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Best and worst of the Madden 17 launch ratings
How did the developers of the Madden series do with their pre-launch ratings? Diamond Images via Getty Images

Best and worst of the Madden 17 launch ratings

If you want an indicator how football starved the United States is every year, look no further than the hype surrounding the Madden game series every summer. With training camp closed to the public, and no real news coming out, even virtual football is worth getting excited about.

Madden 17 released their official launch ratings on August 5 for this year's version of the game. In recent years, this has been the highlight of the most football fans summer, and a motivating factor for some players, who are well aware of what the game means.

Imagine that people actually pay money to be you performing your job. Pretty big honor, right? Now imagine how judgmental people are, and determine how you perform in real life based on a virtual simulation.

Not such an honor, right?

As little as these rating means on the field, they serve as an indicator of what the stats dudes at EA Sports think they are, how they will look in the game and how fans will perceive them; because if you’re an NFL player, looking bad is almost as damning as playing bad.

Here are the top players of Madden 17.

Preseason All-Madden Team

Offense


Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay – 96

Running Backs: Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh – 94

Fullback: Patrick DiMarco, Atlanta Falcons - 91

Wide Receiver 1:  Antonio Brown/Pittsburgh – 97

Wide Receiver 2: Julio Jones/Atlanta – 96

Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski, New England – 99

Left Tackle: Tyron Smith, Dallas/Joe Thomas, Cleveland – 97

Left Guard: Josh Sitton, Green Bay – 91

Center: Travis Frederick, Dallas – 91

Right Guard: Marshall Yanda, Baltimore – 97

Right Tackle: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia – 86


Defense

Left End: Michael Bennett, Seattle – 91

Tackle 1: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles – 98

Tackle 2: Geno Atkins, Cincinnati – 94

Right End: J.J. Watt, Houston – 99

Left Outside Linebacker: Von Miller – 99

Middle Linebacker: Derrick Johnson, Kansas City – 90/Brandon Marshall, Denver – 90

Right Outside Linebacker: Dont’a Hightower, New England – 90/Terrell Suggs, Baltimore – 90

Cornerback 1: Chris Harris, Jr., Denver – 93

Cornerback 2: Richard Sherman, Seattle – 92

Strong Safety: Kam Chancellor, Seattle – 91

Free Safety: Harrison Smith, Minnesota – 94


Special Teams

Punter: Pat McAfee, Indianapolis – 86

Place Kicker: Dan Bailey, Dallas – 85/Graham Gano, Carolina – 85/Stephen Gostowski – 85

 

O-ver-rated (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)

Jimmy Graham

After the year that Jimmy Graham had in 2015, you would think that he would drop a bit in the Madden ratings, but he still sits at 89 as the third-best tight end in the game. Maybe the game creators still see Jimmy Graham’s physical tools, and are choosing to ignore his 48 catch, 605-yard season.

Demarcus Ware

As productive as DeMarcus Ware has been in his career, his 86-rating is probably a reputation rating more than anything else. At the ripe age of 34, Ware has been showing signs of decline since 2013.

Danny Amendola

Somehow, Danny Amendola still has Madden 17 relevance despite never breaking 700 yards receiving for an entire season. Last season, he did little to dispel whispers of his ineffectiveness with a 648-yard season.

Snubs

Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman is getting massive amounts of shade. Yes, he is still rated an 89, but his production and ability to beat defenses underneath and over the top deserves better than his 86-speed and 88-elusiveness would suggest.

Todd Gurley III

Todd Gurley III still has a lot of prove, especially in the eyes of Madden developers. The Los Angeles Rams running back is rated an 85, even after an explosive rookie season where he gained 1,294 yards from scrimmage.

Eddie Lacy

Many will look at Eddie Lacy’s stats last season and think that his 83 rating is appropriate give that he only gained 758 yards. His weight problems are well documented, but he looks like a different, more motivated back this season. I expect Lacy to return to his 1,139-yard sophomore season form and make this Madden rating look like a gross oversight.

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