Blitzing is an art in Madden NFL 11, its also a must in third and long situations. With coverage being poor and pass offense being so overpowered this year, having good blitzes will set you apart from the rest of the Madden 11 community. This article will feature some of my favorite blitzes and some of the best nano blitzes in Madden NFL 11.
Some look at Nano blitzes and see them as being cheap or being glitches. I see nanos differently; a nano blitz is one that gets to the QB as fast as possible. Nanos can be overloads, fakes, etc. I don’t condone glitches, so none of the blitzes I will list here glitch the CPU. In fact, all of my nanos are legitimate blitzes that bring heat to the QB with solid coverage.
Before I begin, I must tell you that all of the blitzes listed here have been successfully used in Madden NFL 11 and have produced great results. Whether it’s sacks, QB knockdowns, incomplete passes or interceptions, these plays force problems for opposing quarterbacks. Lastly, I warn you to use these sparingly, a decent opponent will adjust and beat most nano blitzes so don’t use them every play. Diversity is key, make it look like your bringing heat but in reality, drop 8 into coverage. Things like that will throw your opponent off guard allowing you to dominate them defensively. I personally would suggest using any of the Nanos I will list here on 3rd and 7+ situations when you know your opponent has to pass and his routes will take time to develop. That is when you nano, when they are forced to look downfield for the big play.
Let’s start of with my favorite defensive playbook, New York Jets defense. This playbook combines the best of two worlds, 3-4 defenses and 46 defenses to go along with killer nickel formations. All the nano blitzes I list will be straight from this playbook.
3-4 Normal
Play: 2 Deep MLB Spy
Setup:
1. Pinch D-line
2. Click on the MLB in QB spy and manually blitz him in between the Nose tackle and the DE on the left side of the screen.
This play has 6 guys dropping into coverage with safeties over the top and it brings A gap heat. This play is a guaranteed sack if your opponent is under center because it brings instant heat up the middle.
3-4 Rush
Play: Pinch
Setup:
1. Pinch D-line
2. Put blitzing MLB into the A gap, between the nose tackle and the DE on the left side of the screen.
3.Press coverage.
This play brings tremendous heat up the middle and from the sides, almost impossible to fully pick up everyone blitzing. If done right, the MLB will come free and straight to the QB. You have Man coverage on every offensive skill position player which should keep everyone locked down by the time the blitz gets there. I highly recommend this play against 1-3 WR sets as it is money.
46
Play: Cover 1
Setup:
1. Reblitz MLB and put him in the left B gap
2. Fake blitz FS ten yards over the center
I know, you must be thinking “What in the world is fake blitz the FS?” Its really simple actually, click on the FS, change his assignment to blitz, put him directly over the center 10 yards above the line of scrimmage and after the snap let the FS take a few steps down, bringing the center out of his blocking assignment and then manually cover anyone you see open with the FS. What this does is allow the MLB we reblitzed in the B gap to shoot free through the line and to the quarterback. Fake blitzing the Free Safety made the center switch assignments which brought him up instead of blocking the D-lineman. This play is a guaranteed sack against a no RB set as the MLB always shoots free into the backfield.
Play: Inside Blitz
Setup:
1. Reblitz the DT on the right side
2. Reblitz the DE on the right side
3. Place the blitzing OLB on the right side of the screen between the two D-lineman you just reblitzed down.
4. Press coverage
Instant pressure with bump coverage on every player. What makes this play so good is that if your opponent decides to run, they will be stuffed for negative yards, and if they are passing, the QB at the very least will be knocked down.
Nickle
Play: Over Storm Brave
Setup:
1. Shift D-line left
2. Place OLB on the left side of the screen in between the left A gap, which is between the Center and LG.
My favorite Nano blitz of all time, if you have a good secondary, no one should be open within the first 3 seconds which is plenty of time for your OLB to get to the QB. I would recommend putting your fastest linebacker as the ROLB for this play because you want the linebacker to get to the QB before he can get the ball out of his hands.
These nano blitzes in Madden NFL 11 have been used by me with unbelievable success, I hope you enjoy using them as much I do. Remember, nano blitzes are only affective when you know your opponent is passing. Do not use the same nano more then twice in a row because eventually your opponent will figure out how to get someone open. 3rd down and long is the best time for a nano, which is when I would recommend using them. Finally, if you want to get better at defense in general, check out my Madden NFL 11 Defensive Guide Article.
