EA Sports has released the full roster of players and their ratings for Madden 13. Some players like Terrell Owens, Jeff Demps and Josh Gordon are missing (among others) strictly because their signings and other moves weren’t available before Madden 13 was finalized for release.
You will have to download the updated roster if you want these other players on your game.
If you want to find a certain player without scrolling – use the “CTRL+F” command to bring up the ‘Find’ Function and type in the name you are looking for.
As a Browns fan one of the biggest (if not, THE biggest) days every year is the NFL Draft. A lot of people feel this way but for teams like the Browns and all of the Browns Backers out there, it is a day where we fill ourselves with hope and beer as we watch and listen for rumors of who will be taken to turn our team around. In the past, Madden’s Franchise Mode has grown to be a serviceable game mode but the one thing that has been lacking was atmosphere and purpose in the off-season and especially in the draft. This year that has changed and we are happy to embed a video by one of EA’s Game Changers (MadScientist06) that shows you what the NFL Draft feels like in Madden 13.
While there are some things that I would like to see tweaked for Madden 14 and beyond, this is one of the finest examples of growth in Franchise Mode that I have seen in years.
What I Love –
+ Limiting Picks to 2-minutes – This is one of the things that had to be done to give every pick the urgency you feel as a viewer on draft day. Sure, in reality you have more than two minutes, but in Madden it is you and your scouting expertise with a controller and a twitch reaction of pressing the ‘A’ or ‘X’ button (depending on your console). This is a great move either way you spin it.
+ Story-Lines For Certain Players – Stories are what make sports so amazing. Try to watch the Olympics or the NFL Draft without hearing about some guy who showed up one day and amazed people with his ability. Or on the flipside, remember that player that was supposed to be the number 1 pick and he ended up falling to the second round because of work ethic or something else entirely?… that is what the draft is about and it is finally in Madden.
+Twitter Feed – Bringing in personalities from the sports community was genius. I love to hate Skip Bayless most of the time and when he called MadScientist06’s pick of Corey Dallas the culmenation of “…Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest!… A TERRIBLE pick!…” This is what I have been waiting for since Madden 2005’s boos and cheers.
What Makes Me Nervous
– Draft Logic – It is one of those things that has been improved over the years, but some teams are still making questionable decisions in the draft. At one point you see the Rams taking a Quarterback – they already have Sam Bradford, but who knows… maybe he broke his arm? Either way, this is something that should be perfected over time and you will probably give some picks a strange look. You could always just say that the spirit of Al Davis is possessing people.
– Unlocking Ratings – I have never been a fan of Madden’s rating system being thrown out there as the end-all/be all for how a player is judged. I love that you have to spend points on opening certain ratings but in reality this isn’t a good simulation of how information is gathered (at least from a fan’s perspective).
– Scouting Still Limits You – If you take a look at NFL.com’s combine coverage, they list the stats and times of every player that participated. I don’t really think you should be able to see every rating of each player, but I should at least have the resources as a coach/owner to look on the internet and look at a player’s 40-time if he was at the combine. In the future I would like to see this presented with a ‘range’ of times if we are looking at speed. The Raiders base most of their drafts off of combine numbers while the Patriots look at their scouting over the year. You should have both options and especially the combine numbers for every player.
Keep tuning in to NoobTubeTV as this is going to be a very busy week in the world of Madden (only 8.5 days left until release day).
Once again, EA Sports has released their list of the Top 10 ‘skill’ position players – this time it is the Running Backs.
Even with a torn knee ligament – Adrian Peterson is towards the top of Madden’s HB list.
#1 Maurice Jones-Drew – 97 Overall
#2 Adrian Peterson – 97 Overall
#3 Arian Foster – 96 Overall
#4 LeSean McCoy – 95 Overall
#5 Ray Rice – 95 Overall
#6 Matt Forte – 93 Overall
#7 Frank Gore – 92 Overall
#8 Steven Jackson – 92 Overall
#9 Jamaal Charles – 91 Overall
#10 Michael Turner – 91 Overall
When looking at this list, keep in mind a few different facts (as you should for every player and position in Madden) –
Ratings are subjective and based upon the opinion of EA’s Donny Moore
Ratings are super-subjective as there is now input from the fanbase on Madden’s Facebook page
The Overall rating is one of the worst barometers for measuring how ‘good’ a player is in Madden
Depending on how you play the game, you will be able to make anyone into a superstar
One of the main issues with the ratings in Madden is the fact that one of the top running backs in the league (Chris Johnson of the Titans) isn’t in the Top 10. He had a poor year in 2011, sure. On the other hand, he didn’t suffer any injury that would make him actually lose out on how good he is/could be. On the other hand, players like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles both suffered terrible injuries to their knees and are still rated as Top 10 Players.
It can be argued both ways, but Madden’s newest direction for rating players through a community vote for a few specific ratings is one of the more laughable developments in their new marketing direction. Hopefully they open up player edits for Connected Careers with a title update. If not, it looks like Madden 13 will be one of those games that makes you tilt your head to the side and wonder what the heck they are thinking with their ratings.
Why We Say “Overall” is the Worst Rating
Outside of the fact that it blows a player up to be the ‘best’ in the game, it is a rating that is comprised of a formula that brings into account the different skills that are necessary for each given position. There are also ratings that have no effect on gameplay (Awareness) and then there are ratings that should play a greater role that don’t at all – such as Injury and Toughness. A durable player is one of the more valuable assets in football, no matter which level you are playing. Yet, in Madden and NCAA these ratings mean nothing when it comes to the Overall value of each player?
A player’s value should also be dictated in career modes by their production. Notice, we didn’t say their ‘Overall’ rating, rather their ‘Value’ which is also a rating that doesn’t matter or in this case – exist. A player might not be the most physically talented or even have a dominating presence on the field but if they consistently lead their team to a Super Bowl or maybe even lead the league statistically chances are good that they will either demand or command a big pay raise and more respect as a player. A prime example of a player like this is Joe Montana.
Joe Montana wouldn’t be in our subjective Top 10 for throwing power or speed, but he would have a high rating for Toughness, Throwing Accuracy for short and medium range passes, etc. He was a super-skinny player that wasn’t a physical specimen like Cam Newton but he was a winner and arguably the best Quarterback of all time (again, our subjective opinion).
How do you feel about ratings? Are we blowing this out of proportion or is this getting downright silly to you too?
EA Sports and Madden 13’s marketing department have fans voting on Facebook for the “Top Players” at each position with a few votes for other ‘key’ ratings.
No surprise, Aaron Rodgers is 99 OVR… Who are we kidding? – the only important rating is RG3’s 93 SPD rating.
Today we will see where some of the top quarterbacks are rated in Madden 13. The interesting concept behind this year’s ratings is based around the fact that fans will have an impact on how players are rated. SUBJECTIVE MUCH?!
It is a constant battle that Madden gamers and fans of certain teams and players like to take to heart. For more information about the ratings reveal process, check out the video below.
Who gets your votes for Top QB?
My Top Three Are:
99 – Aaron Rodgers – He has great speed and fantastic accuracy to go with a big arm.
98 – Tom Brady – He is the ultimate winner and has arguably the best arm and accuracy combination in the NFL.
96 – Eli Manning – An all around underrated winner is finally elite.
Disagree? Comment below
*Turns out we weren’t too far off!
Here is the list of the top Ten and the ‘Reveal’ video!
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers 99 overall
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots 98 overall
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints 98 overall
4. Eli Manning, New York Giants 97 overall
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: 95 overall
6. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos: 93 overall
7. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: 92 overall
8. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: 91 overall
9. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: 90 overall
10. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles: 89 overall