Clearing up Issues

Now that we've got one regular season under our belts, have moved to a new forum and are about to start the playoffs I just wanted to clear up a few issues.

First, there has been a bit of discussion about dropbacks. In the rules (O7) its stated that "dropping back 10 yards" is not allowed. This means 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. So if you're already in shotgun you shouldn't be dropping back 4-5 steps because that would put you over 10 yards from the LOS.

To simplify the ruling and to avoid future disagreements a user shouldn't pull back the left stick after the snap when in shotgun. In the NFL QBs in shotgun do move their feet but its really just a shuffle to set up and not to gain more distance backwards. This can't be properly represented in Madden so to keep it real just let the CPU do the shuffle and step up into the pocket when throwing.

In addition to the rule, players shouldn't be continually throwing while backing up whether under center or not. That doesn't mean that we are forced to just stand there when a defender is charging right at us. You are allowed to back up, move side to side and even sprint out of the pocket when under pressure just like in the NFL. It just should not be a habit that players are backpedaling while they throw the ball because that doesn't happen in the NFL either.

The second issue thats been mentioned a bit is stat padding. As a reminder stat padding is against the rules in all cases, whether you're playing a human or the cpu. Its implied in rule O8. The rule is not just about running up the score but also about continually feeding the ball to one player, running the same plays or hot routes or usering the same player or play on defense to dominate the cpu. Its ok to break a record every once in a while. Constantly breaking records or being close to it just hurts the integrity of the league and ruins the experience for others.

And if the game is clearly in your favor then like it says in the rules "there are things you should do when on the positive end of a blow out. Removing your starters, punting, running the ball and chewing the clock should be staples of your gameplan."

Thess issues will be added to the league rules for future reference.

I hope that clears up any misunderstandings and everyone can live with these rules and still have fun as we move forward into the playoffs and season 2.