any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

[billsmetalbooze]

hi, i drafted a beastly WR with size, good speed and 81 trucking, but his AWR was around 20.

i got 27,000 XP points for him being 3rd or 4th on the depth chart and used it all on AWR; it only got raised to about 33 or so.

at this rate, he'll crack 50 AWR at the end of his third year.

do you think AWR impacts a WR? if not, it should.

part of me thinks the players with low AWR should remain crap; they're the combine freaks we see who don't understand how to play and never make it in the pros.

i see super low AWR as a kind of checks and balance in the game to make sure not every player turns out great or even good; even if they have outstanding measureables. so i'm leaning towards calling a guy with 20 AWR a bust and moving on.

thoughts?

[SloeyEZ]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

In football, awareness is least necessary in the WR position of all others. By this I mean, yes, good receivers will know where to drop in the soft spots of zones etc, but WR awareness is the least important of all positions, except QB in this game because you have to control the QB...but I definitely don't worry about awareness in my receivers, although it is the most important attribute (in coaching sims) to me in other games, but not so much Madden.

[fballturkey]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

How's he playing? If he's playing well keep him and use him. I'm not sure what AWR does for WRs but if it hasn't caused you problems I wouldn't worry about it.

[thrust]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

OK guys. Imagine each player has a bubble around him. The player has knowlege of or sees what is going on inside this bubble. The awareness rating is the size of this bubble. The player ofcourse has line of sight, but awareness is sort of like instincts.

Have you ever seen a WR look like he gets hit with the ball rather than going for the catch or looks almost suprised that the ball is on him? Well that is low awareness.
Have you ever seen a pass get broken up and a reciever near by bursts into action and makes a catch on a ball that wasn't even meant for him? That is good awareness.

This attribute is huge for any CPU controlled players weather they be on your team or not.

[Acera]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Awareness for a receiver is only a few things. I've heard option routes, and how long it takes for him to react and break off his route if the QB is in trouble. If you are the one playing, awareness means very little at QB, RB, WR

[Dj_MyTime]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Awareness for a receiver is only a few things. I've heard option routes, and how long it takes for him to react and break off his route if the QB is in trouble. If you are the one playing, awareness means very little at QB, RB, WR

This 'Option Routes' WR's/TE's, etc will run the wrong routes vs the defense, but with only a handful of option routes available, I don't even use them. I stick with the basic route tree.

[billsmetalbooze]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

the second part of my question was more about a "house rule": is it cheap to play and succeed with a player, like a WR, with 20 AWR?

with that awareness, he's a total idiot and to me, i'm thinking he's a "bust": has the physical tools but not the mental makeup.

i think it's a necessary part of the game to reflect the reality of the real NFL: some players are physically gifted but mentally lacking.

of course, that house rule is subjective but i think i'm leaning there. if a guy doesn't have at least 50 AWR, he shouldn't be starting; he wouldn't in the real world.

so, i'm trying to bump his AWR up. but even a successful 3rd WR will only get so many XP per year and it would take me to the beginning of his 4th year, i think, to crack 50 AWR -- with ZERO xp every given to his other ratings (that said, he's a beast so many he doesn't need them anywhere).

just wanted to know if anyone thinks my house rule idea makes any sense or not.

[PGaither84]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson just couldn't grasp the Patriots playbook...and he was a very good receiver for a long time. The Patriots would rather bring Deion Branch back than have Chad on their team.

B.B. said that Randy Moss was the most intelligent WR he had ever coached, and he really liked Troy Brown.

Some guys get it. Some don't. The NFL is filled with option routes and complex calls. An NFL playbook has somewhere around 400 plays. Of that, different teams have different terminology. It takes time to lean and understand a system.

In Madden, all it matters is how they perform, and I wouldn't waste a single experience point [if I had M13] on awareness for any player. Heck, even EA talked about how in-game they have almost gotten rid of awareness. It is really only supposed to apply to AI controlled QBs.

Ball Carrier Vision is what is supposed to be the new awareness for anyone with the ball. Play Recognition is what defenders use. Blocking is actually programmed into the game, so it's also pretty worthless for linemen too.

Awareness has an impact on the game, but a very minimal one at best.

Just progress the other skills. Make trucking or something else that is already nice, nicer.

[TwoHeadedDog]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

I wouldn't bother buying a single point of AWR for any player on my team until I can see there is a legitimate reason to. Considering the extent to which I have to handicap myself to get a slightly competitive game from the CPU, I would be surprised if it mattered if my whole team had 0 AWR.

[billsmetalbooze]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson just couldn't grasp the Patriots playbook...and he was a very good receiver for a long time. The Patriots would rather bring Deion Branch back than have Chad on their team.

B.B. said that Randy Moss was the most intelligent WR he had ever coached, and he really liked Troy Brown.

Some guys get it. Some don't. The NFL is filled with option routes and complex calls. An NFL playbook has somewhere around 400 plays. Of that, different teams have different terminology. It takes time to lean and understand a system.

In Madden, all it matters is how they perform, and I wouldn't waste a single experience point [if I had M13] on awareness for any player. Heck, even EA talked about how in-game they have almost gotten rid of awareness. It is really only supposed to apply to AI controlled QBs.

Ball Carrier Vision is what is supposed to be the new awareness for anyone with the ball. Play Recognition is what defenders use. Blocking is actually programmed into the game, so it's also pretty worthless for linemen too.

Awareness has an impact on the game, but a very minimal one at best.

Just progress the other skills. Make trucking or something else that is already nice, nicer.

thanks for the thoughtful response.

i guess i'm just concerned that i want the generated rookies to have a "bust" factor, just like in the real NFL, and i was personally designating the low-AWR guys as busts.

perhaps the lowest level of development coincides with busts.

just trying to draft with some somewhat "realistic" house rules.

thanks for the replies.

[NYM72382]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson just couldn't grasp the Patriots playbook...and he was a very good receiver for a long time. The Patriots would rather bring Deion Branch back than have Chad on their team.

B.B. said that Randy Moss was the most intelligent WR he had ever coached, and he really liked Troy Brown.

Some guys get it. Some don't. The NFL is filled with option routes and complex calls. An NFL playbook has somewhere around 400 plays. Of that, different teams have different terminology. It takes time to lean and understand a system.

In Madden, all it matters is how they perform, and I wouldn't waste a single experience point [if I had M13] on awareness for any player. Heck, even EA talked about how in-game they have almost gotten rid of awareness. It is really only supposed to apply to AI controlled QBs.

Ball Carrier Vision is what is supposed to be the new awareness for anyone with the ball. Play Recognition is what defenders use. Blocking is actually programmed into the game, so it's also pretty worthless for linemen too.

Awareness has an impact on the game, but a very minimal one at best.

Just progress the other skills. Make trucking or something else that is already nice, nicer.

Why does someone who doesn't even have the game have an opinion? If blocking and awr do not matter then every lineman in the game is equal? I actually have the game I went from have a terrible line with low awr and blocking to drafting a great line...I have so much for time to throw the ball now...apparently some ratings matter!

[MST246]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Unless they changed something,awr for receivers determined whether or not they were good at sideline catches.Among other things.

[thebizarrojerry]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

I wouldn't bother buying a single point of AWR for any player on my team until I can see there is a legitimate reason to. Considering the extent to which I have to handicap myself to get a slightly competitive game from the CPU, I would be surprised if it mattered if my whole team had 0 AWR.

Have you touched the human and cpu sliders? You might want to try that first

[TwoHeadedDog]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

Have you touched the human and cpu sliders? You might want to try that first

Yeah, with my pass and run reaction set to zero (and the CPU losing by 20-50) it seems counterintuitive to raise anyone's AWR by even 1.

[Knapper]

Re: any point in keep/progressing a WR with really low AWR?

If it matters to anyone awareness is one of the cheapest things to raise. So is route running. This makes sense to me because a player can learn more about the game and become more "aware" on the field and learn to run better routes.

Raising a player's speed or acceleration is very expensive and it should be because realistically it would be very hard for any player to become significantly faster than what their natural ability is.

In my Browns CCM in year two most of my original WR's are gone becasue their catching and catch in traffic were horrible. I drafted a couple and even signed 2 more rookie free agent wide-outs with lower Overall becasue they have like 25-30 awareness. However these guys have decent speed and acceleration and 85+ for catch, catch in traffic, and other areas like that. I can raise their awareness for like 1500xp a point.

Also for me I care about the awareness becasue the player's overall will effect simulated games and I tend to sim half of the season each year. Once these rookie WRs get "coached" up by raising awareness with XP they will be studs due to their natural abilities