After my article earlier this week on the Sanner Defense, I actually got a few e-mails about some more information on how to best run the scheme in terms of playcalling, etc. I figured a follow-up article was in order since I'll be answering a couple of questions I got this week.

Q: With all the speed you suggest, what is the best way to utilize that when it comes to calling plays on defense?  I am out of the loop on defensive playcalling and I really have no clue what to do, please help!

-Dan from Iowa 

A: Basically, with all the speed you will be recruiting, you will want to maximize your defenses ability to get to the QB fast but also to cover the best athletes on the field. Your best bet is to blitz off the edge quite a bit as well as running a bunch of mixed coverages.  For instance, I really like to blitz the first play of the game off the edge to set the tone. Then I usually have a blitz on every other play or so. I especially like to blitz on 3rd and longs to try and force the CPU QB to pass the ball quicker than he'd like. It all depends on down and distance though, as every situation can be unique on the field.   

And to say my scheme is the absolute best isn't true, I get scored on still quite a bit and I still lose games from time to time, but I certainly see more success than failure running this defense.

Q: My red zone defense is terrible.  What would recommend to fix my problem?

-Techfan from Virginia 

A: Hmmmm, how about NOT letting your opponent get into the red zone to begin with? Okay, so that explanation will NOT work you say? Well fine then, I think I actually got a winning combination for the red zone. First off, forget the goal line set if you want to defend the pass. That's right, tear it out of your defensive playbook, it sucks and I don't want you using it.  

(Please note: Some people actually do well with the goalline, I just happen to be someone that doesn't, results may vary).

The best way I have found to stop the opposition when it comes to goal line stands is to be ready stop the pass and stack the line to stop the run.  How do you do that? I call a cover 2 out of any base 7 man in the box formation and then coverage audible to show blitz. Usually if your opponent is within the 10 this creates a blanket of zone coverage in the end zone but it also gives you 8-9 guys in the box ready to stop the run.  Sometimes, running zone blitzes with the same idea works well too...again, results may vary. The consensus here though is run a blanket zone, coverage audible into show blitz and get ready to force field goals.  My most recent game against Cal was a 19-16 loss but they were in the red zone 5 times and scored just 1 TD.  That's pretty good results, especially considering I turned the ball over 5 times in the game.

Q: I'm sick of Robo QB and I......

-For authors protection I'm withholding his ID

A: Stop right there!  Let me say this, Robo QB is a myth and is something that IS NOT in the game. How do I know?  Because I have not seen Mr. Robo in several years. You want to know why an offense suddenly starts chugging against your defense? It's because your playcalling sucks and is repetitive, plain and simple. Learn to mix up your playcalls and try to not call the same play more than once in a half and also try not to run the same sort of coverage more than once in a row. If you run 4-2-5 Strike 7 times, the computer is going to pick up on said trend and will be ready to throw the quick slant inside and burn your butt. So please, no more mention of Robo QB, at least to me.  Mix up your playcalls and everything will be just fine.

So there you have it!  A few short questions I felt compelled to answer for the rest of our reading audience. If you have any questions about playing NCAA or Madden on either side of the ball and you want me to answer it, be sure to drop me a line at [email protected] and I will answer your question in this space right here!