Running all offensive plays out of one formation Topic

mannowar
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I tend to run balanced on D when I see it and it hasn't hurt me much, but I've used the tactic on offense with some success on a couple occassions.  I see your point though, having a random choice that the computer makes could be much worse than having your d just set at balanced... hadn't actually considered the D end of it as far as the computer simulation choices and I can see that would definitely be an issue.  Probably nothing you could effectively do if the offense running that style is really clicking on all cylinders, but I do still see it as an advantage for the offense.
5/2/2012 10:48 PM
saad1000
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Mannowar, those two teams I mentioned are St. Lawrence and Franklin and Marshall.  They played for the title in our world both running nothing but Trips.  But you may be on to something on the gameplanning because they both have more talent than me but I beat both of them in our league during the regular season.  I ran Nickel against it the whole game, maybe I just got lucky. 

I'm too new to really know about gameplanning, I have built my team to compete with those two programs but once I got to the playoffs I was seeing a lot of different attacks and I got destroyed in the 2nd round.
5/2/2012 11:03 PM
sjurat
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Posted by bhouska on 5/2/2012 3:58:00 PM (view original):
With the new engine, I honestly don't see that it matters what formation(s) you use.


+1
5/3/2012 8:00 AM
jhard70
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Posted by mannowar on 5/2/2012 10:01:00 PM (view original):

Personally, I think  it's all a crapshoot... I love the game, but I don't think formation practice matters much and gameplanning unfortunately doesn't seem to either.  I don't spend much time on formation practice and I had more Average Team Growth than any team that made the playoffs in my conference... my overall team growth was 42 in 16 games.  Some of this may also be because my entire roster is all high potential guys, so I take that with a bit of a grain of salt.  In any event, that leaves you with talent and even that doesn't seem to matter all that much.  I played a guy in the second round of the playoffs and felt my team was either superior or better at about every position.  I gameplanned him down to a tee and he did everything I expected him to do.  The problem is that EVERY SINGLE thing he did worked, even though I was prepared for it at every turn.  Spent 2 hours gameplanning and took what was probably the worst beating I've taken since my first season, 54-6.  When I looked at the Game Analyzer, he did exactly what I expected and prepared for, yet every single thing he did worked.  The following game, another team in my conference completely dominated him.  So how much of it really matters?  I run multiple offenses and defenses throughout the course of a game with nice success. 

There is one advantage I've found in running a fairly solitary offense and that is this.  Let's say you run Pro Set as your only offense.  On 1st and Long can set up your first option as Always Pass - Very Aggressive and then the second option  for 1st and Long can be set as Always Run - Very Conservative.  Since there's only one defensive setting for Pro Set 1st and Long, you can't effectively gameplan (assuming gameplanning matters)...  Hopefully this will be addressed in the update if they're aware of it

 

There is definitely randomness to the game. However, talent, position(how far off the line) of your players, and style/tendency on defense does matter even if you know exactly what a team may be doing on offense.

5/5/2012 12:21 AM
sammyboy4022
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I agree there is still a bit more  randomness in the game than most of us like. However I feel with the tweaks done to the changes things are better in that respect. I.E. it not seems are much less able to consistently throw out of the ND Box and wishbone. They can still hit a big play with a surprise but not like it was when update first put in. I personally now run the I and Trips exclusively due to the fact I feel they present me with different options and available ways to attack. If I ever went to only one offense it would defitintely be Trips as with TE and rb still in the game I feel it gives you the most options to dynamically attack a defense. Conversely a team running a balanced Trips with the the correct personnel I find is the most difficult to stop as an exclusive offense.          
5/5/2012 9:43 AM
harriswb3
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Now Sammy, you know what the wishbone can do to an opponent when run exclusively......or have you forgotten?

I'm hurt.  
5/5/2012 6:57 PM
sammyboy4022
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True but I would say that it is not nearly as hard to prepare your defenisve gameplan for a pure running wishbone team than it is for a balanced trips offense. That being said preparing for a good wishbone team and stopping one are two different things. I hate playing good exculsive wishbone teams, because if their good they minimize my offensive time of possesion and opportunities. Now I like playing teams that just use some wishbone I havent had much trouble with them. Seems the WB is an all or nothing offense doesnt work that great if u dont devote your team and strategy to running almost exclusively it. But you know more about the wishbone than I ever will Mr Bellard errrr...... Harris!    
5/6/2012 10:06 AM
harriswb3
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hahaha....

P.S.  you are correct about being more difficult to prepare for a balanced Trips attack....requires a lot of thought.  Preparing for the bone does not require much.  Just line em up and let em hammer on each other for four quarters.  

On a completely serious note, directly related to the topic, I also believe that Trips is the most versatile of all the offensive sets available in this game.  You start to stretch that defense considerably due to the multiple threats

Now, having said that, I find that defending the ND Box is the most difficult for me personally.  It certainly gives more passing threat than the WB does, so that if/when you focus on the run, you can get burned by the pass frequently.  
5/6/2012 10:45 AM
sammyboy4022
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It is a matter of opinion and what has worked for and against you. I will say before  the update when I ran 4 formations I loved the ND box when I had a fast 2nd TE. My best year with it I had a starting TE in DIII around 55 SPD and 65/65 Str/Block around 55 HNDS and 50 ELU. When I ran the box I paired him with a 2nd TE like 72 SPD, 70 Hands and 65 ELU with about a 52/50 STR/BLK. Had two really good running backs and loved to pound ball and then try a Long deep pass on first down I think that 2nd TE averaged 25yds a catch with 8 TD's playing around 35% of time so I did love NDBox.

With Formation IQ I decided to go with two formations that I felt gave me most diverse attacks. While I agree the ND Box is a phenomenol running team I find it a little restrictive with only 1 WR and 2 TE's unless you always can find two really good blcking and receiving TE's. That being said when I have run up against a good ND box team with the right personnel and running a somewhat balanced attack they are very difficult  to defend. Just dont face that combo of talent and strategy often. 

So again a matter of what you have faced and what works for you and has worked against you. I like the Box just at this time prefer the flexibility of the Trips/I combo. I think they lend well to playing together where as a Trips ND/box system I feel would be difficult to keep manned at an optimal level to run both very effectively.    
5/6/2012 12:11 PM
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