Madden|HQ

Madden 13 Cover Vote Favorite is Cam Newton

Rick Peyton — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:56:14 +0000

“With only a week left in the teammate versus teammate play-in round, Newton has already received more votes than any other player in the competition.”

“There are already a few surprises (and a few upsets) that might shock some of the higher-profile names in the vote.

“First off, “Madden” legend (and last year’s cover vote runner-up) Michael Vick, is in serious danger of getting bounced out early by teammate LeSean McCoy.”

“Another surprise is how close the Tim Tebow versus Von Miller vote has become. Not sure if it’s the possibility of Peyton Manning coming to Denver and Tebow becoming a backup or getting traded, but Miller is right within striking distance for the upset.’”

Read the entire cover vote update here.

Madden 13 Ratings Czar Donny Moore Does Mock Draft

Rick Peyton — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:50:51 +0000

“We are only a few days away from free agency so what better time to give you guys the first Rating Czar Mock Draft of 2012! This includes the blockbuster Redskins/Rams trade for the number 2 overall pick. I will update the mock draft as the offseason continues. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@Donny_Moore – https://twitter.com/#!/Donny_Moore) for all Madden NFL 13 updates.”

“1) Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
I already have my Luck #12 jersey on backorder from www.nflshop.com(sorry Quan Cosby, Mr. Luck wants your number). Luck looking like the highest rated rookie to enter Madden since Reggie Bush in Madden NFL 07 (87 OVR); very few if any weaknesses to Luck’s Madden game.”

“2) Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
RG3 might one-up Andrew Luck in at least one sense this year: He will make the Washington Redskins the most popular team to play with in Madden 13. With 90+ Speed, 90+ Throw Power, and solid accuracies across the board (especially Deep Accuracy) Griffin III will be one of the most anticipated rookies to enter the league since Michael Vick. Big question left for me is how high does RG3 go in terms of SPD and THP: Can he eclipse Mike Vick’s 94 SPD and 97 THP? Stay tuned…”

Rick’s Take: Donny Moore and co certainly understand the value of Mike Vick’s digital equivalent to Madden gamers and they won’t disappoint in providing us an alternative electric QB in Robert Griffin. I see a ‘Skins franchise in my future. Keep up with all rookies on our very own Madden 13 Rookie Ratings page.

See the complete mock draft here.

Tim Tebow | Madden 13 Cover Favorite

Rick Peyton — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:08:15 +0000

“The holy grail of video game covers – EA Sports’ Madden football franchise – for the third time will come down to a fan vote, with two candidates from every team eligible.

Browns running back Peyton Hillis pulled off the upset over Michael Vick in last year’s contest, hosted by ESPN, though Hillis’ disappointing, injury-plagued season made yet another case for the infamous ‘Madden cover curse.’

That didn’t stop the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski from openly campaigning for the Madden 13 cover, with each of his pajama-dressed brothers in tow. Gronkowski is given a good chance to make it, but Tim Tebow is the favorite in Bovada’s latest odds.”

Madden Cover Favorite List: Tim Tebow 5/1

Tim Tebow (DEN) – 5/1
Cam Newton (CAR) – 13/2
Rob Gronkowski (NE) – 13/2
Victor Cruz (NYG) – 12/1
Calvin Johnson (DET) – 18/1
Arian Foster (HOU) – 18/1
Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG) – 20/1
Ray Rice (BAL) – 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) – 20/1
Michael Vick (PHI) – 25/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) – 25/1
Patrick Willis (SF) – 25/1

More from USA Today, including the full list, here.

Madden 13 Cover Vote Is Underway

Rick Peyton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:49:15 +0000

“Through March 21, fans can visit the SportsNation Facebook page to choose among the 64 candidates in a play-in round (each matchup features two players from the same NFL team) to advance to the official 32-player, seeded tournament. The winners of the play-in round will be unveiled with the official seeded, 32-player bracket on March 21 on ESPN’s “Madden Cover Vote Special” from 5-6p.m. EST. To ensure their favorite player advances to the next round, fans are encouraged to vote daily and tweet their picks using #MyMaddenCoverVote on Twitter. Every Wednesday between March 21 and April 25, fans can tune into SportsNation on ESPN2 at 5p.m. EST to check out the latest Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote standings.”

Rick’s Take: You might also be interested in the media associated with this press release. That link contains all of the posters and player screens for the cover vote finalists along with box art and official Madden 13 Logos.

More info in the full announcement here.

Improving Defense in Madden 13

Rick Peyton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:26:06 +0000

The Sim Standard has posted a Madden 12 Defense gameplay video showcasing the game’s shortcoming in oline / dline interactions as well as flaws in defensive back positioning logic.

Rick’s Take: I especially enjoyed how they captured the poor defensive back animation jumping the route in the last example. Making positioning matter would go a long way in helping defense in Madden 13 for me.

Madden 13 Cover Vote Widget HTML Codes

Rick Peyton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:10:00 +0000

EA and SportsNation have created a Madden 13 Cover Vote Widget for every head to head matchup that you can embed on your site or blog. I put the data in an easy to access webpage. Grab the HTML Codes here.

Madden 13 Cover Vote – NFC North

Rick Peyton — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:46:47 +0000

EA Sports revealed the next group of candidates for the upcoming 64 player Madden 13 Cover Tourney that begins tomorrow, March 7th

Minnesota Vikings: Jared Allen and Percy Harvin
Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler and Matt Forte
Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson and Matt Stafford
Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews

Rick’s Take: MVP! MVP! Do I really want to destroy any chance of success for the Packers in 2012 by having Rodgers season destroyed by the Madden curse? Of course not, but I also really don’t want Brett Favre to be the only Packer to have ever been a Madden cover athlete. Good list though and Calvin Johnson might actually give the Green Bay duo a real scare in this one.

Madden 13 Cover Vote – AFC North

Rick Peyton — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:14:39 +0000

EA Sports revealed the next group of candidates for the upcoming 64 player Madden 13 Cover Tourney beginning March 7th

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu
Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton and AJ Green
Baltimore Ravens: Ray Rice and Terrell Suggs
Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden and Joe Thomas

Rick’s Take: 2010 Co-Coverboy Troy Polamalu seems like the most likely candidate to emerge from this group, but how about some love for Joe Thomas? That’s my vote.

Madden 13 Cover Vote – NFC South

Rick Peyton — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:10:47 +0000

EA Sports revealed the next group of candidates for the upcoming 64 player Madden 13 Cover Tourney beginning March 7th

The NFC South is up today. Check out the previous announcements. AFC West | AFC East | AFC South | NFC West | NFC East.

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton and Steve Smith
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LeGarrette Blount and Josh Freeman
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan and Julio Jones

Rick’s Take: Power packed conference today. Cam Newton is my homer pick (wife and I went to AU), but Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham would be great picks as well. I think Roddy White got hosed personally, but he wasn’t going to win.

Madden 13 Cover Vote – AFC South

Rick Peyton — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:38:35 +0000

EA Sports revealed the next group of candidates for the upcoming 64 player Madden 13 Cover Tourney beginning March 7th

The AFC South is up today. Check out the previous announcements. AFC West | AFC East | NFC West | NFC East.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert and Maurice Jones-Drew
Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson and Jake Locker
Indianapolis Colts: Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis
Houston Texans: Andre Johnson and Arian Foster

Rick’s Take: MJD and Arian Foster are coming off great seasons and even with the injuries last year, Johnson is still a beast. My vote goes to Jones-Drew.