EASports Madden 09 ratings not kind to the Oakland Raiders

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June 4, 2008

EASports Madden 09 ratings not kind to the Oakland Raiders

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EASports's Madden Franchise has become a staple of NFL football culture.

In one of the worst kept secrets (nudge, wink, let everyone know to build hype) the preliminary ratings are out for players on Madden 2009. There is the caveat that they may be changed slightly as the season approaches, but this gives a pretty good idea of where they will be come the game's release date.

According to a table published on awful announcing.com, The Oakland Raiders are rated 71 overall. (Ouch) By way of comparison the San Diego Chargers are tops in the AFC West at 95. The Chiefs are tied with the Raiders with only the Falcons and the 'Fins lower. (68 and 67 respectively.)

Quarterback:

According to sportsgamer.com JaMarcus Russell is rated 82 overall. He has the rating of 72 speed, 58 awareness, 98 throwing power, and 86 throwing accuracy.

Other than the awareness, those seem to be fair rankings. Only Tavaris Jackson had a lower awareness rating than J-Russ. Considering his lack of playing time last season, it seems like the rating system should have given him some of the benefit of the doubt. As of yet he doesn't deserve a rating comparable to Tom Brady or Peyton Manning (100) but is he really 14 points below Aaron Rogers in awareness?

There is a bright side when it comes to quarterbacks if you are a Raider fan. George Blanda is on the "All Time Great" list with a 99 rating. Blanda has a listed age of 25 as all of the all time greats do, 61 speed, 99 awarenes, throwing power, and accuracy. The listing doesn't show his kicking abilities, but those would have to be top notch as well.

Running backs:

Justin Fargas has an overall rating of 84.

His ratings are Speed: 95, Agility: 94, Acceleration: 96, Elusiveness: 80, Vision: 65, Carry: 82, Catch: 72

Overall, this is remarkably similar to Rob's recent analysis of Fargas. He sees a hole, hits the hole like a rocket and goes. It may actually have overrated Fargas a bit on speed, but considering that there is no way for a video game to count the intangible of heart, which would be a 100 for Young Hugg, a bit extra on the speed is a fair trade.

Darren McFadden is rated one point higher than Fargas at 85.

His ratings are Speed: 97, Agility: 96, Acceleration: 96, Elusiveness: 92, Vision: 75, Carry: 82, Catch: 78.

Overall, these seem to be rather fair to McFadden, although his ability to catch out of the backfield was part of the reason he was considered such a hight pick, so 78 seems a bit low on the catching department.

Fullbacks:

I could not find the detailed breakdown on them, but according to a screen shot on pastapadre.com Justin Griffith is ranked 85 and Oren O'Neal is ranked 80.

Wide Receivers:

Javon Walker: 87 Overall, Speed: 91, Catch: 87, Route Running: 88

Ronald Curry: 82 Overall, Speed: 89, Catch: 86, Route Running: 82

Drew Carter: 72 Overall, Speed: 94, Catch: 76, Route Running: 72

Arman Shields: 69 Overall, Speed: 95, Catch: 78, Route Running: 70

Walker and Curry seem to be represented well. Carter seems a bit underrated, and the came completely underrates draft picks after the first round. Notice that three of the four have speed in the 90s. They will make nice targets for J-Russ's 98 arm strength.

As an added treat to Raider Fans there is an "All Time Great" available at the Wideout position. Fred Belitnikoff. In fact, Freddie B is the top rated WR in that category.

For the remainder of the positions, I could not find the detailed ranking, such as I had above, so they are listed as overall rankings.

Tight End:

Zack Miller 83

Miller is an exciting young prospect at the tight end position. That ranking seems fair in light of his play over his first season as a pro. If his chemistry with Russell continues and he becomes the threat that he has the potential to become, his rankings will reflect that.

John Madsen 77

Madsen has been maddeningly inconsistent. He has shown flashes of brilliance in spots, but can disappear for games at a time.

Tony Stewart 75

Special teams player and extra blocking tight end. Not nearly on the level in his sport as his NASCAR namesake who drives the Home Depot car.

Left Offensive Tackle:

Kwame Harris 78

Maybe his ranking of 78 being equal to Hall of Fame left tackle Art Shell's jersey number is a good omen. Well, he was considered a bust in San Francisco so a low ranking is to be expected. Hopefully, in reality, he outplays that ranking by a long shot.

Mario Henderson 70

Mario was a third round pick last year, so he was not going to get a high ranking as a rookie. He did not see the field his rookie year, so he can't be expected to have much more than the current ranking. They have nothing at the NFL level to go on.

Offensive Left Guard :

Robert Gallery 86

Considering his first few years in the league, this ranking shows his progression as a guard. In fact, it would seem to be a fairly generous ranking considering he has earned the middle name "Bust" from much of the Raider Nation.

Center:

John Wade 86

Wade is expected to be an upgrade from the balky-kneed Jeremy Newberry and the injury prone Grove.

Jake Grove 83

This is a generous ranking considering that Grove has not lived up to his expectations after being a second round pick in 2004. He has not been able to take the job and completely make it his.

Offensive Right Guard:

Cooper Carlisle 87

Carlisle was the top performer on the Raiders offensive line last season, and was a big reason for its resurrection. this ranking seems a bit on the low side.

Left Offensive Tackle:

Cornell Green 83

This rating seems way too high. Green is a journeyman who is best suited as a backup.

Paul McQuistan 75

McQuistan took over for Green when he was injured last season, and seemed to out play him. It is strange that he is rated 8 points lower, despite playing better on the field.

All defensive rankings are from pastapadre.com.

Left Defensive End:

Derrick Burgess 92

Burgess is a two time Pro Bowl selection. Despite coming off of injury plagued season, he should have gotten more respect than that.

Kalimba Edwards 76

That is a fair ranking, as he has not been a stand out at all in his career.

Right Defensive End:

Jay Richardson 72

Sixth round draft pick last season, who became a part time starter. Looks to be harsh but fair.

Greg Spires 81

If these ratings are any indication, Spires will beat out Richardson for the starting spot.

Defensive Tackle:

Tommy Kelly 91

Whomever rates the players for EA Sports buys the hype on Kelly.

Terdell Sands 83

To listen to the Raider Nation talk about him, one would expect a 72 or something. Hopefully his troubles of 07 are behind him.

Gerard Warren 79

Other than injury concerns, Warren seemed to outplay Sands. Seems like an odd ranking.

Left Outside Linebacker:

Robert Thomas 79

Thomas has been solid but not spectacular. Fair rating.

Sam Williams 78

The continued injury bug has prevented him from living up to expecations.

Middle Linebacker:

Kirk Morrison 92

Will this be the year that Captain Kirk breaks through and becomes a Pro Bowl selection?

Ricky Brown 62

Brown is an integral part of special teams. Not a great linebacker. A bit harsh, but his special teams ranking should be higher.

Right Outside Linebacker:

Thomas Howard 91

Howard is one of the top pass coverage 'backers in the game. He deserves this ranking.

Isaiah Ekejiuba 65

A clone of Ricky Brown.

Jon Alston 67

Special teams and depth player

Cornerback:

Nnamdi Asomugha 96

He is an elite corner and gets graded as such.

DeAngelo Hall 93

The Raiders defense has great coverage.

Stanford Routt 80

A bit low for someone who has starting experience, but rounds out a heck of a trio.

Free Safety:

Gibril Wilson 85

He is expected to play more as a strong safety, but this is how he is listed on the game.

Hiram Eugene 71

Was Stuart Schweigert that bad?

Strong Safety:

Michael Huff 84

He will likely be playing more at free safety, but this is how the game had him listed.

Jarrod Cooper 74

Cooper is a solid reserve at safety and a demon in special teams. May be a bit low, but then maybe I am prejudiced as he is one of my favorite players.

I could not find stats for the kickers, but something has to wait until the game comes out.

Breaking it down by players, it doesn't look so bad. Not sure how they translated the rankings of the players into an overall ranking as low as 71. Hopefully when you play the game, you can turn the Raiders into an XBox 360 (or PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii) powerhouse. Also, lets hope these guys on the field turn into a real life powerhouse.

Game On! here at TFDS.

Tags: NFL, Oakland Raiders, Raiders

Discussion

19 Comments on "EASports Madden 09 ratings not kind to the Oakland Raiders"

Posted by pat T, June 4, 2008 6:32 PM

Hey Patrick do you know what they gave Michael Bush... The rankings seem fair... hopefully Russell wont overthrow or underthrow every receiver... Ouch is right Patrick 71 i thought we might be between 77-79 not as bad as the ketchup & mustard guys... And the Whiners were ranked ahead of us? WOW? Also one would think Drew Carter's catch ability would be better than a 5th round pick rookie...righttttttttttt? WTF theres a Playstation 4??? I thought we were as far as 3? I also thought Gibril Wilson's ranking(a superbowl champion, whos averaged about 6 tackles a game since being a rookie) would be a bit higher than a sort of unproven Michael Huff? At least something between 87 to 91... Just my opinion...

GO RAIDERS!!!

Posted by bob, June 4, 2008 6:38 PM

lechler was a 99 overall last year, probably will be the same and thus the best player on the roster lol

Posted by Patrick Patterson, June 4, 2008 6:45 PM

I could not find Michael Bush's rating.

The Niners are ranked 72 overall as I recall.

What is this PlayStation 4 you speak of?

(Thanks for the heads up, my eyes were crossed by the time I finished that article.)

Posted by Mike, June 4, 2008 7:41 PM

With all the talk about JaMarcus' arm strength, I'm suprised they didn't give him a 99 there.

Overall, the rankings seem pretty fair except the overall ranking. We are a much better team than 71 overall.

Posted by Raider Blues, June 4, 2008 10:05 PM

Rankings or not... I have my #20 jersey in Afghanistan! Oh and my #2 as well.

Just Win Baby!

Posted by MrMojo4321, June 5, 2008 12:05 AM

JaMarcus's arm strength varied between 98-99 depending on the update. His speed is up 1 being the only big difference. Fargas started last year in the mid 70's working his way up to an 84 overall with speed varying from 90-96. It took the whole of EA roster updates to finally get his spin and juke rated at a respectable level.(78,87) A spin move with the pre-update Fargas could leave you facing the wrong end zone with your back to the defense, not good. Javon is way down. Oren is way up. Kelly is an 86 at RE on the latest update. Huge jump, it's that huge contract as was astutely pointed out by Patrick. Kirk is up 1 overall. Thomas Howard is up 4 overall, its long overdue. The team as a whole is up 3, which is about right. Lechler will be our best rated player at a cool 99 overall. Janikowski an 82ish overall, with 100 kicking power as they both currently are now. Two things that don't make sense other than the Kelly rankings, Gibril is down 1, overall as is Stanford. I didn't think Stanford had a bad year by any means, and know Gibril definitely had a decent year.

Cooper is holding steady Patrick, don't take that 74 to heart. Madden as of 08' doesn't have a special teams depth chart. Consequently putting him as reserve strong safety also puts him in the right place(s) on special teams where he does in fact play like a demon. One Nation...

Posted by nilbymouth, June 5, 2008 1:55 AM

I agree with Wilson being too low - I am pretty sure he was around a 91 in 08 and there is no reason he should have dropped in overall rating. Also Routt was only around a 69 in 08 so thats a good imrovement.

If Fargas and McFadden are both in the mid 80s I imagine Bush would be around 80ish max.

good to see Morrison and Howard with decent ratings also.

Posted by Umer Waris, June 5, 2008 6:02 AM

Hey Patrick,

Let the ratings say what they want and just allow this season to roll by! Madden 08 also has the 02' Raiders (When of the many historic Raider Teams you can choose) listed at 87 overall! Thats really unfair but hey they did lose that dawm superbowl and the 02' Bucs only have a 89, HAHA!

Yes! Morrison and Howard are finally recieving the credit they deserve and for all the players that werent fairly rated, once again, let the season opener against Denver come!

Raider Till Death!

Posted by silver&black88, June 5, 2008 6:53 AM

Typical madden bs. we are always underrated in there but have we exactly proven to be elte? Given, we should have been rated better but at least Nnamdi and the 'backers finally get recognition as well as Dmac. Madden probably gets their stats and what not form espn who brought back that fat jamarcus rumor. f them.

#10

Posted by darren, June 5, 2008 10:58 AM

how is the overall team rating 71 that looks like a 77 or something gerard warren should switch ratings with sands wilson should be an 88 and dhall should be a 95 because of his man to man coverage skills and how he fits in oaktown. GO RAIDERS

#11

Posted by Kevin, June 5, 2008 5:23 PM

I'm gonna absolutely lock clowns down with this D! Kelly is a 91, thats just icing on the cake....

The secondary will eat up WR and Wilson will be laying the wood even though he should be a 90...

It's lights out for the offense baby!

#12

Posted by Kevin, June 5, 2008 5:29 PM

I will absolutely lock clowns down with this D! It's lights out suckas. Howard and Huff will spend more time with their hands on the QB than his wife!

I can't wait to dominate with the Raiders tho

#13

Posted by Shane, June 9, 2008 8:27 PM

Russell is underrated. should at least be an 84. He was a number 1 pick last year that shows promise. I am with you guys on there rating is as low as it is. Its crap...all haters. But i am happy with some of the other ratings. Respect for some of our players that deserved it. Gonna dominate on Madden 09 with my Raiders and its gonna be even funnier when i do it with a team that has a ranking of 71. :) -Shane-

#14

Posted by nick, June 11, 2008 10:53 PM

thanks for the post bro,

i agree with most of the ratings but...ya how is javon walker that low and did u see how many amazing catches curry had last year! He is way down and huff is down also i think he should be between 88 and 91 just my opinion.How is the team with that was 6th best rushing not gona have a solid runningback on madden! lol i mean mcfadden,bush i understand(exreirence), but mainly fargas i mean wut happen!he was a 1000 yard rusher last year! lol he should have been way improved on madden! Least but definately not last our qb lol. I know russell has a low IQ but come on!!!!58 lol!!!!58 thats low bro.i mean look at the last game of the season against the CHARGERS also the only game he started last year.... he had really good game against a very good chargers defence! so if anything i would judge his ratings on that performance! just sayin lol

raider for life!

#15

Posted by 16-0 next year lol, June 11, 2008 11:31 PM

D is gona be amazing next year a little underated on madden though. i think they did good on projecting the ratings for the O-line. Kwayme Harris might be a little underated. I cant figure out why the the team overall rating is so freakin low though is makes me really mad! they r all raider haters! finally they give a little credit 2 the linebackers! howard is the best coverage backer in the game! morrison is 92 but i still think that a little down i mean he has been rackin up inbetween 110 and 140 tackles each year! his speed has been way down on madden ever since he came into the nfl. i think hes the most consistant backer in the backer in the league! i think Standford Rout's ratings last year should have been where they are now and he should about an 82 to a 85 this year! just my opinion. I dont know why every1 is giving the raiders crap about spending money...think about it they lost players 2! They lost culpepper,porter,schweigert,sapp,and a very underated cb washington! So we really just made up for wut we lost! So calm down raider haters!

Raider Nation

#16

Posted by Money Montana, June 22, 2008 2:21 PM

I have a big problem with Wilson being a 85 when Bob Sanders is rated a 100! Gibril Wilson's stats from last year and every year over the course of their careers are FAR superior to Sanders. Granted you can't go off of stats alone to rate a player but come on. Bob Sanders might be a better player(I think he is overrated), but I know he is not 16 points better than Wilson. You can debate over who the best safety in the game is but you have to put Wilson in the top 5, if you based it just on stats he is the best. He doesn't talk a lot or try to be in the spot light so I think that's why he gets little or no hype.

JaMarcus' rating should be higher, maybe more like 85-88? He should have a 100 for arm strength since there is no question he has the biggest cannon in the NFL. It's all good though, he'll prove himself this year.

Javon Walker may have lost a step or two( I'll accept his 91 speed rating until he proves he is still a burner) , but his catch and route running stats should be higher. He doesn't drop balls and he gets where he is suppossed to be.

I think Darren McFadden should have at least a 98 in speed since he is clearly one of the fastest men in the NFL, Devin Hester got a 100 in speed. His overall rating I think should be more like a 89 since he is most widely considered the best player in this draft.

Aso should be a 98 as he has to be in the top 3 of all corners in the NFL. D-Hall should have at least a 96 since he has to be in the top 5 of corners and is a consistent Pro Bowler. I actually think he is the best corner and he will prove it this year. 93 is too low.

Derrick Burgess also got shorted as he is an elite DE that has consistently played at a high level and battled through injuries.

Overall, I think that a lot of the player ratings were tanked intentionally as not to give Oakland a decent team rating. To rate us a 71 is ludicrous, we may not be the best team in the league and we haven't had the best record in the last 5 years, but this team is too talented to be rated a 71. 78-82 seems more fair.

#17

Posted by suspect j, June 25, 2008 6:57 AM

Dont worry about the ratings in Madden 09. I think it is great the T. Kelly got a 91 rating. Thats excellent. He will anchor the Dline and keep you in the game. I wonder what weapon he will be set at. Ellusive defender or Bull rush defender. Mcfadden gets 3 weapon settings. Elusive back, speed, and stiff arm ball carrier. Thats all good for me. JRuss will get his stats up this year. If you play Madden 09 online the rosters update as the season progresses. So if the Raiders are dominating in the Regular season then figure the ratings for players and the whole team to go up. but dont expect anything if we have the same sorry ass team last year. JRuss will handle business this year so expect his rating to go up to at least 93.

#18

Posted by Mike Hawk, June 26, 2008 10:41 PM

Fo shizzle my nizzles. & y iz J-Far so lo? dat foo waz ballin' it up last yeer. I meen, 1K rusher wen not even a starter all seezon?!?!?! c'mon my nizzles.

#19

Posted by J RUSS 4 LIFE!!!!!!, January 16, 2009 3:20 PM

Thanks have the game and the Raiders are rated 72. The worst team is the Miami Dolphins at 67 I think. J Russ OVR rating should go up when the next game comes out the , because he is likely to start most if not all the games this season. I think Derrick Burrgis rating was a bit low. Darren McFadden's catch rating was a bit low at 78.

GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!

and J RUSS :-P