Is anyone else still impressed with the defensive playmaker?

[newsguy]

I started to play this game after 2 weeks of ESPN. It took me about a week to get quick with the D playmaker. I didn't even win a game for like a week and a half. Now that I've gotten better at reading the offense, I'm winning consistently and I feel like it's ME doing it. Last year, although I would win, I felt like the game would control the tempo. This time, I can be up by 21 in the 3rd, and still stop the Offense. I played the Vikings yesterday and almost every play I would double up on Moss. Culpepper adjusted and began to sneak the ball. I then adjusted and set my OLB AND DE to spy him. This worked like a charm. Not only did Seau get a sweet pick this way, but Culpepper got shut down. Of all the Maddens, I can honestly say this is the one that feels like "it's in the game."

[spankdatazz22]

I think the options you get w/Madden's defensive playmaker are awesome - this is what playmaker should've been LAST year. Also like that you can bring 8 in the box easily. But juiced defenses and watered down abilities on offense negate the benefit you get. It's ridiculous BnR is STILL flawed - essentially a hold until the offensive player is able to release. Guess at least they made an effort to change it. Online, everyone's beginning to realize they can play constant BnR and crowd the LoS on every play, with little to no negative to using such a strategy.

[Vince]

I LOVE blitzing a linebacker and bringing up an athletic defensive lineman in coverage...I do this online alot and when a player see a LB blitz he tries to throw it to that spot,only to have the D-Lineman intercept the pass...

[NoleFan]

I have not found the BnR to be too effective. It seems to me that WRs get off of the jam quickly and burn you downfield.

[ChiTownKid]

I think the entire game is awesome, especially online. It is without question the best online football I've ever played.

[spankdatazz22]

I think Madden online is going to get mighty cheesy (already was there w/BnR) with fatigue being turned off because of the quicksand glitch, but I digress.

I played the (at the time) 11th ranked guy online in a Play Now game - didn't realize I was playing him until I checked after the game. It was my Steelers vs. his Cowboys in Dallas. He won 17-10 in a decent game. Had him 10-7 at half, but he adjusted and shut me down second half. How? Playing constant BnR and blitzing. Unless you're leaving the house in to block, you rarely have time to get a pass off - ESPECIALLY with an immobile QB. The games I've played the past couple days have had the same ring to them. Everybody plays constant BnR, puts 8 in the box, and plays Dime or Quarters. You'd think you could run on it, but because of the flag football tackling system in Madden you can't consistently.

I love Madden's front end online, and they have great content. I think the defensive adjustments were great and give you a ton of freedom. But they went overboard by juicing the defense overall; there's no head tracking so the defense can get away with defending pretty much anything, and WRs are grounded this year - even an LB will outjump a receiver this year.

[seanmac]

I've been finding it easier and easier to deal with BnR coverage, although that could be a function of having not run into any top echelon players as of late. But the game really needs to include some pass interference and defensive holding to clean up the passing game a little more.

The defensive adjustments are very nice. I wish they would do a better job of shutting down the deep dropbacks (oh now I can contain Vick, but he's still able to buy nine seconds), but by and large they work quite well. I haven't gotten comfortable enough with them to make more than one or two adjustments, though, as I don't have time to figure out what I'm going to do and then get it all done before the ball is snapped. In that regard I prefer ESPN's system, where it's easier to get the changes in quickly, although that is somewhat negated by the slowness of the button response. I also miss the ability to shift my dbs inside or outside without having to do it manually.

[Vince]

Call screens,run draws and use the ACE Formation(double Tight end set)and hot route your tight ends to block...That should somewhat combat blitzing cheesers.