Bo Jackson Talks Madden 22, Raiders, Favorite NFL RBs and More in B/R Interview

Tecmo Super Bowl Bo Jackson is arguably the greatest virtual football player of all time. 

Not that the real-life version would know from direct experience.

"I am not a video game-type person," Jackson told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "The Madden video games that I get, I'm putting them up for my grandson. He's six months old, and I'm going to have him teach me how to play. … A lot of people ask, and they are shocked when I tell them I've never played Tecmo Bowl."

The two-sport star who laced it up in the NFL and Major League Baseball may have never played the game, but he was a major part of its transformation into a cultural phenomenon.

Few things were more recognizable for gamers of the late 1980s and early 1990s than the 8-bit graphics, two-dimensional crowds, catchy music and memorable touchdown celebration cut screens of the Tecmo Bowl games.

Jackson remains so naturally associated with it that he starred in a Kia Sorento commercial in which he drives the car through the defense much like his avatar would run in Tecmo Super Bowl.

He might not pick up the controller and play it, but he appreciates the fans who keep the memories alive to this day.

"All of the letters that I've gotten and people who I meet at sports memorabilia shows," he said. "Every six out of 10 guys who walk up to me say 'Hey, I had your game when I was a kid.' Six out of 10 say they got in the worst fight of their life even with their brothers or their cousins or their best friends because they both wanted to be me in the game. And they end up having the game taken away from them because they got into a fight. That makes me feel good. That makes me laugh that I get guys in their 40s and 50s coming up to me telling me they enjoyed playing that game. And they pull it out of their bag and want me to sign it."

It seems only fitting then that virtual Jackson is returning to the football video game world.

EA Sports announced there will be a new digital cover for Madden NFL 22 that features Jackson. Gamers will also have the opportunity to use Jackson in a number of the game's modes from Nov. 19 through Jan. 14.

Photo Credit: Madden NFL 22

Players will receive an 85 overall-rated Jackson and a classic Raiders uniform in Madden Ultimate Team while also having the chance to land a Bo Knows Legend in Ultimate Team. Jackson will be available in the draft pool in the Superstar KO mode, and new Nike x Bo Knows gear will be available in The Yard.

"This has been in the works for a long time," Jackson said. "For Madden to want me to be part of their system, I have to look back and say I did something right. There are thousands of players who have come along like me, and out of all the ex-NFL players that are out there, I'm one of the very few that they chose to work with."

The Bo Knows gear in The Yard is a particular nostalgia play on the famous Nike commercials that featured Jackson playing a number of sports with different athletes saying "Bo knows" their sport.

The memorable ads were part of the lore surrounding Jackson, who played professional baseball for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and California Angels from 1986 through 1994 and professional football for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 through 1990.

He was a standout baseball player who won the All-Star Game MVP in 1989 during his best individual season that saw him slash .256/.310/.495 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI. It was one of four straight seasons where Jackson launched 22 or more long balls.

Jackson was also a Pro Bowler in his final NFL season and, true to his Tecmo Super Bowl avatar, led the NFL with the longest rush of the season in three of his four years when he went for 91 yards in 1987, 92 yards in 1989 and 88 yards in 1990.

Yet it was never about the stats with Jackson. He was a larger-than-life legend who could blast baseballs into the outfield bleachers, blow past defenders on the football field and use his strength to snap his bat like a toothpick if he was frustrated with a strikeout.

Photo Credit: Madden NFL 22

Some of that frustration still appears when he watches sports, including the NFL, today.

"When I watch it I get frustrated," he said. "Not from the standpoint of the play, but I'm a horrible spectator. I'd rather be out there playing. … I notice things that you wouldn't notice, like: 'He's carrying the ball in the wrong hand. If he had it in the other hand, he could have gotten another four or five yards and gotten the first down.' Things like that. That's me."

He doesn't have a Super Bowl prediction as a spectator, although he stressed it's still all about the Silver and Black when he said, "If it's not the Raiders, then I don't care."

Those Raiders are 5-4, although they've lost two straight and are just 2-4 after their impressive 3-0 start.

"Right now they are going down a rough patch in the road," Jackson said. "It's like going down the road with a speed bump. What you've gotta do is slow down and get over that speed bump and continue down the road. And I think that's what the Raiders are doing right now. They are in the midst of getting over that speed bump. And when they get over that speed bump, it's going to be smooth sailing."

Photo Credit: Madden NFL 22

Las Vegas is still in playoff contention, but it might have to get past one of Jackson's favorite current-day running backs in Derrick Henry in the postseason if the Tennessee Titans star returns after foot surgery.

"Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry," Jackson said when asked who he likes to watch play. "Those are my two guys."

Much like Jackson in his prime, Henry and Barkley possess enough burst in the open field to create separation and enough power to run through arm tackles at the line of scrimmage. Those attributes are clear both on the field and in the virtual world in Madden NFL 22.

But they've got nothing on Tecmo Super Bowl Bo Jackson.