OT: Are you a Madden 2003 expert?

[Mad Mike]

Just getting ready to fire up a game in franchise mode and it got me thinking; are there any Madden pro's out there who have been playing in franchise mode and/or been designing thier own playbooks?

I've been doing both and thought it would be interesting to compare tricks, tips and observations.

I've been playing two franchises. The Skins (of course) who won the 2004 Superbowl and are shooting for a repeat in 2005. :high:, and the Falcons who I just started so I could play Michael Vick and a 3/4 Defense. I'm struggling with the Falcons as I adjust to the 3/4 and the O line isn't helping my running game.

My Redskins team is so good it's scary. My first draft (equivalent to the one coming up for us) was 1) WR 2) OG 3) DE 4) CB. Although the first thing I did was bring in FA saftey Victor Green and replace an injured Big Daddy (IR) with Sam Adams. Only in a a fantasy team or Madden could they have worked out so well. I started Ramsey from the begining, and with the player progression feature he now has a throw power of 93 and accuracy of 99. :cool: I Recently challenged a buddy to play the All Madden Team against me using my playbooks and franchise team and I trounced him.

The fun part to me however is the playbooks. Designing pass routs and coverages is just too cool.

I'm finally starting to get the hang of playing defense. I prefer man coverage with zones in support. It just seems to work best for the game. One of my favorite tricks I have is a few blitzs with some "exotic" underneath zones. I get a fair amount of INTs that way as the QB dumps off to the short man and into the waiting arms of a Safety. :high: The down side is that if they do complete a long pass it can go a long way.:doh:

So how about it. Care to share some experiences or knowledge?

[chiefhogskin48]

madMike, I havent gotten quite that in depth, but my favorite part of franchise mode, and the game itself, is drafting players. It was much easier in the old version when they showed you the exact specifications of the players on the draft board, but on the new one they use vague terms like "good, great, amazing", that dont seem to translate into excellence in the game. Case in point, I drafted a "balanced" RB who supposedly ran a 4.38 40, yet he ended up with 82 speed. What's up with that? It's happened many times, especially with safeties and corners who look fast at the combines (4.25-4.45), yet end up below average in speed (sometimes in the 70's).

Is there any trick to drafting diamonds?

I am often disappointed with my drafts. I typically draft for speed at every position but the offensive line.

[Mad Mike]

So what you are saying is that those pesky games are something to get through to get to another draft? :laugh: Just kidding. The draft *IS* fun. I guess I have been fairly lucky in the two drafts I have done. I have gotten guys who were not as fast as I had hoped but they were still pretty fast. I draft for speed/position skilll (catching, tackling ect.). I don't know how it was before 2003 but it seems fairly realistic to not know exactly what you are getting till you have them on your team. Free agents on the other hand are like money in the bank as far as the game goes. Just don't sign the old guys to long contracts and hope for no injurys.

[codeorama]

I have played into the 10th season of the franchise mode. I love it.

I prefer the zone defenses and mix in an occasional man to man. I get way more interceptions with the zone D as well as more int returns for td's. The defensive players get better jumps on the ball and are heading for the endzone as they step in front of the receivers.

The draft is cool. I like that part of the game alot.

But what is even more fun is playing the dynasty mode on NCAA 2003 and importing the draft class to madden. If you take the time to name the current players Eg: Carson Palmer, Larry Johnson, etc.... then those players will be available to you in the draft. The new recruits already have names. The recruiting in NCAA 2003 is really cool as well.

I think both of these games go together really well.

[Mad Mike]

10th SEASON?!!! Daaaaaaamn! You must have less of a life than I do! I didn't think that was posible. :laugh: Seriously though, are you playing the games or letting the computer play them?

I'm tempted to get the NCAA game but for now one football game is enough.

I sure wish Madden was enabled for XBox live. I would love to play somone like you who was as obsessed with it as much as I am. My friends don't want to play me any more because I always win.:cool: When I can convince them to play, they won't let me use my playbooks. Just because I lay 100 on them... :laugh:

So how about you? Do you design your own plays? I tend to use a lot of corner routs and often send the backs out as well. Too bad it's not very realistic. After a while it's just too easy. I can make Spurrier look conservative. My only challenge now is working to lower my oponents score.