New England's defense was noticeably better this season while Spikes was in the field as per ESPN Stats Info:

Brandon Spikes played in 669 of the NE's def snaps during the season. NE permitted the team to score a 44.1 QBR with Madden 23 coins him on the field, compared to 59.7 without him.

Since Spikes and Mayo having been sacked the linebacker depth of New England is going to be further tested. Dane Fletcher will likely replace Spikes and join Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower in the line-up.

Annie Apple, the mother of New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple joins the Sunday edition of ESPN's Madden NFL 23 Countdown as a contributor, and you ought to be excited about the opportunity.

Apple attracted the attention of many during the days that preceded the Madden NFL 23 Draft. Her ability to make her voice heard with a healthy dose of humor made her a celebrity before her son's name was announced during the draft. After Apple was featured as a guest on His and Hers with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith after the draft, ESPN hired her as an analyst for Sunday's Madden NFL 23 Countdown.

The negotiations between the Madden NFL 23 and the Madden NFL 23PA over a new collective bargaining agreement continue this week at the combine. There are many issues the players are uncertain about, but their biggest worry is about the number of games shifting between 16 and 17 during an actual season. From the side of the owners this is their priority number. 1 priority.

The main source of revenue for the league is the media rights deals to provide Madden NFL 23 content and games. These TV deals expire in the near future and Madden NFL 23 owners want to revisit deals while markets are booming and the economy is growing. When you add a game that could be an additional bye week there are two more weeks of Madden NFL 23 action. That, plus two more playoff games, equals huge TV rights deals.

That's why the owners have put forth the CBA proposal with cheap Madden 23 ltds an even more generous revenue split than they did in 2011: They understand the importance of making a deal happen before the election of the president and any economic impact from it. So, the pressure for 17 games has been strong.

It's also a major holdup during this year's CBA negotiations. Here's why.