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How much have sports games advanced over the years? Enough that I can interview a bunch of current and future NFL Hall-of-Famers and ask them to use their real-life football expertise to help me (and you) get better at Madden NFL 11.
Surprisingly, only a few of them thought I was crazy, and all of them seemed happy to give me some advice. Here are a few words of football wisdom from Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez, Rod Woodson, Kurt Warner, Deion Sanders, and Terrell Owens.
Bitmob: Lots of people just throw the deep ball and hope for the best in Madden. What are the keys to a balanced passing game?
Jerry Rice: Well, you do want to have someone go deep to stretch the field, but the underneath routes are just as important. Then it's just up to the quarterback to make his decision. To be a balanced offense, you have to have receivers that are fast, as well as some possession guys that will make the tough catch.
You've also got to mix up your play-calling; establishing the run will help you establish the pass. It sounds simple, but people that throw deep all of the time might think that a balanced offense is alternating deep passes between two receivers. That's not real football, man!
Bitmob: Do you think your career would have been better if you had played with better quarterbacks?
Jerry Rice: [Looks at me like I'm insane.] Uhh, I played with Joe Montana and Steve Young, two of the best QB's of all time. They're both in the NFL Hall of Fame; it doesn't get any better than that.
Bitmob: Yeah, I know. I was just trying to start a feud between you and Joe, since he's here.
Jerry Rice: Ohhh, I just thought you were crazy. [Laughs]
Bitmob: Madden Ultimate Team lets you collect virtual playing cards to build your own team. This mode is great, but you start with a really terrible squad. What three positions would you first look to upgrade if you were trying to improve a team and had limited resources?
Joe Montana: I'd get a pass rusher and another good defender — doesn't really matter what position. If you have two difference makers on D, you'll be in good shape. Then I'd get a good receiver. My next move after that would be to get a good second receiver to help my first receiver get open easier.
Bitmob: I tried to start some trouble between you and Jerry earlier, but he had nothing but nice things to say about you.
Joe Montana: [Laughs] He can't say anything bad about me! He just can't! I can't say anything bad about him, either.
Bitmob: I love throwing to my tight ends — they're my safety blanket. How should people use tight ends in Madden?
Tony Gonzalez: Just like they use them in the NFL. Look at Peyton Manning last year with Dallas [Clark], he caught like 100 balls. We're like Band-Aids: we're mid-range so we get open quicker, we've got big bodies so we can take a hit; and we've got good hands — the best in the league, I'd say. Way better than receivers because we have to, since we're slow…er than them. Using your tight end is a great way to exploit mismatches, too.
Bitmob: When you can no longer dunk the ball over the goal posts after a touchdown, is that when you'll retire?
Tony Gonzalez: Hmmm, no. I always said that I'm going to retire when I'm no longer a mismatch, when they see me out there and decide they can cover me with one guy. Hopefully that's not any time soon.
Go to page two for Rod Woodson, Kurt Warner, Deion Sanders, and Terrell Owens.
Bitmob: When I play as a defensive back in Madden, it's as a last resort. I love the glory of a big interception, but I'm terrified of getting burned for a huge gain — and that's usually what happens. What advice do you have for people out there who are looking simply to do a competent job at DB?
Rod Woodson: That's tough, because there are so many buttons to press — you're not just necessarily running and reacting. It's a tough position to play in real life, and it's maybe even tougher in Madden. Kurt might argue against my position when you talk to him, but it's tough man — you've got to be confident. That's my advice: Play with confidence. Or just hold down the A button, let the computer do the work for you, and then take all the credit.
Bitmob: You were awesome in old-school Tecmo Bowl. Did you play as yourself in those games?
Rod Woodson: Man, I couldn't afford those games back then. We didn't get paid like players do today! [Laughs]
Bitmob: Rod Woodson said that defensive back is the toughest position, but we all know that the most responsibility lies with the quarterback. In Madden 11 there's a new feature called Gameflow where the CPU call plays for you. This makes being able to read and react to the defense both before and after the snap more important than ever. What's the proper way to read a defense?
Kurt Warner: The first thing you want to do when you look at a defense is to look at the safeties. Even in a video game, the safeties are going to tell you where a weakness is, where a rotation is, and where you can attack the defense. Try to figure out where the safeties are going to be as soon as you can, and that will give you a good idea as to where to go with the football.
Bitmob: Madden's new Team Play feature does a surprisingly good job — at least it does in my eyes — of replicating the QB/WR dynamic. Receivers always think that they're open. How do you make them happy?
Kurt Warner: Well, the way to make them happy is to prove to them that you know what you're doing. When you get to the point where you've earned their respect; when they understand why you're making the decisions you're making, and you're having success with those decisions…. I've realized that they all quiet down a little bit. They understand that when they're open — and when the defense dictates it — that you'll get them the ball.
Everybody's going to be unhappy at some point. All these great receivers think they're best when the ball's in their hands — and they're probably right. But when you earn their respect as a quarterback and say "Hey, I'm pretty good at what I do, just trust me and keep doing your thing," that's when their voices go down a little bit and they work a little harder for you. They know that in the right situation you'll get them the football. It works in the NFL, so it should work when you're playing with friends.
Bitmob: When returning punts in Madden, lots of folks just catch the ball and run straight as fast as they can. You were a great return man, what should we be doing when a ball's in the air, and what should our first move be once we catch it?
Deion Sanders: Most of the time you're scared, so just catch the ball and run as fast as you can toward the nearest sideline. That's what I'd do.
Bitmob: But I want to score!
Deion: That's not going to happen much, and I'm trying to keep you protected so you can live to see another kick. I care about you man, I don't want you to get hurt!
Bitmob: It's frustrating to play as a receiver in Team Play mode and not get the ball when I'm open. How do you let the QB know that you need the ball?
Terrell Owens: [Looks at me like this is a trap] Uh, I don't know. You've got to talk to them before you get on the field. During the game, you've got to huddle up and you communicate your situation then. Or you call a time-out, get yourself a T.O. [points to himself].
Bitmob: I need a first down, what route should I have my go-to receiver run to give me the best chance of making it?
Terrell Owens: That depends. Who's my receiver?
Bitmob: You.
Terrell Owens: [Laughs] Oh, that's easy — you gotta go deep. In Madden or real life, it doesn't matter, I'll be open!
So there you have it. I might not have gotten any Earth-shattering Madden tips from these NFL stars, but I was amazed at how much their advice applies just as much to someone who plays Madden as it does someone that plays football in real life.
By the way, the new game is amazing. If you love football you should pick it up tomorrow.