What the Most Awesome All-Madden Team Looks Like

If there's one thing that officially kicks off the NFL season, it's the annual release of the video game Madden, which is the most realistic gridiron game ever created.

Evolving over the years into an absolute cult classic, Madden is set to hit the shelves on August 25 this summer, with football fans everywhere itching to get their hands on it and begin their journeys to a digital Super Bowl.

And, as sports is so prone to doing, there have been debates as to which players are the all-time best, with plenty of guys capable of making their cases to join such a revered list.

So how would the most awesome All-Madden Team look? I went through each and every version of Madden to choose my guys—and I would happily pit my team against yours any day.

Kick Returner: Josh Cribbs (2010)

As one of the most difficult, and biased, decisions I made for this All-Madden team, the selection of Josh Cribbs as kick returner may surprise some—mainly because it isn't Devin Hester—but Cribbs is more than capable of owning the position.

While Hester's blazing 100 speed rating was great, Cribbs' 97 speed was nearly identical, yet the latter had a lot more power than the former. He was capable of delivering a blow to a potential tackler and breaking tackles on his way to the end zone.

Yeah, Josh Cribbs got the nod over Hester or someone like Dante Hall because he used to play for my Cleveland Browns, but with 11 career return touchdowns and return skills like few others on Madden before, I'm standing by him during punts and kickoffs.

DB: Ed Reed (2006)

Consistently ranked 99 overall for years, longtime Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was as perfect a safety as Madden ever saw.

Sure, there were guys like Sean Taylor and Brian Dawkins, but it's Reed who gets the nod on this All-Madden team because he was the most versatile player in the defensive backfield I have ever seen.

An absolute playmaker who had speed and vision to wreak havoc for opposing quarterbacks, Reed could often be lined up around the linebacker spot and blast around the offensive line for a quick sack on a quarterback, making it difficult for any offense to move the ball down the field.

DB: Deion Sanders (1999, 2000)

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Deion Sanders is one of the most dynamic players in NFL history, so it should come as no surprise that Neon Deion makes my squad for the All-Madden team thanks to his superb skills in 1999 and 2000.

Those were the years when the Madden developers believed Sanders was worthy of a perfect 100, giving him few flaws, if any, to challenge him with in the passing game.

As ridiculous as he was to test on defense, Sanders as a return man was even better, given speed that burned up the turf and was capable of dodging tacklers.

Every once in a while, gamers would want to challenge Sanders just to see if they could catch a glitch in the game, but it rarely ended well when that happened.

LB: Derrick Brooks (2003)

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A Hall of Famer in real life, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks personified what a feared, playmaking defender should look like.

Amazing speed and ball-hawking ability for a guy who was 240-plus pounds and the freak athleticism that Brooks played with in Madden 2003 was too much for opposing offenses to handle, as he could rush the quarterback, defend a wideout or cause a turnover in the blink of an eye.

As great as Brooks was defending the pass, it was his run-stuffing ability that earns him a spot on this team.

LB: Ray Lewis (2005)

It didn't matter how old he got, Ray Lewis continuously proved that he was the best middle linebacker to ever play in the NFL—and the developers at EA Sports made sure they rated him as such, with Lewis earning a 99 rating from 2002-06.

Without a doubt, though, 2005 was his top Madden season, as he graced the cover to preach a newfound defensive mentality that included the famous Hit Stick.

With the ability to knock a player into next week, Ray Ray was the ideal player to lay the wood, and he did it all by being the most feared defender on the field during 2005's Madden.

DL: Julius Peppers (2006)

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Trying just one blocker to slow down Julius Peppers in Madden 2006 wasn't enough, as he had strength and speed to get by even the most premier offensive linemen—which he did quite frequently.

A freak athlete who blew off the line on his way toward the quarterback, Peppers could also drop back into coverage to help in the passing game because of his strong vision and awareness ratings, which made it even more frustrating when seeing him on the other side of the gridiron.

Oh, and if he hit a player with the Hit Stick function, good night sister, a fumble would occur nearly every single time.

DL: Warren Sapp (2002, 2003)

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In a video game, some may try and use beefed up defensive tackles who demand double teams to free up linebackers for tackles, but that was never Warren Sapp's game.

As explosive off the ball as he was at running his mouth in real life, the Madden 2002 version of the longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneer defender combined strength and rare quickness for a guy his size with the ability to shed blockers and burst into the backfield.

The ideal centerpiece for any defense during that year of Madden, Warren Sapp was a disruptive force when going against him, joining former Tampa teammate Derrick Brooks on this All-Madden squad.

OL: Larry Allen (1995-2002)

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Yes, Hall of Fame offensive guard Larry Allen was that good for that long in the Madden games, using brute strength to clear holes big enough for runners to salsa through if they wanted to.

In fact, Allen was so good that, while taking part in a Fantasy Draft, I often took him with the top pick on my team, knowing that with him as an anchor of the O-line, any running back would look like an All-Pro. Hell, because of Allen, Travis Prentice won MVP as my starting runner.

Allen made his name in 1995 during the Dallas Cowboys' heyday, but he was able to hold down the top interior lineman spot for nearly a decade in Madden, too, making him a clear-cut choice here.

OL: Orlando Pace (2003)

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The 2003 St. Louis Rams offense was seriously terrifying, with its quarterback, running back, two wide receivers and left tackle all rated above 92 overall, helping the team earn a 94 rating that year.

While that's insane to think about—especially since it didn't win a Super Bowl in real life—the guy who helped a lot of The Greatest Show on Turf happen was a massive man who protected quarterback Kurt Warner. His name was Orlando Pace.

A former No. 1 overall pick, Pace lived up to the billing throughout his career, with 2003 being the year he flourished the most in Madden because of the running back he was steamrolling holes for, Marshall Faulk—that season's Madden cover boy.

Quick, strong and a load against defenders, Orlando Pace was an unbreakable force.

TE: Rob Gronkowski (2013, 2015, 2016)

In three of the past four seasons, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has never fallen below a 96 overall rating, proving that the EA Sports evaluators really believe Gronk is here to stay.

And while Antonio Gates in his prime was about as tough as they come both catching the ball and breaking tackles, Gronk has all that and more, with the ability to pancake a defender with a terrorizing block to clear room for ball carriers.

He has good speed, ridiculous catching ability and a mean streak, which makes Rob Gronkowski the ideal Madden tight end.

WR: Randy Moss (2010)

With a jumping ability that rivaled Michael Jordan's, amazing hands and speed like a gazelle, Randy Moss was a freak athlete in real life and Madden life.

One of the most frustrating receivers to try to defend, Moss could burn opposing players in a variety of ways, whether going up for a deep ball or just running a slant across the middle.

Earning a 99 overall rating in both 2006 and 2009, the 2010 version of Moss might have been the best, as one of the features in Madden that year was a spectacular catch rating, which gave Moss more opportunities to display his skills—while bringing in passes from an all-time great at quarterback, Tom Brady.

WR: Jerry Rice (1998)

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There's a reason Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice holds so many NFL records—because he was the most unstoppable force at his position ever.

And while there have been special circumstances where Madden players have been ranked in triple digits with an even 100, someone in the ratings department at EA Sports believed Rice was so good that, get this, he deserved a 189 overall in Madden '98.

No, that's not a typo.

The greatest receiver to ever step foot on a football field was about as ruthless a Madden player as he was in real life, making it impossible to stop him from making big plays in 1998's version.

FB: Marcel Reece (2011)

I know, even putting a fullback on this list might draw the ire of some of you, but when that player is Marcel Reece from Madden 2011, it's well worth it.

Good Madden players depend on high-profile names at running back and as pass-catchers, but great Madden players utilize matchups, taking advantage of those where a guy can exploit a defender—and that's exactly what Reece did.

Given a ridiculous 90 speed rating, Reece was a beast at blowing by linebackers on go routes or in the flat, hauling in passes at ease and picking up chunks of yards while doing so.

A good blocker, too, Reece would help widen gaps for any running back who stood behind him.

RB: Marshall Faulk (2003)

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Without a doubt, former running back Marshall Faulk would be the starting running back on my All-Madden team, using his agility and dual-threat capability to burn defenses.

The cover boy for Madden 2003, Faulk was more than just a running back during his prime years, with games quickly learning that when put in the slot, he was nearly unstoppable when matched up against a linebacker or safety, hauling in passes with great hands.

In all of the years of Madden running backs—like Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson—there just wasn't anyone better than Faulk, which is why his versatility would be welcomed on the Awesome All-Madden team.

QB: Michael Vick (2004)

There was a part of me that really wanted to break the status quo on this one and choose someone like the Madden 2006 version of Peyton Manning, who had a ridiculous quarterback vision in the first year that feature was implemented.

However, when it comes to complete dominance as a Madden player, there just wasn't anyone who had it like Michael Vick in 2004.

Although Vick's overall rating was "just" 95, his ridiculous speed and 97 arm strength made him impossible for defenses to ever adjust to.

Capable of either bombing the ball down the field or getting to the outside and taking off, Vick was a safety net like no other player in Madden before or since, always picking up a few yards when needed—and causing more than a few broken controllers from frustrated opponents.