Madden 2009: 49ers Ratings are in

by Fooch on Jun 17, 2008 8:45 AM PDT in News

As we pass through free agency, the draft and offseason training activities and approach training camp, another benchmark of the offseason approaches. Oh yes, that's right, Madden hits stores on my birthday, August 12. Happy birthday to me indeed! With that in mind, I came across the 49ers ratings in the newest addition of Madden. One problem with seeing the ratings now is that somewhat significant roster and depth chart moves won't be reflected. The good news is that with the online offerings of Madden you can update rosters accordingly. Definitely one of the better advances in video game technology.

Offense

The highest rated offensive player is Frank Gore, who is a 93, and a 99 when used as a 3rd down back. Alex Smith and Shaun Hill rate out at 79, with JT O'Sullivan in at 77. To give you some comparisons one site has the rating of every starting QB. They list Smith at 80 so it's a little off their. Some comparable guys include Rex Grossman and Trent Edwards. Among all the starters, 24 QBs rate ahead of Smith. So take that for what it's worth. The starting offensive line averages 85 across the board. Not great, but that doesn't seem as awful as it could be. Chilo Rachal is a 78, which makes me think he could turn into a very solid option in the franchise mode.

Defense

Patrick Willis is the highest rated defender and highest rated 49er at 96. As with the wide receivers, some of the defensive positions are not completely filled out. The middle/inside linebackers are missing the likes of Brandon Moore and Larry Grant, primarily due to the size of the depth chart. If I was playing right now, I'd be very tempted to just trade Mark Roman and move Dashon Goldson into the starting lineup. Even if I didn't deal Roman, I'd want to bump up Goldson. When I go with dynasty mode I like getting the youngsters some quality playing time.

So what do you think about the 49ers rankings? Any of them seem particularly out of whack or are they pretty spot on?

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Maddenly

The 49er rankings are maddenly.

"We Have a God who delights in impossibilities."

by 16to80endzone on Jun 17, 2008 9:20 AM PDT 0 recs

I’m as madden as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 17, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up 0 recs

Surprises

I’m surprised Walt Harris is rated a 88 while Spencer is down at 79. Maybe I’m just being biased.

As for B.Moore and L.Grant, I think it’s possible that both get left off the roster in the latest Madden.

The one thing I DO like is that Battle is set higher on the depth chart than Johnson.

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 9:37 AM PDT 0 recs

Ranked

Would I get ranked higher than you, sfgfan? Let’s ask Madden!

"We Have a God who delights in impossibilities."

by 16to80endzone on Jun 17, 2008 9:55 AM PDT 0 recs

Michael Lewis

I guess the one that surprised me was Lewis. Could be just me, but I don’t think of him quite that highly (87). But having played Madden religiously a few years back, I have a sneaking suspicion he could be one of those players that got an inflated OVR rating due to really special physical attributes that likely exceed his playing abilities.

by lacrosse_cat on Jun 17, 2008 10:22 AM PDT 0 recs

Hmm.

Lewis has been rated pretty high for a while. He went to the Pro Bowl in his third season along with being recognized as an All-Pro. I’m pretty sure that he’s rating has been pretty high ever since then. Lewis is a pretty good safety. He sucks in coverage, but as a strong safety in the box, he’s among the better safeties in the league.

I think 87 is fairly okay. Maybe a big lower, depending on what kind of ratings there are. I have yet to play a Madden version that has the man coverage and zone coverage ratings. I’d be curious to see what his ratings are for each of those, as I think his man coverage rating should be fairly low and his zone rating should be about average.

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 10:43 AM PDT up 0 recs

Agreed.

I actually didn’t put all my thoughts down when I wrote that. You are correct he had a spectacular start to his NFL career (and I know that does help keep certain players ratings inflated on this game series). I guess it comes down to my personal thoughts about safety play, aka should be able to cover (and yes I’m looking at you Roy Williams). If they separated zone and man, things might change a little but overall I don’t feel confident with Lewis unless he’s around the LOS. But I cannot disagree with anything you said.

by lacrosse_cat on Jun 19, 2008 10:50 AM PDT up 0 recs

Yeah

Patrick Willis should be higher

Yes, it’s only been one year… but you know he’s gonna be awesome forever

Formerly known as phutmasterflex
Warriors, A's, 49ers... the only three that matter to me right now.

by PHUT! on Jun 17, 2008 12:38 PM PDT 0 recs

Higher?

I doubt he’s peaked as a sophomore, there’s got to be some kind of room left for improvement. A 96 seems pretty damn high for second year player. Has there ever been a second year player rated higher?

by methodrampage on Jun 17, 2008 12:45 PM PDT up 0 recs

Maybe...

... Willis will be the first player to be 100 overall!

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 1:38 PM PDT up 0 recs

Second year players

I don’t know of about the in the previous maddens if a player made a higher jump in ratings than Willis made this year (When Madden 07 came out Willis was an 84 ovr).

He does not have the highest rating jump for a second year player on this year’s game, though.

Joe Thomas in rated a 97 ovr. He started out an 83 in Madden 07.

On a side note, Adrian Peterson went from a 85 to a 95.

by Redding49ers on Jun 17, 2008 1:51 PM PDT up 0 recs

Interesting

I would have thought Thomas would have been rated higher originally. Either way a 10-14 point jump is quite substantial and all three mentioned are probably deserving. But for example, Willis improved by >14% in one year. If he kept that pace he’d be a 110 by next year.

by methodrampage on Jun 17, 2008 3:42 PM PDT up 0 recs

in that case

If that’s true, then next season, sending him on an inside blitz would equal instant sacks

Formerly known as phutmasterflex
Warriors, A's, 49ers... the only three that matter to me right now.

by PHUT! on Jun 17, 2008 10:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Forget the rankings

You have a bitchin TV

by Nineraguan on Jun 17, 2008 12:53 PM PDT 0 recs

Why's Smith so slow?

The rankings in the link give Smith at rating of 72 in speed. That’s a point slower than Roethlisberger and 5 points slower than Tony Romo.

Smith’s 40 coming out of college was 4.70. By comparison, Roethlisberger’s was 4.94 and Romo’s was 5.01. Maybe Roethlisberger I can understand. But Romo’s slower than molasses on a cold day. Wtf?

by Nineraguan on Jun 17, 2008 1:15 PM PDT 0 recs

It's gotta be a joke!

It’s pretty ridiculous-but then again, Dennis Dixon was given a 60. He’s probably at least a 75-even with a gimpy knee.
What really gets me every time I look at that QB list is that when I look in the age column, A. Smith is older than just two guys (Flacco and J. Russell)! That’s gotta work in his favor when Martz and Co. are deciding this QB controversy.
I really like the sound of this “hot read” discussion that Maiocco just blogged about. How about having a real OC for once!

by grantmp on Jun 17, 2008 1:58 PM PDT up 0 recs

I wonder...

... if these “hot reads” are just quick routes run by the receivers and backs that the QB defaults to, or if they are they some kind of “silent” audible between the QB and his target receiver. If it’s the former, than it’s really nothing new. A QB is always supposed to find the quick route if he’s being blitzed. If it’s the latter, than it should bode well for all three quarterbacks, as it’s a sign that no one is babying them anymore.

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

Hot reads

Different systems use the term for different things, as you suggest. Coincidentally, “hot route” means something completely different in Madden. However, I would guess that Martz is implementing the following:

Hot reads are typically the guy you check down to when you know your original #1 option will not work because of what the D is doing, or if you know someone like Frank Gore can have 10 easy yards, 1 CB and 1 S to beat for six. When the play/receiver/situation dictates that the QB throw to the “hot” receiver, it is like the west-coast offense: instead of reading long to short, the QB tries tothrow a short pass before the defense can react. Usually, there is some sort of “option route” being run by the receiver, especially if the “hot” person is a RB.

Believe it or not, the 49ers may not have had this in their offensive system last year.

by rufio on Jun 20, 2008 8:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

In the system or not....

... Shaun Hill kind of created his own last year then, considering how quick he was to check down on almost every play.

by sfgfan on Jun 23, 2008 9:25 AM PDT up 0 recs

Lawson and TBC

Aren’t they switched? I remember Lawson being a ROLB and TBC being LOLB. Maybe I’m mistaken though.

Neglectful father of David Quinowski

by marcello on Jun 17, 2008 3:20 PM PDT 0 recs

I think they are switched.

I’m not entirely sure, but I’m pretty sure LOLB should be the weakside LB, which is where Banta-Cain should be.

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 3:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

It's arbitrary and a simplification

You’ve got to look at it more as strong side and weak side rather than right and left. On any given play the strong side could be the left or right side. Madden like most video games is just simplifying that aspect.

by methodrampage on Jun 17, 2008 3:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Makes sense.

But aside from flipping the play, I think the ROLB lines up over the tight end by default in Madden, no?

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 3:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

Not totally sure

My copy of Madden is pretty dusty at the moment so I could be wrong in my assumption of the simplification. Either way I’d totally expect these kind of errors to be fixed once the first roster updates roll out. It’s always difficult to put together a roster pre-preseason.

by methodrampage on Jun 17, 2008 4:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yeah.

I hope they don’t leave Thomas Clayton or Tarrel Brown off the roster. I’m always looking to play the younger players.

by sfgfan on Jun 17, 2008 4:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yup, I would end up trading Harris, starting Brown and keeping Spencer at nickel. Foster would be gone too for Clayton. Then switch to a 4-3 with Sopoaga, Franklin, Balmer, and Smith across the line. Slide Dontarrious to OLB depending on his speed, start Goldson, and this D is looking good.

Neglectful father of David Quinowski

by marcello on Jun 17, 2008 8:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

Sopoaga at DE in 4-3?

Not that I’d know for sure at this point, but it seems to me your 4-3 won’t be generating many sacks. Then again, neither is the 3-4 that the team will probably come with as the base D.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

Dangit.

The body of my comment got left off:

Not that I’d know for sure at this point, but it seems to me your 4-3 won’t be generating many sacks. Then again, neither is the 3-4 that the team will probably come with as the base D.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

It doesn’t look like it was left off.

Anyways, yeah, the pressure generated by the line won’t be that great but it would have some potential for growth. Plus, I blitz like crazy when I play, so there would be a 5th or 6th guy coming most downs. Also, it basically comes down to having Balmer, or one of TBC, Moore, Ulbrich, or Harralson on the field and I’d rather have Balmer getting PT. I guess if they have McDonald as a pass rushing beast, I could line him up at end, slide Sopoaga to DT, and bench Franklin, but I doubt McDonald is set up like that in the game.

Neglectful father of David Quinowski

by marcello on Jun 18, 2008 1:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yeah.

I see what you mean about Balmer’s play time. I think, in my case, I would probably slide Sopoaga inside and let Balmer play DE (obviously the other DE would be Smith). Franklin can backup for the rest of his contract.

I blitz like crazy too, but I don’t actually call blitzes. I basically call plays where the #1 ILB (in this case, Willis) plays QB spy and I blitz with him or drop back into coverage depending on the offensive formation. Sometimes I do linebacker audibles at the line and blitz one of my OLBs. I don’t think I ever bring more than 5 rushers, and even then, that’s pretty rare.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 1:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

Balmer at DE would be another option, and I’d likely do what you spelled out depending on how Madden has Balmer and Sopoaga set up.

I don’t do it too often, but at least a couple times a game I’ll bring 8 guys on a blitz. I love doing LB audibles too. For me, the 3-4 is so much more fun to call defensive plays out of, since you have so many options for blitzes. Sadly, I really don’t think this team is set up in Madden for a 3-4 (probably not in real life either).

Neglectful father of David Quinowski

by marcello on Jun 18, 2008 5:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

If Clayton and Brown make the team they'll be in the first roster update

I never start playing franchise mode until atleast the first roster update.

by methodrampage on Jun 18, 2008 7:37 AM PDT up 0 recs

Hmm.

I’m always too eager to start franchise mode and pretty much make it the first thing I do. It’s pretty much all I do in Madden.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 9:14 AM PDT up 0 recs

I always jump into online play (before I've even played against the CPU)

And I usually get my ass handed to me the first two games.

by methodrampage on Jun 18, 2008 1:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

Franchise is pretty much the only thing I ever do in Madden. I didn’t play the last version anywhere near as much as older versions because they made Franchise mode (and ESPECIALLY the draft) either 1) really slow to play through if you like being thorough, or 2) really topical if you want to go fast.

I like being fast AND thorough, and I get frustrated when I can’t balance the two because of system restraints. Hopefully future versions appease me better.

I used to export all of my super bowl winning teams (simulated) and then play as those teams in the other modes. That was fun.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 19, 2008 1:25 AM PDT up 0 recs

Funny.

The latest incarnation is the most I’ve ever played a franchise mode. I think I’m currently on season 16 or 17, and I actually played most of the games (I always simulate through playoffs, as I think it’d be kinda funky if I won every Super Bowl for 16 seasons).

I didn’t like that they took away the scouting system from the 06 (I think) version where you used to just check players in order to scout them. Some of the drills they have you do to “learn” things about prospects are kind of ridiculously unintuitive or impossible. Before, I used to scout a few players scattered throughout all seven rounds. Now, I just scout who I want for my first and second picks, as it takes too long to do all 8 scouting “events.”

by sfgfan on Jun 19, 2008 8:47 AM PDT up 0 recs

If they had “NFL Draft: the video game” I would never play madden.

by rufio on Jun 20, 2008 9:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

Not exactly.

“left” and “right” are determined for the defense from the defense’s point of view. If I am a left offensive tackle, I am lined up across from the “right” DE/OLB. The side that the TE is USUALLY on (next to the right OT) is the side where a LOLB would line up. This is also called the strong side (typically).

Method is correct that “strong side” and “weak side” matter a lot in terms of the defensive play and execution. However, some teams will not switch their personnel around so that the man who is usually the “strong side” OLB is always on the “strong side” of the play. So, if instead of lining up next to the right OT, a TE lines up next to the left OT, Lawson wouldn’t necessarily follow him across the formation and “switch” with TBC.

One reason for this is that teams typically don’t move their O lines around. The quicker, more agile OT is on the left for blind-side protection, and the right OT is typically stronger so you can run behind him on what is typically the “strong side”. Even if the “strong side” is the defense’s right, the offense still has the same personnel over there, and if it is a pass, you still want to be able to rush from that side. Another reason (especially for CBs) is that directly following your man across the formation can give away whether it is zone or man coverage before the snap. This is one reason offenses use the man in motion. Cover 2 defenses, such as the Colts’ and the Bucs’ typically believe their personnel are relatively equal on both halves of the field and don’t switch them much.

by rufio on Jun 20, 2008 9:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Madden

I hadn’t played Madden since baseball season started, but I went back to continue my franchise mode again and realized that the OLB denominations were reverse from what they tend to be in real life. Needless to say, I was wrong in my comment and you’re right.

by sfgfan on Jun 23, 2008 9:32 AM PDT up 0 recs

Will Justin Smith be able to go in as an OLB?

From the interview with him on the Niner’s homepage, it sounds like he will be playing DE and OLB in our 3-4. How will this translate into Madden…

by Redding49ers on Jun 17, 2008 5:32 PM PDT 0 recs

Madden

Usually you can move guys around to somewhat similar positions. I don’t know off the top of my head but I’d imagine DEs could be moved to OLB. If not, I’d hope that if he does play some OLB early on that online roster updates reflect that.

Niners Nation - The premier 49ers blog on the Internet!

by Fooch on Jun 17, 2008 6:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

As long as...

... you have the minimum players required at the position AFTER the change/move, you can change a players position. I think DE’s do translate to OLB and vice versa, at least in the Wii version of the previous two Maddens.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up 0 recs