If you've spent a significant amount of time playing this year's edition of Madden, then you have no doubt noticed that the CPU takes an inordinate amount of sacks in the game. Slider makers have spent all year trying to tame the problem and EA Sports released a tuner back in September to try and mitigate the issue. EA had good intentions with the tuner, but unfortunately it didn't do very much to resolve the issue.

The computer QB doesn't throw the ball away and doesn't show the kind of pocket awareness it needs to stop taking so many sacks when under pressure. The problem of taking sacks is compounded in the red zone, stalling drives and making it too easy to limit the CPU to field goal attempts.

So with that in mind, let's look at some of the community's attempts to address the problem and make the game more challenging vs. the CPU.

Edit QB Attributes – This is one of the most effective things you can do. Before you start your Connected Franchise, edit a roster of your choice so that every QB has either 'Paranoid' or 'Trigger Happy' as their trait for 'Senses Pressure.' Also make sure that you edit every QB to have the 'Throws Ball Away' trait to YES. Granted, this will take you an hour or more depending on how fast you are, but once you've done it you can use that roster for any CFM you start. Obviously as new QB are drafted into your CFM you won't be able to “fix” them, but this is a great start and should get your through four to five seasons before it becomes a problem again.

Don't use 'Jump the Snap' – This one should be fairly obvious, but if you are getting too many sacks on the CPU QB, stop using the 'Jump the Snap' mechanic altogether. I would also recommend turning off all visual aids. Especially the one that shows your timing as a pass rusher.

Don't control a coverage linebacker – This has been a big one for me. If you are an intelligent Madden veteran, then you probably know how to use a LB in coverage over the middle of the field. The CPU QB won't throw into the tight windows between linebackers like a human opponent will. Using a LB in coverage when the scripted play call is for that LB to rush the passer will especially confuse the CPU AI, often causing them to run blindly into pressure for a sack. I recommend controlling a DL or a DB.

Play on All-Madden with modified sliders – I know the familiar complaints that come with All-Madden difficulty. Cheesy speed boosts, psychic AI, Robo QB, etc. However, if you use All-Madden as a base and then use a set of sliders meant to balance the game and nerf the artificial advantages, then you can enjoy All-Madden difficulty without being a stick jockey. There are a few really good All-Madden sets in the Operation Sports forums and I strongly suggest that you give them a try. They have helped to save the game for me this year.

Tweak the Intentional Grounding and Roughing The Passer penalty sliders – This one will require some trial and error and maybe some research in the OS forums. There isn't really a consensus unfortunately in how to tweak them. Some say put both at 0. Others say 80. Still others use everything from 5 to 40 to 70. The one thing that reading the forums and playtesting myself has proven to me is that the penalty sliders do have a real effect on gameplay. You can drive yourself mad tweaking the other penalty sliders to refine the gameplay as well, but start with these two.

Limit your blitz calls – This seems simple but if you're sacking the CPU QB at a high rate, make sure you cut down on your blitz calls. Any play that rushes five or more defenders at the QB is considered a blitz in this case. Keep track of how many blitz calls you make and try not to overwhelm the CPU QB AI. I know what you're saying … why should I handicap my defense and playcalling to fix this issue? In a perfect world, you wouldn't have to, but Madden 15 is far from a perfect world. Keep track of your blitz calls for a couple of games and see how many you call. You might surprise yourself.

Set the Game Speed to Fast – This one has yielded mixed results and I can't honestly say that it will work for everyone. The theory behind this is that the animations are slightly sped up and offensive linemen will engage their blockers quicker. I recommend trying fast game speed to see if it agrees with you. I personally play on Normal but trying Fast does change the game a little bit and it's worth a shot.

Combine two or more of the above suggestions – This is my best tip for minimizing the sack issue in Madden 15. Using any one of these suggestions will help some. But using some or all of these in combination with each other will yield a much more realistic pass rush and make the CPU QB a challenge to stop. I don't think the sack issue will be addressed this year, so while we all wait and hope that Madden 16 creates a more robust QB AI, make some of these changes and try them out. If you've given up on the game, you might find some fun here.

These are my top tips for minimizing the sack problem in Madden and maximizing the fun and challenge while playing the CPU. Again, I know readers will say “Why should I have to do all of this?" And while none of these tips are necessary if you are already enjoying Madden 15, hopefully this will be a starting point or guide to the best current workarounds if you want a more realistic game stats wise.