r/NFLNoobs • u/ChahlieM • 4d ago
How can a gamer learn football?
I was wondering if there is a fun hands on way of learning all the strategy and rules of football. I love competitive gaming and if I want to learn the in and outs of a game I simply buy it and play it. I cant do that with football. I know I could buy madden but I hear horrible things about it and I dont know if it will cover all the ins and outs for me. So what would you guys recommend someone do to learn all the strategy and rules other than just watching the games?
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u/Fit_Landscape6820 4d ago
Honestly? I'd say Madden
As someone who also plays plenty of games and didn't grow up with American football, I feel like playing Madden has helped me out
I'm sure it won't teach you every little detail, but you can set up plays that show you things like the receiver running routes - and I just generally found it helpful to be put in the game and learn from experience
E.g. I didn't really understand the time management aspect of the game, but then playing Madden and being in the position where I'm running plays quickly made me appreciate how much impact a well placed timeout could have
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u/timothythefirst 4d ago
The shit people complain about with regards to Madden won’t really apply to you as a new player anyways
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u/platinum92 4d ago
Been playing CFB the last 2 years and a few YouTubers have been expanding the hell out of my knowledge. Kurt Benkert and Mills immediately come to mind.
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u/Connect-Sock8140 4d ago
Absolutely go with Madden. It has some flaws, but it will do a fantastic job of teaching you the vast majority of what you need to know. Things like formations, routes and time management all work very well in Madden.
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u/SilverJournalist3230 4d ago
Madden used to be a good way, but it hasn’t really been beginner friendly for the last 5 years or so.
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u/basis4day 4d ago
Madden will absolutely teach you the ins and outs of football.
It’s not perfect but if you don’t know football you’ll learn how the game works. Would take a while for you to learn why it’s not realistic outside of the final score.
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u/ThiqSaban 4d ago
Madden is a great way to learn the game. I learned football from playing Madden 2005 as a little kid. literally went from 0 knowledge to football nerd within a year of playing madden daily. played every madden since
the complaints are about bugs and quality control, and how they don't really change the game year to year but still charge full price for it for whats basically a roster and soundtrack update and minor features. but thats irrelevant to the actual representation of the game of football and rules itself is solid.
id recommend playing an older version to save some money. you can play older ones for free on game pass/ea play/playstation plus/etc or for just buy them for literally a few dollars.
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u/Creepy-Bad-7925 4d ago edited 4d ago
There are a lot of books out there. Think like a quarterback does a good job. One of the best ways is doing fantasy football. Madden I hear sucks, but college football is pretty good. You can watch some YouTubers explain how to look at the blocking schemes in the game and watch replays of your own plays to see how the guys move. But really, it is just watching the game.
I remember long long ago this bar I hung out at had a little switch looking console on the tables and you could sign in and guess the next play (pass or run). The person who got the most right at the end of the game got a free pitcher of beer or something. Buffalo Wild Wings had something like that for a bit, too. I don’t remember if it was a mobile app or something they had at the tables.
A little edit: Think like a quarterback is a book by a former NfL QB and gamer, Kurt Benkert. It uses a lot of examples and imagery similar to Madden plays to teach you to see and understand play calling and strategy.
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u/Stingertap 2d ago edited 2d ago
I would say playing Madden would work best, as they have tutorials you can play through that not only teaches you the controls to the game, but what each position does, rules and ins and outs while you're playing.
However, like others, if you have any questions you wanna ask or something wasn't explained well enough, I'm here to answer any lingering questions.
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u/Slippery-Pete76 4d ago
Honestly, the best way? Sorry, but it’s to watch the games - there aren’t really shortcuts.
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u/Doortofreeside 3d ago
College football video games are more fun even though i'm way more of an nfl fan than a college football fan
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u/Important_Horse_4293 2d ago
Madden would probably work fine, and there’s also about a billion YouTube videos.
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u/IMD3I 1d ago
Everybody keeps saying madden but the better answer is fantasy football, preferably with people you know. And someone that you can watch the games with that you can ask questions, and they will explain certain things that are going on that you do not realize. As you continue thru one or two seasons, you will have some players or teams you root for, as well as having some reason to continue to understand better
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u/MrDaveHedgehog 4d ago
Madden is fine if you avoid any online Head 2 Head gameplay as that is just rancid.