Madden 13 – Connected Careers – Player Types and Coaching Schemes (From The Manual)

About Player Types

It is important to understand the scheme in which your team runs and what player type they look for at a specific position.  Since each NFL team evaluates players differently, it’ll be essential to know what peaks their interest and in turn, value you even higher. For example, if you’re a receiving back looking to crack into the Arizona Cardinals starting lineup, you may find yourself buried on the depth chart. The Cardinals are a Power Run offense, looking for a Power HB. Your overall rating will be lower in that system than it will be in Miami, who is looking for a Receiving HB.

Player Types Explained (By Position)

Quarterbacks
Strong Arm QB: Elite Arm Strength
West Coast QB: Short Accuracy and Mobility
Field General QB: High Awareness, Throw on the Run, Play Action
Balanced QB: Decent Arm Strength, Speed and Acceleration
Pocket Passer QB: High Accuracy and Arm Strength
Halfbacks
Balanced HB: Decent Speed and Acceleration
Power Back HB: Strength and Trucking
Speed Back HB: Speed and Acceleration
Receiving Back HB: Elusiveness and Catching
One Cut HB: Acceleration and Ball Carrier Vision
Fullbacks
Runner Receiver FB: Catching, Speed, and Ball Carrier Vision
Blocking FB: Strength, Run and Impact Blocking
Balanced FB: Decent Speed, Agility, and Run Blocking

Wide Receivers
Possession WR: Catch in Traffic
Red Zone Threat: Spectacular Catch and Catch in Traffic
Route Runner: Agility and Route Running
Balanced WR: Decent Speed Acceleration and Agility
Speed WR: Speed and Acceleration
Tight Ends
Balanced TE: Decent Speed Acceleration and Agility
Blocking TE: Impact, Run and Pass Blocking
Vertical Threat: Speed, Agility, and Route Running
Receiver TE: Catching and Route Running
Offensive Linemen
Run Blocker OL: Run Blocking, Strength, and Acceleration
Big Mauler OL: Run Blocking, Strength, and Impact Blocking
Zone Blocking OL: Run Blocking, Agility, and Acceleration
Balanced: Decent Strength, Awareness, Pass and Run Blocking
Pass Blocker: Pass Blocking, Strength, and Awareness

Defensive Ends
Balanced 4-3 DE: Decent Speed, Power and Finesse Moves
4-3 Run Stopper: Strength, Block Shedding and Tackling
3-4 Run Stopper: Strength, Pursuit and Tackling
3-4 Versatile: Decent Physical and Intangible Ratings
Speed Rusher: Speed Acceleration and Pass Rushing
Defensive Tackles
Pass Rusher DT: Acceleration and Pass Rushing
Prototype DT: Agility, Strength, and Acceleration
Nose Tackle DT: Strength and Tackling
Run Stopper: Strength, Block Shedding, and Tackling
Balanced DT: Decent Physical and Intangible Ratings
Line Backers
Cover 2 LB: Zone Coverage Decent Speed and Agility
Run Stopper LB: Block Shedding Pursuit and Tackling
3-4 Pass Rusher LB: Acceleration and Pass Rushing
Prototype LB: Speed Agility, and Acceleration
Balanced LB: Decent Speed, Acceleration, and Agility

Corner Backs
Man to Man CB: Man Coverage, Speed, Acceleration, and Agility
Run Support: Press Coverage, Tackling, Decent Speed and Agility
Balanced CB: Decent Speed, Agility, Man and Zone Coverage
Prototype CB: Speed, Strength, and Acceleration
Zone CB: Zone Coverage and Play Recognition
Safeties
Zone Safety: Zone Coverage and Play Recognition
Playmaker: Pursuit, Play Recognition, and Awareness
Balanced Safety: Speed, Agility, Coverage and Tackling
Prototype Safety: Speed, Agility, and Acceleration
Run Support Safety: Block Shedding Pursuit and Tackling
Kickers
Clutch Kicker: Kicking Accuracy and Awareness
Accurate: Kicking Accuracy
Balanced: Decent Kicking Power and Accuracy
Power: Kicking Power

———————————————————————————————————–

Schemes

OFFENSE

Balanced Offense
A 50/50 mix of running and passing. Offense is build around having players who can do multiple things well. (Balanced Players for a Balanced Offense…makes sense)

Power Run
Offense is built upon running the ball right at the defense. The scheme values a Power HB and offensive linemen who excel at run blocking.

Spread
Offense is built on having a deep WR core and players who excel at making plays in space. Speed and acceleration is much needed in this scheme.

Vertical Offense
Offense is built around a Strong Arm QB who can get the ball down the field. There is a premium placed on players who are tall and can jump up to make plays on the football.

West Coast
Offense is built on a quick, short passing game to complement the run game. Getting a West Coast QB who excels at accuracy and throwing on the run is vital.

Zone Run
Offense is built on running the ball and attacking the edge of a defense. Getting smaller, athletic offensive linemen is key as well as having multiple, One Cut HB’s.

DEFENSE

Attacking 4-3
Defense is built around four down linemen and linebackers and
defensive backs who can blitz to pressure the opposing offense.

Base 4-3
Defense is built around getting pressure from the four down
linemen and having linebackers and safeties that excel in
coverage.

Attacking 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen and having two
outside linebackers who can rush the quarterback. The secondary
must excel at coverage.

Base 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen, especially the nose
tackle. The rest of the defense must be versatile enough to cover
as well as making the occasional blitz.

Hybrid Multiple Front
Defense is built around giving the offense multiple looks. This
includes both three and four down linemen alignments so having
versatile players is key.

Tampa 2
Defense is built around getting a good pass rush from the front
four linemen and having linebackers and secondary players who
excel at zone coverage.

Zone Blitz 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen and two outside linebackers
that can rush the quarterback. Both middle linebackers
and secondary players must excel at zone coverage.

 

Connected Careers – Fully Exposed (Don’t Make This Weird) Pt. 1 – Backstories

What is Connected Careers?

You can choose to startup a Connected Career as a player or coach. In both cases, you then select whether or not you want to take over a current NFL player or coach, create a player, create yourself using EA SPORTS Game Face, or as a NFL Legend.

Coach Backstories

When creating a player or coach in Connected Careers, you’ll also select a backstory in order to distinguish them. This backstory will affect your character during your career so it’s important to understand what each one does.

Create your ‘GameFace’ for Madden on EASports.com… This is how they see me digitally… Looking at becoming an undrafted QB for the Browns. Looks like they will be as good as they already are at this point!

Motivator

You’ll be cut from the same cloth as John Madden and Vince Lombardi. Your players will lay it all on the line for you and you’ll attract free agents as well. Being a motivator will also give you a 25% discount on packages that increase a free agent’s interest in signing with your team as well as 25% off packages to decrease the odds of a player retiring.

Strategist

You’re one of the smartest men in football when it comes to the X’s and O’s, perhaps the next Bill Walsh. Being a strategist will give you a 25% discount on XP boost packages, the Coach XP package, discount packages which reduces the XP cost for your players, and the Predictability Package.

Team Builder

Being the head coach is only one of the hats you wear. Scouting and roster management are also key components of your abilities.  Being a team builder will give you a 25% discount in packages that increase the interest of a player re-signing with you, the Expert Scout Package, and Trade Influence Package.

Coach Progression

Each coach in Madden NFL 13 will have a Coach Level. It begins at Level 1 and will go up to Level 4. If you create a coach, you’ll enter the league as a Level 1. This will give you easier team goals, but you’ll be paying full price for packages. As you begin to have success, you’ll begin to level up. A Level 4 coach will have extremely high team goals but will be able to purchase packages at a discounted price.

Player Backstories

High Draft Pick (We don’t know if you will get bonus points for naming your player ‘Ricky Williams’)

You’re essentially a first round draft pick. You’ll come in with the highest ratings but will also have lofty goals that will be tougher to meet. Choosing this backstory gives you the quickest way to crack the starting lineup and contribute right away.

Low Draft

You’ve been drafted near the end of the draft. You’ll have mediocre ratings and will have to really excel in practice and in the preseason just to earn a few snaps in your first year. However, your
goals will not be set quite as high. Choosing this backstory makes it less likely to see significant playing time in year one, but has the chance to develop later on

Undrafted

You’ve been completely ignored and were not selected in the draft. Your ratings will be much lower than the other backstories and you’ll have to scratch and claw for every piece of XP you can get. Choosing the backstory will provide the toughest grind and you can expect to not see much playing time in the first season.

EA Sports Grows A Brain – Releases Manuals In PDF!

In one of the more shocking moments of this iteration of Madden, EA Sports has released manuals in PDF format!

There are manuals for Connected Careers as well as the regular game manuals for the 360 and PS3.

Here are the links!

XBox 360 Manual

PS3 Manual

Connected Careers Manual

Madden 13 Demo Arrives – NTTV Has You Covered!

Finding the demo can sometimes be the most annoying experience.  This video will walk you through the quick journey to find one of the most impressive sports gaming demos to date.

We are currently uploading the first tutorial for Madden 13 noobs.  It is based around the ‘Demo’ version of the game, but you should be ready to hit the digital gridiron on August 28th!

The Death of Battlefield 3 or ‘How EA Will Screw Over Their Most Loyal Gamers’

NoobTubeTV has come to the side of Battlefield 3 on many occasions over the past gaming year.  It had its own issues with matchmaking and other strange glitches that eventually get fixed with 1.2GB patches(!) but it was still an excellent game that demanded your attention for in depth gameplay and multiple ways to level up as any of four classes with tremendous detail to weapon differential, etc.

The Expected Route of ‘Premium’ Content

Then EA decided to push Battlefield Premium after nearly 9 months of being released.  Premium isn’t much different from Call of Duty Elite in price or content.  It is $50 and you get guaranteed early access to DLC and Add-Ons for Battlefield 3.  That isn’t the issue at this point – it was an expected route for them to take because it essentially ‘saves’ their dedicated fanbase the same $10 that Elite ‘saves’ COD gamers.

The Unexpected Ultimate Middle Finger To Their Previously Dedicated Fans

In case you didn’t come across the latest substantiated rumor hitting many outlets, Battlefield 3 looks like it is set to release a new retail game of ‘Battlefield 3: Premium Edition‘ for $70.  In case you don’t want to do the quick math…

The more dedicated fanbase of Battlefield 3 purchased the game for $60(plus tax) in October, 2011.  Then they bought Premium for $50.  This adds up to approximately $110 of hard-earned money poured into a game that will now (almost one year later) will come with all of that same content for $70.

Is EA trying to tell us something?  Is it really possible that their message is – “Don’t buy our games on release day because eventually you will be able to get all the DLC in some sort of ‘Ultimate Edition’ a year later?

It certainly seems that way.

The Death of Battlefield 3?

It might not kill the game completely, but the notion that EA would do something like this is a bad way to treat the gamers that have been playing their game constantly over the last year.  Sure, it might be worth the extra money to most of the gamers out there, but the bottom line is that this is in bad taste as they already released word of a Battlefield 4 Beta that will be included (for later access) with Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

EA has never really been in the business of treating consumers well.  So, really – are you surprised?

Call of Duty Elite – Should You Jump In Now or Later?

Now that Modern Warfare 3 is nearing the end of it’s popular annual cycle there are many people looking forward to Black Ops 2.  Granted, some others are going to fight tooth and nail against playing Treyarch’s Call of Duty iteration just because of a preference to the Modern Warfare style and gameplay.

Regardless of your preference there is always the constant state of Downloadable Content (DLC) from the Call of Duty series.  If you are a Call of Duty fan and you play it online as much as the millions of other gamers out there and you haven’t purchased Call of Duty: Elite to this point – it might be time to jump into the sad situation with both feet.

Is The Time Right For You?

If you consider the $50 cost for Elite to be a little steep – you aren’t the only one.  The primary benefit is that you are entitled any of the content that they release for Call of Duty throughout your membership.  In many cases (especially on the XBox 360) this means you get early access to the maps as well – other users have to wait a few weeks if they don’t have Elite.  Sure, you get emblems and HD access to videos… blah blah blah.  Most people aren’t ‘pro’ gamers (even if they think they are) in which case – Elite is for the maps and game add-ons.

If you were to buy Elite today (August 13, 2012) you would be covered until August 13, 2013.  If you don’t want to take my word for it – take Activision’s word in their own FAQ for Elite.  This means that you will still get whatever benefits will be released for Modern Warfare 2 and everything they will release for Black Ops 2 up until August 13, 2013.

I have been putting Elite off for a long time, but at this point I am starting to feel like the time is right.  Why?

I have already bought all the map packs for Modern Warfare 3 (except for the latest Chaos Pack) and the logical view some people say is that I have overpaid and should have just purchased Elite when it came out.  In my case, I am always in flux around this time of year.  All sorts of new exciting games are coming out and it is hard for me to really devote every gaming moment to Call of Duty (or anything else).

By getting Elite now you (like me) will be able to reap all the benefits of what is left for Modern Warfare 3 and most of the benefits for Black Ops 2… or whatever they push out for the title until August, 2013.  If you are considering a purchase of Halo 4 in addition to Black Ops 2 it would be wise to consider putting a quick $50 in advance down towards getting a bit of content for Black Ops 2 and knowing in advance that all you will have to do is download it rather than think about whether it is worth $15.  Not to mention, you are also safe from taking the risk that the next Call of Duty game after Black Ops isn’t complete garbage.

Assuming you don’t think Call of Duty is garbage already.  Yes, I know that many of my Battlefield readers are COD haters.  Well, stay tuned all my BF3 friends – you are probably going to riot after reading one of the latest bits of information is covered in our next article.

Madden 13 Demo To Feature Two Match-Ups & Full Four Quarter Games

In case you haven’t joined the madness that is the Madden forums on numerous sites – it is official… you will have a chance to play a full game with 5-minute quarters for the Madden 13 Demo.

Here’s hoping that RG3 isn’t to Madden 13 what Mike Vick was to Madden 2004.

The match-ups?

  1. A rematch of the NFC Championship between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.  This should be fun for people that want to check out how much fun it is to play defense with the likes of Patrick Willis.
  2. A game between the Seahawks and the Redskins… otherwise known as an opportunity to see how fast Robert Griffin III is and how much you will want to play with him online.  In case you were wondering why that seems a little sarcastic – check out our old article about sports gaming online.

The opportunity to play a full game of Madden is really what you should be excited about.  It isn’t very often that publishers (especially EA Sports) give you a chance to play more than a half or a quarter of a sports game.  You can expect full video coverage and reviews pouring out from the sports gaming community and NoobTubeTV will be no different… other than the fact that we won’t be fanboys and we won’t be haters when it comes to reviewing a game and much less – a demo.

Keep in mind that Demos are not always the latest ‘build’ of a game.  There might (and probably will be) glitches that make you wonder if it is worth your time to begin with but we are hoping for the best.

*On a personal note, I am extremely excited (like Tim Tebow)  to get a crack at some Madden 13 action before the official release on August 28.

 

Make It Rain Like A Hundredaire – Budgeting Your Fall Gaming Purchases

It is quite possibly the best and worst time of year for gamers.  You want Halo 4 on November 6 but Black Ops 2 comes out on November 13.  You might want to get Madden 13 in a couple weeks but maybe you also want to get Borderlands 2 in September.  Maybe you are even considering a purchase of Medal of Honor: Warfighter – which will throw you for a loop in October as Assassin’s Creed 3 is coming on on the 30th!

It isn’t easy to be a hundredaire – but we know what it’s like to celebrate the purchase of a new game when we can afford it.

Every game you want is coming out within weeks of each other game you want and you just don’t have the money to pour into your passion.  It is one of the sad truths for people that live like real people that pay bills and make decisions every day that will effect their comfort in life.  Gaming is an expensive passion and we are going to help you make the best decisions possible.  Even if that means putting one or all of your games on a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/etc. List – you need to make decisions that give you the best possible outcome as a gamer and (more importantly) a fiscally responsible person.

The first step is to get a writing utensil and a piece of paper… NTTV will help you with the rest.

The Quick Decision – Pick What You Love

What is your favorite game?  If you can answer that without a second thought and that game has a sequel or continuation – that could be your answer.  If you can’t pick a single favorite game – use the process below.

Step One – What Is Your Budget?

If your budget is less than $65 – DO NOT BUY A NEW VIDEO GAME!

$65 = 1 Game

$130 = 2 Games…

Bottom Line – You know what you can afford and what you can’t afford.  Get that number and stick to it.

Step Two – Which Genre (Type) of Games Do You Prefer?

First Person Shooters, Sports, Action/Adventure, Role Playing Games, etc? – Make a prioritized list of which genres are your favorite (rank them from #1 – #8 if you have that many).  If you like a little bit of everything equally (like me) then you really can’t rank them, but you should try)  We have categorized some of the most popular upcoming releases for your convenience.  If you feel a game is missing – let us know!

Step Three – Do Prefer Online or Offline Gaming?

This is becoming a more gray area as games are becoming more and more integrated with online interactions and downloads.  There are many games out there that some people simply prefer to play on their own.  Are you a Team Deathmatch gamer on Call of Duty or are you an agile assassin that prefers to kill at your own leisure in Assassin’s Creed?

For me, it really depends on the game.  I don’t enjoy sports games in the online competitive sense, but I love shooter games like Call of Duty, Battlefield and Halo.  (No one said this is an easy process)

Games With Online Focus –

This includes games that primarily revolve around getting online and playing against other people as the main function

Games With Offline Focus –

This includes games that primarily center on you and playing the game for the campaign, season and especially the story.

Games With A Strong Mix of Offline and Online

This includes games that tend to be evenly played and supported for single player and multiplayer experiences.  This is open to opinion in some cases (sports games especially).

Step 4 – Prioritizing

Pick the game you want the most.  This is the hardest part you wanted to avoid earlier – now there is nowhere to run or hide.  The best way to answer this question is to put yourself in the position of having only enough money for one game.You have to walk out of the store with one game you have decided to purchase.  Everything else will have to wait for the next paycheck or holiday.

Step 5 – Enjoy What You Have

Regular people that have to budget and make decisions for and against certain purchases need to remember that the most important thing is to be happy with the things you have.  Which game are you picking?  Stick with your decision, be confident and forget what the reviewers grade it on a scale of 1-10 or 1-100… Do you enjoy your gaming?… Hopefully you can answer yes and this strategy will work for you again.

*Although I have put NoobTubeTV together on my own and can currently invest time and money into all my gaming and the few games I make tutorials for – I have to make these same decisions as well.

With that said…

Which games would you like to see NoobTubeTV feature in the coming months?  If you want us to feature a game that we haven’t mentioned please feel free to donate to the cause as it isn’t easy to buy every game we want – even if it is our passion.
Happy Gaming!

If You Ain’t First, You’re Last – Why People Avoid Playing Sports Games Online

If You Find A Great League – Cherish It

Do not let my jaded perspective ruin your desire to find a great league.  I am always looking for a great group of gamers that want to have a genuinely great time playing the game for the sake of fun and community.  There are a few of these almost mythological leagues and dynasties out there.  The hard part is finding one that will accept a new member or finding one that is even looking for new members.

If you are looking for an online league for any sports game you would be wise to check out the forums over at OperationSports.com and TraditionSportsOnline.com.

I would be remissed and it would be unfair to tell you that every league and online experience is terrible.  However, this article is meant to educate you of the downfalls because if you find something great there will be no reason for you to read the rest of this article.  However, if you are looking for honesty with objective, personal experiences and opinions – NoobTubeTV.com is always the best place to find it.

Online Connected Careers could be Madden’s saving grace.
 Why People Avoid Playing Sports Games Online

There is a fine line between friendly competition and taking a game a bit too seriously.  In my early gaming years it was hard for me to take a loss… even to the CPU.  Somehow the ‘Reset’ button would always get hit or I would have something come up that I had to do that would make me turn the game off.  What I started to learn after awhile was that it gave my season quite a bit more enjoyment to lose a game that I either didn’t play well or was simply outclassed by better opposition.

Something happens when you start playing other people in sports games though.  It is as if the stress level increases exponentially and your enjoyment of the game gives way to one thing – winning at all costs.  The issue is starting to climb more and more as online competition becomes more ubiquitous with gaming in general.  There are two primary reasons why online sports gaming is avoided like the plague by a large percentage of sports gamers.

Online Lobbies Are A Cesspool

If you have played a game of Madden NFL online, the chances are good that you have come across someone that either becomes verbally abusive if you start winning or they do something that is almost more annoying.  Cheating or Cheesing (using shortcomings of the game’s AI or a certain play that is almost unstoppable every time) has given gamers a reason to avoid online sports gaming altogether.  In these cases, it really just ruins the game for people that either aren’t experienced or prefer to play a more ‘simulation’ style of game (look for our upcoming article on ‘Simple Ways To Be A ‘Sim’ Gamer’).

Online Leagues Are A Crapshoot

Over the last few years many sports games have started allowing online leagues to form so that groups of gamers could find purpose in what had been up until that point trivial leaderboard competitions at best.  There had been communities of gamers making their own online leagues for years.  It wasn’t until EA Sports gave gamers a chance to run a league with NCAA Football 09 that it became a bit more ‘mainstream’.  In Madden 10, it finally came in the form of the sickeningly bare-bones ‘Online Franchise’ mode.

In order to get Madden you should probably pre-order the game from GameStop.
Personally, I miss his presence in the game that has made his name even more immortal.

Now that all gamers had a chance to join a league in NCAA or Madden Football it was only a matter of time before the friendly leagues with a lot of promise turned into glorified Lobby Matches.  In college football leagues all you need to do is lose a game to effectively end your chances to win a championship and then you start seeing league member quit by the week.

In the pro game, it is a bit more forgiving if you lose a game… or five.  The problem with Madden is that for some reason a lot of the people that play it competitively make it seem like it is a requirement to be rude or make every game into some sort of digital war of  ‘money plays’.  Sure, there are occasions when you will find a decent game but those seem to be as fleeting as the leagues they are a part of.

Who Wants To Wait?

It isn’t a question of whether or not online leagues are a good idea or if there are ‘good’ leagues out there.  For most people, it just isn’t as much fun to play in an online league because they have to wait for other people.

On a personal level, it isn’t uncommon for me to play two or three games at a time during my sports gaming sessions.  If you are in a league with multiple users you usually have to wait on a scheduled advance before you can play another game.  I don’t want to plan my week or my days around other gamers.  If I start a game and in the middle of the first quarter I need to leave for an emergency I don’t want to have to explain myself to anyone, let alone some guy in my league.  If it is a friend, of course they will understand but when you start getting into leagues and ‘official sites’ it can turn into some sort of elitist club of ‘Uncle Ricos’.