Madden NFL 11 Player Ratings: Evaluating Minnesota Vikings
In today's society, we are constantly surrounded by numbers of various forms. Whether that be how much time you have before your project deadline, or how many calories are in that slice of pizza, numbers are an intricate part of our lives.
As sports fans, we are all enticed by statistics. While they can't explain everything, it is a tangible tool that can help identify a team or player's strengths and weaknesses. As many would say—you can't argue with statistics.
On the other hand, ratings and rankings are always a very debatable issue.
Every year, EA Sports' Madden NFL, the popular video game franchise, comes out with a "deeper" edition. Accompanying it, comes updated rosters with newly revised player ratings.
Gradually, the company is releasing team-by-team ratings in order to maintain the suspense. For some strange reason, these mere ratings are already amongst the hottest discussion topics in the football world.
In fact, ESPN, the so-called world wide leader in sports, has its own articles being published on the matter. Honestly, is there nothing better to talk about?
Nonetheless, here are my evaluations of Madden 11's ratings for the Minnesota Vikings.
Quarterbacks
1 of 12
Ratings:
Travaris Jackson: 71
Sage Rosenfels: 69
Very realistic portrayal of the Vikings' QB situation as this is clearly their biggest weakness.
Note, according to reports, Brett Favre has informed the team of his plans to retire. He was given a rating of 92
Running Backs
2 of 12
Ratings:
Adrian Peterson: 98
Naufahu Tahi: 76
Toby Gerhart: 71
Ian Johnson: 64
Darius Reynaud: 56
Great job giving Adrian Peterson his well-deserved respect as one of the game's elite players. Just for your info, he was rated 62 in carries, corresponding to his 20 fumbles over the past three seasons.
Wide Receivers
3 of 12
Ratings:
Sidney Rice: 90
Percy Harvin: 84
Bernard Berrian: 75
Greg Lewis: 66
James Johnson: 55
Rice and Harvin are emerging stars and they're ratings display that. Moreover, the reason Berrian is rated lower than some may expect is due to his inability to make catches in traffic over the middle of the field.
.jpg?w=256 "Cardinals Draft Love Football")
Tight Ends
4 of 12
Ratings:
Visanthe Shiancoe: 86
Jim Kleinsasser: 74
Jeff Dugan: 63
Shiancoe played extremely well last year, so it seems fitting that he receives a relatively high rating. He's a great red-zone target and is a capable blocker.
Offensive Line
5 of 12
Ratings:
LT Bryant McKinnie: 90
LT Drew Radovich: 62
LG Steve Hutchinson: 97
C John Sullivan: 77
C Jon Cooper: 63
RG Anthony Herrara: 70
RT Phil Loadholt
RT Chris DeGeare: 63
As demonstrated by the rankings, the Vikings have a very powerful offensive line that will pave the way for Adrian Peterson and provide adequate protection for Brett Favre.
Defensive Line
6 of 12
Ratings:
LE Ray Edwards: 85
LE Everson Griffen: 70
LE Mike Montgomery: 68
DT Kevin Williams: 97
DT Pat Williams: 88
DT Jimmy Kennedy: 73
DT Fred Evans: 60
DT Letroy Guion: 58
RE: Jared Allen: 99
RE Brian Robinson: 69
Very appropriate ratings as the Vikings defensive line is one of the best in the league.
Linebackers
7 of 12
Ratings:
LOLB Ben Leber: 80
LOLB Erin Henderson: 62
MLB E.J. Henderson: 85
MLB Jasper Brinkley: 69
ROLB Chad Greenway: 88
ROLB Heath Farwell: 68
I thought the ratings for just right. The team's linebacker core, led by Chad Greenway, is a very solid group.
Cornerbacks
8 of 12
Ratings:
Antonie Winfield: 88
Cedric Griffin: 82
Lito Sheppard: 77
Chris Cook: 70
Benny Sapp: 69
Asher Allen: 68
I would have probably rated Winfield a couple points higher. Other than that, I was satisfied.
Safeties
9 of 12
Ratings:
FS Madieu Williams: 74
FS Husain Abdullah: 63
SS Tyrell Johnson: 75
SS Jamarca Sanford: 71
I felt the game designers did a very nice job here. The Vikings' safeties are mediocre at best.
Special Teams
10 of 12
Ratings:
K: Ryan Longwell: 92
K Rhys Lloyd: 75
P: Chirs Kluwe: 60
Great job displaying Longwell's talents. Last year, he nailed 92.9 percent of his field goals.
Overall Rating
11 of 12
Madden 11 awarded the Minnesota Vikings with an overall rating of 88, which is one of the highest in the game. I completely agree, because they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Do note, that the rating includes Brett Favre. If he officially retires, expect a significant drop.
Madden 11 Overview
12 of 12
I, myself, am not much of a gamer, as the latest version of the game I own is Madden '05 on the original Xbox. I'd much rather go outside and play actual football, as opposed to moving my thumbs around in a virtual world.
Nonetheless, based on what I've read, like always, Madden decided to make this year's edition a "more exciting experience" and it is set to be the "best football game ever."
The game is officially scheduled to release on August 10, 2010. It will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, and PS2 consoles.
Moreover, Gamestop is having a pre-order promotion for the game. If you're interested, don't forget to check that out.
Of course, most importantly, the real football season kicks off in just under two months, when the Minnesota Vikings head down to New Orleans to take on the defending Super Bowl Champ Saints in a rematch of last year's unforgettable NFC Championship Game.
Be sure to tune in to NBC on Thursday, September 9th at 8:30 PM ET as you won't want to miss it!
.jpg?w=480 "Cardinals Draft Love Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Chiefs Rookies Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Browns Declined Cowboys Trade")
.jpg?w=600 "Draft Value Picks Who Could be Fantasy Football Sleepers 🧐")
.png?w=600 "NFL Free-Agent Tracker ✍️"){kind=tracking}
.jpg?w=600 "Breaking News")