NCAA Football learner.

[Sarah]

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense.
My question is...

What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it.

What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4?

What is the best time to use a nickel play in general?

What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back.

This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something.

Thanks!!

[Acid]

Dime is good to use when there are 4 wideouts (or 5 in some cases). It means that 4 cornerbacks are on the field (along with the 2 safeties), so that leaves a linebacker to cover the running back and the 4 defensive lineman.

The nickel formation should be used against an offense with 3 wideouts. It leaves 2 linebackers and 4 defensive lineman.

I've never really understood the difference between the 4-3 and 3-4, from my experience it is better against the run to use the 3-4.

Long bomb, I use a lot of zone defenses against the bomb.

Redshirting means the player can't play that year, say you recruit a good QB but you already have a great QB starting, you could redshirt the recruit and it doesn't count as a year of playing (like going from Freshman to Sophmore). He would become a Redshirt Freshman, which means he would still get to play 4 years. It would show up as FR (RS), and players can only be redshirted once.

[TheEnglishHombre]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense. My question is... What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it. What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4? What is the best time to use a nickel play in general? What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back. This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something. Thanks!!

Dime defense puts in 4 cornerbacks, who tend to be small, fast guys, and 1 linebacker, who is bigger. It is the best defense if you know the other team is going to pass, but against the run, it is VERY weak. Probably your best choice against the bomb, as you have guys back to deflect the pass. However, don't forget to pressure the QB, or it won't matter.

Nickel defense puts in 3 cornerbacks and 2 linebackers. It is still weak against the run, but not nearly as bad as Dime. If you have 2 excellent linebackers, it can be a good base defense, but a good runningback will still do well against it.

4-3 and 3-4 refer to the number of defensive lineman vs. linebackers (3 lineman - 4 linebacks, and vice versa). These are the base defenses for about 80% of college teams. They are balanced against run and pass, and are good choices on first down. Which of the two you run depends more on your personnel and personal taste. Just try them both.

To stop the run, the 4-4 is best. However, you can get TORCHED by a passing play in this formation, as there is usually at most 1 person covering deep. Use with caution. The 5-2 is also good, but only if you have 3 good defensive tackles to make it worth it.

The best advice I can give you for choosing a defence is to get your best players on the field as much as possible. Don't choose Dime against a set w/ no WR's, but, if you have 3 excellent CB's, try using Nickel a little more than you normally would. If you have 4 good LBs, use the 3-4 a little more often. Play to the strength of your personnel.

Redshirting basically says "I won't use this player all year, so he can just practice with the team." If you don't use the player all year, he won't lose a year of eligibility (ie. a freshman will become a redshirt-freshman, instead of a sophomore). If you don't think you will need a player for the year, redshirt him. It pays off down the line, as you will have good players on your team for longer.

[USCTrojan83]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense. My question is... What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it. What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4? What is the best time to use a nickel play in general? What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back. This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something. Thanks!!

3-4 - used primarily with 2 back sets...often a team will use if they have 4 strong linebackers who are able to cover and play against the run well. It is a good formation to play with if your strong at the LB position.

4-3 - most common defense used plays well against the pass (2/3 wide reciever sets) and also well against the run. Many pass blitzes are run from this formation if you have a capable secondary of man coverage

Nickel - used on 'passing downs' with a 3/4 reciever set to prevent long pass plays or provide good zone coverage.

Dime is used when it is a a 4/5 wide reciever set and you want the most number of CB on the field to cover the large number of WR's. Used only for passing downs

Redshirt freshman is someone who DOES NOT play that year to keep a year of eligibility. You would normally choose a freshman or So who you want to keep for another year because you have a deep core at a certain position.

Say for instance you recruit a 5* WR but you have 3/4 other WR's ranked above him. You would possibly redshirt him so he can stay another year. Then the next year he will have a (RS) next to their year

[TheEnglishHombre]

Sorry for the repeats, took a long time to type.

[QuasiHero]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense. My question is... What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it. What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4? What is the best time to use a nickel play in general? What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back. This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something. Thanks!!

4-3 means you have 4 defensive lineman (bigger guys to hold the line) and 3 linebackers (big, fast guys to plug any holes in the line and chase anyone that tries to go around the line). 3-4 is having 3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers. which one to use? you're getting into deeper coaching philosophy. so i would just suggest using one that your roster is better set up for.

nickel mens that you're taking out a linebacker for a defensive back (who are fast guys that defend the pass). dime means you take another linebacker out to put in another defensive back (for a total of 6 defensive backs). so the best time to use a dime is when you know your opponent is going to pass (3rd down and a lot of yard to go).

the game will tell you what players (TE, WR, RB) the opponent's offense has in the huddle. if you see 3 or more WR, go with nickel or dime. if you see 2 TE and 2 RB, you might want to go 4-4 (taking out one defensive back for a linebacker.)

each player has 4 years of eligibility. if you "red-shirt" a player, you're basically saying that you will NOT be using that player for that particular year so that year does not count as being one of the 4 years of eligibility. this is done in real life if either (1) the player could use an extra year at the beginning to grow physically or (2) you have enough depth at a certain position and you want to save that player one year for the future.

[Mos1ted]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense. My question is... What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it. What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4? What is the best time to use a nickel play in general? What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back. This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something. Thanks!!

I'm not the ultimate football expert so I'll just give you generalized answers to your questions.

1.) The dime package is best suited in defending against passing plays. It gives you the most defensive backs (who's main job is to defend against passes) in one package.

2.) The 4-3 defense consists of four defensive lineman and 3 linebackers and the 3-4 is the opposite (3 d lineman and 4 linebackers). These packages are run support packages.

3.) The Nickel is sort of like a neutral package. it can be used to defend against a run or pass. Use this if you're unsure of what the CPU is gonna call to be on the safe side.

4.) A redshirt means that the player will sit out that year and not play. Freshmen that you don't plan on playing that season are the ones you should redshirt that way they are not wasting a year of eligibility on the bench.


I hope I answered some of your questions. Maybe some other posters can go into further detail for you.

[RebHoo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah

I need help on my defense. I am for the most part new to football as a fan and I had no clue about defense. My question is... What is a Dime play in general? And the best time to use it. What is the difference between 4-3 and 3-4? I know it has something to do with the defensive line, but what is the difference or effect between using 3-4 or 4-3 in the backfield? And what is the best time to use a 4-3 or 3-4? What is the best time to use a nickel play in general? What is the best package to stop a long bomb? blitz? and stopping a high rated running back. This is the first time I own a NCAA football game, what does red shirt players mean? And why would I wanna put somebody in a red-shirt or something. Thanks!!

Without getting too much into the less used defenses (4-4, 5-2, 4-2-5, 3-3-5), here's a quick breakdown.

4-3 and 3-4 defenses are your typical 'base' defenses. They are fairly balanced sets designed to stop the run and pass. Honestly, the best way to decide between the two is to look at your team's players - if you've got a lot of highly rated defensive tackles, run a 4-3 because the 4-3 uses 2 DTs and 2 DEs. If you're weaker at the DT spots and have good linebackers, go for the 3-4 as it puts the emphasis on the linebackers rather the the linemen. (note, though, that if you have 3 really good DTs you can adjust your depth chart to put a DT at each of the DE spots for a mammoth 3 man front that will really stop up the middle on running plays and allow your 4 linebackers to make lots of plays).

The pass stopping formations are the nickel and dime packages. The general rules mentioned above are good advice for these formations, but I'd add to that as well. If your opponent is facing 3rd and 10 and comes out in a 2 wide receiver set, I'd probably still use the nickel a good bit of the time because it puts extra defenders in pass coverage - long yardage situations almost always result in a passing play, so go ahead and anticipate that (plus, you can call a corner or safety blitz if you want). Also, don't always go with the dime package if your opponent shows 4 receivers - if it's 2nd and 5 and your opponent uses a 4 wide set, he's not necessarily going to throw it and you can give up a big running play if you're not prepared. I usually go with the nickel package if my opponent goes 4 wide on a mid to short yardage situation to leave some defense against the run.

Hope this helps.