Some Cardinals players aren’t exactly happy about their Madden ratings

Jul 13, 2018, 6:30 AM | Updated: 7:11 pm

You know what they say: It’s all fun and games until the Madden ratings get released.

At least, that’s how some members of the Arizona Cardinals are feeling after ratings were announced this week.

So @EAMaddenNFL ratings for #Madden19 were released this week. @MarkusGolden, @ChaseEdmonds22, @JustinPugh, Aaron Brewer + @ChanJones55 share their thoughts. pic.twitter.com/cuxPvVZM8w

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 12, 2018

And to their credit, the ratings are … well … surprising to say the least.

Sure, defensive end Markus Golden may be coming off an ACL injury from last season, but a 76?

“Nah man, that ain’t good,” Golden said of the rating.

Golden has been a force for the Cardinals on the edge opposite of Chandler Jones — we’ll get to him later.

In 93 career games, the 27-year-old has 93 tackles and 16.5 sacks. And that’s including last season in which he only appeared in four games before suffering the season-ending injury.

Golden received an overall speed rating of 81, which he was disappointed with at first. That is, until he learned it was higher than Jones’ rating.

“Okay, I’ll take that,” Golden said. “I’ll take that.”

Rookie running back Chase Edmonds set the bar low for himself, predicting he would receive a rating of 73 for the upcoming game.

But when he found out he had actually received a 71, he couldn’t help but express his displeasure.

“Remind them that I was the fastest running back in the three-cone and shuttle (drills),” Edmonds said before learning his agility (90) and speed rating (91).

“How am I … ?” he questioned, likely eluding to his low overall rating despite solid numbers elsewhere.

Newly signed guard Justin Pugh used his overall rating of an 80 to update his draft profile to persuade gamers.

“Young guy, draft me in the fantasy mode,” Pugh said. “I’ve got room to improve. What’s my speed? They got my speed on there?”

Long snapper Aaron Brewer received the lowest rating on the team, mostly because Madden lists all long snappers as tight ends in the game.

Brewer kept a positive attitude despite having a 44 overall rating.

“I feel great, I can play tight end,” Brewer said. “Put me in the game I can catch a pass. What do they judge on there? Awareness? I have a good awareness.”

While each player had their own reaction to the ratings, nobody was as upset as Jones — who was rated as an 89 overall.

Sure, that may not seem bad on paper, but let’s not forget all Jones did last season.

The 28-year-old led the NFL in sacks with 17, earning him Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro honors.

“How do I lead the league in sacks and have an 89?” Jones said.

And when he found out that his speed was a 79, lower than Golden, let’s just say Jones wasn’t too happy.

“Come on now, I don’t want to read that,” Jones said as he walked off.

But there may be a light at the end of the Madden tunnel, thanks to some help from a third party.

Hey @EAMaddenNFL, somehow @ChanJones55 is an 89 in #Madden19.

In case leading the league in sacks was not enough, we will let @PSchrags make the case. pic.twitter.com/VRhupZpJRB

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 13, 2018

After a rousing conversation of why Jones should be higher by Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager, EA Sports finally budged.

Dear @AZCardinals,

We will be increasing @chanjones55‘s ratings…AND due to your creativity, we will also be looking into your team’s OVR 😉 ⬆️⬆️

Yours truly,#Madden19

— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 13, 2018

The Madden ratings have caused quite the stir around the NFL and especially for the Cardinals. Safety Budda Baker expressed his displeasure with his 79 rating on Twitter Tuesday.

Disappointed @EASPORTS ..79!!!?

— Budda Baker (@buddabaker32) July 10, 2018

Meanwhile, former safety Tyrann Mathieu — who was signed by the Houston Texans shortly after his release from the Cardinals in March — also took to Twitter about his 93 overall rating.

Though, this was for a different reason.