I Think I figured out the Generics
 

I think I figured out what type of player each of your generics are.

1. For the wide receivers, there seems to be 3 different types of generics.

Good Hands, Average and Deep/Special Teams

a - You can tell the difference when they line up at the line of scrimmage. At the line of scrimmage the good hands receivers will bend down with their hands near their face.

b - The balanced/average generic receivers stand straight with their arms at their sides and their hands straight down.

c - The speedy deep threat/special teams receivers also stand straight up but have their hands at their waist with their arms bent.

The reason I say special teams about the deep guys, is because the deep guys are fast but can not catch at all. I find them great as special teams players since they are so fast. Great at kick returns and kick coverage.

If you choose "deep threat" as your generic assignment on receivers, most of the wideouts will have the "c" stance.

2. For DB's I am not so sure about, but it seems to be evident that the their are only 2 types of generic DB's.

Guys that like to play deep/man and guys that like to cover short/zone.

You can tell the difference when you have them line up as wideouts at the line of scrimmage. At the line of scrimmage the short/zone generic db's will bend down with their hands near their face.

While the deep/man DB's will stand straight up with their arms at their sides and their hands straight down.

3. Generic offensive Lineman. 2 types, Pass block and Run block. When you look at the replay and look at your generic lineman. Look at their facemask. If they have a vertical bar that goes from top to bottom of the face mask then they are better as a run blocker. If they do not have a bar that runs from top to bottom vertically then that generic lineman is better as a pass blocker.

If you pick a set of Generic "Pass blocking" lineman from the generic assignments then you will see alot of non vertical bars going from top to bottom on the lineman's face masks.

If you pick a set of Generic "Run blocking" lineman from the generic assignments then you will not see much of any vertical bars going from top to bottom on the lineman's face masks.

Yes I've tested several times and I'm still looking into dlineman and linebackers but I am not sure enough to post anything on them.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

Catchcatch--

Is this info primarily designed to diagnose which generics your opponent is using? It seems to me that users already know this information about their own teams, as the generic groups are selected as part of the team customization process. Are you suggesting that even with the choice of "pass block" OL as the generic set you can actually get one or two guys who are better run blockers? I feel like I'm missing something here--could you clear this up for me?

In any case, nice work, and thanks for the info, particularly about the usefulness of speed WR on special teams. I've also found that run support safeties help there as well as they're less likely to miss tackles--especially important when facing Woodson, who breaks tons of tackles in the return game.

One thing I want to know is how run support corners play. I've never had the balls to try them just because most people are so pass happy online.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

Most people have no idea how to make a generic catch the ball. I always use Possession Receiver as it aides in ensuring they can actually come down with the ball. From my experience, any time a ball is lofted or it's thrown hard, it decreases the likely hood that the receiver will catch the ball, whether they are a Star receiver or a generic/scrub receiver. In order to maximize the chance that the receiver catches the ball, you need to throw a perfectly timed pass. That means, not too hard, and not too soft. Just 100% in the middle. If you do this, then your scrubs/generics will catch in upwards of 75% of the passes, and only be a little worse than a bronze receiver.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

I know what you mean here, Valdarez. Your upper-tier (Gold, Silver) WR can come down with balls that are thrown too hard, high, in traffic, etc. However, I've noticed that bronze guys will drop balls behind them, too hard if they don't have soft hands, etc. And generics will often catch the ball if it's thrown at the exact time during a route and at the right speed (like your TE when he comes out of the bump from the LB and has yet to hit the S level). If it's too hard, if the defenders are too close, or whatever else, I have noticed that it makes a difference, though my generics will still make some surprise plays.

The speed guys are a whole other deal to me. I don't have any luck with them. I feel like they have to be wide the f- open and still have to get lucky to catch the ball. Perhaps manual control is the key.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

Yes, even if you choose "possesion" as your receivers there will be a deep threat and a average thrown in there. Same as all the positions. When you choose a generic assignment it doesn't make all of them possession or deep threat it just makes more of them possession or deep threat.

The "Run Support" secondary are better at bump coverage and tackling, while the "Coverage" secondary are better at zone coverage and intercepting the ball. However "run support" secondary are very susceptible to pump fakes, play fakes and flea flickers since they are more aggressive and try to make the play.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

Wow, that's VERY interesting. Thanks for investing the time to figure this out; your work is much appreciated. Keep the findings coming!

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

No problem, the reason I posted the info was for those who wanted to use generics at key positions and did not want to invest the time to figure out who was good at what.

This has really helped my team building since I now know who I should throw to and which one of my generics can play man coverage, without going through game situations first.

Especially guys like me that try to build certain teams.

Re: I Think I figured out the Generics
 

Absolutely; this is key information. I've noticed that certain guys just miss basic blocks in certain generic sets, and it may be that they're the guys that are going to lock down the pass rush but not be the stalwart in the run game. It's also especially helpful with the DBs and WRs. I have been able to glean a little bit from gameplay--like that Shaefter is faster than Polli-Dixon at TE, that Hubbard can come up wish sick catches in a crowd, that Parks is reliable but mostly when wide open, etc. Since great players find strategic uses for their generics knowing who is capable of what at that level is almost as important as knowing who is capable at what at the legends position.

Incidentally, how do you get your DBs lined up at WR to see how they line up?