Question on Player Usage

[munster]

Little help here? I am playing a 4-3 defense, I set my own depth before games, but I have coaches enact gameplans. I'm 7 games into a season and one of my outside LBs has started only 2 games, even though he's been No. 1 on the depth chart for all 7. He has an endurance of 100. In his place, several other 2nd stringers at other positions have started instead...a third DT and a SS, for example. Also, this LB has played only about 1/3 of the snaps (all season) compared to my other 2 starting LBs. Thus, even though he's a well above-average player, he's made only 14 tackles all season while inferior players play ahead of him and he sits. Why would this be? Why wouldn't he have started every game and played 90% or more the snaps? Thanks.

[johnnyshaka]

My guess is that you are playing more nickel and dime than you think and this LB...your WLB I'm guessing...is being yanked off the field.

[munster]

This occured to me, but I think it's highly unlikely that I'm playing nickle or dime on about 2/3 of the snaps (which is what would have to be happening here). Also, this doesn't account for him not making 5 of 7 starts. I can't imagine starting all 5 of those games with an extra DB. Besides, there's also this:

There has been 1 game in which a reserve DT started in place of my starting (healthy) DT. And in 1 game, 3 DTs started. And finally, there have been THREE different non-starting DBs who have started in place of the WLB...a SS and 2 different CBs. So even in the unlikely event I started the game in a nickle or dime, my nickle and dime DBs are not necessarily being chosen as the starters.

Thanks for the response!

[Ben E Lou]

This occured to me, but I think it's highly unlikely that I'm playing nickle or dime on about 2/3 of the snaps (which is what would have to be happening here). Also, this doesn't account for him not making 5 of 7 starts. I can't imagine starting all 5 of those games with an extra DB. Besides, there's also this:

There has been 1 game in which a reserve DT started in place of my starting (healthy) DT. And in 1 game, 3 DTs started. And finally, there have been THREE different non-starting DBs who have started in place of the WLB...a SS and 2 different CBs. So even in the unlikely event I started the game in a nickle or dime, my nickle and dime DBs are not necessarily being chosen as the starters.

Thanks for the response!

There are a number of reasons this could happen. You also may have gotten a bad dice roll or two for who was going to be in on the first play of the game. Keep in mind that the game rolls on every play for who participates. So, if you have your 3rd DT set as a backup DE, and the starters' playing time set to 80%, your 3rd DT will get in on roughly 1 out of 5 plays--including, possibly, the first play of the game. Also keep in mind that if your starter's endurance is low, he won't play 80% of the plays even if that's the setting.

[munster]

Thanks, Sky Dog, but not only would this have required many odds-against dice rolls, but it doesn't account for why my WLB plays only 1/3 of the game's snaps. As I said in my original post, he is a "100" endurance. He is also an above-average player...far better than my bench guys, who have much lower endurance and overall ratings. The upshoot is that he's rarely starting, rarely playing and I'm getting little benefit from one of my better players.

[Ben E Lou]

Thanks, Sky Dog, but not only would this have required many odds-against dice rolls, but it doesn't account for why my WLB plays only 1/3 of the game's snaps. As I said in my original post, he is a "100" endurance. He is also an above-average player...far better than my bench guys, who have much lower endurance and overall ratings. The upshoot is that he's rarely starting, rarely playing and I'm getting little benefit from one of my better players.

The WLB is most assuredly an issue of the nickel and dime.

[johnnyshaka]

Munster, do me a favor, run through one of your gamelogs and mark down how many times your defense lined up in each formation. Then, look at the boxscore and check to see how many plays your WLB was on the field for...I'll bet you that if you add the number of times you see goalline and base defense will be pretty close to the number of plays your WLB was on the field. Also, note what formation was used on your first defensive play of the game...again, my guess is that nickel or dime will show up more often than not.

[munster]

Sorry, but the game logs don't show the formation for each play, so I can't do that.

Even if this a nickle/dime issue, would you not agree that: (1) Actual NFL teams rarely if ever open a game with 5 or 6 DBs (or 3 DTs!)...let alone in 5 of 7 games; (2) Actual starting WLBs don't sit out 2/3 of their team's plays (and actual teams don't play nickle/dime 2/3 of their snaps)?

Even if these anomalies occured in one or even two games, it could be overlooked...but this is a composite thing over 7 games.

BTW, my Def Coordinator's game-calling is "fair." So he's not that great, but even a drunk DC wouldn't sit his D's 4th-best player for 75% of the snaps just so he could play nickle or dime all day against every type of opponent!

[Mistwood19]

Sorry, but the game logs don't show the formation for each play, so I can't do that.



Change the setting in the options menu to show formation use in game logs...;)

[munster]

Oh, OK...thanks Mistwood. Here are the results from my most recent game:

My foe ran 55 plays from scrimmage. I lined up in a nickle or dime 41 (!) times. The LB in question participated in only 12 snaps. (That leaves 2 plays unaccounted for.)

So...it apparently is the nickle/dime thing, so I have to come back to the question: How realistic is it for the AI to call for extra DBs in 74.5% of the plays??? Again, something might account for this once in a blue moon if we're playing against Tom Brady '07 or something, but over a period of seven games?!?

[Ben E Lou]

My foe ran 55 plays from scrimmage. I lined up in a nickle or dime 41 (!) times. The LB in question participated in only 12 snaps. (That leaves 2 plays unaccounted for.)

Check the personnel of the opposition. Do they have a good QB, crappy RB, and good receivers?

As for the 2 plays, I'm sure that's a result of the dice rolling the backup on those two.

[munster]

Well, that's kind of my point: It's this way EVERY game.

[Ben E Lou]

Well, that's kind of my point: It's this way EVERY game.

You said seven. It's *possible* that this is just an issue with playing good-passing teams, or with you getting ahead, them being forced to pass, and you switching to a lot of nickel/dime. Let me check something...

[stevew]

if you want him to play more, line him up as either the mlb or slb in nickle/dime situations. Or if you think he's better at getting to the QB than your weakest DE, put him there. If your team is good on offense, you will play a ton more nickle and dime, just cause the opponents will be behind more and have to pass. The only think I hate about playing a lot of nickle and dime is that it appears that there are no depth chart substitutions for those formations, and that your backups will not rotate in.

[gstelmack]

As another point of reference, I was actually having a similar issue in WOOF. My nice 1st round rookie corner had very few snaps through the first several games, and it was because he started in the base defense but not in the nickel or dime defenses, and my team was lining up in nickel or dime A LOT. Including at the very start of a game (not behind or the like). I've been way too busy to look into this very deeply to see if it's a gameplan thing or what. It *appeared* that FOF likes to recommend high nickel percentages for my team in passing downs, and it was choosing to look for pass a lot.

Edit: Did a quick check, and Rex recommends 79% nickel and 19% dime if I'm expecting pass (98%), and 74% nickel and 26% dime if I'm aggressively expecting pass (100%). It does not seem to want me in my base 4-3 if we think a pass is coming.

[munster]

Well, all I can add is that my team has a 3-4 record, so I'm not inordinately ahead in games. Also, the average passing YPG rank of the seven teams I've played is 10.4 -- certainly above average, though not outrageous. They're attempting 8% more passes than the average team. I still maintain, however, that NO real team sits one of their best players for 75% of the snaps, regardless of circumstances or who they're playing.

Thanks for checking into this!

[johnnyshaka]

Some advice...the reason why I thought it was nickel/dime all along was because I ran into the same issues you are having. The only fix I know of is to adjust your gameplan yourself to allow more base defense to be called and less nickel/dime.

Also, if your WLB is your best player...he shouldn't be a WLB. Change his role and/or position to SLB or MLB...like others have mentioned.

[Ben E Lou]

Edit: Did a quick check, and Rex recommends 79% nickel and 19% dime if I'm expecting pass (98%), and 74% nickel and 26% dime if I'm aggressively expecting pass (100%). It does not seem to want me in my base 4-3 if we think a pass is coming.

This is what I was going to check earlier, but I got sidetracked. I did do some checking this morning with a few different teams against different opponents, though, and did verify to my satisfaction that if you're expecting the pass, Rex is going to have you in nickel or dime virtually every single time.

Keep in mind that in the new game, LBs are usually liabilities in most coverage schemes.

[munster]

Thanks to all for the help and advice. :)