Geodude's M19 Franchise Tips

[Mattanite]

CAVEAT: This is a work in progress and will be continually updated until after the release of Madden 19.

“In Madden 19, MUT now has more depth to building a team around a scheme than CFM does, let that sink in...”

I’ve always been interested in the nuances of team building with each edition of Madden and look at it from both an online standpoint (I play in possibly the toughest European Sim League) but also offline (both commissioner mode and as a single Owner).

I'll be updating this thread as more information comes out but hoping to build a grimoire of information regarding the schemes/archetype team building aspect coming to Madden 19. After the game launches I hope this will be a one stop shop of how to build a team. The information presented below is based on various sources and my own interpretations/assumptions (waiting on more info). Check out other contributions below:

https://forums.operationsports.com/f...hise-tips.html

Coach Schemes
The real NFL coaches have set schemes and playbooks as with every CFM so far. Players within 3OVR points of the preferred player type will contribute to the Scheme Fit %. The Scheme Fit % does nothing... It is just an easy HUD to see how close you are to fielding a decent scheme fit. Players that match the exact Scheme Fit Archetype will get a bonus to XP in Weekly Training.

Each coach can set an offensive and defensive scheme as according to the options below, I've included a rough interpretation of how you want to set up each scheme:

Offense – There are eight schemes to choose from, the individual positions CANNOT be edited within a scheme.

Spread – This is the college game scheme, WR to get open on short to medium routes with option reads, boot legs and scrambling with the QB. Lots of shotgun plays with runs and passes to keep the D backup up. The fullback is essentially a H-Back and the OL are there for getting to the second level with a speed back. The ONLY Scrambler QB Scheme!

• QB – Scrambler
• HB – Elusive Back
• FB – Utility
• WR – Possession
• TE – Vertical Threat
• OL – Agile
• LT – Pass Protector

West Coast Zone Run – Run, run and quick short passes. You want good release, short route running and hands on your WR to get open quick, a QB with great short accuracy and some mobility and a shifty back whose goal is to set up the occasional play action deep. The agile OL are made for getting to the second level, stretch and toss plays.

• QB – West Coast
• HB – Elusive Back
• FB – Utility
• WR – Possession
• TE – Possession
• OL – Agile

West Coast Power Run – Bruising run and pass game, as above, short accuracy QB and WR that can get open quick. The difference is this time you're hoping to make the D focus on shutting down between the tackles that you get open looks over the middle as LBs move up. Need strong OL to get good initial push with the odd pulling block for springing a run.

• QB – West Coast
• HB – Powerback
• FB – Utility
• WR – Possession
• TE – Possession
• OL – Power

Vertical Zone Run – This is all about winding it up deep and chucking it. The HB is there just to make sure the D plays honest. Speed is key and you'll need a decent pass block OL to buy time in the pocket for the WR to get separation. If the deep play isn't there, check down to the HB and there should be plenty underneath space to pick up YAC.

• QB – Strong Arm
• HB – Elusive Back
• FB – Blocking
• WR – Deep Threat
• TE – Vertical Threat
• OL – Agile
• LT – Pass Protector

Vertical Power Run – The run game is set to make the D move up and then you want to buy time with good outside protection and a clean inside pocket to step up and unwind a deep shot or play action throw. A fast TE should go deep, a slow TE and powerback should be underneath and check down options.

• QB – Strong Arm
• HB – Power Back
• FB – Blocking
• WR – Deep Threat
• TE – Vertical Threat
• G/C – Power
• LT RT – Pass Protector

Multiple Power Run – This is more a traditional offense, a QB to control the game and a running game to set up play action. The big bodied WR can go high for aggressive catches in the red zone but it's the running game that will get you there. A playbook using big sets and 2TE formations would be good, make sure to carry a Spell HB too.

• QB – Field General
• HB – Powerback
• FB – Blocking
• WR – Red Zone Threat
• TE – Blocking
• OL – Power
• LT – Pass Protector

Multiple Zone Run – This is a bit of a jack of all trades, the blocking FB allows a decent inside run game with agile OL to get to the second level and block outside well. The field general QB is there for play action passing and the red zone threats aggressive catch the high ball, the TE and HB are there for short plays and check downs.

• QB – Field General
• HB – Elusive Back
• FB – Blocking
• WR – Red Zone Threat
• TE – Possession
• OL – Agile

Run and Shoot – This is basically the Patriots, lots of quick undersized slot WR and a small shift catching HB/FB, big vertical TE and the whole OL is set to Pass Block. There isn't much run going on in Run and Shoot it seems. Pick playbooks with lots of shotgun and short routes crossing the field, screens, check downs and draws to get the HB in the game.

• QB – Field General
• HB – Receiving Back
• FB – Utility
• WR – Slot
• TE – Vertical Threat
• OL – Pass Protector

Defense – There are six schemes to choose from and you CANNOT edit the individual positions

Base 4-3 – This is your traditional 43 strongside/weakside defense. The left side has the Run Stop DE and LB and for playing 43 Under, and your right side is the speed DE and Cover LB. The safeties are set up for a Deep Zone FS and an underneath cover/box Strong Safety. CBs are zone... Great set up for cover 3 and some Cover 1

• LE – Run Stopper
• RE – Speed Rusher
• DT – Run Stopper
• LOLB – Run Stopper
• MLB – Field General
• ROLB – Pass Coverage
• CB – Zone
• FS – Zone
• SS – Run Support

Multiple 4-3 – A mix up with fast pass rush off the left/strong side and run stop ability with the Right/weak side. This is about getting in the QBs face with DT at speed rush too. The safeties are both zone so this is ideal for Cover 2 and Cover 2 Man with some blitzes thrown in. CBs are zone...again... This is like a Mike Zimmer defense with the Vikings and Bengals.

• LE – Speed Rusher
• RE – Run Stopper
• DT – Speed Rusher
• LOLB – Power Rusher
• MLB – Field General
• ROLB – Run Stopper
• CB – Zone
• FS – Zone
• SS – Zone

Base 3-4 – This is the traditional 34 set up with the strongside 5tech adding to the power rush with that OLB and the weak side being about the speed rush around the blindside. The CBs are Man.... the safeties are setup for a deep FS and an underneath SS. This is like the Texans 34D, run stoppers at DT and RE, JJ Watt and Merciles powering out of LE and LOLB and Clowney speed rushing at ROLB, with Mathieu at FS and Andre Hal supporting at SS.

• LE – Power Rusher
• RE – Run Stopper
• DT – Run Stopper
• LOLB – Power Rusher
• MLB –Field General
• ROLB – Speed Rusher
• CB – Man-to-Man
• FS – Zone
• SS – Run Support

Multiple 3-4 – So the only thing that changed here is the FS is a Hybrid instead of Zone... Come on EA??!!! Anyway, so this is intended for both safeties to player in the box with the Hybrid safety intending to matchup on the TE in Cover 1 or with a Man Blitz. You'll need very good man CBs to play this well. 34 Coaches get screwed on Schemes this year, we need more...

• LE – Power Rusher
• RE – Run Stopper
• DT – Run Stopper
• LOLB – Power Rusher
• MLB – Field General
• ROLB – Speed Rusher
• CB – Man-to-Man
• FS – Hybrid
• SS – Run Support

Tampa 2 – A strong/weakside set up for the DL as the Base43 but the DT is a power rusher ( you actually want a rusher at DT1/3tech and a very strong NT at DT2 as he'll be double teamed). The pass rush is generated by the DL so you need 3 good rushers, the LBs all drop into coverage and are responsible for tackling through a clean gap. The CBs are zone with the safeties so great for a Cover2 system, and if you train the CBs in Zone and Slot they can play press and are great against the outside run.

• LE – Power Rusher
• RE – Speed Rusher
• DT – Power Rusher
• LOLB – Pass Coverage
• MLB – Pass Coverage
• ROLB – Pass Coverage
• CB – Zone
• FS – Zone
• SS – Zone

46 – This is basically the 85 Bears... It's the only 43 scheme to use Man CBs! The idea is that you play Cover1 with 8 in the box and the Hybrid SS matches up on the TE, so it's great for stopping the run and short pass game but the CBs are left on an island with only 1 FS for help, so you need a good set of DBs to make this work.

• LE – Run Stopper
• RE – Power Rusher
• DT – Run Stopper
• LOLB – Run Stopper
• MLB – Run Stopper
• ROLB – Run Stopper
• CB – Man-to-Man
• FS – Zone
• SS – Hybrid

Specialist Formations – the system is smart enough to adjust for a 34 or 43, so RLE is either DE or OLB dependant on your scheme.

• Rush Left End – Depth chart order based on your best Speed/Power Rusher Archetype at DE (or 34OLB)
• Rush Right End – Depth chart order based on your best Speed/Power Rusher Archetype at DE (or 34OLB)
• Rush Defensive Tackle – Depth chart order based on your best Speed/Power Rusher Archetype at DT (or 34DE), If you use a 2-4-5 set up, DT1 is the 3Tech DE and DT2 is the 1gap DE. If you use a 3-3-5 set up, 1 is the RE, DT2 is the DT and DT3 is the LE.
• Sub Linebacker – Depth chart order based on your best Pass Coverage LB Archetype at OLB/MLB (or 34OLB, 2nd 34 MLB). NLB1 is the MLB, NLB2 is the OLB in a 43. You can also put a safety at NLB.
• Slot Cornerback – Depth chart order based on your best Slot Corner Archetype. I'd pick the slower CB you don't want covering deep in here (See Terrance Newman)

Your Formation Subs do NOT take into account your specialist formations until in game. Specialist formations only work for Nickel and NOT Dime formations.

The Scheme implementation in M19 is a step backwards. The previous systems let you differentiate between WR1, WR2 & WR3, between DT1 and DT2, between MLB1 and MLB2 (important for 34). So, a good example is the Vikings, they have Linval Joseph at DT, if you set the previous archetype (M18) as DT2 – Run Stuffer and DT1 as Speed Rusher then previously Sheldon Richardson would line up as DT1 on the depth chart as Linval Joseph had a higher overall at DT2 based on the archetypes. Under the new M19 system that is lost as there’s no differentiation between archetypes within a position group. Also, under this new system how you build your team is now very very prescriptive, you can’t decide you want a Strong Arm QB with Red Zone Threat WRs, a Blocking TE, Utility FB and a mix of Blindside OL Pass Protect, Strong Side OL Run Block… If the set schemes above don’t match quite how you want to run a team, TOUGH! You’ll have to find one that’s mostly right. The archetypes for the defenses are very limited too, mainly due to the CBs being mostly Zone for 43 and Man for 34. There is also only really 2 34 defenses as Zone Blitz was not carried over from previous years.

The overall fit of a team is expressed as a %, so if you are at 100% then every player on either offense or defense is within 3 OVR points of your desired archetype (e.g. WR could be 85 deep threat but 83 red zone threat therefore still count towards your % fit even though they don't fit the desired archetype. This is all known as Scheme Fit.

THEY FINALLY FIXED THE COACH CAROUSEL BUG!!!!!!!! So when a coach is fired and they hire a new CPU coach, the new CPU coach imposes it's own player archetypes to match the playbook and defensive scheme!!! (Very important for matching the 34 scheme with a 34 playbook, which CPU coaches would previously not do. ITS JUST A SHAME THAT THE OVR DISPLAYED FOR EVERY PLAYER FOR YOU OR ANOTHER COACH IS THE MAX OVR AND NOT ACCORDING TO THE TEAM SCHEME!!!!!!!!!!!! This is basically fixing one legacy bug with one hand, and the simultaneously creating a whole new one with the other. The fact that you don't view your own players, drafted players, free agents as your scheme specific OVR like previous years makes it very hard for team building. You need to click on the player to gather their archetype specific OVR to your team and make a decision. This is also why CPU coaches no longer trade for, draft and sign players that fit their scheme, without a CPU coach seeing a different OVR dependant on scheme they'll just draft or sign anyone... so that Cover LB that is a stud, the CPU coach will draft him in a 34 and he'll generate zero pass rush and get crap XP for being in the wrong system. They have also scrapped the PHY-INT-DUR-SIZE attributes that changed depending on the coaches scheme, making sure a player who was a better size/strength etc for a scheme was taken into account, and that lower durability players had lower OVR as they were a huge risk. MAKE IT SO THAT ALL COACHES VIEW PLAYERS OVR ACCORDING TO THEIR SCHEME ARCHETYPES!!!!

Player Archetype

There are now up to four player archetypes for each position, every player displays their OVR for each archetype on their player summary. It highlights which scheme archetype the player fits (blue hexagon) but also highlights with a tag if they contribute towards the current Coach Scheme fit too (purple jigsaw). In CFM, the PHY, INT and DUR categories that went into the OVR are now gone. So when a player goes up 1 OVR by spending a Skill Point, the increase is based on the direct composition of attributes as oppose to the collective PHY-INT-DUR-SIZE of previous years.


When levelling a player, the previously selected attribute to increase is what becomes that new player type, even if other archetypes match the same OVR. E.g. If you have a 85ovr Zone Corner who's am 84ovr Man archetype, if you level up Man to 85, that becomes his new archetype as the last selected, even though Zone is the same ovr and his previous archetype.

Archetypes (and focus attributes) are as follows:

QB – If you want an all around accurate QB go general, if you want a deep bomber go Strong, if you want a short range play action QB go WC and if you run around a lot then go Scrambler. If you alternate between WC and scrambler you'll have a great bootleg QB. If you alternate between Strong and General you'll have a great pocket passer. Strong and Scrambler you'll get Big Ben. Think about your QB build long term, how do you play and what scheme do you run?

• Scrambler – BSK, RUN, SAC
• Strong Arm – THP, DAC, MAC
• West Coast – PAC, SAC, MAC
• Field General – MAC, SAC, DAC

HB – Most Hbs will fall into the Elusive or Power category. If your primary archetype is WAAAY ahead of your secondary one, don't bother developing the secondary one as the moves won't be good for a long time. If you have a balanced back, alternate between Elusive and Power. Unless you check down A LOT, don't increase receiving.

• Elusive – ELU, SPN, JKM
• Power – SFA, TRK, BTK
• Receiving – CTH, RLS, SRR

FB – These guys are harder to level up therefore unless you use a blocking FB or actually FB run it, use a TE here. The Utility primary attribute upgrades are a bit poor so I'd go blocking back personally.

• Blocking – LBL, IBK, RBK
• Utility – CTH, CAR, SRR

WR – DT becomes Mike Wallace, beat press and run deep, Possesion is your catch everything type, RZT is the beat press and aggressive catch high type and slot is the reliable hands quick cut type. Combine Slot and deep threat for a balanced speed WR, combine Poss and RZT for a big bodied CIT build.

• Deep Threat – DRR, RLS, SPC
• Possession – CIT, MRR, SRR
• Red Zone Threat – RLS, SPC, CIT
• Slot – SRR, CIT, CTH

TE – Pick your TE based on your style, I think RLS on 2 of them is a waste as noone presses a TE. Level up your H-back at FB with the blocking archetype. Alternate between Possession and Vertical for a Balanced TE.

• Vertical Threat – DRR, MRR, RLS
• Possession – CIT, SRR, RLS
• Blocking – RBK, IBK, LBK

OL – If you pass a lot, or run a vertical deep pass scheme, I'd recommend going Pass Protector. Check your divisional opponents, if they use Power Rushers, develop Power blockers, Speed Rushers vs Agile blockers. Alternate between Agile and Power for a balanced blocker.

• Pass Protector – PBK, PBP, PBF
• Agile – RBF, PBF, IBK
• Power – RBP, PBP, RBK

DE – There is a slight difference between archetypes at DE and DT. Basically in a 43 go Power or Speed, in a 34 go Power or Run Stopper. I'd focus on one type of rusher instead of being balanced. Check what “moves” the rusher has in traits and develop that type too.

• Run Stopper – BSH, TAK, PRC
• Power Rusher – PMV, TAK, PUR
• Speed Rusher – FMV, TAK, PUR

DT – If you want to generate pressure up the middle then go Power, if you never blitz consider Speed and for everything else go Run Stopper. Consider your divisions OL scheme too, you want to match up a Power rusher if they have all PBF.

• Run Stopper – BSH, TAK, PUR
• Power Rusher – PMV, TAK, PRC
• Speed Rusher – FMV, PRC, PUR

OLB – 43 go Run Stopper until the player is good enough you can spend on coverage. It's easier to stop the pass that it is to get suction blocked or juked into giving up a big run. For 34 pick between Speed and Power with the occasional Run Stop thrown in to contain the outisde run. Check traits for pass rush moves and develop accordingly.

• Pass Coverage – ZCV, MCV, PRC
• Run Stopper – BSH, PUR, TAK
• Speed Rusher – FMV, PUR, TAK
• Power Rusher – POW, PMV, PUR

MLB – If you like a blitzing MLB in a 34, consider moving him to 34OLB a couple of seasons and then back inside. For all other builds go Run Stop alternating with Field general and once good enough develop coverage (as above), most guys user the LB so coverage at MLB is less important than PUR, TAK and block shed which doesn't feature below.

• Field General – PRC, PUR, TAK
• Pass Coverage – ZCV, MCV, TAK
• Run Stopper – POW, PUR, TAK

CB – As mentioned previously, the locking of CB type to 43 or 34 forces your hand in XP development here (see the training fix for that). If Zone runs better than Man like last year, I'd go Zone Zone Zone. If you like CBs to tackle or in a league with a lot of outside runs, go Slot for block shed and tackle development (plus they get okay coverage upgrades). For a Balanced CB alternate between Man and Zone.

• Man Coverage – MCV, PRS, JMP
• Zone Coverage – ZCV, PRS, PRC
• Slot Corner – MCV, PRC, TAK

S – If you play Cover1 to matchup the TE, go Hybrid, but Cover1 gets burned a bit, so I'd develop mostly Zone for safeties. If you use a safety as the Nickel LB I'd strongly consider building them as Run Support.

• Zone Coverage – ZCV, PRC, PUR
• Run Support – PRC, POW, TAK
• Hybrid – MCV, PRS, PRC

K/P – Because this position uses so few attributes always choose Power, as most of the time it's just an AWR boost.

• Power – KPW, AWR
• Accurate – KAC, AWR

The player archetype is essentially what is their highest OVR, so OBJ is a Deep threat at 95OVR but still counts towards the Scheme Fit as he's 93OVR in the other three categories. Player archetypes can change as detailed in the next section.

Player Development
The development trait is still a feature and there are four categories, Dev is a lot more fluid this year based on stats, awards and performance relative to the league:

• Superstar - The new upper echelon of XP earning. Approx 2-3% of the league
• Star - assumed to be similar to the old Superstar Dev.. Approx 5% of the league
• Quick - assumed to be still the same.. Approx 30% of the league.
• Normal - still the same, getting rid of Slow was a PR move with NFL players. Approx 60% of the league

One aspect to watch is the fluid Dynamic Development of players in regard to relative performance to rest of the league. Under the old system you could hit your level 4 goal, get an award or pay XP for a dev upgrade. Under the new Skill Point system, Dev can’t be bought, only earned. Traits cannot be bought and are fixed, so important to check in FA and draft if that shiny new WR has “drops open passes”. I'd hope they introduce a trait development mechanic that see's younger players improve Traits with age in the future...

The fluid Dev system is based on the stats of the league as a whole, so a year when there's a tonne of good WR stats, your respectable season could still see you earn a downgrade. Rookies don't "jump" anymore, it's a slow development system now, and players are limited to one Dev bump or drop per season. So no longer can you take a 4th round rookie and make him a Superstar 90ovr monster in 1 season. My observations of stat arcs so far.

• QB is a combination of Yards and TDs,
• HB is a combination of Yards and TDs
• WR/TE is a combination of Rec, Yards and TDs
• OL don't change (see below)
• DE (both 34 and 43 get measured up against each other) is Sacks
• DT is Sacks, Tackles and TFL
• OLB is Sacks (both 43 and 34 get measured up against each other) is Sacks with some Tackles
• MLBs is Solo Tackles, with some INTs, Sacks and TFL (CPU & Simmed games generate a lot more of these than user games so watch out).
• CBs is Passes Deflected with minor emphasis on INTs and Tackles (regularly saw the Top5 INT leaders drop a Dev)
• Safeties is Tackles, INTs and Pass Deflections
• P/K haven't seen this change yet.
• Young Players (first 2 years) seem immune to fluid dev regression for statistical performance.
• 34 schemes get the advantage with Fluid Dev for OLBs but suffer for DEs.
• 43 schemes get the advantage with Fluid Dev for DEs and DTs but suffer for OLBs.

OL Fluid Dev Bug
OL are immune to Fluid Dev, they NEVER change in progression and regression... Therefore you can miss season goals and be safe, but if you make the probowl with a few you get XP for that Dev year on year. I would recommend using a system/spreadsheet to award your own OL Probowl as it's still broken (sends backups of the best W/L team). Make sure to award your own Dev before advancing Week 17 to get better season goal/probowl XP.

Dev in Online Multi User Leagues
The “relative performance” dev mechanic has me scared… If you have a few dominant players in your league, will you see a shift to them gaining all the Star and Superstar Devs each season played, further bettering their team which they’re already very adept with. Will this hamper lesser online coaches who see their Star QB drop to normal and regress horribly, crippling his chances of competing with better coaches furthermore. You might also further feel the need to stat pad a player in order to boost his dev (or scared of a drop or assuming you can’t purchase it now), so the “XP-to-SP-FluidDev” system might further ruin the stat padding experience, especially in Online leagues (unless that’s a well policed sim league). Similarly, look out for the 16-0 teams sending their backup OL to the probowl as well as their starters, many Sim leagues now operate their own Pro Bowl OL system and edit OL back down.

Gaining XP
So, you have a Coach Scheme, you have a scheme fit, you have a player archetype and you have a player. How does it all tie together.

Despite having a Coach Scheme with a set desired archetype, skill points can be spent developing a player as any archetype, so if you run with a Power Back you can still upgrade him as an Elusive Back but he won't go up in Power OVR. The boosts are variable, you can't choose what is progressed and you can't see beforehand. However, the focus attributes for the Player Archetype will likely get the best boost so the player goes up 1 OVR in that archetype when you use a Skill Point. Physical attributes can also increase but I would bet that this has a lower % chance of occurring compared to intangibles and likely limited to a +1 increase. This new system is great for balancing contracts in Online leagues as you can’t save for the expensive effective attributes (Zone, Finesse Move) but still have a lower OVR and therefore lower contract demands in Free Agency or when resigning. I love and hate the fact you likely can’t buy a Dev upgrade now, also, you can no longer purchase Player Traits, these are tied to the player. Also, once a player hits 99OVR in all archetypes you can no longer spend SP, and just store them for later years when the player regresses.

Players who fit the Scheme Fit (their highest OVR matches the desired Archetype) get an XP boost in Weekly training. Therefore, finding players who match your desired archetype will accumulate skill points quicker and therefore get better as the desired archetype player. Weekly training a Quick Dev who doesn't fit the scheme is roughly the same as Normal Dev who does fit the scheme. With the higher proportion of Quick dev players this year, the XP rate seems slower so it's important to maximise your XP. You can change your offensive and defensive scheme before Weekly Training without penalty, so I recommend changing it to match the positions you plan to train, the changing it back .

“You run a west coast zone run, but your QB is a Strong Arm and your WR are mostly Deep Threats. Before you do the weekly Slant Training for QB and WR, change your scheme to Vertical Zone Run. Your OL, HB, TE and FB are unnaffected because of the positions the training focuses on, then change your scheme before you train a different position group next week.”

Also, the window for developing players is the same as last year (fast until 26, decent to 29, regression from 30), therefore I'd recommend changing your scheme and planning your weekly training to fit with the young core of your team.

“Your new QB was Normal Dev but won rookie of the year going to Quick, to maximise the rate at which you earn Skill Points it’s now worth changing your scheme to fit. Because you were passing more your veteran Quick Power HB has dropped to Normal and you have a younger Normal Elusive HB as a backup, so you change to make sure the new QB scheme also fits the younger Elusive HB scheme for the XP boost.”

If a player spends enough time developing a player along a certain archetype, they will slowly (or quickly depending on Dev) become more and more of a fit with that archetype. So if you draft a Superstar Field General QB but you have a desired archetype for a Scrambler QB, eventually you can boost that player to become primarily a Scrambler QB and then the XP boost kicks in for matching archetype.

You can stockpile Skill Points. So set a rule in Online leagues to avoid a coach saving them until after a big resign then spend them, I believe the CPU spends them if they have them. The rate Skill Points are earnt seems to be based on Age and current true OVR.. If this system is true an example would be:

“You have 2 QBs and neither are a scheme fit. Your Field General QB is 32 and 90OVR, he had a decent enough season so stays Quick dev but because he’s already 90OVR and his age he only earnt 2 Skill Points that season and is now 92OVR before regression. Your second QB is a Scrambler QB age 24 and 76OVR, also Quick Dev, he played enough games to have some stats and did the same weekly training as the other QB, but because he is younger and lower OVR he managed to gain enough XP to earn 8 Skill Points and wont suffer regression so is now 84OVR.”

The removal of some player archetypes (notably all Balanced Archetypes) doesn’t matter much to a Human Coach. Just make sure to alternate between Man-to-Man and Zone Coverage archetypes when spending your skill points, voila, Balanced CB. However, I haven't worked out yet if the CPU Coaches may develop players based on Scheme Fit so you could see a lop sidedness to these players, for example:

“CPU Coach loves Man-to-Man CBs, and so he makes sure to train them all as elite Man defensive backs, which is great when his dumb-as-rocks D Coordinator is calling man plays, but he’s neglected their Zone training, so when the DC calls 2/3s Zone plays in a game his poor elite Man DBs get their asses whipped by a dandy smart QB”

Player Regression
Player regression has changed, and I think for the better!! Regression has been tuned so that it’s random in terms of magnitude and attributes. A player will likely see a drop in OVR and the random regression determine which attributes get what hit. Dev now influences if you regress and how much so, so a quick dev veteran has a bit more worth now than being thrown on the Free Agent scrap heap. And Freaks exist that won't regress either (see Brady, Tom)! Not worked out if regression and Dev tie in with retirement yet (along with making the Playoffs or not like M18). For example:

“Your Star Strong Arm QB is 36 and your team just made the playoffs. Not only is the fact you made the playoffs staving off his retirement decision, but he went to the probowl and is now classed as a Superstar Strong Arm QB. During the offseason he doesn’t notice any loss in zip on his cannon arm (no regression), so his OVR stays high enough that he knows he can compete and therefore doesn’t plan on retiring for years if this keeps up.”

Because player regression seems very harsh with fluid Dev, I would avoid giving big contracts to any player over 29 unless they are a franchise player. You either have to maintain an absurdly high level of play, or the long contract will seem extortionate when your 88ovr quick dev DT is a 76ovr normal dev DT after a few years.

Draft Archetypes
I like the direction the Archetype vs Skill Point system is going in for Online leagues. I don’t think a lot of Online leagues will use Custom draft classes as it loses the random element if someone in the league knows how good every player is… Therefore, the randomly generated draft classes will stay important.

Scheme fit only influences the XP earned in weekly training, therefore even if that boost is on par with the next Dev up (who isn’t a scheme fit), it’s still more limited as a higher Dev player will earn more XP from performance related goals over the lower dev Scheme Fit player. Therefore, if draft stories stay on for Madden 19, taking a stud combine player or a known dev player (or even chance of higher dev player) trumps picking the unknown Scheme Fit player. I would recommend that in the later rounds that unless an obvious gem is still there, later draft picks focus on Scheme fit as these players will generally not earn performance or award-based XP (as backups) and will therefore benefit a lot more than a 1st round starter by having the scheme fit.

What could bug me to an early grave is the revamped and reduced Player Archetype system. Generally, the number of player archetypes have gone down per position (there are no Balanced archetypes or Prototype archetypes at any position now), therefore unless there is a lot more randomness introduced to generated players AND they use the drafted position to build upon the archetype, for example:

“CPU Coach approaches his scouting department asking about two players he’s looking at, one is a 34D Speed Rusher OLB and the other is a 43D Speed Rusher DE. The idiot intern scout says there’s no difference between the archetypes as they’re both Speed Rushers, which makes the scouting world much more boring. The smarter senior scout suggests that even though they’re both Speed Rushers, the draft is still random and also the fact that one Archetype starts at OLB vs DE there will be a slight difference in size and also coverage skills, that it’s safer to take the smaller OLB and move him to DE but the larger DE archetype could have less coverage skills so not fit moving to OLB.”

CPU Coaches do NOT recognise their player archetype when drafting due to the lack of Scheme OVR view. A CPU coach already has a “feel” for if a player is a gem (drafts a round early) or a bust (lets them drop a round). For example:

“CPU Coach runs a 34 defense, but due to his defensive coordinator being a simpleton he only recognises 3 different types of players for his two 5-tech positions and his nose tackle. The D coordinator is at least smart enough to recognise Speed Rushers are a terrible fit for his 34DL but he can’t tell if the 6’3” 265lb Power Rush/Run Stuff 43DE will be any different to the 6’7” 310lb Power Run/Run stuff 34DE… The archetype matches but his system of recognising players should get him fired… A new smarter D coordinator would still use the size rating in selecting between the ideal DE”

Scouting
With the introduction of Break Sack, Break Tackle, Short-Medium-Deep Route Running, Pass Block Power/Finesse, Run Block Power/Finesse and Lead Block, drafting at certain positions just got a lot harder. So it's mainly for WR and OL, as during scouting, only the Top3 attributes are shown, this could mean there is a serious skill drop off at these two positions are they have a multitude of attributes. When it comes to scouting WR and OL, I would target scheme fit players first as if there is a serious drop off in other attributes, they will at least fit your scheme.

“A deep threat WR enters the draft with B+ Release, B Medium Route Running, B Deep Route running. In previous years this would be a bolt on good pick, but now it could be that he's actually built great for his archetype but drops off qucikly for CIT, SPC and CAT. Plus there's the Power Guard you're salivating over, B+ RBP, B+ RBF, B RBK buy you generally pass 70% of the game... But you draft him to find he has no PBK, PBF and PBP and his lead block and impact block are average, you now have a great Power Guard that's a liability in your system.”

Conclusions

• I love the addition of Skill Points and progressing along a certain archetype, this fixes a lot of issues in online leagues and leveling up with a SP is like opening a MUT card pack now... oh wait...?
• I hate the way that Schemes have been implemented, it's very restrictive, they need to include a few more schemes in an update that allow 34 zone blits, man cover 43 etc
• It's a HUGE mistake to have taken out "Player OVR view according to scheme", it makes it a more lengthy process for you to build a team (clicking on a player tile instead of viewing the player as he fits your scheme), but it also completely ruins the CPU team building AI, this is such as step back it's pre CFM age tech!!!
• Progression is rewarding, regression is a tough mistress, scouting and drafting are harder but more rewarding with new attributes
• They didn't change much in terms of CFM structure so some of the M17 and M18 tricks and tips still work
• On reflection, M19 CFM is one step forward, and a palaeontological step back to the Pre CFM scheme days (or lack therefore). Everyone seems to have forgotten when Schemes were first introduced in CFM, you got XP boosts for matching your Team Scheme and Player Archetype plus the Coach Archetype was changeable!
• OL Probowl still broken and OL Fluid Dev bug just makes it worse... Some OL will avoid regression, get great XP every year whereas others will regress horribly and be capped at XP every year.

[extremeskins04]

Always love your tips Geo. I've learned alot on the game from your posts over the years.

[tdawg3782]

Great stuff Geo. Look forward to your insights.

[jsteele14]

Your archetype concerns and dynamic development fears are spot on!


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[Ueauvan]

my issue with this process. when i look at my roster i make a concerted effort to get all players to 90 inj and 85 tgh. no point having a star if they get injured. i want to be able to improve their robustness as if they went through conditioning and nothing else, thats why a team has medics, fitness experts, dieticians and strength coaches. looks like that isnt possible anymore

[F17]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ueauvan

my issue with this process. when i look at my roster i make a concerted effort to get all players to 90 inj and 85 tgh. no point having a star if they get injured. i want to be able to improve their robustness as if they went through conditioning and nothing else, thats why a team has medics, fitness experts, dieticians and strength coaches. looks like that isnt possible anymore

Explain Rob Gronkowski then
Adrian Peterson was engineered and still missed loads of time injured over his college and NFL career
Tony Romo


Some players are naturally injury prone. All the fitness experts in the world cant change that

[Ueauvan]

there are players that seem injury prone, so if they decide thats an issue then make it scoutable. all med records are available at the combine so for combine attendees make inj/tgh free to see, you then make a choice based on their history. same goes for wunderlic scores. you should be able to make a rational choice like in the NFL. you should also be able to develop fitness to some degree. most of the low inj rating players in madden have it usually because they have attitude/off field issues

[Mattanite]

Bump for post release impressions and comments