Madden '11 Preview

Yahoo!  -  Quickly, name the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.


Peyton Manning and Tom Brady? That's probably the conventional wisdom, and the most popular answer out there. There's Manning and Brady, with Drew Brees either recently having joined that super-elite group, or at the very top of the next tier below.


Madden NFL 11 flips the script, though. They've got Brees and Manning as the best quarterbacks out there, with a significant drop-off to the next tier of guys, which includes Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers.


Some player ratings for this year's edition of the Madden franchise have slipped out, courtesy of the gang at Operation Sports. They've got the top-10 players at every position, and the top-five quarterbacks look like this:


1t. Drew Brees, 99.
1t. Peyton Manning, 99.
3. Tom Brady, 95.
4t. Aaron Rogers, 94.
4t. Philip Rivers, 94.


As far as teams go, last year's Super Bowl competitors top the list, with the New Orleans Saints at a 92 and the Indianapolis Colts at a 91.


Also feeling the Madden love are the Baltimore Ravens, who have the league's third-best rating with a 90. The Dallas Cowboys are an 87, the best team in their division by a full six points. The Jets are the best team in the AFC East, with their 89 rating trumping the Patriots' 86.


At the other end of the spectrum, the Rams are the game's worst team, rated 66 overall. The Bills are a 67, the Lions are a 68, the Bucs a 69, and the Browns a 70.


No team in the NFC West rises above a rating of 79. Welcome to suckville.



Let me first say that Madden 11 looks phenomenal in all the video trailers, just like every madden before it has. Exception gameplay animations, and according to the critics, a new way to spend less time in the playbook and more time on the field. Definitely a good thing for the entire Madden audience. I have no idea how they intend to implement this new, quicker style, but I'm sure it will be interesting.


Now, as for the ratings. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are the two highest ranked quarterbacks (both ranked 99) and there is a considerable drop-off to the third place Tom Brady (95). Many critics are complaining about this allotment of rating points, but I think I see it fit. If you're going to go by the season they just had, Brady is definitely a tier below those guys. It makes perfect sense. However, here's were my beef on that matter comes into play.


If you're going to use ratings based on the most recent NFL season, then you need to keep that consistent for everyone. My first example is Randy Moss (95). Let's be honest, folks. Randy Moss wasn't a 95 this year. I'd rank him maybe a 91. But no way was he a 95. This was one of the most frustrating years ever for Pats fans, and Moss just had a terribly inconsistent season. Additionally, I have a gripe with the Chris Johnson-Adrian Peterson matter. Chris Johnson (rightfully so) earned himself a 99 rating last season. The next best halfback is Adrian Peterson, listed at 98. No chance. Again, for his career -- yes, Peterson definitely deserves a 98 rating. For last season? In comparison to Chris Johnson, you cannot tell me AP was only 1 Madden point shy of his performance. Chris Johnson was a beast. Peterson was an inconsistent, rumbling and fumbling halfback. No bash on Peterson here, but if you're going by last year's production and Chris Johnson set that bar at 99, you can't just dish out a 98 for AP. Doesn't do justice to CJ.


Overall, though, there is no doubt I'm going to buy this game. Ratings don't really matter in the long haul. You build a franchise and your favorite players are irrelevant, because you're looking to find the best ones. If the improvements are as they claim, my $60 will be a solid investment on this game. All I hope is that my purchase doesn't yield me a replica of Madden 10 that I virtually cannot distinguish from one another. I trust you, EA Sports. Make it happen.