Madden 09: Pass Defense

[Coldkilla]

Okay so I'm doing this "VR Training" and I'm doing the last stage and that is to block the pass to 2 receivers (not sack the QB) on the defense. Your player is positioned in the middle along with 2 NPCs guarding the receivers.

Every time I play this, the NPCs move so far apart, that since I'm the player in the center I have to make a decision, "Go left and block him or go right and block the other guy", you make that decision and the QB on the other team naturally throws to the less defended player. At this point the AI on your team did a poor job at positioning himself to cover this receiver and once you take control of your AI covering this receiver, its impossible to block the pass.

Any tips for this new madden player?

Picture (Follow the image downward, then the last picture on the top right).
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/2757/76264524ul3.png

-Keep in mind this is not a test on sacking the QB, thats the next 'test' and you are unable to traverse down to even attempt to sack him.

 

[Cuda1447]

Ya, don't even concern yourself with the test. As you play games the madden iq thing will adjust to you. Don't even worry about that virtual trainer.

 

[Cuda1447]

Oh, and come join our Madden league. We've got 7 teams left to be claimed.

 

[Coldkilla]

Just in general then, the 'VR' thing presents a situation where I feel like I'm screwed ether way. I added a picture to describe it... That 'test' helped quite a bit in my opinion, I would have never known about 1/2 that stuff if the situation presented itself. I don't like the VR aspect though and would have preferred it to be an empty stadium or something..

 

[darkeneddays]

Don't worry. Once the CPU robo-QB starts trucking down the field with his 95%+ completion percentage, it won't really matter how good you are on pass defense.

 

[Coldkilla]

-Hence why I never purchased a Madden game in the past... but I thought I'd hop on the wagon eventually as everyone I know plays it and I've never really liked it but am trying to force myself to like it but am getting kinda frustrated with these impossible plays.

Is online play any better? Does the game match you up with other 'noobs' like myself? (I have XB360)

 

[Cuda1447]

We have quite a few players in our league who aren't very good Coldkilla. Playing online against random people can prove frustrating because a lot of people will use cheap plays and glitches. The league is supposed to be a fun environment for all skill levels. If you want to give it a try check out our other thread no here.

 

[BRObedoza]

the best thing to do with the IQ trainer is fail all of the tests and then play a couple of games to let the game adjust up to your actual skill level.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I leave defense to the AI in every football game I've played. I can't defend anything at all.

 

[Stuxnet]

I usually play as Safety. If you can recognize the run quickly - even after the snap - you can make a lot of good plays at the line. I try to keep one eye looking for a receiver that's about to be open, and another on the HB. I usually get one or two User Picks per game, and a LOT of User Tackles at the LoS.

The key to Madden 09, and especially defense, is pre-snap adjustments. I'm convinced that the game is won and lost before the ball is ever hiked. Smart play calling and quick pre-snap adjustments are becoming more and more crucial with each year's release. This is actually why playing the CPU can be quite frustrating, because the moment they line up on offense, they snap the ball. You have no time whatsoever to adjust. The game REALLY needs a slider for this so you can create a "range" of time delay before the snap. As it stands, the AI hikes it between 1 and 2 seconds, which is utterly ridiculous. 2 - 3 seconds is much more realistic, and 5+ seconds would be nice if you wanted to practice your pre-snap adjustments.