The Video Game Critic

Clearly EA is indulging in a bit of trolling (and judging from the reader comments in the linked article it's working

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/09/08/colin-kaepernicks-madden-rating-is-higher-than-17-starters

"The folks who create the video game that enjoys the exclusive license from the NFL not only has welcomed quarterback Colin Kaepernick back to the game but also has given him an 81 overall rating.

That number is higher than the initial rating for more than half of the league’s starting quarterbacks.

Kaepernick’s 81 is higher than 17 other Week One starters: Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (80), Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (79), Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (78), Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (78), Bills quarterback Josh Allen (77), Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (77), Rams quarterback Jared Goff (76), Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (76), Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (75), Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (74), Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (73), Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (72), Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (72), Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (70), Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins (70), Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (70), and Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor (69)."

Ugh. I won't go any further.

I'm beginning to realize EA and the NFL deserve each other.

VideoGameCritic wrote:I'm beginning to realize EA and the NFL deserve each other.

Totally.

Kinda makes the NFL look bad (worse?) when the holder of their exclusive gaming rights undermines them. Surely they're are gonna make EA nix this once they hear the story.

Still, I hope it ends up having some positive affect for Kaepernick.

Controversy sells

GTS wrote:Controversy sells

A good point. This year's version has just completely bombed with terrible reviews across the board - worst version in years. I haven't bought Madden in a few years so I was considering it this year, but I got scared off by the reviews and canceled my pre-order. I assume sales will be way down with mostly just the annual diehards returning.

On top of that, the NFL seems less relevant this year with the lack of preseason and lack of fans in the stands. As a huge fan I follow NFL even closer than video games, but it doesn't even feel like the season is starting this weekend.

It adds up to kind of a perfect storm for Madden sales to be way down this year. I don't mind throwing in Kaepernick as a free agent that you can sign (EA has always done that for players that are on the open market), but it's the high rating that seems ridiculous. I'd give him a high backup rating, like a 73 (in line with Andy Dalton, who has a 72 as the Cowboys backup). But I guess EA sees the debate as generating publicity for the game to get a few more suckers to buy it.

This topic isn’t about video games, this is political. Why is this here?

Gleebergloben123 wrote:This topic isn’t about video games, this is political. Why is this here?

I had a similar thought before clicking into the topic, but I don't think it's gone that route yet. For any non-sports fans, note that Madden ratings are a common debate on ESPN, sports radio, and among athletes. August is a slow sports time, so it gives sports fans something to debate.. "why is this guy ranked higher than that guy?".. "is so-and-so as good as Madden says he is?".. asking players "do you agree with your Madden rating?", etc. Looking at the linked article in the original post, that seemed to be the intent of the article as well.

As a big sports fan, I view Kaepernick as a football player, and as a high-profile player who hasn't played in a few years, so that's how I meant my response. EA could have included someone in a similar situation, like Tim Tebow, with a high rating and I think it would also get articles and commentary from fans. If someone hears "Kaepernick" and just thinks politics, that's on them. Or if someone comments on EA getting political, to me that's about video games.. it's not about anyone's personal politics here (which is the issue we try to avoid).

Wouldn’t it be funny if he played for the Patriots?

You gotta scroll through the comments on the original poster's link. Some are pure gold.

So far my favorite is

"EA doesn’t even live up to their own motto.
He’s not in the game."

But this one is a pretty darn close second. And is probably the most accurate.

"The 81 rating matches exactly his rating from his last appearance in the game. All they did was clone over his player profile from 4 years ago.

They didn’t reevaluate or lose any sleep over how to grade him. They pressed copy & paste. LOL People read too much into Madden, like it is actual news."