Madden 17 Will Feature Completely Overhauled Defense

EA Sports has released a new blog detailing how Madden 17 will handle defensive gaps and run fits. The system looks to be completely overhauled and something that should make playing defense much more realistic.

In case you missed it, you can also check out what we know about the new ball carrier moves in Madden 17.

Defensive AI has gotten a complete reboot in Madden 17 for both run defense and pass defense. Not only has the coverage gotten an overhaul, but for the first time in Madden history, the defense will have a Defensive Gap control system that makes defending the run more engaging and authentic.

When implementing the run fits system, we installed it the same way the defensive coordinators install their defenses in the NFL – Alignment, Assignment and Technique – and what this amounts to is every defender on the field having a specific job to do on each play the user calls.

Defensive Alignment

The first step in upgrading the AI is ensuring that defenders are aligned in the correct place to give them the best chance at executing their jobs, thus the first piece of the run fits system is the new Defensive Auto-Flip feature.

The AI will automatically flip your defense when the offense flips so that your defense aligns to the proper strength in relation to the offensive formation they are seeing after the huddle break. When your defense has been flipped, you will see visual feedback in the Score HUD to tell you that your defense has been flipped, as well as what part of the defense was flipped (Entire defense, Coverage, Front).

And if you prefer to handle all the alignment yourself, the Auto-Flip feature can be toggled OFF via the Gameplay Settings menu; the user can also re-flip the play at the Line of Scrimmage just like in previous versions.