While I won't pretend to be a Madden professional, I have logged enough hours on the game to know my way around the virtual gridiron. I first started playing Madden in 93 when the average score of a game was 140-0 and the players looked more like colored q-tips than virtual versions of NFL stars. The game has truly come a long way since those days, but so have the gamers that purchase a new copy of the annual release each year.


While the computer has gotten smarter and defenses can't be entirely faked out by running a quarterback from side to side, the real change in how Madden is played occurs when competitive gamers square off. The game is no longer about who can execute the four or five plays that are never defended regardless of audible or manual player controls, but rather which player is more effectively able to utilize his or her individual strengths to more appropriately exploit the opponent's weaknesses. In the next few paragraphs, a simple, yet intricate, formula will be outlined for what makes a complete Madden professional.

Poise/Confidence
Some of the very best Madden players I have ever competed against were not ruckus or annoying, but still confident. That doesn't mean that overly cocky players can't be successful, because many are - and for many it's another facet of great gameplay. However, what it does mean is that whether a gamer talks smack or looks as cool as ice, there has to be a level of confidence. "The first step to winning is believing that you can win."

On the other side of my last point, there are many gamers that talk trash throughout a game. Those players often live on a roller coaster of emotion. At one moment they are crashing because despite some serious slander, the opponent just smacked them in the teeth with a 70 yard touchdown. However at the other moment they've gotten into the other player's head - there is nothing more dominating than being in the head of an opposing player.

So how does someone gain the mental advantage, or at least prevent from losing it? Quite simply, it all gets back to a gameplan. On all too many Sundays I watched the Chicago Bears get away from the run in favor of an anemic passing game, simply because they were down by a touchdown. As soon as a competitor changes his playstyle because of the other player, the game might as well be over. Discussed in my next point is the importance of versatility, but what I am talking about right now is fear. A fear of losing drives people to change how they play the game. When a gamer stops playing to win, and starts playing not to lose, the opponent has the advantage.