Create a playbook, but where you design your own plays.
True Quarters coverage. Not just cover 4
Have a players man to man coverage rating mean something.
If cb has 95 man coverage and equal speed of a wide receiver with 76 route running, how come every time the receiver runs a slant or any route man coverage gets toasted
Like have the cb guess that his man is running a slant or a go and cheat that route. This would help vs guys online who run the same thing almost every play
I play on PS3 so receiver matchups don't exist, I can't tell my lockdown corner to cover their number 1 receiver. But I'll take it a step further and do the same for d linemen/edge rushers. Maybe something so I can always have my running back help block A guy like Kalil Mack on pass plays to help out my o line. Or maybe so I can have a guy like Mack always line up against a weak o linemen to take advantage of him.
These may be okay in the PS4/Xbox 1 version but the only plays that "double team" are zone plays and they are combo blocks. I know in the typical off tackle play known as "power" most of the time the play side tackle and guard will double team the d linemen to get him moving before scraping onto a linebacker. Instead what happens in these games is that normally one of them blocks the d lineman (and gets beat) while the other goes for the linebacker.
A better use of the pursuit player rating.
In my experience a player with high pursuit rating doesn't take great angles, he just happens to run a lot faster when he is behind someone than when he is not. I've had 98 speed guys (ncaa) caught by backup linebackers with speed in the low 80s. Not because they took the right angle, they just got directly behind my player and chased him down due to high pursuit ratings, what the heck is that about?
Not necessarily to replace the tackling mechanics, but for stuff like crack back blocks. You can't user crack back block at all. My friend and I play on the same team a lot of the time. It'd be cool if the guy without the ball could switch to a player downfield and crack back a defender. Same with late hits out of bounds. It'd be cool if You can totally deck a guy out of bounds (like how if you ice it in NHL and then totally plaster a guy after the whistle) but both this and crack backs can warrant penalties if necessary.
It would add something different to the game. you could choose to be a jerk and just drill people for fun and take the penalties (and possible injuries, ejections, fines, suspensions in Dynasty, etc) or you could decide to not risk it and be a decent human being. But we all know if this was added in everyone would take the penalties...
-Player secondary position/overhaul of player positions period:
Taking from someone else's idea (I forget your name I read it awhile ago man) why not revamp some of the defenses positions, like changing DE/OLB to Edge, and changing interior linemen to DL.
For Defensive Fronts I would change player positions to (these could be renamed but this is how I'd group them):
NOSE TACKLE (0 and 1 tech) Dontari Poe, Wilfork, these guys
Block Eaters inside.
3-4 END/4-3 TACKLE (2i-3 techniques) JJ Watt, Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, etc.
Guys who are good interior pass rushers. In a 4-3 they would be the "under tackle" and in a 3-4 they're the better pass rushing of the two "Ends".
3-4 END/4-3 STRONG SIDE END JJ watt also could be here, Michael Bennett, Calais Campbell, etc.
Guys who are primarily run destroyers/block eaters first and foremost. In both the 3-4/4-3 they are front side players who lineup to the strength of the offense where they are more likely to run the ball.
3-4 OLB/4-3 D END (edge Rushers) Terrell Suggs, Robert Quinn, Chris Clemons, Von Miller, etc.
The guys you would put as your edge rushers based on your defense. Your best perimeter pass rusher.
3-4 OLB/4-3 SAM James Harrison, Bruce Irvin, etc.
These guys play on the edge of a defense but are more important for setting the edge of a defense in the run game. Not so much sideline to sideline players but more line of scrimmage players who contain runs well.
3-4 ILB/4-3 WILL CJ Mosley, Ryan Shazier, Lavonte David, etc.
These guys are high on the team in tackles. They are the faster of the two MLB in a 3-4 Scheme, and they're job is often less about taking on blockers as it is about running free to the ball since everyone else ate up blocks.
3-4/4-3 MIKE Luke Kuechly, Brandon Spikes, etc.
This one I have some trouble with. I think there should be a 4-3 MIKE whose high on the team in tackles but also think the 3-4 should have a guy like Brandon Spikes who is a thumper inside to help against the run and blitz while his buddy like a CJ Mosley is the better cover and speed guy.
And also to take from MLB the Show, why not give players a secondary position? Or even just as many as you want?
Some guys might fit in more than one category. Like JJ Watt can probably be an all pro at 3-4 END, (strong and weak) 4-3 END (strong and weak, although not as good as a wide 9 here), and 4-3 TACKLE. So if a guy can fit on your defensive line in multiple positions in any scheme, why limit him to "right end" when in reality that means completely different things based on the system used.
-Be able to set Defense players to strong side or weak side
I think it's be cool to choose whether you have a scheme as Strong side players/weak side players or to leave it as the current left side vs right side players.
For example, a team like Carolina i would probably leave everyone as left and right, because their outside linebackers are very similar, and they're defensive ends are both stout in the run and good rushers. The only thing I would want is to make sure that I have Star Lotuleilei in a 1-tech (strong side in the Under front, weak side in the Over front, which madden calls Stack for some unknown reason) and let Kawann Short stay in the 3-tech (strong side in the Over Front, weak side in the Under front) to utilize their abilities better. This team I would run the "4-3 Stack" (WHICH SHOULD BE RENAMED TO 4-3 OVER) more often against a base personnel.
But let's say I choose a team like Seattle (last years team). I would see that my "left outside backer" was Bruce Irvin, and my "right outside backer" was KJ Wright. I would run the "4-3 Under" so that Irvin was on the Line of Scrimmage and KJ could be a sideline to sideline guy off the line. I would want to set it so that Irvin was always the Strong side, or Sam, and that Wright was always the weak side, or Will. I don't want to have their roles flipped, I think they are right as they are. Likewise, I prefer Avril to be on the weak side where all he has to do is be a quick outside rusher, while having Bennett on the strong side, so that he could be a force in the run as Well.
So I would come out in 4-3 Under and then if the offense showed up in a formation with the run strength to the left, (there could also be a control added to call out the strength for the front 7) then KJ wright and Cliff Avril would go to the offense's right, or weakness (which the current madden would have them as "left end" and "left outside backer") and then Bennett and Irvin would go the the offense's left, or strength (which madden would currently call "right end" and "right outside backer").
This would give you the flexibility to have more strategy based on your team's players. Or if you fantasy draft a team you can now draft knowing that you're going to want two players at outside linebacker who are both good at coverage and okay run supporters, or you can draft one knowing he's gonna help you stuff the run more and draft the other knowing he'll be able to use speed more.