Game Play Rules

League Settings

Difficulty: Madden
Quarters: 10 minutes
Accelerated Clock: 17
Injuries: On
Draft: No


Rules vs Human

-Display good sportsmanship at all times. Do not run up the score if you are up big at the end of a game. If you are up late in the game, and the game is out of reach, run the ball to run the clock out and be a good sport.

Pre-Snap

You should give your opponent time to set his defense before you snap the ball. If you audible and your players move you must again give them time to set their defense. The only exception is if the play clock is running out. Note: You should not intentionally be doing this.Offense Pre-Snap

Under no circumstances is quick snapping allowed. You must give the defense adequate time to get set. This is usually 3-4 seconds. If you call an audible, you cannot immediately snap the ball if you see defenders switching coverages. If the play clock is running down then you can snap the ball as to avoid a delay of game penalty.

Use of motion is allowed just like it is in the NFL. However, due to problems with the AI in Madden, you must wait for the receiver is set before snapping the ball. On running plays, you may snap the ball if the receiver is outside the tackle, depending on the side you have motioned from. You cannot snap the ball when the receiver is in the middle of the line to use him as an additional blocker. Auto motion plays ARE permitted.

You cannot call more than 2 hot routes at the line of scrimmage prior to the snap. You are allowed to keep as many players in to block as you wish. However, you should not be redesigning the entire play at the line. The defense is outmatched in Madden as it is, we do not want guys changing the entire route hierarchy for the play at the line. Limit the hot routes to two receivers. Use motion to change matchups and create route combos. You do not need to change the entire route design of the play.

Moving Players

-Any player manually moved pre snap should be the player you control for that play. Defensive Lineman or Cornerbacks should not be manually moved before the snap. The only movement for defensive lineman pre-snap should be what is done while using shift feature. (You can move a LB only if you are lining him with a WR, only against someone in WR position to show some sort of coverage against that WR and any player that is manually moved must be the player that the user stays with until the ball is snapped) Defensive linemen should never be manually moved pre snap unless you are using a line audible.


*Note: This is the new rule pertaining to manually moving players Pre-Snap

Defense Pre Snap

You cannot manually move any defensive lineman prior to the snap. The defensive line shifts to shift the line left, right, pinch or spread are permitted. You are allowed one re-blitz or line audible per play. Re-blitzing is changing the defensive lineman's assigned path to the QB or the backfield. You are not permitted to re-blitz more than one defensive lineman in order to coordinate a "nano" blitz.

You are permitted to manually move defensive players at the LB position or in the secondary, however you must maintain control of that player throughout the play. You can switch to a defender who is closest to the ball AFTER the snap. You cannot position LBs over top of the defensive lineman or over the A-gap in order to generate nano blitzes. All Pre-Snap movement must be done in a realistic manner. Do not abuse this and bring your safety up to the line every play.

Safety - cannot manually be brought up the past the MLB -

LB - can be moved left right or backwards in a realistic manner Pre - snap.

Remember if you manually move any player you have to remain that player until the ball is snapped. no Exception.


Motion - The offense can motion a player once on offense. If the offense audibles to a new play/formation, you may not motion again.

Offense Post Snap

QB drop backs cannot exceed 10 yards on any pass play except for screen passes. Do not run backwards with the QB after the snap. You should be stepping up in the pocket to avoid the pressure. Madden allows the QB to run faster backwards than many defensive players can run forward. Do not "game the game" to avoid the sack by running backwards. As mentioned above, screen passes are the only exception to this rule.

Quick throws are not allowed in BTB. What constitutes a quick throw is the immediate tapping of the button after the snap. Well timed quick throws are nearly impossible to stop and are not very realistic. Getting rid of the ball quickly in the face of pressure is ok, but you should not be double tapping the button.

Running with the QB is permitted, but do not abuse it. We do not want to limit the threat of a mobile QB, but you should not be leading your team in rushing with your QB. If there is pressure you can scramble with your QB by stepping UP in the pocket. You are not permitted to snap the ball and immediately "turbo" to the sideline using the right trigger. If your receivers are covered and your opponent has not taken your QB into account you may run to gain yardage.

Manually catching the ball with receivers is permitted. Do not rocket catch. Rocket catching is when you take control of the receiver and cut the route short and jump to catch the ball at its highest point. Do not throw bombs and immediately take control of the receiver to accelerate under the ball. With next rule Rocket Catching cannot happen.

**NEW AS OF 2/13/12

No Switch Rule
The following rule will be enforced beginning Week 1. make sure you understand this rule before you play your first game. If you have any questions about any part of it contact me or one of the admins.

User Catch Rule (offense)-
You are not to switch on a receiver while a pass is in the air. A pass play should not be a battle of stick skill but instead be a test of ratings between the receiver and the defender. User Catching on offense will result in a ban from this site regardless of how long you have been a member.

Defense Switch Rule-
Like on offense, you are not to switch defenders while a pass is in the air. Once a receiver has the ball in his hands, you can then switch. If the ball is thrown near the defender that you started the play with, then you can use that player that you are still controlling to attempt a User Interception. The idea of the rule should be not to have a battle of stick skills, but instead to let the players ratings take care of some of the action on the field. Failing to follow will result in a warning, then ban from league regardless of how long you have been a member if it continues. You are allowed to switch on running plays.


No ROCKET Catching
Here is a video that shows the rocket catch in Madden 11:



When running with the ball in the open field, the use of the left stick "ONLY" is not permitted. You incorporate the use either the right stick or the face buttons to make a football move to avoid tacklers. Due to the locomotion added to offensive players in Madden 11, it allows ball carriers to cut on a dime and easily evade defenders in the open field. You can use the left stick all you want to get through the hole and run around your blockers, it's just when you get into the open field, you must use a football move in order to beat the defenders. Use either the face buttons or the right stick. Don't blame us, blame the poor locomotion engine in the game Smile. Many leagues have this same rule, it's not hard to follow and does not restrict the ability to run with the ball effectively. It adds to the enjoyment of the game and keeps the games balanced and fair.

"Zig Zagging" is not permitted on punt or kick returns. You cannot run from one side of the field to the other. It is well known that the AI gets completely fooled and the entire special teams unit follows the ball carrier making it easy to return kickoffs for TDs. You must run straight or run through a hole on kick returns.

The following is a video showing improper left stick use that is NOT permitted in this league. The zig zagging is shown at 1:47 and 4:15 . In fact there are a lot of things in this video you shouldn't do in the league.



Below is an example of an illegal QB drop back and zig zag running not tolerated in BTB can be viewed here:
http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/93326104


Play Action Passes

Play action is part of real football strategy. However, play action in Madden can be abused in certain situations. Play action is NOT permitted on 3rd down if the play requires 6 or more yards for the first down. Some players will use the play action roll outs to gain more time to throw. This is cheese and not sim play. You may only call a play action pass on 3rd down if the yardage is less than 6 required for the first down.

4th Down Rules

You may go for it on 4th down if any of the following hold true


It is 4th and 1 or less AND you are at or past the 50 yard line
If you are down by 17 or more points in the 4th quarter
If you are down by 10 or more points in the 4th quarter AND there is 3 or less minutes remaining
If you are in the "gray area" between your opponent's 40 and 30 yard line AND you need 5 yards or less


Any other time you MUST punt the ball. Fake punts and FGs also apply to these rules. Calling a fake constitutes going for it on 4th down and is not permitted unless one of the above scenarios holds true.

Clock Management

Do not abuse the clock by letting the play clock run down to 2 seconds on every play. There are certain situations in the game where you will want to use more clock than others. Do not milk the clock the entire game.

No Huddle

The no huddle is not permitted unless one of the following conditions holds true:


There is under 2 minutes remaining in the half
It is the 4th quarter and you are down by 28 points or more
It is the 4th quarter, you are out of timeouts, there is under 2 minutes remaining and you are down


QB Sneak and FB Dive

You will be permitted only one QB sneak and one FB dive per GAME only. These plays are far too successful in Madden, therefore we are limiting their usage. It does not matter if you have subbed your halfback in at the FB position.

Two Point Conversions

You may only go for two under the following conditions:


Your TD puts you ahead by 1, 4, 5, 11, 12, 19
Your TD puts you behind by 2, 5, 10, 16, 17, 19


Onside Kicks

Onside kicks cannot be attempted at any point in the game except if any of the following conditions holds true:


There is under 2 minutes remaining in the game and you are down by at LEAST 7 points
There is under 2 minutes left in the game, you are losing by any margin AND you are out of timeouts


Keep it realistic, we will not have surprise onside kicks at any point.

Defense Pre-Snap

You cannot manually move any defensive lineman prior to the snap. The defensive line shifts to shift the line left, right, pinch or spread are permitted. You are allowed one re-blitz per play. Re-blitzing is changing the defensive lineman's assigned path to the QB or the backfield. You are not permitted to re-blitz more than one defensive lineman in order to coordinate a "nano" blitz.

You are permitted to manually move defensive players at the LB position or in the secondary, however you must maintain control of that player throughout the play. You can switch to a defender who is closest to the ball AFTER the snap. You cannot position LBs over top of the defensive lineman or over the A-gap in order to generate nano blitzes.

The following video demonstrates nano blitzing that is not allowed in BTB:



Defensive hot routes are fully permitted, as long as you are not re-blitzing more than one player on a given play. You may call as many coverage audibles as you see fit. Mix up your defense and give different looks to your opponent. It adds to the realism of the league and will also make you a much better defensive player. Do not use the "show blitz" on every play or stack 9 guys in the box every down. Play football, not Madden.

You are not permitted to move your LB back and forth between the gaps prior to the snap. This is a ploy to attempt to confuse the AI in order to successfully create a nano blitz.


D-Line -Moving defensive lineman manually Pre-snap is not allowed.

Linebackers - is allowed, but limited. You may only move linebackers horizontally; you are not allowed to manually bring them up tighter into the box on the edge, or into a gap. Once you move your linebacker, you must stick with them; you may not change to another player to move.

DB's - will follow much of the same reasoning as LB's, here primarily horizontal, and with a limited vertical range, in that a safety must remain a few yards minimum behind a linebacker's depth unless you are showing blitz coverage (Strategy Pad Up + Left). If in blitz coverage, the Strong Safety is treated like a linebacker, the Free Safety must remain fairly deep. Once you manually move your defensive back, you may not change to another player to move.

Player movement after the snap should be realistic. Running all over the field (ball hawking) is not allowed, and is not sim. Defenders play lanes, zones or man on a receiver. They don't run around aimlessly because an NFL QB would pick that apart. All movements after the snap should be done in a fluid, sim fashion.

Players should not be manually moved pre-snap on kicking attempts, this includes punt returns as well.


Play Calling

There are no hard rules on play calling. However, you will be expected to mix up your plays on both offense and defense. If you are the type of play who runs the same play every time from the same formation, you will not be in this league. The same guidelines apply for defense. Do not call man EVERY play. Mix up your coverages and your looks. This enhances the league and makes it more realistic for everyone. Certain players and teams employ defensive strategies. This is completely acceptable, but do not simply call the same two plays over and over.
UPDATE: For Madden 12, zone defense seems to be MUCH improved. We will start out allowing the 1-5-5. In Madden 11 this defense had some very questionable results. Many guys complained about it. We will start out by allowing this defense and we will adjust if we need to if it becomes an issue.

Player Positions

The following outlines where players may play in certain positions:

Defensive Backs
Any defensive back can play any defensive back position. You may substitute a safety in at corner and vice versa. Do not sub in your defensive backs to play wide receiver. This is not an arcade football league. Use your package subs.

Linebackers
Any LB can play any of the LB positions or a LB can be used as a defensive end.

Defensive Lineman
Defensive lineman can be shifted to any
position on the line. They can play DE or DT. Do not sub defensive
lineman in as linebackers or defensive backs. If you convert from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, a DE can also play OLB.

Fullbacks and Halfbacks
Fullbacks and Halfbacks can be swapped for each other at any time. (There are even package subs that can do this well). Fullbacks can also play tight end. You may use a halfback as a receiver ONLY through normal package subs. You cannot sub in a halfback at the wide receiver position. The game will incorrectly identify how many receivers and backs come out in the formation and this is not fair to the defensive player.

Offensive Lineman
Offensive lineman can play any position on the offensive line. Some times due to injuries, this happens in the real NFL. You may also substitute a lineman at TE for run plays. Some teams do this in the real NFL as well and obviously, that player is going to take the ratings hit as far as receiving goes.

Tight Ends
Tight ends can play fullback and you can sub a receiving TE as a 3rd or 4th receiver. You cannot make a tight end a #1 or #2 wide receiver.

Fumble Glitch

There is a known bug in Madden where there is a fumble, possession is awarded to the fumbling team along with a first down. This is a very frustrating bug and can cause players to lose games. We realize that there is no perfect solution here, but in BTB, if the fumble bug occurs on 3rd down and you are incorrectly awarded a first down, you must follow the rules for 4th down as if the game got the call correct. Take the time to send your opponent a message if need be and let him know that you will be punting or kicking a FG depending on the game situation that the 4th down rules call for. It is unknown if this bug is still in the game for Madden 12.

Injuries and the Play Clock

It is widely known that when an injury occurs on either side of the ball, the play clock runs down to an insanely low number not allowing the offense to have sufficient time to pick their play. This is a bug in the game, therefore, you will NOT ACCEPT this penalty if you are on the defense. Failure to abide by this will get you a warning the first time and will result in player suspensions thereafter.






** Disclaimer - Many of rules found on this site were borrowed NNFL with the permission of the NNFL commissioner. Please do not use these rules for your league with out permission from the NNFL commissioner lonetazdevil20. We appreciate all the hard work put in to creating these rules.

"Some players will use the play action roll outs to gain more time to throw. This is cheese and not sim play."

Quick question, does that mean no play action bootlegs... or just in the 3rd and longer than 6 range?

Mayne Event 41 wrote:"Some players will use the play action roll outs to gain more time to throw. This is cheese and not sim play."

Quick question, does that mean no play action bootlegs... or just in the 3rd and longer than 6 range?

No, you may use play action bootlegs sparingly as a QB would in real life. The comment "Some players will use the play action roll outs to gain more time to throw. This is cheese and not sim play." was posted to describe why play action was not allowed on 3rd and 6 or more.