With the recent retiring of ratings Czar Donny Moore, EA will need to find a replacement to an EA legend.
With that, I am hoping Madden will rework their rating system and put things into more of a perspective.
What I mean is, in todays' madden, with all of these "Legends", I think Madden is a little too lenient on their rating system. I feel like giving players like Cameron Wake a 96 overall rating takes away from some of the legends/ all time greats.
When I break it down I think that ratings should go along these lines...
97-100: One of the greatest to play the game. This would be reserved for your Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, even dare I say Adrian Peterson or Calvin Johnson
90-96: second teir greats- Drew Brees, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Terrell Owens, Kurt Warner, Eddie George, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, or Brian Urlacher
80-89: Pro-Bowl Players/ NFL greats on the rise/ potential hall of famers- Drew Bledsoe, Ricky Waters, Edgerrin James, Jevon Kearse, Steve McNair, Torry Holt, Andrew Luck, LeSean McCoy, Patrick Peterson or Ben Roethlisberger
70-79: NFL Starter/ older NFL greats/ Young greats/ first rounders- Eli Manning, Colin Kaepernick, D'Qwell Jackson, old Emmitt Smith, Cam Newton, current Carson Palmer, Devin Hester, Jameis Winston, or Jay Cutler
60-69: Back-up/ 2nd round and up rookies/ struggling players- Josh McCown, Ryan Mallet, Johnny Manziel, Maxx Williams, Doug Martin, David Cobb, EJ Manuel, or Toby Gerhartt
50-59: Late round rookies/ undrafted FA's/ roster filler/ bust: These are the players/ names that you might recognize only if it is your favorite team, or you area super fan. This is reserved for your Peter Konz, Kenbrell Thompkins, Jordan Kovacs, Landry Jones, or Connor Shaw
0-49: No need to do much explaining. If they are at a zero, they are either a human vegetable or
Ethan Albright (look him up if you don't know him).I would say that 25-49 would be your average collegiate players who never made it, or are just scrapping by in the NFL. And your 0's-24's are your average dudes who watch football on sundays.
Player Progression
Along with this, I feel that one feature that Madden has never touched, but something that I love in MLB the Show is the "Potential" rating. The potential rating represents the "overall" that player can possibly achieve. The player can be a bust like a Jamarcus Russell, or be a gem like a Tom Brady. It is nice because it allows you to understand and measure the potential for a boom or bust pick. Are you taking the Ryan Leaf or the Peyton Manning?
The potential is not a solid number, but it gives you an idea of how great they can be. Many factors could play into their potential/ overall rating such as playing time, coaching scheme, stats, confidence, injuries, or even just the team you play on. We have seen it more often than not, a player has all the potential in the world, but due to various circumstances, they fall short. I think this would add a brand new element of not just drafting a player and calling it good, but rather grooming them to reach or exceed their max potential by doing what fits that player best.
I will use the 2012 NFL draft as an example...
I have the first overall pick, I have a coach with a west coast offense, and I need a quarterback! I can choose between:
Andrew Luck who would be a 75 overall, with a potential of 98...
Robert Griffin who is a 73 overall, with a potential of a 91...
Ryan Tannehill a 70 overall with a 89 potential...
a 28 year old
Brandon Weeden 73 overall with a potential of 76...
67 overall
Russell Wilson with a 94 potential...
Nick Foles 67 overall 83 potential...
The choice seems obvious, but before in Madden you would look at a Ryan Tannehill and make the obvious selection of him over Russel Wilson. But now with a potential rating, you can decide what is more important, Winning now, or saving for the future, or... drafting a quarterback outside your system, and hope they can adapt.
It also allows you to value draft picks and young players a lot easier. If I am the 49ers, and I offer the Titans an 82 overall Colin Kaepernick for a 71 overall Marcus Mariota, they may just jump on that trade. Now if I offered the same trade but add potential into the mix, it is a totally different story. The Titans are less likely to deal a Mariota who may only be a 71 at the time if they say he has a 92 overall potential, and they saw Kaepernick is only an 80 for potential.
If you don't think potential is important, see the picture above
We hear about potential all the time in the NFL. We see comparisons from rookie draft classes to NFL legends. Lets see this get put in the game!