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October 2007 - Posts
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 A new roster update is available for the current gen versions of Madden NFL 08. Can't head online to download it just yet? Download the document with all of the changes.
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Marshall Fauk in 2003. Brian Finneran in 2004. Every year there are players in Madden who stand out above the rest of the crowd. For me personnally, Trung Canidate in Madden 2004 was the best player I've ever had on a Madden roster. I'm a Redskins fan (please don't bring up the Pats) and had them in an online league that year. While I eventually lost in the playoffs , Trung provided a potent weapon offensively that carried my team all year long.
My Madden accomplishments are pretty important to me. While I don't write down a lot of my records or most impressive Madden feats, I generally remember the ones that are most important to me. Like the time in Madden 2003 when my buddy "Tim Buktu" threw 8 picks to me in what was my biggest win ever at the time. Or the time in Madden NFL 07 when I ran for over 400 yards in a single game against an opponent online.
I'm most proud though of the 1900+ yards I racked up in my Madden 2004 league with Trung Canidate. Trung's speed was almost unrivaled, and that made him dangerous both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield. You could match him up with just about any linebacker in the game and he'd blow right by them. I was so confident with him at running back, that I'd often call a run on 3rd and long and still manage to convert.
Trung's biggest game for me came in the league playoffs that year, when he ran for 382 yards against the 49ers. My opponent in that game threw for over 400 yards himself in what was a battle of two extremely tough offenses. I came out on top and it was all thanks to the success of Trung Canidate at running back. He was my security blanket all year long.
I must have had a 200 yard rushing game 25 times or more with Madden 2004. I've always been a solid runner, but never before then or since have I put up those kind of numbers. Part of it was the offensive nature of the game that year, but a lot of it due to my secret weapon on the backfield.
Who is the best Madden superstar you've ever had? Shoot me a note at footballcommunity@ea.com on my profile on EA SPORTS World and I'll share some of your thoughts on the site.
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Here's a recap of what you missed in episodes 5 & 6. Tune in to ESPN2 on Tuesday October 30th at 11pm ET / 8pm PT for the final episodes and see who takes home the $100,000 cash prize!
Episode 5
Everything was on the line in this round, as the gamers who survived guaranteed themselves a spot in the Final 8. Going into the fifth three game tournament, Hollywood and Jet Steele were looking to establish themselves as the team to beat. They sent Hollywood over to take on Prodigy in game one. As predicted, it was a defensive battle, full of turnovers and field goals. With a 3-3 tie going late in the fourth quarter, Prodigy had a nice punt return to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired.
The inexperienced J-Rhodes had his work cut out for him against Problem in game two. But J-Rhodes came to play this time, breaking up a late touchdown pass to win the game 6-0. The upset brought things full circle for J-Rhodes and his teammate Panoramic, who almost lost his spot on the bus in the previous round. Now, the duo had a spot in the Final 8.
In the Jeopardy Game, Jet Steele took his undefeated record up against Sirus the Virus, and the showdown developed into the most dramatic game yet. Sirus busted some nice runs early, and had a 10 point lead. Then, things got heated between Jet and teammate Hollywood when he audibled out of a good defense, gave up a long pass, and went down 17-0. Jet insisted it was a mistake, but Hollywood and the other gamers got on his case for throwing the game.
To redeem himself, Jet rallied, scoring ten straight points to pull within a TD. Things got controversial on the next drive, when Sirus busted a big run, and then took a dive before crossing the goal line in order to run out the clock. This being a violation of Madden Nation rules, Sirus was forced to punt the ball away, and give Jet one more shot. Jet drove the ball all the way to the five yard line, but could not get another play off before time expired-a brutal way to lose a game. Just like that, the Jet Steele and Hollywood juggernaut was in serious trouble, with Hollywood on his way to the Free Agent Game.
Before leaving Indy, the gamers made a surprise stop off at Best Buy, where Sirus and J-Rhodes would face off, with the winner receiving a $250 Best Buy gift certificate. After his huge win earlier against Problem, J-Rhodes returned to his previous ways with several mistakes, including a crucial interception late in the game, when all he needed to do was run out the clock. Sirus took advantage, scored the winning touchdown, and walked out with a sweet MP3 player.
Hollywood went into the Free Agent Game knowing he needed to put his strong defense to work to keep his spot on the bus. The bus arrived at Cleveland Browns Stadium where a new free agent, Marc Dog, was waiting. With a 6-0 lead at half time, Hollywood's defensive plan was working, until Marc pushed the ball into the end-zone in the third quarter. Hollywood had one last chance; with 22 seconds to play, he got himself in field goal range and kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Meanwhile, the anticipation seemed to be killing the rest of the gamers waiting on the bus, as Sirus and Panoramic battled over each other's reputations. Nonetheless, once Hollywood returned to the bus, the gamers knew the Final 8 was set for the trip to New York: Delph, Prodigy, Problem, J-Rhodes, Panoramic, Sirus the Virus, Jet Steele, and Hollywood.
Episode 6
With each passing round, the stakes get higher. As the gamers made their way to Buffalo, they learned they will each have one shot to make it to the final four. But there's a twist; each gamer only gets to play one half of a game, while their teammate plays the other. You lose, you both go home.
All eight gamers met up to size up their opponents. First up, Hollywood and Jet were set to take on Panoramic and J-Rhodes. Most on the bus see Panoramic and J-Rhodes as the weakest team, and Hollywood was pumped to settle his rivalry with Panoramic once-and-for-all. After jawing the whole rest of the way to Buffalo, the teams split off into intense labbing sessions to work out their strategies for victory. J-Rhodes chose to let Panoramic take the second half of the game, to avoid his clock management issues. Hollywood still couldn't get over how lucky their draw was, but agreed to let Jet take control of the second half, due to his superior offense.
Once game time finally arrived, J-Rhodes sent a message that they would not go down easily. He ripped off a big TD run with Larry Johnson take the lead early. But Hollywood answered back with a 45-yard run by Willis McGahee, and did not hesitate to get in Panoramic's face about it.
Swapping teammate's at the half, Jet came out and forced a big INT, which he turned into 7 points. Jet was looking to knock them out with a defensive stop, but Panoramic had other plans, finding Dwyane Bowe for a clutch TD. With the pressure on, Jet was unable to move the ball. He punted, and just needed to stop Panoramic to force overtime. But for the second straight drive, Panoramic got a clutch catch from Dwyane Bowe to set up the game-winning field goal. Just like that, in another upset, Panoramic and J-Rhodes were the first to punch their ticket to the Final Four.
Miss an episode? Check out the Madden Nation rebroadcast schedule here.
Check out the Gamer Tips on the Madden NFL YouTube page here.
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Online League play has been a huge part of the Madden community since Madden first went online for the consoles several years ago. Each Wednesday, we're going to hear from two of our community leaders who run popular leagues at their fan sites. Community member Pastapadre will tell us about his custom Madden league at Pastapadre.com, while Shopmaster will tell us about his unique league at MaddenWars.com. Here's this week's update:
Shopmaster:
Hey there Madden Ballers, welcome to another update of MW: The League. The league is going along real nicely, everyone is active, the scheduled games are getting played, and the competition is starting to heat up as the race for points and stadium security start to materialize in week 5.
So in case you didn't know it is each teams' goal to secure as many NFL stadiums as they can as this will help them earn points and bring them one step closer to a first round bye in the playoffs and a MW: The League Championship. Although 'The Alliance' is in last place with 281 points, all that could change this week as they have a chance to secure Invesco Field with a CFL Flag. The CFL Battlemode is another one of our unique game modes where you can only play offense on 1st and 2nd down and must kick the ball on 3rd, just like CFL Football. Not only will they get 10 points for the flag win, but they will also gain 50 points for securing the stadium. My guess is that they will send their top guy; AlliTVice, for that all important win.
Here are some league stats:
Top 5 Players (Wins)
FedgoldenBoy (105)
AgentRage (66)
AgentGQ (61)
AgentNatz (57)
ShopTen20 (49)
Top 5 Players (Winning %)
FedGoldenBoy (82%)
Fedandyman (79%)
ShopDawg (73%)
AgentRage (71%)
AgentNatz (65%)
If you are interested in joining the league there still is time and opportunities available. Just stop on by Madden Wars and contact me; Shopaster, and I'll show you what to do. Until next week, Happy Madden Gaming!
Pastapadre:
This is a continuation of last week's draft analysis for the pastapadre.com league. Who was able to come away with the best first five selections as a foundation for their team? Of course much of it depends on how an owner drafted to fit their personal style of play, strengths, and weaknesses. But that doesn't mean we cant look at some of the strategies that were used and evaluate who may have done the best or come up short.
This week looks at the final four teams, those that began with picks 6-9.
Florida Sharks (Bates): 6- Carson Palmer, 15- Shaun Alexander, 26- Torry Holt, 35- Jamal Williams, 46- Steve Hutchinson. Bates started out by filling the big three on offense with superstars, and then went to start building in the trenches. A dominant DT in Williams and one of the few to draft an offensive lineman early with Hutchinson.
NW King Salmon (MannyBeltre): 7- Julius Peppers, 14- Troy Polamalu, 27- Dwight Freeney, 34- Walter Jones, 47- Deangelo Hall. Manny had possibly the most unique strategy early in the draft. He picked up playmakers with a lot of speed. The DE combo of Freeney and Peppers would surely be feared. He also secured one of the most important, but possibly overlooked, positions in the game by grabbing the best offensive lineman in the league in Jones.
Ohio Phoenix (LVRadio): 8- Drew Brees, 13- Chris McAllister, 28- Randy Moss, 33- Bob Sanders, 48- Leonard Little. This was a pretty balanced start to a draft for LV's team. Was able to put together a good combo with Brees and Moss, while on defense starting with the secondary and tacking on a decent pass rushing end.
Westside Hype (Terrorblaze): 9- Donovan McNabb, 12- Larry Johnson, 29- Tommie Harris, 32- Adrian Wilson, 49- Richard Seymour. Terror was able to pick up McNabb, who is one the best Madden QBs due to his combination of mobility and pocket effectiveness, and one of the best RBs in Larry Johnson. Then he worked on the defense, grabbing guys who may have been overlooked because they don't have the biggest names at their positions.
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Every Thursday, a leader in the community will share a tip or two
to help you improve your Madden game. Next up is Bangpow, co-owner of the popular sports gaming fansite ConsoleSports.net. Here's part two of his two part tip on screen passes. Screen Passes vs. Blitz Packages
Throwing screens against
the various blitz package requires good timing and patience. If you see
a blitz coming don’t panic, just let the blitzing defenders get as
close to you as possible before throwing the ball. If it’s a man
blitz, chances are you can get good yardage as the WR’s take the DB’s
downfield and there’s going to be less defenders to beat since some
extra ones blitzed. If it’s a zone blitz, there could be DB’s sent on
the blitz opening up huge running lanes downfield or again, you could
have your beefy lineman taking on smaller DB’s and LB’s which can also
pave way to decent gains. However, since the defense is blitzing and a
couple of your lineman are pulling outside, you are greatly elevating
the risk of a sack or a bad pass. Also, if it’s 3rd and long and you
have a suspicion that they are bringing the house, be sure to call that
screen pass out of the shotgun formation to give yourself some time in
order for the screen pass to be set up. The nice thing about the RB
screen passes is that you can still get a decent throw off while
throwing off your back foot. So, if the blitz is in your face and you
happen to still be dropping back, you can still get the pass of to the
back. It might float a little more, which can be a good thing in
certain situations if he’s not ready for it yet, but the pass won’t
miss him completely and you still have the ability to possibly gain
some yards.
WR Screens
WR screens can be very
useful and very dangerous at the same time. They can be run against
man or zone coverages, but when called against a man coverage the risk
level ratchets up quite a bit. They can also be a little harder to
pull off on an SDTV since the outside WR’s are generally out of the
view area of the TV, so a lot of times they are thrown “blind”, so to
speak, which makes the risk of throwing INT’s go up. All that aside,
once you get it going, it’s a nice play to have in your arsenal. The
key to the WR is timing. You want to take a 3-step drop and fire it
off to your WR. If you have good blocking WR’s, like the Steelers do,
the WR’s will seal off the defending DB’s creating a nice running lane
for your WR. As mentioned earlier, throwing them against man coverage
is high risk, but can also reward with huge gains and even TD’s. The
reason why is if the lineman and other WR’s take care of their
defenders, it leaves your WR almost all alone with the opposing teams
safety, if you can get past him, you can pretty much take it to the
house. You have to watch out, though, NFL teams have taken notice to
how important the safety position is to their defense and there’s a lot
of hard hitters out there like Troy Polamalu, Adrian Wilson, and Roy
Williams. These guys have the ability to lay the wood and they will if
necessary.
Screen Pass Tips
- As with try anything
that may be new to your or uncomfortable, be sure to go into practice
mode and see how screen plays react to certain defenses. Try them
against man coverages, zone coverages, and different blitz packages and
see how many times certain plays work vs. not working.
- Don’t
panic! The defenders are supposed to get to your QB rather quickly or
else the play won’t work. Try to get the timing down between how close
they can get to your QB while allowing your QB enough time to throw the
ball.
- Even though screen passes may not work against your
opponent, it doesn’t mean they were ineffective. If you show the fact
that you are willing to throw a couple screen passes a game, it keeps
the defense on their toes for the entire game, even if they stopped
them when you ran them. It makes the defense think about them a little
more on 3rd and Longs, which can create passing lanes down the field.
- Keep
in mind that while they can work, they are far from money plays and you
won’t always get the outcome that you desired. Practice will go a long
way and they are nice additions to your offense. They give opposing
defenses something else to think about and if used correctly, can keep
the defenses guessing.
- One last thing, remember that a lot of
times you are throwing backwards passes, and if the RB doesn’t catch
the ball and it his the turf, it could result in a fumble. Don’t let
that deter you, though, a lot of times the ball is being thrown
forward, but I wanted to make you aware of the risk of a fumble.
Don’t
be a afraid of the screen pass. Even though there’s some risks
involved, they are also very rewarding. Give them a try and feel free
to stop by your favorite forums to tell us how your doing. And
remember, practice makes perfect.
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A new roster update is available for the XBOX 360 and PS3 versions of Madden NFL 08. Can't head online to download it just yet? Download the document with all of the changes.
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Rolling Stone called these Australian rockers’ debut record "a powerhouse collection of gritty riffs, stinging solos and pure, shameless fun." Visit EA Trax to find out how you can download a free copy of "Blackjack" from Airbourne's Runnin' Wild. Want to see Airbourne live? Check out several upcoming tour dates below.
Oct 25th - Salt Lake City
Oct 28th - San Francisco - Fillmore
Oct 29th - Los Angeles - Roxy - 8 p.m. Order Tickets Here!!!
Nov 1st - New York - Don Hill's
Nov 2nd - Baltimore - Sonar
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I recently went into one of the worst slumps in my Madden career. I mentioned a few entries back that I'm in a league here at EA Tiburon. It's a live franchise league with 16 participants. The rest of the teams are controlled by the CPU. We play through the entire 2007-2008 season and some of our games are against human opponents, the rest are against the computer. Right now I'm 4-3, which isn't terribly alarming with the exception of one thing.. I haven't yet beaten a human opponent! Since starting at Tiburon just under a year ago, I've been known around the office as a pretty decent Madden player. While the league has provided some evidence that this is true (I generally win my CPU games by 3 scores or more), I have lost all three games on my schedule that were against human opponents. At first I thought maybe I wasn't putting in enough practice time. I spent a few nights working on my playbook until I was comfortable. That didn't do the trick. Then I played a number of practice games against league members. I won the majority of these games and some of them were big wins, but it also hasn't translated to league wins thus far. One thing that's interesting about the league is that we're often playing in front of an audience. The crowd can be pretty tough on you when you lose, especially if it's a game you're favored to win. This has been the case for me since I've been favored to win in all three of the games I've lost. Could it be stage fright that's forcing me off my typical game? At first I didn't think so. During my losses I felt focused and didn't feel bothered by the trash talk from some of the spectators. Now that I've had the same experience three times, I'm not so sure. Whatever the reason, I can't seem to put together a win against any of my co-workers right now. I need to right this ship before I push myself out of a playoff spot, which at this point is a real possibility. My next game is against the computer controlled Jets and should be an easy win for me. After that I have to play the Eagles, who I've already fallen to once this season. Will I get back on track or continue to falter? I'll let you know as soon as it all plays out. Stay tuned. -Raczilla
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Here's a recap of what you missed in episodes 3 & 4. Tune in Tuesdays at 11pm ET / 8pm PT on ESPN2 for back to back new episodes!
Episode 3 Recap:
With the Madden gamers still camped out in St. Louis, it was time to get another round started. Panoramic and Jet Steele were on the slate in the first match-up. Jet took an early lead, with a nice Willie Parker TD run, and then followed it up with a long Parker TD on a screen pass to jump out 14-0 in the first quarter. Panoramic, trying to make something happen in second half, threw an INT, giving Jet Steele another score and the 24-3 victory.
In the second game, J-Rhoads chose the Bengals in his match-up against Coach, figuring their well-rounded offense would overpower Coach's strong defense. He rode Rudi Johnson's legs to set up two first-half field goals, ate up clock on the ground throughout the game, and pulled off the 17-7 victory.
The loss meant trouble for Coach, who was left hoping for a Sirus victory over Prodigy in the Jeopardy Game. But with Sirus seeing Coach as a weak teammate, things were not in his favor. Sirus' questionable play calling left the other gamers to wonder if he was taking a dive. Prodigy won easily, 20-0, sending Coach to the Free Agent Game.
As the bus made its way out of St. Louis for Chicago, Coach tried to build his confidence a bit by challenging Hollywood to "the Toilet Bowl Competition", where the loser would clean the bus toilet. Coach stuffed a late two-point attempt by Hollywood to be named "Toilet Bowl Champ". Whether or not Hollywood wins the $100,000, he at least has a janitor job to fall back on.
Things got back down to business the next morning. The bus dropped Coach off at Soldier Field, where he was set to meet the free agent, Problem. Coach hoped to play ball control offense by relying heavily on the run. But, after getting stuffed on his first play, he threw a long pass that was then fumbled for a turnover. Problem capitalized by going up 14-0 at the half. Keeping Coach in check for most of the game, Problem used a fancy one-handed touchdown grab to cap-off the victory, 21-3.
Most the gamers were sad to see the fun-loving Coach head home, and had plenty to be concerned about with Problem. Taking one look at his new bus-mates, Problem made it clear he was not intimidated.
Episode 4 Recap:
A friendly game of basketball between the gamers kicked off the fourth episode. After building up a sweat with some real athletics, the competition headed over to the ESPNZone in downtown Chicago for another three-game tournament.
Prodigy made things interesting early on by finally choosing to put the trade card to use. Sending Panoramic to team up with J-Rhoads, Prodigy now had Delph on his team, and the two became a formidable tandem. In the first game against Delph, Panoramic found himself in a tough spot, with his old teammate Prodigy now cheering against him. Panoramic struggled to stop the run, and committed too many turnovers, giving Delph a 7-0 win.
Game 2 was decided by one crucial mistake. Down 3-0 early to Sirus, Hollywood had a clear path down the sideline to the end zone, but pulled a Leon Lett and accidentally stepped out of bounds while celebrating. With a stalemate the rest of the way, Sirus was able to ride his one field goal to victory, leaving Hollywood to dwell on his error.
That set up Jet Steel versus J-Rhoads in the Jeopardy Game. Jet exploited J-Rhoads' inexperience to gain a 10-0 lead. But J-Rhoads battled back to make it one of the more exciting games of the season. Clutch field goal kicking by both sides kept it a 6-point game. But J-Rhoads couldn't recover a late onside kick, and Panoramic was headed to the Free Agent Game in Indianapolis.
The bus ride to Indy featured a Laundry Bowl between Delph and Sirus. Everyone on the bus seemed to be pulling for Delph, because no one wanted to imagine what Sirus' laundry would be like. But unfortunately it looked like it was meant to be, and after a pass interference call put the game out of reach, Delph was left to deal with some nasty socks.
Faced with a daunting match-up against the Super Bowl Champion Colts, Panoramic labbed late into the night with Problem. His free agent competitor was Raf, who heated things up way early by getting after Panoramic on arrival. The jawing continued right up until kick off, but Raf got real quiet when Panoramic got an early touchdown and rode his pressure defense to a 13-0 victory. With Panoramic being the first gamer to beat a free agent this season, the crew on the bus went crazy when they saw him return, and were glad to have him back.
Miss an episode? Check out the Madden Nation rebroadcast schedule here.
Check out the teaser video here
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Every Thursday, a leader in the community will share a tip or two
to help you improve your Madden game. Next up is Bangpow, co-owner of the popular sports gaming fansite ConsoleSports.net. Here's part one of his two part tip on screen passes. Come back next Thursday for part two of this tip.
Screen Passes
Screen passes can go a long way in keeping
a defense on its toes. I think it’s probably one of the most under
used plays in Madden and NCAA, which can work to people’s advantage
because when utilized correctly, the screen pass can be a very
dangerous play. Screen passes can be effective against zone defenses,
man defenses, and even blitzes. So, let’s take a look at how screen
passes can work against different defenses:
Screen Passes vs. Zone Coverage
Screen
passes are usually the easiest to pull of against Zone defenses. The
Corners and Linebackers are usually sitting back in their zone while
your offensive line lets the defensive line get pressure, while your
tackle and guard pull outside to the side where your running back is
setting up for the screen. Since the corners and linebackers are
sitting back in their zones, you can get a nice convoy of blockers
consisting of your receiver(s) and your two lineman out in front of
your running back paving the way to positive yardage. Usually, all
that’s out in front of your blockers might be a corner, a safety, and a
linebacker or two at which point your beefy lineman should handle the
smaller guys without a problem paving way to positive yardage. There
are plenty of good LB’s out there that can avoid the blocks and make
plays, however. Just watch out for them.
Screen Passes vs. Man Coverage
Throwing
screens against man coverage can be a bit risky. While your receivers
usually run deep passing routes to take the DB’s with them, there’s
also a defender assigned to cover your running back out of the
backfield as well. In previous years, the play would automatically be
busted or it was a sure fire INT, but not this year. When throwing the
screen against Man coverage, your pulling lineman will sometimes block
the defender covering your running back which will open him up to
receive the pass, and if you are able to complete it, you can expect
large gains as a lot of the DB’s are covering your WR’s downfield.
Even if the defender covering your RB doesn’t get blocked, the pass can
still be completed and positive yard can still be had with decent
success, but there is also greater risk of an INT, incomplete pass,
sack, or negative yardage.
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Online League play has been a huge part of the Madden community since Madden first went online for the consoles several years ago. Each Wednesday, we're going to hear from two of our community leaders who run popular leagues at their fan sites. Community member Pastapadre will tell us about his custom Madden league at Pastapadre.com, while Shopmaster will tell us about his unique league at MaddenWars.com. Here's this week's update:
Pastapadre: I thought it would be interesting over the next few weeks to take a look at the player draft that was held for the pastapadre.com league. Who was able to come away with the best first five selections? Of course much of it depends on how an owner drafted to fit their personal style of play, strengths, and weaknesses. But that doesn't mean we cant look at some of the strategies that were used and evaluate who may have done the best or come up short. This week looks at the first five teams, those that began with picks 1-5.
Columbian Cyclones (Rudi): 1- Champ Bailey, 20- Brian Dawkins, 21- Reggie Bush, 40- John Henderson, 41- Ray Lewis. Rudi started to build his defense early in the draft, cementing the defensive backfield with superstars, a great defensive lineman, and one of the best MLB in the game. He added in Reggie Bush to have a multi-weapon offensive player, hoping that would make up for the rest of the attention going to the defense.
Portland Rain (Nix): 2- LaDainian Tomlinson, 19- Ed Reed, 22- Marc Bulger, 39- Zach Thomas, 42- Marvin Harrison. It was more about filling the skill positions and spreading the top talent around for Nix. He secured his RB, QB, and WR trio quickly. On defense he added a playmaking safety and very good MLB to build off of.
Seattle Slusho (Pastapadre): 3- Peyton Manning, 18- Antonio Gates, 23- Asante Samuel, 38- Kevin Williams, 43- John Lynch. Here Pastapadre was looking to immediately address the areas he relied on from his teams most. A great pocket passer in Manning, a spectacular catch TE that could double as a WR with Gates, a run stopper with Williams, and a shutdown corner and big hitting safety with Samuel and Lynch.
Fully Loaded (BME): 4- Shawne Merriman, 17- DeMarcus Ware, 24- Adalius Thomas, 37- Casey Hampton, 44- Luis Castillo. BME took on an interesting strategy of concentrating fully on building up a monstrous defense. In fact his first eight picks were defensive players. He was looking to have a team that could be carried by his defense and later in the draft put together an efficient but unspectacular (at least relative to the rest of the league) offense.
Las Vegas Inferno (DNEUM): 5- Tom Brady, 16- Frank Gore, 25- Rashean Mathis, 36- Chad Johnson, 45- Jonathan Vilma. DNEUM picked very similar to the strategy Nix had in that the skill position trio of Brady, Gore, and Johnson were put together right away, with a defensive back and MLB to secure those critical positions before they started to thin out.
Check back next week to read the draft analysis for the final four teams courtesy of pastapadre.com
Shopmaster: Hey Madden Ballers, it's your man Shopmaster with another update of MW: The League. This week, I'm going to answer some questions I get all the time about running a league of this magnitude, talk with one of the best players in the league, and give a run-down of whats going on in our 360 MW Stlye league. For all of those who want to know more about MW: The League, you can check out our website here.
I get asked all the time, "How do you manage a league with 60 plus players in it?" Well, it's not easy but the key is to have people you trust assisting you. Since we have teams we have team leaders and all the team leaders have one forum where they discuss rules, punishment for rule violators, and establish the league guidelines and standards. This has worked out great since the beggining of this league and all the guys in there are people that I trust. When you have competition with teams it's very easy to try to put your team first but our leaders do a great job at putting the league first before the teams. I also instituted league commissioners last year and this year we have two new league commissioners; AgentShaggy and Fistk. Both are guys great guys and are pasisonate and believe in the core values of the league; Str8/Sim play and Respect. So the key to running any league is to get people that believe in the same things you do and put people that you trust in place to help you out.
One of the leaders we have in place is AgentRage. AgentRage is one of the most passionate guys in the league and one of the best. I got a chance to sit down with him and talk to him about the league.
Shopmaster: I'm sure there are a number of people you love to play in the league but who are some of your most heated Rivalries against?
AgentRage: One of my best rivalries that I have in the league is you. I think we played over 100 games since I joined Madden Wars back in 2005 and almost every game we played has been within 3 points or less. Each season its somebody new , new players join the leauge and former players return back to the leauge so its hard to just pick one person. This season is our first season on the next-gen system ( PS3 ) ShopDawg and FedGoldenBoy are my biggest rivals right now. You always have to bring your A game when you play one of these cats because if you dont their going to make you pay.
Shopmaster: You stated you've been in the league since 2005; what is your most memorable memory or moment?
AgentRage: I've had great memories over the years here at Madden Wars. I think my first sesaon is one I will never forget , it was amazing. I tried joining the league back in 2005 but I came a little late I just missed the final week for all the teams to make their final transactions for the playoffs so I was stuck in our Farm System. In way it was good , it gave me the opportunity to get to know alot of these guys at Madden Wars. Guys like ShopBurger, AlliWarrior, FedKeg, AgentShaggy and FedCville were regulars on the sever during the offseason. I remember playing these guys everyday in the summer right until Madden 06 came out. When Madden 06 came MW: The League was ready to start up their season again and by doing so they have a round by round draft. I remember the Syndicate had the first pick in the draft so all the eyes were on them, who were they going to pick? a former vet? a new rookie? I was talking to SynFox ( former Syn Leader now plays in the MW: 360 League ) it was the night before the draft. He sends me a messege on the EA messenger and tells me that their going to take my with the first pick in the draft. Just having to throw on the Syndicate cap on draft day and finally being apart of MW: The League is my all-time best memory.
Shopmaster: I remember when the Syndicate drafted you and put up ridiculous numbers that year as far as random games played. I remember people saying you lived on the server and that you didn't have a job and all you did was play Madden. What other things do you like to do?
AgentRage: Yeah, I did play a lot and although I'm in the prime of my life at 24, I just love playing Madden. Madden takes alot of my time but when I need to change it up I enjoy doing lots of recreational activities. Right now I play in ball hockey mens league. I love listening to music, going out to clubs and spending time with my friends.
Shopmaster: Name your top 5 guys in the league right now that you love playing.
AgentRage: Putting me on the spot heh? Top 5? I enjoy playing everyone in the league but if I had to pick 5 players in the leauge. AlliWarrior, ShopBurger, FedZnake, AlliD4ddy and FedSlim.
I want to thank AgentRage for taking time out to answer some questions.
In addition to the PS3 Maddenwars league, we are also running a 360 league. The 360 league includes a full 32 team "classic" league that is running the actual NFL schedule week by week. It also includes a full Maddenwars style competition with 4 teams of ten players battling each other to win individual and team points.
So far in the season - through week 5 - we have had over 1,490 "random" games played among team members, and over 220 "flag" games played. The Cosa Nostra has had a solid lead throughout the season on the strength of the large volume of "random" wins over the other teams. However, this week, The Company caught and passed the Cosa Nostra as they completed the securing the first of the 32 stadiums that are being contested.
The other two teams, The X and The Faction are trying to close the gap, but will need to significantly improve their "random" and "flag" results to do so.
Individual top performers through week 6 are:
Gohomeloser: 253 points, 6 flag wins (Company)
BlackHawk375: 141 points, 5 flag wins (Faction)
Meursalt: 141 points, 7 flag wins (Company)
Moostache: 139 points, 6 flag wins (Cosa Nostra)
Donmega1: 128 points, 5 flag wins (X)
So that's it for this week's update. If you have any questions about running a league or any questions at all, look me up at MaddenWars.com.
-Shopmaster
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Season 3 of Madden Nation is underway. Here's a recap of what you missed in episodes 1 & 2. Tune in Tuesdays at 11pm ET / 8pm PT on ESPN2 for back to back new episodes!
Episode 1 Recap:
Season three of Madden Nation is underway as all the gamers arrive In Dallas and meet each other on the Texas Stadium field. Many of the contestants know each other, and among the participants is the first female, PG-13. After assembling in the Dallas Cowboys locker room, Roy Williams tells them that they will be playing in teams of two. They are: Prodigy & PG-13, Chuck Hollywood & Jet, J Rhodes & Delph, Coach & House Shoe. As the initial games play out with Coach beating PG-13, Jet beating J Rhoads, and Delph beating Prodigy, PG-13's spot on the bus is in danger as she has to play in the first Free Agent Game. PG-13 wonders if Prodigy threw the game to put her in jeopardy, but once the teammates spend all night labbing it seems like she will be able to hold her own and reclaim her spot on the bus. After PG-13 visits with TJ Houshmandzadeh of the Cincinnati Bengals, she finds out she'll be facing Panoramic in the Free Agent Game played at a Best Buy in Kansas City. She ends up losing the game and Panoramic takes her spot on the bus.
Episode 2 Recap:
Episode 2 leads off with Arizona Cardinal QB Matt Leinart introducing the "trade card", which allows one gamer to trade himself to another team. Prodigy receives it and elects to hold onto it for just the right moment. Later, Hollywood beats House Shoe in the first game or the 3 game tournament at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, while Prodigy beats J Rhodes in the second game. Coach then loses to Delph in the third game sending House Shoe into the free agent game. Following House Shoe's visit with Santana Moss of the Washington Redskins, the bus travels to St. Louis where we meet the free agent, Sirus The Virus. Sirus visits with the player he's representing, Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams, before the second Free Agent Game, which House Shoe loses to Sirus The Virus in a bit of an upset.
Miss an episode? Check out the Madden Nation rebroadcast schedule here
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Like a lot of die hard loyal NFL fans, my Monday morning mood between September and January is often dictated by how my favorite team performs each Sunday. If you're a longtime fan of any team, at some point you're going to see a disappointing loss that affects how you start your week. You know the kind of loss I'm talking about. A game so disappointing that you don't want to get out of bed Monday morning, knowing when you get to work you're going to catch heat from fans of opposing teams. The worst part of these losses is how long it seems for next Sunday to come. It's only Tuesday but you're sure it must be Friday, because there is no way you can possibly wait five more days to see your team get back on track with a win. And if the loss happens before the bye week? Forget it. The torture of waiting an extra week is almost unbearable sometimes. A few years ago I started playing Madden after those tough to swallow losses. If I couldn't see my beloved Redskins win on a particular Sunday, at the very least I could take out my aggression on a CPU controlled Cowboys, Giants, or Eagles team. The satisfaction of soundly defeating a division rival helped offset some of the disappointment if the Skins weren't able to pull out the win that week. Better yet were the times I was able to avenge a loss by playing fans of the real life winning teams online. Defeating a fan of the team that just beat your favorite squad is a notch above knocking out the CPU. Your Bears didn't beat the Vikings this past weekend? No problem. Hop online and find a Minnesota fan to settle the score. Using Madden as a form of therapy after a loss isn't guaranteed to completely change your mood, but it may help. Of course there is some risk involved. If you're defeated in your Madden therapy game, that means you've suffered two losses in the same week. No fan deserves that, so make sure you bring your "A game" when you hit the virtual gridiron. -Raczilla
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Every Thursday, a leader in the community will share a tip or two
to help you improve your Madden game. Next up is Russell05 with another tip for setting up your offensive audibles. Audibles
Most NFL offensive audibles consist of one run
inside, a run outside, and a pass play. Thankfully Madden gives you 5
audibles to set you should have one to counter anything your opponent
can bring to the table on defense.
Audible Number 1- Inside
Run This audible is great against players who come out in pass
defense formations. If your opponent comes out in a defensive
formation that is weak against the inside run you now have a counter to
punish those formations.
Audible Number 2- Outside Run This
audible is great against players who crash the inside of the offensive
line. When your opponent overloads the middle of the offensive line
this audible can lead to some big plays. A toss sweep is a great play
here.
Audible Number 3- Screen This audible is great against
players who blitz. If your opponent is showing blitz or crashing the
line a good screen will break his heart. Any screen will do HB or WR
just make sure you have enough time to let the play develop.
Audible Number 4- Short Pass This audible is great for short gains.
Audible
Number 5- Long Pass This audible is great when you think you can
stretch the defense. Shotgun plays are great for this audible.
Having
an audible set like this will give you a counter for anything the
defense can throw at you. I have won plenty of games by making the
right reads and audibling to one of those plays to counter what the
defense is doing on that play.
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