Playbooks
Special
DefenseExample Plays from Special
Overview
Special is not an offensive formation at all: it is the umbrella special teams package that houses every return and block unit in the playbook. The six sets inside it (Field Goal Block Left, Field Goal Block Right, Field Goal Return, Punt Block 44 Even, Punt Return 33 Even, and Punt Safe) all line your unit up opposite the kicking team rather than opposite a defense. On field goal block looks you get a crowded interior with jumpers crashing the A and B gaps and edge rushers timed off the snap, with the Left and Right variants shading the overload to whichever side the kicker's plant foot and the long snapper's blind side favor. Field Goal Return pulls bodies out of the pile and sets a wall to the sideline in case of a short kick or a botched hold.
The punt sets work off the same logic. Punt Block 44 Even walls up four across the line of scrimmage with rushers attacking the shield, gunners jammed at the line, and a single returner deep. Punt Return 33 Even sacrifices interior pressure to release more blockers downfield and build a return lane, which is the set you live in when you have a returner with elite agility, juke, and break tackle ratings. Punt Safe is your protection call: rushers stay home, gunners get released cleanly, and the unit is aligned to defend the fake, whether that is a shovel to the personal protector or a wheel route from the wing.
Because the Special formation is a special teams container rather than a pass concept package, there are no personnel groups, no route combos, and no hot route trees. The value here is entirely in situational awareness: knowing which of the 14 plays to call based on kick distance, opponent tendency, and whether your opponent has shown a willingness to fake. Competitive players who ignore this formation give away free field position on every fourth down, and in franchise play that field position compounds across a season.
At a Glance
The Special formation sits outside conventional offensive scheme buckets since it contains no West Coast, spread, or RPO concepts, but its value scales directly with how your franchise roster is built. Teams that invest in a return specialist with elite agility and elusiveness get maximum output from Punt Return 33 Even and Field Goal Return, while teams stocked with tall, high jump rating edge defenders convert the field goal block sets into real turnovers. Field position focused play-callers who lean on power run and clock control benefit most, since every extra 15 yards from a return shortens the field for a scheme that grinds rather than strikes.
Strengths
- Field Goal Block Left and Right let you overload the weak edge of the protection, and against long attempts (50 plus yards) the extra half second of pressure produces real block rates rather than cosmetic ones
- Punt Return 33 Even builds a genuine blocking wall, so a returner with high agility, elusiveness, and break tackle can flip 15 to 20 yards of field position on a single possession
- Punt Safe is the only call in the playbook that reliably defends the fake punt, covering both the personal protector shovel and the wing wheel route without conceding a clean release
- Field Goal Return gives you a live shot at the short kick or muffed hold, a situation most opponents never account for and that ends games in overtime
- User control on the interior jumper in the field goal block sets meaningfully raises block probability compared to leaving the AI in charge
Weaknesses
- Punt Block 44 Even commits bodies to the rush and leaves almost no wall, so a missed block means the returner is fair catching at his own 12 with no return threat
- Aggressive field goal block calls create a roughing or leverage penalty risk that hands the opponent an automatic first down and extends a drive you should have ended
- Punt Return 33 Even releases the gunners cleanly, which means an opponent with two high acceleration gunners pins you inside the 10 repeatedly
- The formation offers no disguise: your opponent sees the block versus return call before the snap and can check to a rugby punt, a directional kick, or a fake accordingly
- Over-calling Punt Safe surrenders return yardage every single fourth down, which quietly costs you more field position over a game than the one fake you prevent
Usage Tips
Call Field Goal Block Left or Right based on the kicker's leg strength and distance: inside 40 yards the block rate is too low to justify the penalty risk, so take Field Goal Return instead and play for the miss
User control the interior jumper on block attempts and time your jump to the snap animation rather than the kick, since the window is at the snap and not at contact
Switch to Punt Safe any time your opponent is in plus territory on fourth and short, or any time they have already shown a fake in the series, because that is exactly when the shovel to the personal protector comes out
Run Punt Return 33 Even when you have a returner with 90 plus agility and elusiveness, and take the block sets only when you need a game-changing play late in the fourth quarter
User the returner rather than trusting AI decision making: fair catch inside your own 10, and always field the ball cleanly rather than chasing a bounce that can pin you at the 3
