Bubba Wallace felt a little out of place. On Sunday afternoon, with a group of current stars and former NFL stars along with Snoop Dogg, the NASCAR driver found himself in a chat preparing to play against Madden as part of Sunday’s virtual Pro Bowl.
Like so many other things in the 2020 NFL season, the game had to be modified because of the coronavirus pandemic. So, instead of a real Pro Bowl, he went online with current and former NFL players – along with Snoop Dogg – each playing a quarter of the game.
Then there was Wallace.
“I was just taking in and enjoying and listening to some of the stories and conversations, it was almost like, ‘Dude, I’m really sitting here talking to these guys,'” said Wallace. “I’m just a race car driver who has nothing to do with these people, but, hey, here we are, playing with Snoop Dogg, it was cool.
“Between him and [former running back] Marshawn [Lynch], those were the two biggest trash talkers, for sure. “
In the end, Wallace, who occasionally plays Madden but is more interested in Call of Duty, became the highlight for the NFC with a dominant three-touchdown victory in the second quarter against Keyshawn Johnson in a 32-12 victory over the AFC .
Kyler Murray, Pro Bowl MVP, Wallace, Jamal Adams and Lynch formed the NFC team. Deshaun Watson, Johnson, Derrick Henry and Snoop Dogg were AFC.
“Playing like that, I thought that when I got into that, I thought it would be the weakest link,” said Wallace. “But I think we were able to see that I was not. I was just the 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 “not very good” levels varied.
Johnson fought during his five-minute quarter. He gave up three touchdowns, launched an interception and landed a comeback kick, receiving criticism from fellow players and hosts Michael Strahan and Charissa Thompson.
After Wallace’s third touchdown, Johnson just held the side of his head. When the quarter mercifully ended, Wallace flexed his arms while Johnson, jokingly (perhaps?), Accused Wallace of minimizing his abilities.
“This is pool shark trafficking,” said Johnson in the stream. “What did he do.”
Wallace had help. Murray, the NFC captain, told him before they started which defense to play and told him to alternate between a certain amount of offensive play and look for the open man.
“I’m usually just an Ask Madden guy,” said Wallace. “As if I had just chosen a move. I think, ‘Ooh, this looks like a good move, let’s capitalize and try to do something there.’ He was like, choose that defense, execute it all the time and then go with some of those options for the attack.
“I could definitely hear his voice in the crowd, like hey, choose this. Choose that. It helped a lot. That’s why he’s the MVP.”
In one of the few substitutions in the game, Jamal Adams inserted his virtual self – because he wouldn’t – in the place of Budda Baker. Virtual Adams then intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in the second half. Adams also made four straight passes to tight end TJ Hockenson, leading to a touchdown.
The highlight of the game, however, had nothing to do with anything that really happened in Madden.
It was what was happening outside, where Snoop Dogg and Lynch commented. And when the two faced off in the fourth half – Lynch maintained a 20-point lead – it was a quick shot. Including when Lynch intercepted a Snoop Dogg pass and promptly fell to the ground.
Why?
The chair he was on broke. “It was a great comedy,” said Wallace. “In addition, we all laughed all night. It was a great time, a great conversation, just being able to let go and have fun.”
Wallace said he laughed more all night than a long time ago.
Wallace, a Saints fan after meeting Alvin Kamara last year and knowing he played for his favorite college team, Tennessee, said it was “really cool” to be able to play and interact with guys he used to watch and still watch games on Sundays.
He had met Lynch once before – the only person he knew entering – and in the end exchanged information with Murray, who said he would like to go check out a run. And if Madden did that again, Wallace said he had enough fun to come back.
“If it were structured in the same way, I wouldn’t change anything,” said Wallace. “It was fun, it didn’t take long, it was straightforward and it was really cool.”