Games PC MADDEN NFL 2004 STRATEGY GUIDE
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FRANCHISE MODEFRANCHISE MODE
Franchise mode is back in Madden NFL 2004, but as you've come to expect over the years, there are a few new wrinkles. This
year's game adds Owner mode. Turn it on in the Franchise Setup screen, and you get to handle the business side of owning a
professional football team. No, we're not just talking about player contracts and free agent signings. You have to manage your
bank account like a real owner, by monitoring ticket prices, special events, coaches' salaries, concessions, and much more.
Watch your pennies, and you'll have cash for signing bonuses, contract extensions, and eventually, a new stadium.
In this chapter, we take you through Franchise mode, from the start of your franchise, all the way through training
camp, preseason, regular schedule, playoffs (you hope) and finally to the college draft. Then, it's back to the drawing board,
as you prepare for another season. It's a long haul from doormat to dynasty, and we'll show you how to make your football
dreams come true in 30 years or less!
Setting Up a Franchise
The first step in creating a franchise is to select the options that govern the league. You can set any
number of Users (Owners) from 1 to 32. If you activate Owner mode, the Coaching Changes and Salary Cap
options are automatically activated. As team owner, you no longer have control over the decision to fire
you (too bad), or the amount of your team salary cap. If you turn on Fantasy Draft, every player in the
game is released into a pool, and you take part in an original draft with 31 other user- or CPU-controlled
teams. Find more on this in the Fantasy Draft section below. Finally, you select a coach
and the associated team/playbook.
When Fantasy Draft is turned on, you go immediately to the draft
screen. If you opt to turn Fantasy Draft off, you begin with the
actual roster of the team you selected.
Note
Fantasy Draft
Now, it's time to draft our team. Our franchise is based on the Chargers, so we pick 22nd (determined by the CPU). The CPU handles the first 21 picks, and we're on the clock in round #1 (of
49). The Fantasy Draft screen includes 24 sortable ratings columns, so we can arrange the
players to suit our priorities.
Draft Day Strategies
You can arrive at the Fantasy Draft without a plan or a clue, and you might even end up with a competitive team. But,
thanks to the almighty salary cap, you need a financial plan or you will end up out of money and out of quality players
before the last round. Here are some thoughts on planning your draft strategies.
The game decides when a player hangs up his spikes. Keep in mind, the 38-year-old star you draft today may retire at the
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end of the year.
Do you sacrifice the future to buy a winning team on draft day? If you spend every dime, there will be no money left to
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sign college draft picks before the beginning of next season.
Be careful about drafting an older player with a fat, long-term contract. His Overall Rating will probably erode over the
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next few years, and if you are forced to release him for a better player, you are stuck paying out the remainder of the
contract.
You should also keep some money on hand for signing free agents and handing out signing bonuses. It's a jungle out
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there, and he (or she) with the most coconuts gets to play the game longest.
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Note
It's difficult to decide how much money to devote to
each position. The following list ranks the highest paid
salaries by position during the 2002 NFL season (the
salary in parentheses represents an actual salary paid
to a position player in 2002). Obviously, you cannot
afford to pay these salaries across the board. In fact, if
you duplicated the salaries displayed below, you
would use up the entire team salary cap of $75
million for just 11 players! However, this list gives you
an idea of how NFL teams value each position. So, if
you are about to sign a punter for $5,000,000, you
may want to reconsider.
We decide to draft a quarterback in the first round, picking Tom Brady
(the author's Michigan roots are too strong to overcome). After
confirming our selection, the CPU handles the remaining teams, and a
recap screen lists every player taken in the first round. Interestingly,
Brady is only the 6th quarterback selected in the first 22 picks.
We have the 11th pick in round two, and we select LaDainian
Tomlinson. Other offensive stars are being taken, but it's obvious
that many teams in the league are more concerned about building a
strong defense or offensive line.
It's back to the 22nd pick in round three, and we focus on the
offensive line. Counting our dollars, we select Damien Woody, a young
center from New England. We note with interest that 7 of the first 10
players taken in the third round are defensive players.
Shifting to defense, we select left end Eric Hicks, a "steal" at
$650,000. Defensive selections continue to dominate the draft, so
we decide to stay on the other side of the ball and select middle
linebacker London Fletcher in round five.
1. Defensive End ($11,478,285)
2. Quarterback ($10,331,333)
3. Running Back ($10,306,600)
4. Cornerback ($9,079,843)
5. Offensive Lineman ($7,549,998)
6. Defensive Tackle ($6,980,000)
7. Linebacker ($6,258,333)
8. Wide Receiver ($6,061,235)
9. Tight End ($3,897,000)
10. Safety ($3,300,000)
11. Punter/Kicker ($1,916,666)
Note
As the draft progresses, the game tracks your selections, by position, with a few exceptions. OT
(offensive tackles), OG (offensive guards), DE
(defensive ends), DT (defensive tackles), and OLB
(outside linebackers), are grouped together, rather
than tracked by LG, RG, RE, LE, and so on. However,
each player's actual position is noted on the screen.
Note
One of the more challenging aspects of the Fantasy
Draft is the Current Pick Cap, which limits who you
can select in a given round. The Current Pick Cap
changes, depending on how much you spend from
round to round, so it's a good idea to watch your
spending. If you take the top-rated player available
(they are often the most expensive) in each of the
first several rounds, you are likely to be strapped for
cash while still trying to fill important roster spots. So,
think value for your dollar, especially during the first
10 rounds.
The thought of L.T.
running behind a wall
of papier-mâché has us
very worried, so we
devote rounds 6 and 7
to the offensive line,
drafting right tackle
John Tait and left guard
Edwin Mulitalo.
Before making our
eighth round selection,
we review our draft
picks. We still have not
selected a receiver, but
the offensive line is
still a concern, so we
look for a left tackle.
The Steelers' Marvel
Smith is young,
talented, and under a
million dollars.
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Tip
It's easy to get wrapped up with skill ratings such as
Speed, Awareness, Catching, etc., as you peruse the
draft lists. However, don't overlook the INJ rating. All
the talent in the world won't do you any good if your
player is on injured reserve for most of the season.
We jump back to
offense with round 9,
selecting speedy Corey
Bradford, and then back
to defense for Eagles
right end Ndukwe Kalu
in round 10.
Draft Priority List
The following Draft Priority List will help you draft an entire starting team with your first 25 picks. With your core in place, concentrate on wide receivers and interior line backups (offense and defense) with your next several picks. After that, it's best player
available as you select backups for every position. Use reserve wide receivers as punt and kick returners.
1. Quarterback: The leader of the offense
2. Halfback: We value Speed, Awareness, Acceleration, and
Breaking Tackles
3. Center: Strength up the middle—it works for baseball
and football
4. Defensive End: An unstoppable pass rusher and run stuffer
5. Middle Linebacker: An anchor for our run and pass defense
6. Offensive Tackle: Our star quarterback needs protection, and
our future running back needs a few holes to run through
7. Offensive Guard: Strength, pass blocking, run blocking, and
a little speed for pulling
8. Offensive Tackle: A strong tandem is critical
9. Wide Receiver: Speed, Acceleration, and Catching ability
are the keys
10. Defensive End: Another quick, strong defender who hates
quarterbacks
11. Cornerback: A good cover man with enough speed to play
man defense
12. Outside Linebacker: Speed, Strength, Awareness, and
Tackling ability
13. Defensive Tackle: An immovable object for the defensive
front; we also like at least one strong pass rusher (Speed,
Awareness, Tackling) at tackle
14. Strong Safety: A run stopper who can blitz and intimidate
receivers over the middle
15. Wide Receiver: Another great pair of hands for the defense
to worry about
16. Outside Linebacker: Defense wins championships, and this
pick rounds our trio
17. Tight End: Run blocking is important, but we want our tight
end to catch the ball. Speed here is a bonus
18. Cornerback: It takes two. If our first cornerback has blazing
speed, we look for run stopping ability here
19. Free Safety: A ball hawk with speed to play center field
20. Offensive Guard: With studs at the tackles and one
outstanding guard, an average quality #2 guard is okay.
21. Fullback: Run blocking and the ability to catch an
occasional pass
22. Halfback: A good backup is critical over a long season
23. Kicker: Obviously, we are more interested in scoring
touchdowns than kicking field goals
24. Punter: Controller technique is more important than
punter ratings
25. Cornerback: Speed, Awareness, and Catching ability for the
extra defensive back
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As you move into the latter stages of the draft, check the
Breakdown screen to see which roster spots need filling.
The draft will not let you take more than what you need
for a position, until the required number of players is
drafted. However, it is important to track the distribution
of players or you may end up with poor quality at positions that have been overlooked.
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The Draft Continues
Using our priority list, we move through the next 39 rounds of the draft. With an eye toward our bankbook, we complete the draft
with just over $17 million left under the salary cap. We certainly could have spent more money, especially during the early rounds.
But, the idea of building our team through the draft is more exciting. And, with cash on hand, we can sign a free agent to replace
an injured player. Here is a look at our roster, by position.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ROSTER
Player Position Rating Age
Tom Brady QB 90 26
Chris Redman QB 75 26
Ray Lucas QB 65 31
LaDainian Tomlinson HB 95 24
Jamel White HB 79 26
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala
Dan Kreider FB 77 26
Kevin Johnson WR 83 28
Corey Bradford WR 80 27
James Thrash WR 79 28
Terry Glenn WR 79 29
Isaac Byrd WR 70 28
Jeremy Shockey TE 92 23
Pete Mitchell DT 73 31
Jason Dunn TE 57 29
Marvel Smith LT 84 25
Overall
HB 72 26
Player Position Rating Age
Jeremy McKinney LT 59 27
Edwin Mulitalo LG 88 28
Matt Campbell LG 72 31
Ryan Schau LG 63 27
Damien Woody C 90 25
Cory Raymer C 76 30
Tony Semple RG 75 32
John Tait RT 87 28
Eric Hicks LE 86 27
Willie Whitehead LE 67 30
Ndukwe Kalu RE 81 28
James Hall RE 68 26
Cornelius Griffin DT 86 26
John Thornton DT 82 26
Larry Smith DT 75 28
Mike Vrabel LOLB 80 28
Overall
Player Position Rating Age
Overall
Keith Mitchell LOLB 66 29
London Fletcher MLB 89 28
Mike Maslowski MLB 79 29
Zeke Moreno ROLB 70 24
Don Davis ROLB 68 30
Jerry Azumah CB 79 24
Terry Cousin CB 77 28
Dale Carter CB 77 33
Tod McBride CB 66 27
Jason Bostic CB 65 27
Keion Carpenter FS 77 25
Brent Alexander FS 74 32
Reggie Tongue SS 85 30
Jay Bellamy SS 70 31
Todd Peterson K 66 33
Bill LaFleur P 73 27
Training Camp
New to Madden NFL 2004 is Training Camp. Here,
you can hone your playing skills, while at the same
time earning attribute points for the players who
complete their training successfully. There is a
limit of one player per drill, and the same player
cannot compete in more than one drill. However,
after completing a drill successfully, you can
double your points by repeating the drill at a higher
skill level. The attribute awards are based on the
level of trophy that you earn (three levels). The
following sections give you overviews of all nine training events, with tips on
improving your skills.
Pocket Presence
This is one of the toughest
drills. Your job is to avoid
being hit by the yellow tennis
balls firing at you from the
four ball machines set up
around your "pocket." While
avoiding the balls, which
simulate sacks, you must
throw the ball to one of the
targets as the appropriate letter flashes on the screen. And, you cannot
leave the pocket, or your throw will be discounted. Here are some
important tips for improving your performance.
— Don't jump around in the pocket. Wait until a
— Each target does not keep the same letter for
— Above all, don't get happy feet. Avoiding the
Note
Training Camp is not mandatory. You can
skip it and move on to Preseason.
"sack" ball is fired at you, move out of its path,
and then throw the ball to the target.
an entire session, so don't get locked into "A"
being in one spot, or you'll lose your rhythm.
balls is not as difficult as it looks. Make short
quick movements, set your feet, and throw.
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Swat Ball
This is another tough camp, but you
need these skills to roam the
defensive secondary with confidence.
With the clock ticking, you must run
to three different stations (one is
active at a time) to knock down or
intercept a pass. Success here
depends on three factors. First, get to
the designated location quickly. This
means put your head down and run
as fast as you can. Second, after you
arrive, square your body to the ball to
improve your chances of swatting or
intercepting the pass. Third, time your
leap or swat movement so you don't
miss the pass. To improve your
chances of intercepting the pass,
position yourself in front of the
barrier, but not too close.
Trench Fight
The Trench Fight camp teaches you
how to spin, rip, and shove your way
past offensive linemen. Your job is to
capture all three flags in a limited
amount of time. At most, you have 13
seconds to capture the flags.
Clutch
Kicking
The Clutch Kicking drill is relatively
easy. Just keep kicking field goals
until you rack up enough points for a
trophy. As you advance through the
levels, you have to contend with
strong winds, and of course, the
kicking meter moves much faster.
But, for now, relax, stretch out your
leg and knock it through the uprights.
Note
A punter or kicker can
compete in either of the
kicking drills to improve his
skills.
Corner Punt
The punting drill teaches you to bury
a punt inside the 20-yard line, without
having it roll into the end zone for a
touchback. Ideally, your kick should
hit and go out of bounds inside the
20. A semicircular bull's-eye with
three sections is painted on the field
in each "coffin corner." The closer
your kick lands to the goal line, the
more points you earn. A green flag
marks where each successful punt
lands or goes out of bounds. Use
height, power, and direction to guide
your punts to either corner. There is
no wind to contend with at the Rookie
level, but you need to consider the
wind as you advance through the
levels.
QB Precision
Passing
This camp teaches you how to time
the release and intensity of a pass so
you hit a receiver at the optimal point
in his route. Your goal is to throw the
ball through the golden hoop when
the receiver is in the proper position.
You receive points for passing the ball
through each hoop, and a bonus if the
receiver also catches the ball.
Ground
Attack
The RB Ground Attack teaches halfbacks, fullback, tight ends, and wide
receivers how to use jukes, spins, stiff
arms, and sprints to avoid would-be
tacklers and score as many touchdowns as possible. Avoid the barriers
also, because they slow you down and
allow the two defenders to catch up to
you. To master this drill:
— Position yourself strate-
gically so that your
blocker shields you
from the first tackler
— After you get through or
around the tackling
dummies, run toward
the far corner of the end
zone. This forces the
tacklers to run farther to
reach you. Also, it is
easier to juke and cut
back against a tackler
running at you from an
angle.
— If you must run straight
into a tackler, use the
Sprint button at the
point of impact to
improve your chances
of breaking the tackle.
— Use a stiff arm against
a tackler approaching
you from the side.
Catch Ball
The key to mastering this drill is to
time your "route" so that you arrive at
the same time as the ball. If your
timing is a little off, you can leap or
dive to make the catch, and earn
extra points.
Chase and
Tackle
In this drill your goal is to bring down
the ballcarrier as quickly as possible.
Use the Sprint button to close quickly,
but watch out for the barriers,
because the ballcarrier will use them
to his advantage. You still earn points
if your partner makes a tackle, but to
rack up a big score, make most of the
hits yourself. Above all, don't let the
ballcarrier reach the end zone, or you
suffer a touchdown penalty. For a nice
bonus, try using the Strip button to
cause a fumble.
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