Deion Sanders' Career Was Like Every Sweet Flavor In Candy Box

Madden 12 Ratings: Atlanta Falcons Roster Revealed, Now With More Ray Edwards

Just about every team's Madden 12 roster ratings have been released now, with EA Sports definitely saving the best (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!) for last. Here you can see the Atlanta Falcons complete player ratings, from Roddy White's speed to Ken Parrish's toughness, but all that is pre-free agency and so forth, so Ray Edwards is still on the Minnesota Vikings and Jerious Norwood, Harvey Dahl and others are still on Atlanta's list.

(I'd like to point out Norwood's agility rating is lower than every offensive lineman's, quarterback's and punter's. All right. I don't know.)

For your reference, I've updated the Falcons roster right quick to include the various moves made so far. There's no real good reason why I did this, but we're on vacation and everybody's taking a nap and there's not a whole lot else to do at the moment other than go back outside but we've been outside all morning.

On that note:

For more Falcons, head to The Falcoholic.

Madden 12 Gameplay Videos Show Falcons-Eagles First Half, Atlanta Intros

Madden 12 Player Ratings: Top Receivers, Defensive Ends Include Roddy White, John Abraham

We've already gotten a good look at how star Atlanta Falcons players will operate in Madden 12, including a glimpse of the team's top nine players. Now EA Sports is releasing rankings for each position, which show how top Falcons players fit in with their WELL YEAH the players who play their positions. Why do I have to keep typing this stuff.

Roddy White, who had a 97 rating when the above link was created, now sits at 96, which is still good for second in the league behind Andre Johnson and tied with Larry Fitzgerald. This would mean (A) White lost a point, perhaps for something he tweeted such as his love of naps, and (B) Tony Gonzalez might be Atlanta's highest-rated player. This is so weird.

John Abraham's 93 held up, putting him tied for the fifth-best defensive end, a point behind Jared Allen, the player to whom too much of Ray Edwards' success in Minnesota was credited.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Team Ratings: Falcons, Saints, Bucs Tower Over Poor Panthers

Hey look, Madden 12 team ratings for the NFC South pre-free agency. Kinda weird to see RB Jerious Norwood trumpeted as one of the Falcons' bright spots since everybody knew he'd be leaving, but all right. (Plenty more ratings are making themselves public here, FYI.)

The Falcons earn a division-leading 87, followed by the New Orleans Saints (85), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (84) and lowly Carolina Panthers (72). You can quibble about the order of the first three, but it makes sense as long as you remember this is before free agency moves are accounted for. Saints seem pretty low.

Expect the Falcons to move a little bit once DE Ray Edwards is brought aboard and OG Harvey Dahl is removed. Apparently Norwood's exit will hurt Atlanta too somehow. Carolina might improve a little bit from gaining TE Greg Olson, and Tampa Bay will surely soar for its addition of P Michael Koenen. But the Saints might end up the highest-rated team in the South after picking up RB Darren Sproles and DT Aubrayo Franklin. Whatever.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Screenshots: Ray Edwards On Falcons, Darren Sproles On Saints

Via Pasta Padre's collection of screens from Madden 12 of players who've joined new teams, here are a pair of locally relevant digital re-skinnings. First, DE Ray Edwards makes his way to the E-Falcons by way of the video Vikings, and is shown here slipping past James Lee of the Buccaneers:

Look at all those character issues! Next up we have incoming New Orleans Saints power back Darren Sproles trampling poor Brent Grimes with his mighty running power:

EA Sports has discovered Grimes' primary weakness. While he's a Pro Bowler who regularly punches well above his weight, he's incapable of stopping players who are smaller than he is. While Drew Brees skips to the sideline in the background, Sproles overwhelms Grimes with a shattering, head-down charge. You've discovered Atlanta's greatest weakness, New Orleans, but just wait until the Falcons counter by sending out Jacquizz Rodgers.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Rookie Ratings: Top Backs Revealed, Including Jacquizz Rodgers

EA Sports knows how to get attention: Madden ratings, little by little, are magic. The latest crop of Madden 12 player ratings to be revealed: rookie running backs, topped of course by New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram. 

Atlanta Falcons RB Jacquizz Rodgers of the Oregon St. Beavers shows up at No. 8, a 69 overall. Considering he was the 16th running back picked in the 2011 draft, it sounds like EA thinks of him as a great value. Which, of course, he was. 

No telling about his ratings beyond just his overall, but I'd imagine he has very good carrying and agility ratings. He doesn't have the top-notch speed you'd expect out of a little guy, and his frame will definitely limit his power. But he should be a fun weapon for Falcons fans, the likes of which the team's been missing once auto-update marks Jerious Norwood down as an injury at some point every year.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Rookie Ratings Low On Julio Jones, High On Mark Ingram

Every sports video game fan ever has been highly disappointed with the ratings given to his or her team's players. For the record, I'm totally fine with the marks given the Atlanta Falcons so far -- I've even said Tony Gonzalez is rated too highly. 

But EA Sports' list of the top 10 rookies in Madden 12, which includes pick No. 4 Julio Jones (78) at No. 9 behind former teammate Mark Ingram (79) -- who could've fallen out of the first round if not for a trade by the New Orleans Saints -- is kind of a laugher.

They got most of the list right, actually, with near-certainties Prince Amukamara, Mike Pouncey and J.J. Watt joining the draft's top five players. Rating Jones a couple points shy of A.J. Green isn't that big of a deal, as Green's draft stock was indeed higher. But Ingram's better than Jones, Nick Fairley or Ryan Kerrigan? Really? At football?

Sure, Ingram will probably succeed in New Orleans. His quarterback is Drew Brees, after all. Kinda hard to screw that up. But expect this one to be adjusted, as Madden 11's estimation of Corey Peters (worst player in the first three rounds!) was.

I'll be in the back yard ranting about the media's never-ending love for all things Saints if anybody needs me.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12: Unveiled Player Traits Profiles Now Include Roddy White

Pasta Padre's landmark set of Madden 12 player traits includes four Atlanta Falcons players, with Roddy White now added to the collection. I think the menagerie is finished being added to, so this will have to do us for the time being. White's overall rating is a 97, the team's highest and likely one of the highest five or so receivers in the game. Combine that with these traits, and he'll likely be one of the game's best weapons:

Just about a perfect set of traits, other than that one star shy of really super consistent consistency. I don't know if fighting for extra yards is really all that desirable for wide receivers anyway. His clutchness tag is highly deserved, as was Matt Ryan's -- we're talking about a player who caught a game-winning touchdown against the Ravens and forced a game-saving fumble agains the 49ers.

The latter play alone could've earned him a high motor distinction, too. For longtime Falcons fans, how nice is it to see Roddy marked as a player who doesn't drop open passes?

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Player Traits: Michael Turner Adds Power To Falcons Offense

That same Pasta Padre album packed with Madden 12 player profiles? It has provided us the details on another Atlanta Falcons player, this time RB Michael Turner. We already know Turner is rated a 93 overall and will presumably be a straight-ahead power back with no hands and good top speed, but here's a look at how he'll handle in the game:

Looks pretty solid to me, though if I were in charge I'd up his fumble-bracedness (what a weird rating!) and ding his consistency a star or two. Turner very, very rarely turns the ball over, but his yardage fluctuates from game to game quite a bit. Atlanta's offensive linemen might be given low consistency traits in the game, but I'd think it would make more sense to apply some of that to Turner himself.

Interested in learning how that high motor trait affects things.

Madden 12 Player Traits: Matt Ryan Earns Near-Perfect Marks

In addition to numerical player ratings, Madden 12 includes sets of traits for each player that aim to bring a little real-life personality into the game. Pasta Padre has a huge collection featuring player traits from every team, but here's a look at how Matt Ryan will handle in the game. We already know his overall rating is a 90, but he'll likely be one of the best sub-95 players in the game based on these:

That clutch trait has stirred up a little controversy among sports fans who only watched one Atlanta Falcons game all last year -- the playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers. Throughout the rest of the season, though, Ryan led the Falcons on game-winning drives against the 49ers, Saints, Ravens and quite a few others, and his crunch-time stats placed him among the best in the NFL.

The rest of his traits are similar to those of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees -- his consistency is one star behind Manning and Brady and on par with Brees. 

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Player Ratings: Top Overall Numbers For Falcons, Saints, Others

Pasta Padre's Madden 12 screenshots set includes a handful of player ratings for top Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys players, along with the Atlanta Falcons. From that album, here's a screen shot of Atlanta's top nine player ratings:

Based on what we can see, the only players rated more highly than Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez are Aaron Rodgers and presumably Drew Brees. Peyton Manning and others probably will be too, but we only have a little to work with here. That's a good number for White, but Gonzalez' looks a bit too high.

Nice to see Todd McClure still getting recognition, along with Pro Bowler Ovie Mughelli and my favorite player from the 2005-2007 Falcons, Tyson Clabo. There will be much squawking in Birdland about Matt Ryan's rating, but I think it's pretty solid.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Madden 12 Player Traits For Julio Jones, Drew Brees, Other NFC South Players