Alex Van Pelt explains the value of ‘Madden-like’ VR for quarterback development
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt brought up the famous Madden video game series when talking about training quarterback in virtual reality.
Last week, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo drew some headlines when he mentioned the Patriots have been using virtual reality to help train and develop players – specifically quarterbacks.
“I would also say it’s not only what is done out here on the football field. I know that when we talk about meetings, we usually talk about sitting at a desk and taking notes, but we have spaces inside the building where you can actually go out there and get real-life looks at the defenses and go through the calls with coaches, so he’ll get his reps,” Mayo explained when asked about rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s workload.
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Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt expanded on the value of the VR reps before practice on Tuesday.
“Extra reps. So you can stand in a room and get 40 reps versus blitz and be able to make the calls based off the virtual reality tape,” he said. “So, it definitely gives the running backs, especially the quarterbacks, more chances to see different looks.”
“You might only have 12 practice reps in a day and say there’s six of those are your reps versus pressure. I can go inside and do 40 more pressure reps just standing there on a simulated screen,” he continued. “So you could triple, quadruple your repetitions. Say you have two jet protection or protections and then they bring certain pressures. Now you can stand there and watch very easily and quickly and say, ‘oh, this is what I have to do here, this is what I have to do here.’ It just gives you a bunch more opportunity to see different looks.”

When a lot of people think of virtual reality or VR their mind may go right to video games. Turns out they may not be far off, based on what Van Pelt had to say about his experience over the year with VR.
“It’s evolved over the years, but [I] definitely have used Madden-like simulations to stimulate the players and get responses from them,” Van Pelt said of his experience using VR, referencing the famous video-game franchise.
The Madden series – named after legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden – has been producing an NFL-licensed simulation football every year since 1993, and exclusively since 2005. The series has sold over 130 million copies and is synonymous with football and sports gaming.
Part of the reason the series is so notable is that it has helped introduce, teach, and expose entire generations to the game of football at a young age. NFL players and coaches have talked about the impact Madden has had on their football lives.
During an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub back in 2014, former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe highlighted the positive impact these games can have on players – specifically quarterbacks – entering the NFL.
“You watch these football video games they’re playing when they’re little kids, they’re pretty darn realistic man,” Bledsoe said at the time. “And these guys, all of the sudden, they’re getting it from a really young age; they’re kind of seeing some of those pictures…Playing quarterback is a lot of repetition. You’ve got to see a lot of the same pictures over and over so you can make that decision without thinking about it.”
That comment was brought up later in Van Pelt’s interview, asked if Madden as well as ‘Madden-like’ VR can help young quarterbacks.
“I think it can definitely help. I think you see real football sometimes in Madden. I think they’ve done a great job of kind of marrying the real game to the video game. You see coverage shells. You can see rotation of the safeties, you can see pressures and where they come from. I don’t see how it couldn’t help a little bit.”
Playing Madden obviously isn’t enough on its own to prepare for being an NFL quarterback. But in a league where every team is looking for every possible advantage, it’s not surprising to hear Madden invoked as digital and virtual reps become more common in New England and across the league.
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