MMOexp CFB 26: Man Coverage Shading

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Shading over the top only creates cloud flats if the defender was already in CUT 26 Coins a hard flat or squat

Purple zones shaded over the top turn into curl flats

It's unintuitive, but learning this rule lets you manipulate coverage behavior reliably.

Man Coverage Shading (Press Matters)

In man coverage, shading behaves very differently depending on alignment.

Press + Shade Underneath

Aggressive press animations

Strong against short routes

Very vulnerable to deep shots

Press + Shade Over Top

No press animation

Defender prioritizes vertical routes

Safer against speed mismatches

Every man's coverage also has a default shade, even if you don't manually set one. Knowing when to override it gives you a major advantage.

Zone Drops: Fixing Weak Hooks and Flats

Zone drops allow you to manually control how deep defenders play their zones.

You can adjust:

Flat zones

Curl flats

Hook zones

For example:

On 4th-and-5, lowering hook drops forces defenders to sit on drag routes

On 4th-and-15, raising hook drops helps defend intermediate seams and digs

Be aware: adjusting zone drops disables some match coverage behaviors, especially in plays like Tampa Use them situationally, not blindly.

Run Defense: Using Coverage Adjustments to Add Bodies

Here's a critical concept most players miss:

Even if a defender isn't in a run fit, their pass assignment still dictates movement.

Example:

A safety in a deep zone will backpedal on a run

Put that same safety in a hard flat, and they immediately attack downhill

This lets you:

Add defenders to the run game without changing plays

Improve short-yardage defense

Maintain disguise while stopping inside runs

You can even use safeties to manually insert into run fits and switch off if play-action occurs.

Final Thoughts

Great defense in College Football 26 isn't about one perfect play-it's about layering adjustments. Player switching, shading, zone drops, run fits, and alignment all stack together to create stops. Having enough cheap CUT Coins can also be very helpful.