Madden 25: 5 Players Who Do Not Belong On The All-25 Team

Madden All-25 Team: 5 Players Who Do Not Belong

EA Sports' Madden NFL Football is the most popular sports video game franchise of all-time. The game for the 2013 season, titled Madden 25, is set to release Aug. 27.

This season marks the 25th anniversary of the popular franchise, hence the title. The demo dropped this week and early reviews have been positive. EA really seemed to go all out for their anniversary season. The biggest new feature for this game is what EA is calling "Run Free." You get much more control of the movement that your running back makes looking for a hole and in the open field.

One of the most intriguing parts of this year's game is the Madden All-25 team. Basically, EA Sports went through and selected the best 25 players in the history of Madden. They filled all 22 offensive and defensive positions, a kick returner, kicker and punter. While most of these guys are or once were among the best players in the NFL, EA picked the team based on how good their characters were in the game. This made for some very interesting choices. Here is a look at the All-25 team.

Offense QB: Michael Vick RB: Marshall Faulk FB: Mike Alstott WR: Randy Moss WR: Brian Finneran TE: Antonio Gates LT: Orlando Pace LG: Larry Allen C: Dermontti Dawson RG: Steve Hutchinson RT: Jonathan Ogden

Defense DE: Julius Peppers DE: Dwight Freeney DT: Warren Sapp DT: Albert Haynesworth LB: Ray Lewis LB: Derrick Thomas LB: Derrick Brooks CB: Deion Sanders CB: Champ Bailey S: Sean Taylor S: Brian Dawkins

Special Teams KR: Devin Hester K: Adam Vinatieri P: Shane Lechler

You are never going to make everybody happy with a list like this, but I think EA did a fairly good job. One guy that I love seeing on this team is Vick. He is simply the best video game quarterback of all time. In Madden 2004, it was simply unfair to play with Vick. His outstanding foot speed and throwing arm was impossible to stop. However, I do see a few head scratchers on the roster and a couple of obvious omissions that I feel must be included. Here are five players on the Madden All-25 team that I do not think belong.

Daniel is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_Schmelzer, "Like" him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

WR: Brian Finneran

Okay, nothing against Brian Finneran, but how the heck did he make this team? I understand that he had nice size and was the No. 1 receiver for Vick when he ruled the Madden world, but come on. There are so many other options that would have been a much better choice as the receiver opposite Moss. My choice would have either been Terrell Owens from Madden 2006 or Calvin Johnson from last season.

DT: Albert Haynesworth

Warren Sapp was an obvious choice at one defensive tackle position, but I was not too excited with EA's selection of Albert Haynesworth at the other. I have always thought that Haynesworth was an overrated player in real life and was not dominant enough in Madden to warrant a spot on this roster.

LB: Derrick Brooks

I do not think that Derrick Brooks should have been on the Madden All-25 team, but it literally has nothing to do with Brooks. He was an amazing player in real life and that translated to the video game world as he was a force to be reckoned with. I just cannot believe that Patrick Willis was left off of this team. I think Willis is the best Madden linebacker of all time. He is as fast as a safety and his hit power is as good as anyone else. It is so easy to make plays all over the field with Willis in Madden; he was robbed by not making this team.

S: Brian Dawkins

Brian Dawkins was always a good guy to roam the field with in Madden. He had a good speed rating and you could deliver bone-jarring hits with him. But Ed Reed is a Madden legend and needs to be on this team. Reed's speed and athleticism allowed you to cover the entire back side of the field with one player. It was so easy to defend deep passes with Reed in your secondary, especially in Madden 2010 and 2011.

K: Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri is one of the greatest kickers of all-time. That being said, his Madden character was not anything special. Sebastian Janikowksi is the greatest Madden kicker of all-time, period. His kick power rating is always in the high 90s and in Madden, that is by far the most important stat for a kicker. You can routinely boot 60-plus-yard field goals with Janikowski in Madden games. He is the obvious kicker choice for me.