The FB Dive from the Near Close formation is one of the most popular plays in Madden 17. Stickwork went over this play inside of his free Near Close Mini Scheme and showed just how effective it can be.
Today we have labbed up a way of stopping it without send a bunch of extra guys and without an extremely complicated setup.
You can check out the full breakdown below.
Playbook: Jacksonville Jaguars
Formation: 4-3 Over Plus
Play: Mike Blitz 3
Setup:
- (Optional) Put your DT over the center in a QB Spy
- Move your free safety up towards the line of scrimmage (see video for positioning)
Overview: This is one of the few plays in Madden 17 that can stop this play without sending a heavy blitz or run committing. It does have some weaknesses but it does a great job of stopping the Near Close FB Dive play and it does a decent job against most passes as well.
Let’s take a deeper look at this play.
This is how the final play art should look before the snap. Notice the positioning of the free safety.
This is how the play will look to the offense. Our defense is a little weak to the left side of the field but it shouldn’t be a problem for this play.
Right when the ball is snapped, you can see the blitzing middle linebacker shoot into the backfield.
The play ends in a 1 yard loss.
If you want more defensive tips and strategies like this one, check out our Madden 17 Defensive Lockdown eBook or get all of our Madden 17 eBooks by joining Madden School Unlimited.
Whats a good 3-4 formation to stop it?