From the near invincible re-creation of Mike Tyson in ‘Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!’ (NES, 1987) to the perpetually underrated stats of Cesc Fabregas in the ‘Pro Evolution Soccer’ series, player rankings in sports games have always generated debate within the videogame world. Every one of us is likely to have been left bemused by the ratings our favourite sportsman/woman has been awarded by a game’s developer.
In this regard no title comes under more scrutiny each year than the Madden series. Maybe because American football is so stats driven, or because EA have the exclusive NFL license, Madden is a series from which we demand perfection when it comes to accurately portraying the sport – including each player’s on-field ability. Of course, perfection is somewhat subjective and hence is never fully obtained, especially seeing as everyone who watches sports considers themselves an expert (us included).
And so, here at Games Are Evil we’ve come out with our list of which players we believe are the most over, and under, rated in Madden NFL 09. Please feel free to berate our choices as you see fit.
We’ve tried to go with high-profile players as much as possible, and have shied away from bringing rookies into the equation, as it’s still too early to make a sound judgment on their ability. We’ve also limited ourselves to no more than one player per position in each category; Carson Palmer can count himself lucky…
And so, in no particular order:
Overrated
Laurence Maroney (Half Back, New England Patriots, Overall 90)
Since when was Maroney any good? His overall rating is better than Brandon Jacobs and equal to Marshawn Lynch, two backs who are much more effective and important to their teams. Somehow Maroney has ended up with a ‘trucking’ attribute higher than the Titan’s powerhouse LenDale White; laughable! We suspect his stats are inflated a little because of the kind of season the Pats had last year; doesn’t seem fair…
Steve Smith (Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers, 98)
We can already feel the hate emanating from the sports gaming world because of this selection. Let’s be serious though, a 98 for Steve Smith? That’s equal to Terrell Owens and higher than Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald’s ratings! That just doesn’t sound right to us. Sure, Smith had a fantastic season in 2005, and he is certainly fast, but he isn’t one of the top three receivers in the NFL, as his Madden 09 ability suggests. Until Smith shows he can perform at the highest level consistently we believe his rating should be at least 4 or 5 points lower.
Vince Young (Quarterback, Tennessee Titans, 88)
Mr Young, so full of promise after his first season and yet so disappointing thereafter. As you’d expect his ratings for speed and elusiveness are impressive, but to award him with the same throwing power as Eli Manning – a hefty 93 – is a little far-fetched. The overall rating of 88 is higher than Derek Andersen, Jay Cutler and Kurt Warner; all of which have proved themselves much more capable.
Asante Samuel (Cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles, 96)
Don’t get us wrong with this one, Asante Samuel is a big game player that often comes up with key plays that lead to victories. However, he’s not exactly the most consistent of players and seems to struggle to find good form when the pressure is off. For a player to obtain a rating of 96 we believe you have to be on your game all the time.
Justin Tuck (DE, New York Giants, 94)
Is Justin Tuck as impressive a player as former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan? We don’t think so, but Madden 09 does! Tuck recorded an impressive 10 sacks last year, but that was playing alongside Strahan and Umenyiora (who were being double teamed all year round) meaning there was a lot space left for him to break into and rush the quarterback. It’ll be extremely difficult for him to match those numbers without their help. He’s also ranked slightly better than Luis Castillo of the Chargers – go figure.
Underrated
Chad Pennington (Quarterback, Miami Dolphins, 81)
Chad Pennington might have been injured for a large portion of last season but he is certainly a better player than his rating of 81 suggests; that’s lower than Chris Redman for crying out loud! Pennington might not be an exciting player, but he is one of the leagues best when it comes to making short accurate passes for decent gains.
Adewale Ogunleye (Defensive End, Chicago Bears, 89)
If one of the league’s elite pass rushers can’t break into the 90’s then something is wrong. Ogunleye has been putting up impressive numbers for years now, and Bear’s fans deserve to be able to play him with stats that do his ability justice.
Antonio Cromartie (Cornerback, San Diego Chargers, 92)
It might seem a little odd saying that a player with an overall rating of 92 is underrated, but consider that fellow cornerback Lito Sheppard has a rating of 93 and it might make a little more sense. Cromartie – the league leader in interceptions last year – is without doubt one of the league’s most exciting players, and we’re of the mind that he should be ranked as one of the game’s top 5 corners.
Donald Lee (Tight End, Green Bay Packers, 83)
The unsung hero of the Packer offence has been extremely hard done by with his rating of 83. Donald Lee is a monster in the middle of the field and can always be relied upon to make the catch and get to that first down marker – making his 79 rating for catching a little puzzling. His level of ability means it’s often hard to trust Lee in the passing game when using Green Bay, which is a shame as he is integral to the real life Packer offence.
Please note that these player ratings are based on the default numbers that shipped with the game on initial release.
Popularity: 9% [?]
No comments