The football players pick up speed realistically as they progress down the field. In other words, players don't start off in a blazing run, but instead gradually pick up speed. Also, EA has put a lot of work into the small tid-bits that give games of this type that extra punch. For example, when a player dives for a ball you can actually see his arms reach out and grasp for it. In fact, upon carefully re-examination of a play via the instant replay feature, players can view a catch from any angle, and it looks damn close to perfect.
Realism is present in many ways.
The weather system is second to none. Snow accumulates on the field and affects gameplay. Rain turns games into a battlefield of slippery, sticky mud and wind has an affect on the direction of the ball. The best part of Madden 64, however, and the feature that separates it from QB Club '98 lies in the game's artificial intelligence system. Computer players cover, block, form patterns and intercept throw-away passes with an intelligence that simply isn't found in most football games.