As every 20 something single male is doing this time of year, I am playing Madden. I purchased the new XBOX 360 last spring because I was told that Madden ’08 was only to be released on the new platforms, only to figure out they had planned to release it on the original XBOX as well.
There are still a lot of problems with the Madden game on the XBOX 360. First they will tell you that the detail on the game is unbelievable. That is true for the details they choose to detail. There are a lot of things they overlooked. The first one being the over weight “bench players” on the sideline. They look like fat slobs swaying in unison. Most of them all wear the same numbers. When you play with the Indianapolis Colts there is a fat number 15, not only do the Colts not roster anyone who wears the number 15, but that would be a backs/ kicker/ receiver number. Not a lineman number. That is a huge oversight.
Another major flaw I see in the game is that the kicker always kicks touchbacks on the kick offs. Only on penalties or in Mile High does a kicker kick that many touchbacks. Most NFL kickers reach about the goal line.
I think that with video games becoming as high tech as they are today there needs to be a change in the ratings of the players. Different players fit with different schemes. One example would be that a huge defensive tackle who is slow is known as a two gap type tackle. In the Indianapolis Colts defense in real life he would be a lot less effective than a Booger McFarland who is a one gap tackle. A road grader offensive lineman who is an awesome run blocker would be a good free agent pick up for the Denver Broncos, but wouldn’t fit the Colts passing style of offense. Reggie Bush would not be a good back for the Colts because he is a finesse back, on the other hand a TJ Ducket might fit well into the Colts power offense style. This is important in franchise mode because you cant just sign free agents for no reason and it forces you to do your homework.
Although I haven’t gone through a training camp on the new franchise mode, I think there needs to be a way to develop draft picks besides inflating their stats during the game. This is especially true for lineman. In the former Madden games there was no way to make your line better or worse. I would always draft linemen and they would always stay in the low 80s no matter what. You should be able to make your players better.
The positives to the new madden is the running game. On the original XBOX version I could never really get the hang of the running game. The blocking helped but if you did not block absolutely everyone you really had no chance. I think it makes players like LT and Reggie Bush more popular. This was a huge problem and I am glad the people at EA sports fixed it.
I also can not figure out how to disengage my blocks when using defensive lineman. But I have about a league average of sacks so it is cool.
Anyway, I think the detail is overrated. When playing video games I could really careless what the players’ faces look like in the huddle. They fellas at EA Sports really use the detail where it is not necessary. Mostly during times when the game is loading, plus they still use first down graphics that look “Techmo Bowl-ish” after first downs. Those graphics have to go. They look cheap and thrown in there at the last minute while waiting for the game to load.
Finally, I think the NFL is making a huge mistake but protecting their brand name so much. I think they are starting to take it out of the hands of the fans. In the long run this will hurt them. I keep thinking back to when I was a kid and Indy Car was the popular racing series and NASCAR was kind of on the back burner. They never made video games for Indy Car and if the did they were cheap and didn’t use the drivers names and what not. NASCAR embraced everything it could do to get their name on anything and it benefited the rise of the sport. The NFL is really dancing with the devil on this.
There should be more competition in the NFL video game market. I think competition is what made Madden what it is. Madden 03-05 are horrible games. NFL Fever and NFL 2k5 were better games. Because of the competition Madden made itself into what it is today. If there is no competition then it can not improve.
I think overall Madden ’08 is a solid game. It doesn’t really impress me. There are to many flaws to call it an outstanding success. It would not sell nearly as many games if there were more NFL games out there. The NFL needs to get rid of this contract ASAP. They also need to stop the NFL network crap. If you look at history it really is dancing with the Sports Devil. Pay per view is a major reason no one watches boxing. There is obviously a demand for that type of sport if you look at the ultimate fighting craze that is so popular these days.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Step Mom
Being in education I can understand why the whole step parenting situation can be tough. In fact I think it could be down right brutal. Just wanting to date a child’s dad could be hard enough for children to deal with. Especially if that step mom is your ex boss.
Early last week Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed off his new ride. He will be driving the Number 88 Mountain Dew/ AMP energy drink Chevy for Hendrick Motor Sports. Nobody should expect Dale Jr. to be his father. His father like him or not was a legend, and a great race car driver. For those of you too young to really watch him race he was Tony Stewart before Tony Stewart.
I think the Hendrick Motorsports/ Dale Jr. marketing team is a match made in motor sports heaven. I like the fact that Jr. wants to win races. He could very easily go out there and be another Kyle Petty. Dale Jr. doesn’t have to win races to make money. He just has to show up. To be a millionaire all Dale Jr. would have to do would be to show up at the track make the field drive in circles on Sunday, and sell t-shirts, die cast cars, memorabilia, and whatever else NASCAR fans buy.
The funniest part about this is the reason he had to keep “8” in his number. The reason he felt he had to keep the number 8 in his number wasn’t because of luck, it was because of the fans who got “8 Dale Jr.” tattoos. I am not making fun of rednecks because lets face it I am a redneck, but how short sided is that? I love the Colts, but I know there might be a time when they could move cities. They could change their nicknames, that’s why you never get a sports related tattoo.
Lets talk about the whole drama with Dale Jr, because lets face it, its interesting. I understand why they wanted a split. Theresa Earnhardt wants to become the Petty’s. She wants to put as little actual money into the races as possible, and she wants to sell as much stuff as possible. Basically the races for her are to sell #3 die cast cars of her late husband to the millions of fans who still want to watch him race. It doesn’t matter if her race team wins, losses or ties. She wins in the end. She is a business person, she could care less about wins or losses. Again, let me state my point, or make it more clear. She is in the business of making money. She doesn’t have to win races to make money, so she doesn’t.
Dale Jr. the race car driver does want to win races. He wants to compete and wants to win. Can you see the conflict of interest here? That’s the main reason for the split. Now come the details. The sponsor Budweiser and more important the car number 8.
I really thought Budweiser would go with Dale Jr. See even though the company name is on the car, the real sponsorship is on the driver. You always think of Jeff Gordon with what? The number 24 and the Dupont name. Same with Dale Sr. #3 and Chevrolet. (It is funny though how American Chevrolet is but it is actually a French name. And how associated with NASCAR it is but the Chevrolet brothers actually got their start in Indianapolis.)
Anyway back to the original subject, Theresa Earnhardt should have sold Dale Jr.’s Number 8 to Hendrick Racing. She also should have paid him what he was worth. Her step son makes her millions of dollars every year. A smart business person would have forked over the cash. Dale Jr. as a race car driver has the right to go to a winning team. His time with Hendrick Motorsports will tell if he is a legit NASCAR driver. He has won races in the past, but these next couple of years will tell us if he is a great driver like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson or if he is just another Earnhardt.
If Peyton Manning went to the Cardnails he would have the right to wear the number 18, and it would not matter if the Colts liked it or not. She made her millions off of him, and will continue to do so, but she should have sold the number. "88" is fine. In fact in the long run it will help becuase now everyone who has Dale Jr. jackets and needless excessories will have to turn around and buy 88 Mountain Dew/ Amp energy crap.
I thought that Bud was crazy for not following Jr. Even though they advertise enough i think Dale Jr. was a gold mine beucase you cant put a prise on those Die Cast cars. Think of all the advertising dollar they got out of the man. They should have stayed with Jr.
In the end everyone loses. The good news is we will see how good of a driver Dale Jr. really is. He has the ride to promote himself to a truely elite driver on the circut. But he has to prove it on the track. If he can do that, then maybe he will live up to his hype. If not, we are doomed to another year of yellow flags for debris right after he gets lapped by Jimmie Johnson.
Early last week Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed off his new ride. He will be driving the Number 88 Mountain Dew/ AMP energy drink Chevy for Hendrick Motor Sports. Nobody should expect Dale Jr. to be his father. His father like him or not was a legend, and a great race car driver. For those of you too young to really watch him race he was Tony Stewart before Tony Stewart.
I think the Hendrick Motorsports/ Dale Jr. marketing team is a match made in motor sports heaven. I like the fact that Jr. wants to win races. He could very easily go out there and be another Kyle Petty. Dale Jr. doesn’t have to win races to make money. He just has to show up. To be a millionaire all Dale Jr. would have to do would be to show up at the track make the field drive in circles on Sunday, and sell t-shirts, die cast cars, memorabilia, and whatever else NASCAR fans buy.
The funniest part about this is the reason he had to keep “8” in his number. The reason he felt he had to keep the number 8 in his number wasn’t because of luck, it was because of the fans who got “8 Dale Jr.” tattoos. I am not making fun of rednecks because lets face it I am a redneck, but how short sided is that? I love the Colts, but I know there might be a time when they could move cities. They could change their nicknames, that’s why you never get a sports related tattoo.
Lets talk about the whole drama with Dale Jr, because lets face it, its interesting. I understand why they wanted a split. Theresa Earnhardt wants to become the Petty’s. She wants to put as little actual money into the races as possible, and she wants to sell as much stuff as possible. Basically the races for her are to sell #3 die cast cars of her late husband to the millions of fans who still want to watch him race. It doesn’t matter if her race team wins, losses or ties. She wins in the end. She is a business person, she could care less about wins or losses. Again, let me state my point, or make it more clear. She is in the business of making money. She doesn’t have to win races to make money, so she doesn’t.
Dale Jr. the race car driver does want to win races. He wants to compete and wants to win. Can you see the conflict of interest here? That’s the main reason for the split. Now come the details. The sponsor Budweiser and more important the car number 8.
I really thought Budweiser would go with Dale Jr. See even though the company name is on the car, the real sponsorship is on the driver. You always think of Jeff Gordon with what? The number 24 and the Dupont name. Same with Dale Sr. #3 and Chevrolet. (It is funny though how American Chevrolet is but it is actually a French name. And how associated with NASCAR it is but the Chevrolet brothers actually got their start in Indianapolis.)
Anyway back to the original subject, Theresa Earnhardt should have sold Dale Jr.’s Number 8 to Hendrick Racing. She also should have paid him what he was worth. Her step son makes her millions of dollars every year. A smart business person would have forked over the cash. Dale Jr. as a race car driver has the right to go to a winning team. His time with Hendrick Motorsports will tell if he is a legit NASCAR driver. He has won races in the past, but these next couple of years will tell us if he is a great driver like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson or if he is just another Earnhardt.
If Peyton Manning went to the Cardnails he would have the right to wear the number 18, and it would not matter if the Colts liked it or not. She made her millions off of him, and will continue to do so, but she should have sold the number. "88" is fine. In fact in the long run it will help becuase now everyone who has Dale Jr. jackets and needless excessories will have to turn around and buy 88 Mountain Dew/ Amp energy crap.
I thought that Bud was crazy for not following Jr. Even though they advertise enough i think Dale Jr. was a gold mine beucase you cant put a prise on those Die Cast cars. Think of all the advertising dollar they got out of the man. They should have stayed with Jr.
In the end everyone loses. The good news is we will see how good of a driver Dale Jr. really is. He has the ride to promote himself to a truely elite driver on the circut. But he has to prove it on the track. If he can do that, then maybe he will live up to his hype. If not, we are doomed to another year of yellow flags for debris right after he gets lapped by Jimmie Johnson.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
College Football
There are many reasons why I don’t follow college football. The main reason is the national championship system. I don’t like the fact that one loss takes you out of the running for the national championship. Here is why.
I think losses as much as wins make you the champion. I think back to the 2006 Pittsburg Steelers. They lost big time to the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night in front of the whole nation when Marvin Harrison torched them for 80 yards on the first play of the game. You can’t tell me that loss didn’t affect their will to be a champion. The 2006 Indianapolis Colts went 3-4 down the stretch after starting 9-0. Loosing to bottom of the barrel teams (which are improving as we speak) such as
This is why it is so much more special when teams like the Pittsburg Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts win championships. The Lakers have so much money in the LA market that they can buy Shaq and orchestrate trades for Kobe Bryant.
About the same time the Colts were kickin ass and takin names, Tony Dungy’s son was going through a rough time. Every in American and around the world knows the outcome. But I believe this loss shaped the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, as the Monday night game did the ’06 Steelers.
The other thing I dislike about the College Football system is this. To win a championship you have to be lucky. I honestly feel had this tragedy not happened to the Colts family that 2005 playoff game could have turned out different. In fact I was out in
In college football the team that usually wins the national championship game is the best team that plays the easiest schedule. I don’t feel like
Everyone who has half a brain knows what needs to be done. There has to be a playoff system similar to March Madness. The only problem is that somewhere money changes hands and someone who makes a lot of it refuses to do it. The BCS was a great idea, but it is extremely flawed. It is less flawed than having the Associated Press pick a winner because all know how much sports writers really know.
The wonderful thing is that you could combine the best of both worlds. Have a playoff system, that uses the bowl format. In fact I took the time this weekend to create and elaborate system of bowls.
32 teams playing for one title, 5 games, winner take all. As for the bowl money I suggest one of two options. The first option and the one I would use would be for the losing team to get the money. The farther you go into the tournament the more money for the school. (Except for the final game of course) So if you lose in the first round you make X amount of dollars, second round more third round more and so on.
| | | | West Bracket | | Bowl | Location |
| | At Large #2 | | | | 1.Humanitarian | Boise |
| | | | | | 2. Emerald | SF |
| | 1 Humanitarian | | | | 3. San Diego | San Diego |
| | | | | | 4. Las Vegas | Las Vegas |
| | Pac 10 Champ | | | | 5. Holiday | San Diego |
| | | | | | 6. Hawaii | Honolulu |
| | | 5. Holiday | | | 7. Sun Bowl | El Paso |
| | | | | | | |
| | MNT West #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 2. Emerald | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | WAC #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | 7. Sun Bowl | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | WAC Champ | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 3. San Diego | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Pac 10- #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | 6. Hawaii | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | MNT West #1 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 4. Las Vegas | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | At Large #1 | | | | | |
| | | | South Bracket | | Bowl Game | Location | |
| | At Large #2 | | | | 1. Outback | Tampa | |
| | | | | | 2. Insite | Tucson | |
| | 1. Outback | | | | 3. GMAC | Mobile | |
| | | | | | 4. Armed Forces | Fort Worth | |
| | SEC Champs | | | | 5. Alamo | San Antonio | |
| | | | | | 6. Independence | Shrieveport | |
| | | 5. Alamo | | | 7. Outback | Tampa | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Conf USA #2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 2. Tucson | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | ACC #2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7. Outback | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Conf USA #1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 3. GMAC | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | SEC #2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | 6. Independence | | | | | |
| | ACC Champ | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 4.Armed Forces | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | At Large #1 | | G | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | MidWest | | Bowl | Game Site |
| | At Large 2 | | | | Motor City | Detroit |
| | | | | | Papajohns.com | Birmingham |
| | 1. Detroit | | | | New Mexico | Albuquerque |
| | | | | | | |
| | Big 10 Champ | | | | Gator | Jacksonville |
| | | | | | Liberty | Memphis |
| | | 5. Gator | | | | |
| | | | | | Cotton | Dallas |
| | Sun Belt #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 2. Papa Johns | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Big 12 #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | 7. Cotton | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Sun Belt Champ | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 3. New Mexico | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Big 12 #2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | 6. Liberty | | | | |
| | At Large #7 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | 4. Music City | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Big 12 Champ | | | | | |
| | | | East Bracket | | Bowl Game | Game Site | |
| | At Large | | | | 1. Champs | Orlando | |
| | | | | | 2. International | Toronto | |
| | 1. | | | | 3. Meineke | Charlotte | |
| | | | | | 4. New Orleans | New Orleans | |
| | Big East Champ | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 5. Peach | Atlanta | |
| | | 5 | | | 6. Capitol 1 | Orlando | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Independent #2 | | | | 7. Orange | Miami | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | MAC #2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | | | | |
| | Independent #1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Big East #2 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | 6 | | | | | |
| | At Large | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | MAC Champ | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | MW Champ | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | 1. Fiest Bowl | | |
| | Tempe | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | East Champ | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | 3. National | |
| | | Championship | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | Rose Bowl | |
| | | | |
| | South Champ | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | 2. Sugar Bowl | | |
| | | | |
| | New Orleans | | |
| | | | |
| | West Champ | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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