Bubba Wallace felt a little out of place. On Sunday afternoon, with a bunch of current and former NFL stars along with Snoop Dogg, the NASCAR driver found himself getting ready to play Madden as part of the virtual Pro Bowl Sunday.
Like so many other things in the 2020 NFL season, the game had to be modified due to the coronavirus pandemic. So instead of an actual Pro Bowl, it went online with current and former NFL players – along with Snoop Dogg – each playing a quarter of the game.
And then there was Wallace.
“I just took it all in and enjoyed it and then heard some stories and conversations, it was just, it was almost like, ‘Man, am I really sitting here talking to these guys,’” Wallace said. “I’m just a race car driver who has nothing to do with being in the room with these people, but hey, here we are, playing here with Snoop Dogg, that was cool.
“Between him and [former running back] Marshawn [Lynch], those were certainly the two biggest trash talkers. “
Towards the end, Wallace, who occasionally plays Madden but loves Call of Duty more, became the standout for the NFC with a dominant, three-touchdown second quarter against Keyshawn Johnson in a 32-12 win over the AFC.
Pro Bowl MVP Kyler Murray, Wallace, Jamal Adams and Lynch made up the NFC team. Deshaun Watson, Johnson, Derrick Henry, and Snoop Dogg were the AFC.
“Playing like that, I thought of going in, I thought I was going to be the weakest link,” said Wallace. ‘But I think we could see that I wasn’t. I was the exact opposite. So it was good. It was good.’
Before the game, the eight players talked about how bad they were. Then they played and realized that the levels of didn’t vary very well.
Johnson struggled during his five-minute quarter. He gave up three touchdowns, threw an interception and dropped a kick return, which was criticized by players and hosts Michael Strahan and Charissa Thompson.
After Wallace’s third touchdown, Johnson just held the side of his head. When the quarter was mercifully over, Wallace bowed his arms as Johnson (maybe?) Jokingly accused Wallace of downplaying his skills.
“That’s sharks with sharks,” Johnson said on the stream. “What he did.”
Wallace had help. Murray, the NFC captain, told him before they started which defense to play and told him to switch between a set number of offensive plays and find the open man.
“I’m just an Ask Madden guy most of the time,” Wallace said. “Like I’m just picking a play. I’m like, ‘Ooh, this looks like a good play, let’s capitalize and try to get something there.’ He was like, pick this defense, run that all the time, and then go with some of these options for offense.
“Definitely could hear his voice in the crowd like hey, choose this. Choose that. Helped a lot. That’s why he’s the MVP.”
In one of the game’s few replacements, Jamal Adams put his virtual self – because why wouldn’t you – in place of Budda Baker. Virtual Adams then intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in the second half. Adams also ran four straight steps to TJ Hockenson, which led to a touchdown.
However, the game’s highlight had nothing to do with what actually happened in Madden.
It was what happened on the side where Snoop Dogg and Lynch had ongoing commentary. And when the two played against each other in the fourth quarter – Lynch stuck to a 20-point lead – it was fast fire. Also when Lynch intercepted a Snoop Dogg pass and promptly fell to the ground.
Why?
The chair he was in broke. “That was a great comedy there,” said Wallace. “Besides, we all laughed all night. It was a great time, a great conversation, just let go and have fun.”
Wallace said he laughed more all night than in a long time.
Wallace, a Saints fan after meeting Alvin Kamara last year and knowing he played for his favorite college team, Tennessee, said it was “pretty damn cool” to be able to play and interact with guys he used to be. and still watching Sunday play.
He’d met Lynch before – the only person he knew who entered – and at the end exchanged information with Murray, who said he’d like to come and watch a race. And if Madden did this again, Wallace said he was having enough fun doing it.
“If it were structured the same way, I wouldn’t change anything,” Wallace said. “It was fun, didn’t take too much time, just went through it and it was really cool.”