Generic Receiver types & other questions.

[jmarcguy]

I'm hoping Madden is worth a shot this year. It looks decent so far. If not, I'm going to emerse myself into 2k8. AGAIN. sigh. Anyway, I've only played the game a few years but really want to get deeper into it if this is what I'm going to play this year. Anything to keep it fresh.

When selecting generic receiver types, is one clearly better than the other? I usually balanced but thought I'd give deep threat a try. Can these guys catch at all? Would possession be better? I have Wesley Walker who can get deep & Rob Moore so maybe having solid possession receivers would be ok.

Is it worth using a legend for a linebacker possession? I've done ok with generics here. What about a good offensive lineman? I usually use 1 silver & 2 bronze in the O line.

Any tips would be appreciated. Every year when I go to customize the team, I get renewed interest in the game. I'm just looking to mix it up a bit.

[jyoung]

Unless you have an offensive player with a high leadership rating, your generic receivers are going to suck, regardless of what type you pick. Without proper leadership, even the "possession" generics will drop tons of open catches.

Legend guards are great to use as the lead blocker for pulling runs. Legend tackles will help you a ton in the passing game and on counter runs. Because they are involved in so many double team blocks, legend centers are pretty much worthless unless you're just using them for the leadership ability. Definitely don't make a created center, because they use a different set of running animations than legend centers do, and they have the added bug of freezing in place during gameplay like they've been hit with a Sub Zero ice ball.

There are plenty of excellent linebackers to choose from at all tiers who will make way more plays for you than a generic would.

[jmarcguy]

Thanks for the tips! I wanted to be ready to give this game a last run in case I don't get Madden so I wanted to look deeper than I usually do.

[dirtypeter]

I agree with jyoung about having a leadership player on offense. I had much luck with TE Ditka, he makes the generic o line and generic wrs much better. The best generic wr I have used is possession WR named Husak. He makes so many tough catches over the middle. Like any generic he will drop his share, but less than the others. I like Rob Moore, but at the bronze level Wesley Walker has too many drops for me. If you you need a return guy and solid WR try Sanders. I also like Rocket Ishmael. He is the best return guy at the bronze level, blazing fast. I also think his hands are more reliable than Walker. Of course you could use a silver spot on one of your WRs. Bobby Mitchell (silver version of the Rocket) and Charley Taylor are really great WRs and returners. If you don't need a return guy Maynard (basically a gold), Andre Reed, Drew Pearson and Herman Moore are outstanding. The 3 best bronze linebackers are Bradley Van Pelt, Carl Banks (beast) and Robert Brazile. The inside linebackers are not as good, I think Scott Studwell is my favorite. I don't use many legend offensive linemen (1 maximum per team), because Ditka makes my generics better. I have liked at the bronze level Guy McIntyre - Brick Wall Randy Cross - Brick Wall Steve Wisniewski - Leader at guard. At tackle I only use Korey Stringer - Brick Wall, Strength. The only silver offense lineman I use constantly is Joe DeLamielleure - Stonewall, Bulldozer, Speed Burner. He is the only bronze or silver to have Stonewall attribute. I often use Steve Bartowski - Signal Stealer, Strength, Rocket Arm and he often gets rattled. Stonewall makes him play much better. My favorite running back in the game is Matt Snell, his Brick Wall is awesome. Matt Snell is a great power runner, who is the best pass blocking RB in the game. Sorry for the long post, I love this game.

[jyoung]

I am also an Emanuel Husak fan. I always try to get him as my top generic receiver. He's basically a poor-man's Wes Welker -- good agility, good hands and good over the middle. Put Husak in the slot for all your formations, and let your legend receivers work the sidelines.

Stonewall is also a great attribute to use if your quarterback doesn't have Tough as Nails. If you don't have one of those two attributes, you'll notice that having a pass rusher close to your quarterback when he winds up will often cause the throw to sail or wobble, even if the quarterback doesn't get touched. Pressure alone is enough to affect throw quality, if you don't have Stonewall or Tough as Nails.

[elgreazy1]

Generic WRs are unreliable and can be serviceable, but they do need help.

Obviously, the higher the calibre of QB the more successful one will be in completing the reception. Add in abilities like Leadership Bonus and Laser Arm and the success rate goes up even further. The same can be said for OL who help improve the play of the QB which affects Generic play, as well. Throw in a receiver (WR/TE) with Leadership and again the Generic WR receives a bit of a boost.

Another thing to keep in mind is simple fundamentals. If a Generic WR is wide open, it is more likely he'll catch the ball. One will also find more success with shorter & easier routes: slants, curls, drags, etc. If he is being covered by another Generic DB the success rate drops. If he is being covered by a Legend Silver+ expect the guy to get shut down completely.

All in all, Generics can be great additions and a real matchup nightmare if utilized correctly. But remember, a good coach will always try to put them positions to succeed much like any other player who lacks elite level talent. It's about minimizing risks.

Edit:
I did want to touch on one thing jyoung mentioned and that is Generic defenders. In my findings, you seem to get better value and performance out of Generic defenders over offensive players.

[dirtypeter]

Quote: Originally Posted by elgreazy1

Edit: I did want to touch on one thing jyoung mentioned and that is Generic defenders. In my findings, you seem to get better value and performance out of Generic defenders over offensive players.

I totally agree that most generic position groups are better than offensive generic position groups, though an all generic offensive line is more than adequate. My best teams online always had all generic lines (Ditka (Leadership/ Bulldozier) and HB Matt Snell (Brick Wall) helped though. In online games IMO you need atleast 2 legend CBs, because of corner hot route abusers. My best teams online have 6 legends on defense 5 on offense. I was never an elite online player (poor stick skills), but I always believed that my teams were created better than my opponents a vast majority of the time. I usually run alot of man zone combo with 2 generic safeties. My 2 favorite generic safeties are coverage FS Billy Ortiz And coverage SS Marlborough. Against people who load up with 3 WRs or even 2 WRs 1 TE (my favorite) I roll out with 3 legend CBs. Albert Lewis is a great 3rd CB covering legend TEs or Bronze WRs and containing the run in his Nickel position.
I might be called cheese, but I subbed him in on safety in the 4-3, 3-4, 5-2 and goalline.

[tjspeaks]

Quote: Originally Posted by dirtypeter

Against people who load up with 3 WRs or even 2 WRs 1 TE (my favorite) I roll out with 3 legend CBs. Albert Lewis is a great 3rd CB covering legend TEs or Bronze WRs and containing the run in his Nickel position. I might be called cheese, but I subbed him in on safety in the 4-3, 3-4, 5-2 and goalline.

Great strategy... CBs fill that roll in the NFL all the time.