In third and long, you might just have to drop back and heave it. Choose a play with lots of passing options, and make sure that the routes all go beyond the first down yardage marker. Unless you've got a guy in single coverage, it's not wise to try to go really deep in this situation. A quick pass to a slanting slot receiver is also a money call. If you have third and medium (5-7 yards), throw a pass to someone crossing or running an out pattern. On inches situations, it's always best to do a QB Sneak to pick up the required yards. If you have really short yardage to go, load up the line and try to muscle ahead with a run. You have to get past the marker, or you'll have a grave decision coming up next play. Crossing routes and outs are great to pick up first down-size chunks of yardage (8-10 yards or more). Usually this is a passing situation, as you want to pick up as many yards as possible to either get a first down or make third down easier. On second and long, it's time to get some positive yardage. Or, to be crafty, on second and short, go deep, because you won't have much left to gain if the pass falls incomplete. If you only have a couple of yards left to go, you can try to pound ahead and try to pick up the extra on the ground. ĭepending on what you did on first down, this down can mean different things. You want to gain some yards on first down so second and third are easier, but first down is also a good place to take a shot downfield, as there is little risk. Since you have three downs to follow, this down is all about testing the waters, and seeing what works. In the following section, we'll break down what to try on each down: Still, there are some "traditional" things to do in specific situations, coupled with things to do to play off of these traditions. Since offense is action and defense reaction, the possibilities in offensive play-calling are virtually limitless. Experienced fans and Madden vets can probably skip this lesson, but it's valuable for those who don't know exactly what all the lingo means.Ĭhoosing a play on offense is much different than picking what to call on defense. Read the IGN playbook, and you'll be putting up more points than whoever's playing the Cardinals.įormations If you need some help understanding the different sets used in football, take a look at our Offensive Formationssection to get the low-down. In this section, we break the offense down, from the more traditional explanations of what to do on each down (for beginners) to advanced gameplay options like Playmaker control and Hot Routes, If you can do it on Offense, you can find it here. But it can also be daunting to tackle all of the new features. Allows you so much freedom on offense it's scary.