BE SURE TO CHECK OUT UPDATES ON CONNECTED CAREERS!!!
As of next week (June 4) there is going to be a new blog released from EA Tiburon that is going to focus on ‘Connected Careers’. The most important part of this for Madden fans is the hope for details about Madden’s Franchise Mode and what improvements or additions have been made.

Madden 12 saw a jump in quality for Franchise Mode, but there were still many bugs and glitchy occurrences that cast an ugly shadow on some of the details that really can’t be overlooked. Some examples include –
- Making it to the Super Bowl with a team like the Browns more than once but having the same banner showing that it is their first trip.
- Being able to sign Free Agents for much cheaper by going to the “Free Agent” section rather than “Player Management” (where you have to pay players a more realistic salary instead of cheating them with a 1-year $620 deal for a guy that would/should demand more.
- Schedules generated year-to-year are random and can end up giving you 6 straight home games and all your division games in the first ten weeks. (The NFL is making a constant effort to schedule division opponents at the end of every season to make late season games matter, this should be done in Madden as well)
- Draft logic and trade logic is still busted as we covered before.
- The lack of a decent system of Player Value that should mean you have to pay a player based on his performance rather than just his OVR. If you have a QB that breaks every record (regardless of your sliders, his OVR or anything else) he should have a high value that essentially equates to you having to pay more to keep him around. The current system of OVR plays too much of a role and takes much of the focus away from the Skill Ratings which should be the first thing you look for.
- Another missing component that has been in NBA 2k and even PS2 Madden titles is morale and attitude for players. This is something that MUST be in Madden in order for Franchise Mode to really hold any water past what it can hold currently. Franchise Mode needs more personality and that should start and end with the personality of every owner, GM, Coach and Player in the game.
- If you draft a QB in the first round like the Browns did with Old Man Weeden and you have Colt McCoy being relegated to back-up his morale should take a major hit.
- Trade Demands and Holdouts – Take a look at the current situation with Drew Brees and tell us that this shouldn’t be in the game.
These are just some of the changes that must occur in Madden 13 for Franchise Mode.
A Brief Segway/Comment on The Drew Brees Situation
This holdout (which involves Brees and the Saints disagreeing on a contract extension because of a few million bucks) must end soon if the Saints hope to save any face in the months following Bountygate. Brees led this team to their only Super Bowl Championship and now is being jerked around like he was simply a role-player. Without Brees the Saints would be like the 2011 Colts without Peyton Manning (or worse). Already, they are without their Head Coach and other major personnel. The worst part really involves the current interaction between interim-Head Coach, Joe Vitt and Brees.
This isn’t Vitt’s team. This is something that must be made abundantly clear between the players (especially Brees) and the ownership. Payton is serving a one-year suspension which really makes Vitt look like the guy that comes into a broken home and tries to lay down the law. The response from the players (his children) will most likely result in some sort of “Your Not My (Real) Dad!!!” interaction.
To make it short, the situation with the Saints this year could result in a Top-10 Draft Pick next year that will take over for a spiteful (rightfully so) Drew Brees.
This once again begs the question – Where is the personality in Madden’s Franchise Mode? Hopefully we find out on Tuesday.
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