Madden 11 Realism

[Spectre48]

Hey guys! I've been looking for the absolute most realistic sliders possible for my Madden 11 season game. I usually play linebackers in defense and I play in coach mode for the offense, only running when I think that my RB needs a boost. I think I'm getting very close to the sweet spot when it comes to the sliders, so I thought I'd share with everyone! These aren't for people looking to dominate the CPU every game, but are looking for an entertaining season mode where you don't always have full control over every aspect of the team at all times (like being a real coach). Here are the real NFL Averages (give or take a slight amount):

Points Per Game: 44 (22 per team)
Plays Per Game: 120-140 (60-70 per team)
Yards Per Game: 500-800 (250-400 per team)
Passing Yards Per Game: 440 (220 per team)
Rushing Yards Per Game: 170 (85 per team)
Yards Per Pass: 7-10 (per QB)
Yards Per Carry: 3-4.5 (per team)
Pass Percentage: 59% (per QB)
Sacks Per Game: 4-6 (2-3 per team)
Int's Per Game: 2 (1 per team)
Fumbles Per Game: 2 (1 per team)

This means that in the average game, a team gets about 22 points in 60-70 plays, totaling 250-400 yards. The yards are broken down to about 220 passing and 85 rushing per team, per game. The average yards per pass in the NFL (including incompletions) is 7-10, and the average yards per rush is 3-4.5 depending on the quality of the O-line and the runningback himself. The passing percentage average in the NFL is about 59%, with the worst quality quarterbacks at around 50% and the best reaching around 75%. Each team gets 2 or 3 sacks, about 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery per game. Again, these all depend on the quality of the O-line, the quarterback, the runningback, and any other factors in the game. You may have found your own averages, but these seem to be very realistic to me. Now, on to my sliders!

--Game Options--
Quarter Length: 14 Minutes
Accelerated Clock Runoff: 25 Seconds
Injuries: 50
Fatigue: 55
Player Min Speed Threshold: 65 (This is important so that you don't get burned too much - and don't burn the CPU too much - in deep/slant passes, and in the run game.)
Coach Mode: On
Fight For the Fumble: Off

--Penalties--
(This is still a work in progress, but as it is right now I think it's a good way to simulate the lack of pass interference and personal foul penalties in this game. If you get a lot of holding, facemask, or clipping penalties in a game, pretend that some of them are personal fouls or Pass Interference.)
Offside: 100
False Start: 95
Holding: 52
Facemask: 52
Defensive/Offensive Pass Interference: 100
KR/PR Interference: 100
Clipping: 55
Int Grounding: 100
Roughing the Passer: 100
Roughing the Kicker: 100

--Player Skill--
(These will be different than the CPU sliders, but that's because I honestly believe that they weigh differently between player/CPU. Especially the offensive/defensive running sliders.)
Passing
QB Accuracy: 35
Pass Blocking: 8
WR Catching: 40

Rushing
Broken Tackles: 30
Run Blocking: 30
Fumbles: 28

Pass Defense
Reaction Time: 32
Interceptions: 23
Pass Rushing: 65

Rush Defense
Reaction Time: 23
Block Shedding: 20
Tackling: 22

--CPU Skill--
Passing
QB Accuracy: 35
Pass Blocking: 8
WR Catching: 40


Rushing
Broken Tackles: 18
Run Blocking: 28
Fumbles: 28


Pass Defense
Reaction Time: 32
Interceptions: 23
Pass Rushing: 65


Rush Defense
Reaction Time: 20
Block Shedding: 20
Tackling: 22

--Special Teams--
FG Power: 50
FG Accuracy: 50
Punt Power: 50
Punt Accuracy: 50
Kickoff Power: 55 (To simulate the new NFL rules)

I'll be posting the results of my first game shortly. I'm going to be playing the Seahawks in Season Mode, starting off with the first regular season game. The preseason and quick start CPU is much easier than the Franchise regular season CPU in my experience, so I'm going for as much realism as I can where it counts. Hopefully you enjoy my sliders, and hopefully they work as well for you as they are for me!

[Spectre48]

Heres my first game using these new sliders. I'm not sure how everyone posts those fancy game results and box scores, so I'll just be winging it. I hope that the fact that it's not quite as easy on the eyes doesn't prevent you from paying attention.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

--Points--
Seahawks: 37
49ers: 17
Total: 54 (NFL Average 44)
This was a very realistic outcome in my opinion. Especially when you consider the fact that the Seahawks returned 1 interception and 1 fumble for a touchdown. These were both in the second quarter, which put the Seahawks on defensive for the majority of the game to protect their lead. Without these two turnovers, the score would have been MUCH closer, which adds to the realism factor.

--Plays--
Seahawks: 42 R, 32 P (76 Total)
49ers: 20 R, 29 P (49 Total)
Total: 125 Plays (NFL Average 120-140)
Due to the fact that the Seahawks were in defensive mode the entire second half of the game, it's to be expected that they'd have more plays, and especially run plays. Again, I see this as very realistic.

--Yards--
Seahawks: 333
49ers: 316
Total: 649 (NFL Average 500-800)
This game was much closer than it looked in the score. Other than the two turnovers returned for touchdowns, the 49ers could easily have been competitive in this game. Score 3 for the realism factor!

--Passing Yards--
Seahawks: 160
49ers: 214
Total: 374 (NFL Average 440)
The 49ers in this game don't exactly have the best passing attack, and neither do the Seahawks, even with updated rosters. I see this as a very realistic result, although maybe the 49ers should have had a larger amount of passing yards. They did rush a lot until the middle of the 4th quarter, however, as their running game was doing reasonably well. So I'll say that this is a slight win for realism, but still something to keep an eye on.

--Rushing Yards--
Seahawks: 187
49ers: 130
Total: 317 (NFL Average 170-220)
There were a lot of running yards in this game, but again, that may be because the Seahawks held a commanding lead at the half, and the 49ers running game was pretty efficient the entire game, so they stuck with it. I'm going to again rule this as a point for realism, but stills omething to keep an eye on.

--Yards Per Pass--
Seahawks: 7.6
49ers: 7.7
Total: 7.7 (NFL Average 7-10)
There's not a whole lot to say about this. Both teams had a respectable yards per pass ratio. They're on the low end, yes, but they're also on the low end when it comes to QB's/WR's. I'll count this one as a solid for realism.

--Yards Per Carry--
Seahawks: 4.5
49ers: 6.5
Total: 5.1 (NFL Average 4.5)
Now this may be a little bit high, BUT the Seahawks and 49ers both have subpar defensive lines, but good/great running backs in Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore. This may be a realistic number, but we'll get a better picture in the next game I play against the Broncos. Score to be decided then!

--Pass Percentage--
Seahawks: 65%
49ers: 51%
Total: 59% (NFL Average 59%)
With 61 total passing attempts in this game, and it coming out to exactly the NFL average, I feel pretty good about this. The only problem is that Alex Smith and Tarvaris Jackson (yes I have TJ rather than Hasselbeck) are both average to below average quarterbacks, so this may be a bit high. Again we'll see in the game against the broncos. Until then, however, I say this is a solid win for realism.

--Sacks--
Seahawks: 5
49ers: 2
Total: 7 (NFL Average 4-6)
No, I didn't get any sacks with my linebackers while controlling them, so I hope that this is due to the fact that the 49ers O-line isn't that great. The 49ers sack number is good though, but that's not enough for me to consider this area a score for realism. We'll see in the next game.

--Interceptions--
Seahawks: 1
49ers: 1
Total: 2 (NFL Average 2)
With the two interceptions being two huge turning points in the game, I see this as being a HUGE win for realism. The Seahawks interception put this game out of reach, but the 49ers interception brought a renewed 49er effort to cut into the Seahawks lead, which really did put me on the edge of my seat, hoping that they wouldn't pull off a big comeback. Score huge for realism.

--Fumbles Recovered--
Seahawks: 1
49ers: 1
Total: 2 (NFL Average 2)
The Seahawks fumble recovery came on special teams and led to a touchdown in the second quarter, just after the interception returned for a TD. The 49ers fumble recovery came just after a 49er interception which resulted in a drive towards the Seahawks endzone. Again, they both led to momentum shifts, or momentum encouragements, which added to the realism. Another score for realism!

As you can (hopefully) see, these sliders so far have made for an exciting game. I'll continue testing them, however, and I'll see if the occurances with the passing/rushing yards are fixed, along with the concerning sack numbers.

[Spectre48]

And for game number two in my little slider simulation. This one was a shootout, really, but again the score was deceptively high.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ DENVER BRONCOS (OT)

--Points--
Seahawks: 35
Broncos: 42
Total: 77 (NFL Average 44)
This game was a shootout, but the score really should have been around 21 to 36 Broncos, which would have been a much more realistic outcome. Marcus Trufant intercepted a Tebow pass for a touchdown, and Leon Washington returned a punt for a touchdown, buffing the Seahawks score.

--Plays--
Seahawks: 28 R, 42 P (70 Total)
Broncos: 30 R, 47 P (77 Total)
Total: 147 Plays (NFL Average 120-140)
Since this game went to overtime, I think that this was quite a realistic outcome. There were a lot of passing plays because each team took turnts trying to come back from behind.

--Yards--
Seahawks: 328
Broncos: 670
Total: 998 (NFL Average 500-800)
Again, this number is inflated due to overtime. The Seahawks started out with the ball, but were unable to score and were forced to punt to the Broncos, who wound up victorious due to a fluke 75 yard pass.

--Passing Yards--
Seahawks: 271
Broncos: 555
Total: 826 (NFL Average 440)
This is a bit high, but that's because each team was spending most of the game throwing the ball (especially the Broncos) due to being behind. Tebow throwing for almost 600 yards is something to be concerned about, but hey, it was Tebow Time in Seattle. He always pulls something like this out of his arse, so maybe it was realistic after all.

--Rushing Yards--
Seahawks: 64
Broncos: 115
Total: 179 (NFL Average 170-220)
There weren't many rushing yards in this shootout. Lynch and Moreno were pretty bored most of the game.

--Yards Per Pass--
Seahawks: 6.4
Broncos: 12.2
Total: 9.3 (NFL Average 7-9)
This goes to show that even though there were a lot of passing yards, it was still within the realm of possibility, seeing as how it's only slightly above the NFL average.

--Yards Per Carry--
Seahawks: 2.3
Broncos: 3.8
Total: 3.1 (NFL Average 4.5)
The two run defenses were pretty good, but the Seahawks could have been better (I admit that I tried playing as the safety for half the game to stop the long ball. It may or may not have made a difference in the run game). Overall though, I think it was a pretty good outcome.

--Pass Percentage--
Seahawks: 57%
Broncos: 51%
Total: 54% (NFL Average 59%)
This just goes to show you how the deep pass can kill you in this game. Tebow got a good 2 or 3 60+ yard completions in his 24 completions. Not incredibly realistic (or is it?) but that's the game mechanic, and you can't change that.

--Sacks--
Seahawks: 3
Broncos: 1
Total: 4 (NFL Average 4-6)
This is a much more realistic outcome than the last game against the 49ers. Tarvaris Jackson was pressured a lot, but was somehow able to get the ball off most of the time before he was sacked. I'll count this as a very slight win for realism.

--Interceptions--
Seahawks: 1
Broncos: 2
Total: 3 (NFL Average 2)
I think I've got the interception sliders down very well. The quarterbacks aren't throwing interceptions every other possession, but it's enough where a mistake can cost the game.

--Fumbles Recovered--
Seahawks: 2
Broncos: 2
Total: 4 (NFL Average 2)
This, like interceptions, seems to be working out pretty well. Both of the Seahawks fumbles were by Sidney Rice, and both of them were in the Broncos half of the field. It's frustrating, but in a very good way. These two fumbles cost the game, like they would in real life. Score for realism.

Rushing yards seems to be just fine, with the great deal of yards last week coming from two good running backs. I'll leave the sliders where they are for now. The sack sliders seem to be fine the way they are, but I may need to lower them for the player team to allow for another sack or so per game. I'll have to pay more attention to the CPU applied pressure next game. As for the passing yards, I'm going to give it one more game before I tweak the sliders again, as this may have just been a result of the high scoring game. All in all, I'm still quite satisfied with the results, but I do want to see a lower scoring game. I don't see that happening next week, however, as I play Philip Rivers and the Chargers. At least it'll be a good game to test out my pass yardage further.

[PatriotJames]

Madden 11 or is this a typo?

[Spectre48]

Yes, this is Madden 11.