Thoughts on the Madden Roster Updates

by pastapadre
Posted January 14th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

Throughout the year there has been much discussion around the weekly Madden roster updates. For the most part everyone has been pleased with the frequency of them and ultimately ratings are going to be overly-scrutinized and will never please everyone. However there has been some aspects that have come into question. Some of my concerns have stemmed from what appears to be heavy leaning towards past performance and not enough towards the present. This has been seen through examples such as LaDainian Tomlinson on one end when compared to rookies on the other. Joe Flacco was the most recent example I pulled for an article the other day and that generated some interesting comments.

With that all in mind I was contacted by Madden 2010 lead producer Phil Frazier for the opportunity to get some questions answered pertaining to the roster updates. After mentioning essentially what I did in the prior paragraph I received a response back which you can find after the break. With the attention roster updates in general have been getting as of late having a discussion in order to completely understand the process as well as improve on it in the future is greatly appreciated.

After reading it feel free to leave any questions or suggestions you might have in the comments and I’ll see about passing those on as well for a follow-up. Also make sure to vote in the poll at the end.

The fun part about ratings is that they are subjective. We have Jon Crankshaw who manages the overall responsibility of the ratings with help from the rest of our design team. Our thoughts about players or teams are really no different than what you see on sports shows. These are our opinions based on what we see on gameday and read about on the net. We of course try our best to rate players accurately and without any bias towards our own favorite teams.

On Flacco…
He’ll be moving up to an 82 in the next update but not because of some of the opinions on the web. We watched him very closely in the playoffs and while better than his current rating, he’s still an average QB with a great arm. In my opinion, the primary reason the Ravens are in the playoffs is because of their defense, not necessarily Joe Flacco. Flacco hasn’t been great in the playoffs and the Ravens are a ‘run first’ kind of team, throwing only when needed. His regular season numbers are 14TD’s with 12 INT’s, getting slightly worse in the playoffs. In the end, we feel 82 is a more accurate number than his previous rating.

On our ratings philosophy…
Up to this point, our general ratings philosophy has been to consider a players body of work (past and present) and consistency when generating the ratings. It’s certainly possible that this philosophy no longer applies given the new frequency of our updates. I guess you could say we understand why some think our ratings should reflect the NFL as it is today (literally) vs. who we feel is good overall. That’s the question of the week for the Madden Team moving forward. What should our ratings philosophy be given the new frequency of our updates? Should each update reflect who’s hot and who’s not in that given week? If a player has a bad game (or two) should he be hammered in ratings or should we continue to consider his career and previous performance? Based on recent community feedback, it feels like most would prefer more significant changes based on game to game performance. Maybe an online poll would help clarify this?

Tags: roster update

HUEJAK

I think the rating system is fine the way it is. It just needs to be more consistent on a team by team basis. The Bucs for example Donald Penn has only given up two sack all year while facing the likes of Abraham & Peppers twice a year and Penn is the only LT stop D Ware of Dallas consecutive game sack streak. Antonio Bryant WR has had one the best second half of the season in NFL history. Clifton Smith made the Pro Bowl dispite only being active for half a seaon, no up grade.

bigblackanvil

I say bring ratings down because it would eliminate the people who abuse the players with the superhuman ratings. If i used The Boys or Pats I'd probably go deep every play as well because Moss and T.O. rarely drop a pass on Madden. And as far as Romo, this guy throws perfect passes with his back turned away. Too unreal. And I'm still trying too understand why the Redskins who have the number 4 defense had players dropped on defense ? Deangelo Hall should have been increased MORE because of his play since the joining Redskins . He played 6 weeks and has started 3 and gave up 0 scores. But T. Choice has 2 good games and BOOM ! Be fair EA !!!

Mr. EA Sports

Moss, TO, & Romo are superhuman when they play. When those 3 are healthy they are unstoppable on the field. The tape doesn't lie. I saw a play week 2 against Philly where TO ran a double move against A. Samuel and S. Considene and got deep on them for about 40 yards. That play took quite a while to develop so the offensive line held up well and Romo accurately read the defense and the line stepped up in the pocket and found a soft spot in the zone for a deep pass to TO simply brilliant. When you watch Sports Center you do not see this but when you actually analyze film you can understand the entire play as it unfolds and why certain players succeed.

bigblackanvil

Didn't play Moss this year but T.O. and Romo looked rather average against the Reddskins when I saw them.And they damn sure looked sub par against the Eagles. So man please. No one relies on Sportscenter for their opinions. We know football. Obviously better than you Mr." I saw A play when T.O. got open once" !

Mr. EA Sports

That was just 1 example on the great play that superstars do. There are only about 15 superstars that bring it each game they are in no particular order; R. Moss, J. Porter, B. Dawkins, T. Polamalu, T. Romo, P. Manning, A. Peterson, D. Ware, A. Johnson, T. Owens, T. Gonzalez, R. Lewis, L. Briggs, J. Witten & L. Fletcher. Trust me fellas these guys are flat out superstars that bring it every game. Too much tape on these guys to disagree.
sportz

too much tape on T.O. dropping important passes. And what happens when you *bump* T.O. at the line every play? 98% ineffective. talk about a one trick pony as you would say. He has blazing speed and…oh yeah, nothing else. Maybe an argument about his ability to gain yards after the catch but that's assuming he actually catches the ball or even gets open. and how the hell can you still be sucking off Romo? No great quarterback falls apart like that. period. he loses games late in the season with turnovers. I'd like for you to explain the thumping Philadelphia put on Dallas on the last game. Dallas held their own fate and Romo screwed them again. I don't think ANYONE looks for a QB like Romo. I think they look for a QB that WINS in december and january; something Romo simply cannot do.
Mr. EA Sports

Yeah T.O. has had his shared of drops but remember that he had surgery in the off season on his hand and he and Romo didn't share that much playing time together this year. It was hard to build up their championship chemistry. With a full healthy season expect to see a lot of offensive records broken next year. When I watch the film I see a dominate duo that could go down as the greatest. We are all witness, just enjoy it and go for the ride. The Romo's and T.O.'s only come once in a lifetime once they are gone they can not be replaced.
sportz

seriously, you're undoubted and naive love for Romo and T.O. and the rest of the Cowboys makes me want to puke. Yeah, T.O. had surgery this past offseason but that doesn't explain the other years of him dropping pass after pass. You also never said anything in response to T.O. being shitty as hell when he's bumped at the line. Hand surgery doesn't explain his lack of ability to get open if he's bumped. I hope and wish you're around forums next year because there will never be any broken records by T.O. and Romo. Bunch of crybabys. Let it go. If you're cowboys are as good as you say they are, they should be 17-0 and headed to the NFC championship. In reality? 9-7 and didn't even make the playoffs. Yeah, the Cowboys have some top notch talent on their team but not as much you say there is and they also lack depth at just about every position, thus the resulting record when a few players got hurt, which i might add, IS PART OF THE GAME. that's why you have an all-around good team instead of a few big named star players.

KRIS

I WAS WAITING 4 U TO FUCK UP. this is how i kno u dont really watch film and just r a complete jackass. that wasnt asante samuel it was lito u ass.and that rout only took like 3 seconds cause dumb ass considine jumped it. it was just a mistake by two backups! ur just hyping the playoffless cowboys cause ur bitter…..brilliant

Mr. EA Sports

1st of all you can never question my breakdown on film 2nd that was A. Samuel. I wasn't talking about the TD catch where he went by Lito I'm was talking about another catch on the right hand side of the field. Oh you of short memory you need to study the film a bit more buddy. He did a double move along the right sideline that took quite a bit of time and Romo with his excellent pass protection read the defense perfectly and zip a great timing pass directly to T.O. Kris. I believe you owe me an apology. The offer is always there though in case you need help breaking down film Kris.
KRIS

hey asshole……..t.o. had 3 catches for 89 yds and his longest was that 72 yarder that i was talkin about. do the math. what 40 yarder r u talkin about???????????? ur not breakin down film u aint jaws. stop lyin and tryna sound smart. i think u owe evryone on this site an apology cause u have just about pissed off everyone

RAIDERS

Raiders best WR’s are Johnnie Lee Higgins (74) and Chaz Schilens (67), the starters by the end of the season.

Javon Walker (83), Ronald Curry (76) and Ashley Lelie (75) all have better ratings than JLH and Chaz, which is not fair since both outplayed them all.

JaMarcus Russell was 6 TD’s 2 INT’s and 88+ rating over the last 6 games, where Oakland was 3-3 after beating Houston at home and Tampa Bay and Denver on the road. 75 overall for JaMarcus is too low, and 76 in accuracy is laughable.
RAIDERS

Raiders best WR’s are Johnnie Lee Higgins (74) and Chaz Schilens (67), the starters by the end of the season.

Javon Walker (83), Ronald Curry (76) and Ashley Lelie (75) all have better ratings than JLH and Chaz, which is not fair since both outplayed them all.

JaMarcus Russell was 6 TD’s 2 INT’s and 88+ rating over the last 6 games, where Oakland was 3-3 after beating Houston at home and Tampa Bay and Denver on the road. 75 overall for JaMarcus is too low, and 76 in accuracy is laughable.
RAIDERS

Raiders best WR’s are Johnnie Lee Higgins (74) and Chaz Schilens (67), the starters by the end of the season.

Javon Walker (83), Ronald Curry (76) and Ashley Lelie (75) all have better ratings than JLH and Chaz, which is not fair since both outplayed them all.

JaMarcus Russell was 6 TD’s 2 INT’s and 88+ rating over the last 6 games, where Oakland was 3-3 after beating Houston at home and Tampa Bay and Denver on the road. 75 overall for JaMarcus is too low, and 76 in accuracy is laughable.
mee

Overall, the roster updates have been disappointing. I think the entire game needs a revamp.
mee

Overall, the roster updates have been disappointing. I think the entire game needs a revamp.
mee

Overall, the roster updates have been disappointing. I think the entire game needs a revamp.
Ngata

This isnt really a rating thing but can you tell Phil Frazier to make Haloti Ngata look like a DT, he is 356 pounds and looks like a stick figure in the game, so Pasta can you please tell MR frazier to make Ngata look huge

KRIS

the same EXACT thing with mike patterson hes smaller than trent cole and it should be the opposite.

Ngata

This isnt really a rating thing but can you tell Phil Frazier to make Haloti Ngata look like a DT, he is 356 pounds and looks like a stick figure in the game, so Pasta can you please tell MR frazier to make Ngata look huge
Ngata

This isnt really a rating thing but can you tell Phil Frazier to make Haloti Ngata look like a DT, he is 356 pounds and looks like a stick figure in the game, so Pasta can you please tell MR frazier to make Ngata look huge

KRIS

the same EXACT thing with mike patterson hes smaller than trent cole and it should be the opposite.

FOOTBALL

rating Joe Flacco an 82 is still kind of bull crap. He has had 14 TD and 5 INT in his last 13 games. So giving his regular season TD INT ratio as evidence for why they are giving him an 82 OVR is unjustified. Additionally, Brady quinn is an 83 OVR, higher than flacco and why?… he had one good game against a team that was rated worst in pass defense at the time. I understand that Flacco relies heavily on his defense but he still deserves credit for the big plays he makes with sub par offensive assistance. They need to make flacco at least an 83 simply because he has proven himself more than Quinn who is rated higher. I would actually give him an 84 OVR because he is comparable to Derek Anderson who is rated an 84. I really do not think the people making these ratings are hardcore football fans and they should pay more attention to each game. Don't make Quinn higher than Flacco just because he has commercials and endorsements.

Brady Quinn

Mr. Football what da heck is wrong wit you? Have you seen Flacco's body compared to mine? I'm built like a greek god Flacco is built a fig newton. I have a stronger body bigger arm and I'm faster. If my WR's aint drop soo many passes (B. Edwards) and my defense was any good I would be playing in the Conference Championship myself. Remember what I did in my 1st game 239 yards and 2 TD's with no picks? So when I play next year don't call it a comeback, I been here fo years!

KRIS

LOL a fig newton
Joe Flacco

I'm bigger than you in one way Mr. Steroids! Just ask your girlfriend.

FOOTBALL

rating Joe Flacco an 82 is still kind of bull crap. He has had 14 TD and 5 INT in his last 13 games. So giving his regular season TD INT ratio as evidence for why they are giving him an 82 OVR is unjustified. Additionally, Brady quinn is an 83 OVR, higher than flacco and why?… he had one good game against a team that was rated worst in pass defense at the time. I understand that Flacco relies heavily on his defense but he still deserves credit for the big plays he makes with sub par offensive assistance. They need to make flacco at least an 83 simply because he has proven himself more than Quinn who is rated higher. I would actually give him an 84 OVR because he is comparable to Derek Anderson who is rated an 84. I really do not think the people making these ratings are hardcore football fans and they should pay more attention to each game. Don't make Quinn higher than Flacco just because he has commercials and endorsements.
FOOTBALL

rating Joe Flacco an 82 is still kind of bull crap. He has had 14 TD and 5 INT in his last 13 games. So giving his regular season TD INT ratio as evidence for why they are giving him an 82 OVR is unjustified. Additionally, Brady quinn is an 83 OVR, higher than flacco and why?… he had one good game against a team that was rated worst in pass defense at the time. I understand that Flacco relies heavily on his defense but he still deserves credit for the big plays he makes with sub par offensive assistance. They need to make flacco at least an 83 simply because he has proven himself more than Quinn who is rated higher. I would actually give him an 84 OVR because he is comparable to Derek Anderson who is rated an 84. I really do not think the people making these ratings are hardcore football fans and they should pay more attention to each game. Don't make Quinn higher than Flacco just because he has commercials and endorsements.

Brady Quinn

Mr. Football what da heck is wrong wit you? Have you seen Flacco's body compared to mine? I'm built like a greek god Flacco is built a fig newton. I have a stronger body bigger arm and I'm faster. If my WR's aint drop soo many passes (B. Edwards) and my defense was any good I would be playing in the Conference Championship myself. Remember what I did in my 1st game 239 yards and 2 TD's with no picks? So when I play next year don't call it a comeback, I been here fo years!

KRIS

LOL a fig newton
Joe Flacco

I'm bigger than you in one way Mr. Steroids! Just ask your girlfriend.

T.O,,,,,

may not be with the cowboys much longer :]
T.O,,,,,

may not be with the cowboys much longer :]
T.O,,,,,

may not be with the cowboys much longer :]
RBolyar2

Would like to see move overall edits. Seems to me backups are generally disregarded, which is fine until you end up with a situation like the Detroit Lions safety situation, where all 4 players are basically the same.
RBolyar2

Would like to see move overall edits. Seems to me backups are generally disregarded, which is fine until you end up with a situation like the Detroit Lions safety situation, where all 4 players are basically the same.
KRIS

P.S. when t.o. came on asantes side (wich he was scared 2 do) he got shut down!

Mr. EA Sports

Here is a perfect example why people should stay away from Sports Center when trying to analyze football. Leave the Sports Center mentality alone look at the tape because it's not about highlights it's about recognizing what's going on on the field play by play. Now to shut you up Kris once and for all. In the 2nd quarter with 7:38 to play Dallas had the ball in it's own territory with down and distance being 1st and 10. T.O. ran a go route stopped as if he was taking two curls then broke out for a fly an caught a perfect pass by Romo who correctly read that pattern. The offense line did hold up their blocks and gave Romo all day to let that play develop. Now the play wasn't for 40 yards it was actually for 55 yards, but you would not have seen this on Sports Center ya know why? Because it was called back for offensive holding by the Center. Now the holding call was bogus because looking at the film it was only the typical line blocking that goes on every play. When you hear that they can call holding on every play it's the truth. I can show you entire games where both teams held on every play. Sometimes the refs call it sometimes they don't it's just the nature of the beast. So Kris when it comes down to actually viewing the game and knowing football inside and out and not from Sports Center or Madden leave it to the pros. Of course my door is always open if you need help watching tape.

sportz

You are aware that holding a defender inside his body isn't actually called as holding, right? Just want to make sure that's clear. And yes, there's usually holding on every play, thus it's the refs' job to declare which holding calls CLEARLY AFFECT the play at hand. Or else we'd never be able to get through a quarter with a dozen holding penalties on each team.
KRIS

so in all actuality the play really never happened because ur shitty overrated o line was holdin????????????????? so ur point is?????

KRIS

P.S. when t.o. came on asantes side (wich he was scared 2 do) he got shut down!

Mr. EA Sports

Here is a perfect example why people should stay away from Sports Center when trying to analyze football. Leave the Sports Center mentality alone look at the tape because it's not about highlights it's about recognizing what's going on on the field play by play. Now to shut you up Kris once and for all. In the 2nd quarter with 7:38 to play Dallas had the ball in it's own territory with down and distance being 1st and 10. T.O. ran a go route stopped as if he was taking two curls then broke out for a fly an caught a perfect pass by Romo who correctly read that pattern. The offense line did hold up their blocks and gave Romo all day to let that play develop. Now the play wasn't for 40 yards it was actually for 55 yards, but you would not have seen this on Sports Center ya know why? Because it was called back for offensive holding by the Center. Now the holding call was bogus because looking at the film it was only the typical line blocking that goes on every play. When you hear that they can call holding on every play it's the truth. I can show you entire games where both teams held on every play. Sometimes the refs call it sometimes they don't it's just the nature of the beast. So Kris when it comes down to actually viewing the game and knowing football inside and out and not from Sports Center or Madden leave it to the pros. Of course my door is always open if you need help watching tape.

sportz

You are aware that holding a defender inside his body isn't actually called as holding, right? Just want to make sure that's clear. And yes, there's usually holding on every play, thus it's the refs' job to declare which holding calls CLEARLY AFFECT the play at hand. Or else we'd never be able to get through a quarter with a dozen holding penalties on each team.
KRIS

so in all actuality the play really never happened because ur shitty overrated o line was holdin????????????????? so ur point is?????

brewer

i got beef with the way the ratings are done. they give people stuff they really dont have. at the beggining when they gave brady 99 arm strength that was bad. he may have thrown the deep ball alot but everyone knows he cant contend with palmer or cutler in that department. also because the gameplay is so mechanic, you have to make all the good players faster than they should be because of bad unrealistic blocking and robotic moves. everyone is break a tackle or get past the line ad scoot the rest of the way. these are prime things that 2k had covered well. even if 2k football started again i would still by madden but then i would have both. madden just adds on a bunch of gametypes and icons and stuff they tr and hide the poor gameplay behind it. they really need to run it on a new engine or something and just redo the whole gameplay.

FOOTBALL

I absolutely agree. Peyton manning and Tom brady do not have stronger arms than QB's like Favre, cutler, ect… Its another example of the people updating the players just getting caught up in the hype of certain players. As i stated before, I really don't think the updaters are hardcore football fans. Don't get me wrong, they are the best Qb's in the NFL but don't give them attributes that they don't have

KRIS

i think peyton is just overrated. he is a leader but hes had a fantastic team ever since he came into the nfl. and has 1 ring. the highest he should be rated is 97
ken

hahaha thats funny peyton broke marvin harrisons finger, and tom brady is the reincarnation of jesus, ya know if jesus played football, they can throw it farther and more acurately…

KRIS

i doubt that jesus could throw 50 tds and only 8 pics. and go 18-0. and brady got his rings without top tier wideouts. screw both mannings.
brady
brees
mcnabb

ken

hahaha good stuff, we all know eli is a bum so im not even going to acknowledge him, but brees better than payton? really? im pretty sure he led the league in pics the first half of the season, but in a rare moment i agree with mcnabb at 3, although i think hes better than brees

brewer

i got beef with the way the ratings are done. they give people stuff they really dont have. at the beggining when they gave brady 99 arm strength that was bad. he may have thrown the deep ball alot but everyone knows he cant contend with palmer or cutler in that department. also because the gameplay is so mechanic, you have to make all the good players faster than they should be because of bad unrealistic blocking and robotic moves. everyone is break a tackle or get past the line ad scoot the rest of the way. these are prime things that 2k had covered well. even if 2k football started again i would still by madden but then i would have both. madden just adds on a bunch of gametypes and icons and stuff they tr and hide the poor gameplay behind it. they really need to run it on a new engine or something and just redo the whole gameplay.

FOOTBALL

I absolutely agree. Peyton manning and Tom brady do not have stronger arms than QB's like Favre, cutler, ect… Its another example of the people updating the players just getting caught up in the hype of certain players. As i stated before, I really don't think the updaters are hardcore football fans. Don't get me wrong, they are the best Qb's in the NFL but don't give them attributes that they don't have

KRIS

i think peyton is just overrated. he is a leader but hes had a fantastic team ever since he came into the nfl. and has 1 ring. the highest he should be rated is 97
ken

hahaha thats funny peyton broke marvin harrisons finger, and tom brady is the reincarnation of jesus, ya know if jesus played football, they can throw it farther and more acurately…

KRIS

i doubt that jesus could throw 50 tds and only 8 pics. and go 18-0. and brady got his rings without top tier wideouts. screw both mannings.
brady
brees
mcnabb

ken

hahaha good stuff, we all know eli is a bum so im not even going to acknowledge him, but brees better than payton? really? im pretty sure he led the league in pics the first half of the season, but in a rare moment i agree with mcnabb at 3, although i think hes better than brees

CLMD

Cunning Linguist & A Master Debater(CLMD)

Who is Mr. EA Sports and why is he always talking about breaking down film? lol. Who has time to break down film of every NFL team all season he must not have a life. Romo sucks, TO sucks the whole Dallas team sucks. Even D. Ware sucks because he didn't do anything when the season was on the line against Philly in that last game. 44-6 how can you defend 44-6? At what point does all of this film you break down show a team that's any good when it went 1-3 in December with everybody healthy? Oh wait they were missing Felix Jones. What a joke! Oh well it's like talking to a brick wall I noticed. Since you like breaking down film so much break down my screen name.

Studd

I don't agree with most of what Mr. EA Sports says, but the guy is fucking hilarious. The 'breaking down film' bit is gold.
KRIS

thank u CLMD. that guy is just not understanding. i know thats his team and thats fine. but has anyone noticed that no true cowboys fan is backing anything that this guy is sayin
sportz

thank you, CLMD. I've been trying to talk to him but he simply doesn't listen…

CLMD

Cunning Linguist & A Master Debater(CLMD)

Who is Mr. EA Sports and why is he always talking about breaking down film? lol. Who has time to break down film of every NFL team all season he must not have a life. Romo sucks, TO sucks the whole Dallas team sucks. Even D. Ware sucks because he didn't do anything when the season was on the line against Philly in that last game. 44-6 how can you defend 44-6? At what point does all of this film you break down show a team that's any good when it went 1-3 in December with everybody healthy? Oh wait they were missing Felix Jones. What a joke! Oh well it's like talking to a brick wall I noticed. Since you like breaking down film so much break down my screen name.

Studd

I don't agree with most of what Mr. EA Sports says, but the guy is fucking hilarious. The 'breaking down film' bit is gold.
KRIS

thank u CLMD. that guy is just not understanding. i know thats his team and thats fine. but has anyone noticed that no true cowboys fan is backing anything that this guy is sayin
sportz

thank you, CLMD. I've been trying to talk to him but he simply doesn't listen…

FREE MICHAEL VICK

WHEN IS THE NEXT MADDEN UPDATE GOING TO BE RELEASED?
FREE MICHAEL VICK

WHEN IS THE NEXT MADDEN UPDATE GOING TO BE RELEASED?
ken

alright i can understand how the ratings are calculated but there is one thing that has bugged me ALL YEAR. In general you expect the ratings to be comparable (randy moss and larry fitz being high 90s and brandon llyod and hank baskett type recievers high 70s low 80s) so try and follow my logic for a couple min, Jason Campbell is an 8 for throw accuracy, todd collins is a 92. thanks in large part to the massive upgrade he got for not throwing an int for one month (4 weeks) last year. Campbell didnt throw one for 8 weeks and is 8 points lower on accuracy, additionally hes posting a 2:1 td : int ratio. I am just at a loss for an explanation, he did it twice as long as collins and has put up the best numbers of his career yet remains the same from wk 1…id just like to know how that is comparable, thanks
ken

alright i can understand how the ratings are calculated but there is one thing that has bugged me ALL YEAR. In general you expect the ratings to be comparable (randy moss and larry fitz being high 90s and brandon llyod and hank baskett type recievers high 70s low 80s) so try and follow my logic for a couple min, Jason Campbell is an 8 for throw accuracy, todd collins is a 92. thanks in large part to the massive upgrade he got for not throwing an int for one month (4 weeks) last year. Campbell didnt throw one for 8 weeks and is 8 points lower on accuracy, additionally hes posting a 2:1 td : int ratio. I am just at a loss for an explanation, he did it twice as long as collins and has put up the best numbers of his career yet remains the same from wk 1…id just like to know how that is comparable, thanks
Matt Ryan (ROY)

Good Job, Flacco !
13/30 141 yards 0 Touchdowns 3 interceptions

Keep him at 79

Mr. EA Sports

I would take Chris Redman over Flacco. I think the ratings are correct there.

Flacco most overrated QB ever

SteelCurtain

Heyyyyyy Ken where are ya bro? What was all that talk about Reed being better than Polamalu? And what else did you say? Better at returning touchdowns? Uhh yeah, which is why Reed had NO picks and NO touchdowns when he played against the team you talked shit about.. The comparison has been made official now that the two teams played. Polamalu did exactly what you praised Reed for. Reed did NOTHING. As for all you other Steelers haters, get over yourself. As for everyone who wanted us to win, thanks for the support.

As for you people asking for Flacco updates…uhh…82 is too high after we showed you the real Flacco. CRUMBLING under pressure. 3 picks?? The DEFENSE kept you close…as usual. Not Flacco.

Lastly, HOW BOUT THEM STEELERS?!

sportz

That comment wasn't directed at you SteelCurtain, it was to Mr. EA Sports, just to clarify that. As for your comments, though…Yeah, Polamalu made the plays THIS game, but I wouldn't go out and say either of them is better than the other. Top notch in case of both players, Troy just played the better game this time around, which I'm not upset about at all; i'll be rooting for dem Steelers come Super Bowl Sunday. And Flacco didn't necessarily 'crumble.' There were dropped passes left and right and his last INT was garbage time. So he really only had one more than Big Ben. So, his third post season game as a rookie, with a huge game and huge pressure, and the game was actually close for a while. Plus, Koch for some reason had an awful game through the punting game. Berger didn't fare that much better but definitely was punting well in the first half of the game before imploding.

sportz

Yeah, well, from your comments thus far, nobody really cares because you're an idiot. Done.

Matt Ryan (ROY)

Good Job, Flacco !
13/30 141 yards 0 Touchdowns 3 interceptions

Keep him at 79

Mr. EA Sports

I would take Chris Redman over Flacco. I think the ratings are correct there.

Flacco most overrated QB ever

SteelCurtain

Heyyyyyy Ken where are ya bro? What was all that talk about Reed being better than Polamalu? And what else did you say? Better at returning touchdowns? Uhh yeah, which is why Reed had NO picks and NO touchdowns when he played against the team you talked shit about.. The comparison has been made official now that the two teams played. Polamalu did exactly what you praised Reed for. Reed did NOTHING. As for all you other Steelers haters, get over yourself. As for everyone who wanted us to win, thanks for the support.

As for you people asking for Flacco updates…uhh…82 is too high after we showed you the real Flacco. CRUMBLING under pressure. 3 picks?? The DEFENSE kept you close…as usual. Not Flacco.

Lastly, HOW BOUT THEM STEELERS?!

sportz

That comment wasn't directed at you SteelCurtain, it was to Mr. EA Sports, just to clarify that. As for your comments, though…Yeah, Polamalu made the plays THIS game, but I wouldn't go out and say either of them is better than the other. Top notch in case of both players, Troy just played the better game this time around, which I'm not upset about at all; i'll be rooting for dem Steelers come Super Bowl Sunday. And Flacco didn't necessarily 'crumble.' There were dropped passes left and right and his last INT was garbage time. So he really only had one more than Big Ben. So, his third post season game as a rookie, with a huge game and huge pressure, and the game was actually close for a while. Plus, Koch for some reason had an awful game through the punting game. Berger didn't fare that much better but definitely was punting well in the first half of the game before imploding.

sportz

Yeah, well, from your comments thus far, nobody really cares because you're an idiot. Done.

KRIS

man im sad….i cried all day but i still say that mcnabb needs his 93 rating back and is an amazing qb. he played his fuckin heart out with no help from anyone. he single handedly brought us back from an 18 point hole. i have no clue how or y our defense just crumbled like that but i digress. the only reason y he didnt have like 450 yds was because the shitty recievers kept droping passes over and over again. im sure that mr. ea sports is gonna hate but i domt give a damn even he had to see all those fuckin drops. even mcnabb's only pick was cause the reciever couldnt catch the damn thing.
KRIS

man im sad….i cried all day but i still say that mcnabb needs his 93 rating back and is an amazing qb. he played his fuckin heart out with no help from anyone. he single handedly brought us back from an 18 point hole. i have no clue how or y our defense just crumbled like that but i digress. the only reason y he didnt have like 450 yds was because the shitty recievers kept droping passes over and over again. im sure that mr. ea sports is gonna hate but i domt give a damn even he had to see all those fuckin drops. even mcnabb's only pick was cause the reciever couldnt catch the damn thing.
bigblunts fine cunts

You shouldnt have to have xbox live gold membership to update rosters….the roster changes should go thru the computer lookin at the stats of the last game but then of course factors like a qb being able to get out of the pocket and avoid gettin sacked or a running back zigzaggin thru the field for a touchdown would have to be seen by human eyes no computer could do that…shits complicated
bigblunts fine cunts

You shouldnt have to have xbox live gold membership to update rosters….the roster changes should go thru the computer lookin at the stats of the last game but then of course factors like a qb being able to get out of the pocket and avoid gettin sacked or a running back zigzaggin thru the field for a touchdown would have to be seen by human eyes no computer could do that…shits complicated
the yac

you guys on here are a hooy i think james harrison should be 99 aaron smith 95 lamar woodley 96 and ike taylor 93 come on we got byfar the best d in football and they arent even the best in the game

sportz

That's asking a bit much. I think they're all exactly where they should be. It's not all about individual effort, but rather a collective team effort. Let's see if Harrison makes as much as an impact next year and stays consistent, Ike gets burned on a couple of a plays, and Woodley plays primarily the role of a pass rusher and you want him to be a 96? That's a bit extreme.
KRIS

ur right but ike t is already a 93 and woodley shoud not be 96 but maybe a 90 and urfs ryan clark should have a hammer.

the yac

you guys on here are a hooy i think james harrison should be 99 aaron smith 95 lamar woodley 96 and ike taylor 93 come on we got byfar the best d in football and they arent even the best in the game

sportz

That's asking a bit much. I think they're all exactly where they should be. It's not all about individual effort, but rather a collective team effort. Let's see if Harrison makes as much as an impact next year and stays consistent, Ike gets burned on a couple of a plays, and Woodley plays primarily the role of a pass rusher and you want him to be a 96? That's a bit extreme.
KRIS

ur right but ike t is already a 93 and woodley shoud not be 96 but maybe a 90 and urfs ryan clark should have a hammer.

RossHorne

I think health should be more of an issue in the game. Players play hurt, get sick, and just plain get old. I feel that this should be a bigger part in the game. For example Urlacher and LT (rated a bit too high in my opinion) are both getting older and had their share of problems this year (LT with his toe and Urlacher has a bad back). In order to get a "more realistic football simulation" I can't help thinking there should be some sort of slider similar to morale for health.

Also, I just wanted to mention that a lot of the time players play over or under their skill sets (Ward, Kyle Orton, Cedric Benson, etc).

What about players getting hot and cold too?

Of course all of these ideas would have to have a less than major effect on the gameplay and simply make a fuller experience rather than completely change it.
RossHorne

I think health should be more of an issue in the game. Players play hurt, get sick, and just plain get old. I feel that this should be a bigger part in the game. For example Urlacher and LT (rated a bit too high in my opinion) are both getting older and had their share of problems this year (LT with his toe and Urlacher has a bad back). In order to get a "more realistic football simulation" I can't help thinking there should be some sort of slider similar to morale for health.

Also, I just wanted to mention that a lot of the time players play over or under their skill sets (Ward, Kyle Orton, Cedric Benson, etc).

What about players getting hot and cold too?

Of course all of these ideas would have to have a less than major effect on the gameplay and simply make a fuller experience rather than completely change it.
RossHorne

I would also like to see Practice squads and IR properly implemented in 2010.
RossHorne

I would also like to see Practice squads and IR properly implemented in 2010.
felly

wheres the love for the eagles d line and linebackers. they've been playing good all year long. bunkly should at the min at least have bull rush, patterson should be close to both. bradley should be a break wall tackler and close to smart lb. mikkel should also be close to a smart player the guy makes plays behind the los all the time and is always blowing up the run ala bob sanders. also the eagles o line needs a little love to. i mean come on they gave up like the 5th fewest sacks this year let alone held the giants pass rush to i think like 1 sack in 3 games this year. the eagles never get the credit they deserve. the cowboys lose and they get upped. the eagles win and EA will find a way to lower someone like mcnabb. you give 5 one good wr and he'll light any defense up. also EA you guys need to fix some rating on madden, just some obivious ones like sum giant ratings like pierces and eli's accurate qb. pierce is a slow mlb not an 85speed 87 acc where u have him let alone a 95 overall anymore and once plax was gone throw it up off his back foot eli showed his true colors.

KRIS

ur so right but quintin is rated fine after what he did in arizona. and that o-line gave up 0 sck not 1 but 0 to ny in 3 games while the cowboys o-line gave up 8 scks in 2 gms…….somethings odd right? lol. runyan should be nothing lower than a 92 and todd should def. b a 90. if ur gonna boost the giants line so much then bost the eagles,saints falcons and broncos lines because they all gave up less sacks. and from the stats the boys; line is middle of the pack in every catogory so y r they rated so damn high. not 1000 yd rusher in like five yrs!!!!! and the 15 most sacks in the league. omg as a matter of fact im lookin at the patriots line stats and they gave up the 5th most sacks behind pitt wow OVERRATED as a matter of fact where has their 1000 yd rusher. ea cmon now

felly

wheres the love for the eagles d line and linebackers. they've been playing good all year long. bunkly should at the min at least have bull rush, patterson should be close to both. bradley should be a break wall tackler and close to smart lb. mikkel should also be close to a smart player the guy makes plays behind the los all the time and is always blowing up the run ala bob sanders. also the eagles o line needs a little love to. i mean come on they gave up like the 5th fewest sacks this year let alone held the giants pass rush to i think like 1 sack in 3 games this year. the eagles never get the credit they deserve. the cowboys lose and they get upped. the eagles win and EA will find a way to lower someone like mcnabb. you give 5 one good wr and he'll light any defense up. also EA you guys need to fix some rating on madden, just some obivious ones like sum giant ratings like pierces and eli's accurate qb. pierce is a slow mlb not an 85speed 87 acc where u have him let alone a 95 overall anymore and once plax was gone throw it up off his back foot eli showed his true colors.

KRIS

ur so right but quintin is rated fine after what he did in arizona. and that o-line gave up 0 sck not 1 but 0 to ny in 3 games while the cowboys o-line gave up 8 scks in 2 gms…….somethings odd right? lol. runyan should be nothing lower than a 92 and todd should def. b a 90. if ur gonna boost the giants line so much then bost the eagles,saints falcons and broncos lines because they all gave up less sacks. and from the stats the boys; line is middle of the pack in every catogory so y r they rated so damn high. not 1000 yd rusher in like five yrs!!!!! and the 15 most sacks in the league. omg as a matter of fact im lookin at the patriots line stats and they gave up the 5th most sacks behind pitt wow OVERRATED as a matter of fact where has their 1000 yd rusher. ea cmon now

Dolphann

I don't agree with the madden stats for my team for the obvious reasons which every one quite knows. Making the play offs and still rated low. But not so bad but how can you not update a WR who played well all season? Ted Ginn Jr hasn't bin updated the whole seaon And his speed tho a 97 is still an under rating .. Ronnie Brown's speed dropped ( and his speed is highly under rated in reference to his speed and elusiveness) Every one who watched the worst team in foot ball which i refer to the Fins as knows that no way in hell Ronnie Brown is a 91 speed. And Ricky who's faster has dropped from 92 ( again under rated should be at least a 94 with a 95 acc) to an 89? How so? he's the fastest Running back we got. The deffence on the whole is underated. Joey Porter didn't just get those sacks by him self, it was the pressure from the D-line. Some one please share your views with me
Dolphann

I don't agree with the madden stats for my team for the obvious reasons which every one quite knows. Making the play offs and still rated low. But not so bad but how can you not update a WR who played well all season? Ted Ginn Jr hasn't bin updated the whole seaon And his speed tho a 97 is still an under rating .. Ronnie Brown's speed dropped ( and his speed is highly under rated in reference to his speed and elusiveness) Every one who watched the worst team in foot ball which i refer to the Fins as knows that no way in hell Ronnie Brown is a 91 speed. And Ricky who's faster has dropped from 92 ( again under rated should be at least a 94 with a 95 acc) to an 89? How so? he's the fastest Running back we got. The deffence on the whole is underated. Joey Porter didn't just get those sacks by him self, it was the pressure from the D-line. Some one please share your views with me
Dolphann

I don't agree with the madden stats for my team for the obvious reasons which every one quite knows. Making the play offs and still rated low. But not so bad but how can you not update a WR who played well all season? Ted Ginn Jr hasn't bin updated the whole seaon And his speed tho a 97 is still an under rating .. Ronnie Brown's speed dropped ( and his speed is highly under rated in reference to his speed and elusiveness) Every one who watched the worst team in foot ball which i refer to the Fins as knows that no way in hell Ronnie Brown is a 91 speed. And Ricky who's faster has dropped from 92 ( again under rated should be at least a 94 with a 95 acc) to an 89? How so? he's the fastest Running back we got. The deffence on the whole is underated. Joey Porter didn't just get those sacks by him self, it was the pressure from the D-line. Some one please share your views with me
Dolphann

I don't agree with the madden stats for my team for the obvious reasons which every one quite knows. Making the play offs and still rated low. But not so bad but how can you not update a WR who played well all season? Ted Ginn Jr hasn't bin updated the whole seaon And his speed tho a 97 is still an under rating .. Ronnie Brown's speed dropped ( and his speed is highly under rated in reference to his speed and elusiveness) Every one who watched the worst team in foot ball which i refer to the Fins as knows that no way in hell Ronnie Brown is a 91 speed. And Ricky who's faster has dropped from 92 ( again under rated should be at least a 94 with a 95 acc) to an 89? How so? he's the fastest Running back we got. The deffence on the whole is underated. Joey Porter didn't just get those sacks by him self, it was the pressure from the D-line. Some one please share your views with me
LOL

I'm trying to figure out why is Terrance Newman at 97 speed. He holds, get burnt constantly, and is never up to the standards that are set for him. It's like people want him to be an elite corner so bad that they put him where he doen't belong.
LOL

I'm trying to figure out why is Terrance Newman at 97 speed. He holds, get burnt constantly, and is never up to the standards that are set for him. It's like people want him to be an elite corner so bad that they put him where he doen't belong.