Time in the pocket

[joedirt7519]

Thank you for allowing me to be part of the beta for Madden 23! My biggest take from the game, is the pocket deterioration is way too fast! It’s nearly possible to run play action without being sacked. When in fact, play action at times should give you more time.

[Mutgrel]

I didn't play the beta. But I've seen footage of it, and I have to guess based on my previous years of playing Madden that you're absolutely correct about play action passes having no shot of getting off with the current pass rush.

But let me be clear, I LOVE the new pass rush and I hope they don't change the speed at all.

Instead, what I hope they do is create better play action mechanics that properly reward the offense for establishing the run before using play action. Although I understand that there's well documented counter arguments that state the run doesn't actual impact play action success, I think it's more intuitive and good for the game if we move in that direction.

Here's conceptually what I would like to see them do to fix play action:

1, On play action passes, make the ball carrier light up as if they have the ball. This will force the user (in online mode) to respect the run a lot more. If the user moves towards the line of scrimmage, keep the ball carrier lit up. But if they back away and go into coverage, calculate success using the QB's play action pass rating as to when the ball carrier is no longer lit up. This reduces the ability of the user to play both the run and the pass effectively during play action, and allows the offense to throw over top of the defenders because they're either running to make a tackle or they're trying not to move up field to aggressively.

This will help the running game in online play because it will make it much harder to shoot the gaps without being way out of position on play action passes. It will also make it harder for the user to pursue running plays (like draws) when it looks like the QB could still have the ball on any single play. In addition, it would allow play action passing to do exactly what it's designed to do, misdirect the defense and get them out of position using similar looking plays.

2. Have the AI react appropriately using a simulated rush based on real physics. If the QB has the ball and keeps his back to the defense, the defense will play as if it's a running play. Meaning the pass rush will be greatly reduced because instead of trying to sack the QB they will be trying to cut off and tackle the ball carrier.

3. If the defense is in pass commit, play action pass should not be impacted by item 2, above.

4. If the defense is in run commit, play action pass should be most effective. 

[Totalpackage83]

@Mutgrel Great post. Being someone that played a ton of beta myself. Leave the defense alone. Particularly the pass rush. People don't have 4 or 5 seconds to run around waiting on deep crossers anymore. That is a good thing.

[EA_Kent]

Hi everyone, 

I moved this thread over to the new Game Suggestions board. 

This is the place to go if you have any ideas or feedback to share on the game. 

[Neo_Novalis]

@Mutgrel Fully agree. Great post! The QB should have more time only if the offense managed to fool the defense. This would also help improving the importance of heterogeneous / unpredictable play calling.
On the other hand, if the defense makes use of one and the same blitz play again and again, the OL / pass blocking should also become slightly better, the more the offense does the correct adjustments pre-snap.

[Neo_Novalis]

@joedirt7519 One more thought on "time in the pocket": I think gamers should be allowed to somehow modify the time they have in the pocket when usering the QB depending on their preferences and Madden skills when playing against AI-controlled teams (or a friend).

I'd guess it might be very frustrating getting sacked too often just because you are not used to the game that much and would need one or two more seconds to decide about which receiver to throw a pass to. The less often /frequently you play Madden, the less you might be used to your playbook and will not have the time to practice different plays/concepts. Since practice most likely is a main precondition to make the right choice in the pocket within seconds, a lack of practice will force you to stick to a (very) small set of plays just to avoid getting sacked all the time. For me, doing always the same (in terms of play calling) takes a lot away from the fun of playing a football game.

I'd therefore suggest to add a setting allowing gamers to make it more easy/difficult to user the QB im the pocket (in terms of the average time they have before getting sacked) if they are playing against AI-controlled teams (or a friend in H2H). Of course, such a setting should not be relevant for online H2H games (based on anonymous match-making), but maybe it might make sense for online franchise leagues too if the commissioner would like to decide about the "time im the pocket"-difficulty for games where 1) players face a non-usered team, but also 2) where players face each other.

[stahlherzog]

Great Post WereRobber, and I agree fully.  I've gotten too old to enjoy playing online but even playing a offline franchise I've got to say this has been an issue on past versions.  Also it didn't seem to matter the ratings of the D-Line and O-Line concerned.