What I Have Been Doing Instead:
A Tecmo Super Bowl For NES FAQ
Version 2 - 06/27/00

By Leif Powers (HWPOWERS@prodigy.net, for 
now, anyway) whose Internet handle is 
Nameless Loser

Examples Taken From The Original TSB

1234567890
..........

----------------------------------------------------------------
LEGAL DISCLAIMER

This document is Copyright 2000 by Leif Powers. No 
for-profit production or use of this product, including 
above-cost sale, product ties, or other uses of this 
document to promote or sell objects is authorized. 
This document may be freely posted, but not altered, 
in any forum and used in any way for strictly 
personal usage, including improving one's Tecmo, 
wiping up Coke stains, and hiding from any non-
Tecmo-obsessed lover/spouse/pet. The opinions and 
ideas expressed in these documents are not 
necessarily reflective of those held by Tecmo, the 
NFL, my father, my lackeys, the NES, or even 
myself. If you're going to sue, sue me and not other 
people related to me. They have enough problems.

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Table of Contents 

0. Updates, Credits, Links, And Other
1. Introduction
2. The Roster 
3. Special Teams
4. On The Field: Offense And Defense By Play
5. Telling The Truth With Statistics
6. The Pro Bowl
7. Season Game
8. Tweaking The Tecmo
9. Playbook Combinations
10. Bugs And Weird Stuff
11. (preliminary) Mechanics 
12. Press Conference
13. Basic Instructions

----------------------------------------------------------------
0. Updates, Credits, Links, And Other

"Je suis au courant, parce que je suis tres
americain!!!"

---------------
Updates

Version 2:

- Added this section.
- Added the Bugs And Weird Stuff section.
- Added the (preliminary) Mechanics section.
- Deleted Plays For The Tecmoers Of Tomorrow section
because I thought it was stupid and didn't really
do anything for me.  
- Divided up the Special Teams section into parts on
kicking and each side's tactics. This information was 
already there, but I wanted to make it easier to find. 
- Added new punt tactics.
- Totally reordered the On The Field: Offense And 
Defense By Play section based on the number of 
plays in each formation. 
- Added indices to the plays and formations, as well
as to the whole On The Field: Offense And Defense 
By Play section. 
- Added Passing Order for all pass plays. 
- Added Defensive Shifts and noted them on these 
plays:
     - (OF) Flea Flicker & (DF) FB Offtackle R
     - (OF) No Back X Deep & (DF) Oneback Sweep R
     - (OF) Oneback Z Cross & (DF) Any Defensive
        Pass Play Call Except For Oneback Z Cross
       (not noted except in Oneback Z Cross)
     - (OF) Redgun Z Slant & ??? (see play for 
       notes)
- Added new defensive tactic for Pro T Waggle L.
- Added new defensive tactic for T Cross Run L,
thanks to Paul Schulzetenberg. 
- Extracted the General Comments for Set 2: 
Handoff After The Snap Plays from Power Fake Z Post.
- Added new defensive tactic for Power Fake Z Post
and Power Fake X Fly. 
- Big changes to the Shotgun Formation. Several play
diagrams were wrong and were changed; new race
defects were discovered; and the descriptions and
tactics were updated accordingly. 
- Added new defensive options for Shotgun Sweep L. 
- Indexed Tweaking The Tecmo.
- Added On Called Run Plays, Move Through The Gaps,
Change Your Lineup, and Vary Your Hike Time With 
Shifting Plays to Tweaking The Tecmo.
- Added Formation Combinations to Playbook 
Combinations. 
- Changed a ranking in Playbook Combinations.
- Added an interesting fact about David Meggett to
the Press Conference.
- Noted Vance Johnson as one who plays a position
and kicks and returns in the Press Conference.
- Officially recognized the Giants as the best team
in Tecmo in the Press Conference.
- Reorganized the Basic Instructions section and 
added some tidbits. 
- Added a "Tecmo Passing Study" to this section.
- Fixed up a few things and cleaned up a lot.
- Added some dreadful humour; it's even worse than 
the last version's. 

Version 1: 

- Trashed "Version 0" TSB FAQ due to inferiority and
age.
- Could not then update FAQ, due to lack of existing 
FAQ. Thanks to Leif Powers for helping me with this!!!

"Version 0":

- Vaporware FAQ created and left sitting for six
months. 

---------------
Credits

TSB Message Board - Explanations of statistics.
Paul Schulzetenberg - For putting a fire in my belly
to make this FAQ as good as it is and to improve it,
and for making a great documentation (still improving)
of the original Tecmo rosters. (edgarffvi@yahoo.com)
He also has given a great tip on T Cross Run L. 
Steven Maltby - For giving me his cart of TSB, 
helping me become proficient, and being a good sport
even when I'm not.

---------------
Links

Tecmo Super Bowl Webring
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/1022
/wrvisitors.htm

This is a very good page, which links to the infamous
Tecmo Super Bowl Message Board as well as to a ton
of other good sites. This is a great resource for 
Tecmo.

GameFaqs
www.gamefaqs.com

This is a site for anything and everything, but more
particularly, both this FAQ and Paul Schulzetenberg's
documents pertaining to Tecmo Super Bowl. If you're
any kind of an original Tecmo fan (1991 season), then
you really need to read his work, for so much 
miscellany and player ratings. 

---------------
Personals

Greetings - 
Paul Schulzetenberg - ...<indicates conspiracy>
The TSB Message Board - Sorry about the errors in
the last one. 
To the world: blimey. 

Questions 

Have I missed any plays with Defensive
Shifts in them? There might be more but I'm not
really too sure about that. 

I believe that fumbles are simply determined by the
Ball Control of the person being tackled. Is that
so? 

How are injuries determined, other than by the 
number of tackles?

---------------
Tecmo Passing Study

Originally, I worked this up in order to support
an argument for Dan Marino as the best strictly
quarterback in Tecmo. But, this proved so 
instructive and insightful that I could hardly let
it languish like that (by the way, I still think
Marino is the best passer, even after seeing the
results of my tests, which did not say a whole lot
for the skills of Marino in coverage). 

I played some COA games with Washington as the 
coached team. I picked each play and had the 
coached Washington defense call all of the other
pass plays in the book two or three times each,
excluding the ones where the QB can't get the pass 
off and repeating in many cases the plays where 
the ball was wild or the player clinched or was
uncovered. All of these tests were in
a Preseason, no-boost environment, the one which 
is most applicable to two-player contests. 
Here are the results, only 
counting the ones where there was coverage - the
computer is so stupid - and where the pass got to
the receiver, but not counting blocked passes
and jump interceptions from the defense that 
players could have done little about. For
the purposes of this study, 1 defender slide
that touches the receiver is counted as .5 
coverage:


Montana-Rice

Passes     Receptions     Interceptions     Coverage
1          0                0                 2
2          0                0                 2
3          0                0                 1
4          0                0                 1
5          1                0                 3
6          2                0                 3
7          2                0                 2
8          3                0                 2
9          3                0                 1
10         3                0                 2
11         4                0                 1
12         4                0                 1
13         4                0                 2
14         4                0                 2
15         5                0                 2
16         5                0                 2
17         6                0                 2
18         6                0                 2
19         7                0                 1
20         8                0                 3
21         8                0                 .5
22         8                0                 2
23         9                0                 1.5
24         10               0                 1
25         10               0                 1
26         10               0                 1
27         11               0                 1
28         12               0                 1
29         12               0                 2
30         12               0                 2
31         12               0                 2
32         12               1                 1
33         12               1                 1
34         13               1                 1
35         13               1                 2
36         13               1                 1
37         13               1                 3
38         14               1                 1
39         15               1                 1
40         16               1                 1
41         16               1                 2
42         16               1                 1
43         16               1                 2
44         16               1                 2
45         16               1                 1
46         16               1                 2
47         16               1                 2
48         17               1                 2

Reception %: 35.41%
Interception%: 2.08%
Average Coverage: 1.60 defenders

Comments: I think it's quite interesting that for
this test, Rice performed much better on triple
coverage passes than on lesser coverage. It might
be a statistical error. 


Moon-Oilers' Receivers

Passes     Receptions     Interceptions     Coverage
1          1                0                 1
2          1                0                 2.5
3          1                0                 2
4          2                0                 1
5          2                0                 2
6          2                0                 2
7          2                0                 1
8          2                0                 2
9          2                0                 1.5
10         3                0                 1
11         3                0                 2
12         3                0                 3
13         3                0                 2
14         4                0                 2
15         4                0                 1
16         5                0                 1
17         5                1                 1
18         5                1                 3
19         5                1                 2
20         6                1                 1
21         7                1                 1
22         8                1                 .5
23         8                1                 2
24         9                1                 2
25         9                1                 1
26         9                1                 2
27         9                1                 2
28         10               1                 1
29         11               1                 2
30         12               1                 2
31         12               1                 2
32         12               1                 2
33         12               1                 2
34         13               1                 1
35         13               1                 2
36         14               1                 1.5
37         15               1                 1
38         15               1                 3
39         16               1                 1
40         17               1                 2
41         17               1                 2
42         17               1                 2.5
43         17               1                 2
44         17               1                 2
45         17               1                 2
46         18               1                 3
47         18               1                 2.5
48         18               1                 1.5
49         19               1                 1
50         19               1                 2
51         19               1                 2
52         20               1                 1
53         20               1                 2
54         20               1                 1
55         21               1                 2
56         21               1                 2

Reception %: 37.50%
Interception%: 1.79%
Average Coverage: 1.74 defenders

Comments: These guys could not catch nearly as
well as Rice in double or triple coverage, but 
they were very consistent in single coverage. 


Marino-Dolphins' Receivers

Passes     Receptions     Interceptions     Coverage
1          0                0                 1
2          0                0                 2
3          0                0                 2
4          0                0                 2
5          0                0                 2
6          0                0                 1
7          0                0                 2
8          0                0                 2
9          1                0                 2
10         1                0                 1
11         2                0                 1
12         2                0                 1
13         2                1                 2
14         2                1                 1
15         2                2                 1
16         2                2                 1
17         2                2                 1
18         3                2                 1.5
19         4                2                 2
20         5                2                 2
21         6                2                 1
22         6                3                 1
23         6                3                 1
24         6                3                 1
25         6                3                 1
26         7                3                 1
27         7                3                 1
28         7                3                 1
29         8                3                 1
30         8                3                 1
31         8                3                 2.5
32         8                3                 1.5
33         8                3                 2
34         8                3                 1
35         8                3                 1
36         8                3                 2.5
37         8                4                 1
38         8                4                 1
39         8                4                 .5
40         8                5                 1
41         8                5                 2
42         8                5                 2
43         9                5                 1
44         9                5                 1
45         10               5                 1
46         10               5                 2
47         10               5                 2
48         10               5                 1
49         11               5                 1
50         11               5                 2
51         11               5                 .5
52         12               5                 1
53         12               5                 2
54         12               5                 2
55         12               5                 2
56         12               5                 1
57         12               5                 1.5

Reception %: 21.05%
Interception%: 8.77%
Average Coverage: 1.39 defenders

Comments: Mark Duper accounted for at least four
and maybe all of the interceptions. Interestingly
enough, he is WR #2, the same position as Rice.
That was where all the higher interception rating
people on the Washington defense were. Martin
Mayhew had a 69 Interceptions. I guess Marino's
lower Pass Accuracy and Duper's lower Receptions
(both 63, incidentally) had something to do with
this. Not surprisingly, Mark Clayton, with a 69
Receptions, had a higher receptions percentage,
but he seemed to account for more than 60% of 
the total receptions. That much is quite 
unexpected, and it really doesn't say much for
Duper. It seems to me that maybe the rate of 
interceptions as well is affected by the 
Receptions rating a player has, and not just the
Pass Accuracy of the quarterback. 

---------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
1.  Introduction

"They made a game, and called it Tecmo."

	I'm writing this because sooner or later I'll 
forget all the crazy things I've learned about the 
brilliant game known as Tecmo Super Bowl for the 
Nintendo Entertainment System, and because I need 
to ameliorate the skills of my less Tecmo-inclined 
personages. Feel free to e-mail me with whatever you 
have come up with, great plays, suggestions, 
criticisms, whatever. Credit will be provided, of 
course. There are probably a few less errors in
this than before. Bear with me, and help me out if I 
screwed up. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
2. The Roster

"He was made to march before the team."

The most important thing about your roster in Tecmo 
is to always put in the best people for any given 
position. Sounds fair enough. However, not only do 
you have to watch your players' conditions in a 
season mode, you must also put in backups 
automatically in some cases. For instance, Lorenzo 
White of the Oilers, "Butterfingers", is useless as a 
running back even though he can run and catch well. 
A good idea is to switch in Allen Pinkett or Doug 
Lloyd, both of whom have far better ball control. 
Moreover, in a Preseason or Pro Bowl game, where 
injuries are not a consideration, you should put in 
your best running backs (or receivers or tight ends) to 
return the ball. You can also switch around your 
players for a given play or just to eliminate a bad 
player, as above, like a slow fullback (a virtually 
useless oddity in Tecmo). The position a person 
originally plays has no effect on their ability to
play others, although a receiver would have a hard
time being a fullback because of low hitting power,
for example. So you can, for instance, put in
faster receivers for a bad fullback (but make sure 
that they have good ball control). 

I made a priority list of what I look for in any 
particular position (or would look for, but some of 
these Tecmo league people who trade non-
changeable players might care). Here it is. Note 
that these rankings reflect the general tendencies
of players. For instance, if I actually found a 
lineman with great Interceptions, I would take him
almost irrespective of his other statistics, but
because that doesn't usually happen, I rank the 
stats according to, in part, the variances that
such statistics usually have. Rushing Power is
another one because that usually tends to be
quite high or quite low. 

Quarterbacks: 
1. Pass Speed (this helps so much against a human 
player controlling a fast defender)
2. Pass Control
3. Pass Accuracy
4. Running Speed 
5. Maximum Speed (this and 4 are great for using
cheap QB sneaks that get tons of yardage)
6. Avoid Pass Block
7. Hitting Power
8. Rushing Power

Running Backs:
1. Running Speed
2. Maximum Speed
3. Ball Control
4. Rushing Power
5. Hitting Power
6. Receptions

Wide Receivers:
1. Receptions
2. Ball Control
3. Running Speed
4. Maximum Speed
5. Rushing Power
6. Hitting Power

Tight Ends:
1. Ball Control (this is here because the tight end 
almost always gets tackled if he catches the ball)
2. Receptions
3. Running Speed
4. Maximum Speed
5. Hitting Power
6. Rushing Power

Offensive Linemen:
1. Hitting Power
2. Running Speed
3. Rushing Power
4. Maximum Speed

Defensive Linemen:
1. Running Speed
2. Maximum Speed
3. Rushing Power
4. Hitting Power
5. Interceptions 
6. Quickness

Linebackers:
1. Running Speed
2. Maximum Speed
3. Interceptions
4. Quickness
5. Rushing Power
6. Hitting Power

Cornerbacks/Safeties
1. Interceptions
2. Running Speed
3. Maximum Speed
4. Quickness
5. Rushing Power
6. Hitting Power

Kickers:
1. Kicking Ability
2. Avoid Kick Block
3. Running Speed
4. Maximum Speed
5. Hitting Power
6. Rushing Power

Punters:
Same As Kickers

Kick Returners:
1. Ball Control
2. Running Speed
3. Rushing Power
4. Maximum Speed
5. Hitting Power
6. Receptions (I have yet to see a returner drop the 
ball - even if people don't even get to the "X" on 
the field they will still catch the ball - this has
happened with a punt return)

Punt Returners:
Same As Kick Returners


Notice my speed biases there, eh? 

----------------------------------------------------------------
3. Special Teams

"Tecmo has been ruled by special teams so long that 
people have forgotten what's special about that."

This section is divided into three parts:

1. Kickoffs
2. Punts
3. Field Goals

-------------------
1. Kickoffs

----------
Kicking The Ball 

The best thing for a kick is obviously practice, 
because it makes it much easier to kick full-power 
without a ton of onsides. If you're playing against a 
good opponent, you may not even want to try for full. 
Also, if you have a comparatively fast team and a 
good defense, you may want to onside kick and get 
the periodic turnover. A good way to get the best 
onside kick is to go for a full-power kick and then 
halt for a split second before pressing the button. 

----------
Returning The Kick

To return the kick with a computer opponent, try to 
move into the middle of the field to avoid getting cut 
off. If the kick was only at moderate power, some of 
the defenders will simply stay put and not even move 
until you pass them up. Simply use the usual dodging 
tactics to move upfield. With a human opponent, just 
attempt to put blockers between yourselves, since the 
human can not only tackle you, but slow you down 
enough to let the dumb computer players slide tackle 
you. You can also engage and attempt to shove his 
man off, but with a kick where everyone is fast this is 
rather risky. 

----------
Defending Against The Return

As far as defending the return goes, simply don't 
move too far ahead of the crowd unless you have a 
fast kicker with good Hitting Power, because you'll 
get knocked over pretty quickly. As you move in, hit 
the slide tackle button (B) repeatedly to avoid getting 
blocked early in the return. With a human, make sure 
that when you catch up you can either unavoidably 
slide tackle, struggle his man down, or have enough 
support around to make the tackle for you. 
Otherwise, you'll be immobilized and make it three 
times easier for your opponent to return the ball.

-------------------
2. Punts

----------
Kicking The Punt

A punt is an extremely difficult kick. Practice such 
that you can kick the ball on the first charge of the 
meter - usually a count of two will yield a decently 
powerful kick. 

----------
Returning The Punt

On the return, you only have one blocker usually, so 
try at first to maneuver behind him to stall some of 
the faster defenders, then take off in one direction 
and stick to it, unless you can get out into the open 
and start using the usual dodges and evasions. Three 
general situations can be used to determine what you 
should do next:

-----
1. No One Out There

When you get the ball and nearly no one is after you,
simply run straight ahead and wait until people come
on screen. When they appear, then go into normal 
dodging tactics, attempting to put everyone behind
you.

-----
2. A Few Pursuers

If there are a few men coming after you, first move
straight down to the side you don't want to advance
to (i.e. if you're going to up and then run, move
straight down, and vice versa). Then, reverse 
direction and move past the people that have moved
down to try and catch you. Begin the normal dodging
tactics. 

-----
3. A Mob Thinks You've Stolen Their Football

If a slew of people at lightning speed are coming
after you, being perhaps less than 15 yards from
you when you catch the ball, simply take what you
can get and move straight ahead into the legion of
oncoming trains (some call them football players). 

Other methods of escaping, more hazardous, exist. One
way of evading the attack is to move backwards and 
attempt to dodge the defenders, then go around them 
once they have dispersed and lost a good deal of their 
unity. However, one of the drawbacks of this method is 
its requirement for a faster returner, and if you are 
lacking in that department, don't even think about 
pulling a stunt like that. Another method of dealing
with a crowd is to move into them and run through a 
in their advance. This tactic is dangerous because 
you can get caught in a struggle (although a 
returner with high hitting power can lessen this risk),
and also because the defenders have a good opportunity
to slide tackle you. The benefit of this method lies 
in the possibility that all slide at you at once and
take themselves out in one fell swoop, or even that a
few of them do, and lessen the difficulty of running.

----------
Defending Against The Punt

Tackling a returner is no problem against a computer and 
usually easy against a human if you have enough hitting 
power and teammates to take the man down. If the 
returner doesn't have a lot of people moving in on him, 
simply be patient and let your fellow teammates catch 
up before you take him down. 

-------------------
3. Field Goals

----------
Kicking The Field Goal

A field goal is a piece of cake if you simply aim once 
and aim correctly. To align yourself properly for a 
field goal, get tackled in the middle of the field and 
kick straight ahead. If you are shifted to either side, 
kick a little more into the center of the field, but don't 
kick in the center. In either case, don't let the arrow 
rebound from the ends more than twice because that 
invites defenders (and even once can be cutting it 
close with linebackers like Lawrence Taylor) to swat 
your ball. 

----------
Defending Against The Field Goal
 
To defend against a field goal, simply tap the A 
button three times to find the fourth man on the line, 
who happens to be the top linebacker. This is about 
the only person who can consistently get inside in a 
reasonable time frame to block a kick. Simply run 
straight ahead and then curve into the middle, straight 
for the ball holder, then tackle him if possible (almost 
never). If you get held up, attempt to wrestle off the 
blocker, though that is rarely possible before the kick 
comes off. You can still block the kick in a struggle if 
you're close enough to the ball. 

----------
Everyone - LISTEN UP!!!

One thing that is worth mentioning is that you can 
pick up a blocked field goal ball, unlike most 
situations where a player cannot pick up a fumble. So 
get the bloody ball after you knock it out of the air 
and make sure that your opponent doesn't have an 
unimpeded path to the end zone, because little else 
hurts like a field goal recovered by the kicking team 
for a touchdown.  

-------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
4. On The Field: Offense And Defense By Play

"In Tecmo, the best defense is a good offense."

This section is organized by formation. Each part will 
be prefaced by an ASCII diagram of a particular 
formation, following by a general discussion of the 
plays and defenses from that formation, and 
concluding with a list of plays in the formation and 
their characteristics. Before this, there is a list of
useful information in understanding the information 
after the useful information in understanding it, 
which makes the information after the useful 
information more useful. To be more concise, this is
the way this section is organized:

--------
Exposition (Useful Information)
T Formation (Plays)
Onesetback Formation
Run And Shoot Formation
Shifting Onesetback Formation
Shotgun Formation
Funky Triangle Formation Thingy 
One Man Shift Formation
Shotgun 3-Wing Formation
Slot Formation
WTE Formation
Formation/Play Oneback Z Cross
Formation/Play No Back X Deep
Formation/Play Run And Shoot 3-Wing
Formation/Play Redgun Z Slant
--------

I have also devised some cruel indices for you to use 
in finding and comparing plays.

A notation used in the indices is called the 
Play Number <no. 1 & no. 2>: This refers 
specifically to the way the plays are organized in 
the Tecmo playbook selection screen. The first number 
is the slot in which the play is found in the playbook 
screen, left to right, then top to bottom. For instance, 
the second run slot (with FB Offtackle L) is 2, and 
the third pass slot (with Pro T Flare C) is 7. The 
second number is how many times you have to hit right 
to get to the play once you've selected the slot. For 
instance, in slot 1 (the first run slot), WTE Offtackle 
R is 0, and Run And Shoot Sweep L is 2. Put the number 
of the slot and the number of the play in the slot 
together and you get the play number. For example, WTE 
Offtackle R is 10 and Run And Shoot Sweep L is 12,
while Shotgun X Curl is 60. 

--------
Formation Index:

<Formation, Plays In Formation>
	<Play, Play Number>

Exposition (0 plays)
	<no play> <nonexistent play number>

T Formation (16 plays)

 Pass Set 1: Straight Back Plays
     Pro T Flare C - 74
     Pro T Flare D - 62
     Pro T Screen L - 54
 Pass Set 2: Waggles    
     Pro T Waggle R - 50
     Pro T Waggle L - 56
 Pass Set 3: Other Plays
     T Play Action D - 53
     T Flea Flicker - 76
 Run Set 1: Power Plays
     Cross Offtackle - 32 
     T Offtackle R - 24
     T Sweep Strong - 25
     T Power Sweep R - 17
 Run Set 2: Technical Plays
     Pro T Dive - 42
     T Power Dive - 26
     Reverse Pitch R - 45
     T Cross Run L - 30
     T Fake Sweep R - 16

Onesetback Formation (10 plays)

 Set 1: Top Handoff Plays
     Reverse-Fake Z Post - 81
     WR Reverse R - 43
     Pitch L Fake - 21
 Set 2: Handoff After The Snap Plays
     Power Fake Z Post - 66
     Power Fake X Fly - 77
     Onesetback L - 11
     FB Offtackle L - 27
 Set 3: All Other Plays
     X Out And Fly - 80
     Oneback Flare A - 65
     Pitch L Open - 33

Run And Shoot Formation (8 plays)

     Run And Shoot Y Up - 87
     Run And Shoot Z Fly - 61
     Run And Shoot Flare C - 57
     Run And Shoot QB Sneak - 40
     Run And Shoot QB Run - 46
     Run And Shoot Draw - 20
     Run And Shoot Left - 12
     Run And Shoot Right - 37

Shifting Onesetback Formation (6 plays)

     Playaction Z In - 72
     Roll Out R - 51
     Onesetback Dive - 41
     WR Reverse L - 35
     Oneback Sweep R - 22
     FB Open L - 14

Shotgun Formation (6 plays)

 Formation 1     
     Shotgun X Curl - 60
     Shotgun Draw - 36
 Formation 2
     Shotgun Z S-In - 84
     Shotgun X Drive - 70
 Formation 3
     Shotgun XY Bomb - 86
     Shotgun C Draw - 44

Funky Triangle Formation Thingy (4 plays)

     Offset Flare E - 63
     Play Action - 55
     Toss Sweep R - 15
     FB Power Dive - 43

One Man Shift Formation (4 plays)

     FB Offtackle R - 13
     Weakside Open - 23
     Roll Out L - 52
     Flea Flicker - 73

Shotgun 3-Wing Formation (2 plays)

     Shotgun 3-Wing - 75
     Shotgun Sweep L - 47

Slot Formation (2 plays)

     Slot L Z Drive - 82
     Slot Offtackle - 31

WTE Formation (2 plays)

     WTE Offtackle R - 10
     WTE Flea Flicker - 67

Formation/Play Oneback Z Cross - 64

Formation/Play No Back X Deep - 83

Formation/Play Run And Shoot 3-Wing - 71

Formation/Play Redgun Z Slant - 85

--------
Play Number Index:
64 total plays in 8 slots

XX: Exposition

10: WTE Offtackle R - WTE Formation
11: Onesetback L - Onesetback Formation
12: Run And Shoot Sweep L - Run And Shoot Formation
13: FB Offtackle R - One Man Shift Formation
14: FB Open L - Shifting Onesetback Formation
15: Toss Sweep R - Funky Triangle Formation 
16: T Fake Sweep R - T Formation
17: T Power Sweep R - T Formation

20: Run And Shoot Draw - Run And Shoot Formation
21: Pitch L Fake - Onesetback Formation
22: Oneback Sweep R - Shifting Onesetback Formation
23: Weakside Open - One Man Shift Formation
24: T Offtackle R - T Formation
25: T Sweep Strong - T Formation
26: T Power Dive - T Formation 
27: FB Offtackle L - Onesetback Formation

30: T Cross Run L - T Formation 
31: Slot Offtackle - Slot Formation
32: Cross Offtackle - T Formation 
33: Pitch L Open - Onesetback Formation
34: WR Reverse R - Onesetback Formation
35: WR Reverse L - Shifting Onesetback Formation
36: Shotgun Draw - Shotgun Formation
37: Run And Shoot Sweep R - Run And Shoot Formation

40: Run And Shoot QB Sneak - Run And Shoot Formation
41: Onesetback Dive - Shifting Onesetback Formation
42: Pro T Dive - T Formation 
43: FB Power Dive - Funky Triangle Formation
44: Shotgun C Draw - Shotgun Formation
45: Reverse Pitch R - T Formation 
46: Run And Shoot QB Run - Run And Shoot Formation
47: Shotgun Sweep L - Shotgun 3-Wing Formation

50: Pro T Waggle R - T Formation 
51: Roll Out R - Shifting Onesetback Formation 
52: Roll Out L - One Man Shift Formation
53: T Play Action D - T Formation 
54: Pro T Screen L - T Formation 
55: Play Action - Funky Triangle Formation
56: Pro T Waggle L - T Formation 
57: Run And Shoot Flare C - Run And Shoot Formation

60: Shotgun X Curl - Shotgun Formation
61: Run And Shoot Z Fly - Run And Shoot Formation
62: Pro T Flare D - T Formation 
63: Offset Flare E - Funky Triangle Formation
64: Formation/Play Oneback Z Cross
65: Oneback Flare A - Onesetback Formation
66: Power Fake Z Post - Onesetback Formation
67: WTE Flea Flicker - WTE Formation

70: Shotgun X Drive - Shotgun Formation
71: Formation/Play Run And Shoot 3-Wing
72: Playaction Z In - Shifting Onesetback Formation 
73: Flea Flicker - One Man Shift Formation
74: Pro T Flare C - T Formation 
75: Shotgun 3-Wing - Shotgun 3-Wing Formation
76: T Flea Flicker - T Formation 
77: Power Fake X Fly - Onesetback Formation

80: X Out And Fly - Onesetback Formation
81: Reverse-Fake Z Post - Onesetback Formation
82: Slot L Z Drive - Slot Formation
83: Formation/Play No Back X Deep
84: Shotgun Z S-In - Shotgun Formation
85: Formation/Play Redgun Z Slant
86: Shotgun XY Bomb - Shotgun Formation
87: Run And Shoot Y Up - Run And Shoot Formation

--------
 
-----------------------------
Exposition

First, some general definitions and explanations are 
needed:  


Reversible Play - This is a play that can be changed
by simply making the running back move in a different 
direction, useful against human opponents. 


Call-Safe (AKA Picked Play - Safe or Pick-Safe):

     Player: A call-safe player is someone who can 
generally be thrown to by most offenses and can 
catch the ball whenever a play is called.

     Play: A call-safe play is one with some ways
to get yardage if it is called.  


Nose Tackle Dive (AKA center trick, lurch, NTD, 
center slide, or simply slide): Using the nose tackle,
move in one or two yards down-diagonally inside 
and one or two more straight inside, and sliding into 
the QB/running backs by hitting the B button repeatedly
(and in some cases this means mashing the button, as 
the game does not always appreciate your efforts to
defy physics). In some cases, it is necessary to move
a bit farther in to catch some faster QBs, like Vinny 
Testaverde and QB Eagles, or a little less to hit
slower QBs before they do anything. The NTD is a 
nearly invincible move as is the normal slide, moving
through multiple people with the greatest of ease. 


Passing Order: This is the order of your passing 
targets (receivers). For instance, the first receiver 
is the one the cursor starts on, the second is the one 
that you target after pressing A once, the third twice, 
etc.


Race Defect: When I use this term, I mean that a 
play can be discerned from others in its formation
if the races of the people are switched around. When
you look at the lineup of these plays, you will notice
that certain plays have lineups different from some
or all of the others in the formation. This allows you
to discern when a particular play or group of plays
has been called. This weakens the offense and 
strengthens the defense attendant to that play. Note
however that I am not a racist. The reason that this
phenomenon exists is because the people are
switched in position for that particular play, and
this can be noted by looking at the running backs' 
races if they are dissimilar. The plays with a race
defect are:

Pitch L Open (Onesetback Formation)
T Power Dive (T Formation)

The Shotguns are a mess; look in that section for
more about their lineups and resulting race 
defects. 


Defensive Shift: This is when a certain defender
(usually the top cornerback) will move along with
a moving player on the offense when the whole team
is in the lineup before the snap. This allows you
to tell when a certain play has been called so 
that you may act accordingly. This, as does the
race defect, weakens the offense and strengthens
the defense. However, this doesn't always seem to
work, and I don't understand quite why this is so.
I haven't documented all of these, but one way
that you can use a Shift for yourself that isn't in
here is to note the play that your opponent uses
that down and then link that with the play you
called to find out if he calls that play again.


Unless otherwise specified, all of the run plays are
not call-safe, but not necessarily the kiss of 
death. Almost any play in this book, though, can
be call-safe or call-nil in special situations, 
(such as a fast running back or QB and bad defense) 
so for passes, you might want to tap B if you think 
you can get a pass off and for runs you just want to
get as many yards as possible.


When I say that a play has lots of blockers, I mean 
that it has free blockers in front of the runner 
(I call them "roving blockers"). These are the guys 
that take out unnecessary defenders, shield the 
runner for a few yards, and pull stuff like blocking 
safeties in the back (you should have heard Steven's 
indignant protest, "That's ILLEGAL!" when my roving 
blockers on a Pitch L Open hit his free safety in the 
back - the guy rolled over, too). These guys are 
absolute nightmares for a human opponent because they 
get in the way of direct confrontations with runners 
and receivers. 


When there is motion on a play, the receivers will
still go to the same spots, but the path that they
take will be altered according to their position at
the snap.


RB#1 (also RB #1 - in other parts of the FAQ, the 
space is sometimes used for better readability) is 
the first running back in the lineup and likewise with 
WR#1 (also WR #1 for example). 


One thing that is not really an explanation of this
per se, but that is quite useful, is who is who in
alternate team lineups, such as four WR/one RB or
three WR/one RB/one TE. The order is the same; it's
just that the names are different. In other words:

--------
Normal Lineup
QB

RB#1
RB#2

WR#1
WR#2

TE

--------
Three Receivers
QB = QB

RB = RB#1

WR#1 = RB#2
WR#2 = WR#1
WR#3 = WR#2

TE = TE

--------
Four Receivers
QB = QB

RB = RB#1

WR#1 = RB#2
WR#2 = WR#1
WR#3 = WR#2
WR#4 = TE

--------

Does that make sense? I hope so. 

-----------------------------
T Formation Plays

          WR#1
                  
                
           TE
RB#1       LT
           LG
          QB C
           RG
RB#2       RT             
                
                
           WR#2

or, for T Power Dive:

          WR#1
                  
                
           TE
RB#2       LT
           LG
          QB C
           RG
RB#1       RT             
                
                
           WR#2

General Comments: For this formation and the next 
one, I have no general overreaching comments for the 
whole set. I have arranged them according to  
peculiar characteristics that each of them have. You'll 
see what I mean when you read them, and the general 
comments for each set are given with that set. There
are five groups for this formation:

Pass Set 1: Straight Back Plays
Pass Set 2: Waggles
Pass Set 3: Other Plays
Run Set 1: Power Plays
Run Set 2: Technical Plays

-------
Pass Set 1: Straight Back Plays

General Comments: All of these plays are good, but 
susceptible to the nose tackle dive and most other 
blitz techniques. Make sure you're prepared to dodge 
any defenders. 

Pro T Flare C:

          O--------------------->WR#1
                  
                   
           O-----------------
O          LT--RB#1          \
 \---------LG                ->TE
      QB---O C     RB#2
           RG       /
O          RT      /       
 \                /  
  ----------------       WR#2    
           O--------------|

Offense: All people go past the line in this one. Move 
closer to the bottom to increase your chances of a 
reception to the middle receiver, because as he moves 
down he tends to cause quarterbacks trouble in 
passing to him. If you pass to him, make sure you're 
not moving or under significant pressure. Call-safe 
receiver is RB #2 (hit A two times).

Passing Order:
WR#1
TE
RB#2
WR#2

Defense: The one that really has to be watched is the 
tight end that slopes downward. He often shakes 
computer defenders, so oftentimes it's a good idea to 
take someone out and cover him for sure. 

Pro T Flare D:

 --RB#1   O-------------------
/                             \->WR#1
|                
|          TE---------  
O          LT         \
           LG          \
      QB---O C         TE
           RG
O          RT             
|                
\                ------------
 --RB#2    O----/            \-->WR#2

Note that RB #1 and RB #2 will sometimes run out
of their places and move straight out into the 
field. 

Offense: This is a great play in the second 
pass slot. You can almost always find someone open 
with this. If you want short yards, simply pass to the 
running backs on either side of you as quickly as 
possible after the snap for an almost guaranteed 
reception. The tight end moves into the middle about 
two seconds in, so keep him in mind and throw to 
him quickly, because your opponent can see him very 
well if he's open. Call-safe receivers are the tight end 
(hit A once), RB #1 (hit A thrice), and RB #2 (hit A 
four times, if you can do that before getting nailed). 

Passing Order:
WR#1
TE
WR#2
RB#1
RB#2

Defense: The wild card here is the two running backs 
on either side of the QB. If you move in to directly 
cover one of them, a pass to the other side is 
impossible to stop. Moreover, it leaves you 
susceptible to passes long or in the middle that get 
caught, because you have to run all the way back out 
to stop the receivers. What you should probably do is 
stay right in the middle where the tight end is and 
move for whoever catches the ball once the pass is 
thrown. 

Pro T Screen L:

 ---RB#1  O---------------------->WR#1
/                  
|                
|          O-------
O          LT      \
           LG       \
      QB---O C      TE
     -RB#2 RG
O---/      RT             
                
                           WR#2 
           O----------------|

RB#1 will sometimes continue on straight ahead.

Offense: This is a well balanced play, with two 
decent short opportunities. Move to the top to make 
your passes more accurate. You'll usually get sacked 
on this one if it's called - just hit B to pass in the rare 
event that you stay up long enough to make it. 

Passing Order:
RB#1
WR#1
TE
WR#2

Defense: If you pursue the long men, make sure to 
watch the shorter ones. 

-------
Pass Set 2: Waggles

General Comments: Both these plays severely hurt 
linemen, though Pro T Waggle L can be dodged by a 
good nose tackle or even stopped by a 
nose tackle dive. They should only be used for 
diversity and never abused, because each can be 
attacked either by a call, which results in a nine or ten 
yard loss, or by a secondary or linebacker who moves 
in after the QB - same loss. Their difference lies in 
how far the receivers go out. 

Pro T Waggle R:

          O---------------
                          \
                         WR#1
  RB#2     TE
O---|--    LT
    |  |   LG
    /--|---O C
  -/   |   RG
O/ |   |   RT             
   |    \               WR#2
   QB    \               /
         --O-RB#1--------

Offense: Of the three short receivers, the best is RB 
#1 at the very bottom, because many times he's not 
covered and RB #1 is usually decently fast. This play 
can be confused with T Cross Run L. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
WR#2
RB#1

Defense: As with other plays with the quarterback on 
a track, take a secondary or linebacker and move in 
after the QB. Failing that, just make sure everyone is 
covered. 

Pro T Waggle L:

          O---------------------->WR#1
 QB       -------RB#2          
  |      /      
  |     /  TE
O |    |   LT
 \\    |  -O            WR#2
  \\---|--|O C           /
   \   |  -O            /  
O---\--   |RT          / 
     \    ---LG & RG (block)
    RB#1             /
           O--------- 

Offense: This one is better than Pro T Waggle R 
because your people go longer. Watch for the top 
receiver, because he's not often covered well or even 
at all. The shorter men are decent as well in that 
respect. This pass can be confused with T Power 
Sweep R, amongst others.  

Passing Order:
RB#2
WR#2
WR#1

Defense: Move in on the QB as in Pro T Waggle R, 
but look out for the long man if you stay out in 
coverage. Alternatively, if you don't know what
play will be called, you can stop this play if 
you use an altered nose tackle dive: if you hold
down-diagonal toward the bottom as you normally
would, and hit B quickly (it may require you to
mash the button) as soon as the center snaps the
ball, you can slide through a few opposing 
men, hitting the QB as he comes up from the fake
handoff. This allows you to stay close for a
normal nose tackle dive to stop other plays. 
Make sure if you use this tactic that you do
it quickly. 

-------
Pass Set 3: Other Plays

General Comments: None. 

T Play Action D:

           O----------------
                            \
                             \
            TE                \
 O          LT               WR#1
/           LG       
|   QB------O-C----RB#2
|      /    RG 
|O-----     RT             
 \               
  ------------------->RB#1     
            O-------------------->WR#2

Offense: Move yourself to the bottom a little bit to 
take advantage of the bias in the receivers. If this
is called, consider a trip to the hospital when the
seven defenders hit you all at once. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#2
RB#1

Defense: This dies with a nose tackle dive. 
Otherwise, just go out into coverage, and watch the 
top receiver; he's quite pesky. 

T Flea Flicker:

          O--------------------
      -----------RB#2          \->WR#1
      |          
      |    TE
O     |    LT
 \QB  |   -O
  \\--|---|O C
   \  |   -O
O---\-    |RT             
     \    ---LG & RG   WR#2
    RB#1               /
           O----------- 

The left and right guards are roving blockers,
I believe. 

Offense: This can be confused with T Power Sweep 
R, so use that to confuse your opponent. You can't 
call this one very often, because this play can yield 
automatic fumbles if called by your opponent. You 
may not even want to call it at all, but rather leave 
your opponent waiting for it. It's not call-safe, but
occasionally you will be missed and become able to 
pass the ball.

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#2
WR#2  

Defense: This one is best dealt with by covering the 
receivers. Just tag whichever ones aren't covered. It 
isn't worth taking the risk of getting bowled over in 
order to stop this play, although you can try it with 
the lowest linebacker. What you really want to do is 
call this play and then recover the frequent fumble 
that results.

-------
Run Set 1: Power Plays

General Comments: These plays all have either a lot 
of blockers or the ability to stuff linemen or 
linebackers with the push of the offensive line after 
the snap. Thus, these are generally more useful than 
the plays in Set 2. 

Cross Offtackle:

          WR#1-------
                    |
      --------------|---->RB#2
     /     TE      (blocks)
O---/---   LT
   /   |   LG
QB/----|---O C   (whole line moves out to block)
 /     |   RG
O      |   RT             
      RB#1           
                   (blocks)
           WR#2-----/

Offense: This play is very good and decently fast, but 
watch yourself as you come out, because you rarely 
have roving blockers and anyone who approaches 
you will take you down if you're not careful. 

Defense: Take the top cornerback or free safety and 
move in on the hole, slide tackling if useful.

T Offtackle R:

          WR#1 (blocks)
                  
                
           TE
O          LT
 \         LG
 QB--------O C (this line moves out to block)
   \       RG
RB#2\      RT             
   \ ----------------->RB#1            
    \--(blocks)            
           WR#2----------(blocks)

Offense: This is a hard play on the defense because 
tons of people get hit. However, you need to avoid 
making unnecessary moves since some linebackers 
can move down fairly quickly and make life hard for 
you. You have one roving blocker, but he usually 
goes for the strong safety. You're basically on your 
own with this one.

Defense: Use a secondary to wrestle down the man, 
or, take a lower linebacker and slide tackle the runner 
down.

T Sweep Strong: 

          WR#1--------(blocks)
 QB                 
  |             
  |        TE
O |        LT
 \|       -O
  |-------|O C (these fellas block)
  |       -O
O-|       |RT             
 \ \      ---LG & RG (block)      
  -------------RB#2 (blocks)----------->RB#1            
           WR#2-----(blocks)

Offense: This is a good run play, but the blockers are 
somewhat spread out, so watch for insurgent 
defenders. This play can be reversed somewhat. 

Defense: Take someone on the top, either secondary, 
linebacker, or lineman, and move through the 
blockers for the tackle. You can also move around 
the blockers. 

T Power Sweep R:

          WR#1--------(blocks)
 QB   ---------RB#2              
  |   | 
  |   |    TE
O |   |    LT
 \|   |   -O
  |--/----|O C (most block; see note)
  | /     -O
O-|-      |RT             
   \      --LG & RG (block)       
    ---------------->RB#1            
           WR#2-----(blocks)

Offense: This is one of the better run plays because 
the blockers are many and tight. This play can be 
reversed with a decent running back.

Defense: The best tactic is to move around the sweep 
with whatever defender you've chosen. You can 
move through, but it's a bit tougher than with T 
Sweep Strong (in my opinion, at least - the numbers
would not suggest that). 

-------
Run Set 2: Technical Plays

General Comments: These runs are nice, but require 
more care and skill to pull off than the power runs. 

Pro T Dive:

           WR#1------
                     \
                      \   
            TE         \
 O          LT         |
/           LG       (blocks)
|   QB------O-C--------------->RB#2
|      /    RG (blocks)
|O-----     RT /            
 \            /   
  ------RB#1  |   
            WR#2

Offense: This play is not great, considering you have 
no blockers through the middle. This play can be 
easily reversed, though, which is almost necessary.

Defense: A nose tackle dive kills this. You can also 
just take someone in and struggle them down with 
few complications. 

T Power Dive: 

           WR#1------
                     \
                      \   
            TE         \
 RB#2---    LT         |
        \   LG       (blocks)
    QB------O-C-----RB#2-------->RB#1
       /    RG (blocks)
 RB#1--     RT /            
              /   
              |   
            WR#2

Offense: This play is like Pro T Dive, but with a 
blocker in front, making it much more useful. You 
can decently run in the middle, or you can go to 
either side on a reversal. However, this is the
one play in this formation that is afflicted with 
the cursed race problem - the two backs are 
switched on this play. Thus, you have to be 
careful about this play if you have different color 
backs.   

Defense: You can nose tackle dive this, or you can 
take a secondary and move in after the blocker has 
been taken care of. Watch the backs and see if 
they've switched for an indication that this play 
has been called. 

Reverse Pitch R:

          O
         /            
      --/----->RB#2 (blocks)
      ||   TE
RB#1--||-  LT
      |||  LG
     /-||--O C (this group blocks)
    /  ||  RG
O--/   ||  RT (blocks)(blocks)  
  /    \\     /        /
QB      --RB#1---------/--->WR#1
           WR#2-------

Offense: This is a nice surprise play, but not much 
else, so go in whichever direction seems most useful 
and free of defenders. 

Defense: Simply find the runner and take him down. 
This play can be detected by looking at WR #1 and 
seeing whether he remains stationary, and, if so,
this is the play in progress. 

T Cross Run L:

          WR#1-------
                     \
      -------->RB#2  (blocks)
      |    TE
O-----|--  LT
      | |  LG
     /--|--O C (this group blocks)
    /   |  RG
O--/    |  RT         (blocks)  
  /     \              /
QB       RB#1         /
           WR#2-------

Offense: This is a decent run play, but you don't have 
many blockers (and the slower fullbacks tend to run 
this) so be careful about where you go if you want to 
get more than a few yards. This is only a little 
reversible.

Defense: Simply take a linebacker or secondary and 
just move in after the running back. Paul gave a good
tip which I had used before, but always had forgotten
and likely would not have made it in here; take the
second-to-top linebacker and simply move straight in.
As long as you don't contact any blockers, you have
a straight shot at the runner. You can either slide
tackle or struggle him down from there. Thanks Paul!

T Fake Sweep R:

           WR#1------
                     \
                      \   
            TE         \
 O          LT         |
/           LG       (blocks)
|   QB------O-C--RB#2
|      /    RG (blocks)
|O-----     RT /            
 \            /   
  ------------|----->RB#1   
            WR#2

Offense: You can run this play and it works 
somewhat, but it's kind of weak due to the paucity of 
blockers. This play becomes useful with one other 
run play through the middle like Pro T Dive if your 
opponent can't use the nose tackle dive. Simply run 
straight ahead and don't think about reversing it. 

Defense: This play can be stopped with a nose tackle 
dive or simply by moving your man to the bottom 
and taking out the runner when he gets the ball. 

-------

-----------------------------
Onesetback Formation:

             WR#1
                   
            RB#2
             LT
             LG
RB#1        QB C
             RG
             RT
             TE
                
            WR#2

or, for Pitch L Open:

             WR#1
                   
            RB#1
             LT
             LG
RB#2        QB C
             RG
             RT
             TE
                
            WR#2

There are three groups for this formation:

Set 1: Top Handoff Plays
Set 2: Handoff After The Snap Plays
Set 3: All Other Plays

-------
Set 1: Top Handoff Plays

General Comments: For these plays, the essential 
thing to look out for is where the ball goes after the 
handoff. You can kill the play before then as well by 
attacking the two men involved in ball switching with 
a linebacker slide tackle or struggle. All of these 
plays are inferior because they can be tracked down 
and destroyed fairly easily. None of these are call-
safe.

Reverse-Fake Z Post:

        ------O
       /-------------->RB#1       
      /     RB#2
    WR#1     LT
             LG
QB-O---------O C 
             RG
             RT
             TE
                            ---->WR#2
            O--------------/

Offense: This play requires that you know who you're 
going to pass to before you get the ball, since there's 
a lot of time between the snap and the QB getting the 
ball. Once you get the ball, pass quickly.

Passing Order:
WR#2
RB#1

Defense: You can initially murder this play by 
attacking the QB. If you can knock the QB down 
either by slide tackling him at the start of the play or 
hitting him with a nose tackle or other defender in the 
middle of the ballplay, you cause WR #1, who gets 
the ball, to throw it wherever the QB is, even if he's 
down, which yields you a automatic fumble. What's 
more, you can hit either the running back who goes 
up to handoff or WR #1 who takes the ball to 
stop or fumble the play. And more - you can cover 
the men who go out (since there are only two). You 
have no excuse if your opponent gets yards on this 
play. 

WR Reverse R:

        ------O
       /--------------RB#1       
      /     RB#2
     /       LT
    /        LG
QB-O---------O C (all but QB & WR#1 block)
    \        RG
     \       RT
      \      TE
       --------------->WR#1         
            WR#2

Offense: As soon as you get the ball on this play, 
move forward, because chances are that your 
opponent is watching you very closely and wants to 
take you out at the first opportunity. 

Defense: This can be distinguished from Reverse 
Fake Z Post because the runner usually hooks toward 
the line instead of moving in a straight diagonal 
towards the QB. Simply take this guy out by making 
sure your man doesn't get caught up with the fake or 
a blocker. There's nothing more to it than that. 

Pitch L Fake:

        ------O
       /-------------->RB#1       
      /     RB#2
     /       LT
    /        LG
QB-O---------O C (all but QB & RB#1 block)
   /         RG
  WR#1       RT
             TE
                
            WR#2

Offense: Move straight out as soon as you get control 
of the runner.

Defense: If the cursor on top of the man who runs up 
reappears, take him out. 

-------
Set 2: Handoff After The Snap Plays

General Comments: On all the HATSP plays, you 
can take the second to top linebacker and move 
diagonally down-left into the formation, then slide 
tackle. With the passes, sometimes you can catch the 
QB with a slide from the line, but most of the time 
you have to pursue him and then take him down. This
is their fundamental weakness, but if you alternate
these with something devastating like Pitch L Open
or something tricky to recover from and defend 
against with the second linebacker like X Out And 
Fly, you've got few worries. None of these are
call-safe. 

Power Fake Z Post:

             O--------
                     |   ----RB#1
        ----RB#2-----|--/
       /     LT      |
      /      LG      |
O----QB------O C     |
             RG      |
             RT      |
             TE     WR#1
                              ---->WR#2
            O----------------/

RB #2 is a roving blocker. 

Offense: This is a good play to use when you want to 
lead receivers instead of having straight out situations 
where people get covered and blocked fairly easily. 
You want to watch for RB #1 who comes out and is 
often uncovered. There's a roving blocker on this play 
as well - always a good thing on a pass. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1

Defense: If you want to stop the pass and go out into
coverage on this play, watch the shorter range 
men because those are the least frequently covered. If 
it's near the end of a half or fourth down, you may 
want to help cover the long receiver, because 
coverage for all people is usually single on this play.
You can also attempt a nose tackle dive, but it doesn't
always work very well because you can get caught up in
the line. 

Power Fake X Fly:

             O--------------------->WR#1
                         ---RB#1
        ----RB#2--------/
       /     LT       
      /      LG       
O----QB------O C      
             RG      TE 
             RT     /   
             TE-----     
                              
            O---------------------->WR#2

Offense: This is a good handoff play with four 
receivers that go out. It has good medium and long 
pass opportunities. Pass soon to avoid getting stuffed 
by coverage that moves in front of your receiver. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1
TE

Defense: See General Comments. Also, coverage for 
this play is longer, so take out a man and put him in 
the middle of all the receivers to make it easier for 
you to cover multiple men. You can try a nose tackle
dive on this almost straight after the snap. 

Onesetback L/FB Offtackle L:

             O---WR#1
              --RB#2     
            O/ LT
        -----O/------>RB#1
       /     LG
O----QB------O C (all block)
             RG
             RT
             TE
                
            O-------WR#2

Offense: These two plays are indistinguishable, so I'll 
treat them as one. Don't do anything funny, just go 
through the hole and start dodging people as soon as 
you gain control. One thing to look out for is the 
top cornerback. Sometimes he gets blocked and 
sometimes he doesn't so take him into consideration 
as you run. This is one of the best running plays in 
the game because you get a good thrust that blocks 
multiple positions. 

Defense: Use the second-to-top linebacker to slide 
tackle the running back right after the handoff as 
described in General Comments. If this is not 
allowed, just use a safety or a lower linebacker to 
finish off the runner. 

-------
Set 3: All Other Plays

General Comments: I just threw the rest in here.

X Out And Fly:

             O--------\       /-->WR#1
                 RB#2  -------
            O----/
             LT
             LG
O       QB---O C   RB#1
 \           RG     /      TE
  \          RT    /       /
   \         O----/--------
    --------------           --->WR#2
            O---------------/

Offense: This is a great five-receiver play. You have 
to wait for a little while for a couple of the short-
range opportunities to develop in the middle, but you 
have a nice spread over the field. Make sure you pass 
quickly if you're going to the group of three in the 
center of the field to avoid increased coverage in that 
area as the play matures (I didn't want to use develop 
again). Call-safe receivers are RB #2 (hit A two times)
and RB #1 (hit A four times).	 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#2
TE
RB#1

Defense: You can nose tackle dive this play. Also, 
the three-receiver nest is easily handled if you stand 
in the middle of it. The key here is not to miss an 
open man in the mess of people. 

Oneback Flare A:

             O--------------|
                           WR#1
            O------
             LT    \
      -RB#1  LG     \
O----/  QB---O C    RB#2
             RG
             RT
             TE
                                ->WR#2
            O------------------/

Offense: This play is kind of weak. You should pass 
as soon as you find a man, because with only three 
receivers, coverage will come soon to all of them.
Call-safe receiver is RB #2 (hit A twice). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#2

Defense: Just go out into coverage, or nose tackle 
dive the QB. You should watch the short range 
receivers, because those are not often both covered. 

Pitch L Open:

             WR#1
    ---------------->RB#2               
   /        RB#1
  /          LT  (this whole side blocks up and out)
 /           LG
O           QB C 
             RG  (sits there)
             RT  (sits there)
             TE (moves out and blocks)
                
            WR#2 (moves out, up and blocks)

Offense: This is probably the best run play in the 
whole game. You often get three blockers who just roam 
around (they even block safeties in the back) and you 
gain control of your back quickly. Move as quickly 
as you can out into the field, since the blockers often 
end up doing their own thing. This is a play to abuse.
The only drawback to this play is a problem mentioned
earlier, the bloody race problem.
This is (if I did this part properly) the only 
onesetback formation play where the fullback (or RB#2) 
is in back, making it easy for a good human opponent to literally discriminate when you run this if you have 
backs of different color. Watch yourself.  

Defense: When this play starts, don't move in too 
quickly. Instead, wait until the blockers have 
dissipated and then move in to attack. The best 
people to control are the safeties and the lower 
linebackers. You can see if this play has been 
called if the backs have different colors from other
plays in this formation.

-------

-----------------------------
Run And Shoot Formation:

               WR#1
                         
              RB#2
                      
               LT
               LG
RB#1          QB C
               RG
               RT
                     
              TE
                     
               WR#2

Comments: Some of the best pass plays in the game 
are from this position. The runs are also very 
balanced, though one of them is impotent (Run And 
Shoot Draw). Just don't expect big plays with this, 
because most of the best opportunities are short but 
definite gains. Look for the nose tackle on this one. 
He can get inside on all the pass plays and cause 
havoc with some of the runs. 

Run And Shoot Y Up 

               O------------------>WR#1
     ----------------------->RB#1                    
    /         O--------
   /                   \
  /            LT       \
 /             LG      RB#2
O       QB-----O C
               RG
               RT
                     
              O------------------>TE
                     
               O------------\
                            ->WR#2

Offense: This is somewhat the Run And Shoot 
analogue of Shotgun Z S-In. You have three men that 
go long, one that curls into the middle (RB #2 from 
the top) and one that stays by the side of the 
quarterback (RB #1). Simply use this one as you 
would the shotgun, but pass a bit more quickly as the 
defense can sack you more easily on this play. Call-
safe men are RB #1 (hit A twice) and RB #2 (hit A 
thrice).   

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1
RB#2
TE

Defense: Go after the QB or watch the long receivers, 
especially the bottom ones. If they are taken care of, 
move in closer to stop a short pass. 

Run And Shoot Z Fly

               O------|
                     WR#1    
              O------------------->RB#2
                      
               LT
               LG
RB#1    QB-----O C
               RG
               RT
                     
              O-------|
                      TE
               O-------------------->WR#2

RB #1 moves up and blocks after the hike. 

Offense: This play is the best in the game for one 
simple reason: one or more receivers will almost 
always be open. Apparently, the computer has a hard 
time handling this play, even when it has big speed 
boosts and whatnot. Go for the longest man who is 
open without delay, because people start covering 
better after about two or three seconds and the longer 
receivers will be harder to throw to when they are 
farther away and more easily covered. The wild card 
here is a man opponent, who can plug up the gaps in 
coverage. This play is not really call-safe, but you
can get the ball off. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#2
TE

Defense: Either pursue the QB or go out and cover 
whichever man happens to be open. 

Run And Shoot Flare C

               O-------\_/--------->WR#1
                   -------RB#1                    
              O---/-----
                 /      \
               LT       RB#2
         /-----LG      
O-------- QB---O C
               RG
               RT
                     
              O--------   /-------->WR#2
                       \ /
               O--------\--------TE

Offense: The nice thing about this play is the wide 
variety of receiving options. You have the standard 
two long receivers and you have two short 
opportunities that develop a couple seconds into the 
play, plus an often-open longer shot to the bottom 
that stops some yards out. As long as you vary your 
receivers, you can make this play work for you. This 
play has no consistently available call-safe receivers, 
but RB #2 (hit A twice) is usually still standing. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#1
RB#2
WR#2
TE

Defense: Make sure that the lowest receiver and the 
lower long receiver are covered, because one or the 
other often isn't and represents a good pass 
opportunity. Otherwise, move in to forestall the short 
pass. 

Run And Shoot QB Sneak

               WR#1
                         
              RB#2
                      
               LT
               LG
RB#1         --O C
             |-RG------>QB
               RT
                     
              TE
                     
               WR#2

Offense: You can run this play two ways: you can 
just run straight in and get a couple of yards, or you 
can move at a diagonal down-right and follow your 
advancing line, which can sometimes yield you more 
than five yards.

Defense: Just get the quarterback down, either with a 
nose-tackle dive or with a linebacker.

Run And Shoot QB Run

               WR#1
        ------------->QB                 
        |     RB#2
        |              
        \      LT
         \     LG
RB#1      -----O C 
               RG
               RT
                     
              TE
                     
               WR#2

All non-QB men block. RB #1 moves to the bottom and 
comes back up to block.  

Offense: Make sure you don't run this too often, 
because a familiar opponent can cause problems with 
it. However, it is a fairly strong run for this formation 
especially against defenders who prefer nose tackles. 
Simply run the play the way it goes, because you're 
too far up by the time you gain control to feasibly 
switch directions. 

Defense: Take a secondary or a bottom linebacker 
and smack the quarterback down. 

Run And Shoot Draw

               WR#1
                         
              RB#2
                      
               LT
               LG
O----QB--------O C  (all other men block)
      \--------RG------>RB#1
               RT
                     
              TE
                     
               WR#2

Offense: This is the worst run play you could 
possibly have. Only use it for surprise attacks and 
just get your yards before your opponent catches on 
to what you're doing.

Defense: You can discern this play from a normal 
pass by looking at the pocket. If a man is sitting there 
and doing nothing, it's the draw play. What you can 
do is a nose tackle dive to kill the runner and even the 
quarterback before he hands off if you're fast enough, 
or you can take a linebacker or a secondary and just 
struggle him down. All in all, you should have no 
problems with this play. 

Run And Shoot Sweep Left/Right

Left:

               WR#1
     ----------------->RB#1                    
    /         RB#2
   /                  
  /            LT
 /             LG
O             QB C  (all others move north and block)
               RG
               RT
                     
              TE
                     
               WR#2

Right:

               WR#1
                         
              RB#2
                      
               LT
               LG
O             QB C  (all others move south and block)
 \             RG
  \            RT
   \                 
    \         TE
     ----------------->RB#2                
               WR#2

Offense: Simply move in the direction of the play. 
Don't get fancy because getting yards with these is 
not that easy, and moving in contraflow doesn't do 
much. You can usually get two or three yards at least 
with this. With a very fast running back like Bo 
Jackson, you can have a call-safe run if you can 
escape the initial flood of men. 

Defense: Take someone and move through the 
blockers (or around if you have yards to spare) and 
slide tackle or struggle the runner down. This play is 
not a killer run by any means, so don't let your 
opponent get major yardage on it. 

-----------------------------
Shifting Onesetback Formation:

              WR#1
              |
              |
        -----RB#2
        |     |
        |     O
O       |     LT
|       |     LG
RB#1    |     QB C
        |     RG
O-------      RT
              TE
              O
              |
             WR#2

General Comments: All the plays in this formation 
can be slightly altered in the positions and paths of 
players, in either blockers for runs or receivers for 
passes, by taking the snap at different times during 
the shift. These plays are pretty good and, since there 
are six of them, they are pretty hard to distinguish if 
all of them are in the playbook. 

Playaction Z In:

              ------------------>WR#1
              |
              |
        ------|------RB#2
        |     |
        |     O
O       |     LT
|       |     LG
----QB--|-----O-C--------------->RB#1
        |     RG          WR#2
O-------      RT          /
              TE
              O          /
              |         /
              ----------

Offense: This play is good, with two short men and 
two long men. Note that the pass to the running back 
in the middle (who goes out for a pass and acts as a 
receiver) should probably be done as soon as possible 
since defenders guarding the receiver on top can 
move down more easily to prevent a pass. This play 
is not call-safe; if your opponent picks this play, you 
eat it. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#2
RB#1
WR#2

Defense: The man moving out in the middle can be 
ignored once he's gotten out long enough in the field 
as long as you have enough people back there to 
cover him should the pass move in his direction. 
Following him for a little while is a good idea if no 
one has the man who curls from the bottom. This 
play can be stopped with a nose tackle dive and 
responds only mildly to the usual pressure tactics. 

Roll Out R:

     ------------------------->RB#1
     |        |        \
     |        |         \
     |  -----RB#2        \
     |  |     |           \
     |  |     O            \
O   / \ |     LT            \
|  /   \|     LG          WR#1
---     |----O C
  /     |     RG
O/------      RT
 |            O----\
 QB           O    TE
              |
              ---------------->WR#2

Offense: Like its cousin, Roll Out L, this play has a 
vulnerability in that the QB can be taken out fairly 
easily. However, with more plays to choose from, it's 
not quite as predictable or risky. The receivers are 
shorter range on this play, though two go out at 
angles. This is a nice play, but don't expect to get a 
pass off if it's called. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
TE
RB#1
WR#1

Defense: The thing to watch is the hand off. If the 
QB takes the ball, it's Roll Out R, and if not, it's FB 
Open L. Calling FB Open L is a good way to insure 
yourself against a yardage loss. Stop the play by just 
moving a cornerback or linebacker behind the line 
and taking down the QB while he's still a drone. You 
also have a slim chance of sacking the quarterback 
when the handoff occurs if you take the nose tackle 
and slide in. 

Onesetback Dive

              WR#1
              |    (these two move down and block)
              |
        -----RB#2
        |     |
        |     O
O       |     LT
|       |     LG
----QB--|-----O-C----->RB#1
        |     RG
O-------      RT
              TE
              O     (these two block)
              |
             WR#2

Offense: A dive play, Onesetback Dive is one of the 
better ones. It's reversible just as any other dive play. 
Go wherever you think you'll get the most yards. 

Defense: This one can be stopped with a nose tackle 
dive. If you can't do that, take a safety or cornerback 
and tackle the runner. 

WR Reverse L:

              WR#1
              |
       -------|--------WR#2
       |-----RB#2
       ||     |
       ||     O
O      ||     LT
 \     ||     LG
  \QB--||-----O C (men on the sides go out and block)
   \   ||     RG
O---\--||     RT
     \ |      TE
      \|      O
       |\     |
       -------RB#1

Offense: Surprise your opponent with this. You can 
get decent gains with this if your opponent isn't 
looking for it. The handoff can be confused with 
Oneback Sweep R. You can enter the fray at any 
point you deem viable on this play, since most of the 
blockers are usually disorganized. 

Defense: Oftentimes you can catch the runner 
moving up with the man you take in to catch 
Oneback Sweep R. Otherwise, simply stay back from 
the line, until it is obvious what play is developing, 
then move. You can disable this one using a lower 
linebacker and hitting the decoy or the runner as well, 
I believe. 

Oneback Sweep R:

              WR#1
              |
              |
        -----RB#2
        |     |
        |     O
O       |     LT
 \      |     LG
  \QB---|-----O C (men on the sides go out and block)
   \    |     RG
O---\----     RT
     \        TE
      \       O
       -------|-------->RB#1
             WR#2

Offense: This is a highly effective run play, but note 
that it has few blockers. Not ultra-reversible. 

Defense: Take a man in from the secondary or the 
linebackers and take down the runner. It's that simple. 
If your opponent has called No Back X Deep, your 
cornerback will move (like you care, you should be able
to see it anyway). 

FB Open L:

              WR#1
              |
     ---------|-------->RB#1
     |  -----RB#2
     |  |     |
     |  |     O
O   / \ |     LT
|  /   \|     LG
---     |-----O C (men on the sides go out and block)
  /     |     RG
O/------      RT
 |            TE
QB            O
              |
             WR#2

Offense: Just as with Oneback Sweep R, note the 
relative absence of blockers and the predisposition of 
the play for being run the way it was designed. 

Defense: Just as with Oneback Sweep R, use a man 
not likely to be disabled from the initial thrust and 
take care of business. 

-----------------------------
Shotgun Formation:

Formation 1 - Shotgun X Curl and Shotgun Draw:

                WR#1

               RB#2

RB#1            LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG
                RT

               TE

                WR#2

Formation 2 - Shotgun Z S-In and Shotgun X Drive:

                WR#1

               RB#2

RB#1            LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG
                RT

               WR#2

                TE

Formation 3 - Shotgun XY Bomb and Shotgun C Draw:

                WR#1

               RB#1

RB#2            LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG
                RT

               TE

                WR#2


General Comments: I almost can't believe how much
I messed up on the last version's treatment of this,
but here goes: there are three distinct shotgun 
formations. Two plays switch the running backs,
and two plays switch the tight end and WR #2. This
is a big problem for diverse teams. I have reordered
this section to put the separate formations' plays
next to each other. I am really disappointed in 
this development, and I can't believe I overlooked
it. The runs in here are only good as surprise plays. 
If your opponent is watching for them, they are next 
to useless. The passes from here are superb. Going 
for the QB on these plays is a bad idea since most 
of the time, an opposing player will find an open 
man before you can stop him from passing. The best 
chance is to stay out in coverage using one of the 
defensive linemen or linebackers, which also insures
you against the runs. I don't think as highly of 
this formation as I used to, but it is still 
decently useful, especially if you don't have to
worry about the race defects. 

-------------
Formation 1

Shotgun X Curl

     -------RB#1O-------------------|
    /                              WR#1
   /           O---------|
  /                     RB#2
 RB#1           LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG
                RT
                        TE
               O---------|
                                   WR#2
                O-------------------|

Offense: This is one of the best short range pass 
plays. Five receivers give you good options. The 
longer range men can be had, but usually the two 
shorter range ones are open and good choices, with 
the occasional fifth man pass to mix things up. This 
play really works well in the red zone when the 
coverage begins to tighten. I love this play, and if it 
weren't for Run And Shoot Z Fly, I would almost 
always choose this play. Call-safe opportunities are 
RB #2 (hit A once), TE (hit A twice), and RB #1 (hit 
A four times), but note that these, especially the tight 
end, may get knocked over. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#2
TE
WR#2
RB#1

Defense: This play, like Shotgun X Drive, has two 
ranges of receivers. Make sure that each range is 
covered and put yourself in the middle if one isn't. In 
particular, use your best lineman to cover the two 
short range opportunities, because coverage is almost 
always lacking in that region and passes to those men 
are short and effective. The fifth receiver, as always, 
should be watched. 

Shotgun Draw

                WR#1

               RB#2

 RB#1           LT
  \-------------LG------>RB#1
QB                C    
                RG
                RT

               TE

                WR#2

All people go out to block except for the QB, the 
center, and the guards. The three offensive linemen
in the middle (C, RG, LG) fan slightly to give the
running back more room. 

Offense: This is better than Shotgun C Draw and you 
can usually get a few yards using it if your opponent 
isn't expecting it. Just be careful about moving every 
which way once you get the ball. Get your yards and 
then finish things. Dawdling behind the line gets you 
nothing.

Defense: If you think your opponent will call this 
play, simply take a linebacker and wait for him. You 
can even go inside, but that gets a bit risky because 
he can simply run out around you and you can get 
engaged or knocked over by a blocker. If you have to 
catch him before he gets a few yards, take a lineman 
and move in or do the same with a linebacker. 

-------------
Formation 2

Shotgun Z S-In

 RB#1           O---------------->WR#1
 |
 |             O---------------\
 |                            RB#2
 RB#1           LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG     WR#2
                RT     /
                      /
               O------

                O---------------->TE

Offense: This play has some interesting properties. 
One of them is the running back on the side of the 
quarterback who is generally insulated from 
immediate coverage. The second is the short man 
about five or so yards out. These two give you nice 
short alternatives to the three men who go long. If 
every man is covered, you want to throw to the long 
receiver on the bottom because he usually only has 
one defender in his vicinity. Call-safe receiver is RB 
#1 (hit A four times). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
TE
WR#1
RB#2
RB#1

Defense: Watch the short range pass by staying in the 
middle and covering the man there, or by moving 
behind the line to cover there. Like all shotguns, just 
cover everyone and you'll be fine.

Shotgun X Drive

                O-------RB#2-------->WR#1
    ---------------------/-----RB#1
   /           O---------
  /
 RB#1           LT
                LG
QB                C
                RG         WR#2
                RT        /
                         /
               O---------

                O------------------->TE

Offense: This play has two main long receivers 
whom you should look at first. Then, look for the 
short receiver in the middle and for the one who sits 
near the top of the screen. Finally, look at the man 
who starts running out about one or two seconds into 
the play. This is how you should plan your pass on 
this play. This is a good play, with short and long 
men for good effect. Call-safe receiver is RB #2 (hit 
A three times). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
TE
WR#1
RB#2
RB#1

Defense. One thing to note is the duality of range. 
There are two long and two short men. The two long 
ones are usually covered (you may want to assist if 
the defenders aren't keeping up) but the two short 
ones aren't usually covered well. To stop those 
passes, place yourself in the middle of those two 
men. Watch for the fifth man who comes out, 
because as soon as he passes the short-range 
receivers he becomes a good target for a first down 
pass. 

-------------
Formation 3

Shotgun XY Bomb

              O---------------->WR#1

            O----------------->RB#1
  /-------------------------
RB#2          LT            \
              LG             \
QB              C            RB#2
              RG
              RT

            O----               ->TE
                 \-------------/
              O---------------->WR#2

Offense: This play is, as you might expect, a bomb. 
Everyone goes long and the best chance you have of 
making it is if one person is uncovered. You should 
toss to them promptly after you have identified them, 
because the longer you wait, the easier it will be for 
more defenders to obstruct the pass. The only real 
diversity in the play is the shortest pass to RB #2. 
Your opponent may try to lure you to pass to him 
since you can't see where the defender or the receiver 
is on this play until you pass, and then move in for an 
interception or whatever. I don't like this play 
because it just doesn't have a whole lot of options or 
complications. You either make it or you don't. The 
closest thing to a call-safe receiver is RB #2 (hit A 
three times to get him). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1
RB#2
TE

Defense: Note the trap with RB #2 above. The only 
thing to watch for is a QB sneak that might come 
when you move away to cover a slightly open man.

Shotgun C Draw:

                WR#1
                      (these two go out and block)
               RB#1

 RB#2           LT
 /\-------------LG------>RB#2
QB                C    
                RG
                RT

               TE
                      (these two go out and block)
                WR#2

Offense: The main difference between this play and 
Shotgun Draw is that this play keeps the ball out of 
the running back's hands for two seconds after the 
snap, when the QB tosses it to the running back. 
Thus, this can only be used as a surprise play since an 
opponent can cause severe problems with this. 

Defense: If you want to watch for this play, simply 
look at the running back. If he stays put for more than 
a second, then this is it. To prevent it from 
developing, either wait as before or simply move in. 
You can even go in right after the snap and engage 
the running back in a struggle, causing a minor 
fumble, but that usually doesn't pan out for you. It's 
better just to tackle the runner for a loss. 

-------------

-----------------------------
Funky Triangle Formation Thingy (Offset Formation?)
(Paul calls this a "staggered back" formation)

            WR#1


            LT
            LG
RB#2       QB C
            RG
     RB#1   RT
            TE

        WR#2

General Comments: The plays from here are decent, 
with Toss Sweep Right and Offset Flare E being the 
better plays. It has good runs and good passes which 
complement each other.

Offset Flare E:

            O--------------|
                         WR#1

            LT
            LG
 O         QB C      RB#1
  \          RG       /
   \  O---/--O--------
    \    RE/---O
     \  TE-
      --O--------RB#2--------------->WR#2

General Comments: Good play, concentration to the 
bottom and a short range bias, but plays well into a 
mixed pass-run strategy. RB #2 is the call-safe 
receiver (hit A three times). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1
RB#2

Defense: The long receiver is usually covered, so just 
stay in the middle of the field about five yards from 
the center for best results. Nose tackle dives and 
other sacking techniques work here. 

Play Action: 

            O----------------->WR#1


            LT
            LG (slight shift up of these)     
O--QB-------O-C------RB#2
        /   RG       \-RB#1 (blocks)   
     O--    RT       
            TE            WR#2  
                           \
        O------------------/

Offense: This play only has three receivers, and two 
are short. Make sure your opponent is probably not 
going to call a pass play before you use it, because 
three receivers can be easily covered. One redeeming 
feature of this play, though, is that it has a free 
blocker who goes out and takes on defenders, which 
often opens up the shortest man for a pass. You will
get sacked if this is called.  

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#2
WR#2

Defense: Watch the blocker, because he will cause 
you grief if you don't. A nose tackle dive will finish 
this play off without a hassle. I wouldn't use other 
tactics to go after the QB, though, because of the 
complicating blocker and also because only three 
receivers exist, with only one long. Covering these 
fellas is a piece of cake. You can try the top 
linebacker, but your opponent may still be able to 
get a pass off. 

Toss Sweep R:

            O----
                 \
                  \
            LT    WR#1 (blocks)
            LG
 O         QB C
  \         RG
   \  RB#1  RT
    \       TE  (all these but RB#2 block)
     --------RB#2
        WR#2

Offense: This is a great play, with lots of low 
blockers. It can be close to invincible in certain 
situations, such as when you are shifted toward the 
bottom. Staying behind the blockers is a good idea on 
this one. It can be reversed to some extent as well. 

Defense: Don't even think about attempting to stop 
this play behind the line unless you are a daredevil. 
You can take the nose tackle inside, moving at a 
diagonal, and follow the runner, but you have to slide 
tackle and this method is not consistent even with a 
good tackle. This play can cream you if the running 
back is good because of the initial burst which stops 
most linemen and linebackers. Otherwise, take one of 
the higher secondaries or linebackers and move 
through or around the blockers at the first 
opportunity. 

FB Power Dive

            O---
                \ 
                 \
            LT  WR#1 (blocks)
            LG  (all the top offensive linemen shift up)
O--QB-------O-C----->RB#2-->RB#1 (blocks)
         /  RG
     RB#1   RT
            TE

        O----------WR#2 (blocks)

Offense: This is a dive play which means that you 
can either take it through the middle for almost 
guaranteed yards, or, move to the top or bottom 
around the blockers (usually the top for this one) and 
move out from there. This play has a great 
reversibility, like almost all runs through the middle, 
and has a blocker through the middle as well.

Defense: Nose tackle dives kill this play instantly. If 
this is not allowed, take one of the defensive backs 
(because the linebackers have to take care of the 
blocker) and tackle the runner. 

-----------------------------
One Man Shift Formation

             WR#1
         ---O
         | RB#2
         |   LT
         |   LG
RB#1     |  QB C
         |   RG
         |   RT
         |   TE
         |
       WR#2

General Comments: These plays, for the most part, 
can be taken out easily if your opponent knows what 
you called or has called a play that defends against an 
unexpected play (for instance, if he thinks you'll call 
Roll Out L, he'll call Weakside Open so that when he 
runs in to take out your quarterback, he doesn't have 
to worry about a run to the bottom). So, mix up the 
plays and don't have any pattern about them at all. 
Roll Out L, in particular, is a good play, but it can be 
taken out like all the rest, in fact, more easily, if your 
opponent is watching for it. 

FB Offtackle R

             WR#1 (blocks)
         ---O
         | RB#2  (blocks straight out)
         |   LT
         |   LG
 O   ----|--QB C
  \ /    |   RG
   \     |   
    \----|---TE--->RB#1   
         | RT       (blocks)
       WR#2---------/

The tight end makes a half circle in the vicinity
of the right tackle, opening up a hole for the 
running back to go through and making him block along
with WR#2 and the right tackle.  

Offense: There are two main routes you can take on 
this play: one through the gap in the line, and the 
other moving around the whole line altogether. 
Usually, you want to move through the line if that 
will put you closer to a decent opening, or all 
the way around if that will. If you move through the 
line, watch out for a slide tackle, and don't go all the 
way around if you don't have a fast enough back to 
make it before the secondary or your opponent can 
stop you. You can reverse the play, but I don't 
recommend it in most situations. 

Defense: If you think this one is coming, take one of 
the secondaries and just move in to tackle the runner. 
Watch out for any unexpected blockers that may 
break out. If you've called this play and your right
cornerback starts moving, your opponent has called
Flea Flicker. 

Weakside Open:

             WR#1 (blocks)
         ---O
         | RB#2  (blocks straight out)
         |   LT
         |   LG
 O   ----|--QB C
  \ /    |   RG
   \     |   RT (blocks)
    \    |   TE (moves out and blocks)
     ----|-->RB#1  (blocks)
       WR#2---------/

Offense: This is a play which you need to use with 
discretion. Make sure you stay behind the blockers 
and don't move around too much. It is more 
reversible than FB Offtackle R, but it's not that good 
of an idea unless your opponent is hurtling straight 
for the spot where you will end up if you use the play 
normally. 

Defense: The key with this play, as it is with several 
sweep plays that go to the bottom, is to get out of the 
way of the blockers. You can either move through the 
blockers, if you have a strong player who can end 
things quickly, or you can bide your time and move 
around the whole group and tackle the ball carrier 
from behind. Also, you can use a shortcut strategy 
that uses the lowest linebacker (and also the right end 
or the second to lowest linebacker, depending on how 
good they are) to move in between the line and the 
blockers when they first materialize and slide tackle 
the back before the play gets going. That, however, is 
more than a tad risky. 

Roll Out L:

             O----RB#2--------------->WR#1
  QB     ---O     /
  |      | RB#2---
  |      |   LT
  |      |   LG       TE
O- \   ------O C     /
  \ \ /  |   RG     /    --------WR#2
   \|/   |   RT    /    /
   RB#1  |   O-----    /
         |            / 
         -------------

Offense: You need to make sure your opponent does 
not know you're going to call this play. Predictability 
is disaster, because if your opponent knows what's 
going on, he can make you lose nine or ten yards no 
problem. This is the weakest single-man-shift play 
against a good defense, but also the best for the 
offense. Look for both short and long receivers 
developing as your quarterback moves up and usually 
throw at or soon after you gain control of your 
quarterback. This play is not call-safe at all (except 
for one or two notable instances in which the 
quarterback gained control of the pass before the 
defenders caught up with him, then threw it to the 
first man possible). 

Passing Order:
RB#2
TE
WR#2
WR#1

Defense: This play has a simple and deadly defense. 
Take a free safety, the top cornerback, or the top or 
second to top linebacker and move around the 
offensive line, moving straight for the quarterback, 
like this:

             WR#1
      ------O--------X (Die, QB, die!!!)
     /   | RB#2
    /    |   LT
(get him)|   LG
RB#1-----|--QB C
         |   RG
         |   RT
         |   TE
         |
       WR#2

Since the quarterback cannot pass or move outside of 
the track until disturbed or until he finishes his 
movement, simply slide tackle him or struggle him 
down when he looks to have moved back around ten 
yards. Voila. Free loss. 

Flea Flicker: 

             O---RB#2------
         ---O   /          |
         | O----          WR#1
         |   LT
         |   LG
 QB  ----|---O C
  \ /    |   RG
   \     |   RT 
    \    |   TE (moves out and blocks)
     RB#1|                 ->WR#2
         -----------------/

Offense: This play is not that good, but can be useful 
when combined with normal run plays. Pass quickly 
when you gain possession of the ball. This play is not 
call-safe (unless you get very lucky, and it does 
happen, in which case you pass to whoever, who 
usually ends up being the long man, who is 
uncovered). If your opponent has a defensive shift,
he's called FB Offtackle R, so watch out, because
while you may be able to get the ball, you'll have
to pass quickly. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
RB#2
WR#1

Defense: This play can easily be defended by simply 
covering the three receivers. Also, you can take a 
defender inside and tackle the man tossing the ball 
back or take out the QB and cause a fumble. You can 
tell that this is a Flea Flicker because the quarterback 
moves straight back into a passing position whereas 
the run plays don't have this feature. If you call
FB Offtackle R and your right cornerback moves with
WR #2, then this is the play that your opponent is
using. 

-----------------------------
Shotgun 3-Wing Formation:

           WR#1
           LT
           LG
QB           C    
           RG    
RB#1       RT   
         TE
         RB#2
    
           WR#2          

General Comments: This formation is handy, but a 
little predictable. You can usually get at least a few 
yards using its two plays. 

Shotgun 3-Wing (Pass):

                        ->WR#1
           O-----------/
           LT
           LG
QB           C    TE
           RG    /
 O         RT   /
  \      O------
   \     O-----------RB#2
    \----------RB#1
           O-------------->WR#2          

Offense: This play is good, with five receivers. The 
concentration short-range could be better, but this is 
pretty nice. Move your quarterback down to stifle 
defenders on one man from moving to the one you 
pass to before the ball gets there. You have a 
possibility of a RB #1 catch if this play is called
(hit A four times).

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
TE
RB#2
RB#1

Defense: Make sure that the two long receivers are 
covered, and then put yourself in a position where 
you can move to any of the uncovered short-range 
receivers when the pass comes off. 

Shotgun Sweep L:

    -------(LG & RG & TE block)----->QB
   /     / WR#1 (blocks straight out)
  /      | LT
 |       |-O
 O       |   C  (block straight out)  
        /|-O    
RB#1   |   RT   
       |-O     
         RB#2   (these three block)
    
           WR#2 

RB#1 stays put. The guards and the tight end
make a column that moves up the line behind the
blocking tackles and the center and WR #1 following
the path of the QB and blocking him thereby. 

Offense: Simply run it the way it looks. You have a 
good number of blockers on the play and people get 
caught if they move into your line. Just run as usual 
and you'll come out well. This play can't easily be 
reversed. 

Defense: If you see this shotgun formation, don't take 
the nose tackle. Take the top linebacker, the top
cornerback, or even a fast free safety, so 
that you can run around the sweep and slide tackle 
the QB as he runs. If you try to struggle with him, 
you probably won't succeed because blockers will 
knock you off him. You may have to mash the B button
if you use the linebacker, because Tecmo does not 
respond well to that move. Alternatively, you can 
take the strong safety or lower linebackers and move 
through the sweep, then struggle the man down.  

-----------------------------
Slot Formation:

            WR#1
          
          WR#2

O-------    LT
        \   LG
        |  QB C
        |   RG
        |   RT
RB#2    |   TE
        |
       RB#1

General Comments: This is not the best formation, 
since the run play is not terribly good, but the pass is 
a pretty decent move. Only use the run if you want to 
surprise your opponent, because the run can be killed 
quite easily if you do it regularly. The pass, however, 
can be abused. 

Slot L Z Drive:

            O------------>WR#1
          
            O------
                   \
O-------    LT      \
        \   LG       \
      QB|---O C      WR#2
        |   RG
        |   RT
 O      |   O----|         ->RB#1
  \     |        TE        /
   ----------RB#2----------

Offense: This is a pretty good play, with five 
decently and non-regularly spaced receivers. If it did 
not have this irregular formation, it would be great. 
Still, you can tag good receivers at any length. Call-
safe receiver is RB #2 (hit A three times). 

Passing Order:
WR#2
TE
RB#2
RB#1
WR#1

Defense: This play is a tough sucker, largely because 
it has a good mix of ranges. Just cover whoever 
would cause the most damage if two or more men are 
uncovered. If you are trying to stop a short-range 
pass, move into the bottom. You can use the nose 
tackle dives and other usual tactics here as well. 

Slot Offtackle:

            WR#1 (blocks straight)
          
          WR#2 (blocks straight)
       ----------->RB#2
O-----/-    LT
     /  \   LG
    /<-----QB C
   /    |   RG
  |     |   RT
  O     |   TE  (blocks straight)
        |
        O ----RB#1  (blocks straight)

Offense: You don't really have a lot of blockers on 
this play. The only thing it really does is disable most 
of the defensive line. You should choose whatever 
path you think will get the most yards and incur the 
least defenders, which depends on what player your 
opponent is controlling (in the case of a man vs. man 
game). This play is somewhat reversible.

Defense: Simply take the top or second-from top 
linebacker and pursue the running back by attacking 
from a diagonal position into the path of his run.

            WR#1
          
          WR#2
      (attack)<------X (Eat turf, sucker!)
O-------    LT
        \   LG
        |  QB C
        |   RG
        |   RT
RB#2    |   TE
        |
       RB#1

You can struggle if you're fast enough at bringing 
him down, or just slide tackle and that will finish
it quite nicely.

-----------------------------
WTE Formation:

          WR#1

          RB#2
          LT
          LG
RB#1     QB C
          RG
          RT
          TE

          WR#2 

General Comments: This is the worst possible 
formation to have in your playbook because whether 
you choose the passing WTE Flea Flicker or the 
running WTE Offtackle R, both plays can be almost 
instantly stopped with a slide by a lower linebacker 
or the right end. Not only that, but both these plays 
aren't very good in their own right.

WTE Offtackle R:

          WR#1-----
                   \
          RB#2    (blocks)
          LT
          LG
O--QB---O  C
   \      RG
    \-----O-----RB#1
       RT/O       (blocks)
      TE-/         /
          WR#2----- 

Offense: This play should be used with discretion and 
only if the cheap defense slide is disallowed. You can 
usually get a few yards on it with a decent running 
back, but there's only two blockers that come out to 
help you, leaving you at the mercy of the secondary, 
and a human player will catch up with you. This play 
is mildly reversible, but is not call-safe at all. 

Defense: This play has an incredibly easy and cheap 
defense. Simply pick the right end or a lower 
linebacker and move into the running back, then 
struggle or slide tackle, like this:

          WR#1

          RB#2
          LT
          LG
RB#1  QB    C
   (slide)RG
      <--------X (Getting a free five yard loss!)
       RT     
       TE

          WR#2 

If this is forbidden, take one of the safeties or 
cornerbacks and move into the fray. 

WTE Flea Flicker:

          WR#1---------->

          RB#2
          LT
          LG
  O<-----QB C
   \ \    RG
    \RB#1 O
       RT/O
       TE-/
          WR#2----------> 

Offense: Only if you can find an open man out of 
only two receivers, both of whom go long, do you 
stand much of a chance. This is a surprise play and 
little else. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
WR#2

Defense: You can use the same tactics as for the run 
and slide in or you can simply take a linebacker or 
lineman and cover the two men who go long. Not 
much else about it. 

-----------------------------
Formation/Play Oneback Z Cross

          O          -->WR#1
          |         /
          |---------
           TE
           LT
           LG
RB#1  QB---O C    --WR#2
|          RG    /
|          LT   /
 \-------|--O-----|
         |  |     |
         O  |    RB#1
            -------------->RB#2

General Comments: A first grader could spot this 
particular play, but the receivers will give almost 
anyone trouble for a few plays. This play has an
automatic Defensive Shift on defensive pass play
calls that must be taken into account. 

Offense: Don't call this play very often, because its 
best feature, the erratic paths of the receivers, is 
weakened by frequent use. Other than that, you might 
want to move your quarterback lower to take 
advantage of the three receivers on the bottom. Don't 
forget that you can move the receivers somewhat by 
changing the time of your snap to coincide with 
particular movements. There are no truly call-safe 
men on this one: RB #1 (hit A once) and RB #2 (hit 
A twice) are only partially call-safe. The pass 
trajectory determines whether they are or not. If
your opponent's bottom cornerback shifts up to 
match your WR #2's movement, then your opponent has
called a pass play and you must get rid of the ball
quickly before everyone is covered. If he doesn't,
he's either called your play or he's called a run.

Passing Order:
WR#1
WR#2
RB#2
RB#1

Defense: Nose tackle dives and pursuing the QB are 
decent here, but you might want to take a man and 
cover the lower receiver nest. One thing to remember 
however is that WR #1 is the top receiver on this play 
and pinned quarterbacks may default to him. Be 
warned. Your bottom cornerback will shift up if you
called a pass play against this (except for this
play itself). 

-----------------------------
Formation/Play No Back X Deep

          -----RB#1---------|
--------| |    |          WR#1
|       | |    |
|   ----|-O----|
O   |   | LT
    |   | LG
 QB-|---|-O C
    |   | RG       -------->RB#2
    |   | RT       |
O---|   | TE       |
        | O        |
        --|--------|
          O------------->WR#2

General Comments: This is another unique play that 
can be seen by any decent Tecmo player (since there 
is literally No Back), though it is harder to tell it from 
others with teams like Washington as opposed to the 
Redgun of Denver. It has good short and long pass 
opportunities. This play has a Defensive Shift when
the defense calls Oneback Sweep R. 

Offense: The short receiver on the top is a good one 
to go for. Watch out for the receiver in the middle, 
because he can be quickly covered by any wandering 
defender out there for the top or bottom long 
receivers. Since this play shifts, you can change the 
destinations of your receivers by hiking the ball at 
different times before they get set. Call-safe passes 
are to RB #1 (hit A twice) and to RB #2 if you let 
him move all the way down to the bottom of the 
screen before hiking the ball (hit A three times). If
the cornerback moves, your opponent is defending with
Oneback Sweep R, but you can only see this if you
let RB #2 move towards the bottom. 

Passing Order:
WR#2
WR#1
RB#1
RB#2

Defense: Don't let this play confuse you with the shift 
or the funky receiver paths. Just move long in the 
middle, since that receiver doesn't get covered often, 
and, as always, make sure someone has that short 
man obstructed. A nose tackle dive or any defensive 
lineman or linebacker rush can also work for this 
play. You don't really need to care if your cornerback
moves, because if you can't see this play without a
Defensive Shift, there's little chance that you will
be able to tell this play with the shift. 

-----------------------------
Formation/Play Run And Shoot 3-Wing

           O------------->WR#1


           LT
           LG
  O   QB---O C    ----TE--->RB#2
   \       RG     |    |
    \RB#1  RT     |    |
         O---------    |
        O--------------|
           O------------->WR#2

General Comments: An easy play to spot, R and S 3-
Wing gets its strength from the four longer-range 
receivers, one of whom turns up short for a ten-yard 
pass. It does have a nice call-safe receiver though.

Offense: Pick your best uncovered long receiver and 
go for it. If you want to go short, make sure you pass 
quickly before your competitor can spot your open 
man. Call-safe receiver is RB #2 in the middle. Press 
the A button once and then throw to him. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
RB#2
TE
WR#2

Defense: Rushing the QB does well here, with either 
nose tackle dives or just general pressure tactics. This 
is because the play doesn't really develop until the 
receivers move several yards out. If you want to go 
out into the field, just go long as soon as the man in 
the middle is taken care of. 

-----------------------------
Formation/Play Redgun Z Slant

        |-O------RB#1----->TE
       /| O----------
      / O------      \   
     /    LT   \      \
    |     LG    \      \
QB  |       C    WR#1   RB#2
    |     RG
    O     RT


          O-------------->WR#2
         
General Comments: A good play, lots of receivers, 
but everyone knows this play when they see the 
formation since it is unique. It's not terribly call-safe.

Note: This play seems to have some sort of a Defensive
Shift. However, I'm not quite sure just what it is.
The top cornerback has moved with WR #1 on these plays:

T Fake Sweep R 
Roll Out L
Shotgun X Drive
Oneback Z Cross
Power Fake X Fly
Shotgun Sweep L

I don't really know whether this is significant
or not. It seems to do it more on pass plays, but it
does happen on runs too. I would say just ignore it
for the time being. 

Offense: Hike the ball and find your first open 
receiver. Since most are downfield, this is of decent 
importance. Don't call this one if you're looking for 
decent short-range gains (unless you're going for a 
surprise pass) and don't call it if your opponent is 
proficient at Tecmo because chances are he or she 
will know what people to be looking for. Call-safe 
receiver is RB #1 at the top, short range. Hit A four 
times to get to him. 

Passing Order:
WR#1
WR#2
TE
RB#2
RB#1

Defense: This is essentially another shotgun play. 
Make sure all the receivers going long are covered 
and catch them if they aren't, and otherwise, watch 
for the short pass and QB sneak. A good place to put 
yourself is in the middle of the field if you have to 
guard both short receivers. 

-----------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
5. Telling The Truth With Statistics

"46% of all statistics in Tecmo are made up."

Few statistics in games other than the scores are any 
good. The reason for this is because most stats, like 
yardage in passing or rushing, completion 
percentage, or interceptions, don't reflect the fact that 
you may have monopolized the pass game or one 
running back to get statistics, or that you may have 
unsuccessfully bombed the ball at the end of the half 
into the end zone in order to get a chance at a 
touchdown. I only use a couple statistics to determine 
my success at Tecmo:

1. The Pimp Index - The Pimp Index is the sum of (2 
* # of your touchdowns) + your net first downs 
(yours - your opponent's). This is designed to 
measure how well you control the ball. If you make a 
lot of touchdowns without ever getting tackled or 
stopped (as you would if you cheap out with Joe 
Montana - Jerry Rice or Bo Jackson runs), the index 
will be middling. On the other hand, if you make no 
touchdowns and play poorly, the index will be low
(or even negative for you, if you really botched). 
To maximize the index, you have to switch up plays 
enough to get both first downs by gradually moving 
the ball upfield and getting big touchdown plays. On 
defense, if you hold the line, the index will be higher 
than if you let your opponent roam the field. I think 
this is of moderate use in determining a better player 
when games are always close, and of the quality and 
variety of plays and tactics. 

2. The Gimp Index - The Gimp Index is your points 
in a season minus your opponents' points (found in 
NFL Standings). This measures your overall 
domination (or submission) of (to) your opponents: you 
may get 21-14 usually, but if you play a 35-7 game 
against some teams, that will be factored into the 
index. Alternatively, the Gimp Index may be 
expressed as a ratio: 23.7 points to every opponent 
point, for instance. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
6. The Pro Bowl

"Tecmo Super Bowl should only be attempted by 
trained professionals."

I have to date found only one use for the Pro Bowl 
that develops your skills: use the Pro Bowl Change 
Players option to choose any player from the 
respective conferences (AFC and NFC) to stack the 
deck against yourself with horrid players, like the 
backup receivers of Chicago and Hugh Millen for the 
NFC, or Steve Grogan and the whole defense of 
Indianapolis for the AFC. Note also that in this
mode, injured players are playable (in Bad 
condition).  

----------------------------------------------------------------
7. Season Game

"How the seasons of Tecmo change! From fall to 
winter to spring to summer, the fields of Tecmo are 
always green (and the cheerleaders are always ugly)."

There are some things that deserve mention as 
regards Season Game in Tecmo:

1. Injuries: Some people say that injuries are tolerable 
in Tecmo. I don't think so, but anyway, since injuries 
only happen when a person is tackled, injuries can be 
avoided by simply running out of bounds when a 
tackle is imminent. The condition of a player does 
not really seem to affect the injury rate. A player's 
return to playable ability (his recovery) is at least 
partially random. Sometimes you can get a guy back 
in a week and other times you won't get him back for 
five weeks, and if you reset and play the game again 
the player may come back, or conversely, may not 
come back. 

2. Statistics: It seems to me that the number of 
statistics that a player racks up helps the performance 
of said player ever so slightly, but this may just be 
psychosomatic. In any case, watch your players' 
ability stats after every game so that you can switch 
in other people if necessary. 

3. The Computer Adjusts Itself To Your Record: As you 
win victory after victory, the computer opponent gets 
more and more bonus statistics until you lose a game 
or two. This makes passing harder and running 
without capable (i.e. fast) backs almost impossible. It 
may actually be to your advantage, if you don't have 
any pride, to lose a few games in the normal season 
and forestall demonic computers in the playoffs. The
ultimate result of this is running backs that clear
ten yards in 1.5 seconds and linebackers that 
immediately stuff you when you dare to run against the
God Machine. A point worth mentioning is that this 
works in reverse: if you lose a ton of games, the 
computer will get weaker.  

----------------------------------------------------------------
8. Tweaking The Tecmo

"Just a few more adjustments, and your Tecmo will 
be better than ever."

Herein are some nice tips and tricks, some obvious 
and known, others obscure, that generally help your 
game. 

Index:
The Triangle Dodge
The Sine Dodge
Free Form Advance
Move To The Middle
Attack Drone Players
Cover A Fumble Behind The Line
Call-Safe Your Playbook
The 65th Play: "The Boomer"
Watch The Bias
Loft Your Passes
Move Your Quarterback Around
Don't Have A Moving, Covered Quarterback
When All Else Fails, Bomb
Dupe A Human With The Cursor - 
Dupe/Switch Passes
Jink The Quarterback To Move The Pass
Get Behind The Blockers
Run Along The Sidelines To Suppress Fumbles
Run Out Of Bounds To Save Time
Use Your Time-Outs
Ways To Waste Time
On Called Run Plays, Move Through The Gaps
Change Your Lineup
Vary Your Hike Time With Shifting Plays

----------------------------
The Triangle Dodge

This is the classic way to avoid getting tackled. 
Whenever you get the ball and are in front of all your 
pursuers, simply move up and down like this:

      \    /\    /\    /
       \  /  \  /  \  /
        \/    \/    \/

When you do this, your computer controlled 
opponents will attempt to slide tackle you, but will 
miss. Also, when the defenders change direction, they 
will slow down in many cases. 

----------------------------
The Sine Dodge

The Sine Dodge is like the Triangle Dodge, but used 
whenever you have men in front and men behind. 
What you do is simply maneuver in the spaces in 
between players and then, when you get significantly 
past the player in front in the y-direction (up and 
down), you move past the player in front. It looks 
somewhat like this:

        |         ___
        \       /     \       /
         \  X  /   X   \  X  /
          \___/         \___/

This is useful when you escape the initial defenders 
on a punt return and also when you are using a run 
play or short pass. 

----------------------------
Free Form Advance

The best Tecmo dodging strategy combines the above 
two with a few twists: 

1. Try to change directions whenever someone is 
about to slide tackle for best results.

2. If you have a computer or human opponent that is 
ahead of all the others, and you know that player 
poses the most threat to you, simply run up to him 
and engage in a struggle. If you can defeat him, it 
makes it much easier to move upfield, especially 
against a human who is much smarter than a drone.

3. Moving backwards can even help your advance, 
because everyone will follow you back. If you have a 
fast enough player, you can then move in a circle 
around the mob and get everyone behind you, which 
makes it easier to dodge people as they approach.  

----------------------------
Move To The Middle

Whenever you use a run play or catch a short pass, 
moving along either side is fine for getting 
guaranteed yards, but you can often get cornered 
before you can break out. One way to avoid this is to 
move into the middle early in the run, so that you can 
dodge each defender in ones or twos instead of fours 
and fives. You can also use this tactic on defense if a 
good running back is destined to advance ten or more 
yards, because getting into the middle makes it 
harder, especially for a human player, to completely 
break away from you. 

----------------------------
Attack Drone Players

On many plays, players are controlled by the 
computer until some specified point. For instance, on 
handoffs, neither a runner nor a quarterback has any 
player control until the handoff executes, and even 
then, sometimes the quarterback is uncontrollable. 
What you want to do is exploit these opportunities 
and tackle or hit drone players to stop a play or make 
it untenable. However, read the next tip for a warning 
on certain moves.

----------------------------
Cover A Fumble Behind The Line

Because a man-controlled player cannot pick up a 
fumble in most cases, what usually ends up 
happening in situations where a fumble occurs behind 
the offensive line or close to it is that the computer 
for the offense will get a man down there, pick it up, 
and start running for yardage, sometimes getting first 
downs, or, occasionally, touchdowns. Therefore, 
when a fumble happens, you should either, if you 
think your players might be able to recover the ball, 
struggle off your opponent's men and keep them 
away from the ball, or, if you don't think you can 
recover the ball, move away from it somewhat and 
tackle the person who picks up the ball to end the 
play. 

----------------------------
Call-Safe Your Playbook

One thing that will improve your game drastically is 
a play that you can use even when your opponent 
calls it. How about having several of those? What 
you want to do is stack your playbook with pass 
plays that have call-safe receivers and run plays that 
running backs like Bo Jackson can get out of, such as 
Run and Shoot Sweep Right. Not only is it 
demoralizing for your opponent, it also can gain you 
five or more yards. 

----------------------------
The 65th Play: "The Boomer"
(also known as "calling Boomer Esiason"
or "Esiason" or "Boomering" as in, "I've been
Boomering")

One particularly effective tactic when you are on 
offense is to be able to both run and pass with one 
play. Pro T Flare D can do this a little bit, with the 
two running backs on either side of the pocket, but 
it's not really that sound given that the back has to 
catch the ball (they don't always do this), be 
uncovered, and that everyone on the opposing team 
goes after him. Thus, I created "The Boomer" 
(although others, I'm sure, have used it before). The 
Boomer is simply calling a pass play, a shotgun if 
you're cheeky, and just running the ball with the 
quarterback, sometimes not even looking at the 
receivers. You want to run in the large gaps between 
the offensive line and the boundaries of the field. 
This tactic is effective because the computer 
defenders don't "wake up" to the fact that you're 
running the ball until you get one or two yards past 
the line. For those of you wondering why it is called 
The Boomer, it's because I was playing a season with 
Cincinnati and about Week 9 I was beginning to have 
problems with red zone touchdowns. Thus, I simply 
used Boomer Esiason to run in all the balls for me, 
which was extremely cheap. At the end of the season, 
he was about 13th on the high scorer list. 

----------------------------
Watch The Bias

When a player gets tackled on the top or the bottom 
of the field, the ball will be shifted to that particular 
side. What this does is it makes it harder for a player 
to run to the particular side the ball is shifted to, and 
easier for the other side. On a pass, it concentrates 
receivers on one side or the other. What you want to 
do is take this into account when you call your plays 
(mainly for runs though - the pass shift is usually 
insignificant). If you think there's going to be a run 
play called, and your opponent (Player 1) is shifted to 
the top, and he has both Run And Shoot Right and 
Left, you want to call Run And Shoot Right to cover 
your weaker side, letting the blockers that are already 
going to be close for the run take care of a run to the 
top. Because of the bias, those blockers will be 
concentrated more heavily at the top than at the 
bottom, and will make it harder for the runner to the 
top to try to make it out. It usually won't completely 
eliminate yardage gains, but it does reduce their 
magnitude. 

----------------------------
Loft Your Passes

The biggest reason that passes, long ones in
particular, but short ones as well, fail is because
the target can't get his hands on the ball. This is
partly due to people swatting the ball, partly due to
the coverage causing an incomplete pass, and partly 
due to interceptions. A good way to cut down on a lot
of that is by "lofting the pass". If you've played
Tecmo for a while, you know that receivers, good ones
catching passes thrown by good quarterbacks especially,
jump up and catch the ball. The trick is to get the
receivers to do this consistently. The first way, and 
the easiest, is to time your pass so that the person
who needs to be catching the ball is still moving. 
This increases the chances of the ball overshooting 
the receiver, making it more possible for him to 
have an opportunity to jump. This also hinders the
efforts of defenders, because a defender farther away
from the receiver will jump and miss or not jump at
all, and one on the "X" for the pass will not even
get a chance to intercept or interrupt the pass if
the receiver jumps and picks up the ball. It also
prevents the receiver from becoming lost in a clump
of defenders who zero in on a stationary man in no
time at all. The second way to do this is to jink
your QB so that the pass goes awry, as described
below. This gives more movement and more freedom
to the receiver. The third way is to attempt to loft
only when a receiver has no definite target. If he
does, oftentimes he will stop and either be too low
to catch the pass, or the pass will go straight to 
him, AND the defenders that move in on the target
point. I must emphasize that using your best 
receivers in loft attempts makes things much easier
because they have higher probabilities of catching
a difficult pass. Bo Jackson types need not apply. 
I call the event of jumping up and catching the
ball a "clinch". 

----------------------------
Move Your Quarterback Around

You should always be shifting your quarterback 
around. The principal reason is to put your 
quarterback right in line with your receiver so that the 
pass has a better chance of getting in his general 
vicinity. The secondary reason is so that, if you don't 
have any good pass opportunities, you will usually be 
off to one side or the other, making it easy for you to 
QB sneak. However, read the next tip for a caveat.

----------------------------
Don't Have A Moving, Covered Quarterback

Two things can ruin your quarterback's pass: 

1. If your quarterback is moving around when he 
passes, it makes it much more possible for him to 
throw a wild pass.

2. Defenders close to the QB can swat the ball down 
and stop the pass (sometimes this is desirable though, 
as in the case of a called play where receivers are 
covered) or cause a wild pass as above. More 
importantly, however, some defenders in the line of a 
pass, such as general zone coverage and especially 
linebackers who loiter around the offensive line, will 
block the ball and sometimes even intercept it. Make 
sure you have a clear path for a pass unless you have 
a great QB. 

----------------------------
When All Else Fails, Bomb

At the end of a half, or when it's fourth down and 
every man is covered, simply trot back ten or thirty 
yards (moving to the twenty-yard line is a standard 
that still endures today) and throw to the longest man 
out there, in the slim hope that you can get a 
reception. It does work, especially with good passing 
teams, although it is more than a bit cheap. 

----------------------------
Dupe A Human With The Cursor - 
Dupe/Switch Passes

A good way to snooker a human opponent is to place 
the cursor on the man you don't want to pass to, then 
switch at the last moment. Coupled with a QB right 
about to sneak and on the opposite side of the field 
with respect to the intended receiver, this can cause 
quite a bit of havoc. A tactic to use, if you want to
use Tecmo's built in services for duping humans, is
the dupe pass, where you hit A+B, but B first, to 
pass the ball and then to shift the cursor to the
next man. This ensures that the pass goes where you
know it will and where you want it, while causing 
some minor harassment to a human opponent. The key
in using it is not to abuse it, because the cursor 
lands on the person you're going to throw it to and
that is the cue your opponent needs to cover the 
appropriate man whenever he hears the ball being 
thrown. If your opponent is always wise to it, it's
of no use. A good way to exploit it is to have the
person who the cursor will shift to and the person
who will actually get the ball on a line, so that
only the depth of the pass can be analyzed to 
determine its target, and by the time a human can 
figure it out, it can be too late to do anything 
about it. The other, more sophisticated and nearly
impossible to stop, way of screwing with a human
opponent is to use the switch pass, where you hit
A+B but A first, so that the pass target is 
switched and the ball thrown immediately afterward.
This, however, requires the user to know the order
in which receivers come, and that takes a bit of 
work. It can be simulated somewhat by scrolling the
pass cursor over the field and noting the person 
that comes right before your intended target, then
focusing on them. However, that won't do well if
you come up against a nose tackle worshipper who
rushes you on random plays. The full power of the
switch only comes when you can automatically flip
the cursor and wait for your opportunity, which
means memorizing the orders; not a worthwhile 
task for a casual player, but it can be useful in
seasons where you only have four orders to 
memorize. 

----------------------------
Jink The Quarterback To Move The Pass

If everyone is covered and you can't escape with the 
QB, simply choose the best receiver, then move a 
second before you pass and continue moving through 
the pass. With intermediate and poor QBs, what this 
can do is move the "X" for the play from the receiver 
to a position farther away, which makes it harder for 
the defender to intercept, but also harder for the 
receiver to catch. It is useful, however, if you can get 
the X to move forward or to the side.

----------------------------
Get Behind The Blockers

It sounds obvious, but on plays like Pitch L Open and 
T Power Sweep R, the blockers can really help get you 
two or three yards more if you let them block you. 
More importantly, if you move around the blockers 
and force a human opponent to move through them to 
get to you, that buys you two seconds of human-free 
running. 

----------------------------
Run Along The Sidelines To Suppress Fumbles

If you don't want to lose yards to fumbles, moving 
along the sidelines ensures that half of the fumbles 
that occur will go out of bounds. 

----------------------------
Run Out Of Bounds To Save Time

Remember that whenever you run out of bounds you 
stop the clock. This is very useful for capping time-
consuming returns by simply running out around the 
ten-yard line. It takes more than a minute to return 
the ball all the way into the end zone from your own, 
whereas passes where receivers can move straight out 
into the end zone can take less than 15 seconds. 

----------------------------
Use Your Time-Outs

Remember, even if you're winning, use the time-outs 
you have whenever the half is about to finish and you 
need more time on offense. Obviously, a losing team 
should use them on both defense and offense. However,
if you choose your plays very quickly, you may 
actually lose time choosing the time-out, so be
forewarned. 

----------------------------
Ways To Waste Time

1. A strong punt can waste 30 or more seconds of 
game time. Try not to touchback for maximum effect.

2. Dawdle on the play screen.

3. Call a pass and run backwards and forwards, 
dodging opponents, and get tackled near out of 
bounds to avoid fumbling. 

----------------------------
On Called Run Plays, Move Through The Gaps

Whenever a run play is called, there's always a best
direction you can go in to minimize your losses.
Find it and go for it. Sometimes, there will be a
gap between one group of defenders and another.
Move through this gap; it often allows you to
escape if you have a fast back. Don't give up just
because the play gets called. 

----------------------------
Change Your Lineup

One good way to screw with your opponent, if it is
allowed, is to change your offensive lineup once
or twice every drive. One thing this does is it
makes it harder to exploit race defects. 
Another thing it does is to add one more layer of
paranoia and guessing to the play. If you shift
a receiver into the fullback slot and you have
Pitch L Open in your playbook, your opponent may
think, "Gee, I wonder what play he's going for.",
and call Pitch L Open. In the meantime, you've 
called X Out And Fly, leaving two open receivers,
one of whom is your substitution. Or maybe it's 
the other way around! Maybe he thinks it will be
X Out And Fly, then you call Pitch L Open to 
drive him into the turf. It's one more dimension
of Tecmo. 

----------------------------
Vary Your Hike Time With Shifting Plays

If you switch around your snap time with plays that
have motion, you can deceive your opponent and 
just generally annoy him/her. For example, with a
Shifting Onesetback formation, you can let the
motion end for, say, FB Open L, and hike quickly
for Playaction Z In. Then, you hike quickly for
your next FB Open L and your opponent can lose 
a second on the play from the general disorientation,
especially if you've been using that shift pattern
for a quarter or more. You can also just randomly
hike the ball to keep your opponent focused on when
the snap will come (since the motion distracts from
readiness).  

----------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
9. Playbook Combinations

"Here are the findings of fact in the Tecmo
antitrust case."

This part has information about having certain
formation combinations in your playbook as well
as amalgamated playbooks, good and bad.

-----------------
Formation Combos


T Formation Plays: These are good as long as you
have variety in the directions of the runs and the
length of the passes. One peril to watch for is the
nose tackle dive, because that can stop about one
half of these plays. If there's a rule against that
tactic, then these become more useful. Try to pick
plays that look similar in the execution, like
Pro T Waggle L and T Power Sweep R. You probably 
want about 6 or 4 of these in your playbook, if
you want this formation. If you go for 7, you
should probably have a bomb in the last slot, like 
Redgun Z Slant or Shotgun XY Bomb (I would go for
Redgun, but some people seem to like XY Bomb, don't
know why, there are certainly enough opportunities
in the Redgun for a bomb, and two more short ones). 


Onesetback Plays:
     Top Handoff Plays: These plays are bad. When
you have this set of plays in your book, a person
can call Pitch L Fake and stop the other two
with the nose tackle or another lineman or a
linebacker for losses very easily.
     Handoff After The Snap Plays: These are good
plays on passes, but a little weaker on runs 
because a linebacker can take out the runner. Even
so, this is a decent formation if you only have
one of the runs. 
     Other Plays: These are good plays for variety
as complements to the other Onesetback plays, 
especially Pitch L Open + HATS Plays.

This whole formation should occupy about 4 or 5 
slots if you want it. 


Run And Shoot Plays: These are appealing, but 
somewhat weak on the runs, and susceptible to the
nose tackle dive on the passes. These are good,
but don't get in patterns if you have these. One
way that these plays can be stopped is by calling
a run play in the opposite direction that the
ball is shifted, and then covering the pass with
a lineman. This formation needs about 4 or 6 to
be successful, including both Run And Shoot Left
and Right. If you have 6, couple this with either
2 T Formation or 2 Onesetback plays. Don't pick
the Draw!!! You will be slaughtered if you do.


Shifting Onesetback Plays: This formation is 
good, lacking on blockers on the runs and
biased toward runs a bit much (only two passes,
and one Roll Out R, make the passing game harder),
but pretty good if the nose tackle dive is 
forbidden. If you use this, make sure you use
a lot of runs because the passes can be nailed 
fairly readily. You want the left and the right
run on this one. You should couple them
with Playaction Z In if you have only 3 plays in 
your book, and add Roll Out R if you have all four 
runs. This is a nice complement to the five 
possible shotgun plays in the other slots. If
you have all six, you can also put in Shotgun
X Curl and Shotgun Z S-In for a good combo for
use in the end zone.


Shotgun Plays: These are good if you want to be
safe in the end zone and free from unstoppable
tackles and sacks. However, the runs from here
are meaningless against a good opponent unless
you can struggle him down before help arrives.
If you want to shut this down, simply take a 
linebacker and cover the run, and move out into
coverage if it becomes evident that no run is
coming, since it is tough to sack even a computer
QB in this formation, let alone a human. Put plays
of this formation in your book as they become 
useful to the rest of your playbook, since there
are a ton of switched players that can be detected
from the lineup of the plays. I would put two or
three of these in my book if they were convenient.


Funky Triangle Formation Thingy: If you put in 
one run, put in a pass. If you put in both runs,
put in both passes. These can be powerful plays,
since if the NTD is forbidden, you can run and
pass with impunity, and also Toss Sweep R is 
great even if the NTD is allowed. I would put
in Toss Sweep R with Offset Flare E, and then
FB Power Dive with Play Action. This is best with
2 plays, but you can get a little more variety
with 4. 


One Man Shift Formation: This one is best taken
in moderation. The passes are weak enough that
you can only call them every once in a while, 
and hardly ever in a pinch. Not only that, but
all the runs are to the bottom. I would put only
2 of these in my book, and at the very most three.
What plays? I would put in Roll Out L if my 
opponent liked to call the pass play, and Flea
Flicker if he defended the run or other formations
most of the time, since a called Flea Flicker can
and does result in a fumble. Abuse the run (it
really doesn't matter much which) that you choose.
You don't want two runs, but rather both passes,
if you must have three, though that is a bad idea.


Shotgun 3-Wing Formation: Put both plays in if you
want this. Call the pass more than the run.


Slot Formation: Put both plays in if you want this. 
Call the pass more than the run. 


WTE Formation: Don't put these in, but if you are
feeling suicidal, at least put only one in. 


Individual Plays: If you like the properties of 
one of these in the 8th slot, then put them with
a T Formation playbook especially, but they can
also work with Shifting Onesetback playbooks well. 
Otherwise, if you must have one (you don't) then
adapt the rest of your playbook to fit that 
strategy.  


-----------------
Playbooks

Herein are some playbooks. I rank them according to 
a one to ten system, where ten is the highest value 
that a playbook could have and one is the least.

Example Formation - Balance Of Formation - Ranking 

Play in Run Slot 1
Play in Run Slot 2
Play in Run Slot 3
Play in Run Slot 4
Play in Pass Slot 1
Play in Pass Slot 2
Play in Pass Slot 3
Play in Pass Slot 4

--------------
Good Playbooks


T Run Playbook | 6-2 | 8/10
This offers the balance and power
of Run And Shoot without the lousy Draw
(there are more appropriate vulgarities
for that horrid play, but I'll simply
leave it at this) and the predictable 
3-Wing. 

Run And Shoot Sweep Left
T Offtackle Right (or T Sweep Strong or T Power Sweep R)
Run And Shoot Sweep Right
Run And Shoot QBSneak OR QB Run 
Run And Shoot Flare C 
Run And Shoot Z Fly
Pro T Flare C
Run And Shoot Y Up


Power Shoot Playbook | 5-3 | 8/10
One of the great things about Onesetback
plays is that they break through the 
defense very well in many cases. This
playbook substitutes Run And Shoot Y
Up with X Out And Fly to offer the ability 
to have FB Offtackle L without having to 
worry about an impudent defender slide tackling 
the running back or the quarterback all of the
time.

Run And Shoot Left
FB Offtackle L
Run And Shoot Right
Run And Shoot QBSneak OR QB Run
Run And Shoot Flare C
Run And Shoot Z Fly
Power Fake X Fly
X Out And Fly 


Power + Cover Playbook | 4-4 | 7/10
This playbook puts in the powerful
Toss Sweep R and FB Power Dive to
enhance the strength of the run, 
especially with less able players. This
covers the new additions by complementing
them with pass plays. It also adds the
superb Pitch L Open to further make 
FB Offtackle L viable and to enhance the
running game generally. 

Toss Sweep R
FB Offtackle L
Pitch L Open
FB Power Dive
Play Action
Offset Flare E
Power Fake X Fly
X Out And Fly


Shift And Shotgun Playbook | 6-2 | 7/10
The Shifting Onesetback is also a very
respectable formation, not least for the
ability to shift receivers. This playbook
provides Shotguns to fill in the gaps in
the playbook where no original formation
play exists. 

FB Open L
Oneback Sweep Right
WR Reverse L
Onesetback Dive
Roll Out R
Shotgun X Curl
Playaction Z In
Shotgun Z S-In 


Total Power Playbook | 4-2-2 | 6/10
(this is one to use on the computer)

This is a tested playbook that I have
used on the computer for quite some time.
Since the computer has no real intelligence,
it doesn't really care a whole lot what 
plays you call and it doesn't have a good
idea of how to kill some plays. Thus, this
playbook sacrifices predictability for the
advantage of increased yardage gains due to
the efficacy and power of the individual
plays chosen. 

Toss Sweep R
FB Offtackle L
Pitch L Open
FB Power Dive
Run And Shoot Flare C
Run And Shoot Z Fly
Power Fake X Fly 
X Out And Fly

--------------
Baaaaaad Playbooks


What Were You On? | 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 | 3/10 
This is the quintessential "what not to do."
This playbook is totally predictable from
the basic formation at the line-up. 

WTE Offtackle R
Run And Shoot Draw
Slot Offtackle
Shotgun C Draw
Pro T Waggle R
Oneback Z Cross
Flea Flicker
No Back X Deep


SuiCide | 2-1-1-1-1-1-1 | 1/10
All of these plays can be annihilated fairly
readily and thus are not appropriate in any
way whatsoever against a human opponent. 

WTE Offtackle R
Run And Shoot Draw
WR Reverse L
Shotgun C Draw
Pro T Waggle R
WTE Flea Flicker
Flea Flicker
Reverse-Fake Z Post

--------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
10. Bugs And Weird Stuff

"Tecmo Super Bowl has some minor 'issues'."

The strange things in this section are ordered
by familiarity. The more something occurs, the
farther down it is. 


They Named A Power Bar For You, Boomer: After 
safetying Scott Mitchell (the Dolphins' backup QB),
by using the nose tackle dive tactic against a Pro
T Waggle L, the power bar came up and to the left
of it was a 7-. Boomer Esiason, the QB for the 
Bengals, has number 7, and, as fate had it, I was
playing as the Bengals. This bug can be replicated
with any other quarterback as well - I did it with
Dave Krieg too. 

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Perfect: I once had the
occasion to run a perfect 100 yards on a kickoff
return, all the way from one end zone to the other,
and celebrated my massive accomplishment. Well, 
my friend Steven and I went after the game into
the Kickoff Returns stat menu, and guess what?
The 100 yards was NOWHERE! Somehow they just 
didn't count it at all. I was so pissed. 

What Are You Staring At Now, Rice?: During
the Tecmo Passing Study, I was tossing the ball to
Jerry Rice and was greeted by another odd little
error; instead of getting on the X, Rice moved 
past it and stood there facing the other direction
as Montana's ball bounced off two defenders. Good
job! and I thought the 49ers were overrated. Who
knows what he was looking at? There's a variant
of this called, "I Guess You're Taking A Stroll,
Eh, Secondary?"

I See That Football Up Your Sleeve: On flea flicks
(especially T Flea Flicker) and occasionally on
punts, sometimes the ball doesn't even come close
to the person trying to catch it. Even so, the 
person will still have a ball to carry or throw,
and there's even a healthy accompanying thump. I
think some of the offenses in the league have 
been to Las Vegas for a little "spring training."

They Must Be Really Hard Hits: Everybody knows that
you can hit a person who's scored a touchdown in
the end zone after they've scored, knocking them
down, and sometimes struggling with them. Well,
occasionally, if you get hit in the end zone, your
player will fumble the ball. In so doing, the yards
you've gained in getting the touchdown will be 
lost, since the game erases the yardage from a 
fumbled play. I think what must happen is that the
intransigent tackler hits the man so hard that
even the scorekeepers get amnesia. 

Are These House Rules We're Playing By?: Everyone
at one point or another has had the chagrin or
joy of having a reception out of bounds, a running
back over the sideline, or even an interception
off the field and getting the yards and catches
counted. Not only that, but errant quarterbacks 
throw passes into the stands that both receivers
and defenders run for, sometimes triggering 
"dropped ball" cinemas. 

Tecmo Is So Realistic, They Even Got The 
Refs Right: Tecmo has a tough time deciding 
whether certain hits are one or the other. For 
instance, you can slide tackle a QB in a flea 
flick or a running back in Shotgun C Draw as he 
gets the ball and the ball can pop, but the play 
is over. But if you struggle with these same
people, the ball bounces off as a fumble. How
does this come about, I wonder?

It Isn't Over Yet: On many plays, if you get a
safety, the runner will continue to go if he
can get up. In addition, if you tackle the QB
on a pitch play and he gets up, he will "pass"
the ball to the running back downfield, and 
sometimes he will miss him by ten yards!

Tecmo End Zone Dances: One thing you can do in 
Tecmo is get crazy things to happen to people
caught in the end zone. If you hold the button
in the opposite direction to the end zone, you
can make a receiver move out of the end zone
as soon as he catches the ball. In addition,
you can make your runners move out of bounds 
and into the stands by holding the button in
the appropriate direction. Moreover, if you
have a defender who slides for a guy in the
end zone, he can slide for twenty yards or 
even slide right off the screen. If a guy gets
in a struggle with someone who's in the end
zone, they can have it out, or in the best
tradition, the successful team's man starts
cheering and his antagonist keeps wrestling.

Is This A Prophecy?: The inability of a player
controlled by a human to pick up a fumble in
every situation but that of a dropped field goal
is truly amazing. Not only that, but the fact 
that a ball can be bouncing about in a swarm of 
twelve big, muscular guys, and move ten yards
over out of bounds is stupefying. Is this the
ultimate meaning of Tecmo? 

I Guess This Is What Quantum Theory Is All About:
No matter how many people stand between you and
a ball carrier behind the line, you can move
through all of them and just touch one pixel of
the holder to take him down. At the same time, 
you can escape a slide tackle past the line if
the slider flickers, even if the guy half 
engulfs you. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
11. (preliminary) Mechanics

"Let's take a look at Tecmo 'under the hood'."

I put some interesting observations about the way
that Tecmo works in here. Most of these are just
the oddball tinkerings and curiosities of an 
fanatic, but a few of these are actually useful
and/or interesting. 

------------------
Menu Screens

If you look closely at the background of the
NFL Leaders screens, you'll notice that the 
motions on the cinemas therein are the same ones
as actual cinemas in the game, except that the
players change colors and there's no other 
detail. 

------------------
On The Field

Sometimes on certain plays (especially on T
Offtackle R), a computer controlled player will
do a lateral slide tackle and hit opposing 
computer players. Us peon humans can't do it
(why can't you use Select?).

I've always wondered why the slide tackles are
so horrible, both in the aiming and in the 
computer defenders' use of them. I'm guessing
that maybe the computer doesn't take into 
account a person's speed or that the former
state of the screen is used to determine a 
player's target when the slide tackle is 
executed. 

If you decide to QB sneak, the computer players
will not catch on until you cross the line, so
you can take your time and get yourself lined
up for the greatest gain. 

------------------
Contact Mechanics

When people make simple contact:

If a player has a lot less hitting power than
another (about 38 or more) and the larger player
has a hitting power of about 69, then he will simply
bounce off. This phenomenon has been called
"sack of potatoes", "popcorn", and my personal
favorite, "playing Tekken." If the player who
has a lot less is the ball carrier, however,
he will simply get immediately pounded into
the ground. Getting pounded into the ground
can happen at lower than 69, but you have to 
have more hitting power difference with the person 
you want to pound (such as 50). It also depends on
where you hit them. If you hit them in the back
or the sides, it reduces the power needed, I think.
I'm not entirely sure on this paragraph, because
getting beaten down and knocked off seems to vary
a lot. 

If a player has less hitting power than his
antagonist, he will be at a disadvantage in
the struggle. If the less strong player is 
not strong enough to shake the other off,
but he manages to hit the A button fast enough, 
he can sometimes keep from getting tackled, but 
will not be able to break out. 

The struggle is resolved whenever one person's
A hitting and hitting power are large enough
to overcome the other. The actual reaction is
dependent on how much the one was able to overcome
the other. If one dominated, the other will be
thrown into the air and roll on the ground, 
placing him around 15 or more yards away. Lesser
degrees produce long rolls, short tosses and rolls, 
short rolls, and simply hitting the other player to 
the ground. 

People who attempt to enter struggles
between fierce opponents by simply walking in
may get knocked off if their hitting power is
low. If it is higher, or if the struggle
is not so heated, they will knock off a blocker
or tackle a ball carrier. On defense, a 
slide tackle works well in these situations. 

One variable factor in this is the hitting of the
A button outside of a struggle. It boosts your
hitting power significantly, and can be enough to
knock away certain defenders. 

Another miscellaneous point is that contact is
irrespective of your movement. If you stand still
and do nothing, you can still take people down or
people will still bounce off you. As an example,
I ran over Phil Simms with Karl Mecklenberg 
without hitting A at all, and I once stood in
the middle of the Indianapolis defense with about
6 people just bouncing off Tom Rathman. 

------------------
Computer Behavior

Coin Toss
The computer, being plain silly, always chooses
to return the ball if it wins the coin toss. 

Fourth Down
If the computer is behind the fifty-yard line
and it isn't fourth quarter, the computer will
almost always punt. It will also punt in front
of the fifty-yard line if the kicker is not all 
that good - how bad determines where the computer 
will kick a field goal. During the fourth quarter,
if the computer is losing, it will keep the 
ball, but if not, it will punt it as normal.
If it is past the fifty yard line and it isn't
fourth quarter, the computer will kick a field
goal. During the fourth quarter, if the 
computer is losing by seven points or more, it
will almost always punt. If it is losing by
few enough points such that a field goal will
win it for the computer, the computer will
kick a field goal. Its behavior in the 
intermediate range I have not yet determined,
since I either blow the computer out or am
worried about losing so much I don't give it
much heed (if I am less than 7 points ahead).
I believe, however, that it will go for the
touchdown or first down if the point 
difference is more than 3. I don't think it is
entirely predictable, certainly not to the 
degree that the others are.  

------------------
Music And Sound

Whenever you have the first down music playing, if
you enter the menu it shuts off. I guess the 
menu noise is a little too much for the NES sound
channels (it comes out of both Square Wave 
channels). 

------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
12. Press Conference

"I completely deny these false and Tecmo 
allegations."

This is all the random thoughts I have (and others 
have, hopefully) about Tecmo.

-------------------
Leif Powers - 

If there's one mascot to Tecmo, it's David Meggett 
(excepting the Mighty Bombjacks and the halftime
parachutist, with whom no one can compete). I know 
that Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, and Lawrence 
Taylor (not to mention the San Francisco offense,
Deion Sanders, Mark Rypien, and the crowd), are the 
ones shown in the intro, but Meggett 
does more than they do, because not only is he 
Running Back #2 for the Giants, he also returns both 
kicks and punts. Nobody else does that but Vance
Johnson, mediocre at best. You have Gil 
Fenerty types for both returns, and you have guys 
like John Taylor who play a position and return one 
kind of kick, but nobody does it all as good as it
can be done as David Meggett does. He's also a 
pretty good running back to boot. In addition, 
Meggett has the number 30. In what may be a 
prophecy, that number is the same as the total 
number of players on the roster of the NFL teams in 
Tecmo. ~Trippy~! 


The computer is pretty horrible in this game and
everybody knows that. However, one thing that's 
worth mentioning that didn't really fit anywhere
else is that the computer only adopts certain 
patterns based on some determination it makes
before the half, at least. It may also switch
at the fourth quarter. Once you find these 
patterns, it becomes much easier to exploit the
computer, on both offense and defense. The defense
especially benefits from knowledge of patterns. 
The easiest way to do that is to keep track of 
what plays the computer calls, even in your head,
because that aggregate probability is what usually
determines what the computer is going to do. 
Sometimes, you'll light upon a computer doing the
same things it did in a previous drive, and you
can exploit that, playing just as you did on that
drive to beat the computer down. About finding
patterns on offense, with a computer or human:
look to see whether your play was in trouble.
Were there four men covered? Did all the 
defensive backs descend on me like locusts? From
this, you can determine whether a play defended 
against was of the same nature as the one you
called or opposite. Once you get enough data on
the plays your opponent calls, you can then
begin to exploit the pattern in the way your 
opponent reacts to your plays and successes. 
Remember always that with a human opponent, the
opponent will change strategies as you begin to
tear them apart, even if you do it accidentally.
Factor this in to your future plays and strategy.
If you did very well with passes, start mixing
in more runs, and vice versa. The ideal opponent
to face is a bigot, who either calls one play 
type or another, or even just one play; lacking
that, a more realistic objective is to totally
confuse and frustrate your opponent with a 
combination of random plays and exploitation of
the defense that you oppose. Once the opponent
has been broken down, even partially, it 
disorders their strategy and makes things like
bomb plays more likely to work that would 
normally be suppressed and even punished with
a methodical and determined opponent with a 
definite plan of action. That's a window of
opportunity you can take advantage of until 
your opponent reforms a pattern and starts 
the cycle all over again. 


On that note, game theory is directly applicable
to Tecmo. If there's one play that would 
devastate you in a particular position, then
it's usually a good idea to call that play. 
Whenever you call one type of play or one 
direction of play, always cover for the other, 
because that's where you're weakest and that's
also where you can gain the most benefit, or
have the best hedge against the unexpected 
action. If you call a run, move out to stop a
pass. If you call a pass, take one of the 
secondaries and stop a potential run. 
If you called right, cover left. If you called
left, cover right. And for both left and right,
cover the center. On offense, if you've called
a pass, be ready to QB sneak if you see signs
that your opponent may have you cornered. 
On a run, be ready to reverse (change 
direction against the flow of the play). 
Because so much of Tecmo relies on those 
eight plays and their interactions, you have
to be able to first figure out the most 
dangerous scenario - the one that is probable
enough to come to life and harmful enough to
lose you yards or a game - and stop that, 
covering the feedback worst case caused by
your decision as a coach using your player. 
In Tecmo terms, you have to call the
best play in the book and prepare for the
worst on the field that could result from
your action. That's how you prevent the
70 yard passes and 35 yard runs from 
happening, and how you keep the small
gains from inching you too close to the
end zone, or, on offense, how you succeed
in gaining yardage on a bad play, and how
you keep moving upfield despite numerous
setbacks. 


Best player in Tecmo? I think only as far as defense 
is concerned, David Fulcher is the best. His stats are
almost unbelievable and his utility is vast. However, 
players in better positions for a human to control,
without compromising the defense, such as Lawrence 
Taylor and Bruce Smith, are better in light of the 
whole defense and deserve honorable mentions. 
As far as offense and all of Tecmo is concerned, best 
player without a doubt is QB Eagles (Randall 
Cunningham) who can pass pretty well and can run 
better than a ton of running backs, receivers, and tight 
ends. He alone makes Philadelphia's offense the best,
threatening a significant run and yardage gain with
every pass play called, which makes defending against
the Eagles' run game even harder because of the need
to circumvent the open man/open QB dilemma by calling
more pass plays. 


Best team? I believe, after consultation and 
consternation, that I should have gone with my gut all
along. The best team is the Giants. There are several
reasons for this. On offense, the passing game is not
as good as others, but works well enough. The running
backs are a great combo, with Ottis Anderson a fast and
powerful fullback and David Meggett even faster. These
two could carry a running game alone, and together
they make the Giants' ground attack a powerful threat.
The Giants' defense is where they truly pull ahead.
With the best linebacker corps in the game - Lawrence
Taylor the demi-god; Pepper Johnson, a notch weaker but 
in a better position; Gary Reasons, who has the highest
Interceptions (63) of any linebacker; and Carl Banks,
just a tad worse than Johnson. With this, you can
stuff almost any run with fast and powerful guys in 
several positions, top and bottom. The one man who 
can't do that so well, Reasons, is in the least 
critical spot, and doubles as a defensive back for
the medium and short-range pass where coverage seems to
be lightest at the worst times. Even though their line
could use some work, their defensive backs are all
solid and competent. This, the best defense in the 
game, will never get injured, adding to its value. On
special teams, Bahr is not that good (though he does
have a decent Avoid Kick Block) but Landeta's powerful
punts will fly nearly anywhere on the field. Add in
Lawrence Taylor's ability to block even extra points
against a human and his tendency to tackle holders on
field goals and you have the best team in Tecmo Super
Bowl. Honorable mentions must go to: the Chiefs, almost
the best but for want of a notch-better defense and a 
more diverse running game (though contestably the best,
with different priorities); the 49ers, who fall just a 
little short on the defense, but whose running game is
impotent at times and drags down the incredible passes; 
and to the Bills, who almost have it all with Kelly,
Thomas, Reed, Smith, Bennett, and solid offense and
defense otherwise. Special mention must go to the 
Eagles, where Randall Cunningham just isn't enough to
pull up the mediocre running backs, the passing wide
receivers, and a spotty secondary epitomized by Andre
Waters, who has the interceptions of a lineman, the
power of a wide receiver, and the running ability of
a turtle, just as green as Andre himself.   


My favorite team, after having played Tecmo now for 
more than a year (quite regularly I might add) is
the Cincinnati Bengals. They're not the best, but 
that team has got all the personality players. You
have Boomer Esiason, the fast but loose QB; you've
got James Brooks, an intrepid feature back; you've
got Ickey Woods, the mythic fullback whom you always
root for even when you know he's not getting any 
yards on a play; Kendal Smith, the punt returner 
with mercurial feet but no hitting power to speak
of; S. Jennings is the requisite 
abbreviated/anonymous player on the Bengals. 
Brian Blados has the desirable quality of mimicking
another player in Tecmo (Seattle WR #1 Brian Blades)
in the vein of the Jackson/Thomas/White/Carter
tradition. Jim Breech is sufficient at kicker, and
Lee Johnson has a totally generic name. 
Hit the second string and ! Eric Kattus, a solid man
with a quirky name. Harold Green pulls his weight.
On defense, David Fulcher blows everyone else away
in all of Tecmo with about two execeptions, almost
uncontestably the best defender in the game; you have
his sidekick, the less skilled but still decently
redoubtable Barney Bussey, who gets more than his
share of interceptions; James Francis, one notch
below Lawrence Taylor; and Carl Zander, the 
linebacker who inexplicably gets a ton of random 
sacks. Not only this, but you have their quirky 
playbook as well. The productive T Power Sweep R
is coupled with the atrocious T Flea Flicker. 
Shotgun XY Bomb is balanced with Shotgun C Draw.
The flagging Pro T Waggle R is set with the almost
mercilessly effective FB Offtackle L, and the unique
Power Fake Z Post is bedfellow to a utilitarian T 
Cross Run L. All in all, I think Cincinnati speaks 
for itself (though I've been yapping about it for 
far too long). 

-------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
13. Basic Instructions

"Let me show you the Tecmo, kid."

This section is divided thus:

Sound Test
Preseason/Pro Bowl
Team Data
Season Mode
Playing the Game

------------
Sound Test

At the title screen, press Left and B to access the 
sound test. The sounds are as follows (names mine,
and I know they're pathetic).

1. Tecmo "Killer Team" Intro Cinema (after 
"Ready!")
2. Tecmo "The World Is Watching" Cinema (until 
"Ready!")
3. Tecmo "Killer Team" Intro Cinema (same as #1)
4. Pro Bowl - Theme Of Player 1
5. Pro Bowl - Theme Of Player 2
6. Postseason - Theme Of Player 1
7. Postseason - Theme Of Player 2
8. Season - Theme Of Player 1
9. Season - Theme Of Player 2
10. Preseason - Theme Of Player 1
11. Preseason - Theme Of Player 2
12. Super Bowl Finish Cinema #1: "Super  
Champions" (until the roster starts scrolling)
13. Super Bowl Finish Cinema #2: "Tecmo's 
Greatest" (when the roster starts scrolling)
14. Kickoff!
15. Theme Of Run Touchdown/Coin Toss - Kickoff 
Or Return?
16. Safety! 
17. Touchback!
18. Interception!
19. Turnover
20. Theme Of Player 1 First Down
21. Theme Of Player 2 First Down
22. "It's Good!" - Theme Of Successful Extra Point 
And Field Goal Attempts
23. "No Good" - Theme Of Unsuccessful Extra Point 
(it happened once to me) And Field Goal 
Attempts
24. Injury!
25. "New Quarter" - The Theme That Plays When 
The Scoreboard Appears After The First And Third 
Quarters
26. Halftime
27. "Is It A First Down?" - Theme Of Measuring The 
Position Of The Ball
28. Tecmo Sports News
29. Division Champions
30. Conference Champions
31. "The Playoffs Await" - Theme Of The NFL 
Standings Sequence After Week 17
32. "Prophecy" (this theme is not used in the game, 
but it seems to me from listening to it that maybe it 
would have been used for a season cinema where a 
player commits a crime and gets put in the clink, kind 
of like an injury, but Nintendo didn't want to have to 
kids frightened by the shady characters in the holding 
pen, so Tecmo had to censor it out)
33. Recovered! - Theme Of Injured Players' Return 
To The Game (also known as the "we nurses don't 
have anything better to do but stand up on the 
hospital all day long and wave at departing football 
players who don't have cars or changes of clothes and 
have to run to the game in their jerseys and pads - 
just what the doctor ordered for a guy who just got 
out of the hospital" cinema theme)
34. Theme Of Pass Touchdown
35. QB Sack!
36. Fumble!
37. QB Throws The Ball
38. Hike! (??)
39. Player Catches The Ball - Kicker Kicks The Ball
40. Players Hit Each Other #1 
41. Ball Thump #1
42. Whistle
43. Ball Thump #2
44. Two Minute Warning
45. "Time Is Running Out" - Noise Played When 
Time Is Ticking Away At The End Of A Quarter
46. Gunshot - End Of Quarter
47. Ball Thumps Against The Uprights
48. "Press Start" - Noise When You Hit Start At The 
Beginning Of The Game
49. "What Do You Want To Do?" - The 
Unintelligible Muttering Of The Referee At The Coin 
Toss
50. "Kickoff/Return" - The Even More Unintelligible 
Muttering Of The Player Who States His Wish
51. Week Skip Selection Noise
52. Ball Is Punted Or Players Hit Each Other #2
53. Applause #1
54. Applause #2
55. Applause #3
56. Applause #4
57. Ready!
58. Down!
59. Hut!
60. Touchdown!

Once you've had your fun with this menu, hit Start. 
To select, press A, and to cancel, press B. 

------------
Preseason/Pro Bowl 
 
This is a game where you can choose from a variety of 
man, com(puter), and coa(ch - where you choose the
plays but don't actually control a player) games. The 
Pro Bowl is the same, but you play with the Pro Bowl 
people listed in the Pro Bowl menu under Team Data in
AFC All Stars and NFC All Stars. The players' data 
that changes during a season also changes for the
Preseason; if someone is injured in the Season, they
won't be able to play in Preseason, and the condition
of the player affects their performance. The Pro Bowl
games will put all players who are injured into Bad
condition, but otherwise is the same as Preseason.
The AFC divisions are at the top and the NFC divisions
are at the bottom, starting with Eastern divisions in 
the first column, Central in the second, and Western
in the third. 

------------
Team Data
 
Team Data is where you find all the smatterings of 
team data like names and numbers and stats and 
plays. 

Options:
Players Data
OF Starters
DF Starters
Play Book

Players Data
To take a look at the players, go into Players Data 
and select the player you want to see. The positions
are indicated at the top right hand corner with 
abbreviations. Here's a list of them:

QB=Quarterback
RB=Running Back
WR=Wide Receiver
TE=Tight End
C=Center
LG/RG=Left Guard/Right Guard
LT/RT=Left Tackle/Right Tackle
K=Kicker
P=Punter
RE/LE=Right End/Left End
NT=Nose Tackle
ROLB=Right Outside Linebacker
RILB=Right Inside Linebacker
LILB=Left Inside Linebacker
LOLB=Left Outside Linebacker
RCB=Right Cornerback
LCB=Left Cornerback
FS=Free Safety
SS=Strong Safety

Note that all the Right people are the top people and
all the Left people are the people closer to the 
bottom. 

There are certain conditions that players go through
during the course of a season: Bad, Average, Good,
and Excellent. A player's default statistics are at
Average. Each condition has a particular decrement
or increment (of 6 or 7) for each stat; Bad has
one increment lower for each attribute from Average,
Good has one increment higher, and Excellent has
two increments higher. These improve or diminish a
player's abilities. 

The stats are as follows (partial credit goes
to the TSB message board):

Everyone's Stats:
Running Speed: This is how fast a person initially 
runs.
Rushing Power: This is how fast they speed up 
(I think).
Maximum Speed: Self-explanatory.
Hitting Power: How well a player struggles and 
knocks off opposing players. The strength of the 
player is determined by this stat and how fast you hit 
the A button. 

QB Stats:
Pass Speed: Self-explanatory.
Pass Control: How well the pass makes it to the 
general vicinity of the receiver.
Pass Accuracy: The higher this is, the more passes 
get to the receiver and not intercepted and whatnot. 
Avoid Pass Block: When this is high, close defenders 
won't hit the ball as much.

RB/WR/TE Stats:
Ball Control: The more Ball Control a player has, the 
less fumbles he will have.
Receptions: High Receptions means a lot of caught 
balls.

Defender Stats:
Pass Interceptions: The higher this is, the more
interceptions a person will get. 
Quickness: How well a defender changes direction 
without losing speed (I think). 


Offensive Starters
To change your offensive starters, go into OF Starters 
and choose the position you want to fill and then fill 
it with whoever is available. Players with red X's 
beside their names are injured and can't be selected
unless they were just injured and need to be replaced. 
To reset the starters, press A on Starters before you
go down into the actual starters and select Yes. If
you want to look at players' data in this section,
simply press Start when the cursor is next to the
desired starter to see that person's stats. 


Defensive Starters
To view the defenders and their positions, go into DF 
Starters. For those of you wondering where the top
of the screen players are, the left is the top of the
screen and the right is the bottom. 


Play Book
You can change the plays by going into Play Book, 
hitting A on the slot of the play you want to change, 
and choosing from among the list. To reset the plays, 
select Data Reset at the bottom. The red dots are
a pitch to a man, the red lines are either the path
of a runner or the paths of receivers, and white 
dotted lines signify a shift before the play begins.
Note that some shifts are not shown on certain plays.
You have been warned. The names of the plays are 
shown at the bottom and the names of the plays that
you can select from are shown on the menu bar (but
when you choose run plays, you can't see the name
of the play that is currently in the slot). The
runs are the top four slots and the passes are the
bottom four slots (to yet again state the obvious).

------------
Season Game

There are several options here:

Team Control
Schedule
Game Start
NFL Standings
Team Rankings
NFL Leaders
Team Data


Team Control
This lets you choose the type (man, com, coa, skp 
(don't play this game, but if the other team has 
an option set, this is com)) of control the team 
will have. 


Schedule
Schedule is the place where you look at the past 
and upcoming games. Hitting the A button brings up
a menu:

Auto Skip - Choosing this lets you pick a week to
skip to. This will automatically skip to that week
and its games (if you choose Week 1, it will play
all the games to Week 2) when you choose Game Start,
unless you have man, com, or coa chosen for a team
playing in those weeks, in which case it will stop
skipping and return you to the Season Mode menu to
allow you to play the game currently up by selecting
Game Start.

Playoffs - This allows you to view the Playoff 
schedule as it is created through winning of division
championships, and also when the the regular season
is over, you can use it to go back to the Playoff
schedule.

Reset - If you choose this option, it will give you 
two menus to confirm that you really want to clear
away all the season data. Selecting "Yes" for both
of these will reset the season to the beginning of
Week 1, change all the players' conditions to 
Average, and clear away all the players' statistics.

During the Playoffs, the Schedule option will default
to the Playoff Screen that shows the results and the
upcoming games therein. 


Game Start
Game Start plays or skips the games you've selected,
according to the options that you've chosen. Keep
in mind that if an option other than skp is chosen
for a game, the game will be played out in full
just like a Preseason game.


NFL Standings
NFL Standings shows the records and progress of 
each team in the NFL with total points for and 
against a team, as well as any wild card (noted with
a white circle doodad under the team's helmet) or 
division champion status that team may have earned 
(noted with a red star under a team's helmet). The 
teams are listed by conference and division. 


Team Rankings 
This lists each team in the league or conference 
by the total amount of yards gained in Offense or 
the least amount of yards allowed in Defense, 
depending on what list you chose. Once you are
in the ranking, you can then move the cursor right
or left to show the ranked yards gained or allowed
for passing only or rushing only. 


NFL Leaders 
This lists individual leaders in certain stats by 
NFL, AFC, and NFC. In each menu except for Sacks,
you can press right and see another set of list
options for each one. This holds true for all of
the sub-menus as well. I have made a list of my own
that shows the options for ranking as
well as the initial ranking criterion:

<Category> - <ranked criterion> 
<options>

Passing - Rating
Rating
Completion %
# Of Pass Attempts
# Of Completions
Total Yards Gained
Yards Per Attempt
# Of Touchdown Passes
Least Interception %

Receiving - # Of Receptions
# Of Receptions
Total Yards Gained
Yards Per Receptions
# Of Touchdowns

Rushing - Total Yards Gained  
Total Yards Gained
Rushing Attempts
Yards Per Attempt
# Of Touchdowns

Scoring - Total Points
Total Points 
# Of Touchdowns
# Of Extra Points
# Of Field Goals

Punting - Average Punt Yardage
Average Punt Yardage
Total # Of Punts

Interceptions - # Of Interceptions
# Of Interceptions
Total Yards Gained
# Of Touchdowns

Sacks - # Of Sacks
# Of Sacks

Punt Returns - Average Yards Gained
Average Yards Gained
Total Yards Gained
# Of Returns
# Of Touchdowns

Kickoff Returns - Average Yards Gained
Average Yards Gained
Total Yards Gained
# Of Returns
# Of Touchdowns


Team Data 
This is the same Team Data that is in the first menu, 
but duplicated for your convenience in the Season 
Mode menu.   

------------
Playing The Game

Table of Contents:

Other 1
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
Other 2


Other 1
In a game, pressing B will skip through the coin toss 
and randomly assign a kicking and returning team. 


Offense
A struggles (or hits) and B does nothing for a plain
old vanilla-and-nothing runner or returner. On the play 
formation screen, A brings up a menu where you can 
call time outs, punt, kick a field goal, or change your 
offensive lineup. To choose a play, hit the directional 
arrow and button simultaneously that are shown 
underneath the play you want to call. To hike the 
ball, press A. For a run play, you only have to control 
the runner. For a pass play, you change receivers with 
A and pass with B. There are two more sophisticated 
ways of passing. One of them is the switch pass, in 
which you hit both buttons (A+B) at the same time, but 
with A a little earlier, which switches the pass from 
one receiver to the next in the order for the play. 
The second is the dupe pass, in which you do the same 
thing, but hit B first. This will shift the cursor to
the next receiver, but will throw the pass to the one
the cursor pointed to previously.


Defense
On defense, hitting A or B will move you
progressively through the people you can control, with
A moving forward and B moving backward through the 
players. B slide tackles and A struggles as with
offense. You cannot change players during the course
of the play. In the play screen, you can call time
outs by bringing up the menu by pressing A. 


Special Teams 
Kicking a ball from a field goal position is done with 
A, the direction being determined by an arrow. Kicking 
off is done with A, with the power meter on top 
determining the strength of the kick. The higher the 
bar is when you hit A, the more powerful the kick will 
be. Kicking when the meter is in the blue will cause 
an onside kick. If you hit up or down when you kick, 
the direction of the kick will change to move up or
down correspondingly. Punting is done the same way, 
but you cannot change its direction and you cannot 
"onside punt". 


Other 2
Note that the numbers and names of the offensive and 
defensive players are shown at the top (though often
not in full).  

At the end of the game, you can either hit A or B to 
exit the score screen. 

That's about it.