A lot of this section is subjective on my part. This is what works for me, and if you find yourself losing using this advice, feel free to use what you think works best.
Ha, a game about football and we are just now getting into how to play the game! But it’s true. This guide is not supposed to be about how to play, but I feel like I’m good enough to share my knowledge of the game.
Golden Advice ————-
It’s just like basketball, baseball, and other sports, you can’t always play lights-out offense, but you can always show up and play shut-down defense.
If there is any part of your game to improve, it’s most likely defense. Sure you can’t win unless you score, but good defense is like good offense, and the opposite is true as well. There are a million reasons to play bad offense, but not many for bad defense.
Before You Play —————
Know your team first, or at least know your key players. The players to know about the most in order: QB, HB, TE, FB, CB, DE, LB’s, and who returns kicks and punts. Let’s break down why I think what I think.
*NOTE: Stars under players on the field, or “Impact Player” in the corner of their player card means they are good, and usually you learn their speed in the game.*
QB – mainly you need to know if this guy can run or not. If you can run then you open up options, scrambles, QB runs, and all crossing/slant routes. If your guy can’t run, well, best to learn how to pass within 3 seconds, which is usually the guy in the flat. Pocket passers need top wide receivers or life is tough.
HB – You got big backs and small guys, and then there’s speed and power. You could look into which moves they can do (spin, juke, stiff arm, jump), but the only thing that matters is whether your guy can run fast and catch.
TE – You may wonder where the wideouts are. Well, I learned long ago that these games never will let the WR’s run free. But the tight ends seem to get open quite a lot. You want a fast guy here, or at least for my advice to work.
FB – No, not for his running ability, which is just a play or none at the most. We want this guy to be able to run fast and catch in the flat. This guy is your key receiver in play action, and he’s usually open on most plays anyway. If you’re being blitzed, 90% of the time you can press his button for a big gain.
CB – My defensive schemes are 100% reliant upon great corners. Of course I get burned on a play or two, but the better the corner the better my defense can work.
DE – These guys are the key to real football teams if they want to hurry the passer. They aren’t primo for my defenses, but they help.
LB’s – You have the middle and two outside linebackers. Give me a good MLB and I’m good, but I could just as easily be one of the outside guys. If you didn’t notice, this is the position I control on defense.
*NOTE: Linemen and safeties are the only othe positions you could play on defense, unless you have some great TV that lets you see the whole field.*
