Monsters of the Midway: The Chicago Bears According to Madden NFL '11

With EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 releasing, it means one important thing, which is Madden is on the way. For die-hard football fans and gamers, Madden is the mecca of sports gaming. It's serious. Tournaments, leagues, and rivalries against friends are just some of the ways gamers get into it.

Whether your trying to build your favorite team into a dynasty, taking your rookie en-route to becoming one of the best of all-time, or trying to be the best online; Ratings in the game are everything.

The Chicago Bears ratings were recently released, the Bears are a weaker team than they have been in the past. They have only four players that are 90 plus. The majority are in the 80's. So let's have a look at the ratings.

Quarterback-Jay Cutler (83)

Cutler, who has been one of the higher ranking quarterbacks in Madden the past two seasons, takes a huge rating drop. It makes sense though. Last season Cutler had a bad year in his first year with the Bears. It could be due to the lack of weapons on the offense, but quarterback play is key in the NFL as well as Madden.

Cutler's throw power is high and ranks among the best in the game at 97, but his accuracy weighs in at 79 percent. He wont be horrible for the Bears in Madden, and if he plays good into the season, he could see his 83 rating boost up.

Running Back-Matt Forte (86), Chester Taylor (79)

The Bears have a pretty strong duo at the running back position Madden wise. With Matt Forte being an 86 overall, and Chester Taylor a 79. Forte is more of a power back in the game, and has a 99 rating for stamina. This makes it likely he will be in for almost every down in the game.

Taylor is a good spell back to Forte, and can make defenders miss with his 89 juke and 88 spin rating.

The Bears look to be a tough team to beat with their running backs, but if you can shut down these two, there really isn't much after that. Garrett Wolfe has a 64 overall rating, but his speed at 90 can burn some defenders.

Tight End-Greg Olsen (84)

Olsen is one of the higher ranked players on the Bears roster, and if used right is a beast in Madden. His size makes it hard for defenders to cover him and tackle. Olsen has good speed for a tight end at 87, and good hands at 86. He's one of the more attractable options for Jay Cutler in the game.

The back up tight ends for the Bears didn't receive high ratings, but are also strong for them in Madden. Desmond Clark has also been a good player in Madden, but only has a 76 overall rating. Signing Brandon Manumaleuna in the off-season is a gift for people who use the Bears. If you use a lot of two tight end sets, any two of the three mentioned are deadly in the passing game.

Wide Receiver-Devin Hester (78), Johnny Knox (75)

If there is one overall position weakness on this team in Madden, its the wide receivers. Overall they are a poor group. Their best overall is Hester at 78 overall, followed by Knox at 75, Earl Bennett at 74, and Devin Aromashodu at 70. The best catching rating of that group is 83 for Bennett.

If there is one thing this position has, it's speed. As we all know, speed kills in Madden. Hester has a 98 speed rating, Knox a 97, and Aromashodu with a 87.

People who use the Bears will love this position speed wise, especially if your playing a team with a slow secondary. Other than that, it's going to be tough to find options for Cutler.

Offensive Line

The Bears offensive line is a mediocre one....at best in Madden. The highest rated overall is Olin Kreutz at 86. The next highest is Chris Williams at 82, and after that it's all 70's and 60's rated players.

In the game it's evident the Bears line will have problems blocking some of the better defenses. I feel like we have heard that somewhere before.

The rest of the offensive line looks like this:

Roberto Garza RG 79
Frank Omiyale LG 77
Kevin Schaffer RT 75
Josh Beekman LG 72
Marten RT 69
Louis LT 64

Defensive Line

The Bears defensive line has potential to be one of the best in Madden 2011. Thanks to the signing of one guy, Julius Peppers. Peppers who should be nicknamed "Madden Freak" is a monster in Madden. I know every time I played against Carolina in the game, I avoided Peppers side. He was that good. This year wont be any different. Peppers has one of the Bears four 90+ ratings, at 95.

The Bears have another Madden monster though, his name is Tommie Harris. Harris is another feared player in Madden, because of his size and quickness for his size. Harris is a 85 overall this year, and has a 90 acceleration.

Here are the rest of the ratings for the defensive line:
Mark Anderson LE 74
Corey Wooton LE 72
Anthony Adams DT 71
Marcus Harrison DT 68
Jaron Gilbert DT 65
Israel Idonije LE 65
Henry Melton RE 62

Linebackers-Lance Briggs (92), Brian Urlacher (90)

The linebackers for the Chicago Bears are easily the strongest position for them in Madden 2011. With two players in the 90's, your opponent will think twice about challenging your linebackers.

Brian Urlacher has always received a high Madden rating, but Lance Briggs has worked his way up. Briggs is the better of the two in this years game, and there's no breaking tackles on either of them. Briggs has a 95 tackle rating, while Urlacher has a 92. Both are also strong in awareness. Urlacher has a 95 rating, while Briggs has a 91.

Pisa Tinoisamoa and Hunter Hillenmeyer are serviceable linebackers game, with ratings of 73 and 72.

Defensive Backs-Charles Tillman (85), Chris Harris (81)

The Bears secondary had a horrible year last season, probably the main reason why they are ranked so low in Madden 2011. Charles Tillman leads the way with a 85 overall, followed by Chris Harris at 81. After that, it's slim pickings though.

The rest of the Bears Madden Defensive Backs ratings:
Zack Bowman CB 74
Al Afalava FS 73
Danieal Manning CB 70
Josh Bullocks SS 69
Tim Jennings CB 68
Major Wright FS 67
Corey Graham CB 66
Craig Steltz FS 66
Josh Moore CB 63

Special Teams-Robbie Gould (95)

Other than Linebackers, the Bears Special Teams might be there best position. Robbie Gould is tied with the team high rating at 95, and is very solid in Madden. He has a 92 kick power to go along with his 96 kick accuracy. Gould is the best rated kicker in the game.

Brad Maynard rates at a 82, but in today's Madden age it seems like players tend to go for it more than punt it.

The return game for the Bears speed wise is one of the best. You have three options, and they are all elite in the game. Devin Hester has a 98 overall speed, Danieal Manning has 94 speed, and Johnny Knox 97