News

The Virtual Playbook for Madden 2002 provides gamers with sound fundamental knowledge about football strategy
by Michael Lafferty

So you don’t know your cover two from your 3-4 Double Z – well, join the club. There are a lot of folks who just look at the pretty pictures and base a decision of what may work from what they understand of the diagrams.

We are talking football here, and one game in particular – Madden 2002 (EASports), one of the most popular gridiron games on market. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Sunday couch potato (as in you won’t move if there is a football game on the tube), or just someone who enjoys plunking down in front of a computer or console system for a rousing cyber game, everyone can use another perspective.

That’s what the folks at VG Sports, Inc. hope to provide with an ebook, which is a Virtual Playbook for the Madden title.

The book is a download (from http://www.maddentips.com ), though it must be purchased in order to register it and actually read it. The instructions tell you how to get the free ebook reader, how to register and open the book the first time. From there it is up to you.

This is not a .PDF format, where you can browse from page-to-page, almost turning them, and that is a bit of a drawback. You begin on the page that has instructions on how to use the book, as well as a table of contents, with each topic linked to the appropriate page within the book. When you finish studying what is presented, you click back to the start and pick the next topic you wish to learn about. That may go against everything you like about a book, but there is a method to the madness. First, you get only what you wish to read about, without an accidental click that will send you all over the place.

Second, this book can continue to grow, with more information added, and page numbers would likely change. In this manner, the key to finding the topic isn’t finding a page number, but clicking on the topic, then seeing only the information about that topic.

Three legendary NFL players have added comments to the book, to liven up the content and provide a little entertainment value. Ted Hendricks (Raiders and Baltimore Colts), George Blanda (Raiders) and Curly Morrison (a running back who played for Paul Brown and George Halas) talk about a variety of things pertaining to the subject at hand. Hendricks may recount chasing Dan Fouts or Joe Kapp in the section on blitzing;  Blanda will discuss the evolution of the offense and use of audibles in the section on West Coast offenses: and Morrison will share how Paul Brown prepared for a game in the section on attacking a Cover 3 defense.

The Virtual Playbook will give players the basics for recognizing what the other team is doing, and how to counter it. For example, in the Cover 3, drops three defenders (defensive backs) back in deep coverage. The solution may be to flood one zone with multiple receivers, or call a play with out routes away from the rotation.

The book uses both text and illustrations to highlight the situation and solutions.

The Virtual Playbook does not over-embellish on any topic. Each issue is addressed in a straightforward manner. For game players who like to keep it simple, and use the guess-timation style of coaching, this is not a book that will interest them. For those who really want to get into the game, who are tired of getting whipped by knowledgeable players either sitting in the other chair or online, then this book will benefit them.

Of course, the NFL historical perspective offered by Hendricks, Blanda and Morrison is worth a read.