In recent years, however, NFL offenses have moved to using the “11” personnel grouping, which indicates an offensive formation with 1 running back, 1 tight end, and 3 wide receivers. In Strat-O-Matic Pro Football, this formation is called the 3WR, 1 RB offensive formation, and is considered an optional formation. When you use the 3 WR, 1 RB offensive formation, replace the FB or HB from the base Pro Set with an SE or FL to be the WR3.
In Strat-O-Matic Pro Football, if the defense remains in a standard 3-4 or 4-3 defensive formation, the FS must cover the WR3 in that defensive formation; and because the FS now has a coverage responsibility, he cannot blitz or double-team a receiver.
However, NFL defenses have responded to the “11” personnel (3 WR, 1 RB) offensive formation by using more “nickel” defenses, which generally involves replacing a linebacker with a defensive back to cover the additional wide receiver. In Strat-O-Matic Pro Football the nickel defenses are the 3-3-5 Nickel (an adjustment to the default 3-4) and the 4-2-5 Nickel (an adjustment the default 4-3). In these optional defensive formations, the extra defensive back (not the FS) covers the WR3, which frees up the FS to blitz or double-team a receiver. The downside is the defense now has fewer linebackers to blitz, stop the run, or cover flat or look-in passes.
Starting with the 2017 season, Strat-O-Matic Pro Football cards list some players as CB in the list of defensive player substitutes. A player with a CB designation retains his ratings when he is used as an extra DB in nickel or dime formations to cover the WR3 or WR4, but if that CB is used as an LCB or RCB, his ratings are reduced, as follows: A CB (or DB) rated 6 is a 4 when playing LCB or RCB. All other CBs (or DBs) are a 0 when playing LCB or RCB. This rule only applies to the 2017 and later NFL season when Strat-O-Matic started rating CB’s specifically as slot cornerbacks.
