Currently, running the ball is more of a chore than a legitimate offensive threat in Madden, and there are quite a few things that can be done in this area. For starters, implementing a real form of momentum and inertia will go a long way to improving the run game. Defending the run is all about filling in your gaps. It's not an overly complicated or difficult process mentally, but what often makes it so difficult is the physical side and the risk of over pursuit. Players shouldn't be able to sprint to a gap, stop on a dime, change directions and tackle the player they over pursued. Players (both A.I. and human alike) should be carried further based upon their speed and size, and no player should defy the laws of physics and turn run defense from a game of gap control, to a game of auto-targeting... which sort of leads to my next point: player discipline.

Player discipline is a player quality that is a very important part of the real thing, so why not in Madden? Discipline can be applied to a lot of situations in Madden, many of which stand to help balance key issues, and further differentiate on-field personalities. For example: Are you tired of seeing players scramble away from pressure for 30 seconds, only to find the open man? This is where discipline comes into play on many different levels. First of all, receivers with higher discipline ratings will find it more difficult to give up on plays after they've completed their route, assuming the play is still alive. Wes Welker, for example, would be a great example of a player who it would make sense to see fighting to get open on a broken play. Randy Moss? Well, not so much. The same goes for the offensive line. Better o-linemen would be more inclined to take it easy after their initial blocks are made, where as more disciplined players will work alongside their awareness rating to extend the play. This makes sense because some players can be great weapons with stellar awareness, but still lack the discipline to finish plays beyond their call of duty. And if a discipline rating isn't enough for you, how about a much-needed Ego rating?

Working in player egos is really a simple task; players with bigger egos require more touches to reach their potential. To put this into perspective, if a player like Terrell Owens only has one catch by the end of the third quarter, you might expect him to be more inclined to wallow in what he feels is a losing effort, than continue playing like a pro-bowl player. A low-ego player however such as Maurice Jones-Drew can be expected to play to the whistle no matter what his performance. And if we're going to add in Ego and Discipline ratings, why not go one step further and include Confidence, or rather, Clutch ratings? There are some players in the NFL that just know how to get it done in crunch time, while there are others that falter greatly. Ben Roethlisberger is a great example of a crunch-time QB. Since he entered the league in 2004, no Quarterback in pro-football has led his team to more 4th quarter comeback victories than Big Ben has. Increased ability during clutch situations only makes sense for skill players in Madden. David Garrard had the highest third down QB rating in the entire NFL this past season, and it makes every bit of sense to see such a thing translated to the game on some level. In fact, if EA were to get really serious about it, this is an area in which they could greatly enhance the quality of their game. It's a bit bothersome, and probably more difficult than it initially seems, but situational performance is a very well documented reality that would be a ground-breaking addition to the Madden nation.

Check out these situational statistics on Brian Westbrook. The NFL has been recording these kinds of numbers and more for decades now. How great would it be to see player effectiveness change dependent on the point situation, field position, field type, home, away, first half, second half and last two minutes? Granted, much of the listed information is the result of less field room for longer runs to stretch an average, but surely there's plenty of situational information out there on players to further individualize stars. But it's not just additions to the game that are necessary, either. There are also some crucial subtractions many would like to see.

At the tip of everyone's tongue should be turnovers. Madden 2008 at times is such a fumble-prone game, that it's not uncommon to see players completely ignore punts and heavy running entirely. Yes, players can cover the ball, but there's still a pretty ludicrous amount of fumbling going on. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to play as Tiki Barber in Madden '08. I cringe just thinking about it. But turnovers are just the start here: there are also penalties. Yes, penalties.

Penalties, along with challenges need to just go. Gone. Bye-bye. Now, I understand controllable penalties such as pass interference, roughing the passer or roughing the kicker. But things you rarely ever control such as offensive clipping are nothing more than an absolute random bother. The same goes for challenges. Here's an idea: How about instead of challenges, we make the refs in the game make the correct calls? It's crazy, crazy enough to work. And where are those refs anyways? They should be on the field, dodging linebackers and ducking balls like the real thing. Maybe if we're lucky, someone might Spectacular Catch right on top of them and drop the ball for once. In the very least they could get penalized for playing with Flubber on their shoes and Stickum on their gloves. I would almost suggest making Lester Hayes the 12th man to balance out the game a little.

Still, there's a lot to enjoy about Madden '08, and a lot to look forward to in Madden '09. From a presentation standpoint, it would blow my mind to see EA hire local gamecasters for each team. Yes, that's right. Instead of one boring voice for every team, you get the voice you know and love from your home town calling the play by play. It would make sense. I mean, after all, that's their job. They're generally pretty darn good at it. It would be nice to hear a caster with a level of emotion; a voice that reflects excitement when its franchise makes a play, and disappointment when it's the opponent. I believe local casters would be the best thing to happen to Madden from a presentation stand point in nearly twenty years. If that's asking too much, then at least talk to ESPN and let me listen to Mike and Mike, or other radio shows and music while I play.

No matter what is in store for us with Madden 2009, you can be sure it's going to be EA Sport's best effort yet; in fact, it has to be. The last thing the Madden franchise wants to do is hold back over these next two years. If they do not start pushing the line soon, then it will no longer be theirs to push. EA undoubtedly knows, has been planning for and is ready for this. Sometimes it takes patience to make a big play, and maybe that's what they've been waiting for all this time. Football, much like sports games is all about "what have you done for me lately." Maybe EA just wanted to make sure it was lately.