The XBFL Spring/Summer Calendar of Events:

6/3/08:   Below are a series of scheduled activities to take place between now and the start of The XBFL's 12th season.  Some dates are subject to change, though should remain fairly accurate.

June:
3-7: Message Board implementation (completed)
9-13: New banner/logo & archives updated (completed)
13-16: League Newsletter (completed)

July:
1-11: New newsletter templates to be completed. (completed)
7-14: Contact with veteran members to determine participation and team assignments. (completed)
14-18: Modify/ammend rule book to accommodate both Madden and 2K Leagues. (completed)

August:
1-10: Finalization of rosters (completed)
11-17: Draft for new recruits (completed)
25-30: Delegation of workflow to volunteers (completed)

September:-
XBFL Kickoff for APFB Dynasty League (completed)
XBFL Kickoff for Madden League (completed)
XBFL Standy-By List for new applicants (in-process) 

November/December:-
Hall of Fame page


Spring Season Officially Concludes:

5/27/08:  Season 11 officially concluded this weekend as the consolation bracket was decided between the Huntington Predators and Boston Americans.  The Americans, coached by former NFL 2K5 champion Kaptain Krunch, defeated the Predators (Mr Fett) 31-17.  This match followed on the heels of the championship game between the Pittsburgh Iron Men and the Philadelphia Pride where GetinDaGetis (Pit) topped Fall Season Champion Phillyenigma (Phi) 24-22.  Both players set an XBFL Championship Game record with their passer ratings (140.4 and 127.2 respectively).

Beginning later this week, TheXBFL.com will make preparations for the upcoming Fall Season that will feature leagues for both All-Pro Football 2K8 and Madden 2009.  Please refer to the XBFL News or League Registration pages for more details.



 

Spring Season Championship Decided:

5/19/08:  After weeks of delays due to RROD issues, the championship bracket was finally decided this past Friday night.  In a nail-biter of a game, second season member GetinDaGetis topped Fall Season Champion Phillyenigma 24-22.  Both players set an XBFL Championship Game record with their passer ratings (140.4 and 127.2 respectively). Congratulations to both players for a season well played, and for a thrilling end to our APFB2K8 season!

Key Performances:
Ken Stabler (Pit): 16-27-336-3-0
Randall Cunningham (Phi): 18-29-271-3-0
Barry Sanders (Phi): 15-103-0
Mike Ditka (Pit): 5-105-1
Don Maynard (Phi): 8-206-1

MVP: Ken Stabler

The XBFL Spring Season consolation bracket should be decided later this week.  This delay was also caused by a member who experienced the RROD.


 

XBFL Announces Dual-League Operation for Fall 2008

4/28/08:  Commissioner responds to XBFL Member Satisfaction Survey

The results of the 2008 Season Satisfaction Survey are in, and many of the suggestions offered will be implemented in time for the 2009 Season.  Some of these suggestions include:

• Dual-league format: All-Pro Football 2K8 ("Dynasty League" format) and Madden 2009.
• All-new XBFL Message Board/Forum
• New comprehensive monthly newsletter in addition to the weekly newsletters that were distributed throughout previous seasons.  Weekly newsletters will now include game previews, predictions, recaps, and general league news. Monthly newsletters will focus on league events, player profiles, 2K and EA news, and current league standings.
• Quarterly flex-scheduling with All-Pro Football, and if available, with Madden 2009 as well.
• More Web pages devoted to the XBFL's respective leagues (i.e. 2K Football and soon-to-be Madden 2009), including sections on strategy and general gameplay tips.
• Historical recaps of memorable XBFL games.
• Online gamer contact information.
• New admins to assist with various league-responsibilities.
• Prizes for League Champions and Runner-Ups.

The changes planned for the 2009 season will undoubtedly improve the league experience and help the XBFL maintain its position as one of the premier online football leagues on Xbox Live.  With the dual-league format officially announced, the XBFL has opened registration to the general gaming public.  More details on both league formats can be found at the Registration Page.

Electronic Arts Tries to Snatch Take-Two

2/24/08:  Forget, "It's in the Game", "If You Can't Beat Them, Buy Them" Should Be Electronic Arts' New Ad Slogan.

XBFL Editorial:

After facing increased competition in 2004 and 2005 from 2K Sports' improving flagship titles, EA began predatory licensing practices to gain exclusive rights to develop professional sports league-branded games such as Madden Football.  Not only did these business acquisitions eliminate competition in key gaming segments, but it also denied consumers a choice when it came to certain sports titles.  After what seemed like an eternity, 2K Sports re-entered the football arena in 2007 with their All-Pro Football 2K8, a rather ambitious project that featured numerous retired NFL players, many of which once appeared on EA's Madden rosters.  EA was not pleased with 2K's accomplishment, despite lackluster sales overall.  Last year, a senior executive at Electronic Arts stated in a news report that EA would [make sure they are prepared for something like this again in the future].  At that time, some individuals in the gaming community speculated those comments indicated plans for a hostile takeover with stock purchases; others scoffed at the idea thinking EA had something else up their sleeve.  Regardless, it was evident that 2K Sports was back in the cross-hairs of the software giant.

So, here we are - 2008, and EA is attempting to buy Take-Two Interactive which includes their creative team, Visual Concepts, developer of the 2K football series.  While I am sure most of the focus is on purchasing Take-Two prior to the release of GTA IV, to football gamers, it can't be ignored that any sort of merger would ultimately affect future releases of 2K football.  One could also speculate that the acquisition of Take-Two could result in 2K Football never again seeing the light of day.

EA had the perfect opportunity in 2006 and 2007 to improve their Madden franchise when all of their football competition was temporarily out of commission.  Instead, they threw together a stripped down next-gen version in 2006 which was a colossal failure in terms of gameplay, and they provided only minor refinements in 2007 where Madden was barely playable to sim-game enthusiasts. Cartoonists and gaming blogs widely criticized EA and Tiburon for their minor evolutions versus long overdue revolutions to their stagnant franchise.  One well received cartoon went as far as to depict Madden's developers stressing out about simply changing the "2007" to "2008" in the title as their only update to the latest installment of the series.  EA touts their Madden franchise as being the "most succesful" and "best selling" football game each year.  Gee, really?  When you are the only real football game on the shelf (sorry Blitz), you darn well better be!  That "accomplishment" is nothing to brag about.

As The XBFL observed last year, what's 'in the game' was not necessarily really in the game.  Madden 2007 was riddled with bugs, and inconsistencies with real NFL action were littered throughout the game.  Aside from the obvious inability to challenge bad calls on the field (which were frequent), bugs enabled illegal forward passes to be ruled as fumbles, calls for illegal contact beyond five yards were hit or miss as was pass interference, out of bounds catches were sometimes considered good (and unchallengeable), and time outs were sometimes, though rarely, not a full 30 seconds long.  And don't even get us started on the unrealistic physics certain individuals could exploit with players like Michael Vick; or the 'frame-boosting' linebackers would often exhibit when caught out of position.

Tiburon and the entire Madden team have essentially rested on their laurels since the late 90s.  It's disappointing that they haven't risen to the challenge of their competition (Visual Concepts) and simply made a better game.  I doubt anyone would argue the fact that Madden's player models haven't changed much in years (e.g. Martin Grammatica has shared the same build as former NFL wide-receiver David Boston ), and the gimmicks offered each year do nothing to improve the actual on-field gameplay.

To add further insult, consumers are charged a premium for a game that's essentially the same as it was years ago, aside from the updated rosters of course.  Is this fair?  Of course it isn't.  This issue doesn't apply to Madden alone, one could easily point out that fans of the Tony Hawk series are experiencing pretty much the same thing: nothing really new, same sticker price.  This seems to be a trend with several of EA's development models.

While EA deserves much of the blame for flaunting their fat wallet to gain exclusive rights,  the NFL is at fault too.   Do they not realize that more money is to be made when more companies feed into the pot?  Do they not realize it's better to spread risk versus relying on one and only one source of income from a specific industry?   It's a shame that the National Football League is apparently only concerned with a large, freshly endorsed check in exchange for lending the rights to use their intellectual properties.  That's not smart business, especially in an industry that's fairly volatile. Despite soaring profits in the gaming industry these days, production costs for games are constantly increasing, and the return on investment is not always what companies anticipate.  For every major hit like "Halo" or "Gears or War," there are several "Waterworlds" that take their toll on a company's bottom line.   EA is always throwing money around to gain exclusive rights to movies and other franchises - - and at some point, it has got to come back to haunt them.  Recently, EA closed their offices in Chicago, laying off an undisclosed number of workers - only to announce a short while later that they want to buy another company for an insane amount of money.  Something doesn't quite seem right about that.

It's time the government institutes some sort of regulation before EA gobbles up all of their primary competition, leaving them with unfair market share, and hard-core fans of quality sports titles without any options.  There is no denying that the overall ratings of EA games have been declining over the years -  and not just their sports titles.  NFL and FIFA Street are classic examples of the pure crap EA is pumping out into the marketplace, both of which proudly display the licenses of the respective professional organizations they are based upon. The NFL also needs to wake up and look at the bigger picture here too.  Fans of the NFL are like non-other:  they are passionate about the sport they love, and many associate the NFL logo to that of quality.  EA is not offering that level of quality despite the NFL shield and NFLPA logos on their products.  Because of the current licensing agreement, consumers have no other choice but to buy EA products to get that "NFL experience" - which is hardly the case.  To some hard-core NFL gamers, it's fraudulent misrepresentation.

A similar instance took place in 2003 when EA acquired the NASCAR license which ended Sierra/Papyrus' amazing run of developing the best sim-racing experiences for the PC.  To this day, EA's NASCAR games have not equalled (or even come close to) the quality or realism that Papyrus put out in late 2002/early 2003.  PC-based sim-racing leagues have had to utitlize unauthorized mods (despite legal threats from EA) to keep the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season experience fresh and well-maintained -- and they are still going strong.  It's pathetic and a disservice to consumers that after five years, EA still cannot equal the quality of one of their former competitors in a specific gaming segment, especially one of such popularity.

While some may view Take-Two's stance as heroic against the behemoth that is EA, it's only prolonging the inevitable.  If EA doesn't buy them, they will buy some other key competitor and only grow bigger and stronger. The real losers in all this Electronic Arts M&A activity will ultimately be the gamers.  With the economy the way it is, my precious dollars are spent with discretion.  When the day comes where the majority of "top tier" games carry the EA logo or one of their new subsidiaries', I'll pack up my console and find a new hobby.

~ A.N.


Important News 2/24/08:
Electronic Arts Offers $2 Billion for Take-Two Interactive

2/25/08: Take-Two Declines Electronic Arts Offer
- CBS MarketWatch story
- CNN/Money


EA Sports Renews Exclusive Rights to NFL/NFLPA Licenses Through 2012

2/13/08:  EA Denies Consumers a Real NFL Gaming Experience for Four More Years

- 1up.com story
- Monsters & Critics story
- dbTechno story
- GameSpot story


XBFL Retirement Announcement

2/11/08 - Five-year veteran Malfeasant has retired from the XBFL due to his career and other obligations.  Malfeasant will be remembered as being a die-hard Chicago Bears fan, and who made an improbable run deep into the playoffs in the first of two NFL 2K5 seasons sponsored by The XBFL.  His competitive nature and sportsmanlike gameplay will certainly be missed by all.


XBFL Season 10 Championship Results

2/09/08 - Phillyenimga captured his second XBFL title in five years with a dominating performance over Mr Fett's Lexington Stallions, 31-6.  

Momentum looked to be in the Stallions' favor early on when Mel Renfro picked off a pass by Randall Cunningham, but Lexington's offense failed to capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt after a four-and-out.  Coach Phillyenimga adjusted accordingly on the Flight's second drive and methodically moved his offense down field for the first score of the game, consuming almost all of the clock in the first quarter.   The Stallions had little difficulty moving the ball in the first half overall, but had to settle for two field goals taken just outside the red zone.  

Cunningham, the league's leading passer, converted all but two third down conversion attempts throughout the entire game.  "That proved disasterous for us," Mr Fett was quoted as saying.  "Despite decent coverage with our secondary, our linebackers just couldn't execute on assigned coverages in the middle of the field when needed.  Giving up third and longs on a consistent basis eventually demoralizes a team."  

Things got worse for the Stallions when in the second half, running back O.J. Simpson scored on a kick return.  His last special teams score was also against the Stallions, when with 10 seconds left in the game and behind by one point, returned a kickoff for the game winning score just as time expired.

Phillyenigma became only the second player in XBFL history to post an undefeated season.   When the league endorsed NFL 2K3, another gamer captured a championship with a perfect record, however, that accomplishment was criticized by other coaches when it was discovered that the gamer was utilizing the "double-trigger trick" which boosted a running back's break-tackle ability beyond what would be considered realistic.  This tactic wasn't discovered until late in the season, and eventually became banned.  

Phillyenimga's performance in the XBFL's 10th season earned him Coach of the Season, a nomination made by his peers within the league.  Congratulations to Phillyenigma and his Philadelphia Flight football team for such an outstanding accomplishment!

Randall Cunningham earned the MVP Award for his performance in the Championship Game, as well as the overall League MVP Award.  Cunningham finished the regular season with a 145.0 passer rating and 49 touchdowns.

Game Notes:
- Randall Cunningham (Phi) threw for three TDs and one interception.
- Dave Krieg (Lex) threw one interception and no scores.
- OJ Simpson (Phi) became only the second rusher this season to post 100 yards on the ground against the Stallions' top rated defense.
- Thurman Thomas (Lex), the league's second leading rusher, averaged over 5 yards per carry in the Championship Game, but failed to post 100 yards rushing (third time this season).  Thomas is now 0-4 in championship games between the NFL and XBFL.
- The normally sure-handed receiving corps of Lexington; Mark Carrier, Pete Pihos, and Andre Reed accounted for over 10 dropped passes.
- Andre Watters (Philadelphia) and Mel Renfro (Lexington) each posted a interception.
- O.J. Simpson scored a special teams touchdown on a kick return.
- Mr Fett is now 0-3 in Title Games (NFL 2K5 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Madden 2007 as the New Orleans Saints, and All Pro Football 2K8 as the Lexington Stallions with a drafted roster of 11 former NFL players).


The XBFL Kicks-Off Its 10th Season; Five-Year Anniversary

9/10/07: Today begins the 10th season for The XBFL, also marking the league's fifth-year anniversary.

Returning to its roots, The XBFL is once again endorsing a 2K Sports' title as its football game of choice.  

Both NFL 2K5 champions (seasons 5 & 6) have returned to defend their 2K football crowns, albeit in an entirely new gaming format featuring a limited player pool, live draft, former NFL players, and custom team designs.

Official kick-offs begin this evening.  Good luck to all who are involved in this year's exciting new season!


Commissioner Announcement: XBFL Finalizes Roster for Upcoming All-Pro Football 2K8 Season; Madden 2008 League Officially Cancelled

7/11/07:   The XBFL is finalizing its roster of gamers for participation in the forthcoming All-Pro Football 2K8 season. Any new rookies to be brought on board will receive email notification between July 19-22.  The roster will be completed on July 31st.

Additionally, the league has decided against running a Madden 2008 league along side APFB2K8.  To address this official decision, the XBFL Commissioner stated, "Over the past two years, Madden football for the Xbox 360 has been a great disappointment to participants of the XBFL, as well as to the administrators.  After the conclusion of our fall season, Madden 2007 received a score of 6 [out of 10] in a league-wide survey.  The survey also offered open-ended responses, to which several members provided some pretty harsh criticizms that just couldn't be overlooked."  

"Too many reality flaws and game glitches have influenced the outcome of many games, some of which were critical in terms of playoff positioning. In my opinion, there is no reason to continue endorsing a product that is viewed as sub-par and out of touch with what sim-gamers look for in a quality sports title. EA Sports has been resting on their laurels for too many years now with only minor evolutions to their flagship title, none of which have been significant improvements with respect to on-field game play. Quite the contrary.  Both myself and the majority of this league applauds 2K Sports' efforts in returning their brand of football to the marketplace. We are very excited to get our hands on All-Pro Football 2K8 early next week."

The XBFL's 10th season will begin in early September to coincide with the NFL schedule.  The XBFL's APFB2K8 draft will take place in early August to provide members sufficient time to practice with their customized teams.

Playstation 3's Football Woes: Madden to Run Better on Xbox 360

San Diego Captures XBFL Spring 2007 Championship with Win Over New Orleans

6/28/07: DMan20 led his team to a late regular season surge to capture the third playoff seed, and ultimately toppling the top two ranked teams en route to his first XBFL Championship. The Chargers defeated the Saints 35-21 in what looked to be a tight game at the half with the score knotted up at 14-14.   

The game opened up with Michael Lewis of the Saints returning a kickoff 102 yards and a score, an XBFL first.   The Saints defense intercepted a pass on the Chargers first possession, but were not able to capitalize on the opportunity.  Tomlinson later scored on a 30 yard run to tie the game, and from there, the Chargers seemed to dominate time of posession.  San Diego scored a go-ahead TD with just over a minute to play in the half, but Drew Brees quickly marched his offense down the field to set up a 40 yard TD pass to Marques Colston with 12 seconds remaining before halftime.  

The Chargers offense controlled the clock in the second half with long, with sustained drives that kept the Saints offense on the sidelines. While the Chargers offense worked efficiently, converting several key third and long attempts, their defense played a key role in keeping New Orleans out of scoring range. They keyed in on the run, keeping both Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister in check, and successfully blitzing Drew Brees on first downs.

In the two teams' regular season meeting, New Orleans had edged out the Chargers 17-16, with Reggie Bush having over 200 yards of total offense.  Despite a solid 4.0+ YPC average in the Championship Game, Bush failed to eclipse the 100 yard mark.

Ladanian Tomlinson was the star of this game, rushing for over 160 yards with two scores, earning him the XBFL Championship MVP Award.  Phillip Rivers was calm under fire and converted over a half dozen third and long plays, including two that resulted in scores.  

DMan20 entered the XBFL in 2006 at the mid-point of the season turning a woeful Washington Redskins team into a playoff contender by Week 15, but losing in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual runner-up.  At the helm of the Chargers, he put together a respectable record of 8-4 in the abbreviated Spring Season.  The only teams with better regular season records were New Orleans and Miami, both of which he beat in back to back games to earn the Championship Title.

Mr Fett is now 0-2 in championship games.  He led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Championship Game in 2004 (NFL2K5), and again with the New Orleans Saints in 2007 (Madden 2007).  Under his coaching this past season, all-purpose yards leader Reggie Bush is a likely candidate for the XBFL Spring Season MVP Award.  Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Devery Henderson are also nominees this season.

The XBFL Season 8 Championship Game effectively marks the end of this season, and Madden 2007.  The XBFL is excited to renew its participation with 2K Sports this Fall Season with All Pro Football 2K8, as it will be the featured league.  There are still tentative plans regarding a Madden 2008 league, but nothing has been finalized at this time.  A decision will be made some time during the first week or two of July, and posted at www.thexbfl.com

 

XBFL To Feature "All Pro Football 2K8" As Featured League in September

5/2/07: The XBFL has decided against dual-format leagues for 2007 due to the number of issues and complaints surrounding Madden 2007, and lack of evidence (at this time) that Madden 08 will support online league play.  As a result, the XBFL will be returning to its roots by endorsing 2K Sports' upcoming pro football title, which on a surface level, appears to be more complex with team creation, drafting of players, etc.  Full attention will be given to "All Pro Football 2K8"  this summer.

Should any plans change regarding Madden football being re-introduced into the league, notification will be made right here. Any and all applications received from this date forward will be considered for the forthcoming "All Pro Football 2K8" league which begins this August.

4/17/07:  EA Sports Announces Cover for Madden 2008:
Madden NFL Football has just announced the cover athelete for their upcoming Madden NFL 08: Vince Young. Young went 8-5 as a starter and earned last season's NFL Rookie of the Year honors.  Vince Young ranked first among rookie QB's in touchdown passes (12) and second in yardage (2,199), Young also rushed for 552 yards and seven TD's.

3/8/07:  The XBFL Salutes Geezy Weezy and his Denver Broncos:
Rookie coach Geezy Weezy took over management duties of the Denver Broncos in week 4 of the season and steadily worked his team into a solid playoff contender during the final weeks of the season.  Entering the playoffs and aided by the league's best rushing defense, Coach Geezy Weezy took out Kansas City (#1 rushing offense), Indianapolis (#4 offense, #1 passing defense), and in the conference final, Buffalo (#2 offense) to reach the championship game.  

The XBFL salutes Geezy Weezy and his Denver Broncos for their fine accomplishment.  

Season 7 has officially concluded and all final results and statistics can now be found in the  XBFL Archives.


3/2/07:  The XBFL to Kick-Off Spring Season on March 7th
The XBFL will kick-off its reduced schedule "Spring Season" this month featuring many returning veterans as well as some new additions to the league.  This season will run from March 7th through June 10th, to where the league will then make preparations for both All Pro Football 2K8 and Madden 2008. Open enrollment for both fall leagues will begin on April 14th.

2/3/07:  2K Sports Announces "All Pro Football 2K8"
2K Sports has officially announced that they will be re-entering the football arena with their upcoming pro football title.  Tentatively titled "All Pro Football 2K8," 2K hopes to return to grid-iron glory this fall.  

The XBFL is both excited and proud to fully endorse "All Pro Football 2K8" as the game of choice for the 2008 season.  The 2007 season was the first to utilize EA Sports' Madden football, which resulted in overwhelming dissappointment from members.  Game glitches and reality flaws (i.e. poor programming) affected a large percentage of games, where on some occasions, outcomes were determined by the software, and not the skills of the individuals playing. 

EA's blunders during their past two Madden titles on the Xbox 360 have proved that they've lost touch with "if it's in the game, it's in the game."  Because the XBFL strives to deliver the highest quality in online football, the Madden series may once again be riding the pine.

The XBFL began league operations with NFL 2K3 and continued with the 2K series until Sega/2K Sports lost the NFL license.  Despite grossly innaccurate player ratings, the NFL 2K series provided a much more sim-experience than its competition at the time.  



11/5/06: New Roster Update Still Has Problems:
Last week, EA made another roster update available for online play - probably the most significant in several weeks.  While some much-needed fixes were made (e.g. returning the Cowboys to their original team rating, as opposed to that unexplainable 12+ point drop), EA still has some issues with their depth charts.  Just one example of an incomplete update is with Tampa Bay.  Gradkowski is starting as QB, which is accurate.  However, David Boston was cut from the Bucs before the regular season, yet he still remains on the Madden 07 depth chart for the team. Is someone at Tiburon a David Boston fan, or is this just another example of the poor quality we've been experiencing with this product?  

10/4/06: The Voice of Consumers say "[EA servers are poor.]" 
There should be no question now as to why Microsoft and EA butted heads regarding server control when Madden first came out on the original Xbox.  Microsoft knows how to operate reliable servers and EA apparently does not.  Credible gaming sites and individual gamer blogs have all blasted the inconsistent quality of EA's servers - not to mention the down time that tends to hit at random intervals throughout the week.  With this league alone, connection quality has been a chief complaint among XBFL members, and it's frustrating to deal with both from a gamer's standpoint and an administrator's.  Hopefully, Microsoft will insist on some benchmark of quality in the near future with regard to independent server operation by other publishers.  Right now, EA/EA Sports server operations are by no means adequate for reliable high-quality gaming.  It is the hope of many hard-core Madden fans that Microsoft steps in to rectify this unacceptable situation, as it is negatively affecting the overall perception of Xbox Live.
 


 10/3/06: Team Ratings Still Flawed.  
A few weeks after the release of Madden, an update took place which adversely affected a number of NFL teams where their overall ratings were decreased by 10 points or more, while individual player ratings showed minimal changes either positive or negative.  After the last major update to Madden '07 (the patch), this "error" has not been corrected.  A specific example would be that of the Dallas Cowboys.  Initially, they were rated an 88 overall.  They were lowered to a 77 a few weeks ago, and have hit a low of 73 on offense. With players like Glenn, Owens, Bledsoe, Jones, Witten, Ware, Williams and Newman, there is certainly a valid argument with Dallas' absurdly low team rating.  Similar instances have occurred with numerous other teams, with some actually improving despite little to no change in their existing real-life roster.

10/2/06: EA Sports releases "fatigue patch" this week.  
EA has released the fatigue patch for Madden 2007 much to the delight of hard-core gamers and sim-based leagues.  However, there appears to be inconsistencies with the auto-substitutions as tired players are not always subbed out when appropriate.  Conversely, semi-tired players have been yanked in favor of their backups, while players "in red" stay on the field.  These instances were clearly evident in a few sample games, and it would seem that EA threw a patch together quickly to remedy only part of the problem.

8/18/06: EA Tiburon Team Fails to Code "Player Fatigue" for Madden 2007.
Word has hit the streets regarding the "player fatigue" settings in Madden 2007.  Player fatigue will not be a part of M'07 at launch next Tuesday, despite a fatigue slider being present in the game.

EA is apparently aware of this mishap, and is in the process of developing a downloadable patch (via Xbox Live) that should rectify the problem. No word yet on the availability of the patch as it has just undergone early stages of development. Hopefully, it will be in place by the start of the this league's Fall season (Sept. 10).

7/28/06: Linksys Router Users: Beware
Since the mandatory June 5th Live update, gamers from all over have been reporting connectivity issues - primarily with gamers on their friends lists.  This has been causing quite a problem for online gaming organizations of all types - particularly due to the randomness of these occurrences (i.e. one week a pair of gamers can't connect, the next week they can).  

After speaking in length with a Microsoft representative, the XBFL learned that the June 5th "patch" was tested using only D-Link, Netgear, and of course, Microsoft brand routers.  Linksys routers were not tested for compatibility, hence the recent connectivity problems, and the likelihood of future gaming issues .  If you are a Linksys owner, make sure your ports and security settings are configured correctly. While this is not a foolproof way of correcting the problem (buying a D-Link, Netgear, or Microsoft router is the best solution), correctly configuring your router may provide you a better opportunity at trouble-free online gaming.  

For XBFL members looking for step-by-step instructions to properly configure their Linksys router, please contact the Commissioner.