Madden NFL 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Madden NFL 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01).

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Madden NFL 2001 (PS2)
Strategy Guide
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July 16, 2001
Version 2.5

Written by: Dan Simpson
Email: manymoose@hotmail.com

Email Policy:
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Got a Madden 2001 Question? Or a really cool
strategy that you want to share with the
world? Email me! For a speedier response,
make sure to put "Madden 2001" as the
subject.

______________________________________Notes____________________________________

You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:

Welcome to my humble Strategy Guide for Madden NFL 2001. I got the idea for
this FAQ when I rented Madden and had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
(it didn't come with a manual) I finally decided to write this when I bought
the game and actually looked at the manual... kinda thin for such a
complicated game.

This FAQ looks best in a fixed-width font, such as Courier New.

I am not affiliated with EA, Madden, the NFL or anyone who had anything to do
with the creation of this game. This FAQ may be posted on any site so long
as NOTHING IS CHANGED and you EMAIL ME telling me that you are posting it.
You may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.

_______________________________________________________________________________

__________________
What's New in 2.5:
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Updated the Franchise Mode section a little (adding some text on Releasing
Players). Created a section for offensive Formations & Plays. Added a
small note about Coverage Audibles in the Defense section.

For a complete Version History, check out the Final Words Section at the end
of the FAQ.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Basics
2. Offense
2.1 Standard
2.2 Hurry Up
2.3 Lead Protection
2.4 Formations & Plays
3. Defense
4. Kicking & Kick Returns
5. Season/Franchise Mode
6. Madden Challenge

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Basics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Players:

Offense

Defense
__
Defensive Tackle |
Right Defensive End |-- Defensive Line
Left Defensive End __|
Middle Linebacker
Right Linebacker
Left Linebacker
Strong Safety
Free Safety
Cornerbacks

Key Terms:

Bye - every team gets one "Bye" in the regular season, simply a week in
which they do no play. No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC also get First
Round Byes in the playoffs, they then start in the Second Round.

Encroachment - when the Defense crosses the line of scrimmage and touches
an offensive player. (if you don't touch an offensive player
it is merely a "Neutral Zone" violation)

Fair Catch - the receiving player, seeing himself about to get hit, calls
for a "Fair Catch". At which point, he is safe from getting
tackled, but cannot run after catching. (It is a penalty to
hit someone who has called for a fair catch)

False Start - penalty when an offensive player moves after getting set.
(usually caused by the quarterback yelling "Hut" but not
hiking the ball)

Fumble - occurs when the ball carrier, after having full possession of the
ball, loses control (drops it). After that it's anyone's ball.
(Dropped passes are not fumbles because the receiver never really
had possession of the ball)

Onside Kick - the kicking team needs the ball back and does an onside kick.
The kick usually goes about 10 yards and slants strongly to
the side. Once it has past that 10 yard mark anyone, even
the kicking team, can recover the ball for possession. It
is a penalty if the ball doesn't travel 10 yards (only if the
kicking team recovers or it goes out of bounds). The
kicking team loses 5 yards and kicks again.

Note: If either team lines up in the Onside Kick formation,
it is considered an onside kick! So, if the receiving
team is in the Onside formation, but they kick it to
the deep man and he doesn't catch it, the kicking team
can still recover! (A quirk of Madden 2001?)

Overtime - in the NFL overtime is "Sudden Death", or the first team that
scores, wins. Usually this means that the team that wins the
coin flip wins. After all, you only need to get a Field Goal
to win.

Play Clock - Lasts 40 seconds, except after clock stoppages (timeouts),
where it is lowered to 25 seconds.

Pocket - Protected area behind the offensive line where the QB can feel
safe. Once you have left the pocket, you can't throw the ball
away (unless you are throwing it TO someone, this is a penalty).

QB Rating (see below)

Redzone - Within the opponent's 20 yard line, close to a touchdown.

Safety - When the defense tackles an offensive player in their own endzone.
The result is 2 points for the defense and the offense must now
kick it to the defense.

Touchback - When the returning team in a kickoff catches the ball in the
endzone, it gets the option to not run the ball out and take
a knee. (Triangle) The result is the ball placed on the 20
yard line.

Quarterback Rating - A method for rating quarterbacks, based on Completion
%, number of touchdowns and interceptions.

Here is how QB's are rated: (modified from

Four categories are used as a basis for compiling a rating:
1. Percentage of completions per attempt
2. Average yards gained per attempt
3. Percentage of touchdown passes per attempt
4. Percentage of interceptions per attempt

An "average" in each category is a 1.0, 0.0 is the worst while 2.375 is
perfect. To gain a 2.375 in Completions you would need to complete
77.5% of passes. A 2.375 in yards/attempt requires you get 12.5
average yards. To get a 2.375 in touchdowns, 12% of your passes must
be for a touchdown. (close to 1 in 9) In order to get a 2.375 in
interceptions you would have to go an entire season without getting
intercepted.

Here are the calculations: (remember, 2.375 is the maximum, no matter
what; also it IS possible to get a 0.0 in a rating)

1. Percentage of completions per attempt:

Take your Completion % and subtract 30. (ie you have a 70% comp
-30 of that is 40) Multiply your new number by 0.05. This is
your Point Rating.

((Comp/Att) - 30) * 0.05 = CompRating

2. Average yards gained per attempt

Start with your average yards per attempt and subtract 3 yards.
Multiply this by 0.25 to get your Yards Rating.

((Yards/Att) - 3) * 0.25 = YardRating

3. Percentage of touchdown passes per attempt

Take the number of TD Passes and divide by your attempts. Then
multiply this number by 0.2 to get your Touchdown Rating.

(TD Passes/Att) * 0.2 = TDRating

4. Percentage of interceptions per attempt

Take your interceptions and divide by your attempts. Then
multiply by 0.25. Finally take that number and subtract it out
of 2.375 to get your Interception Rating

2.375 - ((Int/Att) * 0.25) = IntRating

Total: Add up the 4 numbers, divide by 6, then multiply by 100 to
get the QB Rating. The minimum value is 0.0 and the maximum
is 158.3.

Penalties: (also from

On any penalty that results in more than 5 yards gained, the offense also
gets a first down. I have placed a * by penalties I don't believe are in
Madden 2001 (but I could be wrong).

5 yard penalties:

1. Defensive holding or illegal use of hands (automatic first down).
2. Delay of game on offense or defense.
3. Delay of kickoff.*
4. Encroachment.
5. Excessive time out(s).*
6. False start.
7. Illegal formation.*
8. Illegal shift.*
9. Illegal motion.*
10. Illegal substitution.*
11. First onside kickoff out of bounds between goal lines and not
touched.
12. Invalid fair catch signal.*
13. More than 11 players on the field at snap for either team.*
14. Less than seven men on offensive line at snap.*
15. Offside.
16. Failure to pause one second after shift or huddle.*
17. Running into kicker.
18. More than one man in motion at snap.*
19. Grasping facemask of the ball carrier or quarterback.
20. Player out of bounds at snap.*
21. Ineligible member(s) of kicking team going beyond line of scrimmage
before ball is kicked.*
22. Illegal return.*
23. Failure to report change of eligibility.*
24. Neutral zone infraction.
25. Loss of team time out(s) or five-yard penalty on the defense for
excessive crowd noise.*
26. Ineligible player downfield during passing down.*
27. Second forward pass behind the line.
28. Forward pass is first touched by eligible receiver who has gone out
of bounds and returned.
29. Forward pass touches or is caught by an ineligible receiver on or
behind line.
30. Forward pass thrown from behind line of scrimmage after ball once
crossed the line.

10 yard penalties:

1. Offensive pass interference.
2. Holding, illegal use of hands, arms, or body by offense.
3. Tripping by a member of either team.
4. Helping the runner.
5. Deliberately batting or punching a loose ball.*
6. Deliberately kicking a loose ball.*
7. Illegal block above the waist.*

15 yard penalties:

1. Chop block.
2. Clipping below the waist.
3. Fair catch interference.
4. Illegal crackback block by offense.
5. Piling on (automatic first down).
6. Roughing the kicker (automatic first down).
7. Roughing the passer (automatic first down).
8. Twisting, turning, or pulling an opponent by the facemask.
9. Unnecessary roughness.
10. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
11. Delay of game at start of either half.
12. Illegal low block.
13. A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.*
14. Any player who uses the top of his helmet unnecessarily.*
15. A punter, placekicker, or holder who simulates being roughed by a
defensive player.*
16. A defender who takes a running start from beyond the line of
scrimmage in an attempt to block a field goal or point after
touchdown and lands on players at the line of scrimmage.*

5 yards and loss of down (Combination Penalty)

1. Forward pass thrown from beyond line of scrimmage.

10 Yards and loss of down (Combination Penalty)

1. Intentional grounding of forward pass (safety if passer is in own end
zone). If foul occurs more than 10 yards behind line, play results in
loss of down at spot of foul.*

Also, kickoffs that go out of bounds result in the receiving team
automatically getting the ball set on their 40 yard line. Punts can go out
of bounds with no penalty.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Offense
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you do on offense depends on your need at the moment:

1. You are up by 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
2. You are up by more than 1 touchdown... Run Lead Protection Offense
3. You are down by less than 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
4. You are down by more than 1 touchdown... Run Standard Offense
5. Down by more than 1 TD in 4th Q... Run Hurry Up Offense

You can read about each of these types in the following sections. For now
let's talk some basic offensive skills.

Tip 1: Before EVERY offensive set, use R2 to survey the field. This shows
you not only who you can throw it to, and where they will be, but
also who will be defending them.

Throw or Run?

Both, obviously. If you do nothing but throw the ball, the CPU can easily
double coverage on your wideouts and TEs to prevent a throw. If you do
nothing but run, all that the CPU must do is jam the middle.

Here is how I usually run a set of downs:

1st Down: Run the ball. My 2 favorite run plays are HB Sprint (from the
lone setback offense) and the HB Dive.

2nd Down: Throw the ball. Suppose that you got 6 yards on your earlier
run, that means you only need 4 yards to get the 1st down...
HOWEVER, I would throw it longer than that. The easiest play
(IMHO) is to have your tight end dash forward, then throw him
the ball about 10 yards out.

3rd and Long: Supposing you got sacked (or whatever) you could end out
in this desperate situation. 3rd and Long is almost ALWAYS
a Pass Play. (Although I've had some success with QB Draw
plays)

3rd and Short: This is where I usually do a QB Sneak. Only do that if
your QB has decent speed; if you have a Pocket Passer, you're
probably better off giving this to your Running Back (HB
Dive).

4th and Long: Punt it. (Unless you are close enough for the Field Goal)

4th and Short: If you are getting close to the redzone (maybe 35 yards
out), you could consider going for it... even if the opponent
gets the ball back, they're deep enough in their own territory
that it won't matter so much.

Hut, Hut, Hut, Hut...

The easiest way to determine if the defense is going to blitz you is to
use the CIRCLE and yell out "Hut". Do this repeatedly and the defenders
will get antsy and show their blitz. Do an R2 to check all the defenders
to see who is going to blitz. How you deal with a blitz depends entirely
on who is blitzing. If you have the Middle Linebacker blitzing (alone) you
can probably ignore it. If everyone is blitzing, maybe you should pass the
ball. (If you are in a Run play, simply Audible out of it. You can set
audibles by pausing and going to Set Audible. Then in game press SQUARE
and whichever button you set up -- CIRCLE, R1, L1, SQUARE or X.)

Note: Doing the False Snap ("hut, hut, hut") may make your own offensive
line jump, which results in a False Start Penalty (5 yards).

Note: Many blitzes clog the center of the field, making runs much more
difficult.

Note: Even though the Cornerbacks may be blitzing, your wideouts won't be
completely open down the field; the safeties usually pick them up.

If you are blitzed in a passing situation already, you may want to just
throw the ball to your "Dump Off Guy." Who is your dump-off guy? Depends
on the play.

In many plays you will see a player just run to the right or left and stay
there. They are your Dump Off Guys. If you get in trouble, quickly throw
it out to them (a "screen pass") and hope that they can run up the
sidelines.

Motion

To use motion, before the snap, press DOWN on the D-pad to select which
player you wish to move, then LEFT or RIGHT to pick their direction.

Why use motion?

1. To confuse the defense.
2. To send your offensive player (say, a wide receiver) from an area of
strong coverage to an area of weak coverage.
3. To add an extra blocker. I use this one a lot. Say that the defense
is about to blitz, and you want (or need) to throw it deep. Now,
you just know that your offensive line can't pick up this certain
defender, so why not move your Halfback up to block him?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 Standard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My "Standard" offense is split 50-50 Run/Pass. However, I don't just run,
pass, run, pass. Nope, I randomize it. Sometimes I'll run 3 times in a row,
others I'll pass 3 times in a row. Maybe I'll run twice, then throw. I like
to keep the defense guessing. And if the defense is guessing, they're less
likely to sack, intercept, or generally disrupt your offense. Also on your
pass plays, provide a good mix of short passes and long passes. Not only
will you get to see what works against their defense, but short passes can
easily become long gains if the defense didn't see it coming.

I believe a good normal offensive set should take between 2 and 4 minutes of
game time and result in a touchdown.

Just remember that you have 4 downs to get the first down, you DON'T need to
go for 10 yards every play.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 Hurry Up
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stopping the Clock: 1. Call a Timeout (not recommended as you only have 3)
2. Run out of bounds (BEST)
3. Incomplete Pass (Penalties, etc.)
4. Spike the Ball

The literal "Hurry Up" occurs after one play ends, you hold the TRIANGLE
and your offense will literally repeat the same play again (avoiding the
time-consuming Play Call screen). At that point, if you need to stop the
clock you can do so with CIRCLE.

Where do you need the Hurry Up offense? Any time you are down by a touchdown
or more, you pretty much need to Hurry Up.

Tip 1: Whatever play you call, try to get out of bounds. Thus your play
calls should all end near a sidelines.

Tip 2: Don't be afraid of long passes, Incompletes stop the clock as well
as anything. Down by 2 touchdowns? Try to score quickly!

Tip 3: You might think that you can't run the football in the Hurry Up,
but you can, just don't do it much. In fact, I'd only do it if you
are in a 2nd & Short (or inches). Run the ball for the 1st Down,
hold TRIANGLE for the hurry up, then spike the ball (CIRCLE).

Tip 4: Regardless of whether you are going to use the Hurry Up Mode
(TRIANGLE) do press X after the play is complete to prevent the
game from going out of your control (where the camera follows the
player who just made the play for about 6 seconds). This wastes
your precious time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3 Lead Protection (& Tiebreaking)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LEAD PROTECTION may as well be called time-wasting, because that is your job.
Anytime you have a 2 touchdown lead or more, you may want to consider Lead
Protection. Why? The less time on the clock, the smaller the chance that
your opponent can come back.

Primary Focus: Run the football. Let the playclock get ALL the way down to
1 before getting any play off (unless the Game Clock is stopped, at which
point it doesn't matter). Stay in bounds. If you must throw it, quick hits
to your tight-end or running back work well to get the first down (your only
real objective).

Near the end of the game, your opponent will use their timeouts to stop the
clock, if it looks like you won't get a first down (thus they know they'll
get the ball back). As long as you can keep moving the football, they will
save their timeouts. (Ex: on 3rd down you fail to get the 1st, they'll call a
timeout)

The idea behind a TIEBREAKING is to run as much time off the clock as
possible, but still score some points. A hypothetical example would be a
game tied at 17 with 1:58 left in the 4th. You have the ball, need to score
(to win) and use up ALL the time on the clock as well. Unlike the Hurry Up,
you aren't out to score rapidly, but to score on PACE.

Here are the objectives: - Get within field goal range.
- Run the clock to 4 seconds.
- Timeout.
- Kick a Field Goal as time runs out ending the
game.

Getting this takes some careful planning. First, you aren't just running the
ball, that takes up too much time and gets too few yards. Second, you aren't
just throwing the ball, as incomplete passes stop the clock (remember you
need to run off the clock as well). Third, even if given the opportunity,
try to avoid scoring a touchdown IF you have more than a minute left on the
clock (which gives your opponent too much time to rebound and score their own
touchdown).

Despite what the "coach" (the one who calls plays at the offense screen)
says, you don't really need to stop the clock, unless your drive is halted.
As long as you can keep moving the ball, keep the clock going.

Effective field goal range depends on both your kicker's ability and your
personal skills at kicking. I really wouldn't kick it unless you are at
about the 35 yard line (even then I wouldn't, if you can, get it closer).
Again, you aren't waiting until you get a certain distance, rather a certain
amount of time remaining (again, 4 seconds).

Timeout Note: You will also NEED to kick whenever you use your final
timeout, no matter where you are on the field. (unless you
have over 30 seconds on the game clock) So, use your
timeouts cautiously.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.4 Offensive Formations & Plays
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I Form

WR LT LG C RG RT TE
QB WR
FB
HB

I Form BIG

TE LT LG C RG RT TE
QB WR
FB
HB

Singleback (SR = slot receiver)

WR LT LG C RG RT TE
WR QB WR

Singleback 4 WR

WR LT LG C RG RT WR
WR QB WR

Hail Mary (no backs)

WR LT LG C RG RT WR
WR QB WR WR

Singleback BIG

TE LT LG C RG RT TE
WR QB WR

Shotgun

WR LT LG C RG RT TE
WR WR
QB HB

Goal line

TE LT LG C RG RT TE
QB TE
FB
HB

(not a comprehensive list, yet...)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Defense
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The point of Defense is to prevent scoring by the other team. It doesn't
matter how you prevent it, just that you do. A pass that is knocked down on
3rd and long is almost as good as an interception at the same time.

Tip: If you want to waste the opponent's time, after each play, don't press
X or anything to get out of the "postcatch" mode. (Where the camera
follows a player without player control) This mode still eats up time,
and keeps the opponent from doing anything for a little while.

"What if the clock is stopped, should I still wait?" - Yes, this will
still cut down on the amount of time the opposing QB can waste fake
snapping the ball.

I consider my defense a success if I prevent the opponent from scoring a
touchdown. Remember you don't need to completely stuff their offense
(although doing so would net a ton of Madden Challenge points), only prevent
them from scoring.

Trick: One good way to get sacks is to simply line a player up in a hole.
As soon as the QB hikes it, hold CIRCLE and run at the QB. How do
you line a player up on the hole? Pretty simple. (although it
requires a 4 man defensive line)

Say the lines are set up like this:

X X X X
O O C O O
QB

If the ball is hiked right now, the lines will be blocked like this:

X X X X
^ ^ ^ ^
O O C O O
QB

The trick is to add (or move) a player in between the blocking
Offensive Linemen:

X X X X - (the - player moved over)
O O C O O
QB

Set him up on the line (actually I like him just OFF of the line, as
close to the line as you can get, but not in the crouching lineman
position), when the QB Hikes it, CIRCLE-sprint in and sack.

This play works best when the offense uses only one Back, or uses
them away from where you are going (otherwise the halfback will just
pick up the block and you won't get anywhere). You can somewhat
avoid this by doing a simultaneous CB Blitz as well (from the 4-3).
That way you get 2 players running in. If it looks like the QB must
throw it, I line the defense up in a Nickel > Man Lock.

Can't get the player through the hole? Chances are you're using the
wrong defensive formation. You need any formation that tells your
defensive line to do this:

X X X X or X X X X
/ | | | / \ | |

Since defensive players do EXACTLY what they are told, even when you
move them over, getting the straight line under the guy you move is
crucial. And you want the far left guy to block left to allow your
moved guy to get in. It's almost exactly like an offensive run play,
you need good blocking to get by the line.

Coverage Audibles:
------------------

One thing I believe the manual doesn't mention enough are the Coverage
Audibles (TRIANGLE). Coverage Audibles work like normal Audibles, in that
both are used by your defense just before the snap. What C. Audibles do
differently is that instead of changing the play, they change how your
players play. For example, doing a C. Audible, then selecting SQUARE pulls
your defenders in close, and has your CBs jam the receivers at the line
of scrimmage. This is VERY useful in situations where you guess that the CPU
will be throwing it for short yardage.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Kicking & Kick Returns
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kickoffs

First off, pay attention to where the kicker lines up. If he goes to the
left the screen, it's a normal kick. If he goes to the right, it's an Onside
Kick. If he is onside kicking and you aren't set up for it, do a quick
Audible (SQUARE), then switch formations (I believe it's default set to R1).
Same holds true in reverse. If you set up in the Onside Return, and they
look to kick it normal, do an audible (SQUARE) and another SQUARE to switch
to normal kickoff return.

Note: Remember, any kickoff is a live ball once it has travelled 10 yards.
Live Balls can be recovered by any team.

This is not true of punts, where if the defense gets the ball, it
is merely downed and given to the offense.

Returns

I usually just run it up the center. Avoid using the Sprint (X) until the
defenders get close, then SPRINT like mad to avoid them. This works better
if you veer away from them at the last second. If you see a defender running
at you and you are in a non-veering situation (near the sidelines, usually),
use the L2,R2 buttons to hold out your arms. This keeps the defenders away,
and also might knock them down. Finally use CIRCLE if you get in trouble to
try to spin out of it.

And above all, NEVER RUN BACKWARDS! Run to the side if you want, but don't
run in the opposite direction.

Punt Returns

I always line up in the Punt Block formation here, not only do you get the
chance to block it, but it works VERY well to prevent a Fake Punt (works like
a very fast blitz), and as an added bonus, it ties up all the players in one
spot giving your returner a LOT of room to run in. After you catch it, the
same rules apply.

What I often do is to take my player diagonal up the center of the field
until the defenders start going that way, then I SPRINT away from them to the
sidelines and attempt to run up the side. I often get Td's this way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Season/Franchise Mode
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creating Players:
-----------------

First thing's first, before starting your Franchise, you might want to create
your own player(s) first.

Tip: If you want to create your own players, and use them in Franchise mode,
you should create the player BEFORE starting a new franchise. You can
only create players from the MAIN Roster screen... once within the
franchise mode, you can no longer create players. (you can also create
new players in the offseason, these are placed into the Free Agent
market, however, you cannot EDIT these players)

When creating a new player, say a new Star Quarterback, give him a
"secondary" skill, such as good kicking abilities. This won't drive up
his price, and he can then be used in place of your punter/kicker/etc.
(The least exhausting role on your team) Then you can release your
highly paid kickers and punters, and pick up some bargain kickers on
the Free Agent Market. (You team requires 1 Kicker and 1 Punter)

Trick: Want to get an awesome player on the cheap? Create a player
with the absolute WORST stats you can get. 15's in all stats.
Then go to edit, find your player, and move the selector over
to SPD. Press X. Now you can edit his speed, move it up to
99. Press Triangle. Go to the next stat and edit that one.
Repeat. If you edit stats one at a time like this, your
player's salary remains whatever it was when he sucked.

{gcdtbes}

Madden NFL 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Madden NFL 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)

Platforms: