Want to improve my Falcons team.

[Xtra]

1-1 record, default Falcons team (except for a draft pick traded for Mike Sims-Walker). I'm ranked 3rd in Defense, but dead last in offense. Most of my problems came from an inability to convert on 3rd down (4-22).

I'm a run-first kind of person, but i heard play action doesn't work all that well in this game. And running all the time will have the other teams stacking eight in the box and wear out my RB. But I don't pass too well either, with a 37.5 rating, 2 TD, 3 INT, and 245 yards in 2 games. I'm basically relying on my defense to keep the opponent from scoring too many points and keeping the game within reach.

Any tips on working with this offense and making a more well rounded team?

[RedZoneD25]

Maximize the effectiveness of your players by playing to their skills. While it sounds DUH, it can really help if you consciously try. Here's some generic pointers, you kind of have to judge the player's strengths vs your skills to figure out the best alternative.

If your QB is awful deep, throw a lot of curl, slant and out routes.

If your RB is fast/shifty, call some sweeps or tosses, maybe even a few dives here and there

If your RB is strong, literally my favorite play ever...the Power O. DEADLY.

If your WRs have hands issues, a lot of the same routes I mentioned above have a high success rate. It doesn't hurt to occasionally pump fake to try to release coverage (R1 or RB, whichever system you have)

Other than that, it really depends on personnel. If you want to get a better ground game, there's really no other way than to keep pounding the ball. If your RB can't take the hits, make sure you have 2 strong runners (the Falcons do).

re: Play Action, I've never really had a problem with it. Just don't be afraid to check down or throw it away to avoid the sack.

Oh, and BTW...Make frequent use of Tony G. He's almost a cheat code, IMO. Every time I play the Falcons, he literally destroys me.

[HARTSTOPPER]

As a Falcons fan myself, you would do yourself some good by getting Tony Gonzalez some looks. Tight Ends are the easiest targets to hit in Madden and have been for some time now. For some reason they always run AMAZING routes and catch just about everything thrown their way. Get into shotgun formations to give yourself more time with Matt Ryan in the pocket. If you are noticing that the computer is blitzing alot, then make sure you always have a quick route somewhere in the pass play. Turner is NOT a good pass receiving running back, so utilize Norwood for that.

As far as running goes, run some passes out of Ace formation, and then mix in some runs. When running out of the Ace formation, look at the defense alignment. If you are running 3 WR Ace formation, and you see that nobody is covering the slot receiver, the computer is playing zone coverage. So once you figure out if the computer is running man or zone, motion either Gonzalez or the uncovered receiver to the side you are running the ball to get another blocker on that side of the field. Once you start getting more 4-5 yard carries, it will open up the play-action game for you. When running play-action passes, don't always look for the homerun ball downfield. Sometimes a play action pass might have a recevier WIDE open 7 yards down the field on a crossing route or a post.