here's the deal with create aplayer in M2000: for most of the important skill position ratings (acceleration, speed, break tackles, etc.) the lowest possible rating to be given to a RB is 50.
When everything is at 50, and his Pass Blocking is dropped to zero, he comes out at a "36" overall.
Different positions have different lower end caps. O-linemen's strength cap is "60," etc.
All that said, there are players already in the game with statistics lower than their "create a player" ratings. Hence the ability of the game to list the lowest rated player at "35" (FB Ayanbadejo of the Vikings, who has Pass and Run Block ratings of below "40," despite having all athletic skills such as speed above "60").
I'm not saying that M2000 was the perfect representation of ratings, but the stretching produces more accurate simulated statistics and scores.