saburai
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For anyone who grew up playing the Madden NFL games, this is a must-read story on the history of their development. Although the story focuses on the programmers, executives, and coaches who made the games into the multi-billion dollar juggernaut they are today, I was surprise to find several Saints references.
Here are a few examples:
Here are a few examples:
Madden gets serious. He breaks down upcoming rules changes. He brings up concussions, helmet-to-helmet hits and gimmick quarterbacks. A digression on how the Dome Patrol-era Saints used to frustrate Bill Walsh's 49ers teams with short linebacker drops becomes a lecture on the obsolescence of the fullback, which then morphs into a short aside on player character.
Who, Strauser asked, are the hardest players to coach?
"Single guys," Madden said. "Because they don't have anyone to report to."
Overnight, cover appearances became a status symbol, in pro football and beyond. When New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees landed on the cover of this year's title, he read a Top 10 list on "Letterman."
"Teams go on the Wheaties box," Cribbs said. "But individually, when you make the cover of 'Madden,' you've arrived."
Saints references aside, it's a good read.Talk turns back to real football. The Super Bowl. Indianapolis versus New Orleans. In the first half, Saints coach Sean Payton went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal, eschewing a "gimme" field goal. He opened the second half with an onside kick. Madden watched the whole thing from his California studio, incredulous and oddly transfixed. Even now, two months later, the old coach knows exactly what he was seeing.
"I was thinking, 'S---,'" Madden marveled, "'this guy is playing a video game!'"