The Gamer Blog

Catching up with Marshawn Lynch at the Madden Pro-Am tournament.

Beast mode was not in effect in Turks and Caicos.

Marshawn Lynch is the first athlete I've ever heard utter these words: "I think I'm overrated in Madden a little bit. You see all those moves? They made me too good in the game."

I met up with Lynch at the Madden Challenge finals in Turks and Caicos, where he was flown in by EA Sports to participate in a Pro-Am tournament against some of the best Madden gamers in the world, one of whom took home $50,000 in cash and prizes in the main event.

What Lynch didn't expect, however, was that the Madden gamer he'd be playing against would trash talk him for four quarters.

"You're team doesn't even exist in Madden," said Jet Steele, the brash gamer from Tampa whose Madden skills earned him a trip to compete in the finals for a third time. "Are you even in the game? Nobody would know because nobody plays as you."

Marshawn was laughing so hard he could barely concentrate and lost badly to the Madden pro. But after the game, Jet and Marshawn hung out like they were old friends. Lynch even started calling Steele "son," telling people around the resort that his son was playing in the tournament.

"If you're my dad, can you loan me some money?" Steele responded.

Lynch shook his head (and his dreads). "First I need to beat you at the game."

Here's what else Lynch had to say as he talked gaming from the island resort.

THE MAG: What are your thoughts on the tournament?
Lynch: It's crazy. I never knew it was so big. It's like they have this whole secret society of Madden gamers. They brought cheerleaders and everything. I talked to a few of the guys and they're talking like they make big money playing this game. One of the youngsters here (Anthony "Young Nephew" Brinson), he told me he made $100,000 off it. They're doing some big things.

Do you play a lot of Madden?
I never used to, but now I started playing my cousin online. I'm getting better, but I'm not a pro.

Do you play as the Bills?
No, I play as Tampa. My cousin is Josh Johnson of the Bucs, so I like to switch it up on him and play as his team when we play.

What's one thing you want to see added in Madden NFL 10?
Every time I touch the ball I should score.

I thought your guy was already overrated?
He is, but it would still be nice to see. [laughs] I'm not hating on Madden, they've been doing they're thing for so many years, I don't care how my guy plays, I'm still buying it every year.

What other games are you into?
I just started getting back into video games once I figured out how to get online. I got a PS3 and I love Call of Duty.

What kind of player are you at the game?
Why you wanna know my secrets? You're trippin'. Secrets are too hard to come by for me to be telling you anything.

Are you a sniper in the game?
Oh no, I want to get all up in your face and do a messy job. Yeah, I want to make a mess with it. [laughs]

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