Oakland has a new pro-athlete who sure is fun to hang with, though he's probably too young to get the reference. I caught up with Raiders rookie Darren McFadden at the EA Sports Rookie Madden Bowl in Los Angeles. He had plenty to say to his new fans in the Bay Area. And to me. And to his Arkansas teammate Felix Jones. I know he's already a blogger starlet in the making, but clearly he's ready for video fame. Someone get this guy a reality TV show, stat!
You've seen them talk big on the red carpet of the EA Sports Rookie Madden Bowl, but do these NFL rookies actually have Madden skills? Follow along with underdog Dexter Jackson and overdog (?) Devin Thomas to find out how the tournament panned out. Stay tuned at 0:32 for an embarrassing cameo by Rashard Mendenhall. I ain't mad at you, Rashard!
EA Sports recently held its second annual Rookie Madden Bowl in Los Angeles. Players competed in a tournament just like the regular Madden Bowl held during Super Bowl week, but this one was just for rookies. Oh how I love rookies! With the exception of whiz kids like Matt Ryan, most of them are pretty goofy and not yet jaded by the media attention. Join me on the red carpet as I talk to Jake Long, Darren McFadden, Devin Thomas, Dexter Jackson, Kevin O'Connell, Andre Caldwell and others before the tournament.
Besides all the smack talking about Madden skills and player ratings, watch at 0:54 to find out if Dustin Keller can handle the heat of Jets questioning ... and make sure to stay for Jonathan Stewart's hilarious ramblings at the very end of the video.
Madden NFL 09 will also feature a network-inspired broadcast presentation. Players will benefit from the authentic football knowledge of an in-booth play-by-play and color commentary team featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. In addition, numerous graphical enhancements have been made, including realistic weather and grass, sleeker player models and exterior stadium views.
That's kind of big news. First off, it pretty much confirms the Hammond/Collinsworth team on NFL Network (imagine Bryant Gumbel on the game). Second, it takes us away from having John Madden and Pat Summerall/Al Michaels in our ears.
Apparently John Madden will be in the game in some form (I mean, it is the 20th anniversary edition and Brett Favre is on the cover) but it hasn't been revealed.
Brett Favre had some rough times during his NFL career. His father died. His wife battled through breast cancer. He had his own battle with vicodin addiction. His family home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. You would think that after all that, people would try to make his post-retirement life a little more comfortable.
I suppose it's only fitting that Favre be on the cover of this roster update game, given that John Madden was one of Favre's biggest cheerleaders. Still, are we really that eager to find out if the Madden Curse can impact NFL players off the field? And did they have to use someone who's been through so much crap as a test subject?
This is a nice little going-away present for Favre, yes, but if we hear six months from now that Favre's dog got run over by a Dodge Durango, EA Sports will take the blame for it. They must be so very proud.
If you prefer to play Madden on a PC rather than a console, get used to updating those rosters by hand.
EA Sports announced on Tuesday -- and it appears this was not an April Fools joke -- that they would not publish a PC version of Madden 09 and plan to produce only console versions from here on out. EA developer Peter Moore wrote on his blog that it was simply a business move and that EA would look for other ideas for PC football games in the future.
On a business level, I understand the decision, but the end result is that the most in-depth version of Madden on the market is disappearing, and because EA has exclusive rights to the NFL and NFLPA licenses, nobody will be producing a new NFL game for PC this year -- an unfortunate hole in the gaming market? Or is this a sign that all sports games are becoming console-only? Are PC gamers too busy fragging each other in Unreal Tournament or leveling up in World of Warcraft?
The Bears decision to sign Brandon Lloyd as a replacement for the departed Bernard Berrian hasn't been lauded as the greatest move of the offseason. Lloyd has spent more time earning the ire of his coaches and teammates than making meaningful catches in NFL games. In fact, during his time with the 49ers he was accused of spending too much time concentrating on his rap career. So it's probably not cheerful news for Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith that Lloyd has a new gig writing for the video game site Gametap.
It seems that while Lloyd was being left at home on Redskin road trips for disciplinary reasons, he was filling his time with Rainbow Six and Call of Duty. Who knows, maybe he was even playing Madden seasons which ended with Lloyd on top of the football world instead of at the bottom of the team's depth chart with two whole catches to his name. That could be how he knew Rex Grossman would be the team's QB this season. He simulated ahead and knows the horrible fate that awaits Kyle Orton.
The writing should provide Lloyd with a safety net if he flops with his third NFL team in as many tries. It's an engaging article about his history as a gamer and he comes off as a likable guy who knows what he's writing about.
Electronic Arts announced today that it has extended its exclusive deal to make NFL-related video games. EA now has contracts with the NFL and NFL Players, the marketing arm of the National Football League Players Association, that will make EA the official video game sponsor of the NFL through February of 2013.
The contract with the league allows EA to use team names, logos, uniforms, stadiums, etc., and the contract with the players allows EA to use players' names and likenesses. EA's contracts with the league and the union are separate agreements, although they're closely tied, as it makes much more financial sense for all parties involved if the league and the players cooperate on marketing issues.
Although most people think of Madden when they think of NFL video games, Kotaku reports that EA plans to expand beyond Madden and might launch a fantasy football video game.
NFL. Tailgating. Trucks. Guitar Hero. They all should go together at every NFL stadium across this great land of ours. In Cincinnati ... they all do.
Here is a video via The Growl Zone of a guy wearing full Bengal gear and makeup with his Guitar Hero axe miming The Darkness' "I Believe In a Thing Called Love." Nothing says WHO DEY like that!
So it turns out that the guy who did the Tom Brady/Jeff Gillooly song is quite prolific. Here he is, asking whether Vince Young can reverse the Madden Curse:
So far this season, Young hasn't been terrible or anything, but he isn't exactly reversing the curse. He's missed a game to injury, had turnover problems, and become less effective as a runner. He's still got most of the season to go, though.
We found out yesterday that 
Brett Favre had some rough times during his NFL career. His father died. His wife battled through breast cancer. He had his own battle with vicodin addiction. His family home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. You would think that after all that, people would try to make his post-retirement life a little more comfortable.
If you prefer to play Madden on a PC rather than a console, get used to updating those rosters by hand.
The Bears decision to sign 
