Retro Game Walkthroughs for Madden NFL 2004 (PlayStation 2)
Submitted By: Simon Says
Madden 2004
The Defence
Offence wins games, defence wins championships. You need only look at the last few superbowl champions to realise the truth in this clichéd quote. To many enthused players the defence seems quite mysterious, even unfair. This is because on offence the player often controls the key guys with the ball. On the defensive side of the ball you have to work as a team. In order to defend against both the run and the pass you have to work with ten other AI controlled entities. They do what you tell them to do through the play call, which means that if you pick your call blindly often they’ll mess up through no fault of their own. You have to pick plays that are both well suited to your personnel, and well suited to stop the opposition. This walkthrough will explain which defences are best in which situations in pretty general terms. You’ll still have to assess what type of defence you are using, and what type of offence you face, but I hope by the end of it you’ll have a better idea of what is going on. Hopefully this third walkthrough will inspire a few more people to appreciate the complex sport that American football has evolved into, and hopefully enjoy it half as much as I do. One thing that can never be accounted for, however, is the randomness of playing against a human competitor, in a similar way that button bashers used to be able to beat seasoned players in some fighting games.
Defensive formations are usually given a two number name, or named after American currency. This refers to the number of linemen, linebackers and defensive backs are on the field. Linemen are primarily involved with stopping the run, and rushing the quarterback on passing plays. Defensive backs are primarily concerned with covering receivers down the field and linebackers are kind of a halfway house between the two. Defensive formations such as the 4-3 and 3-4 refer to there being four down linemen and three linebackers, and three down linemen and four linebackers respectively. In both of those cases there are also usually two cornerbacks and two safeties covering downfield making up your eleven defensive players. In the 3-4 defence there is more emphasis for tackling placed on the four linebackers, and the linemen are primarily concerned with soaking up the blocks from the five linemen and the full back to give the linebackers a clear shot at the running backs. If you want to bring pressure from this formation you need to use a lot of linebacker blitzes. A nickel is worth five cents. In nickel defence there are five defensive backs (safeties and corners) and usually one less linebacker. In a dime formation there are six defensive backs and again one less linebacker. In a quarter defence there are seven defensive backs and usually three down linemen and one lonely linebacker. As described in previous walkthroughs, you are aware of the personnel in the huddle. Typically it will be 2RB 1TE 2WR for most offensive plays, but if it says 1RB 4WR then it’s likely to be a passing play. You need to call your defence accordingly. Usually it’s good to match the number of corners to the number of receivers, so if they offence is using three wide receivers then call a nickel defence, if they are using four then call a dime. Some offences use several tight ends. A tight end is basically a blocker who can catch. Usually they’re a little heavier than receivers and linebackers can cope with them in coverage, so if they come out with 2RB 2TE 1WR then pick a 4-3 or even a 4-6 defensive formation. Matching your personnel to their personnel is the first step towards effective defensive play calling.
Down and distance, and game situation
Down and distance is vital in predicting what kind of play the offence might be running. First and ten is anyone’s guess, so use the personnel and the type of team you’re playing to pick an appropriate defence. Cover 2 is a good all round defence. The corners are in man coverage and the safeties in two deep zones defending the long pass. If its third and inches then it’s a fair bet that the offence will use a run, so you might want to bring a couple of blitzing linebackers to try and break up the play in the backfield. If its second and short again it’s anyone’s guess, but chances are the offence might take the opportunity to run a lower percentage, mid to long range pass to try and pick up some big yards. If that doesn’t work they can always go back to the run on third and short. Watch for the play action here too. It’s an ideal situation to use it. In terms of game situation, if they’re winning they’re more likely to run the ball, because running the ball keeps the clock moving and gives you less chance to come back. If they’re losing or need points fast they’re more likely to pass. Third or fourth and long are ideal times to send three or even four defensive backs into deep zones. Who cares if they pick up five yards underneath the coverage so long as they don’t get the first down or the score. These are all things that you need to keep in mind when choosing a defence. Essentially it comes down to a balance between stopping the run and stopping the pass.
Presnap adjustments
There are a number of pre snap adjustments that you can use to get more favourable match ups, and make sure that nobody goes uncovered. The most important is calling the strong side. When you call a play the strong side is designated as the left side, because most offensive plays are called strong right. The computer however will switch this often, so you need to recognise that and switch the strong side when necessary. The strong side is usually the side where the tight end lines up, or the side of the field with the most players. This is vital because if you get the strong side the wrong way round the chances of the defensive play working as it is intended will be extremely slim. You can also shift your line and linebackers. If you facing a team with a big strong runner its sometimes worth shifting the line to the inside of the field to force them to run to the outside. Similarly you can shift the linebackers out to cover the flats. You can also shift the line and linebackers left and right. If you’re blitzing your strong side linebacker you’ll probably want to shift the linebackers towards the strong side so that the middle linebacker picks up coverage on the tight end, otherwise the QB will loft the ball over the blitzer’s head and make him look like a chump. Use the black button to see how these shifts affect coverage. Also be aware that any shift is a gamble. Clearly if you shift your line and linebackers to the strong side and the run to the weak side you’re going to give up yards. You can also use audibles to change the defensive backs coverage. You can get them to move to a better position to cover their receiver. If you do this then the coverage will be tighter, but the QB will know exactly what you’re doing before the snap. You can also make your defensive backs cover loose, which means that the receiver will have a better chance to catch the ball, but probably won’t get very far afterwards. This is usually done in prevent situations where you don’t mind giving up yards so long as they don’t score. The final coverage audible is to press coverage. This will make the defensive backs bump their receiver at the line of scrimmage. This disrupts timing passes, but if the receiver makes a good move the corner back has a great chance of getting burnt. Make sure if you bump that there are safeties deep to pick up any blown coverage. If you’re corners are dropping into a shallow or mid zone then bumping is ideal because you don’t really lose any coverage from it. By using the right thumbstick you can use playmaker control to shift any deep zones to one side of the field. Again this is a gamble because coverage is reduced on the other side of the field. I don’t really like doing this because the QB has time after the snap to read and exploit the gap in the coverage, but if you’re having a particularly hard time covering a receive, or if you’ve called the wrong play entirely this can be useful.
Offensive personnel and knowing the offence
Knowing the offence that you are facing is clearly very important when thinking about how to stop them. If they use a big power back to run the ball (Jerome Bettis, Mike Alstott) then you might want to lean towards the run a little more, stack the middle of the line and make them beat you to the outside. If however they have a quicker running back (Marshall Faulk, Warwick Dunn) then you might even want to call a nickel defence as standard to give you some extra speed, safe in the knowledge that the running back is less likely to bowl your DB over. You might also want to know who their key receivers are. Some teams like to use their tight ends a lot. Shannon Sharpe won three consecutive superbowls with two different teams at tight end. Frank Wycheck was until recently the Titans leading receiver at the tight end position. Other teams just use them as extra blockers and rarely ever throw the ball to them. If your facing a team with a receiving tight end a linebacker or failing that a safety has to be covering them in man. The final consideration, and this one will cripple you if you don’t think about it is the QB. In recent years quarterbacks have become more and more prolific carrying the ball out of the backfield (Think Willy Beamen versus Cap Rooney in Any Given Sunday). If your facing a team with a big running quarterback (Dante Cullpepper – Vikings, Donovan McNabb – Eagles, Micheal Vick – Falcons) then you need to pick defences with either zone coverage, or even better QB spies. A QB spy is a defender who sits in the defence and watches the quarterback, making sure he doesn’t take off on you. Otherwise suddenly a long pass with great coverage forty yards down field has turned into a thirty odd yard run by the QB. Speaking of Micheal Vick, with madden games in general it’s always a good idea to pay a little extra attention to whoever they’ve plastered on the game’s front cover.
Knowing your defence
If you want to manage an effective defence you have to know where you’re strengths are. Can your corner backs cover fast possession receivers like Randy Moss and Terrel Owens or do you need to double cover them with help from a safety? Can your linebackers work effectively in pass coverage? Will you defensive line bring enough pressure alone or do you need extra blitzers? Here is also where you can use the defensive package adjustment effectively. You can use this to make modifications to personnel such as swapping the safeties, or swapping the corner backs. This is especially useful if you are running cover 1 (one safety in a deep zone) and one of your safeties is significantly better in man coverage than the other, or one has more awareness to cover the whole of the deep field. Also you can adjust personnel in quarter defence to put in your preferred linebacker. It can get pretty lonely in the middle surrounded by defensive backs, so you’ll want your best guy in there. Being familiar with your own players is one way to get a crucial edge on the defence once you understand the best way to use it.
Forcing turnovers
If there is one way to win in football, it’s to force turnover. You can’t turn the ball over two, three or four times a game and expect to win. I find that the best way to get that all important interception is to play a lot of man coverage and then switch into zone and back to man on consecutive plays. Keep the quarterback on his toes and let him make a mistake, then punish him for it.
Post snap playmaker run or passing
In madden 2004 you can either step safeties up to stop the run or drop them back to defend that pass by using the right thumb stick. If you’ve selected an good defensive play then the latter shouldn’t be necessary, and doing so may allow a completion underneath the coverage. If you think it’s a run however then pull the stick towards you. You had better be sure it’s not a play action pass though otherwise it will go for yardage. The only sure fire way to tell is to watch the offensive line. The five main guys are all ineligible receivers, which means that they are not allowed down field on a passing play. If they fire out towards your guys it’s definitely a run.
Don’t dive!
There’s a diving tackle button in madden and it is a thorn in the side of every human player and the fly in the ointment you use to heal the thorn’s scratches. Try not to use it unless you are absolutely sure that you will connect. All to often players panic, mash that button and watch their player fall over in front of the running back as he skips into the end zone. It can be worth using with linemen rushing the quarter back, but try not to use it at all in the open field. Another tip along this line is make sure you know which player you are controlling before you start controlling them. Switch players, wait for the dot or the arrow that shows you who you are, and then start controlling them. Otherwise suddenly the safety coming across inexplicably runs to the opposing sideline because you thought that you were playing as the corner back that just allowed the receiver to catch the ball.
That concludes my analysis of the defence. It’s the hardest part of madden to get right and you really have to have an understanding of the game to get it right. You need to know about what the opposition is trying to do. How they’re trying to do it. You need to check the bluffs and double bluffs, understand clock management, game situations down and distance, and formations and then you’ll be getting somewhere close. I hope that this guide helped in some way : )
The Defence
Offence wins games, defence wins championships. You need only look at the last few superbowl champions to realise the truth in this clichéd quote. To many enthused players the defence seems quite mysterious, even unfair. This is because on offence the player often controls the key guys with the ball. On the defensive side of the ball you have to work as a team. In order to defend against both the run and the pass you have to work with ten other AI controlled entities. They do what you tell them to do through the play call, which means that if you pick your call blindly often they’ll mess up through no fault of their own. You have to pick plays that are both well suited to your personnel, and well suited to stop the opposition. This walkthrough will explain which defences are best in which situations in pretty general terms. You’ll still have to assess what type of defence you are using, and what type of offence you face, but I hope by the end of it you’ll have a better idea of what is going on. Hopefully this third walkthrough will inspire a few more people to appreciate the complex sport that American football has evolved into, and hopefully enjoy it half as much as I do. One thing that can never be accounted for, however, is the randomness of playing against a human competitor, in a similar way that button bashers used to be able to beat seasoned players in some fighting games.
Defensive formations are usually given a two number name, or named after American currency. This refers to the number of linemen, linebackers and defensive backs are on the field. Linemen are primarily involved with stopping the run, and rushing the quarterback on passing plays. Defensive backs are primarily concerned with covering receivers down the field and linebackers are kind of a halfway house between the two. Defensive formations such as the 4-3 and 3-4 refer to there being four down linemen and three linebackers, and three down linemen and four linebackers respectively. In both of those cases there are also usually two cornerbacks and two safeties covering downfield making up your eleven defensive players. In the 3-4 defence there is more emphasis for tackling placed on the four linebackers, and the linemen are primarily concerned with soaking up the blocks from the five linemen and the full back to give the linebackers a clear shot at the running backs. If you want to bring pressure from this formation you need to use a lot of linebacker blitzes. A nickel is worth five cents. In nickel defence there are five defensive backs (safeties and corners) and usually one less linebacker. In a dime formation there are six defensive backs and again one less linebacker. In a quarter defence there are seven defensive backs and usually three down linemen and one lonely linebacker. As described in previous walkthroughs, you are aware of the personnel in the huddle. Typically it will be 2RB 1TE 2WR for most offensive plays, but if it says 1RB 4WR then it’s likely to be a passing play. You need to call your defence accordingly. Usually it’s good to match the number of corners to the number of receivers, so if they offence is using three wide receivers then call a nickel defence, if they are using four then call a dime. Some offences use several tight ends. A tight end is basically a blocker who can catch. Usually they’re a little heavier than receivers and linebackers can cope with them in coverage, so if they come out with 2RB 2TE 1WR then pick a 4-3 or even a 4-6 defensive formation. Matching your personnel to their personnel is the first step towards effective defensive play calling.
Down and distance, and game situation
Down and distance is vital in predicting what kind of play the offence might be running. First and ten is anyone’s guess, so use the personnel and the type of team you’re playing to pick an appropriate defence. Cover 2 is a good all round defence. The corners are in man coverage and the safeties in two deep zones defending the long pass. If its third and inches then it’s a fair bet that the offence will use a run, so you might want to bring a couple of blitzing linebackers to try and break up the play in the backfield. If its second and short again it’s anyone’s guess, but chances are the offence might take the opportunity to run a lower percentage, mid to long range pass to try and pick up some big yards. If that doesn’t work they can always go back to the run on third and short. Watch for the play action here too. It’s an ideal situation to use it. In terms of game situation, if they’re winning they’re more likely to run the ball, because running the ball keeps the clock moving and gives you less chance to come back. If they’re losing or need points fast they’re more likely to pass. Third or fourth and long are ideal times to send three or even four defensive backs into deep zones. Who cares if they pick up five yards underneath the coverage so long as they don’t get the first down or the score. These are all things that you need to keep in mind when choosing a defence. Essentially it comes down to a balance between stopping the run and stopping the pass.
Presnap adjustments
There are a number of pre snap adjustments that you can use to get more favourable match ups, and make sure that nobody goes uncovered. The most important is calling the strong side. When you call a play the strong side is designated as the left side, because most offensive plays are called strong right. The computer however will switch this often, so you need to recognise that and switch the strong side when necessary. The strong side is usually the side where the tight end lines up, or the side of the field with the most players. This is vital because if you get the strong side the wrong way round the chances of the defensive play working as it is intended will be extremely slim. You can also shift your line and linebackers. If you facing a team with a big strong runner its sometimes worth shifting the line to the inside of the field to force them to run to the outside. Similarly you can shift the linebackers out to cover the flats. You can also shift the line and linebackers left and right. If you’re blitzing your strong side linebacker you’ll probably want to shift the linebackers towards the strong side so that the middle linebacker picks up coverage on the tight end, otherwise the QB will loft the ball over the blitzer’s head and make him look like a chump. Use the black button to see how these shifts affect coverage. Also be aware that any shift is a gamble. Clearly if you shift your line and linebackers to the strong side and the run to the weak side you’re going to give up yards. You can also use audibles to change the defensive backs coverage. You can get them to move to a better position to cover their receiver. If you do this then the coverage will be tighter, but the QB will know exactly what you’re doing before the snap. You can also make your defensive backs cover loose, which means that the receiver will have a better chance to catch the ball, but probably won’t get very far afterwards. This is usually done in prevent situations where you don’t mind giving up yards so long as they don’t score. The final coverage audible is to press coverage. This will make the defensive backs bump their receiver at the line of scrimmage. This disrupts timing passes, but if the receiver makes a good move the corner back has a great chance of getting burnt. Make sure if you bump that there are safeties deep to pick up any blown coverage. If you’re corners are dropping into a shallow or mid zone then bumping is ideal because you don’t really lose any coverage from it. By using the right thumbstick you can use playmaker control to shift any deep zones to one side of the field. Again this is a gamble because coverage is reduced on the other side of the field. I don’t really like doing this because the QB has time after the snap to read and exploit the gap in the coverage, but if you’re having a particularly hard time covering a receive, or if you’ve called the wrong play entirely this can be useful.
Offensive personnel and knowing the offence
Knowing the offence that you are facing is clearly very important when thinking about how to stop them. If they use a big power back to run the ball (Jerome Bettis, Mike Alstott) then you might want to lean towards the run a little more, stack the middle of the line and make them beat you to the outside. If however they have a quicker running back (Marshall Faulk, Warwick Dunn) then you might even want to call a nickel defence as standard to give you some extra speed, safe in the knowledge that the running back is less likely to bowl your DB over. You might also want to know who their key receivers are. Some teams like to use their tight ends a lot. Shannon Sharpe won three consecutive superbowls with two different teams at tight end. Frank Wycheck was until recently the Titans leading receiver at the tight end position. Other teams just use them as extra blockers and rarely ever throw the ball to them. If your facing a team with a receiving tight end a linebacker or failing that a safety has to be covering them in man. The final consideration, and this one will cripple you if you don’t think about it is the QB. In recent years quarterbacks have become more and more prolific carrying the ball out of the backfield (Think Willy Beamen versus Cap Rooney in Any Given Sunday). If your facing a team with a big running quarterback (Dante Cullpepper – Vikings, Donovan McNabb – Eagles, Micheal Vick – Falcons) then you need to pick defences with either zone coverage, or even better QB spies. A QB spy is a defender who sits in the defence and watches the quarterback, making sure he doesn’t take off on you. Otherwise suddenly a long pass with great coverage forty yards down field has turned into a thirty odd yard run by the QB. Speaking of Micheal Vick, with madden games in general it’s always a good idea to pay a little extra attention to whoever they’ve plastered on the game’s front cover.
Knowing your defence
If you want to manage an effective defence you have to know where you’re strengths are. Can your corner backs cover fast possession receivers like Randy Moss and Terrel Owens or do you need to double cover them with help from a safety? Can your linebackers work effectively in pass coverage? Will you defensive line bring enough pressure alone or do you need extra blitzers? Here is also where you can use the defensive package adjustment effectively. You can use this to make modifications to personnel such as swapping the safeties, or swapping the corner backs. This is especially useful if you are running cover 1 (one safety in a deep zone) and one of your safeties is significantly better in man coverage than the other, or one has more awareness to cover the whole of the deep field. Also you can adjust personnel in quarter defence to put in your preferred linebacker. It can get pretty lonely in the middle surrounded by defensive backs, so you’ll want your best guy in there. Being familiar with your own players is one way to get a crucial edge on the defence once you understand the best way to use it.
Forcing turnovers
If there is one way to win in football, it’s to force turnover. You can’t turn the ball over two, three or four times a game and expect to win. I find that the best way to get that all important interception is to play a lot of man coverage and then switch into zone and back to man on consecutive plays. Keep the quarterback on his toes and let him make a mistake, then punish him for it.
Post snap playmaker run or passing
In madden 2004 you can either step safeties up to stop the run or drop them back to defend that pass by using the right thumb stick. If you’ve selected an good defensive play then the latter shouldn’t be necessary, and doing so may allow a completion underneath the coverage. If you think it’s a run however then pull the stick towards you. You had better be sure it’s not a play action pass though otherwise it will go for yardage. The only sure fire way to tell is to watch the offensive line. The five main guys are all ineligible receivers, which means that they are not allowed down field on a passing play. If they fire out towards your guys it’s definitely a run.
Don’t dive!
There’s a diving tackle button in madden and it is a thorn in the side of every human player and the fly in the ointment you use to heal the thorn’s scratches. Try not to use it unless you are absolutely sure that you will connect. All to often players panic, mash that button and watch their player fall over in front of the running back as he skips into the end zone. It can be worth using with linemen rushing the quarter back, but try not to use it at all in the open field. Another tip along this line is make sure you know which player you are controlling before you start controlling them. Switch players, wait for the dot or the arrow that shows you who you are, and then start controlling them. Otherwise suddenly the safety coming across inexplicably runs to the opposing sideline because you thought that you were playing as the corner back that just allowed the receiver to catch the ball.
That concludes my analysis of the defence. It’s the hardest part of madden to get right and you really have to have an understanding of the game to get it right. You need to know about what the opposition is trying to do. How they’re trying to do it. You need to check the bluffs and double bluffs, understand clock management, game situations down and distance, and formations and then you’ll be getting somewhere close. I hope that this guide helped in some way : )
Submitted By: Ghost Killer
NFL may not be so popular over here in the UK, however this doesn’t mean the latest Madden game isn’t a right corker. Anyway for those of you having trouble on the game I have the ultimate guide to get you started. (I am assuming you know the rules to the sport) Enjoy!
The Teams
---------
Picking the right team is essential if you want to be victorious. Obviously if you support a certain team then you’ll pick them, however for those of you who haven’t a clue who these teams are here’s a quick over view of all of them. I have shown what the game considers their offence and defence and also what league their in as well as my overall view of the team. (The overall view is based on how well they played when I used them. Not by what the game tells you.)
Bears (NFC North)
Offence 81
Defence 84
Overall ***
Bengals (AFC North)
Offence 83
Defence 79
Overall: ***
Bills (AFC East)
Offence 86
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Broncos (AFC West)
Offence 86
Defence 82
Overall: ***
Browns (AFC North)
Offence 81
Defence 79
Overall: **
Buccaneers (NFC South)
Offence 84
Defence 91
Overall: ****
Cardinals (NFC West)
Offence 77
Defence 77
Overall: *
Chargers (AFC West)
Offence 83
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Chiefs (AFC West)
Offence 88
Defence 79
Overall: ****
Colts (AFC South)
Offence 87
Defence 78
Overall: ***
Cowboys (NFC East)
Offence 78
Defence 85
Overall: **
Dolphins (AFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 91
Overall: ****
Eagles (NFC East)
Offence 87
Defence 86
Overall: ****
Falcons (NFC South)
Offence 86
Defence 83
Overall: ***
49ers (NFC West)
Offence 88
Defence 85
Overall: ***
Giants (NFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 84
Overall: ****
Jaguars (AFC South)
Offence 83
Defence 82
Overall: **
Jets (AFC East)
Offence 86
Defence 82
Overall: **
Lions (NFC North)
Offence 80
Defence 80
Overall: **
Packers (NFC North)
Offence 89
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Panthers (NFC South)
Offence 80
Defence 84
Overall: **
Patriots (AFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 87
Overall: ****
Raiders (AFC West)
Offence 90
Defence 84
Overall: *****
Rams (NFC West)
Offence 91
Defence 81
Overall: ****
Ravens (AFC North)
Offence 80
Defence 84
Overall: **
Redskins (NFC East)
Offence 81
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Saints (NFC South)
Offence 88
Defence 78
Overall: ***
Seahawks (NFC West)
Offence 85
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Steelers (AFC North)
Offence 86
Defence 85
Overall: ****
Texans (AFC South)
Offence 81
Defence 80
Overall: **
Titans (AFC South)
Offence 86
Defence 83
Overall: ***
Vikings (NFC North)
Offence 85
Defence 79
Overall: **
So what are the best teams? Well that depends. If you are more of an attacking player then go for someone like the Rams or the Raiders. However the fact that they are great in offence means their defence lacks a little. If you’re more defensive then try the Dolphins or the Buccaneers. Likewise their offence won’t be to hot either. And if you feel that you need a mix of the two then try the Eagles or 49ers. These two types of teams will have a good set of skills in both areas.
Offence
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When playing a game it’s often hard to decide when to use what play especially when playing against the computer as they can be especially tough. But here is a little run down of the types of offensive play:
Singleback is a formation that involves one back player. This is a good starting play and should be considered on first downs as they should gain you a fair few yards. Best used for running but also ideal for throwing.
I Form usually involve a throw to the receivers on the left or right. They are handy, especially if you know the defence doesn’t have that area of the field covered.
Strong I is basically where you have two running back and is usually used for passing plays. These involve your stronger players. Weak I formation is basically the opposite.
Far are best used in situations where you find yourself 20 or 30 yards away from the next set of downs. Throwing is usually your best bet with this type of play and usually result in 20 odd yards being gained. However watch out for defenders as they can easily intercept these. Near is the opposite and best used when close to the next set of downs.
Shotgun is great for reading the oppositions defence as your quarterback is further back from the snap than usual meaning you have more reaction times.
Goal line are usually runs which are best used when near the touchdown zone. And specials like punting, kneels and field goals are also important. Kneels for example are needed when you want to run down the clock and field goals for scoring points when in the opponents 30 yard area.
Defence
-------
Defence is a lot harder in Madden than offence. I still haven’t quite mastered it yet, however here’s what I think are the best types of defensive maneuvers and when to use them.
Dime package are for running plays usually and will see your defence watching the runners waiting to receive the ball. Nickel is the opposite to this and is best used for running attacks.
Quarter is a mix of the two and is useful for running and throwing plays, while 4-3 packages are your basic defensive play that should cover most attacks.
Goal lines are vital when faced with the attack only 10 yards away from your touchdown zone. These are tight defensive plays that should close all gaps and watch most runs. However these do leave you a little exposed to throws.
Actually Playing The Game
-------------------------
When playing there are a few neat little tricks that can be used to your advantage. Pumping, turning, sidestepping, stripping of the ball etc… But when do you use them?
Offensive Skills
Pumping is basically pretending to throw the ball as the quarterback. This confuses the opposition, especially human players, but computers aren’t as easily fooled by this. When with the ball, turning and side stepping are great for gaining yards. Turning is basically what it says on the tin and is great for dodging a lone person. You can run one way then turn and run another the next without losing too much speed.
Sidestepping is also a neat little trick that is great when playing human opponents. It is simple and doesn’t cause you to lose speed, however is not that evasive as a maneuver.
Field goals are always great ways to gain some extra points on the scoreboard when faced with a forth down. Basically the best area to go for a field goal is at the 40 yard area or less. Never ever go for one beyond that as it’ll usually miss.
Defending Skills
Stripping of the ball is difficult yet great if it works. At the press of the Z button you can make an attempt at trying to take the ball from the opponent’s hands causing a fumble. His can lead to making a run but is never always successful.
Off The Ball Skills
When attacking, holding men back so your running man has a clear run is important. Press Z to charge hard into them and R and L to try and gain some leverage over them. X can also be used to spin around them.
Use the C stick to control other players besides the runner or passer so they can find space and prepare for the ball being throw to them. The best idea is to read the defence and find what area to run to. The main areas are middle and the sides.
My Gameplan
-----------
Okay so you’ve sorted the team and the offence and defence, so what about the plays? Here is my best way of handling the offence:
1st Down – Throwing is best to start off with because if it fails then there’s no pressure at all. Try a throw that is nearby where there’s space too so the player can attempt to make it to the next set of downs.
2nd Down – Run if the throw fails or succeeds as you need to try and gain a few yards to at least stand a chance of making the next set of downs. Try going around the defence.
3rd Down – Run if both the above succeed yet leave you with a few yards left to go. However if they’ve failed, go for a deep throw. Try to get over the line with the throw so you can get a new set of downs.
4th Down – Punt or field goal always. The only exception may be when you are inches away from the next set of downs. In this case, go for a play that sees you running straight down the middle like a quarterback sneak. Don’t go for a fake punt as these will be spotted and you tackled.
So there you go. Hope this has helped you with any problems you’ve had with this game and as always thanks for reading.
The Teams
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Picking the right team is essential if you want to be victorious. Obviously if you support a certain team then you’ll pick them, however for those of you who haven’t a clue who these teams are here’s a quick over view of all of them. I have shown what the game considers their offence and defence and also what league their in as well as my overall view of the team. (The overall view is based on how well they played when I used them. Not by what the game tells you.)
Bears (NFC North)
Offence 81
Defence 84
Overall ***
Bengals (AFC North)
Offence 83
Defence 79
Overall: ***
Bills (AFC East)
Offence 86
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Broncos (AFC West)
Offence 86
Defence 82
Overall: ***
Browns (AFC North)
Offence 81
Defence 79
Overall: **
Buccaneers (NFC South)
Offence 84
Defence 91
Overall: ****
Cardinals (NFC West)
Offence 77
Defence 77
Overall: *
Chargers (AFC West)
Offence 83
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Chiefs (AFC West)
Offence 88
Defence 79
Overall: ****
Colts (AFC South)
Offence 87
Defence 78
Overall: ***
Cowboys (NFC East)
Offence 78
Defence 85
Overall: **
Dolphins (AFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 91
Overall: ****
Eagles (NFC East)
Offence 87
Defence 86
Overall: ****
Falcons (NFC South)
Offence 86
Defence 83
Overall: ***
49ers (NFC West)
Offence 88
Defence 85
Overall: ***
Giants (NFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 84
Overall: ****
Jaguars (AFC South)
Offence 83
Defence 82
Overall: **
Jets (AFC East)
Offence 86
Defence 82
Overall: **
Lions (NFC North)
Offence 80
Defence 80
Overall: **
Packers (NFC North)
Offence 89
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Panthers (NFC South)
Offence 80
Defence 84
Overall: **
Patriots (AFC East)
Offence 85
Defence 87
Overall: ****
Raiders (AFC West)
Offence 90
Defence 84
Overall: *****
Rams (NFC West)
Offence 91
Defence 81
Overall: ****
Ravens (AFC North)
Offence 80
Defence 84
Overall: **
Redskins (NFC East)
Offence 81
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Saints (NFC South)
Offence 88
Defence 78
Overall: ***
Seahawks (NFC West)
Offence 85
Defence 84
Overall: ***
Steelers (AFC North)
Offence 86
Defence 85
Overall: ****
Texans (AFC South)
Offence 81
Defence 80
Overall: **
Titans (AFC South)
Offence 86
Defence 83
Overall: ***
Vikings (NFC North)
Offence 85
Defence 79
Overall: **
So what are the best teams? Well that depends. If you are more of an attacking player then go for someone like the Rams or the Raiders. However the fact that they are great in offence means their defence lacks a little. If you’re more defensive then try the Dolphins or the Buccaneers. Likewise their offence won’t be to hot either. And if you feel that you need a mix of the two then try the Eagles or 49ers. These two types of teams will have a good set of skills in both areas.
Offence
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When playing a game it’s often hard to decide when to use what play especially when playing against the computer as they can be especially tough. But here is a little run down of the types of offensive play:
Singleback is a formation that involves one back player. This is a good starting play and should be considered on first downs as they should gain you a fair few yards. Best used for running but also ideal for throwing.
I Form usually involve a throw to the receivers on the left or right. They are handy, especially if you know the defence doesn’t have that area of the field covered.
Strong I is basically where you have two running back and is usually used for passing plays. These involve your stronger players. Weak I formation is basically the opposite.
Far are best used in situations where you find yourself 20 or 30 yards away from the next set of downs. Throwing is usually your best bet with this type of play and usually result in 20 odd yards being gained. However watch out for defenders as they can easily intercept these. Near is the opposite and best used when close to the next set of downs.
Shotgun is great for reading the oppositions defence as your quarterback is further back from the snap than usual meaning you have more reaction times.
Goal line are usually runs which are best used when near the touchdown zone. And specials like punting, kneels and field goals are also important. Kneels for example are needed when you want to run down the clock and field goals for scoring points when in the opponents 30 yard area.
Defence
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Defence is a lot harder in Madden than offence. I still haven’t quite mastered it yet, however here’s what I think are the best types of defensive maneuvers and when to use them.
Dime package are for running plays usually and will see your defence watching the runners waiting to receive the ball. Nickel is the opposite to this and is best used for running attacks.
Quarter is a mix of the two and is useful for running and throwing plays, while 4-3 packages are your basic defensive play that should cover most attacks.
Goal lines are vital when faced with the attack only 10 yards away from your touchdown zone. These are tight defensive plays that should close all gaps and watch most runs. However these do leave you a little exposed to throws.
Actually Playing The Game
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When playing there are a few neat little tricks that can be used to your advantage. Pumping, turning, sidestepping, stripping of the ball etc… But when do you use them?
Offensive Skills
Pumping is basically pretending to throw the ball as the quarterback. This confuses the opposition, especially human players, but computers aren’t as easily fooled by this. When with the ball, turning and side stepping are great for gaining yards. Turning is basically what it says on the tin and is great for dodging a lone person. You can run one way then turn and run another the next without losing too much speed.
Sidestepping is also a neat little trick that is great when playing human opponents. It is simple and doesn’t cause you to lose speed, however is not that evasive as a maneuver.
Field goals are always great ways to gain some extra points on the scoreboard when faced with a forth down. Basically the best area to go for a field goal is at the 40 yard area or less. Never ever go for one beyond that as it’ll usually miss.
Defending Skills
Stripping of the ball is difficult yet great if it works. At the press of the Z button you can make an attempt at trying to take the ball from the opponent’s hands causing a fumble. His can lead to making a run but is never always successful.
Off The Ball Skills
When attacking, holding men back so your running man has a clear run is important. Press Z to charge hard into them and R and L to try and gain some leverage over them. X can also be used to spin around them.
Use the C stick to control other players besides the runner or passer so they can find space and prepare for the ball being throw to them. The best idea is to read the defence and find what area to run to. The main areas are middle and the sides.
My Gameplan
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Okay so you’ve sorted the team and the offence and defence, so what about the plays? Here is my best way of handling the offence:
1st Down – Throwing is best to start off with because if it fails then there’s no pressure at all. Try a throw that is nearby where there’s space too so the player can attempt to make it to the next set of downs.
2nd Down – Run if the throw fails or succeeds as you need to try and gain a few yards to at least stand a chance of making the next set of downs. Try going around the defence.
3rd Down – Run if both the above succeed yet leave you with a few yards left to go. However if they’ve failed, go for a deep throw. Try to get over the line with the throw so you can get a new set of downs.
4th Down – Punt or field goal always. The only exception may be when you are inches away from the next set of downs. In this case, go for a play that sees you running straight down the middle like a quarterback sneak. Don’t go for a fake punt as these will be spotted and you tackled.
So there you go. Hope this has helped you with any problems you’ve had with this game and as always thanks for reading.
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