Defense Tips

Started 16-7, now 16-17. Legitimately cannot play defense anymore.   Drop your best tips below

Edit: I appreciate all of yall!!!

I run Nickel Double Mug, I set my coverage shell to 0 so it looks like a blitz but I rarely blitz. Instead I mix up coverages to confuse people. They panic thinking I’m going to blitz and I get a lot of picks. Works well. I also use 5-2 near the goal line.

Blitz 13 people...that is always my def approach.   Seriously i see players do better in zone when they are 90+.  otherwise man seems to be better.  i am not a great player so take that with a grain of salt would be good advice.

I want to add to my last post following my Super Bowl win last night. In it my D really took a step forward. 

I still use double mug a lot but now set the shell as cover 2 and mixup coverages underneath, hard flat cover 3, cover 2 trap, mid blitz and Tampa 2. But I started using 4-2-5 over G, again set at cover 2 shell switching to 3 sometimes to confuse, mixing in hard flat cover 3, hard flat cover 4, Tampa 2, cover 6, cover 9 and got a lot of picks, 3 in my Super Bowl. 

Whatever you set the shell to, do something different with the play. Confuses people who make to many pre snap reads. Also gives a consistent pre snap read that’s tough for them to read.

I still use 5-2 on the goal line.

SiberianKiss said:

I want to add to my last post following my Super Bowl win last night. In it my D really took a step forward. 

I still use double mug a lot but now set the shell as cover 2 and mixup coverages underneath, hard flat cover 3, cover 2 trap, mid blitz and Tampa 2. But I started using 4-2-5 over G, again set at cover 2 shell switching to 3 sometimes to confuse, mixing in hard flat cover 3, hard flat cover 4, Tampa 2, cover 6, cover 9 and got a lot of picks, 3 in my Super Bowl. 

Whatever you set the shell to, do something different with the play. Confuses people who make to many pre snap reads. Also gives a consistent pre snap read that’s tough for them to read.

I still use 5-2 on the goal line.

Do you use a lot of stunts?

youll win 70% of your games if u run a texas 4 man stunt and have a decent switch stick

LunatiK said:

youll win 70% of your games if u run a texas 4 man stunt and have a decent switch stick

^^ this

I sit in a cov 2 shell and adjust out of cov 2

texas 4 man every rip and switch stick everything 

defense always sucks at the beginning with no KO’s and agg catches are too OP right now

games are always a shoot out

cheezhead1252 said:

Do you use a lot of stunts?

Oh yes, nearly every single snap (with four down linemen) i'm calling TexASS 4 Man type stunt -- just make sure you have speedy edge rushers (ideally at DT position, as well) and go nuts.  They'll often wrap around and one (or both) can get to the QB untouched.  Obviously it's not going to happen on every single snap, but enough to keep opponents moving and forced to get outside the pocket.  QB Contains do not seem to do diddly squat this year, so i'm rarely using them.  Even when calling Cover 4 Drop (from Dollar / Dime 1-4) I'll typically draw up some basic type Stunt, especially if i'm sending any type of loop blitz from my MLBs.  I don't have the HoneyBadger card, but he's an absolutely elite loop blitzer, potentially best in the entire game.  Especially if he's juiced up with the Crystal players and theme team boosts.

I've got Nick Cross as my personal USER and Campbell as off-ball SUBLB, because he hits 90 ZCV so i control the weaker of the two defenders.  Doesn't matter if you don't have Rookie Premiers, sorry to ramble about irrelevant nonsense.  Yes, use stunts often and liberally, IMO.

I didn't watch a ton of MCS ladder play this weekend, but enough to find out there's just three QBs being used; Baker, Bo Nix or Kyler Murray.  Hoping to pick up some more defensive tips as the week proceeds.  How's yer squads play been treating you?

EDIT:  Some other random ramblings from a madman -- Cover 2 works quite well this year.  Deep Halves actually get out to defend many/most deep corner routes and such.  I spread my D-line (and linebackers, to move em off the line of scrimmage), run shaded down Hard Flats at ~15 yard depth (or whatever opponent dictates), Hooks at 5 yards, otherwise they play WAY too deep and i put the SUBLB into a Deep Inside Third, to help take away the gap in Cover 2.  Still stuck in Pats defense, leftover from M25: https://huddle.gg/26/playbooks/patriots-def/nickel-2-4-dbl-mug/tampa-2/

cheezhead1252 said:

Do you use a lot of stunts?

No I actually don’t. It’s probably something I need to play with. I wouldn’t say I get loads of pressure the way I play but I do get a fair few picks cos people get confused by the coverages and most people have one or two reads they go for and end up forcing it.

peatrick said:

Oh yes, nearly every single snap (with four down linemen) i'm calling TexASS 4 Man type stunt -- just make sure you have speedy edge rushers (ideally at DT position, as well) and go nuts.  They'll often wrap around and one (or both) can get to the QB untouched.  Obviously it's not going to happen on every single snap, but enough to keep opponents moving and forced to get outside the pocket.  QB Contains do not seem to do diddly squat this year, so i'm rarely using them.  Even when calling Cover 4 Drop (from Dollar / Dime 1-4) I'll typically draw up some basic type Stunt, especially if i'm sending any type of loop blitz from my MLBs.  I don't have the HoneyBadger card, but he's an absolutely elite loop blitzer, potentially best in the entire game.  Especially if he's juiced up with the Crystal players and theme team boosts.

I've got Nick Cross as my personal USER and Campbell as off-ball SUBLB, because he hits 90 ZCV so i control the weaker of the two defenders.  Doesn't matter if you don't have Rookie Premiers, sorry to ramble about irrelevant nonsense.  Yes, use stunts often and liberally, IMO.

I didn't watch a ton of MCS ladder play this weekend, but enough to find out there's just three QBs being used; Baker, Bo Nix or Kyler Murray.  Hoping to pick up some more defensive tips as the week proceeds.  How's yer squads play been treating you?

EDIT:  Some other random ramblings from a madman -- Cover 2 works quite well this year.  Deep Halves actually get out to defend many/most deep corner routes and such.  I spread my D-line (and linebackers, to move em off the line of scrimmage), run shaded down Hard Flats at ~15 yard depth (or whatever opponent dictates), Hooks at 5 yards, otherwise they play WAY too deep and i put the SUBLB into a Deep Inside Third, to help take away the gap in Cover 2.  Still stuck in Pats defense, leftover from M25: https://huddle.gg/26/playbooks/patriots-def/nickel-2-4-dbl-mug/tampa-2/

Good stuff! I agree that the qb contain is trash this year and that cover two has been great. I need to get into the habit of using the stunts more often. Agreed on hook zones too. Got roasted last night by somebody who kept running drags. I set hard flats to zero and ran cover two but he would catch it every time with the defender on him. Think I needed to adjust the hook zones to zero there too. 

What are your favorite loop blitzes? 

My squad play has been up and down. Sometimes we crush it, other nights we can’t get locked in and get dunked on lol. Going to start disguising the coverages more, using defensive adjustments, and using stunts more consistently.

cheezhead1252 said:

Good stuff! I agree that the qb contain is trash this year and that cover two has been great. I need to get into the habit of using the stunts more often. Agreed on hook zones too. Got roasted last night by somebody who kept running drags. I set hard flats to zero and ran cover two but he would catch it every time with the defender on him. Think I needed to adjust the hook zones to zero there too. 

What are your favorite loop blitzes? 

My squad play has been up and down. Sometimes we crush it, other nights we can’t get locked in and get dunked on lol. Going to start disguising the coverages more, using defensive adjustments, and using stunts more consistently.

I haven't really got the 3-4 Odd loop blitz dialed in that i used a TON last year (during M25 cycle), but the Dollar (Dime 1-4: Cross 3 Fire) works quite well, i suspect especially with HoneyBadger looping through.  Shade down to disable the Match coverage... i find that ~10 yard shaded down hard flats work well, i almost never set them to zero, unless in goalline formations.  Even then, i often use 5 yard flats, by shading them down, they should make a play on the ball at or near the line of scrimmage.  Defending the back corner of the endzone is a bit more tedious -- if you figure that out, PLEASE clue me in.  Basically have to user that and hope you can prevent the QB from scrambling, while also floating to the back corner to defend a quick throw.  Often requires two people.

Cover 3 is just asking to get beat, so i'll often switch both safeties to play inside quarters and just hope i can hold down the entire middle myself.  If that fails, i revert back to Cover 4 Drop, although i'm playing significantly less than in prior years, where Cover 4 was my staple.

peatrick said:

I haven't really got the 3-4 Odd loop blitz dialed in that i used a TON last year (during M25 cycle), but the Dollar (Dime 1-4: Cross 3 Fire) works quite well, i suspect especially with HoneyBadger looping through.  Shade down to disable the Match coverage... i find that ~10 yard shaded down hard flats work well, i almost never set them to zero, unless in goalline formations.  Even then, i often use 5 yard flats, by shading them down, they should make a play on the ball at or near the line of scrimmage.  Defending the back corner of the endzone is a bit more tedious -- if you figure that out, PLEASE clue me in.  Basically have to user that and hope you can prevent the QB from scrambling, while also floating to the back corner to defend a quick throw.  Often requires two people.

Cover 3 is just asking to get beat, so i'll often switch both safeties to play inside quarters and just hope i can hold down the entire middle myself.  If that fails, i revert back to Cover 4 Drop, although i'm playing significantly less than in prior years, where Cover 4 was my staple.

Yeah cover three seems to get tormented by the seam passes, cover 4 sometimes too

I’ll have to give those loops a try and let you know how honey badger performs hehe

LunatiK said:

youll win 70% of your games if u run a texas 4 man stunt and have a decent switch stick

What are your switch stick settings? Like delay and such. 

You use the RS or dpad?

alax1103 said:

What are your switch stick settings? Like delay and such. 

You use the RS or dpad?

i play on slight, i think most people do. honenstly contemplating going to none but i wouldnt recommend that for anyone. the right stick is firmly better than the dpad. a good switch stick lets you play offense onn defense.