All war is deception(game planning 101)

[algoody421]

Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.
Sun Tzu

Okay, now that we've gone over philosophies, lets tackle game planning/play calling(I see them as inseparable). Of course some of you are skilled veterans who have been playing virtual football forever, this is not for you. I dont expect to be able to teach any of you veterans(former players/seasoned virtual players) anything, but maybe theres a bit here or there you didnt know/think of...

Ok, Im gonna lay out some basics here on how to defeat each coverage That I know of. If Ive missed one that you know how to beat or an option I didnt think of, please post it and I'll copy it into this with credit.

Simple Man coverage- crossing routes(like corner post combination in routes, cross, drag, slants ins outs), double moves(slant and go, wheel, curl/hook and go, post corner, corner post), option routes.

Man blitz- rb flats, circles, te/rb curls, and any route that works against man coverage above. outside blitz/run to opposite side of blitz. counter run(when learned or mastered), draws.

Man zone- any route that beats zone coverage type(2 or 3/combo), te/slot post, deep curls on the outside(with flats combo route from inside recievers/te/rb), and route above that beats man coverage(as long as you know who's manning up).

Cover 2- inside run/draw/fb dive, deep curl outside(with inside wr/te/rb flat combo route), wheel, te/slot deep post/streak(seam)

Cover 3, Flats, swings from the back field, short/medium/deep curls curls outside, out routes from the inside(rb te slot)Slants from inside out(as in going to the outside from the middle of the field), wheels with high priority(early reads) so they're hit shorter, Deep in from the outside on the deep cover safety side(when both are deep either will work(especially when you combo a streak/seam on the inside(slot or te). Pitches and outside handoffs, counters sometimes.

Cover 4, Curls on the outside, hb option routes, inside runs, outside runs/pitches/screens/swings, flats(both wr and hb, all of that if they do deep olb zones not blue flat zones).

Cover 7- any route that beats man coverage on the sole man as long as it doesnt cross into a zone. Usually thats the #1 cb. Having a slot wr/te on that side do an out or slant outwards with a combo route on the outside(streak, fade, crossing route like a post/slant). Theres a huge hole on the man side thats short of deep as its a verion of cover 3, with olb on the opposite side of man in a buzz( purple zone). Opposite cb of man cover is deep cover 3 route and the safeties go the opposite way from him. I think the other olb is a middle hook). The bellichick version has a blitzing mlb and a mid hook on the olb opposite the buzz zone(purple).

Zone blitz, what ever beats the cover version plus the same routes that beat man blitz(against wherever the blitzes were coming from, so usually circles/option routes from the backfield).

Combo blitz, if its 4-3 all lb blitz hb circle te curls,te/ h/fb /slot outs and any route that beats the coverage.

Goaline, Pitch, outside run and anything that beats the man or zone cover they tend to use.



Now, within those things that work, you have to learn to not give away what you do in any situation. If you're always running standard passes on 1st and 10, guess what, they're gonna pick plays that stop that soon enough. This is especially true if you allow your plays to get too high in usage scores.

Also, you have to learn to set things up. You're beating them up with the inside run on first or 2nd down right? So what do they do? They bring the safeties into the box soon enough? What do you do? You play action of course! They bite, any deep route is wide open...

Same works vice versa. Say you always call quick passes all day on 1st and second down. Sooner or later they're gonna start calling a zone or blitz to stop that. Depending on what they do, you're gonna use whatever beats that play the next time on first down. If they run a cover 2 you run inside on them. If its a 3 or 4 without flats, its pitches and screens, etc.

But you're never trying to do the same thing every down. Also, remember to change your formations. Maybe you run goaline a couple plays, then switch it up next first down with a shot gun play with no tes, just 4 wr and rb. Or you're running too much so you go empty and let him breath a couple plays instead of a backup ****ing up cause he doesnt know the play.

Even if you do go by success, you always want to try and keep your playcalling to 1 or 2% percent usage in any situation. Any higher and they key in on those plays in those situations.

[algoody421]

Now for gameplanning

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.
Sun Tzu

If you're versing a mike martz team, whats the point of gameplanning against the run? If you're versing pittsburg under tomlin, whats the point of really gameplanning defending the pass?

If they run a cover two, work on standard pass inside runs or tes. They run a cover 3 or 4, pitches screens outside runs, quick passes. If they run a blitz d, work on qb/wr/oline(whoevers playing/rated worse) play action or quick passes or pass blocking. If they run a complex defense like ne, work with qb or wr. If they have an amazing secondary work on the run game that beats their coverage. If they have an amazing run d/front 7, work on shotgun and standard passes, whatever beats their coverage.

Point is, you need to be precise with your gameplanning. If you're versing a bruiser back, you better learn to tackle and or blitz the type of running they use. If its a scat speed back, work on zone coverage or forcing fumbles. If they have an amazing qb passer, work on man zone or covering the kind of passes they usually throw(shotgun quick standard or cover wrs if they're diverse). If they got a dumb qb, work on blitzing the qb or man/zone/combo blitz. That or getting pressure out of your dline/coverage type)man/zone/ man zone/combo) you usually run have if you dont blitz .

If they have a running qb, I'd work on zone or man coverage or man zone cause one of them will have a spy play/that or tackling rb will work on one sometimes). If they run inside all the time(seen through rb stats screen), work on blitzing inside runs or dl inside run stop. If they run a zone/outside running system you work on blitzing outside runs.


Again, these are just the basics. Anyone else who has opinions is more than welcome to add them. But proper game planning can lead to better chances of winning. Its not that you cant win when game planning to fix a hole in your team, but it should only be resorted to when you verse weaker teams or early in the season against teams with new coaches who bring different playbooks. That or when you verse a team with similar systems to someone you verse recently/you've mastered your playbook and are just trying to bring some plays up to the same level of mastery(no reason to work on something that doesnt improve a play cause its past 40%).

Also realize that gameplans dont just work on learning plays. They actually teach your players how to do things better because they've learned that kind of play. For instance, you qb keeps getting sacked cause he's not getting the ball out/through his reads. Work on quick passes, you'll notice the ball is release a lot sooner in any passing play, not just quick plays. You cant hit a deep pass? Work on shotguns. Your qb wont check it down? Work on screens. Wont hit the medium passes? standard pass. Not getting enough time to throw? Work on play action to give an extra blocker with the rb up the middle or the outside depending on where the better pass rusher is or your weaker blocking side. Working with catching helps ANYONE catch and route run, release. Working with qb wr or te or ol specifically targets those positions to bring up the level of play

When you work on counters, you help your rbs do juke moves and spins and cutting back, as well as your guards with pulling on any play. When you work inside runs, you're working on trucking and ball carrier vision. Outside runs teaches rbs to take anything outside(including inside runs) as well as stiff arms/jukes. Pass blocking or run blocking effects EVERYONES ability to block(not just oline, rbs tes and wrs on screens/runs they block). Working with te can really help open the outside run if they not sealing the edge. Rbs not hitting the hole? Work on rb. Linemen arent opening holes? Work on oline or te, or run blocking/improve run plays(for rb not hitting hole as well).

Working on zone or man coverage helps anyone do those. Working on blitz man/zone/combo works on both man coverage when blitzing, and blitzing when in man coverage for anyone. Work on blitzing inside/out runs helps zone and man break off their pass coverage and attack the ball carrier(depending on which you choose inside or out) as well as blockshedding to the outside or inside. Working with dline up the middle makes the dline and any lb on the los rush inwards.

Working with ANY POSITION/verse run/passing game should be waited on till later in the season when you've already game planned the regular types of gameplans(inside runs, standard pass, or any defense like zone or man or zone/man blitz etc, man zone, combo, etc). You're trying to learn kinds of plays before you try to stop kinds of offenses other than say blitzing inside or outside runs if they predominantly run those kinds of plays. If they run standard pass you work on blitzing standard pass and so on. But if they dont specialize in that kind of play, you dont worry about working on it till you;ve learned the kinds of plays first. This will help your coordinators to pick better plays to gameplan in those types.

But this should help anyone new to the game or a novice/rookie when it comes to football strategy.

[AnnetteWade]

Interesting read there man. This helps a lot as I struggle with knowing and remembering what routes and combinations can beat the different zone coverages.

[algoody421]

Even with this, facing a 46 is bull****. I got my *** kicked by a 1-4 team cause rob ryan(not rex) got the jets job. He ****ed me up! Like 52 to 24, *** kicking. I need someone who knows what to do there to post up some strategy(specifically his version in the game).

[cbutler0509]

Quote: Originally Posted by algoody421

Even with this, facing a 46 is bull****. I got my *** kicked by a 1-4 team cause rob ryan(not rex) got the jets job. He ****ed me up! Like 52 to 24, *** kicking. I need someone who knows what to do there to post up some strategy(specifically his version in the game).

What offensive playbook are you using?

[Mike3207]

Quote: Originally Posted by algoody421

Even with this, facing a 46 is bull****. I got my *** kicked by a 1-4 team cause rob ryan(not rex) got the jets job. He ****ed me up! Like 52 to 24, *** kicking. I need someone who knows what to do there to post up some strategy(specifically his version in the game).

Ebongreen posted this abouut the combo coverage blitzes, it might be useful for facing Ryan:

Quote:

What receiver have I not mentioned at all, who's not single-covered in man, that the passing AI loves to throw to anyway? Every quarterback's best friend, the tight end. Similarly, what's one of your best tools to fluster the blitz in this game? Play-action bootlegs. Each of them alone are very useful against this scheme. Put the two of them together, and you have the go-to recipe for touchdown after touchdown. The routes you want to have your TE and #3WR running are wheels and corners. Play-action passes like the I-Form Twin PA Waggle and PA Cross In, and the Strong I PA FL Middle and (to a lesser degree, if you motion the flanker from right-to-left) PA Flood, will gain ridiculous yardage with a star tight end - and by ridiculous, I mean 200-300 yards per game. (In my current franchise in the 2011-12 season, in two different games against the Giants Karron Cousins had 229 in one and Drew Goldman had 297 in the other.) Adding play-action means that the LBs that are supposed to be covering the hook zones play the run first and cover second, so the TE gets behind the underneath-zone defenders almost immediately. If you get your TE behind the linebacker(s) and outside the safety, there's no-one there. A completed pass becomes a foot-race between your TE and the FS, and your man has a head start. Money money money. Thrown in shotgun passes to a capable slot receiver, and you'll chew this defense up routinely. Out of the shotgun, the best play(s) have your #1 & #2 WRs running short routes, with the TE & #3 running deep. Your HB must stay in to pass-protect, preferably on the strong-side. Plays like the shotgun Slot Strong FL Drag (TE: hitch; slot: deep out) and SE Quick Hit (TE: streak; slot: corner) are very well-suited to attack this defense, as is Offset Weak Dig Wheel (TE: cross; slot: wheel) if you flip it.

[algoody421]

Thats what Im talking about mrs. Ima have to remember that if I verse him again.

I was just stumped and early in the year(game 5 I think) with new starters at so many positions. I have the super chargers offense, but I didnt even think about playaction corners or wheels from inside. I was just too frustrated by the blitz and the all pro secondary(everyone was literally over 85 in the top 3 cbs and both safeties including revis and kerry rhodes over 90.

[Jail2end]

Do you know if the gameplans you select affect simulation play? I always liked to assume they made a difference but I'm not so sure.

Like if you choose "Blitz the QB" will the front 7 produce more sacks in a simulated game? Or does gameplanning only take effect if YOU play?