I think I've been playing video games too much lately. While my brother and I were watching the NFL games on tv this weekend, we would constantly make references to the Madden video game. We talked about how if the real live quarterback tried making that pass in the not-real-life video game, it would have been a pick. (I used to think things were easier in video games.) We started calling out plays based on the formations the offense lined up in. My favorite comments were when we referred to a player performing only at the All-Pro level instead of the All-Madden level.

I don't think I'm going to attempt the 24 hours of Madden this year. I've been putting in solid 4 to 5 hour stretches (usually 11pm - 4 am or so) and it's starting to wear on me.

In addition to playing Madden on the PS2, we have busted out the old NES. That's right, good old 8-bit and 2 button technology. I've played a bit of Tecmo Super Bowl, where I can use players like Bo Jackson, Lawerence Taylor, and even current ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge. It's a bit primitive and easy to dominate. My QB rating for Joe Montana is at an off-the-chart-impossible-to-achieve-in-real-life 237. (I believe the NFL ratings max out at 158 or so.) Jerry Rice averages 64 yards per catch. Roger Craig averages 24 yards per carry.

I also discovered that I suck at Contra. Even with the 30 life code. (It's amazing how we can remember such useless things like the 30 life code or the codes for Mike Tyson's Punch Out, even after almost 20 years, but I step out to Safeway and 5 minutes later, I forget what I have to buy.)