Madden Defensive Tips

Base Defense

Recommended base defense

Cover 1

You have someone manned up on all eligible recievers. 4 DL rushing, MLB blitzing, and the FS deep.

Setup against the Run

Inside Runs

Setup #1

- Reblitz MLB, place him a foot or two behind the RDT, lining him up perfectly even with your opponents C

Setup #2

- Shift DL left
- Reblitz MLB, keep him at LB depth, but have him lined between the DT
- Reblitz LDT

These setups can at times blow up runs so quickly that they hit the QB before he hands it off. Setup #2 also works solidly against the pass. Don’t overuse these though, as its a risky setup. While you can blow it up for a massive negative gain, a missed tackle can result in a large gain for your opponent.

Outside Runs

It’s important to be able to stop the run manually as well, especially if its to the outside. This is why I recommend getting a FS that is not only fast, but strong, and has good tackle rating. For instance, I use the Raiders, and put Mike Mitchell at FS, as I manually use him on pretty much every single play.

As for a setup, if I know an outside run is coming, I often like putting the MLB in a QB spy. Against some running sets, the setups mentioned for the inside run can blow outside runs up in the backfield as well (not against full house though), so you can still give those a shot. Really, I cannot stress the importance of being able to stop outside runs manually though. If you are going against a team like the Titans who have a great OL, and the fastest RB in the game, more often than not, you are going to have to stop outside runs by yourself.

Setup against the Pass

If you suspect a pass, I recommend that you use the speed package.

Setup #1

- Bump and Run coverage
- Re-blitz MLB, line the him up on the LOS over the top of your opponents RT
- Optional Adjustment: Playmaker RE to whatever you feel is needed

LE should get in untouched. In addition to this, you can playmaker the RE into whatever you feel neccesary (QB spy for very short routes/running QBs, QB contain for rollouts, and my personal favorite is curl-to-flat as people tend to throw to the side they don’t feel pressure from). This gets an amazing 4 man rush.

Be careful about that optional adjustment, because if they slide protect to that side, the pressure will be non-existent. But if you let the RE just rush normally, even if they slide protect, the RE usually gets in untouched.

Also try the second setup listed under the Inside Runs section.

Zone Setups

It’s good to stay balanced and mix zone defenses in to keep them guessing. Some opponents simply have a harder time with zone. Here are a couple set-ups that get very good pressure mixed with good coverage.

Cover 3 Press

- Bump and Run Coverage
- Blitz MLB and move him on the LOS over the opponents RT
- Playmaker ROLB into hook zone
- Optional adjustment: Playmaker RE to flat zone
- More optional adjustments: Playmaker zones to the middle (coverage audible button, right stick down), and playmaker the FS to whatever you feel neccesary (QB spy for short quick routes, QB contain for rollouts, etc…) and bring him up to LB depth. If I put him in QB spy, sometimes I actually like to leave him at FS depth, as it is a good way to bait them into the quick pass over the middle, when suddenly the FS runs up, cuts the pass off and intercepts it.

This is basically cover 3 but with instant heat. The optional adjustments allow you to have more versatility, and adjust to what they are doing. The deep middle may be more open, but the hook zones cover deep enough, and usually the pressure will get to the QB before he can find someone open, unless he is doing some sort of max protect. This play is great to use against empty backfield sets.

Cover 2

- Bump and Run Coverage
- Pinch LBs
- Blitz MLB and place on LOS over the opponents RT
- Optional adjustments: Playmaker RE to QB Spy or contain. Playmaker CBs into curl-to-flat zones.

This gives you the same blitz as the Cover 3 setup, but with cover 2 dynamics. Better to use as a change-up against opponents who are giving you fits with shorter routes, while the Cover 3 setup is better for mid-range to long routes. If your opponent is using compressed sets to hit quick slants over the middle, then putting the RE in QB spy will really kill this. Also, you can even put the RE in a curl-to-flat zone, as when the opponent sees the pressure coming from his right, he will likely roll out to the left and have to force a quick pass. I’ve gotten several picks doing this.

For both of these, if they are doing slide protection, then set it up as usual, but re-blitz the RE instead. He should get in pretty easily.

Opponents who Max Protect

Something to consider… it has seemed to become more important to leave backs and TEs in to block when pressure is reaching you quickly. This is why its good to have a max coverage defense such as Dollar Cover 4 as an audible, because if you notice them dropping guys back to pick up the blitz, even going into max protection modes where only 2 or 3 men are going out as receivers, then audibling to Dollar Cover 4 can really throw them off, and perhaps result in an easy pick or a coverage sack.

I hope this thread helps anyone interested in running a 46 defense, or people wanting to learn defense in general. If you ever have any questions or situations you need help with, don’t hesitate to ask. You can PM me if you like, but I prefer if you just ask in this thread, as it allows other people who may end up dealing with the same problem, to be able to see it as well. Be sure to check back often, as I do updates to this post quite frequently.