lol
Have you not watched a Rams game before? Or Sam in Oklahoma? Sam's deep ball is stunning, and the simple reason he only threw a handful of deep passes that were completed, was because his WRs had no seperation and butter fingers.
Sam is capable of throwing everything, but he's a smart QB and didn't make many rookie mistakes and took what the D and his WRs gave him, so to see he isn't
capable of consistently throwing downfield is kinda ridiculous.
Sam is an 85 because he has all the tools a QB needs, and has the potential to be, and is on course to be, one of the top 3 QBs in the NFL. His accuracy on every level is off the charts, his awareness is excellent for such a young QB (with room to grow) and his athleticism is vastly underrated in the media (but maybe a tad high on Madden).
OK.
Bradford rant over, let's dissect these Rams ratings and see quite how awful they are.
Firstly, what is most surprising, is how Billy Bajema is the highest rated TE. That's just plain stupid. Dude has rock hands, and is even overrated as a blocker (is solid enough to be a blocking specialist, but he's not a dominating blocker).
Fells, who is no longer a Ram, is a better TE and he's a jack of all master of none TE.
Kendricks out of college and in one pre-season game has shown more than both Fells and Bajema combined lol.
The fact he's 76 speed is absolutely ridiculous, and even worse is his 65 strength and 70 route running. Dude is as crisp in and out of his routes than 80% of that Rams WR corps, and he is strong, just hasn't learnt to harness it yet. He's a beast to get down with YAC too, which should play into his strength.
Hoomanawanui's ratings are a joke too. Call him slow all you want or concussion prone but he can run a solid route and has soft as hell hands, in open space and in traffic. Also makes some impressive catches to difficult balls in space.
The WR ratings are a mess. Danario ran a 4.4 on a rehabilitating knee, after his 4th surgery on it, and is given an 87 speed? A full 7 points lower than Dez Bryant?
Sure, knock his acceleration, which is about right, maybe even too high, but once in full stride, he glides past DBs and is very FAST. His routes and agility suffer, but top end speed and leaping ability are ridiculous.
And don't say that 87 speed is due to scaled back ratings when Rich Eisen would get 95 speed the way these ratings are playing out.
The fact Avery is a 67 injury rating, despite only being on IR once, and Danario who's knee is medically described as 'mush' has a mid 70's rating, is laughable.
I cba to go into the rest of the WR ratings, but they're all pretty much off on some crucial ratings, with only a few looking about right.
The O line is comic.
Jacob Bell as our top rated lineman? What has Donny been smoking? Or which games did he watch? or which PFF stats did he look at?
There's a reason he was asked to restructure his deal, and a reason he did.
Jason Smith is all potential, but is merely, at this stage, above average.
Saffold with a 55 toughness? I mean really? Is that a typo??????
Where's Adam Goldberg? And how on earth is Hank Fraley an 80???
Setts a 76? He didn't even make the roster last year did he?
Rams LB corps has changed a great deal in FA, so none of these guys are barely relevant.
JL's speed a tad too low, I'd give him borderline 80, around 79 with better acceleration but that's a bit pedantic.
7th round rook Jabara Williams has nice speed, but don't know where the 71 zone came from. He was a small school player, and is often described as a rangy tackling machine, with phenomenal athletic ability, but VERY RAW in the finer elements of the sport.
On the DLine, nice to see Chris Long get some props. He had a stellar season, and is about right.
Robert Quinn 78 toughness? Dude had a tumour, and overcame it to be picked 14th overall after missing a year due to suspension. Don't know how toughness can be a knock, when he's a tough guy just again, raw. Does this mean should he be injured, it's an IR job? feels like an unwarranted slap in the face.
Selvie has put on 15 lbs of muscle (and as such is stronger than 64 strength, and he's a speed bullrusher, not an all finesse DE), and as such is much improved as a DE, starting the 1st pre season game in the place of Hall, so why he's amongst the lowest rated DEs on the Rams is madness. He's definitely 4th best right now.
Bartell always underrated in speed when he's been known to run down many a burner in his time...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUlet8CQbGI
He's in fact, according to advanced statistics the 6th best shutdown corner in the NFL, smothering opposing CBs and always lining up on the #1. The only issue is he couldn't catch a cold, so never has the sexy INTs to make people realise.
Bradley Fletcher in one year of starting has proved himself to be an upper echelon CB, often ranked alongside Bartell and the other shutdown CBs like Revis, Nnamdi and Sean Smith of the Dolphins(? lol) on advanced statistic site PFF. His play is excellent too. A very aggressive CB who sticks to assignments with discipline, but doesn't make many aggressive risks on the ball. Just a tough cover CB basically.
Just LOL at his and Bartell's press ratings too.
Also massively underrated in agility as all Rams DBs seem to be...
How is Justin King a 70+ MCV CB? In training camp he's elite, but in the season he's below average and lacks the concentration to utilise his physical gifts, often getting burned for big plays.
All I can say is thank god Dockery is no longer a Ram lol
Darian Stewart is rated quite well, although tackle is a bit low. His potential should be at least a B, he's always making plays and is a perfect scheme fit.
Jermale Hines is rated how Taylor Mays should be, except Mays should have 95 speed lol
In all honesty, he got raped in ratings, and is a very promising SS, but I don't expect anything else... IN fact at OSU, he showed surprising zone awareness, and is a hitter but is a SS/OLB tweener and abit stiff.
Jonathan Nelson, who didn't play much in college, is massively overrated, but again has some solid real life skills that shouldn't be so apparent as a rook in Madden... He's a CB/FS tweener, and has soft hands and coverage skills, but can't tackle too well. Projects as a situational FS and nickel/dime CB. With these ratings he looks like a bonafide starter in 2 seasons in Madden.
In essence, this is another god awful bunch of Rams ratings on a stupidly old and inaccurately old (as in some players never playing for the Rams... Saddler McQueen??? or being cut since the end of last season... Dockery etc.)
I honestly can't get over how bad these ratings are, and how it's been allowed for ovrs and ratings to get souped up, considering they're meant to be 'scaled back'.
It's an embarrassment to EA and fans of the sport to see such illogically bad ratings.
Can we please get some way of at least telling the guy what's what with each team??????