Tips on pass coverage and defense in general?

[cwsulzba]

I have the offensive side of the game down pretty well, but I have some concerns on D. Sometimes I know who the other guy is throwing to, double team him and blitz the house and he throws to that guy and completes it. Also, it seems like it is impossible to stop some running games. I guess my question is what defenses does everyone use and what are your philosophies? This is for online play.

[Caventer]

I can only tell you what my opinion is and I am no expert...some zone defenses are incredibly effective at stopping the run.

Like many have posted earlier, you need to start a game out and figure out what the opponent is doing. If you have a guy that likes to run, you need to deploy your run defense most of the time based off of what formation he comes out in. If you know he is running, using these zone defenses in basic sets (4-3, Nickel depending on number of WRs) can really help in stopping the run.

Personally, I only blitz about 5 times a game and it is usually when someone is going for it on 4th down or near the goal line.

For this game, I have learned that I really need decent corners to be able to cover with any consistency. Now, I can play Man and not worry so much about doing so.

Again, my experience has been that some of the best defenses are zone, but over the top is always a worry, so you have to always think, what is he going to do next??

[jdros13]

Zones work great coupled with a good, pass rushing dline. No need to blitz. Just realize that there is a counter to everything that you do, and a good player will check down to whatever is left available to them. I've had success with a few different set ups, but last night was really successful with the cover 4 against some guys who kept trying to throw the deep corner (or flea flicker, which is a favorite of many it appears)....it leaves the flats open, but most who keep running the deep posts and corners are too impatient to take 5 yards a pop on short passes.

Zones are definitely more effective against the run as well. When I have a team with 2 good corners I will run the '2 Corners' defense sometimes (corners are in bump coverage, everyone else is in a cover 2 zone) and this can be very good at stopping the run, especially if you put a couple of legends on the dline.

I call almost no blitzes, and play more of a 'bend but don't break' style online...most users get impatient and start throwing picks in my experience.

Good luck.

[illidan]

Offense is the best defense in this game.

DB AI is just too eratic and pretty much broke IMO.

Sign all offense for your team stars and just let them score you should be able to get more stops then they can get on you if you load up on offense.

[ZB9]

Quote: Originally Posted by illidan

Offense is the best defense in this game. DB AI is just too eratic and pretty much broke IMO. Sign all offense for your team stars and just let them score you should be able to get more stops then they can get on you if you load up on offense.

what? it seems that you need to learn to play defense. It is certainly possible to shut offenses down in this game if you learn how to play D. start by reading what jdros and Caventer posted. They have some good tips.

my strength is defense and im 42-12 online right now. I only allow about 10 points a game on average. Playing good defense is key in this game and i loaded up my main team with defensive players (only 3 offensive players and they are all bronze). I usually beat teams that are loaded up for offense.

just because you cant play D doesnt mean that it's "broken" lol

[globalbeats7]

Quote: Originally Posted by illidan

Offense is the best defense in this game. DB AI is just too eratic and pretty much broke IMO. Sign all offense for your team stars and just let them score you should be able to get more stops then they can get on you if you load up on offense.

huh? DB AI is the best of any football game to date. lay off the meth in the mornings....your brain will thank you!

[ShaolinSteez]

It's all about play calling and personnel. You also need to take advantage of the DB and LB coverage/blitz changes. Know how to pull the DBs back/bump or to play inside/outside. If you notice a lot of short to mid passes, play your DBs in and vise versa. Pick up on patterns and adjust.

It helps to have some stars out there on the D, too. Sometimes you get lucky and roll a generic player or two that play well. I happen to have a generic CB that's pretty damn awesome. 3 INTs in one game I played last night.