Last game we had 67 calls out of a 3 deep with 100% zone db calls. I recall 3 deep not living up to expectation last season. Seth was running something different for sure ,and i want to throw some man in there for balance.

the only zone things that are different from 4.5 is off ball defenders react quicker and a bug in the flat assignments has been lessened by zone guys keeping better spacing which changed the spacing of most other assignments some.

The effectiveness of zone in general has changed dramatically since 4.5. So, much so tweaks were made to align stats. Probably some to qb reads and man coverage to make passing easier...and its still pretty hard right now

You saw very little with a lot of words. I took over a team to test extensively two zone plays in particular.

Thats some great news ! I appreciate the help understanding the game even if it amounts to nothing

Limiting my defense to two zone plays worked

They are neither one or the other but no doubt effective. Overpowered? Most likely and i am going to tie that to man coverage specifically only because the zone assignments within those plays are limiited to helping out the guys in man.

And the LBers that drop in to the flats, drop in to the curl instead. So, that play like many other are technically broke but do well anyway . 4.5 is the same for that play, but zone reacts quicker now making it better vs. the run.

The other play i would have to look at film but this points to the blitz penalty being too strong or all plays should have some level abuse penalty or my choice no abuse penalties for a bit here in beta testing just to see what happens.

IDK if those two plays will win you a championship...like an all blitz defense years ago before abuse was installed, but you clearly are showing how overpowered the defense is or how bad reads and throws are.

My zone tests have elite cover guys throwing themselves out of postion trying to make play. I honestly wonder if poor zone guys are more effective because they are just not taking as many chances at these big plays.

Like I said before, zones work well when combined with man coverage. Also like I said before, zone "coverage" isn't the reason they work. They work by having guys in the throwing lanes for all the terrible passes that QBs make. Not all zones are created equal.

These aren't the only two that work, but they are the most effective. There also is a nickle 335 and quarter zone that work well. The dime flat blitz (which only rushes four and sends the DEs to cover the flat) is highly effective with the right personnel and overrides. Additionally, Setherick is experimenting with a particular all-zone play that is highly effective for obliterating the hitch.