Madden 25: Top 5 Most Overrated Players

Where Madden Goes Wrong With Player Ratings

Every year, the people at EA Sports spit out a new Madden with graphics that make the mind wonder if you are actually a witnessing a real NFL game when an XBOX or Playstation is turned on. But once people actually getting to playing the game and see some of the players ratings that the people at Madden come up with, we are reminded that yes, this is a video game. For the user at home, it may seem as if the people creating the games have not watched football for any period of time, as ratings mistakes are often made because of a failure to pay attention to the trends of football.

Much of this error comes down to the computer relying too heavily on players' physical attributes to determine their rating, and not enough on the mental aspects that truly dictate the game. One very prime example of this historically was Michael Vick during his years with the Atlanta Falcons, when he was the best football player in videogames, but was held back in real life by decision-making issues on the field. These types of issues are still present in Madden 13 as there is still no way to put a rating on how a player's decision-making and attitude can affect his ability to perform in real life.

The Madden franchise also has a tendency to sensationalize and give too much credit to players that have either just had a very brief period of success or are past their prime. This results in very young players being given high ratings based on one season that often turns out of be an anomaly, and the game not being prepared for older players that are either on the verge of a sharp decline or have already began that decline.

With the creators of Madden having a tendency to give too much credit to unproven players, declining veterans and physical specimens, we are given a number ratings mistakes each season. This season's edition, Madden 25, is no different, and the top mistakes from EA Sports all feature common mistakes from the franchise.

Five examples stick out from the rest.

5. Tony Gonzalez

At the ripe age of 37, Tony Gonzalez has been a very effective tight end for a long time, but is he really worthy of a 95 overall rating? Atlanta will be hoping that he is, but after not being around the team for much of training camp, it is a good bet Gonzalez will not be in the best of shape when the beginning of the season rolls around. At the age of 37, all players eventually reach a point where they cant cut it anymore. The 2013 season will be the season when Gonzalez finally falls behind the pack, rendering his 95 rating a farce and showing that the Madden franchise can not predict the toll age has on one's body in their ratings.

4. Frank Gore

​Frank Gore​ is a prime example of players who are on the downturn but still receive exorbitant ratings on Madden. Gore has a 93 rating but at the age of 30, he has reached the age of inevitable decline for running backs. In the past six seasons, only four running backs have rushed for over 1000 yards in a single season, and after being the main running back for the San Francisco 49ers over the last seven seasons, Gore can't be expected to break the trend. Expect EA Sports to look foolish for this rating as Gore will have the worst year of his career this season as he enters the twilight of his time in the NFL.

3. Darrelle Revis

Once upon a time, Darrelle Revis would have been worthy of the 97 rating that EA Sports bestowed upon him for the upcoming version of the game. But after suffering a torn ACL last season and moving from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the offseason, it is much harder to justify this rating today. This knee injury will likely sap him of at least some physical ability, and for a skill position player such as Revis, just a little change physically can be the difference between being a Pro Bowler or being a league average player. Until Revis can prove that he has recovered from his injury to be the man that was once the best cornerback in the NFL, he can only justify a rating in the range of 85-89.

2. Cam Newton

With a rating of 89 for Cam Newton, EA Sports is clearly telling the user that physical attributes are what rule the game. Newton is a player that looks like he should be one of the great quarterbacks in the NFL, as he is big, mobile and has a huge arm. The only issue is that he tends to make foolish mistakes that create a large number of turnovers, which he had 19 of last season. Until Newton's physical skills click and he is able to consistently make good decisions in and out of the pocket, he has no right to have the same rating as Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick.

1. Joe Flacco

In the case of Joe Flacco, EA Sports has decided to place their entire ratings basis in his postseason run from last season when he threw 11 touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl. What the ratings generators failed to notice was Flacco's performance during the regular season when he had 19 turnovers in 16 games, and was rated 25th out of 35 NFL quarterbacks by ESPN's QBR. This larger sample will prevail during the 2013 season as Flacco plays like a quarterback in the 85-87 ratings range, and the ratings generators at EA Sports will look foolish once again.