NCAA Football 13

[OmahaBeef]

Anyone else noticed how awesome "stick" plays are? Some are better than others depending on the formation, but if you read it right, it should be a completion 4/5 times. In last year's game, the stick route didn't quite work right, but that was fixed so the play works a lot better this year.

Some other opinions on play calling... I've had a lot of success running OSU's offense out of Ace with Stoneburner flexed into the slot and 3 WRs. I call four verticals almost every play, but often end up audibling out of it. If the defense has five guys or less in the box, I just audible to HB dive in the same formation. It's usually an easy 4-6 yards.

After doing that a couple times at the beginning of the game, the guy I'm playing usually starts doing something like pinching the line or bringing a LB up to the line of scrimmage. At that point, if I have a numbers advantage in the box (or equal numbers in the box) I run the running play to the WR coming in motion to get around the corner, which is easier now that he has overcommitted to the middle of the line.

I only run if the defense has five guys or fewer in the box. If they start purposefully loading the box (which usually happens after a few easy runs up the middle), I run four verticals. Often one of the guys in the slot gets open between the close and deep zones. If they're running cover 3, someone will be wide open deep. Against man, it gets trickier but at that point scrambling with Braxton is pretty successful. If it's a cover zero blits, lobbing it up to Stoneburner can work well because he's faster than most LBs who often end up covering the TE. For shorter gains, I run stick with the RB coming out of the backfield.

Anyway, I've had a lot of success running most of my offense like that online. Curious what other people are doing online.

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Anyone else noticed how awesome "stick" plays are? Some are better than others depending on the formation, but if you read it right, it should be a completion 4/5 times. In last year's game, the stick route didn't quite work right, but that was fixed so the play works a lot better this year.

Some other opinions on play calling... I've had a lot of success running OSU's offense out of Ace with Stoneburner flexed into the slot and 3 WRs. I call four verticals almost every play,

I stopped there. WTF is that? Hell, at least call Dave every now and then.

 

[OmahaBeef]

I should also add that a lot of the time if the defense isn't showing a single high safety (often indicating cover 3) I might not bother with four verticals and then I'll audible into stick. I'm not actually running the play all game -- just calling it a lot of game. Also, I've got other stuff I run, but this is always what I start with and come back to throughout the game.

Generally speaking, I try to present the same personel most of the game (1 TE, 1 RB, 3 WR) to keep the defense on its heels (although I think it's important to rotate Hall and Hyde depending on the play call and formation. This is overly general, but I often use Hyde when I'm in the Ace and Hall when I'm in the shotgun.)

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

I should also add that a lot of the time if the defense isn't showing a single high safety (often indicating cover 3) I might not bother with four verticals and then I'll audible into stick. I'm not actually running the play all game -- just calling it a lot of game. Also, I've got other stuff I run, but this is always what I start with and come back to throughout the game.

Generally speaking, I try to present the same personel most of the game (1 TE, 1 RB, 3 WR) to keep the defense on its heels (although I think it's important to rotate Hall and Hyde depending on the play call and formation. This is overly general, but I often use Hyde when I'm in the Ace and Hall when I'm in the shotgun.)

If you do this online it is a bit cheap. It sure as heck isn't sim style. So, my point is that it depends on what you want out of the game. A win no matter how arcade-ish your gameplay is or if you want to truly use playcalling and not the shitty EA gameplay to beat your opponent. To each their own.

 

[OmahaBeef]

If you do this online it is a bit cheap. It sure as heck isn't sim style. So, my point is that it depends on what you want out of the game. A win no matter how arcade-ish your gameplay is or if you want to truly use playcalling and not the [Mark May]ty EA gameplay to beat your opponent. To each their own.

What about this is cheap?

 

[jthorp24]

What about this is cheap?

You are manipulating the AI rather then beating someone with user skills.

 

[OmahaBeef]

You are manipulating the AI rather then beating someone with user skills.

Part of the game is moving your defense around pre-snap. If you don't do this, you'll get burned all the time if you're blitzing with man coverage.

Controlling almost anyone but a defensive lineman is a good way to stymie the offense I outlined. You don't even need to make the play as the linebacker or the safety either -- just move them a little before the play. After getting burned down the seam, if someone were to just control the linebacker presnap and move him a little more toward the ball but not all the way, the seam probably wouldn't be there and the LB would be close enough to help on the run. I think the simpler way to handle this would to be just walking a safety up to help with the run. That would leave them a little more susceptible to the long pass, but, uh, isn't that how football works?

Finally, just blitzing a bunch helps too. Sooner or later I can beat a blitz with a long pass, but applying constant pressure is a good way to beat lots of offenses.

Again, this offense puts the defense in a tough spot mathematically speaking to stop the run and the pass, but that's just how a balanced offense works.

 

[jwinslow]

What about this is cheap?

Seriously? You're asking what is cheap about calling a play almost all game?

I'm not actually running the play all game -- just calling it a lot of game

well never mind then

it is well established that this game struggles to cover four verticals and has for years. It is an even bigger problem this year as the defensive AI will cover shallow despite having deep zone responsibilities.

All of us have plays that we love to run and using them is normal. Using the same play the majority of the time rather than using the 300 other plays in the playbook to be balanced, realistic and sportsmanlike is pretty cheap.

This game must have 100 different formations let alone plays.

 

[OmahaBeef]

Seriously? You're asking what is cheap about calling a play almost all game?

well never mind then

it is well established that this game struggles to cover four verticals and has for years. It is an even bigger problem this year as the defensive AI will cover shallow despite having deep zone responsibilities.

All of us have plays that we love to run and using them is normal. Using the same play the majority of the time rather than using the 300 other plays in the playbook to be balanced, realistic and sportsmanlike is pretty cheap.

This game must have 100 different formations let alone plays.

This seems silly to me. Four verticals isn't a money play. Call something like cover-2 man -- or blitz and play man -- and you are likely to stop it. I haven't run into many money plays. Stick works great -- but you need to actively read the defense for it to work right, and, again, against man you really need to be on your toes.

But I'll say it again -- I'm not going deep all game. I throw maybe 2 or 3 passes deep on four verticals each game. (A lot of the time I use it to hit Stoneburner on the seam when the LB is playing inside.) I only really go deep with it if I think the defense is in cover 3. I try to go deep only enough so that the defense is as worried about stopping the deep pass as they are stopping the quick run up the middle. Stick provides the horizontal stretch to compliment the vertical stretch caused by the threat of four verts.

I run other stuff, but this is what I start with an come back to when I really need yards. I honestly don't see why people say calling plays this way is so unrealistic.

 

[jwinslow]

So you run it constantly because it doesn't work?

 

[Buckeneye]

This seems silly to me. Four verticals isn't a money play. Call something like cover-2 man -- or blitz and play man -- and you are likely to stop it. I haven't run into many money plays. Stick works great -- but you need to actively read the defense for it to work right, and, again, against man you really need to be on your toes.

But I'll say it again -- I'm not going deep all game. I throw maybe 2 or 3 passes deep on four verticals each game. (A lot of the time I use it to hit Stoneburner on the seam when the LB is playing inside.) I only really go deep with it if I think the defense is in cover 3. I try to go deep only enough so that the defense is as worried about stopping the deep pass as they are stopping the quick run up the middle. Stick provides the horizontal stretch to compliment the vertical stretch caused by the threat of four verts.

I run other stuff, but this is what I start with an come back to when I really need yards. I honestly don't see why people say calling plays this way is so unrealistic.

Unless you run a 4-1-6 the inside seam generally gets open against two zone.
Call 2 Man and I might as well.hand you the free first down as you run by me with
Braxton. QB spy and you have all day for an open come back route or beat the spy

ecause I'm still having to cover Hall out of the backfield.

General rule of thumb. If it wouldnt fly in a real game. I generally
Try to avoid it.


Now I'd love to.play you. I think I could come up with some Very solid
Counters. But at that point it turns into you guessing exactly which
Play im running then audubling accordingly.


On my phone btw. Apologies for spelling mistakes. Fat fingers.

 

[OmahaBeef]

So you run it constantly because it doesn't work?

I choose that play out of the "huddle" because I'm sure people I play against notice me calling an audible on most plays. I want my deep play to be the default, because I can just walk up to the line and snap it if the defense is aligned in a way that I think will let the play work.

As someone playing offense, if you audible you're letting the defense know you see something you want to exploit. If the defense is smart, they too will audible to a different play (often switching from man to zone or vice versa). Since the run up the middle is so quick, the defense doesn't have time to get into position by the time the ball is snapped even if they change their call. On a deep pass, though, the DBs have more time to move around the field by the time the ball is thrown.

Example: I just beat a guy and threw the ball 11 times all game. I kept calling four verticals and never actually ran it once, because he kept lining up in dime coverage. Since he had five guys in the box, I changed to the HB dive over and over. Since I had has many blockers as he had guys in the box, it was good for 3-5 yards most times. Once I got up a couple TDs in the 3rd quarter, I started mixing up the running plays more because he knew I was running the ball to chew time off the clock. At that point, to avoid being predictable I called counters, pitches, and WR runs in addition to the dive.

 

[Mac]

So it's 4 verts, stick, or Dave. Sweet

 

[jthorp24]

4 verticals is an extremely effective pass play. Pretty much all of the four verticals plays are. The A receiver/TE is almost always open. Couple that with you using OSU and stoneburner... Who is one of the best, if not the absolute best in the game(not sure havent checked) and it's extremely hard to stop.

 

[OmahaBeef]

Unless you run a 4-1-6 the inside seam generally gets open against two zone.
Call 2 Man and I might as well.hand you the free first down as you run by me with
Braxton. QB spy and you have all day for an open come back route or beat the spy

ecause I'm still having to cover Hall out of the backfield.

When the defense plays man, you are definitely able to sometimes get big gains via scrambles, but I feel like one of the few things EA has gotten right in recent years is that when you leave the pocket you risk being chased down by DEs a lot of the time. I've been trying to pay attention to what the defense does when I have bad plays, and I think just rushing 6 guys does a pretty good job at stymying four verts (at least for me). Since they're brining more than I can block, the pass as to be quick -- but the vertical routes don't really lend themselves to quick passes against man coverage (at least it seems to me), aside from just lobbing it down field and hoping your guy gets there first.

General rule of thumb. If it wouldnt fly in a real game. I generally
Try to avoid it.


Now I'd love to.play you. I think I could come up with some Very solid
Counters. But at that point it turns into you guessing exactly which
Play im running then audubling accordingly.

I don't feel like all the audibles are so unrealistic. How is it so different than the no huddle, or what guys like Payton Manning do? You see lots of team go out with a play, then check to the sideline or have the QB call the audible.

PM me if you want to play. I'd be curious what you'd do, although it'd be harder to run my offense since you know more or less what I'm doing. :-) Still, would be fun. I lost my first game, then remade my custom playbook (this is about what I've been doing for a couple years in this game) and have gone 6-0 since... but mostly against people with records that aren't great. I was hoping to see suggestions here about how this could be stopped consistently by a defense.