How do you call your passing game? - Strategy Guide

Strategy Guide

How do you call your passing game?

Submitted on: 07/12/2012 by LBzRule

Note: If you are an aspiring coach/coordinator out there, this is a great resource to have along with Concept Passing: Teaching the Modern Passing Game by Dan Gonzalez

In Attack Coverages with the Passing Game, former quarterback and wide receiver coach Steve Axman describes how to use passing concepts and route combinations to attack defenses. The book is a great read and generally, when I follow the advice in the book, I do just fine in the passing game. I have not read Gonzalez's text just yet, and it should provide for some great reading as he deals not only with concepts but applications. Last year, in online franchise, I got away from this type of passing after season one and things went downhill rather quickly. I was enamored with numbers and attempted to adopt the Macaroni style offense. Those in my league will know what I'm referring to. For those not in the league, Macaroni is the nickname of one of our previous members. His passing game numbers were absolutely ridiculous. Some games he would pass for over 600 yards 7 TDs. He had no defense, though. Anyways, I tried to adopt that style and failed. This brings me to the point: establish an identity in your passing attack and stick to it.

One of the great things Madden/NCAA does playbook wise is provide users with concepts.

Levels Divide (which does have the options I mention in another post)

Double China

Stick (Multiple Versions)

Flood

The above are just a few passing concepts that are very popular amongst High School, College and NFL passing games. Granted many teams tag the backside of some of their concepts and the Levels Divide is an example of that.

Another style of pass game play calling I have seen people use over the years in Madden/NCAA is based on a route. This was also true of a great deal of players who played All-Pro Football 2K8. Some people's passing game was based on the fade. While they did not always throw to the wide receiver running that route, that route was a part of just about every play. Others based their passing game around the post. Lastly, just based on anecdotal observation, many players ran a great deal of double move routes and basic out routes when they got into trouble spots.

Finally, some guys like to run and base their entire attack around play action off the run, which is not too bad of an idea if play action did not always result in sacks vs heavy blitzing, which is what Madden/NCAA has been geared for (hopefully Madden NFL 13 will not be this way. I kinda doubt it, though).

I'm not advocating one style over the other when it comes to video games. I will just say concepts work better for me (would like to have more tags) because that's how my brain works. It's not that simple though. I do have some routes I like to look for. So mine is a bit mixed, granted 90 percent is concept based. When you think about your passing attack in Madden/NCAA, after you've evaluated personnel, how do you develop your attack? What has been beneficial for you?

Madden NFL 13 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Tyrant8RDFL @ 07/12/12 12:54 PM

I just use a very simple approach. If I see you play a lot of man to man I call plays that would take advantage of that and where a receiver is in a area isolated with a defender. I also love the slot recevier alot in man to man situations.

If you play Zone I like to flood one side of the field with receivers, and take Bill Walsh's approach where I read deep, middle, then short.

This method has worked perfectly for me.

# 2 rudyjuly2 @ 07/12/12 01:13 PM

My approach is bad lol. I've never been a good passer. I try to know at least two routes that I call and if both are covered I panic. I often panic if the first WR is covered. I also try to know what I want to do with the ball based on whether it's man or zone. Execution differs depending on my panic level. I wish I was better at it but I'm not.

# 3 Tyrant8RDFL @ 07/12/12 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	My approach is bad lol. I've never been a good passer. I try to know at least two routes that I call and if both are covered I panic. I often panic if the first WR is covered. I also try to know what I want to do with the ball based on whether it's man or zone. Execution differs depending on my panic level. I wish I was better at it but I'm not.

Try this. Go to practice mode, and put the defense in a regular man to man. Then run plays against that. A bunch of plays and your vision will open up to it, and the game will slow down.

Then do the same with cover 2 zone, cover 3 then cover 4. You will then see what routes and plays work best against that.

Then finally do zone blitz defenses. These are the ones that can be a little troubling. The corner back will pretty much tell you the zone they are in. Also the safety.

Now to quickly realize if it is man or zone. The LB's give that away. If they shot to cover someone they are in man. If they strafe then they are in zone. DB's tend to jam alot when they are in cover 2 zone. Where in cover 3 or 4 they just run back to cover deep.

Mess with practice mode and the passing game will come to you, and you will be much better at it.

# 4 PGaither84 @ 07/12/12 01:27 PM

Hahahaha!

Madden.

# 5 RandyBass @ 07/12/12 06:09 PM

Even though the current trend across football pretty much favors the pass, I stick with a balanced approach and try to run the ball as much as I pass.

I love getting my TE involved, and almost always call plays with sets including a TE. Come to think of it I think I always call plays with someone in the backfield as well; no empty backfield for me. I just like having the option to dump it off to my halfback.

So I guess I run a "traditional" pro style offense more or less. Kinda boring, but it works for me.

# 6 RAAM454 @ 07/12/12 09:33 PM

I try to be as versatile as i can be, i always try to have a strong TE to make a lot of critical plays but i like to run a lot of out routes and slants to get quick passes that result in 5-7 yards per catch, another fall back is the runn back i love to throw to them for a short gain to keep my options out there and if no receiver is open i run with Brady which i like to call Brady Gravy whenever he gets more than 1 yard because he is the slowest QB in the game i feel.

# 7 LatchLoua @ 07/13/12 12:16 AM

I try to know at least two routes that I call and if both are covered I panic.

# 8 24 @ 07/13/12 12:19 AM

I've run a west coast offense for the past 6 maddens, however that will end since i'm not purchasing 13

# 9 baller7345 @ 07/13/12 04:02 AM

I run set of concepts out of as many formations as I possibly can. I can pretty much run 8-9 of my concepts out of every single formation in the Green Bay book in some form or the other so it gives the illusion of unending diversity while still maintaining a structured attack.

Utilizing the Air Raid in Madden

Now while that sort of takes my offense to the extreme (i.e. no set running concepts) I do run the inside/outside zone combo out of the formations that let me do that.

# 10 Sublime12089 @ 07/13/12 04:05 AM

Short passes, quick reads with the occassional shot downfield. You just need three and a half yards a play.

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# 11 fsufan4423 @ 07/13/12 09:12 PM

X receiver curl, Y receiver slant, B tight end out route, LB go deep, HB block, no wait flip play....LB deep, HB flat....not enough time, hike......SACKED.

# 12 packerboy71 @ 07/13/12 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	My approach is bad lol. I've never been a good passer. I try to know at least two routes that I call and if both are covered I panic. I often panic if the first WR is covered. I also try to know what I want to do with the ball based on whether it's man or zone. Execution differs depending on my panic level. I wish I was better at it but I'm not.

Same as me

# 13 Blue Ninja @ 07/14/12 03:02 AM

If it's man coverage, I'll pick my best match up but more often than not it's going to my NO.1 receiver. I also call or hotroutes plays so I have 2,3 receivers crossing the routes to confuse the defense or make them run into each other (disrupt the clear path to receivers they are covering.

If it's zone, well for the most part my plan is to send multiple receivers around the same area to have more receiver than defenders in that area, but this is just my general startegy,

To be more specific,

Against Cover 2, I'll look for corner routes, seam through the middle or combination of 2 deep routes towards a safety make him choose who he'd cover

Cover3, I'll look short to medium pass outside in front of back pedaling CBs or in the middele if a safety or LBs decides to cover flat/curl

Cover 4/quarter, I'll look short and run after catch because it is (and should be) very difficult to complete a deep pass against it

Cover 6, Identify which side is field/play side(forgot the term for the opposite side lol, in cover 6 one side plays cover2, and the other cover3) and attack either side depends on the play I called.

Also, I sometimes, if I think defense is gonna drop 8 or 9 in coverege and has no passrush, I send receivers deep and just try to pass over all the complicated zone underneath, but this require deep threats, solid protection and QB's accuracy deep.

I could go on and on but I'm gonna stop here

# 14 Blue Ninja @ 07/14/12 03:07 AM

Well if it's about the scheme I like to run, as a pass first team..Idk to be honest lol it all depends on personnel lol I'll do just about all kinds of scheme

# 15 Skyboxer @ 07/14/12 04:53 AM

I'm usually (dependant on team I am) a run 1st guy. I try to always get in a manageable 3rd down spot.
Whenever I have to pass deeper than 8-10 yards I get nervous.
I have some great games where I can see everything and the game seems to go slo mo..
But...
I also sometimes get into a funk and do stupid stuff.
I'll see a WR---He's covered and I know not to throw. I even say to myself..NOPE!
Then I throw to him.
When it's picked I call myself an idiot.

# 16 bkrich83 @ 07/14/12 01:34 PM

I am an old school simpleton. Downhill run game to set up the play action downfield pass game.

# 17 videlsports @ 07/16/12 05:57 PM

Tom Brady Offense, Pass to whoever's open or take the sack. My running Game needs work I love PA but could set it up a few times.

# 18 8and9 @ 07/16/12 08:45 PM

With a variety of short and long passes to keep the defense on their heels. I love having an opponent confused on what's coming next. For users that are really aggressive against the run, a simple change side of run fake when doing a PA works great.

# 19 Scott @ 08/04/12 09:04 PM

I run a lot so, I use short-passes, but sometimes I'll use the PA to set up a deep pass to catch the safeties playing up for support.

# 20 Chrisksaint @ 08/04/12 09:15 PM

I honestly have 2 different strategies. In online league games I'll run the ball a lot with some short passes and attack deep down the field off of play action.

In offline I'll generally pass to set up the run. I do run a lot of 1 WR backside plays as I like have 2-3 WRs on my dominant side to look at then the possible fall back on the backside. I generally make one or 2 hot routes depending on how I read the coverage/blitz. Once I've gotten a flow going i'll run from Draws and 3+ WR sets.

This will probably all change in M13 as I feel in NCAA13 I can finally pass well due to the new system. In M13 I will probably run a typical Saints offense attacking the seams, dump offs to HBs,etc.

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