How is it a work around? Shouldn't you expect the cpu to tear you up if you are playing in a soft zone and they are spreading the field? This is the kind of reasoning I don't get- I honestly think you guys never played football in your lives, let alone understand how defensive sets are called.
In high school our team would play an entire game in man to man if the opposing team was the type that loved to throw the ball around. We had speedy corners and linebackers, so we were able to do this. Looking back on it actually, I'm not sure we ever really relied on a zone heavy scheme- I'm not really sure of any team that really loves to play zone exclusively.
This game forces you to mix up coverages A LOT! You can't play man bump and run all game because they will eventually burn you deep. You can't play simple man all game because they will start running all over you or hit someone deep over the midde. You can't play in a qb spy all day because they will figure out a way to screw the players in the spy. You can't blitz all day because they will patch up the side you are going after (cpu uses slide protect too). Basically you need to mix things up a lot, and confuse the cpu.
The game has issues, but a lot of you are moaning and groaning like you expect everything you have used in past games to work this year. Just because you have been good at playing d in past football video games does not mean what you are doing is correct, or fundamentally sound in actual football. This game has the most realistic defensive recognition ai of any game I've played, and I think it's awesome that the cpu will pick me apart because I overused a zone, or blitzed a cb and got burned.
Again, the game has some issues, but for the most part if you follow this article and understand where it is coming from, you will be ok. I find it req=warding to play defense this year.