STRATEGY: Downfield passing game keys.

[Ben E Lou]

I've, um, gotten pretty good at this lately, and I've noticed some people trying to emulate, sometimes with some very rough results, so I thought I'd share some of the things I've found to be key in throwing it downfield.

1. Do your best to minimize the times you're throwing Long, Deep, and Bomb against Pass Aggressive defenses, and to maximize the times you're chunking it down the field against Run and Run Aggressive. In other words, using 50-40-10 on first and 10, and putting 0-0-100 on 3rd and 13 and then having 20-20-20-20-20 for distances is an easy recipe for high interceptions and weak completion percentages on Long passes. Some sub-points underneath this.
   • Be willing to throw deep on 1st and 10 and other "running" downs.
   • Mix in some shorter passes and even some runs on 3rd and long. YAC is improved in 6.3/6.4. My experience is that the 7-yard gains on 3rd and 12 are offset by improved performance with the deep passing.
   • Be willing to run up the score. Increase your deep passing when ahead by 3 TDs or more. Increase it a little when ahead a little. Why? Because that screen on defense is too involved for most people to fool with, so they just leave the defaults, which increase run defense when trailing. My guess is that the hassle to change this screen for extreme situation just isn't worth it for most people. Throwing the deep ball with a big lead is often the difference between a 4-TD game and a 6-TD game.
2. You need to run the football more than most teams do. My best team at throwing downfield is in the CCFL. And not coincidentally, that team runs it more than any of my MP teams. JG himself said in a Q&A that play action is "simulated" in FOF. Run more, and passing works better. Even though we throw more when ahead and are ahead often, my CCFL team has run it over 50% of the time in four of the last six seasons.
3. Pass blocking matters, but not how you might think. I'm convinced that in FOF, sacks are primarily the fault of the QB, but *hurries* (which are *never* completions in FOF) are the fault of the o-line. Get offensive linemen who can pass block.
4. Get RBs and FBs who can pick up the blitz. See #3.
5. Don't bother sending your backs out into the pattern if they're not the primary receiver. Let 'em block. I usually use something along the lines of 95-95-5 for that section, with the TE getting the 5.
6. Don't neglect chemistry. If your starting QB has decent personality, do all that you can to make him a triple affinity guy. And fill your WR4/WR5/TE2/TE3 slots with affinity guys. This matters.
7. Don't neglect cohesion. Keep guys around. Put a little extra time into the touchy-feely stuff in TC if you can.

In the CCFL since 2016, the league-wide completion percentages on Long, Deep, and Bomb passes are 36.5, 27.7, and 20.9. YPA is 8.88, 9.67 , and 10.04. My team, by using the strategies above? 51.6, 40.6, 36.6 for completion percentages, and 13.49, 14.74, 17.56 for YPA. In just about all of my leagues, my QBs are fairly regularly throwing for 4,500-5,000 yards per year, with only 450-525 passes per year.


Short pass info coming in the next few days.

[Ben E Lou]

[zbuckley]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/72...sonoffense.jpg

[aston217]

On the affinities: does it matter if that triple affinity guy is your starting QB, or just any QB on the roster? I had thought affinities applied broadly to position groups, and not to specific players.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by aston217

On the affinities: does it matter if that triple affinity guy is your starting QB, or just any QB on the roster? I had thought affinities applied broadly to position groups, and not to specific players.

That's true, per the Help File, for the position groups. However, the documentation doesn't really tell us how QB affinities work. My thinking is that it's QB-specific. But beyond that, in many cases your starting QB is going to be with you for a decade or more, and your backups may come and go, so it makes the most sense to build your affinity structure around your starter, especially if he is young.

[Dutch]

Does skill position talent play a key role in this strategy? I would think your QB, WR1, WR2, TE, RB are fairly instrumental in your CCFL's success.

EDIT: Disregard...a whole 'nother thread on this topic.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Does skill position talent play a key role in this strategy? I would think your QB, WR1, WR2, TE, RB are fairly instrumental in your CCFL's success.

EDIT: Disregard...a whole 'nother thread on this topic.

Well, I didn't go there because I'm not sure. It may well be that the downfield passing game is also the optimal game plan style for good-not-great QB/WR/TE combos, too. Or it may be that I have a great coach and have optimized TC and have great chemistry/cohesion and therefore my guys are playing over their head. Specifically, I'm thinking of my FOFL team right now. Last year we won the Bowl with the downfield passing game plan that I'm using everywhere, and this year we're the #1 playoff seed. My skill position guys are pretty pedestrian there.

QB: 58/58
RB: 40/40
FB: 55/55
TE: 71/71
WR: 52/52
WR: 51/51

The 51/51 WR in particular is really making me wonder. He has only *17* BPR, yet has been very good in this offense the last two years:

Year		Team		Gms	Tgt	Rec	Yards	YPC	YPT	YAC	Lg	TD	Drp	PPly	Tgt%	YPG
2034			CHA	16	159	94	1435	15.27	9.03	349	58	11	8	558	28.5%	89.7
2035			CHA	16	111	68	1132	16.65	10.20	261	58	11	5	414	26.8%	70.8

Granted, the high-BPR guys have been better than him, but he's certainly holding his own. Maybe it's a case of being able to "get away" with one slow guy if all your other guys are fast...

[Stevebsfan]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Last year we won the Bowl with the downfield passing game plan that I'm using everywhere, and this year we're the #1 playoff seed. My skill position guys are pretty pedestrian there.

You mentioned a short passing info in a few days, but I take it with this, if you have the WR's, you'd prefer the long pass? I've been tinkering with my gameplan for awhile now, but I think my setup is set to make some noise offensively, I just always struggle with the right style.

QB 73/73
RB 59/59
FB 38/48 (good future pass block)
TE 67/74
WR1 60/60
WR2 62/62
WR3 37/58 (r)

BPR is solid on each receiver except for the rookie. What's your opinion on how I should focus my offense?

Thanks!

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Stevebsfan

You mentioned a short passing info in a few days, but I take it with this, if you have the WR's, you'd prefer the long pass? I've been tinkering with my gameplan for awhile now, but I think my setup is set to make some noise offensively, I just always struggle with the right style.

QB 73/73
RB 59/59
FB 38/48 (good future pass block)
TE 67/74
WR1 60/60
WR2 62/62
WR3 37/58 (r)

BPR is solid on each receiver except for the rookie. What's your opinion on how I should focus my offense?

Thanks!

I'd use the Play Action Vertical gameplan from the library around here, with very few changes. Chunk that sucker down the field.

[g206029]

Thx

[scorp]

1. Don't bother sending your backs out into the pattern if they're not the primary receiver. Let 'em block. I usually use something along the lines of 95-95-5 for that section, with the TE getting the 5.

with these setting what happens to plays that woul dhave the backs in a pattern they just aren't called ( well very rarely ).

Do the passes to the Rb and FB for most/all formations get almost eliminated from the gameplan those patterns as part of the playbook?

Or do they release and go into the pattern after blocking.

ie do you see a drop in passes to the Rb/FB for short passes or in sets that have many passs to them?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by scorp

1. Don't bother sending your backs out into the pattern if they're not the primary receiver. Let 'em block. I usually use something along the lines of 95-95-5 for that section, with the TE getting the 5.

with these setting what happens to plays that woul dhave the backs in a pattern they just aren't called ( well very rarely ).

Do the passes to the Rb and FB for most/all formations get almost eliminated from the gameplan those patterns as part of the playbook?

Or do they release and go into the pattern after blocking.

ie do you see a drop in passes to the Rb/FB for short passes or in sets that have many passs to them?

Keep this in mind: that setting is for plays that they're NOT the primary receiver. So if you do have some screens in the mix to the RB, he still gets those. He just can't be an alternate receiver if he's kept in to block.

But ultimately, when you throw downfield, even if you send 'em out in the pattern all the time, they're not going to get a ton of targets. The great majority of passes further down the field go to the WRs and TE.

[scorp]

k Thanks Ben

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Keep this in mind: that setting is for plays that they're NOT the primary receiver. So if you do have some screens in the mix to the RB, he still gets those. He just can't be an alternate receiver if he's kept in to block.

But ultimately, when you throw downfield, even if you send 'em out in the pattern all the time, they're not going to get a ton of targets. The great majority of passes further down the field go to the WRs and TE.

Yeah, scorp's question, or at least what I think he's attempting to get at, is one that I've often wondered.

In game, is says that, "Pass block percentage refers to percentage of pass plays when the main starter at that position is not the primary or secondary receiver, and is asked to defend the quarterback.".

Suppose for a minute that this play is called, and you have all your block settings as follows "0/0/0" for "RB/FB/TE":
Iformation - FL Slant-15

Only 1 receiver in the pattern on the surface. There are no visible routes being run by the SE, TE, FB and RB. So what's the SE, TE, FB, and RB doing?

And by the same token, if Iformation, FL Fly-Deep, SE Cross-11 is called, what's the RB, FB and TE doing if the blocking screen is set to 0/0/0?

Knowwhatimeanvern?

[johnnyshaka]

Nemesis, why not try it yourself?

Fire up an SP game and coach it yourself making sure the blocking is set as you said and then see what happens when you call those plays?

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Nemesis, why not try it yourself?

Fire up an SP game and coach it yourself making sure the blocking is set as you said and then see what happens when you call those plays?

Doesn't appear they do anything.

I went the extra mile of using my MP test league. Two teams as human players. My normal team, I called plays for (yes this is possible, you have to set it to call plays in SP first, then load the MP league) my team. Then I even went and set up my opponent to double my top WR 100% of the time. No matter if I set up to keep everyone in to block, or not, the QB will sit back and throw into DC every single time. So it appears they do nothing whatsoever.

Sample size? Maybe, but I still don't see any reason at this point (if indeed they do nothing when set to 0 blocking), to have them set up at 100/100/100, even the TE.

Now, the only thing that I cannot determine with this test is if they're drawing coverage.

[strickzilla]

they have to be doing *something*

id say try flipping your wr's im sure there isint just a 1 man pattern unless its a 2 te set. plus if your qbs rd id low hell throw into double coverage anyway.

but for what its worth i notice when i dont keep my fb in to block hell get more catches. as ben stated earlier it depends on pass length and the rr of the players mentiond.

if your fb/rb/te have low rr they wont get many targets

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by strickzilla

they have to be doing *something*

Logic tells you that they should be doing something. Nothing in game tells you they are in that sense, but then again, it also doesn't tell you when a WR breaks off a route (but the timing rating for QB's in the help file suggests that receivers do), you only see something to the effect of, "...throws a long pass.... completed for 11 yards...." or something like that.

Originally Posted by strickzilla

id say try flipping your wr's im sure there isint just a 1 man pattern unless its a 2 te set. plus if your qbs rd id low hell throw into double coverage anyway.

So far, I have not been able to get my QB to throw to the SE when the FL is the primary receiver, and there are no "said" secondary receivers.

Originally Posted by strickzilla

but for what its worth i notice when i dont keep my fb in to block hell get more catches. as ben stated earlier it depends on pass length and the rr of the players mentiond.

I'll have to locate my test. I thought Ben had done a test regarding this. After I couldn't find anything indepth on the subject, I did my own to see the distribution, stored it, and now cannot find it. I don't recall anyone being left in to block making that much of a difference in terms of targets, or a difference at all.