Roster and Ratings Discussion: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hey guys, we are going to use this thread as the catch all Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster and ratings discussion. Got a problem with a guy being rated too high or too low, this is the place to speak your mind, but please keep it clean. If there is a guy on your team that’s not in the game, feel free to post that in here as well.

When you bring your argument, make sure you bring stats and provide as much reasoning as possible. Rating s Czar Donny Moore will be stopping by this thread from time to time, so your voice will actually be heard by the guy in charge of making all of the roster and ratings decisions for Madden NFL 10. Make it worthwhile.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

Add/Create: Brian Clark - WR (should be #3 WR on team), Dre Moore - DT, Mike McCoy - OLB, Louis Holmes - DE or Chris Bradwell - DE (1 is making the final 53), Rod Wilson - MLB, Dirk Johnson - P
Drop: Dexter Jackson - WR, Greg Peterson - DT

Sammie Stroughter needs a ratings boost!! Look @ former OSU Beavers WR's TJ Housh, and Ochocinco, these guys are under radar when arriving in NFl, but will make impacts.

First of all, Thank you... This is exactly what the game and this forums needed... I only have a few suggestions...

1. I think to make this game perfect (Rating wise) is to increase players speed, tackle, catch, etc... and lower their awareness based on the level on the player... Let me give you an example: Jermaine Phillups. He was a strong safety for 7 year (starter for 5) and pretty solid of a player. He moved to WLB this year and his speed was dropped below Aaron Kampman (former DE moved to LB)... What should have happenned is his speed should have been lower like other LB in the game (new speed rating) to around 82-85 and his awareness really lowered extremely because he's playing a new position. The same for rookies... Good ratings on speed, tackle, catch, etc. and low awareness becasue their rookies...

2. The game should be set up like NCAA football where you can put any player at any position. This way we could rotate JP back and forth between SS and LB... this will happen in the real game. Wildcat players feel the same... people can't use Vick, Young, White in all the passages. At least that's what I heard.

3 and final. There should be a increase limit of player to a team ie Practice Quad, say 11 extra spots... this way if a player is put on IR or is really on the practice quad he is on the team and the replacement is on the team as well. An example is A. Crowell on IR and his replacement is Bo Rudd... with the limited space on the team you have to put Crowell in the FA pool to sign Rudd. There were players on the team that were not in the game, ie Josh johnson, Dre Moore, Brian Clark, etc...

I thinks those are a few small changes that will stop a large amount of the complains out there. When that's done, we can start the discussion about C. Smith, Barrett Rudd, Donald Penn, Earest Graham, and Caddy...

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 09/01/2009 14:31:02

Antonio Bryant
His speed should be increased from 86 to at least 89 or possibly 90. If you compare his stats to fellow NFC South WR Roddy White they are very similar for 2008:

Roddy White: 88 1,382 15.7 86.4 70T 7(TD's) 18(20+) 4(40+)
Antonio Bryant: 83 1,248 15.0 78.0 71T 7(TD's) 16(20+) 4(40+)

Both had the same amount of catches for over 40 yards, both has almost equal number of receptions over 20, and tied for the same amount of touchdowns. In addition, Bryant had a longer REC for TD than White. Roddy White's speed in Madden PS2 is 91. Antonio Bryant's is 86.

Additionally, if you go back and look at the game film of TB @ Carolina, Bryant repeatedly beat the coverage of Carolina and burned CB's Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall whose speeds are 92 and 93 respectively, on his way to a 9 rec. 200yd game. He probably could have had more but due to lack of arm strength by Garcia he had to constantly slow down and make a play on the ball. Furthermore, if you look at T.J. Who's-Your-Mama, his speed is 89 while he has only ever amassed in 2008, 10 catches over 20 yards and 1 catch over 40.

Michael Clayton
His speed should be increased from 81 to 85. His acceleration should also be increased to 85 as well. Although his stats do no reflect this increase from the past four seasons, if you recall back in his rookie year, 2004, he showcased his speed.

First off, it should be noted that in their 40 yard dash times, Vincent Jackson sported a 4.58 while Michael Clayton ran a 4.52. Jackson's speed in Madden PS2 is 85 and has 86 acceleration while Michael Clayton has 81 speed and 82 acceleration. If you compare Clayton's stats to those of Jackson's:

Michael Clayton '04 80 1,193 14.9 74.6 75T 7 19(20+) 4(40+)
Vincent Jackson '08 59 1,098 18.6 68.6 60 7 16(20+) 7(40+)

Clayton had not only more receptions, but he had a longer reception for TD, and more receptions over 20 yards. In 2004, Den @ TB where Clayton was matched up against Champ Bailey, Clayton was able to get behind the coverage, and although over thrown by Brad Johnson, was able to make the catch and race to the endzone for a 51yd TD rec. In the last game in the season of '04, Clayton ran a simple hitch route and was able to outrace the DB's and LB's of the Cardinals for a 71yd TD rec. Most recently in '08, Oak @ TB, Clayton beat CB Justin Miller, whose speed is 95 and acceleration is 96 to the endzone for a 51yrd TD. As far as his lack of stats, you can't blame Clayton for the past four years due to Gruden putting him in his "doghouse" and not allowing him more opportunities and showing trust in him to rebound to his '04 form.

WoW... i love it... there are Bucs fans out there...

Keep em coming...

xbox.Uncle Urk wrote:WoW... i love it... there are Bucs fans out there...

Keep em coming...

counting him, and Moped, and RG2 that makes about 5 of us..
while I'm not a big stat junkie sep duting the preseason but hear are my main beefs

Cadillac Williams is the projected started,he looked good in the presaeson and never shown signs of falling off so how could he be rated as a mediocre player. in fact all three of TB's runner backs are premiere backs. this is important bcuz TB's new system has a heavy run focus

Jermaine Phillups had decent speed in 09 and switched from SS to ROLB. madden 10 1o had him at LOLB and dropped his speed in catching when at the very least his awareness at the new position should had been the only thing dropped. now he's back at SS and his spd and catching is low for no reason other than he was moved to LB. I think his speed should reflect what it used to be in 09 which would be mid 80's in the new madden 10 rating system.

since Dexter Jackson is cut that leaves us with only 4 WR.(that's why its so important to add Brian Clark) Stoval isn't great but isn't a bum either. his height gives him big play making ability and was a started a few years ago. Micheal Clayton is expect to have a resurgence he never really feel off but was just in Jon Gruden 's doghouse like many players, he's not an easy coach to get along with. and nothing but good things are said about Sammy stroughter.

watch any Tampa game and the offense line is highly talked about, Donald peen should get a bump. trueblood still has to prove himself and Arron sears is a no show, he's literally mia. Angelo Crowell is out for the season and BO Rudd is signed(barrett's bro) and speaking of barrett, he's a top 5 MLB easy... if hew was on NE his rating would be 95.

anyway to fix Raheem Morris age. he's only 33 and the game has him a 45. on the team select menu the coaching rating is his rating is so low. Coach Rah was a in house hiree as Def coordinator at 1st til many teams showed interest in making him a head coach so Tampa promoted him to keep him. I didn't think he would be rating so low since he's highly regarded as well as Jim bates having good seasons in miami. and the Specail teams coach, I can spell his name is also a good coach...

FINALLY someone is actually going to listen and address the issues we've been talking about for weeks! Thank you for this thread. I'll be back later with my points! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Okay some thoughts:

1. Opinions are opinions and everyone has their own biases. This forum will be nothing but a gripe session until we have a fair starting point. We need some insight into how Donny Moore came up with his ratings. Is there an objective system or formula that he evenly applies to all teams and players? How much of the ratings are completely subjective in nature? Unless there is some sort of objective base, then all this becomes is the NFL according to Donny Moore and his own subjective opinions and biases. We need information on how he determines the ratings before we can intelligently and respectfully debate the specifics.

2. Is it really that difficult to keep current with the correct players and positions for each team? Every team has a website that has their rosters and depth charts. Those are not arguable issues, they are just the facts. How can that be so difficult to update appropriately?

Again- we can bring up half a million points that show problems with the ratings, but until we understand the process, then it's rather pointless babble.

The normal stuff to be changed has been said over and over. Flip needs to be shifted back to Safety He also needs to be boosted in ratings. Clifton smith needs to be bumped up at least to a 70, I mean the guy is a pro bowler enough said. Ruud needs to be at least 90 check the stats he was like forth in the league in tackles look at passes defensed picks etc he is right up there with the top LB's in the league, The only reason he didn't make the probowl is because beason and willis who were like 1&2 in tackles made it ahead of him and they are also NFC players. Bryant needs to be at least a 90, once again just check the stats he was up there in the top ten in WR's in the NFL. Caddy needs to be bumped up yes he has been injured but that does not take away from his ability guys like LT, urlacher ,brady Have all been injured and out for whole seasons a did not take a ratings hit like caddy did. Ward needs to be bumped up once again check the stats he has sick numbers with only 182 carries he went over 1000 yards easy. The top rusher in the NFL last year had about 350 or something like that carries just imagine if ward had that many carries. He also averaged something like 5.1 ypc which was the best in the whole nfl. Our oline needs a little boost also, everyone knows it and if you don't know it just turn on espn or the nfl network and first thing that comes out their mouth about tampa is the online is young and nasty and thats the strength of the team. I probably missed some stuff but the last thing I want to hit on is talib. Rogers cromotie is better than him in the game but during the regular season talib had more picks then rogers cromotie in limited time as a nickel, rogers cromotie was the starter and didn't have better numbers than talib.

*Disclaimer: the ratings apply to the ps2 version of madden 10

Elbert Mack
His tackling should increase from 40 to 50. His awareness should increase from 42 to 55. Ever since training camp last year, he has proved his ability to be a solid tackler and cover man, as well as a steal as an undrafted, free agent having 2 pass breakups and 1 int in the preseason. Coaches have raved about his ability to cover and has proved himself a sure tackler accounting for 13 solo tackles out of 15 total. He is slated to be Tampa's nickel corner and has done nothing to disappoint in the pre-season and training camp having very few passes thrown his way. It should be noted that his college coaches at Troy have emphasized he was as solid a player as 1st round draft pick Leodis McKelvin.

Raheem Morris is 33, not 45.

Sabby Piscatelli should be upgraded across the board. His skills should be similar to someone like Sean Jones of the Eagles. He's a little faster but otherwise he is definitely underrated. Sabby is a good all-around safety although not dominant at any one particular trait. He's definitely an above avergae safety, maybe an 80-84 all around. The following needs to be upgraded: coverage rating, tackling, and block shedding.

Donald Penn definitely needs to be upgraded in blocking and athleticism. He helped shut out DeMarcus Ware last year and who is one of the fastest players in madden. He also needs more strength in run block and better pass blocking footwork.

Clifton Smith and Sammie Stroughter definitely need upgrades. Both are quick and fast but both are rated in the juke/spin move categories and their athleticism ratings don't really reflect their skills either.

The Bucs d-line also needs an upgrade. Roy Miller needs to have a stronger power-moves rating and tackling skills. His skills don't reflect how he's played in preseason. Jimmy Wilkerson also needs to be upgraded to reflect is skills as a hybrid player, closer to the way Kevin Carter was last year. He's got strength and good pass rushing skills but is definitely average at both but should at least be competitive instead of a 71. He'll never be great but he's definitely servicable.

If you compare THomas Davis of the panthers to Jermaine phillips, they should be closer in rating. Phillips isn't nearly as athletic but should be pretty comparable as far as tackling, block shedding, and coverage. He was an above avergae strong safety but if you just shift the position in the roster edit screen he transfers as a crappy safety instead of a pretty decent one.

Also, Ronde Barber should definitely be faster closer to an 85 (comparable to Antoine Winfield). His agility and knowledge should probably drop due to how often he got beat last year. He's a shell of himself but he's been doing really well in preseason but against top competition his speed won't compete as well.

Winslow should also have an upgrade in catching to 85-86. He's reliable (look at this previous number of catches with bad quarterbacks) but not consistent. He also should have a better awareness given his time in the nfl. I know there's no ratings for maturity but his immaturity should decrease his skills.

Also, why is Josh Johnson so bad? He's got a decent, Shaun hill type arm. But his passing accuracy isn't nearly that bad. He's might be better off like a 56 but not a 38. His deep ball is terrible but short passing and on the run passing should be much better.

Sean Mahan Cut

Electronic Arts

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Madden NFL 10