By: Mike Imboden on September 25, 2003

A Defensive Primer

Football games have been and probably will always be my favorite console games. There's nothing better than leading a bunch of sad sacks to the National Title or Lombardi Trophy. Well, at least as far as video games go, that is. Oh sure, jacking a car and mowing down rivals with an AK-47 or sneaking around an enemy compound, killing people with a quick flick of your wrist has its certain appeal, don't get me wrong. But deftly moving your middle linebacker through a massive offensive line, grabbing the quarterback from his blind side and driving him into the turf just feels... great.

But football can be tricky, especially on the defensive side of things. Sure, on the surface it sounds easy - tackle the guy with the ball. But the trick of it all is out-thinking the offense and lining your men up to tackle the guy with the ball as quickly as possible. Offense is a little easier because you KNOW where the guy with the ball is going to be. You can see the defense and how they are set up and make plan before you get the ball. But defense... that's different. The offense might be set up in a formation that looks like they will run, but what if they fake a handoff and send the halfback flying downfield, and you're expecting the run and have the line stacked? Chances are you've just given up six points.

Early on, the playcalling was easy - you had maybe a dozen plays to call from and you could find one or two that worked fairly well against everything. But things are different now and you have tons of formations to pull from. So where do you start? The first thing is to know which formations should be used in certain situations - if you expect a run or pass, your defense should be lined up a little differently. So here's a quick primer on what formation is good against what and how you should use each one.

3-4
This uses 3 down linemen, 4 linebackers, 2 corners and 2 safeties. This spreads the defense out very well and covers the middle of the field so nothing can get through. Good against formations using one or two wideouts. Watch out for 3 or more recievers, though - one of your slower linebackers will be forced into coverage and that isn't a favorable match-up.

4-3
Here you have four down linemen, 3 linebackers, 2 corners and 2 safeties. Works well against the run, especially up the middle. But line this up against a team that airs it out and you're in for a long day.

4-4
Four linemen, four linebackers, 2 corners and 2 safeties. Throw this at a running team and they're cooked. But keep an eye on fast tight ends and playaction plays - you might get burned having so many men up front.

5-2
You probably won't be using this one too much. Used mostly against "big" sets and teams that have no option but to run straight up the middle at you. You'll be in huge trouble if they trick you with a screen or pass out in the flat, though and a deep pass will be deadly. I'd avoid using this anywhere but inside the 10 yard line when there's too much room to use the goaline and not enough to use a good 4-4 or Nickel.

Goaline (5-3)
The staple of pee-wee football teams everywhere. :) This puts the majority of your guys up front (5 linemen, 3 linebackers and 2 corners) with just one safety deep. Runs up the middle or off tackle, short passes and such are yours for the taking here. Playaction and and a good option offense will kick your butt, though.

Nickel
Once again, four down linemen but now you only have 2 linebackers. In place of the third, you add an extra cornerback and retain your two safeties. Since you've slotted in a faster, coverage guy, guess what this defense is used for? Defending the pass, right. You could possibly get by without ever leaving this defense if you have fast linebackers who can move up to handle the run. Passing is difficult because you can double cover the best recievers. Just watch out for screen passes and draw plays up the middle, that's where your weakness is.

Dime
Just like the Nickel, except now you only have one linebacker and four cornerbacks. Use this only when you see or know the offense will be going for the long pass play. Late in the game while you are winning, expect to drop into this coverage a lot to stop them from getting that 40 yard pass that sets up the winning field goal. However, be careful if you're playing a team with a running quarterback (think Mike Vick and the like). Everyone will be either covering a WR or engaged with a lineman, so the QB will have am open field in which to run.

Now, from most of these defensive schemes you can choose certain coverages. Your choices are usually a type of zone (certain players are responsible for certain areas of the field. If a reciever enters that area, it's up to them to cover him), man-to-man (should be obvious), or a type of "cover".

COVER 2: This is a defensive formation used against a team that likes to run the ball a lot. If you're playing NCAA, it's best against teams that use the option.

COVER 3: This is your most balanced formation for defending against the run or the pass, utilizing zone coverage by three backs on the side of the lineup that has two recievers.

COVER 4: Man-to-man defense. Use this against a passing team.

Does this cover (no pun intended) everything? No way, but I don't have the time or space to cover everything, either. But consider this a good, basic defensive manual that should improve your game and hopefully get you one of those National Championships or Lombardi Trophies I mentioned earlier.

Next Time: The best football game on the PS2 and why. Plus! The greatest athlete of all time! (and this time I mean it!!!)