Syracuse Football: Madden 20 ratings revealed for Orange alum in NFL

Madden 20 is set to release at the end of July and ahead of that date have released their player ratings. Here are all the Syracuse football alum results.

NFL training camps are here, by the end of next week all 32 franchises will have started their festivities.

Which means it’s time for the annual release of the Madden 20 video game.

Ahead of the latest installment, EA Sports released all of the player ratings for all the NFL teams.

Here’s the full list of player ratings for every Syracuse football alum playing in the NFL:

https://twitter.com/azcardinals/status/1150868854454644736?s=21

Chandler Jones, ROLB, Arizona Cardinals

• 82 overall rating
  • 79 speed
  • 86 acceleration
  • 73 block shedding
  • 85 tackling
  • 80 hit power

Chandler earned the highest rating of all the Orange alum in the NFL, that’s not surprising, but his pathetic 82 overall rating is.

Seven other right outside linebackers is rated above him on Madden 20.

The Arizona Cardinals Twitter account hit the nail on the head. Jones has had four straight double-digit sack seasons. In 2017 Jones led the NFL in sacks. So what gives?

He’s only 29 years old and still has a lot of football left in him. Honestly, Chandler should’ve been in the high 80s, could’ve made an argument for lows 90s. Although 82 is just utterly ridiculous no matter how you slice it.

Justin Pugh, OL, Arizona Cardinals

• 73 overall rating
  • 67 speed
  • 15 spectacular catch
  • 73 pass block
  • 71 run block
  • 87 impact blocking

While many players are complaining about their ratings, don’t include Justin Pugh in that crowd:

"“Well, I’m a starter in the NFL so I’m assuming I’m a low 70s guy. My official prediction is 72.”"

*Justin is told his Madden rating is a 73*

"“I love it! I’m going to go buy the game! I’m a realist, I’m not an idiot. Some of the guys in the NFL are unrealistic about who they’re as a player. I know I’m one of the best guards in the NFL, but I’ve gotten hurt the last two years. How can I say that if I haven’t gone out and done that?”"

On his strength rating:

"“You know what? When I went to Syracuse they called me puny because I wasn’t very strong. So whatever Madden gave me is probably better than where I’m at.”"

To be honest, we were expecting Pugh to be in the high 70s. Many casual Madden fans may look at a six or seven-point overall difference and say, “what’s the big deal?”

A low 70s player in Madden is a backup player or low-end starter.

In 2018 Pugh signed a five-year deal for $45 million instantly becoming a plug-and-play option for the Arizona Cardinals on their offensive line.

Justin said after the interview that he’s aiming for the 80s next year (overall rating), he can definitely get there.

Riley Dixon, P, New York Giants

• 69 overall rating
  • 71 speed
  • 39 throw power
  • Accuracy:
    • Short: 35
    • Medium: 30
    • Deep: 20
  • 88 kick power
  • 61 kick accuracy

Of course, at the end of the day, Riley Dixon is a punter and he should be judged on those metrics, but how does he not have respectable numbers as a passer?

He’s a former high school quarterback and the college football king of trick plays.

Here is the best of the rest in the NFL and some of their top and most interesting ratings:

Shamarko Thomas, S, Denver Broncos

• 68 overall rating
  • 70 tackle
  • 76 hit power
  • 89 speed
  • 87 agility
  • 93 jump

Zaire Franklin, ROLB, Indianapolis Colts

• 66 overall rating
  • 85 speed
  • 90 acceleration
  • 59 catching
  • 80 strength
  • 77 hit power

Steve Ishmael, WR, Indianapolis Colts

• 64 overall rating
  • 86 speed
  • 87 agility
  • 78 catching
  • 80 catch in traffic
  • 83 spectacular catch

Jamal Custis, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

• 63 overall rating
  • 89 speed
  • 80 agility
  • 80 catching
  • 83 spectacular catch
  • 83 jump

Chris Slayton, DL, New York Giants

• 61 overall rating
  • 68 speed
  • 86 strength
  • 70 block shedding
  • 76 hit power
  • 11 elusiveness

There are several Syracuse football players who are in the NFL, yet aren’t listed on the Madden 20 roster database.

Overall it seems the majority of fans and even players in the NFL are pissed off at their Madden 20 ratings. While we concur that many of the Syracuse football alum ratings are way off, the Madden developers attempted to explain why the ratings look the way they do via their site:

"“By increasing the ratings of the elite/near-elite players, and decreasing the ratings of everyone else, the stars began to stand out even more than they did before. We went through every single attribute in the game and stretched them by position. For example, in Madden 19 there were 53 corners with 80 or better Man Coverage. There are 42 in Madden 20. We also raised the ceilings on some of those ratings to further the gap between the elite and the rest.Next, we re-defined what is considered “starter quality,” which is probably the biggest change in this system. In Madden 19, 54% of the roughly 2,900 players (including free agents) were 70 OVR or better. In Madden 20, 41% of the players are at 70 OVR or better, which means that both low-level starters and depth players can be rated in the 60s—and maybe even 50s.”"

Regardless of any rational explanations for these ratings, we’re ready to grab our torches and pitchforks and march to Madden 20 headquarters to let our voices be heard! Who’s with us?