Madden 19 and the Importance of Strategic Timeouts

Some of the box scores around our Madden 19 CFM may make folks wonder how much effort teams are putting into their defensive planning. We all love big offense and drafting that franchise QB, but what good does it do if you don’t carry that same focus over on defense? This, of course, is a generalization, but I do think we all have information we can share to help make us and thus the league better. So let’s talk about something that’s actually quite minute in the grand scheme of things: timeouts, and how they can be used in more situations than just when you need to stop the clock. In this first clip, the Lions notice their LB Daryl Brate is lined up in man-to-man coverage on Antonio Brown in the slot. This is an important 3rd down and 4 attempt for the Steelers early in the game. Even though we have our defense and depth chart set so that Darius Slay III should be covering Brown at all times, this bad matchup happened. Timeout Lions, and disaster likely averted. Watch Lions @ Steelers from ssolloway33 on www.twitch.tv Similarly, on another important 3rd down and 8 attempt by the Steelers, we see them motion Le’Veon Bell out wide to which no one in my zone scheme is going to pick him up. Timeout Lions, disaster likely averted. Watch Lions @ Steelers from ssolloway33 on www.twitch.tv Finally, in this third clip, we see the Lions on offense on an important 3rd down and 7 conversion attempt of their own. They end up seeing their 2nd year WR DaRick Marsh and his 93 speed lined up with absolutely no one near him. Lions audible Marsh into a streak pattern, and end up hitting Marsh for a big gain. A timeout here could have helped the Steelers, and could have turned the tide of the game. Watch Lions @ Steelers from ssolloway33 on www.twitch.tv Strategy exists in Madden 19, and it’s often the little things that can start to add up and make the difference between victory and defeat. The Lions went on to win this game 30-24 in overtime, but it could have easily been a different outcome.