A new commentary team is taking the reins for "Madden NFL 17," one that has never worked a game together. Brandon Gaudin, voice of Georgia Tech basketball and NCAA Tournament games, will be in the play-by-play seat. Charles Davis, analyst for Fox Sports and NFL Network, will provide the color commentary.
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This is the first change of announcers for the Madden NFL franchise since 2012 when the CBS team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms took over. They replaced Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth.
In a brand-new episode of the Press Row Podcast, Davis and Gaudin join the show to discuss how they came to be involved with Madden and how they approach the unique challenge that is sports video game commentary. Producer Christian McLeod goes through how the commentary system has been "blown up" and why the two were selected for their respective roles in the booth.
As McLeod explains, there were four pillars for the commentary that the developers were seeking in making their choices: team accessibility, team chemistry, the ability to teach the fundamentals of football, and availability/willingness to record new commentary throughout the season. After a year-long audition process EA Sports chose Gaudin and Davis.
The two are aware they may not have the name recognition of previous Madden commentators, but they hope to create something fresh that fans will come to appreciate and enjoy.
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"We want to do the game justice, with the increased time we've got to spend on it, and over the course of the coming years really earn the respect of those that play the game," Gaudin said.
"Madden NFL 17" will include new special moves for ballcarriers, considerable improvements to AI on defense, and lots of overdue work to special teams. Rob Gronkowski is on the cover of the game, which will release Aug. 23. Amazon Prime members get 20 percent off pre-orders for both the Standard and Deluxe editions.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.