There are a few changes to the core gameplay of Madden from 2006 to 2007. To dominate gameplay, it's essential that you learn and master these new features and techniques, knowing when to pull them out of your hat against your opponent. Here are the new features:
Lead Blocker Control: Lead Blocker control lets you handle the fullback, or any other lead blocker, at the beginning of running plays.
Play Action Audible: This underrated feature lets you turn any pass into a play action pass. Very useful when you've called a pass and see the defense in a run stopping formation.
Highlight Stick: In Madden 07, agile runners get some help with the Highlight Stick. Ball carriers will take on defenders using either a Truck or Duck move based on the size and agility matchup between the runner and tackler. Big backs like Jamal Lewis will still try to blast through most defenders, while shifty players like Warrick Dunn will duck under big hits.
Team Specific Defensive Playbooks: In previous editions there have been a small set of base playbooks shared by several teams. This year teams finally get playbooks customized to their style of play. While most of the plays will be familiar -- especially for the majority of teams that run fairly standard schemes -- innovative or aggressive defenses like New England or Philadelphia allow for more options.
Defensive Commit: In previous Madden iterations, adjusting your defense after the offense has snapped the ball was limited to the single defender you manually control. In 2007, however, you have the ability to call an immediate adjustment using Defensive Commit, making the entire defense crash to the left side, right side, or middle. Or cover the pass using the right analog stick. Quick recognition of the offense will give you an edge with this feature, but guessing wrong will take defenders out of position and risk giving up a big play.
