What Plays Defend Screen Passes?

[Roggie]

Just a basic Man 2 Under works.

[Eski33]

Just read the RB. If he rolls into the flat, use the defensive player you control to make the play...I typically use the DE. When I see the RB move to an area where it appears it is going to be a screen, I use the DE to cover him. Two things usually happen...1) The QB hangs onto the ball and gets sacked; 2) He throws it away...

Zone works best....

[mtoo22]

dont like to give up too many secrets. never know who is reading, but a play that zone covers the flats and puts pressure. force the throw to the flat where you are waiting on him to catch it, or you pick it off. Force the throw.

[CenTechsan]

Zone works best, but man can stop it too if you read it early enough. What pisses me off is when I read the screen and fly to the RB, only to have the guy throw to a receiver running through the area my linebacker just vacated. Frustrating.

When I run screens, I usually check out of it if I read zone. I think defense is about confusion and deception. You can show man, and hot route the closest DE to cover the RB. In some obvious screen situations, that's worked well for me. The guy I'm playing thinks its man and then panics when my DE is in that RB's hip pocket. And everybody else is covered as well. Lots of good stuff for the defense in that situation.

[Armor and Sword]

When I am anticipating a screen pass I will call a press cover 2 or 3 and use my best coverage LB to man up on the RB. I will then assign both DE's flat zone coverages. If you guess right you will probably stuff it or get a sack. Guess wrong and it ends up being a running play...your in trouble.

[Hellisan]

I play MLB and I'm typically playing man against that halfback. I cover the play pretty well, in fact, I have more than my fair share of picks against that play. this year they usually don't react well enough to get the pick, they just bat it down.

[Special27K]

Cover 1 --- Hotroute the line to DE contain. You have man coverage and the LB with follow the RB into the flat. You control the LB playing the hook zone and follow the play.

That will put 3 around the play, still possible for the AI defenders to completely get eaten alive by blockers but, you should be there easy if you see it. I don't recommend zone since while players should react to what's unfolding they stay in their zone way to long, the only guy ready to stop it for short or break it up is a defender in the flat.

I don't know how you could read screen pre-snap though really to set up perfectly for it. For me personally I blew up screens (used to I know playerlock on the DE/DT to make it more of a challenge) myself and would yell "Screen!" hoping my defense would react but, they never really respond to it.

[lil_taul]

on 360... press LB and push up on your right analog stick and thats gonna make ur defensive ends contain while ur DTs pass rush. while one of ur ends contain, he will be right in front of the screen