Now that the US team is out of the World Cup, the sports world for the American fan is a rather boring place. I mean, sure, you've got baseball, but since the playoff races are still a few months off, I can only get into so many innings. This means that the landscape consists of either NASCAR racing (*yawn), UFC fights (again?), or waiting to see which NBA free agents land with which teams (and let's be honest, that's like watching paint dry). Yes folks, we have officially entered the summer sports doldrums, where the brightest point on the horizon is still well over a month away. Yes, we have a goodly wait before EA releases Madden NFL 11 to the millions of rabid NFL fans looking to sink their teeth into this year's iteration.

To help keep your appetite good and ready, EA Sports has released a pair of videos today introducing two of divisions, the AFC East and West. We get to see some very impressive looking footage of the game in action, including full character models, weather effects, different stadiums, and a host of offensive play-calling styles. The voice-over work in these trailers is provided by the actual NFL coaches, providing insight into how the actual teams are managed on a week-by-week basis. Of course, since both the coach of the Patriots (Bill Bellicheck) and the Chiefs (Todd Haley) do not lend their likenesses to the Madden series, they are substituted by the annoying lilting sounds of commentator/know-it-all Chris Collinsworth.

At this point, I'll take any footage of Madden. It's not like I can get too excited for a match between Uruguay and Ghana. And the best part of these trailers: NO VUVUZELAS! Enjoy!

AFC EAST

AFC WEST