Originally posted by: blanghorst
Originally posted by: hpkeeper
Hey everyone
I've been playing against a friend of mine online and he's been pretty poor up until about a day ago.
He learned to read defenses when on offense.
My question is, is how do I read defense? What do I use when there is a cover 2, a cover 3, Man-2-Man coverage.
If you don't want to go into much depth that's fine, i've been searching for a link that would show these situations and what I should do in them but have failed to do so thusfar.
Any help would be greatly beneficial
Thanks.
Cover 2 has seams in the coverage roughly 10-15 yards down the right/left sideline and you can usually hit receivers there if your timing is correct. It is a zone defense and that area is the transition area between where the corner drops and safety picks up coverage. Also, if the Cover 2 is in a nickel, dime, or quarter set, you can often run on it. You can usually run on it if it is in a base 3-4 or 4-3 as well.
Cover 3 is similar but I don't have the playbook in front of me to comment specifically. For those, you can usually hit shorter passes out of the flat or over the middle. Also, if the Cover 3 is in a nickel, dime, or quarter set, you can often run on it. You can usually run on it if it is in a base 3-4 or 4-3 as well.
Man-to-man is probably easier to read. You can usually send a receiver in motion and if the defender follows him, the coverage has at least some elements of man-to-man.
Now, keep in mind, a lot of Madden players use defenses that mix elements of both zone and man-to-man. Additionally, a lot of guys will use spies in the middle of the field to cut down on mid-range slants or passes over the middle.
Here are some strategies you can use to help you against defenses:
1. Make sure you do run the ball. If you have moderate success, you can use play action to your advantage.
2. If you run a pass play, look at each receiver and based on what you think the coverage might be, order them in order of preference. For example, if your TE has a LB on him but the LB is showing blitz, maybe make the TE your #1 receiver. When the ball is snapped, if the LB does blitz and another defender doesn't drop into immediate coverage, you can often do a quick pass to the TE for a decent gain. The same can be said with corner coverage.
3. Also, remember the receiver routes. If you intend on doing a longer slant over the middle, look at the positions of the defenders and get an idea if a) you can make a throw and b) about where you think the receiver will break coverage at so you can throw the ball.
4. Don't be afraid to pass to receivers coming out of the flat if they're open.
5. Most importantly, don't force things -- take what the D gives you.
6. One thing I have done in previous Maddens (not recent ones, but you can try it) is to try to run my offense out of the same formation as much as possible, in order to confuse the D and keep them guessing. Pick a formation that has a good balance of run and pass plays, and one that has pass patterns you like. Learn position audibles as well and you can build your own pass patterns on the fly.
Facebook
Twitter