Play Calling for Dummies?

[NewNapkin]

Something I have gone back and forth on since buying this game and most other football games is how I call plays. I grew up using "Ask Coach" with not much advanced football knowledge. However, as I learned more and more about this part of football, I keep asking myself what I should do.

In previous NCAA dynasties, I have called my own plays, but in my most recent and longest running dynasty, I have gone back to using ask coach. I did this for a couple of reasons:

1. The CPU basically uses Ask Coach, so why not handicap myself to their play calling ability?
2. I was spending more time playing and less time picking plays
3. My football knowledge was still not good enough to be very successful calling plays

But after 3 seasons, I am getting bored of running the same 12 or so plays when I have a full playbook, and I hate having to resort to a cheese play when it pops up, or having no plays that will get me what I need. I want to start calling plays again, but I want to do it realistically, quickly, and successfully.

So my question is, how would you teach someone to call plays on both offense and defense? What sets and formations should I be using? How can I make it feel like I'm not just picking a random play?

[canes21]

I am just plain bad on offense and always have tended to be. I always have tried to just recruit/draft a team that can run the ball down your throat and just lean on it. But on defense I tend to be able to call a decent game and always have for some reason. I never studied defense at first and still really don't have a huge knowledge on it all, but I know what stops what for the most part.

So what exactly on defense do you need help with? Is it everything, you don't even know where to begin? Do you just keep getting beat by something in particular? Maybe the middle of your defense seems to always give up that 3rd and medium first down? Or does the TE tend to kill your defense all the time? I'll gladly help you.

[NewNapkin]

I don't have a problem controlling the defense when I use ask coach, so it is simply knowing when to call the right plays.

I know the different formations and how the shapes of them help in certain situations, but knowing specific plays to call and specific sets to call them in really trip me up.

I've heard you should primarily use your base defense, but use formations with more DB's when they're coming out with a bunch of receivers. But that is all I know and that might be inaccurate.

[canes21]

Yea, that's right. If they are a pass heavy team, then staying in your base might not be the greatest idea. Generally speaking if they have 3 WR's on the field Nickle is where you want to go, 4 WR's and it's Dime. However that is not always the case. If I am playing against a balanced team that runs a good amount on first down, I'll go with my base defense even against a 3 WR set and play more zone and keep more bodies in the box in case they do run. And if they come out in a 4 WR set I'll stick to Nickle instead of Dime. If I am playing against a team that is a pass heavy team, then I'll likely match them more often.

Down and distance plays a key to it also. 3rd and 2 and they have 3 WR's on the field? I am definitely going base and focusing on stopping the run. On the contrary, if a penalty sets them back and it is maybe 1st and 15 and they're in a 3 WR set, I'll probably go Nickle unless their run threat really scares me.

As for plays, they aren't too hard to learn. Cover 3 keeps 3 players deep, generally both boundary corners and a safety. The OLB's or Nickle/Dime corners will play flat zones taking away dump off throws out there, the MLB and other safety will play intermediate zones in between the numbers. This defense can be picked apart shallow over the middle as the LB and safety are generally left alone to cover the whole short middle. The seams are also open against cover 3 as the boundary corners take away to deep sidelines, but the lone safety is stuck covering the deep middle third of the field which is a lot of grass to cover.

Cover 2 gets your safeties deep, but as they're the only two deep players, the deep middle section of the field is very vulnerable. A LB can drop back deeper than a normal intermediate zone, but they tend to lack the physical tools to really take it completely away. The corners tend to press or play near the line and cover the flats. The LBs and other corners will take away the middle intermediate routes again. Flooding a side of the field can really kill this defense. Sending a guy into the flat, another guy deep to take the safety away, and then another player 10-15 yards deep on the sidelines will make the CB have to choose who to cover, and if the route is ran right, the CB will be covering the flat WR while the medium depth WR can sneak in behind him and sit in the hole in the zone. Also, like I said, the deep middle section of the field can be exploited. If you notice the defense is running a lot of cover 2, then have your boundary WR's go deep to take the safeties away from the middle and then have a slot or TE run a deep post. Should be easy money every time. So obviously if you're getting eat up by post routes, don't run cover 2!

Those are just two basic concepts of defense. There is obviously a lot more, but I am about to fall asleep at the keyboard. I am willing to help with as much as you need. Though I am not a defensive guru, but I feel like I have general enough knowledge to know what I am talking about. I am happy to help and hope I can help you get where you want to be.

[volwalker]

I can definitely help you on the offensive side of things.

First, what I am about to say applies to any football game you play; 06, 14, doesn't matter. The tips I want to give you are for those who are stuck in an offensive rut. Whether you want to change your offense or to those who just have no clue or faith in oneself in calling the right plays at the right time. there are so many formations and plays now that it can be daunting for a newbie or to someone who isn't well versed in more than one type of offense. Excluding heavy option offenses (these require a totally different set of rules to succeed), the following tips cover 90% of the types of offenses out there.

I call this offense "The Common Sense Offense"

1. Talent - Give the ball to your best offensive players. Read that sentence again. Your playcalling should be based on this. Have an awesome RB? Give him the ball! Talented-arm QB? Throw the ball.
2. Passing - Go into practice mode and find pass plays that have one man beater and one zone beater. Certain routes are great against Man and some against Zone. Find those plays that have one of each so you don't have to waste your time hot-routing 10 times each play like some guys do nor worry about audibling every play. Rep them against Man and Zone. If you're lucky, you will find pass plays that have two of each.
3. Running - Go into practice mode and find run plays that aren't glitchy and can give you 3+ yards most of the time. Rep them over and over until you find those concepts.
4. Concepts - You only need a few pass plays/concepts and run plays/concepts, not 20 of each. Once you find 3-5 of each, run them over and over again. There is your gameplan right there. You really only need 1 inside and 1 outside run concept.
5. 1st and 2nd Downs - For 1st and 2nd downs, pick your normal plays based off rule #1. I don't care if it is 1st and 10 or 2nd and 20, just give the ball to your best players with the concepts that work for you.
6. 3rd Down - Find one 3rd and short play (5 yards or less) and one 3rd and long play (5 yards or more). Hopefully the plays you selected earlier already cover this. All of this applies for 4th Down as well.
7. Formations - When you have no idea which formations you want to use, here is what you do. Pick formations that force the defense to play their weakest players. If the defense runs a 4-3 and has two bad outside linebackers then there is no reason why you should spread them out. Keep those two bad players on the field by using 2-wide sets, not 4-wide. If a defense has below average corners (especially their 3rd and 4th guys) go 4-wide and keep them on the field. If they go 4-3, then you have the speed advantage. If the defense has a bad MLB and a bad 3rd corner, force them to play Nickel. They will be at a disadvantage via size or speed if they don't adjust.
8. How many formations? - You don't need 10 4-wide sets and 10 2-wide sets. Just pick a couple of each (or just one of each to keep it real simple). If you are lucky enough, you will find the handful of plays that really work well (pass and run) form the same formations to keep things even more simple. That is why you see Madden veterans use the same formations all the time.
9. The Fab Five - You have 5 skill players on the field at all times, excluding QB and the O-Line. If the defense has no real weaknesses, then know who your best five are and use those formations to keep them on the field.

Hopefully this will give you a nice foundation to work off of. I don't want to give you actual plays because one concept might work great for me but doesn't for you and vice versa. The samegoes for formations. Depending on which game you play, some formations have plays that work great and the next game they stink.
Now most gamers can use either #7 or #8 has their main formation philosophy, and not both. It depends on your talent but I do know this. If their linebacker unit is terrible, I will do whatever it takes to keep those poor guys on the field and make them pay. Again, common sense. I also didn't go over how to beat certain coverages but their are routes that work against all zones.


You will have some games where you are in 4-wide mode all game and vice versa. Just play to your strengths and make them pay for their weaknesses.

Hope this helps!

[Cheese2121]

Absolutely fantastic tips here fellas. I know I didn't even ask the original question but I was looking around the forum for exactly this. In my dynasty, I really want to add even more strategy (which adds immersion/depth for me as well) when game-planning against teams and scheming with my personnel (formation substitutions etc. etc.). This is a whole new area for me though and you two have really given me a nice foundation to work off. Thank you!

[LucianoJJ]

Before the game create a play calling script. List 15-20 plays in order. Mix up run plays and pass plays. Run each of your bread and butter plays in this script. This may help you, and break any tendencies you may develop when calling based on down and distance alone.

[novian.cobb]

something that could also help you is to try and play a few coach mode games. This helps you focus more on the play calling and audible side of things, without getting caught up in actually playing with the players. Just a thought