Reigning Madden Bowl Champion
Alex Smith Talks Video Games

Alex Smith made a name for himself during his first regular NFL season, pulling in 41 receptions to rank first among rookie tight ends, and third among overall rookies. Then he went to Detroit and played in Madden Bowl 12 during the Super Bowl, taking the top prize there as well

If that wasn't impressive enough, Smith wasn't even supposed to be competing! A traffic jam caught Larry Fitzgerald, and that paved the way for Smith to enter the competitive field against NFL pros who live and breathe Madden.

Tight end Alex Smith raises the Madden Bowl 12 trophy.

Digital Champion
Fortunately for Smith, he's spent most of his life playing videogames. Smith's first experience on Xbox 360™ happened with this competition, as the rookie hadn't upgraded to next generation yet. So his first experience of playing Madden NFL 06 was in the Madden Bowl, a televised competition against the best players in the league.

The end result was a 24-14 victory for Smith in the Finals against Baltimore Ravens rookie Mark Clayton. To keep things fair, both players chose the Indianapolis Colts for the championship game.

"I don't know how that happened," said Smith. "I've been playing for 12 years. I think over time, especially in college, it became a competitive thing where you're playing against your buddies. It gives you bragging rights. You try not to let it take up too much of your time, but it's always fun to get together with your friends and play."

Now that he's graduated from Stanford to pro ball, Smith said that any gridiron fan can get the feeling of what it's like to be on the field, courtesy of Madden NFL 07.

Now that he's the reigning Madden Bowl champion,
it seems like everyone wants a piece of him.

"It's really as close as it gets, as far as the plays specific to each team and the way that each team has their own game plans," said Smith. "It's as close to the game as you can really get. If you want to experience the NFL first-hand, I think you can do that."

Ten years of Madden
Having played various incarnations of Madden for over a decade, Smith has watched the franchise graduate from pixels to next generation visuals.

"Just seeing what new technology enables them to do with these games is crazy," said Smith. "It's so realistic. I'm interested in seeing what they're going to come out with next."

While Tiburon was working on better gameplay and enhanced visuals, the NFL was embracing the videogame as something more than just another sports game. Smith watched as NFL pros became hooked on the game.

" Madden definitely wasn't as big as it is now," said Smith, who's been gaming since he was five years old. "I think it's just one of those things where it was just a chance to play the game. But over time, it became more involved and more complex as the years passed."

Smith said that on the Bucs, nearly everyone on his team plays Madden. Now that he's the reigning Madden Bowl champion, it seems like everyone wants a piece of him. He's inundated with challenges from teammates, friends and other pros around the league.

Football players like playing football. Who knew?

He's in the Game
Smith spent a lot more time playing videogames in college than he has since he turned pro, but he has an Xbox 360 as the centerpiece of his home entertainment center, complete with HDTV and a surround sound system.

"It's amazing the way technology is going," said Smith, who now games exclusively on Xbox 360. "It just makes the games that much more realistic."

When asked what it's like to see himself in next-gen, high definition graphics, Smith replied, "It's great. It's like you're really out there. It's a great thing to see. Who would have thought they'd be able to do this 10 years ago?"

Because of the depth of the Madden game, Smith's not surprised that the best gamers are often the ones who have either played the real sport or have great knowledge of the offensive and defensive strategies of football. Those who study the real game are likely to excel in the virtual version.

Smith and his teammates played a lot of FIFA soccer this summer.

Smith's Secrets
While he may be the best Madden player in the NFL today, Smith's not going to give away any of his secrets. When asked if he had any tips for gamers who are going to pick up Madden NFL 07, he simply joked, "Throw it to me."

When he's not playing Madden, Smith also likes to play NBA Live 06 on his Xbox 360. During training camp this year, he got hooked on EA SPORTS™ 2006 FIFA World Cup along with his Buccaneers teammates. He said that game stirred up some very heated rivalries among the NFL players in the other kind of football.

Article by John Gaudiosi