What is the consensus on man coverage in 17

[nightRAMcometh]

Man coverage definitely had a steep learning curve for me. I used to play exclusively as a lineman in defense and my secondary would get chewed up by opposing offense when I ran man coverage to the point that I completely abandoned it for a zone scheme.


However, I now play exclusively as either safety and I've noticed a huge improvement. The CPU doesn't seem to want to throw to the side of the field I'm covering unless I screw up and let someone get behind me on a fly route. So I've effectively shut down one side of the field on any given play. This has been a huge help shutting down deep corner routes, especially those run by opposing tight ends. When the CPU plays as your safety in cover 2 man, they refuse to pick up any deep corner and line backers can't cover most tight ends these days which leaves you vulnerable to big gains. Taking control of your safety in cover 2 man and shutting down those corner routes will help your team out tremendously.

I would say man coverage works fairly well, but it's only worked for me when I play as either safety. Being able to recognize routes and get into position to deter the CPU QB from throwing your way has made man coverage a staple of my defense now. It's so satisfying watching the receiver cut in on the slant, break into the fly route, and you know that after about ten yards he's going to break for the corner, but you're already there.

[ajra21]

playing on all-pro or all-madden, i've found these things work when trying to defend the pass:

1. the play recognition attribute is key.

if your CB has MCV of 85, but PRC of 72, that MCV will play much lower. when you increase your CB coverage skills, you must increase the PRC as well to keep it as close to your MCV & ZCV as you can.

2. be aware of your CB's strengths.

try to bring in CB that match what you wanna play. if you have a bunch of CB with good ZCV, then play more zone. if you guys are better at MCV, play more man.

3. mix up your coverage.

don't play just play man, don't just play zone. generally, i prefer playing man but if i've played a lot of that in the first half, i find that the opposition will start to have success against those same coverages. so i try to play zone (tampa 2 or cover 2 zone) one out of every three or four plays.

4. play more nickel than base and more dime than nickel.

if that team has a good TE, i play more dime than nickel. my 3rd & 4th best CB are better in coverage than my best LB. i don't want the TE being covered by a LB. on many teams, a good TE will be better than the third WR. you don't want to give up a quick pass to the TE. force the QB to throw elsewhere.

if your opponent is running 2 WR sets with a good pass catching TE, play nickel and not base. if they're running 3 WR sets with a good pass catching TE, play dime and not nickel.

5. don't be afraid to sub-out better players for players who are better in coverage.

my best ILB is bowman. he's 91 OVR and really good. but when i play dime, i sub him out for my 77 OVR because he's quicker & better in coverage.

6. if your CB are good at press, use it.

my two main CB are good at press. i use it quite a bit, especially if the QB is under centre. it gives my pass rush an extra second to hit the QB or move him off his spot.

7. get interior pass rush.

for me, this might be the most important. having edge rushers who sack the qb is great but you must have interior pressure. buckner & armstead are the two most important players on my D, even if they're not the highest rated. even if they don't get sacks: they push the pocket, move the QB, make him throw it away, cause him to run outside into my edge rushers.

if people already know this stuff, feel free to tell me to shove it!

[caseyj622]

Quote: Originally Posted by ajra21

playing on all-pro or all-madden, i've found these things work when trying to defend the pass: 1. the play recognition attribute is key. if your CB has MCV of 85, but PRC of 72, that MCV will play much lower. when you increase your CB coverage skills, you must increase the PRC as well to keep it as close to your MCV & ZCV as you can. 2. be aware of your CB's strengths. try to bring in CB that match what you wanna play. if you have a bunch of CB with good ZCV, then play more zone. if you guys are better at MCV, play more man. 3. mix up your coverage. don't play just play man, don't just play zone. generally, i prefer playing man but if i've played a lot of that in the first half, i find that the opposition will start to have success against those same coverages. so i try to play zone (tampa 2 or cover 2 zone) one out of every three or four plays. 4. play more nickel than base and more dime than nickel. if that team has a good TE, i play more dime than nickel. my 3rd & 4th best CB are better in coverage than my best LB. i don't want the TE being covered by a LB. on many teams, a good TE will be better than the third WR. you don't want to give up a quick pass to the TE. force the QB to throw elsewhere. if your opponent is running 2 WR sets with a good pass catching TE, play nickel and not base. if they're running 3 WR sets with a good pass catching TE, play dime and not nickel. 5. don't be afraid to sub-out better players for players who are better in coverage. my best ILB is bowman. he's 91 OVR and really good. but when i play dime, i sub him out for my 77 OVR because he's quicker & better in coverage. 6. if your CB are good at press, use it. my two main CB are good at press. i use it quite a bit, especially if the QB is under centre. it gives my pass rush an extra second to hit the QB or move him off his spot. 7. get interior pass rush. for me, this might be the most important. having edge rushers who sack the qb is great but you must have interior pressure. buckner & armstead are the two most important players on my D, even if they're not the highest rated. even if they don't get sacks: they push the pocket, move the QB, make him throw it away, cause him to run outside into my edge rushers. if people already know this stuff, feel free to tell me to shove it!

I know all this but definitely won't tell you to go shove it. This is one of the most useful posts one can read on getting better on defense. A+ sir.

[xCoachDx]

Quote: Originally Posted by jayb_270

If shading worked id win a lot more games

If they kept the PS2 mechanics of being able to adjust coverage for individual DBs I'd win alot more games too. But that's one of the many great features EA left in the good old days.

[rich8682]

Quote: Originally Posted by xCoachDx

If they kept the PS2 mechanics of being able to adjust coverage for individual DBs I'd win alot more games too. But that's one of the many great features EA left in the good old days.

What mechanics did the ps2 have that we don't have now?

Sent from my SM-G386W using Tapatalk

[SolidSquid]

Quote: Originally Posted by xCoachDx

If they kept the PS2 mechanics of being able to adjust coverage for individual DBs I'd win alot more games too. But that's one of the many great features EA left in the good old days.

They re-added this a couple years ago

[xCoachDx]

Quote: Originally Posted by SolidSquid

They re-added this a couple years ago

You can set one specific DB to inside/outside coverage? Or tight/loose? I've only seen where you can adjust your coverage as a whole.

[badgerpns]

Quote: Originally Posted by xCoachDx

You can set one specific DB to inside/outside coverage? Or tight/loose? I've only seen where you can adjust your coverage as a whole.

Press Y on XB1 (for PS4 it is whatever button is for coverage adjustments)
From there you should be able to press the Icon for the individual RECEIVER you want to adjust coverage on.
Then you can make adjustments with the Right Stick... Up is play off, Down is press, Left is shade left and Right is shade Right (or maybe LT/RT is Inside/Outside, I can't remember at the moment exactly)