At the mid-season point I put together a list of potential candidates for the Madden NFL 13 cover. The assumption was made that another tournament would be held and for the purpose of that analysis any players that were eligible the year prior were eliminated as were those scheduled to be free agents. Now that the season is complete and details about the cover tournament have come out it’s time to reassess who may be in play for the honor this year.

64 players will be included – 2 from each team that will face off in the first round to be their respective team’s representative in the bracket of 32. This will make it easier to include some players for a second straight year but free agents will likely still be excluded. Here’s a look at the favorites for EA Sports to involve in the cover tournament process for the AFC!

*Current Madden NFL 12 overall rating in parenthesis for selected players

Broncos: Von Miller (87), Tim Tebow (77)
Tebow has all but been confirmed by EA to be involved in the tournament and he earned his spot with memorable moments. Whether he’s considered the favorite to win the whole thing is arguable but whoever he goes up against is going to get slayed. That caused the removal of Champ Bailey as it might come across as an insult to him, as a veteran with a brilliant career, to be picked but obviously headed out of it immediately. He probably should have been involved in the tournament last year rather than Tebow. So the well-deserving rookie Von Miller who recorded 11.5 sacks could be the second choice.

Chargers: Antonio Gates (96), Eric Weddle (92)
Surprisingly the Chargers don’t have many great options to be their representative. Gates gets the nod for his career work and past marketing relationship with EA Sports – he put up 64 catches and 7 TDs despite dealing with an injury that cost him 3 games. Pro Bowler Eric Weddle could take the slot that many would give to Philip Rivers who also made the Pro Bowl despite a down season (20 INTs and 7 FUMs) after being involved in last year’s tournament. Weddle tied for the league lead with 7 INTs.

Chiefs: Tamba Hali (95), Brandon Flowers (93)
Season long injuries cost Kansas City’s most marketable players, Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry, the shot at the cover. Brandon Flowers and Derrick Johnson performed well enough to consider while Dwayne Bowe had strong numbers but a big drop-off in TDs and is a free agent. Tamba Hali though really stepped up, particularly in nationally televised games, and is the highest rated player on the team and Brandon Flowers gets the second slot for similar reasons.

Raiders: Shane Lechler (99), Sebastian Janikowski (98)
This could be an opportunity for EA to get unorthodox with their selections. Why not go with the two extraordinary special team players? Shane Lechler is the only punter to reach the 99 overall rating while Sebastian Janikowski is the highest rated kicker in the game and tied the record for longest field goal in NFL history this season. Darren McFadden was in the tournament last year so he’s taken out of the running now not just for that reason but due to injuries that limited him to 7 games played. In turn that could open the door for Michael Bush. Richard Seymour might be the best option otherwise – he has been a premiere player for the Raiders since they got him from the Patriots – but 29 tackles and 6 sacks doesn’t exactly scream cover athlete worthy.

Bengals: AJ Green (87), Andy Dalton (81)
Last year all the Bengals could offer for the tournament was Carlos Dunlap – that makes it pretty obvious that the two impact rookies could be the guys this time around. Both players made it to the Pro Bowl and helped take a team expected to be in the cellar to the Playoffs. Leon Hall or Jermaine Gresham could also be considerations.

Browns: Joe Thomas (98), Joe Haden (90)
There’s no way EA will let another player from the Browns get the cover. The expectation here would be for a couple unappealing candidates to be presented – probably from the offensive line or kicker. They may very well avoid Josh Cribbs and even Joe Haden for that reason. Browns fans don’t seem thrilled with Thomas’ performance this past season – so that could give him an edge – while I’ll go ahead and slot in Haden over Phil Dawson. It’s unlikely any Browns contingent will make a strong push this year after getting saddled with the “cover curse” on Peyton Hillis.

Ravens: Haloti Ngata (98), Terrell Suggs (96)
The choice would almost certainly come from the defense – the problem is there are four terrific options. Ngata is the highest rated along with Ed Reed at 98 but both Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis are right behind them. A slight edge here for one spot goes to Ngata who signed a five year contract a few months back (he would be one of the few defensive tackles in the league that could make it in) with Terrell Suggs and his growing high-profile persona getting the second spot as the Defensive Player of the Year winner. Suggs could be one of the favorites to win it all.

Steelers: Brett Kiesel (92), Mike Wallace (91)
There could be the question of whether the NFL would be alright with James Harrison representing their product. For that reason, along with Ben Roethlisberger being far from an ideal spokesperson, Mike Wallace would be a solid pick here. He’s actually a restricted free agent but is all but certain to be back. LaMarr Woodley or Brett Keisel would then come into discussion and that would be a toss-up with the beard being the advantage. Also can’t count out Troy Polamalu despite not having quite the same impact as of late and becoming a tired Madden option (on Madden 10 cover, in tournament last year).

Colts: Adam Vinatieri (90) Pat Angerer (81)
As the worst team in the league no option is going to be particularly appealing. Robert Mathis would be the highest rated on the team but is slated to be a free agent as is Jeff Saturday. Adam Vinatieri for his career work and Pat Angerer got the most consideration here then. Second year player Angerer was fourth in the league in tackles. EA could also possibly fall back on Dwight Freeney again after having been involved in several past campaigns.

Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew (98), Daryl Smith (93)
The Jaguars one offensive threat, Maurice Jones-Drew, got his shot last year but would seem a lock to be back yet again. Leading the league in rushing on a terrible offense is no small feat. He has a strong relationship with EA Sports and takes Madden seriously so he’ll always be in the mix. Beyond him though there is very little to pick from. Daryl Smith is the highest rated player otherwise while Rashean Mathis and Josh Scobee are both set to be free agents. Paul Posluszny or Smith will probably get that second spot.

Texans: Arian Foster (96), J.J. Watt (88)
Foster should be considered a lock to be involved in the tournament. Who will be paired with him, and probably lose handily, is the question. Andre Johnson would be the immediate name that comes to mind but he was in the tournament last year and I suspect EA will be hoping Foster goes a long ways in the tourney and therefore will put him up against someone more easily beatable. Johnathan Joseph, Brian Cushing, or JJ Watt next come to mind. The rookie Watt, who made the big INT-TD in the Wild Card round against the Bengals, would make for the best opponent for Foster without being a real threat.

Titans: Rob Bironas (97), Michael Roos (92)
What team was the most difficult to find two suitable cover candidates for? Easily that is the Titans – somewhat surprising considering they were on the cusp of making the Playoffs. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin are set to be a free agents while Kenny Britt was out for most of the season. That leaves names like Rob Bironas, Michael Roos, David Stewart, or Chris Johnson (off a terrible year). EA could also go forward-thinking and maybe choose Jake Locker but he would stand out in a group of players who earned their way on rather than sat most of the season.

Bills: Fred Jackson (92), Nick Barnett (89)
The obvious choice here is Fred Jackson, who took his initial Madden NFL 12 rating from 80 to a peak of 93 before getting injured and missing the last 6 games of the season. The second option will be more difficult to determine. Stevie Johnson was in the tournament last year and is a free agent so he’s out. Marcell Dareus, Nick Barnett, or Jairus Byrd might be the names considered. The edge might seem to go to Dareus but my pick is Barnett – Jackson will likely move on regardless of who he faces.

Dolphins: Cameron Wake (95), Reggie Bush (82)
Miami was one of the two teams last year that got stuck with an offensive lineman as their rep. I don’t think they’ll do that again so Jake Long is out. Brandon Marshall and Vontae Davis would be worthy of the recognition but Cameron Wake and Reggie Bush seem like the two favorites here. Bush, as a former EA cover athlete, actually would have justified his placement with a strong close to the season (519 yards rushing in the last 4 games).

Jets: Darrelle Revis (98), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (91)
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Revis getting a nomination and advancing for the Jets. He finished the year rated 98 but was 99 at one time and is the definition of a “shutdown” corner. After that things get more shaky for the dysfunctional team. Mark Sanchez definitely doesn’t deserve to be in again – so Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson are probably the two guys who deserve some consideration. Revis will be moving on regardless of who he faces.

Patriots: Rob Gronkowski (98), Vince Wilfork (97)
At the mid-season point Wes Welker looked to be a sure thing as a Patriots cover representative in a tournament. He didn’t do anything to drop himself out of the running considering he had 122 receptions – just other players surged in a more dramatic fashion later in the season and in the Playoffs. He’s also a free agent but probably will be back. So instead the focus shifts to the record-breaker for tight ends with 17 TDs in Rob Gronkowski (he got more pub than anyone leading up to the Super Bowl due to his ankle injury) and Wilfork who has been a dominating force in the trenches and even has a couple memorable INTs from the season. Tom Brady again is not a reasonable expectation for any Madden cover involvement.

The 2011-12 NFL season is officially in the books. The New York Giants prevailed over the New England Patriots 21-17 as Eli Manning captured the MVP. Manning has seen his Madden NFL 12 ratings rise throughout the year beginning at 87 overall, currently sitting at 95, and will probably get another bump in the next update of 1-2 points. He lost his “clutch” trait early in the season and quickly earned it back – he’s definitely no longer borderline in that regard going forward.

The last roster update for Madden NFL 12 is expected soon – possibly late this week or the following week – and there will also be a new roster for Online Franchise provided. Typically the final update has returned players from IR and adjusted depth charts but much of that has already been completed in the various updates throughout the Playoffs.

What players, not just from the Super Bowl but also league-wide, would you like to see adjusted in the final roster update released for Madden NFL 12? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Coming off the disaster of a broadcast last year EA Sports and ESPN managed to pull off a fairly unoffensive show this time around for Madden Bowl XVIII. Though it had a largely dull and unfunny entire first hour – taking far too long to get to any Madden action – there were at least some attempts made to be entertaining.

The Teams
All-Madden: Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew, Patrick Willis
Madden Legends: Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp
Madden “Clutch”: Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, and Tim Tebow
Incoming Rookies: Justin Blackmon, Robert Griffin III, LaMichael James

The evening at the Madden Bowl was hosted by Michelle Beadle and Trey Wingo – both of which (somewhat justifiably) seemed to treat the whole thing like nobody was really watching anyway. That aforementioned first hour was set up in “talk show” format with a few guests coming on set for brief interviews while the two played off some manufactured tension over Wingo taking over the lead role while the interviewees then ignored Beadle.

It all fell pretty flat but was made worse by a broadcast riddled with technical issues. There were audio problems – including one interview with Greg Jennings where his mic wasn’t even turned on – while the hosts seemed to be lost at times as to what was happening or to come next.

At least some credit has to be given for creating segments that could have potentially been interesting or funny even if they ultimately were not. The intentionally awkward “blue carpet” interviews for example were at least more relevant than the video packages put together last year and the structure of the broadcast in going from the “talk show” to game room interviews and eventually the Madden Bowl Finals was an improvement. Making a Madden NFL 13 related announcement about the upcoming cover tournament was also a nice decision.

It wasn’t until 58 minutes had passed that the actual Madden Bowl made an appearance however and that is still inexcusable. It’s hard to imagine who EA/ESPN thinks is the target audience tuning in to the Madden Bowl for the purpose of watching interviews and attempts at comedy that are low in production value and effort. Judging by comments on Twitter many viewers tuned out of the program pretty quickly when it became apparent that’s all it was. The semi-finals were not shown and only briefly mentioned – at the very least some highlights would have been fun to see as it’s not as though they didn’t have time to fill.

The pleas following the previous Madden Bowl were answered at least when it came to showing the Finals. The focus for the last half hour was completely on that with every second of gameplay action broadcast while a secondary window on screen focused on either the athletes involved or the hosts. Thankfully message notifications were turned off meaning the audience wouldn’t be subjected to offensive material constantly popping up on screen.

As with last year the actual game footage held up well and featured dramatic moments making Madden NFL 12 look respectable and quite fun. The “Clutch” team seemed to take it seriously and show enthusiasm. That’s something EA could capitalize on – how even the athletes like Drew Brees can genuinely get into Madden in a competitive fashion. The choice to use Online Team Play worked out well here because of the determination and excitement demonstrated by the “Clutch” team but the “Rookies” just lounged around and relaxed for the most part.

It was fitting then that the “Clutch” team won both games in dramatic late-game fashion. The Finals looked to be all but wrapped up with 1:30 left and “Clutch” (Saints) about to go in for the game-sealing score. That is when “Rookies” (Lions) forced a fumble that was returned 97 yards for the TD to take a 4 point lead. The “Clutch” team then drove down the field and won it on a TD pass with 10 seconds left.

While still sub-standard as a whole the Madden Bowl XVIII broadcast showed some improvement by providing more relevant content and eventually turning its focus to what those who tuned in actually wanted to see. The Madden Bowl Final was presented well and was enjoyable to watch – it’s just a shame that it took a full hour to get to anything remotely interesting.

The cover tournaments and voting campaigns have been a huge success for EA Sports. It gets the game in the news increasing awareness over a much larger span of time than a simple cover announcement while engaging fans at an early date.

For Madden NFL 13 the cover tournament is being blown up even bigger. 64 players will be eligible – 2 players from each team will face off in the entry round with the winner moving on to fill out the bracket of 32. The announcement of what players are eligible will come on March 7th.

What players do you hope are included from your favorite team? Leave your thoughts in the comments on who you’d like to see involved and who will be the favorites in the tournament!

The second to last roster update for Madden NFL 12 is expected to go out for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 on Friday. Heading into the Super Bowl it primarily reflects the results of the Conference Championship games and those four teams that were involved while sprinkling in changes for a few other teams and also adjusting depth charts and removing injuries for the off-season.

Patrick Willis goes back up to 99 overall and two more players have joined the “clutch” trait club as in Justin Smith and Jimmy Graham. In terms of net players gaining over losing the Giants get a huge +15 with the Patriots +11 while the two losing teams take slight hits as the Ravens go -4 and 49ers -1. Continue on for all the details on this week’s Madden NFL 12 roster update and leave any thoughts in the comments!

Though there is little to go on at this juncture regarding the extent to which it will ultimately develop a tweet from Donny Moore has revealed that ratings for offensive lineman will be getting worked on for Madden NFL 13. One of the gameplay interns is Clint Oldenburg, a former NFL and UFL offensive lineman, who apparently will be taking on the task of making lineman ratings more meaningful and better reflective of their true impact and influence. That’ll probably require a revamp rather than simply adjusting ratings under the current system.

This could amount to a significant enhancement to gameplay as the action in the trenches has been somewhat neglected over the years. Some would argue that ratings have meant absolutely nothing for offensive lineman – and regardless of whether the case or not it’s been obvious that there was little to no differentiation between them whether in performance or style. Either the offensive lineman would get beat terribly or they would hold their ground and either they would miss an assignment or they wouldn’t.

At the very least it’s encouraging to hear that offensive lineman ratings are going to be addressed in some manner but whether that is ultimately seen through completely and effectively will been open to interpretation down the line.

The live Madden Bowl broadcast last year was widely ridiculed and rightfully so (see my review). It was an unmitigated disaster. Not only was the programming dull – primarily filler with very little footage of the athletes actually playing Madden – but obscene messages were on full display throughout the evening.

EA and ESPN will hopefully be better prepared and provide more relevant content for Madden Bowl XVIII which takes place in Indianapolis on Thursday. Coverage begins at 9ET/6PT on ESPN3 – which can be accessed through the Xbox Live app (which has proven to be excellent) or on the web.

Once again teams of three will compete in Online Team Play mode. That makes it possible to involve more athletes and celebrities but in turn has taken some of the personality out of the competition while Team Play was more relevant last year as a new feature than with Madden NFL 12. Grouping in this manner also means fewer total games which is part of what made the previous Madden Bowl rely so much on unrelated fluff pieces and interviews.

Will you be tuning in to Madden Bowl XVIII on Thursday night – or do you have no interest or lost it after last year’s debacle?

It’s become clear in recent days that Peyton Manning is unlikely to return to the Colts next season. Whether that will be due to his release (he’s owed $28 million guaranteed if kept on the roster come March 8th) or his retirement due to health concerns – Indy looks to be planning a fresh start with a new coach, GM, and Andrew Luck.

If his health allows him to return there are a number of teams that, by adding Peyton Manning, would become instant contenders. Here is a look at those who could consider making a play for his services under the right circumstances. 

Miami Dolphins

•Reasons for: Been searching for a franchise QB forever. Generally good weather at home.
•Reasons against: May be able to get a QB high in the draft could be targeting Matt Flynn. AFC East will be tough challenge every year.

Arizona Cardinals

•Reasons for: Home indoor environment. Team was successful with Kurt Warner late in his career. Larry Fitzgerald.
•Reasons against: Money going to Kevin Kolb (and trade capital they gave up for him) but he could too be released in March.

Seattle Seahawks

•Reasons for: Lots of young talent on offense and an emerging defense. Just need a franchise QB. Available cap room.
•Reasons against: Doesn’t fit the preferred offensive system which values mobility at QB. Team may want to groom a rookie for long haul.

Washington Redskins

•Reasons for: Team is known for signing high profile/pricey free agents. Need an answer at QB.
•Reasons against: Not much talent on offense. May prefer not to play in circus of the NFC East and against Eli twice a year.

San Francisco 49ers

•Reasons for: Alex Smith had a good year but limitations were seen in the NFC Championship game. Dominant defense.
•Reasons against: Still could have made it to the SB despite Alex Smith. Need help at WR.

There are only a handful of teams that wouldn’t ideally love to have a healthy Peyton Manning so any number of sleepers for his services could emerge. The New York Jets would love an upgrade over struggling Mark Sanchez but that doesn’t look to be an appealing option for Peyton (dysfunctional locker room and brash leadership, sharing crazy NY market with Eli). The Broncos, Chiefs, and even Ravens might make some sense too but would seem to be long shots.

Super Bowl XLV will be a rematch of the epic Super Bowl XLII from four years ago as the New England Patriots and New York Giants prevailed yesterday in some fantastic Conference Championship games that came down to the final plays in regulation and overtime.

Some of the names that stood out due to big performances include Vince Wilfork, Victor Cruz, Vernon Davis, Sterling Moore, and Lardarius Webb. And then there are of course the goats who will bear the brunt of the fault for the losses – Kyle Williams, Billy Cundiff, and Lee Evans while Michael Crabtree completely vanished on the big stage.

From the teams that competed what players are deserving of ratings up or downgrades in the next Madden NFL 12 roster update? As always leave your thoughts in the comments!

EA Sports has announced there will be no blog released at halftime of this year’s Super Bowl for Madden NFL 13. For the previous three years the company has taken the opportunity to announce some base features or explain the general direction of the upcoming title at that time. Generally the blogs have been directed to the more hardcore crowd that would actually be paying attention to Madden news in February, and though they didn’t amount to “big” news that marketing certainly wanted to hold for later, they were still of value particularly given they made Madden the only sports game to release any sort of info that early. 

Part of the decision to scrap an early blog could be related to the inability to materialize one of the two features announced at that time last year. “Tuner” updates being added to Madden NFL 12 were touted as being a significant development – yet were never spoken of again and the company has refused to comment on what happened to that feature.

More likely though it has to do with the new development team composition and leadership. The guys who really pushed for community engagement and early info, like the unprecedented Super Bowl blog, are now gone. The new regime has taken over. Post-release support in the way of patches for Madden 12 is apparently complete after just the one feedback-based patch and presumably for the same reason – dev team focus has turned to Madden NFL 13.

It’s disappointing news but not necessarily a bad sign for what’s to come just a change in the way things are being handled. For a different angle of insight into the Madden NFL development process check out this article from Grantland that went out earlier this week.