Everything's designed around you being able to "reset" the fight whenever you please (ranges are down one "but you have extra move" yeah but when I spend it it doesn't come back)
Your ability to actually escape and come back to the fight is minimal at best..
RF3 was better.
Well, some plus and some minus. TEs got better, but they also cost more. RBs got better, but they cost more. Training info box showed up. Route congestion was improved (no more having a cluster of three eligible receivers all inside of 10 feet!)
There's a claim that opposing team time management was tweaked, but I haven't seen it.
The biggest thing I've seen is that against a sufficiently poor defense, you can cross the field on one play in about the same amount of time as it takes the other team to do a whole touchdown drive.
Conclusion: High quality TE are in. High quality RB remain top tier. WRs hold value. Defense remains low-value, and clock management is still in the same mess it has been for a while.
Also, kickers being out because of WRIST injuries just makes me laugh. Like, stop kicking the ball with your hand, dude. Or even do your kicking in a cast. Roughing the kicker is a big penalty so other teams don't want to do it.
Things to improve the game:
Get rid of the random ball-bounce in dry calm weather. There's enough other difficulty. (Having it for rain or snow would be reasonable though)
More clarity on what coach training regimen does. Even (more XP, X% penalty to stamina) would help. For that matter, clarity on what coaches do. I'm not sure about any benefit a 5* Likeable coach is over a 1* Likeable coach.
More clarity on the benefits of training and rehab facilities. (X pips means each week players gain Y experience, X pips means players regain Y% stamina after a game.)
Time equality. If we lose 15 seconds just getting the ball back after a kickoff, so should our opponents. If it takes at least 30 seconds just to cross the field, the other team shouldn't be able to go from the 10 yard line to scoring in 15 seconds.
There is a difference between "I have to adapt my play to changing circumstances and opportunities" and "Time and physics are literally working against me."
Game bug: 5 seconds left in the first half. Given the option of going for yardage or a field goal. Wanted to go for yardage. Ended up throwing the ball away with 2 seconds left to get a shot at a field goal. Was not given opportunity to try to kick a field goal. (Will likely not affect game outcome as I'm still up by 9 in the third quarter and I have the ball.)
Tactics (2/2):
If you've snapped and you've looked and there just isn't anything good? Throw the ball about five yards downfield and so far out of bounds it'll go into the second row of seats past the sidelines. You've lost a down but you've got a new set of routes and a new defense and you only really need one or two of these to work.
Don't punt. Punting is for quitters and cowards.
The only time for field goals is if the half or game is about to end, you look at the play at scrimmage and you don't see yourself getting a touchdown. I mean, I guess if you end up with 4th and "not going to happen" yardage you can try it too.
Tactics (1/2):
I look at what every receiver is doing and where the defense is.
If the DBs are lined up over 5 yards back? The quick out to the WR will get you yardage.
If the RB has a nice route that puts them outside the box? A throw to them once they've cleared the box starts your running play a couple yards ahead of scrimmage and in open space.
If the LBs are showing blitz and you have a TE doing a little route that will get them clear? Wait until the blitz is in the backfield and make the throw.
Football has always been "take what the opposing defense is giving you when you line up at scrimmage." Quarterbacks are -praised- for looking at multiple different receivers on a given snap, and for putting a pass where the only one who can get it is their receiver.
In that respect, this is actually a stronger simulation of what football looks like than a lot of games.
Granted, loading up all your skill positions on offense with particularly good players (QB for accuracy, strength, stamina; RB for speed and stamina with enough catching to not drop short passes in the open field; TEs and WRs for catching, speed, and stamina)...you can get there. Throw in a defensive star at each position to challenge each play type the opponents run and a kicker (accuracy and range primary, stamina secondary) and you can rattle off win after win pretty easy.
So apparently the other team can get across the entire field inside of about 30 seconds whereas we lose 15 seconds just returning the football? Yeah, time-management is ridiculous now.
Nitpick: timeouts are 3 per game. In pretty much every level of football they're 3 per half. With clock management becoming a bigger concern due to runoff, getting an appropriate number of timeouts should happen.
If they're blitzing? Then your receivers are in man coverage. Throw the ball between your man and the defense and they'll catch it. Or dump it off to the RB or TE.
Football ultimately is about taking what the defense is giving you when you line up your play. Not about forcing the same ball to the same wideout eight times a game.
One of the other big things I picked up from another comment was leading your receivers. Long as you put your receiver between the defense and the ball they'll adjust to where the ball's going, some more than others.
A 1 star defense makes more "mistakes" (bad coverage choices) and is more likely to miss tackles. Time management is important: if you can avoid giving your opponents the ball with more than about 40 seconds on the clock (less with a higher star rated offense), you can win the 'possession' game (take two possessions for one of your opponent's).
As WRs become more covered in later seasons, RBs and TEs become better 5-10 yard pass options. WR still valid for screen passes / short passes if the opposing player is playing loose coverage (>5 yards off the line of scrimmage).
Year 7. Have cycled expiring contracts to draft picks twice (sign and trade before the draft and you get the draft pick without the salary cap hit!) except for my 5* WR with capped Catching, Speed, and Stamina.
I wouldn't mind random cases of the "dropsies". That happens. Sometimes you hit a guy in the numbers and he's surprised.
It's the "hey, friend on the other team, would you like me to bounce the ball directly into your eagerly awaiting arms?" ones that bug me.
I don't so much mind the rubber-banding after a pass is caught, but for a 2 star defense (in year 4) to be covering super-tight against first round picks with capped speed, and then have them pick the ball off after it bounces out of his capped-catching hands?
Yeah, that one bugs me.
Step 1: draft good quarterback.
Step 2: draft good WR.
Step 3: Lots of double-clicking to change routes.
Step 4: Throw The Go. Throw a go-route to your excellent WR.
Step 5: Score lots of points.
 "Worldgence"){kind=icon}
 "Rogue Fable IV"){kind=icon}
 "Retro Bowl"){kind=icon}
Could you try latest and let me know. Thanks!