|
I learned something new today on how Safeties impact pass coverage. Kudos to Pat Crew as he did the research. Below is from Pat.
THE VALUE OF SAFETIES
In zone coverage, pass defense is pass defense so I won't spend time there. But in man coverage they are whole different animal. In all play depth schemes (S,M,L,B) the pass defense value of both safeties (and extra nickel or dime CBs if used in a +1 condition - meaning more DBs that receivers) are placed into a pool, then divided into the number of man coverage CBs - and that number is added directly to their CB ratings.
So if you are playing a base defense vs a standard 2WR/1TE offense - the safety not assigned to cover the TE will have his pass defense points evenly split among the 2 CBs. If he's a 5 safety (1/4) then each CB has his pass coverage grade raised by 2 points. A 6 CB becomes an 8 CB. If you double-team a WR, then the full amount of the safety goes to the one CB covering that player.
The other thing to consider is how many safeties you have in zone coverage - in these cases 0,1, or 2. If you keep two deep zone safeties (called "Cover-2") then you reduce deep pass effectiveness - but it does not affect S-M pass depth in any way. The CBs are still boosted by the safeties. If you select no deep safeties, the success chance of deep passes increases by 1% per safety, but interception chance increases dramatically depending on the interception rate of your safeties as added to the team concept.
You can use the Play Analysis feature to see these impacts. Look at the success values on passes to a WR using one set of Safeties. Change the number of Safeties playing zone (choices are 0,1, and 2). Then change the Safeties on the defense and compare the pass completion percentages.
Note you can also try assigning a LB to the TE as that will free up the Safety that would normally be covering the TE to aid the CBs.
You can find the Play Analysis feature by clicking on your team. Then select Reports from the menu. Play Analysis is the last item listed.
Posted on 22 Jun 2024 by Bears
|