In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

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  • Rebel10
    MVP
    • Jan 2003
    • 1162

    #1

    In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

    So this is an age old question that goes back to when EA introduced the quicker play selection screen for special teams, so at least 5+ iterations of Madden.

    Something I've always been vexed by...

    On special teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times arbitrarily? It's apparent on every Special Teams play call selection screen, but especially apparent on kickoffs and kick returns.

    I'm sure you've all noticed that sometimes you get different kick return options, but you never get all of them:





    Even if you scroll down the play selection screen, they'll all repeat. Sometimes you get all of the same, either left or right, and have to scroll to get the return middle... but it's either the return middle with both return men split wide, or the return middle with them staggered. It's just always arbitrary.. Sometimes you get two middles, a left, and a right. Sometimes you only get one middle, two rights, no lefts, sometimes you get left and right, but you have to scroll to get a middle and then there's only one of them...

    Does anybody have any insight as to why this is, why the play selection is always different, and why the choices are seemingly randomized? It's been this way for years now, probably like 5 years or more when they introduced the Coaches Selection thing.

    It also does this on non kickoff special teams... Sometimes you'll have Punt return Right, Left, Middle, Safe, or Block... Other times you'll just have PR right, PR left, and nothing else. OFten if you want to call a specific play (like Punt Return Safe Man) you have to back out, go to the playbook, select "Special Teams," "Punt return" and then find it. Of course on kickoffs you can't back out, you have to stick with the choices they give you, so I've always been vexed by this one.

    On kickoffs, wouldn't it make a heck of a lot more sense to have...

    [PANEL 1]
    Y - Kickoff Return Right
    X - Kickoff Return Left
    A - Kickoff Return Middle (a - staggered)
    [scroll down, PANEL 2]
    Y - onside return
    X - onside return
    A - Kickoff Return Middle (b - split out)
    Last edited by Rebel10; 09-01-2017, 02:01 PM.
  • solmon
    Pro
    • Aug 2010
    • 890

    #2
    Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

    Originally posted by Rebel10
    So this is an age old question that goes back to when EA introduced the quicker play selection screen for special teams, so at least 5+ iterations of Madden.

    Something I've always been vexed by...

    On special teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times arbitrarily? It's apparent on every Special Teams play call selection screen, but especially apparent on kickoffs and kick returns.

    I'm sure you've all noticed that sometimes you get different kick return options, but you never get all of them:





    Even if you scroll down the play selection screen, they'll all repeat. Sometimes you get all of the same, either left or right, and have to scroll to get the return middle... but it's either the return middle with both return men split wide, or the return middle with them staggered. It's just always arbitrary.. Sometimes you get two middles, a left, and a right. Sometimes you only get one middle, two rights, no lefts, sometimes you get left and right, but you have to scroll to get a middle and then there's only one of them...

    Does anybody have any insight as to why this is, why the play selection is always different, and why the choices are seemingly randomized? It's been this way for years now, probably like 5 years or more when they introduced the Coaches Selection thing.

    It also does this on non kickoff special teams... Sometimes you'll have Punt return Right, Left, Middle, Safe, or Block... Other times you'll just have PR right, PR left, and nothing else. OFten if you want to call a specific play (like Punt Return Safe Man) you have to back out, go to the playbook, select "Special Teams," "Punt return" and then find it. Of course on kickoffs you can't back out, you have to stick with the choices they give you, so I've always been vexed by this one.

    On kickoffs, wouldn't it make a heck of a lot more sense to have...

    [PANEL 1]
    Y - Kickoff Return Right
    X - Kickoff Return Left
    A - Kickoff Return Middle (a - staggered)
    [scroll down, PANEL 2]
    Y - onside return
    X - onside return
    A - Kickoff Return Middle (b - split out)
    Same question....so annoying
    Gig 'Em

    Comment

    • BadAssHskr
      XSX
      • Jun 2003
      • 3511

      #3
      Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

      I'm with you, this is very odd as to why.
      "Not the victory but the action. Not the goal but the game. In the deed the glory."

      Comment

      • JayhawkerStL
        Banned
        • Apr 2004
        • 3644

        #4
        Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

        Because you are calling plays from suggestions? They don't have every screen pass when you are calling offensive plays, either.

        I think you can go into Play Types and find special teams and select what you want.

        Comment

        • Rebel10
          MVP
          • Jan 2003
          • 1162

          #5
          Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

          Originally posted by JayhawkerStL
          Because you are calling plays from suggestions? They don't have every screen pass when you are calling offensive plays, either.

          I think you can go into Play Types and find special teams and select what you want.
          Correct me if I'm wrong, but on kickoff I do not believe you can change that. The B/Circle button doesn't do anything, so unlike regular play call selections where you can hit B, go to Formations or Play type to select the specific play, on kickoffs, hitting B/Circle doesn't do anything.

          I play using formations, not suggestions, but on 4th down the game auto-switches to Suggestions (this was a change about 5 or 6 years ago from what I remember when they introduced "Fair Play" online, but then they added it to offline as well), but it still gives you the option to go to your playbook:



          But on kickoffs, that B - Playbook isn't present, and it just seemingly arbitrarily selects some plays for you. Just seems odd, and I wasn't sure if anybody has a rationale... Like if you're ahead you get every type of kick return, but if you're behind you only get specific ones, etc.
          Last edited by Rebel10; 09-01-2017, 02:25 PM.

          Comment

          • Ky3217
            Pro
            • Jun 2012
            • 699

            #6
            Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

            Been wondering this myself.

            I also find it really annoying. The way I build my teams on CFM, I have one guy I want returning kicks. One. I hate the fact that the game forces me to put two guys back at times. I'd rather force my opponent to kick to the guy I want returning kicks.
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            Comment

            • DeuceDouglas
              Madden Dev Team
              • Apr 2010
              • 4297

              #7
              Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

              This is something that has bugged me since they changed it as well. I always only want my main return man back there and I don't understand why you'd make it to where it's just always three returns at random. I wish they would revert back to the old way where you could choose any return you wanted. I wish 4th down wouldn't default to coach suggestions either but that's a different issue.

              Comment

              • reyes the roof
                Hall Of Fame
                • Mar 2009
                • 11522

                #8
                Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                Are you using a custom playbook? I've noticed that causes me to lose the formation where you only have one returner deep. I just audible real quick before the other team kicks and it puts me in the one deep formation. If your on PS4, you just need to hit square twice

                Comment

                • Jagsfan24
                  MVP
                  • Mar 2016
                  • 1854

                  #9
                  Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                  I miss the older maddens where you got to pick whichever kick/punt return you wanted.

                  Oh I also miss coin flips in the beginning

                  Comment

                  • King Gro23
                    MVP
                    • Jan 2008
                    • 2548

                    #10
                    Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                    I've always wondered this I'm a fan of the old selection more so than the random blade. Just another random barricade with madden though


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                    • ksteward84
                      Rookie
                      • Aug 2014
                      • 312

                      #11
                      Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                      I don't have twitter, but if someone were to ask Rex about this he may have an answer
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                      • jfsolo
                        Live Action, please?
                        • May 2003
                        • 12965

                        #12
                        Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                        It a bad decision that some designer made several years ago, and we've been stuck with this mistake ever since then, IMO, because fixing it is probably so low on the priority list that it gets bumped off in the first round of cuts every year.
                        Jordan Mychal Lemos
                        @crypticjordan

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                        • PaPZ187
                          Rookie
                          • Jul 2010
                          • 235

                          #13
                          Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                          I've noticed the same thing, and I go to Special Teams to pick my play, I don't use suggestions

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                          Comment

                          • Ueauvan
                            MVP
                            • Mar 2009
                            • 1624

                            #14
                            Re: In Special Teams, why are some plays available sometimes, but not other times?

                            if you use a custom playbook, you cant select some st plays

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