Madden 11 Has Lots of Swagger… Literally

Madden 11 is all about the ratings, so when we tipped you guys off on the new Dolphins and Jets player ratings for this season, we were quick to notice something different about this year’s numbers… there was more swagger to them.

Earlier today a post on the official EA forums leaked an image highlighting a new rating sponsored by Old Spice, known as “Swagger.” This was later confirmed officially, albeit indirectly, by the listing above of an “SWG” rating on players, further identified as swagger in the key. While we are still awaiting further details on what this rating could reflect, there are a few early theories floating around.

Roots of Madden 11 Swagger Rating

On January 8, 2010 Old Spice put out a press release detailing a partnership with the NFL to identify what teams had the most swagger. The partnership stands to be the catalyst for the latest Madden 11 rating.

Old Spice: “When it comes to Swagger, it’s not just about a winning record, it’s also about playing with confidence and a winning attitude… As the official deodorant and body wash of the NFL, Old Spice knows that having Swagger gives players and teams an extra edge both on and off the field.”

Possible Factors in Compiling a Swagger Rating

The press release would go further to identify just which teams had the most swagger in the NFL, including a little more detail into some of the relavent information that goes into compiling the rating. While the information below seems geared toward teams overall, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to expected that the Madden 11 individual player rating is somewhat similar.

“• Red Zone Performance: Scoring and Tackling when it counts requires Swagger on both sides of the ball
• Taking Your Swagger on the Road: Winning a game while tens of thousands cheer against you requires massive amounts of Swagger
• Fourth Down Conversions: It’s fourth down. You have to have Swagger to go for it…and make it
• Gentleman’s Game: It takes a different level of Swagger to play the game by the rules and avoid penalties
• Merchandise Sales: When fans wear your team colors like a uniform, you definitely have Swagger”

Things like first down conversions, red zone performance and even performance when coming from behind may likely all play a role in the new swagger rating. Heck, for all we know, celebration antics could even be a part of it. For now, we can only speculate as we await further details.

MAJOR STORY UPDATE: Continue to read how EA explains swagger

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