Well after paying a repair shop $150 to do this final attempt fix, I fired up the game made it to the 4th quarter and it shut down my Xbox.
EA_Kent and the other EA folks, I would just like to say thanks for absolutely nothing. I've attempted every possible fix on my end, my Xbox is fine. I have now spent roughly $300 on this game between purchase and trying to get it to work. I've waited patiently for you to address the issue or even acknowledge it. You can all rot, thanks for stealing my money.
Been buying and playing EA Games since the very first Madden. I'm done, you will never see another dime from me.