20 Years of Madden: Here Are My Top 5 Greatest Moments:
1- Bo Knows
In case you didn't know, your Bona Fide Sport is an only child. So growing up, video games were a big part of my life. Madden 92 was my obsession. I was dominating and consistently beating my best friend, Leslie Days, on a daily basis. He never beat me but one day he played the perfect game. Playing as the San Francisco 49ers, he led 38-35 with three seconds left in the game. With the Los Angeles Raiders, I mounted a furious drive down to the 6 yard line. With an opportunity to tie the game or go for the winning score on 4th down, I did what any pre-teen would do.
TOSS SWEEP TO BO JACKSON!!!!
At the 3 yard line, Bo took a leap of faith and with the entire 49ers defense crashing down on him Bo inched the ball across the goal line for the victory. Leslie has never defeated me to this day and refuses to count this victory as he states Bo was inches short of the goal line. I term this victory "the miracle leap." Simply put, 16 years later still my greatest game in Madden history.
2- The Dating Game
When "Ya Boy" was a sophomore at The Ohio State University, he met the girl of his dreams (well at the time she was), Ms. Kimberly Hurley. Talk about a perfect woman. She was smart, funny and, my goodness, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen on the OSU campus. After an initial meeting that went well, we decided to go out on a date. One problem though, "Ya Boy" was broke. I was stealing clickster pencils from the book store broke. Pops was out of town on a business trip so I couldn't borrow any funds. So I did what I did best: Hustle rich white boys playing Madden.
I stayed in Morrill Tower across the street from the Horseshoe for those familiar with the OSU campus. On a Thursday night with just $20 to my name, I went to gamble ($20 a game, winners stay, losers go to the back of the line). Starting at 10pm and going on to 4 in the morning, I won 6 games in a row. $140 richer, I showed my 1st love the time of her life on Friday night and had plenty left over to by my clicksters' pencils on Monday (I was a rapper and I needed those pencils).
Ironically, after being with her for 6 months or so, I relayed the story of my Madden exploits to her and how that funded our first date. She explained that the deal was already sealed when I carried her books from the bookstore to her dorm the first time we met and the date really meant nothing in terms of her deciding if she was going to get with me. How sweet!
3- Ocho Cinco
In my older days of being a Bona Fide Sports Expert, I don't have the time to be as dedicated to the Madden games as when I was younger. I am nowhere near as good as I use to be, but every once and awhile, I can pull off a classic.
After playing nothing but Grand Theft Auto IV for a month, I engaged in a Madden 08 battle with my homie John Sykes. Playing with the Bengals (don't ask me why), I fell behind in the 4th quarter 23-14. With about 3 minutes to play in the game, from my own 20, I found Chad Johnson on a beautiful post route against the blitz. 80 yards later score is 23-21. John gets the ball back and proceeds to milk the clock all the way down to 32 seconds. On 4th and 2, John decided not to kick the field goal but to go for the win. Brian Westbrook drops a perfect swing pass, and I take over on downs with 26 seconds to go at my own 14 yard line with no timeouts. First down deep out to TJ gets me to the 28, and out of bounds with 20 seconds to go. Second down, Chad on the slant to the 3,7 but no timeouts so it is tick, tick, tick, tick as I spike the ball with 5 seconds left.
4th down, 63 yards for the win, I go 5 wide with Ocho the closet WR on the 3 wide side. John is playing prevent. I send all the other WRs on out patterns and Chad up the middle on the streak. I wait until the perfect time when Chad is even up with the two safeties. Then Carson Palmer launches the bomb. Three defenders converge on Ocho, but collide with each other as 85 takes it in stride to the house. Mass hysteria ensues of Michael Phelps proportions.
4- The Streak
Ironically, around the same time of meeting the first love at OSU, I embarked on a streak of epic proportions. In what would be considered my prime as the ultimate Madden player, I went 79 straight games without a loss. The numbers vary depending to whom you talk, but in my mind it was 79. The streak is still something of legend on the OSU campus. Back then Madden was more important than class, and we played everywhere, everyday, from sun-up to sun-down. I was the Rocky Marciano of Madden. The streak was not ended by an epic battle, but a blowout loss to Tom Murphy. To this day, I hate Tom Murphy.
5- The Showdown
In what I consider my Jordan 98 moment in 2003, I entered a Madden tournament in STL. This would be considered the downside of my Madden career. I had a couple of life-altering events happen in 2004 that changed my video gaming-lifestyle, so this was like a final swan song.
I was good at Madden 04, but not great and going into the tournament I hadn't played much. In the 1st round, I had to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to move on to the next round. While Madden is always about the offensive, my gift has always been able to shut down the opposing players "money plays." And, that is what carried me through the tournament.
I made it to the Finals against the previous year's champion and fought valiantly, but with an opportunity to win the game in the final minutes, I threw an interception in the end zone and effectively ended my Madden career. But I went out head held high.
Those are my top 5 Madden moments. Fell free to comment on yours.
Less littal more ladies. lol. I am just playing. I once came back from 28-0 down to win 48-40
Before the game became full of trash and simple roster updates, I was a Madden fanboy of the worst kind. I played at least 5 times a day. In one of my "Madden Leagues" in 2005, I won 22 straight to coast into the league playoffs as the number 1 seed (with my Tampa Bay Bucs). I played a guy named Shaun who was garbage all season playing with the Dolphins. He had the game of his life and blew me out 63-10 to drop me into the loser's bracket. I fought my way back and met him again in the semifinals. He handed me the first shutout of my career 49-0. He ended up winning the tournament as the 16th seed and won $1000. To this day we all think he downplayed his abilities so he could ambush everyone in the playoffs.
I played my girl once in a game of strip madden. I won
I was losing to this dude who I lose to and he is forever talking trash. He was beating me by 9 with like 1 min left. He was arrogant so he kept throwing. I intercepted a pass for a pick 6 and this guy was so arrogant on the next possession he kept throwing and I intercept it again and made it to the 5 yard line.
I took two kneel downs and was preparing to kick and my idiot kicker shanked the kick and my arrogant friend still talking
Back when Madden was Genesis only, I was playing my older brother's best friend Rod. For some reason instead of rolling with Chicago or Cinci like usual I picked San Fran. The score was 28-34 after two picks cost me two field goals I was down with 4 seconds on the clock and 85 yards of field. Basically I drop back, fake Montana to equally fake Rice, seven points later a 35-34 win. What was funny was these were the days of the offensive players slowing down after awhile and getting caught by defensive players. I remember that game like it happened five minutes ago.
Drafting Daunte Culpepper in my fantasy league even though he was on the cover. Bad move
Love the site. I'm okay at Madden. I get my butt kicked I don't get the plays. I never played football in highschool. I'm still a Madden fan on the X-BOX 360 elite. I'm this same way about NBA2k series. NBA2K8 I give 35 point blow outs. I'm kinda early. osu get outta here MICHIGAN Maize and Blue forever. You guessed it I was born and raised in Detroit Michigan hence I'm a Michigan fan.
Do you play Madden on PS3???
I play on the Xbox360. I don't get as excited as I use to. I use GameFly so I am actually waiting for the game to arrive.