Alright, let’s talk about finding a good 4-3 defensive playbook in Madden 24. It took me a bit of digging and trying stuff out, wasn’t exactly straightforward from the jump.
So, I started out wanting a solid base 4-3 defense. You know, four down linemen, three linebackers. That traditional feel. I hopped into practice mode first, because just looking at play names doesn’t tell you much. You gotta see how the guys line up, how the zones look on the field.
First playbook I messed with, I think it was the Chiefs. It’s got 4-3 stuff, yeah, but felt kinda limited, or maybe just didn’t click with how I like to play. Ran some drills against different offensive formations – Trips, Spread, Bunch, the usual suspects. Just wasn’t feeling the flow, you know? Seemed like I was getting beat in ways I shouldn’t have been.
Then I decided to give the Buffalo Bills playbook a shot. Heard some decent things, and it’s listed as a base 4-3. So, back into practice mode I went.
Drilling Down with the Bills Playbook
Okay, loading up the Bills playbook, the first thing I checked were the core 4-3 formations:
- 4-3 Even 6-1: This one caught my eye. Looked beefy upfront, good against the run. Started running plays like Cover 3 Buzz Show 4. Simple zone, lets you see how the LBs and safeties react.
- 4-3 Over / Under: These are the bread and butter. Spent a lot of time just running base plays. Cover 2, Cover 3 Sky, Cover 4 Quarters. Just getting reps, seeing the strengths and weaknesses against different route combos.
- Nickel Packages (Normal, Double A Gap, etc.): Knew I’d need Nickel against pass-heavy sets. The Nickel Normal in the Bills book still felt pretty close to a 4-3 base, just swapping a LB for a DB. Found myself using the Nickel Double A Gap for pressure situations. That ‘DBL A Gap Mid Blitz’ can really heat things up if you time it right.
I spent a good few hours just running plays against the CPU on different difficulties and settings. Focused on a few things:
- Run Fits: How does the D-line hold up? Do the linebackers fill the gaps properly in the base 4-3 sets? The Even 6-1 felt pretty stout here.
- Pass Rush Basics: Could I get pressure with just four rushers out of the Over/Under looks? Tried some basic stunts and contain plays.
- Zone Integrity: Are the zones covering the right areas in Cover 3 and Cover 4? Watched the safety and corner movements closely.
- Blitz Effectiveness: When I did call blitzes, especially out of Nickel, did they get home? How vulnerable did they leave me?
After getting comfortable in practice, I took it online into some unranked games. Didn’t want to tank my record right away, haha. This is where you really learn.
Found myself leaning heavily on the 4-3 Even 6-1 against run-heavy opponents. That formation just seemed to clog things up nicely. Against passers, I was mostly in Nickel Normal and occasionally the Nickel 3-3 if I wanted a different look. Out of Nickel Normal, the Cover 3 variations felt pretty reliable. Mix in a blitz like ‘Nickel Blitz 2′ here and there to keep ’em honest.
Making adjustments pre-snap was huge. Stuff like:
- Shifting the D-line
- Guessing pass vs. run (risky, but pays off sometimes)
- Putting specific corners in man coverage (‘show blitz’ then audible a DB to man)
- User controlling a safety or linebacker – this is essential, really.
So, after all that messing around, the Bills playbook is my go-to for 4-3 right now. It’s got the core formations I wanted, decent variety in Nickel, and the plays feel pretty solid once you practice with them and learn the adjustments. It’s not perfect, no playbook is, but it’s been giving me good results. Feels balanced enough to handle both run and pass if you call the right stuff and make your reads.
