Wild plays

[Eric]

I wasn't looking forward to this... the rematch vs. the Steelers.

 

But this time James Williams is in excellent condition.  I'm up 8-0 after 3 minutes after tackling the punter twice in field goal range and then a safety.  Since I'm able to get fast pressure on O'Donnell this time there are none of the jump ball throws - all short-to-mid range and he turns into an INT machine.  But I can't capitalize.

 

Someone on their DL excellents my ass to the tune of 3 blocked punts, but they can't turn any of them to points.  Their kicker is Jan Stenerud and three consecutive easy FG attempts fail.  First they try a fake LOL, then he doinks one, then I block one.  Finally Bam breaks one off - a 54-yd TD.

 

On the last play of the first half, time expires while the ball is in the air.  Mickey Washington (thank you pro-football-reference.com) picks it off and finds some running room.  I see one of my players and try to guide Mickey his way so he can thin out the crowd that's building behind me, but it doesn't work as well as expected... a group of them snag me at the 1 and slam Mickey to the turf.  So close!

 

More of the same in the 2nd half - O'Donnell throwing picks, but I just can't advance any of them.  Steelers driving and YES another pick at my 20.  Toi Cook takes off, but a crowd is instantly on his tail.  Once again I see one of my guys and use him to blow the whole crowd up.  But another Steeler sprints up and just as he's about to grab me some white guy on my own team comes out of nowhere smoking a giant crack rock, ragdolls the guy chasing me, passes me, and greets me in the end zone.  WTF?!  I don't know that I've ever seen that before.

 

Rod Woodson was rocking, but my guys did a great job of grappling him while my kicker/punter came in for the dive tackle.

 

Bam is in good or excellent condition in the 4th quarter, but I keep picking their plays.  And apparently Bam used up all his MFing spin moves in our first encounter.

 

JAX 20 - PIT 7

[Eric]

A few points of interest:

 

Vs. Cleveland I get the fumble glitch, but when Testaverde throws it I'm not granted the INT.  Just a few plays later I get it again!  This time I am granted the INT right away, but since Vinny's throw is going to an outlet guy, it sails out of bounds and my interceptor is ruled out of bounds.

 

Vs. the Packers Favre does that roll out to the bottom of the screen and throws it wayyyyy across the field to Ingram on a post route.  Favre overthrows it and Mickey Washington gets the pick in single coverage.  Two quarters later, I call the same play using the same D, and the exact same thing happens.  Only this time Vinnie Clark is the interceptor in single coverage.  Just goes to show how random this game can be on coverages.  I'm lucky that he was covered at all, I guess.

 

Second time this has happened to me recently... QB throws it to the bottom of the screen and a guy picks it off that I swear I had assigned to the top half of the screen.  Then later in the game the same player picks one off at the top of the screen.  I can't imagine he was able to run all the way down to the bottom because they were very short passes.

[Eric]

Then another wild game... Seattle throttles me 55-10.  Blades catching everything in sight, Warren spinning his way through jailbreaks, and Galloway was a man possessed all game long on punt returns probably AVERAGING 40 yds per.  Crazy, crazy game.

[TecSpectre]

This is a defense only season, right?

[Eric]

Yeah DEF Only.

 

Then two more satisfying games...

 

Denver goes up 17-0 in the first quarter and I'm thinking here we go again... but I shut them out the rest of the way.  I block 4 punts and with 14 seconds left I tackle their punter in FG range.  Nail it for the victory.

 

Then on to Indy.  I shut them down all game and they score a TD w/ 3 minutes left.  I'm whining about not getting any turnovers and get a fumble out of Faulk on the next play.  Now I've got the field position on my side and their next offensive play I sack Erickson and he fumbles.  Lageman takes it in for the game winning touch.

 

Your point about Carrington - in DEF Only it's very important to try to get your opponent to go backwards.  That's how you "gain" yardage.  It also puts you in a position that any turnover leaves you in FG position or, if you're lucky, a possible return TD.  Because of this I try to sack the QB on most pass plays using the guy I control.

 

AND here's a play I'd never seen before.  A backwards Tecmo Glide!  Trent Dilfer short-armed one to Courtney Hawkins.  Hawkins had to run back toward the line of scrimmage and dive to catch it.  He did a Tecmo Glide so far that they lost a yard on the play.  Felt nice after all the times they've burned me with it.

[Eric]

Nate Odomes got a diving INT for me today.  After thinking about it I'm wondering if it might be an extremely rare play.  How often does a defender dive after a thrown ball let alone pick it?

 

I started out 13-0 with the Seahawks in a DEF-only challenge.  Then my dreams were crushed with three straight losses.  First Elway picked me apart with a 69% completion rate, then Oakland beat me 6-0 with no good chances to score.  Finally, I shut out KC for the entire game... except for a 2-minute segment of the 2nd quarter.  In that two minutes they put up 21 points with ridiculous runs by Marcus Allen, ridiculous catches by Lake Dawson?!, and finally, the last play of the 2nd quarter was a fake field goal that was caught in stride by Dawson despite two defenders hanging on him.  He was straddling the goal line when he caught it... touchdown.  I ended up losing by 5 points.  Instead of having a new best record for Seattle in a DEF-only season, I only tied my best.  FUCK.

 

Also interesting... I think I set a new personal high with 39 forced fumbles and Indy went 15-1 with Craig Erickson winning MVP

[Eric]

One of the coolest INTs I've ever made.  First game of the season w/ Cleveland vs the Pats.  I'm controlling Pepper Johnson.  NE calls the playbook with the guy in motion.  I call the run down, I shoot the gap for the run up, or if they drop back for a pass or flicker, I go all the way around the line to try to swoop in for the sack.

 

It's a pass and I start running all the way around the top.  Butts starts to go out in the flat for a checkdown pass when Bledsoe quick-throws it.  I'm right near Butts on my way to the QB and I'm granted the INT.  Pepper is free and clear - no grapple - and goes in for the INT-return TD.

[Eric]

Crazy game against the Niners using the Bills in a DEF Only season...

 

I went up 12-0 part in thanks to a sack n score forced fumble by Cornelius Bennett.

 

Then William Floyd goes berserk, running to the upper sideline and then straight to the house with defenders diving way too early or bouncing off him.  93 yards for the TD.  Ouch.

 

But I break 'em back and tack on points here and there until it's 22-7 in the 3rd quarter.

 

The Niners run a reverse to Rice and I stuff it w/ a strip. A SF OL picks it up and cannot be stopped for an utterly ridiculous touchdown.  They go for two and blow it, so I'm still feeling pretty good about myself.

 

In the 4th quarter they drive, drive, drive, but they stall out inside the 20 and settle for a FG.

 

I'm worried at this point with a lead under 7, and Steve Young makes my nightmare come true with three daggers to JJ Stokes in heavy traffic.  They hit paydirt with just 25 seconds left and I think it's over...

But the Niners go for 2.  I'm thinking, yes, a good chance now that I can take this to OT.  But I forgot what this means... it's the dreaded never-ending cycle glitch where the Niners choose to go for two, then select field goal, then choose to go for two, etc etc for eternity.

 

I reset and play the Niners again.  They crush me 31-3.  Fuck.

[TecSpectre]

That glitch is soooooo rare... it's amazing that it comes at the end of such an awesome match up

[Eric]

I also realized after reading this thread that all three times it's happened to me have been against the Niners.  I mean the mother fucking Niners.

[Eric]

I kick off and the other team fumbles the return.  I pick it up "too quickly" via the fumble glitch, so I figure I may as well take it into the end zone and get tackled for a safety.  As I cross the goal line I don't realize that I'm slapping the A button and it suddenly says TOUCHBACK!  So not only does it recognize me as my opponent, but it let me take the ball into the end zone and down it.  Weird.

 

I call Dime D 99.9% of the time and control the sole LB.  My opponent calls a pass play and at the hike of the ball Dennis Smith at DB comes knifing through the line to sack the QB.  I have never seen a computer controlled DB do this before - it was as if Dennis Smith was blitzing.  He beat my guy to the QB.  The play took maybe four seconds.

[Eric]

Oh, and also saw something strange on the end-of-season leaderboard.  The second-highest sack total was by... Jumpy Geathers?  He had 19 sacks, yet was credited with only 17 tackles LOL

[TecSpectre]

Jumpy Geathers is pretty amazing... If you're ever using Atlanta on a defense only season, and Tuggle gets hurt (Tuggle is amazing btw...), Geathers is a pretty solid backup to him... In order to use him at LB in dime, you call goal line, place him as the #2 DL from the top and audible to Dime on the field. This slides him into the LB slot... His HP is a little low (50 I think) but his RP makes him lightning fast.

[slim_jimmy7]

Doesnt 19 Sacks and 17 tackles happen if two of the sacks caused a forced fumble?

[Eric]

After an awesome season with Michael Brooks and the Giants I decided to eat some punishment and use possibly the toughest team to use in this DEF Only challenges - the St. Louis Rams.  Two games against SF, ATL, and NO plus some other hard ones like MIA.  Best LB is Shane Conlan.  At least they have a good DL.

 

First matchup against New Orleans was crazy.  I go ahead 10-0 after a great sack/fumble by Sean Gilbert.  I picked it up with Shane Conlan for the TD.

 

In a 2-minute span of the 2nd quarter they go nuts.  First a FG, then Everett and Haynes play pitch-and-catch for a pair of TDs.  I can't get to Everett in time and my DBs are slower than Haynes.  It was awful.  At least I blocked a PAT.

 

In the 2nd half I get a FG and now it's Conlan's turn for a sack/fumble and he picks it up in the end zone for another fumble return TD.  I'm up 20-16 when I get an easy FG attempt, kick it about how I want, and yet it still doinks off.  I later add a safety, but my lead is only six.  I'm 3-and-outing them like crazy, but the field position game is slowly working its way to my side of the field.  With less than a minute left it's a replay of the 2nd quarter.  Everett rolls to his left, unleashed a bomb across the field, and it hits Haynes in stride with my DBs lagging behind.  Touchdown and we're tied before the PAT.

 

But NO selects to go for 2.  As soon as I see this I think it's the glitch I mentioned earlier, but it's not.  Must only happen with less than 30 seconds on the clock because there are 39 seconds left.  They call that formation I hate where everyone appears to be on the line of scrimmage.  I run my guy up to stuff the run, but it's a pass.  I have a guy on Quinn Early, but he's ten yards deep in the end zone while Early is still standing in place at the scrimmage line.  Everett dumps it off to Early for the easy TD.  They win 24-22.

 

I haven't had a loss this painful in quite awhile.  UGH.

[Eric]

Doesnt 19 Sacks and 17 tackles happen if two of the sacks caused a forced fumble?

 

Yep!

[TecSpectre]

Who are you using with St. Louis... you should try using a DL from the LB position like i'd mentioned with Atlanta... Robert Young and Sean Gilbert are easily the two best defensive players, and you can use them both in dime from the LB slot.

[Eric]

Yeah, but I'm trying to use players at their positions to make it more challenging, y'know?  I did start freeing up Sean Gilbert on punts and field goals instead of Conlan.  Upgrade.

 

I finished my Rams season and it was eerily similar to the last time I did a season with them.  Similar yards allowed, points allowed, and an exact match on points for.  My record was the same at 10-6, and I'm guessing I lost to the same teams both times - SF x2, NO x2, CAR, and MIA.

[TecSpectre]

How do you fair with New Orleans in defense only challenges? Or Chicago? Or Green Bay?

[Eric]

New Orleans is so tough because of their schedule.

 

Green Bay and Chicago aren't bad at all because they have two of the easiest schedules.  Not only do they get to play the NFC Central teams twice, but they have something like three games against the INT-friendly AFC Central.  And Green Bay has a wrecking ball in Reggie White.  The real Reggie White.

[Eric]

I actually beat the Cowboys in a DEF Only season with the Vikings and stupidly thought I could have an undefeated season...

 

Then I lost to Pittsburgh.  God Woodson returned a punt that ended up being the difference in the game.  What really made it a game changer was that it happened right after a wild play.  I blocked a FG and picked it up.  I started outrunning the Steelers with the exception of one guy.  He grappled me and I shook him loose, but he didn't fall.  He started grappling with what must have been my player's ghost.  As soon as the Pittsburgh guy fell in his grapple with the ghost, my guy who had nothing but daylight ahead of him suddenly fell tackled at the 40-yd line.  On the ensuing punt Rod worked his magic.

 

I just got done with a game vs the Saints.  Broderick Thomas was Excellenting almost the entire game and I was up 14-12 with 2 minutes left and the Saints having the ball at their 20.  On a 4th down, Quinn Early made yet another catch in traffic for the 1st.  I swear, the Everett to Early and Haynes combos are as deadly as any in the game rivaling even Young to Rice and Aikman to Irvin.  The Everett throws up a hail mary which Haynes unsurprisingly brings down inside my 40.  They are within FG range with 17 seconds left, but stupidly don't try to kick one.  It's a pass play and Everett just heaves it to what looks like out of the back of the end zone.  But Haynes dives in double coverage and with zeroes left on the clock he is awarded the catch and the TD.  I was so shocked that I wasn't pissed (for once).

[Eric]

WOW, what a wild season this was with the Vikings.  After the heartbreaking loss to NO, I was about to lose to MFing Tampa Bay.  With four seconds on the clock I punted away... my two defenders rammed straight into the blocker and were pancaked.  I ran up to the returner with Mike Saxon, grappled him, and FUMBLE!  Saxon picked it up and took it in for the TD and the ridiculous victory.

 

Flash forward a couple of games and I'm in a barnburner with SF.  In the 4th quarter I block a FG to preserve a two point lead.  Then I block another FG.  But Young to Stokes pwns me over and over again until they finally punch through the winning FG with less than a minute to go.  They end up winning.

 

I couldn't help but think back to the last play of the first half.  Time was running down and William Floyd makes a ridiculous run into FG range.  I could have manipulated the clock, but I let them get off an attempt with :01 left and they doink it through.

 

I also think back to the TWO INTs (very rare vs. Young) by Dennis Smith.  Both times he was free & clear and ready to ragdoll some motherfuckers.  Both times he's dive tackled before he can even get going.

 

And worst of all... Jerry Rice was held without a catch.

 

In fact, this season was pretty disappointing at 12-4.  I managed to hold opponents to just 1940 passing yards.  That's by far my best in a season without free agents and Hall of Famers.  In fact, it rivaled some of those seasons.  The killer was that I just wasn't causing fumbles.  Despite 370 tackles, Broderick Thomas only caused seven fumbles.  That is terrible luck.

[Eric]

The fumble glitch strikes back...

 

Let me set the stage first.  I'm in Week 2 of a DEF Only Challenge using NO playing vs. the Rams.  It's a super-tight game and toward the end of the 1st half I have them pinned inside their 10.  Chris Miller rolls out and I grab him in the end zone - FUMBLE!  I kick it around, Miller picks it back up, but no safety - he runs it back out to the ten.  This is important because on the next play I block the punt and recover at the five getting tackled immediately.  Shoulda woulda coulda been a punt block TD.  A couple Rams are rampaging and tackle my holder before Morten can even get the FG try off.

 

In the second half it's 10-3 Rams and almost the exact same play happens.  Miller rolls out, I grab him with Rufus Porter, and he fumbles.  I kick it, knock Miller back down, kick it again, and some OL picks it up and runs it 80 yards to the 20.  Bad luck, right?  Wrong!  Since he's first touched by Rufus, the guy that originally caused the fumble, I got that "thwip" sound and Rufus looks like he's holding the ball - in other words, the fumble glitch.

 

On the next play I choose to use Eric Allen, and BINGO it's a pass play.  Chris Miller hucks it and I am instantly granted the INT.  What an easy 80-yd INT TD return!  Smooth sailing!  But wait...!!!!  The ball goes into the end zone... the ball is bouncing around and I'm praying that it doesn't go out of bounds.  I know from previous experience that if it goes out of bounds the play is dead and I get the ball at the spot the ball goes out of bounds...

 

And it does... safety.  Instead of 10-10 it's 10-5, right?  Wrong again!  They count the safety AGAINST me!  12-3 and it fucks me the rest of the game.  Now I'm 0-2 after a 17-0 drubbing by SF.  Fuck you, gods of Tecmo!

[Eric]

After a few wins I get SF and the Rams again back-to-back...

 

Steve Young is cold all game long and it gives me a fighting chance... I'm up 12-0 on four field goals at half.  In the 3rd quarter they strike for back-to-back TDs and go up 14-12.  In the 4th with under 1:00 left the Niners are in their own territory and Young rolls out.  I catch him and he fumbles.  This is my chance to go up and clinch the game, but no.  Once again my guy just kicks the ball around until the Niners pick it up.  14-12 final.

 

Then come the Rams.  Things start out great with two quick field goals and I'm up 6-0.  After they score a TD things get quiet.  Then all hell breaks loose with a minute left in the 1st half.  Leonard Russell turns into Bo Jackson and reels off an 85-yd run to set up a FG.  In the 3rd Q Russell continues to embarrass me with a 69-yd TD run (while dragging Rufus ten yards before busting it), a 26-yd TD rec, and then a 56-yd TD rec.  Holy fuck.

 

The carnage finally ends with the Rams winning 45-6.  Leonard Russell ran it seven times for 227 yds.  This game just FUBAR'd my team D stats.

[DeBerg]

Had an insane game with Minnesota against Pittsburgh. Probably the toughest game I've ever had against the Steelers.

 

Moon spent all day running around under pressure. Couldn't run the ball to save my life. Steelers shot up to an early 7-0 lead after a fumbled punt put them in the redzone. Vikings missed a field goal going into the half 7-0

 

Came out in the second half and scored on a few deep balls, 7-7 Minnesota.

 

 

After this the entire game was just back and forth sack fests. O'Donnell played awful, but the Steelers still managed to get a field goal after Morris couldn't be tackled.

 

In the 4th quarter, I get a drive going and Jake Reed and Robert Smith decide to drop 4 passes on my last drive. After getting to the Steelers 46, Robert Smith dropped the 4th down pass that would have kept the drive alive. Steelers get it back, and punt again. Then going into 2 minutes, I punted about ready to give up.

 

With under a minute to go, Niel O'Donnell forces a ball to Johnson in triple coverage, it gets picked off and returned to the Steelers 16. Even with this, I was still held 3 and out and just kicked the field goal to go into OT.

 

In OT, I punt after winning toss. Steelers get it back, and O'Donnell throws yet another hilarious interception to a man in double coverage. It's returned to the 50. Next play Moon hooks up with Jake Reed who goes deep and scores the game winning touchdown.

 

 

Crazy game but classic Niel O'Donnell chokefest.