as im english, ive never played the game and that always helps. ive watched since the 80s when it first was on tv here. i wouldnt however say you are automatically lost. i first played montana's game on the pc and got hooked.
my 2 cents/pennies/groats/pfennigs
- if you have played rugby, you will find run defence and running the ball easier
- unfortunately you face the wrong way on defence which makes it harder
- knowing the rules helps, sadly im getting to the point when im calling before the refs do in the game, not on technique but fumbling in last 2 mins and fumbler isnt the one to recover etc. the sad obscure rules, i know the basics of holding as olineman but cant call it unless its obvious
- some qbs are really hard to contain, especially peyton. to be honest the 2 qbs i always hated were alex and peyton, because in earlier versions of the game they would call aubibles or in alex's case throw the play out of the window and scramble. i started heavy playing as a superstar to try and figure what was what. rb was easy, but i much prefer mlb.
- there are various shell coverages. 0 is pure man coverage ie 1 defender per eligible receiver (5 max) and the spare on the qb if you rush 5 (blitz). if you send more than 4 defenders in blitz its a blitz, 4 blitzers in a 3-4 is not a blitz.
- cover 1 is man coverage with usually a safety deep over the middle
- cover 2 is 2 deep zone, sometimes with zone or man cover underneath, other times blitz. or a combination of those elements.
- cover 3 is usually 2 cbs and a s in deep zone. however that makes holes underneath
- there are variations of defensive formations created by certain coaches/teams. tampa 2 is a 4-3 cover 2 base with the mlb dropping in deep zone in the middle, the Bears version of the 46 is different than the normal with large emphasis on stopping the run.
- you could be really bad at madden not because you dont know the game, or recognise coverages but because you are useless with a controller like me. you can either get better or in my case realise your weakness and work round it via plays/roster and strategy.
for example i cant throw very well except short west coast stuff. therefore i use tes/hbs and slot recievers a lot and short patterns.
i run and try and control the clock. i like wierd formations where its obvious im going to run and yet they still cant stop me getting 4 yards, because i outnumber the defenders with blockers (fbs/tes) at the point of the scrimmage i want to go through
no qb can throw if he is on his back. i like blitzing
its my rugby nature, i like "boshing" ie ie hitting the ball carrier upside his head. i like scaring qbs and with dpp this year its lovely as there is a qb memory as such
taking a knee whilst "distasteful" from a english sport point of view is valid, use it dont risk a fumble, even on the goal line with 20 seconds to go and your 1 pt behind and you have a timeout.
yes kickers look funny kicking and punters are insane. oline/dline guys look fat but some are quite athletic even at 300 lbs. yes our colonials friends dont use stones and pounds!
dont try and play the game a certain way if your personnel doesnt have the skills to use it. dont draft to fit a "prototype" you have in your mind, figure out what is best value at that pick and could you use them in some way.
subbing players at certain postions for certain formations is useful.
lbers are the most flexible postion to change quickly before a snap. with 2 flicks you can blitz/hook zone etc. for example in 3-3-5 there is a lovely 3 man under play, then you can put the 3 lbers in hook very quickly and keep the 2 dbs in man on their x/z receivers
x is usually their #2 receiver and is on the left side (in i-pro formation)
y is the te
z is the right (#1 receiver) and usually the best ie Larry F
if there is a 3rd wr its called the slot
the ones ive forgotten are which of x/y is flanker or split end or ...
lbers have funny names. in the 4-3 and for some reason ive always preferred the 3-4, the strong side (where te lines up) is the sam, the mlb is the mike and weak side is the will
any of the above i could have got wrong and probably have.
but as a englishman i enjoy your colonial game ( i hate soccer btw) and i support the 9ers. my favourite player is Pat Willis who my other half nicknamed Mean from his madden photo from 08? now he looks more like eddie murphy. shes likes Urlacher, its the marine look and blue eyes probably.