Sacked! Michael Vick and Madden, Part III

Fallen Star

The Madden NFL games rate each athlete on a 100-point scale in up to sixteen different categories depending on position. Johnson was a respectable presence in the middle of the Bears defensive line, with an overall player rating of 78 in last year’s game. Jones, on the other hand, was one of the most spectacular players in 07. He had an overall rating of 82, and after a real-life season that included three punts returned for touchdowns and a league-leading 12.9 yards-per-return average, his rating would have inevitably risen in 08.

Neither player’s absence carries ramifactions as severe for gamers as Vick’s removal from 08. Vick’s overall rating of 90 makes him the eighth-highest rated quarterback in the game, but Vick was the only player in Madden history whose style of play transcended his rating. His 97 Throw Power rating and 94 Speed rating made him almost equally capable of throwing for a 40 yard touchdown pass or scrambling for the same score.

Will he run or will he pass? Either way, a big play is inevitable.

Vick was essentially two players in one. His character dominated early versions of the game because neither the defensive AI nor opposing players were prepared for a quarterback who was as fast and evasive as any of the game’s running backs. As the series has evolved, Madden’s defensive playbooks have integrated more and more “QB Contain” and “QB Spy” plays, most in direct response to Vick.

Michael Vick- Madden NFL 08 Ratings

Vick will be replaced by Joey Harrington, who has an overall rating of 76. According to Madden, that makes him the 55th best quarterback in a league of 32 teams. Harrington is a more accurate passer than Vick (by a margin of 81 to 76), is slightly stronger (56 to 55) and more injury-reistant (88 to 79), but is statistically inferior to Vick in all other areas.

Joey Harrington- Madden NFL 08 Ratings

Harrington’s Speed and Elusiveness ratings of 62 and 55, respectively, are common for a quarterback. In contrast, Vick’s respective ratings of 94 and 98 are not only unmatched by quarterbacks, but rank among the best of all players. Harrington replacing Vick ompletely removes the extra ground threat from the Falcons’ offense, and fundamentally changes the way gamers will approach the team.

Sacked! Michael Vick and Madden, Part II

‘Cruel and Reprehensible’

“Your admitted conduct is not only illegal, but cruel and reprehensible,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Vick dated August 24. Vick’s infraction not only violates federal law in the United States, but also violates the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy that Goodell instituted on April 10. Associating with gamblers can lead to a lifetime ban from the NFL under the policy. A player’s participation in gambling raises questions about the integrity and legitimacy of the sport, and Vick having exposed himself to gambling is, “in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player,” Goodell wrote.

Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely without pay. Vick signed a 10-year, 130-million dollar contract with the Falcons in 2004.

Vick was the #1 overall draft pick in 2001

Fourth to be Sidelined

Vick becomes the fourth player suspended for violating the League’s Personal Conduct Policy. In addition to Vick, the suspended players include:

• Adam “Pacman” Jones, suspended for the upcoming season after being arrested five times and questioned by police 10 times since being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Jones is currently working as a professional wrestler for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

• Terry “Tank” Johnson, waived by the Chicago Bears on July 25, was suspended by the league for eight games after violating probation on a gun charge that stemmed from a raid on his home. Johnson served a two-month jail term in March.

• Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinati Bengals, also suspended for eight games. Henry was arrested four times in 14 months beginning in December 2005, and he served two days in jail in January 2007 for providing alcohol to minors.

Of the four suspended players, only Henry is currently playable in Madden NFL 08. “It’s very straight forward for us,” said Tyrone Miller, Senior PR Manager for Electronic Arts. “If they are playing on a team this year, they will be in the game. If they aren’t, they won’t. It has nothing to do with the players themselves.”

Sacked! Michael Vick and Madden, Part I

I broke the news that Michael Vick would be removed from Madden NFL 08. I wrote a feature piece for The Wiire on August 30, 2007 that will be posted here in five parts. The piece covers Vick’s impact on Madden, his professional career compared to his virtual prowess, and the history of troubled athletes resurrecting their careers on video game consoles.

Michael Vick will be removed from Madden NFL 08 on the same day that the NFL regular season begins. Has the “Madden Curse” struck against the only athlete thought to overcome it? How did Vick’s Madden career compare to his real-life career? Is September 5 the last time that gamers will ever see the former football star? Read on to find out!

Vick, pictured in Madden NFL 2004, deking Warren Sapp.

Guilty

As reported previously, a representative from EA Sports has confirmed to The Wiire that Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback who pled guilty on August 27 to federal charges stemming from his involvement in a dogfighting operation, will be removed from Madden NFL 08 in the next roster update.

The roster update, scheduled to occur on September 6, is a mandatory download for those who play the game online. The update will render Vick an unplayable character during online matches. The Falcons’ roster featured Vick as the starting quarterback when the game was released on August 14.

In a written plea agreement filed in federal court last Friday, Vick admitted to taking part in the killings of six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. According to the plea agreement, Vick funded Bad Newz Kennels, an organization that sponsored, bred, and trained approximately 54 pit bulls for the purposes of dogfighting.

According to a federal indictment filed on July 17, Vick and three co-defandants allegedly sponsored dog fights on property owned by Vick in Smithfield, Va. It was alleged that Vick and his three co-defendants killed dogs that underperformed in “testing sessions” by shooting, drowning, and electrocuting the animals.

Vick will be sentenced on December 10 and faces up to five years in prison.