FB Jeremi Johnson – Released to Free Agents IR
S Chris Crocker – Signs with Bengals
S John Busing – Added to Bengals
DT Orien Harris – Added to Bengals
CB Geoff Pope – Released by Bengals
DE Eric Henderson – Added to Bengals
QB Jordan Palmer – Added to Bengals
S Dexter Jackson – Released to Free Agents IR
CB Ashton Youboty – Released to Free Agents IR
LB Teddy Lehman – Signs with Bills
HB Ryan Torain – Released to Free Agents IR
HB P.J. Pope – Added to Broncos
HB Alex Haynes – Signs with Broncos
WR Glenn Martinez – Released by Broncos
HB Tatum Bell – Signs with Broncos
QB Darrell Hackney – Added to Broncos
CB Josh Bell – Added to Broncos
HB Michael Bennett – Released by Bucs
WR Maurice Stovall – Released to Free Agents IR
HB Clifton Smith – Added to Bucs
S Donte Nicholson – Added to Bucs
QB Damon Huard – Released to Free Agents IR
S Oliver Celestin – Signs with Chiefs
CB Dimitri Patterson – Released by Chiefs
CB Ricardo Colclough – Signs with Chiefs
DE Jason Babin – Signs with Chiefs
DE Brian Johnston – Released to Free Agents IR
DT T.J. Jackson – Released by Chiefs
DE Wallace Gilberry – Added to Chiefs
HB Clifton Dawson – Released to Free Agents IR
S Jamie Silva – Added to Colts
G Evan Mathis – Released by Dolphins
G/T Brandon Frye – Signs with Dolphins
S Courtney Bryan – Signs with Dolphins
S Brannon Condren – Released by Dolphins
WR Adam Jennings – Released by Falcons
T Kirk Barton – Released by 49ers
WR Dominique Zeigler – Signs with 49ers
CB Justin Miller – Released by Jets
HB Marcus Mason – Added to Jets
CB Ty Law – Signs with Jets
WR Brandon Middleton – Released by Lions
HB Aveion Cason – Signs with Lions
FB Darian Barnes – Released by Lions
FB Moran Norris – Added to Lions
HB Marcus Thomas – Released by Lions
S LaMarcus Hicks – Signs with Lions
LB Shawn Crable – Released to Free Agents IR
S Tyvon Branch – Released to Free Agents IR
DT William Joseph – Signs with Raiders
DT/G Fred Wakefield – Released by Raiders/Removed
DE Greyson Gunheim – Signs with Raiders
CB Leigh Torrence – Released by Redskins
CB DeAngelo Hall – Signs with Redskins
DT Hollis Thomas – Signs with Saints
DT Remi Ayodele – Released by Saints
WR Keary Colbert – Released by Seahawks
P Mitch Berger – Released by Steelers
P Paul Ernster – Signs with Steelers
HB Najeh Davenport – Released by Steelers
HB Darius Walker – Released by Texans/Removed
HB Ryan Moats – Added to Texans
CB Charles Gordon – Released to Free Agents IR

Ratings up

CB Charles Tillman – Bears – 91 to 92 – Has picked off a couple passes with 12 passes defended.
CB Corey Graham – Bears – 75 to 76 – Almost 50 tackles for the second year corner.
HB Cedric Benson – Bengals – 78 to 79 – Has taken the starting running back job for the Bengals.
DT Shaun Rogers – Browns – 95 to 96 – Traded in the offseason for Leigh Bodden. Back to being the monster he was.
LB D’Qwell Jackson – Browns – 86 to 87 – Racking up a ton of tackles in the middle for the Browns.
QB Kurt Warner – Cardinals – 88 to 91 – In the conversation for MVP as many times as the Cardinals throw. 
LT Mike Gandy – Cardinals – 92 to 93 – Not thought of as an elite pass blocker but is.
WR Jerheme Urban – Cardinals – 72 to 74 – Starting to get looks in the 4 WR package.
QB Tyler Thigpen – Chiefs – 73 to 75 – Got a boost in throw power as he showed he has an NFL arm.
WR Mark Bradley – Chiefs – 73 to 77 – Has risen up the KC depth chart in no time.
CB Andre Goodman – Dolphins – 74 to 76 – Detroit fans might scoff but has played well in Miami the past couple weeks.
QB Matt Ryan – Falcons – 84 to 86 – Is the real deal.
DE John Abraham – Falcons – 94 to 96 – Continuing to be a pass rushing monster under Mike Smith.
CB Darrelle Revis – Jets – 91 to 92 – The new budding star for “shutdown” talk. 
CB Charles Woodson – Packers – 93 to 94 – Had some missteps with Bobby Wade but showed his incredible smarts picking off a pass in the slot.
S Nick Collins – Packers – 88 to 89 – Took his 3rd TD back to the house. A play he wouldn’t have made earlier in his career.
DE Julius Peppers – Panthers – 96 to 97 – Continued to dominate as he rolled through Oakland.
QB Matt Cassell – Patriots – 77 to 78 – Continues to move the ball less than 10 yards at a time.
DE Aaron Smith – Steelers – 95 to 96 – Dominate at end for the Steelers.
LB James Harrison – Steelers – 94 to 95 – Showing his versatility by being in coverage more against Indy. A pass rushing monster.
LB LaMarr Woodley – Steelers – 86 to 87 – High up the sack leaders list in his second season.
DT Tony Brown – Titans – 86 to 88 – Racked up 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks with an impressive 7 tackles for loss.
QB Kerry Collins – Titans – 79 to 81 – Had to win last week with his arm as the running game didn’t dominate for the first time.

Ratings Down

C Melvin Fowler – Bills – 83 to 81 – Another in a long line of guys to get hurt for a couple weeks and find their spots taken when they get back.
DE John Engleberger – Broncos – 81 to 77 – End who can’t stop the run and doesn’t get to the QB.
DE Tim Crowder – Broncos – 76 to 72 – Game day inactive most weeks.
CB Brandon McDonald – Browns – 83 to 82 – Good short area CB who is getting beat deep too often.
HB Edgerrin James – Cardinals – 89 to 86 – This year’s Shaun Alexander.
LB Clark Haggans – Cardinals – 85 to 82 – Backup pass rusher in Arizona who had a good run in Pittsburgh.
CB Quentin Jammer – Chargers – 93 to 92 – Has been beaten too often this season.
CB Antonio Cromartie – Chargers – 91 to 90 – Still a work in progress in man coverage.
LB Shaun Phillips – Chargers – 92 to 91 – Finding it’s not as easy being the guy offenses prepare for.
S Jarrad Page – Chiefs – 81 to 77 – Looks to be on the bench after Jon McGraw played well against San Diego.
WR Marvin Harrison – Colts – 95 to 94 – Continues to be a non-factor. This time because he can’t hold on the ball. 
LB Greg Ellis – Cowboys – 89 to 87 – Seems to be giving way to Anthony Spencer. Production is way down.
CB Lito Sheppard – Eagles – 93 to 92 – Not playing well in nickel packages.
WR Reggie Williams – Jaguars – 82 to 80 – Isn’t going to win many foot races.
CB Leigh Bodden – Lions – 89 to 87 – Had another time last week, this time with Jags receivers.
LT Chad Clifton – Packers – 93 to 92 – Didn’t stand a chance against a banged up Jared Allen.
WR James Jones – Packers – 84 to 83 – Has lost his slot receiver job to Jordy Nelson.
HB Darren McFadden – Raiders – 85 to 84 – His speed hasn’t translated to the NFL. Now is banged up with turf toe.
LB Will Witherspoon – Rams – 91 to 90 – Looked seriously hampered by an injury against the Jets, not moving well.
QB Marc Bulger – Rams – 88 to 87 – Looked pathetic vs. the Jets.
CB Marcus Trufant – Seahawks – 94 to 93 – Was beaten deep by Ginn. Has not played as well in recent weeks.
CB Kelly Jennings – Seahawks – 86 to 84 – Had a bad game against Miami, has been relegated to nickel duty.
T Sean Locklear – Seahawks – 84 to 82 – Had problems with Matt Roth and Miami.
QB Big Ben – Steelers – 95 to 94 – Has played horrendous the past few weeks.
DT Amobi Okoye – Texans – 89 to 85 – Has continued to be a non-factor in his second season.

Injuries

QB Patrick Ramsey – Broncos IR
LB Nick Barnett – Packers IR
CB Chris McAlister – Ravens IR
S Dawan Landry – Ravens IR
CB Mike McKenzie – Saints IR

Ratings up

CB Corey Graham – Bears – 71 to 75 – Has climbed up the depth chart due to the banged up Chicago secondary. Bears sport a nice secondary once everyone is back.
QB Trent Edwards – Bills – 82 to 83 – Was impeccable vs. the Charger secondary in a win in week 7.
RT Langston Walker – Bills – 86 to 88 – Due to his solid blocking on the right side Edwards was untouched vs. San Diego.
TE Robert Royal – Bills – 81 to 83 – Check down option for Edwards. Tied for third on the team in receptions with 17.
CB Jabari Greer – Bills – 83 to 84 – Has been doing a fantastic job this season in coverage. His Madden rating has come a long way since beginning of last year.
LT Ryan Clady – Broncos – 82 to 84 – Extremely athletic left tackle for the Broncos. The sky is the limit for this guy.
CB Brandon McDonald – Browns – 82 to 83 – Has been doing a solid job in coverage considering the lack of pass rush in Cleveland. 
CB Aqib Talib – Bucs – 80 to 81 – Now has 3 INT’s in his rookie year out of Kansas. Ball hawk.
WR Antonio Bryant – Bucs – 79 to 81 – Might have taken a starting WR spot in Tampa with his play this season.
WR Malcolm Floyd – Chargers – 73 to 74 – With Chambers and Buster Davis out has stepped up the past two weeks and might have cemented a spot in the rotation.
QB Chad Pennington – Dolphins – 84 to 85 – Continues to make smart decisions even in a tough loss to the Ravens. Was pick sixed in on a nice play by Suggs.
LB Joey Porter – Dolphins – 89 to 90 – Continues to rack up sacks and QB pressures for the Dolphins.
S Yeremiah Bell – Dolphins – 84 to 86 – The best player in the Miami secondary. Had a crucial strip on McGahee that the Dolphins couldn’t cash in on.
LT Sam Baker – Falcons – 80 to 83 – Missed time with a concussion earlier in the season but when in the lineup has given up 1 sack.
WR Josh Morgan – 49ers – 73 to 75 – Besides inexplicably kicking the ball through the back of the endzone for a safety; has earned a starting job due to his playmaking ability.
CB Tramon Williams – Packers – 78 to 81 – Showed he is a legitimate corner in the league by doing an excellent job on whatever Colts receiver he was on in week 7, mostly Anthony Gonzalez.
CB Will Blackmon – Packers – 73 to 77 – Along with Williams stepped up in the secondary vs. the Colts. Basically an athlete coming out of college has developed into a nickel/dime corner.
CB Charles Woodson – Packers – 92 to 93 – With the exception of losing his footing too often, has maybe displayed better instincts than any corner on his INT’s. There won’t be a better free safety if he ever makes the transition.
FS Nick Collins – Packers – 87 to 88 – Returned a gift wrapped pick for another TD Sunday vs. the Colts. Is around the ball more which could not be said about him in previous years.
QB Jake Delhomme – Panthers – 86 to 87 – Continued his sharp passing with Steve Smith back in the lineup.
HB Sammy Morris – Patriots – 81 to 83 – Ran all over the Broncos in a sharp first half on Monday night. Looks to be the primary ball carrier with the injury to Maroney.
QB Matt Cassell – Patriots – 76 to 77 – Had a nice game vs. the Broncos secondary on Monday night. 
DE Trevor Scott – Raiders – 69 to 71 – Made a nice inside move vs. the Jets RT (Damien Woody) on one of his two sacks on the day.
LB Ricky Brown – Raiders – 75 to 77 – The other LB that starts for the Raiders. Had 8 tackles in week 7.
C Nick Leckey – Rams – 72 to 76 – Has started every game for the Rams this season taking over for former starter Brett Romberg.
WR Donnie Avery – Rams – 76 to 78 – Looked like a true deep ball threat vs. the Cowboys on Sunday including a near miss TD on a bomb from Bulger.
LB Ray Lewis – Ravens – 94 to 95 – Is playing arguably his best season. Looks better playing behind Justin Bannan at nose tackle.
CB Shawn Springs – Redskins – 88 to 90 – Is hurt now. Before he got hurt he was playing the teams #1 WR and playing tight coverage.
S Chris Horton – Redskins – 78 to 80 – His first game looked like a fluke when he had 2 INT’s handed to him, but he looks like a keeper due to his ability to be around the ball.
CB Carlos Rogers – Redskins – 90 to 91 – Looks all the way back from a season ending injury a year ago. He has been very sharp the past couple weeks in particular.
LB James Harrison – Steelers – 93 to 94 – Trails Ware by 0.5 sacks for the leader in sacks. A beast. Still needs to perform better against elite tackles.
LB LaMarr Woodley – Steelers – 84 to 86 – Has 7.5 sacks in his first season starting. Pairs with Harrison to form one of the top OLB combo’s.
HB Mewelde Moore – Steelers – 80 to 81 – Feasted on Cincy in the second half in a route. Has earned some carries whenever Parker comes back.
G Darnell Stapleton – Steelers – 72 to 76 – Inserted into the starting lineup after a season ending injury to the starter.
WR Santonio Holmes – Steelers – 86 to 87 – Blew past a what’s his name? on Cincy for his first TD on the season in week 7. 
HB Steve Slaton – Texans – 82 to 83 – Averaging close to 5.0 YPC with 4 TD’s and has 0 fumbles which was a problem in college and early in camp.
HB Chris Johnson – Titans – 83 to 85 – Averaging 5.3 YPC with 3 TD’s. Carved up KC for 168 yards in week 7.
LG Eugene Amano – Titans – 80 to 84 – First year as a starter lining up at LG for Tennessee.

Ratings Down

LT Levi Jones – Bengals – 87 to 85 – Got beat a couple more times for sacks in week 7.
DE Luis Castillo – Chargers – 93 to 91 – A lot of good things have been said about this guy. Not translating to the football field this season.
LT Flozell Adams – Cowboys – 94 to 93 – Has had a heck of a time with two past their prime pass rushers the past two weeks (Bertrand Berry and Leonard Little).
DT Glenn Dorsey – Chiefs – 84 to 80 – Has been invisible and the Chiefs have been getting killed on the ground, especially to the Titans in week 7.
QB J.T. O’Sullivan – 49ers – 79 to 78 – Everyone’s golden boy has 10 INT’s on the season and has fumbled 9 times. Blocking has been bad, but those numbers are not NFL caliber.
CB Aaron Ross – Giants – 87 to 86 – Has been having a tough time staying on his feet and not giving up touchdowns the past couple weeks.
CB Leigh Bodden – Lions – 90 to 89 – Took a beating vs. the Texans and Andre Johnson in man coverage on Sunday.
DT Chuck Darby – Lions – 83 to 81- Has 10 tackles on the season and appears to be getting phased out.
RT Gosder Cherilus – Lions – 77 to 75 – Detroit flip flops this 1st round pick with a punch line (George Foster) at RT. 
DE KGB – Packers – 85 to 83 – Continues to fail to impress. Now a bigger part of the rotation which will not help the Packers inability to stop the run.
CB Fred Bennett – Texans – 84 to 83 – Has slid down the depth chart after a nice rookie season. Had tight man coverage on a deep ball to Calvin Johnson though.
LT Bryant McKinnie – Vikings – 96 to 95 – Maybe still getting his feet under him after the suspension but is not looking good, and was whooped by Ogunleye in week 7.
S Darren Sharper – Vikings – 91 to 90 – Is not making plays anymore. Took the worst angle possible on Marty Bookers long TD reception in week 7.

Injuries

LB Keith Rivers – Bengals – IR
LB Boss Bailey – Broncos - IR
QB Brodie Croyle – Chiefs – IR
S Roy Williams – Cowboys - IR
HB Laurence Maroney – Patriots – IR
S Rodney Harrison – Patriots - IR

Contracts

C Eric Heitmann – 49ers – 4 years

Transactions

FB Byron Storer – Released to Free Agents (IR)

FB Reagan Mauia – Released by Bengals

FB Jameel Cook – Signs with Bucs

TE Darnell Dinkins – Added to Browns

LB Napoleon Harris – Released by Chiefs

LB Rocky Boiman – Signs with Chiefs

CB Nick Graham – Signs with Colts/Released by Colts

DT LaJuan Ramsey – Released by Colts

HB Mike Hart – Released to Free Agents (IR)

HB Clifton Dawson – Signs with Colts

CB Keiwan Ratliff – Signs with Colts

HB Justin Forsett – Released by Colts

S Jamie Silva – Added to Colts

DT John McCargo – Trade to Colts (Voided – Failed Physical)

P Sam Paulescu – Signs with Cowboys

WR Roy Williams – Traded to Cowboys

S Tyrone Culver – Released by Dolphins

S Brannon Condren – Signs with Dolphins

HB Tony Hunt – Released by Eagles

LB Tracy White – Signs with Eagles

FB Zak Keasey – Released to Free Agents (IR)

FB David Kirtman – Signs with 49ers

T Todd Wade – Released to Free Agents

T Andrew Carnahan – Added to Jaguars (Practice Squad)

G Ben Claxton – Added to Lions (Practice Squad)

G Jon Dunn – Removed

LB Tracy White – Released by Packers

HB Kregg Lumpkin – Released to Free Agents (IR)

HB DeShawn Wynn – Added to Packers

LB Danny Lansanah – Signs with Packers

WR Ryne Robinson – Released to Free Agents (IR)

WR Kenneth Moore – Signs with Panthers

CB Ricky Manning – Released to Free Agents (IR)

CB Fakhir Brown – Signs with Rams

S Brannon Condren – Released by Rams

S Eric Bassey – Added to Rams (Practice Squad)

WR Derek Stanley – Added to Rams

S Justin Hamilton – Released Redskins

P Durant Brooks – Released by Redskins

P Ryan Plackemeier – Signs with Redskins

S Mike Green – Signs with Redskins

HB Shaun Alexander – Signs with Redskins

S Reed Doughty -– Released to Free Agents (IR

K Martin Gramatica – Released to Free Agents (IR)

K Taylor Mehlhaff – Signs with Saints

DE Josh Savage – Released by Saints

DE Jeff Charleston – Signs with Saints

WR Terrance Copper – Released by Saints

TE Sean Ryan – Added to Saints

WR Courtney Taylor – Released by Seahawks

WR Jordan Kent – Signs with Seahawks

WR Michael Bumpus – Released by Seahawks

HB Justin Forsett – Signs with Seahawks

T Kyle Williams – Added to Seahawks (Practice Squad)

FB Jeff Dugan – Released to Free Agents

LB Dontarrious Thomas – Signs with Vikings

Ratings Up

HB Matt Forte – Bears – 82 to 84 – In the top 2 for most impressive rookie running back.

QB Kyle Orton – Bears – 79 to 80 – I’m sure the Bears couldn’t even have even expected Orton to be as poised as he has been at QB.

LB Dhani Jones – Bengals – 81 to 82 – Your NFL leader in tackles after 6 weeks.

CB Leodis McKelvin – Bills – 79 to 80 – 1^st corner selected in the draft also stars on special teams in the kick return game.

HB Michael Pittman – Broncos – 81 to 82 – Might not be another back that runs with as much urgency.  Was impressive in a start last week vs. the Jags.

K Matt Prater – Broncos – 78 to 82 – This year has drilled 13-14 field goals. Before that he was 1-4 in his career.

LT Ryan Clady – Broncos – 81 to 82 - Committed his first holding penalty vs. Jacksonville, might be the most athletic offensive lineman in the league.

LB Nate Webster – Broncos – 79 to 80 – Was thumping Jags players last week. Starting MLB for the Broncos.

RT Ryan Harris – Broncos – 79 to 81 – Solid pass blocking RT for the Broncos.

HB Earnest Graham – Bucs – 84 to 85 – Averaging 5.6 YPC and lined up at fullback last week due to injuries.

LT Donald Penn – Bucs – 80 to 82 – Has excelled in taking over for Luke Petitgout in Tampa.

DT Gabe Watson – Cardinals – 80 to 82 – Run stuffing DT for the Cardinals.

LT Mike Gandy – Cardinals – 89 to 92 - Underrated left tackle who played a great game vs. DeMarcus Ware. Surrendered 1.5 sacks last season.

DE Bryan Robinson – Cardinals – 74 to 77 – In the rotation at DT and DE in the Cardinals hybrid 3-4 defense.

WR Steve Breaston – Cardinals – 78 to 82 – Showed he has the complete game at WR in the last few weeks picking up the slack for Boldin. Caught the ball better than expected in a crowd.

DE Antonio Smith – Cardinals – 83 to 84 – Not producing the gaudy numbers, but he is a handful at end.

LB Derrick Johnson – Chiefs – 93 to 94 – Starting to come into his own as a future elite NFL linebacker. Playing in KC won’t help, but he is all over the field.

DT Jay Ratliff – Cowboys – 85 to 87 – Trouble maker for offenses in the middle of the Dallas defense. Can line up all over the defensive line and create problems with pressure.

S Courtney Brown – Cowboys – 67 to 69 – Saw time on passing downs the past couple weeks due to injury.

DT Jason Ferguson – Dolphins – 84 to 85 – Offseason acquisition from Dallas has helped sure up the run defense in the middle.

LB Joey Porter – Dolphins – 88 to 89 – Only has 12 solo tackles, but 6.5 of them are sacks and countless other QB pressures.

T Vernon Carey – Dolphins – 87 to 88 – Neutralized Mario Williams every time he has matched up opposite him, extremely impressive showing vs. Houston.

DT Broderick Bunkley – Eagles – 84 to 85 – Beast of a man in the middle for Philly.

S Brian Dawkins – Eagles – 92 to 93 – Has returned to being all over the field at safety after whispers that he had gotten old.

HB Correll Buckhalter – Eagles – 82 to 83 – Showed again last week he is a more than capable running back when called upon.

S Quintin Mikell – Eagles – 85 to 86 – Leads the team in tackles with a pair of INT’s.

CB Brent Grimes – Falcons – 77 to 78 – Has emerged as Atlanta’s best corner after being called up off the practice squad end of last season.

DT Grady Jackson – Falcons – 80 to 82 – The Atlanta run defense was once a gaping hole up the middle, now the run defense is a somewhat respectable 20^th.

LT Sam Baker – Falcons – 79 to 80 – Pass blocking left tackle who has the feet and head to be elite.

QB Matt Ryan – Falcons – 83 to 84 – Was extremely impressive firing the ball on a banged up Chicago secondary. Does not look like a rookie QB.

RT Tyson Clabo – Falcons – 78 to 80 – Has stepped in at RT and has neutralized opposing ends.

DE Justin Smith – 49ers – 89 to 90 – Never stops going and has been pressuring the QB quite often. Also has 32 tackles from the end position.

CB Corey Webster – Giants – 86 to 87 – While Aaron Ross was falling all over his self Webster was playing solid man coverage displaying great instincts.

HB Brandon Jacobs – Giants – 89 to 90 – Now 99 trucking with Barber. No back has as much power as Jacobs when he lowers his shoulder in a defender.

CB Rashean Mathis – Jaguars – 95 to 96 – Brandon Marshall had 9 for 98 vs. the Jags, but none of them were vs. Mathis - Mathis locked up Marshall .

S Brian Williams – Jaguars – 87 to 88 – Versatile safety for the Jags. Plays a lot of man coverage and is active in stopping the run.

DT Kris Jenkins – Jets – 93 to 94 – Jets currently sport the #3 rush defense in the NFL at 2.9 YPC. The reason is the middle being contained allowing the LB’s to make plays.

WR Laveranues Coles – Jets – 91 to 92 – Tied with Cotchery at 26 receptions. Leads the team with 328 yards.

WR Jerricho Cotchery – Jets – 90 to 91 – Leads the team with 4 receiving TD’s. Has developed into a very good WR.

CB Dwight Lowery – Jets – 77 to 79 – For my money the best rookie CB so far except for a few hiccups.

WR Randy Moss – Patriots – 98 to 99 – Sorry Randy. Proved over the last couple games that even if the QB can’t get him the ball and his effort is terrible he still can beat anyone deep. Beat the Charger defense deep at least 3 times and the QB couldn’t get him the ball.

DT Kedric Golston – Redskins – 80 to 84 – Has moved into the starting lineup on one of the better defenses in the NFL. #6 rush defense in the NFL.

CB Carlos Rogers – Redskins – 89 to 90 – Is all the way back from a knee injury. An impressive season so far.

LB Jonathan Vilma – Saints – 92 to 93 – Also looks back from a bad knee injury. Displays top notch instincts.

WR Lance Moore – Saints – 79 to 80 – Appears to be a legitimate NFL receiver and not some product of Drew Brees.

QB Drew Brees – Saints – 95 to 96 – Received a boost in arm strength in how the Saints have been airing the ball out the past couple seasons. Does not have the weak arm some suspected from his career in college and his start in San Diego.

DT Craig Terrill – Seahawks – 76 to 78 – Only good thing to say about the Seahawks in Week 6, relentless in trying to get off blocks.

HB Mewelde Moore – Steelers – 78 to 80 – Extremely versatile player in his first year in Pittsburgh. Filled in for Willie Parker and might have to do it a few more weeks.

HB Steve Slaton – Texans – 80 to 82 – Got some more speed after he displayed his burst a few more times vs. Miami.

G Mike Brisiel – Texans – 77 to 78 – Came out of nowhere last year to finish the season at RG, continues to start there and does a nice job run blocking.

T Eric Winston – Texans – 85 to 87 – Locked up Matt Roth and whoever else lined up against him. The Texans gave him a contract extension and it’s easy to see why.

HB Chris Johnson – Titans – 82 to 83 – Recovering in his bye week after not faring as well vs. grown men in Baltimore.

DE Kyle Vanden Bosch – Titans – 93 to 94 – One of those “high motor” guys. Never stops in trying to get to the QB.

Ratings Down

DT Tommie Harris – Bears – 96 to 94 – Bears run defense isn’t what it was, and whether its injuries or what he isn’t either.

WR Earl Bennett – Bears – 76 to 74 – Can’t get on the field in Chicago. Very polished product coming out of college.

HB Chris Perry – Bengals – 81 to 79 – For my money the worst running back so far this year. Averaging 2.6 YPC with 5 fumbles. Bring on Cedric Benson.

G Andrew Whitworth – Bengals – 86 to 84 – Got a nice contract extension and has got lazy maybe. The Bengals can’t run or pass block.

LB Kamerion Wimbley – Browns – 87 to 86 – Has done virtually nothing since his promising rookie year. 6 sacks in his last 21 games is unacceptable for a player whose job is to rush the QB.

LB Willie McGinest – Browns – 85 to 84 – Heard his name once in the Monday night game but this guy is old and shouldn’t be counted on for too much production.

HB Edgerrin James – Cardinals – 91 to 89 – Behind Chris Perry this guy is in the conversation for most unimpressive at HB. Hightower looks twice as quick, James is incredibly slow at this point in his career.

CB Antonio Cromartie – Chargers – 92 to 91 – Still a work in progress in man coverage. Can be beaten easily cause he is so eager to make a big play.

G Kris Dielman – Chargers  - 92 to 91 – The famed left side of the Charger line isn’t blowing people off the ball like in years past.

TE Antonio Gates – Chargers – 98 to 97 – Injuries have cost this guy the ability to get open. Takes forever to get going and to change directions.

DT Ron Edwards – Chiefs – 83 to 78 – Completely out of the rotation at DT in the favor of going young in KC. Played pretty well last season.

FS Jarrad Page – Chiefs – 83 to 81 – Habitual tackle whiffer leading to big plays.

LB Donnie Edwards – Chiefs – 92 to 90 – Is banged up and has been out the past few weeks. Not a stretch to say his time in KC is up after this season.

TE Tony Gonzalez – Chiefs – 98 to 97 – We can’t remember how good you are because of the ineptness of the Chiefs passing game.

TE L.J. Smith – Eagles – 85 to 83 – Wants to be more involved in the offense? Difficult when LJ is usually hurt.

CB Chris Houston – Falcons – 78 to 77 – Extremely raw still trying to play man coverage which is supposed to be his strength. Very similar to his speedy predecessor at corner at Arkansas – Ahmad Carroll.

FB Tony Richardson – Jets – 90 to 88 – Thought something was up with Minnesota made no attempt to resign him, appears to be old.

C Dominic Raiola – Lions – 87 to 85 – Part of the giant mess known as the Detroit offensive line.

CB Brian Kelly – Lions – 82 to 80 – Is in and out of the starting rotation in Detroit which says enough. Can’t really be counted on in man coverage.

G Stephen Peterman – Lions – 80 to 77 – Has been out with injury and didn’t do a whole lot when he was in there.

S James Sanders – Patriots – 86 to 83 – Has not been involved at all in pass coverage.

S Michael Huff – Raiders – 87 to 85 – Is apparently a candidate to be benched in Oakland. Has not made any big plays in his time in the NFL.

DT Rocky Bernard – Seahawks – 84 to 83 – Seahawks can’t really stop anyone on the ground or anywhere else for that matter.

CB Kelly Jennings – Seahawks – 87 to 86 – Solid corner who has beaten deep too often this year. Now benched and plays in nickel situations.

QB Charlie Frye – Seahawks – 80 to 77 – His lack of poise was startling for a QB that has been in Seattle for over a year now. Looked bad vs. a so so Green Bay defense.

S Deon Grant – Seahawks – 87 to 85 – Has not been good this year in pass coverage.

S Brian Russell – Seahawks – 86 to 85 – No INT’s on the year and hasn’t teamed up with Deon Grant to be the safeties people expected.

DT Amobi Okoye – Texans – 92 to 89 – Might be in a sophomore slump after big things were expected of him. In and out of the lineup.

C Matt Birk – Vikings – 95 to 93 – The holes aren’t there in the middle for Peterson.

G Anthony Herrera – Vikings – 88 to 87 – Has struggled so far, especially in pass blocking.

RT Ryan Cook – Vikings – 87 to 84 – Has not been playing very well, and looked completely inept vs. Detroit and Jared DeVries.

Injuries

P Mat McBriar – Cowboys – IR

HB Brian Leonard – Rams - IR

S Gerald Alexander – Lions – IR

QB Jon Kitna – Lions - IR

G Marshall Yanda – Ravens – IR

LB Tavares Gooden – Ravens - IR

T Drew Radovich – Vikings – IR

Contracts

WR Roy Williams – Cowboys – 7 years

Transactions
QB Caleb Hanie – Added to Bears
HB DeDe Dorsey – Released to Free Agents
HB Cedric Benson – Signs with Bengals
FB Darian Barnes – Released by Bills
FB Corey McIntyre – Signs with Bills
WR Cliff Russell – Released to Free Agents/Removed
WR Glenn Martinez – Signs with Broncos
CB B.J. Sams – Released by Chiefs
WR Mark Bradley – Signs with Chiefs
WR Marques Hagans – Released by Chiefs
WR Kevin Robinson – Released by Chiefs
LB Weston Dacus – Signs with Chiefs
P Ben Graham – Released by Jets
CB Hank Poteat – Signs with Jets
CB Aaron Glenn – Added to Saints
QB Joey Harrington – Signs with Saints
HB Gary Russell – Signs with Steelers
LB Colin Allred – Added to Titans
T Richard Collier – Retires
HB Danny Ware – Added to FA
CB Geoff Pope – Added to FA
SS Antwain Spann – Added to FA
WR Brandon Rideau – Added to FA
WR Maurice Price – Added to FA

Ratings Up
LB Paul Posluszny – Bills – 82 to 84
WR Steve Breaston – Cardinals – 74 to 75
K Nick Folk – Cowboys – 89 to 91
DT Kris Jenkins – Jets – 92 to 93
T Gosder Cherilus – Lions – 74 to 77
FS Nick Collins – Packers – 86 to 87
WR Muhsin Muhammad – Panthers – 85 to 87
DT Justin Bannan – Ravens – 81 to 83
S Jim Leonhard – Ravens – 79 to 80
WR Derrick Mason – Ravens – 89 to 91
WR Ashley Lelie – Raiders – 73 to 75
CB Chris Johnson – Raiders – 66 to 70
DE Kalimba Edwards – Raiders – 79 to 82
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins – Raiders – 72 to 74
HB Michael Bush – Raiders – 80 to 81
QB Jason Campbell – Redskins – 86 to 87
S Chris Horton – Redskins – 70 to 74
HB Deuce McAllister – Saints – 83 to 85
QB Drew Brees – Saints – 94 to 95
TE John Carlson – Seahawks – 76 to 77
LB LaMarr Woodley – Steelers – 82 to 83
HB Steve Slaton – Texans – 79 to 80
LB Zac Diles – Texans – 74 to 76

Ratings Down
LT Jason Peters – Bills – 97 to 96
QB JP Losman – Bills – 79 to 77
DE Corey Williams – Browns – 90 to 89
CB Eric Green – Cardinals – 83 to 81
QB Matt Leinart – Cardinals – 85 to 82
G Kris Dielman – Chargers – 94 to 92
LB Zach Thomas – Cowboys – 94 to 93
CB Terence Newman – Cowboys - 95 to 94
HB Ryan Grant – Packers – 87 to 86
DT Tommy Kelly – Raiders – 91 to 87
WR Javon Walker – Raiders – 87 to 83
WR Ronald Curry – Raiders – 81 to 76
C Brett Romberg – Rams – 79 to 74
TE Jeremy Shockey – Saints – 95 to 94
CB Kelly Jennings – Seahawks – 88 to 87
DE Darryl Tapp – Seahawks – 83 to 78
C Justin Hartwig – Steelers – 85 to 82
LT Marvel Smith – Steelers – 87 to 84
RT Willie Colon – Steelers – 83 to 80
QB Vince Young – Titans – 88 to 83
CB Cedric Griffin – Vikings – 83 to 82
FB Thomas Tapeh – Vikings – 84 to 82

Injuries
DE Cullen Jenkins – Packers – IR
HB Rashard Mendenhall – Steelers – IR
RG Kendall Simmons – Steelers – IR
SS C.C. Brown – Texans - IR

In any event, this video will show you a way to counter this feature.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Morning everyone,

After a bit of a misfire on Friday, we’re going to get the patch discussions going again today (Monday, 9/22). I’ve read several different types of chatter in the last 24 hours so I wanted to get some answers out there.

Q: If the patch is done, why couldn’t it be released over the weekend?
A: Sony and MS have regular patch release windows that they use. Weekend days aren’t a part of this window. Our patch was ‘approved’ very late Friday and missed the opportunity to make Friday night’s window.

Q: Is the patch out in Europe?
A: The PS3 patch is released in Europe. Sony released that patch late in the weekend. Because the 360 game is a worldwide game, there is no PAL patch. Once the NA version is live, the rest of the world gets it at the same time.

Q: So when is the patch coming?
A: We’re hoping late tonight. Expect it very late tonight. As soon as I have a time confirmed from Sony & MS, I’ll post it here.

One of the most exciting games from Sunday in the NFL was the Broncos versus the Chargers. This was a classic AFC battle that had plenty of offensive fireworks. I want to take a look into the Broncos’ playbook to pull out a play that will give you some of the same firepower that was seen in that classic shoot-out.

Atlanta Playbook - Mesh Concept

By now, everyone is knee deep in their playbooks and has a scheme that they like. Many of us are getting ready for the EA tourney or are in leagues. During the time I have labbed with my crew and others, the Snugs is the most used set this season. The Snugs is a set that allows you to have excellent pass protection, to mesh/marry routes, and to expose the seam very well. Let’s take a look at this set and the mesh concept.

46 Normal Cover 4 A Gap Pressure

One of things I like about the 46 Normal is all the blitz schemes that can be created. This week, I want to show one from Cover 4 that brings A Gap pressure without having to make a lot of pre-snap adjustments.

46 Normal 3 Man Pass Rush

Last week in the filmroom, I showed how to get to a two man pass rush from the 46 Normal. This week, I want to look at a three man pass rush scheme that I use when my opponent uses slide protection to counter my two man pass rush scheme from the 46 Normal.

3-4 Over Sting Pinch Flipped

3-4-Over Sting Pinch was a highly used blitz last year. Problem was the creator of this deadly blitz, and he won many tournaments last year using it. This year, I want to show you a different way of setting up this blitz. Let’s hit the practice field and take a look.

For more information about the Virtual Filmroom, visit: http://www.maddenfilmroom.com

If you see that you can’t challenge it, as soon as the teams break the huddle while you are now on defense, quickly go offsides. This will allow you to challenge the last play run. I have had a few players do this trick to me, only to look stupid when I make them waste their timeout.

Two Weeks of Madden NFL 09

Well it’s been two weeks since Madden officially launched and it sure has been a busy time for us. I truly hope everyone is enjoying the game, and I wanted to drop an update on some things we’ve been working on for our 2nd patch. We feel that without a doubt this encapsulates the top issues we’re hearing from the forums and community leaders, and hope that this list truly makes Madden NFL 09 the ultimate sports game for you.

1.       Kicking play disconnect: If two opponents play a game with two different camera angles, in any situation where a game winning or tying kick was to be made, a disconnect could occur. “ActionCam” forces the game to go into slow-motion to add drama to these late kicks, but unfortunately the Classic camera does not, thus forcing the “disconnect”. This has been fixed…all cameras can still be used as well.

Workaround until the patch: If possible, ensure that you and your opponent have the same camera type chosen before starting an online game.

2.       Stability issues in the play call / halftime highlights / postgame highlights screens (especially in Franchise mode after training games): This was a hard one to track down as not everyone was seeing it , we did find the issue however with some Instant Replay / cache corruption, and have a fix ready for patch 2.

Workaround until the patch: Save and re-boot after any point where you have entered the game. We learned that the likelihood of this issue appearing is magnified after multiple loads into and out of the game engine. From what we’ve seen so far, people that have tried playing only one game at a time (or even one Franchise training session at a time), and saving/rebooting afterwards, have had zero crashes.

3.       Stability issues with Madden IQ end of game popup: This has been fixed.

Workaround until the patch: Always choose “No” at the Madden IQ end of game popup.

4.        ”WR direct snap” exploit: Cheesers found an exploit to direct snap to a WR for easy short yardage gain. Not only are we fixing this play (i.e. we aren’t removing it), we are also going to be re-setting records for anyone with a winning record that has been found to be using this play.

5.       Franchise Progression / Regression (or lack thereof): The lack of higher numbers was a tuning value that I think everyone agreed was just too low. This has been juiced up so you should see more realistic progression now.

6.       Edited players don’t progress: Players were not progressing after their jersey number (or pretty much any other attribute). This has been fixed.

7.       Stability issue when exiting Madden ‘93 in CE version: This has been fixed.

8.       Deep ball glitch: Some enterprising gamers found a way to throw a deep ball while crossing the LOS and hit a receiver wide open at a decent rate. We addressed this by making sure the DB will no longer break on the ball when the QB crosses the line while throwing.

9.       CPU running out of bounds: This bug appears when the CPU tries to switch hands while running to the sidelines. This is fixed for patch 2.

10.   Penalty sliders ineffective: A common complaint from the hardcore community was the lack of effect from the penalty sliders. We increased these substantially for patch 2.

11.   Field degradation: Another common complaint was the lack of field degradation. Our effect was very subtle, which was also getting overshadowed by our lighting and post effects, so we increased this effect for the patch.

12.   Stability issue with the Eagles and a full ring meter: We found and fixed a rare issue where the gamer could run into stability issues while using the Eagles in mini-game with a ring meter that was completely full.

13.   Play call screen hitch: We found and fixed a bug that was causing a noticeable hitch when exiting the play call screen

14.   Prevent Defense issue: We found and fixed an issue where defenders sharing a deep zone/prevent assignment would loosen their coverage (because they thought the other guy was covering for them), which allowed the receiver to get behind them even though they were in Prevent.

15.   Brett Favre stats: With the late addition of Brett Favre, we were not able to get his Career and Season statistics into the game for the roster update. This has now been added for patch 2.

16.   Defensive Preplay Mis-cue: We found and fixed an issue where defenders would leave their man wide open in a Cover 3.

17.   CPU quick-snap: A very common complaint on the forums was the speed at which the CPU snapped the ball. We added a random length of time (no less than 5 seconds) for the CPU to wait and even make pre-play adjustments.

18.   Online playbook switch: We found and fixed an issue where playbooks were re-setting to the defaults after the playbook select popup was closed.

I hope this makes everyone quite happy.

The patch is being tested as I write this and will be sent off for verification in the morning, so we are targeting less than a 3 week turnaround from today for this to hit the general public. (Woohoo!) We will also make sure to provide updates as the patch progresses through the 3rd party approval process. As a side note, as of this moment there have been no changes to database schema, so you won’t have to re-start your Franchise or delete any files.

It makes us very stoked to be able to make this many changes for a patch, and do them based directly on community feedback. There are always going to be folks that are upset if what they felt was a top issue wasn’t addressed, but I’ll state again (as I have before) that we have to keep balancing this work against Madden NFL 2010. The longer we keep going on patches, the less we can add to the following year’s product. On a side note, there is also a Franchise stability issue that we have been investigating, and we are working feverishly to get this figured out. We will update on that issue as soon as we can. As for the rest of the items, I personally feel that we have hit a very good balance of top items because many of these issues can actually detract from an enjoyable experience, which is obviously the last thing we want.

And now that this patch is nearly out the door, I figured I’d drop some more good news… We have officially started building the “Sim Madden Gamer” DLC pack, which includes Accelerated Clock, a “Classic” Controller Configuration, CPU Sliders, and Community Gamerpics for 360. I’ll state again that there’s no promise that this goes through, but we have nearly every one of these features actually ?done’ internally, so now we have to figure out how to get Microsoft and Sony to allow us to release them.

Thanks guys - keep the feedback coming!

Ian Cummings
Senior Designer, Madden NFL 2010 

They have to check out what works from last year, and what doesn’t. We often find that players have become dependent on certain tactics (the strafe catch for example) and struggle at the game. Gradually the players get past this learning curve, go back to their fundamental X’s and O’s and begin to master the game.

Our Virtual Playbook found at:

http://www.maddentips.com/madden09.html

is geared towards helping experienced players get over this curve quickly. For new players, it helps them achieve the same solid base that long time competitive players have.

Phase 2 of the game begins when players really begin to explore the game in earnest. New go-to tactics develop and begin to be put into action online and in tournament play. The game of Madden evolves. If you are a serious Madden player and don’t want to be left behind, then you have to spend some serious time in the Lab practicing the game and looking for new schemes.

If you are like most people, then you don’t have 20 hours a week to devote to finding new stuff and learning to counter glitches and money schemes that have hit you online. That’s where the Virtual Filmroom steps in.

Madden Virtual Filmroom

Each week my staff prepares a minimum of 5 Strategy breakdowns to keep you on the cutting edge of the competitive Madden world. These breakdowns plus videos will help you continue to grow as a player and keep you up to date on the latest techniques that are being used at the highest levels of competitive play.

We’ve given the Filmroom a completely new look this year and have added a ton of new features to really take it to the next level. With our new Virtual Filmroom 2.0, you’ll be able to interact with our staff like never before. You’ll be able to post questions/comments on each article, and you’ll get answers straight from the writers themselves.

You’ll have access to powerful tools like our Playfinder, and be able to take advantage of new features like our Weekly Group Lab Session. To find out more about how you can get your hands on the Virtual Filmroom 2.0 and skyrocket your gaming abilities, visit: http://www.maddenfilmroom.com