Help me melt this cheese!

[Find_the_Door]

Anyone have any answer to this nonsense cheese? Counter runs were a problem on NCAA 14 - this seems to be the only thing I'm having trouble stopping on Madden 25. Stretch plays are a non-issue at this point as I just properly align and shut it down - but the counter out of this and some other gun formations is another beast...

[GoinCakeless]

User blitz a safety off the edge to occupy or beat the blocker and it should either blow up in the backfield or get stopped by the LBer who isn't worried about the pulling OL now

[BigTone1970]

This play is pure cheese. Just abandon online play. If you bring the safety down to help he will just call a quick slant and the WR will be open all day. The suction blocking will always engage your lineman and if you over commit one way, the RB has enough time to go the other way. Save your sanity and forget about online play. The person you were playing was doing this because he knows it can't be stopped.

[Find_the_Door]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigTone1970

This play is pure cheese. Just abandon online play. If you bring the safety down to help he will just call a quick slant and the WR will be open all day. The suction blocking will always engage your lineman and if you over commit one way, the RB has enough time to go the other way. Save your sanity and forget about online play. The person you were playing was doing this because he knows it can't be stopped.

This was my experience in practice mode. I've lost two games to cheesers that ran this and the only solution was to run commit... Following the losses my faith in a fair competitive online arena was completely lost. This should be patched and records should be wiped squeaky clean.

[purplerat]

How is it cheese if you leave the entire side of the field wide open and somebody runs there?
Other than putting somebody over there try blitz the middle. Counters take a little time to develop and if you get somebody in the backfield through the middle you can blow them up easily. The counter angle means the RB won't be up to full speed before you defender is so you can usually get a shoe string tackle.

[MattUM]

I really don't like ranked online this year... Unranked lobby matches are the way to go if you wanna have a fun, sim game.

For counters I've found that spreading the field with DBs helps. Come out in a Dollar, Dime, or Quarter and just have 4 corners spread the field in man. It's a double edged sword though because you'll need very good linemen or linebackers to stop runs/draws up the middle. Pinching the linemen could help this. A great MLB in Spy in the basic cover 2 man play from the Quarter will usually clean up all runs down the middle but you can expect 4 ypc.

For the defense there isn't a whole lot you can do. If he's dropping everybody back including the tackles you can easily run a draw up the middle. Out routs and drags are the best to beat man coverage IMO. Also try to hike the ball ASAP and don't give him time to change his player's assignments. You can also try to do some WR screens.

[KickassJohnson]

Quote: Originally Posted by purplerat

How is it cheese if you leave the entire side of the field wide open and somebody runs there? Other than putting somebody over there try blitz the middle. Counters take a little time to develop and if you get somebody in the backfield through the middle you can blow them up easily. The counter angle means the RB won't be up to full speed before you defender is so you can usually get a shoe string tackle.

I really doubt anyone here is leaving a side wide open for the run.. The counter out of shotgun is a problem, the RB shoots out like a rocket and the suction blocking takes over leaving space.. Unless you completely sell out for the run you can't consistently stop it against an average online player.. It's a catch 22

[purplerat]

Quote: Originally Posted by KickassJohnson

I really doubt anyone here is leaving a side wide open for the run.. The counter out of shotgun is a problem, the RB shoots out like a rocket and the suction blocking takes over leaving space.. Unless you completely sell out for the run you can't consistently stop it against an average online player.. It's a catch 22

The video in the OP shows him lined up with 1 DE lined up over the TE and then the DT and OLB are basically lineup up over the guard. There's basically one guy to beat out side.

I know I have a lot of these plays in my custom playbook because they dominate the CPU defense in practice but when I try to run them online more and more I get tripped up in the backfield by a LB bust through the gap that is naturally opened up in a counter run. Against the shotgun it's even easier to shut down because you know which way they will run.