It seems strange now -- given what we've learned about concussions in football and the impact they can have later in life -- that the NFL once proudly promoted a product in which you weren't just encouraged to beat your opponent, but to literally break his back.

But this isn't a treatise on how and why the NFL made money by promoting the very thing for which they were later sued -- that story's already been written. Plus, it's a game and it's not real and it was/is a lot of fun to play. Much like "NBA Jam," "Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey" and others like it, "NFL Blitz" stripped out most of the rules, simplified the gameplay and made it feel more like, well, a video game. 

One of the other, more underrated reasons those titles were so popular is that the rosters were trimmed down to only the best handful of players on the team and injuries were all but eliminated. You knew every player, and you could pick your team based solely on those couple of names. It's the reason EA Sports decided to reboot both "NBA Jam" and "Blitz" -- only after taking out some of the excessive violence -- a few years back and it's the reason there have been more than a one article debating which all-time team (or prior to and since the 2010 reboot, which current team) would be the best in "NBA Jam?"

With "Madden 16" hitting shelves on Tuesday, it seemed like an appropriate time to look around the NFC East and see which team would make the best "Blitz" squad. Doing this exercise for "Madden" would be fruitless, since the rosters would be exactly the same, but the game's release allows us to use its player grades to determine whether, for example, Calvin Johnson is better than Antonio Brown.

By using "Blitz" as our frame of reference, we also eliminate all the boring positions you don't really care about, like offensive line (no offense, linemen). You basically get the same production across the league. And on defense, you can't adjust the scheme -- or even control those players prior to the snap -- so their individual skills are more or less negligible.

The positions that do matter, however, are the skill players: QB, RB, WR, and occasionally TE. Each team in "Blitz" -- it's only seven-on-seven -- starts a quarterback, a running back, a wide receiver, three offensive linemen (yawn), and a tight end or, more often, a second wideout.

For an example, here's a look at the Eagles roster in the 2012 edition, which is one of the better offenses in the game:

O-Line

             Jason Peters  |  Jason Kelce  |  Todd Herremans

WR                                          QB                                            WR

Jeremy Maclin      ||        Michael Vick        ||        DeSean Jackson

RB

LeSean McCoy

The original console version came out 1998 -- I was unable to find the exact roster used for the Eagles -- and to say the Eagles weren't very good that year would be an understatement.

*Starters in bold

For the record, they finished 3-13 that season, and Bobby Hoying had zero touchdowns and nine interceptions in his seven starts. Second-year RB Duce Staley -- 1,065 rush yards, 5 TD and 57 catches for 432 yards and a TD -- was the lone bright spot, and the only good player they would have had in the game. 

The comparison between the 2012 and 2015 teams becomes slightly more difficult:

At quarterback, the edge has to go to Vick. Don't get me wrong, I'd still take a healthy Bradford over 2012 Vick on an actual NFL roster. But for the purposes of the game, having a mobile quarterback is a huge advantage, so I have to take Vick here. Plus, he has an absolute cannon, which doesn't hurt when you need to get that third and 30 from your own 10 yard line.

At running back, it's somewhat of a toss up. Because there aren't any traditional run plays -- RBs are more or less slot receivers -- it would be easy to say McCoy's speed and agility in open space wins him the category. However, the running backs do occasionally pick up the blitz and throw a block before running their route. For that, I'd want Murray. They're both among the top rushers in the league, so it's a toss up.

As for the receivers, it isn't much of a contest. Both Jackson and Maclin were near the height of their powers when that game was being made, while Matthews and Ertz haven't yet reached their ceilings. In another two years, it may be different, but for now, the edge goes to the 2012 team. [You may also have noticed that I went Ertz over rookie Nelson Agholor and second-year player Josh Huff. I did that because Ertz has a stronger resume and because I felt like if there is a skilled (pass-catching) TE on the roster, he should get that flex spot over a second WR.]

So if the 2015 Eagles aren't even better than their 2012 counterparts, how will they stack up against the rest of the NFC East?

You must remember that this has absolutely nothing to do with how these teams will finish in the standings this year. It also isn't an indication of which players, and offenses as a whole, will preform best. Scheme, coach, offensive line, and yes, defense, will have just as much to do with who wins the division this season.

But if you're picking based on "NFL Blitz" rosters, the Eagles may be closer to mediocre than great. 

DALLAS COWBOYS

Sorry, Eagles fans. 

Bradford, if healthy, could play as well as Romo, but since he hasn't seen regular season action in two years, he doesn't stand a chance against him here. Another place the Eagles could make up some ground is at tight end. Witten is getting up there in age and Ertz is yet to have his breakout season. 

By the end of season, it could be 3-1 in favor of the Eagles -- even the most blindly loyal Eagles fan can't take Matthews over Dez -- especially if the loss of Murray has an even greater impact on Romo and the Cowboys' passing offense than many already expect.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

This one looks much closer than it actually is. Sure, it's tied 2-2, but the two wins for Washington (QB, WR1) are by slight margins, whereas the Eagles' victories (RB, WR2/TE) are much more resounding.

RGIII gets the edge at quarterback for much of the same reason 2012 Vick got the edge over Bradford -- he can run. Plus, Griffin has a better season (2011) on his NFL resume than anything Bradford has been able to put together since being the No. 1 overall pick in 2010. Both these guys have problems staying healthy, but luckily for them, "Blitz" gives you the kind of superhuman strength their surgically repaired knees wish was real. So once you take that out of the equation, it's pretty close, but Griffin's mobility gives him the slight edge.

At running back, it's much less of a question. Morris is a serviceable back, but Murray is the reigning NFL rushing champ. Advantage, Murray.

On the outside, Jackson and Matthews is a relatively close competition. Jackson has the speed, but his small size doesn't help in a game in which there is no such thing as pass interference. He won't be able to catch many passes while laid out on the turf, especially if there's a cheat for "random blocking sleds on field."

And finally, the other receiver spot goes to Ertz, since Garcon is coming off a down year and is likely behind the Eagles tight end in every category except speed. 

Washington may have the faster team -- somewhere Chip Kelly just popped a blood vessel -- but the Eagles are just more well-rounded. 

NEW YORK GIANTS

Another tough loss for Eagles fans. 

Manning edges Bradford, but not by as large of a margin as you might expect. Yes, Eli has multiple Super Bowls, but he's failed to win a playoff game in any of his other nine seasons. He gets the win here, but it's close.

Let's just skip the running backs...

At wideout, the Giants have the advantage. However, if I had to rank them one through four, it would go like this:

1. Beckham
2. Matthews
3a.Cruz
3b. Ertz

Again, the difference between the two players at each position is not overwhelming. Sure, Beckham is on the cover of "Madden" this year -- thanks to 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs in just 12 games his rookie season -- but Matthews, rather quietly, had a hell of a rookie year himself. He finished with 67 catches for 872 and eight touchdowns, but he played second fiddle to the Eagles top WR in 2015, Jeremy Maclin.

In New York, Beckham was the star, and the numbers reflect his status as Manning's top target. He gets the edge here, but that's not a knock against Matthews.

As for Ertz and Cruz, it's basically a wash. Cruz missed much of last season and his numbers have been steadily declining since his monstrous 2011 season when he caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns. Ertz is just about to enter the prime of his career. If I was forced to pick, I'd go Cruz, but only because it's funny to see someone clothesline him while he salsa dances after a score.

Overall, I have to give the win to the Eagles here. What they lack at QB and WR, they more than make up at RB. And as I said before, you don't have to worry about Bradford's knee in "Blitz" -- but you still need to worry about Eli's arm.

NFC EAST 'BLITZ' STANDINGS

After careful consideration, here's how the four teams stack up:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Eagles
3. New York Giants
4. Washington

And yes, that's the exact order in which the teams finished the 2014 season. Although I don't think that will be the case after this year.