The One Thing Missing

[udungoofed]

...and between Madden 11 being a great game, is on defence, (obviously. )

Defenders reaction to the football is wrong in Madden 11 (and all Madden's) in my personal opinion and here's why I see that.

If a defender is in zone, he's likely paying great heed to what the football is doing.

If a receiver is in a pattern he's likely paying most attention to the defence and where he's running, while periodically checking in on the QB.

Yet, as I sit here playing Superstar mode as a FS, every single WR/LB/DB is reacting to the play at the same moment in time. What the heck? Other AI defenders in man coverage STICK with their man (as does the player running his pattern) until the ball comes down. Isn't it so obvious they need to react?

I just covered 60 yard lob, yet underneath for the 4 second hang time, everyone is paying no attention to that fact!

A final example, in a yellow zone, a LB on the short side has a RB float out in front of him. (In real life, the QB would look, then throw).
HB clears in front, nobody else in the area, still hasn't reacted.
HB gets wide of him into open space....still not moving.
Ball in flight....not moving yet.
Ball caught...moving, but nowhere near the speed to catch the HB already on the edge!

Once the ball is in the air way more often than not, the defenders not directly involved in the play are reacting before the offensive players around them. This is creating more defenders attacking to the football or going to a position that's advantageous to making a good tackle. This prevents excessive YAC yards and many long TD's which are easy to come by this year.

Ratings should be there to determine just how quicker the defenders will react to the football, yet everyone pretty much goes at the same moment.

Defenders need to be quicker to react than the offence, good defenders need to be all over the field. The only defender that's ever all over the field in Madden, is the user player regardless of who he controls.

That is the one thing I think is missing and will greatly tone down some of the scoring we've seen this year. The new locomotion makes things fun, there's just more space to use it than their should be.

Ty for your time.


-I dun goofed

[Franchise408]

Yup. The game uses unrealistic mechanics to artificially "simulate" a challenge.

I've constantly watched as defenders make breaks on a WR's route BEFORE the receiver does.

[Exonerated]

If most of your players are ovr 90+. Your defense is sick. And everything works properly.

Heck. If your entire secondary is 95+. Your defense is shutdown.

Maybe ratings for defenders are too low across the board.

Because if you change everyone's man and zone coverage to 99. It plays a mean pass defense.

[RedZoneD25]

I've noticed in SS mode, I am a CB and the QB NEVER threw my direction even when I was a 69 OVR rookie. Maybe twice a game. Also, I had never seen an offense as bad as mine..and I was on Minnesota. We finished 5-11 my rookie year, but we gave up the 2nd lowest points in the league.