Rate the 12 teams from the original 88' TB on NES

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

From 1988's game on NES....

1. 49ers. Excellent offense, and strong defense. Good wr routes, and a decent but limited ground game. On defense, you could use Lott to no end, either by protecting him(pickin runs in his direction) or just picking other plays all day, otherwise Micheal Carter was probably about the fastest dl man on the game.

2. G-men. With a defense like that, theres no reason to not be awesome at that game. The offense is a bit limited with average wr routes, but the ground game is solid....not elite by any means, but solid. the G-man are one of the few teams that can give the Raiders fits....and in Tecmo, its all about match-ups, and the Raiders are damn hard to beat.

Plus you can-not kick fg's against these guys, and extra points are hard enuf as it is.

3. Raiders. I'm going on a bit of a limb here, but thier offense will give you fits like no other. You have to stop Bo at all costs, and that eats up a good percentage of your play-calls on defense. Also thier wr's have good routes, with some going deep, and some going midway, and some going short. This lets you pick apart opposing defenses with great ease. However they lack a lot on defense with Long and Pickel as thier fastest players being on the d-line. Just keep scoring and you'll be ok.

4. Broncos. Since the Broncos are good all around in the 3 phases, they make thier way into the elite 4. Elway has almost as much zip as Marino, and they have a decent ground game. The wr routes leave a bit to be desired, but with Elway being able to run, its ok. Meclenburg and Jones give you decent options on defense from different sides of the field, so you can try to outsmart your opponents running plays.

5. Dolphins. This where it gets hard to chose exactly who is slightly better than who, but Marino alone vaults the Phins slightly above the Bears/Browns/Seahawks. With Marino, you can thread the needle like no other, and should be able to score more points than anyother team. However the defense is bad, and many time they surrender long time consuming drives, which can come back to haunt you if you dont perform like a well oiled machine.

6. Bears. Payton, and defense are all you need to know. Payton is a better than Mack or Warner from the Browns/Seahawks, and neither boast a defense like the Bears. Mcmicheal on the d-line is a terror, and theres Singletery...nuf said. I think they also have 1 more fast defender as well. Also Mcmicheal is hard to nail extra points on.

7. Browns. Basically a mirror image of the bears offense, but with a bit better passing game, and Mack can run defenders over. On defense, they do have the 2 stellar db's in Minnefield, and Dixon on top and bottom of the screen, and you can play cat and mouse games against the opponents running game all day. This is a distinctive plus that most teams other than the Giants do not posses. However they really have no decent defenders anywhere within 5 yards of the line of scrimage.

8. Seahawks. Much like the Bears/Browns on offense, and with Fredd Young at MLB. Young is about the only decent defender on the team, and he gets blocked either way that the opponent runs, so you need to have the diving skills up to snuff.

9. Cowboys. Underrated offense for sure.....Walker is a terror, but the passing game is somewhat weak. They do have decent wr routes tho. However its enuf offense to keep up with just about anyother team in the game...however fall behind and the defense can not help you one bit.

10. Redskins. Awesome defense. Almost as good as the giants if not equal to or better. They have like 5 guys who are absolute burners on D. And they are from just about every position and side(top/bottom) of the field. A very tough team to move the ball on. Offense is horrible. You can only hope to score 10-14 points tops with these guys, unless you are playing a team with a horrible defense, and the teams with horrible defense usually have good offense. The Redskins sometimes need a turnover deep in the opponents territory just to get on the board in some games. Don't want to get in a shootout while controlling these guys. Piss poor wr routes, and a lame running game.

11. Colts. This is a tough pick to rank the last 2 teams on the game. The Colts have no defense, and a horrible passing game, but Dickerson/Bentley (whichever version you own) is an effective runner. Just enuf so to keep the passing game open. The Colts need long "take what they give you" scoring drives, but if used properly you can keep the opponents offense off the field for long periods of time. If the offense of these guys sputters and fails, then you are SCREWED!

12. Vikings. The cellar dwellar of the game, IMO. The vikings have some defense to work with, but thier offense is just as bad as the Redskins. They are easy to defend, and with the proper personel on defense,(top and bottom defenders) you can totally eliminate thier ground game, and suffocate the pass plays. However, since I am soooo awesome at this game, i'd be successful with any of the 12 teams....

well thats my take, and i know a ton of this is debateable, but thats the pecking order of which i'd list those teams. Of course there are just some match-ups that defy logic on this game. But overall these teams are pretty consistent at where i rank then, in how good overall they should be, and how many wins, you could rack up with them by playing every other team in the game.

Now what about you guys? How'd you rank em?

[gary22fret]

The Browns are the best,

the rest of the teams suck...

[Stadawim]

1 - Bears = not only is every single man on the defense fast, but there is always P2 that can NEVER be defended.

2 - Browns = huh? Dunno why, but damn they strong. Just enough of the good stuff to keep them on top.

3 - Giants = like they're ever bad. Satan and his cronies on defense, elusive little Meggett and Bad-leg Bavaro on offense.

4 - 49ers = we had a saying; go black on D. The offense speaks for itself, yet it had holes.

5 - Raiders = hmmm... Like we don't know why they're as good as they are...

6 - Redskins = if only the defense was as good as the offense.

7 - Vikings = Browner, Browner, Browner. If any of you can get this man off you, please let me know.

8 - Broncos = i think Winder was holding this team back. That and Mecklenburg was pretty much the whole D.

9 - Seahawks = Were they slow at every position? It felt like it, but they still managed to eke out some wins. Must've been Freddddd.

10 - Cowboys = Stunk up the field (and not just cause i hate them). Summed up in one word; LaVette.

11 - Colts = Who else? Although it was always fun to be Bickett, he was the ONLY bright spot on this team.

12 - Dolphins = What!? Never one a single series with us. Why? Maybe if they had a running game to speak of...

Now, i'm basing this on findings of a best-of-7/best-of-5 series season we played MvM back in '91-'92. This will probably change pending the completion of the TCS.

[Bo Knows]

The Elite

1. New York - The Giants are Tecmo's best team. Saying otherwise is sacrilege in my books. With LT and Carl Banks it takes a miracle to score points on them, and Phil Simms and JoMo provide all the O you need. 3.

2. Chicago - The Bears match-up well with everyone and have no less then 3 superstars on defense in Mongo, Singletary and Deverson. Payton makes the O go, and Mike Gentry is a wrecking crew on kick returns. I'd have them as the clear 2nd best team.

3. San Fran - The 49ers have more then enough talent (Jerry, Joe, Lott, Carter...) to be the 3rd best team. Their D can suffer from the occasional poor match-up, but their offense can carry the load against just about everyone.

The Good

4. Denver - The Broncos don't have an earth shattering amount of talent, but they get it done. Mecklenburg and Jones provide solid defense at extremely important positions, and their offense has some weapons. Elway has a cannon, Tony Dorsett is quality running back, and their shotgun play can really make hay. Terrible special teams really hold them back from being an elite team.

5. Cleveland - The Browns have a good defense thanks to having their 2 best players at safety. Dixon and Minnifield can really cause some havoc against teams trying to get the running game going. Their offense is very sound. I don't like Mack as a back but he is serviceable thanks to his unmatched ability to make popcorn, but he's too slow to really be feared. Kosar is a Top 5 QB and has some good passing plays too work with. McNeil is known for kick return heroics as well. Solid all around.

6. Indy - The Colts are a team I used to rate as one of the game's poorest but taking a 2nd look they can do a lot of things other teams can't compete with. Great special teams with Biasucci kicking, Stark punting, and Bickett blocking kicks. An absolute TERROR at running back with Eric Dickerson, and Tecmo's best playbook saving jack Trudeau's ass, Indy has a lot of things going for it. You will need to be determined on defense though as they are short on star players.

The Below Average

7. Seattle - Seattle just doesn't have what it takes. Young is unable to carry an otherwise terrible defense and Krieg is a lousy QB. Warner is a good enough running back but Seattle can struggle very badly at times. Not enough superstars to be a good team.

8. Los Angeles - I used to be a die-hard "LA is a Top 4 Team" believer but there are ways to stop this offense. And the defense leaves a lot to be desired. Long is the most inconsistent guy in the game and Pickel plays the worst position in the game (Nose Tackle) so they are hurting.

9. Miami - The Dolphins offense is pretty unstoppable but their defense is brutal. Only Dallas has worse. Miami can be up and down a lot depending on how the playing is going and who they are playing.

The Terrible

10. Washington - The defense is Chicago caliber, maybe better. Manley and Mann manning the lines, a couple of solid safeties and the game's 2nd best top outside linebacker. Good stuff. Too bad they have WR Reverse. The worst offense in the game.

11. Dallas - The Cowboys suck. Well Walker is good, but he doesn't stop them from sucking. Not even 1 defender above a 2 rating. Terrible.

12. Minnesota - Without the WR Reverse they'd FLY up the list but that play is instant death. Browner, Doleman and Thomas make for a pretty strong defense but their O has to rely on extraneous blockers to have hope.

A lot of these ratings can change based on what rules you play, but this is how I see them right now.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Since we've got back to hard-core ful time playing, im gonna chime in here, and give a revised list.

and this listing is according to the rules and such that we use.

and also the order of teams that I would want if I needed a win in some sort of championship game or somehting.

#1 NYG.....duh

#2 CHI......duh part 2

#3 SF........with thier offense and mr. Lott, why not.

#4 MIA.....yes im pretty certain i'd score every time I had the ball, however who knows how much I'd give up.

#5 SEA......sorry Cam, but I rock with these guys.

#6 CLE.....cat and mouse games on defense like no other....and a good offense to boot.

#7 DEN.....i love thier offense and they have some defense to boot.

#8 IND....so sue me. actually IND is a team that might rank higher depending on the match-up. but any team that can go toe to toe with NYG is worthy of consideration.

#9 LA....mainly on account of the lack of defense they rank low, as im waiting for the bottom to fall out with these guys. and also due the fact that the guys in our league didnt read up much on the web site info you got there Cam, they could rank higher.

#10 DAL....actually on a good day I can do some damage with DAL, but if i don't cat and mouse well that game or play-pick well, im screwed.

#11 MIN....for some reason Nate is respectable with these guys, but he's about to geta whole dose of me and not the underlings in the league here for about 4 weeks straight now. however they have good D and a almost decent offense.

#12 WAS....doom combo could almost will yah to win with these guys alone.....just avoid playcalls and get a couple fg's, and yah will have a chance.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

NEW and IMPROVED Rankings!

Original Tecmo Bowl here kiddies....1989 version!

to recap the rules of our league....QB running allowed....FG blocking allowed by only the LB position....xtra point blocking allowed by anyone.... and allowing a small # of throws to curling/slanting wr's.

with the spectrum of the league changing there is a bit more of a premium on defense than there was before.....so here it is....

#1 NYG.....not a gang busting offense, but do-able.....and with the defense, and no FG's allowed thanks to LT, they should be in every game until the end. Banks and LT at opposite ends are a Tecmo Bowl wet dream, hands down! Also very hard to return kicks on them, and landeta punts like a maniac. Its close between them and the next couple teams, but if they had a little better offense, it'd be a no-brainer.

#2 SF.....Imma flip flop these guys here with CHI from the last update, but thier offense is insane.....and with carter and lott on defense, you can pretty much own most any teams offense. They match very weel against NYG and CHI as they have the O power to take on thoses teams, and they have the D power to stop em.

#3 CHI......walter payton folks.....he's about the only player that ive seen repeatedly be able to juke hanford dixon out of his shorts and thats an achievement! The bears offense is fueled by payton and thier passing attack aint so hot but its effective enuf to get the job done vs anyone. However on defense, not having a "doom combo" of sorts might hurt them a little bit, when compared to NYG defense. by doom combo i mean a fast guy at the top and the bottom to play "cat and mouse" with your opponents. Butler can hit the long FG's and Gentry is the best returner in the game which is good cause on a good day his efforts on long kick returns can be the equalizer vs a high octane offense such as SF.

#4 CLE....yah know ive used these guys a bit, and further more they have a fast saftey at the top and the bottom which i love to have on defense. throwin a semi decent clay mathews at LB, and the defense is do-able....very do-able. The offense aint top notch, but with 2 runs and decent pass plays it works. throw in having McNeil returning long kick returns, and they can move the ball and score at a decent pace. Also kevin mack pop-corns most non-human controlled defenders which helps him break off a 15/20 yard run once in a while. this helps make up for his lack of running speed.

#5 DEN......john elway is the man.....rocket arm and fast legs....he moves the chains quite well. dorsett aint a blazer at RB, but they have solid blocking and he can eat up the yards ona good day. as for defense, mecklenburg is servicable as a MLB, but can get blocked too much, however jones plays LE and can shut down most all weak side runs, and is fast enuf to get some int's. thier special teams are horific, but john elway doesnt need no stinking ST's.....he just needs the ball last with just under a minute to go to beat the opponent.

#6 SEA.....they dont really have a star on offense but kreig is decent and warner is decent and largent has the speed to move the chains when he gets a catch in the open field. the blocking on the runs is good, and helps warner break out. on defense fredd young is the man....other than the total top notch backs like payton, jackson, dickerson.....he is able to rush in and make diving tackles to keep the running at bay. he is the only fast defender they got, but hes easily the 5th/6th best defender in the game turning them into a viable defensive team. poor special teams tho can be a problem, however the blocvking is pretty decent for edmonds on kick returns whihc helps out a bit if you can consistently start at your 35 or so.

#7 IND...the colts stay ahead of a couple other teams due to a couple factors.....1 is dickerson, and 2 is bickett can block kicks from about the 30 yard line out.....thus making it a bit harder to score on them....it may only amount to your opponent having to convert a extra first down or 2 over the course of a game, but 3 points is 3 points. tredua is a horrible slow qb, but the routes are spread out, however ind requires you to take what the defense gives you line to other, thus leading to less men to not be so good with the colts, but a seasoned tecmo pro should have no trouble competeing with them. they also have biasucci kicking fg's and hes got a great leg, a big advantage.

#8 DAL....a possible better offense than ind, but with no defense to speak of.....walker is a beast in the running game and danny white has just enuf zing to get the ball where it needs to go just before a defender can get there. for dallas to be good, once again you need to be a big time tecmo pro, cause thier defense is horrific. nuff said. average special teams, and a poor kick returner.

#9 MIA....why so low you ask....we when i think about who or what id rather face, id rather play a team with 3 passes, as opposed to a team with 2 runs(not counting the WR reverse!).......marino is hands down the top qb throwing wise in tecmo, but some playpicks on defense in crucial spots can stop ol' thunder dan in his tracks. the running game aint bad, as its blocked real well, against all but 1 defender, so they can run consistently for 4-5 yards at a pop, even tho hampton is slow. on defense they dont really ahve much other than offerdahl, who can get tangled up in blocking schemes during the running plays. Roby is a top notch punter, so your opponent has to drive a long way usually. overall not a bad team, however sometimes they just dont match up well vs the others in certain areas.

#10 LA.....why #10 you ask? cause the top LB dont get blocked vs bo, thats why.....now good thing for tecmo bowl is that only banks and marshall(WAS) are fast from that position so, bo can still get his 4-5 yards a pop by taking the play and running to the bottom. however since this happens, it makes the raiders have to go on long time consuming drives, and many times in tecmo if you can limit what the opponent can do, soon or later he'll make a crucial mistake. If your good at taking what the defense gives you then LA is still a decent team, but otherwise, they have become a cellear dwellar. as for defense, LA dont have much and only matches up well vs a couple teams, so things get hairy as you have to try like mad to stop the offense in hope of getting the ball back and sustain long drives for points. however if tim brown is having a good day with kick returns, then you might be doing fine.

#11/#12 MIN/WAS TIE! the wr reverse kills both teams, however both have great defense, with WAS having the better defense, but MIN has better pass routes than WAS, so I'd call em dead even. WAS has a great punter and anthony carter of MIN can return long kicks on a good day as twice in my playing carreer vs nate, carter has taken the kick to the house to end the game..that bastard! both came against SEA as a matter of fact, one in overtime and one where he scored with just 10 seconds to go. with our rules and such, niether team is hopeless, however you'll need some turnovers or a huge defenseive effort and a long march or 2 down the field to have a chance at winning a game.

should they play each other it should come down to 1 big play or some luck!

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

official "compiled" preseason rankings for the Fort Dodge Tecmo League.

1 SF

2 NYG

3 CHI

4 CLE

5 DEN

6 SEA

7 IND

8 LA

9 MIA

10 DAL

11 MIN

12 WSH

well between me and 2 others from the league we compiled our rankings and put em together. heres how the teams got ranked officially from the league, as we get ready to start the next season here in a few weeks.

SF gets the top spot in the rankings, just a hair ahead of NYG....kind of a surprise considering the NYG defense, and how they dont give up FG's as compared to all other teams in the league. CLE and DEN get some love here, and fall in just below the Tecmo Elite, and deservedly so, cause those teams rock.

Reigning champs SEA, get #6....however since they lucked out and had other teams do the dirty work for them in the playoffs, they will most likley not be a favorite to repeat in this upcoming season, but they have a good shot at defending the title. IND and LA come in next, as IND can do a lot of good things and has lights out special teams to boot. LA can still cause just enuf problems to keep in the running. MIA and DAL round out the middle class, and both need good offensive efforts to hang with a lot of teams, or some of those unexpected good days on defense.

And the final spots go to none other than MIN and WSH. i am lead to believe that MIN got the nod as the better team due to a little bit better offense, and also MIN went on a decent run early last season and nearly made the playoffs, but a 1-5 second half swoon, plumeted them from the playoff ranks. So that might have been taken into account, as they finish just ahead of WSH.

well, thats it!

[Airick10]

1. Bears

2. 49ers

3. Giants

4. Raiders

5. Broncos

6. Dolphins

7. Browns

8. Vikings

9. Cowboys

10. Redskins

11. Seahawks

12. Colts

That's it. That's the list.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Airick.....what are you going by when making the list? 2 player games, or vs the computer.....any specific rules at all? just curious.

doesnt matter much to me, but its cool that ppl still play this game.

[SweetnessLives]

As a player of this game since the day it came out, I've been around the block a few times, and yes I still play it from time to time to honor my namesake.

1 Chicago Two words: Sweetness and Defense. The passing game is good enough to keep an opposing d off balance for more Payton.

2 New York The offense is solid with Simms, Morris, and Bavaro leading the way. You can't say much about their defense, except: DAMN

3 San Fran Joe to Jerry, nuff said. Craig is alright I guess, and the D is good enough to get the ball back to Joe.

4 L.A. Bo and Marcus can make a defense have fits. Unfortunately the passing game is weak, and the defense is only average, IMHO.

5 Washington You could argue that they have the best D in the game. The passing game is adequate, with 2 solid recievers, but Timmy Smith is pretty much a bum.

6 Cleveland Kosar has a rifle for an arm, but no good recievers, nor a serviceable running game either. The secondary can make you have fits though.

7 Denver Elway is a dual threat with both a nice arm, and wheels for legs. Nothing really for him to throw to, however. Dorsett is solid, and the defense is decent.

8 Miami Marino is the best QB in the game, and his receiveing corps is as dangerous as it gets. The Dolphins don't run, but you still can't stop them. The defense may be the game's worst, so expect shootouts any time you take them.

9 Indianapolis The defense is horrid, and the passing game is worse. Fortunately for the Colts, they have Eric Dickerson (Albert Bentley) to run all over opposing offenses. He's the 2nd best back in the game.

10 Minnesota Sad offense, good defense.

11 Seattle Warner can run, but Krieg sucks so bad he can't get it to the only decent reciever in Largent with any frequency. The defense has one star, so don't expect to stop anyone.

12 Dallas At least they gave them Herschel Walker.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Sweetness, yer a man, or woman...whatever yer gender is.. after my own heart....wow good to see theres till some ppl around here who can break out knowledge on the original tecmo bowl. its still hands down the best strategic and chess-match like football game i have ever played

yah gotta give Krieg and SEA some love tho...he and the sea bags won the latest championship here in FD, but a repeat does not look like its in the cards. SEA lucked out and was in a weak conference, and pulled thru with a tough game in conf championship game. Fredd Young really whooped some ass at TMLB all season, making them crucial diving tackles to thwart running attacks world wide. Ive found SEA to be a rather decent squad that is merely adequate at all 3 aspects from passing/running and defense....they are probably the only team in the game that seems to not excell anywhere inparticular, but they dont have a galaring weakness either in those 3 areas....just adequate. Krieg is serviceable, warner is decent enuf to command respect, and fredd young kicks butt as a top 5 defender.

DAL on this verison isnt as bad as ppl dub them as in my opinion, cause walker is definately about a top 3 or top 4 RB, so yah gotta respect him. If u play small ball and take what the defense gives yah whne picvking passing plays and dont try to force anything, you can put up some points quite frequently....thier defense tho is another story, as u really gotta play textbook, strong side run defense, and limit yer opponent to making plays in the passing game, then hopefully get a play-pick on a 3rd down somewhere, before they can get 3 or 7.

WSH is a studd team, but that wr reverse has made them kinda useless in 2-player mode(same as with the vikings)....however ive done the impossible and knocked off a top tier team with WSH before when i played my friends....I clipped SF 7-3 if i remember right in 2-player mode. Manley got a few picks, and i was inside the SF huddle most all game, making a ton of playpicks on defense. MIN we have found is dangerous, cause they also have a stellar d, which u alluded to, but that damn anthony carter seems to have heroics embedded into his computer codes and anytime the game is close late and u gotta kick off to him,theres always a legitimate shot he will burn yer ass for a KR TD. I personally love the challenge of being either MIN or WSH and playing the top dogs like SF/NYG/CHI.

LA is a whole different story, as the poster here named "Bo Knows" will tell yah. Be the top outside LB and u never get blocked on Bo's run. This makes Bo about 50% less affective. He's fast enuf to head south and outrun most TOLB's on the game, but when playing NYG(Banks) or WSH(Marshall) he's toast. This also help negate a lot of the LA passing game as well, since u can just pick pass plays all game, and not worry about allen, cause hes running away from u as well. LA is still roughly a .500 team tho, just cause bo can still motor for 5 to 7 yards at a pop easily. They are still hard to stop, but they are still easy to score on.

IND gets roughly a #7 ranking aroundhere...with our rules u can only use the LB position player to try and block FG's and this makes bickett and the D sorta valuable....Bickett(BOLB) is moderately fast and this forces yer opponent to travell inside your 25-30 before they can even think about attempting a FG. however the IND offense can be frustrating to use, cause you really have to have uber-patience, which im sure u know can be a tough thing in tecmo when u gotta drive 80 yards getting plays only in 5 yard chunks.

anyways, good to know yer aboard, and i'll be patroling this particular forum frequently...more like taking it over......its mine damnitt!!!!! all mine!

[Primis]

I have to say, the NYG are hands-down the best team in the game. LT is a HUGE factor in this, but LT aside there are plenty of other reasons:

* The 2 rushing plays are both decent, and in both cases even if your play is picked you can usually make it back to the line of scrimmage.

* Pass 2 is a Money Play, arguably the ebst one in the game. Stacy Robinson going long is always the first option on this play, but even if the opponent picks your play Mark Bavaro's out pattern will be partially open. Best Case: He catches it and runs out of bounds. Worst Case: The pass goes out of bounds. This play literally cannot be stopped by the CPU, and is VERY tough to stop by a human player, as the out pattern is awkward to cover for some reason.

* Phil McConkey is a very good return man, especially on kickoffs.

Beyond the NYG I'd have to say the next top few in order are LA (Bo & Marcus, plus Howie Long on defense. Howie is a poor man's LT), CHI, and SF (SF defense is a bit weak with no one money guy to go to).

-- Primis.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Primis, I think another thing that really sets NYG apart on defense from the rest of the teams is the speed they have at the best positions.....TOLB (banks) and T-DE (marshall) also are qiute speedy, and if you have speed from the DE-OLB poistions all over the field, then your golden when it comes to stopping the run.

The US version of Tecmo Bowl is very Defense oriented, and other than WSH, nobody holds a candle to NYG defense. SF has LOTT who tears it up, but carter is in the tough poistion at NT.....CHI has some pieces as well with Dent and Duerson, and Singletary(whom is prone to getting blocked, along with Mcmicheal). But its NYG and WSH who are almost impossible to run on when the defender knows what he's doing.

plus, NYG and WSH are the oly 2 teams out there that can manhandle the LA offense with great ease.

also having a fast top DE is also very critical in stopping the SF offense.

[hamburgler2682]

Talent is one thing, but when you factor in the playbook, I think some teams gain or lose alot. Running plays are darn near worthless against a human player with one or two fast defenders unless you got a back like Walker who can break tackles or like Walter Payton.

I'll only document what I consider to be the surprises:

A.Miami vaults into the top 5 because of their playbook. Its harder than all get out to stop some of those slant passes which you can huck right at a defender and still have it come out for a gain.

B.San Fran is amazing. Lott and Carter. Its out of control. I'd have to say that this is my favorite team in the game because of their defense and they have three passing plays.

C.The Colts are absolutely putrid, they don't have one defender who you can count on to shut out the other team. Dallas is the second worst on the game becuase of this reason.

D.Fredd Young.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

J-diddy.......good points

wether or not Miami's playbook is good is debateable, since the cowpokes have the same play as MIA's pass 2, and NYG has the same exact curl as MIA's pass 1, HOWEVER with Danny Marino at the helm, those are awesome pass plays, as opposed to when Simms and White are throwing them.....so inna way thier playbook is good, or else its good thanks to Marino!?!?

SF defense is good! U r correct sir! Carter is a bastard cause he's so fast he busts thru the line then cattle herds the RB into the right spots and makes the diving tackle....the only NT on the game worth fearing. McMicheal is a step slower, and just isnt as dominating as Carter. And well Lott is Lott...hes the Rod Woodson of regular ass tecmo bowl i guess.

IND does have 2 things in thier favor, 1 is Dickerson and his top notch speed..almost Bo-like....so the defense burns a lot of playcalls trying to stop him. 2nd thing is they at least have playbook where the routes are very well spread out and this totally saves Trudea's girl arm. i cant say i fear the colts offense really, but in the hands of a tecmo caftsman, they can move the ball. also catch Dickerson outta the backfield on a pass and hes pretty decent weapon for sure. the IND D gets a bad rap, but bickett has some wheels, and can be used to play a lot of strong side run calls vs most any offense, unfortunately teams like SF, and Craig will run all over him. With DAL/IND you really need to understand the strategy of tecmo defense to really have a

chance to stop anyone. Being a fast guy is one thing, but being a slow guy who is not getting run on is much better.

FREDD YOUNG! awesome that you listed him, he's my favorite tecmo player on the US version. TMLB in the wrong spot at the wrong time, and it dont matter! Fredd is a beast from the firey caverns of hell on pass plays, and can do some serious cattle herding on run plays and make those diving tackles. my next ebay purchase should be a fredd young jersey!

I plan on posting my full Tecmo Bowl tutorial, hopefully before christmas..It will document the strategies needed to play solid defense and talk about the skills needed to play back-breaking offense.

[Airick10]

I put my rankings in under with Bentley as the Colts back, not Dickerson. With Dickerson, they climb up a few spots on my list.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

One more revamp to the original rankings!

to recap our rules....qb running allowed, a couple playpicked/slant/curl passes allowed a game

also only LB position player allowed to try and block fg's, and any player is eligible to try and block extra points.

and a few more notes......Bottom Safety is not blocked vs MIN's wr reverse, and Top OLB not blocked vs WSH's wr reverse...so it comes down to u just needing to stop the pass plays giving you a 50% chance of playpicking opponent......Those teams offenses are basically dead in the water, but can move the ball if they get lucky.

Also Top OLB is never blocked on Bo's running play, so this is also a huge factor as you just need to basically pick pass plays vs the Raiders, helping keep bo and company down the ladder a ways.

#1 NYG.....with LT blocking fg's, its very hard to go the entire field on them, and the offense is just good enuf to get the points for the win. With landeta punting theres no reason that the opponent should have any less than 80 yards to drive on yah.

#2 SF.....Too much fire power on offense to have them any lower with our system. And Lott and Carter makes for a very serviceable defense.

#3 CHI...Sweetness runs like a maniac and the defense they have at very key positions such as Dent and Duerson, makes it very easy to completely shut down a opponents running game.

#4 DEN...the browncows finally get some love as they secure the #4 spot for a change. Elway better than Kosar, and Dorsett better than Mack. DEN has Jones to stop the run, and they have they also have hideous kicking game, but if u got Elway, why u kicking the dang ball anyways?

#5 CLE....the brownies drop a spot from my last one. WHY? Cause DEN is better, thats why!

#6 IND....they jump SEA here.....with the need for better defense on this game, and Bickett blocking fg's from outside the 30, and stopping weakside runs, they finaly hurdle SEA. Dickerson is the 2nd best back in the game, and when he catches the ball outta the backfield watch out! IND also has probably the best kicking game with Biasucci and Stark...good news for the field position.

#7 SEA...very efficient at running/passing, and if u got the right match-up, Fredd Young can dominate, but sometimes u need to steer clear of Fredd when match-up is wrong. they do have piss poor kicking game though.

#8 MIA.....Dolphins gain back a bit of ground here, with thier passing attack that can cause problems for many defenses.....

#9 DAL....herchel right? herchel left! a dominant back that can take over a game, and a very decent passing game....no much defense, but niether does MIA or lA.

#10 LA...Bo knows being a victim of suspect blocking, but hes just fast enuf to still get some yards unless hes playing vs WSH or NYG.

#11 MIN.....Mondo good defense, and carter making life miserable for anyone who scores on them with his kick returns

#12 WSH.....Doom combo on defense can shut down any runnning game...Payton, Dickerson, Walker....all chumps for manley and mann. the problem is WSH's passing routes suck way more than MIN's..so the offense is too limited to do much.

[bamatecmo]

great post

[Stadawim]

OK. Since brad has given us some updated ratings, i'm going to as well since we're a couple weeks into the TCS.

1 = Giants. Unstoppable. This defense shuts down scoring.

2 = Bears. Solid, but it takes them awhile to get to solid.

3 = 49ers. Really good, but slipped a little in the running. Next game will see them move up due to game records. Well, either them or...

4 = Broncos. Who are at the same level. Huh? They gotta be wondering how they got this high this fast.

5 = Browns. A very potent force, scoring the most. But the tougher part of the schedule is coming.

6 = Raiders. Heartbreaking losses is what's keeping them down here. You know - "Heartbreak" seem to be the theme for this team no matter what Tecmo they play in.

7 = Redskins. I expect them to finish better than this, but they really are kinda tough to run.

8 = Seahawks. Stretching it, but they surprised to get to here.

9 = Cowboys. Overachievers. Another surprise has put them here.

10 = Colts. Quite possibly as high as they'll get.

11 = Vikings. Probably a tough early season has kept them down here.

12 = Dolphins. Of course. Thought maybe they'd get out of it. Apparently thought wrong.

And i just decided to type this out simply because this really is probably how it's going to end up and how i'll end up seeing it anyway. It all seems to be just slightly modified from this lineup anyway.

[Cap Boso]

I am a firm believer that it doesn ' t matter if you rate all 12 teams as long as you can win the game with all 12 teams. I am able to win the game with all 12 and if i remember i also i have the stats from those games somewhere unless they got thrown away.

[looked]

My opinion seems quite a bit different than what is posted, so I'll do rankings of my own.

1 - 49ers - You must know how to pass to take advantage of this team. The three passing plays, plus Craig and Rice as receivers makes this offense. Alot of people bring up plays were a receiver can't be covered on the Blitz, and Craig on pass 3 is the absolute best in the game. On Defense you have 2 good choices with Ronnie Lott or Michael Carter

2 - Bears - Walter Payton on offense. All around I think the best defense in terms of quality players. Singletary's position makes him the best defensive player IMO. There are alot of other good players, like McMichael and Duerson, but it's hard to use anyone other than Singletary. Plus they have the best kick returner in the game.

3 - Seahawks - Curt Warner is enough to carry the offense. Fredd Young is probably the only good defender, but his position makes that enough.

4 - Giants - The ablilty to stop every single extra point and field goal means you will win most shoot outs...if you can score enough of offense. They don't have much other than Bavarro. LT is the best defensive player, but I think his position hurts him most. A trick I like to use against human players is to snap the ball, and immediately throw it, since the top guy is default. LT can't get there in time, but players with better position like Young, or Singletary can.

5 - Raiders - Is there a more fun offense to use? The 2 runningbacks block for each other giving them the best blocking schemes in the game. They 2 good runningbacks, plus a good TE, and WR. So why aren't they ranked higher? Well, everyone knows the Raiders in Tecmo are Bo Jackson, and he has exactly one play. If I'm facing the Raiders either against the computer, or a man, I'm choose up+A, and Bo is out of the game. He can't even be passed to. He's one of the most deadly players, but he is the easiest to stop. Plus they have noone elite on Defense. Howie Long is good, but not the best.

6 - Browns - A good defensive team, 2 awesome DB's. The running game hurts this team though.

7 - Broncos - Good offense, good passing team. Dorsett kinda sucks though. On defense Mecklenburg is about as good Long. Plus Elway is the only QB that has a slighly faster running stat. If you pass pass pass, you can break out and Elway run once in a while.

8 - Redskins - The players themselves aren't bad, but they are limited by a weak playbook. On Defense the best 2 players are defensive ends which also holds this team back.

9 - Vikings Browner is awesome on defense, one of the top players in the game, the problem with this team is the offense. Darrin Nelson sucks, and so does his lone running play, run 2 is a reverse, pass 1 has the top guy going deep, with the other 2 guys curving towards him offscreen, so it doesn't matter who you throw it to, there is a high chance of interception. Pass 2 while not a bad play, does have 4 receivers, which usually means there is a defensive player running toward you untouched. Weak playbook, just find a way to get the ball to Anthony Carter.

10 - Dolphins - Marino has a cannon, all the receivers are fast and hard to cover, but run 1 is the most useless play in the game. I can't make anything out of it no matter what I do. The best you have on Defense is Offerdahl, who might help once in a while, but he's pretty slow

11 Colts - Dickerson is awesome, but his playbook doesn't really spring him, so it's kinda hit or miss on the runs. Plus there is the pat Beach play were he is always wide open. Offense is a slow crawl. Defensively they are as good as the Dolphins. They do have the best kicker in the game though.

12 - Cowboys - How can you pick anyone but the Cowboys? Herschel is ok, and but he only seems fast compare to every other player on the team. The receivers are all of slow as hell. There is literally nothing on defense. The Giants have 5 players that are better, and the rest are just tied to be the worst players in the game.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

I am a firm believer that it doesn ' t matter if you rate all 12 teams as long as you can win the game with all 12 teams. I am able to win the game with all 12 and if i remember i also i have the stats from those games somewhere unless they got thrown away.

actually im talking about ranking the 12 teams but in 2-player mode...against humans its a whole different ball game. true though its probably just as easy to beat the computer with DAL as it is with SF.