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Madden 11 Dallas Cowboys

Madden-School — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:43:56 +0000

The Cowboys have to be one of the only teams that can morph into any formation on the game and be a threat to house it each time, or come up with a crucial amount of yardage at any given time. The addition of Dez Bryant over the draft gives the Cowboys even more added depth at the WR position. His 88 Catch In Traffic and his 95 Spectacular Catch rating, as weill as his size is great for rockets or just plain tough catches. Miles Austin can use his speed to get down the field, which then opens it up for nightmare Witten, or the under valued Roy Williams. Roy Williams is a great madden WR, with a 6’3 frame, 89 Spec. Catch, 92 Jump and 86 Catch. Wait, did I forgot Patrick Crayton or Martellous Bennett?

I really want to get to this run game, so I’ll let you figure the run game out once you figure out how to stop the other 4 guys I named. In order to assist the passing game, the running game has to be well in tact. You have the speed, power and balance RB trio in Jones, Barber and Choice. Jones’ 96 Speed, 96 Acceleration and 93 Agility make him the speed in the trio. Most speed backs in the game have sup par Carry, while Jones has a more than suitable 79 carry, so it maximizes your big play opportunity because he gets more touches and you aren’t every to give him the rock. Barber with that 88 Truck, 87 carry, 95 Stiff Arm and 75 Catch, makes him one of if not the best user friendly full back in the game. Then to spell Felix Jones, you have Tashard Choice, with his overall balance in every category, and his hands make him a 3rd down back.

In order to actually put any of this talent to good use, you have to have a field general. Romo has 92 TAS, 89 TAM, 83 TAD, to go along with 89 TOR and his 73 Speed and and 80 Accel, making Romo a top QB on the game. With all this depth, The Cowboys can also run a hurry up offense, be able to make subs and still keep talent on the field.

Now with the offense out the way, lets go to a defense that has speed in the LB core and a speedy secondary. The Cowboys are fit a to run either a 3-4 or 4 man front, it really doesn’t matter. It all starts with the middle with 94 overall rated Jay Ratliff playing DT, or DE/DT Igor with 91 Block Shed. They have 5 guys who clock in at 80 Speed or better, 5 guys who have over 80 Block Shed, and every single Linebacker has 82 Pursuit or better. Oh and if you missed everything I just wrote, they have this guy named DeMarcus Ware and… wait I’ll just stop there, I’m pretty sure you’re already convinced.

Behind every great pass rush, there is a great secondary. Mike Jenkins and Terrence Newman combine for the 1-2 punch, while Scandrick and Osusu-Ansah are your 3rd and 4th DB rushers. While the safety spot is probably your weakness as a team aspect, you chop it in half because most players user the FS or SS. So while the Cowboys have a solid safety in Sensabaugh at SS, and yourself on the other side of him, the usering of the FS makes up for the lack of Safety skill. Don’t get it twisted though, Patrick Watkins and Alan Ball are great Madden safeties, usered or not.

If you want to score a lot of points game in and game out, cheat. If you want to win every game and never lose, glitch. If you want to use a complete teams with matches on offense and defense and give you a chance in any obstacle, use America’s team, The Dallas Cowboys.

Written by Wavy Montana

Madden 11, the Demo, and the Vikings

2ToN — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:11:34 +0000

Ok, so the Demo is out. The changes to the play calling, the juke, spin, jump and the Turbo are some of the biggest changes. The lighting is alot better and the flow of the game is much smoother. In playing the demo, I noticed that the ‘Great’ defensive pass rushers were almost non-existent. Now, only being able to play the Colts or the Jets might be part of it and only playing a dozen games or so might be part of it. The thing that I noticed was that the speed (without the turbo button) of the game is slower in general. The animation is definitely better. But personally I wouldn’t want to swap speed for animation if I had a choice. Of course, this was the demo. Demo’s are usually slower in general than an actual release of the game due to the fact that only portions of the game code were included and because the demo is set up alot of the times before all the real coding is done for the release version.

The gameplan and passing parts of the game seem to be pretty much the same, I do like the gameplanning part of the game. No more choosing between this playbook and that playbook, I just put together my own playbook. The run game seems to have gotten a little love but don’t expect to break off 90 runs with AP in every game this year. As I said, the game mechanics seems slower and the turbo button is gone. I don’t like not having a turbo button, and I can’t see the difference between the RB’s that I get to play now (Colts and Jets.) Their speeds are close and other than shouldering a player off they don’t break any tackles. But hey, it’s just me, what do I know.

I certainly cannot wait for the release version to test some of these theories that I have. Like is Jared Allen going to be the monster he is and is he going to make a difference in the game? Are AP and Percy Harvin going to be hard to tackle and nimble as all hell? Is Sidney going to be able to jump up above other receivers like he should? These are good questions all, but I guess I’ll have to wait a couple weeks yet to know for sure.

Here are the top rated players for the Vikes on the 11 release:
DE Jared Allen – 99
RB Adrian Peterson – 98
LG Steve Hutchinson – 97
DT Kevin Williams – 97
QB Brett Favre – 92
K Ryan Longwell – 92
WR Sidney Rice – 90
LT Bryant McKinnie – 90

With 8 players rated over 90, and 6 rated in the 85+ range, you can bet that the Vikes are one of the top teams. As they should be.

fin

Written by Sosdog

Calling Brett Favre….Hello????

2ToN — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:41:54 +0000

In thinking of the Vikes season this year, my mind is on the same thing as everyone else’s. 4-B or not 4-B? That is once again the question. We all wonder (even if we think we know for sure) if Brett is coming back once again. The drama is not nearly as hyped this year as last year but it’s still present. If we look at the facts we should be able to surmise the truth.

1: Once again Brett waits until the middle of July to go to Hattiesburg to throw to the high school kids.

2: Brett once again has some little reason why he might not be able to do it, (gained 14 lbs).

3: He isn’t too sure that his wife and kids are going to want to go through the rigors of yet another NFL season.

4: He will be the first Grandpa to play a full NFL season.

And let’s face facts, he is 900 years old.

But at least I can tell you some positive things. Okay, just one positive thing. I have a sibling that works at Mankato state (Vikes training camp college) who has informed me that once again the college has hired an extra 50 security for the upcoming training camp session. They did the same thing last year in preparation for ole number 4′s arrival. So all the negative things notwithstanding, it does appear that once again, the Grey Fox will be returning. He should be in camp towards the third week of August as per usual. He will report in shape, the same shape that Favre has been in when he reported for the last 15 years, and will once again dominate a new styled NFL game around the complete package that is the Minnesota Vikings!

Go Vikes!

Written by Sosdog

Washington Redskins in Madden 11

2ToN — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:42:37 +0000

Don’t fool yourself by trying to run a 3-4 with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are built for either a 4-3 or a 4-6. Once you move Haynesworth back to DT, his ratings will bump back up to 97 or 98. With his 99 block shedding he is truly meant to be in a 4 man line. With the additions of Kemoeatu, the middle of the line will be hard to get through. If you put Carter and Orakpo back to DE’s they will both be in the 90’s as well.

With the additions of Buchanon there is a lot of speed in the corner position. Both Hall and Buchanon are rated over 97 speed. Laron is still going to be one of the best user friendly players in the game with 97 hit power, 93 speed, and 93 jump. The defense will be a force to be reckoned with. Their LBs are also very solid with Rocky McIntosh and London Fletcher-Baker.

Now can the additions of McNabb and Parker really change the offense? McNabb still has one of the best deep balls in the game with 96 throwing power and 83 deep throw accuracy, which means Santana Moss can be deadly in the slot. They also have Devin Thomas and Joey Galloway, who all have speeds greater than 90. If you want to run a spread offense and pass it around you can. Not to mention they have 2 solid Madden TEs in Chris Cooley and Fred Davis.

With 3 good backs in the backfield plus the additions of Jamal Brown as well as draft pick Trent Williams on the offensive line, you can pound the ball as well. With a choice of either solid speed and power Clinton Portis, speed and elusive Willie Parker, or pure power with high carry Larry Johnson, the Redskins should be ideal for those who love to run.

The Redskins are a very balanced team on both offense as well as defense which allow you to play multiple ways with the player personnel. Be sure to try them out once Madden 11 drops, you just might like them!

Tennessee Titans in Madden 11

2ToN — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:43:40 +0000

The Titans will be one of the best teams to play with in Madden NFL 2011. If you are looking for a great running team who can also efficiently pass the ball, in my opinion the Titans are the way to go. This all starts with arguably the best back in the game/NFL, Chris Johnson, who clocks in at a 99 speed on the game. He has all the right things to be great in this game, but they don’t come without at least 1 risk. CJ2K clocks in with a 99 speed and acceleration with a 97 agility to go along with that as well as 95 plus in just about everything that matters for a running back. His only downfall, if I had to say one would be the 85 stamina he has. Maybe its just me but I think that’s a realistic thing as no athlete can keep up that kind of speed the whole game. Some will think once they see this maybe not to play with them after all as they don’t have a back up since LenDale White is no longer on the team but that’s where they are wrong.

Not to fear Blount is here! Yes LeGarrette Blount is more than a serviceable, limited down back. He clocks in at a 65 overall with a 83 speed and a 92 acceleration with a 88 truck and a monster 92 stiff arm. This makes the Titans’ run game almost unstoppable to stop.

Vince Young adds to the run game as well. He is one on the fastest QBs on the game and just maybe the only running QB who can actually throw. Vince clocks in at a 79 overall with a 85 speed and a 90 acceleration, 89 throw power, 81 throw short, 76 throw medium, and 72 throw deep. This adds the deadly play action pass to the Titan arsenal. And it makes it that much better when your receiving core is led by young up and comer Kenny Britt who has a 82 overall with a monster 94 catch in traffic. Now how’s that for an offense?

Now on to the defense and this is where the Titans have all of their struggles as a team on Madden. With the departure of veteran linebacker Keith Bullock (not confirmed, but for now it is), this year’s line backing group is led by new acquisition Will Witherspoon who clocks in at a 82 overall. With the others not being so great or even smart, nonetheless, the Titans have some speed at LB, and if previous Madden’s are any indications that’s all that will matter (speed).

The defensive line is fast as well and is led by defensive tackle Tony Brown who clocks in as a 82 overall and first round pick Derrick Morgan who clocks in at a 79 overall.

Now the secondary, that’s where everything gets a little scary. Yes, you have pro bowl and 92 overall Courtland Finnegan to shut down number 1 receivers across the game, but after that there is nothing real special. Especially at the secondary cornerback. You have the choice between Tye Hill, who is one of the fastest cornerbacks in the game, or Roderick Hood who is your standard balanced corner. In my opinion Tye Hill is the clear winner with his speed and acceleration.

On the other hand for all you safety users the Titans have Mike Griffin, who was one of the best safeties in the game not too long ago and still is a solid one. He clocks in at a 86 overall and though not the fastest, he still can cover, and a good thing about him is his 75 catch rating. On the flip side you have 84 overall Chris Hope who to was one of the best safeties in the game when the Titans went 13 and 3. He, too, is not fast at all but he can hit, clocking in at a 85 hit power. Now this is no where near the best defense in the game but it is manageable.

Prediction: I predict as time goes on the Titans will be one of the more popular teams used on the game.

Written by o John Wall o

Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010

2ToN — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:49:24 +0000

Big Ben will not be playing for the Steelers for their 1st 4 games as he was suspended for personal conduct by the NFL. Can the Steelers survive those 4 games? I don’t think so, but it won’t diminish their season. Byron Leftwich can get the job done, but the Steelers have a tough schedule the 1st few weeks. The success of the Steelers will have to depend on their new starting RB, Rashard Mendenhall, who has a very solid year backing up Willie Parker, even getting more carries than Parker did towards the end of the season. The offensive line is in tatters, but they could possibly pick up Flozell Adams to help out the run game, and their 1st round pick Pouncey can be an immediate impact on the line. With the trade of Santonio Holmes to the jets, Mike Wallace has big shoes to fill, but being a slot player Wallace excelled last season with about 700 plus receiving yards and 6 TDs primarily as a deep threat for the Steelers. He should be a very solid #2 WR behind Hines Ward, who is entering his 50th season in the NFL. He is still tops in the league in catching and toughness, so the Steelers can always count on him to step up to the plate. It will be up to Big Ben and the rest of the offense to try and have a chemistry heading towards the latter part of the season to make a pus for the Wildcard.

The defense honestly does not need to be mentioned, as I do not believe they will let their fans down. With Troy Polamalu coming back healthy, the Steelers defense, with Harrison, Woodley, Timmons, and Farrior, will be a mean ass front 7. Ike Taylor is as good as they come at CB, and the Steelers got back veteran CB Bryant McFadden. Nothing to worry about there.

Prediction – Tough call, as their season can go either way, but with Big Ben at the helm (eventually) the Steelers will always have a chance to finish on top

9-7 3nd place in AFC North, after going on a 5-0 run to end the season

Green Bay Packers in 2010

2ToN — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:20:22 +0000

The Packers look to improve on their solid season last year, and to wipe away any lasting memories of the NFC Wildcard game where the game ended in OT on a fumble recovery for a TD by Karlos Dansby (now a Dolphins). Aaron Rodgers, after sitting on the bench for 2 years and watching old man Favre sling pigskins around, has emerged as a top 10 QB in the league, amassing 50 TDs and 20 INTs in his 2 years as the starting QB, an averahe of 25-10 a year. The Packers will need every one of those TDs to keep up with the offensive juggernauts in the NFC, not to say their defense is terrible. Donald Driver will be returning for another season, as well as no important pieces of the offense being lost via FA or trades, so the Packers offense looks to be solid as always. Ryan Grant eclipsed 1k rushing yards last year, but had very few 100 plus rushing yards games, which could be due to the Packers’ preference to go spread offense. The offensive line looked terrible at the beginning of the season last year, giving up loads of sacks, but they gelled together at the end of the season, and improved even more after the offseason. Greg Jennings looks to bounce back after a not so stellar season, and should be worth a look if you are in any Fantasy Football leagues.

The defense lost Aaron Kampman, but they never could find a use for him once the Packers switched to a 3-4 base defense. The defense will need to depend on their front 7 to generate pressure to help out the secondary do its work as they are almost always in a man press defense. Clay Mathews had a stellar season last year for a rookie, and looks to repeat it again this year along with veteran LB Nick Barnett and AJ Hawk. The defensive line is full of quick big men up front which increases the effectiveness of the 3-4 defense. The secondary is led by veterans at CB, Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Woodson had one of the best seasons for a CB last year, single-handily patching up the pass defense of the Packers with his tremendous play-maker skills. Atari Bigby and Nick Collins are the starters at SS and FS, respectively. The Packers will need the defense to really step up to the plate if they wish to dethrone the Vikings as the top team in both the NFC and NFC North.

Prediction – I see the Packers annihilating everyone in the NFC North, including the Vikings. The rest of the conference? That’s a toss up, but if they can defeat the Vikings, the rest shouldn’t be a problem. Rodgers will have yet another great season, and the run game will still continue to be lackluster, even though it will get the job done.

12-4 1st place in NFC North

Houston Texans in 2010

2ToN — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:04:25 +0000

STEROIDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! That has been the main news out of the Texans’ offseason, as their star pass rusher LB Brian Cushing was suspended 4 games for violating the NFL’s drug policy by using a performance-enhancing drug (presumably steroids). Nonetheless, the Texans can surprise some people in 2010-2011, as they possess enough firepower on offense to counter the fact that they have no defense, whatsoever. Matt Schuab is coming off an all star season, in which he passes for 4k plus passing yards and threw over 30 TDs albeit almost 20 interceptions. Andre Johnson….enough said (from the U!!!!). The Texans lack a running game as Steve Slaton went through a massive sophomore slump last season, so they drafted Ben Tate to try and ignite the power running game. I don’t it will be enough, as the Texans will continue to look for the pass to win games. After all, they have all the weapons for a potent passing offense with Davis, Daniels, Slaton as a pass catcher, Johnson, and Walter.

The defense……laughable. Without Brian Cushing on the field, the Texans will need to depend on people like Zac Diles to fill in his spot, which he probably won’t do. Demeco Ryans is as solid of a MLB as they come, but he can’t stop the run game all by himself. Bernard Pollard allievated some of the run defense woes the Texans has last season, but I don’t see it happening again. Mario Williams is a top notch DE, but again he can’t stop the run all by himself. The Texans will have to step up on defense if they want to dethrone the Colts as the AFC South champions.

Prediction – I really don’t see Texans going over .500 this season, why? Just a feeling. Andre will get 1,500 receiving yards and 15 TDs though, so pick him up in Fantasy Football!

6-10 last place in AFC South

Madden 11 Team Ratings – Baltimore Ravens

2ToN — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:14:34 +0000

The Ravens look to be a very good Madden team this year, and it starts with their defense. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs once again anchor the linebacking corps. Lewis is still a powerhouse at MLB (Do I need to even mention the ratings?) and Suggs is a terrifying pass rush threat with his speed (84), finesse moves (99), and acceleration (96). There is plenty of speed in the backup linebackers, especially the 86 speed ratings of Barnes and Gooden. Sergio Kindle, the rookie from Texas, is a solid all-around player, with stats that include 82 speed, 95 acceleration, 84 tackle, 92 finesse moves, 92 pursuit, and 92 hit power. The defensive line consists mainly of huge, strong, and slow run-stoppers. The three starters (Ngata, Gregg, and Pryce) are a scary bunch, and while rookie Terrence Cody lacks speed and awareness, he has tremendous strength (97) and block shedding (97). The corners aren’t anything special, and you might want to sub in Fabian Washington because of his 98 speed. Coming in at 97 overall, Ed Reed is the highest rated player on the defense, and he strikes fear into any opposing players looking to pass. If you’re looking to user a player with higher hit power, you can use Zbikowski (84), who still has 88 speed.

The offense made a huge improvement by adding Anquan Boldin to a previously unimpressive receiving core. He is a sure-handed target (93 catch, 98 catch in traffic), as is Derrick Mason, who continues to be one of the NFL’s best route runners (97) as he gets older. Todd Heap has always been a favorite target of most Ravens users, and while his ratings aren’t at all overwhelming, he is still an effective tight end. Donte Stallworth doesn’t have great catch or catch in traffic ratings, but you might want to sub him in for his 94 speed, the fastest of the WRs. LeRon McClain is a great FB, coming in at 90 overall with 90 trucking. Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are a solid RB tandem, with Rice being the faster of the two (89 speed, 97 acceleration), more agile (96), and more elusive (92), and McGahee providing a mix of trucking (88) and bone-shattering stiff arm moves (99). Flacco has a cannon of an arm (96 throw power), and his accuracy ratings are serviceable. Troy Smith provides some speed (82) for an extra wrinkle at QB, but his accuracy (65) makes him useless as a passer. The offensive line is well-suited for a heavy run attack, as all five starters have a run block rating of 85 or higher. You’re likely to have more success running to the left side, led by Oher’s 96 run blocking and Grubbs’s 94.

The improved offense and consistently terrifying defense make the Ravens one of this year’s most threatening teams, and they are near the top of my list of teams to try out in Madden 11. Their swagger ratings are top notch, but I don’t need those ratings to know that the Baltimore swagger is something to fear.

Written by CookieMonsta

Dallas Cowboys in 2010

2ToN — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:10:45 +0000

Once again, the Cowboys look to be one of the favorites to win the NFC and go to the SB and win it all coming into the 2010-2011 season. The question is, can they get past the embarrassment of the NFC playoff loss the Cowboys endured last year versus the Vikings? I do think Dallas can go deep into the playoffs as they have not lost anyone of any importance other than possibly OL Flozell Adams, but he was one of the main reasons why the Vikings dominated the Cowboys. The Cowboys will need their offensive line to stay intact and improve their pass blocking, otherwise the debacle versus Minnesota where Tony Romo couldn’t even inhale without getting smacking in the mouth by a purple jersey.

The offense for the Cowboys will surely be one of the best in the NFL, with the addition of 1st round draft pick Dez Bryant, whom has been getting rave reviews out of OTAs comign into training camp. The RB core is tops in the NFL, with every RB being able to nab a starting spot on most teams. Tashard Choice, Marion Barber, and Felix Jones will be the proverbial three-headed monster to go along with the 4-headed monster that is Austin, Williams, Bryant, and Witten. Of course, the key to the offense’s ability to work like a well=oiled machine is Tony Romo. He quieted critics with his tremendous quarterback play in November and December of last season, something he had failed to do so in the past. With the emergence of Austin as a possible top WR in the NFL, the Cowboys’ offense sure looks to be unstoppable in both the NFL and Madden.

The defense is somewhat improved, with rookie Sean Lee joining the LB corps, and Pat Watkins taking over for the recently cut Ken Hamlin, or the second year man whose name I cannot recall right now (something like Answah-Omashu?). DeMarcus Ware is the main player of the entire defense, and what he does on the field directly impacts whether the Cowboys play great defense or not. The CB tandem of Terrance Newman and Mike Jenkins is a solid one, as Jenkins collected his 1st Pro Bowl last season, and Newman is a seasoned veteran at cornerback. The defense will need to continue creating havoc on opposing QBs and helping the Cowboys get as many possessions as possible to win games.

Prediction – The Dallas Cowboys have a target on their back, and the NFC East division isn’t an easy division to win as always. Tony Romo will have to continue his stellar season from last year into this year for the Cowboys to even have a chance.

12-4 1st place in NFC East