If I had a quarter for every time I played the New England Patriots in Madden 08, I’d have been able to buy the franchise myself. In fact I got so used to seeing Tom Brady I thought I’d be the next person to have his child. But now with the newest Madden on the horizon, we’re going to take a look at some teams that may end up being the most overused online teams in ‘09.

5. New York Giants

The New York football Giants are the defending Super Bowl champions. They played a thrilling game on February 3rd, beating the New England Patriots 17-14. Big Blue did win the Super Bowl, but they were immense underdogs.

The Giants didn’t add too much and they lost plenty. Justin Tuck, Kevin Boss, and Ahmad Bradshaw will get big-time ratings boosts, but Gibril Wilson, Kawika Mitchell, Reggie Torbor are all playing for other teams.

However, many Madden players will want to recreate the Eli to Plaxico connection in Green Bay and “The Immaculate Connection” in Arizona. The rise of Eli Manning and a world championship will bring Giants fans out of the woodwork, but Jerry Reese drafts don’t amount to too much in video game ratings.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Two words: Adrian Peterson. Like LaDainian Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander of years passed, Adrian Peterson is the newest superstar running back on the block. Forget quarterbacks and wide receivers, the Minnesota Vikings have the most dangerous weapon in the United States. For that reason alone, the Vikings will get more than a few turns in Madden 09. The addition of Jared Allen to an already strong defensive line certainly doesn't hurt the cause either.


3. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland holds the NFL’s most improved team and the popular pick by analysts to shock the world in 2008. Madden 09 shouldn’t be any different. Cleveland fans have been waiting for a team to be proud of since they returned to the league in 2000.

After a 10-6 year, the Browns picked up Shaun Rogers from Detroit and signed Donte Stallworth. They join a team that includes standouts like Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, and a rejuvenated Jamal Lewis. Also let’s not forget that Derek Anderson will now have a rating that reflects his Pro Bowl numbers. Explosive receivers and a proven running game are always a recipe for a great Madden team, no matter what your defense looks like.

Unlike the 49ers of a year before, hopefully the hype surrounding Cleveland Municipal Stadium is warranted.

2. New England Patriots

The Patriots should have the highest rating of all teams in Madden 09. Not only did they win 18 games in a row in the 2007 season, most of their victories were absolute beatings. They scored 34 or more points 11 times all year, including a 52-7 victory over Washington and a 56-10 win in Buffalo.

There is no denying the fact that New England should have the best team in the game, and that will bring more than a few “new” Patriots fans to the forefront as well. These are the same people who make the Los Angeles Lakers the most popular team in NBA 2K8.

If New England makes a similar undefeated run like in 2007, you can slot them in at number one. If so, you might have to get a restraining order on Randy Moss yourself. While there are 18 reasons why Brady and Co. will be all over your screen come August, the next team doesn’t have the same luxury.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Last year’s NFC East champions went 13-3 during the regular season and they’ve added Adam “Pacman” Jones and Zach Thomas. They were also rated 87 overall last year, a rating that got better with the midseason signing of Tank Johnson. And “America’s Team” will surely have football fans across the country doing custom touchdown dances with T.O. and doing horse-collar tackles with Roy Williams.

So the major parts are all there, however, the franchise also hasn’t won a playoff game since 1996. Also their big acquisitions this offseason are an injury-prone Zach Thomas and suspension-prone Pacman Jones. Marion Barber isn’t a proven number-one back and the man behind him is a rookie, Felix Jones. Terrell Owens and Jason Witten can play, but Tony Romo has no one else to throw to.

For a team with so many fans and so much history the Cowboys have been far from stellar since the Troy Aikman era. While player chemistry doesn’t apply to Madden, the mix of criminals and crybabies will at least make things interesting at Texas Stadium. The one thing that the Dallas faithful can look forward to, Jessica Simpson won’t be sitting in the virtual luxury box in Madden 09.


Are you going to be using one of these teams online in Madden NFL 09? If not, who do you think you'll get tired of playing against this year?