Madden 2003 Defensive Help
 

Even with a 99 ranked defense, two 95+ corners and safeties in the high 80 - low 90 range I keep getting annihilated by the pass. I'm not even getting hit for long runs after the catch, but the CPU seems to hit any pass at will and the completion % is usually 70%. Any tips or suggestions on how to play some better D? My playcalling tends to be whatever Madden suggests and I try to double up on the wideouts whenever possible. I'm currently playing games at the All-Madden Level. Thanks.

Well, you might want to try mixing up your double coverage, especially if you notice that the opposing team has good receivers in the slot position. A TE with good hands might be a good reason to call a Double TE once in a while, as well. I've had good success with Man Lock plays in the Nickel and Dime sets, which leave a safety or two open to float around. Also, how much pressure do you put on the QB? It's hard to get in there for a sack... for me it's so frustrating that I rarely bother calling a sack play... but maybe calling one of those once in a while will rush the QB and make him throw before he or one of his WRs is ready.

Keep in mind that I have never played football in high school or before, and that all my football expertise comes from video games or what I see on TV... take it with a grain of salt. :)

Try switching up your coverages. That eventually gets the QB confused and causes him to hold onto the ball too long, often resulting in a sack. You might need to blitz more too. Try controlling a safety that is covering a back. Bring him up into the box and blitz. This is a great way to create pressure but if the QB gets the ball off to the now uncovered back you might get burnt.

I run a 3-4 on every down except 3rd & long (5+ yards). If I'm looking for run, I use the outside blitz, pinch, or stud formations. If I'm thinking pass, I'll either go with a cover 2, man lock, qb spy, or double man(shorter pass plays). I do very well against the pass, very rarely giving up more than 250 yards in the air, playing 10 minute quarters. On 3rd & long, I usually go with a dime/cover 2 pinch, or something from the 'quarter' set.

Thanks for the replies guys. Come to think of it, my success against the pass was better when I was running a 3-4 defense, but then again that was in the All-Pro difficulty. I'll put these ideas to the test tonight.

One more question. Do you guys take manual control of the d-back when the ball is in the air or do you let the CPU handle the pass defense for you?

3-4 is definitely the way to go, but to answer your other question I always let the CPU handle my CBs until the ball gets there, then I may take over to knock the ball down or attempt an interception. It's all in the timing :D.

BTW...I usually take a middle linebacker so I can either shoot the hole or drop back into coverage against a TE for example. Picking a defensive lineman is useless considering how hard it is to get a sack and you might give up more on a rush than if you were controlling a linebacker.

switch between 3-4 double and Nickle (any playthat blitzs the nickelback) that confuses the q and occasionally you will get a sack or an int. I beat the snot out my friend who used to smack me around by switching only between these 2 sets of plays...

If you are playing on Ps2, the L1 button is your friend.

You can swat passes down a lot easier than intercepting them, so try to switch to the closest player after the QB gets a pass off, postition your man in the flight path and hit the L1 or "swat ball" button. I've found this to be extremely helpful in my defensive play.