At EA Sports Tiburon, Rex Dickson serves as the creative director of Madden NFL 25. Along with the rest of the Orlando-based team, he lives and breathes football all-year long. That said, Dickson provided some tips for winning it all in this exclusive strategy interview.
What’s your favorite Madden football team?
It varies from year to year, but in Madden NFL 25 I usually go with the Washington Redskins. I like to run the ball, and they have a solid offensive line and a great power back in Alfred Morris. Add the dual-threat nature of Robert Griffin III and a solid receiving corps and you have a deadly set of offensive weapons to work with. On defense, it’s all about the linebackers with Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo on the outside, and London Fletcher prowling the middle. You can wreak havoc on opposing offenses with any one of these players.
What advice would you give to someone playing as this team on the offensive side of the ball?
Two Words: Skills Trainer. Learn to run the Option effectively. Master running an offense featuring a dual-threat QB. Once you get the defense stacked in the box trying to stop the run, hit them with play action. You have a solid receiving corps with Santana Moss, Josh Morgan and Pierre Garcon, so use them to your advantage. RG III is also great at throwing on the run.
What’s the best way to take advantage of new offensive gameplay features with this team and its players?
On offense, it’s all about mastering the precision modifier and new ball-carrier controls to get the most out of this team’s skill players. Alfred Morris has incredible truck ratings, so master the timing on that truck stick as you pound through the line. As stated earlier, with a QB like RG III you will want to incorporate several concepts like the Read Option into your offense, forcing your opponent to defend the QB running game.
What are some strengths of this team on the defensive side of the ball?
Washington is very strong at the linebacker and outside linebacker position. They can blitz effectively and are just as good in pass coverage. I like to send a lot of heat to force short passes and not allow opposing QBs enough time in the pocket to go deep.
What’s the best way to take advantage of new defensive gameplay features with this team and its players?
On defense, I love utilizing the speed rush off the edge with the star linebackers in Orakpo and Kerrigan. Flick Right Stick to the outside as you engage the tackle and you have a good chance of beating them to the outside with the speed rush. As you come off the block, hold the Right Stick down to transition into a hit stick on the QB. If you want to play coverage, stick with London Fletcher on the inside.
Madden NFL 25 debuts on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 August 27th.
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