SAM and WILL linebacker depth chart positions not aligning correctly
This year they replaced LOLB, MLB, and ROLB with SAM, MIKE, and WILL linebackers to more accurately reflect real world football. These positions will only affect base defensive formations such as 4-3 and 3-4. EA stated that the SAM position will only be used in 4-3 personnel formations due to the new edge defender positions take the outside LB’s in 3-4 formations.
The issue is these new depth chart don’t work. The SAM linebacker should line up to the side of the offensive formation that has more blockers or the strength of the offense and the WILL will line up opposite to the weak side. Think SAM=Strength and WILL=Weak. How the defense currently lines up the SAM will always line up to the the left side of the defense or the right side of the offense and the WILL will always line up to the right side of the defense. They will line up this way regardless to which side the strength of the offensive formation lines up. Essentially EA has just rebranded the LOLB, MLB, and ROLB depth chart positions from previous maddens.
Also similar issue is with the new nose tackle or NT depth chart position. This only seems to work for 3-4 defenses but should also work for 4-3 formations as well. If you are running 4-3 over or under formation where you have a 1-tech and a 3-tech the player you have set as your NT should always be your 1-tech at least when the offense breaks the huddle. Currently it seems your NT is basically your “Left DT” and your top player on the DT depth chart is your “Right DT”. These players will always stay on the side of the defense regardless of offensive formation alignment. This means your NT will sometimes line up as your 3-tech instead of playing the 1-tech as you would want your NT to do.
I hope EA fixes this because I don’t know why they would add these positions to the depth chart and feature them in the big game features reveal in the summer only for them to not work at all as they do in real world football.