Madden Rookie Card - Mario Williams (1)

Name: Mario Williams
School: NC State
Height: 6'7
Weight: 295 lbs
Pos: DE
Team: Houstan Texans

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Madden Rookie Card - Reggie Bush (2)

Name: Reggie Bush
School: USC
Height: 6'0
Weight: 200 lbs
Pos: RB
Team: New Orleans Saints

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Madden Rookie Card - Vince Young (3)

Name: Vince Young
School: Texas
Height: 6'5
Weight: 230 lbs
Pos: QB
Team: Tennessee Titans

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Madden Rookie Card - D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4)

Name: D'Brickashaw Ferguson
School: Virginia
Height: 6'6
Weight: 312 lbs
Pos: DT
Team: New York Jets

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Madden Rookie Card - A.J. Hawk (5)

Name: A.J. Hawk
School: Ohio State
Height: 6'1
Weight: 248 lbs
Pos: LB
Team: Green Bay Packers

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Madden Rookie Card - Vernon Davis (6)

Name: Vernon Davis
School: Maryland
Height: 6'4
Weight: 254 lbs
Pos: TE
Team: San Francisco 49ers

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Madden Rookie Card - Michael Huff (7)

Name: Michael Huff
School: Texas
Height: 6'0
Weight: 204 lbs
Pos: S
Team: Oakland Raiders

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Madden Rookie Card - Donte Whitner (8)

Name: Donte Whitner
School: Ohio State
Height: 5'10
Weight: 204 lbs
Pos: S
Team: Buffalo Bills

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Madden Rookie Card - Ernie Sims (9)

Name: Ernie Sims
School: Florida State
Height: 5'11
Weight: 231 lbs
Pos: OLB
Team: Detroit Lions

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Madden Rookie Card - Matt Leinart (10)

Name: Matt Leinart
School: USC
Height: 6'5
Weight: 223 lbs
Pos: QB
Team: Arizona Cardinals

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Madden Rookie Card - Jay Cutler (11)

Name: Jay Cutler
School: Vanderbilt
Height: 6'3
Weight: 226 lbs
Pos: QB
Team: Denver Broncos

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Madden Rookie Card - Holati Ngata (12)

Name: Holati Ngata
School: Oregon
Height: 6'4
Weight: 338 lbs
Pos: DT
Team: Baltimore Ravens

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Madden Rookie Card - Kamerion Wimbley (13)

Name: Kamerion Wimbley
School: Florida State
Height: 6'3
Weight: 248 lbs
Pos: DE
Team: Cleveland Browns

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Madden Rookie Card - Brokrick Bunkley (14)

Name: Brodrick Bunkley
School: Florida State
Height: 6'2
Weight: 306 lbs
Pos: DT
Team: Philadelphia Eagles

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Madden Rookie Card - Tye Hill (15)

Name: Tye Hill
School: Clemson
Height: 5'10
Weight: 180 lbs
Pos: CB
Team: St. Louis Rams

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Madden Rookie Card - Jason Allen (16)

Name: Jason Allen
School: Tennessee
Height: 6'0
Weight: 209 lbs
Pos: S
Team: Miami Dolphins

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Madden Rookie Card - Chad Greenway (17)

Name: Chad Greenway
School: Vanderbilt
Height: 6'3
Weight: 226 lbs
Pos: OLB
Team: Minnesota Vikings

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Madden Rookie Card - Bobby Carpenter (18)

Name: Bobby Carpenter
School: Ohio State
Height: 6'2
Weight: 256 lbs
Pos: OLB
Team: Dallas Cowboys

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Madden Rookie Card - Antonio Cromartie (19)

Name: Antonio Cromartie
School: Florida State
Height: 6'2
Weight: 208 lbs
Pos: CB
Team: San Diego Chargers

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Madden Rookie Card - Tamba Hali (20)

Name: Tamba Hali
School: Penn State
Height: 6'3
Weight: 275 lbs
Pos: DE
Team: Kansas City Chiefs

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Madden Rookie Card - Laurence Maroney (21)

Name: Laurence Maroney
School: Minnesota
Height: 5'11
Weight: 217 lbs
Pos: RB
Team: New England Patriots

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Madden Rookie Card - Manny Lawson (22)

Name: Manny Lawson
School: NC State
Height: 6'5
Weight: 241 lbs
Pos: DE
Team: San Francisco 49ers

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Madden Rookie Card - Davin Joseph (23)

Name: Davin Joseph
School: Oklahoma
Height: 6'2
Weight: 311 lbs
Pos: Guard
Team: Tampa Bay Bucs

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Madden Rookie Card - Jonathan Joseph (24)

Name: Jonathan Josepth
School: South Carolina
Height: 5'11
Weight: 187 lbs
Pos: CB
Team: Cincinnati Bengals

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Madden Rookie Card - Santonio Holmes (25)

Name: Santonio Holmes
School: Ohio State
Height: 5'10
Weight: 188 lbs
Pos: WR
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

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Madden Rookie Card - John McCargo (26)

Name: John McCargo
School: NC State
Height: 6'1
Weight: 302 lbs
Pos: DT
Team: Buffalo Bills

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Madden Rookie Card - Deangelo Williams (27)

Name: Deangleo Williams
School: Memphis
Height: 5'9
Weight: 214 lbs
Pos: RB
Team: Carolina Panthers

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Madden Rookie Card - Marcedes Lewis (28)

Name: Marcedes Lewis
School: UCLA
Height: 6'6
Weight: 261 lbs
Pos: TE
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

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Madden Rookie Card - Nick Mangold (29)

Name: Nick Mangold
School: Ohio State
Height: 6'4
Weight: 290 lbs
Pos: C
Team: New York Jets

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Madden Rookie Card - Joseph Addai (30)

Name: Joseph Addai
School: LSU
Height: 6'0
Weight: 210 lbs
Pos: RB
Team: Indianapolis Colts

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Madden Rookie Card - Kelly Jennings (31)

Name: Kelly Jenkins
School: Miami
Height: 6'0
Weight: 177 lbs
Pos: CB
Team: Seattle Seahawks

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Madden Rookie Card - Mathis Kiwanuka (32)

Name: Mathis Kiwanuka
School: Boston College
Height: 6'5
Weight: 266 lbs
Pos: DE
Team: New York Giants

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NFL Draft - Pick by Pick

1 Houston Mario Williams - DE
2 New Orleans Reggie Bush - RB
3 Tennessee Vincent Young - QB
4 New York D'Brickashaw Ferguson - OT
5 Green Bay AJ Hawk - OLB
6 San Francisco Vernon Davis - TE
7 Oakland Michael Huff - CB
8 Buffalo Donte Whitner - S
9 Detroit Ernie Sims - OLB
10 Arizona Matt Leinart - QB
11 Denver Jay Cutler - QB
12 Baltimore Haloti Ngata - DT
13 Cleveland Kamerion Wimbley - DE
14 Philadelphia Brodrick Bunkley - DT
15 St. Louis Tye Hill - CB
16 Miami Jason Allen - S
17 Minnesota Chad Greenway - OLB
18 Dallas Bobby Carpenter - OLB
19 San Diego Antonio Cromartie - CB
20 Kansas City Tamba Hali - DE
21 New England Laurence Maroney - RB
22 San Francisco Manny Lawson - DE
23 Tampa Bay Davin Joseph - OG
24 Cincinnati Johnathan Joseph - CB
25 Pittsburgh Santonio Holmes - WR
26 Buffalo John McCargo - DT
27 Carolina Deangelo Williams - RB
28 Jacksonville Marcedes Lewis - TE
29 New York Nick Mangold - OC
30 Indianapolis Joseph Addai - RB
31 Seattle Kelly Jennings - CB
32 New York Mathias Kiwanuka - DE

NCAA 07 Cover Announcement

Well, it looks like Reggie Bush has made prime time yet again. He'll be the cover guy for the next addition of NCAA07. What I also see that catches my attention is that there will be a PSP version of NCAA football as well. Can't wait for that !!

Reggie Bush Immortalized
USC star to be on cover of NCAA Football 07.

April 27, 2006 - Some celebrities can walk in a room, and the average fan wouldn't even bother turning their head. But when Reggie Bush walked into the Madden Bowl Super Bowl weekend, not only did a party full of celebrities, legends and MVPs take notice, they were doing their best not to crowd the poor guy. Cameras flashed in every direction while people literally lined up to shake the hand of the most electrifying football player to come out of college since Michael Vick.

Reggie Bush owned the room.

And it's not like the kid went out of his way to seek attention. All he did was walk into a party and people everywhere dropped everything...controllers, drinks, groupies, just to give him a pound.

The man's a superstar before ever stepping foot on an NFL field, and because of his obvious celebrity (not to mention a little thing called the Heisman), Reggie Bush has signed on with EA Sports to be on the cover of NCAA Football 07.

NCAA Football 07 Cover - Full Article

Matt Leinart Draft Blog

Day #1

Matt Leinart takes a look back at what got him to this position in the first place:

I played football in high school, and I knew that I was pretty good at it and I could play, so I knew I wanted to play in college and the NFL -- but I never thought I'd be a top draft pick. You say "yeah, I want to be," but you never think that it will actually happen, especially for me, because I haven't played football my whole life. I love football, and that's what I wanted to do, but I also played baseball and I thought I was going to do other things, not play in the NFL. Once I got to high school and started playing football, and that sort of led me to college, it was obvious that I wanted to be in the NFL -- but that's not what you think about. You never think you're going to win the Heisman Trophy; you don't know that those things are going to happen. But then, when you get closer in the process, you start to realize this is real: "I'm living the dream, but it's reality." It's been fun and a great ride.

Regarding the draft, everything kind of started on my Pro Day on April 2 -- kind of the culmination of the whole process, or at least the physical part. After that, I had private workouts set up to visit teams. I've visited three teams -- Tennessee, New Orleans and Oakland -- the past few weeks. I've also had a private workout with Tennessee and a private workout with the New York Jets the past two weeks.

Click here for more

Madden Filmroom Updates

Strong I Flex 3 Play Combo - This week in the filmroom we take a look at a 3 play combo out of the Chiefs playbook that we like to use to pass and run the ball. Each play complements the others which allows us to keep our opponent off balance on defense. The three plays are the Counter Dive, Deep Cross, and FB Dive.

1-5-5 Cover 1 - We haven't broken down any defensive plays from the Nickel 1-5-5 because coming up with a blitz that consistently works from this formation is tough. With random blitz angles, it's makes it virtually impossible to find a blitz that we can honestly say is going to sack the QB.

Singleback Empty 5WR Fl Fly - I apologize to anyone that does not really use the Tennessee Titans playbook but I have been getting requests in the Titans thread for plays out of the 5WR set. We are at that time of the year where things are starting to crawl and many of us are getting anxious for the next game to come in about 12 weeks. This week I take a look at the Singleback Empty 5WR Fl Fly.

Singleback Base Flex WR In - This week in the filmroom we take a look at a play from the Rams playbook that we have had success with beating the blitz when Cover 0 and Bump-n-Run coverage has been called. By using motion, we can get the FL off the line of scrimmage without being jammed.

Shaun Alexander named to Madden 07 Cover

April 20, 2006 – Electronic Arts announced today that NFL MVP and NFC Champion running back Shaun Alexander will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 07, the newest iteration of the EA SPORTS™ best-selling football franchise with the official videogame license of the NFL and its players.

With this year’s focus on the running game, Alexander is the perfect representative for the cover of the most popular football videogame franchise. Last year Madden NFL 06 sold more than six million copies.

Visit our Madden 07 Blog for more

Madden NFL Draft Special

We are rapidly approaching the NFL draft, and I for one am getting really excited. Not so much for how my Bucs will get hooked up in the draft, but more to see how the rookie class will change the face of Madden.

...or not

The consensus from our forum members is that Vernon Davis could well be the biggest impact rookie in Madden next year. His athleticism and speed could create some serious mismatch problems for opposing defenses.

That's really what the game of Madden is all about...finding your opponent's weaknesses and exploiting them. Developing mismatches that work in your favor and then going to that well over and over again.

That is one of the main aims of the Virtual Filmroom for Madden. My mission statement to the writing staff each year is that I want our customers to feel confident that they have a supreme edge every time they get in the game.

I want you to have an evolving bag of tricks that changes from week to week so that during the course of the year nobody can stop you.

We know that our customers love to play Madden. They play it year round, from release date to release date. That's why our Virtual Filmroom coverage never stops. It just rolls over into the next version each year.

With the draft coming up I want to do something special for you guys. You won't have to wait until next year for that next impact rookie to improve your game.

I'm going to give you something that will impact your game of Madden right now.

I've put together a coupon for our Virtual Filmroom. On the order page, you just have to enter a special code in the Coupon blank at the bottom of the order form and I'll knock 20% off the price ($5).

But there is a catch, this coupon will only be good for the next 4 days AND it will only available to the first 64 people to order (the number of players drafted in the 1st 2 rounds of the NFL draft).

To find out more about the Virtual Filmroom, please visit:

www.maddenfilmroom.com

When you place your order you will need to use Coupon code: 0413A

Guide to Making Money as a Video Game Tester

I ran into this while I was surfing around the other day. I don't know how good it is, but it looked pretty interesting. Certainly you might be able to pay for some new games or equipment by taking a run at it.

www.gametesterguide.com

NCAA Football 07: IGN Article

NCAA Football 07: Turn the Tide

Trick plays, momentum, and academic ineligibility.

April 19, 2006 - The Puntrooskie. When you think trick plays and momentum shifts, maybe no play in college football history sums it up better than Bobby Bowden's call against Clemson. It was a fake punt LeRoy Butler took 78 yards to set up a game-winning field goal late in the fourth. It's a play nobody saw coming. A play nobody thought would work. A play that still lives on in the minds of fans as one of the most stunning scenes in a sport known for reverse passes and The Hail Marry.

And while the NCAA Football series has been able to accurately capture a lot of the spirit, pride, and passion of the college game, one thing that's been missing has been those moments that Turn the Tide. Those unforgettable trick plays that make your jaw drop and the team that lost drop even farther down the standings.

That's what NCAA Football 07 (PS2, Xbox) is all about. It's about momentum shifts. It's about control. It's about unpredictability, trickery and deception.

And it's about to launch the term Puntrooskie into the vernacular of gamers.

Click here for the full NCAA 07 Writeup

Filmroom Update - April 17, 2006

Here's what's on tap for this week:

Singleback Trips Bunch Switch Special - This week we take a look at a Shotgun Trips Bunch pass play out of the New York Giants playbook that eats up man and Bump-n-Run coverage. The Switch Special is a great play to call if your opponent likes to bring the heat such as im the Quarter Normal Under Smoke. In this write up, we will show how we like to set it up to make your opponent think twice about bringing everything but the kitchen sink to get to the QB.

Singleback 4WR Falcon HB Wheel - I've been spending a lot of time online again and over this weekend I have added another wrinkle to my Tennessee offense that has been quit successful for me. Last week I wrote about a trend that I saw at the Gametime Philly tournament. Spending time doing that had me looking at ways to get outside slant routes into some other formations that I normally wouldn't use them in. I came across the HB Wheel from the 4WR Falcon and thought about how it may be enhanced if I pulled the TE Fade route from the Weak formation into it. Here is what happened.

46 Bear 3 Deep Blitz - Of all the defensive formations in the game, I ( Kobra) find a lot of my heat from the 46 Bear. One blitz I like to set up from the 46 Bear is the 3 Deep Blitz. What I like most about this blitz is it's simple to set up and also provides good pass coverage. The set up is very similar to other defenses you have seen in the filmroom.

46 Bear Cover 1 Man -Here is another blitz from the 46 Bear that I ( Kobra) like to run on occasion to bring the heat from the FS. By making few adjustments, the FS can get to the QB within a few seconds of the snap. What I like most about this blitz is it only requires moving one defender, making it a league friendly blitz.

If you do not currently have access to the filmroom, you can find out more at:

MaddenFilmroom.com

NFL.com Mock Draft

1. Houston: Reggie Bush, RB, USC
Bush is a once-in-a-decade player and a matchup nightmare. He had 38 touchdowns in three years at USC.

2. New Orleans: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
He could move down but a 10-year starter is too hard to resist. The Saints traded Wayne Gandy, a starter at tackle last season, to Atlanta.

3. Tennessee: Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Leinart threw for more touchdown passes in college than Vince Young and Jay Cutler combined. He also knows the Titans' offense, having played under coordinator Norm Chow at USC.

4. N.Y. Jets: Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State
Williams can replace John Abraham, who was traded this offseason. He reminds new coach Eric Mangini of the Patriots' Richard Seymour and can play in either the 3-4 or 4-3.

5. Green Bay: Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon
Having Ngata in the middle makes Green Bay defensive ends Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila better. Ngata stops the run and has a rare combination of size and speed.

6. San Francisco: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
A young quarterback like Alex Smith always needs a tight end to be effective and Davis can provide major matchup problems.

7. Oakland: Vince Young, QB, Texas
Aaron Brooks signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, but owner Al Davis likes Young's upside. Randy Moss could make a perfect partner.

8. Buffalo: Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State
The best under tackle for the new 'Dungy' defense, Bunkley has a talent that is hard to find.

9. Detroit: Michael Huff, DB, Texas
The safest pick in the draft, Huff can play either cornerback or safety. He is a leader and a Matt Millen-type player.

10. Arizona: Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
Kurt Warner is old and brittle and Cutler is Brett Favre-like. He's still two years away, though.

Click here for more

NCAA Football 07 Screenshots & Features

NCAA Football 07: "* All-New Momentum System—Capitalize on your window of opportunity as big plays, defensive stops, trick plays, and special teams keep you in a constant struggle for momentum.

* Back to School—Excel in the classroom to improve your overall character, and then balance your time wisely between studies, practice, and social events as you live the life of a Student Athlete.

* All-New Spring Game—Determine your depth chart in Dynasty Mode and decide whether to red-shirt incoming blue chip freshmen by evaluating their performances in the annual spring game.

* New Spring Drills—Hone your skills with 11 new and challenging mini-games focusing on all aspects of the game, including Rush the Quarterback, Passing Distance, and more.

* New Ways to Play—Utilize new gameplay mechanics like Jump the Snap, Slide Protection, Smart Routes, Defensive Hot Routes, and Precision Passing to gain every advantage over your rivals.

* All-New ESPN Integration—Get the latest sports news with real-time updates from ESPN Radio, and track all your latest Dynasty information via ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com."

NFL Team Management

Ok, so you have no idea what managing a football team in the NFL is all about right? Well, here’s a quick guide that will help you figure a few things out. I’ll go over how to order your depth chart in this article. In coming articles I’ll overview the salary cap and I’ll also go on and check on the offseason some. So with that, let’s get going.

First off, when reordering your depth chart, there is a basic rule of thumb that I always follow (and you should too), when two players are close. Lets say we have this situation later in the franchise:

Tony Gonzalez, 91 OVR, 35 years old
Joe Rookie, 88 OVR, 23 years old

Who in the heck do you start? Your proven veteran? Or your young stud that will grow into an absolute superstar? Its easy, go with the youth, but find ways to sub in the older guy. Also, Gonzalez would be a great trade bargaining piece for an extra first round pick or an immediate player to fill in a hole somewhere. Keep that option in mind.

Click here for the complete article

NFL Draft position-by-position rankings

By Mike Mayock
Special to NFL.com
(April 11, 2006) – NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock has put together his positional rankings for the 2006 NFL Draft:

Quarterback
1. Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt
2. Matt Leinart, USC
3. Vince Young, Texas
4. Charlie Whitehurst, Clemson
5. Brodie Croyle, Alabama
6. Tarvaris Jackson, Alabama State

Interesting
Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M
Omar Jacobs, Bowling Green

Others
Brent Basanez, Northwestern
Darrell Hackney, Alabama-Birmingham
Ingle Martin, Furman
Barrick Nealy, Texas State
Michael Robinson, Penn State (slash)
D. J. Shockley, Georgia (slash)
Brad Smith, Missouri (slash)
Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech

Click here to see the rest of the positions

Virtual Playbook for Madden 360 is done!

Since the game debuted last year, my staff has been hard at work
breaking the game down and preparing the most comprehensive guide
anywhere to Madden on the Xbox 360.

It was a crazy labor of love/hate to get this guide out the door.
First there was the problem with actually getting the machine
itself. My whole team was camped out at Walmart just to grab one
when it hit the shelves.

Like many of you we had all reserved games through our local game
stores only to be hit with the news that they weren't getting their
numbers.

We scoured Ebay, Toys R Us and sat out in the cold all night at
Walmart (yup, they wouldn't let the waiters inside the Walmart
where Kobra waited outside for 8 hours in the frigid Chicago
weather. Now that's dedication.

Well, all that is behind us now. We have had so many requests for
this guide that I've been killing the guys to get it done. Finally
360s are starting to hit the stores again and it's time to get your
jump start on Next Gen football.

Our Virtual Playbook for Madden 360 is packed with 800+ pages of
strategies, tips, blitzes, and more to get you ready for the 360
gridiron.

To give you some idea of the content we've put togehter, we had
to break the guide into 2 parts because it had so much content.
Part 1 contains all of the playbook diagrams, rosters and a pile of
statistical breakdowns to help you narrow down your playbook
choices. Part 2 has all of the strategies you need to become an
advanced 360 player and more. This guide is huge!!

To claim your guide, visit http://www.madden360tips.com

Hanging with Lee Corso

Last week when I was at EA Tiburon we had a visit from a couple of special guests, Lee Corso & Kirk Herbstreit. Very nice guys and had good things to say about the future of my Florida Gators!!