Spydr's Sim Madden Guide: Madden 10 Edition

[JBregz]

Nice job man.

 

[DSpydr84]

"K.I.S.S." On Offense To Gain Productivity​

Running a successful offense can be pretty stressful at times. There's a lot to think about: you have to read coverages, protect your passer, mix in the running game with the passing game, control the ball, pick up first downs and most importantly, score touchdowns. With all this on your mind, how could anybody focus on calling correct plays or performing well on the field? There's a popular phrase used in the coaching world - which you guys have noticed in my recent tips - and I'd like to share it with you now. Simply put, you have to "K.I.S.S." on offense.

What does that mean?

"Keep It Simple, Stupid".

Think about it like this: if you can get at least 3.4 yards on every play, and you don't turn the ball over, you will have the most productive offense in the history of the NFL and there's a good chance you will never lose a game.

Let that sink in for a second.

It almost sounds impossible NOT to have a successful offense. We're not trying to explore the universe or perform brain surgery here, 3 and a half yards a play seperates you from the elite. The gap between you and the greatest players in the country probably isn't as much as you think.


What's the most important part of running a successful offense?

You can come up with all the crazy schemes you want, the most elaborate play-calling sheet in the world, and a game plan that would make even Dick LaBeau cringe.. but at the end of the day, the single most important part of a successful offense is execution.

You need to be able to execute the plays you run, or everything else is worthless.

LaVell Edwards, a former head coach at BYU, is on record of saying that his offense consisted of about 10 passing plays and 5 running plays, which were run from different formations. Edwards and his team won 20 Conference Championships and one National Championship during his stay. FIFTEEN PLAYS!

That is because BYU could execute those fifteen plays better than anyone. They weren't trying to outsmart anybody or do something so complex that even they couldn't understand it, they simply came out every Saturday and said "this is our offense, this is how we're going to run it, good luck trying to stop it." And most of the time, they walked away winners.

So in order to have any real, long-standing success with your offense, you too will need to properly execute the plays you call. It is very possible to call the correct play and have a poor result because you failed to execute.


Why can't I run the ball effectively? Is the run blocking in Madden 10 broken?

Contrary to what you might think, running the football against an NFL defense is not easy. And this also might sound a little crazy, but sometimes, they make plays too.

For a running play to work "perfectly", you need at least 5 guys (and usually 6 or 7, sometimes even 8 or 9) human beings to step in unison, correctly read and understand their blocking assignment and who their designated target is, gain outstanding leverage, and keep that leverage for at least 4 seconds. The running back then needs to read those blocks, make his decision within a fraction of a second, and cut up the field into the open and hopefully outrun the third level on his way to the endzone.

What's the point?

It's not easy.

Guys will miss blocks from time to time. The beauty of football is that one player won't put your team over the top, but one player CAN mess everything up... and you can really tell on a busted running play. You just have to accept that as a missed assignment and move on, because there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes it's just not your fault.

However, if this is consistently a problem for you, you either aren't varying your running plays well (inside runs, outside runs, misdirection, counters, dives, etc.) or you aren't running the ball correctly. Let's take a look at the ghetto pictures I have provided to show you what I mean.

This is the Lions against the Giants on all-madden difficulty. One of the worst offensive lines against one of the best defensive lines. We'll see how it goes...

The first play from scrimmage is Power O from the I-Formation. Power O is a run designed to go to the 4 hole, which is the gap between the right tackle and the tight end. The defense is giving me a 4-3 Base with a stacked Mike backer over the defensive tackle. If he's in the strong A-gap (which is literally two steps to his left; the spot in between my center and right guard), I'm checking out of this play. But because he's a couple steps over and giving me some time to find the hole, I'll snap the ball.

The ball is snapped, and the blocking looks pretty good. My right tackle and tight end double team the defensive end, there's no backside leaks, and I have a two-man convoy leading me to the hole. My job as a runner now is to be patient and let them lead me to the hole.

Smith gets the ball, and if you can find that Mike linebacker I was talking about earlier, he's blowing me up in the hole if he was in the strong A-gap. But because he was two steps to his right and away from the run, my right tackle (#77) has time to peel back off the double team and pick him up. It's amazing how much needs to happen in just one play.

The play continues, and you can see the alley that my line has tried to create. The safety flies up to meet me in the hole...

And he makes contact about 4 yards down field. But because Kevin Smith ate his Wheaties this morning...

He breaks out of the mess and gets taken down by the cornerback 11 yards down field. Good start to the running game. You're not always going to break out of that tackle, but 4 yards is fine. Remember, all we need is 3.5 a play. Let's go to first and ten and keep this ground game rolling.

Next play is the HB Blast from the Strong-I Formation. The defense has now shifted to a 4-3 Under, which I really should run Weak Iso against, but for the sake of the guide, let's move forward!

HB Blast is designed to go to the 2 hole, which is in between the left guard and left tackle. The goal is to have the tight end and right tackle, similar to last play, double team the defensive end... and the fullback leads through the hole and kicks out the strong outside linebacker. But because the defense is giving me a front that cannot make that happen, the Blast might not work so great. I should check out of this play, but I'll continue just to show you what I mean.

The ball is snapped, and things are going pretty well so far. The center and right guard correctly double team the defensive tackle, my right tackle - although on an island - is blocking the defensive end, and my tight end is leading up the field to get the outside linebacker. My fullback will probably be lost on this play, but I'm hoping he picks up the middle linebacker and that creates some sort of alleyway.

Here you can see the play really breaking down. My right tackle couldn't contain their defensive end, and my fullback is literally standing straight up with nobody to block. Smith really doesn't have a chance.

And he's hit in the backfield for a short loss. This is a situation where you have to know your blocking assignments, and you have to get in the correct play. As I said earlier, a Weak Iso is effective against this type of formation, as are weak counters or stretch runs. This play didn't work because the defensive alignment confused my blockers, and my right tackle lost the battle with the defensive end (which we all saw coming).

After a quick throw to Calvin Johnson (gotta keep 'em honest!), let's move on to the next play.

We're gonna try to hit them on the edge with a HB Toss here. The play is designed to go to the 8 hole (even though it's not really a "hole", it's technically between the tight end and the wide receiver). This is about the weirdest Base 4-3 you'll find.. the middle linebacker is hiding behind the umpire and the outside backer is stacked behind a standing defensive tackle (weird?). Regardless, in a 4-3 Base defense, the players responsible for edge contain are the defensive ends. Their job is to keep all outside runs from getting around the corner. So hopefully my rookie tight end can control this guy for a few seconds (that's why we drafted him, after all).

And the end pretty much rejected that idea pretty quickly. Perfect rip to the outside and really a good job controlling the edge. If the middle or outside linebacker were in any position pre-snap to play defense, they would've won this play. But since they're lost at sea, my pulling guard is able to get around the end and contain him.

And you can see that illustrated here. Again, if the guard is occupied by the outside linebacker, this is a fantastic play by Justin Tuck. He does his job to perfection, and really could've messed this play up with any help. Luckily for me on this play, football is a team game, and his teammates are nowhere to be found. So unfortunately for him, he gets double teamed.

And I'm in the clear!

I get tackled down field after a solid gain of 10 on the play. For those keeping track at home, that's 3 carries for 20 yards... over 6 yards a pop! Let's keep this drive going...

This was originally a HB Counter play to the left, but the defense has it pretty well shut down. I audible to a quick dive play to the left instead, hoping my line can drive everybody away from the hole and I can burst through for a few yards.

No real luck as the defensive tackle makes a nice move on my center.

I slam it in there anyway, pick up my 3 yards, and move on to the next play. Nothing wrong with that play on first down, since I still only need 3.5 yards a play on my next two plays to get a first down. Nothing magical going on here, it's just executing the running plays and giving yourself a chance on every snap.

Stretch play here. You know the drill: we're trying to attack the edge, defensive end has outside contain, if my tight end can control him and my fullback can get around and hook the outside linebacker it could be a big play.

Tuck proves once again why he's a great player and doesn't let a tight end hold him back for too long. Still, it was enough time for me to get the corner. As long as my fullback picks up the linebacker and Calvin is making a block on the outside I can still make a big run here.

Fullback whiffs. All you can really do here as a runner is pick up as much yardage as possible.

Smith gets taken down after a gain of, you guessed it, 3 and a half yards. That leaves me 3rd and a short 4 to go.. which is right on pace. A quick little WR Screen to Calvin to attack the blitz, and it's first and 10 from the 11 yard line.

I go back to the counter run, since I had to audible out of it earlier. The hole can vary slightly on this play depending on the defensive alignment; it could either be between the left guard and left tackle (the 3 hole) or between the left tackle and tight end (5 hole).

You can see the hole starting to form here between the tackle and guard. Hopefully, my line can hold their blocks just long enough for Smith to dart through the hole and score the touchdown.

The hole is still there, but the defensive tackle is winning his battle against my guard. It's been happening all day, so I'm not really surprised.. they are better than us after all.

He spins off and makes a tackle, but not before I got my 3.5 yards! Nobody said this style of offense was cute, but I'm inside the 10 with the Detroit Lions against the New York Giants defense, and I've thrown two passes. The proof is in the pudding; execute the play, give yourself a chance to gain yards, take your 3-4 yards and do it all over again on the next play.

The drive is then capped with a Daunte Culpepper pass to Will Heller in the back of the endzone for a touchdown.


9 plays, 71 yards, touchdown. Not too bad, eh?

So next time you're struggling to move the ball, can't make a play or feel completely helpless, think about this drive. Just keep it simple, get your 3 and a half yards, and convert on third down. Don't make the game harder than it really is. You don't have to be all that creative if you know how to execute.
​

 

[I LastWish I]

Now I got something to read at work tonight! Thanks!

 

[LopaKa]

nice read spyder. I'll keep that in mind when i'm struggling on offense.

 

[DSpydr84]

wow this really helped. After I read this I hoped straight online.

Won the game 35-7

Eli Manning was 14/14 with 3 TDs and a 157.7 rating
Brandon Jacobs averaged 5.3 a carry with 1 TD
Aaron Ross got a pick 6

Never threw an incompletion, 5 yards per carry and a 28 point win... and I didn't show you a single "money play", "nano blitz" or any other bogus glitch that you find on those dumb websites.

Who needs eBooks anyway?

P.S. Not a perfect 158.3 rating? What more do they want out of the guy than 14/14 and 3 TDs? :smh:

 

[Saluki]

Football how it's supposed to be played FTW

 

[Chadman]

Football how it's supposed to be played FTW

darren mcfadden cheese. lol

Good shit Spydr. I love reading your work. You should do this everyday.

What slider set are you using when playing the CPU? All Madden or custom sliders?

 

[corbin]

Good shit, this is one of my favorite things to read on VSN.

 

[Deegeezy]

Never threw an incompletion, 5 yards per carry and a 28 point win... and I didn't show you a single "money play", "nano blitz" or any other bogus glitch that you find on those dumb websites.

Who needs eBooks anyway?

P.S. Not a perfect 158.3 rating? What more do they want out of the guy than 14/14 and 3 TDs? :smh:

Yards per completion maybe?

 

[DSpydr84]

Slowing Down an Aerial Assault​

You hear coaches and announcers say it all the time: "Take what the defense gives you". But as a defense, have you ever thought of using that to your advantage?

We talked earlier about how as a defense, you can't cover everything. And on each play, you are giving something up, in order to take something else away. In theory, the offenses job is to find out what you're giving up, then attack it. But if you know what you're giving up, you should be able to control any offense you play against because you should know the where the holes are in your defense.

Follow what I'm saying?

Let's say for example, I run a Cover 4 zone the entire game. That's the only play I run on defense from the opening kick to the final whistle. Now as a defense, I know that my Cover 4 is giving up holes in the running game, and passes to the flats. So in this sense, I am telling the offense, "the only way you are going to win this game is if you have a dominant running game, and you throw the ball short". You can see that if all goes according to plan and nobody blows a coverage, we have total control over the offense. We'll know exactly where the ball will go and what kind of plays they'll use.

This is just one of the many ways you can dictate how the offense should play. The goal is to control the offense and force them to call plays that they don't want to use. There are three more points of emphasis that I wanted to hit on with this post that I think will be beneficial to stopping a high-powered offense.


Know What You Got

What kind of players do you have on defense? What kind of identity does the roster have? Knowing what kind of talent you have will help you in calling plays. If you have a strong defense line, you'll know that you won't always need to blitz to generate pressure. If you have a strong secondary, you'll know you can trust them one-on-one and maybe you can blitz more often.

In the same token, if you have a weak secondary, it might be best to protect those players by not putting them in situations to be unsuccessful. Know what your players can and cannot handle. If you know there is an obvious mis-match somewhere, make sure that player has help or that he's not in a position to lose the battle.

Remember, the offense is trying to attack YOU. And chances are, they're not going to come out throwing at Nnamdi Asomougha or running at Albert Haynesworth.


Know What You're Up Against

If you're playing the New York Giants, that Cover 4 idea we talked about earlier is probably a dumb idea. Know what kind of players the opponent has on offense, then formulate a strategy around that.

A technique you could use is try to take away the offenses best player, and force the opponent to win the game with somebody else. So against the Giants, you could stack 9 in the box and force the offense to win the game by throwing the ball. Maybe against Arizona you'd use a Dime or Quarter coverage all game and force the offense to win by throwing short or running the ball. If you can take away what the offense is good at, and you force them to beat you another way, you may take them out of their element and they could make mistakes.


Know What They Like

This ties into the last comment, but as the game goes along, try to remember what kind of plays they like to use in certain situations. If you can really develop a knack for this kind of thing, it will ASTRONOMICALLY help your defense. If they caught you on a WR Screen earlier in the game on 3rd and long, and you notice on the next third and long that they're using the same personnel group as the screen play, go with "Double Z" and take that play away. Even remembering two or three of their favorite plays from certain formations will greatly improve your success as a defense. Again, it's about taking the offense out of their comfort zone. You want to force them to beat you in ways they are not used to.



The bottom line is that defensively, it is important for you to take control of the game and force the offense away from what they like to do. If you can control the offenses attack, there is a great chance that you will slow it down and bring it to a stop altogether. If the other team can win the game by playing outside of their element for four quarters, they deserve to win anyway.. because they're a great player. But I'm willing to bet they won't.

 

[DSpydr84]

Wow Dspdr you have some excellent strategic prowess. Are you a former quarterback or defensive coordinator?

I did play a little QB in high school, but nothing too major. I just love following the game, I love the strategy behind it. I've been studying football for a long time.


By the way, I'm glad you guys are liking the thread so far. I'll have another update up hopefully tomorrow about containing a scrambling quarterback. I know it's the offenses turn for the next update (if you noticed I was going back and forth) but I think with all the Vick users hopping online it's time to put a stop to them now! Stay tuned.

 

[Chadman]

i find the best way to contain a scrambling qb is to blitz from from all angles....corner blitzes are ftw against the cheese.

 

[goDawgs1433]

i find the best way to contain a scrambling qb is to blitz from from all angles....corner blitzes are ftw against the cheese.

Meh, but if someone is patient and has a good O-Line and knows how to set his backs and tight ends to block, he can dance around you and you'll have nobody on the 2nd level.

Gotta use QB spies, IMO. Have one of your fast linebackers watching that quarterback on every play.

 

[DSpydr84]

Being Aggressive to Stop a Scrambling Quarterback​

With players like Michael Vick and Vince Young taking the online world by storm, every player this year will need a defensive gameplan for shutting down a scrambling quarterback. When going against a scrambling QB, you can expect to see one of these four types of players:


1) The Lost Cause

This player has no idea what he's doing. He probably only plays Madden a few times a week and wanted to try out a running quarterback. There's nothing wrong with this kind of player (Life > Madden), I'm just saying you probably don't need my help to slow him down.


2) The Track Star

The only reason this player is using a scrambling quarterback is to run wild. They don't plan on using that new invention, the forward pass. Expect them to set up blocks and try to use clearout patterns to get a big run.


3) The Decoy

This player has a scrambling quarterback, but rarely runs with him. He may be a fan of the team, or he's using the running QB as a way of getting you to play a particular defense against him. He'll run if he absolutely has to, but he's mostly looking to use the QB as a passer and hope that you respect him as a runner.


4) The Stud

These are the guys you really have to look out for. They'll scramble with the QB as much as they'll drop back and sling it. There's no one way to slow them down, you'll have to be as creative as they are and keep them on their toes from beginning to end by mixing up your coverage and creating looks they're unfamiliar with.


And that is where we'll begin.

The goal of the defense is to confuse the quarterback by using multiple formations and plays, create the illusion that you have more players on defense than you really do, and control the direction of the quarterback by understanding where the 'backdoor' (or escape route) of your defense is.. potentially trapping the quarterback in the process.


Play with 11 guys, not 9

A lot of guys like to use 'contain' rushes against scrambling quarterbacks, but I find that to be useless. You're essentially taking 2 players off your defense to keep the QB in the pocket. Come on man.. use your head! There are plenty of ways to keep the QB in the pocket without having two guys standing around waiting for something to happen.

It's not a bad idea to use a contain play here and there, but don't make it your base defense. It's not hard for the other player to pick up on that and sit pretty in the pocket with all day to throw the ball. That's not what we want defensively; we want to pressure the quarterback and try to force him into making mistakes. At the very least, we want to get in his face.


The Defense Always Uses a Spy..... Or Do They?

When I play a scrambling quarterback, I almost always control the middle linebacker. My job 90% of the time is to either legitimately spy the quarterback, or just make him think I'm spying him. That's what I like to call "shadowing" the QB; I'm not all over him, but he knows if he starts running, I'm chasing after him.

You can shadow with Man or Zone coverage. If you're in a Cover 2 zone, you can sway slightly from your middle responsibility to make sure the quarterback isn't going anywhere. If he starts moving around, check your zone to see if he's trying to move you out of a throwing lane, then give chase. You don't necessarily have to make the play, you just have to make sure he knows you're watching him.

The same principle would apply in a Cover 1. You control the player in the hook zone, and take care of business like usual. Just keep an eye on the QB if he wants to get out of there or if the play is taking a while to develop and you think he might look for a running lane.

There are plenty of coverages that let you get away with shadowing. Obviously you don't want to pick a zone that has only one player in the middle (like some Cover 4's, or the Cover 3 from Nickel 3-3-5), because if you start running after the quarterback, you'll leave a huge throwing lane right up the center. Try to keep a 3-hook rule; if the play has 3 hook defenders (the yellow zones), you can probably shadow on that play and not get hurt too much in the throwing game.


Break the Front Door and Sneak Through the Back

Try to be in the quarterback's shoes for a second. If you see the entire defense line crash to the left side, you're probably going to roll to your right... right?

So as a defense, why not try crashing the defensive line left, with a cornerback blitz from the right? The quarterback doesn't have anywhere to go; if he wants to go left, he'll run into your RE, and if he goes right, he'll get hit by the blitzing corner. Up the middle is washed out because the line is crashing.

Or maybe you can try a play from dime that has both the dime and nickel DB's blitzing, and a DT in a spy. There's a play in 3-2-6 that works well for this called "Strike 2 Spy". You're creating a lot of pressure off the edge with the corner blitzes, and the quarterback only has one way to go: up the middle. With your DT in a spy right up the gut, he really has nowhere to go. Even if the blitz gets picked up, you still have a shell Cover 2 coverage with no missing defenders. That's better than a contain rush as far as I'm concerned.

The point is you're trying to create the illusion that you have players everywhere. You're creating pressure while still having 6-7 guys in coverage. You want the quarterback to hesitate and pay attention to your rush because the more time he's watching the defensive line, the less time he's watching the secondary and trying to find a passing lane. You don't even have to blitz once you get to a certain point.. you could Shadow the quarterback the entire second half and still do fine if you shell-shocked him enough in the first half (of course, it's a lot more fun to keep bringing the heat ).


Do Nothing

There's no fancy play on words there. Sometimes it's best to literally do nothing against a scrambling quarterback; just play your regular defense. A play like 2 Man Under isn't the best idea, but most all other plays are at least average against a running threat. What's the worst that could happen? If they're down a couple scores, let the guy run. He's probably not gonna score, it'd basically be a good running play. Nothing to get worried about.



Hopefully using these techniques, you can slow down a running threat without doing too much to hurt the back end of your defense. Like I said before, the ideal situation is to create pressure on the quarterback (whether it be legitimate pressure or false pressure) while still having plenty of players in pass coverage to defend the throw. Find out what your opponent likes to do with his QB and know when to attack.

 

[DSpydr84]

DE contain works pretty well with a qb spy. Blitzing can be more effective on scramblers because they usually arent looking down the field first, giving you extra time to get to him. I like to overload one side and DE contain the other

That's exactly what I mean by "break the front door and sneak through the back". You're creating a lot of obvious pressure on one side, and when the QB tries to escape, he's met with somebody else. I bet this is a pretty effective technique when you mix it in.

 

[AllOutBlitz]

Impossible for your RB to check both outside blitzers...

Half slide protect...LT/LG/C--take both DL on left and outside LB

RB=double reads Mike to SAM

Line man protects on the right