Like most football fans, I’ve been playing the Madden series for a long time now. I’m not very good at it, but that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the game. I’ve found that this is one of the few game franchises that gets progressively better each year while rarely making a misstep. EA Sports definitely struck gold with this one!
One of the trademarks of the game was the fact that none of the players had ever achieved a perfect 100 ranking in any of the skill categories. Not Peyton Manning, not Tom Brady, not LaDainian Tomlinson, not Shaun Alexander, etc. In fact, that elusive 100 ranking has become something of a Holy Grail to NFL players.
Well, the ‘08 version of Madden is set to make history by finally handing out a 100 ranking. The honor goes to none other than Chicago’s own Devin Hester, who has reportedly been assigned a 100 in the Speed category. I read an article on ESPN that said Hester actually lobbied for the ranking (as many players have done).
Anyway, I think it’s kind of funny (in a good way) that NFL players take their Madden rankings so seriously. It’s easy to sit back as an average person and say you wouldn’t care about such things, but I’m sure most of us would if our names were up there.
Looking forward to the ‘08 release!