Gamespot Playbooks Q&A and new current gen Images

[tehova]

i wonder can do they have zone running plays out of that first formation? cause there's not enough people to stop it, or even the option leaving the leaving the end unblocked. All i could think about was running plays when i see that formation.

[ADW]

Quote: Originally Posted by RubenDouglas

thanks for the info on the playbooks guys. its not a big deal for me. NCAA has always had a generic west coast offensive playbook. if they by chance still have the spread style that UNM used last year, I can just change it up in the pregame menu. I'm not too hardcore about football so I dont even think ill notice the difference. lol

Bob Toledo is the new offensive coordinator at UNM right? If so I'm sure those guys at EA caught that one, especially since he mentioned Rice's change.

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by ajb4cmr

Have you ever actually seen the formation being run? The OL never catches a pass. I've seen this formation run multiple times and it has worked just about every single time.

No i haven't but that doesn't mean its a good formation. Its NEVER used in the pros because it would never work. It might work as a surprise but a prepared defense should be able to handle it. Does anyone ever run a steady diet of this formation? If its so great, why don't more teams run it or run it consistently? Its because its a gadget formation that only has a couple of plays you can run out of it. If you catch the defense by surprise, I'm sure it might work well but I highly doubt a team could run that on a consistent basis.

I realize the OL doesn't catch the ball but by flanking out a player who can't catch the ball out there, you minimize his value. About the difference between college and NFL rules, the OL still can't hit a player before the pass is caught if its a forward pass. Picks are still illegal in the college game. If its a backward pass, then its a different story and they can hit anybody.

[ajb4cmr]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudyjuly2

No i haven't but that doesn't mean its a good formation. Its NEVER used in the pros because it would never work. It might work as a surprise but a prepared defense should be able to handle it. Does anyone ever run a steady diet of this formation? If its so great, why don't more teams run it or run it consistently? Its because its a gadget formation that only has a couple of plays you can run out of it. If you catch the defense by surprise, I'm sure it might work well but I highly doubt a team could run that on a consistent basis. I realize the OL doesn't catch the ball but by flanking out a player who can't catch the ball out there, you minimize his value. About the difference between college and NFL rules, the OL still can't hit a player before the pass is caught if its a forward pass. Picks are still illegal in the college game. If its a backward pass, then its a different story and they can hit anybody.

Right, it may not be a great every-down formation. However, it's still a good formation for picking up yardage and converting first downs when used at the right times.

The option and the flexbone are never used in the pros either, but that's not a deciding factor that makes it a bad formation. That's the beauty of college football vs. pro football - they're different.

I realize that the Emory and Henry formation isn't a formation that would be used on a consistent basis, but South Carolina runs it many times throughout the year in real life, so I'm very happy that they went to the trouble of putting it in the game. Are you disappointed that it is included in the game since it is a "gimmicky" formation?

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by ajb4cmr

Right, it may not be a great every-down formation. However, it's still a good formation for picking up yardage and converting first downs when used at the right times. The option and the flexbone are never used in the pros either, but that's not a deciding factor that makes it a bad formation. That's the beauty of college football vs. pro football - they're different. I realize that the Emory and Henry formation isn't a formation that would be used on a consistent basis, but South Carolina runs it many times throughout the year in real life, so I'm very happy that they went to the trouble of putting it in the game. Are you disappointed that it is included in the game since it is a "gimmicky" formation?

No I'm not. I was probably too harsh in my comments when first looking at the formation since I hadn't seen it in use. I'm more of a pro guy but have started to watch more college football recently and prefer NCAA over Madden. My knowledge of college football is simply poor compared to the pro game.

I totally agree that the wide varieties of formations in college football and the different play styles used by different schools makes college great and separates it from the NFL. Its great to watch a good option QB which doesn't exist on the NFL level. Sometimes the NFL might be more exciting if teams didn't all run offenses that were so similar (and thought outside the box a little). It seems there is pressure in the college game to run unconventional stuff to surprise the other teams while in the NFL there is more pressure to conform to "normal" schemes.

The fact they included this formation is a good thing as it just makes the game more real. I apologize if I came off the wrong way.

[ajb4cmr]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudyjuly2

No I'm not. I was probably too harsh in my comments when first looking at the formation since I hadn't seen it in use. I'm more of a pro guy but have started to watch more college football recently and prefer NCAA over Madden. My knowledge of college football is simply poor compared to the pro game. I totally agree that the wide varieties of formations in college football and the different play styles used by different schools makes college great and separates it from the NFL. Its great to watch a good option QB which doesn't exist on the NFL level. Sometimes the NFL might be more exciting if teams didn't all run offenses that were so similar (and thought outside the box a little). It seems there is pressure in the college game to run unconventional stuff to surprise the other teams while in the NFL there is more pressure to conform to "normal" schemes. The fact they included this formation is a good thing as it just makes the game more real. I apologize if I came off the wrong way.

It's no problem. I wasn't sure how you were trying to come off, to tell the truth, that's why I was asking for clarification.

I love both the college game and the pro game, and like you said, the differing styles of play on the college game simply add another element that makes it unique and fun to watch.

I do agree with you that NFL coaches probably conform too much to what is "tried and true". Part of it is because trickery works less on the pro level because of the level of athletecism and discipline of the defenses. However, the Steelers and Patriots started running some more unique formations/plays and trick plays this past season and they worked well.

I'm glad we are finally seeing some differences between the Madden/NCAA playbooks though. It used to be that NCAA was basically Madden with the option thrown in. I do hope that the defensive AI is improved enough so that there aren't too many flaws that can be exploited by these new plays, but I'm not going to worry about that until I actually see gameplay video on an increased difficulty.

[ODogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by ajb4cmr

I'm glad we are finally seeing some differences between the Madden/NCAA playbooks though. It used to be that NCAA was basically Madden with the option thrown in.

i agree man, they are really becoming alot different now. in a way it's like we've all watched our "little boy" NCAA grow up and become a man, much like his dad madden but also his own man. *sob*....I got something in my eye....

[RubenDouglas]

Quote: Originally Posted by ADW

Bob Toledo is the new offensive coordinator at UNM right? If so I'm sure those guys at EA caught that one, especially since he mentioned Rice's change.

yep. i wish he was around when our 4 year RB was playing last year. that whole team underachieved bigtime. many say thanks in large part to the coaches. the guys that were around last year seem to love the new system. a year too late in my eyes