Snap Count and Hot Route's
Being unpredictable is a key asset for any effective offense to have. Some of these
techniques are fairly basic, but in the heat of the game they are often forgotten. Take a
moment to review these 3 important topics before every game to keep your offense
honed to the razor's edge.
Changing up the Snap Count
We know that we often get in the habit of just stepping up to the line, looking over the
defense and then hitting the hike button. We don't know for sure if the CPU gets in a
groove, but against a human opponent, they will catch on if you go on first sound and
begin to get in a groove with their stunts and blitzes.

Don't neglect your "fake snap" button. We don't recommend using it every time as it can
cause false starts with your own line, but by occasionally using a hard count you can pull
even the CPU linemen offsides.
Hot Routes
Many teams have automatics or reads that receivers and QB's make at the line of
scrimmage based on the coverage used by the defense. These involve the receiver
changing his route to adjust to a potential hole in the defense. As the player/coach of your
team, you can make these adjustments for your receivers using the hot routes feature of
the game.

There are six available routes that you can choose for your receiver to run at the line of
scrimmage. These are the in, out, curl, streak, slant in & slant out. Consult your game
manual for the exact button combinations you need to use for each of these routes. See
the table below for an example of the hot route commands used on the PS2 console for a
receiver located on the right side of the screen:
Route Button Combo

In Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Left
Out Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Right
Streak Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Up
Curl Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Down
Slant In Triangle + Receiver Button + L2
Slant Out Triangle + Receiver Button + R2
Running backs and Tight Ends also use hot routes, but with the addition of being able to
have a blocking assignment hot route. See the table below for an example of the hot
route commands used on the PS2 console for a running back:

Route Button Combo
In Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Left
Out Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Right
Streak Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Up
Curl Triangle + Receiver Button + D-Pad Down
Block Left Triangle + Receiver Button + L2
Block Right Triangle + Receiver Button + R2

Hot Route Example
We've covered how to assign a hot route to a receiver or running back, but how do you
use this to better attack the defense?

First of all, hot routes are a key to handling many of the blitz schemes that you will see
coming down your throat in online play and against the CPU. Many times the blitzing
linebacker or secondary man will show the blitz by his pre-snap movement. You can use a
combination of hot route blocking and route assignments to attack the defense and
counter the blitz.
Let's say that you have called Singleback Normal-Strong Flood. You come up to the line of scrimmage and see that the defense has Nickel personnel in the game. As you begin
your pre-snap reads you see the SS cheating up to the line in an obvious blitz situation.
Quickly you hot route your HB to block to the right side of the formation. He will help pick
up the SS coming on the blitz. Next, hot route your FL to run a streak and hot route your
TE to run an out.
The FL on the streak will force the CB to cover deep and will most likely also draw the
attention of the FS. The TE is now running an out with a LB covering him. He has an
advantage here and should be open for a quick gain.



Last edited by GigaNation at Oct 2 2002, 03:32 AM