"Defense Wins Championships" or so the saying goes, but creating an effective defensive scheme is in Madden NFL difficult. To be consistent a scheme must possess a common thread or gimmick that is not easily discernible to opponents; or risk falling apart. Some players try too hard and the structure of their defenses seem wildly incoherent and out of sync. Other players use defenses that take too long to setup. Your defensive scheme should be flexible, effective, and inform every decision you make on defense.
The basis of any scheme requires fundamentals and a framework for adjusting it without losing sight of the defense's principle job; stopping opponents. Essentially, any scheme should be flexibly modular to maintain simplicity. As an example, don't think about balancing coverage and pressure. Emphasize pressure. Any defender who isn't pressuring the passer should be pressuring receivers.
Legitimate schemes must be built on the notion that not all offenses are created the same. Construct your defensive scheme accordingly.
Understand your personnel's strengths and weaknesses. It's important that you find out what your team does well and what they do poorly. Formulate a plan that hides their sub-par skills and highlights their best attributes. Develop a plan that allows your best skills to shine. Resist the urge to copy a scheme developed by someone else because it works well for them; it might put you at a severe disadvantage if their scheme accents your weakness and downplays your strengths.
Keep the three elements of football strategy are personnel, position, and tempo in mind and ask yourself some important questions to flesh out your scheme.
With pressure as a basis for a defensive scheme, it's essential to determine how many players (personnel) you will use to pressure the line of scrimmage. You may need to adjust the number up or down based on the circumstances of the game in progress, other players will pressure the defensive backfield. Attack the line of scrimmage with 3 rushers and the quarterback will have time, but few places to throw. Rushing with 6 players quickens the quarterback's decision, but forces defenders to hold up in coverage.
The number of defenders attacking the line of scrimmage will directly impact on the type of pressure applied to receivers. The more defenders you rush, the less defenders available to cover the field. When deciding whether to use man or zone coverage, the number of defenders available to pressure receivers may make the decision for you. Offenses have up to five eligible receivers on any play. Man coverage requires at least five defenders to ensure everyone is covered. A seven man pass rush will get there quickly, but will also leave a receiver free. If your opponent makes a quick read, big plays can be dangerous.
Zone coverage requires more defenders to cover the field than man coverage, and relies heavily on the placement (position) of defender zones. It's possible to assign two to three defenders to zones where no receivers are running routes, rendering them useless and giving opponents a numbers (personnel) or position advantage elsewhere on the field. Never is this more evident than on screen passes.
Besides the number of players to allot for rush pressure and the coverage shell, is when (timing), if ever, the initial plan will change. Some schemes attack early in the down and distance to keep offenses from maintaining a schedule. Others attempt to wait it out and unleash hell on third and long situations. Regardless of the initial plan, eventually smart players hone in on patterns and take advantage of repetition.
Many factors effect the decisions that formulate a scheme. It's essential that you determine the skills of the players you have on the field. Some teams have better defenders for certain schemes that allow them to hold up in man coverage so heavy blitz pressure can get to the mark. Other teams have outstanding defensive linemen that allow them to better rush the passer without blitzing so defenders can crowd passing lanes.
Another factor that may alter a defensive game scheme is vertical field position. In some areas of the field it's safer to take chances than others. When the offense is backed up with their backs to the goal line, pressure can force a mistake that turns the ball over in scoring range. Man blitz defenses may be effective here, but be careful not to leave defenders alone on an island. On the flip side, when the offenses reaches the red zone, the field contracts. Less room to cover makes zone an attractive defensive option because less defenders are required to cover the smaller space. A defensive scheme should consider the differences in these areas of the field.
Just as important as vertical field position is the horizontal field position. The spot where the ball is spotted between the hashes greatly effects which defensive decisions are most likely to succeed. Smart defensive players have room in their scheme to accommodate changes in horizontal field position. Many simply flip plays, while others use a different set of plays altogether when the ball is on the far left or right hash mark.
The last thing to consider are your own abilities. Yes, you will determine your defensive scheme's overall success or failure. Rest assured, a skilled offensive player will find your personal weakness and exploit any gaps in your skill set. Some pass heavy offenses don't care if your scheme is especially good at stopping the run. Similarly, a heavy ground and pound offense will be ill concerned if your User Pick skills are top notch. Sum up your own talents.
If your skills rely on picking out your opponent's patterns of play calling and catering your defenses to take away his bread and butter, you may opt for basic plays early in games and clamp down in crucial situations. If you excel at reading routes, you may want to control a safety and attempt to break on balls thrown near you. Whatever your skill, be sure to factor your user skill into your defensive plan. At some point, the only thing separating you from victory will be your ability to control a player on the field.
Once you have a solid foundation for your defensive scheme, it will be easy to pinpoint where and when to tweak it to best attack your opponent's offense. Be sure to apply the elements of personnel, position, and tempo to every play so you are calculating your risk/reward accurately on every play. Soon, you will be able to approach any situation systematically with a fully developed scheme.