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The Madden Curse for Drew Brees

May 31, 2010 in Featured, Tailgating Ideas, Videos

For the last several years we’ve hooked up our xBox at the tailgate and played the upcoming game on the TV screen before the game is actually played in the stadium.  Every year we look forward to finding out who graces the EA Sports cover of Madden NFL and NCAA football.

In 2010, the Saints brought hope to downtrodden sports franchises everywhere.

But did you hear the news?  For Madden 2011 Drew Brees is on the cover.

Saints fans just remember when the game comes out and you buy your copy, the season is already over.  The Madden Curse lives on in New Orleans this year.

The Curse started with Madden 2000 when EA Sports agreed to a license with the NFL Players Association and decided that it would be a great idea to put Barry Sanders in the background of the standard John Madden photo.  Inexplicably, before he even played a game that season, Sanders retired from football.  He never played again.

Whoa New Orleans . . . a city that already believes in the supernatural… a city that has more voodoo shops per capita than any place in the world… now has to deal with the curses of all curses. The SI Jinx has nothing on what Madden brings.

Check out this partial list:

  • In 2004 Michael Vick landed on the cover of Madden.  One day after the video game hit retail shelves he broke his right fibula in a preseason game.  He didn’t play that year.  Several years later, he landed in jail for dog fighting.
  • In 2008 Vince Young, coming off an all-pro season, missed the first games of his LIFE due to injury.  The first game ever—junior high, high school, college or pro. The next year, the Texas Longhorn standout, ended up on  Coach Jeff Fisher’s bench as well as his suicide watch list.
  • In 2009 Brett Favre graced the cover as a Packer.  He never played another down with Green Bay, as he ended up playing for the Jets.  We know the drama that happened then and still continues through to today.

The city had to see it coming when they set up the online voting in February . . . it wasn’t enough that Brees could win, it’s that EA Sports stacked the deck so heavily in his favor.   Fans could  vote for either Reggie Wayne, Jared Hamilton or Brees.  Really, who else could win?  This was pre-ordained.  If Saints fans would have known about the curse they would have voted for “Other” by the thousands.

But they didn’t.  So Saints fans, enjoy the Super Bowl and the associated glory. There just isn’t any chance of back-to-back Super Bowl action here.  In fact, none of the superstars featured on the cover of EA Sports have ever gone on to win another Super Bowl.  That’s right no one who has ever appeared on the cover has subsequently won the big game again.

You look at the window they climbed through last year and it makes sense that they might have peaked.  Once you’re at the pinnacle there’s truly nowhere else to go but down.

And the fates were pretty gracious to the team.  First, a first round bye after losing the last three games of the year.  Then a lay down game against the Cardinals and a follow-up against the Vikings that they should have lost—save for Brett Farve throwing another season-ending interception.

After the interception in the NFC Championship they choose wisely during the overtime flip of the coin.  So wisely in fact, that the NFL subsequently changed their entire playoff overtime rules.  Only then did a relatively unheard of kicker nail a 40-yard field goal that was put into place by a once in a century pass interference call.  A little good karma to say the least.

During the Super Bowl it took an onside kick and a Manning pick to steal the win.

And know this, I want the Saints to win as much or more than any team.  This isn’t an ominous curse in a “glad this is happening kind of way to an evil franchise” like one might have felt for the Bad Boy Pistons of the early 90′s.  This is much more “uh-oh hate to see bad things happen to a franchise that’s been through so much” like when the ball rolled through Billy Buckner’s legs.

My dad has season tickets and we’ve gone to a Saints game each year for the last decade or so.  There’s greatness at the Superdome, so it’s with great sadness that I acknowledge that bad things are headed the Saints way.   I grew up in Biloxi watching Archie Manning, Chuck Muncie and Wes Chandler.  Saints fans, there’s lots of love here.

For the first time ever though, EA Sports is taking the city under its wing, too.  Check out this logo.

Could the Madden curse really extend to a city though? I’m sorry NOLA, but the answer is YES and it’s already started.

Is it coincidence that bad things have happened so quickly?  Not to Brees per se . . . YET, but the city and region are already taking hits.

The BP Oil Spill is wreaking havoc on New Orleans and the Louisiana coast.  The disaster now trumps the Exxon Valdez as the worst oil spill EVER and its legacy will be felt years from now—if they can even get the problem solved.  I don’t mean to make a light of a terrible tragedy, but the Madden cover announcement and the oil spill happened within hours of each other.

It’s worth considering though and either way we’ve watched 40+ days of an oil spill that’s been like watching another hurricane hit a region that already knows way too much about hurricanes.

Then approximately 10 days after the Madden cover announcement, Geoffery Santini, a former Saints Security Director filed a lawsuit against head coach Sean Payton.  The suit alleges that the Saints tried to cover-up Payton’s theft of Vicodin and other pain killers from the Saints medical offices.  Mr. Santini issued notice that he would file the lawsuit in September of last year, but it took a Madden cover to get the ball and the legal proceedings rolling.

I’m just saying . . . that’s two national level and noteworthy news events and we’re just turning the corner into June.

New Orleans is a great town. Bourbon Street is one of the best tailgate locations in the world and Drew Brees is a great quarterback and leader of the city.  However, now that Brees is on the cover of Madden 2011 he AND the city of New Orleans should be on the lookout.

The game will hit store shelves on August 10, 2010.

You can read other posts by Foster “Jim” Flint by clicking here.

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Pro and College Football Getaway Weekends

May 2, 2010 in Tailgating Ideas

“It’s a great day for a ball game.  Let’s play two.”

- Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer

Ernie Banks had the right idea.  And even though he was referencing baseball, his quote applies equally well to football tailgating.

Every year there are always a few GREAT weekend getaways where you could pick up a college and pro tailgate in the same weekend.   Through multiple regression analysis, identification of several Top Ten lists and the use of the Flux Capacitor, I’ve identified the best double-header combo college/pro weekends out there for 2010.

The Top Five Weekends and one honorable mention are listed.  If you’re ambitious enough, have a private jet and extra Advil you could actually attend each of these weekends.

First though—the criteria . . .

  • Either the Pro Team or the College Team has to be on one of the Top 10 Tailgating lists that show up on a Google search.

The Pro Team and the College Team have to be reasonably close.

  • In order to account for a reasonable drive time and the likelihood of a noon NFL kickoff.  Penn State and the Philadelphia Eagles have mind blowing tailgates, but with 194 miles between the two you probably couldn’t make this work.  The Tennessee Titans and Tennessee Volunteers missed the cut as well since they are 180 miles apart.  2 hours is the max drive time for this list.

If you don’t have a Pro Team, you can’t be on the list.

  • Some would argue that UCLA is the College Team and USC is the Pro Team, but until Roger Goodell says otherwise there still isn’t pro football in Los Angeles.  This also kept Ole Miss and Alabama off the list.

The schedule.

  • You have to have the games on back-to-back days (read: no Monday Night Football or College Football Thursdays).  With a tip of the cap to Dave Lamm of San Diego Chargers Tailgating fame and Marshall Faulk of the San Diego State Aztecs (parenthetical aside–I wonder if Dave ever thought he’d legitimately be referenced in the same sentence with Marshall Faulk?) a San Diego combo couldn’t work.  Even though the Chargers are in the Top 10 in the NFL in tailgating they do NOT play a back-to-back with the Aztecs.  Not even a chance to make it happen.

Before the list, first an honorable mention . .  .

Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team

With apologies to the ghost of Mark Mangino, Kansas football doesn’t make the list.  The Jayhawk basketball team does though.  The 2010 basketball schedule isn’t out yet; however, the Chiefs have home games on November 21, December 5 and January 2nd.  Kansas City is one of the nation’s top tailgate towns and you can’t beat the tradition of Jayhawk basketball.

#5-The Houston Texans and Texas A&M Aggies

The Texans are #1 on the Forbes Travel Top 10 list.  Add in the tradition of Texas A&M and you have a great weekend.  For those considering the Longhorns—too far for this list @167 miles.  Plus after you lock arms with the stadium and “Saw Varsity’s Horns Off” four times during the game you’ll understand why the Kyle Field experience is much better.

Check out the last 20 seconds of this video to get a feel.

The games: November 6th – Oklahoma @ Texas A&M.   November 7th – San Diego Chargers @ Houston Texans.

Distance: 99.7 miles.

#4 – The Miami Dolphins and The University of Miami Hurricanes

One city.  A guaranteed great time.  The Dolphins are a Top 10 Tailgate team and you can’t beat THE U.

The games: October 23rd North Carolina @ Miami.  October 24th – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins.

Thanks to a bye week, Big Ben will still be suspended.  Creative tailgaters will find a way to work it into the mix though.  Check out more details about Miami Hurricane tailgating with Mary — one of the writers here on Tailgating Ideas.

#3 – The New Orleans Saints and the LSU Tigers

LSU is on the Top 10 of many lists.  The Saints aren’t, but Bourbon Street changes all that AND everyone in New Orleans seems to be in a good mood since the Saints are now Super Bowl Champs.  Seriously, who isn’t smiling?  Until recently, no one.  Now the only ones that might be a little down are the people associated with the oil rig disaster.  What a mess.  It’s like watching a hurricane hit in slow motion.

The games:  September 25 – Virginia Tech @ LSU.  September 26  – Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints.

Distance: 80 miles.

#2 – Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers

Green Bay and Wisconsin are both on the respective Pro and College Top 10 Tailgating lists.  Wisconsin will be worked up for the big game against Ohio State and you can’t go wrong with the Packers.

The games:  October 16 – Ohio State @ Wisconsin.  October 17 – Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers

Distance: 119 miles

#1 – Denver Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes

You’ll be at altitude and with a live, running Buffalo pregame and the wildcard Tim Tebow factor on Sunday, it’s a can’t miss combo.  Plus you can find out how many people will actually buy and wear Tebow jerseys in Denver?  It’s amazing how much attention this guy will bring as a back-up.

The games:  September 18 – Hawaii @ Colorado.  September 19  – Seattle Seahawks @ Denver Broncos.

Distance: 28 miles

If you can’t make these dates always remember what Joe Cahn says, “The best place to tailgate is where you are.”

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Readers React To San Diego Stadium Proposal

February 21, 2010 in Uncategorized

Prior to the Super Bowl, I was interviewed by Matthew Hall, a reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune, for a story about the potential death of tailgating if San Diego were to get a new downtown stadium. Along with interviewing me, the reporter also got some opinions from Joe Cahn, the self-proclaimed Commissioner of Tailgating along with some San Diego Chargers fans. The piece focused on if the Chargers moved to a downtown stadium location that tailgating would be severely limited if not extinct.

San Diego Union Tribune: Tailgating gets boot in stadium plan

The article was published a week ago and 272 comments have been left at the base of the article. (Many comments were on topic while a number of others were Jets’ fans rubbing the playoff loss in the Chargers fans faces.) Today, the San Diego Union Tribune published three letters to the editor it had received on this issue. One letter was from a fan who said he would give up his tickets if tailgating was curbed while the other two letters expressed that a new stadium was more important in keeping the team in San Diego than preserving tailgating. Those letters can be found HERE. Here are the letters:

Evan Patrick of San Diego sees tailgating as part of the entire experience:

As a season-ticket holder, I would feel a tragic loss if there weren’t tailgating in San Diego. We would lose the last legal opportunities we have to get outside and enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather with friends to eat, drink, socialize and bond with our community and team.

And why would this pleasure in life be lost? Doesn’t anyone remember that the entire premise for a new stadium was that we needed it to have a competitive football team? Obviously, the Chargers are one of the best teams in the NFL! So, why do we ‘need’ a new stadium? It seems to me that it’s just about a business maximizing profits without regard to the fan experience. They seem to forget that it’s the fans that pay for absolutely everything.

If tailgating is lost, I won’t go to Chargers games. It’s for this reason that I don’t go to Padres games at Petco Park anymore. That pitiful Tailgate Park has essentially become a VIP parking lot. The new Padres ‘experience’ includes higher prices, more traffic, less parking, no tailgating, fewer day games and an uncompetitive team. I pray the same fate doesn’t await the Chargers and their fans.

Erik Ferree of San Diego is concerned the team could move to Los Angeles

I agree that tailgating is the biggest change facing Charger fans if they move into a downtown stadium. However, you have failed to recognize a much greater change that will occur if the Chargers fail to secure a new venue. The Chargers, who have been working on a San Diego stadium solution for at least eight years and so far have been unsuccessful, are better positioned to move than any other NFL team. The greatest potential change is not parking spaces, but thousands of fans screaming, “Los Angeles Super Chargers!” We will rent out Ace Parking, or buy a round at the Tilted Kilt. Without a new stadium, how many of us will drive north?

Brooke Baquial of San Diego thinks the threat of the Chargers leaving is more important than tailgating

Life without tailgating or life without the Chargers? Our number one concern should focus on keeping the Chargers in San Diego. If we really are Chargers fans, tailgating should be the least of our complaints. It’s more imperative that there is a game to watch or go to in the first place.

Obviously, the last two letters concern me. Being an advocate for tailgating and promoting the tailgate party lifestyle, I truly believe it is apathy and inaction that will kill tailgating as we know it. I am willing to bet that both Brooke Baquial and Erik Ferree are not Chargers season ticket holders. They may be Chargers fans but I would be hard pressed to believe that they have attended a game or tailgated if they have been to a game in person. I would guess that when the game is blacked out on local television they would either shrug their shoulders and go to the beach or the all that day or watch whatever NFL game the local station would air.

I know I am biased but anyone I have talked to that has gone to a game and tailgated has loved the experience. It is easy to be ambivalent to an activity or cause if you have never done it. There is no attachment to it. So the easy answer to preserving tailgating is to bring more people into the mix. On top of that, those that do tailgate, whether it be regularly or on a casual basis, need to act and show solidarity. By being organized and standing together you can make change. You can preserve tailgating.

Labor unions are successful in getting their demands met because they have solidarity amongst their ranks and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve goals. Now I am not proposing we organize a “Tailgaters Union” per se but I am encouraging tailgaters to stand up for what they want. Look at how the New Orleans Saints fans were able to convince the NFL overstepped its bounds regarding the usage of the term “Who Dat?”. They proved that targeted action and solidarity will get results.

When your team starts cutting back on your tailgating time, send them a message. Encourage all your friends and fellow tailgaters to send a message. Refusing to buy merchandise, concessions or anything else that can harm them financially really sends a message. But the key to being effective is to be organized and have solidarity amongst your ranks. Trade union strikes are effective because all workers walk out and refuse to show up to work, thus bringing productivity to a grinding halt. If you can get your fellow tailgaters to send a powerful message to the powers that be, they will be forced to listen.

I have said it before and I will say it again, we are at a crossroads right now when it comes to keeping tailgating the way it has been for years. Inaction by tailgating nation will allow the reduction of your rights to tailgate be further dwindled and taken away. But when it comes time for you to make a difference, be ready to make some sacrifices that may not be attractive at the moment.

Saints Champ Gear available at DicksSportingGoods.com!

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