Effectively Utilizing the 3-3-5 Mustang Defense

[kcarr]

The biggest thing overall that hurts zbikowski is his learning but like you said this is a tiny playbook so that is less of an issue and if properly managed with coach skills can really be a non issue. other than that comparing him and steltz he has slightly less coverage ability but is a much better athlete. his overall potential scared me away for a long time but in my 3-4 trying to use new guys he has been great

[kcarr]

The biggest thing overall that hurts zbikowski is his learning but like you said this is a tiny playbook so that is less of an issue and if properly managed with coach skills can really be a non issue. other than that comparing him and steltz he has slightly less coverage ability but is a much better athlete. his overall potential scared me away for a long time but in my 3-4 trying to use new guys he has been great. i don't blitz him much and don't know his blazing rating but with his speed if he comes free he should get to the qb

[PioneerCoach5]

Quote: Originally Posted by kcarr

The biggest thing overall that hurts zbikowski is his learning but like you said this is a tiny playbook so that is less of an issue and if properly managed with coach skills can really be a non issue. other than that comparing him and steltz he has slightly less coverage ability but is a much better athlete. his overall potential scared me away for a long time but in my 3-4 trying to use new guys he has been great. i don't blitz him much and don't know his blazing rating but with his speed if he comes free he should get to the qb

That seems as though it makes sense. I think I should give him a try. If only I had though of that before going on a tangent this morning with the Rams. Out of curiosity, is he also capable of returning kicks (as he is in real life)? That would be a good selling point for me too, given that I tend to run into injury troubles with my starters if they also return. If he is only occupying the SS2 spot, it might quell my discomfort.

[Skarecrow]

Quote: Originally Posted by PioneerCoach5

That seems as though it makes sense. I think I should give him a try. If only I had though of that before going on a tangent this morning with the Rams. Out of curiosity, is he also capable of returning kicks (as he is in real life)? That would be a good selling point for me too, given that I tend to run into injury troubles with my starters if they also return. If he is only occupying the SS2 spot, it might quell my discomfort.

slightly off-topic, but I usually have my 3rd (or 4th) string WR or 2nd string HB returning kicks in most of my franchises. I've found that the "kick return" rating on most players is garbage, and you really need to look at BC vision, juke move, and stiffarm (aside from obvious ones like acceleration and speed) to find a good return man. usually I've got at least 2 WRs who have a good combination of all these skills.

Or you could just give it to Jamarion Bellows. The guy is a tank of a WR. I've never seen him out for even a few plays.

[PioneerCoach5]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skarecrow

slightly off-topic, but I usually have my 3rd (or 4th) string WR or 2nd string HB returning kicks in most of my franchises. I've found that the "kick return" rating on most players is garbage, and you really need to look at BC vision, juke move, and stiffarm (aside from obvious ones like acceleration and speed) to find a good return man. usually I've got at least 2 WRs who have a good combination of all these skills. Or you could just give it to Jamarion Bellows. The guy is a tank of a WR. I've never seen him out for even a few plays.

Running the risk of continuing to stay off topic, I agree with your premise. Ultimately, I only care about a guy that won't fumble the ball and won't get hurt. I feel that Special Teams is far too overlooked in all of the EA Sports football games. I wish that they would make some sort of effort to improve upon that aspect, given how important Special Teams is to the ebb and flow of the real life football game they attempt to emulate.

Bellows is supposed to be the Jerry Rice reincarnation, right? That would explain the durability. For the record, I maintain that Rice could come out of retirement today and proceed to make it impossible for anyone to come close to his receiving records.

[Skarecrow]

ok, so, back on topic, my 2008 draft was:

1.06 ROLB Keith Rivers
1.13 SS Kenny Phillips
2.11 RE Calais Campbell
3.03 WR Earl Bennett
3.10 DT Dre Moore
4.10 QB Josh Johnson
6.15 HB Xavier Omon
7.04 WR Early Doucet
7.14 SS Craig Steltz

Looks like a pretty good draft to me, used a few of your suggestions, grabbed some players I've never drafted before, etc. Should be an interesting team.

BTW, if I read your recomendations right, Calais should move to LE, and Dre should move to RE, correct?

Edit: Picked up in undrafted:
HB J. Buckingham
TE M. Peterson
LT T. Hills
K A. Serna
RT K. Barton

[PioneerCoach5]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skarecrow

ok, so, back on topic, my 2008 draft was: 1.06 ROLB Keith Rivers 1.13 SS Kenny Phillips 2.11 RE Calais Campbell 3.03 WR Earl Bennett 3.10 DT Dre Moore 4.10 QB Josh Johnson 6.15 HB Xavier Omon 7.04 WR Early Doucet 7.14 SS Craig Steltz Looks like a pretty good draft to me, used a few of your suggestions, grabbed some players I've never drafted before, etc. Should be an interesting team. BTW, if I read your recomendations right, Calais should move to LE, and Dre should move to RE, correct?

Looks pretty good. Out of curiosity (this is off topic, by the by), have you had much success with Xavier Omon at Running Back? His potential is always too low for me to go with him. Perhaps its because of my philosophy? What does he work best in?

Calais Campbell is perfect for the LE position in the defense. Dre Moore is a great RE or DT if that's a position you need. I actually prefer him at RE because I heavily rely on the "over" alignment that I talked about. With him playing a 3-technique (outside shade of the guard) or even Nose (Outside of the Center), he tends to be more effective. I suppose that is because he is versatile. Most of the time I leave him on the Depth Chart as a DT in slot two just in case one of my starters goes down.

As an aside, I'm in the middle of my Patriots career and have found that most of my pass rush does indeed come from the defensive left (LOLB and LE). I have Keith Rivers and Ty Warren over there, and both of them have over 15 sacks (through 10 games). Who would have thought that Ty Warren would be a league-leading pass rush specialist? Perhaps there are more guys out there who are capable of playing outside of their perceived "roles" and have untapped talent. Has anyone else stumbled upon this?

[Skarecrow]

Never used Omon before. Usually I pick up either McFadden if I am playing a run heavy offense, or buckingham if I need a solid 2nd stringer (although buckingham needs a lot of development to get there). I took omon for something new.

I have nobody of consequence at DT. I'm hoping to find some good ones in the next year's draft. if I get english, there's a star DT almost every year. if I get another path, well... we'll see.