Um,the update you were prompted to get that took three seconds is the patch. If you boot any game while connected to Live and there is a patch available,you will be prompted to download it.If you are not prompted,your version is current.
To obtain the roster updates for Madden,you must go on Live and start a quick match,ranked or unranked.If the roster version on your hard drive is not the latest official update,you will be prompted to download the update,and be given the opportunity to save.
You can then play the game that is set-up to play or you can back out and suffer no penalty.