I'm excited for this one.  VJ Leblanc posted his blog about the blocking engine that's now in Madden and NCAA and he's the guy that broke it down for me at the NCAA Community Day, so check it out.

"Note from Ian Cummings: This week I thought VJ LeBlanc, a former offensive lineman (and the engineer that actually implemented all the new blocking logic) would be much better suited to writing a blog explaining all the new features and improvements with blocking. So I guess we broke the tradition of the “producer blog”, but I definitely think you all will appreciate the time he took out to break everything down. The video shows off just some of the highlights – so enjoy!  

We started out with very ambitious goals and I think I can say we’ve delivered on all of them. Our main focus was to have more realistic blocking schemes and to have the offensive line function much better as a unit. The virtual blockers have been in their playbooks, in the weight room, and running extra inside run and blitz pick-up sessions at practice. It has taken a great amount of work but it’s been worth it. So what’s new?

We captured all new animations to get our offensive line off the ball quicker. This includes new kick back steps for pass blockers (interior and exterior, look for the huge kicks by tackles), new lateral steps for zone blocking, new pulling initial moves, and all new regular run blocking initial moves. The offensive line is much better at “firing off”.

Cut blocking is a vital part of an offense. Cut blocking logic has been augmented to account for the following:

·        Big momentum differences. Think of a running back pass blocking a big defender. If a defender is coming at a stationary blocker, they will consider cutting them.

·        Desperation cuts. If a blocker is beat (which I admit occasionally happens J ) the blocker will not give up. They will look to cut the defender (or at least get in their feet and try and trip them up).

Pass blockers are much more aware of their surroundings and of their blocking partners. An unassigned blocker will move to get in position to help a team mate if they are getting beat. Gone are the days of the unstoppable outside pass rush. Offensive linemen are much better at getting depth on their pass protection drops (when they need to).

This is the big blocking feature this year. As far as I know, no other football game has attempted it. Blocking pairs are assigned (more on that in a bit) a first (DL) and second level (LB) target and are responsible for blocking them. There are three double team results.

·        Blocker Success. The blockers are successful at double teaming the first level target and one blocker moves off to the second level target.

·        Defender Split. The first level defender splits the double team and gets in to the back field.

·        Defender Sink. The first level defender recognizes the double team and drops to the ground to create a pile and free up the second level defender to make a tackle (without having one of the blocking pair trying to block them).

The results of these double teams are totally dependent on ratings. Skilled blockers will be much more successful at double teaming. Conversely, skilled defenders will be much better at defeating double teams. We spent a lot of time trying to ensure that the zone blocking pairs were as robust as possible. They had to be able to pick up blitzes and stunts, and handle all the random movement a user-team could do as well.

Everyone who has ever played organized football recognizes a drawn up play. I spent a lot of time this year coming up with a generic match-up algorithm that essentially matches blockers with defenders. The logic should be able to account for any offensive formation and any defensive formation. As a result, the offensive line now functions much better as a unit. Each blocker knows what the other is doing. This leads to plays being run as intended and better match ups.

Here is an example of a Denver Broncos Cut Zone:

These lines represent an ideal blocking match up (how you would draw it up). The red lines represent “the box”. The orange lines represent the first target of the double team, whereas the blue represents the double team’s second level target. The yellow line represents a lead or seal block. Pulling is also accounted for in plays that require it.

Like most running plays, they rarely go as they are drawn up. As such, a great deal of time was spent determining when to switch and abandon the pre-play match ups.

This video shows off some off the new features.

1.      The first example is of a defender sinking the double team, allowing the linebacker to (potentially) make a tackle.

2.      The second example shows the blocking pair succeeding and moving to the second level. The blocker that gets to the second level recognizes that the defender is likely going to beat him to the ball. As such the blocker (successfully) cuts the second level defender. The result is that the blocking pair successfully blocks their zone.

3.      The next example is a regular successful double team zone block. The defenders are both blocked.

4.      As a note, you can see that the blockers take lateral initial zone steps.

So what does this all mean for you as an end user? Simply put, you can expect a much more realistic experience. To run the ball effectively you’ll have to set your blocks up, follow them, and look for cut back lanes. Essentially you’ll have to work as a team. When passing, blockers will now give you a little more time to get rid of the ball (when you stay in the pocket).

Just as a side note – for those defensive minded players…don’t despair! We have spent a great amount of time ensuring balance. The defense swarms and is much better at getting off their blocks. Right away you will see some great improvements to the “flow” of the defense, with them moving laterally as they wait to see how the play will develop, whereas many times in previous years the defenders would charge the run extremely early (which could get them tangled up in a big mess too easily)."

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