The Singleback Bunch - Bunch Fade was a popular play in Madden a few seasons ago because the (B) receiver's fade route provided users with an easy way to complete deep passes downfield. The Fade route remains effective this season, but the completion will typically be made anywhere from 5-10 yards in the example that we're about to demonstrate. What we like about this route is that it can be virtually beat any type of defense if your opponent does not keep his cornerback out wide before the snap. We'll showcase examples from both man and zone defenses to make sure that you can perfect this throw when it matters the most. Read below as we take you through another esclusive SportsGamer Madden NFL 09 breakdown.
Quick Setup
Step 1 - (optional) Hot route the (360 - X / PS3 - Square) receiver to perform a drag (360 - Y + receiver's icon + right analog stick down / PS3 - Triangle + receiver's icon + right analog stick down).
Step 2 - Move the player icon over to the (360 - B / PS3 - O) receiver.
Step 3 - Motion the highlighted receiver to the right and snap the ball as soon as he starts to move out wide.
Step 4 - Take the snap with the quarterback and immediately press the motioned receiver's icon while holding up on the directional pad.
Play Breakdown
The first defense that we're going to take a look at when using the Bunch Fade play is man to man. Being able to tell if your opponent is in a man defense or a zone defense is easy when using a bunch formation because the defenders will line up directly in front of the receivers when exiting the huddle. However, we don't care if our opponent calls a man or a zone against this play. In fact, the only time we need to worry when using the Bunch fade is if our opponent's cornerback is lined up out wide next to the far right sideline.
Here's an image of the offensive assignments on the play. The route that we're going to be using is the fade route that belongs to the (B) receiver. It is important to know that you'll want to use a player 6'4 or taller when making this throw. It's not completely necessary to use a taller player, but if you're opponent's cornerback is in the flats on the right side of the field it will be much easier to make the catch with a bigger player.
We like to hot route the (X) receiver to perform a drag on the backside just in case our opponent tries to get tricky by audibling before the snap to force an errant throw.
Next, we move the player icon over to 6'5 Cincinnati Bengals' receiver Mario Urrutia. The last step we need to take before snapping the ball is sending our receiver in motion to the right.
We snap the ball just a moment after we've sent the receiver in motion to the right.
