Written by: Dan Simpson
Email: manymoose@hotmail.com
Email Policy:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Got a Madden 2001 Question? Or a really cool
strategy that you want to share with the
world? Email me! For a speedier response,
make sure to put "Madden 2001" as the
subject.
You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
Welcome to my humble Strategy Guide for Madden NFL 2001. I got the idea for
this FAQ when I rented Madden and had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
(it didn't come with a manual) I finally decided to write this when I bought
the game and actually looked at the manual... kinda thin for such a
complicated game.
This FAQ looks best in a fixed-width font, such as Courier New.
This Document is Copyright 2001 by Dan Simpson
Madden NFL 2001 is Copyright 2000 by EA Sports
I am not affiliated with EA, Madden, the NFL or anyone who had anything to do
with the creation of this game. This FAQ may be posted on any site so long
as NOTHING IS CHANGED and you EMAIL ME telling me that you are posting it.
You may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.
__________________
What's New in 2.5:
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Updated the Franchise Mode section a little (adding some text on Releasing
Players). Created a section for offensive Formations & Plays. Added a
small note about Coverage Audibles in the Defense section.
For a complete Version History, check out the Final Words Section at the end
of the FAQ.
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Table of Contents:
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1. Basics
2. Offense
2.1 Standard
2.2 Hurry Up
2.3 Lead Protection
2.4 Formations & Plays
3. Defense
4. Kicking & Kick Returns
5. Season/Franchise Mode
6. Madden Challenge
Quarterback __
Center |
Right Guard |
Right Tackle |-- Offensive Line
Left Guard |
Left Tackle __|
Wideout (Wide Receiver)
Tight End
Halfback (Running Back)
Fullback
Defense
__
Defensive Tackle |
Right Defensive End |-- Defensive Line
Left Defensive End __|
Middle Linebacker
Right Linebacker
Left Linebacker
Strong Safety
Free Safety
Cornerbacks
Key Terms:
Bye - every team gets one "Bye" in the regular season, simply a week in
which they do no play. No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC also get First
Round Byes in the playoffs, they then start in the Second Round.
Encroachment - when the Defense crosses the line of scrimmage and touches
an offensive player. (if you don't touch an offensive player
it is merely a "Neutral Zone" violation)
Fair Catch - the receiving player, seeing himself about to get hit, calls
for a "Fair Catch". At which point, he is safe from getting
tackled, but cannot run after catching. (It is a penalty to
hit someone who has called for a fair catch)
False Start - penalty when an offensive player moves after getting set.
(usually caused by the quarterback yelling "Hut" but not
hiking the ball)
Fumble - occurs when the ball carrier, after having full possession of the
ball, loses control (drops it). After that it's anyone's ball.
(Dropped passes are not fumbles because the receiver never really
had possession of the ball)
Onside Kick - the kicking team needs the ball back and does an onside kick.
The kick usually goes about 10 yards and slants strongly to
the side. Once it has past that 10 yard mark anyone, even
the kicking team, can recover the ball for possession. It
is a penalty if the ball doesn't travel 10 yards (only if the
kicking team recovers or it goes out of bounds). The
kicking team loses 5 yards and kicks again.
Note: If either team lines up in the Onside Kick formation,
it is considered an onside kick! So, if the receiving
team is in the Onside formation, but they kick it to
the deep man and he doesn't catch it, the kicking team
can still recover! (A quirk of Madden 2001?)
Overtime - in the NFL overtime is "Sudden Death", or the first team that
scores, wins. Usually this means that the team that wins the
coin flip wins. After all, you only need to get a Field Goal
to win.
Play Clock - Lasts 40 seconds, except after clock stoppages (timeouts),
where it is lowered to 25 seconds.
Pocket - Protected area behind the offensive line where the QB can feel
safe. Once you have left the pocket, you can't throw the ball
away (unless you are throwing it TO someone, this is a penalty).
QB Rating (see below)
Redzone - Within the opponent's 20 yard line, close to a touchdown.
Safety - When the defense tackles an offensive player in their own endzone.
The result is 2 points for the defense and the offense must now
kick it to the defense.
Touchback - When the returning team in a kickoff catches the ball in the
endzone, it gets the option to not run the ball out and take
a knee. (Triangle) The result is the ball placed on the 20
yard line.
Quarterback Rating - A method for rating quarterbacks, based on Completion
%, number of touchdowns and interceptions.
Here is how QB's are rated: (modified from http://www.supernfl.com/)
Four categories are used as a basis for compiling a rating:
1. Percentage of completions per attempt
2. Average yards gained per attempt
3. Percentage of touchdown passes per attempt
4. Percentage of interceptions per attempt
An "average" in each category is a 1.0, 0.0 is the worst while 2.375 is
perfect. To gain a 2.375 in Completions you would need to complete
77.5% of passes. A 2.375 in yards/attempt requires you get 12.5
average yards. To get a 2.375 in touchdowns, 12% of your passes must
be for a touchdown. (close to 1 in 9) In order to get a 2.375 in
interceptions you would have to go an entire season without getting
intercepted.
Here are the calculations: (remember, 2.375 is the maximum, no matter
what; also it IS possible to get a 0.0 in a rating)
1. Percentage of completions per attempt:
Take your Completion % and subtract 30. (ie you have a 70% comp
-30 of that is 40) Multiply your new number by 0.05. This is
your Point Rating.
((Comp/Att) - 30) * 0.05 = CompRating
2. Average yards gained per attempt
Start with your average yards per attempt and subtract 3 yards.
Multiply this by 0.25 to get your Yards Rating.
((Yards/Att) - 3) * 0.25 = YardRating
3. Percentage of touchdown passes per attempt
Take the number of TD Passes and divide by your attempts. Then
multiply this number by 0.2 to get your Touchdown Rating.
(TD Passes/Att) * 0.2 = TDRating
4. Percentage of interceptions per attempt
Take your interceptions and divide by your attempts. Then
multiply by 0.25. Finally take that number and subtract it out
of 2.375 to get your Interception Rating
2.375 - ((Int/Att) * 0.25) = IntRating
Total: Add up the 4 numbers, divide by 6, then multiply by 100 to
get the QB Rating. The minimum value is 0.0 and the maximum
is 158.3.
Penalties: (also from http://www.supernfl.com/)
On any penalty that results in more than 5 yards gained, the offense also
gets a first down. I have placed a * by penalties I don't believe are in
Madden 2001 (but I could be wrong).
5 yard penalties:
1. Defensive holding or illegal use of hands (automatic first down).
2. Delay of game on offense or defense.
3. Delay of kickoff.*
4. Encroachment.
5. Excessive time out(s).*
6. False start.
7. Illegal formation.*
8. Illegal shift.*
9. Illegal motion.*
10. Illegal substitution.*
11. First onside kickoff out of bounds between goal lines and not
touched.
12. Invalid fair catch signal.*
13. More than 11 players on the field at snap for either team.*
14. Less than seven men on offensive line at snap.*
15. Offside.
16. Failure to pause one second after shift or huddle.*
17. Running into kicker.
18. More than one man in motion at snap.*
19. Grasping facemask of the ball carrier or quarterback.
20. Player out of bounds at snap.*
21. Ineligible member(s) of kicking team going beyond line of scrimmage
before ball is kicked.*
22. Illegal return.*
23. Failure to report change of eligibility.*
24. Neutral zone infraction.
25. Loss of team time out(s) or five-yard penalty on the defense for
excessive crowd noise.*
26. Ineligible player downfield during passing down.*
27. Second forward pass behind the line.
28. Forward pass is first touched by eligible receiver who has gone out
of bounds and returned.
29. Forward pass touches or is caught by an ineligible receiver on or
behind line.
30. Forward pass thrown from behind line of scrimmage after ball once
crossed the line.
10 yard penalties:
1. Offensive pass interference.
2. Holding, illegal use of hands, arms, or body by offense.
3. Tripping by a member of either team.
4. Helping the runner.
5. Deliberately batting or punching a loose ball.*
6. Deliberately kicking a loose ball.*
7. Illegal block above the waist.*
15 yard penalties:
1. Chop block.
2. Clipping below the waist.
3. Fair catch interference.
4. Illegal crackback block by offense.
5. Piling on (automatic first down).
6. Roughing the kicker (automatic first down).
7. Roughing the passer (automatic first down).
8. Twisting, turning, or pulling an opponent by the facemask.
9. Unnecessary roughness.
10. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
11. Delay of game at start of either half.
12. Illegal low block.
13. A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.*
14. Any player who uses the top of his helmet unnecessarily.*
15. A punter, placekicker, or holder who simulates being roughed by a
defensive player.*
16. A defender who takes a running start from beyond the line of
scrimmage in an attempt to block a field goal or point after
touchdown and lands on players at the line of scrimmage.*
5 yards and loss of down (Combination Penalty)
1. Forward pass thrown from beyond line of scrimmage.
10 Yards and loss of down (Combination Penalty)
1. Intentional grounding of forward pass (safety if passer is in own end
zone). If foul occurs more than 10 yards behind line, play results in
loss of down at spot of foul.*
Also, kickoffs that go out of bounds result in the receiving team
automatically getting the ball set on their 40 yard line. Punts can go out
of bounds with no penalty.
What you do on offense depends on your need at the moment:
1. You are up by 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
2. You are up by more than 1 touchdown... Run Lead Protection Offense
3. You are down by less than 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
4. You are down by more than 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
5. Down by more than 1 TD in 4th Q... Run Hurry Up Offense
You can read about each of these types in the following sections. For now
let's talk some basic offensive skills.
Tip 1: Before EVERY offensive set, use R2 to survey the field. This shows
you not only who you can throw it to, and where they will be, but
also who will be defending them.
Throw or Run?
Both, obviously. If you do nothing but throw the ball, the CPU can easily
double coverage on your wideouts and TEs to prevent a throw. If you do
nothing but run, all that the CPU must do is jam the middle.
Here is how I usually run a set of downs:
1st Down: Run the ball. My 2 favorite run plays are HB Sprint (from the
lone setback offense) and the HB Dive.
2nd Down: Throw the ball. Suppose that you got 6 yards on your earlier
run, that means you only need 4 yards to get the 1st down...
HOWEVER, I would throw it longer than that. The easiest play
(IMHO) is to have your tight end dash forward, then throw him
the ball about 10 yards out.
3rd and Long: Supposing you got sacked (or whatever) you could end out
in this desperate situation. 3rd and Long is almost ALWAYS
a Pass Play. (Although I've had some success with QB Draw
plays)
3rd and Short: This is where I usually do a QB Sneak. Only do that if
your QB has decent speed; if you have a Pocket Passer, you're
probably better off giving this to your Running Back (HB
Dive).
4th and Long: Punt it. (Unless you are close enough for the Field Goal)
4th and Short: If you are getting close to the redzone (maybe 35 yards
out), you could consider going for it... even if the opponent
gets the ball back, they're deep enough in their own territory
that it won't matter so much.
Hut, Hut, Hut, Hut...
The easiest way to determine if the defense is going to blitz you is to
use the CIRCLE and yell out "Hut". Do this repeatedly and the defenders
will get antsy and show their blitz. Do an R2 to check all the defenders
to see who is going to blitz. How you deal with a blitz depends entirely
on who is blitzing. If you have the Middle Linebacker blitzing (alone) you
can probably ignore it. If everyone is blitzing, maybe you should pass the
ball. (If you are in a Run play, simply Audible out of it. You can set
audibles by pausing and going to Set Audible. Then in game press SQUARE
and whichever button you set up -- CIRCLE, R1, L1, SQUARE or X.)
Note: Doing the False Snap ("hut, hut, hut") may make your own offensive
line jump, which results in a False Start Penalty (5 yards).
Note: Many blitzes clog the center of the field, making runs much more
difficult.
Note: Even though the Cornerbacks may be blitzing, your wideouts won't be
completely open down the field; the safeties usually pick them up.
If you are blitzed in a passing situation already, you may want to just
throw the ball to your "Dump Off Guy." Who is your dump-off guy? Depends
on the play.
In many plays you will see a player just run to the right or left and stay
there. They are your Dump Off Guys. If you get in trouble, quickly throw
it out to them (a "screen pass") and hope that they can run up the
sidelines.
Motion
To use motion, before the snap, press DOWN on the D-pad to select which
player you wish to move, then LEFT or RIGHT to pick their direction.
Why use motion?
1. To confuse the defense.
2. To send your offensive player (say, a wide receiver) from an area of
strong coverage to an area of weak coverage.
3. To add an extra blocker. I use this one a lot. Say that the defense
is about to blitz, and you want (or need) to throw it deep. Now,
you just know that your offensive line can't pick up this certain
defender, so why not move your Halfback up to block him?
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2.1 Standard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My "Standard" offense is split 50-50 Run/Pass. However, I don't just run,
pass, run, pass. Nope, I randomize it. Sometimes I'll run 3 times in a row,
others I'll pass 3 times in a row. Maybe I'll run twice, then throw. I like
to keep the defense guessing. And if the defense is guessing, they're less
likely to sack, intercept, or generally disrupt your offense. Also on your
pass plays, provide a good mix of short passes and long passes. Not only
will you get to see what works against their defense, but short passes can
easily become long gains if the defense didn't see it coming.
I believe a good normal offensive set should take between 2 and 4 minutes of
game time and result in a touchdown.
Just remember that you have 4 downs to get the first down, you DON'T need to
go for 10 yards every play.
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2.2 Hurry Up
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stopping the Clock: 1. Call a Timeout (not recommended as you only have 3)
2. Run out of bounds (BEST)
3. Incomplete Pass (Penalties, etc.)
4. Spike the Ball
The literal "Hurry Up" occurs after one play ends, you hold the TRIANGLE
and your offense will literally repeat the same play again (avoiding the
time-consuming Play Call screen). At that point, if you need to stop the
clock you can do so with CIRCLE.
Where do you need the Hurry Up offense? Any time you are down by a touchdown
or more, you pretty much need to Hurry Up.
Tip 1: Whatever play you call, try to get out of bounds. Thus your play
calls should all end near a sidelines.
Tip 2: Don't be afraid of long passes, Incompletes stop the clock as well
as anything. Down by 2 touchdowns? Try to score quickly!
Tip 3: You might think that you can't run the football in the Hurry Up,
but you can, just don't do it much. In fact, I'd only do it if you
are in a 2nd & Short (or inches). Run the ball for the 1st Down,
hold TRIANGLE for the hurry up, then spike the ball (CIRCLE).
Tip 4: Regardless of whether you are going to use the Hurry Up Mode
(TRIANGLE) do press X after the play is complete to prevent the
game from going out of your control (where the camera follows the
player who just made the play for about 6 seconds). This wastes
your precious time.
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2.3 Lead Protection (& Tiebreaking)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEAD PROTECTION may as well be called time-wasting, because that is your job.
Anytime you have a 2 touchdown lead or more, you may want to consider Lead
Protection. Why? The less time on the clock, the smaller the chance that
your opponent can come back.
Primary Focus: Run the football. Let the playclock get ALL the way down to
1 before getting any play off (unless the Game Clock is stopped, at which
point it doesn't matter). Stay in bounds. If you must throw it, quick hits
to your tight-end or running back work well to get the first down (your only
real objective).
Near the end of the game, your opponent will use their timeouts to stop the
clock, if it looks like you won't get a first down (thus they know they'll
get the ball back). As long as you can keep moving the football, they will
save their timeouts. (Ex: on 3rd down you fail to get the 1st, they'll call a
timeout)
The idea behind a TIEBREAKING is to run as much time off the clock as
possible, but still score some points. A hypothetical example would be a
game tied at 17 with 1:58 left in the 4th. You have the ball, need to score
(to win) and use up ALL the time on the clock as well. Unlike the Hurry Up,
you aren't out to score rapidly, but to score on PACE.
Here are the objectives: - Get within field goal range.
- Run the clock to 4 seconds.
- Timeout.
- Kick a Field Goal as time runs out ending the
game.
Getting this takes some careful planning. First, you aren't just running the
ball, that takes up too much time and gets too few yards. Second, you aren't
just throwing the ball, as incomplete passes stop the clock (remember you
need to run off the clock as well). Third, even if given the opportunity,
try to avoid scoring a touchdown IF you have more than a minute left on the
clock (which gives your opponent too much time to rebound and score their own
touchdown).
Despite what the "coach" (the one who calls plays at the offense screen)
says, you don't really need to stop the clock, unless your drive is halted.
As long as you can keep moving the ball, keep the clock going.
Effective field goal range depends on both your kicker's ability and your
personal skills at kicking. I really wouldn't kick it unless you are at
about the 35 yard line (even then I wouldn't, if you can, get it closer).
Again, you aren't waiting until you get a certain distance, rather a certain
amount of time remaining (again, 4 seconds).
Timeout Note: You will also NEED to kick whenever you use your final
timeout, no matter where you are on the field. (unless you
have over 30 seconds on the game clock) So, use your
timeouts cautiously.
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2.4 Offensive Formations & Plays
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The point of Defense is to prevent scoring by the other team. It doesn't
matter how you prevent it, just that you do. A pass that is knocked down on
3rd and long is almost as good as an interception at the same time.
Tip: If you want to waste the opponent's time, after each play, don't press
X or anything to get out of the "postcatch" mode. (Where the camera
follows a player without player control) This mode still eats up time,
and keeps the opponent from doing anything for a little while.
"What if the clock is stopped, should I still wait?" - Yes, this will
still cut down on the amount of time the opposing QB can waste fake
snapping the ball.
I consider my defense a success if I prevent the opponent from scoring a
touchdown. Remember you don't need to completely stuff their offense
(although doing so would net a ton of Madden Challenge points), only prevent
them from scoring.
Trick: One good way to get sacks is to simply line a player up in a hole.
As soon as the QB hikes it, hold CIRCLE and run at the QB. How do
you line a player up on the hole? Pretty simple. (although it
requires a 4 man defensive line)
Say the lines are set up like this:
X X X X
O O C O O
QB
If the ball is hiked right now, the lines will be blocked like this:
X X X X
^ ^ ^ ^
O O C O O
QB
The trick is to add (or move) a player in between the blocking
Offensive Linemen:
X X X X - (the - player moved over)
O O C O O
QB
Set him up on the line (actually I like him just OFF of the line, as
close to the line as you can get, but not in the crouching lineman
position), when the QB Hikes it, CIRCLE-sprint in and sack.
This play works best when the offense uses only one Back, or uses
them away from where you are going (otherwise the halfback will just
pick up the block and you won't get anywhere). You can somewhat
avoid this by doing a simultaneous CB Blitz as well (from the 4-3).
That way you get 2 players running in. If it looks like the QB must
throw it, I line the defense up in a Nickel > Man Lock.
Can't get the player through the hole? Chances are you're using the
wrong defensive formation. You need any formation that tells your
defensive line to do this:
X X X X or X X X X
/ | | | / \ | |
Since defensive players do EXACTLY what they are told, even when you
move them over, getting the straight line under the guy you move is
crucial. And you want the far left guy to block left to allow your
moved guy to get in. It's almost exactly like an offensive run play,
you need good blocking to get by the line.
Coverage Audibles:
------------------
One thing I believe the manual doesn't mention enough are the Coverage
Audibles (TRIANGLE). Coverage Audibles work like normal Audibles, in that
both are used by your defense just before the snap. What C. Audibles do
differently is that instead of changing the play, they change how your
players play. For example, doing a C. Audible, then selecting SQUARE pulls
your defenders in close, and has your CBs jam the receivers at the line
of scrimmage. This is VERY useful in situations where you guess that the CPU
will be throwing it for short yardage.
First off, pay attention to where the kicker lines up. If he goes to the
left the screen, it's a normal kick. If he goes to the right, it's an Onside
Kick. If he is onside kicking and you aren't set up for it, do a quick
Audible (SQUARE), then switch formations (I believe it's default set to R1).
Same holds true in reverse. If you set up in the Onside Return, and they
look to kick it normal, do an audible (SQUARE) and another SQUARE to switch
to normal kickoff return.
Note: Remember, any kickoff is a live ball once it has travelled 10 yards.
Live Balls can be recovered by any team.
This is not true of punts, where if the defense gets the ball, it
is merely downed and given to the offense.
Returns
I usually just run it up the center. Avoid using the Sprint (X) until the
defenders get close, then SPRINT like mad to avoid them. This works better
if you veer away from them at the last second. If you see a defender running
at you and you are in a non-veering situation (near the sidelines, usually),
use the L2,R2 buttons to hold out your arms. This keeps the defenders away,
and also might knock them down. Finally use CIRCLE if you get in trouble to
try to spin out of it.
And above all, NEVER RUN BACKWARDS! Run to the side if you want, but don't
run in the opposite direction.
Punt Returns
I always line up in the Punt Block formation here, not only do you get the
chance to block it, but it works VERY well to prevent a Fake Punt (works like
a very fast blitz), and as an added bonus, it ties up all the players in one
spot giving your returner a LOT of room to run in. After you catch it, the
same rules apply.
What I often do is to take my player diagonal up the center of the field
until the defenders start going that way, then I SPRINT away from them to the
sidelines and attempt to run up the side. I often get Td's this way.
First thing's first, before starting your Franchise, you might want to create
your own player(s) first.
Tip: If you want to create your own players, and use them in Franchise mode,
you should create the player BEFORE starting a new franchise. You can
only create players from the MAIN Roster screen... once within the
franchise mode, you can no longer create players. (you can also create
new players in the offseason, these are placed into the Free Agent
market, however, you cannot EDIT these players)
When creating a new player, say a new Star Quarterback, give him a
"secondary" skill, such as good kicking abilities. This won't drive up
his price, and he can then be used in place of your punter/kicker/etc.
(The least exhausting role on your team) Then you can release your
highly paid kickers and punters, and pick up some bargain kickers on
the Free Agent Market. (You team requires 1 Kicker and 1 Punter)
Trick: Want to get an awesome player on the cheap? Create a player
with the absolute WORST stats you can get. 15's in all stats.
Then go to edit, find your player, and move the selector over
to SPD. Press X. Now you can edit his speed, move it up to
99. Press Triangle. Go to the next stat and edit that one.
Repeat. If you edit stats one at a time like this, your
player's salary remains whatever it was when he sucked.
This can ONLY be done from the original roster screen, once you
create the franchise, you can no longer edit players. (You can
still create players in the offseason)
Trick: Need to trade to get a good player, but don't have anyone you can
spare? Hire the most expensive (and therefore best) Free Agent you
can find, then trade him away. In Franchise mode, it seems that
Chmura is always available (an 89 OVR Tight End). Can't afford to
hire the Free Agent? Release some players. Then if you want those
players back, you can find them in the Free Agent Market.
Trading:
--------
Which brings us up to trading. You can trade up to 3 players (and/or Draft
Picks) for 3 players and/or draft picks. You could trade Jerry Rice to the
Baltimore Ravens for a First Round Draft Pick if you wanted.
The basic Trading Strategy is this:
1. Be sure to trade UP. Don't trade a good player for a bad player, in
other words.
2. If you REALLY must have a certain player, try various combinations of
your own players and picks to get him.
3. If you are reasonably certain that you will make it to the Super Bowl,
trade off your draft picks first. Everyone likes to get an extra first
round pick, and because the Super Bowl winner gets the LAST pick, you
aren't losing that much.
Also, before week 6 (the trading deadline), you may want to unload your
aging players. Why? Because at the end of the season, they have the option
to retire, and if they do, you get nothing for them. If you act before week
6 you can at least trade to get another player for them.
Tip: On week 6 you should try everything in your power to make some trades.
Check the Breakdown of every team to see if any team NEEDS a player
right now (usually due to injury), then head to the Free Agent market,
and hire those types of players. Now you have players to trade! Don't
need (or can't fit under the cap) anymore players? Hire the cheapest
you can afford.
Then I'd trade for Draft Picks. (so long as you can't actually GET a
good new player, why try for it?) Don't be afraid to throw in your own
low draft picks (5th, 6th and 7th rounds) to sweeten the deal.
(I'd save it before making any of these deals. Then if you want,
simulate the season to see who the worst teams will be. Reload from
your save and attempt to acquire THEIR draft picks!)
Using this strategy I managed to trade away all but one of my draft
picks and acquire picks from some of the worst teams in the league.
Here's what I did. Trade 3,4,5 picks to Team1 for their 2,5,6 picks.
Trade 1,2,6 picks for Team2's 1,3,5 picks. (and so on) The idea is
to attempt to get one Round higher than what you are trading out. If
you are trading with a 2nd round pick, try to get a 1st round pick.
Check every team in the league, some will trade more likely than
others. And keep sweetening the pot (adding to the trade) to try to
get what you want. There's no reason why you can't win the Super Bowl
AND get the No. 1 Draft Pick as well.
Assuming you manage to get 10 first round draft picks (not THAT
difficult, really), how can you guarantee that you get the first 10
picks in the draft? By saving before you simulate! Once it is saved,
look at that week's games, and decide who you would like to win and
lose in order to maximize your draft picks. Then one by one simulate
those games. If you correct team loses (i.e. the team that you have
their 1st round pick), then save it, if they win, then reload from your
previous save.
And if you don't really feel like drafting 10 players in the first
round, you can start trading 3 1st round picks out for good veterans.
There are very few players that you can't get with 3 1st round picks.
(Edgerrin James & Peyton Manning come to mind)
Draft:
------
Remember that draftees will have lower scores than veterans, and that the
younger players stats will grow as they age. An 80 WR might end out as a 91
WR (or might not). Generally any draftee that starts as an 88+ OVR will get
to 99 when they peak.
Should you target players in areas you want, or simply go for the best
players in the draft? Depends. I'd use your first pick(s) on getting the
best players you can, and after that fill holes in your lineup.
Draft Note: Draftees salaries depend on 2 things:
Skill
When Drafted
In fact, when they are drafted might even be MORE important!
As an experiment, I created a quick Franchise, selected to play
all the teams, then simulated up to the next offseason. In the
draft I selected all the BAD players first. Then in the 7th
round I selected all the good players. The results were
astounding, with BAD players demanding lots of money, and the
good players wanting very very little.
All of which means that 1st round draft picks are gonna cost you
no matter how talented they are.
Releasing Players:
------------------
First, I'd make sure that you can't trade this player for someone else.
Remember that if you add some of your draft picks into the mix, you vastly
increase the value of the player.
But there are times when you simply MUST release someone. Perhaps you need
to clear salary room for your draft picks, or whatever. However, anyone
you release from your team can be picked up by another team, so I say, let
them pay the price for picking up your garbage:
Before releasing your player, (if you don't ever want them back) first
Re-Sign them for as MUCH money as you can manage. Then release them.
I got a kicker up to 7.05 MILLION dollars before releasing him (a 99 OVR
kicker). This not only limits who can pick him up, but the team that does
won't be able to pick up as many players afterwards.
I'd also do this when trading. First discover whether a trade is possible,
then re-sign your guy(s) so you soak the other team for as much salary cap
as possible.
The "Madden Challenge" is EA's method for adding replay value to the game.
What it is: You get points based on how well your team performs in a game,
these points can then be used to purchase playing cards. These playing cards
actually serve a useful function, most are cards of players and will provide
that player with some small bonus. Other cards unlock Hall of Fame players,
old teams, new stadiums and whatnot. The more valuable cards are more rare,
and often very difficult to get. Thus you must play a LOT of Madden 2001 to
get all the cards!
Points are assigned based on the difficulty setting of the game. Also there
are 5 "levels" of challenges to be completed. It is possible to complete
multiple levels on a single play (for example, a field goal you make from
50 yards counts as both a Level 1 and a Level 4 challenge).
Tip: It is probably easiest to complete challenges while playing an
Exhibition game with an All-Madden team. (any of them will do just
fine) Also in Exhibitions you can pick your opponent, so try to get
a really bad team: Bengals, Cardinals, etc. (or even take an NFL
Europe team such as the Dragons)
Tip: I'd set the quarter time limit to 6 minutes. Many of the challenges
cap off at 6, so you won't want to go higher, but you still want
plenty of time to get things done.
Goal Type
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make a 40+ yard field goal Kicking
Punt the ball 50+ yards
Hold CPU under 7 points (min quarter=4) Defense
Recover a fumble on defense
Intercept a pass on defense
Sack the opposing QB
Record 3 tackles with one player
Score 21 points in a game (max quarter=6) Offense
One reception by 3 different players
Throw 2 TD passes with one player
Gain 200 yards of total offense
Complete 5 consecutive passes
Complete a 30 yard pass
No dropped passes all game (min quarter=4) Mistakes
No offensive fumbles all game (min quarter=4)
No interceptions thrown all game (min quarter=4)
No sacks allowed all game (min quarter=4)
Defeat the '99 Titans at Tennessee in the rain* Teams-to-Beat
Defeat the Indianapolis Colts at RCA Dome
* Rain can be turned on in Stadium Select (Exhibition Mode)
Goal Type
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 Yard KR avg for one player (min returns=2) Kick Returns
30 Yard PR avg for one player (min returns=2)
Score 42 points in a game (max quarter=6) Offense
Defeat the CPU by 28 points (max quarter=6)
10 yard Rush Avg for one player (min attempts=5)
Gain 100 receiving yards with one player
Catch 2 TD passes with one player
20 yard Rec Avg for one player (min receptions=3)
Score 3 Rushing TD's with one player
Throw for 300 yards with one player
Throw 4 TD passes with one player
Complete 80% of your passes
Complete 10 consecutive passes
Gain 100 rushing yards with one player
Commit no penalties in a game (min quarter=4) Mistakes
Record 2 sacks with one player Defense
Force 3 turnovers in one game on defense
Record 5 tackles with two different players
Hold CPU under 150 total off yards (min quarter=4)
Defeat the '72 Dolphins with a regular team Teams-to-Beat
Goal Type
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kick and recover an onside kick Kicking
Punt the ball out of bounds inside the 5 yard line
Score 63 points in a game (max quarter=6) Offense
Make 10 receptions with one player
10 Rushing Attempts by two different players
Gain 100 rushing & 50 receiving yds with one player
Gain 150 receiving yards with one player
Gain 150 rushing yards with one player
Gain 400 yards of total offense (max quarter=6)
Break a 40 yard run
Complete 15 consecutive passes
Complete a 60 yard pass
Shut out the CPU (min quarter=4) Defense
Recover 2 fumbles on defense with one player
Intercept 2 passes with one player
Record 3 sacks with one player
Deflect 4 passes with one player
Record 8 tackles with one player
Hold the '99 Rams under 75 passing yards with reg team Teams-to-Beat
Gain 150 rush yards vs. '75 Steelers (max quarter=6)
Goal Type
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make a 50+ yard field goal Kicking
Punt the ball 65+ yards
Make 6 two-point conversions in one game Offense
Defeat the CPU by 56 points
Gain 100 rushing yards with two different players
Gain 100 receiving yards with two different players
Gain 200 receiving yards with one player
Complete 25 passes with one player
40 Rushing Att by one player (max quarter=6)
Throw for 500 yards with one player
Gain 650 yards of total offense (max quarter=6)
Achieve 20 first downs (Max quarter=6)
Complete one pass to 7 different receivers
Break a 60 yard run
Return a fumble for a touchdown on defense Defense
Cause 6 turnovers on defense
Record 7 sacks with one player
Record a safety on defense
Return an interception for a touchdown
Goal Type
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gain 200 KR yards with one player Kick Returns
Gain 200 PR yards with one player
Return a kickoff for a touchdown
Return a punt for a touchdown
Score 84 points in a game (max quarter=6) Offense
Complete 100% of your passes (min attempts=5)
100 receiving yards by three players
Gain 100 rushing & 100 passing yards with one player
Gain 100 rushing & 150 passing yards with one player
20 yard Rush Avg for one player (min attempts=3)
200 passing yards by two different players
Gain 250 rushing yards with one player
Break 10 tackles with one player
Break an 80 yard run
Complete 20 consecutive passes
Play injured and score a touchdown
Complete a 90 yard pass
Intercept 5 passes on defense Defense
Hold CPU under 0 total off yards (min quarter=4)
Record two safeties in a game
Now to list all the cards.
Tip: Getting a lot of duplicates that you won't use? You can sell these
back and get points in return.
Note: Once you get around having 200 of the cards (there are 297 total)
you might go several "packs" without getting a single new pack.
Just like in real life, eh?
Each Player Card comes in 3 flavors:
Bronze: provides a 25% ratings boost for 1 play
Silver: provides a 25% ratings boost for 1 Quarter
Gold: provides a 25% ratings boost for 1 Half
And as you will see, not every player in the league gets a card.
1 Troy Aikman
2 Mike Alstott
3 Jamal Anderson
4 Jesse Armstead
5 Champ Bailey
6 Charlie Batch
7 Cornelius Bennett
8 Jerome Bettis
9 Steve Beuerlein
10 Tim Biakabutuka
11 Blaine Bishop
12 Jeff Blake
13 Drew Bledsoe
14 Peter Boulware
15 Stephen Boyd
16 Tony Brackens
17 Chad Bratzke
18 Derrick Brooks
19 Chad Brown
20 Gilbert Brown
21 Tim Brown
22 Isaac Bruce
23 Mark Brunell
24 Ray Buchanan
25 Terrell Buckley
26 Cris Carter
27 Kevin Carter
28 Chris Chandler
29 Dexter Coakley
30 Kerry Collins
31 Curtis Conway
32 Tim Couch
33 Bryan Cox
34 Germane Crowell
35 Stephen Davis
36 Terrell Davis
37 Brian Dawkins
38 Dermontti Dawson
39 Warrick Dunn
40 Greg Ellis
41 Curtis Enis
42 Marshall Faulk
43 Brett Favre
44 Mark Fields
45 William Floyd
46 Doug Flutie
47 Antonio Freeman
48 Joey Galloway
49 Rich Gannon
50 Eddie George
51 Aaron Glenn
52 Terry Glenn
53 Tony Gonzalez
54 Elvis Grbac
55 Darrell Green
56 Az-Zahir Hakim
57 Jim Harbaugh
58 Kevin Hardy
59 Marvin Harrison
60 Rodney Harrison
61 James Hasty
62 Ike Hilliard
63 Raghib Ismail
64 Edgerrin James
65 Brad Johnson
66 Kevin Johnson
67 Keyshawn Johnson
68 Andy Katzenmoyer
69 Jevon Kearse
70 Shaun King
71 Levon Kirkland
72 Jon Kitna
73 Ty Law
74 Dorsey Levens
75 Jermaine Lewis
76 Mo Lewis
77 John Lynch
78 Peyton Manning
79 Curtis Martin
80 Russell Maryland
81 Terance Mathis
82 Ed McCaffrey
83 Keenan McCardell
84 Ed McDaniel
85 O.J. McDuffie
86 Willie McGinest
87 Donovan McNabb
88 Steve McNair
89 Cade McNown
90 Natrone Means
91 Jamir Miller
92 Barry Minter
93 Herman Moore
94 Rob Moore
95 Johnny Morton
96 Randy Moss
97 Eric Moulds
98 Muhsin Muhammad
99 Adrian Murrell
100 Ken Norton Jr.
101 Jonathon Ogden
102 Terrell Owens
103 Carl Pickens
104 Jake Plummer
105 Robert Porcher
106 John Randle
107 Jake Reed
108 Jerry Rice
109 Simeon Rice
110 Andre Rison
111 Willie Roaf
112 Marcus Robinson
113 Bill Romanowski
114 Darrell Russell
115 Warren Sapp
116 Darnay Scott
117 Junior Seau
118 Jason Seahorn
119 Shannon Sharpe
120 Akili Smith
121 Antowain Smith
122 Bruce Smith
123 Emmitt Smith
124 Jimmy Smith
125 Robert Smith
126 Rod Smith
127 Takeo Spikes
128 Shawn Springs
129 Duce Staley
130 J.J. Stokes
131 Michael Strahan
132 Bobby Taylor
133 Fred Taylor
134 Jason Taylor
135 Vinny Testaverde
136 Yancey Thigpen
137 Zach Thomas
138 Jesse Tuggle
139 Andre Wadsworth
140 Wesley Walls
141 Hines Ward
142 Kurt Warner
143 Ricky Watters
144 Michael Westbrook
145 Aeneas Williams
146 Ricky Williams
147 Grant Wistrom
148 Charles Woodson
149 Rod Woodson
150 Frank Wycheck
Then there are the Hall of Fame cards. These cards, when used, add this old-
timer to the roster as a Free Agent.
151 Carl Banks
152 Bill Bates
153 Jerome Brown
154 Jim Burt
155 Keith Byars
156 Dwight Clark
157 Gary Clark
158 Roger Craig
159 Richard Dent
160 John Elway
161 Boomer Esiason
162 Jumpy Geathers
163 Kevin Greene
164 Dan Hampton
165 Rodney Hampton
166 Tim Harris
167 Ken Harvey
168 Craig Heyward
169 Jay Hilgenberg
170 Merrill Hoge
171 Keith Jackson
172 Rickey Jackson
173 Joe Jacoby
174 Pepper Johnson
175 Brent Jones
176 Seth Joyner
177 Jim Kelly
178 Jim Lachey
179 Steve Largent
180 Dexter Manley
181 Charles Mann
182 Dan Marino
183 Wilbur Marshall
184 Clay Matthews
185 Jim McMahon
186 Karl Mecklenburg
187 Dave Meggett
188 Matt Millen
189 Art Monk
190 Joe Morris
191 William Perry
192 Tom Rathman
193 Barry Sanders
194 Phill Simms
195 Mike Singletary
196 Jackie Slater
197 Pat Swilling
198 Steve Tasker
199 Herschel Walker
200 Reggie White
Cheats!
201 1st and 5
202 1st and 15
203 5th Down
204 3rd Down
205 Human Plow
206 Super Dive
207 Da Boot
208 Tight Fit
209 Da Bomb
210 Lame Duck
211 Mistake Free
212 Fumblitis
213 BINGO!
214 Unforced Errors
215 Mr. Mobility
216 Extra Credit
217 Touchy
218 Bad Spot
219 Toast
220 Jam
221 Pocket Protectors
222 Penetration
223 QB on Target
224 Coffin Corner
225 Wind Gust
226 Hands of Glue
227 Hands of Stone
228 Couch Potato
229 Time Out
230 Ouch!
231 Worker's Comp
232 Passerby
Stadiums
233 Super Bowl XXXV
234 Super Bowl XXXVI
235 Super Bowl XXXVII
236 Super Bowl XXXVIII
237 Aloha Stadium
238 Old Redskins Stadium
239 Old Oakland Stadium
240 Old Houston Stadium
241 Tiburon Stadium
242 EA Sports Stadium
243 Dodge City Stadium
244 Nile High Stadium
245 Alpha Blitz Stadium
246 Maddenstein Stadium
274 '84 All Madden
275 '85 All Madden
276 '86 All Madden
277 '87 All Madden
278 '88 All Madden
279 '89 All Madden
280 '90 All Madden
281 '91 All Madden
282 '92 All Madden
283 '93 All Madden
284 '94 All Madden
285 '95 All Madden
286 '96 All Madden
287 '97 All Madden
288 '98 All Madden
289 Madden Super Bowl
Strange Teams
290 Marshals
291 Mummies
292 Sugar Buzz
293 Monsters
294 Team Ecko
295 Tiburon
296 EA Sports
297 John Madden
A: You can't. The game will decide if it will LET YOU challenge a play.
At that point you get the option of challenging or not, if you win, the
call is reversed, if you lose you lose a timeout. Since the game already
gets the calls right 100% of the time (at least, it can), I don't see the
point of even including this in the game.
Q: My game keeps freezing up on me, how can I fix this?
A: This one happened to me a lot. What I did was go to setting, and turned
off the commentary (in Sound options, far right). After that it hasn't
frozen up once.
Q: How can I get my player to do a specific End Zone Celebration after a
touchdown?
A: You can't in the PS2 version, I believe the list of celebrations works
only for the PSone version.
Q: How do I down the kickoff in the endzone?
A: First, ONLY try this if you caught it in the endzone, otherwise run for
it. In order to down it, simply press TRIANGLE (before he starts
running, once he runs, pressing TRIANGLE makes him jump). To simplify
this, I usually press TRIANGLE BEFORE he catches it (Fair Catch).
Q: Where do the super teams (Ecko, Monsters, Tiburon, etc.) show up?
A: Those are only for Exhibition and Practice modes.
Q: I got some Hall of Fame player cards, how do I get them on my team?
A: You need to PLAY the card first. Go to your Madden Cards, find the
Hall of Famer you wish to add, then Play that card. You can then find
him on the Free Agent list. Since the Hall of Famers are usually pretty
old, don't expect them to stick around for next season...
Q: What are Hot Routes?
A: While lined up in Offense, pressing TRIANGLE will bring up the Hot Routes
display. What you do then, is select a player, then change their routes.
So, say your Tight End is currently going to be running forward, then
turning towards the sideline. His passing icon is currently the X
button. So, you would rather that he ran towards the Endzone instead.
Press TRIANGLE, then X, then push UP and his route now runs up to the
endzone.
Q: What is a "pancake"?
A: Where the offensive player flattens the defender, often by sitting on
him. I believe the term "pancake" is unique to Madden NFL.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Words...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ was written entirely using the GWD Text Editor: (shareware)
http://www.gwdsoft.com/
_________________________
Shameless Self Promotion:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
I have also written FAQs for:
NES: Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Final Fantasy -- Magic FAQ
The Legend of Zelda
SNES: Aerobiz
Aerobiz Supersonic
Utopia: Creation of a Nation
Genesis: StarFlight
PSX: Thousand Arms -- Walkthrough
-- Forging/Dating FAQ
PC: Baldur's Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast -- FAQ/Walkthrough
NPC List
Creature List
Baldur's Gate II -- FAQ/Walkthrough
-- Items List
-- Class FAQ
Colonization -- the Single Colony Strategy Guide
-- the Cheat Guide
Drakan: Order of the Flame
Dungeon Hack
Icewind Dale & Heart of Winter -- FAQ/Walkthrough
Items List
Kresselack's Tomb Map (JPG)
Burial Isle Map (JPG)
Master of Magic (revision)
Messiah
Pharaoh (currently being edited by Red Phoenix)
Planescape: Torment -- FAQ/Walkthrough
Items Listing
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
The Sims
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima 7: The Black Gate
Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle
Ultima Underworld -- Keyboard Commands
Ultima Underworld II -- Keyboard Commands
-- Spell List
All of my FAQs can be found at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2203.html
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
________________
Version History:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Version 1.0 March 28, 2001 52k
Version 2.0 April 13, 2001 56k
Updated the sacking strategy a little. Added a Frequently Asked Questions
section. Added a Draft Note (dealing with draftees salaries). Other small
changes.
Version 2.5 July 16, 2001 62k
Updated the Franchise Mode section a little (adding some text on Releasing
Players). Created a section for offensive Formations & Plays. Added a
small note about Coverage Audibles in the Defense section.
_______________________________________________________________________________
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This Document is Copyright 2001 by Dan Simpson
Madden NFL 2001 is Copyright 2000 by EA Sports
I am not affiliated with EA, Madden, the NFL or anyone who had anything to do
with the creation of this game. This FAQ may be posted on any site so long as
NOTHING IS CHANGED and you EMAIL ME telling me that you are posting it. You
may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.
