The second big new feature we are highlighting is the Truck Stick. Think of this as the offensive equivalent of the Hit Stick but with less brutality. It's much more effective though and the Truck Stick will help you charge your way through the defensive line. It's usefulness changes depending on the type of back you have. It's tough to accelerate and use Hit Stick at the same time, so if you have a slippery running back you will want to concentrate on using his speed. For a running back like Jerome Bettis though the Truck Stick will be at it's most useful.

Truck Stick is perfect for a running back like Jerome Bettis

He will break tackles and push opposing defensive players out of the way while picking up nice yardage. It comes with a consequence though and that is in terms of fatigue. Use the Truck Stick on successive downs and you'll need to give your guy a few plays to rest while he gets his breath back. This is nice because again, it's realistic. My reaction to this feature before playing the game was that it sounded like the kind of gimmick best placed in the NFL Blitz series. My reaction after playing the game is contrary to that and I am confident it will go down well with most 06 players. Could it be abused online ?... only time will tell.

The improvements to the running game don't stop there because the offensive blocking appears to be much better than 05. I'm saying 'appears' because at least when I was running the ball I was finding my O-line could open holes up to run through and I could follow my blocker nicely. This is extremely similar to the improvements in the running game found in NCAA, and the comparisons with NCAA don't stop there because Madden now has the (long awaited and much anticipated) head tracking feature found in the NCAA series. Now your receiver will look at the ball when he catches it.