Celebrity Byte

What stands out to you in the new Madden NFL 08?

You know what? They're always improving the graphics and getting the speed faster, but the one thing that fans are really going to like is the new weapons mode. What that does is you take a defensive end that can rush the passer and he has speed on the offensive linemen. He'll take advantage of him. They've enhanced the attributes of the key players from each team. You can make a guy miss because you have an elusive weapon. Stuff like that really adds strategy to the game.

Now that you're retired, will you have more time to play Madden?

I hope so. I'm tired of my son beating me. I got the game early and I've been practicing Madden 08 before I give it to him, so I have an advantage.

Marshall Faulk with his dukes up at Celebrity Fight Night XI. Photo by Michael Caulfield.

When did it hit you that Madden had become more than a videogame... that it had become a cultural phenomenon?

My cover year -- I had people carry that game around and wanting me to sign it. I'd be heading to the bus at different cities after a game or at golf tournaments and people would bring the Madden 2003 game up and ask me to sign it. I was like, "Man, how many copies did they sell?"

Did being on the cover of the game ever give you an in with EA Sports to maybe get better player ratings?

Back then, I had all the good numbers. I didn't need any improvements. I was good.

What kind of background did you have in gaming?

Growing up in New Orleans, we didn't have the money for video games. I didn't start playing until I got to college. My roommate had a Sega Genesis and that's when I started gaming. I never had an Atari or Nintendo or any of those systems. That's when I got hooked on Madden.

What do you think of the advances in game technology even in just the time that you were on the cover with Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3?

It's amazing. All the systems do a great job with Madden. It takes it to another level. I think for football, it brings a whole different audience of kids that are younger into our game that probably wouldn't be interested in football at the level that we play it. Now with the notoriety of the players, the details of the coverages and the systems and things about our game, we're attracting a younger audience to football.

Marshall Faulk rushes the line in a game against Kansas City.

Based on the realism of the new Madden, can kids learn things in the videogame that can be applied to the real field?

You can. By playing the game, you understand the concept of coverages and where people are supposed to be. You hear what a team is supposed to be running, or you hear me analyzing the game telling you where they messed up. Having played the videogame, you know where the guy was supposed to be. It becomes educational. I feel like it's a great way to introduce a kid to football.

Are they getting close to a point, since so many NFL players play Madden, that if you have a game next week against St. Louis that you can play them in the videogame and get a sense of what to expect?

I wouldn't say to that extent. If I said that, coaches would stop giving us some of the plays out of their team playbooks. But for a while, the Game Before the Game that went on during Super Bowl week, the team that won in the videogame won the Super Bowl.