How To Master Madden 2004 - Offense

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NFL pro coaches literally script out their strategies. Use these 18 offensive and defensive plays to build your own winning game plan.

Building An Offensive Juggernaut

Winning with the Westside
This guide is based on the San Francisco 49ers, and Madden can make you look like Bill Walsh himself. But you can ?nd similar plays, if not the same plays, in every team's playbook. The game's A.I. promotes the popular West Coast Offense philosophy that uses short passes as if they're long hand-offs. In fact, with practice, you can use short passes to move the ball steadily down the field five to nine yards at a time with any team.

Go to the Hot Hand
The A.I. defense makes calls based on field position, situation, the clock, and to a certain extent, the formation; it doesn't make them based on tendencies. Pass to a hot receiver like Terrell Owens (#81) as much as you like, and the A.I. more or less defends him the same way throughout the game. The A.I. also does not make half-time adjustments either.

Read the Coverage
PLAY #1 I Form-Normal/Triple Slants: The position of the defensive backs before a play can indicate which receiver might be open. If Terrell Owens lines up on the right with inside position on the DB, the slant is almost always a sure catch. This play is good for 10 yards or more. The second receiver in your read is the tight end, Johnson. The slant route can give him inside position, too.

Read the DBs
PLAY #2 I Form-Normal/FB Under: After the snap, learn to read the DBs. Here, three receivers take deep routes. As the defenders fall back into their defense, look for the receiver who draws a single defender and pass deep to him. Owens is money, but the running back is your safety valve.

Rack Up RAC (Run After Catch)
PLAY #3 I Form-Normal/FL Hook: When receivers run hook routes, one of them is almost always open. If the receiver is a strong runner, like Owens, immediately make an outside move after the catch by pressing Right. If you break free along the sideline, you can run for a big gain or even a TD. Hooks are deadly when you're looking to score from under 10 yards away from the goal line.

Be a Patient Passer
PLAY #4 I Form-Normal/Short Slants: Owens is almost always open with this short pass route. He quickly establishes inside position on the DB, but if you pass too soon-as he makes his move-he will not make the catch. Wait until he's facing the quarterback. The tight end, Johnson, is sometimes open on a slant through the middle, too.

Read the Linebackers
PLAY #5 I Form-Normal/TE Out: Once you've learned to read the DBs, practice reading the linebackers at the same time. During this play, look to see if the linebacker covers your running back, who's flaring out to the left. If not, pass for a nice catch and run. You can read the safeties, too, and decide to pass to Owens, who's running straight upfield on the right.

Make Progressive Reads
PLAY #6 I Form-Normal/Mid-Attack: With practice and repetition, you can learn to quickly find an open receiver by scanning the field. Here, first look for the tight end, Johnson, over the middle (to gain the most yards). Then, look at the fullback Beasley (who is most frequently open) coming out of the backfield. Lastly, look right for Owens on a comeback move.

Work Your Audibles
When you see a defensive weakness before the snap, call an audible. Consider assigning audibles to buttons whose position on the controller corresponds to the direction of the play. For example, assign Mid-Attack to the middle button; assign Short Slant to a button on the right since you look for Owens on the right side during this play.

Audible Into Position
PLAY #7 Split Backs-3WR/RB Cross: By placing five receivers into the pattern, this play gives you options all over the field. It's particularly tough for the defense to cover if you audible into it from an I Form-Normal formation. The tight end, Johnson, shifts to the flanker position, and he's almost always open for at least five yards. Sometimes, the A.I. defense doesn't adjust quickly enough to shift a man to cover him. You can take a shot deep, too, if you read man coverage on the receiver running the fly pattern on the left.

Force Mismatches
PLAY #8 Split Backs-3WR/Flats: Audibling into this five-receiver pass play creates mismatches by forcing LBs to cover the backs, wreaking havoc on the 4-3 defense (and your eyeballs). As the two backs split to either side, watch the LBs out of the corners of your eyes. If one of them fails to cover a back, pass there. Keep an eye out for man coverage on the right side on the streaking Owens, too.

Spread the Defense
PLAY #9 Singleback-4WR/Posts: When you've mastered the art of quickly reading pass coverages, use a five-receiver play to spread the defense and force man coverage. Here, one of the two flankers or the back out of the backfield is almost always open. Before the snap, you can already read that Lloyd on the right will be open for a quick pass.

Use Playmaker Passing
PLAY #10 Weak I-Normal/FB Quick In: In lieu of an audible, Madden 2004's new Playmaker Control enables you to change the route of a play's Hot Route receiver at the line of scrimmage. Usually with FB Quick In, the fullback curling in from the left or the halfback in the left flat are open. But if the defense sets up with single safety, there could be single coverage on any deep routes. Press the Playmaker stick up to make Owens, the Hot Route receiver, run deep rather than the square-in pattern the plays calls for.

Mix in a Run
PLAY #11 I-Form Normal/HB Slam: Because of Madden's pinpoint passing, the running game is under-appreciated by most players. But you have to run to keep the A.I. honest and to fool human competitors. From the I-Form, the 49ers bust strong runs between the tackles. In general, always follow lead blockers (run right behind them); in this case, the fullback, Beasley (#40).

Lay Off the Speed
PLAY #12 I-Form Normal/HB Lead Toss: Running wide is difficult because the A.I. defense pursues very quickly. In general, don't use the Sprint button right away. Let your blocking form in front of you, then pick an open space and hit Sprint. Also, you cut more quickly when you're not pressing Sprint.

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