Screen passes work better in this year's Madden than they ever have before. In past year's, screen passes seemed to only be effective when your opponent is playing a zone defense. The great thing about Madden 2007 is there are certain screen passes this year that are equally effective against man and zone. In this tip, SportsGamer will show you one pass in particular that develops quickly and efficiently.
***The most important step to remember when running this play is to SLIDE PROTECT to the RIGHT before the snap***
XBOX - White button + right
PS2 - L1 + right
Playbooks
Chi, Cin, Dal, KC, NE, Pass Bal, Pit, Run Bal
Figure 1 - Check out the offensive assignments for the WR Screen in the image above. The tight end's route will bring too much attention to the right side of the field, so we want to move to the opposite side.
Figure 2 - We have formation shifted to Singleback Normal Slot and we are ready to begin the play. The first players we are going to look for after the snap are our two receivers on the left side of the field. If either one of these receivers beat the bump to the inside we are make a quick throw to pick up easy yardage. Let's see how this play unfolds.
Figure 3 - As soon as the quarterback takes the snap you can see that the receiver on the far left side of the field has beaten his defender to the inside. We could make the throw at this point, but we are going to allow this play to continue to develop. Also, notice how our our offensive linemen have engaged because of the slide protect to the right. Slide protecting to the right gives us another second in the pocket to make the correct read.
Figure 4 - Our slot receiver also beat his defender to the inside on this example. Both receivers won't always get inside, but usually one of the two will everytime you run it. Meanwhile, the screen continues to develop on the backside.
Figure 5 - We make the throw to the wide receiver as our linemen get out in front.
Figure 6 - The receiver makes the catch and has more than enough time to head outside.
Figure 7 - The defense scrambles to get back across the field and make the tackle on the ballcarrier.
Figure 8 - The defender tackles our receiver after a gain of almost 20 on the play.
Final Conclusion
Screen passes are the ultimate element of suprise in Madden. The key to pullling off any screen pass is making sure that you have enough protection in the pocket to let the play fully develop. The WR Screen pass from the Singleback Twin TE formation is a play that not only gives you other options on the field, but also provides you with enough time in the pocket to execute it correctly. Head into practice mode and check it out.
