Madden 13: Cleveland Browns & Most Challenging Teams to Use in Connected Careers

The Dawg Pound may be in for a long and tough road on Madden 13's Connected Careers mode. I don't blame Cleveland Browns fans for sticking with their team—even through the 67 overall rating they carry on the game.

But I just want to let you know what you're getting yourselves into.

The low overall rating automatically tells you that the current roster isn't very impressive. The top 10 ratings have been released for QB, RB, WR/TE and defensive players. No Cleveland Browns players are included in any of those lists.

The QB situation is a bit rocky.

Colt McCoy is a 75 overall, and rookie QB Brandon Weeden is a 74. Weeden is 28 years old, so if you get deep into your Connected Careers experience, his range of improvement will be limited.

You may have to look elsewhere for a franchise QB.

Trent Richardson is definitely a player to build around at RB and he's a rookie so that's even more promising. However, the Browns receivers are one of the worst groups on the game.

Josh Cribbs and Greg Little are the starters, and they have 75 overall ratings. Cleveland simply has too many mediocre players at impact positions. If I were a Browns' fan I'd still pick my team, but you better get some extra controllers.

You may go through a few after your fits of frustration cause you to fling the sticks against the wall.

Here are a few other squads that aren't exactly ideal teams for immediate success.

Denver Broncos

I know it may seem as though the Broncos are set to make noise online and offline, but considering Peyton Manning's age (36) and injury rating (87), he probably won't be the QB in Denver for long.

Once he's gone, the Broncos will need help at QB. Caleb Hanie is his backup currently—have fun trying to have him lead you to the playoffs.

The WR spot is already a question mark, and because of Peyton's salary, the Broncos only have $4.80 million in salary cap space.

The defense is decent and young, but they don't have a stud RB.

The Broncos may be competitive in your first two Connected Careers seasons, but if you plan to play deeper, things will get more difficult.

Minnesota Vikings

If the Vikings are your team, hear this: If anything happens to Adrian Peterson, you're dead in the water. He's almost everything the team has in the way of offense.

Percy Harvin is rated an 87, but the Vikings don't have a solid QB.

Christian Ponder is a 75 overall rating, and the backup QB is Sage Rosenfels at a 70 overall. Peterson is coming off an injury, and if he goes down for you, Toby Gerhart will not offer you the same type of threat.

Jared Allen is a beast at defensive end, but he can't do it alone. This team has a subpar secondary, and they don't rate out as anything special at any other part of the defense—aside from Allen.

They do have $12.68 million in cap space, but you'll have to win the bidding wars for top talent. The Vikings are a team where only diehards need to apply.

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