[shotgun styles]

I have not been here bashing the game. I took some time off to cool down and get my rage under control. I love Madden and I love the NFL, but Madden '10 is a disgrace. Thus, I wanted to take time to relax myself so I could focus on CONSTRUCTIVE criticism of the game, and be solution oriented. Here is the first in a series of serious and in depth fixes that I suggest.

NFL football is a very complicated sport. If I have one gripe about Madden it is the simplistic way in which the plays are called and executed. I cannot tell you how many times I have been tackled in the backfield by a LB or DL because my O-lineman simply walked by the man in front of him without even attempting to engage.

Ian and company would say that blocking assignments would be hard to adjust on every play, because when designing a run you cannot account for every defensive front. I have a solution.

If we are given a play editor, then give us the ability to add different blocking assignments to each play. For example, if you have a FB lead dive from the I-Formation, you should be able to block that play 5 or 6 different ways depending on the defensive alignment. Pre-snap you would use the cadence tool to call out which of those pre-set blocking schemes you want before you snap the ball.

This way, everyone blocks the correct person, and the HB has some idea of where everyone will be. Run plays will succeed and fail based on how the defense attacks the play, rather than which lineman failed to attempt a block.

A color coded cadence menu would greatly reduce the need for pre-snap buttons, and greatly increase the number of hot-routes, audibles, and other pre-snap adjustments that could be utilized.

Using a color coded number scheme, the player would first select a color. Each color would represent a type of adjustment. For example-

Blue: Hot routes

Green: Audibles

Red: Blocking assignments

And so forth. The menu would then allow you to select a number, which would select the individual assignment to be changed. Each number represents a slot into which you would have saved a given assignment. If the slot is open, you can use it as a fake to trick your opponent. Your cadence would be attached to your profile, so no matter where you are you'd have your personal cadence settings.

RED FIFTEEN: Run blocking pre-set number 15.

BLUE TWENTY TWO: X receiver route changes to a slant.

GREEN SIXTY: Audible to middle screen pass.

These are just examples of the myriad of amazing options this would open up with a very simple and easy to use cadence system. You could put people in motion, change the formation, etc. All by simply adding more colors.

This will be a particularly powerful weapon on defense. The cadences used on defense are usually single words, so perhaps a phonetic alphabet (words assigned to corresponding letters: alpha, bravo, charlie) would work best for them. This would allow very quick defensive shifts to adjust to the offensive personnel/formation. No longer would you be trying to shift your defense furiously while your opponent quick-snaps the ball.

Lastly, you should have to call the snap count when you call the play, and you'd be stuck with that count. This would eliminate alot of snap-cheating issues. It would also give a realistic element to false-start/offside penalties.

Thoughts?