Pass Read Coverage

[KingV2k3]

LAST year I was TOO good at passing the rock and THIS year I'm ending up with slightly less than 50% completion...

I'm currently using the Packers (wanted to try a team with a strong O and weak D to further slider tweaks ect)...

I'm suspect that my passing difficulty is a combination of a few things...

I'm still working on 'touch'...

But I'm also thinking that the CPU coverage is harder to read...

Anyone have any pass read coverage hints or tips?

I'm very aware of the basics...man vs. zone...reading 'backers and safeties...using motion...but...

Any passing tips in general?...

Thanks...

[Kelvarr]

Just like in real football, sometimes you have to throw to a guy when he is covered, knowing that he will be open. It is kind of hard to describe, but I can tell (sometimes, not all the time) that a receiver is going to be open in about 3 steps when he is covered at the time. The result? Generally a big play of 35+ yards, sometimes farther.

It also helps to throw just after you plant your feet from your drop. Staying in the pocket and actually moving up in the pocket instead of out if you are feeling pressure helps.

Turn on Maximum Passing and find out how much you need to lead them, and what kind of pass to throw. Sometimes a bullet is better, sometimes a lob, sometimes something inbetween is best.

Make notes of where the safeties are and what their first step is. Also try to identify zone or man coverage. Look for mismatches (OLB on 3rd WR).

One last thing you may want to try is the coverage slider. This governs how close the DB's stay to the WR and how easily they can knock the WR off his route with contact.

[auburn34]

It's really going to depend on several things. First, what level (or slider settings) are you using when you play. As a point of reference, I am using Dan's V. 4 sliders which are somewhere between an All-Pro and Legend difficulty. Second, are you usually going for long/lower percentage passes or do you try to dump it to a RB sometimes? In week 10 of my franchise, I have completed 63% of my passes with 18 TD and 7 INT's. As the other poster noted, you do have to have the right touch on your passes and be able to read the coverage to find the open man to complete a high percentage. It does take some practice. I played all 4 of my preseason games before my season and was not as successful in those games. Try Dan's sliders and keep working at it. You'll get better.

[jbprice20]

Quote: Originally Posted by KingV2k3

LAST year I was TOO good at passing the rock and THIS year I'm ending up with slightly less than 50% completion... I'm currently using the Packers (wanted to try a team with a strong O and weak D to further slider tweaks ect)... I'm suspect that my passing difficulty is a combination of a few things... I'm still working on 'touch'... But I'm also thinking that the CPU coverage is harder to read... Anyone have any pass read coverage hints or tips? I'm very aware of the basics...man vs. zone...reading 'backers and safeties...using motion...but... Any passing tips in general?... Thanks...

high percentage rates are often the product of a good number of 'dump offs'. i often 'speed out' my rb if he's running a screwy route (not a big fan of 'circles' or 'curls' for the rb) just to give me another outlet if the play gets bottled up.

in a 3 or 4 wr/te set, you should really have one or two of those routes crossed off by the time you snap the ball. either by just the coverage shown or sending a guy in motion to try to figure out the coverages, there are going to be a couple guys whose routes will put them into the teeth of the coverage. forget about those guys, designate a primary on your initial read, move to two then maybe three if you don't smell a blitz and then dump off, take off, or throw away to avoid the sack.

the computer learns your tendencies REAL quick this year. i've had great first drives, mediocre second drives, then problems until the second half unless i get turnovers. that's been my mo for the last few weeks. not only will the computer learn your run/pass tendencies, it'll learn what routes you like to run and what receivers you're throwing too. at least it seems that way to me.

don't be afraid to air it out every once in a while, especially to an elite receiver/poor cb mismatch, even when it seem like your guy is covered. you'll be surprised how many 'leap balls' your good wr's will come down with.

[BADITUDE]

The defenses ARE much more disguised in this year's game. I made the following article on reading zone defenses for the 2k4 version. http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~nfl2kx/zone_guide.php You can still sometimes make an educated guess what the defensive coverage will be pre-snap with this game, but often times you will guess wrong. I will often try to call plays that will have patterns that will attack both a Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone, and then closely watch the safeties' movements after the snap to know which receiver should be open. You may need to hot route a receiver or use motion to do this. You might be surprised to know that by motioning a receiver to the other side of the field will allow that receiver to exploit a different area of a zone than what the original route would have.

Like others have already said, certain passes require "touch". Only experimenting in practice mode can help you figure out the finesse part of passing, but I know it can improve your results. If you are not already using it, utilize Maximum Passing. Sometime that is the only way to complete a pass in a tight coverage.

[ADW]

Basically you have to recognize the various pre-snap looks of the secondary and then get familar with the possible coverages they can play from that look. For example the two safeties may show a pre-snap look of cover 2 but from that look either safety could rotate to the deep middle into a cover 1 or 3, they could rotate down into the key zone, they could go with cover 2 zone or man, and they could also blitz with man coverage. You must understand your passing plays and what routes will be more successful against various coverage concepts.

Making the proper reads requires you to process lots of information quickly and correctly. When I see one safety rotate to the deep middle of the field, I instantly know I have one on one matchups on the outside. Another tip for passing is you may want to think about allowing your quarterback to automatically drop in the pocket on his on. This will allow you ample time to read the coverage and not have to worry about carrying out the correct number of steps required in the quarterback's drop. I use Maximum Passing and press the catch button to increase my receiver's chance of catching the pass.

[KingV2k3]

What great posts guys...every one of them has something of value to offer...sombody should 'sticky' this thread...well written and succinct responses...thanks to all...I'll be in practice mode employing (and enjoying) ALL these reccomendations....

[KingV2k3]

Quote: Originally Posted by jbprice20

high percentage rates are often the product of a good number of 'dump offs'. i often 'speed out' my rb if he's running a screwy route (not a big fan of 'circles' or 'curls' for the rb) just to give me another outlet if the play gets bottled up. in a 3 or 4 wr/te set, you should really have one or two of those routes crossed off by the time you snap the ball. either by just the coverage shown or sending a guy in motion to try to figure out the coverages, there are going to be a couple guys whose routes will put them into the teeth of the coverage. forget about those guys, designate a primary on your initial read, move to two then maybe three if you don't smell a blitz and then dump off, take off, or throw away to avoid the sack. the computer learns your tendencies REAL quick this year. i've had great first drives, mediocre second drives, then problems until the second half unless i get turnovers. that's been my mo for the last few weeks. not only will the computer learn your run/pass tendencies, it'll learn what routes you like to run and what receivers you're throwing too. at least it seems that way to me. don't be afraid to air it out every once in a while, especially to an elite receiver/poor cb mismatch, even when it seem like your guy is covered. you'll be surprised how many 'leap balls' your good wr's will come down with.

I've noticed an appreciable boost in CPU D abilites in the second quarter...if I come out hot on the first drive it's all downhill until the second half...I use the run to set up the pass and it get's a bit easier as the game wears on...

But I've had runs of 5 incomplets and/ or drops in the second Q...

Interesting overall AI for the CPU D....