Defending against the play action pass

When Madden 10 first came out it was suggested by the community that one of the most effective ways to stop the play action pass is to blitz the quarterback by blitzing up the middle or use corner back blitzes. The key is to get to the quarterback before he has a chance to get the pass off. In my defensive game plan post I mentioned using CB Dogs Blitz but the corner backs seem to be biting on the play action pass more after patch #2 came out.

Using the Cover 2 Sink, as mentioned in my defending against flat passes in compressed sets post seems to be a lot more effective against play action passes. You get good coverage near the middle of the field and defending against the flats seems to be more effective because defenders are in a better position to stop the run after the catch. Sometimes, I'll hot route a defensive lineman to the flats area if I have a hunch on the side of the field the pass will be thrown to.

Using the Cover 2 Sink out of the 3-4 formation can also be effective against the run. With the New York Jets defensive playbook I was using Cover 2 Sink out of the 3-4 predator formation. In this formation the linebacker is lined up on the line of scrimmage in a three-point stance. This play seems to be vulnerable against the outside pitch, however. Cover 2 Sink in 3-4 Solid does a better job against the outside run. In 3-4 Solid, both outside Linebackers crowd the line. This play can be vulnerable against the inside run but what I do is 'user' the blitzing OLB and move him towards the middle of the field so he's ready to defend against the inside run. I'll also hot route this defender into contain so I'm able to control him better. Cover 2 Sink in 3-4 Solid formation is a play that should defend well against the run and play action pass effectively with little or no adjustments necessary.

Personnel for Nickel and Dime formations

When I first started playing Madden Ultimate Team I made the mistake of not paying attention to my backups on the defensive side in the depth chart. I had wide receivers listed as backups in the depth chart for corner backs. I was wondering why all of my opponents were able to pass the ball at will. One of the reasons was when I was in Nickel or Dime formation my wide receivers were being used instead of corner backs. Now I know that I need to have at least 4 extra corner backs on my roster in order to be successful in nickel and dime situations.

The personnel you use as backups for linebackers and linemen is also important because each nickel and dime formation is different. Below, I have listed the recommended personnel for use with the New York Jets defensive playbook.

Nickel 1-5-5
This defense calls for five Linebackers, five defensive backs, and just one Defensive Lineman. About four additional corner backs and one additional linebacker would be needed on the roster in order to use this formation with success. This formation relies on linebackers so having some quality linebackers is key.

One advantage to this defense is that you can move ten players anywhere on the field. The only player that cannot be moved without resetting to his original position is the Defensive Lineman.

Nickel 3-3-5
The Nickel 3-3-5 has three Defensive Linemen, three Linebackers, and five defensive backs. This formation has some flexibility because it allows players to counter opponents who like to audible up and down throughout the course of the game. A couple of disadvantages to this defense include the lack of pressure on the quarterback and the ability to consistently stop the run.

Nickel Normal
This defense uses four Defensive Linemen, two Linebackers, and five defensive backs. With a 3-4 playbook you would need to have one additional lineman on your roster. This defense allows for solid pressure and can help slow down most running plays. This is a formation that is good to start a game because you don’t risk getting beat deep and it forces your opponent to work up the field as you learn tendencies.

Nickel Odd Split
An extra strong safety is added as a defensive back so make sure you have a backup SS. In the Nickel Odd Split formation there's three defensive linemen and the ROLB is lined up on the line. In the backfield, there's two linebackers in the middle and two strong safeties on the outside and then two corner backs outside of the strong safeties. The FS will cover the deep area in the backfield.


Nickel Odd Split-Cover 3

Dime Normal
The Dime Normal formation is best used for passing situations because it places four Defensive Linemen, one linebacker, and seven defensive backs on the field.

Madden Ultimate Team Chemistry

Chemistry plays a big part of Madden Ultimate Team. The higher the chemistry value is the better your team plays because your players will receive a boost to their attributes per position.

Chemistry increases when you have two players in the starting lineup that played for the same NFL team or college. The chemistry increase for playing on the same NFL team is larger than the increase for playing for the same college.

Chemistry also increases if you add a coach, uniform, playbook or stadium from that same team.

You can monitor your chemistry value while you are making changes to your depth chart. Only starting players will affect how the value changes so it's recommended that you make changes to your starting lineup to see if the chemistry value might go up. You might have a gold player card starting at RG, for example, but the chemistry may go up if a silver player card plays so it may be more beneficial to start the silver card instead.

As mentioned earlier, players who play for the same team affect chemistry more than players who played for the same college. Even though this is the case I thought it would be interesting to see which colleges cranked out the most Madden NFL players. Please see below. I also added a list of some players from each college:

Auburn (28 NFL players)
Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
Takeo Spikes, 49ers

California (28)
Nnamdi Asomughda, Raiders
Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
Aaron Rodgers, packers
DeSean Jackson, Eagles

Florida State (31)
Anquan Boldin, Darnell Dockett (Cardinals)

Georgia (44)
Champ Bailey, Broncos
Knowshon Moreno, Broncos
Richard Seymour, Raiders
Hines Ward, Steelers

LSU (42)
Cory Webster, Giants
Joseph Addai, Colts

Miami (44)
Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Willis McGahee (Ravens)
Andre Johnson, Texans
Reggie Wayne, Colts
Clinton Portis, Santana Moss (Redskins)
Frank Gore, 49ers
Jeremy Shockey, Saints

Michigan (34)
Tom Brady, Patriots

Nebraska (27)
Josh Brown, Adam Carriker, Richie Incognito (Rams)

Notre Dame (26)
Mike Gandy, Berry Bertrand (Cardinals)

Ohio State (40)
Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway (Patriots)

Oklahoma (25)
Chris Chester, Mark Clayton, Kelly Gregg (Ravens)
Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Penn State (31)
Paul Posluszny, Aaron Maybin (Bills)

Purdue (22)
Drew Brees, Saints
Nick hardwick, Shaun Phillips (Chargers)
Kyle Orton, Brandon Gorin (Broncos)

Tennessee (32)
Peyton Manning, Colts
Parys Haralson, Aubrayo Franklin (49ers)

Texas (37)
Michael Griffen, Ahmerd Hall, Bo, Scaife, Vince Young (Titans)
Leonard Davis, Roy Williams (Cowboys)

USC (40)
Troy Polamalu, Steelers
Carson Palmer, Bengals
Sedrick Ellis, Reggie Bush (Saints)

Saints Onside Kick

Quotes from the Super Bowl
Sean Payton coached a brilliant game. He said he came up with the idea for the onside kick at halftime. Saints kicker Thomas Morstead said after the game "I wasn't worried. I was terrified." Colts defensive back Melvin Bullitt said: "That was a huge turning point. They caught us off guard. It was gutsy. If we would have got it, the game might have been a blowout."

The Saints could have kicked it deep, as nearly any other team would have, and then mostly likely would have watched the Indianapolis Colts march down the field for a score. But, the Saints took a risk and it paid off for them.

Onside Kicks in Madden
Just for 'kicks' I went into practice mode in Madden 10 last night and attempted a short squib kick to see how far it would go. Unfortunately, trying an onside kick from the squib kick or normal kickoff doesn't work too well if you're trying to simulate what the Saints did. In Madden, a short kick will usually travel 30-40 yards even if you try a short 'tap' kick. One can still use the onside kick play in Madden but it won't catch anyone off guard like the Saints did to the colts.

In Madden online, I still think it's a bad play to attempt an onside kick especially to start the second half but some users still insist on doing this. Some players will even switch back and forth between kickoff and onside kick to try to force you to make a mistake. This has happened to me before on a couple occasions where I accidentally pressed the wrong combination of buttons or time ran out and I was stuck in the wrong formation. To counter this, you can just switch to onside return and stay in that formation no matter what the opponent decides to do. Even if he kicks one deep someone

Madden Superbowl Simulation Results

Every year since 2004, shortly before the actual Super Bowl, EA Games has run a simulation of the Super Bowl using the latest game in the Madden NFL series. This year the New Orleans Saints pulled the upset over the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 35-31 at Super Bowl XLIV, according to the simulation run by Madden NFL 10 on Xbox 360. The first three quarters had the Colts leading 24-21 then Reggie Bush returned a punt for a 42-yard touchdown. Drew Brees hit David Thomas for an 11-yard game winning touchdown. Drew Brees earned MVP honors. Watch the simulation video below:



Results of past simulated and actual Super Bowl games:

2004 - Patriots 23, Panthers 20 (Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29)
2005 - Patriots 47, Eagles 31 (Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21)
2006 - Steelers 24, Seahawks 19 (Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10)
2007 - Colts 38, Bears 27 (Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17)
2008 - Patriots 38, Giants 30 (Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14)
2009 - Steelers 28, Cardinals 24 (Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23)
2010 - Saints 35, Colts 31 (Actual score TBD)

Defending against flat passes in compressed sets

Lately, I've noticed more online opponents using compressed formations throughout the game. In this formation, they will take advantage throwing passes out the the flats near the sidelines. Since the offense is using a compressed formation defenders will usually be lined up tight near the middle of the field before the snap. After the snap, players usually need to sprint to get to the outside to stop these plays but usually it's too late.

I may have found a Madden play, called Cover 2 Sink, which seems to be quite effective against compression sets. I believe the reason why this play is so effective is because the defenders are more spread out among the field before the snap. When the ball is snapped, the defenders are already in position to defend against outside passes.

Before, I would try manually sliding the defensive backs to the outside. Most of the time it takes too long to set this up.

Cover 2 Sink tips

The cover 2 Sink should be found in all playbooks. I've been using it out of the 1-5-5 Nickel formation from the NY Jets defensive playbook. One thing I like about this formation is that the number of linebackers available makes it extremely versatile.

Blitzing
Mixing heavy blitzes with Cover 2 Sink can work wonders, especially if your opponent has been running quick slants or curls or other shorter routes. Give him a couple zone blitzes like the Inside Blitz or the SS Blitz and let him hit a slant or two. Then, call the Cover 2 Sink and there may be a good chance of forcing an interception or getting a sack because the opponent will hold on to the ball longer than he expected to.

As for setting up blitzes, one thing that can be done is to re blitz three players side by side anywhere in the middle. With this setup, there's a good chance these blitzers will get to the QB.

Play Action Plays
The Cover 2 Sink has been mentioned as a play that can help stop roll out and play action plays.

Madden Online Tips: Defensive Assist

I noticed on the front page of Madden NFL that they had a tip about using the Defensive Assist button to help your user-controlled player be in better position to make a play. This is the first time I've heard of such a feature.

To use Defensive Assist, you hold down X on PS3 (A on XBOX) and the player will automatically move to his assigned coverage. If no one is in the assigned area the defender will look for the closest player. So, if you find yourself out of position with the player you are usering you can hit the Defensive Assist button and he will move to the area that he's supposed to cover. If he's in man, he will go to his assigned man coverage.

Generally, the best time to use Defensive Assist with a defender is in a space that doesn't have any potential offensive blockers in front of him. You tend to have more success with Linebackers and Safeties as they usually have a better chance of having free lanes to the ball carrier.

One of the best times to use Defensive Assist is when the ball is in the air. Users have sometimes found it difficult to position themselves to make a play on the ball in the open field, so using Defensive Assist will help position the defender to make a play without the fear of giving up a big play.

I’ve always had trouble playing defense in Madden, especially in the secondary. I'm definitely going to give this Defensive Assist feature a try.