Madden Online Tips

Substitution Tactics in Madden Ultimate Team

2011-12-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

The overall enjoyment of online head to head play seems to fade away as your team's OVR rating rises above 90. I think one of the main reasons for this may be that some of the more advanced players that have become successful in Madden Ultimate Team are able to build an elite team. An advanced player can probably be listed under two categories. There the skilled players and then there are players that may not be as skillfull but still have a knowledge of certain Madden programming defects that help aide their successes.

I try to keep my team between 80-85 OVR rating. This helps level the playing field to some degree. Lately, I've noticed some teams pausing the game to auto reset their depth-chart. In the online head to head match-up screen before a game, some teams will appear to have the same OVR as your team. But, some teams may also have some superstars on their roster that are not listed in the starting lineup. These players won't be included in a team's OVR rating but that doesn't mean they won't be participating in the game.

The online match-up screen does have a way to allow you to preview your opponents depth chart before the game but this feature hasn't been very stable, on PS3 at least. If the depth chart preview is used too much or is pulled up at an inopportune time, Madden has been known to freeze up. Lately, it seems to be working better but EA hasn't confirmed whether or not it has been fixed.

The depth chart preview feature isn't always reliable and sooner or later you'll have to face an opponent who will either pause the game to reorder the depth chart or they will do something that is less conspicuous and sub in their superstars between plays. Until EA is able to find a way to address these hidden roster tactics, my new philosophy will be "if you can't beat them, join them".

Resolution
To be more successful in Madden Ultimate Team, I would recommend keeping some superstars at a few positions on your roster. If your opponent pauses at the beginning of the game use this opportunity to auto-reorder the roster. You can't stop your opponent from doing the same thing so might as well do it yourself. I would also recommend familiarizing yourself with the Madden substitution user interface and start subbing in superstars between plays. Everybody else does it so you might as well start doing the same.

On offense, I have a pretty strong offensive line except at the Center and Right Guard positions. Before a play, I'll choose a formation and sub in my superstar C and RG. On defense, I use an all silver defensive line in my starting lineup and a couple medium value outside linebackers. In between plays, I'll choose a formation and then sub in my top-notch defensive ends and linebackers. On the next play, the same substitutions will remain if I'm using the same formation.

When playing Madden Ultimate Team always remember to first watch out for your own interests, because others will be watching out for theirs.

Madden NFL 12

Football Playbook Designer

2011-12-06T14:37:00.001-08:00

Have you ever found a Madden NFL Football write-up on the internet and gotten a bit overwhelmed by all of the changes needed in order for the play to be run effectively? Some users go into practice mode and "lab" these write-ups for several hours until they get everything down. I imagine most users, like myself, either don't have the time to lab or might lose interest in labbing after a while.

To help speed up my learning process I have attempted to mark hot routes from the write-up to a playbook image and then I would refer to it during the Online game. This works pretty well but it takes a lot of time to edit each playbook image. Instead of drawing up plays I came up with a Greasemonkey script which allows you to drag and drop hot routes onto a playbook image.

This script will currently run on the http://www.primamadden.com/free-preview website. (This site hosts all of the team playbooks for Madden NFL 12).

How to use:
1. Go to an offensive playbook page and then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.
2. Here you will find buttons for each hot route that is available on Madden NFL Football. Also, included are some "player motion" graphs and slide protect images.
3. Click on a button and then the hot route image will appear on the page.
4. Drag the hot route over the old route in the playbook formation image.

Now you can have a visual representation of your write-ups.

Download Madden NFL 12 Playbook Designer.

Madden NFL 12

Madden Ultimate Team Tips

2011-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Buy Gold Packs
Buying gold packs (not premium gold packs) seems to give you best bang for your coins. Buy a gold pack (6,ooo coins), look through the pack and determine which cards you want to keep for your team and collect the cards you need for your collections. Post the rest of the cards to the auction block for 10,000 bid and 10,000 buy now. For best results, set your auctions to expire after 1 or 2 hours during peak times.

By default, the buy now value is 30,000 coins for gold cards. When a buyer sees 10,000 BIN (buy now) they will be more apt to buy your card. You can also discard cards that are not part of a collection and get back 750 coins. So essentially, you can get back at least 2/3 the amount of coins you used to purchase a gold pack through discards and selling popular cards on the auction block.

Also, do some research on cards that you are posting to the auction. Do an auction search for your card. If the search comes up with more than 100 you will have a more difficult time selling the card then say a card that comes back with less than 30 in the list.

Legend Pack Strategy
Another way to earn coins is to buy a legend pack. If you are lucky enough to get a Gale Sayers, Barry Sanders, or Jerry Rice in a pack you can put it up on the auction block for about 100,000 coins. You can probably build your entire team off of the sale of a Dan Marino, for example.

Free Coins
In the Madden NFL 12 menu, sign up for fantasy football with NFL.com and then log your team into Madden NFL 12 and you will get 3,000 coins.

Madden NFL 12

Madden Ultimate Team Coach Boost Tips

2011-10-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

In this year's Madden Ultimate Team, a majority of the coaches have positive and negative boosts which seem to make quite a difference on how your team performs. I might be wrong about this but a coach's overall rating does not seem to make that much of an impact like it did in previous years. Right now I'm using Raheem Morris because of his +3 zone coverage. His negative boost is -3 Pass Block Footwork. I have seen my pass blocking take a bit of a hit but I could always build my offensive line to compensate.

Two other coaches that caught my eye were Marvin Lewis (+3 press, -3 Play Action) and Lovie Smith (+3 Pursuit, -3 Throw on the run). I would think one could easily build an offensive scheme without the use of the Play Action pass and it's not too difficult to pass the ball while staying in the pocket.

Power Running
If you like to run the ball I would recommend Mike Smith (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 Power Moves). You'll get good gains with your running back but the drawback to this coach is that you won't get very much pressure on the quarterback while on defense. Mike Munchak of the Titans has the same boosts (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 Power Moves). Bill Belicheck (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 block shedding) is another coach that will help your running game. Jason Garrett (+3 trucking, -3 zone coverage) will also give you a boost in trucking.

Deep Throwing
Coaches with deep throw accuracy seem to help quite a bit as well. Some coaches with deep throw accuracy are Sean Payton (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 tackling), Mike McCarthy (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 power moves), and Norv Turner (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 play recognition). Tackling and play recognition seem to be pretty important so if you like to throw the ball far go with Mike McCarthy.

Defensive Pressure
If you are looking for more defensive pressure these coaches provide power move boosts: Rex Ryan (+3 power moves, -3 elusiveness), Tom Coughlin (+3 power moves, -3 elusiveness), Jim Schwartz (+3 power moves, -3 run block strength).

Medium and Short Throw Accuracy
Steve Spagnuolo (+3 medium throw accuracy, -3 catching) and Pete Carroll (+3 medium throw accuracy, -3 man coverage) will help boost medium throw accuracy. Though, I don't understand how having Steve Spagnuolo as a coach would be a good idea because if your QB is throwing the ball accurate it won't make much difference if your receivers have trouble catching the ball.

Good short throw accuracy coaches are Pat Shurmur (+3 short throw accuracy, -3 play recognition) and Chan Gailey (+3 short throw accuracy, -3 tackle).

Coaches without boosts
For some reason these coaches don't have any boosts on the back of their card: Jim Harbaugh, Tony Sparano, Gary Kubiak, and Jack Del Rio.

Reward Coaches
Perhaps the most popular reward coach is Texans Core reward, Gary Kubiak. This card comes with a +5 speed boost. Completing the Patriots Core collection rewards you with a Bill Belicheck (or N.E. Coach) +5 morale card.

Madden NFL 12

XBOX 360/PS3 Button Converter

2011-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Almost all Madden NFL 12 write-ups that you will find on the internet will be done using XBOX 360 button control usage. Even the Split Backs Pro write-up I recently wrote for the West Coast playbook, was done with XBOX 360 button control usage. I purposely did this to showcase a new Greasemonkey script that I wrote for PS3 users.

This script will translate XBOX 360 button chracters to PS3 button images on almost any website. I say almost any website because I've filtered the script to only run on sites that contain the word "Madden" and the following capital letters: X, A, Y, and B.

Another neat feature that I've added to the script is when you click on the PS3 button image it will toggle back to the XBOX button character variation for you. Also, this change will be saved so when you return to the website you won't need to make the change again. This toggle feature is especially helpful in situations when you don't want a character to be converted. One example of this might be when you have LB (for linebacker) in a sentence. The script might read this as the LB button on XBOX but you can fix the mistake by clicking on the PS3 button and the script will remember that change.

Download XBOX 360/PS3 Button Converter

Madden NFL 12

West Coast Playbook: Split Backs Pro Write-up

2011-10-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a mini writeup of the split backs pro formation in the West Coast playbook. I use the Dual HB package but the normal package might be diserable if you want better run blocking at the FB position.

Texas
Vs. Zone
1. Hot route X and B WRs to out routes depending on what side of the field you are on.
2. Hot route Y (FB) to left.

Look for any of the hot routed recievers to be open.

Vs. Man

1. Hot route X WR to drag.

FB will be open for potential long gain. B Reciever in curl should also be open.

SS Pressure

Vs. Zone

1. Hot route X and B WRs to out routes depending on what side of the field you are on.

Wide recievers will be open. The A reciever will also be open. Warning, try to avoid throwing to the HB running the blue route. A defender in a hook route is likely to intercept the ball.

Vs. Man

1. Hot route X reciever to drag.

After the ball is snapped, scramble back slightly with the QB to try to draw in the LB who will be guarding the HB running the blue route. The HB should be open for a big gain.

HB Draw

Vs. Zone

This play can result in some big gains especially if you are running against a 3-4 defense. You can even motion the Y back to the right of the screen to help draw one of the defenders from the middle of the field. Sometimes you can also have the HB cut back to the left side to get past the front line. He should be able to run for a while.

Vs. Man

This play will also give you good gains against man defense.

PA Slide
Vs. Zone & Man
The Tight End (A) is almost always open for a long gain unless the defense uses a purple zone. Most defensive plays don't have purple zones by default, though. Against man the HB will be open for a quick pass.

Off Tackle

Vs. Man

I tend to get better results with this play in Man defenses. Motion Y back to the right.

Curl Combo

Vs. Man

Any of the wideouts running curl routes should be open. I've learned that timing is important. If you throw too late the X and B WRs will miss the ball start running toward the line of scrimmage for some reason. This could result in an interception. Be careful with this play.

Backs Cross
Vs. Man

The HB should be open. The FB might be open depending on personell. The X reciever will also be open. I'm not sure if it's me or the team I use but drags this year don't seem to be as effective as they were last year. I might start changing drags to IN-routes and see if these work better in getting separation from the defender.

Madden NFL 12

How to view your opponent's record

2011-10-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

In Madden NFL 12 you can no longer see your opponent's win loss record in the online head to head matchup screen. You can still check your opponent's record after a game, however, by going to your Player Hub at easports.com. If you are on XBOX go to http://www.easports.com/player-hub/360/[GAMERTAG]. On PS3, go to http://www.easports.com/player-hub/PS3/[GAMERTAG]. On this page, scroll down to the bottom and view the Recent Activity section. Here, you will find your opponent's gamertag. Copy this down and paste it in the URL in the area and then go to their Player Hub. On their Player Hub, click on the LEADERBOARDS tab button. Your opponent's, rank, skill, level, wins, and losses should be listed.

Admittedly, this takes quite a bit of work to go through so many steps to gather this data. Instead of doing all this, I decided to write a Greasemonkey script that shows this data on your own Player Hub page. Now with this script, you can go to your Player Hub page and scroll down to the Recent Activity section and you will see your opponent's win-loss record under each result.

Unfortunately, the recent Activity section will only show completed games. If your opponent quits before the game has finished the game results won't appear in this section. You can still obtain your opponent's gamertag, however, by having the game results emailed to you. Or, you can also view game results by going to the Leaderboard screen on your (XBOX or PS3) console. In my script, I have also included a Gamertag Record Search box at the top of the Player Hub page so a player's win loss record can be obtained through a search as well.

Now with this Gamertag Record Search box you could essentially lookup an opponent's record while you are in the online head to head matchup screen if you really wanted to. This is assuming that you have a computer or laptop at your fingertips while you are on your XBOX or PS3 console, of course.

To use the script, follow these 3 steps
1. Download Firefox.
2. Install Greasemonkey extension.
3. After installing Greasemonkey, install Madden NFL 12 View Opponent Record.

Madden NFL 12

How to flip a run without a QB gesture

2011-09-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

When flipping the direction of a running play with the R-stick, the quarterback makes a gesture to his team. This might give your opponent an idea that it might be a running play that's going to be reversed in the other direction. One way to flip the run without the quarterback gesturing is to bring up your audible menu and then quickly hit the cancel button. Afterwards, you can flip the run without giving it away to your opponent.

Additional Running Tips
I think it was last year (Madden 11) when the default settings for auto sprint and auto strafe were turned on by default. This year, I decided to turn these off. With auto sprint turned off, I have seen a huge improvement in my running game. Lately, I've been able to rush for 100 yards or more most of the time. I've also seen improvements in kickoff returns as well. Take control of your running. Turn off auto sprint.

Madden NFL 12

Madden Ultimate Team playbook glitch?

2010-08-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I played my first Madden Ultimate Team game and I was able to use the offensive and defensive playbooks that I had setup in My Madden Settings!

As part of the Madden Ultimate Team Incentive program I was rewarded with coins based on what I accomplished in Madden Ultimate Team 10. My starter pack included the Pass Balanced and Multiple D playbooks. When I played my first Madden Ultimate Team game I was actually able to use my West Coast offense playbook and NY Jets defensive playbook. My saved audibles were also working.

I have a feeling this glitch may be related to the new Gameflow and/or the Gameplan features. The problem might also be triggered when one plays a combination of regular online games and Madden Ultimate Team. Before I encountered this glitch I played a couple of online games. I can't remember what mode these games were played in. I believe one game was using Conventional play calling and the other was Gameflow but I prefered to use Conventional play calling throughout the game. After a couple online games, I decided to give Madden Ultimate Team a try. It was a Gameflow game but I was able to use my West coast and NY Jets playbooks!

My opponent decided to quit with 30 seconds left in the game so I didn't earn any coins nor did I earn the win. Sounds like EA is aware of the quiting problem. Ian Cummings, Creative Director of Madden NFL 11, tweeted "Side note, we are getting close to a solution to the Madden quitters out there...it's not gonna end well for you! Will update more soon."

Madden NFL 11 Strategy Pad

2010-07-28T11:12:00.001-07:00

The Madden NFL 11 demo was just released on July 27th. So far, the most of the internet community is not liking the new Strategy Pad. One thing I don't understand is why does the user need to activate it to get to the first menu? The screenshot up above is the initial button. When you hit the D-pad it then brings you to the first menu. I don't think the initial button press should be necessary. Anyways, it will take a while to get used to but I'm sure everyone will eventually get the hang of it.

A few forum members offered good tips on how to learn the new Strategy Pad. With two controllers connected, launch the Madden NFL 11 demo. Pause the game and turn off the play clock. Go to controller settings to add the other controller so one controls the away team and the other controls the home team. With this setup you can play around with the Strategy pad at your own pace.

Offense

Offensive line shifts	Hot Routes

Defense

Hot Routes	Coverage

Defensive Line shifts	Linebacker shifts

Defending against the play action pass

2010-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

When Madden 10 first came out it was suggested by the community that one of the most effective ways to stop the play action pass is to blitz the quarterback by blitzing up the middle or use corner back blitzes. The key is to get to the quarterback before he has a chance to get the pass off. In my defensive game plan post I mentioned using CB Dogs Blitz but the corner backs seem to be biting on the play action pass more after patch #2 came out.

Using the Cover 2 Sink, as mentioned in my defending against flat passes in compressed sets post seems to be a lot more effective against play action passes. You get good coverage near the middle of the field and defending against the flats seems to be more effective because defenders are in a better position to stop the run after the catch. Sometimes, I'll hot route a defensive lineman to the flats area if I have a hunch on the side of the field the pass will be thrown to.

Using the Cover 2 Sink out of the 3-4 formation can also be effective against the run. With the New York Jets defensive playbook I was using Cover 2 Sink out of the 3-4 predator formation. In this formation the linebacker is lined up on the line of scrimmage in a three-point stance. This play seems to be vulnerable against the outside pitch, however. Cover 2 Sink in 3-4 Solid does a better job against the outside run. In 3-4 Solid, both outside Linebackers crowd the line. This play can be vulnerable against the inside run but what I do is 'user' the blitzing OLB and move him towards the middle of the field so he's ready to defend against the inside run. I'll also hot route this defender into contain so I'm able to control him better. Cover 2 Sink in 3-4 Solid formation is a play that should defend well against the run and play action pass effectively with little or no adjustments necessary.

Personnel for Nickel and Dime formations

2010-02-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

When I first started playing Madden Ultimate Team I made the mistake of not paying attention to my backups on the defensive side in the depth chart. I had wide receivers listed as backups in the depth chart for corner backs. I was wondering why all of my opponents were able to pass the ball at will. One of the reasons was when I was in Nickel or Dime formation my wide receivers were being used instead of corner backs. Now I know that I need to have at least 4 extra corner backs on my roster in order to be successful in nickel and dime situations.

The personnel you use as backups for linebackers and linemen is also important because each nickel and dime formation is different. Below, I have listed the recommended personnel for use with the New York Jets defensive playbook.

Nickel 1-5-5
This defense calls for five Linebackers, five defensive backs, and just one Defensive Lineman. About four additional corner backs and one additional linebacker would be needed on the roster in order to use this formation with success. This formation relies on linebackers so having some quality linebackers is key.

One advantage to this defense is that you can move ten players anywhere on the field. The only player that cannot be moved without resetting to his original position is the Defensive Lineman.

Nickel 3-3-5
The Nickel 3-3-5 has three Defensive Linemen, three Linebackers, and five defensive backs. This formation has some flexibility because it allows players to counter opponents who like to audible up and down throughout the course of the game. A couple of disadvantages to this defense include the lack of pressure on the quarterback and the ability to consistently stop the run.

Nickel Normal
This defense uses four Defensive Linemen, two Linebackers, and five defensive backs. With a 3-4 playbook you would need to have one additional lineman on your roster. This defense allows for solid pressure and can help slow down most running plays. This is a formation that is good to start a game because you don’t risk getting beat deep and it forces your opponent to work up the field as you learn tendencies.

Nickel Odd Split
An extra strong safety is added as a defensive back so make sure you have a backup SS. In the Nickel Odd Split formation there's three defensive linemen and the ROLB is lined up on the line. In the backfield, there's two linebackers in the middle and two strong safeties on the outside and then two corner backs outside of the strong safeties. The FS will cover the deep area in the backfield.

Nickel Odd Split-Cover 3

Dime Normal
The Dime Normal formation is best used for passing situations because it places four Defensive Linemen, one linebacker, and seven defensive backs on the field.

Madden Ultimate Team Chemistry

2010-02-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Chemistry plays a big part of Madden Ultimate Team. The higher the chemistry value is the better your team plays because your players will receive a boost to their attributes per position.

Chemistry increases when you have two players in the starting lineup that played for the same NFL team or college. The chemistry increase for playing on the same NFL team is larger than the increase for playing for the same college.

Chemistry also increases if you add a coach, uniform, playbook or stadium from that same team.

You can monitor your chemistry value while you are making changes to your depth chart. Only starting players will affect how the value changes so it's recommended that you make changes to your starting lineup to see if the chemistry value might go up. You might have a gold player card starting at RG, for example, but the chemistry may go up if a silver player card plays so it may be more beneficial to start the silver card instead.

As mentioned earlier, players who play for the same team affect chemistry more than players who played for the same college. Even though this is the case I thought it would be interesting to see which colleges cranked out the most Madden NFL players. Please see below. I also added a list of some players from each college:

Auburn (28 NFL players)
Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
Takeo Spikes, 49ers

California (28)
Nnamdi Asomughda, Raiders
Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
Aaron Rodgers, packers
DeSean Jackson, Eagles

Florida State (31)
Anquan Boldin, Darnell Dockett (Cardinals)

Georgia (44)
Champ Bailey, Broncos
Knowshon Moreno, Broncos
Richard Seymour, Raiders
Hines Ward, Steelers

LSU (42)
Cory Webster, Giants
Joseph Addai, Colts

Miami (44)
Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Willis McGahee (Ravens)
Andre Johnson, Texans
Reggie Wayne, Colts
Clinton Portis, Santana Moss (Redskins)
Frank Gore, 49ers
Jeremy Shockey, Saints

Michigan (34)
Tom Brady, Patriots

Nebraska (27)
Josh Brown, Adam Carriker, Richie Incognito (Rams)

Notre Dame (26)
Mike Gandy, Berry Bertrand (Cardinals)

Ohio State (40)
Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway (Patriots)

Oklahoma (25)
Chris Chester, Mark Clayton, Kelly Gregg (Ravens)
Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Penn State (31)
Paul Posluszny, Aaron Maybin (Bills)

Purdue (22)
Drew Brees, Saints
Nick hardwick, Shaun Phillips (Chargers)
Kyle Orton, Brandon Gorin (Broncos)

Tennessee (32)
Peyton Manning, Colts
Parys Haralson, Aubrayo Franklin (49ers)

Texas (37)
Michael Griffen, Ahmerd Hall, Bo, Scaife, Vince Young (Titans)
Leonard Davis, Roy Williams (Cowboys)

USC (40)
Troy Polamalu, Steelers
Carson Palmer, Bengals
Sedrick Ellis, Reggie Bush (Saints)

Saints Onside Kick

2010-02-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Quotes from the Super Bowl
Sean Payton coached a brilliant game. He said he came up with the idea for the onside kick at halftime. Saints kicker Thomas Morstead said after the game "I wasn't worried. I was terrified." Colts defensive back Melvin Bullitt said: "That was a huge turning point. They caught us off guard. It was gutsy. If we would have got it, the game might have been a blowout."

The Saints could have kicked it deep, as nearly any other team would have, and then mostly likely would have watched the Indianapolis Colts march down the field for a score. But, the Saints took a risk and it paid off for them.

Onside Kicks in Madden
Just for 'kicks' I went into practice mode in Madden 10 last night and attempted a short squib kick to see how far it would go. Unfortunately, trying an onside kick from the squib kick or normal kickoff doesn't work too well if you're trying to simulate what the Saints did. In Madden, a short kick will usually travel 30-40 yards even if you try a short 'tap' kick. One can still use the onside kick play in Madden but it won't catch anyone off guard like the Saints did to the colts.

In Madden online, I still think it's a bad play to attempt an onside kick especially to start the second half but some users still insist on doing this. Some players will even switch back and forth between kickoff and onside kick to try to force you to make a mistake. This has happened to me before on a couple occasions where I accidentally pressed the wrong combination of buttons or time ran out and I was stuck in the wrong formation. To counter this, you can just switch to onside return and stay in that formation no matter what the opponent decides to do. Even if he kicks one deep someone

Madden Superbowl Simulation Results

2010-02-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Every year since 2004, shortly before the actual Super Bowl, EA Games has run a simulation of the Super Bowl using the latest game in the Madden NFL series. This year the New Orleans Saints pulled the upset over the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 35-31 at Super Bowl XLIV, according to the simulation run by Madden NFL 10 on Xbox 360. The first three quarters had the Colts leading 24-21 then Reggie Bush returned a punt for a 42-yard touchdown. Drew Brees hit David Thomas for an 11-yard game winning touchdown. Drew Brees earned MVP honors. Watch the simulation video below:

Results of past simulated and actual Super Bowl games:

2004 - Patriots 23, Panthers 20 (Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29)
2005 - Patriots 47, Eagles 31 (Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21)
2006 - Steelers 24, Seahawks 19 (Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10)
2007 - Colts 38, Bears 27 (Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17)
2008 - Patriots 38, Giants 30 (Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14)
2009 - Steelers 28, Cardinals 24 (Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23)
2010 - Saints 35, Colts 31 (Actual score TBD)

Defending against flat passes in compressed sets

2010-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've noticed more online opponents using compressed formations throughout the game. In this formation, they will take advantage throwing passes out the the flats near the sidelines. Since the offense is using a compressed formation defenders will usually be lined up tight near the middle of the field before the snap. After the snap, players usually need to sprint to get to the outside to stop these plays but usually it's too late.

I may have found a Madden play, called Cover 2 Sink, which seems to be quite effective against compression sets. I believe the reason why this play is so effective is because the defenders are more spread out among the field before the snap. When the ball is snapped, the defenders are already in position to defend against outside passes.

Before, I would try manually sliding the defensive backs to the outside. Most of the time it takes too long to set this up.

Cover 2 Sink tips

The cover 2 Sink should be found in all playbooks. I've been using it out of the 1-5-5 Nickel formation from the NY Jets defensive playbook. One thing I like about this formation is that the number of linebackers available makes it extremely versatile.

Blitzing
Mixing heavy blitzes with Cover 2 Sink can work wonders, especially if your opponent has been running quick slants or curls or other shorter routes. Give him a couple zone blitzes like the Inside Blitz or the SS Blitz and let him hit a slant or two. Then, call the Cover 2 Sink and there may be a good chance of forcing an interception or getting a sack because the opponent will hold on to the ball longer than he expected to.

As for setting up blitzes, one thing that can be done is to re blitz three players side by side anywhere in the middle. With this setup, there's a good chance these blitzers will get to the QB.

Play Action Plays
The Cover 2 Sink has been mentioned as a play that can help stop roll out and play action plays.

Madden Online Tips: Defensive Assist

2010-02-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

I noticed on the front page of Madden NFL that they had a tip about using the Defensive Assist button to help your user-controlled player be in better position to make a play. This is the first time I've heard of such a feature.

To use Defensive Assist, you hold down X on PS3 (A on XBOX) and the player will automatically move to his assigned coverage. If no one is in the assigned area the defender will look for the closest player. So, if you find yourself out of position with the player you are usering you can hit the Defensive Assist button and he will move to the area that he's supposed to cover. If he's in man, he will go to his assigned man coverage.

Generally, the best time to use Defensive Assist with a defender is in a space that doesn't have any potential offensive blockers in front of him. You tend to have more success with Linebackers and Safeties as they usually have a better chance of having free lanes to the ball carrier.

One of the best times to use Defensive Assist is when the ball is in the air. Users have sometimes found it difficult to position themselves to make a play on the ball in the open field, so using Defensive Assist will help position the defender to make a play without the fear of giving up a big play.

I’ve always had trouble playing defense in Madden, especially in the secondary. I'm definitely going to give this Defensive Assist feature a try.

3 Madden Ultimate Team online auction tips

2010-01-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to share some of my Madden online tips for Madden Ultimate Team in the next few weeks. In this post I'm going to go over some things I've learned about the Auction.

1. Selling contract cards

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to earn coins is to go to Weekly Deals and buy contract cards and then sell them for a higher price. When Madden Ultimate Team first came out this method was quite profitable. One of the reasons for this may have been that most users were unaware they were able to buy contract cards whenever they want to in the weekly Deals section. For PS3 users, go to the Weekly Deals section and use L1 to view the other screens.

When I first used this method I would start out by buying two silver contract cards for 250 coins and then put a starting selling bid price for 350-400 coins with a buyout price of 500. I would set the length of the auction to 1 hour to ensure more users will see it. This method will work but it depends on when you auction it during the week. Last Saturday, I was selling contract cards like crazy. the weekend seems to be the best time to do this. During the daytime on a weekday, however, selling contract cards for about 350 coins is not as profitable as it used to be. During the weekday, I would recommend a starting bid price of about 280 coins with a buyout of 450.

2. Weekly Deals

When a new weekly deal comes out such as Texans WR Andre Johnson and 49ers LB Patrick Willis you may be able to find some good deals from the same positions (WR, MLB). The reason for this is that users might be trying to dump some of their players in order to grab a rare weekly deal.

3. Buy low and sell high

I just recently started using the auction to search for players that I may be able to sell for a higher price. The auction sorts searches by time left so you can sometimes find some good deals that have about 1-2 minutes left.

I've been going through separate searches by position to help filter my search. I've noticed wide receivers are very difficult to get for a good price. Good deals for corner backs, Free safeties, and Strong safeties are also a bit sparse but every once in a while you might find a good deal.

Top 5 Madden Ultimate Team bronze linebacker cards

2010-01-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Madden Ultimate Team has arrived! Here are my top bronze card picks for linebackers according to these ratings.

For linebackers, guys with high speed attributes are preferred. (1) Jason Williams (54 OVR) is probably the best cheap MLB (87 SPD) available. Williams does have a low awareness(34) which may be the reason why he has a low OVR.

(2) Stanley Arnoux (51 OVR) of the Saints may also be good pick at ROLB. His SPD is 87 as well. Stanley's Man(59), Zone(66) attributes are pretty low.

Another ROLB from Atlanta, (3) Coy Wire(59 OVR), has some good speed. Also, be on the lookout for Coy's teammate (4) Spencer Adkins(55 OVR) who plays MLB. His SPD is 81.

Tampa Bay's (5) Quincy black (61 OVR) has a SPD of 86. He also has a good JMP rating of 88.

Madden 10 game plan (Part 2 - Defense)

2009-12-17T12:06:00.001-08:00

I use the New York Jets playbook on defense because of its versatility. The 49ers are best suited for the 3-4 formation but there are times when the 46 formation is desirable. At the beginning of a game, I'll start out "Asking Madden". Actually, I'll use "Ask Madden" on defense throughout the game unless I learn my opponents tendencies.

Play Action Passes - If my opponent likes to abuse the play action pass I'll use CB Dogs Blitz out of 3-4 formation (cover 2) or CB Dogs Blitz (cover 3) out of Nickle 3-3-5 formation. I've noticed that these plays seemed to have responded better before patch #2 came out. After Patch #2, I've noticed the corner backs biting on the play action pass.

Wildcat - I use the Rush Outside play out of 46 Normal formation. I'll spread the linemen and then put the safety in QB Spy and user him. This play seems to always be effective against the wildcat for the most part. For pass plays out of the Wildcat QB Contain from 3-4 Normal formation will work.

Nano Blitzes
I'm not certain if I'm setting these up properly but every once in a while I'll try some nano blitzes that I've found on the internet.

Sting Pinch Zone - In the Sting Pinch Zone out of the 3-4 over formation I reblitz the DT and the blitzing linebacker. I also turn 'Show Blitz' on so the linebacker comes closer to the line. I user one of the Defensive ends. The Sting Pinch is supposed to bring more pressure but it's a risky play because there's no deep coverage.

SS Snake 3 Stay - The only adjustment needed in this play is to use "show Blitz" so the SS will come in closer before the snap. I'd probably get more nano pressure from this play if I were to put in a faster strong safety. The 49ers strong safety, Michael Lewis, does not have very good speed. I haven't mastered using subs on defense yet.

Trio Sky Zone - The Trio Sky zone out of 3-4 over doesn't behave like a 'nano blitz' play but I always seem to get good pressure from this play.

Cover 3 - Sometimes, I'll use base cover 3 and blitz the left outside linebacker, Manny Lawson, to utilize his speed to pressure the quarterback. I'll user one of the linemen.

Running Plays
If I feel my opponent will be running I'll use Rush Outside, Strong Blitz, or Weak Blitz from 46 Normal formation. Sometimes, I'll spread the linemen. I'll user the FS but if I have a hunch that it might be a play action pass I'll user one of the linemen.

I just recently added Cover 1 from the Nickel 3-3-5 formation to my defensive audibles. This play seems to be a good run stopper against just about any running play. I only discovered its effectiveness after last night's game so the jury is still out.

Nickel Defense
Whenever I know my opponent will be passing the ball my first choice is Cover 3 out of Nickel Odd split. This play has great coverage and seems to always bring good pressure. I often get a lot of sacks from Justin Smith (RE) out of this play. Because of this, I'll try to avoid usering him. I try to user the LE in case I need to cover the flats on the other side.

Goal Line defense
If my opponent comes out with 0 wide recievers I'll use one of the goal line blitzes and user the blitzing linebacker.

If my opponent brings out a 1 or 2 recievers I'll use a zone defense. I don't recall the name of the play but it's a cover 2 defense that also uses two hook zones and covers the flats. I'll use "Show Blitz" and will also turn on "Press". These two adjustments seem to do well defending against those short quick passes. I'll also put the LE in either QB Spy or QB contain to help prevent against the QB sneak. Lately, this hasn't been as effective as I would have liked it to be. The reason for this might be lack of awareness from the lineman. I may start usering the LE since most QBs like to run to the right. Before, I would user the RE.

Madden 10 game plan (Part 1 - Offense)

2009-12-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

In Madden 10 this year, I've been playing online with the 49ers and have had pretty good success with the West Coast playbook most of the time, at least. To become familiar with this playbook I would go through each formation and pick one play after each down. After I have gone through each formation I would do it again until I found which plays I was comfortable with. Now that I'm more familiar with this playbook I have been able to devise a pattern of plays that I've been using each game. Here is a typical game plan that I may follow:

Play 1 - At the coin flip, I try to receive the ball first. Surprisingly, I always seem to get the ball first even if I lose the toss. For my first play of the game I always use a play called 'Seattle' which is out of the Singleback Bunch Swap formation. The slot receiver is usually open most of the time. If my opponent is playing zone, then I dump it to the HB which is running the blue route.

Play 2 - On my second play, go with 'Seattle' again. If I'm near or at the left hash marks and my opponent is running a zone defense I'll motion the outside receiver on the right and snap the ball before the receiver stops his motion. If the defense isn't covering the flats, the receiver will usually be open for a 10 yard gain.

Play 3 - While in Singleback Bunch Swap formation again I'll use the Quick Pitch play. This play sometimes results in a 5-6 yard gain.

Plays 4-7 - For the next 4-5 plays, I'll choose an outside run from each of the singleback formations as long as I'm still effective on the ground. It also depends on what type of defense I'm facing. If I'm facing a 4-3 defense I should be able to continue rushing outside. Against a 3-4 defense this will be less effective so I'll revert to 'Ask Madden' to see what works well.

After running the ball for about 4-5 times in a row, I'll throw in a play action pass from one of the singleback formations.

Play 8 - After the play action pass I'll choose another running play called HB Inside out of the Near Pro formation. Sometimes, I'm able to break through for a long gain with this play.

Quarter 2 Plays
The first quarter is usually about to end by the time I have finished my first drive. In the 2nd quarter, I'll usually refer to 'Ask Madden' to decide what to use.

At least once, if I'm anywhere in between the two red zones I'll run a play called Slot Outs from the Gun Spread Flex formation. Depending on how the defense is set up I might hot route one of the slot receivers to run a short route so I can throw a quick pass.

Most of the time, however, I usually get a good gain by throwing to the half back. I've been able to break the play wide open when I pass to the HB before he makes his cut. After he catches the ball the two receivers on the right are able to make blocks so the HB can break through.

Quarter 3 Plays
When I get the ball in the 2nd half I might go back and run the Seattle and Quick Pitch plays back to back to get my drive going. Then, I'll use 'Ask Madden' to help me decide on what to run.

Far Tight Twins
Near the end of the 3rd quarter I'll start running plays exclusively from the Far Tight Twins formation. This formation is good in that it's easy to tell if your opponent is in man or zone defense. I can usually drive all the way down the field with this formation. I'll wait till the latter half of the game to use this formation so my opponent has less time to catch on what plays I like to run. I will from time to time use Far tight Twins in the first half on 3rd down conversions or if I'm in the red zone.

Quick Toss - This play should be used sparingly because it's quite effective until the opponent catches on. I'll use the Quick Toss if my opponent is playing zone although it also can be effective in man defense as well.

Against Man Defense
The Flats and Mesh plays work very well against man defense. If the defense puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback I will be able to run the Mesh play and dump the ball off to the tight end running the drag route. In the Flats play, the slot receiver is usually open for a good gain.

Running the slant Hook play against man can turn into a deadly play. To set this play up, I'll hot route the HB to run a drag route to the right side. He's usually open for a big gain.

I have the Quick Toss, flats, Mesh, and X Spot plays in my offensive audibles.

4th Quarter Plays
I'll continue to use plays from the Far Tight Twins formation but will also mix my plays in other formations depending on the situation.

Field Goal block glitch

2009-12-15T11:19:00.000-08:00

Madden 10's 2nd title update was released a few weeks ago. Flat zone coverage seems to be fixed and pursuit angles for defensive players has improved. Overall this patch did a good job fixing some of the major issues but there will always be other lingering issues. Players always seem to find other ways to exploit the video game.

Last night, I faced a guy who had a method for blocking field goals. I scored on the beginning drive and he almost blocked my extra point attempt. Later in the 2nd quarter I attempted a field goal which was blocked. I reviewed the replay and he placed the guy that is usually in "safety" coverage and moved him in front of the standing linebacker. when the ball was snapped he switched control to that linebacker and jumped up and blocked the kick. I can't remember who he was using as the blocker but I thought it might have been Ted Ginn, Dolphins Wide Receiver, who has an 88 jump rating.

I think it's a bit cheesy to try to figure out a way to block field goals like this. The only way to counter is to not attempt any field goals and go for two point conversions. Case in point: In my game I was leading 7-3 late in the 4th quarter and it was 4th down with 4 yards to go on his 16 yard line. I could have attempted a field goal but didn't want to risk it being blocked so I went for it but failed the conversion. I eventually won the game. With about two minutes to go in the game, he was at mid field when I picked off his pass. He quit the game after that.


           1    2    3    4   OT    F
49ers           7    0    0   14    0   21
Dolphins        0    0    0    3    0    3

Statistics                           49ers           Dolphins
Rushing attempts for                 19              17
Rushing yards for                   183              87
Passing attempts for                 14              26
Passing yards for                    69             135
Punts                                 0               0
Field goals for                       0               1
Long field goals (40+) for            0               0
Rushing touchdowns for                1               0
Passing touchdowns for                2               0
Returns touchdowns for                0               0
Defensive touchdowns for              0               0
Turnovers for                         3               1
Interceptions for                     1               2
Sacks for                             1               0
Number of third downs                 5               8
Third down conversions                2               3
No-huddle plays                       0               1
Audibles called                       7               5
Hot routes used                       2               4
Shotgun plays                         3              18
Blitzes                              15              15
Time of possession                11:17           16:43

Madden 10 depth chart strategies

2009-10-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about reordering my wide receiver list in the depth chart to help create mismatches. I could also probably also use different packages such as WR Swap (swaps the wide receivers) or WR spell which I believe just brings in the backup receivers but these don't seem to give as much flexibility as making minor changes to the depth chart. Below are three things to keep in mind when setting up your wide receivers in the depth chart.

1. Create mismatches - Put your best wide receiver in the slot which almost always will have a big advantage over your opponent's third string corner back or linebacker.

2. Take advantage of your good blocking receivers - Another thing to think about when reordering your depth chart is to find out who your best blocking wide receiver is. Michael Crabtree of the 49ers, for example, has good blocking attributes so have him lined up in a position to block for your HB. You could also use motion but with the accelerated clock in this year's Madden 10, you might not always have time for motion.

3. Let your best receiver run your favorite routes - If you have a set of formations that you regularly use, study the routes you tend to use more often and make sure your best wide receiver runs these routes.

Defensive Assignments
Madden 10 has a new feature called Defensive Assignments which allows the defense to assign their best defenders to cover your best receivers regardless of where they line up in a formation. If your opponent is using defensive assignments you can't really take advantage of mismatches but since 'Defensive assignments' is a relatively new feature I wonder how often players are using it. While playing online, if your opponent pauses the game before it starts he might be setting up his defensive assignments you never know. If your opponent hasn't paused the game, then he obviously hasn't made any defensive assignments.

Another thing about defensive assignments is that these assignments only seem to take effect when the defense is playing in man to man coverage. In zone coverage each defender will cover his zone.

Madden 10 top 5 teams used online

2009-10-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

I went to easportsworld to view the leader board to get an idea what type of teams these players are using. Last year, I think most would agree that the Cowboys and Patriots were the most popular online teams. Here are the top 5 used online teams for Madden 10:

1 - Chargers

Chargers don't really have a weakness on offense, do they?. They have a good quarterback, two good half backs, and a good TE.

2 - Eagles

The Eagles are probably the most widely use team overall but according to the leader board they were 2nd. Vick is a very popoular weapon of choice.

3 - Cowboys

The Cowboys were one of the elite teams last year but with the ratings changes this year there really isn't a dominating team. The Cowboys are still a favorite, however. They still have a great running game and solid defense.

4 - Raiders

Surprisingly, the Raiders always seem to be a popular team. Jamarcus Russell could be the most inaccurate quarterback in the game yet there are still a lot of Raiders players online.

5 - Titans

Chris Johnson is the fastest back in the game and quite possibly the best player in Madden this year. The Titans secondary is probably the best.

How to return kickoffs for TDs

2009-10-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have been having quite a bit of success returning kickoffs for touchdowns in Madden 10 with the 49ers. Allen Rossum has good speed as a kick returner so this might be one of the factors. Because of his speed, I always use one kick returner as opposed to two returners. I always choose middle kick return. There are 4 men lined up in front of the return man. Before the kickoff, I control one of the middle blockers. While the ball is in the air, I sprint the blocker towards the side the ball is being kicked to. I follow my blockers and if I get lucky, I'll find a hole. This method is usually only effective if the ball lands near the side of the field and not in between the hash marks.

On the kicking side, I've also been burned a few times with TD scoring kick returns. To help avoid TD returns I've been trying to kick the ball towards the middle of the field. While the ball is in the air, I'll maintain control of the kicker and just jog down the field so I don't interrupt the play.