Welcome back to Ask Huddle! Each week, we take your Madden questions and break them down so you can understand the game on a deeper level. Got something you want answered in a future episode? Drop it in the comments. Our goal is simple: help you win more games.
You can watch the full video on YouTube from Huddle by hitting play above or clicking here.
#1 - How do you like to defend RPO Alert Bubble out of Trips TE?
Answer:
The RPO Alert Bubble out of Trips TE is one of the most popular plays you’ll see, especially in the red zone. Our setup handles the bubble while giving us a clean shot to blow up the inside zone portion of the play.
Here’s how we defend it:
- Call Cover 4 Quarters from the Single Mug formation.
- Set your safeties to Pinch (width) and Close (depth).
- Man up your MLB (3 Rec) on the inside bubble receiver.
- Move the tight end–side safety down to about 6 yards off the ball, directly over the center.
- User the tight end–side quarter flat and shoot straight downhill at the snap.
The offensive line will target the safety you walked down, which lets you come free and blow up the run. Just make sure not to go for a hit stick, since it’s technically a pass play, you will switch stick off of the player.
Check out the video to see exactly how this looks and why it completely shuts down one of the most common RPOs in Madden.
#2 - How do you like to shut down HB Stretch?
Answer:
HB Stretch is one of those runs you absolutely need an answer for, or it can turn into a very frustrating game quickly. There are several ways to defend it, but one of my favorites comes out of 3-3 Odd, and it’s part of my defensive gameplan on Huddle.
Here’s the setup:
- Call any play (I like Cover 4 Drop).
- Pinch your defensive line and crash them down.
- User the play-side MLB and align yourself directly over the defensive tackle.
From there, you’ll be able to shoot the gap and meet the running back in the backfield for a loss nearly every snap.
Check out the video to see exactly how to hit the gap and consistently blow up Stretch runs.
#3 - How do you like to defend Empty formations?
Answer:
There isn’t one universal defense that shuts down every empty set, since the formation allows for so many different route combinations. That said, my focus is usually on slowing down the three inside receivers and forcing my opponent to win with his outside players before adjusting further.
One of my favorite calls (and something we feature in our Meta Buster at Huddle) is Cover 3 Buzz Match out of Single Mug, with your slot corner aligned to the three-receiver side.
Here’s the setup:
- Show blitz.
- Man up the strong safety on the middle receiver of trips.
- Man up your MLB on the inside trips receiver.
- Route commit inside.
- User the backside seam flat and cover the inside receiver to the two-receiver side.
This adjustment does a great job of blanketing one of the most common route concepts you’ll face out of empty.
#4 - What's the difference between Empty and Base blocking?
Answer:
Empty protection is a blocking scheme designed for when you’re sending all five eligible receivers out on routes. It functions more like a zone protection, where your offensive line works inside-out to pick up the most dangerous threats.
Base protection, on the other hand, is meant for when you’re keeping your running back in to block. It’s more of a man protection scheme, where the offensive line accounts for the defensive linemen plus a fifth defender (often a linebacker). The running back then takes responsibility for the player you identify as the Mike.
Because of this, we don’t recommend using empty protection if you’re keeping your running back in. You’ll have much more consistent results using base, since you can clearly dictate who the back is responsible for in protection.
Thanks for tuning in again this week! If you have a question you'd like us to answer in a future episode, make sure to drop it in the comments section below.
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