Playbooks

Under

4-3·Base 4-3

SpecialistsRLERRERDTNT

Set alignment for Under from 4-3 in Madden 27

At a Glance

Formation4-3

Personnel

Base 4-32 EDGE2 DTSAMMIKEWILL2 CBFSSS

Plays25

In 30 playbooks

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Overview

The Under set in the 4-3 formation shifts the defensive line toward the weak side of the offense, sliding the NT into a shade on the strong side A gap while the RDT kicks out to a weak side 3 technique. The Sam linebacker walks down toward the line of scrimmage over the tight end, which creates a pseudo 5 man surface to the strength of the formation. Compared to the 4-3 Over or Normal sets, Under gives you a more aggressive, gap sound front. Your interior penetrators get one on one blocks, and your edge defenders (RLE and RRE) are positioned wide enough to set a hard edge on outside zone and stretch runs.

The tagged personnel (NT, RLE, RRE, RDT) tell you where this set wins: up front. A true 1 technique NT eats double teams on inside zone and duo, freeing the Mike to scrape clean. The 3 technique RDT on the weak side creates a natural penetration lane for pass rush and run disruption against split zone and weak side power. Because the Sam is already walked up, offenses that lean on 12 and 21 personnel with a tight end surface see an extra run fitter without you having to show a loaded box pre snap.

The playbook in this set is split between press man looks (Cover 1 Hole Press, Cover 1 Robber Press, Cover 1 Contain Press, Cover 2 Man) and fire zone pressures (FS Fire 3, Will Go Fire 3, Free Fire, Free Fire Ls). That split lets you disguise man and zone from the same shell. Press corners jam outside receivers and disrupt timing on slants and quick outs, while Cover 3 Match, Cover 4 Quarters, and Tampa 2 handle spread concepts that try to stress the seams. Offenses that isolate a slot receiver against your Sam or Will face either a robber lurking underneath or a rotated safety, depending on the call.

Strengths

The shifted front creates natural one on one matchups for the RDT at 3 technique and the NT at 1 technique, which generates interior pressure on four man rushes and stuffs inside zone without needing a nano blitz.
The walked down Sam adds an extra run defender to the tight end side, making Cover 1 Hole, Cover 1 Robber Press, and Cover 3 Seam Press strong against power, counter, and duo from 12 and 21 personnel.
Fire zone calls like FS Fire 3, Will Go Fire 3, and Cover 1 FS Fire bring five rushers while dropping the RLE or RRE into the flat, confusing hot route reads and baiting quick slant throws into lurking underneath defenders.
The press man package (Cover 1 Hole Press, Cover 1 Contain Press, Cover 2 Man) jams outside receivers at the line, killing timing on slant flat, mesh, and quick out man beaters when paired with a user in the middle hole.
The zone menu of Cover 3 Match, Cover 4 Quarters, Tampa 2, and Cover 3 Sky WK lets you disguise post snap rotation from the same presnap look, making it hard for the offense to diagnose coverage from alignment alone.

Weaknesses

The shifted front leaves the strong side B gap and the bubble between the Sam and Mike vulnerable to weak side zone read and quick counters if your linebackers overpursue, so user discipline is mandatory.
Press man calls like Cover 1 Hole Press and Cover 1 Robber Press are exposed by bunch and stack releases, rub routes, and drag and mesh combos, especially when your corners lack press and man coverage ratings.
The walked down Sam struggles in space against 11 personnel spread looks, where offenses motion a slot receiver or running back into the Sam's area to create a mismatch on angle routes and option routes.
Heavy blitz calls like Hammer 0 Blast and Safety Blitz leave zero deep help, so a QB who checks to a max protect or hot routes a streak against your pressure can hit a big play over the top.
The Under front shows its strength side presnap, so a smart offense can flip the formation with motion or audible to the weak side and run away from your Sam into a lighter box.

Usage Tips

Call Cover 1 Hole Press or Cover 1 Robber Press on 2nd and medium against 12 personnel, then user the Mike or hole defender to take away crossing routes and slants that beat the press.

On 3rd and long, mix Will Go Fire 3 and FS Fire 3 with Cover 3 Match from the same look, and shade your coverage underneath to force checkdowns short of the sticks.

Against run heavy offenses, use Mike Sam Crash Press or SS Sam Crash Press to crash the strong side gaps, and pinch or slant your line toward the tight end to overload power and counter.

If the offense motions a receiver across the formation, check the strength shift presnap and audible to Cover 4 Quarters or Tampa 2 to avoid getting outleveraged on the new strong side.

In red zone and goal line situations, Cover 1 Slant Crash and Cover 2 Man compress throwing windows, while showing blitz and bailing into Cover 3 Hard Flat baits quick outs and fades into underneath defenders.