From Jason Rybka,
Your Guide to Video Game Strategies.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Passing is Great, but What About My Running Backs?

Now that you have the basics of the short pass down it's time to run the ball. Remember, this is learning how to do the basics. You would never pass or run every single time, so to hand the ball off you will again use the pass button only this time there is no icon. If there was an icon, it would be a dead giveaway. After the snap, count to two and your running back or tight end will be right there.

Mix it up, vary your short passing game with hand-offs.
Of course this will also take practice. Once you have run several plays successfully you now have the short offensive down. You would then mix the plays up. A good method is to run on 1st down, pass on second and mix them up as you continue to learn the game more and more.

Reading the Defense — the Basic Way

Now this is only going to scratch the surface of the topic but will teach you how to read the defense. It is 1st down and the defense is close together. This is a blitz or a prevent defense set. If you see three up front and the rest to the sides, this is a zone or passing defense. Now there is no way this can be completely covered in one article. You're slowly learning and when you find yourself on the ground, you know it was a blitz defense and it worked.

Practice makes perfect!
Once again timing comes into play. You will read the basic defense and learn to adjust in time. You will even learn how to read the defense set when playing online or against a friend. This will not be something you can pick up in one night. These are only tips and will need to be practiced. The whole point is to show you that the game is easier than you think as long as you get the basics down. From here you will start to pick up the more complicated and advanced plays and sets. Remember the key word is practice!

Defensive Play Basics

This will sound almost too simple but will be helpful; you now know how to read the defense. Here is the twist, you also know how to read the offense; it works almost the same way. There are differences sure, but you know if the offense is spread out it is going to be a passing play, of course there will be sneaky running plays that look like passing plays. The point again is that you're slowly learning the basics. Cool right? It is and it can be fun just needs practice and the right thinking.

Now you will want to run blitz plays while on defense. Most gamers make the mistake of letting the players line up the way the computer sets them up. If you read the game manual, you know how to change or highlight a player and shift him closer to the line. Doing this will create confusion against the offense and make your chances of sacking the quarterback better. The easiest way to practice this is to set up a game against the computer and practice different moves and shifts. Once again practice is the theme and while it may sound boring it will help you learn the game faster than getting beat time and time again against a friend or online.

More to Come!

Now that you have the basics for offense and defense next time we will cover special teams, kicking, and more advance plays. Hopefully you see that football video games are not as complicated as some people think. It is like any other game, chess for example. You can learn enough to play but to be good you need to practice. While everything here is very basic, it works. Have fun. We will cover more in part 2 in the near future and be sure to update this intro with a link to it for your easy access. Be sure to join our newsletter so you are in the loop and post in our forums if you have any additional questions we did not mention in Football Video Games 101.

Grab the Cheats and Hints for Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, and PC Football Games

This year there are only a few select games, especially when it comes to the NFL and NCAA series of game. As such, we have compiled a great list of resources for Madden NFL 06 and NCAA Football 2006. Take a peek at it here: Football Games Cheats Codes and FAQs Resources - Madden 06 and NCAA 06 Codes

Football Video Games 201

Mastering the more advanced plays in football video games is not that hard. Get the most out of your football game experience with these tips and tricks:

Football Video Games 201 - Advanced Plays in Football Video Games