T.J. Houshmandzadeh vs. Madden 10

As silly as it sounds, an NFL player's Madden video game rating is extremely important to them. It is the ultimate showcase of how the public views your on field performance. That is why players are so obsessed with it, because many people will believe that the slowest player in Madden is the slowest player in the NFL. Also, players are usually built to believe that they are the best, it is just part of the make up of a professional athlete. Therefore, when they see themselves in Madden, they are usually disappointed when they are not a 99 in every single category. The latest player to voice their displeasure is new Seahawks receiver T.J, Houshmandzadeh.

Houshmandzadeh was on ESPN Radio's "The Herd" earlier this week where he said he was boycotting Madden until they "fix" his rating. After hearing this, ESPN First Take set up a meeting between two designers of Madden (Ian Cummings and Donny Moore), and T.J. Houshmandzadeh for them to air out their differences. Here is the interview.

Great Job Donny Moore for not backing down to Houshmandzadeh complaining about his speed rating. Athletes are always speaking about being disrespected in the game, but in this case, Houshmandzadeh is speaking without knowing the facts of Madden 10. He is obviously upset that his speed rating has sunk to an 82, and he feels that is extremely slow for a WR. In Madden 10, the ratings are "scaled back" this year, meaning that they are using the entire rating scale this year, making the difference between the average and elite greater. Moore had a perfect example of this new rating system, when he said in previous Madden games, CB's were never slower than an 87. This year, a Pro Bowl CB Ronde Barber has the speed of 82. Therefore, think of 82 as the new 87.

While Houshmandzadeh might be upset about how slow he is in Madden, he will be pleased that he will not be any slower than any of the players he was faster than last year. Madden will just play slower than it has in previous games. It is not a situation of Madden hating Houshmandzadeh, in fact, a 91 is a solid rating for a Madden player this season. Consider this, the best QB on the Vikings roster is a 68. In past years, a 68 would be a rating for a 3rd string QB. Heck, 2008 cover boy Vince Young is a 68. A 68 used to be saved for the awful players, and now some fringe starters have that rating.

In related news, the Madden 10 Gamestop Exclusive Demo was released this week. The game is Super Bowl XLIII between the Cardinals and Steelers, and features both of the cover athletes. My first observation from playing the demo is how much slower this game plays than previous versions. It will take some time to get used to it, but I think it makes the game run much smoother. The presentation is the biggest improvement, although there is no commentary in the demo. However, the cut scenes and information graphics are the best since ESPN NFL 2k5. It is really adds to the experience when you have a TV-style presentation to the game. The countdown continues until August 14th, the release of Madden 10.