Romanowski, Taylor get Blitzed

Midway's unlicensed football game Blitz: The League is all about the unpleasant side of professional football: drugs, egos, and career-ending hits. For the series' debut last year, the publisher enlisted NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor to be the cover boy. An admitted cocaine abuser, Taylor has struggled with drug addiction and in 2004 told 60 Minutes that after his playing career was over, he would spend thousands of dollars a day on crack and women.

For the series' debut on the PSP and Xbox 360, the publisher is once again tapping Taylor as the cover athlete. But this time he'll be joined by a former pro who can give him a run for his money when it comes to notoriety. Sharing cover space with Taylor will be four-time Super Bowl champion Bill Romanowski, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philladelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and Oakland Raiders over his 16-year NFL career as a linebacker. As intimidating and intense as any player to strap on a helmet in the league, Romanowski may be best remembered for hitting a teammate in the face when he played for the Raiders, breaking the man's eye socket and ending his career. Last year the linebacker admitted to 60 Minutes that he used steroids and human growth hormone for the last two years of his career.

Just as Taylor adopted the role of Quentin Sands to play a part in the game, so too will Romanowski assume a pixelated alter ego. Stepping into the cleats of Bruno Batagglia, Romanowski will portray the Baltimore Bearcats' franchise player and play a pivotal role in the game's story, both on and off the field.

Blitz: The League will appear on the Xbox 360 in October, followed in November by the newly subtitled PSP edition of the game, Blitz: The League Overtime. A Wii version of the game was previously announced as well.