Madden 17: Franchise Mode Week 1

In the coming weeks, I'll pen my (hopeful) rise to the top of the National Football League through Madden 17's franchise mode as a coach. Here's how things worked out for me in the pre-season and week one.

Stairway to seven, breaking a 25-year long playoff win drought or the return of the Lombardi to its natural habitat? So many stories to choose, so little time to sit at home playing video games (uhh, not really).

Being a Green Bay supporter, I felt inclined to lead Aaron Rodgers to an MVP award and the Pack to a fifth Super Bowl win, but the thought of throwing the occasional interception with A-Rod revolts me.

I started out with Cincinatti, but the playbook wasn't my style.

Enter the Pittsburgh Steelers, probably the must luxurious looking team to use in the game's 2016/17 model.

Attracted by the power of an offence with Big Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, Antonio Brown catching passes and Le'Veon Bell running it up the middle, I began my quest for a seventh trophy in Pittsburgh.

For those who aren't too familiar with Madden's latest installment, the 17 version gives you more freedom than ever before as a coach.

Negotiating contracts, running training drills based around your upcoming opponent's tendancies and better scouting modules make for a pretty fun game.

Starting out with training, the game lets you know what play you're likely to face most, and suggests drills and plays to combat it.

With the cover-1 and cover-3 savvy Redskins my first opponent, I practiced crossing routes with a dagger concept before the week one showdown.

Again, for those less synonomous to it, the crossing out is a shallow route that usually allows the receiver to gain some good yards after the catch. Pretty basic, pretty fun when you get it right.

If it's usually covered, you can almost guarantee your wide-out is open in the middle of the field for a 10-15 yard gain on a dig route.

It's with this concept that I went into battle with the Redskins, and this is part where Washington fans might want to look away.

I started with the ball to open the game. My first pass? A 31-yard completion on a crossing route to Martavis Bryant.

Running a no huddle because I'm in impatient prick, I hand the ball off to Bell who trots through the Redskins D for a 10 yard gain.

I'm now well and truly into enemy territory and strutting my stuff.

A few plays later Bell has run for 35 yards half way through the first quarter and Big Ben found Bryant again, this time for a touchdown after a three-yard quick pass on a slant route.

Trailing 7-0, Kirk Cousins leads his group onto the field to take on the Steelers' D.

Cousins, looking to show he's worth that ridiculous amount of money Washington paid him over the summer, lined up with the O-line stacked with a pair of tight ends as blockers (or so I thought) and two running backs in the backfield.

I ran a blitz to counter what I assumed was a run, so I was surprised when Cousins dropped back to pass.

I was less surprised when it sailed out of bounds incomplete. Then it happened again. And then again.

After a quick three and out, I had the ball back.

The enslaught continued when I again hit the ground running with Bell. His work saw me to some good territory and I capped off the drive with another passing touchdown, this time to Matt Spaeth.

Happy days - I was up 14 points nearing the end of the first and was looking forward to cruising to victory.

But then it all changed, and this is the part where Redskins fans might want to look back.

Matt Jones. Matt f***ing Jones, absolutely torched me in the second. He started with an outside run, slipping by my inside blitz, juking my cornerback and stampeding for a 34-yard gain.

A play later, he made Artie Burns look like a Magikarp, as he dashed past him for a 55-yard touch down.

Washington then forced me to a three-and-out and Cousins bombed a 60-yard pass to Desean Jackson followed by a five-yard TD pass to tight end Jordan Reed.

Fuming, and on the brink of disemboweling my controller, I go into half time with the scores tied at 14.

Out of the break, Washington start with the ball.

I managed to hold them to one first down on a Cousins dart and force a punt near midfield.

Finally, it was my time for a big play alert. Facing 3rd and 15 after a pair of runs gone wrong, Darrius Heyward-Bay runs a fade route to the sideline. I got him on a touch pass and his legs took him 79 yards to the house.

Phew, back in control, right? Nope.

Cousins hits another bomb, and ties the scores up again. He hits Jordan Reed long down the field for a 50-yard score.

I begin to wonder if I'm playing Peyton's 2013/14 Broncos or the damn Redskins.

A tussle ensued afterwards. A few series back and forth, and with five minutes left scores are still tied at 21.

I'm starting to get nervous. Cousins has the ball at his own 40-yard line. Another one of those bombs and he's probably got the game.

Luckily, the defence holds firm. Arthur Moats gets a sack on third down and forces a punt.

Washington fans, time to look away again. Antonio Brown sees an opening on the right hand side of the return, exploits it, explodes through it, and runs the ball to the end zone.

I'm up 28-21.

Of course, Washington got the ball back, but with just thirty seconds on the clock they fail to pick up a fourth down at midfield and turn it over.

Steelers win, and we're off to a 1-0 start in the quest for seven.

STAT LEADERS

Passing

Roethlisberger: Completed 22/34, 293 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT.

Cousins: Completed 25/38, 301 yards, 2TD, 1 INT.

Running

Bell: 22 carries, 126 yards.

Jones: 16 carries, 184 yards.

Receiving

Bryant: 8 receptions, 93 yards, TD.

Reed: 5 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD.