Here are a few ways I like to use to try and shut down
offenses from time to time.
Table of Contents:
1. Defensive Assignments
2. Perfecting the formation
3. Blitzing
4. Zone Coverage
5.Man Coverage
6. F@G D
7. Advanced Blitzing Techniques
8. Creating a nano blitz
Defensive Assignments: This is one of the most underrated things in the game today. Most of us feel like we don’t need this because we don’t seem to need it, but when you get guys who use packages, this will help tremendously.
Example: If you’re playing the Texans, and you’re the Jets, would you rather
have their 2nd string CB guarding Andre Johnson or Darelle Revis? This makes a
big difference if you play a lot of man coverage. Pittsburgh has a formation
called “Pitt Doubles” that lines the #1 WR up in the slot. This would
cause a lot of trouble if you were using man coverage with a regular 3-4 2 man
under. You’d have a LB lined up against Andre Johnson. Now if you used the
defensive assignment, everywhere Andre Johnson went, Darelle Revis would be as
well.
This also works if your opponent has a favorite target on his team like the TE.
You wouldn’t want to have Vernon Gholston guarding Tony Gonzales or Dallas
Clark, so by using the defensive assignments you can put a CB on a TE for the
whole game, and change it whenever you want.
Perfecting the Formation: When using a team that specializes in another formation, you don’t want to be lost with your setup. If you use the packers and run a 46, you don’t want to have AJ Hawk sitting on the bench. Instead, you should put Aaron
Kampman on the D-line and Move AJ Hawk to LOLB, but not many people would think
to do this. They’d just think that using the default setup would be fine.Blitzing: When blitzing, or attempting to blitz, make sure you know you’re opponents tendencies to know what he likes to do before you start to get in your rhythm and bring nonstop heat. If he likes to set it up and throw to the flats when you blitz, start to put people in flats and spotlight who he throws to the most or try to confuse him by running a play with Dlinemen dropping in coverage. You could start out using LB Storm and make the transition to using Wide Blitz because of the weird angles players blitz
and the confusion it’d cause your opponent.
Make sure you test out the setup to see who fits better at which position in a certain formation for ultimate success on D. To help putting the best players in, go to the depth chart and auto reorder the depth chart. This puts the best player in at every position, but it doesn’t go by what playbook you have, so you’ll have to go back and revise who was put in.
Zone Coverage: When playing defense, you want to mix in coverages to throw your opponent off. Zone coverage is the most used coverage. Most used would be cover 3 where you have 3 people playing in deep zones. People play this because of the deep post that plagued 09, but this year it isn’t as necessary on 1st and 2nd down unless it’s more than 20 yards to go. Cover 2 works perfectly fine this year, and being able to put different people in different zones creates a lot of confusion.
In this cover 2 play, you have 2 LB’s in buzz zones, 2 LB’s in hook zones, the 2 safeties in deep zones, and the CB’s in flat zones. You can change it up so that the confusion throws your opponent off and he makes a bad decision. You could put one
of the LB’s into a flat zone and one of the DB’s into a buzz zone. If he tries to throw a corner route, the CB in the buzz zone will guard him and his 1st look will be gone. If he tries to go toward the flats, the LB will take that away.
Cover 3: In Cover 3, you have 3 people guarding deep so you won’t be able to guard the flats, the corners and the middle while still rushing 3 or 4. You’re going to have to use some confusion with these plays too. I like to blitz one or two LB’s and put DE’s
into zones. Seeing the LB’s blitz would get anyone excited to have that middle of the field or the flats open. But putting DE’s into zones and blitzing the LB’s will draw him into a mistake and can give you an easy interception.
Cover 4: This should only be used at the end of halves or during a 3rd/4th and
long situation. These plays have 4 people playing deep zones taking away any verticals play. It should never be an every down play unless you have a great setup for it.
Man Coverage: Man coverage isn’t used as much as zone coverage, but it is used this year. When people use a nano blitz, most of the time they run man coverage so
it can be an easy blitz with good coverage for the amount of time that someone
gets in. To maximize man coverage, make sure you know the coverage and correct personnel. If you see a LB on a WR, call a timeout or an audible. You never want that mismatch unless you’re blitzing. If you have a safety manned up on anyone, move him up to the LOS or across from the person he’s manned up against so he doesn’t get beat with a quick route. Watch out for motion too, because this can be
a big flaw when using man coverage. It can get a LB on a WR or a CB on a HB.
F@G D: This is just putting more than 9 people in coverage so that your opponent can’t find anyone open. It isn’t good against the run, but when you know it’s a pass, this is great coverage. A lot of people use nickel 1-5-5 for F@G D because of all the LB’s that allows better coverage than a DE and DT sitting in coverage.
Advanced Blitzing Techniques: Here are a few blitzing techniques I use when
in game.
Controlling the DE: When I control a DE, I hold the right
analog stick before the ball is hiked so that I can get a jump on the snap.
Controlling an LB: I’ll put the LB in zone coverage and manually blitz.
This will let the lockers engage and the LB will be able to come free
and hurry the QB.
The Dive: When you get in the backfield and you see the QB about to throw, dive at him. This won’t let the QB throw up the ball if hit, it’ll just be a sack. This irritates people a lot though.
Contains: Using contains is another way to blitz. The contain will loop around and no one will block him until he decides to run towards the LOS, but if you blitz an LB and put him on the same side as the contain, he’ll take up the block allowing the DE to come free.
Creating a nano blitz: This year nano blitzes are easy to do and find. All you have to do is re-blitz guys and put players in gaps. One of the easiest is using a 3 linemen set, reblitzing them, and blitzing the MLB and putting him in one of the gaps. This is easy to stop, but players have found ways to make it near unstoppable. Nanos can be using the B-gap, A-gap or C-gap, but the A-gap is the easiest to find.
