Calling Match Coverages in CFB 25, How Much Should We Expect?

[sirjam]

https://throwdeeppublishing.com/blogs/news/nick-saban-s-alabama-pass-coverages?srsltid=AfmBOopVJFxYtVQsF3_HIxxEHDRKqqjEA9ujlZ3xkJx9nBqkg0yo99lr

Do you reckon the game does a good job with replicating this and if so which plays do it the best?

[sirjam]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

Helpful answer man, thanks

[Orange Krush]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

I coach HS football and I’ve been studying and teaching the Saban coverages for years. I’ve done a lot of testing in-game to see how some of these coverages work and I still don’t fully understand. I get blown coverages every once in a while partially because the coverages in-game don’t seem to work exactly the way they do in real life. If someone can shed some light on it I’d love to learn more, but as of right now I think the pattern match coverages do a good job, but not a perfect job, of replicating how they work irl.

[jdb7623]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

I coach HS football and I’ve been studying and teaching the Saban coverages for years. I’ve done a lot of testing in-game to see how some of these coverages work and I still don’t fully understand. I get blown coverages every once in a while partially because the coverages in-game don’t seem to work exactly the way they do in real life. If someone can shed some light on it I’d love to learn more, but as of right now I think the pattern match coverages do a good job, but not a perfect job, of replicating how they work irl.

IRL you get blown coverages. Players get confused or get duped by play action. I've had pretty good results with pattern match.

[Ghost Of The Year]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

Well Saban is retired. So does it matter? Alabama's defensive scheme is changing.

Helpful answer man, thanks

Change the thread title. Find another of the 134 choices its relevant to. Otherwise it is indeed a helpful answer.

[Orange Krush]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

IRL you get blown coverages. Players get confused or get duped by play action. I've had pretty good results with pattern match.

While this is true, I’ve found a couple route combinations that flat out break a coverage, it just doesn’t function the way it should vs specific route combos.

[tessl]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

I'm exclusively coach mode. Thanks for posting the article.

I do believe the game tries to introduce these concepts although things like this - Cover 3/6 vs 2×2

Cornerbacks – The cornerbacks are man on #1 unless #1 goes under (inside and short) in the first 5 yards. If #1 does go under in the first 5 yards, then the cornerback will yell “Under! Under!” and zones off to deep third, eyeing #2. - I'm not sure that is in the game. There are multiple cover 3 sets for example in nickel wide. Cover 3 cloud. Cover 3 match. Cover 3 sky press. Cover 3 buzz match WK. I don't use this much because it allows too much underneath. I've also been burned over the top in these deep zones. For that reason when I expect a long pass I use cover 2 so the underneath defenders stay with the receiver and safety help. I'm guessing the game replicates cover 3 but I don't use it much. After reading this article I might try more cover 3 - maybe some cover 3 match.

In cover 1 the game has a linebacker drop into the short zone with one safety over the top and one safety in man. I'd prefer to have a safety in the short zone because my linebackers are more man coverage oriented but I do use cover 1 frequently. You need a fast safety up top in the zone.

Cover 2 is easier to recruit to. High zone number and speed for safeties. High man number for corners with a corner in the slot corner position. I believe for corners in CFB 25 the man coverage number is more important than speed. That wasn't the case in NCA 14. In 25 a corner with 80's man and high 80's speed is better than a corner with 70's man and 90's speed.

It's clear the AI in this game knows how to attack the defense and therefore I audible a lot and change back and forth between cover 1, cover 2 and Tampa. I also use some good blitz plays to keep the offense off balance. If you aren't doing so you should pay attention to rush linemen and swap them out in the depth chart. My nickel lineman are not the same as my 4-3 and 4-4 linemen. I use linebackers at DE in nickel Quick DT or a DE in the RDT slots.

Regarding Saban he was a perfectionist. You see videos of him in practice yelling because players aren't understanding their role. Sometimes during a game you would see him yelling. He understands the system better than the assistant coaches and players at times. I'd love to see a video of him discussing this topic - how well does CFB 25 replicate his coverages? That would be fascinating to watch.

[RyanLeaf16]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

I coach HS football and I’ve been studying and teaching the Saban coverages for years. I’ve done a lot of testing in-game to see how some of these coverages work and I still don’t fully understand. I get blown coverages every once in a while partially because the coverages in-game don’t seem to work exactly the way they do in real life. If someone can shed some light on it I’d love to learn more, but as of right now I think the pattern match coverages do a good job, but not a perfect job, of replicating how they work irl.

Do you mean your running it in the game on CFB 25 or that you're running it with your HS kids? Some of that pattern matching coverage is even too complex for college kids. Jeremy Pruitt even laughed when he was at Tennessee when he was asked if he was gonna run some pattern matching coverage and he just laughed and said "our kids aren't ready for that."

Not knocking you at all, if you are doing it IRL, I'm just surprised and curious how deep down the rabbit hole you're going with it if you are using it IRL.

[Orange Krush]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

Do you mean your running it in the game on CFB 25 or that you're running it with your HS kids? Some of that pattern matching coverage is even too complex for college kids. Jeremy Pruitt even laughed when he was at Tennessee when he was asked if he was gonna run some pattern matching coverage and he just laughed and said "our kids aren't ready for that."

Not knocking you at all, if you are doing it IRL, I'm just surprised and curious how deep down the rabbit hole you're going with it if you are using it IRL.

Pattern match coverages are extremely common at the HS level. Every coverage has a few basic rules and a linear progression and most kids are able to pick it up. I would guess more schools run pattern match than don’t, rip-Liz match 3 is probably the most common. Very easy rules to teach and learn. I use almost exclusively pattern match coverages in game and irl. We don’t even teach spot drop zone anymore irl.

[tessl]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

Change the thread title. Find another of the 134 choices its relevant to. Otherwise it is indeed a helpful answer.

The thread isn't about the current status of Nick Saban. The thread is about how well the game replicates the coverage schemes like the cover 3 which Saban created during his time at Cleveland working for/with Belichick.

The answer about Saban retiring therefore indicates someone who is more of a joystick 5 minute quarter player and not a person interesting in learning the game and the concepts contained therein.

[Ghost Of The Year]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

The thread isn't about the current status of Nick Saban. The thread is about how well the game replicates the coverage schemes like the cover 3 which Saban created during his time at Cleveland working for/with Belichick.

The answer about Saban retiring therefore indicates someone who is more of a joystick 5 minute quarter player and not a person interesting in learning the game and the concepts contained therein.

And the thread still deserves a better title than a clickbait one.

[Hooe]

re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

First off, everyone go buy Cameron Soran's book: https://www.amazon.com/Pass-Coverage.../dp/B08B2M4Z8F

The article posted in the topic post is just a fraction of what he's documented wrt match coverages.

Things in the article I think you can do in CFB 25:

• CPU-controlled linebackers will automatically perform a Funnel call in Cover 1 Hole (1 Invert in the article) as long as you do not user the hole defender or whoever is manned up on the HB. I know this works against 2x2 sets, not sure about 3x1. I don't know if it also works for Cover 1 Robber (1 Cross in the article).
• Cover 3 Match (6 in the article) and Cover 3 Buzz Match (6 Buzz in the article) are both available defenses. You can probably safely play 3 by flipping Cover 3 Match in sets with four or six defensive backs. However, in EA Sports football games, flipping a play in Nickel will force the nickel cornerback to travel to the opposite side of the formation and break alignment rules, so playing 3 out of Nickel is going to be mostly impossible. It might be possible out of 335 Split.
• Fire Zone is absolutely available. Any 3-deep zone blitz in an EA Sports game is a fire zone with matching principles.
• Cover 5 is known in EA Sports football games as Cover 2 Man.
• 55 is found in College Football 25 as Double Bracket.

Cover 7 specifically is more nuanced and requires more effort to explain what's there and what's not. Any part of this which is in the game, you will trigger by calling either Cover 4 Quarters, Cover 4 Palms, Cover 6 (any variant), or Cover 9. Additionally, make sure all your zone drop coaching adjustments are set to Default.

• Mod is the default behavior for Cover 4 Quarters on both sides as long as no side of the formation has three or more receivers outside of the tackle (ex. Gun Doubles, Singleback Ace, Strong I Pro). I admittedly do not know how Cover 4 Quarters handles the GoGo sets in UNLV's playbook.
• Similarly, Clamp is the default behavior for Cover 4 Palms on both sides as long as no side of the formation has three or more receivers outside of the tackle.
• Cut is sort of replicated by Tampa 2, but I don't think it has all the matching principles Cut does. The vertical hooks can absolutely match vertical routes in some cases.
• Against 2x2 or multiple-back sets, Cover 6 will play Mod to the passing strength and Cover 2 away from the passing strength.

• Against 3x1 formations, Cover 4 Palms and Cover 9 will play MEG backside.
• Against 3x1 formations, Cover 6 Willie plays Dog backside.
• Against 3x1 formations, Cover 6 Invert will play Tuff backside.

• Against 3x1 formations except Bunch sets, Cover 4 Palms will play Stubbie frontside.
• Against 3x1 formations except Bunch sets, I think Cover 9 will play Palms frontside. Note the Poach call by the backside safety.
• Against 3x1 formations except Bunch sets, Cover 4 Quarters will play Mod frontside with a Poach call for the backside safety and MEG on the backside. Probably don't play this when the offense puts the 3WR side of its formation to the field, a corner route by #3 is likely a one-play touchdown.

I think I got all this right, someone please correct me if I messed something up.

Additionally, there are more match coverage rules in the game for specific offensive formations, notably Trips TE / Trey / Trio looks and Bunch looks. Also note that matching principles in Cover 4 Quarters, Cover 4 Palms, Cover 6 + variants turn off when the offense plays 3x1 Strong (the RB is on the 3WR side) or 4x1 (four non-backfield receivers on the same side).

Finally, the game is sophisticated enough where you can combine match coverage calls with defensive hot routes to create more coverages. For example: against 3x1 formations, Cover 6 Willie + hot route the backside safety to man the backside #1 will play Cone. I think CFB25 will automatically have the backside CB play underneath and outside when he knows the backside safety is in man coverage on the same receiver. You can create even more coverages by using hot routes and usering specific coverage defenders, but I'm not knowledgable enough about this yet to offer any examples; I just know it's possible.

[ChaseB]

Re: Calling Nick Saban's Match Coverages in CFB 25

Hooe has a more thoughtful answer, but I think it's best to understand Madden and CFB treat Match a bit different (like literally the games will do some Match principles different ways), and neither is going to follow all the "rules" 100 percent to real life, but you can certainly still do a lot of the match principles. It's just that you shouldn't be shocked if you're knowledgeable enough about real life match that it is not always going to function as you expect in these games.

(Also I'm changing the article title because you weirdos are being weird about it haha -- though for the record, the title was FINE, jeez)

[RogueHominid]

Re: Calling Match Coverages in CFB 25, How Much Should We Expect?

Hooe, to distill things, are you cautioning against running C3 match out of nickel sets in the game as it’s currently running, or did I misread that?

[pietasterp]

Re: Calling Match Coverages in CFB 25, How Much Should We Expect?

Hooe, gg, I love you defensive obsessives. The joy you take in nerding out and also teaching random dudes on the internet about complex coverage mechanics is brilliant in all the best ways.

So I've lost a few hours of my day reading about the Saban match coverages and responsibilities (thanks for that, by the way), but what do you guys generally think about this video where the guy tries to more or less talk about how the match coverages work in the game? Seems helpful, no?

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