(Answering both posts together)
I haven't yet touched 100 thresh with other adjustments (I have a good feel for what the injury/fatigue settings will do)....I first wanted to isolate the thresh and see what it did well and didn't do well.
I generally prefer moderate changes versus extremes; this year even moreso....FWIW, I did not care for 55 thresh (I played around a bit with it last night...way too much ease on outside runs). But...sometimes, those 0 or 100 values can so fundamentally change something within the game that it is worth looking at....even if it is simply to confirm/validate one's current approach.
The number 1 thing that is missing in Madden to me is a true pocket collapse. The DEs/OLBs do a good job of collapsing the edge, but there is virtually no "push" in the interior line. Even if you have a great O-line, a DT is going to push you back some...you just don't see it on Madden, even in a total mis-match. What caught my eye last night on 100 thresh was that I actually saw a couple of plays where this DID occur (first time I can remember in this game). It's that glimmer of hope that maybe it CAN happen....but what do we need to do to induce that regularly?
Here's where I stand right now...I personally don't think anything is "wrong" with the OP. Coverage is solid for both sides, run defense is solid for both sides, no Robo QB, some penalties, OK subbing. Play style is going to factor into the equation for sure...if you dink/dunk all the time, you're going to have a high completion %...as you should. If you attack deep all the time, you're going to throw more picks....as you should. I can't change how people play the game....all I can tell you is that I feel this setup keeps the gameplay engine as balanced as possible.
This year's Madden is all about what you are willing to sacrifice. Do you sacrifice penalties? Do you sacrifice fatigue? Do you sacrifice XP gains? Do you sacrifice ratings-based play (e.g. nullifying accel with a high thresh)? I've taken the approach of making small sacrifices across the board for the sake of balance....but this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.
That said...I am a total tinkerer. I've tried things most people would never bother trying...my rule number 1 is to assume everything has an effect on everything until you can rule it out. As such, I'm more than willing to explore something (aside from changing gameplay sliders) if it could result in a
dramatic improvement.