Play action passing

[QuikSand]

So, this seems like a great feature that wasn't really present in FOF 7 and the other predecessors. The ability to have a play that deliberately is designed this way, rather than just using a pass play in a running situation.

Any insights? How are you using them? Specific formations? Certain down/distance setups? Anyone following your results in game logs to offer any feedback?

I have a team that is likely headed for a SmashMouth future, and I have yet to explore this much. I like that it's there...would like to hear from those who are ahead of me in using it.

Shoot.

[yabanci]

I think it's going to be one of those things we have to assume has an effect but never know for sure when or how much. I haven't seen any tip-offs in the play-by-play, such as a completion noted by "the safety bit on the play action" or whatever. The sample size of plays is so small it seems impossible to know whether a pass was completed because of play action or because of any of the other myriad of reasons a pass succeeds or fails.

According to the playbook, a play action pass in 113 formation from under center will work best in a balanced offense, next best in west coast/smashmouth; 113 out of shotgun would be best in west coast, next best in balanced (worst in smashmouth); 212 or 122 best in smashmouth, next best in balanced/west coast. Play action is least effective in air Coryell and spread. All of that is what you would expect.

Given that he's clearly put a lot of thought into which offensive philosophies and formations are best suited to play action, you have to assume he's done the same for defenses. If that's the case, I would think it would be most effective anytime the defense has a safety in the box (buzz), and generally against straight man to man, press-1, cover-1, and maybe cover-3 sky. As for down/distance it would be best on any running down (2nd/3rd and short, close to goal line, 1st and 10, maybe backed up).

I think it will be a very interesting tactic in multiplayer where you'll see people with clear tendencies for stopping the run, or when you're calling plays and can clearly see which defenses the opposition is using. In single player with a gameplan and coaches calling the plays, it would seem to harder to use because the AI teams are so unpredictable in what coverages they'll use -- one game they play the run aggressively with buzz 20 times and the next game they sit in cover-2 the whole game without ever putting a safety in the box.

Obviously much of this is just speculation. But since he added it and implemented it well in the playbook, I'm going with the belief that it works much like it does in real life and does have enough of an effect on the outcome of plays to make it a useful tactic.