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EDIT:Video now included

Well unless you have been living under a rock for the past day or so you know what the Philadelphia Eagles have done in this NFL Free Agency time. The Eagles Acquired Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie as well as Nnamdi Asomugha.

Those corners will play along side Asante Samuel as of now, but word on the street is that the eagles are looking to move him.

Many of players in the Madden NFL Tournament community have been crowning them the best defense off gate. A lot of people have said they are impenetrable. I myself disagree!!!

The way that you will beat the Eagles in this Madden year will be to use you match up advantages like a pro.

Im not really going to go into it deep now (just want to touch base quickly) But you will want to use as many 3 Wide offensive sets as you can. Move players in positions to be successful. As well as understand what those types of players on defense want to do.

I will go into this stuff much deeper later. But I put this out there for those who feel as if they are now forced to use the Philadelphia Eagles, instead of choosing their favorite team or another team who is really good.

You Can Compete With Many Teams!!!!
and
You Can Beat The Eagles With Many Teams

Labels: Offense

This is another segment to the epic thread that is CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot. Guys im not bullshittng when I say that this thread was the first to change the way that I thought about playing the game of John Madden Football

Read the previous segments below
CrazyOldGuys Run and Shoot pt.1
CrazyOldGuys Run and Shoot pt. 2
CrazyOldGuys Run and Shoot pt.3
CrazyOldGuys Run and Shoot pt.4
CrazyOldGuys Run and Shoot pt.5

from maddentips.com
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PART 6: Putting the "RUN" in the Run and Shoot

Quick what thing do all these players have in common: Billy Johnson,Barry Sanders,Kimble Anders,Chuck Weatherspoon,Eric Wilkerson, Eric Dickerson,Mike Rozier, Lorenzo White and Craig "Ironhead" Heyward? All of them were Run and Shoot Running Backs at one time in their college or pro career. Obviously with great players like that its easy to see why the Run and Shooters began to call their RB's SUPERBACKS!!!

The Run and Shoot is NOT just a passing attack, like many of the modern spread teams you can have tremendous success rushing the football when you force the defense to spread the field.

Remember in Part 2 when I talked about the basic concepts of the run and shoot. Be prepared to take advantage of reading the box and running against defenses when the numbers are in your favor. In fact in 2k5 because of features like HFA and something I call "passing momentum" there are times no MATTER HOW GOOD your QB's and Receivers are, no MATTER HOW well the plays are designed, you are not going to be able to complete a pass in this game. These are the times when you have to RUN the ball.

Lets go over the 4 run plays that I like to use as a run and shoot team.

1. Draw
2. Speed Option
3. Slot Sweep and Lead
4. Triple Option

THE DRAW PLAY

The draw play is huge tool to run and shoot teams. The draw simulates passing and then hands of to the running back. The goal obviously is to get the LBS and DBs to drop with the recevivers and create lanes for the running back. Any of the draw plays will work from our double slot or trips formations.

There are no changing of assingments for running plays. So basically I
just want to talk about some ideas for when to use a play like the draw.

1. Don't be afraid to run this play on 3rd and Long or 4th and 5+.

2. In shotgun trips, don't be afraid to cut it to the backside especially when you see the lone db running with the X receiver

3. If you are in Shotgun and you get a high snap so the timing is messed up.. DON'T PANIC, try to following the back into the whole or cut outside if its possible, if you pick up 2-3 yards consider it a win!

THE SPEED OPTION

I talked about this as one of our automatic adjustments when the defense does not adjust to the strength of our formation as in the below example:

..............FS.........
................................SS
CB.......LB....LB......LB.............CB
..............LE.DT...DT..RE
X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
.............................W....Y
..................Q.S

Sometimes the CPU likes to cheat the RE a little outside, but if the qb and the back have decent speed they can usually beat this guy even if he comes in unblocked. On option I like to force people to go after my qb if they do then I pitch. If I have a situation where they charge after the SuperBack (RB), then I like to cut the qb up field and pick up as many easy yards as I can.

For whatever reason it seems like my QB's are always fumblers, so I try to have them dive or get out of bounds to avoid turning the ball over.

Another idea, don't be afraid to run this to the weakside if you call it from balance and then motion the receiver to trips:

.......FS...................SS
..........DB<<<<<<<<<<<<DB
CB.....DB.........LB.................CB
............ LE.DT.DT.RE
X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
.......W..Y<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Y
..................Q.S

Again the number to z's side our in our favor, z should box the CB and then the SS if the only player to stop our QB and Superback.

THE SWEEP:

The Sweep for the Slotback has been around since Tiger Ellison. Modern Run and Shooters though combined the sweep with the "FLY" concept where the Slot RUNNING AT FULL SPEED MOTION would receive the handoff at the snap from the qb. While I was able to create this play with some success for the old PS1 versions, the lack of a play editor means we have to use the slot sweeps from the flexbone formations my personal favorites are Flexbone Slot/WB Sweep WB lead. Sorry no hand off to the Slot at full speed motion

I sub the HB with the WR who would normally play the Y position. This gives us a little bit of a speed advantage but it also means we can still pass out of this formation. Flexbone Slot has some very nice route combinations.

Don't be afraid to motion the W and then run the play to the backside, if W's man follows him over we gain another numerical advantage and a great running lane!

THE TRIPLE OPTION:

Since we're using the flexbone formations triple options are a good running tool. The Triple Option was used by Ellison (he called it Gangster Run) and Franklin College legend Red Faught also used it. I found just using the dive part of the triple option is a nice mix up to our normal run plays.

These obviously aren't the only running plays from a spread formation in the game there are many more! Feel free to experiment with QB choice and the Weak Off tackle plays all of which have solid use in a run and shoot offense.

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maddentips.com

Labels: Community Content

Year in and year out players always talk about how they get torched by quick passes. Im not saying that this post will solve all of your problems completely but it most definitively will help. Now on to the content

Part 5: Passing With "balance"

Balance to the run and shooter doesn't necessarily mean 50/50 run/pass!
So far we've talked about the choice and several of our trips routes but the Run and Shoot also attacks through balanced formations.

X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
.......W.........................Y
..................Q.S
<Backside......................Frontside>
As always I explain plays with the frontside always being to the right for brevity. These plays can be reversed and run to either side.

The four primary balanced routes I use are:
1. Streak
2. Switch
3. Smash
4. Flash

1.THE STREAK ROUTE:

The streak is one of the most basic routes in all of football.Vincent White who coached the Run and Shoot at Pacific with some guy name Walt Harris (Yes that Walt Harris) and at SMU, said he tried to run the streak at least 4 times a game if only to keep the defenses honest.

In N2k5, the best play for this route is the Hail Mary out of 4 wides. No adjustments are needed to run this route.

Reads for Streak:

Presnap: All of our automatic adjustments still apply.

Post Snap vs Coverage: Read the safeties to the corner or pick the best match up. Normally I read frontside to backside and then Run.

Post Snap vs. Blitz: If you expect blitz I wouldn't run it, however if you encounter blitz I try to hit the receiver who would normally be covered by the blitzer.

Alternative to the Streak... THE MOUSE DAVIS STREAK:
Mouse Davis used a streak where the backside receivers would read their defenders, if their defenders dropped the X and W would cut inside at about 10 yards and try to get in an open window between the dropping dbs and lbs. Unfortunately our receivers can't read in this game but we can hot our routes to have a decent route. Still using the Hail Mary 4 wide play.

Assignments for the Mouse Streak
X:Will be "hotted" to a IN or can be leave on his Streak
W:Will be "hotted" to a IN
Y: normal Streak
Z: normal Streak
S: Block

The Reads for the Mouse Streak:

Presnap: All of our adjustments to uncovered receivers still apply uncovered or ability to run.

Post Snap vs Coverage: We will start by reading Z to Y and see if we have anything breaking open. If they don't open we come back to W or X on his in. If they are all covered.. tuck and run.

Post Snap vs Blitz: Reverse the reads and go to W and X then to the Y and Z streaks if time is available.

2.THE SWITCH ROUTE:

The switch route comes to us from Mouse Davis. Its derivative of its powerful sister route the Streak (or Hail Mary play everyone is familiar with). For this play I use Shotgun Spread Slot Wheels but other plays are also viable including Flexbone Slot WR Middle. The Switch wants to force inside coverage players like LBS and Safeties to get in a mismatch with inside receivers who are traditionally some of the best receviers the Run and Shoot has.

Assigments for the Switch:

X:Leave on the the switch post
W:Leave on his switch streak
Y: "Hot" to a streak or a hook, the streak route tends to hold the saftey and the lb
Z: "Hot" to a hook
S: Block

The Reads for the Switch:

Pre Snap read: All of our adjustments to uncovered receivers still apply.

Post Snap vs Coverage: We read the front side Z hook to Y hook/streak so that we can allow the backside switch to develop. If those front side is not open, I look first to W and then to X. If you are good at reading safeties you may want to work the Y to X to the w trying to take advantage of the two deep or single on top safeties.

Post Snap Vs Blitz: Z's hook or W's streak which can break against Man coverage.

3.THE SMASH ROUTE:

The Smash route is another great route that nearly every team uses. From Shotgun Spread- HB GO we have a great route in 2k5 to duplicate this look. This is another route that needs no adjustment but I like to add a little run and shoot touch. Its a great route to run against two deep or man defenses.

Assigments for the Smash:

X: your choice leave the hook or hot to a streak or slant
W: Hot to a Slant
Y: Leave his corner route on
Z: "Hot" to a hook to or leave his hook to cross route on
S: Block

Pre Snap: All adjustments still apply, can we get a gimme uncovered or a run?

Post snap vs coverage: Read the db over Z, if he fades back hit z on his hook...or if you didn't hot him let him start on his cross. If the DB covers down Z try to hit Y on his corner route, if things look muddy come down to the W Slant out to the X or run the ball.

Post Snap vs blitz: Hook or slant, slant especially if the inside lb's bring the pressure.

4.THE FLASH ROUTE:

The flash route we get from Rob Spence who worked as an OC at Hofstra and under Mark Duffner at Maryland. Coach Spence is now the OC at Toldedo, and is recogonized as one of the best offensive minds in college football. A true innovator Coach Spence is one of the new run and shooters who is pushing the offense to the next level. The flash route also allows us to make our HB a receiveing threat as their is no need for him to block. This is another play to that we can get to through other selections but the best I have found is Shotgun Spread- WR Curls.

Assigments for the Flash:

X: leave his route on
W: leave his route on
Y: "Hot" to a slant
Z: leave his hook on
S: leave his flat on

Pre Snap: All adjustments still apply, can we get a gimme uncovered or a run? But we need to be aware of any pressure appearances from the backside is the W player in a potential blitz position? (Hugging the DE, aggressive stance)

Post Snap vs Coverage: The read is always Y on his slant keying the mlb if he drops or goes to the frontside we hit Y, if he sits then we move on to Z on his hook, if he is not open we go to S on his flat. You can go back side and red X to W, run or throw it .

Post Snap VS Blitz: If the pressure is coming from the backside (the guy who is over W?) then we want to go to w, otherwise we go to Y vs any pressure up the middle.

This would be a better route if only we could get S to SWING is route,we don't need him to run ot the flat right away. Alas no play editor for NCAA yet

Thanks to everyone for the many kind words and encouragement! Again I'll be posting a semi bibliography and credits,because I can't take credit for any of this stuff. I'd love to hear about the other systems out there so please don't let this intimidate anyone in anyway my way isn't the ONLY way... if you have an offense or a defense you are passionate about PLEASE POST IT!!!

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maddentips.com

Labels: Community Content

Now we will take a step into the mind of the late great Bill Walsh. Coach Walsh will tell us how we can control the ball with the pass

This post comes from westcoastoffense.com

(if you cant see the imagines than right click the picture and open it in a new window/tab...that should fix the issue)

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Controlling the Ball With the Pass BILL WALSH former San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal

My philosophy has been to control the ball with the forward pass. To do that we have to have versatility-versatility in the action and types of passes thrown by the quarterback.

Dropback Passes We like the dropback pass. We use a three-step drop pattern, but more often we will use a five-step drop pattern of timed patterns down the field. From there we go to a seven-step drop. When our quarterback takes a seven-step drop, he's allowing the receivers time to maneuver down the field. Therefore, we will use a three-step drop pattern when we are throwing a quickout or hitch or slant which, by and large, the defense is allowing you to complete by their alignment or by their coverage.

The five-step drop pattern for the quarterback calls for a disciplined pattern by the receiver. He runs that pattern the same way every time. He doesn't maneuver to beat the defensive back.
Too often in college football, either the quarterback is standing there waiting for the receiver, or the receiver has broken before the quarterback can throw the ball. These are the biggest flaws you will see in the forward pass. Now when the receiver breaks before the ball can be thrown, the defensive back can adjust to the receiver. Any time the quarterback holds the ball waiting for the receiver to break, the defensive back sees it and breaks on the receiver. So the time pattern is vital.

Play-Action Passes You can't just dropback pass. You have to be able to keep the defense from zeroing in on your approach. That's why the play pass is vital. By and large, the play-action pass will score the touchdown. The dropback pass will control the ball.
For play-action passing, we have certain blocking fundamentals that we use. We will show different backfield actions with basically the same offensive line blocking. We will go to the play pass as often as we can, especially as we get to the opponent's 25-yard line.

Action Pass The third category of pass that most people use is what we call the action pass, where your quarterback moves outside. There are a couple of reasons for moving outside. One certainly is to avoid the inside pass rush. For a dropback passing team we'll sprint-out "waggle" as we call it-outside to avoid blitzers who approach straight up the field on us. The other advantage is to bring yourself closer to the potential receiver.

We'll get outside to throw the ball and get ourselves closer to the man we want to throw to. When you can get outside, the trajectory of the ball can be flatter because normally there isn't a man between you and the receiver.

The versatility also includes changing your formations. We continuously change receiver width and spacing. We seldom will line up our receiver with the same spacing on two or three plays in a row. If we want to throw the ball to the outside, we will reduce the split of the receiver. We need running room to the outside. We don't want the ball in the air very long. If we want to throw inside, we will extend the split of our receivers, so that there is more maneuvering room to the inside, and spread the defense.

Our backs, as many teams know will cheat to get where they have to be. We know that if we throw to backs, the first thing on their mind is how to release out of the backfield. We are quite willing to move the man to get the release and sometimes telegraph what we are doing. We are quite willing to do that with the idea that when we want to break a given tendency, we simply line them up there and run something else.

We will vary the split of the receivers according to the pattern and the coverage and, of course, to add versatility. The biggest problem you will have in the forward pass is when you have to throw the ball a number of times and, with a very limited inventory, you begin to throw the same pattern over and over. You get into trouble. The argument that you will throw the interception has to be qualified with how much you know about the forward passing game versus the running game. In our last game, our opponent fumbled five times, and we threw no interceptions. That might have been the difference in the game.
Play Selection One of the factors involved with our success years ago with the Cincinnati Bengals was that we would begin to set a game plan for the opening of the game. We continued that at Stanford. In a given game, say, for instance, against Southern California, we ran the first 12 plays we had decided on in order. Of course, we ran out of lists because the first 12 worked and none worked after that. But the point is we went 12 plays in order, right down the line. We went eight straight games scoring the first time we had the ball. By the time we have completed 8 to 10 plays, we've forced the opponent to adjust to a number of things. We've kept him off balance with the type of thing we were doing, and we pretty much established in a given series what we would come to next.

That's a good approach to offensive football. It forces you to go into that game with a certain calmness. You know where you're going, rather than having to say, "What in the hell do we do now?" Occasionally planned plays don't work, but we keep going. We don't change; we don't worry about it. We try to create an effect on our opponent. The effect is that he feels he has to adjust. We present different looks and dilemmas. We run the ball right at him. We throw the ball over his head. Meanwhile, because we know what the play is, we readily see what their adjustments are. We try to get a line on their first down defenses, but we take it from there.

In Scoring Territory I have seen many teams march the ball beautifully, but right around the 15-yard line, they are already warming up their placekicker, because right at that point defenses change, the field they can operate in changes, and suddenly their basic offense goes all to pieces.

My contention is that if we are on their 25, we're going for the end zone. Failing at that, we will kick a field goal. In an evenly matched game, I don't want to try to take the ball from their 25 to the goal line by trying to smash it through people, because three out of four times, you won't make it. Unless you are superior. Of course, if you are vastly superior it makes very little difference how you do it.

Why? First, every defensive coach in the country is going to his blitzes about right there. The pass coverage, by and large, will be man-to-man coverage. We know that if they don't blitz one down, they're going to blitz the next down. Automatically. They'll seldom blitz twice in a row but they'll blitz every other down. If we go a series where there haven't been blitzes on the first two downs, here comes the safety blitz on the third down. So we are looking, at that point, to get into the end zone.

By the style of our football, we'll have somebody to get the ball to a little bit late-just as an outlet to get 4 or 5 yards, to try to keep it. But from the 25 to the 10, we're going for the end zone.

Midfield Between our own 10-yard line and the opponent's 25, we operate our field offense. We know that on first down our ball-control passing is vital. By and large, on first-and-10 you'll get a 2-deep zone - zone-type defense. We can drop the ball off to a back late and still make 4 to 5 yards. Those 4 or 5 yards are as important to us as some other team making the same on an option play.

You often will see us run with the ball on second-and-lO, because we want 5 yards. If you run a basic running play, you can get your 5.
At third-and-5, we are right back with a ball-control pass, dumping to a back, and we're making it. If we can make 30 first downs a game, we'll win.

Short Yardage We have standard passes to throw against a goalline defense. Too often people try to go in there and butt heads with good linebackers on the goal line. Too often they don't make it. If we get inside that 5-yard line, half the time we are going to throw the ball. Now, if you're marching through somebody, you can just close your eyes and hand the ball off But when it's very competitive, that goal-line pass is vital. So we have a series of those. We never call them anywhere else on the field.

When we are around their 35-yard line in a short-yardage situation, if we don't see somebody standing deep down the middle, we're probably going to go for the six points. To make it on third-and-1 we will often throw to a back out of the backfield. Third-and-3 is the toughest of all to make. We have a certain list of runs and a certain list of passes. When we have a third-and-3, we don't grope. We go to it.

Ball-Control Passing Don't isolate throwing the forward pass to a given down and distance. If you are going to throw the ball, you must be willing to throw on first down, not a token pass hoping for the best, but a pass that is designed to get you a certain amount of yardage.

In our ball-control passing, we will use the five-step drop pattern on first down, because we know through the drilling of our quarterback, that we can get 4 or 5 dropping the ball off to a back, who is an outlet, or to a tight end. So we are quite willing to throw a ball-control pass on first down, and then go to our seven-step drop maneuvering pattern on third down. As you can see, most of our offense is based on ball-control passes, no matter what the situation. Figure 1 shows you a ball-control pass that Sid Gilman may have developed some time ago. It's one of the most effective forward passes we've used.

FIGURE 1 Red Right - 22 Z-In

22 Z-In This is a five-step drop pattern. The quarterback takes five big steps and a hitch step and throws on time. The receiver splits 12 to 14 yards. The flanker releases inside for 5 to 6 yards and then bursts hard to the outside foot of the cornerback. What he wants to do is to get that cornerback on his heels. Then he'll turn in about three steps and catch the pass 12 yards deep.
The fullback runs what we call a scat pattern. He doesn't have any pickup, and he releases to the outside. He never catches the ball more than 2 yards past the line of scrimmage, most often right at the line of scrimmage. If the backer blitzes, he looks for the ball early.

Our tight end picks off the near end backer. He'll put his head past that man's shoulder, slow down, and make contact. He bounces off it and goes to the far guard position, turns and faces the quarterback, and watches his eyes because he's the last outlet.

The quarterback throws the ball related to the sky safety. If the safety gives ground, he'll throw to the fullback. If the safety flattens out, we'll throw in behind him, in this case to the flanker. If it's man-to-man, the flanker runs a man-to-man pattern trying to beat the corner. If it's man-to-man, the safety will often chase the tight end, and there will be a good throwing lane with the backer coming out on the fullback.

When we throw to the fullback the ball should arrive to him a foot in front of his number. If the fullback has to reach, he will take his eyes off the ball, slow down or break stride, and probably get nothing out of it.

Out Pattern The out pattern is a timed pattern thrown from a five-step drop. On a timed pattern, a quarterback does not take a hitch step.

The receiver goes straight up the field as close to full speed as he can. At 10 yards he crosses over and breaks out. He catches the ball at 12 (see Figure 2). The SP doesn't care about the coverage, other than if they roll up, he runs a seam. He doesn't care where the defensive back is located, and he doesn't change his angle of release. He just runs the pattern.

When he catches it, he goes up the sideline. We tell our backs, 'you want the sideline." The reason is that only one man can tackle you at a time, and he often underestimates a ball-carrier along the sideline. What we are after on 22 Z-In is a 7- to 9-yard gain to the fullback, or a 12-yard gain to the flanker. The fullback gets it about two out of three times.

If the two primary receivers are covered, our quarterback will come back and look at the tight end. As soon as the tight end sees the quarterback's eyes, he slides laterally for the pass (see Figure 1).

We have several other options off our 22 action, depending on the defense. We have a Z-in with fullback motion, a circle-out with our flanker, and a Y-out with the tight end. The key to the pass is the fullback. He should average 7 to 8 yards a catch. That's what we mean by ball-control passing.

FIGURE 2 Red Right - 24 Double Square Out (OKIE)

The quarterback decides prior to the snap and just after the snap whether he's going to throw him the ball or not. The quarterback takes five quick steps. Notice I said five big steps in the Z in. Now that we're throwing out, the QB takes five quick steps. He can't lead the receiver with the pass because any time you lead a receiver who is running parallel to the ball, he'll never catch up to the ball.

Throw right at the man's hip. If you throw into his body, the defensive back doesn't have any way to get to it. What we are trying to get here is the defensive back giving ground this way and then losing lateral ground this way. That's on single coverage.

On this particular pattern both receivers do the same thing, but I would say most often the flanker gets it. The tight end takes an inside release, goes straight up the field, and runs a full speed crossing pattern, but never crosses the ball. The tight end on his basic crossing pattern is the one you go to on man-under defense. If a team is running man-under, that kind of an out is suicide. So if our quarterback sees inside-out coverage on wide receivers, reasonably close, his drop now goes right to the tight end; he's looking for the tight end to beat a man-under linebacker.

M Pattern The backs play a key role. They check the backers on a blitz. After reading for the blitz, the back runs what we call an M pattern.

In the M pattern, the back moves 1 1/2 to 2 yards back from his blocking position. When he is 6 yards deep and 3 yards outside the offensive tackle, he turns upfield looking for the M pattern.
On the M pattern, the weak linebacker-some call him a defensive end-takes away the square out, we hold the ball, and pop it right off to the halfback (see Figure 2).

There's also a tight end option off the double square-out pattern. As you can see in Figure 2, when both middle linebackers cover backs to the outside, and blitz one man, this isolates our tight end on a backer. He has a good chance of beating the backer.

Hook Pattern Now let's look at the seven-step drop pattern. This is one play that we've almost worn out. On a seven-step drop pattern, our receivers will maneuver. We're going to run a blue left for us, a right, which is motion, and we're going to run a 79, which is weak flow pass protection. Now X is going to run a pattern on the weak side (see Figure 3).

FIGURE 3 Blue Right - 79 X-Hook

You vary the width of the receiver. He may be 1 yard split or he may be 12 yards split, depending on which linebacker we are trying to beat. X works up the field, gets past the man who has short coverage, and turns in. We tell him to get past the W and beat the M.

On this pattern we tell our receiver that he must go at least 12 yards and never more than 18 yards on the hook. Not because he can't get open, but because the quarterback can't wait that long to throw. A lot of it is predicated on pass rush. We say never less than 12, because we can't have a hook develop at 12 when our quarterback takes seven steps.

-1979 Proceedings. Coach Walsh was head coach at Stanford University.

Labels: Real Life X's and O's Content

Whats up guys, now I want to talk briefly about rub routes. People think that this year will be a heavy zone coverage year but thats not to say that man coverage will not be used. So this post will show you a way to get a player (or 2) open vs man coverage in Madden NFL or NCAA offense.

Take a look at the diagram above (try not to laugh lol). It is a diagram of the right side of the field, center over. Lets just say the formation is singleback spread with the running back motioned to the right slot.

(could be any formation with that alignment)

The route combo is the streak (Y, a HB or whoever) and slant in (A, whoever may be there)

Dont really worry about B. He can be on any route that helps with the flow of the play....he isnt really that important

The first thing you need to look at is the spacing between Y and A (yes it matters). In most formation where there is already a slot WR and you motion the RB (or another WR) out to that side they align pretty tight.

Now that tightness helps in getting rubs

What will happen at the snap is that when A makes his break inside the defender guarding him may run into the Y player or the defender guarding Y, leaving an open lane to get A the ball for some great YAC.

In a RARE occasion you will see both defenders of A and Y get rubbed and both players are open for a spell. That really puts a damper on your opponents cover 0 defense LMAO.

So thats pretty much it, but there is one last thing.

If you are not getting the rubs you want (or any at all) you need to make sure the speeds of the two players involved match up. When A makes his cut he needs to be on Y's ass (no homo)

So hopefully this helps you guys out. Leave your thoughts in the comments

Colonel out

Labels: Offense

You hear about people complaining about stopping the option in NCAA Football 2012. Well just think about stopping this offense

I just came across this and thats the first thought that came to me......Dont be so quick to complain, guys on the real gridiron have it 200x rougher than you....How da hell would you D this up, leave it in the comments

Colonel Out

Labels: Real Life X's and O's Content

This is a continuation on the epic thread of CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot.....Enjoy!!!!

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.1
CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.2

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.3

maddentips.com

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PART 4: Tripping the Defense Fantastic, Exploiting the Strength side of the Trips

Last post I talked about the weakside/backside of the trips formation in the run and shoot but less the defense forget we have three receivers to the strongside and we have some great routes to that make use of them

X.....LT.LG.C.RG.RT...................Z
...............................W...Y
............Q.S
<<weak/backside..by the virture of 3 recievers strong\frontside side>>>>

Those routes are

1. Slide
2. Go
3. The Double Go

1. THE SLIDE ROUTE:
I've previously talked about this route as an automatic adjustment vs. a defense that doesn't cover all of our receivers, but its also a great route ANYTIME. The Slide route was one of the orginal run and shoot routes that Tiger Ellison used although he referred to it as Frontside Gangster.

The route that we use will be Shotgun Normal Arrows.

This route of course starts out in a balanced double slot formation

..X......LT.LG.C.RG.RT........Z
.......W...................Y
...
...............Q.S

We will ALWAYS MOTION Y to create the trips formation:

X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
......W..Y
..................Q.S

(again these plays can be flipped and run left or right)
Assignments for Slide Route:

X:Will be "hotted" to a slant
W:Runs his arrow
Y: "Hot" to a streak or a hook, the streak route tends to hold the saftey and the lb, if they stay outside of Y, he becomes our primary receiver.
Z: He can run his normal "short" (?) route or be "hotted" to any other route
S: Block

The Reads for the Slide:
Presnap: Since the slide naturally takes advantage of the uncovered we certainly don't mind if the defense does not adjust to the trips look, however shotgun trips option and slot screen remain viable if we want to use them. My main look is how are they covering Y? Does it look like the LB and Safety will stay on him? are they playing outside of him so I could hit him for an easy gain?

Post Snap vs Coverage: My key is usually the inside LB. After the snap I read Y: is he open have the lb and saftey flown outside him to cover the slant and the arrow? If they have flown outside of Y, I try to hit him in the 10 yard range. If they have covered him the we look to X on the slant, with inside LB dropping with Y or staying the X coming inside on his slant can become wide open. Our last option is the Arrow, because 2k5 defenders fly to the outside so well he normally is well covered by the DB, BUT if that DB comes inside with the X or the DB gets picked off by the X Arrow can also be wide open.

Post Snap vs the Blitz: With at least two receviers "hotted" and the arrow route the slide has great answers for the blitz, especially if its our key that inside lb blitzing! If its him X's slide should be open and we will look to him, next will be the arrow and third will be the streak.

2. THE GO:

The "Go" route comes to us from Mouse Davis. Unfortunately because of 2k5's weak defenses it can really become a "money" play so I've cut back on my usage of it significantly from 2k4. But you may find the alternative "Double Go" a little bit more enjoyable. We actually have a good "Go" route in 2k with Shotgun Spread Deep Attack. This however is another route that we can call any play and get to it through "Hot" calling our receivers.

Like all of the routes in this post it is thrown from a trips look

X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
................................W....Y
..................Q.S

Assignments for the Go:
X:I will leave his streak route on
W:"Hot" to an OUTSIDE slant, in other words make his slant run toward the z!
Y: Leave his post route on
Z: Runs his streak
S: I will normally hold into block.

The Reads for Go:
Pre-snap I want to make sure the defense adjust to the strength of the formation, if they don't then I'll go with a slot screen to Y or run speed option to the trips side. If the cover everybody down then I want to take a look at the player who is going to take responsiblity for W. He will be our key.

Post snap vs coverage: W is going to be the key on his outside slant,90% of the time in 2k5 he is almost always covered however if he is not I hit W has he goes outside on his outside slant. If the defense converges on the W outside slide, I look to Y on his post, usually he will split a two deep or quarters look or he will become open between a lb and saftey vs a three deep. Because the Deep throws are not coverd well he can become wide open and very easy to hit.

Post Snap Vs Blitz: Normally W would work open on a hot route, but with 2k5 defenders so dedicated to covering the outside Y will be our primary read vs a blitz or if we get pressure.

3. THE DOUBLE GO:
We can use the same route Shotgun Spread Deep Attack, but not be so Cheezy by changing two assigments. This is the double go that June Jones uses at Hawai'i.

Assignments for THE DOUBLE GO:
Are all the same as GO except:
Y: Will be "Hotted" to the outside slant run toward Z
W: Will be "Hotted" to an out

Reads for the Double Go:

Pre snap reads: Again Pre-snap I want to make sure the defense adjust to the strength of the formation, if they don't then I'll go with a slot screen to Y or run speed option to the trips side.

Post Snap vs. Coverage: This time we will read Y on his outside slant for whatever reason he's usually not covered as tight as W normally is on the GO. If the coverage is on Y we look to x coming open on his out, then to Z on the streak.

Post Snap Vs. Blitz: The Double Go provides better answers vs the blitz with the two hot routs coming open quickly I still read Y to W to Z.

We have other routes we can use extremely well out of trips but we'll cover those as we go over the Balance passes.

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maddentips.com

Labels: Community Content

There has been a lot of talk in the madden community about should injuries be "on" (allowed) at tournaments.
The main argument on the side of the guys who say injuries should be turned off is that if an injury happens (and they always want to say if the guy is out for the game lol) is that the best player wont win if said injury happens. Im not going to stand here (or type here) and say what side is right or wrong, but I do like injuries to be on. But I do want to help you cope with injuries.

1. Plan ahead
Head into practice mode and see what your back ups can and cant do.
When typing this post (july 25th) using the atlanta falcons I know that if Turner gets hurt I can plug in Jason Snelling (baby turner lol) and he can do almost the same things running and he can do even more in catching the ball.

If Norwood gets hurt theres another back A. Smith who is slower (92-93 speed to Norwoods 95) but can step in and do the same job.

Now as far as QBs are concerned learn how fast the back up gets rid of the ball when he throws (90% of the time it will be slower). Learn what throws he can and cant make....REMEMBER THEM!!!!!

Same thing goes for defense. Learn who can do what, and if they have to come in as a starting role (god forbid lol) play to their strengths......

Just like in real life, im sure some guys reading have played high school ball. Well think about when a player got hurt, try to remember what the coach did as far as playcalling. If he was a good coach he would have made the play calls simpler to help the in coming player do his job. The kid has enough to worry about in stepping into a role he wasnt prepared for, dont overload the kid.....same thing works for madden, figuratively of course. Play to the guys strength

2. Dont overload the player
Now I said before to lean what your guy can and cant do......That still stands but take that and ask your guy to do slightly less than what he is capable of doing. This is true especially for QBs.

Now I know so and so can throw a decent corner route but that route will be on the list (for me) of routes that I will rarely throw. Why? because he is just barely throwing it well. That means there is a high chance in game that he wont be able to throw it well (or as good)

So I will implement a shorter passing game.....And this comes with knowing lots of the X's and O's of football. If you know a lot, you will be able to flow easier into new offenses.

3. Try to avoid big hits
Simple enough......lol
Maybe next time you are near the sideline you might step out of bounds instead of fighting for that extra half yard (when you already have a 1st down)

4. Stay in the green
Fatigue effects fumbles, drops,QB accuracy ,and yes INJURIES
So when that guy gets close to that red get him the hell out the game. Does he need to stay green? no.

But when he is in that orange range(mid-dark) get him out the game if possible.

SO these are a few ways to help cope with or prevent injuries......What do you guys think, leave it in the comments

Colonel OUT!!!!!!

Labels: Misc

There are too many players out there who want to get better at madden/ncaa overnight who dont want to put the work in. News Flash...........THATS NOT GUNNA HAPPEN (no not even if you buy an ebook)

One step to getting better is that you need to see where you left opportunities on the field.

You need to see which reads you wiffed on
You need to see (when you are out of a game situation) how you attacked the defense
You need to see how your opponent adjusted to you(so later you can have an adjustment for that adjustment)
You need to see where you should have head up field with the ball instead of getting your Barry Sanders on
You need consider how you would attack that defense differently if given the chance

Im just going to stop here (trust me there are more things to think about)

But you need to sit down after the game and check yourself before you wreck yourself......Even in victory

There are two ways to scout yourself

Look at the highlights after the game
now this is instant gratification scouting. You get to see everything and it is a great resource to use.

Bad thing is that after the game you will still have feelings about the game. If u lost you may be frustrated and not thoroughly see what all went down in game. Or if you won you will think your the shit and not scout seriously....Both are problems, just try as best you can and clear your head

Things you will need to really scout
-pen
-pad

This allows you to jot down the play that sliced through your defense or jot down that defense that brought the heat or locked you down.

WHY????

SO YOU CAN LAB!!!!!!! Duh

Record your games

Tools
-Camera (webcam will do in some cases)
- Direct recorder

Now what you get here is you can look at your games when you feel like it. WHEN THE FEELINGS HAVE LEFT YOU!!!!!

Now you can clearly see everything you need to see.

Bad thing is you have to pay for the tool...lol

Under are some cameras and direct recording devices you can check out

I myself have a webcam (if you have seen my vids u know what im working with lol) but I mainly use the in game replays. But I will record some games vs certain players

BUT!!!!

I am working hard to get a good quality camera so I can record games so I can critique myself..And I might upload videos of my games where I critique some (most prob will be raw video)... And you guys can leave comments critiquing me as well (sometimes an outside perspective is better than your own.

Labels: Misc

This continues on from CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.1 and CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.2

maddentips.com

------------------------------------------

Part 3: The Choice Route and Concept

The Choice Route

A major part of this offense has always been throwing to the weakside receiver. And you've seen how by using motion we can force defenses to expose a major weakness. It has become the main tool, I like to use to attack this weakness is the choice route. Since this is such an importnant concept to the Run and Shoot offense I'm going to cover the Choice concept first and sepearte from all the other trips formation concepts.

While NCAA 2k5 , Shotgun Spread and Shotgun Trips have a lot of great routes that could be converted into a Run and Shoot Choice route the play that I have like the best is Shotgun Trips Slot Cross.

The choice will always be thrown from a trips formation look.

.......FS...................SS
............................DB
CB................LB.............DB........CB
............ LE.DT.DT.RE
X...........LT.LG.C.RG.RT...............Z
.................................W....Y
.....................Q.S

Assignments for Choice Route:

X:Will be "hotted" to an out,a hook, a slant or he will be allowed to run his fade
W:Runs his 10 yard Crossing route
Y: "Hot" to a hook, I found that by hoting to the hook it forces better horizontal stretch cleaning up the reads among the receivers as they make their breaks vs. leaving him on his crossing route, I found if I leave that default route on, Y and W usually wind up crossing the field together making it easier for the defense to cover and harder for me to read who is open.
Z: Runs his post
S: I will normally hold into block although his check and release to the wide side is a good call especially if the defense is playing deep and not a threat to blitz.

The Reads

Pre-Snap: Pre-snap I want to make sure the defense adjust to the strength of the formation, if they don't then I'll go with a slot screen to Y or run speed option to the trips side.

If the defense has adjusted then, I like to get a feel for how the corner is playing x and make the hot adjustment off of it.

If the cb is tight, I will leave the X's Fade on. I haven't had a chance to incorporate the match-up stick but I would say if its showing your receiver is clearly better than the DB this may become more of a primary option.
If the cb is deep, I will "hot" to a hook route or a slant.
If the cb is at normal depth (usually 5 yards) I "hot" to an out, its been my experience that I throw the out about 90% of the time.

Post Snap vs Coverage:
On the snap, I am reading the coverage of X. If the corner's coverage is not tight I will hit the x as he comes out of his break. If the corner does a great job, I read W crossing to see if he is open, unless its a blitz, 2k5 LBs do a great job of running with this receiver so I normally hit Y on his hook. Z never really becomes a factor, but I always see he breaks open deep and late, it just seems I like to hit the throw to quickly for me to go to wait for Z to break.

I try to roll the QB to X, as it makes hitting the out route easier.

Post Snap vs Blitz:
Since I'm using so many Hot routes with X he is normally the guy I will stick with as his out and slants make excellent blitz handlers .But if the CB plays great, W crossing usually ends up wide open.

Goaline/Short Yardage Choice:
This year I've found that the choice route works even better on the goaline than it did last year. I'm still staying with the same play Shotgun Trips- Slot Cross.

In the tighter confines though I have to make a small adjustment.

Assingments for the Goaline/Short Yardage Choice:
X: The "hotted" slant becomes a major tool but the out is still there.
W: To help the X slant open up even more and because the Crossing route goes to deep to be effective on the goaline, I like hot W to a Hook.
Y: Still "hotted" to a hook
Z: Leave his post on.
S: almost always "hotted" to block on the goaline

Presnap: All the automatics are still on (hit uncovered or checking to a run to strong side if their is no adjustment). As in the field I will study the CB covering X to make a decision if it looks like the "hotted" hook is there as opposed to slant or out.

Post Snap vs coverage: Remain the same reading X to W to Y to Z.

Post Snap vs Blitz: The X slant will really open up here if the defense decides the blitz, provided the recever gets a good break. W,Y however remain solid choices.

Concluding thoughts on the choice routes and concept:

The choice route has been causing that lone backside DB nightmares for 40 years and using the above I like to think I cause the cpu a few nightmares .

I want to call again that there are other great routes out of Shotgun spread and Shotgun trips that can be used instead of the Slot Cross. Obviously by "hotting" routes with a little creativity we can convert a lot of routes in to Choices.

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maddentips.com

Labels: Community Content

Here is an interesting article I found about the red zone

Efficiency in the Scoring Zone By Brian Rock,
Offensive Coordinator, Western Michigan
FROM: American Football Monthly

From the time we watched our first game, we all understood the fundamental role of the offense in the game of football. The purpose of the offense is not to control the clock, nor is it to create field position or give the defense a rest. Although these are all important by-products of an effective offense, they are not the primary focus. The role of the offense is to score points, period. It is with that basic premise in mind that we communicate and develop our philosophy for the area between the opponents' 25-yard line and their 5-yard line, the area we refer to as the "Scoring Zone". We use this reference in an effort to communicate to our team what we intend to do when the ball reaches this point.

Goals
When developing a scoring zone philosophy or plan, we must first set parameters or goals of what we are trying to accomplish. This allows players and coaches to understand the importance of efficiency in this area. It also gives us a tool to measure ourselves. When setting efficiency goals for the scoring zone, we want to first be realistic.

We want to set standards that are attainable but not underachieving. Meeting a goal serves no purpose if it does not help us win. Secondly, we must set a standard that not only challenges our unit, but also communications the level of performance that we expect from our offense.

Lastly, we must take into account the effectiveness of our kicking game and kicker. Can we expect at least a field goal when we reach the 25-yard line? Going into each season we will adjust our scoring zone performance expectations slightly. For the 2000 season, we entered each game with the following objective.

1. 80% in the Scoring Zone (TD or FG)
2. 67% TD's

Through the MAC championship game, we were able to score 41 of 48 times in the scoring zone for 85%. We were able to score TD's 71% of the time, or 34 of the 48 times in the scoring zone. In this respect, we were efficient and successful in this area. For the 2001 season, these performance expectations may be slightly altered in the effort to raise the bar.

Philosophy
When developing a scoring zone philosophy, we first look at the personality of our offense. We do not want to drastically alter from our attacking style of offense. Our offensive philosophy is based on a two-pronged attack. We want to be balanced and unpredictable, blending the run with the pass from a variety of looks using different combinations of personnel, formations, shifting, and motion.

With this in mind, we set forth to develop our scoring zone package in an effort to keep pressure on opposing defenses. We want to stay consistent in our approach with our unit while remaining unpredictable to our opponents. We try to keep the following considerations in mind when developing our scoring zone plan.

A. What is the opponents' defensive philosophy in this area? Through film study we can determine if the defense is zone oriented or based on increased pressure.

B. While trying to attack the defense, do not make calls that jeopardize the field position. That is, avoid negative plays.

C. Try to avoid 3rd and long situations. Our advantage is the run/pass threat. 3rd and long reduces the threat, and defenses will have special coverages or blitzes for these situations.

D. Utilize a wider variety of motion, shifting, personnel grouping and formations to create indecision on the part of the defense.

E. Coach this aspect of the game to convey a great sense of urgency to your offense. This can be done in the classroom and, more importantly, by committing practice time to this important facet of the game. The more you are able to put players in this situation in practice, the more poise and production they will display on the field.

Pre-Scoring Zone
As coaches, we all realize that efficiency in the scoring zone is vitally important to winning any game. However, one area that many game plans over-look is the part of the field leading up to the scoring zone. Spending time to plan for this area will increase your opportunities in the scoring zone. At Western Michigan, the priority for us once we cross the 50-yard line is to use a combination of plays that will increase our chances of crossing the 25-yard line. When choosing plays for this area, we try to keep 2 basic ideas in mind:

1. Utilize plays that have the highest degree of success in the 10- 15 yard range.

2. Do not become conservative on your approach, but avoid plays that might put your team into a position of having to convert a 3rd and long (i.e.the use of deceptive such as reverses etc.), and avoid protections that have the quarterback sit deep in the pocket making multiple reads. This is a great place to use the quick passing game and protections that move the pocket.

This is also an area you must determine how far out to extend your 4th down territory. Oftentimes this is influenced by your kicking ability and weather/field conditions. We plan for this during the week and take time to explain our intentions to our offense to not surprise them on game day. We want 4th down attempts interpreted as further "attack," and not as "panic" on the part of the coaching staff.

The Plan
We break down the scoring zone into 3 separate areas.

A. +24-+15

B. +14-+10

C. +9-IN

In each category, we will have 3-4 specific passes and 2-3 specific runs. The passing package for the 3 combined areas will include:

A. Drop Back

B. Play-Action

C. Sprint-Out

D. Screens

We will attack the defense with vertical routes such as corners, streaks and post routes (especially on early downs). As mentioned previously, we will increase the use of shifting and use personnel and formation change-ups to ensure one on one situations, create personnel mismatches and forces the defense into pre-snap adjustments they may not be accustomed to.

The run package for the three combined areas will include:

1. Inside quick-rhythm runs that can be run on quick a cadence

2. A way to quickly pressure the perimeter of the defense safely.

3. A misdirection play vs. fast flowing or overpursuing defenses.

In this area, it is imperative that you control the point of attack and allow the ball carrier to do his job. We must also not allow penetration across the front in an effort to avoid negative yardage plays. Extra tight-end sets, wing sets and unbalanced formation can be used to your advantage in this area to create the match-ups desire. The ability to run the ball must be stressed to your unit. This is an area that requires tough, physical blocking and running. The ability to establish the run in the scoring zone significantly increases your chances for success.

Key Coaching Points
1. Don't use route combinations or blocking schemes not otherwise practiced. Create the deception and change through motion, shifts, and formations.

2. Find ways to get the ball to playmakers. Take advantage of your special players. Don't ask someone to do something he is not capable of.

3. Strive for simplicity to enhance confidence and your ability to help your team from the sideline. QB reads, blocking assignments and route adjustments can be received more readily if they are simple to begin with. Remember simplicity to your unit may be achieved while creating a drastic change for the defense. (i.e. a base play from a different personnel grouping with a shift)

4. Commit practice time and meeting time to this as often as possible. At Western Michigan, we practice scoring zone one-on-one (WR vs. DB's) ever other practice. We have a scoring period of 7- on-7 on both Wednesday and Thursday. We have a team scoring zone period on both Wednesday and Thursday and a-team walk-through on both Thursday and Friday. The more we emphasize the importance of an efficient scoring zone plan, the more our players will work to ensure success.

At Western Michigan, we strive to be creative and unpredictable in all areas of offensive football. Some of our greatest challenges have come in this area of the field. Hopefully, some of the ideas I have presented you will find worthwhile. Success in the scoring zone does not happen by chance. When you have a plan, teach your plan, believe in your plan and practice your plan, it will pay the dividends you seek.

Labels: Real Life X's and O's Content

This Page

WFColonel's War Room

Jul 30, 2011

How To Beat The Eagles Defense In Madden 12

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.6

PART 6: Putting the "RUN" in the Run and Shoot

Jul 29, 2011

Quick Pass Defensive Suggestion

Jul 28, 2011

Deep Ball Basics: How Do You Beat Them Deep

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.5

Part 5: Passing With "balance"

Jul 27, 2011

Controlling the Ball With the Pass

Rub Routes: Streak-Slant Combo

Jul 26, 2011

How Good Do You Have It?

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.4

This is a continuation on the epic thread of CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot.....Enjoy!!!!

maddentips.com

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PART 4: Tripping the Defense Fantastic, Exploiting the Strength side of the Trips

Jul 25, 2011

How to deal with injury

Scout Yourself!!!!!

CrazyOldGuy's Run and Shoot pt.3

Part 3: The Choice Route and Concept

Jul 24, 2011

Efficiency in the Scoring Zone by Brian Rock

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