NFL.com offers a good look at Madden NFL 10. You can find there site at http://madden.nfl.com

They offer tips and tricks, roster builder, videos, game screens, and ratings. Be sure you check it out.

We at MaddenFans.com dedicate our July 4th weekend to Steve McNair.

Steve McNair, the NFL’s co-MVP in 2003, has been found dead according to the Nashville police. An unidentified woman was also found dead at the scene.

We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and relatives.

To read more on Steve McNair’s death go here

Well the week come to close and it July 4th for those of us in the good ol USA. We finally finish off our NFL Power Rankings with training camp right around the corner. We appreciate our loyal members. Look for our next article after the weekend as we look back on past draft picks and where they are now. Lets finish this off.

32. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
29. St Louis Rams
28. Oakland Raiders
27. Cincinnati Bengals
26. San Francisco 49ers
25. Denver Broncos
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Seattle Seahawks
21. Washington Redskins
20. Miami Dolphins
19. Buffalo Bills
18. NY Jets
17. Carolina Panthers
16. Minnesota Vikings
15. New Orleans Saints
14. Green Bay Packers
13. Houston Texans
12. Chicago Bears
11. Arizona Cardinals
10. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Atlanta Falcons
8. Dallas Cowboys
7. San Diego Chargers
6. Tennessee Titans
5. Indianapolis Colts

4. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens were one game from the Super Bowl and trust me they will be thinking about that all season when they have to play the Steelers. If Joe Flacco can avoid the sophomore jinx the Ravens should do well. Willis McGahee and Todd Heap must pick up production after a less than stellar 2008 season. Ray Lewis is going to have to prove the Ravens made the right decision in resigning him and letting Bart Scott go. One concern will be the change at defensive coordinator and how that will effect the Ravens aggressiveness. Ed Reed will be on every team’s mind when they play Baltimore. This guy is great at baiting QB’s into making mistakes. The offense is really going to need to step up, they can’t constantly rely of the defense to keep them in games.

3. New York Giants

The Giants are not the same team with Plaxico Burress gone. Giants can stop fooling themselves too because Plaxico is not coming back. With the loss of Amani Toomer the Ginats don’t know who there No. 1 receiver will be. Right now that position will come down to Steve Smith or Hakeem Nicks. The signing in the offseason on defense of Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard, and Chris Canty will help the defense with there depth which was an issue last year. They have one of the strongest offensive lines and a great power running back. The Giants should make a great push into the playoffs.

2. New England Patriots

The Pats would be #1 if it wasn’t for Tom Brady. That is the big question mark. The Pats are good, real good. They proved that going 11-5 last year with Matt Cassell. Even though they missed the playoffs they should be ready to be back in the hunt this year. Tom Brasy still has his main targets Welker and Moss. The Pats went out and picked up Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden for there secondary. The LB position is still a question mark as well as there pass rush. This should be an interesting year for the Pats.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

They have everything in place to make another trip to the Super Bowl. They lost only two starters in the offseason. The Steelers offensive line must improve this year to keep from Ben taking so many hits. If the line steps up they will be the favorite to go back to the Super Bowl. Rashard Mendenhall returns and he is exactly the type of back the Steelers need. Defensively as long as Dick LeBeau sticks around the Steelers will always be a contender.

You can see our prior article here.

We continue with our NFL Power Rankings today. With only 8 teams left there was a lot of debate in what order to put them in. Feel free to leave comments. Our previous article for the NFL Power Rankings can be found here.

32. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
29. St Louis Rams
28. Oakland Raiders
27. Cincinnati Bengals
26. San Francisco 49ers
25. Denver Broncos
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Seattle Seahawks
21. Washington Redskins
20. Miami Dolphins
19. Buffalo Bills
18. NY Jets
17. Carolina Panthers
16. Minnesota Vikings
15. New Orleans Saints
14. Green Bay Packers
13. Houston Texans
12. Chicago Bears
11. Arizona Cardinals
10. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Atlanta Falcons

8. Dallas Cowboys

Chemistry is a big thing in the NFL. The losses of T.O, Pacman, and Tank Johnson will be good for this team. On paper they are not a better team offensively though unless Romo decides to step up and take the reins. Even though he is not a natural leader he is still one of the better QBs in the league. Wade Philips should take over the defensive play calling again this year with Brian Stewart gone. Dallas also has a triple threat at running back with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. The Cowboys will also have five new starters, four of them on defense. Chris Canty going to the Giants could be a big loss for this team. One thing is for sure, no playoff win, no more Wade Philips.

7. San Diego Chargers

You have to know the Chargers are getting tired of getting so close to the Super Bowl. This could be the year it works for them. Shawne Merriman will be returning after have a serious knee surgery last year. Philip Rivers continues to prove he is an NFL elite QB. LT will be returning after rushing for a career low 1,110 yards rushing. Norv Turner has done a great job making this team a pass first type offense, but the defense still needs work. The defense seem to have a lot of trouble stopping the pass last year. They weren’t many changes made during the offseason so basically this is the same team just one year older. They need to make this the year because the window of oppurtunity to make a Super Bowl is closing quickly.

6. Tennessee Titans

The Titans are in a position to make another run like last year. I was really pulling for the Titans considering how weak the WR corps were. The Titans went out and fixed that problem during the offseason by picking up Nate Washington from Pittsburgh and drafting Kenny Britt from Rutgers. The Titans also have one of the best running back tandems in the NFL with Chris Johnson and Lendale White. I am skeptical as to whether not losing Albert Haynesworth will effect them. Most teams say they never worried about a DL more than Haynesworth. The thing that impressed me the most last year was the Titan secondary, the concern there though is depth. Michael Griffin will probably be one of the best FS in the league before its all said and done. Look for a strong outing by the Titans again this year.

5. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have new coach with Jim Caldwell who is unproven at a head coaching position in the NFL. His previous job before coming to the Colts was at Wake Forest where is was 26-63. The big issue for the Colts this season will be getting there running game in check. They addressed that in the draft by picking up Donald Brown in the first round. Addai is going to need the help as his yard per carry average has dropped since he came aboard. Peyton Manning still has many available weapons even with the release of Marvin Harrison. Reggie Wayne and and Anthony Gonzalez will be the new receiving tandem for the Colts. The Colts need to get over the hump and start driving deeper into the playoffs. Time will tell if this can be accomplished.

Well another week and a lot of Madden NFL 10 information and videos all over the Internet this week. As we inch closer to the football season I hear more and more people asking me my thoughts on this coming year. We continue with our NFL power rankings. Lets take a look back on what we have so far.

32. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
29. St Louis Rams
28. Oakland Raiders
27. Cincinnati Bengals
26. San Francisco 49ers
25. Denver Broncos
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Seattle Seahawks
21. Washington Redskins

You can see our beginning article here and respectively Part 2 and Part 3.

20. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins won’t have the impact that they did last season because surprise is no longer on there side. In addition they have the toughest schedule in the NFL this season. Tony Sparano was quick to earn respect of his players. The Jets also helped them along by signing Brett Favre and allowing Chad Pennington to fall in there lap. If they can keep Pennington healthy, run the ball more effectively and get more out of the WR corps then they could still win 10 games. By no means am I calling last year a one year wonder. I think Pat White was a good pick for the type of offense they run and it’s a great possibility we could see him before year’s end.

19. Buffalo Bills

The Bills made one of the biggest moves during the offseason that just reeked of desperation signing Terrell Owens. The Bills have finished 7-9 three years in a row. You have to wonder how Dick Jauron has kept his job not to mention received a three year extension. Trent Edwards has been a great QB when he is healthy. Edwards should have a great passing game this year with Owens drawing coverage. Last year shutting down Lee Evans basically shut down there passing game. Buffalo began last season 5-1 but they also went 1-8 against teams who ran a 3-4 defense. They are in a tough division, and its imperative they take the next step.

18. NY Jets

Rex Ryan takes over as head coach after the departure of Mangini. Ryan has no head coaching experience but has been around the game his whole life learning from his father Buddy Ryan. Rex Ryan is hoping to turn the Jets into a ‘ground and pound’ team with a hardcore defense similar to the Ravens. For the second year straight there also looking to fill the void at QB. Word is Sanchez looks good enough to start and you have to think that Sanchez will be the face of the franchise in the future. Rex Ryan did go out during the offseason and make some key moves for DB’s grabbing Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland. The one place they failed at is losing two of there hardened veterans in WR Laveranues Coles and TE Chris Baker. Anything less than a playoff run would be a disappointment for this team.

17. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers finished 12-4 last season and basically looks the same as they did in 2008. My problem is the shellacking they took in the playoffs to Arizona. John Fox is one of the more conservative coaches in the league who believes in running first and passing only to keep the defense honest. The Panthers made no big moves in the offseason skipping FA for the most part. Delhomme who is now 34 received a 5 year extension even after the worst game in his career against the Cardinals. DeAngelo Williams returns after just an excellent season. What a shocker he didn’t make the Pro Bowl after recording 20 TD’s and over 1500 rushing yards. Steve Smith should also be mentioned here as he makes a return after racking up over 1400 yards receiving. This guy always plays bigger than his size. It will be interesting to see if Carolina can keep the momentum as John Fox has never had winning back to back seasons.

More to come next weekend

We continue on in our power rankings this morning. Here is what we had so far

32. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
29. St Louis Rams
28. Oakland Raiders
27. Cincinnati Bengals
26. San Francisco 49ers
25. Denver Broncos

You can find our previous article here. We move now to our next four teams.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

After last years debacle finishing 5-11 I can’t possibly put this team any higher. Even though its not been talked about you have to think Del Rio is on the hot seat. I can’t think of another player that slipped into the cellar as quickly as David Garrard as well. The Jags cleaned house in the off season dropping names like Fred Taylor, Mat Jones, and Reggie Williams. Coming off an injury plagued season last year there is still hope. They had a solid draft that should fix the holes in the offensive line that allowed Garrard to be sacked 2.7 times a game.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This rank might be a little low for Tampa Bay after the head scratching decisions during the off season. I am not totally convinced that Tampa Bay will do that bad. Gruden is gone and in his place comes Raheem Morris who will be the youngest coach in the NFL on opening day at the age of 33. They released five veteran players during the off season including Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn. The Bucs went and grabbed Josh Freeman and Roy Miller as some notables in the draft. Don’t expect to see Freeman this year though as they also brought in Byron Leftwich to compete for the starting spot against Josh McCown. The defensive line needs the most improvement as they will be playing under a different style this year.

22. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks were exposed last season not only due to injury but also as an undersized defense. This brought them to a 4-12 record, plus the signing of two DT’s that combine for over 600lbs during the offseason. I don’t doubt Jim Mora skills as coach, he has been in this situation before, remember Atlanta? I will say its unlikely the same turn around will take place. They had a key signing during the off season when they picked up Housh and also the drafting of Aaron Curry. If Hasselbeck can stay healthy there is no reason they can’t challenge the Cardinals in a weak division, but this is unlikely. Seattle has too many unanswered questions right now to be considered a serious threat.

21. Washington Redskins

What can I say about the Redskins? They start out strong but it never seems to end that way. Jason Campbell has played for seven offensive coordinators over eight years. The fact he is still in Washington is a shock for many. The Redskins tried to acquire Jay Cutler from Denver, and then attempted to move up in the draft for Mark Sanchez. Campbell has handled all of this like a pro, pay attention Cutler. The Redskins did manage to pick up Albert Haynesworth and then Brian Orakpo during the draft. The defense will keep them in games but don’t be shocked if change is on the way if the finish below .500, and it will come.

More to come a little later this week.

I do apologize for not getting this article out when I said I would. Holiday here in the good ol U.S.A. and got caught up in it. Not to mention that new UFC game has peeked my interest a little. Well enough of that and on to the next four teams. You can read about the first four teams here. Lets do a quick recap.

32. Detroit Lions
31. Cleveland Browns
30. Kansas City Chiefs
29. St. Louis Rams

28. Oakland Raiders

The only person who made out good with Oakland’s draft picks was Michael Crabtree. The expression on his face when Oakland passed him was shared by many without a doubt. Tom Cable is nothing more than a yes man for Al Davis. The draft picks were a complete debacle. Word from mini-camp is Jamarcus Russell has no work ethic and Heyward-Bey can’t catch a pass to save his life. Oakland was last in pass yards per game and I doubt this is likely to change. Javon Walker had another knee surgery so count him out in the long run. Look for Garcia to be starting mid-season if not sooner if Russell doesn’t act quickly. I would have dropped them lower but insanity has to count for something.

27. Cincinnati Bengals

I have seen some boards have the Bengals ranked higher because of what the defense did last year (ranked 12th) but I am not a believer. The defense had 17 total sacks. Offensively they should be sound at least in the passing game. I will give them this they did draft well for the most part. They picked up Andre Smith who should help to protect Palmer and added Maualuga at LB and this will be a key pick if he develops. They should have kept Housh, guaranteed 100 catch guy.

26. San Francisco 49ers

San Fran finished strong going 4-1 at the end of the season. There biggest issue right now is QB. If Alex Smith or Shaun Hill can step up they are in contention to win the division. Patrick Willis will be the key for a decent pass rush from the outside linebacker spot. Expect to see Crabtree early and a lot. Mike Singletary will have much more on his plate as his style will have to last the whole season.

25. Denver Broncos

Here is a team that I am prepared to see drop in the rankings. I would have them in the first four posted but we are still talking the Denver Broncos. Josh McDaniels has a long road this season after trading Jay Cutler, even though the trade rested on the shoulders of Cutler and his whiny boy attitude. I just can’t see how anyone could be excited about any QB replacing Cutler. Denver has needs all over defense and drafted a RB with there first pick. McDaniels has some work to do with the fans. He has basically alienated himself with sending Cutler packing and paying a long snapper 1-million dollars. The free agency moves were not much better, signing guys that are doing nothing more but looking forward to retirement. This team has a lot of work to do.

The continued article with the next teams will be out later this week.

“As namesake of the world’s most popular sports videogame, John also introduced the game of football to generations of young fans. It is only fitting that his last game as an announcer was this year’s Super Bowl — the most-watched TV program of all-time. He is stepping down as a true Super Bowl champion.”

Madden’s blue-collar style and love for in-the-trenches football endeared him to fans. His Madden NFL Football is the top-selling sports video game of all time”.

John Madden Retires

That time of the week again for another Madden NFL 10 update from EA Sports Blog. This week EA Sports talks about customizations within the game aimed at settings. This ranges from design to game options like game skill. Be sure and check it out.

“In order to accomplish the intent of this design, the settings selection from the main menu will have no spill-out menu. “Settings” will bring up one master settings screen with all of the settings sub-screens available, and all new and existing settings screens will be made sub-screens of this new master settings screen. We will make detailed use of the descriptive text to aid navigation.

Additionally, settings screens that could previously only be accessed by selecting a different screen first will be decoupled from those screens, making them directly accessible from the new master settings screen.

The new flow will have the user select “My Madden -> Settings” from the main menu, which will bring up the MASTER SETTINGS SCREEN. This acts as a hub to all other settings screens.”

Read the rest of this Madden NFL 10 Update

And the award goes to Plaxico Burress. The Dallas Cowboys may have drunks and arms dealers but at least they don’t shoot themselves in the leg.

The Giants’ dream season was thrown into turmoil Saturday when Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub and linebacker Antonio Pierce tried to hide the gun, police sources said. Burress is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges in the coming days, while Pierce’s attorney was in frantic discussions with cops last night to stave off criminal charges, police sources said. Burress’ latest self-inflicted wound came after he was initially turned away from the LQ nightclub in midtown because he was packing heat, police sources said. Burress, 31, who was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash, told club management he needed the gun to protect himself, sources said. The mercurial Giant was waved inside the crowded Latin-themed club on Lexington Ave. about midnight. He downed several drinks, making already jittery security guards more nervous about his weapon. As Burress was being led into a VIP area, with a drink in his hand, the gun slipped down his pants leg. He reached for the weapon, but fumbled it and it went off, sources said. The bullet tore through Burress’ already injured right thigh, police said. “[The bullet] went in and out. No bones,” Chief Michael Collins, a police spokesman, said. Pierce, 30, rushed to his bleeding teammate and applied pressure to the wound as Burress screamed in pain amid the hip-hop beats piping through the club, sources said. As he worked to slow the bleeding, Pierce berated Burress for bringing a loaded handgun into a club. Panicking, Burress told his teammate not to call 911 for an ambulance, sources said. Pierce helped the bloodied receiver out of the club before taking off with the gun and stashing it somewhere in New Jersey, sources said. Burress was afraid to go to the hospital, but two hours after the shooting, at 2 a.m., his wife, Tiffany, and a friend escorted him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell. He was treated and released at about 12:45 p.m., sources said. But a hospital spokeswoman denied that Burress was ever there. Cops only learned about the incident after Giants employees quietly reached out to the NYPD to report it, sources said.

New York Daily News