Madden 08

[LL!]

Anyone have any interesting franchise moves to report? After being the worst gun-for-hire ever, the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears release John Kitna and sign free agents David Carr and JaMarcus Russell to compete with Kyle Orton in an open competition to become starting quarterback in 2010. I rule, oh yes I do. And Eli signed with the Packers, giving Chicago fans everywhere a Favre-esque target of hatred, after the Indifference Years when Aaron Rodgers was under center.

I've been doing a Dolphins franchise. At the start I made a few moves (acquiring T.O. would probably count as the biggest) as I tried to find a team that worked specifically well. It was a huge battle between Green, Culpepper, Lemon, and to a much lesser extent, Beck. I got rid of Green after he was underpeforming and eventually it was the team of Culpepper and Lemon that won us the Super Bowl. I decided that keeping a starting QB that wasn't able to get the job done alone as really no good for the team and ended up trading Culpepper off to Pittsburgh for Big Ben. Big Ben was a Big Bust and the team ended with a negative win/loss percentage. Off-season saw Big Ben be traded to Dallas for Tony Romo (Ben was released promptly and acquired by Tampa Bay) and he ended up winning us another Super Bowl.

It was then that I decided that since I'd won 2 Super Bowls in three years that I wanted to make even bigger changes and decided to give Canada an NFL team, and made plans to move the Dolphins up to Montreal. The fourth season was a winning season, but we ended up with a record that barely got us into the wild card. We lost the Divisional Play-Offs match.

Now, I'm in the fifth season and we're called the Montreal Rhinos. Our QB is still Tony Romo, starting receiver is Chad Johnson, and running back is Chester Taylor followed by Lorenzo Booker. I had gotten rid of Ronnie Brown for Adrian Peterson, but he was a bust as well. So, I picked up Corey Dillon to season Lorenzo Booker. On the last year of Dillon being on the team, he decided to step into the second string position and make Booker a starter. When Corey retired I needed a viable second RB, so I picked up Chester Taylor, and since he's better than Booker, is now the starter.

[alldaws1]

Then in the second half, my first two drives resulted in Maroney fumbles (when he hadn't fumbled in the first half, and was not showing signs of fatigue). Any advice?

Hold RB (360) to protect the ball when running, I find it helps a lot to use it when in traffic.

My current franchise seems to be over now after 10 years because whenever I try to advance to the off-season the game freezes. I was the Cowboys, won 3 Super Bowls (2 with Wade Phillips who was not re-signed after an 8-8 season and then 1 with his replacement, Steve Fairchild). Romo started to suck after a few years so I drafted a QB called Dale Hughes who had been very good, 82 OVR but started his rookie year so was up to 88 after two seasons. TO, TG and eventually Crayton retired so my receiving core was made up of game-generated players and Sam Hurd. My defense went to crap last season despite the acquisition of DeAngelo Hall after both starting safeties (Hamlin & Williams) retired along with Leonard David & Andre Gurode from the offensive line (fortunately I had very good cover for them). So yeah, I was having a lot of fun with it until it crashed. So goddamn annoying.

[CQI13]

Well, I finally came away with a victory against the computer, 41-14 against Jacksonville. No running game to speak of (62 yards for my leading rusher), but I did pass for over 300 yards.

The previous game, I was leading Indy by 10 going into the 4th quarter, and having held Manning to under 150 yards, they end up winning by 4, and Manning finished with over 250. I was not pleased.

[TheArsenal]

I'm using the game to learn more about NFL. I've been into it for a few years but being a UK'er without Sky TV means I hardly see any games.

I decided to replay the SuperBowl in an exhibition match.... Patriots 16 - Giants 31.

[Cadet Ember McLain]

Ha! Nothing says "I was instrumental in adding points for my team just now" better than running over to your teams' area, and giving someone a haymaker punch.

[CQI13]

Played one last game last night (NE vs Chi), final score 51-24. Relatively close all game, until I scored 20 in the 4th quarter. Not much in the way or running by either team (leading rushers had about 60 yards each), but both QBs had over 250 yards (I think Brady had a little over 300). And I must say Devin Hester is a beast as a receiver (he had 3 TDs, all over 50 yards, and ended up with like 213 receiving yards).

That's fairly consistent since I started using the sliders I currently use - low scoring first quarter, both teams score some in the second, fairly even in the third, and sealed victory (for either team) in the fourth. And the bulk of yards I give up are on big plays (i.e. 76 yard run to Addai, 73 yard pass to Hester). I guess the real test will come when I use someone other than New England against a better team.

[Cactus Drags]

Hester's a fucking useless receiver unless you put completely the wrong coverage out and he gets open by accident. Then of course there's the matter of him trying to catch with his granite oven mitts he calls hands. But if he catches it, you're facked.

[LL!]

Seeing as he's my number 5 receiver, if he does come up it's usually for a short-hook route, which he is spectacular at.

[Cactus Drags]

I like hot routing him to whichever route it is mapped to up on the right stick (darts out to the sideline, then cuts upfield). If there's a mismatch, instant 6. Assuming he catches it <_

[TheArsenal]

So I'm playing my second pre-season game as the Giants, away at the Ravens. After a fairly poor start I'm 28-17 down after the 2nd Quarter, when the Ravens come out and score an early TD with my second string on the field to put me 35-17 down. Then starts the comeback. I manage to pull off three TD's without reply to get a three point lead at 35-38, but a fumble puts me 42-38 down with three minutes on the clock. I manage to get my way up the field quickly and get another TD for 42-45 with two minutes to go but then the Ravens start to attack. After intercepting a pass in my own end zone I run the ball up the field and score a TD to put the game beyond doubt with three seconds left. Final score: 52-42.

Best game I've played for drama and frustration.

[alldaws1]

Ravens and Giants combining for 94 points? How realistic >_>

[Cactus Drags]

Remember, he's English and new to the game, he's prolly hail marying on first down

[TheArsenal]

How do I challenge calls? Or is it a CPU controlled thing?

And what's wrong with my combined 94 point game?

[LL!]

Press pause and then go to Challenge Play.

[alldaws1]

And what's wrong with my combined 94 point game?

Nothings wrong with it, it's just not very realistic. Out of the teams you'd expect to put up a mammoth offensive game like that, the Giants and the Ravens would be right near the bottom of the list.

[TheArsenal]

Blame a superb Manning/Burress passing partnership. And a pretty decent Manning/Shockey partnership.

[Cactus Drags]

Sounds like you're airing it out more than you'd expect from a real life game. Again, nothing wrong with it, but many players strive to get as realistic stats as possible. Personally, I'm not too fussed, as long as it isn't outragous (Me and AD had a Lions/Cards game go to something like 84-76, lame). But looking at OperationSports.com, there's tons of people who fuck around with sliders for days on end trying to recreate accurate YPC's, completion percentages, blocking stats etc.

[Toe]

I don't see how, at least in the game, you can say the Giants are a low scoring team. A decent QB with a great deep threat in Buress, another solid WR in Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, and then the running of Brandon Jacobs. In the game they are a pretty good offence.

[TheArsenal]

My rushing offence was really poor when I first got the game, so that did lead to me using Burress, Shockey, Tommer, etc for long passes and quick first downs, but I've been working on my rushing game more and Brandon Jacobs is superb when you know how to use him. I had him carving up the Patriots defensive line last night like a hot knife through butter.

[alldaws1]

I don't see how, at least in the game, you can say the Giants are a low scoring team. A decent QB with a great deep threat in Buress, another solid WR in Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, and then the running of Brandon Jacobs. In the game they are a pretty good offence.

I didn't say the Giants are a low scoring team in the game, I said they don't tend to put up 52 points against defenses like the Ravens in real life. That's what I meant by not being realistic.