Tecmo Bowl season 3

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

thought i'd make a thread for the current season thats under-way for those out there who still enjoy the original.

We're just past the halfway point in the current season(7 weeks down/5 to go)

Theres only 2 of us, so this limits what we can do with scheduling and all. However, each players team plays the other guys teams twice home/road. The home team has won 62% of thier games. Pretty standard in TB from the hundreds and hundreds of games we have chronicled on spreadsheets. We conduct a draft each season, then randomly set up the divisions and conferences. This season was fairly odd as all the powerhouse teams(NYG/CHI/SF/DEN/CLE) made thier way into one conference and the bottom half teams ended up together.

AFC EAST

NYG 4-3

WSH 4-3

CHI 3-4

AFC WEST

DEN 5-2

SF 4-3

CLE 1-6

NFC EAST

IND 5-2

LA 5-2

DAL 4-3

NFC WEST

MIA 5-2

SEA 2-5

MIN 0-6

Week 8 games.

CHI(3-4) @ MIA(5-2)

NYG(4-3) @ IND(5-2)

DEN(5-2) @ MIN(0-7)

WSH(4-3) @ SEA(2-5)

(MNF)LA(5-2) @ SF(4-3)

Playoffs: 2 division winners from each conference and the top wildcard team get seeded 1-3. From there the 3 teams from each conference that did not make the playoffs square off in a tourney called the conso/invite with the winner of each conference getting in as the 4th seed to play the top division winner.

The #1 seed in each conference will be awarded home games thru the playoffs. The Top seeded team overall will be awarded a home game in the Tecmo Bowl.

See my signature for previous TB winners....SEA over DAL 24-3 in season 1. That playoff saw some of the biggest upsets ever. CHI fell to under dog MIN . SF also got bounced in a huge upset by LA(who they had previously owned). LA in turn got upset by DAL a game later in the conference championship game.

SEA on the other hand had a magical season like no other and held off a late CLE rally to reach the Tecmo Bowl. DAL was no match for SEA in the Tecmo Bowl that day as the DAL offense sputtered like it does on occasion and the defense couldnt stop SEA. SEA has however failed to reach any semblence of that glory again not qualifying for the playoffs last season and stumbling this year.

Season 2 saw MIA beat CHI 12-10 in the Tecmo Bowl. Those playoffs saw LA again pulled off a huge upset in the playoffs over NYG, but fell handily to MIA's passing atack once again at the door step of a Tecmo Bowl appearance. CHI on the other hand throttled CLE(42-3) and SF(31-0) easily reaching the Tecmo Bowl. MIA came out aggressive in nthe game converting its share of risky 4th downs, while not scoring a lot of points controlled the ball for a good amount of time and engineered a late game drive for the winning fg as time expired.

Looking at last seasons Tecmo Bowl combatants......

Currently CHI has won 3 of 4 games after an 0-3 start to get back in playoff/division title contention. MIA did not start strong but has a league best 4 game win streak under its belt and is poised for a division title.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

i apparently cant post an attachment of the standings spreadhseet on here, but heres a run down of some interesting info from the season

NYG has been allowing quite a few points(86points-9th in the league). somewhat skewed

from getting blown out by DEN/SF though. the defense has shut out 2 opponents.

WSH(4-3) is 4-0 in games that its offense scores. they also have a league best 26 points

allowed in 7 games. no other team is even close. WSH has shut out 2 opponents this

season, and most points allowed in a game for them was 10.

CHI after starting 0-3 has turned thier season around with a 3-4 mark currently.

DEN( 5-2) owns a league best PF/PA total @ +52(115-630). Also owns a 4-0 home record and

strong 3-1 conference record.

SF has the 2nd best PF/PA margin with a +51(128-77),and has scored the most points in the

league.

IND(5-2) has only had 1 home game so far(1-0). With the leagues home record @ roughly

62% this bodes well for them. IND also has the leagues only perfect conference

record(3-0). IND is also only 1 of 2 teams with a winning record on the road(4-2).

LA(5-2) has only 1 home game of thier remaining 5.

DAL(4-3) has a 3-1 home record. They will face both NYG and CHI @ home in weeks 10 & 11.

MIA is only the 3rd team to have eclipsed the 100 point mark so far(109). Mia owns a

league best % road game record(3-1) and also holds the longest current winning streak (4

games).

SEA has lost 3 straight coupled with MIA's win streak has all but ended thier chances at

winning the division.

MIN has scored the fewest points in the league and allowed the most(32-130).

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

The power of MS paint!

[shanfu0]

First of all, is this with the original rom or the 1990 one?

Washington above Chicago? What's wrong with the Bears' D? How are the Fins doing so well on Defense? How is Dallas hanging in there? Sounds like a very surprising season all around.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

USA version of tecmo is what we are using. in even numbered season we play on the famicom cart(1990 japan version). I got one of them fam to nes adapters.

1st off, statistically im better than my buddy. Not by much, but spreadsheets of hundreds and hundreds of game show i beat him about 60-65% of the time. WSH/DAL/MIA are all my teams. CHI is not. I guided CHI to a 10-2 record last season.

WSH...bottom line, i can play some serious defense with WSH. You have to. If i can somehow weasel out 2 FG's on offense i'll probably win. also WSH has a ass kicking punter. in the field possesion game, this helps them imensley.

CHI....im not sure about thier woes. My buddy who has them excels with teams who are run based, but he came out the gate flat starting 0-3. as you can see he can put up his share of points with em. I love CHI's offense. its down right nasty and methodical. nothing flashy but so efficient.

MIA is a tough team to beat. that offense can really control the ball/time. seriously, marino and co are thier best defense. Also i dont dick around. i can QB pretty damn well. I rarely miss on a cycle with a wr and not hit a guy for the 7-10 yard gain.

DAL....I love thier offense. Walker aint the best runner, but hes good enough to force the defense to be warry of him. i downright love the passing plays of dallas. im about the only person on the planet who thinks they have a down right nasty offense. im a passing guy. a gun slinger. id rather throw all day instead of running plays or qb scrambles. If you arent picking the right pass play dallas has some guys open.

looking ahead....WSH/DAL are not garanteed to be in the top 3 of either conference. WSH is just getting it done for now. time will tell. DAL will lose if the offense sputters at all. consider those teams walking a tight rope. Mia for the most part is for real. They usually bring a solid game vs SF/NY/CHI.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Week 8 is in the books.

CHI @ MIA. Tough defensive battle. Singletary gets a key extra point block early, and CHI leads 10-9 late. A defensive stop by MIA sets them up to get the ball back late, but on the punt CHI's O-line block great and the punter is able to hold the ball for at least 6-8 seconds(huge in tecmo) if not longer before getting the punt off. It was huge as MIA was unable to get close enough for a FG attempt. CHI sneaks by 10-9.

NYG @ IND. One of the most rediculous games we've ever played. Scoreless for 4 qtrs as the offenses can barely move the ball. Stark and Landeta provide the excitement by exchanging 70+ yard punts all game. In OT after a couple punts IND finally gets a drive together and crawls in for the win, 7-0. Brutal game from start to finish. IND was down inside the 10 earlier in the game but Trudeau threw an INT in the endzone.

DEN @ MIN. Another defensive slug fest that see's DEN get an early FG. MIN is unable to move the ball all game, and DEN finally adds on another score to take it 10-0. Decent ground game for Dorset in the 2nd half.

WSH @ SEA. early in the game SEA line sup for a long FG, which gets blocked. WSH who is previously undefeated when they can score, gets FG soon after for a 3-0 lead. WSH adds on another FG and a 6-0 lead. Early in the 4th SEA drives inside the 10 but on 4th down gets playpicked killing the drive. WSH burns some clock, punts, and the defense does the rest. 6-0. WSH is now 5-0 when the offense scores.

LA @ SF. SF is forced to punt on its opening drive. That would be the last time they punt in the game. Pete Kugler(bottom DE) plays the game of his life thwarting Bo Jackson on a pair of 4th downs runs and gets an INT en route to an absolute 42-0 shellacking of LA. Montana sliced the LA defense all game, and Ronnie Lott added another INT. SF looking for more points late was stopped at about the 2 yardline as time expired. The record for most points by 1 team in the modern era of Tecmo Bowl was by DEN beating LA 45-3 a few years back. 42 points ties the record for largest margin in a win.

DAL @ CLE. A tough defensive battle that saw CLE get 2 huge kick returns by McNeil. Lavette answered with one as well, leading to the only points DAL would score. CLE leading 10-7 midway in the 4th converted some key 3rd downs en route to nailing a FG at the gun to take the game 13-7.

The playoff picture got a jolt this week.

-CHI won a huge game over MIA to finally get to .500. MIA with the division all but wrapped up lost a step in the conference race.

-NYG lost a very crucial game and dropped to 1-3 on the road(player 2). meanwhile IND has gotten into the driver seat with the NFC's best record.

-DEN is staying a step ahead of the AFC with a conference best 6-2 record. MIN remains winless at 0-8.

-WSH took a completely surprising division lead with the win. SEA continues to teeter on playoff elimination.

-SF stayed on course at trying to get a home playoff game with the win. LA has dropped 2 straight games by a combined score of 73-3 and appear to be in a free fall. However they are still just 1 game out of the conference lead and face IND in week 10.

-CLE remained alive with some slim playoff hopes and has a couple very winnable games down the stretch. DAL blew a great opportunity for playoff positioning with this loss.

Standings thru 8 weeks.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

MIA gets some newspaper love

i shoulda used a different image than the others but it just so happened to be the 1st i started with.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Week 9. 4 games to go

NYG(4-4) @ WSH(5-3).....WSH's league leading D brought the lumber and forced Simms into a couple INT's in his own territory. WSH crawled down field for two 2nd half scores thanks to the picks, and rolled 14-0. WSH defense pitches its 3rd straight shut out...unheard of in Tecmo Bowl. The doom combo of mann, and manley does it again.

DEN(6-2) @ CLE(2-6)...back and forth defensive battle that saw Mcneil back to his antics with a long kick return that lead to 7. CLE had a 7-6 lead late and DEN was driving. From the CLE 41 on 4th and 1 DEN gambled to try and gain some yards for a better FG attempt but were stuffed. However kosar threw an INT right away and DEN moved downfield for a chip shot FG. However, McNeil returned a kick to about the 35 getting out of bounds with 1 second left. Bahr(sorry darkie) just barely, and i mean just barely hit the game winner. CLE sneaks by 10-9.

SF(5-3) @ CHI(4-4)...trailing 6-3 late in the 2nd, CHI is gifted a FG thanks to a SF defensive breakdown on a long run by Payton. The teams exchange FG's the rest of the way and head to OT tied at 9. In the OT after a couple punts, Montana rallys the troops and gets down in FG for Ray Wersching to hit the game winner 12-9.

DAL(4-4) @ MIN(0-...MIN's poor offense exposes a slow DAL D and racks up yardage like mad. MIN cruises 20-3 behind a great defensive effort as well. The game also features a Doleman INT returned to the house.

MIA(5-3) @ LA(5-3)...MIA came out on defense completely shutting down LA but only held a 7-0 lead at the half. Marino led another Td drive in the 3rd and

they added a late FG to win 17-0. A defensive effort for the ages as LA's offense sputtered all game giving Marino ample opportunities to pack on the points. This win allowed MIA to wrap up the division and get a home playoff game in the 1st round.

SEA(2-6) @ IND(6-2)...IND came out with 2 scores and took a 9-0 lead at the end of the 1st qtr. SEA countered with 10 points on some questionable ref calls and led 10-9 at the half. From there IND ratched up the defense and got a couple more scoring drives and ends up rolling 28-10. A huge day from Dickerson on the ground put the pressure on SEA all game.

added in PF/PA team rankings.

Teams are streaking now and its huge. WSH, SF, and IND are all riding huge win streaks. NYG, LA, and DAL are all in free falls at the moment. LA who started 4-0 has gone 1-4 since and has been outscored 90-3 thier last 3 games. they also finish with 3 straight road games. SEA's 5 game losing streak handed the division to MIA on a silver platter.

Week 10 games...

Big games for at the top for the NFC

MIN(1- @ MIA(6-3) Conference lead on the line for MIA who trails IND by 1 game.

LA(5-4) @ IND(7-2) A win gives IND a sweep of LA and the division title. LA is trying to hold onto the 3rd seed.

and lots fo be determined in the AFC plyoff race

NYG(4-5) @ DAL(4-5) Pretty much a must win for both squads playoff hopes.

SEA(2-7) @ DEN(6-3) DEN is fighting for conference and division lead.

CLE(3-6) @ SF(6-3) SF is looking for revenge from earlier loss to CLE

MNF-WSH(6-3) @ CHI(4-5) a WSH win all but gives them a competely unexpected division title.

Current playoff seeding

AFC

1. DEN 6-3

2. SF 6-3

3. WSH 6-3

4.NYG 4-5

5.CHI 4-5

6.CLE 3-6

NFC

1.IND 7-2

2.MIA 6-3

3.LA 5-4

4.DAL 4-5

5.SEA 2-7

6.MIN 1-8 (eliminated from playoff seeding)

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Meltdown in the big apple.....

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Week 10 is in the books.....

MIN(1-9) @ MIA(6-3)

Marino comes out the gate firing, and lead the fins to an opening drive touchdown. marino tacks on another Td pass, and miami leads 14-10 at the half. Anthony Carter breaks off 3 long kick returns(2 resulting in points) to keep minnesota in the game, but alas the offense sputters and Miami holds on 14-10.

LA(5-4) @ IND(7-2)

With the division already sewn up, IND was looking towards securing homefield advantage in the playoffs. With the defense holding down Jackson and co, Trudeau led a couple FG scoring drives. Leading 6-0 around midfield early in the 3rd, Trudeau tosses a costly INT to Howie Long. From there LA's offense gets on track for a 7-6 lead. IND has a couple opportunites late, but the LA defense holds on for the win.

NYG(4-5) @ DAL(4-5)

With thier playoff hopes fading fastly, this game was practically a must win situation for both squads. A carl banks INT off Danny White early lead to a FG. Alegre tacked on a couple more before the DAL offense got the ball in the endzone. Trailing 9-7 late in the 3rd, Dallas fails to stop the NYG offense and the G-men prevail 16-7.

SEA(2- @ DEN(6-3)

With a log jam atop the AFC, DEN looked to keep on track for home field advantage playoffs. DEN's high powered offense only managed a couple field goals thru 3 qtrs krieg finally engineered a scoring drive and it appeared that SEA would pull off the upset, but some inspired running by Dorsett and Elway making good decision in the passing game lead to a Rich Karlis chip shot FG as time expired win 9-7.

CLE(3-6) @ SF(6-3)

CLE which had been on a 2 game winning streak and previously beat SF in week 5 looked to pull off another upset and keep thier slim playoff hopes alive. SF jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Kevin Mack repeatedly broke off long runs leading to a couple matt Bahr FG's. From there the defenses held, and SF barely escaped 10-6 with a win at home.

WSH(6-3) @ CHI(4-5)

WSH came into the game with a league leading 4 game win streak along with the defense shutting out 3 consecutive opponents. CHI had been hot of late as well, after starting 0-3. The Doom Combo of Manley and Mann all day harrased Payton, and the Redskins offense slowly got on track scoring 2 TD's in the 2nd half. Dexter Manley picked off a McMahon pass that lead the game clinching score. WSH;s defense pitches its 4th straight shut out and stays in the hunt for a division title.

Looking ahead to week 11....

---MIA(7-3) @ NYG(5-5)....Playoff hopes for NYG on the line here. MIA is trying to get homefield advantage in the playoffs and try to repeat as Tecmo Bowl Champions.

---WSH(7-3) @ CLE(3-7)...WSH is a win or NYG loss away from a div title.

---CHI(4-6) @ DAL(4-6)....DAL has slim playoff hopes left.

---LA(6-4) @ DEN(7-3)...LA is a win away from a playoff berth. DEN is in the driver seat for the #1 seed in the AFC.

---SF(7-3) @ SEA(2-...SF is currently deadlocked in a race with DEN/WSH for the #1 seed.

---MIN(1-9) @ IND(7-3)...IND looks to rebound from the tough loss to LA and regain control in the NFC's race with MIA for the #1 seed.

Current League standings.....

Only 2 games left in the regular season.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Looking at the remaining schedules of note to finish out the season.

AFC's race for the #1 seed.

DEN 7-3: LA/@NYG

SF 7-3: @SEA/MIN

WSH 7-3: @CLE/LA

---On paper SF has the inside track. @ SEA is a huge trap game. MIN is a game they should win without a doubt.

---WSH also has a pretty decent set-up. They clearly can shutdown CLE, and they have the perfect defense to stifle LA. Granted scoring a lot of points is not WSH's strong suit but that defense has them on a memorable ride this season.

---While DEN is better than WSH, they frequently struggle vs LA and a road game @NYG to finish the season is as tough as it gets considering NYG might still be contending for a division crown and a playoff seed.

outside looking in

NYG 5-5: MIA/DEN

---The G-men get a couple home games and some scoreboard watching to get it done. Even though playing @ home vs MIA is a toss up. In the finale, they really should beat DEN. If they can win out they do need one of the other 3 to lose out, and then have the tiebreakers fall in thier favor. NYG right now is a longshot, but if LA beats DEN, then the pressure firmly lands on DEN. WSH is also not a lock to win out either. This will be much clearer after week 11 is played.

NFC's race for the #1 seed.

IND 7-3: MIN/CHI

MIA 7-3: @NYG/CLE

---IND has already clinched the division over LA. IND has 2 very difficult games. They should match-up exceedingly well vs MIN, but the game vs CHI is going to be a huge test. The fact they get 2 home games to finish out gives them a slight advantage.

---MIA regardless of being on the road, marino runs an offense that has the firepower to give the G-men some serious fits. MIA will be hard-pressed to win out. I think IND will be as well though.

Outside looking in

LA 6-4: @DEN/@WSH

DAL 4-6: CHI/@SEA

---LA is already locked in as the 3rd seed with 1 win in the final 2 games. Both games should be close, but are winable despite being on the road for last 2 games.

---DAL is in the same boat as NYG. Some brutal match-ups ahead and needing tons of help in the process.

[Stadawim]

Compared to how anyone of my Tecmo comrades play, this is totally whack. But wonderful to witness. Holy crow there's some stuff here that we have never seen happen! Dallas and Miami are GOOD!?!? Chicago and Cleveland are BAD!?!?!?!? Amazing. It's like a complete turnaround of the game. And it's good to see people can actually use these teams to different extents. So let me get this straight, Brad: you guys draft a team and stick with it season-round and play each other four times total per team? How many games per season will you end up with? I'm curious because you put "limits what we can do with scheduling", so i'm naturally wondering what kind of schedule you came up with.

I tell ya, if me and the boys coulda bothered with coming up with divisions and schedules we might've saved some time with our seasons. I guess it was just because we were so happy to be able to play the closest thing to NFL football that we just used what we had. Granted, this was the time the game itself had just came out but still.... We look back on those early seasons and kick ourselves often. Whatever you do, don't develop a season that pits the same people with the same team in a best-of-7 series. HOLY HELL you will never really find any thing out about the game or yourselves if you do it that way.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Dallas and Miami are GOOD!?!? Chicago and Cleveland are BAD!?!?!?!? Amazing. It's like a complete turnaround of the game. And it's good to see people can actually use these teams to different extents. So let me get this straight, Brad: you guys draft a team and stick with it season-round and play each other four times total per team? How many games per season will you end up with?

Ok where do i begin....BTW, good to see you posting again. Ive always enjoyed crossing paths here.

1st....I consider my buddy Nate to be comparable in talent, however statistically i have won 65% of our games this season. 39-21 record so that does play a role in some teams being up or down(unexpectedly) over the course of a season.

2nd...Ive always considered MIA a good team, and I know you have always thought they sucked. While not elite, I think they are good and the offense they have means that they match-up with any team on the game from that standpoint. MIA is one of my 6 teams this season. If Nate has MIA I doubt they would be 7-3 right now. Nate does not pass as well as i do. He's more comfortable with having Marino scramble right away for 5-6 yards if he doesnt have a wide open target right away. I on the other hand am more interested in throwing for those 8-11 yard gains.

and to expound a little more...teams that lack fast defenders are at a disadvantage BUT, with proper game planning and knowing how calling a certain play effect pass coverage and things like that on another play you can really dicatate to an extent what your opponent can do even when you dont have an LT, or Ronnie Lott type player on your defense. the key is to really be a student of defense in tecmo. If your not, then i suggest you investigate these things.

3rd...as for team selections, conferecnes, and divisions we do as follows. Between the 2 of us we hold a draft. after we each select 6 teams(and we use our drafted teams all season), then random conf/div's are set up. Each conference will feature 3 of my teams, and 3 of his. The breakdown of who has what team are as follows Nate:(AFC-CHI/CLE/NYG....NFC-LA/SEA/MIN) and myself (AFC-DEN/SF/WSH....NFC-IND/MIA/DAL)

Considering that I have 5 teams that are all 7-3 and then also DAL going 4-6 it might help make sense that CHI and CLE(both nates teams) are not doing so hot. For the record, I led CHI to a 10-2 record last season and trip to the Tecmo Bowl. So You can bet that If i had CHI they would probably be better this season.

4th.....scheduling goes as follows....Each of my 6 teams plays each of his 6 teams twice. this makes for a 12game/week schedule. And we do it in a home and away scenario...home being player 1, and road being player 2. I have statistical evidence on spreadsheets covering hundreds and hundreds of games that prove player 1 holds a roughly 62% winning advantage over player 2. home team this season is 36-24. last season the home team was an astounding 47-25.

I believe i remember you scoffing at that home field advantage notion in a different post, but honestly its huge. The better team(record wise) gets to host home playoff games(an advantage of sorts just like the NFL) and so we use that in our favor. So what really makes it interesting are those late season games, where your not only want to wrap up conference home field, but also home field in the Tecmo Bowl.

and covering another point you made about how you and friends didnt have divisions and such back in the day...when we were kids back in 89/90 we did some thing simila to this but we didnt even have playoffs them, just an 8 or 10 game schedule and stuff. pretty dumb on our part i guess compared to what we do now.

[Stadawim]

Well... It just kinda seems like one of those "these weeks' sign the apocalypse is upon us" when seeing some of those results.

See, if you truly are better than one or more of your opponents than your teams are definitely gonna be better regardless of who they are. You have really proven that. That i think was our trouble. Of our core group of five, we all had experience with all teams. We just took that time. And then when we started the scheduling and stuff, we discovered how the teams ranked against each other. Of course early on it was hard to tell which teams we would get used to in which position, simply because we all had some strong and weak points. But after awhile they wore on and off and eventually we felt we had a feel for everyone.

Oh trust me, we know the moves. And that's why it's so hard to develop any games. By that i mean, our TB scores are typically a scorefest if we get in the 20s. Throwing is almost nullified. And with speedy defenders the run is also shut out so a team like Miami suffers hard because they have three different pass plays and a single run up the gut. None of us ever had a problem stopping their forward motion. I grant you, for those of us with faster fingers it was slightly easier to get those slant or curl passes off. But i think Marino ended up our seasons with so many interceptions he may as well been throwing to the other team.

Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Wasn't meaning to make light of your home field opinion, if it sounded as such. We just never had the problems. And it may have helped (although we don't believe so) that two of us five were left handed and just wanted to play the other side anyway. Not a factor when considered anyway, we always switched off for the next series anyway.

The scheduling the game puts you through is just weird. But that's vCOM. Our vMAN schedules were way too indepth, but sure provided a lot of play time. And now with the TCS i think it has finally been refined.

But just like a real NFL season, this is why i love to see everyone else's results. For all the differences. Just like those "who's the best _____ in Tecmo" or "who's the worse _____ in Tecmo". I just register my genuine surprise simply because i've never seen it. In my limited regional experience.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

In the previous season my buddy had led NYG to a 9-3 record, and also SF to 8-4....both very legit records in my book.

But overall, some of the average or bottom feeder teams will post some good wins on account of me having a little more Tecmo skills. this most recent week we played 5 of the 6 games last night i went 4-1 won games by 3,3,6,and 17 points....and lost a 4 point game. the games were very competative as you can see with pretty good match-ups...he did win the game he was the clera cut favorite(CHI over DAL).

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

Oh trust me, we know the moves. And that's why it's so hard to develop any games. By that i mean, our TB scores are typically a scorefest if we get in the 20s. Throwing is almost nullified. And with speedy defenders the run is also shut out so a team like Miami suffers hard because they have three different pass plays and a single run up the gut. None of us ever had a problem stopping their forward motion. I grant you, for those of us with faster fingers it was slightly easier to get those slant or curl passes off. But i think Marino ended up our seasons with so many interceptions he may as well been throwing to the other team.

Agreed on the scoring....i believe my stats would say our games are frequently in the 13-10 type score range. Putting up 20 is usually the result of a turnover that leads to an easy score or a KRTD in the mix. We dont do the whole curl passes thing...if your guys are covered the QB just scrambles.

Im legitimately curious how you defense MIA? I dont see how throwing is nullified. Since Ive had MIA as my team the last couple seasons i havent had to game plan for them in ages, so i could use some info.

From what i remember, picking the shot gun play somewhat limits WR's being open on the other plays, but i dont recall it to being fool-proof. i know for a fact that the defense picking pass 1 or the shot gun means that pass 2 has a WR open at the top and the bottom. Pretty much shooting fish in a barrel. Pass 2 is the bread and butter and the challenge is on to get the oppoennt to not pick that play. keep choppin that wood.

[Stadawim]

Miami just didn't have that big an effect on the overall league. Sure some teams definitely had better luck than others, but Miami still ended up getting the short end of the stick. Typical defense was simply alternating between P2 & P3. And that depended on who you were. I'm sure Marino's arm is quite a threat, but i swear to you it never mattered to most of us in our leagues. P1 was completely nullified. No one would chance throwing to a set of receivers who simply stopped. I'm sure there might have been a few times where two of them were actually uncovered, but i don't remember them. So if the two were covered, it's up to you for the third guy and then Marino has to try to beat you with his legs (THAT ain't happenin'). So after effectively cutting out 50% of the playbook, it was up to Miami to figure out which play to call that wouldn't be a blitz. And most times we really did seem to have at least two of the receivers covered on the other pass plays. That and the fact most of us really like being an LB, freeing up the DBs....

Maybe you can just attribute it to blind luck. I don't know. It really was just so funny how Miami was such a complete disaster.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

P1 was completely nullified. No one would chance throwing to a set of receivers who simply stopped. I'm sure there might have been a few times where two of them were actually uncovered, but i don't remember them. So if the two were covered, it's up to you for the third guy and then Marino has to try to beat you with his legs (THAT ain't happenin'). So after effectively cutting out 50% of the playbook, it was up to Miami to figure out which play to call that wouldn't be a blitz. And most times we really did seem to have at least two of the receivers covered on the other pass plays. That and the fact most of us really like being an LB, freeing up the DBs....

heres the 1st problem....with Marino, or most any other QB for that matter, a guy with great QB skills can get rid of the ball merely a couple seconds(if that) after the snap. read the coverage and instantly hit your open man. Sure you can pull the ol' wait and bait and get em to chase an open man up top and hit a guy down below, but with MIA i utilize the strength of Marino's arm.

I did some research on who the computer helps out with coverage on.

Breaking down defensive coverage on MIA pass plays is listed below in detail.

***I will preface this by saying that roughly 1 out of 10 times(if even that much) the computers coverage would vary...as in the computer would inexplicably decide to cover a 2nd receiver.

MIA-Selects pass 1(the WR curl pattern play)

Opp-Selects pass 2

-Duper at the top and Clayton at the bottom are open. The computer(bottom safety) covers the TE. Basically means that a quick throw(as soon as you get the snap) to either the top or bottom depending on where the human controlled defender is will net at very least 5 yards. And if cycle to the bottom wr to bait the human defender down there, then cycle back to the top that should be roughly a 7-9 yard gain(or more, which i do frequently)...or vice-versa and throw to the bottom WR....either way this play works well. The key is make the throw before they curl and park. If you are a good QB, then you have no trouble cycling thru a time or 2 and hitting the right man before either curls and parks.

MIA selects pass 1

Opp-Selects pass 3

-Duper(again) is open along with hardy(the TE) who is lined up at the bottom of the O-line. The computer(bottom OLB) covers the bottom WR. Not quite as good as the scenario listed above but throwing instantly to Duper if applicable will net some decent yards. The TE is low enough that if the human defender is a top DE/OLB or Safety, then Marino easily fires this in there.

MIA-Selects pass 1

Opp-Selects run 1

-No one is covered by the computer/all 3 receivers are wide open. Fish in a barrell.

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

Next play

MIA-Selects pass 2

Opp-Selects pass 1

-Duper(top) and Clayton(bottom) are uncovered. The Computer(safety) covers the TE. Somewhat similar as pass 1....Duper goes deep, TE runs a slant and stops in the middle of the field, and Clayton runs crossing pattern and parks right behind the TE. Again a quick decision is all thats needed to hit Duper or Clayton in stride. Otherwise let the human go deep with Duper and wait a bit to hit Clayton.

MIA-Selects pass 2

Opp-Selects pass 3

-Hardy(TE) and Clayton(Bottom wr) are open on this play. The computer(top DB) covers Duper (up top) Probably the best computer coverage (vs MIA)on the game as it lets the human cover 2 receivers pretty much by himself....providing he was a defender from the bottom half at either DE/OLB/DB. If not, then the QB can make a quick throw to Clayton for some decent yards.

MIA-Selects pass 2

Opp-Selects run 1

-No one gets covered. Fish, meet barrell.

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

MIA-Selects pass 3 (shotgun play)

Opp-Selects pass 1

-4 receiver set. Hardy(TE) who lines up on the top side of the O-line(for this play) gets computer coverage(Top OLB) and the rest are uncovered. Duper runs a slant and parks in the middle of the field. Hampton who is basically lined up as a TE (at the bottom of the O-line) runs and 4 or 5 yard out and parks, and Clayton runs a deep route. While Duper and Hampton are pretty close together and a human defender can single handedly cover both of them, Clayton is running down field wide open.

MIA-Selects pass 3

Opp-Selects pass 2

-Duper and Hardy go uncovered here. Duper parks in the middle and Hardy goes deep up top. Hampton gets coverage by the Bottom saftey and Clayton is covered by the bottom OLB. This play is always good for at leat 6-7 yards if you wait while the human follows hardy going deep.

MIA-Selects pass 3

Opp-Selects run 1

---No one gets covered here. Doom gets spelled with 2 o's.

My analysis of your previous statements about MIA is that whoever you faced that had MIA must not have good QB'ing skills. Nate gets rather frustrated when playing MIA if he is unable to pick the same plays as me because they always seem to have 2 guys open.....and according to the research they basically do. We had really never discussed which plays he select to coincide with my calls, but for the most part when he is wrong it means the passing attack is wide open.

I dont know who you use for a defender but even a guy like Fredd Young from the MLB position is vulnerable to the lazer fast throws marino unleashes to the top and bottom WR's. Furthermore take a DE, or OLB and this puts them at an even greater disadvantage as they have the whole field to cover.

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

week 11 results....

MIA @ NYG

With NYG's slim and fading playoff hopes still alive the game was deadlocked at 0 midway

in the 2nd qtr till marino led a scoring drive and led 7-0. McKonkey unleashed a long KR

into FG range and NYG got 3 points at the gun to go into the locker room trailing 7-3.

In the 2nd half in MIA territory, marino threw to a covered WR and banks took it to the

house(non play pick pass) for a 10-7 NYG lead. In the 4th Marino engineered a TD

drive(LT blocked the pat) but the MIA defense remained stingy and MIA won 13-10.

WSH @ CLE

With 4 straight shut outs pitched by WSH defense they faced a tough challenge with

Challenge facing KR specialist McNeil. WSH on defense played one of those flawless

games, and CLE could barely move the ball all game. WSH got a FG in the 2nd qtr and led

3-0. In the 3rd qtr Williams threw an INT when already in Fg range, but CLE never really

challenged for a score.

CHI @ DAL.....probably game of the week. lavette rips off a long KR right away that

leads to a FG. Gentry gets a KRTD and also rips off another later where hes tackled

inside the DAL 5, but it leads to a TD and a 17-13 lead midway in the 4th. DAL drives

down to the about the CHI 30(with around 20 seconds left) and one a 4th and 5 a quick

pass to the 2nd wr on shotgun get stuffed 1 yard short and CHI holds on for the win.

LA @ DEN

Ken bell starts the game with a KR into FG range. pretty much a back and forth battle

with LA's offense playing well. IIRC DEN takes a 13-7 lead at the half, but Tim Brown

gets a long KR...I think he had 2 of em. LA takes a 14-13 lead and there was some back

and forth defense. Elway engineers a drive that was strongly powered by dorsett doing

some nasty running to lHowie Longs weakside and DEN gets a late TD for a 20-14 lead. the

defense holds and DEN gets the win.

SF @ SEA....great defensive effort by SF....SEA matched it tit for tat for the most part

but the wheels started to come off in the 3rd qtr, and SF pulls away 17-0.

MIN @ IND. Huge day for dickerson running the ball and IND quite frankly rolls.....31-0. Nuff said.

standings...

AFC

WSH 8-3

NYG 5-6

CHI 5-6

DEN 8-3

SF 8-3

CLE 3-8

NFC

IND 8-3

LA 6-5

DAL 4-7

MIA 8-3

SEA 2-9

MIN 1-10

[Tecmo-Mad-Brad]

on to week 12 games

LA @ WSH...as expected WSH's D puts the clamp on LA all agme. i believe LA got to

midfield once but stalled and punted. WSH gets a TD in the 2nd qtr and then

early 4th they have the ball at the LA 1 on a 4th and goal. I think about just qb sneaking

back to the line of scrimmage to not score(and not give tim brown a chance to break the

shut out) but i say the hell with it and dont want to chance LA getting some shitty 99

yard drive and tie the score and i somewho lose in OT....so i throw for a TD and a 14-0

lead. The ensuing kickoff.....leads to nothing and WSH shuts out 6 straight opponents.

BOOYA! 7 shut outs on the season.

CLE @ MIA...this is the game nate seemed to try some new strategys in. He kept me from

lighting up the scoreboard by prolly calling pass 3 and being the top MLB...so i said

fuck it and started throwing right away to Duper for 6-7 yards a pop. after a while

that got him off the pass 3 crusade. MIA wins 14-3.

CHI @ IND.....scoreless at the half, fkn gentry takes the KR to the house. I was able to

drive all day with IND vs a game long prevent defense but i imploded over and over and

kept throwing INT's. nate fucks up a punt that goes 20 some yards and i take over a

possesion at about the 35 yard line of CHI but dont score there either. CHI tacks on a

mid range FG at the gun to win 10-0.

DAL @ SEA....DAL cruises out to a 13-0 lead. SEA claws back for a couple FG's and the

score is 16-6 going into the 4th. SEA behind a long ass run by warner gets a TD but

Lavette strikes on the KR late in the 4th and DAL tacks on a late fg(just for kicks...get

it hahahaha!) to win 19-13

MIN @ SF.....nate employs the pass 1 defense for most of the game, but roger craig

gashes doleman repeatedly with cutbacks and jukes. at one point nate (whos having a

meltdown at this point) says that hes tired of getting "juked out of the atmosphere".

Leading 13-0 montana throws an INT in the endzone, but SF gets redemption and on a last

second drive Montana hits ass wilson for the final score. 20-0 9ers.

DEN @ NYG....playing for pride now. DEN scrapes a drive together in the 2nd qtr for a TD

with extra point. NYG runs into FG range and gets 3 before the half. The NYG offense

continues to implode with a couple INT's and DEN wins 13-3. DEN was on the verge of

another score but the NYG defense stiffened late.

FINAL SEASON 3 STANDINGS....