How to Dominate Madden 2007…The Right Way!
There are a ton of people who have become lovers of the football simulating video game, Madden 2007. Some people love the game because of their passion for football or their favorite teams. Some people love Madden because they like competition and it’s an incredibly competitive game. And some people love Madden Football because of its realistic simulation of the real life sports.
Whatever your reason for loving the Madden Football series, I hope it has something to do with your love of football. However, for many people, that is often not the reason. Some people play Madden just because it is a good game and they want to beat people at it.
Unfortunately, Madden does not weed out the player who is a general video gamer and who is not a Madden Football fan for the love of football and football strategy. These players tend to be the ones that will win at any costs, no matter how little football sense their cheap gaming tactics make.
And you know the tactics that I am talking about; going for 4th and 15, a special blitz that can’t be blocked, throwing in triple coverage to a 6’6″ wide receiver, or onside kicking every kickoff. Players who use these tactics are despised by true lovers of football stratagem. That is why I do not practice those cheap practices, and that is why I will not promote such tactics that take advantage of glitches in the game.
Conversely, I do encourage strategic gameplay that is reminiscent and simulative of real football tactics. It is the way the game was meant to be played, otherwise the programmers of Madden would not try so hard to put the details in the game that they do. Thus, here are my tips to consider when playing on Madden ’07. They are assured to help you dominate the strategic play of Madden.
Offense:
Formation Changing: Always switch up your formations. Sticking in one or two formations makes you very predictable, especially if you use each formation for a specific type of play. But even running multiple plays out of one formation can hurt you, because this gives the defense a chance to find a play that stops everything you do out of the formation, or at least one that limits what you do.
Play Calling: Many people think you call a play based on the down and distance. However, you must also consider the play-calling of the defensive coordinator as well. Consider his tendencies and propensity to blitz or fall back on certain down and distances. If he likes to blitz on long yardage situations, consider sending one route deep and one route on a crossing route while blocking with most of your other eligible receivers. If he likes to play it safe, release everybody and spread the field.
Vision Cone: When using the vision cone, deceptiveness and decision making is always the key. When you have to wait for a play to develop, deceptiveness is the fundamental tool, because it allows your primary receiver to get open while you use the vision cone to look off the deep safety. If you have a quick play, use smart decision making.
Look at an area of the field and run 2 routes that play off each other. True football strategists know about route combinations like curl-flat, slant-flat, smash-corner and high-low. Looking at the area of the field where these routes can happen will allow you analyze what the defense gives you and make a quick and smart decision.
Running the Ball: With this year’s Lead Blocker function, one can control the running game a lot better. The best way to take advantage of this feature is to set up or choose a play that allows you to make a cut based off a block. Start off as the blocker and make the block to the best of your ability, then switch back to the running back and cut off of your block. Tip: If you are running outside, try to hook the contain man, and if you are running inside, block the linebacker on the side where he has no help.
Defense:
Formations: Choosing your formation can be effective when it is simple or complex. Choosing the simple route allows you to do a lot of things out of one formation and confuse the offense about where everybody is going to line up after the snap. Going the complex route allows you to choose a bunch of formations that can confuse the offense about where your players are going to be before and after the snap.
Play Calling: Play-calling on defense is very instrumental, and the most important factors are awareness and surprise. You must always be aware of the down, distance and time left. Calling an all out blitz on 2nd and 7 with 40 seconds will almost guarantee your opponent scores. You must also consider the element of surprise. Being too predictable on 1st down or 3rd and long will result in a lot of 1st down yardage and 3rd down conversion.
Pass Defense: The ultimate goal is to never give up the big play. Always make sure that everybody is covered and that you do not allow your opponent to exploit a mismatch. Getting a pass rush will take care of the latter.
Run Defense: Always use the post-snap read button in Madden that allows you to control the defensive line after the snap. If he line starts to block right, slant the line right and vice versa. This will guarantee that you cut down on your yards allowed per rush and can help you in your passing game.
