***MANDATORY CHECK-IN: 2013 Week 9 is open! Deadline Wednesday 10/2/13 @ Midnight EST***

Josh, this practice should not be done in our league games regardless of mismatch or play call. Everyone should allow the defense to set and make adjustments. Even during hurry up situations I will allow time for the defense to set. It is an aspect of the game that we cannot control, so we do so by requiring the offense to allow time for the defense to make its adjustments. The only time the ball should be snapped quickly is if the play clock is down to zero.

At work and will definitely add my thoughts when I'm home and have time to put thought into this in addition to the "Read and Understood" policy..but just now for reference: Read and Understood

I'll add my $.02 a little later guys, just know I read the thread and will honor your request for a little thought put into this when I don't have my work piled high.

Read!!!!!
I know I have been a culprit of quick snapping before and I have tried to watch that most of the game, but I am sure I have done it a few times during games, I am still working on it, I get excited lol.

Also been working on throwing to WR's more. And I feel liek I have been doing a good job of it lately.

I might have been hit with the injury bug more then anyone else this season and it sucks but it is what it is. I know injuries happen all the time in the NFL but when all my best players are getting hurt its hard to take lol. But that also what makes this game fun, seeing some of my rookies come in and help me win is fun to see.

Sportsmanship has been great with everyone I have played. Have gotten good games from everyone and its been good! This league is great with it I feel like.

As for defensive player movement I think my last game with CHUNKNESS I did it once or twice and didn't even realize til I read this thread and I remembered I did it, I would like to apologize for that and it won't happen anymore.

*****If I ever do anything wrong in the game please tell me, I would like to make my game as sim as possible and criticism helps.

Thanks for this great league guys and all the work you put into it!!

Read and agreed.

I never quick snap and dont like it when its done to me lol. I think it was 2 or so versions ago, there would be plays where, depending on the defense called, the slot CB would NOT be lined up with the slot WR and you would have to audible to man coverage or something like that. Thankfully, Im pretty sure that was done away with last year as now they always line up no matter the coverage. Though sometimes, I have come out in a 3 WR set and the opponent comes out in a standard 3-4 and the OLB isnt quite lined up with the slot WR. I would hope that no one would try to just do a quick hit to that WR or quick snap and throw without letting the defense adjust.

I also had to check, even though I was pretty sure Andre Johnson was leading my team in receiving, but I have to just say that it is incredibly frustrating to literally see tight man to man coverage called every single play, save for 1 or 2 token zone coverage plays, and because of that it is much harder to get the ball to your top 2 WRs. And sure there are man beaters, but who wants to just rely on those same few routes all game? I also see that my TEs all have a lot of catches/yards, as well as my HBs, and honestly I was surprised that a WR was my leading receiver due to how hard it is to get the ball to them with all the man coverage. Sorry its just frustrating and takes the fun away from the game to me.

Yes, you did, but it wasn't the reason why I lost the game. The fact that you are open and understanding to it is a huge step in self-correction. Thx.

Read and understand. I really don't have too much to say on this. My only interest in Madden is the league play I very rarely play the CPU. As far as changes to the clipping slider I witnessed the glitch in my game with Doug...had I known of this issue I would have declined the penalty. I'm a man who likes to play with default settings so I stay out of slider discussions. Quick snapping isn't an issue for me as I like to watch the defense make their adjustments before making mine. As for player movement the only thing I do is make line adjustments and shifts rather than manual movement. I'm enjoying this league even with my 1-7 record and am looking forward to future seasons.

i agree to all of this. i currently have had only 1 concern from 1 owner who made me aware that i was snapping fairly quickly, to all of you, this owner did it correcty for me.

IF you play me and you feel in snapping too quickly let me know as soon as possible, i WILL slow down, at times i seem to just go on autopilot mode when setting my routes and once i do i usually snap the ball. i figure if i had time to set routes, read the D and snap the ball the defense had time to hot read a few players,. not always the case, and i want a fair game, so let me know and i will correct. its already on my mind when i play.

as for that i feel all is on point. just time to get out of the cellar and win some games

Sorry for the late reply. Have had family over today and couldn't get time to reply until now. I am both new to the league and fairly new at playing madden and hve a long way to go to even try to match the skills that most of you possess in playing the game. My purpose for joining a league was to get into a great league (and I am 100 percent sure this is the best one out there) to play with others who want and deserve a sim game experience, and to improve as a madden player. I have been very frustrated and the learning curve has been difficult and the challenges remain huge but I value my membership here. In reading this thread I can say and own that some areas of in here applies to me. I am guilty of the quick snap. It has been brought to my attention by another member and I have been working on deliberately counting 1001,1002, 1003, 1004 before snapping the ball. I am working to overcome the desire out of frustration mainly to get to the line and try to make a play . I will continue to work on this area, and the area of voicing my frustration on aim during play. Not messaging that anyone is violating a rule or trying to argue a point , but to vent my frustrations with myself and my game play on the aim. I will stop doing this . I apologize to a couple of fellow league members that have watched me vent on aim during a game. It wiill not happen again.
I am not in the league to make enemies . I always strive to give 100 percent in all that I do and when things are not going like I expect they should I get frustrated.
Please accept my apologies for these two areas that I am clearly guilty of.

As far as the other areas of concern Jim wrote about earlier I have also been hit by numerous big returns called back by the clipping penalty. I am happy to see that the league has disabled this slider. That penalty always seems to really hurt a team.

I do look to my primary receivers first but although they both have at least 90 release they are always covered up and my only options are to take a sack or what I usually do is unload the ball to a primary receiver and pray they catch the darn thing . But it is almost always the defender who makes a great catch of the rock. My QB's are not gifted in the running area so a run is almost always out. So I do throw some to my RB's and look for the TE to see if he has a mismatch advantage. I am almost 100 percent sure that my 2 primary WR have the most lucky grabs on my pathetic team.

I have always posted in the scheduling forums and been on top of that since week 1 except for one week where my opponent beat me to it. I value good communication and feel it is imperative to success with the league .

As far as manual player movement I wish I had time to figure out what defender I want to control to make a manual adjustment for. The game hasnt really slowed down for me enough yet.
Injuries- i have had a couple of minor ones , but depth is part of football and I think the injury setting should be left alone.
In game complaints_ I addressed this area earlier.

I have had no issues with sportsmanship and respect directly from anyone . I make it a point to at least give a GG after the game is over and may expand the post game comments a bit after I get a little more comfortable with my gameplay.

I want to take this last bit of time here to thank each of you that have offered encouragement, gameplay tips, and understanding towards me. I want to thank Jim for the numerous hours he puts into making the league fantastic.
I want to thank all the other owners here who strive to do their part to see the league stay strong and the time they put into the creative articles, polls that make this league interesting and vibrant. I am thankful to have have stumbled across a diamond in the rough in the "Q" and want to strive to be here for a long time to come.

I read and understand.

I have been here a long time and regardless of tenure, we all need refreshers once in awhile.

I will give my opponent time before the snap because I do do some adjusting on defense and it can be frustrating when I haven't even had time to select my appropriate defensive player to control. I've seen it and it was addressed and corrected. I don't mind open dialogue via YIM. What I hate is the he said he said bullshit that can occur. I haven't seen that in sometime, so hopefully that trend continues. If you keep it respectful, an open dialogue is always appreciated.

Also, I've seen some snarky jabs in game summaries about mixing up gameplay. The subtle, not so obvious varieties. if you don't know back history, you would completely breeze over it. Not calling anyone out but I have seen it and really don't think it belongs here. If your doing it, please stop.

Just recently I started seeing the clipping penalty. It hasn't affected any outcomes for me yet, so I have no opinion other than what is best for the league is best for me.

Injuries. I like where they are. Big name players do get hurt. Some NFL teams get devastated yearly with the injury bug. Not saying Alex Smith is great, but he is lost for 5 games and it gives me an opportunity to see what the younger guys have on my team. Next man up.

Great post LtJustice . I was unaware of the clipping issue, but glad it has been fixed. All the games I have played so far have gone great and I have seen nothing but sim play from everyone. I am really enjoying this league and look forward to each and every week. The main thing that you mentioned that I know I can work on is targeting my primary receivers more often. My TE has definitely got a lot of receptions this year, and I will make a conscious effort to balance my passing game more.

I appreciate your honesty and your drive Steve! Hit me up anytime if you want to scrimmage and/or discuss how each of us can improve!

Well said, Troy, well said.

Thank you Jim, for the very detailed, well thought out, well written, and well formatted league post. What a great time of the season to refresh some finer points of "league life".

• QUICK SNAPPING - I always wait until I see the defense set before I hike the ball, old hat, just always do it. I think it is a great idea to keep the rule fresh in peoples mind.

• PRIMARY RECEIVERS - I think people should definitely be targeting their WR's at a much higher clip then your RB's or TE's...spread the ball around I always say...and if you are consistently finding your TE as your receiver with the most catches in games...I'd say an adjustment is needed.

• SCHEDULING IN THE FORUMS - A post/contact should be made at a minimum the day the league advances, I always say that you should be proactive and post a thread a day before the game advances. We have owners from all over, different life situations, different time zones, and different ugly faces...life is hectic...it doesn't need to be made more hectic by people who can't honor he scheduling guidelines and schedule games accordingly.

• MANUAL PLAYER MOVEMENT (DEFENSE): INJURIES - I played many years in a league where you could manually move the player you were controlling only. I never was the type to move a Safety to the line, but would occasionally move the safety to shade a WR, or an open part of the coverage/field. I still may have a lingering lapse every now and then, but for the most part I control the MLB or S and don't really move much from the spot they line up at.

• IN-GAME COMPLAINTS - I usually have YIM up next to me and I don't mind direct feedback. What I do mind is someone who makes a rash accusation without cause...just b/c they are frustrated or losing.

• SPORTSMANSHIP AND RESPECT - GG always follows a game...and that's why this league exists...so we can get together and play some good games.

Required Recaps for the week:

ATL / CAR
BAL / CIN
IND / HOU
CHI / GB


MrWitness36 ncsu12ddr
Josh Barnes CTfromDC
thafuture3886 saintsdave75
LLCoolGrey CSteud

I have read and realized I've been moving my Safety more than 1 step. I have avoided bringing him down to LB depth but I will move him out depending on what I see my opponent doing. As of right now, I haven't seen this as giving me any kind of advantage but, I will limit my safety movement from this point forward.
I haven't seen the quick snapping. On the contrary, I have experienced an opponent taking the clock under :10. I did mention something during the game but, it was during a pause, so it didn't interfere with the game flow.
I don't think I've had an issue with scheduling.
The clipping penalties were out of control.
Injuries are a part of the game so, it's time to spend some XP on toughness.
Thanks for bringing these items to our attention, Jim. Keep up the great work. It has been a smooth transition...

Agreed on the quick snapping. I have not had a issue myself, but I'm not sure if anyone felt I was quick snapping myself. I sure hope not. I usually let the defense get set anywhere between 3-5 seconds. It's common practice and sometimes I take even longer as I evaluate the D. However, I do like to hustle up to the line. I don't do this to take advantage (as I mentioned, I take my time at the line) but rather to speed up the pace of the game with the limited time we have. I definitely don't like to milk the clock. Having 1 or 2 drives per half sort of sucks.

Well, I for one am having a whale of time hitting some of the Wide Receivers. I understand the Jets have a pretty crappy WR group to throw to, but with the velcro tight man coverage (varies) to the none existent deep ball, defenses are able to squat on uderneath routes and bracket outside WRs at will. It does prove to be a tough challenge just to move the ball through the air. Again though, I also have a rookie QB. I'm sure someone who has a seasoned QB won't find it as challenging to fit the ball in tight spaces.

I usually opt to schedule on the boards immediately following the advance, unless I know my opponent very well and of course we schedule immediately and get the game out of the way early. While we're on topic, Kris and I played last night.

I'm guilty for moving my safety a hair left or right at times. Usually I do it to cheat in a direction I either anticipate the run going, or to compensate for a play call that I made. It's always within the player movement parameters. I have no problem with this rule.

This one gets me. I've had 7 QB injuries this year. Geno Smith: 4, Mark Sanchez: 3. My starter right now is Matt Simms, again. That just a little crazy for me. I'm not getting hammered on read option or anything (except 1 of the injuries). My guys either drop back and get sacked/injured, or the get injured scrambling away from pressure.

As LtJustice poked fun at a few days ago, I feel I need to get these guys the "suit of armor" upgrade.

I'm not a fan. Unless the issue is flagrant, I'd refrain from it at all costs. Some of us are "hot-heads" and get a little caught up in the heat of the battle. So before you hit the PSN button and send a fiery message to your opponent, ask yourself are you really bothered by your opponent because they are not following the rules, or are you not able to stop them.

Sometimes in the moment, it's hard to tell the difference. Refraining from sending the message and giving yourself a post-game cooldown can really help bring some clarity to the situation, which at that time you can act on if you're still upset. Just my thoughts on the matter.

GG should be standard practice, regardless of how you feel post-game. We're all here to have fun. If it's not fun and you can't even say good game, no point in being here.

Personally, I never want to discredit, or disrespect an opponent of mine. We all fight hard in these games, so give credit when it's due and avoid telling your opponent that they only won because of a mistake you made or because you had an awful game. You may not think much of it, but it basically discredits your opponents efforts and IMO is pretty disrespectful.

BTW, I've had no one do this to me. I'm not speaking from personal experience (this year) but I know how annoying it could be when it does happen. At that time, it's better just not to say anything to avoid damaging any relationship you have built.

Now a few other issues that I see were raised that I didn't touch on:

Clipping on Kickoffs: Out of control. I see them very often, pretty much on any KO that is returned more than 30 yards. BTW, the kickoff coverage is much better in the CFM. So that's good.

Deep Ball Passing: Unfortunately, it's nothing the sliders can fix. This one is on EA, and I think most will agree that unless there is a blown coverage, you have a very good chance of throwing an INT on the deep ball. Kris learned that the hard way last night, as he had my CB beat (severely underthrown by Brees + super recovery by Milliner) and it ended up being picked to seal the game. The win feels a little dirty.

Sorry for my late reply... READ AND UNDERSTOOD, Also I agree with all the changes, specially the clipping change.

QUICK SNAPPING (mentioned before, but worth noting again): There have been a lot of reports of "Quick Snapping" on offense throughout the first half of our season. Please everyone make sure that you are giving the defense adequate time to set and make adjustments. You SHOULD NOT be regularly snapping the ball the moment (or a heartbeat after) your offense has set. Now this doesn't mean the defense should expect all the time in the world to make adjustments. If on defense you keep getting caught in pre-play adjustments, perhaps you need to simplify your adjustments.

I could be wrong, but im do give enough time for the defense to get set even on hurry up situations, now on the flip side i have played a couple of games where my opponent (dont remember what teams though) took a long time to pick a play and snap the ball, they almost always took the play clock down to like 5 or 7 sec. I felt like i had to say something during the game rather than waiting to the end of the game. The problem was corrected and we played on. Of course i lost the game...

PRIMARY RECEIVERS (mentioned before, but worth noting again): We have seen a significant amount of teams utilizing their tight ends and backs as their primary receiving targets in the passing game. While there is nothing wrong with utilizing these players/positions, all teams should be targeting their primary receiver(s) at least an equal (if not a majority) of the time. That's not to say that there won't be games here and there where you take what the defense gives you, but that should be the exception and not the norm

Like someone mentioned before the primary receivers seem to be cover all the time, however, that obviously has not stop me from trying to force the ball into my play-makers on the outside, which has resulted in lots and lots of INTS. Im in the process of trying more short passes and running the ball a lot more. I just wish something could be done to beat man to man on the outside.

SCHEDULING IN THE FORUMS: I want to be perfectly clear here; scheduling AND COMMUNICATION is not just expected, it is REQUIRED! Going forward, we will require a scheduling thread for ALL GAMES with communication from BOTH OWNERSinvolved, to be posted within 24 hours of the opening of the week in the forums (the only exception would be if the game is actually played within that time period). Even if it is to update everyone that a game time has been set already, create the thread! A good habit we can all get into is being proactive with the scheduling forum and look ahead to the coming week. I know we all have busy lives, heck I am much busier than I used to be, but please be respectful when working with your opponent to schedule a game. Nothing is worse than when one person wants to nail down a time and the other is being flaky about it.

I agree with this 100% i always post in the scheduling forum, and i think its the best way to schedule the games.

MANUAL PLAYER MOVEMENT (DEFENSE): Reminder; you are only able to manually move ONE defender pre-snap. If you do manually move a defender, you MUST maintain control of that defender until the ball is snapped. If you manually move a safety, you may only take one step forward or back. You may NOT manually move a safety to LB depth.

I have to admit that i have been guilty of moving from time to time my FS or SS to around where the LBs are. Specially if they are match up with the TEs or RB cuz of a blitz. I will keep and eye out for this, and i will make sure that i leave them where they are.

INJURIES: There have been numerous inquiries about the injuries in the league. The injury slider has never changed (52) and we do not anticipate it changing in the future. The fact that injuries have an impact on the league is intended and welcomed. We feel it adds to the realism of the league. Frankly if you compare our injury list to the real NFL's, we are not even close to what you see in real life.

I would be lying if i said that i would not want injuries to be lower a bit, i have my starting CB and MLB which are both studs out for over 6 weeks each. However, i understand that in the game there are variables and this is one of them. We all need to adjust to injuries in one way or another, the same way NFL teams have to.

SPORTSMANSHIP AND RESPECT: All owners in The Q are expected to show good sportsmanship and respect to fellow owners at all times. This includes during direct communications, in games, and in the forums. While talking smack and having fun is a big part of what we do, know where to draw the line. There is sometimes a fine line between playful smack talk and being downright disrespectful. Please realize that if you just handed an opponent a tough loss, he may not appreciate you calling his QB a sack of shit in your recap . I will caution as well, the quickest way to punch your ticket out of The Q is to disrespect a member of management who is addressing a concern with you. THAT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

I believe this is the most important part of the league... SPORTSMANSHIP AND RESPECT without it we are nothing... by showing sportsmanship and respect is the only way u can build relationships that can last for years (like some of us have here). Win or lose i always do my best to go above and beyond to make sure that my opponent enjoys the time he spends playing me.

YES!

If everyone seems to wait x amount of time before snapping the ball then why would Jim bring it up as a point we need to correct? I'm sure it's not done on purpose but we can at least be truthful and admit we may have done it before.

I think waiting 2-3 seconds should be sufficient. If you need anything more than that and you're basically changing the entire play that you called out of the huddle.

Just my .02

Thanks Heath. But, AT LEAST 2 ADJUSTMENTS? Just be careful with making adjustments. It's everyone's right to audible and hot-route, but you shouldn't be up there redesigning every play on the fly. If you need to call more than one hot route, perhaps you should consider calling a timeout and selecting a new play or an audible to a completely different play. If play calling late in a game is an issue, perhaps you can work on getting more familiar with your playbook. You may be relying on the same plays too much in general.

Just know, it's not about catching your opponent in a "gotcha". Give them a courtesy reminder, or even wait until after the game to mention it if possible.

Keep it to one shuffle Heath

Agreed 100%! Thanks Doug.

^^ THIS! ^^

If there is an issue with your opponents gameplay, don't be Mr. Passive-Aggressive about it. Bring it to their attention so you can squash it, or bring it to my attention. I agree 100% with what Troy said, enough with the snarky jabs!

Yes sir, that includes Blocking assignments with OLine.
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Will Do!
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I can do that. Like I said not sure I even do it. I don't want to take any risk in this league to get into trouble.

Just so we're clear. I have no problem with changing the line's blocking assignments, I do this regularly myself. But you said "AT LEAST 2" adjustments. That would mean at least one hot route on EVERY play? If that's the case, I would consider that to be excessive.

I don't want you to think I am picking on you, just trying to give/receive clarification.