Madden 17: Release Date, Top Player Ratings, New Features, Preview and More

For most football fans, watching preseason games aren't enough. There needs to be another way for a diehard football fan to get a healthy dose of football at their fingertips. 

On Tuesday, August 23, NFL fans prayers will be answered with the release of Madden 17.

Official Release Date	Platforms
August 23rd	PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Ah, yes. The time has almost arrived for fans and gamers to unite and judge each player's rating and question why Aaron Donald isn't rated 99 overall.

As with every Madden game since its inception, player ratings fluctuate every season. Whether an injury occurred the previous season, a player gets a year older or a player has a breakout campaign, there will be always be head-scratching player ratings.

The top-rated player at each position in Madden 17 is listed below:

Position	Player	Rating	Team
QB	Aaron Rodgers	96	Green Bay Packers
RB	Le’Veon Bell	94	Pittsburgh Steelers
WR	Antonio Brown	97	Pittsburgh Steelers
FB	Patrick DiMarco	91	Atlanta Falcons
TE	Rob Gronkowski	99	Houston Texans
LT	Tyron Smith	97	Dallas Cowboys
LG	Josh Sitton	91	Green Bay Packers
C	Travis Frederick	91	Dallas Cowboys
RG	Marshal Yanda	97	Baltimore Ravens
RT	Lane Johnson	86	Philadelphia Eagles
LE	Brandon Graham	92	Philadelphia Eagles
DT	Aaron Donald	98	Los Angeles Rams
RE	J.J. Watt	99	Houston Texans
MLB	Luke Kuechly	99	Carolina Panthers
LOLB	Von Miller	99	Denver Broncos
ROLB	Tamba Hali	90	Kansas City Chiefs
CB	Josh Norman	94	Washington Redskins
FS	Tyrann Mathieu	96	Arizona Cardinals
SS	Reshad Jones	93	Miami Dolphins
K	Dan Bailey	85	Dallas Cowboys
P	Pat McAfee	86	Indianapolis Colts

There aren't many players in Madden 17 who own the highly-coveted 99 overall rating. In fact, there are only four.

Seriously, though. Why isn't Aaron Donald 99?

This next installment in the series also offers new features that make gameplay more realistic as well as more enjoyable. It's all about the little things in Madden that seem to make the biggest difference for gamers.

Commentary

The reign of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms' commentary is over.

As said in the video above, a really interesting feature in this game is the updated commentary each week. All real Madden fans who play the game understand how annoying it can get when the same cliches and statistics are repeated each and every game. 

EA Sports' in-game commentary will update each week with Brandon Gaudin providing the play-by-play with Charles Davis adding color commentary and analysis. 

Gameplay

Does anyone remember back in Madden 13 when a running back would bump into their offensive lineman and then fall to the ground as a defender approached? 

Those little glitches and tweaks will usually be around in any game, Madden included. However, this year's edition will give the faster, more elusive players a better opportunity to break tackles and avoid players in the open field.

Ball-carrier moves will rely on an individual player's attributes on a scale from "elite" to "lumbering." To summarize, a player like Antonio Brown should be able to shake off most defenders in the open field with a spin move or stiff arm, while an offensive lineman picking up a fumble shouldn't be able to juke out his opposition.

A good old fashioned stiff-arm might do the trick, though.

It's time to get back to football, ladies and gentlemen. And what better way to get in the mood for the release of Madden 17 and the new season than a cringe-worthy, Justin Bieber parody with Von Miller?

Enough of that. Let's play some Madden.