the flat for a quick pass.
There are going to be times when you mis-read the defense before the play and the pressure is going to come hard and
fast after the snap. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid instant pressure most of the time. The most common receiver to
look for when recognizing instant pressure is a running back moving into the flats. Quickly passing the ball to your
running back after the snap will only result in a minimal gain, but it will allow you to avoid a signficant loss in the
backfield. Keep in mind that most players who blitz will often make sure that the flats are the one area that is guarded
because they know you will be looking to those areas of the field first.
Roll Out
Another option when you're hit with unexpected pressure is to roll away from the blitzing defender and try to get rid of
the ball outside of the pocket. You don't have to have an extremely fast quarterback to buy enough time to get out of
the way. However, you do need to be able to recognize where the pressure is coming from instantly and swiftly make
your move to the outside. This is why we always suggest taking a quick glimpse of the line of scrimmage first before
making all of your reads downfield.
Throw it Away
The last option you'll have when faced with pressure that you are unprepared for is to simply throw the ball into the
ground. The worst thing you can do when under distress in the pocket is to wildly throw the ball into the air and watch
your opponent make an interception. Instead, throw the ball away and gain a better understanding of how your
opponent set up the unsuspecting pressure. Then, the next time you see your opponent do the same thing you will know
how to counter it. The worst result that can happen when throwing the ball away is a wasted down.
Attacking Deep
By: Shanker Srinivasan
The ability to beat your opponent deep downfield is one aspect of Madden that every player should master. Many people
believe that attempting to throw the ball deep forces you to wait longer in the pocket before knowing if your receiver is
going to be open. While it's true that you will have to wait longer in the pocket until your receiver actually creates
separation, reading whether or not the route will be open can be made almost immediately after the snap. We're going
to walk you through a few of the key things to look for after the snap to help you save precious time in the pocket.
In our example, the Cincinnati Bengals have come out in the Singleback Big Wing TE Cross flipped. The only player that
we have performing a streak is wide receiver Chad Johnson (one of the top receivers in the game with Speed, Quick,
Possession, Hands, and Spectacular Catch weapons) on the right side of the field. Whenever you are attempting to throw
the ball deep to a fast receiver, you won't need to worry about the cornerback because one-on-one coverage will almost
always favor the receiver. Instead, you will focus only on what the deep safeties do after the snap.
What to Look For…
Let's use the Cover 1 defense with man coverage underneath as an example. The Baltimore Ravens' smart safety Ed
Reed begins dropping back after the snap but abruptly stops and allows Bengals' receiver Chad Johnson to run right by
him. As soon as you see the safety hesitate on the side of the field that you are going deep, it's safe to say you're going
to have a good shot of going downfield. The only concern should be where the other safety is as most good Madden
players will make sure that they are able to somewhat cover any area that they are vacating. If you see that the strong
safety is in a Flat Zone, then you should immediately expect the free safety's zone to be near the middle of the field in an
attempt to cover potentially two deep streaks. If the free safety's zone hasn't been changed, then you can expect to
easily beat the defense deep.
Observe how the safeties react in a basic man-to-man coverage with 2 deep zones over the top. Since our only deep
threat is on the right side of the field, the first safety that we want to take a quick look at is strong safety Ed Reed. As
soon as we take the snap, Reed begins backing up slowly before turning and running with Johnson. When you notice the
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