Many players watch football on Sunday and quickly learn the rules and strengths of the players. Madden NFL 17 is the most authentic simulation of football action, and there is plenty to learn even for a veteran player. Start with the basics and quickly add a few new adjustments to your game each week. Keep this section as a reference to make sure you understand the basics of football. The Skills Trainer is your best friend when it comes to learning all the mechanics in the game.
A Gap — The gaps in the offensive line between the center and the guards are the A gaps. There is one to the right and one to the left. The fastest way to the QB is through the A gap since it’s right up the middle.
Aggressive Catch — This catch mechanic allows computer players to go up and attack the ball at its highest point. It can be triggered manually by using 
(Xbox) or 
(PS) when the ball is in the air; you do not need to be clicked on the receiver.
Audible/Audibling — The act of coming to the line and then changing your play. If you call something in the huddle and get to the line of scrimmage and realize the defense is doing something different than you expected, you want to call an audible. This allows you to change your play to something you think will work better. You can set up to five audibles before the game to make sure you are ready for any situation.
B Gap — The gaps in the offensive line between the guards and tackles are the B gaps. There is one on each side of the line, and the B gap is the second quickest way to get pressure (after the A gap).
Blitz — On offense, the defense may look to blitz you by bringing more defenders toward your QB than you can block. On defense, you blitz by rushing more players at the QB than your opponent can block. This leaves your coverage vulnerable, but you may force the offense into a bad decision or get a sack.
Block a Halfback — Blocking a halfback is done by putting a player behind the line into a blocking hot route. This will help if you sense a blitz coming at your offense and want your HB to stay in and block.
Blue Route — This is a “block-and-release” route, which tells your offensive player (whose route is blue) to help block before releasing out on his route for a pass.
The Box — The area on defense before the snap where the defensive line and LBs line up. Looking at “the box” can help you decide if the defense is defending a run and has “eight defenders in the box” or not.
Bunch Set — Three players stacked tightly together on one half of the field makes a bunch set. This is great for flooding certain areas of the field. An example is Ace Bunch.
C gap — The C gap refers to the offensive line and is just outside of either tackle. It can be thought of as “the edge.” However, if a TE lines up there, it becomes another gap like the A or B gap. This is the slowest way to get pressure on the QB and generally is where offensive lines want to allow rushers.
Check Down — To dump off a short pass to the halfback or last option on a play, especially after seeing that your other options are covered.
Chew Clock — This setting in the play-calling screen allows you to run off additional seconds off the clock in between snaps. This speeds up the end of a game when the score isn’t close.
Clicking onto a Player — This is the act of switching your player mid-play to control someone close to the action. “I clicked onto the WR and tried to make the catch.”
Concept — A specific set of routes that work together to beat a specific defense. For example, a mesh concept is having two crossing drag routes on a play.
Conservative Catch — A catch mechanic that allows a receiver to focus on catching the ball and securing it rather than picking up more yards after the catch. This is a smart idea on the sideline and near the back of the end zone.
Depth Chart — The area of the game where you set your lineup. Access this by pressing the Pause menu to set which players play where.
Draw — This is a run play that pretends the offense is passing. The QB drops back and the receivers start to run routes. Once the defense is fooled, the QB hands off to the running back, who looks for open running lanes.
Dropping a Lineman — Placing a defender on the line of scrimmage into a zone assignment. This is most common with a zone blitz play.
Empty Set — A common formation with an empty set is Gun Empty. The backfield is “empty” because there are five WRs in on the play.
Flat — The area of the field near the sideline in line with the line of scrimmage. The most common term is a “pass to the flat,” which means a short pass to the halfback who is running toward the sideline from out of the backfield.
Flood — When you send more receivers into a certain area of the field than the opponent has coverage. One example is Four Verticals against a Cover 3 defense. You have four receivers downfield and the opponent has only three defenders deep — therefore, one must be open.
Formation — The formation is how players line up before the snap of the football. There are offensive formations and defensive formations. Singleback and Gun are offensive formations, for example.
Horizontal Passing Concepts — Attacking the field with a short-to-medium passing game that uses safe throws to keep the chains moving. This offense lacks the big plays of a vertical passing game, but should yield a higher percentage of completed throws. The mesh concept is a horizontal passing concept.
Hot Route — Before the snap, you can change any of your players’ route assignments to one of eight pre-set routes based on his position. If you read that the defense is weak in a certain area, call a hot route or use multiple hot routes to create a new play on the fly.
Hurry-Up Offense — After a play, you can call your players back to the line of scrimmage without going back to the play-calling screen. The last play you called will be selected, and the defense won’t be able to substitute. This up-tempo offense can be used to tire out the defense and keep them off balance. It is also known as a no-huddle offense.
Juke — Use the Right Stick to have your offensive player make a move to fake out the defender.
Line of Scrimmage — A line parallel to the yard lines where the ball is spotted right before it’s snapped. The linemen blocking the defense take their places along this line.
Motion a WR — Before the snap, you can highlight an offensive player (WR, TE, or HB) and have him move to a new position. When the blue circle is underneath him, use the D-pad to move him to a new position. This can create new formations and forces the defense to watch where you move your player.
Option Run — A play where the QB can either hand off the ball to his teammate or keep it for himself, depending on what he sees with the defense. Also known as Read Option.
Packaging — Using packages at the play-calling screen with the Right Stick can sub specific players into the game for special situations. For example, the Dual HB package will take out the FB and place another HB into the game at his position.
Pistol — This is a unique formation where the QB takes a shotgun snap but the HB still lines up behind him. You’ll find the Pistol in the Redskins’ playbook, for example.
Play-Action Pass — Play action involves faking a handoff to the back to try to fool the defense into thinking it’s a run. The QB still has the ball and looks to throw.
Play Ball — This defensive mechanic allows the defender to try to play the ball at its highest point. This can force a knockout and is the best way to go for an interception.
Play Man — This defensive mechanic allows the defender to play the receiver as he is catching the ball to improve the chance that he can knock it out or force a drop.
Press Coverage — When press coverage is called, your defensive back will stand close to the WR and play physical at the snap. This forces the receiver to use his hands to get off the jam at the line and can throw off timing with the QB. The danger is that if the WR can get free, he will often get good separation from the defender. This is also known as bump-n-run coverage.
Quick Audible — Before the snap, you can quickly audible to another play if you read that the defense is weak against something. You can call a quick pass, deep pass, play-action pass, or run from any formation by using the Right Stick in a specific direction.
RAC — The “run after catch” mechanic allows a receiver to turn upfield as he is catching the ball to pick up as many yards as possible. It’s controlled by 
(Xbox) or 
(PS).
Read Option — An option run in which the QB either hands the ball off to his HB or keeps it. The QB must “read” the defender and make a quick decision!
Screen Pass — Screen passes are most often used when facing an aggressive defense. They look to hit the HB near the flat and try to get the offensive linemen out in front to block.
Set — Once you select a formation, the set is how your players will align within it. For example, 4-3 is a defensive formation, and then Over Plus is the set.
Shot Play — This is a specific play concept that the offense calls when they want to look for a big play downfield in the passing game.
Shotgun Snap — Any formation where the QB lines up 4–5 yards behind the center, who snaps the ball to the QB in the air. This increases chances for bad snaps and most commonly is used with formations that lean heavily toward the pass. The QB catches the snap and doesn’t have to backpedal, so he is all set up to throw.
Slide Protection — Before the snap, you can tell your linemen to slide left, right, or pinch into the middle. This will help them pick up blitzers if you sense them coming from a specific area.
Stiff Arm — A stiff arm is a move by the ball carrier where he puts a straight arm out to prevent the tackler from getting in range to make a hit. This is generally a more effective move for power back than for elusive backs. Make sure to check a player’s Stiff Arm rating to see how effective he will be at performing the move.
Strafe — On defense, strafing will square your hips to the line of scrimmage and give you better control of your player. You will not be able to move as fast when strafing.
Strip — A tackler who is running for a ball carrier can go for a “strip,” where he tries to knock the ball loose, rather than a tackle. This can force a turnover, but can also result in a broken tackle. It is best to go for a strip only when you have lots of teammates in the area.
Swat — Having your defender try to knock the ball down rather than go for the interception. He looks to knock away the pass, which gives him more range and can be safer than trying for an interception.
Tight Set — Tight sets bring your receivers into the middle of the field rather than out wide as in most formations. This will create a lot of action in the middle of the field and force the defense to bump into each other as they try to cram into a tight area. Shotgun Tight Flex is a tight set.
Trips Set — These formations place three WRs onto one side of the field. This forces your opponents to shift their attention toward that side since there are more players over there. Trips sets are great for flooding zone coverages. Shotgun Trips is one example.
Truck — A ball carrier who tries to run over a defender when being tackled is a truck. Trucking is most common with power backs, especially near the goal line.
Under Center — Any formation where the QB lines up directly behind the center and takes a handoff directly from him. This is the opposite of a shotgun snap.
Usering/User Control — When you actively control a player during a play. Whatever player you use on defense is who you are “user-controlling.” The best players believe they can make more plays than if the computer were controlling the same player.
User Catch — The act of clicking onto a WR and holding the Catch button to go after a pass.
Verticals Passing Concept — This passing concept looks to stretch the field aggressively toward your opponent’s end zone. Most often the deep pass audible, by flicking the Right Stick right, will give you this style of play.
The most common way to attack the defense is with Four Verticals, which floods coverage deep by sending all four receivers deep downfield.
YAC — Yards after catch for a receiver or yards after contact for a running back.
Zone Blitz — The art of bringing pressure from one area of the field while dropping defenders into another. This is a tactic used to confuse the offense.
Defensive Pre-Snap Adjustments
Blitz — You can make any selected player blitz by using this hot route command, a.k.a. a blitz straight down since the player’s rush angle will appear straight down on the screen.
Bluff Blitz — This hot route makes your defender attack the line of scrimmage before dropping into his zone. You can fake pressure with a linebacker before he drops over the middle.
Curl to Flat — The “buzz zone” defender will drop 8–10 yards deep and defend the curl; if there is no route threatening that area, he will move to the flat. A buzz zone is also known as a purple zone because of the zone color.
Deep Zone — This dark blue zone will drop back and play deep assignments.
Flat Zone — This light blue zone will drop down and play the flat. It is great for guarding short-throwing offenses and players who like to dump off passes to the halfback.
Guess Play — Predict a pass or commit to a run to one side or up the middle. Use LT (Xbox) or L2 (PS) and the Right Stick before the snap.
Hook Zone — This yellow zone will guard a 3- to 5-yard radius around wherever it’s assigned. It is great for covering the middle of the field.
Option Adjustment — Contain the QB or RB on option plays, depending on your pre-snap command.
QB Contain — You can place your defensive ends in contains by using LT (Xbox) or L2 (PS) before the snap and pressing RB (Xbox) or R1 (PS).
QB Spy — A QB spy tells your defender to watch the QB and attack him if he runs past the line of scrimmage. This is a great way to stop scrambling QBs. This route also helps stop short throws right over the middle.
Shift Defense — Pinch, spread, or shift your defense in either direction with LT (Xbox) or L2 (PS) and the Left Stick.
Quick Adjustments — These allow you to control your secondary players without clicking onto them before the snap.
Defensive Coverage Adjustments
Base Align — This allows defenses to align their defenders in the general settings of the formation. As offensive formations change they can alter how a formation looks and plays. To prevent that from happening we use base align.
Give Cushion — If you want to play bend-but-don’t-break defense, use “give cushion” coverage. This moves your defenders farther away from the line of scrimmage and puts them in a “prevent” defensive position.
Inside — Your defenders will attempt to get inside position against the receivers and jump routes like ins and slants.
Man Align — Your defenders, especially LBs and safeties, will line up closer to their assignments, which is useful on Cover 0 blitzes.
Outside — Your defenders will play the receiver outside and jump routes like corners and outs.
Over Top — Your defensive zones will stay back against the receivers. They won’t get beaten deep by vertical concepts, but won’t be able to break down on routes as easily.
Press — This will jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Pressing slows down offenses and allows blitzes more time to get after the quarterback. It can leave your defense vulnerable if the WR beats the press.
Protect the Sticks (Sticks) — Your defenders will keep in mind the down and distance and drop their zones to that depth. This is a great adjustment for third and long.
Quick Adjust — Allows you to make adjustments to defenders before the snap without clicking onto them.
Show Blitz — A great way to load the box up with defenders is to utilize show blitz. Most formations in the game will create a Bear front, which is great for stopping the run and blitzing your opponent.
Underneath — Your defensive zones will play underneath their targets. This is great for clamping down on the horizontal passing game.
Offensive Hot Routes
Remember that you can only make one hot route before getting to the line in Madden. For all other offensive hot routes, you must wait until the QB finishes his animation before inputting another.
Check-and-Release — This blue route tells your back to help block before releasing to the flat.
Comeback — A route for outside WRs that runs about 15 yards downfield before turning around.
Curl — The WR starts out on a straight pattern and turns around sharply after 8–10 yards.
Drag — A drag runs straight across the field after a 2-yard move forward.
Fade — This route starts the WR moving a few steps toward the
sideline and then runs straight downfield.
Flat — A short route by the HB that runs to the flat and gives the QB a short option near the sideline.
Hitch — Similar to the curl route, but runs shorter and is only available on the inside.
In — The receiver runs straight for 8 yards before cutting 90 degrees toward the middle of the field. This is the opposite of an out route.
Option — A route by the HB that gives the player the option to sit underneath zone or continue toward the sideline against man-to-man.
Out — The receiver runs straight for 8 yards before cutting 90 degrees toward the sideline. This is the opposite of an in route.
Slant — This route starts like a streak for a few steps and then breaks sharply at an angle across the field.
Smart Route — By pressing down on the Right Stick, you can tell your WR to run his route to the first down marker. This is great for third-and-long plays where the standard route won’t run far enough downfield.
Smoke Screen — The WR on the outside turns toward the QB to quickly catch the pass and get upfield. This route is best against defenses that are playing far back off the receiver.
Streak — This route runs straight downfield (a.k.a. a “go” or “9” route).
Swing — The back in the backfield will swing out to the left or right.
Wheel — This route starts like a flat route but cuts upfield on a streak once it reaches the sideline.
Zig — A zig appears to start like a slant route, but the receiver pivots and cuts back to the outside toward the sideline.
Positions
Offense
Quarterback (QB) — The player who takes the snap from the lineman and either hands off, passes, or runs the ball.
Halfback (HB) — The player who usually lines up behind the QB and takes handoffs on run plays (a.k.a. RB — running back). On pass plays he can either run a route and become a receiver or stay in to help block.
Fullback (FB) — Lines up in front of the HB and looks to block players trying to tackle the HB. Can also catch and block on pass plays.
Wide Receiver (WR) — Receivers line up outside the linemen and look to get open downfield on pass plays. The QB throws them the ball and they can run after they catch it.
Tight End (TE) — Most commonly lines up outside the linemen and can either block on run plays or go out on pass plays.
Slot Receiver — This receiver lines up outside the tackles and is a receiver, but lines up inside the farthest WR. These players most often run routes over the middle of the field or use their speed to get deep.
Offensive Linemen (OL) — These players block for the QB and HB. The center (C) is in the middle and snaps the ball to the QB on every play. There are guards on either side of the center (RG and LG) and two tackles (RT and LT) flanking the guards.
Defense
Defensive End (DE) — The defensive end matches up against the other team’s lineman on the outside and is most known for trying to sack the QB on passing plays. You have two DEs on the field in most situations (3-4 and 4-3 defenses).
Defensive Tackle (DT) — The DT plays in the middle of the defensive line, usually closest to the center. He is mostly known for plugging up the middle and is usually one of the biggest players on the team (there’s one DT in a 3-4, two in a 4-3 defense).
Outside Linebacker (OLB) — These LBs line up outside and can cover receivers or blitz on pass plays. They must tackle anyone who gets past the line on a run play. You have two OLBs on the field in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense.
Middle Linebacker (MLB) — This player controls the middle of the field for the defense. He stands behind the defensive tackle and must tackle players who come through the middle. You have two MLBs in 3-4 and one in a 4-3 defense.
Cornerback (CB) — These players play outside and must cover the WRs on passing plays.
Free Safety (FS) — This player backs up the cornerbacks and helps give them support in the passing game.
Strong Safety (SS) — This player helps in the passing game, but can also be brought toward the line of scrimmage to help in the run game, as well.
Special Teams
Kicker (K) — The kicker (or placekicker) is responsible for a team’s field goal or extra-point kicks.
Punter (P) — The punter’s role is to catch the ball from the long snapper and kick it downfield to the opposing team on fourth down to help his team’s field position.
Long Snapper (LS) — The long snapper is a specialized player who snaps the ball to the holder on field goals or to the punter so they can set up to kick it.
Kick Returner (KR) — The kick returner catches the kickoff from the opposing team and tries to return it for as many yards as possible to set his team up with good field position.
Punt Returner (PR) — The punt returner is an elusive-style player who catches punts from the opposing team and works to get return yardage.
Third Down Running Back (3DRB) — The third-down running back is often a specialized back who is strong in the passing game as a route runner or a pass blocker against blitzes.
Kickoff Specialist (KOS): The kickoff specialist’s only job is to kick the ball off to the other team. Often the kicker shares this duty, but teams will sometimes bring in a player with a stronger leg, since accuracy isn’t as important in this role.
Player Ratings
Ratings have never had such a huge effect over the results of gameplay as they do in Madden NFL 17. Make sure to test your assumptions and get players with high ratings in positions to make plays.
Acceleration (ACC) — How quickly a player gets to top speed.
Key Position: HB, WR, DE, OLB, CB
Agility (AGI) — How quickly and tightly a player is able to cut.
Key Position: HB, WR, CB
Awareness (AWR) — How smart a player is on the field; a good Awareness rating is great for CPU-controlled players.
Key Position: All positions
Ball Carrier Vision (BCV) — How well a CPU-controlled player can find holes in the defense and use moves.
Key Position: HB, WR, QB
Block Shedding (BSH) — How good a player is at getting off a block while trying to defending the run.
Key Position: DE, DT, OLB
Break Tackle (BTK) — How well a ball carrier can break tackles against a defender. This plays against a defender’s Tackle rating.
Key Position: QB, HB, FB, WR
Carry (CAR) — How well a ball carrier holds onto the ball; a higher number means a lower chance of a fumble.
Key Position: HB, FB, QB, WR
Catch (CTH) — How well a receiver can catch and hold onto the ball; a higher number means fewer dropped passes.
Key Position: WR, TE, HB
Catch in Traffic (CIT) — How well a receiver is able to catch and hold onto a ball in traffic. A higher number means a better chance of hanging onto the ball when being tackled by a defender.
Key Position: TE, WR, HB
Deep Accuracy (DAC) — This affects how accurate a quarterback is on throws over 40 yards.
Key Position: QB
Elusiveness (ELU) — How good a player is at using elusive moves to get away from defenders. Elusiveness is more common in speed backs.
Key Position: HB, WR, QB
Finesse Moves (FMV) — How good a player rushing the QB is at using a finesse move to get off blocks. An example is a swim move.
Key Position: DE, DT, OLB
Hit Power (POW) — How hard a defensive player can tackle a ball carrier. A higher number means more hit stick and fumble chances.
Key Position: OLB, MLB, FS, SS
Impact Blocking (IBL) — How good a player is at making blocks in the open field. The higher the rating, the bigger the chance for a big block that can knock an opponent off his feet. These are more common in the special teams return game.
Key Position: Offensive linemen, FB, TE
Injury (INJ) — How good a player is at staying healthy. The higher the rating, the less of a chance a player will get injured during the game and over the course of a season.
Key Position: All Positions
Juke Move (JKM) — How well a player can use a fake step juke move to get away from defenders. The rating can affect the tightness of the move and the amount of ground covered when juking.
Key Position: HB, WR, QB
Jumping (JMP) — How high a player can jump.
Key Position: WR, TE, CB
Kick Accuracy (KAC) — How accurate a player is when kicking a field goal, punting the ball, or kicking off.
Key Position: K, P
Kick Power (KPW) — How far a player can kick a field goal, punt the ball, or kick off.
Key Position: K, P
Man Coverage (MCV) — How well a defender can stick with his receiver while he is running his route. The higher the number, the closer he will play his assignment. This rating goes up against a receiver’s Route Running rating.
Medium Accuracy (MAC) — This affects how accurate a quarterback is on throws between 20 and 40 yards.
Key Position: QB
Key Position: CB, FS, SS
Overall (OVR) — This rating provides a great snapshot of a player’s attributes. Although you need to dig deeper to find out exactly what type of player you have, this will allow you to make quick decisions about who to start.
Key Position: All players
Pass Blocking (PBK) — How well an offensive lineman is at blocking a defender who is rushing the QB on a passing play.
Key Position: Offensive line
Play Recognition (PRC) — How quickly a defensive player identifies what type of play the offense is running. A higher rating means less of a chance to be fooled on play action and the quicker the player will attack the line on run plays.
Key Position: OLB, MLB, FS, SS
Power Moves (PMV) — How good a player rushing the QB is at using a power-style move to get off blocks. An example is a bull rush move.
Key Position: DE, DT, OLB
Press (PRS) — How good a defender is at lining up in front of a WR and not letting him off the line of scrimmage. The higher the number, the better the defender will be at playing bump-n-run coverage. This goes against a receiver’s Release rating.
Key Position: CB, FS, SS
Pursuit (PUR) — How good a player is at taking proper angles to track down a ball carrier.
Key Position: OLB, MLB, FS, SS
Release (RLS) — How good a receiver is at getting off of press coverage. The higher the rating, the better chance he has to beat press coverage. This matches up against a defender’s Press rating.
Key Position: WR
Return (RET) — How good a player is at catching the ball on special teams.
Key Position: KR, PR
Route Running (RTE) — How well a receiver can run sharp routes that can get him space from the defender. This will determine separation against a man-to-man defender based on the defender’s Man Coverage rating.
Key Position: WR, TE, HB
Run Blocking (RBK) — How good an offensive lineman is at blocking a defender on a rushing play.
Key Position: Offensive line, FB, TE
Run Block Strength (RBS), Run Block Footwork (RBF), Pass Block Strength (PBS), and Pass Block Footwork (PBF) are no longer used in MUT or gameplay. They are used only in CFM simulation games.
Short Accuracy (SAC) — This affects how accurate a quarterback is on throws under 20 yards.
Key Position: QB
Spectacular Catch (SPC) — How well a receiver is able to go up and make jumping or unique catches. A higher number means a better chance of amazing catches over defenders.
Speed (SPD) — How fast a player runs.
Key Position: All players except offensive linemen
Spin Move(SPM) — How well a ball carrier can use a spin style move to get away from defenders. The rating can affect the tightness of the spin radius.
Key Position: HB, WR, QB
Stamina (STA) — This affects how long a player can stay in the game before becoming tired. The higher the rating, the more snaps a player will have before having to rest.
Key Position: All positions
Stiff Arm (SFA) — How good a ball carrier is at using his free hand to ward off tacklers.
Key Position: HB, WR, QB
Strength (STR) — How strong a player is and how well he can stand his ground or get pushed during a line battle.
Key Position: Offensive and defensive lines
Tackle (TAK) — How well a defensive player can tackle a ball carrier. A higher number means a lower chance of broken tackles.
Key Position: OLB, MLB, FS, SS
Throw Accuracy (THA) — How accurate a QB is when throwing the ball. A higher number means more consistent throws downfield.
Key Position: QB
Throw Accuracy (THA) is important only in games that are simulated.
Throw Power (THP) — How fast and far a QB can throw the ball. A higher number means better downfield throws.
Key Position: QB
Trucking (TRK) — How good a player is at using power moves to run over defenders. Trucking is more common in power backs.
Key Position: HB, FB, QB
Zone Coverage (ZCV) — How well a player will track his receiver in zone coverage. The higher the number, the more he will be able to cover a play in his zone during a pass play.
Key Position: OLB, MLB, CB, FS, SS