Madden 10 game plan (Part 1 - Offense)

In Madden 10 this year, I've been playing online with the 49ers and have had pretty good success with the West Coast playbook most of the time, at least. To become familiar with this playbook I would go through each formation and pick one play after each down. After I have gone through each formation I would do it again until I found which plays I was comfortable with. Now that I'm more familiar with this playbook I have been able to devise a pattern of plays that I've been using each game. Here is a typical game plan that I may follow:

Play 1 - At the coin flip, I try to receive the ball first. Surprisingly, I always seem to get the ball first even if I lose the toss. For my first play of the game I always use a play called 'Seattle' which is out of the Singleback Bunch Swap formation. The slot receiver is usually open most of the time. If my opponent is playing zone, then I dump it to the HB which is running the blue route.

Play 2 - On my second play, go with 'Seattle' again. If I'm near or at the left hash marks and my opponent is running a zone defense I'll motion the outside receiver on the right and snap the ball before the receiver stops his motion. If the defense isn't covering the flats, the receiver will usually be open for a 10 yard gain.

Play 3 - While in Singleback Bunch Swap formation again I'll use the Quick Pitch play. This play sometimes results in a 5-6 yard gain.

Plays 4-7 - For the next 4-5 plays, I'll choose an outside run from each of the singleback formations as long as I'm still effective on the ground. It also depends on what type of defense I'm facing. If I'm facing a 4-3 defense I should be able to continue rushing outside. Against a 3-4 defense this will be less effective so I'll revert to 'Ask Madden' to see what works well.

After running the ball for about 4-5 times in a row, I'll throw in a play action pass from one of the singleback formations.

Play 8 - After the play action pass I'll choose another running play called HB Inside out of the Near Pro formation. Sometimes, I'm able to break through for a long gain with this play.

Quarter 2 Plays
The first quarter is usually about to end by the time I have finished my first drive. In the 2nd quarter, I'll usually refer to 'Ask Madden' to decide what to use.

At least once, if I'm anywhere in between the two red zones I'll run a play called Slot Outs from the Gun Spread Flex formation. Depending on how the defense is set up I might hot route one of the slot receivers to run a short route so I can throw a quick pass.

Most of the time, however, I usually get a good gain by throwing to the half back. I've been able to break the play wide open when I pass to the HB before he makes his cut. After he catches the ball the two receivers on the right are able to make blocks so the HB can break through.

Quarter 3 Plays
When I get the ball in the 2nd half I might go back and run the Seattle and Quick Pitch plays back to back to get my drive going. Then, I'll use 'Ask Madden' to help me decide on what to run.

Far Tight Twins
Near the end of the 3rd quarter I'll start running plays exclusively from the Far Tight Twins formation. This formation is good in that it's easy to tell if your opponent is in man or zone defense. I can usually drive all the way down the field with this formation. I'll wait till the latter half of the game to use this formation so my opponent has less time to catch on what plays I like to run. I will from time to time use Far tight Twins in the first half on 3rd down conversions or if I'm in the red zone.

Quick Toss - This play should be used sparingly because it's quite effective until the opponent catches on. I'll use the Quick Toss if my opponent is playing zone although it also can be effective in man defense as well.

Against Man Defense
The Flats and Mesh plays work very well against man defense. If the defense puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback I will be able to run the Mesh play and dump the ball off to the tight end running the drag route. In the Flats play, the slot receiver is usually open for a good gain.

Running the slant Hook play against man can turn into a deadly play. To set this play up, I'll hot route the HB to run a drag route to the right side. He's usually open for a big gain.

I have the Quick Toss, flats, Mesh, and X Spot plays in my offensive audibles.

4th Quarter Plays
I'll continue to use plays from the Far Tight Twins formation but will also mix my plays in other formations depending on the situation.