Position Specifics

[BUCTD3]

I guess it is time for my annual NCAA Football post where I talk about the importance of position specifics in the game. I am sure that there is a better way to title this but it is the only way that I know how to describe it and I believe it is something that needs to be added from the on field part of the game to make the game more realistic.

The way that position specifics would work is that there would be a distinction in your offense and defense in the way that you view OLB's and Safeties on defense and really just WR's on offense.

For most college football teams especially on defense they do not call there OLB's Right and Left but call them SAM and WILL. However as currently constructed in this game you have a someone who has the skills to be a perfect WILL but they give you a Strong Left Formation and now must play the position of SAM where now he is playing out of position as is the other OLB. This also happens a ton in the secondary with Safeties you have a FS who is great playing in the middle of the field and playing a CF type role on defense and a SS who is best at playing close to the Line of Scrimmage and getting his nose into the run game. However, on about 50% of the plays, ones where the strength of the formation is to the left, you have a FS up around the Line of Scrimmage and a SS who is trying to play deep CF. This is one, of many, reasons that defense in this game is always behind the offense.

This also works for offense as well but only really applies to one position and not nearly as many teams. The way that it works in the college and especially in the NFL you have a 'Z' Receiver/ Flanker and a 'X'/ Split End and then also your slot. This is not as significant on offense as it is on defense but it does play a role for a lot of teams. The role that it plays is that there are specific skill sets that go into playing each position. I will not go into the specifics of each at this time because for each kind of offense you require different skills but the point remains that in most offenses the 'Z' doesn't have the same skill set as the 'X' and to try and have them try and do both is a problem not to mention that when you add a player in the slot. I am very hopeful but skeptical that any change will be made in this are this year but maybe one day we will be able to run our teams like real college teams and not like pee wee teams.