What's the best way to slow down a great player who uses Oakland?

[Claymaker52]

I would recommend pressing and blitzing a lot. Their WR's although fast are not that great at beating the press, which should allow the blitz enough time to get there. Try using the Packers, their CB's are great at pressing and they have some good pass rushers. To counter the speed of the Raider WR's start Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, and use Woodson either at SS or nickelback. In my expierience most guys put their fastest WR in the slot when using the Raiders. Eventhough Woody is not that fast he has great press which counteracts the speed of the WR, and also have a MLB play middle zone, so if and when the WR beats Woody off the line he's not running free in the open field. For instance the 2 man under works great against them. Also mix in some zone as well, such as the cover 3 press. Oh and call a slot double team as well. Woodson, and Nick Collins, would have the potential to shut down everything your opponent likes to do on offense. Zone blitzes work great against them too.

[TNT713]

Quote: Originally Posted by JimboJolley20

That team is all about speed, and being that I play with the Colts, I can't hope to match them in this regard. In general, I try to keep at least one safety deep to counter the deep throw, but my defenders are helpless on routes across the middle simply due to the speed difference. Playing zone will get my already abysmal run defense lit up if they hand it off generally (tosses and sweeps galore). I try to help across the middle with a middle linebacker in a hook zone (yellow), and for the most part, I can shut down a dig or a drag route, but what they usually do is they have TWO digs/in routes going in opposite directions. If I shut down one, they throw it to the other because my AI-controlled teammates can't hope to cover them. And then when I'm on offense, the pass rush gets to me because they have so many shutdown corners. Their linebackers are fast too, so Dallas Clark isn't much of a mismatch anymore. Any general advice for playing the Raiders?

The Raiders give me some trouble as well due to their speed... The scheme that uses toss/pitch plays along with passes to the middle is effective because it flips convention. Pass plays are the short controlled gains while the run sets up the big hitter.

I have the most success when I move defenders with motion. Whether I'm using motion to check coverage or clear a side, motion causes defenders to move. From there I run to the same areas, but I switch the blocking between Iso, Zone, and Power plays. It eats clock, keeps his offense off the field, wears down the defense, and makes the defensive speed less of a factor.

On defense, I use tons of man coverage early on to see where my opponent goes with the ball. Then I use formation, and assignments to take away the areas my opponent like to throw to see where he goes when his 1st read isn't there. Eventually by the 2nd half I have a grip on my opponent's basic strategy and how to defeat it.

I still get beat with drags, but they usually only go for 3-5 yards. If I can limit my opponent to short gains, he'll have to either be patient or take a chance on a big play.

To win, you have to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. On poorly thrown balls, go for the INT instead of the swat.

On outside runs, you can play zone but you must flow well... Don't attack the LOS from zone plays. Instead flow sideline to sideline to force the runner inside. Never let him have the edge. Mix Contain assignments with defenders covering the flats (I like sending a safety to the flat with a DE in contain).

You're still going to give up drag routes, but a spying defender will delay them until the receiver crosses the middle of the field giving you a chance to get to the other side or for pressure to get to the passer. But giving up 2-4 yards on a drag is better than 50 on a streak. If the offense isn't patient, more plays = more chances for offensive mistakes.

When they run the double drags (aka Mesh) you must also look for the deep route that compliments them. If you take the mesh away, the deep route can still get you.

BLITZ THE A-GAP - I know that nanos are not popular in the OS community, but ignoring the A-gap as a defender because of an invalid perception of fairness (yes, I said it) is a recipe for disaster. YOU MUST NANO to truly disrupt the Mesh play. Most of the folks running the mesh do so because it gets the ball out quickly. Blitzing the A-gap may not sack the QB, but it will set his internal clock to get rid of the ball FAST - then you can bait him into a quick throw when you're not sending heat.

Hope this helps...

Later

[adembroski]

Simple Answer: Pressure, Pressure, Pressure. It doesn't matter how fast their receivers are if the QB is on his back. Even not getting to him, you can produce bad passes into zone coverage that are prone to getting picked off.

If your opponent is particularly smart, he can do some things to off-set the blitz and burn you, so try to get pressure from your front four. The Raiders offensive line is not particularly good, and you have an elite pass rusher... use the "Pass" defensive line adjustment liberally. Try not to send more than four out of the 4-3 more than 15% of the time- but you must get pressure.

[Defensive_Guru]

The best way to beat any team in the game is to know who you are playing against. I watch a lot of football so I usually have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of most of the teams I end up playing against.

1. First off, Jason Campbell has never been that great of a QB. The guy may have an arm on him but if you can get to him with the blitz he's useless.

2. Keep an eye on passes to Darren McFadden in the flats. Bait your opponent into throwing passes in the flats by using corner and outside blitzes. While doing this you want to assign linebackers or defensive lineman to cover the flat. If I don't have a fast enough guy to consistently get out there to the flat I'll use the sub LB pass rush option with the defensive formation that I'm using. Using a 3-4 with the Cowboys I end up having to do this from time to time because I end up with Igor and Spears on the outside as my DEs.

3. Press their wideouts. They have speed but they aren't the greatest at beating press coverage. They're not that great of a receiving corps in general so you shouldn't be too scared of them. The key is to keep the pressure on Campbell or whoever they guy starts as his QB as much as possible.

4. If you run man coverages do not use man lock. That way if the QB throws to an area of the field that one of your other defenders is near they'll jump the routes and help out rather than just keying on the player they're defending. Couple that with blitzes and you're going to get a lot of ints in your favor against Campbell.

5. If you're up against a guy who likes to try and scramble with Jason Campbell you assign linemen or linebackers to play spy. I'd say roughly 8 to 9 out of the 10 people you see trying to scramble are only focused on scrambling for the sake of yards rather than scrambling to set up for a pass downfield. You catch them off guard with spy coverage and they more than likely to end up chucking the ball up in the air for a turnover.

Never feel intimidated when playing against any team in Madden. Every team that you go up against will have its strengths and their weaknesses. You just have to make sure that you're playing your team's strengths in the meantime.

[Tyrant8RDFL]

Quote: Originally Posted by Defensive_Guru

The best way to beat any team in the game is to know who you are playing against. I watch a lot of football so I usually have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of most of the teams I end up playing against. 1. First off, Jason Campbell has never been that great of a QB. The guy may have an arm on him but if you can get to him with the blitz he's useless. 2. Keep an eye on passes to Darren McFadden in the flats. Bait your opponent into throwing passes in the flats by using corner and outside blitzes. While doing this you want to assign linebackers or defensive lineman to cover the flat. If I don't have a fast enough guy to consistently get out there to the flat I'll use the sub LB pass rush option with the defensive formation that I'm using. Using a 3-4 with the Cowboys I end up having to do this from time to time because I end up with Igor and Spears on the outside as my DEs. 3. Press their wideouts. They have speed but they aren't the greatest at beating press coverage. They're not that great of a receiving corps in general so you shouldn't be too scared of them. The key is to keep the pressure on Campbell or whoever they guy starts as his QB as much as possible. 4. If you run man coverages do not use man lock. That way if the QB throws to an area of the field that one of your other defenders is near they'll jump the routes and help out rather than just keying on the player they're defending. Couple that with blitzes and you're going to get a lot of ints in your favor against Campbell. 5. If you're up against a guy who likes to try and scramble with Jason Campbell you assign linemen or linebackers to play spy. I'd say roughly 8 to 9 out of the 10 people you see trying to scramble are only focused on scrambling for the sake of yards rather than scrambling to set up for a pass downfield. You catch them off guard with spy coverage and they more than likely to end up chucking the ball up in the air for a turnover. Never feel intimidated when playing against any team in Madden. Every team that you go up against will have its strengths and their weaknesses. You just have to make sure that you're playing your team's strengths in the meantime.

To add to this. KILL THE CLOCK!!! When you have the ball on offense snap the ball anytime under 10 seconds. This tactic helps a ton. Limit your opponents touches on offense.

Now one thing about jamming the wr's. Make sure he does not notice this and keep the backs in the backfield to block, because if he does then once those receivers release they will scortch you.

I know I use the Raiders in my online franchise, and when I see press coverage I adjust my blocking. I know that most times when players jam your wr's a blitz is coming, and I kill them.

Raiders are tough in the game to play, but trust me kill that clock.