Madden NFL 11 Player Ratings: Atlanta Falcons

It's that time of year again Falcons fans, as we await for that special day that only comes once a year. No, I'm not talking about Christmas, the NFL draft, or even your birthday!

I'm talking about something even more exciting: the release of another Madden game!

I remember first playing Madden when it was on the Sega Genesis, and my dream was to always beat the All-Madden squad with the Atlanta Falcons. Although I was never able to accomplish it until the 99 version came out (which had the Atlanta Super Bowl squad on it, thank you very much!) since then playing video games, especially Madden, has become a must-do during the fall.

This year is no different, and with the Atlanta Falcons poised to make a playoff run in 2010, I'm more pumped than ever to check out how the fine people at EA Sports rated our favorite players.

What we're going to do is analyze the rankings from QB to special teams, and let me know what ratings you agree with and which ones proved the designers were on drugs.

So without further ado let's dive right into the Madden pool and see what we come up with!

1) Quarterbacks

Highest Rated: Matt Ryan (OVR 86)
Lowest Rated: John Parker Wilson (OVR 60)

Biggest Surprise: Wilson (INJ 96) Even though he may not ever see the field (be worried if he is on the field at all) it seems that the former Crimson Tide QB will never see a stretcher based on his durability.

Overall Analysis: In my opinion Ryan was ranked quite low in a few categories, from accuracy at 86 (which will improve this year) to only a 63 at strength. I believe he will grow tremendously in a number of areas this season. Many pundits have knocked him for not showing a lot of arm strength, and he only has an 88 in Throw Power.

However, I think that is only due to his playing in an offense that doesn't need him to throw deep all of the time. Besides, Jeff George proved that even in Madden a strong arm doesn't translate into wins.

That said, based on the rankings of backups Chris Redman and John Parker Wilson, hope that MR2 doesn't bite the Georgia Dome turf, otherwise you might have to resort to all running plays or create some Wildcat formations.

2) Running Backs/Fullback

Highest Rated: Turner (OVR 90)
Lowest Rated: Jerious Norwood (OVR 75)

Biggest Surprise: Turner is only an 85 in Strength? Are you kidding me? I played with him in Madden for the past two years and he is near impossible to stop on first contact. He should've been a 90 at least!

Also, I think that FB Ovie Mughelli got a much higher rating than I thought he would at 88. He is a great run blocker, but rarely can you use him much in the running game outside of a few catches on play action passes.

Overall analysis: If there is a team that you want to create the Wildcat offense for, this would be the one. Using Norwood to shoot out of the backfield like a cannon is a plus with a speed rating of 95, but he also can be used in the open field as a good pass catcher at 77 CAT.

I hope Atlanta wises up and takes advantage of that this year.

3) Wide Receivers

Highest Rated: Roddy White (OVR 93)
Lowest Rated: Eric Weems (OVR 58)

Biggest Surprise: I didn't think that Michael Jenkins would get such a lower rating than White for Jump (94 to 92) based on his height and longer arms. Also, I think that Harry Douglas should've gotten a higher rating for speed (90) since he's one of the league's fastest in the open field.

Overall Analysis: It looks to me like the developers at Madden decided to just make sure that Hot Rod was the only receiver worth playing with on this team. The others would be decent if you choose to go to multiple formations.

4) Tight Ends

Highest Rated: Tony Gonzalez (OVR 98)
Lowest Rated: K. Zinger (OVR 61)

Biggest Surprise: Justin Peele (CAT 76) He hasn't caught the ball much in the time he's been in Atlanta, and isn't exactly known for his ability to be an offensive threat in the passing game.

Overall Analysis: TG is still rated as if he was in his prime with the Kansas City Chiefs. That is showing a lot of respect for the soon-to-be Hall of Famer. He is Atlanta's highest rated offensive player, so expect a lot of passing plays (such as TE Flat) to be implemented often.

5) Offensive Line

Highest Rated: LT Sam Baker, C T.McClure RG Harvey Dahl (OVR 87)
Lowest Rated: RT G. Reynolds (OVR 63)

Biggest Surprise: RG Justin Blalock (OVR 85) He has developed more into a solid player, but I didn't expect for him to get that high of a rating.

Overall Analysis: The folks at Madden did a great job of giving this improving offensive line its credit with these rankings. Matt Ryan and The Burner should have no problem staying upright in the game due to these guys.

6) Linebackers

Highest Rated: Curtis Lofton (OVR 88)
Lowest Rated: R. James (OVR 63)

Biggest Surprise: Coy Wire (OVR 65) I know he may not be the fastest or the strongest, but tell me that this potential starter is only a 65? Fortunately they rectified that mistake by giving him an 84 on speed as he is great at pursuing the ball carrier.

Overall Analysis: The Falcons linebacking corps is still young but improving. Good to see that the veteran Mike Peterson is going strong at an OVR of 82. I do think Lofton's 79 speed is a bit low, but they more than made up for it with his 96 tackle ability.

7) Defensive Linemen

Highest Rated: John Abraham (OVR 89)
Lowest Rated: Corey Peters (OVR 64)

Biggest Surprise: Maybe it's just me, but I would think that a playmaker like Kroy Biermann would get a higher rating than 70, I think that with his skills he should be in the high 70s or at best 80.

Overall Analysis: The D-line for Atlanta will always be based around the skills of number 55. Any chance to win with the Falcons on defense will be predicated on setting up plays that allow Abraham to get around his blocker. Also, using Babineaux and Jerry will make it so that you don't have to rely too much on stacking the box with eight guys all of the time.

8) Cornerbacks

Highest Rated: Dunta Robinson (OVR 85)
Lowest Rated: Dominique Franks (OVR 65)

Biggest Surprise: Franks at 65. Those who know me know that I am a big supporter of the rookie from Oklahoma. Maybe it's because they don't know him yet that he has such a low rating in speed and swagger.

Overall Analysis: The Falcons are ranked as average in the secondary, and the cornerbacks outside of Robinson will get burned by teams with bigger receivers.

9) Safeties

Highest Rated: Erik Coleman (OVR 84)
Lowest Rated: M. Giordano (OVR 66)

Biggest Surprise: Despite the praise heaped upon DeCoud by Coach Mike Smith, it's apparent that the Madden folks didn't show him the same love by giving him an OVR of 77.

Overall Analysis: The Falcons' Safeties show that it's best to play in Nickel and Dime formations in Madden. Many of them aren't great at tackling outside of Coleman, who is the highest at 85.

10) Kickers/Punters

Punter: Koenen (OVR 84)
Kicker: Bryant (OVR 74)

I'm surprised that they gave Bryant such an average rating. That said, anyone seen Morten Andersen lately? I'm sure he has a few good kicks left in him from his previous Madden days.

Hey, look at it this way, if worse comes to worst, we can always have my man Kroy Biermann kicking off. Wonder what his rating would be on Madden?