Secrets for Franchise Mode in Madden 2010

So you've gone through franchise mode once already in Madden 2010 and discovered building an unbeatable team was not too hard, but took a couple seasons longer than you thought. Thankfully for you, I've discovered several bits of useful information which can hopefully speed up the process in acquiring your favorite players. None of these tricks are bugs as they are naturally programmed into the game and at your disposal, so use them to your advantage!

Trade for draft picks during the preseason until the trading deadline - During the preseason until the trading deadline, draft picks are worth more based on a team's success rather than how poorly a team is doing. Using this to your advantage, your first round draft pick is graded a B or C which means you can trade it for a decent player in the 75-85 overall range. Even better, you could trade away your second and third round picks for another team's first and second round pick if you find the right suitor. Just check the overall standings after week five to figure out which team has the best chance at finishing with the worst record in the league and trade for their first round pick. During the draft, you're sure to have a top three pick!

Trade away your draft picks in the off-season - In the off-season, draft picks are weighted correctly with their corresponding selection position playing an influential part in their worth. If you don't think the draft class is very good in a particular year, you could always trade your first round pick for a young established player who will contribute to your team or be an excellent backup plan if your superstar were to get hurt.

Clear your salary cap penalties - I often go on wild spending sprees in the off-season, signing players at an overpriced seven year contract with an already inflated salary cap after several blockbuster trades during the season. The result is my team incurring an incredible and nearly insurmountable debt the next season preventing me to sign anyone. Incredibly though, at the small cost of a couple morale points, you can clear the entire debt! Incredible, I know! Found in the "Team Info" subsection of "My Team" on the main franchise screen, you can clear your cap penalty with one press of the controller. Since money isn't a problem any more, you should easily be able to sign the top five best free agents in any given season.

Acquire the top 10 picks in the yearly draft - It sounds crazy, but it is actually (and very easily) achievable and beneficial as you'll have all the youthful talent. Using all the tips and tricks in this article, you'll easily be able to have your pick and choose of the top ten players in a draft or some hefty assets to trade before the draft. During the off-season, after you cleared your salary cap punishment during the previous season, you should aim to sign all the top players until you run out of cap room. Afterward, check the standings to figure out the top ten teams of the next draft. You can keep the players you want, but trade the remaining top superstars for the top 10 picks. You'll need to trade your picks away as well as you can only have ten draft picks. If you run out of players, you will find that you can sign more players again, as you've traded away the money hogs, to continue until you have the top ten picks.

Hopefully these tips and tricks were new to you and will be helpful in the creation of your amazing team. Have fun and good luck; I'll see you on the virtual gridiron!