This is a pet peeve of mine because I love the Giants, and Tiki is one of the smaller backs in the league. I'm almost positive that the likeliness that an RB will fumble on a hit stick hit is increased when a bigger defensive player hits the guy. Yes, that can hold true and it makes sense, but how many times did Reuben Droughns and Ahman Green fumble this year compared to Tiki?
Ever think that its a result of Tiki's own fumbling issues? This year was the first that he held onto the ball really well. EA isn't going to totally reverse that stat for Tiki because of one good year, in which he really tailed off at the end of the season (when EA is updating more frequently).
Anyways, as for the changes I'd like to see, well, where to begin? My top five needed fixes, in reverse order.
5. Fix the position switch glitch.
I love being able to move guys to different positions, but there's a few key problems. First, all positions should be able to switch to all other positions. Second, you should not be able to adjust height or weight for guys changing positions. And last but most important, singular exceptional stats should not be weighted so much on a position's performance.
An example: Its very easy to get high accelleration MLBs in Madden that aren't great MLBs because their speed is too low to be truely effective. Move them to DE though and they become 14 sack monsters. I had a 69 MLB with a 99 accelleration who became an 89 DE with the change.
Solutoin: Do not allow a straight AWR conversion. Instead make the player start with an out of position awareness hit that gradually levels off as he plays or practices at that position. This would not only balance out position changes but would also make playing spring training games and practices more valuable. Also, the importance of select skills should be toned down for many positions. Primarily SPD & ACL for the whole front seven. Not only would this help reduce their exploitation, but it'd also make strength/size powered characters more valuable, like they really are (see Richard Seymour for an example of a size/power DE, or Strahan for a power/awareness DE). Guys shouldn't need freakish speeds to be exceptional.
4. Pass Coverage AI.
I personally have a pretty good idea how to call a pass coverage, but I get very annoyed with general lack of ball awareness by secondary players. They need to be much more alert and also need to be able to make reasonable plays on the ball. I've seen a CB make a leaping one hand INT, but then drop an easy pic that hits him in the gut the next play. This happens with too much consistancy and needs to be reversed.
3. QB option/mobility leading to defensive breakdown.
Sorry, no team is as dumb as any Madden defense turns when facing a mobile QB. Not even Vick does this. Culpepper, McNabb, McNair, and even Plummer have the mobility to break a defense for first downs with way too much consistancy. A worthwhile solution? First, tone down QB's with gamebreaking speed some. Second, make the DL and linebackers be able to actually recognize when the QB brings the ball down, and most importantly, give them the intelligence to stay in their lanes and make the sure tackle.
2. Progressive League Wide Overrating.
I love online roster updates, but its a bit excessive when a fantasy draft in August has you picking low 80's in round 10, but do that same draft after the final season roster updates in February and you'll be picking high 80's/low 90's well into the lower teens of rounds. EA needs to stop being afraid to lower a player who doesn't perform well for much of the season, and also be a bit less friendly in improving one year sensations. I'd apply the basic rule of any player who's fell drastically off his career pace should drop at least half way down to the rating he's currently performing at, while a player having a single breakout year shouldn't be allowed to go above the mid 80's, and only that high if he's playing at pro-bowl levels.
1. Offensive/Defensive Line Improvements.
This is where I think EA could really make a big leap up in the overall gameplay of Madden. The lines already do a decent job, but I'd like to see more attention payed to actual individual efforts in the trenches. In pass coverage the OL needs to pick up the blitz better and the DL needs to have more effective and diverse moves to break blocks with. The best DEs and DTs can get through too easily with simply power rushing, while the lower end can't get through at all. Make spins, pulls, etc. much more important.
Also, in the running game make OLs control their blocks more. I'm sick of an OL locking up a guy, only to have them roll off like water off a duck's ass when I get near with my RB. Let OLs have some tenacity damn it. I wanna see guys like Nalen, Ogden, Light, etc. stick a DL or LB and dominate him. I'm not talking about pancakes, those are on a pretty realistic ratio, but just the ability for an OL to control and direct a DL with his blocks.
Last on this point, DLs don't lock into OLs like they do in Madden. Its more of a collide and fall back, collide and fall back rhythm, which EA should institute since it'd help make spins, swim moves, etc. more helpful and also allow for blockers to more easily slow down DLs, since they'd loose momentum and proximity to the ball carrier as the OL pushes them off in different directions. Furthermore, this would help EA in making speed rushers actually work like speed rushers. Instead of Freeney, Kearse, etc. being able to blow over DEs with their exceptional speed they'd actually have the room to actually blow by them, making them much more realistic. Related to this however, speed DEs will need their speeds put in check a bit so as to not get the opposite effect as my number 3 complaint.
So there ya go, thats the improvements I'd like to see in the next Madden. I doubt we'll see more than two, if any, of them.