Operation Sports is proud to present our interview with Jeremy Strauser, Supervising Producer of Madden 2004.

Operation Sports: Can you explain how the DB AI has been addressed?

Jeremy Strauser: There have been a number of significant improvements to DB AI. We’ve added a ton of new catch and swat animations that DB’s can use; we’ve made ratings more important to playing animations so that good DB’s outperform bad ones; we’ve worked with several NFL assistant coaches (as part of our new NFLCA license) on real-life secondary play and put that to work in the game; and we ‘ve made DB’s more aggressive towards playing the body if they can’t make a play on the ball.

Operation Sports: Will O Line stats be kept correctly this year?

Jeremy Strauser: If this is in reference to pancake blocks, yes.

Operation Sports: Will player weight have a more realistic effect in the game?

Jeremy Strauser: Weight plays a big part of all collisions and momentum in Madden and is more realistic that any other football games out there currently. Additions this year like “impact” blocks and tackles really demonstrate this well.

Operation Sports: Will weather have a bigger affect on the game? Will we see slipping and sliding if its raining/snowing or see balls sail off-target if it's windy and you try to throw?

Jeremy Strauser: The weather already plays an affect to a degree, there are more fumbles in the rain and snow, and wind affects the flight of the ball.

Operation Sports: Will there be some kind of home field advantage? As it is, home and away games feel the same minus the look.

Jeremy Strauser: There is to a degree, with the crowd noise and excitement level, but we don’t want player ratings to be affected. From talking to NFL players and coaches (and John Madden) that kind of stuff doesn’t affect them. Last year’s playoffs are a pretty good example of how little home-field means, and how much talent and game planning means.

Operation Sports: Will there be late hit penalties?

Jeremy Strauser: No, that really isn’t a part of the NFL that we’re looking to recreate.

Operation Sports: Will there be more pass interference calls?

Jeremy Strauser: This is subtle tuning thing, which we are working on, but yes if you interfere, you should expect to be flagged.

Operation Sports: Will there be accelerated clock for the console versions?

Jeremy Strauser: Yes, this is in.

Operation Sports: Is there going to be a separate button for QB slides and dives?

Jeremy Strauser: No, sorry, we just run out of buttons for everything we want to do. It is a tap vs. hold use on that button.

Operation Sports: Is the squib kick in the special teams playbook?

Jeremy Strauser: We’re looking into it, so hopefully yes.

Operation Sports: Will the CPU trade picks during the draft with other CPU controlled teams?

Jeremy Strauser: No, we haven’t added this.

Operation Sports: What work has been done to make the draft even more realistic?

Jeremy Strauser: Our franchise guys are actually working on that this week, they are tuning CPU draft logic extensively and have reworked how our rookies are rated, whether generated or imported from NCAA Football. Also they have tweaked it so that you might have some draft busts in the first round, or might find a diamond in the rough in later rounds, so you scouting will pay off.

Operation Sports: Can updated rosters be used online this year?

Jeremy Strauser: Yes, in fact you have to use the latest rosters in online games and you can save substitutions outside of the game.

Operation Sports: Can custom rosters, sliders and playbooks be used online?

Jeremy Strauser: No, the rosters need to be the same on both sides and besides this creates potentially massive imbalances in gameplay.

Operation Sports: Has there been any depth added to free agency, such as UFA and RFA, players not wanting to sign with your team all together, and players not wanting to sign because you already have a starter who is better at that position.

Jeremy Strauser: We’ve worked on the logic a bit, but know we don’t have restricted free agents.

Operation Sports: Will we be able to edit a player’s position?

Jeremy Strauser: No, other than looking for a way to cheat, there is really no reason to do this.

Operation Sports: How many new plays are in the game?

Jeremy Strauser: We have over 3000 total plays in the game now, the vast majority of which are new. This has been an amazing year for play books. The playbooks are based on real game films from NFL games from last season, as well as on info we received from all the assistant coaches that we met with.

New formations to look for on offense include the Trips Bunch, Full House, Jumbo T, Empty 4WR (4WR’s and a TE – tons of teams run that), Singleback 4WR variations, Singleback Big Variations, Strong I Twins, Shotgun Trips TE, and quite a few more. We even have Favre line up closer to center in their 2-back Shotgun.

On defense we added a 5-man front to 4-3 (4-3 Over), 3-3-5 Nickel, Nickel-Strong (close to 5 man front Nickel), and a Dime-Flat which has the outside DB’s and safeties lined up flat across from each other at about 12 yards deep. There is also a 3-Deep Quarter, a new 3-4 called “Pressure”, and a real 46 this year.

Operation Sports: Will there be Transition and Franchise Tags and will the NFL rules apply to them?

Jeremy Strauser: No, this is probably the lone aspect of the NFL salary system we don’t have, we’ve added real signing bonuses and cap penalties this year.

Operation Sports: Will there be a RFA Market and UFA Market?

Jeremy Strauser: Not exactly sure what you mean by this one. We don’t have restricted free agents, but there is indeed a market value on unrestricted free agents that is dynamically set and adjusts based on in-game signings.

Operation Sports: In the depth charts, will we be able to covert a DE into a LB or a WR to a TE?

Jeremy Strauser: No, but there aren’t extensive penalties to playing these guys in those positions.

Operation Sports: Will CPU Teams offer you trades even if you do not put someone on the trading block?

Jeremy Strauser: Trading block is all new feature this year, it is a great way to get intelligent offers for players you are willing to trade. The trading block allows for a lot of offers with many variables, but no CPU teams will not offer random trades out of the blue.

Operation Sports: Will we be able to sign players to contracts beyond 7years?

Jeremy Strauser: No, this is partially a limitation of the memory systems games, but in reality deals in the NFL beyond 7 years rarely ever make it to their full term either via renegotiation, being cut or nullified years.

Operation Sports: How will the signing Bonus work with the contracts?

Jeremy Strauser: Exactly like the NFL, the signing bonus comes out of your team balance sheet immediately, but the bonus itself is split out over the length of the contract for the cap value, and associated cap penalty.

Operation Sports: Are there Real life Assistant Coaches and will they be allowed to become a Head Coach?

Jeremy Strauser: Yes, we now have the NFL Coaches Association license, which gets us all the assistants in addition to head coaches. You can hire and fire coaching staffs including assistants or promoting assistants to head coaches. We also have certain retired players enter the coaching pool, so it is possible to have Jerry Rice as a head coach in future franchise years.

Operation Sports: Has the atmosphere / presentation been upgraded. Will there be a big difference between week 6 in the regular season and say the NFC championship? Will we see a change in the play by play talk from regular season to playoffs?

Jeremy Strauser: Yes, there has been extensive tuning with the crowd audio and play by play for big games and playoffs.

Operation Sports: Will there be a playoff statistics section?

Jeremy Strauser: No, sorry, good idea though.

Operation Sports: Is Field turf now in the game? Does it look different then regular turf or grass?

Jeremy Strauser: We have a new artificial grass like Field Turf, and yes it is different than grass or artificial turf.

Operation Sports: Can we edit a teams current uniforms or logo's? For example if the team wears black cleats but we want them to wear white can we edit it under equipment?

Jeremy Strauser: No, sorry this is a restriction of the NFL to maintain the look and integrity of their marks, we are unable to edit real NFL uniforms or logos.

Operation Sports: If your playing in the Texans stadium does the roof open or close?

Jeremy Strauser: Well it can’t open and close, but you can play in Reliant Stadium with the roof open or closed.

Operation Sports: Have the stadiums been redone this year to really capture the scope and size of a real NFL arena / stadium?

Jeremy Strauser: Our stadiums were reworked dramatically over the past two years to be the most accurate in any game out there. We sent people to each stadium to take photos, measurements, etc. So our walls are the right distance from the field and endzones, the tunnels are the right width, and the artwork on the walls is accurate. They look awesome.

Operation Sports: Will the Bears new stadium the "New Soldier Field" be in the game?

Jeremy Strauser: No, sorry, the owners of that stadium haven’t been willing to include the stadium like the other stadium owners. We have a generic stadium for Chicago.

Operation Sports: Will Madden support 720p and 1080i this year?

Jeremy Strauser: Assume you are asking on Xbox, no, but we do support 480p on Xbox and Gamecube.

Operation Sports: When will PC users be able to draft from our own NCAA game?

Jeremy Strauser: Sorry, we don’t have plans for an NCAA PC game right now.

Operation Sports: How will owner mode work, will you have a bank account, and will it cost money to move your team to a new city and stadium?

Jeremy Strauser: Not a bank account, more of a balance sheet, and yes everything costs money. Owner mode takes a few factors and weaves them together nicely: team success or wins/losses, fan support/attendance and profit/loss. Each factor influences the other and the goal is to not only win games, but make money and keep the fans happy and seats filled. An example is that you can sell more tickets at cheaper prices or attract more fans with cheap concessions,you’re your financial bottom line will suffer and you might not be able to pay that big signing bonus or hire the hot new offensive coordinator as your head coach. Owner mode really changes the whole dynamic of franchise mode and gives you complete control over all new aspects of the team.

Operation Sports: If you make yourself the coach in franchise mode as well as using the owner mode how does hiring your own coaching staff work?

Jeremy Strauser: Sorry, no created coaches in Owner Mode, with the huge numbers of coaches we have, we had to set some limitations.

Operation Sports: Will we will be able to edit classic teams?

Jeremy Strauser: Yes, we know people have wanted to do this, so we finally figured out a way to make it happen.

Operation Sports: Is there controller support on the menus for PC Madden or is it strictly mouse again?

Jeremy Strauser: No controller, but we do have full mouse control (including right click and wheel scroll) in PC menus.

Operation Sports: Did Al and John record their commentary Together this year?

Jeremy Strauser: No, we only recorded a small portion of there stuff together. Due to things like schedules, the fact that neither like to travel much and some other factors, we usually end up playing a tape of Al for John to respond to. Honestly it is hard to tell apart the commentary from when they were together to the taped stuff, it works really well.

Operation Sports: Will there be an actual Super Bowl celebration?

Jeremy Strauser: The Super Bowl celebration is more special than normal games and includes more, and things like the Lombardi trophy. We try to make it special, and I’m not sure what you have in mind, but if it is hundreds of people on the field, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Operation Sports: Will there be some kind of trophy room with all the division championships, conference and Super Bowl championship trophies you've won? What about personal accolades?

Jeremy Strauser: No, we’ve talked about this, but we didn’t do that this year.

Operation Sports: Will there be a hall of fame?

Jeremy Strauser: No, again we’ve certainly considered it, but it didn’t make the final list.

Operation Sports: What do you feel Madden has that no other game has?

Jeremy Strauser: A lot honestly; the game play and depth of Madden really sets it apart from all the others. This was a long interview and we didn’t even scratch the surface of new things like Playmaker Control, all of the cool new PS2 online features, EA SPORTS Bio, the new Package Personnel System and we just barely touched on Owner Mode. It is this depth and our commitment to gameplay and quality that really sets Madden apart from the other games. I think this year’s Madden is the biggest one year upgrade ever in terms of new features, animations and game play tweaks, so while other games are still playing catch-up, we continue to innovate and deliver a solid game each year.

Operation Sports: Will online game play be available to us in the UK and the rest of Europe?

Jeremy Strauser: Not in the PAL version, no. We don’t have any European based servers or staff and there really aren’t enough sales in Europe to have a substantial online community. You could in theory get an NTSC import, with an NTSC PS2 and NTSC television and connect though – not sure how well that would work, but I guess it could be done.

Operation Sports: We would like to thank you for your time with this interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

Jeremy Strauser: Sure, no problem, we appreciate your site and others like it, that are dedicated to the same thing we are, great sports games.