Monday, February 27, 2006

MaddenTips.com Newsletter - Volume 2

VG Sports and Maddentips.com has launched the latest edition of our Madden newsletter. Each month we'll bring you new content, strategies, tips and thoughts about the game. This newsletter is published in Adobe PDF Format. To download the free Adobe Reader,visit http://www.adobe.com.

Madden Filmroom Updates

We've just released our latest group of tips for the week. Each week, the Virtual Filmroom brings the hottest Madden 2006 tips and strategies right to your desktop.

February 27, 2006

4-3 Under Zone Blitz - The 4-3 Under Zone Blitz is a solid defense to call to bring heat on the QB because it can be deceptive with the linemen dropping back in pass coverage, while the linebackers blitz. In this write up we take a Cover 3 zone that sends 4 defenders to rush the QB to a Cover 2 zone that sends 7 defenders to rush the QB.

Singleback Big Outs - I'm taking a look over my Tennessee playbook and looking at some plays to help move the ball through the air while in the 5-10 yard area going into the end zone. Many players get really basic when in this area and only go to a QB sneak or HB/FB dive. This week we will show how easy it is to get a passing touchdown in this area using the Singleback Big Outs.

Singleback Double Stack Cross Corners - Last week in the filmroom we took a look at five plays from the Washington Redskins playbook. Thse are some of our favorites to run out of the Singleback Stack Weak against Bump-N-Run man coverage. Another formation we like to call plays from the Redskins playbook that does a good job at beating Bump-n-Run man coverage is the Singleback Double Stack. This formation has the SE and FL lining up behind the SL1 and SL2. Because of this there are ways to create plays by the use of playmaker and hot routes to get 1 or more receivers off the line of scrimmage without being jammed. One of those plays is the WR Corners. Here is how we run it.

Bengals Playbook Breakdowns - This week we take a look at four plays from the Cincinnati Bengals Playbook that are out of the Singleback Tight Slots. Three of the four plays are passes. In each play we use the same motion to give the defense the same look.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Madden '92 Flashback

by VG Staff Writer Kobra

When you think of classic Madden, Madden 92 (actually called John Madden Football 92) on the old Sega is usually the one that pops up in most minds. With the weird funky electronic music kicking in during the intro screen you can’t help but feel like a kid again. The game play isn't much different from the very first Madden on the Apple that was put out in 1990, but the number of options in game had grown with this version. You could select from all 28 professional teams (plus an All-Madden team) and a ton of plays that were not in the first game.

Instant replays were added so you could look at how the play was run. I know from my personal standpoint, I used it a lot. Four weather conditions were added such as snow and rain, which actually affected the game play. You could play head-to-head or with a teammate against the CPU. I hated it when my friend took control of a receiver and missed the pass because he lacked stick control, lol. Players could be injured. When a player is injured, an ambulance came speeding out onto the field, running over several other players in the process!

Substitutions were a big part of the game. I remember putting DBs on the defensive line to get pressure on the QB. My buddies used to hate that type of game play, but hey it worked. Other nice features that were included in Madden 92 were tipped-passes, unsportsmanlike conduct calls for late hits, a larger variety of audibles, and the ability to review and overturn pass interference calls. Play modes included Pre-Season, Regular Season, Playoffs and Sudden Death.

The impressive 80-page(!) manual that came with the game contained not only complete instructions for play, but also descriptions of all the formations and pages of team statistics! Back then you received a print out of all the plays. I used to get mine laminated at Kinko’s as soon as I got the game. It cost me some money, but it was nice to have them next to me to study any time I wanted to (to do this for Madden 2006, check out the Virtual Playbook at Maddentips.com).

The game had a wicked sense of humor that made it an instant classic. The only other game I played as much as Madden 92 was Super Tecmo Bowl on the NES. As soon as I got Madden 92, my friends and I stopped playing Tecmo Bowl and moved on to Madden. Since then we have never looked back.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Madden 2006 Rosters

New rosters are on the way for Madden 2006. Join the roster talk at the VG Sports forums.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Madden Filmroom Updates

Quarter Normal 3 Deep Man - One of the best coverages in football is the Cover 3. In Madden though this is not the case. I have taken time to figure out what Cover 3 plays the best and can be relied on in a game situation. The general thought from a defensive standpoint is that this type of coverage will always have us in position to defend the pass. I know you're thinking... aren't all defenses designed to defend whatever is thrown at it? That train of thought is correct but the Cover 3 as a design should put 2 players around any pass threat. I have gone through the different cover 3 defenses and found that the Quarter Normal 3 Deep Man gives us the best chance to stay successful against the pass and run.

4-3 Normal Free Fire Flip - This week in the filmroom we want to take a look at a defense we showed showed back in the August 15th edition of the filmroom. Instead of running the way we showed in that write up, we want to make a few different adjustments. The first adjustment is to flip the play at the play call screen. Instead of the MLB getting the pressure on the QB like it was on the 15th, it will be the LOLB who brings the heat. Here is how we set up the 4-3 Normal Free Fire Flip.

Singleback Tight WR Option - We have had some VG forum members show some interest in the Tampa Buccaneers Playbook over the last few weeks. We thought this week we would take a look at one of the pass plays from that playbook that we really like. The Singleback Tight Option is a good play to call against zone and man coverage because of the pass route run by the FL. Below we show how we like run it against Cover 0 coverage.

Washington Redskins Playbook Breakdown - This week we take a look at five plays from the Washington Redskins playbook. Instead of just showing five random plays from different formations, we thought we would show how to string five plays together from the Singleback Stack Double Weak to beat Bump-n-Run man coverage. Four of the five plays we show below are pass. We also used the same motion for all five plays to give each of them the same look to keep our opponent from knowing which play is being called.

Madden 2006 - Offensive Strategies

For the last 4 months, Kobra has been hanging out in his Madden Mad Scientist lab cooking up some killer strategies from the Raiders playbook. Once he gets them perfected, he takes them online where he has rung up over 350 wins and a Top 20 ranking.

Kobra has done an incredible job breaking down the book, but I wanted to add another little something special. VG's own Big B has been hot on the Oakland playbook since day 1 (in fact, he's the one that told Kobra all about it). Big B breaks down his never before revealed offensive plan step by step.

They've tested hundreds of plays to see what works and what doesn't in a hardcore head-to-head and online environment. They've found a pile of plays that don't hold up to the stress of competitive action, but those special diamonds in the rough were worth all that work.

VG Sports has put together an offensive system completely based on what works...

...And avoids what doesn't.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Madden 2006 - Mid-game Adjustments Part 3

by VG Staff Writer Lbzrule

Offensively the idea is to set them up for the explosive play anyways. So that's exactly the adjustment we will make. Run a deep route that is built off one of the shorter routes we were running to get the guy to bite on what he had already seen previously but short. If we do start encountering some problems with the blitz, we'll simply adjust our personnel package to get some extra protection for the QB. But the routes in the passing game they are going to remain the same.

Defensively, I like to move to multiple front packages as well as different types of blitzes to stop the run and bring pressure on the passer. Pass defense I might start using more press coverage, if I have the talent at CB to do so. Even if the offense is trying to hit me with the same route, I'll try to get to the QB with an A.I defender blitzing and myself blitzing before he gets that ball off. If it is Gates, Heap, Gonzalez or Shockey, I don't even worry about trying to have lots of guys in zone to defend where they are because the high pass to guys like that is going to be complete, so the best thing to do is get in the face of the QB IMO. Those guys cannot catch it, if the QB can't throw it

Madden 2006 - Mid-game Adjustments Part 2

by VG Staff Writer Lbzrule

On offense I want to run a philosophy that is simple, but it dictates. Defensively, the ideal is to run the same thing: something that is simple but dicates. However, we are not always so lucky. Defensively we must look. Unfortunately we do not have precise scouting to know what the opponent likes to do so it is all on the fly. So what I do on the first couple of series to gauge what is going on is this. I'll have a paper and pen next to me. On this sheet of paper I'm going to make 3 rows and about 5 to 6 columns. The 3 rows are R = Run, P= Pass, PA = PA. The 5 to 6 columns are 1st down, 2nd and Long, 2nd and short, 3rd and long, 3rd and medium, 3rd and short. If he runs on 1st down I put a check on the 1st down column under the R row. Right now you are not really worried about formation as much as what he is doing because people tend to think in patterns. Once I get the information I need off the first two series, then I tighten up. All the while I am simply going to run a base look. If I can defend the opponent with the base look, I'm not going to move into any other special fronts. Not going to do any special blitzes. Only when they start giving me some really bad fits will I move into making adjustments. You can do this same thing for offense btw. Make a chart and mark down what's happening on first down, 2nd and so forth. If he is always 8 in the box on 1st down or always blitzing on first down then that should give you some idea of where to attack.

I think what we have seen thus far in the Playoffs is exactly that. Looking back, notice the Giants D had to start moving Gibril Wilson down in the box because they could not stop the run. On first downs the Giants had Wilson in the box alot, thus expecting the run, the Panthers sold it to them that way. Unfortunately their adjustments did not help them. I saw them move into several different fronts but to no avail, guys just couldn't tackle. The Panthers made an adjustment too. They used PA and started passing on 1st down. Also they looked at the Giant CB's and how they were lined up. When they saw them off they changed the play. Quick screen to Steve Smith for mega yardage.

Madden 2006 - Mid-game Adjustments Part 1

by VG Staff Writer - Lbzrule

On offense I believe in being very simple. I run a base offense that is composed of 20 plays. The passing game for my offense is built off of the 14 base pass patterns in the base offense. I'm going to run a Mesh and Shallow crossing scheme. When and IF the defense adjusts to it that's when, I'll move to the remainder of my offense that builds off of the base. With the mesh and the crossing concept it doesn't matter what he runs, the QB always has a primary and secondary read. We rarely if ever get to the third read, most times we do not need to. With the Mesh and Shallow Cross, I apply a Hi-Lo philosophy. This is why we rarely need to check down to the third read. Hi-Lo can pick apart both man and zone. Let's say my slot guy is shallow In route and my FL on the same side is running a deep In route. Against Man we hit the shallow WR as alot of picks and rubs will happen in there as the linebackers attempt to clear the area. He should get some seperation against the defender. Against zone I'm just going to read the OLB, if he jumps on the shallow WR, I'm going to hit the deep In, if he drops back on the deep in, I'm going to hit the shallow IN. Works like a charm

Of course I'm running this to set up an explosive play. Once I see a player attempting to account for it manually, then I'm going to set him up with the FL running a post corner. When the FL makes the move in most times the other player thinks it is the same deep In route, so he jumps on it. Then the FL hits the Corner and finds the football

Back to simplicity. The offensive philosophy here is adaptable to any front and coverage. It's adaptable to 7 man, 8 man, all kinds of blitzes. In the end he can do whatever he wants. I'm dictating to him and until he catches up with me, too bad Also if I have gotten in a few explosive plays and I see him back the corners off, I'll just throw the quick screen Made some big plays off of this.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Madden Tips and Strategies

Okay, so you finally have Madden NFL 06 in your sweaty little palms, or you're about to hit your local game store and pick it up. You're pumped up. You're ready to play....

....but this year you want an edge. You're not satisfied with being mediocre or even good. You want to be the best. You want to dominate. You want to humble your opponent! You want to be able to complete a pass...

If you are a competitor and want to take advantage of every opportunity available to improve your game, then you have come to the right place.

If you are not familiar with me and my team at VG Sports, let me tell you a bit about what we do. VG Sports has been providing Madden strategies to the gaming community since 2001. VG Sports has been featured on G4/Tech TV, a proud member of the video game community and the professor behind the 2005 EA Sports Madden University.