Every year, a new Madden game is released. And every year, at least two things happen. 1) I purchase the game and then don’t get the full value out of it because I end up not playing it enough. And 2) several athletes complain about the fact that they are not rated high enough in the video game.

This year, that athlete is T.J. Houshmandzadeh. “Teej” (if you will — and you will, because I’m not writing Houshmandazdeh 30 times in the next several hundred words) is so cheesed off, in fact, that he’s going to boycott the game until EA Sports fixes his rating, according to an interview he had with everyone’s fav shockjock, Colin Cowherd.

“I understand I averaged 10 yards a catch, but it’s the offense, not me. I’m not playing Madden no more until they get my rating right. … I used to be the best in the world at Madden. I’m going to miss not playing it, but until they do me right, I’m not playing it any more.”

How did they do Teej an injustice? Well, they ranked him — *gasp* — a 91 overall. What exactly does that mean? Well, it means he’s just as good as Terrell Owens.

And not as good as the following people: Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Anquan Boldin, Roddy White, Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson and TO. Which, for the most part, seems pretty fair.

Marshall might have a worse season, if Kyle Orton’s throwing to him, but I’d rather have him on my squad than Teej, all things considered even. And while Roddy White doesn’t really strike my fancy, if he can keep up the growth he showed last year, it’s hard to argue that he’s not better. And that’s before we include such wideouts as Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe and the ever-awkward comparison of Chad Ochocinco.

In other words, while Teej might be making a statement here, I’m not entirely sure that he’s due any real uptick in points given on his rating. Which means that in the end, he’s probably only going to make all the dead time he spends in the locker room (when his boys are rocking out to fake football on the Xbox) a lot more boring.