How I Like To Stop The Pass

I would like to discuss how I like to stop the pass, especially in NCAA Football 06.

I will be covering various 4-3 and 4-down examples since this is my preferred defense.

Cover 4 Zone “Quarters”

I use Cover 4 Zone (Quarters) as my base, “when in doubt” pass defensive concept.

It is good against various situations while also working well from different formations.

Quarters has all four secondary defenders defending the deep field while the linebackers defend the short field.

Just like my run defensive concepts, Quarters requires several pre-snap adjustments in order to get all of your players in the right spots.

I learned how to use Quarters from Pat Narduzzi as he made this defense popular while he was the defensive coordinator at Michigan State.

I’ve written about Quarters HERE but these examples will hopefully simplify what the defense is all about.

His idea of bump and running receivers and shifting his defensive line over to the strength of the offensive formation surprisingly works well in games like NCAA Football 06.

The first example of Quarters shows the secondary defending deep with the linebackers defending underneath.

I use the same two pre-snap adjustments every time I call Quarters: bump and run with the cornerbacks and the coverage audible to make sure defenders are over open skill players, particularly in the slot.

In this example, I hit triangle + down on the d-pad to bump and run the cornerbacks. I then hit triangle + right on the d-pad to execute a coverage audible, no different than what we use with our run defenses.

Narduzzi loved to press his cornerbacks while also having them defend deep. Here you see I decide to call Quarters from Nickel and how all three cornerbacks (both C, C & N) move close to the line of scrimmage.

The coverage audible forces the outside linebacker (O) to hover over the slot receiver on the left. You will also noticed I have labeled this defender in yellow.

This is who I like to control when calling Quarters.

I feel most comfortable controlling him due to being able to bait quarterbacks to throw in my direction without having hurt my own defense. Feel free to control who you like.

Probably the best thing about Quarters is it makes it hard for offenses to throw deep on a consistent basis.

I would rather force offenses to throw short which can lead to more plays per drive which can lead to more possible turnovers.

This example show the third adjustment I will make. Notice how the offense has an unbalanced front.

When I see this, I will shift my defensive line (L1 + left or right, right in this case) toward the tight end (Y). This adjustment help stop the run if needed.

Add in the two standard adjustments we made before and always will make (bump and run and coverage audible), you have the three common Quarters’ adjustments.

I am controlling the right outside linebacker (R) and the coverage audible helps me move over closer to the Z receiver.

Notice the Curl Flat combo on the left. This is what you might face as a defender in my position.

Since I have to defend an area due to calling a zone play, there will be times where I have to defend two players at once.

Sometimes you may have to defend three, others none. There is no easy way to tell you how to defend all situations other than defend the one closest to you.

Here we see the offense call a play from Ace Normal. This is a balanced offensive front so we don’t need to shift our defensive line, but this is a perfect example of why I want you to get in the habit of always making the other two adjustments.

Bump and run is a given but you may wonder why you should use the coverage audible.

I just want you to get in the habit of ALWAYS making those two adjustments, regardless of the what the offense calls. It’s just good practice.

This is another example of a two-route combo that I have to defend.

This time though, one route is going deep which means I can let the cornerback defend it so I can just focus on the Out route.

Cover 2 Zone Blitz

I like to use Cover 2 Zone Blitz plays whenever I face an offense with a quarterback that can’t run, that likes to throw, and call plays with unbalanced fronts.

This defensive concept lets me blitz off the edge to make quarterbacks uncomfortable by bringing the heat.

I prefer to use Cover 2 Zone plays that have one blitzing linebacker.

The offense calls a play from Ace Slot which has an unbalanced front due the tight end (Y) being on the line.

I want the blitzing linebacker on the opposite side of the tight end and the defensive line either spread out or shift to the same side of the blitzer just to make sure the defensive end occupies the left tackle for the blitzer to do his thing.

Here you see I decide to spread the defensive line (L1 + triangle + up on the d-pad). I do this because I have to make a sacrifice somewhere.

Cover 2 Zone blitzes have a weakness to running the ball the opposite side of the the blitzer so here I concede to the offense running up the middle.

I am hoping they either pass or run in the direction of the blitzer. It doesn’t always happen but it’s nice when it does.

I prefer to control the blitzing linebacker in these situations so I can position him close to line so he can get around quicker to make a play.

Cover 3 Cloud

The last part of my pass defense covers what I like to call whenever it is 3rd and medium to long.

There is a reason why 3rd down is called the money down as most games are won and lost by what happens here.

When it is 3rd and 5+ yards or any other 3rd down situation where you know the offense will throw, Nickel Cover 3 Cloud is my go-to call.

Only the Nickel formation has this play in NCAA Football 06 but that’s all you need.

I used to call this Cover 6, but that is a different concept in real life so I just call it Cloud now.

Most Cover 3 Zone plays have the two cornerbacks and the free safety covering deep (hence Cover 3). However, Cover 3 Cloud works a little differently.

Here you see the left cornerback and the two safeties covering deep while the other cornerback is covering short like you see in Cover 2 Zone.

The offense calls a play from Gun Spread which has a balanced front. This means you do not have to make any pre-snap adjustments other than maybe a coverage audible if you want the slot receivers initially covered.

As you can see in yellow, I like to control a defensive end with this play. I control whichever defensive end as the best chance to reach the quarterback.

Since the halfback (R) is on the right side of the quarterback, he may be blocking so it’s only natural for me to control the opposite defensive end, one less guy to possibly go through.

In all my years of play football video games, I’ve noticed opposing CPU quarterbacks struggle a little more against Cover 3 defenses than anything else so calling a Cover 3 in 3rd and long situations makes sense to me.

This time the offense calls another 2×2 set but with a tight end on the line to the right.

Since this is an unbalanced line, I like to shift the defensive line away from the tight end, just like we do in Cover 2 Zone blitzes.

This give the defensive end I like to control an extra possible step around the tackle if needed, or I can spin inward to make a play.

Using simple commands like L1 or R1 to spin or rip around and/or through offensive tackles is handy when controlling defensive linemen, especially defensive ends in the this situation.

What happens when you face a quarterback that is fast enough to run out of the pocket and make a play with his legs? This happens a lot on 3rd down.

What I like to do is control the defensive end on the right mainly due to the fact that in NCAA Football 06, most quarterbacks will run to their right when scrambling.

Rarely if ever do you see them run to the left. It is possible lefty quarterbacks may run to the left more but I need to test this.

When controlling the defensive end, I do not rush the quarterback. I stay back and play zone with him or tussle with the tackle, just in case the quarterback takes off in my direction.

I also shift the rest of the defensive line to right to balance them out with the offensive line.

You can also hot-route the defensive end to spy (L1 + Circle for the defensive to our right) and control someone else, but I prefer to control him myself as it gives me more freedom to to cover who I want depending on the play.

Conclusion

That’s it, those are the three main scenarios and concepts I use to stop all passing attacks.

It takes some pre-snap adjustments and some responsibility by you to cover an area or blitz correctly to make it all work but success can be had with these strategies.

Each concept has a weakness like every play does but calling these plays in right situations with the right pre-snap adjustments will do wonders for your defense.