Bump-and-Run coverage

[RamsCanes]

Does anyone think that EA needs to seriously rework bump-and-run coverage (and man coverage in general) for NCAA 2005? The way B+R works now is the cornerback lines up directly in front of the receiver, the receiver takes a few steps forward after the snap and about 4-yards down the field kind of gets tangled up with the corner. The receiver fakes to either side a couple times and continues on his route. This is in NO way realistic at all.

There is two things wrong with this. First of all, in the NCAA a corner is only allowed to bump the receiver for one yard. And second of all the technique used by the corners on NCAA 2004 is completly wrong.

The way a corner is taught to play B+R coverage in real life is to shade the receiver to the inside, push him towards the sideline and then follow slightly behind him and to the inside.

And regular man coverage needs to be improved as well. On NCAA 2004 the corners leave their backpedal way too early and end up facing away from the reciever while the receiver is still running the stem of his route. Then they turn and run behind the receiver the rest of the way.

A cornerback playing man-to-man coverage will ALWAYS play an inside or outside shade. He should only leave his backpedal when his cushion is broken, he has read the route or reads run or the ball is in the air.

I think it is WAY too easy to exploit man coverage on this game. If your team has shutdown corners they should be able to stay with the receivers stride-for-stride 80% of the time.

[rns]

Yeah, I agree. Offensively, I'd swear most of the time when the bump and run works on me it's pass interference. Defensively, I don't call man defense plays unless I want to take a "risk", because so many times their receiver just loses them pretty quick and gets open even if I have a very talented secondary.

Double coverage isn't as effective as it should be too. I'd like to call it more but much of the time the DB's don't work together and they both end up getting beat trailing the receiver.

[cliburn]

Agreed. The offensive line play is even less realistic though. From a former center/noseguard, the way the offensive lines play in this game sickens me. A perfectly blocked trap or counter is like poetry in motion, but we never get to see it in this game. My old OL coach would have a coronary if he saw this stuff. That said, it's still the best game to date, but this is definately on my wish list for next year.

[jt533]

I so agree on both. It pisses me off to all hell when you have a lineman pulling and you are right behind him with one man to beat and the lineman doesn't go out and pursue the block he pretty much slows down and stops unless the defensive player runs into him. Usually it is a corner back adn the lineman should be looking to blow him up!