Top five improvements needed for Madden NFL 13

Calvin Johnson will be on the cover of Madden NFL 13.

With the Madden cover now in the sure hands of Calvin Johnson (apologies to all Lions fans), I thought it would be fitting to discuss the improvements EA Sports needs to make for it’s upcoming release of the popular video game. Sure, die-hard football fans will flock to the nearest store and buy a copy in August, but how can EA keep these fans from becoming disinterested and also bring in a bigger casual audience? EA is already hard at work to improve this year’s edition, and have already made Madden dreams come true by taking Cris Collinsworth out of the game. There is still plenty of work to be done, however, and here are 10 things they can do to make Madden NFL 13 one of the best yet.

Improve the game day presentation, make it feel real

This is one of the biggest things that can be done to draw in the casual football fan but make hardcore fanatics wet their pants with excitement. EA Sports has to make the game presentation completely bland so it doesn’t resemble watching a game on any of the major networks. Madden has the full NFL license, so why not take advantage and get NFL Network into the game? For example, you’re playing and exciting first half of football when halftime comes about. You can sit at the main menu and look at stats or even replay any play. That’s all well and good, but how about cutting to Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders in the NFL Network studios for an analysis of the first half? Sanders can rant about the ineptitude of a defense, or Mariucci can praise your quarterback for throwing three touchdowns. Highlights can be shown and the crew can talk about what each team needs to do in the second half to win. A quick thirty second breakdown is all that’s needed, and can easily be done with the powerful engines of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Sorry, EA, but your post-game cut scenes are terrible. Everyone knows at the end of the game when coaches go to greet each other they’re surrounded by security, media and players. What the current edition of Madden has is a couple of scattered players here and there and a quarterback jumping to high five a fan, no matter what quarterback it is. Let’s crowd the field with all the players from both sides and a little huddle of cameras and microphones around the coaches as they say hi. Also, how about some off-setting penalties? Whenever there’s a holding call, I know I can easily get away with a pass interference or roughing the passer because it won’t be called, and let’s be honest, it’s fun to put a quarterback on his butt without the refs saying anything. This is not how the NFL conducts it’s business, however, so let’s, “Protect the players,” and penalize people for their actions. Last, but definitely not least, find a way to get Bill Belichick in the game. His scowl in a hoodie needs to be featured in every one of New England’s games, but instead we’re left with a bland, “NE Head Coach.”

Improve the NFL Draft

This is where the biggest football fans will get the most enjoyment. EA does a great job in allowing you to transfer players from your NCAA Football dynasty to your Madden dynasty every season you go through. In the most recent installment of each game, however, EA dropped the ball. NCAA Football would ask you twice if you wanted to export your players to Madden, and if you said yes the first time, your players weren’t transferred correctly. Once you did get them to madden successfully, several rookies would come out so strange it made you want to start your dynasty over. Wide receiver Justin Blackmon would appear to have bone-thin arms and overly huge shoulder pads, while punter Drew Butler would have the arms of a UFC heavyweight fighter. Or, Matt Barkley’s profile picture would turn out to be some scrawny guy with brown hair. It ruins the authenticity and makes one think, “Yeah, that’s not really Blackmon,” when he’s running over the middle and his shoulder pads are bigger than Ndamukong Suh’s thighs.

For aesthetics in the Draft, how about some more pre-draft hype? Maybe some mock drafts while you’re conducting combine workouts or rumors that certain teams will trade up to get a specific player because they have a huge need. All of that could appear simply in a small news portion of the off-season, and could even change your strategy if you realize you’re in a competition to draft a certain guy.

Adjust player proportions and progression

Certain players look way too big for their actual size. Quarterbacks like Rodgers or Alex Smith look like linebackers when shown in suits during a cut-scene. I’m glad most players have a striking resemblance in the game, but not every single one of them needs to look like an action figure. If EA is going to continue down this path, at least let the user edit the physical features of each player.

As far as progression goes, it’s unfortunate that if a player is given a B potential, he could never be more than an 89 overall. You could start Javon Ringer and give him record breaking season’s, but he’ll never be the best running back in the league unless you go in and change his attributes. There is no comeback player of the year for a guy who shouldn’t have a good season season but does, because the following year he’ll have stayed on the plateau EA has given him. This goes for rookies too. Not every late round pick is going to be a D or F potential. This doesn’t allow for players like Tom Brady or Marques Colston to come into the league, since being drafted so late means you’re nothing but free agency filler. Users should be allowed to take a player and develop him in practice, pre-season and regular season to mold him into the player they wanted from the beginning. Players should be rewarded with improvement for career high statistics. Make it happen, EA.

The limits of editing a player in superstar mode.

Drastically change superstar and create modes

NCAA Football has a great version of this mode where you take a player and make him earn everything from his starting position to the ability to audible at the line of scrimmage. You start off as a backup, and have to practice your butt off to earn a starting spot. In order to keep that job, you have to work meticulously to be near flawless. In Madden’s superstar mode, the player automatically gets a starting position and while playing the entire time forgets to do it’s job, taking the enjoyment out of playing. This can easily be tweaked to have a player actually want to compete, win and become a true superstar.

Creating a team, player or stadium should be all about customization to the very last detail. In previous Madden entries, gamers could edit a player’s hair, face, body type, height and weight. Now, you should consider yourself lucky that you could give a player a choice of gloves. As far as teams go, Madden should adopt something similar to what it’s younger brother, NCAA football, has; an online creation tool. If EA won’t provide better logos for created teams, let the customer upload or create their own image and create their team around that. This shouldn’t be too hard as Nike has recently become the provider for NFL uniforms, and you know how thrilled they are with making crazy uniforms. The create-a-stadium mode is nice, but stadiums should have more options as well. You can’t create a new stadium for a team in franchise mode without relocating the franchise, and that’s just dumb. What about teams with old or terrible stadiums? What if a user wants to have the 49ers play in their new stadium down the line?

Actually test the game before rushing it out

How many flaws were pointed out in this blog? Quite a few, I know. Now, how many of those flaws could have been corrected before the game was even shipped by simply testing it out? Yes, EA, I’m asking you grab a couple of guys, sit them down and play through a few years of franchise mode, superstar mode and online matchups to see how you can improve things. Let go of the, “We’re the only studio officially licensed by the NFL so people have to buy it,” mentality and make a game you’re proud of. How amazingly detailed are your other games, like Mass Effect or Crysis? Those games are built from the ground up, yet this one already has the groundwork laid and just needs tweaking or cleaning up. Football is arguably the most popular sport in the United States, yet Madden NFL is not even the best sports game out there as FIFA (also an EA Sports game) NBA 2K and MLB The Show pound Madden into the dirt. If the game were properly tested and fixed, it’s sales would exceed anything EA Sports could have imagined. EA, make more improvements than what you have, for both your sake and the fans.

2011 NFL season preview, part 2

After taking a look at the AFC, it’s time to focus on the NFC. Just how will Vince Young’s “Dream team” fare this season? Despite all they’ve done, they’ll have some stiff competition for the NFC crown. Just as the previous post, each division will have its teams in order of predicted final standings.

NFC East

Photo by Ed Yourdon

1st- Philadelphia Eagles: It’s clear the Eagles are tired of post-season failure and want to win now. Why else would they have gone out this off-season and signed everyone and their mother? The biggest of those signings was definitely Nnamdi Asomugha, who was being courted by almost the entire league. Pairing Asomugha with Asante Samuel, along with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nate Allen, gives the Eagles a far better secondary than it had last season. Philly also has a good defensive line, so it’s up to the linebackers, who have a lot of potential, to hold up their end of the bargain on defense. On offense, the Eagles are stacked. Their backfield got better by adding Ronnie Brown to the mix, and even the fullbacks are dangerous (Owen Schmitt and Stanley Havili). The wide receivers are fast and explosive, and as long DeSean Jackson stays healthy and tones down his cocky attitude a bit, should be one of the best in the league. I expect the offensive line to pull their weight as well to give Michael Vick the time he needs to make a play before forcing the ball into a tight hole, which he has been known to do in the past. Needless to say, this is a dangerous team, and no one in the division is quite ready to take them off their pedestal.

2nd- Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys will definitely bounce back from the catastrophe that was last season, but the question remains just how well will they respond. This will be the team’s first full year under Jason Garrett, and he seems to have them in the right track, at least off the field and in practice. The offense should be rejuvenated by Tony Romo’s return, even though he likes to turn the ball over every now and then. At receiver, Dwayne Harris will be an absolute draft-day-steal for the ‘Boys, and expect him to make some big plays when he officially wins the job at slot. Another receiver though, Dez Bryant, I’m not so sure of. The guy has the talent to be one of the best in the league, but when Deion Sanders decides to cut ties with you, you’re doing something wrong. The Defense should benefit from a breath of fresh air and moving on from Wade Phillips’ scheme, but only to a certain extent. They’ll have to show they are an improved unit and not just the DeMarcus Ware show. And no, Cowboy fans, Abram Elam is not the answer to your secondary problems. Neither is overpaying for Orlando Scandrick.

3rd– New York Giants: At the rate the Giants are falling, I may have to move them down to a predicted last place finish in the division. Two former USC greats, CB Terrell Thomas and WR Steve Smith, will not play for New York this season. Thomas’ ACL tear leaves a huge hole in the secondary which the Giants will not be able to fill all season. Letting Smith slip from their grasp and fall into the Eagles hands was a failure. No matter what their doctors said about Smith’s ability to return for the season opener, you do not delay signing a receiver with his skills, much less let him leave to a division rival. With Osi Umenyiora complaining the entire off-season about his contract situation, the Giants defense may be just as shaky as last season. It’ll be up to Eli Manning and company on offense to rally against adversity and salvage some semblance of a season this year.

4th- Washington Redskins: The only thing keeping me from predicting the Giants to finish last in the East is how bad the Redskins are. It shocks me to see how poorly put together this team is considering Mike Shanahan is the head coach, but then I remember, Dan Snyder is the owner. Snyder makes Jerry Jones of the Cowboys look like a genius. Still, that does not excuse Shanahan blowing decisions at the quarterback position. John Beck is the starter? Well, maybe he’ll do well with a good running game. Wait, Tim Hightower, mister fumblitis, is the starting running back? Yeah… good luck with that, Washington. The defense should give teams fits this season, especially the Cowboys as they always do, with a good core of linebackers and two talented safeties. The cornerbacks are rather suspect, however, and the defensive line hardly ever produces a pass rush in Washington. It looks like Donovan McNabb’s ousting may be a blessing in disguise for him.

NFC North

Photo by Dave Sizer

1st- Green Bay Packers: Your defending Super Bowl champions are back and with some fresh new faces. Wait, those aren’t new faces, those are just all the players who were hurt last season. Well, they’re all back too, and expect them to be hungry to reach the big game themselves. After all, they’ll have a chip on their shoulder after almost being cut out of the Super Bowl team photo. The Packers learned from last year that depth is important should injuries happen again, and added OL Derek Sherrod and WR Randall Cobb to an already great offense. The loss of Cullen Jenkins does sting a bit, but the rest of the dangerous defense should be able to make up for it. Aaron Rodgers will continue to prove that he is a top five quarterback in the league and even if he gets knocked out of a game or two, it tends to happen with as much as he scrambles, Matt Flynn should do a fine job backing up. That invisible title belt Rodgers straps on every game will remain around his waist as the Pack chase another Super Bowl appearance.

2nd- Detriot Lions: Yeah, I said it. The Lions. In fact, I would’ve gone as far as guaranteeing they make the playoffs as a wildcard if their offensive line wasn’t so beat up. The Lions have been building a talented young team, and their offense is potentially dangerous to any defense they face. Calvin Johnson, despite the attention others receive, is one of the best in the league. With a healthy Matthew Stafford and Jahvid Best for a whole season, look for the Lions to put up points with ease. Even if Stafford gets hurt for a few games, the Lions have some of the best backups in the league with Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton. If this team is truly going to be a playoff contender though, the defense has to prove it is better than last season. The Lions have defensive playmakers in Ndamukong Suh and Louis Delmas, but starting cornerbacks Eric Wright and Chris Houston have to mature quickly for a secondary that was just average last season. If they do, Detroit will no longer be a pushover against any team.

3rd- Minnesota Vikings: In my opinion, the Vikings made a  mistake by drafting Christian Ponder in the first round. Luckily for them, they made up for it by acquiring Donovan McNabb. The McNabb experience in Washington simply wasn’t meant to be, and he should fit better in Minnesota. Sydney Rice is now gone, but McNabb has made a career out of making above average receivers look good. At least he’ll have the great Adrian Peterson to rely heavily on. The trio of McNabb, Peterson and Percy Harvin should make for an interesting season offensively. Defensively, the loss of Pat Williams shouldn’t hurt the Vikings too much as long as Leslie Frazier is a part of the defensive game-planning. Expect Tyrell Johnson to have a breakout season as the full-time starting strong safety. Watch the cornerbacks, however, as Cedric Griffin will return from a lost season and Antoine Winfield has aged quite a bit. If Griffin is not the player he was before last season’s injury, the Packers and Lions will have field days against them.

4th- Chicago Bears: If the Bears had gone to the Super Bowl last year instead of the Packers, they would have been one of the worst teams in history to reach the big game. Last year’s record was a reflection of the injuries sustained by the Packers, weakened Lions and Vikings teams, and lucky breaks like the Calvin Johnson touchdown that should’ve been. Let’s face it; the Bears are full of above-average players throughout the offense, including the infamous Jay Cutler. Adding Roy Williams will not solve anything, and neither does letting go of one of the best centers to ever play, Olin Kreutz. Those two moves do not fix an offense which finished thirtieth overall last year. The defense remains intact for the most part, and should keep the Bears in games most of the season. But unless the offense completely turns everything around from last season, the true Bears will be on full display this year.

NFC South

Photo by Ian Ransley

1st- New Orleans Saints: The most intriguing division race in the NFC is in the South. Since the South division has never had a repeat champion, things look good for the Saints. History isn’t the only reason the Saints will take the division this year though. Drew Brees will be back as good as ever for this team, and will look to have his sixth straight season with over 4,000 yards passing. The Saints made an addition-by-subtraction move by letting go of Reggie Bush, as he became a liability last season. With Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles to help fill the void, the Saints may finally have a consistent rushing attack to go along with Brees. The Saints will also have one of the best defensive lines in the entire league. Just listen to who they have: Alex Brown, Aubrayo Franklin, Sedrick Ellis, Will Smith, Shaun Rogers and rookie Cameron Jordan. Those six monsters will not be saint-like when rushing the passer, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will make sure of it. Darren Sharper is no longer with the team, but Malcolm Jenkins should make a smooth transition from cornerback to safety.

2nd- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons made a bold statement on draft day by giving up a ton for talented receiver Julio Jones. It may not work out for them in the future but, right now, the Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league. With defenses having to focus on Jones now rather than doubling Roddy White, Matt Ryan should have no problem finding a talented target to get the ball to. Michael Turner will be healthy after playing through injuries last season, and his backups should be reliable as well. What keeps the Falcons from possibly winning the division is their defense. Their secondary, despite adding Dunta Robinson, was still bad last season. The two Missouri playmakers on the team, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and safety William Moore, will have to step up and help lead the defense because Robinson couldn’t seem to last season. Curtis Lofton can’t do everything, and John Abraham is getting old fast.

3rd- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers will do everything they possibly can to stay in the division and playoff races, and don’t be surprised if they succeed in either. Josh Freeman has emerged as the best quarterback of his draft class, which include Mark Sanchez and Stafford. Freeman and the rest of the young Buc’s are growing up right up before our eyes and look dangerous. Tough head coach Raheem Morris has given Freeman plenty of toys to play with for the next few years in LeGarrette Blount, Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn. However (I know this is my problem with many teams), Tampa Bay’s secondary is in trouble. Aqib Talib will definitely be suspended by Roger Goodell for his actions this off-season, and I’m surprised Ronde Barber is still playing. Sean Jones is only above average, leaving former seventh round pick Cody Grimm, son of Russ Grimm, potentially the only bright spot for the defensive backs. Still, if this team can grow up quickly, they will continue to play spoiler against everyone they face.

4th- Carolina Panthers: When head coach Ron Rivera was in Chicago, I strongly believed he would make a great head coach. Now that he is, he faces quite a daunting task in turning the Panthers around. Rivera does not have a decent starting quarterback on the roster, at least not yet. Not many people believe number one overall pick Cam Newton will develop into a good quarterback, but I believe he can. Definitely better than Jimmy Clausen, who will never amount to anything more than a backup quarterback in the NFL. Having good running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart and tight ends Greg Olson and Jeremy Shockey should help Newton develop, but this will be a rough year for him. The Panthers have no solid number two receiver, and even Steve Smith’s talents are fading as he always winds up on the injury list. Carolina does have the highest paid center in Ryan Kalil though, and he should do everything he can to keep Newton on his feet. Having Thomas Davis back from injury should help the Jon Beason defensive show. Rivera will do everything in his power to improve this defense, but expect it to remain inconsistent until it can get a few more playmakers.

NFC West

Photo by Darin House

1st- St. Louis Rams: Every team in this division has a shot at winning it. An injury here and an injury there, and these picks could very well be turned upside down. Before all that happens though, I’m taking the Rams to win the division. The Rams will look to Steven Jackson to carry the load for them, https://torressports.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=498&action=editand he would gladly take 40 touches a game every outing to do it. Signing Harvey Dahl away from the Falcons will really help Jackson and Sam Bradford. Speaking of which, Bradford should benefit from new offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels failed as a head coach in Denver, but he is a heck of a coordinator and will continue to make Bradford look better than he is with plenty of dinks and dunks like last season. Bradford is definitely overrated, but if what he does leads to wins, then so be it. Steve Spagnuolo has given the Rams a good front seven on defense, but his cornerbacks look a bit shaky. Bradley Fletcher will have to carry on from his breakout year last season if the Rams will contain teams’ passing attacks. Of course though, in the NFC West, there are hardly any true aerial threats.

2nd- Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals trading for Kevin Kolb has taken them from a potential last place finish to serious contenders for the division. I’m not saying Kolb is Aaron Rodgers, but he is far and away the best quarterback the Cardinals have had since Kurt Warner. What prevents this offense from being truly great and dominating the division is all the losses they’ve had. Losing Steve Breaston to the Chiefs will hurt more than they realize now. Hightower was a decent backup and special teams player, when he could hold on to the ball. Ryan Williams, the rookie out of Virginia Tech, would have been an excellent running back for them who could’ve eventually replaced Chris Wells as the starter if he did not suffer a season ending injury. At least the Cards still have Larry Fitzgerald, and will for the next eight years. Defensively, it may quickly become all about first round pick Patrick Peterson. By trading Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Cardinals are left with a bunch of above average cornerbacks. Adrian Wilson has been banged up all pre-season and make not be ready for the opener. Therefore, Peterson will have to step up, and I envision he’ll show why I thought he was the best player in the draft.

3rd- San Francisco 49ers: Jim Harbaugh, unlike his brother John in Baltimore, did not inherit a playoff contending team. The 49ers have flaws, and did not address them very much this off-season. And yet again, Alex Smith will be the starting quarterback. However, the 49ers do have some bright spots. Frank Gore, despite his contract dispute, should be the focal point of the offense with Vernon Davis making big plays when Smith is at his best. This offense could be even better if the top two wide receivers, Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards, decide to mature quickly and play to their potential. Unfortunately for them, I don’t see that happening. The defense will have a new look in the secondary with Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and Madieu Williams, which should improve it from what it was last year. The Niners will severely miss Aubrayo Franklin though, as they have no one capable of taking on blocks the way he does. A decent linebacking group, led by Patrick Willis, may not be able to make the plays they would be able to with Franklin. Whether you see it as luckily or unluckily, the 49ers won’t lose enough games to earn the number one pick and draft Harbaugh’s former quarterback at Stanford, Andrew Luck.

4th- Seattle Seahawks: From first to worst, the Seahawks don’t look too good. It’s surprising how Pete Carroll hasn’t drafted well, and taking OL James Carpenter in the first round was a big reach. An even bigger mistake will be starting him, as it looks like it will happen. Marshawn Lynch, despite his epic playoff run against the Saints, is not a top back in the league and needed to be replaced. The Seahawks chose not to do that though. Instead they signed Tarvaris Jackson, who is no better than Charlie Whitehurst. The Seahawks do have good receivers now with the signing of Sydney Rice, along with Mike Williams, but with no one to get the ball to them, this offense will struggle. The defense doesn’t look any better. The safeties are good in Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, but everyone else is an underachiever who has not played up to their potential. Aaron Curry needs to have a breakout year to lead this defense to something better.

Final note: Look for the Saints and Packers to make strong runs deep into the playoffs and face the AFC champion in the Super Bowl. Playoff predictions coming soon.