Personnel for Nickel and Dime formations

When I first started playing Madden Ultimate Team I made the mistake of not paying attention to my backups on the defensive side in the depth chart. I had wide receivers listed as backups in the depth chart for corner backs. I was wondering why all of my opponents were able to pass the ball at will. One of the reasons was when I was in Nickel or Dime formation my wide receivers were being used instead of corner backs. Now I know that I need to have at least 4 extra corner backs on my roster in order to be successful in nickel and dime situations.

The personnel you use as backups for linebackers and linemen is also important because each nickel and dime formation is different. Below, I have listed the recommended personnel for use with the New York Jets defensive playbook.

Nickel 1-5-5
This defense calls for five Linebackers, five defensive backs, and just one Defensive Lineman. About four additional corner backs and one additional linebacker would be needed on the roster in order to use this formation with success. This formation relies on linebackers so having some quality linebackers is key.

One advantage to this defense is that you can move ten players anywhere on the field. The only player that cannot be moved without resetting to his original position is the Defensive Lineman.

Nickel 3-3-5
The Nickel 3-3-5 has three Defensive Linemen, three Linebackers, and five defensive backs. This formation has some flexibility because it allows players to counter opponents who like to audible up and down throughout the course of the game. A couple of disadvantages to this defense include the lack of pressure on the quarterback and the ability to consistently stop the run.

Nickel Normal
This defense uses four Defensive Linemen, two Linebackers, and five defensive backs. With a 3-4 playbook you would need to have one additional lineman on your roster. This defense allows for solid pressure and can help slow down most running plays. This is a formation that is good to start a game because you don’t risk getting beat deep and it forces your opponent to work up the field as you learn tendencies.

Nickel Odd Split
An extra strong safety is added as a defensive back so make sure you have a backup SS. In the Nickel Odd Split formation there's three defensive linemen and the ROLB is lined up on the line. In the backfield, there's two linebackers in the middle and two strong safeties on the outside and then two corner backs outside of the strong safeties. The FS will cover the deep area in the backfield.


Nickel Odd Split-Cover 3

Dime Normal
The Dime Normal formation is best used for passing situations because it places four Defensive Linemen, one linebacker, and seven defensive backs on the field.