Browns - WEASEL

This is the second half key plays that madden made available for replay in the highlight vault in our game - watch the COUNTER TREY play, easily stopped if u know what to look for


Play 1 - COUNTER TREY (not sure of exact madden name but will find out)




- the key to stopping this play is strong USER PLAY from the safety - because of the unique back side guard and tackle pulling, the play side guard goes downfield uncharacteristically and creates havoc from defenders at second level...
* to combat this attack with the safety (besides Pryor DAC is weak and he has no speed demons so even if it's play action you can get back into coverage relatively easily...


* this formation weasel runs the triple run threat - which simply has a left run (counter trey above) - a play up the gut (dive play) - and a play outside to the right - which is a STRETCH or SUPER POWER0 (with both guards pulling)
- be aware of this and try to have personal attacking all 3 areas...

Note this a how weasel sets up all his audible run plays - so good policy to counter that on every run down!

Play 2 - RUB PLAY on a crossing route example A




RUB PLAY on a crossing route example B



- to counter these "pick" plays you need to give your defenders INSIDE SHADE on their presnap alignment (if they are head up or outside shade the inside releasor will be in the way - aka set a pick for the defender who is covering the outside defender)
* this is simply avoided by manually moving players to inside shade presnap
Note it dies leave you vulnerable for quick out passes - which he tried to do a few times but Pryor did not have the ability to throw even an intermediate level out pattern


Play 3 - When in doubt, HEAVE IT TO JOHNSON



This play focuses more on overall strategy.  I sneak in a Man to Man Defense vs weasel (which amazes me that some guys still play 100% zine but that's different story) - Weasel initial 2 or 3 reads are all well covered - at that point weasel will do 1 of two things:
A) look to scramble with Pryor (but lanes were closed down)
B) heave ball out to ANDRE JOHNSON - at first thought this may be dumb but AJ has insane ratings so even when he is covered he has a good chance of catching ball
* ALWAYS NO WHERE AJ IS ON THE FIELD - if it looks like weasel first couple options are locked down, JUMP AJ! It can lead to some user picks!


Play 4 - pass to TE running Lazy Post



Not to much to talk about here - basic stuff... If you get inside shade on this presnap - this will be CPU DEFENDED play every time
* ALWAYS TRY TO GET INSIDE SHADE ALIGNMENT PRESNAP - this helps take away the "rubs" on crossing routes and puts players in better position to make CPU generated plays on crossing routes (leaves you vulnerable for outside routes - including the flag but the safety can help there)


Play 5 - Speed Option



Whenever you see weasel in SPLIT BACK - think run first!

This example he runs SPEED OPTION - simply make play with safety AND HIT STICK PRYOR EVERYTIME - even if he has pitched (if weasel wants to run that garbage he needs to pay the tax - and the tax is having your QB hammered every time you run the play)


Play 5 - weasel throwing badly into coverage



At first it took me a while to figure out wtf he was looking at here - simply a bad decision (but he gets off hugely lucky with a completion to a guy who usually plays FB)

Point here is don't be fooled by weasels presnap player distrubution - it may say 1 WR 3 TE 1 RB - and most of us may think that's a POWER RUN FORMATION but for weasel that could be a 5 WR WIDE SET - definite chz because we don't get to see who these players are presnap and plan for that possibility - but that's how weasel rows - on the edge of sim play all the time...

Yummy I'm going to make me some dehydrated apple chips ASAP!!!!