How To Draft In Madden

NFL_Draft

With the NFL Draft right around the corner and speculation growing on what every team will do once they are on the clock we are going to shift to our only option of NFL Draft Day in gaming.

Madden’s draft and draft presentation has improved over the last few years.  Are there some short-comings?  Sure. Regardless, today we are going to focus on how to make your team better through the draft in Madden.

First Up Is Scouting.  Personally, I am hoping for a drastic change to this in Madden 15 as Madden 25 basically lets you ‘buy’ individual scouting reports for players throughout the season.  Here is your best bet for good scouting.

Spread The Love – I am all but convinced that if you put more scouting into one prospect over others that the AI takes that into account and will have a team swipe that player from under your nose.  This happened to me with numerous players (and drafts) while running my Browns.  Make sure that you are scouting only the initial ‘Grade’ for players in order to make it cheaper (and more realistic) to get an idea of their THP and THA.

Awareness (?) – If you take a look at our last article you will see that awareness is key in terms of how a player performs.  One of the things about the AWR rating is that while it almost always makes the player play better – you can also upgrade this rating with relative ease until you get into the 80’s-90’s.  I personally make it a house rule to never scout awareness.  Why?  Because I have always felt that it is a window to the Overall Rating and I never liked knowing it until after the draft.

Position Specific Ratings – This is and should always be the first thing you look at when it comes to any player.  Why is it third on this list?  Mostly because I feel that the categories above are more holistic in terms of how to look at scouting as a body.  When it comes to position specific ratings you can simply check out the article posted for Madden 13 (as we said, not much has changed).

Finally we come to the actual draft.

Write Your Own Big Board Down – For some reason, you can’t rank your favorite players scouted in Madden 25.  I can promise that every team in the NFL does this as it is basically the most important aspect of the draft outside of determining your weaknesses/needs.  Get a piece of paper and pencil and at the end of the season (after free-agency) go look at your scouting screen.  Take the time to write down and RANK your favorite players as they fit your needs.  You should take into account where you think they could be taken ahead of you and whether you would want to trade up for them if you must.

Determine Your Needs – As you play through each season you will start to find that certain players might become your favorites.  On the other hand, you might start noticing how many times your QB is getting sacked because your Right Guard is such garbage.  These are the moments when you need to either write down on your big board (see above) or take a mental note as you enter scouting/the draft.  Do you really need that QB?  Do you really need another 6’4″ 220lb WR (that seem to over-populate the Madden draft classes)?  Decide what you need and stick to that list.  If you don’t see anyone of value – trade down.

Trading Down – This used to be a more broken feature of Madden games in the past.  Trading down should always be an option if you don’t see a player you truly want/need in the draft.  If you think you can take that player only a few picks later you might want to consider trading down.  On the other hand, you might want to reconsider how far down you trade if you do see players you want.  The way Madden’s drafting logic seems to work it is as if they are reading your mind and that player is always gone just a few picks from your own.

Strike While The Iron Is Hot – One of the biggest lessons I learned in Madden (and in real life) is that if a team likes a certain player and truly wants him on their team – even if he is projected a round later… or two?  Take him.  Madden is a video game and you should enjoy these risks.  There are numerous prospects that are ‘projected’ to go in the 3rd or 4th round that always get taken by the CPU in the 2nd or 3rd round every single draft.  If you see ‘Leon Sandcastle and realize that it is the Deion Sanders clone projected to go outside of the first round and you need a CB… Take the guy – please.  This will be the same for Jerry Ricecake in Madden 15, I can almost promise this.

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Top Needs of Madden Connected Franchise Mode (CFM)

There are all sorts of needs when it comes to Madden from a game-play perspective.  As many of you know by now – I almost exclusively play Offline Madden Franchise Mode.  There are so many aspects of the NFL that keep us interested all year and today we are going to focus on some of the things that Madden (or any other future football game… Are you listening 2K?) needs in Franchise mode.

Benjamin TD

Player Contracts, Morale and Agents 

If you have paid attention to any of the contracts signed by NFL players in the last few years you will see that many of these contracts are not nearly as simple as just throwing out a number and having it accepted or declined.  Madden has always had a problem with making contracts too simplified.  In that regard it has also made Franchise Mode exceedingly easy from a management perspective.  You can always low-ball a player or get someone on the cheap if you know your way around the salary cap.  Here are a few ideas on what would make this a bit more realistic and more challenging as you advance through multiple seasons.

  • Tiered Contracts – We should have the ability to front load or back load contracts for players just like in real life.  (NBA 2K has been doing this for years)
  • Incentive Based – There have been numerous contracts in recent memory laced with performance incentives.  (See Ben Tate’s deal with the Browns for an example).  This could be something that gamers need to focus on as they are building their teams around specific players.  You want that young WR you have made into a superstar to sign an extension?  Make it worth his while with money up front and incentives based on performance or staying healthy.
  • Battling Through Injuries – In this regard I like to see it being somewhat tied to the incentives listed above.  If a player tweaks his hamstring or maybe has a sore shoulder and needs to play a certain % of snaps to earn an incentive.  A good example of this is the contract of Jason Campbell for the Browns in 2013.  He did an admirable job trying to tough it out and play.  When it comes to staying healthy and getting paid to play a certain % of the snaps – you bet that is an important aspect for some players.
  • Morale – Something that never ceases to annoy Madden gamers is the thought that many features have been added and taken away as the wind blows at EA.  Morale was in Madden 2005 and played a large role in realism.  Players in the NFL have serious egos and morale swings almost daily.  In this case, a simple morale bar would be nice to see when it comes to making players happy to be on your team.  In that same breath, it should effect their performance as well.
  • Holdouts – Yet another part of the game that was removed is player holdouts.  This happens quite often and has at times caused many teams to lose important players or show them the money they demand in order to stick around.  This needs to be back in the game.

Another part of Franchise Mode that has been getting better incrementally over the last couple years is the NFL Draft.  As we enter the final week before the NFL Draft (in real life) there are many things that are becoming more apparent when looking at the draft and scouting in Madden.

  • Big Boards – I’m not talking about the main screen where they have thrown up the top players based on the CPU’s programming.  I am talking about as the GM/Coach/Owner making your own Big Board.  This could be as simple as taking a lesson from the NCAA Football team when they made a recruiting board for up to 35 players to recruit.  In this manner it should be expanded quite a bit (maybe to 50-70 players) so you can work your way through the draft like real teams do.
  • Measurables and Grades – I am  sick of the simple scouting method of paying to find exact ratings.  At most there should be grades or maybe a rating range made available through scouting.  When it comes to the combine in real life it is the biggest part of the pre-draft experience.  I want to see 40 times, bench press reps, interview notes, etc.
  • Coach Input – If you have seen the movie Draft Day you will know what I am talking about when I refer to Denis Leary’s portrayal of the Browns coach that basically tells the GM he is quitting if he takes a certain player or doesn’t help him fill the missing pieces in the draft to fit his system.  This is very important needs to have a greater presence in the game (perhaps Coach Morale as well?)
  • Scouts – This is something that is desperately needed in Madden for the sake of realism.  It would be great to not only streamline the process but also to add some variation to how players are rated based on what qualities that scouts have.

Top Rookies Gamers Will (Ab)Use In Madden 15

While we still have two weeks until the NFL draft and everything about it is uncertain, it is with almost total certainty that a lot of fans are curious if their team will draft certain players and game-changers.  This is quite literal in the case of Madden 15.  So, who are the players that will most likely jump up the depth charts and be instant starters?  Better yet…  Which players are gamers going to trade almost everything to get on their team in Madden 15?
manziel-cutout#1 – Johnny Manziel – Face it, Madden is and always has been about speed and Madden 2004 showed that when it comes to having a speedster at QB your team will almost be unstoppable.  On top of Manziel being a fast QB and simply running around with him, Madden now has the read option and Manziel will be a monster to deal with in that way as well.  The Texas A&M prospect and former Heisman winner will be the most hyped QB since Tebow.  The question is – Will Johnny Football suffer the same fate as Touchdown Tebow?

 

dri-archer-campus-union#2 – Dri Archer – He ran a 4.26 40-yard dash in the NFL combine.  Who cares if he is only 5’8″?  Archer is going to be moved to either starting WR or HB on Madden 15.  All you need to do is hot route him in the slot and watch the amazing Madden arcade gameplay do the rest.

 

NCAA Football: Missouri at South Carolina#3 – Jadeveon Clowney – This guy is going to be moved to LE and beat RTs in Madden almost every single play.  For years Madden has had an issue with terrible blocking and especially on RT/LE interaction.  Clowney has the athleticism to take advantage of Madden’s atrocious gameplay.  Look for him coming off the edge on almost every passing play in Madden 15.

Madden 25 Cover – Barry Sanders

Sanders Madden 25

For the second year in a row, Madden fans have decided to curse the Detroit Lions.

How you can curse a team as dreadful as the Lions is beyond me.  It hasn’t stopped them from ‘voting’ Barry Sanders to be the next cover-guy for Madden.  Comment below and let us know who should be on the cover in your opinion.

 

Madden 25 – The Hype Train Is Leaving The Station

Now that we are getting ready to start football season in the minds of most NFL fans with the coming NFL Draft this Thursday there are a few things we can start sorting out when it comes to what Madden 25 will be pushing from the marketing end of the annual title.

The first thing we can plan on is the inclusion of some sort of ‘interview interface’ when it comes to CCM.  This is primarily due to the fact that NHL 13 is taking up where NBA 2K has been for a couple years now.  The idea of interacting with the media and having a simulation experience

It has been twenty-five years since John Madden demanded a true simulation football game. We are still waiting on EA Sports to provide us with one.

isn’t really new but EA is starting to take more of 2K’s features to heart.  My personal hopes are that Madden’s CCM (which is still going to be in the next iteration) will feature an interaction for people that prefer to be a ‘coach’ rather than a single player.  This will add depth to a mode that was off to a decent start last year.

Better physics and refined tackling are something that people have been clamoring for ever since the 360/PS3 released.  Last year we got the Infinity Engine and got to see some interesting animations play out (a lot of Gumby motions, especially).  Regardless, we can be almost certain that Madden 25 will have more refined player physics and tackling animations assuming they keep working with the same engine.  This leads us into one of the more intensely discussed topics on hardcore Madden forums – OL/DL interaction and blocking in general.

While it is highly unlikely that we will ever see a true end to ‘suction blocking’ it has been mentioned for NCAA 14 that there has been serious work put in towards improving blocking decisions and interactions.  This has been highlighted in discussing the inclusion of a deeper CPU intelligence that focuses on second-level blocking.  What is ‘Second Level Blocking’?  Second level blocking is basically any blocking that occurs after an initial block has been made.  So, if the Right Tackle blocks the defensive end and then starts running up the field – they will actually look for the next opponent to block rather than running blindly past a defender that will be looking to bring down the ball carrier.  Sounds like something that should have been in the game for years, right?  EA Sports isn’t exactly on top of things to pay attention to what seems like fundamentals sometimes.  Hopefully they will make good on the improvements in blocking for Madden 25 as this will be a positive direction for the direction of the gameplay in general.

 

Madden 25 and Infinity Engine 2.0

As many sports fans finish watching the Final Four tomorrow there will be a new direction for their attention to go in the coming weeks (assuming they are NFL fans).  The NFL Draft is this month and while there aren’t any real high profile ‘must draft’ prospects out there there is plenty of hype to be started for some teams and especially for Madden 25.

NCAA Football 14 just announced through their typical trailer promo that it would have Infinity Engine 2.0.  While this isn’t much of a surprise as Madden had it first (last year), it is something that should make Madden fans wonder what is coming this year.  Now that EA has started to push yet another cover vote (as if it really matters) they are once again pushing the old players into the mix with a bracket that seems to be played out after the Peyton Hillis cover debacle – why I voted for him to curse my

I wonder if they will still keep brittle QBs damn-near invincible...?
I wonder if they will still keep brittle QBs damn-near invincible…?

Browns is beyond me.

Now that the Madden 13 cycle is almost over (most Madden fans will put this game on the shelf until July, when NFL Camps grab their attention and they can’t help themselves) we are looking to the next iteration of the same game we buy in droves every August.  With NCAA’s announcement there are some things we can all but assume for Madden 25’s improvements.

Better tackle physics are something that happen incrementally every year for Madden.  However, now that the NFL is making rules against certain player centered moves (tucking your head when running the ball – IE, The Truck Stick) we will most likely see a trend for Madden to be even more toned down as time goes forward.

Another hope for Madden is better O-Line/D-Line interactions.  This has as much to do with physics as it does with how the game is programmed.  It has been shown on numerous occasions that Madden’s blocking system is broken at best.  There have been multiple occasions in the past where I have had a punter or kicker mysteriously jump into the O-Line and easily handle a 350 lb defensive lineman.  While this goes beyond the infinity engine, it is something that should be made apparent regardless.

Pass Interference has been non-existent in Madden for almost the entire generation of 360/PS3 titles.  There are high hopes that Madden 25 and Infinity 2.0 will actually have this often-called penalty fully functional this year (on both sides of the ball).

As far as gaming goes in 2013, it has been a surprisingly dull start with little to look forward to in terms of games and even the new consoles.  It seems that we have hit a bit of a lull when it comes to this generation’s games.  Everything is a sequel, prequel or some other sort of half-assed effort with a big name company stamp on it (I am looking at you SimCity).  I always start out my year by saying I won’t buy Madden because it is the same game every single year.  Now that we are firmly set to start draft season, I am sure my tune will change for a few months before we are once again asking for patches the day after the game comes out.

As more Madden info comes out we will have it here for you – with completely honest opinions and reactions.

If you are curious about the roster update for Madden 13 – it is in progress and will be out in a couple weeks.
The draft is often a busy time for roster updating, so it will be a good time to get that work started.

Our Madden 12 Sliders

A few people have sent messages about what sliders we are using/recommending for Madden 12.

Here you go!

That isn’t White Castle’s delicious sandwiches you smell… It is our very own set of sliders… In May no less!

NTTV Sliders/Settings
Settings –
10 Minute Quarters
Playcalling – Conventional
Acc Clock – 15 Secs
Cam – Standard
Auto Sprint and Strafe – OFF
Injury – 15
Fatigue – 55
Game Speed – Slow
Speed Thresh – 5

Penalties
Offside – 99
False State – 54
Holding – 52
Facemask – 55
DPI – 99 (Rarely Called)
OPI – 99 (Even more rare than DPI)
KR/PRI – 99
Clipping – 25 *Down this low because many kickoff returns will get called back because your blockers are stupid.
Int Grounding – 99 (CPU Is Never Called for this)
Rough Passer – 55
Rough Kicker – 99

USER/CPU
QBA – 40/30
PBK – 15/75 *You will have between 2.5-4 seconds to get a pass off most of the time.  Sometimes less, sometimes more.
CTH – 20/55

BRKTKL – 25/0
RBK – 25/40
FUM – 25/50

Pass Defense
React – 10/10
INT – 25/15
PRSH – 40/30

Rush Defense
React – 18/30 *This is being actively looked at.  Stopping the run can be a slippery slope in either direction easy or hard.
BLKS – 18/22
TAK – 25/10

SPECIAL TEAMS
FGP – 50 *With the right wind, you can kick a 65 Yarder with a 99 KPW.
FGA – 50
PPW – 55
PAC – 70 *Makes it a little bit more realistic to get kicks to the corner.
KPW – 50

…and now for the little disclaimer for all the slider/sim nazis out there.

Yes, these sliders have faults and no they aren’t perfect.  They are set up for the user to have an enjoyable yet challenging game.  It may take a little bit of tweaking for you to find your perfect settings, but we hope these are a good start for you!


Da Bears – 2012 NFL Draft Recap and Tutorial/Experience Review

THE DRAFT – Recap

  1. ChiefsLT, Dequarius Sparks (Colorado St.) – He is an absolute beast and should be their anchor for a long time in KC.
  2. Jags QB, Clinton Derricote (Oklahoma State) – Called by some to be the “Next Mike Vick” he is just trying to avoid the QB controversy that is bound to happen with Gabbert still in town.
  3. Browns – LE, Lenard Patrick (Colorado) – A puzzling pick as the Browns run a 4-3 Defense. Perhaps they are looking to move him into the interior line?… Who knows with those idiots.
  4. Rams (From Bears, Via Bucs) – ROLB, Aaron Ross (Nevada) – Speed, power and an all around beast. He is only 6 feet tall but brings hits that would break anyone in half.
  5. Giants – Charlie Brooks (Miami OH) – He is a pure freak that reminds many of Jevon Kearse. No wonder the GMen let go of Kiwanuka.
  6. Cardinals – RG, Zack Milles (Hawaii) – He is a good player, but a RG at #6? No wonder the Cardinals are bad.
  7. Bengals – FS, Phillip Grove (Auburn) – A hard hitting FS that moved up the Bengals draft board after a good interview.
  8. Titans – DE, Tramon Saunders (BYU) – He is 6’4″ 292 lbs and looks like he could eat you. No worries, he only eats QBs.
  9. Vikings – OT, Jared Riddick (Oklahoma State) The Vikings had this guy at the top of their list after Sparks and he fell into their lap. A good pick.
  10. BEARSHB, Amos High (Georgia Tech) – The whole package! He reportedly ran a 4.35 40 Yard Dash at his Pro Day and at 6’1″ 218 lbs with moves?! The Bears had Zero HBs on their roster and now they look like they might have a Franchise Back!
  11. Saints – OLB, Darrion Lattimore (S. Miss) – The Saints moved up to get this guy. He is solid, but we wonder if they really needed to move up from 18.
  12. Jets – TE, Brent Curette (Michigan) – Looks like Dustin Keller’s days are numbered. Curette is athletic and just the drama queen the Jets love.
  13. Cowboys – CB, Rayquez Joseph (Pitt) – The second coming of Revis, but faster. The Cowboys got a steal here.
  14. Bills – LG, Carter Miller (Oklahoma State) – The third Oklahoma State guy taken, he is a solid guard and the Bills look like they are serious about building a solid core… finally.
  15. 49ers – WR, Jocqua Coleman (S. Miss) – He is sizable as he switched from HB to WR his junior year. 6’1″ 232 lbs at WR?… ok
  16. Eagles – DT, Khalek Grady (Nebraska) – The meanest player in the draft might be the final piece that brings this team to the Super Bowl.
  17. Chargers – LT, Landon Walker (Wisconsin) – Another big Badger OLineman?… Maybe the Chargers want to protect Rivers after he broke his leg due to a crap OLine in 2011.
  18. Panthers – CB, Jayden Nix (LSU) – The best ‘big’ CB in the draft, a burner with a high motor and desire to hit like a MLB… Look out NFC South!
  19. Falcons – SS, Leventrice Carswell (Penn State) – Left early after the scandal, a solid pick up to help their struggling DBs.
  20. Texans – WR, Shontrelle Quick (Virginia) – Ran a 4.27 40 at the Combine but questions about his character caused him to drop to the Texans.
  21. Dolphins OT, Case Adams (Florida) – Jake Long finally got some help from the other end!
  22. Redskins – MLB, Antwan Clements (Arkansas) – Somehow, the next Ray Lewis fell to the team that needed him the most. The NFC East is going to be a tough Division!
  23. Colts – CB, Dom Briggs (Illinois) – He is only 5’8″ but the Colts hope he plays as big as he did in the Big 10.
  24. Patriots – HB, Coco Vereen (UCLA) – He is a solid pick for a team in need of a good HB. But they really should have gone with Defense.
  25. Jags – RT, Latevin Graham (Tenn) – He is hoping to come in and compete for a starting job after the Jags moved up to take him.
  26. Steelers – LG, Martaze Bolton (Florida State) Athletic and the strongest man in the draft. The Steelers keep building winners even late in the draft.
  27. Raiders – RG, Devan Crawford (UL Monroe) – Leave it to the Raiders to draft the fastest OLineman in the Combine. Hopefully he pulls a lot?
  28. Giants – LT, Nico Archer (Kentucky) – An absolute steal that broke the hearts of Bears fans.
  29. BEARS – CB, Chandler Carter (Texas) – Projected as a 2nd Round pick, the Bears scouted him all season and fell in love with his 4.29 Speed and 39 in. Vertical Jump to go with 13 INTs his senior year at Texas!
  30. Ravens – HB, Chauncy McCorkle (Cal) – Ray Rice needs some help and McCorkle’s 6′ 244 lb frame should do just that.
  31. Lions – CB, O’Dell Tyler (USC) – The Lions traded down with the Pats and took this risk as he has a history of injuries. The upside is tremendous but the risk is crazy given their competition in the division.
  32. Packers – C, Geno Monroe (Georgia) – He is going to have a lot to worry about as he is now the #1 guy that Rodgers will talk to every snap… The defending Super Bowl Champs have a new Center… look out A Rod!

Madden 13 Must Improve Draft Presentation and Franchise Mode

Ask any NFL fan about their favorite team’s draft and you will get some sort of response.

As a Browns fan I will give you all you need to hear and more. First, we needed to fix our offense with better receivers and someone to take over after Hillis’ departure.

The Trent Richardson pick was a good one at the time and still is; however, to give up the picks we did in order to get him I would have thought that we would be super smart about the ones we had left.

Then we took a 28 year old QB, Brandon Weeden at #22.  In a league where you are looked at as old when you are 30 it is strange to see that as a pick with any sort of gainful longevity.  Yet, even that pick wasn’t too terrible in the scheme of things.  It was followed up with Mitchell Schwartz from Cal, a big and mean O-Lineman.

Then we took John Hughes!  Yeah, you read right… 16 Candles, Pretty In Pink and St. Elmo’s  Fire on the Cuyahoga JOHN HUGHES!… Actually, it is some sort of D-Lineman that is going to be a back-up for our talented middle D-Lineman Rubin and Taylor.  I was confused by this pick to say the least… then my confusion turned to anger when I saw the other players taken after we traded down and move around in the draft to get a guy that wasn’t even projected to get picked in the draft on many experts’ boards.

That said…

Ever since Madden came out on the 360/PS3 generation of consoles it has had growing pains that have led many football gamers to get banned from forums for venting their anger (which will never happen on our boards, assuming you support your opinion without major profanity— which with Madden can be hard at times).  The worst part about Madden for years had been Franchise Mode and bugs in Franchise Mode.  That said, there are three major events for NFL fans:

  1. The NFL Draft
  2. Kickoff Week
  3. The Super Bowl

Improving The Draft (What’s Missing?)

There is a reason why the NFL Draft is #1 on that list.  It gives people faith that for a moment, their team is going to get better.  They might find their ‘Tom Brady’ or ‘Peyton Manning’.  There are some players that coming out of college are looked at as ‘sure things’ like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III and then you have big risks on guys like Vontaze Burfict (went to the halfway-house, AKA the Cincinnati Bengals after going undrafted) who have major character issues.

People go nuts for the draft and it is something that is often talked about more than the Super Bowl.  Simply because it is something that every team has a chance to do and do well.

Madden has no personality or atmosphere for the Draft.  It is difficult to see what other teams are doing in your Franchise Mode.  One example is when a team trades up or down in the draft there is usually some sort of reaction by commentators (which also don’t exist in Madden’s Franchise Mode for the Draft) – in Madden you are greeted with a notice that a trade took place and which picks were involved… and then nothing… No highlight of who was so important that the team moved up to get them.  You are also not going to see which players teams select during the draft because the Drafted Player Ticker resets after every pick, rendering it impossible to see how the draft is going or who is coming off the board in any sort of fluid manner.

If the Cowboys were to take a punter with the first pick in the draft you would probably see riots and hear commentators berate the management (Jerry Jones) of the Cowboys…. Not in Madden, take whoever you want because no one cares.  Perhaps that is the real personality of Madden’s Franchise Mode – No one cares… and frankly, why should they?

Not to mention it is hard to really have any sense of immersion in a league that seems to exist without any sort of news feed that is easily accessible to let you know that certain players are under-performing.  Then again, that is the hideous beauty of Madden’s Franchise Mode.

Minus the lacking atmosphere, here is a list of just some of the things that are missing from creating a true Franchise Mode experience worth paying $60 for every. single. year…:

  1. Player Morale and Personality – Players have no personality.  Some teams are simply not desirable to play for, yet… that never comes into play with Madden, just sign the players without any real attention  to what type of coach, owner or city they want to play in.  Are they just about money are they loyal to loyal fans?… That doesn’t matter in Madden.
  2. Player Performance – This doesn’t matter from multiple levels in Franchise Mode.  As far as the much vaunted online roster updates go, apparently a player is better on a week by week basis.  However, when it comes to any sort of adjustment to a player after he throws for 500 yards and 6 TDs twice in three weeks, there is no such update to his throwing abilities or his much over-hyped OVR (Overall) Rating.
  3. Player Value – This rating doesn’t exist in Madden at all.  This means that when you have a player that runs for 2000 yards two years in a row and then wants to be traded elsewhere you might not be able to get what you should for him because his OVR is 80 due to a low AWR (Awareness) Rating, even if he has 98 SPD, 97 JKE, 95 SPN, etc.  The system of value for performance is a constant battle between gamers that state performance means little when potential is all that matters.  My response is that performance is MEASUREABLE and potential will NEVER be.

This list will be expanded over the course of the next few months and years as Madden is sure to continue to grow and regress in quality and features.  The first step for any game mode like Franchise Mode is ATMOSPHERE and IMMERSION and that should start with the most important day  (weekend) of the NFL Year – The NFL Draft.

Da Bears – Madden 12 Franchise – Week 1

Yesterday we posted an update about running a longer lasting Franchise Mode in Madden.  Today we are posting the first video of our newest Franchise Mode…

In honor of the late great Chris Farely we have chosen DAAAAAA BEARSSSSS!

The biggest roster move before the 2011 season sent Matt Forte to the Bucs and brought Mike Williams to the Bears to help Jay Cutler.
Rookie Halfback, Mikel Leshoure was signed to a one year deal worth $2 million to earn a future as the feature back in Chicago.

Before this season started officially we made a few moves that included trading our 93 OVR starting HB, Matt Forte for a better WR for Jay Cutler.  The best offer came from Tampa Bay as they offered their young potential star WR Mike Williams (79 OVR).  The final deal ended up being Matt Forte and a 2nd Rd Pick in 2012 for Mike Williams with 1st and 3rd Rd Picks in 2012.

We suffered injuries to two different CBs and signed Fabian Washington (77 OVR) as ‘insurance’.

So, without further delay… Here is Week 1 Showdown with the Atlanta Falcons!

This was one hell of a battle.