ycleped wrote:When our CBs get hurt, Watkins gets moved to safety and replaces Jenkins who gets moved to CB.
I do get what you are saying regarding who would rotate in at that position, and that will apply in some cases, but if Jenkins is already on the field as the SS then the issue is that the game would try to use
both SS and CB5 in the
same (Quarter) set if CB4=FS2. Both SS and CB5 would appear in the same snap. And if CB4 != FS2 then CB4 becomes the slot corner in Quarter sets and FS2 becomes the inside linebacker, so either way we need at least one more unique individual who isn't already used in Quarter sets (i.e. not an MLB, SS, FS, NCB, etc.) to completely fill out the list.
Alright, I notated the teams that still have some problem areas and the specific area with "(?)"; they are defenses that I need more info about regarding their Dime/Quarter sets.
EDIT
Some notes regarding the incomplete teams for future reference:
*
HOULong Yardage ILBs: Cushing (MLB), Simon
Uses a lot of Big 1-4-6 Dime; it looks like a 3-2-6 dime but with Mercilus and Clowney as the "DE"s. Formations Subs can be used to replace the RE (right side of defense) in subpackages with Mercilus and the LE (left side of defense) in subpackages with Clowney in generally all cases.
The 3-1-7 Quarter set functions equivalently to a 3-2-6 Dime set when an Inside Linebacker is used at the FS #2 position. If the same substitution involving Mercilus and Clowney is performed using the Quarter set with a "Cover" Linebacker placed at FS #2 then this becomes a customized 1-4-6 Dime set with FS2 as the ILB and CB4 as slot corner.
AJ Bouye (CB) - looks like he was moved to outside corner in light of Kevin Johnson on IR; mostly RCB (of defense)
Eddie Pleasant (SS) - Big Dime Safety, slot corner in 1-4-6 dime sets; often assigned to backs/Flat in long yardage situations
Benardrick McKinney (ILB) - the RILB in base sets (MLB #2)
*
DETLong Yardage ILBs: Whitehead (MLB), Bynes
Miles Killebrew (SS) - Slot corner in 4-1-6 Dime
Rafael Bush (SS) - more of a Deep Safety, not used as often now as slot corner; also a rotational SS
Josh Bynes (OLB) - often found in long yardage situations with MLB Whitehead
Antwione Williams, Thurston Armbrister (OLBs) - probably appears more often in base sets
Their Big 4-1-6 used to feature Bush in the slot, but he appears to have been moved to more of a rotational SS with Killebrew as the Big Dime Safety. However, the frustrating thing about the Lions defense is that they just don't seem to use any kind of 3-4 looks in their subpackages at all, nothing that any of the Madden subpackages could be manipulated into representing. Therefore, no matter what you do to the 3-3-5/3-2-6/3-1-7 sets it's not really going to matter, it's all going to be technically wrong for the Lions and probably Philly's D (Schwartz defenses) as well.
*
TENLong Yardage ILBs: Williamson (MLB), Orakpo, rarely Woodyard
Daimion Stafford (SS) - Big Dime Safety; both slot corner and ILB in Big 2-3-6 Dime sets, appears to switch "Force" player responsibility at times with MLB Williamson
Wesley Woodyard (ILB) - More of a
base ILB; not used as much in their long yardage sets as I thought he might be
Brian Orakpo (ROLB/ILB) - Fascinatingly, it appears that he moves from outside linebacker to an Inside Linebacker on passing downs, very interesting detail that could help put a few pieces in place for TEN
Avery Williamson (MLB) - Looks to be the MLB both in base sets and subpackages; can even line up wide as a slot corner and cover backs (but I would say that this is Stafford's role a slight majority of the time)
*
NOLong Yardage ILBs: Laurinaitis (MLB), Ellerbe (or other Will Linebacker)
They use both a 3-2-6 Dime and a 4-1-6 Dime, and all of their dime sets use a Third (Big) Safety in the slot, usually on the
strong side.
Kenny Vaccaro, Roman Harper (SS) - Safeties found at slot corner in their Big Dime sets
Dannell Ellerbe (or starting ROLB) - ILB in all dime sets; covers the weak side while a Big Safety (Vaccaro, Harper) most likely is the one who covers the strong side Flat in dime sets
*
NYGLong Yardage ILBs: Robinson (MLB), Casillas
They use both a 3-2-6 Dime and a 4-1-6 Dime, and none of their dime sets are "Big"; Hall and Rodgers-Cromartie, CBs, cover the slot in dime sets (It may come as a surprise but only a few teams use dime sets that are not "Big").
Keenan Robinson (MLB) - Substitutes in for Sheppard in passing situations and is always the MLB in their dime sets; in order to get the behavior correct you'd either have to assign Robinson as MLB1 or use some combination of Formation Subs using Sheppard and Robinson
Jonathan Casillas (ROLB) - ILB in their 3-2-6 Dime sets
As explained in other topics, the FS #2 position is sometimes a slot corner and sometimes an inside linebacker, but you can force FS2 to
always behave like an Inside Linebacker in dime sets if this person also happens to be the starting ROLB. It isn't just a coincidence that a lot of coordinators use their ROLBs in dime sets, it is a consequence of the type of coverage they are running, especially in long yardage situations.
There really is a
vast amount of hidden logic here in how NFL coordinators use certain players at various positions, and I do believe that EA
did think of all of this and specifically set out to create their depth chart "rules" in order to apply that same logic to the video game. If you pay attention you can see a lot of patterns that emerge in how players are used and better understand why they are used in that way in real life.
* CHI, TB, PIT, OAK [pending]
and PHI and DET [still confused]