Need Tips for Defense Playcalling

[mathewmyc98]

In the past I have generally simmed defense but this year I wanted to play both sides of the ball. Problem is I'm not very knowledgeable about playcalling on defense. I've had decent success thus far but I was wondering if anyone had some resources they could suggest. I'm hesitant to just go look on Youtube because I'm afraid of just getting a list of 'money plays' I like to play call in as realsitic manner as possible.

I've mainly figured out passing defense, though I still can't really get man coverage to do much for me so I mostly stick to zone. Problem is when I'm expecting a run I'm not entirely sure what to do. Generally I just end up running a 4-4 (I run a 4-3 base) and that's about as far as I go. Like I said I've had some success doing this but would like to expand my knowledge. So if anyone has any resources to better learn playcalling specifically on defense in a realistic manner I'd really appreciate it!

[Detroit Tigers]

If you’re having a bad time on defense my general tip is to stick with simple conventional playcalling. Simple cover-2 concepts will work all game long if you execute your inputs on time. I’d even argue you kinda have to mess up kinda bad to “deserve” a big play against you. Your playcalls are about 80/20 irrelevant vs your timing and execution of them. Like, call anything you want, just execute it and get your inputs in out in front of the offense’s rhythm.

[timhere1970]

It's always a good idea to pay attention to how many wr's they have. Two equal base(4_3), three equals Nickel, 4 equals Dime. 4-4 is fine for replacing 4-3 in run situations. You need to have at least the same number of cb's on the field that they have receivers if you are going to play man or you will have a linebacker covering a wr most of the time. Sometimes a safety covering them. That is just a general rule I use to play man. I stay in base a lot against 3 wr sets but play zone in those situations. I run a 3-4 with two coverage mlb's. I play some Dime against 3 wr sets sometimes as well if I want to blitz a defensive back or against a running qb.

[Ghost Of The Year]

How well does the Madden 23 defensive suggested strategy playcall work?

[timhere1970]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ghost Of The Year

How well does the Madden 23 defensive suggested strategy playcall work?

I have not used it in years because it fails to account for down, distance and game situation.

[Detroit Tigers]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ghost Of The Year

How well does the Madden 23 defensive suggested strategy playcall work?

Suggestions are all I use, almost never have to flip to the third page before finding something appropriate. It works fine, especially if you know how to play defense in general, like I said above, defensive playcalls barely matter if you understand how to execute them. A blitz is a blitz, dropping 8 is dropping 8. It all works fine. Your defensive performance is about timing and execution & never being out of position with the player you’re controlling. The playcall itself is secondary.

[xCoachDx]

Some very general guidelines:

1. Have a DB for every receiver on the field. 2 WR’s = 4-3/3-4. 3 WR = Nickel. 4 WR = Dime

(Know your personnel to decide whether you should be in a 3 man or 4 man front. You need two good DT’s for a 4 man front and two good MLB’s for a 3 man front)

2. Check your defensive backs ratings to see if you should be running more man coverage or zone coverage.

3. Call plays with more blitzers on short yardage situations. Call plays with fewer blitzers on long yardage situations.

4. Try to have a defender lined up between each offensive gap before the snap.


These are just very basic ideas for a beginning playcaller to keep in mind. As you get better at this, you’ll know when to deviate from these ideas to keep your opponent off balance. Nothing more satisfying to me than throwing in a good blitz when my opponent isn’t ready for it!


Keep in mind that animations take over often in Madden and players will get shifted out of position when they probably shouldn’t. That can make it hard to figure out who was/wasn’t in proper position.

[Hooe]

A few thoughts:

- Know your personnel. If your team has edge rushers at OLB, you need to be in 3-4 base defenses and not 4-3 (to the extent that base defense is relevant). If your team has a massive nose tackle with a high strength rating, set him up to draw a double team to grant your other linemen one-on-one matchups.

- Know your fronts. Different defensive line configurations aka fronts provide you different advantages and disadvantages. Are you are struggling to stop inside running? Try using Odd or Bear fronts which cover interior linemen and alter the offense’s run blocking schemes. Want to get your DT1 a favorable interior rush matchup? Use Over and Under fronts to change how your DTs align. Want to maximize your edge rush? Call a front with two wide edge rushers. Want to force the offense into a quick passing game or go for a sack? Crowd the line of scrimmage with a double mug look.

- Match offensive personnel. This is sort of an extension of the previous point. Very few teams have linebackers of safeties who can keep up with slot receivers. If you don’t have one of those unicorns (ex. Tyrann Mathieu, Lavonte David), stick with matching each wide receiver with a cornerback.

- Know the run defenders in your call. With the exceptions of Cover 4 Quarters, Cover 4 Palms, and Cover 6, any player in a deep zone assignment (dark blue) is never looking run first. This can help you stay assignment sound when usering a second-level defender or defensive back. (I think this rule about who is not a run defender extends to any player who is in man coverage on a wide receiver, but I’m not 100% sure of that right now. I’ll check later.)

- Understand defensive auto-flip. Madden helpfully ensures that your defensive calls are correctly aligned to the offensive formation via a feature called Defensive Auto-Flip. Generally you will always want to leave this on. Auto Flip will orient your 4-3 and 3-4 formation calls towards the offensive formation run strength (the side with more blockers attached to the formation). Nickel, Dime, and Quarter calls get flipped according to the offensive formation pass strength (the side with more wide receivers detached from the formation). Understanding this concept is particularly helpful in setting up blitzes against unbalanced looks from the offense; if you can send more blitzers at fewer blockers, your blitz is more likely to succeed at affecting the quarterback.

- Get familiar with each coverage. Different coverages require different types of players to use effectively. Man vs Zone coverage is obvious; but for example, within zone coverages, probably don’t call Tampa 2 and Cover 2 Sink much if your MLB does not have enough speed to “run the pole” and sink into that deep middle area.

- Almost always turn on the Match coverage coaching adjustment. Madden 23 backseated pattern match coverage for… reasons. Every zone call by default is a spot-drop zone unless you enable that coaching adjustment. Unfortunately the spot drop zones are full of holes which are easily exploited by an opponent who has mastered pre-snap reads and tells. You can patch these holes to a certain extent by using the limited implementation of match coverage carried over from Madden 22 and gated by the coaching adjustment. In particular, keep Cover 2 Sink / Tampa 2 / Cover 3 Seam / Cover 3 Buzz Seam in your pocket against balanced passing looks, and Cover 4 Quarters / Cover 6 against unbalanced passing looks.