Angelo Crowell Madden Career 2004-2008 - Peak 86 OVR

Angelo Crowell was a Virginia co-captain and first-team All-ACC linebacker before Buffalo took him in the third round, 94th overall in 2003. It took him a couple of years to break through, but once he did he hit hard: 119 tackles in 2005 after stepping in for an injured starter, and two more productive, physical seasons in 2006 and 2007 that made him a fixture in the Bills front seven. Over 65 games he collected 343 tackles, seven sacks, and five interceptions.

Then his body gave out in pieces. He tore his triceps in the final game of 2007, needed knee surgery that put him on injured reserve in 2008, and his brief 2009 try with Tampa Bay ended when he tore a biceps in the preseason. His Madden rating had just crested when the injuries hit, climbing from a 63 in the 2003 game to a career-best 90 in the 2008 edition, a number he never got to play up to. It is a hard reminder of how thin the margin is for a good player whose muscles simply stop holding together.