In the picture above, Dynasty(left), is playing madden against Patrick Willis(right), Linebacker for the 49ers. Dynasty represented Willis and the 49ers on the Madden Nation Bus.

Today i sat down with Madden Nation Season IV’s DYNASTY. Dynasty is the hottest baller in the madden community today with 3 tounament wins, not including, his Madden Challenge take over at Minneapolis and runner up on Madden Nation season IV. So i sat down with 5 and overtime with DYNASTY.

Madden Nation Season IV…You was in the elimination game ever time! What is the explanation behind it all?

“The Reason i was in every elimination game was because my team felt as though they were established names in the madden community and did not wanna risk them going home from what they have done in the madden community and putting me in there because I’m somewhat of a new baller compared to the guys on my team even though i thought it was unfair, i couldn’t do nothing because it was 4 to 1 or 3 to 1 in the voting, and never in my favor.”

In the finals of Madden Nation Season IV against Nephew, you came up short, what would you have done different?

“I would have brought more people in the box against Neph on d with Adrian Peterson doing what he did breaking all those tackles there was nothing i really could do because the niners defense was awful. On offense i would have made some better calls on 3rd n short since he made me punt twice and i would have made better calls on my last drive.”

You just took home the gold at the Minneapolis Madden Challenge, give the insight on the road to the gold,(who was your easiest opponent?, who was your tuffest opponent?)

“My 1st 2 games where easy, 21′d both my opponents then i had to play Edd Reed, a known vet in madden the game, We was tied with 40 seconds left, i had 2 time outs, i drove down the field drained the clock down and kicked the game winning fg, Then i had to play Chow, i was surprised when we played, the game wasn’t really close, i really thought knowing his resume i ended up beating him by 2 positions. Then i had to play Adam Morrison in the final 4, we came out going score for score then in the 2nd half i stepped my deffense up and forced him into some bad throws and made him throw INT’s and won that game by more than 2 scores. Then in the chip, i had defending champ, Bledsoe, i went into that game not really respecting his game. To start the game we couldn’t stop each other going back and forth then once again in the 2nd half i got stops when i needed them the most and at the end of game i came out respecting the hell outta Bledsoe. As in easiest i would say the 9 year old i played 1st game.  as for the tuffest i would say Edd Reed.”

The Madden Challenge Finals at Turks is just around the corner, what changes have you made to your gameplan?

“I have made some changes in my game i got some stuff on defense, Nothing anyone will be expecting i should say , when i won the Minneapolis Madden Challenge i was so far ahead of the community now everyone has caught up now i had to go in the lab and just create that separation again.”

In turks, you got clubs, the beach, not to mention women, how do you plan to stay focused?

“Honestly i have no idea as of right now, but i do know this, when it comes down to take care of business i will, when its time too party i will,so im not really worried about staying focused.”

What does the future hold for DYNASTY?

“A Madden Challenge crown, nuff said.”

When you think of a good Madden player, usually players like LT, Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Brian Westbrook come to mind. These players are 99, 98, 99, 99, and 97 respectively. But what about those sleepers under 90 OVR that are being used just as effectively as the ones above 90? We took this question to the MG Community to find out.

SisforShaq

Running Back- Chris Johnson… he’s fast as sin and explodes through holes (thats what she said).

Very true…you can never go wrong with 99 speed. Based on his recent performance, I can see him over 90 OVR by Madden 2010.

goodoboy

Matt Jones. With him slanting in the middle and curl routes.

Very true…6′ 6”, and a SPC Catch Weapon makes him very dangerous. As I’ve also found out, he’s very effective in the Rocket Catch ;D

Stevematic

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

Fast, great jump, and tall for a corner.

Rodgers-Cromartie is a very underrated cornerback when it comes to Madden…he gets the job done with his skills, yet keeps a low 80s OVR.

Brasco LA CA

PAT WATKINS

best under 90 and best under 80.. Probably the top Safety in the game.

Definitely…the man is like 6′ 6”…he’s laid out my WRs TOO many times. I make sure I’m very careful when I rocket catch on the Cowboys because this guy is just huge. 

MJTBLB

jonathan stewart

Not too descriptive, but his Madden stats are actually ridiculous. His speed is 93 unless I’m mistaken, and he has the Trucking weapon coming straight out of college. Very well balanced, yet only has an 85 OVR.

Will more players emerge from under the radar? Or will these already under the radar players finally hit the big 9-0? Either way, these players are very effective even if they don’t have the flashy, high OVR rating.

With the release of the eighth roster update, the Cowboys added Roy Williams to their heavy-hitting roster. This single addition may not seem like much, but the extra 6’3 body adds some valuable height to the Cowboy’s core. In fact, one of the few reasons players didn’t use the Cowboys was the lack of tall wide receivers who didn’t drop passes. But why are the Cowboys the most versatile? It’s a transformation that has happened slowly, but their current depth and multi-attack offense has earned them a place at the top. Where did it start?

Tony Romo

In past Maddens, the foremost passing teams have had extremely accurate QBs. Romo’s 96 accuracy allows players to have confident in Romo; it’s a safe bet that throws will almost always be on the money. It happens to everyone, but QBs with slightly lower accuracy and awareness will throw many more errant balls. Additionally, Romo has a solid power rating, meaning he can hit his WRs deep.

Except for the top QBs surrounded by incredible talent, offensive success in Madden has always been related to QB mobility. The ability to move the pocket, avoid pressure, and scramble are techniques that top players have come to rely on. Romo is no Vick, but he is incredibly balanced; he can tear apart zones, scurry after a PA, and scramble for a clutch 1^st down. Romo’s balanced skills directly contribute to the Cowboys’ adaptability.

The Offensive line

The Cowboys’ offensive lets a player pass or run at will. One of the best in the game, it can stop run blitzers and pass rushers alike. It paves the way for Barber and Jones and it allows Romo to use 4 and 5 wide sets with deadly efficiency.

The Run Game

Wow. Felix Jones. 97 speed. Marion Barber. 99 trucking. On the same team!?!? In Madden, Barber has the ability to plow through anyone. After using the Jaguars for awhile, I assumed that Marion Barber wouldn’t be much different than Fred Taylor. I was shocked when Barber consistently led to more yards and more broken tackles than Taylor. Combined with the lightning-quick Jones, you can keep your opponent thoroughly befuddled. But who do you start? The choice depends on your offensive scheme. If you prefer outside runs, Jones might be the way to go, plus his catching is superior. And if you plan on audibling from run formations to passing ones, Jones might definitely be your best bet. Some even start Jones at 4^th or 5^th WR to use his blazing speed and YAC ability to tear up passing defenses (and you can audible down so he ends up at running back)

And of course, starting say Barber at fullback and Jones at halfback is an effective strategy, especially when used in tandem with full house (FB slam and sweep are deadly plays). Lastly, if one gets injured, you have a very capable backup on the bench. Personally, I start barber because his trucking is simply too deadly, unless I’m using him at FB, or if I’m constantly audibling up to passing sets. Be sure to mix up the running backs to confuse your opponent and take advantage of their complementing strengths.

Passing threats

This is the true strength of the Cowboys. What offense can’t you run? Do you prefer blazing speed? Do you like height? Maybe you just want wide outs that can catch? It doesn’t matter; the boys bring it all to the table. First of all, Terrell Owns. An excellent madden player, Owens has the speed, the size, and the hands to be a great target. He should always be in the field. The rest of your personnel, however, will depend on your offensive scheme.

Height: Most offensive schemes revolve around height. Everything from quick passing to strafing becomes easier when you have a player a half-foot taller than the DBs.

Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Roy Williams, Michael Bennett. This is your core four when utilizing height. Since two of these players are TEs, a great strategy is audibling up from 2 TE running sets to force your opponent to guard Barber/Jones. For your fifth player, a running back is a good choice, but if you’re set on passing or audibling from 5wide, Crayton is a solid option. PacMan and Felix both make excellent fifth WRs because their speed compliments the rest of your height perfectly.

Speed: Many players are seeing the value of speed in their offenses (especially because man coverage is becoming a bit more popular). For one, it means any pass can be a touchdown. A hitch route for example, can be much more successful with a 97 running back than a 6’5 tight end. Also, speed forces an opponent to be extremely careful deep. The amount of speed on the Cowboys is absolutely ridiculous.

Terrell Owens, Felix barber, Terrance Newman, PacMan Jones, and Scandrick ALL have 96-97 speed. Now, I don’t recommend starting CBs, but if you need the speed, you can always give PacMan some runs (and if you love speed maybe even Newman). I just wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of their options.

Catching: The problem with blazing speed is that a lot of those players don’t have the best hands. In my opinion, speed is valuable, but good hands are extremely important. Catching-wise, you won’t have many problems with the cowboys. Even players with low catching seem to hold onto the ball. Your best bets are:

Crayton, Owens (obviously), Roy Williams, Witten, Bennett (and Sam Hurd and PacMan Jones are close behind)

This core group of players overlaps with the list of tallest players. The Cowboys have tall players who can catch, and two of their top players are tight ends! You can audible up and down to run formations with ease.

Conclusion

So what do you do? Well…anything. You can start Witten, TO, and Williams and then opt for speed with your last two slots. Or maybe you start Felix and Barber to audible up and down from I-form or full house. Remember, these two players are excellent at picking up yards after the catch.

You can start with one set of players, and then switch it up to a completely different offense mid-game. You can utilize routes for speedsters in one offense, and then utilize height in a different scheme later on. The key to madden is staying one step ahead of your opponent, and running multiple offenses in one game is certainly one effective way to accomplish that; the versatility of the Cowboys is outrageous–with no other team can you do so much. And don’t get me started on their defense…

I mix it up. I like to come out in two tight end sets and then audible up to 4 and 5 wide sets if the run isn’t there. When I come out in a 4 wide set, I like to have Jones at running back, and I start TO, Williams, Witten, and usually Bennett. Bennett’s height and jump is almost too good not to use. Plus, I have Jones’ speed for short curls. For my 5 wide set, I start Crayton, Jones, or sometimes even PacMan. I use packages to shift in Witten and Jones to 5^th WR and to move TO and Williams around, because for some plays (like spacing) I’d rather have TO or someone speedy instead of Bennett catching the ball. I like Bennett, when audibling up, but I’m beginning to start someone faster with better hands (PacMan/Crayton) to minimize dropped balls and raise my YAC. As you can see, the possibilities are nearly endless.

There tend to be a lot of injuries in Madden, but that’s another reason to use to Cowboys. When Barber gets injured, you know Jones is ready to play. When a WR gets hurt, it’s unfortunate, but you know you have 5-6 more waiting in reserve. With the Boys, you can stay in full house all game or you can sit in five wide. But the best players find a way to do both. The Cowboys are the best team in Madden 09, and they have the most versatile offense in madden history.

Don’t feel the same? Leave a comment.

-_Jak_

The targeted release of this update has been for tomorrow (Friday). Producer Phil Frazier said that their goal is now to release a new one every week during the season. Continue on to view the full list.

Transactions
FB Reagan Mauia – Signs with Bengals
LB Jon Corto – Added to Bills
LB Blake Costanzo – Added to Bills
DT Alvin McKinley – Released by Broncos
DT Josh Shaw – Signs with Broncos
LB Antwan Peek – Released to Free Agents (IR)
WR Paul Hubbard – Released by Browns
WR Steve Sanders – Signs with Browns
LB Shantee Orr – Signs with Browns
C Pat Ross – Signs with Cardinals
FB Andrew Pinnock – Released by Chargers
FB Mike Tolbert – Added to Chargers
RT James Marten – Released by Cowboys/Signs with Raiders
QB Brooks Bollinger – Signs with Cowboys
SS Tyrone Culver – Signs with Dolphins
CB Joey Thomas – Released by Dolphins
FB Boomer Grigsby – Released by Dolphins
FB Casey Cramer – Signs with Dolphins
FS Jamaal Fudge – Signs with Falcons
DE Brent Hawkins – Released by Jaguars
G Milford Brown – Signs with Jaguars
TE Dan Campbell – Released to Free Agents (IR)
LB Chris Chamberlain – Added to Rams
RT Willie Anderson – Signs with Ravens
RG Adrien Clarke – Released by Ravens
C Matt Lehr – Released by Saints
QB Ingle Martin – Added to Titans
QB Daunte Culpepper – Retires

Ratings Up
HB Matt Forte – Bears – 80 to 82 – Looked like the real deal week 1 vs. the Colts.
LG Josh Beekman – Bears – 74 to 76 – Got the start and at LG and was able to pave the way for Forte on the ground.
HB Andre Hall – Broncos – 75 to 77 – Looked very explosive against the hapless Raiders.
WR Eddie Royal – Broncos – 77 to 80 – Made us remember why we call him DeAngelo “Fall”. Torched DeAngelo repeatedly and looked very good doing it.
LB Jamie Winborn – Broncos – 75 to 79 – Started over the oft injured Boss Bailey and made plays vs. the Raiders.
LB Matt Roth – Dolphins – 76 to 80 – Could have found his niche as a 3-4 OLB. Had 2 sacks in the opener.
WR DeSean Jackson – Eagles – 79 to 80 – Has made the most of receivers going down with injuries in Philly. Tye Hill was benched after attempting to cover him.
LB Stewart Bradley – Eagles – 79 to 80 – The new man in the middle for the Eagles, this one might stick.
HB Michael Turner – Falcons – 88 to 89 – If I had a nickel for every time someone blew up on the Lions defense…A good start none the less for the Burner Turner.
LB Parys Haralson – 49ers – 74 to 76 – Recorded 2.5 sacks getting the start for the Niners in Week 1.
HB Brandon Jacobs – Giants – 87 to 88 – My mother could average 3 yards a carry behind the Giants O-Line. But he sure is powerful.
WR Matt Jones – Jaguars – 77 to 79 – Maybe Garrard’s guy after a tough offseason. Injuries to the supposed starting WR’s have helped also.
QB Aaron Rodgers – Packers – 84 to 85 – Made it look simple vs. one of the top defenses in the NFL. Once the coach takes off the diapers watch out.
TE Dante Rosario – Panthers – 74 to 77 – Blew up in a big way in Week 1 vs. the Chargers. Caught the game winner in the back of the end zone as time expired.

Ratings Down
DE Jarvis Moss – Broncos – 81 to 77 – Inactive the 1st week in his second season for the Broncos.
LB Tully Banta-Cain – 49ers – 79 to 76 – Came to the Niners with high hopes, now he has been replaced at OLB.
CB DeAngelo Hall – Raiders – 93 to 91 – Yes after only one week. Reminded us why some people confuse speed with ability. He has speed, isn’t much of a corner though.

Injuries
FB Jeremi Johnson – Bengals – Knee IR
LB Angelo Crowell – Bills – Knee IR
WR Joe Jurevicius – Browns – Knee (PUP)
HB Carnell Wililams – Bucs – Knee (PUP)
C Al Johnson – Cardinals – Knee IR
QB Brodie Croyle – Chiefs – Shoulder (3 weeks)
C Jeff Saturday – Colts – Knee (8 weeks)
G Ryan Lilja – Colts – Knee (PUP)
DT Trey Lewis – Falcons – Knee (8 weeks)
LT Guy Whimper – Giants – Foot IR
K Lawrence Tynes – Giants – Knee (7 weeks)
LG Vince Manuwai – Jaguars – Knee IR
RG Maurice Williams – Jaguars – Arm (12 weeks)
DT Justin Harrell – Packers – Back (PUP)
QB Tom Brady – Patriots – Knee IR
G Stephen Neal – Patriots – Shoulder/Knee (PUP)
WR Drew Bennett – Rams – Foot (8 weeks)
QB Kyle Boller – Ravens – Shoulder IR
CB Dunta Robinson – Texans – Knee (PUP)
QB Vince Young – Titans – Knee (4 weeks)

Contracts
LB DJ Williams – Broncos – 6 years
WR Plaxico Burress – Giants - 5 years
RT Eric Winston – Texans – 5 years

QUOTE:

“Well it’s been two weeks since Madden officially launched and it sure has been a busy time for us. I truly hope everyone is enjoying the game, and I wanted to drop an update on some things we’ve been working on for our 2^nd patch. We feel that without a doubt this encapsulates the top issues we’re hearing from the forums and community leaders, and hope that this list truly makes Madden NFL 09 the ultimate sports game for you.

1.       Kicking play disconnect: If two opponents play a game with two different camera angles, in any situation where a game winning or tying kick was to be made, a disconnect could occur. “ActionCam” forces the game to go into slow-motion to add drama to these late kicks, but unfortunately the Classic camera does not, thus forcing the “disconnect”. This has been fixed…all cameras can still be used as well.

Workaround until the patch: If possible, ensure that you and your opponent have the same camera type chosen before starting an online game.

2.       Stability issues in the play call / halftime highlights / postgame highlights screens (especially in Franchise mode after training games): This was a hard one to track down as not everyone was seeing it , we did find the issue however with some Instant Replay / cache corruption, and have a fix ready for patch 2.

Workaround until the patch: Save and re-boot after any point where you have entered the game. We learned that the likelihood of this issue appearing is magnified after multiple loads into and out of the game engine. From what we’ve seen so far, people that have tried playing only one game at a time (or even one Franchise training session at a time), and saving/rebooting afterwards, have had zero crashes.

3.       Stability issues with Madden IQ end of game popup: This has been fixed.

Workaround until the patch: Always choose “No” at the Madden IQ end of game popup.

4.        ”WR direct snap” exploit: Cheesers found an exploit to direct snap to a WR for easy short yardage gain. Not only are we fixing this play (i.e. we aren’t removing it), we are also going to be re-setting records for anyone with a winning record that has been found to be using this play.

5.       Franchise Progression / Regression (or lack thereof): The lack of higher numbers was a tuning value that I think everyone agreed was just too low. This has been juiced up so you should see more realistic progression now.

6.       Edited players don’t progress: Players were not progressing after their jersey number (or pretty much any other attribute). This has been fixed.

7.       Stability issue when exiting Madden ‘93 in CE version: This has been fixed.

8.       Deep ball glitch: Some enterprising gamers found a way to throw a deep ball while crossing the LOS and hit a receiver wide open at a decent rate. We addressed this by making sure the DB will no longer break on the ball when the QB crosses the line while throwing.

9.       CPU running out of bounds: This bug appears when the CPU tries to switch hands while running to the sidelines. This is fixed for patch 2.

10.   Penalty sliders ineffective: A common complaint from the hardcore community was the lack of effect from the penalty sliders. We increased these substantially for patch 2.

11.   Field degradation: Another common complaint was the lack of field degradation. Our effect was very subtle, which was also getting overshadowed by our lighting and post effects, so we increased this effect for the patch.

12.   Stability issue with the Eagles and a full ring meter: We found and fixed a rare issue where the gamer could run into stability issues while using the Eagles in mini-game with a ring meter that was completely full.

13.   Play call screen hitch: We found and fixed a bug that was causing a noticeable hitch when exiting the play call screen

14.   Prevent Defense issue: We found and fixed an issue where defenders sharing a deep zone/prevent assignment would loosen their coverage (because they thought the other guy was covering for them), which allowed the receiver to get behind them even though they were in Prevent.

15.   Brett Favre stats: With the late addition of Brett Favre, we were not able to get his Career and Season statistics into the game for the roster update. This has now been added for patch 2.

16.   Defensive Preplay Mis-cue: We found and fixed an issue where defenders would leave their man wide open in a Cover 3.

17.   CPU quick-snap: A very common complaint on the forums was the speed at which the CPU snapped the ball. We added a random length of time (no less than 5 seconds) for the CPU to wait and even make pre-play adjustments.

18.   Online playbook switch: We found and fixed an issue where playbooks were re-setting to the defaults after the playbook select popup was closed.

I hope this makes everyone quite happy.

The patch is being tested as I write this and will be sent off for verification in the morning, so we are targeting less than a 3 week turnaround from today for this to hit the general public. (Woohoo!) We will also make sure to provide updates as the patch progresses through the 3^rd party approval process. As a side note, as of this moment there have been no changes to database schema, so you won’t have to re-start your Franchise or delete any files.

It makes us very stoked to be able to make this many changes for a patch, and do them based directly on community feedback. There are always going to be folks that are upset if what they felt was a top issue wasn’t addressed, but I’ll state again (as I have before) that we have to keep balancing this work against Madden NFL 2010. The longer we keep going on patches, the less we can add to the following year’s product. On a side note, there is also a Franchise stability issue that we have been investigating, and we are working feverishly to get this figured out. We will update on that issue as soon as we can. As for the rest of the items, I personally feel that we have hit a very good balance of top items because many of these issues can actually detract from an enjoyable experience, which is obviously the last thing we want.

And now that this patch is nearly out the door, I figured I’d drop some more good news… We have officially started building the “Sim Madden Gamer” DLC pack, which includes Accelerated Clock, a “Classic” Controller Configuration, CPU Sliders, and Community Gamerpics for 360. I’ll state again that there’s no promise that this goes through, but we have nearly every one of these features actually ?done’ internally, so now we have to figure out how to get Microsoft and Sony to allow us to release them.

Thanks guys - keep the feedback coming!”

Ian Cummings
Senior Designer, Madden NFL 2010

SOURCE:

http://www.easports.com/madden09/fullsite/blog.jsp

Free download features Brett Favre in New York Jets uniform!
Where’s the first place fans can see Brett Favre in his New York Jets uniform and playing with his new Jets teammates? Madden NFL 09, available now from EA SPORTS.
Download new Madden NFL 09 packaging today, print it out, and have fun playing the game.

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3

PlayStation 2

PlayStation Portable

We also invite fans to get today’s new online roster download. Available for Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of the game, this new roster download features Favre as the starting quarterback on the New York Jets and is available today as an automatic download when you play an online game. For fans not playing online, Favre is on the “NFL Greats” roster. In Franchise Mode, players can transfer Favre to the free agent roster pool, and pick him up on any of the 32 NFL teams for the 2008 season.

Enjoy the game!

Also, make sure you check out the latest Madden 09 Tips & Cheats here at Madden Gurus.

Oakland Raiders 1st round pick, running back Darren McFadden, will make a huge impact in Madden 09′. He and the addition of wide receiver Javon Walker really make the Raiders a whole new team. As the Jets, they are actually usable now. But Darren McFadden really makes them dangerous, his overall rating may not be the best, but there are a few certain attributes(listed below) that will make him feared across the madden world. Here are a few attributes….

Darren McFadden Key Attributes

• Speed: 97
• Stiff Arm: 95
• Acceleration: 99
• Elusiveness: 92
• Juke Move: 96
• Agility: 96

Once again these attributes will make Darren McFadden one of the most feared running backs in madden.

Will you be using the Oakland Raiders?

Also, make sure you check out the latest Madden 09 Tips & Cheats here at Madden Gurus.

Brett “The Jet” Favre makes his triumphant return back to the madden scene, and this time, he’s a New York Jet. What effect will this have on madden? Well business just picked up a little as the Jets just became a more usable team. His throwing power and accuracy makes up where Chad Pennington and the back up QB’s failed. Laveranues Coles(97 Speed) gives madden players a great option to take a shot down field. But Coles is not the only receiver to worry about, there are plenty other weapons that madden players can throw too as Favre gives them that option with his throwing power and accuracy. Not only do the Jets now have a great offense, the Jets also have a ball-hawking defense which is defiantly a plus.

Will you be using Brett Favre and the Jets in Madden 2009?

Also, make sure you check out the latest Madden 09 Tips & Cheats here at Madden Gurus.

Also, make sure you check out the latest Madden 09 Tips & Cheats here at Madden Gurus.