"Missing the Intangibles" Episode 1

One of the main issues with Madden is that it struggles to correctly represent what we see on NFL Sundays. We watch football and see teams Execute, Gameplan to their Strengths and Mismatches and capitalize on Momentum to win. In Madden its all about Ratings, Exploits and Money Plays. With the parity in today's NFL teams can lose "any given Sunday" look at the Dallas/Miami Thanksgiving game for proof. Instead we see a system where the better teams have ridiculously high ratings, when in reality they should be closer than ever before. Who could have predicted games like the Rams/Saints, Ravens/Seahawks, Philly/Niners, Ravens/Jags, Bills/Pats, Seahawks/Giants, Bucs/Saints, Broncos/Raiders, Jets/Broncos or Dolphins/Chiefs? And how about how well teams like the Bengals, Raiders, Detroit and Niners have played? In comparison look how poorly the Eagles, Chiefs, Colts, Chargers and Jets have performed. Supposedly "better" teams lose every week in the NFL but in Madden, playing with one of the top 3-4 teams virtually guarantees victory. Why? More importantly how can we make the game mirror the NFL more. We're glad you asked.

1. Home Field Advantage -While we're not certain how this would be implemented, its past time we saw it. Road games in the NFL are no cakewalk, and in some stadiums its almost impossible to leave a winner. If the Momentum mechanic ever finds its way into the game, perhaps Home teams start with the momentum and the other team has to either disrupt of withstand it. Average and fringe players make a habit of playing better at home, while in many instances the ball just tends to bounce the way of the home team in addition to the officiating. Home teams that trail often have atleast one run in them. We've all seen missed calls and cried foul, but no one can argue that circumstances that favor the home team are real. Its time we saw it in Madden.

2. Execution - Good teams avoid mistakes, bad teams make them, it's really that simple. False Starts, missed tackles, a "late" throw, runner hitting the wrong "hole", holding penalties, missed blocks, pass interference and defensive holding, fumbles, facemask penalties, blocked Punts/FGs, off-target passes, drops and muffed punts and kickoff returns are just a few of the ways teams fail to execute. Mistakes lose games as often as good plays win them.

3. Fatigue -While DBs, LBs and OL rarely leave the game, skill position players and DL do it often. Receivers run deep routes and take a breather in the NFL, in Madden they are tireless. This is where we often see the depth that separates the more talented teams from the struggling franchises. Its quite a feat for The Packers to bring in Jordy Nelson when Donald Driver needs a breather, while the Rams reserves are Mark Clayton and Austin Pettis (who?) By seeing players leave the field more often due to fatigue, we'll get a better chance to see the drop-off in talent some teams suffer from.

4. Pass Breakups/Dislodges - Players catch so well in Madden throwing into coverage isn't punished, if anything its encouraged by the lack of consequences. Throw to a covered receiver and you can almost expect a catch if the pass isn't deflected or intercepted. Big shots from defenders separating the ball from receivers? Pffft...everyone has Cris Carter hands in Madden. But a funny thing happened when we turned catching down to a 25. All of a sudden throwing to an open receiver MATTERED. Throwing to receivers with little to no separation resulted in PLENTY of Pass Breakups when the defender arrived at the same time as the ball, just like in the real NFL! The best part? Good possession receivers held on at a higher rate than other players. We have to add however, that few things would do a better job of toning down the passing game than more batdowns by the DL (and a slider for it). There couldn't be a better way to display good linemen, make the LB superleap unnecessary and punish QBs under pressure.