The ability to negotiate with the petty players gives the game the sense of realism. Throw in the Two Minute Drill mode and the Madden Cards and the game shines. Realism Realism covers several areas. First, a good football title needs to have balanced playcalling by the computer. Unfortunately, this has been rare in titles of late.
Games seem to pimp the passing game ad nauseam.
Gamebreaker 2001 is the only game which gives satisfactory balance right out of the box. The other three titles ran once Gamebreaker entered the ring. Next, the game should have a decent running package. NCAA and Madden let you run all day and get poor marks because of it. With the right offensive package, you can beat the top teams with the run.