It’s the last monday of the year! This week we will be covering the play Gun Bunch – Trail. This play is a great play for picking up decent chunks of yards as well as often the ability to get a one play touchdown. This play is in 4 different playbooks.

Play: Gun Bunch – Trail

Playbooks: Cowboys, Ravens, Saints, Texans
Required Hot Routes: Streak TE.

This play makes a great one play touchdown play depending on the defense you are facing. The reason we streak the TE instead of leaving him on his angle route is to occupy the deep middle/right of the field. As we’ve seen in previous money plays like Gun Tight Drive Corner, occupying corners/safeties combined with a post-like route can often end up resulting in blown coverage on the defensive side. That being said, my first look is almost always still the safe drag route, or sometimes even the streak route:

Then, as mentioned before, my next favorite thing to do is to take the top off the defense with the deep angle route:

If you are looking to pick up short-mid range yards you can try not streaking the TE and hitting the TE for some mid range yards. You also have the option of throwing the out route to the far left receiver depending on coverage (I don’t have footage of me doing either one of these since most of the time I use this play to attack with the drag or deep route.)

That’s it! Try this play out and let me know how it works for you. If you missed last weeks Madden Tips, check it out here.

Note: This is going to be my last weekly Monday Money Play of the season. The regular NFL season is now over and I have a personal move (moving to Hawaii!) coming up in March. So I’ll be very busy in the near future. Hopefully i’ll find some time to post some tips here and there but for now I’m taking a break! Thanks for all who have read/watched/enjoyed my posts.

Right back into the shotgun this week. The play we’ll be covering is Gun Trey Y-Flex – PA Crossers. This play is a great play for picking up large chunks of yards and can be very difficult for your opponent to stop. This play is also in a ton (literally 17 playbooks) of playbooks so its a great play to add to your toolbox.

Play: Gun Trey Y-Flex – PA Crossers

Playbooks: 49ers, Bears, Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Panthers, Raiders, Rams, Redskins, Saints, Seahawks, Titans, Vikings
Required Hot Routes: Fade TE, Drag X(square) receiver.

Generally on this play my first look is going to be the main route B(o) over the middle. It is a pretty unique route and tends to get open against both man and zone. This route actually almost demands an opponent to user defend it or else it’s going to be open 99% of the time:

The X(square) route is mostly used as a check down route (it also serves to pull down zone defenders to get the previous mentioned route open). When throwing this route I often like to smart-route the receiver up the field which can turn the drag route into a big gain. This can consistently pick you up short to medium yards and is an easy throw when your defender starts usering your B(o) route. Another option for picking up a short gain is streaking your RB and tossing him the ball for a quick possession catch like you’ll see at the end of this clip on 3rd and 4:

The last route I’ll look to is the Y(triangle) Deep Post WR over the middle. Depending on the coverage your defender is using, if they start focusing on the B(o) WR too much it can leave the deep post over the middle wide open. This is a great way to pick up a huge chunk of yards and further frustrate your opponent.

So there it is! This is a great play that is super easy to run and in a ton of the playbooks this year. It beats man, it beats zone, and there’s no complicated reads or adjustments. Try this play out and let me know how it works for you. Don’t forget to check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we’ll be jumping back into the singleback tight slots set. The play we’ll be covering is Singleback Tight Slots – HB Wheel. This play mixes in very well with a money play we covered earlier in the year – Deep Post when you’re running out of the Jets or Saints playbook (Deep Post isn’t in Patriots book).

Play: Singleback Tight Slots – HB Wheel

Playbooks: Saints, Patriots, Jets
Required Hot Routes: Block RB, Drag Y(triangle) receiver.

Let me start by saying that while I listed dragging your Y(triangle) receiver as a required hot route, I do not always do this. Dragging the Y receiver creates a mesh concept for this play which I enjoy running most of the time. However, if I notice an opponent using hard flats often, I like to take advantage of that with the built in corner route. When dragging the Y receiver, it is typically my first read along with the A(x) crossing route. It is great for picking up short to medium gains:

I like the crossing A(x) route because its not quite a drag and not quite a slant. Also, personnel wise this is going to be your tight end unless you flip the play (another perk of this formation is the ability to flip plays without being obvious to the opponent). You can often force the ball to your big bodied tight end and make catches that a WR might drop when contested:

The last two routes to look to are the B(o) route and the X(square) route. The in route (B/o) is great for beating man and also good against zone, especially when your opponent is user defending with a MLB and moves him out of the way. The post route (X/square) is really great for getting inside position against man but also finding that tender spot against Cover 2 and similar coverages:

I’ve really enjoyed starting to work this play into my scheme because it really compliments the Deep Post play I mentioned earlier. It’s also has man beating and zone beating routes built in, and you get the extra blocker by blocking your RB. Try this play out and let me know how it works for you. Don’t forget to check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we’ll be returning to a 5 wide set out of the Texans and Saints playbooks. The play is Gun Empty Y-Texan – Go’s Whip. This play only requires 1 – 2 hotroutes at most and is very simple to run. Another perk is that you can run it along side with a previous money play we broke down: Saints Fork.

Play: Gun Empty Y-Texan – Go’s Whip

Playbooks: Texans, Saints
Required Hot Routes: Drag Y(Triangle) receiver, Fade B(o) receiver.

This may seem counter-intuitive but on this play my first read is to the RB(R1) streak route. This route gets wide open against Cover 3, Cover 6, etc. You can also sometimes fit it into a tight gap in Cover 2 or out run your man in man coverage. The main reason I hotroute the B(o) route on a fade is to give a little bit of extra room to the RB route so the B defender does not jump it. However, if the defenders are pressing the B(o) route, I wont hotroute it to a fade since the default route is un-bumpable.

If the RB route isn’t open, more times than not I’m going to want to check down to the Y(triangle) drag that we hot routed. If timing allows and the coverage makes sense, I’ll try to smart route the receiver up the field for a big gain:

As I mentioned before, the B(o) route will get opened on certain coverages and usually is dependent on your WR speed and whether or not the defense is pressed or not. Usually when the defense is not pressed, I’ll hot route this WR on a fade to give a little bit extra room to the RB route. If the defender presses I take advantage of the unbumpable default route and my WR speed to get a completion over the top.

The last route I throw is the A(x) route. This is one of the more predictable four verticals type routes in the game. Your opponent will typically want to user this route and if they don’t it tends to get open over the middle. I somehow lost my footage of me throwing this route but it’s fairly straight forward if you’ve ever run any four vertical type plays. (I’m sure we all have, right?). Occasionally I’ll motion this route to the left side of the field to move the opponents attention away from the RB/B routes.

Anyway, that’s all for this week! Try this play out with the other Saints/Texans plays we’ve broken down on the site. Don’t forget to check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

P.S. Phins up! Great win over the Patriots this week! 🙂

This week we’ll be breaking down our first play of the year out of the pistol set. Pistol Bunch TE specifically. The play is Pistol Bunch TE – Cross Drag. This play takes advantage of crossing routes and high-low reads from a set that can also easily be run out of. A big perk is that you don’t really need to make any adjustments to this play to make it effective against your opponent.

Play: Pistol Bunch TE – Cross Drag

Playbooks: Cardinals, Pistol Playbook, Saints
Required Hot Routes: none!

My first read on this play is always the tight end dragging from right to left. This route along with the B(o) route are the most consistent routes for this play. They beat zone coverages and often man coverage too providing your WR is faster than the defender.

The next route I typically look to is the Y(triangle) route. The B(o) route typically does a good job of pulling down zones to get the Y(triangle) open deeper, and that route also tends to beat man pretty good too. Because of this I almost never throw the X(square) in route since the Y(triangle) route is usually open for bigger gains in situations where I might consider throwing it:

The last route I throw, albeit rarely, is the route to the RB. This is a good bailout route when nothing else looks to be open. As you can see from the example below, I didn’t see that I had the Y(triangle) route wide open, and everything else appeared to be at least moderately covered. I threw the route to the RB and ended up picking up a big gain. While I did see the B(o) route open, I was hoping to use that WR as a blocker down field when throwing it to the RB.

Hopefully this play is a good addition to your rotation. Especially those of you using the Saints playbook where we have broken down several plays previously. Check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we’re going to be looking at a play out of Gun Doubles Y-Flex. The play is Gun Doubles Y-Flex – Y-Sail. I have only been running this play using 1 adjustment. I like to alternate between putting the Y(Triangle) receiver on a drag or a slant (drag most of the time). This play runs well both against man coverages (in route, corner/out route) and against zone (high low reads, etc).

Play: Gun Doubles Y-Flex Y-Sail

Playbooks: Bengals, Browns, Falcons, Bills, Patriots, Eagles, Broncos, Chargers, 49ers
Required Hot Routes: Drag Y (Triangle) receiver.

My first read on this play is almost always the flat route to the RB OR the drag route to the Y receiver. Most of the time I focus on pushing the flat route to the RB if the defense is not playing hard flats. Eventually it annoys your opponent into switching into hard flats or user defending the route:

When the defender switches to hard flats or user defending, it typically opens up the out/corner route on the right. Depending on who the user is using on defense it might open the in route on the left too. Against man you should be able to hit the in, the out, the drag, and even sometimes the flat to the RB.

Get some reps with it in practice mode and experiment with different motions/hot routes. This play is a great play to work into some of your schemes, especially since it is in a lot of different playbooks. As a bonus, here’s some footage of me scoring a touchdown off a broken play using this play and having way too much time to throw the ball. (Pretty bad reads on my part but ended up working out):

Hopefully this play is a good addition to your scheme! Check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we’re breaking down a play that is in a ton of playbooks and run from a singleback set. The play is Singleback Deuce Close – TE Angle. This is another play that you can run with 0 adjustments in most situations and can help you pick up consistent chunks of yards. I always love good passing plays in under center sets because they tend to make it easier to open up your run game instead of always passing out of the shotgun and running under center.

Play: Singleback Deuce Close TE Angle

Playbooks: 49ers, Bengals, Browns, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, Panthers, Raiders, Rams, Redskins, Seahawks, Titans
Required Hot Routes: None.

This play has been a pretty consistently good play over the past few years of madden. It’s also very easy to run. Without over complicating it, I like to start by looking for the B(o) receiver on the drag route. You can hit this route for 5-10 yards pretty consistently. If/when the defender shades the zones down into hard flats, the corner route to the X(square) receiver should end up wide open vs most coverages. And depending on where the user defender is located, you can hit the A(x) receiver over the middle for a good chunk of yards too. Here’s an example of the routes vs Cover 4:

Cover 4:

Get into practice mode and try it out vs some other coverages. Also experiment with motioning some of the receivers around to create different concepts. Sometimes if I get a lot of time in the pocket I like to play maker the RB up the field for a big gain on the right side, but that is a highly inconsistent thing to happen.

Hope you guys find some success with this play! Check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we’re breaking away from the saints playbook and checking out a play that’s in 6 different playbooks. The play is Strong Slot – PA FB Slide. I really like this play because a lot of the routes get open against most coverages and it’s a great passing play out of a run first formation. Also, there is literally no hot routes required at all. You can run this play completely stock.

Play: Strong Slot PA FB Slide

Playbooks: Bears, Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, Texans, West Coast Playbook
Required Hot Routes: None.

I like to read this play low to high. I’m typically looking right off the bat to the FB in the flat. Depending on the shading of the defensive coverage, usually the FB will be open in the flat, or the A(x) route will be open coming across the middle of the field. You can also hit the corner route to the B(o) receiver for a big gain and in some cases you can even fit the deep post route in for a possible 1 play touchdown. Let’s look at the play against Cover 4, Cover 3, and Cover 2:

Cover 4:

Cover 3:

Cover 2:

Anyway, that’s it. It’s a pretty simple play to run. You’ll want to play around with aborting the play action and figuring out the best time to do it. This play can seriously annoy your opponent by flooding the left side of the field while preserving the opportunity to take the top off the defense with the post route.

Hope you guys find some success with this play! Check back next week for another Madden Money Play, and if you didn’t see last week’s play you can check it out here.

This week we will be continuing from the Saints playbook. This time we’ll be breaking down a play out of the Singleback Tight Slots formation. The play is Deep Post and is in the Saints and Jets playbooks. The setup for running the play is extremely simple and has big gain potential while keeping you in a run formation to open up the opportunity to push your run game while adding a level of unpredictability to your game.

Play: Singleback Tight Slots Deep Post

Playbooks: Saints, Jets
Required Hot Routes: Streak A(x) receiver.

The easiest and most consistent route to hit on this play is the drag route to the receiver coming right to left. Against certain defenses your HB often gets into a good spot to become a blocker to help you pick up a big chunk of extra yards too:

The other two routes I typically throw on this play are the in route over the middle and the deep post on the left. Depending on the coverage and who your opponent chooses to user, the in route over the middle can end up wide open for a nice chunk of yards:

Here’s some examples of me hitting the deep post vs a couple different coverages:

Worth noting is that against Cover 2 it can be a tighter window for throwing the deep post. I’ve found that I enjoy throwing it a bit earlier and high pointing the throw. Like always, I encourage you all to get into practice mode and try this play against a few different coverages before hopping into a game and trying it against someone online. Another cool tidbit worth mentioning is that this play uses the same personnel as last week’s Monday Money Play so you can actually audible from this into last week’s money play.

Hopefully this play helps some of you who are stuck in shotgun sets to try out getting under center with some success. It should help open up your run game too!

See you next week!

This week’s Monday Money Play is another play from a 5 wide set. The play is Gun Empty Y-Saint – Saints Fork. This play and this set are something that you can actually base a scheme around as long as you get the ball out quickly when facing a blitzing defender. This play has routes/setups to beat all of the usual coverages (Cover 2/3/4 and man). This play consistently picks up anywhere between 5 yards to a touchdown.

Play: Gun Empty Y-Saint Saints Fork

Playbooks: Saints, Texans
Required Hot Routes: X(square) receiver on in route.

Your first read on this play is to look to the flat route to the tight end. This route will just about always be open unless your opponent is playing hard flats. You should be able to pick up anywhere between 3-10 yards on this route pretty consistently. The in route over the middle is a good small chunk route as well.

The beauty of that flat route is that you can really start to annoy your opponent by throwing it over and over again. Eventually they (usually) will either use Hard flats, man coverage, or user the route to try to take it away. When they switch to man or use hard flats it opens up the corner route, and when they try to user the flat it opens up pretty much everything for big gains:

Here’s a video of a drive where I went down the field only using this play. I adjusted and made new hot routes while moving down the field. For instance, I noticed he switched to Cover 2 with Hard flats. On 3rd and 4 I should have been able to hit the corner route but I chose to streak both right receivers and then hit the B(o) receiver in the tight window after he passed the flat defender but before he reached the deep blue defender.

Anyway, there’s a lot you can do with this play and it can be a really effective play to base a mini scheme out of to throw off or aggravate your opponent. Let me know what you think of the play or if you use it live with some success. Also if you have a suggestion for future Money Play Breakdowns, leave a comment! Check out last week’s play here.