How EA Sports' Madden NFL influenced the Pittsburgh Steelers' special teams strategy

EA Sports' Madden NFL took an unusual PR hit this week when it was reported the New York Jets' general manager nixed a trade by virtue of Jerry Jeudy's player rating in the game.

It wasn't the first time an NFL team has consulted the video game for real-life strategy help.

In a new interview with the Sports Media Podcast, EA Sports’ Andrea Hopelain told Sports Business Journal's Austin Karp and Mollie Callihane that the Pittsburgh Steelers reached out to EA before the season with a question.

"Mike Tomlin called in was like, hey, I can't quite wrap my head around how to coach my team in the locker room through how to visualize what's going to happen with these new kickoff rules," Hopelain said. "And I want to design playbooks, but I want to design them based on what's possible. The only place I can think about is Madden that might be able to help me visualize some of the scenarios that would come forward.

Prior to the season, the NFL introduced a host of new rules designed to liven up the action in kickoff situations without increasing the risk of serious injuries. Some teams have adapted better than others. Tomlin knew going in he needed to marshal all the resources at his disposal.

Hopelain said "we partnered deeply with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers and helped them visualize the playbooks that might be possible ahead of the kickoff rules."

"We also integrated a ton of Madden footage into the NFL's marketing campaign this year to help educate fans on what the rules would actually look like," she added.

How did things work out for the Steelers?

Their average kickoff return distance of 22.4 yards ranks last in the NFL.

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