Playbooks

1-3-7

Quarter·Big Quarter 1-3-7

Set alignment for 1-3-7 from Quarter in Madden 27

At a Glance

FormationQuarter

Personnel

Big Quarter 1-3-7DTSAMMIKEWILL4 CB2 FSSS

Plays16

In 6 playbooks

3-4 DefenseDefense Franchise Defense DeepfreezeDefense Sim 3-4 DefenseDefense Superstar Man DefenseDefense Superstar Zone DefenseDefense MUT KO Defensive Mastermind DefenseDefense

Overview

The 1-3-7 set is the most pass-heavy look in the Quarter formation, using the Big Quarter 1-3-7 personnel package: a single down lineman, three linebackers, and seven defensive backs on the field. Other Quarter sets keep more bodies in the box. This one trades nearly all of its run-stopping mass for coverage defenders, so you can match 4 and 5 wide receiver sets with true DBs instead of asking linebackers to carry slot receivers or tight ends up the seam. The three linebackers act as hybrid pieces: edge rushers, spies, or underground droppers, depending on the call.

The play list covers a lot of ground from one alignment. Cover 4 Drop and Fz 2 Deep take away deep shots. Cover 3 Mable, 3 Double Mable, and 3 DBL Mable Cloud combine man and zone rules to handle trips and bunch. Fire zones like Fz 3 Sky, Under Smoke, and Overload 3 Seam, plus the DB Strike 1 pressure, create pressure out of a shell that looks like pure coverage. Cover 1 Thief, Man Up 3 Deep, and Man Up 3 Deep KO let you press and trail slot receivers with actual corners and safeties, which removes the linebacker-on-receiver mismatches offenses hunt for in empty and 10 personnel.

The spy variants (Cover 2 Spy, Cover 3 Spy, Cover 2 Man Spy) make this set especially useful against mobile quarterbacks. One of the three linebackers mirrors the QB while the seven DBs blanket the route tree. Offenses that isolate a top receiver on a linebacker or a slow safety lose that advantage here, because every eligible target is likely matched by a cover player with comparable speed and man coverage ratings.

Strengths

Seven DBs remove the classic linebacker-on-slot mismatch, so man beaters like mesh, drive, and slot fades lose their built-in advantage against Cover 1 Thief and Man Up 3 Deep.
The Mable calls (Cover 3 Mable, 3 Double Mable, 3 DBL Mable Cloud) pattern match trips and bunch sets, taking away flood, smash, and corner-flat combos that shred standard Cover 3.
Fz 3 Sky, Under Smoke, Overload 3 Seam, and DB Strike 1 bring pressure from unpredictable DB and linebacker angles out of a shell that reads as soft coverage pre-snap, which baits quick hot routes into robbers and hook defenders.
Cover 4 Drop and Fz 2 Deep take away four verticals, seam posts, and deep crossers, making this set a strong call on 3rd and long and in two-minute situations.
The spy variants let you keep a linebacker on a scrambling QB without sacrificing coverage numbers, which shuts down scramble drills and designed QB runs on passing downs.

Weaknesses

With only one down lineman, the front gets washed out by inside zone, power, and counter, and offenses that audible to a run after spotting the Big Quarter 1-3-7 personnel can pick up easy chunk yardage.
The standard four-man rush tops out at one lineman plus linebackers, so without a blitz call patient quarterbacks get extra time to work deep dig and post-wheel concepts.
RPOs and quick screens stress the light box, because the three linebackers must honor both the run fake and the underneath throw, leaving the flats and bubble exposed.
Offenses that see this package often go heavy with 12 or 21 personnel and hurry up, trapping you in a pass defense against a run-first alignment before you can substitute.
Designed QB draws and delayed handoffs hit hard against Cover 4 Drop and Fz 2 Deep, since the deep landmarks vacate the second level and leave only a user-controlled defender to fill.

Usage Tips

Call this set on 3rd and 7 or longer, and in end-of-half two-minute drills, when the offense has to throw past the sticks and a light box costs you little.

Match it against empty, trips, and 10 or 11 personnel with a slot tight end, then use Cover 3 Mable or 3 Double Mable to pattern match the passing strength instead of guessing with a basic zone.

Against mobile quarterbacks, choose Cover 2 Spy, Cover 3 Spy, or Cover 2 Man Spy and user a safety or robber over the middle to erase the dig and crosser windows while the spy handles the scramble lane.

Show the same shell and alternate between Cover 4 Drop and Fz 3 Sky or Under Smoke, so the offense cannot use your pre-snap alignment to decide between hot routes and a deep shot.

If the opponent substitutes heavy personnel or motions a running back into the backfield on short yardage, check out of this set or shift the linebackers down immediately, because the one-lineman front cannot hold the point of attack.