Madden NFL 15 Players Actually Don't Want to Touch the Ball

[RaychelSnr]

I'd celebrate too if I didn't have to touch something I was highly allergic to.

It happened on the very first offensive play of my Eagles connected franchise. There was one-on-one coverage on the edge: Riley Cooper vs. Darius Butler. I wanted to take a shot deep.

As soon as the football began its quick descent, both Cooper and Butler stopped in their tracks, staring at the ball as if it were some kind of UFO passing overhead. By the time the ball got to each of them, Cooper threw his hands up meagerly and came down with the catch. Not only did it look disappointing, but it felt disappointing as well. It was a terrible throw, and Butler was in great position. Why didn’t he make a play on the ball?

This is an unfortunate example of one of Madden’s biggest issues, and one many still overlook: the players on the field don’t want the ball.

It isn’t just a problem while the ball is in the air, either. Defensive ends don’t look to poke the ball out of the QB’s hands when they’re winding back for a pass and offensive lineman don’t look to dive on the ball when their running back fumbles it to the ground. There’s an unfortunate lack of urgency to complete the game’s most basic goal, and that’s to be the team that controls the football.

Moving into the future, Madden needs to program a basic instinct for the AI to fight for the ball. The sheer lack of receiver/corner interaction in the secondary makes the passing game hundreds of times less interesting than it should be.

With so many of Madden's generational issues being taken care of (however slowly), fans of the series have to ask: why isn’t the fight for the ball being given a look?

[Cardot]

Having played EA football games for years, plays like this seem to suggest that the outcome of the play has been determined well before the ball actually arrives. Not saying that it is "scripted", but as the ball is released, it seems the game makes some calculations to determine the outcome (instead of have the WR and DB battle). Just a theory, but it would explain the lack of "Organic" feel that Madden often suffers from.

[cmehustle]

Im still waiting for the WR/DB interaction to get attention. It looks nothing like whats seen on Sundays. For that matter even with the work done on D/O line interaction it still looks incredibly basic. For instance why would I not double Ndam whatever Sue on every running play? Instead we just have to work around it until they decide to make that a priority over at EA. Oh well, I guess Ill just get my hopes up for next year....

[@marcusjiles]

I remember playing Madden on the ps2 and if you dared to throw a deep ball the corner without looking would jump 7 feet in the air and swat it. There HAD to be a good chunk of separation.

I stopped playing Madden this year. I bought it. It looked good. It looked damn good. It's the same game, tho cleaned up in parts it's always been. The feeling of players not wanting the ball I feel is a little bit of a stretch but it makes the point that there's damn sure no urgency to go get it.

[SVCbearcat10]

This is why I had to trade in Madden. After a month, it gets boring because of this exact issue. Each game feels so identical to the last that it gets old feeling, fast. I bought the game thinking it was great, then the legacy issues persist while the new features wear off. There's an organic nature to NHL and FIFA games where a play opens up that's so unqiue, you feel like it's the real thing. Despite their flaws, it adds to NHL's and FIFA's replay value. Madden doesn't have those moments, it's more rinse, lather, then repeat.

[Sturzinator]

Worse yet, you get a one on one with your WR having a step and a half on the DB. You haul back and let one rip (with forward stick to lead the WR downfield) and 9/10 times the ball is horribly under thrown, regardless of QB THP.

The DB stops and comes back to make a play on the ball while your WR continues on his merry way - seemingly oblivious - with his hands making a basket to catch the ball that will never come. Ball gets swatted or picked.

It's one of the most annoying flaws in the game. It's to the point where I question the viability of even looking deep anymore. I don't want to watch this animation play out again.

Gets old REAL fast.

[Birdman18]

If you look at the online cfm's here you'll find the opposite thing. The DB's make all pro plays all over the field without even seeing the ball... interceptions are rampant all over online cfm

[Cabish]

(Turn around,put hands in pocket ) this is why nfl2k need to come back ,to put some fire u red ea's butt to fix things...when criticism like oh the other game has this and has that..