re: Ed Alexander

There are definitely guys that get those stars early... that have to do a lot of things to keep them... His play is still at the level it was before, but a lot of times I think they expect these kids to grow, or put on more weight, or both... to keep the rating.

Growth projectability is definitely built in to early ratings. Don't keep up with the rest of the guys in your range, see your ranking drop. It is definitely comparing directly to players in your class, and historically against data.