The Way John Madden Would Have Played

Every year another Madden game comes out and with it another set of incremental changes. Not much has changed between Madden 19 and 20, but there are a few tweaks to make and skills to learn that can help you manage some of the changes.

So being the controller gurus we are here at KF, we dove into Madden 20, figured out where the control pain points are, and put together a few tips to help you while playing your favorite annualized game series.

Make Sure You're Geared Up

Before you even boot up Madden 20, you have to make sure you have the essentials. A set of KontrolFreek Grips, and our tried and true Madden recommended thumbsticks, Omni.

But that's not all. If you're an Xbox player, Xbox's stellar design lab has a plethora of team-themed controllers. So if you have a little extra scratch, pick up one of those bad boys. Don't worry, we won't hold a grudge if you don't pick the Falcons.

Be Careful With The Sprint Button

A very small change to the mechanics in this edition of Madden has to do with sprinting. Gone are the days where you can just hold it down and wait until the player starts sprinting.

Instead, you really have to be thoughtful about when you decide to hold down the sprint button. If you try to sprint to move faster while juking or sweeping, then you actually slow down. So next time you're thinking about it, think again before hitting that button.

Master The Thumbstick Movements

Unlike a lot of games, Madden requires you to master around 4 separate control schemes all based on who you're playing as and if you're on offense or defense. One think that is pretty much universal across all of these schemes though is the use of the right stick to add actions to movements. This varies from flicks to presses, to holds.

No matter the movement, your ability to understand the right stick could mean the difference between a good play and a bad one. So make sure you have your stick control on lock.

Memorize Your Favorite Plays

With all of the new playbook options in Madden 20, it's more important to know them than ever before. Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to wait for button prompts to pop up and you already knew what was coming? That's precisely why having a mental playbook will help you maintain control over the field.