CPU Pass Rush

[wino1618]

Is anyone else experiencing an insane CPU pass rush, even with slider help?

I bumped HUM pass protection to 80 like some on this board have done, and I still get 4-5 plays a game where the CPU either rips, swims or spins past one of my OL without so much as a shred of resistance and is on my QB before he can make a 3-step drop. I know this is bound to happen from time to time, but this frequency, game in and game out, is nuts.

These aren't cases of the line not sliding to pick up a blitzer, or my QB just holding it too much. It is just an end or tackle unimpeded to the QB while my OL is rendered useless. Am I not throwing the ball away enough? In these cases, I cannot even seem to find time to dump it off to an RB.

Suggestions? What is everyone else doing?

[gnperdue]

I have pass protection at 95 (all american) and CPU break block at 45. There is not a whole lot you can do. I'll give some advice, but it will be stuff you probably already know.

Use hard counts to try to get the D to jump early. You'll get some false starts, but sometimes it is worth the risk. Get rid of the ball quickly. One thing you'll notice, at least on AA+, is that if the CPU ever blitzes and sends 5, it will always, always have a free rusher. You have to be prepared to see this and hit your hot read (if you don't have a good one pre-snap, set one up via audible). Basically, if the CPU blitzes, you can't count on it being picked up at all and you need to be prepared to just get rid of the ball as fast as possible. An extra little trick when you are playing from under center is not to touch the stick for the drop-back. The QB will automatically drop back the correct number of steps, and it can so so faster than you can manually. Finally, run the ball a lot, and generally mix up your play-calls a bunch (draws, screens, different kinds of passes, etc.).

I know, I know. I always want to slap someone when they tell me something like "mix it up," but anecdotally, it seems the CPU will blitz a little less if you burn it when it blitzes. This is probably just confirmation bias shining through, but that's all I got.

EDIT: More specifically for the blown blocks, just feel free to raise the pass protection slider to the point where you feel it is fair and fun. I went with 100 for a while, but it felt like my linemen that shouldn't be elite were too good. At 95, it seems like my All Americans play pretty well, but the scrubs are more suspect. I don't know college stats, but NFL teams average about one blown block per game. If you are seeing blown blocks at or around that level, that is about realistic. Too much more than that (especially out of an elite O-line, remember, after all, that the Raiders line is included in that average, lol) is just plain old BS.

EDIT#2: One last thing for the slider. Watch replays on sacks. If it really is the case you can't complete a three step drop (again, let the computer handle the actual drop-back, this helps a lot), then bump up pass protection or bump down break block for the CPU (just be careful you don't destroy it's ability to challenge run blocks). However, if you get sacked and you held the ball for more than 2-3 seconds, that really is a coverage sack and is fair game.

[wino1618]

Thanks!

Oh, and I have PLENTY of coverage sacks [down]

I can almost tolerate them if I get decent protection otherwise.