Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
If you picked Drew Brees or Steve Smith, who would be my top two choices, as the best player in the NFC South right now, you'd be wrong. If you picked Julius Peppers, who I'd place in the top five, you'd be wrong.
At least that's according to the "Madden NFL 10'' ratings that we're running over on our video games page. According to their formula, the best player in the NFC South is Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez. He had a 98 overall rating, the highest score of any NFC South player.
Smith and Peppers each had a 97 and Brees scored a 96. You can see the rankings for the Falcons here, the Panthers here, the Saints here and the Bucs here.
On the other end of the spectrum, I certainly agree Tampa Bay receiver Dexter Jackson didn't exactly shine as a rookie. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he heads to training camp. The Madden folks sure aren't doing that. They gave him a 46.
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Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.