Hey Man, you solved this game for me! While I don't use these exact sliders, your idea of using 0 for some of these categories is spot on. Especially the reaction sliders and the pass rush. You nailed it. It plays so well and is VERY challenging on All-Pro. The 0 pass reaction (for both HUM and CPU) is definitely the way to go. There were some plays where I literally had nobody open. I don't think that has ever happened for me on a video football game.
I will post my exact sliders in a bit so you guys can judge for yourself. I've been doing this a long time and this set with this game is the best video football I've ever seen.