Madden '12: Which Players Deserve to Be in Exclusive Club 100?

When it comes to Madden, the players themselves take the ratings very seriously. A couple times every season there are stories about players thinking they are vastly underrated in the game. Now Madden, in conjunction with ESPN, is allowing fans to give select players a 100 rating in a key category.

The categories that are up for vote are throwing accuracy, elusiveness, hit power, spectacular catch and speed. Each vote is obviously geared toward stirring up debate and extra interest in the game as a result. Basically, it is a great marketing tool for EA Sports with the release of Madden '12 just one week away.

Let's take a category-by-category look at who should win the vote.

Throw Accuracy – Drew Brees

In 2009, Brees tied former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson for the highest completion percentage in a season at 70.6 while still posting an impressive 8.5 yards per attempt. That is the definition of accuracy.

He has led the NFL in completion percentage in each of the last two seasons while leading one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. He was forced to throw more than 140 more passes in 2010, but was still able to maintain a 68.1 percent success rate.

Brees' pinpoint accuracy allows him to work the ball into spaces other quarterbacks can only dream about. While there is certainly no shortage of contenders for this honor, Brees has repeatedly shown his ability to be the most accurate quarterback in the league.

Runners-up: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady

Elusiveness – Adrian Peterson

No other player in the league possesses the rare combination of quickness, strength and speed of Peterson. He has has made a habit of dekeing around a linebacker and then running over a cornerback en route to the end zone and doing it all with ease.

Once Peterson gets into the open field, there is almost nobody in the league who can chase him down. If you were attempting to build the mythical perfect running back, there would be a lot of pieces of Peterson included.

You know a running back is special when his worst season in the league consists of nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, and that's the case with Peterson. It would be a shock if anybody other than him joins the 100 club in the elusiveness category.

Runners-up: Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson (not listed on ballot)

Hit Power – Ray Lewis

Lewis is one of the hardest hitting players to ever play in the NFL and, even at age 35, he shows no signs of slowing down. The fiery attitude he bottles up and brings onto the field with him is something nobody had ever witnessed.

The Baltimore Ravens linebacker has reached 100 tackles in 13 of his 15 seasons. The only two seasons he didn't reach that plateau came when he missed significant time due to injury. He is one of the most storied defensive players in league history and for good reason.

He has missed 30 games in his career due to injuries, but if you count up all the games lost because of Lewis hits, it's a lot more than 30. When a wide receiver gets caught by Lewis running a short crossing route, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll be feeling that hit for weeks.

Runners-up: Adrian Wilson, Bob Sanders

Spectacular Catch – Larry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald's catch against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the preseason was just the tip of the iceberg. He has made amazing catch after amazing catch throughout his career and should be the clear winner in this category.

He's been a machine since setting the record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown in college with Pittsburgh. Since joining the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald has caught at least six touchdowns every season, including many awe-inspiring TD grabs.

To use one of the most infamous Madden lines of all time, “they used to put stick-em on their hands, but now they got those gloves.” It doesn't matter if Fitzgerald has stick-em, gloves, super glue or his bare hands, he's going to make tremendous catches.

Runners-up: Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson

Speed – Chris Johnson

The biggest upset out of all categories might be that the winner of the speed category isn't a member of the Oakland Raiders. That said, when Johnson gets to the second level of a defense untouched, you can safely assume he's going the distance.

His amazing speed leaves so little room for error for opposing defenses. If they take one wrong angle on the Tennessee Titans running back (who is currently holding out), he's going to change the momentum of the game in a heartbeat.

Johnson has had one touchdown run of at least 66 yards every season of his three-year career. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make plays just adds another dimension to his game that no other running back can match. However, it's his speed that truly sets him apart from the pack.

Runners-up: Jacoby Ford (Raiders alert!), DeSean Jackson