re: 360 Madden 13 Year 3; week 1

You should use man to man against unbalanced formations (trips, quads, etc.)

You should use zone against everything else (unless you have man defenders...I think Cowboys, Saints, and Bengals). If the CPU or P2 likes to use slant routes and/or fade routes, use zone.

In terms of Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, and Cover 6, use down and distance and game situations as guides. Cover 1 is a man under defense so lets get rid of it. Cover 2 is better in defending short yardage. Cover 3 and Cover 4 should be used on 3d and long or 4th and long. Cover 6 is (I believe) a combination of Cover 2 and Cover 3 defense. If your oppo has a clear tendency to throw the ball to the right flat, run the cover 2 side to the left side of your defense.

In terms of when to blitz, do it mostly out of man coverage. The 3-4 teams tend to be zone blitz teams.

In terms of defensive formations, make sure that you match up your defense backs against their receivers. going Nickel against 4 wides can be bad for you.

3-3-5, 4-2-5, and "Big Nickel" defenses are good fits against 2 TE sets.