Tenn D 4-4 Split Tips

ok i've been rocking this D for a little bit now and with
great success. i noticed ever since Sgibs and Zfarls (a great madden community
influence) has released the 4-4 ebook, there have been a number of post with
either questions or simply reviews and/or praises. so after using it and
getting it down fairly well i have some tips for those who may be new to it.

1. speed counts, but acceleration goes a long way too. don't get too wrapped up
in the hype of speed when blitzing, there's not a huge difference between a
79spd and a 84spd when it comes to actual gameplay. test it out yourself. the
time from point A to B for two different players 5pts of spd apart will only
shed small fractions of a second. of course this is within a short distance.

2. speedy set-ups. this may sound kinda obvious, but it's that important if you
wanna be successful with this D. get use to setting things up and barely having
much time before the snap. it's quite the norm. this is also key because it
will more than likely be a determining factor between a big play for them or
not.

3. user ability. this may be the most important. you will be the FS roaming the
mid to deep middle most or the time. you will also be the the last resort to
stuffing the run or watching the
FB out the flats. not much more to say but GET SOME STIXS..lol

4. DE's... yes really. to me, the DE's are the key element not spoken about
when concerning this formation. get hip to adjusting on-the-fly. you can double
A-Gap blitz the 2 MLB's without ever needing to rush the DE's and STILL get mad
pressure. Meaning extra coverage for you and endless combination of plays to
keep your opponent off balanced.

now here's some base setups to work off of. including 2 favorites.

Run stopping

Double DE Spy. (this is man coverage)
1. BnR
2. Flip play
3. contain strong side DE
4. Double A-Gap Blitz MLB's
5. user FS

i like this play because it saves a step in having to manually put a DE in a
spy. we utilize the qb spy/contain concept for stopping the run. (credit to
sgibs/zfarls of MB)

Passing Downs/situations

Cover 4 (fav play)
1. BnR
2. put both DE's in hook zones
3. Double A-Gap Blitz MLB'
4. user FS


this play is so simple yet so effective. you have great coverage with awesome
pressure.


so there you have it in a nutshell. i don't want to step on anyone's toes that
may have made an ebook on this formation. this is more of a follow-up. feel
free to include anything i may have left out that you find informative.

the ends and the single high saftey are the most important pieces in the 4-4 IMO, the coverage and lack of DB's leaves the 4-4 a lil light on the back end wich is why you gotta have ends that can cover, or you can just put your backers there so you have 6 backers on the field, if you got a slow or just not that good player at the single high saftey, it doesnt work you gotta have a dominator for this D to be successfull, ive run the 4-4 almost all year, and love it, its versatile and you can hide your heat pretty well. overall good D and good post jay!

WHAT TEAM DO YOU THE 4-4 WITH?

jayfury wrote:

ok i've been rocking this D for a little bit now and with
great success. i noticed ever since Sgibs and Zfarls (a great madden community
influence) has released the 4-4 ebook, there have been a number of post with
either questions or simply reviews and/or praises. so after using it and
getting it down fairly well i have some tips for those who may be new to it.

1. speed counts, but acceleration goes a long way too. don't get too wrapped up
in the hype of speed when blitzing, there's not a huge difference between a
79spd and a 84spd when it comes to actual gameplay. test it out yourself. the
time from point A to B for two different players 5pts of spd apart will only
shed small fractions of a second. of course this is within a short distance.

2. speedy set-ups. this may sound kinda obvious, but it's that important if you
wanna be successful with this D. get use to setting things up and barely having
much time before the snap. it's quite the norm. this is also key because it
will more than likely be a determining factor between a big play for them or
not.

Setting up quickly is critical to running this formation. If you just practice for 30 minutes a day on setups you will get better at them. I guarantee it.

this is a good defense i use i been getting killed with of tackles and tosses i think it because i never thought of de containing i will do that from now on

samgoodee wrote:

this is a good defense i use i been getting killed with of tackles and tosses i think it because i never thought of de containing i will do that from now on

usually the double A gap heat will shut down everything between the tackles, so its on the user and that single high saftey make a play and shut down everything trying to go outside and yess contains will help a TON with this i dono how many times trent cole darn near picked the pitch off cuz i had him in a contain and he is fast for off tackles though you gotta get ya mind right and make a play they can be difficult to deal with but with some good stick skills its all gravey.