A former NFL offensive lineman is providing professional insight as a game designer for EA’s popular Madden NFL video game franchise.

The number of pro football players who contact former NFL offensive lineman Clint Oldenburg spikes twice a year: once to gripe about their Madden videogame rankings and once to request free games.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wanted to sprint for him in 2014 to prove that his post-surgery speed downgrade was too severe in EA Madden NFL 18, said Oldenburg, a game designer on Electronic Arts’ Maitland-built franchise.

“He had just had foot surgery and he wanted to run a 40 (yard dash) to prove he was fine,” he said. “But it’s all in good fun.”

The latest version of the 29-year-old franchise, which first appeared on the Apple II series of computers in 1988, was released Aug. 25. The game was the most downloaded PlayStation 4 game in August.

The game has become a staple in NFL locker rooms and hotel rooms, with players often seen at public events or featured in news clips about Madden.

That has helped the franchise become one of just 16 videogame franchises to ever sell more than $4 billion worth of games.

Oldenburg was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2007, then bounced between the St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets for a few years, before a season with the Washington Redskins in 2010.

In 2012, after he took a gig helping a friend shovel driveways in Colorado, he scheduled a tryout with a Canadian Football League team.

But first, the Colorado State University grad landed a fellowship with Electronic Arts to help on the company’s NCAA Football franchise.

The 34-year-old former offensive tackle’s rapid climb to fulltime designer on the Madden series impressed Associate Designer Mike Scantlebury.

“He has a knack for quickly picking up a new concept,” said Scantlebury, who has worked with EA for 14 years. “He isn’t afraid to put in extra hours to learn and get the job done.”

That comes from long days on the football field, in the training room and in classrooms studying playbooks and blocking schemes. In light of the NFL’s rapid workflow, Oldenburg has had to make some changes.

“I would get depressed when I missed a workout,” he said. “But I had to learn that I’m not getting paid to work out anymore. That was a huge adjustment.”

Oldenburg’s contributions have made the game more realistic, said Daryl Holt, EA Sports’ Maitland-based vice president and head of operations.

That expertise helps the game change from year-to-year.

“From our earliest discussions with NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden, to Madden NFL 18 today, creating the most authentic football experience possible each year has been the goal,” he said in a statement. “Having team members like Clint working on Madden helps us make the game look, feel, and play like the real NFL.”

Oldenburg helped design and implement subtle but important offensive blocking schemes into the game.

A company spokeswoman said he is the only former NFL player in EA’s Maitland office.

When Oldenburg arrived, he did not immediately shed the perception that he was an exNFL player contributing his expertise to a video game. But recent assignments that took him away from the offensive-line portion of the game have helped change that, he said.

“When I first got to Electronic Arts, that was who I was,” he said. “Now I’m widely regarded as a game-play guy.”

The company famously strives for authenticity, an effort that has likely given the franchise an edge on more arcadestyle games such as NFL Blitz.

For years, EA’s tag line has been direct: “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.”

Oldenburg’s decision to move to Central Florida for the job has changed his life in other ways: He met his wife at Electronic Arts and the couple now have a 9-month-old son. The family lives in Longwood.

He said the decision to effectively retire was not easy, but it was necessary.

“I was always a roster-bubble guy, wondering if I’d be cut or not,” Oldenburg said. “That grinded on me. It was difficult because I still thought I could play the game if I stayed healthy. But I wasn’t getting any younger.” msantana@orlandosentinel.com; 407-420-5256; Twitter: @marcosantana