Madden 12 Ratings Breakdown: New England Patriots

For NFL and video game fans, the release of ‘Madden’ football is an annual event that helps to kick-off the NFL season. Fans flock to find out what their team is rated and how their favorite players are rated in the video game. The individual player ratings have been released for the New England Patriots as the old roster stood. You’ll see names on the roster that are no longer with the team, and you won’t find some names that are (Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth, to name a few). You will likely be able to remedy that with a downloadable roster update if you have access to online gaming. Without further ado, here is a breakdown of the Patriots’ rankings:

Overall Team Rating: 88

The Patriots are the third-highest rated team in the game and boast 21 players who are rated 80 or above. Five of those players are rated 90 or above.

Players Rated 90 or Above

• Tom Brady: 99
• Vince Wilfork: 96
• Logan Mankins: 93
• Jerod Mayo: 92
• Wes Welker: 90

Highest Rated Players by Position

• Quarterback: Tom Brady (99)
• Running back: BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead (both 82)
• Wide Receiver: Wes Welker (90)
• Tight End: Rob Gronkowski (84)
• Left Tackle: Matt Light (88)
• Left Guard: Logan Mankins (93)
• Center: Dan Koppen (89)
• Right Guard: Dan Connolly (71)
• Right Tackle: Sebastian Vollmer (81)
• Defensive Tackle: Vince Wilfork (96)
• Defensive End: Mike Wright (84) – Ty Warren is also ranked 84 but is no longer on the team
• Inside Linebacker: Jerod Mayo (92)
• Outside Linebacker: Rob Ninkovich (77)
• Corner: Devin McCourty (87)
• Safety: Patrick Chung (86)
• Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski (87)
• Punter: Zoltan Mesko (77)

Curious Ratings

• Without ever having taken an NFL snap, QB Ryan Mallet (69) is rated higher than Bryan Hoyer (66), who has shown well in the preseason and limited regular season action.
• WR Deion Branch is only ranked 77. I know he did not do much in Seattle, but he resumed much of his previous self when he returned to New England. I would have ranked him in the low 80s.
• Dan Koppen is a good center, but I was surprised to see him ranked 89, the second-best ranking among offensive linemen on the Patriots.
• Sebastain Vollmer was a second-team All Pro last season, and he’s only ranked 81? C’mon now!
• Brandon Meriweather went to a Pro Bowl last season, and Patrick Chung did not. However, Chung is rated 86 while Meriweather is rated 83. I don’t disagree at all, but maybe the Pro Bowl voters should have voted a little better. Most Patriots fans shook their heads when Meriweather was voted to the Pro Bowl last season.

BONUS: Chad Ochocinco is rated 85.