Early notes on Madden NFL 11

Madden NFL 11 is scheduled to be released in just about a month, so here's a little preview:

The rookies are tough

• The Broncos four offensive rookies all have toughness ratings over 90. Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both come in at 93, with Zane Beadles at 94 just behind J.D. Walton's 95. Tim Tebow tops them all (and every other quarterback in the NFL), with a 98 toughness rating. Hopefully their Madden toughness ratings show on the field this season.

No love for the wide receivers

• Of the 9 Wide Outs and Tight Ends on the Broncos Madden 11 roster, Daniel Graham has the best overall rating - 81. Eddie Royal's 76 is followed by Gaffney (75), Stokley (74), Thomas (74), Lloyd (73), and Decker (69). Richard Quinn and Kenny McKinley are 67 and 57 respectively. Given that two of them are rookies and the others haven't proved too much, those ratings seem pretty fare. Then you look at Dez Bryant and Dwayne Bowes' overall ratings. Receiver Dez Bryant is rated as one of the highest rookies with an overall rating of 80,- the same rating givin to No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford. Bryant was taken 2 picks after Thomas yet is rated 6 points ahead of him. EA Sports and Josh McDaniels probably differ on that rating. Meanwhile, Royal and Jabar Gaffney got a slap in the face when Kansas City receiver Dwayne Bowe received a 94 overall rating - just two points less than Miami Dolphins' Brandon Marshall's 96 overall rating.

Moreno's rating improved from last year

• Not by much, but Moreno's overall has jumped from an 81 rookie rating to a 82 entering his second season. Knowshon isn't a power back, and Madden 11 made note of that, giving him a 76 Trucking rating, and 72 carry rating. His acceleration is higher than it was last year, earning a 96 rating. Moreno's ratings have risen and fallen in different areas, but he'll be better overall.

No Branson, Paxton

• Electronic Arts has a tough job, not only do they have to assign ratings to every player, but also predict teams final rosters months before the real ones are known. Because of that, you'll find a player here and there who aren't any longer on the team, while noticing players that aren't on the Madden roster, even though they are on the Broncos roster. Two key players they missed this time around are Long Snapper Lonie Paxton and Tight End Marquez Branson. Madden has never had Long Snappers on team rosters before, and it's about time they did (I hate seeing Ryan Clady snap for punts and field goals). They don't even have to make a new position, just add another Tight End to every team that is good at long snapping. They really blew it at TE, the Broncos will be carrying three this year, and Branson could be a sleeper. The Broncos are expecting a lot out of Branson - both as a receiving Tight End, and possible fullback in some situations. Unless you create him, you won't be able to utilize him at either position as Madden 11 doesn't have him on the roster.

Four players that did get some love

• The Broncos have four players in Madden 11 with overall ratings 90 or higher. Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Ryan Clady and Elvis Dumervil got some love EA was unwilling to give the receivers. Clady leads them all, ranked as the best Left Tackle in the game, his overall rating is 98. Champ Bailey isn't far behind with a 95 rating, while Dumervil's 93 is the third best rating for all ROLB's in the game. Rounding off the 90-club is Brian Dawkins, who comes in right at 90. All four players made the Pro Bowl last season, and if they live up to their ratings Bronco fans can expect a repeat.

All about Tim Tebow

• Tebow's overall rating is 70, and that's fair considering he hasn't proven anything in the Pro's yet. He is a "Scrambling" quarterback in the game, with a 90 acceleration, 96 stamina, 98 toughness, 97 injury (the higher the rating the less chance of injury), 88 jumping, and 86 carry ratings. He also has the highest trucking rating among all other QB's in the game. His throw power (88) isn't bad, but he lacks accuracy (74). He is far from a bad quarterback, and would probably be great for Wild Cat packages in the game.

View more screenshots of Broncos in Madden 11 by clicking here.

That's all we have for now, being a big Madden gamer myself, I'm anxious to play with the Broncos when the game comes out this August.