Michael Thomas Being a 99 in Madden Is an Affront to Rational Thought and Discourse

I didn't think I could be angrier at something this offseason than the Matt Ryan drivel espoused by Bomani Jones, but this just might do it. The second-best receiver in his own division, let alone the NFL, is a 99 in Madden?!

Michael Thomas is a really good football player. He's probably one of the best four or five receivers to come into the League this century to this point in his career. He's also not particularly close to being as good as Julio Jones.

Thomas plays in possibly the most perfect situation any receiver has come into in the last decade. He has Drew Brees throwing him the ball and is able to not be draped in coverage thanks to multiple other weapons that defenses are forced to pay attention to. Pair that with the fact that he's never asked to run a route longer than eight yards and you have a recipe for a lot of catches and some really good numbers.

But am I taking crazy pills? Has anybody ever actually watched Julio Jones play football? I genuinely don't understand how anyone can watch those two play and not only think Thomas is better, but think that he's the best receiver in the NFL. Although I suppose if you say he's better than the actual best receiver in the NFL, that becomes a de facto position you have to defend.

Regardless, I'm mad online again that people apparently have never watched the Falcons play a football game, because the constant amount of disrespect Jones and Ryan get from people who don't understand what they're doing is astounding. When ESPN polled NFL coaches, scouts and executives — you know, the people whose job it is to know this sort of thing — they came up with the correct answer as to who the best receiver in the League is.

I'd like to thank my good friend Steven Cheah for being on the right side of history in this battle, as he has taken up arms with me against the non-film watchers.

Julio Jones is a much better football player than Michael Thomas and I will not rest until the people making video games understand this as well as people who actually watch football.