Lamar Jackson’s 88 ‘Madden’ speed rating makes sense as a tribute to Michael Vick

After being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson had the opportunity to try playing as himself in the latest version of Madden that will be released Aug. 31. When a Buccaneers’ defender caught him for a sack, he was not happy.

Here’s Jackson, experiencing this travesty firsthand:

Jackson’s first reaction was, “Oh no. That’s not possible. We gotta change that. That’s the one thing we gotta change.”

He would also tweet about the sack:

Jackson’s speed rating in the game is an 88, which is still really fast for a quarterback. But as SB Nation’s James Dator noted fellow rookie and Ravens teammate Hayden Hurst, a tight end who ran a 4.67 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, was also given an 88 speed rating.

Hands up if you think Hurst has a 50/50 shot at beating Jackson in a footrace? That’s what I thought: zero.

There is something important to note about Jackson’s speed, however. Michael Vick — who was the greatest player in series’ history in Madden NFL 2004, when he had a 95 speed rating (fight me all you want if you disagree, you’re wrong) — entered the game as a rookie in Madden NFL 2002 with 89 speed.

I have a theory: Madden developers deliberately capped Jackson’s in-game speed out of respect for Vick’s legend.

Vick himself would probably disagree with Jackson’s rating. He has long been an advocate of Jackson and his game. In September 2016, he told the Courier Journal, “He’s throwing touchdowns. You’re getting them through the air; you’re getting them on the ground. He’s making guys miss. He’s elusive. That’s everything I was.”

But then Vick took it to another level:

Vick would later elaborate, and say he had much more trouble moving the chains and getting first downs against Florida State than Jackson did.

Jackson didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine or at his pro day, but going into his junior year, he was timed with a 4.34. Vick ran a 4.33 at the NFL Combine in 2001. Jackson vs. heyday Vick would have been a footrace anyone would have paid money to see.

Vick became a legend for his invincibility in Madden, the electrifying plays he made on the NFL field, and the commercials he made off of it. Much like Jordan, those of us who grew up watching him wanted to be like Vick.

Prior to Jackson, Vick was the only quarterback in NFL history capable of making a play like this:

Jackson had an awfully similar run against Florida State, the same game Vick gushed over:

Is Jackson as fast as Vick was? We can’t say for sure. Jackson still has his own book to write at the NFL level.

But Madden probably did the right thing by putting Jackson a tick underneath Vick’s rookie rating, out of respect for Vick. As far as future Jackson’s future Madden ratings compared to Vick’s, only time will tell.