The I-Form is a basic set that many have used when playing Madden. This is because it’s a set that allows you to run and pass. When you have West Coast-like personnel on your team, you can use sets like this to move the ball extremely well.

Over time, the I-Form has been changed to other sets that perform the same as the basic-I Form, but the players are set up differently. In the screenshot, this is the Strong I-Form. The same personnel, but a different set-up.

This is another I-Form set with a change to the set-up of the backs. This is the set that many have found to have the best FB dive plays. The hand-offs are very quick and you have better blocking for HB dives away from the strong side, as well.

Using the I-Form

You can use route combos in I-Form just as you could in any gun set. Over time, the I-Form plays have gotten better and allowed you to attack from the air as well as pound. The curls play is the one we will look at now, in addition to the quick slants.

We have a three-way flood to the right. The progression is easy. You read the flats, the middle, and then the curl outside by the wideout. When you face zone, this flood will get someone open. If this was a situation when heat was coming, you have three quick routes that will open quickly with two hot reads. Those reads would be your backs.

The flats were open and we were able to get a nice gain from this pass. This is why we feel it’s more of a West Coast type of offense. Short passing makes up for the lack of running. A nice dive can get you 5 yards and keep the clock moving.

Notice how well the men are spread out. You have five weapons to hit at any time. Just use your progression system of choice and throw darts.

The TE is a nice option in the middle and he is your last read. This is a nice route to attack blitzing LB’s and certain deep zone.

If you pass lead it correctly, you can use this slant-curl route like a slant. Hit him before he goes into his curl, and you can get this animation and have your TE still moving after the catch.

This was a decent gain and you still haven’t ran. The I-Form is a nice set to move the ball with and still is one of the most popular sets in football today.

Quick Slants

This is the play that Jerry Rice and the 49ers used for years. Quick slants was said to be one of the hardest plays to stop. This play kills heat, man press, and most zones. The wideouts attack inside while the back and TE work away from the set. The purpose is that most of the time, the LB’s are coming in for a pass rush. If that is the case, the TE and HB should be open. If they’re not, then the slants are wide open. This is a two way flood that can be used for most situations.

In the screenshot, you can see how the players (wideouts) get inside position from the hike. You’ll also see how the TE and back are shooting to the flats.

We hit the SE for a nice gain and he has a chance at more YAC. The Cards have one of the best teams to run this type of offense with. When you have two big bodies like them, it’s hard to double or sit on one side. Then you have a nice TE and a great back in Edge.

Offset I-Form

Many players love offset formations. This makes it hard to use the correct defense to defend them. Many use nickel, but you may get ran on, and have a nickel back on the FL that is playing the inside SL. Then if you are in man, you see that the right side is open for some pound.

When you see an opening like that, you have to audible to a run and take advantage of it. The men are blocking well; we just need to set up our blocks to get outside.

We have two gaps to hit: the outside and the inside between 75 and 74.

When we went inside, the blocker came off his block, so we made a spin move away to the other hole outside.

Now we have room to gain more yards, and we’re out.

It takes more than a basic tackle to take this man down. Notice that we stayed behind our blocker for a chance at more yards.

It looks like the play could be dead. Always keep your legs moving.

You never know when you may break a tackle and get more yards. Always push for more yards. Use all of your moves for the right situation, and you can create plays on the fly with stick work.

Edge is out and he only has one man to beat to keep him from the paydirt.

Again, always look for ways to get free. This is a good time for the stiff arm or truck stick.

The stiff arm was enough and Edge took this play to the house. When you use the right play and are patient, you can make big plays. The team is ready to be set up with a nice PA Roll Out Type play.

PA Rollout Play

When you break off a nice gain, you can extend from that by building on the play. The PA is needed to protect your pound game. The run/pass commit is a tool that many use out of laziness. You have to make them pay for it everytime they use it. This is a nice way to set the table.

This is an overhead shot of the play. The three-way flood to the right would be a nice choice because the coverage is weak to that side.

Once you hike the ball, you will see that the FB is almost always open on all PA plays. In this case, he is wide open to the right. Then you also have a dig and post route.

This is your three-way flood and you have a backside post working as well. When the player is on the FS and overplays his area, you can expose him quickly with the backside.

This is the dig and you can see the post above him.

The coverage fell back on the post, and we hit the dig for a nice gain. With a big body like his, it makes it fun to use him. He will hold onto the ball in traffic.

Then his size allows us to drag a few players along the way.

3 Wide Spread for Pound

The spread in the I-Form is effective because it allows you to get some nice running lanes to pound the rock. Someone has to account for the SL wideout, and when this is done you pound. If they stay around you, pass via the uncovered theory.

Someone is covering the Sl, and it’s time to pound them out a bit. Since you will get run committed on, you need quick hand-offs like the FB dive.

Now you have a nice push up front that allows you to get positive yards from the jump. You have two holes to hit, so just pick one.

We took the A gap and can get more if we play our cards right.

We made a nice gain, and with his size we can break a few tackles. When you use FB dives, you just need to lean forward. The main reason is because you will go foward when you get taken down. There’s no need for fancy stick skills.

5 Way Combos

When you have excellent weapons, use 5 way floods. This is hard for guys with great stick to defend. The thing is that players with good stick can click on and make plays easily. If your stick is lacking, you need plays like this one to make them commit to a route. When you had the cone, this helped players with no stick. You could have the cone on one player and then swing the cone. Since we don’t have it, you need plays like this.

A player with stick would lean on your first read. If you have a progression system, it is harder for them to sit on anyone. The key is that you need to hit a route that they can’t get to.

The flat and the V route are tough for an opponent to make a play on. We also have the curl open.

We hit the V route for a gain out of this power running set.

You also could have hit the TE working towards the sideline. If they are in man, you can pass lead outside for a nice gain.

Closing Statements

You can work any set you want. The key is selecting one that gives you options and fits your style of play. It also has something to do with your progression system. I-Form has easy progression reads and allows you to run out of them. Then you can dictate to the defense to play heavy types of defenses that allow you to have an easier time passing against them when you have a skilled TE and backs. For instance, the Skins have two good TE’s, two decent backs, and speedy wideouts. So you could use twin TE sets or spread sets to open up Portis. When you look at your playbooks during lab sessions, take a hard look at the I-Form scheme. This is the type of offense that can work the clock and close out games. If you’re playing a skilled opponent, this is a scheme that can slow the game down and make them think a bit.