So I have been thinking about ways the Madden team could add some “life” to a really sterile and stale CFM experience. These are not gameplay improvements mind you. Those issues are separate. I will post a bunch of areas that I have had some ideas about. First up are injuries:
• More of them……In my current CFM about a half dozen teams have ZERO injuries and have had them for going on 5-6 weeks. I don’t think that has ever happened in the NFL. Real Injury rates need to be reflected in Madden, as an option at least. More single game injuries that require roster juggling, filling holes etc... I can understand some guys may not want to play through a season where their roster is decimated buy injuries but some of us welcome it….
• Madden treats injuries in a robotic fashion. A player goes down and they are out X number of weeks. They come back on that date, never sooner, never later. Upon return the player plays as if the injury never happened. They play at full speed, full strength, no re-injury risk etc….. As we know injuries in the NFL have tremendous impact on a teams season in a dynamic way. Now granted it can impact a madden season as well if a stud or several good players are lost in a season but it is not dynamic. Their are no decision to be made about the injury report once the player goes down except to put them on the IR and the option to sit or play them in game, which I like and is in the spirit of this idea…..
• Lets say for instance my tight end has a high ankle sprain. Initial reports say 4-8 weeks for recovery. After 4 weeks madden alerts you that the player may take the field in a limited capacity. His speed and route running ratings take a hit but they still may be a better option then your backup. But his injury rating is lowered so you have a chance of re-aggravating the injury. You now have a decision to make. You’re the 2-8 Browns….sit him until healthy, no need to put him at risk, you’re the 6-4 Raiders, fighting for a playoff spot….you may want to put him in if he can be a difference maker.
• Madden should allow for some injuries to be played through over the course of a season, where a guy is limited or sees a reduction in ratings for several games or even the remainder of a season if a player is put on the field. They may get injured, miss absolutely no games and still be injured/be impacted on the field by injury. Can be tied into toughness rating.
• Injuries should have a memory, in real life some injuries can be recovered from and never impact a player again but some nag a player for a season or even an entire career and pop up again and again. Madden should reflect that as well. For players with low injury ratings these injuries should have that memory. As it is now every injury is just a random dice roll of injury type/ number of weeks.
• On this note some injuries can permanently impact a players ability. (Look at Jerod Mayo on the Patriots. Stud on defense, 2 or 3 great seasons, he looked to be the anchor of that defense for the next 12 years… A series of major injuries that de-railed him, permanent impact on his ability to play. Hung around for 3 or 4 more years but was passed on the depth chart by younger players and is now out of the league at 30.
• Early recovery/Nagging injuries. Again some injuries are recovered from early and some players just cant get back on the field even after the presumed recovery period passes…Tie it into the player toughness rating.
• Career Ending injuries- Madden used to have them and they added a cool element to the game. Maybe a situation where someone hurts their back or neck and cant play ever again…..Maybe they are a QB that has had 2 or 3 shoulder injuries ( remember injury memory) and their rating is permanently impacting throw strength, accuracy etc, although they may still want to play they are so bad that they are effectively retired because of lack of interest. They could sit in free agency for a while and then retire.
Just a few ideas on injuries that add life and an organic feel to a robotic CFM. Thoughts/other ideas related to injury?
Other topics to follow
• More of them……In my current CFM about a half dozen teams have ZERO injuries and have had them for going on 5-6 weeks. I don’t think that has ever happened in the NFL. Real Injury rates need to be reflected in Madden, as an option at least. More single game injuries that require roster juggling, filling holes etc... I can understand some guys may not want to play through a season where their roster is decimated buy injuries but some of us welcome it….
• Madden treats injuries in a robotic fashion. A player goes down and they are out X number of weeks. They come back on that date, never sooner, never later. Upon return the player plays as if the injury never happened. They play at full speed, full strength, no re-injury risk etc….. As we know injuries in the NFL have tremendous impact on a teams season in a dynamic way. Now granted it can impact a madden season as well if a stud or several good players are lost in a season but it is not dynamic. Their are no decision to be made about the injury report once the player goes down except to put them on the IR and the option to sit or play them in game, which I like and is in the spirit of this idea…..
• Lets say for instance my tight end has a high ankle sprain. Initial reports say 4-8 weeks for recovery. After 4 weeks madden alerts you that the player may take the field in a limited capacity. His speed and route running ratings take a hit but they still may be a better option then your backup. But his injury rating is lowered so you have a chance of re-aggravating the injury. You now have a decision to make. You’re the 2-8 Browns….sit him until healthy, no need to put him at risk, you’re the 6-4 Raiders, fighting for a playoff spot….you may want to put him in if he can be a difference maker.
• Madden should allow for some injuries to be played through over the course of a season, where a guy is limited or sees a reduction in ratings for several games or even the remainder of a season if a player is put on the field. They may get injured, miss absolutely no games and still be injured/be impacted on the field by injury. Can be tied into toughness rating.
• Injuries should have a memory, in real life some injuries can be recovered from and never impact a player again but some nag a player for a season or even an entire career and pop up again and again. Madden should reflect that as well. For players with low injury ratings these injuries should have that memory. As it is now every injury is just a random dice roll of injury type/ number of weeks.
• On this note some injuries can permanently impact a players ability. (Look at Jerod Mayo on the Patriots. Stud on defense, 2 or 3 great seasons, he looked to be the anchor of that defense for the next 12 years… A series of major injuries that de-railed him, permanent impact on his ability to play. Hung around for 3 or 4 more years but was passed on the depth chart by younger players and is now out of the league at 30.
• Early recovery/Nagging injuries. Again some injuries are recovered from early and some players just cant get back on the field even after the presumed recovery period passes…Tie it into the player toughness rating.
• Career Ending injuries- Madden used to have them and they added a cool element to the game. Maybe a situation where someone hurts their back or neck and cant play ever again…..Maybe they are a QB that has had 2 or 3 shoulder injuries ( remember injury memory) and their rating is permanently impacting throw strength, accuracy etc, although they may still want to play they are so bad that they are effectively retired because of lack of interest. They could sit in free agency for a while and then retire.
Just a few ideas on injuries that add life and an organic feel to a robotic CFM. Thoughts/other ideas related to injury?
Other topics to follow
Comment