The Most Important Attributes In Madden16

I want to talk about attributes, And the importance of what they mean in regards to EA’s Madden franchise. In years past, Madden fans wanted speed, and why? Because you can’t coach speed, and inevitably it would counterbalance the lack of skill and talent in regards to lower-rated players. Thankfully, while speed is still important in Madden 16, it’s not the only attribute that matters.

So what attributes do matter? Well, that is a very tricky question depending on the position we are talking about. If the quarterback position is up for debate, some will argue that throw power, medium accuracy and deep accuracy are the absolutes of attributes; others might gravitate to play action and short accuracy. Some will claim that awareness also matters, but it has been officially confirmed that awareness has zero effect on human-controlled players. So unless you’re simming a bunch of games, don’t sweat over awareness in regards to players you love to control.

Getting back to speed, it still matters a ton, but it can be usurped in importance. For example, with the new receiver/secondary interaction, and the jump ball scenario, the speed attribute takes a slight back seat in Madden 16 when talking about wide receivers. Instead, spectacular catch, catch in traffic and height arguably mean more. The speed attribute will always play a large part in the Madden franchise, but thankfully other attributes are in play here as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, things work much the same, and understanding your 53-man roster is just as important. Let’s look at the defensive tackle position for instance. If you are running a 4-3 defense, then the most important attributes are probably going to be awareness, strength and block shed. That’s not to say power and finesse moves -- along with play recognition -- aren’t important, but a player who possesses all of those attributes are extremely rare. In regards to your defensive ends, the speed, acceleration and block shed attributes can be extremely important, and they help with a scheme that looks to its front four to get pressure on the quarterback and allow greater coverage downfield.

With special teams, the attributes are limited but can be just as important. In regards to kicking, I think it's fair if you only worry about kicking power. Kicking an accurate field goal or kickoff is almost a given. Even with sliders lowered and the new PAT rule implemented, the amount of misses I see are negligible, and really the onus should be placed squarely on the power. In regards to kick and punt returns, there is really only the kick return attribute, but speed and agility will also play a large part. A large percentage of kick and punt return success will be predicated on the skill and ability of the 10 guys in front you also, so keep that in mind.

The bottom line is this. While some attributes definitely carry more weight than others, it ultimately comes down to the type of offense and defense you like to run, and the talent pool you have access to. The most important item of all is you have to know and understand the types of plays and schemes you tend to gravitate towards on both sides of the ball, and build your team accordingly -- both through XP growth and player personnel. Here is another small hint that has not been officially confirmed (just trust me on this), but when looking at players and attributes, make sure to pay attention to the type of scheme you run, and what that player feels most comfortable in. There is a small “under the hood” ratings boost when the two are properly meshed together.

For your style, what are the most important attributes to you?