Need ALOT of advice in Madden. Ex-ESPN player.

[HighHeatMan]

Hello, I just switched over from Espn (got tired of stupid tackling, or lack there of, qb running without injury or fumbles, weak defensive back coverage etc.) and so far Madden seems more my style DEFENSE but I know nothing about the controls or attributes. The manual doesn't explain much.

1. What determines a passrusher, attributes. Is there an attribute/skill that tells you which DE/DT is better at passrushing? I know who the good ones are from watching football but for the rookies or guys I don't know how can I tell?

2. How the hell do you sack? I can't seem to get to the qb. I play on All-Pro. When is the best time to use the rip/swim move and the shove move. Right before you make contact or when you make contact and which is better the shove move or rip? I can't figure it out because on the mini camp I seem to do fine with it but when I line up and play a practice or actual game I just can't get thru. I break one block and then another OL sticks to me.

3. The burst/speed button how is it used..do you just press and hold or you kiddie mash like on Espn?

4. On defense the dive button is the tackle button right?

5. What the HELL is the "Man Lock" option for? I play with all that crap off like "catch assist" I want to do it myself. I just don't know what "man lock" is. Sounds a little gay to me. I don't want no man locking ANYWHERE!

Thanks in advance.

[MBMavs20]

Welcome to Madden. I will try and help you out best I can.

1. There is no Pass Rush Attribute. I would look for speed, strength and awareness.

2. Sacks for me are tough to come by. It helps to have a good Defensive line. If you don't, try moving your line around on stunts or spread your ends out if they have good speed. Blitzing your linebackers helps if you have them in the right spots. Overload one side of the line helps too.

3. Just hold the button down and the player will speed burst. You don't have to keep mashing it.

4. You can use the dive button to tackle, but it is risky sometimes, especially if you are facing the wrong way. I tend to miss a lot of tackles by diving at a guy. If you run into him and make contact, your player will automatically go into a tackle animation. However, players will break more tackles this way then if you dive at him. I haven't really tried the hit stick yet.

5. Man lock gives you the option to have your #1 cornerback assigned to another receiver on the other team. Ex: I am the Raiders playing the Eagles. I turn man lock on, and assign Charles Woodson to guard Terrell Owens. So, no matter where Owens lines up, outside, slot, etc.. Woodson will cover him.

Hope this helps you. I didn't buy ESPN 2k5, what was it like? I played ESPN 2k4, but I couldn't get into it. I guess I am just to used to Madden.

[jondiehl]

Quote: Originally Posted by MBMavs20

5. Man lock gives you the option to have your #1 cornerback assigned to another receiver on the other team. Ex: I am the Raiders playing the Eagles. I turn man lock on, and assign Charles Woodson to guard Terrell Owens. So, no matter where Owens lines up, outside, slot, etc.. Woodson will cover him.

Close, but no cigar.

Man lock allows you to disguise your man coverage as a zone when the offense puts a man in motion. Instead of having the assigned defender follow the motion man across the field before the snap, the assigment simply changes to someone else on the other side of the field and everyone else's assignments also adjust.

WHat you're talking about (assigning a specific defender to a specific receiver) is done in the defensive strategy section of the pause menu (which only works in man coverage, not zone).

[HighHeatMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by MBMavs20

Welcome to Madden. I will try and help you out best I can. 1. There is no Pass Rush Attribute. I would look for speed, strength and awareness. 2. Sacks for me are tough to come by. It helps to have a good Defensive line. If you don't, try moving your line around on stunts or spread your ends out if they have good speed. Blitzing your linebackers helps if you have them in the right spots. Overload one side of the line helps too. 3. Just hold the button down and the player will speed burst. You don't have to keep mashing it. 4. You can use the dive button to tackle, but it is risky sometimes, especially if you are facing the wrong way. I tend to miss a lot of tackles by diving at a guy. If you run into him and make contact, your player will automatically go into a tackle animation. However, players will break more tackles this way then if you dive at him. I haven't really tried the hit stick yet. 5. Man lock gives you the option to have your #1 cornerback assigned to another receiver on the other team. Ex: I am the Raiders playing the Eagles. I turn man lock on, and assign Charles Woodson to guard Terrell Owens. So, no matter where Owens lines up, outside, slot, etc.. Woodson will cover him. Hope this helps you. I didn't buy ESPN 2k5, what was it like? I played ESPN 2k4, but I couldn't get into it. I guess I am just to used to Madden.

Thank you very much, very helpful. Most of what I found on Madden2005 were reviews when I searched.

So far the only bad thing about Madden I see is the sacks but it's ok.

ESPN2k5 would be the best football game ever by far if the programmers would've included a damn secondary. It's ridiculous..how the hell can McCardell from the Buccs catch a 30yd pass when I have Smoot, Taylor and Arrington covering him so tight that you could barely see McCardell..it's insane. They all jump for the ball and try to swat the ball and magically the ball finds an 1/8" hole to go thru and land in the receiver's hands for a completion.

It happens too many times and the tackling is pathetic. I don't want to sit there and destroy my hands trying to tackle someone mashing the X button to death. Those two problems for me make it too frustrating to enjoy it so I switched to Madden and those problems are gone. I've yet to see the cpu complete a pass against me with double coverage on a receiver on All-Pro..and I stink so bad, a skunk would run from me. I just started playing it yesterday.

Thanks again.

[cliburn]

Thanks for answering something I have wondered for three generations of NCAA but never had the wherewithall to ask. I never knew what "Man Lock" was; thank God I do now so I can go turn that thing off.

[cliburn]

Quote: Originally Posted by jondiehl

Close, but no cigar. Man lock allows you to disguise your man coverage as a zone when the offense puts a man in motion. Instead of having the assigned defender follow the motion man across the field before the snap, the assigment simply changes to someone else on the other side of the field and everyone else's assignments also adjust. WHat you're talking about (assigning a specific defender to a specific receiver) is done in the defensive strategy section of the pause menu (which only works in man coverage, not zone).

Is that true? I tried that in NCAA and it didn't work. I was hoping they'd be the same.

[jondiehl]

Quote: Originally Posted by shortsoldier

Is that true? I tried that in NCAA and it didn't work. I was hoping they'd be the same.

NCAA doesn't have MAN LOCK.

What you guys are referring to is the "player lock" in the options section. All that does is starts you off with the same defensive player that you started with the previous play. In other words, if you like to always start off controlling the FS each play, it will always go there rather than having to cycle through the other guys to get to him before the snap.

"Man Lock" is a new feature, only Madden 2005 has it, and it's only found on the playcalling screen on defense (hit L and R triggers toggle it on and off).

It locks or unlocks your defender's staying with a receiver as they motion in the backfield.

With Man Lock ON, the game plays like it always has, and like every other football game does in man coverage (the defender mirrors the motion man and follows him across the screen.

With Man Lock OFF, that defender will stay in place, even in man coverage, and his defensive assignment will shift to another receiver instead of the motioning man (a defender on the other side of the field will then pick him up and most of the defensive assignments will shift accordingly).