As much as I believe that ZFarls and SGibs work with Prima will be tremendous - it won't be enough. They are only two players with two perspectives, albeit more robust than typical, but still limited in scope.
First, I am dismayed that websites that teach others the X's and O's they need to compete head-to-head in Madden are referred to as "glitch websites." While there are some sites that seek profit by peddling the glitches, but none of the sites that were hit in this round fell into that category.
Without them we as a community are set back almost a decade and revert to a time when the figurative "blind leading the blind" is a legitimate description of the head-to-head landscape.
Case in point, when Online play began in August 2002 - there weren't many Madden strategy websites (less than 3). Players went online, got killed, and automatically assumed their demise was the result of shady play. It never occurred to many that their skills may be deficient, that they were not prepared, or that their football acumen needed to be bolstered.
A years later there are more than 10 Madden websites that publish strategic information that players need to be competitive based on real X's and O's. Entire communities revolved around these strategy sites...
That said, OS is NOT a site for head to head strategies. This site is much better suited to players that enjoy other gaming modes (Franchise, Superstar) or customized slider adjustments. The X's and O's portion of OS's strategy section is rarely, if ever, used and many of the strategies posted there are of no use n head-to-head play. That's not a knock on OS, but merely a testament to the types of players that gather here and the vast differences in the reasons why they play.
That said... The new gamer will suffer. Either by misinformation about the differences between legitimate x/o strategy, the constant complaints of the bevy of Madden haters, or the tendency of EA to bend to serve the lowest common denominator among it's fans.
The absence of strategy websites is equivalent to a school with no teachers or little league football team with no coach. No one will show the impressionable how to tackle, how to read progression, how to read defenses, how to protect the passer, etc... We will be left with people who don't do these things well teaching the community how to avoid having to do them as we've seen time and time again through the SIM standards that have been passed down blindly since Madden 2004 that outlaw 55% of football strategy (ask for the study if you'd like proof).
Football is just as much a game of mental toughness as it is physical toughness. Players who assume strategy guides are all "glitches" and are happy to see the producers out of business may not possess the mental toughness necessary for no-holds-barred head-to-head play, and the demise of strategy industry ensures they will no longer be able to possess the 'know-how" that helps develop this mental toughness.
It's sad to see the most knowledgeable Madden minds on the planet without a path to increase the knowledge of others. For now, there's no incentive to part with the knowledge of developing valuable Madden skills. Unfotunately, only the least prepared players will feel the sting.
Later