Slide protection has been in Madden since 05-06 - can't remember what year exactly - but it didn't make it into next gen until Madden 09, and when it did it sucked because as another poster broke down if you slide your line left, then the backside end on the right would come completely free. What's been "enhanced" is that the backside tackle now stays home and picks up the blocker.
To answer the OP: I haven't played NCAA beyond the demo, so I haven't picked up on the problems that LBz broke down, but I really liked the way it was done from what I saw for the very reason that I could trust the backside defender would be picked up.
@LBz, I've got a few questions after watching the vid.
1. Was "slide right" the correct call against that
play and front? When I say right call, I mean in Madden terms. Was slight left/right designed to combat 4-3 stack OLB Fire Man, or would "pinch" slide protection have been the better call here? I know that's usually my call whenever I see a blitz coming in any of the A or B gaps. I'll only slide right or left when there is an overload or pressure from the C gap? Could that be the reason the blockers were "confused"?
Also, in real life terms, when would a "pinch" protection call be used? I know usually when the A gaps are threatened, anywhere else?
2. Front Observation:
I was wondering if you could touch on some of the "keys" to look for that you've uncovered playing around with it, because looking at the video on your first play, you shifted the line away from the 3 tech. For me, from what I've observed over the past few years, I've gotten in the habit of never sliding my line away from the 3 tech. It just always felt like I was leaving the backside open to a free rusher (usually the 9 tech). Would the outcome of the play on the vid have been different if you slid left to the 3 tech?
I know that in real life, protections are usually changed by keying the linebackers. When I play Madden, I've always done it by keying the defensive line. If I had the game I could answer this one myself, but in so many words, is there a way to get this tool to function reliably by using a Madden-based formula instead of a real life one, because from what I've seen, the offensive/defensive lines are still tied together, so basing protections off of real life movements may be a useless at this point?