When news of Tom Brady’s season-ending injury came to light, there were many different reactions. My buddy whined because Brady was his first fantasy pick this year. Patriots fans mourned the potential end to their season before it really got underway. Jets fans rejoiced of course, but not for Brady’s actual misfortune; they would never revel in another's misfortune -- no, not my fellow Jets fans.

It took me a while to realize the full extent of what Brady's injury actually meant to the virtual world; that he is virtually absent in this year’s Madden. I came to this epiphany when a friend of mine entered my house and wanted to play against me using an earlier roster download so he could use Brady. He argued that he did not want all the talent of the Patriots to go to waste due to a poorly rated quarterback. My response was, “my house, my rules.”

Having been involved in this altercation, I feel the need to lay down the foundations for solid house rules etiquette, which any guest should abide by when entering the home of a potential Madden opponent.

Sometimes, setting a few gentlemanly rules will help kill all possible strife later on.

Do NOT use Ask Madden.

Please have nerve to man up and decipher the situation using your knowledge of the sport of football. It is not as if the play is guaranteed to work either way, and it is predictable given the situation, so just decide on a play for yourself. There’s no option to ask Bobby Fischer when playing a game of chess now is there?

Repeated use of the same play is not allowed.

I am not referring to an exploit, which is obviously never allowed. I am talking to someone who, for example, likes to run a tight end out pattern every single play no matter the success rate. Deviate your play calling like a team would in real life to keep the game honest.

Long bombs down the field, though encouraged, are in violation if utilized as the sole strategy.

Some people play the game as if they are trying to get a touchdown on every play. At least commit to the run for a quarter or so and try to set up play action. Some teams do pass more than run -- Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis -- yet even they do not just throw long bombs down the field.

Going for it on 4th down on your team’s side of the field in a close game with plenty of time left -- bad idea.

Enough said.

No blitzing on every play.

If the game was intended to be played that way, EA would have called it something like, oh I don’t know, Blitz. It was not named that because all-out blitzing is not the intention of the game. To do it on every play is the equivalent of blind-siding someone with a punch to the groin. You do not want to treat your fellow friend in such an ill-favored manor do you? That’s what I thought.

Please use only the playbook of the team you choose.

I had this roommate who was a big Eagles fan. Any time I played against him he would pick a different team but would change the playbook back to the Eagles! This is a complete violation of the code of ethics as far as I am concerned. It's equivalent to playing a fighting game with only one character. In the end, you have no idea what it is like to play with any other playbook, and that leads to some very bored opponents. This leads into my next and final house rule.

Switch up what teams you choose.

One of the best aspects of Madden is playing with a team that has flaws. I say that because I think it's great to utilize the strengths of a squad to overcome the weaknesses -- hopefully scrapping out a victory in the process. I am all for playing as a team with big stars, but do not forget that every team has at least a couple.


These aren't the only house rules out there though. There are many other unique rules people introduce into their games, such as back in the day when Michael Vick was overpowered and many people, including myself, forbid the use of the Falcons. The introduction of the Rewind feature this year will probably create some interesting arguments as well. Some enjoy the ability to reverse a mistake and change the complexity of the game, and others hate it for the same exact reason.

As long as there are people playing against each other side by side on the same couch, there will forever be house rules to enforce.

So come on OSers, what house rules do you folks institute when it comes to Madden?