zone busters

[ShockTreatment]

I can kill man to man coverage all day but sometimes the zone confuses me...

Can we discuss some plays that break Cover2/cover 3's?

Im sure it would be very helpful to everyone

Thanks!

[HustleManDave]

One thing that has been discussed about breaking zone coverage is this. Find plays and tweak them so that they flood one area of the field. If you have multiple routes on one side of the field, one of those routes will open up.

[blueblood]

I learned that with all zones a drag route WILL open up sooner or later so try to have one WR running a drag route when you see zone coverage.

[FuegoKidd]

one of the nicest combos is a Flat, Drag(looking middle), Corner combo. lots of options and very rarely does the defense perfectly defend all three on the same play

[BOOBOOSD]

Flat n Fade combo is nicest IMO along with any route that goes over the middle of the field such as a post/slant/cross/drag, my fav being the post. You gotta try to stretch it out, that's how you can open up the flats or other shorter routes and vice versa.

[moos3p]

TE deep in and wr drag

screen, slant, streak

[FuegoKidd]

The best play in the game is SHotgun 5WR Slot Optionpretty much every reciever can be used. ur #5 is doing a deep out, number 4 is the option guy (its a 5yd curl/in), on the left side the Sqaure is doing the bomb-a$$ C-route with the slot posting. good reads can lead to big yardage with this play

[AKWA6]

2 Routes to same zone, one which comes in later will be alwyas open. Basic principle. Nothing fancy. Playbooks are full of routes which enter same zone different time, lab those.

Zone defender will follow 1st guy coming in until he leaves zone, if 2nd guy comes in zone he will be wide open for the period of time 1st guys stays in zone. Having 2 defenders in same zone dont make any difference, they both follow 1st guy until he leaves...

[Hostile Apostle]

If you can go manual on catching.. fades kill cover 2. You can also beat cover three with fades and manually catching... just try and run routes with ur other WRs that will leave ur WR (the one running a fade) in one on one coverage with the outside DB that's playing the deep zone. If ur stick isn't all that great ur best bet is flooding the zone... one receiver in the flats.. another one about 10 yards deep and a 3rd receiver running deep (fake, streak, corner, etc.). Basically you want to try and have routes that will clear out the zone... as in, getting one defender to have to cover 2 guys. He'll have to cover one of the them leaving the other guy open.

[daone]

Beating Zone
I am about to write 3 articles...Beating Zone, Beating Man, and how to run
hopefully this will stop the pms

How to Stop Zone

1.) The Fade "glitch"
This is the most consistent, but the cheapest...
This works with any formation where you can hike with the WR in motion, but I will give my example out of Singleback Big.

Send the TE on a streak, or a deep out
Send the WR on that side on a fade (R3 up, I think this is kind of a wheel, but whatever)
Motion the WR to the opposite side of the TE
Motion the WR back and hike before he gets set
The Safety will get sucked into the TE's route leaving the WR open

This can beat with a Cover 4, however most Cover 4's leave the flats open. So try to put the RB in the flats.

2.) The Quick Pass
Without Being able to bump out of zone the quick pass is dominant. The only way to stop is to move your olbs on the DE's outer hips, and put them in flat zones. Only problem with this is the middle of the D is open to the dive/slam.

How to quick pass.
There are three common routes, the fade (r3 up), the c-route, and the special hitch route

The Fade is the hardest to do and the hardest to stop.
Simply hike the ball take two steps and lob it high and out. With good stick you should be able to get it almost every time. You can bullet it high and out also and have no stick.

The C-Route, looks like a backwards C. For this route you just bullet high and out right after the snap (you should literally take no steps). You want get many yards, mostly you will get 5 yards. However it is hard to stop.

The Special Hitch route
This route is the route that looks like a fade then ends like a hitch. Often found in TE option plays. This is one of the better quick passes in the game.
Since there will be no bump, just take one step and bullet high. If there were a bump you would take two steps and bullet high.

3.)Another Route Group
This requires a 3 reciever bunch, like tripsbunch. Send the left outside reciever on a quick out, the inside reciver on a screen and the outer right reciever on a streak. The quick-out will always be open.

Hope this helps.

[AKWA6]

nro 1 is just another example what I said earlier. Pressure zone with 2 receivers and one coming in later is open. Doing that with motion fade makes pressure so fast that it seems like "glitch", actually it's just fast pressure on zone. As long as madden zone coverage dont operate as "team" that kind of stuff will work. When AI starts to take account all zones around one attacked pressuring the zone will get much much tougher (and zone will rule in madden). DB will let 1st receiver fly trough because he knows there is another defender helping and jumps on 2nd. Today they act like they were alone in field and try to cover everything.

good tips again from daone...keep it up

[sportfan88]

what is the special hitch route?

[49erFanForEva]

Daone, excellent post. To answer your question, the special hitch route looks like a fade until the WR curls to the outside. check it out in TE option plays like TE option out of weak I (in oak pb for sure).

[hollywood 662]

I love when people run zone its easier to beat than man to man in my opionon. against cover 3 or 2 streak fade combo is solid, streak deep out flat combo in a twins or tightwins set is money just read the alley or the flat defender that ish likes stealing. My question is when u quick pass out of twins set who do like to quick pass to the inside or the outside guy and with what routes i use curl, comeback, and post. When i run a 4 wide set ilke to quick pass to slots post s have been working but sometimes they get batted down any input would be appreciated. Man when i play league games i get so up tight and don't quick pass because i'm afraid it will get picked.