I love this game/ my friend hates it

[We both had season ticket] I real enjoy this game, I rarely blow a team out, most games are within a FG or TD and gives me a challenge to win. I have lost some really close games and have also won close ones to. Which makes it fun to me. I am using the Bills, he is the Rams, nether team is really better then the other.

How ever my friend who has the same close games and challenges I have hates the game. We have played about a season worth of games. We played 8 games the first season I was 6-2, he was 1-7. He has blow at least 3 21 point leads in those games during the fourth quarter. We skipped to the off season because he kept saying his team sucks and needs a better QB. So we get to the off season do our draft. He traded up to get the player he wanted, I staid put because who I wanted was gonna fall to me.

So everyone is happy and the new season starts. We are now in our second season and once again he is 0-3 and complaining about every play that doesn't go his way or this and that. where I find that's what makes the game fun, every game can be lost this year and a challenge to win.
We both have played football games together for years now, manly NCAA and we both have equal playing skills in those games.

I guess my question is why does he have such a hard time playing this years madden when he hasn't had issues with football games in the past?

I hate to answer a question with a question, but here goes....

- why can't he learn to use the players he's given? They are all NFL caliber players so it shouldn't be the players he's using or not using...a good craftsman never blames his tools. I can understand if it was something like NCAA where you were USC and he was UMASS but every NFL teams is stacked compared to every NCAA team, talent wise

- without knowing what he does or doesn't do, does he try new playbooks? Does he vary his play-calls? Is it his Defense that is costing the Ws? If so has he worked on the practice field on defense? If he has a good core group of offensive plays that he uses as his basis for his Offense does he have the same strategy or practice mentality with defense? I'm focusing on defense b/c you said he's blown 3 21-point 1/2 half leads. I assume this is defense related, but if he's throwing pick 6's then it's a different matter.

- I'm like you, I agree the game is hard, but that's what makes it fun to me. If it's always been easier for him and he was always good, now it's a challenge and instead of taking a step back and saying, hmmmm I need to practice more or look at why I'm not keeping the leads late in games, or why I'm throwing to many picks, or whatever the reasons are...and just complaining that it's not fair...well it sounds like he doesn't like to lose. Who does? It's the people that don't like to lose that do something about it that will continue to enjoy the game. If he just complains and doesn't try to get better he'll sell the game b/c it's "broken".

I'm the last person to have kind of descent record but I enjoy the game b/c it's hard. I play hours upon hours on the practice field. I am currently attempting to learn a new PB. What I do is go on the field starting w/ the first play in the first formation. I look for passing plays that have man and zone beaters. Then I try them out on different coverages, so I have a good idea which routes to throw to, to attack the cover 1,2,3,4, etc...I try them over and over until it's second nature that once I see cover 2 on the snap of the ball I know who I'm going to look to. I also have my check-down backs at the ready in-case I misread the coverage or a heavy blitz comes at me. Then I do this again, over and over for cover 3, 4, etc.... I do this with a handful of plays from a few different formations. Then I go looking for those exact same plays in different formations, slowly building a simple gameplan.

Once and IF I get up on my opponent then I start trying out other plays based on the defense I've been seeing. I.E. if they have been throwing a lot of cover 2 at me I start trying new plays that attack the middle of the field HELLO TE, shallow crosses, mesh, etc... If they've been hitting me all game long with cover 3 I look for new plays that attack the flats, deep out routes, screens, tosses, etc...I can also then start working hot-routes to attack the "looks" that they are giving me.

Without knowing more of how he attacks the problem of not doing well with a game that is realistically 1 day old...it's hard to answer your questions, but hopefully this helps somewhat. If not, good luck and maybe you can give us some more details or examples of how he's not doing so well and then we can attack it from there.

Have fun!

is he like 12 ? LOL if I join a league i'll probably win .333 of my games the first 3 seasons before it all clicks . No point in starting over

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gigemaggs99

I hate to answer a question with a question, but here goes....

- why can't he learn to use the players he's given? They are all NFL caliber players so it shouldn't be the players he's using or not using...a good craftsman never blames his tools. I can understand if it was something like NCAA where you were USC and he was UMASS but every NFL teams is stacked compared to every NCAA team, talent wise

- without knowing what he does or doesn't do, does he try new playbooks? Does he vary his play-calls? Is it his Defense that is costing the Ws? If so has he worked on the practice field on defense? If he has a good core group of offensive plays that he uses as his basis for his Offense does he have the same strategy or practice mentality with defense? I'm focusing on defense b/c you said he's blown 3 21-point 1/2 half leads. I assume this is defense related, but if he's throwing pick 6's then it's a different matter.

- I'm like you, I agree the game is hard, but that's what makes it fun to me. If it's always been easier for him and he was always good, now it's a challenge and instead of taking a step back and saying, hmmmm I need to practice more or look at why I'm not keeping the leads late in games, or why I'm throwing to many picks, or whatever the reasons are...and just complaining that it's not fair...well it sounds like he doesn't like to lose. Who does? It's the people that don't like to lose that do something about it that will continue to enjoy the game. If he just complains and doesn't try to get better he'll sell the game b/c it's "broken".

I'm the last person to have kind of descent record but I enjoy the game b/c it's hard. I play hours upon hours on the practice field. I am currently attempting to learn a new PB. What I do is go on the field starting w/ the first play in the first formation. I look for passing plays that have man and zone beaters. Then I try them out on different coverages, so I have a good idea which routes to throw to, to attack the cover 1,2,3,4, etc...I try them over and over until it's second nature that once I see cover 2 on the snap of the ball I know who I'm going to look to. I also have my check-down backs at the ready in-case I misread the coverage or a heavy blitz comes at me. Then I do this again, over and over for cover 3, 4, etc.... I do this with a handful of plays from a few different formations. Then I go looking for those exact same plays in different formations, slowly building a simple gameplan.

Once and IF I get up on my opponent then I start trying out other plays based on the defense I've been seeing. I.E. if they have been throwing a lot of cover 2 at me I start trying new plays that attack the middle of the field HELLO TE, shallow crosses, mesh, etc... If they've been hitting me all game long with cover 3 I look for new plays that attack the flats, deep out routes, screens, tosses, etc...I can also then start working hot-routes to attack the "looks" that they are giving me.

Without knowing more of how he attacks the problem of not doing well with a game that is realistically 1 day old...it's hard to answer your questions, but hopefully this helps somewhat. If not, good luck and maybe you can give us some more details or examples of how he's not doing so well and then we can attack it from there.

Have fun!

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I can't really say how his game play is because we rarely play against each other, I'd say in the last 3 years[real time] we have played each other maybe 5 times. Mainly because of the slight lag when we go online. But I know he likes to run more then pass, and so far on this years game you have to look for the holes to go though when running. Where in past games you picked your play and could get 5+ yds per carry. So now when he's getting shut down he has to pass more often.
Then he starts throwing INTS which he says is because the line can't hold a block. I think it's because he tries to go deep instead of hitting the short routes, and his players aren't open. Plus holding the ball that long waiting for the WR to get open deep he gets sacked, or rushed to throw the ball. There should be pressure most of the time, if your holding the ball to long. The line can only do so much.

Sounds like, if I were a doctor...which I'm not...I'd prescribe a strong regime of PRACTICE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I