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Re: Teach me how to play D.
My apologies for not highlighting perhaps the most important aspect of playing successful D...
DO NOT "B" BUTTON YOUR WAY THROUGH THE PLAY!
Don't chase the ball. I know it sounds foolish to say, but constantly pressing the B button (360) to select the defender closest to the ballcarrier is the best way to allow big plays. Let me explain...
When you, the user, press the B button to change to the defender closest to the ball, you automatically cancel whatever move that AI controlled player was in the middle of performing, and replace it with your controller's current state. Let's say you were a LB on a pass rush and your left stick was down, to the left. Now, when pressing the B button, that defender, say left corner covering a receiver, suddenly stops his momentum and move and replaces it with your left stick down, to the left input. That corner might have had great position to make a tackle, swat the ball down, or pick off the pass. But in your haste, he suddenly jumps the route and runs under the receiver's route away from the play. Nice!
It's doubly bad news because that player's ratings come into play as well. See, his defending skills were at play for the first few moments of the play, but you took him over and replaced his AWR rating with yours. In the blink of an eye, you're attempting to make that player a lot smarter than he was before. But, unlike the AI control, applying his ratings for that play, you wiped them out in favor of making a crushing hit or interception attempt. Unless you're capable of slowing time on every play, and have Bruce Lee speed, you're likely to cause more problems than it's worth to just leave the guy alone.
The real key is to learn to play D using player lock OR just selecting a player pre-snap, stick with him through thick and thin, and when you see an opportunity to make a big hit, force a fumble, etc, take it. But only with that guy. You'll get your chances. Be patient, drop into your zone, man, or rush assignment as drawn, and figure things out.
Then, when you start to get the hang of things, get creative. Rather than blitzing from your OLB position, show blitz, back off into a flat zone, and wait for the swing pass of receiver screen, and blow the guy up. There's nothing more satisfying than reading a play and making the tackle in the backfield. But that joy comes with discipline and the trust for your AI controlled teammates to get things done behind you.
And that's why I choose to play closer to the LOS. Playing safety is risky because one false step can cost your team 6, whereas you're mistakes up front aren't usually as costly, but do result in better big play tackle opportunities.
Lastly, remember that button mashing can be exciting, but the play results are wildly different depending on the play type. On jump balls or deep sideline routes, it might be tempting to hit B to be the safety and run over to intercept a pass, but that takes skill and should be practiced first. Like I said in my earlier post, defense is more a reaction game than strategic, so don't think you can outsmart your opponent. Simply focus on your key area, be responsible for it, and make big plays when you see them.
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06-29-2011, 01:43 PM
