Always happy to hop into a good defensive conversation.
It's funny because I have recently all but stopped doing anything at all pre-snap, whereas when the game came out, I was fiddling with so many things pre-snap (and still tearing my hair out in frustration). It seems the game has been tuned over the last few months and while I'm less frustrated overall with the defense than prior, I have basically simplified my strategy to playing Cover 3 Match, Cover 4 Quarters/Palms, double-mug blitzing, and that's honestly about it.
The problem for me is that I don't have a clear sense of what the assignments are or what's supposed to happen with almost any other defensive 'plays' or sets. The ones I mentioned above are the only ones where I know what's supposed to happen (more or less, anyway). The play art on defense remains useless, and unless someone on the ol' tubes of you happens to break down a particular play in detail, I really don't want to lab a single defensive play for an hour in practice mode trying to figure out how guys cover vs 3x1 or 2x2 or bunch or whatever formations. I mean, I do have a day job....
I should mention I play exclusively offline against the CPU on All American. I know defense is an entirely different beast if you play online.