Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

[xCoachDx]

It’s baffling to me how EA says they “couldn’t get to pass coverage” this year when to me, it’s been one of the biggest issues in Madden for years. I mean just look at this stuff.

Receiver running in safeties deep half. Stands 10-20 yards deep and just chills.


Man coverage. Back gets turned after receiver makes his break. Has been an issue since 2014.





I don’t even know what’s happening here.



Receiver ran a stop/hitch route. Corner defended it well, then suddenly backed off. Notice how the ball has been thrown and he’s still backing up.




It blows my mind how coverages can still be so bad. Some people will say “Oh you can fix that with sliders.” Why should we have to go tweak sliders in order to keep basic stuff like this from happening? Safeties still play 20+ yards too deep, corners get stuck in their backpedal for way too long, linebackers let drags and slants go right by them without even touching them. I also captured a few clips where defenders were in perfect position to make a play on the ball but just stood there and let it go by them. There are SO many issues with this aspect of the game and it’s hard to imagine anything improving seeing as these are problems that started years ago.

But what’s curious to me, is that the CPU doesn’t have these issues on All-Madden. They play things almost perfectly. Which tells me that EA is certainly capable of fixing the problem, they’re just not doing it. Mind blowing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ehh]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Frustrating to see this. I gave up on playing anything but Cover 0 and Cover 1 the last few years because your safeties are useless and drop far too deep, taking themselves out of most plays. You're playing 7 or 8 on 11 most times you play Cover 3 or 4; might as well gamble with Cover 0 or 1.

[Spitfirex007]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

This **** is so frustrating. Football is a game of read and react. EA can't seem to grasp this.

[Find_the_Door]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Don't play Cover 1 on this game - your corners will just get toasted for no reason as in they don't flip their hips at the right time and get passed by

[TheGentlemanGhost]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

This is a huge problem with Madden, not just with coverage but so many other things.

When Madden finally addresses an issue, they either put a band-aid on it or make a settle adjustment and you say “okay, this is a good start”, thinking we’ll see further adjustments made the following year...but nothing happens. They made enhancements about 3 years ago with coverage that were “a start” but they never followed up on it. It is so frustrating being a football (gaming) fan.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[engrishbwudd]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

The coverage in this game drops my enjoyment from an 8 to a 4. It's such a fundamental part of the game that just doesn't work. Why invest money into a good defense when everyone in the secondary plays like it's their first game? So disappointing considering how good a lot of the game actually is.

[JBucc]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

This is why I got nervous when the response to concerns about coverage were met with "The pass rush will take care of it." A better pash rush is nice, but it's still only affecting 15ish% of plays, and on the other 85% the WRs are running free. You can't just ignore a broken part of the game because it's "not a ____ year."

[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Seems Blue Zone logic is a single logic across the board. I haven't played my 10-hours yet, but the beta still had problems with blue zones; especially frustrating in pattern-matching coverages such as Cover 4 and Cover 3.

Basically you have to user a safety

[canes21]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Like I posted in the impressions thread, I am seeing too many instances where a WR will run an in-breaking route and the DB covering them will cut towards the sideline completely away from the WR.

On top of that, I'm still seeing DB's randomly backpedaling towards the sideline on deep passing plays. For example, the WR is running a streak, the DB plays off the WR. He backpedals fine the first 5 yards, then randomly turns 90 degrees and is backpedaling right towards the bench as the WR blows by him. Then he goes back to normal and tries to recover, but the WR is too long gone for him to.

I am also seeing safeties turning their hips way too late on deep routes. By the time they turn their hips the ball is already over halfway to the WR.

I am also seeing way too many DBs and LBs in coverage that are turning the wrong way when mirroring a route. Instead of turning their hips in towards the WR and never losing sight of the offensive player, they will turn their back to the player and do a near entire spin just to turn their hips and shadow the WR. That is wrong on so many levels. If you are not understanding what I am saying here, imagine a TE on the right hash running an in route towards the left sideline. The LB covering him should backpedal and when then TE breaks towards the middle of the field, the LB should just cut towards the middle of the field while never losing sight of the TE. What is happening is when the TE cuts in on his route, the defensive player will turn towards the sideline the TE is running away from, do a spin, and then snap their head back inside as they run towards the TE to catch up. In no world would that ever be the way a player is taught to cover someone.

[Nickda55]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

This is why I got nervous when the response to concerns about coverage were met with "The pass rush will take care of it." A better pash rush is nice, but it's still only affecting 15ish% of plays, and on the other 85% the WRs are running free. You can't just ignore a broken part of the game because it's "not a ____ year."

This ^ - And I've also noticed even when you do get pressure a notification will pop up at the bottom of the screen that will say "Resisited Pressure-Accurate" basically voiding out what pressure you even had on the QB.

[JE11]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Don't play Cover 1 on this game - your corners will just get toasted for no reason as in they don't flip their hips at the right time and get passed by

Cover 1 actually is the coverage that works best for me with the Patriots.

The issues I've been experiencing with pass coverage are related to the CPU's defense. It feels much easier than in the beta.

[bcruise]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

This ^ - And I've also noticed even when you do get pressure a notification will pop up at the bottom of the screen that will say "Resisited Pressure-Accurate" basically voiding out what pressure you even had on the QB.

That's the QB's "Throw Under Pressure" rating winning out in a dice roll. And it's REALLY nice to finally see that calculation out in the open. Now you'll know when pressure influenced a throw, and when it didn't. It's been around for as long as that rating has (I'm staring right at the rating right now in M19), but it's always been a hidden effect.

My personal experience with this is from the beta, but I'm seeing it in streams and it hasn't changed. Personally, I love now knowing when pressure actually had a chance to make an impact on a play (whether it ended up doing so or not), so I really like the new detailed feedback.

[SolidSquid]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Have been getting thrashed, figured it was bc i was playing as the bucs, so i raised my secondaries coverage ratings to 90s across the board. Same issues, corners play man like they arent looking at wrs, zone defenders still cover dead grass as guys run wide open. It almost seems as if there arent enough “coverage/jostle” animations so defenders just do dumb things to give “wins”

[xCoachDx]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Like I posted in the impressions thread, I am seeing too many instances where a WR will run an in-breaking route and the DB covering them will cut towards the sideline completely away from the WR.

On top of that, I'm still seeing DB's randomly backpedaling towards the sideline on deep passing plays. For example, the WR is running a streak, the DB plays off the WR. He backpedals fine the first 5 yards, then randomly turns 90 degrees and is backpedaling right towards the bench as the WR blows by him. Then he goes back to normal and tries to recover, but the WR is too long gone for him to.

I am also seeing safeties turning their hips way too late on deep routes. By the time they turn their hips the ball is already over halfway to the WR.

I am also seeing way too many DBs and LBs in coverage that are turning the wrong way when mirroring a route. Instead of turning their hips in towards the WR and never losing sight of the offensive player, they will turn their back to the player and do a near entire spin just to turn their hips and shadow the WR. That is wrong on so many levels. If you are not understanding what I am saying here, imagine a TE on the right hash running an in route towards the left sideline. The LB covering him should backpedal and when then TE breaks towards the middle of the field, the LB should just cut towards the middle of the field while never losing sight of the TE. What is happening is when the TE cuts in on his route, the defensive player will turn towards the sideline the TE is running away from, do a spin, and then snap their head back inside as they run towards the TE to catch up. In no world would that ever be the way a player is taught to cover someone.

The issue of defenders turning away from their man is something I remember seeing in NCAA 14. SIX. YEARS. AGO. And we’re still having these same problems. Crazy how 2016 saw such a coverage overhaul and yet hasn’t been touched since.

I really don’t see how this game is playable like this. Too much success/failure lies completely beyond your control.

By the way, here’s another screenshot that is absolutely hysterical and sad at the same time. Arizona is on defense. And in man coverage with those receivers. Wrap your head around that.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Pass Coverage is STILL so broken

Just a heads up guys, if you want something like this to be fixed you need video. Screenshots isn't going to cut it. It's extremely easy to quickly record clips on console and I'm all for seeing tighter defense as it's something that's been frustrating me as well but they need video of what the problems you're having are and it makes it so much easier for me to pass along and compile.