Washington Redskins: Madden NFL 11 Ratings Evaluation

The Washington Redskins were the biggest movers in the overall team ratings this year, jumping from 70 last year to 76 points this time around. This reflects the sweeping changes in Washington this year, although their overall ranking places them at 22nd on the league list.

Here is a quick look at how the video game designers rated the individual players.

Tight Ends

Chris Cooley—89
Fred Davis—76

Chris Cooley's overall rating is probably right on the money in terms of league tight ends, and it reflects his high value to the team. It does, however, represent a two-point decline from last year's rating of 91.

Fred Davis' rating is mildly surprising, especially given the real potential he showed as a receiver last year. He did make a 13-point jump from last year's 63, but an 80 would have been a more fair rating.

Wide Receivers

Santana Moss—83
Devin Thomas—74
Joey Galloway—73
Bobby Wade—70
Malcolm Kelly—70

No surprise Santana Moss is still way ahead of the rest of the pack, but he made a decline of three points from last year's 86. This is probably a fair assessment of being another year older, another step slower, and slightly more injury-prone.

Devin Thomas added eight points this year, and this is probably an indication of much higher expectations for him this year. If no other receivers are added this offseason (Vincent Jackson, T.O), Thomas may be asked to step into the top-receiver role sometime in 2010.

Running Backs

Clinton Portis—85
Mike Sellers—84
Larry Johnson—81
Willie Parker—77

Clinton Portis dropped eight points from last year's rating of 93. That's a sign some people expect 2010 to be the last good year for Portis. He's approaching the dreaded 30-year-old mark for running backs.

Larry Johnson comes in at a solid 81. If he runs true to his rating this year, Johnson should be able take considerable pressure off Portis to carry the entire running game.

Quarterbacks

Donovan McNabb—89
Rex Grossman–65
Colt Brennan–59

Donovan McNabb's rating represents a huge upgrade over Jason Campbell's rating of 77 from last year. No surprise there, even though McNabb had a rating of 91 last year with the Eagles. The two-point drop is probably more based on playing in a new system than on declining skills.

Offensive Linemen

Jammal Brown—91
Derrick Dockery–80
Trent Williams–80
Casey Rabach–74
Chad Rinehart–72
Stephon Heyer–66
Artis Hicks–66

Jammal Brown's 91 is tied for best rating on the team, and he should be very valuable to the newly rebuilt line. Trent Williams gets a good amount of respect for a rookie based off of his excellent athleticism.

Artis Hicks is surprisingly low at 66. Based on his overall quality and versatility, a 75 would probably have been more accurate.

Defensive Linemen

Albert Haynesworth–86
Maake Kemoeatu–76
Adam Carriker–74
Kedric Golston–73
Phillip Daniels–73
Jeremy Jarmon–69

Albert Haynesworth took a huge hit from last year's rating of 99. This might be about the uncertainty of his role in the 3-4 defense, his motivation to play this year, or the mediocrity of his impact last year. Outside of Haynesworth, the ratings are not very good for the line.

Through the eyes of the game designers, if Haynesworth doesn't play this year, the Redskins won't have much of a line.

Linebackers

London Fletcher–91
Brian Orakpo–85
Rocky McIntosh–79
Andre Carter–76

London Fletcher gained two points from last year's total of 89, and his score is tied with Jammal Brown for tops on the team. Despite his age, Fletcher is a tackling beast and his 91 shows he is still the unquestioned leader of this defense.

Brian Orakpo's 85 seems slightly low, given his lights-out performance last year with 11 sacks. But, it might be more about the uncertainty of changing to the 3-4 defense. The same goes for Andre Carter, who takes a drop of eight points from last year. This definitely shows how some people perceive Carter as a poor fit for the 3-4.

Defensive Backs

LaRon Landry–87
DeAngelo Hall–85
Carlos Rogers–79
Phillip Buchanon–74
Justin Tryon–72
Chris Horton–72
Reed Doughty–69
Kareem Moore–68
Kevin Barnes–63

Landry's rating seems a bit high, and shows a one-point jump from 2009. This may mean people expect him to play better in Haslett's 3-4, since he will play closer to the line of scrimmage and less in pass coverage.

While most of the other numbers look about right, there is one serious mistake. Reed Doughty has a 69? Obviously, the makers of this video game didn't see Doughty play last year. Do they know he was the third-leading tackler on this team with 91? Doughty's rating should have been no less than 80.

Punters and Kickers

Josh Bidwell–80
Graham Gano–61

Kickers and punters. Yawn. One useful tidbit of information can be had from these ratings. The Redskins might be in trouble if they have to rely on Gano in clutch situations this year.