I don't think I've ever found a player that's happy with their Madden ranking.
The streak is still alive.
The latest version of the mega-popular video game, Madden 25, hits stores today. Some players already got advance hook-ups (because they're NFL players), and are none too pleased with how the game's makers view their skills.
Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil has legitimate beef. The three-time Pro Bowler is rated an 83 overall. This comes off a season in which he notched 11 sacks. It's waaay too low for a player of his caliber* *who, by the way, is only 29 years old.
"83! Wow! Unbelievable! I can't believe that, can't believe it," said Dumervil, who seemed like he was more humoring me than actually perturbed. He doesn't play the video game.
"That will definitely be changed," he continued. "I don't know what they were thinking. Motivation. That's all you can do, with that, right?"
Now other guys were legitimately bothered by Madden's rankings.
Safety Michael Huff posted a screen shot of his on Instagram with the tag, "I might never play #Madden again."
Huff is rated an 83 overall, with a 93 for speed. That's not bad for a safety. But Huff, who is a former sprinter at the University of Texas and trains with Olympian Michael Johnson in the offseason, doesn't think it's good enough.
"How am I only 93 speed?????????" Huff said. He also talked about it, unprompted, at one of his recent press conferences.
The highest ranking on the team went to Jacoby Jones, who was given a 99 for his kick and punt return duties. I'm not sure they give out 100s, so you would think Jones would be thrilled. Nope.
"I was a 99 last year too," he snarled. "I want my receiving ranking to go up. My speed is what I'm [ticked] off about. It's not that I'm behind Torrey [Smith, 95], it's that I think I'm at least a 97. I'm no 94."
The guy with the highest speed ranking on the team is wide receiver Deonte Thomspon, who got a 97. But even he's not satisfied.
"It's a compliment, I guess," Thompson said of his speed. "But I'm overall probably pretty terrible. My speed is good, but my overall is probably 60-something."
Thompson's right. He's a 61 overall, which is the third-lowest mark on the team. Ouch.
Check out the entire Ravens team rankings here. Or, if you'd like a video experience, below is the official trailer.
It's pretty good, except for the part when Steelers safety Troy Polamalu levels Joe Flacco. I do like when Ray Rice jukes out linebacker Larry Foote, though. And Huff should be happy that there's a shot of him intercepting Ben Roethlisberger.
Mobile users should tap the "View In Browser" button to check it out.
