One expasperating aspect of Madden is the lack of adjustments that players can make during a game. But in the NCAA Football franchise, that was one of the features touted by fans as a great feature. Finally, EA Sports has now included this option in Madden NFL 18.
There are a ton of adjustments that can be made during a game on both sides of the ball. When you begin a game, the game plan adjustments are all set to default to your particular team and scheme. If changes are necessary, coaching adjustments are located on the front page on the play call screen. Instead of listing every single possible adjustment in Madden NFL 18, we will list just the adjustments on the offensive side of the ball. Note the extensive amount of adjustments available on this side alone.
Offensive Adjustments
- Ball Carrier
- Conservative
- Pro: Ball carrier protects the ball, decreased fumble chances
- Con: Decreased ability to break tackles
- Aggressive
- Pro: Higher chance of triggering auto break tackles
- Con: Increased fumble chances
- Conservative
- Blocking
- Conservative:
- Pro: Decreased chances of holding penalty
- Con: Hold blocks less for run and pass
- Aggressive:
- Hold blocks longer for run and pass
- Increased chances of holding penalty
- Conservative:
- Deep Pass Catching
- Conservative:
- Pro: Receivers will attempt a RAC catch, increases run after catch chances
- Con: Increased interception chance
- Aggressive:
- Pro: Receivers will attempt an Aggressive catch
- Con: Decreases run after catch chance
- Conservative:
- Intermediate Pass Catching
- Conservative:
- Pro: Receivers will attempt a Possession catch
- Con: Decreased run after catch chance
- Aggressive:
- Pro: Receivers will attempt a RAC or Aggressive catch
- Con: Increased chances of ball being knocked out
- Conservative:
Just based on the offensive adjustments, you could tell the Madden development team listened to their fans and put a lot of work into these improvements. Football is about changing on the fly and making adjustments throughout the game. In previous years, you could not make changes to game plans and you would have to “ride or die” with the team and the scheme that your team has. Now, based on how your game is going, whether good or bad, you have the ability to change your scheme on the fly and put the other team on their heels.
With making adjustments, there is a risk/reward factor to them. In the developer's blog, it states “when a Coaching Adjustment is set, the assumption is that the user is willing to accept the inherent risks and rewards of that Coaching Adjustment.” This is interesting as it’s almost a warning to players, letting them know that whatever is chosen, you take the game into your own hands, even if you decide to run the ball for the nine minutes of the game to eat clock (something that was always done in NCAA Football and annoyed many).
What are your thoughts about the addition of coaching adjustments for Madden NFL 18? Let us know in our comment section.
