For those of you who are new to the Madden series, here are some basic Madden Tips that generally apply to any version of Madden football that should help you get going in the right direction.
Madden Tips: Introduction
As the saying goes defense may win championships, but offense is just plain fun. Keeping your opponent off balance and crossing the goal line is the name of the game on offense.
Every team and every coach has their own philosophy and game plan for offense. We’ll introduce you to several different possibilities, and provide you with Madden tips to make you a more effective field general. No matter which style of offense you embrace, you will need to use components of all three to be a well rounded and successful player.
By the same token, if your opponents cannot score, you will not lose. Much emphasis is put on having an explosive offense by many football video game players. The best football game players, however, are not only prolific point scorers, but very solid defenders. In the majority of cases with evenly matched teams/players, most football games are not “won”, but are lost by the players making the most mistakes.
Madden Tips: Selecting Your Team
When selecting your team, you need to decide on the type of offense and defense strategy you plan to implement on the field. Are you going to have a quick strike offense that features a lot deep pass routes? If so, the team you select should have fast receivers who can get down the field in a hurry to make the catch. You also will need a quarterback with a strong arm, who can deliver the pass in stride to the receiver. Two teams that come to mind are the Lions and Saints . They have plenty of speed at receiver to get down the field, plus two of the better of quarterbacks in the game. If you’re the type of player who wants to play smash mouth football, the Cowboys and Seahawks are two teams that fit that style of offense. Both teams have outstanding running backs, and can dish out the punishment when running inside. If you want to play a team with balance, look to use the Patriots. They have all the ingredients to run or pass the ball effectively and keep the defense off balance.
The defensive side of football video games have plenty of teams with different styles to choose from. If you are looking for an attacking type defense, look no further than these two teams from the AFC North…the Ravens and Steelers. Both teams like to play an attacking type scheme that forces the QB into making bad decisions. If you like to play a more passive defense, look to use the Bears or other team’s that like to play a bend but don’t break style of defense. They figure the offense will make a mistake sometime during their possession with the ball. They do not want to give up the deep pass; they rather see the offense dump the pass underneath. For those of you looking for a balanced team on defense, the 49ers are the perfect choice.
Madden Tips: Scouting
The best way to scout you and your opponent’ s team is to go to the Rosters menu and select the depth chart. There you can find most of the info you will need to know about team strength and weaknesses. Look to see if your receivers are faster than your opponent’s defensive backs. If you see a big discrepancy between your receivers and your opponent’s defensive back speed ratings, look to exploit that weakness when it comes to the game. Once you scout things out, go into practice mode and see how ratings effect actual game play.
Much like real football, when playing football video games, staying balanced will be the difference between winning and losing. In past editions of football video games, you could make a living by airing the ball out. However over the last few years with the improvements of pass defenses and better run blocking, players have found running ball can be just as effective.
Running a balanced offense is the key to moving the ball up and down the field. Use the run game to set up the play action. Once the defense brings the safeties up near the line of scrimmage, you can go deep on them. Learn to utilize the short passing game; you will see your pass completion percentage and QB Pass Rating sky rocket. Find teams that have the player personnel to run and pass the ball. If your team is weak in running, but strong at the pass, you can bet the defense is going to sell out on the pass.
Madden Tips: Play To Your Strengths
If your team is strong running the ball, but is weak in passing don’ t throw the ball 70% of the time. That defeats the purpose of your team strength. For instance, you pick the Minnesota Vikings to play in franchise mode. While playing your season you find yourself struggling on offense. You look at your team stats and see that your pass to run ratio is 3 to 1 in favor of the pass. That means 66% of your offensive plays are pass and 33% are run. The Vikings are not a strong passing team.
On the other side of the field, if your team is slow in the secondary you’ re better of playing zone coverage. If you play Bump-N-Run coverage with a slow secondary you are in for world of hurt.
The Buccaneers are a good example of a team that is better suited to play zone coverage scheme vs a man coverage scheme. They have one defensive back who has 90 plus speed rating. This means the thier secondary is going to have a hard time keeping up with the opposing team’s receivers. The defensive front seven also plays an important part when playing defense. In the Buccaneers case, they have decent speed on the defensive line to put pressure on the QB. They still aren’t dominant pass rushers. You will need to be creative when calling defensive schemes to get pressure with linebackers. Use zone blitz packages to confuse the offensive line to get pressure on the QB. That way you don’t sacrifice the deep pass, while you still are able to get pressure on the QB.
Madden Tips: Set Up Your Plays to Create a Scheme
Learning to fully use your playbook and use a variety of plays from each formation will keep the defense guessing all game long. Don’t get stuck on using the same plays over and over or you will be shut down. Players who use a variety of pass and run plays will be more successful than players who use the same four or five plays. Do not have just one pass and one run play from the I-Form Normal and expect to move the ball. Use an at least 4 to 6 plays from the I-Form Normal and learn them well. That way the defense cannot anticipate on what play you called. If you are playing a player next to you, be sure to sure use the bluff mode to keep him from cheating and knowing what play you have called.
