One thing I noticed is that I would consistently gain the edge over many of my friends, regardless of how many more hours of play they’d put into the game. This was simply from having a high “football IQ” or a strategical understanding of the game. I’ve compiled this into some quick tips that will immensely improve your play against opponents both online and offline:
1. From the moment of kickoff, mentally abuse and intimidate your opponent into submission
Run the play clock down to 00:01 every single play, seriously. I don’t care if you just got a 20 yard gain or a 20-yard loss, milk that clock. This is mentally exhaustive to your opponent. The longer they don’t have the ability to score, the more eager they’ll be to stop you. This leads to the defense being over aggressive, which gives you options.
2. Do not open your first drive with all of your “money plays”
It’s good that you have a few plays that you can consistently score with, save them for when you really need it. Good opponents will adapt to your play-calling, great opponents will try to force your hand early, keep them guessing.
3. Punt on 4th down
4. Kick field goals on 4th down.
I’ve beat dozens of top 25 players 9-0, 12-0, 15-0 only because they continually tried to turn every drive into a touchdown drive.
5. Don’t make drastic adjustments to your game-plan.
Did he just complete a huge pass over the middle? Roll a safety down into the hook-zone coverage, flip the coverage, or substitute 1 extra defensive back. Do not come out in quarters (7 defensive backs, 1 linebacker, 3 linemen). The key to becoming great on defense is to be able to tinker and make subtle adjustments throughout the game.
Seem simple enough?
The difference between the good and great players are the ones that are disciplined enough to follow simple strategic choices during the heat of the moment. Try implementing these philosophies into your core gameplay, and watch your win percentage skyrocket!
