Random Questions from Madden Newbie

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Let me start off by saying I have played NCAA for quite a few years, but never seemed to enjoy Madden as much. I did try 12, but got very frustrated with the broken draft stuff that I gave up. My wife got me 13 for Christmas and have enjoyed it so far.

I am the Browns, simmed the first season so I could simulate Schumer getting fired. I just finished to draft and things didnt go too bad, but I have some questions.

1. During the season the top QB was a guy from UCLA, but he got injured and never appeard on my draft board so I couldnt scout him or anything. Yet he was drafted by the Giants. I checked and he has a 69 injury rating, but why could I never see him to scout him or even draft him?

2. Practice. Is it worth it? I know I get XP points, but what happens if I dont do it? It gets boring after a while. It does help me get more comfortable with the game, but is it worth it for the team?

3. Free Agency. How do I see the attributes of the players I may want to resign? I ended up signing a DE who was a "good fit" but had a 53 INJ rating, thank goodness it was a 1 yr deal without a bonus so I could cut him.

4. During FA, how do I see what draft picks I have?

5. Kickers. Dawson keeps wanting a 1 year deal (over $3 mill a year) but he dropped to an 82 this season. Is it better to sign a younger kicker with lower skills, I found one with same KP but KA was about 2 lower, and try to build him, or just keep signing the older one who will drop in skills?

Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.

[bobloblah1980]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Let me start off by saying I have played NCAA for quite a few years, but never seemed to enjoy Madden as much. I did try 12, but got very frustrated with the broken draft stuff that I gave up. My wife got me 13 for Christmas and have enjoyed it so far.

I am the Browns, simmed the first season so I could simulate Schumer getting fired. I just finished to draft and things didnt go too bad, but I have some questions.

1. During the season the top QB was a guy from UCLA, but he got injured and never appeard on my draft board so I couldnt scout him or anything. Yet he was drafted by the Giants. I checked and he has a 69 injury rating, but why could I never see him to scout him or even draft him?

2. Practice. Is it worth it? I know I get XP points, but what happens if I dont do it? It gets boring after a while. It does help me get more comfortable with the game, but is it worth it for the team?

3. Free Agency. How do I see the attributes of the players I may want to resign? I ended up signing a DE who was a "good fit" but had a 53 INJ rating, thank goodness it was a 1 yr deal without a bonus so I could cut him.

4. During FA, how do I see what draft picks I have?

5. Kickers. Dawson keeps wanting a 1 year deal (over $3 mill a year) but he dropped to an 82 this season. Is it better to sign a younger kicker with lower skills, I found one with same KP but KA was about 2 lower, and try to build him, or just keep signing the older one who will drop in skills?

Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.

1 - If it is a season ending injury then u may not be able to scout him until stage 7 of the offseason if at all

2 - I don't personally but that's because i want to play games. I am sure others will weigh in here

3 - you can't that's the whole " gamble " with free agents

4 - U can see all your draft picks as long as the "trade Players" in personell section is not locked anytime during the season or off season

5 - that's more of a personal preference. If you are a cheater type there is a draft guide here that can tell what players do what as far as ability goes.

Or you can scout blind like real life and roll the dice! up to you

[roll2tide]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

1. During the season the top QB was a guy from UCLA, but he got injured and never appeard on my draft board so I couldnt scout him or anything. Yet he was drafted by the Giants. I checked and he has a 69 injury rating, but why could I never see him to scout him or even draft him?

See previous poster.

2. Practice. Is it worth it? I know I get XP points, but what happens if I dont do it? It gets boring after a while. It does help me get more comfortable with the game, but is it worth it for the team?

Yes. Earning XP is the only way your players will progress. They don't just automatically get better anymore.



5. Kickers. Dawson keeps wanting a 1 year deal (over $3 mill a year) but he dropped to an 82 this season. Is it better to sign a younger kicker with lower skills, I found one with same KP but KA was about 2 lower, and try to build him, or just keep signing the older one who will drop in skills?

I would sign a younger, cheaper one to a long term deal. You'll be doing the kicking anyways, right?

Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.

Side question for you. I'm just the opposite of you....I've always played Madden and just didn't like NCAA. How does NCAA play to you? I know about the DB glitch but Madden pretty much has it too. Do they play a lot different to you or are they really pretty similar games?

[cl34v4g3]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

A little point/tip about your kicker.. First, the ratings for kickers really don't matter.. As long as they have +90 power and +80 accuracy, all kicks inside of 50 yards will be almost automatic.

I play as the Titans, and Bironas' contract ends after the first year. He wanted a lot of money, even after he declined in ratings the first year. I look in free agency and there's Blair Walsh, an under 25 kicker with mid 90s power and high 80s accuracy. So I sent Bironas on his way and have a new kicker for the next 10-15 years.

[cottageboy789]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Let me start off by saying I have played NCAA for quite a few years, but never seemed to enjoy Madden as much. I did try 12, but got very frustrated with the broken draft stuff that I gave up. My wife got me 13 for Christmas and have enjoyed it so far.

I am the Browns, simmed the first season so I could simulate Schumer getting fired. I just finished to draft and things didnt go too bad, but I have some questions.

3. Free Agency. How do I see the attributes of the players I may want to resign? I ended up signing a DE who was a "good fit" but had a 53 INJ rating, thank goodness it was a 1 yr deal without a bonus so I could cut him.

4. During FA, how do I see what draft picks I have?

Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.

3. As far as I'm concerned, you can't. This seems to be one of the biggest issues for me.

4. The way I do this, is I go to the trade players menu and just look from there.

[dcmantommy72]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Tip. Use a draft guide. I know some might say its "cheating" but its really not.. Its fun to know what players to target and you can really stratagize around them. Target fast or star dev players only.
If you dont, you can play 10 seasons and never once draft a good player.. Dumb risk not even fun to take.

[funnyfiggy]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Tip. Use a draft guide. I know some might say its "cheating" but its really not.. Its fun to know what players to target and you can really stratagize around them. Target fast or star dev players only.
If you dont, you can play 10 seasons and never once draft a good player.. Dumb risk not even fun to take.

With any sort of passable scouting, you should not need a draft guide. To get a solid baseline, do 3 things.

1. Scout every offensive player's awareness. Anyone with a B or higher is worth a follow-up. Some players with C awareness can be stars.

2. Scout every defensive player's play recognition. Everyone with a C or higher is worth a follow up.

3. Scout every defensive player with a play recognition of at least C's awareness. If a player has at least one B and one C, scout their other stuff.

After all intangibles are scouted, I generally have around 30,000 points left, though I do have the upgrade, which is a necessity. From there, make sure the player fits what you like to do and scout away.

My last draft, with 7 picks I got 5 star players and 2 fast players.

Don't encourage using draft guides; let players find out for themselves whether they like the challenge of scouting.

[redlasers123]

Practice? We're talkin about practice.

Despite what allen iverson says, practice is important since you can develop young guys who just ride the bench all season. I usually just run the 2 minute drill because its short, fun and i train coming from behind situations

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Thanks for all of the advice! It is helping alot!! After reading some more stuff on here I decided to trash that game and start another one, simming the first season and really starting after the Browns stink it up again.

Funnyfiggy: Thanks for the advice on scouting. I did something similiar but I like your system better. I looked at PB and RB on O-linemen. Man to Man on CBs and Catching on WR and TE. I am still trying to figure out my "schemes" for my positions though so any advice on that would help as well.

Also I see the point on practicing...so is it better to practice with my vets, or with the younger players I am trying to build up?

I understand the "challenge" part of FA...but I think I should at least be able to see their INJ rating...irl dont we know a players injury history? It is something I can live with though.

Roll2tide: I never liked the way Madden felt, maybe it was just me, but the game always seemed to be in slow motion. It may be that as I have gotten older (Im 48) my reaction time has played a part, I dont know. But this year they are very similiar so the "learning curve" for me hasnt been that drastic. The DB glitch is fixed with slider changes (I used to have to go and change the jump rating and AWR for each DB and that was time consuming!!) So since I love football...this is a great mix for me.

[Gronk4M13]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

1. No idea, sorry.

2. Practice. Is it worth it? I know I get XP points, but what happens if I dont do it? It gets boring after a while. It does help me get more comfortable with the game, but is it worth it for the team?
Nah, not worth it. You get more XP for games.

3. Free Agency. How do I see the attributes of the players I may want to resign? I ended up signing a DE who was a "good fit" but had a 53 INJ rating, thank goodness it was a 1 yr deal without a bonus so I could cut him.
Can't see Free Agent's attributes. For players you want to resign, go to depth chart and look at their attributes before you resign them.

4. During FA, how do I see what draft picks I have?
Go to trade players, then draft picks, then you look at your draft picks.
5. Kickers. Dawson keeps wanting a 1 year deal (over $3 mill a year) but he dropped to an 82 this season. Is it better to sign a younger kicker with lower skills, I found one with same KP but KA was about 2 lower, and try to build him, or just keep signing the older one who will drop in skills?
Get a younger one.
Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.[/QUOTE]

[ajb3313]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Let me start off by saying I have played NCAA for quite a few years, but never seemed to enjoy Madden as much. I did try 12, but got very frustrated with the broken draft stuff that I gave up. My wife got me 13 for Christmas and have enjoyed it so far.

I am the Browns, simmed the first season so I could simulate Schumer getting fired. I just finished to draft and things didnt go too bad, but I have some questions.

1. During the season the top QB was a guy from UCLA, but he got injured and never appeard on my draft board so I couldnt scout him or anything. Yet he was drafted by the Giants. I checked and he has a 69 injury rating, but why could I never see him to scout him or even draft him?

2. Practice. Is it worth it? I know I get XP points, but what happens if I dont do it? It gets boring after a while. It does help me get more comfortable with the game, but is it worth it for the team?

3. Free Agency. How do I see the attributes of the players I may want to resign? I ended up signing a DE who was a "good fit" but had a 53 INJ rating, thank goodness it was a 1 yr deal without a bonus so I could cut him.

4. During FA, how do I see what draft picks I have?

5. Kickers. Dawson keeps wanting a 1 year deal (over $3 mill a year) but he dropped to an 82 this season. Is it better to sign a younger kicker with lower skills, I found one with same KP but KA was about 2 lower, and try to build him, or just keep signing the older one who will drop in skills?

Thanks for the help...I am sure I will have more questions as I go forward.

01. As another poster already said, he probably entered the scouting pool sometime during the off-season. If he was hurt and wasn't playing, you wouldn't have been able to scout him.

02. It's boring, but it's worth it. I usually just do the 2 Minute Drill because it goes quickly and rewards 1,200 XP. It's tedious, but that XP comes in handy.

03. Not showing ratings here is a big issue. It's supposed to simulate that free agency is a gamble, but it mostly leaves you completely blind. I usually jot down a list of guys that look appealing and then go look at the roster outside of the game. This isn't as effective if you're several years deep in a CCM, but it works okay for the first couple years.

04. You have to go to the trade menu. For the life of me, I can't figure out why there isn't a trade screen that you can go check out at any given moment throughout the season and off-season.

05. Never pay a kicker. The only thing that really matters with kickers is power, because as long as you're playing out the games, you'll be the one responsible for accuracy. I typically either bring in the strongest legged guy I can find every year or sign someone with a low overall rating to a cheap long-term deal so I don't have to worry with it at all.

[PaulChildres]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

With any sort of passable scouting, you should not need a draft guide. To get a solid baseline, do 3 things.

1. Scout every offensive player's awareness. Anyone with a B or higher is worth a follow-up. Some players with C awareness can be stars.

2. Scout every defensive player's play recognition. Everyone with a C or higher is worth a follow up.

3. Scout every defensive player with a play recognition of at least C's awareness. If a player has at least one B and one C, scout their other stuff.

After all intangibles are scouted, I generally have around 30,000 points left, though I do have the upgrade, which is a necessity. From there, make sure the player fits what you like to do and scout away.

My last draft, with 7 picks I got 5 star players and 2 fast players.

Don't encourage using draft guides; let players find out for themselves whether they like the challenge of scouting.

I agree 100% with you. I only wish there was a CPU scouting SLIDER which improved the CPUs ability to scout. In my most recent draft in year 6 of my CCM, I had 7 draft picks and I was able to draft 3 of them with a 82+ rating and 2 guys in the high 70's.

As I'm checking all the other CPU teams, most of them barely have 1 guy in the 80's. Most of them pick guys in the 60's. I feel almost as if Im cheating because of the way I scout. Here's my system:

I play a 3-4 defense. I take my weakest position which this last draft was CB and scout all the CBs schemes. I then take all the base 3-4 and Attacking 3-4 scheme'd guys and scout each ones Man/Zone/Press/Awareness/Play recognition. I then pick the best one.

I was also in need of a MLB and wanted a Rnd 1 Pck 17 MLB with ovr of B. Well I didn't have a chance to get him, so I scouted all the MLBs and found a Rnd 6 Pck 20 MLB ovr B rating. At start of season the 6th rounder ended up being an 85 ovr, and the 1st rounder was a 77.

Oh by the way, if I have 7 draft picks and see guys I want in the 4th and 5th rounds, I take them EARLY instead of rolling the dice on some high draft pick I know less about and risk my chance of even drafting the guys I really had my eyes on.

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

Great help guys! Thank you so much.

How about XPs? I have my Center (OVR 88) and my SS (OVR 81) coming up to resign and I would like to keep both, especially the center. So are the Contract packages worth the points?

What about XP boosts? I have a rookie FS that is a 77 and I would love to get him to get better skills.

So what is the best thing to spend XPs on?

Thanks!!

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

One other odd question...do I need to worry about AWR on players I control? What about on WRs and TEs that I will be throwing to?


Thanks!

[hawksruleva]

Re: Random Questions from Madden Newbie

With any sort of passable scouting, you should not need a draft guide. To get a solid baseline, do 3 things.

1. Scout every offensive player's awareness. Anyone with a B or higher is worth a follow-up. Some players with C awareness can be stars.

2. Scout every defensive player's play recognition. Everyone with a C or higher is worth a follow up.

3. Scout every defensive player with a play recognition of at least C's awareness. If a player has at least one B and one C, scout their other stuff.

After all intangibles are scouted, I generally have around 30,000 points left, though I do have the upgrade, which is a necessity. From there, make sure the player fits what you like to do and scout away.

My last draft, with 7 picks I got 5 star players and 2 fast players.

Don't encourage using draft guides; let players find out for themselves whether they like the challenge of scouting.

I just scout intangibles. If a player has A intangibles, get him. If he's has B intangibles, get him. If he's a C, he can be a good fill in, and might still have a high development rating. D and F players are a waste of time.

The intangibles attribute costs 250 points - the first thing I do is scout all the players at positions I'm targeting.

Also - I've had prospects disappear during the offseason scouting process, too. Generally they'll show back up in the last scouting opportunity before the draft. Also, look at players by position - sometimes Madden will drop players off a list, but if you go to say, CB, and sort by age, you can make sure you see all the young ones (works the same for any other attrib).