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MADDEN BOWL XVIII - Tebow Time in Indianapolis
February 3, in the year of our Lord 2012 – Just
when you thought the late fourth quarter dramatics had ended, a
virtual version of Tebow Time crashed the EA SPORTS Madden Bowl
XVIII party held at the Bud Light Hotel Thursday in
Indianapolis.
Playing in front of a capacity crowd filled with NFL stars,
college All-Americans, and the local Indianapolis faithful, the
Madden “Clutch Team” featuring Drew Brees (quarterback, New
Orleans Saints), Jimmy Graham (tight end, New Orleans Saints),
and Tim Tebow (quarterback, Denver Broncos), rallied late to
knock off the 2012 NFL Draft eligible “Rookie Team” of Justin
Blackmon (wide receiver, Oklahoma State University), Robert
Griffin III (quarterback, Baylor University), and LaMichael
James (running back, University of Oregon), 16-13, capturing the
Madden Bowl XVIII championship.
The classic ending mirrored that of Tebow’s best
come-from-behind-moments from the 2011 NFL regular season – with
one exception: Tebow took the field as a wide receiver, while
Brees was under center during the game’s final drive.
Playing Madden NFL 12 in teams of three, Brees connected with
Tebow on a short touchdown pass with 0:10 remaining, spoiling
what would have been a game-winning fumble return for a
touchdown by The Rookie Team just a few plays prior.
“There’s just something about having him on your team,” said
Brees of Tebow. “He’s just brings the magic. There’s no other
way to explain it.”
As for the fumble that nearly cost his team the game, Brees
admitted that he simply ‘pushed the wrong button at the wrong
time.’
“I thought I called a run play, but it turned out to be a play
action pass,” said Brees, whose team lost in the Madden Bowl
XVII championship game one season ago in Dallas. “Luckily there
was still enough time on the clock for us to drive down the
field after they scored. Wow. What a fun and crazy game.”
Although the last-second heroics ignited the crowd, the party in
Indy was just getting started.
On-hand to walk down the Madden Bowl XVIII Blue Carpet were
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Pro Football
Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Heisman Trophy winners Mark
Ingram and Eddie George, among many others.
Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders,
along with Super Bowl champion Warren Sapp also took part in the
Madden Bowl tournament, along with running backs Arian Foster
(Houston Texans) and Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars),
and linebacker Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers). All were
among the two teams that failed to reach the championship game.
During the ESPN3 broadcast, early details emerged regarding the
Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote campaign on ESPN’s “SportsNation”,
which will kick off on March 7 with a two-week “play-in” round
that will pit two teammates, from each NFL team, against each
other to determine the 32 player bracket. For more details visit
www.espn.com/maddenvote. Players for the “play-in” round
will be revealed via the EA SPORTS Madden NFL Facebook page
throughout the month of February.
Watch a replay of all the Madden Bowl XVIII action on ESPN3
online at
WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN
app and through
ESPN on Xbox LIVE to over 71 million households nationwide
through an affiliated provider.