Note: this is not a neteno thread...
Madden Bowl XIV
Willis McGahee, Patrick Willis, Kellen Winslow, and other NFL stars talk videogames as they battle for Madden supremacy.
By: Jon Robinson | JRobandSteal
Feb 7, 2008
"I want to hit people so hard that they get hurt bad. Every time I play, they sprain their toe. I want them to hurt their neck or break their arm or something more painful."
Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
Marshawn's Got Game
Marshawn Lynch was one of the best rookies to hit the NFL in 2007, but what did he think about his ratings in Madden? "I talked to John Madden and I knew he was going to show me some love just based on the strength that I'm from Oakland, you know he was in Oakland doing his thing, so I planned on my character being good. I knew he would show me love."
And what about his videogame setup at home?
"My little brother wouldn't allow it if I didn't have an Xbox 360. We got the PS3, but we've really been rockin' on the big screen with the Xbox. Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 are the games we're on. I like to get to bussin'."
Guess who's back.
Those are the words inked on Willis McGahee's neck and as he walked up on stage shouting "The champ is here!" The two-time Madden Bowl favorite (and two-time upset loser) could hear everyone from host Trey Wingo to random people in the crowd talking trash about the "bridesmaid" status he has earned throughout the history of EA's pro-gaming event.
In fact, McGahee wasn't even supposed to play this year, but thanks to a last-minute no-show by Plaxico Burress, Willis was able to strut back on stage for another shot at the title.
Who knows--since the past two athletes to win this event (Alex Smith and Dwight Freeney) weren't scheduled to compete the years they first won, maybe there's something special about being that last-second replacement.
And according to McGahee, he felt no pressure, adding, "I didn't even practice," as he talked to me throughout the tournament.
Funny thing is, there was a lot of practicing going on before the competition, as everyone from Patrick Willis to Jason Witten showed up a few hours early to get their minds right about Madden.
According to Patrick Willis, the Defensive Rookie of the Year who was also given Weapon status in Madden straight out the box, he's been a Madden gamer for years, and before the event, told me he planned to play as the 49ers, even if he thinks his character is a little too slow in the game.
"I think they could've done my speed better," Willis says. "They got me slower than some of the guys who I know I ran the 40 faster. I guess when you're a rookie, it's not about what you do at your pro day, it's about the combine. It's all good. I know they'll bump me up when the new game comes out."
And with Vince Young jumping from rookie star to cover star, is Willis next in line to see his image on the box?
"Heck no," he tells me with a laugh. "I'm straight with the cover. I don't mind playing the game and being a spokesman for it, but as far as being on the cover, I've heard too much about that curse. I'm good, man. I want no part of it."
What Willis does want is that Madden Bowl trophy. That, and well, to deliver some virtual pain.
"I've been a Madden fan since way back, and before that, I was on that Tecmo Bowl. Played as the Raiders all the time. But I've been playing Madden since '98 on Super Nintendo when all you heard was 'Ugh! Ugh!' throughout the game. I'm still a big fan of the ambulance. I just wish they made it more real now," he says. "I want to hit people so hard that they get hurt bad. Every time I play, they sprain their toe. I want them to hurt their neck or break their arm or something more painful. I wish they had something outrageous if you get a good hit stick on someone. You get some good hits now, they might fumble, but I want to hurt them."
Willis deadpanned the whole "hurt people" comment as I gave him the uneasy laugh back, then the 49er continued to play Madden while wearing his shades (inside a club at night can hurt your eyes, you know), hiding all emotion as he tried to bury opponents and bring the hurt (even hinting that he's not above slapping someone's hand during a big play in order to gain an advantage).
First up for P-Willy though, was a player with plenty of muscle in his own right, the Browns Kellen Winslow. K2 is a serious gamer who has been tearing up the NCAA games since he can remember before finally converting to Madden when he came into the league. He even boasts that his skills earned him a championship belt back in college. That's right, the best football gamer at The U actually won a WWE belt.
"I still have the belt at home," he tells me, then proceeds to call over Willis McGahee to remind him who was the top dog in Miami.
The Hyphy movement takes over Madden Bowl.
Patrick Willis gets serious.
"I actually wish EA would use me as a consultant for Madden," Winslow says. "I'm the biggest gamer ever. From Call of Duty to Contra, I play it all. I don't play the Xbox Madden much, though. I'm the king of the PlayStation. I think I have a lot of input for the game. The PlayStation 2 gameplay needs to be on the Xbox 360. You combine those two and you'd have the best game ever."
And what about the cyber Winslow people play as in Madden 08?
"I'm slow, I'm not smart, and I don't have good hands," he says. "It's very disappointing to watch my character drop so many passes in the game because I really don't drop too many in real life. Hopefully I can get with the Madden people to improve the game and improve myself."
Another first-round matchup featured Chad Johnson (looking very Hollywood in his black leather and sunglasses) going up against the very un-Hollywood Jason Witten (the other guy from Romo's Cabo adventure).
Chad, like McGahee, has been in the tournament for three straight years, claiming to be the biggest Madden gamer in the league, but never bringing home the top prize. This year, Johnson claimed, was different. This year, Johnson's key was "to just be consistent. If I could do that, I could win it all."
Witten, on the other hand, tells me how nervous he is before the tournament. He's a big-time Halo gamer. This whole Madden phenomenon? Not quite his thing anymore--that's why he arrived two hours before the tournament to get in some practice.
"It's great to see how far the game has come throughout the years with free agency and the draft. Tony Romo is the man when it comes to these sports games, even if he's not very good at playing quarterback in the game. My character is ballin' though. You throw the ball up to Witten or Owens and you're good. I throw it to myself all the time, trying to boost my stats. There's a playaction play out of the slot, Terry Glenn runs a post, and I run the corner behind him--it's wide open every time."
Adds Witten: "I've got a movie screen at home so when I hook the game systems up, everything looks real. I have some friends who come over and I'm really into Halo 3. I'll play Halo online, but when I play Madden, I don't want to go online. I want to be able to see their face when I talk smack...even if I'm not very good at the game anymore. I was a lot better like 10 years ago. I guess my Madden skills peaked too early. But it's amazing how much influence this game has over people. Whenever I meet people they're always telling me how I made a great catch in Madden or how I dropped the winning pass. It's crazy how people remember how well you perform in Madden as much as how well you perform in the real games."
Forget Chad and Witten, though, because in the first round it was all eyes on McGahee as he blitzed up the middle so many times, his opponent, Pats running back Laurence Maroney (complete with gold and diamond Kool Aid Man, aka the Big Man medallion) basically high-tailed it out of the tournament, dropping his controller during the massacre and bolting back to his hotel to beat curfew.
In other action around the Phoenix nightclub, Patrick Willis defeated Winslow, Chad Johnson brutalized Witten, and Marshawn Lynch defeated NFL Tour cover athlete Shawne Merriman, who somehow wanted to blame me for the loss.
"Every time you're around, I lose," Merriman tells me, blaming his string of bad luck on our NFL Tour online game about a month ago where I beat the boisterous star and let him know it over the headset (I even emailed him after the game to talk more trash!). In fact, when I sat down next to him at Madden Bowl, he called me out to his agent, the PR guy from EA, and anyone else who would listen. "This is the guy...he cheats!"
Anyway, Merriman is out thanks to me (or so he says), setting up the semifinals between Patrick Willis and Willis McGahee on one side, Marshawn Lynch and Chad Johnson on the other.
Funny thing is, not one player was using his actual team. Patrick Willis was playing as the Cowboys (I guess his character was so slow, even he didn't want to play as himself anymore), McGahee as the Jags, Chad as the Patriots, and Lynch was rocking the Colts.
When the second round started, Marshawn Lynch flipped his black A's hat around and meant business, until the DJ started playing a string of Bay Area classics and told Marshawn to get up and show the crowd what hyphy meant. What it meant to Marshawn was shaking those dreads as he ran Chad's team up and down the field, pulling off the upset as he flashed his gold fronts to the crowd.
Meanwhile, McGahee made easy work of Willis in the other semifinal game, setting up the battle of Buffalo backs old and new.
And with E-40 playing in the background, it didn't take long for Lynch to strike, using the Colt offense to hit Gonzalez deep with the post for a 7-0 lead.
That's when those murmurs about Willis started getting louder as everyone wondered if he would be a three-time loser of the tournament.
But that's when it happened.
Backed up to his own one (and now playing as the Redskins), McGahee threw a wide receiver screen to Moss, then took it 99 yards to the house.
That left it at 7-7, and McGahee never looked back.
Try 43 unanswered for the Ravens star, as the only thing that slowed him down is when a drunk female jumped on stage and started shaking her moneymaker, so much so that Marshawn put down his controller and got his freak on for a few minutes before resuming the game.
"I played a lot of Madden earlier this year, and I've been playing for years," McGahee told me after the win. "I guess those old-school skills stick with you."
And what about the 99 yarder?
"That was the play that changed the tournament. That wide receiver screen was my money play. Thank you, Santana Moss."
Does this mean you're back to being the best gamer in the NFL, I ask him before he leaves.
"Back? I always was--just now I have the trophy to prove it."
LOL TBIB!!!!
Marshawn Lynch is a fool
Madden Bowl XIV
Willis McGahee, Patrick Willis, Kellen Winslow, and other NFL stars talk videogames as they battle for Madden supremacy.
By: Jon Robinson | JRobandSteal
Feb 7, 2008
"I want to hit people so hard that they get hurt bad. Every time I play, they sprain their toe. I want them to hurt their neck or break their arm or something more painful."
Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
Marshawn's Got Game
Marshawn Lynch was one of the best rookies to hit the NFL in 2007, but what did he think about his ratings in Madden? "I talked to John Madden and I knew he was going to show me some love just based on the strength that I'm from Oakland, you know he was in Oakland doing his thing, so I planned on my character being good. I knew he would show me love."
And what about his videogame setup at home?
"My little brother wouldn't allow it if I didn't have an Xbox 360. We got the PS3, but we've really been rockin' on the big screen with the Xbox. Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 are the games we're on. I like to get to bussin'."
Guess who's back.
Those are the words inked on Willis McGahee's neck and as he walked up on stage shouting "The champ is here!" The two-time Madden Bowl favorite (and two-time upset loser) could hear everyone from host Trey Wingo to random people in the crowd talking trash about the "bridesmaid" status he has earned throughout the history of EA's pro-gaming event.
In fact, McGahee wasn't even supposed to play this year, but thanks to a last-minute no-show by Plaxico Burress, Willis was able to strut back on stage for another shot at the title.
Who knows--since the past two athletes to win this event (Alex Smith and Dwight Freeney) weren't scheduled to compete the years they first won, maybe there's something special about being that last-second replacement.
And according to McGahee, he felt no pressure, adding, "I didn't even practice," as he talked to me throughout the tournament.
Funny thing is, there was a lot of practicing going on before the competition, as everyone from Patrick Willis to Jason Witten showed up a few hours early to get their minds right about Madden.
According to Patrick Willis, the Defensive Rookie of the Year who was also given Weapon status in Madden straight out the box, he's been a Madden gamer for years, and before the event, told me he planned to play as the 49ers, even if he thinks his character is a little too slow in the game.
"I think they could've done my speed better," Willis says. "They got me slower than some of the guys who I know I ran the 40 faster. I guess when you're a rookie, it's not about what you do at your pro day, it's about the combine. It's all good. I know they'll bump me up when the new game comes out."
And with Vince Young jumping from rookie star to cover star, is Willis next in line to see his image on the box?
"Heck no," he tells me with a laugh. "I'm straight with the cover. I don't mind playing the game and being a spokesman for it, but as far as being on the cover, I've heard too much about that curse. I'm good, man. I want no part of it."
What Willis does want is that Madden Bowl trophy. That, and well, to deliver some virtual pain.
"I've been a Madden fan since way back, and before that, I was on that Tecmo Bowl. Played as the Raiders all the time. But I've been playing Madden since '98 on Super Nintendo when all you heard was 'Ugh! Ugh!' throughout the game. I'm still a big fan of the ambulance. I just wish they made it more real now," he says. "I want to hit people so hard that they get hurt bad. Every time I play, they sprain their toe. I want them to hurt their neck or break their arm or something more painful. I wish they had something outrageous if you get a good hit stick on someone. You get some good hits now, they might fumble, but I want to hurt them."
Willis deadpanned the whole "hurt people" comment as I gave him the uneasy laugh back, then the 49er continued to play Madden while wearing his shades (inside a club at night can hurt your eyes, you know), hiding all emotion as he tried to bury opponents and bring the hurt (even hinting that he's not above slapping someone's hand during a big play in order to gain an advantage).
First up for P-Willy though, was a player with plenty of muscle in his own right, the Browns Kellen Winslow. K2 is a serious gamer who has been tearing up the NCAA games since he can remember before finally converting to Madden when he came into the league. He even boasts that his skills earned him a championship belt back in college. That's right, the best football gamer at The U actually won a WWE belt.
"I still have the belt at home," he tells me, then proceeds to call over Willis McGahee to remind him who was the top dog in Miami.
The Hyphy movement takes over Madden Bowl.
Patrick Willis gets serious.
"I actually wish EA would use me as a consultant for Madden," Winslow says. "I'm the biggest gamer ever. From Call of Duty to Contra, I play it all. I don't play the Xbox Madden much, though. I'm the king of the PlayStation. I think I have a lot of input for the game. The PlayStation 2 gameplay needs to be on the Xbox 360. You combine those two and you'd have the best game ever."
And what about the cyber Winslow people play as in Madden 08?
"I'm slow, I'm not smart, and I don't have good hands," he says. "It's very disappointing to watch my character drop so many passes in the game because I really don't drop too many in real life. Hopefully I can get with the Madden people to improve the game and improve myself."
Another first-round matchup featured Chad Johnson (looking very Hollywood in his black leather and sunglasses) going up against the very un-Hollywood Jason Witten (the other guy from Romo's Cabo adventure).
Chad, like McGahee, has been in the tournament for three straight years, claiming to be the biggest Madden gamer in the league, but never bringing home the top prize. This year, Johnson claimed, was different. This year, Johnson's key was "to just be consistent. If I could do that, I could win it all."
Witten, on the other hand, tells me how nervous he is before the tournament. He's a big-time Halo gamer. This whole Madden phenomenon? Not quite his thing anymore--that's why he arrived two hours before the tournament to get in some practice.
"It's great to see how far the game has come throughout the years with free agency and the draft. Tony Romo is the man when it comes to these sports games, even if he's not very good at playing quarterback in the game. My character is ballin' though. You throw the ball up to Witten or Owens and you're good. I throw it to myself all the time, trying to boost my stats. There's a playaction play out of the slot, Terry Glenn runs a post, and I run the corner behind him--it's wide open every time."
Adds Witten: "I've got a movie screen at home so when I hook the game systems up, everything looks real. I have some friends who come over and I'm really into Halo 3. I'll play Halo online, but when I play Madden, I don't want to go online. I want to be able to see their face when I talk smack...even if I'm not very good at the game anymore. I was a lot better like 10 years ago. I guess my Madden skills peaked too early. But it's amazing how much influence this game has over people. Whenever I meet people they're always telling me how I made a great catch in Madden or how I dropped the winning pass. It's crazy how people remember how well you perform in Madden as much as how well you perform in the real games."
Forget Chad and Witten, though, because in the first round it was all eyes on McGahee as he blitzed up the middle so many times, his opponent, Pats running back Laurence Maroney (complete with gold and diamond Kool Aid Man, aka the Big Man medallion) basically high-tailed it out of the tournament, dropping his controller during the massacre and bolting back to his hotel to beat curfew.
In other action around the Phoenix nightclub, Patrick Willis defeated Winslow, Chad Johnson brutalized Witten, and Marshawn Lynch defeated NFL Tour cover athlete Shawne Merriman, who somehow wanted to blame me for the loss.
"Every time you're around, I lose," Merriman tells me, blaming his string of bad luck on our NFL Tour online game about a month ago where I beat the boisterous star and let him know it over the headset (I even emailed him after the game to talk more trash!). In fact, when I sat down next to him at Madden Bowl, he called me out to his agent, the PR guy from EA, and anyone else who would listen. "This is the guy...he cheats!"
Anyway, Merriman is out thanks to me (or so he says), setting up the semifinals between Patrick Willis and Willis McGahee on one side, Marshawn Lynch and Chad Johnson on the other.
Funny thing is, not one player was using his actual team. Patrick Willis was playing as the Cowboys (I guess his character was so slow, even he didn't want to play as himself anymore), McGahee as the Jags, Chad as the Patriots, and Lynch was rocking the Colts.
When the second round started, Marshawn Lynch flipped his black A's hat around and meant business, until the DJ started playing a string of Bay Area classics and told Marshawn to get up and show the crowd what hyphy meant. What it meant to Marshawn was shaking those dreads as he ran Chad's team up and down the field, pulling off the upset as he flashed his gold fronts to the crowd.
Meanwhile, McGahee made easy work of Willis in the other semifinal game, setting up the battle of Buffalo backs old and new.
And with E-40 playing in the background, it didn't take long for Lynch to strike, using the Colt offense to hit Gonzalez deep with the post for a 7-0 lead.
That's when those murmurs about Willis started getting louder as everyone wondered if he would be a three-time loser of the tournament.
But that's when it happened.
Backed up to his own one (and now playing as the Redskins), McGahee threw a wide receiver screen to Moss, then took it 99 yards to the house.
That left it at 7-7, and McGahee never looked back.
Try 43 unanswered for the Ravens star, as the only thing that slowed him down is when a drunk female jumped on stage and started shaking her moneymaker, so much so that Marshawn put down his controller and got his freak on for a few minutes before resuming the game.
"I played a lot of Madden earlier this year, and I've been playing for years," McGahee told me after the win. "I guess those old-school skills stick with you."
And what about the 99 yarder?
"That was the play that changed the tournament. That wide receiver screen was my money play. Thank you, Santana Moss."
Does this mean you're back to being the best gamer in the NFL, I ask him before he leaves.
"Back? I always was--just now I have the trophy to prove it."
LOL TBIB!!!!
Marshawn Lynch is a fool
