[BTG]

Quote: Originally Posted by PGaither84

How many varriations do they have out of that? How different is that from real life. Do they ever really use a FB outside of short yardage situations? Real playbooks are thick, but they do not have as many plays as you might think. Formations are just window dressing to create match ups, where the plays in a playbook are really just diagrams of how a single play works against different defensive fronts and alingments and from different offensive alingments. For example, if a defense shows you a certain look, a QB will sometimes just shift the formation to something more advantageous, kill the play or obviously fake it. What makes a QB great is more than how well they can throw the rock or spin it... but simply being a field general who will gwt your offense out of a bad look and into a good one. The 90's Broncos won two Super Bowls by using a lot of Weak I and single back with motion and changing where a 3rd WR or 2nd TE lined up while using the same 15 or so plays: Inside zone, putside zone, FB dive, and about 12 passes, some of which were play action based on the runs. The Rams, to my understanding, are very similar as they also use zone as their base run scheme and build off of it. They call wide zone, play action off of wide zone, and the play action HB screen based off of that as their "rock paper scissors" scheme. Sure, they have ther plays, but as a user in Madden, I suggest you get good at the zone run and the various play action boot leg plays based off of it. Get the defense comitted to stopping you zone run and hit them with PA boots, if the load up the box but drop into zone to stop the PA, then you go to the PA screen game and chew them up for being passive. Also, a zone run philosophy is to pass on first down, run on 2nd and 5+ to set up 3rd and short and play the situation. 2nd and short is almost always play action (including the screen if they see it coming). 3rd and long, do not be afraid to check it down and just get a completion and try to pick up the first with RAC yards. Furthermore, come out with a pass play on 1st down, but count the box and be ready to kill to run if you have numbers and leverage and just grind out 4 between the tackles. Coach Alex Gibbs, the godfather of the Zone Run, taugh the scheme as a "no negatives" concept. Do not try to bounce everything outside. No power runs. No counters. Be willing to grind out 3 or 4 and take the offense to 3rd and manageable where even a 5 yard dink and dunk pass can move the chains. 3rd down passes should stretch the defense vertically with a runner underneath as the check down, but not simply a swing pass to the sideline. Something as simple as 4 verts with the HB curl under it to move the chains or go big. Anthing shy of cover 4 will get killed by 4 verts and cover 4 crumbles to that HB curl. Against man, your QB shoukd be able to tuck it and get 5 on his own.

Everyone should read this. Great post.