Back in the days of Madden 2004, the Atlanta Falcons — ironically enough, the team playing in Super Bowl 51 — was off limits to almost everyone playing.
Why? Mike Vick, of course.
Vick was virtually unstoppable in Madden 2004 due to his incredible speed, and all-around ability. His skill in the game was a big reason why he was selected as the quarterback for EA Sports’ All-25 team to honor 25 years of Madden in 2013.
While everyone appeared to be able to dominate with Vick under center, there was one person who couldn’t: Vick himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlSPefaWzE
In an article penned for The Players’ Tribune, Vick talked about a number of topics including Madden of all things.
“To be honest, and I’m glad I can finally admit this, I never really understood what they were talking about,” he said in his piece. “Don’t get me wrong — I tried. Once in a while, when no one was around, I’d turn on the PlayStation and throw on Madden. And I’d pick the Falcons. And I’d try to see what all the fuss was about. But the truth is … I was never very good at playing as myself.
“Actually, you know what? I was pretty bad,” he said.
Vick said that he’s memorized his stats from the game — 95 speed, 97 accuracy, 98 throwing power, 92 elusiveness, etc. — simply because of all the stories he’s been told in the 14 years since the game’s release about fans playing as, or against, him in the game.
While Vick might not have lived up to the NFL expectations some had for him, there is no denying how incredible of a player he was in the virtual world.