Pittsburgh Steelers Archer Wants 99 Speed Rating On Madden
Oct 5, 2013; Kent, OH, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes running back Dri Archer (1) runs as Northern Illinois Huskies defensive end Jason Meehan (49) chases during the third quarter at Dix Stadium. Northern Illinois beat Kent State 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The cover has been released. Seahawk corner Richard Sherman didn’t get his way and was the sole featured athlete on the cover. But, will Pittsburgh Steelers rookie and potential big playmaker, Dri Archer, get his way in Madden 15?
On Friday afternoon, SB Nation’s Field Gulls posted a video of an interview with Archer while attending a rookie symposium. The interview covered the usual of what is asked during these things: How are things going so far? Have you spoken at length with any player(s)? How is the playbook for you? What do you expect to bring to the team? And the answers were just as typical: Things are going well. I’ve been clicking with many of the guys and talked with AB [Antonio Brown] and Ben. The playbook is bigger and it’s like starting over, but I’m grasping things. I will bring a big playmaking ability, versatility, and be that extra return man.
What I found interesting were the non-football related questions. And one that stuck out in particular was, “This will be your first year in Madden. What should your rating be and why?”
Dri’s reply was great:
"I know I’m going to be a rookie, so I would say somewhere in between 70 and …. you know as long as my speed is…. 99, preferably."
Jun 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Dri Archer (13) participates in drills during minicamp at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Archer’s probably played his fair share of Madden over the years, and he knows that rookies are rarely ever rated over anything above 80. So, he plays it cool and says that he should be somewhere over 70 and what we don’t know because he interrupts himself. As long as that speed is 99, seems like he’ll be just fine with anything else that he gets.
Archer is one of the fastest dudes in the league, rookie or veteran. And, Madden would be wise to make sure he is credited appropriately with that attribute when the game is released in just a couple of months in August. Realistically, that’s what it should be, and his overall should fall somewhere in the low 70’s. Having a 99 speed in Madden would be killer.
Will Archer make as much an impact with the Steelers in real life as he just might in Madden 15? In just a few short months we’ll begin to find out.