Playbooks
Hands Team is a specialty formation used exclusively for onside kick recovery situations, not a traditional route concept or blocking scheme play. The personnel and alignment are designed to maximize the number of sure-handed players clustered near the expected landing zone of the kick, prioritizing ball security over field position. There is no primary read progression in the offensive sense since this is a special teams recovery unit, but the effective priority is to get bodies on the ball first and secure possession before worrying about advancing it.
Since this is a kickoff recovery formation rather than a defensive play, there are no coverage shells, blitz packages, or man/zone reads to key on in the traditional sense. Watch how the opposing return unit aligns before the kick, since teams that stack blockers near the sideline are conceding the middle of the field as the likely recovery zone. Identify which return players are true hands catchers versus blockers, since the CPU will sometimes leave weaker-handed players in vulnerable spots near the kick trajectory. Post-kick, track which of your players gets the first legal touch after the ball travels ten yards, since possession is awarded to whoever secures it cleanly rather than just who is closest. If the opposing team shows an unbalanced return alignment, aim your onside kick away from their heaviest cluster of players to increase your recovery odds.
Only call Hands Team when you are actually attempting an onside kick, typically late in the fourth quarter when trailing and needing extra possessions.
Before the snap, communicate to yourself which side of the field you want the kick to travel toward based on your placekicker's tendencies and any user input you plan to give the kicker.
After the kick is away, manually take control of the defender you think will have the best shot at the ball rather than leaving it to CPU logic, since user-controlled recovery attempts win more 50-50 balls.
Pair this play call with your onside kick placement strategy from the Onside Small set, since Hands Team is the only option here and works best when the kick is aimed at a soft spot in the return unit rather than straight up the middle.
Practice the timing of jumping for the ball in practice mode so you are not fumbling the catch attempt in a live game situation where field position and momentum matter most.