I'm Giving Up On 4-Verticals & Zone Coverage Setting Issue

[Art01]

I played a Coach Game with Indiana (me) vs Georgia Tech. Teams were evenly matched by ratings. I used Rosters I had adjusted in the Generic Editor to Max out AWR and PRC for CB, FS, SS. I also gave SPD, MCV and ZCV boosts of +10 to CB, FS, SS. I had set CDTY to 49.

Playing as Indiana, I repeatedly threw 4-verticals. I completed about 2/3 of them. For all but one completion, when I switched sides to check the GT Defensive Status, the Zone Coverage was set to Conservative. I watched replays of every completion and some of the incompletions, plus one interception. I saw good coverage and bad coverage on Conservative.

I am now convinced that 4-verticals is simply too effective as a play, regardless of what the Defensive ZC setting is. I agree that it is worse when ZC is Aggressive, but the issue is by no means limited to Aggressive ZC.

So, I am going to quit trying to solve this issue. Instead, I am going to use the editor to try to improve overall game play. I'll simply limit my 4-verticals calls to desperate situations. if I use it at all.

More later....

[soonerfan1966]

you could just make a custom playbook and delete the play entirely or just from a few formations

[Matt10]

you'd have to remove it from all playbooks for each team. because it happens to you as well.

[soonerfan1966]

might just be easier to make your own custom playbooks, then assign them to the teams when you play them or does it just happen with a certain defense or certain defensive play

[Art01]

Interestingly enough, I have not noticed the CPU's use of this play against me - even when I have played in Heisman and have a had a late lead in a close game.

4-Verticals is the most aggregious example of overly-effective deep plays, but there are several others which can also be completed too easily against non-reacting CBs and Safeties - one example is Tight End Attack, found in some Pistol sets - probably any pass play with multiple receivers going deep on one side of the field.

I might decide to tinker with Receiver Speed settings, just to see what the impact would be on the deep routes and the defenders' chances of recovering from wrong moves. The goal would be to balance chances of completion in appropriate situations.

[soonerfan1966]

might there be a team defensive setting that is overriding the coaches defensive setting or maybe the playart doesnt match the actual defensive call

[CM Hooe]

The problem isn't so much the play itself; four verticals by design is effective against Cover 2 and Cover 3, as someone is going to break open because there aren't enough deep defenders. There's a ton of pressure on the free safety in the Cover 3 in particular against four verticals as he has to pick between two receivers which one to cover, which means the quarterback is throwing to whichever side he doesn't go to.

To defend four verticals properly, one should be running Cover 4 (one deep defender for each deep receiver) or a 2-Man Under concept (one man on each receiver, two deep safeties). The former coverage will dictate that the quarterback throw to an underneath receiver or scramble. The latter will dictate that the passer scramble or throw to one of the two outside receivers; this is a very hard throw to make.

From my previous experience with the game, the issue is that the CPU doesn't adapt if one keeps attacking deep, and is content to stay in a Cover 3 most of the time. I'm not sure I've ever seen the CPU call a Cover 4.

[Art01]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

The problem isn't so much the play itself; four verticals by design is effective against Cover 2 and Cover 3, as someone is going to break open because there aren't enough deep defenders. There's a ton of pressure on the free safety in the Cover 3 in particular against four verticals as he has to pick between two receivers which one to cover, which means the quarterback is throwing to whichever side he doesn't go to. To defend four verticals properly, one should be running Cover 4 (one deep defender for each deep receiver) or a 2-Man Under concept (one man on each receiver, two deep safeties). The former coverage will dictate that the quarterback throw to an underneath receiver or scramble. The latter will dictate that the passer scramble or throw to one of the two outside receivers; this is a very hard throw to make. From my previous experience with the game, the issue is that the CPU doesn't adapt if one keeps attacking deep, and is content to stay in a Cover 3 most of the time. I'm not sure I've ever seen the CPU call a Cover 4.

I agree with your observations. I have run 4-verticals in Practice Mode against various defenses. I observed exactly the same results you mentioned, as related to Cover 2, Cover 3 and Cover 4, 2 Man Under, and other defenses which brought pressure and used Man coverage.

There are no in-game adjustments during Practice, so we can't test the impact from the CPU changing strategies, such as going to Aggressive Zone Coverage. But, from observing CB and Safety reactions when in Zone Coverage during Practice versus during game play, I believe that, during game play, when the CPU switches Zone Coverage to Aggressive, DBs do two things differently: (1) they make an initial move toward the middle, or toward the LOS and (2) they hesitate to pick up a receiver until that receiver has run past them on streak routes, then they chase but cannot catch up, unless the receiver is slow.