I did a guide like this a while ago, but a lot has changed since, so I figured I would post another one that is updated to S26 game play since I no longer run the offense on my team…
This offense doesn’t need game by game scouting, but instead relies on using the best known plays, i.e. FOTM plays or “exploit” plays. I will give you everything you need except for the actual plays to use. Every team is built differently and that can impact which plays you use and when. If you need any help on picking which plays to use just watch the top Gold offenses to see which plays they use and when. Also watch their receiver progression because no good Gold team will use the stock progressions other than on screens.
While this offense won’t guarantee you a Silver title, it will be an improvement over 75% of the Silver offenses out there. And yes this does well in Gold too as I used a variation of it on my TIA team to win a Gold championship. Just remember the key to the success of this offense is which plays you pick and what progressions you use.
You only need 5 packages of plays for this offense…
Inside Runs…pick your 4 favorite inside runs from any formation. You want runs that will average 2+ yards per carry even against anti-run defenses. Slams, blasts, dives, QB Sneaks, and off-tackle runs are generally best here.
Outside Runs…pick your 4 favorite outside runs. These won’t be used much since good defenses are generally setup to stop them, but there are certain situations where they could be of use. Generally Sweeps, Pitches, and QB Rollouts work best here.
Short Passes…pick your 4 favorite short passes. These passes should have a high completion %, but don’t need to go for a lot of yards. Generally screens, shallow slants, HB/FB passes to the flats, and quick cut routes work best here.
Deep Passes…pick your 4 favorite deep passes. These passes don’t need a high completion rate, but they do need to go for a lot of yardage when there is a completion. Generally deep slants, deep cut routes, deep crossing routes, and deep HB/FB passes work best here.
Best Passes…Pick your 8 favorite passes overall. They can be shared with the other passing packages, but this package is your bread & butter passing plays that will make up the core of your passing offense. Any passing play is game here, and if you want to scout for games, this is probably the only package you need to adjust.
Now for the Offensive AI…
4th & 0-2 – Inside Runs…you should always go for it here as if you have good inside run plays, you should get the 1st most times.
4th & 2+ Within FG Range – Kick the FG if your kicker can make a FG 75% of the time or more. The quality of your kicker determines how far of a kick to attempt here. I generally make it no more than 20 yards for the first half of the season, no more than 25 yards for the 2nd half, and no more than 30 yards for the playoffs.
4th & 2-5 – Short Passes…I am not a fan of punting, so I generally go for it on 4th & short. If your Short Passes have a high completion %, you should make the 1st at least 50% of the time, hopefully more.
4th & 5-10 – Best Passes…I also go for it here, except when pinned deep on my own side. You will probably only make the 1st about a third to half of the time, but with so many punts returned for TD’s, this is the safer option IMO.
4th & 10+ At or Inside the 30 - since you can't punt here and you're out of FG range, just call your Deep Passes package and pray!
4th & 10+ Outside the 30 - Punt…while you can go for it here using the deep passes and/or outside runs, your success rate will be at or below 25%, so this is the best time to just punt it away and hope your punt team can stop the return for minimal gain.
3rd & 0-4 – Inside Runs…as long as your inside runs can average 2+ yards per carry, you should have no problem getting the 1st from here most of the time.
3rd & 4-6 – Short Passes…this is a great spot for a high % shorter gaining pass.
3rd & 6-12 – Best Passes…not an easy spot to pick up the 1st, so you want to use your best passes here.
3rd & 12+ - Deep Passes & Outside Runs…the deep pass package is an obvious choice, but many teams put a prevent type defense in here and they are sometimes exposed to outside runs. Neither option will get you the 1st a high % of the time, but you got to do something here. Up to you as to what % you will call each package, but I would start with 50/50 and then adjust it as needed.
1st & 2nd Downs – Best Passes…like I said earlier, this package is the core of your offense and is filled with the best passing plays, so it’s all you need to call here.
That’s it…simple yet very effective! There are many ways which to improve upon it, but as long as you fill the package with good plays, it’s a very good offense and even works at the Gold level as I used a very similar offense on my TIA team for several seasons.
I didn’t include any quarter specific calls, but I have some listed under the possible improvements below…
Possible upgrades/improvements:
#1 Add some 4th quarter specific calls pending on if you are up or down. The Best Passes & Deep Passes work best if down and the Short Passes & Outside Runs work best if you are up.
#2 Add some late 2nd & 4th quarter calls for clock management and FG options you normally wouldn’t use. For example, don’t kick a FG late if you are down by 4+.
#3 Add a Redzone input for when your team is in the Redzone and which packages at specific distances. For example, consider using Inside Runs and/or Short Passes if you are inside the 5.
#4 Further segment the downs based on distance for a more customized AI. For example, if you know you can average 2 yards per carry using your Inside Runs package, consider calling that on 2nd & 6 and maybe even 1st & 8.
#5 Add an Exposed Plays package that you fill with scouted plays and only call it in Q1 & Q2 on 1st/2nd downs.
I am sure there are a lot more customizations you can make, but that’s the beauty of this offense, it’s easy to customize and upgrade. However, be careful to not get too complex as I have found that at times, a simpler offense that calls fewer plays is often better than a more complex offense. And the best part…it doesn’t matter that this offense is easy to scout, your still calling plays that do well against scouted defenses!
This offense doesn’t need game by game scouting, but instead relies on using the best known plays, i.e. FOTM plays or “exploit” plays. I will give you everything you need except for the actual plays to use. Every team is built differently and that can impact which plays you use and when. If you need any help on picking which plays to use just watch the top Gold offenses to see which plays they use and when. Also watch their receiver progression because no good Gold team will use the stock progressions other than on screens.
While this offense won’t guarantee you a Silver title, it will be an improvement over 75% of the Silver offenses out there. And yes this does well in Gold too as I used a variation of it on my TIA team to win a Gold championship. Just remember the key to the success of this offense is which plays you pick and what progressions you use.
You only need 5 packages of plays for this offense…
Inside Runs…pick your 4 favorite inside runs from any formation. You want runs that will average 2+ yards per carry even against anti-run defenses. Slams, blasts, dives, QB Sneaks, and off-tackle runs are generally best here.
Outside Runs…pick your 4 favorite outside runs. These won’t be used much since good defenses are generally setup to stop them, but there are certain situations where they could be of use. Generally Sweeps, Pitches, and QB Rollouts work best here.
Short Passes…pick your 4 favorite short passes. These passes should have a high completion %, but don’t need to go for a lot of yards. Generally screens, shallow slants, HB/FB passes to the flats, and quick cut routes work best here.
Deep Passes…pick your 4 favorite deep passes. These passes don’t need a high completion rate, but they do need to go for a lot of yardage when there is a completion. Generally deep slants, deep cut routes, deep crossing routes, and deep HB/FB passes work best here.
Best Passes…Pick your 8 favorite passes overall. They can be shared with the other passing packages, but this package is your bread & butter passing plays that will make up the core of your passing offense. Any passing play is game here, and if you want to scout for games, this is probably the only package you need to adjust.
Now for the Offensive AI…
4th & 0-2 – Inside Runs…you should always go for it here as if you have good inside run plays, you should get the 1st most times.
4th & 2+ Within FG Range – Kick the FG if your kicker can make a FG 75% of the time or more. The quality of your kicker determines how far of a kick to attempt here. I generally make it no more than 20 yards for the first half of the season, no more than 25 yards for the 2nd half, and no more than 30 yards for the playoffs.
4th & 2-5 – Short Passes…I am not a fan of punting, so I generally go for it on 4th & short. If your Short Passes have a high completion %, you should make the 1st at least 50% of the time, hopefully more.
4th & 5-10 – Best Passes…I also go for it here, except when pinned deep on my own side. You will probably only make the 1st about a third to half of the time, but with so many punts returned for TD’s, this is the safer option IMO.
4th & 10+ At or Inside the 30 - since you can't punt here and you're out of FG range, just call your Deep Passes package and pray!
4th & 10+ Outside the 30 - Punt…while you can go for it here using the deep passes and/or outside runs, your success rate will be at or below 25%, so this is the best time to just punt it away and hope your punt team can stop the return for minimal gain.
3rd & 0-4 – Inside Runs…as long as your inside runs can average 2+ yards per carry, you should have no problem getting the 1st from here most of the time.
3rd & 4-6 – Short Passes…this is a great spot for a high % shorter gaining pass.
3rd & 6-12 – Best Passes…not an easy spot to pick up the 1st, so you want to use your best passes here.
3rd & 12+ - Deep Passes & Outside Runs…the deep pass package is an obvious choice, but many teams put a prevent type defense in here and they are sometimes exposed to outside runs. Neither option will get you the 1st a high % of the time, but you got to do something here. Up to you as to what % you will call each package, but I would start with 50/50 and then adjust it as needed.
1st & 2nd Downs – Best Passes…like I said earlier, this package is the core of your offense and is filled with the best passing plays, so it’s all you need to call here.
That’s it…simple yet very effective! There are many ways which to improve upon it, but as long as you fill the package with good plays, it’s a very good offense and even works at the Gold level as I used a very similar offense on my TIA team for several seasons.
I didn’t include any quarter specific calls, but I have some listed under the possible improvements below…
Possible upgrades/improvements:
#1 Add some 4th quarter specific calls pending on if you are up or down. The Best Passes & Deep Passes work best if down and the Short Passes & Outside Runs work best if you are up.
#2 Add some late 2nd & 4th quarter calls for clock management and FG options you normally wouldn’t use. For example, don’t kick a FG late if you are down by 4+.
#3 Add a Redzone input for when your team is in the Redzone and which packages at specific distances. For example, consider using Inside Runs and/or Short Passes if you are inside the 5.
#4 Further segment the downs based on distance for a more customized AI. For example, if you know you can average 2 yards per carry using your Inside Runs package, consider calling that on 2nd & 6 and maybe even 1st & 8.
#5 Add an Exposed Plays package that you fill with scouted plays and only call it in Q1 & Q2 on 1st/2nd downs.
I am sure there are a lot more customizations you can make, but that’s the beauty of this offense, it’s easy to customize and upgrade. However, be careful to not get too complex as I have found that at times, a simpler offense that calls fewer plays is often better than a more complex offense. And the best part…it doesn’t matter that this offense is easy to scout, your still calling plays that do well against scouted defenses!
Edited by Gerr on Feb 8, 2012 09:58:12
Edited by Gerr on Jan 11, 2012 13:01:34
Edited by Gerr on Jan 11, 2012 13:00:17
