Madden NFL 15 News Post

Madden NFL 15: Top Rookies

07:03 PM - July 21, 2014 by CM Hooe

EA Sports revealed the top rookies in Madden NFL 15 by rating today, including a quick video and new screenshots.

A more detailed look at the rookie ratings can be seen here.

Here's the list:

DE - Jadeveon Clowney - Houston (83 Overall)
OL - Greg Robinson - St. Louis (83 Overall)
OLB -Khalil Mack - Oakland (81 Overall)
OL - Jake Matthews - Atlanta (81 Overall)
WR - Sammy Watkins - Buffalo (80 Overall)
S - Calvyn Pryor - New York Jets (79 Overall)
DL - Aaron Donald - St. Louis (79 Overall)
S - Haha Clinton Dix - Green Bay (79 Overall)
OL - Taylor Lewan - Tennessee (79 Overall)
QB - Blake Bortles - Jacksonville (78 Overall)
CB - Darqueze Dennard - Cincinnati (78 Overall)
WR - Mike Evans - Tampa Bay (78 Overall)
OL - Zack Martin - Dallas (78 Overall)

What do you think of the ratings? Any glaring misses?

Here is a look at the release date schedule for more ratings.

Mon, July 21 � Top 10 Overall Rookies
Tues, July 22 � Top 5 Overall QBs
Wed, July 23 � Top 5 Overall RBs
Thurs, July 24 � Top 5 Overall WRs/Top 5 Overall TEs
Fri, July 25 � Top 5 Overall OL Players
Sat, July 26 � Top 5 Overall DEs
Sun, July 27 � Top 5 Overall DTs
Mon, July 28 � Top 5 Overall LBs
Tues, July 29 � Top 5 Overall CBs
Wed, July 30 � Top 5 Overall Safeties
Thurs, July 31 � Top 5 Overall Special Teams
Fri, Aug 1 � Top 10 Overall Players/Full AFC & NFC North Ratings
Sat, Aug 2 � Full AFC & NFC South Ratings
Sun, Aug 3 � Full AFC & NFC East Ratings
Mon, Aug 4 � Full AFC & NFC West Ratings
Tues, Aug 5 � Ratings Recap

Madden NFL 15 screenshot gallery - Click to view

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Madden NFL 15 Videos

Member Comments

# 101 grodbetatted @ 07/22/14 02:57 AM

All of the ratings are in the high 70s low 80s they are fine... Sounds like you guys want the TOP players that are rookies to be in the high 60s low 70s... Like that doesn't sound like top tier to me. Now if they don't play like their ratings indicate of course they will be lowered

# 102 hanzsomehanz @ 07/22/14 03:52 AM

Heary, heary!

These are base ratings right?

I def want to see Madden reach the mecca of rating posterity but while we are here I will live w what we got and bend my will to their rules.

I def love the oline player models - shoutouts to Z-Mart!

Listening to the top100 on NFL Network and I hear them bragging on Kiko for his smarts amd instincts.

I ultimately want Madden ratings to give distinction to players in gameplay so we can see their characters come to life in a more lifelike manner that allows us to distinguish one character from the next outside of physical ability.

In real life we give credit to instincts and motor and I want to see these traits come alive in Madden among other traits like confidence that can have you easily rattled or easily awoken (sleeping giant syndrome).

I also want to see confidence show up in demeanor and swagger - Deion was hella cocky and you could tell where he was by his flamboyance alone.

Consistency should heat up in a game like a shooter in basketball who catches fire and that should show up im the game.

If I have completed 10+ passes in a row: please hype it up thru commentary and please translate it in gameplay tru some noticable boost that emphasies I am playig above my baseline threshold for performance - I am now in the zone.

Show a change in personality / swagger when a player is heating up and when he enters the zone it should echo loudly thru the stadium in his presense and production and via the commentary!

Please also bring out the 4th QTR heroes on Offense and Defense. Do not just make traits but make them come alive in a way we can see them activated in gameplay thru drmeanor and production and connect it to commentary!

Not much else to say but how bout that hit power: see Calvin Pryor! The little sizzle clips of Watkins and Clinton Dix has got me hyped up for some Fooootball!

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk

# 103 K_GUN @ 07/22/14 05:38 AM

Love the ratings talk in here this AM....Im with DCB & his thoughts...but...if I do these adjustments...does it break franchise mode for me??

# 104 DCEBB2001 @ 07/22/14 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_GUN


	Love the ratings talk in here this AM....Im with DCB & his thoughts...but...if I do these adjustments...does it break franchise mode for me??

Pretty much does unless we are able to either edit players pre or post draft because the rookies will come in high as usual.

# 105 K_GUN @ 07/22/14 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEBB2001


	Pretty much does unless we are able to either edit players pre or post draft because the rookies will come in high as usual.

bummer

yeah....figured that happens but was hoping that wasn't the case in PS4 land

what I would do if I were running EA.......make *realistic rosters* as DLC.....and even draft classes that matched the lower ratings to those lowered rosters.....oh...and also....DLC for historic teams and even seasons (with accurate schedules that match those seasons!)

# 106 Mos1ted @ 07/22/14 08:57 AM

This is why I wish they would eliminate ratings in sports games -- or at least hide the ratings and have them play out under the hood. We live in the age of daily and weekly roster updates. Any ratings that any sports games put out prior to release are going to change once the regular season starts anyway. It just seems like a waste of time to me. I mean, I understand the motive and the hype machine being built here, but still...

# 107 urlacher51 @ 07/22/14 09:03 AM

Franchise play interview with Donnie Moore.

# 108 KLima878 @ 07/22/14 09:28 AM

Blake Bortles is slower than the Offensive Linemen?

# 109 RogueHominid @ 07/22/14 09:34 AM

One conceptual category it would be nice to learn more about, relative to the stuff DCEBB is bringing up about ratings in general, and in the context of rookie ratings specifically, since that's the topic of the thread, is the idea of "league average" talent.

So that phrase, at least for me, is more associated with baseball than football, but what it does in baseball anyway is provide the notion that you should be content with a player in your starting lineup who is league average or better at several things, though perhaps not everything.

With this idea in mind, you don't necessarily want or need a roster full of 90+ guys; you can, in fact, have a VERY productive roster with several guys in the 70s and some in the 60s, depending on their skill sets and how you use them.

The league average system, if we can call it that, tends to level out ratings and lower them on the whole because it doesn't fetishize the notion that players have to be elite to be fun to use or to be realistic.

One way this could play out with regard to rookie ratings is we could try to generate a "league average" rating for footwork in zone--i.e. what level of technical skill in getting to a zone and policing its inhabitants do we expect of NFL starters? NFL backups? And then what percentage of rookies should possess that league-average ability in year one? How quickly should they progress toward and surpass the league average rating in their early careers?

That's just one example, and it's limited, but you get the point. I think having more of a baseball attitude toward ratings would be good, and defining ideas like league average could be useful starting points for discussions about ratings, rookie and otherwise.

I want Mack to be a stud, but how polished should his pass rush move arsenal be at this stage? Hand use and secondary move use typically come with some NFL coaching, not right out of the gate, so I'd love to see him at or below the league average rating for power and fines moves with some raw physical skills that suggest the ability to improve with good coaching and dedication.

# 110 Robrain @ 07/22/14 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urlacher51


	Franchise play interview with Donnie Moore.

How nice of Donnie to confirm that height and weight are meaningless in Madden.

(Donnie talking about DT Aaron Donald) "So coming into Madden, he's gonna have 81 SPD as a DT, which is the fastest in the league..."

(Donnie goes on about how he's got 81 SPD, and tied with Suh with 82 AGI, and 93 STR)

"...The only knock on him, right, was that he's only 6 foot, 280 lbs, BUT IN MADDEN, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS HE'S GOT THE RATINGS AND THE MEASURABLES, THAT DOESN'T MATTER, HIS HEIGHT DOESN'T MATTER WHATSOEVER."

"the guy can rush the passer, and he's good against the run"

Appalling.

# 111 CM Hooe @ 07/22/14 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robrain


	How nice of Donnie to confirm that height and weight are meaningless in Madden.

I thought this was already pretty well known, that the ratings drive everything and that height / weight are purely cosmetic. I suppose not...?

Which to me makes some sense. Why should a 300-lb player with 99 STR be stronger than a 200-lb player with 99 STR? They both have 99 STR, that should mean the same thing across all players. If the 300-lb player should be stronger, how much stronger? It just strikes me as a unwieldy game balancing can of worms best left closed.

# 112 BFem09 @ 07/22/14 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mos1ted


	This is why I wish they would eliminate ratings in sports games -- or at least hide the ratings and have them play out under the hood. We live in the age of daily and weekly roster updates. Any ratings that any sports games put out prior to release are going to change once the regular season starts anyway. It just seems like a waste of time to me. I mean, I understand the motive and the hype machine being built here, but still...

for people (like myself) that play the game solely for online franchise, the ratings are a huge deal.

# 113 NDAlum @ 07/22/14 10:34 AM

So disheartening that HT/WT don't matter.

Sent from my iPhone 5

# 114 CM Hooe @ 07/22/14 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	Stronger no, even if they bench press the same it still would be much easier for the guard to move the 200lb CB than it would be to move the 300lb DT. Weight does mean something (in real life).

If their strength is the same, why wouldn't it mean the same thing? What would be the point of having the STR rating at all?

What you describe is also already captured by ratings, with the blocker's STR + RBS + RBF + IBL ratings against the defender's STR + BSH ratings. From Clint Oldenburg's blogs last year we know that STR affects the engagement duration of a block, RBS affects the blocker's ability to "lock up" a defender, RBF affects the blocker's ability to move a defender, and IBL affects the ability of the blocker to "pancake" a defender. These are checked against the defender's STR and BSH ratings to determine the success / fail of a block, the engagement time, and whether the defender gets flattened.

It would strike me that making weight an influencing factor in the ratings could potentially cause a whole lot of unnecessary confusion, and further the "ratings don't matter" conversation. If weight should be a factor, how much of a factor is it? How much does weight override ratings?

# 115 24 @ 07/22/14 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDAlum


	So disheartening that HT/WT don't matter. Sent from my iPhone 5

Very Disappointing to say the least. You would Hope that a 6'5 Receiver with 90 catching would have more of a redzone impact than a 5'11 Receiver with 90 catching.

# 116 RogueHominid @ 07/22/14 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	It would strike me that making weight an influencing factor in the ratings could potentially cause a whole lot of unnecessary confusion, and further the "ratings don't matter" conversation. If weight should be a factor, how much of a factor is it? How much does weight override ratings?

To my mind, weight cannot and should not be a factor in Madden at present because taking weight into account would imply that the game is physics-based when in fact it is not.

I'm not bemoaning that fact, just observing that factoring in height and weight would be utterly inconsistent with the present philosophy of the game and would likely create more problems than solutions.

If Madden were to decide in the future to go with a physics-based approach, then height, weight, momentum, leverage, etc., all would be good things to consider, but as it stands they aren't relevant considerations.

# 117 charter04 @ 07/22/14 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	If their strength is the same, why wouldn't it mean the same thing? What would be the point of having the STR rating at all? What you describe is also already captured by ratings, with the blocker's STR + RBS + RBF + IBL ratings against the defender's STR + BSH ratings. From Clint Oldenburg's blogs last year we know that STR affects the engagement duration of a block, RBS affects the blocker's ability to "lock up" a defender, RBF affects the blocker's ability to move a defender, and IBL affects the ability of the blocker to "pancake" a defender. These are checked against the defender's STR and BSH ratings to determine the success / fail of a block, the engagement time, and whether the defender gets flattened. It would strike me that making weight an influencing factor in the ratings could potentially cause a whole lot of unnecessary confusion, and further the "ratings don't matter" conversation. If weight should be a factor, how much of a factor is it? How much does weight override ratings?

Clint said not that long ago that the run/pass strength and footwork don't do anything in played games.

# 118 Robrain @ 07/22/14 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	I thought this was already pretty well known, that the ratings drive everything and that height / weight are purely cosmetic. I suppose not...? Which to me makes some sense. Why should a 300-lb player with 99 STR be stronger than a 200-lb player with 99 STR? They both have 99 STR, that should mean the same thing across all players. If the 300-lb player should be stronger, how much stronger? It just strikes me as a unwieldy game balancing can of worms best left closed.

Running a 210 lb HB into a 300 lb mountain of man is still hitting a 300 lb mountain of man, regardless if that man is made of steel or jello.

We end up with scenarios where 5'9" / 203 lbs DuJuan Harris can stiff-arm a 350-lb nose tackle to the ground while running up the middle.

Or just play Superman:

# 119 Robrain @ 07/22/14 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	If their strength is the same, why wouldn't it mean the same thing? What would be the point of having the STR rating at all? What you describe is also already captured by ratings, with the blocker's STR + RBS + RBF + IBL ratings against the defender's STR + BSH ratings. From Clint Oldenburg's blogs last year we know that STR affects the engagement duration of a block, RBS affects the blocker's ability to "lock up" a defender, RBF affects the blocker's ability to move a defender, and IBL affects the ability of the blocker to "pancake" a defender. These are checked against the defender's STR and BSH ratings to determine the success / fail of a block, the engagement time, and whether the defender gets flattened. It would strike me that making weight an influencing factor in the ratings could potentially cause a whole lot of unnecessary confusion, and further the "ratings don't matter" conversation. If weight should be a factor, how much of a factor is it? How much does weight override ratings?

How much of a factor? Enough of a factor where the obvious scenarios simply don't play out. A small guy should not be able to run over a significantly larger guy. It should pass the eye test, it doesn't have to be overly complicated.

If I ran into Dontari Poe full speed in real life, I'd expect that 99.99% of the time, I'd fall flat on my back afterwards. Unless he was sleepwalking. Then I might have a 0.01% chance.

Because, you know, physics and other magical stuff.

# 120 CM Hooe @ 07/22/14 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charter04


	Clint said not that long ago that the run/pass strength and footwork don't do anything in played games.

That's literally the exact opposite of what the released blogs said last year and also the exact opposite of what Ian Cummings posted on this forum in 2008. (if the URL doesn't work, copy-paste this:

Code:

http://www.operationsports.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2038462682&postcount=18

) Do you have a source for that?

If anything I would believe that the RBK / PBK ratings do nothing in played games, those being the legacy ratings.

More links: here here

EDIT: seems like there was never an OL blog released, I misremembered that. To that end the most recent info I have is that forum post by Ian Cummings.

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