Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe has had an absolutely wonderful season, racking up 78 receptions for 1,206 yards and 12 touchdowns (including three straight 100-yard games). How did he do it? No, he didn’t study game film, like most football players do, nor did he juice up like some of his contemporaries — he merely played hours of Madden NFL 09.
When the Kansas City Star asked what helped him improve his game the most this year, the sophomore specifically cited the 20th iteration of EA’s football franchise: “I’d have to say the updated Madden 2009,” since, in last year’s game, “they didn’t really roll their coverages as much.” Briscoe seems to be quite impressed with EA Tiburon’s new defensive AI, and he truly seems to believe that his own on-the-field improvements are, in part, due to the large amount of time he spent with the game:
I mean, I play Madden a whole lot … They roll their defenses now. The game systems these days are just crazy. Me playing Madden, it helps me read the defense on the field.
So instead of heading to the film room, he hangs out in the dorm room of his best friend and teammate, running back Rell Lewis, where Briscoe uses the Oakland Raiders to win games of Madden 09. It’s not like the real life counterparts are actually doing that job.