Have you ever had a 3rd and 10 situation, and had your receiver run an 8-yard out pattern, only to leave you a couple yards short of the first down? This can be extremely frustrating, and now there's a solution, again. EA has added Smart Routes to Madden NFL 09. This is a feature that was in the PS2 / Xbox version of the game, but had never made it into the next-gen consoles, until now. A Smart Route is an adjustment made by the offensive user, to ensure that the WR route will be run past the first down marker. So now on your crucial 3rd and 10, your WR is going to run an 11-yard out pattern, instead of only going eight yards and turning for the ball.
Not all routes can be 'smart routed'. This means only some routes can be altered at the line of scrimmage. Don't worry, SportsGamer will provide you will a full list of routes that can be smart routed when the game is released. For now, I wanted to show you an example of one of my favorite routes in Madden NFL 09 (and 08 for that matter). Take a look at how we use the Smart Route for a nice gain.
Madden NFL 09 - Utilizing the Deep In Route
The Deep In route was one of the most effective routes in Madden 08. It seems to work just as well in Madden 09. The great thing about this route now is that you can create it from any offensive pass this year. In last year's game, the Deep In route was only in a handful of plays per playbook, which limited it's use. To utilize the Deep In route in Madden NFL 09, simply call any pass play out of the huddle. In the image to the left, you can see that the receiver to the far left is running a slant route over the middle. However, by simply using a HOT ROUTE, we can change the route the receiver is running to an in route, as seen in the image to the right. To do this, hit the Triangle / Y button, then hit the button of the receiver, then hit right on the d-pad.
Click on any image and the full size version will appear
Now that we have our In route, we can use the 'Smart Route' technique to make the route go deeper down field. Note that this only works on plays where you have at least 10 yards to go in order to get the first down. So this is a great 1st and 10 option. If it's 2nd down and 3 yards to go, the Smart Route won't extend the route as shown in the figure to the left. Peforming a Smart Route is very similar to performing a hot route. Simply click the Y / Triangle button, then click the receiver's icon, then hit the corresponding Smart Route button, which I believe is clicking in on the right analog stick.
After the ball is snapped, you can see the receiver on the left is making his way downfield. Notice there is a safety helping over the top of this play.
Click on any image and the full size version will appear
As the play progesses, the receiver is ready to break to the middle of the field. Notice the highlighted safety. He is playing a deep zone, and will jump on any route deep. However, the great thing about the deep in route is that the receiver is running totally horizontal, not attacking the deep safety at all. This route is unique because the safety will almost never jump this route unless the ball is thrown poorly. In the image to the right you can see the receiver is moving toward the middle of the field, but the safety is still drifting backwards.
Click on any image and the full size version will appear
The ball has been thrown. You're going to want to throw a high bullet pass, by holding up on the d-pad / left analog stick, and holding the receiver icon. On the deep in route, the defensive back guarding the play will nearly always lose a step when the receiver breaks to the inside. This should be just enough to squeeze the pass in, since the safety is still paying behind the play. Notice in the image to the right we have made the catch. The defensive back guarding the receiver is a few yards outside of the receiver, and the safety is a few yards behind the receiver. This happens most the time against man coverage when performing the Deep In route.
Click on any image and the full size version will appear
Above, we showed an example of the Deep In route, which we got by using the Smart Route technique. In this example, I just wanted to how you that you can smart route several different routes (although not all of them). The route that the X receiver is running is one of the more unique routes in the game. The receiver fakes like he's going to go inside, and then performs an out route. Doubles moves can really keep your opponent off balance. You can see in the image to the right we have used the smart route and make the route much deeper.
Conclusion
