An Early Peek Into Madden NFL 11's Quarterback Ratings - By: Eddie

EA Sports held its annual pre-draft luncheon today and I was in attendance to take in the sights, sounds, and the ridiculous amount of NFL talent on-stage. Before the crowd sat a panel of former (and one current) NFL superstars that included Sterling Sharpe, who acted as host, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Drew Brees.

It was a real treat to see three outstanding quarterbacks sitting next to one another discussing the game that they dedicated their lives to, but the real focus of the day was "Building the Ultimate Quarterback in Madden." To do this, they revealed the top six attributes when it comes to defining a quarterback's overall rating, which quarterback held the top mark for each attribute, and -- last but not least -- EA Sports revealed the top ten quarterbacks in Madden NFL 11.

Awareness
This attribute was defined as a quarterback's ability to diagnose a situation on the field and react to it efficiently in-game. EA Sports said that awareness makes up 17 percent of the quarterback's overall rating. Which QB in the league holds the top mark for awareness in Madden NFL 11? None other than Mr. Peyton Manning with an awesome 99 for awareness.

Agility
This attribute was defined as a quarterback's ability to make plays on his feet. Not necessarily running the ball for positive yards, but more like keeping the play alive and then making something happen for his team. This accounts for 10 percent of a quarterback's overall rating in Madden and it was Vince Young who took home top marks with an agility rating of 88. Marino, Montana and Brees pretty much all disagreed with Madden's assessment of Young as the most agile quarterback, but chances are they've never tried to stop the guy from the other side of the ball.

Stamina
This accounts for 5 percent of a Madden QB's overall rating and is defined as a quarterback's ability to make plays in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter of a game and have the skills to keep his game at a high level throughout a season. Dan Marino and Drew Brees both said that Favre should win this one, but it was Tom Brady with a rating of 99 for stamina that won this round. On a different note, no one on stage could wrap their head around how the Madden development team defined stamina and used it in their game. I'm not sure what was so difficult about it.

Throwing Power
This attribute makes up 23 percent of a quarterback's overall rating and was explained to be a QB's ability to sit back in the pocket and fire the ball into tight holes in the defense. Sterling asked the guys on stage, "do you need to have a good arm to fit the ball into tight spaces in the defense?" Every all-star QB on the stage gave a unanimous "no" and all agreed that it was more about reading and predicting a defense that allowed them to fit the ball into tight spaces. Matthew Stafford got a 97 and top marks for throwing power and was called "country strong" by Sterling Sharpe. The other guys didn't seem to agree that Stafford had the best arm in the league. Brees and Marino thought Jay Cutler deserved the honor as he really does have a cannon.

Toughness
Here's something everyone agreed on. Making up only 4 percent of the overall rating, the toughness attribute is a QB's ability to play through injury and to keep his team in the game with his heart and determination. Everyone thought Brett Favre deserved the best marks for this attribute, and they were right, he scored a 99 for toughness.

Accuracy
It should be no surprise that the last attribute of the day is the one that the cover athlete for Madden NFL 11 won. Making up a whopping 41 percent of a quarterback's overall rating in Madden, Drew Brees carried the best accuracy attribute with a 99 score in the category.

Top Ten Quarterbacks in Madden NFL 11 by Overall Rating
1. Peyton Manning
2. Drew Brees
3. Tom Brady
4. Aaron Rodgers
5. Philip Rivers
6. Brett Favre
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Donovan McNabb
9. Tony Romo
10. Matt Schaub

The game launches on PlayStation 3 on August 10.

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About the Author

Madden NFL 11's all-new GameFlow playcall lets you feel as though you are in the helmet of an NFL quarterback, executing NFL game plans one play at a time. Spend more time on the field and less time calling plays, allowing you to live the drama and excitement of a full game in less than 30 minutes.

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