Down and distance defense help

[Kevin McKoy]

Hi guys, this area of the game and football in general I have always struggled with. Particularly against passing sets with 3 receivers or more but in general i suppose.

What are good coverage's to play on 1st and 10, 2 and 10, 3 and 10, 2nd and 5, and 3 and 5.

Also i try to man up and then people start using bunch formations, what are good zone coverages to go to in these situations.

Any help you guys can give would be great!

[LordHorc]

It depends on what game mode you are doing. In my CFM, i focus solely on man coverage for my CBs so they can do man effectively on practically any offensive formation. In my opinion, this opens up a lot of options for blitzing or just leaving 2 men deep. doing cover 3 when its 3rd and long always helps though. I also like to occasionally send in blitz, but use them sparingly. I find if I dont blitz for a while, then blitz on 3rd and long, i tend to force a sack/incompletion/pick.

Just try to mix things up because it's a bad idea to consistently do the same. For me on passing downs, i alternate between Cover 2, man-man blitz, and cover 3

[Kevin McKoy]

Thanks Lord appreciate the response, I primarily play people online,so not sure how that would change things, but yeah. lol

[Rezzo503]

*1st and 10*


Use simple concepts, because your opponent can really do anything. Try not to bring more than 5 IF and WHEN you blitz. If your opponent likes to run, then bring a LB or Safety into the box by manually moving him before the play. (Do not hot route his assignment). This will put him in better position to make the play, but if its a pass... still be able to give some type of coverage and delay the QB.


Good plays to use are, Cover 2 Man/Zone Concepts. Or Cover 3. Try to move LB's/Safeties around pre snap to give different looks, blitzing them every now and then. its a simple Blitz concept...but effective and one you can start with. Then you can catch them off guard with a 6 man blitz and get a sack.


Also its good to Hot route your LBs in HOOK ZONEs, even if they are already in a Yellow zone... REDO it, and move them where you want. Maybe abit CLOSER to the Bunch formations. Or you can even do the same thing with the CBs. TAKE CONTROL of your defense.




*2nd and 10*


Pretty much the same as 1st and 10, but obviously they might be more aggressive... so look out for Sweeps/Tosses/Screens. But defensively.. KEEP SHAPE. Cover 2 Man/Zone, Cover 3s... Move guys around. RE HOT Route them into Hook zones/ Blitz LBs/Fake Blitz. Etc.


This is where you have to try and do a lil guess work, without sacrificing the big play.




*3rd and 10*


They have to go for the first down in 1 or 2 plays (Online players...) So you know there going to pass most likely. A HUGE tip is to hit L2/Left Trigger And hit Up On the Dpad to make your defense PREPARE for the pass play. They wont fall for play action BS, and your Dline will go for Pass rush moves instead of Holding for the run possibility. Also This is the BEST time to call a Blitz. Especially a Zone Blitz.


Zone Blitz Can take some time to read, (Especially if you Re hot out some guys) And since they need 10 Yards, look for the QB drop step. If he does a 3 step drop, its a quick pass/Slant type of play. Also WATCH THE SCREEN. Go to control A LB on Third down... Roam the Middle of the field.







*2 and 5* Pretty much watch out for the slants or quick run. But this is a bad spot to be in. Basically... just don't give up a big play. Keep a couple safeties back, and try to get creative. Im sure there is PLENTY of opinion on this one.




*3rd and 5*


If they are in a pass formation... Blitz. Really all you can do. Try and remember their favorite routes. And jus hot route a few Zone guys there. Or If they like passing to a certain receiver... blitz the Other CB, and Throw an extra Zone on the strong side...it will give the extra time for the CB to get pressure.




I could type all day about this and have conversation about it...


there really is no PERFECT way, but just certain things that defenses keep in mind when calling plays.




But the best advice I can give is... ALWAYS HAVE at LEAST 2 safeties back there. Until you get more comfortable calling defenses and hot routing your own defensive calls


Also On 3rd down, Hitting LEFT TRIGGER/L2 Plus UP for Pass Prediction... is a great tool to help your CPU guys out. lol IT MIGHT Be, Left stick UP, or Right Stick UP... Cant Remember. But Its after you hit L2/Left Trigger.


Sorry I was just kinda rambling on...snowed here over here. lol

[Kevin McKoy]

Thanks for the response, i think this will help me a lot! Yeah I love football and could talk about it all day also, always trying to learn more about the game, especially with all these new offenses like the pistol and spread option etc.

[LordHorc]

Oh, since you play online, I would recommend not blitzing as much as you would if you were facing the CPU. (It's pretty easy for a player to avoid a blitz and get a big gain, unless you know that theyre doing a play that takes a while to develop. But youll still be better off not blitzing vs ppl online)

Rezzo gave a lot of good advice. My biggest thing is if theyre a running team, don't necessarily stack the box. Almost everyone runs outside, so us the line adjustments to either "crash outside" or if theyre stacked on one side, crash that direction. I found thats the only way I can stop the run for negative yards without blitzing and leaving myself valurable. But if you crash outside and they pass, be ready for a qb up the middle (cause there will be a giant gap)

Also, i need to test it more, but "crash middle" seems to give me more pressure against the QB with a basic 4 man rush. that may be just me, but experiment with the different audibles. (This is if you press LB, not LT. LT is a guess play, and if u guess wrong, its a TD)

[Kevin McKoy]

Appreciate the advice from you also Lord, after the last game i played, against a guy that used the chiefs, he used the ace formation ran the stretch all game, no stopping it, i played under defense to only leave two gaps, plus 8 in the box, nothing but positive yards.

He came out of the pistol and ran the counter over and over again also, the defense looked more helpless than a pop warner squad. I think i may be done for the year after that one. You know something is wrong when it is harder to stop the run than it is the pass.