Running the Wide Zone in M22

[RogueHominid]

Hey y'all.

I'm trying to work on my wide zone run game and am having difficulty getting traction. I'm wondering if I can get some pointers from folks who run the scheme successfully.

I think I might need advice on both personnel and execution.

On personnel, I'm wondering if folks have opinions on what attribute thresholds for the OL and even the TE might be necessary to reasonably expect to build a successful wide zone scheme. I'm thinking here about RBF and AGI in particular, and maybe stuff like STR for the TE.

On execution, I feel like the idea is to press horizontally until there's a crease and then get vertical, but I also feel like I might have the wrong aiming point. On a stretch play, where should I be aiming my initial movement, and when should I be looking to make the cut (outside foot of the G, inside foot of the T, outside foot of the T?).

I'm curious to learn more about this run scheme as it is in real life and also how it works practically in Madden.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Steelers4190]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

High school OC here......first I have to ask, are you wanting to run outside zone or wide zone? They may look similar but aiming point for the back is different

[RogueHominid]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

High school OC here......first I have to ask, are you wanting to run outside zone or wide zone? They may look similar but aiming point for the back is different

Hey man, thanks for engaging!

I'll show my ignorance here, but there are lots of plays that get lumped in the "outside zone" category in the play call screen because they basically look the same, but sometimes they have different names in Madden.

I guess HB Stretch is the play in Madden I'm thinking of. It's typically called that in single back and 2 back sets, but it's often called outside zone in shotgun sets.

If I wanted to build around stretch with something like split zone as the complement, how should I be approaching Stretch w/r/t personnel and execution?

Again, much obliged!

[Detroit Tigers]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

Given your slew of threads and (excellent) questions the last few weeks I’m here to tell you that you care more about this game than most posters here and as such you’re exactly the type of person who should be answering these questions you have for the rest of the community instead of asking them.

There’s a fine line between caring enough to browse these forums and caring enough to start threads like this and you’ve crossed it. There’s no one here to answer these kinds of questions for you. You’re on the other side. Good luck. Hope you find what you’re looking for.

[catcher_0_3]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

I just got the game this week and haven’t played madden in a few years, but I too have been trying to get the wide zone going. I’ll post a link at the bottom of the page of how wide zone is drawn up in actual football. From what I can tell initially the game does a pretty good job of replicating it. Here are my initial thoughts:

1) you’re aiming point is outside the TE until it’s not. I find myself cutting inside once I’m getting to the EMLOS and gaining 2-3 yards. Maybe 1/3 of the time it’s actually going outside.

2) the key to the play IMO is a TE who can block. Shocking I know. But if an end or linebacker can take you’re TE or even draw a double team then they’re going to have a numbers advantage on the play.

3) mobile guards can be handy if they can reach up and get a hat on a linebacker. This is where the cutback can come from but I’d look for guards with decent agility and Run block finesse grades.

https://weeklyspiral.com/2021/05/31/outside-zone/

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

How I do it:

Finesse blocking all across everyone who blocks

Watch the LBs and see if they over pursue or not

Fast RB with great acceleration and COD — very important, because the goal is to bait the defense and then explode as quickly as possible through the hole you create (or turn that corner super fast if you’re going outside). Don’t just ride the sprint button. Use it to get through that hole, or to escape an early penetrator.



.

I’m not some Madden expert but that’s how I do it, and I’m at least good enough at it to make it a functional part of my offense doing it like this.

[RogueHominid]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

Tigers, I hear ya. I know there's not as much chalk talk on OS as there could be, but I also know that we have a handful of coaches and players here who will chime in and contribute something from time to time.

Catcher & Oblivion, these pointers are helpful. I made a switch at the HB position around mid-year and put in a practice-squad steal HB who had high ACC and COD, and I noticed a massive improvement in the performance of my run game when using those plays.

I'm also going to make sure TE2-3 are good blockers. My TE1 isn't, but that might be something I can train up over, and I can use some split zone stuff to complement the outside zone, given the TE 1 blocking issues.

The diagram is very helpful, too. Hopefully all this will net me some good returns!

[Hooe]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

I'll show my ignorance here, but there are lots of plays that get lumped in the "outside zone" category in the play call screen because they basically look the same, but sometimes they have different names in Madden.

So I am loosely aware that the various outside zone runs in Madden are indeed blocked differently (ex. "Off Tackle", "Outside Zone", and "Stretch" all have different blocking schemes). I don't off the top of my head remember the specific nuances of each play, it's been a minute since I've sat down with Madden this year.

It might be helpful to sit down with each particular run call in practice and learn how they are blocked against particular defensive fronts. As Steelers4190 was saying, how to execute each play will depend on what you are calling.

[RogueHominid]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

So I am loosely aware that the various outside zone runs in Madden are indeed blocked differently (ex. "Off Tackle", "Outside Zone", and "Stretch" all have different blocking schemes). I don't off the top of my head remember the specific nuances of each play, it's been a minute since I've sat down with Madden this year.

It might be helpful to sit down with each particular run call in practice and learn how they are blocked against particular defensive fronts. As Steelers4190 was saying, how to execute each play will depend on what you are calling.

Good recommendation & will do! I think the most predominant ones are Stretch for under-center sets and Outside Zone for shotgun sets. There is the odd Stretch Arc & Off Tackle play here and there, but these are far less frequent. I'll probably spend some time with just the Stretch/Outside Zone calls in practice and see how they seem to be blocked vs. odd, over, under fronts.

For the time being, I've found major success over the second half of the season just by getting a back with good ACC & COD. That alone was enough to jolt my HB1's YPC from the high 2s to the mid 4s.

Ty Johnson is the breakthrough guy for me. I think I'm going to for backs with his ACC/COD profile, which I think means that you can make bargain backs productive in the system if you just have those 2 main attributes within the ideal range. It seems to me like 93 ACC and 85 COD would be ideal; Johnson comes in right around but maybe just shy of those parameters and has been stellar.

[iamwubbie]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

The 49ers playbook has so much outside zone to take advantage of George Kittle at TE, Kyle Juszycyk at FB, and their fast RB's.


My experience on playing All-Pro is that you always try to:

1. Get outside the Tight End,
2. If you can get even wider, to the sidelines, then cool.
3. But otherwise, there's eventually going to be a seam, you make a decision on when to make your "one cut" and then go.

I'm not very good at the sticks though, but just doing this gets me consistent yardage at least. And occasionally I'll spring a big gain if it's blocked well and/or I break a tackle.

[shooter135]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

Good recommendation & will do! I think the most predominant ones are Stretch for under-center sets and Outside Zone for shotgun sets. There is the odd Stretch Arc & Off Tackle play here and there, but these are far less frequent. I'll probably spend some time with just the Stretch/Outside Zone calls in practice and see how they seem to be blocked vs. odd, over, under fronts.

For the time being, I've found major success over the second half of the season just by getting a back with good ACC & COD. That alone was enough to jolt my HB1's YPC from the high 2s to the mid 4s.

Ty Johnson is the breakthrough guy for me. I think I'm going to for backs with his ACC/COD profile, which I think means that you can make bargain backs productive in the system if you just have those 2 main attributes within the ideal range. It seems to me like 93 ACC and 85 COD would be ideal; Johnson comes in right around but maybe just shy of those parameters and has been stellar.

That's interesting about the ACC and COD. I have tried several different teams running wide zone/stretch, and some RBs just work better, not always the fastest either. Maybe it is ACC and COD.

Does everyone run it mainly from singleback? Or do you mix in I and Gun as well?

[RogueHominid]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

SF does have a really good wide zone scheme, and they probably have the most cohesive set of pass concepts off of that run scheme, with the boots and stuff.

And re: attributes, I've always had a hard time running with certain backs, often the bigger types, because I seem to have difficulty hitting creases with them. I think it comes down to those two ratings and maybe BCV, but it feels like the ability to hit the hole is really about the ability to change direction and accelerate, which makes sense.

[SonOfEd]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

That's interesting about the ACC and COD. I have tried several different teams running wide zone/stretch, and some RBs just work better, not always the fastest either. Maybe it is ACC and COD.

Does everyone run it mainly from singleback? Or do you mix in I and Gun as well?

I mostly run it from singleback and some I formations. Gun feels a little off to me, like the momentum is going off track. But this is coming from still playing M21 on PS4.
I base my scheme out of singleback deuce close, so many complimentary series in that set that build off each other.

[JoshC1977]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

That's interesting about the ACC and COD. I have tried several different teams running wide zone/stretch, and some RBs just work better, not always the fastest either. Maybe it is ACC and COD.

ACC has always been the more important rating for RBs (vs SPD). ACC controls the player's "burst" (i.e. how quickly they get up to speed), which is exactly what you're looking for in a RB - you need them to be able to hit the hole quickly. SPD becomes more important on breakaways, but I will always take a guy with 86SPD/92ACC over a guy with 92SPD/86ACC.

COD and AGI can also be quite useful if you're going for more of a cutback lane attack - the runner won't slow down as much. I tend to worry less about COD/AGI and focus on finding the initial seam and plowing forward (I favor guys that are more hybrids between elusive/power archetypes).

[tearyourshirt]

Re: Running the Wide Zone in M22

You may also want to look at the size of your rb too. 5’11 and under/ 205 and under sized rbs are easier to bust the big plays with in an oz scheme


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