An Idea to Attack Cover 2

[mad_bomber]

One of the ways I've been able to attack cover 2 is by using a four vertical concept. Obviously by sending four verticals down the field we can cause assignment conflicts for the top contour defenders (two deep safeties). The play that I'm using to illustrate this point is Shotgun Spread Slot Wheels (by the way Shotgun Slot Wheels will be in this weeks filmroom).

[VG_Bert]

Cover 2 is definitely tougher to go against this year. I was labbing some plays against the Dime Cover 2. The outside CB and Dimeback were able to lock down the flats AND the void that usually is there behind the CB. I did have some success with sending 2 receivers vertical on that side with a third receiver attacking the flats. This gave me a 1-on-1 with the FS which seems to really be to the offenses advantage in this game. It wasn't pretty but got the job done.

Like mad_bomber, I'll be looking at the PS2 version today to see if it has a different feel to it than Xbox as far as dropped passes. It's not unusual right now to see 7-10 drops in a game where I throw 30 passes. Florida may not be at the top of their game, but my six year old would have caught some of these passes.

[kbell97]

I can't wait to see the filmroom, to see how I can attack cover 2, that is after I pick up the game today - woohoo!

[mad_bomber]

Actually those attached images show the attack of cover 2. The filmroom article shows how to hit the deep ball vs man and how to attack cover 3 and 4 zones :). Sorry for the confusion.

[BuckeyesTHEGAME]

Hey Bomber, does the MLB still drop as deep as he did last year in cover 2 zone? It was almost like playing against a cover 3.

[mad_bomber]

Oh yeah, that's still there. It's that "Buc 2" style cover 2 that Tampa Bay made popular. I'm looking forward to playing some guys later this evening on XBOX Live to test out the Cover 2 defense.

[seanmac]

I'll be pretty annoyed if EA's solution to their defensive problems was to ratchet up the drops and/or to have the corners make superhuman adjustments and then sky to knock balls down and thereby cover holes in the zone.

[mad_bomber]

Honestly you don't get the sense that you're playing super human opponents as you did in previous versions. The dropped passes seem to be an XBOX only issue. VG Bert told me earlier today that so far the PS2 version plays better. I'll have the PS2 version later tonight.

[seanmac]

Honestly you don't get the sense that you're playing super human opponents as you did in previous versions. The dropped passes seem to be an XBOX only issue. VG Bert told me earlier today that so far the PS2 version plays better. I'll have the PS2 version later tonight.

I'm Xbox only, so that doesn't do me much good. Anyway, I'll take your word on the non-super human feel for the defense. Maybe it's just a question of needing to figure out where the new holes are. Anyway, I should have the game tomorrow and will be able to mess around with it myself.

[kbell97]

Hey Bomber, Bert, Bronco, anybody. I went into practice mode and also tried the flood routes. Man, the corner that plays the flat is like the super corner/athlete, first he takes away the flat, then the corner route within a freakin second, I tried hitting the flat route, when the corner covers the corner route and that doesnt work to well. Bomber, I tried the same concept with shotgun bunch flare, with the one reciever running that corner route, if you time it right you can complete the pass on the corner route, make sure your dpad is all the way over to the right and fire a bullet pass, the timing almost has to be impecible.

[mad_bomber]

Yeah I've been able to sneak a few in there. I'll be working on the passing game portion of the virtual playbook over the next two days and I'll post some of my thoughts on it.

[kbell97]

Hey Bomber, try the shotgun spread wheels against cover 2 on AA again, if you don't already know this. I had some success in the lab this morning hitting the sl1(L1) in his wheel route, and didn't have to use any audibles,the split end takes away the free safety and gives sl1 wheel route good seperation deep.

[BigsbY]

yeah this works but the only problem i ran into is that the qb isnt always accurate

[kbell97]

it seems to work better than flood routes, I will be looking for more wheel routes in other formations like the shotgun spread. Now I only tried it against nickel and dime cover 2 zones.

[mad_bomber]

See the attachments I posted in the original post, that was the play :).

[kbell97]

Good Job Bomber :d

[PennStFan22]

I'm fairly new to NCAA as I play Madden most of the year...But I was trying out that Shotgun Spread - Corner Strike play but this could work with almost all Shotgun Spread plays since its mainly hot routes. This is also on AA mode. Its all about setting up the best angles for your reciever to make the catch against the Cover 2 defense. First I just sent my square, L1, and circle recievers on streaks, motioned the L1 receiver to the side where the receiver will be running a route into the flats(lets say I motion this guy to the right), once u snap the ball drop back and to the left of the line and watch that L1 receiver, wait til he is slightly inside the deep free safety but deep enough that the middle backer(almost like he drops back into a cover 3) cant make a play on the ball..I send the square and circle recievers deep so the free safety on the left has to respect that guy and the free safety on the right has to respect both the outside streak and the inside streak and setting up your QB to the opposite side will place your reciever on the inside position to make a grab at the ball. But once people start switching it up with some heat and mixing up the coverages, you could also dump it off to the back.

[PhilIvy16]

Posts seem to be open against the CPU on AA against a Cover 2, as long as you send someone to occupy the middle linebacker underneath. Recievers are less likely to hang on the ball after getting nailed by the saftey, and you have to have almost perfect timing, but it's getting easier the more I play. Also against others zone such as Cover 3, you can throw to the RB in the flats but you have to read and get it there really quick, the defense reacts quick and if you can't break that first tackle you're not gonna go anywhere...but I think that's the way it should be. It was a biotch trying to cover flats on '04. People won't be able to get easy yards this year.

[mad_bomber]

I'm working on the passing game section of the virtual playbook and I've noticed a few different ways of beating cover 2, cover 2 man, and cover 3.

[SamariFSU2]

I beat cover 2 but having the WR on the strong side run a streak pattern, its always single coverage and if you have good stick skills then you probably will get the ball.

[kbell97]

I found a play in shotgun normal that beats cover 2 , I think its called seam, throw the ball deep down the middle of the field, its good against cover 3 to , just hit the HB out of the backfield against cover 3.