How do you read the defense when your passing?

[ehh]

My roomate and I were discussing this last night.

When I hike the ball, my eyes are always on the LB's (and safeties if they're crowding the box) and then I quickly look at the safeties to see if they're in Cover-2 or if I'm going to have 1-on-1 coverage downfield.

The LB's tell me how much time I'll have if they're blitzing and what WR's should be open if they do blitz. Also, if the LB's blitz there's a good chance the safeties are coming up to play man, which means a WR should have 1-on-1 coverage downfield like I said above.

I never, ever look at my WR's (unless one is WIDE open down field or I've been in the pocket for so long that WR's have broken off their original route and I need to find an open man). I just look for where the defense isn't and I know in my head where the WR is suppose to be.

My roomate says that he usually watches his O-Line and QB for the first 2-3 seconds after he hikes the ball to see if a blitz or initial move from a DL got through his line immediately - so he'll know if he has to get rid of the ball quickly.

From there, he says he looks at his WR's as opposed to the defense. I always tell him this is stupid, especially since he throws a majority of his INT's when linebackers underneath pick off passes over the middle. Zone blitzes are his nemises, I call them 75% of the time when I play against him.

He usually throws more INT's than me, but has a better completion %. He also runs the WCO and doesn't throw the ball downfield nearly as much as me.

So what's your strategy?

[ChicagoSparty]

Good topic.

I do a pre-snap as well as a post-snap read. Pre-snap you can sometimes tell if you're going to have one-on-one coverage on someone. Post-snap I sort of look at "everything," but my focus is definitely on the safeties.

I throw the ball downfield quite often, but I'll check to the running back in the flat almost immediately if I see double coverage downfield.

[capone2117]

Oh this is an ex-qb's dream post with concerns to the passing engine...
where to start...pre-snap reads definitely help, but you really have to feel everything in this game...i read the passing lanes of where the wr routes will be going...so the s and lbs are glanced at but not focused on...if you focus on these folks, then you wont see how a cb is, and *poof* pick 6...you really have to know where people are going to be on the field...which is why i am loving this game right now...because just like in real-life, spying lbs and lineman hang around the line and once they feel a crossing route, they drop back, thus batting down any of those garbage 3 yrd dump routes your trying to complete...there is so much to this passing game, which is why the drills for qbs help allow you to keep a eye downfield while "feeling" the rush...

[TarHeelPhenom]

As soon as the ball is snapped, I look at the safeties. After that I go through my progressions. The best way I can explain is I have my eyes focused on the middle of the tv screen so that when the play begins I can see everything happening at once. I am running the spread offense so I am looking for a lot of crossing and drag routes as well.

[rudyjuly2]

I always read the safeties first to see if they come up leaving a deep route open as well as telling me they are blitzing. I have more of a scan the top of the field and then come down, reading the LBs last. I then look to my primary WR and read the DB to tell if its man or zone. I try to have two routes in the back of my mind before I snap the ball. Its sort of my progression read as well as a mini-gameplan for man vs. zone. You know certain routes suck against zone on some plays so if you read zone, I try to look for the crossing or post route instead. I don't read the LB blitzes very well put do try to see what they are doing in zone coverage.

[KG]

The first thing I do is look at how the defense is set up. If I see a safety walking up I know that a blitz is coming from somewhere. I run the spread offense so I try to get one of my WRs on LB. After the ball is hiked I always look at the LBs to see if they are coming. Knowing where your WRs will be is a must. I run alot of outs and crosses so when I get the CBs in man trying to chase my WRs who are crossing into a space departed by the LB then I know I might have some good YAC. After looking at the LBs i then read the safeties to see if they are in Cover 2 or not. I might try to go for the deep ball if I see a WR with a step on anyone. This whole strategy is for man. Zone is another monster in itself. With zones I just try to dink and dunk and take shots whenever I can.

Does anyone ever notice that when the CPU plays Zone and you call a Hail Mary you often get like 3 WRs covered by one safety?

[ehh]

Quote: Originally Posted by kgx2thez

Does anyone ever notice that when the CPU plays Zone and you call a Hail Mary you often get like 3 WRs covered by one safety?

I've certainly noticed it, it's a pretty big glitch/problem IMO.

I've won four games in my dynasty that I had no business winning if the CPU didn't call a zone at the end of a game. I think I'm 4 for 6 in Hail Mary's in my dynasty. Much too successful.

[Keyser Soze]

ehh, i pretty much do it like you which is how it would be done in real life.

well in real life you would only have to check one, the unblockable guy, then go to the safeties. but since there is no team agreement on what to do with the unblockable guy on the computer game, you have to look at all the guys in the box then at the safeties.

hardest part for me is remembering what freaking button should go with what. most my picks come from me forgetting what button my post route is when I see the LBs head for the flats.