Tag: Madden

Aaron Donald wants to be on the cover of Madden and EA should make it happen

Aaron Donald, who owns the most 99 overall ratings in Madden history, wants to be on the cover – and he should be this year

Trivia time: Which player has had the most 99 overall ratings in Madden history? Answer: Aaron Donald.

He’s been a 99 overall an NFL record seven times, one more than Peyton Manning. He won’t be in this year’s game after announcing his retirement, but it’s a good bet that EA would’ve given him a 99 rating once again after earning another All-Pro selection in 2023.

It’s sad to think about Donald being absent from Madden for the first time since he came into the NFL 10 years ago, but EA has a chance to honor the future Hall of Famer in a great way. Donald should be the cover athlete for “Madden 25”.

Now that he’s retired, there’s no concern about a so-called “Madden Curse” for Donald, which will put Rams fans at ease if EA does make him the face of this year’s game. And as the player with the most 99 overall ratings in Madden history, it’s about time he gets recognized for his dominance on the virtual gridiron, in addition to the actual one.

Better yet, Donald wants to be on the cover. A Rams fan on Reddit screenshotted Donald’s Instagram story where he pitched being on the cover.

Do it madden you cowards (from AD’s most recent story on IG)
byu/barrenarrows inLosAngelesRams

Not only is it long overdue that Donald appear on the cover, but it’s been far too long since any defensive player was on the front of the game. Aside from John Madden himself being on the cover of “Madden 23”, a quarterback has been the cover athlete in each of the last four years. No defensive player has been on the cover since “Madden 15”, which came out 10 years ago – fittingly, the same year Donald came into the NFL. Richard Sherman was on the cover that year.

Before that, you have to go all the way back to “Madden 2005” when Ray Lewis was on the cover. That was the only other time a defensive player appeared on the cover alone; Troy Polamalu shared it with Larry Fitzgerald in “Madden 10”.

By putting Donald on the front this year, it’ll continue the “tradition” of putting a defensive player on the cover every 10 years.

Last season’s MVP, Lamar Jackson, has already been on the cover before. Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has been on it twice. There isn’t a great quarterback option, so why not go with Donald?

Make it happen, EA.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey asks ‘Madden’ to improve his rating after 54-yard TD

After scoring a 54-yard touchdown against the Chargers, Broncos WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey wants EA Sports to improve his ‘Madden’ rating.

The best play of the Denver Broncos’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday came in the second quarter when quarterback Jarrett Stidham stepped up in the pocket and found wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey running across the field on third down.

Humphrey caught the ball at the 40-yard line and then made four Chargers defenders miss on his way to a 54-yard touchdown. It was an impressive catch and run and a play that helped secure a 16-9 win on Sunday.

“Just came up,” Humphrey said of the catch after the win. “Saw the look but they dropped out of it. Made a play. I’m just like, ‘Got to make it to the end zone. I want to make a play for the team.’”

After the game, Humphrey took to Twitter/X to ask EA Sports to improve his rating in the popular “Madden NFL” video game.

Humphrey is rated 66 overall in “Madden NFL 24.” After Sunday’s big play, it’s probably fair to say he deserves a boost.

“I saw them bring the blitz, and I had a lane to step up and I thought about taking off and running,” Stidham said of the play. “I just saw him out of the corner of my eye and gave him a ball, and he made an incredible play.

“At first, I thought he was down on the one-[yard line], so I was kind of bummed, but then I saw that they called a touchdown. So heck of a play by him and the rest of the guys for blocking down field.”

Humphrey has totaled 13 receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns this season. His three scores are a career high and one more catch in the team’s season finale next week would give him another career high with 14 receptions.

“He’s been pretty consistent during the year, quietly,” coach Sean Payton said. “He’s that player in Chicago that makes a play. He’s big. He’s physical.

“He’s strong. I’m a little bit more familiar with him — but the confidence and the consistency. He’s had a good season especially as we acquired someone like him. He’s done a good job. I’m proud of him.”

Humphrey, 25, is set to become a free agent in March.

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Michael Vick joked with Peyton and Eli Manning about their old Madden speed scores

Hey, the Mannings could scramble when needed!

NFL legend Michael Vick remains the greatest Madden athlete of all time, as he’s widely regarded as the best-ever quarterback to play with in the game.

Vick appeared on the ManningCast on Monday night to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs game, and his Madden 2004 days naturally came up.

Peyton Manning asked Vick who he used to play as when he played the game, and the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback actually said that it’s Peyton who was his go-to Madden quarterback.

However, Vick also got into a very funny conversation with the Manning brothers about the latter’s old speed ratings on Madden.

While the Mannings weren’t the fastest NFL players, they could run a good quarterback scramble when needed!

Anyhow, Vick will always be the best scrambling quarterback to ever play the game on the field and in the virtual arena, and it’s wonderful to hear him joking with the Mannings about their speed scores on the video game that helped make Vick a household name.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Josh Dobbs on piecing together plays in his Vikings debut: ‘It’s like Madden’

Imagine playing “Madden,” but in real life. That’s what Josh Dobbs did against the Falcons.

It’s no secret that Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons was special for the Minnesota Vikings, and the legend of Josh Dobbs and Kevin O’Connell is growing by the day.

On the “Torchbearers” podcast, which Dobbs co-hosts with Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith, he talked about how O’Connell communicated the plays through his headset.

“(O’Connell) was like, ‘All right, you’ve got a corner and a flat on this side …’ “It’s like Madden.”

Listening to Dobbs talk about his experience on Sunday makes it even more remarkable. Deciphering the plays in the huddle and playing as well as he did is spectacular, given that he joined the Vikings just five earlier without a single practice snap.

Just imagine how much better Dobbs will be once he knows the playbook.

Cardinals blown out by Commanders in ‘Madden’ Week 1 sim

A simulation of the Cardinals’ Week 1 matchup has them losing 35-3. Josh Dobbs is picked off twice and sacked three times.

The Arizona Cardinals take on the Washington Commanders Sunday in a real game. The Cardinals are underdogs in the matchup. No analyst is predicting a Cardinals win and, in a simulation of the game on “Madden NFL 24,” the Commanders come away with a big win.

The Cardinals lost in the game simulation 35-3.

Quarterback Josh Dobbs was bad, completing 14-of-23 passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times.

The Cardinals fell behind 7-0 on the first drive of the game, responded with a 52-yard Matt Prater field goal on their first possession and that was it.

They had a chance to score a touchdown before halftime but Dobbs was tackled short of the end zone on a run and time expired.

They managed only 247 yards of total offense.

Washington quarterback Sam Howell was 13-for-16 passing for 152 yards and was picked off once but had three touchdown passes. Running back Antonio Gibson had 81 rushing yards on 18 attempts and Brian Robinson added 54 yards on 10 carries, including a 45-yard touchdown run.

For the Cardinals, nobody had a sack but Budda Baker did have an interception.

Running back James Conner led the Cardinals in rising with 54 yards on 10 carries.

Tight end Zach Ertz had 54 yards on five receptions, rookie receiver Michael Wilson had three catches for 48 yards and Hollywood Brown had two catches for 26.

Hopefully, the real game is not as ugly as this simulation went.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Kendrick Bourne reveals unique way of preparing for Eagles

Kendrick Bourne is taking a fun approach to preparing for the Eagles.

Like all of us, New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne likes to take a load off from time to time, but he’s doing so while also preparing for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In an Instagram story, he made a hilarious post of himself playing EA’s “Madden” video game with the caption, “Getting ready lol.”

This could be a decent way to prepare, as the Eagles are the second-highest rated team in “Madden” at 91 overall. In real life, the Eagles are the defending NFC champions with even more talent than they had last season.

The Patriots defense will have to contend with a bunch of offensive weapons, such as Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Defensively, five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, is someone Bourne will probably see often.

Here’s to hoping Bourne’s Madden game will translate well on the field. New England will need all the help they can get, as they open up with the hardest schedule in the NFL.

Kickoff time is set for Sept 10. at 4:25 p.m. ET.

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Madden got Seahawks safety Julian Love right this year

EA has recovered their fumble on Love’s player likeness from last year.

With the release of Madden 24 this week, Seahawks safety Julian Love took to Twitter to evaluate his player replica. A clear improvement in game graphics for this year’s release is expected. However, what wasn’t expected was the stark contrast between Love’s player last year and this year.

One of Seattle’s top free agent signings in 2023, Love played 16 games for the Giants last season, finishing with 67 solo tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble. From the look of things, EA has recovered their own fumble on Love’s player likeness from last year.

Take a look at the difference between the two here:

Love’s overall player rating improved from 76 to 80 and his more refined player model features him with an actual beard, accurate skin pigmentation and game sleeves. Love’s role for Seattle may include coming in on Big Nickel 3-3-5 formation packages and playing as a relief to safeties Jamal Adams (when healthy) and Quandre Diggs. Until Adams returns to the field, Love will be starting next to Diggs.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks complete player ratings for Madden 24

Tyler Lockett highest rated Seattle player on Madden

Tyler Lockett is the highest rated Seahawks player on Madden 24

Electronic Arts released Madden 24 this week, giving Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett an overall rating of 89, the highest on the team.

Electronic Arts released Madden 24 this week, giving Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett an overall rating of 89, the highest on the team. Lockett’s 87-reception, 1,033 yard, nine touchdown 2022 output was deemed most prevalent for game developers who do diligence in producing NFL player likeness with relative accuracy.

The Seahawks team rating ranks No. 15 amongst the 32 NFL clubs on the game but with live updates provided by XBOX Live and PlayStation Network (PSN) weekly, we may see this team rating improve (or decline) throughout the season.

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Lockett has been with the Seahawks since 2015 and will be a huge mentor to rookie wide-receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Njigba’s Madden rating sits at 78, likely due to his awareness (AWR) attribute being slighted at 70 according to EA.

Contrarily, Lockett’s AWR rating yields a 90. With wide receiver DK Metcalf’s 88 player rating on the game, EA like many NFL analysts believe that the Seahawks are well-equipped at the wideout position. Perhaps adolescents gaming this fall will choose the Seahawks more frequently after they gather intel on how much improved their roster has become.

Whatever the case, below is a “15 things to know before buying” NFL Madden 24 review provided by GamingBolt that will give gamers an idea on what to expect from this years’ release. Check it out below.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks complete player ratings for Madden 24

Madden got Seattle safety Julian Love right this year

Why isn’t Bill Belichick in Madden video games?

Welcome to the fake-Belichick club, Peter Gaffney.

Madden is one of the best-selling and most popular video games of all-time.

And when we play it, we usually aren’t paying close attention to the coaches on the sidelines. We’re much more concerned with how good a given year’s cover athlete is, whether that player will succumb to or defy the Madden Curse, or who the highest rated players are and what new features are in the latest version.

But if you’ve played Madden over the past 15 years or so, chances are you’ve either played with or against the New England Patriots. And chances are you’ve noticed that something is missing — or rather, someone.

Someone blunt, someone too smart for their own good, someone silly, and someone who gives the same answers over and over again in press conferences.

That’s right. Longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick isn’t in the Madden video games — and he hasn’t been for some time.

The reason is simple: EA Sports has a licensing deal with the National Football League Coaches Association to use the likenesses of coaches in their games. And Belichick is not a member of the NFLCA and hasn’t granted EA Sports permission to use his likeness. It’s worth noting that Belichick’s mentor, Bill Parcels, was also not a member of the NFLCA.

So, Belichick hasn’t appeared in the game since the mid-2000s. Below is a screengrab of a rare video game depiction of Belichick in Madden 2002.

And since EA Sports doesn’t have the right to use Belichick’s likeness, they’ve had to come up with some creative stand-ins and fake names over the years. Devoted Madden players might remember Patriots coach Chad Masters, or Patriots coach Griffin Murphy. Sometimes, Madden just named the Patriots play-caller as “NE Coach.”

For Madden 24, New England’s head coach is Peter Gaffney, who absolutely does not resemble Bill Belichick.

In 2012, Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel asked Belichick why he wasn’t in the game, and he gave the most-Belichick response, simply saying: “I don’t know.”

Belichick — who has won six Super Bowls as a head coach, more than anyone else — did admit in 2021 however that he has played the game, telling the Athletic: “Yeah, I haven’t played in quite a while. I know when my kids were growing up, they would play it and I’d watch them and they’d beat me.”

And he also had tremendous respect for the man the game is named after, John Madden, who died in 2021.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots safety

Three Patriots safeties received an 80-plus overall rating.

The New England Patriots will be entering the 2023 season with one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL, and the ratings on the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game reflect it.

There are three players at the safety position for the Patriots rated 80-plus overall in the game. It’s a good thing for a unit that lost legendary defensive back Devin McCourty in the offseason.

McCourty, who rode off into the sunset in retirement, will be watching from the sidelines as players like Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills and Adrian Phillips step up as defensive leaders.

Madden players, on the other hand, will love running this unit against that one friend that constantly heaves up deep throws on every play. Here are the official Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots safety.