It has been five years since EA Sports introduced the concept of "Player Traits" to the Madden NFL series in an effort to better differentiate how players perform on the field. At that time, Tim Tebow had just come off an improbable stretch of games as the Broncos' starting quarterback, culminating in an overtime playoff win.
The question was how to represent those players who find a way to step up late in games or in the postseason when the pressure is the highest.
The "Clutch" trait was meant to be the answer. Players who are designated as "clutch" receive ratings boosts in the final minutes of close games.
Madden developers give this trait only to a select few players. Last year, only 28 players were considered "clutch."
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Madden NFL 17 comes out Tuesday, and there appears to have been a shift in philosophy of what the definition of clutch means for the game — it includes 77 "clutch" players.
It's no longer only given to players who have stepped up in the playoffs — in fact, many of them haven't even appeared in a postseason game. Offensive and defensive linemen are not eligible for the trait. Here are all the game's "clutch" players.
* — Returning as "Clutch" from last year's game
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
Cam Newton
Tom Brady*
Ben Roethlisberger*
Russell Wilson
Drew Brees*
Andrew Luck*
Tony Romo
Jameis Winston*
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Running Back
Le'Veon Bell
Adrian Peterson*
Jonathan Stewart
C.J. Anderson
MORE: Top-rated RBs in Madden 17
Wide Receiver
Antonio Brown
Julio Jones
Odell Beckham Jr.
A.J. Green
DeAndre Hopkins
Larry Fitzgerald*
Brandon Marshall
Dez Bryant
Julian Edelman
Jordy Nelson
Steve Smith*
Doug Baldwin
Emmanuel Sanders
Demaryius Thomas
MORE: Top-rated WRs in Madden 17
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski
Greg Olsen
Delanie Walker
Tyler Eifert
Jimmy Graham*
Jordan Reed
Jason Witten
Antonio Gates*
MORE: Top-rated TEs in Madden 17
Linebacker
Luke Kuechly
Von Miller
Justin Houston
Khalil Mack
Derrick Johnson*
Terrell Suggs
Brandon Marshall
Thomas Davis
Clay Matthews*
Sean Lee
Bobby Wagner
Navorro Bowman
Lavonte David
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Cornerback
Josh Norman
Richard Sherman
Darrelle Revis*
Vontae Davis
Patrick Peterson
Chris Harris Jr.
Malcolm Butler*
Safety
Tyrann Mathieu
Earl Thomas
Harrison Smith
Reshad Jones
Eric Berry
Eric Weddle*
Malcolm Jenkins
Devin McCourty
Kurt Coleman
T.J. Ward
Punter
Pat McAfee
Sam Koch
Dustin Colquitt
Chris Jones
Kicker
Graham Gano
Stephen Gostkowski
Dan Bailey
Steven Hauschka
Adam Vinatieri*
Josh Brown
Justin Tucker*
Roberto Aguayo
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There are still some examples of a lack of consistency in evaluating who should have the trait. Eli Manning lost the trait despite a pretty impressive track record of making big throws in the biggest moments. Joe Flacco, another Super Bowl-winning QB, also had it taken away. Jermaine Kearse wasn't made "clutch" despite having caught the game-winning TDs in both the 2014 and 2015 NFC championship games.
Meanwhile, there are several names on the list that would never come up in any discussion of the most clutch players in the league, and for the second straight year, a Buccaneers rookie (Aguayo) has inexplicably received the trait despite not having even played a professional snap.
"Madden NFL 17" features a brand new commentary team, new special moves for ball-carriers, considerable improvements to AI on defense and lots of overdue work to special teams. Rob Gronkowski is on the cover of the game releasing Aug. 23, but those with a subscription to EA Access on Xbox One can play for 10 hours right now. Amazon Prime members get 20 percent off orders for both the standard and deluxe editions.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.