Normally when you think of Madden NFL video games, special teams aren’t typically one of the first aspects that come to mind. Maybe you go back to the days when Michael Vick was absolutely unstoppable in Madden 2004, or perhaps you remember building an explosive offense and/or impenetrable defense in franchise mode. But chances are your greatest memories to the game aren’t linked to kicking or punting.
There are some big changes coming in this year’s Madden 17 – most notably the broadcast overhaul and franchise mode features – and if we’re to believe the latest trailer, special teams may play a more important role in this year’s game than ever before. Electronic Arts released the game’s “EA Play” trailer on Monday and, in addition to the usual bevy of offensive and defensive gameplay highlights, it also shows a couple examples of kicks being blocked.
Anybody who has played Madden in recent years knows just how hard it can be to come up with a big block on the defensive side of special teams. In my personal experience, it’s almost impossible. That’s not exactly an accurate representation of how things are in the NFL, so if that’s something that the creators of the game wanted to work on this year, it would come as a welcome change.
Sure, special teams aren’t exactly the sexiest aspect of football. Punters and kickers are barely football players. They’re just weird guys who stand alone and talk to themselves 90 percent of the time. But there’s no denying that special teams performance can often be the difference between a win and a loss in actual football. If Madden is really going for that true-to-life experience, it’s only natural special teams becomes a bit more important in the game.
So, if any Madden gamers want to complain about the increased threat of blocked kicks, well, you can go ahead and tell them they should just try putting it in the endzone instead. Boom, problem solved.
