madden '09 official game guide - excerpt

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Learn how to strategize like the experts! Written by tournament competitors, the Madden NFL 09 official game guide features key offensive and defensive plays, roster and package tips and scouting reports on every team. Also includes hints for EA Sports BackTrack, Formation Audibles, Virtual Trainer, and lots more.http://www.primagames.com/features/ea-sports

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Page 1: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt
Page 2: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

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Division AFC East Stadium Dolphin Stadium Type Open Capacity 74,916 Surface Grass Stadium Dolphin Stadium Type Open Capacity 74,916 Surface Grass

MIAMI DOLPHINSWins Loses Ties PF PA Home Road vs. AFC vs. NFC vs. Div

1 15 0 267 437 1-7 0-8 1-11 0-4 0-6

Wins

1

vs. Div

0-6

Miami has been going down since they lost Ricky Williams a few years ago. Many coaching changes and aging play-ers have hurt the Dolphins. Now that they have Parcells in charge, things are looking up. He has always left teams in a better position than they were before he got

there. He gets the most out of players and has an excellent eye for talent. The Dolphins were almost dead last in every single category on both sides of the ball. They did play the pass well by only giving up 188 yards in the air. The main problem was the weak offense. They only scored

16 points a game, which was 26th in the league. They averaged 189 yards in the air and 98 yards on the ground. In order to improve the defense, they need to be able to sustain drives to allow the defense to rest.

TEAM OVERVIEW

OFF-SEASON UPGRADES

TYPE ROUND FIRST NAME LAST NAME SCHOOL/TEAM POSITION

Trade N/A Jason Ferguson Cowboys NT

Free Agent N/A Josh McCown Raiders QB

Free Agent N/A Randy Starks Titans DT

Draft 1 Jake Long Michigan T

Draft 2 Phillip Merling Clemson DE

OFF-SEASON

TYPE

Trade

Free Agent

Free Agent

Draft

Draft

FRANCHISE MODE STRATEGYThe Dolphins have multiple young QBs, but a veteran back-up might be a good idea. Consider dealing Jason Taylor for numerous players and/or draft picks. You have a lot of work to do here.

KEY FRANCHISE INFORMATION

Cap Room: $15.92MKey Rivals:• Bills, Jets, PatriotsPhilosophy:• Offense: Run with Play Action• Defense: 3-4Highest Paid Players:• J. Long• J. TaylorTeam Weapons:• J. Taylor – Finesse Move D-Lineman• R. Brown – Power BackBest Young Players:• S. Satele

• J. Long

2007 STANDINGS

WEA

KNES

SES

SCOUTING REPORT

DESCRIPTION MAXIMIZING POTENTIAL TIPS FOR OPPONENTS

Ronnie Brown is a solid back that can be a handful when healthy.

Feed him the ball and use packages to move him around.

Play the run until they show you they can establish the pass.

Jason Taylor is a Hall of Fame defensive end that generates good pressure outside.

He can play linebacker as well as defensive end.

Make sure you send extra help to take him out and use slide protection.

The QB situation is awful. They were listed almost last in passing.

You need to run the ball to open up the pass.

Send pressure often to create turnovers. Make them show you they can pass.

The best defensive players they have are Taylor and Porter; exploit this weakness.

Use Taylor and Porter in pass rushing packages.

Run a well-balanced attack to keep them on their toes. They don’t have many playmakers.

SCOUTING

Run a well-balanced attack to keep

STRE

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THS

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OV ER A L L O F F ENSE D EF ENSE

TEAM

STRATEGYPRIMA OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE

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Position: FBSubstitution: Ricky WilliamsWhen: SituationalAdvantage: We guarantee that if you play in an online league game, someone will move Ricky Williams to fullback at some point. He still has enough in the tank to be an effective ball carrier, espe-cially when a fullback dive play is called.

Position: LESubstitution: Phillip MerlingWhen: GlobalAdvantage: The sub is made to give the Dolphins another pass rusher at the defensive end position. Matt Roth is better off being moved inside where he can push the pocket. Having Merling at LE gives the Dolphins a rock solid one-two punch.

Position: CBSubstitution: Andre’ GoodmanWhen: GlobalAdvantage: With a 93 speed rating, Andre’ Goodman is more than capable of covering most of the slot receivers in the game. That’s why we suggest moving him to the number 3 spot, so he can play nickelback and be on the fi eld more.

ROSTER AND PACKAGE TIPSKEY PLAYER SUBSTITUTIONS

67 64 68Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins have nowhere to go but up, and under the guidance of the Big Tuna, the fi sh won’t fl ounder as much in 2008.

Page 4: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

OFFENSIVE PLAYCOUNTS

Quick Pass: 23Standard Pass: 85Shotgun Pass: 58Play Action Pass: 63

Screen Pass: 12Hail Mary: 1Inside Handoff: 34Outside Handoff: 16

Pitch: 9Counter: 9Draw: 11

OFFENSIVE

OFFENSIVE

OFFENSIVE

■ OVR less than 80 ■ OVR 90 or greater■ OVR between 80-89

OFFENSIVE STRENGTH CHART OFFENSIVE FORMATIONS

MIAMI DOLPHINS OFFENSETE

AM

STR

ATEG

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This is the number one pick this season for the Dolphins. When you rebuild, you want to make sure you have a solid line. Jake Long was listed as one of the best coming out this season. He has great size, good movement, seals off well, and punishes pass rushers.

Brown is a decent back that has all of the tools needed for success in the NFL. Parcells loves big backs that run hard. Brown was having a good season until he got injured. He had 602 yards, 119 carries, and 4 touchdowns in 7 starts.

Ted was the fi rst round pick from last year that the team had great hopes for. He only had 420 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. He is the best wideout they have and he has plenty of upside. His speed and agility makes him a threat to score at any time.

Run Block Strength 95Run Block Footwork 88Pass Block Strength 92Pass Block Footwork 77

Speed 91Agility 91Trucking 94Elusiveness 84

Speed 98Catch 82Catch Traffi c 74Route Run 83

Player Weapon: Crushing Run Blocker

Player Weapon: Power Back

Player Weapon: Speed

#79 Jake Long Tackle (LT)

#23 Ronnie Brown Halfback (HB)

#19 Ted Ginn Wide Receiver (WR)

GunWkDoublesDoubles WkEmpty TreySplit SlotY-Trips

I-FormProPro TwinsTightTight Pair

SinglebackAceAce PairBunchDoublesF WingSpread FlexY-Trips

StrongProPro Twins

WeakProSlotTight Pair

Singleback I-Form I-Form Gun Gun

HB Slam Quick Slants Power O Strong Flood Smash

OFFENSIVE

Singleback

HB Slam

RECOMMENDED OFFENSIVE AUDIBLE PACKAGES

2-BACK SET

3 RECEIVER SET

WR # 19

WR # 82

OL # 79

OL # 65

OL # 64

QB # 4

HB # 23

OL # 76

OL # 72

WR # 81

WR # 18

WR # 19

OL # 79

OL # 65

OL # 64

QB # 4

FB # 45

HB # 23

OL # 76

OL # 72

TE # 82

WR # 18

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Sometimes the best way to attack zone coverage is by trying to stretch it to the limit. The Spread Flex Ins N Outs gives the offense a way to attack zone coverage.

Attack the defense with plays that will always give the offense an advan-tage. The WR Corner uses routes that attack the defense in multiple areas and are sure to get open.

Ginn is already fast enough to beat defenders by himself, but by working off other routes he is more effective.

Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins is a good running back. Use the Power O and the auto motion in it, to help him shred the defense for big yards.

The safety and linebacker both drop to the middle of the fi eld, let-ting the quarterback know to attack the seam.

At the snap both tight ends run up fi eld to move the linebackers out of the way so that the fl anker can run underneath.

The backside guard will pull around the right side to add some blocking. Brown also has the FB as a blocker.

The slot receiver has a lot of room to roam because of the way the safety and linebacker dropped into coverage.

With the void that the tight ends cre-ated by running off the linebackers, Ginn is wide open.

Brown has the ball with room to breathe. Now he has to set up his blocks to get the maximum gain.

The quarterback puts the ball perfectly on the spot and gives him a chance to pick up yards after the catch.

Brown picks up the block from the fullback and then has all the running room he needs down the sideline.

SHORT INS N OUTS

WR CORNER

POWER O

SINGLEBACK F WING

SINGLEBACK SPREAD FLEX

GUN ACE PAIR WK

OFFENSE KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYSTEA

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Page 6: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

DEFENSIVE PLAYCOUNTS

■ OVR less than 80 ■ OVR 90 or greater■ OVR between 80-89

DEFENSIVE STRENGTH CHART DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS

DEFENSE

4-3NormalOverUnder

DimeFlatNormal

DollarNormal

Nickel3-3-5NormalNickelStrong

QuarterCombo

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Taylor is the face of Miami, and one of the best pass rushers in the league. He had a great season (his 12th). He had 56 tackles, 11 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 interception, and hasn’t missed a start since 1999.

Joey was once one of the best OLBs in the game. Injuries and age have taken a toll on him, but he is still a great player. He had 65 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 interceptions. When he is healthy he can still bring it.

Holliday was brought in to help with the pass rush. Holliday didn’t have a great season last year, but he is still a useful pass rusher. He plays the run well, and can still get at the QB. He had only 2 sacks, 56 tackles, and one forced fumble.

Speed 85Strength 77Power Moves 75Finesse Moves 96

Speed 82Tackling 91Pursuit 92Play Recog. 80

Speed 63Strength 86Power Moves 86Finesse Moves 74

Player Weapon: Finesse Move D-Lineman

Player Weapons: Big Hitter, Brick Wall Defender

Player Weapon: None

#99 Jason Taylor Defensive End (RE)

#55 Joey Porter Linebacker (ROLB)

#91 Vonnie Holliday Defensive Tackle (DT)

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Man Coverage: 45Man Zone: 34Combo Coverage: 7

Cover 2 Zone: 14Cover 3 Zone: 26Deep Zone: 18

Man Blitz: 55Zone Blitz: 64Combo Blitz: 13

4-3 4-3 Nickel Dime Quarter

2 Man Under Fire Man Cover 3 Cover 2 Man Up 3 Deep

DEFENSIVE

Defensive Tackle (DT)

2 Man Under Man Up 3 Deep

RECOMMENDED DEFENSIVE AUDIBLE PACKAGES

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

4-3 BASE DEFENSE

DIME DEFENSE

CB # 22

CB # 29

RE # 99

FS # 32

LB # 52

DT # 91

DT # 95

SS # 37

LE # 97

CB # 21

CB # 25

CB # 22

LB # 55

RE # 99

FS # 32

LB # 52

DT # 91

DT # 95

SS # 37

LE # 97

LB # 53

CB # 25

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The 4-3 Under Slant Left is a good defense to call against play action because the defensive line is crash-ing towards the left side of the defensive line.

The Dolphins have to be creative with their blitz schemes because the defense as a whole is not very strong. A creative zone defense to call is Dime Normal Strike 2 Deep.

The quarterback is unable to get rid of the ball and the result is a date with the grass.

Zone Blitz schemes have been used to stop the run, such as the 4-3 Under Zone Blitz from the Dolphins defensive play.

The right end is generally left unblocked and goes straight after the quarterback if he doesn’t bite on the play fake.

This zone blitz sends the inside defensive backs in on blitzes from both sides of the fi eld.

Both the left outside linebacker and middle linebacker are sent in on a blitz.

The Jets quarterback tries to roll out after the fake and avoid being sacked.

In most cases, the quarterback won’t have much time to look deep down the fi eld.

The strong side defensive tackle will throw the offensive linemen’s block-ing off by dropping back in a zone.

The problem for the quarterback is the right end doesn’t bite on the play fake.

If the offense tries to run towards their side, one of them will be in position to make the tackle.

SLANT CRASH LEFT

STRIKE 2 DEEP

ZONE BLITZ

4-3 UNDER

4-3 UNDER

DIME NORMAL

DEFENSE KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYSTEA

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Page 8: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

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Division NFC West Stadium Candlestick Park Type Open Capacity 70,207 Surface Grass Stadium Candlestick Park Type Open Capacity 70,207 Surface Grass

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Wins Loses Ties PF PA Home Road vs. AFC vs. NFC vs. Div

5 11 0 219 364 3-5 2-6 1-3 4-8 3-3

Wins

5

vs. Div

3-3

The 49ers have a nice core of players, but are in the later part of rebuilding. They have made moves to improve the defense and have some great young players on the offensive side. The 49ers have hit the market to get key veteran

players to help bring some leadership into the locker room. Last season, they ranked 32nd in total points (13.7), and racked up 237 total yards a game, 143 in passing, and 92 rushing yards (placing them 27th in the league). Defensively,

they gave up 22.8 points per game (26th), 227 passing yards (22nd), and 118 on the ground (22nd ). They really need to improve on the defensive side and hope that they get more consistency from the quarterback spot.

TEAM OVERVIEW

OFF-SEASON UPGRADES

TYPE ROUND FIRST NAME LAST NAME SCHOOL/TEAM POSITION

Free Agent N/A Isaac Bruce Rams WR

Free Agent N/A DeShaun Foster Panthers RB

Free Agent N/A Bryant Johnson Cardinals WR

Draft 1 Kentwan Balmer North Carolina DT

Draft 2 Chilo Rachal USC G

OFF-SEASON

TYPE

Free Agent

Free Agent

Free Agent

Draft

Draft

FRANCHISE MODE STRATEGYThe 49ers have some good passing targets, but you might need to look for a QB if Alex Smith can’t get the job done. Start looking for some younger secondary players and get help at defensive tackle.

KEY FRANCHISE INFORMATION

Cap Room: $21.69MKey Rivals:• Cardinals, Rams, SeahawksPhilosophy:• Offense: Pass Heavy• Defense: 3-4Highest Paid Players:• N. Clements• A. SmithTeam Weapons:• A. Lee – Big Foot Kicker• P. Willis – Brick Wall DefenderBest Young Players:• P. Willis

• V. Davis

2007 STANDINGS

WEA

KNES

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SCOUTING REPORT

DESCRIPTION MAXIMIZING POTENTIAL TIPS FOR OPPONENTS

Frank Gore is your workhorse back, so make him the foundation of your scheme.

Feed him the ball as much as possible. Show him extra attention at all times. You must contain him.

Patrick Willis is a beast. He made 174 tackles, 4 sacks, and forced numerous turnovers.

Move him around through packages to generate pressure on the fi eld.

Stay out of this man’s way, and make sure you set your protection accordingly.

The quarterback situation is awful for the 49ers. This hurts Frank Gore’s running game.

Use big formations to get Davis involved in the passing attack.

Double Davis and play the run. Make them go elsewhere to move the ball.

The 49ers’ run defense is quite poor. They’re ranked 22nd in the NFL.

You need to use 4-3/46 types of formations to slow down the run.

Pound this defense until they can stop you. Then exploit the pass through play action.

SCOUTING SCOUTING

make sure you set your protection

Make them go elsewhere to move

STRE

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Page 9: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

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Frank Gore remains the primary engine in the 49ers offense in 2008, but if key youngsters like QB Alex Smith and TE Vernon Davis step up this year, the Niners can be competitive.

Position: WRSubstitution: Bryant JohnsonWhen: GlobalAdvantage: Bryant Johnson should be moved to the number 2 spot on the team’s depth chart for the following rea-son. He is faster, runs better pass routes, can jump higher, and is a few inches taller than Arnaz Battle.

Position: SlotSubstitution: Vernon DavisWhen: Passing SituationsAdvantage: One of the faster tight ends in the game, Vernon Davis is a match up nightmare for linebackers, safeties, and in most cases, nickelbacks. By putting him in the slot, he can be even more effective in the red zone.

Position: LGSubstitution: Chilo RachalWhen: GlobalAdvantage: If you plan on running a lot of plays that require the left guard pull-ing, then this move makes sense. Chilo Rachal has considerably more speed than starter Adam Snyder. If you make this move, be aware that Rachal is not a bet-ter run or pass blocker than Snyder.

ROSTER AND PACKAGE TIPSKEY PLAYER SUBSTITUTIONS

72 66 77

Page 10: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

OFFENSIVE PLAYCOUNTS

Quick Pass: 25Standard Pass: 86Shotgun Pass: 40Play Action Pass: 63

Screen Pass: 11Hail Mary: 1Inside Handoff: 29Outside Handoff: 16

Pitch: 7Counter: 12Draw: 10

■ OVR less than 80 ■ OVR 90 or greater■ OVR between 80-89

OFFENSIVE STRENGTH CHART OFFENSIVE FORMATIONS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS OFFENSETE

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Gore is one of the top ten running backs in the league. He’s the playmaker for this club, and a tough runner that breaks plenty of tackles and catches the ball well out of the backfi eld. All he needs is a passing attack to open lanes for him.

Issac Bruce has been a great wideout over his career. The 49ers needed help at wideout, and brought him in with Jackson and Davis to help with the passing attack. In this stage of his career he will be more of a possession wideout, but he remains a great route runner.

Davis has all of the tools to be a top shelf tight end. He has hands, speed, strength, and is a hand-ful in the seam. The main problem with him is that he has no one connecting with him. He is due for some help and this could be the season.

Speed 92Agility 93Trucking 92Elusiveness 88

Speed 87Catch 92Catch Traffi c 82Route Run 90

Speed 92Catch 84Run Block 53Pass Block 49

Player Weapon: Power Back

Player Weapon: Hands

Player Weapon: None

#21 Frank Gore Halfback (HB)

#80 Isaac Bruce Wide Receiver (WR)

#85 Vernon Davis Tight End (TE)

I-FormProTightTight Pair

Rifl eDoublesDoubles Y-SlotSnugs FlipSpread Flex WkY-Trips

SinglebackAceAce PairBunchDoublesF Wing

Snugs FlipSpread FlexTrey OpenY-Trips

SplitSlot

StrongProPro TwinsTight Pair

WeakProTight Pair

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

OFFENSIVE STAR PLAYERI-Form Singleback Strong Singleback Rifl e

HB Power O Slants HB Dive Short Ins N Outs Corner Strike

OFFENSIVE

I-Form

HB Power O Corner Strike

RECOMMENDED OFFENSIVE AUDIBLE PACKAGES

2-BACK SET

3 RECEIVER SET

WR # 82

WR # 83

OL # 74

OL # 68

OL # 66

QB # 11

HB # 21

OL # 64

OL # 75

TE # 85

WR # 80

WR # 82

OL # 74

OL # 68

OL # 66

QB # 11

FB # 44

HB # 21

OL # 64

OL # 75

TE # 85

WR # 80

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The F Weak Lead uses auto motion by the fullback to bring him inside as a lead blocker. You can run a strong inside attack with this play.

Split back sets scream West Coast Offense. This play has some really nice route combina-tions with a backside curl and a fl ood on the right.

We hit him with a pass and let him lower his shoulder on the secondary.

The PA X Clown has some tricky routes in it that can beat a variety of coverages. The double move route is especially nice.

As the line engages, we already can see that a hole will open up outside.

We really like to hit the angle route over the middle against man cover-age. This route is very tough for defenders to follow.

While the quarterback is faking the handoff you should already be looking at the coverage to see what comes open.

We have to hit the Sprint button to escape the defender shooting into the backfi eld.

As you can see, your fullback has eluded his defender and is running wide open over the middle.

We have time to wait for the deep cross to open up. Wait until the receiver fi nds a window in the zone.

Once we make our escape, we are off to the races down the sidelines.

We fi re a strike and our receiver goes up to grab the pass.

F WEAK LEAD

SLOT Z OUT

PA X CLOWN

RIFLE SNUGS FLIP

SINGLEBACK F WING

SPLIT SLOT

OFFENSE KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYSTEA

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Page 12: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

DEFENSIVE PLAYCOUNTS

■ OVR less than 80 ■ OVR 90 or greater■ OVR between 80-89

DEFENSIVE STRENGTH CHART DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS

DEFENSE

3-4NormalOverSolidStack

DimeNormal

DollarNormal

Nickel2-4-53-3-5Strong

QuarterCombo

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144

Patrick Willis had an outstanding season last year, in which he made 174 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He is a young animal that has a nose for the ball and is a decent pass rusher. Willis also covers well from sideline to sideline, and is the playmaker on the defensive side.

Clemens was brought in to fi ll the 49ers’ need for a shutdown corner. Nate is a tough corner that plays all top wideouts. If you caught the ball against him, you earned it. He had 92 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack, and 4 interceptions.

Smith is the best pass rusher they have on the line. He had 2 sacks last season, but he made 78 tackles. He’s a steady pass rusher that contains the run well and gives you a steady rush. He over-powers tackles to get pressure on quarterbacks and uses stunts.

Speed 91Tackling 96Pursuit 98Play Recog. 85

Speed 92Man Cover 92Zone Cover 85Press 92

Speed 75Strength 82Power Moves 88Finesse Moves 79

Player Weapon: Big Hitter, Brick Wall Defender

Player Weapon: Shutdown Corner, Press Coverage Corner

Player Weapon: None

#52 Patrick Willis Linebacker (MLB)

#22 Nate Clements Cornerback (CB)

#94 Justin Smith Defensive End (RE)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Man Coverage: 44Man Zone: 35Combo Coverage: 6

Cover 2 Zone: 20Cover 3 Zone: 16Deep Zone: 11

Man Blitz: 54Zone Blitz: 55Combo Blitz: 7

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER

DEFENSIVE STAR PLAYER3-4 3-4 Nickel Dime Quarter

2 Man Under Storm Brave 1 Cover 3 Cover 2 Man Up 3 Deep

DEFENSIVE

2 Man Under Man Up 3 Deep

RECOMMENDED DEFENSIVE AUDIBLE PACKAGES

3-4 BASE DEFENSE

DIME DEFENSE

CB # 27

CB # 3

RE # 94

FS # 26

LB # 52

DT # 93

DT # 92

SS # 32

LE # 90

CB # 36

CB # 22

CB # 22

LB # 95

RE # 94

FS # 26

LB # 53

LB # 52

DT # 92

SS # 32

LE # 90

LB # 99

CB # 27

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The Dollar Normal Lightning 0 is a high risk/high reward style of defense. You are bringing three additional blitzers with no safety help deep.

The purpose of this defense is to lock up the short areas of the fi eld. The linebackers and cornerbacks blanket the fi eld with two safeties helping out up top.

Zone coverage is beefed up in Madden NFL 09. The Niners linebacker steps in and picks off the pass.

The Stack set from the 3-4 forma-tion is one of the better run stoppers in the game. The stacked lineback-ers are protected from blockers and can get in to make plays.

As we come to the line of scrim-mage we see that the offense is in an empty set. This is tailor-made for our attacking defense.

After the snap, you can see that the fi eld is clogged up with defenders. There is nowhere for Leinart to go.

Already you can see our defensive end scrape off the line. The left tackle had to pick up our blitzing linebacker.

The QB has just set his feet and already the heat is coming right into his face. He can’t step up to throw.

The quarterback sees a possible opening and tries to thread the pass in to his receiver.

The running back gets the ball, but our defender has already gotten into the backfi eld.

Leinart tries to roll out, but is ham-mered by our defense. He lays the ball on the ground for a turnover.

We make an easy tackle and get a loss on the play courtesy of the OLB Fire Man.

LIGHTNING 0

COVER 2 SINK

OLB FIRE MAN

3-4 STACK

DOLLAR NORMAL

NICKEL 2-4-5

DEFENSE KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYSTEA

M STRATEGY

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Page 14: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames.com is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United States. Prima Games is an imprint of Random House, Inc.

© 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved. EA, EA SPORTS and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks orregistered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved.

© 2008 NFL Properties LLC.Team names/logos are trademarks of the teams indicated.All other NFL-related are of the National Football LeagueOffi cially Licensed Product of the NFL PLAYERSVisit www.NFLPLAYERS.comAll other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permis-sion from Electronic Arts Inc.

Senior Product Manager: Donato TicaAssociate Product Manager: John BrowningManufacturing: Suzanne GoodwinDigital Production Manager: Lex Scheuble

Special thanks to: Brent Coyle, Anthony Stevenson, Chris Erb, Lorraine Honrada, Daniel Davis, Anthony White and Michelle Manahan.

Please be advised that the ESRB Ratings icons, “EC,” “E,” “E10+,” “T,” “M,” “AO,” and “RP” are trademarks owned by the Entertainment Software Association, and may only be used with their permission and authority. For information regarding whether a product has been rated by the ESRB, please visit www.esrb.org. For permission to use the Ratings icons, please contact the ESA at esrblicenseinfo.com.

Important: Prima Games has made every effort to determine that the information contained in this book is accurate. However, the publisher makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the material in this book; nor does the publisher assume liability for damages, either incidental or consequen-tial, that may result from using the information in this book. The publisher cannot provide any additional information or support regarding gameplay, hints and strategies, or problems with hardware or software. Such ques-tions should be directed to the support numbers provided by the game and/or device manufacturers as set forth in their documentation. Some game tricks require precise timing and may require repeated attempts before the desired result is achieved.

ISBN: 9780-7615-5924-5

PRIMA Offi cial Game GuideAn Imprint of Random House, Inc.3000 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 100

Roseville, CA 95661

Written by Mojo Media and VG Sports

Editor: Joe Funk

Creative Director: Jason Hinman

Art Director: Daniel Tideman

VG SportsPresident: Bert Ingley

Staff Writers: Paul Gleason, Bernie Hayes and Ron Jackson

Page 15: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

PRIMA OFFICIAL GAME GUIDEwww.primagames.com

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CONTENTSWhat’s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Offensive Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Defensive Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Team Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Franchise Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248Online Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254Depth Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260Roster Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268Advanced Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

56 Chicago Bears 62 Cincinnati Bengals 68 Buffalo Bills 74 Denver Broncos 80 Cleveland Browns 86 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 92 Arizona Cardinals 98 San Diego Chargers 104 Kansas City Chiefs 110 Indianapolis Colts 116 Dallas Cowboys 122 Miami Dolphins 128 Philadelphia Eagles 134 Atlanta Falcons 140 San Francisco 49ers 146 New York Giants 152 Jacksonville Jaguars 158 New York Jets 164 Detroit Lions 170 Green Bay Packers 176 Carolina Panthers 182 New England Patriots 188 Oakland Raiders 194 St. Louis Rams 200 Baltimore Ravens 206 Washington Redskins 212 New Orleans Saints 218 Seattle Seahawks 224 Pittsburgh Steelers 230 Houston Texans 236 Tennessee Titans 242 Minnesota Vikings

Page 16: Madden '09 Official Game Guide - Excerpt

Private confessions, history,

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