Trying To Build A Base 3-4 Squad

[nyknicks33]

Its proving to be difficult. IVe been doing a lot of trail and error personnel wise while taking some losses in the process. This is my current set up..havent played with it yet:

DT-Art Donavan
DE- Dexter Manley

ILB-Karl Mecklenburg
OLB- Bryce Paup
CB-Roger Wehrli
CB- Willie Brown
OLB-Brad Van Pelt

I previously only had Art Donavan on the D-Line and it was a disaster..im hoping 2 dline man frees up the LB's a little more

[Gadz1313]

Get Too Tall Jones at ur other DE. Idc who u have as ur silvers. Too Tall Jones and Manley is just beastly. I run a 3-4 and 3-3 with them extremly successfully.

[nyknicks33]

my silvers are henry ellard, wherli and meck. Just played a game and the donavan-manley pairing worked pretty well..Im afraid that in a 3-4, having 2 D-ends will expose the ILB's too much

[Gadz1313]

That's understandable. I have Butkus so I dnt have to worry about that. If the pairing is working then stick to it.

[digitalandroid]

3-4 squad works if you stack Gold and Silver LBs.

But stacking the DL, it is not as effective because the DLs are slow.

[Reed#20]

I say dont bother. I have played nothing but the 3-4 defense in every videogame for the last 10 years.

As everyone knows the play of your legends especially on defense is so low you would think you were playing as the Bengals. The 3-4 HAS TO HAVE CONSTANT PRESSURE by your front line. Not only that you have to have corners that can make REAL plays on the ball....not of this tipped dropped ********. Because the 3-4 has a lot of weaknesses and will get killed in the long run unless you create turn overs from it.

As we all know its impossible for the defense in this game to create turnovers in this game. There is no strip button so no way in hell to cause a fumble...and your DB cant catch for **** so no INT.

There for the defense is borderline useless. I just continue to run it because I have always ran it and I dont want to stop.

If you dont have legit pressure by your 3 down line man you might as well not play it because the offense is going to eat you alive with all the linebackers on the field.

Now in my 3-4 defense I have 2 god damn gold D lineman and one sliver along with 1 sliver OL and 1 Sliver IL.. All of which have pass rush bonus. You would think they would be breaking in the back field like crazy? Not so much. Even with my constant blitzes from all different sides with Greg Loyd and Messenberg the play of my defense as a whole is still random at best.


Some games I am in the back field all the time creating pressure getting sacks causing bad throws....but truthfully most of the time its the same gold/sliver QB throwing off their back foot into double coverage for a completions. Same old ******** no matter what you do.

Again since there is no way to cause a fumble...so the extra linebacker is pointless (he is suppose to be trying to strip the ball after the other 3 wrap the ball carrier) and since your DB cant catch for **** even if you managed to created pressure you will rarely be able to take advantage for the bad passes thrown from it.


I say no worry to much about it and move on. Because in this game you would have to putt so much into the defense personal to run it right you would have no people on offense. And even then some guy will come along with a gold QB and Gold WR and destroy you.


LOL sorry to laugh but sounds like you have thrown in the towel :(

[Gadz1313]

So why is the 4-3 better?? And even if it doesnt work, some SIM ballers wanna run a 3-4. Ive always run it becuz ive had more fun with it.

[Smilely]

I say dont bother. I have played nothing but the 3-4 defense in every videogame for the last 10 years.

As everyone knows the play of your legends especially on defense is so low you would think you were playing as the Bengals. The 3-4 HAS TO HAVE CONSTANT PRESSURE by your front line. Not only that you have to have corners that can make REAL plays on the ball....not of this tipped dropped ********. Because the 3-4 has a lot of weaknesses and will get killed in the long run unless you create turn overs from it.

As we all know its impossible for the defense in this game to create turnovers in this game. There is no strip button so no way in hell to cause a fumble...and your DB cant catch for **** so no INT.

There for the defense is borderline useless. I just continue to run it because I have always ran it and I dont want to stop.

If you dont have legit pressure by your 3 down line man you might as well not play it because the offense is going to eat you alive with all the linebackers on the field.

Now in my 3-4 defense I have 2 god damn gold D lineman and one sliver along with 1 sliver OL and 1 Sliver IL.. All of which have pass rush bonus. You would think they would be breaking in the back field like crazy? Not so much. Even with my constant blitzes from all different sides with Greg Loyd and Messenberg the play of my defense as a whole is still random at best.


Some games I am in the back field all the time creating pressure getting sacks causing bad throws....but truthfully most of the time its the same gold/sliver QB throwing off their back foot into double coverage for a completions. Same old ******** no matter what you do.

Again since there is no way to cause a fumble...so the extra linebacker is pointless (he is suppose to be trying to strip the ball after the other 3 wrap the ball carrier) and since your DB cant catch for **** even if you managed to created pressure you will rarely be able to take advantage for the bad passes thrown from it.


I say no worry to much about it and move on. Because in this game you would have to putt so much into the defense personal to run it right you would have no people on offense. And even then some guy will come along with a gold QB and Gold WR and destroy you.

[Reed#20]

So why is the 4-3 better?? And even if it doesnt work, some SIM ballers wanna run a 3-4. Ive always run it becuz ive had more fun with it.


43 kinda sucks too. Nickel and Nickel 33 are probably the best all around fronts in the game, which is kinda dumb. They should be good against spread attacks, but not against Pro, Ace and Jokers. But they are the bomb against those too if you set them up right. That tells how much madden like the game has become. :( with respect to defensive fronts and what they work well against.

[Gadz1313]

ya i agree. I'm a big nickel 3-3 fan. I really like the Dime 3-2. I find it does suprisingly well against the run.

[badasp83]

Here's one of the teams I've used with success in the 3-4.
ILB-Lambert
OLB-Lloyd/CB-Barney
FS-Robinson/DE-Simmons/DE-Martin

[nyknicks33]

well I actually won a game, pitched a shut out no less, with this set up after about 10 tries tinkering around, learning the dang 3-4 playbook and getting blistered

DT-Art Donovan
DE-Dex
OLB-Bryce Paup, Van Pelt
ILB- Mecklenberg
CB's- Willie Brown, Roger Wehrli

Couple of observations: much better success stopping the run with man blitzes as opposed to playing zones..in the 4-3, you can play run D out of zones since the D-Line's job is to keep blockers off of your LB's.

In the 3-4, I noticed that if you play zone on running plays, the LB's just get swallowed..I was much better when turned some of them loose virtually every play and attacked the line.


despite having only 2 corners..I didnt get shredded by 3 wide out teams as much as I thought..if I had a long yardage situation, and if they came out in a 4 wide out set..I just decided that I am going to back off my coverage people if I had a generic in tough spot, control my safety to give him some help , bring more guys then are blocking and take some chances...hoping the heat effects the throw or they bust through.

[BrandH]

I have been trying this as well and this is the team I came up with and it is working well I held a team with Randall, Rice, Coates, Dwight Clark and Means to 9 points and less than 200 yards.
G-Derrick Thomas, Dave Wilcox
S-Joey Browner, Bart Starr, Roger Craig
B-Scott Studwell, Brian Bosworth, Clyde Simmons, Leon Lett, Solomon Wilcotts, Rocket Ismail

The only thing that may give this team a problem is a 4 legend recieving group. But Dave Wilcox cover so much ground I can cover damn near the whole middle of the field so I have him and Thomas as linebackers in the 3-2 dime.

[nyknicks33]

do you do a lot of zone blitzes? since you lack corners? how do they hold up? How does Wilcotts play btw..no one uses him because he has no attributes.

[BrandH]

I do every thing. Not as many zone blitzes. I change it up. But if you are having trouble with TEs Wilcox negates that problem.

Wilcotts plays alright he tackles well for me. I hate using Robinson cuz it seems like everyone does and I already have Marion on 2 teams so I tried him.

If you wanna be suprised with a guy who has no abilities try Brian Jones. I have im paired with Brazile and Eric Turner, Dyck Anderson, Tom Brookshire and Jim Marshall and he is a tackling machine.

[nyknicks33]

I do every thing. Not as many zone blitzes. I change it up. But if you are having trouble with TEs Wilcox negates that problem.

Wilcotts plays alright he tackles well for me. I hate using Robinson cuz it seems like everyone does and I already have Marion on 2 teams so I tried him.

If you wanna be suprised with a guy who has no abilities try Brian Jones. I have im paired with Brazile and Eric Turner, Dyck Anderson, Tom Brookshire and Jim Marshall and he is a tackling machine.


Yeah I like using the more obscure legends that get no play..that's why I have roger wehrli at corner. Yeah he'll get stretched by Maynard..but so will lem barney and Rod woodson so whats the difference? He's a dang good tackler too..he's like a plus version of albert lewis.

[nflhitman]

When I do the 3-4 this is my team....

Nose Tackle is Jerome Brown. He is the best DT in this game.

DE: Simmons and Leonard Marshall. Biggest Bronze DE

ILB: Butkus and Lambert. Yes 2 Gold ILB work great

OLB: Greg Lloyd & Bryce Paup

To run a 3-4 successfully it take 7 on the defense atleast to do it. If you wanted to take off the DE's and replace with Safeties is also an option since you have the OLB's to cover outside.

[BrandH]

I tried Brown on another 3-4, but he didn't seem to do anything for me and I was getting gashed up the middle.

[ElGreazy78]

The problem I have with building a 3-4 on this game is that you can't find a dominate heavy DT. It would be nice if there was a Gold DT who has some weight on him, but those guys are all in the 260 range and get eaten up by the o-line.

[nyknicks33]

When I do the 3-4 this is my team....

Nose Tackle is Jerome Brown. He is the best DT in this game.

DE: Simmons and Leonard Marshall. Biggest Bronze DE

ILB: Butkus and Lambert. Yes 2 Gold ILB work great

OLB: Greg Lloyd & Bryce Paup

To run a 3-4 successfully it take 7 on the defense atleast to do it. If you wanted to take off the DE's and replace with Safeties is also an option since you have the OLB's to cover outside.


^^^all legends in the front 7 eh? Interesting. I do like having Art Donovan a lot at the DT spot. I may replace Dexter Manley with a bigger DE. I like how mecklenburg plays also. Having all generic secondary would make me a tad nervous though.

[ElGreazy78]

I'd say replace Lambert or Butkus with Lott or Wood. If you ever go into a Nickel or 3-5 Nickel at least one LB will be off the field and that's a big blow to the defense. You can always just set the extra ILB as Pass Coverge to help with additional coverage support or as a Run Coverage if you think you'll need help on running plays.

But yeah, not having anyone at the second level is pretty scary.

[Gadz1313]

The problem I have with building a 3-4 on this game is that you can't find a dominate heavy DT. It would be nice if there was a Gold DT who has some weight on him, but those guys are all in the 260 range and get eaten up by the o-line.

Create a Gold Ted Washington. But idk if the game will let you make someone 400 pounds, or maybe hes 395 but still... he eats up 2 or blockers a play.

[wEEman33]

The 3-4 works really well against the run in this game because blockers on the outside have a hard time picking up the OLB (thanks to the game's poor blocking logic).

Against the pass though, the 3-4 will get shredded, especially if you try and blitz out of it. That's because blitzers in this game are way too slow at getting after the QB.

[nflhitman]

Generic secondary is fine when you run bump man & zone's. When you blitz out of zones it cause a lot of int's. The generic secondary is under rated. I do put certain people on my Generic secondary though, Guys who I know play well and are tall. I have done my homework and have all weights and heights of most of the generic's in this game. I would rather have a generic get beat by a generic or bronze WR than a guy who I spent a gold pick on. In this game the CB's no matter who they are get beat all the time. I can handle my generic getting beat but I can't handle a gold or silver being beat. I usually make sure my 2 Generic CB's are atleast 6' - 6'2", The same for my Safeties.

[nflhitman]

I'd say replace Lambert or Butkus with Lott or Wood. If you ever go into a Nickel or 3-5 Nickel at least one LB will be off the field and that's a big blow to the defense. You can always just set the extra ILB as Pass Coverge to help with additional coverage support or as a Run Coverage if you think you'll need help on running plays.

But yeah, not having anyone at the second level is pretty scary.

When I go to a 3-3 or even a 3-2 I take my LB's that are not in at LB and put in a DE. The pass rushing LB's I still get pressure on the QB. How many 3-4 Defense's you see where the LB lines up at DE? A LOT. This is when I don't have DE's on my team.

[nflhitman]

The 3-4 works really well against the run in this game because blockers on the outside have a hard time picking up the OLB (thanks to the game's poor blocking logic).

Against the pass though, the 3-4 will get shredded, especially if you try and blitz out of it. That's because blitzers in this game are way too slow at getting after the QB.

you need to have fast and tall LB's to play in pass coverage. I get a lot of picks with **** Butkus, especially when he is in zone.

[nflhitman]

This is from my league:

Want a little more of a advantage then most have? Then take a look at the Generic players I list here. You too can look for the heights and weights if your in any other leagues that have started. Just go in to League Leaders on 360 not site and look at them for your self.

CB's:

James Hakim #26: 6'1" - 204 lbs.
Leonard Simpson #25: 5'10" - 196 lbs.
Morris Green #25: 5'11" - 190 lbs.
Brad Allen #26: 5'10" - 189lbs.
Jim Hartwig #25: 6'2" - 202lbs.
Jessie Graham #21: 6' - 188lbs.
Kevin Lane #28: 6'1" - 200
James Bauman #26: 5'11" - 193
Jay Morales #26: 5'10" - 193
Derek Wells #23: 6'1" - 191
Joe Warner 6'2" - 210
Terry Supernaw #28: 5'10" - 192
Mike Carroll #25: 6'1" - 206

Safety:

David Holmes #23: 6' - 200
Billy Ortiz #21: 5'10" - 195
Willie Bacon #27: 6'2" - 222
John Sale #27: 5'10" - 200
Robert Cox #27: 6'1" - 200
Davis Bickerstaff #25: 6' - 190
Chad Russell #21: 5'11" - 212
Shad malbrough #23: 6'1" - 222
D.J. Collier #23: 5'11" - 205
Cory Romo #38: 6'3" - 222
Brandon Martinez #35: 6' - 204
Duwan Tuiosopo #28: 6' - 201
Rodney Hamilton #26: 5'11" - 200
Hugh Blake #27: 5'10" - 195
Antwaan McCleskey #31: 6'2" - 215
Leland Nichols #21: 6'3" - 206

DE & DT:

Cody Walker #98: 6'2" - 278
Tarence Sanford #91: 6'4" - 320
Trey Engleberger #90 6' - 310
Doug Garner #95: 6'4" - 270
Tyreo Unutoa #90: 6'5" - 300
Mike Gardner #93: 6'5" - 275
David Fisher #95: 6'4" - 335
Luke Johnson #95: 6'5" - 308
Ki Jana Cain #91: 6'3" - 290
Steve Douglas #97: 6'4" - 260
John Summers #93: 6'4" - 325
Marcel Flory #94: 6'3" - 274
Lennox Feagles # 98: 6'3" - 305
Chris Frerotte # 94: 6'4" - 318
Jarious Gatlin #95: 6'2" - 285
Mathias Glenn #?: 6'3" - 270
Cyron Peter #93: 6'5" - 271
Marcellus Doom #93: 6'6" - 271
Evan George #93: 6'4" - 278
Hannibal Seals #?: 6'2" - 340
Coy Sape #94: 6'5" - 311
Dewayne Sayler #93: 6'4" - 310
Rashan Gammons #96: 6'7" 290

LB's:

Derrick Huff #57: 6'3" - 247
Asante Sapp #59: 6'1" - 262
Kevin Morrison #57: 6'1" - 228
Chad O'Brien #52: 6' - 232
Freddie Miner #55: 6' - 237
Jeremy Smith #52: 6'1" - 237
Michael Carr #59: 6' - 235
Brad Simmons #57: 6' - 240
Antoine Grady #59: 6'2" - 245
Blake Brooking #59: 6'4" - 255
Jeff Olson #57: 6'2" - 255

WR:

Barry Jenkins #15: 6' - 198
Charles Figueroa #86: 6'1" - 185
Erik Bryant #86: 6' - 200
Willie Washington #87: 6'1" - 192
Khari Redman #86 6' - 200
Brian Taylor #86: 5'10" - 188
Guillermo Wilson #87: 6'4" 210
Darnell Mattews #86: 6' - 185
Cedric Ahanotu #86: 5'11" - 182
Fredrick Holloway #87: 6' - 200
Randall Parks #86: 6'3" - 212
Emmanuel Husak #82: 5'9" - 190
Antwaun Albright #19: 6'2" - 204
Sam Allen #86: 6'1" - 215
Ronald Byrum #86: 6'3" - 211
Gary Isom #87: 6'3" - 215

TE:

Johnathan Williams #45: 6'5" - 253
Jeb Shaffer #86: 6'6" - 252
Ebenezer Konrad #82: 6'3" - 270
Arturo Collett #41: 6'3" - 280
Jimmy Gibbs #46: 6'3" - 247
Ross Poli-Dixon #49: 6'4" - 250
Kyries Neufield #47: 6'4" - 245
Bryan Johnston #44: 6'4" - 262
Jed Azumah #48: 6'2" - 262
Clay Bailey #86: 6'6" - 270
Jon Kehl #87: 6'6" - 278

RB & FB:

Ray Hicks #39: 5'11" - 220
Desmond Diehl #48: 5'11" - 240
Earnest Gregory #46: 5'11" - 234
Dez Fenderson #37: 5'10" - 185
Tyrone Carpenter #44: 5'11" - 237
Tyler Pittman #37: 5'11" - 218
Ryan Meyer #38: 6' - 222
Larry Dunn #36: 6' - 232
Greg Hicks #49: 6' - 225
Noel Smith #48: 6'2" - 240
Carey Stallworth #46: 6'2" - 250
Jason Candidate #31: 6'1" - 233

QB:

Brian McGee #8: 6'4" - 228
Lowelle Doyle #5: 6'5" - 230
Doug Miller #3: 6'2" - 219
Jim Brock #5: 6'1" - 218
Brian McGee #8: 6'4" - 228
Mark Blake #4: 6'6" - 250
Max Barnum #?: 6'4" - 220

[nyknicks33]

you need to have fast and tall LB's to play in pass coverage. I get a lot of picks with **** Butkus, especially when he is in zone.


Am I correct when I say that with the 3-4, you cant get away with playing zone D on running plays like you can with the 4-3. I started to do much better when are started to gap and man blitz to the side they show a tendency towards running.

[LSUTIGERSPHXSUNS]

The LBs also have to be better tacklers in the 3-4 than in the 4-3

[nyknicks33]

Generic secondary is fine when you run bump man & zone's. When you blitz out of zones it cause a lot of int's. The generic secondary is under rated. I do put certain people on my Generic secondary though, Guys who I know play well and are tall. I have done my homework and have all weights and heights of most of the generic's in this game. I would rather have a generic get beat by a generic or bronze WR than a guy who I spent a gold pick on. In this game the CB's no matter who they are get beat all the time. I can handle my generic getting beat but I can't handle a gold or silver being beat. I usually make sure my 2 Generic CB's are atleast 6' - 6'2", The same for my Safeties.


I won 3 games in a row last night, giving up more then 17 points once, with a bit of a change in lineup. I made this lineup change:

DT-Art Donovan
DE-Dexter Manley

ILB-John Offerdahl
OLB- Carl Banks

CB-Willie Brown
CB- Roger Wehrli (he's not bad, he's got strength bonus, and holds up well enough in coverage)
SS-Leroy Butler

My Offense is:
QB-Neil O'Donnel
WR-Henry Ellard
WR- Dwight Clark
Wr- Alvin Harper
Generic Power Running Back, who is really quite good...#31..Jason Candidate..he's a load...if I can get near 4 yards a pop with a generic, im not going to complain.

Im not confident enough yet to try a all generic secondary lol. I'm still getting familiar with the 3-4 playbook and what calls do what against certain formation. I'm willing to give it a try on my other teams that I have a confort zone with though :thumbsup: .

What I may try, is maybe Swap Willie Brown for Ronnie Lott (Believe it or not, I have NEVER played with the guy), Bobby Lilly for Art Donovan (no point having 2 leadership bonus guys) and Roger Wehrli for Either Jessie Tuggle, Harry Carson, Mecklenburg or Bednarick..I may just try em all.

That, Ive done before. Play 2 generic Corners with 2 legend safeties over the top.

[ElGreazy78]

When I go to a 3-3 or even a 3-2 I take my LB's that are not in at LB and put in a DE. The pass rushing LB's I still get pressure on the QB. How many 3-4 Defense's you see where the LB lines up at DE? A LOT. This is when I don't have DE's on my team.
Huh, I never thought about that... good idea.

[nyknicks33]

Huh, I never thought about that... good idea.


yeah, that's true..if you have pass rush bonus OLB's you dont lose anything pass rush wise by having them rush the passer from the line in the nickle or dime sets. Cheifs did that all of the time with DT, Heck Chargers do it with Merriman.

Why take your best pass rusher off of the field? This makes me reconsider having Dex on the team now lol

[saviour2k8]

I have created a pretty good 3-4 defensive team but my strategy is a bit different than others.

Gold
Derrick Thomas
Night Train Lane

Silver
Lem Barney
Andre Reed
Jessie Tuggle

Bronze
Bryce Paup
Eugene Wilson
Charlie Waters
Dave Krieg
Natrone Means
Pete Metzalars

As you can see I do not have any D Lineman as when I initially created the team they would always get taken out of the play. So I concentrated on my LB's and DB's. Having D Thomas as my main pressure guy really helps but you have to have use razor left alot to occupy the blockers in front of him to cause havoc. Usually the sight of him blizting alone gets people to throw early. Also, when I flip the play Bryce Paup is very good at pressuring the passer. And since the pressure doesn't always get there, I have the corners to hold up and force people to hold on to the ball a little longer so that my blitzers can get them jumpy.

The main item I did here was to sub out the default DE's with my backup DT's. In order to compensate for having the smaller guys who dont hold up on blocks. The 3-4 needs beef up front so I use my backup tackles as starting ends and I switch them out on every formation as its hard to keep them fresh without it. (3-4, 3-3-5, 3-2)

I tried it with Leonard Marshall initially but I couldnt move the ball with as everyone overloaded on Reed so I switched him for Metz to clean up the middle of the field.

[ElGreazy78]

The main item I did here was to sub out the default DE's with my backup DT's. In order to compensate for having the smaller guys who dont hold up on blocks. The 3-4 needs beef up front so I use my backup tackles as starting ends and I switch them out on every formation as its hard to keep them fresh without it. (3-4, 3-3-5, 3-2)
This is actually pretty smart and something else I never considered.

There's some great info on this thread! :D :thumbsup:

[nyknicks33]

I have created a pretty good 3-4 defensive team but my strategy is a bit different than others.

Gold
Derrick Thomas
Night Train Lane

Silver
Lem Barney
Andre Reed
Jessie Tuggle

Bronze
Bryce Paup
Eugene Wilson
Charlie Waters
Dave Krieg
Natrone Means
Pete Metzalars

As you can see I do not have any D Lineman as when I initially created the team they would always get taken out of the play. So I concentrated on my LB's and DB's. Having D Thomas as my main pressure guy really helps but you have to have use razor left alot to occupy the blockers in front of him to cause havoc. Usually the sight of him blizting alone gets people to throw early. Also, when I flip the play Bryce Paup is very good at pressuring the passer. And since the pressure doesn't always get there, I have the corners to hold up and force people to hold on to the ball a little longer so that my blitzers can get them jumpy.

The main item I did here was to sub out the default DE's with my backup DT's. In order to compensate for having the smaller guys who dont hold up on blocks. The 3-4 needs beef up front so I use my backup tackles as starting ends and I switch them out on every formation as its hard to keep them fresh without it. (3-4, 3-3-5, 3-2)

I tried it with Leonard Marshall initially but I couldnt move the ball with as everyone overloaded on Reed so I switched him for Metz to clean up the middle of the field.


what side do you have DT on? the strong or weakside. You got me thinking that I probably do not need a D-end here..I could put another DT their or just go generic and use my pass rush bonus OLB's as my D-ends in nickle and dime sets. I'm just going to try every combo imaginable until i find one that works best with my style lol.

[saviour2k8]

what side do you have DT on? the strong or weakside. You got me thinking that I probably do not need a D-end here..I could put another DT their or just go generic and use my pass rush bonus OLB's as my D-ends in nickle and dime sets. I'm just going to try every combo imaginable until i find one that works best with my style lol.

I have the DT on both sides. I just replaced my DE's with my backup tackles. It all depends on how you run your defense in the end. My buddy actually created a 3-4 base with 3 D-Lineman and one LB and it is hard to run on him as his DL always seems to be in the backfield. How he does it is beyond me...

[saviour2k8]

This is actually pretty smart and something else I never considered.

There's some great info on this thread! :D :thumbsup:

Thanks. This is a good forum for knowledge about the game once you get the right people in the convo.

[nyknicks33]

Thanks. This is a good forum for knowledge about the game once you get the right people in the convo.


Im going to give this combo a try

Gold: DT- Bob Lilly
FS: Ronnie Lott ( believe it or not, ive never played with him)

Silver: SS: Leroy Butler
CB: Roger Wehrli (new guy Im using, i like him..strength bonus, durablity bonus, loose ball..not bad in coverage, and will have lott on his side as well.

Bronze: OLB-Carl Banks
OLB-Bryce Paup
ILB- John Offerdahl

[saviour2k8]

^^^You really have to be on top of LB adjustments as well just to keep the OL off of them.

[nflhitman]

I created a Ted washington last night as a Gold DT. 6'5" & 380 LBS. Attributes were... Quick Feet, Closing Speed, Rip, Club, Run Reader. He was in the back field every play. I didn't even give him spin move but he was doing that also lol. The Gold DT's in this game are way undersized for this generation of NFL Players. Tony Siragusa , Cortez Kennedy, & Ted Washington are some of the biggest a best at playing the run to ever play the game of football. Gilbert Brown is another big dude that would be great in any 3-4. If you look at www.databasefootball.com the weight is when they came into the league and not correct for a lot of players. You can't tell me that Ted Washington weighs only 334 LBS. lol. More like 400 as TV announcers have said. The Closing speed and quick feet are what I think makes them great in this game. If you think about it, Closing speed means they are driven to the ball no matter where it is and they are fast to get there right? Why have run cover or pass rush bonus then? If the QB has the ball he will rush to get to the Ball and if the RB has it he is going after him like a rocket right? Closing speed is the most important attribute for a D-Lineman IMO.

[badasp83]

In real football in a 3-4 you really need a good DT (really good Dline overall) but in this game 2 bronze DEs are the best option. IMO gold & silver Dlinemen don't do enough consistantly to warrant a high tier pick.

[LSUTIGERSPHXSUNS]

Perry gets lots of pressure in a 3-4, but he only takes up one blocker on running plays. It really sucks, because NTs are supposed to get double blocked, and if they don't a ILB will get blocked.

[Disasterpiece]

Generic secondary is fine when you run bump man & zone's. When you blitz out of zones it cause a lot of int's. The generic secondary is under rated. I do put certain people on my Generic secondary though, Guys who I know play well and are tall. I have done my homework and have all weights and heights of most of the generic's in this game. I would rather have a generic get beat by a generic or bronze WR than a guy who I spent a gold pick on. In this game the CB's no matter who they are get beat all the time. I can handle my generic getting beat but I can't handle a gold or silver being beat. I usually make sure my 2 Generic CB's are atleast 6' - 6'2", The same for my Safeties.

How do you decide which generics you get?

[LSUTIGERSPHXSUNS]

^^^ You really can't do much except pick what they specialize in (Pass, Balanced, Run)

[nflhitman]

How do you decide which generics you get?

I always use Coverage for secondry, Run Stopper for LB's & D-Line, Pass Block for a passing attack & run Block for a running attack, Balanced QB, Finesse RB's , Possession WR's, And then I will edit my team over and over again until I get the certain Generics I want at key spots I need to fill.

[nyknicks33]

^^^You really have to be on top of LB adjustments as well just to keep the OL off of them.


Yeah, Ive learned this..ive become a hot adjustment maniac while learning this D, and it has made a world of difference. IT's the best way Ive found to get them to fly to the ball.

[nyknicks33]

In real football in a 3-4 you really need a good DT (really good Dline overall) but in this game 2 bronze DEs are the best option. IMO gold & silver Dlinemen don't do enough consistantly to warrant a high tier pick.


Ive settled on this quad for 1 of 3-4 teams..im making a 2nd and still tinkering with ideas for that one. But I have been doing really well lately with:

DT:Art Donavan
DE: Dex

ILB:John Offerdahl
OLB: Carl Banks

DB's: Willie Brown, Roger Wehrli, Leroy Butler

Gave up 7, 17, and 7 points in 3 games with this squad the other day...now that I am getting comfortable with the play book my personnel and hot adjustments, things are starting to click.

I'm totally sold on Donavan as a DT and he is a gold. I love the guy, He causes all kinds of problems.

[nflhitman]

Donavan in my experience is way too small as a Gold DT and gets blocked easy.

[kaos]

I always use Coverage for secondry, Run Stopper for LB's & D-Line, Pass Block for a passing attack & run Block for a running attack, Balanced QB, Finesse RB's , Possession WR's, And then I will edit my team over and over again until I get the certain Generics I want at key spots I need to fill.

Maybe I misread it, but can't you just do the below and it will be faster?

When I'm trying to get a specific generic QB all I have to do is switch back and forth between balanced and pocket passer and he will show up. I know what number and what he looks like.

[LSUTIGERSPHXSUNS]

Yeah, Ive learned this..ive become a hot adjustment maniac while learning this D, and it has made a world of difference. IT's the best way Ive found to get them to fly to the ball.


What do you do? Do you move the Linebackers right/left?

[nyknicks33]

What do you do? Do you move the Linebackers right/left?


Basically, If I am in a zone and I see my opponenet come out and it looks like a run formation..I audible multiple LB's to key on the running back...then I do adjustments in my secondary to make sure that his recievers are manned up..I'll take a chance and leave a generic uncovered or cover him with the LB who isnt keying on the back.

it's a wonderful thing to see 3 bodies chasing after the HB on a swing pass or toss play as opposed to standing there, waitng for the blockers to engage them. I play OLB so I am able to pursue myself also.

[nyknicks33]

Donavan in my experience is way too small as a Gold DT and gets blocked easy.


Interesting. I cant explain my success with him then. Maybe its because I have him paired with Dex with his speed/strength/pass rush combo..and Carl Banks as a pass rusher and lined up as a D-end in base nickle as well as the 3-2 and base dime packages? Because he is flat out causing havoc.

all of the old school DT's in the game are smaller though. On my 2000 Ravens squad I have a real height/weight Sam Adams with bull rush and run coverage. He's virtually unblockable.

[ElGreazy78]

Donavan in my experience is way too small as a Gold DT and gets blocked easy.
Agreed, but I'd imagine he would be a monster DE in the 3-4.

[nyknicks33]

Agreed, but I'd imagine he would be a monster DE in the 3-4.


now that is an idea :thumbsup: I love the lightbulb moments that I get from this forum sometimes

[Johnny_Mangera]

I have no idea in the world how/why anyone would truly want to waist all of those picks on the line.

Shure they can get you pressure here and there, BUT it's not consistant.

To me Ronnie Lott as a saftey is much more valuable then Art Donovan at Dt. Donovan might make what, 2-4 plays all game long (if that), while Lott could get you that key interception, tackle,etc. to win the game.

My personally experience I leave the line alone, and focus my strenghts in the secondary, I'll give the Qb all day to throw, he'll be thorwing it in a swarm of defenders ready to intercept the ball.


,peace

[Reed#20]

Basically, If I am in a zone and I see my opponenet come out and it looks like a run formation..I audible multiple LB's to key on the running back...then I do adjustments in my secondary to make sure that his recievers are manned up..I'll take a chance and leave a generic uncovered or cover him with the LB who isnt keying on the back.

it's a wonderful thing to see 3 bodies chasing after the HB on a swing pass or toss play as opposed to standing there, waitng for the blockers to engage them. I play OLB so I am able to pursue myself also.


This type of strategy right here is EXACTLY why this game is messed the hell up. Does it work? Yeah, but it's just not a real football thing that a defensive coordinator would pull.

[nyknicks33]

This type of strategy right here is EXACTLY why this game is messed the hell up. Does it work? Yeah, but it's just not a real football thing that a defensive coordinator would pull.


Oh I agree. I'm not saying that I enjoy having to do this, but like you are saying, I feel like it is a total necessity. It's the only way I can get them to track the dang ball carrier.

I wouldnt have to do that, if they all read keys, like I do when I am controlling an outside backer myself.

[JHova1982]

This type of strategy right here is EXACTLY why this game is messed the hell up. Does it work? Yeah, but it's just not a real football thing that a defensive coordinator would pull.


thats strategy does not work. i mean that strategy might get me on a couple of carries but overall ill still have a good running game which for me is 80 yards. i run the ball alot cause that my style i need to run the ball to be successful and after playing 400+ games ive seen alot of ways to stop my run game including that one.

[nyknicks33]

thats strategy does not work. i mean that strategy might get me on a couple of carries but overall ill still have a good running game which for me is 80 yards. i run the ball alot cause that my style i need to run the ball to be successful and after playing 400+ games ive seen alot of ways to stop my run game including that one.

What kind of team do you have? I have 1 team that is geared towards power running. Sometimes I get some ugly 3 and outs, but usually over the course of a game it pulls through.

[saviour2k8]

I have no idea in the world how/why anyone would truly want to waist all of those picks on the line.

Shure they can get you pressure here and there, BUT it's not consistant.

To me Ronnie Lott as a saftey is much more valuable then Art Donovan at Dt. Donovan might make what, 2-4 plays all game long (if that), while Lott could get you that key interception, tackle,etc. to win the game.

My personally experience I leave the line alone, and focus my strenghts in the secondary, I'll give the Qb all day to throw, he'll be thorwing it in a swarm of defenders ready to intercept the ball.


,peace

Me too. Although I usually build my 4-3 defenses with DE's in most cases. The line play is not worth it to me to invest heavily in it. Good secondary usually forces the QB to hold the ball while the pressue gets in.

[JHova1982]

What kind of team do you have? I have 1 team that is geared towards power running. Sometimes I get some ugly 3 and outs, but usually over the course of a game it pulls through.

well i have a gold RB, line set to run block, and silver TE(other team has a bronze TE). its all strategy, i like power running too bt u know sometimes u do need to get to the outside somehow. but on offense i make people respct my passing game as well as my run game. you stack the box too many times i hurt with the pass but even then if somebody stack the box i still manage to get big yardage. its basically all about strategy, reading coverages, and sometimes just some good old fashion LUCK!!!

[SmallAlienGray]

If you understand 3-4 you need to know what it's purpose is and build around it. A 3-4 is basically an extra linebacker vs. a lineman. Your lineman are taking up space not trying to sack the QB. Look at Richard Seymour of the Patriots and for that matter Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren. They don't have big sack numbers but what they are doing is taking up space for the linebackers to do their jobs. With that said I would get Dan Salmanella or the fridge to clog the middle and maybe grab one more Tackle of your choice. Then get outside linebackers with coverage ( THere are a ton out there to choose from ) and one inside linebacker of you choice ( say Jesse Tuggle ). I would then grap one gold corner and one silver safety and you still have 5 to 6 stars for offense depending how you built.

Problems with 3-4.

I have ran into problems my deep zone plays have wierd blitz in them that don't really work. If someone is quick snapping you it's a pain in the A to Hot zone the blitzer every down.

[hibachiii]

Right now, I'm experimenting with:

G- Willie Brown
G- Derek Thomas

S- Lester Hayes
S- Greg Lloyd
S- Jay Novacek

B- Harvey Martin
B- Dexter Manley
B- Rob Moore
B- Alvin Harper
B- Dan Saleaumua
B- ILB created Bradie James (Leadership)

[nyknicks33]

Right now, I'm experimenting with:

G- Willie Brown
G- Derek Thomas

S- Lester Hayes
S- Greg Lloyd
S- Jay Novacek

B- Harvey Martin
B- Dexter Manley
B- Rob Moore
B- Alvin Harper
B- Dan Saleaumua
B- ILB created Bradie James (Leadership)


Interesting set up. I lke the D-line.

I like Dexter Manley, I never really used him..I thought he'd be too small for a 3-4 set up but he has the strength bonus attribute so he holds up well..he's soo dang fast also...and I have to disagree that they have little impact..Manley and Donovan have been working great for me.

Ive been playing really good defense with them. I have Carl Banks at OLB, Offerdahl in the middle, and Willie Brown, Leroy Butler and Roger Wehrli in the secondary.


I am going to make a 2nd 3-4 team with the following set up:

Gold: Derrick Thomas
Ronnie Lott

Silver: Karl Mecklenberg
Chuck Bednarick
Leroy Butler

Bronze: Pepper Johnson
Korey Stringer
Steve Wisneuski
Christian Okoye
Rob Moore
Eric Green


Ive never gone generic on the D-line so im interested to see how they play.

[nflhitman]

I created my Seahawks team and gave mostly the LB's and D-line closing speed and have yet to try it but will look forward to see how it will work. I think closing speed will help them find the ball no matter where it is. If the QB has the ball they should rush until they get to him and when the RB gets the ball they should be flying to him. We will see how it goes.

[nyknicks33]

I created my Seahawks team and gave mostly the LB's and D-line closing speed and have yet to try it but will look forward to see how it will work. I think closing speed will help them find the ball no matter where it is. If the QB has the ball they should rush until they get to him and when the RB gets the ball they should be flying to him. We will see how it goes.

closing speed is a GREAT attribute. I created Eric Allen for a buddy ryan era eagle squad..giving him coverage, ball hawk and closing speed..he would get some great jumps on the ball.