Loading ...How Do You Build Your Madden Franchise Team?
So I have to thank @donny_moore, one of Madden NFL 10′s designers, for inspiring this post. As I monitor my twitter feed he is constantly inundating me with his awesome updates about all the last minute changes to the madden roster and about his epic games with @raczilla. So if I got a little over board here, blame theme. Last year I told you that Madden wasn’t just a video game, it was a way of life. So when I say I am an hardcore Madden player I mean it, but what I love most is franchise mode. I love the wheeling and dealing, the evaluating of talent, deciding whether we need to win now or build for the future. When it comes to this I am anal. I never thought I would admit this anywhere but I actually spend the first few hours once I get Madden just setting up my franchise and building my team, I literally might not actually play a game the first day I get it.
Lots of people just go about their franchise all willy nily but not me, I study the league, my team, and what I am trying to accomplish and then I set about building my team. So I used to always start off with my favorite team but these days I usually pick a team that isn’t so good and then I work to make them the best in the league.
Now I also want to be clear that I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to Franchise Mode, I do NOT believe in simulating any games before my third season. I play every single game, I feel like that gives me a chance to find those few sleepers on my team that might not ever appear to me if I just simmed through the first season as a lot of people do, I am not knocking those people I just don’t do it.
Phillip Rivers might be just young enough to keep, maybe.
When I first attempted to write this I realized that after I was at 5 paragraphs and I had only covered like 3 positions I realized that wasn’t going to be the best format and so I had to rethink my approach. I am a huge madden fan and have been for as long as I can remember, ever since I got my first copy of Madden, it was Madden 92 and there was only burst, spin, and hurdle but boy was hurdle effective lol. So as the game grew and they let you do more and more I got even more into the game and with the introduction of franchise mode a few years back well the game hasn’t been the same for me since.
When it comes to Madden for me, Franchise Mode is where its at. I know lots of people love to play online but not me, nope, building my franchise is where you will find me. Seems like everyone has their own strategy for Madden Franchise Mode, but I wanted to share with you mine and then hear yours.
When it comes to building my Franchise I have a couple of basic principles I always follow:
- No one is untouchable for the right deal.
- Always try to get younger.
- Don’t hamstring myself by doing deals that even though they may be good for a season, will cost me dearly when it comes time to pay those cap penalties.
- Don’t get tied up with the names, the ratings are all that matter.
Collecting DB’s in the mold of TP ain’t a bad idea.
The four principles always hold true and if you follow them you will be as successful a GM as me, I mean people can say what they want to about playing the game and I will be honest I am probably middle of the pack as far as skills but when it comes to running a franchise I am second to none. Here are my thoughts on how to build a team that is formidable and more importantly sustainable because how many of you have made so many deals in year one that cap penalties made it nearly impossible to even continue year 2, come on we have all done it.
Offense
QB- The quarterback position is really important and your style of play will determine what type of QB you choose. Personally, I like a mobile QB so I am looking for someone like a Pat White or maybe a Josh Freeman type player. Usually your QB will be the highest or one of the highest paid players on your team. If you are starting with a team that has an established QB like the Colts or Pats, then you have an interesting opportunity because no matter how great Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are they are getting a little old, and you gotta ask yourself are they your QB’s of the future and that answer is no. My recommendation trade them now while their value is high and you should be able to get a good solid young QB and a few other good players and/or high draft picks for them. If you wait then you are just going to have to watch their skills and value decline as they age and remember that just isn’t how dynasties are built.
RB – The running back position has one of the shortest averages as far as length of career and you have to treat it as such. To me to when it comes to running backs, I need two types a speed back and a power back. This has only become the “in” thing to do in recent years in the NFL but I have been doing this on Madden since at least 2002. You need a back that can get you those breakaway runs, but then you need a workhorse that can wear down the defense and get you those all important 2-3 yards on 3rd down. For your speed back, think the mold of Brian Westbrook and Maurice Jones-Drew though that doesn’t mean go get those players. What this does mean is look for a guy with 93+ speed and good catching and a low fumble rating, because the secret about most of the fastest guys on Madden in the past was that they fumbled like every other play. As far as power backs go, think Brandon Jacobs and Jonathan Stewart, you need a guy that has decent speed (85+) and a very high truck and break tackle rating.
WR - The diva position as some like to call it. When it comes to WR, you need a speed guy to spread the field and keep the defense honest, think Devry Henderson and Bernard Berrian, a possession receiver that has great hands and that you can send across the middle like a Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress. Having great WR’s becomes less important with a good QB and a solid running game, so don’t get caught on trying to get the Randy Moss’s and the Larry Fitzgerald’s of the world, rather look for players with similar builds and ratings that you can find and bring along.
The OL – Out of all the places that you will watch your team’s salary get sucked up, your OL is like a money black hole. The OL is maybe the most important part of your team but you have to get those salaries under control. My strategy here is to get lots of young guys in and have them grow together, so I always look for young guys with maybe about a fourth of the salary and if I can manage to get all them to have an average of 80+, then I think I can build a great O-Line in 2-3 years.
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26 Comments
it all statrts with defense because defense wins championships.
Your right it all starts with defense but you know it seems to be a real split on this in the Madden community. Personally, I think a good defense starts with being able to pressure the quarterback, if you can get pressure on the QB then you can make things happen. That's why speed DE's are important because not only can they get pressure on the QB but they can also get off the tackle on an outside run and contain the faster RB's. I think good DB's are essential also but with good pressure on the QB you can help them out. As far as the middle you either need two run stopping DT's for a few LB's who can fill those gaps.
Hey man – I loved this…
I to am a franchise guy thru and thru but with 10 I have dabbled more online including joining a league which is run thru a website and those people take it real real serious but still online mode is poor compared with offline.
Building and planning my franchise is just the best thing and reading you I didn't feel like I was missing out so much I was not alone haha…
Keep writing…
AC
Thanks man I love franchise mode as you can tell dude you check out my Madden 10 review and our Madden central you will really love that. Hope you keep coming back to zkg.Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
From: IntenseDebate Notifications
Great post. I love franchise mode and dynasty mode in NCAA. Unlike you I do simulate most of my games actually the first 12 and if I am .500 or above I play the remaining 4 and everyother playoff game. I feel like this gives me a more realistic season. I like to build my teams through the draft. I hate spending big money on players in free agency when I can draft someone close to them. I'm from Detroit so I usually play with them. They are always bad so I never feel like I have to destroy the team to rebuild it. We are always rebuilding. I do have a question for you. How long does it take you until you become a good team? For example, in my first 3 years with the Lions I went 4-12, 5-11, and 11-5 (Superbowl Win) and remember I simulate a lot of my games and I did not trade or sign any big free agents.
@france, great comments. So you wanted to know how long it takes me to be good well first I want to tell you check out our franchise central and you will be happy to see we asked the readers and they voted the lions as the team for us to use. So if you are starting with team that isn't that good I think you gotta blow them up a little then build through draft and free agency. With that said I can make any team good after one full season I believe. I think that this year more than any other maddens even if you play every game the realism will there, because even as good as I am my lions didn't even make the playoffs there were teams I just didn't have enough firepower to beat in year one even with all my changes such as the steelers so check out our Madden central give me your comments on our moves so far. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
From: IntenseDebate Notifications
Where can I check our your franchise central? And, by the way I am in season 4 with my Lions and I'm 9-4. Majority of my players I have picked up through the draft (Madden Generated).
You will find ZoKnowsGaming's Madden 10 Franchise Central here:
http://zoknowsgaming.com/2009/08/17/zkgmadden10fr...
Let me tell u i'm also a franchise builder and I too like to use the worst team and make them better. And Yes always get younger players!! I'm a fanatic for off season building and I take half a day to build my team. I even edit all my players with a little more muscle on them even though it probably doesn't make them play better but I just do it. Quarterback and a decent line on offense is the most important. You can use not so good recievers and still do okay. Personally i like recievers that are at least a 90 in speed and acceleration. Hands you can always improve. I run out of a run and shoot on madden even though there is no specific playbook for run and shoot like the houston oilers of old but I found a playbook off the buffalo bills coach jauron and only run the plays with the 4 receiver spread and 4 wr shotgun. I do alot of motion and 3 wrs to one side and 1 on the other. Let me tell you if ran properly you can't lose but the line has to be good and wrs very fast cause the defense will destroy the quarterback if you can't get the ball off. Cap penalties I used to have trouble with when I 1st started playing madden but you can avoid them. When you have a player you want to get rid of just because he costing you much just trade him for a lower price player and then get rid of that player you just recieved after the trade and you have no penalty. Also sign your high cost players to 7 year deals and increase the the bonus until the team cap salary stops going up.and then turn down the players regular wage until its just right before it goes in the red. Pretty simple but i'm sure most know about that.
That's what I am talking about, another franchise maniac. I got the Lions now and you can check out what I am doing with them at our ZKG Franchise Central, ” target=”_blank”>http://zoknowsgaming.com/2009/08/17/zkgmadden10fr... I too take tons of time to get my team just right trying to make all the right adjustments depending on what I have to work with and the Lions didn't have a lot. I used to spend a little more time doing the body edits but not these days, though I still do a little tweaking with the visors, sleeves, and stuff like that. My LB's are beast and they have to look like it. I agree with you wholeheartedly, though I would go further and say that even without a great QB you can be good, but that OL is the most crucial. If you want to have any chance to get some time in pocket or holes to run through, that offensive line has to be solid. If you have have an OK running back and an OK QB but a great offensive line you can do a lot. I like to have WR with a good amount of speed as well, though I do like to have a big 6'4 or 6'5 possession receiver that I can throw it up high to in the endzone or send across the middle on those quick slants when I need 3-5 yards. I spent a whole lot of time trying to find a good playbook that I liked, but in the end I actually settled on New Orleans playbook, both O&D. They have a nice balance of run and pass, some nice spread sets as well as some interesting runs out of those formation and their Saints sets are very effective.
You can avoid cap penalties and your suggestion about dropping the bonuses and putting it all on the base salary is a good idea and will help you avoid the cap penalties, though it does take forever to scroll it down and then back up so sometime I do and sometimes I don't but its an excellent tip. You thing about trading the high player for a lower player and then cutting that player, never heard of that one so I may have to try it. You can incur the penalty when you trade your player, usually around half of their bonus so Im not sure how cutting the guy you got for him would help, I would think it would just make you incur an additional cap penalty for the guy you cut. You had another good tip about signing good players to long term contracts, I will go one further and say do it with any of your guys that you think might be good or that you will use a lot and just lock them up for the long term early, a lot of teams like the Patriots and Steelers do that, they hardly ever let their guys get to free agency, its smart and cheaper in the long run. All in all good stuff and glad you shared.
Do any of you know why Madden 10 in frnachise mode will simulate several games when you choose to play one of them. This occurs even if you select all teams in the season set up mode
Not exactly sure but I believe there is a maximum number of teams that the user can control in franchise mode, I believe its something like 15 or 16 or something. If its not that then I would surmise that if those games that are simulated occur before the game you are trying to play then it would simulate them. So I tell you what, try this.
When you get to a week, look at the schedule and find out what team has the earliest game, play that game or simulate that game. If it doesn't simulate the rest of the them then you will have confirmed that is what its doing. Also, are the games being simulated before or after you play the game? After games it will prompt you to say you don't have any more games this week, do you want to simulate and I am assuming you say no there? Trying to understand your paramters so I could possibly recreate it.
clearly we are all interested in building madden champions from the ground up. Lets put together an online franchise with a serious select few and see who can go the distance. what do you guys think?
That's actually a really good idea, I am down. What does everyone think of a ZoKnowsGaming Online Franchise?
Yo ive been playing madden a while im getting pretty good. For the drafts you gotta get d,
if you go for Offence, you cant win.
Im down for a chise
hey have you guys done this franchise?
We haven’t done it yet and interest kind of died down, but if you can find folks that are interested we are still willing to run it. Let us know.
I also spend about 3 or more hours each off season. I like to start with some of the worst teams and build them up. And of course the ravens each year cuz its my hometeam. I like to start on defense from the middle out, LITERALLY. I usually start trying to build a top d-line that can get pressure on its own without the help of the lb's (i run a 4-3). next i pick up a handful of linebackers. All with good speed and EXCELLENT coverage ratings(for a lb anyway). I also like to interchange the positions of the front seven to see which position each person is highest rated at. OLB'S make good DE's and occasionally vice versa. Also some DE's make better DT's. Once my front seven is set i look towards the db's then the o-line, then the safeties. i fill the skill positions as need be. but a front four that can get pressure, a linebacking core that is speedy and can cover and a solid o-line is my basis.
hey just started fran btw im in week 13 and im 12-0 how are yal losing? im in all madden with panthers 1st yr
So, I love football but I'm not a big person on stats and lately i've been doing a lot more reading on players and what not but probably wouldn't be able to have a decent conversation with anyone here about … anyone in the NFL.
anyway, I really enjoyed reading this post and it gave me a basis of what to look for when building a franchise team. before i just sorta looked for the big names hehe… but now we'll see what i can do now that i have a little more knowledge of the game.
So, again, thanks for this article. It was awesome.
Glad you found it valuable Mike, that's why we do all this. We not only want to give you all the latest PS3 news and reviews, but we want to share our own personal knowledge so that you can maximize your gaming fun. Good stuff. Hope to see you back at ZKG.
Now I'm no genius when it comes to Madden, but I feel that I do a pretty good job of turning teams around. I enjoy taking teams that have a history of losing and turning them around. Here's a couple things I learned that work for me, they might not work for you but here it is. First things first assess your roster and find positions that need immediate attention. With most of the losing teams, this is oftentimes a bad match up with QB and receivers or HB and OL. It's also important to look at how these players fit in with your personal play style. As a West Coast offense playcaller, I like quarterbacks that are accurate and smart, but that doesn't mean they have to be superstars. I've had success with Kellen Clemons, Matt Brandstater and Graham Harrell (coming off the bench for Matthew Stafford). None of these guys (except Stafford for the Lions) have cannon arms, so the deep ball is usually out of the question. This is why I like my receivers to be great route runners rather than raw talent. If you can't fool a corner with your route running, you can't get away with a short passing attack. (Devon Bess, Austin Collie and Miles Austin do wonders as a number 2 receiver). The running game in this game is where I struggle, (Unless I'm using the Falcons, you can't really stop Michael Turner). But I find that having running backs who can push your line forward more often than not get the job done. (Don't be fooled by the super speedy backs, the OL in Madden is terrible and more often than not your tiny little back is going to be having to run through a DE or LB right when he gets the ball…) On to the defense, I run a 3-4, and the most important part of my defense are the linebackers. I've had great success with Seth Bradley in the middle (get him from the Eagles he's worth it). Ernie Sims, Paul Kruger, Mike Peterson and surprisingly Jarvis Moss (he's a solid backup and a heads up player, he can start for a couple seasons too) work well on the outside. I always draft my corners, but take Fabian Washington when you have the chance, he's oftentimes your only hope of preventing the super fast players from scoring every time they break one off, and he isn't that bad at man coverage either. Finally, I love good safeties, That last line is so important especially when you run man coverage. William Moore (Atlanta) is one of the best hard hitters in my opinion, and not to shabby in the deep zone. Other good safeties that won't break the bank are Louis Delmas, Jim Leonhard (get him early for a three year contract he declines fast after that) Ronde Barber makes for a good safety if you change his position (if he stays healthy), and remember that if you're having trouble finding one, a veteran corner who is already on your roster is cheaper and sometimes more effective than trying to find one at the last minute. Oh and for special teams, you can't score on kickoff returns if you don't have good blockers, make sure your second return man is a fast FB or HB who can help you get that one cut and go. Good article, I saw some things in here that I hadn't thought of before, thanks for the article
i usualy sign veterans and trade them away there last year of contract. i also like a hard core d with richard seymour,rober mathis ,patrick willis .i also like cb can u tell me the best future cb in madden 09.
Two questions:
1.What difficulty do you play on? and
2.Do you import Draft classes?
I normally play on All Pro and no I don’t believe in importing draft classes because I think it takes away from the realism of the game for me, but I know lots of folks that do it.
Thanks. As far as franchise mode, there are no mini-games and the game uses a progression system during the season and you will start to see that in the player management screen as the season goes by based on how players perform. This was also one of the first times I have seen young players who were on the bench and didn't really play a lot decline based on that and not just because they were old. They said that this year will see players progress a lot while they are younger and then decline as they get older. Good question, check out our Madden 10 Franchise Central and stay checking the site to find out how you or someone you know could win a FREE copy of Madden NFL 10 for the PS3. Join the site to increase your chances of winning, we will release more details soon.