| 24 March 2010
In their first blog entry focusing on Madden 11, EA Sports developers talked about the need to improve the receiving game.
As I mentioned yesterday when reading parts of the IGN interview, it seemed as though they're targeting the excess use of rocket catches, which have been a staple of tournament play over the past couple of years. In Madden 10, it was a little tougher to execute but still possible. For Madden 11, it appears that won't be the case anymore. And if there is rocket catching, defenders are going to get a really good shot at getting or knocking down the ball.
EA Sports mentions the "Catch Debugging Tool," which they say has helped them find ways to improve the passing game. Now, receivers will go through a certain sequence, depending on where they are on the field, while the ball is in the air.
One of the first catch issues we addressed was to force receivers to run through particular passes instead of triggering jumping catches. This was often seen on deeper passes like Streaks, Corners, and Deep Posts. Instead of slowing down and jumping up to catch a pass, a receiver in open space will try and catch the ball in stride now. These types of catches will only trigger, however, if there is not a defender in the path of the route or in a position to make a play on the ball. We want the Larry Fitzgerald/Calvin Johnson type receivers to really go up and fight for the ball and come down with spectacular catches if there is a crowd of defenders around them.
They also mention curl routes, which also have been a big help to players. Nothing will come easy to a receiver now. The various amounts of animation for a receiver should open up more opportunities for yards after catches. If not, then defenders will get more opportunities to make stops.
The developers are planning a chat next week about the passing game, so send them your questions at that time.
