Really hope they fix the playaction on this game

[sparty77]

Quote: Originally Posted by pdiehm

Never? Wow, perhaps you should write a thread and explain to those of us who have never completed a PA pass in this version of the game how it works because you're clearly a superior player who's above and beyond anyone on this board.

1) slide protect to the strong side if your TE is covered up.

2) Set a progression in your head before the play, where you can dump it off to a safe receiver if the blitz comes, and look to the deep routes if they drop back and give you time.

Unless the CPU is calling an all-out blitz and is showing it, with like 8-9 guys on the line, you should at least have enough time to dump it off in the flat.

[PrettyT11]

Quote: Originally Posted by pdiehm

Never? Wow, perhaps you should write a thread and explain to those of us who have never completed a PA pass in this version of the game how it works because you're clearly a superior player who's above and beyond anyone on this board.

Read the post. I said I have never been sacked on a PA read pass from the shotgun. I didn't say I have never been sacked on any PA passes. I was speaking on that particular kind of pass. The only reason I talked about it in the first is because you say that one never works. But if you want a break down on how to be better at that play call I can do that. It is very simple.

[BadAssHskr]

i generally try to make a living running the ball. not often do i even run a PA.

i'd say over 90% of the time i do run PA it results in a sack.

come to speak of it, i don't even think i've seen a play SET UP this season.

agree with other posters though, PA should work regardless if a play is setup as long as you are running the ball effectively.

[steelers1]

I do like the other guy said in this thread... If I see the D showing blitz, I will hot route the RB to block so that the QB doesn't do the play-fake. I am sacked way too often on regular PA passes, and it is usually as soon as the QB finishes the fake hand-off animation. About the only PA passes I use (and don't hot route) have the FB running to the right flat and a receiver on a streak. If I'm feeling heavy pressure I dump it to the FB, if I have time I'll either throw it deep or to one of the other guys (usually I don't have time, and when I do, I wind up getting hit as I try to throw it deep).

Also, for everyone saying it isn't a problem... It most certainly is. The CPU does the same thing. When they run PA passes, they have very little time and usually get sacked or throw ducks. The user has control to not run PA themselves, but they can't control the CPU.

[Pogo27]

I do agree that Play Action should be at least as effective as your run game. Any successful hand-off run should set up all your PA Passes (some moreso than others, depending on formation and type of run fake).

However, to be honest, this should really only be an internal calculation. There should be no symbol in the playbook that tells me when a play is set up. That's pretty dumb and unrealistic.

And you shouldn't have to break a 20-yard run to set up your play-action either.

In fact, to be honest, if you're playing dynasty mode and it's say week 10, and you're 8-1 with a 70% run-pass ratio and you're top 3 in the nation in rushing yards, PA Pass should be 'set up' and completely effective on the first snap--you've already established yourself as a RUN team, so those safeties and linebackers are looking for you to RUN FIRST, so they should be more likely to bite.


Moreover, it should essentially work as a percentage. If, let's say, you've established yourself as a 70% run, 10% play action, and 20% pass. And let's say you maintain those percentage out of all your formations that you call. This should mean that the CPU is calling a run defense 70% of the time and a pass defense 30% of the time (but it shouldn't line up perfectly with what you called...they should base their playcall of down & distance, and the player's tendencies in these scenarios, plus a bit of randomness). And then during the time that you've called a PA Pass and the CPU has called run defense, you should find a man pretty wide open. Moreover, on the times that you've called a PA Pass and the CPU has called a pass defense, any of the guys in zone would have an extremely high chance of biting on the play action, because you've established that you RUN 7 times more often than you PA PASS, so 7 out of 8 times, the defense should bite on your PA.


Even if you're not that run-heavy of a team. If you still use PA Pass rarely, it should still be effective. For example if you run 30%, PA Pass 10%, and Pass 60%, CPU should call run defense 30% of the time, pass defense 70%, and then the players in zones on your PA Pass should bite three out of four times.



And.. the CPU should be doing far fewer all-out blitzes. They CPU defense is WAY too aggressive for its own good this year.

[TXHusker25]

If there is anyone here that thinks PA actually works right, I'd like to know what game you're playing. It isn't just about the once or twice you don't get sacked, it is also about the fact that NO ONE bites. Not a single safety is caught looking into the backfield, not a single corner is caught sneaking a peak to cut off a PA stretch/Power O play, not a single DL or LB freezes to make sure the HB doesn't have the ball. So while I have completed PA passes because my WR's just outran their coverage, PA doesn't serve its purpose at all.

Now as a spread team, PA is miserable and just plain useless. There is a simple reason for this, the animation for the PA in shotgun takes your quarterback INTO the line of scrimmage. His shoulders are caught facing the wrong direction, his footwork is wrong and the animation is so slow that any ounce of pressure results in a sack.

[Homerunhittas]

first off I preface this with EA isn't perfect (many would say horrible lol), this is a game, and playaction isn't perfect either and it can no doubt result in sacks and players biting on the playaction seems to be nonexistent BUT there are some ways to make it work in the game

1.setup extra blockers for protection vs the blitz
2.slide protection especially towards the run help a little but don't use always but minimally as a change up to see if it helps and how
3.having an automatic go to guy for a safety valve is a MUST
4.pump faking can be KILLER as they do bite A LITTLE and the pump fake can verify it as the playaction fake coupled with a pump fake SHOWS them biting as they are focused in the backfield instead of on their assignment and DL and LBs blitzing DO sometimes grab the HB based off of PRC if they are in the HB's vicinity
5.scrambling with playaction is a GOOD thing
6.throwing the ball away is NOT a bad thing
7.hot routing the player you are faking the handoff to as a blocker and canceling the whole playaction and just running the play with the routes is NOT a bad thing

[TXHusker25]

Quote: Originally Posted by Homerunhittas

first off I preface this with EA isn't perfect (many would say horrible lol), this is a game, and playaction isn't perfect either and it can no doubt result in sacks and players biting on the playaction seems to be nonexistent BUT there are some ways to make it work in the game 1.setup extra blockers for protection vs the blitz 2.slide protection especially towards the run help a little but don't use always but minimally as a change up to see if it helps and how 3.having an automatic go to guy for a safety valve is a MUST 4.pump faking can be KILLER as they do bite A LITTLE and the pump fake can verify it as the playaction fake coupled with a pump fake SHOWS them biting as they are focused in the backfield instead of on their assignment and DL and LBs blitzing DO sometimes grab the HB based off of PRC if they are in the HB's vicinity 5.scrambling with playaction is a GOOD thing 6.throwing the ball away is NOT a bad thing 7.hot routing the player you are faking the handoff to as a blocker and canceling the whole playaction and just running the play with the routes is NOT a bad thing

I've actually started to use 1 and 2 combined to get some sort of PA working, but it is still not successful. I don't have time to pump fake so that is out. I don't ever have time to leave the pocket so a throw away is grounding.

What I've started to do is slide protect towards the direction my QB comes out of his fake towards, usually the right with a righty QB and then I would hot route a WR/TE to block (whichever has the worst route) and motioned that guy to block the backside of the formation. It helps a bit.

But whenever I run spread, PA is useless because of the PA animation.