Madden NFL Football 2005

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Managing your Defense

This section offers tips and tricks for managing a stubborn defense.

  • Know what the different colors, lines, and symbols mean on each defensive play. A defender with no symbols around him is in man-to-man coverage; a defender with a yellow colored circle near him is in zone coverage covering that area of the field; a defender with a circle around him is spying the quarterback; and defenders with lines toward the line of scrimmage are blitzing.
  • Choose which defender you want to control carefully. Use the coach's cam to see your coverage. If you select a defender that's in man-to-man coverage against a specific offensive player then you'll need to cover him! If you choose to just blitz, the offensive player will be uncovered and a rather easy target. Likewise be careful if you move a defender out of their zone assignment. A receiver moving into that zone will certainly find an opening.


  • Defending against the run doesn't necessarily mean stacking as many defenders on the line of scrimmage as possible. It might be a wise course of action in very short yardage situations but remember that with that many defenders on the line, you have that much fewer defenders off the line. If the running back gets a good block or makes a nice juke, he could break it all the way.
  • Zone defense is better at covering the run than man-to-man. In man-to-man, your defenders are following specific offensive players--they're likely moving away from the line of scrimmage with their back turned. In zone, defenders are stationed at specific areas and can adjust more quickly to the run play's direction.

  • It's wise to wait until the offensive personnel report before calling your defensive play. It might be 1st and 10, you expect a run, and call a 46 defense. Meanwhile the offense has decided to air it out with a four wide receiver set. You've now put your defense in a bad match up and have to audible (which is still poor personnel for four wide receivers even if the coverage is better) or worse, waste a timeout.
  • Containment is an important tackling concept. Instead of just selecting a defender and charging, which could lead to missed tackles, keep the offensive player running east and west instead of north and south. Missing tackle after tackle could keep the opposing offense in short yardage situations--a big plus for the offense. An offense has plenty of options in 2nd and 4 or 3rd and 3 but not as many options in 2nd and 10 or 3rd and 8.

Top Ranked Defenses

The following chart reveals the top rated defenses based on overall rating in Madden 2005.

TEAMCONFERENCE AND DIVISIONDEFENSE RATING
Carolina PanthersNFC South99
New England PatriotsAFC East99
Dallas CowboysNFC East94
Buffalo BillsAFC East93
Baltimore RavensAFC North90
Denver BroncosAFC West89
Philadelphia EaglesNFC East89
Seattle SeahawksNFC West89
Miami DolphinsAFC East88

Top Ranked Defensive Linemen

The following chart reveals the top rated defensive linemen in Madden 2005.

PLAYERTEAMPOSITIONOVRSPDACCAGISTRTAKAWR
Michael StrahanNew York GiantsLE98728471888895
Jason TaylorMiami DolphinsRE98829280788385
Kris JenkinsCarolina PanthersDT98668768939181
Simeon RiceTampa Bay BucsRE97819379778092
La'Roi GloverDallas CowboysDT97647664909489
Richard SeymourNew England PatriotsRE96698770908785
Trevor PryceDenver BroncosLE95707867919186
Casey HamptonPittsburgh SteelersDT95576861979582
Corey SimonPhiladelphia EaglesDT95658764898884

Top Ranked Linebackers

The following chart reveals the top rated linebackers in Madden 2005.

PLAYERTEAMPOSITIONOVRSPDACCAGICTHTAKAWR
Ray LewisBaltimore RavensMLB99859287609999
LaVar ArringtonWashington RedskinsROLB98889687549085
Derrick BrooksTampa Bay BucsROLB98839081659295
Julian PetersonSan Francisco 49ersLOLB97889088579087
Brian UrlacherChicago BearsMLB97879086629589
Keith BullickTennessee TitansROLB96879087659084
Takeo SpikesBuffalo BillsROLB96828582519391
Al WilsonDenver BroncosMLB95878983609488
Joey PorterPittsburgh SteelersROLB95859182659184

Top Ranked Defensive Backs

The following chart reveals the top rated defensive backs in Madden 2005.

PLAYERTEAMPOSITIONOVRSPDACCJMPCTHTAKAWR
Champ BaileyDenver BroncosCB99999992796294
Ty LawNew England PatriotsCB 98959589796896
Darren SharperGreen Bay PackersFS98879586757690
Brian DawkinsPhiladelphia EaglesFS98909482678491
Chris McAlisterBaltimore RavensCB97959897686894
Ed ReedBaltimore RavensSS97919290807388
Rodney HarrisonNew England PatriotsSS97829371609395
Patrick SurtainMiami DolphinsCB 96939392816893
Lawyer MilloyBuffalo BillsSS96858972658893

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