Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Morning Ram-blings: How Madden rates players

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Let's take a break from the relocation discussion today and begin the morning with something a little more offbeat and, well, fun.

The folks over at sister site fivethirtyeight.com offered up an enjoyable read and project on one of the favorite traditions of football fans everywhere: the Madden football game.

Included in the package is this story about how Madden player ratings are made, more on that process and even a chance to generate a Madden rating for yourself.

It's a fascinating process, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it will become a topic of conversation among NFL players. Every year in training camp, it's something of a tradition to hear players discussing their Madden rating when the game is released. Suffice to say, players generally aren't pleased with how they fare.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Wednesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... The Ram-blings opened the day with a look at the surveys on a new stadium being sent out in St. Louis. ... This week's Buzz video discusses the future of Joe Barksdale with the Rams. ... Kicking around the reality of the daily Sam Bradford rumors. ... The free-agent preview looks at the Rams' tight ends and what they could look to add this offseason.

Elsewhere:

I'll probably link to this a few times but it's really good and really important: Jim Trotter on the mental health issues of players transitioning out of the league.

As expected, Inglewood moved forward on the Hollywood Park stadium plan late Tuesday night.

Browns reporter Pat McManamon counts the ways in which Bradford to the Browns is unrealistic. (These reasons apply to every other team also).

At 101sports.com, Anthony Stalter poses an interesting question about teams' lack of interest in tailoring their offense to young quarterbacks.

At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas writes that Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff intrigues the Rams.

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