NEW YEAR'S DEEP DIVE (OUR VERSION)

[Collegefbfan]

Now, that the game has been out for a good while, and updates, patches, etc. have been presented time and time again, I am hoping we can do an Operation Sports Deep Dive related to this game. This is not a post meant to bash the job that EA has done with this game. It is just a post to help out the folks that need a little more assistance and maybe answer some questions that have come up. There are tons of you that have poured a lot of hours into this game, find out what works, what doesn't work, the funny things, the awesome things, and so forth. Other posters, feel free to add any questions and points of relevance.

1) Does disguising shell coverage at the playcall screen differ from when it is done on the field after the play is called? Some say when done on the field, the "disguise" doesn't happen.

2) There are new positions on the depth chart. We have Slot CB, 3rd Down Running Back, Slot WR, etc. Can someone describe for us noobs who we need to have in these positions?

3) Just curious on this one. I see a lot of people sing the praises of the 3-3-5 Tite. Is anyone running the 4-3 anymore? How is the 4-2-5?

4) I have seen there are some offensive formations where you can send a player (say WR) in motion and still hike the ball while he is in motion. What plays have you found where this can be done?

[jello1717]

Quote: Originally Posted by Collegefbfan

3) Just curious on this one. I see a lot of people sing the praises of the 3-3-5 Tite. Is anyone running the 4-3 anymore? How is the 4-2-5? 4) I have seen there are some offensive formations where you can send a player (say WR) in motion and still hike the ball while he is in motion. What plays have you found where this can be done?

3) I exclusively ran the 3-4 in ‘14 and tried to do so in ‘25 but failed miserably. I then ran 4-2-5 and had good success, but A. it’s too boring with only 2 formations, and B. it’s personnel (mainly using SUBLBs and RDL) is too similar to nickel so I couldn’t get different players in my base D compared to my pass D.

So I tried out 4-3 and LOVE it (almost as much as ‘14’s 3-4). Lots of formations. Lots of blitz types. Uses LE, DT1, DT2, RE, LOLB, MLB, ROLB allowing me to have different players in RLE, RDT, RRE, SUBLB. My D is always one of the best in the country and I’m definitely sticking with 4-3 for the remainder of ‘25 (I’ve already used it for the last 10 seasons of my current dynasty).

4) There are tons of plays with auto motion. Anything with “orbit” in the title should be what you’re describing. Also anything that had “motion” in the title likely has it as well. I’m pretty sure you can look at the play art to tell as well. I.e. in the pics below, the light blue motion is what you’re looking for.

[Collegefbfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by jello1717

3) I exclusively ran the 3-4 in ‘14 and tried to do so in ‘25 but failed miserably. I then ran 4-2-5 and had good success, but A. it’s too boring with only 2 formations, and B. it’s personnel (mainly using SUBLBs and RDL) is too similar to nickel so I couldn’t get different players in my base D compared to my pass D. So I tried out 4-3 and LOVE it (almost as much as ‘14’s 3-4). Lots of formations. Lots of blitz types. Uses LE, DT1, DT2, RE, LOLB, MLB, ROLB allowing me to have different players in RLE, RDT, RRE, SUBLB. My D is always one of the best in the country and I’m definitely sticking with 4-3 for the remainder of ‘25 (I’ve already used it for the last 10 seasons of my current dynasty). 4) There are tons of plays with auto motion. Anything with “orbit” in the title should be what you’re describing. Also anything that had “motion” in the title likely has it as well. I’m pretty sure you can look at the play art to tell as well. I.e. in the pics below, the light blue motion is what you’re looking for.

Many thanks. Are there certain 4-3 formations you like better than others? Or ones you stay away from? I wonder if there is any real disadvantage to changing the dynasty team's "regular" defense to a different one.

Yeah, those motion plays have the AI make the player go in motion. There are some, and I can't find where they are, where, say you motion a WR on the left side of the field to the right, but you can hike the ball before he is set. It is like he is getting a "head start" sprinting.

[ThatMichiganFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Collegefbfan

1) Does disguising shell coverage at the playcall screen differ from when it is done on the field after the play is called? Some say when done on the field, the "disguise" doesn't happen. 2) There are new positions on the depth chart. We have Slot CB, 3rd Down Running Back, Slot WR, etc. Can someone describe for us noobs who we need to have in these positions? 3) Just curious on this one. I see a lot of people sing the praises of the 3-3-5 Tite. Is anyone running the 4-3 anymore? How is the 4-2-5? 4) I have seen there are some offensive formations where you can send a player (say WR) in motion and still hike the ball while he is in motion. What plays have you found where this can be done?

1. I have also noticed this and am not entirely sure why sometimes the pre-snap adjustments won’t occur. It’s possibly its formation base. For example, with the 4-2-5 formation, Over G will default to 2 high safety’s (without any shell adjustments) for most plays, while Under will have the second SA creep into the box, showing a 1 high look. I tend to mainly use coverage shells in the play call menu, then adjusting coverage or showing blitz occasionally to mix up looks pre-snap.

2. Player archetypes/role can vary depending on your scheme and playbook but in general:
PHB- Power back, used in short yardage or goal line situations. Look for backs with high strength, break tackle, and trucking.
3rd Down HB- Your best receiving back. Comes in on 3rd and med/long but some formations automatically prioritize this position. Usually (but not always) quicker and more elusive. Look for high catching, short route running, and pass blocking.
Slot WR- Your receiver that lines up inside, with another WR on the outside. I like to utilize this spot for my best playmaker in the receiver room. Most important traits are catch in traffic, route running, and agility/elusiveness.
Rush DT/DE- Your best pass rushers. Used in most nickel/dime formations. Focus on speed, finesse moves and power moves.
SLB- Sub LB, comes in in Nickel or Dime packages. Pass coverage specialists, look for high zone/man coverage, speed, and awareness/play rec.
Slot CB- Inside DB in Nickel/Dime. Since they’re closer to the LOS, need to be able to tackle well, often used as a blitzer. Also look for high coverage ratings and awareness/play rec.

3. 4-2-5 is my favorite defense to run in CFB 25. Need to have depth at SS, as your SS1 plays as a hybrid player in the box, with FS1 and SS2 filling the traditional safety roles. Best with a strong pass rushing line and fast, coverage linebackers who can plug gaps in the run. The ”Under” formation in the 4-2-5 playbook is particularly nasty against the run.

4. I also am a fan of the built in motion plays. So much that I have a whole custom playbook built around them. I’m not home but off the top of my head:

Shotgun Bunch Strong Offset- good TE motion, very good return motion RPO
Shotgun Doubles Y Off- TE motion, orbit screens, jet motion
Shotgun Split Slot Open - some great RPOs, pass counters, and an elite double pass trick play.

Custom playbook shared is named RPOMOTIONSPREAD by GT minibeast100. It's built to get the football into the hands of playmakers (primarily HB and slot WR). There are certainly more formations/plays that have designed motion but these are my favorites.