Will Madden 20 be the End of the “SIM” Rules Manual?

When Madden 19 released last year, I wrote an article examining the subjective term that's become somewhat cliché in and around the Madden community; SIM. I pointed out that itʼs hard to define “SIM” as it means so many things to so many people. That wide ranging definition has led to a litany of rules across various franchises who promote “SIM” rules, but many of these rules no longer mirror the NFL game that the rules were originally set out to replicate. This forces one to wonder if SIM is a relic of an NFL that doesnʼt exist today. 

4th and a Pain 

How many times have you had the ball in a game and felt like you just needed to go for it? Whether it be because of momentum, strategy, or maybe you just felt like you had the defense caught out of position. In most franchises, this calls for a quick check to the rules manual to see if you meet one of the five, or more, criteria for going for it on 4th down. Why is this the case though?

Looking at NFL data for the last five seasons, the NFL seems to be embracing the analytical approach that going for it on 4th down makes a lot more sense than we used to think. In the 2014 season, the league saw 451 attempts with year over year increases before topping out this past season with 539 4th down attempts. That is a roughly 17% increase in just the last five years.

I've heard the arguments about the consequences a coach faces for going for it on 4th down and missing compared to in Madden, but donʼt those consequences actually exist? If a player finds themselves constantly on the losing end of 4th down attempts those consequences should be reflected in their record. If they are willing to take the risk, shouldnʼt they be able to reap the reward of
converting through solid strategy, play calling, skill? 

Mix it Up Would Ya 

If itʼs not broke, donʼt fix it… except in some SIM franchises. Mixing up play calling has been a long standing pillar of the SIM rule manual. This can take shape in a couple of different ways from monitoring run/pass ratios, to limiting specific plays being called or even controlling how often a defense can run man or zone. The issue with all of these ideas is that they unintentionally shape game-play to favor certain players.

The idea behind it was to eliminate users from zeroing in on a few over powered plays, however the splash damage of this rule is often turning what should be a strategical chess match into a game of checkers. When you limit certain aspects of play calling, you create things that the opponent doesnʼt have to account for. For example, if the player had already hit their “limit” for a specific run play that renders the play action of that run play kind of pointless.

The NFL certainly hasnʼt adopted this concept as running specific plays repeatedly is a staple of the NFL. No NFL team would be forced into running a power run because they already ran a couple zone plays, so the idea a group looking to replicate the NFL would have such a rule is somewhat silly. In fact, on the defensive side of the ball, the Carolina Panthers ran a SIM commissioner nightmare 72% of zone in 2017. That team was built to play zone, so why should those in a league be denied that opportunity?

Too Valuable to Trade, or is He? 

Trade rules are probably the most archaic rules of the SIM rule manual. Coming off a season where we saw Antonio Brown and Khalil Mack traded it seems comical to be trying to limit a trade because a guy is “too good”. Add into this the dreaded “trade committee” that always has that one guy who thinks he is more equipped to run your team than you and, you see why there is nothing “SIM” about trade rules.

In fact, looking at just this past league year, there were 99 trades. These trades spanned from depth players, to draft picks, and even superstars like the two mentioned above. The NFL is embracing the idea of getting something for players rather than letting them leave in free agency, or cutting them. With the new scenario engine on the horizon it would see that this legacy rule is one that many leagues will have to review as we head into Madden 20.

Wild Wild West … Not quite yet 

This isn't an indictment on rules in general, in fact I think there are a time and place for rules. This is about the cumbersome and clumsy rule manuals that leagues have continued to trot out year after year. I think it would serve all “SIM” franchises well to review their rules in the time off and decide what really needs to be there and why? It's noble to try and promote good sportsmanship, it's another thing to try and micromanage every detail of someone's game play.

Does it manipulate the game? Does it break the game? If the answer to both of those are no, then why stop your players from trying to simulate what their favorite teams and coaches are doing? While Madden will never be the NFL, it is beginning to feel like the NFL is becoming more Madden whether the SIM community wants it to or not.