The Madden Off-Season: Owner Mode

Now that I feel I have come pretty much as close to mastering Madden 10 from a gameplay standpoint, and I can clearly hold my own against my friends if not destroy them, I decided to dissect the Off-Season in Owner Mode. I wanted to find the advantages that one can take in free agency, the draft, and re-signing players. I realized that if you are looking for a backup player, you should always go to a cheap veteran - depth is not very important on the game, as injuries are scarce. If you get all cheap backups, then you can afford all expensive starters. This way, you can afford to have many stars on your team while still making money for your franchise.

In terms of the draft, it is difficult to trade up for a better spot without giving up a lot of value in return - teams are hesitant to trade their top picks. However, this means they also heavily value MY first round pick, and in both off-seasons I have done, I have traded this first round pick for a quality, immediate contributor, with overall ratings in the lower 80s. This mixing and trading fascinates me, and I will continue to deal in my franchise to make my team the best and most balanced it can be. I am going to build my franchise over 4 seasons, simulating all the games, only doing the off-seasons, and see how good my team can get. Just how good will be covered in the next blog post. Thanks for reading loyal readers!

Slants vs Curls

When passing, your receivers can run a number of routes. Some of the most efficient routes though, that I've found, are Slant patterns and Curl Routes. On a slant, the receiver take about 4 steps forward and then slants toward the middle of the field. This play will work well against man-to-man defense if the receiver can get inside of the cornerback covering him, creating a window for the quarterback to throw into. If a tackle can be broken, it could be a big gainer. A curl, on the other hand, is when the receiver runs for about 8 to 10 yards, and then stops on a dime and turns around, waiting for the ball to get to him. This type of play typically only works against certain zones: if a defense is in man to man, the corner will usually jump the route (at least on Madden) and pick it off or deflect it. Slants can be dangerous to run against zones though because if they are not thrown perfectly, a zoning linebacker or safety could easily step up and intercept the ball.

Though Slants and Curls have their advantages and disadvantages, I prefer to run slants. The receiver is already running in stride and therefore does not have to speed up to get more yards. Additionally, if you have your wideouts run multiple slants on one play, its almost guaranteed one of them will break open, giving you at least a first down. Running a slant with a fast receiver and an accurate quarterback is a deadly combination in Madden 10.

Adrian Peterson, and Breaking Tackles

In my recent games that I've been playing online versus various opponents, I have discovered that a favorite team of people to use is the Vikings, for the simple reason that they have Adrian Peterson. Not only is he extremely fast (a 97 speed) but he is tremendous at breaking tackles. You can break a tackle sometimes by moving the right analog stick in the correct direction if the tackler is inferior to the ball carrier, and most would be inferior to Peterson. He is very difficult to stop.

My team of choice lately has been the Colts. Peyton Manning and his laser arm have other advantages. But to counter Adrian Peterson, I have figured out I have to pick a great defensive team, like the Jets or Ravens, that have multiple players who can tackle him.