How to build a dominant defense

[Pass_The_Cows]

Does anyone know how to go about building a dominant defense (what scheme?)? I have used the Bears and Bucs recently, which are both great defenses, but I want to get to the level of say the 2000 Ravens. I play in game with adambroski's sliders and have good to great games regularly until the last ~5 minutes when the cpu starts tearing apart the Cover 2 for 400+ passing yards while they usually have less than 150 going into the 4th quarter. This makes my defense look like a cupcake even though we are very good most of the time.

Also with my Bears I use a 4-2-5 and consistently hold the cpu to <50 yards rushing and get 10+ sacks about every other game but I CANNOT stop the pass unless I get a int, this is with ELITE dbs. So the real question may just be how do you stop the cpu passing game?

[ebongreen]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

Tall fast skilled-at-man-press cornerbacks and a relentless blitz is how I stop the pass. (e.g. Nnamdi.) Good safeties help, as does the occasional zone blitz for variety's sake. It also helps when the other team's receivers suck. (Any zone can be holed if the QB has enough time & the right play - so either don't play zone, or zone-blitz.)

That being said, I don't always have all of those things. But when I do, there is a$$-kicking and name-taking to be had.

[Glorious Arc]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

While I have not tested this defense against many spread teams(Patriots) I have found that using the Jags Physical D is downright nasty. Grab Astne Samuel and Rashean Mathis(I think) and play man press the entire game. If you have an elite DE(say Peppers) and a fast/blitzing OLB line them up on the strong side and use the blitz plays to overpower the line.

I have averaged most QBs under 50% completion ratings and have held several teams to under 50 yards rushing. The LE if he is as talented as Peppers can average up to 1-2 sacks a game while also grabbing up to 6+ tackles. The only downside is there is very little talent(90+ press) at CB that are young and can man cover and you will not get many INTs but because the defense stops them normally 3 and out it does not matter.

The big issue may come when you play teams that use 4+ WR sets because you will be forced to play dime coverage most of the game and if you do not have strong press CBs all the way to your 4th CB a QB like Brady will just play pitch and catch with the one WR that breaks open.

[cutter73]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

Does anyone know how to go about building a dominant defense (what scheme?)? I have used the Bears and Bucs recently, which are both great defenses, but I want to get to the level of say the 2000 Ravens. I play in game with adambroski's sliders and have good to great games regularly until the last ~5 minutes when the cpu starts tearing apart the Cover 2 for 400+ passing yards while they usually have less than 150 going into the 4th quarter. This makes my defense look like a cupcake even though we are very good most of the time.

Also with my Bears I use a 4-2-5 and consistently hold the cpu to <50 yards rushing and get 10+ sacks about every other game but I CANNOT stop the pass unless I get a int, this is with ELITE dbs. So the real question may just be how do you stop the cpu passing game?

Are you calling the defensive plays yourself? And if you are, are you relying a lot on the formations the game is telling you the other teams is likely to run? I ask this because it seems you have the most problems during the last minutes of the game or half. A lot of times, the problem is that the offense will go into spread formations with 4 WR's constantly if they are down.

That's fine, and realistic, but the game doesn't take that into account on your side. If you are letting the coordinator call the plays, he's doing it based on normal game situations. In other words, it's basing the play call on what formation the offense would likely use on 1st and 10 at the beginning/middle of the game. The same way with the suggestions when you call your own plays. The game will tell you that they offense is likely to line up in an I-formation with 2 WR's even though the computer in the last few minutes is probably going to go into spread formations with multiple recievers if they are down. The game simply doesn't compensate for the end of the game changing the playstyle of the offense. You wind up covering recievers with LB's because you're in your base defense, and that's just asking to be eaten alive.

If you're holding the offense pretty well until the end of games, this is generally the problem. If you don't call your own defensive plays, take over at the end of the game. Also, ignore whatever the game tells you the offensive formation is going to be. Just play the situation. If the computer is down, call dime packages or similar regardless of what the game tells you.

You won't see great results immediatley though. If you haven't been calling the plays this way, your nickle and dime pakages are going to be way behind everything else in terms of players playbook knowledge. They just don;t get called as often as base defenses. It may take a few games to get that knowledge up, and you'll have to deal with blown assignments until them. But pretty quick, you'll be up to par as far as that is concerned.

Like I said, this is all based on assuming you aren;t calling you own plays or are relying on the game telling you what formation the offense is lining up in. But if that is the case, this should get you going defensively in the last minutes of games within a few weeks.

[Pass_The_Cows]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

Hey thanks man that sounds like it may be the problem, Ill start calling my own defensive plays in the last 5 minutes or so.

[BillNyeTheScienceGuy]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

if you can get two dominant DTs who are good at both pass rushing and run stopping(like kevin williams), two good blitzing and mancover OLBs, a ballhawk safety and a run stuffing safety(ed reed/brian dawkins types) and at least 2 above average man cover corners, you should be able to dominate with the jags defensive playbook

one time, starting in the preseason, i managed to get a D that had nmamdi and asante at CB, huff(who is hugely overrated) and eugene wilson(equally overrated) at safety, and thomas howard and keith rivers at OLB. after year one, i got Doki Somanu(guy is a beast when you switch him to DT) and dre moore at DT. it wasnt ravens 2000 good but it was a pretty good D

[bmcauley]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

Blitz, blitz, blitz

Blitz from diffrent sides and different players. Rex Ryan's defensive scheme kept offenses guesssing. It wasnt a question if they were gonna blitz or not, but rather from where.

The best defense I ever had didnt stop offenses from driving down the field everytime but barely let the team score a TD. It was definitely a "bend, don't break" defense. Offenses would have long sustaining drives but then end up turning the ball over.

[phenomenal_waffles]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

I've had #1 defenses using the Jags D playbook, and blitzing every down. I've also had some fun with the Jim Johnson Blitz playbook.

[crazihead3]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

did they do a 10

[Terribletowels]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

While I have not tested this defense against many spread teams(Patriots) I have found that using the Jags Physical D is downright nasty. Grab Astne Samuel and Rashean Mathis(I think) and play man press the entire game. If you have an elite DE(say Peppers) and a fast/blitzing OLB line them up on the strong side and use the blitz plays to overpower the line.

I can attest to this. Jenkins is also good at CB for this. Good undersized DE's also work well in this D. Against the spread I call Nickel/Dime Man Under using Press.

[slacker2]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

With the Bears you can shut down the pass and the run. I play as the bears and i just finished my first two seasons in which i won the superbowl. In fact in my second year i didn't lose a second game.

I don't know whether you kept lance briggs but i personally did not. So in the second years draft you need to get some good olbs. I had an 88 ovr re (undersized) 92 and 91 dt Tommie Harris and Sedrick D respectivly and a 89 le Vernon Gholston. Even though i was running a tampa two i ended the year with the second most sacks. The leader only had one more sack than me.

Cbs and LBs are very important in a tampa two. As i said before as the bears you need to go out and draft some good cover lbs. It also helps if they can blitz. My olbs look like this: 80 with a pot of 88 at Rolb Urlacher at mlb and a 80 with a 84 pot at lolb (i drafted the Rolb and the Lolb. I was third in the league for the most interceptions and my OLBs were a huge part of that.

You need good hard hitting fs's and ss's. This is because if god forbid the wrs ever get past the two really good cbs the bears have they can hit the ball right out of the guy before he gets control of the ball and thus possession. Also they need to be able to catch the ball. My fs who im not gonna spoil but is a 84 ovr with a 92 pot had 7 interceptions this year. My ss is 94 with a pot of 95 but he is a smart/productive ss unlike my fs which is man coverage. But obvoiusly in a tampa 2 your ss needs to have a high zone coverage stat.

Your cbs already kick *** as the bears. Personally i mix it up and have them run man cov and zone cov. So for me i need a cb that can do everything.

But to me this is the real key. I rush 5 guys on the line. I have one le one re and two dt but i almost always have one of my lbs line up at the line of scrimmage. This makes it so the computer can not double team anyone of my guys and since they are all capable of getting past one guy i get alot of sacks The 2nd most sacks in the league. This is not to say i don't sometimes have my olbs blitz from their "normal" positions but i figure it works so why should i change it. So i ususally have a 5 guys on the line two cbs two other olbs (not counting the one on the line) and two safties playing.

In a tampa two embrace the interceptions. In my first playoff game agianst the giants this year i had seven interceptions. Two from my fs three from my lolb and two from my cbs. I also had one fumble. I won that game 51-3. In my next game i won 48-22 with one turnover but alot of sacks due to my 5 guys on the line scheme. In my second superbowl win i won agiasnt the colts 38 (i think it was high 30s) to 22. However it was really 15 since they scored a meaningless td at the end of the game and i was playing prevent d which sometimes works but sometimes doesn't.

Sorry for the long post but if you have the paitence you can make the bears a powerhouse (two superbowls in two years)

[Albinator18]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

what defensive scheme is it when its 3-4 and you have all man and you blitz a couple of LBs every play? if not 3-4 then 4-3 ive heard someone talk about it.

[slacker2]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

what defensive scheme is it when its 3-4 and you have all man and you blitz a couple of LBs every play? if not 3-4 then 4-3 ive heard someone talk about it.

3-4 is the defense where coaches play man to man and blitz with lbs.

4-3 is typically a tampa two defense. Or some college coaches have gotton creative and use lbs in the de position and have them either blitz of drop back into coverage. In this way the coach disguises what his defense is gonna do.

[ebongreen]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

3-4 is the defense where coaches play man to man and blitz with lbs.

4-3 is typically a tampa two defense. Or some college coaches have gotton creative and use lbs in the de position and have them either blitz of drop back into coverage. In this way the coach disguises what his defense is gonna do.

slacker2, that is not true. The Steeler zone-blitz and they're a 3-4; the Packers used to play man-press with a 4-3. In no way is every 3-4 a man scheme and a "typical 4-3" a Tampa-2 zone.

[The Clairvoyant]

Re: How to build a dominant defense

slacker2, that is not true. The Steeler zone-blitz and they're a 3-4; the Packers used to play man-press with a 4-3. In no way is every 3-4 a man scheme and a "typical 4-3" a Tampa-2 zone.

Exactly, not every 4-3 scheme is a Tampa 2, look at Giants, Eagles and Jags they play man coverage with heavy blitzing.