By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

By now, most loyal Maddenites have settled down from midnight madness on August 13th into a comfortable routine with the latest edition to the revered series, Madden NFL 2010. You’ve chosen your team(s), are working to perfect your plays, calculating stats, and handing the AI or some poor sap online their asses. And hopefully, your making some highlight reel-worthy plays while you’re at it.

But just when you thought Madden couldn’t get any sweeter, the boys at Electronic Arts pull out a few surprise blitzes to shake up your gaming equilibrium. With the return of infamous  quarterback Michael Vick, EA decided that it’s no fun if the players can’t get none, and made the wise and awesome call of adding them to the 2o10 Eagles’ roster via downloadable content on August 19th.

To keep the theme of authenticity going, Vick’s stats have been updated  to reflect his two-year incarceration due his involvement in an illegal dog-fighting operation. His overall stats in the game have dropped from a 90 to a 73. His speed and agility are still great — a blistering 9o and 94 respectively, but his accuracy has taken a significant hit with a throw accuracy of 69, a short accuracy of 70, a mid accuracy of 74, and a deep accuracy of 69 – all down from 2008’s rating of 78. The stats will most likely be adjusted to reflect Vick’s performance with the Eagles this season, so it’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on.

In other Madden news, former Giants Wide Receiver, Plaxico Burress has been removed from the Madden free agent roster. Burress was recently sentenced to a two-year stint in prison following a shooting incident where the player shot himself in the leg. He was removed from the roster to include an as of yet specified player.

It’s going to be an interesting season. online and offline.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

 When police descended upon the New Jersey home of Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress last week and seized guns and ammunition, they also walked away with the bloody pants that Burress wore when he accidentally shot himself in the bathroom of a nightclub when the gun he was sporting slid down the leg of his sweatpants.  The Associated Press reports that in addition to a 9-mm handgun, a .30-06-caliber rifle and the ammunition, (including a clip for a .45 gun), police also said they recovered the sneakers that Burress wore during the accidental shooting during the three-hour search of the New York Giants receiver’s Totowa home. It is likely that investigators are trying to determine whether the recovered weapons are registered, according to AP. If they are not registered, it is likely that the suspended NFL star will face additional charges, the news agency reports. Benjamin Brafman, the receiver’s criminal attorney, said Wednesday morning that he believed that only a registered rifle was taken from the home.

More guns are taken from Plaxico Burress’ home. Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress’ problems just got worse. Armed with search warrants, police officers from Totowa, N.J. and New York City stormed Burress’ New Jersey home and removed several guns, including a 9-mm handgun, a rifle and bullets for .380-, .40- and .45-caliber weapons, The New York Times reports. Last month, the star wideout was arrested and charges with illegally possessing weapons after accidentally shooting himself with his .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun in a Manhattan nightclub. He had tried to grab the gun as it slipped down the leg of his sweat suit. Burress was not at home when police arrived, but his wife and lawyer were there, according to the Times. New Jersey law requires weapons ID for any gun, but Totowa Police Detective Dennis Blakeley said there wasn’t “any paperwork on these guns.” Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told The Associated Press that he believed only a registered rifle was taken from Burress’s home and that he did not know whether Burress would face additional charges.

Giants star faces weapons charges. The attorney for star NFL receiver Plaxico Burress says his client will turn himself in to police this morning to be charged with a weapons violation two days after accidentally shooting himself in a New York night spot, The Associated Press is reporting. The lawyer, Benjamin Brafman told The Associated Press on Sunday that he was advised the New York Giants’ star receiver will be charged after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh, Sport Illustrated reports. “I do not expect that Mr. Burress will make a statement,” Brafman wrote. Read the rest here.

Giants linebacker is silent about Burress shooting. Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce may have been with star wideout Plaxico Burress when Burress accidentally shot himself at a nightclub Saturday, but little else is clear about the incident. Initial reports said that Pierce tried to help Burress cover up the mishap by trying to hide Burress’ gun and dump it somewhere, to keep his squadmate from facing charges for having an unlicensed weapon. Pierce has refused to answer any questions about the episode, according to published reports. Giants General Manager Jerry Reese said Pierce “has been cooperative with NFL security and with the police.”

King James hasn’t said that he’ll leave Cleveland. Calling speculation that his superstar will leave the team in two years “an insult to the city,” the Cleveland Cavaliers owner denies such gossip. Dan Gilbert says any word of LeBron James heading to New York in 2010 is mere conjecture. James has made no mention of heading East when his contract expires in two years, says Gilbert. He adds that the Cavs and James will focus on competing for a championship.

ESPN recruits rapper to share views via Web. Commenting on everything from his love of the Red Sox to his recent Wimbledon-viewing party and little league football career, a rapper has joined ESPN. Lil Wayne is a guest blogger for ESPN The Magazine. “I don’t watch nothing but sports – no movies, no news, no television shows – so I thought this would be fun,” he writes in his first entry. An editor’s note introducing the commentary describes Weezy as “mega-rapper of the moment.” Doesn’t seem very nice.

Jets, Giants distance themselves from ex-Nazi backer. A potential $30 million-a-year deal has been called off after NFL fans complained about discussions between New York teams and a former Nazi-associated company. German insurance program Allianz was in the running to acquire naming rights of a stadium where the Giants and Jets will play beginning 2010. Jewish organizations criticized the proposed deal because Allianz once insured Nazi death camps and refused to pay claims to Jewish clients. Most commonly associated with the atrocities of the Holocaust, Nazi doctrine called for the extermination of Blacks and other non-White ethnicities.  

The ex- New York Giants wide receiver has had a troubled post-football life.
Mark Ingram, a former New York Giants wide receiver who starred in the 1991 Super Bowl, will spend the next seven and a half years behind bars for his latest crime spree that includes money laundering and bank fraud. Read more at BET.com/News.  What would make a former super star athlete jump from the limelight to the crimelight?

Retired NFL defensive end Michael Strahan could become a member of the Super Bowl champ Giants again, reports the New York Daily News. The paper cites a source said to be close to the Pro Bowler in its article that came after defensive end Osi Umenyiora suffered a season-ending knee injury this past weekend. Strahan currently has a position as a Fox studio analyst. While on vacation in Europe, the popular retiree would only say that he hasn’t been contacted about the possibility of re-joining his old squad: “I haven’t heard from anybody else, so to say if I would or wouldn’t is premature. So I’m enjoying my retired life right now.” Team co-owner Steve Tisch tells the New York Post that he’d “absolutely” like for Strahan to wear a uniform again in ’08.

Maurice Greene, Warren Sapp will dance “With Stars”

Former Olympic sprinter Maurice Greene and rotund, retired NFL tackle Warren Sapp will shake it up – but, hopefully, not together – on the new season of “Dancing With the Stars.” Sapp, a Super Bowl winner with Tampa Bay, and Greene, a gold medalist in the 100-meter dash at the 2000 Games in Athens have signed on, along with singer Toni Braxton and others to compete in choreographed routines before a live audience. The new season’s lineup was announced Monday and will begin airing on ABC at 8 p.m. Sept. 22.

NFL’s Osi Umenyiora to undergo surgery. A New York Giants defensive end won’t play in an NFL game before 2009 after injuring his left knee this past weekend. Osi Umenyiora was hurt in the second quarter of a pre-season game against the Jets. An MRI found a tear in Umenyiora’s lateral meniscus. The two-time Pro Bowler will undergo surgery tomorrow. “It was obviously the news that I did not want to hear,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin says. “But after listening to the explanation and (the doctor’s) thoughts on it, I am convinced that this is the right procedure and the right way to go.” Umenyiora’s loss, involving a four-month recovery, is compounded by the recent retirement of star defender Michael Strahan.