How To Create A Call Sheet Using Madden!

A call sheet is a piece of paper that has all the plays your team is going to run on the game day listed out. This will streamline the offensive play calling on game day. Think of a call sheet as a cheat sheet, that your team creates to effectively communicate play calls throughout the game.

With only a limited amount of time in between plays, making sure your team has all the right information that is easily digestible for athletes, is crucial to game-day success.

There are a lot of different opinions on the right way to set up a call sheet. Coaches have different opinions on what scenarios are important to include, how many plays should be on it, and much more.

I'm going to show you how you can do it simply using the template in Madden!

How To Access It In Madden?

To start creating your call sheet in Madden, go to the creation center and select Playbook.

Once you are on this page, Madden will ask you to select a playbook. Unfortunately, Madden does not let you create a call sheet from scratch, however, you can check this website: https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-24/playbooks to access all the playbooks in Madden and see which most resemble your playbook!

Once you select a playbook, I like to start removing as many plays as possible, so we can start from scratch.

How To Add Plays?

To start adding plays, you will first need to track down the formation you are looking for. Once you find the formation, you can select the plays you want to add to your playbook by using "A" on Xbox or "X" on PlayStation. This will add the play to your playbook, but not your call sheet.

Disclaimer: Madden does not have every play or formation in the game, so you might have to get creative if you cannot find the formation or play you are looking for.

How To Add Plays To Situations?

How do you put the plays into a call sheet?

1. Go To My Playbook
2. Find the formation and play you want to use
3. Press "X" on Xbox or "Square" on PlayStation to "Rate Play"
4. Find the Situation you want to add it to
5. Press "A" on Xbox or "X" on PlayStation to "Rate Play" for the scenario you want
1. For Example: If you want to use the play for 2nd and Long, scroll to 2nd and Long and tap "A" on Xbox or "X" on PlayStation to add it to that section. The closer you are to five stars, the more likely that play will be recommended.

If you are not tech savvy, XP Camps can build out your call sheet in Madden for your team: https://www.xpcamps.com/offers/v3zpENPN/checkout

What Is Included In The Call Sheet?

Down & Distance Calls

The second set of options you'll see on your Madden play calling sheet is Situation: "Down and Distance". This is the set of plays you will call in different down and distance situations such as "2nd and Long" or "3rd and Short". Madden allows you to add "X" plays to each down in distance, although in real life a call sheet may have 3-5 plays for each down and distance.

Red Zone

The next set of plays is for your red zone offense. The "red zone" in football is when you are 20 yards or closer to scoring a touchdown. In this portion of the field, everything is condensed because you do not have as much field to work with. Defenders are now closer together as a result of the safeties not dropping as deep. In this section, you will need a couple of play calls, that will either help your team get closer to the goal-line or potentially score.

Goal Line/Inside The Five

Once you are five yards or closer to the end zone, you can start pulling out your inside-the-five or goal-line plays. Madden breaks this down into three sections: Goal Line, Goal Line (Pass), and inside the five. On most play sheets, these three sections may all be one section.

Go For 2

This section is when you are in a situation where you've scored a touchdown, and you need 2 points in the point after. These plays are similar to inside the five, but you hold onto a couple of plays just in case you need to score a two-point conversion.

Think about the New England Patriots Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons. Down 28-3, the New England Patriots converted two 4th quarter 2-point conversions to tie the game and send it into overtime. You never know when you'll need a play to extend the game, so it's always good to have a couple of plays ready.

2 Min Drill

The 2-minute drill is a strategy that offenses deploy when there are less than 2 minutes left in a half. What makes Inside Two Minutes unique, is inside of 2 minutes, the clock stops when the offense goes out of bounds which plays a vital role in clock management. The game is also stopped at the 2-minute warning, and both teams are allowed to talk strategy briefly.

Whether it is right before halftime or you need to score to close out a game, there is a lot of strategy that goes into the two-minute warning. Making sure you manage the clock well and give your team a chance to score is vital at the end of each half.

When designing plays for the 2-minute drill you should look for:

• Plays that go towards the sideline, so you can get out of bounds
• Plays that utilize the same personnel group in case you have to go "no-huddle"
• Plays with quick reads that are conducive to a high-temp offense

Long Shots

Once or twice a game, a coach might call up a play that is intended to gain a lot of yards. Coaches want to get a lot of yards on every play, but going for the big play can often be risky and may result in a turnover. A coach might have a couple of "long shot" plays on the call sheet that are risky, but can pay off big for an offense.

Below, I laid out how many plays you should have on your call sheet. There are a lot of different ways you can set up the perfect call sheet, but this is how you can leverage Madden to create your own.

Down And Distance: 2 to 4 Per Scenario (20+ Plays)

Red Zone: 3 to 4

Goal Line: 3 to 4

Go For 2: 2 to 3

2-Minute Drill: 4 to 5

Long Shots: 3 to 4

TOTAL PLAYS: 30 to 40

When adding plays to the call sheet, it is important to note that you do not want to overload the call sheet with too many plays. You want to keep it simple for your plays to remember and execute. At the end of the day, a call sheet is a cheat sheet for your team, so they can communicate play calls clearly and effectively. Keep it simple and easy for your team to understand. This is a guide, but you have a lot of flexibility in how you build out your call sheet.

If you are not tech-savvy, no worries! XP Camps can help you create your playbook and upload it to Madden Share, so the whole team can use it! Check out the link to sign up and have your playbook in Madden today!

https://www.xpcamps.com/offers/v3zpENPN/checkout