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The 1993 Season - My Ratings


_DEBERG

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What's up everybody, I'm that nut who wrote all this TSB 2 stuff on here years ago and then disappeared....Nothing really exciting happened to me except life. I don't have time to waste playing video games like I may have been able to 5 years ago. I have a lot of priorities now, though I still do play TSB 2 religiously. There is only 2 games left that I really play in off time...Doom and TSB 2....

Keeping the same format of my 1992 ratings and evaluations, I will go through division and order the teams from best to worst in the division. I've had years of time to go through the roster seasons in this game to make complete evaluations and that's what you will get here. 

Before I begin, I must state that most of the teams in the 1993 season really aren't that different from 1992 except the fact that they've regressed...Sure, there is some rare cases where teams get better the next year, but it's not much of a large margin except for the really god awful teams like the Cardinals and Patriots. 

The defenses are remarkably better in the 1993 season than 1992. I wonder if this had to do with scoring being down in the league during 1993....

 

These ratings and run downs are constructed in my way of playing Tecmo which is to play every week, every single game, switching teams during the week changes. It makes the season as long as possible, and gives a lot of time to dissect and go through each team individually when you're playing every game, every week for the whole year. As of late 2017, I have done this a total of 5 times for the 1993 season over the years, which has given me enough experience to write this out. 

 

AFC


EAST

 

Buffalo Bills - The song remains the same, or does it? Of all the Bills teams in the SNES Tecmo games, this one is the worst. You can definitely argue the 1994 team in the other roster or even the 1995 Bills in TSB 3 are better than this unit...The Bills have truly regressed in the 1993 team, and it's kinda remarkable that they still can reach the Super Bowl through the simulations, though it can be rare in this game. Buffalo becomes the single most overrated team of this game just due to how average they are, yet still made the SB while Tecmo demonstrates them as only a slightly above average team.

 

Offense - This offense is still as lethal as they should be, but something is off on Jim Kelly. He's regressed in this game and can throw interceptions a lot more often than before. It might have to do with 1993 being an average year for him, that would be my guess. The Bills still have pretty good depth on offense, except at the running back position. Thurman Thomas gets hurt often and when he does, you better be prepared to go all pass happy with Kelly and this offense. I like to switch the TE's around from time to time because Metzelaars is pretty decent in this game. 

 

Defense - In my 1992 ratings 3 years ago, I said that the Bills had an average defense that can really get gashed badly. This time around, they're even worse, amplifying all the negative aspects of the 1992 team....The Bills defense really posses no threat at all to a formidable offense or even a decent quarterback. Bruce Smith is still awesome and they have play makers like Hansen, Bennett and Odomes, but this defense is easy to break even with mediocre offenses. Their strength is usually in stopping the run, but you can go off on their secondary even with scrub receivers. When it comes playoff time in the AFC, this Buffalo team is so much weaker from other Tecmo Bills that they really aren't a threat whatsoever to most NFC teams if you are facing them in the Super Bowl. 


Miami Dolphins - This Dolphins team could have easily been the best Miami team in all of Tecmo if they had Dan Marino and not the Scott Mitchell/Steve DeBerg backup duo as starters. 

 

Offense - Just imagine this team without Marino, cause that's basically what it is. Nothing has changed from the 1992 offense except that Marino is absent. Scott Mitchell is a really average quarterback who goes hot and cold. DeBerg isn't much better, but the receivers can really bail you out regardless who the QB is. DeBerg has a better deep ball than Mitchell, but is a slower passer. Miami can shockingly actually run the ball in this game pretty well from time to time, which is one of the reasons I think they could've been the best Tecmo Dolphins team ever if they had Marino in there. 

 

Defense - Easily the best defense in all of the AFC East. This is a major upgrade over the 1992 team, cause now Miami has a legitimate front, good linebackers and the secondary can cause headaches when you are playing against them. I hate to say it again, but imagining this team with Marino, you're looking at a legitimate SB contender. Dolphins fans must really feel the blues for the lost 1993 season, cause according to Tecmo, they were damn good the year that Marino went down. 

 

New England Patriots - The most improved and quite possibly, underrated team in all of the 1993 season of this game. 

 

Offense - The Pats actually have a quarterback now. Drew Bledsoe has a cannon arm and he will throw interceptions, but his passes are far more accurate than the guys you may be used to dealing with from the Pats. Did you know Troy Brown is in this game? Oh yeah, the's unnammed WR Patriots, that guy played for a long time....Leonard Russell is an OK running back, but more often than not, you're going to want to throw with the Pats since their playbook is good for passing and they actually have a QB (until he gets hurt, god help you if Secules is your starter). 

 

Defense - Easily the most improved defense from the transition to 1992 to 1993. The Pats defense is actually pretty good in this game, shockingly since they went 5-11 that year. Vincent Brown is great as usual, but the main improvement is the Pats secondary. Hurst and Wren can get interceptions and can be shutdown corners at times. Don't expect to shut down the 49ers or Cowboys offense with these guys, but they can make games close. When playing against the Pats defense, I found that their secondary was really good in this game and can even slow down elite offenses. It's no question at all that when you play the 1994 season, the Pats potentially have a top 5 offense in the next year. 

 

Jets - I hate playing with this team and I am going to explain why. They really aren't that different from the 1992 team, still the same mediocrity and incompetent offense. 

 

Offense - Ken O'Brien is out and Boomer Esiason is in. This Jets offense has a major turn over problem. It's difficult to play a full game as the Jets and not commit at least a single turnover cause they are really good at staying mediocre even when you're flying high and doing excellent...There are play makers on offense; Burkett, Mathis and Moore are legitimate receivers though can be shut down at times. Johnny Johnson is a fucking fumble machine and he will drive you absolutely nuts fumbling at the worst possible times. I usually switch JJ with Blair Thomas, but he always gets injured. The other problem with the Jets offense is that they are way inconsistent. Boomer will be awesome one game and then terrible the next. There is a major problem with consistency in using the Jets during a season, it isn't uncommon to play your best games against tough teams like the Giants and Bills and then completely butt-fumble and lose to trash like the Bengals and Seahawks. 

 

Defense - The defense is the same as 1992, almost identical. Tecmo for some reason still puts Ronnie Lott with the Jets, which helps you out but not by much. After years of playing this game so much, I learned that the 1992 Jets have a habit of blowing big leads in games, and that don't change in the 1993 defense. For some reason, in the second half of games they will give him huge plays and let teams crawl back into games. If the COM can actually convert the 2 point conversions, you'll be losing some of these miraculous comebacks...The Jets are one of two teams where the COM will some how morph into an elite offense and lead a giant comeback against you in the second half. 


Indianapolis Colts - The team that some how went 9-7 in 1992 has a rude awakening and comes back down to earth the next year. They went 4-12 in 1993, and they'll be lucky to even get those 4 wins in the 1993 season of this game.  The Colts are one of the worst teams in this game, and are no longer overrated like the 1992 team was with that fluke 9-7 record. 

 

Offense - I didn't think it was possible, but the Colts offense is actually worse than the 1992 season, much worse.... Years ago I said before how Tecmo accurately summed up how god awful the 1992 Colts really were despite going 9-7. Football Outsiders has talked about this before in their DVOA article of the 1992 season, where they demonstrated how the Colts were such a fluke to go 9-7 in 1992 when they got shut out a total of 4 times in the regular season. In this game, you'll be lucky if you even put 20 points on the board against mediocre teams, yes the offense is that bad. Jeff George goes from being a middle-tier, slightly above average QB to regressing to one of the worst average QB's in the game....He is bad, the whole offense really stinks. They drop lots of passes, George throws lots of picks and the run game with Culver and Potts isn't much at all....Do not attempt getting into shoot outs with this Colts offense. In most Tecmo games, it's fun to use the Colts to get into a shoot out cause George has a strong arm, but trust me when I say that you'll be lucky to score 20 points on average teams with them...This offense is pathetic. 

 

Defense - Terrible all around. Emtman and Bickett and pretty good pass rushers when you're playing as them, but the secondary is awful. What I mentioned about shoot out games, it's cause the Colts defense is so bad, you probably will end up getting into several shoot out games when you play as them. Playing against them is a different story, cause you can just run up the score and stats endlessly on them, they're so terrible. 


CENTRAL

 

Houston Oilers - They've regressed a bit but they're still the best team in the Central and possibly the entire AFC. How does a team that go 10-6 to 13-3 actually regress? Probably because Moon was hurt most of the 1993 season and Tecmo may be taking that into account. 

 

Offense - In the 1992 season, the Oilers offense was absolutely unstoppable.  Their only real weakness was Webster Slaughter fumbling from time to time and an average run game.This time around, they can still be extremely lethal since they're stacked, but it's possible to shut them down. Their playbook has also changed a bit, and there's some better plays for short passing situations. Warren Moon is far more human in this year and you can have success shutting him down and limiting him even with average defense. Moon also gets injured often in this season, staying true to what happened in 1993....This version of Moon has a higher INT percentage rate and his deep ball has dropped a bit, but you can still sling bombs to the receivers all day, just don't expect to always get a 100% completion rate. The Oilers can run the ball slightly better in the 1993 season than they could in 1992. Gary Brown is a good back, but I tend to alternate him with Lorenzo White who can still be explosive when he gets a good carry. 

 

Defense - The Oilers defense has almost drastically improved over the 1992 season. The secondary can be shut down corners, though they have a weakness stopping the run. The front 4 is mean and they can wreck havoc against teams with bad o-lines and average QB's. The Oilers usually start off OK and then can morph into a really awesome team at the half way mark of the season, almost totally accurate to how the 1993 season played out when they improved in the stretch. Bubba McDowell and Dishman are better corners in this game than any other Tecmo Oilers team, and you will get some pick sixes with them. In the playoffs, Houston is much more difficult to go up against than Buffalo, and they can down right smash the Bills this time around if they get the match. 


Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers come down to earth after going 13-3. This Steelers team is pretty weird compared to other Tecmo games. The defense might actually be better than the 1992 team, but the offense is so inconsistent. 

 

Offense - If you don't hate Neil O'Donnell for throwing those perfect INT's in the SB to Larry Brown, this game will really show you how that happened in the first place...O'Donnell is a very inconsistent, very average QB who will over throw guys and make bad throws that result in OMG WTF interceptions...No matter how much you love passing, just take my advice that you don't want to try and get O'Donnell some elite numbers, cause the mistakes aren't worth it. Barry Foster is here and he's as good as ever, but not in his 1992 season form. I learned that switching Dwight Stone to running back if/when Foster gets hurt can be a miracle saver for this offense. The offense is average, definitely not a unit you can get down the field with in a quick amount of time to score, so you most definitely are going to want to use your defense. The Steelers offense is best if you go full smashmouth and just run and barely throw at all...You can win a SB with them if you do this offensive style and rely on defense. 

 

Defense - Over the years, I have grown to really love the Steelers defense in not just one season, but all three seasons of TSB 2. They are one defense that remains incredibly consistent on a year to year basis. The Steelers are best to use in a nickel formation. They're at their fullest potential in the nickel with Kevin Greene and Greg Floyd in as LB's. The secondary absolutely rocks; Rod Woodson is god, but you also have Darren Perry and Carnel Lake who can be INT machines. There are times when the Steelers defenses will feel awful in these games and give up points and big plays, but it all depends on how you use them. They are not a team that works well in dime, so stick to the nickel and regular 3-4 defensive schemes. 


Cleveland Browns - Nothing has really changed here except the QB and TE. 

 

Offense - I don't see where the Cleveland offense is much different outside of swapping Bernie Kosar for Vinny Testerverde. Mark Bavarro is gone and they have Brian Kitchen, who is OK but not as good as Bavarro in the last game. Kosar was a more accurate QB in the 1992 game, where Vinny is not so good on deep balls. His INT percentage is dramatically lower than last year when he was with the Bucs, but he's still not a deep passer. You'll most likely want to run the ball with Eric Metcalf who is reliable and then use pass plays only for short yardage situations. 

 

Defense - Same as 1992, no real changes at all here. Rob Burnett is still awesome, he's my favorite player on these Browns teams. 

 


Cincinnati Bengals - Oh god....When I said that most of the teams in the 1993 version have regressed, these guys were already terrible in the previous season but now they are even worse in positions they needed to fix. 

 

Offense - Just when you thought Boomer was bad in the previous season, David Klinger is the worst thing you could possibly imagine. You'll be constantly switching to Jay Schroder to lessen the bleeding, and he's not much better. The Bengals play book is absolutely terrible too for bad QB play. There is several shotgun plays that would work for a team like Green Bay or Atlanta, but they mostly lead to badly timed interceptions with Bengals. Harold Green and Derrick Fenner go from being pretty good as a running back duo from the last season to becoming extremely average in this season. This team went 3-13 in the real world and believe me, it's going to be a real test to get those 3 wins for them in this game. 

 

Defense - The Bengals do slightly improve on the defensive side. When playing against these guys, I've had moments where their front line can wreck havoc and give me issues. Tim Krumrie and John Copeland can be good for rushing the passer and they give teams a bit of issues from time to time. The secondary is trash that you can easily run stats up and god help you if you have to rely on them to stop big plays. 


WEST 

 

Kansas City Chiefs - Overrated in this game and please do not kill me for saying that. I understand Chiefs fans love this team cause it was their last team that got them far in the playoffs, but they're overrated by Tecmo standards. This team went 11-5 and yet they play like a team that should've been 9-7 (and they went 9-7 the next year). This is definitely not the best Chiefs team in the SNES Tecmo games, the 1995 team in TSB 3 is much better than this one. The offense is only slightly above average and like in the 1992 game, you're going to be relying on the defense more often than not. 

 

Offense - KC's offense is inconsistent in this game and that's their #1 problem. Early in the season, you will probably be ripping teams to pieces and running scores up to 40 points, but then they will become the usual Tecmo Chiefs once their issues set in. Joe Montana is a huge upgrade over Krieg cause you have a better shot at completing bigger throws and his INT rate is lower. Most of this offense is very average; Marcus Allen and Okoye are slightly above average and inconsistent on a game to game basis. Okoye will tear it up one game and then do nothing in the next. Allen is better to be used on pass plays for the screen passes. More often than not, the Chiefs offense will get completely shut down against the better defenses in this game, and you'll be lucky to just move the ball against an elite defensive unit. Even average defenses can shut them down. 

 

Defense - Derrick Thomas in this game is moved to DE on the opposite end of Neil Smith, so he's no longer a linebacker. This comes down to preference, I actually prefer to have Thomas as a linebacker cause I play as LB's most the time and can drop back into coverage with them. Just due to my preference, I'd say the 1992 Chiefs have a better defense than this version, but it's mostly the same. The secondary is reliable with Dale Carter and Martin Bayless. I like to use the dime coverage schemes with the Chiefs from time to time. 


San Diego Chargers - Boy did these guys come down to earth in the real 1993 season. The Chargers started 0-4 and some how went 11-5 in 1992, but this time around they were lucky to get to 8-8...According to Tecmo though, the Chargers are actually much better than their record. You could make an argument that they're better than the Chiefs despite being an 8-8 team. This could've been a 10-6 team or possibly better...

 

Offense - This is the problem with the Chargers team in this year. You don't have Marion Butts anymore and Natrone Means is a long ways from being the awesome tackle busting machine he is in TSB 3. Luckily, Stan Humphries despite still being an average QB is at least MUCH better than he was in the previous season. I actually really like the Chargers offense because Anthony Miller and Nate Lewis are great receivers to use for deep balls and Shawn Jefferson can be reliable too at times. If you don't play recklessly, this offense can get things done for you. 

 

Defense - Like the Steelers, the Chargers are one of the few teams in this game who remain very consistent on a year to year basis through the 3 seasons. Not much has really changed here from the 1992 season. They're awesome on defense...They still have a great pass rush with Chris Mims, Leslie O'Neal and Shawn Lee. Junior Seau is probably the best linebacker in the whole 1993 year here, cause you can definitely use him in coverage more and he's got the speed to pass rush too. 

 

 

L.A. Raiders - In the 1992 season review, I said back in 2014 that the Raiders were my favorite team in the AFC West. That's not the case anymore, as I generally like using defensive teams more but if offense is your thing, then the Raiders fixed their QB problem but regressed on everything else. 


Offense - Hostetler is average, but he's light years better than the shit show you got out of Schroder and Marinovich in 1992. The Raiders are stacked with speedy wide receivers, but their hands aren't so good. Tim Brown is the best all around receiver on this team. Despite the insane speeds with Jett, Wright and Ismail, they don't catch everything, and you most likely will be getting picked off when throwing deep balls to them in coverage. The Raiders run game is also shaky and I realize that they always get injured. As soon as Robinson looks good, he'll get hurt and you'll have to trot Nick Bell out there. 

 

Defense - The saddest part about the Raiders is right here. In the previous year, their defense could do great things and posse a threat to elite offenses but not anymore. The pass rush is almost gone and you will be giving up lots of yards on the ground. The secondary is just average, and your pass rush to get to the QB is in Anthony Smith. Terry McDaniel is the other best player on the Raiders. 

 

 

Denver Broncos - I almost want to rank the Broncos ahead of the Raiders here cause they're a way more fun team to use, but the Raiders are probably just 1-5% better depending on how you view it. In the real world, Denver went 9-7 and got stomped in the playoffs to the Raiders. I find the Broncos to be a more fun team though cause it's more challenging trying to take this team the distance in the post season with all their problems. 

 

 

Offense - Back when I wrote the 1992 season evaluation, I mentioned that Elway was strangely off in that version of the game. That's not to be said here, John Elway is definitely one of the best quarterbacks of the 1993 year. Elway led the league in passing yards in 1993, and I'd argue from playing this game so much that he's arguably a top 3 quarterback in this 1993 season. You are going to need to rely on Elway too cause the Broncos offense is very very average at their best. I favor Elway in this game because playing with Denver, you are going to have to rely on Elway to get it done with these average receivers and this really is a team that gets carried to the playoffs off strong QB performance alone. Besides Elway, you have Rod Bernstine, Delpino and Glynn Milburn who are as average of running backs as you could possibly get. They also fumble a lot, meaning you're going to get behind multiple possessions and need to use Elway to gun bombs down field to get back into games. 

 

Defense - Denver's defense is very average in this game. If you are someone who likes to get into offensive shoot outs in Tecmo, then this is your team in the 1993 roster season. This defense has it's moments, as there are play makers here; Atwater is decent in the secondary and then there is McKlenberg and Fletcher who can be awesome at getting sacks, but more times than not, Denver's defense will get gashed on the run and give up big plays. I almost always end up in shoot outs with this team. On the flip side, Denver can also come back to life in games and lead comebacks thanks to John Elway alone. 


Seattle Seahawks - When I said that the really atrocious teams of the 1992 season drastically improve in the 1993 season, these guys were one of the teams I was thinking about. 

 

Offense - It might not seem like it, but having Rick Mirer at QB is a major, major improvement over the pain that is Stan Gelbauch. Chris Warren is as good as usual and Brian Blades can shockingly catch the goddamn ball at times. The Seahawks had the second worst offense in the 1992 game and now they've drastically improved to a below average unit...They're not really good, but believe me, it's better than the previous season. 

 

Defense - Seattle's defense is awesome in this game, remaining true to the previous year. The secondary is even better with Eugene Robison and Patrick Hunter. This is a team that you can definitely use the dime coverage on and it works really well. Cortez Kennedy and Bryant are great at pass rushing too, remaining true to the previous year again. 

 

 

NFC 

 

East 

 

Dallas Cowboys - HOW 'BOUT 'DEM COWBOYS! Yeah...How 'bout 'dem Cowboys indeed....Here is your undeniable #1 best team in the 1993 season and rightfully so. 

 

Offense - You might expect this team to regress since practically every team in this game has a low point, but Dallas remarkably don't regress much at all. In fact, they're actually stronger despite getting blown out in week 1 and starting 0-2. Tecmo don't take into account the Emmitt Smith hold out, and strangely, Lassic is a pretty good average back who adds decent depth to this already loaded offense. I have no idea why Michael Irvin is always so slow in these games, but Irvin still has a high catch rate and is one of the most clutch receivers you can depend on. The backup Williams duo at WR can be explosive. This offense is virtually still the same from 1992, but slightly more consistent. Troy Aikman is hard enough to intercept, but he's even better in this game. If you are playing this game for a challenge, then the Cowboys are your biggest boss fight in the playoffs. They won't roll over in the playoffs, and MVP year Emmitt Smith is a pain to bring down even when you are calling their plays. 

 

Defense - Still one of the best defenses in the game like last year, but the secondary has improved since then. Dallas is a tough team to gun deep balls down, and their front can get to the QB when you're midway in the season with a mediocre team. Ken Norton is still who i think to be their best player on defense but Everett in the secondary is pretty close too. I managed to get 6 interceptions returned for pick sixes with the Cowboys in my last season. Playing against this defense is a real challenge too. 

 

 

Giants - The Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms swan song team, and they're pretty good. 

 

Offense - The Giants get a new revamped playbook this time around that clearly favors a smashmouth style offense. Forget about Phil Simms, he's average as hell in this game, but you don't want to pass anyway when you have such a loaded offense with running backs. Rodney Hampton is good, but I find him to be overrated for the good backs in this game. You can swap him out for Lewis Tillman who I think might actually be better than Hampton when it comes to breaking tackles and consistent play. Dave Megget is also good for pass plays, but he gets hurt a lot. Jarrod Bunch is good for a rare FB run every time. This offense is so good at running the ball, you can literally win games just by throwing less than 10 passes and racking up 200+ yards running. 

 

Defense - This is the last hurrah of the great Giants defenses and they've come to dominant form this time around. You could seriously argue that this is the best defense of the whole 1993 team. They can slow down the run when you play against them, and then you have to play real smart with your passing on them cause they don't give up many big plays. For the last year of his career, LT is really good in this game but will get hurt often. I find that the Giants, like the Bears are one of the few defenses you can run in every formation but it's a bit trickier with the Giants. They'll give up run plays and some good passing yardage as the season goes on, it really comes down to how well you are rushing the passer and stopping the run. This defense has a lot of star power that I like: LT, Carlton Bailey, Mark Collins and Greg Jackson. 

 

 

Philadelphia Eagles - In a season where star quarterbacks went missing, this is an Eagles team that is absent of QB Eagles and will remind you just how valuable he is in these games. 

 

Offense - Randall Cunningham is out and Bubby Brister/Ken O'Brien are your QB's....Tragic...Words cannot really describe how painful this is trying to run the Eagles playbook with either of these two QB's. Playing against the Eagles offense is legitimately like playing against the worst offenses in the game regardless who you play as. In a game as Washington, I recorded 6 interceptions off Bubby Brister (and Washington is one of the worst teams in this game). Brister is atrocious and Ken O'Brien isn't much of an improvement. They both are turnover machines and are inconsistent. The most you can do is run the ball heavily, but Hershel Walker also is a turnover machine and the receivers are inconsistent. If you don't care for Randall Cunningham in these games, then you should definitely play the 1993 year of this game and be subjected to an Eagles offense with the Brister/O'Brien duo. Believe me, it will make you appreciate having QB Eagles more than anything. 

 

Defense - Back when I wrote the 1992 season, I wish I had wrote better how great the Eagles defense was in that game. The Eagles in the 1992 team have a legit top 3-5 defense with an elite secondary and an elite pass rush. This time around, they're missing Reggie White and a few other figures. The secondary is still pretty good, but the front is decaying and their biggest weakness is run defense. The big name RB's like Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders can have a field day running all over them. Their secondary will still give issues though. 

 

Phoenix Cardinals - Remember these guys? I ripped them so hard years ago in the 1992 season. Thankfully, they've dramatically improved in this game and you can actually win games with them. 

 

Offense - It's no secret that the Cards have the worst playbook in all the SNES Tecmo games, but after years of messing with them, I've learned how to use it to some advantages. You get some help in this game having Steve Beurelin as QB. Believe me, he's MUCH better than Chandler and Rosenbach from the 1992 season. The Cards also have Randall Hill, who is a really good speedy wide receiver who you have to learn to use properly with their bad playbook. He works like a slot receiver on some plays and can be explosive. Don't try to pass the ball much, stick to the ground cause they do have some decent running backs like Moore, Bailey and Hearst. 

 

Defense - This defense is average at best and is a real challenge to use. Tyronne Stowe, Eric Hill and Ken Harvey are good for getting sacks. I find John Booty and Lorenzo Lynch to be pretty good for interceptions, but don't expect this to be a shut down defense. 

 

 

Washington Redskins - Super Bowl hangover reaches the bottom of the barrel. This is one of the worst teams in the game and Washington went 3-13 in 1993. 

 

Offense - When people say Mark Rypien was incredibly average at best, here he is incredibly below-average. Rypien is washed up and terrible in this game. You still have legitimate wide receivers, but they're all old and past their prime. Reggie Brooks is going to be your heart and soul of this offense. Brooks is an amazing back, a bit underrated since he plays for one of the worst teams, but he carries this offense. The playbook is the same from the other games with all the motion plays, but it works for running the ball. 

 

Defense - Wow, this defense regressed big time. The Redskins get run all over on the ground, and from time to time the secondary does get picks. I recorded my 6 INT game in this year with the Redskins secondary. Some years ago, I think I posted on here how I got 5 interceptions in a single game with Brad Edwards in TSB 1 for the SNES, and again I managed to get 4 INT's in a single game with him during this crappy year. Edwards will forever be one of my favorite Tecmo players cause even on a bad team, he can have that WOW game for you. Darrell Green is obviously better, but you kinda expect that since he's always awesome in these games. The Green/Edwards duo in the secondary can wreck havoc from time to time. Because of them, I like using the Dime coverage schemes for Washington, cause no matter what, you are going to get gashed badly by the run. 

 

 

 

CENTRAL

 

Green Bay Packers - Green Bay gets some much needed help from the previous game and have risen from being an average team to becoming one of the better ones in the game. 

 

Offense - 1993 was Favre's ugliest year of the 90's. He threw more picks than TD's, but in Tecmo you can't really tell. Favre always throws picks in these games, except that in TSB 2 however, you have a higher chance of it being returned for a TD and putting you in a bad mood. Regardless his flaws, Favre is still one of the best QB's in this game and is the best of the NFC Central. The Packers offense still struggles running the ball, but if you can use Favre safely and only throw the bombs when you desperately need them, then you can make this team work better than the 1992 version. 

 

Defense - This is where the Packers really improve. Reggie White is a miracle worker for this team and can almost transform the defense over night. The secondary also has drastically improved and I've had several games vs the Packers where I use teams like Miami, Dallas and Houston and their secondary can slow these teams down to a grind-fest. LeRoy Butler really shines in this game and it's probably his best Tecmo year. Terrell Buckley from time to time is pretty useful too. I like to use the Packers with a base 3-4 and a nickel formation most the time. 

 

 

Chicago Bears - This is probably my most controversial pick in these rankings. Is a 7-9 Bears team actually better than the 10-6 Lions? According to Tecmo, yeah. The Bears are really awesome in this game, hard to believe, but true. I come to this realization after doing several season runs and having my ass absolutely handed to me on a silver platter time and time again by this mediocre team. 

 

Offense - This isn't where the Bears are superior. Jim Harbaugh is as inconsistent as ever and this offense is really bad. Playing with this offense is like imagining the 2000 Ravens. I've actually had games where this offense can't even score a touchdown and still win all thanks to defense. Tom Waddle is no longer the Bears savior at WR, he's average as hell in this game and the run game will collapse on you. Craig Heyward from time to time can break off those super awesome slow runs, but it's rare. 

 

Defense - The Bears arguably have one of the best defenses in this game. Hard to believe but true. Play with them or play against them during the season's run, and you'll see exactly how great they can be. Their biggest thing is gaining turnovers, oh yes they can get tons of interceptions and fumbles, not even counting sacks. Richard Dent and Steve McMichael are terror for QB's in this game, and the secondary is strong with Mark Carrier and Donnell Woolford. Even Dante Jones at linebacker can get picks in this game. The Bears defense is versatile to run in any formation too. Like I said, I've won many games with this team where the offense can't even muster a single touchdown, and I end up still winning thanks to a pick six or fumble returned for a TD. In my last two seasons of playing every game every week, the Bears finished ranked #1 and #2 in total defenses those seasons. 

 

 

Detroit Lions - IMO, the most overrated out of the NFC in this game. The Lions went 10-6 and are by default with the real season the best team of the NFC Central, but not quite...

 

Offense - As far as it goes, this is Rodney Peete at his most average, which isn't good. Barry Sanders has improved over the 1992 season, as he don't fumble a whole lot but he still gets injured often. The main problem is their Run-N-Shoot offense gets them shut down rather quickly against good defense and Peete isn't all that inconsistent. Playing the Lions offense, they aren't much of a threat. 

 

Defense - They got Patrick Swilling on defense here, but sadly he don't have a whole lot of help like he did with the Saints defenses. This is a defense that has major issues, but can turn out some good performances if you simply use them in the 3-4 and don't constantly use dime and nickel coverage, cause the secondary ain't gonna save you. 

 

 

Minnesota Vikings - An average team who is actually pretty bad most the time. In the 1992 season, I said the Vikings could've been a dark horse team. That isn't the case with this version. 

 

Offense - Boy oh boy, this offense is horrendous. Terry Allen is gone and instead you have to deal with a washed up Barry Word who isn't no where near as explosive as Allen. The other backs like Craig, Smith and Scottie Graham aren't much help. Minnesota's biggest issue is the really bad playbook which don't help out the passing. McMahon and Salisbury are your QB's and let me tell you, Jim McMahon is fucking atrocious in this game. You will immediately want to switch Salisbury in there who can actually complete deep passes with their odd playbook. 

 

Defense - The Vikings defense has regressed big time. The pass rush with the front 4 is still excellent; Doleman, Thomas and Randle can wreck havoc on offenses, but they struggle stopping the run and the secondary can be good against bad QB's and average WR's and not so much against the better offenses. 

 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ladies and gents, behold the worst team in the 1993 year of TSB II. 

 

Offense - Oh god, where do I even begin? Tampa some how went 5-11 in the real season, but I have no idea how. In the 1992 season, the Bucs were one of those trash teams who surprisingly could be pretty good on offense from time to time. Over the years I learned that in 1992, the Bucs can scare you can scare you cause their offense can get hot off Reggie Cobb, and DeBerg is more consistent than Vinny. Craig Erickson and Casey Weldon throw pick sixes all over the place and they're not even the worst problem. The biggest issue is that no one can even catch wide open passes. Not only do they turn the ball over a-fucking-lot, but no one can catch. Reggie Cobb will be the entire offense here, and once he's hurt, you're screwed. 

 

Defense - Terrible, absolutely horrible all around. Broderick Thomas is better on the other Tecmo games than here. 

 

 

WEST

 

San Francisco 49ers - The darlings of the NFC are in quite a lot of trouble...

 

Offense - This 49ers team has regressed a bit from the 1992 team. Young's stats are down a bit and he has a higher INT ratio. This isn't the problem though with Young, the main issue is he gets hurt more often this year and you'll be stuck with Grbac. The good news is, you can actually run the ball better if you switch up and use Carter and Lee and don't just ride Rickey Watters. Watters for some reason fumbles a lot in this year. The 49ers offense is still good by their name sake, but don't expect to run scores up in every game and don't expect to get away with playing loose like you can with the 1992 and 1994 teams. 

 

Defense - An average defense at best which really says a lot about how this team struggled to go 10-6 in the real world and the next year, they loaded up their defense in free agency. If you are playing against the 49ers, this defense isn't so much of a threat as the 1992 team or how the 1994 team will be in the next year. They can be beaten quite fairly, they are not the juggernaut that Dallas is. 

 

New Orleans Saints - The end of the Mora era. This is the famous Saints team that started 5-0 and then turned into a train wreck finishing 8-8 after having such promising hopes. 

 

Offense - Bobby Herbert is out and Wade Wilson has replaced him. Wilson is bad in this game, much worse than his counter part in TSB 1 for the SNES. Where Herbert and Buck were inconsistent and bad in the previous year, that's countered this time with Wilson who is bad but has a cannon arm to launch interceptions all over the place. Mike Buck is bad in this game too, don't even bother trying to use him. The one bright spot on this offense is still ace wide receiver Eric Martin, and you have Derek Brown who is a better RB than Hilliard and Brad Muster. 

 

Defense - The Dome Patrol is officially gone in this game with Pat Swilling's absence. Sam Mills and Rickey Jackson are still awesome as ever, but Vaughan Johnson has taken a slight step back. Tecmo don't take into account that the Saints defense just fell off a cliff after starting 5-0 and then collapsing to the floor in 1993. In this game, the defense can give up gobs of points to a great offense (Dallas, SF, Atlanta) but they occasionally still play extremely well most the time.  As a Saints fan, I like to argue that Wayne Martin is probably the most underrated Saint of all time, and in these games, Wayne Martin is always terrific. Frank Warren is pretty good and the secondary has Gene Atkins who is pretty good. The Saints may have regressed, but their defense is still good enough to compete in the NFC West.

 

 

Atlanta Falcons - This is one of the strangest teams of this year. They have one of the most dominating offenses but a terrible all around defense. 

 

Offense - No more Chris Miller, but that don't really matter. Toliver is the starter and he's bad, but things don't get better until you start Bobby Herbert. I have no idea why, but Bobby Herbert is amazing in this year of Tecmo. I read that 1993 was his only Pro Bowl season, and most Saints fans and even Falcons fans too remember him as being profoundly mediocre to terrible, but on this game, Bobby Herbert can complete passes at a high rate and throw bombs. His TD's are always high due to this offense. This isn't just from playing as the Falcons, when you play against them too, Herbert can be one of the hardest QB's to go toe to toe against with this offense. I'd argue that Atlanta hands down, has one of the best offenses in this game, even better than 1992. It's all about passing with them while the run game is shaky, but Herbert can shockingly pull off those QB runs when the play is called. I love their offense in this game, this is probably the best Falcons Run-N-Shoot offense in Tecmo since all the receivers can destroy teams. Michael Haynes and Andre Rison especially are my favorite targets. 

 

Defense - Holy hell, to counter having a dominant offense, the Falcons defense is one of the worst in the game. You won't even know that they have Deion Sanders except the rare times he's able to make a big play with an interception. It don't matter what base formation you use, the Falcons give up big plays constantly. I've had some success running the base 3-4 formation with them, but in the nickel and dime, they get gashed and torn by big runs and deep pass plays. The best strategy is to run up scores and don't take your foot off the gas with the offense, cause this defense will get burned and give up scores in games even when you're trying everything to stop it. 

 

 

L.A. Rams - A bad team all around

 

Offense - Gone are the days when Jim Everett was really good in Tecmo. Now he's just a shell of his former self. Everett is very average in this game, far from the other Tecmo years. They do have Jerome Bettis who makes up for the inconsistent QB play, but it's a pain to keep Bettis healthy and on the field. Flipper and Ellard at WR's are still good but have regressed a bit. 

 

Defense - In the last year, they had Kevin Greene who was a major help but this time they have nothing but Fred Stokes and Sean Gilbert who can't do all the heavy lifting when the defense gives up big passing plays constantly. 

 

 

 

RANKINGS

 

Overall Offense

 

1. Cowboys

2. Oilers

3. 49ers

4. Falcons

5. Bills

6. Packers

7. Broncos

8. Giants

9. Dolphins

10. Chiefs

 

Passing Offense

 

1. Oilers

2. 49ers

3. Falcons

4. Broncos

5. Cowboys

6. Bills

7. Packers

8. Dolphins

9. Chiefs

10. Jets

 

Rushing Offense

 

1. Cowboys

2. Giants

3. Steelers

4. Lions

5. Bills

6. Eagles

7. Rams

8. Oilers

9. Browns

10. Jets

 

 

Overall Defense

 

1. Giants

2. Bears

3. Cowboys

4. Oilers

5. Chiefs

6. Steelers

7. Packers

8. Chargers

9. Dolphins

10. Saints

 

Passing Defense

 

1. Steelers

2. Cowboys

3. Oilers

4. Bears

5. Chiefs

6. Giants

7. Packers

8. Dolphins

9. Chargers

10. 49ers

 

Rushing Defense

 

1. Bears

2. Oilers

3. Cowboys

4. Giants

5. Steelers

6. Chiefs

7. Saints

8. Dolphins

9. Bills

10. Packers

 

 

 

Overrated/Underrated teams

 

This is made up by how the teams resulted in the real 1993 season with their record and how Tecmo evaluates them and how they perform in the game. 

 

The overrated teams are the ones with better records than how they perform and end up in simulations. The underrated teams are the opposite; teams who have a worse record in the real 1993 season but end up better in Tecmo. 

 

Overrated Teams

 

1. Bills

2. Lions 

3. Chiefs

4. Vikings

5. Saints

 

Underrated Teams

 

1. Bears

2. Chargers

3. Broncos

4. Patriots

5. Falcons

 

 

 

Edited by _DEBERG
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  • 4 years later...

Another strong write-up.

 

In season 2 with the Chiefs, the switch of Derrick Thomas from LB to DE is a big deal.  I was able to play Nickel a lot in the 1992 season and use Thomas, but the LB group in 1993 is really rough.  I found myself playing with Charles Mincy more often than not.  In 1992, I had the top ranked defense against the pass and the rush.  In the 1993 season, I was #1 against the pass but #3 against the run.  Most RBs toward the end of the season and in the playoffs were able to have their way against me.

 

The offense is much better in 1993.  Montana makes these receivers look a lot better than they are.  He threw for 4,089 yards, 65 TDs and 5 INTs (I recall 3 INTs in the first 3 games).  I'm not convinced Marcus Allen is better in the running game than the Okoye/Word tandem in 1992, but he is so much better in the passing game.  Just like 1992, Todd McNair is a sleeper on offense in the passing game.  He needs to be in the lineup when in Good or better.

 

I managed to finish 16-0 and win the Super Bowl, but got off easy in my playoff matchups again.  I had Buffalo in the divisional playoff, Denver in the conference championship, and Detroit in the Super Bowl.  

 

I forgot how much fun the 3-season mode is.  Glad I gave it another shot.

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