This is a great post. Arguably the biggest gameplay issue for years has been unrealistic coverage. One year the coverage is so good that any coverage locks up every route combo including ones designed to counter it. The next year (like this year) the coverage is so abysmal that even coverages designed to take away specific route combos get torched unless you make 5 pre-snap changes to the coverage. You shouldn't have to go watch YouTube to learn how to jimmy-rig your coverage into a Frankenstein monster. And the coverage match rules should never change regardless of who you user. If people don't know the coverage rules then make a tutorial for them to learn it or force them to learn the mechanics through trial and error. The CPU defenders should expect you to properly play your coverage as if you're another CPU.
They keep trying to re-invent new ways to make coverages somewhat "pretend" to work but without locking up receivers so that people can still score. They need to just copy the exact rules of coverages used in real life. Then build on it by patching glitches that cause the coverages to glitch out. Create a baseline where coverage is completely perfect and consistently locks up the receivers. Then tweak the baseline reaction time so that a perfect all 99s WR corp vs a perfect all 99s DB corp gets 1-2 WRs somewhat open in a tight window on a decent play call, but gets locked up completely if a coverage call is made that counters a route combo. Then properly scale down player stats so that the exact same thing happens with an all 70s WR Corp vs an all 70s CB Corp.
This would simulate the real life chess match that players have been begging for. If a dude on offense is calling the exact same play 50 times in a row, then you should have multiple stock options to completely lock up whatever route combo he's using without making any manual adjustments, just your own high football IQ brain.
Man coverage is always either overpowered or unusable because there aren't enough split coverages (like cover 6 Willie), and because the few split coverages in the game have broken match logic. They also lack crucial concepts like "cut the crosser" or banjo that make it harder to beat. You can manually cut the crosser by usering the hook defender in cover 1, but then the man defender keeps following instead of dropping off to replace the hook. Suddenly a single drag route makes cover 1 unplayable.
Just copy real life coverage rules. Create a real chess match. High football IQ players should easily lock up an offense that runs one play 50 times, regardless of if they're a great QB or have great stick skills. Force them to actually play real simulation football. Otherwise just give up the exclusive sim license if you don't want to make a simulation game.
EA American Football Team
