Madden 15: Player Ratings, Release Date and Skills Trainer Breakdown

The release of Madden NFL 15 on Tuesday, Aug. 26, in North America (Aug. 29 internationally) has hard-core gamers and football fans coming together once again for the most anticipated sports game of the year.

With major upgrades and changes to the next-generation game, even the most jaded gamers will be able to appreciate the effort EA Sports has put into improving the Madden franchise this year.

Here are the top player ratings for Madden NFL 15 and a breakdown of the Skills Trainer mode.

Top Quarterbacks	Team	Rating
Top Fullbacks	Team	Rating
Top Running Backs	Team	Rating
Top Tight Ends	Team	Rating
Top Wide Receivers	Team	Rating
Top Offensive Linemen	Team	Rating
Top Defensive Ends	Team	Rating
Top Defensive Tackles	Team	Rating
Top Middle Linebackers	Team	Rating
Top Outside Linebackers	Team	Rating
Top Cornerbacks	Team	Rating
Top Free Safeties	Team	Rating
Top Strong Safeties	Team	Rating
Top Kickers and Punters	Team	Rating
Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	98
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	98
Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	96
Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	93
Tom Brady	New England Patriots	93
John Kuhn	Green Bay Packers	93
Mike Tolbert	Carolina Panthers	92
Marcel Reece	Oakland Raiders	92
Anthony Sherman	Kansas City Chiefs	90
Jerome Felton	Minnesota Vikings	88
Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	98
LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	97
Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	97
Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	95
Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	95
Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	97
Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	96
Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	94
Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	93
Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	88
Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	99
Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	96
Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	95
A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	95
Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	94
Joe Thomas	Cleveland Browns	98
Evan Mathis	Philadelphia Eagles	97
Josh Sitton	Green Bay Packers	97
Trent Williams	Washington	95
Joe Staley	San Francisco 49ers	94
J.J. Watt	Houston Texans	99
Robert Quinn	St. Louis Rams	97
Cameron Wake	Miami Dolphins	96
Calais Campbell	Arizona Cardinals	96
Cameron Jordan	New Orleans Saints	93
Muhammad Wilkerson	New York Jets	93
Ndamukong Suh	Detroit Lions	97
Geno Atkins	Cincinnati Bengals	96
Gerald McCoy	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	95
Kyle Williams	Buffalo Bills	95
Jurrell Casey	Tennessee Titans	93
Patrick Willis	San Francisco 49ers	96
NaVorro Bowman	San Francisco 49ers	96
Luke Kuechly	Carolina Panthers	94
Derrick Johnson	Kansas City Chiefs	91
Jerod Mayo	New England Patriots	91
Von Miller	Denver Broncos	96
Aldon Smith	San Francisco 49ers	96
Justin Houston	Kansas City Chiefs	93
Lavonte David	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	93
Robert Mathis	Indianapolis Colts	93
Richard Sherman	Seattle Seahawks	99
Darrelle Revis	New England Patriots	97
Joe Haden	Cleveland Browns	95
Patrick Peterson	Arizona Cardinals	93
Vontae Davis	Indianapolis Colts	92
Jairus Byrd	New Orleans Saints	96
Earl Thomas	Seattle Seahawks	95
Devin McCourty	New England Patriots	94
Eric Weddle	San Diego Chargers	94
Charles Woodson	Oakland Raiders	86
Kam Chancellor	Seattle Seahawks	93
Troy Polamalu	Pittsburgh Steelers	93
T.J. Ward	Denver Broncos	91
Eric Berry	Kansas City Chiefs	90
Reshad Jones	Miami Dolphins	89
Brandon Fields	Miami Dolphins	96
Matt Prater	Denver Broncos	95
Andy Lee	San Francisco 49ers	95
Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	93
Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	93

*All ratings via EASports.com.

Breaking Down Skills Trainer Mode

There have been major upgrades across the board for Madden NFL 15, but one of the most interesting improvements was to the Skills Trainer portion of the game.

While many fans scoff at the idea of practice in Madden, the true gamers know the only way to beat the best competition is to practice strategy and concepts. In this year’s edition of the game, the training has been taken to the next level.

The innovation starts with the new Football Concepts section of the Skills Trainer. With the increased focus on playing defense, Madden developers felt it was imperative to offer the fans a chance to learn how to diagnose and beat different coverage.

If you love football, this year’s Skills Trainer will help you understand the X's and O's of the game better than ever before. In a step-by-step process, gamers are led through the offensive progressions with detailed explanations about what defenders are thinking and what coverage they have been assigned.

To beat the advanced defensive schemes in Madden, gamers must understand them first. With the help of the coaching staff guiding you through the Skills Trainer, it should be easier to learn the lessons before taking the field than to learn them at the hands of a foe in online competition.

Once gamers have deciphered how to read the defenses, it’s time to focus on the offensive plays.

In order to help Madden fans with the concepts associated with offense, the EA Sports team has found the most common sets and plays, and will break them down step by step. With the understanding of drops, timing and progression, quarterbacking a pass attack has never been so much fun.

The game also adds the idea of executing the drills in a one-on-one setting before moving it to a full 11-on-11 practice. This allows the coaches to strip the play down and work on the timing, making the eventual transition to a game setting much easier to comprehend.

With an increased emphasis on practicing and getting better, Madden has given fans the opportunity to get inside the game of football like never before.

*Stats and information via EASports.com.

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