Madden's Defensive Issues

[RaychelSnr]

There are some aspects of the game that EA nails. While those aspects are nailed they come with a conundrums. I can only ask why. Sometimes on defense I like to drop to an eight man in the box or I like to run secondary blitzes. I already did a write up on timed blitzes and player movement prior to the snap. Here, I want to focus on the blitzes and coverage schemes in the game that do have pre-snap movement and ask the question, frustratingly, WHY?

The play I want to look at is 3-4 Under Roll Eagle 2. Last year in Madden, the play was called Roll Eagle 2 Invert.

Read More - Madden's Defensive Issues

[onac22]

After years of wondering why I give up it's just EA AI and it will always proove to be better than you against it and the worst thing since fascism when it is for us.

But hey the presentation is nice.

[Obnoxious]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

Am I the only person who plays 2 man under and cover 2/3 and is fine with the way defense plays? Only issue I see are LBs in zone letting receivers go on in/out and drag routes leaving them wide open.

[der juicen]

My issue is the user dropping back 30 yards and hitting someone on an out route because I couldn't get pressure (because he was a mile away). Now that is annoying.

[onac22]

AMEN!!!! on the mile dropping backlicking QB!!!!!!

[droopizzle34]

The last couple of yrs its been either or with Madden. Either man defense doesn't work or zone doesn't work. This year zone d is useless.

[RandyBass]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

Why can we not shift the line in conjunction with these blitzes and not have the secondary defenders reset?

Just a guess here: they wanted to make it easier. In other words, the less required inputs from the user the better, as they figure the pre-snap movement already within the play is enough.

Either that or it was just something they missed, and they never intended user pre-snap adjustments to interfere with shifts already designed in the play.

I think the pre-snap stuff can not only be streamlined, but also improved at the same time, so that it isn't so generic. I still kind of chuckle at how you can call for press coverage and have all your DBs creep forward in unison.

I agree with the premise of the article, that shifts and adjustments need to fit with what is actually going on within the play and within the formation, allowing guys to make relevant and specific changes once they are lined up before the snap.

[at23steelers]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

Why can't EA just hire LBzRule today to a contract? Like seriously, this guy needs to be front and center of their gameplay people.

[Ch1d0r1_666]

Thats how i felt about every match i played, either they showed or i had to cover the go to guys myself.

[LBzrule]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

I've several issues with this game defensively, and in my mind some of them should be relatively easy fixes.

1). The person on offense can actually control the way your defenders line up on certain plays. That's what i was getting at here. Why is it if I have secondary personnel blitzing they completely reset just because the user on offense audibles or starts making hot route adjustments? That makes me have to micromanage some stuff when I could use those seconds to do something else.

2). Why is it the case that if I control a defender lined up on the line of scrimmage the OL will suction block me on pass plays even though my player has a zone assignment. Yet if I allow the A.I to control that player they allow him to drop?

3). There are not enough defensive coverages in this game to deal with all of the offensive formations in the game.

4). The pursuit is bad. The defenders pursue to trail the ball carrier rather than take proper angels and use the sideline as an extra defender.

I wish Lardarius Webb was at least as good in man coverage as Cromartie is in this game. Never mind Webb has a 96 man coverage rating, but can't defend curls and quick outs. Yet Cromartie for the Jets is all over those routes. Hell even Kyle Wilson is all over those routes.

5). Why is slide protection in this game if people do not need to use it? Against overload blitzes the guard or tackle from the opposite side will run all the way over and pick up the free rusher. This has been in EA football games far too long. Slide protection should be used against that free rusher. Make this stuff meaningful. Right now slide protection has no meaning if my guard or tackle from the other side is going to sprint over and pick up the blitzes.

6). How can a QB who is back pedaling not sprinting but back pedaling in a QB drop, out run a defensive end or OLB, or SS, blitzing off the edge untouched? Yes I know how to get around that guard/tackle who sprints over, but how then does a QB backpedal faster than a guy running downfield freely?

7). What is the logic of man coverage swapping at the snap and man align prior to the snap? Too many times guys are switching with me on the snap and I have no clue that that is going to happen. Man align is still a problem. Just play online against people who no huddle and watch the man coverage assignments switch across the field.

8). Why can't I audible on defense when the offense sends someone in motion?


On the zone coverage, I think they need to have a long discussion on what to do to balance things out. You don't want every team that runs zone to walk away with the same results.

I'm not going to get into the line stuff we've talked about that enough.


I like some aspects of the game. There is too much micromanaging for defense though. Maybe that is due to a transition for upcoming games, not sure. It is very frustrating at times in the present game.

[F0rl3fclov3r]

Nice write up

[LBzrule]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

Just a guess here: they wanted to make it easier. In other words, the less required inputs from the user the better, as they figure the pre-snap movement already within the play is enough.

Either that or it was just something they missed, and they never intended user pre-snap adjustments to interfere with shifts already designed in the play.

I think the pre-snap stuff can not only be streamlined, but also improved at the same time, so that it isn't so generic. I still kind of chuckle at how you can call for press coverage and have all your DBs creep forward in unison.

I agree with the premise of the article, that shifts and adjustments need to fit with what is actually going on within the play and within the formation, allowing guys to make relevant and specific changes once they are lined up before the snap.

I hope it is something they just overlooked and not them putting controls on people because a blitz could be set up and spring a rusher free. If a rusher is free from the shift and the movement that's what slide protection is supposed to be for. It's like they are afraid for people to have easy blitz set ups so they try to hide stuff by having things like the entire defense reset, or the tacke/guard on the other side sprint over and pick guys up. These are minor things we as gamers need clarity on.

[ithurtsme23]

Ive also noticed that inside edge sting is a broken defensive play that works in your favor..Noone picks up the blitzers and its an automatic sack,hurried throw, negative gain for the opposing team

[RandyBass]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

I hope it is something they just overlooked and not them putting controls on people because a blitz could be set up and spring a rusher free. If a rusher is free from the shift and the movement that's what slide protection is supposed to be for. It's like they are afraid for people to have easy blitz set ups so they try to hide stuff by having things like the entire defense reset, or the tacke/guard on the other side sprint over and pick guys up. These are minor things we as gamers need clarity on.

Seems to me like it's a case of them simply heading down a path, and continuing on that path even if it's not quite the direction they should be heading.

They started with a pretty basic pre-snap system, and have added things over the years, and now we are where we are.

Like I said above they can streamline some of this stuff, to not only make it easier to manage, but also to make it better and more realistic. I think they'd be better off with basic core concepts for pre-snap, stuff like: bluff blitz, shade/press a specific receiver, line shift, etc. And have these core concepts be what pops up on the presnap menu. This would allow the user to ask himself as the play lined up: what can I do to augment this play so that I have the advantage?

Then on offense you'd have core concepts to counter the defensive ones, stuff like: hot routes, blitz pick ups, etc.

I know much of this already exists, but it's just done in a peculiar way. You have to go through excessive amounts of menus just to do simple things, and as your article notes it doesn't always mesh with the play call.

[seriousluboy83]

Re: Madden's Defensive Issues

I've several issues with this game defensively, and in my mind some of them should be relatively easy fixes.

1). The person on offense can actually control the way your defenders line up on certain plays. That's what i was getting at here. Why is it if I have secondary personnel blitzing they completely reset just because the user on offense audibles or starts making hot route adjustments? That makes me have to micromanage some stuff when I could use those seconds to do something else.

2). Why is it the case that if I control a defender lined up on the line of scrimmage the OL will suction block me on pass plays even though my player has a zone assignment. Yet if I allow the A.I to control that player they allow him to drop?

3). There are not enough defensive coverages in this game to deal with all of the offensive formations in the game.

4). The pursuit is bad. The defenders pursue to trail the ball carrier rather than take proper angels and use the sideline as an extra defender.

I wish Lardarius Webb was at least as good in man coverage as Cromartie is in this game. Never mind Webb has a 96 man coverage rating, but can't defend curls and quick outs. Yet Cromartie for the Jets is all over those routes. Hell even Kyle Wilson is all over those routes.

5). Why is slide protection in this game if people do not need to use it? Against overload blitzes the guard or tackle from the opposite side will run all the way over and pick up the free rusher. This has been in EA football games far too long. Slide protection should be used against that free rusher. Make this stuff meaningful. Right now slide protection has no meaning if my guard or tackle from the other side is going to sprint over and pick up the blitzes.

6). How can a QB who is back pedaling not sprinting but back pedaling in a QB drop, out run a defensive end or OLB, or SS, blitzing off the edge untouched? Yes I know how to get around that guard/tackle who sprints over, but how then does a QB backpedal faster than a guy running downfield freely?

7). What is the logic of man coverage swapping at the snap and man align prior to the snap? Too many times guys are switching with me on the snap and I have no clue that that is going to happen. Man align is still a problem. Just play online against people who no huddle and watch the man coverage assignments switch across the field.

8). Why can't I audible on defense when the offense sends someone in motion?


On the zone coverage, I think they need to have a long discussion on what to do to balance things out. You don't want every team that runs zone to walk away with the same results.

I'm not going to get into the line stuff we've talked about that enough.


I like some aspects of the game. There is too much micromanaging for defense though. Maybe that is due to a transition for upcoming games, not sure. It is very frustrating at times in the present game.

Which is why I can't understand for the life of me why guys consistantly choose to Hot Route Here, Hot Route There, Hot Route This, Hot Route That. Your making more Holes in a game that already plays like Swiss Cheese! I don't want to hear the excuses of Why, just know it's Bull.