With the debut of Madden Arcade next week (Tues for PS3 and Wed for 360) EA Sports is releasing some final details on the game. The latest are the descriptions of all the power-ups which are being called “Game Changers”. Teams have the opportunity of being awarded one before every play and can choose to use it right then or save it for later. There are some new screenshots in the gallery showing off a few of them in action.

As I speculated when the full rosters for the game were released the “entourage” of extra lineman is related to one of the power-ups. Continue on for the full list of game changers and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Entourage – Bring in the reinforcements as Entourage sends the rest of your lineman into the game to help out for a play.

Triple Threat – Disguise which receiver you’re throwing the ball by sending out two other decoys with the Power Ball game changer.

Bonus Play – Give yourself an additional down to help get in the end zone and earn some much deserved points with Bonus Play.

Make it, Take it - If you’re good enough to score when you trigger Make It, Take It, the ball is yours to keep on the next possession.

Turbo – The Turbo game changer will send players in fast forward by giving them an extra speed burst.

Molasses – Game too fast for you? Use Molasses to take down the action on the field to a less frantic pace.

Fumbilitis – Turn your opponent’s into butter fingers as they’ll have a difficult time holding on to the ball with Fumbilitis.

It’s Alive – Make any pass a scramble for the ball as its Alive will turn any incomplete pass into a live ball.

Frostbite – Put the freeze on one opposing player from moving by using the game changer Frostbite.

Fast Pass – Fast Pass gives the power to a QB to throw the ultimate bulleted pass.

Flying Blind – Sabotage your opponent by using Flying Blind to turn off their passing icons.

Flip Flop – Jealous of your opponents score? Flip Flop will nicely borrow the score and never give it back.

Dud – Hey, they can’t all be winners.

Following a three week absence the next Madden 10 roster update is slated to release on Friday. This will be the ninth of the year which puts them about a month behind the pace that they were delivered last year. Madden 09 had 13 roster updates out before Thanksgiving.

There is a lot of significant movement in this update considering there has only been one in the previous five weeks. Included are changes to the team overalls. Jay Cutler surprisingly drops only four points to an 82, Jarius Byrd leaps from a 78 to an 85, JaMarcus Russell has been benched and falls to 65, and Brett Favre is now up to a 91. Chris Johnson has also shot all the way to 96.

Continue on for the full list of changes and leave your thoughts in the comments.

After taking three weeks off from Madden 10 roster updates there should be one arriving on Friday. Given that gap and only one update being released in the last five weeks it should be a very significant one. Keeping up on developments of the last few games are the week eight and week nine articles.

Sidney Rice continues his emergence as a #1 receiver in Minnesota with 201 yards against the Lions. Three of his last four games have included 136 yards, 176 yards, and now 201 which makes his 82 rating look on the low side. Josh Freeman may not have big stats but he has helped the Bucs become competitive. His current 70 rating will probably move up 3-5 points. Similar situation in Tennessee where a 71 rated Vince Young hasn’t been lighting it up but the team is 3-0 with him starting. I’ll bring up Chris Johnson again as he had yet another explosive game with 136 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving.

Jay Cutler may see the biggest decrease in the update. He now leads the league in INTs with 17, passing by and running away from Jake Delhomme in just one game. The 86 he has now certainly can’t be justified and he should probably fall into the high 70s. The only reason he won’t go lower is he still has the potential to turn it around. Joey Porter should see a fairly large decrease also from his 94. Not only was he benched due to off-the-field issues but his play has been sub-par all season and he may not make it back into the starting lineup. As incredible as Adrian Peterson is he will probably lose some from his carry rating after two more fumbles this weekend.

Larry Johnson has joined the Bengals and should be included in the update. The move doesn’t make much sense given the statements that he’ll be 4th on the team’s depth chart. A handful of players have hit the IR including Ellis Hobbs, Roy Williams (Cincy), and Jordan Gross. Also affected by injury is Brian Westbrook who’s status for the remainder of the season is in question after yet another concussion.

As mentioned a while back when the rosters for Madden Arcade were being put together they are limited and consist of just 10 players. Each team has a QB, HB, WR, TE or 2nd WR, and OL on offense and the defense gets one DL, LB, S, and two CBs.

The rosters released by EA also include lists of “Entourages” which are additional offensive and defensive lineman. It is currently unknown what these represent. It could be they are used in a separate game mode or maybe they are involved as one of the power-ups. We should be finding out what they are for next week.

Unfortunately some of the rosters are already outdated and there will be no rosters updates for the game. Continue on for the full list of players included in Madden Arcade.

Bears Nathan Vasher CB
Bears Charles Tillman CB
Bears Tommie Harris DT
Bears Danieal Manning FS
Bears Matt Forte HB
Bears Orlando Pace LT
Bears Brian Urlacher MLB
Bears Jay Cutler QB
Bears Greg Olsen TE
Bears Devin Hester WR

Bengals Kyle Cook C
Bengals Leon Hall CB
Bengals Johnathan Joseph CB
Bengals Domata Peko DT
Bengals Cedric Benson HB
Bengals Dhani Jones MLB
Bengals Carson Palmer QB
Bengals Roy Williams SS
Bengals Laveranues Coles WR
Bengals Chad Ochocinco WR

Bills Geoff Hangartner C
Bills Terrence McGee CB
Bills Leodis McKelvin CB
Bills Marshawn Lynch HB
Bills Paul Posluszny MLB
Bills Trent Edwards QB
Bills Aaron Schobel RE
Bills Donte Whitner SS
Bills Lee Evans WR
Bills Terrell Owens WR

Broncos Casey Wiegmann C
Broncos Champ Bailey CB
Broncos Andre’ Goodman CB
Broncos Knowshon Moreno HB
Broncos Kyle Orton QB
Broncos Kenny Peterson RE
Broncos D.J. Williams ROLB
Broncos Brian Dawkins SS
Broncos Brandon Marshall WR
Broncos Eddie Royal WR

Browns Eric Wright CB
Browns Brandon McDonald CB
Browns Shaun Rogers DT
Browns Jamal Lewis HB
Browns Eric Steinbach LG
Browns D’Qwell Jackson MLB
Browns Brady Quinn QB
Browns Brodney Pool SS
Browns Mohamed Massaquoi WR
Browns Josh Cribbs WR

Buccaneers Aqib Talib CB
Buccaneers Ronde Barber CB
Buccaneers Chris Hovan DT
Buccaneers Carnell Williams HB
Buccaneers Barrett Ruud MLB
Buccaneers Josh Johnson QB
Buccaneers Davin Joseph RG
Buccaneers Sabby Piscitelli SS
Buccaneers Kellen Winslow TE
Buccaneers Antonio Bryant WR

Cardinals Bryant McFadden CB
Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB
Cardinals Darnell Dockett DT
Cardinals Tim Hightower HB
Cardinals Karlos Dansby LOLB
Cardinals Mike Gandy LT
Cardinals Kurt Warner QB
Cardinals Adrian Wilson SS
Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald WR
Cardinals Anquan Boldin WR

Chargers Quentin Jammer CB
Chargers Antonio Cromartie CB
Chargers Eric Weddle FS
Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson HB
Chargers Kris Dielman LG
Chargers Philip Rivers QB
Chargers Luis Castillo RE
Chargers Shawne Merriman ROLB
Chargers Antonio Gates TE
Chargers Vincent Jackson WR

Chiefs Brandon Carr CB
Chiefs Brandon Flowers CB
Chiefs Jarrad Page FS
Chiefs Larry Johnson HB
Chiefs Brian Waters LG
Chiefs Matt Cassel QB
Chiefs Glenn Dorsey RE
Chiefs Mike Vrabel ROLB
Chiefs Bobby Wade WR
Chiefs Dwayne Bowe WR

Colts Jeff Saturday C
Colts Marlin Jackson CB
Colts Kelvin Hayden CB
Colts Joseph Addai HB
Colts Gary Brackett MLB
Colts Peyton Manning QB
Colts Dwight Freeney RE
Colts Bob Sanders SS
Colts Dallas Clark TE
Colts Reggie Wayne WR

Cowboys Andre Gurode C
Cowboys Mike Jenkins CB
Cowboys Terence Newman CB
Cowboys Jay Ratliff DT
Cowboys Ken Hamlin FS
Cowboys Marion Barber HB
Cowboys Tony Romo QB
Cowboys DeMarcus Ware ROLB
Cowboys Jason Witten TE
Cowboys Roy Williams WR

Dolphins Vontae Davis CB
Dolphins Sean Smith CB
Dolphins Gibril Wilson FS
Dolphins Ronnie Brown HB
Dolphins Jason Taylor LOLB
Dolphins Jake Long LT
Dolphins Chad Henne QB
Dolphins Joey Porter ROLB
Dolphins Greg Camarillo WR
Dolphins Ted Ginn WR

Eagles Asante Samuel CB
Eagles Sheldon Brown CB
Eagles Brian Westbrook HB
Eagles Jason Peters LT
Eagles Stewart Bradley MLB
Eagles Donovan McNabb QB
Eagles Trent Cole RE
Eagles Quintin Mikell SS
Eagles Jeremy Maclin WR
Eagles DeSean Jackson WR

Falcons Tye Hill CB
Falcons Chris Houston CB
Falcons Erik Coleman FS
Falcons Michael Turner HB
Falcons Curtis Lofton MLB
Falcons Matt Ryan QB
Falcons John Abraham RE
Falcons Harvey Dahl RG
Falcons Tony Gonzalez TE
Falcons Roddy White WR

49ers Nate Clements CB
49ers Dre’ Bly CB
49ers Frank Gore HB
49ers Joe Staley LT
49ers Patrick Willis MLB
49ers Shaun Hill QB
49ers Justin Smith RE
49ers Michael Lewis SS
49ers Vernon Davis TE
49ers Michael Crabtree WR

Giants Corey Webster CB
Giants Aaron Ross CB
Giants Kenny Phillips FS
Giants Brandon Jacobs HB
Giants Antonio Pierce MLB
Giants Eli Manning QB
Giants Osi Umenyiora RE
Giants Chris Snee RG
Giants Mario Manningham WR
Giants Steve Smith WR

Jaguars Rashean Mathis CB
Jaguars Derek Cox CB
Jaguars John Henderson DT
Jaguars Reggie Nelson FS
Jaguars Maurice Jones-Drew HB
Jaguars Tra Thomas LT
Jaguars Daryl Smith MLB
Jaguars David Garrard QB
Jaguars Mike Sims-Walker TE
Jaguars Torry Holt WR

Jets Lito Sheppard CB
Jets Darrelle Revis CB
Jets Kris Jenkins DT
Jets Kerry Rhodes FS
Jets Thomas Jones HB
Jets Alan Faneca LG
Jets Bart Scott MLB
Jets Mark Sanchez QB
Jets Braylon Edwards WR
Jets Jerricho Cotchery WR

Lions Dominic Raiola C
Lions Phillip Buchanon CB
Lions Anthony Henry CB
Lions Kevin Smith HB
Lions Matthew Stafford QB
Lions Dewayne White RE
Lions Ernie Sims ROLB
Lions Daniel Bullocks SS
Lions Brandon Pettigrew TE
Lions Calvin Johnson WR

Packers Al Harris CB
Packers Charles Woodson CB
Packers B.J. Raji DT
Packers Nick Collins FS
Packers Ryan Grant HB
Packers Aaron Kampman LOLB
Packers Chad Clifton LT
Packers Aaron Rodgers QB
Packers Donald Driver WR
Packers Greg Jennings WR

Panthers Richard Marshall CB
Panthers Chris Gamble CB
Panthers DeAngelo Williams HB
Panthers Jordan Gross LT
Panthers Jon Beason MLB
Panthers Jake Delhomme QB
Panthers Julius Peppers RE
Panthers Chris Harris SS
Panthers Muhsin Muhammad WR
Panthers Steve Smith WR

Patriots Shawn Springs CB
Patriots Darius Butler CB
Patriots Vince Wilfork DT
Patriots Fred Taylor HB
Patriots Logan Mankins LG
Patriots Tom Brady QB
Patriots Adalius Thomas ROLB
Patriots Brandon Meriweather SS
Patriots Randy Moss WR
Patriots Wes Welker WR

Raiders Samson Satele C
Raiders Chris Johnson CB
Raiders Nnamdi Asomugha CB
Raiders Darren McFadden HB
Raiders Kirk Morrison MLB
Raiders JaMarcus Russell QB
Raiders Richard Seymour RE
Raiders Michael Huff SS
Raiders Zach Miller TE
Raiders Darrius Heyward-Bey WR

Rams Jason Brown C
Rams Ronald Bartell CB
Rams Jonathan Wade CB
Rams O.J. Atogwe FS
Rams Steven Jackson HB
Rams Will Witherspoon LOLB
Rams Marc Bulger QB
Rams Chris Long RE
Rams Randy McMichael TE
Rams Donnie Avery WR

Ravens Matt Birk C
Ravens Fabian Washington CB
Ravens Domonique Foxworth CB
Ravens Ed Reed FS
Ravens Willis McGahee HB
Ravens Ray Lewis MLB
Ravens Joe Flacco QB
Ravens Haloti Ngata RE
Ravens Todd Heap TE
Ravens Derrick Mason WR

Redskins Carlos Rogers CB
Redskins DeAngelo Hall CB
Redskins Albert Haynesworth DT
Redskins LaRon Landry FS
Redskins Clinton Portis HB
Redskins Chris Samuels LT
Redskins London Fletcher MLB
Redskins Jason Campbell QB
Redskins Chris Cooley TE
Redskins Santana Moss WR

Saints Jabari Greer CB
Saints Malcolm Jenkins CB
Saints Sedrick Ellis DT
Saints Darren Sharper FS
Saints Reggie Bush HB
Saints Jammal Brown LT
Saints Jonathan Vilma MLB
Saints Drew Brees QB
Saints Jeremy Shockey TE
Saints Marques Colston WR

Seahawks Marcus Trufant CB
Seahawks Josh Wilson CB
Seahawks Julius Jones HB
Seahawks Patrick Kerney LE
Seahawks Walter Jones LT
Seahawks Lofa Tatupu MLB
Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck QB
Seahawks Deon Grant SS
Seahawks John Carlson TE
Seahawks T.J. Houshmandzadeh WR

Steelers William Gay CB
Steelers Ike Taylor CB
Steelers Chris Hoke DT
Steelers Willie Parker HB
Steelers Max Starks LT
Steelers Ben Roethlisberger QB
Steelers James Harrison ROLB
Steelers Troy Polamalu SS
Steelers Santonio Holmes WR
Steelers Hines Ward WR

Texans Fred Bennett CB
Texans Dunta Robinson CB
Texans Eugene Wilson FS
Texans Steve Slaton HB
Texans DeMeco Ryans MLB
Texans Matt Schaub QB
Texans Mario Williams RE
Texans Eric Winston RT
Texans Owen Daniels TE
Texans Andre Johnson WR

Titans Nick Harper CB
Titans Cortland Finnegan CB
Titans Chris Johnson HB
Titans Jevon Kearse LE
Titans Michael Roos LT
Titans Kerry Collins QB
Titans Keith Bulluck ROLB
Titans Chris Hope SS
Titans Nate Washington WR
Titans Justin Gage WR

Vikings Cedric Griffin CB
Vikings Antoine Winfield CB
Vikings Adrian Peterson HB
Vikings Steve Hutchinson LG
Vikings Brett Favre QB
Vikings Jared Allen RE
Vikings Chad Greenway ROLB
Vikings Tyrell Johnson SS
Vikings Percy Harvin WR
Vikings Bernard Berrian WR

ENTOURAGES
Bears Olin Kreutz C
Bears Josh Beekman LG
Bears Roberto Garza RG
Bears Kevin Shaffer RT
Bears Dusty Dvoracek DT
Bears Adewale Ogunleye LE
Bears Alex Brown RE

Bengals Andrew Whitworth LT
Bengals Andre Smith RT
Bengals Bobbie Williams RG
Bengals Anthony Collins LT
Bengals Pat Sims DT
Bengals Robert Geathers LE
Bengals Antwan Odom RE

Bills Eric Wood RG
Bills Andy Levitre LG
Bills Brad Butler OT (IR)
Bills Kirk Chambers LT
Bills Marcus Stroud DT
Bills Chris Kelsay LE
Bills Aaron Maybin RE

Broncos Ben Hamilton LG
Broncos Ryan Clady LT
Broncos Chris Kuper RG
Broncos Ryan Harris RT
Broncos Ronald Fields DT
Broncos Marcus Thomas DT
Broncos Darrell Reid LE

Browns Hank Fraley RG
Browns Joe Thomas LT
Browns Floyd Womack RG
Browns John St. Clair RT
Browns Ahtyba Rubin DT
Browns Kenyon Coleman LE
Browns Corey Williams RE

Buccaneers Jeff Faine C
Buccaneers Arron Sears OT
Buccaneers Donald Penn LT
Buccaneers Jeremy Trueblood RT
Buccaneers Ryan Sims DT
Buccaneers Gaines Adams RE
Buccaneers Jimmy Wilkerson RE

Cardinals Lyle Sendlein C
Cardinals Reggie Wells LG
Cardinals Deuce Lutui RG
Cardinals Levi Brown RT
Cardinals Bryan Robinson DT
Cardinals Calais Campbell LE
Cardinals Bertrand Berry RE

Chargers Nick Hardwick C
Chargers Louis Vasquez RG
Chargers Marcus McNeill LT
Chargers Jeromey Clary RT
Chargers Jamal Williams DT
Chargers Travis Johnson DT
Chargers Jacques Cesaire LE

Chiefs Rudy Niswanger C
Chiefs Branden Albert LT
Chiefs Mike Goff RG
Chiefs Ike Ndukwe RT
Chiefs Tank Tyler DT
Chiefs Ron Edwards DT
Chiefs Tyson Jackson LE

Colts Charlie Johnson LT
Colts Tony Ugoh LT
Colts Mike Pollak RG
Colts Ryan Diem RT
Colts Eric Foster DT
Colts Keyunta Dawson DT
Colts Robert Mathis LE

Cowboys Kyle Kosier LG
Cowboys Flozell Adams LT
Cowboys Leonard Davis RG
Cowboys Marc Colombo RT
Cowboys Junior Siavii DT
Cowboys Marcus Spears LE
Cowboys Igor Olshansky RE

Dolphins Jake Grove C
Dolphins Justin Smiley LG
Dolphins Donald Thomas RG
Dolphins Vernon Carey RT
Dolphins Paul Soliai DT
Dolphins Kendall Langford LE
Dolphins Phillip Merling RE

Eagles Jamaal Jackson C
Eagles Todd Herremans LG
Eagles Shawn Andrews OT (IR)
Eagles Stacy Andrews RG
Eagles Brodrick Bunkley DT
Eagles Mike Patterson DT
Eagles Juqua Parker LE

Falcons Todd McClure C
Falcons Justin Blalock LG
Falcons Sam Baker LT
Falcons Tyson Clabo RT
Falcons Jonathan Babineaux DT
Falcons Peria Jerry DT
Falcons Jamaal Anderson LE

49ers Eric Heitmann C
49ers David Baas LG
49ers Chilo Rachal RG
49ers Tony Pashos RT
49ers Isaac Sopoaga DT
49ers Aubrayo Franklin DT
49ers Kentwan Balmer LE

Giants Shaun O’Hara C
Giants Rich Seubert LG
Giants David Diehl LT
Giants Kareem McKenzie RT
Giants Rocky Bernard DT
Giants Chris Canty DT
Giants Justin Tuck LE

Jaguars Brad Meester C
Jaguars Vince Manuwai LG
Jaguars Maurice Williams RG
Jaguars Eben Britton RT
Jaguars Rob Meier DT
Jaguars Quentin Groves LE
Jaguars Reggie Hayward RE

Jets Nick Mangold C
Jets D’Brickashaw Ferguson LT
Jets Brandon Moore RG
Jets Damien Woody RT
Jets Howard Green DT
Jets Shaun Ellis LE
Jets Marques Douglas RE

Lions Damion Cook OT (IR)
Lions Jeff Backus LT
Lions Stephen Peterman RG
Lions Gosder Cherilus RT
Lions Grady Jackson DT
Lions Sammie Lee Hill DT
Lions Jason Hunter RE

Packers Scott Wells C
Packers Daryn Colledge LG
Packers Jason Spitz C
Packers Allen Barbre RT
Packers Ryan Pickett DT
Packers Cullen Jenkins LE
Packers Justin Harrell RE

Panthers Ryan Kalil C
Panthers Travelle Wharton LG
Panthers Keydrick Vincent RG
Panthers Jeff Otah RT
Panthers Damione Lewis DT
Panthers Ma’ake Kemoeatu DT
Panthers Tyler Brayton LE

Patriots Dan Koppen C (IR)
Patriots Matt Light LT (IR)
Patriots Stephen Neal RG
Patriots Nick Kaczur LT
Patriots Mike Wright DT
Patriots Ty Warren LE
Patriots Jarvis Green RE

Raiders Robert Gallery LG (IR)
Raiders Khalif Barnes RT
Raiders Cooper Carlisle RG
Raiders Cornell Green RT (IR)
Raiders Tommy Kelly DT
Raiders Trevor Scott LE
Raiders Greg Ellis LOLB

Rams Jacob Bell LG (IR)
Rams Alex Barron LT
Rams Richie Incognito RG (IR)
Rams Jason Smith RT
Rams Cliff Ryan DT
Rams Adam Carriker DT
Rams Leonard Little LE

Ravens Chris Chester RG
Ravens Ben Grubbs LG
Ravens Jared Gaither LT
Ravens Michael Oher RT
Ravens Kelly Gregg DT
Ravens Brandon McKinney DT
Ravens Trevor Pryce LE

Redskins Casey Rabach C
Redskins Derrick Dockery LG
Redskins Randy Thomas G
Redskins Stephon Heyer LT
Redskins Cornelius Griffin DT
Redskins Phillip Daniels LE
Redskins Andre Carter RE

Saints Jonathan Goodwin C
Saints Carl Nicks LG
Saints Jahri Evans RG
Saints Jon Stinchcomb RT
Saints Kendrick Clancy DT
Saints Charles Grant LE
Saints Will Smith RE

Seahawks Chris Spencer C
Seahawks Mansfield Wrotto LG
Seahawks Rob Sims LG
Seahawks Sean Locklear LT (IR)
Seahawks Cory Redding DT
Seahawks Colin Cole DT
Seahawks Darryl Tapp RE

Steelers Justin Hartwig C
Steelers Chris Kemoeatu LG
Steelers Darnell Stapleton G
Steelers Willie Colon RT
Steelers Casey Hampton DT
Steelers Aaron Smith LE
Steelers Brett Keisel RE

Texans Chris Myers C
Texans Chester Pitts G
Texans Duane Brown LT
Texans Mike Brisiel G
Texans Deljuan Robinson DT
Texans Amobi Okoye DT
Texans Antonio Smith LE

Titans Kevin Mawae C
Titans Eugene Amano LG
Titans Jake Scott RG
Titans David Stewart RT
Titans Tony Brown DT
Titans Jovan Haye DT
Titans Kyle Vanden Bosch RE

Vikings John Sullivan C
Vikings Bryant McKinnie LT
Vikings Anthony Herrera RG
Vikings Phil Loadholt RT
Vikings Kevin Williams DT
Vikings Pat Williams DT
Vikings Ray Edwards LE

The downloadable only title Madden Arcade now has an official release date. It will be out on Tuesday November 24th on PSN and Wednesday November 25th on XBLA. It had been originally planned to make its way out in December. Madden Arcade will go for 1200 MS points for the 360 and the equivalent $15 for the PS3.

EA Sports has shifted their arcade titles to this method of downloadable only delivery, providing compact offerings at much more reasonable prices than would’ve been found at retail. 3 on 3 NHL Arcade was the first attempt at it and by all accounts it was a nice success. Continue on for the official trailer.

Despite EA taking three weeks off from Madden 10 roster updates I wanted to keep this going since it makes it easier to track performances as the weeks go on. Now halfway through the season there are only two undefeated teams though the Colts appear vulnerable due to defensive injuries. On the other end of the spectrum is the Giants who have now lost four straight games and should see that reflected in the ratings when the time comes.

Cedric Benson has now rushed for over 100 yards against the Ravens in both games this year. He is the only RB to rush for 100+ on Baltimore in the last 43 games. He has to be considered one of the best RBs in the league now and deserves a rating in the 90s. Matt Forte is rated an 88, just one point less than Benson, and he has only gone over 100 yards once this year. Clinton Portis is rated a 92 and has only crossed the century mark once as well. Chris Johnson has been unbelievable with 491 yards in just his last three games. He now has the rushing lead ahead of Benson. He should be moving up from his 90 rating.

David Hawthorne has played great in place of Lofa Tatupu and he legitimately could be the best player on the Seahawks defense. In the three games Hawthorne has two sacks, recorded 33 tackles, and has picked off three passes but is only rated a 71. Vince Young hasn’t been great statistically but he has done well enough to help the Titans win their first two games of the season. He’s sure to receive at least a small bump from his 71. Meanwhile Matt Leinart can’t even be trusted in mop-up-duty time and is a 73.

Injury wise from this weekend the next update will include Chris Henry, Thomas Davis, Marlin Jackson, and Bob Sanders hitting the IR. Chris Chambers was released and is now with the Chiefs and Edgerrin James has been released. Larry Johnson has been sent off as well and may be with a new team by the time the next update arrives.

The Pastapadre Online Franchise has now reached the pinnacle of the season. The Super Bowl will see the AFC representative Oakland Raiders face off against the best of the NFC in the Arizona Cardinals. For those of you interested in joining into the franchise for season two please drop your info in this forum thread. Selections will be made in the coming days before the start of the free agency process and draft.

In the AFC Championship the #1 Raiders topped the #3 Ravens with relative ease 41-17. Oakland jumped ahead 17-0 in the first quarter and never looked back. Darren McFadden scored the two TDs on long runs of 71 and 56 yards and he finished the game with 169 yards. They didn’t need much else as Joe Flacco threw four picks and there was no way the Raiders were going to be beat by a team that made any mistakes let alone five total turnovers.

The NFC Championship saw the #1 Cardinals top the #3 Eagles 28-14. The Cards took a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter where a couple scores were exchanged but the outcome was never in doubt. Donovan McNabb threw for 352 yards while Arizona moved the ball primarily on the ground with both Frank Gore and Beanie Wells going for over 100 yards.

So the Super Bowl matches up the two best teams in the online franchise as everyone would hope for. The 16-2 Cardinals will be the underdog against the 18-0 Raiders. The two teams did not play each other in the regular season.

Mentioned throughout the playoff previews has been the Cardinals ability to score on special teams. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie led the league in return TDs and he had a 100 yard kick return TD in the NFC Championship. They will likely need to get a score from special teams or with their defense in order to have a chance against the Raiders.

Oakland has proven that they will not beat themselves. They have a good ground game and an efficient though unspectacular passing attack. They limit turnovers and jump on opportunities to bury teams by capitalizing on theirs.

With the exception of acquiring Frank Gore for Anquan Boldin the core of these teams were not changed significantly. That Gore trade though gives the Cardinals a dual-headed rushing attack. If they fall behind early and have to abandon that they may be doomed. It’ll be important that they can keep offensive balance and if they get a lead they are structured to hold a team off by consistently moving the chains.

The Raiders will look to grab that early lead and put the Cardinals away before they can get into a groove. It will take a near perfect effort by Arizona to pull this one off.

Line: Raiders -6

The second patch for Madden 10 is in certification testing with MS and Sony. It is unclear when it started that process but it is reasonable to expect it to arrive by the middle of the month. Some of what is expected in the upcoming patch can be found here.

The patch for NBA 2K10 has been submitted to MS and Sony. If it clears through without any hiccups it should be out within the next two weeks. Details on what is expected from the patch can be found here. (Update: Out as of 11/6)

The first patch for NBA Live 10 that was released last week on the 360 has been approved by Sony and should be out this week (it could come at any time). The patch details can be found here. (Update: Out as of 11/5) A second patch is in the process of being submitted to MS and Sony. That patch will address some issues that were discovered after the release of the first patch. It sounds as though it will be out mid-late this month.

Gamespot has a first look at Madden Ultimate Team which is similar in concept to FIFA Ultimate Team which released last year. This will be a downloadable update which will add the mode to the menu of the regular Madden 10 game. The FIFA version of Ultimate Team cost $10 however in a surprising move Madden Ultimate Team will be free. Check out the full preview here.

after loading it up for the first time…you’ll be given a randomized set of cards, enough to get you up and running right away….Those cards include players, stadiums, playbooks, coaches, injury cards, and contract cards, and the quality of the card will be reflected in its status as either a bronze, silver, or gold card….Playing games with your team, you’ll earn credits that you can then use to buy bronze, silver, or gold packs full of more cards you can use to bolster your team. You’ll also be able to spend real-world cash to buy in-game credits.

Obviously EA is looking to rake in some money off those who will pay for in-game credits but by making MUT free they have also increased the value of Madden 10. With sales showing continued strength this year this new mode could make Madden an even more appealing gift over the holidays.

Madden Ultimate Team does not have a solidified release date though EA Sports is shooting for early January. While that would coincide with the NFL Playoffs the mode is a perfect fit for the offseason. Continue on for the Gamespot video featuring MUT and leave your thoughts in the comments!

EA Sports has now stated that the next roster update for Madden 10 will not be coming until November 20th. That means there will have been a three week gap between updates and just two updates in a five week span.

This is really disappointing news and any frustration is justified. While there will always be arguments as to players being over or underrated the updates this year have provided the best reflection of real life performance in the history of the franchise. This doesn’t just affect quick games and online games as anyone looking to start a franchise or online franchise won’t have the most up-to-date rosters available. Consistency is even more important than happening every single week and now we don’t even have that.

A partially automated system like NBA Live has with the Synergy daily updates would not make sense for Madden. Games are played only once a week and stats are not the driving force behind many positions in football. But if EA can’t do manual roster updates on a consistent basis than maybe some other procedure needs to be considered.

As suggested in the comments a system where roster moves (IR, trades, cuts, signings, depth chart) were done on a weekly basis while the ratings were adjusted bi-weekly or even quarterly would be a reasonable compromise.