Defensive dynamics to build your own plays around

[GAV]

I boxed for a long time. Even though people call boxing the "sweet science", it still usually comes down to two fighters looking to land their "right hand" while slipping their opponent's.

"Right hand" usually means right hand because most people are right handed and that's usually their best punch. The "sweet science" usually comes down to this. Of course there are setups and some fighters can land it in a number of different ways. Some fighters are even lefties. Some fighters develop power in both hands. Others learn to bait it in a number of different ways. The best fighters generally slip it and land it the best. Think Smokin' Joe.

How is Madden any different from this?

Defensively, find out what they want to do and either take it away or make them pay for trying to do it. Offensively, find ways to hurt the defense in ways that seem unassuming to them. Get them to defend one thing, then hurt them with something they either don't expect - or don't perceive as a threat.

[ledzef]

This is different from what I taught but its convincing though. I will try at home.

Thanks for the post! )

[GAV]

One thing I think I left out that is a big part of establishing gap control against 2 back sets is meeting the FB in the backfield or at the LOS. If the FB makes it to the 2nd level, you failed to establish effective gap control. When the FB is clean and has a shot to block my user defender, I move the user defender to a spot at the LOS to meet him and close the hole for the RB. Then I click off him and try to make a tackle with the next defender. It seems like common sense, but rarely do players do it.

[vickyhoo]

so long, make a video there, lol

[GAV]

Back in the early 1800's, Napolean's French Army invaded Russia. The French Army remained undefeated and had far the superior military technology over the Russian Army. 400,000 strong, Napolean invaded Russia.

Russia utilized guerilla warfare tactics to slow the French Army down so that they could know what path they were taking. They retreated their forces from these areas, but before they did - they destroyed the land - calling it scorched earth tactics. By the time Napolean reached Moscow, they had seen nothing but destroyed land. There was no no food to eat, no shelter to take refuge under, and they were forced to return to France because of this - and because the Russian Winter was fast approaching. By the time the French Army had made it home, there were only 10,000 of them left alive.

In games against good players, I am mostly in over my head. I lab with other players very little and rarely buy e-books. All that I know is what I've learned from playing. I utilize gap control, play the numbers game, and use common sense. My firepower is usually mostly negligible. Still, I win alot more than I lose.

I use guerilla tactics to pick my spots. I run basic defenses with or without heat to see what they like to do. If I give up yards or even TDs, I don't worry much about it early. I want to learn all that I can about my opponent; get inside his head.

Then, I utilize Scorched Earth tactics to take away what they like to do. If they throw a curl to the left, I'll keep a purple on that side. If they run a FB Dive, I'll gap control the gaps to that side and creep up manually. If they hit the post, I'll utilize an odd deep defense (Cover 1 or 3) or bait the throw and pick it manually. If they like to streak the outsides, I'll spread the deep coverage. If they run with the QB, I'll spy a DL-man - or utilize a Contain Blitz to take advantage. Whatever they want to do, I want to make it tough on them. As the game progresses, the vice grip tightens. What was there before no longer is, forcing them deeper into their gameplan. If their plays are shallow, their offense halts altogether. If it has some depth, I continue to learn and adjust all I can to make them work for everything.

Once you recognize the threats using Guerilla Tactics, take them away using Scorched Earth Tactics. Know your opponent. Know yourself. Know the game.

[bahdbwoy]

The yearly re-read to get back to basics.

All new comers should read

[sgibs]

wowwwww EPIC thread

[MemphisDan]

Good ish. Been following Gav's material for years. Always on point.

[GREENERRRR]

good read - lots of great stuff in this post - always better to teach concepts them specifics... well done

[DR_Sportz]

Nice post coming from another D# minded player the only thing I hated about running a 3-4 book is the lack of dime for those 3 four wide trips left formation.. Lost a lot of money cuz of lb mismatches last yr with no way to adjust

[GAV]

I'm going to post on heat. It's always important to me, but I think it will be important to everyone in M13.

After playing the demo at length, I'm thinking M13 was designed with simplicity in mind. Take the Nickel 245 set for instance. Show blitz, reblitz all the LBs, and Contain the ROLB - and the heat screams. I know there's a video out on Youtube for this, but I had already found this setup before seeing the video. Seeing the video just made me decide to put it here too. I had tried shifting and looping and crashing and stacking and containing a bunch of guys and all my heat concepts I've learned over the years from Jersey Jay, Michura, Kobra, LBzRule, Mellodrama, MVP, and Kojak - all led me to setups that were getting blocked in this set. This very simple setup gets the LILB through though. Likewise, using 2 Man Under - pinching the LBs, crashing the DL to a side, and reblitzing that side's OLB - creates a nice edge rub heat that works well when the O isn't committed to blocking that side. Even if it is, rebilting the other OLB and reblitzing a usered ILB to hold the OT (don't actually blitz him, just keep him blitzed to make the psychic oline think you're blitzing - and strafe him over the OT to hold him in place, then drop in coverage) on the other side. It will beat the impending slide protection or max protection that inevitably comes once you've conditioned your opponent with heat.

I've found alot of heat this year already in a great many amount of defensive sets all following one premise - that their best working setups are usually very simple. When you're labbing heat, make adjustments one at a time and gauge their effect. Usually, one, two, three, or four - very simple adjustments are enough to get consistently fast heat. Disguising it is much easier this year too.

If you want to get into making more complex blitz schemes work, pay attention to the default rush angles of specific blitzers. I've had success with 43 Under Edge Sting - both in bringing heat and in establishing gap control - mostly because of the rush angle of the ROLB, either in occupying a blocker with him to clear for another rusher - or in getting him in clean, but his placement is very important. A hair left, right, or back can make all the difference in your heat. Also, you need to stay on him manually - to keep that kind of precise placement - otherwise he'll reset his placement inside the box. Try this starting setup for this play and finish it on your own. Shift the DL left, contain both DTs, reblitz the RE, and move the ROLB where you think he should go. You'll figure it out and in trying to, you'll get some invaluable insight into how fronts work in this year's game. Creating gap integrity is easy. Getting heat is harder, but you should be able to figure it out.

[GAV]

Call 34 Odd Pinch flipped. Pinch the DL. Reblitz the LE. Contain the ROLB. Pinch the LBs.

34 Odd should be a very popular set this year, since it gets good heat on the QB and because it's in the Multiple D playbook. Don't stop at this one blitz. I just posted it to illustrate this year's simplicity. You can create your own defensive identity this year. If you can visualize it, you can make it work.