Ebongreen's advice & observations thread

[ebongreen]

How do those figures compare with the Balanced OVR signing rates during the previous year's free agency period? Older players in FA routinely ask for short contracts, but they also asked for the "going rate" of their Balanced OVR rating.

If players are asking for smaller-dollar-figure contracts, it may be because they (and the game engine) assume that they'll be worth less in future years due to declining skills. That would make sense and be good design; I hope you investigate further.

[ebongreen]

I generally prefer to man blitz instead of zone blitz. In man blitzing, the object is to prevent the pass from being thrown; prevent it from being caught; or prevent the catcher from gaining yards after the catch. IMO, man blitzes are usually better at the last than zone, so that's what I prefer. In addition, I prefer to cover with defensive backs first, linebackers second, and linemen third, because that's how the skills work - d-linemen aren't cover men, or they'd be linebackers.

There's a million ways to blitz. The most common way to get a free rusher is overloading the protection: blitzing more rushers than there are blockers. Six-man blitzes generally fall into this category. The other primary way is by alignment: sending rushers where there are no blockers, or none available. The latter is a specialty of 3-4 defenses, as well as many zone blitzes.

4-3 Normal - All three LBs are off the line of scrimmage.

OLB Fire Man: My favorite 4-3 blitz. The key to this blitz is the LOLB firing inside the LE. The offense's RT can only pick up one, so you'll typically have a free runner providing quick pressure on the QB. This is both an alignment (strong-side) and an overload (six-man) blitz. Your safeties had better be able to cover and tackle.

LOLB Blitz: An alignment blitz, with one less blitzer. In this case, you've got one safety deep.

Free Fire: Shifting the defensive line to the right (offense's left) creates another overload/alignment blitz, this time to the offense's right. With this shift, the RE usually comes free. Like OLB Fire Man, this is a zero-blitz: your safeties and LOLB must be able to cover and tackle.

Run Left and Sting Left: These are more run-blitzes, particularly useful against those pesky zone stretch plays.

Other useful man-blitzes in this form include Under Ram Buck and Slant 1 OLB Fire. Slant 1 OLB Fire is usually the least-effective 4-3 blitz due to OL AI - five on five, and each blitzer has a blocker.

3-4 Normal - DEs over OTs, DT on C. Strong Blitz and Weak Blitz are alignment blitzes: you leave an OG facing no-one and push the OLB away from him up the field after the passer. Trio Whip Man is similar but different: the ILB and OLB run a twist, with the ILB being the free runner.

OLB Dogs Fire is another alignment blitz. Especially if you widen the DEs to attack the OTs outer shoulder, both OLBs get to run upfield unimpeded (unless a TE is present). This is a big reason why 2TE sets are valuable against the 3-4 - they can slow the OLBs just enough for your guards to fan back for blocking.

Storm Brave 1 mimics a 4-3, working like Sting Left or Under Ram Buck. The RILB blitzes to occupy the left guard like a second DT would, while the LOLB comes around the corner.

For most teams, ILBs are not your designated blitzers - unless it's run-blitzing. 3-4 teams use MLB Cross Fire and MLB Storm Blitz for that. I don't run these nearly as often as I do the OLB-based blitzes, because I believe that getting men unblocked is a better way to get sacks. When I want to stop the run, I'm usually using four linemen.

3-4 Pinch - DEs over OGs, DT over C, ILBs set back from OTs, OLBs on LOS. My favorite 3-4 blitz is Gap Press. Every lineman has someone to contend with, and your safeties are closer to the LOS than in a 4-3 alignment, so they're better able to press and cover slot receivers.

4-2-5 Nickel Normal - two deep safeties, 3CBs all on a line, MLB+ROLB. In nickel, I tend to bring six or not bring any, so my favorite man blitzes here are Inside LB Fire or, most commonly, Over Storm Brave. The latter can be used as is, in which case the LE will likely be free, or, by widening DL and pinching LBs, to exploit the center's block-left tendency and send a linebacker through the offense's right A-gap.

When I want to press and cover across the board in nickel and still blitz, I turn to SS1 Blitz. There's a significant likelihood that if the pass-protection is only five-man, the RT will short-circuit by waiting to block the SS and let the far more immediate threat of the LE go.

This play is also a good alternative to a spy against running QBs: many of them will bolt when they see the SS coming, and no QB outruns a good strong safety like JJ Collins. You can also shift the DL to the right, making the QB more likely to scramble to his right... right into your SS.

3-3-5 Nickel. The only man blitz I use from this formation is LB Ram Dogs, which is the 3-3-5 equivalent of Over Storm Brave.

4-1-6 Dime Normal - two deep safeties, four CBs, MLB. There's only two man blitzes I use here: DB Blitz and FS Blitz, both alignment blitzes. DB Blitz is by far my favorite dime blitz, with your dime corner zooming in while the SS covers his man. Kenny Phillips made his name in one of my careers picking off pass after pass on this blitz while the other three corners pressed their men into oblivion.

FS Blitz I would generally use like SS1 Blitz' second function in nickel, as the alternative to a spy against a mobile QB. For this blitz, I'd shift the DL to the left or leave it alone, to encourage scrambling towards the blitzing FS. Because I'm an evil, evil man.

There are some good blitzes in 4-4, Raiders Rover, and other schemes as well. The most important part of blitzing is knowing how to attack pass protection; understanding how and why these blitzes are successful will make you a better play-caller and better player.

[Mike3207]

Superb Strategist

I figured I would talk about this capstone skill in this thread somewhat. It does a LOT more than what the strategy guide says it does. The strategy guide says the skill improves the strategy skill of all coaches by 2 level, but it really doesn't even do that. As far as I can tell, it does 4 things:

1. Increases the Strategy skill of the HC 2 levels.

2. Increases the Strategy skill of all other coaches 1 level, as long as you don't max out their strategy level .

3. Increases the potential of all regular skills(Team Chemistry, Playcall, Strategy, and Performance) 1 level. For example, a coach with 3 Performance would now be able to go to 4 Performance.

4. Increases the potential of all developmental skills(i.e. QB learning etc.) 1 level.

So how can you make best use out of this skill?

Strategy:

You want to max out the Strategy skill to Level 5 with all your coaches wit Superb Strategist. Get your HC to level 3 and all other coaches to Level 4(if they go that high). Superb Strategist will then bring all your coaches to Strategy 5, a savings of 10000 points with all your coaches per coach.

I did some more testing last night, and I found out something interesting. Superb Strategist only increases your coach's strategy skill by 1 if it's not maxed out. As an example, a coach with 4 Strategy 5 potential will have SS improve his Strategy skill to 5. On the other hand, a coach with 4 strategy 4 potential will have the potential increased by 1, but it won't improve his strategy rating. So after second thought improve your HC's Strategy skill 2 levels below his max, and all other coaches 1 level below the max. This will see all your coaches have their Strategy rating by 1.

Regular skills:

Do your best to hire a coaching staff than can go to level 4 with all their regular skills. Superb Strategist can then make sure all coaches can go to Level 5 with all regular skills. It will be hard to do this, so at the least make sure they can go to level 3.

Developmental skills:

This special skill is complementary with Leadership. Superb Strategist will give your coaches the potential to improve from Level 4 to level 5, and Leadership will instantly improve your coaches developmental skills to Level 5. You want to get Superb Strategist before Leadership, so you can max out your developmental skills with your coaches.

Final Notes:

The Superb Strategist special skill will also add 1 potential level for all positions for all your position coaches. For example, Jim Caldwell can normally only go to the 3rd level in TE development, a weakness of his. I promoted him to OC in a sim last night and his TE development can now go to 4. All his development skills go to 4 now, in fact. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's the same for the Mentor skill. I'll also do some research to see if Leadership increases 1 developmental level for all positions for position coaches, or only their primary position.

[ebongreen]

Quote: Originally Posted by mrs844224

Strategy: You want to max out the Strategy skill to Level 5 with all your coaches wit Superb Strategist. Get your HC to level 3 and all other coaches to Level 4(if they go that high). Superb Strategist will then bring all your coaches to Strategy 5, a savings of 10000 points with all your coaches per coach. I did some more testing last night, and I found out something interesting. Superb Strategist only increases your coach's strategy skill by 1 if it's not maxed out. As an example, a coach with 4 Strategy 5 potential will have SS improve his Strategy skill to 5. On the other hand, a coach with 4 strategy 4 potential will have the potential increased by 1, but it won't improve his strategy rating. So after second thought improve your HC's Strategy skill 2 levels below his max, and all other coaches 1 level below the max. This will see all your coaches have their Strategy rating by 1.

Great post! I'll add just a little bit to this, having just added this to McCarthy's skills in my current franchise.

Buy Superb Strategist before you buy Leadership. Having done the reverse, I see that SS adds skill ceiling on top of what Leadership maxed out, but doesn't "backdate".

For example, suppose you had a position coach with an original ceiling of 4 in a player development skill, and you built it to 3 before adding Leadership. Leadership normally adds two levels, so it would take it to 5, but there's only one slot left, so it maxes at 4. Later adding SS doesn't auto-fill that skill to 5, which Leadership "would have" allowed - you have to spend the points from your bank.

That makes the Training and Learning tree - Speed Training, Strength Training, Game Film Analysis, Disciplined Routine, Gameplan Analysis, Innovator, and Superb Strategist - a very high priority for your HC's special skills. After Charisma and Charm, ignore the remainder of the Educator tree until you've completed the Training and Learning group.

[Mike3207]

Quote: Originally Posted by ebongreen

For example, suppose you had a position coach with an original ceiling of 4 in a player development skill, and you built it to 3 before adding Leadership. Leadership normally adds two levels, so it would take it to 5, but there's only one slot left, so it maxes at 4. Later adding SS doesn't auto-fill that skill to 5, which Leadership "would have" allowed - you have to spend the points from your bank.

Leadership adds 2 levels? I always thought it only added one.

[ebongreen]

To recap: I prefer to cover with defensive backs first, linebackers second, and linemen third. YMMV.

One weakness nearly all zone blitzes have in this game is covering TEs on short routes. Since the game AI loves throwing to TEs, get used to either throwing TE hitches/option routes to beat these defenses, or having your pass rush miss a sack because the opposing QB got the ball to his TE. I-form quick passes are your (best friend/worst nightmare).

4-3 Normal

• Weak Slant 3: RE drops, MLB and LOLB both blitz. This is a very good run-blitz vs. inside runs and also provides good pass rush.
• SS Snake 3 Stay: SS blitzes, other DBs and backers work a Cover-3 scheme over the top. Using the Show Blitz pre-snap brings the SS down into striking range, and he'll usually shoot the gap between the RG & RT, who will both be occupied. If there's no back for blitz pickup, it's a quick sack. It's not nearly as good against the run as WS3.
• Hog Buck 3: Uses the stunt-scheme of LOLB Blitz, but plays zone behind. Decent against the run, both inside and outside strong-side.
• FS Zone Blitz: FS & ROLB blitz, LE covers. I use this one almost exclusively on early downs as a run blitz, especially against teams that love to run inside and to their left. There's no way to bring the FS down pre-snap, so you just line up and let it happen. Only use this if you have an expert-tackling FS - he doesn't have to be the biggest hitter, but you can't afford a complete whiff.

3-4 Normal

• 2 Deep MLB Spy: This is my go-to play against scrambling QBs (Young, T-Jack, McNabb, etc). Four-man rush, including a right-side angle-game to bring the ROLB free, your premiere ILB spying, and six men in a four-under two-deep zone scheme. Vulnerable to the deep ball, but on most occasions the rush will get the QB running before those routes develop. There are games when I call this on 80% of my snaps and win handily with it.
• Trio Sky Zone: Five-man pressure with zone behind, created by blitzing both strong-side linebackers. No DL drops into coverage. Pretty good against strong-side runs; vulnerable to TEs in the short or intermediate zones.
• Cross Fire 3, Sting Pinch 3: Both drop one DE and rush three LBs in a cover-3 scheme behind. Both relatively good against both pass and run. I usually drop the DE that's closest to the sideline, because that player has less ground to cover to make his assigned zone. My safeties and LBs can move faster, so I make them run.

4-2-5 Nickel Normal

• Buck Slant 3: ROLB & NB blitz, LE covers. I use this sparingly - the AI loves slot receivers and TEs, both of which are usually available in situations where I might be tempted to dial this up.

4-2-5 Nickel "Tilt": The safety over your nickel back plays closer to the LOS, while the safety away plays deep.

• FS Storm Slant 3: "FS" & NB blitz, LE covers. Not exactly my favorite blitz - pass-pro AI favors QBs rolling to the right and your five men being blocked. Works better if you can flip it so SS blitzes and RE covers. I would run this mostly against teams that use slot-strong formations.
• FS Snake Blitz 3: Better as a run-blitz - only five guys in coverage.

3-3-5 Nickel Normal

• 3 Overload Fire: How to translate "Buck Slant 3" into 3-3-5.
• SS Mike Cross, FS Sam Crash: Variations on the 3-deep 3-under blitz, with a DE dropping into the middle zone underneath. Four or five DBs in coverage, which maximizes their strength. Naturally, the SS blitz is a good choice if you have a good blitzing SS, or one who is weak in zone coverage.

[ebongreen]

Quote: Originally Posted by mrs844224

Leadership adds 2 levels? I always thought it only added one.

Oops! My mistake - you're right. I was confused, and I don't know why. Been away from this game & thread for too long.

[browns_nation]

Ebongreen, the only problem or well, question I have concerning your explanation of how you successfully man blitz out of the 3-4 is that even in the play call screen where it says what personel the other team is sending out is that even with say ...sending a weak side blitz, shifting the DL and/or LB's to load up one side is that you cant audible. it is horribly frustrating to actually do this very thing only to have every single rusher picked up. Example: I edited the "Ophamer blitz"...2 DL, 4 LB, 5 DB. I put my SS, both of my OLB's on the same side, changed my corners assignment to blitz as well and EVERY time it gets shut down as if theres an invisible wall seperating them from getting to the qb.

I understand that the qb will make the quick read and fire a dart to a wide open receiver but he shouldnt have the time to even see an option considering he has 4 guys in his face as soon as the ball is snapped