I went back to posting videos after each game I played, and that seemed to help me move things along. Making the videos is less fun than playing the games, so having another game as a “reward” for completing a video is definitely the way to go.
I’ve also picked up some speed on video editing just from sheer practice.
We’re getting ever closer to the point where I will start to see some of my college creations go pro, and I can’t wait for that. So far the Eagles haven’t sent anyone to the NFL and none of my created players are old enough to go.
It’s been a fun project, though, and we’ve seen the channel explode in popularity (45 subscribers.) Here’s what you missed if you weren’t getting push notifications every time a video dropped:
2014 Eastern Michigan Eagles
I assumed we’d be rolling with quarterback Jared Tolbert but the true freshman 4-star recruit Robert Bonner couldn’t wait. He proved to be a better quarterback early on and led the team to some dizzying heights.
Not only did we win the MAC again, but we also dispatched #3 TCU in the Orange Bowl and finished the season ranked 2nd overall! After an 12-2 campaign the Eagles are in the national title conversation heading into 2015.
Stats Leaders
Jared Tolbert started the first three games and threw 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In game 3 he was yanked for Robert Bonner, who never relinquished the starting job, finishing with 3126 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. Bonner was named to the 2nd Team All-MAC squad.
Replacing halfback Bo Gordon proved to be extremely difficult, as the Eagles tried out many of their running backs. Ultimately it was 4th-stringer Chris Barrett who rose to the top and was the most effective runner, finishing with 600 yards and 7 touchdowns. Barrett was a mere 2-star recruit but he played much better than 4-star athlete Mike Hicks, who added 223 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.
Sophomore wide receiver Justin Workman took a big step forward as the lead receiver, finishing with 58 receptions, 1241 yards, and 11 touchdowns, leading the team in all categories. Coach Keron Day also employed JUCO 1-star recruit Patrick Miles very effectively. Despite his lack of pedigree, he finished with 862 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.
On defense, strong safety Jason Williams was the leading tackler with 57. Left End Roger Dennis led the squad with 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. True freshman free safety Joel Harrison and cornerback Steven Wynn tied for the interception lead with 5. Erik Griffin added 4. The nickel corner, Ted Taylor, made a splash with 3 defensive touchdowns and was named to the Freshman All-American Team.
Recruiting
Keron Day landed a 1-star kicker named Evan Jones, but he was eventually cut because the Eagles landed none other than Ben Pershey, a 3-star kicker with a massive leg. Pershey was one of fourteen 3-star caliber players recruited. Keron Day also added a personal record three 4-star recruits. They are: WR Ryan Robinson, HB Chris Sampson, and Steven Wynn’s little brother, ATH Mike Wynn, who will also play corner.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles had the 55th overall recruiting class, but this group was much better than the 2012 class that was ranked 53rd.
The Immersion owners played well. Oregon’s Jason Enright cracked 1,000 yards rushing as a freshman. It turns out Adam Franssen did get a redshirt year because he never played his first season. I wonder if the computer automatically assigns the redshirt to guys you didn’t use even if you didn’t manually do it. As a redshirt freshman, Franssen threw for 3105 yards and 29 touchdowns, and more importantly, beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Josh Hammond‘s Oklahoma Sooners also beat the Eagles. Hammond had his best season ever, catching 79 balls for 1458 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a 99-overall I expected him to declare for the draft, but he is planning on returning for his senior season. And as I mentioned before, this year’s Immersion Owner recruit – Ben Pershey – got recruited by Eastern Michigan.
Offseason
The Eagles are a very young team and didn’t lose a lot of talent this offseason. Quarterback Jared Tolbert grew to a 90-overall despite being benched, which makes me wonder if he should get the start so we can redshirt Robert Bonner. It’s a tough call because Bonner played so well and still has better throw power.
The running back situation is still in flux, but Mike Hicks progressed quite a bit and will have another chance at the starting job. Punter Justin Cole progressed to a 90-overall and now leads the team in overall rating, along with Jared Tolbert. Maybe he’ll be the first Eagle drafted.
2014 Batavia Colliders
The Colliders had a bounce back season thanks to the rookie quarterback Ahmad Mark. He started out like gangbusters and was leading the league in several passing categories for a while. He got hurt, though, and missed 3 games. After that he was never the same. His play dropped off and his interceptions escalated. Part of the problem was that he was without his two best receiving threats, Morgan Montoya and Ron Lewis, for much of the season.
Despite that, the Colliders finished 12-4. They got two playoff wins in simulation mode, and found themselves in Super Bowl XLIX against the Kansas City Smoke.
Stats Leaders
Ahmad Mark‘s play fell off after his injury, but he still led the team in passing, with 2734 yards and 17 touchdowns (though he led the league with 16 interceptions). Those numbers were good enough to make the Pro Bowl and stand as the best season a Collider quarterback has ever had. Sad!
Halfback Brian Harris scored 5 touchdowns in the first 4 games and then suffered a catastrophic injury that kept him out of 9 games. He rushed for 419 yards and 8 touchdowns to lead the team. When he was out, the rookie out of Oklahoma, Will Davis, was forced to carry the load. He managed 324 yards and 6 touchdowns but wasn’t efficient, with just 3.1 yards per carry.
Morgan Montoya was having a breakout season at wide receiver before he got hurt. He finished the season with 45 catches for 941 yards and 8 touchdown in 8 games. He suffered a season ending injury at the halfway point and he still made the Pro Bowl. He was having a much better season with Ahmad Mark than he’d had with any other quarterback, and Mark certainly benefited from throwing to Montoya – when he couldn’t anymore, his play fell off drastically.
AJ Muse became the #1 receiver when Montoya went down, and he managed to put together a Pro Bowl season of his own with 52 receptions for 849 yards and 7 touchdowns.
On defense we struggled to generate pressure, and our usual sack leader, Shawn Arnold, played poorly and got benched. His 4 sacks were a far cry from the 19 he had in the previous season. Elisha Wright led the team in tackles with 69. The leader in tackles for loss was our nickel corner, Javec O’Neal, with 9. He tied with Alexander Williams for the sack lead, with 7. Sintamuel Cheeseboro led the team with 6 interceptions, though the Madden game only credited him with 5 (one was challenged and “overturned” but we still got the ball). That is what probably cost him a trip to the Pro Bowl.
We did develop some new talent on defense, with RE Jake Jones taking over a full time role. We also started Ronald Taylor at ROLB, despite him being a 68-overall with D-potential. Taylor was drafted in the 7th round by the Brunstucky Annexation and dropped. We snatched him up, and despite his low ratings he has a lot of speed. He was able to secure 43 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles for us. We only had two defensive touchdowns this year. Those went to Sintamuel Cheeseboro and Jamel Walker.
The Draft
This draft didn’t have a lot of great players in it. And while a punter did go 13th overall, there weren’t too many anomalies in this one. The first pick in the draft was Kyle Bray, the quarterback from Texas. He turned out to be an 87 overall, far and away better than every other player in the class. We drafted from the bottom, so we tried to address our left tackle position.
Thomas Cummings is a 74-overall with B-potential. We didn’t find any guys with A-potential in this one. We really do need to address our offensive line but it’s proving nearly as tricky as addressing our quarterback.
We drafted Fred Wayne at the end because it said he had 4th round talent, but he wasn’t anywhere near as good as Andy Gary so we cut him. I forgot to try to trade away my 6th and 7th picks this year. There’s really only F-rated guys around at that point, who are completely pointless.
Thoughts on Year Four
The games have been fun this year. I really enjoyed having a capable quarterback in the college game, and I can see that the Eagles are just a couple pieces away from winning a national championship. We finished 2nd last year, though that was with 2 losses. If we can beat Alabama and Oklahoma this year, then we’ve got a chance. I still think I’m a year or two away, though, from those 3-star guys developing into solid starters.
I like that it’s been a challenge. I’ve seen a lot of expert players turn these types of dynasties around in a year or two. That is implausible, except for Indiana. Even though we finished 12-2 we were only able to get the 55th best recruiting class. We still haven’t had a player drafted. But now we’ve got two guys with 90-ratings so I can’t wait to start playing with the Eagles again.
In Madden it’s kind of fun seeing which teams and players start to develop into powerhouses. Freddie Hicks, out of Oklahoma, is a bonafide stud now. Gerald McGrew, the rookie out of South Carolina, was as good as I thought he’d be. As for my own team, we’ve built the best interior defensive line with guys drafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
It’s wild that I can’t win a Super Bowl. I would prefer to get one out of the way so I can just completely sim the playoffs afterwards, but I need to get one win on my own. I’m really looking forward to seeing Josh Hammond and friends come into the draft class. And I want to get a good quarterback at some point. It’s pretty cool that it’s hard to do that.
Onward!
© 2026, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
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