Madden watch! 12 days to go!

Less than two weeks out from Madden 08’s release the fine folks at EA Sports have decided to let our mouths water a bit by releasing more the ratings of all the players in the game. Since there’s way too much to be argued with these stats, we’re just going to stick to the 99’s. For those who don’t know what a 99 is it’s the highest overall rating a player can get in the game; it’s a very lofty height and quite the achievement as a player. Five players have the honour of being rated 99 this season and while some deserve it, some don’t. Of the five, Peyton Manning, Brian Urlacher, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey and LaDainian Tomlinson, it’s conceivable that only two of the three truly deserve a 99.

Tomlinson and Manning are both no brainers considering the past two seasons that Tomlinson has had and the overall greatness of Manning combined with the fact he finally brought home a Super Bowl ring. The defensive players are a bit iffy. Brian Urlacher is as dominant and talented as a linebacker but 99 feels too high for him. Ed Reed should be in the mid-90s range if anything; he is talented but didn’t have a season good enough to warrant a 99. As for Champ Bailey, he may be as good as any CB in the game, but a 98 might be a bit more appropriate, even just to maintain the prestige of 99.