The procedure for selecting which defensive players are on the field is fairly straightforward. At each position, players are given a fatigue/depth chart grade based on their current fatigue and their position on the depth chart. Situation specialists are placed ahead of non-specialists for the depth chart calculation, regardless of the players' actual depth chart positions. If "N" is the number of players needed for the formation, only the first "N+1" healthy players on the depth chart are considered, regardless of how many active players the team has at this position.

If you have selected "no preference" or "rested player strong/weak" as your side setting for this position, the players under consideration are ranked in order of their fatigue/depth chart score. If you have selected "#1 strong/weak", the backup player will replace the starter with the lowest fatigue/depth chart score, assuming the backup's score is higher than the starter's.

If insufficient healthy players are available, the program will pull players from nearby positions, if healthy reserves are available. The preference order is as follows:

• DB (SF/CB): other DB (CB/SF), OLB, ILB, DE, DT
• ILB: OLB, DE, SF, DT, CB
• OLB: ILB, SF, DE, DT, CB
• DL (DT/DE): other DL (DE/DT), ILB, OLB, SF, CB

Once the players have been chosen, the next step is to align players from strong to weak within their respective positions. If the position has the #1 or most rested player on the strongside, the top player on the sorted depth chart goes to the strong side and second player to the weak side. If there is a third player, he goes to the strong side, but inside of the top player. A fourth player would go similarly to the weak side. If the #1 or rested player is on the weakside, this process is reversed.

The exception to this process is for cornerbacks, where an opposing formation with all WRs on one side will cause the top CBs to line up against the WRs (the top CB closest to the sideline), and the strong-weak-etc. additions are made only after all WRs are covered. Also, remember that in double-1 coverage, the CB sides are flipped, since the side that would normally get the #1 CB instead has double coverage.

Because only safeties and cornerbacks can play deep coverage, the rules for this are fairly straightforward. First, the sim makes the obvious checks; the number of deep men must be small enough to permit at least 5 shallow defenders in man or man/zone coverage, or at least 3 shallow defenders in zone coverage.

If playing plain zone (0-zone through 4-zone) and the number of deep assignments is exactly one more than the number of safeties in coverage, the deep zone will be taken by two corners and the necessary number of safeties. Otherwise, the deep zone will be taken by all safeties (if needed), plus as many corners as are needed.

The deep coverers are taken from the middle of the field. For example, if there are three CBs, and one is needed for deep coverage, it will be the middle of the three. If an extra has to be taken (i.e., the number of shallow coverers from the position is odd), the selection is made as follows. For safeties, the extra safety is taken from the middle-strongside only if playing zone and the #1 CB is on the strongside; otherwise the extra safety is taken from the middle-weakside. For corners, the extra deep corner is taken from the side opposite the #1 CB.

The order the deep coverers take on the field is any CB taken from the strong half of the lineup (including the halfway CB), then all SFs, then any CB taken from the weak half of the lineup. Deep coverers are aligned evenly across the field.

If you are playing double-1 or double-2 coverage, the double coverage will be made by the shallow defender closest to the sideline, and the deep defender closest to the sideline.

After the deep coverage is set, the next order of business is lining up shallow defenders against the wide receivers. This process begins with the side of the field containing the #1 CB, assuming a WR is on that side. Then the other side is treated, assuming a WR is on that side. Then the first side is treated again, assuming at least two WRs are on that side. And so on. Against a strongside WR, defenders are taken from the strong-most available player at the position; and vice-versa for a weakside WR.

When a CB is available for the matchup, he is always used. If no CB is available, the team is playing zone (or a zone combo on the WR's side of the field) and keying run (or keying nothing, and the offense runs a non-draw or play-action pass), nobody will line up directly opposite the WR.

Assuming we are keying pass or the offense's play looks like a pass (a draw, normal pass, or screen pass), a SF will be assigned to the WR. If no SF is available and the team is playing zone (or a zone combo on the WR's side of the field), nobody will line up directly opposite the WR.

If no DB is available for the matchup and we are playing man, an OLB will cover the WR, and if not available, an ILB will cover. Defensive linemen will never be lined up against a WR, even though in very unusual circumstances they could find themselves covering one (if dropping back into coverage against a 5-WR set).

After the deep and wide coverers have been identified and placed, finally the rest of the defense is put in place. All DT and DL are placed on the line (even if they will be dropping into coverage), while all other players are placed behind the line (even if they will be blitzing). The order of linemen is the strong half of the ends on the strongside (including the middle of three), then the tackles, then the weakside end.

The order of the other positions, from sideline to middle, is CB, SF, OLB, and ILB. For every position, half (rounding up) are placed on the strong side and the rest on the weakside; the lone exception is that, if the #1 CB is on the weakside, half (rounding up) of shallow cornerbacks will be on the weakside. Note that players used for deep coverage or lined up on WRs are counted for the "half" calculations, but of course are not actually placed in the box. Thus, if the #1 CB and a second CB are lined up on weakside WRs and there is a third CB, he is placed on the strong side.

The front is then set up, based on the number of DL in the formation, and the number of LB+DB not lined up deep or on a WR. By default, the linemen are placed as follows:

• 1 lineman: lines up over center
• 2 linemen: line up over guards (tight) or tackles (loose)
• 3 linemen: line up over center and tackles (tight) or ends (loose)
• 4 linemen: line up over guards and tackles (tight) or ends (loose)
• 5 linemen/tight: line up over center, guards, and tackles
• 5 linemen/loose: line up over center, strong guard, weak tackle, and ends
• 6 linemen/tight: line up over center, guards, tackles, and strong TE
• 6 linemen/loose: line up over guards, tackles, and ends

The linebackers, safeties, and blitzing CBs are then placed as follows:

• 1 back: lines up over center
• 2 backs: line up over guards (loose) or tackles (tight)
• 3 backs: line up over center and tackles (loose) or ends (tight)
• 4+ backs: evenly lined up from strong end to weak end. If the outermost back is a CB or SF, the player will line up one "place" further outside.

Next up is the line shift. In a normal "over" shift, a lineman lined up over the center or weak guard will move strong by one spot, while a back lined up over the center or strong guard will move weak by one spot. An "under" shift causes the reverse. A "46" shift moves everyone (lineman and back) from the strong guard to the weak TE to the weak, while placing the two OLBs to the extreme strong end of the formation (roughly opposite and outside the TE); a "mirror 46" has the opposite effect.

After all of this, if a DB or linebacker is lined up directly behind a lineman, he is moved slightly towards the sideline in a loose formation, or towards the middle in a tight formation.

If you have selected OLBs to be on the line of scrimmage, they will be moved up only if they are lined up outside the ends.