Classic Moments in Gaming: Football

I know, another article about sports. Daboo and [nameless one] will resort to skimming at this point, no doubt. Anyway, since the NBA finally wrapped up its season (for all of 1 week), it's time to start getting ready for football (as Sideshow already noted). I've been playing some NFL 2K5 in the evenings to get my mind prepared for all the worn-out cliches about to hit the airwaves. Sega's entry in the video game football genre lacks the pizazz of hearing John Madden proclaim "I love this game" two or three times a minute, but it makes up for it in other ways (see price tag). And I get to hear about the value of tearing a page out of War and Peace - it doesn't make much of a dent.

"Flag on the play."

To move more into the vein of Classic gaming, I have to say that Pat Summerall will go down in history for his work on the Madden football franchise. Sure, just mentioning the guy means I have to be careful not to sound too much like Bill Simmons (ESPN's Sports Guy - who's had some great jokes at Summerall's expense), but it's impossible to talk about video game football without mentioning all those classic lines delivered in the early (and not-so-early) Madden games. I think I can say with complete honesty that I've never heard a more exciting monotone.

"Uh-oh. There's a man down."

This is one of my favorite Summerall lines. There used to be an exploit in these games where you could move your guy around after the whistle was blown and tackle players on the opposing team. I remember all those times when the game was on the line, and my opponent's quarterback just couldn't be stopped; so I would go after the QB with a lineman. \*Badly garbled crunching sound\* and. . .wait for it. YES! I have successfully played the Cobra Kai card. This game is mine. All those real NFL players out there can be thankful I'm not the opposing coach.

"Boom!"

While cheating was good for a laugh (especially when playing against friends who would get surprisingly angry to see their star QB in the locker room for the rest of the game), it was far better to win the game as the clock is winding down. This may be why Adam Vinatieri is my favorite NFL placekicker. \*cough\* Taking home the Lombardi trophy on a last second field goal is great, but for trash-talking purposes, it doesn't seem to compare with that drive-killing interception in the red zone. Nothing takes the wind out of your sails like driving all the way down the field, knowing the win is in your grasp, only to see Ty Law pluck the ball out of the sky. Let me know if you want any more lemon juice in the paper cut, AoD.