Per usual, EA SPORTS has added a ton of new formations to the game.  Here’s a complete list of the new ones you’ll find in Madden 09…

1. Gun Wing Trips
2. Gun Doubles Wing
3. Gun Flex Trey
4. Gun Bunch HB Str
5. Gun Empty Trips
6. Gun Spread Flex Wk
7. Gun Wing Trips Wk
8. Gun Flanker Close
9. Gun Spread Wk
10. Gun Doubles Y-Slot
11. Gun Deuce
12. Gun Spread Y-Flex
13. Gun Ace Pair Wk
14. Gun Split
15. Gun Doubles Wing Wk
16. Gun Ace Empty
17. Gun Bunch TE
18. Gun Trips Open
19. Split Pro Slot
20. I-Form H Pro
21. I-Form H Twins
22. I-Form H Slot
23. Strong Flex Twins
24. Weak Flex Twins
25. Singleback Wing Trio
26. Singleback F-Wing
27. Singleback F-Pair Twins
28. Strong H-Slot
29. Weak H-Slot
30. Singleback Trio
31. I-Form Slot Flex

Here are few more tibbits that have been leaked out for Madden NFL 09:

We have been told by EA Sports that if you drop the quarterback more than 15 yards, the receivers’ pass icons will be removed from view on All Pro and All Madden. You can still throw the ball, but you won’t be able to see pass icons. Basically this means you better know who your receivers are. This feature should help counter those players who like to sprint the quarterbacks back.

McFadden Wildcat package has been removed from game.

Spetacular Catches happen only when the CPU does it.

Online rank games are set to All Pro again this season.

Alternate uniforms are not available online.

Random weather cannot be selected for online rank games.

Madden NFL 09 has gone gold.

Anthony White, the Madden playbook producer, has posted a blog article relating to the playbooks in the upcoming game on the EA Sports site. There are some nice nuggets of information that can be found here.

The blog can be read at: http://www.easports.com/madden09/fullsite/blog.jsp?itemID=playbooks_blog

Here’s a couple of the items that we understand will appear in the Collector’s edition:

*Full Version of NFL Head Coach 09
*Design your own playbook with fully featured Play Creator
*Seamlessly integrate user-created plays into Madden NFL 09
*All-new Live Event System for free agency, trades, and contracts
*Every decision impacts your approval rating with fans, media, players and coaches
*Exclusive Bonus Content
*Fully playable version of classic Madden NFL 93
*Retro Playbooks feature the best plays from every year of Madden NFL Football history
*Turn Back the Clock with retro Madden NFL Football player models

EA ANNOUNCES MADDEN NFL 09 OFFICIAL SHIP DATE AND SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITIONMadden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, including NFL Head Coach 09, Available This Summer

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – March 27, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Madden NFL 09 will be available in retail stores in North America on August 12, including a special collector’s edition in celebration of the 20th anniversary of one of the best-selling video games franchises of all time. The Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will be the ultimate interactive NFL experience - featuring full versions of both Madden NFL 09 and the all-new NFL Head Coach 09, exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of bonus video content.

“The Madden NFL franchise has a rich history that we are proud to celebrate,” says Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. “The Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is both a tribute to our past and a major step toward the future of EA SPORTS.” Read the rest of this entry »

Run Game

Big B will happy with this part of the game or at least I think he will. The few guys I talked with seem to agree with me that the run game is back in the NG. I am not much of a runner, but when you get Marion Barber in your backfield, you can’t help but want to pound the rock. In the games I got to play, I ran him between 15-20 times and was averaging around 4.1 yards a carry. The holes tend to open up more. Now I didn’t get to spend a lot of time running against dime and quarter formations, so I can’t say if those two can defend the run like in years past. As we get closer to Madden launch day, you can bet we will have more time on sticks to give you a better idea of how the run game will work. Read the rest of this entry »

Last year I felt the game improved on the NG, but not as much as I would have hoped. As many of you know there were several features, glitches, and other problems within inside the game. This year EA SPORTS has made a concerted effort to add features that the causal and hard core community will enjoy. They also have made the effort to remove past glitches and problems that have the plagued the game. 

Now I am not going to tell you that they corrected everything, but they did get rid some of the more well know problems like the 3 Man Pass Rush and Double Pass. They also toned down the rocket and spectacular catch, and fixed flipping plays to break down the pass coverages. 

When I got my hands on the game, I went to straight to play now, turned off the play clock, and starting digging into the game play. Read the rest of this entry »

The Gators take it to the house

Homefield Advantage Read the rest of this entry »

First off let me say thanks to Will Kinsler and the rest of the EA Sports Tiburon staff for having community day once against this year. I can’t say enough about how top notch the event is and how great their support is to the community.. 

As far as NCAA Football 09 goes, I like the game. Now keep in mind I more of a Madden player than an NCAA guy. The game is much more wide open than it was in 08. If you know how to the read the pass coverages, you shouldn’t have much of a problem moving the ball through the air. 

Drags, slants, flats and crossing routes are very effective when throwing underneath, especially when a match up favors the receiver over the defender in pass coverage. The deep pass is back with a vengeance provided that the receiver has the speed to get separation and the quarterback has the arm strength and accuracy.  Read the rest of this entry »