has now taken over the 2nd FS spot on the Depth Chart. So far, he has 1 int, and played well in the game against Detroit. Currently on Madden he is tied for the best rookie FS, I think he deserves to be the best rookie FS, up him to a 73-74. Better Awareness.

Ryan Fitzpatrick- Trent Edwards is the starting QB on this team, but if he continues to struggle, I wouldn't be surprised to see Fitzpatrick push him for the starting job. Fitzpatrick hasn't necessarily "outplayed" Edwards, but he hasnt thrown 3 interceptions and no touchdowns either. He was the starter last year for the Bengals when Palmer went down. And he played well, I think he deserves a small increase to atleast a 65.

George Wilson- As of now, Wilson is a 71ovr SS. He leads the team in solo tackles with 19 this pre-season. He hasn't shown much with interceptions and ball hawking, but his role as a SS is more of the run-stopping of the two safeties. Wilson should increase slightly, especially with Whitner playing FS. Give him a 73-74 to make him playable.

Demetrius Bell- 52 ovr is just downright pathetic. Many believe he will pass Walker on the Depth Chart as the Bills starting LT. It would be nice to see him get the respect he deserves and close the gap a little between Walker and him in ovr. Mid 60's please. B Potential.

Steve Johnson- 59 ovr is another joke on the Bills Depth Chart. Johnson has played well in the pre-season, with 9 catches for 142 yards. He leads the team in yds/catch with 15.8. Johnson should get improvements in speed, catch, RTE, and catch-in-traffic.

Bryan Scott- If he is truly our starting SS, a 66ovr is just WAY too low. Come on EA, we need to make this team playable. Scott played just as well as whitner did last year, and so far in the pre-season has racked up 10 tackles. this isn't great, but its average and he should boast a higher rating than a 66. Low 70's would be fit.

Eric Wood- Of all the Offensive Lineman, Wood has played the best in my opinion. He has a good rating at 75, but if Levitre is 76, and has looked downright awful at times, then Wood deserves higher. If nothing else, flip-flop their overalls because Wood is the better lineman. Plus, he is versatile.. being able to play both guard and center.

*Other players deserving upgrades are Ellis Lankster (catch is only 40.. please bring up, has 2 picks), and Derek Schouman for the sheer fact that he is our starting TE, and on madden he is our worst TE. Also, Alvin Bowen is a FA in Madden and is a 47. He should definitely come up to Mid 50's with B Potential. Jauron had good things to say about Bowen last year before he got injured. Its not right that EA makes players suck if they get injured for one season. It's not their fault all the time.

Well... the bills have looked terrible this pre-season, and A LOT of players deserve downgrades. The big ones will be named below and then ill list others that could deserve to be cut down.

Down

Langston Walker- Was expected to fill the void left by Jason Peters. He obviously wasn't going to do as well as Peters, but he may as well just stand still hands crossed, because he has done nothing thus far. Bell will eventually pass him on the Depth Chart. Bring him down EA!!! 78ovr?? TOO HIGH! low 70's would be about right.

Ok well im really tired... but other players that should be lowered are, Donte Whitner (Lacks the necessary play-making abilities of a FS) Andy Levitre (Rudely welcomed to the NFL, not very big or strong) Trent Edwards (Looks like complete ****! 0 TD and 3INT!!! drop him.) James Hardy (No catches, idk if he is hurt, but thats pathetic, shouldnt even be on the roster in my opinion, DROP HIM BUFFALO!) Terrelle Owens' injury as well should be dropped. (Missed entire pre-season, and the Toe could severely hamper him come regular season). Aaron Schobel (is still thriving off his really good sack totals that one year.. was it 06? anyway, hasn't done too much, getting older, reason for drafting Maybin). I think that is all. Overall Buffalo should drop from it's 76 rating in Madden. I think they will finish in the bottom 10 this season, our line is just TOO bad! gonna be a rough one.

Players to Add/Drop

Add

-Marcus Buggs ILB
-Alvin Bowen OLB
-Chris Ellis DE
-Copeland Byran DE (has 2 sacks, and puts good pressure on the QB)
-Jonathan Stupar TE (leading reciever in Pre-season)
-Brandon Rodd C/G (backup for Hangartner)

Drop

-Ko Simpson FS (traded to Lions)
-Pat Thomas ILB (Cut)
-Jon Corto OLB (Not as good as Bowen, Buggs, or Harris.. probably will be cut)
-Cary Harris CB (I would drop him and lower him, not because he isnt gonna make the team but because we need to free up roster space for these players. I doubt he will be a top 4 CB anyway.)
-James Hardy WR (For the reason as above, he will probably be on the team's roster, but we need space for these other guys above, and they are better)
-Marvin Philip C (Not a Buffalo Bill, why is he on the roster????)

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