We’ve spent plenty of time the past couple of days talking about

Madden game Germaine Pratt Jersey , and the motivation they have drawn from it. One player who shouldn’t be upset (and in turn has no basis for extra motiviation) is Rams running back Todd Gurley.Gurley is the highest-rated running back in the game, with a 97 overall. And, frankly, that decision should spark the biggest questions about the skills, abilities, and knowledge of the nameless and faceless EA employees who come up with these numbers.Gurley’s career remains at a crossroads, at best. He has an arthritic condition in his knee, along with a clear case of denial about it. The Rams kept him in bubble wrap during the offseason program, and there are real questions regarding whether he’ll even come close to being the guy that he previously was.So, yes, Gurley apparently has a friend at EA.Madden gave six other running backs ratings of 90 or higher: Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (94), Jets running back Le'Veon Bell (92), Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (92), Giants running back Saquon Barkley (91), Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (91), Browns running back Kareem Hunt (90), and Saints running back Alvin Kamara (90).That’s more than a bit out of whack. Right now, the NFL has three special running backs: Elliott http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ryan-finley-jersey , Barkley, and McCaffrey. They should be the three highest-rated tailbacks.Others with potential beef include Bengals running back Joe Mixon (88), Washington running back Adrian Peterson (83), Steelers running back James Conner (83), Titans running back Derrick Henry (83), Eagles running back Jordan Howard (80), and Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs (74).If that motivates these players, so be it. What makes more sense, motivation from a perceived slight by the makers of a video game most NFL players have played their whole lives or motivation from a radio, TV, or Internet gasbag that they otherwise ignore? That’s an important point for any radio, TV, and/or Internet gasbags who are griping about players being motivated by Madden to consider. EAGAN, Minn. �? As Kirk Cousins backpedaled in the pocket with Minnesota on the move late in the first half last week, Adam Thielen broke for the back corner of the end zone.Cousins had to make an off-balance throw to beat a fast-approaching Michael Bennett, and Thielen had little room left in bounds to secure the catch with two Philadelphia defenders a step behind him.The ball floated just over the outstretched arm of cornerback Jalen Mills and neatly into Thielen’s hands in time for him to hit both feet on the turf and give the Vikings a two-touchdown lead on Sunday. Mills was flagged for holding to add to the degree of difficulty on the play.More Vikings coverageVikings’ Kearse faces gun, drunken driving charges after arrestVikings’ Kearse apologizes, returns to work after weekend arrestPhotos of the Week: 10/20/19 – 10/26/19Vikings surge into second half thanks to Cousins Renell Wren Jersey , CookVikings Snap Counts: Penalties spoil Mattison’s big dayBut about one-third of the way through the first season for Cousins in Minnesota the fact that the pass was completed was hardly a surprise.“He does such a good job of just making it easy on us,” said Thielen, who leads the NFL with 47 receptions and is second with 589 yards. “We just worry about getting open, and he’s almost catching the ball for us. We just have to continue to make sure that we’re doing the little things to be at the right depth and the right timing of things, because it’s so important when you have a guy that’s as talented as him to be in the right spot at the right time.”With a quickly formed faith in Thielen and the rest of the Vikings receivers, Cousins has repeatedly succeeded in threading pinpoint throws into tight windows with “a little guts and a little bit of arm talent,” as coach Mike Zimmer put it recently.Cousins ranks fifth in the NFL with a 71.2 percent completion rate that doesn’t tell the full story of his precision. He’s been under pressure as frequently as any of his peers, with 35 hits taken (tied for seventh most in the league) and 14 sacks allowed (11th most) by the Vikings that could easily be more if Cousins didn’t have a quicker release.The tying touchdown pass to Thielen in the final minute of the fourth quarter at Green Bay on Sept. 16 was the most memorable example to date. Cousins, as he was about to be hit, somehow zipped the ball between two converging defenders into the arms of Thielen for him to fall backward into the end zone while maintaining possession. The Packers couldn’t have covered that much better.“If it was an inch left or an inch higher or an inch lower it gets knocked down,” Thielen said.Sometimes, there’s a little luck in play, too.10<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:PHOTOS: Vikings at EaglesMatt Rourke | Associated Press“If that was a random second down in the middle of the second quarter, I would’ve been like, ‘Hey, that one’s a little tight,'” Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said. “But if you’re trying to drive down and win the football game, there’s less than a minute to go in the game http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , those are the chances you have to take.”Even if the quarterback himself isn’t sure the pass will reach the target.“It’s a fast game, and if you think you’re going to throw every throw with great vision and a great understanding of where the ball is going, I think you’re fooling yourself,” Cousins said. “There’s a lot of throws that I make, especially last Sunday, where I’m trying to listen to the crowd’s reaction to decide if it was complete or incomplete because I’m looking through peoples’ shins to try to see what happened. That’s the nature of this league.”There’s no more important trait at this position than being able to consistently put the ball in the right place, even as a youth. In the opening credits for the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” high school quarterback Matt Saracen is shown throwing into a tire hanging in his front yard in fictional Dillon, Texas. For an NFL standout like Cousins, that accuracy was always there. He’s been able to develop and improve it.“It’s innate. You either have it or you don’t,” Cousins said.7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Vikings at EaglesMatt Rourke | Associated PressSome of his counterparts who were more runners and scramblers in high school and college have had a harder time with pro-style precision.“I was actually pretty slow as a kid, wasn’t a great athlete, so I had no choice but to stand in there and find a way to throw the football from the pocket,” he said, “and I think in the long run that’s served me well.”