Madden 15 – NoobTubeTV

Madden 16 – Info Release Coming In May

Starting on May 8 – it will be time for Madden news.

Some of it has already started as EA Announced the August 25th release date.

For many sports fans it is either the first month of baseball or playoff season for basketball and hockey.

For the rest of us it will always be football season. This might be why as soon as the Super Bowl is over people are already in full ‘NFL Draft Mode’. For people like myself (Browns fans) we are already prepping for the next draft before this draft is even over. It seems that Madden is following the guidelines of those kinds of teams when it comes to improving the game. Sure, they might have a decent season that surprises us (Madden 10 and Madden 25), but largely they are expected to finish with a losing record (Madden 06-09 and 11-13).

Madden seems to to take one step forward and two steps back annually. While they implemented much needed changes to Connected Franchise Mode last year, it was still sorely lacking once you got into the guts of the mode. Many of the contract negotiations were too easy and some of the retirements and signings were just flat out strange.

My biggest pet peeve as a staunch CFM player was the player progression. By the time you get to your 5th or 6th season you will have on average 4-5 players on every team rated 90+ OVR. It is frustrating for me to so easily build the Browns into a contender and 4-time Super Bowl winners by the 2019 season.

Second biggest pet peeve…? Easy – The in-game NFL Draft. It seems that every year that goes by they throw little changes into this and it is still disappointing. The presentation is lacking as Schefter seems to say the same stuff about players every 2-3 seasons. Then there are the teams that take a QB after already having two that are 80+ on the roster. The list goes on and on, but what makes it hilarious at this moment is the fact that EA released their own Mock Draft (which doesn’t even exist on any Madden game). There seemed to be logic in some of those picks – of course they took Crab Legs Winston #1 Overall. He sounds like a generated rookie from Madden after all.

Stay tuned for the Madden 16 info as it is released!

Madden Ratings System Unveiled

A recent article on FiveThirtyEight.com has helped us understand a bit more about what goes into Madden player ratings. I wish I could say I am impressed. Madden is one of the most stale and non-simulation sports games in existence, yet it gets touted as being true to the game.

It has always bothered me that Donny Moore seems to have full power to subjectively up someone’s rating because of one big catch, run or block. I truly miss 2K Football more and more as I read about Madden and the NFL in general.

Here is the breakdown from FiveThirtyEight –

Madden 15 – How To Keep CFM Fresh Until The Next Release

As much as I find it easy to troll EA and Tiburon for their annual cloneware – Madden 15 was the best Madden to date. That said, it still gets to me that they don’t update rosters after the Super Bowl. This has left many users to create roster updates and even add newly drafted players to teams in order to replicate what is happening in the league as far as rosters go.

If you have followed NoobTubeTV over the last few years you will know that I almost exclusively play Offline Connected Franchise Mode. Moreover, you will know that I almost always use my Cleveland Browns. Even after finding the perfect sliders and gameplay tweaks CFM will get rather boring after a few seasons.

It is incredibly easy to build up a team into a juggernaut. You simply need to invest in players that are between 20-26 years old that fit your play-style and keep them to minimum contracts until they are 30. It is a widely known fact that EA has told Madden gamers that players will start to decline once they hit that age threshold. Knowing how easy it is to relatively deal with the age issues of players and dominate with your team after a season or two of development it won’t be much of a shock to hear about people trading Madden in while they can still get some decent credit for it or simply leave it on the shelf to collect dust. Here are a few tips on how to keep your CFM fresh.

Max Contacts – Figure out your favorite players on Offense and Defense and make them fixtures on your team for the rest of their career. In my case I had to choose between Josh Gordon and Johnny Manziel. Both players were 99 OVR by the time I got to the 2016 season and I decided to sign Johnny for the biggest amount of money and years (I believe it was 7 years, $140 million). This will help make your salary cap management a bit tougher as you choose who to build your team around.
Don’t Scout Draft Prospects – It really is this simple. Don’t scout a single prospect during the season and you will quickly realize that what was once an incredibly easy draft process is more like real-life. It will become more of a lottery system for your team and you won’t be able to find those ‘not so hidden’ gems in later rounds.
Give The CPU More In Trades – It seems that trade logic in sports games has decided to take a nose-dive in realism. NBA 2K actually has a trade difficulty slider (Madden needs this in the worst way!). Do not shirk the CPU for their Draft Picks or certain players you know are franchise quality.
One Draft Pick Per Round (At most) – It is far too easy (as stated in #3) to load up on 10-15 draft picks every season. Make it a personal rule that you will not have more than one pick per round for every draft. This will prevent you from pwning the draft year-in, year-out. Madden has some of the dumbest draft logic in all of sports gaming, so don’t act like you really have to worry about the CPU.
Coach Mode – This is something I have yet to do myself. Simply call the plays for your team, snap the ball and let the AI take care of the rest. This will make you look at your players in a different light and might even change the way you build your team.

Earning and Spending XP In Madden 15

Just like any other sort of currency, you need to save, invest and spend your XP properly if you want your players to develop into juggernauts. In some ways you may also want to spend XP differently on players you know you won’t keep or can’t keep.

Earning XP – You will want to look at each player’s development trait in the ‘Progress Player’ screen before spending lots of points on them. This will largely determine whether or not they will earn more points by performing extraordinarily. Also, there is the ‘Consistency’ rating – this is key in helping players progress if they don’t get a lot of playing time or targets in games. There is something you need to consider and determine on multiple levels before you spend your allotted hours on certain players – Do their expensive ratings warrant future investment?

If you are wanting to upgrade a WR, do you really want to spend XP on one that has 85 SPD? Will it be cost effective to spend money on increasing his SPD? Some may say that it is totally worth it – and that is fair and good. Go for it. However, if you really want to make the process easier you will want to check and upgrade their ‘Development and ‘Consistency’ ratings, respectively.

Upgrading development will increase the amount of XP a player earns for achieving goals in game – this includes obtaining awards, reaching milestones and other performance objectives. Development costs 15,000 XP for each rating (from Slow to Normal to Quick to Superstar) – so keep in mind that it might take a season or two to build your favorite player into a Quick or Superstar Development rating. However, once they are there – they will stay there and that is why it is worth upgrading quickly.

Upgrading consistency will increase the amount of XP your players will earn during weekly training in Game Prep.

Finally, earning XP is as simple (and difficult) as performing well in each game. Once you have the necessary prerequisites (Development and Consistency) upgraded to your liking you will notice far more XP for each player you upgrade.

(Note: I argue that the confidence rating doesn’t matter nearly as much as the actual long-term ratings of players. It could be because confidence simply needs tuned or patched to have a more dramatic effect – but with EA’s track record – I doubt it.)

Spending XP – This is one of the easier things to do once you follow the guide in earning XP. It is entirely dependent on the player’s position and what type of player they are. Here are the best ways to increase the OVR ratings or performance for each position (outside of ‘Consistency’).

(Note – I rarely/never increase player SPD or ACC ratings. They are often too expensive to consider upgrading – and it helps with what little can remain simulation about picking ratings to increase for players in Madden.)

QB – Awareness, Short, Medium and Deep Accuracy, Play Action, Injury and Toughness.

HB – Awareness, Truck, Juke, Stiff Arm, Elusive, Agility, Strength, Injury and Toughness.

FB – Awareness, Run Block, Pass Block, Strength, Injury and Toughness.

WR – Awareness, Catch, Catch In Traffic, Release, Agility, Spectacular Catch, Jump, Injury and Toughness.

TE – Awareness, Catch, Catch In Traffic, Run Block, Release, Spectacular Catch, Jump, Pass Block, Injury and Toughness.

OL – Awareness, Strength, Run Block, Pass Block, Impact Block, Injury and Toughness.

DL – Awareness, Tackle, Pursuit, Finesse and Power Moves, Agility, Injury and Toughness.

LB – Awareness, Tackle, Pursuit, Play Recognition, Finesse and Power Moves, Hit Power, Zone Coverage, Man Coverage, Agility, Injury and Toughness.

CB – Awareness, Man Coverage, Zone Coverage, Play Recognition, Tackle, Agility, Catch, Agility, Injury and Toughness.

S – Awareness, Zone Coverage, Man Coverage, Play Recognition, Tackle, Hit Power, Agility, Catch, Agility, Injury and Toughness.

K/P – Awareness, Kick Power, Kick Accuracy. (Note – Kickers and Punters can’t get injured in Madden… Because EA – well, you know.)

Madden 15 – Relocation Cities and Team Names

For those interested in a list of the cities and names of teams available for relocation in Madden 15 this is for you.

My initial reaction to some of the names is that they are so unoriginal it is almost painful to consider them at all. The Mexico City Golden Eagles? What happens when they play the Philadelphia Eagles? Or when the Portland Snow Hawks, Oklahoma City Night Hawks and the Seattle Seahawks all end up in the same division?

Here is one of the better uniforms and logos - the Diablos. — Here is one of the better uniforms and logos – the Diablos.

Austin – Armadillos, Bats, Desperados

London – Bulldogs, Black Knights, Monarchs

Los Angeles – Crusaders, Red Dragons, Aftershocks

Mexico City – Diablos, Conquistadors, Golden Eagles

Toronto – Thunderbirds, Mounties, Huskies

San Antonio – Dreadnoughts, Marshalls, Express

Orlando – Wizards, Sentinels, Orbits

Salt Lake City – Elks, Flyers, Pioneers

Brooklyn – Beats, Bulls, Barons

Memphis – Hounds, Egyptians, Steamers

Chicago – Blues, Cougars, Tigers

Columbus – Aviators, Caps, Explorers

Portland – Lumberjacks, River Hogs, Snowhawks

Dublin (Ireland) – Celtic Tigers, Antlers, Shamrocks

Houston – Gunners, Oilers, Voyagers

Oklahoma City – Bisons, Night Hawks, Lancers

Sacramento – Condors, Miners, Redwoods

Madden 15 – The Most Pivotal Madden To Date

As we get closer to the release of Madden 15 it is becoming evident that the PS4/XBone version of the title might be the best evidence of what to expect in the coming console generation as far as Madden games are concerned.

Dick Sherman Doing What He Does Best... Opening his big mouth. — Dick Sherman Doing What He Does Best… Opening his big mouth.

With the 360/PS3 versions of Madden 06 through 09 basically being a throw-away after EA obtained the exclusive license to produce and distribute NFL games it seemed like we’d see real changes once Madden 10 arrived. Thankfully, we did see some pretty nice changes through the effort of Ian Cummings and company. A couple years later, Cummings was gone and Madden fell back into the rut of limited progress.

Madden 25 was a solid title that still suffered from the played out animations and terrible AI in many areas of the game. It became evident that some sort of real change was necessary. The last time Madden saw any sort of direction to make it a truly ground-breaking experience was in Madden 2005 with the hit stick and a focus on defense. It helped to limit what Madden had started to become with the advent of tournament style play that nearly gutted the simulation style that Madden NFL was always supposed to be.

Madden 15 is finally bringing back what has been missing for almost ten years. The focus on defense (even with the obnoxious Dick Sherman on the cover) is something that is more welcome than most simulation football fans can say. Couple that with the news that wind in the game has been fixed and will even move the aiming direction during field goals, new catch animations, better variety in QB throwing, etc. You actually might see a game worth getting excited about.

Why is Madden 15 the most pivotal version of Madden to date?

Because with the new additions and polish put on the PS4/XBone it seems like the Madden developers are finally trying to make it into a real simulation of NFL Football.

As for how realistic the Connected Franchise Mode might be? We will have to wait and see. Keep checking back on NoobTubeTV.com as there will be further updates and reactions to a very busy August-December in gaming.

2K Football Announcement Coming? – The E3 Rumor Mill In Full Swing

Every year in late-May and early-June we start hearing buzz about new games that will be or might be unveiled at E3. (E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo held in Los Angeles, CA annually.) It is much like the time leading up to the NFL Draft where there are so many rumors and baseless suggestions that you don’t know what to believe or who has the ‘inside track’.

This year there are a few titles that are supposedly being shown at E3 in hopes that they will capture the next-gen console audience’s hearts and minds. Some of these titles include Halo 5, Rockstar Games’ Agent and one game that a niche group of sports gamers have been longing for since 2008 – 2K Football.

Every year there is hope injected in the football gaming community that there will finally be some sort of football game released that isn’t made by EA Sports and that isn’t called ‘Madden’. There have been a few youtube videos with people saying that they have ‘a feeling’ that there will be a new 2K football title unveiled at E3 this year.

It is something that I almost always have high hopes for when it comes this close to football season. It seems that my hopes (and those of the sim football gaming community) are always dashed by the time E3 is over. Hopefully the rumor mill will prove to be correct this time around.

That said – there is no official news one way or the other about a 2K Football title as of yet. If there does happen to be an announcement, it will have to be a far deeper game than All Pro Football 2K8 was back in 2007. Keep your attention focused towards legitimate news and releases as we get closer to E3. The rumors will only get more ridiculous between now and then.

Choosing Your Team In Madden 15 (Post-Draft Edition)

Welcome to the crazy time of year where every Madden gamer is looking forward to Madden 15. With that type of excitement we are going to start covering every team based on their newly drafted and signed rookies. Here is our first release of every team you will want to look into in Madden 15. If you are trying to create a player for CFM we will have a list

Arizona Cardinals – Tight End, Outside Linebacker and Cornerback

The Cardinals lost Karlos Dansby to the Cleveland Browns over the off-season. That said, they could use some help in the LB corps. They did answer some questions at the Quarterback position by taking the project in Logan Thomas from Virginia Tech. He is a big QB with a big arm at 6’6″ 250 lbs. This could be a fun team to rock with if you want to start a CFM around a rookie QB and a team that still needs a couple pieces. You could also look into being the other side of a great defensive backfield with Patrick Peterson and Deon Buchannon.

Atlanta Falcons – Guard, Middle Linebacker, Strong Safety, Tight End and Halfback

Of all the teams in the NFL that needed to fix some things from last year it was the Falcons. They were inexplicably bad and one of their worst areas was in protecting QB, Matt Ryan. Matty Ice now has a much needed Left Tackle in Jake Matthews out of Texas A&M. If you are looking to be their answer at any position you might want to look into being the next great Tight End now that Tony Gonzalez is gone. Atlanta is going to be an interesting team to use as they also have a need at running back. Sure, Jackson and Rodgers are still there – but neither is a long-term answer at the position.

Baltimore Ravens – Outside Linebacker, Wide Receiver, Safety, Tight End and Cornerback

The Ravens are always one of those teams that seems to reload on solid talent every year. With the drafting of Alabama ILB CJ Mosley they have once again tried to find a replacement for Ray Lewis. Using a team like the Ravens is almost always going to give you a solid chance at realistically contending for the Super Bowl. I would even suggest trying to come in and replace Joe Flacco, but with his huge contract and the fact that he is decently rated, that would be a tall task to earn – unless you choose to be an instant starter.

Buffalo Bills – Tight End, Wide Receiver, Cornerback and Safety

Buffalo traded their first round pick for WR, Sammy Watkins. Then they traded away Stevie Johnson to the 49ers. It seems that they are going all in on making these changes with hopes that it is all they will need to do in order to make their way up in the AFC East. They still need help even after drafting CB, Ross Cockrell from Duke. They will also need to ensure that they have depth at WR behind Watkins as they are still relatively thin at the position.

Carolina Panthers – Halfback, Wide Receiver and Free Safety

The same as the last couple years when it comes to Quarterback – don’t think you can come in and start over Cam Newton. However, they just took Kelvin Benjamin at receiver and they might still be looking for someone to replace Steve Smith as their deep threat. The same could go for halfback as the Panthers are in flux at the position. Carolina has a lot of potential in terms of running the team as a coach or owner as they pose many threats on defense and Newton can break any game wide open.

Chicago Bears – Offensive Line, Quarterback, Linebacker and Safety

It isn’t easy to really pick apart the Bears as they always seem to be loaded with talent. However, their offensive line always seems to allow far too many sacks. While that isn’t a position you can choose to be in CFM, it is one that you should look at fixing as coach or owner. In terms of the best position to try to play – coming in and running Cutler out of town might be a bit easier than many believe. If he goes down to another injury it would be the perfect storm needed to take the starting job.

Cincinnati Bengals – Field General Quarterback and Strong Safety

Cincinnati is a team that seems to finally be drafting well. However, they do still have a hole to fill at safety in order to help their outstanding CBs. The other position that seems to be unanswered is QB. Andy Dalton isn’t really the franchise QB that some might think the ginger ninja is and that could become a great opportunity for you to come in and replace him.

If you are looking to run a team – replacing him with newly drafted AJ McCarron would also provide an interesting change of pace with a rather big name in the Queen City.

Cleveland Browns – Wide Receiver, Left Guard, Linebacker and Safety

Johnny Manziel. There I said it – and it still feels kind of dirty to me as a Browns fan that didn’t like Manziel very much. He is going to provide this team (especially in Madden) with a dynamic way of attacking on offense. If you want to come in and play right away it might not be easy to run Manziel out of town. If you are looking for an almost guaranteed spot on the roster you might want to try WR. With Josh Gordon likely being gone for at least the season you could step in and be Manziel’s top target.

Cleveland also now owns the Bills first-round pick in 2015 and that could make for one heck of a nice addition as the owner or coach in the coming seasons.

Dallas Cowboys – Speed Wide Receiver, Balanced Free Safety, Prototype Strong Safety and Quarterback

Dallas needs help and they need it fast. With the loss of DeMarcus Ware to the Broncos you might be looking to be the new OLB. Also there is the chance that Romo could go down at any point and considering the fact that he is 34 and on his way out of his prime – being a QB for the Cowboys seems a bit easier to picture each day.

Denver Broncos – Future QB, Halfback

One of those teams that really doesn’t need much. They were in the Super Bowl for a reason last year – even if they got smashed. You could always try to come in and be the heir-apparent to Peyton Manning or fill the void left by the departure of Knowshon Moreno.

Detroit Lions – Balanced Cornerback, Safety and Possession Wide Receiver

A team that can’t seem to choose a direction and that has been hurting them. Everyone knows that 90% of the passes want to go to Megatron (Johnson). However, you could always be that other threat to really make teams cringe at the idea of facing the Lions’ offense. After that you will see there are still many holes to fill when it comes to defending the pass for this team that has been like swiss cheese in recent years.

Green Bay Packers – Wide Receiver and Cornerback

Green Bay needs to make sure that they can defend the pass as the Lions and Bears are going to be putting that ball in the air during 25% of the Packers schedule every year. Otherwise, you could always try to become Aaron Rodgers’ new favorite target at WR.

Houston Texans – Quarterback, Playmaking Strong Safety

They still don’t have an answer at QB and even with Clowney on their defense the fact is that you need to score points to win. Come into Houston and be the final missing piece they need. You could also decide to train up Tom Savage and use him if you decide to be coach or owner instead.

Indianapolis Colts – Take Your Pick – Runningback, Receiver, Anything but QB

Sure, they made the playoffs. However, Trent Richardson has been terrible and the Colts were fleeced for a first-round pick by the Browns last year in that deal. They need an answer at HB and could use more depth at WR. If you want to come in on defense I recommend rolling as a Linebacker.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Cornerback

They had one of the better drafts in recent memory as they grabbed a lot of talent throughout. This includes good prospects at WR and Storm Johnson to possibly add to the running game. With Bortles you will have what they are hoping will be a franchise QB. They will need some help at Cornerback and that might be your best spot with this team.

Kansas City Chiefs – Field General Quarterback, Receiving Tight End, Run Stopping Strong Safety

If you want to come into a situation where you want to be a starter at QB, KC might be a surprising destination. Alex Smith isn’t a long-term answer and Aaron Murray is a late round pick. They still haven’t filled the void left by Tony Gonzalez at TE and they also need a bit of help for Eric Berry at the other Safety Spot. Wide Receiver is also a wild card for this team.

Miami Dolphins – West Coast QB, Wide Receiver, Receiving Tight End and Safety

They had a lackluster draft and you could really come into this team and be any position you’d like to be. They signed Moreno at HB, but you could always produce and take over. The same goes for Quarterback as Tannehill hasn’t proven to be a franchise QB at this point.

Minnesota Vikings – Cover 2 Middle Linebacker, Safety, Cornerback and Halfback

The Vikings had a decent draft, but Teddy Bridgewater is going to have one hell of a time in the tundra of Minnesota for the next two seasons. Can you be the bigger, stronger QB that they might be looking for? One of the surprising needs could be halfback as Adrian Peterson continues to get injured and age his way into the downslope of his prime. You could be the missing piece they need. Also, their defensive secondary has been terrible in recent years. Being a cornerback might be a great starting job here.

New England Patriots – Tight End, Balanced Runningback, Future QB and Safety

Sure, you won’t take over for Brady this year. But why wouldn’t you want to learn from the best and be his heir apparent. They took Garropolo in the second round, but you could easily step over him in that way. The same could be said for replacing the oft-injured Gronkowski. What else do they need? Maybe a bit of help at safety.

New Orleans Saints – Red Zone Threat Wide Receiver, Run Support Cornerback

Coming in and playing with the receivers in New Orleans is always nice because Drew Brees seems to spread the ball around like Paula Deen spreads butter. This is going to be a dominant team right off the bat to use with the likes of Brandon Cooks adding even more to the vertical game for the Saints.

New York Giants – Receiving Tight End, Balanced Middle Linebacker and Halfback

The Giants are in need of some sort of help at halfback and you could easily come in and take that job during the preseason. If you want a good player to study under and take over for – look no further than Eli Manning who you might be able to take over for in the coming years.

New York Jets – Halfback, Tight End and Quarterback

The Jets always seem to have some uncertainty at the Quarterback position – so feel free to blow it up and take them back to the AFC Title like Mark Sanchez (hopefully without the butt fumble).

Oakland Raiders – Speed Wide Receiver, Prototype Cornerback

A team that may have had one of the best drafts of any team now has a possible future starter at linebacker with Khalil Mack and at quarterback with Derek Carr. They still need some answers at receiver and could use some help at halfback.

Philadelphia Eagles – Receiving Tight End, Prototype OLB, Run Support Strong Safety

The Eagles are primed for a Super Bowl run this year. If you want to come in and join this team you should try to do it as a receiving Tight End or some sort of decent linebacker.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Good Luck… Receiving Tight End, Zone Coverage Cornerback and Halfback

The Steelers are trying to rebuild what seems to be a team that is always solid. Take the chance to be their next halfback in place of LeVeon Bell.

San Diego Chargers – Red Zone Threat Wide Receiver, Run Support Strong Safety, Halfback

It could be fun to take up the Halfback or possibly be the wide receiver that Rivers needs to lead this team through the playoffs for once.

San Francisco 49ers – Outside Linebacker

Try and come in and take over for the injured LB Bowman. Otherwise you are going to have a tough time coming in and taking over any role for a team that is stacked to make a few Super Bowl runs in the next couple years.

Seattle Seahawks – Halfback, Possession Wide Receiver, Outside Linebacker

You aren’t going to join the legion of boom any time soon. However, you could try to come in and take some carries from Lynch. Another possibility would be coming in as a receiver for Russell Wilson.

St. Louis Rams – Balanced Wide Receiver, Outside Linebacker, Man Coverage Cornerback

This team is in need of some sort of true #1 receiver. Outside of that, you could try to come in and replace Bradford in the last year or two of his contract and take over. The Rams had a solid draft with the picking of Tre Mason at HB, but otherwise you might be able to come into the team and take that job as well.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Quarterback, Balanced Defensive End, Cover 2 Middle Linebacker

If there was a team that you could come in and become a dominant quarterback, it might be the Bucs. With Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans drafted from A&M you will have a blast. Also, consider playing linebacker for Lovie Smith.

Tennessee Titans – Strong Arm Quarterback, Possession Wide Receiver, Run Support DB

The Titans let go of Chris Johnson and picked up Bishop Sankey. If you really want to make changes with this team you will want to come in as a quarterback and take advantage of the new players they are trying to plug into the offense. Otherwise, this is a relatively fun and open team to use as a project.

Washington Redskins – Tight End, Possession Receiver, Prototype Safety and Cornerback

This team is once again in flux. However, if you can come in as another WR to help the likes of Garcon and Jackson that could really help spell doom for opposing defenses. The idea of coming in as a tight end might also provide you with ample playing time. The Redskins are in the middle of trying to rebuild a possible playoff caliber squad.

Interesting Ratings Breakdown For Madden 25

Worth some consideration – the original write-up for this was basically copied and pasted into a forum from another source. In that regard, I will not give them the benefit of a link back to their forum. I will search for the original post and give them full credit when I find it. As promised – here is the link

A lot of Madden gamers out there always wonder exactly what some of the ratings mean or ‘do’. In this case there are some bits of information that I hope you find useful.

QBs

Here’s a list of a few things that AWARENESS (AWR) impacts:

– Used in combination with physical ratings to determine pass trajectory.
– Determines the decision made on option routes.
– Determines QB’s reaction time when scrambling.
– Determines QB’s recognition of threats in the pocket
– Determines if a QB can throw a ball away.

QB Accuracies impacts:

– Short Accuracy (SAC) – rating is the accuracy percentage of the QB on throws under 20 yards.
– Medium Accuracy (MAC) – rating is the accuracy percentage of the QB on throws of 20-40 yards.
– Deep Accuracy (DAC) – rating is the accuracy percentage of the QB on throws greater than 40 yards.

WRs

ROUTE RUNNING (RTE) rating:

In order to give the quarterback a big enough window to throw to, receivers must run precise routes with the correct depths and cuts so the quarterback knows exactly where he’ll be when he breaks. But more important is the separation a receiver can get on his defender. Here’s the breakdown of what the run-route rating does on the field:

– Determines fake out chance when cutting against man coverage.
– Determines the amount of time it takes the receiver to adjust to the ball in the air.
– Determines the sharpness of cut moves in the routes.

Catch in Traffic (CIT) rating:.

– Used against hit power to determine the chance of a hit stick on a receiver.
– Used against zone coverage and man coverage to determine the knock out chance when tackled during a catch.

DL

BLOCK SHEDDING (BKS) rating:

· Determines the suddenness of engaged moves and combines with player strength.
· Determines win/loss-chance of cut blocks in combination with physical ratings.
· Determines the success of run-block double teams.
· Determines a defender’s skill when rushing the passer without engaging a blocker.

BKS is also used in the open-field. The rating is matched-up with the blocker’s impact-block rating to determine win or loss in any situation where both the defender and blocker are running.

POWER MOVES – (PWM) ratings:

· Determines win/loss/super-loss on power-move attempts, used vs. Pass Block rating
· Determines defender’s skill in executing power moves.
· Determines frequency and success of each move type (AI), used against finesse move rating
· Determines how long it takes a defender to use a power move and disengage from a blocker
· Determines chance of success of impact blockvs. pass rusher (impact block= both players are running). Used with the Finesse Move Rating vs. Pass Block Rating

LBs

FINESSE MOVES (FMV) ratings:

– Finesse move-groups are: Spin, Swim, Hand Knock-Down, Speed Rush
– Determines the chance a defender gets flattened by the blocker
– Determines defenders skill vs. blocker’s skill for success of finesse moves
– AI uses FMV vs. Power Move rating to determine which move-set is used
– Determines the max time taken to perform successful finesse move

FMV is also used in combination with power moves vs. pass block ratings to determine whether the defender or blocker has the advantage when matching animpact block.

PURSUIT (PUR) ratings:

– Determines amount of time it takes to change direction while chasing the ball carrier
– Determines the chance for a hit stick when chasing the ball
– Determines how quickly a player update his pursuit path relative to the ball carrier
– Determines how quickly a player can break out of chasing the ball carrier

Pursuit is used in combination with tackle and awareness ratings to determine the chance of committing a facemask penalty.

DBs
MAN COVERAGE (MCV) ratings:

– Determines chance of fakeout, used vs. Route Run.
– Determines the time it takes to cover a cut, used vs. Route Run.
– Determines the reaction time when in man-coverage assignment.
– Determines tackle skill chance when in man-coverage assignment, used with AWR.
– Determines when a defender can break out of ‘play ball’ (when the ball is in the air).
– Determines the knockout chance of a tackle during the catch, used vs. Catch in Traffic.

MCV is also used to determine if a defender will bite and rush when his assigned player does a ‘block & release’ route.

ZONE COVERAGE (ZCV) ratings:

– Determines tackle skill chance when in zone, used AWR.
– Determines accuracy of leverage on receivers when in zone.
– Determines the time it takes for the DB to track the ball when in zone.
– Determines knockout chance on a tackle during a catch, used vs. Catch in Traffic.

PRS is used against WR’s release ratings to determine length and direction of the chuck.

NOTE – Here is the link to the original write-up

Madden 15 Finally Releases Typical Hype Reel

So, EA Tiburon has finally unleashed the marketing train that they hope will catch football gamers by storm. The best (and worst) part about these trailers is the graphical presentation. What makes it awesome is rather obvious… go ahead and get the “Ehr Mah Gehrdddd! He Looks Realzz!” out of your system. Yes, sure – the faces of players in sports games is cool. We always dreamed about it back when we were playing 8-bit Tecmo Bowl back in the day and now it is finally here… again. Perhaps someone should remind you about the Madden 06 trailer that was complete garbage and meant nothing at all from the graphical or gameplay aspects of the actual game..

Now, another thing to consider is that after you watch the cut-scenes that might seem cool the first four times you play Madden during a game – you will most likely start smashing the A/X button repeatedly to play the actual game and skip the repetitious cut-scenes with “Ehr Mah Gehrdddd! He Looks Realzz!” faces of players. Then, it is back to seeing the back of the offensive players’ helmets and the front of the defenders from about 60 ft away if you use the default camera angle. So, it begs the question… Why do we care about digitized faces with sweat, etc?

There are bigger things for EA to worry about and there are bigger things they need to do to convince people to buy their annual roster update. One of those things is to show the gamers that it is more than simply a roster update (if it is… it probably isn’t). Will we finally have morale in franchise mode? Will the challenge system be worth a damn? Will there maybe be some sort of injury system that makes sense? Dare I ask if they will put in realistic injuries for once? Maybe even *gasp* real-time injuries?

Coverage of Madden is about to start going off the deep end shortly and any/all of the new additions will already be in the process of being finalized. This means that any ‘new’ ideas we might have will have to wait for Madden 16 at the earliest. Outside of the couple hopes I listed above, I have to say that I have a slight hope for Madden 15 this year. While I have yet to decide on a next-gen console, I am hoping to find a reason to get one. Hopefully Madden 15 will actually prove my skeptical nature wrong this year.

But I doubt it.