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Main - General MFN Discussion

Defensive Play Assignments

By lellow2011
9/20/2016 1:19 pm
Why is it that the defensive assignments only show Zone, If they are covering a certain WR or blitzing, shouldn't these assignments also show who would cover HBs/FBs/TE1/TE2 depending on the offensive formation? This seems to leave a lot of information to guesswork when trying to match offensive formations?

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By lellow2011
9/20/2016 1:21 pm
For example an assignment may say WR5, but if this play is being run against an I formation what the **** is this player doing? I can assume he'd end up in man coverage against a TE, FB or HB but I do not know this without watching this specific defensive play against an I formation. What if the CB is supposed to cover a HB and that HB stays in to block? Does the CB blitz, does he double someone? Does he play zone?

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By Nicko
9/20/2016 1:51 pm
I have these same questions as well.

Also what if there are only 4 receivers, and you run a man coverage play that doesn't cover WR3, but does cover WR5, will the player covering WR5 then cover the WR3? Or will the guy covering WR4 cover WR3, and the guy covering WR5 then cover WR4? Or will the guy assigned to cover WR5 just stand in the middle of the field while the WR3 goes uncovered?

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By eyeballll
9/20/2016 2:33 pm
I haven't looked, but is there a formation that covers WR5, but doesn't cover WR3? Any formation that covers WR5 is likely to cover 1-4 as well.

As far as what players are doing when their assigned player isn't in the offensive formation, that is a **** of a good question. I have occasionally seen my defensive players standing around, I've always assumed they are playing zone and no one is in their zone... but now I don't know...

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By King of Bling
9/20/2016 2:37 pm
It's all Greek to me

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By jdavidbakr - Site Admin
9/20/2016 3:52 pm
The WR's will map to TE/RB/FB if they are not WR's. The defensive player in question will shadow the player when this happens if he doesn't go out on a pattern.

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By lellow2011
9/20/2016 3:56 pm
jdavidbakr wrote:
The WR's will map to TE/RB/FB if they are not WR's. The defensive player in question will shadow the player when this happens if he doesn't go out on a pattern.


Which guy goes to the TE/RB/FB on each play? This should probably be listed in the assignments.
Last edited at 9/20/2016 3:57 pm

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By jdavidbakr - Site Admin
9/20/2016 4:03 pm
lellow2011 wrote:
jdavidbakr wrote:
The WR's will map to TE/RB/FB if they are not WR's. The defensive player in question will shadow the player when this happens if he doesn't go out on a pattern.


Which guy goes to the TE/RB/FB on each play? This should probably be listed in the assignments.


I need to document it, it's not easy to have in the assignments section of the play card (because it's based on the offensive personnel) but it's the WR's until there are no more, then the TE(s), then the RB(s), then the FB. There are always 5 eligible receivers.

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By eyeballll
9/20/2016 6:02 pm
Yeah, I went back and found a couple of plays where my LB's were assigned to WR4 nd WR5 but there were only 3 WR's on the offensive side. They covered the TE and the RB. It's all good!

Re: Defensive Play Assignments

By drogers
9/24/2016 9:48 am
It conforms closely to actual football man to man coverage rules. WR1 is outside (right in this game, can be left), WR2 is outside left (NOTE, this can be a TE), WR 3 is farthest out after these two (symmetric formation, same side as WR1, asymmetric form - strong side), WR 4 farthest out, opposite of WR3, WR5 is closest eligible receiver to QB.

Sounds complicated but I have coached 12 year olds who get it after being shown it once.