The “Y” button on my Xbox 360 controller makes a horrible squeaking noise, as if Ndamukong Suh had squashed it like Jay Cutler.

For anyone who has logged any significant amount of time playing Madden 12's revamped franchise mode, they probably have a similar controller-busting story of navigating the muddled menus the mode has to offer.

That poor Y button — the good ol’ “triangle” for you PS3 users — is getting a lot of work these days. The poor menu system is one of the most popular gripes on forums filled with Madden fans willing to vent their views on the game.

It has me asking 'Why?'

But don’t fret, there are ways to mitigate the muddled mess of the franchise menus.

Be patient and practice

When you first launch a franchise, you’ll immediately notice a difference from previous Madden offerings. Presented in front of you will be a screen featuring your game of the week and an option to hit the start button to play or simulate the game. If you want to explore the other options, you must press that dreadful Y button for the first, but sadly not the last, time

The Y button is actually similar to interfaces used in other games, namely the MLB 2K series. In that game, you have to give a flick of the left stick to call up sub-menus. It’s the same in Madden, only the Y button serves that purpose.

Once you press the Y button, six menu tabs appear representing a certain front office or coaching task you can complete. At first, it will seem very cumbersome to navigate all these menus, but over time it will become much more intuitive. Remember that the trigger buttons are your friends, allowing you to easily go from tab to tab on the menu.

Have a plan

As you practice navigating the menus, you will get a better understanding of where things are, thus saving time that can be better spent flattening opponents in your franchise.

There are certain menus that can be avoided all together. Knowing which ones to avoid and which ones are a must is very important because of the way Madden has structured the menu system.

The reason you want to delve into the sub-menus as little as possible is simple: that’s less time you will have to spend backing out to the match-up screen and having to press the Y button to get back.

The News: There is really no reason you would want to click on anything in this menu. All that can be accomplished by entering this menu is getting a list of transactions per team. Avoid this one completely.

The Team: Player Management and Depth Chart are the only menus you should be entering. With these two menus, you can view and adjust your rosters. Just by clicking on a player, you can trade him, release him, put him on the trade block and edit him. Avoid everything else. 

Player Management should be where you spend most of your time. You can jump off to many different menus from this starting point. There is no need to seek them out elsewhere.

It is important to know what you are doing, because you must hit the Y button to exit the menu. The more useless menus you enter, the more you'll have to use the Y button.

The Coach: Like The News, this tab can largely be avoided. Scratch it off your menu destination list.

Everything in this tab can be set during a game, like offensive and defensive audibles and auto-subs.

You most likely set your auto-subs elsewhere before you started your franchise, and the only reason to change coaching scheme is if you simulate your games or control all 32 teams in your franchise.

For the most part, you can pretend this tab never existed.

The NFL: Use Free Agents, avoid everything else.

This is the crux of most complaints about the menu system. Free Agents and Trade Block should be lumped in with The Team. To have them separated is a waste of space and time.

Trade block can be accessed through the player management tab, making the use of this menu worthless.

If you want to sign a free agent, though, you have to do it here. Make sure you know what you are looking for and have the roster space to accommodate him. 

The Details and The Settings: Avoid it like an angry Brian Urlacher.

Unless you are a history buff, or want to see how many yards your stud running back needs to break the all-time career rushing mark, there is no need to enter The Details.

The Settings can be largely avoided as well since most were preset when you started the franchise. To save a game, simply use the quick-save feature.

Basically there are only two tabs you need to use extensively: The Team and The NFL. This is where you should spend most of your time.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Let's be honest, there are much bigger issues with the franchise mode that should draw the bulk of your ire. So sit down, and be prepared to use that Y button often. Cutler needs a few more virtual beatings.