Ben E Lou
04-04-2011, 10:29 AM
(A comprehensive post like the offseason one is forthcoming eventually for in-season stuff, but I wanted to go ahead and put this out there.)
I know of two major "gamey" things that the better FOF players do with their game plans that people should watch out for. (I typically do one of these myself, but probably not as much as some others.)
SHENANIGAN ONE: RUNNING ON 2ND OR 3RD AND LONG: Simple principle: Many people don't understand defensive game planning, or are too lazy/impatient/time-constrained/something to do it themselves, so they use Rex. And while Rex has an impressively dynamic ability to adjust its thinking on downs like 1st and 10, it expects the opponent to "play fair" on short and long yardage situations, so it has very heavy expectations of passing in long yardage, and very heavy expectations of runs in short yardage. It's very predictable in that regard, and a smart offensive game planner knows that. Guys like Fonzie and MalcPow (OH YES I CALLED U CHEETERZ OUT) are very good at this one. Rex has my FOFL team in Pass Aggressive 96% of the time on 3rd and 8-10, 100% nickel or dime when expecting the pass that heavily, and roughly 60% 3-deep or 4-deep zone. Run there against a Rexer, and you're virtually assured of facing pass aggressive and either a nickel or dime, and have a good chance that it's a 3- or 4-deep zone. Put a high enough percentage there on offense that the power formations come into play (or put the power formations into more passing situations,) and you'll get a fair number of situations where it's something like I 2-TE versus pass aggressive, 4-deep, dime.
Running against Pass Aggressive Dime can yield some great results with the right backs. Just a few examples from the WOOF...
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Pro formation with two tight ends, strength is left. The defense is in a 34 with nickel personnel and 2-deep bump-and-run coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-10-CPH13 (3Q: 05:42) Richie Rice ran around left end for 13 yards and a TOUCHDOWN! Key block delivered by Oscar Herron. Stuttgart 34, Copenhagen 17</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Pro formation, strength is right. The defense is in a 43 with dime personnel and 3-deep zone coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-8-STU18 (3Q: 04:36) Vince Allen ran around the left tackle for 14 yards. Tackled by CB Alonzo Kassell. Key block delivered by Antonio Clinton. </td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Weak formation with two tight ends, strength is right. The defense is in a 34 and 2-deep bump-and-run coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-8-STU49 (3Q: 04:47) Shaun Gulbrandsen ran inside the right tackle for 13 yards. Tackled by ILB Gus Herndon. Key block delivered by Oscar Herron. </td></tr> </tbody> </table>
Sure, that's a micro look at a few plays, but how successful are these sorts of shenanigans in the long-term? Well, how is this for a fairly mind-boggling leaderboard for a 22-season-old league (WOOF)???
<table border="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td valign="top"><center><table style="border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor="#ed1c24" border="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><center>PCT. OF RUSHES FOR 10+ YARDS</center></td></tr></tbody></table></center><center><table style="border-collapse: collapse;" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <th bgcolor="#004481"><center>TEAM</center> </th><th bgcolor="#004481"><center>NAME</center> </th><th bgcolor="#004481"><center>TOTAL</center></th></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Percy Guthrie (2013-2023) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=8278)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>17.68</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Juan Henry (2011-2020) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6596)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>17.48</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet10.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=10)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Ralph Ellard (2007-2016) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=3203)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>16.87</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Joel Vaughn (2020- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14119)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>16.84</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Brady Logan (2011-2018) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6634)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>16.06</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet18.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=18)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Billy-Joe Baker (2020- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14127)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.81</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Richie Rice (2021- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14930)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>15.45</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet9.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=9)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Quinn Page (2011-2023) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6590)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.33</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet23.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=23)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Wade Irwin (2006-2016) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=1054)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>15.23</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet0.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=0)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Bryan Diaz (2007-2018) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=3196)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.05</center></td></tr></tbody></table></center></td></tr></tbody> </table>
Yes, you're reading that correctly. Stuttgart (Fonzie) owns five of the top seven guys in terms of 10-yard run pct. MalcPow only has one, but he has been in and out of paying attention. My guess is that he'd have two or three more if he'd been fully engaged as long as The Fonz.
SHENANIGAN TWO: PASSING, ESPECIALLY LONG PASSING (UNLESS YOU'RE A WEENIE LIKE RKG) ON 2ND AND SHORT: Same principle as above: if people Rex their defensive plans, it's very likely that they'll be in "Run Aggressive" or "Run" in these situations. (Rex has my FOFL team in 45% Run Aggressive on 2nd and 1, for example.) This one is more explosive than the former, but a less-frequent game occurrence. It's more rare, so I'm not going to look up a bunch of examples, but here's the basic setup:
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"><tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffff">Atlanta: Single-Back formation, strength is left. The defense is in a 34 and 2-deep man-to-man coverage, keying aggressively on the run.
2-1-CLE39 (2Q: 04:32) The Mad Bomber Fredrickson pass completed to WR Kendrick Alcott for 39 yards and a TOUCHDOWN! Alcott gained 15 yards after the catch. Atlanta 30, Cleveland 10</td></tr> </tbody></table>
So, how do you defend against this stuff???
First off, you have to identify the fact that your opponent is likely to be doing one of these two things. That requires an investment of at least some time. The *best* way to identify it would be to pull up 2 or 3 recent game logs and see what he calls on 2nd and short, 2nd and long, and 3rd and long. However, that's not always feasible. A decent alternative method would be to use this checklist:
1. Is he known to be a good/innovative FOF offensive game planner?
2. Is he putting up ypa or ypc that is significantly higher than you might expect, based on his talent?
If the answer to one of these questions is yes, odds are fairly good that he's engaging in at least one of these shenanigans. If the answer to BOTH is yes, odds are very good that he's engaging in at least one.
So now that you've identified your opponent as using these, here's what to do:
DEFENDING SHENANIGAN ONE
You don't want to be in "Run" or "Run Aggressive" on 3rd and 8-10, right? Right. That would likely just result in lowering the success rate a bit of the long-yardage runs, but you raise the likelihood of a 70-yard TD. Better to give up a 13-yard run on 3rd and 8 than a 60-yard pass. I would argue that you *can* help yourself against experts who do these things, simply by toning things down. Consider using "Pass" instead of "Pass Aggressive" on 3rd and Long when playing someone who does this sort of thing, and don't forget to lower your nickel/dime when in "Pass."
DEFENDING SHENANIGAN TWO
2nd and short is a bit more interesting. Some might argue that the play there is to expect the pass so you don't give up the big play, essentially "giving up" the first down if they run, because you'd rather have that than the bomb. However, 2nd and short also includes 2nd and goal. Being in Pass Aggressive there can make a four-point difference in a hurry. I'd argue that the best play is to handle it similarly to 3rd and long: mostly expect the run, but never run aggressive.
So, in short, here's how I'd handle these:
SHENANIGAN ONE: 0-15-80-5, 50-ish% combined nickel and dime against "Pass" (most of that in nickel)
SHENANIGAN TWO: 0-45-54-1, and use 50-ish% nickel and dime against "Run" (most of that in nickel)
I know of two major "gamey" things that the better FOF players do with their game plans that people should watch out for. (I typically do one of these myself, but probably not as much as some others.)
SHENANIGAN ONE: RUNNING ON 2ND OR 3RD AND LONG: Simple principle: Many people don't understand defensive game planning, or are too lazy/impatient/time-constrained/something to do it themselves, so they use Rex. And while Rex has an impressively dynamic ability to adjust its thinking on downs like 1st and 10, it expects the opponent to "play fair" on short and long yardage situations, so it has very heavy expectations of passing in long yardage, and very heavy expectations of runs in short yardage. It's very predictable in that regard, and a smart offensive game planner knows that. Guys like Fonzie and MalcPow (OH YES I CALLED U CHEETERZ OUT) are very good at this one. Rex has my FOFL team in Pass Aggressive 96% of the time on 3rd and 8-10, 100% nickel or dime when expecting the pass that heavily, and roughly 60% 3-deep or 4-deep zone. Run there against a Rexer, and you're virtually assured of facing pass aggressive and either a nickel or dime, and have a good chance that it's a 3- or 4-deep zone. Put a high enough percentage there on offense that the power formations come into play (or put the power formations into more passing situations,) and you'll get a fair number of situations where it's something like I 2-TE versus pass aggressive, 4-deep, dime.
Running against Pass Aggressive Dime can yield some great results with the right backs. Just a few examples from the WOOF...
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Pro formation with two tight ends, strength is left. The defense is in a 34 with nickel personnel and 2-deep bump-and-run coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-10-CPH13 (3Q: 05:42) Richie Rice ran around left end for 13 yards and a TOUCHDOWN! Key block delivered by Oscar Herron. Stuttgart 34, Copenhagen 17</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Pro formation, strength is right. The defense is in a 43 with dime personnel and 3-deep zone coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-8-STU18 (3Q: 04:36) Vince Allen ran around the left tackle for 14 yards. Tackled by CB Alonzo Kassell. Key block delivered by Antonio Clinton. </td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffdf">Stuttgart: Weak formation with two tight ends, strength is right. The defense is in a 34 and 2-deep bump-and-run coverage, keying aggressively on the pass.
3-8-STU49 (3Q: 04:47) Shaun Gulbrandsen ran inside the right tackle for 13 yards. Tackled by ILB Gus Herndon. Key block delivered by Oscar Herron. </td></tr> </tbody> </table>
Sure, that's a micro look at a few plays, but how successful are these sorts of shenanigans in the long-term? Well, how is this for a fairly mind-boggling leaderboard for a 22-season-old league (WOOF)???
<table border="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td valign="top"><center><table style="border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor="#ed1c24" border="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><center>PCT. OF RUSHES FOR 10+ YARDS</center></td></tr></tbody></table></center><center><table style="border-collapse: collapse;" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <th bgcolor="#004481"><center>TEAM</center> </th><th bgcolor="#004481"><center>NAME</center> </th><th bgcolor="#004481"><center>TOTAL</center></th></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Percy Guthrie (2013-2023) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=8278)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>17.68</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Juan Henry (2011-2020) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6596)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>17.48</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet10.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=10)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Ralph Ellard (2007-2016) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=3203)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>16.87</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Joel Vaughn (2020- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14119)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>16.84</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Brady Logan (2011-2018) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6634)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>16.06</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet18.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=18)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Billy-Joe Baker (2020- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14127)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.81</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet22.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=22)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Richie Rice (2021- ) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=14930)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>15.45</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet9.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=9)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Quinn Page (2011-2023) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=6590)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.33</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet23.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=23)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>RB Wade Irwin (2006-2016) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=1054)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><center>15.23</center></td></tr><tr> <td border="0" bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/slivers/helmet0.png (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/teampage.php?teamid=0)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>RB Bryan Diaz (2007-2018) (http://www.younglifenorthdekalb.com/woof/ben/playercard.php?playerid=3196)</center></td> <td bgcolor="#d5d5d5"><center>15.05</center></td></tr></tbody></table></center></td></tr></tbody> </table>
Yes, you're reading that correctly. Stuttgart (Fonzie) owns five of the top seven guys in terms of 10-yard run pct. MalcPow only has one, but he has been in and out of paying attention. My guess is that he'd have two or three more if he'd been fully engaged as long as The Fonz.
SHENANIGAN TWO: PASSING, ESPECIALLY LONG PASSING (UNLESS YOU'RE A WEENIE LIKE RKG) ON 2ND AND SHORT: Same principle as above: if people Rex their defensive plans, it's very likely that they'll be in "Run Aggressive" or "Run" in these situations. (Rex has my FOFL team in 45% Run Aggressive on 2nd and 1, for example.) This one is more explosive than the former, but a less-frequent game occurrence. It's more rare, so I'm not going to look up a bunch of examples, but here's the basic setup:
<table bgcolor="#ffcc00" border="0" cellspacing="1" width="98%"><tbody> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#ffffff">Atlanta: Single-Back formation, strength is left. The defense is in a 34 and 2-deep man-to-man coverage, keying aggressively on the run.
2-1-CLE39 (2Q: 04:32) The Mad Bomber Fredrickson pass completed to WR Kendrick Alcott for 39 yards and a TOUCHDOWN! Alcott gained 15 yards after the catch. Atlanta 30, Cleveland 10</td></tr> </tbody></table>
So, how do you defend against this stuff???
First off, you have to identify the fact that your opponent is likely to be doing one of these two things. That requires an investment of at least some time. The *best* way to identify it would be to pull up 2 or 3 recent game logs and see what he calls on 2nd and short, 2nd and long, and 3rd and long. However, that's not always feasible. A decent alternative method would be to use this checklist:
1. Is he known to be a good/innovative FOF offensive game planner?
2. Is he putting up ypa or ypc that is significantly higher than you might expect, based on his talent?
If the answer to one of these questions is yes, odds are fairly good that he's engaging in at least one of these shenanigans. If the answer to BOTH is yes, odds are very good that he's engaging in at least one.
So now that you've identified your opponent as using these, here's what to do:
DEFENDING SHENANIGAN ONE
You don't want to be in "Run" or "Run Aggressive" on 3rd and 8-10, right? Right. That would likely just result in lowering the success rate a bit of the long-yardage runs, but you raise the likelihood of a 70-yard TD. Better to give up a 13-yard run on 3rd and 8 than a 60-yard pass. I would argue that you *can* help yourself against experts who do these things, simply by toning things down. Consider using "Pass" instead of "Pass Aggressive" on 3rd and Long when playing someone who does this sort of thing, and don't forget to lower your nickel/dime when in "Pass."
DEFENDING SHENANIGAN TWO
2nd and short is a bit more interesting. Some might argue that the play there is to expect the pass so you don't give up the big play, essentially "giving up" the first down if they run, because you'd rather have that than the bomb. However, 2nd and short also includes 2nd and goal. Being in Pass Aggressive there can make a four-point difference in a hurry. I'd argue that the best play is to handle it similarly to 3rd and long: mostly expect the run, but never run aggressive.
So, in short, here's how I'd handle these:
SHENANIGAN ONE: 0-15-80-5, 50-ish% combined nickel and dime against "Pass" (most of that in nickel)
SHENANIGAN TWO: 0-45-54-1, and use 50-ish% nickel and dime against "Run" (most of that in nickel)