Madden NFL 12 Walkthrough Primer

Front-Seven Quick Control Guide

There are a number of different options that users can utilize with the members of their front seven defenders. However, the truth is that most people out there don't make any pre-play adjustments, allowing their opponents to feel extremely comfortable in the pocket even before the play begins. By simply using and learning some of these basic movements in Madden 12 you can at least make your opponent think that pressure is coming even if you aren't bringing any. Check it out below!

The defensive formation that we'll be using to showcase all the different options up front is the 4-3 Normal. These movements will work with any formation, so be sure to try to incorporate them into your defensive scheme this season. The list below reveals adjustments that can be made to both the Defensive Linemen and Linebackers.

• "LB" + left on the left analog stick (360) or "L1" + left on the left analog stick (PS3): Shifts your Defensive Line to the left. As a general rule, many Madden gamers choose to shift their Defensive Line to the side of the Offensive Line that has more players to protect against the run. For instance, because the offense is in the I Form Normal formation and the tight end is on the right side of the line those players would shift their Defensive Line to the right instead. This is a solid general rule of thumb, but it's certainly not set in stone as 100% effective.
• "LB" + right on the left analog stick (360) or "L1" + right on the left analog stick (PS3): Shifts your Defensive Line to the right. Shifting the Defensive Line to one side or the other is often a good way to allow your defensive end to create pressure around the outside because it usually forces the tackle to have to block him straight up without any help.
• "LB" + up on the left analog stick (360) or "L1" + up on the left analog stick (PS3): Spreads the Defensive Line. Spreading the Defensive Line can create outside pressure, as well as prevent the quarterback from rolling out of the pocket too quickly.
• "LB" + down on the left analog stick (360) or "L1" + down on the left analog stick (PS3): Pinches the Defensive Line in. Most people use the pinched in Defensive Line only when the opponent gets inside the five yard line to prevent a quick run up the middle.
• "LB" + up on the right analog stick (360) or "L1" + up on the right analog stick (PS3): Crashes the Defensive Line out. This changes the blitz angles at which our Defensive Linemen rush the quarterback. This can prevent the quarterback from getting outside of the pocket right away.
• "LB" + right on the right analog stick (360) or "L1" + right on the right analog stick (PS3): Crashes the Defensive Line to the right. Crashing the angles to the right will overload the right side of the Offensive Line, but the quarterback will be able to escape to the backside if he's quick enough.
• "LB" + left on the right analog stick (360) or "L1" + left on the right analog stick (PS3): Crashes the Defensive Line to the left. Again, this will put pressure on the left side of the Offensive Line, but the opposite side will be left open.
• "LB" + down on the right analog stick (360) or "L1" + down on the right analog stick (PS3): Crashes the Defensive Line in. This is another change that typically will only be used inside the five yard line to prevent opponents from running up the middle too easily.
• "RB" + right on the left analog stick (360) or "R1" + right on the left analog stick (PS3): Shifts Linebackers to the right. This shift is usually made to either overload one side of the Offensive Line with a blitz or to try to stop the run.
• "RB" + left on the left analog stick (360) or "R1" + left on the left analog stick (PS3): Shifts Linebackers to the left. Again, this change is typically made to show an overload blitz or to help stop the run.
• "RB" + up on the left analog stick (360) or "R1" + up on the left analog stick (PS3): Spreads the Linebackers. Spreading the Linebackers will provide better spacing on the field to help cover with, but it will also leave you a little thin up the middle when trying to stop the run.
• "RB" + down on the left analog stick (360) or "R1" + down on the left analog stick (PS3): Pinches the Linebackers. Pinching the Linebackers is another tactic that you will normally only see in short yardage situations to help against quick runs up the middle.
• "RB" + left or right on the right analog stick (360) or "R1" + left or right on the right analog stick (PS3): Outside left or right linebacker to blitz. Blitzing either one of your outside Linebackers in this fashion is a good way to surprise your opponent off the end with pressure without having to give your movements away by manually doing it before the snap.
• "RB" + down on the right analog stick (360) or "R1" + down on the right analog stick (PS3): Blitz all of the Linebackers. Using this option is certainly risky, but if you get to the quarterback it could pay off big time.
• "RB" + up on the right analog stick (360) or "R1" + up on the right analog stick (PS3): Send Linebackers into hook zones. Madden gamers rarely use this option because having three of the exact same zones in the same area of the field is far too crowded.

We want to show one more quick option that can be made on the field that many people are unaware of. The option that we're referring to can be used when cycling through the different defenders on defense. We all know that hitting (360 - B / PS3 - O) repeatedly before the snap will allow us to move from player to player as we decide who we are going to control during the play. However, there's a quicker way to move through each player on the field. Instead of repeatedly hitting the button, hold down (360 - B / PS3 - O) and use the directional pad we can quickly switch our player control to a member on the Defensive Line.

By holding the cycle players button and pressing down on the d-pad our player control instantly moved to the left defensive end. Learning how to cycle through your players the quickest way possible is vital to making sure you get your defense set up in time before the play begins.

If you haven't been using any of the shifts available to your front seven defenders you've been missing out. With Madden 12 out now, maybe this should be the first year that you give it a try to take your defense to another level. Even showing your opponent the appearance of a blitz is enough for most people to have to make an adjustment before the snap on offense.