The Texans' player ratings on EA Sports' "Madden NFL 11" video game were released today.
Courtesy of a **listing compiled by ESPN**, here are the Texans' top 10 (check that, 11) players in this year's edition of the ever-popular game:
- WR Andre Johnson: 98
- DE Mario Williams: 95
- LB DeMeco Ryans: 90
- QB Matt Schaub: 89
- LB Brian Cushing: 87
- TE Owen Daniels: 87
- RT Eric Winston: 85
- SS Bernard Pollard: 84
- DE Antonio Smith: 82
- LT Duane Brown: 79
- FS Eugene Wilson: 79
Among running backs, Steve Slaton received a 78 rating and rookie Ben Tate a 77. Arian Foster, the projected starter entering camp, didn't get much love with an overall rating of 67.
Wide receiver Kevin Walter got a 77, Jacoby Jones a 70 and David Anderson a paltry 64. Tight end James Casey (72) was rated higher than Joel Dreessen (70), who started 11 games last season.
"Madden" has Danny Clark (75) rated as the Texans' third-best linebacker, with weakside starter Zac Diles and third-year pro Xavier Adibi coming in next at 71.
The folks at EA Sports apparently give the edge in the Texans' kicking competition to Neil Rackers (77), who's rated six points higher than incumbent Kris Brown (71).
First-round draft pick Kareem Jackson got a 73 rating, which includes 90 speed. The Texans' other starting cornerback, Glover Quin, comes in at a respectable 76.
The fastest Texans player in "Madden 11" is rookie wide receiver Trindon Holliday, who's rated 52 overall but has a 97 SPD rating. Cornerback Brice McCain (68 overall) is next with 95 SPD, followed by Johnson at 94 and a host of players (Jones, Slaton and André Davis) at 93.
Williams and defensive end Connor Barwin have 84 SPD. That makes them faster than the likes of Daniels (83), Walter (82), Pollard (79) and every Texans linebacker but Cushing (84).
The Texans' strongest players are a couple of former Texas Longhorns, reserve defensive tackle Frank Okam (92 STR) and starting left guard Kasey Studdard (90).
The Texans' best tackler is, not surprisingly, Ryans. His whopping TKL rating of 97 surely has to be among the best in the league (not all teams' rating have been released at the time of this posting). Cushing isn't far behind Ryans at 91. Most Texans fans would agree that Pollard's 79 TKL rating, which ranks sixth on the team, is far too low.
Fourth-round draft pick tight end Garrett Graham, sixth-round guard Shelley Smith and seventh-round wide receiver Dorin Dickerson are nowhere to be found on the roster. Among the other omissions are running backs Chris Henry and Jeremiah Johnson, defensive end Jesse Nading, cornerback Antwaun Molden and safety Troy Nolan.
