Houston Texans fans should take Madden rankings with a grain of salt

It’s that time of year when video game fans across the country are eager to check out the latest edition of Madden Football. The EA Sports-published game, formerly known as John Madden Football, has long been the go-to sports video game for football fans. With EA Sports College Football making a comeback, bringing back the iconic NCAA Football video game franchise, Madden still reigns supreme for many fans.

So much so that recently, the rankings have become their television showcase. ESPN will unveil player rankings over six days starting July 29 and ending August 3, revealing the statistical rankings of every player in its video game franchise. They’ll start with receivers, then move on to running backs, the terribly ubiquitous term “edge rushers,” tight ends, and quarterbacks.

Linebackers, safeties, cornerbacks, defensive tackles, non-edge rushers who play defensive ends, special teams players, and any other position are not cool enough to be covered.

It’s also worth noting that fans tend to be not only excited about these stat announcements, but overly excited. One of the biggest problems that comes up with every new Madden release, besides fans complaining about the price of a new identical game, is that their favorite players are never as good as they think they are.

Houston Texans fans will be no different than anyone else in this regard. They will be disappointed that their favorite players are too low compared to other players or even their expectations. The bottom line is that Madden is not the gold standard for talent evaluation and they get it wrong all the time.

That’s why they update the game as often as they do to better reflect players’ actual performance during the season. So if you’re not happy with a player’s score at launch, wait a bit, because it will likely increase if they’re good enough.