DEFENSIVE LOGIC IS TERRIBLE

Issue Description:

• In zone coverage, defenders frequently fail to recognize or react to routes developing in their assigned areas. They remain stationary or drift aimlessly, even when the ball is thrown directly into their zone.
• In man coverage, defenders lose track of their assignments during motion, switch glitches, or misread routes. The AI fails to mirror receivers or react to breaks despite user inputs or proper play calls.
• Across both coverage types, user inputs (swat, intercept, or switch player) often have no response from the defender, even with perfect timing.

Impact on Gameplay:

This issue makes defense nearly unplayable at higher difficulty or competitive levels. It undermines user skill, strategy, and realistic football balance — forcing players to rely on AI inconsistencies instead of defensive execution. The lack of reaction breaks immersion and creates a major imbalance favoring offensive play.

Expected Behavior:

• Defenders should properly recognize route concepts and react to user inputs such as ball-hawk, swat, or play receiver.
• Zone defenders should break toward the ball when it’s thrown in their area.
• Man defenders should track their assignments dynamically, including pre-snap motion and post-snap cuts.
• The game should reward proper user timing, positioning, and coverage calls.

Recommendation:

Please investigate the current defensive AI logic in both zone match and man coverage systems, ensuring that:

• Player input responsiveness is prioritized (swat, intercept, switch).
• Reaction times scale properly with player ratings (Awareness, Play Recognition, Zone Coverage, Man Coverage).
• Coverage shells and match logic perform consistently across all formations.
• Defensive hot routes and route commits correctly trigger assignment behavior.

This issue has been widely reported across community channels (Reddit, EA Forums, and Discord) and is impacting both offline and online gameplay experiences.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. The Madden community values realism, skill-based execution, and balance — and addressing this defensive logic issue would be a major step forward.