I can't get a pass rush!

[WarrickNole]

what's the best D to use? and for some damn reason i can't get any pass rush. Is it just cause FSU DE's are trash?

[Spanky]

I'm averaging about 2-3 sacks a game on AA, 7 min qtrs. and getting a lot of pressure and hurries.

First, increase the HUM pass rush slider and decrease the CPU pass block slider.

Also, and I found this the case in Madden 10 as well, you seem to get more sacks playing zone coverage. The CPU QB has a tendency to hold onto the ball longer and ends up eating it a lot, especially after they adjusted the glitch where the CPU QB would seemingly always get rid of the ball while wrapped up, although that still happens occasionally.

[dalecooper]

I posted this in another thread:

1. To get pressure with an end, use the right stick - a lot. If need be, go into practice mode or an exhibition game and just screw around until you get some moves down. Although frankly, any kind of stick-wiggling may help. You will not shed your blocker very quickly if you don't lean on that right stick. There are several moves and you'll find some are more effective than others. They seem to tie in to the player's power move, finesse move, speed and strength ratings to an extent.

2. Apart from that - another way to get pressure is to try manually blitzing a linebacker occasionally, especially if you have a quick one. I do this a lot against 3 and 4 WR sets and usually get a sack or two per game from it. I generally will do this from man coverage and blitz with whichever linebacker has the HB assignment. But that's not the only method that works and is relatively safe.

3. Also, if you just want to get pressure and don't care if it's you doing it specifically, try playing a linebacker or safety in zone coverage, and get closer to the openest receiver(s) you see. The CPU will tend to take more coverage sacks than straight-up pressure sacks, so try to take away his targets and your ends will do their job eventually. I get probably as many sacks from playing good coverage as any other method. Be aware though that occasionally you'll be running to cover an open guy and realize someone else is streaking downfield through where you should have been - it's a risk and a trade-off. Just try to use your peripheral vision to keep an eye on the whole field, if you can.

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And I second the sliders comment. They help.

[goalieump413]

In some cases, dropping a fast DE into coverage is the best way to get a sack. Even if you only rush 3 guys, those three guys still fight to get to the QB, and the QB often loses track of your pass rush.

The trick is to run either a zone or man defense (right now, man is better), and then put the fast DE into the opposite kind of coverage. Somehow, the CPU logic tells the QB not to release the ball when a DL is dropped back into a middle zone. I've seen it in Madden before, and in Head Coach 09.

When you call a man coverage, the DE just drops back around 5-10 yards and strafes around the short side hash mark. When in a zone coverage, pick out the receiver in the flat or "dump off" guy, who is sometimes not covered at all. Even if you're not playing under his route, but you're within a yard or two of him, you'll get the "no pass here" sort of effect.

This doesn't work as well with LB's for some reason, although if you're lucky, it's just a numbers game. More defenders in coverage than there are receivers, and the QB will hesitate.

Go to a practice and call a typical 2nd and long play and run through the secenario.

[BlastX21]

I really like to use a single overload blitz. In other words, send exactly one more guy than they can block. If they're in 4 WR and 5 OL, send 6 guys after the QB. You get a free runner and can still cover everybody.

[Card-me]

Two words: secondary blitz.

Sliders help a lot to get coverage blitzes. But sending a corner or safety with zone coverage behind them works wonders, especially if you go with a 3 man line. It leaves a lot of guys for coverage (since you're technically only still sending 4 or 5 guys), and if you have good linemen, it can work wonders. First thing I did was recruit a (relatively) big 310 lb DT with tremendous strength and some good DEs. I run a 3-4, but when they come out in 3 or 4 wide sets, I go with a 3-3-5 nickel and blitz a corner or safety. The 3 man line with a good DT usually means the DT will get double-teamed by a guard and the center, and the tackle takes on the DE one on one, leaving the B gap wide open for a safety blitz. If they don't leave the back in to pick it up, it works about 80% of the time for me. You can also send the corner blitz off the weak side and again, if they don't leave the back in to block, there's no TE to pick it up and it's just a matter of you getting there before the QB throws it. That doesn't work quite as well, especially if your corners have low acceleration or the HB is on the weak side, where he'll usually run into you and slow you down even if he's not blocking.

Keep in mind, though, that the zone coverage on this game is not good, as is widely documented. If you don't make it, it's a crap shoot as to whether your coverage will hold. That's why I led the nation in sacks last season (and all three of my linemen were All Americans and my DEs have traded the Lombardi over the past three seasons), but had a terrible pass defense.

I'll tell you really rocks people's worlds too, if you don't mind getting really risky. Run a goal line set against a 4WR set. No way they can block that many guys, and if you time the snap count, it's basically a gimme sack. Of course, if you mess up, there's no way you can defend all those guys... Give and take. That's football.

[Senator Palmer]

Aw man, I generate tons of pressure with the Seminole ends and I play on Heisman and don't manually control any of them. Change your gameplan setting to "Aggressive" d-line. And don't forget to use your Pass Commit when you know the pass is coming:

Squeeze the left trigger then up on the right stick.

[dalecooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Card-me

I'll tell you really rocks people's worlds too, if you don't mind getting really risky. Run a goal line set against a 4WR set. No way they can block that many guys, and if you time the snap count, it's basically a gimme sack. Of course, if you mess up, there's no way you can defend all those guys... Give and take. That's football.

That's borderline cheese. Or at least it's super unrealistic with a high cheese potential.