No Pain, No Game? - BreakingBad2013's Blog

BreakingBad2013's Blog

No Pain, No Game?

Posted on August 12, 2014 at 06:13 PM.

Entering the 2014 NFL season, the NFL has taken safety to an entirely different level. There are now rules to protect Quarterbacks and Pass Catchers. There are rules that say it is unfair to hit players that aren't aware and "defenseless." But why?

The NFL has moved to a system where protecting its stars, for now and long term, will vastly improve profits. Protecting someone like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is the same as protecting an investment with insurance. In recent years there have been many lawsuits to the NFL based purely on old injuries from players that played in the 80s and 90s, with sever brain trauma or lasting effects of multiple concussions.

Enter Madden, a game where injuries are completely random, yet, they are linear.

Lets imagine a game where injuries MEAN something to the game, Shall we?

Madden should implement a new injury system, where the injury rating isn't just some boring number, almost nobody pays attention to. Every season, heck, every week there is a player that is under fire for being injured. You have players like Bob Sanders and the more recent David Wilson retiring for injury related issues. Injuries take their tolls on players' careers, there have been many torn ACLs, broken bones, and concussions that have just ruined careers. I'm not making light of this at all, however, this should be something that you have to look for in Madden.

Enter: Dynamic Injuries.

With Dynamic injuries players' injuries will have an effect every game and through out the season.

Game Day:
While in game, Dynamic Injuries will take a toll on each player by counting hits, big hits, and contact to represent a system, where players will wear down during the game. The amount if deterioration will not only depend on the player's amount of punishment, but their current injury rating, and also their toughness rating. Of course, not all injuries are based off of taking brutal hits constantly, most are actually random.

Example:
I notice that my opponent prefers to scramble with RGIII rather than staying near sidelines and sliding. After a while RGIII begins to deteriorate from taking unwarranted sacks and big hits. Eventually this will wear down RGIII. The next scramble, we get a vicious big hit on the young QB, and he's injured. Unfortunately (for my opponent)RGIII has to be out of the game for the rest of the Quarter, he has a bruised rib. Now, instead of his 78 Injury Rating, he has dropped down to a 55 Injury Rating, because he's injured. With this injury, he will also lose some attribute points for his throwing power, stamina, and acceleration. RGIII comes back in the game, and the player didn't change his style, he's actually trying harder to get out of the pocket. A few sacks later, RGIII is back on the sidelines. This time, fractured ribs 3-5 weeks on the sideline.

The NFL is all about protecting your QB, you want your star on the field. If the User slid more, and stayed in the pocket, maybe he wouldn't be out for 3-5 weeks now.

Connected Career:
Now RGIII rating went from a 78, to a 55, down to a 0 (since he is unable to play). When he is healthy enough to play again, his maximum injury rating, might now be a 68. Next time out, it may take even fewer hits to put him back on the sideline; thus creating an even lower injury rating, and possibly forcing the player into retirement.

Presentation:
There's a graphic, that after a player comes back onto the field after an injury, or is his first play back from being injured, it will show their injury history. Maybe multiple ACL Tears or concussions; and the commentators will talk about protecting him, or how fragile he is. This would add a reminder to the opponent, that hey, this guy could be on his last leg, and allows the offensive player to think, "Hey, we need to keep him out of harms way!" Maybe even a generic body chart, showing injured areas of the body in his career or season.

This wouldn't just be for QBs either, it will be for any player on the field. Running backs that aren't built for 30 touches a game will wear down much quicker than a LeVeon Bell or Adrian Peterson. WRs that are being targeted a lot over the middle, or thrown to in traffic, may suffer deterioration after so many big hits. Even offensive linemen who are over-matched, maybe you have a rookie on the powerful J.J Watt, and you're just getting bull-rushed over and over, maybe you roll and ankle, or sprain your wrist.

Defensively it would have to happen a tad bit differently, you cannot simply hurt players for making more tackles. So what would have to happen is not only do the toughness and injury ratings matter, but now the awareness and tackling ratings matter.

Example:
An opponent keeps doing screens to a bruising back like Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, but by the time it's too late, your CB is trying to make one-on-one tackles, and cannot handle the strength from the back. After a few of these occurrences the player will start feeling the punishment, and WHAM, there's another truck by BEASTMODE. Now, your CB is lying on the ground in pain, unfortunately he went shoulder to shoulder with him, and dislocated his shoulder.

Second Example:
You have a young player on the field, who has a low awareness rating, and keeps allowing the TE to crack block him down field, pancake him, and just getting all over him. After a while these hits will take a toll, just like an offensive player.

Its not just about the player either. You have a Medical Staff that you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain, if you are being cheap, your players will be out long, or even mis-diagnosed. Where if you pay a little bit more, maybe each injury takes less of a toll on the player, or after halftime he gets a small boost to where he's kind of comfortable again.

Also, think of the mental toll it has on the team. Think about if Peyton Manning went out week 13 of the NFL Season with a torn ACL, the entire teams "Confidence" would drop, and start second guessing themselves. With the new addition of the Confidence rating in M15, this would go hand in hand. Your star player, your franchise just got a major injury, guys are on the sidelines hanging their heads, and lose all momentum. Possibly changing your 9-3 team, into a team that goes 9-7 because everyone's ratings drop from losing confidence? The possibilities are endless.

This would add so much to the Madden Franchise. You would have to learn to protect your players. I don't just mean QBs either, you would have to sub in a RB here and there. Players like Darren Sproles and Reggie Bush couldn't be your full time starter, pounding the rock, inside and out. You wouldn't want to throw the ball to Calvin Johnson and A.J Green 15-20 targets per game. Maybe your new Two-Back System will be stronger because Matt Forte and Kadeem Carey are feeling fresh and taking very few hits, while producing the stats they need to accomplish goals and win games. Maybe even improving their injury rating.

This would also add long lasting effects, where certain players' NFL Lifespan, has been cut in half or worse. If you keep sending DeSean Jackson over the middle, and he keeps getting concussions, he may retire at the age of 30, instead of 38.

It will make you think about sitting your star player throughout Pre-Season, or even the first 3 Weeks of Regular Season, just to make sure he is healthy again.

Dynamic Injuries need to be put into Madden, to add a new perspective to the Video Game World. Where injuries aren't luck of the draw, but strategically avoided.

Just some Food for Thought. Thanks to [Big FN Deal] for making this pop into my head.