Madden Bowl, EA’s marriage of competitive gaming and celebrity appearances, will air 9:00 p.m. (ET), February 2, 2012, on ESPN 3. Xbox Live features the sports network on its dashboard, so Gold members will be able to watch from their consoles.

Believers in the “Madden Curse” had more evidence in 2011. Reversing course from numerous denials, Madden 12 cover athlete Peyton Hillis now thinks he’s been cursed.

Madden NFL 12 will ship on time regardless of what happens with the National Football League’s now tenuous labor situation.

EA Sports spokesman Rob Semsey confirmed to Gamertell that the league’s labor problems don’t affect the completion or shipping of Madden NFL. Semsey said the game will have real teams, the proper players and receive in-season updates.

The NFL Players Association has decertified as its battle with league owners continues.

The NFLPA’s deal with EA Sports still allows the company to use real players on their real teams. Team and league symbols are also licensed separately and the NFL lockout won’t prevent their usage in Madden NFL 12.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton shocked the football world with an onside kick to begin the second half of Super Bowl XLIV. He also set minds in the Madden NFL online community ablaze and players have been calling for the surprise onside kick ever since. Madden designers have heard those cries. They are concerned about the potential for exploit though, so Madden 12 will allow only a single “surprise” onside kick.

According to EA Sports’ observations, the Dallas Cowboys are still “America’s Team” despite a horrendous 1-7 start.

EA’s numbers indicated the Cowboys are the team most used in online play. The Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets round out the Top 5. The least popular team is the Arizona Cardinals.

That’s not a big shock. Arizona is a relatively small media market. Teams such as the Cowboys enjoy national prominence even when they’re losing. Seriously, watch any sports channel and see how much pub the Cowboys and Vikings get. A team such as Arizona only gets media attention when it’s winning. For the Cardinals, that is not often.

A recent Madden NFL 11 patch unlocks several new uniforms. There has been some confusion on how to get them once you’ve downloaded the latest Madden update.

It turns out Xbox 360 owners need to download the latest update for Madden’s card-based “Ultimate Team” mode to unlock the new uniforms. Ultimate Team is a popular game mode but there are many Madden players who have never touched it. Thus, they were left wondering where the new unis were.

It’s almost impossible to play any position in the NFL and not get banged up, especially quarterback. Drew Brees is on the cover of Madden NFL 11, so any injury he suffers is going to undergo even more scrutiny. ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that Brees has a minor MCL sprain in his right knee and will need to wear a brace for the rest of the season.

Every year some player has an issue with his player rating or some other aspect of his Madden NFL representation. As far as Minnesota Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler is concerned, they should be happy. They’re at least in the game. Madden NFL doesn’t include long snappers so Loeffler and his special teams brethren are up in arms.

Madden NFL is a sales juggernaut and retailers count on it to get you into the store to buy even more stuff. That’s especially true during a year in which videogame sales are down. Here’s a look at what’s being offered for Madden deals:

I’ve spent some time with the Xbox Live demo for Madden NFL 11 and, yes, I plan to purchase it August 10, 2010. (There aren’t many things that could stop me any way.)

I won’t go into a rant about EA’s monopoly on pro football here. That is what it is. Buying this game is one of the ways football fans get ready for the season, as important as fantasy football drafts and tailgate parties. Madden is accused of not switching things up, sometimes to the point of unfairness.

This year, EA has definitely shaken some things up.