Madden NFL 12 Walkthrough Primer

Defensive Shifts

After you've called your defensive formation and personnel, you can still make adjustments to your current alignment. You can make shifts to the line, Linebackers, or defensive backs to guard against your opponent's tendencies or expected play. Make these adjustments using the left analog stick on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

The following table reveals further global adjustments that can be made to the Defensive Line, Linebackers and defensive backs. Make these adjustments using the right analog stick on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Use these adjustments to counter an expected offensive play, perhaps to disrupt the direction of a run play or to call an impromptu blitz.

Defensive Playmaker

When attempting to play Madden at a high level the standard defenses provided within the game aren't always enough to stop certain opponents. Sometimes to cover a particular part of the field or stop that annoying running quarterback it's going to take a manual adjustment to one of your defenders before the snap to stop it. Fortunately, EA has done a great job of giving users the defensive tools necessary to counter almost any offense. Below we're going to showcase all of the possible pre-snap individual player adjustments that can be made to help get you ready for the Madden 12 season!

• To assign a defender to blitz, cycle to that player and "A" on the 360 and "X" on the PS3 and move the right analog stick down.
• In case your opponent thinks about taking off with the quarterback, assign a defender to a QB spy. Do so by using "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the right analog stick left.
• If your opponent is constantly hitting his running back out of the backfield in the flats, then you may want to consider placing your defender in a flat zone. Press "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the right analog stick to the right.
• A good way to stop curl routes or corner routes is to hot route a defender into a buzz zone. Press "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the left analog stick to the right.
• Most Linebackers can't cover downfield very effectively; however, utilizing deep zones with any onf your front seven defenders can prove to be beneficial because often times the player's lack of speed places him in perfect position underneath of the receiver to swat away the pass. Also, using a defender up front can provide you with some much needed height in the secondary to deal with those tall receivers. To hot route a defender to perform a deep zone, select the desired player and press "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the right analog stick up.
• Hook zones are a great way to slow down slants and deep ins over the middle of the field. Press "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the left analog stick up.
• Hot routing a defender to perform a QB Contain is another way you can attempt to slow down a running quarterback. Press "A" (360) or "X" (PS3) and move the left analog stick down. QB Contain routes typically will not attack the quarterback until he approaches the defender's area, so do not use this assignment if you're expecting to create a pass rush.
• To hot route a defender to play man-to-man coverage on someone, select the defender and press "A + receiver's icon" (360) or "X + receiver's icon" (PS3) and move the right analog stick left. Being able to place a defender in man-to-man coverage on a receiver is a great way to make sure you account for all of your opponent's on the field.
• The ultimate man-to-man defense on your opponent's #1 receiving threat is to double team him. Hot routing a defender to double team a receiver can be done the exact same way that you assign a defender to man-to-man coverage; do so when you already have a corner in man-to-man against that receiver. Double teaming a receiver doesn't always mean that the defense will make a play on the ball; however, it does mean that the offensive player will have a much tougher time consistently hanging onto the ball since two players will be hitting him after the catch instead of one.