In the second half of my game this week in Rivals I was deep enough into the third quarter that the defensive coordinator's psychic powers had kicked in and my opponent was keying all my offensive plays with 100% accuracy. Including run-keying when we ran on 2nd and 13. There's only one way I can think to describe that. Complete - utter - horseshit.

This is, IMO, the most broken aspect of all the things broken in this game -- psychic powers.

This is triggered by three primary things. 1) Your run/pass distribution is out of balance. If the opposing coordinator sees you are passing a whole lot more than you are running, he'll start calling pass keys more. 2) Your opponent has scouted your plays properly. Using a play that your opponent scouted increases the probability that your opponent will key against it correctly. 3) Using the same play a lot in a game will also increase the probability that your opponent will correctly key against it.

In the game in question I ran 35 times and passed 38 times. I used 14 different run and 14 differwnt passes. I had 33 plays in the playbook, but there are plays that never get called. Ive got plays at 100% familiarity the game won't call. Anyway, back to the point, from about mid-way through the 3rd quarter, it keyed with unerring accuracy.

In a private league, in my last game, there was also massive keying, with 100% accuracy when it keyed, from someone who hasn't even logged in in two weeks! So he certainly didn't scout my offense.

I've noticed from mid third quarter on when you run on first down, it's run-keying, when you pass on first down, it's pass-keying, even if it's from the same formation. That's psychic powers there.

Putting all 40 plays in your playbook doesn't help either, I tried that.

JDB,

So what "advantages " does the Offence get by scouting a defensive play that`s used a lot.

For example, you scout Nickel 2 Deep,it`s called a lot of times by the defense,after a certain number of times (6.....JDB ?? ),does it then force Nickel 2 Deep to key PASS when you call a run play and RUN when you call a pass play against it for the rest of the game ?

No, it doesn't force into the wrong key. In the case you are describing, the dice rolls tilt a little more toward the offense (i.e. distribution for how long a block will be held is moved a fraction of a second longer or the probability of the defender getting juked on a route is 0.5% higher)

Last game we threw it 83 times, and ran it 12 times. The times we were running it, 2nd half, still getting unerringly ru n keyed. Psychic powers still active, still ridiculous.

Was the run play the same play?. I think that would cause what your saying to happen, and it should as there's no way to key formations without rules here.

As RL coach if a teams runs the same play I would ajust. Keying that formation would increase your probabilities of success . Here setting keys like 20,mpass, 20 run, and zero neutral would make it easy for the logic to use thier psychic powers as a play is abused.

Say you run 12 different runs that might be a different story.

It wouldn't matter. I've looked at game logs from 2nd halves for two years. You can run a pass from a certain formation on 1st down and get pass-keyed. The next first down play you can call a run out of the exact same formation and get run-keyed. It just doesn't matter. Psychic powers. I'll point them put from game-logs for awhile, until people get sick of it.

I never checked, but I will. I have done my keys the same way for a while. Most leagues I don't even change them so...., but that's how i play it here , and I when I watch game I see what keys guys are based on alignments . Whether it be a pass key or run key I want my guys linedup a certain way pending senerio and in clear run senerios I may want a pass key. Same goes for a run key in a passing senerio . Those alignments change blocking schemes and gap integrity is key to stopping the run. Using a run key could put a defender in a spot to disrupt qb timing/reads.