Please, Stop

[ManOfLaMange]

I know, I've been committing an OS no-no by playing ranked games against random folks, but I've also seen a lot of threads/posts on OS and the EA Forums with people complaining about the no-huddle offenses as "cheese".

NO, THEY'RE NOT.

Now, I'm not a big proponent of them, being from Big Ten country and playing most of my games with Iowa or Nebraska online, but no-huddle offenses are put in place in real life to make a mediocre-talent-level offense successful against a talented defense.

So it makes sense that when a player is losing, they go no-huddle to score. The no-huddle has been used that way since the USFL days (Jim Kelly, I'm looking at you) and it is a strategy in real football, and therefore makes sense that it should affect the game in a negative manner for a defense.

So to all of you who complain that you were beat with a no-huddle, please realize what you are saying. You are saying you shouldn't lose because you don't know how to adjust your defense to a no-huddle by picking other plays in the quick screen (a great tool that defenses didn't have before this year, mind you) and that you're scared to use a basketball-style timeout like they're used in real life.

[Joshua1207]

Re: Please, Stop

Is this thread really needed? Obviously the no-huddle is fair game.

[ManOfLaMange]

Re: Please, Stop

I feel like it is, over the last few days I've been surrounded by the opinion that it's cheese, and to me complaining about the no-huddle feels like sour grapes.

If the overwhelming opinion of the OS membership feels like I do, that'd be awesome. I put it in the general section because I wanted to vent on the topic, and I'm cool with some affirmation that I'm right about this.

[kingoftroy59]

Re: Please, Stop

I agree that it's fine when used properly...however it does get somewhat cheesy when you just no huddle to the same Power-O play because your opponent came out in a nickel or some other form of pass-minded front. Because the no-huddler doesn't have to sift through his playbook to find his new play when employing the spam strategy, you barely have any time to adjust either...which makes it quite annoying and difficult to defend. It also definitely isn't "sim".

[ManOfLaMange]

Re: Please, Stop

I don't think it's cheesy if someone runs Power-O against my nickel defense. If they keep running, I have to counter with the predict play/moving my alignments/calling timeout, just like in a real game.

Luckily we have the opportunity to guess at what package is coming out by waiting until the offense selects their play and we get a "3 WR 1 RB 1 TE" read. When I stop focusing and I pick a nickel D on 3rd and 6 and they come out in 2 TEs I should have showed patience in picking my play.

Defense is about reading and reacting; I don't fault the game for my impatience to do that, considering in real life if I'm a D coordinator I'd expect to be run on if I send out a pass-oriented defense without seeing what the offense was doing. Blind guesses should be punished when you're not lucky enough to get it right.

[yanks26ngoin]

Re: Please, Stop

What? Who's saying the no huddle is cheese? It cant be cheese if a ton of schools use it

[TXHusker25]

Re: Please, Stop

What? Who's saying the no huddle is cheese? It cant be cheese if a ton of schools use it

Not the no huddle itself, but the implementation of it.

If someone is running no huddle Wishbone/Goal Line/Power I, it is garbage, there is no argument that could make that legitimate. And I just played someone like that. Virginia Tech, Wishbone and either the Iso or audible to the Power and keep it. Not a single pitch and 39 of 40 offense plays in the game were Wishbone Tight. The other was a hail mary.

The other thing that personally bothers me is people that run no huddle after they choke on a wide open play, but that isn't really a no huddle offense, just an idiot.

[jayhouston12]

Re: Please, Stop

if they use it in anyway shape or form than its fine. you have a screen to pick plays or go adjust your strategy

hell if your going to play nickel i'd run the power o all game long too until you decided to bring up all your people and commit to the run while in your nickel...

nothing wrong with it....wise up and commit to the run....adjust your strategy

i don't see why you'd play normal nickel while they are in wishbone and not bring up your people and commit to the run, true you might be stuck in nickel but just adjust....thats defense read and adjust

[kingoftroy59]

Re: Please, Stop

I agree that that's how it should be. But when you're facing a Bama user that no huddle spams the Power O with Ingram and Co. against a group of DBs, it's hard to do anything overly effective with alignments, as you'll still get blown out of the hole (especially if you didn't pick an equally high powered team). Furthermore, you have to take lag into consideration...the playcalling screen isn't always as responsive as it is offline, which makes it even more difficult to select a better play for the situation. You might also have to shuffle through pages and pages to find a good run stopper, as opposed to just making a check at the line in real football.

It's also easy to disguise your packages via formation subs this year...for example, you can see "1 WR, 2 TE, 2 RB" on the playcalling screen, but then the opponent comes out in a 5 WR spread. Now, obviously, in real football, you can see what players are entering/leaving the field of play before a snap. In NCAA, all we have are manipulable numbers that can be extremely misleading.

[ManOfLaMange]

Re: Please, Stop

They fixed the 2 WR 2 TE 1 RB = 5 WR problem this year by showing the numbers of the players. I mean, I doubt we have any rosters but our favorite team memorized, but over time, you should realize that #4 on Alabama is indeed a WR and if it has him as a RB expect some mismatches.

Also, if I remember correctly, GT has done some no-huddle with the option, especially on the script plays, or the first ten plays of the game. Not to mention it is WAY EASIER to stop the no huddle when the player continues to pick the same plays over and over again than it is when they're passing and choosing new plays.

And if you're facing Alabama, and they come out double tight and plan on pounding it, you need to call timeout! It sucks that you have to use them for that, but that happens in real football, they're called basketball-style timeouts and it lets you set your defense.

[kingoftroy59]

Re: Please, Stop

Just curious, have you actually faced someone that has done a power run spam with a team like Alabama? In theory, yes it's easy to stop, but then you get into the game, and your defenders seem to come down with amnesia -- they are oblivious to the fact that the same play has been run against them five times in a row haha. Clearly, in real football, players will stop and think, "Hmm...they're running the same play again, perhaps I should shoot this gap and stop it in its tracks." But, to do that in NCAA, you have to either find the right defensive play in your extensive playbook, or hot route your coverage before the opponent sprints to the line and presses X almost instantaneously...which isn't an easy task most of the time.

I wish things worked in the game like they did in real life, but unfortunately a lot of things don't. And that is why cheese is possible.

[jerryrice4949]

Re: Please, Stop

I agree that it's fine when used properly...however it does get somewhat cheesy when you just no huddle to the same Power-O play because your opponent came out in a nickel or some other form of pass-minded front. Because the no-huddler doesn't have to sift through his playbook to find his new play when employing the spam strategy, you barely have any time to adjust either...which makes it quite annoying and difficult to defend. It also definitely isn't "sim".

You sir are right. The no huddle in and of itself is not cheesy but can become so if clearly used in certain ways. To me cheese is anything that is at least not reasonable sim like. Running a goal line formation from the no-huddle many times consecutively is cheese. That is not necessarily an excuse not to adapt and I am not saying it is a reason to lose. But it is lame as hell and definitely cheesy. I run a no huddle about half the time but sim only.

[Kobalt]

Re: Please, Stop

I don't think it's cheese, sometimes it gets annoying though when cpu runs the no huddle after gaining about 1~2yards

[jeebs9]

Re: Please, Stop

I feel like it is, over the last few days I've been surrounded by the opinion that it's cheese, and to me complaining about the no-huddle feels like sour grapes.

If the overwhelming opinion of the OS membership feels like I do, that'd be awesome. I put it in the general section because I wanted to vent on the topic, and I'm cool with some affirmation that I'm right about this.

Totally agree