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With just 1 week left before EA/Origin Access members get their first look and 2 weeks left before the worldwide release of Madden NFL 21, we would like to give everyone an overview of each pre-order package to help you choose the one that's right for you. Remember, Dual Entitlement will allow you to upgrade your copy of the game from PS4 to PS5, or from XB1 to XBX at no additional cost.

For a complete breakdown of Dual Entitlement and how it works, Click Here.

Below is an overview of what's included in each bundle and exclusive bonuses …

EA dropped a surprise edition of Gridiron Notes this morning that introduced us to the console version of The Yard in Madden NFL 21. While gear earned on both the mobile and console versions will be shared, the game modes themselves have a lot of key differences. Below you will find a link to the full Gridiron Notes for today's article as well as a summary of key highlights.

To view the Gridiron Notes for Madden NFL 21 The Yard Deep Dive, Click Here.

WHAT IS THE YARD?

While some Madden fans have played organized football at different levels in …

With the release of Madden NFL 21 just around the corner, many of you may be asking, "When can I play?". Below is a breakdown of all the different release dates and how you can play the newest version of Madden early:

August 21st

• Origin Access Premier- If you are a member of Origin Access Premier, you will have access to the full game on this date.
• Origin Access Basic- If you are a member of Origin Access Basic on PC or are a member of EA Access on PS4/XB1, you will get up to ten hours of …

If you've been following Muthead's competitive Madden events, you know we just wrapped up our last Pro-Am tournament that featured a "crew vs. crew" format with teams made up of NFL athletes, professional Madden players, and members of the Goats and Glory esports team. We received a lot of community feedback from players that wanted a chance to compete in our next Pro-Am event so we teamed up with Tyson Any'tizers to make that happen.

The next $10,000 Muthead Pro-Am will be played on Madden 21's Superstar KO mode. Teams of three will race to get as many wins …

While today's latest Madden 21 news relates to the mobile version, EA has announced "The Yard: Underground" will have a shared gear inventory system between mobile and console (details for the console version of "The Yard" will be released at a later date). Each system will have its own version of "The Yard", but unlocking items on Madden NFL 21 Mobile will allow you to use them on the console version of Madden NFL 21 and vice-versa. Some pieces of gear will be exclusively earned on mobile, while others may be exclusively earned on console.

For a link to the …

EA released a new set of Gridiron Notes yesterday by Sean Graddy (Executive Producer) that provides the latest information about Franchise updates coming to Madden NFL 21. Below you will find a link to the full, detailed version released by EA as well as a brief summary.

To view the original Gridiron Notes for today's article, Click Here.

Summary

To better address community feedback regarding Franchise, EA is increasing their team resources to deliver more/improved core features to the Franchise mode in Madden 21 post-launch support, as well as Madden 22 initial launch. Because Madden is a true live …

Rounding out the X-Factors in Madden NFL 21 on the defensive side of the football, EA has unveiled the defensive backs and remaining linebackers. Two new X-Factors are making their debut in Madden NFL 21 with Avalanche and Bottleneck. Avalanche will assist heavy hitters with forcing fumbles on hit-stick tackles, while Bottleneck helps physical cornerbacks win the Man Press battle at the line of scrimmage.

In addition to today's X-Factor players, EA has also added Von Miller to the database with the Fearmonger X-Factor. The original X-Factor Pass Rushers article has been updated to reflect this new change.

Click the …

Today's latest set of Gridiron Notes released by EA focuses on X-Factors and Superstar Abilities. Changes to the game mechanics have resulted in the removal, addition, and re-balancing of X-Factors and Superstar Abilities for Madden NFL 21. In this article, you will find a brief summary of these Ability changes. For additional clarity on why some of these changes were necessary, feel free to check out the full Gridiron Notes at the link below.

To view the full EA Gridiron Notes released today on X-Factors and Superstar Abilities, CLICK HERE.

RE-BALANCES

Below is a brief summary of all the Superstar …

Today's X-Factor Week reveal moves back to the offensive side of the football with wide receivers and tight ends. YAC 'Em Up is the newest ability coming to the receiving group courtesy of George Kittle. Below is a breakdown of Madden NFL 21's WR/TE abilities:

Click the following link to view the full EA database of X-Factor abilities.

To view previously released X-Factor articles on Muthead, click the following: Quarterbacks - Halfbacks - Pass Rushers

Zone- This is the X-Factor ability that each player gets once unlocked by completing Trigger requirements

Trigger- Achieve this requirement to activate the X-Factor ability

Knockout- …

After two days of offensive X-Factor reveals for Madden NFL 21, today is the defense's turn! Pass Rusher X-Factor abilities were unveiled today by EA and there are two new abilities to take a look at, Blitz and Relentless. For those who may be unfamiliar, "X-Factor" is a feature first introduced in Madden 20 that gives unique abilities to some of the NFL's best players. Each team has X-Factor players that can unlock their abilities during the course of a game by achieving specific "Triggers". Below is a breakdown of this year's Pass Rusher abilities:

Click the following link to …

Tonight on the EA Twitch Channel, Clint Oldenburg sat down with Agent K for a segment of Talking Madden where they discussed feedback from the Beta. Below you will find links to the rebroadcast and Gridiron Notes, as well as a brief summary of the latest news. For the #FixMaddenFranchise crowd out there, Agent K acknowledged that they have received your feedback and are working internally to address the community's concerns regarding Franchise mode. They are hoping to have additional information to share regarding Franchise in mid-August.

To watch a rebroadcast of the Closed Beta Feedback stream, click here.

To …

For the 2nd day of X-Factor reveal week, EA has unveiled Madden 21 X-Factor abilities for the Halfbacks. For those who may be unfamiliar, "X-Factor" is a feature first introduced in Madden 20 that gives unique abilities to some of the NFL's best players. Each team has X-Factor players that can unlock their abilities during the course of a game by achieving specific "Triggers". Below is a breakdown of this year's HB abilities:

To view yesterday's M21 QB X-Factor article, click here.

Click the following link to view the EA database of X-Factor abilities.

Zone- This is the X-Factor ability …

EA began their Madden NFL 21 X-Factor reveal week today with the quarterbacks. For those who may be unfamiliar, "X-Factor" is a feature first introduced in Madden 20 that gives unique abilities to some of the NFL's best players. Each team has X-Factor players that can unlock their abilities during the course of a game by achieving specific "Triggers". Below is a breakdown of this year's QB abilities:

Click the following link to view the original EA article on QB X-Factor abilities.

Zone- This is the X-Factor ability that each player gets once unlocked by completing Trigger requirements

Trigger- Achieve …

The following LTD player items have received a Training Option to their existing Power Ups instead of the usual Series Redux item in Madden 20 Ultimate Team. Along with the Training Option, you can add the LTD item to upgrade the Power Up instead if you prefer. Check out the list of LTD players and their Power Up below:

Peyton Manning - Power Up
Mel Blount - Power Up
Kevin Mawae - Power Up
Jessie Tuggle - Power Up
Steve Largent - Power Up
Dwight Freeney - Power Up
Daunte Culpepper - Power Up
Larry Allen - Power Up
Derrick Brooks - Power Up
Joe Montana - Power Up
Joe …

The matchups have been set and the battle lines have been drawn! Muthead's very first Pro-Am Madden Tournament presented by America's Navy kicks off tonight at 8 pm ET. Tonight's event features two teams, each led by a captain from America’s Navy esports Goats & Glory team, competing in head-to-head matches to determine which team will split the $10,000 winner takes all prize.

• When - Friday, July 17th (Tonight!)
• Time - 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM ET
• Where - Live Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/mutheadtv

Over the past 2 weeks, team captains Chief Smith (Team Goats) and CTN2 Bufford …

Fresh off a monster 2019 NFL Season that saw him win AP Offensive Player of the Year honors, Michael Thomas rounds out the 99 Club for Madden 21! Last season, Thomas led the league in both receptions (149) and yards (1,725). His 99 Catching and 98 Catch in Traffic ratings seem appropriate given his eye-popping 80.5% catch percentage as Drew Brees' favorite target in the pass-heavy Saints offense.

To see Michael Thomas receive the 99 Club news and swag, click here to watch the video.

Along with rounding out the 99 Club, EA has also released the top …

The fourth member of the "99 Club" has been confirmed by EA as New England Patriots Cornerback, Stephon Gilmore. With 99 ratings in Man Coverage, Press, and Awareness, Gilmore is the definition of a lockdown corner in Madden 21. While leading the top-rated defense in the league during the 2019 NFL season, Gilmore recorded a league-leading 6 interceptions and returned 2 for touchdowns. He is also the first cornerback since Richard Sherman in 2015 to receive a 99 overall rating in Madden and enter the club.

To see Stephon Gilmore receive the 99 Club news and swag, watch the video …

Marking his fourth consecutive year achieving the honor, Rams DT/DE Aaron Donald joins Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey in Madden 21's "99 Club". Today's news comes as no real surprise considering just last year Donald was voted as the #1 player in the NFL Top 100 of 2019 by his peers. With a 99 rating in Power Move, Play Recognition, and Strength, expect to see plenty of Aaron Donald plowing through the line at your QB in Madden 21.

To see Aaron Donald receive the 99 Club news and swag, check out the video here.

In addition to the …

A new set of Gridiron Notes was released today by EA that focuses on Playbooks and AI Gameplay Updates in Madden 21. Below is a brief overview of these updates:

For the full EA Gridiron Notes from today, click here.

NFL Live Playbooks 2.0

NFL Live Playbooks are back in Madden 21. You may be familiar with this concept from last year but for those who aren't, NFL Live Playbooks allow EA to update team playbooks throughout the year to better reflect the style of football that the team is playing during the NFL season. Updates to playbooks in …

EA has officially confirmed the second member of the 99 Club and it is none other than Christian McCaffrey. The Carolina Panther is coming off a Pro Bowl season that saw him rack up over 2300+ total yards from scrimmage and 19 total TDs. Like Mahomes yesterday, this is McCaffrey's second year making the 99 Club, but his first year being rated 99 on day one. "Run CMC" is the first halfback since Adrian Peterson in Madden 25 (2014) to earn 99 Club honors.

To see McCaffrey's former college teammate, Barry J. Sanders surprise him with the news, check out …

Fresh off leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl win and signing a contract making him the first half-billion-dollar athlete in the sports world, Patrick Mahomes has been announced as the first member of the exclusive "99 Club" in Madden 21! As last year's Madden cover athlete, Mahomes reached the "99 Club" in late September after just 20 career games played. However, this year the bouncers (EA Ratings Adjustors) have let him in the " 99 Club" on Day 1, and rightfully so!

To watch Mahomes' teammate Travis Kelce surprise him with the "99 Club" news and swag …

After revealing the Rookie QB ratings for Madden 21 yesterday, today is the WRs time to shine! With one of the deeper draft classes at wide receiver in recent memory, it will be exciting to see how these guys perform on the Madden gridiron (I'm looking at you Henry Ruggs III and your 98 SPD). Be sure to check out ESPN shows like "Get Up", "First Take", "SportsCenter", and "NFL Live" all next week (July 13-17th) to see more player rating reveals and discussion by the network's top analysts and former players.

To see Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs …

Today, EA gave us our first sneak peek at Madden 21 player ratings, starting with the Rookie QBs! Beginning next week on Monday, July 13th, additional player ratings will be revealed, starting with the 99 OVR Club. Tune in to ESPN Programs such as "Get Up", "First Take", "SportsCenter", and "NFL Live" to see OVR reveals and discussion by some of the game's top analysts and former players. This week-long event culminates with a SportsCenter special on Friday, July 17th at 7 pm ET, where any remaining player ratings will be revealed.

To see Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love …

For the final week of Power Up Expansion, EA has upgraded Steve Young, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Victor Cruz, Julius Peppers, and Lamarcus Joyner. All of today's updated Power Up items can now reach 99 OVR by using Training and/or a Power Up Pass. You can find all of today's updated Power Ups in packs or beat their newly released solo challenge to earn the corresponding player's Power Up item. Check out today's Power Up Expansion items below:

Power Ups

Steve Young
Christian McCaffrey
Michael Thomas
Victor Cruz
Julius Peppers
Lamarcus Joyner

What are your thoughts on this week's …

After much anticipation, EA Sports confirmed in a Tweet today that the Madden 21 closed beta will go live tonight, July 2nd, at 8:30 PM ET. EA also released a forum post outlining key details regarding this year's Madden beta.

Who will receive beta codes?
According to EA, everyone who signed up through the Good Morning Madden registration link in June will receive beta access along with nearly all competitors that earned MCS points this season. Additionally, the top 10,000 Madden Ultimate Team players and the top 10,000 CFM players in order of time played will all …