Overview

Early on in the Monstrous Madden Playbook I concentrated heavily on passing. In the second season of the playbook I went the other way, creating several heavy formations suited for power running and goal line offense. With the start of the third season of the Monstrous Madden NFL Playbook I've decided that while these more extreme formations add a lot of versatility and spice to traditional playbooks, balance is critical and it's high time to address that all important but sometimes overlooked (especially in the video football world) middle of the playbook. Quick Split fills this mold while still adhering to my slight and personal speed over power biases. The plays are not so different from what you might see on an NFL field, but the lightweight personnel allow for greater speed, quickness and flexibility than most Madden players are used to.

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At first glance Quick Split may seem much better suited as a passing formation than a running one, with no tight ends or fullbacks to provide blocking support. Things are not quite as simple as they appear though. Traditional split back formations tend to encourage strong side running to take advantage of the lead blocking FB, and most defenses will be aware of this. Quick Split has no strong side (the flanker side non-withstanding), so the defense cannot afford to stack one side against the run. By keeping the running backs aligned symmetrically the Playmaker feature allows any running play to flipped successfully. Additionally, either back can be put in motion along the line of scrimmage, either to provide a blocking boost or to act as a decoy. Quick Split won't run defenses over with power, but with a smart tactitian leading the way on offense will be able to move the ball on the ground successfully.

Of course, any formation with three wideouts will be better than average in the passing game, and Quick Split is no exception. As usual slant patterns see heavy duty. RB swings, my next favorite route, are also heavily utilized to take advantage of the two speedy halfbacks. Once in a while the flanker will stay in to pass block, creating matchup confusion for the defense and letting the quarterback roll outside of the pocket. The position of the backs is excellent for providing strong protection when desired.

Quick Split is one of the easier formations to create by modifying an existing formation. I use Shotgun-2RB 3WR, found in the playbooks of Green Bay and many other teams. Just move the QB up under center and slide the flanker in a bit closer and voila, you're done. This base formation is especially nice because it creates symmetric motion capabilities for the RBs, which is critical to getting the most out of Quick Split's dynamic and versatile running plays. I prefer to keep the flanker as the #3 receiver with the starters both playing split end in large part because I keep the flanker in for pass protection on a few rollout plays. The #1 and #2 receivers at split end are largely interchangeable.

Plays

Quick Split - Hard Slants

Hard Slants

Quick Split is an excellent slant pattern formation (as future pass plays will likely show), and everyone know I love slant passes, so here is a play with all slant (or at least slant-like) routes. Each receiver runs at a different angle but the theme is consistent. Great 1-2-3 read progression.

Quick Split - Inside Sprint

Inside Sprint

A simple but effective lead blocking running play. Normally run to the strong side, the Playmaker feature takes advantage of the dual tailbacks to switch the run to the other side with ease.

Quick Split - Supercross

Supercross

An extemely versatile passing play that makes heavy use of crossing routes and pre-snap motion. Excellent for QBs who like to roll out as well. With practice this play can be adjusted before the snap to defeat just about any defense.

Quick Split - Speed Counter

Speed Counter

The right combination of speed and misdirection can make defenders' heads spin, and that's what Speed Counter is built for. Great flexibility from the Playmaker control and several motion options means that an offense can get a lot of mileage from this single running play.


Contact Arkaein with any comments or questions regarding the Monstrous Madden Playbook.