Defending the Pass

[sportsfreaklgg]

I've had a really hard time calling the right plays to stop the pass. Against players AND against the CPU it seems like I've tried everything but I just get shelled by my opponents QB.

For instance online today my opponent was the vikings, not exactly a passing juggernaut, but he went like 17/20 with Favre for 2 TD's and no picks.

I've tried Man, Cover 2, Cover 3, Zone Blitzes, Blitzes...EVERYTHING!!!

The problem isn't necessarily getting pressure...I can do that fine with a decent DE or a blitz. It's just that my coverages seem to be terrible. When I play zone, my DB's/Linebackers aren't in the right positions and even with a decent team like the Redskins, my man coverage gets beat easily by like a Slant or a Drag.

I would appreciate some advice please.

[rjsuperfly66]

Re: Defending the Pass

I run a man usually, but I control the safety and use him to try to prevent open passes across the middle of the field.

Occasionally on long passing downs I'll run the cover 2 / cover 3 zone because they will usually pass into the flats or for 5 yards on a comeback route and you can stop them short of the 1st down line.

[sportsfreaklgg]

Re: Defending the Pass

I run a man usually, but I control the safety and use him to try to prevent open passes across the middle of the field.

Occasionally on long passing downs I'll run the cover 2 / cover 3 zone because they will usually pass into the flats or for 5 yards on a comeback route and you can stop them short of the 1st down line.

Hmm...is there a way to be effective without usering a guy in coverage though? It seems like its hard to manually deflect passes in this game.

[steveo]

Re: Defending the Pass

Against the cpu I run a cover 2 man scheme 90% of the time. I would love to blitz more but I find that most of the time the cpu OL magically picks up my blitz no matter how many guys I send.

Cover 2 zone or other zone formations usually are great for me IF I get pressure. If not then it is like real life with the Colts where I'll be passed on all day. Sadly of course in the game the pressure is a bit of a mixed bag so these are risky to do vs the cpu.

I do not play against other people because my opinion is that sports games just have too many AI issues and that is what people will just exploit against each other and to me that is no fun. A full user 11-11 mode would be pretty rad since it would actually be determined by what each person is doing.

Against the CPU I'd suggest you tweak the sliders if you aren't using one of the better sets that have been posted. Chances are your playcalls are fine but the game's AI feels you should not be allowed to stop any pass plays. Naturally of course when online you do not get to change sliders and you are just dealing with this AI issue.

[celg35]

Re: Defending the Pass

i run a corner blitz and then the next play audible to a cover 2. i usually can get at least 2 picks a game on line

[bigal093]

Re: Defending the Pass

GET PRESSURE!!!! by sending the least amount of guys you can to get to the QB. even if thats six
<script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

[sportsfreaklgg]

Re: Defending the Pass

Against the cpu I run a cover 2 man scheme 90% of the time. I would love to blitz more but I find that most of the time the cpu OL magically picks up my blitz no matter how many guys I send.

Cover 2 zone or other zone formations usually are great for me IF I get pressure. If not then it is like real life with the Colts where I'll be passed on all day. Sadly of course in the game the pressure is a bit of a mixed bag so these are risky to do vs the cpu.

I do not play against other people because my opinion is that sports games just have too many AI issues and that is what people will just exploit against each other and to me that is no fun. A full user 11-11 mode would be pretty rad since it would actually be determined by what each person is doing.

Against the CPU I'd suggest you tweak the sliders if you aren't using one of the better sets that have been posted. Chances are your playcalls are fine but the game's AI feels you should not be allowed to stop any pass plays. Naturally of course when online you do not get to change sliders and you are just dealing with this AI issue.

Yeah I really want to avoid messing with sliders because I feel like I don't want to alter the game out of its natural state....you know what I mean?

Maybe a Cover 2 Man scheme is what would work...I don't know about running it 90% of the time though, lol.

BTW yes a full 11 vs. 11 mode would be awesome, the problem is that a lot of players wouldn't want to be lineman and everyone would want certain positions . Perhaps it should cycle players so people get to play a different position each time, and then it tracks your stats for each position u have played...so there's your CB stats and your MLB stats. But that's a diff topic, heh.

[bigal093]

Re: Defending the Pass

Yeah I really want to avoid messing with sliders because I feel like I don't want to alter the game out of its natural state....you know what I mean?

Maybe a Cover 2 Man scheme is what would work...I don't know about running it 90% of the time though, lol.

BTW yes a full 11 vs. 11 mode would be awesome, the problem is that a lot of players wouldn't want to be lineman and everyone would want certain positions . Perhaps it should cycle players so people get to play a different position each time, and then it tracks your stats for each position u have played...so there's your CB stats and your MLB stats. But that's a diff topic, heh.

they could just exit the screen if their position isn't available. i'd be kicker :wink: lol. that wouldn't be bad if you could be another position too.

EDIT: wait no, punter
<script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.coolchaser.com/javascripts/freecause.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

[Radioactiveman]

Re: Defending the Pass

I've had a really hard time calling the right plays to stop the pass. Against players AND against the CPU it seems like I've tried everything but I just get shelled by my opponents QB.

For instance online today my opponent was the vikings, not exactly a passing juggernaut, but he went like 17/20 with Favre for 2 TD's and no picks.

I've tried Man, Cover 2, Cover 3, Zone Blitzes, Blitzes...EVERYTHING!!!

The problem isn't necessarily getting pressure...I can do that fine with a decent DE or a blitz. It's just that my coverages seem to be terrible. When I play zone, my DB's/Linebackers aren't in the right positions and even with a decent team like the Redskins, my man coverage gets beat easily by like a Slant or a Drag.

I would appreciate some advice please.

Defending the pass is nearly impossible simply because you have no control of the guy you're manually controlling and the DB AI is questionable at best. You can't physically control a DB, LB or Safety and, with the sticks (joysticks), take away a reciever or even defend a pass with that guy. The control just isn't there and the player controled guy just doesn't respond to "swat pass" or "catch" when you push the button. And forgot about switching to a cpu controled DB and trying to make that play on the ball cuz it ain't happening. I've found that if the other QB is half way decent (and the cpu usually is), you're toast. Sorry bro, maybe next year. It took me about two days of playing this game to finaly give up on it for that very reason.

[erickonasis]

Re: Defending the Pass

defending the pass is far easier than it was in 09

[bigD_916]

Re: Defending the Pass

Yeah im sick of cheesers running 5 Wideouts on me and not being able to stop em. Ive blitzed, and tried cover 3/2. Blitzes generally workout better because it forces the QB to make a quick read, but you can also get burned pretty bad that way.

[sportsfreaklgg]

Re: Defending the Pass

Defending the pass is nearly impossible simply because you have no control of the guy you're manually controlling and the DB AI is questionable at best. You can't physically control a DB, LB or Safety and, with the sticks (joysticks), take away a reciever or even defend a pass with that guy. The control just isn't there and the player controled guy just doesn't respond to "swat pass" or "catch" when you push the button. And forgot about switching to a cpu controled DB and trying to make that play on the ball cuz it ain't happening. I've found that if the other QB is half way decent (and the cpu usually is), you're toast. Sorry bro, maybe next year. It took me about two days of playing this game to finaly give up on it for that very reason.

This is sad but true and I hope that the DB AI gets patched as that would make gameplay 100X better. Manually controlling defenders is simply out of the question as the controls really aren't built for that type of control, and in many cases the user will make just as many mistakes as the CPU does if not more.

Honestly, I didn't realize how bad DB AI was until I started looking at replays. I'm 17 years old and I could defend passes better than some of these guys.

[Radioactiveman]

Re: Defending the Pass

This is sad but true and I hope that the DB AI gets patched as that would make gameplay 100X better. Manually controlling defenders is simply out of the question as the controls really aren't built for that type of control, and in many cases the user will make just as many mistakes as the CPU does if not more.

Honestly, I didn't realize how bad DB AI was until I started looking at replays. I'm 17 years old and I could defend passes better than some of these guys.

It's crazy, you're 17 and you get it. EA has been making Madden games since before you were born and they don't get it. It's very frustrating and discouraging for anyone who loves football and football video games to see so much potential wasted year in and year out simply because EA chooses to focus on the wrong stuff.

[sportsfreaklgg]

Re: Defending the Pass

It's crazy, you're 17 and you get it. EA has been making Madden games since before you were born and they don't get it. It's very frustrating and discouraging for anyone who loves football and football video games to see so much potential wasted year in and year out simply because EA chooses to focus on the wrong stuff.

Lol, I am gonna play with some sliders and see if I can get realistic pass defense.

The problems can essentially be broken down into Man Coverage glitches and Zone coverage Glitches.

The man coverage glitches seem to happen most often on short routes such as slants and drags, and some short "ins." What happens with these routes is that the WR makes the cut, and the DB simply DOESN'T react for an abnormal amount of time. He just stands there for a brief moment.

I understand there is a difference between getting beat and glitching. Corners get beat by slants all the time, but for REAL reasons, such as not being quick enough, getting beat off a press, etc. But they won't get beat because they saw some shiny penny on the ground and decided to take a moment to stare at it.

Next time someone gets beat by a slant or something like that, check it out. This isn't the case all the time but a lot of the time right as the WR makes the cut the DB just stands there for a split second.

Zone Coverage Glitches are a little more complicated, but players simply don't play their zones logically. Now I understand sometimes players have mental lapses in coverage, but this is SO consistent, and even frequently happens to high rated DB's.

There are varied glitches in zone coverage. Line backers who play their yellow hook zones aren't aggressive enough to any intruders in their zone. So if a runningback runs a curl route to the middle of the field for example, and just stands their at the end of their curl route facing the QB for 3 seconds, the linebackers STILL won't play the RB tight at all, and let him catch the ball for an easy money play.

There is of course the "flats" problem where linebackers don't get out quick enough, but I suspect that will be fixed.

There are also various other instances with DB's where they just don't react properly to intruders in their zone. Sometimes when the ball is thrown they run AWAY from the ball. YES, I mean that, AWAY from the ball. It has happened to me, and it happens to everyone, they just don't realize it all the time.

Then there are instances where the ball just goes through a DB's arm...etc.

CHECK YOUR REPLAYS WHENEVER THE CPU COMPLETES A PASS.


At least 40% of the time it is for a BS reason. I have no problem getting my *** kicked, as long as it's kicked fairly.