Madden - The End

After playing the great game of Madden 10 throughout this semester, I can honestly say I have morphed myself from an inexperienced Madden gamer to quite the expert. I have used Gee's motivational and learning theories to play this game. I now feel like I can not only compete with my friends at this game, but blow them away. Just the other day I beat my roommate, who plays often, 31-14.

There aren't many other things for me to discover about the game - I know pretty much all its little nuances, advantages, or cheats if you want to call them that. The game is realistic but I have figured out how to best win at it. After all, if an advantage is placed in a game, its put there for a reason: it would be wrong to not exploit it. I'm glad I picked this game and though I will no longer be blogging about it, I will almost certainly still be playing it.

Madden - The Future

I have simulated my franchise until 2013, doing only the off seasons. My team cannot win a superbowl by itself, but has reached the playoffs in all 3 years I have simulated. It seems my team can only win every single game if I play it. If I dont, they occasionally lose. My team has a highly rated player at each position, yet for some reason in simulation mode they cannot win the superbowl. Oh well...

I did enjoy doing the off seasons, manipulating the cap and making trades to better my team while still keep a franchise profit. I feel like the game is definitely teaching me some of the ways in which the NFL works, and some of the decisions that general managers have to make about keeping and trading players. Though I did not win the superbowl by simply simulating games, it was fun to see how players progressed. This is an excellent game.

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.

Playing Online

Now that I feel I am used to the game of Madden, and have picked up a couple of cool advantages (some would call them "cheats") along the way, I feel ready to play other random people in the game.  You play Madden 10 online by having an Xbox Live account and playing a ranked opponent in the lobby.  Once the game loads, you pick your teams and the game is on - everyone has a record.  It appears like this on the screen (W/L) DNF: %.  The DNF is the Did Not Finish percentage - people with high ones are not as good.  The first guy I played had a record of 21/39, with a 25% DNF.  I figured if I blew him out he would quit, but I figured I wouldn't since it was my first ever game online.

My opponent selected the Eagles, and I played with the Cowboys.  I won the game 31-28 on a last second, 52 yard field goal.  After the game, the guy sent me a message on my Xbox - "lucky *** win you noob" and I chose to not respond.  I supposed in retrospect it was a rather lucky win - twice I made Michael Vick fumble in the red zone with me recovering it - he only punted once.  I guess I have found a new advantage - when poor or inexperienced players get "hit-stuck" they are more likely to fumble than players with good awareness.  My offense worked well though, especially the play I previously discussed of Cross Weak Flood over the middle to Jason Witten.  I ended with 7 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns for Witten, my all-Pro tight end.

I guess after playing online (which was a lot of fun) I need to work on my defense a little more, figuring out how to force more punts and defend the pass much better.  My offense though appears ready for battle.

TE Cross, and the Importance of a Fast Slot Receiver

I was excited to read a response from a Stanford student who mentioned plays where two eligible receivers cross on drag routes typically work.  I decided to peruse the playbook of certain teams until I found a play where this could work.  I tried the play TE Cross, where the quarterback lines up under center, with two receivers on each side of the ball and a tight end on the right side of the line and an empty backfield.  The play can be found under Ace Empty formation.  

The Stanford student claimed that the left slot receiver (running a drag to the right) and the tight end (running a drag to the left) would cross and one of them would be open guaranteed - if the defense was in a zone, a gain of 4 to 5 yards would ensue if the correct target was chosen, and if the defense was in a man-to-man, the slot receiver could easily gain a first down.  I decided to test this theory.  Running the play with the Dolphins, I could not seem to get the play to work every time.  When the defense was in man, Camarillo the receiver and Fasano the tight end never could break away.  So I switched teams to the Vikings, with Harvin and Shiancoe at those positions.  Once I did this, I realized that as long as your players have speed, the play will work almost flawlessly, but they need that speed to separate from defenders.  Harvin was a 98 speed (one of the highest on the game) and Shiancoe an 80 (good for a tight end).  Camarillo was only an 83 speed (poor for a receiver, though upon checking he does have good hands and catch ability) and Fasano was a 72 speed (subpar).

In conclusion, the Stanford student was correct that a play like this works almost every time, as long as the players crossing have good speed.  If not, and the defense is in a man, you are liable to throw an interception if you do not lead the receiver perfectly with the throw.