Steelers Video Playbook - Preview

This week we are creating a new revolution in the way that Madden strategies are presented on the Internet. We've been running our Filmroom site for years, and the videos are always well received. But we wanted to take things to the next level.

For the first time, we are putting out a complete playbook breakdown that is 100% online video. With over 90 Steelers Playbook concepts broken down, this product will include over 6 hours of video!!

We are in the process of loading all the videos up to the server, and should have everything ready to roll in the next couple of days. We already have a pile of players chomping at the bit with credit cards in hand, ready to snatch this up as soon as we launch.

There is a very distinct possibility that we limit the number of Steelers Video Playbooks that we sell. We've never done this before and we want it to be very special, unique and exclusive. We also want to make sure that our members have plenty of bandwidth available to them to view the guides.

With that said, we've created an Early Notification List. We are going to give you a head start on getting your hands on the Steelers Video Playbook before anybody else.

To get on this list and view 2 Free Samples from the Steelers Video Playbook, go to:

http://www.maddenvideoplaybook.com

Is Your Madden 09 Game Evolving?

I look at the Madden season as being comprised of two pretty
distinct stages. First, there is the initial learning phase. This
comes right when the game comes out. Players have to learn the new
features and nuances of the game.

They have to check out what works from last year, and what doesn't.
We often find that players have become dependent on certain
tactics (the strafe catch for example) and struggle at the game.

Gradually the players get past this learning curve, go back to
their fundamental X's and O's and begin to master the game.

Our Virtual Playbook found at:

http://www.maddentips.com/madden09.html

is geared towards helping experienced players get over this curve
quickly. For new players, it helps them achieve the same solid
base that long time competitive players have.

Phase 2 of the game begins when players really begin to explore the
game in earnest. New go-to tactics develop and begin to be put
into action online and in tournament play. The game of Madden
evolves.

If you are a serious Madden player and don't want to be left
behind, then you have to spend some serious time in the Lab
practicing the game and looking for new schemes.

If you are like most people, then you don't have 20 hours a week to
devote to finding new stuff and learning to counter glitches and
money schemes that have hit you online.

That's where the Virtual Filmroom steps in. Each week my staff
prepares a minimum of 5 Strategy breakdowns to keep you on the
cutting edge of the competitive Madden world.

These breakdowns plus videos will help you continue to grow as a
player and keep you up to date on the latest techniques that are
being used at the highest levels of competitive play.

We've given the Filmroom a completely new look this year and have
added a ton of new features to really take it to the next level.

With our new Virtual Filmroom 2.0, you'll be able to interact with
our staff like never before. You'll be able to post
questions/comments on each article, and you'll get answers straight
from the writers themselves.

You'll have access to powerful tools like our Playfinder, and be
able to take advantage of new features like our Weekly Group Lab
Session.

To find out more about how you can get your hands on the Virtual
Filmroom 2.0 and skyrocket your gaming abilities, visit:

http://www.maddenfilmroom.com

Virtual Playbook for Madden 09

Madden release is only a few days away. Are you taking the day off
work? Planning to call in sick? Or are you one of the lucky few to
already have a copy in your hands? No matter what your plans are
for Madden release day, you will need all the help you can get to
overcome the learning curve that the new game presents.

This is where the team at MaddenTips.com steps in. We've been
playing the game for a while now and have a great understanding of
what is new and what you need to know to dominate the competition
right out of the gate.

I've watched a ton of Madden sites pop up and then either dry up or
sell out to big gaming publishers. I'm constantly amazed at the
junk I see sold on Ebay that people call Madden strategies. And to
be honest I'm sick of it as it gives sites like mine a bad name.

Fortunately for you, if you are serious about becoming a better
Madden gamer, learning the game inside and out, and getting in on
the cutting edge of the Madden strategy world, then we have the
solution for you.

Beginning today, you can reserve your copy of the Virtual Playbook
for Madden 09 and get the strategies you need to be competitive
from day one! The guide will be out on August 12th, but by
ordering today, you get access to some special bonuses and more
importantly...a VIP discount!

In addition to diagrams of all the plays in the game, you'll
receive strategies like:

==> Using Motion in the Run Game...
==> Developing lethal Auto-Motion play combos...
==> Mastering the Double Move Cutback...
==> Creating Wicked Overload Blitz schemes...
==> Manual Pass Defending/User Picks...
==> Running the Singleback Attack...
==> Defending the Deep Ball...
==> Developing an Unstoppable Red Zone Offense...
==> Utilizing Pass Combos to Shred Coverages...
==> Making Pre-Snap Reads...
==> Killing the Defense with Your Shotgun Attack ...

We cover every single aspect of Madden 09. If fact we pack so many
killer strategies into our guide that we have to break it down into
3 Parts. It literally is the Bible for Madden 09 play.

Playbooks & Rosters



Offensive Strategies



Defensive Strategies



For more information about the Virtual Playbook and how you can get
your discount today, visit:

http://www.maddentips.com/madden09.html

Best Regards,

Bert Ingley
VG Sports, Inc.

P.S. We also have some great package deals available to you. When
you click to purchase from our secure server, you'll see three
unique upgrade options including our Patriots 09 Guide & Advanced
Tourney Strategy guide. All scheduled for game day release!

Favre in Madden 09

Probably not quite what EA SPORTS had in mind when they put Brett Favre on the cover of Madden NFL 09. No matter what team he is one though, Favre is worthy of a Madden cover. Here’s a couple of screens of Favre from Madden 09 in his new team’s gear.

See Favre in his new Madden 09 Jets gear

NCAA Football 09 - Defensive Tips

One of the biggest topics we have noticed this year regarding NCAA
09 Football is that players are struggling on play defense. With
man coverage not being very effective underneath, players are
finding it hard to stop the short passing game.

I'm sure you've been victimized by dink and dunk offenses that just
nickel and dime you up and down the field. Defending in NCAA
Football 09 will require a completely different approach than normal.

Slants, curls, drags, outs, digs and other short pass routes rip
man coverage apart. The best chance to defend these types of pass
routes is to call zone coverage with multiple players playing zone
coverage underneath.

This year we like to call Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone coverages. Cover
2 does a better job at defending the underneath pass routes because
there are 5 or 6 defenders playing underneath pass coverage. With
more defenders covering underneath, they create less throwing lanes.

When we are playing Cover 2 zone coverage, we like to control one
of the defenders underneath and patrol the short areas of the field
(5-7 yards from the line of scrimmage). We watch for any receivers
coming in our area.

Believe it or not, our objective is to force our opponent to throw
deep. We do this because we believe we have a better chance of
picking off the deep pass rather the short pass. The reason we say
this is the ball is up in the air longer on deep throws than short
throws. This gives us more time to switch to a defender and pick
off the pass.

Now if you don't have good user stick control, you will have major
problems trying to defend a player who knows how to rocket catch on
offense. If you know how to rocket catch on offense, then you
shouldn't have much of a problem rocket catching on defense.

Something else you may want to look into is hook zones. On some
defensive diagrams, it shows a defenders dropping in a particular
area while in a hook zone. The problem with these diagrams is they
are not always accurate.

The diagram may show the LB dropping straight back in hook zone,
but once on the field, he moves at a left or right angle while
dropping back. This takes him out of position.

One way to solve this problem is to hot route the defender into a
hook zone. Instead of taking an angle while dropping back, he will
now drop straight back into a hook zone.

For more tips and schemes on how you can improve your defense and
get pressure on the Quarterback, check out the Virtual Playbook for
NCAA Football 09 at www.ncaa09tips.com

Madden 09 Community Day Impressions - Part 2

by VG Sports Kobra

Run Game

Big B will happy with this part of the game or at least I think he will. The few guys I talked with seem to agree with me that the run game is back in the NG. I am not much of a runner, but when you get Marion Barber in your backfield, you can’t help but want to pound the rock. In the games I got to play, I ran him between 15-20 times and was averaging around 4.1 yards a carry. The holes tend to open up more. Now I didn’t get to spend a lot of time running against dime and quarter formations, so I can’t say if those two can defend the run like in years past. As we get closer to Madden launch day, you can bet we will have more time on sticks to give you a better idea of how the run game will work.

Playbooks

Not all the playbooks were done with the build we played today. I believe 75% of books were completed. I can tell you there are new formations and several new plays to choose from. Also the formation names have been change. Shotgun formations are now called Gun. For those of you who have played real football, you will find a lot of same terminology is now used in Madden.

I am big fan of passing concepts and they are all over the Madden playbooks such as Drive, Mesh, and Texas. I know they were in the game last year, but even more plays with the same concepts can now be found in several different formations. What I like about this is I can run the same passing concepts, but from different formations to keep my opponent from knowing what I am running.

Each team has it’s own defensive playbook. I didn’t get a chance to check out all of them or even know which were done. However I did see new plays. One of them that stood out to me is Man Press. What I like about this play is when I lab I don’t have to use two controllers. I can just play with one whenever I want to work on beating bump-n-run man coverage. By calling this defense the CPU defenders are automatically put in bump-n-run man coverage. This makes it really easy to work on plays that beat bump-n-run man coverage.

Some of the New Features Added

Here is quick look at some of the new features added to Madden NFL 09.

Virtual Trainer – In the mode you can test your skills by performing various drills to improve your game.

EA Rewind – Basically lets you roll back by replaying the last play.
New Booth Commentators – Really nice to have a two-man booth calling the game again.

Action Camera (I think that’s the name of it) – At first I didn’t like it, and I switched to Madden classic. After a game or so, I decided I would give it a try again. It’s not too bad once you get use to it. It does allow you see the field better. I wonder how much it will really affect playing defense. I’ll need to spend more time with it before I decide what camera I want to use.

Online Leagues – I am not going to spend a lot of time with this feature in this article, but I will write up a more in-depth article later this week. I will say that this will increase the game play replay value tremendously.

Weather Effects – Brings in another element when playing Madden.

User Celebration – Pretty cool if you mange to get in the end zone. Different players will perform different types of celebrations. It’s a nice way to talk some trash to your buddy playing next to you.

Bluff Art – I really like this feature being added to Madden. When playing next to your opponent, you can use it bluff your opponent or use it to view pass routes or blitz assignments that you may have forgotten.

Slide Protection – Nanos shouldn’t be as effective as they were in Madden 08 thanks to this new game feature for the NG.

Formation Audibles – Another game play feature I am glad was brought over from CG. Real nice to have when you see something in the defense that you can exploit.

Smart Routes – Works like it did before in CG.

That’s it for now. I will be answering your questions on the forums over next few days.

http://www.maddentips.com/forums

Madden 09 Community Day Impressions - Part 1

by VG Sports Kobra

Last year I felt the game improved on the NG, but not as much as I would have hoped. As many of you know there were several features, glitches, and other problems within inside the game. This year EA SPORTS has made a concerted effort to add features that the causal and hard core community will enjoy. They also have made the effort to remove past glitches and problems that have the plagued the game.

Now I am not going to tell you that they corrected everything, but they did get rid some of the more well know problems like the 3 Man Pass Rush and Double Pass. They also toned down the rocket and spectacular catch, and fixed flipping plays to break down the pass coverages.

When I got my hands on the game, I went to straight to play now, turned off the play clock, and starting digging into the game play.

User Catch Offense

The first thing I tried was to rocket catch. When I played NCAA 09 the day before, my nickname around the rest of the community leaders was “Rocket Man”. I figured I’ll try it in Madden and see what happens. I was not able to perform the same rocket animations I was able to get on NCAA, nor was I was able to get the high spectacular catch like 08.

Even when I did get high up in the air, the defensive backs were jumping just as high. I tried Moss, Johnson, Edwards and Buress. Against 2 Man Deep coverage, I didn’t have a lot of success. When I was able to go up to make the catch either the defensive backs were knocking the ball down or they were laying out my receiver. It was down right nasty to watch as the strong safety blasted the receiver over and over.

Now I will admit I did have more success with the mini jet pack against zone coverage. As far as pulling off the rocket catch, I can still get it, but not on short and intermediate pass routes, I was only able to turn the receiver around on deeper routes. As I already mentioned early, even when I was able to be in position to make the catch, the defenders were all over me. When I tried to undercut the defenders in coverage, they would have none of that. They were able to keep position to knock the pass down or pick it off. Remember how defenders would turn away when the receiver was going up for the catch in the past. That’s not the case in the version of the game I played today. The CPU defenders were like vultures circling their prey. Now I am sure as we all play the game, we are going to find creative ways to catch the ball manually, but I will tell you for now if you were one of those who abused user catching in 08, you will find it a lot more difficult in 09.

User Catch Defense

In my opinion playing defense in Madden 09 should be fun because now the defenders can get up in the air with the right animation trigger. Heck even if you don’t want to take control of the defenders, the CPU does a nice job at defending the pass. To me playing defense feels smoother than any version so far on the NG. It should make those switching from CG to NG a a little more comfortable.

Underneath Passing Game

I’ve gone into a lot of detail already about the deep passing game, now I want to give some thoughts on the underneath passing game. One of things I have felt I have always been good at is the dink and dunk offense. In Madden 09, the underneath passing game may be the best way to move the ball through the air. Slants, curls, drags, hitches, flats, and crossing routes are all effective to name a just a few.

Now I am not saying they are money because against the right defense it’s not going to be there. For instance zones tend to defend the crossing routes better than what man coverage provides. One of the reasons I say this is because of the way the receivers tend to get separation as the ball is just about to be caught. For instance I threw a pass to T.O. It looked like he wasn’t going to be able to get it even if I took control of him, but at the last second, he got a little speed burst and separated from the defender and made the catch.

I also make several user catches on what I like to call corner routes with an inside release (also known as backward C routes). I used the sprint button and was able to get the same separation. I believe this game play feature may separate the players who take control of receivers and defenders once the ball is thrown. For instance if I play against a human who doesn’t take control of his receivers, I will be able to take control of the defender in coverage, and use the speed burst button to negate the speed burst that the CPU uses.

I will be able to jump the route for a pick or at the very least use the swat button to knock the pass away. Now if my opponent takes control of the receiver, he can use the speed burst button to get the catch. It should be nice battle for players who like to control their receivers and defenders.

The Madden Minute - March 13, 2008

This week's edition of the Madden Minute has been posted...

One of the most popular go-to running plays in tournament play is the FB Dive. Many guys who use the FB Dive in their offense are doing so out of the Goal Line formation.

But, if you play in leagues, you typically are not allowed to use goal line all over the field, so the Strong I Jumbo gives you another set that is just effective as goal line running.

For this week's breakdown, go to http://www.maddentips.com/maddenminute

VG Sports releases Madden Strategy DVD!!

Over the past several years, Kobra and I have debated about releasing a strategy DVD. He's been pushing really hard, and finally I relented. Frankly, I didn't want to have to deal with the hassle of printing DVDs and shipping them out. I told him if he wanted it, he had to put it together.

Well, if you've been around VG Sports for very long, then you know what a tireless worker Kobra is. I don't know anybody that logs as many hours in the practice lab as he does.

Kobra went at it full force and has put together an incredible DVD with 30 never before revealed passing concepts from the Run N Gun Playbook...ALL ON VIDEO.

That's right, for the first time ever you'll receive a package right at your doorstep from VG Sports instead of just through cyberspace. The Run N Gun Passing Concepts DVD has over 60 minutes of strategy breakdowns that will help you amp up your offense yet again. And now you don't have to sit at your computer & read...you can just chill on your couch and soak up the knowledge.

To find out more about this new DVD, go to http://www.maddentips.com/KobraDVD

The Madden Minute - February 21, 2008

It's that time of the week as VG Sports brings you the February 21st
edition of The Madden Minute.

This week we take a look at a great strategy tool that you can use to
locate plays and formations. Finding the proper playbook is the #1 key
to success on offense.

For this week's edition, go to http://www.maddentips.com/maddenminute

The Madden Minute - February 14, 2008

Big B & Kornstar get on the line with VG Bert for a 30 minute discussion on how to run a devestating offense in Madden.

Creating a scheme that attacks all areas of the field is key to being able to dictate the game to the defense. You'll learn all about the uncovered WR theory and how to avoid the alley defender.

Click here for the Madden Minute

Big B's Guide to the Compression Offense - 401

Unless you've been hiding under a rock this year, you've probably caught the Madden Nation show and the Madden Challenge on TV. Da Problem took down the championship in both events to solidify himself as the undisputed player of the year. Other Madden Regionals went to players like Marc Dogg, Brusk and Kornstar.

What do all of these incredible players have in common?

They are all part of the EMB (Elite Madden Ballers), the hottest Madden crew in the country.

What else do they have in common?

They have all flourished under the leadership of EMB Commissioners Big B & Mr. Squeeze. Their crew has originated many of the techniques used by every top player this year.

In the Compression Guide 401, Big B continues to build on what has become the #1 scheme in all of Madden. He is going to put all these strategies on the table. Once again he's gonna crack open the door to his Lab and let you in.

Here's a couple tidbits of what you'll find inside:

   1.  Create Match Up Hell For Your Opponents With Hybrid Sets - Many guys have learned how to defend compression. Many can defend spread. But these hybrid sets are impossible to guard. Big B gives you the 411 on how you can total embarrass your opponents and pass at will.

   2. Get the EMB's Special Take on the Atlanta Playbook - Atlanta's Playbook is the most used playbook in the game today. At the Madden Challenge, almost every other TV had the Falcons book listed. But the EMB doesn't just do it like everybody else. You'll learn their own special flavor of bringing the pain with the ATL playbook.

   3. Discover a Killer I Form Scheme - What do you do when teams continually send Quarters 3 Man Pass Rush at your shotty sets? Simple, employ this audible down scheme and pound them into the dirt. Big B, T Money & Mr. Squeeze deliver the goods.

   4. Learn How to Bring It Old School From the RNG - T Money hit the lab and found one set that allowed the crew to run on a more consistent basis. This set also allowed them to mesh passing plays. Then later Squeeze, Problem, and outsider Chow found others plays that expanded this scheme. This section lists a series of plays and why they were used in order to move the ball on NG. This is a combo of Chow, Problem, Squeeze, T Money, and Big B's best stuff!

Plus you'll get 73 pages of KornStar's (Indy Regional Champ & Final 8 at Madden Championship) offense broken down in detail.

For more info go to: 

www.maddentips.com/compression401

The Madden Minute

Beginning today we will be introducing a new tool to help you
improve your game play...The Madden Minute.

Each and every Thursday, my team at VG Sports will hit you up with
a helpful Madden nugget. We' are striving to include lots of
multimedia so be on the look out and turn those speakers up.

For the first edition, go to http://www.maddentips.com/maddenminute

Enjoy!

VG Sports New Year's Special

Happy New Year!

It's been a fun year for us here at VG Sports and I wanted to take
a quick moment to thank you for your support in 2007. We are
looking forward to the new year and have some surprises in store
that you are going to really like.

This is one of my favorite times of year as I get to spend several
days in my easy chair soaking in some serious football. As a
Gainesville native, you can bet I'll be rooting for the Gators to
put the beat down on Michigan tomorrow. (sorry Wolverine fans out
there, but you are in for a butt whoopin!)

But if by some miracle, the Gators lose, feel free to email me and
"give me the business." I can take it!

Win or lose, it doesn't get much better than bowl season...but I am
going to throw a little bit of icing on your football cake as we
close out '07.

We ran a special during the holidays that proved to be a big
favorite with our subscribers. I would like to extend this
opportunity for you to save big on VG Sports strategy products as
we roll into the new year.

If you use the coupon code BCS when placing an order for any of our
Ebook guides, I'll give you 20% off the purchase price. Sound fair
enough?

This code will be valid through January 7th so you can catch all
the Bowl games and get your Madden/NCAA game up to par for '08.

You can use this code on any of the following products:

Virtual Playbook for Madden - http://www.maddentips.com
Virtual Playbook for NCAA - http://www.ncaa08tips.com
4-3 Defense - http://www.maddentips.com/43playbook
46 Defense - http://www.maddentips.com/46playbook
34 Defense - http://www.maddentips.com/34defense
Run N Gun - http://www.maddentips.com/rng
Patriots Guide - http://www.maddentips.com/pats
Spread Guide - http://www.maddentips.com/spread08

And here's the great news. All of these products are instantly
downloadable so you can start getting better any time day or night.

Thanks again for your support!!

MaddenConnection.com Launched

Today is an exciting day for the VG Sports Madden Community. We are taking a big step here to provide our members with a much more robust and powerful community. Our goal this year was to evolve as a company and to provide the best possible services to the community...by doing things we have never done before.

We are launching a brand new site today at http://www.maddenconnection.com

The VG Sports Madden Connection is a big part of this evolution. We are moving past just having a forum, into having a full fledged community site. We will be putting together a series of tutorial videos to show you exactly what you can do on the site, but some of the highlights include:

* Personal profile pages including photo galleries
* Ability to search members by playing style and console
* Create on the fly chat rooms
* Tons of FREE strategy content from the VG Sports team
* Private groups/league bulletin boards and forums

This is just scratching the surface of what is available here.

Okay, so what is changing? On Wednesday we will be locking the current forum. We will leave all of the threads in place, but no new posts will be able to be made.

Please visit the new site at www.maddenconnection.com and register for your free profile. This will give you access to all of the features on the site: forums, profiles, strategy content, etc.

We really encourage you to put a picture of yourself on your profile page so we can get to know you better. It is a lot of fun to see the faces behind the names we have come to know so well over the past 5 years. You can use your forum sig to show support for your favorite teams and players of course.

Fill out as much of the profile information as you like, paying special attention to listing your console of choice and your style of play. These items will be searchable which should aid you in being able to find games with fellow VG Sports members.

Other than that, post away! For those of you that have significant post counts (1500 or more) on the current boards, we have special awards that you will be able to post in your profile. These let everybody know that you've been here on VG for a long time and we'll be recognizing different levels of posts. These "badges of honor" are the best solution we could find to recognize you for your hard work in supporting our community since post counts won't carry over. Once you have registered, please PM me on the new site with your post count in the subject line and I'll get you your just rewards!

Unfortunately, when we moved to the new community site, we had to leave the old forums behind. Many vistors coming to this site for the first time don't know the history of VG Sports or the forums. Even though the old forum is locked for posting, there is a wealth of information, both useful and just plain funny to be found there. With 25,000 members and a quarter of a million posts, the Old School forum served us well for the last 5 years.

I know that there is often a resistance to anything new, but I am confident that the new benefits that this site will give us will far outweigh any negatives.

Thanks!

Madden Roster Update - October 24th

Roster Update – Next Gen

Weapons
• HB Marshawn Lynch – Bills - Becomes Trucking/Power Back – A smash mouth running back who runs very physical.
• HB LaMont Jordan – Raiders - Becomes Trucking/Power Back – A load to take down. His big body moves incredibly well.
• WR Dwayne Bowe – Chiefs - Becomes Spectacular Catch Receiver – Has made some very acrobatic catches in his first year.
• HB Joseph Addai – Colts - Becomes Elusive Back – Very shifty behind the Colts great offensive line.
• DT Darnell Docket – Cardinals – Becomes Power Move DL – Getting to the QB better than any other DT in the NFL right now.
• DE Kyle Vanden Bosch – Titans – Becomes Power Move DL – Another high motor defensive end that plays to the whistle and gets to the QB.
• TE Jason Witten – Cowboys – Becomes Route Running Weapon – A great pass catching tight end that is having his best season thus far.
• WR Terrell Owens – Cowboys – Loses Hands Weapon – Too many drops to be a hands weapon.
• HB Adrian Peterson – Vikings – Becomes Speed Weapon – Looks like the fastest and quickest running back in the league.
• QB Derek Anderson – Browns – Becomes Cannon Arm QB – Was deserving of this from the get go but has earned it this year firing the ball downfield.
• WR Reggie Wayne – Colts – Loses Spectacular Catch WR – Makes great catches but not the high flying ones.
• LB Joey Porter – Dolphins – Loses Finesse Move – Looking like his time at the top is nearing an end.
• WR Laveranues Coles – Jets – Becomes Spectacular Catch WR – Making great high flying catches week after week now.
• HB Leon Washington – Jets – Becomes Elusive Back – You don’t want to be in the open field with this guy.
• LB E.J. Henderson – Vikings – Becomes Big Hitter – His hits can be heard everywhere. A thumper.
• LT Bryant McKinnie – Vikings – Becomes Crushing Run Blocker – Combines with Hutchinson to form holes giant running lanes.
• WR Andre Davis – Texans – Becomes Speed Weapon - A vertical home run hitter for the Texans.

Ratings Up
• CB Marlin Jackson – 83 to 84 – Key contributor to an improved Colts defense.
• TE Dallas Clark – 87 to 88 – Having a pro bowl season for the Colts juggernaut.
• HB Marshawn Lynch – 83 to 84 – Running hard for the quarterback challenged Buffalo Bills.
• HB LaMont Jordan – 85 to 86 – Looks back to his old self after a year off. A load to tackle for sure.
• QB Tony Romo – 89 to 90 – What did Romo show us this week? How fast and athletic the Dallas QB is.
• QB Brett Favre – 90 to 92 – With little to no running game Favre has been the sole offensive reason the Packers have moved the ball this year.
• WR Donald Driver – 93 to 94 – Vastly underrated by most everyone. He is starting to get his due.
• HB Willie Parker – 90 to 91 – Fast Willie led the NFL in rushing up until his bye week.
• WR Dwayne Bowe – 77 to 79 – How bad did he look in Hard Knocks? How good does he look now.
• DT Darnell Dockett – 87 to 88 – Leads all defensive tackles in sacks. He is starting to live up to his potential in the Cardinals new defense.
• LB Michael Boley – 82 to 85 – Big time tackler in Atlanta.
• CB Phillip Buchanon – 77 to 80 – Hasn’t missed a beat in filling in for the injured Brian Kelly.
• QB Kurt Warner – 80 to 83 – The Cardinals offense is at its best when he is in there running the hurry up.
• WR Greg Jennings – 85 to 86 – Showed that he is back on the game winning touchdown run vs. the Chargers.
• WR James Jones – 78 to 79 – With the exception of the two fumbles vs. the Bears this rookie has the body language and physique of a veteran.
• WR Ruvell Martin – 69 to 71 – Has made several nice grabs in the Packers pass happy offense.
• TE Donald Lee – 78 to 80 – Starting for Bubba Franks now, he adds a new dimension of stretching the defense down the seam.
• HB DeShawn Wynn – 73 to 76 – Getting plenty of touches in the running back by committee Packer backfield.
• HB Vernand Morency – 79 to 81 – Definitely the most explosive and agile of the Packer backs.
• FB Korey Hall – 75 to 83 – The former college linebacker is the making the transition to NFL fullback.
• K Mason Crosby – 81 to 86 – Clutch kicker before his two misses vs. Washington.
• HB Jason Wright – 73 to 76 – Second string back in Cleveland. Filled in for an injured Jamal Lewis for the better part of two games.
• FB Mike Sellers – 83 to 87 – Dump off option for Jason Campbell. Ran over and through several Lions a couple weeks ago.
• HB Derrick Ward – 77 to 80 – Came out of nowhere to fill in for the Brandon Jacobs. Quick hard runner.
• HB Brandon Jacobs – 83 to 84 – If he stays healthy he will put up big numbers behind the underrated Giants Oline.
• WR Plaxico Burress – 92 to 93 – Starting to live up to his enormous potential and is shedding the “Plexiglass” nickname.
• FS Calvin Lowry – 70 to 74 – Starting for the tough as nails Tennessee defense.
• CB Fakhir Brown – 80 to 84 – Intercepted two passes, with 6 pass deflections, in his first game back from a 4 game suspension.
• CB Jabari Greer – 69 to 75 – Stepped up when injuries ravished the entire Bills defense. Shouldn’t lose his starting job.
• DE Anthony Hargrove – 73 to 76 – Underrated pass rusher that missed the first 4 games due to suspension.
• QB Trent Edwards – 70 to 74 – Can he win a game with his arm and is he the starter? The rookie has filled in pretty well for the injured Losman.
• K Nick Folk – 76 to 81 – The rookie kicker beat out Martin Gramatica in the preseason and is drilling everything so far. Including the game winning FG vs. the Bills twice.
• CB Jacques Reeves – 65 to 75 – Nickel back for the improving Cowboys pass defense.
• LB Anthony Spencer – 75 to 78 – His hold on a starting position might be coming to an end with the return of Greg Ellis but he has been solid so far.
• TE Jason Witten – 93 to 94 – Creating nightmares for opposing defenses, except for the Patriots, he already has his tickets to Honolulu.
• WR Ben Obomanu – 68 to 70 – Getting some playing time with the injuries to the Seattle receiving core.
• WR Brad Smith – 65 to 75 – Taking over as the Jets third WR.
• DT Rodrique Wright – 68 to 71 – Getting some playing time after a year on the IR.
• HB Adrian Peterson – 88 to 89 – I can only think of one running back that looks even close to as good as AD right now. The only guy that can stop him right now is Coach Childress.
• DE Aaron Kampman – 95 to 97 – Creating pure havoc on opposing offenses right now.
• DE Cullen Jenkins – 86 to 87 – The stats only say 1 sack, but he has been great defending the run and rushing the passer.
• DE Kabeer Gbaja Biamila – 86 to 88 – KGB is back to sacking the QB again. A great tandem with Kampman.
• LB Brady Poppinga – 75 to 78 – That other LB for Green Bay.
• SS Atari Bigby – 75 to 80 – A huge hitter at safety that might be a liability in the passing game but thumps running backs.
• FS Nick Collins – 78 to 80 – Has shown little progress from his rookie year but with Bigby forms an above average run stopping duo at safety.
• DT Corey Williams – 84 to 85 – Probably the best of the bunch of the Packers defensive tackles. A true pass rushing DT.
• DT Ryan Pickett – 82 to 85 – Big defensive tackle that starts for the stingy Packer defense.
• TE Desmond Clark – 83 to 84 – Has stepped up his game with the emergence of Greg Olsen.
• TE Greg Olsen – 80 to 81 – A true pass catching tight end. Is improving each week.
• HB Kenny Watson – 77 to 79 – Some say he will split carries with Rudi when Rudi is healthy. I wouldn’t go that far but he filled in admirably.
• LG Stacy Andrews – 76 to 79 – Mammoth starting guard for the Bengals.
• DE Justin Smith – 87 to 89 – High motor pass rushing end.
• WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh – 91 to 93 – One of the premier #2 WR’s in the league. Fearless over the middle.
• DT Kyle Williams – 80 to 81 – Stout defender holding down the middle for the surprising Buffalo defense.
• LB John DiGiorgio – 70 to 72 – Starting now for the injured Posluszny at MLB.
• WR Roscoe Parrish – 73 to 75 – The new #2 WR in Buffalo with the season ending injury to Peerless Price.
• WR Josh Reed – 74 to 75 – Slot WR for Buffalo. Not the fastest WR around but goes over the middle and has good hands.
• RT Erik Pears – 79 to 81 – Starting RT for the Denver offense. They just plug in guys in their system and all they do is run the ball.
• RG Montrae Holland – 79 to 81 – Big RG for the Denver Oline.
• LB Nate Webster – 76 to 80 – Starting at strong side linebacker for the Denver defense.
• LG Chris Kuper – 74 to 78 – Injuries have forced this backup into the starting lineup.
• DT Amon Gordon – 77 to 78 – A starter for the Denver defense at defensive tackle.
• QB Derek Anderson – 79 to 81 – This big armed QB has the surprising Cleveland offense scoring big points.
• WR Braylon Edwards – 87 to 88 – He has some of the best catches of the year thus far. Averaging almost 100 yards and more than a TD per game.
• DT Jovan Haye – 78 to 80 – Came out of nowhere to start for the Bucs defense.
• DT Greg Peterson – 66 to 70 – The late round draft pick is getting playing time for the solid as usual Bucs defense.
• FS Tanard Jackson – 75 to 79 – A big hitter at the safety position. A rookie starter who has played well.
• LB Calvin Pace – 70 to 72 – Starting now at OLB for the Cardinals. A big game vs. the Redskins means he will keep going up.
• FS Jarrad Page – 76 to 80 – A first time starter this year has helped the surprising Chiefs defense to a good start.
• DE Tamba Hali – 86 to 87 – Combines with Jared Allen to form one of the top pass rushing end tandems in the AFC.
• DE Jared Allen – 92 to 93 – Leads the league in sacks after missing two games due to suspension. A real problem for offenses.
• SS Bernard Pollard – 81 to 82 – A huge hitter who thumps receivers over the middle.
• WR Jeff Webb – 65 to 70 – Injuries forced him into action and he responded with a 7 catches for 78 yards day vs. the Bengals.
• CB Nathan Jones – 62 to 67 – The dime back for the Cowboys.
• HB Ronnie Brown – 88 to 89 – Was one of the top backs in the league with little to no help from the quarterback position or offensive line before a knee injury ended his season.
• CB Michael Lehan – 68 to 73 – Has moved his way into the starting lineup for the lowly Dolphins.
• WR Wes Welker – 86 to 87 – Starting to show he was worth the huge contract. Catches almost everything he gets his hands on and is extremely elusive and tough.
• TE Brent Celek – 67 to 70 – An injury to LJ Smith forced this rookie into action and he stepped up.
• QB Joey Harrington – 79 to 80 – It’s difficult to be hard on Joey Heisman now that they are down to their 3rd Left Tackle with no running game. Gonna get worse before it gets better.
• DT Trey Lewis – 65 to 67 – The late round draft pick has had to play with so many injuries to the Atlanta Dline but he has stepped up.
• WR Roddy White – 78 to 79 – Still gets a case of the drops too often but has put up solid numbers in the Falcons passing game.
• DE Osi Umenyiora – 87 to 90 – Has feasted on terrible tackles but still is as explosive as they get at the defensive end position.
• QB David Garrard – 83 to 84 – A true game manager. A fast and heady QB should take the Jaguars to the playoffs.
• SS Kerry Rhodes – 94 to 95 – One of the best safeties in the game.
• WR Laveranues Coles – 91 to 92 – Another underrated WR. Could be a big deep threat if the QB had a bigger arm. If Kellen Clemens gets the nod he could be beating defenses deep again.
• DE Kenyon Coleman – 79 to 82 – 40 tackles through 7 games at the defensive end position. More than doing his part.
• HB Leon Washington – 80 to 81 – They need to find more ways to get this guy the ball. The former FSU standout is a playmaker.
• CB David Barrett – 76 to 78 – He was benched in the second half vs. the Bengals but he had been starting before that.
• RG Junius Coston – 70 to 73 – New RG for the Packer Oline.
• K Stephen Gostkowski – 82 to 87 – The accurate kicker for the New England machine.
• WR Derrick Mason – 85 to 87 – Who leads the NFL in receptions through 7 weeks? This guy.
• LB Jarret Johnson – 80 to 82 – Adalius Thomas’ replacement. A tough strong end/OLB that should get to the QB.
• DT Anthony Montgomery – 64 to 77 – The big guy in the middle for the Redskins. They found they couldn’t keep him off the field or out of the starting lineup.
• WR Antwaan Randle El – 74 to 77 – One of the bright spots of the lackluster Redskin receiving core.
• QB Jason Campbell – 82 to 83 – The injuries to the offensive line have created a chain effect on the Redskin offense. Cooley has to block more, the running game isn’t as effective, and the receivers are mediocre at best. But Campbell has played well.
• LB Rocky McIntosh – 81 to 84 – Looking like another big time LB from Miami. He is starting to make a name for himself.
• WR Lance Moore – 73 to 75 – Returns kicks and punts for the Saints and is trying to get more touches in the receiving game with the demotion of Devery Henderson.
• FB Carey Davis – 85 to 86 – New starting fullback for the Steelers. A big boy who can catch the ball out of the backfield.
• HB Najeh Davenport – 79 to 80 – Goal line and third down back for the Steelers. Packs a punch.
• LB James Harrison – 83 to 84 – “Silverback” is a nasty LB for the Steel curtain. Should be close to 100 tackles with 6+ sacks at the end of the year.
• RT Willie Colon – 75 to 79 – New starting RT for the Steelers.
• DT Pat Williams – 90 to 91 – Fat Pat is the immovable object in the middle of the Vikings defense.
• LB E.J. Henderson – 85 to 86 – A big hitter who is a big part of the Vikings rush defense.
• LT Bryant McKinnie – 94 to 95 – Hutchinson and McKinnie form the best left side in all of football.
• RG Anthony Herrera – 74 to 78 – The new RG for the Vikings.
• RT Ryan Cook – 74 to 77 – The RT for the Vikings. He helps pave the way for All Day Adrian Peterson.
• CB Cortland Finnegan – 79 to 82 – A feisty cornerback for the Titans who hits hard and is a playmaker.
• DT Albert Haynesworth – 87 to 90 – Probably the best DT in all of football right now. If he keeps it up he will be the elite DT in Madden in no time.
• DT Tony Brown – 77 to 81 – He starts opposite Haynesworth for the Titans defense.
• LE Antwan Odom – 78 to 82 – A true mammoth defensive end (6-5 275) for the Titans.
• WR Chris Davis – 68 to 70 – Has looked exceptional returning kicks for the Titans. He looks much faster than his combine speed.
• WR Kevin Walter – 71 to 73 – The possession receiver has filled in for Andre Johnson and had some big games.
• WR Andre Davis – 70 to 74 – Another guy chipping in the loss of Andre Johnson. A vertical threat the Texan offense.
• WR Kevin Curtis – 83 to 84 – “White Lightning” is the new vertical threat for McNabb. He should have some big days this year for the Eagles.

Ratings Down
• HB Shaun Alexander – 95 to 91 – Starting to look like a poor mans Duce Staley.
• FS Brian Dawkins – 96 to 94 – Age is starting to catch up with B-Dawk.
• QB Matt Leinart – 84 to 83 – Cardinals look better with Warner in there right now.
• QB Rex Grossman – 83 to 78 – Long time coming.
• QB Drew Brees – 95 to 93 – Not what I expected from the Saints and their QB.
• WR Terrell Owens – 97 to 96 – Too many drops to be up there with the rest of the elite WR’s.
• RG Damien Woody – 91 to 89 – Has been a healthy inactive this year.
• WR Brian Clark – 72 to 70 – Buried on the Broncos depth chart.
• TE Daniel Graham – 86 to 85 – Not involved at all in the Denver offense.
• DE Simeon Rice – 89 to 88 – Shoulder injury is hampering this former superstars season.
• DT Alvin McKinley – 79 to 78 – Not starting and not helping a terrible Denver run defense.
• LB Joey Porter – 92 to 90 – A shadow of his former self. Just got his first sack in week 7.
• QB Byron Leftwich – 82 to 80 – Has to prove his rating after being cut in the preseason.
• WR Joe Horn – 85 to 84 – Still might not be healthy. His numbers back that up.
• WR Ashley Lelie – 74 to 70 – A bystander in the 49ers offense. Has never lived up to the hype. Just a vertical route runner who might not be a burner anymore.
• CB Andre Dyson – 84 to 79 – Not starting anymore and playing time has been limited.
• RT George Foster – 84 to 79 – Benched several times this year due to poor play.
• FS Eugene Wilson – 88 to 86 – Might be scheme related or so that he is fresh for the end of season but some of his reps have been taken.
• DT Terdell Sands – 85 to 81 – Benched for Gerard Warren which is not a good thing.
• DT Hollis Thomas – 85 to 80 – Benched on a terrible Saints defense.
• WR Devery Henderson – 80 to 76 – Drop, Catch, Drop, Drop. Not a good pattern for the speedster. Hands are an issue right now.
• DE Patrick Kerney – 92 to 91 – Not as productive as he once was.
• RG Floyd Womack – 82 to 79 – Been overrated in Madden for a while. A 37 year old starts over him.
• FB Dan Kreider – 88 to 84 – Lost his starting job recently. Still a solid FB.
• RG Artis Hicks – 82 to 80 – Lost his starting job recently in Minnesota.

Transactions
• WR Michael Lewis – Signs with 49ers
• WR Brandon Williams – Released by 49ers
• WR Taylor Jacobs – Released by 49ers
• WR Bryan Gilmore – Signs with 49ers
• HB Ken Darby – Added to Bucs
• HB Josh Scobey – Released by Bills
• CB Jerametrius Butler – Signs with Bills
• HB Clifton Dawson – Released by Bengals/Signs with Colts
• HB DeDe Dorsey – Signs with Bengals
• HB Pierre Thomas – Added to Saints
• TE Courtney Anderson – Signs with Lions
• HB Aveion Cason – Signs with Lions
• WR Keenan McCardell – Signs with Redskins
• WR Anthony Mix – Released by Giants
• WR Domenik Hixon – Released by Broncos/Signs with Giants
• FS Josh Gattis – Signs with Bears
• SS Brandon McGowan – Added to Bears
• LB Andre Frazier – Added to Steelers
• LB William Kershaw – Released by Chiefs
• LB Nate Harris – Added to Chiefs
• C Lyle Sendlein – Added to Cardinals
• LT Renardo Foster – Added to Falcons
• WR Bobby Sippio – Added to Chiefs
• HB Andre Hall – Added to Broncos
• WR Glenn Martinez – Added to Broncos
• C Nick Leckey – Signs with Rams
• QB Matt Moore – Added to Panthers
• FB Mack Strong – Retires from Seahawks
• FB Leonard Weaver – Added to Seahawks
• C Chukky Okobi – Released by Cardinals
• LG Keydrick Vincent – Signs with Cardinals
• SS Bhawoh Jue – Signs with Rams
• QB Tim Rattay – Signs with Cardinals
• FS Lamont Thompson – Released by Dolphins
• DT Sam Rayburn – Signs with Dolphins
• CB Lenny Walls – Released by Rams
• SS Jarrod Cooper – Signs with Raiders
• QB Vinny Testaverde – Signs with Panthers
• CB Keiwan Ratliff – Released by Bengals
• CB David Jones – Signs with Bengals
• RT Kelly Butler – Released by Browns
• CB Brandon McDonald – Added to Browns
• WR Jerheme Urban – Added to Cardinals
• WR Craphonso Thorpe – Added to Colts
• CB Tory James – Released by Patriots
• SS Mel Mitchell – Added to Patriots
• CB Duane Starks – Released by Raiders
• WR Travis Taylor – Released by Raiders
• LB Jon Alston – Added to Raiders
• DE Eric Moore – Released by Rams
• DE Trevor Johnson – Added to Rams
• HB Cory Ross – Released by Ravens
• FS Omar Stoutmire – Released by Redskins
• C Chris White – Added to Texans
• WR Chris Chambers – Traded from Dolphins to Chargers
• SS Donovin Darius – Released by Dolphins
• HB Michael Bennett – Traded from Chiefs to Bucs
• DE Quentin Moses – Released by Cardinals
• WR Koren Robinson – Added to Packers

Injuries
• SS Sabby Piscitelli – Bucs – IR Foot
• C Steve McKinney – Texans – IR Knee
• HB Carnell Williams – Bucs – IR Knee
• LT Luke Pettigout – Bucs – IR Knee
• HB Deuce McAllister – Saints – IR Knee
• LG Mark Setterstrom – Rams – IR Knee
• RG Jason Whittle – Bills – IR Hamstring
• TE Dan Campbell – Lions – IR Elbow
• HB Alvin Pearman – Seahawks – IR Knee
• TE David Thomas – Patriots – IR Foot
• LB Lemar Marshall – Bengals – IR Achilles
• WR Peerless Price – Bills – IR Neck
• LT Wayne Gandy – Falcons – IR Knee
• QB Jake Delhomme – Panthers – IR Elbow
• C Tom Nalen – Broncos – IR Bicep
• LG Ben Hamiton – Broncos – IR Concussion
• SS Jerome Carter – Rams – IR Foot
• RT Adam Goldberg – Rams – IR Knee
• WR Roy Hall – Colts – IR Shoulder
• WR Jerome Mathis – Texans – IR Leg
• DE Darrion Scott – Vikings – IR Foot
• QB Chris Simms – Bucs – IR Spleen
• QB Matt Leinart – Cardinals – IR Collarbone
• DT Chartric Darby – Seahawks – IR Knee
• WR Eric Parker – Chargers – IR – Toe
• WR Tab Perry – Bengals – IR - Hip

Madden 08 - Next Gen Formation Shifting

One of the big features missing in Next Gen Madden is the ability to formation shift. While we expect to see this feature next year on the 360 & PS3, there is a way to change up looks in Madden 08. With some quick audible work and the right timing, you can create some pretty slick formations.

Madden 08 - Defeating the 3 Man Pass Rush

For many players the bane of their existence in Madden 08 is the 3 man DE Contain pass rush plays. With these in effect it is just about impossible to run plays from under center. With the help of one of our forum members, the VG Sports team went deep into the lab to find a fix for this problem.

Madden 08 - 5WR Motion

Believe it or not, it is possible to put 5 WRs in motion on the same play.

Strategy Corner - Defending Next Gen Heat

Week in and week out people discuss nanos. Some think it is not
fair because you can't make good offensive line adjustments. Others
say, just get in the shotgun. Both are valid points. However, today
I want to look at passing the ball from under Center with six and
seven man protection schemes.

The first play I want to look at this against is the 3-4 Solid DE
Contain. The 3 Man crash in nano brings quick pressure when you
have fast defensive ends. I want to mention up front that this
protection scheme is based out of Compression and Flex sets. So
look for formations such as Singleback Trips Bunch TE, and Flip
Trips.

One of the keys to passing the ball from under center and blocking
the nano blitzes up the gut is to get a WR stacked behind the
tackle. To get this look, simply flip the play two times really
quick. On the 360 that would be X + RT, X + RT really fast. Hot
route block the player that stacks behind the offensive tackle as
well as the HB to block.

On the snap the DEs move to the inside. Even if the Guards did not
pick them up, the HB and our WR stacked behind the offensive tackle
form a 2nd line of protection.

This gives me plenty of time in the pocket to read the field and
get the pass off.

I want to look at this against Engage Eight as well. I will first
look at this against Engage Eight without the Safety blitzing then
I will look at it with the Safety blitzing.

The defense can be stacked at the line. The engage eight brings
some very quick pressure from this set up.

But, with the WR & HB in the scheme, everyone gets picked up.
Rest assured, if anyone gets to the QB here it is because they beat
a block. They will not be running free here.

Now let's look at this with the Safety blitzing as we are going to
get some heat coming up the middle.

This is where our HB steps up and slows that down. I get some extra
time in the pocket to read the field and make the pass. Be sure to
lab these plays and pay careful attention to how the protection
works.

Lab this and get it into your offense. Once you get the pass
protection down then look at installing routes. Again, this only
works in certain formations. Singleback Trips Bunch, Bunch TE, Flip
Trips can definitely be used. On plays in which the HB is already
blocking, you may still need to hot block him.