How to Use Coach Mode in Madden

You call the plays, make adjustments, and then watch your quarterback take the snap without touching the controls. That is the basic idea behind Coach Mode in Madden.

For players who enjoy football strategy more than stick skills, this changes the way Madden feels. Instead of controlling every player after the snap, you focus on preparation, play calling, personnel, and game management. In this guide, we’ll explain what Madden Coach Mode does, what you control, and how to get the most out of it.

What Is Coach Mode in Madden?

Coach Mode is a way to play Madden from the perspective of a coach rather than an individual player. When it is enabled, the CPU handles post-snap gameplay while you remain responsible for important decisions before the ball is snapped.

That makes the mode especially interesting in Franchise. Coach Mode as an option for players who want to call plays, manage the roster, handle important decisions, and let their players execute on the field.

The result is closer to watching and managing a real football game. Your decisions matter, but you are no longer relying on perfect stick movement to win every snap. 

How to Turn On Coach Mode

Start by entering the game settings and finding the Coach Mode options. Madden gives you several settings that let you decide how involved you want to be before the snap.

The available options include Auto Quarterback, Auto Snap, Coach Suggestions, Pre-Play Cutoff, and Pre-Play Audio.

You don't have to make the experience completely hands-off. Experiment with the settings until you find the level of control you enjoy.

For example, Auto Snap can reduce the amount of manual input required, while Coach Suggestions can help you approach play calling without constantly studying the entire playbook.

Step 1: Build Your Game Plan

Coach Mode rewards preparation.

Before the game, think about how your offense should attack the defense. Consider your quarterback's strengths, your best running concepts, your receiving options, and the weaknesses you expect to find.

Madden also gives coaches more adaptive behavior. Offensive AI can feed a quarterback or running back who is performing well, adjust run-pass tendencies based on line matchups, and set up complementary plays throughout a game.

That means you should not think about every play in isolation. A successful run can create an opportunity for play action later.

Step 2: Make Smart Pre-Snap Decisions

The biggest difference in Coach Mode happens before the snap.

You can study the defensive look and decide whether the called play makes sense. If you recognize a bad matchup, change the play or make an adjustment before the communication window closes.

Madden introduces a Pre-Play Cutoff system designed to make the timing feel more realistic. When the play clock reaches 15 seconds, the coach-to-player communication window closes, along with the pre-play menu. After that point, you cannot continue making audibles or hot-route adjustments.

This creates an interesting challenge. You have control, but you cannot spend forever searching for the perfect answer.

Step 3: Coach Your Quarterback

One of the more unusual Coach Mode features is the ability to give your quarterback direction before the snap.

By using the appropriate pre-snap control, you can tell your quarterback who his primary read should be. On run pass option plays, you can also communicate whether you want him to hand the ball off or throw it.

This gives Coach Mode a stronger coaching identity. You are not simply choosing plays and watching the CPU. You are influencing how your offense approaches individual situations.

Step 4: Adjust to What the Defense Does

Do not expect your original game plan to work perfectly for four quarters.

Madden's Coach DNA system is designed around coaching identity and adaptation. Defensive coaches can respond to offensive tendencies, while offenses can change their approach based on what is working.

If your opponent repeatedly stops outside runs, stop calling them. If underneath routes are producing easy yards, keep testing that area until the defense adjusts.

The goal is to think one step ahead.

Step 5: Use Coach Mode in Franchise

Coach Mode becomes even more interesting when combined with Franchise.

Franchise lets you manage the entire team, including strategy, depth charts, scouting, free agency, trades, contracts, and the draft. Madden also adds the Persona Engine, which gives players different personalities, motivations, and reactions that can influence the league.

That makes Coach Mode a natural fit for long-term saves. You can build a roster around your coaching philosophy and then watch that roster execute your plan on Sundays.

Tips for a Better Coach Mode Experience

Start with a simple playbook. You do not need to call dozens of different plays to be effective.

Pay attention to tendencies. If something works repeatedly, understand why it works rather than simply repeating it.

Use personnel strategically. A strong roster means little if your best players are constantly placed in poor situations.

Most importantly, accept imperfect results. Coach Mode is about managing football, not guaranteeing touchdowns. Sometimes the right play fails. Sometimes a backup player makes a huge mistake. That uncertainty is part of what makes the mode interesting.

Why Coach Mode Is Worth Trying

Madden Coach Mode is built for players who enjoy the chess match of football. You call the plays, manage the situation, make pre-snap decisions, and trust your players to execute.

It will not replace traditional Madden gameplay for everyone. But if you have ever wanted Madden to feel more like coaching an NFL team than controlling one, Coach Mode offers a different way to experience Franchise.

The key is to stop thinking like a player and start thinking like a coach. Build a plan, recognize what the opponent is doing, make your adjustments before the clock runs out, and live with the result.

How to beat the shake blitz

Shake blitzing occurs when a 155 defense is moving all of their linebackers from side to side before the snap.  This tends to confuse the offensive line after the ball is snapped.

Here are some Madden online tips to follow to help counter these shake blitzes: 

Passing
In passing situations, use slants, drags, curls and, in/out routes.  Shake blitzing defenses will tend to force you to pass the ball quickly so use quick routes.

Also, most shake blitzing defenses will likely send all of their linebackers.  So, the middle area of the field will be vulnerable to the defense.  Attack this area with your passes.

Try to avoid using a play from under center.  Pass from a Gun formation.  The extra ground will allow for extra time to get a pass off. 

Running
When running the ball use a power set so you have plenty of blockers against the blitz.  Pinching the line should also help.  If you are running to the outside, snap the ball when the linebackers start "shaking" to the opposite side. 

Final Thoughts
Let the play clock run down until there's about 1-3 seconds left.  This will help force your (button mashing) opponent to work a little bit harder at what they are trying to achieve.

Beating Cover 3

 

Cover 3 defenses can usually get beaten by Strong Flood plays or plays where there's a curl on one of the wide outs and also someone running a flat route to the same area of the field.  While occupying the flat zone, you can attack the area that is open between the flat zone and the deep blue zone.  The RB or TE will run flat routes and an outside WR will run a streak while an inside WR will run an out route.  The flats defender is taken by the receiver running the flat route while the streak occupies the deep blue zone which leaves a hole in the defense for the out route.

Using 3 Receivers on one side of the field
Also, use formations with 3 receiving targets on one side of the field and do the following:

1.  One receiver runs a streak.   
2.  Use a route that attacks the buzz (purple) zone area such as outside slants.
3.  Use a route that attacks the flats.

Against Press Defense
If the defense is using a press coverage you can hot route one of your better wide receivers to a streak. You can hit him right after he breaks free from the press defender and before he gets to the safety in the deep blue zone.

Cover 3 is also known for being a bit weak on streaks up the hash marks.  Use a snugs or bunch formation and streak the inside receiver.

How to read Cover 3
After all of the players on the defensive side have lined up in the chosen formation, keep an eye on the two safeties.  If it's Cover 3 the two safeties slightly rotate together towards deep middle of the field.  In a Cover 2 defense there is no movement by either the safeties.

7 Madden tips for beating bumps and nanos

1.  Use at least one wide receiver who is good at beating the press.  Study a player's REL (release) attribute.  In Madden NFL, Dwayne Bowe and Hakeem Nicks have one of the best REL ratings.

2.  Spread the defense by using spread formations.  This will make it more difficult for the defense to bump.  If you have a receiver that does not have anyone lined up, hot route him into a slant in route.

3.  Use unbumpable routes such as C routes or routes where the receiver double fakes a slant-in like what is seen with the square receiver below:


4.  Send your receivers in motion followed by an immediate snap.  This will help turn some routes into unbumpable ones.

5.  Set up extra blockers to gain some extra time by hot routing your half Back or Tight End to block.

6.  Use a Gun formation with two players in the backfield.  These players will not get bumped thus will be more difficult to cover.

7.  Using a hurry up offense can help prevent your opponent from having enough time to setup his blitz.

Substitution Tactics in Madden Ultimate Team

The overall enjoyment of online head to head play seems to fade away as your team's OVR rating rises above 90.  I think one of the main reasons for this may be that some of the more advanced players that have become successful in Madden Ultimate Team are able to build an elite team.  An advanced player can probably be listed under two categories.  There the skilled players and then there are players that may not be as skillfull but still have a knowledge of certain Madden programming defects that help aide their successes.

I try to keep my team between 80-85 OVR rating.  This helps level the playing field to some degree.  Lately, I've noticed some teams pausing the game to auto reset their depth-chart.  In the online head to head match-up screen before a game, some teams will appear to have the same OVR as your team.  But, some teams may also have some superstars on their roster that are not listed in the starting lineup.  These players won't be included in a team's OVR rating but that doesn't mean they won't be participating in the game.

The online match-up screen does have a way to allow you to preview your opponents depth chart before the game but this feature hasn't been very stable, on Playstation at least.  If the depth chart preview is used too much or is pulled up at an inopportune time, Madden has been known to freeze up.  Lately, it seems to be working better but EA hasn't confirmed whether or not it has been fixed. 

The depth chart preview feature isn't always reliable and sooner or later you'll have to face an opponent who will either pause the game to reorder the depth chart or they will do something that is less conspicuous and sub in their superstars between plays.  Until EA is able to find a way to address these hidden roster tactics, my new philosophy will be "if you can't beat them, join them".

Resolution
To be more successful in Madden Ultimate Team, I would recommend keeping some superstars at a few positions on your roster.  If your opponent pauses at the beginning of the game use this opportunity to auto-reorder the roster.  You can't stop your opponent from doing the same thing so might as well do it yourself.  I would also recommend familiarizing yourself with the Madden substitution user interface and start subbing in superstars between plays.  Everybody else does it so you might as well start doing the same. 

On offense, I have a pretty strong offensive line except at the Center and Right Guard positions.  Before a play, I'll choose a formation and sub in my superstar C and RG.  On defense, I use an all silver defensive line in my starting lineup and a couple medium value outside linebackers.  In between plays, I'll choose a formation and then sub in my top-notch defensive ends and linebackers.  On the next play, the same substitutions will remain if I'm using the same formation.

When playing Madden Ultimate Team always remember to first watch out for your own interests, because others will be watching out for theirs.

Football Playbook Designer

Have you ever found a Madden NFL Football write-up on the internet and gotten a bit overwhelmed by all of the changes needed in order for the play to be run effectively?  Some users go into practice mode and "lab" these write-ups for several hours until they get everything down.  I imagine most users, like myself, either don't have the time to lab or might lose interest in labbing after a while. 

To help speed up my learning process I have attempted to mark hot routes from the write-up to a playbook image and then I would refer to it during the Online game.  This works pretty well but it takes a lot of time to edit each playbook image.  Instead of drawing up plays I came up with a Greasemonkey script which allows you to drag and drop hot routes onto a playbook image. 

This script will currently run on the http://www.primamadden.com/free-preview website. (This site hosts all of the team playbooks for Madden NFL). 

How to use:
1.  Go to an offensive playbook page and then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. 
2.  Here you will find buttons for each hot route that is available on Madden NFL Football.  Also, included are some "player motion" graphs and slide protect images.
3.  Click on a button and then the hot route image will appear on the page. 
4.  Drag the hot route over the old route in the playbook formation image.

Now you can have a visual representation of your write-ups.

Download Madden NFL Playbook Designer.

Madden Ultimate Team Tips

Buy Gold Packs
Buying gold packs (not premium gold packs) seems to give you best bang for your coins.  Buy a gold pack (6,ooo coins), look through the pack and determine which cards you want to keep for your team and collect the cards you need for your collections.  Post the rest of the cards to the auction block for 10,000 bid and 10,000 buy now.  For best results, set your auctions to expire after 1 or 2 hours during peak times.

By default, the buy now value is 30,000 coins for gold cards.  When a buyer sees 10,000 BIN (buy now) they will be more apt to buy your card.  You can also discard cards that are not part of a collection and get back 750 coins.  So essentially, you can get back at least 2/3 the amount of coins you used to purchase a gold pack through discards and selling popular cards on the auction block.

Also, do some research on cards that you are posting to the auction. Do an auction search for your card. If the search comes up with more than 100 you will have a more difficult time selling the card then say a card that comes back with less than 30 in the list.

Legend Pack Strategy
Another way to earn coins is to buy a legend pack.  If you are lucky enough to get a Gale Sayers, Barry Sanders, or Jerry Rice in a pack you can put it up on the auction block for about 100,000 coins.  You can probably build your entire team off of the sale of a Dan Marino, for example.

Free Coins
In the Madden NFL menu, sign up for fantasy football with NFL.com and then log your team into Madden NFL 12 and you will get 3,000 coins.

Madden Ultimate Team Coach Boost Tips

In this year's Madden Ultimate Team, a majority of the coaches have positive and negative boosts which seem to make quite a difference on how your team performs.  I might be wrong about this but a coach's overall rating does not seem to make that much of an impact like it did in previous years.  Right now I'm using Raheem Morris because of his +3 zone coverage.  His negative boost is -3 Pass Block Footwork.  I have seen my pass blocking take a bit of a hit but I could always build my offensive line to compensate.

Two other coaches that caught my eye were Marvin Lewis (+3 press, -3 Play Action) and Lovie Smith (+3 Pursuit, -3 Throw on the run).  I would think one could easily build an offensive scheme without the use of the Play Action pass and it's not too difficult to pass the ball while staying in the pocket.

Power Running
If you like to run the ball I would recommend Mike Smith (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 Power Moves).  You'll get good gains with your running back but the drawback to this coach is that you won't get very much pressure on the quarterback while on defense.  Mike Munchak of the Titans has the same boosts (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 Power Moves).  Bill Belicheck (+3 Run Block Strength, -3 block shedding) is another coach that will help your running game.  Jason Garrett (+3 trucking, -3 zone coverage) will also give you a boost in trucking.

Deep Throwing
Coaches with deep throw accuracy seem to help quite a bit as well.  Some coaches with deep throw accuracy are Sean Payton (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 tackling), Mike McCarthy (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 power moves), and Norv Turner (+3 deep throw accuracy, -3 play recognition).  Tackling and play recognition seem to be pretty important so if you like to throw the ball far go with Mike McCarthy.

Defensive Pressure
If you are looking for more defensive pressure these coaches provide power move boosts: Rex Ryan (+3 power moves, -3 elusiveness), Tom Coughlin (+3 power moves, -3 elusiveness), Jim Schwartz (+3 power moves, -3 run block strength).

Medium and Short Throw Accuracy
Steve Spagnuolo (+3 medium throw accuracy, -3 catching) and Pete Carroll (+3 medium throw accuracy, -3 man coverage) will help boost medium throw accuracy.  Though, I don't understand how having Steve Spagnuolo as a coach would be a good idea because if your QB is throwing the ball accurate it won't make much difference if your receivers have trouble catching the ball.

Good short throw accuracy coaches are Pat Shurmur (+3 short throw accuracy, -3 play recognition) and Chan Gailey (+3 short throw accuracy, -3 tackle).

Coaches without boosts
For some reason these coaches don't have any boosts on the back of their card: Jim Harbaugh, Tony Sparano, Gary Kubiak, and Jack Del Rio.

Reward Coaches
Perhaps the most popular reward coach is Texans Core reward, Gary Kubiak.  This card comes with a +5 speed boost.  Completing the Patriots Core collection rewards you with a Bill Belicheck (or N.E. Coach) +5 morale card.

XBOX 360/PS3 Button Converter

Almost all Madden NFL 12 write-ups that you will find on the internet will be done using XBOX 360 button control usage.  Even the Split Backs Pro write-up I recently wrote for the West Coast playbook, was done with XBOX 360 button control usage.  I purposely did this to showcase a new Greasemonkey script that I wrote for PS3 users. 

This script will translate XBOX 360 button chracters to PS3 button images on almost any website.  I say almost any website because I've filtered the script to only run on sites that contain the word "Madden" and the following capital letters: X, A, Y, and B.

Another neat feature that I've added to the script is when you click on the PS3 button image it will toggle back to the XBOX button character variation for you.  Also, this change will be saved so when you return to the website you won't need to make the change again.  This toggle feature is especially helpful in situations when you don't want a character to be converted.  One example of this might be when you have LB (for linebacker) in a sentence.  The script might read this as the LB button on XBOX but you can fix the mistake by clicking on the PS3 button and the script will remember that change.

Download XBOX 360/PS3 Button Converter

West Coast Playbook: Split Backs Pro Write-up

Here's a mini write-up of the split backs pro formation in the West Coast playbook.  I use the Dual HB package but the normal package might be desirable if you want better run blocking at the FB position.

 

Texas
Vs. Zone
1.  Hot route X and B WRs to out routes depending on what side of the field you are on.
2.  Hot route Y (FB) to left.

Look for any of the hot routed receivers to be open.

Vs. Man

1.  Hot route X WR to drag.

FB will be open for potential long gain.  B Receiver in curl should also be open.



SS Pressure

Vs. Zone

1.  Hot route X and B WRs to out routes depending on what side of the field you are on.

Wide recievers will be open.  The A reciever will also be open.  Warning, try to avoid throwing to the HB running the blue route.  A defender in a hook route is likely to intercept the ball.

Vs. Man

1.  Hot route X reciever to drag.

After the ball is snapped, scramble back slightly with the QB to try to draw in the LB who will be guarding the HB running the blue route.  The HB should be open for a big gain.



HB Draw

Vs. Zone

This play can result in some big gains especially if you are running against a 3-4 defense.  You can even motion the Y back to the right of the screen to help draw one of the defenders from the middle of the field. Sometimes you can also have the HB cut back to the left side to get past the front line.  He should be able to run for a while.

Vs. Man

This play will also give you good gains against man defense.



PA Slide
Vs. Zone & Man
The Tight End (A) is almost always open for a long gain unless the defense uses a purple zone.  Most defensive plays don't have purple zones by default, though.  Against man the HB will be open for a quick pass.



Off Tackle

Vs. Man

I tend to get better results with this play in Man defenses.  Motion Y back to the right.



Curl Combo

Vs. Man

Any of the wideouts running curl routes should be open.  I've learned that timing is important.  If you throw too late the X and B WRs will miss the ball start running toward the line of scrimmage for some reason.  This could result in an interception.  Be careful with this play.



Backs Cross
Vs. Man

The HB should be open.  The FB might be open depending on personnel.  The X receiver will also be open.  I'm not sure if it's me or the team I use but drags this year don't seem to be as effective as they were last year. I might start changing drags to IN-routes and see if these work better in getting separation from the defender.

How to view your opponent's record

In Madden NFL you can no longer see your opponent's win loss record in the online head to head matchup screen.  You can still check your opponent's record after a game, however, by going to your Player Hub at easports.com.  If you are on XBOX go to http://www.easports.com/player-hub/360/[GAMERTAG].  On PS3, go to http://www.easports.com/player-hub/PS3/[GAMERTAG].  On this page, scroll down to the bottom and view the Recent Activity section.  Here, you will find your opponent's gamertag.  Copy this down and paste it in the URL in the area and then go to their Player Hub.  On their Player Hub, click on the LEADERBOARDS tab button.  Your opponent's, rank, skill, level, wins, and losses should be listed.

Admittedly, this takes quite a bit of work to go through so many steps to gather this data.  Instead of doing all this, I decided to write a Greasemonkey script that shows this data on your own Player Hub page.  Now with this script, you can go to your Player Hub page and scroll down to the Recent Activity section and you will see your opponent's win-loss record under each result.

Unfortunately, the recent Activity section will only show completed games.  If your opponent quits before the game has finished the game results won't appear in this section.  You can still obtain your opponent's gamertag, however, by having the game results emailed to you.  Or, you can also view game results by going to the Leaderboard screen on your (XBOX or PS3) console.  In my script, I have also included a Gamertag Record Search box at the top of the Player Hub page so a player's win loss record can be obtained through a search as well.

Now with this Gamertag Record Search box you could essentially lookup an opponent's record while you are in the online head to head matchup screen if you really wanted to.  This is assuming that you have a computer or laptop at your fingertips while you are on your XBOX or PS3 console, of course.

To use the script, follow these 3 steps
1. Download Firefox.
2. Install Greasemonkey extension.
3. After installing Greasemonkey, install Madden NFL View Opponent Record.

How to flip a run without a QB gesture

When flipping the direction of a running play with the R-stick, the quarterback makes a gesture to his team.  This might give your opponent an idea that it might be a running play that's going to be reversed in the other direction.  One way to flip the run without the quarterback gesturing is to bring up your audible menu and then quickly hit the cancel button.  Afterwards, you can flip the run without giving it away to your opponent.

Additional Running Tips
I think it was last year (Madden 11) when the default settings for auto sprint and auto strafe were turned on by default.  This year, I decided to turn these off.  With auto sprint turned off, I have seen a huge improvement in my running game.  Lately, I've been able to rush for 100 yards or more most of the time.  I've also seen improvements in kickoff returns as well.  Take control of your running.  Turn off auto sprint.

Madden Ultimate Team playbook glitch?

Over the weekend I played my first Madden Ultimate Team game and I was able to use the offensive and defensive playbooks that I had setup in My Madden Settings!

As part of the Madden Ultimate Team Incentive program I was rewarded with coins based on what I accomplished in Madden Ultimate Team 10. My starter pack included the Pass Balanced and Multiple D playbooks. When I played my first Madden Ultimate Team game I was actually able to use my West Coast offense playbook and NY Jets defensive playbook. My saved audibles were also working.

I have a feeling this glitch may be related to the new Gameflow and/or the Gameplan features. The problem might also be triggered when one plays a combination of regular online games and Madden Ultimate Team. Before I encountered this glitch I played a couple of online games. I can't remember what mode these games were played in. I believe one game was using Conventional play calling and the other was Gameflow but I prefered to use Conventional play calling throughout the game. After a couple online games, I decided to give Madden Ultimate Team a try. It was a Gameflow game but I was able to use my West coast and NY Jets playbooks!

My opponent decided to quit with 30 seconds left in the game so I didn't earn any coins nor did I earn the win. Sounds like EA is aware of the quiting problem. Ian Cummings, Creative Director of Madden NFL, tweeted "Side note, we are getting close to a solution to the Madden quitters out there...it's not gonna end well for you! Will update more soon."

Madden NFL Strategy Pad

The Madden NFL demo was just released on July 27th. So far, the most of the internet community is not liking the new Strategy Pad. One thing I don't understand is why does the user need to activate it to get to the first menu? The screenshot up above is the initial button. When you hit the D-pad it then brings you to the first menu. I don't think the initial button press should be necessary. Anyway, it will take a while to get used to but I'm sure everyone will eventually get the hang of it.

A few forum members offered good tips on how to learn the new Strategy Pad. With two controllers connected, launch the Madden NFL demo. Pause the game and turn off the play clock. Go to controller settings to add the other controller so one controls the away team and the other controls the home team. With this setup you can play around with the Strategy pad at your own pace.

Offense

Offensive line shifts	Hot Routes

Defense

Hot Routes	Coverage
Defensive Line shifts	Linebacker shifts

Defending against the play action pass

When Madden 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.