Oh man, I love Pete Carroll. I really do. But the fake field-goal attempt, Pete? Any Madden gamer worth his salt knows that's nothing more than a sucker play. In case you missed it on Monday night, the Seahawks were lined up to attempt a field goal in the closing seconds of the first half. The Seahawks pulled the fake. I'm trying to remember a time in my life when it worked on Madden, and I'm stumped. It would be easier to remember a time when the critics didn't automatically hate a DC movie just because (even though it's pretty good).
At some point, I wish more NFL teams would just embrace the "screw it, go for it" attitude on fourth down and not try to be so sneaky. Especially if your kicker is Blair Walsh. It would be way more fun.
Kind of like that "Madden" view on Thursday Night Football, am I right? Stop shaking your head, I can't see you. But it was pretty fun to see those angles during a telecast. If they had a separate channel just for the "Madden" view (I believe we have the technology, right), then I would watch the whole game that way. It's fun to see the holes develop, and DeMarco Murray not to hit them.
But in any event, here are some players I would like to stump for this week. Guys who need a boost on their "Madden" rating.
Let's start with Russell Wilson. I'm not sure what his rating is, but it should be damn-near 100. In fact, it should be 100. The guy is the entire Seahawks offense. He takes the snap, scrambles for like 20 seconds and then he just heaves the ball into the air. Normally it hits the intended target. Because he's really good. Wilson has been incredible this season and he never seems to get enough credit.
Adam Thielen might be one of my favorite players in the league non-Bears division. (I'm a Bears fan, just in case we haven't met.) This guy has been ultra-consistent this year. The knock on Thielen for the first couple of weeks was that he wasn't getting into the end zone. That's changed over the last couple of weeks and he had a pretty sweet catch-and-run against the Rams on Sunday. Thielen finished with 123 yards and one touchdown. He's moved past his running mate Stefon Diggs and is the best receiver the Vikings have.
Kenny Stills has been amazing as well. I know a lot of folks who play the ultra-hipster PPR fantasy leagues have caught wind of him weeks ago. He had a rather impressive breakout against the Bucs on Sunday. He caught seven passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Bucs.
And if I could stump for one player who shouldn't have his rating rise, per say, but at least stay level, it's Drew Brees. Now, you ask a fantasy enthusiast and he or she would say this has been one of the worst seasons of Brees' career. I feel like this is one of his best. He's adapted his style. I mean, it was fun to watch him throw for 5,000 yards every season. But what was it getting the Saints? He's been a "wait for it" game manager this season and it's worked out rather well. I guess when you have Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, it's easy to do such things. Although when Brees needed to show his arm and get loose against the Redskins on Sunday, he was able to do that. He went from getting blown out to tossing for 385 yards and two touchdowns. My man.
That's it for me this week. Keep on hitting the B button.
