I'm a big fan of making lists, so at the end of every week I'm going to drop some sort of a top 5 relating to the world of EA SPORTS. Look for it every Saturday from here on out.

This week I want to talk about some of the best players of Madden NFL 09. Not you guys on the sticks, but the video game representations of real life NFL players who are consistently wreaking havoc on the virtual gridiron across the world. Now I've had discussions like this with my fellow Maddenites in the past, but that was before Madden's EA SPORTS World video upload feature came along to provide visual evidence showing which players are making the biggest impact in the game. I've been watching videos for a couple of weeks now, and here's top 5 list of Madden NFL 09 Highlight Kings. Naturally, I've provided some of that much needed evidence in the forms of links to highlights of each of these players. Click and enjoy.



#5 Shawne Merriman Sack. Fumble. Interception. If you search for clips of Shawne Merriman on EA SPORTS World, these are the three words most associated with his highlights. He's one of the most dominant defensive forces in Madden NFL 09 and kicks off my top 5 as the only defender to make the list. There are a lot more offensive videos on EA SPORTS World than there are of defense, but here's a defensive player whose highlight reel ranks up there with the best of them. The visual evidence...

Fumble recovery. This clip is one of many on EA SPORTS World that shows Merriman picking the rock up off the ground and rumbling for a score. In some videos he's not necessarily the guy causing the fumble (except when he is), but when the ball is on the ground he's usually one of the first guys near it.

Pick 6. Watch this pick 6 of Peyton Manning that's taken to the house by Merriman. He stumbles for a moment but then breaks tackles and outruns the rest of the offense on his way to the endzone. There's part of me that has to wonder if he couldn't play on the other side of the ball.

Hit Stick In case anyone forgot why he's called "Lights Out." Here's why.



#4 Randy Moss Here's a guy who's not your average every day Madden NFL wide receiver. He can beat you over top or underneath. He can outjump you, outsmart you, and will often catch the ball even when you think you've got picture perfect coverage. Put him together with one of fhe best QBs in the game and you've got a deadly combination that's going to create a lot of big plays. Here are just a few...

What a Drag Here's a play that proves that there's no such thing as not enough endzone when it comes to Randy Moss. The ball is a bit overthrown and he's running full speed, but still manages to dive and drag his feet at the back of the endzone and stay in bounds. Are you kidding me? I've been playing Madden NFL 09 for weeks and haven't managed to do something like this yet. Is this guy that good, or is that just Randy?

Burned. This one is from an online game. The DB never comes close to catching him. It's almost like Randy runs even faster on snow than he does when the field is dry.

Never Give Up. This one reminds me of Darrell Green running down Tony Dorsett 25 years ago on Monday Night Football. Brady throws an ill advised pass that should make for an easy touchdown for the DB, but Randy Moss runs past a couple of his own teammates to make a touchdown saving tackle.



#3 Terrell Owens The best evidence for putting TO on this list is the sheer volume of videos uploaded with his highlights. It seems like you can't go through a single page of EA SPORTS World Madden videos without seeing him. 76 yard touchdown, 80 yard touchdown, 95 yard touchdown. People are going deep with TO. Are the Cowboys a bandwagon team for Madden NFL 09? Maybe. But TO is giving people good reason to run with Dallas and their high powered Madden NFL offense. Take a look..

Rear View. See that #81 on the back of TO's jersey? You're not the only one. Seems like every other video uploaded to EA SPORTS World is a Terrell Owens rear view special. He must be made of fire or something because DBs don't seem to want to get too close to him.

Relocation This is the only known pass in the history of Madden NFL football to start in one zip code and end in another. I can't think of a more embarrassing way to get scored on.

Fly Eagles Fly. TO is just as fast in other team's uniforms as he is as a Cowboy. Thanks to franchise mode, here's a clip featuring TO back in Philadelphia catching a pass from Peyton Manning. This will never happen Eagles fans, but it's your virtual world to live in.



#2 LaDainian Tomlinson LT is maybe the best player to use in Madden NFL over the last several years. Few players have consistently caused so much trouble for opposing defenses. LT now has a good supporting cast, but he's been juking defenders out of his shoes in this game since he was the only guy on the Chargers offense worth remembering. Check out these videos. The flash of light you see is LT..

A Hard Yard. There are a million and one clips of LT running through and around defenses for long touchdown runs (yeah I'll post those too), but here's a play that shows one of the things that separates LT from other backs in the league. It's a one yard touchdown run where LT never gives up. Even when you stop him you can't stop him.

WR Hands Did I mention that LT can catch the ball as well? Here's a video of LT stretching out to catch a pass from Phillip Rivers that should have never been thrown. LT doesn't just score touchdowns, he also saves you from yourself.

Follow the Leader. Here's LT doing what he does best. Rushing for a ridiculously long touchdown.



#1 Adrian Peterson Last year's NFL rookie sensation is this year's Madden NFL 09 phenom. He's a magician in the backfield for anyone using the Vikings. Now you see him, now you don't. He makes opposing teams hopes of victory disappear into thin air and pulls impossible runs out of a hat. He's the undisputed Madden Highlight King in my book and here's why...

Check the Settings. Ever play a game of Madden with a friend and seen a ridiculous play, so you check the settings and realize you'd accidentally set the difficulty too low? Adrian Peterson is kind of like that. He has you thinking the difficulty is too low. But when you check you realize it's not the settings, he's just that good. Here's a play that must have happened on the rookie setting, only it didn't. It was on All Madden.

The Magician.  Here's a pretty good example of some of that magic I'm talking about.  Peterson disappears in a small crowd of Packers players, then reappears 70 yards down field in the end zone.   I wonder if Houdini could run a 4.4 in the 40?

Mile High No this highlight isn't at Denver, but it is against the Broncos and that's about how much air Peterson gets while jumping over a defender on his way to a 94 yard score.  He doesn't slow down at all while making this defender look like a prop in the 100 meter hurdles.



So that's my top 5 Madden Highlight Kings.  Agree or disagree?  Let me know.  I'll be back next Saturday with a completely different top 5.  If you've got any ideas for what should be in the next top 5, send them my way as well.  Until next time.

-raczilla