druski_2k5 - I agree with everything you said. And it's not that we think the defenses are too good - it's that they don't play within the realm of reality. I've done the exact tests you have using specific formations over and over again to illicit the defense into making a mistake. They'll read my plays before the ball is even snapped, effectively making the running game useless when trying to set up play action. Most of the time, play action results in me getting sacked or throwing an incomplete pass.
All of your points are things I've noticed about the game, and many of them I've talked about in this thread and NCAA football threads before it. The option game is another big one - making the correct read, you'll still probably lose yards. Have a fast, scrambling quarterback? He's never fast enough, nor do his teammates make the blocks needed to be successful. There's several ways they could adjust the AI to still make defenses valuable, but not unrealistic. They haven't figured out how to do this yet.
All of your points are things I've noticed about the game, and many of them I've talked about in this thread and NCAA football threads before it. The option game is another big one - making the correct read, you'll still probably lose yards. Have a fast, scrambling quarterback? He's never fast enough, nor do his teammates make the blocks needed to be successful. There's several ways they could adjust the AI to still make defenses valuable, but not unrealistic. They haven't figured out how to do this yet.