Choosing a Path

Choosing a path is completely up to you and how you want to play the game. There are a few different ways to do this. First, you must choose your team. What this really means is determining your team’s uniforms and location, and it’s not a bad idea to select your favorite team. If you feel like doing the smallest amount of work at the beginning of the game, you can always go with a team that has a rating you want to work with. Choose a team with a high rating if you want to have the best chance to win in the first season or choose a team with a great deal of rookies and younger players if you’d rather build the team with youth.

Player: You can choose to play a single player and control him throughout his career in the NFL. Build him in any position you like and use XP to give him the strengths and weaknesses you design for him. You can select an active player in the league or create your own from scratch as a rookie. See the available positions chart to determine your options. Become an expert at your position and make this player the best there ever was. It’s important to note that if you choose to play as a player, you will not have control of any other players on the field and must rely on your own skills and teamwork to win games.
Coach: One of the paths you can take in this season of Franchise Mode is the path of the coach. This is one of the most versatile ways to play because it provides full control of your team and you can manage everything around your roster, as well as upgrade traits to make him the coach that your team needs. You can either choose from an active coach in the NFL or create your own. The latter option allows you to build the coach from the ground up, but choosing an active coach affords you all of their default traits. Going with the coach path is a bit more complicated than the player path simply because of how much control you have over the team. However, it also provides a chance for you to navigate your team’s future.
Owner: Choosing to take the path of the owner allows you to not only manage and coach the team as the coach path takes you, but also make more financial decisions for your franchise. You are still able to sign, draft, and manage your team, as well as play the games; however, if you don’t feel like managing the prices of concessions or making any stadium decisions, this might not be the route for you. If you want the full experience of what Franchise Mode in Madden NFL 17 has to offer, this is definitely the way to go.

Create-A-Player Position Types

Offense

Balanced QB
Pocket Passer QB
Mobile QB
Balanced HB
Power HB
Speed HB
Balanced WR
Speed WR
Red Zone Threat WR
Balanced TE
Vertical Threat TE

Defense

Balanced LE
Speed Rush LE
Balanced RE
Speed Rush RE
Balanced DT
Pass Rushing DT
Balanced MLB
3-4 Tackler MLB
Balanced LOLB
3-4 Pass Rusher LOLB
Balanced ROLB
3-4 Pass Rusher ROLB
Balanced CB
Man-To-Man CB
Balanced FS
Playmaker FS
Balanced SS
Run Support SS