A plea for special team work in 2010

[Cryolemon]

The kicking game needs work, definitely. I like how APF 2k8 did it, that is damn hard, but fairly realistic.

There also needs to be realistic kick blocking. Right now on a field goal there is almost no line interaction at all, they seem to just all stand up.

[LBzrule]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChicagoChris

Watch any NFL game this year and what do you see EVERY week? Special teams. Play Madden 2009 and what DON'T you see? Special teams. This part of the game has a huge impact on each game and is largely ignored in Madden 09. Over the past 9 weeks I have watched a lot of NFL football and I keep thinking how great it would be if we had blocked fg's and punts, mishandled snaps etc. I'd love to have to really think if i want to run Max punt every time. Perhaps its windy and rainy and i need to think about this kick attempt. Things like this would add a ton to the game IMO. Right now whenever special teams is involved i know nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen. This part of Madden has been non existent for ever. Now that Ian and crew are listening, perhaps we could get special teams some attention! Thoughts?

I agree with you, but how do they make it to where not everyone has great special teams, since as many have been saying, ratings do not matter in this game?

[Cryolemon]

Quote: Originally Posted by LBzrule

I agree with you, but how do they make it to where not everyone has great special teams, since as many have been saying, ratings do not matter in this game?

Make ratings matter?

[LBzrule]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cryolemon

Make ratings matter?

Yeah but how? Here is the issue right. Most special teams do not consist of a starting set of offensive linemen, and even if it did they are too slow to make contact. EA does not have any special team blocking ratings so they just have the default ratings ones that don't make a difference except speed. You are not going to get good blocking when the TE's on the kick return team have blocking 60 and below, then you have WR's who block even worse and defensive players who have even worse block ratings (I'm presenting this under your scenario that ratings would matter). But they can't increase those players block ratings or else they appear like starters on regular offense when they are not. It's basically, I hate to say, BAD design, where the game was not designed for specific players to shine in specific areas of the game. Just design generally and give everyone the same ratings. And so to make of for it, to make it seem improved we might have to get guys to "cheat" a little bit

[Rashad19]

Quote: Originally Posted by LBzrule

Yeah but how? Here is the issue right. Most special teams do not consist of a starting set of offensive linemen, and even if it did they are too slow to make contact. EA does not have any special team blocking ratings so they just have the default ratings ones that don't make a difference except speed. You are not going to get good blocking when the TE's on the kick return team have blocking 60 and below, then you have WR's who block even worse and defensive players who have even worse block ratings (I'm presenting this under your scenario that ratings would matter). But they can't increase those players block ratings or else they appear like starters on regular offense when they are not. It's basically, I hate to say, BAD design, where the game was not designed for specific players to shine in specific areas of the game. Just design generally and give everyone the same ratings. And so to make of for it, to make it seem improved we might have to get guys to "cheat" a little bit

Their ratings would only get a boost during special teams plays. Maybe if certain players were designated as Special Teams players then we could break them out that way.

Switching gears..punt blocks, blocked kicks, punt/kickoff returns must be implemented in the game because we all know these are the plays that break open or in some cases shutdown games for each team. There has to be away to portray accurate special teams play in this day and age of technology!

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by LBzrule

Yeah but how? Here is the issue right. Most special teams do not consist of a starting set of offensive linemen, and even if it did they are too slow to make contact. EA does not have any special team blocking ratings so they just have the default ratings ones that don't make a difference except speed. You are not going to get good blocking when the TE's on the kick return team have blocking 60 and below, then you have WR's who block even worse and defensive players who have even worse block ratings (I'm presenting this under your scenario that ratings would matter). But they can't increase those players block ratings or else they appear like starters on regular offense when they are not. It's basically, I hate to say, BAD design, where the game was not designed for specific players to shine in specific areas of the game. Just design generally and give everyone the same ratings. And so to make of for it, to make it seem improved we might have to get guys to "cheat" a little bit

Yet another reason why I've been pleading for expanded ratings. One of the ironies of all this is that they have a spot for LS, which is a special teams specific position, yet don't have anything specific to make it anything more than cosmetic.

[Synkopated]

Quote: Originally Posted by LBzrule

It's basically, I hate to say, BAD design, where the game was not designed for specific players to shine in specific areas of the game. Just design generally and give everyone the same ratings. And so to make of for it, to make it seem improved we might have to get guys to "cheat" a little bit

This is exactly true, it works for the NBA games for the most part, but it is completely different for the NFL.

[alliance4g63]

Running back any kick or punt return should be a very fun, frantic and difficult ordeal. One huge factor football sims are missing is the speed element. Most of great returns consist of speed and vision. Vision may be even more important than speed. You have to see the hole before the hole even opens or be willing to take big risks that may open the hole you need.

Special teams now are pretty much random. It doesn't seem you have any real control over whether you run back a kick or not. GIVE THE POWER BACK TO THE USER! I want to be able to play against people that are great at running back kicks. I want to be afraid to kick the ball to them.

If you were a great runner in 2k5, there was always a big risk kicking to that person. You had to break some tackles for a good run back, just like on Sundays. In Madden that is just not the case which makes for a very boring situation.