Ultra Aggressive Guess Pass Setup

Ultra Aggressive Guess Pass: The Setup That Gets You Free Picks

Go to your base defense. Hit left trigger. Set your guys to Ultra Aggressive. Then call Guess Pass.

That's it. That's the setup.

After that. Right bumper + up on the right stick for better sheds. Your pass rush gets a buff. Your guys are locked in on the QB. You switch stick, you sit in the right spot, and you're picking the ball off. Easy.

This isn't some complex scheme. It's two inputs and the right read. The problem is most people never actually run it right. They either forget to contain, forget the pass pro fix, or they sit on it the whole game when they should be switching coverages.

Here's exactly how to run it.

What Is Ultra Aggressive Guess Pass?

Ultra Aggressive is a defensive adjustment you make after you're already in your base defense. You hit left trigger to pull up the menu, then set your defenders to Ultra Aggressive mode.

Guess Pass tells your guys the offense is throwing. Your pass rush gets better sheds. Your defenders are more aggressive at the line.

The tradeoff. You're weaker against the run. That's the deal. You're betting they're passing. When you're right, you're getting pressure and picks. When you're wrong and they hand it off, you're going to give up yards.

So you don't sit on this all game. You use it situationally. More on that below.

How to Execute Ultra Aggressive Guess Pass

1. Get into your base defense. Cover Three Cloud is a solid starting point
2. Hit left trigger to open defensive adjustments
3. Set defenders to Ultra Aggressive
4. Call Guess Pass
5. Hit right bumper + up on the right stick. This gives your guys better sheds off blocks
6. Switch stick. Get into position. Go get the ball.

Don't overcomplicate it. The buttons are simple. What wins or loses you the rep is the stuff around it. Contain, pass pro, coverage behind it.

When Should You Use Guess Pass?

Use it when you're confident they're throwing. Obvious passing downs. Third and long. You're up late and they need to score. They've been throwing it all drive.

You can also flip back to it after switching things up. For example. Start a half in Cover Two Shell, then shift back to Cover Three Cloud once you've got a stop. Then when they go to pass, you hit Guess Pass again to buff the rush.

The key is reading the game. If they're running it every play, stay off Guess Pass. It hurts you in the run game. Texas stunts do a better job when they're handing it off a lot.

What Happens If You Don't Contain?

This is where people blow it.

You can get great pressure. Legitimately good D. And if you don't contain. Your opponent just rolls out. Doesn't matter how good the pressure was. They escape, they throw it away or scramble, and your whole defensive rep meant nothing.

Every time you're getting pressure, ask yourself: am I containing?

If the answer is no. Fix it before the snap. Because the second they roll out on you, the pressure is irrelevant. It's that simple.

How to Fix Pass Pro When They're Pressuring You

If they're getting pressure on offense, four guys on the ball, collapsing your pocket, the fix is:

• Slide left, target left
• Then half slide left

Problem solved. Pass pro is one of those things that looks invisible when you do it right. But when you don't do it? You're scrambling every drop-back, getting lucky if you connect on anything.

Don't let a whole drive go by without fixing your protection. One catch bailing you out isn't a plan.

What Coverage Works Best Behind Guess Pass?

Cover Three Cloud is the base. It works from nickel and other formations. But you have to know the weakness. Cover Three is always susceptible in the seam.

The fix: move your middle third safety over to cover the seam. That's the adjustment. Simple, but you have to actually make it.

You can also mix in Cover Two Man bluff. Show Cover Two Man, then crash down. Bluff like you're user on one guy. But you're not. Use the right stick to untarget guys you don't think are blitzing. Keeps the offense guessing.

Common Mistakes Running This Setup

• No contain. Doesn't matter how good your pressure is. No contain = they roll out. Every time.
• Running Guess Pass on obvious run downs. It hurts you against the run. Don't sit on it when they're handing it off every play.
• Not protecting the seam in Cover Three. The seam is always open unless you manually move the safety over. Don't forget.
• Taking a play off. One play. That's all it takes. You go to sleep for one rep and it kills you. You just can't do it.

End of Half, Go Ultra Conservative

Flip side of all this aggression, when the clock is running out and they need a miracle, back everybody off. Middle third safety back in position. Man up.

You're not trying to get a pick here. You're trying to not give up a big play. Make them go 60 yards in 5 seconds. Protect the lead.

And if you get a fumble? Even better. That's one of the keys to a great defense. Get a fumble.

Quick Reference

• Setup: Base defense → Left Trigger → Ultra Aggressive → Guess Pass
• Better sheds: Right bumper + up on right stick
• Coverage: Cover Three Cloud. Move safety to protect seam
• Pass pro fix: Slide left, target left, half slide left
• Against run-heavy opponents: Use Texas stunts instead of Guess Pass
• Always: Contain before the snap. No exceptions.