Defending Slots and TE's over the middle

I have played a guy from the lobby a few times over the past week. He isn't a bad player but he throws to the slot and TE pretty much exclusively. I added him to my friends list to play him a few more times because I know I'm better then him, but I can never seem to be able to get my guys in the positions I know they should be in.


My questions are what is a good base defense for attacking this?
and
Is it even possible to attack this type of offense with the problems that we face with the defensive responsibilities?

I have beaten JBHuskers 2/3 this year, so I know it can be done. :nod:

LOL

I have won 2 out of 3 against this guy as well but I'm torn because I know my D is better then what the numbers say. After looking over all 3 games I saw just how one sided his gameplay is. I'd just like to take it away better, but is it cheesy to keep throwing in the middle like that or to the slots 90% of the time?

I'll look up some exact defensive plays later, but in similar spots I like to run anything that has a lot of defenders in hook zones. I'll Show Blitz to bring them closer to the line so that way they are hopefully in the way of the ball on anything remotely towards the middle of the field. It also helps put LBs in a spot where they can tip or intercept medium range passes if the player doesn't go to slants or TEs over the middle.

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Originally Posted by psusnoop

He isn't a bad player but he throws to the slot and TE pretty much exclusively.

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FSUPrime?

:nod:

No not FSUPrime, LOL.

For me I try to mix up my passing game even though I stink at it so I don't isolate the slots and TE's. This isn't saying I don't throw to them, I just don't throw exclusively to them. So I guess I'm just wondering why people feel they need to exploit the zone coverages by throwing like that all the time?

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Originally Posted by psusnoop

No not FSUPrime, LOL.

For me I try to mix up my passing game even though I stink at it so I don't isolate the slots and TE's. This isn't saying I don't throw to them, I just don't throw exclusively to them. So I guess I'm just wondering why people feel they need to exploit the zone coverages by throwing like that all the time?

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Who do you user on defense? If you take a LB or a safety, it is honestly the easiest place to attack. You cannot change directions as fast as the computer(especially with locomotion) and if you are like me and see a receiver just a little bit open you will start to fade over that way. It is really tough to cover the middle because you pretty much have to cover the whole thing because of the way zones are in the game. Same thing with man to man. If you are responsible for the TE or slot receiver, it is hard to stay with them no matter how good your player is.

What I try to do to combat this is bait them into thinking they are open. You can get a good amount of user picks like that. Don't want to say too much, I might have to play you in Powerhouse sometime. ;)

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Originally Posted by ryby6969

What I try to do to combat this is bait them into thinking they are open. You can get a good amount of user picks like that. Don't want to say too much, I might have to play you in Powerhouse sometime. ;)

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You got me with that a couple times, but I got you once with my FS when running Robber Coverage.

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Originally Posted by Escobar

You got me with that a couple times, but I got you once with my FS when running Robber Coverage.

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Yeah, as soon as I threw it I was like ah hell!

What works sometimes are the zone blitzes with DL dropping back in coverage.

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Originally Posted by ryby6969

If you are responsiblefor the TE or slot receiver, it is hard to stay with them no matter how good your player is.

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I think there's something in the game this year that might help with this.

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Originally Posted by Marlowe

I think there's something in the game this year that might help with this.

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As in the A button (on 360) for the CPU to take over your player temporarily?

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Originally Posted by AustinWolv

As in the A button (on 360) for the CPU to take over your player temporarily?

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The defense assist I think the manual calls it.

Thanks for the tips guys, I do user my MLB 95% of the time.

I'll keep playing around and practicing to see if I can get a little better in this area.

I was playing one my league games and I was running a 2-4-5 in 3rd down conditions and I had the DT's in spy mode and both of my dt's had int's in the game. one time I had the nickel back blitz from the right and left DT had the int and then I flipped it and had the nickel back blitz from the left and my right DT made the int. You could mess with that a little as well.

I play most of my games against the cpu, so it is probably more dificult against users that exploit this more but this is what works for me: I like to have more run-stopping linemen and faster linebackers with good coverage skills. I don't get a lot of sacks but it does make a noticeable difference in coverage. I also will play a lot of cover-1 man defenses with a linebacker playing zone in the middle of the field. If your corners are good enough to hold up in 1-on-1 on the outside, this defenses has worked pretty well for me.

I love throwing to my slot receivers but I have for the last 10 years, I dont think its cheesy throwing to the slots a lot of the time but I do think running 4 verts all the time is extremely cheesy.

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Originally Posted by whitepony99

I love throwing to my slot receivers but I have for the last 10 years, I dont think its cheesy throwing to the slots a lot of the time but I do think running 4 verts all the time is extremely cheesy.

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Not a fan of 4 verts, just hate that route big time.

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Originally Posted by psusnoop

Not a fan of 4 verts, just hate that route big time.

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I have not ran that play since I found out it was almost unstoppable. I hate 4 verts but it is a base in the Run and Shoot offense it is just a shame that EA cant get anything right in the game.

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Originally Posted by steelerfan

I have beaten JBHuskers 2/3 this year, so I know it can be done. :nod:

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I don't visit the strategy area as much as I should :P

LOL JB.

Yea Pony, that play is brutal as I find that players love to go to this once they find themselves down 2 scores. It really takes the fun out of it, add in hurry up and they quickly score in under a minute and all of a sudden the momentum swings back into that teams favor. Really a buzz kill if you had been dominating them early on.

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Originally Posted by psusnoop

LOL JB.

Yea Pony, that play is brutal as I find that players love to go to this once they find themselves down 2 scores. It really takes the fun out of it, add in hurry up and they quickly score in under a minute and all of a sudden the momentum swings back into that teams favor. Really a buzz kill if you had been dominating them early on.

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Happens to me in every online game anymore I wish I could find a way to consistently stop it.

Clemson is a good team to roll with online all their corners seem to lock up in man coverage very well helps alot against four verts. Plus their safies are decent in man too and if you user them in zone you can create some user picks

The most success that I have had defending this is by getting pressure on the QB. Now it does not work all the time and it makes me have to blitz almost every play, but I have found that depending on who you are playing and how well you mix in the blitz and dropping dlineman into coverage it can be effective. Not great, but effective.

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Originally Posted by whitepony99

I have not ran that play since I found out it was almost unstoppable. I hate 4 verts but it is a base in the Run and Shoot offense it is just a shame that EA cant get anything right in the game.

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For what it's worth, I've had coaches tell me that there are entire defensive gameplans to stop 4 Verts because it's even nigh-unstoppable in real life. The primary difference between NCAA and real life is that the QB has to worry about the pass rush too. If we had the zone defense that we should plus a decent (not spectacular, just decent) pass rush, then we could stop Four Verticals.

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Originally Posted by JeffHCross

For what it's worth, I've had coaches tell me that there are entire defensive gameplans to stop 4 Verts because it's even nigh-unstoppable in real life. The primary difference between NCAA and real life is that the QB has to worry about the pass rush too. If we had the zone defense that we should plus a decent (not spectacular, just decent) pass rush, then we could stop Four Verticals.

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Exactly my point with proper zone defense I feel that I can get pressure not great but decent pressure just better zone defense that would help

CDJ never came with his play suggestion.

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Originally Posted by JBHuskers

I don't visit the strategy area as much as I should :P

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Since it took me a month to see this, I guess I don't either. :P

Using the 3-3-5 Defensive playbook Go to the split formation, It is essentially the Nickel Sub in madden terms for you NFL players,
The play you want to look at is called simply Cover 3. It is what it is but it has 4 yellow hooks under and 3 deep shell behind it;

Now, another play I use quite a bit in madden but I am not sure if it is in any of the ncaa books because I just found it the other night while play in my online franchise league is a play from the Nickel Normal called cover 3 buzz. Same thing almost as the play I described above but 3 yellow hooks and one buzz defender with a 3 deep shell behind it.

Both of these plays do an excellent job clogging the middle. Another play is the cover 2 sink out of any set.

You will be giving the flats up in all of these looks so if that is a problem for you than you can hot route to adjust putting a defender in the flats OR use these plays when its not necessary to cover the flats.


hope this helps'

irish